Sample records for removing unwanted reflections

  1. Method and apparatus for removing unwanted reflections from an interferometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Steimle, Lawrence J. (Inventor); Thiessen, David L. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    A device for eliminating unwanted reflections from refractive optical elements in an optical system is provided. The device operates to prevent desired multiple fringe patterns from being obscured by reflections from refractive elements positioned in proximity to a focal plane of the system. The problem occurs when an optical beam is projected into, and reflected back out of, the optical system. Surfaces of the refractive elements reflect portions of the beam which interfere with portions of the beam which are transmitted through the refractive elements. Interference between the reflected and transmitted portions of the beam produce multiple fringe sets which tend to obscure desired interference fringes. With the refractive optical element in close proximity to the focal plane of the system, the undesired reflected light reflects at an angle 180 degrees opposite from the desired transmitted beam. The device exploits the 180-degree offset, or rotational shear, of the undesired reflected light by providing an optical stop for blocking one-half of the cross-section of the test beam. By blocking one-half of the test beam, the undesired offset beam is blocked, while the returning transmitted beam passes into the optical system unaffected. An image is thereby produced from only the desired transmitted beam. In one configuration, the blocking device includes a semicircular aperture which is caused to rotate about the axis of the test beam. By rotating, all portions of the test beam are cyclically projected into the optical system to thereby produce a complete test image. The rotating optical stop is preferably caused to rotate rapidly to eliminate flicker in the resulting image.

  2. 40 CFR 262.208 - Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Laboratories Owned by Eligible Academic Entities § 262.208 Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory. (a) Removing containers of unwanted material on a regular schedule. An eligible academic entity... months of each container's accumulation start date. (b) The eligible academic entity must specify in Part...

  3. 40 CFR 262.208 - Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Laboratories Owned by Eligible Academic Entities § 262.208 Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory. (a) Removing containers of unwanted material on a regular schedule. An eligible academic entity... months of each container's accumulation start date. (b) The eligible academic entity must specify in Part...

  4. 40 CFR 262.208 - Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Laboratories Owned by Eligible Academic Entities § 262.208 Removing containers of unwanted material from the laboratory. (a) Removing containers of unwanted material on a regular schedule. An eligible academic entity... months of each container's accumulation start date. (b) The eligible academic entity must specify in Part...

  5. Removal of unwanted fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subudhi, Sudhakar; Sreenivas, K. R.; Arakeri, Jaywant H.

    2013-01-01

    This work is concerned with the removal of unwanted fluid through the source-sink pair. The source consists of fluid issuing out of a nozzle in the form of a jet and the sink is a pipe that is kept some distance from the source pipe. Of concern is the percentage of source fluid sucked through the sink. The experiments have been carried in a large glass water tank. The source nozzle diameter is 6 mm and the sink pipe diameter is either 10 or 20 mm. The horizontal and vertical separations and angles between these source and sink pipes are adjustable. The flow was visualized using KMnO4 dye, planer laser induced fluorescence and particle streak photographs. To obtain the effectiveness (that is percentage of source fluid entering the sink pipe), titration method is used. The velocity profiles with and without the sink were obtained using particle image velocimetry. The sink flow rate to obtain a certain effectiveness increase dramatically with lateral separation. The sink diameter and the angle between source and the sink axes don't influence effectiveness as much as the lateral separation.

  6. Toward blind removal of unwanted sound from orchestrated music

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Soo-Young; Chun, Joohwan

    2000-11-01

    The problem addressed in this paper is to removing unwanted sounds from music sound. The sound to be removed could be disturbance such as cough. We shall present some preliminary results on this problem using statistical properties of signals. Our approach consists of three steps. We first estimate the fundamental frequencies and partials given noise-corrupted music sound. This gives us the autoregressive (AR) model of the music sound. Then we filter the noise-corrupted sound using the AR parameters. The filtered signal is then subtracted from the original noise-corrupted signal to get the disturbance. Finally, the obtained disturbance is used a reference signal to eliminate the disturbance from the noise- corrupted music signal. Above three steps are carried out in a recursive manner using a sliding window or an infinitely growing window with an appropriate forgetting factor.

  7. Sources of and Remedies for Removing Unwanted Reflections in Millimeter Wave Images of Complex SOFI-Covered Space Shuttle Structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kharkovsky, S.; Zoughi, R.; Hepburn, Frank L.

    2007-01-01

    In the recent years, continuous-wave near-field and lens-focused millimeter wave imaging systems have been effectively used to demonstrate their utility for producing high-resolution images of metallic structures covered with spay on foam insulation (SOFI) such as the Space Shuttle external fuel tank. However, for some specific structures a certain interference -pattern may be superimposed on the produced images. There are methods by which the influence of this unwanted interference can be reduced, such as the incorporation of an incidence .angle and the proper use of signal polarization. This paper presents the basics of this problem and describes the use of the methods for reducing this unwanted influence through specific examples.

  8. An overview of unwanted female hair.

    PubMed

    Blume-Peytavi, U

    2011-12-01

    Unwanted facial hair (UFH) is an important but often overlooked issue, with over 40% of women experiencing some degree of UFH. In the female population a wide spectrum of unwanted hair concerns is represented - from biologically normal but undesirable to excessive unwanted hair with an underlying pathology. While women may seek to manage unwanted hair across their bodies, UFH is a particular concern, due to its negative impact on perceived femininity. There may not always be a direct correlation between degree of severity diagnosed objectively by the physician and level of concern and impact upon the patient. This review discusses the spectrum of facial hair experience and outlines the clinical approach to unwanted hair management including UFH. It highlights the importance of a treatment regimen which should respond to the causation factors and needs of the individual. This will lead to a holistic treatment approach including evaluation of the implementation of emotional coping strategies and on-going support, lifestyle modifications, pharmacological interventions (to address underlying pathologies) and the use of cosmetic hair removal methods as either a stand-alone or adjunct treatment as appropriate to the individual. © 2011 The Author. BJD © 2011 British Association of Dermatologists.

  9. [Unwanted children].

    PubMed

    Sulová, L; Fait, T

    2009-06-01

    Aim of the study is review of knowledges about psychosocial aspects of unwanted pregnancy for child. Literary review. Department of psychology, Faculty of psychology, Charles University Prague. In our review article we give results of studies which evaluate physical, psychological and social aspects of beeing unwanted baby. Especially we show unique results of Prague study. The majority of studies confirm that unwanted children are significantly discriminated against wanted children. Unwanted children have more diseases, worse school result with identical inteligence quotient, higher frequency of nervous and psychosomatic disables and worse social adaptibility. Results of studies confirm order to find for every women safe and effective method for familly planning.

  10. The Unwanted Child.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Safonova, Tamara; Leparsky, E. A.

    1998-01-01

    This study examined mothers' attitudes toward pregnancy and outcomes of unwanted pregnancies in 1,454 women in Moscow (Russia). Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies greatly increased the risk of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes (especially prematurity and intrauterine developmental delay). The principal factor contributing to an unwanted pregnancy was…

  11. The making of unwanted sex: gendered and neoliberal norms in college women's unwanted sexual experiences.

    PubMed

    Bay-Cheng, Laina Y; Eliseo-Arras, Rebecca K

    2008-01-01

    Building on extant research regarding the role of gendered norms in women's consent to unwanted sex with male partners as well as recent studies of how the sociopolitical discourse of neoliberalism shapes sexuality at the individual level, we conducted a thematic analysis of undergraduate women's (N = 22) descriptions of their experiences of unwanted sex. In accordance with previous research (Gavey, 2005; Martin, 1996; Phillips, 2000; Tolman, 2002), gendered norms (e.g., women's sexual passivity; subordination of women's sexual interests to those of men) played important roles (a) laying the foundation for unwanted sex, and (b) in-the-moment negotiations between partners. In an extension of the established literature regarding unwanted sex, we also noted the emergence of neoliberal norms (e.g., personal responsibility) in participants' discussions of unwanted sex after the fact. We use these results to argue that gender and neoliberal ideologies work in tandem to (re)produce women's consent to unwanted sex.

  12. Automatic specular reflections removal for endoscopic images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Ke; Wang, Bin; Gao, Yuan

    2017-07-01

    Endoscopy imaging is utilized to provide a realistic view about the surfaces of organs inside the human body. Owing to the damp internal environment, these surfaces usually have a glossy appearance showing specular reflections. For many computer vision algorithms, the highlights created by specular reflections may become a significant source of error. In this paper, we present a novel method for restoration of the specular reflection regions from a single image. Specular restoration process starts with generating a substitute specular-free image with RPCA method. Then the specular removed image was obtained by taking the binary weighting template of highlight regions as the weighting for merging the original specular image and the substitute image. The modified template was furthermore discussed for the concealment of artificial effects in the edge of specular regions. Experimental results on the removal of the endoscopic image with specular reflections demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method comparing to the existing methods.

  13. A demographic survey of unwanted horses in Ireland 2005-2010

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The Irish Horse Industry expanded during the Celtic Tiger boom years, then contracted in the current economic recession. High value horses were traditionally controlled through sale at public auction, private sales and sales to dealers; these are now also being reduced by decreases in production (> 40%), and increases in retirement, re-homing, euthanasia and disposal through Category 2 plants and abattoirs. The absence or banning of horse abattoirs has been shown to have very significant welfare social and economic consequences in the USA. This study described the currently available data on the demographics of unwanted horses in Ireland from 2005 to 2010. Results The majority of horses euthanised by practicing veterinarians are destroyed on medical grounds but the number euthanised at the request of welfare groups and the state, as well as welfare related calls and the number of horses involved in these calls and subsequent visits is increasing reflecting the increasing involvement of the veterinary profession in equine welfare. Welfare groups have limited resources and do not have a tradition of recording data, but they too have reported increasing calls, visits and numbers of horses per visit. Welfare groups provide significant service to equine welfare and the community. Local Authorities report similar trends. Over 300 horses were found dead or required immediate or subsequent euthanasia following welfare group and local authority visits in 2010, which is of national concern. The majority of local authority interfaces with unwanted horses are with urban (60%) rather than rural (40%) horses. Mortality figures are poor indicators of non-fatal neglect. More horses were admitted into the care of local authorities than welfare groups, reflecting significant state and taxpayer investment in the control of low value horses. Category 2 plants and abattoirs represent a significant state investment in licensing and control in the national interest. Abattoirs

  14. 47 CFR 95.635 - Unwanted radiation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Unwanted radiation. 95.635 Section 95.635... SERVICES Technical Regulations Technical Standards § 95.635 Unwanted radiation. Link to an amendment... Unwanted radiation. (d) * * * (1) * * * (v) Are more than 2.5 MHz outside of the 2360-2400 MHz band (for...

  15. Treatment of unwanted hair in auricular reconstruction.

    PubMed

    Gault, David

    2009-08-01

    In many microtia patients, the hairline is lower than ideal. Despite this, it is essential to position the reconstructed ear in the correct place. Here is a series of tips and tricks to deal with unwanted hair on the skin that covers an autogenous tissue reconstruction. Replacement of the skin with a fascial flap and skin graft remains the mainstay of treatment for a very-low-hairline case. Surgical removal of hair on the helical rim during the release procedure is also described. Laser depilation, surgical electrolysis, and even shaving techniques are also discussed. Copyright Thieme Medical Publishers.

  16. Excessive or unwanted hair in women

    MedlinePlus

    Hypertrichosis; Hirsutism; Hair - excessive (women); Excessive hair in women; Hair - women - excessive or unwanted ... much of this hormone, you may have unwanted hair growth. In most cases, the exact cause is ...

  17. 47 CFR 95.635 - Unwanted radiation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Unwanted radiation. 95.635 Section 95.635 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES Technical Regulations Technical Standards § 95.635 Unwanted radiation. (a) In addition to the...

  18. 47 CFR 95.635 - Unwanted radiation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Unwanted radiation. 95.635 Section 95.635 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES Technical Regulations Technical Standards § 95.635 Unwanted radiation. (a) In addition to the...

  19. 47 CFR 95.635 - Unwanted radiation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Unwanted radiation. 95.635 Section 95.635 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES Technical Regulations Technical Standards § 95.635 Unwanted radiation. (a) In addition to the...

  20. 47 CFR 95.635 - Unwanted radiation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Unwanted radiation. 95.635 Section 95.635 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES Technical Regulations Technical Standards § 95.635 Unwanted radiation. (a) In addition to the...

  1. Gender scripts and unwanted pregnancy among urban Kenyan women.

    PubMed

    Izugbara, Chimaraoke O; Ochako, Rhoune; Izugbara, Chibuogwu

    2011-10-01

    Women's lived experiences and lay accounts of unwanted pregnancy remain poorly interrogated. We investigated portrayals of unwanted pregnancy using narrative data gathered from 80 women in Nairobi, Kenya. Unwanted pregnancy had a diversity of significance for the women. Pregnancies were not simply unwanted because they occurred when women became pregnant without wanting to. Rather, pregnancies were considered unwanted largely because they had occurred in contexts that did not reinforce socially-sanctioned notions of motherhood and 'proper' procreation and/or revealed women's use of their sexuality in ways deemed culturally-inappropriate. Kenyan women's invocation of femininity scripts to explain unwanted pregnancy; the centrality of gender in everyday life in contemporary Kenya; women's and girls' poor access to effective family planning services; growing female poverty; and Kenya's restrictive abortion policy imply that unwanted pregnancy and its consequences will persist in the country. Addressing unwanted pregnancy and its consequences requires making accessible quality contraceptive and abortion services as well as sexuality information. It also calls for providers who understand the socio-cultural norms that circumscribe fertility and reproductive behaviours.

  2. 45 CFR 650.9 - Unwanted inventions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Unwanted inventions. 650.9 Section 650.9 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PATENTS § 650.9 Unwanted inventions. (a) The Foundation will normally allow any patent rights not wanted by the awardee or...

  3. 45 CFR 650.9 - Unwanted inventions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Unwanted inventions. 650.9 Section 650.9 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PATENTS § 650.9 Unwanted inventions. (a) The Foundation will normally allow any patent rights not wanted by the awardee or...

  4. 45 CFR 650.9 - Unwanted inventions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Unwanted inventions. 650.9 Section 650.9 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PATENTS § 650.9 Unwanted inventions. (a) The Foundation will normally allow any patent rights not wanted by the awardee or...

  5. Unwanted sexual activity among married women in urban China.

    PubMed

    Parish, William L; Luo, Ye; Laumann, Edward O; Kew, Melissa; Yu, Zhiyuan

    2007-05-01

    This paper examines the prevalence, precursors, and consequences of unwanted marital sex activities in a national sample of 1,127 married urban Chinese women aged 20-64. During the lifetime of their current marriage, 32% reported ever experiencing unwanted spousal intercourse, with about one-fifth reporting that this unwanted intercourse ever involved force. Reports for the past year were 21% unwanted intercourse, 22% unwanted sex act(s), and 72% sex only to please the husband. The major risk factors for these activities were poor relationship quality (hitting, lack of daily intimacy and foreplay, and husband insensitivity to wife's sexual needs); a woman's negative attitudes towards sex, and weak bargaining position (low income share, husband's family of superior economic status, and no additional adults in home). In addition, unwanted activity was more common when women reported sexual dysfunctions (dryness, pain, low arousal, inorgasmia), were more educated, and had more permissive sex attitudes. Net of feedback effects, unwanted sexual activity diminished women's psychological well-being.

  6. Removal of Surface-Reflected Light for the Measurement of Remote-Sensing Reflectance from an Above-Surface Platform

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-01

    remote - sensing reflectance) can be highly inaccurate if a spectrally constant value is applied (although errors can be reduced by carefully filtering measured raw data). To remove surface-reflected light in field measurements of remote sensing reflectance, a spectral optimization approach was applied, with results compared with those from remote sensing models and from direct measurements. The agreement from different determinations suggests that reasonable results for remote sensing reflectance of clear

  7. Removal of Surface-Reflected Light for the Measurement of Remote-Sensing Reflectance from an Above-Surface Platform

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-06

    remote - sensing reflectance) can be highly inaccurate if a spectrally constant value is applied (although errors can be reduced by carefully filtering measured raw data). To remove surface-reflected light in field measurements of remote sensing reflectance, a spectral optimization approach was applied, with results compared with those from remote sensing models and from direct measurements. The agreement from different determinations suggests that reasonable results for remote sensing reflectance of clear

  8. 45 CFR 650.9 - Unwanted inventions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Unwanted inventions. 650.9 Section 650.9 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PATENTS § 650.9 Unwanted inventions. (a) The Foundation will normally allow any patent rights not wanted by the awardee or inventor to be dedicated to the public...

  9. 45 CFR 650.9 - Unwanted inventions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Unwanted inventions. 650.9 Section 650.9 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PATENTS § 650.9 Unwanted inventions. (a) The Foundation will normally allow any patent rights not wanted by the awardee or inventor to be dedicated to the public...

  10. Trends in youth reports of sexual solicitations, harassment and unwanted exposure to pornography on the Internet.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Kimberly J; Wolak, Janis; Finkelhor, David

    2007-02-01

    This study was designed to track trends in reports of unwanted sexual solicitations, harassment, and unwanted exposure to pornography via the Internet between 2000 and 2005 across various demographic sub-groups of youth. Cross-sectional data was collected in two equivalent national telephone surveys of 1500 Internet users, ages 10 through 17 years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine whether the percentage of youth reporting specific unwanted Internet experiences had changed in 2005, as compared with 2000. The overall incidence and 5-year trends of reporting unwanted sexual solicitations, harassment, and unwanted exposure to pornography varied by age, gender, race, and household income. In particular, the decline in the percentage of youth reporting sexual solicitations was apparent for both boys and girls, all age groups, but not among minority youth and those living in less affluent households. The increase in harassment among particular sub-groups of youth was largely explained by increases in amount of Internet use over the past five years. The increase in unwanted exposure to pornography was particularly apparent among 10- to 12-year-olds, 16- to 17-year-olds, boys, and White, non-Hispanic youth. The decline in the percentage of youth reporting sexual solicitations may be the effect of education and law enforcement activity on this issue in the intervening years. Targeted prevention efforts for minority youth and those living in less affluent households need to be developed. The rise in unwanted pornography exposure may reflect technological changes such as digital photography, faster Internet connections and computer storage capacities, as well as the more aggressive marketing strategies of pornography merchants.

  11. Removal of Surface-Reflected Light for the Measurement of Remote-Sensing Reflectance from an Above-Surface Platform

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-06

    raw data). To remove surface-reflected light in field measurements of remote sensing reflectance, a spectral optimization approach was applied, with...results compared with those from remote - sensing models and from direct measurements. The agreement from different determinations suggests that...reasonable results for remote sensing reflectance of clear blue water to turbid brown water are obtainable from above-surface measurements, even under conditions of high waves.

  12. Abortion and unwanted pregnancy in Adigrat Zonal Hospital, Tigray, north Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Gessessew, Amanuel

    2010-09-01

    Unwanted pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. This study was done to determine the causes of unwanted pregnancy and its impact on maternal health. A cross sectional study (February 1, 2002-January 31, 2004) was conducted on 907 patients with diagnosis of abortion and admitted to the gynecological ward of Adigrat zonal hospital, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. This accounts to 12.6% of all hospital and 60.6% of gynecological admissions. The majority of these women (69.8%) had unwanted pregnancy. Modern contraception methods were not in use in 76.2% of unwanted and 57.7% of wanted pregnancies (P = 0.008). Interference was reported in 81.4% of unwanted pregnancy. High incidence of complication was reported in patients with unwanted pregnancy. In this study it is found that unwanted pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. The development and prompt implementation of a strategy that enables women to safely manage unwanted pregnancy is recommended.

  13. Correlates of Unwanted Births in Bangladesh: A Study through Path Analysis.

    PubMed

    Roy, Tapan Kumar; Singh, Brijesh P

    2016-01-01

    Unwanted birth is an important public health concern due to its negative association with adverse outcomes of mothers and children as well as socioeconomic development of a country. Although a number of studies have been investigated the determinants of unwanted births through logistic regression analysis, an extensive assessment using path model is lacking. In the current study, we applied path analysis to know the important covariates for unwanted births in Bangladesh. The study used data extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. It considered sub-sample consisted of 7,972 women who had given most recent births five years preceding the date of interview or who were currently pregnant at survey time. Correlation analysis was used to find out the significant association with unwanted births. This study provided the factors affecting unwanted births in Bangladesh. The path model was used to determine the direct, indirect and total effects of socio-demographic factors on unwanted births. The result exhibited that more than one-tenth of the recent births were unwanted in Bangladesh. The differentials of unwanted births were women's age, education, age at marriage, religion, socioeconomic status, exposure of mass-media and use of family planning. In correlation analysis, it showed that unwanted births were positively correlated with women age and place of residence and these relationships were significant. On the contrary, unwanted births were inversely significantly correlated with education and social status. The total effects of endogenous variables such as women age, place of residence and use of family planning methods had favorable effect on unwanted births. Policymakers and program planners need to design programs and services carefully to reduce unwanted births in Bangladesh, especially, service should focus on helping those groups of women who were identified in the analysis as being at increased risks of unwanted births- older women

  14. Methods for removal of unwanted signals from gravity time-series: Comparison using linear techniques complemented with analysis of system dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valencio, Arthur; Grebogi, Celso; Baptista, Murilo S.

    2017-10-01

    The presence of undesirable dominating signals in geophysical experimental data is a challenge in many subfields. One remarkable example is surface gravimetry, where frequencies from Earth tides correspond to time-series fluctuations up to a thousand times larger than the phenomena of major interest, such as hydrological gravity effects or co-seismic gravity changes. This work discusses general methods for the removal of unwanted dominating signals by applying them to 8 long-period gravity time-series of the International Geodynamics and Earth Tides Service, equivalent to the acquisition from 8 instruments in 5 locations representative of the network. We compare three different conceptual approaches for tide removal: frequency filtering, physical modelling, and data-based modelling. Each approach reveals a different limitation to be considered depending on the intended application. Vestiges of tides remain in the residues for the modelling procedures, whereas the signal was distorted in different ways by the filtering and data-based procedures. The linear techniques employed were power spectral density, spectrogram, cross-correlation, and classical harmonics decomposition, while the system dynamics was analysed by state-space reconstruction and estimation of the largest Lyapunov exponent. Although the tides could not be completely eliminated, they were sufficiently reduced to allow observation of geophysical events of interest above the 10 nm s-2 level, exemplified by a hydrology-related event of 60 nm s-2. The implementations adopted for each conceptual approach are general, so that their principles could be applied to other kinds of data affected by undesired signals composed mainly by periodic or quasi-periodic components.

  15. Wanted and unwanted fertility in Bolivia: does ethnicity matter?

    PubMed

    McNamee, Catherine B

    2009-12-01

    In Bolivia, the total fertility rate (TFR) among indigenous populations is higher than that among the nonindigenous population. It is important to investigate whether this difference is attributable to ethnic differences in wanted or unwanted fertility. Data from the 2003 Bolivian Demographic and Health Survey were used to estimate women's wanted and unwanted TFRs. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether women's, men's and couples' characteristics were associated with use of any contraceptive method and modern methods. The TFRs for indigenous and nonindigenous women were 1.5 and 1.7, [corrected] respectively. The wanted fertility rate for indigenous women was nearly the same as that for nonindigenous women (2.8 and 1.4, [corrected] respectively); virtually all of the ethnic difference in the TFRs was attributable to the ethnic difference in unwanted fertility. The proportion of women in need of contraception was greater among indigenous women than among nonindigenous women (26% vs. 19%). In logistic regression analyses, male fertility preferences explained only a small part of the ethnic difference in contraceptive use. Women's, men's and couples' preferences contribute only marginally to unwanted fertility, suggesting that structural factors act as obstacles to preventing unwanted fertility.

  16. Spectral Reflectance and Vegetation Index Changes in Deciduous Forest Foliage Following Tree Removal: Potential for Deforestation Monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, D.; Hu, Y.; Li, Z.

    2016-05-01

    It is important to detect and quantify deforestation to guide strategic decisions regarding environment, socioeconomic development, and climate change. In the present study, we conducted a field experiment to examine spectral reflectance and vegetation index changes in poplar and locust tree foliage with different leaf area indices over the course of three sunny days, following tree removal from the canopy. The spectral reflectance of foliage from harvested trees was measured using an ASD FieldSpec Prospectroradiometer; synchronous meteorological data were also obtained. We found that reflectance in short-wave infrared and red-edge reflectance was more time sensitive after tree removal than reflectance in other spectral regions, and that the normalized difference water index (NDWI) and the red-edge chlorophyll index (CIRE) were the preferred indicators of these changes from several indices evaluated. Synthesized meteorological environments were found to influence water and chlorophyll contents after tree removal, and this subsequently changed the spectral canopy reflectance. Our results indicate the potential for such tree removal to be detected with NDWI or CIRE from the second day of a deforestation event.

  17. Removal of surface-reflected light for the measurement of remote-sensing reflectance from an above-surface platform.

    PubMed

    Lee, Zhongping; Ahn, Yu-Hwan; Mobley, Curtis; Arnone, Robert

    2010-12-06

    Using hyperspectral measurements made in the field, we show that the effective sea-surface reflectance ρ (defined as the ratio of the surface-reflected radiance at the specular direction corresponding to the downwelling sky radiance from one direction) varies not only for different measurement scans, but also can differ by a factor of 8 between 400 nm and 800 nm for the same scan. This means that the derived water-leaving radiance (or remote-sensing reflectance) can be highly inaccurate if a spectrally constant ρ value is applied (although errors can be reduced by carefully filtering measured raw data). To remove surface-reflected light in field measurements of remote sensing reflectance, a spectral optimization approach was applied, with results compared with those from remote-sensing models and from direct measurements. The agreement from different determinations suggests that reasonable results for remote sensing reflectance of clear blue water to turbid brown water are obtainable from above-surface measurements, even under conditions of high waves.

  18. Social and religious dimensions of unwanted pregnancy: an Islamic perspective.

    PubMed

    Kasule, O H

    2003-03-01

    The concept of 'unwanted pregnancy' is a recent in human history and is associated with social stresses of modern life. The purposes of the law, maqasid al shari'at, and its principles, qawa'id a shari'at, focus on preventing 'unwanted pregnancy', protecting the rights of the fetus and infant, and mitigating the adverse effects of 'unwanted pregnancy' by social measures. 'Unwanted pregnancy' is associated with general social determinants (hedonistic life styles, sexual transgression, addiction to drugs, fear of poverty, and low female status) and specific antecedent causes (sexual crimes, egoistic greed, maternal/fetal disease, and gender discrimination). It is prevented by sexual hygiene, marriage, contraception, deterring sexual crimes, and raising the status of women. The adverse sequelae of 'unwanted pregnancy' (feticide, infanticide, or child abuse and neglect) can be prevented by defending the basic human right of the fetus and infant to life, promoting social institutions for child welfare (nuclear family, extended family, foster care, and open adoption). Closed adoption is forbidden by Law but care in a foster home is allowed and is encouraged if the nuclear and extended families are unwilling or are unable to care for children. Abortion at any stage of pregnancy is a crime against humanity. It is not a solution to the problem but is part of the problem. It will encourage more 'unwanted pregnancies'.

  19. Resisting Unwanted Sexual and Social Advances: Perspectives of College Women and Men.

    PubMed

    Orchowski, Lindsay M; Gidycz, Christine A; Kraft, Kathryn

    2018-06-01

    This study examines college men's ( N = 635) and women's ( N = 650) reports of women's resistance against unwanted sexual and social advances. Men completed surveys to assess (a) initiation of unwanted sexual contact with a female partner, (b) initiation of unwanted sexual intercourse with a female partner, (c) sexual situations where a female partner decided she did not want to proceed, (d) encouraging a woman to drink when they were aware that the woman did not want to, and (e) attempting to take a woman to an isolated location against her will. Women completed corresponding questionnaires regarding the receipt of such unwanted advances, the outcome of the situation, and the resistance tactics utilized. Many men (5%-46%) and women (15%-38%) initiated or experienced, respectively, at least one of the five unwanted sexual or social advances. Unwanted sexual and social advances most often stopped as a result of women's verbal and physical resistance. Few advances (0%-8%) stopped as a result of bystander intervention. In addition to decreasing men's likelihood of engaging in unwanted sexual and social advances, these data highlight the importance of educating women on the effectiveness of verbal and physical resistance tactics, and increasing the frequency of prosocial bystander action on college campuses.

  20. Removing the echoes from terahertz pulse reflection system and sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Haishun; Zhang, Zhenwei; Zhang, Cunlin

    2018-01-01

    Due to the echoes both from terahertz (THz) pulse reflection system and sample, the THz primary pulse will be distorted. The system echoes include two types. One preceding the main peak probably is caused by ultrafast laser pulse and the other at the back of the primary pulse is caused by the Fabry-Perot (F-P) etalon effect of detector. We attempt to remove the corresponding echoes by using two kinds of deconvolution. A Si wafer of 400μm was selected as the tested sample. Firstly, the method of double Gaussian filter (DGF) decnvolution was used to remove the systematic echoes, and then another deconvolution technique was employed to eliminate the two obvious echoes of the sample. The ultimate results indicated: although the combination of two deconvolution techniques could not entirely remove the echoes of sample and system, the echoes were largely reduced.

  1. Unwanted sexual experiences and cognitive appraisals that evoke mental contamination.

    PubMed

    Ishikawa, Ryotaro; Kobori, Osamu; Shimizu, Eiji

    2015-01-01

    Mental contamination is a psychological sense of contamination that involves an internal, emotional feeling of dirtiness that may be evoked by unwanted thoughts and images, such as sexual assaults. This study aimed to investigate which types of unwanted sexual experiences evoke the strongest mental contamination, and to test the hypothesis that cognitive appraisals of an unwanted sexual experience predict indices of mental contamination (i.e. feeling of dirtiness, urge to wash, internal negative emotions, and external negative emotions). 148 female participants were asked to recall their most distressing unwanted sexual experiences. Indices of mental contamination and cognitive appraisals of the experience were then assessed. Our findings indicated that individuals recalling experiences related to rape felt more intense feelings of dirtiness than individuals recalling other types of unwanted sexual experience, such as verbal sexual assault, visual sexual assault, and forcible touching/frottage. In addition, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that a cognitive appraisal of perceived violation predicted all of the indices of mental contamination after controlling anxiety, depression, and fear of contact contamination. The present study demonstrated that an individual is at greatest risk of mental contamination if she has experienced rape/attempted rape, and if she makes a cognitive appraisal of violation regarding the incident.

  2. Removal of unwanted variation reveals novel patterns of gene expression linked to sleep homeostasis in murine cortex.

    PubMed

    Gerstner, Jason R; Koberstein, John N; Watson, Adam J; Zapero, Nikolai; Risso, Davide; Speed, Terence P; Frank, Marcos G; Peixoto, Lucia

    2016-10-25

    Why we sleep is still one of the most perplexing mysteries in biology. Strong evidence indicates that sleep is necessary for normal brain function and that sleep need is a tightly regulated process. Surprisingly, molecular mechanisms that determine sleep need are incompletely described. Moreover, very little is known about transcriptional changes that specifically accompany the accumulation and discharge of sleep need. Several studies have characterized differential gene expression changes following sleep deprivation. Much less is known, however, about changes in gene expression during the compensatory response to sleep deprivation (i.e. recovery sleep). In this study we present a comprehensive analysis of the effects of sleep deprivation and subsequent recovery sleep on gene expression in the mouse cortex. We used a non-traditional analytical method for normalization of genome-wide gene expression data, Removal of Unwanted Variation (RUV). RUV improves detection of differential gene expression following sleep deprivation. We also show that RUV normalization is crucial to the discovery of differentially expressed genes associated with recovery sleep. Our analysis indicates that the majority of transcripts upregulated by sleep deprivation require 6 h of recovery sleep to return to baseline levels, while the majority of downregulated transcripts return to baseline levels within 1-3 h. We also find that transcripts that change rapidly during recovery (i.e. within 3 h) do so on average with a time constant that is similar to the time constant for the discharge of sleep need. We demonstrate that proper data normalization is essential to identify changes in gene expression that are specifically linked to sleep deprivation and recovery sleep. Our results provide the first evidence that recovery sleep is comprised of two waves of transcriptional regulation that occur at different times and affect functionally distinct classes of genes.

  3. The Women'S Perceptions About Unwanted Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study in Iran.

    PubMed

    Akbarzadeh, Marzieh; Yazdanpanahi, Zahra; Zarshenas, Ladan; Sharif, Farkhondeh

    2015-09-28

    Unwanted pregnancy has affected different aspects of our life. Researchers point out if a child's birth is unwanted, an increase in maternal issues can be observed. The aim of this study was to describe the women's viewpoints regarding unwanted pregnancy. This qualitative study using content analysis was employed in Shiraz University in 2013-2014. 20 women with unwanted pregnancy were chosen using purposeful sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and trustworthiness of them was evaluated. Findings of this study, according to the participants' experience, revealed maternal emotions like embarrassment for getting pregnant, mother's own negative affection, concerns about missing family and other children, and terminating the pregnancy through illegal abortion, the husband's disagreement about the termination, blaming themselves for thinking about abortion or illegal abortion, and concern about their guilt feeling. Another finding was family problems like husband's behavior and his negative outlook towards his child and fetus. The next category belonged to anxiety about the future of their child, including economic, social and relational problems, and suppression of the children's logical expectations. The last finding was the lack of maternal emotional support. Unwanted pregnancy's effects on the mothers and infants' health are considerable. A closer observation by family and health care providers for unwanted pregnancies and its results is recommended; therefore, they should be taken care of as high risk pregnancies, requiring family support.

  4. Unwanted childbearing and household food insecurity in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Patel, SA; Surkan, PJ

    2015-01-01

    Household food insecurity is a population health concern disproportionately affecting families with children in the United States. Unwanted childbearing may place unanticipated strain on families to meet basic needs, heightening the risk for household food insecurity. We investigated the association between mother’s and father’s report of unwanted childbearing and exposure to household food insecurity among children residing in two-parent households in the United States. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort, a nationally representative cohort of US children (n~6,150) were used to estimate the odds of household food insecurity when children were aged 9 months and 2 years, separately, based on parental report of unwanted childbearing. The majority of children were reported as wanted by both parents (74.4%). Of the sample, report of unwanted childbearing by father-only was 20.0%, mother-only was 3.4%, and joint mother and father was 2.2%. Household food insecurity was higher when children were 9 months compared to 2 years. In adjusted models accounting for confounders, children born to mothers and fathers who jointly reported unwanted childbearing were at higher odds of exposure to household food insecurity at 9 months (AOR=3.31; 95% CI: 1.97,5.57) and 2 years (AOR=2.52; 95% CI: 1.12,5.68). In two-parent households, we found children raised by parents reporting unwanted childbearing were more likely to be exposed to food insecurity and potentially related stressors. Further studies that prospectively measure wantedness before the child’s birth will aid in confirming the direction of this association. PMID:25138233

  5. [Unwanted Side Effects in Children and Youth Psychotherapy - Introduction and Recommendations].

    PubMed

    Bieda, Angela; Pflug, Verena; Scholten, Saskia; Lippert, Michael Wilhelm; Ladwig, Inga; Nestoriuc, Yvonne; Schneider, Silvia

    2018-05-30

    Psychotherapy in children and adolescents is effective, but unwanted effects can occur. Until now, psychotherapy research has neglected this important topic, although children and youths are in need of special protection. Unwanted effects caused by therapy are not systematically investigated and a corresponding conceptualization is missing. The aim of this article is to investigate whether the current classifications of unwanted effects of psychotherapy in adults are applicable to children and adolescents and to identify distinctive features. Furthermore, the adaptation of the Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy for children and adolescents (Children-INEP) is presented. Finally, steps for the information and prevention of unwanted, and negative effects of psychotherapy in children and adolescents are pointed out. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  6. Ghost fringe removal techniques using Lissajous data presentation

    DOE PAGES

    Erskine, David J.; Eggert, J. H.; Celliers, P. M.; ...

    2016-03-14

    A VISAR (Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector) is a Dopplervelocity interferometer which is an important optical diagnostic in shockwave experiments at the national laboratories, used to measureequation of state(EOS) of materials under extreme conditions. Unwanted reflection of laser light from target windows can produce an additional component to the VISAR fringe record that can distort and obscure the true velocity signal. When accurately removing this so-called ghost artifact component is essential for achieving high accuracy EOSmeasurements, especially when the true light signal is only weakly reflected from the shock front. Independent of the choice of algorithm for processing themore » raw data into a complex fringe signal, we have found it beneficial to plot this signal as a Lissajous and seek the proper center of this path, even under time varying intensity which can shift the perceived center. Moreover, the ghost contribution is then solved by a simple translation in the complex plane that recenters the Lissajous path. For continuous velocity histories, we find that plotting the fringe magnitude vs nonfringing intensity and optimizing linearity is an invaluable tool for determining accurate ghost offsets. For discontinuous velocity histories, we have developed graphically inspired methods which relate the results of two VISARs having different velocity per fringe proportionalities or assumptions of constant fringe magnitude to find the ghost offset. The technique can also remove window reflection artifacts in generic interferometers, such as in the metrology of surfaces.« less

  7. Risk factors and consequences of unwanted sex among university students: hooking up, alcohol, and stress response.

    PubMed

    Flack, William F; Daubman, Kimberly A; Caron, Marcia L; Asadorian, Jenica A; D'Aureli, Nicole R; Gigliotti, Shannon N; Hall, Anna T; Kiser, Sarah; Stine, Erin R

    2007-02-01

    This is the first study of unwanted sexual experiences in the collegiate "hooking-up" culture. In a representative sample of 178 students at a small liberal arts university. Twenty-three percent of women and 7% of men surveyed reported one or more experiences of unwanted sexual intercourse. Seventy-eight percent of unwanted vaginal, anal, and oral incidents took place while--"hooking up,"--whereas 78% of unwanted fondling incidents occurred at parties or bars. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted sexual intercourse was impaired judgment due to alcohol. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted fondling was that it happened before the perpetrator could be stopped. Of those affected by unwanted sexual intercourse or unwanted fondling, 46.7% and 19.2% reported unwanted memories, 50% and 32.7% reported avoidance and numbing responses, and 30% and 26.9% reported hyperarousal responses, respectively. A preliminary model of unwanted sex and collegiate social dynamics is proposed to provide a heuristic for further research.

  8. Estimating the Availability of Potential Homes for Unwanted Horses in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Weiss, Emily; Dolan, Emily D.; Mohan-Gibbons, Heather; Gramann, Shannon; Slater, Margaret R.

    2017-01-01

    Simple Summary There are approximately 200,000 unwanted horses annually in the United States. Many are shipped to slaughter, enter rescue facilities, or are held on federal lands. This study aimed to estimate a potential number of available homes for unwanted horses in order to examine broadly the viability of pursuing re-homing policies as an option for the thousands of unwanted horses in the U.S. The results of this survey suggest there could be an estimated 1.2 million homes who have both the perceived resources and desire to house an unwanted horse. This number exceeds the approximately 200,000 unwanted horses living each year in the United States. These data suggest that efforts to reduce unwanted horses could involve matching such horses with adoptive homes and enhancing opportunities to keep horses in the homes they already have. Abstract There are approximately 200,000 unwanted horses annually in the United States. This study aimed to better understand the potential homes for horses that need to be re-homed. Using an independent survey company through an Omnibus telephone (land and cell) survey, we interviewed a nationally projectable sample of 3036 adults (using both landline and cellular phone numbers) to learn of their interest and capacity to adopt a horse. Potential adopters with interest in horses with medical and/or behavioral problems and self-assessed perceived capacity to adopt, constituted 0.92% of the total sample. Extrapolating the results of this survey using U.S. Census data, suggests there could be an estimated 1.25 million households who have both the self-reported and perceived resources and desire to house an unwanted horse. This number exceeds the estimated number of unwanted horses living each year in the United States. This study points to opportunities and need to increase communication and support between individuals and organizations that have unwanted horses to facilitate re-homing with people in their community willing to adopt

  9. Predicting Soil Salinity with Vis–NIR Spectra after Removing the Effects of Soil Moisture Using External Parameter Orthogonalization

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Ya; Pan, Xianzhang; Wang, Changkun; Li, Yanli; Shi, Rongjie

    2015-01-01

    Robust models for predicting soil salinity that use visible and near-infrared (vis–NIR) reflectance spectroscopy are needed to better quantify soil salinity in agricultural fields. Currently available models are not sufficiently robust for variable soil moisture contents. Thus, we used external parameter orthogonalization (EPO), which effectively projects spectra onto the subspace orthogonal to unwanted variation, to remove the variations caused by an external factor, e.g., the influences of soil moisture on spectral reflectance. In this study, 570 spectra between 380 and 2400 nm were obtained from soils with various soil moisture contents and salt concentrations in the laboratory; 3 soil types × 10 salt concentrations × 19 soil moisture levels were used. To examine the effectiveness of EPO, we compared the partial least squares regression (PLSR) results established from spectra with and without EPO correction. The EPO method effectively removed the effects of moisture, and the accuracy and robustness of the soil salt contents (SSCs) prediction model, which was built using the EPO-corrected spectra under various soil moisture conditions, were significantly improved relative to the spectra without EPO correction. This study contributes to the removal of soil moisture effects from soil salinity estimations when using vis–NIR reflectance spectroscopy and can assist others in quantifying soil salinity in the future. PMID:26468645

  10. Prediction of unwanted pregnancies using logistic regression, probit regression and discriminant analysis

    PubMed Central

    Ebrahimzadeh, Farzad; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Vahabi, Nasim; Almasian, Mohammad; Bakhteyar, Katayoon

    2015-01-01

    Background: Unwanted pregnancy not intended by at least one of the parents has undesirable consequences for the family and the society. In the present study, three classification models were used and compared to predict unwanted pregnancies in an urban population. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 887 pregnant mothers referring to health centers in Khorramabad, Iran, in 2012 were selected by the stratified and cluster sampling; relevant variables were measured and for prediction of unwanted pregnancy, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, and probit regression models and SPSS software version 21 were used. To compare these models, indicators such as sensitivity, specificity, the area under the ROC curve, and the percentage of correct predictions were used. Results: The prevalence of unwanted pregnancies was 25.3%. The logistic and probit regression models indicated that parity and pregnancy spacing, contraceptive methods, household income and number of living male children were related to unwanted pregnancy. The performance of the models based on the area under the ROC curve was 0.735, 0.733, and 0.680 for logistic regression, probit regression, and linear discriminant analysis, respectively. Conclusion: Given the relatively high prevalence of unwanted pregnancies in Khorramabad, it seems necessary to revise family planning programs. Despite the similar accuracy of the models, if the researcher is interested in the interpretability of the results, the use of the logistic regression model is recommended. PMID:26793655

  11. Prediction of unwanted pregnancies using logistic regression, probit regression and discriminant analysis.

    PubMed

    Ebrahimzadeh, Farzad; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Vahabi, Nasim; Almasian, Mohammad; Bakhteyar, Katayoon

    2015-01-01

    Unwanted pregnancy not intended by at least one of the parents has undesirable consequences for the family and the society. In the present study, three classification models were used and compared to predict unwanted pregnancies in an urban population. In this cross-sectional study, 887 pregnant mothers referring to health centers in Khorramabad, Iran, in 2012 were selected by the stratified and cluster sampling; relevant variables were measured and for prediction of unwanted pregnancy, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, and probit regression models and SPSS software version 21 were used. To compare these models, indicators such as sensitivity, specificity, the area under the ROC curve, and the percentage of correct predictions were used. The prevalence of unwanted pregnancies was 25.3%. The logistic and probit regression models indicated that parity and pregnancy spacing, contraceptive methods, household income and number of living male children were related to unwanted pregnancy. The performance of the models based on the area under the ROC curve was 0.735, 0.733, and 0.680 for logistic regression, probit regression, and linear discriminant analysis, respectively. Given the relatively high prevalence of unwanted pregnancies in Khorramabad, it seems necessary to revise family planning programs. Despite the similar accuracy of the models, if the researcher is interested in the interpretability of the results, the use of the logistic regression model is recommended.

  12. Optical hair removal.

    PubMed

    Ort, R J; Anderson, R R

    1999-06-01

    Traditional methods of hair removal have proven unsatisfactory for many individuals with excessive or unwanted hair. In the last few years, several lasers and xenon flashlamps have been developed that promise to fulfill the need for a practical, safe, and long-lasting method of hair removal. Aggressive marketing of these has contributed to their popularity among patients and physicians. However, significant controversy and confusion surrounds this field. This article provides a detailed explanation of the scientific underpinnings for optical hair removal and explores the advantages and disadvantages of the various devices currently available (Nd:YAG, ruby, alexandrite, diode lasers, and xenon flashlamp). Treatment and safety guidelines are provided to assist the practitioner in the use of these devices. Although the field of optical hair removal is still in its infancy, initial reports of long-term efficacy are encouraging.

  13. Legal Briefing: Unwanted Cesareans and Obstetric Violence.

    PubMed

    Pope, Thaddeus Mason

    2017-01-01

    A capacitated pregnant woman has a nearly unqualified right to refuse a cesarean section. Her right to say "no" takes precedence over clinicians' preferences and even over clinicians' concerns about fetal health. Leading medical societies, human rights organizations, and appellate courts have all endorsed this principle. Nevertheless, clinicians continue to limit reproductive liberty by forcing and coercing women to have unwanted cesareans. This "Legal Briefing" reviews recent court cases involving this type of obstetric violence. I have organized these court cases into the following six categories: 1. Epidemic of Unwanted Cesareans 2. Court-Ordered Cesareans 3. Physician-Coerced Cesareans 4. Physician-Ordered Cesareans 5. Cesareans for Incapacitated Patients 6. Cesareans for Patients in a Vegetative State or Who Are Brain Dead. Copyright 2017 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  14. The Women’S Perceptions About Unwanted Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study in Iran

    PubMed Central

    Akbarzadeh, Marzieh; Yazdanpanahi, Zahra; Zarshenas, Ladan; Sharif, Farkhondeh

    2016-01-01

    Background: Unwanted pregnancy has affected different aspects of our life. Researchers point out if a child’s birth is unwanted, an increase in maternal issues can be observed. The aim of this study was to describe the women’s viewpoints regarding unwanted pregnancy. Method: This qualitative study using content analysis was employed in Shiraz University in 2013-2014. 20 women with unwanted pregnancy were chosen using purposeful sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and trustworthiness of them was evaluated. Results: Findings of this study, according to the participants’ experience, revealed maternal emotions like embarrassment for getting pregnant, mother’s own negative affection, concerns about missing family and other children, and terminating the pregnancy through illegal abortion, the husband’s disagreement about the termination, blaming themselves for thinking about abortion or illegal abortion, and concern about their guilt feeling. Another finding was family problems like husband’s behavior and his negative outlook towards his child and fetus. The next category belonged to anxiety about the future of their child, including economic, social and relational problems, and suppression of the children’s logical expectations. The last finding was the lack of maternal emotional support. Conclusions: Unwanted pregnancy’s effects on the mothers and infants’ health are considerable. A closer observation by family and health care providers for unwanted pregnancies and its results is recommended; therefore, they should be taken care of as high risk pregnancies, requiring family support. PMID:26652070

  15. Sentinel events predicting later unwanted sex among girls: A national survey in Haiti, 2012.

    PubMed

    Sumner, Steven A; Marcelin, Louis H; Cela, Toni; Mercy, James A; Lea, Veronica; Kress, Howard; Hillis, Susan D

    2015-12-01

    Sexual violence against children is a significant global public health problem, yet limited studies exist from low-resource settings. In Haiti we conducted the country's first, nationally representative survey focused on childhood violence to help inform the development of a national action plan for violence against children. The Haiti Violence Against Children Survey was a household-level, multistage, cluster survey among youth age 13-24. In this analysis we sought to determine whether sexual violence sentinel events (unwanted sexual touching or unwanted attempted sex) were predictive of later unwanted, completed, penetrative sex in Haiti. We also sought to explore characteristics of sentinel events and help-seeking behavior among Haitian children. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test associations between sentinel events and later unwanted, completed, penetrative sex. Overall, 1,457 females reported on experiences of sexual violence occurring in childhood (before age 18). A sentinel event occurred in 40.4% of females who experienced subsequent unwanted completed sex. Females experiencing a sentinel event were approximately two and a half times more likely to experience later unwanted completed sex (adjusted odds ratio=2.40, p=.004) compared to individuals who did not experience a sentinel event. The mean lag time from first sentinel event to first unwanted completed sex was 2.3 years. Only half (54.6%) of children experiencing a sentinel event told someone about their experience of sexual violence. Among children, sentinel events occur frequently before later acts of completed unwanted sex and may represent a useful point of intervention. Reporting of sexual violence by children in Haiti is low and can be improved to better act on sentinel events. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Examining the effects of drinking and interpersonal protective behaviors on unwanted sexual experiences in college women.

    PubMed

    Sell, Nichole M; Turrisi, Rob; Scaglione, Nichole M; Hultgren, Brittney A; Mallett, Kimberly A

    2016-03-01

    Recent evidence suggests interpersonal protective behaviors (IPBs) may be more effective than alcohol-based strategies at decreasing alcohol-related sexual consequences. However, no studies have examined individual IPBs to assess their unique influences on specific sexual consequences. The current study used a longitudinal design to examine the direct effects of typical weekly drinking and specific IPBs on unwanted sex. IPBs were also examined as moderators of the relationship between drinking and unwanted sex. Randomly sampled female drinkers attending a northeastern university (N=191) completed a baseline survey measuring typical weekly drinking and IPBs and a six-month follow-up assessing unwanted sex. Bootstrapped regression examined the effects. Drinking predicted unwanted sex after accounting for IPBs (range of bs=.008-.009, SE=.005, 95% CI [.000, .02]). Vigilance-related IPBs were negatively associated with unwanted sex after controlling for drinking (b=-.052, SE=.025, 95% CI [-.107, -.008]). The IPB "Talking to people who know one's potential dating or sexual partner to find out what s/he is like" significantly moderated the drinking-unwanted sex relationship (b=-.009, SE=.004, 95% CI [-.018, -.003]). At above-average drinking levels, women who used this IPB more frequently reported fewer episodes of unwanted sex. Findings revealed obtaining information about a potential partner significantly reduced the impact of drinking on unwanted sex for heavier drinkers. Future research examining how women implement this IPB may clarify its role in reducing unwanted sex. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Domestic Violence, Unwanted Pregnancy and Pregnancy Termination among Urban Women of Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Objective This paper explores the relationship between domestic violence against women inflicted by husbands, unwanted pregnancy and pregnancy termination of Bangladeshi urban women. Materials and methods The study used the nationally representative 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data. The BDHS covered a representative sample of 10,996 ever married women from rural and urban areas. The BDHS used a separate module to collect information from women regarding domestic violence. The survey gathered information of domestic violence from 1,013 urban women which are the basis of the study. Simple cross tabulation, bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to analyzing data. Results Overall, the lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 47.5%. Of the most recent pregnancies, 15.6% were unwanted and 16.0% of the women terminated pregnancy in their marital life. The multivariate binary logistic regression analyses yielded quantitatively important and reliable estimate of unwanted pregnancy and pregnancy termination. The regression analyses yielded significantly (p < 0.05) increased risk of unwanted pregnancy only for physical violence (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.28-4.32) and for both physical and sexual violence (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.02-5.28), and higher risk of pregnancy termination for only physical violence (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.95-2.10) and for both physical and sexual violence (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.07-3.04) than women who were never abused. Current age, higher parity and early marriage are also important determinants of unwanted pregnancy and pregnancy termination. Conclusion Violence against women inflicted by husbands is commonplace in Bangladesh. Any strategy to reduce the burden of unwanted pregnancy and induced abortion should include prevention of violence against women and strengthening women's sexual and reproductive health. PMID:24971097

  18. Laser removal of sludge from steam generators

    DOEpatents

    Nachbar, Henry D.

    1990-01-01

    A method of removing unwanted chemical deposits known as sludge from the metal surfaces of steam generators with laser energy is provided. Laser energy of a certain power density, of a critical wavelength and frequency, is intermittently focused on the sludge deposits to vaporize them so that the surfaces are cleaned without affecting the metal surface (sludge substrate). Fiberoptic tubes are utilized for laser beam transmission and beam direction. Fiberoptics are also utilized to monitor laser operation and sludge removal.

  19. Examining the Effects of Drinking and Interpersonal Protective Behaviors on Unwanted Sexual Experiences in College Women

    PubMed Central

    Sell, Nichole M.; Turrisi, Rob; Scaglione, Nichole M.; Hultgren, Brittney A.; Mallett, Kimberly A.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Recent evidence suggests interpersonal protective behaviors (IPBs) may be more effective than alcohol-based strategies at decreasing alcohol-related sexual consequences. However, no studies have examined individual IPBs to assess their unique influences on specific sexual consequences. The current study used a longitudinal design to examine the direct effects of typical weekly drinking and specific IPBs on unwanted sex. IPBs were also examined as moderators of the relationship between drinking and unwanted sex. Methods Randomly sampled female drinkers attending a northeastern university (N = 191) completed a baseline survey measuring typical weekly drinking and IPBs and a six-month follow-up assessing unwanted sex. Bootstrapped regression examined the effects. Results Drinking predicted unwanted sex after accounting for IPBs (range of bs = .008-.009, SE = .005, 95% CI [.000, .02]). Vigilance-related IPBs were negatively associated with unwanted sex after controlling for drinking (b = −.052, SE = .025, 95% CI [−.107, −.008]). The IPB “Talking to people who know one’s potential dating or sexual partner to find out what s/he is like” significantly moderated the drinking - unwanted sex relationship (b = −.009, SE = .004, 95% CI [−.018, −.003]). At above- average drinking levels, women who used this IPB more frequently reported fewer episodes of unwanted sex. Conclusion Findings revealed obtaining information about a potential partner significantly reduced the impact of drinking on unwanted sex for heavier drinkers. Future research examining how women implement this IPB may clarify its role in reducing unwanted sex. PMID:26706612

  20. Mercury removal in utility wet scrubber using a chelating agent

    DOEpatents

    Amrhein, Gerald T.

    2001-01-01

    A method for capturing and reducing the mercury content of an industrial flue gas such as that produced in the combustion of a fossil fuel or solid waste adds a chelating agent, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or other similar compounds like HEDTA, DTPA and/or NTA, to the flue gas being scrubbed in a wet scrubber used in the industrial process. The chelating agent prevents the reduction of oxidized mercury to elemental mercury, thereby increasing the mercury removal efficiency of the wet scrubber. Exemplary tests on inlet and outlet mercury concentration in an industrial flue gas were performed without and with EDTA addition. Without EDTA, mercury removal totaled 42%. With EDTA, mercury removal increased to 71%. The invention may be readily adapted to known wet scrubber systems and it specifically provides for the removal of unwanted mercury both by supplying S.sup.2- ions to convert Hg.sup.2+ ions into mercuric sulfide (HgS) and by supplying a chelating agent to sequester other ions, including but not limited to Fe.sup.2+ ions, which could otherwise induce the unwanted reduction of Hg.sup.2+ to the form, Hg.sup.0.

  1. Probe-Directed Degradation (PDD) for Flexible Removal of Unwanted cDNA Sequences from RNA-Seq Libraries.

    PubMed

    Archer, Stuart K; Shirokikh, Nikolay E; Preiss, Thomas

    2015-04-01

    Most applications for RNA-seq require the depletion of abundant transcripts to gain greater coverage of the underlying transcriptome. The sequences to be targeted for depletion depend on application and species and in many cases may not be supported by commercial depletion kits. This unit describes a method for generating RNA-seq libraries that incorporates probe-directed degradation (PDD), which can deplete any unwanted sequence set, with the low-bias split-adapter method of library generation (although many other library generation methods are in principle compatible). The overall strategy is suitable for applications requiring customized sequence depletion or where faithful representation of fragment ends and lack of sequence bias is paramount. We provide guidelines to rapidly design specific probes against the target sequence, and a detailed protocol for library generation using the split-adapter method including several strategies for streamlining the technique and reducing adapter dimer content. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  2. Determinants of unwanted pregnancies in India using matched case-control designs.

    PubMed

    Dixit, Priyanka; Ram, Faujdar; Dwivedi, Laxmi Kant

    2012-08-11

    In India, while the total fertility rate has been declined from 3.39 in 1992-93 to 2.68 in 2005-06, the prevalence of unintended pregnancy is still stagnant over the same period. A review of existing literature shows that within the country, there are variations in fertility preferences between different regions. Also there is a strong argument that the availability of a health facility at the village level plays an important role in reshaping the fertility behavior of women. Keeping in mind the fact that there is no information at the village level (which is the lowest geographical boundary) in the recent round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the specific objective of this study is to examine the impact of individual and household level variables on unwanted pregnancies without controlling the village level variation. Further, once the village level variation (i.e. unobserved variation) has been controlled, it is necessary to study whether there has been any alteration in the contribution of factors from earlier results of without adjusting the village level variation. This paper attempts to examine the associated factors of unwanted pregnancies, without matching the village and after matching the village, by using the matched case-control design. Nationwide data from India's latest NFHS-3 conducted during 2005-06 was used for the present study. Frequency and pair wise matching has been applied in the present paper and conditional logistic regression analysis was used to work out the models and to find out the factors associated with unwanted pregnancies. A major finding of this study was that 1:3 case-control study (without matching the village) shows that women belonging to non Hindu/Muslim religion, Scheduled Tribe, women who have experienced child loss and if the previous birth interval is 24 through 36 months were significant predictors of unwanted pregnancy. However, this relationship did not hold significant after village wise matching. Other

  3. Laser Tattoo Removal: An Update.

    PubMed

    Naga, Lina I; Alster, Tina S

    2017-02-01

    Tattoo art has been around for thousands of years in every culture and is currently flourishing in all age groups, social classes, and occupations. Despite the rising popularity of tattoos, demand for their removal has also increased. While various treatments, including surgical excision, dermabrasion, and chemical destruction have historically been applied, over the past 2 decades, lasers have revolutionized the way tattoos are treated and have become the gold standard of treatment. To achieve optimal cosmetic outcome of treatment, lasers emitting high energies and short pulses are required to adequately destroy tattoo ink. We review the history of laser tattoo removal, outlining the challenges inherent in developing lasers that can most effectively remove tattoo particles while safely protecting skin from unwanted injury.

  4. 40 CFR 262.215 - Unwanted material that is not solid or hazardous waste.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Unwanted material that is not solid or... (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO GENERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Alternative... Eligible Academic Entities § 262.215 Unwanted material that is not solid or hazardous waste. (a) If an...

  5. 40 CFR 262.215 - Unwanted material that is not solid or hazardous waste.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Unwanted material that is not solid or... (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO GENERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Alternative... Eligible Academic Entities § 262.215 Unwanted material that is not solid or hazardous waste. (a) If an...

  6. Relationship between Unwanted Pregnancy and Health-Related Quality of Life in Pregnant Women.

    PubMed

    Ali, Azizi

    2016-06-01

    To determine the relationship between unwanted pregnancy and health-related quality of life in pregnant women. Case-control study. Department of Community Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran, from October 2013 to July 2014. Of the pregnant women who presented to primary healthcare centers of Kermanshah, Iran to receive prenatal care at 6 - 10 weeks of their pregnancy, those with unwanted pregnancy were selected as cases and those with wanted pregnancy were selected as control group. The selection process was done using multi-stage stratified random sampling. Frequency matching was applied to match the two groups. Quality of life was measured by the SF-36 questionnaire and was compared by the t-test. Relationship power between pregnancy type (wanted or unwanted pregnancy) and impairment of quality of life subscales as the outcome was assessed using odds ratio (OR). Frequency distribution of matched variables was not statistically different between the two studied groups. Mean scores of mental component summary and physical component summary as well as eight subscales (physical functioning, role, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health) were lower in the unwanted pregnancy group compared to women with wanted pregnancy (p < 0.001). The highest high impairment odds ratio was highest for the mental component summary (MCS) (OR = 9.19; 95% CI = 5.17- 16.32) and vitality subscale (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 2.89- 9.33). Mental health of the pregnant women with unwanted pregnancy is affected more than their physical health. Mental health in women with unwanted pregnancy is 9.19 times more likely to be reduced. Among mental health subscales, vitality (energy/fatigue) showed the highest decrease.

  7. Centrifugal accelerator, system and method for removing unwanted layers from a surface

    DOEpatents

    Foster, Christopher A.; Fisher, Paul W.

    1995-01-01

    A cryoblasting process having a centrifugal accelerator for accelerating frozen pellets of argon or carbon dioxide toward a target area utilizes an accelerator throw wheel designed to induce, during operation, the creation of a low-friction gas bearing within internal passages of the wheel which would otherwise retard acceleration of the pellets as they move through the passages. An associated system and method for removing paint from a surface with cryoblasting techniques involves the treating, such as a preheating, of the painted surface to soften the paint prior to the impacting of frozen pellets thereagainst to increase the rate of paint removal. A system and method for producing large quantities of frozen pellets from a liquid material, such as liquid argon or carbon dioxide, for use in a cryoblasting process utilizes a chamber into which the liquid material is introduced in the form of a jet which disintegrates into droplets. A non-condensible gas, such as inert helium or air, is injected into the chamber at a controlled rate so that the droplets freeze into bodies of relatively high density.

  8. Risk Factors and Consequences of Unwanted Sex among University Students: Hooked up, Alcohol, and Stress Response

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flack, William F., Jr.; Daubman, Kimberly A.; Caron, Marcia L.; Asadorian, Jenica A.; D'Aureli, Nicole R.; Gigliotti, Shannon N.; Hall, Anna T.; Kiser, Sarah; Stine, Erin R.

    2007-01-01

    This is the first study of unwanted sexual experiences in the collegiate "hooking-up" culture. In a representative sample of 178 students at a small liberal arts university. Twenty-three percent of women and 7% of men surveyed reported one or more experiences of unwanted sexual intercourse. Seventy-eight percent of unwanted vaginal, anal, and oral…

  9. Tunable natural nano-arrays: controlling surface properties and light reflectance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watson, Jolanta A.; Myhra, Sverre; Watson, Gregory S.

    2006-01-01

    The general principles of optical design based on the theories of reflection, refraction and diffraction have been rigorously developed and optimized over the last three centuries. Of increasing importance has been the ability to predict and devise new optical technologies designed for specific functions. A key design feature of many of today's optical materials is the control of reflection and light transmittance through the medium. A sudden transition or impedance mismatch from one optical medium to another can result in unwanted reflections from the surface plane. Modification of a surface by creation of a gradual change in refractive index over a significant portion of a wavelength range will result in a reduction in reflection. An alternative surface modification to the multi layered stack coating (gradient index coating) is to produce a surface with structures having a period and height shorter than the light wavelength. These structures act like a pseudo-gradient index coating and can be described by the effective medium theory. Bernhard and Miller some forty years ago were the first to observe such structures found on the surface of insects. These were found in the form of hexagonally close packed nanometre sized protrusions on the corneal surface of certain moths. In this study we report on similar structures which we have found on certain species of cicada wings demonstrating that the reflective/transmission properties of these natural nano-structures can be tuned by controlled removal of the structure height using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).

  10. Sex Differences in the Experience of Unwanted Sexual Attention and Behaviors during Childhood

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whealin, Julia M.; Zinzow, Heidi M.; Salstrom, Seoka A.; Jackson, Joan L.

    2007-01-01

    Girls receive considerable amounts of unwanted sexual attention (UWSA) and behaviors (UWSB). Less is known about boys' unwanted sexual experiences. The primary goal of this study was to obtain a descriptive profile of the types and perpetrators of childhood UWSA/B. Secondary goals were to examine sex differences in emotional reactions to UWSA/B…

  11. A Risky Boundary: Unwanted Sexual Behaviour among Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Bruijn, Paula; Burrie, Ingrid; van Wel, Frits

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this research was to explore unwanted sexual behaviour amongst young people. Sexual aggression was operationalized at three levels: "verbal", "non-verbal/intimidating" and "physically violent". A total of 1,700 Dutch adolescents completed a questionnaire that included six clusters of possible determinants…

  12. Determinants of unwanted pregnancies in India using matched case-control designs

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In India, while the total fertility rate has been declined from 3.39 in 1992–93 to 2.68 in 2005–06, the prevalence of unintended pregnancy is still stagnant over the same period. A review of existing literature shows that within the country, there are variations in fertility preferences between different regions. Also there is a strong argument that the availability of a health facility at the village level plays an important role in reshaping the fertility behavior of women. Keeping in mind the fact that there is no information at the village level (which is the lowest geographical boundary) in the recent round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the specific objective of this study is to examine the impact of individual and household level variables on unwanted pregnancies without controlling the village level variation. Further, once the village level variation (i.e. unobserved variation) has been controlled, it is necessary to study whether there has been any alteration in the contribution of factors from earlier results of without adjusting the village level variation. Methods This paper attempts to examine the associated factors of unwanted pregnancies, without matching the village and after matching the village, by using the matched case–control design. Nationwide data from India’s latest NFHS-3 conducted during 2005–06 was used for the present study. Frequency and pair wise matching has been applied in the present paper and conditional logistic regression analysis was used to work out the models and to find out the factors associated with unwanted pregnancies. Results A major finding of this study was that 1:3 case–control study (without matching the village) shows that women belonging to non Hindu/Muslim religion, Scheduled Tribe, women who have experienced child loss and if the previous birth interval is 24 through 36 months were significant predictors of unwanted pregnancy. However, this relationship did not hold

  13. Unwanted sexual attention at work and long-term sickness absence: a follow-up register-based study.

    PubMed

    Hogh, Annie; Conway, Paul Maurice; Clausen, Thomas; Madsen, Ida Elisabeth Huitfeldt; Burr, Hermann

    2016-07-30

    The current understanding of the relationship between unwanted sexual attention at work and long-term sickness absence (LTSA) is limited for three reasons: 1) the under-researched role of unwanted sexual attention perpetrated by individuals outside the work organization; 2) a widespread use of self-reported measures of sickness absence, with an unclear identification of sickness absence episodes of long duration; 3) the cross-sectional design of most existing studies. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the relationship between self-reported unwanted sexual attention at work and subsequent LTSA (≥3 weeks), stratifying by gender and source of exposure (i.e., colleagues, managers and/or subordinates vs. clients/customers/patients). This prospective study is based on a pooled sample of 14,605 employees from three Danish surveys conducted in 2000, 2004 and 2005, providing a total of 19,366 observations. A single questionnaire-based item was used to assess exposure to unwanted sexual attention. The pooled dataset was merged with Danish register data on LTSA. The risk of first-onset episode of LTSA (up to 18 months after baseline) in connection with unwanted sexual attention was examined using Cox proportional hazards models. We estimated Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) adjusted for age, influence at work, work pace, occupational group and mode of data collection. We also adjusted for repeated measures from individual respondents by stratifying the Cox models by wave of survey. Unwanted sexual attention from colleagues, managers and/or subordinates predicted LTSA among men (HR 2.66; 95 % CI 1.42-5.00). Among women, an elevated but non-statistically significant risk of LTSA (HR 1.18; 95 % CI 0.65-2.14) was found. Unwanted sexual attention from clients/customers/patients did not predict LTSA, neither among men nor among women. The findings indicate a significantly elevated risk of LTSA, among men only, in relation to

  14. System and Method for Suppression of Unwanted Noise in Ground Test Facilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zaman, Khairul B. M. Q. (Inventor); Clem, Michelle M. (Inventor); Fagan, Amy F. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    Systems and methods for the suppression of unwanted noise from a jet discharging into a duct are disclosed herein. The unwanted noise may be in the form of excited duct modes or howl due to super resonance. A damper member is used to reduce acoustic velocity perturbations at the velocity anti-node, associated with the half-wave resonance of the duct, weakening the resonance condition and reducing the amplitudes of the spectral peaks.

  15. Plasminogen binding inhibitors demonstrate unwanted activities on GABAA and glycine receptors in human iPSC derived neurons.

    PubMed

    Kristensson, Lisbeth; Lundin, Anders; Gustafsson, David; Fryklund, Jan; Fex, Tomas; Louise, Delsing; Ryberg, Erik

    2018-05-11

    Plasminogen binding inhibitors (PBIs) reduce the risk of bleeding in hemorrhagic conditions. However, generic PBIs are also associated with an increased risk of seizures, an adverse effect linked to unwanted activities towards inhibitory neuronal receptors. Development of novel PBIs serve to remove compounds with such properties, but progress is limited by a lack of higher throughput methods with human translatability. Herein we apply human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived neurons in combination with dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) technology to demonstrate robust and reproducible modulation of both GABA A and glycine receptors. These cells respond to GABA (EC 50 0.33 ± 0.18 μM), glycine (EC 50 11.0 ± 3.7 μM) and additional ligands in line with previous reports from patch clamp technologies. Additionally, we identify and characterize a competitive antagonistic behavior of the prototype inhibitor and drug tranexamic acid (TXA). Finally, we demonstrate proof of concept for effective counter-screening of lead series compounds towards unwanted GABA A receptor activities. No activity was observed for a previously identified PBI candidate drug, AZD6564, whereas a discontinued analog, AZ13267257, could be characterized as a potent GABA A receptor agonist. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of a long-pulsed ruby laser system in the removal of unwanted hair.

    PubMed

    Polderman, M C; Pavel, S; le Cessie, S; Grevelink, J M; van Leeuwen, R L

    2000-03-01

    Unwanted hair growth is a common, usually physiologic phenomenon. In this study the efficacy and tolerability of a long-pulsed ruby laser system was compared with needle electrolysis and hot wax on three parts of the body. Thirty volunteers were treated three times on the forearm (n = 10), on the face (n = 10), or in the pubic area (n = 10) with 25 J/cm2 laser, 40 J/cm2 laser, needle electrolysis, and hot wax therapy. The 25 J/cm2 and 40 J/cm2 laser treated sites showed a statistically significant decrease (38% and 49%, respectively) in the number of hairs at the first visit after the last treatment compared to the pretreatment hair counts. No significant decrease was observed in the needle electrolysis and hot wax treated sites. Laser therapy yielded better results on the forearm than on the face or pubic area and was scored as the least painful. The long-pulsed ruby laser is a promising, well-tolerated method of epilation.

  17. Reproductive consequences of unwanted sexual debut among young adult women from Metro Cebu, Philippines.

    PubMed

    Wiles, Melissa; Agustin, Sonny; Narasimhan, Subasri; Gipson, Jessica D

    2018-04-18

    The circumstances surrounding sexual debut influence subsequent sexual and reproductive outcomes. We analysed longitudinal data from 397 women who participated in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey in Cebu, Philippines to examine associations between unwanted first sex and number of pregnancies, unintended pregnancy, and use of modern contraception. 72% of women reported unwanted first sex. Women whose first sex was unwanted had increased odds of unintended pregnancy compared to women whose first sex was wanted (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.3, 3.6). Nationally-representative surveys should include culturally-relevant questions about sexual debut to inform public health programmes aimed at improving sexual/reproductive health.

  18. The co-occurrence of Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration: associations with psychosocial indicators.

    PubMed

    Ybarra, Michele L; Espelage, Dorothy L; Mitchell, Kimberly J

    2007-12-01

    Previous research in offline environments suggests that there may be an overlap in bullying and sexual harassment perpetration and victimization; however to what extent this may be true for perpetration and victimization of Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation is unknown. The Growing Up with Media survey is a national cross-sectional online survey of 1,588 youth, 10-15 years old, who have used the Internet at least once in the last 6 months. Cluster analysis was conducted with four scales: Internet harassment perpetration, Internet harassment victimization, unwanted sexual solicitation perpetration, and unwanted sexual solicitation victimization. A four-cluster solution was identified: youth with little to no involvement (n = 1326; 81.7%); perpetrator-victims of Internet harassment (n = 205; 14.3%); victims of both Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation (n = 45; 3.1%); and perpetrator-victims of Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation (n = 12; .9%). Involvement in Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation was associated with concurrent reports of psychosocial problems including substance use; involvement in offline victimization and perpetration of relational, physical, and sexual aggression; delinquent peers; a propensity to respond to stimuli with anger; poor emotional bond with caregivers; and poor caregiver monitoring as compared with youth with little to no involvement. This was especially true for perpetrator-victims of Internet harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation. Findings were replicated using a frequency-based definition of involvement, suggesting that cluster analysis is useful in identifying subgroups of youth and can be used to guide frequency-based definitions, which are easier to implement across study samples. The majority of youth are not frequently involved in Internet harassment or unwanted sexual solicitation either as victims or as perpetrators. Among those who are, however

  19. Examining the geographical heterogeneity associated with risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Amoako Johnson, Fiifi; Madise, Nyovani J

    2009-03-01

    After a decade of fertility decline, Ghana's fertility and the level of unmet need for contraception stalled in mid-transition in the late 1990s. Although the literature acknowledges this, the geographical patterns in unmet need have not been adequately documented. Spatial analysis of unmet need can reveal differences in usage and provision of contraceptive commodities, thereby pointing to geographical areas where contraceptive programmes should be strengthened. This study examines the geographical variation of the risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies between rural communities and also between urban communities of the three ecological zones of Ghana. The study also investigates if geographical differences in the risks of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies changed during the period when unmet need stalled at the national level. A multilevel regression model was applied to pooled data from the 1998 and 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys to examine the determinants of the risk of unintended pregnancies, while controlling for clustering of outcomes within communities. The results show that between the two surveys, there was no significant change in the levels of risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy. However, geographical heterogeneity in the risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy was observed, after controlling for relevant predictors. This showed concentration of mistimed pregnancies in some rural communities relative to others, and variation in the risk of unwanted pregnancies between urban communities. The results give a clear indication that bridging the inequality gap in contraceptive use requires programmes that are area-specific.

  20. Mental Health and Substance Use Factors Associated with Unwanted Sexual Contact among U.S. Active Duty Service Women

    PubMed Central

    Stahlman, Shauna; Javanbakht, Marjan; Cochran, Susan; Hamilton, Alison B.; Shoptaw, Steven; Gorbach, Pamina M.

    2015-01-01

    Many U.S. military women are exposed to unwanted sexual contact during military service, which can have important implications for mental health. Using data from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors, we employed multiple logistic regression methods to examine whether unwanted sexual contact was associated with stress, screening positive for mental disorders, or substance use, among active duty service women. The sample included 7,415 female military personnel, of whom 13.4% reported unwanted sexual contact (including any touching of genitals) since entering the military. After adjusting for potentially confounding variables, factors independently associated with unwanted sexual contact included military-related stress (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.44), family/personal life-related stress (AOR = 1.78), and gender-related stress (AOR = 1.98) in the past 12 months. In addition, screening positive for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation or attempt were associated with unwanted sexual contact (AOR = 1.57–2.11). For drug/alcohol use, only misuse of tranquilizers/muscle relaxers (past 12 months) was associated with report of unwanted sexual contact (AOR = 1.35). Given the prevalence of unwanted sexual contact and corresponding adverse health outcomes in this sample of active duty women, strategies to create military structural/cultural changes and reduce gender-related stress and sexism are needed. PMID:25976935

  1. An advancement in removing extraneous color from wood for low-magnification reflected-light image analysis of conifer tree rings

    Treesearch

    Paul R. Sheppard; Alex Wiedenhoeft

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes the removal of extraneous color from increment cores of conifers prior to reflected-light image analysis of tree rings. Ponderosa pine in central New Mexico was chosen for study. Peroxide bleaching was used as a pretreatment to remove extraneous color and still yield usable wood for image analysis. The cores were bleached in 3% peroxide raised to...

  2. Sex Differences in Youth-Reported Depressive Symptomatology and Unwanted Internet Sexual Solicitation

    PubMed Central

    Leaf, Philip J; Diener-West, Marie

    2004-01-01

    Background As the number of youths using the Internet regularly increase, so too does the number of youths potentially vulnerable to negative experiences online. Clinicians, policy makers, and parents need to better understand the Internet and factors related to positive and negative experiences online. Objective Primarily to investigate the association between youth-reported depressive symptomatology and unwanted Internet sexual solicitation and secondarily to identify sex differences in related characteristics of affected youth. Methods Data from the Youth Internet Safety Survey were analyzed to investigate the association between reported depressive symptomatology and unwanted Internet sexual solicitation. The Youth Internet Safety Survey was a nationally-representative, cross-sectional telephone survey. Youth participants (N = 1501) were English speakers between the ages of 10 and 17 years who had accessed the Internet at least 6 times in the previous 6 months and had resided in the household for at least 2 weeks in the previous year. Eighty-two percent of contacted households agreed to participate. Each participant was asked to indicate whether any of the 9 symptoms of major depression defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) had been present within the previous month. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of reporting an unwanted sexual solicitation online for youths with mild or major depressive symptomatology versus no symptomatology. A parsimonious, multivariate model of significant youth characteristics was identified separately for males and females. Results Youths who report major depressive-like symptoms were 3.5 times more likely (odds ratio, 3.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.19-5.71) to also report an unwanted sexual solicitation online compared to youths with mild/no symptomatology. After adjusting for significant Internet and psychosocial characteristics, male Internet users who report

  3. Removing inter-subject technical variability in magnetic resonance imaging studies.

    PubMed

    Fortin, Jean-Philippe; Sweeney, Elizabeth M; Muschelli, John; Crainiceanu, Ciprian M; Shinohara, Russell T

    2016-05-15

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intensities are acquired in arbitrary units, making scans non-comparable across sites and between subjects. Intensity normalization is a first step for the improvement of comparability of the images across subjects. However, we show that unwanted inter-scan variability associated with imaging site, scanner effect, and other technical artifacts is still present after standard intensity normalization in large multi-site neuroimaging studies. We propose RAVEL (Removal of Artificial Voxel Effect by Linear regression), a tool to remove residual technical variability after intensity normalization. As proposed by SVA and RUV [Leek and Storey, 2007, 2008, Gagnon-Bartsch and Speed, 2012], two batch effect correction tools largely used in genomics, we decompose the voxel intensities of images registered to a template into a biological component and an unwanted variation component. The unwanted variation component is estimated from a control region obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), where intensities are known to be unassociated with disease status and other clinical covariates. We perform a singular value decomposition (SVD) of the control voxels to estimate factors of unwanted variation. We then estimate the unwanted factors using linear regression for every voxel of the brain and take the residuals as the RAVEL-corrected intensities. We assess the performance of RAVEL using T1-weighted (T1-w) images from more than 900 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as healthy controls from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. We compare RAVEL to two intensity-normalization-only methods: histogram matching and White Stripe. We show that RAVEL performs best at improving the replicability of the brain regions that are empirically found to be most associated with AD, and that these regions are significantly more present in structures impacted by AD (hippocampus, amygdala

  4. 40 CFR 262.206 - Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory. 262.206 Section 262.206 Protection of Environment... the laboratory to assure safe storage of the unwanted material, to prevent leaks, spills, emissions to...

  5. The Sensitivity of Measures of Unwanted and Unintended Pregnancy Using Retrospective and Prospective Reporting: Evidence from Malawi

    PubMed Central

    Sennott, Christie

    2015-01-01

    A thorough understanding of the health implications of unwanted and unintended pregnancies is constrained by our ability to accurately identify them. Commonly used techniques for measuring such pregnancies are subject to two main sources of error: the ex post revision of preferences after a pregnancy and the difficulty of identifying preferences at the time of conception. This study examines the implications of retrospective and prospective measurement approaches, which are vulnerable to different sources of error, on estimates of unwanted and unintended pregnancies. We use eight waves of closely-spaced panel data from young women in southern Malawi to generate estimates of unwanted and unintended pregnancies based on fertility preferences measured at various points in time. We then compare estimates using traditional retrospective and prospective approaches to estimates obtained when fertility preferences are measured prospectively within months of conception. The 1,062 young Malawian women in the sample frequently changed their fertility preferences. The retrospective measures slightly underestimated unwanted and unintended pregnancies compared to the time-varying prospective approach; in contrast the fixed prospective measures overestimated them. Nonetheless, most estimates were similar in aggregate, suggesting that frequent changes in fertility preferences need not lead to dramatically different estimates of unwanted and unintended pregnancy. Greater disagreement among measures emerged when classifying individual pregnancies. Carefully designed retrospective measures are not necessarily more problematic for measuring unintended and unwanted fertility than are more expensive fixed prospective ones. PMID:25636647

  6. Unwanted pregnancy and traditional self-induced abortion methods known among women aged 15 to 49.

    PubMed

    Sensoy, Nazli; Dogan, Nurhan; Sen, Kubra; Aslan, Halit; Tore-Baser, Ayca

    2015-05-01

    To determine the traditional methods known and used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and the fertility characteristics of married women. The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey at Afyonkarahisar Zübeyde Hanim Child and Maternity Hospital's outpatient clinic between December 27, 2010 and January 7, 2011, and comprised married women aged 17 to 49 who presented for an examination. Questions related to socio-demographic and fertility characteristics as well as known and used traditional abortion methods were included in the questionnaire which was administered through face-to-face interviews. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis. The median age of the 600 women in the study was 29.5 (range: 17-49) years. Overall, 134 (22.3%) women had experienced an unwanted pregnancy. In 53 (39.6%) cases, the unwanted pregnancy had occurred between the ages of 30 and 39, and 116(86.6%) women had married when they were between 15 and 24 (p< 0.008) years old. Pregnancy had been concluded normally in 78(58.2%)women with an unwanted pregnancy and 34(35.8%)preferred the withdrawal method for contraception. Traditional abortion methods were known to 413(68.8%)women, but only 8(1.3%) had used any of them. The harms of using a traditional abortion method were known to 464(77.3%)women. Very few women used traditional abortion methods to terminate pregnancy. Knowing the characteristics of women and their need for family planning should be the first priority for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

  7. A cross-sectional study examining the extent of unwanted sexual attention and unhealthy intimate relationships among female university students.

    PubMed

    Hayden, Kelly; Graham, Melissa; Lamaro, Greer

    2016-05-17

    Issue addressed: Unwanted sexual attention and unhealthy intimate relationships have the potential to have serious negative health consequences. To date, there has been scant focus on these issues among university students in Australia. The aim of the current study was to describe the extent of unwanted sexual attention and unhealthy intimate relationships experienced in their lifetime by female university students aged 18-25 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken involving 465 female students aged 18-25 years. Students were recruited through one faculty within a Victorian university and invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire. Results: Sixty-seven per cent (n = 312) of female students reported experiencing unwanted sexual attention in their lifetime. The most common form of unwanted sexual attention was kissing or touching over clothes (98%; n = 306). Over 43% (n = 124) of the female students reported that the experience of unwanted sexual experience occurred after their protests were ignored. Thirty per cent (n = 135) of the female students reported experiencing at least one element of an unhealthy intimate relationship. Conclusions: The high rates of unwanted sexual attention and unhealthy intimate relationships among female university students is of concern given the negative impact such events can have on individual's physical, emotional and social well being. So what?: Public health and health promotion action is required to prevent female students from experiencing unwanted sexual attention and unhealthy intimate relationships, and to address the negative health and well being consequences.

  8. Selective Removal of Demineralization Using Near Infrared Cross Polarization Reflectance and a Carbon Dioxide Laser.

    PubMed

    Chan, Kenneth H; Fried, Daniel

    2012-02-09

    Lasers can ablate/remove tissue in a non-contact mode of operation and a pulsed laser beam does not interfere with the ability to image the tooth surface, therefore lasers are ideally suited for integration with imaging devices for image-guided ablation. Laser energy can be rapidly and efficiently delivered to tooth surfaces using a digitally controlled laser beam scanning system for precise and selective laser ablation with minimal loss of healthy tissues. Under the appropriate irradiation conditions such laser energy can induce beneficial chemical and morphological changes in the walls of the drilled cavity that can increase resistance to further dental decay and produce surfaces with enhanced adhesive properties to restorative materials. Previous studies have shown that images acquired using near-IR transillumination, optical coherence tomography and fluorescence can be used to guide the laser for selective removal of demineralized enamel. Recent studies have shown that NIR reflectance measurements at 1470-nm can be used to obtain images of enamel demineralization with very high contrast. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that image guided ablation of occlusal lesions can be successfully carried out using a NIR reflectance imaging system coupled with a carbon dioxide laser operating at 9.3-μm with high pulse repetition rates.

  9. Guided wave imaging of oblique reflecting interfaces in pipes using common-source synthetic focusing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Zeqing; Sun, Anyu; Ju, Bing-Feng

    2018-04-01

    Cross-mode-family mode conversion and secondary reflection of guided waves in pipes complicate the processing of guided waves signals, and can cause false detection. In this paper, filters operating in the spectral domain of wavenumber, circumferential order and frequency are designed to suppress the signal components of unwanted mode-family and unwanted traveling direction. Common-source synthetic focusing is used to reconstruct defect images from the guided wave signals. Simulations of the reflections from linear oblique defects and a semicircle defect are separately implemented. Defect images, which are reconstructed from the simulation results under different excitation conditions, are comparatively studied in terms of axial resolution, reflection amplitude, detectable oblique angle and so on. Further, the proposed method is experimentally validated by detecting linear cracks with various oblique angles (10-40°). The proposed method relies on the guided wave signals that are captured during 2-D scanning of a cylindrical area on the pipe. The redundancy of the signals is analyzed to reduce the time-consumption of the scanning process and to enhance the practicability of the proposed method.

  10. Unwanted Tattoos

    MedlinePlus

    ... Back Injectable Deoxycholic Acid Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Injectable Poly-l-lactic Acid Injectable Polymethylmethacrylate + Bovine Collagen Filler ... procedure? Does tattoo removal hurt? What are my pain management and anesthesia options? How long is the ...

  11. Effect of a novel low-energy pulsed-light device for home-use hair removal.

    PubMed

    Alster, Tina S; Tanzi, Elizabeth L

    2009-03-01

    Removal of unwanted hair is the most popular skin treatment worldwide. Over the past decade, various lasers and light sources for epilation have been advocated for use in an office setting, although most people continue to treat unwanted hair with a variety of temporary physical methods (e.g., waxing, shaving) in a home setting, presumably due to cost and convenience factors. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a low-energy pulsed-light device intended for home-use hair removal. Twenty women (skin phototypes I-IV) with dark terminal hair in nonfacial sites (axilla, forearms, inguinal region, legs) self-administered three treatments at 2-week intervals using a handheld intense-pulsed-light device. Matched untreated skin sites were also studied. Hair counts and clinical photographs were obtained pretreatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the third treatment. Side effects and patient satisfaction scores were recorded. All patients showed a positive clinical response to treatment, with reduction of unwanted hair. No reduction of hair was noted in untreated matched areas. Hair counts were reduced 37.8% to 53.6% 6 months after the three treatments. Skin region influenced clinical response, with lower legs exhibiting greater hair reduction than arms and inguinal and axillary areas. Mild erythema was experienced in 25% of patients, but no other side effects or complications were encountered. Patient satisfaction scores were high, with all patients stating that they would purchase the device for future home use. CONCLUSIONS Low-energy pulsed light can be applied safely and effectively for at-home hair removal in a variety of nonfacial locations and skin phototypes I-IV.

  12. Predictors of unwanted exposure to online pornography and online sexual solicitation of youth.

    PubMed

    Chang, Fong-Ching; Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Miao, Nae-Fang; Chen, Ping-Hung; Lee, Ching-Mei; Chiang, Jeng-Tung

    2016-06-01

    This study examined factors associated with the unwanted exposure to online pornography and unwanted online sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration of youth in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of online game use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, depression, and cyberbullying experiences predicted online sexual solicitation victimization, while higher levels of Internet chat room use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, cyberbullying experiences, and offline sexual harassment predicted online sexual solicitation perpetration. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Sexual Orientation Disparities in Mistimed and Unwanted Pregnancy Among Adult Women.

    PubMed

    Everett, Bethany G; McCabe, Katharine F; Hughes, Tonda L

    2017-09-01

    Many sexual minority women, regardless of sexual identity, engage in heterosexual behavior across the life course, which provides them opportunities to experience an unintended pregnancy. In addition, sexual minority women are more likely than others to report characteristics that may make them vulnerable to unintended pregnancy. Little research, however, has examined whether the risk of unintended pregnancy is elevated among these women. Using data from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, logistic regression models were fitted to examine sexual orientation disparities in mistimed and unwanted pregnancies among 9,807 women aged 20-45; mixed-effects hazard models assessed disparities in the intention status of 5,238 pregnancies among these women by maternal sexual orientation. Compared with heterosexual women reporting only male partners, heterosexual women who have sex with women had higher odds of reporting a mistimed pregnancy (odds ratio, 1.4), and bisexual women had higher odds of reporting an unwanted pregnancy (1.8). When compared with pregnancies reported by heterosexual women with only male partners, those reported by heterosexual women who have sex with women were more likely to be mistimed (hazard ratio, 1.7), and those reported by bisexual and lesbian women were more likely to be unwanted (1.7-4.4). Compared with heterosexuals who have sex with men only, adult sexual minority women are at equal or greater risk of reporting an unintended pregnancy. More research addressing the reproductive health care needs of sexual minority women is needed to develop strategies to improve family planning for this population. Copyright © 2017 by the Guttmacher Institute.

  14. Removing left-right asymmetry in a Sagnac interferometer applied to cancel its reflectance dependence on birefringence.

    PubMed

    Golub, Ilya; Exir, Hourieh

    2013-05-01

    We present a left-right symmetry restoring method, which removes the detrimental birefringence in the single-mode fiber Sagnac interferometer, achieved with the aid of a half waveplate oriented at a specific angle. We show theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that adding a π-shift between clockwise and counterclockwise propagating, horizontally (in fiber loop plane) polarized field components, the Sagnac loop mirror's reflection becomes independent on birefringence of an element placed in the loop.

  15. Removal of atmospheric effects from satellite imagery of the oceans.

    PubMed

    Gordon, H R

    1978-05-15

    In attempting to observe the color of the ocean from satellites, it is necessary to remove the effects of atmospheric and sea surface scattering from the upward radiance at high altitude in order to observe only those photons which were backscattered out of the ocean and hence contain information about subsurface conditions. The observations that (1) the upward radiance from the unwanted photons can be divided into those resulting from Rayleigh scattering alone and those resulting from aerosol scattering alone, (2) the aerosol scattering phase function should be nearly independent of wavelength, and (3) the Rayleigh component can be computed without a knowledge of the sea surface roughness are combined to yield an algorithm for removing a large portion of this unwanted radiance from satellite imagery of the ocean. It is assumed that the ocean is totally absorbing in a band of wavelengths around 750 nm and shown that application of the proposed algorithm to correct the radiance at a wavelength lambda requires only the ratio () of the aerosol optical thickness at lambda to that at about 750 nm. The accuracy to which the correction can be made as a function of the accuracy to which can be found is in detail. A possible method of finding from satellite measurements alone is suggested.

  16. Drinking Motivations and Experiences of Unwanted Sexual Advances among Undergraduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Novik, Melinda G.; Howard, Donna E.; Boekeloo, Bradley O.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between drinking motivations and college students' experiences with unwanted sexual advances. Undergraduates, from a public university in the mid-Atlantic region, who reported recent (30 day) alcohol use (n = 289) completed an online survey midway through the spring 2007 academic semester. Experiencing an…

  17. Exploring Patterns of Unwanted Behaviours in Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pignatti, Riccardo; Mori, Ileana; Bertella, Laura; Grugni, Graziano; Giardino, Daniela; Molinari, Enrico

    2013-01-01

    Background: Obsessive-compulsive (O-C) traits, and excessive food intake are well known behavioural manifestations among individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Other unwanted behaviours are also frequently observed, but they need a more specific investigation, especially in the adult population. Methods: The behaviour of 31 PWS adults was…

  18. Predictors of mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies among women of childbearing age in Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga districts of Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Exavery, Amon; Kanté, Almamy Malick; Njozi, Mustafa; Tani, Kassimu; Doctor, Henry V; Hingora, Ahmed; Phillips, James F

    2014-08-08

    While unintended pregnancies pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of families globally, characteristics of Tanzanian women who conceive unintentionally are rarely documented. This analysis identifies factors associated with unintended pregnancies-both mistimed and unwanted-in three rural districts of Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey of 2,183 random households was conducted in three Tanzanian districts of Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga in 2011 to assess women's health behavior and service utilization patterns. These households produced 3,127 women age 15+ years from which 2,199 gravid women aged 15-49 were selected for the current analysis. Unintended pregnancies were identified as either mistimed (wanted later) or unwanted (not wanted at all). Correlates of mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies were identified through Chi-squared tests to assess associations and multinomial logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Mean age of the participants was 32.1 years. While 54.1% of the participants reported that their most recent pregnancy was intended, 32.5% indicated their most recent pregnancy as mistimed and 13.4% as unwanted. Multivariate analysis revealed that young age (<20 years), and single marital status were significant predictors of both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. Lack of inter-partner communication about family planning increased the risk of mistimed pregnancy significantly, and multi-gravidity was shown to significantly increase the risk of unwanted pregnancy. About one half of women in Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga districts of Tanzania conceive unintentionally. Women, especially the most vulnerable should be empowered to avoid pregnancy at their own will and discretion.

  19. Sexual violence and use of contraception among women with unwanted pregnancy in an Ngo Clinic, Addis Ababa.

    PubMed

    Dessalegn, Solomon; Kumbi, Solomon; Surur, Feruz

    2008-10-01

    Sexual violence is one of the most prevalent but underreported incidents. One among many consequences of sexual violence is unwanted pregnancy. To describe events related to and factors associated with sexual violence among women with unwanted pregnancy and describe knowledge and use of contraception among these women with unwanted pregnancy. This cross-sectional study was done at one NGO clinic in Addis Ababa. Data was collected from women with unwanted pregnancy seeking termination of pregnancy using a structured questionnaire in March 2003. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed with selected variables related to sexual violence, knowledge and practice of contraception among these women seeking termination of pregnancy. Of the 394 women seeking termination of pregnancy, there was unwelcome kiss in 26.9%, attempted rape in 23.9% and completed rape in 18.3%. Most, 63/72 (87.5%), of the victims of completed rape were below 25 years of age. A linear trend was observed with increasing age (P < 0.05, X2 = 24.365). Unmarried and economically dependent groups were more vulnerable to rape related pregnancy, P < 0.05. Only 18/72 (25%) reported to the police. Psychological problems were common in women with completed rape. Suicidal thoughts was reported by 8/72 (11%). Only 84/394 (21.3%) used contraceptives of which 29/84 (34.5%) used emergency contraceptives. Unwanted pregnancy as a result of rape was observed more in younger, unmarried and economically dependent women. Use of contraception including emergency contraception, reporting to legal authorities and health professionals was low.

  20. Unwanted horses: The role of nonprofit equine rescue and sanctuary organizations.

    PubMed

    Holcomb, K E; Stull, C L; Kass, P H

    2010-12-01

    Closure of US equine slaughter facilities in 2007 along with the concomitant economic recession have contributed to a sharp increase in the number of unwanted horses throughout the United States, with estimates totaling 100,000 horses per year. The objective of the study was to obtain comprehensive data regarding nonprofit organizations caring for unwanted horses, along with the characteristics and outcome of horses relinquished to these organizations. Nonprofit organizations that accept relinquished equines were contacted to participate in a 90-question survey. Responding organizations (144 of 326 eligible) in 37 states provided information on 280 cases representative of the 7,990 horses relinquished between 2007 and 2009. Data collected characterized these organizations as being in existence for 6 yr, financially supported through donations and personal funds, dedicated to the care of only 10 to 20 horses on a property of just over 30 acres, and reliant on volunteers for help. Funding was the greatest challenge to continued operation of nonprofit equine organizations, with maintenance costs for the care of a relinquished horse averaging $3,648 per year. Financial hardship, physical inability, or lack of time to care for the horses by owners were the most common reasons for relinquishment, followed by seizure through law enforcement agencies for alleged neglect or abuse. Relinquished horses consisted of mostly light horse breeds (79.3%), with Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses as the most represented breeds. The age of relinquished horses ranged from 3 d to 42 yr old (12.4 ± 0.5 yr). About one-half of the horses entered in the survey were considered unhealthy due to illness, injury, lameness, or poor body condition. For every 4 horses relinquished to a nonprofit organization, only 3 horses were adopted or sold between 2006 and 2009, and many organizations had refused to accept additional horses for lack of resources. The estimated maximum capacity for the 326

  1. Sex differences in the experience of unwanted sexual attention and behaviors during childhood.

    PubMed

    Whealin, Julia M; Zinzow, Heidi M; Salstrom, Seoka A; Jackson, Joan L

    2007-01-01

    Girls receive considerable amounts of unwanted sexual attention (UWSA) and behaviors (UWSB). Less is known about boys' unwanted sexual experiences. The primary goal of this study was to obtain a descriptive profile of the types and perpetrators of childhood UWSA/B. Secondary goals were to examine sex differences in emotional reactions to UWSA/B and influence of perpetrator. As many as 100 male and 100 female undergraduates completed the Exposure to Sexual Attention Scale and the Emotional Reaction Checklist. Results indicated that the majority of participants experienced UWSA/B during childhood, with females reporting higher rates of UWSB than males. Sex differences were also observed regarding types of perpetrators and emotional reactions. Findings are discussed as they relate to the sociocultural norms in which children are reared.

  2. Adolescents' Psychological Health and Experiences with Unwanted Sexual Behavior at School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Timmerman, Greetje

    2004-01-01

    This paper examines the relationship between experiences with unwanted sexual behavior at school and adolescents' health. Adolescent boys and girls (N = 2,808) participated in a 1998/1999 survey of secondary school students in two regions of The Netherlands. The psychological issues investigated included psychosomatic problems and self-esteem. It…

  3. Alcohol use before and during unwanted pregnancy

    PubMed Central

    Roberts, S.C.M.; Wilsnack, S.C.; Foster, D.G.; Delucchi, K.L.

    2014-01-01

    Background There is little information about pregnancy-related changes in alcohol use and factors contributing to changes among women with unwanted pregnancies. This study describes changes in alcohol use from before pregnancy recognition to during pregnancy and identifies important predictors of alcohol use severity among women with unwanted pregnancies. Methods Data are from the Turnaway Study of 956 women seeking pregnancy termination at 30 U.S. facilities between 2008 and 2010, some of whom were denied care because they were past the gestational limit of the facility where they were recruited and were still pregnant at the baseline interview, one week after termination-seeking. Predictors of alcohol use severity (a latent variable) were identified. Results 56% of the total sample reported any alcohol use the month before pregnancy recognition, with 23% reporting six or more drinks on an occasion. Among the total sample, 35% of those drinking before pregnancy recognition had quit and 20% had reduced one week after termination seeking. Among those denied terminations and still pregnant, 71% had quit and 14% had reduced. In a multivariate model predicting alcohol severity, younger age, still pregnant, one or more previous births, later gestation, childhood physical abuse, and marijuana and other drug use were associated with lower severity; having completed college, tobacco use, and recent physical violence were associated with higher severity. Conclusions The proportion of the total sample drinking before pregnancy recognition is similar to national samples of women of childbearing age while the proportion binge drinking appears higher. Of women denied terminations who were still pregnant, the proportion having quit is similar to other populations of pregnant women. More research is needed to examine whether pregnant women may be substituting alcohol for marijuana and other drugs. Interventions focusing on alcohol use severity during pregnancy may need to also

  4. Surface Material Analysis of the S-type Asteroids: Removing the Space Weathering Effect from Reflectance Spectrum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ueda, Y.; Miyamoto, M.; Mikouchi, T.; Hiroi, T.

    2003-01-01

    Recent years, many researchers have been observing a lot of asteroid reflectance spectra in the UV, visible to NIR at wavelength region. Reflectance spectroscopy of asteroid at this range should bring us a lot of information about its surface materials. Pyroxene and olivine have characteristic absorption bands in this wavelength range. Low-Ca pyroxene has two absorption bands around 0.9 microns and 1.9 microns. The more Ca and Fe content, the longer both absorption band centers. On the other hand, reflectance spectrum of olivine has three complicated absorption bands around 1 m, and no absorption feature around 2 microns. In general, reflectance spectra of many asteroids that are considered to be silicate rich (i.e., S- and A type asteroids) show redder slope and more subdued absorption bands than those of terrestrial minerals and meteorites. These features are now believed to be caused by the space weathering effect, which is probably caused by micrometeorite bombardment and/or solar wind. This process causes nanophase reduced iron (npFe(sup 0)) particles near the surface of mineral grains, which leads the optical change. Therefore, the space weathering effect should be removed from asteroid reflectance spectra to compare with those of meteorite and terrestrial minerals. In this report, we will apply the expanded modified Gaussian model (MGM) to the reflectance spectra of S-type asteroids 7 Iris and 532 Herculina and compare them with those of meteorites.

  5. [Unwanted adolescent pregnancy and post-partum utilization of contraceptive methods].

    PubMed

    Núñez-Urquiza, Rosa María; Hernández-Prado, Bernardo; García-Barrios, Cecilia; González, Dolores; Walker, Dylis

    2003-01-01

    To describe the proportion of unwanted pregnancies among all pregnant adolescents, its association with sociodemographic characteristics, and the use of post-partum contraceptive methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 women between 13 and 19 years of age, in two semi-urban municipalities of the State of Morelos, Mexico, interviewed between 1992 and 1994. Women were interviewed at home, six to twelve weeks after their delivery date. Women were asked whether they had wanted their last pregnancy, and about knowledge and use of contraceptive methods after delivery. Adolescent pregnancies accounted for 17% of all births registered in these two municipalities. Among all adolescent mother 22.73% reported that their pregnancy had not been wanted. A positive association was found between the lack of access to health services provided by public medical insurance systems (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social IMSS and Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales para los Trabajadores del Estado ISSSTE) and unwanted pregnancy (adjusted OR = 3.03, 95% CI (1.31, 7.) An association was also found between living in an urban community (adjusted OR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.08, 4.33) and an unwanted pregnancy. Among all adolescent mothers, 91.3% were familiar with "the pill" as a contraceptive method; 84.72% knew about the IUD, and 63.68% knew about the condom. However, only 35% of them were actually using an effective contraceptive method six weeks after delivery. No difference in frequency of contraceptive use was found among the adolescent mothers, according to whether they wanted their last pregnancy. Only 43.39% of mothers who delivered at hospitals or health centers were using an effective contraceptive method. These findings suggest that there is a great potential for family planning programs to target adolescents, and that the use of contraceptive methods after delivery should be promoted among adolescent mothers, especially those lacking access to public medical

  6. The role of poor sleep in the relation between workplace bullying/unwanted sexual attention and long-term sickness absence.

    PubMed

    Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Grynderup, Matias Brødsgaard; Lange, Theis; Andersen, Johan Hviid; Bonde, Jens Peter; Conway, Paul Maurice; Garde, Anne Helene; Høgh, Annie; Kaerlev, Linda; Rugulies, Reiner; Hansen, Åse Marie

    2016-08-01

    While exposure to bullying and unwanted sexual attention was previously found to increase the risk of sickness absence, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Poor sleep can be a consequence of stressful exposures and a cause of poor health, and poor sleep is also a determinant of insufficient recovery. Therefore, the present study investigated whether poor sleep mediates and/or moderates the association between bullying and unwanted sexual attention, on the one hand, and long-term sickness absence (LTSA), on the other hand. We used questionnaire data from 7650 individuals contributing with 15,040 2-year observation periods. Workplace bullying, unwanted sexual attention, disturbed sleep, and difficulties awakening were measured at three time points, and participants were followed in registers to measure the occurrence of LTSA, defined as ≥30 consecutive days of sickness absence during the subsequent 2 years. The odds of LTSA were significantly increased by workplace bullying (OR 1.77; 95 % CI 1.50-2.12) and unwanted sexual attention (OR 1.55; 95 % CI 1.06-2.29). Together, disturbed sleep and difficulties awakening mediated 12.8 % (95 % CI 8.1-19.8) of the association between bullying and long-term sickness absence, and 8.5 % (95 % CI -0.45 to 37.1) of the association between unwanted sexual attention and long-term sickness absence in the fully adjusted model. Neither disturbed sleep nor difficulties awakening moderated these associations. As expected, bullying and unwanted sexual attention were prospectively associated with long-term sickness absence. Only a small part of this association was mediated by poor sleep.

  7. Two-stage anaerobic digestion enables heavy metal removal.

    PubMed

    Selling, Robert; Håkansson, Torbjörn; Björnsson, Lovisa

    2008-01-01

    To fully exploit the environmental benefits of the biogas process, the digestate should be recycled as biofertiliser to agriculture. This practice can however be jeopardized by the presence of unwanted compounds such as heavy metals in the digestate. By using two-stage digestion, where the first stage includes hydrolysis/acidification and liquefaction of the substrate, heavy metals can be transferred to the leachate. From the leachate, metals can then be removed by adsorption. In this study, up to 70% of the Ni, 40% of the Zn and 25% of the Cd present in maize was removed when the leachate from hydrolysis was circulated over a macroporous polyacrylamide column for 6 days. For Cu and Pb, the mobilization in the hydrolytic stage was lower which resulted in a low removal. A more efficient two-stage process with improved substrate hydrolysis would give lower pH and/or longer periods with low pH in the hydrolytic stage. This is likely to increase metal mobilisation, and would open up for an excellent opportunity of heavy metal removal.

  8. Exploring patterns of unwanted behaviours in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

    PubMed

    Pignatti, Riccardo; Mori, Ileana; Bertella, Laura; Grugni, Graziano; Giardino, Daniela; Molinari, Enrico

    2013-11-01

    Obsessive-compulsive (O-C) traits, and excessive food intake are well known behavioural manifestations among individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Other unwanted behaviours are also frequently observed, but they need a more specific investigation, especially in the adult population. The behaviour of 31 PWS adults was investigated via the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS-SC), and the Prader-Willi Behavioural Checklist (PBC). The PBC is a quick screening questionnaire prompted specifically for the investigation on adults with PWS. Statistical clustering revealed two patterns of unwanted behaviours from the PBC. Behaviours belonging to the first cluster (e.g., Excessive food intake, Skin picking) appear to be linked to the usual phenotypic manifestation of PWS. By contrast, many other behaviours (e.g., some O-C symptoms and aggressive actions) could show a relationship also to individual psychopathologies. Both internal (Anxiety and Depression) and external (Hostility) difficulties in managing impulses should account for individually distinct behaviours in adults with PWS. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Intimate partner violence and unwanted pregnancy, miscarriage, induced abortion, and stillbirth among a national sample of Bangladeshi women.

    PubMed

    Silverman, J G; Gupta, J; Decker, M R; Kapur, N; Raj, A

    2007-10-01

    To estimate (1) lifetime prevalence of physical and sexual victimisation from husbands among a national sample of Bangladeshi women, (2) associations of unwanted pregnancy and experiences of husband violence, and (3) associations of miscarriage, induced abortion, and fetal death/stillbirth and such victimisation. Cross-sectional, nationally representative study utilizing matched husband-wife data from the 2004 MEASURE Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. Bangladesh. Married Bangladeshi women ages 13-40 years old (n = 2677). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Relations of intimate partner violence to unwanted pregnancy, miscarriage, induced abortion and stillbirth. Three out of four (75.6%) Bangladeshi women experienced violence from husbands. Less educated, poorer, and Muslim women were at greatest risk. Women experiencing violence from husbands were more likely to report both unwanted pregnancy (ORs(adj) 1.46-1.54) and a pregnancy loss in the form of miscarriage, induced abortion, or stillbirth (ORs(adj) 1.43-1.69). Assessed individually, miscarriage was more likely among victimised women (OR(adj) 1.81). A nonsignificant trend was detected for increased risk of induced abortion (OR(adj) 1.64); stillbirth was unrelated to violence from husbands. Intimate partner violence is extremely prevalent and relates to unwanted pregnancy and higher rates of pregnancy loss or termination, particularly miscarriages, among Bangladeshi women. Investigation of mechanisms responsible for these associations will be critical to developing interventions to improve maternal, fetal, and neonatal health. Such programmes may be vital to reducing the significant health and social costs associated with both husband violence and unwanted and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

  10. "Come on Baby. You Know I Love You": African American Women's Experiences of Communication with Male Partners and Disclosure in the Context of Unwanted Sex.

    PubMed

    Gutzmer, Kyle; Ludwig-Barron, Natasha T; Wyatt, Gail E; Hamilton, Alison B; Stockman, Jamila K

    2016-05-01

    We examined African American women's experiences of communication with their male intimate partners a couple of hours before and after an incident of unwanted sex. We also examined women's experiences of disclosure following an incident of unwanted sex. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a community-based sample of sexually active African American women (n = 19) reporting at least one incident of sexual coercion (i.e., being pressured into unwanted sex without consent) by an intimate male partner since the age of 18. Our analysis was guided by "the sexual division of power" from Connell's (1987) theory of gender and power. Data were analyzed inductively by examining the interviews for common themes in the following domains: communication before the unwanted sex, communication after the unwanted sex, and disclosure to others. Men pressured partners for unwanted sex through verbal and non-verbal tactics, ranging from pestering and blunt requests for sex to verbal bullying and violence. Many women responded by clearly saying no. However, many women also described eventually ceasing to resist their partners and engaging in unwanted sex. After the unwanted sex, men actively and passively avoided discussing the incident. Although many women discussed the unwanted sex with family and friends, less women disclosed to trained professionals. In some cases, women did not discuss the incident with anyone at all. These findings indicate that, when addressing sexual violence against women, there is a need to target men as well as the norms of masculinity that underpin physical and sexual violence against women.

  11. Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: possible evidence for an affective valence confound.

    PubMed

    Fleischhauer, Monika; Enge, Sören; Miller, Robert; Strobel, Alexander; Strobel, Anja

    2013-01-01

    Meta-analytic data highlight the value of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as an indirect measure of personality. Based on evidence suggesting that confounding factors such as cognitive abilities contribute to the IAT effect, this study provides a first investigation of whether basic personality traits explain unwanted variance in the IAT. In a gender-balanced sample of 204 volunteers, the Big-Five dimensions were assessed via self-report, peer-report, and IAT. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), latent Big-Five personality factors (based on self- and peer-report) were estimated and their predictive value for unwanted variance in the IAT was examined. In a first analysis, unwanted variance was defined in the sense of method-specific variance which may result from differences in task demands between the two IAT block conditions and which can be mirrored by the absolute size of the IAT effects. In a second analysis, unwanted variance was examined in a broader sense defined as those systematic variance components in the raw IAT scores that are not explained by the latent implicit personality factors. In contrast to the absolute IAT scores, this also considers biases associated with the direction of IAT effects (i.e., whether they are positive or negative in sign), biases that might result, for example, from the IAT's stimulus or category features. None of the explicit Big-Five factors was predictive for method-specific variance in the IATs (first analysis). However, when considering unwanted variance that goes beyond pure method-specific variance (second analysis), a substantial effect of neuroticism occurred that may have been driven by the affective valence of IAT attribute categories and the facilitated processing of negative stimuli, typically associated with neuroticism. The findings thus point to the necessity of using attribute category labels and stimuli of similar affective valence in personality IATs to avoid confounding due to recoding.

  12. In Situ Fiber-Optic Reflectance Monitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Linton, Roger C.; Gray, Perry A.

    1996-01-01

    In situ fiber-optic reflectance monitor serves as simple means of monitoring changes in reflectance of specimen exposed to simulated outerspace or other environments in vacuum chamber. Eliminates need to remove specimen from vacuum chamber, eliminating optical changes and bleaching such removal causes in coatings.

  13. "The Red Zone": Temporal Risk for Unwanted Sex among College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flack, William F., Jr.; Caron, Marcia L.; Leinen, Sarah J.; Breitenbach, Katherine G.; Barber, Ann M.; Brown, Elaine N.; Gilbert, Caitlin T.; Harchak, Taylor F.; Hendricks, Melissa M.; Rector, Catherine E.; Schatten, Heather T.; Stein, Heather C.

    2008-01-01

    The "red zone" usually refers to the first few weeks of the first semester at college, when female students are believed to be at greatest risk for experiencing unwanted sex. We tested this notion using data from a survey study of 207 first-and second-year students (121 women, 84 men) at a small, liberal arts university. Results demonstrated only…

  14. Apparatus and process for removing a predetermined portion of reflective material from mirror

    DOEpatents

    Perry, Stephen J.; Steinmetz, Lloyd L.

    1994-01-01

    An apparatus and process are disclosed for removal of a stripe of soft reflective material of uniform width from the surface of a mirror by using a blade having a large included angle to inhibit curling of the blade during the cutting operation which could result in damage to the glass substrate of the mirror. The cutting blade is maintained at a low blade angle with respect to the mirror surface to produce minimal chipping along the cut edge and to minimize the force exerted on the coating normal to the glass surface which could deform the flat mirror. The mirror is mounted in a cutting mechanism containing a movable carriage on which the blade is mounted to provide very accurate straightness of the travel of the blade along the mirror.

  15. “Come on baby. You know I love you”: African American Women's Experiences of Communication with Male Partners and Disclosure in the Context of Unwanted Sex

    PubMed Central

    Gutzmer, Kyle; Ludwig-Barron, Natasha T.; Wyatt, Gail E.; Hamilton, Alison B.; Stockman, Jamila K.

    2016-01-01

    We examined African American women's experiences of communication with their male intimate partners a couple of hours before and after an incident of unwanted sex. We also examined women's experiences of disclosure following an incident of unwanted sex. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a community-based sample of sexually active African American women (n=19) reporting at least one incident of sexual coercion (i.e., being pressured into unwanted sex without consent) by an intimate male partner since the age of 18. Our analysis was guided by “the sexual division of power” from the Theory of Gender and Power. Data were analyzed inductively by examining the interviews for common themes in the following domains: communication before the unwanted sex, communication after the unwanted sex, and disclosure to others. Men pressured partners for unwanted sex through verbal and nonverbal tactics, ranging from pestering and blunt requests for sex to verbal bullying and violence. Many women responded by clearly saying no. However, many women also described eventually ceasing to resist their partners and engaging in unwanted sex. After the unwanted sex, men actively and passively avoided discussing the incident. Although many women discussed the unwanted sex with family and friends, less women disclosed to trained professionals. In some cases, women did not discuss the incident with anyone at all. These findings indicate that, when addressing sexual violence against women, there is a need to target men as well as the norms of masculinity that underpin physical and sexual violence against women. PMID:26892099

  16. Disclosing Unwanted Sexual Experiences: Results from a National Sample of Adolescent Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kogan, Steven M.

    2004-01-01

    Objective: The aims of this study are to identify factors that influence the disclosures made by female survivors of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) in childhood and adolescence. The predictors of both the timing of disclosure (short delay, long delay, non-disclosure) and the recipient of the disclosure (disclosing ever to an adult, disclosing…

  17. Controlling satellite communication system unwanted emissions in congested RF spectrum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olsen, Donald; Heymann, Roger

    2007-09-01

    The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations (UN) agency, is the agency that, under an international treaty, sets radio spectrum usage regulations among member nations. Within the United States of America (USA), the organization that sets regulations, coordinates an application for use, and provides authorization for federal government/agency use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In this regard, the NTIA defines which RF spectrum is available for federal government use in the USA, and how it is to be used. The NTIA is a component of the United States (U.S.) Department of Commerce of the federal government. The significance of ITU regulations is that ITU approval is required for U.S. federal government/agency permission to use the RF spectrum outside of U.S. boundaries. All member nations have signed a treaty to do so. U.S. federal regulations for federal use of the RF spectrum are found in the Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management, and extracts of the manual are found in what is known as the Table of Frequency Allocations. Nonfederal government and private sector use of the RF spectrum within the U.S. is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). There is a need to control "unwanted emissions" (defined to include out-of-band emissions, which are those immediately adjacent to the necessary and allocated bandwidth, plus spurious emissions) to preclude interference to all other authorized users. This paper discusses the causes, effects, and mitigation of unwanted RF emissions to systems in adjacent spectra. Digital modulations are widely used in today's satellite communications. Commercial communications sector standards are covered for the most part worldwide by Digital Video Broadcast - Satellite (DVB-S) and digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) evolutions and the second generation of DVB-S (DVB-S2) standard

  18. Factors Associated with Unwanted Pregnancy among Adolescents in Russia.

    PubMed

    Panova, O V; Kulikov, A M; Berchtold, A; Suris, J C

    2016-10-01

    To identify social and behavioral factors associated with unintended pregnancy among adolescents in Russia. Cross-sectional. The investigation group consisted of 145 adolescents aged 15-19 years admitted to a youth-friendly clinic for induced abortion. The control group consisted of 77 sexually active never pregnant adolescent girls of similar age admitted for other reasons. Both groups completed a self-administered questionnaire about their occupation, educational level of their mother, family structure and socioeconomic status, relationship with their mother, sexual behavior, and substance use. Factors associated with unintended pregnancy. In the bivariate analysis pregnant adolescents tended to have a lower educational level, to live in a nonintact family, to prefer stronger alcohol drinks, and to have a younger age at sexual debut and more frequent sexual intercourse. In the log-linear model six factors appeared to be directly linked to pregnancy: mother's lower education, alcohol consumption, nonintact family structure, low academic grades, higher frequency of sexual intercourse, and lower age at sexual debut. Although the issue of unwanted pregnancy and possible ways to prevent it should be kept in mind in the psychosocial assessment of any adolescent, the results of our study suggest that some adolescents are at increased risk of unwanted pregnancy. This group includes adolescent girls with low educational attainment, living in a disrupted family, and reporting other risk behaviors. These adolescents might specially benefit from specific preventive programs to reduce the number of adverse outcomes. Copyright © 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Paradoxical darkening and removal of pink tattoo ink.

    PubMed

    Kirby, William; Kaur, Ravneet Ruby; Desai, Alpesh

    2010-06-01

    It is widely accepted that Q-switched lasers are the gold-standard treatment for the resolution of unwanted tattoo ink. Although much safer than other tattoo removal modalities, the treatment of tattoo ink with Q-switched devices may be associated with long-term adverse effects including undesired pigmentary alterations such as tattoo ink darkening. Darkening of tattoo ink is most often reported in cosmetic, flesh-toned, white, peach, and pink tattoos. In this paper, we briefly review a case of pink tattoo ink that initially darkened paradoxically but eventually resolved with continued Q-switched laser treatments.

  20. Predictors of mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies among women of childbearing age in Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga districts of Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background While unintended pregnancies pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of families globally, characteristics of Tanzanian women who conceive unintentionally are rarely documented. This analysis identifies factors associated with unintended pregnancies—both mistimed and unwanted—in three rural districts of Tanzania. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 2,183 random households was conducted in three Tanzanian districts of Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga in 2011 to assess women’s health behavior and service utilization patterns. These households produced 3,127 women age 15+ years from which 2,199 gravid women aged 15–49 were selected for the current analysis. Unintended pregnancies were identified as either mistimed (wanted later) or unwanted (not wanted at all). Correlates of mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies were identified through Chi-squared tests to assess associations and multinomial logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Results Mean age of the participants was 32.1 years. While 54.1% of the participants reported that their most recent pregnancy was intended, 32.5% indicated their most recent pregnancy as mistimed and 13.4% as unwanted. Multivariate analysis revealed that young age (<20 years), and single marital status were significant predictors of both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. Lack of inter-partner communication about family planning increased the risk of mistimed pregnancy significantly, and multi-gravidity was shown to significantly increase the risk of unwanted pregnancy. Conclusions About one half of women in Rufiji, Kilombero, and Ulanga districts of Tanzania conceive unintentionally. Women, especially the most vulnerable should be empowered to avoid pregnancy at their own will and discretion. PMID:25102924

  1. Women's Responses to Unwanted Sexual Advances: The Role of Alcohol and Inhibition Conflict

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Kelly Cue; George, William H.; Norris, Jeanette

    2004-01-01

    In this study we investigated how alcohol consumption affects women's responses to unwanted sexual advances in a hypothetical dating situation. Sixty female social drinkers participated in a 2 times 2 between-subjects experiment, which examined the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication and relationship characteristics on behavioral responses to…

  2. The development of an SC1 removable si-anti-reflective-coating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamada, Shintaro; Ke, Iou-Sheng; Cutler, Charlotte; Cui, Li; LaBeaume, Paul; Greene, Daniel; Popere, Bhooshan; Sullivan, Chris; Leonard, JoAnne; Coley, Suzanne; Wong, Sabrina; Ongayi, Owendi; Cameron, Jim; Clark, Michael B.; Fitzgibbons, Thomas C.

    2018-03-01

    A trilayer stack of spin-on-carbon (SOC), silicon anti-reflective coating (SiARC) and photoresist (PR) is often used to enable high resolution implant layers for integrated circuit manufacturing. Damage to substrates from SiARC removal using dry etching or aqueous hydrogen fluoride has increased the demand for innovative SiARC materials for implant lithography process. Wet strippable SiARCs (WS-SiARCs) capable of stripping under mild conditions such as SC1 (ammonium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide/water) while maintaining key performance metrics of standard SiARCs is highly desirable. Minimizing the formation of Si-O-Si linkages by introducing organic crosslink sites was effective to impart SC1 solubility particularly after O2 dry etching. Incorporation of acidic groups onto the crosslinking site further improved SC1 solubility. A new siloxane polymer architecture that has SC1 active functionality in the polymer backbone was developed to further enhance SC1 solubility. A new SiARC formulation based on the new siloxane polymer achieved equivalent lithographic performances to a classic SiARC and SC1 strip rate >240Å/min under a relatively low concentration SC1 condition such as ammonium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide/water=1/1/40.

  3. Risk of Unwanted Sex for College Women: Evidence for a Red Zone

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimble, Matthew; Neacsiu, Andrada D.; Flack, William F., Jr.; Horner, Jessica

    2008-01-01

    Objective: University and college health and counseling centers frequently warn female students about the "red zone"--a period early in a student's first year at college during which she may be at higher risk for unwanted sexual experiences (UWS). The authors designed this study to assess temporal risk for UWS in 1st- and 2nd-year college women.…

  4. The Role of Learned Resourcefulness in Helping Female Undergraduates Deal with Unwanted Sexual Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennett, Deborah J.; Humphreys, Terry P.; Patchell, Meghan

    2009-01-01

    We examined the relationship between learned resourcefulness skills and the manner in which undergraduate heterosexual women handle unwanted sexual advances/activity. Participants consisted of 150 females completing a set of questionnaires assessing general learned resourcefulness, sexual giving-in experience, sexual resourcefulness, sexual…

  5. Risk factors for unplanned and unwanted teenage pregnancies occurring over two years of follow-up among a cohort of young South African women.

    PubMed

    Christofides, Nicola J; Jewkes, Rachel K; Dunkle, Kristin L; McCarty, Frances; Jama Shai, Nwabisa; Nduna, Mzikazi; Sterk, Claire

    2014-01-01

    Although teenage pregnancies in South Africa have declined, the short and longer term health and social consequences are a potential public health concern. This longitudinal study aimed to describe the range of risk and protective factors for incident unwanted and unplanned pregnancies occurring over 2 years of follow-up among a cohort of adolescent women in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It also investigated the relationship between gender inequality and gender-based violence and subsequent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies among the cohort. Teenage girls, aged 15-18 years (n=19), who were volunteer participants in a cluster randomized controlled trial and who had data from at least one follow-up were included in this analysis. To assess risk and protective factors for incident unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, we constructed multivariate polytomous regression models adjusting for sampling clusters as latent variables. Covariates included age, having a pregnancy prior to baseline, education, time between interviews, study intervention arm, contraceptive use, experience of intimate partner violence, belief that the teenage girl and her boyfriend are mutual main partners, and socioeconomic status. Overall, 174 pregnancies occurred over the 2-year follow-up period. Beliefs about relationship control were not associated with unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, nor were experiences of forced first sex or coerced sex under the age of 15. Hormonal contraception was protective against unplanned pregnancies (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.21-0.79); however, using condoms was not protective. Physical abuse (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.05-2.72) was a risk factor for, and having a pregnancy prior to baseline was protective against an unwanted pregnancy (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.07-0.80). Higher socioeconomic status was protective for both unplanned and unwanted pregnancies (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.58-0.83 and OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.96). Believing that the teenage girl and her boyfriend were mutual main

  6. Risk factors for unplanned and unwanted teenage pregnancies occurring over two years of follow-up among a cohort of young South African women

    PubMed Central

    Christofides, Nicola J.; Jewkes, Rachel K.; Dunkle, Kristin L.; McCarty, Frances; Shai, Nwabisa Jama; Nduna, Mzikazi; Sterk, Claire

    2014-01-01

    Background Although teenage pregnancies in South Africa have declined, the short and longer term health and social consequences are a potential public health concern. This longitudinal study aimed to describe the range of risk and protective factors for incident unwanted and unplanned pregnancies occurring over 2 years of follow-up among a cohort of adolescent women in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It also investigated the relationship between gender inequality and gender-based violence and subsequent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies among the cohort. Objective Teenage girls, aged 15–18 years (n=19), who were volunteer participants in a cluster randomized controlled trial and who had data from at least one follow-up were included in this analysis. To assess risk and protective factors for incident unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, we constructed multivariate polytomous regression models adjusting for sampling clusters as latent variables. Covariates included age, having a pregnancy prior to baseline, education, time between interviews, study intervention arm, contraceptive use, experience of intimate partner violence, belief that the teenage girl and her boyfriend are mutual main partners, and socioeconomic status. Results Overall, 174 pregnancies occurred over the 2-year follow-up period. Beliefs about relationship control were not associated with unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, nor were experiences of forced first sex or coerced sex under the age of 15. Hormonal contraception was protective against unplanned pregnancies (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.21–0.79); however, using condoms was not protective. Physical abuse (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.05–2.72) was a risk factor for, and having a pregnancy prior to baseline was protective against an unwanted pregnancy (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.07–0.80). Higher socioeconomic status was protective for both unplanned and unwanted pregnancies (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.58–0.83 and OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64–0.96). Believing that the teenage girl

  7. Acoustics in Research Facilities--Control of Wanted and Unwanted Sound. Laboratory Design Notes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newman, Robert B.

    Common and special acoustics problems are discussed in relation to the design and construction of research facilities. Following a brief examination of design criteria for the control of wanted and unwanted sound, the technology for achieving desired results is discussed. Emphasis is given to various design procedures and materials for the control…

  8. Prevalence of sexual coercion and its association with unwanted pregnancies among young pregnant females in Kampala, Uganda: a facility based cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Tusiime, Suzan; Musinguzi, Geofrey; Tinkitina, Benjamin; Mwebaza, Norah; Kisa, Rose; Anguzu, Ronald; Kiwanuka, Noah

    2015-09-24

    Sexual coercion is associated with sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies with consequential unsafe abortions and increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Current literature focuses mainly on its risk factors but less on its resultant deleterious health effects. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of sexual coercion and its association with unwanted pregnancies among young pregnant women. In a cross-sectional study, four hundred and sixteen (416) consenting pregnant females aged 15-24 years attending antenatal clinics in Lubaga division Kampala district in Uganda were enrolled using systematic sampling. Quantitative and qualitative data on sexual coercion were collected by female interviewers. Adjusted Prevalence Proportion Ratios (Adj. PPRs) of unwanted pregnancy and associated 95 % confidence intervals were estimated by generalized linear models with log link function and Poisson family distribution using robust variance estimator. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata version 10.0, while qualitative data were analyzed using manifest content analysis. Prevalence of sexual coercion was 24 % and was higher among those who had non consensual sexual debut (29.0 %) compared with those who had consensual sexual debut (22.6 %). The prevalence of unwanted pregnancy was 18.3 % and was higher among participants who had been sexually coerced relative to their counterparts (p < 0.001). History of sexual coercion in the past 12 months and non consensual sexual debut were associated with unwanted pregnancy [adj.PPR = 2.23, 95 % CI: (1.49-3.32)] and 1.72, 95 % CI: (1.16- 2.54)] respectively. Qualitative results indicated that different forms/contexts of sexual coercion, such as deception, transactional sex and physical force influenced unwanted pregnancies. This study highlights that a quarter of our participants in our quantitative study had experienced sexual coercion in the past twelve months and nearly a third of these, had

  9. How mistimed and unwanted pregnancies affect timing of antenatal care initiation in three districts in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Early antenatal care (ANC) initiation is a doorway to early detection and management of potential complications associated with pregnancy. Although the literature reports various factors associated with ANC initiation such as parity and age, pregnancy intentions is yet to be recognized as a possible predictor of timing of ANC initiation. Methods Data originate from a cross-sectional household survey on health behaviour and service utilization patterns. The survey was conducted in 2011 in Rufiji, Kilombero and Ulanga districts in Tanzania on 3,127 women from whom 910 of reproductive age who had given birth in the past two years and sought ANC at least once during pregnancy were selected for the current analysis. ANC initiation was considered to be early only if it occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy gestation. A recently completed pregnancy was defined as mistimed if a woman wanted it later, and if she did not want it at all the pregnancy was termed as unwanted. Chi-square was used to test for associations and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to examine how mistimed and unwanted pregnancies relate with timing of ANC initiation. Results Although 49.3% of the women intended to become pregnant, 50.7% (34.9% mistimed and 15.8% unwanted) became pregnant unintentionally. While ANC initiation in the 1st trimester was 18.5%, so was 71.7% and 9.9% in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that ANC initiation in the 2nd trimester was 1.68 (95% CI 1.10–2.58) and 2.00 (95% CI 1.05–3.82) times more likely for mistimed and unwanted pregnancies respectively compared to intended pregnancies. These estimates rose to 2.81 (95% CI 1.41–5.59) and 4.10 (95% CI 1.68–10.00) respectively in the 3rd trimester. We controlled for gravidity, age, education, household wealth, marital status, religion, district of residence and travel time to a health facility. Conclusion Late ANC initiation is a significant maternal and

  10. How mistimed and unwanted pregnancies affect timing of antenatal care initiation in three districts in Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Exavery, Amon; Kanté, Almamy Malick; Hingora, Ahmed; Mbaruku, Godfrey; Pemba, Senga; Phillips, James F

    2013-02-06

    Early antenatal care (ANC) initiation is a doorway to early detection and management of potential complications associated with pregnancy. Although the literature reports various factors associated with ANC initiation such as parity and age, pregnancy intentions is yet to be recognized as a possible predictor of timing of ANC initiation. Data originate from a cross-sectional household survey on health behaviour and service utilization patterns. The survey was conducted in 2011 in Rufiji, Kilombero and Ulanga districts in Tanzania on 3,127 women from whom 910 of reproductive age who had given birth in the past two years and sought ANC at least once during pregnancy were selected for the current analysis. ANC initiation was considered to be early only if it occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy gestation. A recently completed pregnancy was defined as mistimed if a woman wanted it later, and if she did not want it at all the pregnancy was termed as unwanted. Chi-square was used to test for associations and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to examine how mistimed and unwanted pregnancies relate with timing of ANC initiation. Although 49.3% of the women intended to become pregnant, 50.7% (34.9% mistimed and 15.8% unwanted) became pregnant unintentionally. While ANC initiation in the 1st trimester was 18.5%, so was 71.7% and 9.9% in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that ANC initiation in the 2nd trimester was 1.68 (95% CI 1.10-2.58) and 2.00 (95% CI 1.05-3.82) times more likely for mistimed and unwanted pregnancies respectively compared to intended pregnancies. These estimates rose to 2.81 (95% CI 1.41-5.59) and 4.10 (95% CI 1.68-10.00) respectively in the 3rd trimester. We controlled for gravidity, age, education, household wealth, marital status, religion, district of residence and travel time to a health facility. Late ANC initiation is a significant maternal and child health consequence of mistimed and

  11. Reducing unwanted trauma memories by imaginal exposure or autobiographical memory elaboration: An analogue study of memory processes

    PubMed Central

    Ehlers, Anke; Mauchnik, Jana; Handley, Rachel

    2012-01-01

    Unwanted memories of traumatic events are a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. A range of interventions including imaginal exposure and elaboration of the trauma memory in its autobiographical context are effective in reducing such unwanted memories. This study explored whether priming for stimuli that occur in the context of trauma and evaluative conditioning may play a role in the therapeutic effects of these procedures. Healthy volunteers (N = 122) watched analogue traumatic and neutral picture stories. They were then randomly allocated to 20 min of either imaginal exposure, autobiographical memory elaboration, or a control condition designed to prevent further processing of the picture stories. A blurred picture identification task showed that neutral objects that preceded traumatic pictures in the stories were subsequently more readily identified than those that had preceded neutral stories, indicating enhanced priming. There was also an evaluative conditioning effect in that participants disliked neutral objects that had preceded traumatic pictures more. Autobiographical memory elaboration reduced the enhanced priming effect. Both interventions reduced the evaluative conditioning effect. Imaginal exposure and autobiographical memory elaboration both reduced the frequency of subsequent unwanted memories of the picture stories. PMID:21227404

  12. From Latin Americans to Latinos: Latin American Immigration in US: The Unwanted Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moraña, Ana

    2007-01-01

    It is my understanding that Latin American immigrants in the United States, during the contested process of becoming Latinos (US citizens or the offspring of Latin Americans born in US) are for the most part socially portrayed as unwanted, messy children who need to be educated before they can become American citizens. Whether they can be called…

  13. PSA-NCAM-Negative Neural Crest Cells Emerging during Neural Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells Cause Mesodermal Tumors and Unwanted Grafts

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Dongjin R.; Yoo, Jeong-Eun; Lee, Jae Souk; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Junwon; Park, Chul-Yong; Ji, Eunhyun; Kim, Han-Soo; Hwang, Dong-Youn; Kim, Dae-Sung; Kim, Dong-Wook

    2015-01-01

    Summary Tumorigenic potential of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is an important issue in clinical applications. Despite many efforts, PSC-derived neural precursor cells (NPCs) have repeatedly induced tumors in animal models even though pluripotent cells were not detected. We found that polysialic acid-neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM)− cells among the early NPCs caused tumors, whereas PSA-NCAM+ cells were nontumorigenic. Molecular profiling, global gene analysis, and multilineage differentiation of PSA-NCAM− cells confirm that they are multipotent neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) that could differentiate into both ectodermal and mesodermal lineages. Transplantation of PSA-NCAM− cells in a gradient manner mixed with PSA-NCAM+ cells proportionally increased mesodermal tumor formation and unwanted grafts such as PERIPHERIN+ cells or pigmented cells in the rat brain. Therefore, we suggest that NCSCs are a critical target for tumor prevention in hPSC-derived NPCs, and removal of PSA-NCAM− cells eliminates the tumorigenic potential originating from NCSCs after transplantation. PMID:25937368

  14. Effect of radiance-to-reflectance transformation and atmosphere removal on maximum likelihood classification accuracy of high-dimensional remote sensing data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoffbeck, Joseph P.; Landgrebe, David A.

    1994-01-01

    Many analysis algorithms for high-dimensional remote sensing data require that the remotely sensed radiance spectra be transformed to approximate reflectance to allow comparison with a library of laboratory reflectance spectra. In maximum likelihood classification, however, the remotely sensed spectra are compared to training samples, thus a transformation to reflectance may or may not be helpful. The effect of several radiance-to-reflectance transformations on maximum likelihood classification accuracy is investigated in this paper. We show that the empirical line approach, LOWTRAN7, flat-field correction, single spectrum method, and internal average reflectance are all non-singular affine transformations, and that non-singular affine transformations have no effect on discriminant analysis feature extraction and maximum likelihood classification accuracy. (An affine transformation is a linear transformation with an optional offset.) Since the Atmosphere Removal Program (ATREM) and the log residue method are not affine transformations, experiments with Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were conducted to determine the effect of these transformations on maximum likelihood classification accuracy. The average classification accuracy of the data transformed by ATREM and the log residue method was slightly less than the accuracy of the original radiance data. Since the radiance-to-reflectance transformations allow direct comparison of remotely sensed spectra with laboratory reflectance spectra, they can be quite useful in labeling the training samples required by maximum likelihood classification, but these transformations have only a slight effect or no effect at all on discriminant analysis and maximum likelihood classification accuracy.

  15. How patient-selected colors for removable appliances are reflected in electronically tracked compliance (wear times and wear behavior).

    PubMed

    Schott, Timm C; Menne, Dieter

    2018-07-01

    A broad spectrum of colors for removable appliances, intended to optimize acceptance of treatment and patient cooperation, have been available on the dental market for years. This is the first study to analyze how patient-selected colors are reflected in wear times and wear behavior of removable appliances. The study included 117 children (55 girls and 62 boys) who were treated with active removable plate or functional appliances. All patients were offered to choose from 11 different colors, which were pooled into six groups (black, blue, green, yellow, pink, red) for analysis, or to combine any two to four colors ("multicolored" group) for their appliances. All appliances featured a built-in microsensor (TheraMon; MC Technology, Hargelsberg, Austria) for objective wear-time tracking. Differences between wear times were analyzed using pairwise t tests and Tukey correction. The longest median wear times were recorded in the blue and green groups (≈11 h/d) and the shortest ones in the red and pink groups (≈9 h/d), but they were not significantly influenced by the patient-selected colors. The median wear times involved an age-related decrease by 0.56 h/y that was statistically significant ( P = .00005). No gender-specific patterns of wear behavior were observed. Patient-selected colors for removable appliances can presumably improve acceptance of treatment, but they are not associated with statistically significant improvements in wear time or wear behavior.

  16. Safety and efficacy of low fluence, high repetition rate versus high fluence, low repetition rate 810-nm diode laser for axillary hair removal in Chinese women.

    PubMed

    Li, Wenhai; Liu, Chengyi; Chen, Zhou; Cai, Lin; Zhou, Cheng; Xu, Qianxi; Li, Houmin; Zhang, Jianzhong

    2016-11-01

    High-fluence diode lasers with contact cooling have emerged as the gold standard to remove unwanted hair. Lowering the energy should result in less pain and could theoretically affect the efficacy of the therapy. To compare the safety and efficacy of a low fluence high repetition rate 810-nm diode laser to those of a high fluence, low repetition rate diode laser for permanent axillary hair removal in Chinese women. Ninety-two Chinese women received four axillae laser hair removal treatments at 4-week intervals using the low fluence, high repetition rate 810-nm diode laser in super hair removal (SHR) mode on one side and the high fluence, low repetition rate diode laser in hair removal (HR) mode on the other side. Hair counts were done at each follow-up visit and 6-month follow-up after the final laser treatment using a "Hi Quality Hair Analysis Program System"; the immediate pain score after each treatment session was recorded by a visual analog scale. The overall median reduction of hair was 90.2% with the 810-nm diode laser in SHR mode and 87% with the same laser in HR mode at 6-month follow-up. The median pain scores in SHR mode and in HR mode were 2.75 and 6.75, respectively. Low fluence, high repetition rate diode laser can efficiently remove unwanted hair but also significantly improve tolerability and reduce adverse events during the course of treatment.

  17. Thin film heater for removable volatile protecting coatings.

    PubMed

    Karim, Abid

    2013-01-01

    Freshly coated aluminum mirrors have excellent reflectivity at far ultraviolet wavelengths. However, reflectivity rapidly degrades when the mirror surfaces are exposed to atmosphere. In order to avoid this problem, freshly coated aluminum surface can be protected by over-coating of a removable volatile protecting coating. This protecting coating can be re-evaporated by controlled heating or by some other methods when required. This type of removable coating has immediate application in UV space astronomy. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of re-evaporation of removable volatile Zn protecting coating using a NiCr thin film heater without affecting the reflection properties of Al mirror surfaces.

  18. Delayed bunching for multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separation

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

    Rosenbusch, M.; Marx, G.; Schweikhard, L.

    2015-06-29

    Many experiments are handicapped when the ion sources do not only deliver the ions of interest but also contaminations, i.e., unwanted ions of similar mass. In the recent years, multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separation has become a promising method to isolate the ions of interest from the contaminants, in particular for measurements with low-energy short-lived nuclides. To further improve the performance of multi-reflection mass separators with respect to the limitations by space-charge effects, the simultaneously trapped ions are spatially widely distributed in the apparatus. Thus, the ions can propagate with reduced Coulomb interactions until, finally, they are bunched by a changemore » in the trapping conditions for high-resolution mass separation. Proof-of-principle measurements are presented.« less

  19. Selective removal of demineralized enamel using a CO2 laser coupled with near-IR reflectance imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tom, Henry; Chan, Kenneth H.; Saltiel, Daniel; Fried, Daniel

    2015-02-01

    Detection and diagnosis of early dental caries lesions can be difficult due to variable tooth coloration, staining of the teeth and poor contrast between sound and demineralized enamel. These problems can be overcome by using near-infrared (NIR) imaging. Previous studies have demonstrated that lasers can be integrated with NIR imaging devices, allowing image-guided ablation. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that NIR light at 1500 - 1700 nm can be used to guide a 9.3-μm CO2 laser for the selective ablation of early demineralization on tooth occlusal surfaces. The occlusal surfaces of ten sound human molars were used in this in-vitro study. Shallow simulated caries lesions of varying depth and position were produced on tooth occlusal surfaces using a demineralization solution. Sequential NIR reflectance images at 1500 - 1700 nm were used to guide the laser for selective ablation of the lesion areas. Digital microscopy and polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) were used to assess the selectivity of removal. This study demonstrates that high contrast NIR reflectance images can be used for the image-guided laser ablation of early demineralization from tooth occlusal surfaces.

  20. Method of preparation of removable syntactic foam

    DOEpatents

    Arnold, C. Jr.; Derzon, D.K.; Nelson, J.S.; Rand, P.B.

    1995-07-11

    Easily removable, environmentally safe, low-density, syntactic foams are disclosed which are prepared by mixing insoluble microballoons with a solution of water and/or alcohol-soluble polymer to produce a pourable slurry, optionally vacuum filtering the slurry in varying degrees to remove unwanted solvent and solute polymer, and drying to remove residual solvent. The properties of the foams can be controlled by the concentration and physical properties of the polymer, and by the size and properties of the microballoons. The suggested solute polymers are non-toxic and soluble in environmentally safe solvents such as water or low-molecular weight alcohols. The syntactic foams produced by this process are particularly useful in those applications where ease of removability is beneficial, and could find use in packaging recoverable electronic components, in drilling and mining applications, in building trades, in art works, in the entertainment industry for special effects, in manufacturing as temporary fixtures, in agriculture as temporary supports and containers and for delivery of fertilizer, in medicine as casts and splints, as temporary thermal barriers, as temporary protective covers for fragile objects, as filters for particulate matter, which matter may be easily recovered upon exposure to a solvent, as in-situ valves (for one-time use) which go from maximum to minimum impedance when solvent flows through, and for the automatic opening or closing of spring-loaded, mechanical switches upon exposure to a solvent, among other applications. 1 fig.

  1. Method of preparation of removable syntactic foam

    DOEpatents

    Arnold, Jr., Charles; Derzon, Dora K.; Nelson, Jill S.; Rand, Peter B.

    1995-01-01

    Easily removable, environmentally safe, low-density, syntactic foams are disclosed which are prepared by mixing insoluble microballoons with a solution of water and/or alcohol-soluble polymer to produce a pourable slurry, optionally vacuum filtering the slurry in varying degrees to remove unwanted solvent and solute polymer, and drying to remove residual solvent. The properties of the foams can be controlled by the concentration and physical properties of the polymer, and by the size and properties of the microballoons. The suggested solute polymers are non-toxic and soluble in environmentally safe solvents such as water or low-molecular weight alcohols. The syntactic foams produced by this process are particularly useful in those applications where ease of removability is beneficial, and could find use in packaging recoverable electronic components, in drilling and mining applications, in building trades, in art works, in the entertainment industry for special effects, in manufacturing as temporary fixtures, in agriculture as temporary supports and containers and for delivery of fertilizer, in medicine as casts and splints, as temporary thermal barriers, as temporary protective covers for fragile objects, as filters for particulate matter, which matter may be easily recovered upon exposure to a solvent, as in-situ valves (for one-time use) which go from maximum to minimum impedance when solvent flows through, and for the automatic opening or closing of spring-loaded, mechanical switches upon exposure to a solvent, among other applications.

  2. Method of preparation of removable syntactic foam

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

    Arnold, C. Jr.; Derzon, D.K.; Nelson, J.S.

    1995-07-11

    Easily removable, environmentally safe, low-density, syntactic foams are disclosed which are prepared by mixing insoluble microballoons with a solution of water and/or alcohol-soluble polymer to produce a pourable slurry, optionally vacuum filtering the slurry in varying degrees to remove unwanted solvent and solute polymer, and drying to remove residual solvent. The properties of the foams can be controlled by the concentration and physical properties of the polymer, and by the size and properties of the microballoons. The suggested solute polymers are non-toxic and soluble in environmentally safe solvents such as water or low-molecular weight alcohols. The syntactic foams produced bymore » this process are particularly useful in those applications where ease of removability is beneficial, and could find use in packaging recoverable electronic components, in drilling and mining applications, in building trades, in art works, in the entertainment industry for special effects, in manufacturing as temporary fixtures, in agriculture as temporary supports and containers and for delivery of fertilizer, in medicine as casts and splints, as temporary thermal barriers, as temporary protective covers for fragile objects, as filters for particulate matter, which matter may be easily recovered upon exposure to a solvent, as in-situ valves (for one-time use) which go from maximum to minimum impedance when solvent flows through, and for the automatic opening or closing of spring-loaded, mechanical switches upon exposure to a solvent, among other applications. 1 fig.« less

  3. Discharge lamp with reflective jacket

    DOEpatents

    MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian P.; Kipling, Kent

    2001-01-01

    A discharge lamp includes an envelope, a fill which emits light when excited disposed in the envelope, a source of excitation power coupled to the fill to excite the fill and cause the fill to emit light, and a reflector disposed around the envelope and defining an opening, the reflector being configured to reflect some of the light emitted by the fill back into the fill while allowing some light to exit through the opening. The reflector may be made from a material having a similar thermal index of expansion as compared to the envelope and which is closely spaced to the envelope. The envelope material may be quartz and the reflector material may be either silica or alumina. The reflector may be formed as a jacket having a rigid structure which does not adhere to the envelope. The lamp may further include an optical clement spaced from the envelope and configured to reflect an unwanted component of light which exited the envelope back into the envelope through the opening in the reflector. Light which can be beneficially recaptured includes selected wavelength regions, a selected polarization, and selected angular components.

  4. Removing technical variability in RNA-seq data using conditional quantile normalization.

    PubMed

    Hansen, Kasper D; Irizarry, Rafael A; Wu, Zhijin

    2012-04-01

    The ability to measure gene expression on a genome-wide scale is one of the most promising accomplishments in molecular biology. Microarrays, the technology that first permitted this, were riddled with problems due to unwanted sources of variability. Many of these problems are now mitigated, after a decade's worth of statistical methodology development. The recently developed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology has generated much excitement in part due to claims of reduced variability in comparison to microarrays. However, we show that RNA-seq data demonstrate unwanted and obscuring variability similar to what was first observed in microarrays. In particular, we find guanine-cytosine content (GC-content) has a strong sample-specific effect on gene expression measurements that, if left uncorrected, leads to false positives in downstream results. We also report on commonly observed data distortions that demonstrate the need for data normalization. Here, we describe a statistical methodology that improves precision by 42% without loss of accuracy. Our resulting conditional quantile normalization algorithm combines robust generalized regression to remove systematic bias introduced by deterministic features such as GC-content and quantile normalization to correct for global distortions.

  5. Eliminating Unwanted Far-Field Excitation in Objective-Type TIRF. Part I. Identifying Sources of Nonevanescent Excitation Light

    PubMed Central

    Brunstein, Maia; Teremetz, Maxime; Hérault, Karine; Tourain, Christophe; Oheim, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) achieves subdiffraction axial sectioning by confining fluorophore excitation to a thin layer close to the cell/substrate boundary. However, it is often unknown how thin this light sheet actually is. Particularly in objective-type TIRFM, large deviations from the exponential intensity decay expected for pure evanescence have been reported. Nonevanescent excitation light diminishes the optical sectioning effect, reduces contrast, and renders TIRFM-image quantification uncertain. To identify the sources of this unwanted fluorescence excitation in deeper sample layers, we here combine azimuthal and polar beam scanning (spinning TIRF), atomic force microscopy, and wavefront analysis of beams passing through the objective periphery. Using a variety of intracellular fluorescent labels as well as negative staining experiments to measure cell-induced scattering, we find that azimuthal beam spinning produces TIRFM images that more accurately portray the real fluorophore distribution, but these images are still hampered by far-field excitation. Furthermore, although clearly measureable, cell-induced scattering is not the dominant source of far-field excitation light in objective-type TIRF, at least for most types of weakly scattering cells. It is the microscope illumination optical path that produces a large cell- and beam-angle invariant stray excitation that is insensitive to beam scanning. This instrument-induced glare is produced far from the sample plane, inside the microscope illumination optical path. We identify stray reflections and high-numerical aperture aberrations of the TIRF objective as one important source. This work is accompanied by a companion paper (Pt.2/2). PMID:24606927

  6. Location and removal of deslorelin acetate implants in female African lions (Panthera leo).

    PubMed

    Moresco, Anneke; Dadone, Liza; Arble, Jason; Klaphake, Eric; Agnew, Dalen W

    2014-06-01

    Contraception is necessary to manage zoo animal populations and to be able to house animals in groups without producing additional unwanted offspring. In felids and canids, an association between exposure to progestins and the occurrence of endometrial and mammary gland pathology has been documented. Therefore, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Wildlife Contraceptive Center recommends the use of deslorelin acetate for long-term contraception in carnivores. Return to cyclicity after deslorelin treatment has been variable; some individuals show ovarian suppression for long periods after the expected end of the deslorelin efficacy. In an attempt to reduce the time to reversal, techniques to locate and remove previous implants are being developed. This report documents the successful implementation of high-frequency ultrasonography in lions (Panthera leo) to locate and direct surgical removal of multiple deslorelin implants placed at least 2 yr previously as well as the return of follicular activity in both females at 7 months post-removal of implants.

  7. How to remove a chest drain.

    PubMed

    Allibone, Elizabeth

    2015-10-07

    RATIONALE AND KEY POINTS: This article aims to help nurses to undertake the removal of a chest drain in a safe, effective and patient-centred manner. This procedure requires two practitioners. The chest drain will have been inserted aseptically to remove air, blood, fluid or pus from the pleural cavity. ▶ Chest drains may be small or wide bore depending on the underlying condition and clinical setting. They may be secured with a mattress suture and/or an anchor suture. ▶ Chest drains are usually removed under medical instructions when the patient's lung has inflated, the underlying condition has resolved, there is no evidence of respiratory compromise or failure, and their anticoagulation status has been assessed as satisfactory. ▶ Chest drains secured with a mattress suture should be removed by two practitioners. One practitioner is required to remove the tube and the other to tie the mattress suture (if present) and secure the site. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: Clinical skills articles can help update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: 1. How reading this article will change your practice. 2. How this article could be used to educate patients with chest drains. Subscribers can upload their reflective accounts at: rcni.com/portfolio .

  8. Ablation-cooled material removal with ultrafast bursts of pulses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kerse, Can; Kalaycıoğlu, Hamit; Elahi, Parviz; Çetin, Barbaros; Kesim, Denizhan K.; Akçaalan, Önder; Yavaş, Seydi; Aşık, Mehmet D.; Öktem, Bülent; Hoogland, Heinar; Holzwarth, Ronald; Ilday, Fatih Ömer

    2016-09-01

    The use of femtosecond laser pulses allows precise and thermal-damage-free removal of material (ablation) with wide-ranging scientific, medical and industrial applications. However, its potential is limited by the low speeds at which material can be removed and the complexity of the associated laser technology. The complexity of the laser design arises from the need to overcome the high pulse energy threshold for efficient ablation. However, the use of more powerful lasers to increase the ablation rate results in unwanted effects such as shielding, saturation and collateral damage from heat accumulation at higher laser powers. Here we circumvent this limitation by exploiting ablation cooling, in analogy to a technique routinely used in aerospace engineering. We apply ultrafast successions (bursts) of laser pulses to ablate the target material before the residual heat deposited by previous pulses diffuses away from the processing region. Proof-of-principle experiments on various substrates demonstrate that extremely high repetition rates, which make ablation cooling possible, reduce the laser pulse energies needed for ablation and increase the efficiency of the removal process by an order of magnitude over previously used laser parameters. We also demonstrate the removal of brain tissue at two cubic millimetres per minute and dentine at three cubic millimetres per minute without any thermal damage to the bulk.

  9. Ablation-cooled material removal with ultrafast bursts of pulses.

    PubMed

    Kerse, Can; Kalaycıoğlu, Hamit; Elahi, Parviz; Çetin, Barbaros; Kesim, Denizhan K; Akçaalan, Önder; Yavaş, Seydi; Aşık, Mehmet D; Öktem, Bülent; Hoogland, Heinar; Holzwarth, Ronald; Ilday, Fatih Ömer

    2016-09-01

    The use of femtosecond laser pulses allows precise and thermal-damage-free removal of material (ablation) with wide-ranging scientific, medical and industrial applications. However, its potential is limited by the low speeds at which material can be removed and the complexity of the associated laser technology. The complexity of the laser design arises from the need to overcome the high pulse energy threshold for efficient ablation. However, the use of more powerful lasers to increase the ablation rate results in unwanted effects such as shielding, saturation and collateral damage from heat accumulation at higher laser powers. Here we circumvent this limitation by exploiting ablation cooling, in analogy to a technique routinely used in aerospace engineering. We apply ultrafast successions (bursts) of laser pulses to ablate the target material before the residual heat deposited by previous pulses diffuses away from the processing region. Proof-of-principle experiments on various substrates demonstrate that extremely high repetition rates, which make ablation cooling possible, reduce the laser pulse energies needed for ablation and increase the efficiency of the removal process by an order of magnitude over previously used laser parameters. We also demonstrate the removal of brain tissue at two cubic millimetres per minute and dentine at three cubic millimetres per minute without any thermal damage to the bulk.

  10. You Wouldn't Sober, You Shouldn't Drunk: A Behavioural Change Approach to Changing Attitudes and Responses to Unwanted Sexual Attention in Pubs and Clubs.

    PubMed

    Wood, Matthew; Shukla, Paurav

    2017-11-01

    The objective was to evaluate a campaign designed to influence social norms and re-establish boundaries around the issue of unwanted sexual attention in pubs and clubs. In particular, the campaign aimed to raise awareness, and reduce the acceptability, of unwanted sexual attention when drunk. A before-after-with-control group study design was used to evaluate campaign effectiveness. The data was further segmented to explore gender differences and between individuals who reported enjoying going out to get drunk and those who did not. The experimental group with campaign recall demonstrated a significant change in their attitudes to harmful drinking behaviours and unwanted sexual attention compared to the control group. A number of gender differences as well as drink-enjoyment-related differences pre- and post-campaign were observed. Female respondents who were able to recall the campaign demonstrated a significantly lower tolerance of unwanted sexual attention than those who were unable to recall it in either the experimental or control regions. The campaign had limited impact on people who enjoy drunken night outs (DNOs). However, those who do not enjoy DNOs demonstrated significantly higher negative attitudes towards harmful drinking post-campaign recall. The campaign was effective in shifting attitudes towards unwanted sexual attention and harmful drinking behaviour. This was particularly observed among female respondents and those who do not enjoy DNOs. Drinkaware's 'You Wouldn't Sober, You Shouldn't Drunk' behavioural change campaign targets young adults living in North-West England participating in 'drunken nights out'. The experimental group with campaign recall demonstrated a significant change in their attitudes to harmful drinking behaviours and unwanted sexual attention compared to the control group. © The Author 2017. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  11. A tunable sub-100 nm silicon nanopore array with an AAO membrane mask: reducing unwanted surface etching by introducing a PMMA interlayer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, Namsoo; Pak, Yusin; Kim, Jin Tae; Hwang, Youngkyu; Lee, Ryeri; Kumaresan, Yogeenth; Myoung, Nosoung; Ko, Heung Cho; Jung, Gun Young

    2015-08-01

    Highly ordered silicon (Si) nanopores with a tunable sub-100 nm diameter were fabricated by a CF4 plasma etching process using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as an etching mask. To enhance the conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the underlying Si substrate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was spin-coated on top of the Si substrate prior to the transfer of the AAO membrane. The AAO membrane mask was fabricated by two-step anodization and subsequent removal of the aluminum support and the barrier layer, which was then transferred to the PMMA-coated Si substrate. Contact printing was performed on the sample with a pressure of 50 psi and a temperature of 120 °C to make a conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the Si substrate. The CF4 plasma etching was conducted to transfer nanopores onto the Si substrate through the PMMA interlayer. The introduced PMMA interlayer prevented unwanted surface etching of the Si substrate by eliminating the etching ions and radicals bouncing at the gap between the mask and the substrate, resulting in a smooth Si nanopore array.Highly ordered silicon (Si) nanopores with a tunable sub-100 nm diameter were fabricated by a CF4 plasma etching process using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as an etching mask. To enhance the conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the underlying Si substrate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was spin-coated on top of the Si substrate prior to the transfer of the AAO membrane. The AAO membrane mask was fabricated by two-step anodization and subsequent removal of the aluminum support and the barrier layer, which was then transferred to the PMMA-coated Si substrate. Contact printing was performed on the sample with a pressure of 50 psi and a temperature of 120 °C to make a conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the Si substrate. The CF4 plasma etching was conducted to transfer nanopores onto the Si substrate through the PMMA interlayer. The introduced PMMA interlayer

  12. The application of "double isolation" in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance sustained off-resonance irradiation collisionally-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry to remove labile isobaric impurities.

    PubMed

    Gates, Paul J; Lopes, Norberto P; Pinto, Emani; Colepicolo, Pio; Cardozo, Karina H M

    2011-01-01

    This study reports the application of "double isolation" in sustained off-resonance irradiation collisionally-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (SORI-CID-MS/MS) to remove radio- frequency (RF) fragment ions of very close mass isobaric ions (0.02 m/z apart). Analyses were performed with a fraction of a biological extract isolated from a macroalgae containing the mycosporine-like amino acid asterina-330. Direct isolation of the precursor ion by narrowing the isolation window proved ineffective as it impinged upon the required ion thus substantially reducing its intensity. By increasing the correlated sweep time, ejection efficiency of the isolation was improved, but caused the unwanted side-effect of RF fragmentation of labile ions. Finally, by skipping the ion activation step and performing a second isolation (in the MS(3) module) the RF fragments from the first isolation were removed leaving a very pure isolation of the required precursor ion and allowed a very clean CID fragmentation. We demonstrated that the m/z 272.1351 ion is derived from the loss of NH(3) from m/z 289.1620 isobaric impurity and is not related to asterina-330. This application represents a powerful tool to remove unwanted ions in the MS/MS spectrum that result from fragmentation of isobaric ions.

  13. Reconditioning of semiconductor substrates to remove photoresist during semiconductor device fabrication

    DOEpatents

    Farino, Anthony J.

    2004-01-27

    A method for reconditioning the surface of a semiconductor substrate to remove an unwanted (i.e. defective) layer of photoresist is disclosed. The method adapts a conventional automated spinner which is used to rotate the substrate at high speed while a stream of a first solvent (e.g. acetone) is used to dissolve the photoresist. A stream of a second solvent (e.g. methanol) is then used to clean the substrate at a lower speed, with the substrate being allowed to dry with continued rotation. The method of the present invention can be used within a photolithography track so that the substrates need never leave the track for reconditioning.

  14. Teaching children with autism spectrum disorders to mand for the removal of stimuli that prevent access to preferred items.

    PubMed

    Shillingsburg, M Alice; Powell, Nicole M; Bowen, Crystal N

    2013-01-01

    Mand training is often a primary focus in early language instruction and typically includes mands that are positively reinforced. However, mands maintained by negative reinforcement are also important skills to teach. These include mands to escape aversive demands or unwanted items. Another type of negatively reinforced mand important to teach involves the removal of a stimulus that prevents access to a preferred activity. We taught 5 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders to mand for the removal of a stimulus in order to access a preferred item that had been blocked. An evaluation was conducted to determine if participants responded differentially when the establishing operations for the preferred item were present versus absent. All participants learned to mand for the removal of the stimulus exclusively under conditions when the establishing operation was present.

  15. Response of green reflectance continuum removal index to the xanthophyll de-epoxidation cycle in Norway spruce needles.

    PubMed

    Kovác, Daniel; Malenovský, Zbyněk; Urban, Otmar; Špunda, Vladimír; Kalina, Jiří; Ač, Alexander; Kaplan, Veroslav; Hanuš, Jan

    2013-04-01

    A dedicated field experiment was conducted to investigate the response of a green reflectance continuum removal-based optical index, called area under the curve normalized to maximal band depth between 511 nm and 557 nm (ANMB511-557), to light-induced transformations in xanthophyll cycle pigments of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst] needles. The performance of ANMB511-557 was compared with the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) computed from the same leaf reflectance measurements. Needles of four crown whorls (fifth, eighth, 10th, and 15th counted from the top) were sampled from a 27-year-old spruce tree throughout a cloudy and a sunny day. Needle optical properties were measured together with the composition of the photosynthetic pigments to investigate their influence on both optical indices. Analyses of pigments showed that the needles of the examined whorls varied significantly in chlorophyll content and also in related pigment characteristics, such as the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio. The investigation of the ANMB511-557 diurnal behaviour revealed that the index is able to follow the dynamic changes in the xanthophyll cycle independently of the actual content of foliar pigments. Nevertheless, ANMB511-557 lost the ability to predict the xanthophyll cycle behaviour during noon on the sunny day, when the needles were exposed to irradiance exceeding 1000 µmol m(-2) s(-1). Despite this, ANMB511-557 rendered a better performance for tracking xanthophyll cycle reactions than PRI. Although declining PRI values generally responded to excessive solar irradiance, they were not able to predict the actual de-epoxidation state in the needles examined.

  16. Unwanted pregnancy and induced abortion among young women 16-22 years old in Greece: a retrospective study of the risk factors.

    PubMed

    Salakos, N; Koumousidis, A; Bakalianou, K; Paltoglou, G; Kalampokas, T; Iavazzo, C

    2010-01-01

    Unwanted pregnancies and the subsequent induced abortions are common problems of our youths in modern Greece. The aim of this study was to recognize the risk factors of the problem in an effort to find the best possible solution out of this social dead end. We interviewed 1,320 young female individuals and analyzed their answers using statistical analysis. Several useful conclusions were reached concerning the forces that are involved in unwanted pregnancy/induced abortions. We have tried to underline the strategy to combat the problem. Sexual education and the proper use of contraception remain the essential tools in this effort.

  17. Does It Matter What You Call It? The Relationship Between Labeling Unwanted Sexual Experiences and Distress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harned, Melanie S.

    2004-01-01

    Using cross-sectional data from 2 samples of women attending a university (N = 1,395), the author examined the relationship among women's labeling of their unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) with dating partners and a variety of psychological and school-related outcomes. Three competing path analysis models were tested to determine whether the…

  18. Effects of planned, mistimed and unwanted pregnancies on the use of prenatal health services in sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data.

    PubMed

    Amo-Adjei, Joshua; Anamaale Tuoyire, Derek

    2016-12-01

    We analysed the extent of planned, mistimed and unwanted pregnancies and how they predict optimal use of prenatal (timing and number of antenatal) care services in 30 African countries. We pooled data from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 30 African countries between 2006 and 2015. We described the extent of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies and further used mixed effects logistic and Poisson regression estimation techniques to examine the impacts of planned, mistimed and unwanted pregnancies on the use of prenatal health services. In total, 73.65% of pregnancies in all countries were planned. Mistimed pregnancy ranged from 7.43% in Burkina Faso to 41.33% in Namibia. Unwanted pregnancies were most common in Swaziland (39.54%) and least common in Niger (0.74%). Timely (first trimester) initiation of ANC was 37% overall in all countries; the multicountry average number of ANC visits was optimal [4.1; 95% CI: 4.1-4.2] but with notable disparities between countries. Overall, mistimed and unwanted pregnancies were strongly associated with late ANC attendance and fewer visits women made in the pooled analysis. Unintended pregnancies are critical risks to achieving improved maternal health in respect of early and optimal ANC coverage for women in Africa. Programmes targeted at advancing coverage of ANC in Africa need to deploy contextually appropriate mechanisms to prevent unintended pregnancies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Removal of metals from landfill leachate by sorption to activated carbon, bone meal and iron fines.

    PubMed

    Modin, Hanna; Persson, Kenneth M; Andersson, Anna; van Praagh, Martijn

    2011-05-30

    Sorption filters based on granular activated carbon, bone meal and iron fines were tested for their efficiency of removing metals from landfill leachate. Removal of Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn were studied in a laboratory scale setup. Activated carbon removed more than 90% of Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni. Ca, Pb, Sr and Zn were removed but less efficiently. Bone meal removed over 80% of Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn and Sr and 20-80% of Al, Ca, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn. Iron fines removed most metals (As, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sr and Zn) to some extent but less efficiently. All materials released unwanted substances (metals, TOC or nutrients), highlighting the need to study the uptake and release of a large number of compounds, not only the target metals. To remove a wide range of metals using these materials two or more filter materials may need to be combined. Sorption mechanisms for all materials include ion exchange, sorption and precipitation. For iron fines oxidation of Fe(0) seems to be important for metal immobilisation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. 40 CFR 262.210 - Making the hazardous waste determination in the laboratory before the unwanted material is...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...)(3) for acute hazardous waste, or § 261.5(g)(3) for hazardous waste. (e) An unwanted material that is... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Making the hazardous waste....210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED...

  1. 40 CFR 262.210 - Making the hazardous waste determination in the laboratory before the unwanted material is...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...)(3) for acute hazardous waste, or § 261.5(g)(3) for hazardous waste. (e) An unwanted material that is... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Making the hazardous waste....210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED...

  2. 40 CFR 262.210 - Making the hazardous waste determination in the laboratory before the unwanted material is...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...)(3) for acute hazardous waste, or § 261.5(g)(3) for hazardous waste. (e) An unwanted material that is... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Making the hazardous waste....210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED...

  3. 40 CFR 262.210 - Making the hazardous waste determination in the laboratory before the unwanted material is...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...)(3) for acute hazardous waste, or § 261.5(g)(3) for hazardous waste. (e) An unwanted material that is... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Making the hazardous waste....210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED...

  4. 40 CFR 262.210 - Making the hazardous waste determination in the laboratory before the unwanted material is...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...)(3) for acute hazardous waste, or § 261.5(g)(3) for hazardous waste. (e) An unwanted material that is... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Making the hazardous waste....210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED...

  5. 40 CFR 262.206 - Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... chemical reaction, (B) Whether the unwanted material has been used or is unused, (C) A description of the... the air, adverse chemical reactions, and dangerous situations that may result in harm to human health... contents of the container include, but are not limited to: (A) The name of the chemical(s), (B) The type or...

  6. 40 CFR 262.206 - Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... chemical reaction, (B) Whether the unwanted material has been used or is unused, (C) A description of the... the air, adverse chemical reactions, and dangerous situations that may result in harm to human health... contents of the container include, but are not limited to: (A) The name of the chemical(s), (B) The type or...

  7. 40 CFR 262.206 - Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... chemical reaction, (B) Whether the unwanted material has been used or is unused, (C) A description of the... the air, adverse chemical reactions, and dangerous situations that may result in harm to human health... contents of the container include, but are not limited to: (A) The name of the chemical(s), (B) The type or...

  8. 40 CFR 262.206 - Labeling and management standards for containers of unwanted material in the laboratory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... chemical reaction, (B) Whether the unwanted material has been used or is unused, (C) A description of the... the air, adverse chemical reactions, and dangerous situations that may result in harm to human health... contents of the container include, but are not limited to: (A) The name of the chemical(s), (B) The type or...

  9. The antecedents and prevention of unwanted pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Gerrard, M; McCann, L; Geis, B D

    1983-01-01

    Much of the research on the antecedents and consequences of birth control has focused on teenagers and members of racial minority groups, but the trends in contraceptive use indicate that the danger of unwanted pregnancy exists for most women throughout the childbearing ages of 14-45, for white and middle class women as well as minority women and women from the lower socioeconomic status levels. There are basically 4 choices open to the unmarried woman who conceives: giving the child up for adoption, keeping the child without marrying, and marriage. There are little data on the mental health consequences of giving a child up for adoption, but there is no question that the experience at the very least upsetting and may cause longterm trauma. Induced abortion is less traumatic, both physically and psychologically, than carrying a pregnancy to term, however, many women suffer from longterm depression following the procedure. The social, economic, and psychological consequences of single motherhood are clearly documented for both teenagers and older women. The most frequently cited problems are delayed or truncated emotional and social activities, unemployment, and role overload resulting from the responsibility of caring for a child without the support of a spouse. The pregnant teenager who does marry has a 50% probability of divorce within 4 years, and even if the couple does stay married they suffer some adverse consequences. In 1978 Zelnick and Kantner estimated that it would be possible to reduce the number of premarital pregnancies and presumably their psychological and economic consequences by at least 40% if all sexually active young women were to use a contraceptive method and to use it consistently. If the majority of all sexually active women were to use the most reliable methods of contraception, the unwanted pregnancy rate would be reduced even more markedly. Yet, reliable contraceptive behavior involves a complex sequence of psychological and behavioral

  10. Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager

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

    Redman, Brian J.; Shaw, Joseph A.; Nugent, Paul W.

    A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference thatmore » is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. In conclusion, once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.« less

  11. Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager

    DOE PAGES

    Redman, Brian J.; Shaw, Joseph A.; Nugent, Paul W.; ...

    2018-04-17

    A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference thatmore » is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. In conclusion, once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.« less

  12. Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager.

    PubMed

    Redman, Brian J; Shaw, Joseph A; Nugent, Paul W; Clark, R Trevor; Piazzolla, Sabino

    2018-04-30

    A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference that is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. Once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.

  13. Reasons why undergraduate women comply with unwanted, non-coercive sexual advances: A serial indirect effect model integrating sexual script theory and sexual self-control perspectives.

    PubMed

    Quinn-Nilas, Christopher; Kennett, Deborah J

    2018-01-16

    This study explored the predictors of young women's compliance with unwanted sexual activities, integrating the social with the cognitive and behavioral correlates of sexual compliance. In total, 222 young heterosexual women completed measures examining the Sexual Self-Control model, including reasons for consenting, sexual resourcefulness, and compliance with unwanted sex, as well as gender role measures pertaining to sexual script theory, including the sexual double standard, gender role stress, and virginity scripts. An exploratory analysis of serial indirect effects demonstrated that women scoring lower in sexual resourcefulness endorsed higher female gender role stress, which in turn was associated with higher endorsement of reasons for consent, translating into more frequent compliance with unwanted sexual activities. The relationship between one's ability to refuse and their decision to refuse appears quite complex. Understanding one's decision requires consideration of the social aspects of gender role endorsement.

  14. When is a medicine unwanted, how is it disposed, and how might safe disposal be promoted? Insights from the Australian population.

    PubMed

    Bettington, Emilie; Spinks, Jean; Kelly, Fiona; Gallardo-Godoy, Alejandra; Nghiem, Son; Wheeler, Amanda J

    2017-12-19

    Objective The aim of the present study was to explore disposal practices of unwanted medicines in a representative sample of Australian adults, compare this with previous household waste surveys and explore awareness of the National Return and Disposal of Unwanted Medicines (RUM) Project. Methods A 10-min online survey was developed, piloted and conducted with an existing research panel of adult individuals. Survey questions recorded demographics, the presence of unwanted medicines in the home, medicine disposal practices and concerns about unwanted medicines. Descriptive statistical analyses and rank-ordered logit regression were conducted. Results Sixty per cent of 4302 respondents reported having unwanted medicines in their household. Medicines were primarily kept just in case they were needed again and one-third of these medicines were expired. Two-thirds of respondents disposed of medicines with the household garbage and approximately one-quarter poured medicines down the drain. Only 17.6% of respondents had heard of the RUM Project, although, once informed, 91.7% stated that they would use it. Respondents ranked the risk of unintended ingestion as the most important public health message for future social marketing campaigns. Conclusions Respondents were largely unaware of the RUM Project, yet were willing to use it once informed. Limited awareness could lead to environmental or public health risks, and targeted information campaigns are needed. What is known about the topic? There is a growing international evidence base on how people dispose of unwanted medicines and the negative consequences, particularly the environmental effects of inappropriate disposal. Although insight into variation in disposal methods is increasing, knowledge of how people perceive risks and awareness of inappropriate disposal methods is more limited. What does this paper add? This study provides evidence of inappropriate medicines disposal and potential stockpiling of medicines in

  15. Natural organic matters removal efficiency by coagulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sapingi, Mohd Sharizal Mohd; Pishal, Munirah; Murshed, Mohamad Fared

    2017-10-01

    The presence of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) in surface water results in unwanted characteristics in terms of color, odor, and taste. NOM content reaction with free chlorine in treated water lowers the water quality further. Chlorine is added for disinfection and produces undesirable disinfection by-products (DPBs). DBPs in drinking water are carcinogenic to consumers and may promote cancerous cell development in the human body. This study was performed to compare the coagulant efficiency of aluminum sulfate (Alum) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) on NOM removal (as in UV254 absorbance) and turbidity removal under three pH conditions (pH 6, pH 7, and sample actual pH). The three sampling points for these studies were Jalan Baru River, Kerian River, and Redac Pond. Additional sampling points, such as Lubuk Buntar and a tubewell located in the Civil Engineering School, were included to observe differences in characteristics. DOC, UV absorbance, and full wavelength were tested, after which samples treated with alum were also tested to further analyze the NOM content. Based on UV254 absorbance and DOC data, specific UV value was calculated to obtain vital synopsis of the characteristics of NOM content, as well as coagulation efficiency.

  16. A generic EEG artifact removal algorithm based on the multi-channel Wiener filter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Somers, Ben; Francart, Tom; Bertrand, Alexander

    2018-06-01

    Objective. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an essential neuro-monitoring tool for both clinical and research purposes, but is susceptible to a wide variety of undesired artifacts. Removal of these artifacts is often done using blind source separation techniques, relying on a purely data-driven transformation, which may sometimes fail to sufficiently isolate artifacts in only one or a few components. Furthermore, some algorithms perform well for specific artifacts, but not for others. In this paper, we aim to develop a generic EEG artifact removal algorithm, which allows the user to annotate a few artifact segments in the EEG recordings to inform the algorithm. Approach. We propose an algorithm based on the multi-channel Wiener filter (MWF), in which the artifact covariance matrix is replaced by a low-rank approximation based on the generalized eigenvalue decomposition. The algorithm is validated using both hybrid and real EEG data, and is compared to other algorithms frequently used for artifact removal. Main results. The MWF-based algorithm successfully removes a wide variety of artifacts with better performance than current state-of-the-art methods. Significance. Current EEG artifact removal techniques often have limited applicability due to their specificity to one kind of artifact, their complexity, or simply because they are too ‘blind’. This paper demonstrates a fast, robust and generic algorithm for removal of EEG artifacts of various types, i.e. those that were annotated as unwanted by the user.

  17. Chronic neuropathic facial pain after intense pulsed light hair removal. Clinical features and pharmacological management.

    PubMed

    Gay-Escoda, Cosme; Párraga-Manzol, Gabriela; Sánchez-Torres, Alba; Moreno-Arias, Gerardo

    2015-10-01

    Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) photodepilation is usually performed as a hair removal method. The treatment is recommended to be indicated by a physician, depending on each patient and on its characteristics. However, the use of laser devices by medical laypersons is frequent and it can suppose a risk of damage for the patients. Most side effects associated to IPL photodepilation are transient, minimal and disappear without sequelae. However, permanent side effects can occur. Some of the complications are laser related but many of them are caused by an operator error or mismanagement. In this work, we report a clinical case of a patient that developed a chronic neuropathic facial pain following IPL hair removal for unwanted hair in the upper lip. The specific diagnosis was painful post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy, reference 13.1.2.3 according to the International Headache Society (IHS). Neuropathic facial pain, photodepilation, intense pulse light.

  18. A tunable sub-100 nm silicon nanopore array with an AAO membrane mask: reducing unwanted surface etching by introducing a PMMA interlayer.

    PubMed

    Lim, Namsoo; Pak, Yusin; Kim, Jin Tae; Hwang, Youngkyu; Lee, Ryeri; Kumaresan, Yogeenth; Myoung, NoSoung; Ko, Heung Cho; Jung, Gun Young

    2015-08-28

    Highly ordered silicon (Si) nanopores with a tunable sub-100 nm diameter were fabricated by a CF4 plasma etching process using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as an etching mask. To enhance the conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the underlying Si substrate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was spin-coated on top of the Si substrate prior to the transfer of the AAO membrane. The AAO membrane mask was fabricated by two-step anodization and subsequent removal of the aluminum support and the barrier layer, which was then transferred to the PMMA-coated Si substrate. Contact printing was performed on the sample with a pressure of 50 psi and a temperature of 120 °C to make a conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the Si substrate. The CF4 plasma etching was conducted to transfer nanopores onto the Si substrate through the PMMA interlayer. The introduced PMMA interlayer prevented unwanted surface etching of the Si substrate by eliminating the etching ions and radicals bouncing at the gap between the mask and the substrate, resulting in a smooth Si nanopore array.

  19. Latest innovations for tattoo and permanent makeup removal.

    PubMed

    Mao, Johnny C; DeJoseph, Louis M

    2012-05-01

    The goal of this article is to reveal the latest techniques and advances in laser removal of both amateur and professional tattoos, as well as cosmetic tattoos and permanent makeup. Each pose different challenges to the removing physician, but the goal is always the same: removal without sequelae. The authors' technique is detailed, and discussion of basic principles of light reflection, ink properties, effects of laser energy and heat, and outcomes and complications of tattoo removal are presented. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. The Prevalence of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adolescent Unwanted Sexual Contact among Boys and Girls Living in Victoria, Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Elya E.; Romaniuk, Helena; Olsson, Craig A.; Jayasinghe, Yasmin; Carlin, John B.; Patton, George C.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with both short- and long-term adverse mental and physical health consequences, yet there remains considerable controversy about the prevalence of CSA in the general population. There is also little prospective data on unwanted sexual contact (USC) collected during adolescence. Methods: Data…

  1. Estimating surface reflectance from Himawari-8/AHI reflectance channels Using 6SV

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Kyeong-sang; Choi, Sungwon; Seo, Minji; Seong, Noh-hun; Han, Kyung-soo

    2017-04-01

    TOA (Top Of Atmospheric) reflectance observed by satellite is modified by the influence of atmosphere such as absorbing and scattering by molecular and gasses. Removing TOA reflectance attenuation which is caused by the atmospheric is essential. surface reflectance with compensated atmospheric effects used as important input data for land product such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Land Surface Albedo (LSA) and etc. In this study, we Second Simulation of a Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum Vector (6SV) Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) for atmospheric correction and estimating surface reflectance from Himawari-8/Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) reflectance channels. 6SV has the advantage that it has high accuracy by performing the atmospheric correction by dividing the width of the satellite channel by 2.5 nm, but it is slow to use in the operation. So, we use LUT approach to reduce the computation time and avoid the intensive calculation required for retrieving surface reflectance. Estimated surface reflectance data were compared with PROBA-V S1 data to evaluate the accuracy. As a result Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and bias were about 0.05 and -0.02. It is considered that this error is due to the difference of angle component and Spectral Response Function (SRF) of each channel.

  2. Removing the Interdependency between Horizontal and Vertical Eye-Movement Components in Electrooculograms

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Won-Du; Cha, Ho-Seung; Im, Chang-Hwan

    2016-01-01

    This paper introduces a method to remove the unwanted interdependency between vertical and horizontal eye-movement components in electrooculograms (EOGs). EOGs have been widely used to estimate eye movements without a camera in a variety of human-computer interaction (HCI) applications using pairs of electrodes generally attached either above and below the eye (vertical EOG) or to the left and right of the eyes (horizontal EOG). It has been well documented that the vertical EOG component has less stability than the horizontal EOG one, making accurate estimation of the vertical location of the eyes difficult. To address this issue, an experiment was designed in which ten subjects participated. Visual inspection of the recorded EOG signals showed that the vertical EOG component is highly influenced by horizontal eye movements, whereas the horizontal EOG is rarely affected by vertical eye movements. Moreover, the results showed that this interdependency could be effectively removed by introducing an individual constant value. It is therefore expected that the proposed method can enhance the overall performance of practical EOG-based eye-tracking systems. PMID:26907271

  3. Life and the laundromat: reflections on dirty linen and everyday private life.

    PubMed

    Lawler, J

    1997-09-01

    This is a paper in which I reflect on, and draw issues from, an unplanned ethnographic experience in a London laundromat. The concept of 'everyday life' has a kind of simple, even benign, quality. However, there are many events in everyday life that are complex and complicating. Everyday life can be mundane--boring even. But it can also confront and trouble us, even when it concerns such apparently ordinary matters like doing the laundry. This paper is about how the ordinary matters of everyday life can become problematic and how our involvement in them can confront us with dilemmas that are unwanted yet require our attention and judgement as participants in social life.

  4. New approaches to removing cloud shadows and evaluating the 380 nm surface reflectance for improved aerosol optical thickness retrievals from the GOSAT/TANSO-Cloud and Aerosol Imager

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fukuda, Satoru; Nakajima, Teruyuki; Takenaka, Hideaki; Higurashi, Akiko; Kikuchi, Nobuyuki; Nakajima, Takashi Y.; Ishida, Haruma

    2013-12-01

    satellite aerosol retrieval algorithm was developed to utilize a near-ultraviolet band of the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite/Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation (GOSAT/TANSO)-Cloud and Aerosol Imager (CAI). At near-ultraviolet wavelengths, the surface reflectance over land is smaller than that at visible wavelengths. Therefore, it is thought possible to reduce retrieval error by using the near-ultraviolet spectral region. In the present study, we first developed a cloud shadow detection algorithm that uses first and second minimum reflectances of 380 nm and 680 nm based on the difference in Rayleigh scattering contribution for these two bands. Then, we developed a new surface reflectance correction algorithm, the modified Kaufman method, which uses minimum reflectance data at 680 nm and the NDVI to estimate the surface reflectance at 380 nm. This algorithm was found to be particularly effective at reducing the aerosol effect remaining in the 380 nm minimum reflectance; this effect has previously proven difficult to remove owing to the infrequent sampling rate associated with the three-day recursion period of GOSAT and the narrow CAI swath of 1000 km. Finally, we applied these two algorithms to retrieve aerosol optical thicknesses over a land area. Our results exhibited better agreement with sun-sky radiometer observations than results obtained using a simple surface reflectance correction technique using minimum radiances.

  5. Identification of Terrestrial Reflectance From Remote Sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alter-Gartenberg, Rachel; Nolf, Scott R.; Stacy, Kathryn (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Correcting for atmospheric effects is an essential part of surface-reflectance recovery from radiance measurements. Model-based atmospheric correction techniques enable an accurate identification and classification of terrestrial reflectances from multi-spectral imagery. Successful and efficient removal of atmospheric effects from remote-sensing data is a key factor in the success of Earth observation missions. This report assesses the performance, robustness and sensitivity of two atmospheric-correction and reflectance-recovery techniques as part of an end-to-end simulation of hyper-spectral acquisition, identification and classification.

  6. Unwanted sexual advances at work: variations by employment arrangement in a sample of working Australians.

    PubMed

    Lamontagne, Anthony D; Smith, Peter M; Louie, Amber M; Quinlan, Michael; Shoveller, Jean; Ostry, Aleck S

    2009-04-01

    We tested the hypothesis that the risk of experiencing unwanted sexual advances at work (UWSA) is greater for precariously-employed workers in comparison to those in permanent or continuing employment. A cross-sectional population-based telephone survey was conducted in Victoria (66% response rate, N=1,101). Employment arrangements were analysed using eight differentiated categories, as well as a four-category collapsed measure to address small cell sizes. Self-report of unwanted sexual advances at work was modelled using multiple logistic regression in relation to employment arrangement, controlling for gender, age, and occupational skill level. Forty-seven respondents reported UWSA in our sample (4.3%), mainly among women (37 of 47). Risk of UWSA was higher for younger respondents, but did not vary significantly by occupational skill level or education. In comparison to Permanent Full-Time, three employment arrangements were strongly associated with UWSA after adjustment for age, gender, and occupational skill level: Casual Full-Time OR = 7.2 (95% Confidence Interval 1.7-30.2); Fixed-Term Contract OR = 11.4 (95% CI 3.4-38.8); and Own-Account Self-Employed OR = 3.8 (95% CI 1.2-11.7). In analyses of females only, the magnitude of these associations was further increased. Respondents employed in precarious arrangements were more likely to report being exposed to UWSA, even after adjustment for age and gender. Greater protections from UWSA are likely needed for precariously employed workers.

  7. Chronic neuropathic facial pain after intense pulsed light hair removal. Clinical features and pharmacological management

    PubMed Central

    Párraga-Manzol, Gabriela; Sánchez-Torres, Alba; Moreno-Arias, Gerardo

    2015-01-01

    Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) photodepilation is usually performed as a hair removal method. The treatment is recommended to be indicated by a physician, depending on each patient and on its characteristics. However, the use of laser devices by medical laypersons is frequent and it can suppose a risk of damage for the patients. Most side effects associated to IPL photodepilation are transient, minimal and disappear without sequelae. However, permanent side effects can occur. Some of the complications are laser related but many of them are caused by an operator error or mismanagement. In this work, we report a clinical case of a patient that developed a chronic neuropathic facial pain following IPL hair removal for unwanted hair in the upper lip. The specific diagnosis was painful post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy, reference 13.1.2.3 according to the International Headache Society (IHS). Key words:Neuropathic facial pain, photodepilation, intense pulse light. PMID:26535105

  8. Resource Use After Unwanted Sexual Experiences in Undergraduates: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Factors Related to the Decision to Seek Help.

    PubMed

    Fleming, C J Eubanks; Lynch, Kyle A; Hakas, Maggie B; Belanger, Elizabeth

    2018-06-01

    The risk for sexual victimization in college is high, and although there can be significant mental and physical consequences for the survivor, resource utilization for this issue is extremely low. The current study used the frameworks of both the ecological model and the theory of planned behavior to examine factors related to resource use in undergraduate survivors of unwanted sexual experiences. The sample consisted of 217 undergraduates who reported at least one unwanted sexual experience while in college (89% female, 76.5% Caucasian, M age 19.6). Data were collected in an online survey from a private liberal arts college, and were analyzed using decision tree modeling. Results suggested that resource use was less related to demographic or event characteristics, but rather related to victim response to the event as well as perceptions about control over potential resource use. In addition to key assault prevention efforts, it is thus important to also support survivor mental health and self-efficacy postassault.

  9. Lead paint removal with high-intensity light pulses.

    PubMed

    Grapperhaus, Michael J; Schaefer, Raymond B

    2006-12-15

    This paper presents the results of an initial investigation into using high-intensity incoherent light pulses to strip paint. Measurements of light pulse characteristics, the reflectivity of different paints and initial experiments on the threshold for paint removal, and paint removal are presented, along with an approximate model consistent with experimental results. Paint removal tests include lead paint, the reduction of lead levels to below levels required for lead abatement, as well as air and light emissions measurements that are within regulatory guidelines.

  10. Ultraviolet stability and contamination analysis of Spectralon diffuse reflectance material

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stiegman, Albert E.; Bruegge, Carol J.; Springsteen, Arthur W.

    1993-01-01

    A detailed chemical analysis was carried out on Spectralon, a highly Lambertian, diffuse reflectance material. Results of this investigation unambiguously identified the presence of an organic (hydrocarbon) impurity intrinsic to the commercial material. This impurity could be removed by a vacuum bake-out procedure and was identified as the cause of optical changes (degradation) that occur in the material when exposed to UV light. It was found that when this impurity was removed, the Spectralon material was photochemically stable and maintained its reflectance properties even after extensive solar UV exposure.

  11. FORUM: Dynamics and Causation of Environmental Equity, Locally Unwanted Land Uses, and Neighborhood Changes

    PubMed

    Liu

    1997-09-01

    / Why are some environmental risks distributed disproportionately in the neighborhoods of the minorities and the poor? A hypothesis was proposed in a recent study that market dynamics contributed to the current environmental inequity. That is, locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) make the host communities home to more poor people and people of color. This hypothesis was allegedly supported by a Houston case study, whereby its author analyzed the postsiting changes of the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods surrounding solid waste facilities. I argue that such an analysis of postsiting changes alone is insufficient to test the causation hypothesis. Instead, I propose a conceptual framework for analysis of environmental equity dynamics and causation. I suggest that the presiting neighborhood dynamics and the characteristics of control neighborhoods be analyzed as the first test for the causation hypothesis. Furthermore, I present theories of neighborhood change and then examine alternative hypotheses that these theories offer for explaining neighborhood changes and for the roles of LULUs in neighborhood changes. These alternative hypotheses should be examined when analyzing the relationship between LULUs and neighborhood changes in a metropolitan area. Using this framework of analysis, I revisited the Houston case. First, I found no evidence that provided support for the hypothesis that the presence of LULUs made the neighborhoods home to more blacks and poor people, contrary to the conclusion made by the previous study. Second, I examined alternative hypotheses for explaining neighborhood changes-invasion-succession, other push forces, and neighborhood life-cycle; the former two might offer better explanation.KEY WORDS: Environmental equity and justice; Locally unwanted lane uses; Siting; Market dynamics; Invasion-succession; Neighborhood changes

  12. Technology-mediated awareness: facilitating the handling of (un)wanted interruptions in a hospital setting.

    PubMed

    Klemets, Joakim; Evjemo, Tor Erik

    2014-09-01

    Nurses' work in hospital departments is highly collaborative and includes communication with a variety of actors. To further support nurses' communications, wireless phones, on which nurses receive both nurse calls and ordinary phone calls, have been introduced. However, while they ensure high availability among the mobile nurses, these phones also contribute to an increased number of interruptions. This paper aims to discover whether all interruptions caused by the wireless phones are unwanted. Further, it investigates how nurses handle these interruptions in a hospital setting in order to construct a foundation for guidelines to use in designing these types of systems. Qualitative and ethnographically inspired fieldwork, including workshops with both ordinary and student nurses from a Norwegian hospital, was undertaken. Patients from two hospital departments were interviewed. Nurses struggle to handle interruptions caused by the wireless nurse call system. Deciding whether to abort an activity or not to respond to an interruption is regarded as stressful. The decision is further complicated by the complex nature of the interruptions. At the same time, patients anticipate that nurses are able to make these judgements with limited information. Nurses' work is highly collaborative, and nurses depend on one another to carry out their work and manage interruptions. The dual nature of the interruptions is complex, and whether an interruption is wanted or unwanted depends on many factors. Nurses manage interruptions mainly by making their own activities visible and monitoring colleagues' work. Therefore, nurses' awareness of colleagues' activities is a key factor in how they handle interruptions in the form of nurse calls. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Understanding the decline in unwanted online sexual solicitations for U.S. youth 2000-2010: findings from three Youth Internet Safety Surveys.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Kimberly J; Jones, Lisa M; Finkelhor, David; Wolak, Janis

    2013-12-01

    To explore the decline in online sexual solicitations between 2000 and 2010 by examining the characteristics of solicitations to better inform prevention efforts. Data are from the Youth Internet Safety Surveys (YISS); three cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone surveys of 3561 youth Internet users in the United States, ages 10 through 17 (1501 in YISS-1; 1500 in YISS-2; 1560 in YISS-3). Unwanted online sexual solicitation was defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk or give personal sexual information that were unwanted or, whether wanted or not, made by an adult. The decline in unwanted sexual solicitations from 19% in 2000 to 13% in 2005 to 9% in 2010 was driven by a reduction in youth who were being asked to talk about sex or for personal sexual information online. Pre-teens (ages 10-12) accounted for the majority of this decline. Multiple solicitations over the course of a year also decreased. More solicitations occurred at the hands of people youth knew in person prior to the incident - mainly friends and acquaintances, and less so at the hands of people youth met online. By 2010 most solicitations were occurring through social networking sites. Victims were disclosing solicitation incidents at greater rates in 2010 - mostly to friends. In spite of continuing anxiety about the impact of the Internet on the safety of youth, encouraging trends suggest experiences, behavior and education are moving in the direction of greater online safety and improved experiences for youth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Removing Silicon Monoxide From Nickel Mirrors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zaniewski, John J.

    1987-01-01

    Combination of polishing tool and polishing mixture used to remove adherent fragments of silicon monoxide protective coatings from nickel/aluminum mirrors without altering shapes or harming polishes of mirror surfaces. Polishing technique developed to prepare stained mirrors for recoating to restore high reflectance.

  15. Intelligent Image Analysis for Image-Guided Laser Hair Removal and Skin Therapy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, Brian; Lu, Thomas; Chao, Tien-Hsin

    2012-01-01

    We present the development of advanced automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms for the hair follicles identification in digital skin images to accurately direct the laser beam to remove the hair. The ATR system first performs a wavelet filtering to enhance the contrast of the hair features in the image. The system then extracts the unique features of the targets and sends the features to an Adaboost based classifier for training and recognition operations. The ATR system automatically classifies the hair, moles, or other skin lesion and provides the accurate coordinates of the intended hair follicle locations. The coordinates can be used to guide a scanning laser to focus energy only on the hair follicles. The intended benefit would be to protect the skin from unwanted laser exposure and to provide more effective skin therapy.

  16. Fluid dynamic modelling of renal pelvic pressure during endoscopic stone removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oratis, Alexandros; Subasic, John; Bird, James; Eisner, Brian

    2015-11-01

    Endoscopic kidney stone removal procedures are known to increase internal pressure in the renal pelvis, the kidney's urinary collecting system. High renal pelvic pressure incites systemic absorption of irrigation fluid, which can increase the risk of postoperative fever and sepsis or the unwanted absorption of electrolytes. Urologists choose the appropriate surgical procedure based on patient history and kidney stone size. However, no study has been conducted to compare the pressure profiles of each procedure, nor is there a precise sense of how the renal pelvic pressure scales with various operational parameters. Here we develop physical models for the flow rates and renal pelvic pressure for various procedures. We show that the results of our models are consistent with existing urological data on each procedure and that the models can predict pressure profiles where data is unavailable.

  17. Signal Frequency Spectra with Audacity®

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gailey, Alycia

    2015-01-01

    The primary objective of the activity presented here is to allow students to explore the frequency components of various simple signals, with the ultimate goal of teaching them how to remove unwanted noise from a voice signal. Analysis of the frequency components of a signal allows students to design filters that remove unwanted components of a…

  18. Practice, awareness and opinion of pharmacists toward disposal of unwanted medications in Kuwait

    PubMed Central

    Abahussain, Eman; Waheedi, Mohammad; Koshy, Samuel

    2012-01-01

    Background The disposal of unwanted medications has been a concern in many countries, as pharmaceutical waste enters the ecosystem, ultimately having an effect on human health and environment. Earlier studies in Kuwait found that the method of disposal by the public was by disposing in the garbage or by flushing down the drain. In accordance with patient preference and environment safety, it would be appropriate to use local government pharmacies as collection points for proper disposal. Objective To determine the practice of pharmacists, working in government healthcare sectors, with regard to disposal of returned unwanted medications by the public. This study also aims to assess pharmacists’ awareness toward the impact of improper disposal on the environment and to investigate whether pharmacists agree to have their pharmacies as collection points for future take-back programs. Method A random sample of 144 pharmacists from the six main governmental hospitals and 12 specialized polyclinics in Kuwait, completed a self-administered questionnaire about their practice of disposal, awareness and opinion on using pharmacies as collection points for proper disposal of UMs. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 144 pharmacists completed the survey. Throwing UMs in the trash was the main method of disposal by majority of the respondents (73%). Only 23 pharmacists disposed UMs according to the guidelines of Ministry of Health, Kuwait (MOH). However, about 82% are aware that improper disposal causes damage to the environment and 97% agree that it is their responsibility to protect the environment. About 86–88% of the pharmacists agree to have government hospital pharmacies and polyclinics as collection points for future take-back programs. Conclusion Even though the current practice of disposal by majority of pharmacists is inappropriate, they are aware of the damage and acknowledge their responsibilities toward environment protection

  19. Functions & Requirements for Debris Removal System Project A-2

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

    PRECECHTEL, D.R.

    1999-12-29

    This revision of the Functions and Requirements Document updates the approved Functions and Requirements for Debris Removal Subproject WHC-SD-SNF-FRD-009, Rev. 0. It has been revised in its entirety to reflect the current scope of work for Debris Removal as canisters and lids under the K Basin Projects work breakdown structure (WBS). In this revision the canisters and lids will be consider debris and a new set of Functions and Requirements have been developed to remove the canisters and lids from the basin.

  20. Microwave Reflectivity of Deposited Aluminum Films for Passive Relay Communications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cuddihy, William F.; Shreve, Lloyd H.

    1961-01-01

    Reflectivity measurements from 400 Mc/sec to 10 kMc/sec on 2,200 A thick aluminum deposited on 1/2-mil-thick Mylar film show this material to be a very good reflector of radio waves. Measurements made under conditions of stress and temperature which would be encountered by a communications sphere, such as Project Echo (1960 Iota), showed very little deterioration of the high reflectivity. packaging effects also caused very little reflectivity change. Under conditions of severe temperature cycling, aluminum removal and decreased reflectivity occurred.

  1. Effect of nanodiamond fluorination on the efficiency of quasispecular reflection of cold neutrons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nesvizhevsky, V. V.; Dubois, M.; Gutfreund, Ph.; Lychagin, E. V.; Nezvanov, A. Yu.; Zhernenkov, K. N.

    2018-02-01

    Nanomaterials, which show large reflectivity for external radiation, are of general interest in science and technology. We report a result from our ongoing research on the reflection of low-energy neutrons from powders of detonation diamond nanoparticles. Our previous work showed a large probability for quasispecular reflection of neutrons from this medium. The model of neutron scattering from nanoparticles, which we have developed, suggests two ways to increase the quasispecular reflection probability: (1) the reduction of incoherent scattering by substitution of hydrogen with fluorine inside the nanoparticles, and (2) the sharpening of the neutron optical potential step by removal of amorphous s p2 carbon from the nanoparticle shells. We present experimental results on scattering of slow neutrons from both raw and fluorinated diamond nanoparticles with amorphous s p2 carbon removed by gas-solid fluorination. These results show a clear increase in quasispecular reflection probability.

  2. A new design for electrospinner collecting device facilitates the removal of small diameter tubular scaffolds and paves the way for tissue engineering of capillaries.

    PubMed

    Sohrabi, Abbas; Naderi, Mahmood; Gorjipour, Fazel; Ghamgosar, Abolfazl; Ahmadbeigi, Naser

    2016-09-10

    Electrospinning is a technique widely used for tissue engineering. Despite hurdles, electrospun vascular tissue scaffolds has shown great promise in in vitro studies. One problem is the removal of tubular scaffolds from a electrospinning collection device with no unwanted crumpling or tearing, especially for small diameter scaffolds. To tackle this problem we designed a collection device for simple removal of the scaffold from the collector while no chemical pretreatment was required. The scaffolds fabricated on this collecting device maintained their tubular structure and showed favorable surface properties, mechanical strength and biocompatibility. The device offers a new opportunity for tissue engineering researchers to fabricate tubular scaffolds from materials which have not been possible to date and help them improve the quality of synthesized scaffolds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Merchant ships discharging unwanted marine species in close proximity of a French aquaculture area: risks involved.

    PubMed

    Masson, Daniel; Thomas, Gerard; Genauzeau, Sylvie; Le Moine, Olivier; Derrien, Annick

    2013-12-15

    The most important oyster farming area in Europe is in a close proximity of two medium size merchant ports. Cargo ships deballast in this area before loading, releasing unwanted or noxious marine species. During a sampling campaign aboard these arriving ships, we found in some ballast water samples a huge number of potentially toxic dinoflagellates and some potentially pathogenic bacteria. A model was applied to find the potential geographical spread of the discharged ballast water. This model predicts the water to reach highly vulnerable shellfish farmed areas in six to eight days. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Molecular Detection of 10 of the Most Unwanted Alien Forest Pathogens in Canada Using Real-Time PCR

    PubMed Central

    Lamarche, Josyanne; Potvin, Amélie; Pelletier, Gervais; Stewart, Don; Feau, Nicolas; Alayon, Dario I. O.; Dale, Angela L.; Coelho, Aaron; Uzunovic, Adnan; Bilodeau, Guillaume J.; Brière, Stephan C.; Hamelin, Richard C.; Tanguay, Philippe

    2015-01-01

    Invasive alien tree pathogens can cause significant economic losses as well as large-scale damage to natural ecosystems. Early detection to prevent their establishment and spread is an important approach used by several national plant protection organizations (NPPOs). Molecular detection tools targeting 10 of the most unwanted alien forest pathogens in Canada were developed as part of the TAIGA project (http://taigaforesthealth.com/). Forest pathogens were selected following an independent prioritization. Specific TaqMan real-time PCR detection assays were designed to function under homogeneous conditions so that they may be used in 96- or 384-well plate format arrays for high-throughput testing of large numbers of samples against multiple targets. Assays were validated for 1) specificity, 2) sensitivity, 3) precision, and 4) robustness on environmental samples. All assays were highly specific when evaluated against a panel of pure cultures of target and phylogenetically closely-related species. Sensitivity, evaluated by assessing the limit of detection (with a threshold of 95% of positive samples), was found to be between one and ten target gene region copies. Precision or repeatability of each assay revealed a mean coefficient of variation of 3.4%. All assays successfully allowed detection of target pathogen on positive environmental samples, without any non-specific amplification. These molecular detection tools will allow for rapid and reliable detection of 10 of the most unwanted alien forest pathogens in Canada. PMID:26274489

  5. System And Method For Characterizing Voiced Excitations Of Speech And Acoustic Signals, Removing Acoustic Noise From Speech, And Synthesizi

    DOEpatents

    Burnett, Greg C.; Holzrichter, John F.; Ng, Lawrence C.

    2006-04-25

    The present invention is a system and method for characterizing human (or animate) speech voiced excitation functions and acoustic signals, for removing unwanted acoustic noise which often occurs when a speaker uses a microphone in common environments, and for synthesizing personalized or modified human (or other animate) speech upon command from a controller. A low power EM sensor is used to detect the motions of windpipe tissues in the glottal region of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech is produced by a user. From these tissue motion measurements, a voiced excitation function can be derived. Further, the excitation function provides speech production information to enhance noise removal from human speech and it enables accurate transfer functions of speech to be obtained. Previously stored excitation and transfer functions can be used for synthesizing personalized or modified human speech. Configurations of EM sensor and acoustic microphone systems are described to enhance noise cancellation and to enable multiple articulator measurements.

  6. Comparative performance analysis of cervix ROI extraction and specular reflection removal algorithms for uterine cervix image analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xue, Zhiyun; Antani, Sameer; Long, L. Rodney; Jeronimo, Jose; Thoma, George R.

    2007-03-01

    Cervicography is a technique for visual screening of uterine cervix images for cervical cancer. One of our research goals is the automated detection in these images of acetowhite (AW) lesions, which are sometimes correlated with cervical cancer. These lesions are characterized by the whitening of regions along the squamocolumnar junction on the cervix when treated with 5% acetic acid. Image preprocessing is required prior to invoking AW detection algorithms on cervicographic images for two reasons: (1) to remove Specular Reflections (SR) caused by camera flash, and (2) to isolate the cervix region-of-interest (ROI) from image regions that are irrelevant to the analysis. These image regions may contain medical instruments, film markup, or other non-cervix anatomy or regions, such as vaginal walls. We have qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated the performance of alternative preprocessing algorithms on a test set of 120 images. For cervix ROI detection, all approaches use a common feature set, but with varying combinations of feature weights, normalization, and clustering methods. For SR detection, while one approach uses a Gaussian Mixture Model on an intensity/saturation feature set, a second approach uses Otsu thresholding on a top-hat transformed input image. Empirical results are analyzed to derive conclusions on the performance of each approach.

  7. Older Adults Can Suppress Unwanted Memories When Given an Appropriate Strategy

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Memory suppression refers to the ability to exclude distracting memories from conscious awareness, and this ability can be assessed with the think/no-think paradigm. Recent research with older adults has provided evidence suggesting both intact and deficient memory suppression. The present studies seek to understand the conditions contributing to older adults’ ability to suppress memories voluntarily. We report 2 experiments indicating that the specificity of the think/no-think task instructions contributes to older adults’ suppression success: When older adults receive open-ended instructions that require them to develop a retrieval suppression strategy on their own, they show diminished memory suppression compared with younger adults. Conversely, when older adults receive focused instructions directing them to a strategy thought to better isolate inhibitory control, they show suppression-induced forgetting similar to that exhibited by younger adults. Younger adults demonstrate memory suppression regardless of the specificity of the instructions given, suggesting that the ability to select a successful suppression strategy spontaneously may be compromised in older adults. If so, this deficit may be associated with diminished control over unwanted memories in naturalistic settings if impeded strategy development reduces the successful deployment of inhibitory control. PMID:25602491

  8. Decorative tattoos and reasons for their removal: a prospective study in 151 adults living in South of France.

    PubMed

    Latreille, J; Levy, J-L; Guinot, C

    2011-02-01

    Despite increasing demands for decorative tattooing in people of all ages, occupations and social classes, little is known regarding individuals' characteristics and behaviour with respect to tattooing. The objective was to describe a large sample of French people asking for tattoo laser removal, to investigate their reasons for being tattooed and for tattoo removal, and to identify groups of subjects sharing similar characteristics. A prospective exploratory study was conducted on 151 consecutive subjects asking for tattoo removal. The study population was composed of 65 women and 86 men, aged between 18 and 60 years. The reasons mentioned for tattoo removal included aesthetic, social, employment, family or partner pressure, change of lifestyle or partner and incompatibility with present attitudes and values. Four profiles were identified. Types 1 and 3 correspond to subjects with amateur tattoos more frequently reporting social reasons for tattoo removal, whereas types 2 and 4 correspond to subjects with studio tattoos who more frequently report aesthetic reasons. Types 1 and 4 are mainly composed of men (aged over forty and under forty, respectively), type 2 of women under thirty and type 3 of subjects of either sex aged over forty. These profiles could be used to target information campaigns about tattooing and tattoo removal techniques to avoid unwanted tattoos, and afterwards, possible disappointment after removal, as well as to target education programs on possible health risks. Furthermore, our findings open the way to focus further studies on more homogenous group of tattooed subjects. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2010 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  9. Rapid fibroblast removal from high density human embryonic stem cell cultures.

    PubMed

    Turner, William S; McCloskey, Kara E

    2012-10-28

    Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were used to establish human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) cultures after blastocyst isolation(1). This feeder system maintains hESCs from undergoing spontaneous differentiation during cell expansion. However, this co-culture method is labor intensive, requires highly trained personnel, and yields low hESC purity(4). Many laboratories have attempted to minimize the number of feeder cells in hESC cultures (i.e. incorporating matrix-coated dishes or other feeder cell types(5-8)). These modified culture systems have shown some promise, but have not supplanted the standard method for culturing hESCs with mitomycin C-treated mouse embyronic fibroblasts in order to retard unwanted spontaneous differentiation of the hESC cultures. Therefore, the feeder cells used in hESC expansion should be removed during differentiation experiments. Although several techniques are available for purifying the hESC colonies (FACS, MACS, or use of drug resistant vectors) from feeders, these techniques are labor intensive, costly and/or destructive to the hESC. The aim of this project was to invent a method of purification that enables the harvesting of a purer population of hESCs. We have observed that in a confluent hESC culture, the MEF population can be removed using a simple and rapid aspiration of the MEF sheet. This removal is dependent on several factors, including lateral cell-to-cell binding of MEFs that have a lower binding affinity to the styrene culture dish, and the ability of the stem cell colonies to push the fibroblasts outward during the generation of their own "niche". The hESC were then examined for SSEA-4, Oct3/4 and Tra 1-81 expression up to 10 days after MEF removal to ensure maintenance of pluripotency. Moreover, hESC colonies were able to continue growing from into larger formations after MEF removal, providing an additional level of hESC expansion.

  10. Sulfur removal from model fuel by Zn impregnated retorted shale and with assistance of design of experiments.

    PubMed

    de Lima, Flávia Melo; de Andrade Borges, Talitha; Braga, Renata Martins; de Araújo Melo, Dulce Maria; Martinelli, Antônio Eduardo

    2018-05-01

    There is global concern about acid rain and other pollution which is caused by the consumption of oil. By decreasing sulfur content in the oil, we can reduce unwanted emissions and acid rain. Shale was used which is a solid waste generated in the pyrolysis of shale, impregnated with Zn as an adsorbent which removes sulfur present in fuels from the hexane/toluene model solution. An influence of the agitation time (60-180 min), temperature (25-35 °C), adsorbent mass (0.1-0.25 g), and initial sulfur concentration (100-250 ppm) factorial 24 with three central points totaling 19 experiments was applied to investigate the effect of the variables on the efficiency of sulfur removal in fuels. The values of the parameters tested for maximum sulfur removal were obtained as follows: contact time = 180 min, temperature = 35 °C, adsorbent mass = 0.25 g, and initial sulfur concentration = 100 ppm. The mathematical model proposed with R 2 99.97% satisfied the experimental data. This may provide a theoretical basis for new research and alternative uses for tailings of schist industrialization in order to evaluate its potential.

  11. The effect of aeration on the removal of wastewater-derived pharmaceutical residues from groundwater - a laboratory study.

    PubMed

    Burke, Victoria; Duennbier, Uwe; Massmann, Gudrun

    2013-01-01

    Several studies on waste- or drinking water treatment processes as well as on groundwater have recently shown that some pharmaceutical residues (PRs) are redox-sensitive. Hence, their (bio)degradation depends on the redox conditions prevalent in the aquifer. Groundwater, providing raw water for drinking water production, is often anoxic and aeration is a widespread treatment method applied mainly to eliminate unwanted iron and manganese from the water. As a side-effect, aeration may trigger the elimination of PRs. Within the present study the influence of aeration on the fate of a number of wastewater derived analgesics and their residues as well as several antimicrobial compounds was investigated. For this purpose, anoxic groundwater was transferred into stainless steel tanks, some of which were aerated while others were continuously kept anoxic. Results prove that the degradation of six phenazone type compounds is dependent on oxygen availability and compounds are efficiently removed under oxic conditions only. Concerning the antimicrobials, doxycycline and trimethoprim were better removed during aeration, whereas a slightly improved removal under anoxic conditions was observed for clindamycin, roxithromycin and clarithromycin. The study provides first laboratory proof of the redox-sensitivity of several organic trace pollutants. In addition, results demonstrate that aeration is an effective treatment for the elimination of a number of wastewater derived PRs.

  12. System and method for characterizing voiced excitations of speech and acoustic signals, removing acoustic noise from speech, and synthesizing speech

    DOEpatents

    Burnett, Greg C [Livermore, CA; Holzrichter, John F [Berkeley, CA; Ng, Lawrence C [Danville, CA

    2006-08-08

    The present invention is a system and method for characterizing human (or animate) speech voiced excitation functions and acoustic signals, for removing unwanted acoustic noise which often occurs when a speaker uses a microphone in common environments, and for synthesizing personalized or modified human (or other animate) speech upon command from a controller. A low power EM sensor is used to detect the motions of windpipe tissues in the glottal region of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech is produced by a user. From these tissue motion measurements, a voiced excitation function can be derived. Further, the excitation function provides speech production information to enhance noise removal from human speech and it enables accurate transfer functions of speech to be obtained. Previously stored excitation and transfer functions can be used for synthesizing personalized or modified human speech. Configurations of EM sensor and acoustic microphone systems are described to enhance noise cancellation and to enable multiple articulator measurements.

  13. System and method for characterizing voiced excitations of speech and acoustic signals, removing acoustic noise from speech, and synthesizing speech

    DOEpatents

    Burnett, Greg C.; Holzrichter, John F.; Ng, Lawrence C.

    2004-03-23

    The present invention is a system and method for characterizing human (or animate) speech voiced excitation functions and acoustic signals, for removing unwanted acoustic noise which often occurs when a speaker uses a microphone in common environments, and for synthesizing personalized or modified human (or other animate) speech upon command from a controller. A low power EM sensor is used to detect the motions of windpipe tissues in the glottal region of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech is produced by a user. From these tissue motion measurements, a voiced excitation function can be derived. Further, the excitation function provides speech production information to enhance noise removal from human speech and it enables accurate transfer functions of speech to be obtained. Previously stored excitation and transfer functions can be used for synthesizing personalized or modified human speech. Configurations of EM sensor and acoustic microphone systems are described to enhance noise cancellation and to enable multiple articulator measurements.

  14. System and method for characterizing voiced excitations of speech and acoustic signals, removing acoustic noise from speech, and synthesizing speech

    DOEpatents

    Burnett, Greg C.; Holzrichter, John F.; Ng, Lawrence C.

    2006-02-14

    The present invention is a system and method for characterizing human (or animate) speech voiced excitation functions and acoustic signals, for removing unwanted acoustic noise which often occurs when a speaker uses a microphone in common environments, and for synthesizing personalized or modified human (or other animate) speech upon command from a controller. A low power EM sensor is used to detect the motions of windpipe tissues in the glottal region of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech is produced by a user. From these tissue motion measurements, a voiced excitation function can be derived. Further, the excitation function provides speech production information to enhance noise removal from human speech and it enables accurate transfer functions of speech to be obtained. Previously stored excitation and transfer functions can be used for synthesizing personalized or modified human speech. Configurations of EM sensor and acoustic microphone systems are described to enhance noise cancellation and to enable multiple articulator measurements.

  15. Visualization of laser tattoo removal treatment effects in a mouse model by two-photon microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Jang, Won Hyuk; Yoon, Yeoreum; Kim, Wonjoong; Kwon, Soonjae; Lee, Seunghun; Song, Duke; Choi, Jong Woon; Kim, Ki Hean

    2017-01-01

    Laser tattoo removal is an effective method of eliminating tattoo particles in the skin. However, laser treatment cannot always remove the unwanted tattoo completely, and there are risks of either temporary or permanent side effects. Studies using preclinical animal models could provide detailed information on the effects of laser treatment in the skin, and might help to minimize side effects in clinical practices. In this study, two-photon microscopy (TPM) was used to visualize the laser treatment effects on tattoo particles in both phantom specimens and in vivo mouse models. Fluorescent tattoo ink was used for particle visualization by TPM, and nanosecond (ns) and picosecond (ps) lasers at 532 nm were used for treatment. In phantom specimens, TPM characterized the fragmentation of individual tattoo particles by tracking them before and after the laser treatment. These changes were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). TPM was used to measure the treatment efficiency of the two lasers at different laser fluences. In the mouse model, TPM visualized clusters of tattoo particles in the skin and detected their fragmentation after the laser treatment. Longitudinal TPM imaging observed the migration of cells containing tattoo particles after the laser treatment. These results show that TPM may be useful for the assessment of laser tattoo removal treatment in preclinical studies. PMID:28856046

  16. Female undergraduate fine arts students: a high-risk population for multiple sexual partners, unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in China.

    PubMed

    Zou, Yuliang; Yan, Hong; Wu, Haocheng; Chen, Rucheng; Huang, Danqin; Li, Shiyue

    2013-04-01

    To compare risky sexual behaviour and risk factors associated with unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female fine arts undergraduates and students of other disciplines in China. Anonymously completed questionnaires were received from 4769 unmarried female undergraduates, recruited using randomised cluster sampling. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine factors associated with lifetime number of sex partners, self-reported pregnancy, and STIs. The proportion of students who had ever had sex was higher among female fine arts majors (35%) than among other females (15%). Not using a condom at first sex (87%), multiple lifetime partners (44%), and extramarital lover now or ever in lifetime (9%) were more common in sexually experienced fine arts students. Self-reported pregnancy (23%) and STIs (33%) were also more common in fine arts students. Years spent in school, understanding or approval of multiple sex partners, younger age at first sex and coercive first sex were associated with multiple lifetime partners, which was a risk factor for both unintended pregnancy and STIs. Female fine arts students hold more tolerant attitudes toward sex than other female students. They were more inclined to risky sexual behaviours, and thus more vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy and STIs.

  17. Eliminating Unwanted Far-Field Excitation in Objective-Type TIRF. Part II. Combined Evanescent-Wave Excitation and Supercritical-Angle Fluorescence Detection Improves Optical Sectioning

    PubMed Central

    Brunstein, Maia; Hérault, Karine; Oheim, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Azimuthal beam scanning makes evanescent-wave (EW) excitation isotropic, thereby producing total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) images that are evenly lit. However, beam spinning does not fundamentally address the problem of propagating excitation light that is contaminating objective-type TIRF. Far-field excitation depends more on the specific objective than on cell scattering. As a consequence, the excitation impurities in objective-type TIRF are only weakly affected by changes of azimuthal or polar beam angle. These are the main results of the first part of this study (Eliminating unwanted far-field excitation in objective-type TIRF. Pt.1. Identifying sources of nonevanescent excitation light). This second part focuses on exactly where up beam in the illumination system stray light is generated that gives rise to nonevanescent components in TIRF. Using dark-field imaging of scattered excitation light we pinpoint the objective, intermediate lenses and, particularly, the beam scanner as the major sources of stray excitation. We study how adhesion-molecule coating and astrocytes or BON cells grown on the coverslip surface modify the dark-field signal. On flat and weakly scattering cells, most background comes from stray reflections produced far from the sample plane, in the beam scanner and the objective lens. On thick, optically dense cells roughly half of the scatter is generated by the sample itself. We finally show that combining objective-type EW excitation with supercritical-angle fluorescence (SAF) detection efficiently rejects the fluorescence originating from deeper sample regions. We demonstrate that SAF improves the surface selectivity of TIRF, even at shallow penetration depths. The coplanar microscopy scheme presented here merges the benefits of beam spinning EW excitation and SAF detection and provides the conditions for quantitative wide-field imaging of fluorophore dynamics at or near the plasma membrane. PMID:24606929

  18. Effect of the breakup context on unwanted pursuit behavior perpetration between former partners.

    PubMed

    De Smet, Olivia; Buysse, Ann; Brondeel, Ruben

    2011-07-01

    Former partners comprise the most important subgroup of stalkers. However, contextual factors related to the breakup are hardly examined to explain ex-partner pursuit. In a community sample of 194 separated persons, about one-fifth perpetrated at least one unwanted pursuit behavior in the past 2 weeks. Being female, lowly educated, and socially undesirable raised the number of perpetrated behaviors. Beyond these effects, the number of behaviors increased when the cause of the break was attributed to the ex-partner or external factors and when the ex was appraised as the breakup initiator. Breakup reasons, the ex-partner's lack in meeting family obligations and own infidelity, also related to pursuit behaviors albeit inferior to subjective attributions and appraisals of initiation. Finally, participants who felt more anxious or lonely negative showed more behaviors. The results enlighten that the breakup context gains further attention. Clinical treatment might benefit from fostering cognitive reconstructions and breakup adjustment. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  19. Reducing unmet need and unwanted childbearing: evidence from a panel survey in Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Jain, Anrudh K; Mahmood, Arshad; Sathar, Zeba A; Masood, Irfan

    2014-06-01

    Pakistan's high unmet need for contraception and low contraceptive prevalence remain a challenge, especially in light of the country's expected contribution to the FP2020 goal of expanding family planning services to an additional 120 million women with unmet need. Analysis of panel data from 14 Pakistani districts suggests that efforts to reduce unmet need should also focus on empowering women who are currently practicing contraception to achieve their own reproductive intentions through continuation of contraceptive use of any method. Providing women with better quality of care and encouraging method switching would bridge the gap that exists when women are between methods and thus would reduce unwanted births. This finding is generalizable to other countries that, like Pakistan, are highly dependent on short-acting modern and traditional methods. The approach of preventing attrition among current contraceptive users would be at least as effective as persuading nonusers to adopt a method for the first time. © 2013 The Population Council, Inc.

  20. Planning to break unwanted habits: habit strength moderates implementation intention effects on behaviour change.

    PubMed

    Webb, Thomas L; Sheeran, Paschal; Luszczynska, Aleksandra

    2009-09-01

    Implementation intention formation promotes effective goal striving and goal attainment. However, little research has investigated whether implementation intentions promote behaviour change when people possess strong antagonistic habits. Experiment 1 developed relatively habitual responses that, after a task switch, had a detrimental impact on task performance. Forming an if-then plan reduced the negative impact of habit on performance. However, the effect of forming implementation intentions was smaller among participants who possessed strong habits as compared to participants who had weaker habits. Experiment 2 provided a field test of the role of habit strength in moderating the relationship between implementation intentions and behaviour in the context of smoking. Implementation intentions reduced smoking among participants with weak or moderate smoking habits, but not among participants with strong smoking habits. In summary, habit strength moderates the effectiveness of if-then plan formation in breaking unwanted habits.

  1. Advanced Coating Removal Techniques

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seibert, Jon

    2006-01-01

    An important step in the repair and protection against corrosion damage is the safe removal of the oxidation and protective coatings without further damaging the integrity of the substrate. Two such methods that are proving to be safe and effective in this task are liquid nitrogen and laser removal operations. Laser technology used for the removal of protective coatings is currently being researched and implemented in various areas of the aerospace industry. Delivering thousands of focused energy pulses, the laser ablates the coating surface by heating and dissolving the material applied to the substrate. The metal substrate will reflect the laser and redirect the energy to any remaining protective coating, thus preventing any collateral damage the substrate may suffer throughout the process. Liquid nitrogen jets are comparable to blasting with an ultra high-pressure water jet but without the residual liquid that requires collection and removal .As the liquid nitrogen reaches the surface it is transformed into gaseous nitrogen and reenters the atmosphere without any contamination to surrounding hardware. These innovative technologies simplify corrosion repair by eliminating hazardous chemicals and repetitive manual labor from the coating removal process. One very significant advantage is the reduction of particulate contamination exposure to personnel. With the removal of coatings adjacent to sensitive flight hardware, a benefit of each technique for the space program is that no contamination such as beads, water, or sanding residue is left behind when the job is finished. One primary concern is the safe removal of coatings from thin aluminum honeycomb face sheet. NASA recently conducted thermal testing on liquid nitrogen systems and found that no damage occurred on 1/6", aluminum substrates. Wright Patterson Air Force Base in conjunction with Boeing and NASA is currently testing the laser remOval technique for process qualification. Other applications of liquid

  2. Polarization-dependent optical reflection ultrasonic detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Xiaoyi; Huang, Zhiyu; Wang, Guohe; Li, Wenzhao; Li, Changhui

    2017-03-01

    Although ultrasound transducers based on commercial piezoelectric-material have been widely used, they generally have limited bandwidth centered at the resonant frequency. Currently, several pure-optical ultrasonic detection methods have gained increasing interest due to their wide bandwidth and high sensitivity. However, most of them require customized components (such as micro-ring, SPR, Fabry-Perot film, etc), which limit their broad implementations. In this study, we presented a simple pure-optical ultrasound detection method, called "Polarization-dependent Reflection Ultrasonic Detection" (PRUD). It detects the intensity difference between two polarization components of the probe beam that is modulated by ultrasound waves. PRUD detect the two components by using a balanced detector, which effectively suppressed much of the unwanted noise. We have achieved the sensitivity (noise equivalent pressure) to be 1.7kPa, and this can be further improved. In addition, like many other pure-optical ultrasonic detection methods, PRUD also has a flat and broad bandwidth from almost zero to over 100MHz. Besides theoretical analysis, we did a phantom study by imaging a tungsten filament to demonstrate the performance of PRUD. We believe this simple and economic method will attract both researchers and engineers in optical and ultrasound fields.

  3. Ultraviolet reflecting photonic microstructures in the King Penguin beak.

    PubMed

    Dresp, Birgitta; Jouventin, Pierre; Langley, Keith

    2005-09-22

    King and emperor penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus and Aptenodytes forsteri) are the only species of marine birds so far known to reflect ultraviolet (UV) light from their beaks. Unlike humans, most birds perceive UV light and several species communicate using the near UV spectrum. Indeed, UV reflectance in addition to the colour of songbird feathers has been recognized as an important signal when choosing a mate. The king penguin is endowed with several highly coloured ornaments, notably its beak horn and breast and auricular plumage, but only its beak reflects UV, a property considered to influence its sexual attraction. Because no avian UV-reflecting pigments have yet been identified, the origin of such reflections is probably structural. In an attempt to identify the structures that give rise to UV reflectance, we combined reflectance spectrophotometry and morphological analysis by both light and electron microscopy, after experimental removal of surface layers of the beak horn. Here, we characterize for the first time a multilayer reflector photonic microstructure that produces the UV reflections in the king penguin beak.

  4. Suppressing unwanted memories reduces their unconscious influence via targeted cortical inhibition

    PubMed Central

    Gagnepain, Pierre; Henson, Richard N.; Anderson, Michael C.

    2014-01-01

    Suppressing retrieval of unwanted memories reduces their later conscious recall. It is widely believed, however, that suppressed memories can continue to exert strong unconscious effects that may compromise mental health. Here we show that excluding memories from awareness not only modulates medial temporal lobe regions involved in explicit retention, but also neocortical areas underlying unconscious expressions of memory. Using repetition priming in visual perception as a model task, we found that excluding memories of visual objects from consciousness reduced their later indirect influence on perception, literally making the content of suppressed memories harder for participants to see. Critically, effective connectivity and pattern similarity analysis revealed that suppression mechanisms mediated by the right middle frontal gyrus reduced activity in neocortical areas involved in perceiving objects and targeted the neural populations most activated by reminders. The degree of inhibitory modulation of the visual cortex while people were suppressing visual memories predicted, in a later perception test, the disruption in the neural markers of sensory memory. These findings suggest a neurobiological model of how motivated forgetting affects the unconscious expression of memory that may be generalized to other types of memory content. More generally, they suggest that the century-old assumption that suppression leaves unconscious memories intact should be reconsidered. PMID:24639546

  5. Seasonal trends in separability of leaf reflectance spectra for Ailanthus altissima and four other tree species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burkholder, Aaron

    This project investigated the spectral separability of the invasive species Ailanthus altissima, commonly called tree of heaven, and four other native species. Leaves were collected from Ailanthus and four native tree species from May 13 through August 24, 2008, and spectral reflectance factor measurements were gathered for each tree using an ASD (Boulder, Colorado) FieldSpec Pro full-range spectroradiometer. The original data covered the range from 350-2500 nm, with one reflectance measurement collected per one nm wavelength. To reduce dimensionality, the measurements were resampled to the actual resolution of the spectrometer's sensors, and regions of atmospheric absorption were removed. Continuum removal was performed on the reflectance data, resulting in a second dataset. For both the reflectance and continuum removed datasets, least angle regression (LARS) and random forest classification were used to identify a single set of optimal wavelengths across all sampled dates, a set of optimal wavelengths for each date, and the dates for which Ailanthus is most separable from other species. It was found that classification accuracy varies both with dates and bands used. Contrary to expectations that early spring would provide the best separability, the lowest classification error was observed on July 22 for the reflectance data, and on May 13, July 11 and August 1 for the continuum removed data. This suggests that July and August are also potentially good months for species differentiation. Applying continuum removal in many cases reduced classification error, although not consistently. Band selection seems to be more important for reflectance data in that it results in greater improvement in classification accuracy, and LARS appears to be an effective band selection tool. The optimal spectral bands were selected from across the spectrum, often with bands from the blue (401-431 nm), NIR (1115 nm) and SWIR (1985-1995 nm), suggesting that hyperspectral sensors with

  6. Thermal removal from near-infrared imaging spectroscopy data of the Moon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, R.N.; Pieters, C.M.; Green, R.O.; Boardman, J.W.; Petro, N.E.

    2011-01-01

    In the near-infrared from about 2 ??m to beyond 3 ??m, the light from the Moon is a combination of reflected sunlight and emitted thermal emission. There are multiple complexities in separating the two signals, including knowledge of the local solar incidence angle due to topography, phase angle dependencies, emissivity, and instrument calibration. Thermal emission adds to apparent reflectance, and because the emission's contribution increases over the reflected sunlight with increasing wavelength, absorption bands in the lunar reflectance spectra can be modified. In particular, the shape of the 2 ??m pyroxene band can be distorted by thermal emission, changing spectrally determined pyroxene composition and abundance. Because of the thermal emission contribution, water and hydroxyl absorptions are reduced in strength, lowering apparent abundances. It is important to quantify and remove the thermal emission for these reasons. We developed a method for deriving the temperature and emissivity from spectra of the lunar surface and removing the thermal emission in the near infrared. The method is fast enough that it can be applied to imaging spectroscopy data on the Moon. Copyright ?? 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

  7. Thermal removal from near-infrared imaging spectroscopy data of the Moon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, Roger N.; Pieters, Carle M.; Green, Robert O.; Boardman, J.W.; Petro, Noah E.

    2011-01-01

    In the near-infrared from about 2 μm to beyond 3 μm, the light from the Moon is a combination of reflected sunlight and emitted thermal emission. There are multiple complexities in separating the two signals, including knowledge of the local solar incidence angle due to topography, phase angle dependencies, emissivity, and instrument calibration. Thermal emission adds to apparent reflectance, and because the emission's contribution increases over the reflected sunlight with increasing wavelength, absorption bands in the lunar reflectance spectra can be modified. In particular, the shape of the 2 μm pyroxene band can be distorted by thermal emission, changing spectrally determined pyroxene composition and abundance. Because of the thermal emission contribution, water and hydroxyl absorptions are reduced in strength, lowering apparent abundances. It is important to quantify and remove the thermal emission for these reasons. We developed a method for deriving the temperature and emissivity from spectra of the lunar surface and removing the thermal emission in the near infrared. The method is fast enough that it can be applied to imaging spectroscopy data on the Moon.

  8. Does abortion reduce the mental health risks of unwanted or unintended pregnancy? A re-appraisal of the evidence.

    PubMed

    Fergusson, David M; Horwood, L John; Boden, Joseph M

    2013-09-01

    There have been debates about the linkages between abortion and mental health. Few reviews have considered the extent to which abortion has therapeutic benefits that mitigate the mental health risks of abortion. The aim of this review was to conduct a re-appraisal of the evidence to examine the research hypothesis that abortion reduces rates of mental health problems in women having unwanted or unintended pregnancy. Analysis of recent reviews (Coleman, 2011; National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2011) identified eight publications reporting 14 adjusted odds ratios (AORs) spanning five outcome domains: anxiety; depression; alcohol misuse; illicit drug use/misuse; and suicidal behaviour. For each outcome, pooled AORs were estimated using a random-effects model. There was consistent evidence to show that abortion was not associated with a reduction in rates of mental health problems (p>0.75). Abortion was associated with small to moderate increases in risks of anxiety (AOR 1.28, 95% CI 0.97-1.70; p<0.08), alcohol misuse (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.05-5.21; p<0.05), illicit drug use/misuse (AOR 3.91, 95% CI 1.13-13.55; p<0.05), and suicidal behaviour (AOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.12-2.54; p<0.01). There is no available evidence to suggest that abortion has therapeutic effects in reducing the mental health risks of unwanted or unintended pregnancy. There is suggestive evidence that abortion may be associated with small to moderate increases in risks of some mental health problems.

  9. Removing Our Masks: Using the Visual and Performing Arts to Promote Deep Reflection in Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McHattan, Patty Alvarez; McCray, Erica D.

    2009-01-01

    The role of reflection is central to teacher preparation. As individuals integrate new information within their existing schema, they refine their practice. Through reflection pre-service teachers examine, evaluate, and adjust. Yet, the practice of reflection is rarely explicitly taught. Often teacher educators found their students aligning their…

  10. From unwanted pregnancy to safe abortion: Sharing information about abortion in Asia through animation.

    PubMed

    Krishnan, Shweta; Dalvie, Suchitra

    2015-05-01

    Although unsafe abortion continues to be a leading cause of maternal mortality in many countries in Asia, the right to safe abortion remains highly stigmatized across the region. The Asia Safe Abortion Partnership, a regional network advocating for safe abortion, produced an animated short film entitled From Unwanted Pregnancy to Safe Abortion to show in conferences, schools and meetings in order to share knowledge about the barriers to safe abortion in Asia and to facilitate conversations on the right to safe abortion. This paper describes the making of this film, its objectives, content, dissemination and how it has been used. Our experience highlights the advantages of using animated films in addressing highly politicized and sensitive issues like abortion. Animation helped to create powerful advocacy material that does not homogenize the experiences of women across a diverse region, and at the same time emphasize the need for joint activities that express solidarity. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. The influence of extractable organic matter on vitrinite reflectance suppression: A survey of kerogen and coal types

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barker, C.E.; Lewan, M.D.; Pawlewicz, M.J.

    2007-01-01

    The vitrinite reflectance suppression literature shows that while bitumen impregnation of the vitrinite group is often invoked as a significant contributor to suppression, its existence is not often supported by petrological evidence. This study examines bitumen impregnation as a factor in vitrinite suppression by comparing the vitrinite reflectance of source rock and coal samples before and after solvent-extraction. Bitumen, often defined as organic matter soluble or extractable in certain organic solvents, should be removed by Soxhlet method solvent extraction using chloroform. Removing the extractable bitumen should restore the suppressed reflectance to its true higher value. However, the solvent extracted samples averaged 0.014% Rv less than that of the unextracted samples. We conclude from these results and from other published data that reflectance suppression by bitumen impregnation in the vitrinite maceral group, above the huminite stage of gelification, is seemingly a rare phenomenon and whose effect on suppressing vitrinite reflectance is typically negligible. ?? 2006.

  12. Reduction of unwanted submental fat with ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid), an adipocytolytic injectable treatment: results from a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled study*

    PubMed Central

    Rzany, B; Griffiths, T; Walker, P; Lippert, S; McDiarmid, J; Havlickova, B

    2014-01-01

    Summary Background Unwanted submental fat (SMF) is aesthetically unappealing, but methods of reduction are either invasive or lack evidence for their use. An injectable approach with ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid) is under investigation. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ATX-101 for the reduction of unwanted SMF. Methods In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study, 363 patients with moderate/severe SMF were randomized to receive ATX-101 (1 or 2 mg cm−2) or placebo injections into their SMF at up to four treatment sessions ∽28 days apart, with a 12-week follow-up. The co-primary efficacy endpoints were the proportions of treatment responders [patients with ≥ 1-point improvement in SMF on the 5-point Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS)] and patients satisfied with their face and chin appearance on the Subject Self-Rating Scale (SSRS). Secondary endpoints included skin laxity, calliper measurements and patient-reported outcomes. Adverse events were monitored. Results Significantly more ATX-101 recipients met the primary endpoint criteria vs. placebo: on the clinician scale, 59·2% and 65·3% of patients treated with ATX-101 1 and 2 mg cm−2, respectively, were treatment responders vs. 23·0% for placebo (CR-SMFRS;P < 0·001); on the patient scale, 53·3% and 66·1%, respectively, vs. 28·7%, were satisfied with their face/chin appearance (SSRS;P < 0·001). Calliper measurements showed a significant reduction in SMF (P < 0·001), skin laxity was not worsened and patients reported improvements in the severity and psychological impact of SMF with ATX-101 vs. placebo. Most adverse events were transient and associated with the treatment area. Conclusions ATX-101 was effective and well tolerated for nonsurgical SMF reduction. What's already known about this topic? Unwanted submental fat (SMF) is considered aesthetically unappealing. Liposuction and face-lift are effective treatments for SMF reduction but are

  13. Integrating sphere based reflectance measurements for small-area semiconductor samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saylan, S.; Howells, C. T.; Dahlem, M. S.

    2018-05-01

    This article describes a method that enables reflectance spectroscopy of small semiconductor samples using an integrating sphere, without the use of additional optical elements. We employed an inexpensive sample holder to measure the reflectance of different samples through 2-, 3-, and 4.5-mm-diameter apertures and applied a mathematical formulation to remove the bias from the measured spectra caused by illumination of the holder. Using the proposed method, the reflectance of samples fabricated using expensive or rare materials and/or low-throughput processes can be measured. It can also be incorporated to infer the internal quantum efficiency of small-area, research-level solar cells. Moreover, small samples that reflect light at large angles and develop scattering may also be measured reliably, by virtue of an integrating sphere insensitive to directionalities.

  14. Selective dry etching of silicon containing anti-reflective coating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sridhar, Shyam; Nolan, Andrew; Wang, Li; Karakas, Erdinc; Voronin, Sergey; Biolsi, Peter; Ranjan, Alok

    2018-03-01

    Multi-layer patterning schemes involve the use of Silicon containing Anti-Reflective Coating (SiARC) films for their anti-reflective properties. Patterning transfer completion requires complete and selective removal of SiARC which is very difficult due to its high silicon content (>40%). Typically, SiARC removal is accomplished through a non-selective etch during the pattern transfer process using fluorine containing plasmas, or an ex-situ wet etch process using hydrofluoric acid is employed to remove the residual SiARC, post pattern transfer. Using a non-selective etch may result in profile distortion or wiggling, due to distortion of the underlying organic layer. The drawbacks of using wet etch process for SiARC removal are increased overall processing time and the need for additional equipment. Many applications may involve patterning of active structures in a poly-Si layer with an underlying oxide stopping layer. In such applications, SiARC removal selective to oxide using a wet process may prove futile. Removing SiARC selectively to SiO2 using a dry etch process is also challenging, due to similarity in the nature of chemical bonds (Si - O) in the two materials. In this work, we present highly selective etching of SiARC, in a plasma driven by a surface wave radial line slot antenna. The first step in the process involves an in-situ modification of the SiARC layer in O2 plasma followed by selective etching in a NF3/H2 plasma. Surface treatment in O2 plasma resulted in enhanced etching of the SiARC layer. For the right processing conditions, in-situ NF3/H2 dry etch process demonstrated selectivity values greater than 15:1 with respect to SiO2. The etching chemistry, however, was sensitive to NF3:H2 gas ratio. For dilute NF3 in H2, no SiARC etching was observed. Presumably, this is due to the deposition of ammonium fluorosilicate layer that occurs for dilute NF3/H2 plasmas. Additionally, challenges involved in selective SiARC removal (selective to SiO2, organic

  15. Removing Vestiges: Research-Based Strategies To Promote Inclusion, September 1999.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kent, Norma, Ed.; Carey, Donna, Ed.; Kee, Arnold M., Ed.

    1999-01-01

    The four articles in this issue of Removing Vestiges reflect on institutional, curricular, and classroom approaches to freshman orientation. This issue provides examples of ways institutions meet the needs of their students. The first and last articles involve institutional orientation. Vrondelia Chandler, in "Preparing Community College…

  16. Emission and reflection spectra from AlxGa1-xN/GaN single heterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reynolds, D. C.; Hoelscher, J.; Litton, C. W.; Collins, T. C.; Fitch, R.; Via, G. D.; Gillespie, J.; Crespo, A.; Jenkins, T. J.; Saxler, A.

    2003-10-01

    Emission and reflection spectra from AlGaN/GaN single heterostructures grown on SiC substrates were investigated. Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) transitions were observed in both emission and reflection. The transitions are sharp, associated with the excited state of the 2DEG, reflect the conservation of the K-selection rule, and are excitonlike. The transitions are also associated with both the A- and B-valence bands. To verify the origin of the reflection and emission spectra, the top AlGaN layer was removed by reactive ion etching. After etching, only the excitonic reflection and emission spectra associated with GaN were observed.

  17. Cleaning painted surfaces: evaluation of leaching phenomenon induced by solvents applied for the removal of gel residues.

    PubMed

    Casoli, Antonella; Di Diego, Zaira; Isca, Clelia

    2014-12-01

    Cleaning is one of the most important, delicate, and at the same time controversial processes in the conservation treatment of paintings. Although a strict definition of cleaning would be the removal of dirt, grime, or other accretions (surface cleaning), in the conservation field, cleaning is used in the broader meaning to include thinning/removing altered or “unwanted layers” of materials without damaging or altering the physicochemical properties of the surfaces to be preserved. The cleaning of unvarnished paintings is one of the most critical issues that are currently discussed. Several studies exist regarding different cleaning tools, such as gels, soaps, enzymes, ionic liquids, and foams, as well as various dry methods and lasers, but only a few have been performed on the risk associated with the use of water and organic solvents for the cleaning treatments in relation to the original paint binder. The aim of the study is to verify analytically the behavior of water gelling agents during cleaning treatments and the interaction of the following elements: water or organic solvents applied for the removal of gel residues with the original lipid paint binder. For this purpose, the study was conducted on a fragment of canvas painting (sixteenth to seventeenth century) of Soprintendenza per i Beni Storici, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Superintendence for the Historical, Artistic and Ethno-anthropological Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia), Udine by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy.

  18. Point coordinates extraction from localized hyperbolic reflections in GPR data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ristić, Aleksandar; Bugarinović, Željko; Vrtunski, Milan; Govedarica, Miro

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we propose an automated detection algorithm for the localization of apexes and points on the prongs of hyperbolic reflection incurred as a result of GPR scanning technology. The objects of interest encompass cylindrical underground utilities that have a distinctive form of hyperbolic reflection in radargram. Algorithm involves application of trained neural network to analyze radargram in the form of raster image, resulting with extracted segments of interest that contain hyperbolic reflections. This significantly reduces the amount of data for further analysis. Extracted segments represent the zone for localization of apices. This is followed by extraction of points on prongs of hyperbolic reflections which is carried out until stopping criterion is satisfied, regardless the borders of segment of interest. In final step a classification of false hyperbolic reflections caused by the constructive interference and their removal is done. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB environment. There are several advantages of the proposed algorithm. It can successfully recognize true hyperbolic reflections in radargram images and extracts coordinates, with very low rate of false detections and without prior knowledge about the number of hyperbolic reflections or buried utilities. It can be applied to radargrams containing single and multiple hyperbolic reflections, intersected, distorted, as well as incomplete (asymmetric) hyperbolic reflections, all in the presence of higher level of noise. Special feature of algorithm is developed procedure for analysis and removal of false hyperbolic reflections generated by the constructive interference from reflectors associated with the utilities. Algorithm was tested on a number of synthetic and radargram acquired in the field survey. To illustrate the performances of the proposed algorithm, we present the characteristics of the algorithm through five representative radargrams obtained in real conditions. In these

  19. Skin surface removal on breast microwave imagery using wavelet multiscale products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flores-Tapia, Daniel; Thomas, Gabriel; Pistorius, Stephen

    2006-03-01

    In many parts of the world, breast cancer is the leading cause mortality among women and it is the major cause of cancer death, next only to lung cancer. In recent years, microwave imaging has shown its potential as an alternative approach for breast cancer detection. Although advances have improved the likelihood of developing an early detection system based on this technology, there are still limitations. One of these limitations is that target responses are often obscured by surface reflections. Contrary to ground penetrating radar applications, a simple reference subtraction cannot be easily applied to alleviate this problem due to differences in the breast skin composition between patients. A novel surface removal technique for the removal of these high intensity reflections is proposed in this paper. This paper presents an algorithm based on the multiplication of adjacent wavelet subbands in order to enhance target echoes while reducing skin reflections. In these multiscale products, target signatures can be effectively distinguished from surface reflections. A simple threshold is applied to the signal in the wavelet domain in order to eliminate the skin responses. This final signal is reconstructed to the spatial domain in order to obtain a focused image. The proposed algorithm yielded promising results when applied to real data obtained from a phantom which mimics the dielectric properties of breast, cancer and skin tissues.

  20. On the spectral reflectance properties of materials exposed at the Viking landing sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guinness, E.; Arvidson, R.; Dale-Bannister, M.; Singer, R.; Bruckenthal, E.

    1987-01-01

    Reflectance data derived from Viking Lander multispectral data were used to characterize the types of soils and blocks exposed at the landing sites and to search for evidence of relatively unaltered igneous rocks. A comprehensive effort was mounted to examine multispectral data that combines testing of camera radiometric calibrations, explicitly removing the effects of atmospheric attenuation and skylight, and quantitatively comparing the corrected data to reflectance data from laboratory materials. Bi-directional reflectances for blue, green and red channels were determined for 31 block and soil exposures at Viking landing sites.

  1. Correction for reflected sky radiance in low-altitude coastal hyperspectral images.

    PubMed

    Kim, Minsu; Park, Joong Yong; Kopilevich, Yuri; Tuell, Grady; Philpot, William

    2013-11-10

    Low-altitude coastal hyperspectral imagery is sensitive to reflections of sky radiance at the water surface. Even in the absence of sun glint, and for a calm water surface, the wide range of viewing angles may result in pronounced, low-frequency variations of the reflected sky radiance across the scan line depending on the solar position. The variation in reflected sky radiance can be obscured by strong high-spatial-frequency sun glint and at high altitude by path radiance. However, at low altitudes, the low-spatial-frequency sky radiance effect is frequently significant and is not removed effectively by the typical corrections for sun glint. The reflected sky radiance from the water surface observed by a low-altitude sensor can be modeled in the first approximation as the sum of multiple-scattered Rayleigh path radiance and the single-scattered direct-solar-beam radiance by the aerosol in the lower atmosphere. The path radiance from zenith to the half field of view (FOV) of a typical airborne spectroradiometer has relatively minimal variation and its reflected radiance to detector array results in a flat base. Therefore the along-track variation is mostly contributed by the forward single-scattered solar-beam radiance. The scattered solar-beam radiances arrive at the water surface with different incident angles. Thus the reflected radiance received at the detector array corresponds to a certain scattering angle, and its variation is most effectively parameterized using the downward scattering angle (DSA) of the solar beam. Computation of the DSA must account for the roll, pitch, and heading of the platform and the viewing geometry of the sensor along with the solar ephemeris. Once the DSA image is calculated, the near-infrared (NIR) radiance from selected water scan lines are compared, and a relationship between DSA and NIR radiance is derived. We then apply the relationship to the entire DSA image to create an NIR reference image. Using the NIR reference image

  2. Characterization of landfill leachates and studies on heavy metal removal.

    PubMed

    Ceçen, F; Gürsoy, G

    2000-10-01

    This study covers a thorough characterisation of landfill leachates emerging from a sanitary landfill area. The landfill leachates were obtained in the acidic stage of landfill stabilisation. Their organic content was high as reflected by the high BOD5 (5 day biological oxygen demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) values. They were also highly polluted in terms of the parameters TKN (total Kjeldahl nitrogen), NH4-N, alkalinity, hardness and heavy metals. Nickel was present in these wastewaters at a significant concentration. With regard to the high heavy metal content of these wastewaters, several physicochemical removal alternatives for the heavy metals Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe were tested using coagulation, flocculation, precipitation, base addition and aeration. Additionally, COD removal and ammonia stripping were examined. Co-precipitation with either alum or iron salts did not usually lead to significantly higher heavy metal removal than lime alone. The major methods leading to an effective heavy metal removal were aeration and lime addition. Nickel and cadmium seemed to be strongly complexed and were not removed by any method. Also lead removal proved to be difficult. The results are also discussed in terms of compliance with standards.

  3. Is the Marginal Child More Likely to Be Murdered? An Examination of State Abortion Ratios and Infant Homicide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalist, David E.; Molinari, Noelle A.

    2006-01-01

    We examine whether abortion removes from the population those infants most at risk of homicide. As part of our identification strategy, we find that abortion reduces the number of unwanted births, estimating that 1 percent increase in the abortion ratio reduces unwanted births by approximately 0.35 percent. Using cross-sectional time-series data…

  4. Assessment Study of Small Space Debris Removal by Laser Satellites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, Sang H.; Papa, Richard S.

    2011-01-01

    Space debris in Earth orbit poses significant danger to satellites, humans in space, and future space exploration activities. In particular, the increasing number of unidentifiable objects, smaller than 10 cm, presents a serious hazard. Numerous technologies have been studied for removing unwanted objects in space. Our approach uses a short wavelength laser stationed in orbit to vaporize these small objects. This paper discusses the power requirements for space debris removal using lasers. A short wavelength laser pumped directly or indirectly by solar energy can scan, identify, position, and illuminate the target, which will then be vaporized or slow down the orbital speed of debris by laser detonation until it re-enters the atmosphere. The laser-induced plasma plume has a dispersive motion of approximately 105 m/sec with a Lambertian profile in the direction of the incoming beam [1-2]. The resulting fast ejecting jet plume of vaporized material should prevent matter recombination and condensation. If it allows any condensation of vaporized material, the size of condensed material will be no more than a nanoscale level [3]. Lasers for this purpose can be indirectly pumped by power from an array of solar cells or directly pumped by the solar spectrum [4]. The energy required for vaporization and ionization of a 10 cm cube ( 2700 gm) of aluminum is 87,160 kJ. To remove this amount of aluminum in 3 minutes requires a continuous laser beam power of at least 5.38 MW under the consideration of 9% laser absorption by aluminum [5] and 5% laser pumping efficiency. The power needed for pumping 5.38 MW laser is approximately 108 MW, which can be obtained from a large solar array with 40% efficiency solar cells and a minimal area of 450 meters by 450 meters. This solar array would collect approximately 108 MW. The power required for system operation and maneuvering can be obtained by increasing solar panel size. This feasibility assessment covers roughly the power requirement

  5. Topical liposomal Rose Bengal for photodynamic white hair removal: randomized, controlled, double-blind study.

    PubMed

    Samy, Nevien; Fadel, Maha

    2014-04-01

    Blond and white hair removal by laser is a complicated task with weak satisfactory results due to the deficiency in laser-absorbing chromophore. To investigate if repetitive sessions of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using external application of liposomal Rose bengal (RB) photosensitizer followed by intense pulsed light (IPL) exposure enables removal of gray and white hair. Rose bengal loaded in liposomes (LRB) was constructed, prepared in hydrogel, and was studied for some pharmaceutical properties. Penetration and selective hair follicle damage in mice skin were studied. Topical gel containing LRB was used for treating fifteen adult females who were complaining of facial white terminal hair. Unwanted facial hair was treated for three sessions at intervals of 4-6 weeks using intense pulsed light (IPL). At each session, the treatment area was pre-treated with topical LRB gel, while a control group of another 15 patients applied placebo gel before IPL treatment. Evaluations included hair regrowth, which was measured 4 weeks after each treatment session and at 6 months follow-up by counting the number of terminal hair compared with baseline pretreatment values. Treatment outcomes and complications if any were also reported. Average hair regrowth in the LRB group was 56% after 3 treatment cycles. After six-months follow up, average terminal hair count compared with baseline pretreatment showed 40% reduction and no recorded side effects. A significant difference (P<0.05) was seen compared with the control group; the clinical results were promising. Photodynamic hair removal using rose bengal-encapsulated liposomal gel in combination with IPL treatment showed significant efficacy in the treatment of white hair compared with a control group.

  6. 75 FR 17857 - Removal of Obsolete References to Herbicides Containing Dioxin

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-08

    ... Herbicides Containing Dioxin AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The... health effects of exposure to herbicides containing dioxin and radiation to remove the obsolete references to herbicides containing dioxin. This final rule reflects changes made by the Agent Orange Act of...

  7. Surface reflectance retrieval from imaging spectrometer data using three atmospheric codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Staenz, Karl; Williams, Daniel J.; Fedosejevs, Gunar; Teillet, Phil M.

    1994-12-01

    Surface reflectance retrieval from imaging spectrometer data has become important for quantitative information extraction in many application areas. In order to calculate surface reflectance from remotely measured radiance, radiative transfer codes play an important role for removal of the scattering and gaseous absorption effects of the atmosphere. The present study evaluates surface reflectances retrieved from airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) data using three radiative transfer codes: modified 5S (M5S), 6S, and MODTRAN2. Comparisons of the retrieved surface reflectance with ground-based reflectance were made for different target types such as asphalt, gravel, grass/soil mixture (soccer field), and water (Sooke Lake). The results indicate that the estimation of the atmospheric water vapor content is important for an accurate surface reflectance retrieval regardless of the radiative transfer code used. For the present atmospheric conditions, a difference of 0.1 in aerosol optical depth had little impact on the retrieved surface reflectance. The performance of MODTRAN2 is superior in the gas absorption regions compared to M5S and 6S.

  8. Effectiveness of backpack electrofishing for removal of non-native fishes from a small warm-water stream

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ward, David L.; O'neill, Matthew W.; Ka'apu-Lyons, Cassie

    2015-01-01

    Electrofishing is commonly used when renovating small streams to remove nuisance fishes but the likelihood of complete eradication of unwanted species, particularly warm-water fishes, is unknown. In October of 2008, we electrofished Bonita Creek, a small stream with base flows (<0.56 m3/s) in southern Arizona, and then treated the stream with rotenone to kill all of the remaining fish and quantify the effectiveness of single and multiple-pass electro fishing. Six, 100-m transects were electro fished on three consecutive days followed by a single treatment with rotenone. Fish caught using electrofishing were identified, counted and removed from each transect daily and then compared to numbers of dead fish collected during the subsequent rotenone application. Electrofishing effectiveness was highly variable among transects. Single-pass electrofishing caught an average of 23% (95% CI=5 to 40%) of the fish present, and three-pass electrofishing on consecutive days caught on average 55% (95% CI=28 to 83%) of the fish in each transect. Native Arizona fishes were more susceptible to electrofishing (77 % captured) than non-native species (54% captured), though native fish were rare. Transects in Bonita Creek averaged 3.6±1.5 m wide and 0.25±0.20 m deep (max depth 1.2 m). Bonita Creek is a small first-order stream which exhibits ideal conditions for backpack electrofishing, yet we captured a relatively small percentage of the fish present. This suggests that complete removal of non-native warm-water fishes using backpack electrofishing is not likely to be successful, especially in larger more complex streams.

  9. Slow neutron total cross-section, transmission and reflection calculation for poly- and mono-NaCl and PbF2 crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mansy, Muhammad S.; Adib, M.; Habib, N.; Bashter, I. I.; Morcos, H. N.; El-Mesiry, M. S.

    2016-10-01

    A detailed study about the calculation of total neutron cross-section, transmission and reflection from crystalline materials was performed. The developed computer code is approved to be sufficient for the required calculations, also an excellent agreement has been shown when comparing the code results with the other calculated and measured values. The optimal monochromator and filter parameters were discussed in terms of crystal orientation, mosaic spread, and thickness. Calculations show that 30 cm thick of PbF2 poly-crystal is an excellent cold neutron filter producing neutron wavelengths longer than 0.66 nm needed for the investigation of magnetic structure experiments. While mono-crystal filter PbF2 cut along its (1 1 1), having mosaic spread (η = 0.5°) and thickness 10 cm can only transmit thermal neutrons of the desired wavelengths and suppress epithermal and γ-rays forming unwanted background, when it is cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature. NaCl (2 0 0) and PbF2 (1 1 1) monochromator crystals having mosaic spread (η = 0.5°) and thickness 10 mm shows high neutron reflectivity for neutron wavelengths (λ = 0.114 nm and λ = 0.43 nm) when they used as a thermal and cold neutron monochromators respectively with very low contamination from higher order reflections.

  10. In-depth study of in-trap high-resolution mass separation by transversal ion ejection from a multi-reflection time-of-flight device.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Paul; Knauer, Stefan; Marx, Gerrit; Schweikhard, Lutz

    2018-01-01

    The recently introduced method of ion separation by transversal ejection of unwanted species in electrostatic ion-beam traps and multi-reflection time-of-flight devices has been further studied in detail. As this separation is performed during the ion storage itself, there is no need for additional external devices such as ion gates or traps for either pre- or postselection of the ions of interest. The ejection of unwanted contaminant ions is performed by appropriate pulses of the potentials of deflector electrodes. These segmented ring electrodes are located off-center in the trap, i.e., between one of the two ion mirrors and the central drift tube, which also serves as a potential lift for capturing incoming ions and axially ejecting ions of interest after their selection. The various parameters affecting the selection effectivity and resolving power are illustrated with tin-cluster measurements, where isotopologue ion species provide mass differences down to a single atomic mass unit at ion masses of several hundred. Symmetric deflection voltages of only 10 V were found sufficient for the transversal ejection of ion species with as few as three deflection pulses. The duty cycle, i.e., the pulse duration with respect to the period of ion revolution, has been varied, resulting in resolving powers of up to several tens of thousands for this selection technique.

  11. In-depth study of in-trap high-resolution mass separation by transversal ion ejection from a multi-reflection time-of-flight device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fischer, Paul; Knauer, Stefan; Marx, Gerrit; Schweikhard, Lutz

    2018-01-01

    The recently introduced method of ion separation by transversal ejection of unwanted species in electrostatic ion-beam traps and multi-reflection time-of-flight devices has been further studied in detail. As this separation is performed during the ion storage itself, there is no need for additional external devices such as ion gates or traps for either pre- or postselection of the ions of interest. The ejection of unwanted contaminant ions is performed by appropriate pulses of the potentials of deflector electrodes. These segmented ring electrodes are located off-center in the trap, i.e., between one of the two ion mirrors and the central drift tube, which also serves as a potential lift for capturing incoming ions and axially ejecting ions of interest after their selection. The various parameters affecting the selection effectivity and resolving power are illustrated with tin-cluster measurements, where isotopologue ion species provide mass differences down to a single atomic mass unit at ion masses of several hundred. Symmetric deflection voltages of only 10 V were found sufficient for the transversal ejection of ion species with as few as three deflection pulses. The duty cycle, i.e., the pulse duration with respect to the period of ion revolution, has been varied, resulting in resolving powers of up to several tens of thousands for this selection technique.

  12. Social issues around advanced unwanted pregnancies in rural single women.

    PubMed

    Chhabra, S; Palaparthy, S; Mishra, S

    2009-05-01

    This study covers issues on advanced unwanted pregnancies in rural single women in South-east Asia, with reference to age, education, occupation, person responsible (i.e. baby's father) and reasons for delay in seeking assistance. It describes single women with pregnancy beyond the time for abortion, as set by the Indian abortion law. The study involved 314 girls/women and was set in the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India. The girls/women were admitted, provided with free facilities and had their babies looked after by hospital staff until given up for adoption, or otherwise. The outcomes of the study showed that most individuals (71.01%) were rural, less-literate, working girls. In 94.26% of cases, the baby's father was known; 24 (7.64%) reported rape (13 by a known person). A total of 66 individuals (21.02%) did not inform their parents about the pregnancy for up to 5 months. Five (1.59%) went to unqualified medical practitioners and 16.56% to private practitioners who did not give their services. A total of 47 (14.96%) had waited for the person responsible for their pregnancy before seeking assistance. There was a total of 315 babies born to 310 mothers (five twins); four absconded undelivered; 13 absconded after delivery (two with their babies, 11 leaving babies). The study found that pregnancies were often caused by rape and girls/women with no knowledge of abortion laws, shyness, fear, lack of desired privacy, lack of resources, misleading management at periphery all went beyond 20 weeks. Mostly, the babies were not accepted--the girls married the babies' fathers, but left their babies. Emergency contraception for unprotected sexual intercourse is essential.

  13. Photorealistic ray tracing to visualize automobile side mirror reflective scenes.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hocheol; Kim, Kyuman; Lee, Gang; Lee, Sungkoo; Kim, Jingu

    2014-10-20

    We describe an interactive visualization procedure for determining the optimal surface of a special automobile side mirror, thereby removing the blind spot, without the need for feedback from the error-prone manufacturing process. If the horizontally progressive curvature distributions are set to the semi-mathematical expression for a free-form surface, the surface point set can then be derived through numerical integration. This is then converted to a NURBS surface while retaining the surface curvature. Then, reflective scenes from the driving environment can be virtually realized using photorealistic ray tracing, in order to evaluate how these reflected images would appear to drivers.

  14. Reflecting Reflective Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galea, Simone

    2012-01-01

    This paper demystifies reflective practice on teaching by focusing on the idea of reflection itself and how it has been conceived by two philosophers, Plato and Irigaray. It argues that reflective practice has become a standardized method of defining the teacher in teacher education and teacher accreditation systems. It explores how practices of…

  15. Adding EUV reflectance to aluminum-coated mirrors for space-based observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allred, David D.; Turley, R. Steven; Thomas, Stephanie M.; Willett, Spencer G.; Greenburg, Michael J.; Perry, Spencer B.

    2017-09-01

    Protective layers on aluminum mirror surfaces which can be removed via the use of atomic hydrogen or hydrogen plasmas at the point of use in space may allow an expansion of broad-band mirrors into the EUV. LUVOIR (large, UV-optical-IR telescope) is a potential NASA flagship space-based observatory of the 2020's or 30's. It would utilize the largest mirrors ever flown1 . Their reflective coating will almost certainly be aluminum, since such telescopes would profit from truly broad-band mirrors. To achieve reflectance over the broadest band, the top surface of such aluminum mirrors, however, needs to be bare, without the oxide layers that naturally form in air. This will open the 11 to 15 eV band. Since thin aluminum films are largely transparent between 15 and 70 eV an EUV mirror under the aluminum could make EUV bands such as 30.4 nm available for space-based astrophysics without sacrificing mirror IR, visible and UV reflectance. The local space environment for the observatory is sufficiently oxygen-free that the surface should remain bare for decades. We discuss protecting as-deposited aluminum mirrors with robust, oxygenimpenetrable, barrier layers applied in vacuo to the aluminum immediately after deposition and before air contact. The goal is that the barrier could also be cleanly, and relatively easily, removed once the mirror is in space. We propose hydrogen atoms as the means for removing the overcoat, since they can be expected to meet the criteria that the means is gentle enough to not roughen the mirror surface, and does not redeposit material on the mirror or other spacecraft components. We have investigated both organic and inorganic (such as, a-Si) hydrogen-removable films that can be applied to the aluminum immediately after its deposition have been investigated. We also examined the REVAP technique, using Cd and Zn. Agglomeration limited their effectiveness as barrier layers. That and dealing with the reevaporated atoms may limit their utility as

  16. Negative Effects of Psychological Treatments: An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Negative Effects Questionnaire for Monitoring and Reporting Adverse and Unwanted Events.

    PubMed

    Rozental, Alexander; Kottorp, Anders; Boettcher, Johanna; Andersson, Gerhard; Carlbring, Per

    2016-01-01

    Research conducted during the last decades has provided increasing evidence for the use of psychological treatments for a number of psychiatric disorders and somatic complaints. However, by focusing only on the positive outcomes, less attention has been given to the potential of negative effects. Despite indications of deterioration and other adverse and unwanted events during treatment, little is known about their occurrence and characteristics. Hence, in order to facilitate research of negative effects, a new instrument for monitoring and reporting their incidence and impact was developed using a consensus among researchers, self-reports by patients, and a literature review: the Negative Effects Questionnaire. Participants were recruited via a smartphone-delivered self-help treatment for social anxiety disorder and through the media (N = 653). An exploratory factor analysis was performed, resulting in a six-factor solution with 32 items, accounting for 57.64% of the variance. The derived factors were: symptoms, quality, dependency, stigma, hopelessness, and failure. Items related to unpleasant memories, stress, and anxiety were experienced by more than one-third of the participants. Further, increased or novel symptoms, as well as lack of quality in the treatment and therapeutic relationship rendered the highest self-reported negative impact. In addition, the findings were discussed in relation to prior research and other similar instruments of adverse and unwanted events, giving credence to the items that are included. The instrument is presently available in eleven different languages and can be freely downloaded and used from www.neqscale.com.

  17. One-step selective electrokinetic removal of inorganic anions from small volumes and its application as sample clean-up for mass spectrometric techniques.

    PubMed

    Tubaon, Ria Marni; Haddad, Paul R; Quirino, Joselito P

    2017-03-10

    The presence of inorganic anions in a sample interferes with mass spectrometric (MS) analysis. Here, a simple method to remove these ions from a liquid sample in one-step is described. The inorganic anions present in a 50μL sample were extracted into a low pH solution inside a 200μm i.d.×33cm long capillary by the use of an electric field. The selective removal of unwanted anions and retention of target analytes was accomplished by control of the apparent electrophoretic velocities of anions and analytes at a boundary that separated the sample and extraction solution. No physical barrier (e.g., membrane) was required and with the boundary situated at the tip of the capillary, efficient removal of inorganic anions (e.g., >80% removal) and good recovery of target analytes (e.g., >80% recovery) were achieved. The time required for removal of the inorganic anions was found to depend on their initial concentrations. The removal process was investigated using different concentrations of bromide and nitrate (as potassium salts) and negatively chargeable drugs as target analytes. This micro-sample clean-up technique used no organic solvents and little consumables and was studied to the determination of 0.6μg/L arsenic and 8.3μg/L vanadium in 500mg/L sodium chloride using inductively coupled plasma MS and 50μM angiotensin I in 1000mg/L sodium chloride using electrospray ionisation MS. Micro-sample clean-up was performed for 45min at 3kV in both demonstrations. The calculated recoveries for the metals at trace levels were 110-130%, and for the peptide was 103.8%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Monitoring bruise age using visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McMurdy, John W.; Duffy, Susan; Crawford, Gregory P.

    2007-02-01

    The ability to determine the age of a bruise of unknown age mechanism is important in matters of domestic and child abuse and forensics. While physicians are asked to make clinical judgment on the age of a bruise using color and tenderness, studies have shown that a physicians estimate is highly inaccurate and in cases no better than chance alone. We present here the temporal progression of reflection spectrum collected from accidentally inflicted contusions in adult and child study participants with a synopsis of the observed phenomena. Reflection spectra collected using a portable fiber optic reflection spectrometer can track the increase in extravasated hemoglobin from trauma caused blood vessel rupture and subsequent removal of this hemoglobin occurring concurrent with an increase in the absorption attributed to the breakdown product bilirubin. We hypothesize that this time dependent pattern can be used to determine the age of an unknown bruise in an individual provided rate constant information for the patient can be determined in a controlled calibration bruise. Using reflection spectra to estimate bruise age can provide a rapid and noninvasive method to improve the ability of physicians in dating the age of a contusion.

  19. Reflectance model for quantifying chlorophyll a in the presence of productivity degradation products

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carder, K. L.; Hawes, S. K.; Steward, R. G.; Baker, K. A.; Smith, R. C.; Mitchell, B. G.

    1991-01-01

    A reflectance model developed to estimate chlorophyll a concentrations in the presence of marine colored dissolved organic matter, pheopigments, detritus, and bacteria is presented. Nomograms and lookup tables are generated to describe the effects of different mixtures of chlorophyll a and these degradation products on the R(412):R(443) and R(443):R(565) remote-sensing reflectance or irradiance reflectance ratios. These are used to simulate the accuracy of potential ocean color satellite algorithms, assuming that atmospheric effects have been removed. For the California Current upwelling and offshore regions, with chlorophyll a not greater than 1.3 mg/cu m, the average error for chlorophyll a retrievals derived from irradiance reflectance data for degradation product-rich areas was reduced from +/-61 percent to +/-23 percent by application of an algorithm using two reflectance ratios rather than the commonly used algorithm applying a single reflectance ratio.

  20. A mean-based filter to remove power line harmonic noise from seismic reflection data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karslı, Hakan; Dondurur, Derman

    2018-06-01

    Power line harmonic noise generated by power lines during the seismic data acquisition in land and marine seismic surveys generally appears as a single frequency with 50/60 Hz (or multiples of these frequencies) and contaminates seismic data leading to complicate the identification of fine details in the data. Commonly applied method during seismic data processing to remove the harmonic noise is classical notch filter (or very narrow band-stop filter), however, it also attenuates all recorded data around the notch frequencies and results in a complete loss of available information which corresponds to fine details in the seismic data. In this study, we introduce an application of the algorithm of iterative trimmed and truncated mean filter method (ITTM) to remove the harmonic noise from seismic data, and here, we name the method as local ITTM (LITTM) since we applied it to the seismic data locally in spectral domain. In this method, an optimal value is iteratively searched depending on a threshold value by trimming and truncating process for the spectral amplitude samples within the specified spectral window. Therefore, the LITTM filter converges to the median, but, there is no need to sort the data as in the case of conventional median filters. On the other hand, the LITTM filtering process doesn't require any reference signal or a precise estimate of the fundamental frequency of the harmonic noise, and only approximate frequency band of the noise within the amplitude spectra is considered. The only required parameter of the method is the width of this frequency band in the spectral domain. The LITTM filter is first applied to synthetic data and then we analyze a real marine dataset to compare the quality of the output after removing the power line noise by classical notch, median and proposed LITTM filters. We observe that the power line harmonic noise is completely filtered out by LITTM filter, and unlike the conventional notch filter, without any damage on the

  1. Seasonal pathogen removal by alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems.

    PubMed

    Pundsack, J; Axler, R; Hicks, R; Henneck, J; Nordman, D; McCarthy, B

    2001-01-01

    Subsurface-flow constructed wetlands, sand filters, and peat filters near Duluth, Minnesota, were studied to determine their seasonal performance for removing pathogens from wastewater. Influent was a high-strength septic tank effluent (mean values of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were 294, 96, and 15 mg/L, respectively) at the Natural Resources Research Institute's alternative treatment system test facility in northern Minnesota. Each treatment system was inoculated with cultures of Salmonella choleraesuis (serotype typhimurium) for 5 to 7 consecutive days in summer and winter during 1998 to 1999. After the seeding, outflow samples were taken until Salmonella counts were sustained at background levels. The removal of Salmonella was calculated for each system, although the exact removal mechanisms were not determined. During the summer, the wetlands removed 99.6 to 99.999 4% (2.4 to 5.3 log10 reduction) of the culturable Salmonella. The sand filters demonstrated a greater than 7 log10 removal of Salmonella cells, whereas the peat filters were responsible for a greater than 8 log10 loss of cells. Fewer Salomonella cells were removed by all of these systems during the winter, although the pattern of removal was similar to their summer operation. During the winter, the wetlands and sand filters removed greater than 1 log10 of culturable cells, but the peat filters were responsible for a greater than 5 log10 loss of cells. Fecal coliform removal patterns reflected those for Salmonella by treatment systems for summer and winter periods. Based on Salmonella and fecal coliform removal, the peat filters operated most effectively followed by the sand filters and the constructed wetlands.

  2. Laser removal of graffiti from Pink Morelia Quarry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penide, J.; Quintero, F.; Riveiro, A.; Sánchez-Castillo, A.; Comesaña, R.; del Val, J.; Lusquiños, F.; Pou, J.

    2013-11-01

    Morelia is an important city sited in Mexico. Its historical center reflects most of their culture and history, especially of the colonial period; in fact, it was appointed World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Sadly, there is a serious problem with graffiti in Morelia and its historical center is the worst affected since its delicate charming is definitely damaged. Hitherto, the conventional methods employed to remove graffiti from Pink Morelia Quarry (the most used building stone in Morelia) are quite aggressive to the appearance of the monuments, so actually, they are not a very good solution. In this work, we performed a study on the removal of graffiti from Pink Morelia Quarry by high power diode laser. We carried out an extensive experimental study looking for the optimal processing parameters, and compared a single-pass with a multi-pass method. Indeed, we achieved an effective cleaning without producing serious side effects in the stone. In conclusion, the multi-pass method emitting in continuous wave was revealed as the more effective operating modes to remove the graffiti.

  3. Pegasus International, Inc. coating removal systems

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

    NONE

    1998-02-01

    The Pegasus Coating Removal System (PCRS) was demonstrated at Florida International University (FIU) where it was being evaluated for efficiency and cost. In conjunction with the FIU testing demonstration, a human factors assessment was conducted to assess the hazards and associated safety and health issues of concern for workers utilizing this technology. The PCRS is a chemical paste that is applied to the surface using a brush, roller, or airless sprayer. After the type of PCRS, thickness, and dwell time have been determined, a laminated backed material is placed on top of the chemical paste to slow down the dryingmore » process and to provide a mechanism to strip-off the chemical. After the dwell time is reached, the chemical substrate can be removed. Scrapers may be used to break-loose the layers as necessary or to break-loose the layers that are not removed when the laminated paper is picked up. Residue may also be cleaned off of the surface with a damp sponge with an agitating motion, absorbent sponges, or a vacuum, as needed. The paint and removal agent is then placed in drums for disposal at a later time. During the assessment sampling was conducted for organic vapors and general observational techniques were conducted for ergonomics. Recommendations for improved worker safety and health during application and removal of the PCRS include: (1) work practices that reflect avoidance of exposure or reducing the risk of exposure; (2) assuring all PPE and equipment are compatible with the chemicals being used; (3) work practices that reduce the worker`s need to walk on the slippery surface caused by the chemical or the use of special anti-slip soles; (4) careful control of overspray (if a spray application is used); and (5) the use of ergonomically designed long-handled tools to apply and remove the chemical (to alleviate some of the ergonomic concerns).« less

  4. Static biofilm removal around ultrasonic tips in vitro.

    PubMed

    Thurnheer, Thomas; Rohrer, Elodie; Belibasakis, Georgios N; Attin, Thomas; Schmidlin, Patrick R

    2014-09-01

    This study aims to investigate the biofilm removal capacity of two ultrasonic tips under standardized conditions using a multi-species biofilm model. Six-species biofilms were grown on hydroxyapatite discs for 64.5 h and were treated for 15 s with a standardized load of 40 g with a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive device. Tips were applied either with the tip end or with the side facing downwards. Detached bacteria were determined in the supernatant and colony-forming units (CFUs) counted after 72 h of incubation. Untreated specimens served as controls. Moreover, the biofilms remaining on the hydroxyapatite surface after treatment were stained using the Live/Dead stain, and the pattern of their detachment was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). As compared to the untreated control, it was found that only a side application of the magnetostrictive device was able to remove efficiently the biofilm. In contrast, its tip application as well as both applications of the piezoelectric device removed significantly less bacteria from the biofilm structure. These findings were corroborated by CLSM observation. Both ultrasonic tips under investigations led to bacterial detachment, but the action mode as well as the tip configuration and adaptation appeared to be influenced by the biofilm removal effectiveness. Biofilm removal remains a main goal of ultrasonic debridement. This should be reflected in respective laboratory investigations. The presented combination of methods applied on a multi-species biofilm model in vitro allows the evaluation of the effectiveness of different ultrasonic scaler applications.

  5. Standardizing terms, definitions and concepts for describing and interpreting unwanted immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals: recommendations of the Innovative Medicines Initiative ABIRISK consortium.

    PubMed

    Rup, B; Pallardy, M; Sikkema, D; Albert, T; Allez, M; Broet, P; Carini, C; Creeke, P; Davidson, J; De Vries, N; Finco, D; Fogdell-Hahn, A; Havrdova, E; Hincelin-Mery, A; C Holland, M; H Jensen, P E; Jury, E C; Kirby, H; Kramer, D; Lacroix-Desmazes, S; Legrand, J; Maggi, E; Maillère, B; Mariette, X; Mauri, C; Mikol, V; Mulleman, D; Oldenburg, J; Paintaud, G; R Pedersen, C; Ruperto, N; Seitz, R; Spindeldreher, S; Deisenhammer, F

    2015-09-01

    Biopharmaceuticals (BPs) represent a rapidly growing class of approved and investigational drug therapies that is contributing significantly to advancing treatment in multiple disease areas, including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, genetic deficiencies and cancer. Unfortunately, unwanted immunogenic responses to BPs, in particular those affecting clinical safety or efficacy, remain among the most common negative effects associated with this important class of drugs. To manage and reduce risk of unwanted immunogenicity, diverse communities of clinicians, pharmaceutical industry and academic scientists are involved in: interpretation and management of clinical and biological outcomes of BP immunogenicity, improvement of methods for describing, predicting and mitigating immunogenicity risk and elucidation of underlying causes. Collaboration and alignment of efforts across these communities is made difficult due to lack of agreement on concepts, practices and standardized terms and definitions related to immunogenicity. The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI; www.imi-europe.org), ABIRISK consortium [Anti-Biopharmaceutical (BP) Immunization Prediction and Clinical Relevance to Reduce the Risk; www.abirisk.eu] was formed by leading clinicians, academic scientists and EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) members to elucidate underlying causes, improve methods for immunogenicity prediction and mitigation and establish common definitions around terms and concepts related to immunogenicity. These efforts are expected to facilitate broader collaborations and lead to new guidelines for managing immunogenicity. To support alignment, an overview of concepts behind the set of key terms and definitions adopted to date by ABIRISK is provided herein along with a link to access and download the ABIRISK terms and definitions and provide comments (http://www.abirisk.eu/index_t_and_d.asp). © 2015 British Society for Immunology.

  6. Standardizing terms, definitions and concepts for describing and interpreting unwanted immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals: recommendations of the Innovative Medicines Initiative ABIRISK consortium

    PubMed Central

    Rup, B; Pallardy, M; Sikkema, D; Albert, T; Allez, M; Broet, P; Carini, C; Creeke, P; Davidson, J; De Vries, N; Finco, D; Fogdell-Hahn, A; Havrdova, E; Hincelin-Mery, A; C Holland, M; H Jensen, P E; Jury, E C; Kirby, H; Kramer, D; Lacroix-Desmazes, S; Legrand, J; Maggi, E; Maillère, B; Mariette, X; Mauri, C; Mikol, V; Mulleman, D; Oldenburg, J; Paintaud, G; R Pedersen, C; Ruperto, N; Seitz, R; Spindeldreher, S; Deisenhammer, F

    2015-01-01

    Biopharmaceuticals (BPs) represent a rapidly growing class of approved and investigational drug therapies that is contributing significantly to advancing treatment in multiple disease areas, including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, genetic deficiencies and cancer. Unfortunately, unwanted immunogenic responses to BPs, in particular those affecting clinical safety or efficacy, remain among the most common negative effects associated with this important class of drugs. To manage and reduce risk of unwanted immunogenicity, diverse communities of clinicians, pharmaceutical industry and academic scientists are involved in: interpretation and management of clinical and biological outcomes of BP immunogenicity, improvement of methods for describing, predicting and mitigating immunogenicity risk and elucidation of underlying causes. Collaboration and alignment of efforts across these communities is made difficult due to lack of agreement on concepts, practices and standardized terms and definitions related to immunogenicity. The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI; http://www.imi-europe.org), ABIRISK consortium [Anti-Biopharmaceutical (BP) Immunization Prediction and Clinical Relevance to Reduce the Risk; http://www.abirisk.eu] was formed by leading clinicians, academic scientists and EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) members to elucidate underlying causes, improve methods for immunogenicity prediction and mitigation and establish common definitions around terms and concepts related to immunogenicity. These efforts are expected to facilitate broader collaborations and lead to new guidelines for managing immunogenicity. To support alignment, an overview of concepts behind the set of key terms and definitions adopted to date by ABIRISK is provided herein along with a link to access and download the ABIRISK terms and definitions and provide comments (http://www.abirisk.eu/index_t_and_d.asp). PMID:25959571

  7. Negative Effects of Psychological Treatments: An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Negative Effects Questionnaire for Monitoring and Reporting Adverse and Unwanted Events

    PubMed Central

    Kottorp, Anders; Boettcher, Johanna; Andersson, Gerhard; Carlbring, Per

    2016-01-01

    Research conducted during the last decades has provided increasing evidence for the use of psychological treatments for a number of psychiatric disorders and somatic complaints. However, by focusing only on the positive outcomes, less attention has been given to the potential of negative effects. Despite indications of deterioration and other adverse and unwanted events during treatment, little is known about their occurrence and characteristics. Hence, in order to facilitate research of negative effects, a new instrument for monitoring and reporting their incidence and impact was developed using a consensus among researchers, self-reports by patients, and a literature review: the Negative Effects Questionnaire. Participants were recruited via a smartphone-delivered self-help treatment for social anxiety disorder and through the media (N = 653). An exploratory factor analysis was performed, resulting in a six-factor solution with 32 items, accounting for 57.64% of the variance. The derived factors were: symptoms, quality, dependency, stigma, hopelessness, and failure. Items related to unpleasant memories, stress, and anxiety were experienced by more than one-third of the participants. Further, increased or novel symptoms, as well as lack of quality in the treatment and therapeutic relationship rendered the highest self-reported negative impact. In addition, the findings were discussed in relation to prior research and other similar instruments of adverse and unwanted events, giving credence to the items that are included. The instrument is presently available in eleven different languages and can be freely downloaded and used from www.neqscale.com. PMID:27331907

  8. Defect tolerant transmission lithography mask

    DOEpatents

    Vernon, Stephen P.

    2000-01-01

    A transmission lithography mask that utilizes a transparent substrate or a partially transparent membrane as the active region of the mask. A reflective single layer or multilayer coating is deposited on the membrane surface facing the illumination system. The coating is selectively patterned (removed) to form transmissive (bright) regions. Structural imperfections and defects in the coating have negligible effect on the aerial image of the mask master pattern since the coating is used to reflect radiation out of the entrance pupil of the imaging system. Similarly, structural imperfections in the clear regions of the membrane have little influence on the amplitude or phase of the transmitted electromagnetic fields. Since the mask "discards," rather than absorbs, unwanted radiation, it has reduced optical absorption and reduced thermal loading as compared to conventional designs. For EUV applications, the mask circumvents the phase defect problem, and is independent of the thermal load during exposure.

  9. Lithium purification technique

    DOEpatents

    Keough, Robert F.; Meadows, George E.

    1985-01-01

    A method for purifying liquid lithium to remove unwanted quantities of nitrogen or aluminum. The method involves precipitation of aluminum nitride by adding a reagent to the liquid lithium. The reagent will be either nitrogen or aluminum in a quantity adequate to react with the unwanted quantity of the impurity to form insoluble aluminum nitride. The aluminum nitride can be mechanically separated from the molten liquid lithium.

  10. Lithium purification technique

    DOEpatents

    Keough, R.F.; Meadows, G.E.

    1984-01-10

    A method for purifying liquid lithium to remove unwanted quantities of nitrogen or aluminum. The method involves precipitation of aluminum nitride by adding a reagent to the liquid lithium. The reagent will be either nitrogen or aluminum in a quantity adequate to react with the unwanted quantity of the impurity to form insoluble aluminum nitride. The aluminum nitride can be mechanically separated from the molten liquid lithium.

  11. REMOVED: Investigating misophonia: A review of the literature, clinical implications and research agenda reflecting current neuroscience and emotion research perspectives.

    PubMed

    Erfanian, M; Jo Brout, J; Edelstein, M; Kumar, S; Mannino, M; Miller, L J; Rouw, R; Rosenthal, M Z

    2017-04-01

    This article has been removed: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been removed at the request of the authors due to errors in the author list. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  12. Approaches to Mitigate the Unwanted Immunogenicity of Therapeutic Proteins during Drug Development.

    PubMed

    Salazar-Fontana, Laura I; Desai, Dharmesh D; Khan, Tarik A; Pillutla, Renuka C; Prior, Sandra; Ramakrishnan, Radha; Schneider, Jennifer; Joseph, Alexandra

    2017-03-01

    All biotherapeutics have the potential to induce an immune response. This immunological response is complex and, in addition to antibody formation, involves T cell activation and innate immune responses that could contribute to adverse effects. Integrated immunogenicity data analysis is crucial to understanding the possible clinical consequences of anti-drug antibody (ADA) responses. Because patient- and product-related factors can influence the immunogenicity of a therapeutic protein, a risk-based approach is recommended and followed by most drug developers to provide insight over the potential harm of unwanted ADA responses. This paper examines mitigation strategies currently implemented and novel under investigation approaches used by drug developers. The review describes immunomodulatory regimens used in the clinic to mitigate deleterious ADA responses to replacement therapies for deficiency syndromes, such as hemophilia A and B, and high risk classical infantile Pompe patients (e.g., cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, rituximab); novel in silico and in vitro prediction tools used to select candidates based on their immunogenicity potential (e.g., anti-CD52 antibody primary sequence and IFN beta-1a formulation); in vitro generation of tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to reduce ADA responses to factor VIII and IX in murine models of hemophilia; and selection of novel delivery systems to reduce in vivo ADA responses to highly immunogenic biotherapeutics (e.g., asparaginase). We conclude that mitigation strategies should be considered early in development for biotherapeutics based on our knowledge of existing clinical data for biotherapeutics and the immune response involved in the generation of these ADAs.

  13. Did abortion legalization reduce the number of unwanted children? Evidence from adoptions.

    PubMed

    Bitler, Marianne; Madeline, Zavodny

    2002-01-01

    The legalization of abortion in the United States led to well-known changes in reproductive behavior, but its effect on adoptions has not been investigated. Variation across states in the timing and extent of abortion legalization is used to identify the effects of changes in the legal status of abortion on adoption rates from 1961 to 1975. These effects are estimated in regression analyses that control for states' economic, demographic and political characteristics, as well as for health care availability within states. The rate of adoptions of children born to white women declined by 34-37% in states that repealed restrictive abortion laws before Roe v. Wade. The effect was concentrated among adoptions by petitioners not related to the child. Legal reforms resulting in small increases in access, such as in cases of rape and incest, were associated with a 15-18% decline in adoptions of children born to nonwhite women; however, this decline may have been due to other changes in the policy environment for such adoptions. Rates of adoption of children born to white women appear to have declined after Roe v. Wade, but this association is not statistically significant. The estimated effect of abortion legalization on adoption rates is sizable and can account for much of the decline in adoptions, particularly of children born to white women, during the early 1970s. These findings support previous studies' conclusions that abortion legalization led to a reduction in the number of "unwanted" children; such a reduction may have improved average infant health and children's living conditions.

  14. Sensor fusion using a hybrid median filter for artifact removal in intraoperative heart rate monitoring.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ping; Dumont, Guy A; Ansermino, J Mark

    2009-04-01

    Intraoperative heart rate is routinely measured independently from the ECG monitor, pulse oximeter, and the invasive blood pressure monitor if available. The presence of artifacts, in one or more of theses signals, especially sustained artifacts, represents a critical challenge for physiological monitoring. When temporal filters are used to suppress sustained artifacts, unwanted delays or signal distortion are often introduced. The aim of this study was to remove artifacts and derive accurate estimates for the heart rate signal by using measurement redundancy. Heart rate measurements from multiple sensors and previous estimates that fall in a short moving window were treated as samples of the same heart rate. A hybrid median filter was used to align these samples into one ordinal series and to select the median as the fused estimate. This method can successfully remove artifacts that are sustained for shorter than half the length of the filter window, or artifacts that are sustained for a longer duration but presented in no more than half of the sensors. The method was tested on both simulated and clinical cases. The performance of the hybrid median filter in the simulated study was compared with that of a two-step estimation process, comprising a threshold-controlled artifact-removal module and a Kalman filter. The estimation accuracy of the hybrid median filter is better than that of the Kalman filter in the presence of artifacts. The hybrid median filter combines the structural and temporal information from two or more sensors and generates a robust estimate of heart rate without requiring strict assumptions about the signal's characteristics. This method is intuitive, computationally simple, and the performance can be easily adjusted. These considerable benefits make this method highly suitable for clinical use.

  15. Skin lesion removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... benign; Cryosurgery - skin, benign; BCC - removal; Basal cell cancer - removal; Actinic keratosis - removal; Wart - removal; Squamous cell - removal; Mole - removal; Nevus - removal; Nevi - removal; Scissor ...

  16. Stochastic Gabor reflectivity and acoustic impedance inversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hariri Naghadeh, Diako; Morley, Christopher Keith; Ferguson, Angus John

    2018-02-01

    To delineate subsurface lithology to estimate petrophysical properties of a reservoir, it is possible to use acoustic impedance (AI) which is the result of seismic inversion. To change amplitude to AI, removal of wavelet effects from the seismic signal in order to get a reflection series, and subsequently transforming those reflections to AI, is vital. To carry out seismic inversion correctly it is important to not assume that the seismic signal is stationary. However, all stationary deconvolution methods are designed following that assumption. To increase temporal resolution and interpretation ability, amplitude compensation and phase correction are inevitable. Those are pitfalls of stationary reflectivity inversion. Although stationary reflectivity inversion methods are trying to estimate reflectivity series, because of incorrect assumptions their estimations will not be correct, but may be useful. Trying to convert those reflection series to AI, also merging with the low frequency initial model, can help us. The aim of this study was to apply non-stationary deconvolution to eliminate time variant wavelet effects from the signal and to convert the estimated reflection series to the absolute AI by getting bias from well logs. To carry out this aim, stochastic Gabor inversion in the time domain was used. The Gabor transform derived the signal’s time-frequency analysis and estimated wavelet properties from different windows. Dealing with different time windows gave an ability to create a time-variant kernel matrix, which was used to remove matrix effects from seismic data. The result was a reflection series that does not follow the stationary assumption. The subsequent step was to convert those reflections to AI using well information. Synthetic and real data sets were used to show the ability of the introduced method. The results highlight that the time cost to get seismic inversion is negligible related to general Gabor inversion in the frequency domain. Also

  17. Antibody adsorption on the surface of water studied by neutron reflection

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zongyi; Holman, Robert; Pan, Fang; Campbell, Richard A.; Campana, Mario; Li, Peixun; Webster, John R. P.; Bishop, Steven; Narwal, Rojaramani; Uddin, Shahid

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Surface and interfacial adsorption of antibody molecules could cause structural unfolding and desorbed molecules could trigger solution aggregation, resulting in the compromise of physical stability. Although antibody adsorption is important and its relevance to many mechanistic processes has been proposed, few techniques can offer direct structural information about antibody adsorption under different conditions. The main aim of this study was to demonstrate the power of neutron reflection to unravel the amount and structural conformation of the adsorbed antibody layers at the air/water interface with and without surfactant, using a monoclonal antibody ‘COE-3′ as the model. By selecting isotopic contrasts from different ratios of H2O and D2O, the adsorbed amount, thickness and extent of the immersion of the antibody layer could be determined unambiguously. Upon mixing with the commonly-used non-ionic surfactant Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), the surfactant in the mixed layer could be distinguished from antibody by using both hydrogenated and deuterated surfactants. Neutron reflection measurements from the co-adsorbed layers in null reflecting water revealed that, although the surfactant started to remove antibody from the surface at 1/100 critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant, complete removal was not achieved until above 1/10 CMC. The neutron study also revealed that antibody molecules retained their globular structure when either adsorbed by themselves or co-adsorbed with the surfactant under the conditions studied. PMID:28353420

  18. A Reflective Look at Reflecting Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pender, Rebecca L.; Stinchfield, Tracy

    2012-01-01

    This article reviewed existing literature and research on the reflecting team process. There is a dearth of empirical research that explores the reflecting team process and the outcome of counseling that uses reflecting teams. Implications of using reflecting teams for counselors, counselor educators, and clients will be discussed. A call for…

  19. SEDIMENT REMOVAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    When properly conducted, sediment removal is an effective lake management technique. This chapter describes: (1) purposes of sediment removal, (2) environmental concerns, (3) appropriate depth of sediment removal, (4) sediment removal techniques, (5) suitable lake conditions, (6)...

  20. Removing sun glint from optical remote sensing images of shallow rivers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Overstreet, Brandon T.; Legleiter, Carl

    2017-01-01

    Sun glint is the specular reflection of light from the water surface, which often causes unusually bright pixel values that can dominate fluvial remote sensing imagery and obscure the water-leaving radiance signal of interest for mapping bathymetry, bottom type, or water column optical characteristics. Although sun glint is ubiquitous in fluvial remote sensing imagery, river-specific methods for removing sun glint are not yet available. We show that existing sun glint-removal methods developed for multispectral images of marine shallow water environments over-correct shallow portions of fluvial remote sensing imagery resulting in regions of unreliable data along channel margins. We build on existing marine glint-removal methods to develop a river-specific technique that removes sun glint from shallow areas of the channel without overcorrection by accounting for non-negligible water-leaving near-infrared radiance. This new sun glint-removal method can improve the accuracy of spectrally-based depth retrieval in cases where sun glint dominates the at-sensor radiance. For an example image of the gravel-bed Snake River, Wyoming, USA, observed-vs.-predicted R2 values for depth retrieval improved from 0.66 to 0.76 following sun glint removal. The methodology presented here is straightforward to implement and could be incorporated into image processing workflows for multispectral images that include a near-infrared band.

  1. Deviation characteristics of specular reflectivity of micro-rough surface from Fresnel's equation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, W. J.; Qiu, J.; Liu, L. H.

    2015-07-01

    Specular reflectivity is an important radiative property in thermal engineering applications and reflection-based optical constant determinations, yet it will be influenced by surface micro-roughness which cannot be completely removed during the polishing process. In this work, we examined the deviation characteristics of the specular reflectivity of micro-rough surfaces from that predicted by the Fresnel's equation under the assumption of smooth surface. The effects of incident angle and relative roughness were numerically investigated for both 1D and 2D micro randomly rough surfaces using full wave analysis under the condition that the relative roughness is smaller than 0.05. For transverse magnetic (TM) wave incidence, it is observed that the deviation of specular reflectivity dramatically rises as the incident angle approaches to the pseudo Brewster's angle, which violates the prediction based on Rayleigh criterion. While for the transverse electric (TE) wave incidence, the deviation of the specular reflectivity is much smaller and decreases monotonically with the increase of incident angle, which agrees with the predication from Rayleigh criterion. Generally, the deviation of specular reflectivity for both TM and TE increases with the relative roughness as commonly expected.

  2. Towards reducing the impacts of unwanted movements on identification of motion intentions.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiangxin; Chen, Shixiong; Zhang, Haoshi; Samuel, Oluwarotimi Williams; Wang, Hui; Fang, Peng; Zhang, Xiufeng; Li, Guanglin

    2016-06-01

    Surface electromyogram (sEMG) has been extensively used as a control signal in prosthesis devices. However, it is still a great challenge to make multifunctional myoelectric prostheses clinically available due to a number of critical issues associated with existing EMG based control strategy. One such issue would be the effect of unwanted movements (UMs) that are inadvertently done by users on the performance of movement classification in EMG pattern recognition based algorithms. Since UMs are not considered in training a classifier, they would decay the performance of a trained classifier in identifying the target movements (TMs), which would cause some undesired actions in control of multifunctional prostheses. In this study, the impact of UMs was systemically investigated in both able-bodied subjects and transradial amputees. Our results showed that the UMs would be unevenly classified into all classes of the TMs. To reduce the impact of the UMs on the performance of a classifier, a new training strategy that would categorize all possible UMs into a new movement class was proposed and a metric called Reject Ratio that is a measure of how many UMs is rejected by a trained classifier was adopted. The results showed that the average Reject Ratio across all the participants was greater than 91%, meanwhile the average classification accuracy of TMs was above 99% when UMs occurred. This suggests that the proposed training strategy could greatly reduce the impact of UMs on the performance of the trained classifier in identifying the TMs and may enhance the robustness of myoelectric control in clinical applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Mathematical modeling of reflectance and intrinsic fluorescence for cancer detection in human pancreatic tissue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, Robert H.; Chandra, Malavika; Scheiman, James; Simeone, Diane; McKenna, Barbara; Purdy, Julianne; Mycek, Mary-Ann

    2009-02-01

    Pancreatic adenocarcinoma has a five-year survival rate of only 4%, largely because an effective procedure for early detection has not been developed. In this study, mathematical modeling of reflectance and fluorescence spectra was utilized to quantitatively characterize differences between normal pancreatic tissue, pancreatitis, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Initial attempts at separating the spectra of different tissue types involved dividing fluorescence by reflectance, and removing absorption artifacts by applying a "reverse Beer-Lambert factor" when the absorption coefficient was modeled as a linear combination of the extinction coefficients of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin. These procedures demonstrated the need for a more complete mathematical model to quantitatively describe fluorescence and reflectance for minimally-invasive fiber-based optical diagnostics in the pancreas.

  4. Light Field Imaging Based Accurate Image Specular Highlight Removal

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Haoqian; Xu, Chenxue; Wang, Xingzheng; Zhang, Yongbing; Peng, Bo

    2016-01-01

    Specular reflection removal is indispensable to many computer vision tasks. However, most existing methods fail or degrade in complex real scenarios for their individual drawbacks. Benefiting from the light field imaging technology, this paper proposes a novel and accurate approach to remove specularity and improve image quality. We first capture images with specularity by the light field camera (Lytro ILLUM). After accurately estimating the image depth, a simple and concise threshold strategy is adopted to cluster the specular pixels into “unsaturated” and “saturated” category. Finally, a color variance analysis of multiple views and a local color refinement are individually conducted on the two categories to recover diffuse color information. Experimental evaluation by comparison with existed methods based on our light field dataset together with Stanford light field archive verifies the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. PMID:27253083

  5. Characterization of Surface Reflectance Variation Effects on Remote Sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pearce, W. A.

    1984-01-01

    The use of Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes to simulate the effects on remote sensing in visible and infrared wavelengths of variables which affect classification is examined. These variables include detector viewing angle, atmospheric aerosol size distribution, aerosol vertical and horizontal distribution (e.g., finite clouds), the form of the bidirectional ground reflectance function, and horizontal variability of reflectance type and reflectivity (albedo). These simulations are used to characterize the sensitivity of observables (intensity and polarization) to variations in the underlying physical parameters both to improve algorithms for the removal of atmospheric effects and to identify techniques which can improve classification accuracy. It was necessary to revise and validate the simulation codes (CTRANS, ARTRAN, and the Mie scattering code) to improve efficiency and accommodate a new operational environment, and to build the basic software tools for acquisition and off-line manipulation of simulation results. Initial calculations compare cases in which increasing amounts of aerosol are shifted into the stratosphere, maintaining a constant optical depth. In the case of moderate aerosol optical depth, the effect on the spread function is to scale it linearly as would be expected from a single scattering model. Varying the viewing angle appears to provide the same qualitative effect as modifying the vertical optical depth (for Lambertian ground reflectance).

  6. Accurate Permittivity Measurements for Microwave Imaging via Ultra-Wideband Removal of Spurious Reflectors

    PubMed Central

    Pelletier, Mathew G.; Viera, Joseph A.; Wanjura, John; Holt, Greg

    2010-01-01

    The use of microwave imaging is becoming more prevalent for detection of interior hidden defects in manufactured and packaged materials. In applications for detection of hidden moisture, microwave tomography can be used to image the material and then perform an inverse calculation to derive an estimate of the variability of the hidden material, such internal moisture, thereby alerting personnel to damaging levels of the hidden moisture before material degradation occurs. One impediment to this type of imaging occurs with nearby objects create strong reflections that create destructive and constructive interference, at the receiver, as the material is conveyed past the imaging antenna array. In an effort to remove the influence of the reflectors, such as metal bale ties, research was conducted to develop an algorithm for removal of the influence of the local proximity reflectors from the microwave images. This research effort produced a technique, based upon the use of ultra-wideband signals, for the removal of spurious reflections created by local proximity reflectors. This improvement enables accurate microwave measurements of moisture in such products as cotton bales, as well as other physical properties such as density or material composition. The proposed algorithm was shown to reduce errors by a 4:1 ratio and is an enabling technology for imaging applications in the presence of metal bale ties. PMID:22163668

  7. Accurate permittivity measurements for microwave imaging via ultra-wideband removal of spurious reflectors.

    PubMed

    Pelletier, Mathew G; Viera, Joseph A; Wanjura, John; Holt, Greg

    2010-01-01

    The use of microwave imaging is becoming more prevalent for detection of interior hidden defects in manufactured and packaged materials. In applications for detection of hidden moisture, microwave tomography can be used to image the material and then perform an inverse calculation to derive an estimate of the variability of the hidden material, such internal moisture, thereby alerting personnel to damaging levels of the hidden moisture before material degradation occurs. One impediment to this type of imaging occurs with nearby objects create strong reflections that create destructive and constructive interference, at the receiver, as the material is conveyed past the imaging antenna array. In an effort to remove the influence of the reflectors, such as metal bale ties, research was conducted to develop an algorithm for removal of the influence of the local proximity reflectors from the microwave images. This research effort produced a technique, based upon the use of ultra-wideband signals, for the removal of spurious reflections created by local proximity reflectors. This improvement enables accurate microwave measurements of moisture in such products as cotton bales, as well as other physical properties such as density or material composition. The proposed algorithm was shown to reduce errors by a 4:1 ratio and is an enabling technology for imaging applications in the presence of metal bale ties.

  8. Fluorine-containing composition for forming anti-reflection film on resist surface and pattern formation method

    DOEpatents

    Nishi, Mineo; Makishima, Hideo

    1996-01-01

    A composition for forming anti-reflection film on resist surface which comprises an aqueous solution of a water soluble fluorine compound, and a pattern formation method which comprises the steps of coating a photoresist composition on a substrate; coating the above-mentioned composition for forming anti-reflection film; exposing the coated film to form a specific pattern; and developing the photoresist, are provided. Since the composition for forming anti-reflection film can be coated on the photoresist in the form of an aqueous solution, not only the anti-reflection film can be formed easily, but also, the film can be removed easily by rinsing with water or alkali development. Therefore, by the pattern formation method according to the present invention, it is possible to form a pattern easily with a high dimensional accuracy.

  9. Reflectance of litter accumulation levels at five wavelengths within the 0.5- to 2.5 micron waveband

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gerbermann, A. H.; Everitt, J. H.; Gausman, H. W. (Principal Investigator)

    1982-01-01

    Reflectance was measured for 1-m2 range grass plots with two canopy treatments (standing and clipped) and four levels of litter accumulation and for grain sorghum with two canopy treatments. Reflectance was significantly higher at the 0.65- to 1.65-, and 2.20-micrometer. Wavelengths for both grass and grain sorghum canopies when the canopies were clipped and the resulting litter was removed. The natural accumulation of litter under the grass canopy did not significantly affect reflectance. The 1.65- and 2.20-micrometer wavelength reflectances of the live grass and the intact litter were 21.8% and 16.2%, respectively, and those of grain sorghum were 21.8% and 16.5%, respectively.

  10. Observations of Reflectivity of the Martian Surface in the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Investigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ivanov, Anton B.; Muhleman, Duane O.

    2000-01-01

    We are presenting results of calculation of the surface albedo of Mars at 1 micron wavelength from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) reflectivity measurements. The Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS TES) 9 micron opacity is employed to remove opacity from the MOLA measurements.

  11. Closeup view of the reflective insulation protecting the Crew Compartment ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Close-up view of the reflective insulation protecting the Crew Compartment bulkhead, orbiter structure and landing gear housing in the void created by the removal of the Forward Reaction Control System Module from the forward section of the Orbiter Discovery. This image was taken from the service platform in the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

  12. Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey

    PubMed Central

    Demarzo, Marcelo; Martins, Patricia; Soler, Joaquim; Garcia-Campayo, Javier

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Despite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices. Methods An online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs. Results The majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs. Conclusions This is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices. PMID:28873417

  13. Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey.

    PubMed

    Cebolla, Ausiàs; Demarzo, Marcelo; Martins, Patricia; Soler, Joaquim; Garcia-Campayo, Javier

    2017-01-01

    Despite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices. An online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs. The majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs. This is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices.

  14. ReflectED: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motteram, Gary; Choudry, Sophina; Kalambouka, Afroditi; Hutcheson, Graeme; Barton, Hutcheson

    2016-01-01

    The ReflectED programme was developed by Rosendale Primary School to improve pupils' metacognition--their ability to think about and manage their own learning. This includes the skills of setting and monitoring goals, assessing progress, and identifying personal strengths and challenges. ReflectED consists of 28, weekly, half-hour lessons, which…

  15. Challenging Narcissus, or Reflecting on Reflecting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achilles, C. M.

    The concept of reflective practice and teaching people to be reflective practitioners is examined. The document begins with a look at professional knowledge according to three prominent professionals in the educational administration field: Schon, Schein, and Achilles. "Reflective" strategies that could be incorporated into courses and…

  16. Adenoid removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... away soft tissue is used. Some surgeons use electricity to heat the tissue, remove it, and stop ... adenoid glands Patient Instructions Tonsil and adenoid removal - discharge Tonsil removal - what to ask your doctor Images ...

  17. A Reflection on Reflection.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Pat

    2002-01-01

    Reflects on the articles in this themed issue on reflective practice. Notes that these teacher/authors have been influenced by prior learning, past experience, feelings, attitudes, values, the school constraints on the learning environment, and their own assumptions about teaching. Describes how teachers have formed a learning community to…

  18. Removal of dust particles from metal-mirror surfaces by excimer-laser radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mann, Klaus R.; Wolff-Rottke, B.; Mueller, F.

    1995-07-01

    The effect of particle desorption from Al mirror surfaces by the influence of pulsed UV laser radiation has been studied. The investigations are closely related to the demands of astronomers, who are looking for a more effective way of cleaning the Al coatings of future very large telescope mirrors. A systematic parameter study has been performed in order to determine the irradiation conditions which yield the highest dust removal efficiency (i.e. reflectivity increase) on contaminated samples, taking particularly into account laser-induced damage and degradation effects of coating and substrate. The particle removal rate increases with increasing laser fluence, being limited however by the damage threshold of the coating. Therefore, parameters influencing the damage threshold of metal coatings like wavelength, pulse width, and number of pulses have been studied in detail. Data indicate that on Al coated BK7 and Zerodur samples KrF laser radiation yields the optimum result, with cleaning efficiencies comparable to polymer film stripping. The initial reflectivity of the clean coating can nearly be reinstalled, in particular when an additional solvent film on the sample surface is applied. Hence, laser desorption seems to be a viable method of cleaning large Al mirrors for telescopes.

  19. Light Reflection from Packed Layers of Transparent Spheres: Is Hapke's Photometric Model Accurate Enough to Make Predictions?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, H.; Voss, K. J.

    2011-03-01

    We demonstrate that the diffraction removal procedure outlined by Hapke et al. [Icarus, 199, 210 (2009)] contains an error. By following their intended scheme we found that the Hapke model is not anisotropic enough to describe the reflectance patterns.

  20. Constraints and Opportunities with Interview Transcription: Towards Reflection in Qualitative Research

    PubMed Central

    Oliver, Daniel G.; Serovich, Julianne M.; Mason, Tina L.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we discuss the complexities of interview transcription. While often seen as a behind-the-scenes task, we suggest that transcription is a powerful act of representation. Transcription is practiced in multiple ways, often using naturalism, in which every utterance is captured in as much detail as possible, and/or denaturalism, in which grammar is corrected, interview noise (e.g., stutters, pauses, etc.) is removed and nonstandard accents (i.e., non-majority) are standardized. In this article, we discuss the constraints and opportunities of our transcription decisions and point to an intermediate, reflective step. We suggest that researchers incorporate reflection into their research design by interrogating their transcription decisions and the possible impact these decisions may have on participants and research outcomes. PMID:16534533

  1. Limitations of quantitative analysis of deep crustal seismic reflection data: Examples from GLIMPCE

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lee, Myung W.; Hutchinson, Deborah R.

    1992-01-01

    Amplitude preservation in seismic reflection data can be obtained by a relative true amplitude (RTA) processing technique in which the relative strength of reflection amplitudes is preserved vertically as well as horizontally, after compensating for amplitude distortion by near-surface effects and propagation effects. Quantitative analysis of relative true amplitudes of the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution seismic data is hampered by large uncertainties in estimates of the water bottom reflection coefficient and the vertical amplitude correction and by inadequate noise suppression. Processing techniques such as deconvolution, F-K filtering, and migration significantly change the overall shape of amplitude curves and hence calculation of reflection coefficients and average reflectance. Thus lithological interpretation of deep crustal seismic data based on the absolute value of estimated reflection strength alone is meaningless. The relative strength of individual events, however, is preserved on curves generated at different stages in the processing. We suggest that qualitative comparisons of relative strength, if used carefully, provide a meaningful measure of variations in reflectivity. Simple theoretical models indicate that peg-leg multiples rather than water bottom multiples are the most severe source of noise contamination. These multiples are extremely difficult to remove when the water bottom reflection coefficient is large (>0.6), a condition that exists beneath parts of Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron.

  2. Reflective Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Thomas S. C.

    2013-01-01

    Thomas Farrell's "Reflective Teaching" outlines four principles that take teachers from just doing reflection to making it a way of being. Using the four principles, Reflective Practice Is Evidence Based, Reflective Practice Involves Dialogue, Reflective Practice Links Beliefs and Practices, and Reflective Practice Is a Way of Life,…

  3. Retrieval and Validation of aerosol optical properties from AHI measurements: impact of surface reflectance assumption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, H.; Choi, M.; Kim, J.; Go, S.; Chan, P.; Kasai, Y.

    2017-12-01

    This study attempts to retrieve the aerosol optical properties (AOPs) based on the spectral matching method, with using three visible and one near infrared channels (470, 510, 640, 860nm). This method requires the preparation of look-up table (LUT) approach based on the radiative transfer modeling. Cloud detection is one of the most important processes for guaranteed quality of AOPs. Since the AHI has several infrared channels, which are very advantageous for cloud detection, clouds can be removed by using brightness temperature difference (BTD) and spatial variability test. The Yonsei Aerosol Retrieval (YAER) algorithm is basically utilized on a dark surface, therefore a bright surface (e.g., desert, snow) should be removed first. Then we consider the characteristics of the reflectance of land and ocean surface using three visible channels. The known surface reflectivity problem in high latitude area can be solved in this algorithm by selecting appropriate channels through improving tests. On the other hand, we retrieved the AOPs by obtaining the visible surface reflectance using NIR to normalized difference vegetation index short wave infrared (NDVIswir) relationship. ESR tends to underestimate urban and cropland area, we improved the visible surface reflectance considering urban effect. In this version, ocean surface reflectance is using the new cox and munk method which considers ocean bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). Input of this method has wind speed, chlorophyll, salinity and so on. Based on validation results with the sun-photometer measurement in AErosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET), we confirm that the quality of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from the YAER algorithm is comparable to the product from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) retrieval algorithm. Our future update includes a consideration of improvement land surface reflectance by hybrid approach, and non-spherical aerosols. This will improve the quality of YAER

  4. Relative Water Content, Bidirectional Reflectance and Bidirectional Transmittance of the Interior of Detached Leaves During Dry Down.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vanderbilt, Vern; Daughtry, Craig; Dahlgren, Robert

    2015-01-01

    Remotely sensing the water status of plants and the water content of canopies remain long-term goals of remote sensing research [1]. Estimates of canopy water content commonly involve measurements in the 900nm to 2000nm portion of the optical spectrum [1]. We have used optical polarization techniques to remove leaf surface reflection and to demonstrate that the visible light reflected by the interior of green healthy corn leaves measured in situ inversely depends upon the leaf relative water content (RWC) [2]. In the research reported here, we again used optical polarization techniques in order to remove the leaf surface reflection from our measurements. This allowed us to monitor the interiors of detached corn leaf samples during leaf dry down measuring for each sample the RWC, bidirectional spectral reflectance and bidirectional spectral transmittance over the wavelength range 450nm to 2,500nm. Our new results like our earlier results show light scattered by the leaf interior measured in the visible wavelength region generally increased as leaf RWC decreased. However, the spectral character and the much improved signal noise of our new results shows the RWC-linked visible light scattering changes are due to leaf structural changes. Our new results show that scattering changes that occur with changing leaf RWC are not attributable to molecular configuration changes in cellular pigments.

  5. Reflectance spectroscopy can quantify cutaneous haemoglobin oxygenation by oxygen uptake from the atmosphere after epidermal barrier disruption.

    PubMed

    Heise, H M; Lampen, P; Stücker, M

    2003-11-01

    The supply of oxygen to the viable skin tissue within the upper layers is not only secured by the cutaneous blood vascular system, but to a significant part also by oxygen diffusion from the atmosphere through the horny layer. The aim of this study was to examine whether changes in haemoglobin oxygenation can be observed within the isolated perfused bovine udder skin used as a skin model by removing the upper horny layer by adhesive tape stripping. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the visible spectral range was used for non-invasive characterisation of haemoglobin oxygenation in skin under in vitro conditions. Mid-infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy was employed for analysing the surface layer of the stratum corneum with respect to keratin, water and lipid components. Skin barrier disruption was achieved by repeated stripping of superficial corneocyte layers by adhesive tape. Significant changes in skin haemoglobin oxygenation were observed for skin areas with reduced lipid concentration and a reduced stratum corneum layer, as determined from the quantitative evaluation of the diffuse reflectance skin spectra. The result can be interpreted as an increase of oxygen diffusion after the removal of the upper horny layer.

  6. Performance of digital RGB reflectance color extraction for plaque lesion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hashim, Hadzli; Taib, Mohd Nasir; Jailani, Rozita; Sulaiman, Saadiah; Baba, Roshidah

    2005-01-01

    Several clinical psoriasis lesion groups are been studied for digital RGB color features extraction. Previous works have used samples size that included all the outliers lying beyond the standard deviation factors from the peak histograms. This paper described the statistical performances of the RGB model with and without removing these outliers. Plaque lesion is experimented with other types of psoriasis. The statistical tests are compared with respect to three samples size; the original 90 samples, the first size reduction by removing outliers from 2 standard deviation distances (2SD) and the second size reduction by removing outliers from 1 standard deviation distance (1SD). Quantification of data images through the normal/direct and differential of the conventional reflectance method is considered. Results performances are concluded by observing the error plots with 95% confidence interval and findings of the inference T-tests applied. The statistical tests outcomes have shown that B component for conventional differential method can be used to distinctively classify plaque from the other psoriasis groups in consistent with the error plots finding with an improvement in p-value greater than 0.5.

  7. Reduction of short wavelength reflectance of multi-wall carbon nanotubes through ultraviolet laser irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephens, Michelle S.; Simonds, Brian J.; Yung, Christopher S.; Conklin, Davis; Livigni, David J.; Oliva, Alberto Remesal; Lehman, John H.

    2018-05-01

    Multi-wall carbon nanotube coatings are used as broadband, low-reflectance absorbers for bolometric applications and for stray light control. They are also used as high emittance blackbody radiators. Irradiation of single wall carbon nanotubes with ultraviolet (UV) laser light has been shown to remove amorphous carbon debris, but there have been few investigations of the interaction of UV light with the more complex physics of multi-wall carbon nanotubes. We present measurements of reflectance and surface morphology before and after exposure of multi-wall carbon nanotube coatings to 248 nm UV laser light. We show that UV exposure reduces the reflectivity at wavelengths below 600 nm and present modeling of the thermal cycling the UV exposure causes at the surface of the carbon nanotubes. This effect can be used to flatten the spectral shape of the reflectivity curve of carbon nanotube absorber coatings used for broadband applications. Finally, we find that the effect of UV exposure depends on the nanotube growth process.

  8. Ink remover poisoning

    MedlinePlus

    Ink remover is a chemical used to get out ink stains. Ink remover poisoning occurs when someone swallows this substance. ... These ingredients can be found in: Ink removers Liquid bleaches Note: This list may not include all sources of ink removers.

  9. Removal of hydrocarbon contaminant film from spacecraft optical surfaces using a radiofrequency-excited oxygen plasma.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beverly, W. D.; Gillete, R. B.; Cruz, G. A.

    1973-01-01

    Results of a study on the feasibility of removing contaminant films from optical surfaces in vacuum, using an oxygen plasma, are discussed. Contaminant films were deposited onto optical surfaces from butadiene and methane gases at a pressure of about 4 torr in the presence of ultraviolet radiation. Optical surfaces evaluated included ultraviolet-reflecting mirrors, gratings, quartz disks, and spacecraft thermal control surfaces. In general, it was found that contaminants could be removed successfully from surfaces using an oxygen plasma. Exceptions were the white-paint thermal control surfaces, which, when contaminated, degraded further during exposure to the oxygen plasma.

  10. Serial removal of caries lesions from tooth occlusal surfaces using near-IR image-guided IR laser ablation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chan, Kenneth H.; Tom, Henry; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

    2015-02-01

    Previous studies have established that caries lesions can be imaged with high contrast without the interference of stains at near-IR wavelengths greater than 1300-nm. It has been demonstrated that computer controlled laser scanning systems utilizing IR lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates can be used for serial imaging and selective removal of caries lesions. In this study, we report our progress towards the development of algorithms for generating rasterized ablation maps from near-IR reflectance images for the removal of natural lesions from tooth occlusal surfaces. An InGaAs camera and a filtered tungsten-halogen lamp producing near-IR light in the range of 1500-1700-nm were used to collect crosspolarization reflectance images of tooth occlusal surfaces. A CO2 laser operating at a wavelength of 9.3- μm with a pulse duration of 10-15-μs was used for image-guided ablation.

  11. Seismic reflection imaging, accounting for primary and multiple reflections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wapenaar, Kees; van der Neut, Joost; Thorbecke, Jan; Broggini, Filippo; Slob, Evert; Snieder, Roel

    2015-04-01

    Imaging of seismic reflection data is usually based on the assumption that the seismic response consists of primary reflections only. Multiple reflections, i.e. waves that have reflected more than once, are treated as primaries and are imaged at wrong positions. There are two classes of multiple reflections, which we will call surface-related multiples and internal multiples. Surface-related multiples are those multiples that contain at least one reflection at the earth's surface, whereas internal multiples consist of waves that have reflected only at subsurface interfaces. Surface-related multiples are the strongest, but also relatively easy to deal with because the reflecting boundary (the earth's surface) is known. Internal multiples constitute a much more difficult problem for seismic imaging, because the positions and properties of the reflecting interfaces are not known. We are developing reflection imaging methodology which deals with internal multiples. Starting with the Marchenko equation for 1D inverse scattering problems, we derived 3D Marchenko-type equations, which relate reflection data at the surface to Green's functions between virtual sources anywhere in the subsurface and receivers at the surface. Based on these equations, we derived an iterative scheme by which these Green's functions can be retrieved from the reflection data at the surface. This iterative scheme requires an estimate of the direct wave of the Green's functions in a background medium. Note that this is precisely the same information that is also required by standard reflection imaging schemes. However, unlike in standard imaging, our iterative Marchenko scheme retrieves the multiple reflections of the Green's functions from the reflection data at the surface. For this, no knowledge of the positions and properties of the reflecting interfaces is required. Once the full Green's functions are retrieved, reflection imaging can be carried out by which the primaries and multiples are

  12. Selective colors reflection from stratified aragonite calcium carbonate plates of mollusk shells.

    PubMed

    Lertvachirapaiboon, Chutiparn; Parnklang, Tewarak; Pienpinijtham, Prompong; Wongravee, Kanet; Thammacharoen, Chuchaat; Ekgasit, Sanong

    2015-08-01

    An interaction between the incident light and the structural architecture within the shell of Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) induces observable pearlescent colors. In this paper, we investigate the influence of the structural architecture on the expressed colors. After a removal of the organic binder, small flakes from crushed shells show vivid rainbow reflection under an optical microscope. An individual flake expresses vivid color under a bright-field illumination while become transparent under a dark-field illumination. The expressed colors of the aragonite flakes are directly associated with its structural architecture. The flakes with aragonite thickness of 256, 310, and 353 nm, respectively, appear blue, green, and red under an optical microscope. The spectral simulation corroborates the experimentally observed optical effects as the flakes with thicker aragonite layers selectively reflected color with longer wavelengths. Flakes with multiple aragonite thicknesses expressed multi-color as the upper aragonite layers allow reflected colors from the lower layers to be observed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Image-guided removal of interproximal lesions with a CO2 laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ngo, Albert; Chan, Kenneth H.; Le, Oanh; Simon, Jacob C.; Fried, Daniel

    2018-02-01

    Recent studies have shown that near-IR (NIR) imaging methods such as NIR reflectance can be used to image lesions on proximal surfaces, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to measure the depth of those lesions below the tooth surface. These imaging modalities can be used to acquire high contrast images of demineralized tooth surfaces, and 2-D and 3-D images can be extracted from this data. At NIR wavelengths longer than 1200-nm, there is no interference from stains and the contrast is only due to the increased light scattering of the demineralization. Previous studies have shown that image-guided laser ablation can be used to remove occlusal lesions, but its use for the removal of subsurface lesions on proximal surfaces has not been investigated. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that simultaneously scanned NIR and CO2 lasers can be used to selectively remove natural and artificial interproximal caries lesions with minimal damage to sound tooth structure. In this study, images of simulated and natural interproximal lesions on extracted teeth were imaged using a digital microscope, a scanned 1460-nm superluminescent laser diode with an InGaAs detector and a cross polarization OCT system operating at 1300-nm. The lesions were subsequently removed with a CO2 laser operating at 9.3-μm and the dental handpiece and the volume of sound tissue removed was compared.

  14. Robotic Water Blast Cleaner

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sharpe, M. H.; Roberts, M. L.; Hill, W. E.; Jackson, C. H.

    1983-01-01

    Water blasting system under development removes hard, dense, extraneous material from surfaces. High pressure pump forces water at supersonic speed through nozzle manipulated by robot. Impact of water blasts away unwanted material from workpiece rotated on air bearing turntable. Designed for removing thermal-protection material, system is adaptable to such industrial processes as cleaning iron or steel castings.

  15. Floristic composition and across-track reflectance gradient in Landsat images over Amazonian forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muro, Javier; doninck, Jasper Van; Tuomisto, Hanna; Higgins, Mark A.; Moulatlet, Gabriel M.; Ruokolainen, Kalle

    2016-09-01

    Remotely sensed image interpretation or classification of tropical forests can be severely hampered by the effects of the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF). Even for narrow swath sensors like Landsat TM/ETM+, the influence of reflectance anisotropy can be sufficiently strong to introduce a cross-track reflectance gradient. If the BRDF could be assumed to be linear for the limited swath of Landsat, it would be possible to remove this gradient during image preprocessing using a simple empirical method. However, the existence of natural gradients in reflectance caused by spatial variation in floristic composition of the forest can restrict the applicability of such simple corrections. Here we use floristic information over Peruvian and Brazilian Amazonia acquired through field surveys, complemented with information from geological maps, to investigate the interaction of real floristic gradients and the effect of reflectance anisotropy on the observed reflectances in Landsat data. In addition, we test the assumption of linearity of the BRDF for a limited swath width, and whether different primary non-inundated forest types are characterized by different magnitudes of the directional reflectance gradient. Our results show that a linear function is adequate to empirically correct for view angle effects, and that the magnitude of the across-track reflectance gradient is independent of floristic composition in the non-inundated forests we studied. This makes a routine correction of view angle effects possible. However, floristic variation complicates the issue, because different forest types have different mean reflectances. This must be taken into account when deriving the correction function in order to avoid eliminating natural gradients.

  16. Removal of dust particles from metal mirror surfaces by excimer laser radiation

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

    Mann, K.; Wolff-Rottke, B.; Mueller, F.

    1995-12-31

    The effect of particle desorption from Al mirror surfaces by the influence of pulsed UV laser radiation has been studied. The investigations are closely related to the demands of astronomers, who are looking for a more effective way of cleaning the Al coatings of future very large telescope (VLT) mirrors. A systematic parameter study has been performed in order to determine the irradiation conditions which yield the highest dust removal efficiency (i.e. reflectivity increase) on contaminated samples, taking particularly into account laser induced damage and degradation effects of coating and substrate. The particle removal rate increases with increasing laser fluence,more » being limited however by the damage threshold of the coating. Therefore, parameters influencing the damage threshold of metal coatings like wavelength, pulse width and number of pulses have been studied in detail. Data indicate that on Al coated BK7 and Zerodur samples KrF laser radiation yields the optimum result, with cleaning efficiencies comparable to polymer film stripping. The initial reflectivity of the clean coating can nearly be reinstalled, in particular when an additional solvent film on the sample surface is applied. Hence, laser desorption seems to be a viable method of cleaning large Al mirrors for telescopes.« less

  17. Reflection and Non-Reflection of Particle Wavepackets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cox, Timothy; Lekner, John

    2008-01-01

    Exact closed-form solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation are obtained, describing the propagation of wavepackets in the neighbourhood of a potential. Examples given include zero reflection, total reflection and partial reflection of the wavepacket, for the sech[superscript 2]x/a, 1/x[superscript 2] and delta(x) potentials,…

  18. Perioperative hair removal: A review of best practice and a practice improvement opportunity.

    PubMed

    Spencer, Maureen; Barnden, Marsha; Johnson, Helen Boehm; Fauerbach, Loretta Litz; Graham, Denise; Edmiston, Charles E

    2018-06-01

    The current practice of perioperative hair removal reflects research-driven changes designed to minimize the risk of surgical wound infection. An aspect of the practice which has received less scrutiny is the clean-up of the clipped hair. This process is critical. The loose fibers represent a potential infection risk because of the micro-organisms they can carry, but their clean-up can pose a logistical problem because of the time required to remove them. Research has demonstrated that the most commonly employed means of clean-up, the use of adhesive tape or sticky mitts, can be both ineffective and time-consuming in addition to posing an infection risk from cross-contamination. Recently published research evaluating surgical clippers fitted with a vacuum-assisted hair collection device highlights the potential for significant practice improvement in the perioperative hair removal clean-up process. These improvements include not only further mitigation of potential infection risk but also substantial OR time and cost savings.

  19. Selection of anionic exchange resins for removal of natural organic matter (NOM) fractions.

    PubMed

    Cornelissen, E R; Moreau, N; Siegers, W G; Abrahamse, A J; Rietveld, L C; Grefte, A; Dignum, M; Amy, G; Wessels, L P

    2008-01-01

    Early elimination of natural organic matter (NOM) by ion exchange (IEX) in water treatment is expected to improve subsequent water treatment processes and the final drinking water quality. Nine anionic exchange resins were investigated to remove NOM and specific NOM fractions determined by liquid chromatography in combination with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEM). Breakthrough of NOM was predicted by model calculations using Freundlich isotherms and IEX rate experiments. The time to breakthrough varied from 4 to 38 days. Removal of specific NOM fractions proved to vary considerably for the different types of IEX resins, ranging from 1% to almost 60%. The removal of NOM fractions, specifically humic substances, increased with an increase in water content of the investigated IEX resins and with a decrease in resin size. The best-performing IEX resins consisted of the smallest resins and/or those with the highest water content. The worst-performing IEX resins reflected the highest exchanging capacities and the lowest water contents.

  20. Effect of reflective practice education on self-reflection, insight, and reflective thinking among experienced nurses: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Asselin, Marilyn E; Fain, James A

    2013-01-01

    A mixed-method study was conducted to determine whether nurses' participation in a reflective practice continuing education program using a structured reflection model makes a difference in nurses' self-reflection, insight, and reflective thinking about clinical practice situations. Findings suggested that use of structured reflection using question cues, written narratives, and peer-facilitated reflection increased nurses' engagement in self-reflection and enhanced reflective thinking in practice. Including reflective practice education in novice orientation and preceptor training may be beneficial.

  1. Remifentanil for the insertion and removal of long-term central venous access during monitored anesthesia care.

    PubMed

    Burlacu, Crina L; McKeating, Kevin; McShane, Alan J

    2011-06-01

    To determine the analgesic efficacy of three different rates of remifentanil infusion in patients undergoing insertion or removal of long-term central venous access devices during monitored anesthesia care and local anesthetic field infiltration. Double-blinded, randomized, controlled study. Operating theatre of an University hospital. 44 unpremedicated, ASA physical status 1 and 2 patients, aged 18-65 years, undergoing insertion or removal of a Port-a-Cath or Hickman catheter. Patients sedated with a propofol target-controlled infusion were randomly allocated to three groups: Group R25 (n = 14), Group R50 (n = 15), and Group R75 (n = 15), to receive remifentanil 0.025, 0.05, and 0.075 μg/kg/min, respectively. Rescue remifentanil 0.5 μg/kg was administered for pain scores > 3. The remifentanil infusion rate was maintained constant unless respiratory and/or cardiovascular unwanted events occurred, whereupon the rate was adjusted in 0.01 μg/kg/min decrements as necessary. Pain scores (primary outcome), sedation, and movement scores (secondary outcomes) were assessed during local anesthetic infiltration of the anterior chest wall and 5 other procedural steps. All infusion rates had equal analgesic efficacy, as shown by comparable pain scores, number of rescue boluses, and number of patients requiring rescue analgesia. Excessive sedation was associated with the highest remifentanil rate such that Group R75 patients were significantly more sedated than Groups R25 or R50 at selective procedural steps (P < 0.05). More Group R75 patients (6/15) required remifentanil rate reduction than did patients from Group R50 (1/15) or Group R25 (0/14), P < 0.01, most commonly because of respiratory depression. For the insertion or removal of long-term central venous access devices, all three remifentanil infusion rates proved to be equally analgesic-efficient. However, the excessive sedation and tendency to respiratory and cardiovascular events associated with the highest

  2. Scaling Dissolved Nutrient Removal in River Networks: A Comparative Modeling Investigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Sheng; Reisinger, Alexander J.; Tank, Jennifer L.; Baker, Michelle A.; Hall, Robert O.; Rosi, Emma J.; Sivapalan, Murugesu

    2017-11-01

    Along the river network, water, sediment, and nutrients are transported, cycled, and altered by coupled hydrological and biogeochemical processes. Our current understanding of the rates and processes controlling the cycling and removal of dissolved inorganic nutrients in river networks is limited due to a lack of empirical measurements in large, (nonwadeable), rivers. The goal of this paper was to develop a coupled hydrological and biogeochemical process model to simulate nutrient uptake at the network scale during summer base flow conditions. The model was parameterized with literature values from headwater streams, and empirical measurements made in 15 rivers with varying hydrological, biological, and topographic characteristics, to simulate nutrient uptake at the network scale. We applied the coupled model to 15 catchments describing patterns in uptake for three different solutes to determine the role of rivers in network-scale nutrient cycling. Model simulation results, constrained by empirical data, suggested that rivers contributed proportionally more to nutrient removal than headwater streams given the fraction of their length represented in a network. In addition, variability of nutrient removal patterns among catchments was varied among solutes, and as expected, was influenced by nutrient concentration and discharge. Net ammonium uptake was not significantly correlated with any environmental descriptor. In contrast, net daily nitrate removal was linked to suspended chlorophyll a (an indicator of primary producers) and land use characteristics. Finally, suspended sediment characteristics and agricultural land use were correlated with net daily removal of soluble reactive phosphorus, likely reflecting abiotic sorption dynamics. Rivers are understudied relative to streams, and our model suggests that rivers can contribute more to network-scale nutrient removal than would be expected based upon their representative fraction of network channel length.

  3. Unwanted Sexual Experiences in Young Men: Evidence from a Survey of University Students in Chile

    PubMed Central

    Lehrer, Jocelyn A.; Lehrer, Evelyn L.; Koss, Mary P.

    2012-01-01

    The public health problem of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) in male youths has received little attention. In this study, we examined prevalence of USE, risk factors, contexts, and barriers to disclosure with data from a quantitative survey of students enrolled in General Education courses at a public university in Chile. This study focused on the male sample (N = 466). Approximately 20.4% of participants reported some form of USE since age 14. Forced sex through physical coercion, forced sex through verbal coercion or while intoxicated, attempted forced sex, and less severe forms of USE were reported by 0.2%, 10.1%, 1.4%, and 8.7% of participants, respectively. USE before age 14 was reported by 9.4% of participants and was a significant predictor of USE since age 14 (AOR 6.38, 95% CI 3.22–12.65, p < .01). The perpetrator of USE since age 14 was most commonly identified as a date/partner or friend/acquaintance; other findings on contexts and barriers to disclosure were also generally consistent with previous results in the literature. In addition, we found substantial co-occurrence of USE since age 14 with two other forms of coercion: physical dating violence victimization and coerced condom non-use. The study findings indicate a need for further attention to these public health problems and have implications for the development of violence and HIV/STI prevention programs for adolescent boys and young adult men in Chile and elsewhere. PMID:22971801

  4. Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy of Hidden Objects, Part I: Interpretation of the Reflection-Absorption-Scattering Fractions in Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectra of Polyethylene Films.

    PubMed

    Pomerantsev, Alexey L; Rodionova, Oxana Ye; Skvortsov, Alexej N

    2017-08-01

    Investigation of a sample covered by an interfering layer is required in many fields, e.g., for process control, biochemical analysis, and many other applications. This study is based on the analysis of spectra collected by near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Each spectrum is a composition of a useful, target spectrum and a spectrum of an interfering layer. To recover the target spectrum, we suggest using a new phenomenological approach, which employs the multivariate curve resolution (MCR) method. In general terms, the problem is very complex. We start with a specific problem of analyzing a system, which consists of several layers of polyethylene (PE) film and underlayer samples with known spectral properties. To separate information originating from PE layers and the target, we modify the system versus both the number of the PE layers as well as the reflectance properties of the target sample. We consider that the interfering spectrum of the layer can be modeled using three components, which can be tentatively called transmission, absorption, and scattering contributions. The novelty of our approach is that we do not remove the reflectance and scattering effects from the spectra, but study them in detail aiming to use this information to recover the target spectrum.

  5. Disproportionate Declines in Ground-Foraging Insectivorous Birds after Mistletoe Removal

    PubMed Central

    Watson, David M.

    2015-01-01

    Insectivorous birds have been recognized as disproportionately sensitive to land-use intensification and habitat loss, with those species feeding primarily on the ground exhibiting some of the most dramatic declines. Altered litter inputs and availability of epigeic arthropods have been suggested to underlie reduced abundances and shrinking distributions but direct evidence is lacking. I used a patch-scale removal experiment in southern Australia to evaluate whether ground-feeding insectivores are especially vulnerable to altered litter-fall. Building on work demonstrating the importance of mistletoe litter to nutrient dynamics, litter was reduced by removing mistletoe (Loranthaceae) from one set of eucalypt woodlands, responses of birds three years after mistletoe removal compared with otherwise similar control woodlands containing mistletoe. Despite not feeding on mistletoes directly, insectivores exhibited the greatest response to mistletoe removal. Among woodland residents, ground-foraging insectivores showed the most dramatic response; treatment woodlands losing an average of 37.4% of their pre-treatment species richness. Once these 19 species of ground-foraging insectivores were excluded, remaining woodland species showed no significant effect of mistletoe removal. This response reflects greater initial losses in treatment woodlands during the study (which coincided with a severe drought) and double the number of species returning to control woodlands (where mistletoe numbers and litter were not manipulated) post-drought. These findings support the productivity-based explanation of declining insectivores, suggesting diminished litter-fall reduced habitat quality for these birds via decreased availability of their preferred prey. In addition to altered prey availability, interactions between litter-fall and epigeic arthropods exemplify the importance of below-ground / above-ground linkages driving ecosystem function. PMID:26640895

  6. A comparison of peer and non-peer exposure to unwanted early sexual experiences among students in South Africa and Belgium.

    PubMed

    Revell, Arlynn T; Nicholas, Lionel J

    2013-01-01

    This study examined peer and non-peer unwanted early sexual experiences (UESE) among 3,689 university students to establish whether peer UESE is as coercive and bothersome as non-peer UESE. A self-report checklist was administered to all consenting students attending an orientation programme at one South African (SA) and one Belgian university. Of the respondents 21% indicated that they had UESE before their 16th birthday (39.2% SA and 13.5% Belgians). Of respondents indicating UESE, 22.4% (173) reported that they had UESE with a person where the age difference was greater than 5 years and 54.2% (418) reported UESE with an age difference less than 5 years. Overall, a statistically significant difference was found between peer exposed and non-peer exposed groups at the time the UESE occurred related to bothersomeness of the UESE. SA men and women experienced more psychological pressure or physical force among the non-peer exposed group than the peer exposed group.

  7. [Effects of the removal of the orbito-frontal cortex on the development of reflex analgesia].

    PubMed

    Reshetniak, V K; Kukushkin, M L

    1989-07-01

    The authors studied the effect of electric acupuncture stimulation (EAP) on the changes in pain thresholds prior to and after removal of the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) of the brain in behavioral experiments on adult cats. Removal of OFC increased the thresholds of pain response at the 4th and the 5th levels of the conventional scale, reflecting emotionally-affective manifestations of pain, and intensified the effect of antinociceptive EAP. The results obtained are analysed in relation to the inhibitory tonic effect of OFC on antinociceptive structures of the brain. Different effects of OFC and somatosensory cortex on the antinociceptive structures of the brain are discussed.

  8. 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 ...

  9. Impact of differences in the solar irradiance spectrum on surface reflectance retrieval with different radiative transfer codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Staenz, K.; Williams, D. J.; Fedosejevs, G.; Teillet, P. M.

    1995-01-01

    Surface reflectance retrieval from imaging spectrometer data as acquired with the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) has become important for quantitative analysis. In order to calculate surface reflectance from remotely measured radiance, radiative transfer codes such as 5S and MODTRAN2 play an increasing role for removal of scattering and absorption effects of the atmosphere. Accurate knowledge of the exo-atmospheric solar irradiance (E(sub 0)) spectrum at the spectral resolution of the sensor is important for this purpose. The present study investigates the impact of differences in the solar irradiance function, as implemented in a modified version of 5S (M5S), 6S, and MODTRAN2, and as proposed by Green and Gao, on the surface reflectance retrieved from AVIRIS data. Reflectance measured in situ is used as a basis of comparison.

  10. Surface Reflectance of Mars Observed by CRISM-MRO: 1. Multi-angle Approach for Retrieval of Surface Reflectance from CRISM Observations (mars-reco)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ceamanos, Xavier; Doute, S.; Fernando, J.; Pinet, P.; Lyapustin, A.

    2013-01-01

    This article addresses the correction for aerosol effects in near-simultaneous multiangle observations acquired by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In the targeted mode, CRISM senses the surface of Mars using 11 viewing angles, which allow it to provide unique information on the scattering properties of surface materials. In order to retrieve these data, however, appropriate strategies must be used to compensate the signal sensed by CRISM for aerosol contribution. This correction is particularly challenging as the photometric curve of these suspended particles is often correlated with the also anisotropic photometric curve of materials at the surface. This article puts forward an innovative radiative transfer based method named Multi-angle Approach for Retrieval of Surface Reflectance from CRISM Observations (MARS-ReCO). The proposed method retrieves photometric curves of surface materials in reflectance units after removing aerosol contribution. MARS-ReCO represents a substantial improvement regarding previous techniques as it takes into consideration the anisotropy of the surface, thus providing more realistic surface products. Furthermore, MARS-ReCO is fast and provides error bars on the retrieved surface reflectance. The validity and accuracy of MARS-ReCO is explored in a sensitivity analysis based on realistic synthetic data. According to experiments, MARS-ReCO provides accurate results (up to 10 reflectance error) under favorable acquisition conditions. In the companion article, photometric properties of Martian materials are retrieved using MARS-ReCO and validated using in situ measurements acquired during the Mars Exploration Rovers mission.

  11. Multiple heavy metal removal using an entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana.

    PubMed

    Gola, Deepak; Dey, Priyadarshini; Bhattacharya, Arghya; Mishra, Abhishek; Malik, Anushree; Namburath, Maneesh; Ahammad, Shaikh Ziauddin

    2016-10-01

    Towards the development of a potential remediation technology for multiple heavy metals [Zn(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI) and Ni(II)] from contaminated water, present study examined the growth kinetics and heavy metal removal ability of Beauveria bassiana in individual and multi metals. The specific growth rate of B. bassiana varied from 0.025h(-1) to 0.039h(-1) in presence of individual/multi heavy metals. FTIR analysis indicated the involvement of different surface functional groups in biosorption of different metals, while cellular changes in fungus was reflected by various microscopic (SEM, AFM and TEM) analysis. TEM studies proved removal of heavy metals via sorption and accumulation processes, whereas AFM studies revealed increase in cell surface roughness in fungal cells exposed to heavy metals. Present study delivers first report on the mechanism of bioremediation of heavy metals when present individually as well as multi metal mixture by entomopathogenic fungi. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Changes in hyperspectral reflectance signatures of lettuce leaves in response to macronutrient deficiencies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pacumbaba, R. O.; Beyl, C. A.

    2011-07-01

    The adaptation of specific remote sensing and hyperspectral analysis techniques for the determination of incipient nutrient stress in plants could allow early detection and precision supplementation for remediation, important considerations for minimizing mass of advanced life support systems on space station and long term missions. This experiment was conducted to determine if hyperspectral reflectance could be used to detect nutrient stress in Lactuca sativa L. cv. Black Seeded Simpson. Lettuce seedlings were grown for 90 days in a greenhouse or growth chamber in vermiculite containing modified Hoagland's nutrient solution with key macronutrient elements removed in order to induce a range of nutrient stresses, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Leaf tissue nutrient concentrations were compared with corresponding spectral reflectances taken at the end of 90 days. Spectral reflectances varied with growing location, position on the leaf, and nutrient deficiency treatment. Spectral responses of lettuce leaves under macronutrient deficiency conditions showed an increase in reflectance in the red, near red, and infrared wavelength ranges. The data obtained suggest that spectral reflectance shows the potential as a diagnostic tool in predicting nutrient deficiencies in general. Overlapping of spectral signatures makes the use of wavelengths of narrow bandwidths or individual bands for the discrimination of specific nutrient stresses difficult without further data processing.

  13. Effect of removal of hesperis matronalis (Dame's rocket) on species cover of forest understory vegetation in NW indiana

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pavlovic, N.B.; Leicht-Young, S. A.; Frohnapple, K.J.; Grundel, R.

    2009-01-01

    Exotic invasive plant species differ in their effects on indigenous vegetation as evidenced by research evaluating community response to their removal. We used a removal approach to quantify the response of a mesic woodland to the removal versus retention of an invasive plant, Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket) from paired treatment plots over 3 y. Cover of H. matronalis did not differ between control and treatment plots prior to removal, declined in the removal plots and remained significantly lower in cover compared to the control plots. Removal did not significantly affect species richness and species diversity (evenness, Shannon and Simpson) at the plot scale, but did result in increased species richness overall in the removal plots in the last sampling year when compared to control plots. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination analysis indicated a significant compositional change in the spring plant composition of plots over the 3 y, reflecting an increase in exotic woody species. Exotic woody plants, especially Rosa multiflora and Euonymus alatus, increased in cover in response to H. matronalis removal. In the 3 y, neither native nor exotic forbs, nor native woody plants responded to the removal of H. matronalis in a statistically significant manner. The increasing cover of woody invasive plants in response to the removal of H. matronalis has important management implications for restoration of degraded communities.

  14. Ozone Air Purifiers: Can They Improve Asthma Symptoms?

    MedlinePlus

    ... and cleaner. However, ozone generators don't actually filter out the small particles that trigger asthma. Inhaling ... air — but they may generate unwanted ozone. Air filters that remove small particles — such as high-efficiency ...

  15. Free water surface wetlands for wastewater treatment in Sweden: nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

    PubMed

    Andersson, J L; Kallner Bastviken, S; Tonderski, K S

    2005-01-01

    In South Sweden, free water surface wetlands have been built to treat wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Commonly, nitrogen removal has been the prime aim, though a significant removal of tot-P and BOD7 has been observed. In this study, performance data for 3-8 years from four large (20-28 ha) FWS wetlands have been evaluated. Two of them receive effluent from WWTP with only mechanical and chemical treatment. At the other two, the wastewater has also been treated biologically resulting in lower concentrations of BOD7 and NH4+-N. The wetlands performed satisfactorily and removed 0.7-1.5 ton N ha(-1) yr(-1) as an average for the time period investigated, with loads between 1.7 and 6.3 ton N ha(-1)yr(-1). Treatment capacity depended on the pre-treatment of the water, as reflected in the k20-values for N removal (first order area based model). In the wetlands with no biological pre-treatment, the k20-values were 0.61 and 1.1 m month(-1), whereas for the other two they were 1.7 and 2.5 m month(-1). P removal varied between 10 and 41 kg ha(-1) yr(-1), and was related to differences in loads, P speciation and to the internal cycling of P in the wetlands.

  16. Methodology for the Elimination of Reflection and System Vibration Effects in Particle Image Velocimetry Data Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bremmer, David M.; Hutcheson, Florence V.; Stead, Daniel J.

    2005-01-01

    A methodology to eliminate model reflection and system vibration effects from post processed particle image velocimetry data is presented. Reflection and vibration lead to loss of data, and biased velocity calculations in PIV processing. A series of algorithms were developed to alleviate these problems. Reflections emanating from the model surface caused by the laser light sheet are removed from the PIV images by subtracting an image in which only the reflections are visible from all of the images within a data acquisition set. The result is a set of PIV images where only the seeded particles are apparent. Fiduciary marks painted on the surface of the test model were used as reference points in the images. By locating the centroids of these marks it was possible to shift all of the images to a common reference frame. This image alignment procedure as well as the subtraction of model reflection are performed in a first algorithm. Once the images have been shifted, they are compared with a background image that was recorded under no flow conditions. The second and third algorithms find the coordinates of fiduciary marks in the acquisition set images and the background image and calculate the displacement between these images. The final algorithm shifts all of the images so that fiduciary mark centroids lie in the same location as the background image centroids. This methodology effectively eliminated the effects of vibration so that unbiased data could be used for PIV processing. The PIV data used for this work was generated at the NASA Langley Research Center Quiet Flow Facility. The experiment entailed flow visualization near the flap side edge region of an airfoil model. Commercial PIV software was used for data acquisition and processing. In this paper, the experiment and the PIV acquisition of the data are described. The methodology used to develop the algorithms for reflection and system vibration removal is stated, and the implementation, testing and

  17. High reflectance-low stress Mo-Si multilayer reflective coatings

    DOEpatents

    Montcalm, Claude; Mirkarimi, Paul B.

    2000-01-01

    A high reflectance-low stress Mo-Si multilayer reflective coating particularly useful for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength region. While the multilayer reflective coating has particular application for EUV lithography, it has numerous other applications where high reflectance and low stress multilayer coatings are utilized. Multilayer coatings having high near-normal incidence reflectance (R.gtoreq.65%) and low residual stress (.ltoreq.100 MPa) have been produced using thermal and non-thermal approaches. The thermal approach involves heating the multilayer coating to a given temperature for a given time after deposition in order to induce structural changes in the multilayer coating that will have an overall "relaxation" effect without reducing the reflectance significantly.

  18. Reduction of unwanted submental fat with ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid), an adipocytolytic injectable treatment: results from a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

    PubMed

    Rzany, B; Griffiths, T; Walker, P; Lippert, S; McDiarmid, J; Havlickova, B

    2014-02-01

    Unwanted submental fat (SMF) is aesthetically unappealing, but methods of reduction are either invasive or lack evidence for their use. An injectable approach with ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid) is under investigation. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ATX-101 for the reduction of unwanted SMF. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study, 363 patients with moderate/severe SMF were randomized to receive ATX-101 (1 or 2 mg cm(-2) ) or placebo injections into their SMF at up to four treatment sessions ~28 days apart, with a 12-week follow-up. The co-primary efficacy endpoints were the proportions of treatment responders [patients with ≥ 1-point improvement in SMF on the 5-point Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS)] and patients satisfied with their face and chin appearance on the Subject Self-Rating Scale (SSRS). Secondary endpoints included skin laxity, calliper measurements and patient-reported outcomes. Adverse events were monitored. Significantly more ATX-101 recipients met the primary endpoint criteria vs. placebo: on the clinician scale, 59·2% and 65·3% of patients treated with ATX-101 1 and 2 mg cm(-2) , respectively, were treatment responders vs. 23·0% for placebo (CR-SMFRS; P < 0·001); on the patient scale, 53·3% and 66·1%, respectively, vs. 28·7%, were satisfied with their face/chin appearance (SSRS; P < 0·001). Calliper measurements showed a significant reduction in SMF (P < 0·001), skin laxity was not worsened and patients reported improvements in the severity and psychological impact of SMF with ATX-101 vs. placebo. Most adverse events were transient and associated with the treatment area. ATX-101 was effective and well tolerated for nonsurgical SMF reduction. © 2013 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.

  19. Mid-Infrared Reflectance Imaging of Thermal-Barrier Coatings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edlridge, Jeffrey I.; Martin, Richard E.

    2009-01-01

    contrast to the transient thermal response observed in infrared thermography), collection times can be lengthened to whatever extent needed to achieve desired signal-to-noise ratios. Each image is digitized, and the resulting data are processed in several steps to obtain a true mid-infrared reflectance image. The raw image includes thermal radiation emitted by the specimen in addition to the desired reflected radiation. The thermal-radiation contribution is eliminated by subtracting the image obtained with the illumination off from the image obtained with the illumination on. A flat-field correction is then made to remove the effects of non-uniformities in the illumination level and pixel-to-pixel variations in sensitivity. This correction is performed by normalizing to an image of a standard object that has a known reflectance at a wavelength of 4 microns. After correction, each pixel value is proportional to the reflectance (at a wavelength of 4-microns) at the corresponding location on the specimen. Mid-infrared reflectance imaging of specimens that were thermally cyc led for different numbers of cycles was performed and demonstrated t hat mid-infrared reflectance imaging was able to monitor the gradual delamination progression that occurs with continued thermal cycling . Reproducible values were obtained for the reflectance associated w ith an attached and fully delaminated TBC, so that intermediate refle ctance values could be interpreted to successfully predict the numbe r of thermal cycles to failure.

  20. Economical in situ processing for orbital debris removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramohalli, Kumar

    This paper proposes and develops the first description of a novel concept for the removal of large pieces of orbital debris; removing the large ones prevents the future formation of innumerable smaller ones. After a brief discussion of the growing importance of the general problem of orbital debris, the idea of utilizing local resources for clearing the debris is introduced. The fundamental concept revolves around the collection of solar energy via high-tech, light-weight, thermally stable reflectors; concentrating the radiation into highly focused beams; and carefully cutting the debris into accurate pieces that can be further used by the processing craft itself. The unusable parts are stowed behind the reflecting surfaces. At the end of these operations, the craft, with the collected debris, can process itself into a specific "shape" depending on the final disposal mode-either retrieval by the shuttle, splashdown into the ocean, or re-entry for burnup. The propulstion requirements are shown to be reasonable, through three very specific examples, using a quantitative computer animation. A description of the initial (manual, at this stage) terrestrially working hardware and future projections for this Autonomous Space Processor for Orbital Debris conclude this paper.

  1. Kidney removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... the surgical cut is located. Recovery after a laparoscopic procedure is most often quicker, with less pain. Outlook (Prognosis) The outcome is most often good when a single kidney is removed. If both kidneys are removed, ...

  2. Reflection Coefficients.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenslade, Thomas B., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    Discusses and provides an example of reflectivity approximation to determine whether reflection will occur. Provides a method to show thin-film interference on a projection screen. Also applies the reflectivity concepts to electromagnetic wave systems. (MVL)

  3. Ecosystem response to removal of exotic riparian shrubs and a transition to upland vegetation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reynolds, Lindsay V.; Cooper, David J.

    2011-01-01

    Understanding plant community change over time is essential for managing important ecosystems such as riparian areas. This study analyzed historic vegetation using soil seed banks and the effects of riparian shrub removal treatments and channel incision on ecosystem and plant community dynamics in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. We focused on how seeds, nutrients, and ground water influence the floristic composition of post-treatment vegetation and addressed three questions: (1) How does pre-treatment soil seed bank composition reflect post-treatment vegetation composition? (2) How does shrub removal affect post-treatment riparian vegetation composition, seed rain inputs, and ground water dynamics? and (3) Is available soil nitrogen increased near dead Russian olive plants following removal and does this influence post-treatment vegetation? We analyzed seed bank composition across the study area, analyzed differences in vegetation, ground water levels, and seed rain between control, cut-stump and whole-plant removal areas, and compared soil nitrogen and vegetation near removed Russian olive to areas lacking Russian olive. The soil seed bank contained more riparian plants, more native and fewer exotic plants than the extant vegetation. Both shrub removal methods decreased exotic plant cover, decreased tamarisk and Russian olive seed inputs, and increased native plant cover after 2 years. Neither method increased ground water levels. Soil near dead Russian olive trees indicated a short-term increase in soil nitrogen following plant removal but did not influence vegetation composition compared to areas without Russian olive. Following tamarisk and Russian olive removal, our study sites were colonized by upland plant species. Many western North American rivers have tamarisk and Russian olive on floodplains abandoned by channel incision, river regulation or both. Our results are widely applicable to sites where drying has occurred and vegetation

  4. The role of ultraviolet-A reflectance and ultraviolet-A induced fluorescence in the appearance of budgerigar plumage: insights from spectrofluorometry and reflectance spectrophotometry.

    PubMed Central

    Pearn, Sophie M; Bennett, Andrew T D; Cuthill, Innes C

    2003-01-01

    Fluorescence has so far been found in 52 parrot species when illuminated with ultraviolet-A (UVA) 'black' lamps, and two attempts have been made to determine whether such fluorescence plays any role in sexual signalling. However, the contribution of the reflectance versus fluorescence to the total radiance from feathers, even in the most studied species to date (budgerigars), is unclear. Nor has the plumage of this study species been systematically assessed to determine the distribution of fluorescent patches. We therefore used spectrofluorometry to determine which areas of budgerigars fluoresce and the excitation and emission spectra involved; this is the first time that such a technique has been applied to avian plumage. We found that both the yellow crown and (normally hidden) white downy chest feathers exhibit strong UVA-induced fluorescence, with peak emissions at 527 nm and 436 nm, respectively. Conversely, the bright-green chest and dark-blue tail feathers do not fluoresce. When comparing reflectance spectra (400-700 nm) from the yellow crown using illuminants with a proportion of UVA comparable to daylight, and illuminants with all UVA removed, no measurable difference resulting from fluorescence was found. This suggests that under normal daylight the contribution of fluorescence to radiance is probably trivial. Furthermore, these spectra revealed that males had fluorescent crowns with substantially higher reflectance than those of females, in both the UV waveband and at longer wavelengths. Reflectance spectrophotometry was also performed on a number of live wild-type male budgerigars to investigate the chromatic contrast between the different plumage areas. This showed that many plumage regions are highly UV-reflective. Overall our results suggest that rapid surveys using UVA black lamps may overestimate the contribution of fluorescence to plumage coloration, and that any signalling role of fluorescence emissions, at least from the yellow crown of

  5. Propellantless Attitude Control of Solar Sail Technology Utilizing Reflective Control Devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Munday, Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    Solar sails offer an opportunity for a CubeSatscale, propellant-free spacecraft technology that enables long-term and long-distance missions not possible with traditional methods. Solar sails operate using the transfer of linear momentum from photons of sunlight reflected from the surface of the sail. To propel the spacecraft, no mechanically moving parts, thrusters, or propellant are needed. However, attitude control, or orientation, is still performed using traditional methods involving reaction wheels and propellant ejection, which severely limit mission lifetime. For example, the current state of the art solutions employed by upcoming missions couple solar sails with a state of the art propellant ejection gas system. Here, the use of the gas thruster has limited the lifetime of the mission. To solve the limited mission lifetime problem, the Propellantless Attitude Control of Solar Sail Technology Utilizing Reflective Control Devices project team is working on propellantless attitude control using thin layers of material, an optical film, electrically switchable from transparent to reflective. The technology is based on a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), which allows this switch upon application of a voltage. This technology removes the need for propellant, which reduces weight and cost while improving performance and lifetime.

  6. Bright Retinal Lesions Detection using Colour Fundus Images Containing Reflective Features

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

    Giancardo, Luca; Karnowski, Thomas Paul; Chaum, Edward

    2009-01-01

    In the last years the research community has developed many techniques to detect and diagnose diabetic retinopathy with retinal fundus images. This is a necessary step for the implementation of a large scale screening effort in rural areas where ophthalmologists are not available. In the United States of America, the incidence of diabetes is worryingly increasing among the young population. Retina fundus images of patients younger than 20 years old present a high amount of reflection due to the Nerve Fibre Layer (NFL), the younger the patient the more these reflections are visible. To our knowledge we are not awaremore » of algorithms able to explicitly deal with this type of reflection artefact. This paper presents a technique to detect bright lesions also in patients with a high degree of reflective NFL. First, the candidate bright lesions are detected using image equalization and relatively simple histogram analysis. Then, a classifier is trained using texture descriptor (Multi-scale Local Binary Patterns) and other features in order to remove the false positives in the lesion detection. Finally, the area of the lesions is used to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. Our database consists of 33 images from a telemedicine network currently developed. When determining moderate to high diabetic retinopathy using the bright lesions detected the algorithm achieves a sensitivity of 100% at a specificity of 100% using hold-one-out testing.« less

  7. Diagnostics of breast cancer by analysis of spectra diffuse reflections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzmina, Natalya V.; Plaksin, Fedor G.; Polovnikov, Eugeny S.

    2001-05-01

    The work is dedicated to problems of diagnostic oncologic diseases by a spectroscopic-optical method and is prolongation of long-term examinations held earlier by Vovk S.M, Naumov S.A. and Pushkarev S.V. The actual spectra of a diffuse reflection removed in vivo and in vitro are given, is angry- and good-quality neoplasms, healthy tissue and blood of breast and other organs. Problems of a clinical oncology are in a center of attention in medicine because the cases of disease malignant swellings increase, which is stipulated by an irregularity of present methods of diagnostic.

  8. Remote sensing reflectance and inherent optical properties of oceanic waters derived from above-water measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Zhongping; Carder, Kendall L.; Steward, Robert G.; Peacock, Thomas G.; Davis, Curtiss O.; Mueller, James L.

    1997-02-01

    Remote-sensing reflectance and inherent optical properties of oceanic properties of oceanic waters are important parameters for ocean optics. Due to surface reflectance, Rrs or water-leaving radiance is difficult to measure from above the surface. It usually is derived by correcting for the reflected skylight in the measured above-water upwelling radiance using a theoretical Fresnel reflectance value. As it is difficult to determine the reflected skylight, there are errors in the Q and E derived Rrs, and the errors may get bigger for high chl_a coastal waters. For better correction of the reflected skylight,w e propose the following derivation procedure: partition the skylight into Rayleigh and aerosol contributions, remove the Rayleigh contribution using the Fresnel reflectance, and correct the aerosol contribution using an optimization algorithm. During the process, Rrs and in-water inherent optical properties are derived at the same time. For measurements of 45 sites made in the Gulf of Mexico and Arabian Sea with chl_a concentrations ranging from 0.07 to 49 mg/m3, the derived Rrs and inherent optical property values were compared with those from in-water measurements. These results indicate that for the waters studied, the proposed algorithm performs quite well in deriving Rrs and in- water inherent optical properties from above-surface measurements for clear and turbid waters.

  9. Unwanted sexual experiences in young men: evidence from a survey of university students in Chile.

    PubMed

    Lehrer, Jocelyn A; Lehrer, Evelyn L; Koss, Mary P

    2013-02-01

    The public health problem of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) in male youths has received little attention. In this study, we examined prevalence of USE, risk factors, contexts, and barriers to disclosure with data from a quantitative survey of students enrolled in General Education courses at a public university in Chile. This study focused on the male sample (N = 466). Approximately 20.4 % of participants reported some form of USE since age 14. Forced sex through physical coercion, forced sex through verbal coercion or while intoxicated, attempted forced sex, and less severe forms of USE were reported by 0.2, 10.1, 1.4, and 8.7 % of participants, respectively. USE before age 14 was reported by 9.4 % of participants and was a significant predictor of USE since age 14 (AOR 6.38, 95 % CI 3.22-12.65, p < .01). The perpetrator of USE since age 14 was most commonly identified as a date/partner or friend/acquaintance; other findings on contexts and barriers to disclosure were also generally consistent with previous results in the literature. In addition, we found substantial co-occurrence of USE since age 14 with two other forms of coercion: physical dating violence victimization and coerced condom non-use. The study findings indicate a need for further attention to these public health problems and have implications for the development of violence and HIV/STI prevention programs for adolescent boys and young adult men in Chile and elsewhere.

  10. Estimation of the remote-sensing reflectance from above-surface measurements.

    PubMed

    Mobley, C D

    1999-12-20

    The remote-sensing reflectance R(rs) is not directly measurable, and various methodologies have been employed in its estimation. I review the radiative transfer foundations of several commonly used methods for estimating R(rs), and errors associated with estimating R(rs) by removal of surface-reflected sky radiance are evaluated using the Hydrolight radiative transfer numerical model. The dependence of the sea surface reflectance factor rho, which is not an inherent optical property of the surface, on sky conditions, wind speed, solar zenith angle, and viewing geometry is examined. If rho is not estimated accurately, significant errors can occur in the estimated R(rs) for near-zenith Sun positions and for high wind speeds, both of which can give considerable Sun glitter effects. The numerical simulations suggest that a viewing direction of 40 deg from the nadir and 135 deg from the Sun is a reasonable compromise among conflicting requirements. For this viewing direction, a value of rho approximately 0.028 is acceptable only for wind speeds less than 5 m s(-1). For higher wind speeds, curves are presented for the determination of rho as a function of solar zenith angle and wind speed. If the sky is overcast, a value of rho approximately 0.028 is used at all wind speeds.

  11. Backscatter of hard X-rays in the solar atmosphere. [Calculating the reflectance of solar x ray emission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bai, T.; Ramaty, R.

    1977-01-01

    The solar photosphere backscatters a substantial fraction of the hard X rays from solar flares incident upon it. This reflection was studied using a Monte Carlo simulation which takes into account Compton scattering and photo-electric absorption. Both isotropic and anisotropic X ray sources are considered. The bremsstrahlung from an anisotropic distribution of electrons are evaluated. By taking the reflection into account, the inconsistency is removed between recent observational data regarding the center-to-limb variation of solar X ray emission and the predictions of models in which accelerated electrons are moving down toward the photosphere.

  12. The use of date palm as a potential adsorbent for wastewater treatment: a review.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Tanweer; Danish, Mohammad; Rafatullah, Mohammad; Ghazali, Arniza; Sulaiman, Othman; Hashim, Rokiah; Ibrahim, Mohamad Nasir Mohamad

    2012-06-01

    In tropical countries, the palm tree is one of the most abundant and important trees. Date palm is a principal fruit grown in many regions of the world. It is abundant, locally available and effective material that could be used as an adsorbent for the removal of different pollutants from aqueous solution. This article presents a review on the role of date palm as adsorbents in the removal of unwanted materials such as acid and basic dyes, heavy metals, and phenolic compounds. Many studies on adsorption properties of various low cost adsorbent, such as agricultural waste and activated carbons based on agricultural waste have been reported in recent years. Studies have shown that date palm-based adsorbents are the most promising adsorbents for removing unwanted materials. No previous review is available where researchers can get an overview of the adsorption capacities of date palm-based adsorbent used for the adsorption of different pollutants. This review provides the recent literature demonstrating the usefulness of date palm biomass-based adsorbents in the adsorption of various pollutants.

  13. On the Choice of Adequate Randomization Ranges for Limiting the Use of Unwanted Cues in Same-Different, Dual-Pair, and Oddity Tasks

    PubMed Central

    Dai, Huanping; Micheyl, Christophe

    2010-01-01

    A major concern when designing a psychophysical experiment is that participants may use another stimulus feature (“cue”) than that intended by the experimenter. One way to avoid this involves applying random variations to the corresponding feature across stimulus presentations, to make the “unwanted” cue unreliable. An important question facing experimenters who use this randomization (“roving”) technique is: How large should the randomization range be to ensure that participants cannot achieve a certain proportion correct (PC) by using the unwanted cue, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary interference of the randomization with task performance? Previous publications have provided formulas for the selection of adequate randomization ranges in yes-no and multiple-alternative, forced-choice tasks. In this article, we provide figures and tables, which can be used to select randomization ranges that are better suited to experiments involving a same-different, dual-pair, or oddity task. PMID:20139466

  14. Pulse stuttering as a remedy for aliased ground backscatter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowhill, S. A.

    1983-12-01

    An algorithm that aides in the removal of ground scatter from low frequency Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere (MST) radar signals is examined. The unwanted ground scatter is shown as a sequence of velocity plots which are almost typical at the various altitudes. The interpulse period is changed in a cyclic way, thereby destroying the coherence of the unwanted signal. The interpulse period must be changed by an amount at least equal to the transmitted pulse width, and optimum performance is obtained when the number of different interpulse period occupies a time span greater than the coherence time of the unwanted signal. Since a 20-msec pulse width is used, it was found convenient to cycle through 50 pulses, the interpulse period changing from 2 msec to 3 msec during the 1/8-second time. This particular pattern of interpulse periods was provided by a software radar controller. With application of this algorithm, the unwanted scatter signal becomes incoherent from one pulse to the next, and therefore is perceived as noise by the coherent integrator and correlator.

  15. Pulse stuttering as a remedy for aliased ground backscatter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowhill, S. A.

    1983-01-01

    An algorithm that aides in the removal of ground scatter from low frequency Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere (MST) radar signals is examined. The unwanted ground scatter is shown as a sequence of velocity plots which are almost typical at the various altitudes. The interpulse period is changed in a cyclic way, thereby destroying the coherence of the unwanted signal. The interpulse period must be changed by an amount at least equal to the transmitted pulse width, and optimum performance is obtained when the number of different interpulse period occupies a time span greater than the coherence time of the unwanted signal. Since a 20-msec pulse width is used, it was found convenient to cycle through 50 pulses, the interpulse period changing from 2 msec to 3 msec during the 1/8-second time. This particular pattern of interpulse periods was provided by a software radar controller. With application of this algorithm, the unwanted scatter signal becomes incoherent from one pulse to the next, and therefore is perceived as noise by the coherent integrator and correlator.

  16. Measuring Practicum Student Teachers' Reflectivity: The Reflective Pedagogical Thinking Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seng, Toh Wah

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of the original study was to investigate practicum student teachers' reflectivity. This paper describes the use of a revised version of the Reflective Pedagogical Thinking Scale (Sparks-Langer, et al., 1990) to measure reflectivity. The original scale was used by the developers to assess reflectivity through a structured interview. The…

  17. Impacts of tree rows on grassland birds & potential nest predators: A removal experiment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ellison, Kevin S.; Ribic, Christine; Sample, David W.; Fawcett, Megan J.; Dadisman, John D.

    2013-01-01

    Globally, grasslands and the wildlife that inhabit them are widely imperiled. Encroachment by shrubs and trees has widely impacted grasslands in the past 150 years. In North America, most grassland birds avoid nesting near woody vegetation. Because woody vegetation fragments grasslands and potential nest predator diversity and abundance is often greater along wooded edge and grassland transitions, we measured the impacts of removing rows of trees and shrubs that intersected grasslands on potential nest predators and the three most abundant grassland bird species (Henslow’s sparrow [Ammodramus henslowii], Eastern meadowlark [Sturnella magna], and bobolink [Dolichonyx oryzivorus]) at sites in Wisconsin, U.S.A. We monitored 3 control and 3 treatment sites, for 1 yr prior to and 3 yr after tree row removal at the treatment sites. Grassland bird densities increased (2–4 times for bobolink and Henslow’s sparrow) and nesting densities increased (all 3 species) in the removal areas compared to control areas. After removals, Henslow’s sparrows nested within ≤50 m of the treatment area, where they did not occur when tree rows were present. Most dramatically, activity by woodland-associated predators nearly ceased (nine-fold decrease for raccoon [Procyon lotor]) at the removals and grassland predators increased (up to 27 times activity for thirteen-lined ground squirrel [Ictidomys tridecemlineatus]). Nest success did not increase, likely reflecting the increase in grassland predators. However, more nests were attempted by all 3 species (175 versus 116) and the number of successful nests for bobolinks and Henslow’s sparrows increased. Because of gains in habitat, increased use by birds, greater production of young, and the effective removal of woodland-associated predators, tree row removal, where appropriate based on the predator community, can be a beneficial management action for conserving grassland birds and improving fragmented and degraded grassland

  18. ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER BY IRON REMOVAL PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents a long term performance study of two iron removal water treatment plants to remove arsenic from drinking water sources. Performance information was collected from one system located in midwest for one full year and at the second system located in the farwest...

  19. An Analysis Method for Superconducting Resonator Parameter Extraction with Complex Baseline Removal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cataldo, Giuseppe

    2014-01-01

    A new semi-empirical model is proposed for extracting the quality (Q) factors of arrays of superconducting microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). The determination of the total internal and coupling Q factors enables the computation of the loss in the superconducting transmission lines. The method used allows the simultaneous analysis of multiple interacting discrete resonators with the presence of a complex spectral baseline arising from reflections in the system. The baseline removal allows an unbiased estimate of the device response as measured in a cryogenic instrumentation setting.

  20. Knowledge and attitude of young people regarding HIV prevention and unwanted pregnancy in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

    PubMed

    Come Yélian Adohinzin, Clétus; Meda, Nicolas; Anicet Ouédraogo, Georges; Gaston Belem, Adrien Marie; Sombié, Issiaka; Berthé, Abdramane; Bakwin Kandala, Ngianga; Damienne Avimadjenon, Georgette; Fond-Harmant, Laurence

    2016-10-19

    Introduction: Despite health education efforts, young people are still faced with major health problems. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding HIV prevention and unwanted pregnancy among young people in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Methods: Based on two-level sampling, representing 94,947 households in the Bobo-Dioulasso municipality, 573 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years were interviewed. This data collection was conducted from September 2014 to January 2015 in the three districts of the municipality. A questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and attitudes of young people. Results: The interviewees had a poor knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention and contraception Very few young people (9%) had complete knowledge about the modes of transmission and 5% had no knowledge. Persistent misperceptions about the effectiveness of condoms (25%) and contraception (32%) did not prevent some young people from using them (79% used condoms and 46% used contraceptives). Knowledge and attitudes of young people regarding HIV and contraception varied according to age, sex, education level and type of parental supervision. Conclusion: A significant proportion of young people still has incomplete knowledge about HIV/AIDS and contraception. Actions designed to reinforce the knowledge of young people are of paramount importance. The capacities of parents and healthcare providers also need to be reinforced to improve the quality of relationship with young people.

  1. 48. REMOVAL OF FIRST TRUSS. The first truss removed here ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    48. REMOVAL OF FIRST TRUSS. The first truss removed here rests on ground plates and awaits the similar placement of all the trusses for temporary storage. In the foreground are cut out sections of roofing also removed by crane. Note the 1873-74 standing seam sheet metal roof above the 1851 shingling. The roof pole gutters were in part made up of bench back rails. - Twelfth Street Meeting House, 20 South Twelfth Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

  2. Reflections on being therapeutic and reflection.

    PubMed

    Elcock, K

    1997-01-01

    This article offers a reflective account of an incident that occurred between a nurse tutor and a patient on a cardiology ward. It highlights the importance of interpersonal skills in creating a therapeutic relationship, in particular those of self-awareness, empathy and intuition. The author's difficulties in running reflective practice sessions for pre-registration students are discussed and insights are offered into why these difficulties arose.

  3. Dam removal: Listening in

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, M. M.; Bellmore, J. R.; O'Connor, J. E.; Duda, J. J.; East, A. E.; Grant, G. E.; Anderson, C. W.; Bountry, J. A.; Collins, M. J.; Connolly, P. J.; Craig, L. S.; Evans, J. E.; Greene, S. L.; Magilligan, F. J.; Magirl, C. S.; Major, J. J.; Pess, G. R.; Randle, T. J.; Shafroth, P. B.; Torgersen, C. E.; Tullos, D.; Wilcox, A. C.

    2017-07-01

    Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam removals thus far, some general conclusions have emerged: (1) physical responses are typically fast, with the rate of sediment erosion largely dependent on sediment characteristics and dam-removal strategy; (2) ecological responses to dam removal differ among the affected upstream, downstream, and reservoir reaches; (3) dam removal tends to quickly reestablish connectivity, restoring the movement of material and organisms between upstream and downstream river reaches; (4) geographic context, river history, and land use significantly influence river restoration trajectories and recovery potential because they control broader physical and ecological processes and conditions; and (5) quantitative modeling capability is improving, particularly for physical and broad-scale ecological effects, and gives managers information needed to understand and predict long-term effects of dam removal on riverine ecosystems. Although these studies collectively enhance our understanding of how riverine ecosystems respond to dam removal, knowledge gaps remain because most studies have been short (< 5 years) and do not adequately represent the diversity of dam types, watershed conditions, and dam-removal methods in the U.S.

  4. Dam removal: Listening in

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Foley, Melissa M.; Bellmore, James; O'Connor, James E.; Duda, Jeff; East, Amy E.; Grant, Gordon G.; Anderson, Chauncey; Bountry, Jennifer A.; Collins, Mathias J.; Connolly, Patrick J.; Craig, Laura S.; Evans, James E.; Greene, Samantha; Magilligan, Francis J.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Major, Jon J.; Pess, George R.; Randle, Timothy J.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Tullos, Desiree D.; Wilcox, Andrew C.

    2017-01-01

    Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam removals thus far, some general conclusions have emerged: (1) physical responses are typically fast, with the rate of sediment erosion largely dependent on sediment characteristics and dam-removal strategy; (2) ecological responses to dam removal differ among the affected upstream, downstream, and reservoir reaches; (3) dam removal tends to quickly reestablish connectivity, restoring the movement of material and organisms between upstream and downstream river reaches; (4) geographic context, river history, and land use significantly influence river restoration trajectories and recovery potential because they control broader physical and ecological processes and conditions; and (5) quantitative modeling capability is improving, particularly for physical and broad-scale ecological effects, and gives managers information needed to understand and predict long-term effects of dam removal on riverine ecosystems. Although these studies collectively enhance our understanding of how riverine ecosystems respond to dam removal, knowledge gaps remain because most studies have been short (< 5 years) and do not adequately represent the diversity of dam types, watershed conditions, and dam-removal methods in the U.S.

  5. Stray light effects in above-water remote-sensing reflectance from hyperspectral radiometers.

    PubMed

    Talone, Marco; Zibordi, Giuseppe; Ansko, Ilmar; Banks, Andrew Clive; Kuusk, Joel

    2016-05-20

    Stray light perturbations are unwanted distortions of the measured spectrum due to the nonideal performance of optical radiometers. Because of this, stray light characterization and correction is essential when accurate radiometric measurements are a necessity. In agreement with such a need, this study focused on stray light correction of hyperspectral radiometers widely applied for above-water measurements to determine the remote-sensing reflectance (RRS). Stray light of sample radiometers was experimentally characterized and a correction algorithm was developed and applied to field measurements performed in the Mediterranean Sea. Results indicate that mean stray light corrections are appreciable, with values generally varying from -1% to +1% in the 400-700 nm spectral region for downward irradiance and sky radiance, and from -1% to +4% for total radiance from the sea. Mean corrections for data products such as RRS exhibit values that depend on water type varying between -0.5% and +1% in the blue-green spectral region, with peaks up to 9% in the red in eutrophic waters. The possibility of using one common stray light correction matrix for the analyzed class of radiometers was also investigated. Results centered on RRS support such a feasibility at the expense of an increment of the uncertainty typically well below 0.5% in the blue-green and up to 1% in the red, assuming sensors are based on spectrographs from the same production batch.

  6. Cadmium analysis using field deployable nano-band electrode system and its removal using electrocoagulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guttula, Mallikarjuna Murthy

    Cadmium (Cd) is an extremely toxic metal commonly found in industrial workplaces. Major industrial releases of Cd stem from waste streams, leaching of landfills, and from a variety of operations that involve cadmium or zinc. Particularly, cadmium can be released to drinking water from the corrosion of some galvanized plumbing and water main pipe materials. The United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for cadmium at 5 ppb. Long term exposure of cadmium above the MCL results in kidney, liver, bone and blood damage. An accurate and rapid measurement of cadmium in the field remains a technical challenge. In this work, a relatively new method of a Nano-Band Electrode system using anodic stripping voltammetry was optimized by changing deposition potential, electrolyte, and plating time. We efficiently used Electrocoagulation remove cadmium from wastewater and obtained a removal efficiency of +/-99%. Removal mechanism of cadmium in electrocoagulation was also proposed with the help of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Attenuated Total Reflection - Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS).

  7. Estimation of Phytoplankton Accessory Pigments From Hyperspectral Reflectance Spectra: Toward a Global Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chase, A. P.; Boss, E.; Cetinić, I.; Slade, W.

    2017-12-01

    Phytoplankton community composition in the ocean is complex and highly variable over a wide range of space and time scales. Able to cover these scales, remote-sensing reflectance spectra can be measured both by satellite and by in situ radiometers. The spectral shape of reflectance in the open ocean is influenced by the particles in the water, mainly phytoplankton and covarying nonalgal particles. We investigate the utility of in situ hyperspectral remote-sensing reflectance measurements to detect phytoplankton pigments by using an inversion algorithm that defines phytoplankton pigment absorption as a sum of Gaussian functions. The inverted amplitudes of the Gaussian functions representing pigment absorption are compared to coincident High Performance Liquid Chromatography measurements of pigment concentration. We determined strong predictive capability for chlorophylls a, b, c1+c2, and the photoprotective carotenoids. We also tested the estimation of pigment concentrations from reflectance-derived chlorophyll a using global relationships of covariation between chlorophyll a and the accessory pigments. We found similar errors in pigment estimation based on the relationships of covariation versus the inversion algorithm. An investigation of spectral residuals in reflectance data after removal of chlorophyll-based average absorption spectra showed no strong relationship between spectral residuals and pigments. Ultimately, we are able to estimate concentrations of three chlorophylls and the photoprotective carotenoid pigments, noting that further work is necessary to address the challenge of extracting information from hyperspectral reflectance beyond the information that can be determined from chlorophyll a and its covariation with other pigments.

  8. Removal of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) from wastewaters by zero-valent iron (ZVI): predominant removal mechanism for effective SDBS removal.

    PubMed

    Takayanagi, Akari; Kobayashi, Maki; Kawase, Yoshinori

    2017-03-01

    Mechanisms for removal of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) in wastewaters by zero-valent iron (ZVI) were systematically examined. The contributions of four removal mechanisms, i.e., reductive degradation, oxidative degradation, adsorption, and precipitation, changed significantly with solution pH were quantified and the effective removal of SDBS by ZVI was found to be attributed to the adsorption capability of iron oxides/hydroxides on ZVI surface at nearly neutral pH instead of the degradation at acidic condition. The fastest SDBS removal rate and the maximum TOC (total organic carbon) removal efficiency were obtained at pH 6.0. The maximum TOC removal at pH 6.0 was 77.8%, and the contributions of degradation, precipitation, and adsorption to TOC removal were 4.6, 14.9, and 58.3%, respectively. At pH 3.0, which is an optimal pH for oxidative degradation by the Fenton reaction, the TOC removal was only 9.8% and the contributions of degradation, precipitation, and adsorption to TOC removal were 2.3, 4.6, and 2.9%, respectively. The electrostatic attraction between dodecyl benzene sulfate anion and the iron oxide/hydroxide layer controlled the TOC removal of SDBS. The kinetic model based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood/Eley-Rideal approach could successfully describe the experimental results for SDBS removal by ZVI with the averaged correlation coefficient of 0.994. ZVI was found to be an efficient material toward the removal of anionic surfactant at nearly neutral pH under the oxic condition.

  9. Dam removal: Listening in

    Treesearch

    M. M. Foley; J. R. Bellmore; J. E. O' Connor; J. J. Duda; A. E. East; G. E. Grant; C. W. Anderson; J. A. Bountry; M. J. Collins; P. J. Connolly; L. S. Craig; J. E. Evans; S. L. Greene; F. J. Magilligan; C. S. Magirl; J. J. Major; G. R. Pess; T. J. Randle; P. B. Shafroth; C. E. Torgersen; D. Tullos; A. C. Wilcox

    2017-01-01

    Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings....

  10. 45 CFR 1641.16 - Removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Removal. 1641.16 Section 1641.16 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION AND REMOVAL OF RECIPIENT AUDITORS Removal § 1641.16 Removal. Removed IPAs are prohibited from performing audit...

  11. 45 CFR 1641.16 - Removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Removal. 1641.16 Section 1641.16 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION AND REMOVAL OF RECIPIENT AUDITORS Removal § 1641.16 Removal. Removed IPAs are prohibited from performing audit...

  12. Time Effects on Morphology and Bonding Ability in Mercerized Natural Fibers for Composite Reinforcement

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    such as lignin , are not favored for interaction with most hydrophilic resins. Lignin , being mostly hydrophobic, shows poor adhe- sion between the...cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin , are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Chemical treatment has been a well-known method em- ployed...to clean the surfaces of fibers and remove unwanted components, such as waxes, pectin, hemicellulose, and lignin . The removal of these materials has

  13. Effectiveness of Family Planning Policies: The Abortion Paradox

    PubMed Central

    Bajos, Nathalie; Le Guen, Mireille; Bohet, Aline; Panjo, Henri; Moreau, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    Objective The relation between levels of contraceptive use and the incidence of induced abortion remains a topic of heated debate. Many of the contradictions are likely due to the fact that abortion is the end point of a process that starts with sexual activity, contraceptive use (or non-use), followed by unwanted pregnancy, a decision to terminate, and access to abortion. Trends in abortion rates reflect changes in each step of this process, and opposing trends may cancel each other out. This paper aims to investigate the roles played by the dissemination of contraception and the evolving norms of motherhood on changes in abortion rates. Methods Drawing data from six national probability surveys that explored contraception and pregnancy wantedness in France from 1978 through 2010, we used multivariate linear regression to explore the associations between trends in contraceptive rates and trends in (i) abortion rates, (ii) unwanted pregnancy rates, (iii) and unwanted birth rates, and to determine which of these 3 associations was strongest. Findings The association between contraceptive rates and abortion rates over time was weaker than that between contraception rates and unwanted pregnancy rates (p = 0.003). Similarly, the association between contraceptive rates and unwanted birth rates over time was weaker than that between contraceptive rates and unwanted pregnancy rates (p = 0.000). PMID:24670784

  14. Reflectance calibration of focal plane array hyperspectral imaging system for agricultural and food safety applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, Kurt C.; Park, Bosoon; Windham, William R.; Mao, Chengye; Poole, Gavin H.

    2003-03-01

    A method to calibrate a pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system for "near-field" applications in agricultural and food safety has been demonstrated. The method consists of a modified geometric control point correction applied to a focal plane array to remove smile and keystone distortion from the system. Once a FPA correction was applied, single wavelength and distance calibrations were used to describe all points on the FPA. Finally, a percent reflectance calibration, applied on a pixel-by-pixel basis, was used for accurate measurements for the hyperspectral imaging system. The method was demonstrated with a stationary prism-grating-prism, pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system. For the system described, wavelength and distance calibrations were used to reduce the wavelength errors to <0.5 nm and distance errors to <0.01mm (across the entrance slit width). The pixel-by-pixel percent reflectance calibration, which was performed at all wavelengths with dark current and 99% reflectance calibration-panel measurements, was verified with measurements on a certified gradient Spectralon panel with values ranging from about 14% reflectance to 99% reflectance with errors generally less than 5% at the mid-wavelength measurements. Results from the calibration method, indicate the hyperspectral imaging system has a usable range between 420 nm and 840 nm. Outside this range, errors increase significantly.

  15. Research on material removal accuracy analysis and correction of removal function during ion beam figuring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Weibin; Dai, Yifan; Zhou, Lin; Xu, Mingjin

    2016-09-01

    Material removal accuracy has a direct impact on the machining precision and efficiency of ion beam figuring. By analyzing the factors suppressing the improvement of material removal accuracy, we conclude that correcting the removal function deviation and reducing the removal material amount during each iterative process could help to improve material removal accuracy. Removal function correcting principle can effectively compensate removal function deviation between actual figuring and simulated processes, while experiments indicate that material removal accuracy decreases with a long machining time, so a small amount of removal material in each iterative process is suggested. However, more clamping and measuring steps will be introduced in this way, which will also generate machining errors and suppress the improvement of material removal accuracy. On this account, a free-measurement iterative process method is put forward to improve material removal accuracy and figuring efficiency by using less measuring and clamping steps. Finally, an experiment on a φ 100-mm Zerodur planar is preformed, which shows that, in similar figuring time, three free-measurement iterative processes could improve the material removal accuracy and the surface error convergence rate by 62.5% and 17.6%, respectively, compared with a single iterative process.

  16. Using Betweenness Centrality to Identify Manifold Shortcuts

    PubMed Central

    Cukierski, William J.; Foran, David J.

    2010-01-01

    High-dimensional data presents a challenge to tasks of pattern recognition and machine learning. Dimensionality reduction (DR) methods remove the unwanted variance and make these tasks tractable. Several nonlinear DR methods, such as the well known ISOMAP algorithm, rely on a neighborhood graph to compute geodesic distances between data points. These graphs can contain unwanted edges which connect disparate regions of one or more manifolds. This topological sensitivity is well known [1], [2], [3], yet handling high-dimensional, noisy data in the absence of a priori manifold knowledge, remains an open and difficult problem. This work introduces a divisive, edge-removal method based on graph betweenness centrality which can robustly identify manifold-shorting edges. The problem of graph construction in high dimension is discussed and the proposed algorithm is fit into the ISOMAP workflow. ROC analysis is performed and the performance is tested on synthetic and real datasets. PMID:20607142

  17. Diffracting Reflection: A Move beyond Reflective Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Veronica Ann

    2017-01-01

    Reflective practice has become a core component in higher education studies. In the health sciences, reflective tasks are required throughout the undergraduate programmes, yet many students struggle to find value in these tasks for their present and future professional practice. Benefits that can be derived from the process are undermined by this…

  18. DESIGN MANUAL: PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    This manual summarizes process design information for the best developed methods for removing phosphorus from wastewater. his manual discusses several proven phosphorus removal methods, including phosphorus removal obtainable through biological activity as well as chemical precip...

  19. Top-down enhancement and suppression of activity in category-selective extrastriate cortex from an act of reflective attention.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Matthew R; Johnson, Marcia K

    2009-12-01

    Recent research has demonstrated top-down attentional modulation of activity in extrastriate category-selective visual areas while stimuli are in view (perceptual attention) and after they are removed from view (reflective attention). Perceptual attention is capable of both enhancing and suppressing activity in category-selective areas relative to a passive viewing baseline. In this study, we demonstrate that a brief, simple act of reflective attention ("refreshing") is also capable of both enhancing and suppressing activity in some scene-selective areas (the parahippocampal place area [PPA]) but not others (refreshing resulted in enhancement but not in suppression in the middle occipital gyrus [MOG]). This suggests that different category-selective extrastriate areas preferring the same class of stimuli may contribute differentially to reflective processing of one's internal representations of such stimuli.

  20. Optical Evaluation of DMDs with UV-Grade FS, Sapphire, MgF2 Windows and Reflectance of Bare Devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Quijada, Manuel A.; Heap, Sara; Travinsky, Anton; Vorobiev, Dmitry; Ninkov, Zoran; Raisanen, Alan; Roberto, Massimo

    2016-01-01

    Digital Micro-mirror Devices (DMDs) have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of a proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) that uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, Low Absorption Optical Sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride. We present reflectance measurements of the antireflection coated windows and a reflectance study of the DMDs active area (window removed). Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and recoating device with fresh Al coatings.

  1. Influences of Excess Oscillation of Voltage Pulse and Discharge Mode on NO Removal Using Barrier-Type Plasma Reactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadowaki, Kazunori; Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Ihori, Haruo; Kitani, Isamu

    This paper presents experimental results of NO removal from a simulated exhausted-gas using a barrier type reactor with screw electrodes subjected to polarity-reversed voltage pulses. The polarity-reversed pulse was produced by direct grounding of a charged coaxial cable because a traveling wave voltage was negatively reflected at the grounding end with a change in its polarity and then it propagated to the plasma reactor at the opposite end. Influence of cable length on NO removal was studied for two kinds of cable connection, single-connected cable and parallel-connected cables. NO removal ratio for a 50m-long cable was lower than that for much shorter cables in both single and parallel connections when the applied voltage became high. Energy efficiency for NO removal also increased with decreasing the cable length. This was because excess discharges during the voltage oscillation caused by the large stored energy in the long cable resulted in reproduction of NO molecules. Energy efficiency was further improved by changing the discharge mode from dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to surface discharge (SD). Energy efficiency was up to 110g/kWh with 55% NO removal ratio and 34g/kWh with 100% NO removal ratio by using a single 10m-long cable in SD mode.

  2. The Amateur Scientist: Simple Optical Experiments in Which Spatial Filtering Removes the "Noise" from Pictures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Jearl

    1982-01-01

    Spatial filtering, based on diffraction/interference of light waves, is a technique by which unwanted information in a picture ("noise") can be separated from wanted information. A series of experiments is described in which students can create a system that functions as an optical computer to create clearer pictures. (Author/JN)

  3. A Reflective Learning Framework to Evaluate CME Effects on Practice Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leung, Kit H.; Pluye, Pierre; Grad, Roland; Weston, Cynthia

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: The importance of reflective practice is recognized by the adoption of a reflective learning model in continuing medical education (CME), but little is known about how to evaluate reflective learning in CME. Reflective learning seldom is defined in terms of specific cognitive processes or observable performances. Competency-based…

  4. Filter Enhances Fluorescent-Penetrant-Inspecting Borescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molina, Orlando G.

    1990-01-01

    Slip-on eyepiece for commercial ultraviolet-light borescope reduces both amount of short-wave ultraviolet light that reaches viewer's eye and apparent intensity of unwanted reflections of white light from surfaces undergoing inspection. Fits on stock eyepiece of borescope, which illuminates surface inspected with intense ultraviolet light. Surface, which is treated with fluorescent dye, emits bright-green visible light wherever dye penetrates - in cracks and voids. Eyepiece contains deep-yellow Wratten 15 (G) filter, which attenuates unwanted light strongly but passes yellow-green fluorescence so defects seen clearly.

  5. Imaging Basin Structure with Teleseismic Virtual Source Reflection Profiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Z.; Sheehan, A. F.; Yeck, W. L.; Miller, K. C.; Worthington, L. L.; Erslev, E.; Harder, S. H.; Anderson, M. L.; Siddoway, C. S.

    2011-12-01

    We demonstrate a case of using teleseisms recorded on single channel high frequency geophones to image upper crustal structure across the Bighorn Arch in north-central Wyoming. The dataset was obtained through the EarthScope FlexArray Bighorn Arch Seismic Experiment (BASE). In addition to traditional active and passive source seismic data acquisition, BASE included a 12 day continuous (passive source) deployment of 850 geophones with 'Texan' dataloggers. The geophones were deployed in three E-W lines in north-central Wyoming extending from the Powder River Basin across the Bighorn Mountains and across the Bighorn Basin, and two N-S lines on east and west flanks of the Bighorn Mountains. The station interval is roughly 1.5-2 km, good for imaging coherent shallow structures. The approach used in this study uses the surface reflection as virtual seismic source and reverberated teleseismic P-wave phase (PpPdp) (teleseismic P-wave reflected at receiver side free surface and then reflected off crustal seismic interface) to construct seismic profiles. These profiles are equivalent to conventional active source seismic reflection profiles except that high-frequency (up to 2.4 Hz) transmitted wave fields from distant earthquakes are used as sources. On the constructed seismic profiles, the coherent PpPdp phases beneath Powder River and Bighorn Basins are distinct after the source wavelet is removed from the seismograms by deconvolution. Under the Bighorn Arch, no clear coherent signals are observed. We combine phases PpPdp and Ps to constrain the averaged Vp/Vs: 2.05-2.15 for the Powder River Basin and 1.9-2.0 for the Bighorn Basin. These high Vp/Vs ratios suggest that the layers within which P-wave reverberates are sedimentary. Assuming Vp as 4 km/s under the Powder River Basin, the estimated thickness of sedimentary layer above reflection below the profile is 3-4.5 km, consistent with the depth of the top of the Tensleep Fm. Therefore we interpret the coherent Pp

  6. Reflective photovoltaics

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

    Lentine, Anthony L.; Nielson, Gregory N.; Cruz-Campa, Jose Luis

    A photovoltaic module includes colorized reflective photovoltaic cells that act as pixels. The colorized reflective photovoltaic cells are arranged so that reflections from the photovoltaic cells or pixels visually combine into an image on the photovoltaic module. The colorized photovoltaic cell or pixel is composed of a set of 100 to 256 base color sub-pixel reflective segments or sub-pixels. The color of each pixel is determined by the combination of base color sub-pixels forming the pixel. As a result, each pixel can have a wide variety of colors using a set of base colors, which are created, from sub-pixel reflectivemore » segments having standard film thicknesses.« less

  7. Impacts of Tree Rows on Grassland Birds and Potential Nest Predators: A Removal Experiment

    PubMed Central

    Ellison, Kevin S.; Ribic, Christine A.; Sample, David W.; Fawcett, Megan J.; Dadisman, John D.

    2013-01-01

    Globally, grasslands and the wildlife that inhabit them are widely imperiled. Encroachment by shrubs and trees has widely impacted grasslands in the past 150 years. In North America, most grassland birds avoid nesting near woody vegetation. Because woody vegetation fragments grasslands and potential nest predator diversity and abundance is often greater along wooded edge and grassland transitions, we measured the impacts of removing rows of trees and shrubs that intersected grasslands on potential nest predators and the three most abundant grassland bird species (Henslow’s sparrow [Ammodramus henslowii], Eastern meadowlark [Sturnella magna], and bobolink [Dolichonyx oryzivorus]) at sites in Wisconsin, U.S.A. We monitored 3 control and 3 treatment sites, for 1 yr prior to and 3 yr after tree row removal at the treatment sites. Grassland bird densities increased (2–4 times for bobolink and Henslow’s sparrow) and nesting densities increased (all 3 species) in the removal areas compared to control areas. After removals, Henslow’s sparrows nested within ≤50 m of the treatment area, where they did not occur when tree rows were present. Most dramatically, activity by woodland-associated predators nearly ceased (nine-fold decrease for raccoon [Procyon lotor]) at the removals and grassland predators increased (up to 27 times activity for thirteen-lined ground squirrel [Ictidomys tridecemlineatus]). Nest success did not increase, likely reflecting the increase in grassland predators. However, more nests were attempted by all 3 species (175 versus 116) and the number of successful nests for bobolinks and Henslow’s sparrows increased. Because of gains in habitat, increased use by birds, greater production of young, and the effective removal of woodland-associated predators, tree row removal, where appropriate based on the predator community, can be a beneficial management action for conserving grassland birds and improving fragmented and degraded grassland

  8. Occurrence of illicit drugs in water and wastewater and their removal during wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Meena K; Short, Michael D; Aryal, Rupak; Gerber, Cobus; van den Akker, Ben; Saint, Christopher P

    2017-11-01

    This review critically evaluates the types and concentrations of key illicit drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, cannabinoids, opioids and their metabolites) found in wastewater, surface water and drinking water sources worldwide and what is known on the effectiveness of wastewater treatment in removing such compounds. It is also important to amass information on the trends in specific drug use as well as the sources of such compounds that enter the environment and we review current international knowledge on this. There are regional differences in the types and quantities of illicit drug consumption and this is reflected in the quantities detected in water. Generally, the levels of illicit drugs in wastewater effluents are lower than in raw influent, indicating that the majority of compounds can be at least partially removed by conventional treatment processes such as activated sludge or trickling filters. However, the literature also indicates that it is too simplistic to assume non-detection equates to drug removal and/or mitigation of associated risks, as there is evidence that some compounds may avoid detection via inadequate sampling and/or analysis protocols, or through conversion to transformation products. Partitioning of drugs from the water to the solids fraction (sludge/biosolids) may also simply shift the potential risk burden to a different environmental compartment and the review found no information on drug stability and persistence in biosolids. Generally speaking, activated sludge-type processes appear to offer better removal efficacy across a range of substances, but the lack of detail in many studies makes it difficult to comment on the most effective process configurations and operations. There is also a paucity of information on the removal effectiveness of alternative treatment processes. Research is also required on natural removal processes in both water and sediments that may over time facilitate further removal of these compounds in receiving

  9. Impacts of tree rows on grassland birds and potential nest predators: a removal experiment.

    PubMed

    Ellison, Kevin S; Ribic, Christine A; Sample, David W; Fawcett, Megan J; Dadisman, John D

    2013-01-01

    Globally, grasslands and the wildlife that inhabit them are widely imperiled. Encroachment by shrubs and trees has widely impacted grasslands in the past 150 years. In North America, most grassland birds avoid nesting near woody vegetation. Because woody vegetation fragments grasslands and potential nest predator diversity and abundance is often greater along wooded edge and grassland transitions, we measured the impacts of removing rows of trees and shrubs that intersected grasslands on potential nest predators and the three most abundant grassland bird species (Henslow's sparrow [Ammodramus henslowii], Eastern meadowlark [Sturnella magna], and bobolink [Dolichonyx oryzivorus]) at sites in Wisconsin, U.S.A. We monitored 3 control and 3 treatment sites, for 1 yr prior to and 3 yr after tree row removal at the treatment sites. Grassland bird densities increased (2-4 times for bobolink and Henslow's sparrow) and nesting densities increased (all 3 species) in the removal areas compared to control areas. After removals, Henslow's sparrows nested within ≤50 m of the treatment area, where they did not occur when tree rows were present. Most dramatically, activity by woodland-associated predators nearly ceased (nine-fold decrease for raccoon [Procyon lotor]) at the removals and grassland predators increased (up to 27 times activity for thirteen-lined ground squirrel [Ictidomys tridecemlineatus]). Nest success did not increase, likely reflecting the increase in grassland predators. However, more nests were attempted by all 3 species (175 versus 116) and the number of successful nests for bobolinks and Henslow's sparrows increased. Because of gains in habitat, increased use by birds, greater production of young, and the effective removal of woodland-associated predators, tree row removal, where appropriate based on the predator community, can be a beneficial management action for conserving grassland birds and improving fragmented and degraded grassland ecosystems.

  10. Delmopinol-induced matrix removal facilitates photodynamic therapy and chlorhexidine methods for disinfecting mixed oral biofilms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rogers, Stephen Christopher

    It is often observed that the slimy matrixes of various bacterial-formed biofilms can limit their disinfection. This investigation demonstrated that disinfection effectiveness by either photodynamic therapy (PDT) or chlorhexidine irrigation is significantly improved by collapse of that matrix using the non-bactericidal reagent delmopinol as part of the treatment sequence. Cyclic shear-producing conditions were used to grow 4-day, whole salivary and growth media biofilms on glow-discharge-treated polystyrene (N=46) and mini-germanium internal reflection prisms to serve in a periodontal crypt model of disinfection by either methylene-blue-mediated PDT or by chlorhexidine irrigation. Assays for bacterial viability, with and without treatments, were performed by alamarBlueRTM fluorescent methods, statistically applied (ANOVA, Tukey's HSD). Multiple Attenuated Internal Reflection Infrared (MAIR-IR) assays confirmed selective removal of the predominantly polysaccharide matrix materials by the delmopinol treatment, but not by equivalent water or chlorhexidine methods. Confocal-IR microscopy showed that the delmopinol reagent, alone, caused about one-third of each wet biofilm to be removed, while bacterial re-growth was confirmed by alamarBlueRTM assay. Chlorhexidine and PDT suppression of bacterial activity without regrowth was significantly improved with the added delmopinol treatment, and is likely to provide similarly beneficial results in the effective disinfection of diverse biofilms in many settings.

  11. Particle Shape Characterization of Lunar Regolith using Reflected Light Microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCarty, C. B.; Garcia, G. C.; Rickman, D.

    2014-12-01

    Automated identification of particles in lunar thin sections is necessary for practical measurement of particle shape, void characterization, and quantitative characterization of sediment fabric. This may be done using image analysis, but several aspects of the lunar regolith make such automations difficult. For example, many of the particles are shattered; others are aggregates of smaller particles. Sieve sizes of the particles span 5 orders of magnitude. The physical thickness of a thin section, at a nominal 30 microns, is large compared to the size of many of the particles. Image acquisition modes, such as SEM and reflected light, while superior to transmitted light, still have significant ambiguity as to the volume being sampled. It is also desirable to have a technique that is inexpensive, not resource intensive, and analytically robust. To this end, we have developed an image acquisition and processing protocol that identifies and delineates resolvable particles on the front surface of a lunar thin section using a petrographic microscope in reflected light. For a polished thin section, a grid is defined covering the entire thin section. The grid defines discrete images taken with 20% overlap, minimizing the number of particles that intersect image boundaries. In reflected light mode, two images are acquired at each grid location, with a closed aperture diaphragm. One image, A, is focused precisely on the front surface of the thin section. The second image, B, is made after the stage is brought toward the objective lens just slightly. A bright fringe line, analogous to a Becke line, appears inside all transparent particles at the front surface of the section in the second image. The added light in the bright line corresponds to a deficit around the particles. Particle identification is done using ImageJ and uses multiple steps. A hybrid 5x5 median filter is used to make images Af and Bf. This primarily removes very small particles just below the front surface

  12. Most unwanted.

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, B E

    1999-01-01

    Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can travel thousands of miles, accumulate in the food chain, and persist in the environment, taking as long as centuries to degrade. POPs are known to play a role in birth defects, cancer, immune system dysfunction, and reproductive problems in wildlife. While the effects of POPs on human health are unclear, many researchers believe that long-term exposure contributes to increasing rates of birth defects, fertility problems, greater susceptibility to disease, diminished intelligence, and certain cancers. Twelve POPs have been identified by the United Nations Environment Programme as requiring urgent regulatory attention. They include the pesticides aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, and toxaphene. Of the remaining three POPs, polychlorinated biphenyls are industrial products (used in electrical transformers), and dioxins and furans are unintentional by-products of industrial processes. PMID:9872725

  13. Processing and attenuation of noise in deep seismic-reflection data from the Gulf of Maine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hutchinson, D.R.; Lee, M.W.

    1989-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey deep crustal studies reflection profile across the Gulf of Maine off southeastern New England was affected by three sources of noise: side-scattered noise, multiples, and 20-Hz whale sounds. The special processing most effective in minimizing this noise consisted of a combination of frequency-wavenumber (F-K) filtering, predictive deconvolution, and spectral whitening, each applied in the shot domain (prestack). Application of the F-K filter to remove side-scatter noise in the poststack domain resulted in a much poorer quality profile. The prestack noise suppression processing techniques resulted in a reflection profile with good signal-to-noise ratios and reliable strong reflections, especially at depths equivalent to the lower crust (24-34 km). Certain geologic features, such as a buried rift basin and a crustal fault are resolved much better within the upper crust after this processing. Finite difference migration of these data using realistic velocities produced excellent results. Migration was essential to distinguish between abundant dipping and subhorizontal reflections in the lower crust as well as to show an essentially transparent upper mantle. ?? 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

  14. Unwanted signal leakage in excitation sculpting with single axis gradients.

    PubMed

    Jerschow, A

    1999-03-01

    Excitation sculpting (T-L. Hwang and A. J. Shaka, J. Magn. Reson. A 112, 275-279 (1995)) used for solvent suppression and selective excitation in NMR bases its success on the ability to remove baseline and phase errors created by the application of selective rf pulses. This is achieved by the application of two pulsed field gradient (PFG) echoes in sequence. It is essential that the two pairs of PFGs select the coherence transfer steps independently of each other, which is conveniently achieved if they are applied along orthogonal spatial axes. Here, the much more common case where both PFG pairs must be applied along a single axis is investigated. This is shown to lead to complications for certain ratios of PFG strengths. The original theory of excitation sculpting is restated in the spherical basis for convenience. Some of the effects can only be explained by invoking the dipolar demagnetizing field. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  15. SIMULAÇÃO E PROJECTO DE PROCESSOS QUÍMICOS CONSIDERANDO ASPECTOS ECONÓMICOS E AMBIENTAIS (PORTUGESE)

    EPA Science Inventory

    In this article the hydrodealkylation (HDA) process is studied and two process alternatives are compared: removing and recycling biphenyl. Since the unwanted biphenyl is formed by a reversible reaction the alternative of recycling biphenyl with toluene to let it build up to an eq...

  16. FREE-WATER DEPTH AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Marsh plants in constructed wetlands have shown the capacity to remove unwanted pollutants from storm water runoff. The plants can be established at the site from bare roots. However, plant growth from bare roots can be restricted by the elevated water depths. Using several wa...

  17. Shoulder arthroscopy (image)

    MedlinePlus

    ... is a type of surgery to examine or repair the tissues inside or around your shoulder joint. The procedure ... small incision. If the surgeon is going to repair the joint, small surgical instruments are also used, such as a shaver to remove unwanted tissue.

  18. Removal of basic dye (methylene blue) from wastewaters utilizing beer brewery waste.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Wen-Tien; Hsu, Hsin-Chieh; Su, Ting-Yi; Lin, Keng-Yu; Lin, Chien-Ming

    2008-06-15

    In the work, the beer brewery waste has been shown to be a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of basic dye from the aqueous solution as compared to its precursor (i.e., diatomite) based on its physical and chemical characterizations including surface area, pore volume, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and non-mineral elemental analyses. The pore properties of this waste were significantly larger than those of its raw material, reflecting that the trapped organic matrices contained in the waste probably provided additional adsorption sites and/or adsorption area. The results of preliminary adsorption kinetics showed that the diatomite waste could be directly used as a potential adsorbent for removal of methylene blue on the basis of its adsorption-biosorption mechanisms. The adsorption parameters thus obtained from the pseudo-second-order model were in accordance with their pore properties. From the results of adsorption isotherm at 298 K and the applicability examinations in treating industrial wastewater containing basic dye, it was further found that the adsorption capacities of diatomite waste were superior to those of diatomite, which were also in good agreement with their corresponding physical properties. From the results mentioned above, it is feasible to utilize the food-processing waste for removing dye from the industrial dying wastewater.

  19. Bidirectional reflectance distribution function effects in ladar-based reflection tomography.

    PubMed

    Jin, Xuemin; Levine, Robert Y

    2009-07-20

    Light reflection from a surface is described by the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). In this paper, BRDF effects in reflection tomography are studied using modeled range-resolved reflection from well-characterized geometrical surfaces. It is demonstrated that BRDF effects can cause a darkening at the interior boundary of the reconstructed surface analogous to the well-known beam hardening artifact in x-ray transmission computed tomography (CT). This artifact arises from reduced reflection at glancing incidence angles to the surface. It is shown that a purely Lambertian surface without shadowed components is perfectly reconstructed from range-resolved measurements. This result is relevant to newly fabricated carbon nanotube materials. Shadowing is shown to cause crossed streak artifacts similar to limited-angle effects in CT reconstruction. In tomographic reconstruction, these effects can overwhelm highly diffuse components in proximity to specularly reflecting elements. Diffuse components can be recovered by specialized processing, such as reducing glints via thresholded measurements.

  20. Turbomachinery debris remover

    DOEpatents

    Krawiec, Donald F.; Kraf, Robert J.; Houser, Robert J.

    1988-01-01

    An apparatus for removing debris from a turbomachine. The apparatus includes housing and remotely operable viewing and grappling mechanisms for the purpose of locating and removing debris lodged between adjacent blades in a turbomachine.

  1. Reflectance spectroscopy for the assessment of soil salt content in soils of the yellow river delta of China

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weng, Yongling; Gong, P.; Zhu, Z.

    2008-01-01

    There has been growing interest in the use of reflectance spectroscopy as a rapid and inexpensive tool for soil characterization. In this study, we collected 95 soil samples from the Yellow River Delta of China to investigate the level of soil salinity in relation to soil spectra. Sample plots were selected based on a field investigation and the corresponding soil salinity classification map to maximize variations of saline characteristics in the soil. Spectral reflectances of air-dried soil samples were measured using an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) spectrometer (350-2500 nm) with an artificial light source. In the Yellow River Delta, the dominant chemical in the saline soil was NaCl and MgCl2. Soil spectra were analysed using two-thirds of the available samples, with the remaining one-third withheld for validation purposes. The analysis indicated that with some preprocessing, the reflectance at 1931-2123 nm and 2153-2254 nm was highly correlated with soil salt content (SSC). In the spectral region of 1931-2123 nm, the correlation R ranged from -0.80 to -0.87. In the region of 2153-2254 nm, the SSC was positively correlated with preprocessed reflectance (0.79-0.88). The preprocessing was done by fitting a convex hull to the reflectance curve and dividing the spectral reflectance by the value of the corresponding convex hull band by band. This process is called continuum removal, and the resulting ratio is called continuum removed reflectance (CR reflectance). However, the SSC did not have a high correlation with the unprocessed reflectance, and the correlation was always negative in the entire spectrum (350-2500 nm) with the strongest negative correlation at 1981 nm (R = -0.63). Moreover, we found a strong correlation (R=0.91) between a soil salinity index (SSI: Constructed using CR reflectance at 2052 nm and 2203 nm) and SSC. We estimated SSC as a function of SSI and SSI' (SSI': Constructed using unprocessed reflectance at 2052 nm and 2203 nm) using

  2. Peer group reflection helps clinical teachers to critically reflect on their teaching.

    PubMed

    Boerboom, Tobias B B; Jaarsma, Debbie; Dolmans, Diana H J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Mastenbroek, Nicole J J M; Van Beukelen, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Student evaluations can help clinical teachers to reflect on their teaching skills and find ways to improve their teaching. Studies have shown that the mere presentation of student evaluations is not a sufficient incentive for teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. We evaluated and compared the effectiveness of two feedback facilitation strategies that were identical except for a peer reflection meeting. In this study, 54 clinical teachers were randomly assigned to two feedback strategies. In one strategy, a peer reflection was added as an additional step. All teachers completed a questionnaire evaluating the strategy that they had experienced. We analysed the reflection reports and the evaluation questionnaire. Both strategies stimulated teachers to reflect on feedback and formulate alternative actions for their teaching practice. The teachers who had participated in the peer reflection meeting showed deeper critical reflection and more concrete plans to change their teaching. All feedback strategies were considered effective by the majority of the teachers. Strategies with student feedback and self-assessment stimulated reflection on teaching and helped clinical teachers to formulate plans for improvement. A peer reflection meeting seemed to enhance reflection quality. Further research should establish whether it can have lasting effects on teaching quality.

  3. Spider Vein Removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... available to remove them? Answers from Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Several options are available to remove ... develop in the same area. With Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Scovell, S. Laser and light therapy of ...

  4. Reflection and refraction seismic on the great Ancona landslide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stucchi, E.; Mazzotti, A.

    2003-04-01

    The Adriatic coast in Italy is characterised by the occurrence of several landslide bodies, some of which of huge extension. Here we present the results of seismic refraction and reflection studies recently carried out on the Ancona Landslide, which is located immediately westward of the harbour city of Ancona, and interests an area of about 3.5 km^2 with a landslide front of 2 km. The acquired seismic profile crosses the entire landslide body and was performed employing land and marine sources and receivers. Thus it allows the simultaneous acquisition of marine-marine, marine-land, land-marine and land-land data. The most significant acquisition parameters are: nominal maximum source-receiver offset 600 m, receiver group interval 5 m, single airgun and small explosive charges as energy sources, profile length 1.5 km, average reflection coverage on land 4000% and at sea 20000%. Notwithstanding the significant noise contamination due to intense human activities (road, naval and railway traffic) in the area, the data shows good first breaks and reflections which we use for refraction and reflection processing. The refraction study makes use of GRM and other techniques (Lawton) and it leads to a good definition of the shallower landslide bodies but it is not able to depict the deeper decollement surface. It is also very useful in providing a detailed near surface velocity model that is crucial for the determination of accurate static corrections for the reflection data. High quality subsurface images are achieved by applying different processing sequences to the different sets (marine, land or land-marine) of reflection seismic data. The processing steps that turned out as more effective to the achievement of such a quality were the noise removal by means of FX and SVD filtering, the attenuation of the bubble effect for the marine source data, the ground roll attenuation and the computation of accurate statics. The outcomes of the refraction and reflection

  5. The intensified constructed wetlands are promising for treatment of ammonia stripped effluent: Nitrogen transformations and removal pathways.

    PubMed

    Lyu, Tao; He, Keli; Dong, Renjie; Wu, Shubiao

    2018-05-01

    This study investigated the treatment performance and nitrogen removal mechanism of highly alkaline ammonia-stripped digestate effluent in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (CWs). A promising nitrogen removal performance (up to 91%) was observed in CWs coupled with intensified configurations, i.e., aeration and effluent recirculation. The results clearly supported that the higher aeration ratio and presence of effluent recirculation are important to improve the alkalinity and pollutant removal in CWs. The influent pH (>10) was significantly decreased to 8.2-8.8 under the volumetric hydraulic loading rates of 0.105 and 0.21 d -1 in the CWs. Simultaneously, up to 91% of NH 4 + -N removal was achieved under the operation of a higher aeration ratio and effluent recirculation. Biological nitrogen transformations accounted for 94% of the consumption of alkalinity in the CWs. The significant enrichment of δ 15 N-NH 4 + in the effluent (47-58‰) strongly supports the occurrence of microbial transformations for NH 4 + -N removal. However, relatively lower enrichment factors of δ 15 N-NH 4 + (-1.8‰ to -11.6‰) compared to the values reported in previous studies reflected the inhibition effect of the high pH alkaline environment on nitrifiers in these CWs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Elimination of single-beam substitution error in diffuse reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere.

    PubMed

    Vidovic, Luka; Majaron, Boris

    2014-02-01

    Diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) of biological samples are commonly measured using an integrating sphere (IS). To account for the incident light spectrum, measurement begins by placing a highly reflective white standard against the IS sample opening and collecting the reflected light. After replacing the white standard with the test sample of interest, DRS of the latter is determined as the ratio of the two values at each involved wavelength. However, such a substitution may alter the fluence rate inside the IS. This leads to distortion of measured DRS, which is known as single-beam substitution error (SBSE). Barring the use of more complex experimental setups, the literature states that only approximate corrections of the SBSE are possible, e.g., by using look-up tables generated with calibrated low-reflectivity standards. We present a practical method for elimination of SBSE when using IS equipped with an additional reference port. Two additional measurements performed at this port enable a rigorous elimination of SBSE. Our experimental characterization of SBSE is replicated by theoretical derivation. This offers an alternative possibility of computational removal of SBSE based on advance characterization of a specific DRS setup. The influence of SBSE on quantitative analysis of DRS is illustrated in one application example.

  7. Maintaining neutral sagittal cervical alignment after football helmet removal during emergency spine injury management.

    PubMed

    Decoster, Laura C; Burns, Matthew F; Swartz, Erik E; Murthi, Dinakar S; Hernandez, Adam E; Vailas, James C; Isham, Linda L

    2012-04-15

    Descriptive laboratory study. To determine whether the placement of padding beneath the occiput after helmet removal is an effective intervention to maintain neutral sagittal cervical spine alignment in a position comparable with the helmeted condition. Current on-field recommendations for managing football athletes with suspected cervical spine injuries call for face mask removal, rather than helmet removal, because the combination of helmet and shoulder pads has been shown to maintain neutral cervical alignment. Therefore, in cases when helmet removal is required, recommendations also call for shoulder pad removal. Because removal of equipment causes motion, any technique that postpones the need to remove the shoulder pads would reduce prehospital motion. Four lateral radiographs of 20 male participants were obtained (age = 23.6 ± 2.7 years). Radiographs of participants wearing shoulder pads and helmet were first obtained. The helmet was removed and radiographs of participants with occipital padding were obtained immediately and 20 minutes later and finally without occipital padding. Cobb angle measurements for C2-C6 vertebral segments were determined by an orthopedic spine surgeon blinded to the study's purpose. Intraobserver reliability was determined using intraclass coefficient analysis. Measurements were analyzed using a 1×4 repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction. Intraobserver analysis showed excellent reliability (intraclass correlation = 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.999-1.0). Repeated-measures analysis of variance detected significant differences (F(3,17) = 13.34; P < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons revealed no differences in cervical alignment (all measurements reported reflect lordosis) when comparing the baseline helmeted condition (10.1° ± 8.7°; 95% CI, 6.0-14.1) with the padded conditions. Measurements taken after removal of occipital padding (14.4° ± 8.1°; 95% CI, 10

  8. Glacial removal of late Cenozoic subglacially emplaced volcanic edifices by the West Antarctic ice sheet

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Behrendt, John C.; Blankenship, D.D.; Damaske, D.; Cooper, A. K.

    1995-01-01

    Local maxima of the horizontal gradient of pseudogravity from closely spaced aeromagnetic surveys over the Ross Sea, northwestern Ross Ice Shelf, and the West Antarctic ice sheet, reveal a linear magnetic rift fabric and numerous subcircular, high-amplitude anomalies. Geophysical data indicate two or three youthful volcanic edifices at widely separated areas beneath the sea and ice cover in the West Antarctic rift system. In contrast, we suggest glacial removal of edifices of volcanic sources of many more anomalies. Magnetic models, controlled by marine seismic reflection and radar ice-sounding data, allow us to infer that glacial removal of the associated late Cenozoic volcanic edifices (probably debris, comprising pillow breccias, and hyaloclastites) has occurred essentially concomitantly with their subglacial eruption. "Removal' of unconsolidated volcanic debris erupted beneath the ice is probably a more appropriate term than "erosion', given its fragmented, ice-contact origin. The exposed volcanoes may have been protected from erosion by the surrounding ice sheet because of more competent rock or high elevation above the ice sheet. -from Authors

  9. Specular Reflection and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy of Soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Studies on the occurrence and effects of specular reflection in mid-infrared spectra of soils have shown that distortions due to specular reflection occur for both organic (humic acid) and non-organic fractions (carbonates, silica, ashed fraction of soil). The results demonstrated explain why the s...

  10. Supporting Pre-Service Dance Teachers' Reflection with Different Reflection Procedures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leijen, Äli; Sööt, Anu

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses the results of a study that investigated the use of different procedures to support the reflection processes of university-level dance students. As a procedure of unguided reflection, the students were asked to write a free-form essay and, as a form of guided reflection, a semi-structured interview and written reflection…

  11. Acoustic bubble removal method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trinh, E. H.; Elleman, D. D.; Wang, T. G. (Inventor)

    1983-01-01

    A method is described for removing bubbles from a liquid bath such as a bath of molten glass to be used for optical elements. Larger bubbles are first removed by applying acoustic energy resonant to a bath dimension to drive the larger bubbles toward a pressure well where the bubbles can coalesce and then be more easily removed. Thereafter, submillimeter bubbles are removed by applying acoustic energy of frequencies resonant to the small bubbles to oscillate them and thereby stir liquid immediately about the bubbles to facilitate their breakup and absorption into the liquid.

  12. EFFECTIVE REMOVAL METHOD OF ILLEGAL PARKING BICYCLES BASED ON THE QUANTITATIVE CHANGE AFTER REMOVAL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toi, Satoshi; Kajita, Yoshitaka; Nishikawa, Shuichirou

    This study aims to find an effective removal method of illegal parking bicycles based on the analysis on the numerical change of illegal bicycles. And then, we built the time and space quantitative distribution model of illegal parking bicycles after removal, considering the logistic increase of illegal parking bicycles, several behaviors concerning of direct return or indirect return to the original parking place and avoidance of the original parking place, based on the investigation of real condition of illegal bicycle parking at TENJIN area in FUKUOKA city. Moreover, we built the simulation model including above-mentioned model, and calculated the number of illegal parking bicycles when we change the removal frequency and the number of removal at one time. The next interesting four results were obtained. (1) Recovery speed from removal the illegal parking bicycles differs by each zone. (2) Thorough removal is effective to keep the number of illegal parking bicycles lower level. (3) Removal at one zone causes the increase of bicycles at other zones where the level of illegal parking is lower. (4) The relationship between effects and costs of removing the illegal parking bicycles was clarified.

  13. Ab initio study of intrinsic profiles of liquid metals and their reflectivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    del Rio, B. G.; Souto, J.; Alemany, M. M. G.; González, L. E.

    2017-08-01

    The free surfaces of liquid metals are known to exhibit a stratified profile that, in favourable cases, shows up in experiments as a peak in the ratio between the reflectivity function and that of an ideal step-like profile. This peak is located at a wave-vector related to the distance between the layers of the profile. In fact the surface roughness produced by thermally induced capillary waves causes a depletion of the previous so called intrinsic reflectivity by a damping factor that may hinder the observation of the peak. The behaviour of the intrinsic reflectivity below the layering peak is however far from being universal, with systems as Ga or In where the reflectiviy falls uniformly towards the q → 0 value, others like Sn or Bi where a shoulder appears at intermediate wavevectors, and others like Hg which show a minimum. We have performed extensive ab initio simulations of the free liquid surfaces of Bi, Pb and Hg, that yield direct information on the structure of the profiles and found that the macroscopic capillary wave theory usually employed in order to remove the capillary wave components fails badly in some cases for the typical sample sizes affordable in ab initio simulations. However, a microscopic method for the determination of the intrinsic profile is shown to be succesful in obtaining meaningful intrinsic profiles and corresponding reflectivities which reproduce correctly the qualitative behaviour observed experimentally.

  14. Dust deposition and removal at the MER landing sites from observations of the Panoramic Camera (Pancam) calibration targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinch, K. M.; Bell, J. F.; Madsen, M. B.

    2012-12-01

    The Panoramic Cameras (Pancams) [1] on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers have each returned in excess of 17000 images of their external calibration targets (caltargets), a set of optically well-characterized patches of materials with differing reflectance properties. During the mission dust deposition on the caltargets changed their optical reflectance properties [2]. The thickness of dust on the caltargets can be derived with high confidence from the contrast between brighter and darker colored patches. The dustier the caltarget the less contrast. We present a new history of dust deposition and removal at the two MER landing sites. Our data reveals two quite distinct dust environments. At the Spirit landing site half the Martian year is dominated by dust deposition, the other half by dust removal that usually happens during brief sharp wind events. At the Opportunity landing site the Martian year has a four-season cycle of deposition-removal-deposition-removal with dust removal happening gradually throughout the two removal seasons. Comparison to atmospheric optical depth measurements [3] shows that dust removals happen during dusty high-wind periods and that dust deposition rates are roughly proportional to the atmospheric dust load. We compare with dust deposition studies from other Mars landers and also present some early results from observation of dust on a similar camera calibration target on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. References: 1. Bell, J.F., III, et al., Mars Exploration Rover Athena Panoramic Camera (Pancam) investigation. J. Geophys. Res., 2003. 108(E12): p. 8063. 2. Kinch, K.M., et al., Dust Deposition on the Mars Exploration Rover Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Calibration Targets. J. Geophys. Res., 2007. 112(E06S03): p. doi:10.1029/2006JE002807. 3. Lemmon, M., et al., Atmospheric Imaging Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. Science, 2004. 306: p. 1753-1756. Deposited dust optical depth on the Pancam caltargets as a

  15. Long-term hair removal using a 3-millisecond alexandrite laser.

    PubMed

    Laughlin , S A; Dudley, D K

    2000-04-01

    Laser epilation is now used widely as a clinical alternative to electrolysis for the removal of unwanted hair. All of the laser systems presently being used produce a reliable temporary hair loss by inducing telogen. Most of the published studies use follow-up periods of 6 months or less after the last treatment and cannot address the issue of permanency. Since many patients desire permanent hair loss, there is a need for specific information on the exact benefits and limitations of each particular system. The purpose of this study was to assess the degree of hair loss attained by a single treatment with a 3-msec alexandrite laser. A designated period for follow-up was used to address the issue of long-term benefits. A single treatment was carried out on 25 study sites with a 3-msec alexandrite laser at 755 nm using fluences of 30 to 50 joules/cm(2). Hair counts were obtained manually by two independent observers marking terminal hairs under magnification. The counts were repeated using photographic images and the average of the four readings taken. The degree of hair loss was calculated at a time after treatment equal to one complete growth cycle for the particular anatomic site. A second measurement was obtained at a time equal to one growth cycle plus 6 months to determine whether any hair loss had remained stable. The average hair loss at the first follow-up time was 43%, with 60% of sites showing a hair loss of >30%. The hair loss remained stable and the reduction in hair density at both designated times was statistically significant (p <.05). A normal-mode alexandrite laser achieves a long-term alopecia and may result in a permanent loss of terminal hair after one treatment at fluences of 30 to 50 joules/cm(2).

  16. Removal of inorganic mercury and methylmercury from surface waters following coagulation of dissolved organic matter with metal-based salts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henneberry, Y.K.; Kraus, T.E.C.; Fleck, J.A.; Krabbenhoft, D.P.; Bachand, P.M.; Horwath, W.R.

    2011-01-01

    The presence of inorganic mercury (IHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in surface waters is a health concern worldwide. This study assessed the removal potential use of metal-based coagulants as a means to remove both dissolved IHg and MeHg from natural waters and provides information regarding the importance of Hg associations with the dissolved organic matter (DOM) fraction and metal hydroxides. Previous research indicated coagulants were not effective at removing Hg from solution; however these studies used high concentrations of Hg and did not reflect naturally occurring concentrations of Hg. In this study, water collected from an agricultural drain in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was filtered to isolate the dissolved organic matter (DOM) fraction. The DOM was then treated with a range of coagulant doses to determine the efficacy of removing all forms of Hg from solution. Three industrial-grade coagulants were tested: ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, and polyaluminum chloride. Coagulation removed up to 85% of DOM from solution. In the absence of DOM, all three coagulants released IHg into solution, however in the presence of DOM the coagulants removed up to 97% of IHg and 80% of MeHg. Results suggest that the removal of Hg is mediated by DOM-coagulant interactions. There was a preferential association of IHg with the more aromatic, higher molecular weight fraction of DOM but no such relationship was found for MeHg. This study offers new fundamental insights regarding large-scale removal of Hg at environmentally relevant regarding large-scale removal of Hg at environmentally relevant concentrations.

  17. GEO-LEO reflectance band inter-comparison with BRDF and atmospheric scattering corrections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Tiejun; Xiong, Xiaoxiong Jack; Keller, Graziela; Wu, Xiangqian

    2017-09-01

    The inter-comparison of the reflective solar bands between the instruments onboard a geostationary orbit satellite and onboard a low Earth orbit satellite is very helpful to assess their calibration consistency. GOES-R was launched on November 19, 2016 and Himawari 8 was launched October 7, 2014. Unlike the previous GOES instruments, the Advanced Baseline Imager on GOES-16 (GOES-R became GOES-16 after November 29 when it reached orbit) and the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on Himawari 8 have onboard calibrators for the reflective solar bands. The assessment of calibration is important for their product quality enhancement. MODIS and VIIRS, with their stringent calibration requirements and excellent on-orbit calibration performance, provide good references. The simultaneous nadir overpass (SNO) and ray-matching are widely used inter-comparison methods for reflective solar bands. In this work, the inter-comparisons are performed over a pseudo-invariant target. The use of stable and uniform calibration sites provides comparison with appropriate reflectance level, accurate adjustment for band spectral coverage difference, reduction of impact from pixel mismatching, and consistency of BRDF and atmospheric correction. The site in this work is a desert site in Australia (latitude -29.0 South; longitude 139.8 East). Due to the difference in solar and view angles, two corrections are applied to have comparable measurements. The first is the atmospheric scattering correction. The satellite sensor measurements are top of atmosphere reflectance. The scattering, especially Rayleigh scattering, should be removed allowing the ground reflectance to be derived. Secondly, the angle differences magnify the BRDF effect. The ground reflectance should be corrected to have comparable measurements. The atmospheric correction is performed using a vector version of the Second Simulation of a Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum modeling and BRDF correction is performed using a semi

  18. A dented LH2 recirculation line is removed from Discovery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    Workers with United Space Alliance remove Shuttle Discovery's dented main propulsion system liquid hydrogen recirculation line. From left are James Stickley, George Atkins, and Todd Biddle. The 12-inch-long dent was discovered during routine aft compartment inspections Tuesday, Dec. 7. The line recirculates hydrogen from the Shuttle main engines back to the external tank during prelaunch engine conditioning. The line is being replaced and managers expect the replacement work to take about 3 days, followed by system retests and final aft compartment close-outs. Preliminary assessments reflect a launch date of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-103 no earlier than Dec. 16. STS-103 is the third servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope.

  19. Synergies in Critical Reflective Practice and Science: Science as Reflection and Reflection as Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathieson, Luke

    2016-01-01

    The conceptions of reflective practice in education have their roots at least partly in the work of Dewey, who describes reflection as "the active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends" (Dewey 1933, p.9).…

  20. Scintillator reflective layer coextrusion

    DOEpatents

    Yun, Jae-Chul; Para, Adam

    2001-01-01

    A polymeric scintillator has a reflective layer adhered to the exterior surface thereof. The reflective layer comprises a reflective pigment and an adhesive binder. The adhesive binder includes polymeric material from which the scintillator is formed. A method of forming the polymeric scintillator having a reflective layer adhered to the exterior surface thereof is also provided. The method includes the steps of (a) extruding an inner core member from a first amount of polymeric scintillator material, and (b) coextruding an outer reflective layer on the exterior surface of the inner core member. The outer reflective layer comprises a reflective pigment and a second amount of the polymeric scintillator material.

  1. Wholesale debris removal from LEO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levin, Eugene; Pearson, Jerome; Carroll, Joseph

    2012-04-01

    Recent advances in electrodynamic propulsion make it possible to seriously consider wholesale removal of large debris from LEO for the first time since the beginning of the space era. Cumulative ranking of large groups of the LEO debris population and general limitations of passive drag devices and rocket-based removal systems are analyzed. A candidate electrodynamic debris removal system is discussed that can affordably remove all debris objects over 2 kg from LEO in 7 years. That means removing more than 99% of the collision-generated debris potential in LEO. Removal is performed by a dozen 100-kg propellantless vehicles that react against the Earth's magnetic field. The debris objects are dragged down and released into short-lived orbits below ISS. As an alternative to deorbit, some of them can be collected for storage and possible in-orbit recycling. The estimated cost per kilogram of debris removed is a small fraction of typical launch costs per kilogram. These rates are low enough to open commercial opportunities and create a governing framework for wholesale removal of large debris objects from LEO.

  2. The Effect of Reflective Activities on Reflective Thinking Ability in an Undergraduate Pharmacy Curriculum.

    PubMed

    Tsingos-Lucas, Cherie; Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia; Schneider, Carl R; Smith, Lorraine

    2016-05-25

    Objective. To determine the effectiveness of integrating reflective practice activities into a second-year undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and their impact on reflective thinking ability. Design. A cross-over design with repeated measures was employed. Newly developed reflective modules based on real hospital and community pharmacy cases were integrated into the second-year pharmacy practice curriculum. A novel strategy, the Reflective Ability Clinical Assessment (RACA), was introduced to enhance self- and peer reflection. Assessment. Student responses (n=214) to the adapted Kember et al(1) Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ) were compared before and after reflective activities were undertaken. Significant improvement in three indicators of reflective thinking was shown after students engaged in reflective activities. Conclusion. Integration of reflective activities into a pharmacy curriculum increased the reflective thinking capacity of students. Enhancing reflective thinking ability may help students make better informed decisions and clinical judgments, thus improving future practice.

  3. The Effect of Reflective Activities on Reflective Thinking Ability in an Undergraduate Pharmacy Curriculum

    PubMed Central

    Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia; Schneider, Carl R.; Smith, Lorraine

    2016-01-01

    Objective. To determine the effectiveness of integrating reflective practice activities into a second-year undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and their impact on reflective thinking ability. Design. A cross-over design with repeated measures was employed. Newly developed reflective modules based on real hospital and community pharmacy cases were integrated into the second-year pharmacy practice curriculum. A novel strategy, the Reflective Ability Clinical Assessment (RACA), was introduced to enhance self- and peer reflection. Assessment. Student responses (n=214) to the adapted Kember et al1 Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ) were compared before and after reflective activities were undertaken. Significant improvement in three indicators of reflective thinking was shown after students engaged in reflective activities. Conclusion. Integration of reflective activities into a pharmacy curriculum increased the reflective thinking capacity of students. Enhancing reflective thinking ability may help students make better informed decisions and clinical judgments, thus improving future practice. PMID:27293232

  4. Energy coupling in short pulse laser solid interactions and its impact for space debris removal.

    PubMed

    Neely, David; Allott, Ric; Bingham, Bob; Collier, John; Greenhalgh, Justin; Michaelis, Max; Phillips, Jonathan; Phipps, Claude R; McKenna, Paul

    2014-11-01

    Significant advances have been made over the last decade to improve the performance, efficiency, and contrast of high peak and average power laser systems, driven by their use in a wide variety of fields, from the industrial to the scientific. As the contrast of the lasers has improved, interactions with contrasts of 1012 are now routinely undertaken. At such high contrasts, there is negligible preplasma formation and the ionized surface layer created by subpicosecond-duration pulses typically forms a highly reflective "plasma mirror" capable of reflecting between 70% and 90% of the incident energy. Although such interactions are of significant interest for applications such as harmonic source production and to enable the underlying physics to be studied, their low absorption can limit their usefulness for applications such as space debris removal.

  5. Systems and Methods for Correcting Optical Reflectance Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, Ye (Inventor); Shear, Michael A. (Inventor); Soller, Babs R. (Inventor); Soyemi, Olusola O. (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    We disclose measurement systems and methods for measuring analytes in target regions of samples that also include features overlying the target regions. The systems include: (a) a light source; (b) a detection system; (c) a set of at least first, second, and third light ports which transmit light from the light source to a sample and receive and direct light reflected from the sample to the detection system, generating a first set of data including information corresponding to both an internal target within the sample and features overlying the internal target, and a second set of data including information corresponding to features overlying the internal target; and (d) a processor configured to remove information characteristic of the overlying features from the first set of data using the first and second sets of data to produce corrected information representing the internal target.

  6. Systems and methods for correcting optical reflectance measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, Ye (Inventor); Soller, Babs R. (Inventor); Soyemi, Olusola O. (Inventor); Shear, Michael A. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    We disclose measurement systems and methods for measuring analytes in target regions of samples that also include features overlying the target regions. The systems include: (a) a light source; (b) a detection system; (c) a set of at least first, second, and third light ports which transmit light from the light source to a sample and receive and direct light reflected from the sample to the detection system, generating a first set of data including information corresponding to both an internal target within the sample and features overlying the internal target, and a second set of data including information corresponding to features overlying the internal target; and (d) a processor configured to remove information characteristic of the overlying features from the first set of data using the first and second sets of data to produce corrected information representing the internal target.

  7. Removal of arsenic and iron removal from drinking water using coagulation and biological treatment.

    PubMed

    Pramanik, Biplob Kumar; Pramanik, Sagor Kumar; Suja, Fatihah

    2016-02-01

    Effects of biological activated carbon (BAC), biological aerated filter (BAF), alum coagulation and Moringa oleifera coagulation were investigated to remove iron and arsenic contaminants from drinking water. At an initial dose of 5 mg/L, the removal efficiency for arsenic and iron was 63% and 58% respectively using alum, and 47% and 41% respectively using Moringa oleifera. The removal of both contaminants increased with the increase in coagulant dose and decrease in pH. Biological processes were more effective in removing these contaminants than coagulation. Compared to BAF, BAC gave greater removal of both arsenic and iron, removing 85% and 74%, respectively. Longer contact time for both processes could reduce the greater concentration of arsenic and iron contaminants. The addition of coagulation (at 5 mg/L dosage) and a biological process (with 15 or 60 min contact time) could significantly increase removal efficiency, and the maximum removal was observed for the combination of alum and BAC treatment (60 min contact time), with 100% and 98.56% for arsenic and iron respectively. The reduction efficiency of arsenic and iron reduced with the increase in the concentration of dissolved organics in the feedwater due to the adsorption competition between organic molecules and heavy metals.

  8. Wildland road removal: research needs

    Treesearch

    T. Adam Switalski; John A. Bissonette; Tom H. Deluca; Charles H. Luce; Mary Ann Madej

    2003-01-01

    Wildland road removal is a common practice across the U.S. and in some parts of Canada. The main types of road removal include ripping, stream crossing restoration, and full recontour. Road removal creates a short-term disturbance that may temporarily increase sediment loss. However, research and long-term monitoring have shown that road removal both reduces erosion...

  9. Synchronized Electronic Shutter System (SESS) for Thermal Nondestructive Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zalameda, Joseph N.

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe a new method for thermal nondestructive evaluation. This method uses a synchronized electronic shutter system (SESS) to remove the heat lamp's influence on the thermal data during and after flash heating. There are two main concerns when using flash heating. The first concern is during the flash when the photons are reflected back into the camera. This tends to saturate the detectors and potentially introduces unknown and uncorrectable errors when curve fitting the data to a model. To address this, an electronically controlled shutter was placed over the infrared camera lens. Before firing the flash lamps, the shutter is opened to acquire the necessary background data for offset calibration. During flash heating, the shutter is closed to prevent the photons from the high intensity flash from saturating the camera's detectors. The second concern is after the flash heating where the lamps radiate heat after firing. This residual cooling introduces an unwanted transient thermal response into the data. To remove this residual effect, a shutter was placed over the flash lamps to block the infrared heat radiating from the flash head after heating. This helped to remove the transient contribution of the flash. The flash lamp shutters were synchronized electronically with the camera shutter. Results are given comparing the use of the thermal inspection with and without the shutter system.

  10. Teaching reflection: Speech & language therapy students using visual clues for reflection.

    PubMed

    Schaub-de Jong, M A; van der Schans, C P

    2010-11-01

    Reflection is an essential tool for the development of professional behaviour. Central to all reflection methods is language, either written or spoken. As the use of language is not easy for all students, especially those learning in a language other than their native tongue, it is essential that teachers use alternative methods to stimulate reflection. To identify the benefits that speech and language therapy students perceive in an educational approach that combines pictures and drawings as a stimulus for reflecting on professional experiences. During an international course twenty-two students of various nationalities participated in a two-hour session and reflected on professional experiences. To stimulate reflection, drawings and pictures were used. All the students were asked to evaluate this educational approach by responding to five open-ended questions. Their responses were coded and analyzed. Students' comments fell into three categories of perceived benefits: (1) educational approach benefits; (2) personal benefits; and (3) professional benefits. Almost all the students reported that the nature of the reflection exercises helped them verbalize their experiences after the profession-related exercises. This study provides evidence that visualizing as a first step towards verbalizing experiences can foster learning through reflection. It provides students with greater opportunities to verbalize awareness, especially within a group of students who may have difficulty expressing themselves in a non-native language.

  11. Process for fabricating high reflectance-low stress Mo--Si multilayer reflective coatings

    DOEpatents

    Montcalm, Claude; Mirkarimi, Paul B.

    2001-01-01

    A high reflectance-low stress Mo--Si multilayer reflective coating particularly useful for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength region. While the multilayer reflective coating has particular application for EUV lithography, it has numerous other applications where high reflectance and low stress multilayer coatings are utilized. Multilayer coatings having high near-normal incidence reflectance (R.gtoreq.65%) and low residual stress (.ltoreq.100 MPa) have been produced using thermal and non-thermal approaches. The thermal approach involves heating the multilayer coating to a given temperature for a given time after deposition in order to induce structural changes in the multilayer coating that will have an overall "relaxation" effect without reducing the reflectance significantly.

  12. Liberating Moral Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horell, Harold D.

    2013-01-01

    The author argues that if we are to foster life-giving and liberating moral reflection, we must first liberate moral reflection from distortions; specifically, from the distorting effects of moral insensitivity, destructive moral relativism, and confusions resulting from a failure to understand the dynamics of moral reflection. The author proposes…

  13. The Impact of Well-Field Configuration and Permeability Heterogeneity on Contaminant Mass Removal and Plume Persistence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Z.; Brusseau, M. L.

    2015-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of well-field hydraulics and permeability heterogeneity on mass-removal efficiency for systems comprising large groundwater contaminant plumes. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model was used to simulate the impact of different well-field configurations on pump-and-treat mass removal for heterogeneous domains. The relationship between reduction in contaminant mass discharge (CMDR) and mass removal (MR) was used as the metric to examine remediation efficiency. The impacts of well-field configuration on mass removal behavior is attributed to mass-transfer constraints associated with regions of low flow, which can be muted by the influence of permeability heterogeneity. These impacts are reflected in the associated CMDR-MR profiles. Systems whose CDMR-MR profiles are below the 1:1 relationship line are associated with more efficient well-field configurations. The impact of domain heterogeneity on mass-removal effectiveness was investigated in terms of both variance and correlation scale of the random permeability distributions and indexed by the CMDR-MR relationship. Data collected from pump-and-treat operations conducted in a section of the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) federal Superfund site were used as a case study. The comparison between simulated and measured site data supports the general validity of the numerical model, and results from the case study are consistent with the conclusions of the theoretical study. These results illustrate that the CMDR-MR relationship can be an effective way to quantify the impacts of different factors on mass-removal efficiency.

  14. BOREAS TE-8 Aspen Bark Spectral Reflectance Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Papagno, Andrea (Editor); Spencer, Shannon L.; Rock, Barrett N.

    2000-01-01

    The BOREAS TE-08 team collected in-lab spectral reflectance data for aspen bark and leaves from three sites within the BOREAS SSA from 24-May-1994 to 16-Jun-1994 (IFC 1), 19-Jul-1994 to 08-Aug-1994 (IFC 2), and 30-Aug-1994 to 19-Sep-1994 (IFC 3). One to nine trees from each site were sampled during the three IFCs. Each tree was sampled in five different locations for bark spectral properties: BS, US, BR, BT, and BO. Additionally, a limited number of LV were collected. Bark samples were removed from the stem of the tree and placed in ziplock bags for transport to UNH, where they were scanned with a spectroradiometer in a controlled environment. Each sample was scanned twice: the first set of measurements was made with the bark surface moistened, and the second set was made with the bark surface air-dried for a period of 30 minutes. These data represent continuous spectra of bark reflectance. Each sample was scanned three times, rotating the sample when possible. The reported values for each sample are an average over the three scans. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

  15. Recovery of titanium values from titanium grinding swarf by electric furnace smelting

    DOEpatents

    Gerdemann, Stephen J.; White, Jack C.

    1999-01-01

    A method for the recovery of valuable materials from titanium grinding swarf is provided comprising the steps of sieving the accumulated titanium grinding swarf to remove unwanted coarse trash and grinding wheel fragments, pelletizing, and smelting in an electric arc furnace to produce ferrotitanium and/or high titanium slag.

  16. Recovery of titanium values from titanium grinding swarf by electric furnace smelting

    DOEpatents

    Gerdemann, Stephen J.; White, Jack C.

    1998-01-01

    A method for the recovery of valuable materials from titanium grinding swarf is provided comprising the steps of sieving the accumulated titanium grinding swarf to remove unwanted coarse trash and grinding wheel fragments, pelletizing, and smelting in an electric arc furnace to produce ferrotitanium and/or high titanium slag.

  17. Calcium Free Asbestos for Fuel Cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snitzer, B. A.

    1983-01-01

    Organic-acid salt removes unwanted calcium without weakening asbestos. Asbestos mixed with disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (disodium EDTA) in water and agitated for 2 hours. After disodium EDTA solution is drained away, asbestos contains only 0.02 to 0.1 percent calcium. Fiber structure of asbestos unaffected.

  18. Pore diffusion limits removal of monochloramine in treatment of swimming pool water using granular activated carbon.

    PubMed

    Skibinski, Bertram; Götze, Christoph; Worch, Eckhard; Uhl, Wolfgang

    2018-04-01

    Overall apparent reaction rates for the removal of monochloramine (MCA) in granular activated carbon (GAC) beds were determined using a fixed-bed reactor system and under conditions typical for swimming pool water treatment. Reaction rates dropped and quasi-stationary conditions were reached quickly. Diffusional mass transport in the pores was shown to be limiting the overall reaction rate. This was reflected consistently in the Thiele modulus, in the effect of temperature, pore size distribution and of grain size on the reaction rates. Pores <2.5 times the diameter of the monochloramine molecule were shown to be barely accessible for the monochloramine conversion reaction. GACs with a significant proportion of large mesopores were found to have the highest overall reactivity for monochloramine removal. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Diagnosis and management of fluid overload in heart failure and cardio-renal syndrome: the "5B" approach.

    PubMed

    Ronco, Claudio; Kaushik, Manish; Valle, Roberto; Aspromonte, Nadia; Peacock, W Frank

    2012-01-01

    Cardio-Renal syndrome may occur as a result of either primarily renal or cardiac dysfunction. This complex interaction requires a tailored approach to manage the underlying pathophysiology while optimizing the patient's symptoms and thus providing the best outcomes. Patients often are admitted to the hospital for signs and symptoms of congestion and fluid overload is the most frequent cause of subsequent re-admission. Fluid management is of paramount importance in the strategy of treatment for heart failure patients. Adequate fluid status should be obtained but a target value should be set according to objective indicators and biomarkers. Once the fluid excess is identified, a careful prescription of fluid removal by diuretics or extracorporeal therapies must be made. While delivering these therapies, adequate monitoring should be performed to prevent unwanted effects such as worsening of renal function or other complications. There is a very narrow window of optimal hydration for heart failure patients. Overhydration can result in myocardial stretching and potential decompensation. Inappropriate dehydration or relative reduction of circulating blood volume may result in distant organ damage caused by inadequate perfusion. We suggest consideration of the "5B" approach. This stands for balance of fluids (reflected by body weight), blood pressure, biomarkers, bioimpedance vector analysis, and blood volume. Addressing these parameters ensures that the most important issues affecting symptoms and outcomes are addressed. Furthermore, the patient is receiving the best possible care while avoiding unwanted side effects of the treatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Optical and adhesive properties of dust deposits on solar mirrors and their effects on specular reflectivity and electrodynamic cleaning for mitigating energy-yield loss

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mazumder, Malay; Yellowhair, Julius; Stark, Jeremy; Heiling, Calvin; Hudelson, John; Hao, Fang; Gibson, Hannah; Horenstein, Mark

    2014-10-01

    Large-scale solar plants are mostly installed in semi-arid and desert areas. In those areas, dust layer buildup on solar collectors becomes a major cause for energy yield loss. Development of transparent electrodynamic screens (EDS) and their applications for self-cleaning operation of solar mirrors are presented with a primary focus on the removal dust particles smaller than 30 µm in diameter while maintaining specular reflection efficiency < 90%. An EDS consists of thin rectangular array of parallel transparent conducting electrodes deposited on a transparent dielectric surface. The electrodes are insulated from each other and are embedded within a thin transparent dielectric film. The electrodes are activated using three-phase high-voltage pulses at low current (< 1 mA/m2 ). The three-phase electric field charges the deposited particles, lifts them form the substrate by electrostatic forces and propels the dust layer off of the collector's surface by a traveling wave. The cleaning process takes less than 2 minutes; needs energy less than 1 Wh/m2 without requiring any water or manual labor. The reflection efficiency can be restored > 95% of the original clean-mirror efficiency. We briefly present (1) loss of specular reflection efficiency as a function of particle size distribution of deposited dust, and (2) the effects of the electrode design and materials used for minimizing initial loss of specular reflectivity in producing EDS-integrated solar mirrors. Optimization of EDS by using a figure of merit defined by the ratio of dust removal efficiency to the initial loss of specular reflection efficiency is discussed.

  1. Endotoxin removal by radio frequency gas plasma (glow discharge)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poon, Angela

    2011-12-01

    Contaminants remaining on implantable medical devices, even following sterilization, include dangerous fever-causing residues of the outer lipopolysaccharide-rich membranes of Gram-negative bacteria such as the common gut microorganism E. coli. The conventional method for endotoxin removal is by Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-recommended dry-heat depyrogenation at 250°C for at least 45 minutes, an excessively time-consuming high-temperature technique not suitable for low-melting or heat-distortable biomaterials. This investigation evaluated the mechanism by which E. coli endotoxin contamination can be eliminated from surfaces during ambient temperature single 3-minute to cumulative 15-minute exposures to radio-frequency glow discharge (RFGD)-generated residual room air plasmas activated at 0.1-0.2 torr in a 35MHz electrodeless chamber. The main analytical technique for retained pyrogenic bio-activity was the Kinetic Chromogenic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) Assay, sufficiently sensitive to document compliance with FDA-required Endotoxin Unit (EU) titers less than 20 EU per medical device by optical detection of enzymatic color development corresponding to < 0.5 EU/ml in sterile water extracts of each device. The main analytical technique for identification of chemical compositions, amounts, and changes during sequential reference Endotoxin additions and subsequent RFGD-treatment removals from infrared (IR)-transparent germanium (Ge) prisms was Multiple Attenuated Internal Reflection (MAIR) infrared spectroscopy sensitive to even monolayer amounts of retained bio-contaminant. KimaxRTM 60 mm x 15 mm and 50mm x 15mm laboratory glass dishes and germanium internal reflection prisms were inoculated with E. coli bacterial endotoxin water suspensions at increments of 0.005, 0.05, 0.5, and 5 EU, and characterized by MAIR-IR spectroscopy of the dried residues on the Ge prisms and LAL Assay of sterile water extracts from both glass and Ge specimens. The Ge prism MAIR

  2. Reflective writing: the student nurse's perspective on reflective writing and poetry writing.

    PubMed

    Coleman, Dawn; Willis, Diane S

    2015-07-01

    Reflective writing is a mandatory part of nurse education but how students develop their skills and use reflection as part of their experiential learning remains relatively unknown. Understanding reflective writing in all forms from the perspective of a student nurse is therefore important. To explore the use of reflective writing and the use of poetry in pre-registered nursing students. A qualitative design was employed to explore reflective writing in pre-registered nursing students. A small university in Scotland. BSc (Hons) Adult and Mental Health Pre-registration Student Nurses. Two focus groups were conducted with 10 student nurses during March 2012. Data was analysed thematically using the framework of McCarthy (1999). Students found the process of reflective writing daunting but valued it over time. Current educational methods, such as assessing reflective accounts, often lead to the 'narrative' being watered down and the student feeling judged. Despite this, reflection made students feel responsible for their own learning and research on the topic. Some students felt the use of models of reflection constricting, whilst poetry freed up their expression allowing them to demonstrate the compassion for their patient under their care. Poetry writing gives students the opportunity for freedom of expression, personal satisfaction and a closer connection with their patients, which the more formal approach to reflective writing did not offer. There is a need for students to have a safe and supportive forum in which to express and have their experiences acknowledged without the fear of being judged. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Arsenic removal by electrocoagulation process: Recent trends and removal mechanism.

    PubMed

    Nidheesh, P V; Singh, T S Anantha

    2017-08-01

    Arsenic contamination in drinking water is a major issue in the present world. Arsenicosis is the disease caused by the regular consumption of arsenic contaminated water, even at a lesser contaminated level. The number of arsenicosis patients is increasing day-by-day. Decontamination of arsenic from the water medium is the only one way to regulate this and the arsenic removal can be fulfilled by water treatment methods based on separation techniques. Electrocoagulation (EC) process is a promising technology for the effective removal of arsenic from aqueous solution. The present review article analyzes the performance of the EC process for arsenic removal. Electrocoagulation using various sacrificial metal anodes such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, etc. is found to be very effective for arsenic decontamination. The performances of each anode are described in detail. A special focus has been made on the mechanism behind the arsenite and arsenate removal by EC process. Main trends in the disposal methods of sludge containing arsenic are also included. Comparison of arsenic decontamination efficiencies of chemical coagulation and EC is also reported. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Improving reflectance reconstruction from tristimulus values by adaptively combining colorimetric and reflectance similarities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Bin; Liao, Ningfang; Li, Yasheng; Cheng, Haobo

    2017-05-01

    The use of spectral reflectance as fundamental color information finds application in diverse fields related to imaging. Many approaches use training sets to train the algorithm used for color classification. In this context, we note that the modification of training sets obviously impacts the accuracy of reflectance reconstruction based on classical reflectance reconstruction methods. Different modifying criteria are not always consistent with each other, since they have different emphases; spectral reflectance similarity focuses on the deviation of reconstructed reflectance, whereas colorimetric similarity emphasizes human perception. We present a method to improve the accuracy of the reconstructed spectral reflectance by adaptively combining colorimetric and spectral reflectance similarities. The different exponential factors of the weighting coefficients were investigated. The spectral reflectance reconstructed by the proposed method exhibits considerable improvements in terms of the root-mean-square error and goodness-of-fit coefficient of the spectral reflectance errors as well as color differences under different illuminants. Our method is applicable to diverse areas such as textiles, printing, art, and other industries.

  5. REMOVAL OF ARSENIC FROM DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES BY IRON REMOVAL PROCESS

    EPA Science Inventory

    This design manual is an in-depth presentation of the steps required to design and operate a water treatment plant for removal of arsenic in the As (V) form from drinking water using an iron removal process. The manual also discusses the capital and operating costs including many...

  6. Humpty Dumpty: reflection and reflective nursing practice.

    PubMed

    Richardson, R

    1995-06-01

    The recent increase in the amount of published work relating reflection and reflective practice to nurses and nursing practice suggests that nurses value the opportunities which this approach is believed to provide. There also appears to be an underlying assumption that we all share the same concepts, hence the association with Humpty Dumpty. Indications of attempts to mechanize the processes and to endow the perceived skills with an élitism are becoming evident. In contrast, there are other attempts to foster the notion of accepting uncertainty, unpredictability and the opportunity for increased understanding to emerge. In this paper, the roots of some of these concepts are traced. The appropriateness of traditional values and assumptions, based on natural science perspectives, in relation to reflective processes and the practice of nursing is questioned. The development of a multi-faceted approach which takes account of differing contexts and the factors which influence them is suggested.

  7. RemoveDEBRIS: An in-orbit active debris removal demonstration mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forshaw, Jason L.; Aglietti, Guglielmo S.; Navarathinam, Nimal; Kadhem, Haval; Salmon, Thierry; Pisseloup, Aurélien; Joffre, Eric; Chabot, Thomas; Retat, Ingo; Axthelm, Robert; Barraclough, Simon; Ratcliffe, Andrew; Bernal, Cesar; Chaumette, François; Pollini, Alexandre; Steyn, Willem H.

    2016-10-01

    Since the beginning of the space era, a significant amount of debris has progressively been generated. Most of the objects launched into space are still orbiting the Earth and today these objects represent a threat as the presence of space debris incurs risk of collision and damage to operational satellites. A credible solution has emerged over the recent years: actively removing debris objects by capturing them and disposing of them. This paper provides an update to the mission baseline and concept of operations of the EC FP7 RemoveDEBRIS mission drawing on the expertise of some of Europe's most prominent space institutions in order to demonstrate key active debris remove (ADR) technologies in a low-cost ambitious manner. The mission will consist of a microsatellite platform (chaser) that ejects 2 CubeSats (targets). These targets will assist with a range of strategically important ADR technology demonstrations including net capture, harpoon capture and vision-based navigation using a standard camera and LiDAR. The chaser will also host a drag sail for orbital lifetime reduction. The mission baseline has been revised to take into account feedback from international and national space policy providers in terms of risk and compliance and a suitable launch option is selected. A launch in 2017 is targeted. The RemoveDEBRIS mission aims to be one of the world's first in-orbit demonstrations of key technologies for active debris removal and is a vital prerequisite to achieving the ultimate goal of a cleaner Earth orbital environment.

  8. Supporting the Reflective Practice of Tutors: What Do Tutors Reflect on?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Amani; Mladenovic, Rosina; Segara, Reuben

    2010-01-01

    Effective self-reflection is a key component of excellent teaching. We describe the types of self-reflection identified in tutors' reflective statements following a peer observation of teaching exercise. We used an adapted version of the categories developed by Grushka, McLeod and Reynolds in 2005 to code text from 20 written statements as…

  9. Reflections on the Reflecting Art Therapy Team in Education and Treatment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riley, Shirley

    2004-01-01

    The reflecting team has been a respected mode of therapeutic intervention since psychiatrist Tom Anderson first proposed the concept in 1985 (Anderson, 1991). The notion of a team observing the therapist conducting a session, the reflecting team reflecting on the session in the presence of the client (either behind a one-way mirror or in person),…

  10. Reflection as Self-Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pappas, Marjorie L.

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses how reflection can be used as self-assessment. Reflection involves not only thinking about a learning experience, but also questioning parts of the experience. Reflection is thinking about what one knows from the learning experience, what one might do differently the next time. Reflection is wondering about…

  11. Benefits of Reflective Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wagner, Kathi

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses what she was able to learn from an exercise in self-reflection regarding her teaching. She also discusses the advantages of reflection for administrators: First, a reflective practice is data-driven, making it a more valid way to evaluate administrators' knowledge and skills. Second, a reflective practice…

  12. Non-Time-Critical Removal Actions

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Removal responses are used to address contamination that poses an immediate threat to human health and the environment. The documents below are a partial list of EPA's guidance for removals, with a focus on Non-Time-Critical Removal Actions (NTCRA).

  13. Designing a Reflective Teacher Education Course and Its Contribution to ELT Teachers' Reflectivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tajik, Leila; Pakzad, Kazem

    2016-01-01

    Researchers in the present study planned a reflective teacher education course and documented the contribution of such a course to improving teachers' reflectivity. Five English teachers took part in the reflective teacher education course designed by the researchers. To record how the course could help improve reflective teaching, researchers…

  14. Effects of gas temperature on NO(x) removal by dielectric barrier discharge.

    PubMed

    Wang, Tao; Sun, Bao-Min; Xiao, Hai-Ping

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation is to discuss the effect of gas temperature on NO(x) removal by dielectric barrier discharge. The Boltzmann equation was used to analyse the electron distribution function in the reactor, and experiments were conducted to find out the effects of different temperatures. The calculation results show that, with a rise in the temperature, E/N increases, increasing the ionization rate. When the ratio of electric field strength to total gas density (E/N) rises from 50 to 150 Td, the ionization rate and electron mean energy increase by 2.0 x 10(5) and 2.3, respectively. The experiments show that in the NO/N2 system, when the temperature increases to 1 30 degrees C and the applied voltage is 11.1 kV, the discharge power is 44.7 W, which is higher than the discharge power of 35.4 W found at 25 degrees C; in the NO/O2/N2 system, an increase in the temperature increases the decomposition of active O3 species, producing a negative effect on NO oxidation; in the NO/O2/N2/C2H4 system, when the temperature increases, the quantity of active species HO2 increases and the NO removal reaction rate increases, reflecting an obvious improvement in the NO removal; and in the NO/O2/N2/C2H4/H2O system, at 25 degrees C, 90 degrees C, and 130 degrees C, when the energy density is 239.7 J L(-1), the NO removal efficiencies are 52.8%, 66.4%, and 71.0%, respectively.

  15. X-ray Reflection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fabian, A. C.; Ross, R. R.

    2010-12-01

    Material irradiated by X-rays produces backscattered radiation which is commonly known as the Reflection Spectrum. It consists of a structured continuum, due at high energies to the competition between photoelectric absorption and electron scattering enhanced at low energies by emission from the material itself, together with a complex line spectrum. We briefly review the history of X-ray reflection in astronomy and discuss various methods for computing the reflection spectrum from cold and ionized gas, illustrated with results from our own work reflionx. We discuss how the reflection spectrum can be used to obtain the geometry of the accretion flow, particularly the inner regions around black holes and neutron stars.

  16. Recovery of titanium values from titanium grinding swarf by electric furnace smelting

    DOEpatents

    Gerdemann, S.J.; White, J.C.

    1998-08-04

    A method for the recovery of valuable materials from titanium grinding swarf is provided comprising the steps of sieving the accumulated titanium grinding swarf to remove unwanted coarse trash and grinding wheel fragments, pelletizing, and smelting in an electric arc furnace to produce ferrotitanium and/or high titanium slag. 1 fig.

  17. Removal of toluene from water by photocatalytic oxidation with activated carbon supported Fe(3+)-doped TiO2 nanotubes.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Rongfang; Zhou, Beihai; Ma, Li

    2014-01-01

    In this work, activated carbon (AC)-supported TiO2 containing 1.0% (mass percent) of 1.0 at.% (atomic percent) Fe(3+)-doped TiO2 nanotubes (Fe-TNTs) were successfully synthesized. The catalyst was used to effectively decompose toluene in water under O3/UV conditions, and some properties including the morphology, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns, specific surface area and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were analyzed. A removal efficiency of 90.7% was achieved in the presence of fresh AC-supported Fe-TNTs calcined at 550 °C, with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.038/min. The removal efficiency of toluene was reduced when the catalysts were repeatedly used, since the amount of adsorption sites of the supporting substrates decreased. However, even after AC-supported catalyst was used four times, the removal efficiency of toluene was still sufficient in water treatment. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of AC-supported Fe-TNTs was related to the synergistic effect of AC adsorption and Fe-TNTs photocatalytic ozonation. The water from a petrochemical company in China was used to obtain the removal efficiency of the pollutants, and the toluene and total organic carbon removal efficiencies were 69.9% and 58.3%, respectively.

  18. MANAGEMENT OF LAKES THROUGH SEDIMENT REMOVAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    When properly conducted, sediment removal is an effective lake management technique. This paper describes: (1) the purpose of sediment removal, (2) environmental concerns, (3) depth of sediment removal, (4) sediment removal techniques, (5) suitable lake conditions, (6) exemplary ...

  19. High removal rate laser-based coating removal system

    DOEpatents

    Matthews, Dennis L.; Celliers, Peter M.; Hackel, Lloyd; Da Silva, Luiz B.; Dane, C. Brent; Mrowka, Stanley

    1999-11-16

    A compact laser system that removes surface coatings (such as paint, dirt, etc.) at a removal rate as high as 1000 ft.sup.2 /hr or more without damaging the surface. A high repetition rate laser with multiple amplification passes propagating through at least one optical amplifier is used, along with a delivery system consisting of a telescoping and articulating tube which also contains an evacuation system for simultaneously sweeping up the debris produced in the process. The amplified beam can be converted to an output beam by passively switching the polarization of at least one amplified beam. The system also has a personal safety system which protects against accidental exposures.

  20. An artifacts removal post-processing for epiphyseal region-of-interest (EROI) localization in automated bone age assessment (BAA)

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Segmentation is the most crucial part in the computer-aided bone age assessment. A well-known type of segmentation performed in the system is adaptive segmentation. While providing better result than global thresholding method, the adaptive segmentation produces a lot of unwanted noise that could affect the latter process of epiphysis extraction. Methods A proposed method with anisotropic diffusion as pre-processing and a novel Bounded Area Elimination (BAE) post-processing algorithm to improve the algorithm of ossification site localization technique are designed with the intent of improving the adaptive segmentation result and the region-of interest (ROI) localization accuracy. Results The results are then evaluated by quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis using texture feature evaluation. The result indicates that the image homogeneity after anisotropic diffusion has improved averagely on each age group for 17.59%. Results of experiments showed that the smoothness has been improved averagely 35% after BAE algorithm and the improvement of ROI localization has improved for averagely 8.19%. The MSSIM has improved averagely 10.49% after performing the BAE algorithm on the adaptive segmented hand radiograph. Conclusions The result indicated that hand radiographs which have undergone anisotropic diffusion have greatly reduced the noise in the segmented image and the result as well indicated that the BAE algorithm proposed is capable of removing the artifacts generated in adaptive segmentation. PMID:21952080

  1. ADSORPTION MEDIA FOR ARSENIC REMOVAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Presentation will discuss the use of adsorptive media for the removal of arsenic from drinking water. Presentation is a fundamental discussion on the use of adsorptive media for arsenic removal and includes information from several EPA field studies on removal of arsenic from dr...

  2. Using carbonized low-cost materials for removal of chemicals of environmental concern from water.

    PubMed

    Weidemann, Eva; Niinipuu, Mirva; Fick, Jerker; Jansson, Stina

    2018-06-01

    Adsorption on low-cost biochars would increase the affordability and availability of water treatment in, for example, developing countries. The aim of this study was to identify the precursor materials and hydrochar surface properties that yield efficient removal of compounds of environmental concern (CEC). We determined the adsorption kinetics of a mixture containing ten CECs (octhilinone, triclosan, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxasole, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, paracetamol, diphenhydramine, fluconazole, and bisphenol A) to hydrochars prepared from agricultural waste (including tomato- and olive-press wastes, rice husks, and horse manure). The surface characteristics of the hydrochars were evaluated via diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N 2 -adsorption. Kinetic adsorption tests revealed that removal efficiencies varied substantially among different materials. Similarly, surface analysis revealed differences among the studied hydrochars and the degree of changes that the materials undergo during carbonization. According to the DRIFTS data, compared with the least efficient adsorbent materials, the most efficient hydrochars underwent more substantial changes during carbonization.

  3. Modified lateral orbitotomy for removal of orbital neoplasms in two dogs.

    PubMed

    Gilger, B C; Whitley, R D; McLaughlin, S A

    1994-01-01

    A simplified lateral orbitotomy is described that decreases surgical time and lessens tissue dissection, yet maintains the exposure to the orbit provided by other orbitotomy techniques. The approach involves cutting the orbital ligament, incising the temporalis aponeurosis from the dorsal zygomatic arch, making parallel zygomatic arch osteotomies, and reflecting the zygomatic arch ventrally. Closure of the wound involves wiring the zygomatic arch back into place. This orbitotomy procedure provides excellent exposure for removal or biopsy of orbital masses. The use of this technique for surgical excision of orbital masses in two dogs, one with an adenoma of the third eyelid gland and one with an orbital fibrosarcoma, and their subsequent management is described.

  4. Reflective diffraction grating

    DOEpatents

    Lamartine, Bruce C.

    2003-06-24

    Reflective diffraction grating. A focused ion beam (FIB) micromilling apparatus is used to store color images in a durable medium by milling away portions of the surface of the medium to produce a reflective diffraction grating with blazed pits. The images are retrieved by exposing the surface of the grating to polychromatic light from a particular incident bearing and observing the light reflected by the surface from specified reception bearing.

  5. Preschoolers' use of reflective properties: identification of reflections on partially transparent surfaces.

    PubMed

    Costanzo, E S; Wittgenstein, K M; Benson, K

    2001-12-01

    This exploratory study extended past studies of children's ability to reference the mirror as a tool in locating the source of reflected images to preschoolers' ability to use the affordances of a transparency. Thirty-six children (3.5 to 5 years old) were shown nonreflected lights and lights reflected on a partially transparent, glassy surface. Children did not spontaneously locate the source of the reflected image. However, they were able to verbally discriminate reflected from nonreflected images following training. These findings indicate that, although preschoolers may not spontaneously use transparencies as a perceptual tool, the ability to distinguish visual differences of reflected from nonreflected images on transparencies is likely within preschool children's developmental capacity.

  6. Midfrontal conflict-related theta-band power reflects neural oscillations that predict behavior.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Michael X; Donner, Tobias H

    2013-12-01

    Action monitoring and conflict resolution require the rapid and flexible coordination of activity in multiple brain regions. Oscillatory neural population activity may be a key physiological mechanism underlying such rapid and flexible network coordination. EEG power modulations of theta-band (4-8 Hz) activity over the human midfrontal cortex during response conflict have been proposed to reflect neural oscillations that support conflict detection and resolution processes. However, it has remained unclear whether this frequency-band-specific activity reflects neural oscillations or nonoscillatory responses (i.e., event-related potentials). Here, we show that removing the phase-locked component of the EEG did not reduce the strength of the conflict-related modulation of the residual (i.e., non-phase-locked) theta power over midfrontal cortex. Furthermore, within-subject regression analyses revealed that the non-phase-locked theta power was a significantly better predictor of the conflict condition than was the time-domain phase-locked EEG component. Finally, non-phase-locked theta power showed robust and condition-specific (high- vs. low-conflict) cross-trial correlations with reaction time, whereas the phase-locked component did not. Taken together, our results indicate that most of the conflict-related and behaviorally relevant midfrontal EEG signal reflects a modulation of ongoing theta-band oscillations that occurs during the decision process but is not phase-locked to the stimulus or to the response.

  7. Do writing and storytelling skill influence assessment of reflective ability in medical students' written reflections?

    PubMed

    Aronson, Louise; Niehaus, Brian; DeVries, Charlie D; Siegel, Jennifer R; O'Sullivan, Patricia S

    2010-10-01

    Increasingly, students are asked to write reflections as part of their medical education, but some question the influence of other factors on the evaluation of these reflections. In this pilot study, the investigators determined whether scores from a validated rubric to measure reflective ability were affected by irrelevant variance resulting from writing or storytelling ability. Students in clerkships wrote reflections on professionalism. All were given identical prompts, with half receiving additional structured guidelines on reflection. Sixty reflections, 30 from each group, were randomly chosen and scored for reflection, writing, and storytelling by trained raters using validated rubrics. There was no correlation between reflection and either writing (r = 0.049, P = .35) or storytelling (r = 0.14, P = .13). The guidelines increased reflection, but not writing or storytelling scores. Reflection is a distinct construct unaffected by learners' writing or storytelling skills. These findings support reflective ability as a distinct skill.

  8. Using articulation and inscription as catalysts for reflection: Design principles for reflective inquiry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loh, Ben Tun-Bin

    2003-07-01

    The demand for students to engage in complex student-driven and information-rich inquiry investigations poses challenges to existing learning environments. Students are not familiar with this style of work, and lack the skills, tools, and expectations it demands, often forging blindly forward in the investigation. If students are to be successful, they need to learn to be reflective inquirers, periodically stepping back from an investigation to evaluate their work. The fundamental goal of my dissertation is to understand how to design learning environments to promote and support reflective inquiry. I have three basic research questions: how to define this mode of work, how to help students learn it, and understanding how it facilitates reflection when enacted in a classroom. I take an exploratory approach in which, through iterative cycles of design, development, and reflection, I develop principles of design for reflective inquiry, instantiate those principles in the design of a software environment, and test that software in the context of classroom work. My work contributes to the understanding of reflective inquiry in three ways: First, I define a task model that describes the kinds of operations (cognitive tasks) that students should engage in as reflective inquirers. These operations are defined in terms of two basic tasks: articulation and inscription, which serve as catalysts for externalizing student thinking as objects of and triggers for reflection. Second, I instantiate the task model in the design of software tools (the Progress Portfolio). And, through proof of concept pilot studies, I examine how the task model and tools helped students with their investigative classroom work. Finally, I take a step back from these implementations and articulate general design principles for reflective inquiry with the goal of informing the design of other reflective inquiry learning environments. There are three design principles: (1) Provide a designated work space

  9. Force reflection with compliance control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Won S. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    Two types of systems for force-reflecting control, which enables high force-reflection gain, are presented: position-error-based force reflection and low-pass-filtered force reflection. Both of the systems are combined with shared compliance control. In the position-error-based class, the position error between the commanded and the actual position of a compliantly controlled robot is used to provide force reflection. In the low-pass-filtered force reflection class, the low-pass-filtered output of the compliance control is used to provide force reflection. The increase in force reflection gain can be more than 10-fold as compared to a conventional high-bandwidth pure force reflection system, when high compliance values are used for the compliance control.

  10. Development of a novel three-dimensional deformable mirror with removable influence functions for high precision wavefront correction in adaptive optics system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Lei; Zhou, Chenlu; Gong, Mali; Ma, Xingkun; Bian, Qi

    2016-07-01

    Deformable mirror is a widely used wavefront corrector in adaptive optics system, especially in astronomical, image and laser optics. A new structure of DM-3D DM is proposed, which has removable actuators and can correct different aberrations with different actuator arrangements. A 3D DM consists of several reflection mirrors. Every mirror has a single actuator and is independent of each other. Two kinds of actuator arrangement algorithm are compared: random disturbance algorithm (RDA) and global arrangement algorithm (GAA). Correction effects of these two algorithms and comparison are analyzed through numerical simulation. The simulation results show that 3D DM with removable actuators can obviously improve the correction effects.

  11. Light reflecting apparatus including a multi-aberration light reflecting surface

    DOEpatents

    Sawicki, Richard H.; Sweatt, William

    1987-01-01

    A light reflecting apparatus including a multi-aberration bendable light reflecting surface is disclosed herein. This apparatus includes a structural assembly comprised of a rectangular plate which is resiliently bendable, to a limited extent, and which has a front side defining the multi-aberration light reflecting surface and an opposite back side, and a plurality of straight leg members rigidly connected with the back side of the plate and extending rearwardly therefrom. The apparatus also includes a number of different adjustment mechanisms, each of which is connected with specific ones of the leg members. These mechanisms are adjustably movable in different ways for applying corresponding forces to the leg members in order to bend the rectangular plate and light reflecting surface into different predetermined curvatures and which specifically include quadratic and cubic curvatures corresponding to different optical aberrations.

  12. The Normalization of Surface Anisotropy Effects Present in SEVIRI Reflectances by Using the MODIS BRDF Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Proud, Simon Richard; Zhang, Qingling; Schaaf, Crystal; Fensholt, Rasmus; Rasmussen, Mads Olander; Shisanya, Chris; Mutero, Wycliffe; Mbow, Cheikh; Anyamba, Assaf; Pak, Ed; hide

    2014-01-01

    A modified version of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) algorithm is presented for use in the angular normalization of surface reflectance data gathered by the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) aboard the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites. We present early and provisional daily nadir BRDFadjusted reflectance (NBAR) data in the visible and near-infrared MSG channels. These utilize the high temporal resolution of MSG to produce BRDF retrievals with a greatly reduced acquisition period than the comparable MODIS products while, at the same time, removing many of the angular perturbations present within the original MSG data. The NBAR data are validated against reflectance data from the MODIS instrument and in situ data gathered at a field location in Africa throughout 2008. It is found that the MSG retrievals are stable and are of high-quality across much of the SEVIRI disk while maintaining a higher temporal resolution than the MODIS BRDF products. However, a number of circumstances are discovered whereby the BRDF model is unable to function correctly with the SEVIRI observations-primarily because of an insufficient spread of angular data due to the fixed sensor location or localized cloud contamination.

  13. 44 CFR 206.224 - Debris removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Debris removal. 206.224... Debris removal. (a) Public interest. Upon determination that debris removal is in the public interest, the Regional Administrator may provide assistance for the removal of debris and wreckage from publicly...

  14. 44 CFR 206.224 - Debris removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Debris removal. 206.224... Debris removal. (a) Public interest. Upon determination that debris removal is in the public interest, the Regional Administrator may provide assistance for the removal of debris and wreckage from publicly...

  15. 44 CFR 206.224 - Debris removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2012-10-01 2011-10-01 true Debris removal. 206.224... Debris removal. (a) Public interest. Upon determination that debris removal is in the public interest, the Regional Administrator may provide assistance for the removal of debris and wreckage from publicly...

  16. 44 CFR 206.224 - Debris removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Debris removal. 206.224... Debris removal. (a) Public interest. Upon determination that debris removal is in the public interest, the Regional Administrator may provide assistance for the removal of debris and wreckage from publicly...

  17. 44 CFR 206.224 - Debris removal.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Debris removal. 206.224... Debris removal. (a) Public interest. Upon determination that debris removal is in the public interest, the Regional Administrator may provide assistance for the removal of debris and wreckage from publicly...

  18. Orientations to Reflective Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wellington, Bud; Austin, Patricia

    1996-01-01

    Delineates five orientations to reflective practice: immediate, technical, deliberative, dialectic, and transpersonal, each reflecting different social science bases and beliefs and values about education. Views them as interactive, interdependent, noncompeting, aspects of reflective practice. (SK)

  19. A Four-Week Reflective Writing Program in the Psychiatry Clerkship: Testing Effects on Reflective Capacity.

    PubMed

    Whitmore, Charles A; Sakai, Joseph; Mikulich-Gilbertson, Susan K; Davies, Robert D

    2018-04-27

    Reflective capacity is the ability to review and reconstruct the importance, emotional impact, and outcomes of an experience to give it added meaning and context. In medicine, greater reflective capacity is associated with greater empathy and diagnostic accuracy. This project implemented a four-week reflective writing curriculum for third-year medical students during their psychiatric clerkship. A single class of medical students participated in a pilot reflective writing program during their four-week Psychiatry Care Block. Students were provided with weekly writing prompts, and the reflective capacity of their writing assignments was assessed using the REFLECT rubric. Medical students who participated in the reflective writing course demonstrated a significant increase in Wald Rubric reflective writing scores across the four-week clerkship. These results suggest a short, four-week reflective writing curriculum can enhance reflective capacity in a class of third-year medical students.

  20. A New Definition of Punishment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Philip S.

    2013-01-01

    Punishment is a procedure in which responses are followed by either the removal of positive reinforcement or the presentation of an aversive stimulus (Skinner, 1953) that results in a decrease in the frequency and/or intensity of the response (Azrin & Holtz, 1966). By definition, punishment seeks to stop unacceptable, unwanted, and bothersome…

  1. High removal rate laser-based coating removal system

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

    Matthews, D.L.; Celliers, P.M.; Hackel, L.

    1999-11-16

    A compact laser system is disclosed that removes surface coatings (such as paint, dirt, etc.) at a removal rate as high as 1,000 ft{sup 2}/hr or more without damaging the surface. A high repetition rate laser with multiple amplification passes propagating through at least one optical amplifier is used, along with a delivery system consisting of a telescoping and articulating tube which also contains an evacuation system for simultaneously sweeping up the debris produced in the process. The amplified beam can be converted to an output beam by passively switching the polarization of at least one amplified beam. The systemmore » also has a personal safety system which protects against accidental exposures.« less

  2. Reflection Matrix Method for Controlling Light After Reflection From a Diffuse Scattering Surface

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-22

    reflective inverse diffusion, which was a proof-of-concept experiment that used phase modulation to shape the wavefront of a laser causing it to refocus...after reflection from a rough surface. By refocusing the light, reflective inverse diffusion has the potential to eliminate the complex radiometric model...photography. However, the initial reflective inverse diffusion experiments provided no mathematical background and were conducted under the premise that the

  3. Near zero reflection by nanostructured anti-reflection coating design for Si substrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Fandi, Mohamed; Makableh, Yahia F.; Khasawneh, Mohammad; Rabady, Rabi

    2018-05-01

    The nanostructure design of near zero reflection coating for Si substrates by using ZnO Nanoneedles (ZnONN) is performed and optimized for the visible spectral range. The design investigates the ZnONN tip to body ratio effect on the anti-reflection coating properties. Different tip to body ratios are used on Si substrates. Around zero reflection is achieved by the Nanoneedles structure design presented in this work, leading to minimal reflection losses from the Si surface. The current design evolves a solution to optical losses and surface contamination effects associated with Si solar cells.

  4. Correlation of spectral domain optical coherence tomography findings in sub-silicone oil foveal depression space and visual outcome in eyes undergoing silicone oil removal

    PubMed Central

    Nagpal, Manish; Bhatt, Kalyani J.; Jain, Pravin; Taleb, Eman Abo; Goswami, Sangeeta; Verma, Amrita

    2016-01-01

    Background/Purpose: To describe small hyper-reflective spherical bodies in sub-silicone oil-foveal depression (SSO-FD) space using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and its effect on visual outcomes in eyes undergoing silicone oil removal (SOR). Methods: This was a prospective interventional comparative study comprising 42 eyes undergoing SOR with clear media. All patients underwent detailed clinical examination and SD-OCT scan of fovea pre-operatively and at 30 days and 90 days postoperatively. Patients were divided into Group A (n = 21) and Group B (n = 21) depending on presence or absence, respectively, of small hyper-reflective spherical bodies in the SSO-FD space in preoperative scans. The findings between SD-OCT and best-corrected visual acuity were correlated and analyzed. Results: The mean age of patients was 41.9 years (range, 23–60 years) in Group A and 45.6 years (range, 23–60 years) in Group B. Twenty-one eyes showed small hyper-reflective spherical bodies on SD-OCT imaging. These were thought to represent emulsified silicone oil globules trapped in the potential space created by silicone oil meniscus and foveal pit, which is the SSO-FD space. These bodies were absent in all post SOR scans of Group A and Group B. Group A had significant visual improvement (p = 0.0001) after SOR with clearance of these hyper-reflective bodies as compared to Group B(p = 0.356). Conclusion: We conclude that these small hyper-reflective spherical bodies in the SSO-FD space were most likely emulsified silicone oil globules and correlated with significant visual improvement with their clearance after silicone oil removal. PMID:29018705

  5. 27 CFR 25.251 - Authorized removals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ALCOHOL BEER Removal of Brewer's Yeast and Other Articles § 25.251 Authorized removals. (a) Brewer's yeast. A brewer may remove brewer's yeast, in liquid or solid form containing not... including the words “Brewer's Yeast.” (c) Pipeline. If brewer's yeast is removed by pipeline, the pipeline...

  6. 27 CFR 25.251 - Authorized removals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Removal of Brewer's Yeast and Other Articles § 25.251 Authorized removals. (a) Brewer's yeast. A brewer may remove brewer's yeast, in liquid or solid form containing not... including the words “Brewer's Yeast.” (c) Pipeline. If brewer's yeast is removed by pipeline, the pipeline...

  7. 27 CFR 25.251 - Authorized removals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Removal of Brewer's Yeast and Other Articles § 25.251 Authorized removals. (a) Brewer's yeast. A brewer may remove brewer's yeast, in liquid or solid form containing not... including the words “Brewer's Yeast.” (c) Pipeline. If brewer's yeast is removed by pipeline, the pipeline...

  8. 27 CFR 25.251 - Authorized removals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Removal of Brewer's Yeast and Other Articles § 25.251 Authorized removals. (a) Brewer's yeast. A brewer may remove brewer's yeast, in liquid or solid form containing not... including the words “Brewer's Yeast.” (c) Pipeline. If brewer's yeast is removed by pipeline, the pipeline...

  9. 27 CFR 25.251 - Authorized removals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ALCOHOL BEER Removal of Brewer's Yeast and Other Articles § 25.251 Authorized removals. (a) Brewer's yeast. A brewer may remove brewer's yeast, in liquid or solid form containing not... including the words “Brewer's Yeast.” (c) Pipeline. If brewer's yeast is removed by pipeline, the pipeline...

  10. Wave equation datuming applied to S-wave reflection seismic data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tinivella, U.; Giustiniani, M.; Nicolich, R.

    2018-05-01

    S-wave high-resolution reflection seismic data was processed using Wave Equation Datuming technique in order to improve signal/noise ratio, attenuating coherent noise, and seismic resolution and to solve static corrections problems. The application of this algorithm allowed obtaining a good image of the shallow subsurface geological features. Wave Equation Datuming moves shots and receivers from a surface to another datum (the datum plane), removing time shifts originated by elevation variation and/or velocity changes in the shallow subsoil. This algorithm has been developed and currently applied to P wave, but it reveals the capacity to highlight S-waves images when used to resolve thin layers in high-resolution prospecting. A good S-wave image facilitates correlation with well stratigraphies, optimizing cost/benefit ratio of any drilling. The application of Wave Equation Datuming requires a reliable velocity field, so refraction tomography was adopted. The new seismic image highlights the details of the subsoil reflectors and allows an easier integration with borehole information and geological surveys than the seismic section obtained by conventional CMP reflection processing. In conclusion, the analysis of S-wave let to characterize the shallow subsurface recognizing levels with limited thickness once we have clearly attenuated ground roll, wind and environmental noise.

  11. Phenol removal pretreatment process

    DOEpatents

    Hames, Bonnie R.

    2004-04-13

    A process for removing phenols from an aqueous solution is provided, which comprises the steps of contacting a mixture comprising the solution and a metal oxide, forming a phenol metal oxide complex, and removing the complex from the mixture.

  12. Enhanced 10 Gb/s operations of directly modulated reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers without electronic equalization.

    PubMed

    Presi, M; Chiuchiarelli, A; Corsini, R; Choudury, P; Bottoni, F; Giorgi, L; Ciaramella, E

    2012-12-10

    We report enhanced 10 Gb/s operation of directly modulated bandwidth-limited reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers. By using a single suitable arrayed waveguide grating we achieve simultaneously WDM demultiplexing and optical equalization. Compared to previous approaches, the proposed system results significantly more tolerant to seeding wavelength drifts. This removes the need for wavelength lockers, additional electronic equalization or complex digital signal processing. Uniform C-band operations are obtained experimentally with < 2 dB power penalty within a wavelength drift of 10 GHz (which doubles the ITU-T standard recommendations).

  13. Postgraduate Education to Support Organisation Change: A Reflection on Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Jim; Keegan, Anne; Stevens, Pam

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to explore how teaching and assessing reflective learning skills can support postgraduate practitioners studying organisational change and explores the challenges for tutors in assessing these journals. Design/methodology/approach: Assessment criteria were developed from the literature on reflective practice and…

  14. Process of simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas and nitrogen removal from swine wastewater.

    PubMed

    Deng, Liangwei; Chen, Huijuan; Chen, Ziai; Liu, Yi; Pu, Xiaodong; Song, Li

    2009-12-01

    The feasibility of a new flowchart describing simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas and nitrogen removal from wastewater was investigated. It took 30 days for the reactor inoculated with aerobic sludge to attain a removal rate of 60% for H(2)S and NO(x)-N simultaneously. It took 34 and 48 days to attain the same removal rate for the reactor without inoculated sludge and the reactor inoculated with anaerobic sludge respectively. The reactor without inoculated sludge still operated successfully, despite requiring a slightly longer startup time. The packing material was capable of enhancing the removal efficiency of reactors. Based on the concentration of NO(x)-N and H(2)S in the effluent, the loading rate and the ability of the system to resist shock loading, the performance of the reactor filled with hollow plastic balls was greater than that of the reactor filled with elastic packing and the reactor filled with Pall rings.

  15. Monitoring and Detecting the Cigarette Beetle (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) Using Ultraviolet (LED) Direct and Reflected Lights and/or Pheromone Traps in a Laboratory and a Storehouse.

    PubMed

    Miyatake, Takahisa; Yokoi, Tomoyuki; Fuchikawa, Taro; Korehisa, Nobuyoshi; Kamura, Toru; Nanba, Kana; Ryouji, Shinsuke; Kamioka, Nagisa; Hironaka, Mantaro; Osada, Midori; Hariyama, Takahiko; Sasaki, Rikiya; Shinoda, Kazutaka

    2016-12-01

    The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), is an important stored-product pest worldwide because it damages dry foods. Detection and removal of the female L. serricorne will help to facilitate the control of the insect by removal of the egg-laying populations. In this manuscript, we examined the responses by L. serricorne to direct and reflected light in transparent cube (50 m3) set in a chamber (200 m3) and a stored facility with both direct and reflected UV-LED lights. The study also examined the responses by the beetles to light in the presence or absence of pheromone in traps that are placed at different heights. Reflected light attracted more beetles than the direct light in the experimental chamber, but the direct light traps attracted more beetles than the reflected light traps in the storehouse. Pheromone traps attracted only males; UV-LED traps attracted both sexes. The UV-LED traps with a pheromone, i.e., combined trap, attracted more males than UV-LED light traps without a pheromone, whereas the attraction of UV-LED traps with and without the pheromone was similar in females. The results suggest that UV-LED light trap combined with a sex pheromone is the best solution for monitoring and controlling L. serricorne. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. Neutron reflecting supermirror structure

    DOEpatents

    Wood, J.L.

    1992-12-01

    An improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure comprising a plurality of stacked sets of bilayers of neutron reflecting materials. The improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure is adapted to provide extremely good performance at high incidence angles, i.e. up to four time the critical angle of standard neutron mirror structures. The reflection of neutrons striking the supermirror structure at a high critical angle provides enhanced neutron throughput, and hence more efficient and economical use of neutron sources. 2 figs.

  17. Neutron reflecting supermirror structure

    DOEpatents

    Wood, James L.

    1992-01-01

    An improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure comprising a plurality of stacked sets of bilayers of neutron reflecting materials. The improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure is adapted to provide extremely good performance at high incidence angles, i.e. up to four time the critical angle of standard neutron mirror structures. The reflection of neutrons striking the supermirror structure at a high critical angle provides enhanced neutron throughput, and hence more efficient and economical use of neutron sources.

  18. Cultivating Reflective Practitioners in Technology Preparation: Constructing TPACK through Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Liangyue

    2014-01-01

    Teaching is a complex profession, which is further complicated by the integration of technology into classrooms. Reflection can help teachers unpack the complexity in their practice. Reflection can be an effective instructional strategy in helping preservice teachers develop technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), the complex and…

  19. Sequential fitting-and-separating reflectance components for analytical bidirectional reflectance distribution function estimation.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yu; Yu, Chanki; Lee, Sang Wook

    2018-01-10

    We present a sequential fitting-and-separating algorithm for surface reflectance components that separates individual dominant reflectance components and simultaneously estimates the corresponding bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters from the separated reflectance values. We tackle the estimation of a Lafortune BRDF model, which combines a nonLambertian diffuse reflection and multiple specular reflectance components with a different specular lobe. Our proposed method infers the appropriate number of BRDF lobes and their parameters by separating and estimating each of the reflectance components using an interval analysis-based branch-and-bound method in conjunction with iterative K-ordered scale estimation. The focus of this paper is the estimation of the Lafortune BRDF model. Nevertheless, our proposed method can be applied to other analytical BRDF models such as the Cook-Torrance and Ward models. Experiments were carried out to validate the proposed method using isotropic materials from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MERL-MIT) BRDF database, and the results show that our method is superior to a conventional minimization algorithm.

  20. Spectral sea surface reflectance of skylight.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaodong; He, Shuangyan; Shabani, Afshin; Zhai, Peng-Wang; Du, Keping

    2017-02-20

    In examining the dependence of the sea surface reflectance of skylight ρs on sky conditions, wind speed, solar zenith angle, and viewing geometry, Mobley [Appl. Opt.38, 7442 (1999).10.1364/AO.38.007442] assumed ρs is independent of wavelength. Lee et al. [Opt. Express18, 26313 (2010).10.1364/OE.18.026313] showed experimentally that ρs does vary spectrally due to the spectral difference of sky radiance coming from different directions, which was ignored in Mobley's study. We simulated ρs from 350 nm to 1000 nm by explicitly accounting for spectral variations of skylight distribution and Fresnel reflectance. Furthermore, we separated sun glint from sky glint because of significant differences in magnitude, spectrum and polarization state between direct sun light and skylight light. The results confirm that spectral variation of ρs(λ) mainly arises from the spectral distribution of skylight and would vary from slightly blueish due to normal dispersion of the refractive index of water, to neutral and then to reddish with increasing wind speeds and decreasing solar zenith angles. Polarization moderately increases sky glint by 8 - 20% at 400 nm but only by 0 - 10% at 1000 nm. Sun glint is inherently reddish and becomes significant (>10% of sky glint) when the sun is at the zenith with moderate winds or when the sea is roughened (wind speeds > 10 m s-1) with solar zenith angles < 20°. We recommend a two-step procedure by first correcting the glint due to direct sun light, which is unpolarized, followed by removing the glint due to diffused and polarized skylight. The simulated ρs(λ) as a function of wind speeds, sun angles and aerosol concentrations for currently recommended sensor-sun geometry, i.e., zenith angle = 40° and azimuthal angle relative to the sun = 45°, is available upon request.