Emerging Water Contaminants: Technical, Legal and Policy Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeb, R. A.; Kresic, N.; Laugier, M. C.; Kavanaugh, M. C.

2002-12-01

Approximately 120 new chemicals are created each year due to ever-improving industry and technology markets. Releases of new contaminants into the environment can occur during production, use and disposal of these chemicals thereby leading to potential contamination of water supply sources. Very few emerging contaminants are regulated. In addition, knowledge gaps regarding emerging contaminants include lack health effects, occurrence (either because these compounds are not measured or because concentrations are below detection limits of readily available analytical techniques) and fate and transport in the environment especially with regards to mobility and persistence. The sources of these compounds are numerous. One source is treated wastewater, which is re-injected into groundwater aquifers for indirect potable reuse purposes. Emerging compounds of concern can be classified in various classes. This presentation will focus on contaminants, which have emerged in the last 10 years including pharmaceuticals (antibiotics/drugs), personal care products (polycyclic musks), pesticides/herbicides, industrial solvents (1,4-dioxane), gasoline additives (MTBE), disinfection byproducts such as NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine), and inorganic compounds such as perchlorate and arsenic. This presentation will present technical, legal and legislative challenges posed by the presence of these contaminants in water. Background information including chemical's history of use, sources in the environments, nationwide occurrence, physical and chemical properties, behavior in the environment and technologies for removal from soil and water will be presented. In addition, case studies on MTBE, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, 1,4-dioxane, arsenic and NDMA will be discussed.

Estimating challenge load due to disease outbreaks and other challenges using reproduction records of sows.

PubMed

Mathur, P K; Herrero-Medrano, J M; Alexandri, P; Knol, E F; ten Napel, J; Rashidi, H; Mulder, H A

2014-12-01

A method was developed and tested to estimate challenge load due to disease outbreaks and other challenges in sows using reproduction records. The method was based on reproduction records from a farm with known disease outbreaks. It was assumed that the reduction in weekly reproductive output within a farm is proportional to the magnitude of the challenge. As the challenge increases beyond certain threshold, it is manifested as an outbreak. The reproduction records were divided into 3 datasets. The first dataset called the Training dataset consisted of 57,135 reproduction records from 10,901 sows from 1 farm in Canada with several outbreaks of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The known disease status of sows was regressed on the traits number born alive, number of losses as a combination of still birth and mummified piglets, and number of weaned piglets. The regression coefficients from this analysis were then used as weighting factors for derivation of an index measure called challenge load indicator. These weighting factors were derived with i) a two-step approach using residuals or year-week solutions estimated from a previous step, and ii) a single-step approach using the trait values directly. Two types of models were used for each approach: a logistic regression model and a general additive model. The estimates of challenge load indicator were then compared based on their ability to detect PRRS outbreaks in a Test dataset consisting of records from 65,826 sows from 15 farms in the Netherlands. These farms differed from the Canadian farm with respect to PRRS virus strains, severity and frequency of outbreaks. The single-step approach using a general additive model was best and detected 14 out of the 15 outbreaks. This approach was then further validated using the third dataset consisting of reproduction records of 831,855 sows in 431 farms located in different countries in Europe and America. A total of 41 out of 48 outbreaks detected

Technical solutions to nonproliferation challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satkowiak, Lawrence

2014-05-01

The threat of nuclear terrorism is real and poses a significant challenge to both U.S. and global security. For terrorists, the challenge is not so much the actual design of an improvised nuclear device (IND) but more the acquisition of the special nuclear material (SNM), either highly enriched uranium (HEU) or plutonium, to make the fission weapon. This paper provides two examples of technical solutions that were developed in support of the nonproliferation objective of reducing the opportunity for acquisition of HEU. The first example reviews technologies used to monitor centrifuge enrichment plants to determine if there is any diversion of uranium materials or misuse of facilities to produce undeclared product. The discussion begins with a brief overview of the basics of uranium processing and enrichment. The role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its safeguard objectives and how the technology evolved to meet those objectives will be described. The second example focuses on technologies developed and deployed to monitor the blend down of 500 metric tons of HEU from Russia's dismantled nuclear weapons to reactor fuel or low enriched uranium (LEU) under the U.S.-Russia HEU Purchase Agreement. This reactor fuel was then purchased by U.S. fuel fabricators and provided about half the fuel for the domestic power reactors. The Department of Energy established the HEU Transparency Program to provide confidence that weapons usable HEU was being blended down and thus removed from any potential theft scenario. Two measurement technologies, an enrichment meter and a flow monitor, were combined into an automated blend down monitoring system (BDMS) and were deployed to four sites in Russia to provide 24/7 monitoring of the blend down. Data was downloaded and analyzed periodically by inspectors to provide the assurances required.

Technical solutions to nonproliferation challenges

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

Satkowiak, Lawrence

2014-05-09

The threat of nuclear terrorism is real and poses a significant challenge to both U.S. and global security. For terrorists, the challenge is not so much the actual design of an improvised nuclear device (IND) but more the acquisition of the special nuclear material (SNM), either highly enriched uranium (HEU) or plutonium, to make the fission weapon. This paper provides two examples of technical solutions that were developed in support of the nonproliferation objective of reducing the opportunity for acquisition of HEU. The first example reviews technologies used to monitor centrifuge enrichment plants to determine if there is any diversionmore » of uranium materials or misuse of facilities to produce undeclared product. The discussion begins with a brief overview of the basics of uranium processing and enrichment. The role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its safeguard objectives and how the technology evolved to meet those objectives will be described. The second example focuses on technologies developed and deployed to monitor the blend down of 500 metric tons of HEU from Russia's dismantled nuclear weapons to reactor fuel or low enriched uranium (LEU) under the U.S.-Russia HEU Purchase Agreement. This reactor fuel was then purchased by U.S. fuel fabricators and provided about half the fuel for the domestic power reactors. The Department of Energy established the HEU Transparency Program to provide confidence that weapons usable HEU was being blended down and thus removed from any potential theft scenario. Two measurement technologies, an enrichment meter and a flow monitor, were combined into an automated blend down monitoring system (BDMS) and were deployed to four sites in Russia to provide 24/7 monitoring of the blend down. Data was downloaded and analyzed periodically by inspectors to provide the assurances required.« less

Turbines, Wind Tunnels, and Teamwork: The 2017 Collegiate Wind Competition Technical Challenge

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

None

Ten college teams put their turbines to the test at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Collegiate Wind Competition Technical Challenge, held April 20–22 at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). The competition showcased a wide variety of turbine designs and highlighted the competitors’ brilliance, agility, and ingenuity. College students weren’t the only future wind energy experts at the NWTC that weekend: elementary and middle school students tested their turbines—crafted creatively from materials like soda bottles and aluminum foil—in the Colorado KidWind Challenge.

Reaching a 1.5°C target: socio-technical challenges for a rapid transition to low-carbon electricity systems.

PubMed

Eyre, Nick; Darby, Sarah J; Grünewald, Philipp; McKenna, Eoghan; Ford, Rebecca

2018-05-13

A 1.5°C global average target implies that we should no longer focus on merely incremental emissions reductions from the electricity system, but rather on fundamentally re-envisaging a system that, sooner rather than later, becomes carbon free. Many low-carbon technologies are surpassing mainstream predictions for both uptake and cost reduction. Their deployment is beginning to be disruptive within established systems. 'Smart technologies' are being developed to address emerging challenges of system integration, but their rates of future deployment remain uncertain. We argue that transition towards a system that can fully displace carbon generation sources will require expanding the focus of our efforts beyond technical solutions. Recognizing that change has social and technical dimensions, and that these interact strongly, we set out a socio-technical review that covers electricity infrastructure, citizens, business models and governance. It describes some of the socio-technical challenges that need to be addressed for the successful transition of the existing electricity systems. We conclude that a socio-technical understanding of electricity system transitions offers new and better insights into the potential and challenges for rapid decarbonization.This article is part of the theme issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Hybrid imaging worldwide-challenges and opportunities for the developing world: a report of a Technical Meeting organized by IAEA.

PubMed

Kashyap, Ravi; Dondi, Maurizio; Paez, Diana; Mariani, Guliano

2013-05-01

The growth in nuclear medicine, in the past decade, is largely due to hybrid imaging, specifically single-photon emission tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). Introduction and use of hybrid imaging has been growing at a fast pace. This has led to many challenges and opportunities to the personnel dealing with it. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) keeps a close watch on the trends in applications of nuclear techniques in health by many ways, including obtaining inputs from member states and professional societies. In 2012, a Technical Meeting on trends in hybrid imaging was organized by IAEA to understand the current status and trends of hybrid imaging using nuclear techniques, its role in clinical practice, and associated educational needs and challenges. Perspective of scientific societies and professionals from all the regions of the world was obtained. Heterogeneity in value, educational needs, and access was noted and the drivers of this heterogeneity were discussed. This article presents the key points shared during the technical meeting, focusing primarily on SPECT-CT and PET-CT, and shares the action plan for IAEA to deal with heterogeneity as suggested by the participants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breeding next generation tree fruits: technical and legal challenges

PubMed Central

Dalla Costa, Lorenza; Malnoy, Mickael; Gribaudo, Ivana

2017-01-01

The new plant breeding technologies (NPBTs) have recently emerged as powerful tools in the context of ‘green’ biotechnologies. They have wide potential compared to classical genetic engineering and they are attracting the interest of politicians, stakeholders and citizens due to the revolutionary impact they may have on agriculture. Cisgenesis and genome editing potentially allow to obtain pathogen-resistant plants or plants with enhanced qualitative traits by introducing or disrupting specific genes in shorter times compared to traditional breeding programs and by means of minimal modifications in the plant genome. Grapevine, the most important fruit crop in the world from an economical point of view, is a peculiar case for NPBTs because of the load of cultural aspects, varietal traditions and consumer demands, which hinder the use of classical breeding techniques and, furthermore, the application of genetic engineering to wine grape cultivars. Here we explore the technical challenges which may hamper the application of cisgenesis and genome editing to this perennial plant, in particular focusing on the bottlenecks of the Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. In addition, strategies to eliminate undesired sequences from the genome and to choose proper target sites are discussed in light of peculiar features of this species. Furthermore is reported an update of the international legislative frameworks regulating NPBT products which shows conflicting positions and, in the case of the European Union, a prolonged lack of regulation. PMID:29238598

Delivery of high-tech home care by hospital-based nursing units in Quebec: clinical and technical challenges.

PubMed

Lehoux, Pascale; Richard, L; Pineault, R; Saint-Arnaud, J

2006-03-01

The role that hospital-based nurses should play in the delivery of high-tech home care, and how they should be supported in that role, are topics that remain understudied. Our research objective was to document how hospital-based nursing teams perceive and deal with the clinical and technical challenges associated with the provision of high-tech home care. Four home care interventions were selected: antibiotic intravenous therapy, parenteral nutrition, peritoneal dialysis and oxygen therapy. A self-administered survey was sent to all hospital-based units providing these interventions in the province of Quebec, Canada (n = 154; response rate: 70.8%). We used descriptive statistical analyses to derive mean values for scores on either a five- or a six-level Likert scale. Despite variation across the four interventions, our results indicate that while nursing teams believe these interventions increase patients' autonomy, they also recognize that they generate anxiety and impose constraints on patients' lives. Nurses must increase efforts to deal with both clinical and technical challenges and help patients overcome the barriers to appropriate use of home care technologies. While nursing teams generally perceive high-tech home care as beneficial, they still experience significant technical and clinical challenges. Some of these challenges could be addressed by strengthening professional training initiatives, while others require broader home care policy interventions.

Fundamental Aeronautics Program: Overview of Propulsion Work in the Supersonic Cruise Efficiency Technical Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castner, Ray

2012-01-01

The Supersonics Project, part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, contains a number of technical challenge areas which include sonic boom community response, airport noise, high altitude emissions, cruise efficiency, light weight durable engines/airframes, and integrated multi-discipline system design. This presentation provides an overview of the current (2012) activities in the supersonic cruise efficiency technical challenge, and is focused specifically on propulsion technologies. The intent is to develop and validate high-performance supersonic inlet and nozzle technologies. Additional work is planned for design and analysis tools for highly-integrated low-noise, low-boom applications. If successful, the payoffs include improved technologies and tools for optimized propulsion systems, propulsion technologies for a minimized sonic boom signature, and a balanced approach to meeting efficiency and community noise goals. In this propulsion area, the work is divided into advanced supersonic inlet concepts, advanced supersonic nozzle concepts, low fidelity computational tool development, high fidelity computational tools, and improved sensors and measurement capability. The current work in each area is summarized.

Engineering the System and Technical Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, J. C.; Ryan, R. S.; Schutzenhofer, L. A.

2011-01-01

Approximately 80% of the problems encountered in aerospace systems have been due to a breakdown in technical integration and/or systems engineering. One of the major challenges we face in designing, building, and operating space systems is: how is adequate integration achieved for the systems various functions, parts, and infrastructure? This Contractor Report (CR) deals with part of the problem of how we engineer the total system in order to achieve the best balanced design. We will discuss a key aspect of this question - the principle of Technical Integration and its components, along with management and decision making. The CR will first provide an introduction with a discussion of the Challenges in Space System Design and meeting the challenges. Next is an overview of Engineering the System including Technical Integration. Engineering the System is expanded to include key aspects of the Design Process, Lifecycle Considerations, etc. The basic information and figures used in this CR were presented in a NASA training program for Program and Project Managers Development (PPMD) in classes at Georgia Tech and at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Many of the principles and illustrations are extracted from the courses we teach for MSFC.

Printed batteries and conductive patterns in technical textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willert, Andreas; Meuser, Carmen; Baumann, Reinhard R.

2018-05-01

Various applications of functional devices need a tailored and reliable supply of electrical energy. Batteries are electrochemical systems that deliver energy for functional devices and applications. Due to the common use, several rigid types of batteries have been standardized. To fully integrate the battery into a product that is bendable, free in geometry and less than 1 mm thick, printing of power adaptable batteries is a challenging area of research. Therefore, the well-known zinc-manganese system, which is very promising due to its environmental sustainability and its simplicity, has been used to manufacture battery solutions on a new kind of substrate: technical textiles. Another challenge is the deposition of conductive patterns. At present, embroidery with metallic yarn is the only possibility to provide conducting paths on technical textiles, a time-consuming and elaborate process. Screen printed conductive pathways will generate a new momentum in the manufacturing of conductivity on textiles.

Technical Challenges of Enterprise Imaging: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper.

PubMed

Clunie, David A; Dennison, Don K; Cram, Dawn; Persons, Kenneth R; Bronkalla, Mark D; Primo, Henri Rik

2016-10-01

This white paper explores the technical challenges and solutions for acquiring (capturing) and managing enterprise images, particularly those involving visible light applications. The types of acquisition devices used for various general-purpose photography and specialized applications including dermatology, endoscopy, and anatomic pathology are reviewed. The formats and standards used, and the associated metadata requirements and communication protocols for transfer and workflow are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of metadata capture in both order- and encounter-based workflow. The benefits of using DICOM to provide a standard means of recording and accessing both metadata and image and video data are considered, as is the role of IHE and FHIR.

Home telemonitoring of vital signs--technical challenges and future directions.

PubMed

Celler, Branko G; Sparks, Ross S

2015-01-01

The telemonitoring of vital signs from the home is an essential element of telehealth services for the management of patients with chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, or poorly controlled hypertension. Telehealth is now being deployed widely in both rural and urban settings, and in this paper, we discuss the contribution made by biomedical instrumentation, user interfaces, and automated risk stratification algorithms in developing a clinical diagnostic quality longitudinal health record at home. We identify technical challenges in the acquisition of high-quality biometric signals from unsupervised patients at home, identify new technical solutions and user interfaces, and propose new measurement modalities and signal processing techniques for increasing the quality and value of vital signs monitoring at home. We also discuss use of vital signs data for the automated risk stratification of patients, so that clinical resources can be targeted to those most at risk of unscheduled admission to hospital. New research is also proposed to integrate primary care, hospital, personal genomic, and telehealth electronic health records, and apply predictive analytics and data mining for enhancing clinical decision support.

Technical Challenges for a Comprehensive Test Ban: A historical perspective to frame the future (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, T. C.

2013-12-01

In the summer of 1958 scientists from the Soviet block and the US allies met in Geneva to discuss what it would take to monitor a forerunner to a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty at the 'Conference of Experts to Study the Possibility of Detecting Violations of a Possible Agreement on Suspension of Nuclear Tests'. Although armed with a limited resume of observations, the conference recommended a multi-phenomenology approach (air sampling, acoustics, seismic and electromagnetic) deployed it a network of 170 sites scattered across the Northern Hemisphere, and hypothesized a detection threshold of 1kt for atmospheric tests and 5kt for underground explosions. The conference recommendations spurred vigorous debate, with strong disagreement with the stated detection hypothesis. Nevertheless, the technical challenges posed lead to a very focused effort to improve facilities, methodologies and, most importantly, research and development on event detection, location and identification. In the ensuing 50 years the various challenges arose and were eventually 'solved'; these included quantifying yield determination to enter a Limited Threshold Test Ban, monitoring broad areas of emerging nuclear nations, and after the mid-1990s lowering the global detection threshold to sub-kiloton levels for underground tests. Today there is both an international monitoring regime (ie, the International Monitoring System, or IMS) and a group of countries that have their own national technical means (NTM). The challenges for the international regime are evolving; the IMS has established itself as a very credible monitoring system, but the demand of a CTBT to detect and identify a 'nuclear test' of diminished size (zero yield) poses new technical hurdles. These include signal processing and understanding limits of resolution, location accuracy, integration of heterogeneous data, and accurately characterizing anomalous events. It is possible to extrapolate past technical advances to predict what

Challenge Study: A Project-Based Learning on a Wireless Communication System at Technical High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terasawa, Ikuo

2016-01-01

The challenge study is a project based learning curriculum at Technical High School aimed at the construction of a wireless communication system. The first period was engineering issues in the construction of an artificial satellite and the second period was a positional locating system based on the general purpose wire-less device--ZigBee device.…

Mechanistic and Technical Challenges in Studying the Human Microbiome and Cancer Epidemiology.

PubMed

Verma, Mukesh

2017-04-01

This article reviews the significance of the microbiome in cancer epidemiology, mechanistic and technical challenges in the field, and characterization of the microbiome in different tumor types to identify biomarkers of risk, progression, and prognosis. Publications on the microbiome and cancer epidemiology were reviewed to analyze sample collection and processing, microbiome taxa characterization by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, and microbiome metabolite characterization (metabotyping) by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The analysis identified methodology types, research design, sample types, and issues in integrating data from different platforms. Aerodigestive cancer epidemiology studies conducted by different groups demonstrated the significance of microbiome information in developing approaches to improve health. Challenges exist in sample preparation and processing (eg, standardization of methods for collection and analysis). These challenges relate to technology, data integration from "omics" studies, inherent bias in primer selection during 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, the need for large consortia with well-characterized biospecimens, cause and effect issues, resilience of microbiota to exposure events (requires longitudinal studies), and expanding studies for fungal and viral diversity (most studies used bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing for microbiota characterization). Despite these challenges, microbiome and cancer epidemiology studies are significant and may facilitate cancer risk assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis. In the future, clinical trials likely will use microbiota modifications to improve the efficacy of existing treatments.

Mechanistic and Technical Challenges in Studying the Human Microbiome and Cancer Epidemiology

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

This article reviews the significance of the microbiome in cancer epidemiology, mechanistic and technical challenges in the field, and characterization of the microbiome in different tumor types to identify biomarkers of risk, progression, and prognosis. Publications on the microbiome and cancer epidemiology were reviewed to analyze sample collection and processing, microbiome taxa characterization by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, and microbiome metabolite characterization (metabotyping) by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The analysis identified methodology types, research design, sample types, and issues in integrating data from different platforms. Aerodigestive cancer epidemiology studies conducted by different groups demonstrated the significance of microbiome information in developing approaches to improve health. Challenges exist in sample preparation and processing (eg, standardization of methods for collection and analysis). These challenges relate to technology, data integration from “omics” studies, inherent bias in primer selection during 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, the need for large consortia with well-characterized biospecimens, cause and effect issues, resilience of microbiota to exposure events (requires longitudinal studies), and expanding studies for fungal and viral diversity (most studies used bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing for microbiota characterization). Despite these challenges, microbiome and cancer epidemiology studies are significant and may facilitate cancer risk assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis. In the future, clinical trials likely will use microbiota modifications to improve the efficacy of existing treatments. PMID:27121074

Technical Writing Teachers and the Challenges of Desktop Publishing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalmbach, James

1988-01-01

Argues that technical writing teachers must understand desktop publishing. Discusses the strengths that technical writing teachers bring to desktop publishing, and the impact desktop publishing will have on technical writing courses and programs. (ARH)

Technical challenges for big data in biomedicine and health: data sources, infrastructure, and analytics.

PubMed

Peek, N; Holmes, J H; Sun, J

2014-08-15

To review technical and methodological challenges for big data research in biomedicine and health. We discuss sources of big datasets, survey infrastructures for big data storage and big data processing, and describe the main challenges that arise when analyzing big data. The life and biomedical sciences are massively contributing to the big data revolution through secondary use of data that were collected during routine care and through new data sources such as social media. Efficient processing of big datasets is typically achieved by distributing computation over a cluster of computers. Data analysts should be aware of pitfalls related to big data such as bias in routine care data and the risk of false-positive findings in high-dimensional datasets. The major challenge for the near future is to transform analytical methods that are used in the biomedical and health domain, to fit the distributed storage and processing model that is required to handle big data, while ensuring confidentiality of the data being analyzed.

[OurPuppet - Caring support with an interactive puppet for informal caregivers : Opportunities and challenges in the social and technical developmental process].

PubMed

Kuhlmann, Andrea; Reuter, Verena; Schramek, Renate; Dimitrov, Todor; Görnig, Matthias; Matip, Eva-Maria; Matthies, Olaf; Naroska, Edwin

2018-01-01

The "OurPuppet" project comprises a sensor-based, interactive puppet that will be developed to communicate with people in need of care during a short period of absence of the informal caregiver. Specially qualified puppet guides will support the use of the new technical development. They instruct people with dementia and caregivers on how to use the puppet and supervise the (informal) care relationship through discussions on a regular basis. The article shows the specific components of users' needs for which the concrete technical development should find answers. It also focuses on the opportunities and challenges for the technical and social developmental process accompanied by these demands. The analysis of the users' needs is based on a participatory approach. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with informal caregivers, nurses and volunteers in order to identify typical situations in home care settings. The interviews were paraphrased and summarized in order to deduce inductive categories (qualitative data analysis), which describe everyday situations that the technical system should address. Such analyses provide information about the needs of potential users and indicate how to design such technical systems. Furthermore, opportunities and challenges of the development process as well as important contextual information were identified.

Describing Acupuncture: A New Challenge for Technical Communicators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karanikas, Marianthe

1997-01-01

Considers acupuncture as an increasingly popular alternative medical therapy, but difficult to describe in technical communication. Notes that traditional Chinese medical explanations of acupuncture are unscientific, and that scientific explanations of acupuncture are inconclusive. Finds that technical communicators must translate acupuncture for…

Photodynamic therapy for treatment of solid tumors – potential and technical challenges

PubMed Central

Huang, Zheng; Xu, Heping; Meyers, Arlen D.; Musani, Ali I.; Wang, Luowei; Tagg, Randall; Barqawi, Al B.; Chen, Yang K.

2008-01-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the administration of photosensitizer followed by local illumination with visible light of specific wavelength(s). In the presence of oxygen molecules, the light illumination of photosensitizer can lead to a series of photochemical reactions and consequently the generation of cytotoxic species. The quantity and location of PDT-induced cytotoxic species determine the nature and consequence of PDT. Much progress has been seen in both basic research and clinical application in recent years. Although the majority of approved PDT clinical protocols have primarily been used for the treatment of superficial lesions of both malignant and non-malignant diseases, interstitial PDT for the ablation of deep-seated solid tumors are now being investigated worldwide. The complexity of the geometry and non-homogeneity of solid tumor pose a great challenge on the implementation of minimally invasive interstitial PDT and the estimation of PDT dosimetry. This review will discuss the recent progress and technical challenges of various forms of interstitial PDT for the treatment of parenchymal and/or stromal tissues of solid tumors. PMID:18642969

Glucose Meters: A Review of Technical Challenges to Obtaining Accurate Results

PubMed Central

Tonyushkina, Ksenia; Nichols, James H.

2009-01-01

Glucose meters are universally utilized in the management of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic disorders in a variety of healthcare settings. Establishing the accuracy of glucose meters, however, is challenging. Glucose meters can only analyze whole blood, and glucose is unstable in whole blood. Technical accuracy is defined as the closeness of agreement between a test result and the true value of that analyte. Truth for glucose is analysis by isotope dilution mass spectrometry, and frozen serum standards analyzed by this method are available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Truth for whole blood has not been established, and cells must be separated from the whole blood matrix before analysis by a method like isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Serum cannot be analyzed by glucose meters, and isotope dilution mass spectrometry is not commonly available in most hospitals and diabetes clinics to evaluate glucose meter accuracy. Consensus standards recommend comparing whole blood analysis on a glucose meter against plasma/serum centrifuged from a capillary specimen and analyzed by a clinical laboratory comparative method. Yet capillary samples may not provide sufficient volume to test by both methods, and venous samples may be used as an alternative when differences between venous and capillary blood are considered. There are thus multiple complexities involved in defining technical accuracy and no clear consensus among standards agencies and professional societies on accuracy criteria. Clinicians, however, are more concerned with clinical agreement of the glucose meter with a serum/plasma laboratory result. Acceptance criteria for clinical agreement vary across the range of glucose concentrations and depend on how the result will be used in screening or management of the patient. A variety of factors can affect glucose meter results, including operator technique, environmental exposure, and patient factors, such as medication, oxygen therapy

Technical challenges in the construction of the steady-state stellarator Wendelstein 7-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosch, H.-S.; Wolf, R. C.; Andreeva, T.; Baldzuhn, J.; Birus, D.; Bluhm, T.; Bräuer, T.; Braune, H.; Bykov, V.; Cardella, A.; Durodié, F.; Endler, M.; Erckmann, V.; Gantenbein, G.; Hartmann, D.; Hathiramani, D.; Heimann, P.; Heinemann, B.; Hennig, C.; Hirsch, M.; Holtum, D.; Jagielski, J.; Jelonnek, J.; Kasparek, W.; Klinger, T.; König, R.; Kornejew, P.; Kroiss, H.; Krom, J. G.; Kühner, G.; Laqua, H.; Laqua, H. P.; Lechte, C.; Lewerentz, M.; Maier, J.; McNeely, P.; Messiaen, A.; Michel, G.; Ongena, J.; Peacock, A.; Pedersen, T. S.; Riedl, R.; Riemann, H.; Rong, P.; Rust, N.; Schacht, J.; Schauer, F.; Schroeder, R.; Schweer, B.; Spring, A.; Stäbler, A.; Thumm, M.; Turkin, Y.; Wegener, L.; Werner, A.; Zhang, D.; Zilker, M.; Akijama, T.; Alzbutas, R.; Ascasibar, E.; Balden, M.; Banduch, M.; Baylard, Ch.; Behr, W.; Beidler, C.; Benndorf, A.; Bergmann, T.; Biedermann, C.; Bieg, B.; Biel, W.; Borchardt, M.; Borowitz, G.; Borsuk, V.; Bozhenkov, S.; Brakel, R.; Brand, H.; Brown, T.; Brucker, B.; Burhenn, R.; Buscher, K.-P.; Caldwell-Nichols, C.; Cappa, A.; Cardella, A.; Carls, A.; Carvalho, P.; Ciupiński, Ł.; Cole, M.; Collienne, J.; Czarnecka, A.; Czymek, G.; Dammertz, G.; Dhard, C. P.; Davydenko, V. I.; Dinklage, A.; Drevlak, M.; Drotziger, S.; Dudek, A.; Dumortier, P.; Dundulis, G.; Eeten, P. v.; Egorov, K.; Estrada, T.; Faugel, H.; Fellinger, J.; Feng, Y.; Fernandes, H.; Fietz, W. H.; Figacz, W.; Fischer, F.; Fontdecaba, J.; Freund, A.; Funaba, T.; Fünfgelder, H.; Galkowski, A.; Gates, D.; Giannone, L.; García Regaña, J. M.; Geiger, J.; Geißler, S.; Greuner, H.; Grahl, M.; Groß, S.; Grosman, A.; Grote, H.; Grulke, O.; Haas, M.; Haiduk, L.; Hartfuß, H.-J.; Harris, J. H.; Haus, D.; Hein, B.; Heitzenroeder, P.; Helander, P.; Heller, R.; Hidalgo, C.; Hildebrandt, D.; Höhnle, H.; Holtz, A.; Holzhauer, E.; Holzthüm, R.; Huber, A.; Hunger, H.; Hurd, F.; Ihrke, M.; Illy, S.; Ivanov, A.; Jablonski, S.; Jaksic, N.; Jakubowski, M.; Jaspers, R.; Jensen, H.; Jenzsch, H.; Kacmarczyk, J.; Kaliatk, T.; Kallmeyer, J.; Kamionka, U.; Karaleviciu, R.; Kern, S.; Keunecke, M.; Kleiber, R.; Knauer, J.; Koch, R.; Kocsis, G.; Könies, A.; Köppen, M.; Koslowski, R.; Koshurinov, J.; Krämer-Flecken, A.; Krampitz, R.; Kravtsov, Y.; Krychowiak, M.; Krzesinski, G.; Ksiazek, I.; Kubkowska, M.; Kus, A.; Langish, S.; Laube, R.; Laux, M.; Lazerson, S.; Lennartz, M.; Li, C.; Lietzow, R.; Lohs, A.; Lorenz, A.; Louche, F.; Lubyako, L.; Lumsdaine, A.; Lyssoivan, A.; Maaßberg, H.; Marek, P.; Martens, C.; Marushchenko, N.; Mayer, M.; Mendelevitch, B.; Mertens, Ph.; Mikkelsen, D.; Mishchenko, A.; Missal, B.; Mizuuchi, T.; Modrow, H.; Mönnich, T.; Morizaki, T.; Murakami, S.; Musielok, F.; Nagel, M.; Naujoks, D.; Neilson, H.; Neubauer, O.; Neuner, U.; Nocentini, R.; Noterdaeme, J.-M.; Nührenberg, C.; Obermayer, S.; Offermanns, G.; Oosterbeek, H.; Otte, M.; Panin, A.; Pap, M.; Paquay, S.; Pasch, E.; Peng, X.; Petrov, S.; Pilopp, D.; Pirsch, H.; Plaum, B.; Pompon, F.; Povilaitis, M.; Preinhaelter, J.; Prinz, O.; Purps, F.; Rajna, T.; Récsei, S.; Reiman, A.; Reiter, D.; Remmel, J.; Renard, S.; Rhode, V.; Riemann, J.; Rimkevicius, S.; Riße, K.; Rodatos, A.; Rodin, I.; Romé, M.; Roscher, H.-J.; Rummel, K.; Rummel, Th.; Runov, A.; Ryc, L.; Sachtleben, J.; Samartsev, A.; Sanchez, M.; Sano, F.; Scarabosio, A.; Schmid, M.; Schmitz, H.; Schmitz, O.; Schneider, M.; Schneider, W.; Scheibl, L.; Scholz, M.; Schröder, G.; Schröder, M.; Schruff, J.; Schumacher, H.; Shikhovtsev, I. V.; Shoji, M.; Siegl, G.; Skodzik, J.; Smirnow, M.; Speth, E.; Spong, D. A.; Stadler, R.; Sulek, Z.; Szabó, V.; Szabolics, T.; Szetefi, T.; Szökefalvi-Nagy, Z.; Tereshchenko, A.; Thomsen, H.; Thumm, M.; Timmermann, D.; Tittes, H.; Toi, K.; Tournianski, M.; Toussaint, U. v.; Tretter, J.; Tulipán, S.; Turba, P.; Uhlemann, R.; Urban, J.; Urbonavicius, E.; Urlings, P.; Valet, S.; Van Eester, D.; Van Schoor, M.; Vervier, M.; Viebke, H.; Vilbrandt, R.; Vrancken, M.; Wauters, T.; Weissgerber, M.; Weiß, E.; Weller, A.; Wendorf, J.; Wenzel, U.; Windisch, T.; Winkler, E.; Winkler, M.; Wolowski, J.; Wolters, J.; Wrochna, G.; Xanthopoulos, P.; Yamada, H.; Yokoyama, M.; Zacharias, D.; Zajac, J.; Zangl, G.; Zarnstorff, M.; Zeplien, H.; Zoletnik, S.; Zuin, M.

2013-12-01

The next step in the Wendelstein stellarator line is the large superconducting device Wendelstein 7-X, currently under construction in Greifswald, Germany. Steady-state operation is an intrinsic feature of stellarators, and one key element of the Wendelstein 7-X mission is to demonstrate steady-state operation under plasma conditions relevant for a fusion power plant. Steady-state operation of a fusion device, on the one hand, requires the implementation of special technologies, giving rise to technical challenges during the design, fabrication and assembly of such a device. On the other hand, also the physics development of steady-state operation at high plasma performance poses a challenge and careful preparation. The electron cyclotron resonance heating system, diagnostics, experiment control and data acquisition are prepared for plasma operation lasting 30 min. This requires many new technological approaches for plasma heating and diagnostics as well as new concepts for experiment control and data acquisition.

76 FR 66078 - Notice of Industry Workshop on Technical and Regulatory Challenges in Deep and Ultra-Deep Outer...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-25

...-0087] Notice of Industry Workshop on Technical and Regulatory Challenges in Deep and Ultra-Deep Outer... and gas exploration and production in deep and ultra-deep OCS waters. Through this workshop, BSEE will... structured venue for consultation among offshore deepwater oil and gas industry and regulatory experts in...

Remaining Technical Challenges and Future Plans for Oil-Free Turbomachinery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DellaCorte, Christopher; Bruckner, Robert J.

2010-01-01

The application of Oil-Free technologies (foil gas bearings, solid lubricants and advanced analysis and predictive modeling tools) to advanced turbomachinery has been underway for several decades. During that time, full commercialization has occurred in aircraft air cycle machines, turbocompressors and cryocoolers and ever-larger microturbines. Emerging products in the automotive sector (turbochargers and superchargers) indicate that high volume serial production of foil bearings is imminent. Demonstration of foil bearings in APU s and select locations in propulsion gas turbines illustrates that such technology also has a place in these future systems. Foil bearing designs, predictive tools and advanced solid lubricants have been reported that can satisfy anticipated requirements but a major question remains regarding the scalability of foil bearings to ever larger sizes to support heavier rotors. In this paper, the technological history, primary physics, engineering practicalities and existing experimental and experiential database for scaling foil bearings are reviewed and the major remaining technical challenges are identified.

Technical documentation challenges in aviation maintenance : a proceedings report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-01

The 2012 Technical Documentation workshop addressed both problems and solutions associated with technical : documentation for maintenance. These issues are known to cause errors, rework, maintenance delays, other : safety hazards, and FAA administrat...

Verification of Accurate Technical Insight: A Prerequisite for Self-Directed Surgical Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Yinin; Kim, Helen; Mahmutovic, Adela; Choi, Joanna; Le, Ivy; Rasmussen, Sara

2015-01-01

Simulation-based surgical skills training during preclinical education is a persistent challenge due to time constraints of trainees and instructors alike. Self-directed practice is resource-efficient and flexible; however, insight into technical proficiency among trainees is often lacking. The purpose of this study is to prospectively assess the…

Designing a system for patients controlling providers' access to their electronic health records: organizational and technical challenges.

PubMed

Leventhal, Jeremy C; Cummins, Jonathan A; Schwartz, Peter H; Martin, Douglas K; Tierney, William M

2015-01-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) are proliferating, and financial incentives encourage their use. Applying Fair Information Practice principles to EHRs necessitates balancing patients' rights to control their personal information with providers' data needs to deliver safe, high-quality care. We describe the technical and organizational challenges faced in capturing patients' preferences for patient-controlled EHR access and applying those preferences to an existing EHR. We established an online system for capturing patients' preferences for who could view their EHRs (listing all participating clinic providers individually and categorically-physicians, nurses, other staff) and what data to redact (none, all, or by specific categories of sensitive data or patient age). We then modified existing data-viewing software serving a state-wide health information exchange and a large urban health system and its primary care clinics to allow patients' preferences to guide data displays to providers. Patients could allow or restrict data displays to all clinicians and staff in a demonstration primary care clinic, categories of providers (physicians, nurses, others), or individual providers. They could also restrict access to all EHR data or any or all of five categories of sensitive data (mental and reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse) and for specific patient ages. The EHR viewer displayed data via reports, data flowsheets, and coded and free text data displayed by Google-like searches. Unless patients recorded restrictions, by default all requested data were displayed to all providers. Data patients wanted restricted were not displayed, with no indication they were redacted. Technical barriers prevented redacting restricted information in free textnotes. The program allowed providers to hit a "Break the Glass" button to override patients' restrictions, recording the date, time, and next screen viewed. Establishing patient

Teacher Collaborative Curriculum Design in Technical Vocational Colleges: A Strategy for Maintaining Curriculum Consistency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albashiry, Nabeel M.; Voogt, Joke M.; Pieters, Jules M.

2015-01-01

The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum requires continuous renewal and constant involvement of stakeholders in the redesign process. Due to a lack of curriculum design expertise, TVET institutions in developing contexts encounter challenges maintaining and advancing the quality and relevance of their programmes to the…

Transsphenoidal surgery in patients with acromegaly: operative strategies for overcoming technically challenging anatomical variations.

PubMed

Zada, Gabriel; Cavallo, Luigi M; Esposito, Felice; Fernandez-Jimenez, Julio Cesar; Tasiou, Anastasia; De Angelis, Michelangelo; Cafiero, Tullio; Cappabianca, Paolo; Laws, Edward R

2010-10-01

In addition to difficulties with anesthetic and medical management, transsphenoidal operations in patients with longstanding acromegaly are associated with inherent intraoperative challenges because of anatomical variations that occur frequently in these patients. The object of this study was to review the overall safety profile and anatomical/technical challenges associated with transsphenoidal surgery in patients with acromegaly. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 169 patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal operations for growth hormone-secreting adenomas to assess the incidence of surgical complications. A review of frequently occurring anatomical challenges and operative strategies employed during each phase of the operation to address these particular issues was performed. Of 169 cases reviewed, there was no perioperative mortality. Internal carotid artery injury occurred in 1 patient (0.6%) with complex sinus anatomy, who remained neurologically intact following endovascular unilateral carotid artery occlusion. Other complications included: significant postoperative epistaxis (5 patients [3%]), transient diabetes insipidus (5 patients [3%]), delayed symptomatic hyponatremia (4 patients [2%]), CSF leak (2 patients [1%]), and pancreatitis (1 patient [0.6%]). Preoperative considerations in patients with acromegaly should include a cardiopulmonary evaluation and planning regarding intubation and other aspects of the anesthetic technique. During the nasal phase of the transsphenoidal operation, primary challenges include maintaining adequate visualization and hemostasis, which is frequently compromised by redundant, edematous nasal mucosa and bony hypertrophy of the septum and the nasal turbinates. During the sphenoid phase, adequate bony removal, optimization of working space, and correlation of imaging studies to intraoperative anatomy are major priorities. The sellar phase is frequently challenged by increased sellar floor thickness

Scope and Challenges of Technical Education: A Kerala Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, M. Abdul; Unnikrishnan, Ramesh

2015-01-01

Technical education contributes a major share to the overall education system and plays a vital role in the social and economic development of our nation. Since independence, the technical education system in our country has grown into a fairly large-sized system, offering opportunities for education and training in a wide variety of trades and…

Transesophageal echocardiography and intracardiac echocardiography differently predict potential technical challenges or failures of interatrial shunts catheter-based closure.

PubMed

Rigatelli, Gianluca; Rigateli, Gianluca; Cardaioli, Paolo; Braggion, Gabriele; Aggio, Silvio; Giordan, Massimo; Magro, Beatrice; Nascimben, Alberto; Favaro, Alberto; Roncon, Loris; Rincon, Loris

2007-02-01

We sought to prospectively assess the role of transesophageal (TEE) and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) in detecting potential technical difficulties or failures in patients submitted to interatrial shunts percutaneous closure. We prospectively enrolled 46 consecutive patients (mean age 35+/-28, 8 years, 30 female) referred to our center for catheter-based closure of interatrial shunts. All patients were screened with TEE before the intervention. Patients who met the inclusion criteria underwent ICE study before the closure attempt (40 patients). TEE detected potential technical difficulties in 22.5% (9/40) patients, whereas ICE detected technical difficulties in 32.5% (13/40 patients). In patients with positive TEE/ICE the procedural success (92.4% versus 100% and, P = ns) and follow-up failure rate (7.7% versus 0%, P = ns) were similar to patients with negative TEE/ICE, whereas the fluoroscopy time (7 +/- 1.2 versus 5 +/- 0.7 minutes, P < 0.03), the procedural time (41 +/- 4.1 versus 30 +/- 8.2 minutes, P +/- 0.03), and technical difficulties rate (23.1% versus 0%, P = 0.013) were higher. Differences between ICE and TEE in the evaluation of rims, measurement of ASD or fossa ovalis, and detection of venous valve and embryonic septal membrane remnants impacted on technical challenges and on procedural and fluoroscopy times but did not influence the success rate and follow-up failure rate.

Technical challenges in designing post-marketing eCRFs to address clinical safety and pharmacovigilance needs.

PubMed

Lu, Zhengwu

2010-01-01

To identify key challenges and propose technical considerations in designing electronic case report form (eCRF) for post-marketing studies, the author undertakes a comprehensive literature review of peer reviewed and grey literature to assess the key aspects, processes, standards, recommendations, and best practices in designing eCRFs based on industry experience in designing and supporting electronic data capture (EDC) studies. Literature search using strings on MEDLINE and PUBMED returned few papers directly related to CRF design. Health informatics and general practice journals were searched and results reviewed. Many conference, government commission, health professional and special interests group websites provide relevant information from practical experience - summarization of this information is presented. Further, we presented a list of concrete technical considerations in dealing with EDC technology/system limitations based on literature assessment and industry implementation experience. It is recognized that cross-functional teams be involved in eCRF design process and decision making. To summarize the keys in designing eCRFs to address post-market study safety and pharmacovigilance needs, the first is to identify required data elements from the study protocol supporting data analyses and reporting requirements. Secondly, accepted best practices, CDASH & CDISC guidelines, and company internal or therapeutic unit standard should be considered and applied. Coding (MedDRA & WHODD) mapping should be managed and implemented as well when possible. Finally, we need to be on top of the EDC technologies, challenge the technologies, drive EDC improvement via working with vendors, and utilize the technologies to drive clinical effectiveness. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of specific inhalation challenge for the diagnosis of occupational asthma due to persulphate salts

PubMed Central

Munoz, X; Cruz, M; Orriols, R; Torres, F; Espuga, M; Morell, F

2004-01-01

Background: The significant value of tests used to certify the diagnosis of occupational asthma due to persulphate salts remains uncertain. Aims: To validate the specific inhalation challenge (SIC) test for the diagnosis of occupational asthma. Methods: Eight patients with occupational asthma due to persulphate salts, eight patients with bronchial asthma who were never exposed to persulphate salts, and ten healthy subjects were studied. Clinical history taking, spirometry, bronchial challenge with methacholine, skin prick testing to common inhalant allergens and persulphate salts, total IgE levels, and SIC to potassium persulphate were carried out in all subjects. The SIC used increasing concentrations of potassium persulphate (5, 10, 15, and 30 g) mixed with 150 g of lactose. Patients tipped the mixture from one tray to another at a distance of 30 cm from the face for 10 minutes in a challenge booth. Results: The SIC was positive in all subjects with persulphate induced asthma and in one patient with bronchial asthma who had never been exposed to persulphate salts. Sensitivity was 100% (95% CI 67.6 to 100) and specificity was 87.5% (95% CI 52.9–97.8) when patients with occupational asthma due to persulphate salts were compared with those with bronchial asthma never exposed to persulphate salts. Conclusions: SIC to persulphate salts performed according to the protocol described appears to be useful for the diagnosis of occupational asthma secondary to inhalation of this substance. PMID:15377773

Terabit Wireless Communication Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.

2012-01-01

This presentation briefly discusses a research effort on Terabit Wireless communication systems for possible space applications. Recently, terahertz (THz) technology (300-3000 GHz frequency) has attracted a great deal of interest from academia and industry. This is due to a number of interesting features of THz waves, including the nearly unlimited bandwidths available, and the non-ionizing radiation nature which does not damage human tissues and DNA with minimum health threat. Also, as millimeter-wave communication systems mature, the focus of research is, naturally, moving to the THz range. Many scientists regard THz as the last great frontier of the electromagnetic spectrum, but finding new applications outside the traditional niches of radio astronomy, Earth and planetary remote sensing, and molecular spectroscopy particularly in biomedical imaging and wireless communications has been relatively slow. Radiologists find this area of study so attractive because t-rays are non-ionizing, which suggests no harm is done to tissue or DNA. They also offer the possibility of performing spectroscopic measurements over a very wide frequency range, and can even capture signatures from liquids and solids. According to Shannon theory, the broad bandwidth of the THz frequency bands can be used for terabit-per-second (Tb/s) wireless communication systems. This enables several new applications, such as cell phones with 360 degrees autostereoscopic displays, optic-fiber replacement, and wireless Tb/s file transferring. Although THz technology could satisfy the demand for an extremely high data rate, a number of technical challenges need to be overcome before its development. This presentation provides an overview the state-of-the- art in THz wireless communication and the technical challenges for an emerging application in Terabit wireless systems. The main issue for THz wave propagation is the high atmospheric attenuation, which is dominated by water vapor absorption in the THz

Technical Challenges in the Development of a NASA Synthetic Vision System Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Randall E.; Parrish, Russell V.; Kramer, Lynda J.; Harrah, Steve; Arthur, J. J., III

2002-01-01

Within NASA's Aviation Safety Program, the Synthetic Vision Systems Project is developing display system concepts to improve pilot terrain/situation awareness by providing a perspective synthetic view of the outside world through an on-board database driven by precise aircraft positioning information updating via Global Positioning System-based data. This work is aimed at eliminating visibility-induced errors and low visibility conditions as a causal factor to civil aircraft accidents, as well as replicating the operational benefits of clear day flight operations regardless of the actual outside visibility condition. Synthetic vision research and development activities at NASA Langley Research Center are focused around a series of ground simulation and flight test experiments designed to evaluate, investigate, and assess the technology which can lead to operational and certified synthetic vision systems. The technical challenges that have been encountered and that are anticipated in this research and development activity are summarized.

The Scientific Value and Technical Challenge of Chang'E-4 Landing on the Far-side of the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fei; Zhang, He; Wu, Xueying; Ma, Jinan; Zhou, Wenyan

2016-07-01

The mission of Chang'E-4 probe is landing on the far-side of the moon for the first time in human history. Compared with the near-side, far-side landing has unique scientific value and more challenging technology implementation. The scientific significance of the exploration of far-side of the moon and the technical difficulties and solution approach of the Chang'E-4 were discussed in this paper. In science, the far-side of the Moon is an ideal scientific platform in that it is shielded from terrestrial radio-frequency interference. The terrane that records the formation of the primordial crust is located largely on the far-side hemisphere, and there is the largest and oldest recognized impact basin in our Solar System, the South Pole-Aitken basin. In technology, the difficulties mainly includes the analysis of the influence of lunar topography of far-side on the landing descent strategy, the study of relay orbit and operating modes for the relay satellite in the Earth-Moon L2(Lagrange point 2), and the requirement analysis of autonomous management due to the relay communication. It will provide the reference for landing exploration of the far-side of the moon.

Current Technical Approaches for the Early Detection of Foodborne Pathogens: Challenges and Opportunities.

PubMed

Cho, Il-Hoon; Ku, Seockmo

2017-09-30

The development of novel and high-tech solutions for rapid, accurate, and non-laborious microbial detection methods is imperative to improve the global food supply. Such solutions have begun to address the need for microbial detection that is faster and more sensitive than existing methodologies (e.g., classic culture enrichment methods). Multiple reviews report the technical functions and structures of conventional microbial detection tools. These tools, used to detect pathogens in food and food homogenates, were designed via qualitative analysis methods. The inherent disadvantage of these analytical methods is the necessity for specimen preparation, which is a time-consuming process. While some literature describes the challenges and opportunities to overcome the technical issues related to food industry legal guidelines, there is a lack of reviews of the current trials to overcome technological limitations related to sample preparation and microbial detection via nano and micro technologies. In this review, we primarily explore current analytical technologies, including metallic and magnetic nanomaterials, optics, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy. These techniques rely on the early detection of pathogens via enhanced analytical sensitivity and specificity. In order to introduce the potential combination and comparative analysis of various advanced methods, we also reference a novel sample preparation protocol that uses microbial concentration and recovery technologies. This technology has the potential to expedite the pre-enrichment step that precedes the detection process.

From personal challenge to technical fix: the risks of depersonalised care.

PubMed

Reeve, Joanne; Lynch, Tom; Lloyd-Williams, Mari; Payne, Sheila

2012-03-01

Our research focuses on the complexity of needs associated with distress in people with advanced cancer. We have recently completed a large longitudinal survey exploring the interplay between a number of components of distress, including depression, demoralisation, debility and spirituality, amongst a cohort of people living with terminal cancer. Participants were recruited from 25 hospices across the Northwest of England between 2007-2009. A purposive subsample of 27 people was invited to take part in a qualitative interview to explore in greater depth their personal experiences of living with illness and related distress. Holistic-content analysis revealed two emerging themes: 'personal or personalised care' and 'expectations of truth and certainty'. We discuss these themes in the light of Illich's critique of health care as a 'technical response to a personal challenge'. We highlight the need for further work to explore the impact of organisation of care on personalised need and suggest looking to the chronic illness self-management literature for help in developing future palliative care approaches. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Replacing Technically Skilled Workers: Challenges and Suggestions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evanciew, Cheryl E. P.; Wither, Steven V.

2004-01-01

Throughout the early 1900s, the United States could either find technically skilled workers based upon their backgrounds or was able to train workers quickly. Farmers, military personnel, and other sources of skilled workers were available to fill the needs of the workforce. These sources of readily available skilled workers are no longer as…

Single Cell and Metagenomic Assemblies: Biology Drives Technical Choices and Goals (Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop: 10K Genomes at a Time)

ScienceCinema

Stepanauskas, Ramunas

2018-02-06

DOE JGI's Tanja Woyke, chair of the Single Cells and Metagenomes session, delivers an introduction, followed by Bigelow Laboratory's Ramunas Stepanauskas on "Single Cell and Metagenomic Assemblies: Biology Drives Technical Choices and Goals" at the Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop held at the DOE JGI on October 12-13, 2011.

Perfusion CT to assess angiogenesis in colon cancer: technical limitations and practical challenges.

PubMed

Dighe, S; Castellano, E; Blake, H; Jeyadevan, N; Koh, M U; Orten, M; Swift, I; Brown, G

2012-10-01

Perfusion CT may have the potential to quantify the degree of angiogenesis of solid tumours in vivo. This study aims to identify the practical and technical challenges inherent to the technique, and evaluate its feasibility in colorectal tumours. 51 patients from 2 institutions prospectively underwent a single perfusion CT on 2 different multidetector scanners. The patients were advised to breath-hold as long as possible, followed by shallow breathing, and were given intravenous buscopan to reduce movement. Numerous steps were explored to identify the challenges. 43 patients successfully completed the perfusion CT as per protocol. Inability to detect the tumour (n=3), misplacement of dynamic sequence co-ordinates (n=2), failure of contrast injection (n=2) and displacement of tumour (n=1) were the reasons for failure. In 14 cases excessive respiratory motion displaced the tumour out of the scanning field along the temporal sequence, leading to erroneous data capture. In nine patients, minor displacements of the tumour were corrected by repositioning the region of interest (ROI) to its original position after reviewing each dynamic sequence slice. In 20 patients the tumour was stable, and data captured from the ROI were representative, and could have been analysed by commercially available Body Tumor Perfusion 3.0® software (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). Hence all data were manually analysed by MATLAB® processing software (MathWorks, Cambridge, UK). Perfusion CT in tumours susceptible to motion during acquisition makes accurate data capture challenging and requires meticulous attention to detail. Motion correction software is essential if perfusion CT is to be used routinely in colorectal cancer.

Developing Technical Skill Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyslop, Alisha

2009-01-01

One of the biggest challenges facing the career and technical education (CTE) community as it works to implement the 2006 Perkins Act is responding to more rigorous requirements for reporting on CTE students' technical skill attainment. The U.S. Department of Education suggested in non-regulatory guidance that states and locals use the number of…

Thermal Energy for Lunar In Situ Resource Utilization: Technical Challenges and Technology Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, Pierce E. C.; Colozza, Anthony J.; Hepp, Aloysius F.; Heller, Richard S.; Gustafson, Robert; Stern, Ted; Nakamura, Takashi

2011-01-01

Oxygen production from lunar raw materials is critical for sustaining a manned lunar base but is very power intensive. Solar concentrators are a well-developed technology for harnessing the Sun s energy to heat regolith to high temperatures (over 1375 K). The high temperature and potential material incompatibilities present numerous technical challenges. This study compares and contrasts different solar concentrator designs that have been developed, such as Cassegrains, offset parabolas, compound parabolic concentrators, and secondary concentrators. Differences between concentrators made from lenses and mirrors, and between rigid and flexible concentrators are also discussed. Possible substrate elements for a rigid mirror concentrator are selected and then compared, using the following (target) criteria: (low) coefficient of thermal expansion, (high) modulus of elasticity, and (low) density. Several potential lunar locations for solar concentrators are compared; environmental and processing-related challenges related to dust and optical surfaces are addressed. This brief technology survey examines various sources of thermal energy that can be utilized for materials processing on the lunar surface. These include heat from nuclear or electric sources and solar concentrators. Options for collecting and transporting thermal energy to processing reactors for each source are examined. Overall system requirements for each thermal source are compared and system limitations, such as maximum achievable temperature are discussed.

Technical and Vocational Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and a Way Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoye, Reko; Arimonu, Maxwell Onyenwe

2016-01-01

Technical education, as enshrined in the Nigerian national policy on education, is concerned with qualitative technological human resources development directed towards a national pool of skilled and self reliant craftsmen, technicians and technologists in technical and vocational education fields. In Nigeria, the training of technical personnel…

A citrus waste-based biorefinery as a source of renewable energy: technical advances and analysis of engineering challenges.

PubMed

Rivas-Cantu, Raul C; Jones, Kim D; Mills, Patrick L

2013-04-01

An assessment of recent technical advances on pretreatment processes and its effects on enzymatic hydrolysis as the main steps of a proposed citrus processing waste (CPW) biorefinery is presented. Engineering challenges and relevant gaps in scientific and technical information for reliable design, modeling and scale up of a CPW biorefinery are also discussed. Some integrated physico-chemical pretreatments are proposed for testing for CPW, including high speed knife-grinding and simultaneous caustic addition. These new proposed processes and the effect of parameters such as particle size, surface area and morphology, pore volume and chemical composition of the diverse fractions resulting from pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis need to be evaluated and compared for pretreated and untreated samples of grapefruit processing waste. This assessment suggests the potential for filling the data gaps, and preliminary results demonstrate that the reduction of particle size and the increased surface area for the CPW will result in higher reaction rates and monosaccharide yields for the pretreated waste material.

TADS and Technical Assistance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trohanis, Pascal L.

1983-01-01

Accomplishments of the Technical Assistance Development System (TADS) are cited, current challenges (including program development, and communication and coordination) are noted, and the mission mandated for TADS is outlined. (CL)

Endoscopic and keyhole endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches: a qualitative survey on technical challenges and technological solutions.

PubMed

Marcus, Hani J; Cundy, Thomas P; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara; Nandi, Dipankar

2014-10-01

The literature reflects a resurgence of interest in endoscopic and keyhole endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches as alternatives to conventional microsurgical approaches in carefully selected cases. The aim of this study was to assess the technical challenges of neuroendoscopy, and the scope for technological innovations to overcome these barriers. All full members of the Society of British Neurosurgeons (SBNS) were electronically invited to participate in an online survey. The open-ended structured survey asked three questions; firstly, whether the surgeon presently utilises or has experience with endoscopic or endoscope-assisted approaches; secondly, what they consider to be the major technical barriers to adopting such approaches; and thirdly, what technological advances they foresee improving safety and efficacy in the field. Responses were subjected to a qualitative research method of multi-rater emergent theme analysis. Three clear themes emerged: 1) surgical approach and better integration with image-guidance systems (20%), 2) intra-operative visualisation and improvements in neuroendoscopy (49%), and 3) surgical manipulation and improvements in instruments (74%). The analysis of responses to our open-ended survey revealed that although opinion was varied three major themes could be identified. Emerging technological advances such as augmented reality, high-definition stereo-endoscopy, and robotic joint-wristed instruments may help overcome the technical difficulties associated with neuroendoscopic approaches. Results of this qualitative survey provide consensus amongst the technology end-user community such that unambiguous goals and priorities may be defined. Systems integrating these advances could improve the safety and efficacy of endoscopic and endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches.

Endoscopic and Keyhole Endoscope-assisted Neurosurgical Approaches: A Qualitative Survey on Technical Challenges and Technological Solutions

PubMed Central

Marcus, Hani J; Cundy, Thomas P; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara; Nandi, Dipankar

2014-01-01

Introduction The literature reflects a resurgence of interest in endoscopic and keyhole endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches as alternatives to conventional microsurgical approaches in carefully selected cases. The aim of this study was to assess the technical challenges of neuroendoscopy, and the scope for technological innovations to overcome these barriers. Materials and Methods All full members of the Society of British Neurosurgeons (SBNS) were electronically invited to participate in an online survey. The open-ended structured survey asked three questions; firstly, whether the surgeon presently utilises or has experience with endoscopic or endoscope-assisted approaches; secondly, what they consider to be the major technical barriers to adopting such approaches; and thirdly, what technological advances they foresee improving safety and efficacy in the field. Responses were subjected to a qualitative research method of multi-rater emergent themes analysis. Results Three clear themes emerged: 1) surgical approach and better integration with image-guidance systems (20%), 2) intra-operative visualisation and improvements in neuroendoscopy (49%), and 3) surgical manipulation and improvements in instruments (74%). Discussion The analysis of responses to our open-ended survey revealed that although opinion was varied three major themes could be identified. Emerging technological advances such as augmented reality, high-definition stereo-endoscopy, and robotic joint-wristed instruments may help overcome the technical difficulties associated with neuroendoscopic approaches. Conclusions Results of this qualitative survey provide consensus amongst the technology end-user community such that unambiguous goals and priorities may be defined. Systems integrating these advances could improve the safety and efficacy of endoscopic and endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches. PMID:24533591

Percutaneous Image-Guided Cryoablation of Challenging Mediastinal Lesions Using Large-Volume Hydrodissection: Technical Considerations and Outcomes

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

Garnon, Julien, E-mail: juliengarnon@gmail.com; Koch, Guillaume, E-mail: Guillaume.koch@gmail.com; Caudrelier, Jean, E-mail: caudjean@yahoo.fr

ObjectiveThis study was designed to describe the technique of percutaneous image-guided cryoablation with large-volume hydrodissection for the treatment of challenging mediastinal lesions.MethodsBetween March 2014 and June 2015, three patients (mean age 62.7 years) with four neoplastic anterior mediastinal lesions underwent five cryoablation procedures using large-volume hydrodissection. Procedures were performed under general anaesthesia using CT guidance. Lesion characteristics, hydrodissection and cryoablation data, technical success, complications, and clinical outcomes were assessed using retrospective chart review.ResultsLesions (mean size 2.7 cm; range 2–4.3 cm) were in contact with great vessels (n = 13), trachea (n = 3), and mediastinal nerves (n = 6). Hydrodissection was performed intercostally (n = 4), suprasternally (n = 2), transsternally (n = 1), ormore » via the sternoclavicular joint (n = 1) using 1–3 spinal needles over 13.4 (range 7–26) minutes; 450 ml of dilute contrast was injected (range 300–600 ml) and increased mean lesion-collateral structure distance from 1.9 to 7.7 mm. Vulnerable mediastinal nerves were identified in four of five procedures. Technical success was 100 %, with one immediate complication (recurrent laryngeal nerve injury). Mean follow-up period was 15 months. One lesion demonstrated residual disease on restaging PET-CT and was retreated to achieve complete ablation. At last follow-up, two patients remained disease-free, and one patient developed distant disease after 1 year without local recurrence.ConclusionsCryoablation using large-volume hydrodissection is a feasible technique, enabling safe and effective treatment of challenging mediastinal lesions.« less

Challenges and Opportunities: Two Weeks of Teaching Technical Communication at Suzhou University, China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Daniel; Jablonski, John

2001-01-01

Relates the authors' experience teaching technical writing for two weeks at Suzhou University in China. Discusses activities; examines four technical writing textbooks purchased there; and offers suggestions about how technical communication might be established as a separate academic discipline in Chinese universities. Discusses technical…

1996 DOE technical standards program workshop: Proceedings

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

NONE

1996-07-01

The workshop theme is `The Strategic Standardization Initiative - A Technology Exchange and Global Competitiveness Challenge for DOE.` The workshop goal is to inform the DOE technical standards community of strategic standardization activities taking place in the Department, other Government agencies, standards developing organizations, and industry. Individuals working on technical standards will be challenged to improve cooperation and communications with the involved organizations in response to the initiative. Workshop sessions include presentations by representatives from various Government agencies that focus on coordination among and participation of Government personnel in the voluntary standards process; reports by standards organizations, industry, and DOEmore » representatives on current technology exchange programs; and how the road ahead appears for `information superhighway` standardization. Another session highlights successful standardization case studies selected from several sites across the DOE complex. The workshop concludes with a panel discussion on the goals and objectives of the DOE Technical Standards Program as envisioned by senior DOE management. The annual workshop on technical standards has proven to be an effective medium for communicating information related to standards throughout the DOE community. Technical standards are used to transfer technology and standardize work processes to produce consistent, acceptable results. They provide a practical solution to the Department`s challenge to protect the environment and the health and safety of the public and workers during all facility operations. Through standards, the technologies of industries and governments worldwide are available to DOE. The DOE Technical Standards Program, a Department-wide effort that crosscuts all organizations and disciplines, links the Department to those technologies.« less

Centennial Challenges

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-02-26

Doug Comstock, NASA's Director, Innovative Partnership Office, speaks during a ceremony for winners and participants of NASA’s 2009 Centennial Challenges, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The year-long competition addresses a range of technical challenges that support NASA's missions in aeronautics and space with a goal of encouraging novel solutions from non-traditional sources. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Anomalous Coronary Artery From the Opposite Sinus (ACAOS): Technical Challenges During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

PubMed

Sinha, Santosh Kumar; Razi, Mahmodula; Mahrotra, Anupam; Aggarwal, Puneet; Singh, Anupam; Rekwal, Lokendra; Tripathi, Sunil; Abhishekh, Nishant Kumar; Krishna, Vinay

2018-04-01

Anomalies of the coronary arteries are reported in 1-2% of patients among diagnostic angiogram. Ectopic origin of right coronary artery (RCA) from opposite sinus is one of the most common and they are mainly benign, but at times may be malignant. We report a case of a 69-year-old male who underwent early invasive percutaneous coronary intervention for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) where RCA arising from left sinus at the root of left main artery was culprit and various technical challenges were encountered while intervening in form of cannulation to tracking of hardwares. RCA was cannulated with floating wire technique using hockey stick guide catheter and revascularized by deployment of 3.5 × 38 mm Promus Premier Everolimus eluting stent (Boston Scientific, USA). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever report of ectopic RCA being revascularized by using hockey stick catheter.

Epigenome-wide association studies for cancer biomarker discovery in circulating cell-free DNA: technical advances and challenges.

PubMed

Tanić, Miljana; Beck, Stephan

2017-02-01

Since introducing the concept of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) in 2011, there has been a vast increase in the number of published EWAS studies in common diseases, including in cancer. These studies have increased our understanding of epigenetic events underlying carcinogenesis and have enabled the discovery of cancer-specific methylation biomarkers. In this mini-review, we have focused on the state of the art in EWAS applied to cell-free circulating DNA for epigenetic biomarker discovery in cancer and discussed associated technical advances and challenges, and our expectations for the future of the field. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Education for a Working America. A Vision of Vocational Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium.

This document presents the views of the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education regarding the challenge, mission, vision, underlying principles, practice, needs, and benefits/potential outcomes of vocational-technical education (VTE). The following topics are discussed: the challenge of making VTE the cornerstone…

Technical challenges and future direction for high-efficiency metal hydride thermal energy storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Patrick A.; Corgnale, Claudio; Teprovich, Joseph A.; Motyka, Theodore; Hardy, Bruce; Sheppard, Drew; Buckley, Craig; Zidan, Ragaiy

2016-04-01

Recently, there has been increasing interest in thermal energy storage (TES) systems for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, which allow for continuous operation when sunlight is unavailable. Thermochemical energy storage materials have the advantage of much higher energy densities than latent or sensible heat materials. Furthermore, thermochemical energy storage systems based on metal hydrides have been gaining great interest for having the advantage of higher energy densities, better reversibility, and high enthalpies. However, in order to achieve higher efficiencies desired of a thermal storage system by the US Department of Energy, the system is required to operate at temperatures >600 °C. Operation at temperatures >600 °C presents challenges including material selection, hydrogen embrittlement and permeation of containment vessels, appropriate selection of heat transfer fluids, and cost. Herein, the technical difficulties and proposed solutions associated with the use of metal hydrides as TES materials in CSP applications are discussed and evaluated.

Technical Assistance | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Multi-Wind Heat Smart Grid Project. Advancing Energy Solutions in Alaska NREL provides analysis mission to transfer knowledge and innovation to solve the nation's energy challenges. The goal of this transportation energy efficiency and reduce transportation energy costs State Technical Assistance-solar market

Approach to the E-ELT dome and main structure challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilbao, Armando; Murga, Gaizka; Gómez, Celia; Llarena, Javier

2014-07-01

The E-ELT as a whole could be classified as an extremely challenging project. More precisely, it should be defined as an array of many different sub-challenges, which comprise technical, logistical and managerial matters. This paper reviews some of these critical challenges, in particular those related to the Dome and the Main Structure, suggesting ways to face them in the most pragmatic way possible. Technical challenges for the Dome and the Main Structure are mainly related to the need to upscale current design standards to an order of magnitude larger design. Trying a direct design escalation is not feasible; it would not work. A design effort is needed to cross hybridize current design standards with technologies coming from other different applications. Innovative design is therefore not a wish but a must. And innovative design comes along with design risk. Design risk needs to be tackled from two angles: on the one hand through thorough design validation analysis and on the other hand through extensive pre-assembly and testing. And, once again, full scale integrated pre-assembly and testing of extremely large subsystems is not always possible. Therefore, defining a comprehensive test plan for critical components, critical subsystems and critical subassemblies becomes essential. Logistical challenges are linked to the erection site. Cerro Armazones is a remote site and this needs to be considered when evaluating transport and erection requirements. But it is not only the remoteness of the site that needs to be considered. The size of both Dome and Main Structure require large construction cranes and a well defined erection plan taking into account pre-assembly strategies, limited plan area utilization, erection sequence, erection stability during intermediate stages and, very specifically, efficient coordination between the Dome and the Main Structure erection processes. Managerial issues pose another set of challenges in this project. Both the size of the

Centennial Challenges

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-02-26

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, and Doug Comstock, left, stand with David Masten, of Masten Space Systems, during a ceremony for winners and participants of NASA’s 2009 Centennial Challenges, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The year-long competition addresses a range of technical challenges that support NASA's missions in aeronautics and space with a goal of encouraging novel solutions from non-traditional sources. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Incident Data Associated With the Technical Challenges of the Vehicle Systems Safety Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withrow, Colleen A.; Reveley, Mary S.

2014-01-01

This analysis was conducted to support the Vehicle Systems Safety Technology (VSST) Project of the Aviation Safety Program (AVsP) milestone VSST4.2.1.01, "Identification of VSST-Related Trends." In particular, this is a review of incident data from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). The following three VSST-related technical challenges (TCs) were the focus of the incidents searched in the ASRS database: (1) Vechicle health assurance, (2) Effective crew-system interactions and decisions in all conditions; and (3) Aircraft loss of control prevention, mitigation, and recovery.

The Colombian nuclear scenario: Challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Isabel

2016-07-01

In Colombia, the absence of nuclear-oriented policies based on technical knowledge, the closing of the Nuclear Affairs Institute (1956-1998), the association of the word "nuclear" with weapons, plus the country's last six decades of internal conflict and narcotraffic have discourage the technical, social and environmental nuclear advance. However, there are technical, social and economic national challenges that could be faced by the present nuclear technical capacities.

Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide-Based Ceramic Matrix Composites: Technical Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Mrityunjay; Halbig, Michael C.; Grady, Joseph E.

2016-01-01

Advanced SiC-based ceramic matrix composites offer significant contributions toward reducing fuel burn and emissions by enabling high overall pressure ratio (OPR) of gas turbine engines and reducing or eliminating cooling air in the hot-section components, such as shrouds, combustor liners, vanes, and blades. Additive manufacturing (AM), which allows high value, custom designed parts layer by layer, has been demonstrated for metals and polymer matrix composites. However, there has been limited activity on additive manufacturing of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). In this presentation, laminated object manufacturing (LOM), binder jet process, and 3-D printing approaches for developing ceramic composite materials are presented. For the laminated object manufacturing (LOM), fiber prepreg laminates were cut into shape with a laser and stacked to form the desired part followed by high temperature heat treatments. For the binder jet, processing optimization was pursued through silicon carbide powder blending, infiltration with and without SiC nano powder loading, and integration of fibers into the powder bed. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted along with XRD, TGA, and mechanical testing. Various technical challenges and opportunities for additive manufacturing of ceramics and CMCs will be presented.

Energy Challenges: Isolating Results Due to Behavior Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boulton, Kelly; Pallant, Eric; Bradshaw-Wilson, Casey; Choate, Beth; Carbone, Ian

2017-01-01

Purpose: Approximately 700 colleges and universities have committed to climate neutrality, which will require significant reductions in energy consumption. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of an Annual Energy Challenge in curtailing electricity use by changing consumption behaviors at one liberal arts college.…

Accomplishments and challenges of surgical simulation.

PubMed

Satava, R M

2001-03-01

For nearly a decade, advanced computer technologies have created extraordinary educational tools using three-dimensional (3D) visualization and virtual reality. Pioneering efforts in surgical simulation with these tools have resulted in a first generation of simulators for surgical technical skills. Accomplishments include simulations with 3D models of anatomy for practice of surgical tasks, initial assessment of student performance in technical skills, and awareness by professional societies of potential in surgical education and certification. However, enormous challenges remain, which include improvement of technical fidelity, standardization of accurate metrics for performance evaluation, integration of simulators into a robust educational curriculum, stringent evaluation of simulators for effectiveness and value added to surgical training, determination of simulation application to certification of surgical technical skills, and a business model to implement and disseminate simulation successfully throughout the medical education community. This review looks at the historical progress of surgical simulators, their accomplishments, and the challenges that remain.

2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-14

Members of team Mountaineers pose with officials from the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Team Mountaineer was the only team to complete the level one challenge this year. Team Mountaineer members, from left (in blue shirts) are: Ryan Watson, Marvin Cheng, Scott Harper, Jarred Strader, Lucas Behrens, Yu Gu, Tanmay Mandal, Alexander Hypes, and Nick Ohi Challenge judges and competition staff (in white and green polo shirts) from left are: Sam Ortega, NASA Centennial Challenge program manager; Ken Stafford, challenge technical advisor, WPI; Colleen Shaver, challenge event manager, WPI. During the competition, teams were required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge was to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Challenges in Fingertip Replantation

PubMed Central

Kim, Jin-Soo; Yang, Jae-Won; Lee, Dong-Chul; Ki, Sae-Hwi; Roh, Si-Young

2013-01-01

Fingertip amputation is a challenging injury to manage. Among various reconstructive procedures, replantation results in superior outcome, but is seldom considered in many institutions. From the identification of vessel ends to reanastomosis of the submillimeter vessels, fingertip's highly specialized anatomy requires technical excellence. By addressing these anatomic challenges, fingertip replantation can be a routine reconstructive option for microvascular surgeons. PMID:24872765

Urology technical and non-technical skills development: the emerging role of simulation.

PubMed

Rashid, Prem; Gianduzzo, Troy R J

2016-04-01

To review the emerging role of technical and non-technical simulation in urological education and training. A review was conducted to examine the current role of simulation in urology training. A PUBMED search of the terms 'urology training', 'urology simulation' and 'urology education' revealed 11,504 titles. Three hundred and fifty-seven abstracts were identified as English language, peer reviewed papers pertaining to the role of simulation in urology and related topics. Key papers were used to explore themes. Some cross-referenced papers were also included. There is an ongoing need to ensure that training time is efficiently utilised while ensuring that optimal technical and non-technical skills are achieved. Changing working conditions and the need to minimise patient harm by inadvertent errors must be taken into account. Simulation models for specific technical aspects have been the mainstay of graduated step-wise low and high fidelity training. Whole scenario environments as well as non-technical aspects can be slowly incorporated into the curriculum. Doing so should also help define what have been challenging competencies to teach and evaluate. Dedicated time, resources and trainer up-skilling are important. Concurrent studies are needed to help evaluate the effectiveness of introducing step-wise simulation for technical and non-technical competencies. Simulation based learning remains the best avenue of progressing surgical education. Technical and non-technical simulation could be used in the selection process. There are good economic, logistic and safety reasons to pursue the process of ongoing development of simulation co-curricula. While the role of simulation is assured, its progress will depend on a structured program that takes advantage of what can be delivered via this medium. Overall, simulation can be developed further for urological training programs to encompass technical and non-technical skill development at all stages, including

Due diligence responsibilities of the professional geologist

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

Hobbs, G.W.

1991-03-01

Whether in the role of independent consultant or company employee, a geologist has certain professional obligations in the evaluation of an oil and gas submittal from a third party. 'Due diligence' is the term used to describe the analysis of an investment opportunity. Due diligence involves a multidisciplinary examination of both the technical and business aspects of a submittal. In addition to the obvious geological considerations, prospect evaluations should include relevant details about the specific technical documentation reviewed, information sources, and how the data were verified. Full disclosure of ownership, technical risks, and negative aspects of the prospect should bemore » included along with the positive elements. After the geological analysis is completed, the economic merits of the prospect should be analyzed, incorporating all lease burdens and terms of participation into the calculations. Estimated exploration, development, and operating costs, together with projected annual production, cash flow, and reserves must be examined as to their reasonableness. Finally, the due diligence review should include a thorough check on the reputation, financial condition, technical and managerial expertise, and prior track record of the operator. Bank, trade, legal, and prior partner references should be contacted. The successful professional geologist in today's competitive world must have multidisciplinary skills. A solid background in geology and geophysics, a basic understanding of the principles of petroleum engineering and economics, and the wits of a private eye are needed for good due diligence work.« less

Managing Challenges in a Multi Contractor Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Ron

2011-01-01

The presentation provides a project description, describes the integrated product team, and review project challenges. The challenges include programmatic, technical, basic drop tests, heavy drop tests, C-17 envelope expansion, and Ares I-X.

RNA-seq: technical variability and sampling

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background RNA-seq is revolutionizing the way we study transcriptomes. mRNA can be surveyed without prior knowledge of gene transcripts. Alternative splicing of transcript isoforms and the identification of previously unknown exons are being reported. Initial reports of differences in exon usage, and splicing between samples as well as quantitative differences among samples are beginning to surface. Biological variation has been reported to be larger than technical variation. In addition, technical variation has been reported to be in line with expectations due to random sampling. However, strategies for dealing with technical variation will differ depending on the magnitude. The size of technical variance, and the role of sampling are examined in this manuscript. Results In this study three independent Solexa/Illumina experiments containing technical replicates are analyzed. When coverage is low, large disagreements between technical replicates are apparent. Exon detection between technical replicates is highly variable when the coverage is less than 5 reads per nucleotide and estimates of gene expression are more likely to disagree when coverage is low. Although large disagreements in the estimates of expression are observed at all levels of coverage. Conclusions Technical variability is too high to ignore. Technical variability results in inconsistent detection of exons at low levels of coverage. Further, the estimate of the relative abundance of a transcript can substantially disagree, even when coverage levels are high. This may be due to the low sampling fraction and if so, it will persist as an issue needing to be addressed in experimental design even as the next wave of technology produces larger numbers of reads. We provide practical recommendations for dealing with the technical variability, without dramatic cost increases. PMID:21645359

Finance Program, Technical Assistance Brief 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-01-01

This four page pamphlet highlights the work of the Federal Transit : Administration's Office of Technical Assistance and Safety. Articles in this : issue are: Transit's Finance Challenge, which discusses the three main aspects : of the Office's Finan...

2017 Exploration Rover Challenge event.

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-03

2017 Exploration Rover Challenge events at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. High school and college students from around the U.S. and the world come together for this 2 day event which challenges them to compete for the fastest time as well as technical design of the actual rover itself.

Site Guidelines for a "Making Middle Grades Work" Technical Review Visit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board, 2004

2004-01-01

The purpose of the Technical Review Visit (TRV) is to follow up on the actions taken to implement the recommendations indicated for each challenge in the most recent Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) report. This document provides the following: (1) Site Guidelines for the Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) Technical Review Visit; (2) Site Checklist;…

Membranes for bioelectrochemical systems: challenges and research advances.

PubMed

Dhar, Bipro Ranjan; Lee, Hyung-Sool

2013-01-01

Increasing energy demand has been a big challenge for current society, as the fossil fuel sources are gradually decreasing. Hence, development of renewable and sustainable energy sources for the future is considered one of the top priorities in national strategic plans. Bioenergy can meet future energy requirements - renewability, sustainability, and even carbon-neutrality. Bioenergy production from wastes and wastewaters is especially attractive because of dual benefits of energy generation and contaminant stabilization. There are several bioenergy technologies using wastes and wastewaters as electron donor, which include anaerobic digestion, dark biohydrogen fermentation, biohydrogen production using photosynthetic microorganisms, and bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Among them BES seems to be very promising as we can produce a variety of value-added products from wastes and wastewaters, such as electric power, hydrogen gas, hydrogen peroxide, acetate, ethanol etc. Most ofthe traditional BES uses a membrane to separate the anode and cathode chamber, which is essential for improving microbial metabolism on the anode and the recovery of value-added products on the cathode. Performance of BES lacking a membrane can be seriously deteriorated, due to oxygen diffusion or substantial loss of synthesized products. For this reason, usage of a membrane seems essential to facilitate BES performance. However, a membrane can bring several technical challenges to BES application compared to membrane-less BES. These challenges include poor proton permeability, substrate loss, oxygen back diffusion, pH gradient, internal resistance, biofouling, etc. This paper aims to review the major technical barriers associated with membranes and future research directions for their application in BESs.

Should Technical Education Be More Liberal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heckman, Richard T.

Due to the increasing emphasis on technology and the trend toward downsizing and multiculturalism in today's workplace, graduates of technical education programs need non-technical thinking and problem solving skills to stay successfully employed. Historically, however, a dichotomy has existed between vocational and liberal education, which has…

Fetal MRI: A Technical Update with Educational Aspirations

PubMed Central

Gholipour, Ali; Estroff, Judith A.; Barnewolt, Carol E.; Robertson, Richard L.; Grant, P. Ellen; Gagoski, Borjan; Warfield, Simon K.; Afacan, Onur; Connolly, Susan A.; Neil, Jeffrey J.; Wolfberg, Adam; Mulkern, Robert V.

2015-01-01

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations have become well-established procedures at many institutions and can serve as useful adjuncts to ultrasound (US) exams when diagnostic doubts remain after US. Due to fetal motion, however, fetal MRI exams are challenging and require the MR scanner to be used in a somewhat different mode than that employed for more routine clinical studies. Herein we review the techniques most commonly used, and those that are available, for fetal MRI with an emphasis on the physics of the techniques and how to deploy them to improve success rates for fetal MRI exams. By far the most common technique employed is single-shot T2-weighted imaging due to its excellent tissue contrast and relative immunity to fetal motion. Despite the significant challenges involved, however, many of the other techniques commonly employed in conventional neuro- and body MRI such as T1 and T2*-weighted imaging, diffusion and perfusion weighted imaging, as well as spectroscopic methods remain of interest for fetal MR applications. An effort to understand the strengths and limitations of these basic methods within the context of fetal MRI is made in order to optimize their use and facilitate implementation of technical improvements for the further development of fetal MR imaging, both in acquisition and post-processing strategies. PMID:26225129

Technical Assistance Project Map | State, Local, and Tribal Governments |

Science.gov Websites

), NREL provides research to help stakeholders understand challenges and barriers to the development of offers various types of technical assistance to state and local governments. Clear All Filter by: State (0) All states Year (0) All years Type (0) All types Category (0) All categories Technical Assistance

AIMES Final Technical Report

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

Katz, Daniel S; Jha, Shantenu; Weissman, Jon

2017-01-31

This is the final technical report for the AIMES project. Many important advances in science and engineering are due to large-scale distributed computing. Notwithstanding this reliance, we are still learning how to design and deploy large-scale production Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCI). This is evidenced by missing design principles for DCI, and an absence of generally acceptable and usable distributed computing abstractions. The AIMES project was conceived against this backdrop, following on the heels of a comprehensive survey of scientific distributed applications. AIMES laid the foundations to address the tripartite challenge of dynamic resource management, integrating information, and portable and interoperablemore » distributed applications. Four abstractions were defined and implemented: skeleton, resource bundle, pilot, and execution strategy. The four abstractions were implemented into software modules and then aggregated into the AIMES middleware. This middleware successfully integrates information across the application layer (skeletons) and resource layer (Bundles), derives a suitable execution strategy for the given skeleton and enacts its execution by means of pilots on one or more resources, depending on the application requirements, and resource availabilities and capabilities.« less

AIMES Final Technical Report

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

Weissman, Jon; Katz, Dan; Jha, Shantenu

2017-01-31

This is the final technical report for the AIMES project. Many important advances in science and engineering are due to large scale distributed computing. Notwithstanding this reliance, we are still learning how to design and deploy large-scale production Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCI). This is evidenced by missing design principles for DCI, and an absence of generally acceptable and usable distributed computing abstractions. The AIMES project was conceived against this backdrop, following on the heels of a comprehensive survey of scientific distributed applications. AIMES laid the foundations to address the tripartite challenge of dynamic resource management, integrating information, and portable andmore » interoperable distributed applications. Four abstractions were defined and implemented: skeleton, resource bundle, pilot, and execution strategy. The four abstractions were implemented into software modules and then aggregated into the AIMES middleware. This middleware successfully integrates information across the application layer (skeletons) and resource layer (Bundles), derives a suitable execution strategy for the given skeleton and enacts its execution by means of pilots on one or more resources, depending on the application requirements, and resource availabilities and capabilities.« less

Challenges Faced by Female-Students in Engineering-Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madara, Diana Starovoytova; Cherotich, Sharon

2016-01-01

Gender-related challenges in learning technical courses are universal phenomenon. These challenges could restrain female students from achieving their fullest potential. The main focus of this study, therefore, is to examine self-recognized challenges faced by undergraduate female students in pursuing engineering at the School of Engineering…

Technical paper contest for women 1992. Space challenges: Earth and beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orans, Robin (Editor)

1993-01-01

Two of the major concerns of the NASA Ames Research Center (NASA ARC) Advisory Committee for Women (ACW) are that recruitment of women scientists, engineers, and technicians needs to increase and that barriers to advancement need to be removed for improved representation of women in middle and upper management and scientific positions. One strategy that addressed this concern was the ACW sponsorship of a Technical Paper Contest for Women at Ames Research Center. Other sponsors of the Contest were the Ames Equal Opportunity Council and the Ames Contractor Council. The Technical Paper Contest for Women greatly increased the visibility of both the civil service women and the women who work for contractors at Ames. The women had the opportunity to hone their written and oral presentation skills. Networking among Ames women increased.

The Technical Communicator as Corporate Spokesperson: A Public Relations Primer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Troester, Rod; Warburton, Terrence L.

2001-01-01

Examines the changing role of the technical communication professional in the rapidly evolving environment of organizational life. Presents five principles that serve as an initial step in laying a foundation for the preparation of technical communicators for the challenges and opportunities awaiting in contemporary organizations and the…

2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-14

The NASA Centennial Challenges prize, level one, is presented to team Mountaineers for successfully completing level one of the NASA 2014 Sample Return Robot Challenge, from left, Ken Stafford, WPI Challenge technical advisor; Colleen Shaver, WPI Challenge Manager; Ryan Watson, Team Mountaineers; Marvin Cheng, Team Mountaineers; Alexander Hypes, Team Mountaineers; Jarred Strader, Team Mountaineers; Lucas Behrens, Team Mountaineers; Yu Gu, Team Mountaineers; Nick Ohi, Team Mountaineers; Dorothy Rasco, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate; Scott Harper, Team Mountaineers; Tanmay Mandal, Team Mountaineers; David Miller, NASA Chief Technologist; Sam Ortega, NASA Program Manager for Centennial Challenges, Saturday, June 14, 2014, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Team Mountaineers was the only team to complete the level one challenge. During the competition, teams were required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge was to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Challenges of Human Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Jeffrey R.; Charles, John B.

2006-01-01

The presentations will be given during the X-Prize symposium, exploring the multi-faceted dimensions of spaceflight ranging from the technical developments necessary to achieve safe routine flight to and from and through space to the new personal business opportunities and economic benefits that will open in space and here on Earth. The symposium will delve into the technical, regulatory, market and financial needs and challenges that must be met in charting and executing the incremental developments leading to Personal Spaceflight and the opening of a Place Called Space. The presentation covers facets of human space flight including descriptions of life in space, the challenges of delivering medical care in space, and the preparations needed for safe and productive human travel to the moon and Mars.

Challenges for PISA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schleicher, Andreas

2016-01-01

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides a framework in which over 80 countries collaborate to build advanced global metrics to assess the knowledge, skills and character attributes of the students. The design of assessments poses major conceptual and technical challenges, as successful learning. Beyond a sound…

PET/MRI – Technical Review

PubMed Central

Muzic, Raymond F.; DiFilippo, Frank P.

2015-01-01

PET/MR is a hybrid imaging technology with the potential to combine the molecular and functional information of PET with the soft-tissue contrast of MR. Herein we review the technical features and challenges of putting these different technologies together. We emphasize the conceptual to make the material accessible to a wide audience. We begin by reviewing PET/CT, a more mature multi-modality imaging technology, to provide a basis for comparison to the history of PET/MR development. We discuss the motivation and challenges of PET/MR and different approaches that have been used to meet the challenges. We conclude with a speculation about the future of this exciting imaging method. PMID:25497909

Measurement Challenges in International Agreements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luke, John

2006-10-01

Making measurements in support of international agreements can pose many challenges both from a policy and science point of view. Policy issues may arise because physics measurements made in the area of arms control or disarmament may be deemed too intrusive since they could possibly reveal sensitive information about the material that is being interrogated. Therefore, agreements must include a framework for safeguarding against the potential release of this information. Most of the scientific issues center around the fact that it is desirable to make high quality measurements without any operator interaction. This leads to the development of instrumentation and software that are very stable and robust. Due to different concerns, policy and science priorities may be at odds with one another. Therefore, it is the scientist's challenge - in this field - to keep policy makers informed by conveying what is technically possible and what is not in a manner that is easily understood and also negotiable. In this paper we will discuss some of the technology that has been developed to address some of these challenges in various international and model agreements. We will discuss the principle of informational barrier used in these measurement technologies to safeguard the release of sensitive information. We will also discuss some of the pitfalls that may arise when policy is ill informed about the physical constraints in the making of measurements of nuclear materials.

Quality Career/Technical Programs Prepare Students to Succeed in a New, More Challenging Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2008

2008-01-01

Quality career/technical education and its role in school improvement was a primary theme of the 2008 "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") Staff Development Conference. This newsletter covers crucial topics in quality CTE (career and technical education), including assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed…

Human Resource Development: Technical Education's Challenge. Proceedings of the Annual National Clinic on Technical Education (12th, Spokane, Washington, March 26-28, 1975).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Community Coll. District 17, Spokane.

Speeches and discussions are transcribed in this report, which also includes a listing of the American Technical Education Association (ATEA) committee members, exhibitors, officers, and directory of speakers. Speeches covered "Human Resource Development" by Gene Rutledge; "The Impact of Technical Education on Economic…

Challenges and Opportunities in Developing the Hawaiian Scientific and Technical Workforce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, James R.

2012-01-01

In searching for dark skies, persistently clear weather, and minimal atmospheric interference, astronomical observing sites are generally located in remote, mountainous locations, and usually far from large communities. Such locations often have weak economies, and shallow workforce pools in the technical and administrative areas generally needed by the observatories. This leads to a problem, and an opportunity, for both the observatories and their local communities. Importing employees from far away locations is costly, leads to high turnover, and deprives the community of economic benefits and the sense of fealty with the observatories that would naturally result if local people occupied these comparatively good paying jobs. While by no means unique, the observatories on Mauna Kea Hawai`i are a clear example of this dual dilemma. This presentation will report findings from a model workforce needs assessment survey of all the Mauna Kea observatories, which has establish likely annual staffing requirements in several categories of technological and administrative support, including the educational entrance requirements. Results indicated that through 2023, 80% of observatory job openings on Hawai`i Island will be in technology and administration. Furthermore, the vast majority of these jobs will require only a two-year or four-year college degree in a relevant field as an entrance requirement. Efforts to realign the existing resources to better meet these common needs will be discussed, including the highly successful partnership between County of Hawai`i Workforce Development Board, the Mauna Kea observatories, the local K-12 systems, Hawai`i Community College, the University of Hawai`i Hilo, and a number of informal education and workplace experience programs. This collaboration has resulted in no fewer than three, interlocked, community programs have stepped up to meet this challenge to the benefit of both the local community and the observatories.

Proceedings of the Annual National Clinic on Technical Education (12th, Spokane, Washington, March 26-28, 1975). Human Resource Development: Technical Education's Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutledge, Gene; And Others

This report includes the presentations of the speakers appearing before the National Clinic on Technical Education. Topics cover human resource development; the impact of technical education on economic development (in Mississippi); economics of allied health education; manpower implications of environmental protection; manpower needs for…

2002 Controls Design Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Ronald A.; Vetter, T. K.; Wells, S. R.

2002-01-01

This document is intended to provide the specifications and requirements for a flight control system design challenge. The response to the challenge will involve documenting whether the particular design has met the stated requirements through analysis and computer simulation. The response should be written in the general format of a technical publication with corresponding length limits, e.g., an approximate maximum length of 45 units, with each full-size figure and double-spaced typewritten page constituting one unit.

Promises and challenges in solid-state lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, Fred

2010-03-01

Lighting technologies based on semiconductor light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer unprecedented promises that include three major benefits: (i) Gigantic energy savings enabled by efficient conversion of electrical energy to optical energy; (ii) Substantial positive contributions to sustainability through reduced emissions of global-warming gases, acid-rain gases, and toxic substances such as mercury; and (iii) The creation of new paradigms in lighting driven by the unique controllability of solid-state lighting sources. Due to the powerful nature of these benefits, the transition from conventional lighting sources to solid-state lighting is virtually assured. This presentation will illustrate the new world of lighting and illustrate the pervasive changes to be expected in lighting, displays, communications, and biotechnology. The presentation will also address the formidable challenges that must be addressed to continue the further advancement of solid-state lighting technology. These challenges offer opportunities for research and innovation. Specific challenges include light management, carrier transport, and optical design. We will present some innovative approaches in order to solve known technical challenges faced by solid-state lighting. These approaches include the demonstration and use of new optical thin-film materials with a continuously tunable refractive index. These approaches also include the use of polarization-matched structures that reduce the polarization fields in GaInN LEDs and the hotly debated efficiency droop, that is, the decreasing LED efficiency at high currents.

COMPUTATIONAL CHALLENGES IN BUILDING MULTI-SCALE AND MULTI-PHYSICS MODELS OF CARDIAC ELECTRO-MECHANICS

PubMed Central

Plank, G; Prassl, AJ; Augustin, C

2014-01-01

Despite the evident multiphysics nature of the heart – it is an electrically controlled mechanical pump – most modeling studies considered electrophysiology and mechanics in isolation. In no small part, this is due to the formidable modeling challenges involved in building strongly coupled anatomically accurate and biophyically detailed multi-scale multi-physics models of cardiac electro-mechanics. Among the main challenges are the selection of model components and their adjustments to achieve integration into a consistent organ-scale model, dealing with technical difficulties such as the exchange of data between electro-physiological and mechanical model, particularly when using different spatio-temporal grids for discretization, and, finally, the implementation of advanced numerical techniques to deal with the substantial computational. In this study we report on progress made in developing a novel modeling framework suited to tackle these challenges. PMID:24043050

Remediation of Highland Drive Landfill: Technical Challenges of Segregating Co-Mingled LLRW and Municipal Solid Waste in an Urbanized Area - 13319

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

Daniel, Jeff; Lawrence, Dave; Case, Glenn

Highland Drive Landfill is an inactive Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill which received waste from the 1940's until its closure in 1991. During a portion of its active life, the Landfill received low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) which currently exists both in a defined layer and co-mingled with MSW. Remediation of this site to remove the LLRW to meet established cleanup criteria, forms part of the Port Hope Project being undertaken by Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL) and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI). The total volume of LLRW and co-mingledmore » LLRW/MSW estimated to require removal from the Highland Drive Landfill is approximately 51,900 cubic metres (m{sup 3}). The segregation and removal of LLRW at the Highland Drive Landfill presents a number of unique technical challenges due to the co-mingled waste and location of the Landfill in an urbanized area. Key challenges addressed as part of the design process included: delineation of the extent of LLRW, development of cut lines, and estimation of the quantity of co-mingled LLRW in a heterogeneous matrix; protection of adjacent receptors in a manner which would not impact the use of adjacent facilities which include residences, a recreational facility, and a school; coordination and phasing of the work to allow management of six separate material streams including clean soil, MSW, co-mingled LLRW/MSW, LLRW, un-impacted water, and impacted water/leachate within a confined environment; and development of a multi-tiered and adaptive program of monitoring and control measures for odour, dust, and water including assessment of risk of exceedance of monitoring criteria. In addition to ensuring public safety and protection of the environment during remedy implementation, significant effort in the design process was paid to balancing the advantages of increased certainty, including higher production rates, against the costs of attaining

Challenges and opportunities for multi-functional oxide thin films for voltage tunable radio frequency/microwave components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanyam, Guru; Cole, M. W.; Sun, Nian X.; Kalkur, Thottam S.; Sbrockey, Nick M.; Tompa, Gary S.; Guo, Xiaomei; Chen, Chonglin; Alpay, S. P.; Rossetti, G. A.; Dayal, Kaushik; Chen, Long-Qing; Schlom, Darrell G.

2013-11-01

There has been significant progress on the fundamental science and technological applications of complex oxides and multiferroics. Among complex oxide thin films, barium strontium titanate (BST) has become the material of choice for room-temperature-based voltage-tunable dielectric thin films, due to its large dielectric tunability and low microwave loss at room temperature. BST thin film varactor technology based reconfigurable radio frequency (RF)/microwave components have been demonstrated with the potential to lower the size, weight, and power needs of a future generation of communication and radar systems. Low-power multiferroic devices have also been recently demonstrated. Strong magneto-electric coupling has also been demonstrated in different multiferroic heterostructures, which show giant voltage control of the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of more than two octaves. This manuscript reviews recent advances in the processing, and application development for the complex oxides and multiferroics, with the focus on voltage tunable RF/microwave components. The over-arching goal of this review is to provide a synopsis of the current state-of the-art of complex oxide and multiferroic thin film materials and devices, identify technical issues and technical challenges that need to be overcome for successful insertion of the technology for both military and commercial applications, and provide mitigation strategies to address these technical challenges.

Robotic acquisition programs: technical and performance challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibadoux, Steven A.

2002-07-01

The Unmanned Ground Vehicles/ Systems Joint Project Office (UGV/S JPO) is developing and fielding a variety of tactical robotic systems for the Army and Marine Corps. The Standardized Robotic System (SRS) provides a family of common components that can be installed in existing military vehicles, to allow unmanned operation of the vehicle and its payloads. The Robotic Combat Support System (RCSS) will be a medium sized unmanned system with interchangeable attachments, allowing a remote operator to perform a variety of engineering tasks. The Gladiator Program is a USMC initiative for a small to medium sized, highly mobile UGV to conduct scout/ surveillance missions and to carry various lethal and non-lethal payloads. Acquisition plans for these programs require preplanned evolutionary block upgrades to add operational capability, as new technology becomes available. This paper discusses technical and performance issues that must be resolved and the enabling technologies needed for near term block upgrades of these first generation robotic systems. Additionally, two Joint Robotics Program (JRP) initiatives, Robotic Acquisition through Virtual Environments and Networked Simulations (RAVENS) and Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems (JAUGS), will be discussed. RAVENS and JAUGS will be used to efficiently evaluate and integrate new technologies to be incorporated in system upgrades.

Technical writing versus technical writing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dillingham, J. W.

1981-01-01

Two terms, two job categories, 'technical writer' and 'technical author' are discussed in terms of industrial and business requirements and standards. A distinction between 'technical writing' and technical 'writing' is made. The term 'technical editor' is also considered. Problems inherent in the design of programs to prepare and train students for these jobs are discussed. A closer alliance between industry and academia is suggested as a means of preparing students with competent technical communication skills (especially writing and editing skills) and good technical skills.

Climate Change Challenges for Extension Educators: Technical Capacity and Cultural Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becerra, Terrie A.; Middendorf, Gerad; Campbell, Amber; Tomlinson, Peter

2016-01-01

We surveyed Extension educators in the southern Great Plains about their attitudes and beliefs regarding climate change, their interactions with constituents surrounding climate change, and challenges they face in engaging constituents on the topic of climate change. Production-oriented and sociocultural challenges in meeting constituents'…

Structured light optical microscopy for three-dimensional reconstruction of technical surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kettel, Johannes; Reinecke, Holger; Müller, Claas

2016-04-01

In microsystems technology quality control of micro structured surfaces with different surface properties is playing an ever more important role. The process of quality control incorporates three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of specularand diffusive reflecting technical surfaces. Due to the demand on high measurement accuracy and data acquisition rates, structured light optical microscopy has become a valuable solution to solve this problem providing high vertical and lateral resolution. However, 3D reconstruction of specular reflecting technical surfaces still remains a challenge to optical measurement principles. In this paper we present a measurement principle based on structured light optical microscopy which enables 3D reconstruction of specular- and diffusive reflecting technical surfaces. It is realized using two light paths of a stereo microscope equipped with different magnification levels. The right optical path of the stereo microscope is used to project structured light onto the object surface. The left optical path is used to capture the structured illuminated object surface with a camera. Structured light patterns are generated by a Digital Light Processing (DLP) device in combination with a high power Light Emitting Diode (LED). Structured light patterns are realized as a matrix of discrete light spots to illuminate defined areas on the object surface. The introduced measurement principle is based on multiple and parallel processed point measurements. Analysis of the measured Point Spread Function (PSF) by pattern recognition and model fitting algorithms enables the precise calculation of 3D coordinates. Using exemplary technical surfaces we demonstrate the successful application of our measurement principle.

Centennial Challenges Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, Sam; Eberly, Eric

2015-01-01

NASA's Centennial Challenges Program was initiated in 2005 to directly engage the public in the process of advanced technology development. The program offers incentive prizes to generate revolutionary solutions to problems of interest to NASA and the nation. The program seeks innovations from diverse and nontraditional sources. Competitors are not supported by government funding and awards are only made to successful teams when the challenges are met. In keeping with the spirit of the Wright Brothers and other American innovators, the Centennial Challenge prizes are offered to independent inventors including small businesses, student groups, and individuals. These independent inventors are sought to generate innovative solutions for technical problems of interest to NASA and the nation and to provide them with the opportunity to stimulate or create new business ventures.

Web-based technical assistance and training to promote community tobacco control policy change.

PubMed

Young, Walter F; Montgomery, Debbie; Nycum, Colleen; Burns-Martin, Lavon; Buller, David B

2006-01-01

In 1998 the tobacco industry was released of claims that provided monetary relief for states. A significant expansion of tobacco control activity in many states created a need to develop local capacity. Technical assistance and training for new and experienced staff became a significant challenge for tobacco control leadership. In Colorado, this challenge was addressed in part through the development of a technical assistance and training Web site designed for local tobacco control staff and coalition members. Researchers, technical Web site development specialists, state health agency, and state tobacco control coalition staff collaborated to develop, promote, and test the efficacy of this Web site. The work group embodied a range of skills including tobacco control, Web site technical development, marketing, training, and project management. Persistent marketing, updating of Web site content, and institutionalizing it as a principal source of information and training were key to use by community coalition members.

Developing non-technical ward-round skills.

PubMed

Harvey, Rachel; Mellanby, Edward; Dearden, Effie; Medjoub, Karima; Edgar, Simon

2015-10-01

Conducting clinical 'rounds' is one of the most onerous and important duties that every junior doctor is expected to perform. There is evidence that newly qualified doctors are not adequately prepared by their undergraduate experiences for this task. The aim of this study was to analyse the challenges pertaining to non-technical skills that students would face during ward rounds, and to create a model that facilitates the transition from medical student to doctor. A total of 217 final-year medical students completed a simulated ward round. Free-text responses were analysed using template analysis applying an a priori template developed from the literature by the research team. This drew on the generic categories of non-technical skills suggested by Flin et al. Ninety-seven per cent of students agreed or strongly agreed that the simulated ward round improved their insight into the challenges of ward rounds and their perceived ability to work efficiently as an active member of the ward round. The responding students (206) submitted written feedback describing the learning that they planned to use: 800 learning points were recorded, and all could be categorised into one of seven non-technical skills. Conducting clinical 'rounds' is one of the most onerous and important duties that every junior doctor is expected to perform We believe that improved task efficiency and insight into the challenges of the ward round gained by medical students will lead to an enhancement in performance during clinical rounds, and will have a positive impact on patient safety. We would suggest that undergraduate medical schools consider this model in the preparation for the clinical practice element of the curriculum. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New Safety and Technical Challenges and Operational Experience on the JET First Trace Tritium Experiment

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

Pearce, R.J.H.; Bell, A.C.; Brennan, D.

'Trace Tritium Experiments' (TTE) were successfully performed on JET in 2003. The Campaign marked the first use of tritium in JET plasmas since the Deuterium-Tritium Experiment (DTE1) Campaign in 1997, and was the first use of tritium in experiments under the EFDA organisation with the UKAEA as JET Operator. The safety and regulatory preparations for the experiment were extensive. Since JET has been operated by the UKAEA the operations have followed the model of a licensed nuclear site. The safe operation of the JET torus is demonstrated in a safety case. Key Safety Management Requirement (KSMR) and Key Safety Relatedmore » Equipment (KSRE) are identified in the Safety Case for DT operation. The safe operation of the torus is within the bounds of, and under the control of, an Authority to Operate (ATO). New technical challenges were presented by the need to inject and account for small quantities of tritium in very short pulses ({approx}80ms), with an accurate time stamp. The safety and operational management of the campaign are described. Valuable lessons were learned which would help in running future experiments. It is concluded that JET is in a strong position to run future trace tritium and full DT discharges.« less

Managing Adaptive Challenges: Learning with Principals in Bermuda and Florida

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drago-Severson, Eleanor; Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia; Hoffman, Alexander M.; Barbaro, Justin

2014-01-01

We interviewed eight principals from Bermuda and Florida about how they identify and manage their most pressing challenges. Their challenges are composed of both adaptive and technical work, requiring leaders to learn to diagnose and manage them. Challenges focused on change and were traced to accountability contexts, yet accountability was not…

A Qualitative Study of the Job Challenges of Instructional Deans in the Technical College System of Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alford, Perrin J.

2014-01-01

The Technical College System of Georgia serves the people and the state by creating a system of technical education whose purpose is to use the latest technology and easy access for all adult Georgians and corporate citizens. Within each technical college is a hierarchy of faculty, staff, and administrators. The instructional deans serve a vital…

Chemical and technical challenges in the analysis of central carbon metabolites by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Siegel, David; Permentier, Hjalmar; Reijngoud, Dirk-Jan; Bischoff, Rainer

2014-09-01

This review deals with chemical and technical challenges in the analysis of small-molecule metabolites involved in central carbon and energy metabolism via liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS). The covered analytes belong to the prominent pathways in biochemical carbon oxidation such as glycolysis or the tricarboxylic acid cycle and, for the most part, share unfavorable properties such as a high polarity, chemical instability or metal-affinity. The topic is introduced by selected examples on successful applications of metabolomics in the clinic. In the core part of the paper, the structural features of important analyte classes such as nucleotides, coenzyme A thioesters or carboxylic acids are linked to "problematic hotspots" along the analytical chain (sample preparation and-storage, separation and detection). We discuss these hotspots from a chemical point of view, covering issues such as analyte degradation or interactions with metals and other matrix components. Based on this understanding we propose solutions wherever available. A major notion derived from these considerations is that comprehensive carbon metabolomics inevitably requires multiple, complementary analytical approaches covering different chemical classes of metabolites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurement and Instrumentation Challenges at X-ray Free Electron Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yiping

2015-03-01

X-ray Free Electron Laser sources based on the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission process are intrinsically chaotic, giving rise to pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in all physical properties, including intensity, position and pointing, spatial and temporal profiles, spectral content, timing, and coherence. These fluctuations represents special challenges to users whose experiments are designed to reveal small changes in the underlying physical quantities, which would otherwise be completely washed out without using the proper diagnostics tools. Due to the X-ray FEL's unique characteristics such as the unprecedented peak power and nearly full spatial coherence, there are many technical challenges in conceiving and implementing these devices that are highly transmissive, provide sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, and most importantly work in the single-shot mode. Portions of this research were carried out at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. LCLS is an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science by Stanford Univ.

Challenges and opportunities for multi-functional oxide thin films for voltage tunable radio frequency/microwave components

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

Subramanyam, Guru, E-mail: gsubramanyam1@udayton.edu; Cole, M. W., E-mail: melanie.w.cole.civ@mail.mil; Sun, Nian X.

2013-11-21

There has been significant progress on the fundamental science and technological applications of complex oxides and multiferroics. Among complex oxide thin films, barium strontium titanate (BST) has become the material of choice for room-temperature-based voltage-tunable dielectric thin films, due to its large dielectric tunability and low microwave loss at room temperature. BST thin film varactor technology based reconfigurable radio frequency (RF)/microwave components have been demonstrated with the potential to lower the size, weight, and power needs of a future generation of communication and radar systems. Low-power multiferroic devices have also been recently demonstrated. Strong magneto-electric coupling has also been demonstratedmore » in different multiferroic heterostructures, which show giant voltage control of the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of more than two octaves. This manuscript reviews recent advances in the processing, and application development for the complex oxides and multiferroics, with the focus on voltage tunable RF/microwave components. The over-arching goal of this review is to provide a synopsis of the current state-of the-art of complex oxide and multiferroic thin film materials and devices, identify technical issues and technical challenges that need to be overcome for successful insertion of the technology for both military and commercial applications, and provide mitigation strategies to address these technical challenges.« less

44 CFR 65.15 - List of communities submitting new technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... technical data. This section provides a cumulative list of communities where modifications of the base flood elevation determinations have been made because of submission of new scientific or technical data. Due to... submitting new technical data. 65.15 Section 65.15 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY...

Ceramic Integration Technologies for Advanced Energy Systems: Critical Needs, Technical Challenges, and Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Mrityunjay

2010-01-01

Advanced ceramic integration technologies dramatically impact the energy landscape due to wide scale application of ceramics in all aspects of alternative energy production, storage, distribution, conservation, and efficiency. Examples include fuel cells, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, gas turbine propulsion systems, distribution and transmission systems based on superconductors, nuclear power generation and waste disposal. Ceramic integration technologies play a key role in fabrication and manufacturing of large and complex shaped parts with multifunctional properties. However, the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance requires the understanding of many thermochemical and thermomechanical factors, particularly for high temperature applications. In this presentation, various needs, challenges, and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic metal) material www.nasa.gov 45 ceramic-ceramic-systems have been discussed. Experimental results for bonding and integration of SiC based Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) LDI fuel injector and advanced ceramics and composites for gas turbine applications are presented.

Verification of accurate technical insight: a prerequisite for self-directed surgical training.

PubMed

Hu, Yinin; Kim, Helen; Mahmutovic, Adela; Choi, Joanna; Le, Ivy; Rasmussen, Sara

2015-03-01

Simulation-based surgical skills training during preclinical education is a persistent challenge due to time constraints of trainees and instructors alike. Self-directed practice is resource-efficient and flexible; however, insight into technical proficiency among trainees is often lacking. The purpose of this study is to prospectively assess the accuracy of self-assessments among medical students learning basic surgical suturing. Over seven weekly practice sessions, preclinical medical students performed serial repetitions of a simulation-based suturing task under one-on-one observation by one of four trainers. Following each task repetition, self- and trainer-assessments (SA-TA) were performed using a 36-point weighted checklist of technical standards developed a priori by expert consensus. Upon study completion, agreement between SA and TA was measured using weighted Cohen's kappa coefficients. Twenty-nine medical students each performed a median of 25 suture task repetitions (IQR 21.5-28). Self-assessments tended to overestimate proficiency during the first tertile of practice attempts. Agreement between SA and TA improved with experience, such that the weighted kappa statistics for the two-handed and instrument ties were >0.81 after 18-21 task attempts. Inexperienced trainees frequently overestimate technical proficiency through self-assessments. However, this bias diminishes with repetitive practice. Only after trainees have attained the capacity to accurately self-assess can effective self-directed learning take place.

Integration Science and Technology of Silicon-Based Ceramics and Composites:Technical Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, M.

2013-01-01

Ceramic integration technologies enable hierarchical design and manufacturing of intricate ceramic and composite parts starting with geometrically simpler units that are subsequently joined to themselves and/or to metals to create components with progressively higher levels of complexity and functionality. However, for the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance for high temperature applications, detailed understanding of various thermochemical and thermomechanical factors is critical. Different technical approaches are required for the integration of ceramic to ceramic and ceramic to metal systems. Active metal brazing, in particular, is a simple and cost-effective method to integrate ceramic to metallic components. Active braze alloys usually contain a reactive filler metal (e.g., Ti, Cr, V, Hf etc) that promotes wettability and spreading by inducing chemical reactions with the ceramics and composites. In this presentation, various examples of brazing of silicon nitride to themselves and to metallic systems are presented. Other examples of joining of ceramic composites (C/SiC and SiC/SiC) using ceramic interlayers and the resulting microstructures are also presented. Thermomechanical characterization of joints is presented for both types of systems. In addition, various challenges and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic-ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic-metal) material systems will be discussed. Potential opportunities and need for the development of innovative design philosophies, approaches, and integrated system testing under simulated application conditions will also be presented.

Mapping Challenging Mutations by Whole-Genome Sequencing

PubMed Central

Smith, Harold E.; Fabritius, Amy S.; Jaramillo-Lambert, Aimee; Golden, Andy

2016-01-01

Whole-genome sequencing provides a rapid and powerful method for identifying mutations on a global scale, and has spurred a renewed enthusiasm for classical genetic screens in model organisms. The most commonly characterized category of mutation consists of monogenic, recessive traits, due to their genetic tractability. Therefore, most of the mapping methods for mutation identification by whole-genome sequencing are directed toward alleles that fulfill those criteria (i.e., single-gene, homozygous variants). However, such approaches are not entirely suitable for the characterization of a variety of more challenging mutations, such as dominant and semidominant alleles or multigenic traits. Therefore, we have developed strategies for the identification of those classes of mutations, using polymorphism mapping in Caenorhabditis elegans as our model for validation. We also report an alternative approach for mutation identification from traditional recombinant crosses, and a solution to the technical challenge of sequencing sterile or terminally arrested strains where population size is limiting. The methods described herein extend the applicability of whole-genome sequencing to a broader spectrum of mutations, including classes that are difficult to map by traditional means. PMID:26945029

Challenges for Insertion of Structural Nanomaterials in Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sochi, Emilie J.

2012-01-01

In the two decades since Iijima's report on carbon nanotubes (CNT), there has been great interest in realizing the benefits of mechanical properties observed at the nanoscale in large-scale structures. The weight savings possible due to dramatic improvements in mechanical properties relative to state-of-the-art material systems can be game changing for applications like aerospace vehicles. While there has been significant progress in commercial production of CNTs, major aerospace applications that take advantage of properties offered by this material have yet to be realized. This paper provides a perspective on the technical challenges and barriers for insertion of CNTs as an emerging material technology in aerospace applications and proposes approaches that may reduce the typical timeframe for technology maturation and insertion into aerospace structures.

Launch Vehicle Design Process: Characterization, Technical Integration, and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, J. C.; Ryan, R. S.; Schutzenhofer, L. A.; Humphries, W. R.

2001-01-01

Engineering design is a challenging activity for any product. Since launch vehicles are highly complex and interconnected and have extreme energy densities, their design represents a challenge of the highest order. The purpose of this document is to delineate and clarify the design process associated with the launch vehicle for space flight transportation. The goal is to define and characterize a baseline for the space transportation design process. This baseline can be used as a basis for improving effectiveness and efficiency of the design process. The baseline characterization is achieved via compartmentalization and technical integration of subsystems, design functions, and discipline functions. First, a global design process overview is provided in order to show responsibility, interactions, and connectivity of overall aspects of the design process. Then design essentials are delineated in order to emphasize necessary features of the design process that are sometimes overlooked. Finally the design process characterization is presented. This is accomplished by considering project technical framework, technical integration, process description (technical integration model, subsystem tree, design/discipline planes, decision gates, and tasks), and the design sequence. Also included in the document are a snapshot relating to process improvements, illustrations of the process, a survey of recommendations from experienced practitioners in aerospace, lessons learned, references, and a bibliography.

Planning for planetary protection : challenges beyond Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belz, Andrea P.; Cutts, James A.

2006-01-01

This document summarizes the technical challenges to planetary protection for these targets of interest and outlines some of the considerations, particularly at the system level, in designing an appropriate technology investment strategy for targets beyond Mars.

Inhaled phage therapy: a promising and challenging approach to treat bacterial respiratory infections.

PubMed

Bodier-Montagutelli, Elsa; Morello, Eric; L'Hostis, Guillaume; Guillon, Antoine; Dalloneau, Emilie; Respaud, Renaud; Pallaoro, Nikita; Blois, Hélène; Vecellio, Laurent; Gabard, Jérôme; Heuzé-Vourc'h, Nathalie

2017-08-01

Bacterial respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are increasingly difficult to treat due to evolving antibiotic resistance. In this context, bacteriophages (or phages) are part of the foreseen alternatives or combination therapies. Delivering phages through the airways seems more relevant to accumulate these natural antibacterial viruses in proximity to their bacterial host, within the infectious site. Areas covered: This review addresses the potential of phage therapy to treat RTIs and discusses preclinical and clinical results of phages administration in this context. Recent phage formulation and aerosolization attempts are also reviewed, raising technical challenges to achieve efficient pulmonary deposition via inhalation. Expert opinion: Overall, the inhalation of phages as antibacterial treatment seems both clinically relevant and technically feasible. Several crucial points still need to be investigated, such as phage product pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity. Furthermore, given phage-specific features, appropriate regulatory and manufacturing guidelines will need to be defined. Finally, randomized controlled clinical trials should be carried out to establish phage therapy's clinical positioning in the antimicrobial arsenal against RTIs.

The Changing Role of Vocational and Technical Education and Training (VOTEC). Women in Vocational and Technical Education: Changes and Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

Changes in the vocational and technical education (VTE) opportunities available for women in Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) member countries in response to changing labor markets and job skill requirements were discussed at a June 1994 meeting of experts. The discussions focused on the following issues: gender differences…

Comparison of Traditional and Innovative Techniques to Solve Technical Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perchonok, Michele

2010-01-01

Although NASA has an adequate food system for current missions, research is required to accommodate new requirements for future NASA exploration missions. The Inadequate Food System risk reflects the need to develop requirements and technologies that will enable NASA to provide the crew with a safe, nutritious and acceptable food system while effectively balancing appropriate resources such as mass, volume, and crew time in exploratory missions. As we go deeper into space or spend more time on the International Space Station (ISS), there will be requirements for packaged food to be stored for 3 5 years. New food packaging technologies are needed that have adequate oxygen and water barrier properties to maintain the foods' quality over this extended shelf life. NASA has been unsuccessful in identify packaging materials that meet the necessary requirements when using several traditional routes including literature reviews, workshops, and internal shelf life studies on foods packaged in various packaging materials. Small Business Innovative Research grants were used for accelerating food packaging materials research with limited success. In order to accelerate the process, a theoretical challenge was submitted to InnoCentive resulting in a partial award. A similar food packaging challenge was submitted to Yet2.com and several potential commercial packaging material suppliers were identified that, at least partially, met the requirements. Comparisons and results of these challenges will be discussed.

Engineering Challenges for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

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

Butterfield, S.; Musial, W.; Jonkman, J.

The major objective of this paper is to survey the technical challenges that must be overcome to develop deepwater offshore wind energy technologies and to provide a framework from which the first-order economics can be assessed.

Technical Civilizations in the Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry

2005-01-01

Are there other technical civilizations in the galaxy? Past analyses come to different conclusions. Cocconi and Morrison demonstrated in 1959 that interstellar radio communication was possible and Drake conducted the first search for beacons in 1960. The Drake equation estimates the number of galactic civilizations that are transmitting beacons as the product of the rate of star formation in the galaxy, the fraction of stars with planets, their average number of earthlike planets, the fraction with intelligent life and interstellar communication, and the average lifetime of a technical civilization. The Drake model of the galaxy contains many technical civilizations with communication but no interstellar travel. Michael Hart in 1975 strongly challenged this model. Starting with the fact that no extraterrestrials have been observed on Earth, and assuming that interstellar colonization is possible, he concluded that it was very likely that we are the first civilization in our galaxy and that searching or beacons is probably a waste of time and money. The Fermi paradox similarly reasons that if extraterrestrials exist: they should be here, and asks, Where are they? The Hart/Fermi model of the galaxy contains only our civilization and suggests we may colonize the galaxy. A third galactic model is that we are alone but will never develop interstellar travel. The fourth alternate model has many technical civilizations, with interstellar travel and colonization. The possibilities are clear and momentous. Either we are the only technical civilization in the galaxy or there are others. Technical civilizations will colonize the galaxy or not. We have four cosmic conjectures - one or many, colonization or not - but however unlikely they seem based on our limited evidence, one of these four models must be collect.

[The LESS (Laparo-endoscopic Single-Site) procedure in urology. Technical and clinical aspects].

PubMed

Neri, F; Cindolo, L; Gidaro, S; Schips, L

2010-01-01

Minimally invasive urology is rapidly advancing, and single-site laparoscopic surgery is being explored clinically. Such laparoscopic procedures are technically challenging and require an experienced laparoscopic surgeon due to the lack of port placement triangulation and instrument clashing. In the last years several surgeons all over the world have explored the feasibility and safety of LESS using several and different ports, approaches and devices. Hundreds of procedures have been described with overall favorable intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Our experience consists of more than 30 procedures successfully completed for adrenal, kidney disease and varicocele. To date, LESS could be considered feasible and effective using currently available devices, however it is to be considered as an initial status technique requiring further confirmatory studies and advanced laparoscopic skills.

Technical aspects and limitations of fractional flow reserve measurement.

PubMed

Jerabek, Stepan; Kovarnik, Tomas

2018-02-27

The only indication for coronary revascularization is elimination of ischaemia. Invasive hemodynamic methods (fractional flow reserve - FFR and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) are superior to coronary angiography in detection of lesions causing myocardial ischaemia. Current European guidelines for myocardial revascularization recommend using of FFR for detection of functional assessment of lesions severity in category IA and number of these procedures increases. However, routine usage of these methods requires knowledge of technical requirements and limitations. The aim of the study is to summarise good clinical practice for FFR and iFR measurements with explanation of possible technical challenges, that are necessary for increasing of measurement accuracy. Authors describe frequent technical mistakes and malpractice during invasive assessment of lesion severity in coronary arteries.

Interoperable Acquisition for Systems of Systems: The Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

Interoperable Acquisition for Systems of Systems: The Challenges James D. Smith II D. Mike Phillips September 2006 TECHNICAL NOTE...Failure of Program-Centric Risk Management 10 3.3.2 Absence of System-of-Systems Engineering 12 3.3.3 Disconnect Between System-of-Systems...SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | vii viii | CMU/SEI-2006-TN-034 Abstract Large, complex systems development has always been challenging , even when the

Positivists, Postmodernists, Aristotelians, and the Challenger Disaster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walzer, Arthur E.; Gross, Alan

1994-01-01

Examines the deliberations prior to the Challenger disaster from the perspective of three major approaches in recent scholarship in rhetoric as applied to technical communications: positivism, postmodernistic social constructionism, and classical Aristotelianism. Champions an approach based on Aristotle's "Rhetoric." (HB)

ERS technical standard on bronchial challenge testing: general considerations and performance of methacholine challenge tests.

PubMed

Coates, Allan L; Wanger, Jack; Cockcroft, Donald W; Culver, Bruce H; Diamant, Zuzana; Gauvreau, Gail; Hall, Graham L; Hallstrand, Teal S; Horvath, Ildiko; de Jongh, Frans H C; Joos, Guy; Kaminsky, David A; Laube, Beth L; Leuppi, Joerg D; Sterk, Peter J

2017-05-01

This international task force report updates general considerations for bronchial challenge testing and the performance of the methacholine challenge test. There are notable changes from prior recommendations in order to accommodate newer delivery devices. Rather than basing the test result upon a methacholine concentration (provocative concentration (PC 20 ) causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 )), the new recommendations base the result upon the delivered dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV 1 (provocative dose (PD 20 )). This end-point allows comparable results from different devices or protocols, thus any suitable nebuliser or dosimeter may be used, so long as the delivery characteristics are known. Inhalation may be by tidal breathing using a breath-actuated or continuous nebuliser for 1 min (or more), or by a dosimeter with a suitable breath count. Tests requiring maximal inhalations to total lung capacity are not recommended because the bronchoprotective effect of a deep breath reduces the sensitivity of the test. Copyright ©ERS 2017.

Maintaining technical excellence requires a national plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, T. F.

1991-01-01

To meet the challenge of technical excellence, AIA established a rocket propulsion committee to develop the National Rocket Propulsion Strategic Plan. Developing such a plan required a broad spectrum of experience and disciplines. The Strategic Plan team needed the participation of industry, government, and academia. The plan provides, if followed, a means for the U.S. to maintain technical excellence and world leadership in rocket propulsion. To implement the National Rocket Propulsion Strategic Plan is to invest in the social, economic, and technological futures of America. The plan lays the basis for upgrading existing propulsion systems and a firm base for future full scale development, production, and operation of rocket propulsion systems for space, defense, and commercial applications.

Shuttle ku-band communications/radar technical concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, J. W.; Kelley, J. S.; Steiner, A. W.; Vang, H. A.; Zrubek, W. E.; Huth, G. K.

1985-01-01

Technical data on the Shuttle Orbiter K sub u-band communications/radar system are presented. The more challenging aspects of the system design and development are emphasized. The technical problems encountered and the advancements made in solving them are discussed. The radar functions are presented first. Requirements and design/implementation approaches are discussed. Advanced features are explained, including Doppler measurement, frequency diversity, multiple pulse repetition frequencies and pulse widths, and multiple modes. The communications functions that are presented include advances made because of the requirements for multiple communications modes. Spread spectrum, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), variable bit rates, and other advanced techniques are discussed. Performance results and conclusions reached are outlined.

Advanced consequence management program: challenges and recent real-world implementations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graser, Tom; Barber, K. S.; Williams, Bob; Saghir, Feras; Henry, Kurt A.

2002-08-01

The Enhanced Consequence Management, Planning and Support System (ENCOMPASS) was developed under DARPA's Advanced Consequence Management program to assist decision-makers operating in crisis situations such as terrorist attacks using conventional and unconventional weapons and natural disasters. ENCOMPASS provides the tools for first responders, incident commanders, and officials at all levels to share vital information and consequently, plan and execute a coordinated response to incidents of varying complexity and size. ENCOMPASS offers custom configuration of components with capabilities ranging from map-based situation assessment, situation-based response checklists, casualty tracking, and epidemiological surveillance. Developing and deploying such a comprehensive system posed significant challenges for DARPA program management, due to an inherently complex domain, a broad spectrum of customer sites and skill sets, an often inhospitable runtime environment, demanding development-to-deployment transition requirements, and a technically diverse and geographically distributed development team. This paper introduces ENCOMPASS and explores these challenges, followed by an outline of selected ENCOMPASS deployments, demonstrating how ENCOMPASS can enhance consequence management in a variety real world contexts.

The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program: Exploring challenges, creating opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepic, Ronald P.

1993-01-01

The NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program offers researchers access to the world's largest collection of aerospace information. An overview of Program activities, products and services, and new directions is presented. The R&D information cycle is outlined and specific examples of the NASA STI Program in practice are given. Domestic and international operations and technology transfer activities are reviewed and an agenda for the STI Program NASA-wide is presented. Finally, the incorporation of Total Quality Management and evaluation metrics into the STI Program is discussed.

The Endurant Stent Graft System: 15-month follow-up report in patients with challenging abdominal aortic anatomies.

PubMed

Hyhlik-Dürr, Alexander; Weber, Tim F; Kotelis, Drossos; Rengier, Fabian; Gahlen, Johannes; Böck, Stefanie; Köhler, Jürgen; Ratusinski, Christoph-M; Böckler, Dittmar

2011-08-01

The objective of this study is to report a 15-month follow-up with the Endurant Stent Graft System in patients with challenging aortic anatomies. At three German clinics, a consecutive series of 50 patients underwent endovascular abdominal aortic repair (EVAR) for challenging abdominal aortic aneurysm with the Endurant stent graft between November 2008 and May 2009. EVAR was elective in 48 cases and emergent in two. Patients had short (≤15 mm) aortic necks, severe suprarenal/infrarenal angulation, and/or small (<8 mm), calcified, severely angulated, or tortuous iliac or femoral access vessels. Additionally, a cohort of 40 patients without challenging anatomies were retrospectively analysed to clarify differences concerning technical success, mortality, and morbidity between these groups. The primary technical success rate was 92% (46/50). The 30-day mortality rate was 2% (1/50), the death due to multiorgan failure. Intraoperative angiograms revealed three type I endoleaks (2 proximal and 1 distal), and one of those was persisting at 30 days (30-day rate, 2%). Postoperative imaging discovered no further type I or type III endoleaks. The 30-day rate of the type II endoleak was 6% (3/50). There were two cases of graft limb occlusion, both requiring reintervention within 30 days. Follow-up was available in all of the 50 patients (100%) over a median of 15 months (1-25). During this time, seven patients died (overall mortality, 16%; 8/50), besides the above-described patient, all of them unrelated to the procedure. Compared to the 30-day results with the Endurant stent graft in non-challenging anatomies (no type I endoleak; no graft limb occlusion; all-cause mortality, 0%), procedure-related complications in challenging anatomies are increasing. Early and 15-month results with the Endurant stent graft in patients with challenging aortic anatomies are encouraging.

Machine learning challenges in Mars rover traverse science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castano, R.; Judd, M.; Anderson, R. C.; Estlin, T.

2003-01-01

The successful implementation of machine learning in autonomous rover traverse science requires addressing challenges that range from the analytical technical realm, to the fuzzy, philosophical domain of entrenched belief systems within scientists and mission managers.

NOTES: a review of the technical problems encountered and their solutions.

PubMed

Mintz, Yoav; Horgan, Santiago; Cullen, John; Stuart, David; Falor, Eric; Talamini, Mark A

2008-08-01

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is currently investigated and developed worldwide. In the past few years, multiple groups have confronted this challenge. Many technical problems are encountered in this technique due to the currently available tools for this approach. Some of the unique technical problems in NOTES include: blindly performed primary incisions; uncontrolled pneumoperitoneal pressure; no support for the endoscope in the abdominal cavity; inadequate vision; insufficient illumination; limited retraction and exposure; and the complexity of suturing and performing a safe anastomosis. In this paper, we review the problems encountered in NOTES and provide possible temporary solutions. Acute and survival studies were performed on 15 farm pigs. The hybrid technique approach (i.e., endoscopic surgery with the aid of laparoscopic vision) was performed in all cases. Procedures performed included liver biopsies, bilateral tubal ligation, oophprectomy, cholecystectomy, splenectomy and small bowel resection, and anastomosis. All attempted procedures were successfully performed. New methods and techniques were developed to overcome the technical problems. Closure of the gastrotomy was achieved by T-bar sutures and by stapler closure of the stomach incision. Small bowel anastomosis was achieved by the dual-lumen NOTES technique. The hybrid technique serves as a temporary approach to aid in developing the NOTES technique. A rectal or vaginal port of entry enables and facilitates gastrointestinal NOTES by using available laparoscopic instruments. The common operations performed today in the laparoscopic fashion could be probably performed in the NOTES approach. The safety of these procedures, however, is yet to be determined.

Data Assimilation in the Solar Wind: Challenges and First Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Matthew; Browne, Philip; van Leeuwen, Peter Jan; Owens, Mathew

2017-11-01

Data assimilation (DA) is used extensively in numerical weather prediction (NWP) to improve forecast skill. Indeed, improvements in forecast skill in NWP models over the past 30 years have directly coincided with improvements in DA schemes. At present, due to data availability and technical challenges, DA is underused in space weather applications, particularly for solar wind prediction. This paper investigates the potential of advanced DA methods currently used in operational NWP centers to improve solar wind prediction. To develop the technical capability, as well as quantify the potential benefit, twin experiments are conducted to assess the performance of the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) in the solar wind model ENLIL. Boundary conditions are provided by the Wang-Sheeley-Arge coronal model and synthetic observations of density, temperature, and momentum generated every 4.5 h at 0.6 AU. While in situ spacecraft observations are unlikely to be routinely available at 0.6 AU, these techniques can be applied to remote sensing of the solar wind, such as with Heliospheric Imagers or interplanetary scintillation. The LETKF can be seen to improve the state at the observation location and advect that improvement toward the Earth, leading to an improvement in forecast skill in near-Earth space for both the observed and unobserved variables. However, sharp gradients caused by the analysis of a single observation in space resulted in artificial wavelike structures being advected toward Earth. This paper is the first attempt to apply DA to solar wind prediction and provides the first in-depth analysis of the challenges and potential solutions.

Anthropogenic wetlands due to over-irrigation of desert areas; A challenging hydrogeological investigation with extensive geophysical input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behroozmand, A. A.; Teatini, P.; Pedersen, J. B. B.; Auken, E.; Tosatto, O.; Christiansen, A. V.

2015-12-01

During the last century, many large irrigation projects have been initiated in arid lands worldwide. Despite a tremendous increase in food production, a common problem when characterizing these zones is land degradation in form of waterlogging. As results, large volumes of water are lost due to surplus irrigation in regions where water availability is extremely challenging for both population survival and economic development. The Nubariya depression, Western Desert (Egypt), is a clear example of this mechanism. Following the reclamation of desert lands for agricultural production, an artificial brackish and contaminated lake developed in the area in the late 1990s and presently extends for about 2.5 km2. Available data provide evidence of a simultaneous general deterioration of the groundwater system. With the main objectives of understanding the hydrological evolution of the area, characterizing the hydrogeological setting and developing scenarios for artificial aquifer remediation and recharge, an extensive hydrogeophysical investigation was carried out in this challenging environment using Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS, also called surface NMR) and ground-based Transient EM (TEM). The integrated interpretation of the geophysical surveys, properly calibrated with a number of boreholes, provides a clear hydrogeological picture of the upper 100 m sedimentary structure, in terms of both lithology and groundwater quality. The information is then used to set up a regional groundwater flow and a local density-dependent flow and transport numerical model to reproduce the past evolution of the aquifer system and develop a few scenarios for artificial aquifer recharge using the treated waters provided by a nearby waste-water treatment plant. The research outcomes point the hydrological challenges that emerge for an effective management of water resources in reclaimed desert areas and highlight the effectiveness of integrating advanced geophysical and modeling

Single-stage-to-orbit: Meeting the challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, Delma C., Jr.; Talay, Theodore A.; Austin, Robert Eugene

1995-10-01

There has been and continues to be significant discussion about the viability of fully reusable, single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) concepts for delivery of payloads to orbit. Often, these discussions have focused in detail on performance and technology requirements relating to the technical feasibility of the concept, with only broad generalizations on how the SSTO will achieve its economic goals of greatly reduced vehicle ground and flight operations costs. With the current industry and NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program efforts underway to mature and demonstrate technologies leading to a viable commercial launch system that also satisfies national needs, achieving acceptable recurring costs becomes a significant challenge. This paper reviews the current status of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program including the DC-XA, X-33, and X-34 flight systems and associated technology programs. The paper also examines lessons learned from the recently completed DC-X reusable rocket demonstrator program. It examines how these technologies and flight systems address the technical and operability challenges of SSTO whose solutions are necessary to reduce costs. The paper also discusses the management and operational approaches that address the challenge of a new cost-effective, reusable launch vehicle system.

Technical and Professional Communication Programs and the Small College Setting: Opportunities and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latterell, Catherine G.

2003-01-01

This article argues that the small school context has been a relatively unexamined or under-examined context for technical and professional communication program development. While graduate program development holds a large share of the field's attention in recent national forums, growth in graduate programs is a consequence of demand in the job…

Challenges in Sustaining Public Health Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altman, David G.

2009-01-01

Sustainability remains a key challenge in public health. The perspective article by Fagen and Flay adds to our understanding of technical factors associated with sustaining health interventions in schools. In this commentary, the Fagen and Flay article (2009) is considered within the broader literature on sustainability. By taking a broad view,…

Challenges and successes for the grantees and the Technical Advisory Group of WHO's influenza vaccine technology transfer initiative.

PubMed

Grohmann, Gary; Francis, Donald P; Sokhey, Jaspal; Robertson, James

2016-10-26

One of the aims of the WHO Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines (GAP) was to transfer influenza vaccine production technology to interested manufacturers and governments in developing countries, to enable greater influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity against any pandemic threat or pandemic. For this objective, the GAP was supported by an independent Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to assist WHO to select vaccine manufacturing proposals for funding and to provide programmatic support for successful grantees. While there were many challenges, for both the TAG and grantees, there were also notable successes with an additional capacity of 338-600 million pandemic vaccine doses being made possible by the programme between 2007 and 2015, and a potential capacity of more than 600 million by 2016/17 with up to one billion doses expected by 2018/19. Seasonal vaccine production was also developed in 4 countries with another 4-5 countries expected to be producing seasonal vaccine by 2018/19. The relatively small WHO investments - in time and funding - made in these companies to develop their own influenza vaccine production facilities have had quite dramatic results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Minimally Invasive Implantable Fetal Micropacemaker: Mechanical Testing and Technical Refinements

PubMed Central

Zhou, Li; Vest, Adriana N.; Peck, Raymond A.; Sredl, Jonathan P.; Huang, Xuechen; Bar-Cohen, Yaniv; Silka, Michael J.; Pruetz, Jay D.; Chmait, Ramen H.; Loeb, Gerald E.

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the technical and safety requirements for cardiac pacing of a human fetus with heart failure and hydrops fetalis secondary to complete heart block. Engineering strategies to meet specific technical requirements were integrated into a systematic design and implementation consisting of a novel fetal micropacemaker, a percutaneous implantation system, and a sterile package that enables device storage and recharging maintenance in a clinical setting. We further analyzed observed problems on myocardial fixation and pacing lead fatigue previously reported in earlier preclinical trials. This paper describes the technical refinements of the implantable fetal micropacemaker to overcome these challenges. The mechanical performance has been extensively tested to verify the improvement of reliability and safety margins of the implantation system. PMID:27021067

The exposome concept: a challenge and a potential driver for environmental health research.

PubMed

Siroux, Valérie; Agier, Lydiane; Slama, Rémy

2016-06-01

The exposome concept was defined in 2005 as encompassing all environmental exposures from conception onwards, as a new strategy to evidence environmental disease risk factors. Although very appealing, the exposome concept is challenging in many respects. In terms of assessment, several hundreds of time-varying exposures need to be considered, but increasing the number of exposures assessed should not be done at the cost of increased exposure misclassification. Accurately assessing the exposome currently requires numerous measurements, which rely on different technologies; resulting in an expensive set of protocols. In the future, high-throughput 'omics technologies may be a promising technique to integrate a wide range of exposures from a small numbers of biological matrices. Assessing the association between many exposures and health raises statistical challenges. Due to the correlation structure of the exposome, existing statistical methods cannot fully and efficiently untangle the exposures truly affecting the health outcome from correlated exposures. Other statistical challenges relate to accounting for exposure misclassification or identifying synergistic effects between exposures. On-going exposome projects are trying to overcome technical and statistical challenges. From a public health perspective, a better understanding of the environmental risk factors should open the way to improved prevention strategies. Copyright ©ERS 2016.

Anaerobic digestion of food waste - Challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Xu, Fuqing; Li, Yangyang; Ge, Xumeng; Yang, Liangcheng; Li, Yebo

2018-01-01

The disposal of large amounts of food waste has caused significant environmental pollution and financial costs globally. Compared with traditional disposal methods (i.e., landfilling, incineration, and composting), anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising technology for food waste management, but has not yet been fully applied due to a few technical and social challenges. This paper summarizes the quantity, composition, and methane potential of various types of food waste. Recent research on different strategies to enhance AD of food waste, including co-digestion, addition of micronutrients, control of foaming, and process design, is discussed. It is envisaged that AD of food waste could be combined with an existing AD facility or be integrated with the production of value-added products to reduce costs and increase revenue. Further understanding of the fundamental biological and physicochemical processes in AD is required to improve the technology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing with Protocells: Applications of a Novel Technical Platform

PubMed Central

Armstrong, Rachel

2014-01-01

The paper offers a design perspective on protocell applications and presents original research that characterizes the life-like qualities of the Bütschli dynamic droplet system, as a particular “species” of protocell. Specific focus is given to the possibility of protocell species becoming a technical platform for designing and engineering life-like solutions to address design challenges. An alternative framing of the protocell, based on process philosophy, sheds light on its capabilities as a technology that can deal with probability and whose ontology is consistent with complexity, nonlinear dynamics and the flow of energy and matter. However, the proposed technical systems do not yet formally exist as products or mature technologies. Their potential applications are therefore experimentally examined within a design context as architectural “projects”—an established way of considering proposals that have not yet been realized, like an extended hypothesis. Exemplary design-led projects are introduced, such as The Hylozoic Ground and Future Venice, which aim to “discover”, rather than “solve”, challenges to examine a set of possibilities that have not yet been resolved. The value of such exploration in design practice is in opening up a set of potential directions for further assessment before complex challenges are procedurally implemented. PMID:25370381

Strategic Management for Competitive Advantage: A Case Study of Higher Technical and Vocational Education in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hsun-I; Lee, Cheng-Fei

2012-01-01

Higher technical and vocational education institutions in Taiwan face the pressure of an oversupply of student places and fierce competition from domestic and international institutions. To cope with these challenges, higher technical and vocational education institutions that are better equipped to respond to market requirements are expected to…

Challenges of Integrating NASA's Space Communications Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinert, Jessica; Barnes, Patrick

2013-01-01

The transition to new technology, innovative ideas, and resistance to change is something that every industry experiences. Recent examples of this shift are changing to using robots in the assembly line construction of automobiles or the increasing use of robotics for medical procedures. Most often this is done with cost-reduction in mind, though ease of use for the customer is also a driver. All industries experience the push to increase efficiency of their systems; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the commercial space industry are no different. NASA space communication services are provided by three separately designed, developed, maintained, and operated communications networks known as the Deep Space Network (DSN), Near Earth Network (NEN) and Space Network (SN). The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program is pursuing integration of these networks and has performed a variety of architecture trade studies to determine what integration options would be the most effective in achieving a unified user mission support organization, and increase the use of common operational equipment and processes. The integration of multiple, legacy organizations and existing systems has challenges ranging from technical to cultural. The existing networks are the progeny of the very first communication and tracking capabilities implemented by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) more than 50 years ago and have been customized to the needs of their respective user mission base. The technical challenges to integrating the networks are many, though not impossible to overcome. The three distinct networks provide the same types of services, with customizable data rates, bandwidth, frequencies, and so forth. The differences across the networks have occurred in effort to satisfy their user missions' needs. Each new requirement has made the networks more unique and harder to integrate. The cultural challenges, however, have proven to be a

Challenges of Integrating NASAs Space Communication Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinert, Jessica M.; Barnes, Patrick

2013-01-01

The transition to new technology, innovative ideas, and resistance to change is something that every industry experiences. Recent examples of this shift are changing to using robots in the assembly line construction of automobiles or the increasing use of robotics for medical procedures. Most often this is done with cost-reduction in mind, though ease of use for the customer is also a driver. All industries experience the push to increase efficiency of their systems; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the commercial space industry are no different. NASA space communication services are provided by three separately designed, developed, maintained, and operated communications networks known as the Deep Space Network (DSN), Near Earth Network (NEN) and Space Network (SN). The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program is pursuing integration of these networks and has performed a variety of architecture trade studies to determine what integration options would be the most effective in achieving a unified user mission support organization, and increase the use of common operational equipment and processes. The integration of multiple, legacy organizations and existing systems has challenges ranging from technical to cultural. The existing networks are the progeny of the very first communication and tracking capabilities implemented by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) more than 50 years ago and have been customized to the needs of their respective user mission base. The technical challenges to integrating the networks are many, though not impossible to overcome. The three distinct networks provide the same types of services, with customizable data rates, bandwidth, frequencies, and so forth. The differences across the networks have occurred in effort to satisfy their user missions' needs. Each new requirement has made the networks more unique and harder to integrate. The cultural challenges, however, have proven to be a

Zero Energy Schools: The Challenges

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

Torcellini, Paul A

School buildings have a lot of potential to achieve zero energy (ZE) in new construction as well as in retrofits. There are many examples of schools operating at ZE, and many technical resources available to guide school districts and their design and construction teams through the process. When school districts embark on the path to ZE, however, they often confront challenges related to processes and a perception that ZE buildings require 'new,' unconventional, and expensive technologies, materials, or equipment. Here are some of the challenges school districts and their design and construction teams commonly encounter, and the solutions they usemore » to overcome them.« less

IT Labs Proof-of-Concept Project: Technical Data Interoperability (TDI) Pathfinder Via Emerging Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conroy, Mike; Gill, Paul; Ingalls, John; Bengtsson, Kjell

2014-01-01

No known system is in place to allow NASA technical data interoperability throughout the whole life cycle. Life Cycle Cost (LCC) will be higher on many developing programs if action isn't taken soon to join disparate systems efficiently. Disparate technical data also increases safety risks from poorly integrated elements. NASA requires interoperability and industry standards, but breaking legacy ways is a challenge.

An Enrollment Audit of the Public Community and Technical Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Auditor's Office, Austin.

An August 1997 report from the Office of the State Auditor, this document contains the results of an enrollment audit of Texas' Public Community and Technical Colleges. It recommends that no adjustments be made to the Public Community and Technical Colleges' 1998-1999 biennial appropriations, due to the fact that the $7.7 million in errors…

SOFIA'S Challenge: Scheduling Airborne Astronomy Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, Jeremy

2005-01-01

generate flights enables humans to assess and analyze complex tradeoffs between fuel consumption, estimated science quality and the percentage of scheduled observations. Due to the changing nature of SOFIA scheduling problems, this functionality will play a crucial role in optimizing science and minimizing costs during operations. In the full paper, we will summarize the technical challenges that have been met in order to build this system. These include: design of the search algorithm, design of appropriate heuristics and approximations, and reduction in the size of the search space. We will also describe technical challenges that are currently being addressed, including the extension of the existing approach to handle new solution criteria. Finally, we will describe a variety of cultural challenges that the astronomical community must address in order to successfully use SOFIA, and describe how the AFT can be used to address some of these challenges. Specifically, many of the intended science users are accustomed to using ground-based or space-based observatories; we will identify some differences that arise due to the nature of airborne observatories, and how the AFT can be extended to provide useful services to ease these cultural differences.

Technical Efficiency of Hospitals in Tehran, Iran.

PubMed

Kakeman, Edris; Rahimi Forushani, Abbas; Dargahi, Hossein

2016-04-01

Nowadays, restriction on access and optimum use of resources is the main challenge of development in all organizations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the technical efficiency and its factors, influencing hospitals of Tehran. This research was a descriptive-analytical and retrospective study conducted in 2014-2015. Fifty two hospitals with public, private, and social security ownership type were selected for this study. The required data was collected by a researcher-made check list in 3 sections of background data, inputs and outputs. The data was analyzed by DEAP 1.0.2, and STATA-13 technique. Seventeen (31/48) of hospitals had the efficiency score of 1 as the highest technical efficiency. The highest average score of efficiency was related to social security hospitals as 84.32, and then the public and private hospitals with the average of 84.29 and 79.64 respectively. Tobit regression results showed that the size, type of practice, and ownership of hospitals were effective on the degree of their technical efficiency. However, there was no significant correlation between teaching / non-teaching hospitals with technical efficiency. Establishment of competition system among hospitals, constitution of medium size hospitals and allocation of budget to hospitals based on national accreditation system are recommended.

Ecosystem services provided by a complex coastal region: challenges of classification and mapping.

PubMed

Sousa, Lisa P; Sousa, Ana I; Alves, Fátima L; Lillebø, Ana I

2016-03-11

A variety of ecosystem services classification systems and mapping approaches are available in the scientific and technical literature, which needs to be selected and adapted when applied to complex territories (e.g. in the interface between water and land, estuary and sea). This paper provides a framework for addressing ecosystem services in complex coastal regions. The roadmap comprises the definition of the exact geographic boundaries of the study area; the use of CICES (Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services) for ecosystem services identification and classification; and the definition of qualitative indicators that will serve as basis to map the ecosystem services. Due to its complexity, the Ria de Aveiro coastal region was selected as case study, presenting an opportunity to explore the application of such approaches at a regional scale. The main challenges of implementing the proposed roadmap, together with its advantages are discussed in this research. The results highlight the importance of considering both the connectivity of natural systems and the complexity of the governance framework; the flexibility and robustness, but also the challenges when applying CICES at regional scale; and the challenges regarding ecosystem services mapping.

Ecosystem services provided by a complex coastal region: challenges of classification and mapping

PubMed Central

Sousa, Lisa P.; Sousa, Ana I.; Alves, Fátima L.; Lillebø, Ana I.

2016-01-01

A variety of ecosystem services classification systems and mapping approaches are available in the scientific and technical literature, which needs to be selected and adapted when applied to complex territories (e.g. in the interface between water and land, estuary and sea). This paper provides a framework for addressing ecosystem services in complex coastal regions. The roadmap comprises the definition of the exact geographic boundaries of the study area; the use of CICES (Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services) for ecosystem services identification and classification; and the definition of qualitative indicators that will serve as basis to map the ecosystem services. Due to its complexity, the Ria de Aveiro coastal region was selected as case study, presenting an opportunity to explore the application of such approaches at a regional scale. The main challenges of implementing the proposed roadmap, together with its advantages are discussed in this research. The results highlight the importance of considering both the connectivity of natural systems and the complexity of the governance framework; the flexibility and robustness, but also the challenges when applying CICES at regional scale; and the challenges regarding ecosystem services mapping. PMID:26964892

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous microwave ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma in challenging locations: safety and efficacy of high-power microwave platforms.

PubMed

Filippiadis, Dimitrios K; Spiliopoulos, Stavros; Konstantos, Chrysostomos; Reppas, Lazaros; Kelekis, Alexis; Brountzos, Elias; Kelekis, Nikolaos

2017-09-03

To evaluate the clinical efficacy/safety of CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for HCC in challenging locations using high-power microwave platforms. A retrospective review was conducted in 26 patients with 36 HCC tumours in challenging locations (hepatic dome, subcapsular, close to the heart/diaphragm/hepatic hilum, exophytic) undergoing CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation in a single centre since January 2011. Two different microwave platforms were used both operating at 2.45 GHz: AMICA and Acculis MWA System. Patient demographics including age, sex, tumour size and location, as well as technical details were recorded. Technical success, treatment response, patients survival and complication rate were evaluated. Treated tumours were located in the hepatic dome (n = 14), subcapsularly (n = 16), in proximity to the heart (n = 2) or liver hilum (n = 2), while two were exophytic tumours at segment VI (n = 2). Mean tumour diameter was 3.30 cm (range 1.4-5 cm). In 3/26 patients (diameter >4 cm), an additional session of DEB-TACE was performed due to tumour size. Technical success rate was 100%; complete response rate was recorded in 33/36 tumours (91.6%). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, survival rate was 92.3% and 72.11% at 24- and 60-month follow-up, respectively. There were no major complications; two cases of minor pneumothorax and two cases of small subcapsular haematoma were resolved only with observation requiring no further treatment. CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma tumours in challenging locations and up to 5 cm in diameter can be performed with high efficacy and safety rates.

Non-technical skills of surgical trainees and experienced surgeons.

PubMed

Gostlow, H; Marlow, N; Thomas, M J W; Hewett, P J; Kiermeier, A; Babidge, W; Altree, M; Pena, G; Maddern, G

2017-05-01

In addition to technical expertise, surgical competence requires effective non-technical skills to ensure patient safety and maintenance of standards. Recently the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons implemented a new Surgical Education and Training (SET) curriculum that incorporated non-technical skills considered essential for a competent surgeon. This study sought to compare the non-technical skills of experienced surgeons who completed their training before the introduction of SET with the non-technical skills of more recent trainees. Surgical trainees and experienced surgeons undertook a simulated scenario designed to challenge their non-technical skills. Scenarios were video recorded and participants were assessed using the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) scoring system. Participants were divided into subgroups according to years of experience and their NOTSS scores were compared. For most NOTSS elements, mean scores increased initially, peaking around the time of Fellowship, before decreasing roughly linearly over time. There was a significant downward trend in score with increasing years since being awarded Fellowship for six of the 12 NOTSS elements: considering options (score -0·015 units per year), implementing and reviewing decisions (-0·020 per year), establishing a shared understanding (-0·014 per year), setting and maintaining standards (-0·024 per year), supporting others (-0·031 per year) and coping with pressure (-0·015 per year). The drop in NOTSS score was unexpected and highlights that even experienced surgeons are not immune to deficiencies in non-technical skills. Consideration should be given to continuing professional development programmes focusing on non-technical skills, regardless of the level of professional experience. © 2017 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

48 CFR 227.7103-15 - Subcontractor rights in technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items, and 252.227-7037, Validation of... subcontractor to transact directly with the Government matters relating to the validation of its asserted... contractor's agreement that the direct transaction of validation or challenge matters with subcontractors at...

48 CFR 227.7103-15 - Subcontractor rights in technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items, and 252.227-7037, Validation of... subcontractor to transact directly with the Government matters relating to the validation of its asserted... contractor's agreement that the direct transaction of validation or challenge matters with subcontractors at...

48 CFR 227.7103-15 - Subcontractor rights in technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items, and 252.227-7037, Validation of... subcontractor to transact directly with the Government matters relating to the validation of its asserted... contractor's agreement that the direct transaction of validation or challenge matters with subcontractors at...

48 CFR 227.7103-15 - Subcontractor rights in technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items, and 252.227-7037, Validation of... subcontractor to transact directly with the Government matters relating to the validation of its asserted... contractor's agreement that the direct transaction of validation or challenge matters with subcontractors at...

48 CFR 227.7103-15 - Subcontractor rights in technical data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items, and 252.227-7037, Validation of... subcontractor to transact directly with the Government matters relating to the validation of its asserted... contractor's agreement that the direct transaction of validation or challenge matters with subcontractors at...

1969 Proceedings of the Technical Information Advisory Committee...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Security Industrial Association, Washington, DC.

The meetings were set up to find ways to overcome the barriers that regulate or reduce the flow of scientific/Technical information and data to the user. Giving the user what he needs, when he needs it, and at a cost he can afford is the basic challenge faced by information services. Obtaining information depends on: (1) personal habits; (2)…

Prototype design for a predictive model to improve evacuation operations : technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

Mass evacuations of the Texas Gulf Coast remain a difficult challenge. These events are massive in scale, : highly complex, and entail an intricate, ever-changing conglomeration of technical and jurisdictional issues. : This project focused primarily...

2010 Panel on the Biomaterials Grand Challenges

PubMed Central

Reichert, William “Monty”; Ratner, Buddy D.; Anderson, James; Coury, Art; Hoffman, Allan S.; Laurencin, Cato T.; Tirrell, David

2014-01-01

In 2009, the National Academy for Engineering issued the Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century comprised of 14 technical challenges that must be addressed to build a healthy, profitable, sustainable, and secure global community (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org). Although crucial, none of the NEA Grand Challenges adequately addressed the challenges that face the biomaterials community. In response to the NAE Grand Challenges, Monty Reichert of Duke University organized a panel entitled Grand Challenges in Biomaterials at the at the 2010 Society for Biomaterials Annual Meeting in Seattle. Six members of the National Academies—Buddy Ratner, James Anderson, Allan Hoffman, Art Coury, Cato Laurencin, and David Tirrell—were asked to propose a grand challenge to the audience that, if met, would significantly impact the future of biomaterials and medical devices. Successfully meeting these challenges will speed the 60-plus year transition from commodity, off-the-shelf biomaterials to bioengineered chemistries, and biomaterial devices that will significantly advance our ability to address patient needs and also to create new market opportunities. PMID:21171147

48 CFR 227.7103-13 - Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... validation. Contracting officers must have reasonable grounds to challenge the current validity of an... available information pertaining to the assertion. All challenges must be made in accordance with the provisions of the clause at 252.227-7037, Validation of Restrictive Markings on Technical Data. (1) Challenge...

PREFACE: Conceptual and Technical Challenges for Quantum Gravity 2014 - Parallel session: Noncommutative Geometry and Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinetti, P.; Wallet, J.-C.; Amelino-Camelia, G.

2015-08-01

The conference Conceptual and Technical Challenges for Quantum Gravity at Sapienza University of Rome, from 8 to 12 September 2014, has provided a beautiful opportunity for an encounter between different approaches and different perspectives on the quantum-gravity problem. It contributed to a higher level of shared knowledge among the quantum-gravity communities pursuing each specific research program. There were plenary talks on many different approaches, including in particular string theory, loop quantum gravity, spacetime noncommutativity, causal dynamical triangulations, asymptotic safety and causal sets. Contributions from the perspective of philosophy of science were also welcomed. In addition several parallel sessions were organized. The present volume collects contributions from the Noncommutative Geometry and Quantum Gravity parallel session4, with additional invited contributions from specialists in the field. Noncommutative geometry in its many incarnations appears at the crossroad of many researches in theoretical and mathematical physics: • from models of quantum space-time (with or without breaking of Lorentz symmetry) to loop gravity and string theory, • from early considerations on UV-divergencies in quantum field theory to recent models of gauge theories on noncommutative spacetime, • from Connes description of the standard model of elementary particles to recent Pati-Salam like extensions. This volume provides an overview of these various topics, interesting for the specialist as well as accessible to the newcomer. 4partially funded by CNRS PEPS /PTI ''Metric aspect of noncommutative geometry: from Monge to Higgs''

Single-stage-to-orbit — Meeting the challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, Delma C.; Talay, Theodore A.; Austin, Robert Eugene

1996-02-01

There has been and continues to be significant discussion about the viability of fully reusable, single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) concepts for delivery of payloads to orbit. Often, these discussions have focused in detail on performance and technology requirements relating to the technical feasibility of the concept, with only broad generalizations on how the SSTO will achieve its economic goals of greatly reduced vehicle ground and flight operations costs. With the current industry and NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program efforts underway to mature and demonstrate technologies leading to a viable commercial launch system that also satisfies national needs, achieving acceptable recurring costs becomes a significant challenge. This paper reviews the current status of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program including the DC-XA, X-33, X-34 flight systems and associated technology programs. The paper also examines lessons learned from the recently completed DC-X reusable rocket demonstrator program. It examines how these technologies and flight systems address the technical and operability challenges of SSTO whose solutions are necessary to reduce costs. The paper also discusses the management and operational approaches that address the challenge of a new cost-effective, reusable launch vehicle system.

Data Assimilation in the Solar Wind: Challenges and First Results.

PubMed

Lang, Matthew; Browne, Philip; van Leeuwen, Peter Jan; Owens, Mathew

2017-11-01

Data assimilation (DA) is used extensively in numerical weather prediction (NWP) to improve forecast skill. Indeed, improvements in forecast skill in NWP models over the past 30 years have directly coincided with improvements in DA schemes. At present, due to data availability and technical challenges, DA is underused in space weather applications, particularly for solar wind prediction. This paper investigates the potential of advanced DA methods currently used in operational NWP centers to improve solar wind prediction. To develop the technical capability, as well as quantify the potential benefit, twin experiments are conducted to assess the performance of the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) in the solar wind model ENLIL. Boundary conditions are provided by the Wang-Sheeley-Arge coronal model and synthetic observations of density, temperature, and momentum generated every 4.5 h at 0.6 AU. While in situ spacecraft observations are unlikely to be routinely available at 0.6 AU, these techniques can be applied to remote sensing of the solar wind, such as with Heliospheric Imagers or interplanetary scintillation. The LETKF can be seen to improve the state at the observation location and advect that improvement toward the Earth, leading to an improvement in forecast skill in near-Earth space for both the observed and unobserved variables. However, sharp gradients caused by the analysis of a single observation in space resulted in artificial wavelike structures being advected toward Earth. This paper is the first attempt to apply DA to solar wind prediction and provides the first in-depth analysis of the challenges and potential solutions.

Status and Opportunities for Improving the Consistency of Technical Reference Manuals

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

Jayaweera, Tina; Velonis, Aquila; Haeri, Hossein

Across the United States, energy-efficiency program administrators rely on Technical Reference Manuals (TRMs) as sources for calculations and deemed savings values for specific, well-defined efficiency measures. TRMs play an important part in energy efficiency program planning by providing a common and consistent source for calculation of ex ante and often ex post savings. They thus help reduce energy-efficiency resource acquisition costs by obviating the need for extensive measurement and verification and lower performance risk for program administrators and implementation contractors. This paper considers the benefits of establishing region-wide or national TRMs and considers the challenges of such undertaking due tomore » the difficulties in comparing energy savings across jurisdictions. We argue that greater consistency across TRMs in the approaches used to determine deemed savings values, with more transparency about assumptions, would allow better comparisons in savings estimates across jurisdictions as well as improve confidence in reported efficiency measure savings. To support this thesis, we review approaches for the calculation of savings for select measures in TRMs currently in use in 17 jurisdictions. The review reveals differences in the saving methodologies, technical assumptions, and input variables used for estimating deemed savings values. These differences are described and their implications are summarized, using four, common energy-efficiency measures as examples. Recommendations are then offered for establishing a uniform approach for determining deemed savings values.« less

Meta-analysis of the technical performance of an imaging procedure: guidelines and statistical methodology.

PubMed

Huang, Erich P; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; McShane, Lisa M; Gönen, Mithat; Ye, Jingjing; Buckler, Andrew J; Kinahan, Paul E; Reeves, Anthony P; Jackson, Edward F; Guimaraes, Alexander R; Zahlmann, Gudrun

2015-02-01

Medical imaging serves many roles in patient care and the drug approval process, including assessing treatment response and guiding treatment decisions. These roles often involve a quantitative imaging biomarker, an objectively measured characteristic of the underlying anatomic structure or biochemical process derived from medical images. Before a quantitative imaging biomarker is accepted for use in such roles, the imaging procedure to acquire it must undergo evaluation of its technical performance, which entails assessment of performance metrics such as repeatability and reproducibility of the quantitative imaging biomarker. Ideally, this evaluation will involve quantitative summaries of results from multiple studies to overcome limitations due to the typically small sample sizes of technical performance studies and/or to include a broader range of clinical settings and patient populations. This paper is a review of meta-analysis procedures for such an evaluation, including identification of suitable studies, statistical methodology to evaluate and summarize the performance metrics, and complete and transparent reporting of the results. This review addresses challenges typical of meta-analyses of technical performance, particularly small study sizes, which often causes violations of assumptions underlying standard meta-analysis techniques. Alternative approaches to address these difficulties are also presented; simulation studies indicate that they outperform standard techniques when some studies are small. The meta-analysis procedures presented are also applied to actual [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) test-retest repeatability data for illustrative purposes. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Meta-analysis of the technical performance of an imaging procedure: Guidelines and statistical methodology

PubMed Central

Huang, Erich P; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; McShane, Lisa M; Gönen, Mithat; Ye, Jingjing; Buckler, Andrew J; Kinahan, Paul E; Reeves, Anthony P; Jackson, Edward F; Guimaraes, Alexander R; Zahlmann, Gudrun

2017-01-01

Medical imaging serves many roles in patient care and the drug approval process, including assessing treatment response and guiding treatment decisions. These roles often involve a quantitative imaging biomarker, an objectively measured characteristic of the underlying anatomic structure or biochemical process derived from medical images. Before a quantitative imaging biomarker is accepted for use in such roles, the imaging procedure to acquire it must undergo evaluation of its technical performance, which entails assessment of performance metrics such as repeatability and reproducibility of the quantitative imaging biomarker. Ideally, this evaluation will involve quantitative summaries of results from multiple studies to overcome limitations due to the typically small sample sizes of technical performance studies and/or to include a broader range of clinical settings and patient populations. This paper is a review of meta-analysis procedures for such an evaluation, including identification of suitable studies, statistical methodology to evaluate and summarize the performance metrics, and complete and transparent reporting of the results. This review addresses challenges typical of meta-analyses of technical performance, particularly small study sizes, which often causes violations of assumptions underlying standard meta-analysis techniques. Alternative approaches to address these difficulties are also presented; simulation studies indicate that they outperform standard techniques when some studies are small. The meta-analysis procedures presented are also applied to actual [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) test–retest repeatability data for illustrative purposes. PMID:24872353

Microstructural Development and Technical Challenges in Laser Additive Manufacturing: Case Study with a 316L Industrial Part

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marya, Manuel; Singh, Virendra; Marya, Surendar; Hascoet, Jean Yves

2015-08-01

Additive manufacturing (AM) brings disruptive changes to the ways parts, and products are designed, fabricated, tested, qualified, inspected, marketed, and sold. These changes introduce novel technical challenges and concerns arising from the maturity and diversity of today's AM processes, feedstock materials, and process parameter interactions. AM bears a resemblance with laser and electron beam welding in the so-called conduction mode, which involves a multitude of dynamic physical events between the projected feedstock and a moving heat source that eventually influence AM part properties. For this paper, an air vent was selected for its thin-walled, hollow, and variable cross section, and limited size. The studied air vents, randomly selected from a qualification batch, were fabricated out of 316L stainless steel using a 4 kW fiber laser powder-fed AM system, referred to as construction laser additive direct (CLAD). These were systematically characterized by microhardness indentation, visual examination, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and electron-back-scattering diffraction in order to determine AM part suitability for service and also broadly discuss metallurgical phenomena. The paper then briefly expands the discussion to include additional engineering alloys and further analyze relationships between AM process parameters and AM part properties, consistently utilizing past experience with the same powder-fed CLAD 3D printer, the well-established science and technology of welding and joining, and recent publications on additive manufacturing.

Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Incident Data Associated with the Technical Challenges of the Atmospheric Environment Safety Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withrow, Colleen A.; Reveley, Mary S.

2014-01-01

This study analyzed aircraft incidents in the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) that apply to two of the three technical challenges (TCs) in NASA's Aviation Safety Program's Atmospheric Environment Safety Technology Project. The aircraft incidents are related to airframe icing and atmospheric hazards TCs. The study reviewed incidents that listed their primary problem as weather or environment-nonweather between 1994 and 2011 for aircraft defined by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Parts 121, 135, and 91. The study investigated the phases of flight, a variety of anomalies, flight conditions, and incidents by FAR part, along with other categories. The first part of the analysis focused on airframe-icing-related incidents and found 275 incidents out of 3526 weather-related incidents over the 18-yr period. The second portion of the study focused on atmospheric hazards and found 4647 incidents over the same time period. Atmospheric hazards-related incidents included a range of conditions from clear air turbulence and wake vortex, to controlled flight toward terrain, ground encounters, and incursions.

Globalization, Critical Post-Colonialism and Career and Technical Education in Africa: Challenges and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goura, Tairou

2012-01-01

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is central to political discourses and educational concerns as a means for economic development, poverty alleviation, youth employment, and social mobility. Yet, there is an intriguing contradiction between this consideration and the real attention dedicated to…

Wearable devices for blood purification: principles, miniaturization, and technical challenges.

PubMed

Armignacco, Paolo; Lorenzin, Anna; Neri, Mauro; Nalesso, Federico; Garzotto, Francesco; Ronco, Claudio

2015-01-01

The prevalences of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) continue to increase across the world imposing staggering costs on providers. Therefore, strategies to optimize the treatment and improve survival are of fundamental importance. Despite the benefits of daily dialysis, its implementation is difficult and wearable hemodialysis might represent an alternative by which frequent treatments can be delivered to ESRD patients with much less interference in their routines promoting better quality of life. The development of the wearable artificial kidney (WAK) requires incorporation of basic components of a dialysis system into a wearable device that allows mobility, miniaturization, and above all, patient-oriented management. The technical requirements necessary for WAK can be divided into the following broad categories: dialysis membranes, dialysis regeneration, vascular access, patient monitoring systems, and power sources. Pumping systems for blood and other fluids are the most critical components of the entire device. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teaching Intercultural Communication in a Basic Technical Writing Course: A Survey of Our Current Practices and Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matveeva, Natalia

2008-01-01

This research article reports the results of an online survey distributed among technical writing instructors in 2006. The survey aimed to examine how we teach intercultural communication in basic technical writing courses: our current practices and methods. The article discusses three major challenges that instructors may face when teaching about…

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: Technical considerations and an update

PubMed Central

Dominguez-Escrig, Jose L; Vasdev, Nikhil; O’Riordon, Anna; Soomro, Naeem

2011-01-01

The widespread use of radiological imaging (ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) has resulted in a steady increase in the incidental diagnosis of small renal masses. While open partial nephrectomy (OPN) remains the reference standard for the management of small renal masses, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) continues to evolve. LPN is currently advocated to be at par with OPN oncologically. The steep learning curve and technical demand of LPN make it challenging to establish this as a new procedure. We present a detailed up-to-date review on the previous, current and planned technical considerations for the use of LPN, highlighting important surgical techniques, including single-port and robotic surgery, techniques on improving intra-operative haemostasis and the management of complications specific to LPN. PMID:22022109

Neutron Resonance Radiography for Explosives Detection: Technical Challenges

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

Raas, W L; Blackburn, B; Boyd, E

2005-11-09

Fast Neutron Resonance Radiography (NRR) has recently become a focus of investigation as a supplement to conventional x-ray systems as a non-invasive, non-destructive means of detecting explosive material concealed in checked luggage or cargo containers at airports. Using fast (1-6 MeV) neutrons produced by the D(d,n){sup 3}He reaction, NRR provides both an imaging capability and the ability to determine the chemical composition of materials in baggage or cargo. Elemental discrimination is achieved by exploiting the resonance features of the neutron cross-section for oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen. Simulations have shown the effectiveness of multiple-element NRR through Monte Carlo transport methods;more » this work is focused on the development of a prototype system that will incorporate an accelerator-based neutron source and a neutron detection and imaging system to demonstrate the realistic capabilities of NRR in distinguishing the elemental components of concealed objects. Preliminary experiments have exposed significant technical difficulties unapparent in simulations, including the presence of image contamination from gamma ray production, the detection of low-fluence fast neutrons in a gamma field, and the mechanical difficulties inherent in the use of thin foil windows for gas cell confinement. To mitigate these concerns, a new gas target has been developed to simultaneously reduce gamma ray production and increase structural integrity in high flux gas targets. Development of a neutron imaging system and neutron counting based on characteristic neutron pulse shapes have been investigated as a means of improving signal to noise ratios, reducing irradiation times, and increasing the accuracy of elemental determination.« less

FacetGist: Collective Extraction of Document Facets in Large Technical Corpora

PubMed Central

Siddiqui, Tarique; Ren, Xiang; Parameswaran, Aditya; Han, Jiawei

2017-01-01

Given the large volume of technical documents available, it is crucial to automatically organize and categorize these documents to be able to understand and extract value from them. Towards this end, we introduce a new research problem called Facet Extraction. Given a collection of technical documents, the goal of Facet Extraction is to automatically label each document with a set of concepts for the key facets (e.g., application, technique, evaluation metrics, and dataset) that people may be interested in. Facet Extraction has numerous applications, including document summarization, literature search, patent search and business intelligence. The major challenge in performing Facet Extraction arises from multiple sources: concept extraction, concept to facet matching, and facet disambiguation. To tackle these challenges, we develop FacetGist, a framework for facet extraction. Facet Extraction involves constructing a graph-based heterogeneous network to capture information available across multiple local sentence-level features, as well as global context features. We then formulate a joint optimization problem, and propose an efficient algorithm for graph-based label propagation to estimate the facet of each concept mention. Experimental results on technical corpora from two domains demonstrate that Facet Extraction can lead to an improvement of over 25% in both precision and recall over competing schemes. PMID:28210517

FacetGist: Collective Extraction of Document Facets in Large Technical Corpora.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Tarique; Ren, Xiang; Parameswaran, Aditya; Han, Jiawei

2016-10-01

Given the large volume of technical documents available, it is crucial to automatically organize and categorize these documents to be able to understand and extract value from them. Towards this end, we introduce a new research problem called Facet Extraction. Given a collection of technical documents, the goal of Facet Extraction is to automatically label each document with a set of concepts for the key facets ( e.g. , application, technique, evaluation metrics, and dataset) that people may be interested in. Facet Extraction has numerous applications, including document summarization, literature search, patent search and business intelligence. The major challenge in performing Facet Extraction arises from multiple sources: concept extraction, concept to facet matching, and facet disambiguation. To tackle these challenges, we develop FacetGist, a framework for facet extraction. Facet Extraction involves constructing a graph-based heterogeneous network to capture information available across multiple local sentence-level features, as well as global context features. We then formulate a joint optimization problem, and propose an efficient algorithm for graph-based label propagation to estimate the facet of each concept mention. Experimental results on technical corpora from two domains demonstrate that Facet Extraction can lead to an improvement of over 25% in both precision and recall over competing schemes.

Influenceable and Avoidable Risk Factors for Systemic Air Embolism due to Percutaneous CT-Guided Lung Biopsy: Patient Positioning and Coaxial Biopsy Technique—Case Report, Systematic Literature Review, and a Technical Note

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Following the first case of a systemic air embolism due to percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy in our clinic we analysed the literature regarding this matter in view of influenceable or avoidable risk factors. A systematic review of literature reporting cases of systemic air embolism due to CT-guided lung biopsy was performed to find out whether prone positioning might be a risk factor regarding this issue. In addition, a technical note concerning coaxial biopsy practice is presented. Prone position seems to have relevance for the development and/or clinical manifestation of air embolism due to CT-guided lung biopsy and should be considered a risk factor, at least as far as lesions in the lower parts of the lung are concerned. Biopsies of small or cavitary lesions in coaxial technique should be performed using a hemostatic valve. PMID:25431666

Space shuttle main engine: Interactive design challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarty, J. P.; Wood, B. K.

1985-01-01

The operating requirements established by NASA for the SSME were considerably more demanding than those for earlier rocket engines used in the military launch vehicles or Apollo program. The SSME, in order to achieve the high performance, low weight, long life, reusable objectives, embodied technical demands far in excess of its predecessor rocket engines. The requirements dictated the use of high combustion pressure and the staged combustion cycle which maximizes performance through total use of all propellants in the main combustion process. This approach presented a myriad of technical challenges for maximization of performance within attainable state of the art capabilities for operating pressures, operating temperatures and rotating machinery efficiencies. Controlling uniformity of the high pressure turbomachinery turbine temperature environment was a key challenge for thrust level and life capability demanding innovative engineering. New approaches in the design of the components were necessary to accommodate the multiple use, minimum maintenance objectives. Included were the use of line replaceable units to facilitate field maintenance automatic checkout and internal inspection capabilities.

[Airway management in Ludwig's angina - a challenge: case report].

PubMed

Fellini, Roberto Taboada; Volquind, Daniel; Schnor, Otávio Haygert; Angeletti, Marcelo Gustavo; Souza, Olívia Egger de

Ludwig's angina (LA) is an infection of the submandibular space, first described by Wilhelm Frederick von Ludwig in 1836. It represents an entity difficult to manage due to the rapid progression and difficulty in maintaining airway patency, a major challenge in medical practice, resulting in asphyxia and death in 8-10% of patients. Describe a case of a patient with Ludwig's angina undergoing surgery, with emphasis on airway management, in addition to reviewing the articles published in the literature on this topic. Male patient, 21 years, drug addict, admitted by the emergency department and diagnosed with LA. Difficult airway was identified during the anesthetic examination. In additional tests, significant deviation from the tracheal axis was seen. Undergoing bilateral thoracoscopic pleural drainage, we opted for airway management through tracheal intubation using fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and balanced general anesthesia was proposed. There were no complications during the surgical-anesthetic act. After the procedure, the patient remained intubated and mechanically ventilated in the intensive care unit. Airway management in patients with Ludwig's angina remains challenging. The choice of the safest technique should be based on clinical signs, technical conditions available, and the urgent need to preserve the patient's life. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Definition of Intervener Services and Interveners in Educational Settings. Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, 2013

2013-01-01

This technical report synthesizes the process and information used by National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) in the development of a consistently applied definition of intervener services. It addresses challenges and questions, provides comparisons between interveners and paraprofessionals, and offers definitions, roles and concepts used by…

Shared Challenges and in a Networked Cultural Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenstein, Daniel

This paper supplements a previous paper that reported on a tour of leading U.S. research libraries that are investing significantly in and have significant experience with innovative online collections and services. The previous paper reported the following five key challenges: architectural and technical; standards and best practices; strategies…

Prevention of work disability due to musculoskeletal disorders: the challenge of implementing evidence.

PubMed

Loisel, Patrick; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Hazard, Rowland; Keller, Robert; Scheel, Inger; van Tulder, Maurits; Webster, Barbara

2005-12-01

The process of returning disabled workers to work presents numerous challenges. In spite of the growing evidence regarding work disability prevention, little uptake of this evidence has been observed. One reason for limited dissemination of evidence is the complexity of the problem, as it is subject to multiple legal, administrative, social, political, and cultural challenges. A literature review and collection of experts' opinion is presented, on the current evidence for work disability prevention, and barriers to evidence implementation. Recommendations are presented for enhancing implementation of research results. The current evidence regarding work disability prevention shows that some clinical interventions (advice to return to modified work and graded activity programs) and some non-clinical interventions (at a service and policy/community level but not at a practice level) are effective in reducing work absenteeism. Implementation of evidence in work disability is a major challenge because intervention recommendations are often imprecise and not yet practical for immediate use, many barriers exist, and many stakeholders are involved. Future studies should involve all relevant stakeholders and aim at developing new strategies that are effective, efficient, and have a potential for successful implementation. These studies should be based upon a clearer conceptualization of the broader context and inter-relationships that determine return to work outcomes.

INDOT Technical Training Plan : [Technical Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

A wide range of job classifications, increasing technical : performance expectations, licensing and certification requirements, : budget restrictions and frequent department : reorganization has made technical training of employees : more difficult, ...

The soil education technical commission of the Brazilian Soil Science Society: achievements and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muggler, Cristine Carole; Aparecida de Mello, Nilvania

2013-04-01

The Soil Education and public awareness technical commission of the Brazilian Soil Science Society was created in 1987 as Soil Science teaching commission at that time. In the 90's of the last century the commission was very active and realized three national symposia in the years 1994 to 1996: in Viçosa, Minas Gerais; Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul and Pato Branco, Paraná. The following symposium scheduled to happen in Brasilia, 1997 could not be realized and was followed by a weakening and reduction of the involved group. Those three symposia were focused on the aspects of soil science taught at the university educational level, mainly in agrarian sciences. The concern about what was going on at basic education and perception by society was not much present. The commission was revitalized in 2005 and in 2007 realized its first meeting at the Brazilian Congress of Soil Science in Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul. At that meeting it was already an urge to assume the approach of soil education instead of soil science teaching, within a major concern how society consider soils. It was accepted and adequate under the structural reorganization undergone by the national society following the IUSS main lines. The commission was renamed and got two new mates at the newly created Division IV, Soils, Environment and Society, of the Brazilian Soil Science Society: Soils and Food Safety and History, Epistemology and Sociology of Soil Science. The national symposia were relaunched to happen biannually. An inventory of the soil education experiences around the country started and the geographic distribution of the future symposia intended to rescue and bring together experiences in different parts of the country that would not be known by other means. Three symposia were already realized: Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, 2008 (southeast); Curitiba, Paraná, 2010 (south) and Sobral, Ceará, 2012 (northeast). The next is planned to happen in Recife, Pernambuco in April 2014. The scope of the

Astronomy Instruction at a Two-year Technical College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirola, C. J.

2000-12-01

Over half of all students now begin their college careers at two-year institutions (technical colleges, junior colleges, vocational schools, etc.). This shift in student demographics has broad implications for college-level science instruction, including astronomy instruction. We compare astronomy instruction at two-year institutions to that at traditional four-year universities. A typical two-year school like Tri-County Technical College profers challenges not typically faced by research universities such as lack of research funding, little equipment or facilities, and a generally lower level of student ability. Conversely, a Tri-County Tech offers opportunities such as extensive training in teaching methodologies, a wide range of student demographics, and small classroom sizes. Our students are rarely interested in astronomy as a major, but instead take astronomy to fulfill other major requirements or to ensure the transfer of science credits to four-year universities. We present several examples of astronomy instruction at Tri-County Technical College and discuss our philosophy of teaching in a post-secondary environment whose enrollment is on the rise.

Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Incident Data Associated with the Technical Challenges of the System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withrow, Colleen A.; Reveley, Mary S.

2015-01-01

The Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies (SSAT) Project asked the AvSP Systems and Portfolio Analysis Team to identify SSAT-related trends. SSAT had four technical challenges: advance safety assurance to enable deployment of NextGen systems; automated discovery of precursors to aviation safety incidents; increasing safety of human-automation interaction by incorporating human performance, and prognostic algorithm design for safety assurance. This report reviews incident data from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) for system-component-failure- or-malfunction- (SCFM-) related and human-factor-related incidents for commercial or cargo air carriers (Part 121), commuter airlines (Part 135), and general aviation (Part 91). The data was analyzed by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) part, phase of flight, SCFM category, human factor category, and a variety of anomalies and results. There were 38 894 SCFM-related incidents and 83 478 human-factorrelated incidents analyzed between January 1993 and April 2011.

CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR WOMEN--A GROWING CHALLENGE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

KEYSERLING, MARY DUBLIN

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE CHALLENGED TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR MATURE WOMEN. NEARLY 29 MILLION WOMEN ARE IN THE LABOR FORCE, MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY AS IN THE YEARS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE WORLD WAR II. IN 1966, THEY REPRESENTED 37 PERCENT OF ALL WORKERS IN PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL, AND KINDRED OCCUPATIONS COMPARED WITH 45…

Constraints on the Participation of Women in Technical Cooperation Training Due to Lack of English Language Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Threlfall, Monica; Langley, Gail

A study examined the impact of limited English competence on participation of foreign female students in technical cooperation training (TCT). Questionnaires were sent to British Council offices and embassies in all 107 countries with TCT programs and completed by 55 (30.9%) of the countries (including 17 of the 22 largest). Responses indicated…

Socio-technical systems and interaction design - 21st century relevance.

PubMed

Maguire, Martin

2014-03-01

This paper focuses on the relationship between the socio-technical system and the user-technology interface. It looks at specific aspects of the organisational context such as multiple user roles, job change, work processes and workflows, technical infrastructure, and the challenges they present for the interaction designer. The implications of trends such as more mobile and flexible working, the use of social media, and the growth of the virtual organisation, are also considered. The paper also reviews rapidly evolving technologies such as pervasive systems and artificial intelligence, and the skills that workers will need to engage with them. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Meningitis: Overcoming Challenges in Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment with Omics

PubMed Central

Gordon, Scott M.; Srinivasan, Lakshmi; Harris, Mary Catherine

2017-01-01

Neonatal meningitis is a devastating condition. Prognosis has not improved in decades, despite the advent of improved antimicrobial therapy and heightened index of suspicion among clinicians caring for affected infants. One in ten infants die from meningitis, and up to half of survivors develop significant lifelong complications, including seizures, impaired hearing and vision, and delayed or arrested development of such basic skills as talking and walking. At present, it is not possible to predict which infants will suffer poor outcomes. Early treatment is critical to promote more favorable outcomes, though diagnosis of meningitis in infants is technically challenging, time-intensive, and invasive. Profound neuronal injury has long been described in the setting of neonatal meningitis, as has elevated levels of many pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanisms of the host immune response that drive clearance of the offending organism and underlie brain injury due to meningitis are not well understood, however. In this review, we will discuss challenges in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of neonatal meningitis. We will highlight transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data that contribute to suggested mechanisms of inflammation and brain injury in this setting with a view toward fruitful areas for future investigation. PMID:28670576

Use of Career Education and Occupation Information Services in Boosting Enrolment into Vocational and Technical Education Programs in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igbinedion, V. I.; Ojeaga, I. J.

2012-01-01

The major thrust of technical and vocational education (TVE) worldwide is to address issues of youth unemployment, poverty and international competitiveness in skills development towards current and projected opportunities and challenges. The paper posits that despite the evidence of numerous reforms in vocational and technical education programs…

Transforming South-South technical support to fight noncommunicable diseases.

PubMed

Shakow, Aaron D A; Bukhman, Gene; Adebona, Olumuyiwa; Greene, Jeremy; de Dieu Ngirabega, Jean; Binagwaho, Agnès

2012-03-01

At the UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in September 2011, each member state was challenged to create a multisectoral national policy and plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable disease by 2013. Few low-income countries, however, currently have such plans. Their governments are likely to turn for assistance in drafting and implementation to multilateral agencies and Contract Technical Support Organizations recommended by development partners. Yet because many NCD seen in the lowest-income countries differ significantly from those prevalent elsewhere, existing providers of external technical support may lack the necessary experience to support strategic planning for NCD interventions in these settings. This article reviews currently available mechanisms of technical support for health sector planning. It places them in the broader historical context of post- World War II international development assistance and the more recent campaigns for horizontal "South-South" cooperation and aid effectiveness. It proposes bilateral technical assistance by low income-countries themselves as the natural evolution of development assistance in health. Such programs, it argues, may be able to improve the quality of technical support to low-income countries for strategic planning in the NCD area while directing resources to the regions where they are most needed. Copyright © 2012 World Heart Federation (Geneva). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Technical Desiderata for the Integration of Genomic Data into Electronic Health Records

PubMed Central

Masys, Daniel R.; Jarvik, Gail P.; Abernethy, Neil F.; Anderson, Nicholas R.; Papanicolaou, George J.; Paltoo, Dina N.; Hoffman, Mark A.; Kohane, Isaac S.; Levy, Howard P.

2012-01-01

The era of “Personalized Medicine,” guided by individual molecular variation in DNA, RNA, expressed proteins and other forms of high volume molecular data brings new requirements and challenges to the design and implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). In this article we describe the characteristics of biomolecular data that differentiate it from other classes of data commonly found in EHRs, enumerate a set of technical desiderata for its management in healthcare settings, and offer a candidate technical approach to its compact and efficient representation in operational systems. PMID:22223081

Final Technical Report

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

Sobecky, Patricia A; Taillefert, Martial

This final technical report describes results and findings from a research project to examine the role of microbial phosphohydrolase enzymes in naturally occurring subsurface microorganisms for the purpose of promoting the immobilization of the radionuclide uranium through the production of insoluble uranium phosphate minerals. The research project investigated the microbial mechanisms and the physical and chemical processes promoting uranium biomineralization and sequestration in oxygenated subsurface soils. Uranium biomineralization under aerobic conditions can provide a secondary biobarrier strategy to immobilize radionuclides should the metal precipitates formed by microbial dissimilatory mechanisms remobilize due to a change in redox state.

The Care of Our Hybrid Selves: Ethics in Times of Technical Mediation.

PubMed

Dorrestijn, Steven

2017-01-01

What can the art of living after Foucault contribute to ethics in relation to the mediation of human existence by technology? To develop the relation between technical mediation and ethics, firstly the theme of technical mediation is elaborated in line with Foucault's notion of ethical problematization. Every view of what technology does to us at the same time expresses an ethical concern about technology. The contemporary conception of technical mediation tends towards the acknowledgement of ongoing hybridization, not ultimately good or bad but ambivalent, which means for us the challenge of taking care of ourselves as hybrid beings. Secondly, the work of Foucault provides elements for imagining this care for our hybrid selves, notably his notions of freedom as a practice and of the care of the self. A conclusions about technical mediation and ethics is that whereas the approaches of the delegation of morality to technology by Latour and mediated morality by Verbeek see technical mediation of behavior and moral outlook as an answer in ethics, this should rather be considered the problem that ethics is about.

Social media and pharmacovigilance: A review of the opportunities and challenges

PubMed Central

Sloane, Richard; Osanlou, Orod; Lewis, David; Bollegala, Danushka; Maskell, Simon; Pirmohamed, Munir

2015-01-01

Adverse drug reactions come at a considerable cost on society. Social media are a potentially invaluable reservoir of information for pharmacovigilance, yet their true value remains to be fully understood. In order to realize the benefits social media holds, a number of technical, regulatory and ethical challenges remain to be addressed. We outline these key challenges identifying relevant current research and present possible solutions. PMID:26147850

7 CFR 610.13 - Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion... RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Soil Erosion Prediction Equations § 610.13 Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion. (a) The...

7 CFR 610.13 - Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion... RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Soil Erosion Prediction Equations § 610.13 Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion. (a) The...

7 CFR 610.13 - Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion... RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Soil Erosion Prediction Equations § 610.13 Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion. (a) The...

7 CFR 610.13 - Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion... RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Soil Erosion Prediction Equations § 610.13 Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion. (a) The...

7 CFR 610.13 - Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion... RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Soil Erosion Prediction Equations § 610.13 Equations for predicting soil loss due to wind erosion. (a) The...

In-Vivo Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of 2-Hydroxyglutarate in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-Mutated Gliomas: A Technical Review for Neuroradiologists.

PubMed

Kim, Hyeonjin; Kim, Sungjin; Lee, Hyeong Hun; Heo, Hwon

2016-01-01

The diagnostic and prognostic potential of an onco-metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) as a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) detectable biomarker of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutated (IDH-MT) gliomas has drawn attention of neuroradiologists recently. However, due to severe spectral overlap with background signals, quantification of 2HG can be very challenging. In this technical review for neuroradiologists, first, the biochemistry of 2HG and its significance in the diagnosis of IDH-MT gliomas are summarized. Secondly, various 1H-MRS methods used in the previous studies are outlined. Finally, wereview previous in vivo studies, and discuss the current status of 1H-MRS in the diagnosis of IDH-MT gliomas.

Total Quality Management (TQM) in Self-Financed Technical Institutions: A Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Force Field Analysis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thakkar, Jitesh; Deshmukh, S. G.; Shastree, Anil

2006-01-01

Purpose: To explore the potential for adoption of TQM in self-financed technical institutions in the light of new demands and challenges posed by customers/students and society. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents use of quality function deployment (QFD) which prioritizes technical requirements and correlates them with various…

NASA In-Situ Resource Utilization Project-and Seals Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sacksteder, Kurt; Linne, Diane

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on NASA's In-Situ Resource Utilization Project and Seals Challenges is shown. The topics include: 1) What Are Space Resources?; 2) Space Resource Utilization for Exploration; 3) ISRU Enables Affordable, Sustainable & Flexible Exploration; 4) Propellant from the Moon Could Revolutionize Space Transportation; 5) NASA ISRU Capability Roadmap Study, 2005; 6) Timeline for ISRU Capability Implementation; 7) Lunar ISRU Implementation Approach; 8) ISRU Technical-to-Mission Capability Roadmap; 9) ISRU Resources & Products of Interest; and 10) Challenging Seals Requirements for ISRU.

Technical challenges in the isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells.

PubMed

van der Toom, Emma E; Verdone, James E; Gorin, Michael A; Pienta, Kenneth J

2016-09-20

Increasing evidence suggests that cancer cells display dynamic molecular changes in response to systemic therapy. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood represent a readily available source of cancer cells with which to measure this dynamic process. To date, a large number of strategies to isolate and characterize CTCs have been described. These techniques, however, each have unique limitations in their ability to sensitively and specifically detect these rare cells. In this review we focus on the technical limitations and pitfalls of the most common CTC isolation and detection strategies. Additionally, we emphasize the difficulties in correctly classifying rare cells as CTCs using common biomarkers. As for assays developed in the future, the first step must be a uniform and clear definition of the criteria for assigning an object as a CTC based on disease-specific biomarkers.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): Understanding the Nigerian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dike, Victor Ebipuruonwu

2013-01-01

The descriptive mixed-methods study explores and describes the challenges and prospects of the growth and development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools and science-based technology education in Nigeria. It is not understood how Nigerians in the United States perceive the impacts of governmental policies on education…

Technical Challenges and Opportunities of Centralizing Space Science Mission Operations (SSMO) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ido, Haisam; Burns, Rich

2015-01-01

The NASA Goddard Space Science Mission Operations project (SSMO) is performing a technical cost-benefit analysis for centralizing and consolidating operations of a diverse set of missions into a unified and integrated technical infrastructure. The presentation will focus on the notion of normalizing spacecraft operations processes, workflows, and tools. It will also show the processes of creating a standardized open architecture, creating common security models and implementations, interfaces, services, automations, notifications, alerts, logging, publish, subscribe and middleware capabilities. The presentation will also discuss how to leverage traditional capabilities, along with virtualization, cloud computing services, control groups and containers, and possibly Big Data concepts.

Challenges and Rewards of Teaching Intercultural Communication in a Technical Writing Course: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardenas, Diana L.

2012-01-01

Community-based projects immerse technical writing students in intercultural communication, addressing local needs and shaping documents in human terms. Students at a South Texas university work to establish communication with clients in a city-county health department to create effective documents and disseminate family health legislation. To…

Data Sharing: Convert Challenges into Opportunities.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Ana Sofia

2017-01-01

Initiatives for sharing research data are opportunities to increase the pace of knowledge discovery and scientific progress. The reuse of research data has the potential to avoid the duplication of data sets and to bring new views from multiple analysis of the same data set. For example, the study of genomic variations associated with cancer profits from the universal collection of such data and helps in selecting the most appropriate therapy for a specific patient. However, data sharing poses challenges to the scientific community. These challenges are of ethical, cultural, legal, financial, or technical nature. This article reviews the impact that data sharing has in science and society and presents guidelines to improve the efficient sharing of research data.

The Presidential Address to the Association for Career and Technical Education Research: Using Standards to Reform Teacher Preparation in Career and Technical Education--A Successful Reformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, M. Susie

2005-01-01

This article presents the presidential address at the annual conference of the Association for Career and Technical Education Research by M. Susie Whittington, ACTER President 2005. The purpose of the presidential address is to examine a current issue facing the profession, and pose challenges to the membership in the context of that issue. In her…

Pencilbeam irradiation technique for whole brain radiotherapy: technical and biological challenges in a small animal model.

PubMed

Schültke, Elisabeth; Trippel, Michael; Bräuer-Krisch, Elke; Renier, Michel; Bartzsch, Stefan; Requardt, Herwig; Döbrössy, Máté D; Nikkhah, Guido

2013-01-01

We have conducted the first in-vivo experiments in pencilbeam irradiation, a new synchrotron radiation technique based on the principle of microbeam irradiation, a concept of spatially fractionated high-dose irradiation. In an animal model of adult C57 BL/6J mice we have determined technical and physiological limitations with the present technical setup of the technique. Fifty-eight animals were distributed in eleven experimental groups, ten groups receiving whole brain radiotherapy with arrays of 50 µm wide beams. We have tested peak doses ranging between 172 Gy and 2,298 Gy at 3 mm depth. Animals in five groups received whole brain radiotherapy with a center-to-center (ctc) distance of 200 µm and a peak-to-valley ratio (PVDR) of ∼ 100, in the other five groups the ctc was 400 µm (PVDR ∼ 400). Motor and memory abilities were assessed during a six months observation period following irradiation. The lower dose limit, determined by the technical equipment, was at 172 Gy. The LD50 was about 1,164 Gy for a ctc of 200 µm and higher than 2,298 Gy for a ctc of 400 µm. Age-dependent loss in motor and memory performance was seen in all groups. Better overall performance (close to that of healthy controls) was seen in the groups irradiated with a ctc of 400 µm.

A Comparison of Robotically Assisted Microsurgery versus Manual Microsurgery in Challenging Situations.

PubMed

Willems, Joost I P; Shin, Alexandra M; Shin, Delaney M; Bishop, Allen T; Shin, Alexander Y

2016-04-01

Microsurgery can be challenging secondary to orientation of the vessels, accessibility, or depth of the wound. Robotically assisted microsurgery reduces tremors and improves visualization and may improve the quality of anastomosis compared with traditional microsurgery. The purpose of this study was to compare robotically assisted microsurgery to traditional microsurgery in technically challenging situations with respect to time of anastomosis, quality of anastomosis, and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills. Two investigators with no prior surgery or microsurgery experience performed 160 anastomoses on artificial microvessels after undergoing standardized traditional and robotically assisted microsurgery courses. Five different exposure groups were created with depths of 0, 10, and 20 cm and sidewall angles of 20 and 30 degrees. A comparison of 80 manual with 80 robotically assisted microsurgery anastomoses in different exposure groups was undertaken. The modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scoring system, duration per anastomosis, and a subjective comfort scale were evaluated. In the most difficult exposure, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were similar in both groups (p = 0.98), the duration was higher in the manual group (p = 0.004), and the subjective comfort rating was higher in the robotically assisted microsurgery group (p < 0.001). In the easiest (0-cm depth, flat) exposure, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were higher in the manual group (p = 0.018) and the duration was longer in the robotically assisted microsurgery group (p = 0.008). Manual surgery was superior to robotically assisted microsurgery in technically easy exposures. In difficult exposures (greater depth and lower sidewall angles), however, robotically assisted microsurgery had a shorter surgery time and a higher comfort rating, with Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores similar to

Promoting Equal Access of Girls/Women to Technical and Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mishra, Arun; Khanna, Pinki; Shrivastava, Nalini

Despite United Nations' efforts, inequality of access for girls and women to technical and vocational education (TVE) persists in India. Challenges of the 21st century with regard to ensuring equal access of girls and women to TVE include: increasing the participation of girls (especially rural girls) in TVE; overcoming gender bias and…

Airport Noise Tech Challenge Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, James

2011-01-01

The Supersonics Project, operating under NASA Aeronautics Mission Directorate#s Fundamental Aero Program, has been organized around the Technical Challenges that have historically precluded commercial supersonic flight. One of these Challenges is making aircraft that are capable of such high aerodynamic performance quiet enough around airports that they will not be objectionable. It is recognized that a successful civilian supersonic aircraft will be a system where many new technologies will come together, and for this to happen not only will new low noise propulsion concepts be required, but new engineering tools that predict the noise of the aircraft as these technologies are combined and compromised with the rest of the aircraft design. These are the two main objectives of the Airport Noise Tech Challenge. " ! As a Project in the Fundamental Aero Program, we work at a relatively low level of technology readiness. However, we have high level milestones which force us to integrate our efforts to impact systems-level activities. To keep the low-level work tied to delivering engineering tools and low-noise concepts, we have structured our milestones around development of the concepts and organized our activities around developing and applying our engineering tools to these concepts. The final deliverables in these milestones are noise prediction modules validated against the best embodiment of each concept. These will then be used in cross-disciplinary exercises to demonstrate the viability of aircraft designs to meet all the Technical Challenges. Some of the concepts being developed are shown: Fan Flow Diverters, Multi-jet Shielding, High-Aspect Ratio Embedded Nozzles, Plasma Actuated Instability Manipulation, Highly Variable Cycle Mixer- Ejectors, and Inverted Velocity Profiles. These concepts are being developed for reduced jet noise along with the design tools which describe how they perform when used in various aircraft configurations. Several key upcoming

Social media and pharmacovigilance: A review of the opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Sloane, Richard; Osanlou, Orod; Lewis, David; Bollegala, Danushka; Maskell, Simon; Pirmohamed, Munir

2015-10-01

Adverse drug reactions come at a considerable cost on society. Social media are a potentially invaluable reservoir of information for pharmacovigilance, yet their true value remains to be fully understood. In order to realize the benefits social media holds, a number of technical, regulatory and ethical challenges remain to be addressed. We outline these key challenges identifying relevant current research and present possible solutions. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

Predictors of employer satisfaction: technical and non-technical skills.

PubMed

Danielson, Jared A; Wu, Tsui-Feng; Fales-Williams, Amanda J; Kirk, Ryan A; Preast, Vanessa A

2012-01-01

Employers of 2007-2009 graduates from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine were asked to respond to a survey regarding their overall satisfaction with their new employees as well as their new employees' preparation in several technical and non-technical skill areas. Seventy-five responses contained complete data and were used in the analysis. Four technical skill areas (data collection, data interpretation, planning, and taking action) and five non-technical skill areas (interpersonal skills, ability to deal with legal issues, business skills, making referrals, and problem solving) were identified. All of the skill area subscales listed above had appropriate reliability (Cronbach's alpha>0.70) and were positively and significantly correlated with overall employer satisfaction. Results of two simultaneous regression analyses indicated that of the four technical skill areas, taking action is the most salient predictor of employer satisfaction. Of the five non-technical skill areas, interpersonal skills, business skills, making referrals, and problem solving were the most important skills in predicting employer satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that all technical skills explained 25% of the variation in employer satisfaction; non-technical skills explained an additional 42% of the variation in employer satisfaction.

Challenges for Social Control in Wireless Mobile Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balke, Tina; Eymann, Torsten

The evolution of mobile phones has lead to new wireless mobile grids that lack a central controlling instance and require the cooperation of autonomous entities that can voluntarily commit resources, forming a common pool which can be used in order to achieve common and/or individual goals. The social dilemma in such systems is that it is advantageous for rational users to access the common pool resources without any own commitment, since every commitment has its price (see ? for example). However, if a substantial number of users would follow this selfish strategy, the network itself would be at stake. Thus, the question arises on how cooperation can be fostered in wireless mobile grids. Whereas many papers have dealt with this question from a technical point of view, instead this paper will concentrate on a concept that has lately been discussed a lot with this regard: social control. Thereby social control concepts will be contrasted to technical approaches and resulting challenges (as well as possible solutions to these challenges) for social concepts will be discussed.

Technical challenges for the future of high energy lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaFortune, K. N.; Hurd, R. L.; Fochs, S. N.; Rotter, M. D.; Pax, P. H.; Combs, R. L.; Olivier, S. S.; Brase, J. M.; Yamamoto, R. M.

2007-02-01

The Solid-State, Heat-Capacity Laser (SSHCL) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a multi-generation laser development effort scalable to the megawatt power levels with current performance approaching 100 kilowatts. This program is one of many designed to harness the power of lasers for use as directed energy weapons. There are many hurdles common to all of these programs that must be overcome to make the technology viable. There will be a in-depth discussion of the general issues facing state-of-the-art high energy lasers and paths to their resolution. Despite the relative simplicity of the SSHCL design, many challenges have been uncovered in the implementation of this particular system. An overview of these and their resolution are discussed. The overall system design of the SSHCL, technological strengths and weaknesses, and most recent experimental results will be presented.

The challenges and benefits of lunar exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Aaron

1992-01-01

Three decades into the Space Age, the United States is experiencing a fundamental shift in space policy with the adoption of a broad national goal to expand human presence and activity beyond Earth orbit and out into the Solar System. These plans mark a turning point in American space exploration, for they entail a shift away from singular forays to a long-term, evolutionary program of exploration and utilization of space. No longer limited to the technical and operational specifics of any one vehicle or any one mission plan, this new approach will involve a fleet of spacecraft and a stable of off-planet research laboratories, industrial facilities, and exploration programs. The challenges inherent in this program are immense, but so too are the benefits. Central to this new space architecture is the concept of using a lunar base for in-situ resource utilization, and for the development of planetary surface exploration systems, applicable to the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies in the Solar System. This paper discusses the technical, economic, and political challenges involved in this new approach, and details the latest thinking on the benefits that could come from bold new endeavors on the final frontier.

Using the Design for Demise Philosophy to Reduce Casualty Risk Due to Reentering Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, R. L.

2012-01-01

Recently the reentry of a number of vehicles has garnered public attention due to their risk of human casualty due to fragments surviving reentry. In order to minimize this risk for their vehicles, a number of NASA programs have actively sought to minimize the number of components likely to survive reentry at the end of their spacecraft's life in order to meet and/or exceed NASA safety standards for controlled and uncontrolled reentering vehicles. This philosophy, referred to as "Design for Demise" or D4D, has steadily been adopted, to at least some degree, by numerous programs. The result is that many programs are requesting evaluations of components at the early stages of vehicle design, as they strive to find ways to reduce the number surviving components while ensuring that the components meet the performance requirements of their mission. This paper will discuss some of the methods that have been employed to ensure that the consequences of the vehicle s end-of-life are considered at the beginning of the design process. In addition this paper will discuss the technical challenges overcome, as well as some of the more creative solutions which have been utilized to reduce casualty risk.

Student-Centered and Dynamic Interfaces that Enrich Technical Learning for Online Science Learners: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killian, Susan A.; Beck, Dennis E.; O'Bryan, Corliss A.; Jarvis, Nathan; Clausen, Edgar C.; Crandall, Philip G.

2014-01-01

Communicating complex scientific and technical information presents a challenge for food science educators. The most efficient learning occurs when all senses are engaged, one reason that many educators believe that scientific principles are best taught with hands-on laboratory experiences. Today there are many challenges to the continuation of…

Challenges of deploying nuclear energy for power generation in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaafar, Mohd Zamzam; Nazaruddin, Nurul Huda; Lye, Jonathan Tan Thiam

2017-01-01

Under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2010-2015) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), nuclear energy was identified as a potential long-term option to be explored for electricity generation in Peninsular Malaysia. The energy sector in Malaysia currently faces several concerns including depleting domestic gas supply which will affect security and reliability of supply as well as overdependance on fossil fuels - mainly gas and imported coal, and nuclear energy may offer a possible solution to these issues as well as global climate change concern. Pursuing the nuclear option, Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC) is undertaking a series of comprehensive studies to facilitate an informed Government decision on the matter. This paper aims to discuss the many challenges towards the peaceful use of nuclear energy for electricity generation in the context of the New Energy Policy 2010 to achieve a balanced and sustainable energy mix. This effort will continue in the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020) with emphasis on implementing a comprehensive communications plan and public awareness programme for the potential use of nuclear energy in the future. In analysing the challenges for the development of nuclear energy in Malaysia, the traditional triple bottom line (TBL) framework for sustainability, encompassing economic, social and environmental objectives is utilized. An additional factor, technical, is also included in the analysis to provide a more holistic view. It is opined that the main challenges of developing nuclear energy for electricity generation in a newcomer country like Malaysia can be attributed primarily to domestic non-technical factors compared to the technical factor.

Microfluidics-Enabled Diagnostic Systems: Markets, Challenges, and Examples.

PubMed

Becker, Holger; Gärtner, Claudia

2017-01-01

Microfluidics has become an important tool for the commercial product development in diagnostics. This article will focus on current technical demands during the development process such as material and integration challenges. Furthermore, we present data on the diagnostics market as well as examples of microfluidics-enabled systems currently under commercial development or already on the market.

Challenges and Security in Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Hyokyung; Choi, Euiin

People who live in this world want to solve any problems as they happen then. An IT technology called Ubiquitous computing should help the situations easier and we call a technology which makes it even better and powerful cloud computing. Cloud computing, however, is at the stage of the beginning to implement and use and it faces a lot of challenges in technical matters and security issues. This paper looks at the cloud computing security.

[Surgery of prostate cancer: Technical principles and perioperative complications].

PubMed

Salomon, L; Rozet, F; Soulié, M

2015-11-01

To describe the surgical procedure of localized prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy. Bibliography search was performed from the Medline database (National Library of Medicine, PubMed) selected according to the scientific relevance. The research was focused on historic of radical prostatectomy, surgical anatomy, surgical technics of radical prostatectomy and lymph nodes excision, and complications. During the last 30 years, evolution of radical prostatectomy was important, from open to mini-invasive surgery with or without robotic assistance. Anatomical knowledge of the prostate was useful to describe the different anatomical structure as urinary sphincter and fascias, and to develop different procedure of neurovascular bundles preservation to ameliorate functional results. Complications are well-known and their taking-over more precise. Results of radical prostatectomy depend less of the surgical approach but more of the attitude of the surgeon according to the characteristics of the tumor and the functional status of the patient. Radical prostatectomy is an elaborate and challenging procedure when carcinological risk balances with functional results. Nevertheless, complications are quite rare. Improvement of results is due to adequation between surgical procedure and oncological and functional status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

In Translation: School Leaders Learning in and from Leadership Practice While Confronting Pressing Policy Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drago-Severson, Eleanor; Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia

2018-01-01

Background/Context: Worldwide, principals face enormous challenges while translating policies and mandates for which they are accountable into their mission and practice. While some of these school-level challenges are technical, many are adaptive (Heifetz), requiring leaders and those in their care to grow their cognitive and affective…

NASA's post-Challenger safety program - Themes and thrusts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodney, G. A.

1988-01-01

The range of managerial, technical, and procedural initiatives implemented by NASA's post-Challenger safety program is reviewed. The recommendations made by the Rogers Commission, the NASA post-Challenger review of Shuttle design, the Congressional investigation of the accident, the National Research Council, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, and NASA internal advisory panels and studies are summarized. NASA safety initiatives regarding improved organizational accountability for safety, upgraded analytical techniques and methodologies for risk assessment and management, procedural initiatives in problem reporting and corrective-action tracking, ground processing, maintenance documentation, and improved technologies are discussed. Safety issues relevant to the planned Space Station are examined.

Technical efficiency in milk production in underdeveloped production environment of India*.

PubMed

Bardhan, Dwaipayan; Sharma, Murari Lal

2013-12-01

The study was undertaken in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand state of India with the objective of estimating technical efficiency in milk production across different herd-size category households and factors influencing it. Total of 60 farm households having representation from different herd-size categories drawn from six randomly selected villages of plain and hilly regions of the division constituted the ultimate sampling units of the study. Stochastic frontier production function analysis was used to estimate the technical efficiency in milk production. Multivariate regression equations were fitted taking technical efficiency index as the regressand to identify the factors significantly influencing technical efficiency in milk production. The study revealed that variation in output across farms in the study area was due to difference in their technical efficiency levels. However, it was interesting to note that smallholder producers were more technically efficient in milk production than their larger counterparts, especially in the plains. Apart from herd size, intensity of market participation had significant and positive impact on technical efficiency in the plains. This provides definite indication that increasing the level of commercialization of dairy farms would have beneficial impact on their production efficiency.

Evaluating Instructor Technology Integration in Community and Technical Colleges: A Performance Evaluation Matrix

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Favero, Marietta; Hinson, Janice M.

2007-01-01

The press for implementing technology based instructional delivery systems in community and technical colleges is well documented. Yet faculty face numerous challenges in integrating technology into instruction (AL-Bataineh & Brooks, 2003; Groves & Zemel, 2000; Khoury, 1997). Stimulating faculty ownership in technology, diffusion of technology use…

Assessment of the Vibrations Effects Caused by Technical Seismicity Due to the Railway traffic on High-sensitivity Machinery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papán, Daniel; Valašková, Veronika; Demeterová, Katarína

2016-10-01

The numerical and experimental approach in structural dynamics problems is more and more current nowadays. This approach is applied and solved in many research and developing institutions of the all the world. Vibrations effect caused by passing trains used in manufacturing facilities can affect the quality of the production activity. This effect is possible to be solved by a numerical or an experimental way. Numerical solution is not so financially and time demanding. The main aim of this article is to focus on just experimental measurement of this problem. In this paper, the case study with measurement due to cramped conditions realized in situ is presented. The case study is located close to railway. The vibration effect caused by passing trains on the high-sensitivity machinery contained in this object were observed. The structure was a high-sensitivity machine that was placed in a construction process. For the measurements, the high-sensitivity standard vibrations equipment was used. The assessments of measurements’ results were performed for the technological conditions and Slovak Standard Criteria. Both of these assessments were divided to amplitude and frequency domain. The amplitude criterion is also divided to peak particle velocity and RMS (Root Mean Square). Frequency domain assessment were realised using the frequency response curves obtained from high-sensitivity machinery manufacturer. The frequency limits are established for each axis of triaxle system. The measurement results can be predicted if the vibration have to be reduced. Measurement implemented in the production hall should obtain materials to determine the seismic loading and response of production machinery caused by technical seismicity.

Fossil Energy: Drivers and Challenges.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedmann, Julio

2007-04-01

Concerns about rapid economic growth, energy security, and global climate change have created a new landscape for fossil energy exploration, production, and utilization. Since 85% of primary energy supply comes from fossil fuels, and 85% of greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuel consumption, new and difficult technical and political challenges confront commercial, governmental, and public stakeholders. As such, concerns over climate change are explicitly weighed against security of international and domestic energy supplies, with economic premiums paid for either or both. Efficiency improvements, fuel conservation, and deployment of nuclear and renewable supplies will help both concerns, but are unlikely to offset growth in the coming decades. As such, new technologies and undertakings must both provide high quality fossil energy with minimal environmental impacts. The largest and most difficult of these undertakings is carbon management, wherein CO2 emissions are sequestered indefinitely at substantial incremental cost. Geological formations provide both high confidence and high capacity for CO2 storage, but present scientific and technical challenges. Oil and gas supply can be partially sustained and replaced through exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels such as tar-sands, methane hydrates, coal-to-liquids, and oil shales. These fuels provide enormous reserves that can be exploited at current costs, but generally require substantial energy to process. In most cases, the energy return on investment (EROI) is dropping, and unconventional fuels are generally more carbon intensive than conventional, presenting additional carbon management challenges. Ultimately, a large and sustained science and technology program akin to the Apollo project will be needed to address these concerns. Unfortunately, real funding in energy research has dropped dramatically (75%) in the past three decades, and novel designs in fission and fusion are not likely to provide any

Towards Quality Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Programmes in Nigeria: Challenges and Improvement Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayonmike, Chinyere Shirley; Okwelle, P. Chijioke; Okeke, Benjamin Chukwumaijem

2015-01-01

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is widely recognized as a vital driving force for the socio-economic growth and technological development of nations. In achieving the goals and objectives of TVET in Nigeria, the quality of the programme needs to be improved and sustained. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the challenges…

Allergen Challenge Chamber: an innovative solution in allergic rhinitis diagnosis.

PubMed

Krzych-Fałta, Edyta; Sowa, Jerzy; Wojas, Oksana; Piekarska, Barbara; Sybilski, Adam; Samoliński, Bolesław

2015-12-01

The Allergen Challenge Chamber (ACC) is definitely a serious challenge on the one hand and an innovative solution in allergic rhinitis diagnosis on the other. The gradual validation of the chamber (according to the test protocol) will allow for standardisation, which is a process undertaken by centres worldwide. The process of designing a consistent system that allows for creating conditions as those in the case of natural inhalation took into account all the aspects (technical specification) necessary to ensure appropriate inhalation.

A Tanzanian Perspective of the Technical Aspects of IT Service Management Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemppainen, Jyri; Tedre, Matti; Sutinen, Erkki

2012-01-01

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

Data Sharing: Convert Challenges into Opportunities

PubMed Central

Figueiredo, Ana Sofia

2017-01-01

Initiatives for sharing research data are opportunities to increase the pace of knowledge discovery and scientific progress. The reuse of research data has the potential to avoid the duplication of data sets and to bring new views from multiple analysis of the same data set. For example, the study of genomic variations associated with cancer profits from the universal collection of such data and helps in selecting the most appropriate therapy for a specific patient. However, data sharing poses challenges to the scientific community. These challenges are of ethical, cultural, legal, financial, or technical nature. This article reviews the impact that data sharing has in science and society and presents guidelines to improve the efficient sharing of research data. PMID:29270401

Big Data Provenance: Challenges, State of the Art and Opportunities.

PubMed

Wang, Jianwu; Crawl, Daniel; Purawat, Shweta; Nguyen, Mai; Altintas, Ilkay

2015-01-01

Ability to track provenance is a key feature of scientific workflows to support data lineage and reproducibility. The challenges that are introduced by the volume, variety and velocity of Big Data, also pose related challenges for provenance and quality of Big Data, defined as veracity. The increasing size and variety of distributed Big Data provenance information bring new technical challenges and opportunities throughout the provenance lifecycle including recording, querying, sharing and utilization. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of Big Data provenance related to the veracity of the datasets themselves and the provenance of the analytical processes that analyze these datasets. It also explains our current efforts towards tracking and utilizing Big Data provenance using workflows as a programming model to analyze Big Data.

Big Data Provenance: Challenges, State of the Art and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianwu; Crawl, Daniel; Purawat, Shweta; Nguyen, Mai; Altintas, Ilkay

2017-01-01

Ability to track provenance is a key feature of scientific workflows to support data lineage and reproducibility. The challenges that are introduced by the volume, variety and velocity of Big Data, also pose related challenges for provenance and quality of Big Data, defined as veracity. The increasing size and variety of distributed Big Data provenance information bring new technical challenges and opportunities throughout the provenance lifecycle including recording, querying, sharing and utilization. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of Big Data provenance related to the veracity of the datasets themselves and the provenance of the analytical processes that analyze these datasets. It also explains our current efforts towards tracking and utilizing Big Data provenance using workflows as a programming model to analyze Big Data. PMID:29399671

A Report to the U.S. Department of Education on Educational Challenges and Technical Assistance Needs for the Northeast Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CNA Corporation, 2005

2005-01-01

The Northeast Regional Advisory Committee (NE RAC) provides an assessment of the technical assistance needs of educators in the Northeast Region in response to a directive from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Secretary will use this assessment in establishing 20 comprehensive centers to provide technical assistance to…

Technical challenges related to implementation of a formula one real time data acquisition and analysis system in a paediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Matam, B Rajeswari; Duncan, Heather

2018-06-01

Most existing, expert monitoring systems do not provide the real time continuous analysis of the monitored physiological data that is necessary to detect transient or combined vital sign indicators nor do they provide long term storage of the data for retrospective analyses. In this paper we examine the feasibility of implementing a long term data storage system which has the ability to incorporate real-time data analytics, the system design, report the main technical issues encountered, the solutions implemented and the statistics of the data recorded. McLaren Electronic Systems expertise used to continually monitor and analyse the data from F1 racing cars in real time was utilised to implement a similar real-time data recording platform system adapted with real time analytics to suit the requirements of the intensive care environment. We encountered many technical (hardware and software) implementation challenges. However there were many advantages of the system once it was operational. They include: (1) The ability to store the data for long periods of time enabling access to historical physiological data. (2) The ability to alter the time axis to contract or expand periods of interest. (3) The ability to store and review ECG morphology retrospectively. (4) Detailed post event (cardiac/respiratory arrest or other clinically significant deteriorations in patients) data can be reviewed clinically as opposed to trend data providing valuable clinical insight. Informed mortality and morbidity reviews can be conducted. (5) Storage of waveform data capture to use for algorithm development for adaptive early warning systems. Recording data from bed-side monitors in intensive care/wards is feasible. It is possible to set up real time data recording and long term storage systems. These systems in future can be improved with additional patient specific metrics which predict the status of a patient thus paving the way for real time predictive monitoring.

Small scale rainfall simulators: Challenges for a future use in soil erosion research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ries, Johannes B.; Iserloh, Thomas; Seeger, Manuel

2013-04-01

Rainfall simulation on micro-plot scale is a method used worldwide to assess the generation of overland flow, soil erosion, infiltration and interrelated processes such as soil sealing, crusting, splash and redistribution of solids and solutes. The produced data are of great significance not only for the analysis of the simulated processes, but also as a source of input-data for soil erosion modelling. The reliability of the data is therefore of paramount importance, and quality management of rainfall simulation procedure a general responsibility of the rainfall simulation community. This was an accepted outcome at the "International Rainfall Simulator Workshop 2011" at Trier University. The challenges of the present and near future use of small scale rainfall simulations concern the comparability of results and scales, the quality of the data for soil erosion modelling, and further technical developments to overcome physical limitations and constraints. Regarding the high number of research questions, different fields of application, and due to the great technical creativity of researchers, a large number of different types of rainfall simulators is available. But each of the devices produces a different rainfall, leading to different kinetic energy values influencing soil surface and erosion processes. Plot sizes are also variable, as well as the experimental simulation procedures. As a consequence, differing runoff and erosion results are produced. The presentation summarises the three important aspects of rainfall simulations, following a processual order: 1. Input-factor "rain" and its calibration 2. Surface-factor "plot" and its documentation 3. Output-factors "runoff" and "sediment concentration" Finally, general considerations about the limitations and challenges for further developments and applications of rainfall simulation data are presented.

Laparoscopic Reconstruction in Post-Tubercular Urinary Tract Strictures: Technical Challenges.

PubMed

Ghosh, Bastab; Sridhar, Kartik; Pal, Dilip Kumar

2017-11-01

Genitourinary tuberculosis still continues to plague developing countries and is a significant cause of morbidity as well as mortality in the developing world. At present, nearly 55% of the patients of genitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB) need surgical management. Owing to the presence of dense adhesions and loss of normal anatomical planes, GUTB was considered to be a contraindication to laparoscopic surgery. However, recent literature shows laparoscopy to be feasible in GUTB. Our study aimed at identifying the challenges in laparoscopic urinary tract reconstructive surgery in genitourinary tuberculosis-related urinary tract obstruction. The details of 6 patients who underwent different types of laparoscopic reconstructive surgery for genitourinary tuberculosis-related urinary tract obstruction from January 2014 to December 2015 were reviewed. Baseline characteristics, indications of surgery, type of surgery, operative duration, blood loss, and follow-up details were noted. All patients received antitubercular treatment before surgery as per the direct observed treatment short-course regimen followed in our country. We performed one bilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty, one unilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty, two laparoscopic ureteroneocystostomies, and two ureteroureterostomies. Difficulty was encountered during dissection owing to the presence of adhesions, but conversion to open surgery was not done in five cases. Dense adhesions adjacent to the common iliac vessels necessitated conversion to open surgery in one of the ureteroureterostomies. Stenting was done in all the patients. All patients had uneventful postoperative recovery. Functional imaging following stent removal showed unobstructed tracer flow, showing successful operative outcome. Our study showed that laparoscopic reconstructive surgery is feasible in genitourinary tuberculosis despite the presence of adhesions that may pose a challenge to dissection. This is in contrast to the previous studies which

The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance

PubMed Central

Dawson, Jessica; Thomson, Robert

2018-01-01

One of the challenges in writing an article reviewing the current state of cyber education and workforce development is that there is a paucity of quantitative assessment regarding the cognitive aptitudes, work roles, or team organization required by cybersecurity professionals to be successful. In this review, we argue that the people who operate within the cyber domain need a combination of technical skills, domain specific knowledge, and social intelligence to be successful. They, like the networks they operate, must also be reliable, trustworthy, and resilient. Defining the knowledge, skills, attributes, and other characteristics is not as simple as defining a group of technical skills that people can be trained on; the complexity of the cyber domain makes this a unique challenge. There has been little research devoted to exactly what attributes individuals in the cyber domain need. What research does exist places an emphasis on technical and engineering skills while discounting the important social and organizational influences that dictate success or failure in everyday settings. This paper reviews the literature on cyber expertise and cyber workforce development to identify gaps and then argues for the important contribution of social fit in the highly complex and heterogenous cyber workforce. We then identify six assumptions for the future of cybersecurity workforce development, including the requirement for systemic thinkers, team players, a love for continued learning, strong communication ability, a sense of civic duty, and a blend of technical and social skill. Finally, we make recommendations for social and cognitive metrics which may be indicative of future performance in cyber work roles to provide a roadmap for future scholars. PMID:29946276

The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance.

PubMed

Dawson, Jessica; Thomson, Robert

2018-01-01

One of the challenges in writing an article reviewing the current state of cyber education and workforce development is that there is a paucity of quantitative assessment regarding the cognitive aptitudes, work roles, or team organization required by cybersecurity professionals to be successful. In this review, we argue that the people who operate within the cyber domain need a combination of technical skills, domain specific knowledge, and social intelligence to be successful. They, like the networks they operate, must also be reliable, trustworthy, and resilient. Defining the knowledge, skills, attributes, and other characteristics is not as simple as defining a group of technical skills that people can be trained on; the complexity of the cyber domain makes this a unique challenge. There has been little research devoted to exactly what attributes individuals in the cyber domain need. What research does exist places an emphasis on technical and engineering skills while discounting the important social and organizational influences that dictate success or failure in everyday settings. This paper reviews the literature on cyber expertise and cyber workforce development to identify gaps and then argues for the important contribution of social fit in the highly complex and heterogenous cyber workforce. We then identify six assumptions for the future of cybersecurity workforce development, including the requirement for systemic thinkers, team players, a love for continued learning, strong communication ability, a sense of civic duty, and a blend of technical and social skill. Finally, we make recommendations for social and cognitive metrics which may be indicative of future performance in cyber work roles to provide a roadmap for future scholars.

A study on technical efficiency of a DMU (review of literature)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkateswarlu, B.; Mahaboob, B.; Subbarami Reddy, C.; Sankar, J. Ravi

2017-11-01

In this research paper the concept of technical efficiency (due to Farell) [1] of a decision making unit (DMU) has been introduced and the measure of technical and cost efficiencies are derived. Timmer’s [2] deterministic approach to estimate the Cobb-Douglas production frontier has been proposed. The idea of extension of Timmer’s [2] method to any production frontier which is linear in parameters has been presented here. The estimation of parameters of Cobb-Douglas production frontier by linear programming approach has been discussed in this paper. Mark et al. [3] proposed a non-parametric method to assess efficiency. Nuti et al. [4] investigated the relationships among technical efficiency scores, weighted per capita cost and overall performance Gahe Zing Samuel Yank et al. [5] used Data envelopment analysis to assess technical assessment in banking sectors.

Possibilities of Use of UAVS for Technical Inspection of Buildings and Constructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banaszek, Anna; Banaszek, Sebastian; Cellmer, Anna

2017-12-01

In recent years, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used in various sectors of the economy. This is due to the development of new technologies for acquiring and processing geospatial data. The paper presents the results of experiments using UAV, equipped with a high resolution digital camera, for a visual assessment of the technical condition of the building roof and for the inventory of energy infrastructure and its surroundings. The usefulness of digital images obtained from the UAV deck is presented in concrete examples. The use of UAV offers new opportunities in the area of technical inspection due to the detail and accuracy of the data, low operating costs and fast data acquisition.

Electronic health systems: challenges faced by hospital-based providers.

PubMed

Agno, Christina Farala; Guo, Kristina L

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss specific challenges faced by hospitals adopting the use of electronic medical records and implementing electronic health record (EHR) systems. Challenges include user and information technology support; ease of technical use and software interface capabilities; compliance; and financial, legal, workforce training, and development issues. Electronic health records are essential to preventing medical errors, increasing consumer trust and use of the health system, and improving quality and overall efficiency. Government efforts are focused on ways to accelerate the adoption and use of EHRs as a means of facilitating data sharing, protecting health information privacy and security, quickly identifying emerging public health threats, and reducing medical errors and health care costs and increasing quality of care. This article will discuss physician and nonphysician staff training before, during, and after implementation; the effective use of EHR systems' technical features; the selection of a capable and secure EHR system; and the development of collaborative system implementation. Strategies that are necessary to help health care providers achieve successful implementation of EHR systems will be addressed.

Technical support for Life Sciences communities on a production grid infrastructure.

PubMed

Michel, Franck; Montagnat, Johan; Glatard, Tristan

2012-01-01

Production operation of large distributed computing infrastructures (DCI) still requires a lot of human intervention to reach acceptable quality of service. This may be achievable for scientific communities with solid IT support, but it remains a show-stopper for others. Some application execution environments are used to hide runtime technical issues from end users. But they mostly aim at fault-tolerance rather than incident resolution, and their operation still requires substantial manpower. A longer-term support activity is thus needed to ensure sustained quality of service for Virtual Organisations (VO). This paper describes how the biomed VO has addressed this challenge by setting up a technical support team. Its organisation, tooling, daily tasks, and procedures are described. Results are shown in terms of resource usage by end users, amount of reported incidents, and developed software tools. Based on our experience, we suggest ways to measure the impact of the technical support, perspectives to decrease its human cost and make it more community-specific.

Identification of usual interstitial pneumonia pattern using RNA-Seq and machine learning: challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Choi, Yoonha; Liu, Tiffany Ting; Pankratz, Daniel G; Colby, Thomas V; Barth, Neil M; Lynch, David A; Walsh, P Sean; Raghu, Ganesh; Kennedy, Giulia C; Huang, Jing

2018-05-09

We developed a classifier using RNA sequencing data that identifies the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern for the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We addressed significant challenges, including limited sample size, biological and technical sample heterogeneity, and reagent and assay batch effects. We identified inter- and intra-patient heterogeneity, particularly within the non-UIP group. The models classified UIP on transbronchial biopsy samples with a receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve of ~ 0.9 in cross-validation. Using in silico mixed samples in training, we prospectively defined a decision boundary to optimize specificity at ≥85%. The penalized logistic regression model showed greater reproducibility across technical replicates and was chosen as the final model. The final model showed sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 88% in the test set. We demonstrated that the suggested methodologies appropriately addressed challenges of the sample size, disease heterogeneity and technical batch effects and developed a highly accurate and robust classifier leveraging RNA sequencing for the classification of UIP.

A Framework for 21st-Century Career-Technical and Workforce Education Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojewski, Jay W.; Hill, Roger B.

2017-01-01

Increasingly, career-technical and workforce education professionals are challenged with determining the best ways to prepare people for work, when many of the jobs those people will perform do not exist yet. Twenty-first-century work is evolving rapidly, with some jobs going away, other types of work appearing, and many people working in jobs…

Technical and Vocational Education and Training and the Labour Market in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenberg, Eli

2006-01-01

The aim of this report is to contribute to a better understanding of the current status of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for human resources development (HRD) and the labour market in Israel. It describes the role and involvement of the various sectors in HRD and identifies the barriers, challenges, priorities, initiatives…

Feasibility, efficacy, and predictive factors for the technical success of endoscopic nasogallbladder drainage: a prospective study.

PubMed

Yane, Kei; Maguchi, Hiroyuki; Katanuma, Akio; Takahashi, Kuniyuki; Osanai, Manabu; Kin, Toshifumi; Takaki, Ryo; Matsumoto, Kazuyuki; Gon, Katsushige; Matsumori, Tomoaki; Tomonari, Akiko; Nojima, Masanori

2015-03-01

Several studies have shown the useful-ness of endoscopic nasogallbladder drainage (ENGBD) in patients with acute cholecystitis. However, the procedure is difficult, and factors that affect technical success have not yet been clarified. We conducted a prospective study to eval-uate the technical feasibility, efficacy, and predictive factors for the technical success of ENGBD in patients with acute cholecystitis. All patients with moderate or severe acute cholecystitis who were enrolled underwent ENGBD between April 2009 and April 2011. Patients with surgically altered anatomy or pancreatobiliary malignancies were ex-cluded. The primary outcomes included technical success, clinical success, and complications. Factors that could affect the technical success were also examined. Of the 27 patients who underwent ENGBD during the study period, technical success was achieved in 21 (78%) and clinical improvement was achieved in 20 (95%). Early complications were encountered in four patients (15%). Gallbladder wall thickness (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 2.47) and age (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.35) were effective predictors of technical failure. ENGBD was effective in resolving acute cholecystitis; however, this modality was technically challenging and had a limited suc-cess rate. Because of technical difficulties, ENGBD should be reserved for limited indications. (Gut Liver, 2015;9239-246).

The computational challenges of Earth-system science.

PubMed

O'Neill, Alan; Steenman-Clark, Lois

2002-06-15

The Earth system--comprising atmosphere, ocean, land, cryosphere and biosphere--is an immensely complex system, involving processes and interactions on a wide range of space- and time-scales. To understand and predict the evolution of the Earth system is one of the greatest challenges of modern science, with success likely to bring enormous societal benefits. High-performance computing, along with the wealth of new observational data, is revolutionizing our ability to simulate the Earth system with computer models that link the different components of the system together. There are, however, considerable scientific and technical challenges to be overcome. This paper will consider four of them: complexity, spatial resolution, inherent uncertainty and time-scales. Meeting these challenges requires a significant increase in the power of high-performance computers. The benefits of being able to make reliable predictions about the evolution of the Earth system should, on their own, amply repay this investment.

Autonomy, Interdependence, and Social Control: NASA and the Space Shuttle "Challenger."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughan, Diane

1990-01-01

Shows that the organizations responsible for regulating safety at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) failed to identify flaws in management procedures and technical design that, if corrected, might have prevented the "Challenger" tragedy. Regulatory effectiveness was inhibited by the autonomy and interdependence of…

Results from the centers for disease control and prevention's predict the 2013-2014 Influenza Season Challenge.

PubMed

Biggerstaff, Matthew; Alper, David; Dredze, Mark; Fox, Spencer; Fung, Isaac Chun-Hai; Hickmann, Kyle S; Lewis, Bryan; Rosenfeld, Roni; Shaman, Jeffrey; Tsou, Ming-Hsiang; Velardi, Paola; Vespignani, Alessandro; Finelli, Lyn

2016-07-22

Early insights into the timing of the start, peak, and intensity of the influenza season could be useful in planning influenza prevention and control activities. To encourage development and innovation in influenza forecasting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) organized a challenge to predict the 2013-14 Unites States influenza season. Challenge contestants were asked to forecast the start, peak, and intensity of the 2013-2014 influenza season at the national level and at any or all Health and Human Services (HHS) region level(s). The challenge ran from December 1, 2013-March 27, 2014; contestants were required to submit 9 biweekly forecasts at the national level to be eligible. The selection of the winner was based on expert evaluation of the methodology used to make the prediction and the accuracy of the prediction as judged against the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet). Nine teams submitted 13 forecasts for all required milestones. The first forecast was due on December 2, 2013; 3/13 forecasts received correctly predicted the start of the influenza season within one week, 1/13 predicted the peak within 1 week, 3/13 predicted the peak ILINet percentage within 1 %, and 4/13 predicted the season duration within 1 week. For the prediction due on December 19, 2013, the number of forecasts that correctly forecasted the peak week increased to 2/13, the peak percentage to 6/13, and the duration of the season to 6/13. As the season progressed, the forecasts became more stable and were closer to the season milestones. Forecasting has become technically feasible, but further efforts are needed to improve forecast accuracy so that policy makers can reliably use these predictions. CDC and challenge contestants plan to build upon the methods developed during this contest to improve the accuracy of influenza forecasts.

Relationship between intraoperative non-technical performance and technical events in bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Fecso, A B; Kuzulugil, S S; Babaoglu, C; Bener, A B; Grantcharov, T P

2018-03-30

The operating theatre is a unique environment with complex team interactions, where technical and non-technical performance affect patient outcomes. The correlation between technical and non-technical performance, however, remains underinvestigated. The purpose of this study was to explore these interactions in the operating theatre. A prospective single-centre observational study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical centre. One surgeon and three fellows participated as main operators. All patients who underwent a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and had the procedures captured using the Operating Room Black Box ® platform were included. Technical assessment was performed using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills and Generic Error Rating Tool instruments. For non-technical assessment, the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS) tools were used. Spearman rank-order correlation and N-gram statistics were conducted. Fifty-six patients were included in the study and 90 procedural steps (gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy) were analysed. There was a moderate to strong correlation between technical adverse events (r s  = 0·417-0·687), rectifications (r s  = 0·380-0·768) and non-technical performance of the surgical and nursing teams (NOTSS and SPLINTS). N-gram statistics showed that after technical errors, events and prior rectifications, the staff surgeon and the scrub nurse exhibited the most positive non-technical behaviours, irrespective of operator (staff surgeon or fellow). This study demonstrated that technical and non-technical performances are related, on both an individual and a team level. Valuable data can be obtained around intraoperative errors, events and rectifications. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Skills Development, Employment and Sustained Growth in Ghana: Sustainability Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Robert

2009-01-01

Against a backdrop of some two decades of sustained economic growth in Ghana, this paper argues that there are a series of sustainability challenges related to technical and vocational skills development (TVSD) that need to be addressed. This paper analyses several sustainability dimensions of TVSD related to: promoting the sustainability of…

SSME to RS-25: Challenges of Adapting a Heritage Engine to a New Vehicle Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, Richard O.

2015-01-01

A key constituent of the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) architecture is the RS-25 engine, also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). This engine was selected largely due to the maturity and extensive experience gained through 30-plus years of service. However, while the RS-25 is a highly mature system, simply unbolting it from the Space Shuttle and mounting it on the new SLS vehicle is not a "plug-and-play" operation. In addition to numerous technical integration and operational details, there were also hardware upgrades needed. While the magnitude of effort is less than that needed to develop a new clean-sheet engine system, this paper describes some of the expected and unexpected challenges encountered to date on the path to the first flight of SLS.

[Internet research methods: advantages and challenges].

PubMed

Liu, Yi; Tien, Yueh-Hsuan

2009-12-01

Compared to traditional research methods, using the Internet to conduct research offers a number of advantages to the researcher, which include increased access to sensitive issues and vulnerable / hidden populations; decreased data entry time requirements; and enhanced data accuracy. However, Internet research also presents certain challenges to the researcher. In this article, the advantages and challenges of Internet research methods are discussed in four principle issue areas: (a) recruitment, (b) data quality, (c) practicality, and (d) ethics. Nursing researchers can overcome problems related to sampling bias and data truthfulness using creative methods; resolve technical problems through collaboration with other disciplines; and protect participant's privacy, confidentiality and data security by maintaining a high level of vigilance. Once such issues have been satisfactorily addressed, the Internet should open a new window for Taiwan nursing research.

Surgeons' and trainees' perceived self-efficacy in operating theatre non-technical skills.

PubMed

Pena, G; Altree, M; Field, J; Thomas, M J W; Hewett, P; Babidge, W; Maddern, G J

2015-05-01

An important factor that may influence an individual's performance is self-efficacy, a personal judgement of capability to perform a particular task successfully. This prospective study explored newly qualified surgeons' and surgical trainees' self-efficacy in non-technical skills compared with their non-technical skills performance in simulated scenarios. Participants undertook surgical scenarios challenging non-technical skills in two simulation sessions 6 weeks apart. Some participants attended a non-technical skills workshop between sessions. Participants completed pretraining and post-training surveys about their perceived self-efficacy in non-technical skills, which were analysed and compared with their performance in surgical scenarios in two simulation sessions. Change in performance between sessions was compared with any change in participants' perceived self-efficacy. There were 40 participants in all, 17 of whom attended the non-technical skills workshop. There was no significant difference in participants' self-efficacy regarding non-technical skills from the pretraining to the post-training survey. However, there was a tendency for participants with the highest reported self-efficacy to adjust their score downwards after training and for participants with the lowest self-efficacy to adjust their score upwards. Although there was significant improvement in non-technical skills performance from the first to second simulation sessions, a correlation between participants' self-efficacy and performance in scenarios in any of the comparisons was not found. The results suggest that new surgeons and surgical trainees have poor insight into their non-technical skills. Although it was not possible to correlate participants' self-belief in their abilities directly with their performance in a simulation, in general they became more critical in appraisal of their abilities as a result of the intervention. © 2015 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Information Superhighway: An Overview of Technology Challenges. Report to the Congress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC.

This report focuses on the pivotal technical issues associated with the National Information Infrastructure program, security and privacy, interoperability, and reliability, and presents the General Accounting Office's findings on these challenges. It is reported that while the structures and services to be offered by the information superhighway…

Technical economics in the power industry

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

Dicks, J.B.

1990-01-01

This paper reports discusses technical economics is an emerging subject different from such areas as engineering management. The subject of engineering economics will be vital in the coming years as the world economy is about to undergo an economic explosion due to the effect of the computer on every area of technology and the simultaneous large expansion of the world market through the opening and democratization of the Communist block together with the European Common Market.

Analysis of plant germline development by high-throughput RNA profiling: technical advances and new insights.

PubMed

Schmidt, Anja; Schmid, Marc W; Grossniklaus, Ueli

2012-04-01

Reproduction is a crucial step in the life cycle of plants. The male and female germline lineages develop in the reproductive organs of the flower, which in higher plants are the anthers and ovules, respectively. Development of the germline lineage initiates from a dedicated sporophytic cell that undergoes meiosis to form spores that subsequently give rise to the gametophytes through mitotic cell divisions. The mature male and female gametophytes harbour the male (sperm cells) and female gametes (egg and central cell), respectively. Those unite during double fertilization to initiate embryo and endosperm development in sexually reproducing higher plants. While cytological changes involved in development of the germline lineages have been well characterized in a number of species, investigation of the transcriptional basis underlying their development and the specification of the gametes proved challenging. This is largely due to the inaccessibility of the cells constituting the germline lineages, which are enclosed by sporophytic tissues. Only recently, these technical limitations could be overcome by combining new methods to isolate the relevant cells with powerful transcriptional profiling methods, such as microarrays or high-throughput sequencing of RNA. This review focuses on these technical advances and the new insights gained from them concerning the transcriptional basis and molecular mechanisms underlying germline development. © 2012 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A Survey of Terrestrial Approaches to the Challenge of Lunar Dust Containment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aguilera, Tatiana; Perry, Jay L.

2009-01-01

Numerous technical challenges exist to successfully extend lunar surface exploration beyond the tantalizing first steps of Apollo. Among these is the challenge of lunar dust intrusion into the cabin environment. Addressing this challenge includes the design of barriers to intrusion as well as techniques for removing the dust from the cabin atmosphere. Opportunities exist for adapting approaches employed in dusty industrial operations and pristine manufacturing environments to cabin environmental quality maintenance applications. A survey of process technologies employed by the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food processing, and mining industries offers insight into basic approaches that may be suitable for adaptation to lunar surface exploration applications.

Ethical Challenges of In-The-Field Training: A Surgical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Mark; Knifed, Eva

2007-01-01

The teaching of professions in which technical and manual acts combined with excellent judgment are used to enhance the safety of people, poses challenges to educators. Book learning combined with mock or simulated situations goes a long way, but ultimately "in-the-field" instruction and learning is necessary to qualify trainees for many…

[Pneumoperitoneum due to splenic abscess: a diagnostic challenge. Case Report].

PubMed

Peña-Ros, Emilio; Méndez-Martínez, Marcelino; Vicente-Ruiz, María; Sánchez-Cifuentes, Ángela; Martínez-Sanz, Nuria; Albarracín Marín-Blázquez, Antonio

2015-01-01

Splenic abscess is a rare clinic entity, its incidence has increased due to the rising number of clinical conditions involving immunosuppression. Endocarditis is the most frequent cause, and gram-positive aerobes are the main causal agents. Its clinical presentation is non-specific and delays diagnosis. Computed tomography scan is the method of choice, and the treatment is based on antibiotics and drainage, radiological or surgical, involving splenectomy in special cases that require it. A 55-year-old man with abdominal pain and fever. The analysis revealed leukocytosis 14,000/mm3, prothrombin activity 53%, and metabolic acidosis. Computed tomography scan showed a peri-hepatic pneumoperitoneum, liquid fluid, and peri-splenic bubbles, and slight trabeculation of fat around the duodenal bulb with pneumoperitoneum in this area. Patient underwent a median laparotomy, finding a purulent peritonitis due to a ruptured abscess in the spleen, splenectomy was performed. Fluid culture showed polymorphonuclears, with no microorganisms identified. The patient progressed and was discharged on the 5th post-operative day. Splenic abscess is an uncommon condition, in which the diagnosis is delayed and mortality, in untreated patients, is high. Its association with pneumoperitoneum may confuse the diagnosis towards viscera perforation. Thus it must be suspected in the finding of unknown cause of pneumoperitoneum by complementary examinations. The treatment of choice is splenectomy, because the capsular rupture is the norm in all of them. Copyright © 2015 Academia Mexicana de Cirugía A.C. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

76 FR 64083 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-17

... Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a Technical Conference on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and... System. The conference will explore the progress made on the priorities for addressing risks to...

Challenges to effective crisis management: using information and communication technologies to coordinate emergency medical services and emergency department teams.

PubMed

Reddy, Madhu C; Paul, Sharoda A; Abraham, Joanna; McNeese, Michael; DeFlitch, Christopher; Yen, John

2009-04-01

The purpose of this study is to identify the major challenges to coordination between emergency department (ED) teams and emergency medical services (EMS) teams. We conducted a series of focus groups involving both ED and EMS team members using a crisis scenario as the basis of the focus group discussion. We also collected organizational workflow data. We identified three major challenges to coordination between ED and EMS teams including ineffectiveness of current information and communication technologies, lack of common ground, and breakdowns in information flow. The three challenges highlight the importance of designing systems from socio-technical perspective. In particular, these inter-team coordination systems must support socio-technical issues such as awareness, context, and workflow between the two teams.

Solar in Your Community Challenge Fact Sheet

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

None

The SunShot Prize: Solar in Your Community Challenge is a $5 million prize competition funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar electricity access to low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and community organizations that haven’t been able to take advantage of the booming solar market. Because of rooftop limitations, lack of a strong credit history, or inability to utilize tax incentives, over 50% of Americans don’t have access to solar electricity. Offering $5 million in cash prizes and technical assistance over 18 months, the challenge supports teams across the country as they develop and demonstratemore » replicable projects or programs that expand solar access to underserved groups.« less

Full-arch milled titanium implant bridge: technical report.

PubMed

Peché, Wendy-Ann; Van Vuuren, Ludwig Jansen; Park, Chae

2011-09-01

The manufacturing of full-arch fixed implant-supported bridges with the use of the traditional lost wax technique remains a technical challenge. Distortion of the alloy during casting and subsequent heating cycles during porcelain build-up causes numerous problems. Fracturing of porcelain on large restorations is difficult and costly to restore. The fitting problems can be eliminated by utilising CAD/CAM technology in the manufacturing of long-span or full-arch titanium bridges. Repair of damaged porcelain can be simplified with the use of discrete, individually-removable crowns on the bridge.

Establishing ecological and social continuities: new challenges to optimize urban watershed management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitroi, V.; de Coninck, A.; Vinçon-Leite, B.; Deroubaix, J.-F.

2014-09-01

The (re)construction of the ecological continuity is stated as one of the main objectives of the European Water Framework Directive for watershed management in Europe. Analysing the social, political, technical and scientific processes characterising the implementation of different projects of ecological continuity in two adjacent peri-urban territories in Ile-de-France, we observed science-driven approaches disregarding the social contexts. We show that, in urbanized areas, ecological continuity requires not only important technical and ecological expertise, but also social and political participation to the definition of a common vision and action plan. Being a challenge for both, technical water management institutions and "classical" ecological policies, we propose some social science contributions to deal with ecological unpredictability and reconsider stakeholder resistance to this kind of project.

Current progress and technical challenges of flexible liquid crystal displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujikake, Hideo; Sato, Hiroto

2009-02-01

We focused on several technical approaches to flexible liquid crystal (LC) display in this report. We have been developing flexible displays using plastic film substrates based on polymer-dispersed LC technology with molecular alignment control. In our representative devices, molecular-aligned polymer walls keep plastic-substrate gap constant without LC alignment disorder, and aligned polymer networks create monostable switching of fast-response ferroelectric LC (FLC) for grayscale capability. In the fabrication process, a high-viscosity FLC/monomer solution was printed, sandwiched and pressed between plastic substrates. Then the polymer walls and networks were sequentially formed based on photo-polymerization-induced phase separation in the nematic phase by two exposure processes of patterned and uniform ultraviolet light. The two flexible backlight films of direct illumination and light-guide methods using small three-primary-color light-emitting diodes were fabricated to obtain high-visibility display images. The fabricated flexible FLC panels were driven by external transistor arrays, internal organic thin film transistor (TFT) arrays, and poly-Si TFT arrays. We achieved full-color moving-image displays using the flexible FLC panel and the flexible backlight film based on field-sequential-color driving technique. Otherwise, for backlight-free flexible LC displays, flexible reflective devices of twisted guest-host nematic LC and cholesteric LC were discussed with molecular-aligned polymer walls. Singlesubstrate device structure and fabrication method using self-standing polymer-stabilized nematic LC film and polymer ceiling layer were also proposed for obtaining LC devices with excellent flexibility.

The Challenges to Coupling Dynamic Geospatial Models

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

Goldstein, N

2006-06-23

Many applications of modeling spatial dynamic systems focus on a single system and a single process, ignoring the geographic and systemic context of the processes being modeled. A solution to this problem is the coupled modeling of spatial dynamic systems. Coupled modeling is challenging for both technical reasons, as well as conceptual reasons. This paper explores the benefits and challenges to coupling or linking spatial dynamic models, from loose coupling, where information transfer between models is done by hand, to tight coupling, where two (or more) models are merged as one. To illustrate the challenges, a coupled model of Urbanizationmore » and Wildfire Risk is presented. This model, called Vesta, was applied to the Santa Barbara, California region (using real geospatial data), where Urbanization and Wildfires occur and recur, respectively. The preliminary results of the model coupling illustrate that coupled modeling can lead to insight into the consequences of processes acting on their own.« less

Novel technical solutions for wireless ECG transmission & analysis in the age of the internet cloud.

PubMed

Al-Zaiti, Salah S; Shusterman, Vladimir; Carey, Mary G

2013-01-01

Current guidelines recommend early reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) within 90 min of first medical encounter. Telecardiology entails the use of advanced communication technologies to transmit the prehospital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to offsite cardiologists for early triage to the cath lab; which has been shown to dramatically reduce door-to-balloon time and total mortality. However, hospitals often find adopting ECG transmission technologies very challenging. The current review identifies seven major technical challenges of prehospital ECG transmission, including: paramedics inconvenience and transport delay; signal noise and interpretation errors; equipment malfunction and transmission failure; reliability of mobile phone networks; lack of compliance with the standards of digital ECG formats; poor integration with electronic medical records; and costly hardware and software pre-requisite installation. Current and potential solutions to address each of these technical challenges are discussed in details and include: automated ECG transmission protocols; annotatable waveform-based ECGs; optimal routing solutions; and the use of cloud computing systems rather than vendor-specific processing stations. Nevertheless, strategies to monitor transmission effectiveness and patient outcomes are essential to sustain initial gains of implementing ECG transmission technologies. © 2013.

Technical aspects of telepathology with emphasis on future development.

PubMed

Schwarzmann, P; Binder, B; Klose, R

2000-01-01

Pathology undergoes presently changes due to new developments in diagnostic opportunities and cost saving efforts in health care. Out of the wide field of telepathology the paper selects three prototype applications: telepathology in teleeducation, expert advice for preselected details of a slide and finally telepathology for remote diagnosis. The most challenging field for remote diagnosis is the application in the frozen section scenario. The paper starts with the mental experiment to map conventional procedures to counterparts in telepathology. Technical opportunities and economical restrictions of telepathology equipment are discussed with respect to the components: electronic camera, display devices, haptic sensors and displays, available telecommunication channels and telepathology software. As an example and for illustration of the state of the art for an advanced telemicroscopy system able to perform remote frozen section diagnosis, the HISTKOM equipment is presented in more details. The section concerning future developments regards the aspects of the acceptance by tentative users, legal aspects, costs and affordability of equipment, the market for equipment components and the adequate telecommunication services. Further is regarded the mutual influence of properties of existing systems and application experiences gained with them on the next generation of equipment and application software. Conclusions and references close the paper.

DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Subcommittee (ASCAC) Report: Top Ten Exascale Research Challenges

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

Lucas, Robert; Ang, James; Bergman, Keren

2014-02-10

Exascale computing systems are essential for the scientific fields that will transform the 21st century global economy, including energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and materials science. Progress in these fields is predicated on the ability to perform advanced scientific and engineering simulations, and analyze the deluge of data. On July 29, 2013, ASCAC was charged by Patricia Dehmer, the Acting Director of the Office of Science, to assemble a subcommittee to provide advice on exascale computing. This subcommittee was directed to return a list of no more than ten technical approaches (hardware and software) that will enable the development of a systemmore » that achieves the Department's goals for exascale computing. Numerous reports over the past few years have documented the technical challenges and the non¬-viability of simply scaling existing computer designs to reach exascale. The technical challenges revolve around energy consumption, memory performance, resilience, extreme concurrency, and big data. Drawing from these reports and more recent experience, this ASCAC subcommittee has identified the top ten computing technology advancements that are critical to making a capable, economically viable, exascale system.« less

Successful technical trading agents using genetic programming.

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

Othling, Andrew S.; Kelly, John A.; Pryor, Richard J.

2004-10-01

Genetic programming (GP) has proved to be a highly versatile and useful tool for identifying relationships in data for which a more precise theoretical construct is unavailable. In this project, we use a GP search to develop trading strategies for agent based economic models. These strategies use stock prices and technical indicators, such as the moving average convergence/divergence and various exponentially weighted moving averages, to generate buy and sell signals. We analyze the effect of complexity constraints on the strategies as well as the relative performance of various indicators. We also present innovations in the classical genetic programming algorithm thatmore » appear to improve convergence for this problem. Technical strategies developed by our GP algorithm can be used to control the behavior of agents in economic simulation packages, such as ASPEN-D, adding variety to the current market fundamentals approach. The exploitation of arbitrage opportunities by technical analysts may help increase the efficiency of the simulated stock market, as it does in the real world. By improving the behavior of simulated stock markets, we can better estimate the effects of shocks to the economy due to terrorism or natural disasters.« less

Technical College Teachers Sharing Their Knowledge: Does Leadership, Institutional Factors or Barriers Predict Their Practices?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tahir, Lokman Mohd; Musah, Muhamad Berhanddin; Abdullah, Abdul Halim; Musta'amal, Aede Hatib; Abdullah, Mohd Hazim Asran

2016-01-01

This study determines the preferable leadership practised by colleges' directors, institutional factors and challenges encountered in knowledge sharing in Malaysian technical higher learning institutions (HLIs). Using a pragmatic mixed-method strand, we obtained 212 teachers and instructors' viewpoints on knowledge sharing factors and barriers.…

Up to the Challenge: The Role of Career and Technical Education and 21st Century Skills in College and Career Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010

2010-01-01

This report highlights the demand for skills in the global economy and the ways in which educators can meet this demand by drawing on both career and technical education and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' Framework for 21st Century Learning. Twenty-first century skills and career and technical education are essential in every state,…

Technical structure of the global nanoscience and nanotechnology literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostoff, Ronald N.; Koytcheff, Raymond G.; Lau, Clifford G. Y.

2007-10-01

Text mining was used to extract technical intelligence from the open source global nanotechnology and nanoscience research literature. An extensive nanotechnology/nanoscience-focused query was applied to the Science Citation Index/Social Science Citation Index (SCI/SSCI) databases. The nanotechnology/nanoscience research literature technical structure (taxonomy) was obtained using computational linguistics/document clustering and factor analysis. The infrastructure (prolific authors, key journals/institutions/countries, most cited authors/journals/documents) for each of the clusters generated by the document clustering algorithm was obtained using bibliometrics. Another novel addition was the use of phrase auto-correlation maps to show technical thrust areas based on phrase co-occurrence in Abstracts, and the use of phrase-phrase cross-correlation maps to show technical thrust areas based on phrase relations due to the sharing of common co-occurring phrases. The ˜400 most cited nanotechnology papers since 1991 were grouped, and their characteristics generated. Whereas the main analysis provided technical thrusts of all nanotechnology papers retrieved, analysis of the most cited papers allowed their characteristics to be displayed. Finally, most cited papers from selected time periods were extracted, along with all publications from those time periods, and the institutions and countries were compared based on their representation in the most cited documents list relative to their representation in the most publications list.

The European Project Semester at ISEP: The Challenge of Educating Global Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malheiro, Benedita; Silva, Manuel; Ribeiro, Maria Cristina; Guedes, Pedro; Ferreira, Paulo

2015-01-01

Current engineering education challenges require approaches that promote scientific, technical, design and complementary skills while fostering autonomy, innovation and responsibility. The European Project Semester (EPS) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme (30 European…

Challenges in Commercializing Biomimetic Membranes.

PubMed

Perry, Mark; Madsen, Steen Ulrik; Jørgensen, Tine; Braekevelt, Sylvie; Lauritzen, Karsten; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2015-11-05

The discovery of selective water channel proteins-aquaporins-has prompted growing interest in using these proteins, as the building blocks for designing new types of membranes. However, as with any other new and potentially disruptive technology, barriers for successful market entry exist. One category includes customer-related barriers, which can be influenced to some extent. Another category includes market-technical-related barriers, which can be very difficult to overcome by an organization/company aiming at successfully introducing their innovation on the market-in particular if both the organization and the technology are at early stages. Often, one faces barriers from both these categories at the same time, which makes it necessary to gain insight of the particular market when introducing a new innovative product. In this review we present the basic concepts and discuss some of these barriers and challenges associated with introducing biomimetic aquaporin membranes. These include technical issues in membrane production and product testing. Then we discuss possible business models for introducing new technologies in general, followed by a presentation of beach-head market segments relevant for biomimetic aquaporin membranes.

TECHNICAL REPORTS DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC?) is the central facility for the collection and dissemination of scientific and technical information for the Department of Defense (DoD). Much of this information is made available by DTIC in the form of technical reports about com...

The University in the Networked Economy and Society: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benkler, Yochai

2008-01-01

The networked information economy and society present a new social, technical, and economic environment within which the university functions. To understand the new challenges and opportunities this environment presents, a usable characterization of the core new characteristics of both the environment and the university as a system and how those…

10 CFR 52.80 - Contents of applications; additional technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... 52.80 Section 52.80 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND APPROVALS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Combined Licenses § 52.80 Contents of applications; additional technical... the circumstances associated with the loss of large areas of the plant due to explosions or fire as...

10 CFR 52.80 - Contents of applications; additional technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... 52.80 Section 52.80 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND APPROVALS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Combined Licenses § 52.80 Contents of applications; additional technical... the circumstances associated with the loss of large areas of the plant due to explosions or fire as...

10 CFR 52.80 - Contents of applications; additional technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... 52.80 Section 52.80 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND APPROVALS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Combined Licenses § 52.80 Contents of applications; additional technical... the circumstances associated with the loss of large areas of the plant due to explosions or fire as...

10 CFR 52.80 - Contents of applications; additional technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... 52.80 Section 52.80 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND APPROVALS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Combined Licenses § 52.80 Contents of applications; additional technical... the circumstances associated with the loss of large areas of the plant due to explosions or fire as...

Surgical simulation: Current practices and future perspectives for technical skills training.

PubMed

Bjerrum, Flemming; Thomsen, Ann Sofia Skou; Nayahangan, Leizl Joy; Konge, Lars

2018-06-17

Simulation-based training (SBT) has become a standard component of modern surgical education, yet successful implementation of evidence-based training programs remains challenging. In this narrative review, we use Kern's framework for curriculum development to describe where we are now and what lies ahead for SBT within surgery with a focus on technical skills in operative procedures. Despite principles for optimal SBT (proficiency-based, distributed, and deliberate practice) having been identified, massed training with fixed time intervals or a fixed number of repetitions is still being extensively used, and simulators are generally underutilized. SBT should be part of surgical training curricula, including theoretical, technical, and non-technical skills, and be based on relevant needs assessments. Furthermore, training should follow evidence-based theoretical principles for optimal training, and the effect of training needs to be evaluated using relevant outcomes. There is a larger, still unrealized potential of surgical SBT, which may be realized in the near future as simulator technologies evolve, more evidence-based training programs are implemented, and cost-effectiveness and impact on patient safety is clearly demonstrated.

Student Design Challenges in Capillary Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stocker, Dennis P.; Wollman, Andrew; Hall, Nancy R.; Weislogel, Mark; DeLombard, Richard

2016-01-01

For some grade 8-12 students, capillary flow has bridged the gap between the classroom and research facility, from normal gravity to microgravity. In the past four years, NASA and the Portland State University (PSU) have jointly challenged students to design test cells, using Computer-Aided Design (CAD), to study capillary action in microgravity as PSU has done on the International Space Station (ISS). Using the student-submitted CAD drawings, the test cells were manufactured by PSU and tested in their 2.1-second drop tower. The microgravity results were made available online for student analysis and reporting. Over 100 such experiments have been conducted, where there has been participation from 15 states plus a German school for the children of U.S. military personnel. In 2016, a related NASA challenge was held in partnership with the ASGSR, again, based on the research conducted by PSU. In this challenge, grade 9-12 students designed and built devices using capillary action to launch droplets as far as possible in NASAs 2.2 Second Drop Tower. Example results will be presented by students at this conference. The challenges engage students in ISS science and technology and can inspire them to pursue technical careers.

Challenges in Construction Over Soft Soil - Case Studies in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad, N. O.; Razali, C. E.; Hadi, A. A. A.; Som, P. P.; Eng, B. C.; Rusli, M. B.; Mohamad, F. R.

2016-07-01

Construction on soft ground area is a great challenge in the field of geotechnical engineering. Many engineering problems in the form of slope instability, bearing capacity failure or excessive settlement could occur either during or after the construction phase due to low shear strength and high compressibility of this soil. As main technical agencies responsible for implementation of development projects for Government of Malaysia, Public Works Department has vast experience in dealing with this problematic soil over the years. This paper discussed and elaborate on the engineering problems encountered in construction projects that have been carried out by PWD, namely Core Facilities Building of Polytechnic Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Integration Quarters in Klang, Selangor. Instability of the ground during construction works had caused delay and cost overrun in completion of the project in Selangor, whereas occurrence of continuous post construction settlement had affected the integrity and serviceability of the building in Sabah. The causes of failure and proposed rehabilitation work for both projects also will be discussed in brief.

Surrogate Joint Aerial Layer Network (JALN) Experiment: Applications of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Technologies for Researching Future JALN Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

CHALLENGES DECEMBER 2014 TECHNICAL REPORT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED STINFO COPY AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY INFORMATION...JOINT AERIAL LAYER NETWORK (JALN) EXPERIMENT: APPLICATION OF COMMERCIAL-OFF-THE-SHELF TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESEARCHING FUTURE JALN CHALLENGES 5a... challenge JALN developers. The use of low-cost COTS wireless technology is found to be a suitable surrogate for military hardware for investigating

Final Technical Report, City of Brockton Solar Brightfield: Deploying a Solar Array on a Brockton Brownfield

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

Ribeiro, Lori

The City of Brockton, Massachusetts sought to install New England’s largest solar array at a remediated brownfield site on Grove Street. The 425-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array – or “Brightfield” – was installed in an urban park setting along with interpretive displays to maximize the educational opportunities. The “Brightfield” project included 1,395 310-Watt solar panels connected in “strings” that span the otherwise unusable 3.7-acre site. The project demonstrated that it is both technically and economically feasible to install utility scale solar photovoltaics on a capped landfill site. The US Department of Energy conceived the Brightfields program in 2000, and Brockton’s Brightfieldmore » is the largest such installation nationwide. Brockton’s project demonstrated that while it was both technically and economically feasible to perform such a project, the implementation was extremely challenging due to the state policy barriers, difficulty obtaining grant funding, and level of sophistication required to perform the financing and secure required state approvals. This demonstration project can be used as a model for other communities that wish to implement “Brownfields to Brightfields” projects; 2) implementing utility scale solar creates economies of scale that can help to decrease costs of photovoltaics; 3) the project is an aesthetic, environmental, educational and economic asset for the City of Brockton.« less

Hemodiafiltration: Technical and Clinical Issues.

PubMed

Ronco, Claudio

2015-01-01

Hemodiafiltration (HDF) seems to represent the gold standard in the field of replacement of renal function by dialysis. High convective fluxes have been correlated with better clinical outcomes. Sometimes, however, there are technical barriers to the achievement of high blood flows adequate to perform effective convective therapies. In spite of optimized procedures, the progressive increase in transmembrane pressure (TMP), the blood viscosity due to hemoconcentration and blood path resistance sometimes becomes inevitable. We propose two possible solutions that can be operated automatically via specific software in the dialysis machine: predilution on demand and backflush on demand. Predilution on demand consists in an automatic feedback of the machine, diverting part of the filtered dialysate into a predilution mode with an infusion of 200 ml in 30 s while the ultrafiltration pump stops. This produces a sudden hemodilution with a return of the parameters to acceptable values. The performance of the filter improves, and the pressure alterations are mitigated. Backflush on demand consists in an automatic feedback of the machine triggered by the TMP control, producing a positive pressure in the dialysate compartment due to a stop of filtration and rapid infusion of at least 100 ml of ultrapure dialysate into the hollow fiber. This not only produces a significant hemodilution, but also backflushes the membrane pores detaching protein layers and improving membrane permeability. These are two examples of how technology will permit to overcome technical barriers to a widespread diffusion of HDF and adequate convective dose delivery. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Integrating Technical Communication in the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norberg, Seth; Ashcraft, Timothy; van Poppel, Bret

2017-11-01

Technical communication is essential to engineering practice, but these skills can be challenging to teach and assess in the classroom. Instructors in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) program at the United States Military Academy are developing new learning exercises to prepare students for success in their capstone design course and beyond. In this paper we highlight the recent successes and lessons learned from two courses: junior-level Thermal-Fluid Systems and the senior-level ME Seminar. Both courses support the newly implemented West Point Writing Program (WPWP), an institutional, writing-across-the-curriculum program. The junior course incorporates four hands-on experiments, which provide an abundance of data for students to analyze, assess, and present. In the senior course the majority of the content that students present is from their ongoing capstone design projects. Between the two courses, students craft essays, lab reports, short summaries, posters, quad charts, and technical presentations. Both courses include peer evaluation, revision exercises, and timed (on demand) writing assignments. The junior course includes assignments co-authored by a group as well as an individual report. An overview of both courses' assignments with course-end feedback from the students and the faculty is provided. Strengths and weaknesses are identified and recommendations for instructors seeking to implement similar technical communications assignments in their own courses are presented.

Socio-technical issues and challenges in implementing safe patient handovers: insights from ethnographic case studies.

PubMed

Balka, Ellen; Tolar, Marianne; Coates, Shannon; Whitehouse, Sandra

2013-12-01

Ineffective handovers in patient care, including those where information loss occurs between care providers, have been identified as a risk to patient safety. Computerization of health information is often offered as a solution to improve the quality of care handovers and decrease adverse events related to patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to broaden our understanding of clinical handover as a patient safety issue, and to identify socio-technical issues which may come to bear on the success of computer based handover tools. Three in depth ethnographic case studies were undertaken. Field notes were transcribed and analyzed with the aid of qualitative data analysis software. Within case analysis was performed on each case, and subsequently, cross case analyses were performed. We identified five types of socio-technical issues which must be addressed if electronic handover tools are to succeed. The inter-dependencies of these issues are addressed in relation to arenas in which health care work takes place. We suggest that the contextual nature of information, ethical and medico-legal issues arising in relation to information handover, and issues related to data standards and system interoperability must be addressed if computerized health information systems are to achieve improvements in patient safety related to handovers in care. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Legitimizing Technical Communication in English Departments: Carolyn Miller's "Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Patrick

2006-01-01

Carolyn Miller's oft-cited "Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing," published in 1979, tries to give technical communication faculty more cultural capital in English departments controlled by literature professors. Miller replaces a positivistic emphasis in technical communication pedagogy with rhetoric. She shows how technical knowledge is…

Technical Summary of the Half-Degree Imager (HDI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richmond, Michael W.

2017-01-01

The Half-Degree Imager (HDI) was first attached to the WIYN 0.9-m Telescope in October, 2013. In the three years since then, it has served a large community of astronomers throughout the WIYN 0.9-m consortium. The large field of view and relatively short readout time, combined with a large selection of broad-band and narrow-band filters, make HDI a powerful tool for large-area surveys. I will provide a summary of the technical features of this CCD camera and its operations, and present statistics on its use -- showing the fraction of time lost due to bad weather and technical problems. I will reserve time to answer questions from the audience, including those who may be interested in using HDI for their own projects.

NASA scientific and technical information program multimedia initiative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cotter, Gladys A.; Kaye, Karen

1993-01-01

This paper relates the experiences of the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program in introducing multimedia within the STI Program framework. A discussion of multimedia technology is included to provide context for the STI Program effort. The STI Program's Multimedia Initiative is discussed in detail. Parallels and differences between multimedia and traditional information systems project development are highlighted. Challenges faced by the program in initiating its multimedia project are summarized along with lessons learned. The paper concludes with a synopsis of the benefits the program hopes to provide its users through the introduction of multimedia illustrated by examples of successful multimedia projects.

Curriculum Integration: Helping Career and Technical Education Students Truly Develop College and Career Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Travis; Pearson, Donna; Richardson, George B.

2017-01-01

All students need to learn how to read, write, solve mathematics problems, and understand and apply scientific principles to succeed in college and/or careers. The challenges posed by entry-level career fields are no less daunting than those posed by college-level study. Thus, career and technical education students must learn effective math,…

The Store Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roman, Harry T.

2014-01-01

Biomedical and robotic technologies are merging to present a wonderful opportunity to develop artificial limbs and prosthetic devices for humans injured on the job, in the military, or due to disease. In this challenge, students will have the opportunity to design a store or online service that specifically dedicates itself to amputees. Described…

Report on the first round of the Mock LISA Data Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, K. A.; Auger, G.; Babak, S.; Baker, J. G.; Benacquista, M. J.; Bloomer, E.; Brown, D. A.; Camp, J. B.; Cannizzo, J. K.; Christensen, N.; Clark, J.; Cornish, N. J.; Crowder, J.; Cutler, C.; Finn, L. S.; Halloin, H.; Hayama, K.; Hendry, M.; Jeannin, O.; Królak, A.; Larson, S. L.; Mandel, I.; Messenger, C.; Meyer, R.; Mohanty, S.; Nayak, R.; Numata, K.; Petiteau, A.; Pitkin, M.; Plagnol, E.; Porter, E. K.; Prix, R.; Roever, C.; Stroeer, A.; Thirumalainambi, R.; Thompson, D. E.; Toher, J.; Umstaetter, R.; Vallisneri, M.; Vecchio, A.; Veitch, J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Whelan, J. T.; Woan, G.

2007-10-01

The Mock LISA Data Challenges (MLDCs) have the dual purpose of fostering the development of LISA data analysis tools and capabilities, and demonstrating the technical readiness already achieved by the gravitational-wave community in distilling a rich science payoff from the LISA data output. The first round of MLDCs has just been completed: nine challenges consisting of data sets containing simulated gravitational-wave signals produced either by galactic binaries or massive black hole binaries embedded in simulated LISA instrumental noise were released in June 2006 with deadline for submission of results at the beginning of December 2006. Ten groups have participated in this first round of challenges. All of the challenges had at least one entry which successfully characterized the signal to better than 95% when assessed via a correlation with phasing ambiguities accounted for. Here, we describe the challenges, summarize the results and provide a first critical assessment of the entries.

The technical consideration of multi-beam mask writer for production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang Hee; Ahn, Byung-Sup; Choi, Jin; Shin, In Kyun; Tamamushi, Shuichi; Jeon, Chan-Uk

2016-10-01

Multi-beam mask writer is under development to solve the throughput and patterning resolution problems in VSB mask writer. Theoretically, the writing time is appropriate for future design node and the resolution is improved with multi-beam mask writer. Many previous studies show the feasible results of resolution, CD control and registration. Although such technical results of development tool seem to be enough for mass production, there are still many unexpected problems for real mass production. In this report, the technical challenges of multi-beam mask writer are discussed in terms of production and application. The problems and issues are defined based on the performance of current development tool compared with the requirements of mask quality. Using the simulation and experiment, we analyze the specific characteristics of electron beam in multi-beam mask writer scheme. Consequently, we suggest necessary specifications for mass production with multi-beam mask writer in the future.

Wisconsin Technical College System Board Equity Staff Development Workshops and Services--Phase IV. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldus, Lorayne

A staff development program on gender equity was conducted for personnel in Wisconsin's technical colleges using the train-the-trainer method. The training took two approaches: a class for college personnel and career challenge training for project directors of single parent and displaced homemaker grants. The inservice class resulted in increased…

Challenges to EHR implementation in electronic- versus paper-based office practices.

PubMed

Zandieh, Stephanie O; Yoon-Flannery, Kahyun; Kuperman, Gilad J; Langsam, Daniel J; Hyman, Daniel; Kaushal, Rainu

2008-06-01

Challenges in implementing electronic health records (EHRs) have received some attention, but less is known about the process of transitioning from legacy EHRs to newer systems. To determine how ambulatory leaders differentiate implementation approaches between practices that are currently paper-based and those with a legacy EHR system (EHR-based). Qualitative study. Eleven practice managers and 12 medical directors all part of an academic ambulatory care network of a large teaching hospital in New York City in January to May of 2006. Qualitative approach comparing and contrasting perceived benefits and challenges in implementing an ambulatory EHR between practice leaders from paper- and EHR-based practices. Content analysis was performed using grounded theory and ATLAS.ti 5.0. We found that paper-based leaders prioritized the following: sufficient workstations and printers, a physician information technology (IT) champion at the practice, workflow education to ensure a successful transition to a paperless medical practice, and a high existing comfort level of practitioners and support staff with IT. In contrast, EHR-based leaders prioritized: improved technical training and ongoing technical support, sufficient protection of patient privacy, and open recognition of physician resistance, especially for those who were loyal to a legacy EHR. Unlike paper-based practices, EHR-based leadership believed that comfort level with IT and adjustments to workflow changes would not be difficult challenges to overcome. Leadership at paper- and EHR-based practices in 1 academic network has different priorities for implementing a new EHR. Ambulatory practices upgrading their legacy EHR have unique challenges.

Challenges in building intelligent systems for space mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartman, Wayne

1991-01-01

The purpose here is to provide a top-level look at the stewardship functions performed in space operations, and to identify the major issues and challenges that must be addressed to build intelligent systems that can realistically support operations functions. The focus is on decision support activities involving monitoring, state assessment, goal generation, plan generation, and plan execution. The bottom line is that problem solving in the space operations domain is a very complex process. A variety of knowledge constructs, representations, and reasoning processes are necessary to support effective human problem solving. Emulating these kinds of capabilities in intelligent systems offers major technical challenges that the artificial intelligence community is only beginning to address.

Space Station propulsion electrolysis system - 'A technology challenge'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, Michael

1989-01-01

The Space Station propulsion system will utilize a water electrolysis system to produce the required eight-to-one ratio of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen propellants. This paper summarizes the state of the art in water electrolysis technologies and the supporting development programs at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Preliminary proof of concept test data from a fully integrated propulsion testbed are discussed. The technical challenges facing the development of the high-pressure water electrolysis system are discussed.

Streamlining and Standardizing Due Diligence to Ensure Quality of PV Power Plants

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

Kurtz, Sarah

Those investing in PV power plants would like to have confidence that the plants will provide the anticipated return on investment. While due diligence is capably performed by independent engineers today, as PV systems mature, there will be benefit in standardization and streamlining of this process. The IECRE has defined technical information that is needed as a basis for each transaction step such as approving a design to begin construction, documenting readiness to operate, quantifying performance after a year of operation, and assessing the health of the plant in preparation for sale of the plant. The technical requirements have beenmore » defined by IEC Technical Committee 82 and have been designed to be both effective and efficient in completing the assessments. This workshop will describe these new tools that are now available to the community and will include a panel/audience discussion about how and when they can be most effectively used.« less

The Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions: Past, present, and future operational challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ochs, William R.; Barbehenn, George M.; Crabb, William G.

1996-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope was designed to be serviced by the Space Shuttle to upgrade systems, replace failed components and boost the telescope into higher orbits. There exists many operational challenges that must be addressed in preparation for the execution of a servicing mission, including technical and managerial issues. The operational challenges faced by the Hubble operations and ground system project for the support of the first servicing mission and future servicing missions, are considered. The emphasis is on those areas that helped ensure the success of the mission, including training, testing and contingency planning.

Socio-Technical Considerations for the Use of Blockchain Technology in Healthcare.

PubMed

Wong, Ming Chao; Yee, Kwang Chien; Nøhr, Christian

2018-01-01

Blockchain technology is often considered as the fourth industrial revolution that will change the world. The enthusiasm of the transformative nature of blockchain technology has infiltrated healthcare. Blockchain is often seen as the much needed and perfect technology for healthcare, addressing the difficult and complex issues of security and inter-operability. More importantly, the "value" and trust-based system can deliver automated action and response via its smart contract mechanism. Healthcare, however, is a complex system. Health information technology (HIT) so far, has not delivered its promise of transforming healthcare due to its complex socio-technical and context sensitive interaction. The introduction of blockchain technology will need to consider a whole range of socio-technical issues in order to improve the quality and safety of patient care. This paper presents a discussion on these socio-technical issues. More importantly, this paper argues that in order to achieve the best outcome from blockchain technology, there is a need to consider a clinical transformation from "information" to "value " and trust. This paper argues that urgent research is needed to address these socio-technical issues in order to facilitate best outcomes for blockchain in healthcare. These socio-technical issues must then be further evaluated by means of working prototypes in the medical domain in coming years.

Health Recommender Systems: Concepts, Requirements, Technical Basics and Challenges

PubMed Central

Wiesner, Martin; Pfeifer, Daniel

2014-01-01

During the last decades huge amounts of data have been collected in clinical databases representing patients' health states (e.g., as laboratory results, treatment plans, medical reports). Hence, digital information available for patient-oriented decision making has increased drastically but is often scattered across different sites. As as solution, personal health record systems (PHRS) are meant to centralize an individual's health data and to allow access for the owner as well as for authorized health professionals. Yet, expert-oriented language, complex interrelations of medical facts and information overload in general pose major obstacles for patients to understand their own record and to draw adequate conclusions. In this context, recommender systems may supply patients with additional laymen-friendly information helping to better comprehend their health status as represented by their record. However, such systems must be adapted to cope with the specific requirements in the health domain in order to deliver highly relevant information for patients. They are referred to as health recommender systems (HRS). In this article we give an introduction to health recommender systems and explain why they are a useful enhancement to PHR solutions. Basic concepts and scenarios are discussed and a first implementation is presented. In addition, we outline an evaluation approach for such a system, which is supported by medical experts. The construction of a test collection for case-related recommendations is described. Finally, challenges and open issues are discussed. PMID:24595212

New Mass Properties Engineers Aerospace Ballasting Challenge Facilitated by the SAWE Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutright, Amanda; Shaughnessy, Brendan

2010-01-01

The discipline of Mass Properties Engineering tends to find the engineers; not typically vice versa. In this case, two engineers quickly found their new responsibilities deep in many aspects of mass properties engineering and required to meet technical challenges in a fast paced environment. As part of NASA's Constellation Program, a series of flight tests will be conducted to evaluate components of the new spacecraft launch vehicles. One of these tests is the Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) flight test which will test the Launch Abort System (LAS), a system designed to provide escape for astronauts in the event of an emergency. The Flight Test Articles (FTA) used in this flight test are required to match mass properties corresponding to the operational vehicle, which has a continually evolving design. Additionally, since the structure and subsystems for the Orion Crew Module (CM) FTA are simplified versions of the final product, thousands of pounds of ballast are necessary to achieve the desired mass properties. These new mass properties engineers are responsible for many mass properties aspects in support of the flight test, including meeting the ballasting challenge for the CM Boilerplate FTA. SAWE expert and experienced mass properties engineers, both those that are directly on the team and many that supported via a variety of Society venues, significantly contributed to facilitating the success of addressing this particular mass properties ballasting challenge, in addition to many other challenges along the way. This paper discusses the details regarding the technical aspects of this particular mass properties challenge, as well as identifies recommendations for new mass properties engineers that were learned from the SAWE community along the way.

Technical feasibility and revision efficacy of the sequential deployment of endoscopic bilateral side-by-side metal stents for malignant hilar biliary strictures: a multicenter prospective study.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Hoon; Park, Do Hyun; Lee, Sang Soo; Choi, Hyun Jong; Lee, Jun Kyu; Kim, Tae Hyeon; Kim, Jong Hyeok; Jeong, Seok; Park, Sang-Heum; Moon, Jong Ho

2013-02-01

Theoretically, the side-by-side bilateral placement of metal stents may be technically easier than stent-in-stent bilateral placement in stent revision. However, side-by-side placement can be technically challenging, as the deployment of the first stent can preclude the passage of the second stent. We explored the technical feasibility and revision efficacy of endoscopic bilateral side-by-side stent placement for malignant hilar biliary strictures. Forty-four patients with Bismuth type II or higher malignant hilar biliary strictures were enrolled in seven academic tertiary referral centers. Endoscopic placement of side-by-side bilateral metal stents with 7F thin delivery shaft was performed. The outcome measurements were the technical and functional success, adverse events, endoscopic revision success rate, and stent patency. Overall, the technical and functional success rates were 91 % (40/44), and 98 % (39/40), respectively. Two of the failed patients were converted successfully with subsequent contralateral stent-in-stent placement, and the other patients underwent percutaneous intervention. Early stent-related adverse events occurred in 10 %. The endoscopic revision rate due to stent malfunction during follow-up (median: 180 days) was 45 % (18/40; tumor ingrowth in 4 and in-stent sludge impaction/stone formation in 14 patients). The endoscopic revision success rate was 92 % (12/13). Five patients with comorbidity underwent initial percutaneous intervention. The median survival and stent patency periods were 180 and 157 days, respectively. The sequential placement of a metal stent with a 7F thin delivery shaft in bilateral side-by-side procedures may be feasible and effective for malignant hilar biliary strictures and for endoscopic stent revision.

Challenges in Commercializing Biomimetic Membranes

PubMed Central

Perry, Mark; Madsen, Steen Ulrik; Jørgensen, Tine; Braekevelt, Sylvie; Lauritzen, Karsten; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2015-01-01

The discovery of selective water channel proteins—aquaporins—has prompted growing interest in using these proteins, as the building blocks for designing new types of membranes. However, as with any other new and potentially disruptive technology, barriers for successful market entry exist. One category includes customer-related barriers, which can be influenced to some extent. Another category includes market-technical-related barriers, which can be very difficult to overcome by an organization/company aiming at successfully introducing their innovation on the market—in particular if both the organization and the technology are at early stages. Often, one faces barriers from both these categories at the same time, which makes it necessary to gain insight of the particular market when introducing a new innovative product. In this review we present the basic concepts and discuss some of these barriers and challenges associated with introducing biomimetic aquaporin membranes. These include technical issues in membrane production and product testing. Then we discuss possible business models for introducing new technologies in general, followed by a presentation of beach-head market segments relevant for biomimetic aquaporin membranes. PMID:26556379

NASA Technical Standards Program and Implications for Lessons Learned and Technical Standard Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, Paul S.; Garcia, Danny; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Agency consists of fourteen Facilities throughout the United States. They are organized to support the Agency's principal Enterprises: (1) Space Science, (2) Earth Science, (3) Aerospace Technology, (4) Human Exploration and Development of Space, and (5) Biological and Physical Research. Technical Standards are important to the activities of each Enterprise and have been an integral part in the development and operation of NASA Programs and Projects since the Agency was established in 1959. However, for years each Center was responsible for its own standards development and selection of non-NASA technical standards that met the needs of Programs and Projects for which they were responsible. There were few Agencywide applicable Technical Standards, mainly those in area of safety. Department of Defense Standards and Specifications were the foundation and main source for Technical Standards used by the Agency. This process existed until about 1997 when NASA embarked on a Program to convert NASA's Center-developed Technical Standards into Agencywide endorsed NASA Preferred Technical Standards. In addition, action was taken regarding the formal adoption of non-NASA Technical Standards (DOD, SAE, ASTM, ASME, IEEE, etc.) as NASA Preferred Technical Standards.

Expressive/Exploratory Technical Writing (XTW) in Engineering: Shifting the Technical Writing Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warnock, Scott; Kahn, Michael

2007-01-01

While the importance of "expressive writing," or informal, self-directed writing, has been well established, teachers underutilize it, particularly in technical writing courses. We introduce the term expressive/exploratory technical writing (XTW), which is the use of informal, self-directed writing to problem-solve in technical fields. We describe…

Technical issues for the eye image database creation at distance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oropesa Morales, Lester Arturo; Maldonado Cano, Luis Alejandro; Soto Aldaco, Andrea; García Vázquez, Mireya Saraí; Zamudio Fuentes, Luis Miguel; Rodríguez Vázquez, Manuel Antonio; Pérez Rosas, Osvaldo Gerardo; Rodríguez Espejo, Luis; Montoya Obeso, Abraham; Ramírez Acosta, Alejandro Álvaro

2016-09-01

Biometrics refers to identify people through their physical characteristics or behavior such as fingerprints, face, DNA, hand geometries, retina and iris patterns. Typically, the iris pattern is to acquire in short distance to recognize a person, however, in the past few years is a challenge identify a person by its iris pattern at certain distance in non-cooperative environments. This challenge comprises: 1) high quality iris image, 2) light variation, 3) blur reduction, 4) specular reflections reduction, 5) the distance from the acquisition system to the user, and 6) standardize the iris size and the density pixel of iris texture. The solution of the challenge will add robustness and enhance the iris recognition rates. For this reason, we describe the technical issues that must be considered during iris acquisition. Some of these considerations are the camera sensor, lens, the math analysis of depth of field (DOF) and field of view (FOV) for iris recognition. Finally, based on this issues we present experiment that show the result of captures obtained with our camera at distance and captures obtained with cameras in very short distance.

Facilitating smallholder tree farming in fragmented tropical landscapes: Challenges and potentials for sustainable land management.

PubMed

Rahman, Syed Ajijur; Sunderland, Terry; Roshetko, James M; Healey, John Robert

2017-08-01

Under changing land use in tropical Asia, there is evidence of forest product diversification through implementation of tree-based farming by smallholders. This paper assesses in two locations, West Java, Indonesia and eastern Bangladesh, current land use conditions from the perspective of smallholder farmers, the factors that facilitate their adoption of tree farming, and the potential of landscape-scale approaches to foster sustainable land management. Data were collected through rapid rural appraisals, focus group discussions, field observations, semi-structured interviews of farm households and key informant interviews of state agricultural officers. Land at both study sites is typically fragmented due to conversion of forest to agriculture and community settlement. Local land use challenges are associated with pressures of population increase, poverty, deforestation, shortage of forest products, lack of community-scale management, weak tenure, underdeveloped markets, government decision-making with insufficient involvement of local people, and poor extension services. Despite these challenges, smallholder tree farming is found to be successful from farmers' perspectives. However, constraints of local food crop cultivation traditions, insecure land tenure, lack of capital, lack of knowledge, lack of technical assistance, and perceived risk of investing in land due to local conflict (in Bangladesh) limit farmers' willingness to adopt this land use alternative. Overcoming these barriers to adoption will require management at a landscape scale, including elements of both segregation and integration of land uses, supported by competent government policies and local communities having sufficiently high social capital. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crowdsourcing in biomedicine: challenges and opportunities

PubMed Central

Khare, Ritu; Good, Benjamin M.; Leaman, Robert; Su, Andrew I.

2016-01-01

The use of crowdsourcing to solve important but complex problems in biomedical and clinical sciences is growing and encompasses a wide variety of approaches. The crowd is diverse and includes online marketplace workers, health information seekers, science enthusiasts and domain experts. In this article, we review and highlight recent studies that use crowdsourcing to advance biomedicine. We classify these studies into two broad categories: (i) mining big data generated from a crowd (e.g. search logs) and (ii) active crowdsourcing via specific technical platforms, e.g. labor markets, wikis, scientific games and community challenges. Through describing each study in detail, we demonstrate the applicability of different methods in a variety of domains in biomedical research, including genomics, biocuration and clinical research. Furthermore, we discuss and highlight the strengths and limitations of different crowdsourcing platforms. Finally, we identify important emerging trends, opportunities and remaining challenges for future crowdsourcing research in biomedicine. PMID:25888696

Technical Education Outreach in Materials Science and Technology Based on NASA's Materials Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobs, James A.

2003-01-01

The grant NAG-1 -2125, Technical Education Outreach in Materials Science and Technology, based on NASA s Materials Research, involves collaborative effort among the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC), Norfolk State University (NSU), national research centers, private industry, technical societies, colleges and universities. The collaboration aims to strengthen math, science and technology education by providing outreach related to materials science and technology (MST). The goal of the project is to transfer new developments from LaRC s Center for Excellence for Structures and Materials and other NASA materials research into technical education across the nation to provide educational outreach and strengthen technical education. To achieve this goal we are employing two main strategies: 1) development of the gateway website and 2) using the National Educators Workshop: Update in Engineering Materials, Science and Technology (NEW:Updates). We have also participated in a number of national projects, presented talks at technical meetings and published articles aimed at improving k-12 technical education. Through the three years of this project the NSU team developed the successful MST-Online site and continued to upgrade and update it as our limited resources permitted. Three annual NEW:Updates conducted from 2000 though 2002 overcame the challenges presented first by the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks and the slow U.S. economy and still managed to conduct very effective workshops and expand our outreach efforts. Plans began on NEW:Update 2003 to be hosted by NASA Langley as a part of the celebration of the Centennial of Controlled Flight.

EcoCAR Challenge: Finish Line

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

The EcoCAR Challenege is a competition that challenges participating students from across North America to re-engineer a vehicle donated by General Motors. With the goal of minimizing the vehicle's fuel consumption and emissions, while maintaining its utility, safety and performance, teams had to find the best combination of cutting-edge technologies to meet these objectives. In the final year, the vehicles ran through a series of safety and technical tests at GM's Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan very similar to those GM's own production vehicles undergo. As EcoCAR wraps up, it is only the beginning for the next chapter in the DOE's 23-year history of advanced vehicle technology competitions. In April, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow announced the launch of EcoCAR 2: Plugging into the Future http://www.ecocar2.org/index.html . We look forward to seeing the new and innovative designs that students bring to this challenge and know they will find a way to exceed even our highest expectations.

Text-Based Decisions: Changes in the Availability of Facts Due to Instructions and the Passage of Time.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

8217 , . .. +: Lyle E. lawm. Jr. Departmnoto P hlg University of Colorado Technical Report No. 115 -ONR This research was sponsored’by the Personnel...Technical Report of Facts Due to Instructions and the Passage of Time 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT N UMPER ICS Tech Rept. 115 . 7. AUTHOR(a) S. CONTRACT OR...2) no difference in decision accuracy would be noted between the intentional and incidental learning groups, and (3) differential decisional accuracy

The challenging image-guided abdominal mass biopsy: established and emerging techniques 'if you can see it, you can biopsy it'.

PubMed

Sainani, Nisha I; Arellano, Ronald S; Shyn, Paul B; Gervais, Debra A; Mueller, Peter R; Silverman, Stuart G

2013-08-01

Image-guided percutaneous biopsy of abdominal masses is among the most commonly performed procedures in interventional radiology. While most abdominal masses are readily amenable to percutaneous biopsy, some may be technically challenging for a number of reasons. Low lesion conspicuity, small size, overlying or intervening structures, motion, such as that due to respiration, are some of the factors that can influence the ability and ultimately the success of an abdominal biopsy. Various techniques or technologies, such as choice of imaging modality, use of intravenous contrast and anatomic landmarks, patient positioning, organ displacement or trans-organ approach, angling CT gantry, triangulation method, real-time guidance with CT fluoroscopy or ultrasound, sedation or breath-hold, pre-procedural image fusion, electromagnetic tracking, and others, when used singularly or in combination, can overcome these challenges to facilitate needle placement in abdominal masses that otherwise would be considered not amenable to percutaneous biopsy. Familiarity and awareness of these techniques allows the interventional radiologist to expand the use of percutaneous biopsy in clinical practice, and help choose the most appropriate technique for a particular patient.

Design and Development of Virtual Reality: Analysis of Challenges Faced by Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Kami; Shelton, Brett E.

2008-01-01

There exists an increasingly attractive lure of using virtual reality applications for teaching in all areas of education, but perhaps the largest detriment to its use is the intimidating nature of VR technology for non-technical instructors. What are the challenges to using VR technology for the design and development of VR-based instructional…

2013 Technical Roundtable

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On December 9, 2013, EPA reconvened the study’s Technical Roundtable. Subject-matter experts discussed the outcomes of the 2013 Technical Workshops, stakeholder engagement, and plans for draft assessment report.

Managing and Integrating Open Environmental Data - Technological Requirements and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devaraju, Anusuriya; Kunkel, Ralf; Jirka, Simon

2014-05-01

Understanding environment conditions and trends requires information. This information is usually generated from sensor observations. Today, several infrastructures (e.g., GEOSS, EarthScope, NEON, NETLAKE, OOI, TERENO, WASCAL, and PEER-EurAqua) have been deployed to promote full and open exchange of environmental data. Standards for interfaces as well as data models/formats (OGC, CUAHSI, INSPIRE, SEE Grid, ISO) and open source tools have been developed to support seamless data exchange between various domains and organizations. In spite of this growing interest, it remains a challenge to manage and integrate open environmental data on the fly due to the distributed and heterogeneous nature of the data. Intuitive tools and standardized interfaces are vital to hide the technical complexity of underlying data management infrastructures. Meaningful descriptions of raw sensor data are necessary to achieve interoperability among different sources. As raw sensor data sets usually goes through several layers of summarization and aggregation, metadata and quality measures associated with these should be captured. Further processing of sensor data sets requires that they should be made compatible with existing environmental models. We need data policies and management plans on how to handle and publish open sensor data coming from different institutions. Clearly, a better management and usability of open environmental data is crucial, not only to gather large amounts of data, but also to cater various aspects such as data integration, privacy and trust, uncertainty, quality control, visualization, and data management policies. The proposed talk presents several key findings in terms of requirements, ongoing developments and technical challenges concerning these aspects from our recent work. This includes two workshops on open observation data and supporting tools, as well as the long-term environmental monitoring initiatives such as TERENO and TERENO-MED. Workshops Details

Constraints Militating against the Implementation of Production/Service Work in Technical Colleges in North Central Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agu, Peter A.

2016-01-01

Skill acquisition is a critical component of any vocational technical training program. When this component is missing or falls below expectation, it tends to defeat the objectives of the program. In Nigeria, many skill-oriented schools experience great challenges in trying to provide for the necessary facilities required for effective technical…

Technical cooperation on nuclear security between the United States and China : review of the past and opportunities for the future.

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

Pregenzer, Arian Leigh

2011-12-01

The United States and China are committed to cooperation to address the challenges of the next century. Technical cooperation, building on a long tradition of technical exchange between the two countries, can play an important role. This paper focuses on technical cooperation between the United States and China in the areas of nonproliferation, arms control and other nuclear security topics. It reviews cooperation during the 1990s on nonproliferation and arms control under the U.S.-China Arms Control Exchange, discusses examples of ongoing activities under the Peaceful Uses of Technology Agreement to enhance security of nuclear and radiological material, and suggests opportunitiesmore » for expanding technical cooperation between the defense nuclear laboratories of both countries to address a broader range of nuclear security topics.« less

Challenges and status of ITER conductor production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devred, A.; Backbier, I.; Bessette, D.; Bevillard, G.; Gardner, M.; Jong, C.; Lillaz, F.; Mitchell, N.; Romano, G.; Vostner, A.

2014-04-01

Taking the relay of the large Hadron collider (LHC) at CERN, ITER has become the largest project in applied superconductivity. In addition to its technical complexity, ITER is also a management challenge as it relies on an unprecedented collaboration of seven partners, representing more than half of the world population, who provide 90% of the components as in-kind contributions. The ITER magnet system is one of the most sophisticated superconducting magnet systems ever designed, with an enormous stored energy of 51 GJ. It involves six of the ITER partners. The coils are wound from cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs) made up of superconducting and copper strands assembled into a multistage cable, inserted into a conduit of butt-welded austenitic steel tubes. The conductors for the toroidal field (TF) and central solenoid (CS) coils require about 600 t of Nb3Sn strands while the poloidal field (PF) and correction coil (CC) and busbar conductors need around 275 t of Nb-Ti strands. The required amount of Nb3Sn strands far exceeds pre-existing industrial capacity and has called for a significant worldwide production scale up. The TF conductors are the first ITER components to be mass produced and are more than 50% complete. During its life time, the CS coil will have to sustain several tens of thousands of electromagnetic (EM) cycles to high current and field conditions, way beyond anything a large Nb3Sn coil has ever experienced. Following a comprehensive R&D program, a technical solution has been found for the CS conductor, which ensures stable performance versus EM and thermal cycling. Productions of PF, CC and busbar conductors are also underway. After an introduction to the ITER project and magnet system, we describe the ITER conductor procurements and the quality assurance/quality control programs that have been implemented to ensure production uniformity across numerous suppliers. Then, we provide examples of technical challenges that have been encountered and

Mars outpost - System and operations challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Barney; Guerra, Lisa

1990-01-01

The paper addresses the challenges inherent in establishing an outpost on the planet Mars. For background purposes, the unique, remote Martian environment and the developmental phases of a settlement in such an environment are discussed. Challenges are identified in terms of surface systems and operations. Due to its importance to habitability, the life support system (LSS) is highlighted with various options identified. Operations for the Mars outpost, earth-based and local, are characterized by a decentralized concept. The challenge of integrating logistics analysis early in system design and operations strategy is also addressed. In order to understand and reduce the system and operations challenges, the application of terrestrial and lunar testbeds is explained.

Technical Efficiency of Automotive Industry Cluster in Chennai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskaran, E.

2012-07-01

Chennai is also called as Detroit of India due to its automotive industry presence producing over 40 % of the India's vehicle and components. During 2001-2002, diagnostic study was conducted on the Automotive Component Industries (ACI) in Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai and in SWOT analysis it was found that it had faced problems on infrastructure, technology, procurement, production and marketing. In the year 2004-2005 under the cluster development approach (CDA), they formed Chennai auto cluster, under public private partnership concept, received grant from Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu, Ambattur Municipality, bank loans and stake holders. This results development in infrastructure, technology, procurement, production and marketing interrelationships among ACI. The objective is to determine the correlation coefficient, regression equation, technical efficiency, peer weights, slack variables and return to scale of cluster before and after the CDA. The methodology adopted is collection of primary data from ACI and analyzing using data envelopment analysis (DEA) of input oriented Banker-Charnes-Cooper model. There is significant increase in correlation coefficient and the regression analysis reveals that for one percent increase in employment and net worth, the gross output increases significantly after the CDA. The DEA solver gives the technical efficiency of ACI by taking shift, employment, net worth as input data and quality, gross output and export ratio as output data. From the technical score and ranking of ACI, it is found that there is significant increase in technical efficiency of ACI when compared to CDA. The slack variables obtained clearly reveals the excess employment and net worth and no shortage of gross output. To conclude there is increase in technical efficiency of not only Chennai auto cluster in general but also Chennai auto components industries in particular.

Technical report writing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vidoli, Carol A.

1992-01-01

This manual covers the fundamentals of organizing, writing, and reviewing NASA technical reports. It was written to improve the writing skills of LeRC technical authors and the overall quality of their reports.

NASA Langley's Approach to the Sandia's Structural Dynamics Challenge Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horta, Lucas G.; Kenny, Sean P.; Crespo, Luis G.; Elliott, Kenny B.

2007-01-01

The objective of this challenge is to develop a data-based probabilistic model of uncertainty to predict the behavior of subsystems (payloads) by themselves and while coupled to a primary (target) system. Although this type of analysis is routinely performed and representative of issues faced in real-world system design and integration, there are still several key technical challenges that must be addressed when analyzing uncertain interconnected systems. For example, one key technical challenge is related to the fact that there is limited data on target configurations. Moreover, it is typical to have multiple data sets from experiments conducted at the subsystem level, but often samples sizes are not sufficient to compute high confidence statistics. In this challenge problem additional constraints are placed as ground rules for the participants. One such rule is that mathematical models of the subsystem are limited to linear approximations of the nonlinear physics of the problem at hand. Also, participants are constrained to use these models and the multiple data sets to make predictions about the target system response under completely different input conditions. Our approach involved initially the screening of several different methods. Three of the ones considered are presented herein. The first one is based on the transformation of the modal data to an orthogonal space where the mean and covariance of the data are matched by the model. The other two approaches worked solutions in physical space where the uncertain parameter set is made of masses, stiffnesses and damping coefficients; one matches confidence intervals of low order moments of the statistics via optimization while the second one uses a Kernel density estimation approach. The paper will touch on all the approaches, lessons learned, validation 1 metrics and their comparison, data quantity restriction, and assumptions/limitations of each approach. Keywords: Probabilistic modeling, model validation

NASA Technical Standards Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, Paul S.; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The NASA Technical Standards Program was officially established in 1997 as result of a directive issued by the Administrator. It is responsible for Agency wide technical standards development, adoption (endorsement), and conversion of Center-unique standards for Agency wide use. One major element of the Program is the review of NSA technical standards products and replacement with non-Government Voluntary Consensus Standards in accordance with directions issued by the Office of Management and Budget. As part of the Program's function, it developed a NASA Integrated Technical Standards Initiative that consists of and Agency wide full-text system, standards update notification system, and lessons learned-standards integration system. The Program maintains a 'one stop-shop' Website for technical standards ad related information on aerospace materials, etc. This paper provides information on the development, current status, and plans for the NAS Technical Standards Program along with metrics on the utility of the products provided to both users within the nasa.gov Domain and the Public Domain.

NASA Technical Standards Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, Paul S.; Vaughan, WIlliam W.

2003-01-01

The NASA Technical Standards Program was officially established in 1997 as result of a directive issued by the Administrator. It is responsible for Agency wide technical standards development, adoption (endorsement), and conversion of Center-unique standards for Agency wide use. One major element of the Program is the review of NSA technical standards products and replacement with non-Government Voluntary Consensus Standards in accordance with directions issued by the Office of Management and Budget. As part of the Program s function, it developed a NASA Integrated Technical Standards Initiative that consists of and Agency wide full-text system, standards update notification system, and lessons learned - standards integration system. The Program maintains a "one stop-shop" Website for technical standards ad related information on aerospace materials, etc. This paper provides information on the development, current status, and plans for the NAS Technical Standards Program along with metrics on the utility of the products provided to both users within the nasa.gov Domain and the Public Domain.

Rainfall Induced Natural Disaster in Central America, a challenge for Regional Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estuardo Guinea Barrientos, Héctor; Swain, Ashok

2013-04-01

Rainfall induced natural disasters rank first among all natural disasters in Central America. According to the records of the EM-DAT international database, 248 out of 486 disasters registered in Central America were disasters triggered by rainfall invents, in countries like Belize and Honduras, rainfall-induced natural disasters, mainly floods and landslides, account for more than 90% of the total number of casualties as well as the economic damage of all the disasters. Due to the natural conditions of the Central American Isthmus, precipitation events often struck more than one country at the time, for example Hurricane Mitch in 1998 affected the entire Central American region causing more than 18,000 casualties. In this context, the Central America countries have been working on joint programs and policies aiming transboundary cooperation and management of natural disasters, a clear example of this effort is CEPREDENAC which is the intergovernmental body with the mandate of promoting activities, projects and programs towards reduction of the risks to disasters in order to avoid loss of life and economic assets in the Central America, however, transnational management face several challenges that fall mostly in the political, economical and technical areas. In this paper we described and analyzed the rainfall induced natural disasters, their impacts and the inherent management challenges in the Central American context. Key words: Central America, Natural Disasters, Risk Management, International Cooperation

1980 Bibliography of Technical Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Book, Virginia Alm; And Others

1981-01-01

Offers resources on technical writing that were published in 1980. Arranges the citations under 12 categories: bibliographies, books, reviews, and articles on theory and philosophy; pedagogy; writing technical articles and reports; research; technical writing and the computer; graphic/visual aids; correspondence; technical speech; and designing…

1981 Bibliography of Technical Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Book, Virginia Alm; And Others

1982-01-01

Offers resources on technical writing published in 1981. Arranges the citations under the following categories: bibliographies, books, reviews, and articles on the profession; theory and philosophy; pedagogy; technical speech; research; designing degree programs; technical writing and the computer; writing technical articles and reports;…

Stresses and Challenges for New Graduates in Hospitals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oermann, Marilyn H.; Garvin, Michael F.

2002-01-01

Recent nursing graduates (n=46) rated stresses and challenges in clinical practice. Stressors included not feeling competent/confident, making mistakes due to increased workload, and encountering new situations. Challenges included applying knowledge to practice and acquiring new skills. Most emotions were positive but anxiety was frequent. Ways…

Reduced vital capacity after methacholine challenge in early childhood--is it due to trapped air or loss of motivation.

PubMed

Vilozni, Daphna; Hakim, Fahed; Adler, Adi; Livnat, Galit; Bar-Yishay, Ephraim; Bentur, Lea

2009-01-01

In a previous study we assessed the feasibility of measuring bronchial-reactivity (BHR) in young asthmatic children by the determination of PC(20)-FEV(1) along with clinical end-of-test criteria during a methacholine challenge test (MCT). The end-point was associated with a significant reduction in both flow and vital capacity values. The findings could be due to the children's loss of motivation, which may preclude use of this test. Alternatively, if it reflects air trapping during airway obstruction, it might reinforce its applicability in preschool age children. To elucidate the mechanism of low vital capacity at PC(20)-FEV(1) in preschool age children. Twenty-eight children (3.3-6.9 years) with recurrent respiratory symptoms. An MCT was carried out using tripling doses (0.06-13.9 mg/ml) delivered by a dosimeter. Spirometry was measured at baseline and after each inhalation in duplicate sets. Whole body plethysmography was measured at baseline and at end-of-test (defined by clinical criteria) according to the recommendations for older populations. Plethysmography was reliably performed by 20 children before and after MCT. At baseline, lung function was within the healthy range. At end-of-test (PC(20)-FEV(1)=4.02+/-3.47 mg/ml), the spirometry parameters and specific conductance values were markedly reduced in correlation with a significant increase in residual volume and resistance. The study shows that diminished vital capacity is due to the increase in FRC at end-of-test. Our findings support the use of PC(20)-FEV(1) during BHR in young children and suggest that lung volume measurement by a plethysmograph may be feasible in early childhood. Larger studies should be performed to establish the clinical applicability of PC20-FEV1 determination in the preschool age.

Reducing Bias Due to Systematic Attrition in Longitudinal Studies: The Benefits of Multiple Imputation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asendorpf, Jens B.; van de Schoot, Rens; Denissen, Jaap J. A.; Hutteman, Roos

2014-01-01

Most longitudinal studies are plagued by drop-out related to variables at earlier assessments (systematic attrition). Although systematic attrition is often analysed in longitudinal studies, surprisingly few researchers attempt to reduce biases due to systematic attrition, even though this is possible and nowadays technically easy. This is…

Training the Technical Editor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cathcart, Margaret E.

The demand for skilled technical editors is growing as society places increasing emphasis on receiving accurate, concise, and complete technical data. Since many organizations do not have inhouse programs for training technical editors, a need exists to provide inexperienced people with basic editing skills. One organization has developed two…

Challenges in Modern Anti-Doping Analytical Science.

PubMed

Ayotte, Christiane; Miller, John; Thevis, Mario

2017-01-01

The challenges facing modern anti-doping analytical science are increasingly complex given the expansion of target drug substances, as the pharmaceutical industry introduces more novel therapeutic compounds and the internet offers designer drugs to improve performance. The technical challenges are manifold, including, for example, the need for advanced instrumentation for greater speed of analyses and increased sensitivity, specific techniques capable of distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous metabolites, or biological assays for the detection of peptide hormones or their markers, all of which require an important investment from the laboratories and recruitment of highly specialized scientific personnel. The consequences of introducing sophisticated and complex analytical procedures may result in the future in a change in the strategy applied by the Word Anti-Doping Agency in relation to the introduction and performance of new techniques by the network of accredited anti-doping laboratories. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Current and New Approaches in GMO Detection: Challenges and Solutions

PubMed Central

Fraiture, Marie-Alice; Herman, Philippe; Taverniers, Isabel; Deforce, Dieter; Roosens, Nancy H.

2015-01-01

In many countries, genetically modified organisms (GMO) legislations have been established in order to guarantee the traceability of food/feed products on the market and to protect the consumer freedom of choice. Therefore, several GMO detection strategies, mainly based on DNA, have been developed to implement these legislations. Due to its numerous advantages, the quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the method of choice for the enforcement laboratories in GMO routine analysis. However, given the increasing number and diversity of GMO developed and put on the market around the world, some technical hurdles could be encountered with the qPCR technology, mainly owing to its inherent properties. To address these challenges, alternative GMO detection methods have been developed, allowing faster detections of single GM target (e.g., loop-mediated isothermal amplification), simultaneous detections of multiple GM targets (e.g., PCR capillary gel electrophoresis, microarray, and Luminex), more accurate quantification of GM targets (e.g., digital PCR), or characterization of partially known (e.g., DNA walking and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)) or unknown (e.g., NGS) GMO. The benefits and drawbacks of these methods are discussed in this review. PMID:26550567

Current and new approaches in GMO detection: challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Fraiture, Marie-Alice; Herman, Philippe; Taverniers, Isabel; De Loose, Marc; Deforce, Dieter; Roosens, Nancy H

2015-01-01

In many countries, genetically modified organisms (GMO) legislations have been established in order to guarantee the traceability of food/feed products on the market and to protect the consumer freedom of choice. Therefore, several GMO detection strategies, mainly based on DNA, have been developed to implement these legislations. Due to its numerous advantages, the quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the method of choice for the enforcement laboratories in GMO routine analysis. However, given the increasing number and diversity of GMO developed and put on the market around the world, some technical hurdles could be encountered with the qPCR technology, mainly owing to its inherent properties. To address these challenges, alternative GMO detection methods have been developed, allowing faster detections of single GM target (e.g., loop-mediated isothermal amplification), simultaneous detections of multiple GM targets (e.g., PCR capillary gel electrophoresis, microarray, and Luminex), more accurate quantification of GM targets (e.g., digital PCR), or characterization of partially known (e.g., DNA walking and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)) or unknown (e.g., NGS) GMO. The benefits and drawbacks of these methods are discussed in this review.

A Statistical Approach to Illustrate the Challenge of Astrobiology for Public Outreach.

PubMed

Foucher, Frédéric; Hickman-Lewis, Keyron; Westall, Frances; Brack, André

2017-10-26

In this study, we attempt to illustrate the competition that constitutes the main challenge of astrobiology, namely the competition between the probability of extraterrestrial life and its detectability. To illustrate this fact, we propose a simple statistical approach based on our knowledge of the Universe and the Milky Way, the Solar System, and the evolution of life on Earth permitting us to obtain the order of magnitude of the distance between Earth and bodies inhabited by more or less evolved past or present life forms, and the consequences of this probability for the detection of associated biosignatures. We thus show that the probability of the existence of evolved extraterrestrial forms of life increases with distance from the Earth while, at the same time, the number of detectable biosignatures decreases due to technical and physical limitations. This approach allows us to easily explain to the general public why it is very improbable to detect a signal of extraterrestrial intelligence while it is justified to launch space probes dedicated to the search for microbial life in the Solar System.

A Statistical Approach to Illustrate the Challenge of Astrobiology for Public Outreach

PubMed Central

Westall, Frances; Brack, André

2017-01-01

In this study, we attempt to illustrate the competition that constitutes the main challenge of astrobiology, namely the competition between the probability of extraterrestrial life and its detectability. To illustrate this fact, we propose a simple statistical approach based on our knowledge of the Universe and the Milky Way, the Solar System, and the evolution of life on Earth permitting us to obtain the order of magnitude of the distance between Earth and bodies inhabited by more or less evolved past or present life forms, and the consequences of this probability for the detection of associated biosignatures. We thus show that the probability of the existence of evolved extraterrestrial forms of life increases with distance from the Earth while, at the same time, the number of detectable biosignatures decreases due to technical and physical limitations. This approach allows us to easily explain to the general public why it is very improbable to detect a signal of extraterrestrial intelligence while it is justified to launch space probes dedicated to the search for microbial life in the Solar System. PMID:29072614

Vicarious Violence on the Screen: A Challenge to Educators and Families. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 16. [Updated Version].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hepburn, Mary A.

This technical bulletin poses questions of concern to law-related educators (LRE) and citizenship educators working to reduce violence among students and the larger community. Maintaining that the sociological implications of violence on television and in video games should be a serious concern to all educators, the bulletin describes the…

Separate and Unequal at Hillsborough High: A Principal's Challenges in Integrating "Academic" and Career and Technical Education Coursework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malin, Joel R.; Hackmann, Donald G.

2015-01-01

Dr. Edward White, Hillsborough High School principal, has decided to allocate faculty in-service time to address an unproductive chasm between academic and career and technical education programming within the school, which has created tensions among the faculty. On returning to his office after the professional development session, which was…

Connectivity inference from neural recording data: Challenges, mathematical bases and research directions.

PubMed

Magrans de Abril, Ildefons; Yoshimoto, Junichiro; Doya, Kenji

2018-06-01

This article presents a review of computational methods for connectivity inference from neural activity data derived from multi-electrode recordings or fluorescence imaging. We first identify biophysical and technical challenges in connectivity inference along the data processing pipeline. We then review connectivity inference methods based on two major mathematical foundations, namely, descriptive model-free approaches and generative model-based approaches. We investigate representative studies in both categories and clarify which challenges have been addressed by which method. We further identify critical open issues and possible research directions. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Changes in Microbiota in Rumen Digesta and Feces Due to a Grain-Based Subacute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA) Challenge.

PubMed

Plaizier, Jan C; Li, Shucong; Danscher, Anne Mette; Derakshani, Hooman; Andersen, Pia H; Khafipour, Ehsan

2017-08-01

The effects of a grain-based subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) challenge on bacteria in the rumen and feces of lactating dairy cows were determined. Six lactating, rumen-cannulated Danish Holstein cows were used in a cross-over study with two periods. Periods included two cows on a control diet and two cows on a SARA challenge. The control diet was a total mixed ration containing 45.5% dry matter (DM), 43.8% DM neutral detergent fiber, and 19.6% DM starch. The SARA challenge was conducted by gradually substituting the control diet with pellets containing 50% wheat and 50% barley over 3 days to reach a diet containing 55.6% DM, 31.3% DM neutral detergent fiber, and 31.8% DM starch, which was fed for four more days. Rumen fluid samples were collected at day 7 and 10 of experimental periods. Feces samples were collected on days 8 and 10 of these periods. Extracted DNA from the rumen and feces samples was analyzed to assess their bacterial communities using MiSeq Illumina sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The induction of SARA reduced the richness, diversity, and stability of bacterial communities and resulted in distinctly different microbiota in the rumen and feces. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most abundant phyla and, combined, they represented 76.9 and 94.4% of the bacterial community in the rumen fluid and the feces, respectively. Only the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the rumen was increased by the SARA challenge. In rumen fluid and feces, the abundances of nine out of the 90 and 25 out of the 89 taxa, respectively, were affected by the challenge. Hence, SARA challenge altered the composition of the bacterial community at the lower taxonomical level in the feces and therefore also likely in the hindgut, as well as in the rumen. However, only reductions in the bacterial richness and diversity in the rumen fluid and feces were in agreement with those of other studies and had a biological basis. Although the composition of the

Technical Subjects in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, A. E.

2008-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine technical education in various types of secondary schools, and suggests three levels of technical courses to be taught in secondary schools. Design/methodology/approach: The paper discusses the differences between technical schools and colleges, and vocational technical courses taught in "academic"…

Systematic development of technical textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, M.; Schrank, V.; Gloy, Y.-S.; Gries, T.

2016-07-01

Technical textiles are used in various fields of applications, ranging from small scale (e.g. medical applications) to large scale products (e.g. aerospace applications). The development of new products is often complex and time consuming, due to multiple interacting parameters. These interacting parameters are production process related and also a result of the textile structure and used material. A huge number of iteration steps are necessary to adjust the process parameter to finalize the new fabric structure. A design method is developed to support the systematic development of technical textiles and to reduce iteration steps. The design method is subdivided into six steps, starting from the identification of the requirements. The fabric characteristics vary depending on the field of application. If possible, benchmarks are tested. A suitable fabric production technology needs to be selected. The aim of the method is to support a development team within the technology selection without restricting the textile developer. After a suitable technology is selected, the transformation and correlation between input and output parameters follows. This generates the information for the production of the structure. Afterwards, the first prototype can be produced and tested. The resulting characteristics are compared with the initial product requirements.

78 FR 27963 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-13

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. AD13-6-000] Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory... related to the reliability of the Bulk-Power System. A more formal agenda will be issued at a later date...

Maintaining Strategic Relevance: Career & Technical Education Program Discontinuance within California Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Kevin J.

2014-01-01

The California Community College mission requires offering relevant Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Due to program accretion and bureaucratic inertia, program discontinuance (PD) seems at odds with postsecondary culture. Yet, as a result of recent budget constrictions, community colleges are forced to identify effective PD…

Data-driven planning of distributed energy resources amidst socio-technical complexities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Rishee K.; Qin, Junjie; Rajagopal, Ram

2017-08-01

New distributed energy resources (DER) are rapidly replacing centralized power generation due to their environmental, economic and resiliency benefits. Previous analyses of DER systems have been limited in their ability to account for socio-technical complexities, such as intermittent supply, heterogeneous demand and balance-of-system cost dynamics. Here we develop ReMatch, an interdisciplinary modelling framework, spanning engineering, consumer behaviour and data science, and apply it to 10,000 consumers in California, USA. Our results show that deploying DER would yield nearly a 50% reduction in the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) over the status quo even after accounting for socio-technical complexities. We abstract a detailed matching of consumers to DER infrastructure from our results and discuss how this matching can facilitate the development of smart and targeted renewable energy policies, programmes and incentives. Our findings point to the large-scale economic and technical feasibility of DER and underscore the pertinent role DER can play in achieving sustainable energy goals.

The Skills that Technical Communicators Need: An Investigation of Technical Communication Graduates, Managers, and Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteside, Aimee L.

2003-01-01

This study examines the skills that recent technical communication graduates and managers believe technical communication students need before entering business and industry as new technical communicators. Through questionnaires and interviews with recent graduates and managers of technical communication departments as well as an analysis of the…

SUPERFUND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

EPA Science Inventory

Under this task, technical support is provided to Regional Remedial Project Managers (RPMs)/On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) at Superfund, RCRA, and Brownfields sites contaminated with hazardous materials by the Technical Support Center (TSC) for Monitoring and Site Characterization....

Challenges and Opportunities in Reactive Processing and Applications of Advanced Ceramic Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Mrityunjay

2003-01-01

Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in the research, development, and commercialization of innovative synthesis and processing technologies for advanced ceramics and composite materials. Reactive processing approaches have been actively considered due to their robustness, flexibility, and affordability. A wide variety of silicon carbide-based advanced ceramics and composites are currently being fabricated using the processing approaches involving reactive infiltration of liquid and gaseous species into engineered fibrous or microporous carbon performs. The microporous carbon performs have been fabricated using the temperature induced phase separation and pyrolysis of two phase organic (resin-pore former) mixtures and fiber reinforcement of carbon and ceramic particulate bodies. In addition, pyrolyzed native plant cellulose tissues also provide unique carbon templates for manufacturing of non-oxide and oxide ceramics. In spite of great interest in this technology due to their affordability and robustness, there is a lack of scientific basis for process understanding and many technical challenges still remain. The influence of perform properties and other parameters on the resulting microstructure and properties of final material is not well understood. In this presentation, mechanism of silicon-carbon reaction in various systems and the effect of perform microstructure on the mechanical properties of advanced silicon carbide based materials will be discussed. Various examples of applications of reactively processed advanced silicon carbide ceramics and composite materials will be presented.

From conventional drainage to sustainable stormwater management: Beyond the technical challenges.

PubMed

Goulden, Shula; Portman, Michelle E; Carmon, Naomi; Alon-Mozes, Tal

2018-08-01

Countries and cities are increasingly recognizing the value of adopting Sustainable Stormwater Management (SSWM) goals and measures. SSWM serves multiple hydrological, ecological, social and economic goals and can replace substantial parts of conventional drainage infrastructure. Following international experience in the socio-technical nature of transitions in stormwater management, this research investigates how socio-institutional factors enable the transition from conventional to sustainable stormwater management over time. The research is based on analysing available relevant documents, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, all in a single country case study (Israel). We found significant changes in professional awareness and discourse, some advances in professional standards of work and changes to the regulative system, supporting infiltration practices in particular. We concluded that the three-pillared socio-institutional framework, composed of cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative changes, was insightful for mapping factors supporting transition from conventional drainage to SSWM. Elements within the three pillars can work simultaneously and synergistically to achieve widespread change. At the same time, while SSWM always strives to achieve multiple goals, the order of priority of the various goals may differ from place to place and may change over time. Thus the transition process across the socio-institutional pillars should be renewed if and when the priority of goals changes. The urban and regional planning system can play a crucial role in enhancing the transition process from conventional to sustainable stormwater management. These conclusions may be relevant to other localities and countries that are struggling with such transitions to sustainability. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of the benefits and challenges of video consulting between general practitioners and residential aged care facilities.

PubMed

Wade, Victoria; Whittaker, Frank; Hamlyn, Jeremy

2015-12-01

This research evaluated a project that provided video consultations between general practitioners (GPs) and residential aged care facilities (RACFs), with the aim of enabling faster access to medical care and avoidance of unnecessary hospital transfers. GPs were paid for video consultations at a rate equivalent to existing insurance reimbursement for supporting telehealth services. Evaluation data were gathered by direct observation at the project sites, semi-structured interviews and video call data from the technical network. Three pairs of general practices and RACFs were recruited to the project. 40 video consultations eligible for payment occurred over a 6 month period, three of which were judged to have avoided hospital attendance. The process development and change management aspects of the project required substantially more effort than was anticipated. This was due to problems with RACF technical infrastructure, the need for repeated training and awareness raising in RACFs, the challenge of establishing new clinical procedures, the short length of the project and broader difficulties in the relationships between GPs and RACFs. Video consulting between GPs and RACFs was clinically useful and avoided hospital attendance on a small scale, but further focus on process development is needed to embed this as a routine method of service delivery. © The Author(s) 2015.

Challenges in Archetypes Terminology Binding Using SNOMED-CT Compositional Grammar: The Norwegian Patient Summary Case.

PubMed

Marco-Ruiz, Luis; Pedersen, Rune

2017-01-01

In order to cover the requirements for interoperability in the Norwegian context, we studied the terminology binding of archetypes to terminology expressions created with the SNOMED-CT compositional grammar. As a result we identified important challenges categorized as technical, expressivity, human, and models mismatch.

48 CFR 227.7103-13 - Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... contracting officer shall not challenge a contractor's assertion that a commercial item, component, or process... to development of the item, component or process. (2) Presumption regarding development exclusively... validation of asserted restrictions for technical data related to commercial items, and to major systems, on...

48 CFR 227.7103-13 - Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... contracting officer shall not challenge a contractor's assertion that a commercial item, component, or process... to development of the item, component or process. (2) Presumption regarding development exclusively... validation of asserted restrictions for technical data related to commercial items, and to major systems, on...

48 CFR 227.7103-13 - Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... contracting officer shall not challenge a contractor's assertion that a commercial item, component, or process... to development of the item, component or process. (2) Presumption regarding development exclusively... validation of asserted restrictions for technical data related to commercial items, and to major systems, on...

48 CFR 227.7103-13 - Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... contracting officer shall not challenge a contractor's assertion that a commercial item, component, or process... to development of the item, component or process. (2) Presumption regarding development exclusively... validation of asserted restrictions for technical data related to commercial items, and to major systems, on...

BASINS Technical Notes

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has developed several technical notes that provide in depth information on a specific function in BASINS. Technical notes can be used to answer questions users may have, or to provide additional information on the application of features in BASINS.

Final Technical Report

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

Glasser, Alan H.

Final technical report on DE-SC0016106. This is the final technical report for a portion of the multi-institutional CEMM project. This report is centered around 3 publications and a seminar presentation, which have been submitted to E-Link.

Relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: does stress have an influence?

PubMed Central

Krage, Ralf; Zwaan, Laura; Tjon Soei Len, Lian; Kolenbrander, Mark W; van Groeningen, Dick; Loer, Stephan A; Wagner, Cordula; Schober, Patrick

2017-01-01

Background Non-technical skills, such as task management, leadership, situational awareness, communication and decision-making refer to cognitive, behavioural and social skills that contribute to safe and efficient team performance. The importance of these skills during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is increasingly emphasised. Nonetheless, the relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance is poorly understood. We hypothesise that non-technical skills become increasingly important under stressful conditions when individuals are distracted from their tasks, and investigated the relationship between non-technical and technical skills under control conditions and when external stressors are present. Methods In this simulator-based randomised cross-over study, 30 anaesthesiologists and anaesthesia residents from the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, participated in two different CPR scenarios in random order. In one scenario, external stressors (radio noise and a distractive scripted family member) were added, while the other scenario without stressors served as control condition. Non-technical performance of the team leader and technical performance of the team were measured using the ‘Anaesthetists’ Non-technical Skill’ score and a recently developed technical skills score. Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients were used for statistical analyses. Results Non-technical performance declined when external stressors were present (adjusted mean difference 3.9 points, 95% CI 2.4 to 5.5 points). A significant correlation between non-technical and technical performance scores was observed when external stressors were present (r=0.67, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.83, p<0.001), while no evidence for such a relationship was observed under control conditions (r=0.15, 95% CI −0.22 to 0.49, p=0.42). This was equally true for all individual domains of the non-technical performance score (task management, team

Communication and Collaboration in Library Technical Services: A Case Study of New York University in Abu Dhabi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parrott, Justin

2016-01-01

New York University Abu Dhabi Library has developed new strategies to increase efficiency in technical services processing between units based in New York and Abu Dhabi. This case study discusses the challenges specific to the international context and the methods used to overcome them, increase speed processing, and ultimately improve patron…

Technical noise supplement : TeNS : a technical supplement to the Traffic Noise Analysis Protocol.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

The purpose of this Technical Noise Supplement (TeNS) is to provide technical background : information on transportation-related noise in general and highway traffic noise in : particular. It is designed to elaborate on technical concepts and procedu...

The Challenge of the Future. Future Trends in Adult and Continuing Technical and Vocational Education. An International Symposium (Berlin, Germany, October 16-20, 1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Hamburg (Germany). Inst. for Education.

This report on an international symposium on the strengthening of the development and improvement of vocational education begins with a description of UNEVOC, the International Project on Technical and Vocational Education. Section 2 presents discussions of the following topics: adult and continuing technical and vocational education and its…

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Arce, Francisco; Constant, Louay; Loughran, David S.; Karoly, Lynn A.

2012-01-01

Decades of research show that high school dropouts are more likely than graduates to commit crimes, abuse drugs and alcohol, have children out of wedlock, earn low wages, be unemployed, and suffer from poor health. The ChalleNGe program, currently operating in 27 states, is a residential program coupled with post-residential mentoring that seeks…

Writing a technical note.

PubMed

Ng, K H; Peh, W C G

2010-02-01

A technical note is a short article giving a brief description of a specific development, technique or procedure, or it may describe a modification of an existing technique, procedure or device applicable to medicine. The technique, procedure or device described should have practical value and should contribute to clinical diagnosis or management. It could also present a software tool, or an experimental or computational method. Technical notes are variously referred to as technical innovations or technical developments. The main criteria for publication will be the novelty of concepts involved, the validity of the technique and its potential for clinical applications.

7 CFR 1469.9 - Technical assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Technical assistance. 1469.9 Section 1469.9... Provisions § 1469.9 Technical assistance. (a) NRCS may use the services of NRCS-approved or certified Technical Service Providers in performing its responsibilities for technical assistance. (b) Technical...

Towards technical interoperability in telemedicine.

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

Craft, Richard Layne, II

2004-05-01

For telemedicine to realize the vision of anywhere, anytime access to care, the question of how to create a fully interoperable technical infrastructure must be addressed. After briefly discussing how 'technical interoperability' compares with other types of interoperability being addressed in the telemedicine community today, this paper describes reasons for pursuing technical interoperability, presents a proposed framework for realizing technical interoperability, identifies key issues that will need to be addressed if technical interoperability is to be achieved, and suggests a course of action that the telemedicine community might follow to accomplish this goal.

Missing data and technical variability in single-cell RNA-sequencing experiments.

PubMed

Hicks, Stephanie C; Townes, F William; Teng, Mingxiang; Irizarry, Rafael A

2017-11-06

Until recently, high-throughput gene expression technology, such as RNA-Sequencing (RNA-seq) required hundreds of thousands of cells to produce reliable measurements. Recent technical advances permit genome-wide gene expression measurement at the single-cell level. Single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-seq) is the most widely used and numerous publications are based on data produced with this technology. However, RNA-seq and scRNA-seq data are markedly different. In particular, unlike RNA-seq, the majority of reported expression levels in scRNA-seq are zeros, which could be either biologically-driven, genes not expressing RNA at the time of measurement, or technically-driven, genes expressing RNA, but not at a sufficient level to be detected by sequencing technology. Another difference is that the proportion of genes reporting the expression level to be zero varies substantially across single cells compared to RNA-seq samples. However, it remains unclear to what extent this cell-to-cell variation is being driven by technical rather than biological variation. Furthermore, while systematic errors, including batch effects, have been widely reported as a major challenge in high-throughput technologies, these issues have received minimal attention in published studies based on scRNA-seq technology. Here, we use an assessment experiment to examine data from published studies and demonstrate that systematic errors can explain a substantial percentage of observed cell-to-cell expression variability. Specifically, we present evidence that some of these reported zeros are driven by technical variation by demonstrating that scRNA-seq produces more zeros than expected and that this bias is greater for lower expressed genes. In addition, this missing data problem is exacerbated by the fact that this technical variation varies cell-to-cell. Then, we show how this technical cell-to-cell variability can be confused with novel biological results. Finally, we demonstrate and discuss how batch

Technical Reference Suite Addressing Challenges of Providing Assurance for Fault Management Architectural Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitz, Rhonda; Whitman, Gerek

2016-01-01

Research into complexities of software systems Fault Management (FM) and how architectural design decisions affect safety, preservation of assets, and maintenance of desired system functionality has coalesced into a technical reference (TR) suite that advances the provision of safety and mission assurance. The NASA Independent Verification and Validation (IVV) Program, with Software Assurance Research Program support, extracted FM architectures across the IVV portfolio to evaluate robustness, assess visibility for validation and test, and define software assurance methods applied to the architectures and designs. This investigation spanned IVV projects with seven different primary developers, a wide range of sizes and complexities, and encompassed Deep Space Robotic, Human Spaceflight, and Earth Orbiter mission FM architectures. The initiative continues with an expansion of the TR suite to include Launch Vehicles, adding the benefit of investigating differences intrinsic to model-based FM architectures and insight into complexities of FM within an Agile software development environment, in order to improve awareness of how nontraditional processes affect FM architectural design and system health management.

Technical Tips: Performing EEGs and Polysomnograms on Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

PubMed Central

Paasch, Valerie; Hoosier, Teresa M.; Accardo, Jennifer; Ewen, Joshua B.; Slifer, Keith J.

2013-01-01

Electroencephalograms (EEGs) and polysomnograms (PSGs) are critical and frequently ordered tests in the care of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD). Performing studies with this population can be very intimidating, given that the referral reasons and seizure types can be unique, and children with NDD may have any combination of behavioral or sensory challenges that can make it difficult to successfully complete a study. This article presents a variety of strategies that can be used to overcome these challenges through good preparation, patience, caregiver involvement, effective behavioral management techniques, and education about the medical aspects of EEG/PSG in NDD. This Technical Tips article features ideas and experiences from an EEG/PSG technologist, two board-certified child neurologists (one who is further certified in Clinical Neurophysiology, while the other is further certified in Sleep Medicine), and two behaviorally trained pediatric psychologists. PMID:23301283

Relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: does stress have an influence?

PubMed

Krage, Ralf; Zwaan, Laura; Tjon Soei Len, Lian; Kolenbrander, Mark W; van Groeningen, Dick; Loer, Stephan A; Wagner, Cordula; Schober, Patrick

2017-11-01

Non-technical skills, such as task management, leadership, situational awareness, communication and decision-making refer to cognitive, behavioural and social skills that contribute to safe and efficient team performance. The importance of these skills during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is increasingly emphasised. Nonetheless, the relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance is poorly understood. We hypothesise that non-technical skills become increasingly important under stressful conditions when individuals are distracted from their tasks, and investigated the relationship between non-technical and technical skills under control conditions and when external stressors are present. In this simulator-based randomised cross-over study, 30 anaesthesiologists and anaesthesia residents from the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, participated in two different CPR scenarios in random order. In one scenario, external stressors (radio noise and a distractive scripted family member) were added, while the other scenario without stressors served as control condition. Non-technical performance of the team leader and technical performance of the team were measured using the 'Anaesthetists' Non-technical Skill' score and a recently developed technical skills score. Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients were used for statistical analyses. Non-technical performance declined when external stressors were present (adjusted mean difference 3.9 points, 95% CI 2.4 to 5.5 points). A significant correlation between non-technical and technical performance scores was observed when external stressors were present (r=0.67, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.83, p<0.001), while no evidence for such a relationship was observed under control conditions (r=0.15, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.49, p=0.42). This was equally true for all individual domains of the non-technical performance score (task management, team working, situation awareness, decision

Use of technical skills and medical devices among new registered nurses: A questionnaire study.

PubMed

Ewertsson, Mona; Gustafsson, Margareta; Blomberg, Karin; Holmström, Inger K; Allvin, Renée

2015-12-01

One comprehensive part of nursing practice is performing technical skills and handling of medical equipment. This might be challenging for new registered nurses (RNs) to do in patient-safe way. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the extent to which new RNs perform various technical skills and handle medical devices in different settings, and to investigate their possibility for continued learning in this respect. A further aim was to describe their perceptions of incident reporting related to technical skills and medical devices. A cross-sectional study with descriptive and comparative design. RNs who recently graduated from a nursing programme at three Swedish universities and had worked as a RN for up to 1 year were included in the study (n=113, response rate 57%). Data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire. Half of the RNs reported that they performed several of the listed tasks every day or every week, regardless of workplace. These tasks were most frequently performed in surgical departments. The majority of the participants (76%) stated a need of continued practical training. However, less than half of them (48%) had access to a training environment. Several participants (43%) had been involved in incidents related to technical skills or medical devices, which were not always reported. Nearly a third of the participants (31%) did not use the existing guidelines when performing technical skills, and reflection on performance was uncommon. This study highlights the importance of shared responsibilities between nurse educators and health care employers to provide learning opportunities for new RNs in technical skills, to maintain patient safety. To increase the safety culture where nursing students and new RNs understand the importance of using evidence-based guidelines and taking a reflective approach in the performance of technical tasks is needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total Factor Productivity Growth, Technical Progress & Efficiency Change in Vietnam Coal Industry - Nonparametric Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phuong, Vu Hung

2018-03-01

This research applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to analyze Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and efficiency changes in Vietnam coal mining industry from 2007 to 2013. The TFP of Vietnam coal mining companies decreased due to slow technological progress and unimproved efficiency. The decadence of technical efficiency in many enterprises proved that the coal mining industry has a large potential to increase productivity through technical efficiency improvement. Enhancing human resource training, technology and research & development investment could help the industry to improve efficiency and productivity in Vietnam coal mining industry.

A review of Integrated Vehicle Health Management tools for legacy platforms: Challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esperon-Miguez, Manuel; John, Philip; Jennions, Ian K.

2013-01-01

Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) comprises a set of tools, technologies and techniques for automated detection, diagnosis and prognosis of faults in order to support platforms more efficiently. Specific challenges are faced when IVHM tools are to be retrofitted into legacy vehicles since major modifications are much more challenging than with platforms whose design can still be modified. The topics covered in this Review Paper include the state of the art of IVHM tools and how their characteristics match the requirements of legacy aircraft, a summary of problems faced in the past trying to retrofit IVHM tools both from a technical and organisational perspective and the current level of implementation of IVHM in industry. Although the technology has not reached the level necessary to implement IVHM to its full potential on every kind of component, significant progress has been achieved on rotating equipment, structures or electronics. Attempts to retrofit some of these tools in the past faced both technical difficulties and opposition by some stakeholders, the later being responsible for the failure of technically sound projects in more than one occasion. Nevertheless, despite these difficulties, products and services based on IVHM technology have started to be offered by the manufacturers and, what is more important, demanded by the operators, providing guidance on what the industry would demand from IVHM on legacy aircraft.

Study on the removal efficiency of UF membranes using bacteriophages in bench-scale and semi-technical scale.

PubMed

Kreissel, K; Bösl, M; Lipp, P; Franzreb, M; Hambsch, B

2012-01-01

To determine the removal efficiency of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes for nano-particles in the size range of viruses the state of the art uses challenge tests with virus-spiked water. This work focuses on bench-scale and semi-technical scale experiments. Different experimental parameters influencing the removal efficiency of the tested UF membrane modules were analyzed and evaluated for bench- and semi-technical scale experiments. Organic matter in the water matrix highly influenced the removal of the tested bacteriophages MS2 and phiX174. Less membrane fouling (low ΔTMP) led to a reduced phage reduction. Increased flux positively affected phage removal in natural waters. The tested bacteriophages MS2 and phiX174 revealed different removal properties. MS2, which is widely used as a model organism to determine virus removal efficiencies of membranes, mostly showed a better removal than phiX174 for the natural water qualities tested. It seems that MS2 is possibly a less conservative surrogate for human enteric virus removal than phiX174. In bench-scale experiments log removal values (LRV) for MS2 of 2.5-6.0 and of 2.5-4.5 for phiX174 were obtained for the examined range of parameters. Phage removal obtained with differently fabricated semi-technical modules was quite variable for comparable parameter settings, indicating that module fabrication can lead to differing results. Potting temperature and module size were identified as influencing factors. In conclusion, careful attention has to be paid to the choice of experimental settings and module potting when using bench-scale or semi-technical scale experiments for UF membrane challenge tests.

Using smart materials to solve new challenges in the automotive industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gath, Kerrie K.; Maranville, Clay; Tardiff, Janice

2018-03-01

Ford has an extensive history of developing and utilizing smart and innovative materials in its vehicles. In this paper, we present new challenges the automotive industry is facing and explore how intelligent uses of smart materials can help provide solutions. We explore which vehicle attributes may provide most advantageous for the use smart materials, and discuss how smart material have had technical challenges that limit their use. We also look at how smart materials such as gecko inspired adhesion is providing opportunities during the vehicle assembly process by improving manufacturing quality, environmental sustainability, and worker safety. An emerging area for deployment of smart materials may involve autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, where customer expectations are migrating toward a seamless and adaptive experience leading to new expectations for an enhanced journey. Another area where smart materials are influencing change is interior and exterior design including smart textiles, photochromatic dyes, and thermochromatic materials. The key to advancing smart materials in automotive industry is to capitalize on the smaller niche applications where there will be an advantage over traditional methods. Ford has an extensive history of developing and utilizing smart and innovative materials. Magnetorheological fluids, thermoelectric materials, piezoelectric actuators, and shape memory alloys are all in production. In this paper we present new challenges the automotive industry is facing and explore how intelligent uses of smart materials can help provide solutions. We explore which vehicle attributes may provide most advantageous for the use smart materials, and discuss how smart materials have had technical challenges that limit their use. An emerging area for deployment of smart materials may involve autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, where customer expectations may require a seamless and adaptive experience for users having various

Crowdsourcing in biomedicine: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Khare, Ritu; Good, Benjamin M; Leaman, Robert; Su, Andrew I; Lu, Zhiyong

2016-01-01

The use of crowdsourcing to solve important but complex problems in biomedical and clinical sciences is growing and encompasses a wide variety of approaches. The crowd is diverse and includes online marketplace workers, health information seekers, science enthusiasts and domain experts. In this article, we review and highlight recent studies that use crowdsourcing to advance biomedicine. We classify these studies into two broad categories: (i) mining big data generated from a crowd (e.g. search logs) and (ii) active crowdsourcing via specific technical platforms, e.g. labor markets, wikis, scientific games and community challenges. Through describing each study in detail, we demonstrate the applicability of different methods in a variety of domains in biomedical research, including genomics, biocuration and clinical research. Furthermore, we discuss and highlight the strengths and limitations of different crowdsourcing platforms. Finally, we identify important emerging trends, opportunities and remaining challenges for future crowdsourcing research in biomedicine. Published by Oxford University Press 2015. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

The Leaking-Toilet Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roman, Harry T.

2008-01-01

Leaking toilets can cost homeowners big dollars--often before it is even realized. Homeowners do not necessarily hear it leaking. It just does, and when the water bill comes due, it can be a most unpleasant surprise. This article presents a classroom challenge to try to develop leak-detection ideas that would be inexpensive and easily added to…

Technical trends of large-size photomasks for flat panel displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Koichiro

2017-06-01

Currently, flat panel displays (FPDs) are one of the main parts for information technology devices and sets. From 1990's to 2000's, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma displays had been mainstream FPDs. In the middle of 2000's, demand of plasma displays declined and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) newly came into FPD market. And today, major technology of FPDs are LCDs and OLEDs. Especially for mobile devices, the penetration of OLEDs is remarkable. In FPDs panel production, photolithography is the key technology as same as LSI. Photomasks for FPDs are used not only as original master of circuit pattern, but also as a tool to form other functional structures of FPDs. Photomasks for FPDs are called as "Large Size Photomasks(LSPMs)", since the remarkable feature is " Size" which reaches over 1- meter square and over 100kg. In this report, we discuss three LSPMs technical topics with FPDs technical transition and trend. The first topics is upsizing of LSPMs, the second is the challenge for higher resolution patterning, and the last is "Multi-Tone Mask" for "Half -Tone Exposure".

Technical Writing: Past, Present and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathes, J. C. (Compiler); Pinelli, T. E. (Compiler)

1981-01-01

The training of technical writers and the objectives of such education are discussed. Special emphasis was placed on the communication between technical personnel and non-technical personnel. The liabilities that affect technical writers were also discussed.

A procedural skills OSCE: assessing technical and non-technical skills of internal medicine residents.

PubMed

Pugh, Debra; Hamstra, Stanley J; Wood, Timothy J; Humphrey-Murto, Susan; Touchie, Claire; Yudkowsky, Rachel; Bordage, Georges

2015-03-01

Internists are required to perform a number of procedures that require mastery of technical and non-technical skills, however, formal assessment of these skills is often lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and gather validity evidence for a procedural skills objective structured clinical examination (PS-OSCE) for internal medicine (IM) residents to assess their technical and non-technical skills when performing procedures. Thirty-five first to third-year IM residents participated in a 5-station PS-OSCE, which combined partial task models, standardized patients, and allied health professionals. Formal blueprinting was performed and content experts were used to develop the cases and rating instruments. Examiners underwent a frame-of-reference training session to prepare them for their rater role. Scores were compared by levels of training, experience, and to evaluation data from a non-procedural OSCE (IM-OSCE). Reliability was calculated using Generalizability analyses. Reliabilities for the technical and non-technical scores were 0.68 and 0.76, respectively. Third-year residents scored significantly higher than first-year residents on the technical (73.5 vs. 62.2%) and non-technical (83.2 vs. 75.1%) components of the PS-OSCE (p < 0.05). Residents who had performed the procedures more frequently scored higher on three of the five stations (p < 0.05). There was a moderate disattenuated correlation (r = 0.77) between the IM-OSCE and the technical component of the PS-OSCE scores. The PS-OSCE is a feasible method for assessing multiple competencies related to performing procedures and this study provides validity evidence to support its use as an in-training examination.

Scientific and technical challenges on the road towards fusion electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donné, A. J. H.; Federici, G.; Litaudon, X.; McDonald, D. C.

2017-10-01

The goal of the European Fusion Roadmap is to deliver fusion electricity to the grid early in the second half of this century. It breaks the quest for fusion energy into eight missions, and for each of them it describes a research and development programme to address all the open technical gaps in physics and technology and estimates the required resources. It points out the needs to intensify industrial involvement and to seek all opportunities for collaboration outside Europe. The roadmap covers three periods: the short term, which runs parallel to the European Research Framework Programme Horizon 2020, the medium term and the long term. ITER is the key facility of the roadmap as it is expected to achieve most of the important milestones on the path to fusion power. Thus, the vast majority of present resources are dedicated to ITER and its accompanying experiments. The medium term is focussed on taking ITER into operation and bringing it to full power, as well as on preparing the construction of a demonstration power plant DEMO, which will for the first time demonstrate fusion electricity to the grid around the middle of this century. Building and operating DEMO is the subject of the last roadmap phase: the long term. Clearly, the Fusion Roadmap is tightly connected to the ITER schedule. Three key milestones are the first operation of ITER, the start of the DT operation in ITER and reaching the full performance at which the thermal fusion power is 10 times the power put in to the plasma. The Engineering Design Activity of DEMO needs to start a few years after the first ITER plasma, while the start of the construction phase will be a few years after ITER reaches full performance. In this way ITER can give viable input to the design and development of DEMO. Because the neutron fluence in DEMO will be much higher than in ITER, it is important to develop and validate materials that can handle these very high neutron loads. For the testing of the materials, a

Challenges with Electrical, Electronics, and Electromechanical Parts for James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jah, Muzar A.; Jeffers, Basil S.

2016-01-01

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the space-based observatory that will extend the knowledge gained by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble focuses on optical and ultraviolet wavelengths while JWST focuses on the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, to see the earliest stars and galaxies that formed in the Universe and to look deep into nearby dust clouds to study the formation of stars and planets. JWST, which commenced creation in 1996, is scheduled to launch in 2018. It includes a suite of four instruments, the spacecraft bus, optical telescope element, Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM, the platform to hold the instruments), and a sunshield. The mass of JWST is approximately 6200 kg, including observatory, on-orbit consumables and launch vehicle adaptor. Many challenges were overcome while providing the electrical and electronic components for the Goddard Space Flight Center hardware builds. Other difficulties encountered included developing components to work at cryogenic temperatures, failures of electronic components during development and flight builds, Integration and Test electronic parts problems, and managing technical issues with international partners. This paper will present the context of JWST from a EEE (electrical, electronic, and electromechanical) perspective with examples of challenges and lessons learned throughout the design, development, and fabrication of JWST in cooperation with our associated partners including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), Lockheed Martin and their respective associated partners. Technical challenges and lessons learned will be discussed.

Socio-Technical Perspective on Interdisciplinary Interactions During the Development of Complex Engineered Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGowan, Anna-Maria R.; Daly, Shanna; Baker, Wayne; Papalambros, panos; Seifert, Colleen

2013-01-01

This study investigates interdisciplinary interactions that take place during the research, development, and early conceptual design phases in the design of large-scale complex engineered systems (LaCES) such as aerospace vehicles. These interactions, that take place throughout a large engineering development organization, become the initial conditions of the systems engineering process that ultimately leads to the development of a viable system. This paper summarizes some of the challenges and opportunities regarding social and organizational issues that emerged from a qualitative study using ethnographic and survey data. The analysis reveals several socio-technical couplings between the engineered system and the organization that creates it. Survey respondents noted the importance of interdisciplinary interactions and their benefits to the engineered system as well as substantial challenges in interdisciplinary interactions. Noted benefits included enhanced knowledge and problem mitigation and noted obstacles centered on organizational and human dynamics. Findings suggest that addressing the social challenges may be a critical need in enabling interdisciplinary interactions

Notes on the Early History of Technical Higher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teodorescu, Horia Nicolai

We perform a brief analysis of the economical and political context of establishing the first technical higher school in Romania. We urge for a revision of the current point of view on the educational level in Yashi (Iaši) and Bucharest at the epoch, highlighting that these were, at the time, important academic centers we may not recognize or may not be aware of today. We also plead for a long due serious approach about the history of early modern education in Romania.

MITT writer and MITT writer advanced development: Developing authoring and training systems for complex technical domains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiederholt, Bradley J.; Browning, Elica J.; Norton, Jeffrey E.; Johnson, William B.

1991-01-01

MITT Writer is a software system for developing computer based training for complex technical domains. A training system produced by MITT Writer allows a student to learn and practice troubleshooting and diagnostic skills. The MITT (Microcomputer Intelligence for Technical Training) architecture is a reasonable approach to simulation based diagnostic training. MITT delivers training on available computing equipment, delivers challenging training and simulation scenarios, and has economical development and maintenance costs. A 15 month effort was undertaken in which the MITT Writer system was developed. A workshop was also conducted to train instructors in how to use MITT Writer. Earlier versions were used to develop an Intelligent Tutoring System for troubleshooting the Minuteman Missile Message Processing System.

Cost and technical efficiency of physician practices: a stochastic frontier approach using panel data.

PubMed

Heimeshoff, Mareike; Schreyögg, Jonas; Kwietniewski, Lukas

2014-06-01

This is the first study to use stochastic frontier analysis to estimate both the technical and cost efficiency of physician practices. The analysis is based on panel data from 3,126 physician practices for the years 2006 through 2008. We specified the technical and cost frontiers as translog function, using the one-step approach of Battese and Coelli to detect factors that influence the efficiency of general practitioners and specialists. Variables that were not analyzed previously in this context (e.g., the degree of practice specialization) and a range of control variables such as a patients' case-mix were included in the estimation. Our results suggest that it is important to investigate both technical and cost efficiency, as results may depend on the type of efficiency analyzed. For example, the technical efficiency of group practices was significantly higher than that of solo practices, whereas the results for cost efficiency differed. This may be due to indivisibilities in expensive technical equipment, which can lead to different types of health care services being provided by different practice types (i.e., with group practices using more expensive inputs, leading to higher costs per case despite these practices being technically more efficient). Other practice characteristics such as participation in disease management programs show the same impact throughout both cost and technical efficiency: participation in disease management programs led to an increase in both, technical and cost efficiency, and may also have had positive effects on the quality of care. Future studies should take quality-related issues into account.

Standard Setting as Psychometric Due Process: Going a Little Further Down an Uncertain Road.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cizek, Gregory J.

The concept of due process provides an analogy for the process of standard setting that emphasizes many of the procedural and substantive elements of the process over technical and statistical concerns. Surely such concerns can and should continue to be addressed. However, a sound rationale for standard setting does not rest on this foundation.…

Technical Writing Tips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Patrick M.

2004-01-01

The main reason engineers, technicians, and programmers write poor technical documents is because they have had little training or experience in that area. This article addresses some of the basics that students can use to master technical writing tasks. The article covers the most common problems writers make and offers suggestions for improving…

Integrating Space Flight Resource Management Skills into Technical Lessons for International Space Station Flight Controller Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Evelyn

2008-01-01

The Johnson Space Center s (JSC) International Space Station (ISS) Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM) training program is designed to teach the team skills required to be an effective flight controller. It was adapted from the SFRM training given to Shuttle flight controllers to fit the needs of a "24 hours a day/365 days a year" flight controller. More recently, the length reduction of technical training flows for ISS flight controllers impacted the number of opportunities for fully integrated team scenario based training, where most SFRM training occurred. Thus, the ISS SFRM training program is evolving yet again, using a new approach of teaching and evaluating SFRM alongside of technical materials. Because there are very few models in other industries that have successfully tied team and technical skills together, challenges are arising. Despite this, the Mission Operations Directorate of NASA s JSC is committed to implementing this integrated training approach because of the anticipated benefits.

Image formation in diffusion MRI: A review of recent technical developments

PubMed Central

Miller, Karla L.

2017-01-01

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a standard imaging tool in clinical neurology, and is becoming increasingly important for neuroscience studies due to its ability to depict complex neuroanatomy (eg, white matter connectivity). Single‐shot echo‐planar imaging is currently the predominant formation method for diffusion MRI, but suffers from blurring, distortion, and low spatial resolution. A number of methods have been proposed to address these limitations and improve diffusion MRI acquisition. Here, the recent technical developments for image formation in diffusion MRI are reviewed. We discuss three areas of advance in diffusion MRI: improving image fidelity, accelerating acquisition, and increasing the signal‐to‐noise ratio. Level of Evidence: 5 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;46:646–662 PMID:28194821

DCE-MRI, DW-MRI, and MRS in Cancer: Challenges and Advantages of Implementing Qualitative and Quantitative Multi-parametric Imaging in the Clinic

PubMed Central

Winfield, Jessica M.; Payne, Geoffrey S.; Weller, Alex; deSouza, Nandita M.

2016-01-01

Abstract Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) offers a unique insight into tumor biology by combining functional MRI techniques that inform on cellularity (diffusion-weighted MRI), vascular properties (dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI), and metabolites (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and has scope to provide valuable information for prognostication and response assessment. Challenges in the application of mpMRI in the clinic include the technical considerations in acquiring good quality functional MRI data, development of robust techniques for analysis, and clinical interpretation of the results. This article summarizes the technical challenges in acquisition and analysis of multi-parametric MRI data before reviewing the key applications of multi-parametric MRI in clinical research and practice. PMID:27748710

Pavement deterioration due to horizontal hydraulic fracturing and wind farm development in Kansas : technical summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

The purpose of this research was to determine the impact on pavements and : roadbeds due to the increase in truck traffic from oil and gas fracking activities, : as well as from expansion of the wind energy industry, and estimate the resulting : redu...

Spatial Visualization ability improves with and without studying Technical Drawing.

PubMed

Contreras, María José; Escrig, Rebeca; Prieto, Gerardo; Elosúa, M Rosa

2018-03-27

The results of several studies suggest that spatial ability can be improved through direct training with tasks similar to those integrated in the tests used to measure the ability. However, there is a greater interest in analyzing the effectiveness of indirect training such as games or of learning subjects that involve spatial processes to a certain extent. Thus, the objective of the present study was to analyze whether the indirect training in Technical Drawing improved the Spatial Visualization ability of Architecture students. For this purpose, a group of students enrolled in Fundamentals of Architecture were administered two tests, a Spatial Visualization task and an Abstract Reasoning task, at the beginning and the end of a semester, after having received training through the subjects "Technical Drawing I: Geometry and Perception" and "Projects I." The results of this group were compared with those of a control group of students enrolled in a Mathematics degree, who were also pre-post evaluated but had not received the training in Technical Drawing. The study showed a significant pre-post improvement in both, Visualization and reasoning. However, this improvement occurred in both groups, thereby concluding that this improvement was not due to indirect training. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between men and women in any of the groups or conditions. These results clarify those of an earlier study where improvement in Visualization after training in Technical Drawing was found but did not include a comparison with a control condition. The control condition has proved to be important in order to consider the limitations of the effect of Technical Drawing on said improvement.

Content and Language Integrated Learning in Higher Technical Education Using the "InGenio" Online Multimedia Authoring Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gimeno, Ana; Seiz, Rafael; de Siqueira, Jose Macario; Martinez, Antonio

2010-01-01

The future professional world of today's students is becoming a life-long learning process where they have to adapt to a changing market and an environment full of new opportunities and challenges. Thus, the development of a number of personal and professional skills, in addition to technical content and knowledge, is a crucial part of their…

Challenges in oral communication for internationally educated nurses.

PubMed

Lum, Lillie; Dowedoff, Penny; Bradley, Pat; Kerekes, Julie; Valeo, Antonella

2015-01-01

Achieving English language proficiency, while key to successful adaptation to a new country for internationally educated nurses (IENs), has presented more difficulties for them and for educators than previously recognized. Professional communication within a culturally diverse client population and maintaining collaborative relationships between nurses and other team members were perceived as new challenges for IENs. Learning an additional language is a long-term, multistage process that must also incorporate social and cultural aspects of the local society and the profession. This article provides a descriptive review of current research literature pertaining to English language challenges, with a focus on oral language, experienced by IENs. Educational strategies for teaching technical language skills as well as the socio-pragmatics of professional communication within nursing programs are emphasized. Bridging education programs must not only develop students'academic language proficiency but also their ability to enter the workforce with the kind of communication skills that are increasingly highlighted by employers as essential attributes. The results of this review are intended to facilitate a clearer understanding of the English language and communication challenges experienced by IENs and identify the implications for designing effective educational programs. © The Author(s) 2014.

Engineering Technical Review Planning Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Terrie

2012-01-01

The general topics covered in the engineering technical planning briefing are 1) overviews of NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Engineering, 2) the NASA Systems Engineering(SE) Engine and its implementation , 3) the NASA Project Life Cycle, 4) MSFC Technical Management Branch Services in relation to the SE Engine and the Project Life Cycle , 5) Technical Reviews, 6) NASA Human Factor Design Guidance , and 7) the MSFC Human Factors Team. The engineering technical review portion of the presentation is the primary focus of the overall presentation and will address the definition of a design review, execution guidance, the essential stages of a technical review, and the overall review planning life cycle. Examples of a technical review plan content, review approaches, review schedules, and the review process will be provided and discussed. The human factors portion of the presentation will focus on the NASA guidance for human factors. Human factors definition, categories, design guidance, and human factor specialist roles will be addressed. In addition, the NASA Systems Engineering Engine description, definition, and application will be reviewed as background leading into the NASA Project Life Cycle Overview and technical review planning discussion.

Summaries of the Regional Conferences Held in Preparation for the Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

UNEVOC Info, 1999

1999-01-01

In 1998, five regional conferences were held in preparation for the Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education (TVE). The Asia-Pacific regional conference focused on challenges of the 21st century, demands of the world of work, and changing patterns in the delivery of training programs. The European symposium covered five…

The composing process in technical communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masse, R. E.

1981-01-01

The theory and application of the composing process in technical communications is addressed. The composing process of engineers, some implications for composing research for the teaching and research of technical communication, and an interpretation of the processes as creative experience are also discussed. Two areas of technical communications summarized concern: the rhetorical features of technical communications, and the theoretical background for a process-based view, a problem-solving approach to technical writing.

49 CFR 552.6 - Technical review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... § 552.6 Technical review. The appropriate Associate Administrator conducts a technical review of the petition. The technical review may consist of an analysis of the material submitted, together with... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Technical review. 552.6 Section 552.6...

24 CFR 583.140 - Technical assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Technical assistance. 583.140... Technical assistance. (a) General. HUD may set aside funds annually to provide technical assistance, either... technical assistance is for the purpose of promoting the development of supportive housing and supportive...

49 CFR 552.6 - Technical review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... § 552.6 Technical review. The appropriate Associate Administrator conducts a technical review of the petition. The technical review may consist of an analysis of the material submitted, together with... 49 Transportation 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Technical review. 552.6 Section 552.6...

Non-invasive diagnostic platforms in management of non-small cell lung cancer: opportunities and challenges

PubMed Central

Pennell, Nathan A.

2017-01-01

Several non-invasive diagnostic platforms are already being incorporated in routine clinical practice in the work up and monitoring of patients with lung cancer. These approaches have great potential to improve patient selection and monitor patients while on therapy, however several challenges exist in clinical validation and standardization of such platforms. In this review, we summarize the current technologies available for non-invasive diagnostic evaluation from the blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and discuss the technical and logistical challenges associated incorporating such testing in clinical practice. PMID:29057238

Present Challenges, Critical Needs, and Future Technological Directions for NASA's GN and C Engineering Discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennehy, Cornelius J.

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently undergoing a substantial redirection. Notable among the changes occurring within NASA is the stated emphasis on technology development, integration, and demonstration. These new changes within the Agency should have a positive impact on the GN&C discipline given the potential for sizeable investments for technology development and in-space demonstrations of both Autonomous Rendezvous & Docking (AR&D) systems and Autonomous Precision Landing (APL) systems. In this paper the NASA Technical Fellow for Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) provides a summary of the present technical challenges, critical needs, and future technological directions for NASA s GN&C engineering discipline. A brief overview of the changes occurring within NASA that are driving a renewed emphasis on technology development will be presented as background. The potential benefits of the planned GN&C technology developments will be highlighted. This paper will provide a GN&C State-of-the-Discipline assessment. The discipline s readiness to support the goals & objectives of each of the four NASA Mission Directorates is evaluated and the technical challenges and barriers currently faced by the discipline are summarized. This paper will also discuss the need for sustained investments to sufficiently mature the several classes of GN&C technologies required to implement NASA crewed exploration and robotic science missions.

TH-EF-204-00: AAPM-AMPR (Russia)-SEFM (Spain) Joint Course On Challenges and Advantages of Small Field Radiation Treatment Techniques

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

NONE

Joanna E. Cygler, Jan Seuntjens, J. Daniel Bourland, M. Saiful Huq, Josep Puxeu Vaque, Daniel Zucca Aparicio, Tatiana Krylova, Yuri Kirpichev, Eric Ford, Caridad Borras Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) utilizes small static and dynamic (IMRT) fields, to successfully treat malignant and benign diseases using techniques such as Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). SRT is characterized by sharp dose gradients for individual fields and their resultant dose distributions. For appropriate targets, small field radiotherapy offers improved treatment quality by allowing better sparing of organs at risk while delivering the prescribed target dose. Specialized small field treatment deliverymore » systems, such as robotic-controlled linear accelerators, gamma radiosurgery units, and dynamic arc linear accelerators may utilize rigid fixation, image guidance, and tumor tracking, to insure precise dose delivery to static or moving targets. However, in addition to great advantages, small field delivery techniques present special technical challenges for dose calibration due to unique geometries and small field sizes not covered by existing reference dosimetry protocols such as AAPM TG-51 or IAEA TRS 398. In recent years extensive research has been performed to understand small field dosimetry and measurement instrumentation. AAPM, IAEA and ICRU task groups are expected to provide soon recommendations on the dosimetry of small radiation fields. In this symposium we will: 1] discuss the physics, instrumentation, methodologies and challenges for small field radiation dose measurements; 2] review IAEA and ICRU recommendations on prescribing, recording and reporting of small field radiation therapy; 3] discuss selected clinical applications and technical aspects for specialized image-guided, small field, linear accelerator based treatment techniques such as IMRT and SBRT. Learning Objectives: To learn the physics of small fields in

Ethics in Technical Communication. The Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Paul

Arguing that ethics is an important part of technical communication, this book discusses ethics in the broad sense including not only the act of communication but also where technical information came from and how it likely will be used. It is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate audiences, and assumes some familiarity with technical…

It Isn't Easy Being Green: Overcoming the Challenges of Building a Green Workforce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemmelman, Chris

2011-01-01

As community and technical colleges work to train workers for green-energy jobs, they face myriad challenges. Among them are the recession and the financial strain it places on institutions' ability to develop programs, trying to meet the demand for trained workers that is a projection and not a certainty, and training low-skilled individuals for…

Examining the Challenging Hindrances facing in the Construction Projects: South India’s Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanyam, K.; Haridharan, M. K.

2017-07-01

Developing countries like India require a huge infrastructure to facilitate needs of the people. Construction industry provides several opportunities to the individuals. Construction manager work is to supervise and organize the construction activities in construction projects. Now a day construction manager facing challenges. This paper aimed to study the challenges facing by the construction manager in the perception of construction professionals. 39 variables were taken from the literature review which found to be severe impact on construction managers’ performance. Construction manager, project manager and site engineers are the respondents for this survey. Using SPSS, regression analysis was done and recognized significant challenges. These challenges were classified into 5 domains. In management challenges, resource availability and allocation, risks and uncertainties existing in the project onsite, top management support and cost constraints are the most significant variables. In skills requirement of a construction manager challenges, technical skills required to learn and adapt new technology in the project, decision making and planning according to the situation in site are the most significant variables. In performance challenges, implementation of tasks according to the plan is the important variable whereas in onsite challenges, manage project risks, develop project policies and procedures are the most important.

The Dirac Experiments - Results and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, R. G.; O'Brien, J. L.; Dzurak, A. S.; Kane, B. E.; Lumpkin, N. E.; Reilley, D. J.; Starrett, R. P.; Rickel, D. G.; Goettee, J. D.; Campbell, L. J.; Fowler, C. M.; Mielke, C.; Harrison, N.; Zerwekh, W. D.; Clark, D.; Bartram, B. D.; King, J. C.; Parkin, D.; Nakagawa, H.; Miura, N.

2004-11-01

The 1997 international Dirac II Series held at Los Alamos National Laboratory involved low temperature electrical transport and optical experiments in magnetic fields exceeding 800 T, produced by explosive flux compression using Russian MC-1 generators. An overview of the scientific and technical advances achieved in this Series is given, together with a strategy for future work in this challenging experimental environment. A significant outcome was achieved in transport studies of microfabricated thin-film YBCO structures with the magnetic field in the CuO plane. Using a GHz transmission line technique at an ambient temperature of 1.6 K, an onset of dissipation was observed at 150 T (a new upper bound for superconductivity in any material), with a saturation of resistivity at 240 T. Comparison with the Pauli limit expected at B - 155 T in this material suggests that the critical field in this geometry is limited by spin paramagnetism. In preparation for a Dirac III series, a systematic temperature-dependent transport study of YBCO using in-plane magnetic fields of 150 T generated by single-turn coils, at temperatures over the range 10-100 K, has been undertaken in collaboration with the Japanese Megagauss Laboratory. The objective is to map out the phase diagram for this geometry, which is expected to be significantly different than the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg model due to the presence of paramagnetic limiting. Nanofabricated magnetometers have also been developed in a UNSW-LANL collaboration for use in Dirac III for Fermi surface measurements of YBCO in megagauss fields, which are described.

47 CFR 18.207 - Technical report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Technical report. 18.207 Section 18.207... Applications and Authorizations § 18.207 Technical report. When required by the Commission a technical report...(s) under which the equipment is or will be marketed. (e) A statement of the rated technical...

47 CFR 18.207 - Technical report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Technical report. 18.207 Section 18.207... Applications and Authorizations § 18.207 Technical report. When required by the Commission a technical report...(s) under which the equipment is or will be marketed. (e) A statement of the rated technical...

47 CFR 18.207 - Technical report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Technical report. 18.207 Section 18.207... Applications and Authorizations § 18.207 Technical report. When required by the Commission a technical report...(s) under which the equipment is or will be marketed. (e) A statement of the rated technical...

12 CFR 705.10 - Technical assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Technical assistance. 705.10 Section 705.10... DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM FOR CREDIT UNIONS § 705.10 Technical assistance. NCUA may provide technical... or NCUA. NCUA will base technical assistance on funds availability, the needs of the participating...

Technical Assistance Plan (TAP)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A Technical Assistance Plan (TAP) enables community groups to retain the services of an independent technical advisor and to provide resources for a community group to help inform other community members about site decisions.

Reader-Centered Technical Writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayanan, M.

2012-12-01

Technical writing is an essential part of professional communication and in recent years it has shifted from a genre-based approach. Formerly, technical writing primarily focused on generating templates of documents and sometimes it was creating or reproducing traditional forms with minor modifications and updates. Now, technical writing looks at the situations surrounding the need to write. This involves deep thinking about the goals and objectives of the project on hand. Furthermore, one observes that it is very important for any participatory process to have the full support of management. This support needs to be well understood and believed by employees. Professional writing may be very persuasive in some cases. When presented in the appropriate context, technical writing can persuade a company to improve work conditions ensuring employee safety and timely production. However, one must recognize that lot of professional writing still continues to make use of reports and instruction manuals. Normally, technical and professional writing addresses four aspects. Objective: The need for generating a given professionally written technical document and the goals the document is expected to achieve and accomplish. Clientele: The clientele who will utilize the technical document. This may include the people in the organization. This may also include "unintended readers." Customers: The population that may be affected by the content of the technical document generated. This includes the stakeholders who will be influenced. Environment: The background in which the document is created. Also, the nature of the situation that warranted the generation of the document. Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget's view of Learning focuses on three aspects. The author likes to extend Jean Piaget's ideas to students, who are asked to prepare and submit Reader-Centered Technical Writing reports and exercises. Assimilation: Writers may benefit specifically, by assimilating a new object into

Assessing Students' Technical Skill Attainment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jorgensen, Haley

2010-01-01

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) is working to comply with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins) to ensure that its graduates have mastered the technical skills needed by business and industry. The legislation requires that each state identify and approve program assessment strategies…

Integrating technical and non-technical skills coaching in an acute trauma surgery team training: Is it too much?

PubMed

Alken, Alexander; Luursema, Jan-Maarten; Weenk, Mariska; Yauw, Simon; Fluit, Cornelia; van Goor, Harry

2017-08-25

Research on effective integration of technical and non-technical skills in surgery team training is sparse. In a previous study we found that surgical teachers predominantly coached on technical and hardly on non-technical skills during the Definitive Surgical and Anesthetic Trauma Care (DSATC) integrated acute trauma surgery team training. This study aims to investigate whether the priming of teachers could increase the amount of non-technical skills coaching during such a training. Coaching activities of 12 surgical teachers were recorded on audio and video. Six teachers were primed on non-technical skills coaching prior to the training. Six others received no priming and served as controls. Blind observers reviewed the recordings of 2 training scenario's and scored whether the observed behaviors were directed on technical or non-technical skills. We compared the frequency of the non-technical skills coaching between the primed and the non-primed teachers and analyzed for differences according to the trainees' level of experience. Surgical teachers coached trainees during the highly realistic DSATC integrated acute trauma surgery team training. Trainees performed damage control surgery in operating teams on anesthetized porcine models during 6 training scenario's. Twelve experienced surgical teachers participated in this study. Coaching on non-technical skills was limited to about 5%. The primed teachers did not coach more often on non-technical skills than the non-primed teachers. We found no differences in the frequency of non-technical skills coaching based on the trainees' level of experience. Priming experienced surgical teachers does not increase the coaching on non-technical skills. The current DSATC acute trauma surgery team training seems too complex for integrating training on technical and non-technical skills. Patient care, Practice based learning and improvement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Communication challenges in system development: involvement of system developers in small-scale IT projects.

PubMed

Petersen, Lone Stub; Bjoernes, Charlotte D; Bertelsen, Pernille

2010-01-01

A well-known challenge in system development is the aspect of user participation. In this paper we shift perspective from how to involve users in system development to how project managers with a clinical background, but without technical system knowledge, can involve system developers in IT projects. Using data from the development of an online patient book (an ICT application for clinical practice), we analyze challenges using the concept of language-games. We conclude that further research and development of participatory and communicative methods to involve system developers in IT projects, based in a clinical context, is needed.

Bibliography--Unclassified Technical Reports, Special Reports, and Technical Notes: FY 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-11-01

in each category are listed in chronological order under seven areas: manpower management, personnel administration , organization management, education...7633). Technical reports listed that have unlimited distribution can also be obtained from the National Technical Information Service , 5285 Port Royal...simulations of manpower systems. This research exploits the technology of computer-managed large-scale data bases. PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION The personnel

Information technology challenges of biodiversity and ecosystems informatics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schnase, J.L.; Cushing, J.; Frame, M.; Frondorf, A.; Landis, E.; Maier, D.; Silberschatz, A.

2003-01-01

Computer scientists, biologists, and natural resource managers recently met to examine the prospects for advancing computer science and information technology research by focusing on the complex and often-unique challenges found in the biodiversity and ecosystem domain. The workshop and its final report reveal that the biodiversity and ecosystem sciences are fundamentally information sciences and often address problems having distinctive attributes of scale and socio-technical complexity. The paper provides an overview of the emerging field of biodiversity and ecosystem informatics and demonstrates how the demands of biodiversity and ecosystem research can advance our understanding and use of information technologies.

Direct Final Rule: Nonroad Diesel Technical Amendments and Tier 3 Technical Relief Provision

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Rule making certain technical corrections to the rules establishing emission standards for nonroad diesel engines and amending those rules to provide manufacturers with a production technical relief provision for Tier 3 equipment.

The PRO-TECH Program. A Program for Gifted and Talented High School Students in Connecticut's Vocational-Technical School System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brann, Ronald E.

This document describes Connecticut's PRO-TECH Program, which is designed to link pupils in vocational-technical schools, resources of school and community, and opportunity for growth in order to teach advanced skills, explore new interests, challenge old ideas, and highlight individual talents. The document consists of sections on the following…

Perampanel and Challenging Behaviour in Intellectual Disability and Epilepsy: A Management Dilemma

PubMed Central

Choudry, Ansar

2014-01-01

We describe a case of a patient with a diagnosis of moderate learning disability with challenging behaviour and treatment refractory epilepsy. Antiepileptics can increase challenging behaviour; however, antipsychotics can provoke seizures. This results in a difficult balance for patient care. Due to worsening seizures, the patient was prescribed perampanel. This increased her aggression and agitation resulting in admission. We trialled four antipsychotic drugs to reduce her challenging behaviour, two of which worsened her seizures. It was necessary to continue antiepileptic medication to maintain adequate seizure control. However, the resulting uncontrolled challenging behaviour persisted, meaning she was unable to return to her family home on discharge. This case emphasises the difficult scenario clinician's encounter when balancing the use of antipsychotics and antiepileptics. The case demonstrates the significant functional loss due to challenging behaviour, balanced against controlling life threatening seizures. PMID:25580340

Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) - Its role in the USAF Scientific and Technical Information Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhn, Allan D.

1991-01-01

The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), the central repository for DOD scientific and technical information concerning studies and research and engineering efforts, is discussed. The present makeup of DTIC is described and its functions in producing technical reports and technical report bibliographies are examined. DTIC's outreach services are reviewed, as are its DTIC information and technology transfer programs. DTIC's plans for the year 2000 and its relation to the mission of the U.S. Air Force, including the Air Force's STINFO program, are addressed.

Challenges in Teaching "Colloid and Surface Chemistry"--A Danish Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontogeorgis, Georgios M.; Vigild, Martin E.

2009-01-01

Seven years ago we were asked, as one of our first teaching duties at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), to teach a 5 ECTS point course on "Colloid and Surface Chemistry". The topic is itself at the same time exciting and demanding, largely due to its multidisciplinary nature. Several "local" requirements posed…

Evaluating Potential Exposures to Ecological Receptors Due to Transport of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Subsurface Systems (Final Report)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center (ERASC) announced the release of the final report, Evaluating Potential Exposures to Ecological Receptors Due to Transport of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Subsurface Systems. This technical paper recommends several ty...

Challenges Regarding IP Core Functional Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; LaBel, Kenneth A.

2017-01-01

For many years, intellectual property (IP) cores have been incorporated into field programmable gate array (FPGA) and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design flows. However, the usage of large complex IP cores were limited within products that required a high level of reliability. This is no longer the case. IP core insertion has become mainstream including their use in highly reliable products. Due to limited visibility and control, challenges exist when using IP cores and subsequently compromise product reliability. We discuss challenges and suggest potential solutions to critical application IP insertion.

Crowd-sourced assessment of technical skills: an opportunity for improvement in the assessment of laparoscopic surgical skills.

PubMed

Deal, Shanley B; Lendvay, Thomas S; Haque, Mohamad I; Brand, Timothy; Comstock, Bryan; Warren, Justin; Alseidi, Adnan

2016-02-01

Objective, unbiased assessment of surgical skills remains a challenge in surgical education. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skills. Seven volunteer general surgery interns were given time for training and then testing, on laparoscopic peg transfer, precision cutting, and intracorporeal knot-tying. Six faculty experts (FEs) and 203 Amazon.com Mechanical Turk crowd workers (CWs) evaluated 21 deidentified video clips using the Global Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills validated rating instrument. Within 19 hours and 15 minutes we received 662 eligible ratings from 203 CWs and 126 ratings from 6 FEs over 10 days. FE video ratings were of borderline internal consistency (Krippendorff's alpha = .55). FE ratings were highly correlated with CW ratings (Pearson's correlation coefficient = .78, P < .001). We propose the use of Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skills as a reliable, basic tool to standardize the evaluation of technical skills in general surgery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges and Opportunities of Gas Engine Driven Heat Pumps: Two Case Studies

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

Abu-Heiba, Ahmad; Mahderekal, Dr. Isaac; Mehdizadeh Momen, Ayyoub

Gas engine driven heat pumps (GHP) currently hold a small market share. This share is considerably smaller than what the full potential of GHP technology can realize. Of the main benefits of the GHP technology is their better primary energy utilization mainly due to the ability to recover the engine heat. However, development and market penetration of GHP technology have been challenged by various market and technical barriers. The main barriers are the high initial cost, low awareness of the technology, and poor perception. On the other hand, several opportunities arise that the GHP technology can take advantage of tomore » increase its market share. The most direct opportunity is the abundance of cheap natural gas. This translates directly into monetary savings and higher ROI. GHPs offer the advantage of reducing the peak demand by 80% compared to electric counterpart. From the point of view of utilities, this eliminates the need for lower-efficiency peaking power plants and over-expansion only to cover maximum peak times. From the point of view of renewable customers, GHPs eliminate the need to buy power from the grid at a high price. This is especially important in hot climates with high cooling loads. When built and operated as distributed generation, GHPs can improve the reliability of power delivery to consumers. The paper discusses the challenges and opportunities as seen during the development and commercialization of two different GHP products; a 10-ton packaged unit and 5-ton split unit.« less

Virtual expansion of the technical vision system for smart vehicles based on multi-agent cooperation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krapukhina, Nina; Senchenko, Roman; Kamenov, Nikolay

2017-12-01

Road safety and driving in dense traffic flows poses some challenges in receiving information about surrounding moving object, some of which can be in the vehicle's blind spot. This work suggests an approach to virtual monitoring of the objects in a current road scene via a system with a multitude of cooperating smart vehicles exchanging information. It also describes the intellectual agent model, and provides methods and algorithms of identifying and evaluating various characteristics of moving objects in video flow. Authors also suggest ways for integrating the information from the technical vision system into the model with further expansion of virtual monitoring for the system's objects. Implementation of this approach can help to expand the virtual field of view for a technical vision system.

A technical platform for environments for ageing--lessons learned from three field studies.

PubMed

Eichelberg, Marco; Büsching, Felix; Steen, Enno-Edzard; Helmer, Axel; Thiel, Andreas; Hein, Andreas; Wolf, Lars

2014-01-01

The Lower Saxony Research Network "Design of Environments for Ageing" (GAL) studied possible applications of assistive technology for enabling older adults to live longer and independent in their own home. As part of this work, a technical platform was developed as a common technical basis for all assistive systems in the project. This article presents an overview of the architecture and core functionality of the technical platform, which in the first generation was developed for use in a laboratory setting, and in a second generation was extended for use in the project's field studies, i.e. prototype installations in end-users homes. The field studies' primary objective was the evaluation of the assistive technologies, that were developed within the overall project. However, these studies also confirmed that the fundamental concept of the technical platform is valid, and the prototypes continuously worked 24 h a day for several months. However, there were some problems related to lack of infrastructure in the older adults' homes and human factors such as inadvertent placement of objects across sensors' field of view, acceptance problems due to aesthetical reasons or simply communication problems, which show that making complex technologies work for users with little technical experience is well possible, but requires a careful consideration of the complete service chain and related "soft factors".

A stochastic frontier analysis of technical efficiency of fish cage culture in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Islam, Gazi Md Nurul; Tai, Shzee Yew; Kusairi, Mohd Noh

2016-01-01

Cage culture plays an important role in achieving higher output and generating more export earnings in Malaysia. However, the cost of fingerlings, feed and labour have increased substantially for cage culture in the coastal areas in Peninsular Malaysia. This paper uses farm level data gathered from Manjung, Perak and Kota Tinggi, Johor to investigate the technical efficiency of brackish water fish cage culture using the stochastic frontier approach. The technical efficiency was estimated and specifically the factors affecting technical inefficiencies of fish cage culture system in Malaysia was investigated. On average, 37 percent of the sampled fish cage farms are technically efficient. The results suggest very high degrees of technical inefficiency exist among the cage culturists. This implies that great potential exists to increase fish production through improved efficiency in cage culture management in Peninsular Malaysia. The results indicate that farmers obtained grouper fingerlings from other neighboring countries due to scarcity of fingerlings from wild sources. The cost of feeding for grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) requires relatively higher costs compared to seabass (Lates calcarifer) production in cage farms in the study areas. Initiatives to undertake extension programmes at the farm level are needed to help cage culturists in utilizing their resources more efficiently in order to substantially enhance their fish production.

Communication Challenges in Neonatal Encephalopathy.

PubMed

Lemmon, Monica E; Donohue, Pamela K; Parkinson, Charlamaine; Northington, Frances J; Boss, Renee D

2016-09-01

Families must process complex information related to neonatal encephalopathy and therapeutic hypothermia. In this mixed methods study, semi-structured interviews were performed with parents whose infants were enrolled in an existing longitudinal cohort study of therapeutic hypothermia between 2011 and 2014. Thematic saturation was achieved after 20 interviews. Parental experience of communicating with clinicians was characterized by 3 principle themes. Theme 1 highlighted that a fragmented communication process mirrored the chaotic maternal and neonatal course. Parents often received key information about neonatal encephalopathy and therapeutic hypothermia from maternal clinicians. Infant medical information was often given to 1 family member (60%), who felt burdened by the responsibility to relay that information to others. Families universally valued the role of the bedside nurse, who was perceived as the primary source of communication for most (75%) families. Theme 2 encompassed the challenges of discussing the complex therapy of therapeutic hypothermia: families appreciated clinicians who used lay language and provided written material, and they often felt overwhelmed by technical information that made it hard to understand the "big picture" of their infant's medical course. Theme 3 involved the uncertain prognosis after neonatal encephalopathy. Parents appreciated specific expectations about their infant's long-term development, and experienced long-term distress about prognostic uncertainty. Communicating complex and large volumes of information in the midst of perinatal crisis presents inherent challenges for both clinicians and families. We identified an actionable set of communication challenges that can be addressed with targeted interventions. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Measure for Measure: A Guide to Metrication for Workshop Crafts and Technical Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schools Council, London (England).

This booklet is designed to help teachers of the industrial arts in Great Britain during the changeover to metric units which is due to be substantially completed during the period 1970-1975. General suggestions are given for adapting equipment in metalwork and engineering and woodwork and technical drawing by adding some metric equipment…

Development of a behavioural marker system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills (SPLINTS system).

PubMed

Mitchell, Lucy; Flin, Rhona; Yule, Steven; Mitchell, Janet; Coutts, Kathy; Youngson, George

2013-04-01

Adverse events still occur despite ongoing efforts to reduce harm to patients. Contributory factors to adverse events are often due to limitations in clinicians' non-technical skills (e.g. communication, situation awareness), rather than deficiencies in technical competence. We developed a behavioural rating system to provide a structured means for teaching and assessing scrub practitioners' (i.e. nurse, technician, operating department practitioner) non-technical skills. Psychologists facilitated focus groups (n = 4) with experienced scrub practitioners (n = 16; 4 in each group) to develop a preliminary taxonomy. Focus groups reviewed lists of non-technical-skill-related behaviours that were extracted from an interview study. The focus groups labelled skill categories and elements and also provided examples of good and poor behaviours for those skills. An expert panel (n = 2 psychologists; n = 1 expert nurse) then used an iterative process to individually and collaboratively review and refine those data to produce a prototype skills taxonomy. A preliminary taxonomy containing eight non-technical skill categories with 28 underlying elements was produced. The expert panel reduced this to three categories (situation awareness, communication and teamwork, task management), each with three underlying elements. The system was called the Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills system. A scoring system and a user handbook were also developed. A prototype behavioural rating system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills was developed, to aid in teaching and providing formative assessment. This important aspect of performance is not currently explicitly addressed in any educational route to qualify as a scrub practitioner. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Technical complications of implant-causes and management: A comprehensive review

PubMed Central

Gupta, Swati; Gupta, Hemant; Tandan, Amrit

2015-01-01

Given the increasing popularity of dental implants, the number of failures due to late implant fracture is also expected to increase. Hence, the scope for prevention and management needs to be emphasized. The objective of this review article is to analyze the various causes of failure of dental implants due to implant fixture/abutment screw fractures and also to enumerate the management and the preventive options for these failures, thereby aiming to help the clinicians to properly plan the implant-supported prosthesis treatment by considering the important biomechanical aspects of this type of rehabilitation. The present review emphasizes the causes and management of technical complications and not the incidence of such complications. PMID:26668445

Technical Vocabulary in Specialised Texts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Teresa Mihwa; Nation, Paul

2003-01-01

Describes two studies of technical vocabulary, one using an anatomy text and the other an applied linguistics text. Technical vocabulary was found by rating words in the texts on a four-step scale. Found that technical vocabulary made up a very substantial proportion of both the different words and the running words in texts. (Author/VWL)

Crafting a New Vision for High School: How States Can Join Academic and Technical Studies to Promote More Powerful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene; Young, Marna

2008-01-01

The authors advocate harnessing the applied teaching strategies of career/technical education (CTE) and infusing them into college-preparatory academics to transform secondary schools into high-performing centers of learning where students are both challenged and engaged. By pursuing this strategy, say the authors, states can help many more…

Verification Challenges at Low Numbers

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

Benz, Jacob M.; Booker, Paul M.; McDonald, Benjamin S.

2013-07-16

This paper will explore the difficulties of deep reductions by examining the technical verification challenges. At each step on the road to low numbers, the verification required to ensure compliance of all parties will increase significantly. Looking post New START, the next step will likely include warhead limits in the neighborhood of 1000 (Pifer 2010). Further reductions will include stepping stones at 100’s of warheads, and then 10’s of warheads before final elimination could be considered of the last few remaining warheads and weapons. This paper will focus on these three threshold reduction levels, 1000, 100’s, 10’s. For each, themore » issues and challenges will be discussed, potential solutions will be identified, and the verification technologies and chain of custody measures that address these solutions will be surveyed. It is important to note that many of the issues that need to be addressed have no current solution. In these cases, the paper will explore new or novel technologies that could be applied. These technologies will draw from the research and development that is ongoing throughout the national lab complex, and will look at technologies utilized in other areas of industry for their application to arms control verification.« less

Challenges in Teaching Modern Manufacturing Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngaile, Gracious; Wang, Jyhwen; Gau, Jenn-Terng

2015-01-01

Teaching of manufacturing courses for undergraduate engineering students has become a challenge due to industrial globalisation coupled with influx of new innovations, technologies, customer-driven products. This paper discusses development of a modern manufacturing course taught concurrently in three institutions where students collaborate in…

[Three applications and the challenge of the big data in otology].

PubMed

Lei, Guanxiong; Li, Jianan; Shen, Weidong; Yang, Shiming

2016-03-01

With the expansion of human practical activities, more and more areas have suffered from big data problems. The emergence of big data requires people to update the research paradigm and develop new technical methods. This review discussed that big data might bring opportunities and challenges in the area of auditory implantation, the deafness genome, and auditory pathophysiology, and pointed out that we needed to find appropriate theories and methods to make this kind of expectation into reality.

78 FR 17871 - Changes To Implement the Technical Corrections to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act as to Inter...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-25

... rule eliminates the nine-month ``dead zone'' for filing an inter partes review petition challenging a..., section 1(d) of the AIA Technical Corrections Act and this final rule eliminate the nine-month ``dead zone... the nine-month ``dead zone'' as to first-to-invent patents and reissue patents. Costs and Benefits...

Risk factors for technical failure of endoscopic double self-expandable metallic stent placement by partial stent-in-stent method.

PubMed

Kawakubo, Kazumichi; Kawakami, Hiroshi; Toyokawa, Yoshihide; Otani, Koichi; Kuwatani, Masaki; Abe, Yoko; Kawahata, Shuhei; Kubo, Kimitoshi; Kubota, Yoshimasa; Sakamoto, Naoya

2015-01-01

Endoscopic double self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement by the partial stent-in-stent (PSIS) method has been reported to be useful for the management of unresectable hilar malignant biliary obstruction. However, it is technically challenging, and the optimal SEMS for the procedure remains unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for technical failure of endoscopic double SEMS placement for unresectable malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO). Between December 2009 and May 2013, 50 consecutive patients with MHBO underwent endoscopic double SEMS placement by the PSIS method. We retrospectively evaluated the rate of successful double SEMS placement and identified the risk factors for technical failure. The technical success rate for double SEMS placement was 82.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.2-90.2). On univariate analysis, the rate of technical failure was high in patients with metastatic disease and unilateral placement. Multivariate analysis revealed that metastatic disease was a significant risk factor for technical failure (odds ratio: 9.63, 95% CI: 1.11-105.5). The subgroup analysis after double guidewire insertion showed that the rate of technical success was higher in the laser-cut type SEMS with a large mesh and thick delivery system than in the braided type SEMS with a small mesh and thick delivery system. Metastatic disease was a significant risk factor for technical failure of double SEMS placement for unresectable MHBO. The laser-cut type SEMS with a large mesh and thin delivery system might be preferable for the PSIS procedure. © 2014 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

Hazardous and toxic waste management in Botswana: practices and challenges.

PubMed

Mmereki, Daniel; Li, Baizhan; Meng, Liu

2014-12-01

Hazardous and toxic waste is a complex waste category because of its inherent chemical and physical characteristics. It demands for environmentally sound technologies and know-how as well as clean technologies that simultaneously manage and dispose it in an environmentally friendly way. Nevertheless, Botswana lacks a system covering all the critical steps from importation to final disposal or processing of hazardous and toxic waste owing to limited follow-up of the sources and types of hazardous and toxic waste, lack of modern and specialised treatment/disposal facilities, technical know-how, technically skilled manpower, funds and capabilities of local institutions to take lead in waste management. Therefore, because of a lack of an integrated system, there are challenges such as lack of cooperation among all the stakeholders about the safe management of hazardous and toxic waste. Furthermore, Botswana does not have a systematic regulatory framework regarding monitoring and hazardous and toxic waste management. In addition to the absence of a systematic regulatory framework, inadequate public awareness and dissemination of information about hazardous and toxic waste management, slower progress to phase-out persistent and bio-accumulative waste, and lack of reliable and accurate information on hazardous and toxic waste generation, sources and composition have caused critical challenges to effective hazardous and toxic waste management. It is, therefore, important to examine the status of hazardous and toxic waste as a waste stream in Botswana. By default; this mini-review article presents an overview of the current status of hazardous and toxic waste management and introduces the main challenges in hazardous and toxic waste management. Moreover, the article proposes the best applicable strategies to achieve effective hazardous and toxic waste management in the future. © The Author(s) 2014.

Technical Mathematics: Restructure of Technical Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Carol A.

Designed to accompany a series of videotapes, this textbook provides information, examples, problems, and solutions relating to mathematics and its applications in technical fields. Chapter I deals with basic arithmetic, providing information on fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, percentages, and order of operations. Chapter II focuses on…

Acoustical consulting-Reflections on a challenging career

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braslau, David

2004-05-01

The acoustical consulting profession can be entered in a number of ways. The most direct approach is to obtain a degree in acoustics and join a large consulting firm immediately after graduation. Acoustical consulting can also be entered indirectly from various fields of engineering or physics which can provide a somewhat broader background. These disciplines might include, for example, structural engineering and structural dynamics, mechanics of materials, dynamic behavior of solids or geophysics. Acoustical consulting specialization can be very broad or very narrow as seen from the National Council of Acoustical Consultants capability listing. As an acoustical consultant, one must address a wide range of problems which provides both the challenges and joys of this profession. Technical capabilities and professional judgment are constantly developed from exposure to these problems and through interaction with other members of the profession. Selected case studies including sound isolation in buildings, noise and vibration from blasting, control of noise from environmental sources, acoustical design of classrooms and performing spaces, and product design demonstrate the variety of challenges faced by an acoustical consultant.

Zero to Integration in Eight Months, the Dawn Ground Data System Engineering Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubon, Lydia P.

2006-01-01

The Dawn Project has presented the Ground Data System (GDS) with technical challenges driven by cost and schedule constraints commonly associated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Discovery Projects. The Dawn mission consists of a new and exciting Deep Space partnership among: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), manages the project and is responsible for flight operation; Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), is the spacecraft builder and is responsible for flight system test and integration; and the University of California, at Los Angeles (UCLA), is responsible for science planning and operations. As a cost-capped mission, one of Dawn's implementation strategies is to leverage from both flight and ground heritage. OSC's ground data system is used for flight system test and integration as part of the flight heritage strategy. Mission operations, however, are to be conducted with JPL's ground system. The system engineering challenge of dealing with two heterogeneous ground systems emerged immediately. During the first technical interchange meeting between the JPL's GDS Team and OSC's Flight Software Team, August 2003, the need to integrate the ground system with the flight software was brought to the table. This need was driven by the project's commitment to enable instrument engineering model integration in a spacecraft simulator environment, for both demonstration and risk mitigation purposes, by April 2004. This paper will describe the system engineering approach that was undertaken by JPL's GDS Team in order to meet the technical challenge within a non-negotiable eight-month schedule. Key to the success was adherence to fundamental systems engineering practices: decomposition of the project request into manageable requirements; integration of multiple ground disciplines and experts into a focused team effort; definition of a structured yet flexible development process; definition of an in-process risk reduction plan; and aggregation of

Silicon photonics and challenges for fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feilchenfeld, N. B.; Nummy, K.; Barwicz, T.; Gill, D.; Kiewra, E.; Leidy, R.; Orcutt, J. S.; Rosenberg, J.; Stricker, A. D.; Whiting, C.; Ayala, J.; Cucci, B.; Dang, D.; Doan, T.; Ghosal, M.; Khater, M.; McLean, K.; Porth, B.; Sowinski, Z.; Willets, C.; Xiong, C.; Yu, C.; Yum, S.; Giewont, K.; Green, W. M. J.

2017-03-01

Silicon photonics is rapidly becoming the key enabler for meeting the future data speed and volume required by the Internet of Things. A stable manufacturing process is needed to deliver cost and yield expectations to the technology marketplace. We present the key challenges and technical results from both 200mm and 300mm facilities for a silicon photonics fabrication process which includes monolithic integration with CMOS. This includes waveguide patterning, optical proximity correction for photonic devices, silicon thickness uniformity and thick material patterning for passive fiber to waveguide alignment. The device and process metrics show that the transfer of the silicon photonics process from 200mm to 300mm will provide a stable high volume manufacturing platform for silicon photonics designs.

Challenges in legislation, recycling system and technical system of waste electrical and electronic equipment in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Shengen; Ding, Yunji; Liu, Bo; Pan, De'an; Chang, Chein-chi; Volinsky, Alex A

2015-11-01

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide. Effective and efficient management and treatment of WEEE has become a global problem. As one of the world's largest electronic products manufacturing and consumption countries, China plays a key role in the material life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment. Over the past 20 years, China has made a great effort to improve WEEE recycling. Centered on the legal, recycling and technical systems, this paper reviews the progresses of WEEE recycling in China. An integrated recycling system is proposed to realize WEEE high recycling rate for future WEEE recycling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolving the Technical Infrastructure of the Planetary Data System for the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beebe, Reta F.; Crichton, D.; Hughes, S.; Grayzeck, E.

2010-01-01

The Planetary Data System (PDS) was established in 1989 as a distributed system to assure scientific oversight. Initially the PDS followed guidelines recommended by the National Academies Committee on Data Management and Computation (CODMAC, 1982) and placed emphasis on archiving validated datasets. But overtime user demands, supported by increased computing capabilities and communication methods, have placed increasing demands on the PDS. The PDS must add additional services to better enable scientific analysis within distributed environments and to ensure that those services integrate with existing systems and data. To face these challenges the Planetary Data System (PDS) must modernize its architecture and technical implementation. The PDS 2010 project addresses these challenges. As part of this project, the PDS has three fundamental project goals that include: (1) Providing more efficient client delivery of data by data providers to the PDS (2) Enabling a stable, long-term usable planetary science data archive (3) Enabling services for the data consumer to find, access and use the data they require in contemporary data formats. In order to achieve these goals, the PDS 2010 project is upgrading both the technical infrastructure and the data standards to support increased efficiency in data delivery as well as usability of the PDS. Efforts are underway to interface with missions as early as possible and to streamline the preparation and delivery of data to the PDS. Likewise, the PDS is working to define and plan for data services that will help researchers to perform analysis in cost-constrained environments. This presentation will cover the PDS 2010 project including the goals, data standards and technical implementation plans that are underway within the Planetary Data System. It will discuss the plans for moving from the current system, version PDS 3, to version PDS 4.

Application of Surface Analysis Methods to Nanomaterials: Summaryof ISO/TC 201 Technical Report: ISO 14187:2011 -Surface Chemical Analysis- Characterization of Nanomaterials

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

Baer, Donald R.

ISO Technical Report (TR) 14187 provides an introduction to (and examples of) the information that can be obtained about nanostructured materials using surface-analysis tools. In addition, both general issues and challenges associated with characterising nanostructured materials and the specific opportunities and challenges associated with individual analytical methods are identified. As the size of objects or components of materials approaches a few nanometres, the distinctions among 'bulk', 'surface' and 'particle' analysis blur. This Technical Report focuses on issues specifically relevant to surface chemical analysis of nanostructured materials. The report considers a variety of analysis methods but focuses on techniques that aremore » in the domain of ISO/TC 201 including Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and scanning probe microscopy. Measurements of nanoparticle surface properties such as surface potential that are often made in a solution are not discussed.« less

Australia: A New Technical Teacher College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senior, R. L.

1969-01-01

A new technical teacher college will open its doors in Hawthorn, Victoria, in January 1970. R.L. Senior, Inspector of Technical Schools, describes the development of technical teacher training in the State. (Editor)

OSH technical reference manual

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

Not Available

1993-11-01

In an evaluation of the Department of Energy (DOE) Occupational Safety and Health programs for government-owned contractor-operated (GOCO) activities, the Department of Labor`s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended a technical information exchange program. The intent was to share written safety and health programs, plans, training manuals, and materials within the entire DOE community. The OSH Technical Reference (OTR) helps support the secretary`s response to the OSHA finding by providing a one-stop resource and referral for technical information that relates to safe operations and practice. It also serves as a technical information exchange tool to reference DOE-wide materials pertinentmore » to specific safety topics and, with some modification, as a training aid. The OTR bridges the gap between general safety documents and very specific requirements documents. It is tailored to the DOE community and incorporates DOE field experience.« less

Human Mars Mission Design - The Ultimate Systems Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connolly, John F.; Joosten, B. Kent; Drake, Bret; Hoffman, Steve; Polsgrove, Tara; Rucker, Michelle; Andrews, Alida; Williams, Nehemiah

2017-01-01

A human mission to Mars will occur at some time in the coming decades. When it does, it will be the end result of a complex network of interconnected design choices, systems analyses, technical optimizations, and non-technical compromises. This mission will extend the technologies, engineering design, and systems analyses to new limits, and may very well be the most complex undertaking in human history. It can be illustrated as a large menu, or as a large decision tree. Whatever the visualization tool, there are numerous design decisions required to assemble a human Mars mission, and many of these interconnect with one another. This paper examines these many decisions and further details a number of choices that are highly interwoven throughout the mission design. The large quantity of variables and their interconnectedness results in a highly complex systems challenge, and the paper illustrates how a change in one variable results in ripples (sometimes unintended) throughout many other facets of the design. The paper concludes with a discussion of some mission design variables that can be addressed first, and those that have already been addressed as a result of ongoing National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developments, or as a result of decisions outside the technical arena. It advocates the need for a 'reference design' that can be used as a point of comparison, and to illustrate the system-wide impacts as design variables change.

Translational Challenges in Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Emmert, Maximilian Y; Fioretta, Emanuela S; Hoerstrup, Simon P

2017-04-01

Valvular heart disease and congenital heart defects represent a major cause of death around the globe. Although current therapy strategies have rapidly evolved over the decades and are nowadays safe, effective, and applicable to many affected patients, the currently used artificial prostheses are still suboptimal. They do not promote regeneration, physiological remodeling, or growth (particularly important aspects for children) as their native counterparts. This results in the continuous degeneration and subsequent failure of these prostheses which is often associated with an increased morbidity and mortality as well as the need for multiple re-interventions. To overcome this problem, the concept of tissue engineering (TE) has been repeatedly suggested as a potential technology to enable native-like cardiovascular replacements with regenerative and growth capacities, suitable for young adults and children. However, despite promising data from pre-clinical and first clinical pilot trials, the translation and clinical relevance of such TE technologies is still very limited. The reasons that currently limit broad clinical adoption are multifaceted and comprise of scientific, clinical, logistical, technical, and regulatory challenges which need to be overcome. The aim of this review is to provide an overview about the translational problems and challenges in current TE approaches. It further suggests directions and potential solutions on how these issues may be efficiently addressed in the future to accelerate clinical translation. In addition, a particular focus is put on the current regulatory guidelines and the associated challenges for these promising TE technologies.

Renewable Energy Technical Potential | Geospatial Data Science | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Technical Potential Renewable Energy Technical Potential The renewable energy technical potential level from Resource to Technical to Economic to Market. The benefit of assessing technical potential is potential-resource, technical, economic, and market-as shown in the graphic with key assumptions. Technical

The Perkins Act of 2006: Connecting Career and Technical Education with the College and Career Readiness Agenda. Achieve Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeder, Hans

2008-01-01

Policymakers and educators around the nation are wrestling with an important challenge--how to raise expectations for high school achievement, while increasing relevance and engagement in learning to keep students in school. Career and technical education (CTE) is receiving renewed attention as a strategy for increasing school engagement and rigor…

Factors affecting the technical efficiency of general hospitals in Iran: data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Kalhor, Rohollah; Amini, Saeed; Sokhanvar, Mobin; Lotfi, Farhad; Sharifi, Marziye; Kakemam, Edris

2016-03-01

Restrictions on resource accessibility and its optimal application is the main challenge in organizations nowadays. The aim of this research was to study the technical efficiency and its related factors in Tehran general hospitals. This descriptive analytical study was conducted retrospectively in 2014. Fifty-four hospitals with private, university, and social security ownerships from the total 110 general hospitals were randomly selected for inclusion into this study on the basis of the share of ownership. Data were collected using a checklist with three sections, including background variables, inputs, and outputs. Seventeen (31.48%) hospitals had an efficiency score of 1 (highest efficiency score). The highest average efficiency score was in social security hospitals (84.32). Private and university hospitals ranked next with an average of 84.29 and 79.64, respectively. Analytical results showed that there was a significant relationship between hospital ownership, hospital type in terms of duty and specialization, educational field of the chief executive officer, and technical efficiency. There was no significant relationship between education level of hospital manager and technical efficiency. Most of the studied hospitals were operating at low efficiency. Therefore, policymakers should plan to improve the hospital operations and promote hospitals to an optimal level of efficiency.

Economic challenges associated with tuberculosis diagnostic development.

PubMed

Hanrahan, Colleen F; Shah, Maunank

2014-08-01

Tuberculosis remains a global health crisis in part due to underdiagnosis. Technological innovations are needed to improve diagnostic test accuracy and reduce the reliance on expensive laboratory infrastructure. However, there are significant economic challenges impeding the development and implementation of new diagnostics. The aim of this piece is to examine the current state of TB diagnostics, outline the unmet needs for new tests, and detail the economic challenges associated with development of new tests from the perspective of developers, policy makers and implementers.

[Facing the challenges of ubiquitous computing in the health care sector].

PubMed

Georgieff, Peter; Friedewald, Michael

2010-01-01

The steady progress of microelectronics, communications and information technology will enable the realisation of the vision for "ubiquitous computing" where the Internet extends into the real world embracing everyday objects. The necessary technical basis is already in place. Due to their diminishing size, constantly falling price and declining energy consumption, processors, communications modules and sensors are being increasingly integrated into everyday objects today. This development is opening up huge opportunities for both the economy and individuals. In the present paper we discuss possible applications, but also technical, social and economic barriers to a wide-spread use of ubiquitous computing in the health care sector. .

The rewards, risks and challenges of regional tobacco tax harmonisation.

PubMed

Blecher, Evan; Drope, Jeffrey

2014-05-01

Combining international relations theory and a technical discussion of tobacco taxation, we examine prospects for regional tobacco tax harmonization and how it might heighten the positive effects of taxation for public health. The specific rewards of harmonized tobacco taxation that follow "best practices" might reasonably include increased tax revenue, higher prices for tobacco products and related decreases in tobacco consumption and/or smoking prevalence. Harmonization, however, is often politically and technically challenging as each region has political and economic idiosyncrasies that create multiple, and often conflicting constraints on tax harmonization. For example, governments must overcome different types of collective action problems to agree politically on harmonized policy. Though there is no "one size fits all" approach, we find that setting appropriate and realistic goals and developing reasonable expectations are important for success. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Simulation-based ureteroscopy skills training curriculum with integration of technical and non-technical skills: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Shahid, Shahab; Aydin, Abdullatif; McIlhenny, Craig; Khan, Shahid; Raza, Syed Johar; Sahai, Arun; Brewin, James; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Khan, Muhammad Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2015-09-01

Current training modalities within ureteroscopy have been extensively validated and must now be integrated within a comprehensive curriculum. Additionally, non-technical skills often cause surgical error and little research has been conducted to combine this with technical skills teaching. This study therefore aimed to develop and validate a curriculum for semi-rigid ureteroscopy, integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching within the programme. Delphi methodology was utilised for curriculum development and content validation, with a randomised trial then conducted (n = 32) for curriculum evaluation. The developed curriculum consisted of four modules; initially developing basic technical skills and subsequently integrating non-technical skills teaching. Sixteen participants underwent the simulation-based curriculum and were subsequently assessed, together with the control cohort (n = 16) within a full immersion environment. Both technical (Time to completion, OSATS and a task specific checklist) and non-technical (NOTSS) outcome measures were recorded with parametric and non-parametric analyses used depending on the distribution of our data as evaluated by a Shapiro-Wilk test. Improvements within the intervention cohort demonstrated educational value across all technical and non-technical parameters recorded, including time to completion (p < 0.01), OSATS scores (p < 0.001), task specific checklist scores (p = 0.011) and NOTSS scores (p < 0.001). Content validity, feasibility and acceptability were all demonstrated through curriculum development and post-study questionnaire results. The current developed curriculum demonstrates that integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching is both educationally valuable and feasible. Additionally, the curriculum offers a validated simulation-based training modality within ureteroscopy and a framework for the development of other simulation-based programmes.

Scaling up to address data science challenges

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

Wendelberger, Joanne R.

Statistics and Data Science provide a variety of perspectives and technical approaches for exploring and understanding Big Data. Partnerships between scientists from different fields such as statistics, machine learning, computer science, and applied mathematics can lead to innovative approaches for addressing problems involving increasingly large amounts of data in a rigorous and effective manner that takes advantage of advances in computing. Here, this article will explore various challenges in Data Science and will highlight statistical approaches that can facilitate analysis of large-scale data including sampling and data reduction methods, techniques for effective analysis and visualization of large-scale simulations, and algorithmsmore » and procedures for efficient processing.« less