Returns and determinants of technical efficiency in small-scale Malabari goat production units in Kerala, India.

PubMed

Alex, Rani; Kunniyoor Cheemani, Raghavan; Thomas, Naicy

2013-11-01

A stochastic frontier production function was employed to measure technical efficiency and its determinants in smallholder Malabari goat production units in Kerala, India. Data were obtained from 100 goat farmers in northern Kerala, selected using multistage random sampling. The parameters of the stochastic frontier production function were estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Cost and return analysis showed that the major expenditure was feed and fodder, and veterinary expenses were secondary. The chief returns were the sale of live animals, milk and manure. Individual farm technical efficiency ranged from 0.34 to 0.97 with a mean of 0.88. The study found herd size (number of animal units) and centre (locality of farm) significantly affected technical efficiency, but sex of farmer, education, land size and family size did not. Technical efficiency decreased as herd size increased; half the units with five or more adult animals had technical efficiency below 60 %.

Technical Quality of Complete Dentures: Influence on Masticatory Efficiency and Quality of Life.

PubMed

Tôrres, Ana Clara Soares Paiva; Maciel, Amanda de Queiroz; de Farias, Danielle Bezerra; de Medeiros, Annie Karoline Bezerra; Vieira, Flávia Patrícia Tavares Veras; Carreiro, Adriana da Fonte Porto

2017-11-09

To evaluate the effect of the technical quality of conventional complete dentures (CD) on masticatory efficiency and quality of life (QoL) of denture wearers during a 1-year follow-up. A prospective clinical trial with 32 edentulous patients (mean age of 60.2 years) wearing mandibular and maxillary dentures was conducted. All patients were evaluated wearing their preexisting dentures and after 3, 6, and 12 months postinsertion of new dentures. A reproducible method for objective evaluation of the technical quality of CDs was employed. Masticatory efficiency was evaluated by the colorimetric method using beads as artificial testing food. The oral health impact on patient QoL was measured using the OHIP-EDENT (Oral Health Impact Profile in Edentulous Adults) questionnaire. The nonparametric Wilcoxon test was applied to reveal any differences in technical quality between the preexisting and new dentures. The Friedman test was used to detect differences in masticatory efficiency and oral health impact on QoL. Spearman's correlation was applied to reveal correlation between the variables. Comparing preexisting and new dentures, significant improvement was found in technical quality between the dentures (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in masticatory efficiency. A significant decrease was found in the total OHIP-EDENT scores after denture replacement. A positive correlation was found between technical quality and OHIP in the new denture wearers (p = 0.011). According to the results of this study, denture quality significantly improved patients' oral health-related QoL; however, insertion of new dentures did not influence masticatory efficiency. © 2017 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Does multi-functionality affect technical efficiency? A non-parametric analysis of the Scottish dairy industry.

PubMed

Barnes, A P

2006-09-01

Recent policy changes within the Common Agricultural Policy have led to a shift from a solely production-led agriculture towards the promotion of multi-functionality. Conversely, the removal of production-led supports would indicate that an increased concentration on production efficiencies would seem a critical strategy for a country's future competitiveness. This paper explores the relationship between the 'multi-functional' farming attitude desired by policy makers and its effect on technical efficiency within Scottish dairy farming. Technical efficiency scores are calculated by applying the non-parametric data envelopment analysis technique and then measured against causes of inefficiency. Amongst these explanatory factors is a constructed score of multi-functionality. This research finds that, amongst other factors, a multi-functional attitude has a significant positive effect on technical efficiency. Consequently, this seems to validate the promotion of a multi-functional approach to farming currently being championed by policy-makers.

Ownership and technical efficiency of hospitals: evidence from Ghana using data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Jehu-Appiah, Caroline; Sekidde, Serufusa; Adjuik, Martin; Akazili, James; Almeida, Selassi D; Nyonator, Frank; Baltussen, Rob; Asbu, Eyob Zere; Kirigia, Joses Muthuri

2014-04-08

In order to measure and analyse the technical efficiency of district hospitals in Ghana, the specific objectives of this study were to (a) estimate the relative technical and scale efficiency of government, mission, private and quasi-government district hospitals in Ghana in 2005; (b) estimate the magnitudes of output increases and/or input reductions that would have been required to make relatively inefficient hospitals more efficient; and (c) use Tobit regression analysis to estimate the impact of ownership on hospital efficiency. In the first stage, we used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the efficiency of 128 hospitals comprising of 73 government hospitals, 42 mission hospitals, 7 quasi-government hospitals and 6 private hospitals. In the second stage, the estimated DEA efficiency scores are regressed against hospital ownership variable using a Tobit model. This was a retrospective study. In our DEA analysis, using the variable returns to scale model, out of 128 district hospitals, 31 (24.0%) were 100% efficient, 25 (19.5%) were very close to being efficient with efficiency scores ranging from 70% to 99.9% and 71 (56.2%) had efficiency scores below 50%. The lowest-performing hospitals had efficiency scores ranging from 21% to 30%.Quasi-government hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.9%) followed by public hospitals (70.4%), mission hospitals (68.6%) and private hospitals (55.8%). However, public hospitals also got the lowest mean technical efficiency scores (27.4%), implying they have some of the most inefficient hospitals.Regarding regional performance, Northern region hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.0%) and Volta Region hospitals had the lowest mean score (43.0%).From our Tobit regression, we found out that while quasi-government ownership is positively associated with hospital technical efficiency, private ownership negatively affects hospital efficiency. It would be prudent for policy-makers to examine the

Ownership and technical efficiency of hospitals: evidence from Ghana using data envelopment analysis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In order to measure and analyse the technical efficiency of district hospitals in Ghana, the specific objectives of this study were to (a) estimate the relative technical and scale efficiency of government, mission, private and quasi-government district hospitals in Ghana in 2005; (b) estimate the magnitudes of output increases and/or input reductions that would have been required to make relatively inefficient hospitals more efficient; and (c) use Tobit regression analysis to estimate the impact of ownership on hospital efficiency. Methods In the first stage, we used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the efficiency of 128 hospitals comprising of 73 government hospitals, 42 mission hospitals, 7 quasi-government hospitals and 6 private hospitals. In the second stage, the estimated DEA efficiency scores are regressed against hospital ownership variable using a Tobit model. This was a retrospective study. Results In our DEA analysis, using the variable returns to scale model, out of 128 district hospitals, 31 (24.0%) were 100% efficient, 25 (19.5%) were very close to being efficient with efficiency scores ranging from 70% to 99.9% and 71 (56.2%) had efficiency scores below 50%. The lowest-performing hospitals had efficiency scores ranging from 21% to 30%. Quasi-government hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.9%) followed by public hospitals (70.4%), mission hospitals (68.6%) and private hospitals (55.8%). However, public hospitals also got the lowest mean technical efficiency scores (27.4%), implying they have some of the most inefficient hospitals. Regarding regional performance, Northern region hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.0%) and Volta Region hospitals had the lowest mean score (43.0%). From our Tobit regression, we found out that while quasi-government ownership is positively associated with hospital technical efficiency, private ownership negatively affects hospital efficiency. Conclusions It would be

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.

Productivity and technical efficiency of suckler beef production systems: trends for the period 1990 to 2012.

PubMed

Veysset, P; Lherm, M; Roulenc, M; Troquier, C; Bébin, D

2015-12-01

Over the past 23 years (1990 to 2012), French beef cattle farms have expanded in size and increased labour productivity by over 60%, chiefly, though not exclusively, through capital intensification (labour-capital substitution) and simplifying herd feeding practices (more concentrates used). The technical efficiency of beef sector production systems, as measured by the ratio of the volume value (in constant euros) of farm output excluding aids to volume of intermediate consumption, has fallen by nearly 20% while income per worker has held stable thanks to subsidies and the labour productivity gains made. This aggregate technical efficiency of beef cattle systems is positively correlated to feed self-sufficiency, which is in turn negatively correlated to farm and herd size. While volume of farm output per hectare of agricultural area has not changed, forage feed self-sufficiency decreased by 6 percentage points. The continual increase in farm size and labour productivity has come at a cost of lower production-system efficiency - a loss of technical efficiency that 20 years of genetic, technical, technological and knowledge-driven progress has barely managed to offset.

[Technical efficiency in primary care for patients with diabetes].

PubMed

Salinas-Martínez, Ana María; Amaya-Alemán, María Agustina; Arteaga-García, Julio César; Núñez-Rocha, Georgina Mayela; Garza-Elizondo, María Eugenia

2009-01-01

To quantify the technical efficiency of diabetes care in family practice settings, characterize the provision of services and health results, and recognize potential sources of variation. We used data envelopment analysis with inputs and outputs for diabetes care from 47 family units within a social security agency in Nuevo Leon. Tobit regression models were also used. Seven units were technically efficient in providing services and nine in achieving health goals. Only two achieved both outcomes. The metropolitan location and the total number of consultations favored efficiency in the provision of services regardless of patient attributes; and the age of the doctor, the efficiency of health results. Performance varied within and among family units; some were efficient at providing services while others at accomplishing health goals. Sources of variation also differed. It is necessary to include both outputs in the study of efficiency of diabetes care in family practice settings.

Efficiency of Australian Technical and Further Education Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fieger, Peter; Villano, Renato; Cooksey, Ray

2016-01-01

Budgetary constraints on the public purse have led Australian Federal and State governments to focus increasingly on the efficiency of public institutions, including Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. In this study, we define efficiency as the relationship between financial and administrative inputs and educational outputs. We…

Technical efficiency of public district hospitals and health centres in Ghana: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Osei, Daniel; d'Almeida, Selassi; George, Melvill O; Kirigia, Joses M; Mensah, Ayayi Omar; Kainyu, Lenity H

2005-01-01

Background The Government of Ghana has been implementing various health sector reforms (e.g. user fees in public health facilities, decentralization, sector-wide approaches to donor coordination) in a bid to improve efficiency in health care. However, to date, except for the pilot study reported in this paper, no attempt has been made to make an estimate of the efficiency of hospitals and/or health centres in Ghana. The objectives of this study, based on data collected in 2000, were: (i) to estimate the relative technical efficiency (TE) and scale efficiency (SE) of a sample of public hospitals and health centres in Ghana; and (ii) to demonstrate policy implications for health sector policy-makers. Methods The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach was used to estimate the efficiency of 17 district hospitals and 17 health centres. This was an exploratory study. Results Eight (47%) hospitals were technically inefficient, with an average TE score of 61% and a standard deviation (STD) of 12%. Ten (59%) hospitals were scale inefficient, manifesting an average SE of 81% (STD = 25%). Out of the 17 health centres, 3 (18%) were technically inefficient, with a mean TE score of 49% (STD = 27%). Eight health centres (47%) were scale inefficient, with an average SE score of 84% (STD = 16%). Conclusion This pilot study demonstrated to policy-makers the versatility of DEA in measuring inefficiencies among individual facilities and inputs. There is a need for the Planning and Budgeting Unit of the Ghana Health Services to continually monitor the productivity growth, allocative efficiency and technical efficiency of all its health facilities (hospitals and health centres) in the course of the implementation of health sector reforms. PMID:16188021

Technical efficiency of women's health prevention programs in Bucaramanga, Colombia: a four-stage analysis.

PubMed

Ruiz-Rodriguez, Myriam; Rodriguez-Villamizar, Laura A; Heredia-Pi, Ileana

2016-10-13

Primary Health Care (PHC) is an efficient strategy to improve health outcomes in populations. Nevertheless, studies of technical efficiency in health care have focused on hospitals, with very little on primary health care centers. The objective of the present study was to use the Data Envelopment Analysis to estimate the technical efficiency of three women's health promotion and disease prevention programs offered by primary care centers in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Efficiency was measured using a four-stage data envelopment analysis with a series of Tobit regressions to account for the effect of quality outcomes and context variables. Input/output information was collected from the institutions' records, chart reviews and personal interviews. Information about contextual variables was obtained from databases from the primary health program in the municipality. A jackknife analysis was used to assess the robustness of the results. The analysis was based on data from 21 public primary health care centers. The average efficiency scores, after adjusting for quality and context, were 92.4 %, 97.5 % and 86.2 % for the antenatal care (ANC), early detection of cervical cancer (EDCC) and family planning (FP) programs, respectively. On each program, 12 of the 21 (57.1 %) health centers were found to be technically efficient; having had the best-practice frontiers. Adjusting for context variables changed the scores and reference rankings of the three programs offered by the health centers. The performance of the women's health prevention programs offered by the centers was found to be heterogeneous. Adjusting for context and health care quality variables had a significant effect on the technical efficiency scores and ranking. The results can serve as a guide to strengthen management and organizational and planning processes related to local primary care services operating within a market-based model such as the one in Colombia.

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.

Evaluating Technical Efficiency of Nursing Care Using Data Envelopment Analysis and Multilevel Modeling.

PubMed

Min, Ari; Park, Chang Gi; Scott, Linda D

2016-05-23

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an advantageous non-parametric technique for evaluating relative efficiency of performance. This article describes use of DEA to estimate technical efficiency of nursing care and demonstrates the benefits of using multilevel modeling to identify characteristics of efficient facilities in the second stage of analysis. Data were drawn from LTCFocUS.org, a secondary database including nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting System and Minimum Data Set. In this example, 2,267 non-hospital-based nursing homes were evaluated. Use of DEA with nurse staffing levels as inputs and quality of care as outputs allowed estimation of the relative technical efficiency of nursing care in these facilities. In the second stage, multilevel modeling was applied to identify organizational factors contributing to technical efficiency. Use of multilevel modeling avoided biased estimation of findings for nested data and provided comprehensive information on differences in technical efficiency among counties and states. © The Author(s) 2016.

Selected Private Higher Educational Institutions in Metro Manila: A DEA Efficiency Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Guzman, Maria Corazon Gwendolyn N.; Cabana, Emilyn

2009-01-01

This paper measures the technical efficiency of 16 selected colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Philippines, using academic data for the SY 2001-2005. Using the data envelopment analysis (DEA), on average, schools posted 0.807 index score and need additional 19.3% efficiency growth to be efficient. Overall, there are top four efficient…

Public and Private Hospital Services Reform Using Data Envelopment Analysis to Measure Technical, Scale, Allocative, and Cost Efficiencies

PubMed Central

Sheikhzadeh, Yaghoub; Roudsari, Abdul V.; Vahidi, Reza Gholi; Emrouznejad, Ali; Dastgiri, Saeed

2012-01-01

Background: The aim of this study was to suggest a suitable context to develop efficient hospital systems while maintaining the quality of care at minimum expenditures. Methods: This research aimed to present a model of efficiency for selected public and private hospitals of East Azerbaijani Province of Iran by making use of Data Envelopment Analysis approach in order to recognize and suggest the best practice standards. Results: Among the six inefficient hospitals, 2 (33%) had a technical efficiency score of less than 50% (both private), 2 (33%) between 51 and 74% (one private and one public) and the rest (2, 33%) between 75 and 99% (one private and one public). Conclusion: In general, the public hospitals are relatively more efficient than private ones; it is recommended for inefficient hospitals to make use of the followings: transferring, selling, or renting idle/unused beds; transferring excess doctors and nurses to the efficient hospitals or other health centers; pensioning off, early retirement clinic officers, technicians/technologists, and other technical staff. The saving obtained from the above approaches could be used to improve remuneration for remaining staff and quality of health care services of hospitals, rural and urban health centers, support communities to start or sustain systematic risk and resource pooling and cost sharing mechanisms for protecting beneficiaries against unexpected health care costs, compensate the capital depreciation, increasing investments, and improve diseases prevention services and facilities in the provincial level. PMID:24688915

Public and private hospital services reform using data envelopment analysis to measure technical, scale, allocative, and cost efficiencies.

PubMed

Sheikhzadeh, Yaghoub; Roudsari, Abdul V; Vahidi, Reza Gholi; Emrouznejad, Ali; Dastgiri, Saeed

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to suggest a suitable context to develop efficient hospital systems while maintaining the quality of care at minimum expenditures. This research aimed to present a model of efficiency for selected public and private hospitals of East Azerbaijani Province of Iran by making use of Data Envelopment Analysis approach in order to recognize and suggest the best practice standards. Among the six inefficient hospitals, 2 (33%) had a technical efficiency score of less than 50% (both private), 2 (33%) between 51 and 74% (one private and one public) and the rest (2, 33%) between 75 and 99% (one private and one public). In general, the public hospitals are relatively more efficient than private ones; it is recommended for inefficient hospitals to make use of the followings: transferring, selling, or renting idle/unused beds; transferring excess doctors and nurses to the efficient hospitals or other health centers; pensioning off, early retirement clinic officers, technicians/technologists, and other technical staff. The saving obtained from the above approaches could be used to improve remuneration for remaining staff and quality of health care services of hospitals, rural and urban health centers, support communities to start or sustain systematic risk and resource pooling and cost sharing mechanisms for protecting beneficiaries against unexpected health care costs, compensate the capital depreciation, increasing investments, and improve diseases prevention services and facilities in the provincial level.

Technical efficiency of public district hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, India: a data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Jat, Tej Ram; Sebastian, Miguel San

2013-09-24

Scarcity of resources for healthcare is a well-acknowledged problem. In this context, efficient utilization of existing financial and human resources becomes crucial for strengthening the healthcare delivery. The assessment of efficiency of health facilities can guide decision makers in ensuring the optimum utilization of available resources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the technical efficiency (TE) of the public district hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, India, with special emphasis on maternal healthcare services, using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Data from 40 district hospitals from January to December 2010 were collected from the health management information system and other records of the department of health and family welfare of the state. DEA was performed with input orientation and variable returns to scale assumption. TE and scale efficiency scores of the district hospitals were 0.90 (SD = 0.14) and 0.88 (SD = 0.15), respectively. Of the total district hospitals in the study, 20 (50%) were technically efficient constituting the 'best practice frontier'. The other half were technically inefficient, with an average TE score of 0.79 (SD = 0.12) meaning that these hospitals could produce the same outputs by using 21% less inputs from current input levels. Twenty-six (65%) district hospitals were found to be scale inefficient, manifesting a mean score of 0.81 (SD = 0.16). Half of the district hospitals in the study were operating inefficiently. Decision makers and administrators in the state should identify the causes of the observed inefficiencies and take appropriate measures to increase efficiency of these hospitals.

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.

Modeling technical efficiency of inshore fishery using data envelopment analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Rahayu; Zahid, Zalina; Khairi, Siti Shaliza Mohd; Hussin, Siti Aida Sheikh

2016-10-01

Fishery industry contributes significantly to the economy of Malaysia. This study utilized Data Envelopment Analysis application in estimating the technical efficiency of fishery in Terengganu, a state on the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, based on multiple output, i.e. total fish landing and income of fishermen with six inputs, i.e. engine power, vessel size, number of trips, number of workers, cost and operation distance. The data were collected by survey conducted between November and December 2014. The decision making units (DMUs) involved 100 fishermen from 10 fishery areas. The result showed that the technical efficiency in Season I (dry season) and Season II (rainy season) were 90.2% and 66.7% respectively. About 27% of the fishermen were rated to be efficient during Season I, meanwhile only 13% of the fishermen achieved full efficiency 100% during Season II. The results also found out that there was a significance difference in the efficiency performance between the fishery areas.

Technical efficiency and productivity of Chinese county hospitals: an exploratory study in Henan province, China.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhaohui; Tao, Hongbing; Cai, Miao; Lin, Haifeng; Lin, Xiaojun; Shu, Qin; Zhang, Ru-Ning

2015-09-09

Chinese county hospitals have been excessively enlarging their scale during the healthcare reform since 2009. The purpose of this paper is to examine the technical efficiency and productivity of county hospitals during the reform process, and to determine whether, and how, efficiency is affected by various factors. 114 sample county hospitals were selected from Henan province, China, from 2010 to 2012. Data envelopment analysis was employed to estimate the technical and scale efficiency of sample hospitals. The Malmquist index was used to calculate productivity changes over time. Tobit regression was used to regress against 4 environmental factors and 5 institutional factors that affected the technical efficiency. (1) 112 (98.2%), 112 (98.2%) and 104 (91.2%) of the 114 sample hospitals ran inefficiently in 2010, 2011 and 2012, with average technical efficiency of 0.697, 0.748 and 0.790, respectively. (2) On average, during 2010-2012, productivity of sample county hospitals increased by 7.8%, which was produced by the progress in technical efficiency changes and technological changes of 0.9% and 6.8%, respectively. (3) Tobit regression analysis indicated that government subsidy, hospital size with above 618 beds and average length of stay assumed a negative sign with technical efficiency; bed occupancy rate, ratio of beds to nurses and ratio of nurses to physicians assumed a positive sign with technical efficiency. There was considerable space for technical efficiency improvement in Henan county hospitals. During 2010-2012, sample hospitals experienced productivity progress; however, the adverse change in pure technical efficiency should be emphasised. Moreover, according to the Tobit results, policy interventions that strictly supervise hospital bed scale, shorten the average length of stay and coordinate the proportion among physicians, nurses and beds, would benefit hospital efficiency. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where

Comparing technical efficiency of farms with an automatic milking system and a conventional milking system.

PubMed

Steeneveld, W; Tauer, L W; Hogeveen, H; Oude Lansink, A G J M

2012-12-01

other than higher capital costs, the use of AMS rather than a CMS does not affect farm efficiency and that the learning costs to use an AMS are not present as measured by any fall in technical efficiency. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Technical and scale efficiency in public and private Irish nursing homes - a bootstrap DEA approach.

PubMed

Ni Luasa, Shiovan; Dineen, Declan; Zieba, Marta

2016-10-27

This article provides methodological and empirical insights into the estimation of technical efficiency in the nursing home sector. Focusing on long-stay care and using primary data, we examine technical and scale efficiency in 39 public and 73 private Irish nursing homes by applying an input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA). We employ robust bootstrap methods to validate our nonparametric DEA scores and to integrate the effects of potential determinants in estimating the efficiencies. Both the homogenous and two-stage double bootstrap procedures are used to obtain confidence intervals for the bias-corrected DEA scores. Importantly, the application of the double bootstrap approach affords true DEA technical efficiency scores after adjusting for the effects of ownership, size, case-mix, and other determinants such as location, and quality. Based on our DEA results for variable returns to scale technology, the average technical efficiency score is 62 %, and the mean scale efficiency is 88 %, with nearly all units operating on the increasing returns to scale part of the production frontier. Moreover, based on the double bootstrap results, Irish nursing homes are less technically efficient, and more scale efficient than the conventional DEA estimates suggest. Regarding the efficiency determinants, in terms of ownership, we find that private facilities are less efficient than the public units. Furthermore, the size of the nursing home has a positive effect, and this reinforces our finding that Irish homes produce at increasing returns to scale. Also, notably, we find that a tendency towards quality improvements can lead to poorer technical efficiency performance.

Technical and scale efficiency in the delivery of child health services in Zambia: results from data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Achoki, Tom; Hovels, Anke; Masiye, Felix; Lesego, Abaleng; Leufkens, Hubert; Kinfu, Yohannes

2017-01-05

Despite tremendous efforts to scale up key maternal and child health interventions in Zambia, progress has not been uniform across the country. This raises fundamental health system performance questions that require further investigation. Our study investigates technical and scale efficiency (SE) in the delivery of maternal and child health services in the country. The study focused on all 72 health districts of Zambia. We compiled a district-level database comprising health outcomes (measured by the probability of survival to 5 years of age), health outputs (measured by coverage of key health interventions) and a set of health system inputs, namely, financial resources and human resources for health, for the year 2010. We used data envelopment analysis to assess the performance of subnational units across Zambia with respect to technical and SE, controlling for environmental factors that are beyond the control of health system decision makers. Nationally, average technical efficiency with respect to improving child survival was 61.5% (95% CI 58.2% to 64.8%), which suggests that there is a huge inefficiency in resource use in the country and the potential to expand services without injecting additional resources into the system. Districts that were more urbanised and had a higher proportion of educated women were more technically efficient. Improved cooking methods and donor funding had no significant effect on efficiency. With the pressing need to accelerate progress in population health, decision makers must seek efficient ways to deliver services to achieve universal health coverage. Understanding the factors that drive performance and seeking ways to enhance efficiency offer a practical pathway through which low-income countries could improve population health without necessarily seeking additional resources. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Technical and scale efficiency in the delivery of child health services in Zambia: results from data envelopment analysis

PubMed Central

Achoki, Tom; Hovels, Anke; Masiye, Felix; Lesego, Abaleng; Leufkens, Hubert; Kinfu, Yohannes

2017-01-01

Objective Despite tremendous efforts to scale up key maternal and child health interventions in Zambia, progress has not been uniform across the country. This raises fundamental health system performance questions that require further investigation. Our study investigates technical and scale efficiency (SE) in the delivery of maternal and child health services in the country. Setting The study focused on all 72 health districts of Zambia. Methods We compiled a district-level database comprising health outcomes (measured by the probability of survival to 5 years of age), health outputs (measured by coverage of key health interventions) and a set of health system inputs, namely, financial resources and human resources for health, for the year 2010. We used data envelopment analysis to assess the performance of subnational units across Zambia with respect to technical and SE, controlling for environmental factors that are beyond the control of health system decision makers. Results Nationally, average technical efficiency with respect to improving child survival was 61.5% (95% CI 58.2% to 64.8%), which suggests that there is a huge inefficiency in resource use in the country and the potential to expand services without injecting additional resources into the system. Districts that were more urbanised and had a higher proportion of educated women were more technically efficient. Improved cooking methods and donor funding had no significant effect on efficiency. Conclusions With the pressing need to accelerate progress in population health, decision makers must seek efficient ways to deliver services to achieve universal health coverage. Understanding the factors that drive performance and seeking ways to enhance efficiency offer a practical pathway through which low-income countries could improve population health without necessarily seeking additional resources. PMID:28057650

[Multilevel analysis of the technical efficiency of hospitals in the Spanish National Health System by property and type of management].

PubMed

Pérez-Romero, Carmen; Ortega-Díaz, M Isabel; Ocaña-Riola, Ricardo; Martín-Martín, José Jesús

2018-05-11

To analyze technical efficiency by type of property and management of general hospitals in the Spanish National Health System (2010-2012) and identify hospital and regional explanatory variables. 230 hospitals were analyzed combining data envelopment analysis and fixed effects multilevel linear models. Data envelopment analysis measured overall, technical and scale efficiency, and the analysis of explanatory factors was performed using multilevel models. The average rate of overall technical efficiency of hospitals without legal personality is lower than hospitals with legal personality (0.691 and 0.876 in 2012). There is a significant variability in efficiency under variable returns (TE) by direct, indirect and mixed forms of management. The 29% of the variability in TE es attributable to the Region. Legal personality increased the TE of the hospitals by 11.14 points. On the other hand, most of the forms of management (different to those of the traditional hospitals) increased TE in varying percentages. At regional level, according to the model considered, insularity and average annual income per household are explanatory variables of TE. Having legal personality favours technical efficiency. The regulatory and management framework of hospitals, more than public or private ownership, seem to explain technical efficiency. Regional characteristics explain the variability in TE. Copyright © 2018 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Technical Efficiency and Productivity for Higher Education Institutions in Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, C.; Antelius, J.; Månsson, J.; Sund, K.

2017-01-01

This study investigates technical efficiency and productivity for Swedish higher education institutions (HEIs). One identified problem in previous research concerns adjusting efficiency scores for input quality. This problem is avoided using grades from upper-secondary schools. A second problem concerns heterogeneity with respect to subjects and…

Unresolved Technical Issues in Fair Interest Measurement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Nancy S.

The problem of sex differences in interest measurement involves many technical issues and procedures. The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of the technical problems involved in construction, scoring, and interpretation of interest measures as related to sex differences and to suggest guidelines within these technical issues which…

Assessing the technical efficiency of health posts in rural Guatemala: a data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Hernández, Alison R; San Sebastián, Miguel

2014-01-01

Strengthening health service delivery to the rural poor is an important means of redressing inequities. Meso-level managers can help enhance efficiency in the utilization of existing resources through the application of practical tools to analyze routinely collected data reflecting inputs and outputs. This study aimed to assess the efficiency and change in productivity of health posts over two years in a rural department of Guatemala. Data envelopment analysis was used to measure health posts' technical efficiency and productivity change for 2008 and 2009. Input/output data were collected from the regional health office of Alta Verapaz for 34 health posts from the 19 districts comprising the health region. Technical efficiency varied widely across health posts, with mean scores of 0.78 (SD=0.24) and 0.75 (SD=0.21) in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Overall, productivity increased by 4%, though 47% of health posts experienced a decline in productivity. Results were combined on a bivariate plot to identify health posts at the high and low extremes of efficiency, which should be followed up to determine how and why their production processes are operating differently. Assessing efficiency using the data that are available at the meso-level can serve as a first step in strengthening performance. Further work is required to support managers in the routine application of efficiency analysis and putting the results to use in guiding efforts to improve service delivery and increase utilization.

Assessing the technical efficiency of health posts in rural Guatemala: a data envelopment analysis

PubMed Central

Hernández, Alison R.; Sebastián, Miguel San

2014-01-01

Introduction Strengthening health service delivery to the rural poor is an important means of redressing inequities. Meso-level managers can help enhance efficiency in the utilization of existing resources through the application of practical tools to analyze routinely collected data reflecting inputs and outputs. This study aimed to assess the efficiency and change in productivity of health posts over two years in a rural department of Guatemala. Methods Data envelopment analysis was used to measure health posts’ technical efficiency and productivity change for 2008 and 2009. Input/output data were collected from the regional health office of Alta Verapaz for 34 health posts from the 19 districts comprising the health region. Results Technical efficiency varied widely across health posts, with mean scores of 0.78 (SD=0.24) and 0.75 (SD=0.21) in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Overall, productivity increased by 4%, though 47% of health posts experienced a decline in productivity. Results were combined on a bivariate plot to identify health posts at the high and low extremes of efficiency, which should be followed up to determine how and why their production processes are operating differently. Conclusions Assessing efficiency using the data that are available at the meso-level can serve as a first step in strengthening performance. Further work is required to support managers in the routine application of efficiency analysis and putting the results to use in guiding efforts to improve service delivery and increase utilization. PMID:24461356

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.

Impact of Medicare Advantage penetration and hospital competition on technical efficiency of nursing care in US intensive care units.

PubMed

Min, Ari; Scott, Linda D; Park, Chang; Vincent, Catherine; Ryan, Catherine J; Lee, Taewha

2018-04-10

This study aimed to evaluate technical efficiency of US intensive care units and determine the effects of environmental factors on technical efficiency in providing quality of nursing care. Data were obtained from the 2014 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Data envelopment analysis was used to estimate technical efficiency for each intensive care unit. Multilevel modeling was used to determine the effects of environmental factors on technical efficiency. Overall, Medicare Advantage penetration and hospital competition in a market did not create pressure for intensive care units to become more efficient by reducing their inputs. However, these 2 environmental factors showed positive influences on technical efficiency in intensive care units with certain levels of technical efficiency. The implications of the study results for management strategies and health policy may vary according to the levels of technical efficiency in intensive care units. Further studies are needed to examine why and how intensive care units with particular levels of technical efficiency are differently affected by certain environmental factors. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Technical efficiency of peripheral health units in Pujehun district of Sierra Leone: a DEA application

PubMed Central

Renner, Ade; Kirigia, Joses M; Zere, Eyob A; Barry, Saidou P; Kirigia, Doris G; Kamara, Clifford; Muthuri, Lenity HK

2005-01-01

Background The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method has been fruitfully used in many countries in Asia, Europe and North America to shed light on the efficiency of health facilities and programmes. There is, however, a dearth of such studies in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Since hospitals and health centres are important instruments in the efforts to scale up pro-poor cost-effective interventions aimed at achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, decision-makers need to ensure that these health facilities provide efficient services. The objective of this study was to measure the technical efficiency (TE) and scale efficiency (SE) of a sample of public peripheral health units (PHUs) in Sierra Leone. Methods This study applied the Data Envelopment Analysis approach to investigate the TE and SE among a sample of 37 PHUs in Sierra Leone. Results Twenty-two (59%) of the 37 health units analysed were found to be technically inefficient, with an average score of 63% (standard deviation = 18%). On the other hand, 24 (65%) health units were found to be scale inefficient, with an average scale efficiency score of 72% (standard deviation = 17%). Conclusion It is concluded that with the existing high levels of pure technical and scale inefficiency, scaling up of interventions to achieve both global and regional targets such as the MDG and Abuja health targets becomes far-fetched. In a country with per capita expenditure on health of about US$7, and with only 30% of its population having access to health services, it is demonstrated that efficiency savings can significantly augment the government's initiatives to cater for the unmet health care needs of the population. Therefore, we strongly recommend that Sierra Leone and all other countries in the Region should institutionalise health facility efficiency monitoring at the Ministry of Health headquarter (MoH/HQ) and at each health district headquarter. PMID:16354299

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 data envelope analysis to assess factors affecting technical and economic efficiency of individual broiler breeder hens.

PubMed

Romero, L F; Zuidhof, M J; Jeffrey, S R; Naeima, A; Renema, R A; Robinson, F E

2010-08-01

This study evaluated the effect of feed allocation and energetic efficiency on technical and economic efficiency of broiler breeder hens using the data envelope analysis methodology and quantified the effect of variables affecting technical efficiency. A total of 288 Ross 708 pullets were placed in individual cages at 16 wk of age and assigned to 1 of 4 feed allocation groups. Three of them had feed allocated on a group basis with divergent BW targets: standard, high (standard x 1.1), and low (standard x 0.9). The fourth group had feed allocated on an individual bird basis following the standard BW target. Birds were classified in 3 energetic efficiency categories: low, average, and high, based on estimated maintenance requirements. Technical efficiency considered saleable chicks as output and cumulative ME intake and time as inputs. Economic efficiency of feed allocation treatments was analyzed under different cost scenarios. Birds with low feed allocation exhibited a lower technical efficiency (69.4%) than standard (72.1%), which reflected a reduced egg production rate. Feed allocation of the high treatment could have been reduced by 10% with the same chick production as the standard treatment. The low treatment exhibited reduced economic efficiency at greater capital costs, whereas high had reduced economic efficiency at greater feed costs. The average energetic efficiency hens had a lower technical efficiency in the low compared with the standard feed allocation. A 1% increment in estimated maintenance requirement changed technical efficiency by -0.23%, whereas a 1% increment in ME intake had a -0.47% effect. The negative relationship between technical efficiency and ME intake was counterbalanced by a positive correlation of ME intake and egg production. The negative relationship of technical efficiency and maintenance requirements was synergized by a negative correlation of hen maintenance and egg production. Economic efficiency methodologies are effective

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.

Measuring Efficiency of Secondary Healthcare Providers in Slovenia

PubMed Central

Blatnik, Patricia; Bojnec, Štefan; Tušak, Matej

2017-01-01

Abstract The chief aim of this study was to analyze secondary healthcare providers' efficiency, focusing on the efficiency analysis of Slovene general hospitals. We intended to present a complete picture of technical, allocative, and cost or economic efficiency of general hospitals. Methods We researched the aspects of efficiency with two econometric methods. First, we calculated the necessary quotients of efficiency with the stochastic frontier analyze (SFA), which are realized by econometric evaluation of stochastic frontier functions; then, with the data envelopment analyze (DEA), we calculated the necessary quotients that are based on the linear programming method. Results Results on measures of efficiency showed that the two chosen methods produced two different conclusions. The SFA method concluded Celje General Hospital is the most efficient general hospital, whereas the DEA method concluded Brežice General Hospital was the hospital to be declared as the most efficient hospital. Conclusion Our results are a useful tool that can aid managers, payers, and designers of healthcare policy to better understand how general hospitals operate. The participants can accordingly decide with less difficulty on any further business operations of general hospitals, having the best practices of general hospitals at their disposal. PMID:28730180

Final Technical Report: "Achieving Regional Energy Efficiency Potential in the Southeast”

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

Mahoney, Mandy

The overall objective of this award was to facilitate sharing of DOE resources and best practices as well as provide technical assistance to key stakeholders to support greater compliance with energy efficiency standards and increased energy savings. The outcomes of this award include greater awareness among key stakeholders on energy efficiency topics, increased deployment and utilization of DOE resources, and effective policies and programs to support energy efficiency in the Southeast.

The effect of environmental factors on technical and scale efficiency of primary health care providers in Greece.

PubMed

Kontodimopoulos, Nick; Moschovakis, Giorgos; Aletras, Vassilis H; Niakas, Dimitris

2007-11-17

The purpose of this study was to compare technical and scale efficiency of primary care centers from the two largest Greek providers, the National Health System (NHS) and the Social Security Foundation (IKA) and to determine if, and how, efficiency is affected by various exogenous factors such as catchment population and location. The sample comprised of 194 units (103 NHS and 91 IKA). Efficiency was measured with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) using three inputs, -medical staff, nursing/paramedical staff, administrative/other staff- and two outputs, which were the aggregated numbers of scheduled/emergency patient visits and imaging/laboratory diagnostic tests. Facilities were categorized as small, medium and large (<15,000, 15,000-30,000 and >30,000 respectively) to reflect catchment population and as urban/semi-urban or remote/island to reflect location. In a second stage analysis, technical and scale efficiency scores were regressed against facility type (NHS or IKA), size and location using multivariate Tobit regression. Regarding technical efficiency, IKA performed better than the NHS (84.9% vs. 70.1%, Mann-Whitney P < 0.001), smaller units better than medium-sized and larger ones (84.2% vs. 72.4% vs. 74.3%, Kruskal-Wallis P < 0.01) and remote/island units better than urban centers (81.1% vs. 75.7%, Mann-Whitney P = 0.103). As for scale efficiency, IKA again outperformed the NHS (89.7% vs. 85.9%, Mann-Whitney P = 0.080), but results were reversed in respect to facility size and location. Specifically, larger units performed better (96.3% vs. 90.9% vs. 75.9%, Kruskal-Wallis P < 0.001), and urban units showed higher scale efficiency than remote ones (91.9% vs. 75.3%, Mann-Whitney P < 0.001). Interestingly 75% of facilities appeared to be functioning under increasing returns to scale. Within-group comparisons revealed significant efficiency differences between the two primary care providers. Tobit regression models showed that facility type, size and location

Technical- and environmental-efficiency analysis of irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab, Pakistan using data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Ullah, Asmat; Perret, Sylvain R

2014-08-01

Cotton cropping in Pakistan uses substantial quantities of resources and adversely affects the environment with pollutants from the inputs, particularly pesticides. A question remains regarding to what extent the reduction of such environmental impact is possible without compromising the farmers' income. This paper investigates the environmental, technical, and economic performances of selected irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab to quantify the sustainability of cotton farming and reveal options for improvement. Using mostly primary data, our study quantifies the technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies of different farm sizes. A set of indicators has been computed to reflect these three domains of efficiency using the data envelopment analysis technique. The results indicate that farmers are broadly environmentally inefficient; which primarily results from poor technical inefficiency. Based on an improved input mix, the average potential environmental impact reduction for small, medium, and large farms is 9, 13, and 11 %, respectively, without compromising the economic return. Moreover, the differences in technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies between small and medium and small and large farm sizes were statistically significant. The second-stage regression analysis identifies that the entire farm size significantly affects the efficiencies, whereas exposure to extension and training has positive effects, and the sowing methods significantly affect the technical and environmental efficiencies. Paradoxically, the formal education level is determined to affect the efficiencies negatively. This paper discusses policy interventions that can improve the technical efficiency to ultimately increase the environmental efficiency and reduce the farmers' operating costs.

Vacuum boilers developed heating surfaces technic and economic efficiency evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slobodina, E. N.; Mikhailov, A. G.; Semenov, B. A.

2018-01-01

The vacuum boilers as manufacturing proto types application analysis was carried out, the possible directions for the heating surfaces development are identified with a view to improving the energy efficiency. Economic characteristics to evaluate the vacuum boilers application efficiency (Net Discounted Income (NDI), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Profitability Index (PI) and Payback Period) are represented. The given type boilers application technic and economic efficiency criteria were established. NDI changing curves depending on the finning coefficient and operating pressure were obtained as a result of the conducted calculation studies.

75 FR 27341 - Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-14

... Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical Conference To Discuss Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software May 7, 2010. Take notice that Commission... planning efficiency through improved software. [[Page 27342

Efficiency measurement of the banking sector in the presence of non-performing loan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamid, Nurhayati; Ramli, Noor Asiah; Hussin, Siti Aida Sheikh

2017-01-01

Bank industry plays a vital role in a country's economic development. In the banking industry, the non-performing loans which are acknowledged as being undesirable outputs and usually ignored in most of the analysis should be taken into account since they are undesirable by-products of producing loans and may lead to the bank inefficiency. Modelling the efficiency measurement without undesirable outputs can provide misleading results and unfair assessment. The Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach which extended from the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework is one of the enhancement efficiency approaches to handle a situation when there is a joint production of the desirable and undesirable outputs. The comparison of both results between the domestic and foreign banks shows that the DEA technical efficiency score for domestic banks is marginally higher than the Malaysian foreign banks. However, when incorporating the undesirable output, the DDF technical efficiency for foreign banks is slightly higher than domestic banks.

[Technical efficiency of traditional hospitals and public enterprises in Andalusia (Spain)].

PubMed

Herrero Tabanera, Luis; Martín Martín, José Jesús; López del Amo González, Ma del Puerto

2015-01-01

To assess the technical efficiency of traditional public hospitals without their own legal identity and subject to administrative law, and that of public enterprise hospitals, with their own legal identities and partly governed by private law, all of them belonging to the taxypayer-funded health system of Andalusia during the period 2005 -2008. The study included the 32 publicly-owned hospitals in Andalusia during the period 2005-2008. The method consisted of two stages. In the first stage, the indices of technical efficiency of the hospitals were calculated using Data Envelopment Analysis, and the change in total factor productivity was estimated using the Malmquist index. The results were compared according to perceived quality, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted through an auxiliary model and bootstrapping. In the second stage, a bivariate analysis was performed between hospital efficiency and organization type. Public enterprises were more efficient than traditional hospitals (on average by over 10%) in each of the study years. Nevertheless, a process of convergence was observed between the two types of organizations because, while the efficiency of traditional hospitals increased slightly (by 0.50%) over the study period, the performance of public enterprises declined by over 2%. The possible reasons for the greater efficiency of public enterprises include their greater budgetary and employment flexibility. However, the convergence process observed points to a process of mutual learning that is not necessarily efficient. Copyright © 2014 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

76 FR 28022 - Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-13

... Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical Conference: Increasing Real-Time and Day- Ahead Market Efficiency Through Improved Software Take notice that Commission staff will... for increasing real-time and day-ahead market efficiency through improved software. This conference...

Necessity of creating digital tools to ensure efficiency of technical means

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakov, V. I.; Zakharova, O. V.

2018-05-01

The authors estimated the problems of functioning of technical objects. The article notes that the increasing complexity of automation systems may lead to an increase of the redundant resource in proportion to the number of components and relationships in the system, and to the need of the redundant resource constant change that can make implementation of traditional structures with redundancy unnecessarily costly (Standby System, Fault Tolerance, High Availability). It proposes the idea of creating digital tools to ensure efficiency of technical facilities.

Measuring Efficiency of Health Systems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis.

PubMed

Hamidi, Samer; Akinci, Fevzi

2016-06-01

The main purpose of this study is to measure the technical efficiency of twenty health systems in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to inform evidence-based health policy decisions. In addition, the effects of alternative stochastic frontier model specification on the empirical results are examined. We conducted a stochastic frontier analysis to estimate the country-level technical efficiencies using secondary panel data for 20 MENA countries for the period of 1995-2012 from the World Bank database. We also tested the effect of alternative frontier model specification using three random-effects approaches: a time-invariant model where efficiency effects are assumed to be static with regard to time, and a time-varying efficiency model where efficiency effects have temporal variation, and one model to account for heterogeneity. The average estimated technical inefficiency of health systems in the MENA region was 6.9 % with a range of 5.7-7.9 % across the three models. Among the top performers, Lebanon, Qatar, and Morocco are ranked consistently high according to the three different inefficiency model specifications. On the opposite side, Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti ranked among the worst performers. On average, the two most technically efficient countries were Qatar and Lebanon. We found that the estimated technical efficiency scores vary substantially across alternative parametric models. Based on the findings reported in this study, most MENA countries appear to be operating, on average, with a reasonably high degree of technical efficiency compared with other countries in the region. However, there is evidence to suggest that there are considerable efficiency gains yet to be made by some MENA countries. Additional empirical research is needed to inform future health policies aimed at improving both the efficiency and sustainability of the health systems in the MENA region.

77 FR 19280 - Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved Software; Notice of Technical Conference: Increasing Real-Time and Day- Ahead Market Efficiency Through Improved Software Take notice that Commission staff will...-time and day-ahead market efficiency through improved software. A detailed agenda with the list of and...

[Analysis of the technical efficiency of hospitals in the Spanish National Health Service].

PubMed

Pérez-Romero, Carmen; Ortega-Díaz, M Isabel; Ocaña-Riola, Ricardo; Martín-Martín, José Jesús

To analyse the technical efficiency and productivity of general hospitals in the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) (2010-2012) and identify explanatory hospital and regional variables. 230 NHS hospitals were analysed by data envelopment analysis for overall, technical and scale efficiency, and Malmquist index. The robustness of the analysis is contrasted with alternative input-output models. A fixed effects multilevel cross-sectional linear model was used to analyse the explanatory efficiency variables. The average rate of overall technical efficiency (OTE) was 0.736 in 2012; there was considerable variability by region. Malmquist index (2010-2012) is 1.013. A 23% variability in OTE is attributable to the region in question. Statistically significant exogenous variables (residents per 100 physicians, aging index, average annual income per household, essential public service expenditure and public health expenditure per capita) explain 42% of the OTE variability between hospitals and 64% between regions. The number of residents showed a statistically significant relationship. As regards regions, there is a statistically significant direct linear association between OTE and annual income per capita and essential public service expenditure, and an indirect association with the aging index and annual public health expenditure per capita. The significant room for improvement in the efficiency of hospitals is conditioned by region-specific characteristics, specifically aging, wealth and the public expenditure policies of each one. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Measuring Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Efficiency: Developing a Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Guimei; Clayton, John

2016-01-01

The growing demand for an increasingly skilled competitive workforce and the associated demand for change and responsiveness in the provision of technical vocational education and training (TVET) has led to the development of stronger links between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China. A collaborative model programme project aims to…

Photoreceiver efficiency measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehr, C. G.

1975-01-01

The efficiency and other related parameters of Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's four laser receivers were measured at the observing stations by oscilloscope photography. If the efficiency is defined as the number of photoelectrons generated by the photomultiplier tube divided by the number of photons entering the aperture of the receiver, its measured value is about 1% for the laser wavelength of 694 nm. This value is consistent with the efficiency computed from the specified characteristics of the photoreceiver's optical components.

A stochastic frontier approach to study the relationship between gastrointestinal nematode infections and technical efficiency of dairy farms.

PubMed

van der Voort, Mariska; Van Meensel, Jef; Lauwers, Ludwig; Vercruysse, Jozef; Van Huylenbroeck, Guido; Charlier, Johannes

2014-01-01

The impact of gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections in dairy farming has traditionally been assessed using partial productivity indicators. But such approaches ignore the impact of infection on the performance of the whole farm. In this study, efficiency analysis was used to study the association of the GI nematode Ostertagia ostertagi on the technical efficiency of dairy farms. Five years of accountancy data were linked to GI nematode infection data gained from a longitudinal parasitic monitoring campaign. The level of exposure to GI nematodes was based on bulk-tank milk ELISA tests, which measure the antibodies to O. ostertagi and was expressed as an optical density ratio (ODR). Two unbalanced data panels were created for the period 2006 to 2010. The first data panel contained 198 observations from the Belgian Farm Accountancy Data Network (Brussels, Belgium) and the second contained 622 observations from the Boerenbond Flemish farmers' union (Leuven, Belgium) accountancy system (Tiber Farm Accounting System). We used the stochastic frontier analysis approach and defined inefficiency effect models specified with the Cobb-Douglas and transcendental logarithmic (Translog) functional form. To assess the efficiency scores, milk production was considered as the main output variable. Six input variables were used: concentrates, roughage, pasture, number of dairy cows, animal health costs, and labor. The ODR of each individual farm served as an explanatory variable of inefficiency. An increase in the level of exposure to GI nematodes was associated with a decrease in technical efficiency. Exposure to GI nematodes constrains the productivity of pasture, health, and labor but does not cause inefficiency in the use of concentrates, roughage, and dairy cows. Lowering the level of infection in the interquartile range (0.271 ODR) was associated with an average milk production increase of 27, 19, and 9L/cow per year for Farm Accountancy Data Network farms and 63, 49, and

Measuring efficiency of cotton cultivation in Pakistan: a restricted production frontier study.

PubMed

Watto, Muhammad Arif; Mugera, Amin

2014-11-01

Massive groundwater pumping for irrigation has started lowering water tables rapidly in different regions of Pakistan. Declining water tables have thus prompted research efforts to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency to make efficient use of scarce water resources. This study employs a restricted stochastic production frontier to estimate the level of, and factors affecting, technical efficiency of groundwater-irrigated cotton farms in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The mean technical efficiency estimates indicate substantial technical inefficiencies among cotton growers. On average, tube-well owners and water buyers can potentially increase cotton production by 19% and 28%, respectively, without increasing the existing input level. The most influential factors affecting technical efficiency positively are the use of improved quality seed, consultation with extension field staff and farmers' perceptions concerning the availability of groundwater resources for irrigation in the future. This study proposes that adopting improved seed for new cotton varieties and providing better extension services regarding cotton production technology would help to achieve higher efficiency in cotton farming. Within the context of falling water tables, educating farmers about the actual crop water requirements and guiding them about groundwater resource availability may also help to achieve higher efficiencies. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Research on the technical requirements standards of high efficiency precipitator in power industries for assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Huang; Ling, Lin; Jun, Guo; Jianguo, Li; Yongzhong, Wang

2017-11-01

Facing the increasingly severe situation of air pollution, China are now positively promoting the evaluation of high efficiency air pollution control equipments and the research of the relative national standards. This paper showed the significance and the effect of formulating the technical requirements of high efficiency precipitator equipments for assessment national standards in power industries as well as the research thoughts and principle of these standards. It introduce the qualitative and quantitative evaluation requirements of high efficiency precipitators using in power industries and the core technical content such as testing, calculating, evaluation methods and so on. The implementation of a series of national standards is in order to lead and promote the production and application of high efficiency precipitator equipments in the field of the prevention of air pollution in national power industries.

Technical and economic assessment of design efficiency of information and measuring systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurov, V. M.; Eremin, E. N.; Baisagov, Ya Zh; Arkhipov, V. V.

2018-01-01

A thermodynamic approach to the analysis of information-measuring systems (IMS) is developed in the work. Expressions for efficiency of IMS are obtained. The connection between the amount of processor memory and the amount of incoming information and the accuracy of the IMS is obtained. It is shown that the probability of information loss in IMS decreases with the increase in the amount of information from the object. Using the analogy method, economic aspects of IMS design are considered. The innate ability of IMS and Moore’s law are considered. The proposed approach and the resulting formulas will be useful in the design of new IMS.

Farmers' Knowledge Attributes Contribute to Attaining Higher Farm Technical Efficiency: A Transition Economy Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manevska-Tasevska, Gordana

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study sought to explore how farmers' knowledge attributes influence the technical efficiency of their farms. In addition, farm efficiency was compared to the actual Macedonian Rural Development Programme (RDP) (2007-2013) and instruments considered to improve Macedonian education potential were evaluated. Design/methodology/approach:…

The Technical Efficiency of Earthquake Medical Rapid Response Teams Following Disasters: The Case of the 2010 Yushu Earthquake in China.

PubMed

Liu, Xu; Tang, Bihan; Yang, Hongyang; Liu, Yuan; Xue, Chen; Zhang, Lulu

2015-12-04

Performance assessments of earthquake medical rapid response teams (EMRRTs), particularly the first responders deployed to the hardest hit areas following major earthquakes, should consider efficient and effective use of resources. This study assesses the daily technical efficiency of EMRRTs in the emergency period immediately following the 2010 Yushu earthquake in China. Data on EMRRTs were obtained from official daily reports of the general headquarters for Yushu earthquake relief, the emergency office of the National Ministry of Health, and the Health Department of Qinghai Province, for a sample of data on 15 EMRRTs over 62 days. Data envelopment analysis was used to examine the technical efficiency in a constant returns to scale model, a variable returns to scale model, and the scale efficiency of EMRRTs. Tobit regression was applied to analyze the effects of corresponding influencing factors. The average technical efficiency scores under constant returns to scale, variable returns to scale, and the scale efficiency scores of the 62 units of analysis were 77.95%, 89.00%, and 87.47%, respectively. The staff-to-bed ratio was significantly related to global technical efficiency. The date of rescue was significantly related to pure technical efficiency. The type of institution to which an EMRRT belonged and the staff-to-bed ratio were significantly related to scale efficiency. This study provides evidence that supports improvements to EMRRT efficiency and serves as a reference for earthquake emergency medical rapid assistance leaders and teams.

Technical and scale efficiency of public community hospitals in Eritrea: an exploratory study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Eritrean gross national income of Int$610 per capita is lower than the average for Africa (Int$1620) and considerably lower than the global average (Int$6977). It is therefore imperative that the country’s resources, including those specifically allocated to the health sector, are put to optimal use. The objectives of this study were (a) to estimate the relative technical and scale efficiency of public secondary level community hospitals in Eritrea, based on data generated in 2007, (b) to estimate the magnitudes of output increases and/or input reductions that would have been required to make relatively inefficient hospitals more efficient, and (c) to estimate using Tobit regression analysis the impact of institutional and contextual/environmental variables on hospital inefficiencies. Methods A two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is used to estimate efficiency of hospitals and to explain the inefficiencies. In the first stage, the efficient frontier and the hospital-level efficiency scores are first estimated using DEA. In the second stage, the estimated DEA efficiency scores are regressed on some institutional and contextual/environmental variables using a Tobit model. In 2007 there were a total of 20 secondary public community hospitals in Eritrea, nineteen of which generated data that could be included in the study. The input and output data were obtained from the Ministry of Health (MOH) annual health service activity report of 2007. Since our study employs data that are five years old, the results are not meant to uncritically inform current decision-making processes, but rather to illustrate the potential value of such efficiency analyses. Results The key findings were as follows: (i) the average constant returns to scale technical efficiency score was 90.3%; (ii) the average variable returns to scale technical efficiency score was 96.9%; and (iii) the average scale efficiency score was 93.3%. In 2007, the inefficient hospitals could

Technical Features of Curriculum-Based Measurement in Writing: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMaster, Kristen; Espin, Christine

2007-01-01

This article reviews research examining technical features of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in written expression. Twenty-eight technical reports and published articles are included in this review. Studies examining the development and technical adequacy of measures of written expression are summarized, beginning with research conducted at…

Stochastic Frontier Model Approach for Measuring Stock Market Efficiency with Different Distributions

PubMed Central

Hasan, Md. Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md. Azizul

2012-01-01

The stock market is considered essential for economic growth and expected to contribute to improved productivity. An efficient pricing mechanism of the stock market can be a driving force for channeling savings into profitable investments and thus facilitating optimal allocation of capital. This study investigated the technical efficiency of selected groups of companies of Bangladesh Stock Market that is the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) market, using the stochastic frontier production function approach. For this, the authors considered the Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier in which the technical inefficiency effects are defined by a model with two distributional assumptions. Truncated normal and half-normal distributions were used in the model and both time-variant and time-invariant inefficiency effects were estimated. The results reveal that technical efficiency decreased gradually over the reference period and that truncated normal distribution is preferable to half-normal distribution for technical inefficiency effects. The value of technical efficiency was high for the investment group and low for the bank group, as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time- varying environment whereas it was high for the investment group but low for the ceramic group as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-invariant situation. PMID:22629352

Stochastic frontier model approach for measuring stock market efficiency with different distributions.

PubMed

Hasan, Md Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md Azizul

2012-01-01

The stock market is considered essential for economic growth and expected to contribute to improved productivity. An efficient pricing mechanism of the stock market can be a driving force for channeling savings into profitable investments and thus facilitating optimal allocation of capital. This study investigated the technical efficiency of selected groups of companies of Bangladesh Stock Market that is the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) market, using the stochastic frontier production function approach. For this, the authors considered the Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier in which the technical inefficiency effects are defined by a model with two distributional assumptions. Truncated normal and half-normal distributions were used in the model and both time-variant and time-invariant inefficiency effects were estimated. The results reveal that technical efficiency decreased gradually over the reference period and that truncated normal distribution is preferable to half-normal distribution for technical inefficiency effects. The value of technical efficiency was high for the investment group and low for the bank group, as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-varying environment whereas it was high for the investment group but low for the ceramic group as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-invariant situation.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Scale-Up in Nyanza, Kenya: Evaluating Technical Efficiency and Productivity of Service Delivery

PubMed Central

Omondi Aduda, Dickens S.; Ouma, Collins; Onyango, Rosebella; Onyango, Mathews; Bertrand, Jane

2015-01-01

Background Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) service delivery is complex and resource-intensive. In Kenya’s context there is still paucity of information on resource use vis-à-vis outputs as programs scale up. Knowledge of technical efficiency, productivity and potential sources of constraints is desirable to improve decision-making. Objective To evaluate technical efficiency and productivity of VMMC service delivery in Nyanza in 2011/2012 using data envelopment analysis. Design Comparative process evaluation of facilities providing VMMC in Nyanza in 2011/2012 using output orientated data envelopment analysis. Results Twenty one facilities were evaluated. Only 1 of 7 variables considered (total elapsed operation time) significantly improved from 32.8 minutes (SD 8.8) in 2011 to 30 minutes (SD 6.6) in 2012 (95%CI = 0.0350–5.2488; p = 0.047). Mean scale technical efficiency significantly improved from 91% (SD 19.8) in 2011 to 99% (SD 4.0) in 2012 particularly among outreach compared to fixed service delivery facilities (CI -31.47959–4.698508; p = 0.005). Increase in mean VRS technical efficiency from 84% (SD 25.3) in 2011 and 89% (SD 25.1) in 2012 was not statistically significant. Benchmark facilities were #119 and #125 in 2011 and #103 in 2012. Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) at fixed facilities declined by 2.5% but gained by 4.9% at outreach ones by 2012. Total factor productivity improved by 83% (p = 0.032) in 2012, largely due to progress in technological efficiency by 79% (p = 0.008). Conclusions Significant improvement in scale technical efficiency among outreach facilities in 2012 was attributable to accelerated activities. However, ongoing pure technical inefficiency requires concerted attention. Technological progress was the key driver of service productivity growth in Nyanza. Incorporating service-quality dimensions and using stepwise-multiple criteria in performance evaluation enhances comprehensiveness and validity. These findings

Voluntary medical male circumcision scale-up in Nyanza, Kenya: evaluating technical efficiency and productivity of service delivery.

PubMed

Omondi Aduda, Dickens S; Ouma, Collins; Onyango, Rosebella; Onyango, Mathews; Bertrand, Jane

2015-01-01

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) service delivery is complex and resource-intensive. In Kenya's context there is still paucity of information on resource use vis-à-vis outputs as programs scale up. Knowledge of technical efficiency, productivity and potential sources of constraints is desirable to improve decision-making. To evaluate technical efficiency and productivity of VMMC service delivery in Nyanza in 2011/2012 using data envelopment analysis. Comparative process evaluation of facilities providing VMMC in Nyanza in 2011/2012 using output orientated data envelopment analysis. Twenty one facilities were evaluated. Only 1 of 7 variables considered (total elapsed operation time) significantly improved from 32.8 minutes (SD 8.8) in 2011 to 30 minutes (SD 6.6) in 2012 (95%CI = 0.0350-5.2488; p = 0.047). Mean scale technical efficiency significantly improved from 91% (SD 19.8) in 2011 to 99% (SD 4.0) in 2012 particularly among outreach compared to fixed service delivery facilities (CI -31.47959-4.698508; p = 0.005). Increase in mean VRS technical efficiency from 84% (SD 25.3) in 2011 and 89% (SD 25.1) in 2012 was not statistically significant. Benchmark facilities were #119 and #125 in 2011 and #103 in 2012. Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) at fixed facilities declined by 2.5% but gained by 4.9% at outreach ones by 2012. Total factor productivity improved by 83% (p = 0.032) in 2012, largely due to progress in technological efficiency by 79% (p = 0.008). Significant improvement in scale technical efficiency among outreach facilities in 2012 was attributable to accelerated activities. However, ongoing pure technical inefficiency requires concerted attention. Technological progress was the key driver of service productivity growth in Nyanza. Incorporating service-quality dimensions and using stepwise-multiple criteria in performance evaluation enhances comprehensiveness and validity. These findings highlight site-level resource use and sources of

Tracking Our Success: How TAFE Institutes Measure Their Effectiveness and Efficiency--Case Studies. Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misko, Josie; Wynes, Sian Halliday

2009-01-01

This report is the support document to "Tracking Our Success: How TAFE Institutes Measure Their Effectiveness and Efficiency". It comprises reports on each of the nine technical and further education (TAFE) institutes that have taken part in the study. Information was collected via in-depth interviews with chief executive officers and…

Technical and Economic Aspects of Designing an Efficient Room Air-Conditioner Program in India

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

Abhyankar, Nikit; Shah, Nihar; Phadke, Amol

Several studies have projected a massive increase in the demand for air conditioners (ACs) over the next two decades in India. By 2030, room ACs could add 140 GW to the peak load, equivalent to over 30% of the total projected peak load. Therefore, there is significant interest among policymakers, regulators, and utilities in managing room AC demand by enhancing energy efficiency. Building on the historical success of the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s star-labeling program, Energy Efficiency Services Limited recently announced a program to accelerate the sale of efficient room ACs using bulk procurement, similar to their successful UJALAmore » light-emitting diode (LED) bulk procurement program. This report discusses some of the key considerations in designing a bulk procurement or financial incentive program for enhancing room AC efficiency in India. We draw upon our previous research to demonstrate the overall technical potential and price impact of room AC efficiency improvement and its technical feasibility in India. We also discuss the importance of using low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and smart AC equipment that is demand response (DR) ready.« less

A socio-technical approach to improving retail energy efficiency behaviours.

PubMed

Christina, Sian; Waterson, Patrick; Dainty, Andrew; Daniels, Kevin

2015-03-01

In recent years, the UK retail sector has made a significant contribution to societal responses on carbon reduction. We provide a novel and timely examination of environmental sustainability from a systems perspective, exploring how energy-related technologies and strategies are incorporated into organisational life. We use a longitudinal case study approach, looking at behavioural energy efficiency from within one of the UK's leading retailers. Our data covers a two-year period, with qualitative data from a total of 131 participants gathered using phased interviews and focus groups. We introduce an adapted socio-technical framework approach in order to describe an existing organisational behavioural strategy to support retail energy efficiency. Our findings point to crucial socio-technical and goal-setting factors which both impede and/or enable energy efficient behaviours, these include: tensions linked to store level perception of energy management goals; an emphasis on the importance of technology for underpinning change processes; and, the need for feedback and incentives to support the completion of energy-related tasks. We also describe the evolution of a practical operational intervention designed to address issues raised in our findings. Our study provides fresh insights into how sustainable workplace behaviours can be achieved and sustained over time. Secondly, we discuss in detail a set of issues arising from goal conflict in the workplace; these include the development of a practical energy management strategy to facilitate secondary organisational goals through job redesign. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Measuring non-technical skills in medical emergency care: a review of assessment measures

PubMed Central

Cooper, Simon; Endacott, Ruth; Cant, Robyn

2010-01-01

Aim To review the literature on non-technical skills and assessment methods relevant to emergency care. Background Non-technical skills (NTS) include leadership, teamwork, decision making and situation awareness, all of which have an impact on healthcare outcomes. Significant concerns have been raised about the rates of adverse medical events, many of which are attributed to NTS failures. Methods Ovid, Medline, ProQUEST, PsycINFO and specialty websites were searched for NTS measures using applicable access strategies, inclusion and exclusion criteria. Publications identified were assessed for relevance. Results A range of non-technical skill measures relevant to emergency care was identified: leadership (n = 5), teamwork (n = 7), personality/behavior (n = 3) and situation awareness tools (n = 1). Of these, 9 have been used with emergency care populations/clinicians. All had varying degrees of reliability and validity. In the last decade there has been some development of teamwork measures specific to emergency care with a predominantly global and collective rating of broad skills. Conclusion A variety of non-technical skill measures are available; only a few have been used in the emergency care arena. There is a need for an increase in the focused assessment of teamwork skills for a greater understanding of team performance to enhance patient safety in medical emergency care. PMID:27147832

Technical indicators of economic performance in dairy sheep farming.

PubMed

Theodoridis, A; Ragkos, A; Roustemis, D; Arsenos, G; Abas, Z; Sinapis, E

2014-01-01

In this study, the level of technical efficiency of 58 sheep farms rearing the Chios breed in Greece was measured through the application of the stochastic frontier analysis method. A Translog stochastic frontier production function was estimated using farm accounting data of Chios sheep farms and the impact of various socio-demographic and biophysical factors on the estimated efficiency of the farms was evaluated. The farms were classified into efficiency groups on the basis of the estimated level of efficiency and a technical and economic descriptive analysis was applied in order to illustrate an indicative picture of their structure and productivity. The results of the stochastic frontier model indicate that there are substantial production inefficiencies among the Chios sheep farms and that these farms could increase their production through the improvement of technical efficiency, whereas the results of the inefficiency effects model reveal that the farm-specific explanatory factors can partly explain the observed efficiency differentials. The measurement of technical inefficiency and the detection of its determinants can be used to form the basis of policy recommendations that could contribute to the development of the sector.

Estimation of Energy Efficiency of Means of Transport According to the Results of Technical Diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shalkov, Anton; Mamaeva, Mariya

2017-11-01

The article considers the questions of application of nondestructive methods control of reducers of conveyor belts as a means of transport. Particular attention is paid to such types of diagnostics of technical condition as thermal control and analysis of the state of lubricants. The urgency of carrying out types of nondestructive testing presented in the article is determined by the increase of energy efficiency of transport systems of coal and mining enterprises, in particular, reducers of belt conveyors. Periodic in-depth spectral-emission diagnostics and monitoring of a temperature mode of operation oil in the operation of the control equipment and its technical condition and prevent the MTBF allows the monitoring of the actual technical condition of the gearbox of a belt conveyor. In turn, the thermal imaging diagnostics reveals defects at the earliest stage of their formation and development, which allows planning the volumes and terms of equipment repair. Presents diagnostics of the technical condition will allow monitoring in time the technical condition of the equipment and avoiding its premature failure. Thereby it will increase the energy efficiency of both the transport system and the enterprise as a whole, and also avoid unreasonable increases in operating and maintenance costs.

Diagnostic Efficiency of easyCBM[R] Math: Washington State. Technical Report #1008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

easyCBM[R] is an online benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system designed for use within a response to intervention framework. Educators using easyCBM[R] are often interested in using the results to predict students' state test performance. In the following technical document, we report diagnostic efficiency statistics using a sample…

International comparisons of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector: panel data analysis of OECD countries using parametric and non-parametric approaches.

PubMed

Varabyova, Yauheniya; Schreyögg, Jonas

2013-09-01

There is a growing interest in the cross-country comparisons of the performance of national health care systems. The present work provides a comparison of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector using unbalanced panel data from OECD countries over the period 2000-2009. The estimation of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector is performed using nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) and parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Internal and external validity of findings is assessed by estimating the Spearman rank correlations between the results obtained in different model specifications. The panel-data analyses using two-step DEA and one-stage SFA show that countries, which have higher health care expenditure per capita, tend to have a more technically efficient hospital sector. Whether the expenditure is financed through private or public sources is not related to the technical efficiency of the hospital sector. On the other hand, the hospital sector in countries with higher income inequality and longer average hospital length of stay is less technically efficient. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Technical preventive measures in Japan.

PubMed

Yonekawa, Y

1994-05-01

Technical preventive measures against vibration syndrome in the field of industrial health are reviewed in the present paper. The first technical prevention measure is to reduce vibration transmission from the tools to the operators. This measure employs vibration isolators between the handles and vibration sources of machine tools. Handles of tools using Neidhalt dampers, shear type rubber mounts and springs have reduced frequency-weighted acceleration levels (Lh,w) from 2 dB to 10 dB (Lh,w (dB) = 20 log a/ao; a: frequency-weighted acceleration (rms), ao = 10(-5) m/s2) in Z direction, while no reduction was found in X, Y directions. The second measure is to reduce vibration at the source; New chain saws have been developed to reduce vibration with twin cylinder instead of a single cylinder engines. This cancels unbalanced movements inside the internal combustion engine. Such chain saws reduced Lh,w values more than 10 dB in both front and rear handles except in Z direction of the front handle. A new type of impact wrench has been devised with an oil pulse device to avoid direct metal contact inside the power source. This new impact wrench lowered Lh,w values more than 10 dB in three directions. The third measure is to use a remote control system or to substitute another machine generating less vibration. Vibration reduction at the handle lever of the remote control chain saw was more than 20 dB. A more effective means is to substitute other machines for conventional tools: a hydraulic wheel jumbo instead of a leg-type rock drill; a hydraulic breaker instead of a hand-held breaker. However, these heavy machines produce whole-body vibration which might give rise to other problems such as back pain.

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.

Estimating technical efficiency in the hospital sector with panel data: a comparison of parametric and non-parametric techniques.

PubMed

Siciliani, Luigi

2006-01-01

Policy makers are increasingly interested in developing performance indicators that measure hospital efficiency. These indicators may give the purchasers of health services an additional regulatory tool to contain health expenditure. Using panel data, this study compares different parametric (econometric) and non-parametric (linear programming) techniques for the measurement of a hospital's technical efficiency. This comparison was made using a sample of 17 Italian hospitals in the years 1996-9. Highest correlations are found in the efficiency scores between the non-parametric data envelopment analysis under the constant returns to scale assumption (DEA-CRS) and several parametric models. Correlation reduces markedly when using more flexible non-parametric specifications such as data envelopment analysis under the variable returns to scale assumption (DEA-VRS) and the free disposal hull (FDH) model. Correlation also generally reduces when moving from one output to two-output specifications. This analysis suggests that there is scope for developing performance indicators at hospital level using panel data, but it is important that extensive sensitivity analysis is carried out if purchasers wish to make use of these indicators in practice.

2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting Summary Report: Denver, Colorado - August 9-11, 2011

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

Not Available

This report provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program's Summer 2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting. This meeting was held on August 9-11, 2011, in Denver, Colorado, and brought together more than 290 professionals representing organizations with a vested interest in energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings.

Technical and Economic Assessment of the Implementation of Measures for Reducing Energy Losses in Distribution Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguila, Alexander; Wilson, Jorge

2017-07-01

This paper develops a methodology to assess a group of measures of electrical improvements in distribution systems, starting from the complementation of technical and economic criteria. In order to solve the problem of energy losses in distribution systems, technical and economic analysis was performed based on a mathematical model to establish a direct relationship between the energy saved by way of minimized losses and the costs of implementing the proposed measures. This paper aims at analysing the feasibility of reducing energy losses in distribution systems, by changing existing network conductors by larger crosssection conductors and distribution voltage change at higher levels. The impact of this methodology provides a highly efficient mathematical tool for analysing the feasibility of implementing improvement projects based on their costs which is a very useful tool for the distribution companies that will serve as a starting point to the analysis for this type of projects in distribution systems.

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM Primary-Level Reading Measures (Grades K-1), 2009-2010 Version. Technical Report #1003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Jamgochian, Elisa M.; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, we provide the results of a series of studies on the technical adequacy of the early reading measures available on the easyCBM[R] assessment system. The results from the two-level hierarchical linear growth model analyses suggest that the reliability of the slope estimates for the easyCBM[R] reading measures are strong,…

A Cobb Douglas stochastic frontier model on measuring domestic bank efficiency in Malaysia.

PubMed

Hasan, Md Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md Azizul

2012-01-01

Banking system plays an important role in the economic development of any country. Domestic banks, which are the main components of the banking system, have to be efficient; otherwise, they may create obstacle in the process of development in any economy. This study examines the technical efficiency of the Malaysian domestic banks listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) market over the period 2005-2010. A parametric approach, Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), is used in this analysis. The findings show that Malaysian domestic banks have exhibited an average overall efficiency of 94 percent, implying that sample banks have wasted an average of 6 percent of their inputs. Among the banks, RHBCAP is found to be highly efficient with a score of 0.986 and PBBANK is noted to have the lowest efficiency with a score of 0.918. The results also show that the level of efficiency has increased during the period of study, and that the technical efficiency effect has fluctuated considerably over time.

Neurosurgical Skills Assessment: Measuring Technical Proficiency in Neurosurgery Residents Through Intraoperative Video Evaluations.

PubMed

Sarkiss, Christopher A; Philemond, Steven; Lee, James; Sobotka, Stanislaw; Holloway, Terrell D; Moore, Maximillian M; Costa, Anthony B; Gordon, Errol L; Bederson, Joshua B

2016-05-01

Although technical skills are fundamental in neurosurgery, there is little agreement on how to describe, measure, or compare skills among surgeons. The primary goal of this study was to develop a quantitative grading scale for technical surgical performance that distinguishes operator skill when graded by domain experts (residents, attendings, and nonsurgeons). Scores provided by raters should be highly reliable with respect to scores from other observers. Neurosurgery residents were fitted with a head-mounted video camera while performing craniotomies under attending supervision. Seven videos, 1 from each postgraduate year (PGY) level (1-7), were anonymized and scored by 16 attendings, 8 residents, and 7 nonsurgeons using a grading scale. Seven skills were graded: incision, efficiency of instrument use, cauterization, tissue handling, drilling/craniotomy, confidence, and training level. A strong correlation was found between skills score and PGY year (P < 0.001, analysis of variance). Junior residents (PGY 1-3) had significantly lower scores than did senior residents (PGY 4-7, P < 0.001, t test). Significant variation among junior residents was observed, and senior residents' scores were not significantly different from one another. Interrater reliability, measured against other observers, was high (r = 0.581 ± 0.245, Spearman), as was assessment of resident training level (r = 0.583 ± 0.278, Spearman). Both variables were strongly correlated (r = 0.90, Pearson). Attendings, residents, and nonsurgeons did not score differently (P = 0.46, analysis of variance). Technical skills of neurosurgery residents recorded during craniotomy can be measured with high interrater reliability. Surgeons and nonsurgeons alike readily distinguish different skill levels. This type of assessment could be used to coach residents, to track performance over time, and potentially to compare skill levels. Developing an objective tool to evaluate surgical performance would be useful

Financial performance monitoring of the technical efficiency of critical access hospitals: a data envelopment analysis and logistic regression modeling approach.

PubMed

Wilson, Asa B; Kerr, Bernard J; Bastian, Nathaniel D; Fulton, Lawrence V

2012-01-01

From 1980 to 1999, rural designated hospitals closed at a disproportionally high rate. In response to this emergent threat to healthcare access in rural settings, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 made provisions for the creation of a new rural hospital--the critical access hospital (CAH). The conversion to CAH and the associated cost-based reimbursement scheme significantly slowed the closure rate of rural hospitals. This work investigates which methods can ensure the long-term viability of small hospitals. This article uses a two-step design to focus on a hypothesized relationship between technical efficiency of CAHs and a recently developed set of financial monitors for these entities. The goal is to identify the financial performance measures associated with efficiency. The first step uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to differentiate efficient from inefficient facilities within a data set of 183 CAHs. Determining DEA efficiency is an a priori categorization of hospitals in the data set as efficient or inefficient. In the second step, DEA efficiency is the categorical dependent variable (efficient = 0, inefficient = 1) in the subsequent binary logistic regression (LR) model. A set of six financial monitors selected from the array of 20 measures were the LR independent variables. We use a binary LR to test the null hypothesis that recently developed CAH financial indicators had no predictive value for categorizing a CAH as efficient or inefficient, (i.e., there is no relationship between DEA efficiency and fiscal performance).

The Productivity and Technical Efficiency of Textile Industry Clusters in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskaran, E.

2013-09-01

The Indian textile industry is one the largest and oldest sectors in the country and among the most important in the economy in terms of output, investment and employment (E). The sector employs nearly 35 million people and after agriculture, is the second-highest employer in the country. Its importance is underlined by the fact that it accounts for around 4 % of Gross Domestic Product, 14 % of industrial production, 9 % of excise collections, 18 % of E in the industrial sector, and 16 % of the country's total exports (Ex) earnings. For inclusive growth and sustainable development most of the Textile Manufacturers has adopted the Cluster Development Approach. The objective is to study the physical and financial performance, correlation, regression and Data Envelopment Analysis by measuring technical efficiency (Ø), peer weights (λi), input slacks (S-), output slacks (S+) and return to scale of four textile clusters (TCs) namely IchalKaranji Textile Cluster, Maharashtra; Ludhiana Textile Cluster, Punjab; Tirupur Textile Cluster, Tamilnadu and Panipat Textile Cluster, Haryana in India. The methodology adopted is using Data Envelopment Analysis of Output Oriented Banker Charnes Cooper Model by taking number of units (U) and number of E as inputs and sales (S) and Ex in crores as an outputs. The non-zero λi's represents the weights for efficient clusters. The S > 0 obtained for one TC reveals the excess U (S-) and E (S-) and shortage in sales (S+) and Ex (S+). To conclude, for inclusive growth and sustainable development, the inefficient TC should increase their S/turnover and Ex, as decrease in number of enterprises and E is practically not possible. Moreover for sustainable development, the TC should strengthen infrastructure interrelationships, technology interrelationships, procurement interrelationships, production interrelationships and marketing interrelationships to decrease cost, increase productivity and efficiency to compete in the world market.

Technical approaches for measurement of human errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, W. F.; Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.; Mcruer, D. T.

1980-01-01

Human error is a significant contributing factor in a very high proportion of civil transport, general aviation, and rotorcraft accidents. The technical details of a variety of proven approaches for the measurement of human errors in the context of the national airspace system are presented. Unobtrusive measurements suitable for cockpit operations and procedures in part of full mission simulation are emphasized. Procedure, system performance, and human operator centered measurements are discussed as they apply to the manual control, communication, supervisory, and monitoring tasks which are relevant to aviation operations.

The relationship between hospital specialization and hospital efficiency: do different measures of specialization lead to different results?

PubMed

Lindlbauer, Ivonne; Schreyögg, Jonas

2014-12-01

This study investigated the relationship between hospital specialization and technical efficiency using different measures of specialization, including two novel approaches based on patient volumes rather than patient proportions. It was motivated by the observation that most studies to date have quantified hospital specialization using information about hospital patients grouped into different categories based on their diagnosis, and in doing so have used proportions-thus indirectly assuming that these categories are dependent on one other. In order to account for the diversification of organizations and the idea that hospitals can be specialized in terms of professional expertise or technical equipment within a given diagnosis category, we developed our two specialization measures based on patient volume in each category. Using a one-step stochastic frontier approach on randomly selected data from the annual reports of 1,239 acute care German hospitals for the years 2000 through 2010, we estimated the relationship of inefficiency to exogenous variables, such as specialization. The results show that specialization as quantified by our novel measures has effects on efficiency that are the opposite of those obtained using earlier measures of specialization. These results underscore the importance of always providing an exact definition of specialization when studying its effects. Additionally, a Monte Carlo simulation based on three scenarios is provided to facilitate the choice of a specialization measure for further analysis.

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM Grade 2 Reading Measures. Technical Report #1004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamgochian, Elisa; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Saez, Leilani; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, we provide reliability and validity evidence for the easyCBM[R] Reading measures for grade 2 (word and passage reading fluency and multiple choice reading comprehension). Evidence for reliability includes internal consistency and item invariance. Evidence for validity includes concurrent, predictive, and construct…

Environmental Measurements Laboratory fiscal year 1998: Accomplishments and technical activities

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

Erickson, M.D.

1999-01-01

The Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) is government-owned, government-operated, and programmatically under the DOE Office of Environmental Management. The Laboratory is administered by the Chicago Operations Office. EML provides program management, technical assistance and data quality assurance for measurements of radiation and radioactivity relating to environmental restoration, global nuclear nonproliferation, and other priority issues for the Department of Energy, as well as for other government, national, and international organizations. This report presents the technical activities and accomplishments of EML for Fiscal Year 1998.

Measuring the efficiency of the Greek rural primary health care using a restricted DEA model; the case of southern and western Greece.

PubMed

Oikonomou, Nikolaos; Tountas, Yannis; Mariolis, Argiris; Souliotis, Kyriakos; Athanasakis, Kostas; Kyriopoulos, John

2016-12-01

This is a study to measure the efficiency of the rural Health Centres (HCs) and their Regional Surgeries (RSs) of the 6th Health Prefecture (HP) of Greece, which covers Southern and Western Greece. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was applied under Constant and Variable Returns to Scale, using a weight-restricted, output-oriented model, to calculate pure technical efficiency (PΤΕ), scale efficiency (SE) and total technical efficiency (TE). The selection of inputs, outputs and their relative weights in the model was based on two consecutive consensus panels of experts on Primary Health Care (PHC). Medical personnel, nursing personnel and technological equipment were chosen as inputs and were attributed appropriate weight restrictions. Acute, chronic and preventive consultations where chosen as outputs; each output was constructed by smaller subcategories of different relative importance. Data were collected through a questionnaire sent to all HCs of the covered area. From the 42 HCs which provided complete data, the study identified 9 as technical efficient, 5 as scale efficient and 2 as total efficient. The mean TE, PTE and SE scores of the HCs of the 6th Health Prefecture were 0.57, 0.67 and 0.87, respectively. The results demonstrate noteworthy variation in efficiency in the productive process of the HCs of Southern and Western Greece. The dominant form of inefficiency was technical inefficiency. The HCs of the 6th HP can theoretically produce 33 % more output on average, using their current production factors. These results indicated potential for considerable efficiency improvement in most rural health care units. Emphasis on prevention and chronic disease management, as well as wider structural and organisational reforms, are discussed from the viewpoint of how to increase efficiency.

Technical Efficiency and Primary Education in South Africa: Evidence from Sub-National Level Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boateng, Nana Adowaa

2014-01-01

The paper examines the extent to which sub-national public officials are efficient in delivering basic education services and argues that technical inefficiencies, especially in the management of public funds for education, could potentially contribute to poor education service delivery in South Africa. A conceptual framework is proposed to show…

An examination of competition and efficiency for hospital industry in Turkey.

PubMed

Özgen Narcı, Hacer; Ozcan, Yasar A; Şahin, İsmet; Tarcan, Menderes; Narcı, Mustafa

2015-12-01

The two particular reforms that have been undertaken under the Health Transformation Program in Turkey are enhancing efficiency and increasing competition. However, there is a lack of information about the relationship between competition and hospital efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of competition on technical efficiency for the hospital industry in Turkey. The target population included all public and private general hospitals that were open in 2010 in Turkey (n = 1,224). From these, 1,103 hospitals met the selection criteria and were included in the study. Data were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute, the Ministry of Health, and through a field survey. Technical efficiency of hospitals was estimated using Data Envelopment Analysis with five outputs and five inputs. The intensity of competition among hospitals was measured by objective and subjective measures. Objective competition was measured using the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index, and subjective competition was measured based on the perceptions of top level hospital managers. Multivariate Tobit regression was used to investigate the relationship between competition and efficiency while controlling the effects of demand and supply characteristics of the market and the hospital traits. Efficiency results showed that 17% of hospitals were technically efficient. Regression analyses portrayed that the degree of competition among general hospitals did not have a statistically significant relationship with hospitals' technical efficiency. To conclude, hospital efficiency in Turkey does not seem to be affected by the intensity of competition among hospitals.

Low Efficiency Control Measures for Jet Engine Test Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-09-01

replacement cost was based upon filter cost data ob- tained from Mr. Roland Langlois, Owens - Corning Fiberglas Inc., Technical Cen- ter, Granville, Ohio. 3...Torgeson’s theory was used to calculate the collection efficiency of three commercial glass fiber filter media samples obtained from Owens - Corning Fiberglas

Progress in Emission Efficiency of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes: Basic Understanding and Its Technical Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsutsui, Tetsuo; Takada, Noriyuki

2013-11-01

The technical history of when and how the basic understanding of the emission efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) was established over the last 50 years is described. At first, our understanding of emission efficiency in single-crystal and thin-film electroluminescence (EL) devices in the early stages before the Eastman-Kodak breakthrough, that is, the introduction of the concept of multilayer structures, is examined. Then our contemplation travels from the Eastman-Kodak breakthrough towards the presently widely accepted concept of emission efficiency. The essential issues concerning the emission efficiency of OLEDs are summarized to help readers to obtain a common understanding of OLED efficiency problems, and detailed discussions on the primary factors that determine emission efficiency are given. Finally, some comments on remaining issues are presented.

A Cobb Douglas Stochastic Frontier Model on Measuring Domestic Bank Efficiency in Malaysia

PubMed Central

Hasan, Md. Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md. Azizul

2012-01-01

Banking system plays an important role in the economic development of any country. Domestic banks, which are the main components of the banking system, have to be efficient; otherwise, they may create obstacle in the process of development in any economy. This study examines the technical efficiency of the Malaysian domestic banks listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) market over the period 2005–2010. A parametric approach, Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), is used in this analysis. The findings show that Malaysian domestic banks have exhibited an average overall efficiency of 94 percent, implying that sample banks have wasted an average of 6 percent of their inputs. Among the banks, RHBCAP is found to be highly efficient with a score of 0.986 and PBBANK is noted to have the lowest efficiency with a score of 0.918. The results also show that the level of efficiency has increased during the period of study, and that the technical efficiency effect has fluctuated considerably over time. PMID:22900009

Lidar systems for measuring visibility : a technical assessment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-09-01

A study has been made of the feasibility of using a laser backscatter system (lidar) to measure slant visibility at airports. This report summarizes the present status of lidar from a technical standpoint. Based largely on the results of experimental...

Evaluating a technical university's placement test using the Rasch measurement model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salleh, Tuan Salwani; Bakri, Norhayati; Zin, Zalhan Mohd

2016-10-01

This study discusses the process of validating a mathematics placement test at a technical university. The main objective is to produce a valid and reliable test to measure students' prerequisite knowledge to learn engineering technology mathematics. It is crucial to have a valid and reliable test as the results will be used in a critical decision making to assign students into different groups of Technical Mathematics 1. The placement test which consists of 50 mathematics questions were tested on 82 new diplomas in engineering technology students at a technical university. This study employed rasch measurement model to analyze the data through the Winsteps software. The results revealed that there are ten test questions lower than less able students' ability. Nevertheless, all the ten questions satisfied infit and outfit standard values. Thus, all the questions can be reused in the future placement test at the technical university.

Technical Adequacy and Acceptability of Curriculum-Based Measurement and the Measures of Academic Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

January, Stacy-Ann A.; Ardoin, Scott P.

2015-01-01

Curriculum-based measurement in reading (CBM-R) and the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) are assessment tools widely employed for universal screening in schools. Although a large body of research supports the validity of CBM-R, limited empirical evidence exists supporting the technical adequacy of MAP or the acceptability of either measure for…

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.

Measuring Transmission Efficiencies Of Mass Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Santosh K.

1989-01-01

Coincidence counts yield absolute efficiencies. System measures mass-dependent transmission efficiencies of mass spectrometers, using coincidence-counting techniques reminiscent of those used for many years in calibration of detectors for subatomic particles. Coincidences between detected ions and electrons producing them counted during operation of mass spectrometer. Under certain assumptions regarding inelastic scattering of electrons, electron/ion-coincidence count is direct measure of transmission efficiency of spectrometer. When fully developed, system compact, portable, and used routinely to calibrate mass spectrometers.

The quantile regression approach to efficiency measurement: insights from Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Liu, Chunping; Laporte, Audrey; Ferguson, Brian S

2008-09-01

In the health economics literature there is an ongoing debate over approaches used to estimate the efficiency of health systems at various levels, from the level of the individual hospital - or nursing home - up to that of the health system as a whole. The two most widely used approaches to evaluating the efficiency with which various units deliver care are non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) and parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Productivity researchers tend to have very strong preferences over which methodology to use for efficiency estimation. In this paper, we use Monte Carlo simulation to compare the performance of DEA and SFA in terms of their ability to accurately estimate efficiency. We also evaluate quantile regression as a potential alternative approach. A Cobb-Douglas production function, random error terms and a technical inefficiency term with different distributions are used to calculate the observed output. The results, based on these experiments, suggest that neither DEA nor SFA can be regarded as clearly dominant, and that, depending on the quantile estimated, the quantile regression approach may be a useful addition to the armamentarium of methods for estimating technical efficiency.

Radiated microwave power transmission system efficiency measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickinson, R. M.; Brown, W. C.

1975-01-01

The measured and calculated results from determining the operating efficiencies of a laboratory version of a system for transporting electric power from one point to another via a wireless free space radiated microwave beam are reported. The system's overall end-to-end efficiency as well as intermediated conversion efficiencies were measured. The maximum achieved end-to-end dc-to-ac system efficiency was 54.18% with a probable error of + or - 0.94%. The dc-to-RF conversion efficiency was measured to be 68.87% + or - 1.0% and the RF-to-dc conversion efficiency was 78.67 + or - 1.1%. Under these conditions a dc power of 495.62 + or - 3.57 W was received with a free space transmitter antenna receiver antenna separation of 170.2 cm (67 in).

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM Primary-Level Mathematics Measures (Grades K-2), 2009-2010 Version. Technical Report #1006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Saez, Leilani; Jamgochian, Elisa; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In the following technical report, we present evidence of the technical adequacy of the easyCBM[R] math measures in grades K-2. In addition to reliability information, we present criterion-related validity evidence, both concurrent and predictive, and construct validity evidence. The results represent data gathered throughout the 2009/2010 school…

[Technical efficiency assessment of public primary care providers in the Basque Country (Spain), 2010-2013].

PubMed

Cordero, José Manuel; Nuño-Solinís, Roberto; Orueta, Juan F; Polo, Cristina; Del Río-Cámara, Mario; Alonso-Morán, Edurne

2016-01-01

To evaluate the technical efficiency of primary care units operating in the Basque Health Service during the period 2010-2013, corresponding to the implementation of a care integration strategy by health authorities. This study included 11 of the 12 primary care units in the Basque Health Service during the period 2010-2013. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to assess the technical efficiency of the units. In particular, we applied the extension DEA windows to analyse all units as if they were in a single period (33 observations) as well as a conditional model, which allowed incorporation of the effect of the characteristics of the population covered. The outputs considered were a quality index based on fulfilment of different requirements related to primary care delivery and the rate of avoidable hospitalizations (treated as an undesirable output). The inputs used were the number of physicians, the number of nurses and the costs of prescriptions. The morbidity index was included as an exogenous variable. The results showed that the efficiency of all the units improved during the study period. However, this improvement was not greater in the units incorporated in the integrated healthcare organisation. In a context of global transformation of care delivery in the Basque country in the study period, primary care units increased their efficiency. However, this effect was not larger in vertically integrated primary care providers. Copyright © 2015 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Centrifugal Contactor Efficiency Measurements

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

Mincher, Bruce Jay; Tillotson, Richard Dean; Grimes, Travis Shane

2017-01-01

The contactor efficiency of a 2-cm acrylic centrifugal contactor, fabricated by ANL using 3D printer technology was measured by comparing a contactor test run to 5-min batch contacts. The aqueous phase was ~ 3 ppm depleted uranium in 3 M HNO3, and the organic phase was 1 M DAAP/dodecane. Sampling during the contactor run showed that equilibrium was achieved within < 3 minutes. The contactor efficiency at equilibrium was 95% to 100 %, depending on flowrate.

A systematic review of health care efficiency measures.

PubMed

Hussey, Peter S; de Vries, Han; Romley, John; Wang, Margaret C; Chen, Susan S; Shekelle, Paul G; McGlynn, Elizabeth A

2009-06-01

To review and characterize existing health care efficiency measures in order to facilitate a common understanding about the adequacy of these methods. Review of the MedLine and EconLit databases for articles published from 1990 to 2008, as well as search of the "gray" literature for additional measures developed by private organizations. We performed a systematic review for existing efficiency measures. We classified the efficiency measures by perspective, outputs, inputs, methods used, and reporting of scientific soundness. We identified 265 measures in the peer-reviewed literature and eight measures in the gray literature, with little overlap between the two sets of measures. Almost all of the measures did not explicitly consider the quality of care. Thus, if quality varies substantially across groups, which is likely in some cases, the measures reflect only the costs of care, not efficiency. Evidence on the measures' scientific soundness was mostly lacking: evidence on reliability or validity was reported for six measures (2.3 percent) and sensitivity analyses were reported for 67 measures (25.3 percent). Efficiency measures have been subjected to few rigorous evaluations of reliability and validity, and methods of accounting for quality of care in efficiency measurement are not well developed at this time. Use of these measures without greater understanding of these issues is likely to engender resistance from providers and could lead to unintended consequences.

Technical efficiency in the use of health care resources: a comparison of OECD countries.

PubMed

Retzlaff-Roberts, Donna; Chang, Cyril F; Rubin, Rose M

2004-07-01

Our paper analyzes technical efficiency in the production of aggregate health outcomes of reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy, using Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) health data. Application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) reveals that some countries achieve relative efficiency advantages, including those with good health outcomes (Japan, Sweden, Norway, and Canada) and those with modest health outcomes (Mexico and Turkey). We conclude the USA may learn from countries more economical in their allocation of healthcare resources that more is not necessarily better. Specifically, we find that the USA can substantially reduce inputs while maintaining the current level of life expectancy.

Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS): Critical appraisal of its measurement properties.

PubMed

Jung, James J; Borkhoff, Cornelia M; Jüni, Peter; Grantcharov, Teodor P

2018-02-17

To critically appraise the development and measurement properties, including sensibility, reliability, and validity of the Non-Technical Skills of Surgeons (NOTSS) system. Articles that described development process of the NOTSS system were identified. Relevant primary studies that presented evidence of reliability and validity were identified through a comprehensive literature review. NOTSS was developed through robust item generation and reduction strategies. It was shown to have good content validity, acceptability, and feasibility. Inter-rater reliability increased with greater expertise and number of assessors. Studies demonstrated evidence of cross-sectional construct validity, in that the tool was able to differentiate known groups of varied non-technical skill levels. Evidence of longitudinal construct validity also existed to demonstrate that NOTSS detected changes in non-technical skills before and after targeted training. In populations and settings presented in our critical appraisal, NOTSS provided reliable and valid measurements of intraoperative non-technical skills of surgeons. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Data envelopment analysis with upper bound on output to measure efficiency performance of departments in Malaikulsaleh University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Dahlan; Suwilo, Saib; Tulus; Mawengkang, Herman; Efendi, Syahril

2017-09-01

The higher education system in Indonesia can be considered not only as an important source of developing knowledge in the country, but also could create positive living conditions for the country. Therefore it is not surprising that enrollments in higher education continue to expand. However, the implication of this situation, the Indonesian government is necessarily to support more funds. In the interest of accountability, it is essential to measure the efficiency for this higher institution. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a method to evaluate the technical efficiency of production units which have multiple input and output. The higher learning institution considered in this paper is Malikussaleh University located in Lhokseumawe, a city in Aceh province of Indonesia. This paper develops a method to evaluate efficiency for all departments in Malikussaleh University using DEA with bounded output. Accordingly, we present some important differences in efficiency of those departments. Finally we discuss the effort should be done by these departments in order to become efficient.

The Determinants of the Technical Efficiency of Acute Inpatient Care in Canada.

PubMed

Wang, Li; Grignon, Michel; Perry, Sheril; Chen, Xi-Kuan; Ytsma, Alison; Allin, Sara; Gapanenko, Katerina

2018-04-17

To evaluate the technical efficiency of acute inpatient care at the pan-Canadian level and to explore the factors associated with inefficiency-why hospitals are not on their production frontier. Canadian Management Information System (MIS) database (CMDB) and Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) for the fiscal year of 2012-2013. We use a nonparametric approach (data envelopment analysis) applied to three peer groups (teaching, large, and medium hospitals, focusing on their acute inpatient care only). The double bootstrap procedure (Simar and Wilson 2007) is adopted in the regression. Information on inpatient episodes of care (number and quality of outcomes) was extracted from the DAD. The cost of the inpatient care was extracted from the CMDB. On average, acute hospitals in Canada are operating at about 75 percent efficiency, and this could thus potentially increase their level of outcomes (quantity and quality) by addressing inefficiencies. In some cases, such as for teaching hospitals, the factors significantly correlated with efficiency scores were not related to management but to the social composition of the caseload. In contrast, for large and medium nonteaching hospitals, efficiency related more to the ability to discharge patients to postacute care facilities. The efficiency of medium hospitals is also positively related to treating more clinically noncomplex patients. The main drivers of efficiency of acute inpatient care vary by hospital peer groups. Thus, the results provide different policy and managerial implications for teaching, large, and medium hospitals to achieve efficiency gains. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Efficiency and productivity measurement of rural township hospitals in China: a bootstrapping data envelopment analysis

PubMed Central

Cheng, Zhaohui; Cai, Miao; Tao, Hongbing; He, Zhifei; Lin, Xiaojun; Lin, Haifeng; Zuo, Yuling

2016-01-01

Objective Township hospitals (THs) are important components of the three-tier rural healthcare system of China. However, the efficiency and productivity of THs have been questioned since the healthcare reform was implemented in 2009. The objective of this study is to analyse the efficiency and productivity changes in THs before and after the reform process. Setting and participants A total of 48 sample THs were selected from the Xiaogan Prefecture in Hubei Province from 2008 to 2014. Outcome measures First, bootstrapping data envelopment analysis (DEA) was performed to estimate the technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE) of the sample THs during the period. Second, the bootstrapping Malmquist productivity index was used to calculate the productivity changes over time. Results The average TE, PTE and SE of the sample THs over the 7-year period were 0.5147, 0.6373 and 0.7080, respectively. The average TE and PTE increased from 2008 to 2012 but declined considerably after 2012. In general, the sample THs experienced a negative shift in productivity from 2008 to 2014. The negative change was 2.14%, which was attributed to a 23.89% decrease in technological changes (TC). The sample THs experienced a positive productivity shift from 2008 to 2012 but experienced deterioration from 2012 to 2014. Conclusions There was considerable space for TE improvement in the sample THs since the average TE was relatively low. From 2008 to 2014, the sample THs experienced a decrease in productivity, and the adverse alteration in TC should be emphasised. In the context of healthcare reform, the factors that influence TE and productivity of THs are complex. Results suggest that numerous quantitative and qualitative studies are necessary to explore the reasons for the changes in TE and productivity. PMID:27836870

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

Confronting Regulatory Cost and Quality Expectations. An Exploration of Technical Change in Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards

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

Taylor, Margaret; Spurlock, C. Anna; Yang, Hung-Chia

The dual purpose of this project was to contribute to basic knowledge about the interaction between regulation and innovation and to inform the cost and benefit expectations related to technical change which are embedded in the rulemaking process of an important area of national regulation. The area of regulation focused on here is minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for appliances and other energy-using products. Relevant both to U.S. climate policy and energy policy for buildings, MEPS remove certain product models from the market that do not meet specified efficiency thresholds.

Evaluation of railway transportation efficiency based on super-cross efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Xiuyuan

2018-01-01

The efficiency of railway transportation is an important index. It can measure the development of railway transportation enterprises, and the efficiency of railway transportation has become a hot issue in the study of railway development. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been widely applied to railway efficiency analysis. In this paper, BBC model and super-cross efficiency model are constructed by using DEA theory, taking the 18 Railway Bureau as the research object, with the mileage, the number of employees, locomotive number, average daily loading number as input indicators, the passenger turnover, freight turnover and transport income as output indicators, then calculated and evaluated comprehensive efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. We get that the super-cross efficiency is more in line with the actual situation. Getting the super-cross efficiency is more in line with the actual situation.

Technical Adequacy of Curriculum-Based Measures of Vocabulary Growth for Preschool English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanTol, Kathleen M.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design and establish the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measures (CBMs) of vocabulary acquisition for use with preschool children. This study sought to establish the technical adequacy of two tools that can be used for measuring benchmarks of vocabulary acquisition for both native English speakers and for…

Integrated Measurement of Crew Resource Management and Technical Flying Skills

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-08-01

This report presents the findings of a study designed with two objectives: to produce a prototype performance : measurement instrument (PMI) that integrates the assessment of Crew Resource Management (CRM) and technical flying : skills and to investi...

10 CFR 455.111 - Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy conservation measure grants to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Applicant certifications for technical assistance and... Institutions and Coordinating Agencies § 455.111 Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy... for technical assistance programs and energy conservation measures, including renewable resource...

Impact of technical and technological changes on energy efficiency of production company - case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szwedzka, K.; Gruszka, J.; Szafer, P.

2016-08-01

Improving energy efficiency is one of the strategic objectives of the European Union for rational energy economy. To make efforts to improve energy efficiency have been obliged both small and large end-users. This article aims to show the possibilities of improving energy efficiency by introducing technical and technological process changes of pine lumber drying. The object of the research is process of drying lumber implemented in a production company, which is a key supplier of large furniture manufacturer. Pine lumber drying chamber consume about 45% of total electricity in sawmill. According to various sources, drying of 1m3 of lumber uses about 3060kWh and is dependent of inter alia: the drying process itself, the factors affecting the processing time and the desired output moisture content of the timber. The article proposals for changes in the process of drying lumber pine have been positively validated in the company, and as a result their energy consumption per 1 m3 of product declined by 18%.

Efficiency measurement and the operationalization of hospital production.

PubMed

Magnussen, J

1996-04-01

To discuss the usefulness of efficiency measures as instruments of monitoring and resource allocation by analyzing their invariance to changes in the operationalization of hospital production. Norwegian hospitals over the three-year period 1989-1991. Efficiency is measured using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The distribution of efficiency and the ranking of hospitals is compared across models using various distribution-free tests. Input and output data are collected by the Norwegian Central Bureau of Statistics. The distribution of efficiency is found to be unaffected by changes in the specification of hospital output. Both the ranking of hospitals and the scale properties of the technology, however, are found to depend on the choice of output specification. Extreme care should be taken before resource allocation is based on DEA-type efficiency measures alone. Both the identification of efficient and inefficient hospitals and the cardinal measure of inefficiency will depend on the specification of output. Since the scale properties of the technology also vary with the specification of output, the search for an optimal hospital size may be futile.

Knowledge discovery from data and Monte-Carlo DEA to evaluate technical efficiency of mental health care in small health areas

PubMed Central

García-Alonso, Carlos; Pérez-Naranjo, Leonor

2009-01-01

Introduction Knowledge management, based on information transfer between experts and analysts, is crucial for the validity and usability of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Aim To design and develop a methodology: i) to assess technical efficiency of small health areas (SHA) in an uncertainty environment, and ii) to transfer information between experts and operational models, in both directions, for improving expert’s knowledge. Method A procedure derived from knowledge discovery from data (KDD) is used to select, interpret and weigh DEA inputs and outputs. Based on KDD results, an expert-driven Monte-Carlo DEA model has been designed to assess the technical efficiency of SHA in Andalusia. Results In terms of probability, SHA 29 is the most efficient being, on the contrary, SHA 22 very inefficient. 73% of analysed SHA have a probability of being efficient (Pe) >0.9 and 18% <0.5. Conclusions Expert knowledge is necessary to design and validate any operational model. KDD techniques make the transfer of information from experts to any operational model easy and results obtained from the latter improve expert’s knowledge.

Using Technical Performance Measures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, Christopher J.; Levack, Daniel J. H.; Rhodes, Russel E.

2011-01-01

All programs have requirements. For these requirements to be met, there must be a means of measurement. A Technical Performance Measure (TPM) is defined to produce a measured quantity that can be compared to the requirement. In practice, the TPM is often expressed as a maximum or minimum and a goal. Example TPMs for a rocket program are: vacuum or sea level specific impulse (lsp), weight, reliability (often expressed as a failure rate), schedule, operability (turn-around time), design and development cost, production cost, and operating cost. Program status is evaluated by comparing the TPMs against specified values of the requirements. During the program many design decisions are made and most of them affect some or all of the TPMs. Often, the same design decision changes some TPMs favorably while affecting other TPMs unfavorably. The problem then becomes how to compare the effects of a design decision on different TPMs. How much failure rate is one second of specific impulse worth? How many days of schedule is one pound of weight worth? In other words, how to compare dissimilar quantities in order to trade and manage the TPMs to meet all requirements. One method that has been used successfully and has a mathematical basis is Utility Analysis. Utility Analysis enables quantitative comparison among dissimilar attributes. It uses a mathematical model that maps decision maker preferences over the tradeable range of each attribute. It is capable of modeling both independent and dependent attributes. Utility Analysis is well supported in the literature on Decision Theory. It has been used at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for internal programs and for contracted work such as the J-2X rocket engine program. This paper describes the construction of TPMs and describes Utility Analysis. It then discusses the use of TPMs in design trades and to manage margin during a program using Utility Analysis.

Efficiency measurement and the operationalization of hospital production.

PubMed Central

Magnussen, J

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE. To discuss the usefulness of efficiency measures as instruments of monitoring and resource allocation by analyzing their invariance to changes in the operationalization of hospital production. STUDY SETTING. Norwegian hospitals over the three-year period 1989-1991. STUDY DESIGN. Efficiency is measured using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The distribution of efficiency and the ranking of hospitals is compared across models using various distribution-free tests. DATA COLLECTION. Input and output data are collected by the Norwegian Central Bureau of Statistics. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. The distribution of efficiency is found to be unaffected by changes in the specification of hospital output. Both the ranking of hospitals and the scale properties of the technology, however, are found to depend on the choice of output specification. CONCLUSION. Extreme care should be taken before resource allocation is based on DEA-type efficiency measures alone. Both the identification of efficient and inefficient hospitals and the cardinal measure of inefficiency will depend on the specification of output. Since the scale properties of the technology also vary with the specification of output, the search for an optimal hospital size may be futile. PMID:8617607

Measuring the labeling efficiency of pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling.

PubMed

Chen, Zhensen; Zhang, Xingxing; Yuan, Chun; Zhao, Xihai; van Osch, Matthias J P

2017-05-01

Optimization and validation of a sequence for measuring the labeling efficiency of pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) perfusion MRI. The proposed sequence consists of a labeling module and a single slice Look-Locker echo planar imaging readout. A model-based algorithm was used to calculate labeling efficiency from the signal acquired from the main brain-feeding arteries. Stability of the labeling efficiency measurement was evaluated with regard to the use of cardiac triggering, flow compensation and vein signal suppression. Accuracy of the measurement was assessed by comparing the measured labeling efficiency to mean brain pCASL signal intensity over a wide range of flip angles as applied in the pCASL labeling. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm can effectively calculate labeling efficiency when correcting for T1 relaxation of the blood spins. Use of cardiac triggering and vein signal suppression improved stability of the labeling efficiency measurement, while flow compensation resulted in little improvement. The measured labeling efficiency was found to be linearly (R = 0.973; P < 0.001) related to brain pCASL signal intensity over a wide range of pCASL flip angles. The optimized labeling efficiency sequence provides robust artery-specific labeling efficiency measurement within a short acquisition time (∼30 s), thereby enabling improved accuracy of pCASL CBF quantification. Magn Reson Med 77:1841-1852, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Magn Reson Med 77:1841-1852, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Frontier-based techniques in measuring hospital efficiency in Iran: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In recent years, there has been growing interest in measuring the efficiency of hospitals in Iran and several studies have been conducted on the topic. The main objective of this paper was to review studies in the field of hospital efficiency and examine the estimated technical efficiency (TE) of Iranian hospitals. Methods Persian and English databases were searched for studies related to measuring hospital efficiency in Iran. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models were applied for statistical analysis. The PRISMA guidelines were followed in the search process. Results A total of 43 efficiency scores from 29 studies were retrieved and used to approach the research question. Data envelopment analysis was the principal frontier efficiency method in the estimation of efficiency scores. The pooled estimate of mean TE was 0.846 (±0.134). There was a considerable variation in the efficiency scores between the different studies performed in Iran. There were no differences in efficiency scores between data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) techniques. The reviewed studies are generally similar and suffer from similar methodological deficiencies, such as no adjustment for case mix and quality of care differences. The results of OLS regression revealed that studies that included more variables and more heterogeneous hospitals generally reported higher TE. Larger sample size was associated with reporting lower TE. Conclusions The features of frontier-based techniques had a profound impact on the efficiency scores among Iranian hospital studies. These studies suffer from major methodological deficiencies and were of sub-optimal quality, limiting their validity and reliability. It is suggested that improving data collection and processing in Iranian hospital databases may have a substantial impact on promoting the quality of research in this field. PMID:23945011

The effects of competition on efficiency of electricity generation: A post-PURPA analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Paula Faye

1998-10-01

The central issue of this research is the effects increased market competition has on production efficiency. Specifically, the research focuses upon measuring the relative level of efficiency in the generation of electricity in 1978 and 1993. It is hypothesized that the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA), passed by Congress in 1978, made progress toward achieving its legislative intent of increasing competition, and therefore increased efficiency, in the generation of electricity. The methodology used to measure levels of efficiency in this research is the stochastic statistical estimator with the functional form of the translog production function. The models are then estimated using the maximum likelihood estimating technique using plant level data of coal generating units in the U.S. for 1978 and 1993. Results from the estimation of these models indicate that: (a) For the technical efficiency measures, the 1978 data set out performed the 1993 data set for the OTE and OTE of Fuel measures; (b) the 1993 data set was relatively more efficient in the OTE of Capital and the OTE of Labor when compared to the 1978 data set; (c) The 1993 observations indicated a relatively greater level of efficiency over 1978 in the OAE, OAE of Fuel, and OAE of Capital measures; (d) The OAE of Labor measure findings supported the 1978 observations as more efficient when compared to the 1993 set of observations; (e) When looking at the top and bottom ranked sites within each data set, the results indicated that sites which were top or poor performers for the technical and allocative efficiency measures tended to be a top or poor performer for the overall, fuel, and capital measures. The sites that appeared as a top or poor performer of labor measures within the technical and allocative groups were often unique and didn't necessarily appear as a top or poor performer in the other efficiency measures.

Measurement system for diffraction efficiency of convex gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng; Chen, Xin-hua; Zhou, Jian-kang; Zhao, Zhi-cheng; Liu, Quan; Luo, Chao; Wang, Xiao-feng; Tang, Min-xue; Shen, Wei-min

2017-08-01

A measurement system for diffraction efficiency of convex gratings is designed. The measurement system mainly includes four components as a light source, a front system, a dispersing system that contains a convex grating, and a detector. Based on the definition and measuring principle of diffraction efficiency, the optical scheme of the measurement system is analyzed and the design result is given. Then, in order to validate the feasibility of the designed system, the measurement system is set up and the diffraction efficiency of a convex grating with the aperture of 35 mm, the curvature-radius of 72mm, the blazed angle of 6.4°, the grating period of 2.5μm and the working waveband of 400nm-900nm is tested. Based on GUM (Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement), the uncertainties in the measuring results are evaluated. The measured diffraction efficiency data are compared to the theoretical ones, which are calculated based on the grating groove parameters got by an atomic force microscope and Rigorous Couple Wave Analysis, and the reliability of the measurement system is illustrated. Finally, the measurement performance of the system is analyzed and tested. The results show that, the testing accuracy, the testing stability and the testing repeatability are 2.5%, 0.085% and 3.5% , respectively.

Assessing the efficiency of hospital pharmacy services in Thai public district hospitals.

PubMed

Rattanachotphanit, Thananan; Limwattananon, Chulaporn; Limwattananon, Supon; Johns, Jeff R; Schommer, Jon C; Brown, Lawrence M

2008-07-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of hospital pharmacy services and to determine the environmental factors affecting pharmacy service efficiency. The technical efficiency of a hospital pharmacy was assessed to evaluate the hospital's ability to use pharmacy manpower in order to produce the maximum output of the pharmacy service. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used as an efficiency measurement. The two labor inputs were pharmacists and support personnel and the ten outputs were from four pharmacy activities: drug dispensing, drug purchasing and inventory control, patient-oriented activities, and health consumer protection services. This was used to estimate technical efficiency. A Tobit regression model was used to determine the effect of the hospital size, location, input mix of pharmacy staff, working experience of pharmacists at the study hospitals, and use of technology on the pharmacy service efficiency. Data for pharmacy service input and output quantities were obtained from 155 respondents. Nineteen percent were found to have full efficiency with a technical efficiency score of 1.00. Thirty-six percent had a technical efficiency score of 0.80 or above and 27% had a low technical efficiency score (< 0.60). The average TE score increased in respect to the hospital size (0.60, 0.71, 0.75, and 0.83 in 10, 30, 60, and 90-120 bed hospitals, respectively). Hospital size and geographic location were significantly associated with pharmacy service efficiency.

Technical Adequacy of Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measurement in Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Rebecca S.; Missall, Kristen N.; Graney, Suzanne Bamonto; Aricak, O. Tolga; Clarke, Ben

2009-01-01

The current study examines the technical adequacy of four Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measurement (EN-CBM) screening tasks: "Oral Counting" (OC), "Number Identification" (NI), "Quantity Discrimination" (QD), and "Missing Number" (MN). Results from 59 kindergarten students assessed in the fall and spring reveal moderate to high test-retest and…

Environmental effects of dredging. Documentation of the dyecon module for ADDAMS: Determining the hydraulic retention and efficiency of confined disposal facilities. Technical note

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

Hayes, D.F.; Schroeder, P.R.; Engler, R.M.

This technical note describes procedures for determining mean hydraulic retention time and efficiency of a confined disposal facility (CDF) from a dye tracer slug test. These parameters are required to properly design a CDF for solids retention and for effluent quality considerations. Detailed information on conduct and analysis of dye tracer studies can be found in Engineer Manual 1110-2-5027, Confined Dredged Material Disposal. This technical note documents the DYECON computer program which facilitates the analysis of dye tracer concentration data and computes the hydraulic efficiency of a CDF as part of the Automated Dredging and Disposal Alternatives Management System (ADDAMS).

Measuring Teachers' Efficacy Working with Diverse Student Needs: Testing a Measurement Model. Technical Report # 38

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald; McCoy, Jan

2005-01-01

This technical report describes the development, pilot testing, and revision of a survey instrument designed to measure secondary school teachers' perceptions of their efficacy working with students from diverse backgrounds. A brief review of relevant literature frames the current study in the context of survey development that is technically…

[Primary care: decentralization and efficiency].

PubMed

Pinillos, M; Antoñanzas, F

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the productive behavior of health centers in autonomous communities with competence in health is more efficient than that among centers belonging to Spanish public health system (INSALUD). The technical efficiency of 66 health centers in Alava, Navarre and La Rioja was analyzed. Centers in autonomous communities that in 1997 had been granted complete authority from the central government to manage their healthcare services were compared with centers whose administration, in the same year, was still in the hands of INSALUD. The method used to measure and quantify the efficiency of these centers was data envelopment analysis. Nonparametric contrast of the health centers' mean efficiency rates revealed no significant differences in the (in)efficiency of centers from La Rioja, Navarre and Alava. The results obtained from the model of efficiency measurement used did not indicate that decentralization improves the productive efficiency of primary care centers.

Analysis of occupational accidents: prevention through the use of additional technical safety measures for machinery.

PubMed

Dźwiarek, Marek; Latała, Agata

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of results of 1035 serious and 341 minor accidents recorded by Poland's National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) in 2005-2011, in view of their prevention by means of additional safety measures applied by machinery users. Since the analysis aimed at formulating principles for the application of technical safety measures, the analysed accidents should bear additional attributes: the type of machine operation, technical safety measures and the type of events causing injuries. The analysis proved that the executed tasks and injury-causing events were closely connected and there was a relation between casualty events and technical safety measures. In the case of tasks consisting of manual feeding and collecting materials, the injuries usually occur because of the rotating motion of tools or crushing due to a closing motion. Numerous accidents also happened in the course of supporting actions, like removing pollutants, correcting material position, cleaning, etc.

Wealth and the Accounting Period in the Measurement of Means. The Measure of Poverty, Technical Paper VI.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steuerle, Eugene; McClung, Nelson

This technical study is concerned with both the statistical and policy effects of alternative definitions of poverty which result when the definition of means is altered by varying the time period (accounting period) over which income is measured or by including in the measure of means not only realized income, but also unrealized income and…

Factors affecting the technical efficiency of health systems: A case study of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries (2004-10).

PubMed

Ravangard, Ramin; Hatam, Nahid; Teimourizad, Abedin; Jafari, Abdosaleh

2014-07-01

Improving efficiency of health sector is of particular importance in all countries. To reach this end, it is paramount to measure the efficiency. On the other hand, there are many factors that affect the efficiency of health systems. This study aimed to measure the Technical Efficiency (TE) of health systems in Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries during 2004-10 and to determine the factors affecting their TE. This was a descriptive-analytical and panel study. The required data were gathered using library and field studies, available statistics and international websites through completing data collection forms. In this study, the TE of health systems in 10 ECO countries was measured using their available data and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) through two approaches. The first approach used GDP per capita, education and smoking as its inputs and life expectancy and infant mortality rates as the outputs. The second approach, also, used the health expenditures per capita, the number of physicians per thousand people, and the number of hospital beds per thousand people as its inputs and life expectancy and under-5 mortality rates as the outputs. Then, the factors affecting the TE of health systems were determined using the panel data logit model. Excel 2010, Win4Deap 1.1.2 and Stata 11.0 were used to analyze the collected data. According to the first approach, the mean TE of health systems was 0.497 and based on the second one it was 0.563. Turkey and Turkmenistan had, respectively, the highest and lowest mean of efficiency. Also, the results of panel data logit model showed that only GDP per capita and health expenditures per capita had significant relationships with the TE of health systems. In order to maximize the TE of health systems, health policy-makers should pay special attention to the proper use of healthcare resources according to the people's needs, the appropriate management of the health system resources, allocating adequate budgets to

A cost and technical efficiency analysis of two alternative models for implementing the basic package of health services in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Blaakman, Aaron Philip; Salehi, Ahmad Shah; Boitard, Romain

2014-01-01

Since 2003, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and international partners have directed a contracting-out model through which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) deliver the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in 31 of the 34 Afghan provinces. The MoPH also managed health service delivery in three provinces under an alternative initiative entitled Strengthening Mechanisms (SM). In 2011, under the authority of the MoPH and Delegation of the European Union to Afghanistan, EPOS Health Management conducted a cost and technical efficiency study of the contracting-out and SM mechanisms in six provinces to examine economic trade-offs in the provision of the BPHS. The study provides analyses of all resource inputs and primary outputs of the BPHS in the six provinces during 2008 and 2009. The authors examined technical efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) at the BPHS facility level. Cost analysis results indicate that the weighted average cost per BPHS outpatient visit totalled $3.41 in the SM provinces and $5.39 in the NGO-led provinces in 2009. Furthermore, the data envelopment analyses (DEAs) indicate that facilities in the three NGO-led provinces scored 0.168 points higher on the DEA scale (0-1) than SM facilities. The authors conclude that an approximate 60% increase in costs yielded a 16.8% increase in technical efficiency in the delivery of the BPHS during 2009 in the six provinces.

The Development and Technical Adequacy of Seventh-Grade Reading Comprehension Measures in a Progress Monitoring Assessment System. Technical Report #1102

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

This technical report describes the process of development and piloting of reading comprehension measures that are appropriate for seventh-grade students as part of an online progress screening and monitoring assessment system, http://easycbm.com. Each measure consists of an original fictional story of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 words with 20…

Efficiency disparities among community hospitals in Tennessee: do size, location, ownership, and network matter?

PubMed

Roh, Chul-Young; Moon, M Jae; Jung, Kwangho

2013-11-01

This study examined the impact of ownership, size, location, and network on the relative technical efficiency of community hospitals in Tennessee for the 2002-2006 period, by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure technical efficiency (decomposed into scale efficiency and pure technical efficiency). Data envelopment analysis results indicate that medium-size hospitals (126-250 beds) are more efficient than their counterparts. Interestingly, public hospitals are significantly more efficient than private and nonprofit hospitals in Tennessee, and rural hospitals are more efficient than urban hospitals. This is the first study to investigate whether hospital networks with other health care providers affect hospital efficiency. Results indicate that community hospitals with networks are more efficient than non-network hospitals. From a management and policy perspective, this study suggests that public policies should induce hospitals to downsize or upsize into optional size, and private hospitals and nonprofit hospitals should change their organizational objectives from profit-driven to quality-driven.

Analysis of occupational accidents: prevention through the use of additional technical safety measures for machinery

PubMed Central

Dźwiarek, Marek; Latała, Agata

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of results of 1035 serious and 341 minor accidents recorded by Poland's National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) in 2005–2011, in view of their prevention by means of additional safety measures applied by machinery users. Since the analysis aimed at formulating principles for the application of technical safety measures, the analysed accidents should bear additional attributes: the type of machine operation, technical safety measures and the type of events causing injuries. The analysis proved that the executed tasks and injury-causing events were closely connected and there was a relation between casualty events and technical safety measures. In the case of tasks consisting of manual feeding and collecting materials, the injuries usually occur because of the rotating motion of tools or crushing due to a closing motion. Numerous accidents also happened in the course of supporting actions, like removing pollutants, correcting material position, cleaning, etc. PMID:26652689

Measure Guideline. High Efficiency Natural Gas Furnaces

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

Brand, L.; Rose, W.

2012-10-01

This measure guideline covers installation of high-efficiency gas furnaces, including: when to install a high-efficiency gas furnace as a retrofit measure; how to identify and address risks; and the steps to be used in the selection and installation process. The guideline is written for Building America practitioners and HVAC contractors and installers. It includes a compilation of information provided by manufacturers, researchers, and the Department of Energy as well as recent research results from the Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) Building America team.

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM[R] Mathematics Measures: Grades 3-8, 2009-2010 Version. Technical Report #1007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Anderson, Daniel; Jamgochian, Elisa M.; Kamata, Akihito; Saez, Leilani; Park, Bitnara J.; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, data are presented on the practical utility, reliability, and validity of the easyCBM[R] mathematics (2009-2010 version) measures for students in grades 3-8 within four districts in two states. Analyses include: minimum acceptable within-year growth; minimum acceptable year-end benchmark performance; internal and…

Development and evaluation of a patient-centred measurement tool for surgeons' non-technical skills.

PubMed

Yule, J; Hill, K; Yule, S

2018-06-01

Non-technical skills are essential for safe and effective surgery. Several tools to assess surgeons' non-technical skills from the clinician's perspective have been developed. However, a reliable measurement tool using a patient-centred approach does not currently exist. The aim of this study was to translate the existing Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) tool into a patient-centred evaluation tool. Data were gathered from four cohorts of patients using an iterative four-stage mixed-methods research design. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to establish the psychometric properties of the tool, focusing on validity, reliability, usability and parsimony. Some 534 patients were recruited to the study. A total of 24 patient-centred non-technical skill items were developed in stage 1, and reduced to nine items in stage 2 using exploratory factor analysis. In stage 3, confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that these nine items each loaded on to one of three factors, with excellent internal consistency: decision-making, leadership, and communication and teamwork. In stage 4, validity testing established that the new tool was independent of physician empathy and predictive of surgical quality. Surgical leadership emerged as the most dominant skill that patients could recognize and evaluate. A novel nine-item assessment tool has been developed. The Patients' Evaluation of Non-Technical Skills (PENTS) tool allows valid and reliable measurement of surgeons' non-technical skills from the patient perspective. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measure Guideline: High Efficiency Natural Gas Furnaces

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

Brand, L.; Rose, W.

2012-10-01

This Measure Guideline covers installation of high-efficiency gas furnaces. Topics covered include when to install a high-efficiency gas furnace as a retrofit measure, how to identify and address risks, and the steps to be used in the selection and installation process. The guideline is written for Building America practitioners and HVAC contractors and installers. It includes a compilation of information provided by manufacturers, researchers, and the Department of Energy as well as recent research results from the Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) Building America team.

10 CFR 455.111 - Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy conservation measure grants to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... for technical assistance programs and energy conservation measures, including renewable resource... share of an energy conservation project where a lien is placed by the lender on equipment funded under... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Applicant certifications for technical assistance and...

10 CFR 455.111 - Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy conservation measure grants to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... for technical assistance programs and energy conservation measures, including renewable resource... share of an energy conservation project where a lien is placed by the lender on equipment funded under... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Applicant certifications for technical assistance and...

10 CFR 455.111 - Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy conservation measure grants to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... for technical assistance programs and energy conservation measures, including renewable resource... share of an energy conservation project where a lien is placed by the lender on equipment funded under... 10 Energy 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Applicant certifications for technical assistance and...

10 CFR 455.111 - Applicant certifications for technical assistance and energy conservation measure grants to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... for technical assistance programs and energy conservation measures, including renewable resource... share of an energy conservation project where a lien is placed by the lender on equipment funded under... 10 Energy 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Applicant certifications for technical assistance and...

The Effect of Crop Insurance on Technical Efficiency of Wheat Farmers in Kermanshah Province: A Corrected Ordinary Least Square Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agahi, Hossein; Zarafshani, Kiumars; Behjat, Amir-Mohsen

The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of crop insurance on agricultural production among dry wheat farmers in Kermanshah province. The population of this study consisted of dry wheat farmers. Data used in this study was collected using stratified multi-stage cluster sampling method and face to face interview with 251 farmers in three different climate regions: tropical, temperate and cold during 2003-2004 crop years. The procedures used for determining farmers' technical efficiency was Corrected Ordinary Least Square (COLS). Findings revealed that crop insurance has positive effect on temperate and tropical regions. However, the production difference between insured and uninsured farmers in cold region was non-significant. It is therefore concluded that technical efficiency of agricultural production in Kermanshah province is a function of crop insurance as well as other variables such as crop management practices, personal characteristics and fair distribution of agricultural inputs.

High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor for Rotorcraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medic, Gorazd; Sharma, Om P.; Jongwook, Joo; Hardin, Larry W.; McCormick, Duane C.; Cousins, William T.; Lurie, Elizabeth A.; Shabbir, Aamir; Holley, Brian M.; Van Slooten, Paul R.

2017-01-01

A centrifugal compressor research effort conducted by United Technologies Research Center under NASA Research Announcement NNC08CB03C is documented. The objectives were to identify key technical barriers to advancing the aerodynamic performance of high-efficiency, high work factor, compact centrifugal compressor aft-stages for turboshaft engines; to acquire measurements needed to overcome the technical barriers and inform future designs; to design, fabricate, and test a new research compressor in which to acquire the requisite flow field data. A new High-Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor stage -- splittered impeller, splittered diffuser, 90 degree bend, and exit guide vanes -- with aerodynamically aggressive performance and configuration (compactness) goals were designed, fabricated, and subquently tested at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Tagging Efficiency for Nuclear Physics Measurements at MAX-lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Nevin; Elofson, David; Lewis, Codie; O'Brien, Erin; Buggelli, Kelsey; O'Connor, Kyle; O'Rielly, Grant; Maxtagg Team

2014-09-01

A careful study of the tagging efficiency during measurements of near threshold pion photoproduction and high energy Compton scattering has been performed. These experiments are being done at the MAX-lab tagged photon Facility during the June 2014 run period. The determination of the final results from these experiments depends on knowledge of the incident photon flux. The tagging efficiency is a critical part of the photon flux calculation. In addition to daily measurements of the tagging efficiency, a beam monitor was used during the production data runs to monitor the relative tagging efficiency. Two trigger types were used in the daily measurements; one was a logical OR from the tagger array and the other was from the Pb-glass photon detector. Investigations were made to explore the effect of the different trigger conditions and the differences between single and multi hit TDCs on the tagging efficiency. In addition the time evolution and overall uncertainty in the tagging efficiency for each tagger channel was determined. The results will be discussed.

Measurement of X-ray emission efficiency for K-lines.

PubMed

Procop, M

2004-08-01

Results for the X-ray emission efficiency (counts per C per sr) of K-lines for selected elements (C, Al, Si, Ti, Cu, Ge) and for the first time also for compounds and alloys (SiC, GaP, AlCu, TiAlC) are presented. An energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) of known detection efficiency (counts per photon) has been used to record the spectra at a takeoff angle of 25 degrees determined by the geometry of the secondary electron microscope's specimen chamber. Overall uncertainty in measurement could be reduced to 5 to 10% in dependence on the line intensity and energy. Measured emission efficiencies have been compared with calculated efficiencies based on models applied in standardless analysis. The widespread XPP and PROZA models give somewhat too low emission efficiencies. The best agreement between measured and calculated efficiencies could be achieved by replacing in the modular PROZA96 model the original expression for the ionization cross section by the formula given by Casnati et al. (1982) A discrepancy remains for carbon, probably due to the high overvoltage ratio.

Measurement of heat and moisture exchanger efficiency.

PubMed

Chandler, M

2013-09-01

Deciding between a passive heat and moisture exchanger or active humidification depends upon the level of humidification that either will deliver. Published international standards dictate that active humidifiers should deliver a minimum humidity of 33 mg.l(-1); however, no such requirement exists, for heat and moisture exchangers. Anaesthetists instead have to rely on information provided by manufacturers, which may not allow comparison of different devices and their clinical effectiveness. I suggest that measurement of humidification efficiency, being the percentage moisture returned and determined by measuring the temperature of the respired gases, should be mandated, and report a modification of the standard method that will allow this to be easily measured. In this study, different types of heat and moisture exchangers for adults, children and patients with a tracheostomy were tested. Adult and paediatric models lost between 6.5 mg.l(-1) and 8.5 mg.l(-1) moisture (corresponding to an efficiency of around 80%); however, the models designed for patients with a tracheostomy lost between 16 mg.l(-1) and 18 mg.l(-1) (60% efficiency). I propose that all heat and moisture exchangers should be tested in this manner and percentage efficiency reported to allow an informed choice between different types and models. © 2013 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Quantum efficiency measurements of eROSITA pnCCDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebermayer, Stefanie; Andritschke, Robert; Elbs, Johannes; Meidinger, Norbert; Strüder, Lothar; Hartmann, Robert; Gottwald, Alexander; Krumrey, Michael; Scholze, Frank

2010-07-01

For the eROSITA X-ray telescope, which is planned to be launched in 2012, detectors were developed and fabricated at the MPI Semiconductor Laboratory. The fully depleted, back-illuminated pnCCDs have an ultrathin pn-junction to improve the low-energy X-ray response function and quantum efficiency. The device thickness of 450 μm is fully sensitive to X-ray photons yielding high quantum efficiency of more than 90% at photon energies of 10 keV. An on-chip filter is deposited on top of the entrance window to suppress visible and UV light which would interfere with the X-ray observations. The pnCCD type developed for the eROSITA telescope was characterized in terms of quantum efficiency and spectral response function. The described measurements were performed in 2009 at the synchrotron radiation sources BESSY II and MLS as cooperation between the MPI Semiconductor Laboratory and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). Quantum efficiency measurements over a wide range of photon energies from 3 eV to 11 keV as well as spectral response measurements are presented. For X-ray energies from 3 keV to 10 keV the quantum efficiency of the CCD including on-chip filter is shown to be above 90% with an attenuation of visible light of more than five orders of magnitude. A detector response model is described and compared to the measurements.

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

Stochastic Frontier Approach and Data Envelopment Analysis to Total Factor Productivity and Efficiency Measurement of Bangladeshi Rice

PubMed Central

Hossain, Md. Kamrul; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Baten, Md. Azizul; Mustafa, Adli

2012-01-01

The objective of this paper is to apply the Translog Stochastic Frontier production model (SFA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate efficiencies over time and the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth rate for Bangladeshi rice crops (Aus, Aman and Boro) throughout the most recent data available comprising the period 1989–2008. Results indicate that technical efficiency was observed as higher for Boro among the three types of rice, but the overall technical efficiency of rice production was found around 50%. Although positive changes exist in TFP for the sample analyzed, the average growth rate of TFP for rice production was estimated at almost the same levels for both Translog SFA with half normal distribution and DEA. Estimated TFP from SFA is forecasted with ARIMA (2, 0, 0) model. ARIMA (1, 0, 0) model is used to forecast TFP of Aman from DEA estimation. PMID:23077500

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 4. Technical Report #1211

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 7. Technical Report #1214

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 5. Technical Report #1212

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 8. Technical Report #1215

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 2. Technical Report #1209

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 3. Technical Report #1210

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

The Development of CBM Vocabulary Measures: Grade 6. Technical Report # 1213

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of vocabulary assessments intended for use with students in grades two through eight. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring and benchmark/screening assessment system, were developed in 2010 and administered to approximately 1200…

Dose measurements and radiation protection measures in gynecological radium therapy for medical-technical assistants and nursing staff (in German)

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

Schmidt, B.

Thesis. Appropriate measures to decrease radiation exposure of medical- technical assistants and nursing staff of hospitals with radiotherapy departments require personnel dose measurements during the different working operations. The measured values were in all cases below the maximum permissible doses; they are presented in tabular form for the various operations. Proposals are made for a further reduction of radiation exposure in particular fields of application. (GE)

Nd/sup 3 +/ fluorescence quantum-efficiency measurements with photoacoustics

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

Rosencwaig, A.; Hildum, E.A.

1981-04-01

We have investigated the use of photoacoustic techniques for obtaining absolute values of fluorescence quantum efficiencies in lightly doped Nd/sup 3 +/ laser materials. We have found that surface absorptions play an important role in gas-microphone measurements, and that thermal profiles are important in piezoelectric measurements. We have obtained fluorescence quantum efficiencies for Nd/sup 3 +/ in yttrium aluminum garnet, and in silicate and borate glasses that are in good agreement with lifetime measurements and Judd-Ofelt calculations.

Trends in Department of Defense hospital efficiency.

PubMed

Ozcan, Y A; Bannick, R R

1994-04-01

This study employs a simple cross sectional design using longitudinal data to explore the underlying factors associated with differences in hospital technical efficiency using data envelopment analysis (DEA) in the Department of Defense (DOD) sector across three service components, the Army, Air Force and Navy. The results suggest that the services do not differ significantly in hospital efficiency. Nor does hospital efficiency appear to differ over time. With respect to the efficient use of input resources, the services experienced a general decline in excessive usage of various inputs over the three years. Analysis of the returns to scale captures opportunities for planners of changing the relative mix of output to input slacks for increasing a hospital's efficiency. That is, policy makers would get more immediate "bang per buck" with emphasis on improving the efficiencies of hospitals with higher returns to scale than other hospitals. Findings also suggest a significant degree of comparability between the DEA measure and these measures often used to indicate efficiency.

Measurement of Perceived and Technical Quality of Care for Depression in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Groups.

PubMed

Leff, H Stephen; Chow, Clifton; Wieman, Dow A; Ostrow, Laysha; Cortés, Dharma E; Harris, Treniece

2016-08-01

Measurement of patient satisfaction is now considered essential for providing patient centered care and is an important tool for addressing health care disparities. However, little is known about how ethnically and racially diverse (ERD) groups differ in how they perceive quality, and widely used instruments for measuring perceived quality give little attention to cultural elements of care. This study examined the relationship between the culturally determined beliefs and expectations of four ERD groups (African Americans, Latinos, Portuguese-speakers, and Haitians, total N = 160) and the technical quality of treatment for depression provided in four "culturally-specific" primary care clinics. Using data from the Experiences of Care and Health Outcomes survey, chart reviews and focus groups, the study addressed a set of questions related to the psychometric properties of perceived care measures and the technical quality of care. The groups differed in preferred cultural elements except all preferred inclusion of religion. They did not differ in overall perceived quality. Technical quality was higher for Portuguese and Haitians than for African Americans and Latinos. Implications of group differences for measuring quality are discussed.

Energy Efficiency Under Alternative Carbon Policies. Incentives, Measurement, and Interregional Effects

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

Steinberg, Daniel C.; Boyd, Erin

2015-08-28

In this report, we examine and compare how tradable mass-based polices and tradable rate-based policies create different incentives for energy efficiency investments. Through a generalized demonstration and set of examples, we show that as a result of the output subsidy they create, traditional rate-based policies, those that do not credit energy savings from efficiency measures, reduce the incentive for investment in energy efficiency measures relative to an optimally designed mass-based policy or equivalent carbon tax. We then show that this reduced incentive can be partially addressed by modifying the rate-based policy such that electricity savings from energy efficiency measures aremore » treated as a source of zero-carbon generation within the framework of the standard, or equivalently, by assigning avoided emissions credit to the electricity savings at the rate of the intensity target. These approaches result in an extension of the output subsidy to efficiency measures and eliminate the distortion between supply-side and demand-side options for GHG emissions reduction. However, these approaches do not address electricity price distortions resulting from the output subsidy that also impact the value of efficiency measures. Next, we assess alternative approaches for crediting energy efficiency savings within the framework of a rate-based policy. Finally, we identify a number of challenges that arise in implementing a rate-based policy with efficiency crediting, including the requirement to develop robust estimates of electricity savings in order to assess compliance, and the requirement to track the regionality of the generation impacts of efficiency measures to account for their interstate effects.« less

Efficiency improved turboprop. Technical memo

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

Gearhart, W.S.

1982-06-10

Renewed attention has been focused on the efficiency of aircraft propulsion as the cost of fuel has risen. Studies conducted by NASA (1) to obtain fuel efficient aircraft have considered relatively highly-loaded turbo-prop systems. The disc loadings of these propellers are as much as four times higher than those on present turboprop aircraft. The higher disc loadings result in greater slipstream swirl and higher energy losses. Of primary importance is the radial distribution of the energy losses across the slipstream due to the tangential and axial velocities. This study presents the results of analysis defining the various sources of energymore » loss resulting from a swirling slipstream downstream of a propeller. Experimental data are presented demonstrating the presence of such losses and a propeller configuration discussed which offers improved propulsive performance when relatively highly-loaded propellers are employed.« less

Firm Efficiency and Returns-to-Scale in the Honey Bee Pollination Services Industry.

PubMed

Jones Ritten, Chian; Peck, Dannele; Ehmke, Mariah; Patalee, M A Buddhika

2018-04-03

While the demand for pollination services have been increasing, continued declines in honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies have put the cropping sector and the broader health of agro-ecosystems at risk. Economic factors may play a role in dwindling honey bee colony supply in the United States, but have not been extensively studied. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), we measure technical efficiency, returns to scale, and factors influencing the efficiency of those apiaries in the northern Rocky Mountain region participating in the pollination services market. We find that, although over 25% of apiaries are technically efficient, many experience either increasing or decreasing returns to scale. Smaller apiaries (under 80 colonies) experience increasing returns to scale, but a lack of available financing may hinder them from achieving economically sustainable colony levels. Larger apiaries (over 1,000 colonies) experience decreasing returns to scale. Those beekeepers may have economic incentivizes to decrease colony numbers. Using a double bootstrap method, we find that apiary location and off-farm employment influence apiary technical efficiency. Apiaries in Wyoming are found to be more efficient than those in Utah or Montana. Further, engagement in off-farm employment increases an apiary's technical efficiency. The combined effects of efficiency gains through off-farm employment and diseconomies of scale may explain, in part, the historical decline in honey bee numbers.

Efficiency Measurement of VANDLE Modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, William; Matei, C.; Cizewski, J. A.; O'Malley, P. D.; Spassova, I.; Bardayan, D.; Blackmon, J. C.; Brune, C.; Massey, T.; Grzywacz, R. K.; Madurga, M.; Sarazin, F.; Raiola, F.

2010-02-01

The Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE) is a new array of plastic scintillator bars being developed at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The modular design enables optimization of different configurations for particular experiments, such as (d,n) and beta-delayed neutron-decay experiments, with rare ion beams. Two prototype modules were moved to the Edwards Accelerator Laboratory at Ohio University to measure their efficiency using a calibrated ^27Al(d,n) reaction as a neutron source. Results show that one bar with a cross section of 3x3 cm^2 is over 25% efficient to neutrons around 1 MeV with sensitivity down to 100 keV neutrons. Other design features such as wrapping and coupling will be presented, as well as results from resolution tests. )

Energy Efficiency in Small Server Rooms: Field Surveys and Findings

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

Cheung, Iris; Greenberg, Steve; Mahdavi, Roozbeh

Fifty-seven percent of US servers are housed in server closets, server rooms, and localized data centers, in what are commonly referred to as small server rooms, which comprise 99percent of all server spaces in the US. While many mid-tier and enterprise-class data centers are owned by large corporations that consider energy efficiency a goal to minimize business operating costs, small server rooms typically are not similarly motivated. They are characterized by decentralized ownership and management and come in many configurations, which creates a unique set of efficiency challenges. To develop energy efficiency strategies for these spaces, we surveyed 30 smallmore » server rooms across eight institutions, and selected four of them for detailed assessments. The four rooms had Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) values ranging from 1.5 to 2.1. Energy saving opportunities ranged from no- to low-cost measures such as raising cooling set points and better airflow management, to more involved but cost-effective measures including server consolidation and virtualization, and dedicated cooling with economizers. We found that inefficiencies mainly resulted from organizational rather than technical issues. Because of the inherent space and resource limitations, the most effective measure is to operate servers through energy-efficient cloud-based services or well-managed larger data centers, rather than server rooms. Backup power requirement, and IT and cooling efficiency should be evaluated to minimize energy waste in the server space. Utility programs are instrumental in raising awareness and spreading technical knowledge on server operation, and the implementation of energy efficiency measures in small server rooms.« less

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

Technical features of curriculum-based measures for beginning writers.

PubMed

McMaster, Kristen L; Xiaoqing Du; Pétursdóttir, Anna-Lind

2009-01-01

The purpose of the two studies reported in this article was to examine technical features of curriculum-based measures for beginning writers. In Study 1, 50 first graders responded to word copying, sentence copying, and story prompts. In Study 2, 50 additional first graders responded to letter, picture-word, picture-theme, and photo prompts. In both studies, 3- to 5-minute prompts were administered in winter and spring and scored using a variety of quantitative procedures. Students were also administered the Test of Written Language-Third Edition , and teacher ratings and scores on a district rubric for writing were collected. Test-retest (Study 1 only) and alternate-form reliability, criterion validity, and winter-to-spring growth were examined for each measure. Sentence-copying, story, picture-word, and photo prompts emerged as promising beginning-writing measures. Findings have implications for monitoring student progress within a seamless and flexible system across ages and skill levels.

Compact and efficient blue laser sheet for measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yan; Wang, Yu; Wu, Bin; Wang, Yanwei; Yan, Boxia

2017-10-01

Compact and efficient blue laser sheet has important applications in the field of measurement, with laser diode end pumped Nd:YAG directly and LBO intracavity frequency doubling, a compact and efficient CW 473nm blue laser sheet composed of dual path liner blue laser is realized. At an incident pump power of 12.4W, up to 1.4W output power of the compound blue laser is achieved, the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is as high as 11.3%.

A novel pendulum test for measuring roller chain efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wragge-Morley, R.; Yon, J.; Lock, R.; Alexander, B.; Burgess, S.

2018-07-01

This paper describes a novel pendulum decay test for determining the transmission efficiency of chain drives. The test involves releasing a pendulum with an initial potential energy and measuring its decaying oscillations: under controlled conditions the decay reveals the losses in the transmission to a high degree of accuracy. The main advantage over motorised rigs is that there are significantly fewer sources of friction and inertia and hence measurement error. The pendulum rigs have an accuracy around 0.6% for the measurement of the coefficient of friction, giving an accuracy of transmission efficiency measurement around 0.012%. A theoretical model of chain friction combined with the equations of motion enables the coefficient of friction to be determined from the decay rate of pendulum velocity. The pendulum rigs operate at relatively low speeds. However, they allow an accurate determination of the coefficient of friction to estimate transmission efficiency at higher speeds. The pendulum rig revealed a previously undetected rocking behaviour in the chain links at very small articulation angles. In this regime, the link interfaces were observed to roll against one another rather than slide. This observation indicates that a very high-efficiency transmission can be achieved if the articulation angle is very low.

Measuring the efficiencies of visiting nurse service agencies using data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Yuki; Nagata, Satoko; Taguchi, Atsuko; Naruse, Takashi; Kawaguchi, Hiroyuki; Murashima, Sachiyo

2013-09-01

This study develops a measure of the efficiency of visiting nurse (VN) agencies in Japan, examining the issues related to the measurement of efficiency, and identifying the characteristics that influence efficiency. We have employed a data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of 108 VN agencies, using the numbers of 5 types of staff as the input variables and the numbers of 3 types of visits as the output variables. The median efficiency scores of the VN agencies were found to be 0.80 and 1.00 according to the constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) models, respectively, and the median scale efficiency score was 0.95. This study supports using both the CRS and VRS models to measure the scale efficiency of VN service agencies. We also found that relatively efficient VN agencies filled at least 30 % of staff positions with experienced workers, and so concluded that this characteristic has a direct influence on the length of visits.

10 CFR 431.16 - Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. 431.16 Section 431.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR... Methods of Determining Efficiency § 431.16 Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. For...

10 CFR 431.16 - Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. 431.16 Section 431.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR... Methods of Determining Efficiency § 431.16 Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. For...

Testing the performance of technical trading rules in the Chinese markets based on superior predictive test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shan; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Li, Sai-Ping; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2015-12-01

Technical trading rules have a long history of being used by practitioners in financial markets. The profitable ability and efficiency of technical trading rules are yet controversial. In this paper, we test the performance of more than seven thousand traditional technical trading rules on the Shanghai Securities Composite Index (SSCI) from May 21, 1992 through June 30, 2013 and China Securities Index 300 (CSI 300) from April 8, 2005 through June 30, 2013 to check whether an effective trading strategy could be found by using the performance measurements based on the return and Sharpe ratio. To correct for the influence of the data-snooping effect, we adopt the Superior Predictive Ability test to evaluate if there exists a trading rule that can significantly outperform the benchmark. The result shows that for SSCI, technical trading rules offer significant profitability, while for CSI 300, this ability is lost. We further partition the SSCI into two sub-series and find that the efficiency of technical trading in sub-series, which have exactly the same spanning period as that of CSI 300, is severely weakened. By testing the trading rules on both indexes with a five-year moving window, we find that during the financial bubble from 2005 to 2007, the effectiveness of technical trading rules is greatly improved. This is consistent with the predictive ability of technical trading rules which appears when the market is less efficient.

Determinants of School Efficiency: The Case of Primary Schools in the State of Geneva, Switzerland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huguenin, Jean-Marc

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is: to measure school technical efficiency and to identify the determinants of primary school performance. Design/Methodology/Approach: A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) of school efficiency is conducted. At the first stage, DEA is employed to calculate an individual efficiency score for each school. At…

Feed conversion efficiency in aquaculture: do we measure it correctly?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, Jillian P.; Mailloux, Nicholas A.; Love, David C.; Milli, Michael C.; Cao, Ling

2018-02-01

Globally, demand for food animal products is rising. At the same time, we face mounting, related pressures including limited natural resources, negative environmental externalities, climate disruption, and population growth. Governments and other stakeholders are seeking strategies to boost food production efficiency and food system resiliency, and aquaculture (farmed seafood) is commonly viewed as having a major role in improving global food security based on longstanding measures of animal production efficiency. The most widely used measurement is called the ‘feed conversion ratio’ (FCR), which is the weight of feed administered over the lifetime of an animal divided by weight gained. By this measure, fed aquaculture and chickens are similarly efficient at converting feed into animal biomass, and both are more efficient compared to pigs and cattle. FCR does not account for differences in feed content, edible portion of an animal, or nutritional quality of the final product. Given these limitations, we searched the literature for alternative efficiency measures and identified ‘nutrient retention’, which can be used to compare protein and calories in feed (inputs) and edible portions of animals (outputs). Protein and calorie retention have not been calculated for most aquaculture species. Focusing on commercial production, we collected data on feed composition, feed conversion ratios, edible portions (i.e. yield), and nutritional content of edible flesh for nine aquatic and three terrestrial farmed animal species. We estimate that 19% of protein and 10% of calories in feed for aquatic species are ultimately made available in the human food supply, with significant variation between species. Comparing all terrestrial and aquatic animals in the study, chickens are most efficient using these measures, followed by Atlantic salmon. Despite lower FCRs in aquaculture, protein and calorie retention for aquaculture production is comparable to livestock production

Measuring the Efficiency of a Hospital based on the Econometric Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) Method.

PubMed

Rezaei, Satar; Zandian, Hamed; Baniasadi, Akram; Moghadam, Telma Zahirian; Delavari, Somayeh; Delavari, Sajad

2016-02-01

Hospitals are the most expensive health services provider in the world. Therefore, the evaluation of their performance can be used to reduce costs. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of the hospitals at the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study that assessed the performance of Kurdistan teaching hospitals (n = 12) between 2007 and 2013. The Stochastic Frontier Analysis method was used to achieve this aim. The numbers of active beds, nurses, physicians, and other staff members were considered as input variables, while the inpatient admission was considered as the output. The data were analyzed using Frontier 4.1 software. The mean technical efficiency of the hospitals we studied was 0.67. The results of the Cobb-Douglas production function showed that the maximum elasticity was related to the active beds and the elasticity of nurses was negative. Also, the return to scale was increasing. The results of this study indicated that the performances of the hospitals were not appropriate in terms of technical efficiency. In addition, there was a capacity enhancement of the output of the hospitals, compared with the most efficient hospitals studied, of about33%. It is suggested that the effect of various factors, such as the quality of health care and the patients' satisfaction, be considered in the future studies to assess hospitals' performances.

Technical efficiency of teaching hospitals in Iran: the use of Stochastic Frontier Analysis, 1999–2011

PubMed Central

Goudarzi, Reza; Pourreza, Abolghasem; Shokoohi, Mostafa; Askari, Roohollah; Mahdavi, Mahdi; Moghri, Javad

2014-01-01

Background: Hospitals are highly resource-dependent settings, which spend a large proportion of healthcare financial resources. The analysis of hospital efficiency can provide insight into how scarce resources are used to create health values. This study examines the Technical Efficiency (TE) of 12 teaching hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) between 1999 and 2011. Methods: The Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) method was applied to estimate the efficiency of TUMS hospitals. A best function, referred to as output and input parameters, was calculated for the hospitals. Number of medical doctors, nurses, and other personnel, active beds, and outpatient admissions were considered as the input variables and number of inpatient admissions as an output variable. Results: The mean level of TE was 59% (ranging from 22 to 81%). During the study period the efficiency increased from 61 to 71%. Outpatient admission, other personnel and medical doctors significantly and positively affected the production (P< 0.05). Concerning the Constant Return to Scale (CRS), an optimal production scale was found, implying that the productions of the hospitals were approximately constant. Conclusion: Findings of this study show a remarkable waste of resources in the TUMS hospital during the decade considered. This warrants policy-makers and top management in TUMS to consider steps to improve the financial management of the university hospitals. PMID:25114947

Develop a Comprehensive Technical Training and Data Collection Program for Structural Welders and Fitters: Technical Proposal

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-30

implementation Final Report 4 TECHNICAL PLAN AND RESULTS Task 1: Initiate the Project Management System Two senior NGSS production management...1 Technical Plan and Results...Third the system is hosted on a handheld unit which provides the foremen with an efficient daily planning tool. The Pilot System which entails

Match-to-match variation in physical activity and technical skill measures in professional Australian Football.

PubMed

Kempton, Thomas; Sullivan, Courtney; Bilsborough, Johann C; Cordy, Justin; Coutts, Aaron J

2015-01-01

To determine the match-to-match variability in physical activity and technical performance measures in Australian Football, and examine the influence of playing position, time of season, and different seasons on these measures of variability. Longitudinal observational study. Global positioning system, accelerometer and technical performance measures (total kicks, handballs, possessions and Champion Data rank) were collected from 33 players competing in the Australian Football League over 31 matches during 2011-2012 (N=511 observations). The global positioning system data were categorised into total distance, mean speed (mmin(-1)), high-speed running (>14.4 kmh(-1)), very high-speed running (>19.9 kmh(-1)), and sprint (>23.0 kmh(-1)) distance while player load was collected from the accelerometer. The data were log transformed to provide coefficient of variation and the between subject standard deviation (expressed as percentages). Match-to-match variability was increased for higher speed activities (high-speed running, very high-speed running, sprint distance, coefficient of variation %: 13.3-28.6%) compared to global measures (speed, total distance, player load, coefficient of variation %: 5.3-9.2%). The between-match variability was relativity stable for all measures between and within AFL seasons, with only few differences between positions. Higher speed activities (high-speed running, very high-speed running, sprint distance), but excluding mean speed, total distance and player load, were all higher in the final third phase of the season compared to the start of the season. While global measures of physical performance are relatively stable, higher-speed activities and technical measures exhibit a large degree of between-match variability in Australian Football. However, these measures remain relatively stable between positions, and within and between Australian Football League seasons. Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Cost Effectiveness in Evaluation Technical Assistance: Different Aspects of Measuring Cost and Outcomes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estes, Gary D.

The paper focuses on the Title I Evaluation Technical Assistance Centers to illustrate issues of measuring costs and deciding on outcome criteria before promoting "cost-effective" approaches. Effects are illustrated for varying resource allocations among personnel, travel, materials, and phone costs as a function of emphasizing…

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Current Technical Performance Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochran, S.; Panas, M.; Jamilkowski, M. L.; Miller, S. W.

2015-12-01

ABSTRACT The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation civilian weather and environmental satellite system: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The Joint Polar Satellite System will replace the afternoon orbit component and ground processing system of the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA. The JPSS satellites will carry a suite of sensors designed to collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological and geophysical observations of the Earth. The ground processing system for JPSS is known as the JPSS Common Ground System (JPSS CGS). Developed and maintained by Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS), the CGS is a multi-mission enterprise system serving NOAA, NASA and their national and international partners. The CGS has demonstrated its scalability and flexibility to incorporate multiple missions efficiently and with minimal cost, schedule and risk, while strengthening global partnerships in weather and environmental monitoring. The CGS architecture is being upgraded to Block 2.0 in 2015 to "operationalize" S-NPP, leverage lessons learned to date in multi-mission support, take advantage of more reliable and efficient technologies, and satisfy new requirements and constraints in the continually evolving budgetary environment. To ensure the CGS meets these needs, we have developed 49 Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) across 10 categories, such as data latency, operational availability and scalability. This paper will provide an overview of the CGS Block 2.0 architecture, with particular focus on the 10 TPM categories listed above. We will provide updates on how we ensure the deployed architecture meets these TPMs to satisfy our multi-mission objectives with the deployment of Block 2.0.

Efficiency measurement of health care organizations: What models are used?

PubMed Central

Jaafaripooyan, Ebrahim; Emamgholipour, Sara; Raei, Behzad

2017-01-01

Background: Literature abounds with various techniques for efficiency measurement of health care organizations (HCOs), which should be used cautiously and appropriately. The present study aimed at discovering the rules regulating the interplay among the number of inputs, outputs, and decision- making units (DMUs) and identifying all methods used for the measurement of Iranian HCOs and critically appraising all DEA studies on Iranian HCOs in their application of such rules. Methods: The present study employed a systematic search of all studies related to efficiency measurement of Iranian HCOs. A search was conducted in different databases such as PubMed and Scopus between 2001 and 2015 to identify the studies related to the measurement in health care. The retrieved studies passed through a multi-stage (title, abstract, body) filtering process. Data extraction table for each study was completed and included method, number of inputs and outputs, DMUs, and their efficiency score. Results: Various methods were found for efficiency measurement. Overall, 122 studies were retrieved, of which 73 had exclusively employed DEA technique for measuring the efficiency of HCOs in Iran, and 23 with hybrid models (including DEA). Only 6 studies had explicitly used the rules of thumb. Conclusion: The number of inputs, outputs, and DMUs should be cautiously selected in DEA like techniques, as their proportionality can directly affect the discriminatory power of the technique. The given literature seemed to be, to a large extent, unsuccessful in attending to such proportionality. This study collected a list of key rules (of thumb) on the interplay of inputs, outputs, and DMUs, which could be considered by most researchers keen to apply DEA technique.

Measurement and simulation of thermoelectric efficiency for single leg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiaokai; Yamamoto, Atsushi; Ohta, Michihiro; Nishiate, Hirotaka

2015-04-01

Thermoelectric efficiency measurements were carried out on n-type bismuth telluride legs with the hot-side temperature at 100 and 150 °C. The electric power and heat flow were measured individually. Water coolant was utilized to maintain the cold-side temperature and to measure heat flow out of the cold side. Leg length and vacuum pressure were studied in terms of temperature difference across the leg, open-circuit voltage, internal resistance, and heat flow. Finite-element simulation on thermoelectric generation was performed in COMSOL Multiphysics, by inputting two-side temperatures and thermoelectric material properties. The open-circuit voltage and resistance were in good agreement between the measurement and simulation. Much larger heat flows were found in measurements, since they were comprised of conductive, convective, and radiative contributions. Parasitic heat flow was measured in the absence of bismuth telluride leg, and the conductive heat flow was then available. Finally, the maximum thermoelectric efficiency was derived in accordance with the electric power and the conductive heat flow.

Generation of a Parabolic Trough Collector Efficiency Curve from Separate Measurements of Outdoor Optical Efficiency and Indoor Receiver Heat Loss: Preprint

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

Kutscher, C.; Burkholder, F.; Stynes, K.

2010-10-01

The overall efficiency of a parabolic trough collector is a function of both the fraction of direct normal radiation absorbed by the receiver (the optical efficiency) and the heat lost to the environment when the receiver is at operating temperature. The overall efficiency can be determined by testing the collector under actual operating conditions or by separately measuring these two components. This paper describes how outdoor measurement of the optical efficiency is combined with laboratory measurements of receiver heat loss to obtain an overall efficiency curve. Further, it presents a new way to plot efficiency that is more robust overmore » a range of receiver operating temperatures.« less

[Evaluating the efficiency of basic public health service project in Beijing rural areas based on data envelopment analysis].

PubMed

Zhang, Gui-lin; Pan, Xi-long

2013-04-18

To measure the efficiency changes of basic public health service in Beijing rural areas and to provide some suggestions for the basic public health service project throughout China. In the study, stratified random samples from 32 township health centers (THCs) were measured by data envelopment analysis (DEA) model with the panel data from 2007 to 2009. (1) The average total efficiency score of samples was 0.972. The TE non-efficient THCs were with excess in all input indicators and insufficient outputs in technology management, health promotion and chronic disease management. (2) The total factor productivity (TFP) from 2007 to 2008 increased 8.8%, which was attributed to technology change. The TFP decreased by 6.6% from 2008 to 2009, but the technical efficiency increased by 3.3%. There is room for improvemrnt in the basic public health service project in Beijing rural areas. Scale efficiency should be improved and the common development of technical efficiency and technology progress promoted in order to increase the project outputs.

10 CFR 431.444 - Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. 431.444 Section 431.444 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR... procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. (a) Scope. Pursuant to section 346(b)(1) of EPCA, this...

10 CFR 431.444 - Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Test procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. 431.444 Section 431.444 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR... procedures for the measurement of energy efficiency. (a) Scope. Pursuant to section 346(b)(1) of EPCA, this...

Patient Transfers and Risk of Back Injury: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study With Technical Measurements of Exposure.

PubMed

Vinstrup, Jonas; Madeleine, Pascal; Jakobsen, Markus Due; Jay, Kenneth; Andersen, Lars Louis

2017-11-08

More than one third of nurses experience musculoskeletal pain several times during a normal work week. Consistent use of assistive devices during patient transfers is associated with a lower risk of occupational back injuries and low back pain (LBP). While uncertainties exist regarding which type of assistive devices most efficiently prevent LBP, exposure assessments using technological advancements allow for quantification of muscle load and body positions during common work tasks. The main objectives of this study are (1) to quantify low back and neck/shoulder muscle load in Danish nurses during patient transfers performed with different types of assistive devices, and (2) to combine the exposure profile for each type of assistive device with fortnightly questionnaires to identify the importance of muscle load (intensity and frequency of transfers) and body position (degree of back inclination and frequency) on LBP intensity and risk of back injury during a patient transfer. A combination of technical measurements (n=50) and a prospective study design (n=2000) will be applied on a cohort of female nurses in Danish hospitals. The technical measurements will be comprised of surface electromyography and accelerometers, with the aim of quantifying muscle load and body positions during various patient transfers, including different types of assistive devices throughout a workday. The study will thereby gather measurements during real-life working conditions. The prospective cohort study will consist of questionnaires at baseline and 1-year follow-up, as well as follow-up via email every other week for one year on questions regarding the frequency of patient transfers, use of assistive devices, intensity of LBP, and back injuries related to patient transfers. The objective measurements on muscle load and body positions during patient handlings will be applied to the fortnightly replies regarding frequency of patient transfer and use of different assistive devices, in

Energy Efficiency of Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soares, Nelson; Pereira, Luísa Dias; Ferreira, João; Conceição, Pedro; da Silva, Patrícia Pereira

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to propose an energy efficiency plan (with technical and behavioural improvement measures) for a Portuguese higher education building--the Teaching Building of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC). Design/methodology/approach: The study was developed in the context of both the "Green…

Efficiency and concentration ratio measurements of fluorescent solar concentrators using a xenon measurement system.

PubMed

Heidler, K

1981-03-01

An indoor test stand for fluorescent planar concentrator-collectors (FPC) with a 1.6-kW xenon light source, irradiating a rectangular triangle (active area 400 cm(2)) with 82 mW cm(-2), and a typical homogeneity of +/-10% is described in detail. Conditions and definitions for the efficiency measurements are discussed, taking intensity and reflection effects into account. As an illustration FPC efficiency and concentration ratios are reported (best optical efficiency was 7.5% for a single-plate one-dye FPC), the influence of thickness variation is discussed, and an enhancement in solar cell efficiency is demonstrated.

Apparatus and method for measuring single cell and sub-cellular photosynthetic efficiency

DOEpatents

Davis, Ryan Wesley; Singh, Seema; Wu, Huawen

2013-07-09

Devices for measuring single cell changes in photosynthetic efficiency in algal aquaculture are disclosed that include a combination of modulated LED trans-illumination of different intensities with synchronized through objective laser illumination and confocal detection. Synchronization and intensity modulation of a dual illumination scheme were provided using a custom microcontroller for a laser beam block and constant current LED driver. Therefore, single whole cell photosynthetic efficiency, and subcellular (diffraction limited) photosynthetic efficiency measurement modes are permitted. Wide field rapid light scanning actinic illumination is provided for both by an intensity modulated 470 nm LED. For the whole cell photosynthetic efficiency measurement, the same LED provides saturating pulses for generating photosynthetic induction curves. For the subcellular photosynthetic efficiency measurement, a switched through objective 488 nm laser provides saturating pulses for generating photosynthetic induction curves. A second near IR LED is employed to generate dark adapted states in the system under study.

Measuring Efficiency of Knowledge Production in Health Research Centers Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): A Case Study in Iran

PubMed Central

Amiri, Mohammad Meskarpour; Nasiri, Taha; Saadat, Seyed Hassan; Anabad, Hosein Amini; Ardakan, Payman Mahboobi

2016-01-01

Introduction Efficiency analysis is necessary in order to avoid waste of materials, energy, effort, money, and time during scientific research. Therefore, analyzing efficiency of knowledge production in health areas is necessary, especially for developing and in-transition countries. As the first step in this field, the aim of this study was the analysis of selected health research center efficiency using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Methods This retrospective and applied study was conducted in 2015 using input and output data of 16 health research centers affiliated with a health sciences university in Iran during 2010–2014. The technical efficiency of health research centers was evaluated based on three basic data envelopment analysis (DEA) models: input-oriented, output-oriented, and hyperbolic-oriented. The input and output data of each health research center for years 2010–2014 were collected from the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHE) profile and analyzed by R software. Results The mean efficiency score in input-oriented, output-oriented, and hyperbolic-oriented models was 0.781, 0.671, and 0.798, respectively. Based on results of the study, half of the health research centers are operating below full efficiency, and about one-third of them are operating under the average efficiency level. There is also a large gap between health research center efficiency relative to each other. Conclusion It is necessary for health research centers to improve their efficiency in knowledge production through better management of available resources. The higher level of efficiency in a significant number of health research centers is achievable through more efficient management of human resources and capital. Further research is needed to measure and follow the efficiency of knowledge production by health research centers around the world and over a period of time. PMID:28344756

Measuring Efficiency of Knowledge Production in Health Research Centers Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): A Case Study in Iran.

PubMed

Amiri, Mohammad Meskarpour; Nasiri, Taha; Saadat, Seyed Hassan; Anabad, Hosein Amini; Ardakan, Payman Mahboobi

2016-11-01

Efficiency analysis is necessary in order to avoid waste of materials, energy, effort, money, and time during scientific research. Therefore, analyzing efficiency of knowledge production in health areas is necessary, especially for developing and in-transition countries. As the first step in this field, the aim of this study was the analysis of selected health research center efficiency using data envelopment analysis (DEA). This retrospective and applied study was conducted in 2015 using input and output data of 16 health research centers affiliated with a health sciences university in Iran during 2010-2014. The technical efficiency of health research centers was evaluated based on three basic data envelopment analysis (DEA) models: input-oriented, output-oriented, and hyperbolic-oriented. The input and output data of each health research center for years 2010-2014 were collected from the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHE) profile and analyzed by R software. The mean efficiency score in input-oriented, output-oriented, and hyperbolic-oriented models was 0.781, 0.671, and 0.798, respectively. Based on results of the study, half of the health research centers are operating below full efficiency, and about one-third of them are operating under the average efficiency level. There is also a large gap between health research center efficiency relative to each other. It is necessary for health research centers to improve their efficiency in knowledge production through better management of available resources. The higher level of efficiency in a significant number of health research centers is achievable through more efficient management of human resources and capital. Further research is needed to measure and follow the efficiency of knowledge production by health research centers around the world and over a period of time.

The application of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) window analysis in the assessment of influence on operational efficiencies after the establishment of branched hospitals.

PubMed

Jia, Tongying; Yuan, Huiyun

2017-04-12

Many large-scaled public hospitals have established branched hospitals in China. This study is to provide evidence for strategy making on the management and development of multi-branched hospitals by evaluating and comparing the operational efficiencies of different hospitals before and after their establishment of branched hospitals. DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) window analysis was performed on a 7-year data pool from five public hospitals provided by health authorities and institutional surveys. The operational efficiencies of sample hospitals measured in this study (including technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency) had overall trends towards increase during this 7-year period of time, however, a temporary downturn occurred shortly after the establishment of branched hospitals; pure technical efficiency contributed more to the improvement of technical efficiency compared to scale efficiency. The establishment of branched-hospitals did not lead to a long-term negative effect on hospital operational efficiencies. Our data indicated the importance of improving scale efficiency via the optimization of organizational management, as well as the advantage of a different form of branch-establishment, merging and reorganization. This study brought an insight into the practical application of DEA window analysis on the assessment of hospital operational efficiencies.

Work Measurement as a Generalized Quantum Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roncaglia, Augusto J.; Cerisola, Federico; Paz, Juan Pablo

2014-12-01

We present a new method to measure the work w performed on a driven quantum system and to sample its probability distribution P (w ). The method is based on a simple fact that remained unnoticed until now: Work on a quantum system can be measured by performing a generalized quantum measurement at a single time. Such measurement, which technically speaking is denoted as a positive operator valued measure reduces to an ordinary projective measurement on an enlarged system. This observation not only demystifies work measurement but also suggests a new quantum algorithm to efficiently sample the distribution P (w ). This can be used, in combination with fluctuation theorems, to estimate free energies of quantum states on a quantum computer.

A two-stage DEA approach for environmental efficiency measurement.

PubMed

Song, Malin; Wang, Shuhong; Liu, Wei

2014-05-01

The slacks-based measure (SBM) model based on the constant returns to scale has achieved some good results in addressing the undesirable outputs, such as waste water and water gas, in measuring environmental efficiency. However, the traditional SBM model cannot deal with the scenario in which desirable outputs are constant. Based on the axiomatic theory of productivity, this paper carries out a systematic research on the SBM model considering undesirable outputs, and further expands the SBM model from the perspective of network analysis. The new model can not only perform efficiency evaluation considering undesirable outputs, but also calculate desirable and undesirable outputs separately. The latter advantage successfully solves the "dependence" problem of outputs, that is, we can not increase the desirable outputs without producing any undesirable outputs. The following illustration shows that the efficiency values obtained by two-stage approach are smaller than those obtained by the traditional SBM model. Our approach provides a more profound analysis on how to improve environmental efficiency of the decision making units.

Generation of a Parabolic Trough Collector Efficiency Curve from Separate Measurements of Outdoor Optical Efficiency and Indoor Receiver Heat Loss

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

Kutscher, C.; Burkholder, F.; Stynes, J. K.

2012-02-01

The thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough collector is a function of both the fraction of direct normal radiation absorbed by the receiver (the optical efficiency) and the heat lost to the environment when the receiver is at operating temperature. The thermal efficiency can be determined by testing the collector under actual operating conditions or by separately measuring these two components. This paper describes how outdoor measurement of the optical efficiency is combined with laboratory measurements of receiver heat loss to obtain the thermal efficiency curve. This paper describes this approach and also makes the case that there are advantagesmore » to plotting collector efficiency versus the difference between the operating temperature and the ambient temperature at which the receiver heat loss was measured divided by radiation to a fractional power (on the order of 1/3 but obtained via data regression) - as opposed to the difference between operating and ambient temperatures divided by the radiation. The results are shown to be robust over wide ranges of ambient temperature, sky temperature, and wind speed.« less

Energy efficiency opportunities in the brewery industry

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

Worrell, Ernst; Galitsky, Christina; Martin, Nathan

2002-06-28

Breweries in the United States spend annually over $200 Million on energy. Energy consumption is equal to 3-8% of the production costs of beer, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs, especially in times of high energy price volatility. After a summary of the beer making process and energy use, we examine energy efficiency opportunities available for breweries. We provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies that have implemented the measures, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have also listed typical payback periods. Our findings suggestmore » that there may still be opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively for breweries. Major brewing companies have and will continue to spend capital on cost effective measures that do not impact the quality of the beer. Further research on the economics of the measures, as well as their applicability to different brewing practices, is needed to assess implementation of selected technologies at individual breweries.« less

Material efficiency: providing material services with less material production.

PubMed

Allwood, Julian M; Ashby, Michael F; Gutowski, Timothy G; Worrell, Ernst

2013-03-13

Material efficiency, as discussed in this Meeting Issue, entails the pursuit of the technical strategies, business models, consumer preferences and policy instruments that would lead to a substantial reduction in the production of high-volume energy-intensive materials required to deliver human well-being. This paper, which introduces a Discussion Meeting Issue on the topic of material efficiency, aims to give an overview of current thinking on the topic, spanning environmental, engineering, economics, sociology and policy issues. The motivations for material efficiency include reducing energy demand, reducing the emissions and other environmental impacts of industry, and increasing national resource security. There are many technical strategies that might bring it about, and these could mainly be implemented today if preferred by customers or producers. However, current economic structures favour the substitution of material for labour, and consumer preferences for material consumption appear to continue even beyond the point at which increased consumption provides any increase in well-being. Therefore, policy will be required to stimulate material efficiency. A theoretically ideal policy measure, such as a carbon price, would internalize the externality of emissions associated with material production, and thus motivate change directly. However, implementation of such a measure has proved elusive, and instead the adjustment of existing government purchasing policies or existing regulations-- for instance to do with building design, planning or vehicle standards--is likely to have a more immediate effect.

75 FR 2860 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee...

Measuring and explaining multi-directional inefficiency in the Malaysian dairy industry.

PubMed

Mohd Suhaimi, Nurul Aisyah Binti; de Mey, Yann; Oude Lansink, Alfons

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to measure the technical inefficiency of dairy farms and subsequently investigate the factors affecting technical inefficiency in the Malaysian dairy industry. This study uses multi-directional efficiency analysis to measure the technical inefficiency scores on a sample of 200 farm observations and single-bootstrap truncated regression model to define factors affecting technical inefficiency. Managerial and program inefficiency scores are presented for intensive and semi-intensive production systems. The results reveal marked differences in the inefficiency scores across inputs and between production systems. Intensive systems generally have lowest managerial and program inefficiency scores in the Malaysian dairy farming sector. Policy makers could use this information to advise dairy farmers to convert their farming system to the intensive system. The results suggest that the Malaysian Government should redefine its policy for providing farm finance and should target young farmers when designing training and extension programs in order to improve the performance of the dairy sector. The existing literature on Southeast Asian dairy farming has neither focused on investigating input-specific efficiency nor on comparing managerial and program efficiency. This paper aims to fill this gap.

Measuring mixing efficiency in experiments of strongly stratified turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augier, P.; Campagne, A.; Valran, T.; Calpe Linares, M.; Mohanan, A. V.; Micard, D.; Viboud, S.; Segalini, A.; Mordant, N.; Sommeria, J.; Lindborg, E.

2017-12-01

Oceanic and atmospheric models need better parameterization of the mixing efficiency. Therefore, we need to measure this quantity for flows representative of geophysical flows, both in terms of types of flows (with vortices and/or waves) and of dynamical regimes. In order to reach sufficiently large Reynolds number for strongly stratified flows, experiments for which salt is used to produce the stratification have to be carried out in a large rotating platform of at least 10-meter diameter.We present new experiments done in summer 2017 to study experimentally strongly stratified turbulence and mixing efficiency in the Coriolis platform. The flow is forced by a slow periodic movement of an array of large vertical or horizontal cylinders. The velocity field is measured by 3D-2C scanned horizontal particles image velocimetry (PIV) and 2D vertical PIV. Six density-temperature probes are used to measure vertical and horizontal profiles and signals at fixed positions.We will show how we rely heavily on open-science methods for this study. Our new results on the mixing efficiency will be presented and discussed in terms of mixing parameterization.

Localizer Flight Technical Error Measurement and Uncertainty

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-18

Recent United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wake turbulence research conducted at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (The Volpe Center) has continued to monitor the representative localizer Flight Technical Error ...

Measuring hospital efficiency--comparing four European countries.

PubMed

Mateus, Céu; Joaquim, Inês; Nunes, Carla

2015-02-01

Performing international comparisons on efficiency usually has two main drawbacks: the lack of comparability of data from different countries and the appropriateness and adequacy of data selected for efficiency measurement. With inpatient discharges for four countries, some of the problems of data comparability usually found in international comparisons were mitigated. The objectives are to assess and compare hospital efficiency levels within and between countries, using stochastic frontier analysis with both cross-sectional and panel data. Data from English (2005-2008), Portuguese (2002-2009), Spanish (2003-2009) and Slovenian (2005-2009) hospital discharges and characteristics are used. Weighted hospital discharges were considered as outputs while the number of employees, physicians, nurses and beds were selected as inputs of the production function. Stochastic frontier analysis using both cross-sectional and panel data were performed, as well as ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis. The adequacy of the data was assessed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Breusch-Pagan/Cook-Weisberg tests. Data available results were redundant to perform efficiency measurements using stochastic frontier analysis with cross-sectional data. The likelihood ratio test reveals that in cross-sectional data stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is not statistically different from OLS in Portuguese data, while SFA and OLS estimates are statistically different for Spanish, Slovenian and English data. In the panel data, the inefficiency term is statistically different from 0 in the four countries in analysis, though for Portugal it is still close to 0. Panel data are preferred over cross-section analysis because results are more robust. For all countries except Slovenia, beds and employees are relevant inputs for the production process. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Non-technical skills assessment for prelicensure nursing students: An integrative review.

PubMed

Pires, Sara; Monteiro, Sara; Pereira, Anabela; Chaló, Daniela; Melo, Elsa; Rodrigues, Alexandre

2017-11-01

In nursing, non-technical skills are recognized as playing an important role to increase patient safety and successful clinical outcomes (Pearson and McLafferty, 2011). Non-technical skills are cognitive and social resource skills that complement technical skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance (Flin et al., 2008). In order to effectively provide non-technical skills training, it is essential to have an instrument to measure these skills. An online search was conducted. Articles were selected if they referred to and/or described instruments assessing non-technical skills for nurses and/or prelicensure nursing students in educational, clinical and/or simulated settings with validation evidence (inclusion criteria). Of the 53 articles located, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Those referred to and/or described 16 instruments with validation evidence developed to assess non-technical skills in multidisciplinary teams including nurses. Although articles have shown 16 valid and reliable instruments, to our knowledge, no instrument has been published or developed and validated for the assessment of non-technical skills of only nurses in general, relevant for use in high-fidelity simulation-based training for prelicensure nursing students. Therefore, there is a need for the development of such an instrument. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance and efficiency of geotextile-supported erosion control measures during simulated rainfall events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obriejetan, Michael; Rauch, Hans Peter; Florineth, Florin

2013-04-01

Erosion control systems consisting of technical and biological components are widely accepted and proven to work well if installed properly with regard to site-specific parameters. A wide range of implementation measures for this specific protection purpose is existent and new, in particular technical solutions are constantly introduced into the market. Nevertheless, especially vegetation aspects of erosion control measures are frequently disregarded and should be considered enhanced against the backdrop of the development and realization of adaptation strategies in an altering environment due to climate change associated effects. Technical auxiliaries such as geotextiles typically used for slope protection (nettings, blankets, turf reinforcement mats etc.) address specific features and due to structural and material diversity, differing effects on sediment yield, surface runoff and vegetational development seem evident. Nevertheless there is a knowledge gap concerning the mutual interaction processes between technical and biological components respectively specific comparable data on erosion-reducing effects of technical-biological erosion protection systems are insufficient. In this context, an experimental arrangement was set up to study the correlated influences of geotextiles and vegetation and determine its (combined) effects on surface runoff and soil loss during simulated heavy rainfall events. Sowing vessels serve as testing facilities which are filled with top soil under application of various organic and synthetic geotextiles and by using a reliable drought resistant seed mixture. Regular vegetational monitoring as well as two rainfall simulation runs with four repetitions of each variant were conducted. Therefore a portable rainfall simulator with standardized rainfall intensity of 240 mm h-1 and three minute rainfall duration was used to stress these systems on different stages of plant development at an inclination of 30 degrees. First results show

Efficiency in the European agricultural sector: environment and resources.

PubMed

Moutinho, Victor; Madaleno, Mara; Macedo, Pedro; Robaina, Margarita; Marques, Carlos

2018-04-22

This article intends to compute agriculture technical efficiency scores of 27 European countries during the period 2005-2012, using both data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) with a generalized cross-entropy (GCE) approach, for comparison purposes. Afterwards, by using the scores as dependent variable, we apply quantile regressions using a set of possible influencing variables within the agricultural sector able to explain technical efficiency scores. Results allow us to conclude that although DEA and SFA are quite distinguishable methodologies, and despite attained results are different in terms of technical efficiency scores, both are able to identify analogously the worst and better countries. They also suggest that it is important to include resources productivity and subsidies in determining technical efficiency due to its positive and significant exerted influence.

Efficiency Measurement Using a Motor-Dynamo Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Pun-hon; Wong, Siu-ling; Mak, Se-yuen

2009-01-01

In this article, we describe a simple method which can be used to measure the efficiency of a low power dc motor, a motor-converted dynamo and a coupled motor-dynamo module as a function of the speed of rotation. The result can also be used to verify Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)

Technical Nuances of Exposing Rat Common Carotid Arteries for Practicing Microsurgical Anastomosis.

PubMed

Tayebi Meybodi, Ali; Aklinski, Joseph; Gandhi, Sirin; Lawton, Michael T; Preul, Mark C

2018-04-17

Animal models are commonly used in training protocols for microsurgical vascular anastomosis. Rat common carotid arteries (CCAs) are frequently used for this purpose. Much attention has been paid to the technical details of various anastomosis configurations using these arteries. However, technical nuances of exposing rat CCAs have been understudied. The purpose of this study is to describe nuances of technique for safely and efficiently exposing rat CCAs in preparation for a vascular anastomosis. Bilateral CCAs were exposed and prepared for anastomosis in 10 anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats through a midline cervical incision. The exposed length of the CCA was measured. Additionally, technical nuances of exposure and surgically relevant anatomic details were recorded. The CCAs were exposed from the sternoclavicular joint to their bifurcation (average length, 19.1 ± 2.8 mm). Tenets important for a safe and efficient exposure of the CCAs included 1) generous subcutaneous dissection to expose the external jugular veins (EJVs), 2) avoiding injury to or compression of the EJVs, 3) superior mobilization of the salivary glands, 4) division of internal jugular veins, 5) opening the carotid sheath at its midlevel and from medial to lateral, and 6) avoiding injury to the vagus nerve or sympathetic trunk. Using the principles introduced in this study, trainees may safely and efficiently expose rat CCAs in preparation for a bypass. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-Time Measurement of Machine Efficiency during Inertia Friction Welding.

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

Tung, Daniel Joseph; Mahaffey, David; Senkov, Oleg

Process efficiency is a crucial parameter for inertia friction welding (IFW) that is largely unknown at the present time. A new method has been developed to determine the transient profile of the IFW process efficiency by comparing the workpiece torque used to heat and deform the joint region to the total torque. Particularly, the former is measured by a torque load cell attached to the non-rotating workpiece while the latter is calculated from the deceleration rate of flywheel rotation. The experimentally-measured process efficiency for IFW of AISI 1018 steel rods is validated independently by the upset length estimated from anmore » analytical equation of heat balance and the flash profile calculated from a finite element based thermal stress model. The transient behaviors of torque and efficiency during IFW are discussed based on the energy loss to machine bearings and the bond formation at the joint interface.« less

Infrared measurements of a scramjet exhaust. [to determine combustion efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, R. A.; Slack, M. W.

1980-01-01

Diagnostic 2 - 5 mm infrared spectra of a hydrogen burning scramjet exhaust were measured with an interferometer spectrometer. Exhaust gas temperatures and water vapor partial pressures were determined from the observed intensity and spectral profile of the H2O 2.7 mm infrared emission band. Overall engine combustion efficiencies were derived by combining these measurements with the known engine operating conditions. Efficiencies fall (70 - 50 percent) as fuel equivalence ratios rise (0.4 - 1.0). Data analysis techniques and sensitivity studies are also presented.

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

Detecting measurement outliers: remeasure efficiently

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullrich, Albrecht

2010-09-01

Shrinking structures, advanced optical proximity correction (OPC) and complex measurement strategies continually challenge critical dimension (CD) metrology tools and recipe creation processes. One important quality ensuring task is the control of measurement outlier behavior. Outliers could trigger false positive alarm for specification violations impacting cycle time or potentially yield. Constant high level of outliers not only deteriorates cycle time but also puts unnecessary stress on tool operators leading eventually to human errors. At tool level the sources of outliers are natural variations (e.g. beam current etc.), drifts, contrast conditions, focus determination or pattern recognition issues, etc. Some of these can result from suboptimal or even wrong recipe settings, like focus position or measurement box size. Such outliers, created by an automatic recipe creation process faced with more complicated structures, would manifest itself rather as systematic variation of measurements than the one caused by 'pure' tool variation. I analyzed several statistical methods to detect outliers. These range from classical outlier tests for extrema, robust metrics like interquartile range (IQR) to methods evaluating the distribution of different populations of measurement sites, like the Cochran test. The latter suits especially the detection of systematic effects. The next level of outlier detection entwines additional information about the mask and the manufacturing process with the measurement results. The methods were reviewed for measured variations assumed to be normally distributed with zero mean but also for the presence of a statistically significant spatial process signature. I arrive at the conclusion that intelligent outlier detection can influence the efficiency and cycle time of CD metrology greatly. In combination with process information like target, typical platform variation and signature, one can tailor the detection to the needs of the photomask

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.

Measuring the efficiency of Palestinian public hospitals during 2010-2015: an application of a two-stage DEA method.

PubMed

Sultan, Wasim I M; Crispim, José

2018-05-29

While health needs and expenditure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are growing, the international donations are declining and the economic situation is worsening. The purpose of this paper is twofold, to evaluate the productive efficiency of public hospitals in West Bank and to study contextual factors contributing to efficiency differences. This study examined technical efficiency among 11 public hospitals in West Bank from 2010 through 2015 targeting a total of 66 observations. Nationally representative data were extracted from the official annual health reports. We applied input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models to estimate efficiency scores. To elaborate further on performance, we used Tobit regression to identify contextual factors whose impact on inefficient performance is statistically significant. Despite the increase in efficiency mean scores by 4% from 2010 to 2015, findings show potential savings of 14.5% of resource consumption without reducing the volume of the provided services. The significant Tobit model showed four predictors explaining the inefficient performance of a hospital (p <  0.01) are: bed occupancy rate (BOR); the outpatient-inpatient ratio (OPIPR); hospital's size (SIZE); and the availability of primary healthcare centers within the hospital's catchment area (PRC). There is a strong effect of OPIPR on efficiency differences between hospitals: A one unit increase in OPIPR will lead a decrease of 19.7% in the predicted inefficiency level holding all other factors constant. To date, no previous studies have examined the efficiency of public hospitals in the OPT. Our work identified their efficiency levels for potential improvements and the determinants of efficient performance. Based on the measurement of efficiency, the generated information may guide hospitals' managers, policymakers, and international donors improving the performance of the main national healthcare provider. The scope of this study is

Efficiency and productivity of hospitals in Vietnam.

PubMed

Pham, Thuy Linh

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative efficiency and productivity of hospitals during the health reform process. Data envelopment analyses method (DEA) with the input-oriented variable-returns-to-scale model was used to calculate efficiency scores. Malmquist total factor productivity index approach was then employed to calculate productivity of hospitals. Data of 101 hospitals was extracted from databases of the Ministry of Health, Vietnam from the years 1998 to 2006. There was evidence of improvement in overall technical efficiency from 65 per cent in 1998 to 76 per cent in 2006. Hospitals' productivity progressed around 1.4 per cent per year, which was mainly due to the technical efficiency improvement. Furthermore, provincial hospitals were more technically efficient than their central counterparts and hospitals located in different regions performed differently. The paper provides an insight in the performance of Vietnamese public hospitals that has been rarely examined before and contributes to the existing literature of hospital performance in developing countries

Technical intelligence and culture: Nut cracking in humans and chimpanzees.

PubMed

Boesch, Christophe; Bombjaková, Daša; Boyette, Adam; Meier, Amelia

2017-06-01

According to the technical intelligence hypothesis, humans are superior to all other animal species in understanding and using tools. However, the vast majority of comparative studies between humans and chimpanzees, both proficient tool users, have not controlled for the effects of age, prior knowledge, past experience, rearing conditions, or differences in experimental procedures. We tested whether humans are superior to chimpanzees in selecting better tools, using them more dexteriously, achieving higher performance and gaining access to more resource as predicted under the technical intelligence hypothesis. Aka and Mbendjele hunter-gatherers in the rainforest of Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, respectively, and Taï chimpanzees in the rainforest of Côte d'Ivoire were observed cracking hard Panda oleosa nuts with different tools, as well as the soft Coula edulis and Elaeis guinensis nuts. The nut-cracking techniques, hammer material selection and two efficiency measures were compared. As predicted, the Aka and the Mbendjele were able to exploit more species of hard nuts in the forest than chimpanzees. However, the chimpanzees were sometimes more efficient than the humans. Social roles differed between the two species, with the Aka and especially the Mbendjele exhibiting cooperation between nut-crackers whereas the chimpanzees were mainly individualistic. Observations of nut-cracking by humans and chimpanzees only partially supported the technical intelligence hypothesis as higher degrees of flexibility in tool selection seen in chimpanzees compensated for use of less efficient tool material than in humans. Nut cracking was a stronger social undertaking in humans than in chimpanzees. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Material efficiency: providing material services with less material production

PubMed Central

Allwood, Julian M.; Ashby, Michael F.; Gutowski, Timothy G.; Worrell, Ernst

2013-01-01

Material efficiency, as discussed in this Meeting Issue, entails the pursuit of the technical strategies, business models, consumer preferences and policy instruments that would lead to a substantial reduction in the production of high-volume energy-intensive materials required to deliver human well-being. This paper, which introduces a Discussion Meeting Issue on the topic of material efficiency, aims to give an overview of current thinking on the topic, spanning environmental, engineering, economics, sociology and policy issues. The motivations for material efficiency include reducing energy demand, reducing the emissions and other environmental impacts of industry, and increasing national resource security. There are many technical strategies that might bring it about, and these could mainly be implemented today if preferred by customers or producers. However, current economic structures favour the substitution of material for labour, and consumer preferences for material consumption appear to continue even beyond the point at which increased consumption provides any increase in well-being. Therefore, policy will be required to stimulate material efficiency. A theoretically ideal policy measure, such as a carbon price, would internalize the externality of emissions associated with material production, and thus motivate change directly. However, implementation of such a measure has proved elusive, and instead the adjustment of existing government purchasing policies or existing regulations— for instance to do with building design, planning or vehicle standards—is likely to have a more immediate effect. PMID:23359746

Preschool Racial Attitude Measure II (PRAM II): Technical Report #1: 1970-71 Standardization Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, John E.

This report provides detailed technical information concerning the Preschool Racial Attitude Measure II (PRAM II) a method for assessing the attitudes of pre-literate children toward light- and dark-skinned individuals. Several major changes were involved in the PRAM II revision: (1) the length was doubled, (2) the general artistic quality of the…

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Technical Performance Measures of the Block 2 Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, K. D.; Panas, M.

2016-12-01

NOAA and NASA are jointly acquiring the next-generation civilian weather satellite system: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). JPSS replaced the afternoon orbit component and ground processing of NOAA's old POES system. JPSS satellites carry sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological, and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere, and space. The ground processing system for JPSS is known as the JPSS Common Ground System (JPSS CGS). Developed and maintained by Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS), the CGS is a globally distributed, multi-mission system serving NOAA, NASA and their national and international partners. The CGS has demonstrated its scalability and flexibility to incorporate multiple missions efficiently and with minimal cost, schedule and risk, while strengthening global partnerships in weather and environmental monitoring. The CGS architecture has been upgraded to Block 2.0 to satisfy several key objectives, including: "operationalizing" the first satellite, Suomi NPP, which originally was a risk reduction mission; leveraging lessons learned in multi-mission support, taking advantage of newer, more reliable and efficient technologies and satisfying constraints due of the continually evolving budgetary environment. To ensure the CGS meets these needs, we have developed 48 Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) across 9 categories: Data Availability, Data Latency, Operational Availability, Margin, Scalability, Situational Awareness, Transition (between environments and sites), WAN Efficiency, and Data Recovery Processing. This paper will provide an overview of the CGS Block 2.0 architecture, with particular focus on the 9 TPM categories listed above. We will describe how we ensure the deployed architecture meets these TPMs to satisfy our multi-mission objectives with the deployment of Block 2.0.

Efficiency and productivity measurement of rural township hospitals in China: a bootstrapping data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhaohui; Cai, Miao; Tao, Hongbing; He, Zhifei; Lin, Xiaojun; Lin, Haifeng; Zuo, Yuling

2016-11-11

Township hospitals (THs) are important components of the three-tier rural healthcare system of China. However, the efficiency and productivity of THs have been questioned since the healthcare reform was implemented in 2009. The objective of this study is to analyse the efficiency and productivity changes in THs before and after the reform process. A total of 48 sample THs were selected from the Xiaogan Prefecture in Hubei Province from 2008 to 2014. First, bootstrapping data envelopment analysis (DEA) was performed to estimate the technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE) of the sample THs during the period. Second, the bootstrapping Malmquist productivity index was used to calculate the productivity changes over time. The average TE, PTE and SE of the sample THs over the 7-year period were 0.5147, 0.6373 and 0.7080, respectively. The average TE and PTE increased from 2008 to 2012 but declined considerably after 2012. In general, the sample THs experienced a negative shift in productivity from 2008 to 2014. The negative change was 2.14%, which was attributed to a 23.89% decrease in technological changes (TC). The sample THs experienced a positive productivity shift from 2008 to 2012 but experienced deterioration from 2012 to 2014. There was considerable space for TE improvement in the sample THs since the average TE was relatively low. From 2008 to 2014, the sample THs experienced a decrease in productivity, and the adverse alteration in TC should be emphasised. In the context of healthcare reform, the factors that influence TE and productivity of THs are complex. Results suggest that numerous quantitative and qualitative studies are necessary to explore the reasons for the changes in TE and productivity. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Efficient 41Ca measurements for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vockenhuber, C.; Schulze-König, T.; Synal, H.-A.; Aeberli, I.; Zimmermann, M. B.

2015-10-01

We present the performance of 41Ca measurements using low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at the 500 kV facility TANDY at ETH Zurich. We optimized the measurement procedure for biomedical applications where reliability and high sample throughput is required. The main challenge for AMS measurements of 41Ca is the interfering stable isobar 41K. We use a simplified sample preparation procedure to produce calcium fluoride (CaF2) and extract calcium tri-fluoride ions (CaF3-) ions to suppress the stable isobar 41K. Although 41K is not completely suppressed we reach 41Ca/40Ca background level in the 10-12 range which is adequate for biomedical studies. With helium as a stripper gas we can use charge state 2+ at high transmission (∼50%). The new measurement procedure with the approximately 10 × improved efficiency and the higher accuracy due to 41K correction allowed us to measure more than 600 samples for a large biomedical study within only a few weeks of measurement time.

Efficiency of irrigation water application in sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan.

PubMed

Watto, Muhammad Arif; Mugera, Amin W

2015-07-01

Diminishing irrigation water supplies are threatening the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in Pakistan. Within the context of dwindling water resources and low agricultural water productivity, it is imperative to improve efficiency in agricultural production and to make efficient use of available water resources. This study employs a non-parametric approach to estimate the extent of technical and irrigation water efficiency in sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan. The mean technical efficiency score is 0.96 for tube-well owners whereas it is 0.94 for water buyers. The mean irrigation water efficiency score is 0.86 for tube-well owners whereas it is 0.72 for water buyers. We find that across all farms, 59% of the tube-well owners and 45% of the water buyers are fully technically efficient, whereas only 36% of the tube-well owners and 30% of the water buyer are fully efficient in irrigation water use. This study finds that sugarcane growers are operating at fairly high technical efficiency levels. But, there is considerable potential to improve irrigation water efficiency. This study proposes expanding the role of agricultural extension services from merely agronomic grounds to guide farmers to undertake cost benefit analysis of the available production technology, would help achieve higher efficiency levels. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Transmission Efficiency Measurements and Correlations with Physical Characteristics of the Lubricant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coy, J. J.; Mitchell, A. M.; Hamrock, B. J.

1984-01-01

Data from helicopter transmission efficiency tests were compared to physical properties of the eleven lubricants used in those tests. The tests were conducted with the OH-58 helicopter main rotor transmission. Efficiencies ranged from 98.3 to 98.8 percent. The data was examined for correlation of physical properties with efficiency. There was a reasonable correlation of efficiency with absolute viscosity if the viscosity was first corrected for temperature and pressure in the lubricated contact. Between lubricants, efficiency did not correlate well with viscosity at atmospheric pressure. Between lubricants, efficiency did not correlate well with calculated lubricant film forming capacity. Bench type sliding friction and wear measurements could not be correlated to transmission efficiency and component wear.

Certifying Industrial Energy Efficiency Performance: AligningManagement, Measurement, and Practice to Create Market Value

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

McKane, Aimee; Scheihing, Paul; Williams, Robert

2007-07-01

More than fifteen years after the launch of programs in theU.K. and U.S., industry still offers one of the largest opportunities forenergy savings worldwide. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimatesthe savings potential from cost-optimization of industrial motor-drivensystems alone at 7 percent of global electricity use. The U.S. Departmentof Energy (USDOE) Industrial Technologies Program estimates 7 percentsavings potential in total US industrial energy use through theapplication of proven best practice. Simple paybacks for these types ofprojects are frequently two years or less. The technology required toachieve these savings is widely available; the technical skills requiredto identify energy saving opportunities are knownmore » and transferable.Although programs like USDOE's Best Practices have been highlysuccessful, most plants, as supported by 2002 MECS data, remain eitherunaware or unmotivated to improve their energy efficiency--as evidencedby the 98 percent of US industrial facilities reporting to MECS say thatthey lack a full-time energy manager. With the renewed interest in energyefficiency worldwide and the emergence of carbon trading and newfinancial instruments such as white certificates1, there is a need tointroduce greater transparency into the way that industrial facilitiesidentify, develop, and document energy efficiency projects. Historically,industrial energy efficiency projects have been developed by plantengineers, frequently with assistance from consultants and/or supplierswith highly specialized technical skills. Under this scenario,implementation of energy efficiency improvements is dependent onindividuals. These individuals typically include "champions" within anindustrial facility or corporation, working in cooperation withconsultants or suppliers who have substantial knowledge based on years ofexperience. This approach is not easily understood by others without thisspecialized technical knowledge, penetrates the market fairly

Factors affecting the labor efficiency of hospital-based blood bank laboratories.

PubMed

Lam, H C; Kominski, G F; Petz, L D; Sofaer, S

1994-09-01

A variety of financing mechanisms and managerial innovations have been developed in the past decade to control hospital costs. Some evidence suggests that those changes have not produced substantial improvements in labor efficiency among employees in the hospital's technical level, such as in the blood bank laboratories. This study measured labor efficiency in 40 hospital-based blood bank laboratories in Southern California during the year from July 1989 to June 1990 and explored the impact of financial, managerial, and operational factors on labor efficiency. With standardized output measures used in all blood bank laboratories, a wide variation of labor efficiency was found. Multivariate analyses indicate that the labor efficiency of blood bank employees was not influenced by organizational financial incentives, but was affected by the managerial styles of blood bank managers. Interpretation of the findings suggests that labor efficiency is affected by operational designs intended to improve responses to variable workloads and reduce slack time.

[Efficient packaging retrovirus and construction of transgenic chicken technical platform].

PubMed

Man, Chaolai; Zhang, Qing; Chen, Yan; Zhu, Dahai

2007-10-01

Transgenic chicken and oviduct bioreactor are growing to be one of the hotspot of scientific study in the field of biology. The most successful method of producing transgenic chicken is pseudotyped retrovirus vector system, but no one has reported the production of transgenic chicken by retrovirus system recently in our country. In order to accelerate our study in this field, we introduced the relevant technical methods such as packaging retrovirus and vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein (VSV-G) pseudotyped retrovirus, optimizing the conditions of packaging retrovirus, concentrating VSV-G pseudotyped retrovirus, helper virus assays, and microinjection of retrovirus. Furthermore, we successfully conducted in vivo study for detecting the marker gene EGFP of chicken embryo as well as in vitro study for detecting that gene of chicken embryo myoblast (CFM), thus we have provided an applied technical platform for studies of transgenic chicken in the future.

Chapter 20: Data Center IT Efficiency Measures Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Huang, Robert; Masanet, Eric

This chapter focuses on IT measures in the data center and examines the techniques and analysis methods used to verify savings that result from improving the efficiency of two specific pieces of IT equipment: servers and data storage.

Social efficiency of hospital care delivery: frontier analysis from the consumer's perspective.

PubMed

Bernet, Patrick M; Moises, James; Valdmanis, Vivian Grace

2011-02-01

The efficiency of hospital services and patients' access to hospitals are both important health care policy issues. In the past, research has relied on studying these topics separately. In this article, we measure both efficiency and access at the same time using data envelopment analysis (DEA). By including both the technically efficient use of resources, as well as the patients' travel distances, we found increases in social efficiency when patients' travel distances were taken into account. When compared with patients with nonurgent conditions, we found that patients suffering from conditions requiring urgent attention were treated at closer hospitals, increasing the social efficiency. Insurance coverage and hospital ownership were also examined. Our findings corroborated past literature in the hospital and travel distance literature and set out a framework for future research. Perhaps most important, we demonstrate the techniques needed to incorporate broader measures of social costs into studies of hospital efficiency.

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Architecture Overview and Technical Performance Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, K. D.; Johnson, B. R.; Miller, S. W.; Jamilkowski, M. L.

2014-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation civilian weather and environmental satellite system: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The Joint Polar Satellite System will replace the afternoon orbit component and ground processing system of the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA. The JPSS satellites will carry a suite of sensors designed to collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological and geophysical observations of the Earth. The ground processing system for JPSS is known as the JPSS Common Ground System (JPSS CGS). Developed and maintained by Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS), the CGS is a multi-mission enterprise system serving NOAA, NASA and their national and international partners. The CGS provides a wide range of support to a number of missions. Originally designed to support S-NPP and JPSS, the CGS has demonstrated its scalability and flexibility to incorporate all of these other important missions efficiently and with minimal cost, schedule and risk, while strengthening global partnerships in weather and environmental monitoring. The CGS architecture will be upgraded to Block 2.0 in 2015 to satisfy several key objectives, including: "operationalizing" S-NPP, which had originally been intended as a risk reduction mission; leveraging lessons learned to date in multi-mission support; taking advantage of newer, more reliable and efficient technologies; and satisfying new requirements and constraints due to the continually evolving budgetary environment. To ensure the CGS meets these needs, we have developed 48 Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) across 9 categories: Data Availability, Data Latency, Operational Availability, Margin, Scalability, Situational Awareness, Transition (between environments and sites), WAN Efficiency, and Data Recovery Processing. This

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

Measuring the efficiency of zakat collection process using data envelopment analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, Ahmad Aizuddin; Krishnan, Anath Rau

2016-10-01

It is really necessary for each zakat institution in the nation to timely measure and understand their efficiency in collecting zakat for the sake of continuous betterment. Pusat Zakat Sabah, Malaysia which has kicked off its operation in early of 2007, is not excused from this obligation as well. However, measuring the collection efficiency is not a very easy task as it usually incorporates the consideration of multiple inputs or/and outputs. This paper sequentially employed three data envelopment analysis models, namely Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) primal model, CCR dual model, and slack based model to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of zakat collection in Sabah across the year of 2007 up to 2015 by treating each year as a decision making unit. The three models were developed based on two inputs (i.e. number of zakat branches and number of staff) and one output (i.e. total collection). The causes for not achieving efficiency and the suggestions on how the efficiency in each year could have been improved were disclosed.

The Efficiency of Higher Education Institutions in England Revisited: Comparing Alternative Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnes, Geraint; Tone, Kaoru

2017-01-01

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has often been used to evaluate efficiency in the context of higher education institutions. Yet there are numerous alternative non-parametric measures of efficiency available. This paper compares efficiency scores obtained for institutions of higher education in England, 2013-2014, using three different methods: the…

Compact Efficient Lidar Receiver for Measuring Atmospheric Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gili, Christopher; De Young, Russell

2006-01-01

A small, light weight, and efficient aerosol lidar receiver was constructed and tested. Weight and space savings were realized by using rigid optic tubes and mounting cubes to package the steering optics and detectors in a compact assembly. The receiver had a 1064nm channel using an APD detector. The 532nm channel was split (90/10) into an analog channel (90%) and a photon counting channel (10%). The efficiency of the 1064nm channel with optical filter was 44.0%. The efficiency of the analog 532nm channel was 61.4% with the optical filter, and the efficiency of the 532nm photon counting channel was 7.6% with the optical filter. The results of the atmospheric tests show that the detectors were able to consistently return accurate results. The lidar receiver was able to detect distinct cloud layers, and the lidar returns also agreed across the different detectors. The use of a light weight fiber-coupled telescope reduced weight and allowed great latitude in detector assembly positioning due to the flexibility enabled by the use of fiber optics. The receiver is now ready to be deployed for aircraft or ground based aerosol lidar measurements.

Simulated lumbar minimally invasive surgery educational model with didactic and technical components.

PubMed

Chitale, Rohan; Ghobrial, George M; Lobel, Darlene; Harrop, James

2013-10-01

The learning and development of technical skills are paramount for neurosurgical trainees. External influences and a need for maximizing efficiency and proficiency have encouraged advancements in simulator-based learning models. To confirm the importance of establishing an educational curriculum for teaching minimally invasive techniques of pedicle screw placement using a computer-enhanced physical model of percutaneous pedicle screw placement with simultaneous didactic and technical components. A 2-hour educational curriculum was created to educate neurosurgical residents on anatomy, pathophysiology, and technical aspects associated with image-guided pedicle screw placement. Predidactic and postdidactic practical and written scores were analyzed and compared. Scores were calculated for each participant on the basis of the optimal pedicle screw starting point and trajectory for both fluoroscopy and computed tomographic navigation. Eight trainees participated in this module. Average mean scores on the written didactic test improved from 78% to 100%. The technical component scores for fluoroscopic guidance improved from 58.8 to 52.9. Technical score for computed tomography-navigated guidance also improved from 28.3 to 26.6. Didactic and technical quantitative scores with a simulator-based educational curriculum improved objectively measured resident performance. A minimally invasive spine simulation model and curriculum may serve a valuable function in the education of neurosurgical residents and outcomes for patients.

Efficient Measurement of Multiparticle Entanglement with Embedding Quantum Simulator.

PubMed

Chen, Ming-Cheng; Wu, Dian; Su, Zu-En; Cai, Xin-Dong; Wang, Xi-Lin; Yang, Tao; Li, Li; Liu, Nai-Le; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

2016-02-19

The quantum measurement of entanglement is a demanding task in the field of quantum information. Here, we report the direct and scalable measurement of multiparticle entanglement with embedding photonic quantum simulators. In this embedding framework [R. Di Candia et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 240502 (2013)], the N-qubit entanglement, which does not associate with a physical observable directly, can be efficiently measured with only two (for even N) and six (for odd N) local measurement settings. Our experiment uses multiphoton quantum simulators to mimic dynamical concurrence and three-tangle entangled systems and to track their entanglement evolutions.

Challenges in measuring feed efficiency

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The term feed efficiency is vague, and is defined differently by people. Historically, feed efficiency has been defined as the feed:gain (F:G) ratio or the inverse (G:F). Indexes have been developed to rank animals for feed efficiency. These indexes include residual feed intake (RFI) and residual...

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 5. Technical Report #1204

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fifth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 2. Technical Report #1201

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the second-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 4. Technical Report #1203

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fourth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 6. Technical Report #1205

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the sixth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 7. Technical Report #1206

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the seventh-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 3. Technical Report #1202

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the third-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Materials Technical Team Roadmap

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

none,

2013-08-01

Roadmap identifying the efforts of the Materials Technical Team (MTT) to focus primarily on reducing the mass of structural systems such as the body and chassis in light-duty vehicles (including passenger cars and light trucks) which enables improved vehicle efficiency regardless of the vehicle size or propulsion system employed.

Resource-Efficient Measurement-Device-Independent Entanglement Witness

DOE PAGES

Verbanis, E.; Martin, A.; Rosset, D.; ...

2016-05-09

Imperfections in experimental measurement schemes can lead to falsely identifying, or over estimating, entanglement in a quantum system. A recent solution to this is to define schemes that are robust to measurement imperfections—measurement-device-independent entanglement witness (MDI-EW). This approach can be adapted to witness all entangled qubit states for a wide range of physical systems and does not depend on detection efficiencies or classical communication between devices. In this paper, we extend the theory to remove the necessity of prior knowledge about the two-qubit states to be witnessed. Moreover, we tested this model via a novel experimental implementation for MDI-EW thatmore » significantly reduces the experimental complexity. Finally, by applying it to a bipartite Werner state, we demonstrate the robustness of this approach against noise by witnessing entanglement down to an entangled state fraction close to 0.4.« less

The Efficiency of Public Schools: The Case of Kuwait

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burney, Nadeem A.; Johnes, Jill; Al-Enezi, Mohammed; Al-Musallam, Marwa

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the technical, and allocative efficiencies of public schools in Kuwait over four levels of schooling (kindergartens, primary, intermediate and secondary) and two periods (1999/2000 and 2004/2005) using data envelopment analysis. Mean pure technical efficiency varies between 0.695 and 0.852 across all levels of education;…

High-efficiency tomographic reconstruction of quantum states by quantum nondemolition measurements

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

Huang, J. S.; Centre for Quantum Technologies and Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117542; Wei, L. F.

We propose a high-efficiency scheme to tomographically reconstruct an unknown quantum state by using a series of quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements. The proposed QND measurements of the qubits are implemented by probing the stationary transmissions through a driven dispersively coupled resonator. It is shown that only one kind of QND measurement is sufficient to determine all the diagonal elements of the density matrix of the detected quantum state. The remaining nondiagonal elements can be similarly determined by transferring them to the diagonal locations after a series of unitary operations. Compared with the tomographic reconstructions based on the usual destructive projectivemore » measurements (wherein one such measurement can determine only one diagonal element of the density matrix), the present reconstructive approach exhibits significantly high efficiency. Specifically, our generic proposal is demonstrated by the experimental circuit quantum electrodynamics systems with a few Josephson charge qubits.« less

76 FR 36102 - Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-21

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Research and Development... vacancies on the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (Technical Advisory Committee... 20585; (202) 586-7766; E-mail: [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Biomass Research...

Technical and Non-Technical Measures for air pollution emission reduction: The integrated assessment of the regional Air Quality Management Plans through the Italian national model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Elia, I.; Bencardino, M.; Ciancarella, L.; Contaldi, M.; Vialetto, G.

2009-12-01

The Italian Air Quality legislation underwent sweeping changes with the implementation of the 1996 European Air Quality Framework Directive when the Italian administrative Regions were entrusted with air quality management tasks. The most recent Regional Air Quality Management Plans (AQMPs) highlighted the importance of Non-Technical Measures (NTMs), in addition to Technical Measures (TMs), in meeting environmental targets. The aim of the present work is to compile a list of all the TMs and NTMs taken into account in the Italian Regional AQMPs and to give in the target year, 2010, an estimation of SO 2, NO x and PM 10 emission reductions, of PM 10 concentration and of the health impact of PM 2.5 concentrations in terms of Life Expectancy Reduction. In order to do that, RAINS-Italy, as part of the National Integrated Modeling system for International Negotiation on atmospheric pollution (MINNI), has been applied. The management of TMs and NTMs inside RAINS have often obliged both the introduction of exogenous driving force scenarios and the control strategy modification. This has inspired a revision of the many NTM definitions and a clear choice of the definition adopted. It was finally highlighted that only few TMs and NTMs implemented in the AQMPs represent effective measures in reaching the environmental targets.

77 FR 42298 - Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-18

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Research and Development...: Notice of Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment as a Member of the Biomass Research and Development... Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (Technical Advisory Committee). DATES: The...

Mathematics Curriculum Based Measurement to Predict State Test Performance: A Comparison of Measures and Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Olinger; Leigh, Erika

2012-01-01

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of the study is to use an empirical approach to identify a simple, economical, efficient, and technically adequate performance measure that teachers can use to assess student growth in mathematics. The current study has been designed to expand the body of research for math CBM to further examine technical…

Fundamental Aeronautics Program: Overview of Project Work in Supersonic Cruise Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castner, Raymond

2011-01-01

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 (2011) 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.

Competition and Efficiency: Overseas Students and Technical Efficiency in Australian and New Zealand Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Malcolm; Doucouliagos, Chris

2009-01-01

Economic theory suggests that competitive pressures will impact on organisational efficiency. In recent years, universities in Australia and New Zealand have faced increased competition for students. The aim of this paper is to explore the efficiency of Australian and New Zealand public universities and to investigate the impact of competition for…

Internal Consistency of the easyCBM© CCSS Reading Measures: Grades 3-8. Technical Report #1407

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerreiro, Meg; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2014-01-01

This technical report documents findings from a study of the internal consistency and split-half reliability of the easyCBM© CCSS Reading measures, grades 3-8. Data, drawn from an extant data set gathered in school year 2013-2014, include scores from over 150,000 students' fall and winter benchmark assessments. Findings suggest that the easyCBM©…

Thorough subcells diagnosis in a multi-junction solar cell via absolute electroluminescence-efficiency measurements

PubMed Central

Chen, Shaoqiang; Zhu, Lin; Yoshita, Masahiro; Mochizuki, Toshimitsu; Kim, Changsu; Akiyama, Hidefumi; Imaizumi, Mitsuru; Kanemitsu, Yoshihiko

2015-01-01

World-wide studies on multi-junction (tandem) solar cells have led to record-breaking improvements in conversion efficiencies year after year. To obtain detailed and proper feedback for solar-cell design and fabrication, it is necessary to establish standard methods for diagnosing subcells in fabricated tandem devices. Here, we propose a potential standard method to quantify the detailed subcell properties of multi-junction solar cells based on absolute measurements of electroluminescence (EL) external quantum efficiency in addition to the conventional solar-cell external-quantum-efficiency measurements. We demonstrate that the absolute-EL-quantum-efficiency measurements provide I–V relations of individual subcells without the need for referencing measured I–V data, which is in stark contrast to previous works. Moreover, our measurements quantify the absolute rates of junction loss, non-radiative loss, radiative loss, and luminescence coupling in the subcells, which constitute the “balance sheets” of tandem solar cells. PMID:25592484

Some technical writing skills industry needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, F. R.

1981-01-01

It is suggested that engineers and other technical students be taught three classes of skills in technical writing. First, "Big Picture Things", which includes: the importance of clear writing, the wide scope of writing, the wide scope of writing tasks that will be faced in industry, and the principles of organization of technical materials such as; how to analyze, classify, partition, and interpret. Second, "Writing Procedures", which encompasses: how to get words on paper efficiently and team-write. Third, "Writing Details", in which two considerations are important: how to achieve precision in the use of language and the aspects of style. Three problems in style are cited: the problem of sentence transition, overuse of attributive adjectives, and verbosity in paragraph structure. The most important thing in technical writing is considered to be functionality, economy and clarity.

Energy Efficiency Measures to Incorporate into Remodeling Projects

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

Liaukus, C.

2014-12-01

Energy improvements in a home are often approached as one concerted effort, beginning with a simple walk-through assessment or more in-depth energy audit and followed by the installation of recommended energy measures. While this approach allows for systems thinking to guide the efforts, comprehensive energy improvements of this nature are undertaken by a relatively small number of the households in our nation compared to more piecemeal remodeling efforts. Even when programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR are considered, homes that have had a comprehensive energy makeover still represent a small fraction of the 111.1more » million households. In this report, the U.S Department of Energy Building America Retrofit Alliance research team looks at the improvement of a home's energy performance in an opportunistic way: it examines what can be done to incorporate energy efficiency measures into general remodeling work and home repair projects. This allows for the possibility for people who would not normally pursue energy efficiency but will remodel their kitchen or re-side their home to improve their home's performance at the same time. There are challenges to this approach, not the least of which being that the work will take place over time in potentially many separate projects. The opportunity to improve a home's energy efficiency at one time expands or contracts with the scope of the remodel. As such, guidance on how to do each piece thoughtfully and with consideration for potential future projects, is critical.« less

Operational and environmental performance in China's thermal power industry: Taking an effectiveness measure as complement to an efficiency measure.

PubMed

Wang, Ke; Zhang, Jieming; Wei, Yi-Ming

2017-05-01

The trend toward a more fiercely competitive and strictly environmentally regulated electricity market in several countries, including China has led to efforts by both industry and government to develop advanced performance evaluation models that adapt to new evaluation requirements. Traditional operational and environmental efficiency measures do not fully consider the influence of market competition and environmental regulations and, thus, are not sufficient for the thermal power industry to evaluate its operational performance with respect to specific marketing goals (operational effectiveness) and its environmental performance with respect to specific emissions reduction targets (environmental effectiveness). As a complement to an operational efficiency measure, an operational effectiveness measure not only reflects the capacity of an electricity production system to increase its electricity generation through the improvement of operational efficiency, but it also reflects the system's capability to adjust its electricity generation activities to match electricity demand. In addition, as a complement to an environmental efficiency measure, an environmental effectiveness measure not only reflects the capacity of an electricity production system to decrease its pollutant emissions through the improvement of environmental efficiency, but it also reflects the system's capability to adjust its emissions abatement activities to fulfill environmental regulations. Furthermore, an environmental effectiveness measure helps the government regulator to verify the rationality of its emissions reduction targets assigned to the thermal power industry. Several newly developed effectiveness measurements based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) were utilized in this study to evaluate the operational and environmental performance of the thermal power industry in China during 2006-2013. Both efficiency and effectiveness were evaluated from the three perspectives of operational

[Assessment and comparison of hospital operating efficiency under different management systems].

PubMed

2017-06-18

To assess and analyze the operation efficiency of 8 commission general public hospitals managed directly by National Health and Family Planning Commission and 8 municipal general hospitals managed directly by Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals in Beijing and to provide suggestions on improving service capacity and designing relevant health policy. Input and output data of 8 commission hospitals and 8 municipal hospitals were obtained from Beijing Direct-Reported Health Statistics data from 2011 to 2014. Data envelopment analysis was used as the hospital operation efficiency measurement tool. The CCR and BCC models were built to calculate technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE), scale efficiency (SE) and the status of scale efficiency of 16 hospitals in 2011 and 2014; the Malmquist index model was built to analyze the total factor productivity change (TFPC), technological change (TC), technical efficiency change, pure technical efficiency change and scale efficiency change of the 16 hospitals from 2011 to 2014. In 2011, the TE, PTE and SE of the commission hospitals were higher than those of the municipal hospitals, and the TEs of the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals were 0.918 and 0.873 respectively. In 2014, the TE, PTE and SE of commission hospitals were lower than those of the municipal hospitals, and the TE of the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals were 0.906 and 0.951, respectively, which was contrary to the results in 2011. According to the Malmquist index model, the average of TFPC of the municipal hospitals was larger than that of the commission hospitals, the former increased 5.9% and the latter increased 2.8% per year; the average of TC was greater than the one in both the municipal hospitals and the commission hospitals, with a growth of 3.2% and 2.9% per year, respectively; the average growth of PTE in the commission hospitals was lower than that of the municipal hospitals, and the average

Wireless Sensor for Measuring Pump Efficiency: Small Business Voucher Project with KCF Technologies

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

Fugate, David L.; Liu, Xiaobing; Gehl, Anthony C.

This document is to fulfill the final report requirements for the Small Business Voucher (SBV) CRADA project with ORNL and KCF Technologies (CRADA/NFE-16-06133). Pumping systems account for nearly 20% of the world’s electrical energy demand and range from 25-50% of the energy usage in many industrial and building power plants. The energy cost is the largest element in the total cost of owning a pump (~40%). In response to a recent DOE mandate for improved pump efficiency pump manufacturers are preparing for the changes that the impending regulations will bring, including design improvements. This mandate also establishes a need formore » new low cost pump efficiency measurement systems. The standard industry definition of pump efficiency is the mechanical water horsepower delivered divided by the electrical horsepower input to the motor. KCF Technologies has developed a new sensor measurement technique to estimate fluid pump efficiency using a thermodynamic approach. KCF Technologies applied for a SBV grant with ORNL as the research partner. KCF needed a research partner with the proper facilities to demonstrate the efficacy of its wireless sensor unit for measuring pump efficiency. The ORNL Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC) test resources were used to test and demonstrate the successful measurement of pump efficiency with the KCF sensor technology. KCF is now working on next steps to commercialize this sensing technology.« less

Energy Efficiency Measures to Incorporate into Remodeling Projects

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

Liaukus, C.

2014-12-01

Energy improvements in a home are often approached as one concerted effort, beginning with a simple walk-through assessment or more in-depth energy audit and followed by the installation of recommended energy measures. While this approach allows for systems thinking to guide the efforts, comprehensive energy improvements of this nature are undertaken by a relatively small number of U.S. households compared to piecemeal remodeling efforts. In this report, the U.S Department of Energy Building America Retrofit Alliance research team examines the improvement of a home’s energy performance in an opportunistic way by examining what can be done to incorporate energy efficiencymore » measures into general remodeling work and home repair projects. This allows for energy efficiency upgrades to occur at the same time as remodeling proejcts. There are challenges to this approach, not the least of which being that the work will take place over time in potentially many separate projects. The opportunity to improve a home’s energy efficiency at one time expands or contracts with the scope of the remodel. As such, guidance on how to do each piece thoughtfully and with consideration for potential future projects, is critical.« less

Criterion Referenced Measures of Technical Proficiency in Maintenance Activities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, John P., Jr.

The paper concerns instruments used in the determination of task performance efficiency of mechanical and electronic maintenance men. Composite results of unvalidated knowledge tests, theory tests, school marks, and supervisors' ratings are presented which indicate that these measurement instruments have low empirical validity. The limitations of…

Measurements of electron detection efficiencies in solid state detectors.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lupton, J. E.; Stone, E. C.

1972-01-01

Detailed laboratory measurement of the electron response of solid state detectors as a function of incident electron energy, detector depletion depth, and energy-loss discriminator threshold. These response functions were determined by exposing totally depleted silicon surface barrier detectors with depletion depths between 50 and 1000 microns to the beam from a magnetic beta-ray spectrometer. The data were extended to 5000 microns depletion depth using the results of previously published Monte Carlo electron calculations. When the electron counting efficiency of a given detector is plotted as a function of energy-loss threshold for various incident energies, the efficiency curves are bounded by a smooth envelope which represents the upper limit to the detection efficiency. These upper limit curves, which scale in a simple way, make it possible to easily estimate the electron sensitivity of solid-state detector systems.

Measuring Information Technology Performance: Operational Efficiency and Operational Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Annette G.

2012-01-01

This dissertation provides a practical approach for measuring operational efficiency and operational effectiveness for IT organizations introducing the ITIL process framework. The intent of the study was to assist Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in explaining the impact of introducing the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)…

Modeling of technical soil-erosion control measures and its impact on soil erosion off-site effects within urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dostal, Tomas; Devaty, Jan

2013-04-01

The paper presents results of surface runoff, soil erosion and sediment transport modeling using Erosion 3D software - physically based mathematical simulation model, event oriented, fully distributed. Various methods to simulate technical soil-erosion conservation measures were tested, using alternative digital elevation models of different precision and resolution. Ditches and baulks were simulated by three different approaches, (i) by change of the land-cover parameters to increase infiltration and decrease flow velocity, (ii) by change of the land-cover parameters to completely infiltrate the surface runoff and (iii) by adjusting the height of the digital elevation model by "burning in" the channels of the ditches. Results show advantages and disadvantages of each approach and conclude suitable methods for combinations of particular digital elevation model and purpose of the simulations. Further on a set of simulations was carried out to model situations before and after technical soil-erosion conservation measures application within a small catchment of 4 km2. These simulations were focused on quantitative and qualitative assessment of technical soil-erosion control measures impact on soil erosion off-site effects within urban areas located downstream of intensively used agricultural fields. The scenarios were built upon a raster digital elevation model with spatial resolution of 3 meters derived from LiDAR 5G vector point elevation data. Use of this high-resolution elevation model allowed simulating the technical soil-erosion control measures by direct terrain elevation adjustment. Also the structures within the settlements were emulated by direct change in the elevation of the terrain model. The buildings were lifted up to simulate complicated flow behavior of the surface runoff within urban areas, using approach of Arévalo (Arévalo, 2011) but focusing on the use of commonly available data without extensive detailed editing. Application of the technical

A window-DEA based efficiency evaluation of the public hospital sector in Greece during the 5-year economic crisis

PubMed Central

Flokou, Angeliki; Aletras, Vassilis; Niakas, Dimitris

2017-01-01

The main objective of this study was to apply the non-parametric method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the efficiency of Greek NHS hospitals between 2009–2013. Hospitals were divided into four separate groups with common characteristics which allowed comparisons to be carried out in the context of increased homogeneity. The window-DEA method was chosen since it leads to increased discrimination on the results especially when applied to small samples and it enables year-by-year comparisons of the results. Three inputs -hospital beds, physicians and other health professionals- and three outputs—hospitalized cases, surgeries and outpatient visits- were chosen as production variables in an input-oriented 2-year window DEA model for the assessment of technical and scale efficiency as well as for the identification of returns to scale. The Malmquist productivity index together with its components (i.e. pure technical efficiency change, scale efficiency change and technological scale) were also calculated in order to analyze the sources of productivity change between the first and last year of the study period. In the context of window analysis, the study identified the individual efficiency trends together with “all-windows” best and worst performers and revealed that a high level of technical and scale efficiency was maintained over the entire 5-year period. Similarly, the relevant findings of Malmquist productivity index analysis showed that both scale and pure technical efficiency were improved in 2013 whilst technological change was found to be in favor of the two groups with the largest hospitals. PMID:28542362

The efficiency of the public dental services (PDS) in Cyprus and selected determinants.

PubMed

Charalambous, Chrystalla; Maniadakis, Nikolaos; Polyzos, Nikolaos; Fragoulakis, Vassilis; Theodorou, Mamas

2013-10-18

Currently there is a dual system of oral healthcare delivery in Cyprus: the public dental system (PDS) run by the Government and the private system provided by private dental practitioners. Although 83% of the population is entitled to free treatment by the PDS only 10% of the population make use of them. As Cyprus faces now the challenges of the introduction of a new health care system and rising healthcare costs in general, surveys that examine, among other things, the efficiency of the PDS become very important as tools to make important cost savings. The aims of this study are to assess trends regarding the number of visits and the age distribution of patients using PDS from 2004 to 2007, to measure the technical efficiency of the PDS and to investigate various factors that may affect it. Non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was employed to assess technical efficiency. Two separate cases were examined. Efficiency was calculated, firstly using as inputs the wages and the working hours of the personnel, and secondly the working hours of the personnel and the cost of the materials. As outputs, in both cases, the treatment offered (divided into primary, secondary and tertiary care) and the numbers of visits were used. In the second stage Tobit analysis was used to explore various predictors of efficiency (time per patient, location, age of dentists, age of patients and age of assistants). The study showed that whilst there was an increase in the number of patients using the PDS from 2004 to 2007, only a small proportion of the population (10%) make use of them. Women, middle and older aged patients, make more use of the PDS. Regarding efficiency, there were large differences between the units. The average Technical Efficiency score was 68% in the first model and 81% in the second. Urban areas and low time per patient are predictors of increased efficiency. The results suggest that many of the rural PDS are underperforming. Given that the option of

The efficiency of the public dental services (PDS) in Cyprus and selected determinants

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Currently there is a dual system of oral healthcare delivery in Cyprus: the public dental system (PDS) run by the Government and the private system provided by private dental practitioners. Although 83% of the population is entitled to free treatment by the PDS only 10% of the population make use of them. As Cyprus faces now the challenges of the introduction of a new health care system and rising healthcare costs in general, surveys that examine, among other things, the efficiency of the PDS become very important as tools to make important cost savings. The aims of this study are to assess trends regarding the number of visits and the age distribution of patients using PDS from 2004 to 2007, to measure the technical efficiency of the PDS and to investigate various factors that may affect it. Methods Non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was employed to assess technical efficiency. Two separate cases were examined. Efficiency was calculated, firstly using as inputs the wages and the working hours of the personnel, and secondly the working hours of the personnel and the cost of the materials. As outputs, in both cases, the treatment offered (divided into primary, secondary and tertiary care) and the numbers of visits were used. In the second stage Tobit analysis was used to explore various predictors of efficiency (time per patient, location, age of dentists, age of patients and age of assistants). Results The study showed that whilst there was an increase in the number of patients using the PDS from 2004 to 2007, only a small proportion of the population (10%) make use of them. Women, middle and older aged patients, make more use of the PDS. Regarding efficiency, there were large differences between the units. The average Technical Efficiency score was 68% in the first model and 81% in the second. Urban areas and low time per patient are predictors of increased efficiency. Conclusion The results suggest that many of the rural PDS are

A benchmarking method to measure dietary absorption efficiency of chemicals by fish.

PubMed

Xiao, Ruiyang; Adolfsson-Erici, Margaretha; Åkerman, Gun; McLachlan, Michael S; MacLeod, Matthew

2013-12-01

Understanding the dietary absorption efficiency of chemicals in the gastrointestinal tract of fish is important from both a scientific and a regulatory point of view. However, reported fish absorption efficiencies for well-studied chemicals are highly variable. In the present study, the authors developed and exploited an internal chemical benchmarking method that has the potential to reduce uncertainty and variability and, thus, to improve the precision of measurements of fish absorption efficiency. The authors applied the benchmarking method to measure the gross absorption efficiency for 15 chemicals with a wide range of physicochemical properties and structures. They selected 2,2',5,6'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB53) and decabromodiphenyl ethane as absorbable and nonabsorbable benchmarks, respectively. Quantities of chemicals determined in fish were benchmarked to the fraction of PCB53 recovered in fish, and quantities of chemicals determined in feces were benchmarked to the fraction of decabromodiphenyl ethane recovered in feces. The performance of the benchmarking procedure was evaluated based on the recovery of the test chemicals and precision of absorption efficiency from repeated tests. Benchmarking did not improve the precision of the measurements; after benchmarking, however, the median recovery for 15 chemicals was 106%, and variability of recoveries was reduced compared with before benchmarking, suggesting that benchmarking could account for incomplete extraction of chemical in fish and incomplete collection of feces from different tests. © 2013 SETAC.

[Hospital efficiency measured by bed space use in a secondary care hospital].

PubMed

Moreno-Martínez, Roberto; Martínez-Cruz, Rocío Alejandra

2015-01-01

In recognition that the availability of resources in the medical facility forms part of the factors that influence the quality of healthcare, it is of vital importance to measure their outcome. The aim of this study was determine the efficiency of the medical facility through the use of beds in a secondary level hospital. Through the Health Information Management System (HIMS), we examined statistical reports from July 2012 to June 2013 including variables such as expenses, patient days, occupancy rate, average length of stay by specialty and medical division, results were obtained for each strategic indicator, and these results were related assumptions proposing to assess hospital efficiency. Overall, we identified optimal efficiency of the medical facility without analysis of services, leads to deteriorating and low efficiency. The overall outcome of the five indicators applied overlooked saturation of services within the medical unit. However, the overall analysis shows the problem, noting the advantage of evaluating the same scenario from different perspectives. The include indicators measuring hospital efficiency resource based bed, allows considering deficiencies identified, so that decision making is strengthened the decision making health.

The Technical Efficiency of Specialised Milk Farms: A Regional View

PubMed Central

Špička, Jindřich; Smutka, Luboš

2014-01-01

The aim of the article is to evaluate production efficiency and its determinants of specialised dairy farming among the EU regions. In the most of European regions, there is a relatively high significance of small specialised farms including dairy farms. The DEAVRS method (data envelopment analysis with variable returns to scale) reveals efficient and inefficient regions including the scale efficiency. In the next step, the two-sample t-test determines differences of economic and structural indicators between efficient and inefficient regions. The research reveals that substitution of labour by capital/contract work explains the variability of the farm net value added per AWU (annual work unit) income indicator by more than 30%. The significant economic determinants of production efficiency in specialised dairy farming are farm size, herd size, crop output per hectare, productivity of energy, and capital (at α = 0.01). Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have significantly higher farm net value added per AWU than inefficient regions. Agricultural enterprises in inefficient regions have a more extensive structure and produce more noncommodity output (public goods). Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have a slightly higher milk yield, specific livestock costs of feed, bedding, and veterinary services per livestock unit. PMID:25050408

The Development and Scaling of the easyCBM CCSS Middle School Mathematics Measures. Technical Report #1207

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Irvin, P. Shawn; Patarapichayatham, Chalie; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In the following technical report, we describe the development and scaling of the easyCBM CCSS middle school mathematics measures, designed for use within a response to intervention framework. All items were developed in collaboration with experienced middle school mathematics teachers and were written to align with the Common Core State…

Time-dependent efficiency measurements of polymer solar cells with dye additives: unexpected initial increase of efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandaccari, Kyle J.; Chesmore, Grace E.; Bugaj, Mitchel; Valverde, Parisa Tajalli-Tehrani; Barber, Richard P.; McNelis, Brian J.

2018-04-01

We report the effects of the addition of two azo-dye additives on the time-dependent efficiency of polymer solar cells. Although the maximum efficiencies of devices containing different amounts of dye do not vary greatly over the selected concentration range, the time dependence results reveal a surprising initial increase in efficiency in some samples. We observe this effect to be correlated with a leakage current, although a specific mechanism is not yet identified. We also present the measured lifetimes of these solar cells, and find that variations in dye concentrations produce a small effect at most. Characterization of the bulk heterojunction layer (active layer) morphology using atomic-force microscope (AFM) imaging reveals reordering patterns which suggest that the primary effects of the dyes arise via structural, not absorptive, characteristics.

Using Return on Investment (ROI) and Other Related Tools: Guidelines for Measuring Career and Technical Education (CTE) Internal Efficiency and External Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotamraju, Pradeep; Mettille, John L., III

2012-01-01

Career and technical education (CTE) is increasingly seen as a major potential contributor to the recovery of the U.S. economy. However, the effectiveness and impact of the current Carl D. Perkins Act (otherwise known as Perkins IV) that governs CTE are unclear. Is the federal investment in CTE paying off? To answer this, we need to establish the…

Dye bias correction in dual-labeled cDNA microarray gene expression measurements.

PubMed Central

Rosenzweig, Barry A; Pine, P Scott; Domon, Olen E; Morris, Suzanne M; Chen, James J; Sistare, Frank D

2004-01-01

A significant limitation to the analytical accuracy and precision of dual-labeled spotted cDNA microarrays is the signal error due to dye bias. Transcript-dependent dye bias may be due to gene-specific differences of incorporation of two distinctly different chemical dyes and the resultant differential hybridization efficiencies of these two chemically different targets for the same probe. Several approaches were used to assess and minimize the effects of dye bias on fluorescent hybridization signals and maximize the experimental design efficiency of a cell culture experiment. Dye bias was measured at the individual transcript level within each batch of simultaneously processed arrays by replicate dual-labeled split-control sample hybridizations and accounted for a significant component of fluorescent signal differences. This transcript-dependent dye bias alone could introduce unacceptably high numbers of both false-positive and false-negative signals. We found that within a given set of concurrently processed hybridizations, the bias is remarkably consistent and therefore measurable and correctable. The additional microarrays and reagents required for paired technical replicate dye-swap corrections commonly performed to control for dye bias could be costly to end users. Incorporating split-control microarrays within a set of concurrently processed hybridizations to specifically measure dye bias can eliminate the need for technical dye swap replicates and reduce microarray and reagent costs while maintaining experimental accuracy and technical precision. These data support a practical and more efficient experimental design to measure and mathematically correct for dye bias. PMID:15033598

The efficiency and budgeting of public hospitals: case study of iran.

PubMed

Yusefzadeh, Hasan; Ghaderi, Hossein; Bagherzade, Rafat; Barouni, Mohsen

2013-05-01

Hospitals are the most costly and important components of any health care system, so it is important to know their economic values, pay attention to their efficiency and consider factors affecting them. The aim of this study was to assess the technical scale and economic efficiency of hospitals in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran, for which Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to propose a model for operational budgeting. This study was a descriptive-analysis that was conducted in 2009 and had three inputs and two outputs. Deap2, 1 software was used for data analysis. Slack and radial movements and surplus of inputs were calculated for selected hospitals. Finally, a model was proposed for performance-based budgeting of hospitals and health sectors using the DEA technique. The average scores of technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency (managerial efficiency) and scale efficiency of hospitals were 0.584, 0.782 and 0.771, respectively. In other words the capacity of efficiency promotion in hospitals without any increase in costs and with the same amount of inputs was about 41.5%. Only four hospitals among all hospitals had the maximum level of technical efficiency. Moreover, surplus production factors were evident in these hospitals. Reduction of surplus production factors through comprehensive planning based on the results of the Data Envelopment Analysis can play a major role in cost reduction of hospitals and health sectors. In hospitals with a technical efficiency score of less than one, the original and projected values of inputs were different; resulting in a surplus. Hence, these hospitals should reduce their values of inputs to achieve maximum efficiency and optimal performance. The results of this method was applied to hospitals a benchmark for making decisions about resource allocation; linking budgets to performance results; and controlling and improving hospitals performance.

The Efficiency and Budgeting of Public Hospitals: Case Study of Iran

PubMed Central

Yusefzadeh, Hasan; Ghaderi, Hossein; Bagherzade, Rafat; Barouni, Mohsen

2013-01-01

Background Hospitals are the most costly and important components of any health care system, so it is important to know their economic values, pay attention to their efficiency and consider factors affecting them. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the technical scale and economic efficiency of hospitals in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran, for which Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to propose a model for operational budgeting. Materials and Methods This study was a descriptive-analysis that was conducted in 2009 and had three inputs and two outputs. Deap2, 1 software was used for data analysis. Slack and radial movements and surplus of inputs were calculated for selected hospitals. Finally, a model was proposed for performance-based budgeting of hospitals and health sectors using the DEA technique. Results The average scores of technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency (managerial efficiency) and scale efficiency of hospitals were 0.584, 0.782 and 0.771, respectively. In other words the capacity of efficiency promotion in hospitals without any increase in costs and with the same amount of inputs was about 41.5%. Only four hospitals among all hospitals had the maximum level of technical efficiency. Moreover, surplus production factors were evident in these hospitals. Conclusions Reduction of surplus production factors through comprehensive planning based on the results of the Data Envelopment Analysis can play a major role in cost reduction of hospitals and health sectors. In hospitals with a technical efficiency score of less than one, the original and projected values of inputs were different; resulting in a surplus. Hence, these hospitals should reduce their values of inputs to achieve maximum efficiency and optimal performance. The results of this method was applied to hospitals a benchmark for making decisions about resource allocation; linking budgets to performance results; and controlling and improving hospitals performance

Measuring efficiency among US federal hospitals.

PubMed

Harrison, Jeffrey P; Meyer, Sean

2014-01-01

This study evaluates the efficiency of federal hospitals, specifically those hospitals administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the US Department of Defense. Hospital executives, health care policymakers, taxpayers, and federal hospital beneficiaries benefit from studies that improve hospital efficiency. This study uses data envelopment analysis to evaluate a panel of 165 federal hospitals in 2007 and 157 of the same hospitals again in 2011. Results indicate that overall efficiency in federal hospitals improved from 81% in 2007 to 86% in 2011. The number of federal hospitals operating on the efficiency frontier decreased slightly from 25 in 2007 to 21 in 2011. The higher efficiency score clearly documents that federal hospitals are becoming more efficient in the management of resources. From a policy perspective, this study highlights the economic importance of encouraging increased efficiency throughout the health care industry. This research examines benchmarking strategies to improve the efficiency of hospital services to federal beneficiaries. Through the use of strategies such as integrated information systems, consolidation of services, transaction-cost economics, and focusing on preventative health care, these organizations have been able to provide quality service while maintaining fiscal responsibility. In addition, the research documented the characteristics of those federal hospitals that were found to be on the Efficiency Frontier. These hospitals serve as benchmarks for less efficient federal hospitals as they develop strategies for improvement.

Comparison of measured efficiencies of nine turbine designs with efficiencies predicted by two empirical methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

English, Robert E; Cavicchi, Richard H

1951-01-01

Empirical methods of Ainley and Kochendorfer and Nettles were used to predict performances of nine turbine designs. Measured and predicted performances were compared. Appropriate values of blade-loss parameter were determined for the method of Kochendorfer and Nettles. The measured design-point efficiencies were lower than predicted by as much as 0.09 (Ainley and 0.07 (Kochendorfer and Nettles). For the method of Kochendorfer and Nettles, appropriate values of blade-loss parameter ranged from 0.63 to 0.87 and the off-design performance was accurately predicted.

Measuring environmental efficiency of agricultural water use: a Luenberger environmental indicator.

PubMed

Azad, Md A S; Ancev, Tihomir

2014-12-01

Irrigated agriculture creates substantial environmental pressures by withdrawing large quantities of water, leaving rivers and wetlands empty and unable to support the valuable ecosystems that depend on the water resource. The key challenge facing society is that of balancing water extractions for agricultural production and other uses with provision of appropriate environmental flow to maintain healthy rivers and wetlands. Measuring tradeoffs between economic gain of water use in agriculture and its environmental pressures can contribute to constructing policy instruments for improved water resource management. The aim of this paper is to develop a modelling framework to measure these tradeoffs. Using a new approach - Luenberger environmental indicator - the study derives environmental efficiency scores for various types of irrigation enterprises across seventeen natural resource management regions within the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Findings show that there is a substantial variation in environmental performance of irrigation enterprises across the regions. Some enterprises were found to be relatively environmentally efficient in some regions, but they were not efficient in others. The environmental efficiency scores could be used as a guideline for formulating regional policy and strategy to achieve sustainable water use in the agricultural sector. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficiency in Resource Utilization in Education. Education and Development Technical Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

This volume consists of papers presented at a meeting of scientific and technical personnel who examined and evaluated applications of systems analysis and operational research, and who related techniques to practical educational planning. Topics represent a variety of new management techniques available to educational administrators including…

Examining the Internal Structure of the easyCBM Reading Measures, Grades K-5. Technical Report #1302

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

In this technical report, we describe a study examining the internal structures of the easyCBM reading measures, Grades K-5. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 114 Kindergarten students, 43 first graders, 82 second graders, 100 third graders, 109 fourth graders, and 71 fifth graders attending schools in Oregon, Georgia, South…

Compact and high-efficiency device for Raman scattering measurement using optical fibers.

PubMed

Mitsui, Tadashi

2014-11-01

We describe the design and development of a high-efficiency optical measurement device for operation within the small bore of a high-power magnet at low temperature. For the high-efficiency measurement of light emitted from this small region, we designed a compact confocal optics with lens focusing and tilting systems, and used a piezodriven translation stage that allows micron-scale focus control of the sample position. We designed a measurement device that uses 10 m-long optical fibers in order to avoid the influence of mechanical vibration and magnetic field leakage of high-power magnets, and we also describe a technique for minimizing the fluorescence signal of optical fibers. The operation of the device was confirmed by Raman scattering measurements of monolayer graphene on quartz glass with a high signal-to-noise ratio.

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.

75 FR 59705 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-28

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) was established under section 807 of...

75 FR 26743 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) was established under section 807 of...

[Acoustic conditions in open plan office - Application of technical measures in a typical room].

PubMed

Mikulski, Witold

2018-03-09

Noise in open plan offices should not exceed acceptable levels for the hearing protection. Its major negative effects on employees are nuisance and impediment in execution of work. Specific technical solutions should be introduced to provide proper acoustic conditions for work performance. Acoustic evaluation of a typical open plan office was presented in the article published in "Medycyna Pracy" 5/2016. None of the rooms meets all the criteria, therefore, in this article one of the rooms was chosen to apply different technical solutions to check the possibility of reaching proper acoustic conditions. Acoustic effectiveness of those solutions was verified by means of digital simulation. The model was checked by comparing the results of measurements and calculations before using simulation. The analyzis revealed that open plan offices supplemented with signals for masking speech signals can meet all the required criteria. It is relatively easy to reach proper reverberation time (i.e., sound absorption). It is more difficult to reach proper values of evaluation parameters determined from A-weighted sound pressure level (SPLA) of speech. The most difficult is to provide proper values of evaluation parameters determined from speech transmission index (STI). Finally, it is necessary (besides acoustic treatment) to use devices for speech masking. The study proved that it is technically possible to reach proper acoustic condition. Main causes of employees complaints in open plan office are inadequate acoustic work conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to apply specific technical solutions - not only sound absorbing suspended ceiling and high acoustic barriers, but also devices for speech masking. Med Pr 2018;69(2):153-165. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

TV Energy Consumption Trends and Energy-Efficiency Improvement Options

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

Park, Won Young; Phadke, Amol; Shah, Nihar

2011-07-01

The SEAD initiative aims to transform the global market by increasing the penetration of highly efficient equipment and appliances. SEAD is a government initiative whose activities and projects engage the private sector to realize the large global energy savings potential from improved appliance and equipment efficiency. SEAD seeks to enable high-level global action by informing the Clean Energy Ministerial dialogue as one of the initiatives in the Global Energy Efficiency Challenge. In keeping with its goal of achieving global energy savings through efficiency, SEAD was approved as a task within the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) in Januarymore » 2010. SEAD partners work together in voluntary activities to: (1) ?raise the efficiency ceiling? by pulling super-efficient appliances and equipment into the market through cooperation on measures like incentives, procurement, awards, and research and development (R&D) investments; (2) ?raise the efficiency floor? by working together to bolster national or regional policies like minimum efficiency standards; and (3) ?strengthen the efficiency foundations? of programs by coordinating technical work to support these activities. Although not all SEAD partners may decide to participate in every SEAD activity, SEAD partners have agreed to engage actively in their particular areas of interest through commitment of financing, staff, consultant experts, and other resources. In addition, all SEAD partners are committed to share information, e.g., on implementation schedules for and the technical detail of minimum efficiency standards and other efficiency programs. Information collected and created through SEAD activities will be shared among all SEAD partners and, to the extent appropriate, with the global public.As of April 2011, the governments participating in SEAD are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa

Chapter 1: Introduction. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy-Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Li, Michael; Haeri, Hossein; Reynolds, Arlis

This chapter provides a set of model protocols for determining energy and demand savings that result from specific energy efficiency measures implemented through state and utility efficiency programs. The methods described here are approaches that are or are among the most commonly used and accepted in the energy efficiency industry for certain measures or programs. As such, they draw from the existing body of research and best practices for energy efficiency program evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V). These protocols were developed as part of the Uniform Methods Project (UMP), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The principal objectivemore » for the project was to establish easy-to-follow protocols based on commonly accepted methods for a core set of widely deployed energy efficiency measures.« less

Diagnostic Efficiency of easyCBM[R] Math: Oregon. Technical Report #1009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

The easyCBM[R] assessment system is an online benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system designed for use within a response to intervention framework. Educators using easyCBM[R] are often interested in using the results to predict students' state test performance. In the following technical document, we report diagnostic efficiency…

Erosion of Pelton buckets and changes in turbine efficiency measured in the HPP Fieschertal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abgottspon, A.; Staubli, T.; Felix, D.

2016-11-01

Geometrical changes and material loss of Pelton turbine runners as well as changes in turbine efficiency were measured at HPP Fieschertal in Valais, Switzerland. The HPP is equipped with two horizontal axis Pelton units, with each 32 MW nominal power, 7.5 m3/s design discharge, 515 m head and two injectors. The injectors and the buckets are hard-coated. Hydro-abrasive erosion was quantified based on repeated measurements on two runner buckets using (i) 3d-scanning and (ii) a coating thickness gauge. Changes in efficiency were measured by applying the sliding needle procedure. In addition to these periodically performed measurements, efficiency was also continuously monitored. The highest erosion rate was measured during the first half of the sediment season 2012 including a major sediment transport event. Because the runner was not fully reconditioned at the beginning of this season, progressive damages occurred. After the event, a splitter width of 10 mm was measured, corresponding to 1.5 % of the inner bucket width. The cut-outs were eroded by up to 9 mm towards the axis. The efficiency reductions ranged from 1 % in the year with the major sediment transport event to insignificant differences in 2014, when the sediment load was small and only little hydro-abrasive erosion occurred.

Technical Packages in Injury and Violence Prevention to Move Evidence into Practice: Systematic Reviews and Beyond

PubMed Central

Haegerich, Tamara M.; David-Ferdon, Corinne; Noonan, Rita K.; Manns, Brian J.; Billie, Holly C.

2016-01-01

Injury and violence prevention strategies have greater potential for impact when they are based on scientific evidence. Systematic reviews of the scientific evidence can contribute key information about which policies and programs might have the greatest impact when implemented. However, systematic reviews have limitations, such as lack of implementation guidance and contextual information, that can limit the application of knowledge. “Technical packages,” developed by knowledge brokers such as the federal government, nonprofit agencies, and academic institutions, have the potential to be an efficient mechanism for making information from systematic reviews actionable. Technical packages provide information about specific evidence-based prevention strategies, along with the estimated costs and impacts, and include accompanying implementation and evaluation guidance to facilitate adoption, implementation, and performance measurement. We describe how systematic reviews can inform the development of technical packages for practitioners, provide examples of technical packages in injury and violence prevention, and explain how enhancing review methods and reporting could facilitate the use and applicability of scientific evidence. PMID:27604301

Biomechanical effects of a 2 suture-pass medial inter-implant mattress on transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repair and considerations for a "technical efficiency ratio".

PubMed

Park, Maxwell C; Peterson, Alexander; Patton, John; McGarry, Michelle H; Park, Chong J; Lee, Thay Q

2014-03-01

Rotator cuff repair involving fewer tendon suture passes without compromising biomechanical performance would represent a technical advancement. An inter-implant "medial pulley-mattress" transosseous-equivalent (MP-TOE) repair requiring fewer tendon suture-passes was hypothesized to provide equivalent biomechanical characteristics compared to the control. In 6 human cadaveric shoulders, a transosseous-equivalent (TOE) repair (control) was performed utilizing 2 separate medial mattresses resulting in 4 tendon-bridging sutures. In 6 matched-pairs, 2 single-loaded anchors were used to create a medial inter-implant mattress construct (all sutures shuttled in 1 tendon pass per anchor)-after knot-tying, the same tendon-bridging pattern as the control was created. A materials testing machine cyclically loaded each repair from 10-180 N for 30 cycles; each repair subsequently underwent failure testing. Gap and strain were measured with a video digitizing system. A "technical efficiency ratio" (TER) was defined as: (#knots + #suture passes + #suture limbs)/#fixation points. Cyclic and failure testing demonstrated no significant differences between constructs. Gap formation at cycle 30 was 5.3 ± 0.8 mm (TOE) and 5.0 ± 0.3 mm (MP-TOE) (P = .62). Cycle 30 anterior strain values were -16.0 ± 7.3% (TOE) and -15.8 ± 6.6% (MP-TOE) (P = .99). Yield loads were 208.7 ± 2.7 N (TOE) and 204.0 ± 1.3 N (MP-TOE) (P = .17). Mode of failure demonstrated less tendon cut-out with the MP-TOE repair. The MP-TOE repair has a TER of 2.0 vs 2.5 for the control. The MP-TOE repair requiring fewer tendon suture passes, yet creating an additional inter-implant mattress configuration, is biomechanically equivalent to the original TOE technique, and may limit failure with improved medial load-sharing capacity. A TER may help quantify technical ease and help standardize comparisons between repair techniques. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights

Data Envelopment Analysis and Its Application to the Measurement of Efficiency in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnes, Jill

2006-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of measuring efficiency in the context of higher education. The paper begins by exploring the advantages and drawbacks of the various methods for measuring efficiency in the higher education context. The ease with which data envelopment analysis (DEA) can handle multiple inputs and multiple…

77 FR 2714 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting, Webinar. SUMMARY: This notice announces an open meeting of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee...

78 FR 18578 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell... and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92... Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) was established under section 807 of the Energy Policy Act of...

Measurement of solids motion in gas-fluidized beds. Technical progress report, 1 October 1982-31 December 1982

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

Chen, M.M.; Chao, B.T.

This technical progress report covers the progress made during the fifth quarter of the project entitled Measurements of Solids Motion in Gas Fluidized Beds under Grant No. DOE-F22-81PC40804 during the period 1 October through 31 December 1982. The research concerns the measurement of solids particle velocity distribution and residence time distribution using the Computer-Aided Particle Tracking Facility (CAPTF) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The experimental equipment and measuring methods used to determine particle size distribution and particle motion and the results obtained are presented.

Technical skills measurement based on a cyber-physical system for endovascular surgery simulation.

PubMed

Tercero, Carlos; Kodama, Hirokatsu; Shi, Chaoyang; Ooe, Katsutoshi; Ikeda, Seiichi; Fukuda, Toshio; Arai, Fumihito; Negoro, Makoto; Kwon, Guiryong; Najdovski, Zoran

2013-09-01

Quantification of medical skills is a challenge, particularly simulator-based training. In the case of endovascular intervention, it is desirable that a simulator accurately recreates the morphology and mechanical characteristics of the vasculature while enabling scoring. For this purpose, we propose a cyber-physical system composed of optical sensors for a catheter's body motion encoding, a magnetic tracker for motion capture of an operator's hands, and opto-mechatronic sensors for measuring the interaction of the catheter tip with the vasculature model wall. Two pilot studies were conducted for measuring technical skills, one for distinguishing novices from experts and the other for measuring unnecessary motion. The proficiency levels were measurable between expert and novice and also between individual novice users. The results enabled scoring of the user's proficiency level, using sensitivity, reaction time, time to complete a task and respect for tissue integrity as evaluation criteria. Additionally, unnecessary motion was also measurable. The development of cyber-physical simulators for other domains of medicine depend on the study of photoelastic materials for human tissue modelling, and enables quantitative evaluation of skills using surgical instruments and a realistic representation of human tissue. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[A measure of the efficiency of primary care in Barcelona (Spain) incorporating quality indicators].

PubMed

Romano, José; Choi, Álvaro

2016-01-01

To demonstrate the impact of the incorporation of quality indicators in assessing the technical efficiency of primary healthcare teams. The processes through which primary healthcare resources have been allocated since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008 have focussed on quantitative rather than qualitative indicators. This study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques to 58 primary healthcare teams from three different primary healthcare services from the province of Barcelona (Spain). We combine publicly available information from the regional government of Catalonia with data requested from the Catalan Health System Observatory. The analysis compares the results of three models, thereby allowing shifts in the efficiency of primary healthcare teams to be identified in terms of the (lack of) consideration for healthcare quality indicators. Only 16% of the primary healthcare teams were found to be efficient according to the baseline models, which only incorporated input and output quantity indicators. However, once proxies for healthcare quality are included in the analysis, this percentage increases to 58.6%. No meaningful differences in primary healthcare team efficiency were found between public and privately owned centres, between regional primary care services and organisational models, or between rural and urban teams. The results suggest the need to incorporate healthcare quality indicators as outputs when considering criteria for the streamlining of primary healthcare services. Failure to incorporate quality indicators is associated with various primary healthcare concepts. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Coordinating Demand-Side Efficiency Evaluation, Measurement and Verification Among Western States: Options for Documenting Energy and Non-Energy Impacts for the Power Sector

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

Schiller, Steven R.; Schwartz, Lisa C.

Demand-side energy efficiency (efficiency) represents a low-cost opportunity to reduce electricity consumption and demand and provide a wide range of non-energy benefits, including avoiding air pollution. Efficiency-related energy and non-energy impacts are determined and documented by implementing evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) systems. This technical brief describes efficiency EM&V coordination strategies that Western states can consider taking on together, outlines EM&V-related products that might be appropriate for multistate coordination, and identifies some implications of coordination. Coordinating efficiency EM&V activities can save both time and costs for state agencies and stakeholders engaged in efficiency activities and can be particularly beneficial formore » multiple states served by the same utility. First, the brief summarizes basic information on efficiency, its myriad potential benefits and EM&V for assessing those benefits. Second, the brief introduces the concept of multistate EM&V coordination in the context of assessing such benefits, including achievement of state and federal goals to reduce air pollutants.1 Next, the brief presents three coordination strategy options for efficiency EM&V: information clearinghouse/exchange, EM&V product development, and a regional energy efficiency tracking system platform. The brief then describes five regional EM&V products that could be developed on a multistate basis: EM&V reporting formats, database of consistent deemed electricity savings values, glossary of definitions and concepts, efficiency EM&V methodologies, and EM&V professional standards or accreditation processes. Finally, the brief discusses options for next steps that Western states can take to consider multistate coordination on efficiency EM&V. Appendices provide background information on efficiency and EM&V, as well as definitions and suggested resources on the covered topics. This brief is intended to inform state

How [NOT] to Measure a Solar Cell to Get the Highest Efficiency

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

Emery, Keith

The multibillion-dollar photovoltaic (PV) industry sells products by the watt; the calibration labs measure this parameter at the cell and module level with the lowest possible uncertainty of 1-2 percent. The methods and procedures to achieve a measured 50 percent efficiency on a thin-film solar cell are discussed. This talk will describe methods that ignore procedures that increase the uncertainty. Your questions will be answered concerning 'Everything you Always Wanted to Know about Efficiency Enhancements But Were Afraid to Ask.' The talk will cover a step-by-step procedure using examples found in literature or encountered in customer samples by the Nationalmore » Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) PV Performance Characterization Group on how to artificially enhance the efficiency. The procedures will describe methods that have been used to enhance the current voltage and fill factor.« less

Course Completion Rates: Volume and Efficiency Measures, and Grade Distributions, 1982-1983. Technical Report 84-03.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMaster, Anne

Available statistical data on student completion of courses at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) were compiled and analyzed for the 2-year period, summer 1981 to spring 1982, and summer 1982 to spring 1983. Two different measures of student enrollment were used: volume measures such as student headcount enrollment, student credit hours…

Long-duration heat load measurement approach by novel apparatus design and highly efficient algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yanwei; Yi, Fajun; Meng, Songhe; Zhuo, Lijun; Pan, Weizhen

2017-11-01

Improving the surface heat load measurement technique for vehicles in aerodynamic heating environments is imperative, regarding aspects of both the apparatus design and identification efficiency. A simple novel apparatus is designed for heat load identification, taking into account the lessons learned from several aerodynamic heating measurement devices. An inverse finite difference scheme (invFDM) for the apparatus is studied to identify its surface heat flux from the interior temperature measurements with high efficiency. A weighted piecewise regression filter is also proposed for temperature measurement prefiltering. Preliminary verification of the invFDM scheme and the filter is accomplished via numerical simulation experiments. Three specific pieces of apparatus have been concretely designed and fabricated using different sensing materials. The aerodynamic heating process is simulated by an inductively coupled plasma wind tunnel facility. The identification of surface temperature and heat flux from the temperature measurements is performed by invFDM. The results validate the high efficiency, reliability and feasibility of heat load measurements with different heat flux levels utilizing the designed apparatus and proposed method.

Calorimetric Measurement for Internal Conversion Efficiency of Photovoltaic Cells/Modules Based on Electrical Substitution Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Terubumi; Tatsuta, Muneaki; Abe, Yamato; Takesawa, Minato

2018-02-01

We have succeeded in the direct measurement for solar cell/module internal conversion efficiency based on a calorimetric method or electrical substitution method by which the absorbed radiant power is determined by replacing the heat absorbed in the cell/module with the electrical power. The technique is advantageous in that the reflectance and transmittance measurements, which are required in the conventional methods, are not necessary. Also, the internal quantum efficiency can be derived from conversion efficiencies by using the average photon energy. Agreements of the measured data with the values estimated from the nominal values support the validity of this technique.

A sound and efficient measure of joint congruence.

PubMed

Conconi, Michele; Castelli, Vincenzo Parenti

2014-09-01

In the medical world, the term "congruence" is used to describe by visual inspection how the articular surfaces mate each other, evaluating the joint capability to distribute an applied load from a purely geometrical perspective. Congruence is commonly employed for assessing articular physiology and for the comparison between normal and pathological states. A measure of it would thus represent a valuable clinical tool. Several approaches for the quantification of joint congruence have been proposed in the biomechanical literature, differing on how the articular contact is modeled. This makes it difficult to compare different measures. In particular, in previous articles a congruence measure has been presented which proved to be efficient and suitable for the clinical practice, but it was still empirically defined. This article aims at providing a sound theoretical support to this congruence measure by means of the Winkler elastic foundation contact model which, with respect to others, has the advantage to hold also for highly conforming surfaces as most of the human articulations are. First, the geometrical relation between the applied load and the resulting peak of pressure is analytically derived from the elastic foundation contact model, providing a theoretically sound approach to the definition of a congruence measure. Then, the capability of congruence measure to capture the same geometrical relation is shown. Finally, the reliability of congruence measure is discussed. © IMechE 2014.

Solar UV exposure among outdoor workers in Denmark measured with personal UV-B dosimeters: technical and practical feasibility.

PubMed

Grandahl, Kasper; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Sherman, David Zim; Køster, Brian; Lund, Paul-Anker; Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Eriksen, Paul

2017-10-10

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation is a well-known cause of skin cancer. This is problematic for outdoor workers. In Denmark alone, occupational skin cancer poses a significant health and safety risk for around 400,000 outdoor workers. Objective measures of solar ultraviolet radiation exposure are needed to help resolve this problem. This can be done using personal ultraviolet radiation dosimeters. We consider technical and practical feasibility of measuring individual solar ultraviolet exposure at work and leisure in professions with different á priori temporal high-level outdoor worktime, using aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) photodiode detector based personal UV-B dosimeters. Essential technical specifications including the spectral and angular responsivity of the dosimeters are described and pre-campaign dosimeter calibration applicability is verified. The scale and conduct of dosimeter deployment and campaign in-field measurements including failures and shortcomings affecting overall data collection are presented. Nationwide measurements for more than three hundred and fifty workers from several different professions were collected in the summer of 2016. On average, each worker's exposure was measured for a 2-week period, which included both work and leisure. Data samples of exposure at work during a Midsummer day show differences across professions. A construction worker received high-level occupational UV exposure most of the working day, except during lunch hour, accumulating to 5.1 SED. A postal service worker was exposed intermittently around noon and in the afternoon, preceded by no exposure forenoon when packing mail, accumulating to 1.6 SED. A crane fitter was exposed only during lunch hour, accumulating to 0.7 SED. These findings are in line with our specialist knowledge as occupational physicians. Large-scale use of personal UV-B dosimeters for measurement of solar ultraviolet radiation exposure at work and leisure in Denmark is indeed

An automated system to measure the quantum efficiency of CCDs for astronomy

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

Coles, R.; Chiang, J.; Cinabro, D.

We describe a system to measure the Quantum Efficiency in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 1100 nm of 40 × 40 mm n-channel CCD sensors for the construction of the 3.2 gigapixel LSST focal plane. The technique uses a series of instrument to create a very uniform flux of photons of controllable intensity in the wavelength range of interest across the face the sensor. This allows the absolute Quantum Efficiency to be measured with an accuracy in the 1% range. Finally, this system will be part of a production facility at Brookhaven National Lab for the basic componentmore » of the LSST camera.« less

An automated system to measure the quantum efficiency of CCDs for astronomy

DOE PAGES

Coles, R.; Chiang, J.; Cinabro, D.; ...

2017-04-18

We describe a system to measure the Quantum Efficiency in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 1100 nm of 40 × 40 mm n-channel CCD sensors for the construction of the 3.2 gigapixel LSST focal plane. The technique uses a series of instrument to create a very uniform flux of photons of controllable intensity in the wavelength range of interest across the face the sensor. This allows the absolute Quantum Efficiency to be measured with an accuracy in the 1% range. Finally, this system will be part of a production facility at Brookhaven National Lab for the basic componentmore » of the LSST camera.« less

The impact of healthcare reform on the efficiency of public county hospitals in China.

PubMed

Jiang, Shuai; Min, Rui; Fang, Peng-Qian

2017-12-20

The new round of Healthcare Reform in China has implemented over 3 years since 2009, and promoted greatly the development of public county hospitals. The purpose of this study is to evaluate county hospitals efficiency before and after the healthcare reform, and further assess the reform effectiveness through the comparative analysis of the efficiency. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was employed to calculate the efficiency of 1105 sample hospitals which were selected from 31 provinces of China, also, Tobit regression was used to regress against those main external environmental factors. Our results show that the scales and amounts of service of hospitals had increased sharply, however, the efficiency was relatively low and decreased slightly from 2008 to 2012. Thirteen (1.18%) in 2008 and six (0.54%) hospitals in 2012 were defined as technically efficient, and the average scores were 0.2916 and 0.2503. The technical efficiency average score of the post-reform was significantly less than that of the pre-reform (p < 0.001), and the score of eastern region was highest and the western was lowest among three regions of China. It suggests the reform had not well improved county hospital efficiency although hospitals have reached a fair developing scale, and the corresponding policies and measures should be put into effect for improving efficiency, especially in the level and structure of health investment, operation and supervision mechanism of county hospitals.

Technical Assistance to Developers

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

Rockward, Tommy; Borup, Rodney L.; Garzon, Fernando H.

2012-07-17

This task supports the allowance of technical assistance to fuel-cell component and system developers as directed by the DOE. This task includes testing of novel materials and participation in the further development and validation of single cell test protocols. This task also covers technical assistance to DOE Working Groups, the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) and the USCAR/DOE Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability (U.S. Drive) Fuel Cell Technology Team. Assistance includes technical validation of new fuel cell materials and methods, single cell fuel cell testing to support the development of targets and test protocols,more » and regular advisory participation in other working groups and reviews. This assistance is made available to PEM fuel cell developers by request and DOE Approval. The objectives are to: (1) Support technically, as directed by DOE, fuel cell component and system developers; (2) Assess fuel cell materials and components and give feedback to developers; (3) Assist the DOE Durability Working Group with the development of various new material durability Testing protocols; and (4) Provide support to the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) and the USCAR/DOE Fuel Cell Technology Team. FY2012 specific technical objectives are: (1) Evaluate novel MPL materials; (2) Develop of startup/ shutdown protocol; (3) Test the impact of hydrophobic treatment on graphite bi-polar plates; (4) Perform complete diagnostics on metal bi-polar plates for corrosion; and (5) Participate and lead efforts in the DOE Working Groups.« less

Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda, Making Energy Efficiency Count. Executive Summary

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

de la Rue du Can, Stephane; Pudleiner, David; Jones, David

Like many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda has focused its energy sector investments largely on increasing energy access by increasing energy supply. The links between energy efficiency and energy access, the importance of energy efficiency in new energy supply, and the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for the level and quality of energy available, have been largely overlooked. Implementing energy efficiency in parallel with expanding both the electricity grid and new clean energy generation reduces electricity demand and helps optimize the power supply so that it can serve more customers reliably at minimum cost. Ensuring efficient appliances are incorporated intomore » energy access efforts provides improved energy services to customers. Energy efficiency is an important contributor to access to modern energy. This Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda (Roadmap) is a response to the important role that electrical energy efficiency can play in meeting Uganda’s energy goals. Power Africa and the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiatives collaborated with more than 24 stakeholders in Uganda to develop this document. The document estimates that if the most efficient technologies on the market were adopted, 2,224 gigawatt hours could be saved in 2030 across all sectors, representing 31% of the projected load. This translates into 341 megawatts of peak demand reductions, energy access to an additional 6 million rural customers and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 10.6 million tonnes in 2030. The Roadmap also finds that 91% of this technical potential is cost-effective, and 47% is achievable under conservative assumptions. The Roadmap prioritizes recommendations for implementing energy efficiency and maximizing benefits to meet the goals and priorities established in Uganda’s 2015 SEforALL Action Agenda. One important step is to create and increase demand for efficiency through long-term enabling policies and financial

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…

Do different case-mix measures affect assessments of provider efficiency? Lessons from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

PubMed

Rosen, Amy K; Loveland, Susan A; Rakovski, Carter C; Christiansen, Cindy L; Berlowitz, Dan R

2003-01-01

Although case-mix adjustment is critical for provider profiling, little is known regarding whether different case-mix measures affect assessments of provider efficiency. We examine whether two case-mix measures, Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACGs) and Diagnostic Cost Groups (DCGs), result in different assessments of efficiency across service networks within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Three profiling indicators examine variation in resource use. Although results from the ACGs and DCGs generally agree on which networks have greater or lesser efficiency than average, assessments of individual network efficiency vary depending upon the case-mix measure used. This suggests that caution should be used so that providers are not misclassified based on reported efficiency.

Measurement of the photon identification efficiencies with the ATLAS detector using LHC Run-1 data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Aben, R.; AbouZeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adams, D. L.; Adelman, J.; Adomeit, S.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agricola, J.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albrand, S.; Verzini, M. J. Alconada; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alstaty, M.; Gonzalez, B. Alvarez; Piqueras, D. Álvarez; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Amako, K.; Coutinho, Y. Amaral; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Santos, S. P. Amor Dos; Amorim, A.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. S.; Andari, N.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anders, G.; Anders, J. K.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Angelidakis, S.; Angelozzi, I.; Anger, P.; Angerami, A.; Anghinolfi, F.; Anisenkov, A. V.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antonelli, M.; Antonov, A.; Anulli, F.; Aoki, M.; Bella, L. Aperio; Arabidze, G.; Arai, Y.; Araque, J. P.; Arce, A. T. H.; Arduh, F. A.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, S.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Armitage, L. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnold, H.; Arratia, M.; Arslan, O.; Artamonov, A.; Artoni, G.; Artz, S.; Asai, S.; Asbah, N.; Ashkenazi, A.; Åsman, B.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astalos, R.; Atkinson, M.; Atlay, N. B.; Augsten, K.; Avolio, G.; Axen, B.; Ayoub, M. K.; Azuelos, G.; Baak, M. A.; Baas, A. E.; Baca, M. J.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Backhaus, M.; Bagiacchi, P.; Bagnaia, P.; Bai, Y.; Baines, J. T.; Baker, O. K.; Baldin, E. M.; Balek, P.; Balestri, T.; Balli, F.; Balunas, W. K.; Banas, E.; Banerjee, Sw.; Bannoura, A. A. E.; Barak, L.; Barberio, E. 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W.; Castaneda-Miranda, E.; Castelijn, R.; Castelli, A.; Gimenez, V. Castillo; Castro, N. F.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Caudron, J.; Cavaliere, V.; Cavallaro, E.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Ceradini, F.; Alberich, L. Cerda; Cerio, B. C.; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cerv, M.; Cervelli, A.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, S. K.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, P.; Chapman, J. D.; Charlton, D. G.; Chatterjee, A.; Chau, C. C.; Barajas, C. A. Chavez; Che, S.; Cheatham, S.; Chegwidden, A.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chelstowska, M. A.; Chen, C.; Chen, H.; Chen, K.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. C.; Cheng, H. J.; Cheng, Y.; Cheplakov, A.; Cheremushkina, E.; El Moursli, R. Cherkaoui; Chernyatin, V.; Cheu, E.; Chevalier, L.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, G.; Chiodini, G.; Chisholm, A. S.; Chitan, A.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choi, K.; Chomont, A. R.; Chouridou, S.; Chow, B. K. B.; Christodoulou, V.; Chromek-Burckhart, D.; Chudoba, J.; Chuinard, A. J.; Chwastowski, J. J.; Chytka, L.; Ciapetti, G.; Ciftci, A. K.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Cioara, I. A.; Ciocio, A.; Cirotto, F.; Citron, Z. H.; Citterio, M.; Ciubancan, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, B. L.; Clark, M. R.; Clark, P. J.; Clarke, R. N.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Coffey, L.; Colasurdo, L.; Cole, B.; Colijn, A. P.; Collot, J.; Colombo, T.; Compostella, G.; Muiño, P. Conde; Coniavitis, E.; Connell, S. H.; Connelly, I. A.; Consorti, V.; Constantinescu, S.; Conti, G.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper, B. D.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cormier, K. J. R.; Cornelissen, T.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Corso-Radu, A.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Cortiana, G.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Cottin, G.; Cowan, G.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Crawley, S. J.; Cree, G.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Crescioli, F.; Cribbs, W. A.; Ortuzar, M. Crispin; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Donszelmann, T. 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M.; Deliyergiyev, M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Dell'Orso, M.; Della Pietra, M.; della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delsart, P. A.; Deluca, C.; DeMarco, D. A.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demilly, A.; Denisov, S. P.; Denysiuk, D.; Derendarz, D.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deterre, C.; Dette, K.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dhaliwal, S.; Di Ciaccio, A.; Di Ciaccio, L.; Di Clemente, W. K.; Di Donato, C.; Di Girolamo, A.; Di Girolamo, B.; Di Micco, B.; Di Nardo, R.; Di Simone, A.; Di Sipio, R.; Di Valentino, D.; Diaconu, C.; Diamond, M.; Dias, F. A.; Diaz, M. A.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Diglio, S.; Dimitrievska, A.; Dingfelder, J.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djobava, T.; Djuvsland, J. I.; do Vale, M. A. B.; Dobos, D.; Dobre, M.; Doglioni, C.; Dohmae, T.; Dolejsi, J.; Dolezal, Z.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Donadelli, M.; Donati, S.; Dondero, P.; Donini, J.; Dopke, J.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Doyle, A. T.; Drechsler, E.; Dris, M.; Du, Y.; Duarte-Campderros, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Ducu, O. A.; Duda, D.; Dudarev, A.; Duffield, E. M.; Duflot, L.; Duguid, L.; Dührssen, M.; Dumancic, M.; Dunford, M.; Yildiz, H. Duran; Düren, M.; Durglishvili, A.; Duschinger, D.; Dutta, B.; Dyndal, M.; Eckardt, C.; Ecker, K. M.; Edgar, R. C.; Edwards, N. C.; Eifert, T.; Eigen, G.; Einsweiler, K.; Ekelof, T.; El Kacimi, M.; Ellajosyula, V.; Ellert, M.; Elles, S.; Ellinghaus, F.; Elliot, A. A.; Ellis, N.; Elmsheuser, J.; Elsing, M.; Emeliyanov, D.; Enari, Y.; Endner, O. C.; Endo, M.; Ennis, J. S.; Erdmann, J.; Ereditato, A.; Ernis, G.; Ernst, J.; Ernst, M.; Errede, S.; Ertel, E.; Escalier, M.; Esch, H.; Escobar, C.; Esposito, B.; Etienvre, A. I.; Etzion, E.; Evans, H.; Ezhilov, A.; Fabbri, F.; Fabbri, L.; Facini, G.; Fakhrutdinov, R. M.; Falciano, S.; Falla, R. J.; Faltova, J.; Fang, Y.; Fanti, M.; Farbin, A.; Farilla, A.; Farina, C.; Farooque, T.; Farrell, S.; Farrington, S. 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M.; Friedrich, F.; Froidevaux, D.; Frost, J. A.; Fukunaga, C.; Torregrosa, E. Fullana; Fusayasu, T.; Fuster, J.; Gabaldon, C.; Gabizon, O.; Gabrielli, A.; Gabrielli, A.; Gach, G. P.; Gadatsch, S.; Gadomski, S.; Gagliardi, G.; Gagnon, L. G.; Gagnon, P.; Galea, C.; Galhardo, B.; Gallas, E. J.; Gallop, B. J.; Gallus, P.; Galster, G.; Gan, K. K.; Gao, J.; Gao, Y.; Gao, Y. S.; Walls, F. M. Garay; García, C.; Navarro, J. E. García; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; Gardner, R. W.; Garelli, N.; Garonne, V.; Bravo, A. Gascon; Gatti, C.; Gaudiello, A.; Gaudio, G.; Gaur, B.; Gauthier, L.; Gavrilenko, I. L.; Gay, C.; Gaycken, G.; Gazis, E. N.; Gecse, Z.; Gee, C. N. P.; Geich-Gimbel, Ch.; Geisen, M.; Geisler, M. P.; Gemme, C.; Genest, M. H.; Geng, C.; Gentile, S.; George, S.; Gerbaudo, D.; Gershon, A.; Ghasemi, S.; Ghazlane, H.; Ghneimat, M.; Giacobbe, B.; Giagu, S.; Giannetti, P.; Gibbard, B.; Gibson, S. M.; Gignac, M.; Gilchriese, M.; Gillam, T. P. S.; Gillberg, D.; Gilles, G.; Gingrich, D. M.; Giokaris, N.; Giordani, M. P.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giraud, P. F.; Giromini, P.; Giugni, D.; Giuli, F.; Giuliani, C.; Giulini, M.; Gjelsten, B. K.; Gkaitatzis, S.; Gkialas, I.; Gkougkousis, E. L.; Gladilin, L. K.; Glasman, C.; Glatzer, J.; Glaysher, P. C. F.; Glazov, A.; Goblirsch-Kolb, M.; Godlewski, J.; Goldfarb, S.; Golling, T.; Golubkov, D.; Gomes, A.; Gonçalo, R.; Da Costa, J. Goncalves Pinto Firmino; Gonella, G.; Gonella, L.; Gongadze, A.; de la Hoz, S. González; Parra, G. Gonzalez; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Goossens, L.; Gorbounov, P. A.; Gordon, H. A.; Gorelov, I.; Gorini, B.; Gorini, E.; Gorišek, A.; Gornicki, E.; Goshaw, A. T.; Gössling, C.; Gostkin, M. I.; Goudet, C. R.; Goujdami, D.; Goussiou, A. G.; Govender, N.; Gozani, E.; Graber, L.; Grabowska-Bold, I.; Gradin, P. O. J.; Grafström, P.; Gramling, J.; Gramstad, E.; Grancagnolo, S.; Gratchev, V.; Gravila, P. M.; Gray, H. M.; Graziani, E.; Greenwood, Z. D.; Grefe, C.; Gregersen, K.; Gregor, I. M.; Grenier, P.; Grevtsov, K.; Griffiths, J.; Grillo, A. A.; Grimm, K.; Grinstein, S.; Gris, Ph.; Grivaz, J.-F.; Groh, S.; Grohs, J. P.; Gross, E.; Grosse-Knetter, J.; Grossi, G. C.; Grout, Z. J.; Guan, L.; Guan, W.; Guenther, J.; Guescini, F.; Guest, D.; Gueta, O.; Guido, E.; Guillemin, T.; Guindon, S.; Gul, U.; Gumpert, C.; Guo, J.; Guo, Y.; Gupta, S.; Gustavino, G.; Gutierrez, P.; Ortiz, N. G. Gutierrez; Gutschow, C.; Guyot, C.; Gwenlan, C.; Gwilliam, C. B.; Haas, A.; Haber, C.; Hadavand, H. K.; Haddad, N.; Hadef, A.; Haefner, P.; Hageböck, S.; Hajduk, Z.; Hakobyan, H.; Haleem, M.; Haley, J.; Halladjian, G.; Hallewell, G. D.; Hamacher, K.; Hamal, P.; Hamano, K.; Hamilton, A.; Hamity, G. N.; Hamnett, P. G.; Han, L.; Hanagaki, K.; Hanawa, K.; Hance, M.; Haney, B.; Hanke, P.; Hanna, R.; Hansen, J. B.; Hansen, J. D.; Hansen, M. C.; Hansen, P. H.; Hara, K.; Hard, A. S.; Harenberg, T.; Hariri, F.; Harkusha, S.; Harrington, R. D.; Harrison, P. F.; Hartjes, F.; Hartmann, N. 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F.; Rybar, M.; Rybkin, G.; Ryu, S.; Ryzhov, A.; Rzehorz, G. F.; Saavedra, A. F.; Sabato, G.; Sacerdoti, S.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Sadykov, R.; Tehrani, F. Safai; Saha, P.; Sahinsoy, M.; Saimpert, M.; Saito, T.; Sakamoto, H.; Sakurai, Y.; Salamanna, G.; Salamon, A.; Loyola, J. E. Salazar; Salek, D.; De Bruin, P. H. Sales; Salihagic, D.; Salnikov, A.; Salt, J.; Salvatore, D.; Salvatore, F.; Salvucci, A.; Salzburger, A.; Sammel, D.; Sampsonidis, D.; Sanchez, A.; Sánchez, J.; Martinez, V. Sanchez; Sandaker, H.; Sandbach, R. L.; Sander, H. G.; Sandhoff, M.; Sandoval, C.; Sandstroem, R.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Sannino, M.; Sansoni, A.; Santoni, C.; Santonico, R.; Santos, H.; Castillo, I. Santoyo; Sapp, K.; Sapronov, A.; Saraiva, J. G.; Sarrazin, B.; Sasaki, O.; Sasaki, Y.; Sato, K.; Sauvage, G.; Sauvan, E.; Savage, G.; Savard, P.; Sawyer, C.; Sawyer, L.; Saxon, J.; Sbarra, C.; Sbrizzi, A.; Scanlon, T.; Scannicchio, D. A.; Scarcella, M.; Scarfone, V.; Schaarschmidt, J.; Schacht, P.; Schachtner, B. M.; Schaefer, D.; Schaefer, R.; Schaeffer, J.; Schaepe, S.; Schaetzel, S.; Schäfer, U.; Schaffer, A. C.; Schaile, D.; Schamberger, R. D.; Scharf, V.; Schegelsky, V. A.; Scheirich, D.; Schernau, M.; Schiavi, C.; Schier, S.; Schillo, C.; Schioppa, M.; Schlenker, S.; Schmidt-Sommerfeld, K. R.; Schmieden, K.; Schmitt, C.; Schmitt, S.; Schmitz, S.; Schneider, B.; Schnoor, U.; Schoeffel, L.; Schoening, A.; Schoenrock, B. D.; Schopf, E.; Schott, M.; Schovancova, J.; Schramm, S.; Schreyer, M.; Schuh, N.; Schultens, M. J.; Schultz-Coulon, H.-C.; Schulz, H.; Schumacher, M.; Schumm, B. A.; Schune, Ph.; Schwartzman, A.; Schwarz, T. A.; Schwegler, Ph.; Schweiger, H.; Schwemling, Ph.; Schwienhorst, R.; Schwindling, J.; Schwindt, T.; Sciolla, G.; Scuri, F.; Scutti, F.; Searcy, J.; Seema, P.; Seidel, S. C.; Seiden, A.; Seifert, F.; Seixas, J. M.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Sekhon, K.; Sekula, S. J.; Seliverstov, D. M.; Semprini-Cesari, N.; Serfon, C.; Serin, L.; Serkin, L.; Sessa, M.; Seuster, R.; Severini, H.; Sfiligoj, T.; Sforza, F.; Sfyrla, A.; Shabalina, E.; Shaikh, N. W.; Shan, L. Y.; Shang, R.; Shank, J. T.; Shapiro, M.; Shatalov, P. B.; Shaw, K.; Shaw, S. M.; Shcherbakova, A.; Shehu, C. Y.; Sherwood, P.; Shi, L.; Shimizu, S.; Shimmin, C. O.; Shimojima, M.; Shiyakova, M.; Shmeleva, A.; Saadi, D. Shoaleh; Shochet, M. J.; Shojaii, S.; Shrestha, S.; Shulga, E.; Shupe, M. A.; Sicho, P.; Sickles, A. M.; Sidebo, P. E.; Sidiropoulou, O.; Sidorov, D.; Sidoti, A.; Siegert, F.; Sijacki, Dj.; Silva, J.; Silverstein, S. B.; Simak, V.; Simard, O.; Simic, Lj.; Simion, S.; Simioni, E.; Simmons, B.; Simon, D.; Simon, M.; Sinervo, P.; Sinev, N. B.; Sioli, M.; Siragusa, G.; Sivoklokov, S. Yu.; Sjölin, J.; Sjursen, T. B.; Skinner, M. B.; Skottowe, H. P.; Skubic, P.; Slater, M.; Slavicek, T.; Slawinska, M.; Sliwa, K.; Slovak, R.; Smakhtin, V.; Smart, B. H.; Smestad, L.; Smiesko, J.; Smirnov, S. Yu.; Smirnov, Y.; Smirnova, L. N.; Smirnova, O.; Smith, M. N. K.; Smith, R. W.; Smizanska, M.; Smolek, K.; Snesarev, A. A.; Snyder, S.; Sobie, R.; Socher, F.; Soffer, A.; Soh, D. A.; Sokhrannyi, G.; Sanchez, C. A. Solans; Solar, M.; Soldatov, E. Yu.; Soldevila, U.; Solodkov, A. A.; Soloshenko, A.; Solovyanov, O. V.; Solovyev, V.; Sommer, P.; Son, H.; Song, H. Y.; Sood, A.; Sopczak, A.; Sopko, V.; Sorin, V.; Sosa, D.; Sotiropoulou, C. L.; Soualah, R.; Soukharev, A. M.; South, D.; Sowden, B. C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spalla, M.; Spangenberg, M.; Spanò, F.; Sperlich, D.; Spettel, F.; Spighi, R.; Spigo, G.; Spiller, L. A.; Spousta, M.; Denis, R. D. St.; Stabile, A.; Stamen, R.; Stamm, S.; Stanecka, E.; Stanek, R. W.; Stanescu, C.; Stanescu-Bellu, M.; Stanitzki, M. M.; Stapnes, S.; Starchenko, E. A.; Stark, G. H.; Stark, J.; Staroba, P.; Starovoitov, P.; Stärz, S.; Staszewski, R.; Steinberg, P.; Stelzer, B.; Stelzer, H. J.; Stelzer-Chilton, O.; Stenzel, H.; Stewart, G. A.; Stillings, J. A.; Stockton, M. C.; Stoebe, M.; Stoicea, G.; Stolte, P.; Stonjek, S.; Stradling, A. R.; Straessner, A.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Strandberg, J.; Strandberg, S.; Strandlie, A.; Strauss, M.; Strizenec, P.; Ströhmer, R.; Strom, D. M.; Stroynowski, R.; Strubig, A.; Stucci, S. A.; Stugu, B.; Styles, N. A.; Su, D.; Su, J.; Subramaniam, R.; Suchek, S.; Sugaya, Y.; Suk, M.; Sulin, V. V.; Sultansoy, S.; Sumida, T.; Sun, S.; Sun, X.; Sundermann, J. E.; Suruliz, K.; Susinno, G.; Sutton, M. R.; Suzuki, S.; Svatos, M.; Swiatlowski, M.; Sykora, I.; Sykora, T.; Ta, D.; Taccini, C.; Tackmann, K.; Taenzer, J.; Taffard, A.; Tafirout, R.; Taiblum, N.; Takai, H.; Takashima, R.; Takeshita, T.; Takubo, Y.; Talby, M.; Talyshev, A. A.; Tan, K. G.; Tanaka, J.; Tanaka, R.; Tanaka, S.; Tannenwald, B. B.; Araya, S. Tapia; Tapprogge, S.; Tarem, S.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Tas, P.; Tasevsky, M.; Tashiro, T.; Tassi, E.; Delgado, A. Tavares; Tayalati, Y.; Taylor, A. C.; Taylor, G. N.; Taylor, P. T. E.; Taylor, W.; Teischinger, F. A.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Temming, K. K.; Temple, D.; Kate, H. Ten; Teng, P. K.; Teoh, J. J.; Tepel, F.; Terada, S.; Terashi, K.; Terron, J.; Terzo, S.; Testa, M.; Teuscher, R. J.; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T.; Thomas, J. P.; Thomas-Wilsker, J.; Thompson, E. N.; Thompson, P. D.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomsen, L. A.; Thomson, E.; Thomson, M.; Tibbetts, M. J.; Torres, R. E. Ticse; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tikhonov, Yu. A.; Timoshenko, S.; Tipton, P.; Tisserant, S.; Todome, K.; Todorov, T.; Todorova-Nova, S.; Tojo, J.; Tokár, S.; Tokushuku, K.; Tolley, E.; Tomlinson, L.; Tomoto, M.; Tompkins, L.; Toms, K.; Tong, B.; Torrence, E.; Torres, H.; Pastor, E. Torró; Toth, J.; Touchard, F.; Tovey, D. R.; Trefzger, T.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I. M.; Trincaz-Duvoid, S.; Tripiana, M. F.; Trischuk, W.; Trocmé, B.; Trofymov, A.; Troncon, C.; Trottier-McDonald, M.; Trovatelli, M.; Truong, L.; Trzebinski, M.; Trzupek, A.; Tseng, J. C.-L.; Tsiareshka, P. V.; Tsipolitis, G.; Tsirintanis, N.; Tsiskaridze, S.; Tsiskaridze, V.; Tskhadadze, E. G.; Tsui, K. M.; Tsukerman, I. I.; Tsulaia, V.; Tsuno, S.; Tsybychev, D.; Tudorache, A.; Tudorache, V.; Tuna, A. N.; Tupputi, S. A.; Turchikhin, S.; Turecek, D.; Turgeman, D.; Turra, R.; Turvey, A. J.; Tuts, P. M.; Tyndel, M.; Ucchielli, G.; Ueda, I.; Ueno, R.; Ughetto, M.; Ukegawa, F.; Unal, G.; Undrus, A.; Unel, G.; Ungaro, F. C.; Unno, Y.; Unverdorben, C.; Urban, J.; Urquijo, P.; Urrejola, P.; Usai, G.; Usanova, A.; Vacavant, L.; Vacek, V.; Vachon, B.; Valderanis, C.; Santurio, E. Valdes; Valencic, N.; Valentinetti, S.; Valero, A.; Valery, L.; Valkar, S.; Vallecorsa, S.; Ferrer, J. A. Valls; Van Den Wollenberg, W.; Van Der Deijl, P. C.; van der Geer, R.; van der Graaf, H.; van Eldik, N.; van Gemmeren, P.; Van Nieuwkoop, J.; van Vulpen, I.; van Woerden, M. C.; Vanadia, M.; Vandelli, W.; Vanguri, R.; Vaniachine, A.; Vankov, P.; Vardanyan, G.; Vari, R.; Varnes, E. W.; Varol, T.; Varouchas, D.; Vartapetian, A.; Varvell, K. E.; Vasquez, J. G.; Vazeille, F.; Schroeder, T. Vazquez; Veatch, J.; Veloce, L. M.; Veloso, F.; Veneziano, S.; Ventura, A.; Venturi, M.; Venturi, N.; Venturini, A.; Vercesi, V.; Verducci, M.; Verkerke, W.; Vermeulen, J. C.; Vest, A.; Vetterli, M. C.; Viazlo, O.; Vichou, I.; Vickey, T.; Boeriu, O. E. Vickey; Viehhauser, G. H. A.; Viel, S.; Vigani, L.; Vigne, R.; Villa, M.; Perez, M. Villaplana; Vilucchi, E.; Vincter, M. G.; Vinogradov, V. B.; Vittori, C.; Vivarelli, I.; Vlachos, S.; Vlasak, M.; Vogel, M.; Vokac, P.; Volpi, G.; Volpi, M.; von der Schmitt, H.; von Toerne, E.; Vorobel, V.; Vorobev, K.; Vos, M.; Voss, R.; Vossebeld, J. H.; Vranjes, N.; Milosavljevic, M. Vranjes; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Vykydal, Z.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Wakabayashi, J.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, K.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, X.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. W.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Wetter, J.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Wickens, F. J.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wielers, M.; Wienemann, P.; Wiglesworth, C.; Wiik-Fuchs, L. A. M.; Wildauer, A.; Wilk, F.; Wilkens, H. G.; Williams, H. H.; Williams, S.; Willis, C.; Willocq, S.; Wilson, J. A.; Wingerter-Seez, I.; Winklmeier, F.; Winston, O. J.; Winter, B. T.; Wittgen, M.; Wittkowski, J.; Wollstadt, S. J.; Wolter, M. W.; Wolters, H.; Wosiek, B. K.; Wotschack, J.; Woudstra, M. J.; Wozniak, K. W.; Wu, M.; Wu, M.; Wu, S. L.; Wu, X.; Wu, Y.; Wyatt, T. R.; Wynne, B. M.; Xella, S.; Xu, D.; Xu, L.; Yabsley, B.; Yacoob, S.; Yakabe, R.; Yamaguchi, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Yamamoto, S.; Yamanaka, T.; Yamauchi, K.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yan, Z.; Yang, H.; Yang, H.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Yao, W.-M.; Yap, Y. C.; Yasu, Y.; Yatsenko, E.; Wong, K. H. Yau; Ye, J.; Ye, S.; Yeletskikh, I.; Yen, A. L.; Yildirim, E.; Yorita, K.; Yoshida, R.; Yoshihara, K.; Young, C.; Young, C. J. S.; Youssef, S.; Yu, D. R.; Yu, J.; Yu, J. M.; Yu, J.; Yuan, L.; Yuen, S. P. Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanello, L.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zeman, M.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zengel, K.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhong, J.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Nedden, M. zur; Zurzolo, G.; Zwalinski, L.

2016-12-01

The algorithms used by the ATLAS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify prompt photons are described. Measurements of the photon identification efficiencies are reported, using 4.9 fb^{-1} of pp collision data collected at the LHC at √{s} = 7 {TeV} and 20.3 fb^{-1} at √{s} = 8 {TeV}. The efficiencies are measured separately for converted and unconverted photons, in four different pseudorapidity regions, for transverse momenta between 10 {GeV} and 1.5 {TeV}. The results from the combination of three data-driven techniques are compared to the predictions from a simulation of the detector response, after correcting the electromagnetic shower momenta in the simulation for the average differences observed with respect to data. Data-to-simulation efficiency ratios used as correction factors in physics measurements are determined to account for the small residual efficiency differences. These factors are measured with uncertainties between 0.5% and 10% in 7 {TeV} data and between 0.5% and 5.6% in 8 {TeV} data, depending on the photon transverse momentum and pseudorapidity.

Selected Technical and Economic Comparisons of Synfuel Options

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-04-01

This study is a comparative technical and economic assessment of selected synfuel technologies. It contains papers written for Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to assist in preparation of the report "Increased Automobile Fuel Efficiency and Synt...

Precision measurement of the photon detection efficiency of silicon photomultipliers using two integrating spheres.

PubMed

Yang, Seul Ki; Lee, J; Kim, Sug-Whan; Lee, Hye-Young; Jeon, Jin-A; Park, I H; Yoon, Jae-Ryong; Baek, Yang-Sik

2014-01-13

We report a new and improved photon counting method for the precision PDE measurement of SiPM detectors, utilizing two integrating spheres connected serially and calibrated reference detectors. First, using a ray tracing simulation and irradiance measurement results with a reference photodiode, we investigated irradiance characteristics of the measurement instrument, and analyzed dominating systematic uncertainties in PDE measurement. Two SiPM detectors were then used for PDE measurements between wavelengths of 368 and 850 nm and for bias voltages varying from around 70V. The resulting PDEs of the SiPMs show good agreement with those from other studies, yet with an improved accuracy of 1.57% (1σ). This was achieved by the simultaneous measurement with the NIST calibrated reference detectors, which suppressed the time dependent variation of source light. The technical details of the instrumentation, measurement results and uncertainty analysis are reported together with their implications.

Technical Packages in Injury and Violence Prevention to Move Evidence Into Practice: Systematic Reviews and Beyond.

PubMed

Haegerich, Tamara M; David-Ferdon, Corinne; Noonan, Rita K; Manns, Brian J; Billie, Holly C

2016-09-07

Injury and violence prevention strategies have greater potential for impact when they are based on scientific evidence. Systematic reviews of the scientific evidence can contribute key information about which policies and programs might have the greatest impact when implemented. However, systematic reviews have limitations, such as lack of implementation guidance and contextual information, that can limit the application of knowledge. "Technical packages," developed by knowledge brokers such as the federal government, nonprofit agencies, and academic institutions, have the potential to be an efficient mechanism for making information from systematic reviews actionable. Technical packages provide information about specific evidence-based prevention strategies, along with the estimated costs and impacts, and include accompanying implementation and evaluation guidance to facilitate adoption, implementation, and performance measurement. We describe how systematic reviews can inform the development of technical packages for practitioners, provide examples of technical packages in injury and violence prevention, and explain how enhancing review methods and reporting could facilitate the use and applicability of scientific evidence. © The Author(s) 2016.

A Perkins Challenge: Assessing Technical Skills in CTE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James R., III

2009-01-01

Federal law requires state to develop performance measures and data-collection systems for secondary and postsecondary technical-skill attainment. This poses many challenges, such as defining a technical skills, measurement and when to assess students. In this article, the author outlines various assessment models and looks at the challenges…

76 FR 28759 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... Advisory Committee (HTAC) was established under section 807 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of...

Design of quantum efficiency measurement system for variable doping GaAs photocathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Liang; Yang, Kai; Liu, HongLin; Chang, Benkang

2008-03-01

To achieve high quantum efficiency and good stability has been a main direction to develop GaAs photocathode recently. Through early research, we proved that variable doping structure is executable and practical, and has great potential. In order to optimize variable doping GaAs photocathode preparation techniques and study the variable doping theory deeply, a real-time quantum efficiency measurement system for GaAs Photocathode has been designed. The system uses FPGA (Field-programmable gate array) device, and high speed A/D converter to design a high signal noise ratio and high speed data acquisition card. ARM (Advanced RISC Machines) core processor s3c2410 and real-time embedded system are used to obtain and show measurement results. The measurement precision of photocurrent could reach 1nA, and measurement range of spectral response curve is within 400~1000nm. GaAs photocathode preparation process can be real-time monitored by using this system. This system could easily be added other functions to show the physic variation of photocathode during the preparation process more roundly in the future.

Boiler MACT Technical Assistance (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2012-03-01

Fact sheet describing the changes to Environmental Protection Act process standards. The DOE will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal and oil have information on cost-effective, clean energy strategies for compliance, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boiler burning to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to finalize the reconsideration process for its Clean Air Act pollution standards National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters (known as Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT)), in Spring 2012.more » This rule applies to large and small boilers in a wide range of industrial facilities and institutions. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal or oil have information on cost-effective clean energy strategies for compliance, including combined heat and power, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boilers to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs.« less

Measurements of charge state breeding efficiency at BNL test EBIS

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

Kondrashev, S.; Alessi, J.; Beebe, E.N.

Charge breeding of singly charged ions is required to efficiently accelerate rare isotope ion beams for nuclear and astrophysics experiments, and to enhance the accuracy of low-energy Penning trap-assisted spectroscopy. An efficient charge breeder for the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) to the ANL Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS) facility is being developed using the BNL Test Electron Beam Ion Source (Test EBIS) as a prototype. Parameters of the CARIBU EBIS charge breeder are similar to those of the BNL Test EBIS except the electron beam current will be adjustable in the range from 1 to 2 {angstrom}. Themore » electron beam current density in the CARIBU EBIS trap will be significantly higher than in existing operational charge state breeders based on the EBIS concept. The charge state breeding efficiency is expected to be about 25% for the isotope ions extracted from the CARIBU. For the success of our EBIS project, it is essential to demonstrate high breeding efficiency at the BNL Test EBIS tuned to the regime close to the parameters of the CARIBU EBIS at ANL. The breeding efficiency optimization and measurements have been successfully carried out using a Cs{sup +} surface ionization ion source for externally pulsed injection into the BNL Test EBIS. A Cs{sup +} ion beam with a total number of ions of 5 x 10{sup 8} and optimized pulse length of 70 {mu}s has been injected into the Test EBIS and charge-bred for 5.3 ms for two different electron beam currents 1 and 1.5 {angstrom}. In these experiments we have achieved 70% injection/extraction efficiency and breeding efficiency into the most abundant charge state 17%.« less

Using qualitative methods to understand non-technological aspects of domestic energy efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambrose, Aimee Rebecca

The overall aim of the collected published works is to investigate how different policy interventions in the field of energy efficiency (including zero carbon homes, low carbon heat networks, and domestic energy efficiency schemes) are experienced and made sense of by a range of key actors. A further aim is to understand these interventions in the context of existing theories within the field of domestic energy efficiency including socio-technical theory and Actor Network Theory. More specifically, this research advances existing knowledge in the following areas: The nature of the socio-technical challenges encountered in the introduction of more energy efficient buildings, and the importance of achieving a balance between socially acceptable and technically optimal environments. (Papers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8). The value of qualitative research in gaining a more nuanced understanding of our relationship with the home and the implications of this for domestic energy efficiency interventions and the design of low energy buildings (all papers). The influence of tenure as determinant of access to a more energy efficient home and in particular, the stubborn and complex barriers to achieving higher standards of energy performance within the private rented sector. (Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4). The significance of identity, setting and notions of home in the context of domestic energy efficiency interventions. (Papers 1 and 4). As these themes suggest, this PhD is not just concerned with carbon reduction and energy saving as technical objects, but as a way of life. More specifically, it considers the interactions between the two and contends that technical or policy instruments, no matter how sophisticated, cannot succeed if they are not compatible with our ways of life (and ways of doing businesss) or if our ways of life cannot be reasonably adapted to acoomodate them.

Technical improvements for the dynamic measurement of general scour and landslides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung Yang, Han; Su, Chih Chiang

2017-04-01

Disasters occurring near riverbeds, such as landslides, earth slides, debris flow, and general scour, are easily caused by flooding from typhoons. The occurrence of each type of disaster involves a process, so if a disaster event can be monitored in real time, hazards can be predicted, thereby enabling early warnings that could reduce the degree of loss engendered by the disaster. The study of technical improvements for the dynamic measurement of general scour and landslides could help to release these early warnings. In this study, improved wireless tracers were set up on site to ensure the feasibility of the improved measurement technology. A wireless tracer signal transmission system was simultaneously set up to avoid danger to surveyors caused by them having to be on site to take measurements. In order to understand the real-time dynamic riverbed scouring situation, after the flow path of the river was confirmed, the sites for riverbed scouring observation were established at the P30 pier of the Dajia River Bridge of National Highway No. 3, and approximately 100 m both upstream and downstream (for a total of three sites). A rainy event that caused riverbed erosion occurred in May 2015, and subsequently, Typhoons Soudelor, Goni, and Dujuan caused further erosion in the observed area. The results of the observations of several flood events revealed that wireless tracers can reflect the change in riverbed scour depth caused by typhoons and flooding in real time. The wireless tracer technique can be applied to real-time dynamic scouring observation of rivers, and these improvements in measurement technology could be helpful in preventing landslides in the future.

Measurement of the photon identification efficiencies with the ATLAS detector using LHC Run-1 data.

PubMed

Aaboud, M; Aad, G; Abbott, B; Abdallah, J; Abdinov, O; Abeloos, B; Aben, R; AbouZeid, O S; Abraham, N L; Abramowicz, H; Abreu, H; Abreu, R; Abulaiti, Y; Acharya, B S; Adamczyk, L; Adams, D L; Adelman, J; Adomeit, S; Adye, T; Affolder, A A; Agatonovic-Jovin, T; Agricola, J; Aguilar-Saavedra, J A; Ahlen, S P; Ahmadov, F; Aielli, G; Akerstedt, H; Åkesson, T P A; Akimov, A V; Alberghi, G L; Albert, J; Albrand, S; Verzini, M J Alconada; Aleksa, M; Aleksandrov, I N; Alexa, C; Alexander, G; Alexopoulos, T; Alhroob, M; Aliev, M; Alimonti, G; Alison, J; Alkire, S P; Allbrooke, B M M; Allen, B W; Allport, P P; Aloisio, A; Alonso, A; Alonso, F; Alpigiani, C; Alstaty, M; Gonzalez, B Alvarez; Piqueras, D Álvarez; Alviggi, M G; Amadio, B T; Amako, K; Coutinho, Y Amaral; Amelung, C; Amidei, D; Santos, S P Amor Dos; Amorim, A; Amoroso, S; Amundsen, G; Anastopoulos, C; Ancu, L S; Andari, N; Andeen, T; Anders, C F; Anders, G; Anders, J K; Anderson, K J; Andreazza, A; Andrei, V; Angelidakis, S; Angelozzi, I; Anger, P; Angerami, A; Anghinolfi, F; Anisenkov, A V; Anjos, N; Annovi, A; Antonelli, M; Antonov, A; Anulli, F; Aoki, M; Bella, L Aperio; Arabidze, G; Arai, Y; Araque, J P; Arce, A T H; Arduh, F A; Arguin, J-F; Argyropoulos, S; Arik, M; Armbruster, A J; Armitage, L J; Arnaez, O; Arnold, H; Arratia, M; Arslan, O; Artamonov, A; Artoni, G; Artz, S; Asai, S; Asbah, N; Ashkenazi, A; Åsman, B; Asquith, L; Assamagan, K; Astalos, R; Atkinson, M; Atlay, N B; Augsten, K; Avolio, G; Axen, B; Ayoub, M K; Azuelos, G; Baak, M A; Baas, A E; Baca, M J; Bachacou, H; Bachas, K; Backes, M; Backhaus, M; Bagiacchi, P; Bagnaia, P; Bai, Y; Baines, J T; Baker, O K; Baldin, E M; Balek, P; Balestri, T; Balli, F; Balunas, W K; Banas, E; Banerjee, Sw; Bannoura, A A E; Barak, L; Barberio, E L; Barberis, D; Barbero, M; Barillari, T; Barklow, T; Barlow, N; Barnes, S L; Barnett, B M; Barnett, R M; Barnovska, Z; Baroncelli, A; Barone, G; Barr, A J; Navarro, L Barranco; Barreiro, F; da Costa, J Barreiro Guimarães; Bartoldus, R; Barton, A E; Bartos, P; Basalaev, A; Bassalat, A; Bates, R L; Batista, S J; Batley, J R; Battaglia, M; Bauce, M; Bauer, F; Bawa, H S; Beacham, J B; Beattie, M D; Beau, T; Beauchemin, P H; Bechtle, P; Beck, H P; Becker, K; Becker, M; Beckingham, M; Becot, C; Beddall, A J; Beddall, A; Bednyakov, V A; Bedognetti, M; Bee, C P; Beemster, L J; Beermann, T A; Begel, M; Behr, J K; Belanger-Champagne, C; Bell, A S; Bella, G; Bellagamba, L; Bellerive, A; Bellomo, M; Belotskiy, K; Beltramello, O; Belyaev, N L; Benary, O; Benchekroun, D; Bender, M; Bendtz, K; Benekos, N; Benhammou, Y; Noccioli, E Benhar; Benitez, J; Benjamin, D P; Bensinger, J R; Bentvelsen, S; Beresford, L; Beretta, M; Berge, D; Kuutmann, E Bergeaas; Berger, N; Beringer, J; Berlendis, S; Bernard, N R; Bernius, C; Bernlochner, F U; Berry, T; Berta, P; Bertella, C; Bertoli, G; Bertolucci, F; Bertram, I A; Bertsche, C; Bertsche, D; Besjes, G J; Bylund, O Bessidskaia; Bessner, M; Besson, N; Betancourt, C; Bethke, S; Bevan, A J; Bhimji, W; 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Chernyatin, V; Cheu, E; Chevalier, L; Chiarella, V; Chiarelli, G; Chiodini, G; Chisholm, A S; Chitan, A; Chizhov, M V; Choi, K; Chomont, A R; Chouridou, S; Chow, B K B; Christodoulou, V; Chromek-Burckhart, D; Chudoba, J; Chuinard, A J; Chwastowski, J J; Chytka, L; Ciapetti, G; Ciftci, A K; Cinca, D; Cindro, V; Cioara, I A; Ciocio, A; Cirotto, F; Citron, Z H; Citterio, M; Ciubancan, M; Clark, A; Clark, B L; Clark, M R; Clark, P J; Clarke, R N; Clement, C; Coadou, Y; Cobal, M; Coccaro, A; Cochran, J; Coffey, L; Colasurdo, L; Cole, B; Colijn, A P; Collot, J; Colombo, T; Compostella, G; Muiño, P Conde; Coniavitis, E; Connell, S H; Connelly, I A; Consorti, V; Constantinescu, S; Conti, G; Conventi, F; Cooke, M; Cooper, B D; Cooper-Sarkar, A M; Cormier, K J R; Cornelissen, T; Corradi, M; Corriveau, F; Corso-Radu, A; Cortes-Gonzalez, A; Cortiana, G; Costa, G; Costa, M J; Costanzo, D; Cottin, G; Cowan, G; Cox, B E; Cranmer, K; Crawley, S J; Cree, G; Crépé-Renaudin, S; Crescioli, F; Cribbs, W A; 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Della Volpe, D; Delmastro, M; Delsart, P A; Deluca, C; DeMarco, D A; Demers, S; Demichev, M; Demilly, A; Denisov, S P; Denysiuk, D; Derendarz, D; Derkaoui, J E; Derue, F; Dervan, P; Desch, K; Deterre, C; Dette, K; Deviveiros, P O; Dewhurst, A; Dhaliwal, S; Di Ciaccio, A; Di Ciaccio, L; Di Clemente, W K; Di Donato, C; Di Girolamo, A; Di Girolamo, B; Di Micco, B; Di Nardo, R; Di Simone, A; Di Sipio, R; Di Valentino, D; Diaconu, C; Diamond, M; Dias, F A; Diaz, M A; Diehl, E B; Dietrich, J; Diglio, S; Dimitrievska, A; Dingfelder, J; Dita, P; Dita, S; Dittus, F; Djama, F; Djobava, T; Djuvsland, J I; do Vale, M A B; Dobos, D; Dobre, M; Doglioni, C; Dohmae, T; Dolejsi, J; Dolezal, Z; Dolgoshein, B A; Donadelli, M; Donati, S; Dondero, P; Donini, J; Dopke, J; Doria, A; Dova, M T; Doyle, A T; Drechsler, E; Dris, M; Du, Y; Duarte-Campderros, J; Duchovni, E; Duckeck, G; Ducu, O A; Duda, D; Dudarev, A; Duffield, E M; Duflot, L; Duguid, L; Dührssen, M; Dumancic, M; Dunford, M; Yildiz, H Duran; Düren, M; 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Hanagaki, K; Hanawa, K; Hance, M; Haney, B; Hanke, P; Hanna, R; Hansen, J B; Hansen, J D; Hansen, M C; Hansen, P H; Hara, K; Hard, A S; Harenberg, T; Hariri, F; Harkusha, S; Harrington, R D; Harrison, P F; Hartjes, F; Hartmann, N M; Hasegawa, M; Hasegawa, Y; Hasib, A; Hassani, S; Haug, S; Hauser, R; Hauswald, L; Havranek, M; Hawkes, C M; Hawkings, R J; Hayden, D; Hays, C P; Hays, J M; Hayward, H S; Haywood, S J; Head, S J; Heck, T; Hedberg, V; Heelan, L; Heim, S; Heim, T; Heinemann, B; Heinrich, J J; Heinrich, L; Heinz, C; Hejbal, J; Helary, L; Hellman, S; Helsens, C; Henderson, J; Henderson, R C W; Heng, Y; Henkelmann, S; Correia, A M Henriques; Henrot-Versille, S; Herbert, G H; Jiménez, Y Hernández; Herten, G; Hertenberger, R; Hervas, L; Hesketh, G G; Hessey, N P; Hetherly, J W; Hickling, R; Higón-Rodriguez, E; Hill, E; Hill, J C; Hiller, K H; Hillier, S J; Hinchliffe, I; Hines, E; Hinman, R R; Hirose, M; Hirschbuehl, D; Hobbs, J; Hod, N; Hodgkinson, M C; Hodgson, P; Hoecker, A; Hoeferkamp, M R; 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Tompkins, L; Toms, K; Tong, B; Torrence, E; Torres, H; Pastor, E Torró; Toth, J; Touchard, F; Tovey, D R; Trefzger, T; Tricoli, A; Trigger, I M; Trincaz-Duvoid, S; Tripiana, M F; Trischuk, W; Trocmé, B; Trofymov, A; Troncon, C; Trottier-McDonald, M; Trovatelli, M; Truong, L; Trzebinski, M; Trzupek, A; Tseng, J C-L; Tsiareshka, P V; Tsipolitis, G; Tsirintanis, N; Tsiskaridze, S; Tsiskaridze, V; Tskhadadze, E G; Tsui, K M; Tsukerman, I I; Tsulaia, V; Tsuno, S; Tsybychev, D; Tudorache, A; Tudorache, V; Tuna, A N; Tupputi, S A; Turchikhin, S; Turecek, D; Turgeman, D; Turra, R; Turvey, A J; Tuts, P M; Tyndel, M; Ucchielli, G; Ueda, I; Ueno, R; Ughetto, M; Ukegawa, F; Unal, G; Undrus, A; Unel, G; Ungaro, F C; Unno, Y; Unverdorben, C; Urban, J; Urquijo, P; Urrejola, P; Usai, G; Usanova, A; Vacavant, L; Vacek, V; Vachon, B; Valderanis, C; Santurio, E Valdes; Valencic, N; Valentinetti, S; Valero, A; Valery, L; Valkar, S; Vallecorsa, S; Ferrer, J A Valls; Van Den Wollenberg, W; Van Der Deijl, P C; van der Geer, R; van der Graaf, H; van Eldik, N; van Gemmeren, P; Van Nieuwkoop, J; van Vulpen, I; van Woerden, M C; Vanadia, M; Vandelli, W; Vanguri, R; Vaniachine, A; Vankov, P; Vardanyan, G; Vari, R; Varnes, E W; Varol, T; Varouchas, D; Vartapetian, A; Varvell, K E; Vasquez, J G; Vazeille, F; Schroeder, T Vazquez; Veatch, J; Veloce, L M; Veloso, F; Veneziano, S; Ventura, A; Venturi, M; Venturi, N; Venturini, A; Vercesi, V; Verducci, M; Verkerke, W; Vermeulen, J C; Vest, A; Vetterli, M C; Viazlo, O; Vichou, I; Vickey, T; Boeriu, O E Vickey; Viehhauser, G H A; Viel, S; Vigani, L; Vigne, R; Villa, M; Perez, M Villaplana; Vilucchi, E; Vincter, M G; Vinogradov, V B; Vittori, C; Vivarelli, I; Vlachos, S; Vlasak, M; Vogel, M; Vokac, P; Volpi, G; Volpi, M; von der Schmitt, H; von Toerne, E; Vorobel, V; Vorobev, K; Vos, M; Voss, R; Vossebeld, J H; Vranjes, N; Milosavljevic, M Vranjes; Vrba, V; Vreeswijk, M; Vuillermet, R; Vukotic, I; Vykydal, Z; Wagner, P; Wagner, W; Wahlberg, H; Wahrmund, S; 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Zimine, N I; Zimmermann, C; Zimmermann, S; Zinonos, Z; Zinser, M; Ziolkowski, M; Živković, L; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Nedden, M Zur; Zurzolo, G; Zwalinski, L

2016-01-01

The algorithms used by the ATLAS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify prompt photons are described. Measurements of the photon identification efficiencies are reported, using 4.9 fb[Formula: see text] of pp collision data collected at the LHC at [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and 20.3 fb[Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. The efficiencies are measured separately for converted and unconverted photons, in four different pseudorapidity regions, for transverse momenta between 10 [Formula: see text] and 1.5 [Formula: see text]. The results from the combination of three data-driven techniques are compared to the predictions from a simulation of the detector response, after correcting the electromagnetic shower momenta in the simulation for the average differences observed with respect to data. Data-to-simulation efficiency ratios used as correction factors in physics measurements are determined to account for the small residual efficiency differences. These factors are measured with uncertainties between 0.5% and 10% in 7 [Formula: see text] data and between 0.5% and 5.6% in 8 [Formula: see text] data, depending on the photon transverse momentum and pseudorapidity.

Measurement of the photon identification efficiencies with the ATLAS detector using LHC Run-1 data

DOE PAGES

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

2016-12-03

The algorithms used by the ATLAS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify prompt photons are described. Measurements of the photon identification efficiencies are reported, using 4.9 fb –1 of pp collision data collected at the LHC at √s = 7 TeV and 20.3 fb –1 at √s = 8 TeV. The efficiencies are measured separately for converted and unconverted photons, in four different pseudorapidity regions, for transverse momenta between 10 GeV and 1.5 TeV. The results from the combination of three data-driven techniques are compared to the predictions from a simulation of the detector response, after correcting the electromagnetic shower momentamore » in the simulation for the average differences observed with respect to data. Data-to-simulation efficiency ratios used as correction factors in physics measurements are determined to account for the small residual efficiency differences. These factors are measured with uncertainties between 0.5% and 10% in 7 TeV data and between 0.5% and 5.6% in 8 TeV data, depending on the photon transverse momentum and pseudorapidity.« less

Repositioning the Facilities in Technical College Workshops for Efficiency: A Case Study of North Central Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umar, Ibrahim Y.; Ma'aji, Abdullahi S.

2010-01-01

This article focuses on assessing the facilities in Government Technical College workshops in the context of a developing country. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Two research questions and a hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. A 35-item questionnaire was developed based on the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)…

Microsurgical Bypass Training Rat Model, Part 1: Technical Nuances of Exposure of the Aorta and Iliac Arteries.

PubMed

Tayebi Meybodi, Ali; Lawton, Michael T; Mokhtari, Pooneh; Yousef, Sonia; Gandhi, Sirin; Benet, Arnau

2017-11-01

Animal models using rodents are frequently used for practicing microvascular anastomosis-an essential technique in cerebrovascular surgery. However, safely and efficiently exposing rat's target vessels is technically difficult. Such difficulty may lead to excessive hemorrhage and shorten animal survival. This limits the ability to perform multiple anastomoses on a single animal and may increase the overall training time and costs. We report our model for microsurgical bypass training in rodents in 2 consecutive articles. In part 1, we describe the technical nuances for a safe and efficient exposure of the rat abdominal aorta and common iliac arteries (CIAs) for bypass. Over a 2-year period, 50 Sprague-Dawley rats underwent inhalant anesthesia for practicing microvascular anastomosis on the abdominal aorta and CIAs. Lessons learned regarding the technical nuances of vessel exposure were recorded. Several technical nuances were important for avoiding intraoperative bleeding and preventing animal demise while preparing an adequate length of vessels for bypass. The most relevant technical nuances include (1) generous subcutaneous dissection; (2) use of cotton swabs for the blunt dissection of the retroperitoneal fat; (3) combination of sharp and blunt dissection to isolate the aorta and iliac arteries from the accompanying veins; (4) proper control of the posterior branches of the aorta; and (5) efficient division and mobilization of the left renal pedicle. Applying the aforementioned technical nuances enables safe and efficient preparation of the rat abdominal aorta and CIAs for microvascular anastomosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between different measures of feed efficiency and feeding behavior traits in Duroc pigs.

PubMed

Lu, D; Jiao, S; Tiezzi, F; Knauer, M; Huang, Y; Gray, K A; Maltecca, C

2017-08-01

Utilization of feed in livestock species consists of a wide range of biological processes, and therefore, its efficiency can be expressed in various ways, including direct measurement, such as daily feed intake, as well as indicator measures, such as feeding behavior. Measuring feed efficiency is important to the swine industry, and its accuracy can be enhanced by using automated feeding systems, which record feed intake and associated feeding behavior of individual animals. Each automated feeder space is often shared among several pigs and therefore raises concerns about social interactions among pen mates with regard to feeding behavior. The study herein used a data set of 14,901 Duroc boars with individual records on feed intake, feeding behavior, and other off-test traits. These traits were modeled with and without the random spatial effect of Pen_Room, a concatenation of room and pen, or random social interaction among pen mates. The nonheritable spatial effect of common Pen-Room was observed for traits directly measuring feed intake and accounted for up to 13% of the total phenotypic variance in the average daily feeding rate. The social interaction effect explained larger proportions of phenotypic variation in all the traits studied, with the highest being 59% for ADFI in the group of feeding behaviors, 73% for residual feed intake (RFI; RFI4 and RFI6) in the feed efficiency traits, and 69% for intramuscular fat percentage in the off-test traits. After accounting for the social interaction effect, residual BW gain and RFI and BW gain (RIG) were found to have the heritability of 0.38 and 0.18, respectively, and had strong genetic correlations with growth and off-test traits. Feeding behavior traits were found to be moderately heritable, ranging from 0.14 (ADFI) to 0.52 (average daily occupation time), and some of them were strongly correlated with feed efficiency measures; for example, there was a genetic correlation of 0.88 between ADFI and RFI6. Our work

Statistical properties of proportional residual energy intake as a new measure of energetic efficiency.

PubMed

Zamani, Pouya

2017-08-01

Traditional ratio measures of efficiency, including feed conversion ratio (FCR), gross milk efficiency (GME), gross energy efficiency (GEE) and net energy efficiency (NEE) may have some statistical problems including high correlations with milk yield. Residual energy intake (REI) or residual feed intake (RFI) is another criterion, proposed to overcome the problems attributed to the traditional ratio criteria, but it does not account for production or intake levels. For example, the same REI value could be considerable for low producing and negligible for high producing cows. The aim of this study was to propose a new measure of efficiency to overcome the problems attributed to the previous criteria. A total of 1478 monthly records of 268 lactating Holstein cows were used for this study. In addition to FCR, GME, GEE, NEE and REI, a new criterion called proportional residual energy intake (PREI) was calculated as REI to net energy intake ratio and defined as proportion of net energy intake lost as REI. The PREI had an average of -0·02 and range of -0·36 to 0·27, meaning that the least efficient cow lost 0·27 of her net energy intake as REI, while the most efficient animal saved 0·36 of her net energy intake as less REI. Traditional ratio criteria (FCR, GME, GEE and NEE) had high correlations with milk and fat corrected milk yields (absolute values from 0·469 to 0·816), while the REI and PREI had low correlations (0·000 to 0·069) with milk production. The results showed that the traditional ratio criteria (FCR, GME, GEE and NEE) are highly influenced by production traits, while the REI and PREI are independent of production level. Moreover, the PREI adjusts the REI magnitude for intake level. It seems that the PREI could be considered as a worthwhile measure of efficiency for future studies.

Technical communication: Notes toward defining discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubens, P. M.

1981-01-01

In the field of technical communication, definitions posited in virtually any major text violate every major rule of definitions. The most popular method for defining the field is to state that technical writing is any writing that supports technology or technological activities. There is a need for a nice yardstick for measuring what "technology" is. Some ways in which the field can be defined in a tightly structured empirical way and some implications of technical communication for a humanistic education in a technological age are suggested.

Electron efficiency measurements with the ATLAS detector using 2012 LHC proton–proton collision data

DOE PAGES

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

2017-03-27

This paper describes the algorithms for the reconstruction and identification of electrons in the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These algorithms were used for all ATLAS results with electrons in the final state that are based on the 2012 pp collision data produced by the LHC at s = 8 TeV. The efficiency of these algorithms, together with the charge misidentification rate, is measured in data and evaluated in simulated samples using electrons from Z→ ee, Z→ eeγ and J/ ψ→ ee decays. For these efficiency measurements, the full recorded data set, corresponding tomore » an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb - 1 , is used. Based on a new reconstruction algorithm used in 2012, the electron reconstruction efficiency is 97% for electrons with E T = 15 GeV and 99% at E T = 50 GeV. Combining this with the efficiency of additional selection criteria to reject electrons from background processes or misidentified hadrons, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify electrons at the ATLAS experiment varies from 65 to 95%, depending on the transverse momentum of the electron and background rejection.« less

Electron efficiency measurements with the ATLAS detector using 2012 LHC proton-proton collision data.

PubMed

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Zimmermann, S; Zinonos, Z; Zinser, M; Ziolkowski, M; Živković, L; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zur Nedden, M; Zwalinski, L

2017-01-01

This paper describes the algorithms for the reconstruction and identification of electrons in the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These algorithms were used for all ATLAS results with electrons in the final state that are based on the 2012 pp collision data produced by the LHC at [Formula: see text] = 8 [Formula: see text]. The efficiency of these algorithms, together with the charge misidentification rate, is measured in data and evaluated in simulated samples using electrons from [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] decays. For these efficiency measurements, the full recorded data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb[Formula: see text], is used. Based on a new reconstruction algorithm used in 2012, the electron reconstruction efficiency is 97% for electrons with [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and 99% at [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Combining this with the efficiency of additional selection criteria to reject electrons from background processes or misidentified hadrons, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify electrons at the ATLAS experiment varies from 65 to 95%, depending on the transverse momentum of the electron and background rejection.

Analyses of Blood Bank Efficiency, Cost-Effectiveness and Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Hwai-Tai Chen

In view of the increasing costs of hospital care, it is essential to investigate methods to improve the labor efficiency and the cost-effectiveness of the hospital technical core in order to control costs while maintaining the quality of care. This study was conducted to develop indices to measure efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and the quality of blood banks; to identify factors associated with efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality; and to generate strategies to improve blood bank labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Indices developed in this study for labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness were not affected by patient case mix and illness severity. Factors that were associated with labor efficiency were identified as managerial styles, and organizational designs that balance workload and labor resources. Medical directors' managerial involvement was not associated with labor efficiency, but their continuing education and specialty in blood bank were found to reduce the performance of unnecessary tests. Surprisingly, performing unnecessary tests had no association with labor efficiency. This suggested the existence of labor slack in blood banks. Cost -effectiveness was associated with workers' benefits, wages, and the production of high-end transfusion products by hospital-based donor rooms. Quality indices used in this study included autologous transfusion rates, platelet transfusion rates, and the check points available in an error-control system. Because the autologous transfusion rate was related to patient case mix, severity of illness, and possible inappropriate transfusion, it was not recommended to be used for quality index. Platelet-pheresis transfusion rates were associated with the transfusion preferences of the blood bank medical directors. The total number of check points in an error -control system was negatively associated with government ownership and workers' experience. Recommendations for improving labor efficiency and cost

Measuring efficiency of international crude oil markets: A multifractality approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niere, H. M.

2015-01-01

The three major international crude oil markets are treated as complex systems and their multifractal properties are explored. The study covers daily prices of Brent crude, OPEC reference basket and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude from January 2, 2003 to January 2, 2014. A multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) is employed to extract the generalized Hurst exponents in each of the time series. The generalized Hurst exponent is used to measure the degree of multifractality which in turn is used to quantify the efficiency of the three international crude oil markets. To identify whether the source of multifractality is long-range correlations or broad fat-tail distributions, shuffled data and surrogated data corresponding to each of the time series are generated. Shuffled data are obtained by randomizing the order of the price returns data. This will destroy any long-range correlation of the time series. Surrogated data is produced using the Fourier-Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (F-DFA). This is done by randomizing the phases of the price returns data in Fourier space. This will normalize the distribution of the time series. The study found that for the three crude oil markets, there is a strong dependence of the generalized Hurst exponents with respect to the order of fluctuations. This shows that the daily price time series of the markets under study have signs of multifractality. Using the degree of multifractality as a measure of efficiency, the results show that WTI is the most efficient while OPEC is the least efficient market. This implies that OPEC has the highest likelihood to be manipulated among the three markets. This reflects the fact that Brent and WTI is a very competitive market hence, it has a higher level of complexity compared against OPEC, which has a large monopoly power. Comparing with shuffled data and surrogated data, the findings suggest that for all the three crude oil markets, the multifractality is mainly due to long

Technical-tactical analysis of youth olympic taekwondo combat.

PubMed

Tornello, Francesco; Capranica, Laura; Minganti, Carlo; Chiodo, Salvatore; Condello, Giancarlo; Tessitore, Antonio

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to define the technical and tactical profiles of official youth taekwondo competitions played under the most recent rules of the International Taekwondo Federation. Tactical actions (i.e., attack, defense, and block), technical executions (from 1- to 4-point scores), kicking legs (i.e., front/rear and right/left), and overall technical effectiveness were investigated in relation to match outcome of semifinal and final competitions (n = 50) of youth (aged 13-14 years) black belt athletes during the Italian Taekwondo Cadet Championship. Differences (p < 0.001) were found among all action typologies (Attack: 50.9 ± 2.2%; Defense: 27.7 ± 1.5%; Block: 21.3 ± 1.6%), with winners showing fewer (p = 0.005) offensive actions and more (p = 0.001) defensive actions with respect to non-winners. Independently from match outcome, technical exchanges showed differences (p < 0.001) for technical executions. Winners resulted more efficient (p < 0.001) for both technical and tactical variables. In general, these findings showed that Cadets tend to adopt an offensive strategy. In considering that the adoption of the new electronic system requires athletes to execute correct technical actions to have a score assigned, coaches should emphasize the effectiveness of scoring techniques and help athletes to effectively improve their defense and counterattack capabilities.

Evaluation of a modified method to measure total starch in animal feeds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The AOAC method 996.11 has been recognized as an accurate, repeatable, and efficient method to measure total starch in animal feeds. However, analyzing starch using the AOAC method can be expensive and associated with technical challenges. The objective of this study was to determine if an alternati...

Depleted Uranium: Technical Brief

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This technical brief provides accepted data and references to additional sources for radiological and chemical characteristics, health risks and references for both the monitoring and measurement, and applicable treatment techniques for depleted uranium.

Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) Final Report

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

Geller, Howard; Meyers, Jim

SWEEP worked with Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs to foster greater energy efficiency throughout the Southwest. SWEEP accomplished this through a combination of analysis and support; preparation and distribution of materials on best practice technologies, policies and programs; and technical assistance and information dissemination to states and municipalities in the southwest supporting BTO, AMO, OWIP for advancement of efficiency in products and practices. These efforts were accomplished during the period 2012 through 2017.

Application of GIS in exploring spatial dimensions of Efficiency in Competitiveness of Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmat, Shahid; Sen, Joy

2017-04-01

Infrastructure is an important component in building competitiveness of a region. Present global scenario of economic slowdown that is led by slump in demand of goods and services and decreasing capacity of government institutions in investing public infrastructure. Strategy of augmenting competitiveness of a region can be built around improving efficient distribution of public infrastructure in the region. This efficiency in the distribution of infrastructure will reduce the burden of government institution and improve the relative output of the region in relative lesser investment. A rigorous literature study followed by an expert opinion survey (RIDIT scores) reveals that Railway, Road, ICTs and Electricity infrastructure is very crucial for better competitiveness of a region. Discussion with Experts in ICTs, Railways and Electricity sectors were conducted to find the issues, hurdles and possible solution for the development of these sectors. In an underdeveloped country like India, there is a large constrain of financial resources, for investment in infrastructure sector. Judicious planning for allocation of resources for infrastructure provisions becomes very important for efficient and sustainable development. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is the mathematical programming optimization tool that measure technical efficiency of the multiple-input and/or multiple-output case by constructing a relative technical efficiency score. This paper tries to utilize DEA to identify the efficiency at which present level of selected components of Infrastructure (Railway, Road, ICTs and Electricity) is utilized in order to build competitiveness of the region. This paper tries to identify a spatial pattern of efficiency of Infrastructure with the help of spatial auto-correlation and Hot-spot analysis in Arc GIS. This analysis leads to policy implications for efficient allocation of financial resources for the provision of infrastructure in the region and building a

Characterization of technical surfaces by structure function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalms, Michael; Kreis, Thomas; Bergmann, Ralf B.

2018-03-01

The structure function is a tool for characterizing technical surfaces that exhibits a number of advantages over Fourierbased analysis methods. So it is optimally suited for analyzing the height distributions of surfaces measured by full-field non-contacting methods. The structure function is thus a useful method to extract global or local criteria like e. g. periodicities, waviness, lay, or roughness to analyze and evaluate technical surfaces. After the definition of line- and area-structure function and offering effective procedures for their calculation this paper presents examples using simulated and measured data of technical surfaces including aircraft parts.

Semi-automated high-efficiency reflectivity chamber for vacuum UV measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiley, James; Fleming, Brian; Renninger, Nicholas; Egan, Arika

2017-08-01

This paper presents the design and theory of operation for a semi-automated reflectivity chamber for ultraviolet optimized optics. A graphical user interface designed in LabVIEW controls the stages, interfaces with the detector system, takes semi-autonomous measurements, and monitors the system in case of error. Samples and an optical photodiode sit on an optics plate mounted to a rotation stage in the middle of the vacuum chamber. The optics plate rotates the samples and diode between an incident and reflected position to measure the absolute reflectivity of the samples at wavelengths limited by the monochromator operational bandpass of 70 nm to 550 nm. A collimating parabolic mirror on a fine steering tip-tilt motor enables beam steering for detector peak-ups. This chamber is designed to take measurements rapidly and with minimal oversight, increasing lab efficiency for high cadence and high accuracy vacuum UV reflectivity measurements.

Engineering Technical Support Center Annual Report Fiscal ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Office of Research and Development (ORD) created the Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in 1987, one of several technical support centers created as part of the Technical Support Project (TSP). ETSC provides engineering expertise to Agency program and regional offices and remediation teams working at contaminated sites across the country. The ETSC is operated within ORD’s Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division (LRPCD) of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ETSC’s mission is to provide site-specific scientific and engineering technical support to Remedial Project Managers, On-Scene Coordinators, and other remediation personnel at contaminated sites. This allows local, regional, or national authorities to work more quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively, while also increasing the technical experience of the remediation team. Since its inception, the ETSC has supported countless projects across all EPA Regions in almost all states and territories. This report highlights significant projects the ETSC supported in fiscal year 2015 (FY15). These projects addressed an array of environmental scenarios, such as remote mining contamination, expansive landfill waste, cumulative impacts from multiple contamination sources, and persistent threats from abandoned industrial sites. Constructing and testing new and innovative treatment technol

Analysis of Physiological, Technical, and Tactical Analysis during a Friendly Football Match of Elite U19.

PubMed

Ortega, Juan Ignacio; Evangelio, Carlos; Clemente, Filipe Manuel; Martins, Fernando Manuel Lourenço; González-Víllora, Sixto

2016-06-16

The main objective was to analyze a friendly match of youth elite soccer players identifying the variance of tactical and physiological response parameters during the game. In addition, detecting the impact of both halves on player performance. For the purposes of this study twenty-two U19 players were analyzed playing 11v11. Activity profile, heart rate (HR and HRmax), grouped in five different zones were analyzed via Bluetooth technology, technical performance was analyzed by the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP), and tactical performance was measured by Social Network Analysis. A comparison of heart rate responses showed significant main effects in the halves (p = 0.001; η p 2 = 0.623). A comparison between tactical position and technical performance had significant main effects (p = 0.001; η p 2 = 0.390). Tactical position showed statistically significant effects on tactical prominence (p = 0.002; η p 2 = 0.296). Therefore, fatigue is a component distinguished in technical/tactical parameters, such as volume of play and efficiency index. Results suggest that fatigue effects may constrain technical performance and, for that reason, the use of instruments to monitor the fatigue effect during matches may be suggested.

Analysis of Physiological, Technical, and Tactical Analysis during a Friendly Football Match of Elite U19

PubMed Central

Ortega, Juan Ignacio; Evangelio, Carlos; Clemente, Filipe Manuel; Martins, Fernando Manuel Lourenço; González-Víllora, Sixto

2016-01-01

The main objective was to analyze a friendly match of youth elite soccer players identifying the variance of tactical and physiological response parameters during the game. In addition, detecting the impact of both halves on player performance. For the purposes of this study twenty-two U19 players were analyzed playing 11v11. Activity profile, heart rate (HR and HRmax), grouped in five different zones were analyzed via Bluetooth technology, technical performance was analyzed by the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP), and tactical performance was measured by Social Network Analysis. A comparison of heart rate responses showed significant main effects in the halves (p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.623). A comparison between tactical position and technical performance had significant main effects (p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.390). Tactical position showed statistically significant effects on tactical prominence (p = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.296). Therefore, fatigue is a component distinguished in technical/tactical parameters, such as volume of play and efficiency index. Results suggest that fatigue effects may constrain technical performance and, for that reason, the use of instruments to monitor the fatigue effect during matches may be suggested. PMID:29910283

10 CFR 431.96 - Uniform test method for the measurement of energy efficiency of small, large, and very large...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL... measurement of energy efficiency of small, large, and very large commercial package air conditioning and... section contains test procedures for measuring, pursuant to EPCA, the energy efficiency of any small...

78 FR 29125 - Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Research and... Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L... contact (Departments of [[Page 29126

Data envelopment analysis for estimating efficiency of intensive care units: a case study in Iran.

PubMed

Bahrami, Mohammad Amin; Rafiei, Sima; Abedi, Mahdieh; Askari, Roohollah

2018-05-14

Purpose As hospitals are the most costly service providers in every healthcare systems, special attention should be given to their performance in terms of resource allocation and consumption. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate technical, allocative and economic efficiency in intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals affiliated by Yazd University of Medical Sciences (YUMS) in 2015. Design/methodology/approach This was a descriptive, analytical study conducted in ICUs of seven training hospitals affiliated by YUMS using data envelopment analysis (DEA) in 2015. The number of physicians, nurses, active beds and equipment were regarded as input variables and bed occupancy rate, the number of discharged patients, economic information such as bed price and physicians' fees were mentioned as output variables of the study. Available data from study variables were retrospectively gathered and analyzed through the Deap 2.1 software using the variable returns to scale methodology. Findings The study findings revealed the average scores of allocative, economic, technical, managerial and scale efficiency to be relatively 0.956, 0.866, 0.883, 0.89 and 0.913. Regarding to latter three types of efficiency, five hospitals had desirable performance. Practical implications Given that additional costs due to an extra number of manpower or unnecessary capital resources impose economic pressure on hospitals also the fact that reduction of surplus production plays a major role in reducing such expenditures in hospitals, it is suggested that departments with low efficiency reduce their input surpluses to achieve the optimal level of performance. Originality/value The authors applied a DEA approach to measure allocative, economic, technical, managerial and scale efficiency of under-study hospitals. This is a helpful linear programming method which acts as a powerful and understandable approach for comparative performance assessment in healthcare settings and a guidance for healthcare

Using Reflectance Measurements to Determine Ecosystem Light Use Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huemmrich, K. F.; Middleton, E. M.; Hall, F. G.; Knox, R. G.; Walter-Shea, E.; Verma, S. B.

2006-05-01

Understanding the dynamics of the global carbon cycle requires an accurate determination of the spatial and temporal distribution of photosynthetic CO2 uptake by terrestrial vegetation. Remote sensing observations may provide the spatially extensive observations required for this type of analysis. A light use efficiency model is one approach to modeling carbon fluxes driven by remotely sensed inputs. Photosynthetic down-regulation has been associated with changes in the apparent spectral reflectance of leaves and these responses may permit the estimation of ecosystem photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE). At a prairie site in Oklahoma, CO2 flux measurements from an eddy covariance system along with biophysical data were collected through 1998 and 1999. During the growing seasons hyperspectral reflectance measurements were collected in nearby plots at multiple times in a day at approximately monthly intervals. LUE is calculated as the ratio of carbon uptake by the ecosystem and the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by green leaves. The LUE values are compared with reflectance indexes examining how relationships vary over hours, months, and years. For this system a number of different reflectance indexes have been found to correlate with LUE; including the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) and the Structure Independent Pigment Index (SIPI); as well as spectral first derivatives at 460, 550, and 615nm; and second derivatives at 510 and 620nm. This methodology provides a nondestructive, repeatable, direct comparison between ecosystem carbon fluxes and spectral reflectance at scales relevant to remote sensing.

Efficiency of Secondary Education in Selected OIC Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arshad, Mohd Nahar Mohd

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of technical efficiency of secondary education in 16 selected Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries (including West Bank and Gaza). Educational efficiency has become an important issue given many countries' pressing levels of public deficit and debt. Since the educational sector…

Qualification and Development Needs for Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Tell, Khalaf; Al-Maaitah, Ayman

Vast and rapid changes in global technologies have made development of a sound and efficient system of technical education (TE) critical for Oman and the other Arab Gulf countries. Producing TE graduates with the skills needed for success in today's global economy requires TE teachers with the following qualifications: mastery of the core skills…

A Study of Relationships among Technical, Tactical, Physical Parameters and Final Outcomes in Elite Soccer Matches as Analyzed by a Semiautomatic Video Tracking System.

PubMed

Filetti, Cristoforo; Ruscello, Bruno; D'Ottavio, Stefano; Fanelli, Vito

2017-06-01

The performance of a soccer team depends on many factors such as decision-making, cognitive and physical skills, and dynamic ever-changing space-time interactions between teammate and opponents in relation to the ball. Seventy ( n = 70) matches of the Italian SERIE A season 2013-2014 were investigated to analyze the mean performance of 360 players in terms of physical (physical efficiency index; PEI) and technical-tactical (technical efficiency index; TEI) standpoints. Using a semiautomatic video analysis system that has incorporated new parameters able to measure technical-tactical and physical efficiency (Patent IB2010/002593, 2011-ISA), the correlation between these new variables and how much it relates to the likelihood of winning were verified. Correlations between TEI and PEI were significant ( n = 140, r = .60, p < .001), and TEI showed a higher likelihood of winning than PEI factors ( p < .0001 vs. .0001, CI 95% [1.64, 3.00] vs. [1.28, 2.07]). Higher TEI and TEI + PEI differences between the teams were associated with a greater likelihood of winning, but PEI differences were not. Key performance indicators and this performance assessment method might be useful to better understand what determines winning and to assist the overall training process and match management.

A New Strategy to Evaluate Technical Efficiency in Hospitals Using Homogeneous Groups of Casemix : How to Evaluate When There is Not DRGs?

PubMed

Villalobos-Cid, Manuel; Chacón, Max; Zitko, Pedro; Instroza-Ponta, Mario

2016-04-01

The public health system has restricted economic resources. Because of that, it is necessary to know how the resources are being used and if they are properly distributed. Several works have applied classical approaches based in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) for this purpose. However, if we have hospitals with different casemix, this is not the best approach. In order to avoid biases in the comparisons, other works have recommended the use of hospital production data corrected by the weights from Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), to adjust the casemix of hospitals. However, not all countries have this tool fully implemented, which limits the efficiency evaluation. This paper proposes a new approach for evaluating the efficiency of hospitals. It uses a graph-based clustering algorithm to find groups of hospitals that have similar production profiles. Then, DEA is used to evaluate the technical efficiency of each group. The proposed approach is tested using the production data from 2014 of 193 Chilean public hospitals. The results allowed to identify different performance profiles of each group, that differs from other studies that employs data from partially implemented DRGs. Our results are able to deliver a better description of the resource management of the different groups of hospitals. We have created a website with the results ( bioinformatic.diinf.usach.cl/publichealth ). Data can be requested to the authors.

Technical Data Interoperability (TDI) Pathfinder Via Emerging Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conroy, Mike; Gill, Paul; Hill, Bradley; Ibach, Brandon; Jones, Corey; Ungar, David; Barch, Jeffrey; Ingalls, John; Jacoby, Joseph; Manning, Josh;

Investigating the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measurement in written expression for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

PubMed

Cheng, Shu-Fen; Rose, Susan

2009-01-01

This study investigated the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measures of written expression (CBM-W) in terms of writing prompts and scoring methods for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Twenty-two students at the secondary school-level completed 3-min essays within two weeks, which were scored for nine existing and alternative curriculum-based measurement (CBM) scoring methods. The technical features of the nine scoring methods were examined for interrater reliability, alternate-form reliability, and criterion-related validity. The existing CBM scoring method--number of correct minus incorrect word sequences--yielded the highest reliability and validity coefficients. The findings from this study support the use of the CBM-W as a reliable and valid tool for assessing general writing proficiency with secondary students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The CBM alternative scoring methods that may serve as additional indicators of written expression include correct subject-verb agreements, correct clauses, and correct morphemes.

Estimation of hospital efficiency--do different definitions and casemix measures for hospital output affect the results?

PubMed

Vitikainen, Kirsi; Street, Andrew; Linna, Miika

2009-02-01

Hospital efficiency has been the subject of numerous health economics studies, but there is little evidence on how the chosen output and casemix measures affect the efficiency results. The aim of this study is to examine the robustness of efficiency results due to these factors. Comparison is made between activities and episode output measures, and two different output grouping systems (Classic and FullDRG). Non-parametric data envelopment analysis is used as an analysis technique. The data consist of all public acute care hospitals in Finland in 2005 (n=40). Efficiency estimates were not found to be highly sensitive to the choice between episode and activity descriptions of output, but more so to the choice of DRG grouping system. Estimates are most sensitive to scale assumptions, with evidence of decreasing returns to scale in larger hospitals. Episode measures are generally to be preferred to activity measures because these better capture the patient pathway, while FullDRGs are preferred to Classic DRGs particularly because of the better description of outpatient output in the former grouping system. Attention should be paid to reducing the extent of scale inefficiency in Finland.

Experimental feasibility of the airborne measurement of absolute oil fluorescence spectral conversion efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1983-01-01

Airborne lidar oil spill experiments carried out to determine the practicability of the AOFSCE (absolute oil fluorescence spectral conversion efficiency) computational model are described. The results reveal that the model is suitable over a considerable range of oil film thicknesses provided the fluorescence efficiency of the oil does not approach the minimum detection sensitivity limitations of the lidar system. Separate airborne lidar experiments to demonstrate measurement of the water column Raman conversion efficiency are also conducted to ascertain the ultimate feasibility of converting such relative oil fluorescence to absolute values. Whereas the AOFSCE model is seen as highly promising, further airborne water column Raman conversion efficiency experiments with improved temporal or depth-resolved waveform calibration and software deconvolution techniques are thought necessary for a final determination of suitability.

Effect of energy-efficient measures in building construction on indoor radon in Russia.

PubMed

Vasilyev, A; Yarmoshenko, I

2017-04-28

The effect of implementation of energy-efficient measures in building construction was studied. Analysis includes study of indoor radon in energy-efficient buildings in Ekaterinburg, Russia, and results of radiation measurements in 83 regions of Russia conducted within the regional programmes. The forecast distribution of radon concentration in Ekaterinburg was built with regard to the city development programme. With Ekaterinburg taken as representative case, forecast distribution of radon concentration in Russia in 2030 was built. In comparison with 2000, average radon concentration increases by a factor of 1.42 in 2030 year; percentage above the reference level 300 Bq/m3 increases by a factor of 4 in 2030 year. It is necessary to perceive such an increase with all seriousness and to prepare appropriate measures for optimization of protection against indoor radon. Despite the high uncertainty, reconstructed distribution of radon concentration can be applied for justification of measures to be incorporated in the radon mitigation strategy. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Measured impacts of high efficiency domestic clothes washers in a community

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

Tomlinson, J.; Rizy, T.

1998-07-01

The US market for domestic clothes washers is currently dominated by conventional vertical-axis washers that typically require approximately 40 gallons of water for each wash load. Although the current market for high efficiency clothes washers that use much less water and energy is quite small, it is growing slowly as manufacturers make machines based on tumble action, horizontal-axis designs available and as information about the performance and benefits of such machines is developed and made available to consumers. To help build awareness of these benefits and to accelerate markets for high efficiency washers, the Department of Energy (DOE), under itsmore » ENERGY STAR{reg_sign} Program and in cooperation with a major manufacturers of high efficiency washers, conducted a field evaluation of high efficiency washers using Bern, Kansas as a test bed. Baseline washing machine performance data as well as consumer washing behavior were obtained from data collected on the existing machines of more than 100 participants in this instrumented study. Following a 2-month initial study period, all conventional machines were replaced by high efficiency, tumble-action washers, and the study continued for 3 months. Based on measured data from over 20,000 loads of laundry, the impact of the washer replacement on (1) individual customers` energy and water consumption, (2) customers` laundry habits and perceptions, and (3) the community`s water supply and waste water systems were determined. The study, its findings, and how information from the experiment was used to improve national awareness of high efficiency clothes washer benefits are described in this paper.« less

Orbital debris: A technical assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gleghorn, George; Asay, James; Atkinson, Dale; Flury, Walter; Johnson, Nicholas; Kessler, Donald; Knowles, Stephen; Rex, Dietrich; Toda, Susumu; Veniaminov, Stanislav

1995-01-01

To acquire an unbiased technical assessment of (1) the research needed to better understand the debris environment, (2) the necessity and means of protecting spacecraft against the debris environment, and (3) potential methods of reducing the future debris hazard, NASA asked the National Research Council to form an international committee to examine the orbital debris issue. The committee was asked to draw upon available data and analyses to: characterize the current debris environment, project how this environment might change in the absence of new measures to alleviate debris proliferation, examine ongoing alleviation activities, explore measures to address the problem, and develop recommendations on technical methods to address the problems of debris proliferation.

Bioimpedance for the spot measurement of tissue density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dylke, E. S.; Ward, L. C.; Stannard, C.; Leigh, A.; Kilbreath, S. L.

2013-04-01

Long-standing lymphoedema is characterised by tissues changes which are currently not detectable using bioimpedance spectroscopy. It has been suggested that a combination of bipolar and tetrapolar measurements may be used to detect these tissues changes for a single site in the transverse direction. This was technique was trialled in a group of control participants with no history of lymphoedema or recent upper limb trauma. Repeated spot measurements were done without removal of electrodes to determine biological variability as well as with removal of electrodes to determine technical reproducibility. The inter-limb spot ratio of the controls was then compared to that of a number of women previously diagnosed with secondary lymphoedema in the forearm. Biological variability was not found to greatly influence repeated measures but only moderate technical reliability was found despite excellent co-efficient of variation for the majority of the measurements. A difference was seen between those with more severe swelling and the controls. This novel technique shows promise in detecting tissue changes associated with long-standing lymphoedema.

Measuring Charge Collection Efficiency in Diamond Vertex Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Josey, Brian; Seidel, Sally; Hoeferkamp, Martin

2011-10-01

As currently used at the Large Hadron Collider, vertex detectors are composed primarily of silicon sensors that image particle tracks by detecting the creation of electron-hole pairs caused by the excitation of the silicon atoms. We are investigating replacing these silicon detectors with detectors made out of diamond. Diamond is advantageous due to its radiation hardness. We are measuring the charge collection efficiency of diamond as a function of fluence. We are building a characterization station. Diamond samples will be placed into the characterization station and exposed to a strontium-90 beta source, before and after I irradiate them with 800 MeV protons at LANL. The radiation from the Sr-90 source will create electron-hole pairs. These will be read out by applying an electric field across the sample. The system is triggered by a scintillator-photomultiplier tube assembly. The goal of this measurement is to record collected charge as a function of bias voltage. The diamond charge collection data will be compared to silicon and predictions about detector operation at the LHC will be made.

Measure Guideline. Five Steps to Implement the Public Housing Authority Energy-Efficient Unit Turnover Checklist

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

Liaukus, Christine

2015-07-09

Five Steps to Implementing the PHA Energy Efficient Unit Turnover Package (ARIES, 2014) is a guide to prepare for the installation of energy efficient measures during a typical public housing authority unit turnover. While a PHA is cleaning, painting and readying a unit for a new resident, there is an opportunity to incorporate energy efficiency measures to further improve the unit's performance. The measures on the list are simple enough to be implemented by in-house maintenance personnel, inexpensive enough to be folded into operating expenses without needing capital budget, and fast enough to implement without substantially changing the number ofmore » days between occupancies, a critical factor for organizations where the demand for dwelling units far outweighs the supply. The following guide lays out a five step plan to implement the EE Unit Turnover Package in your PHA, from an initial Self-Assessment through to Package Implementation.« less

Decomposition of potential efficiency gains from hospital mergers in Greece.

PubMed

Flokou, Angeliki; Aletras, Vassilis; Niakas, Dimitris

2017-12-01

This paper evaluates the technical efficiency of 71 Greek public hospitals and examines potential efficiency gains from 13 candidate mergers among them. Efficiency assessments are performed using bootstrapped Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) whilst merger analysis is conducted by applying the Bogetoft and Wang methodology which allows the overall potential merger gains to be decomposed into three main components of inefficiency, namely technical (or learning), scope (or harmony) and scale (or size) effects. Thus, the analysis provides important insights not only on the magnitude of the potential total efficiency gains but also on their sources. The overall analysis is conducted in the context of a complete methodological framework where methods for outlier detection, returns to scale identification, and bias corrections for DEA estimations are also applied. Mergers are analyzed under the assumptions of constant, variable and non-decreasing returns to scale in an input oriented DEA model with three inputs and three outputs. The main finding of the study indicates that almost all mergers show substantial potential room for efficiency improvement, which is mainly attributed to the pre-merger technical inefficiencies of the individual hospitals and therefore it might be possible to be achieved without the need of implementing full-scale mergers. The same -though, at a lower extent- applies to the harmony effect whilst the size effect shows marginal or even negative gains.

Decomposing Cost Efficiency in Regional Long-term Care Provision in Japan.

PubMed

Yamauchi, Yasuhiro

2015-07-12

Many developed countries face a growing need for long-term care provision because of population ageing. Japan is one such example, given its population's longevity and low birth rate. In this study, we examine the efficiency of Japan's regional long-term care system in FY2010 by performing a data envelopment analysis, a non-parametric frontier approach, on prefectural data and separating cost efficiency into technical, allocative, and price efficiencies under different average unit costs across regions. In doing so, we elucidate the structure of cost inefficiency by incorporating a method for restricting weight flexibility to avoid unrealistic concerns arising from zero optimal weight. The results indicate that technical inefficiency accounts for the highest share of losses, followed by price inefficiency and allocation inefficiency. Moreover, the majority of technical inefficiency losses stem from labor costs, particularly those for professional caregivers providing institutional services. We show that the largest share of allocative inefficiency losses can also be traced to labor costs for professional caregivers providing institutional services, while the labor provision of in-home care services shows an efficiency gain. However, although none of the prefectures gains efficiency by increasing the number of professional caregivers for institutional services, quite a few prefectures would gain allocative efficiency by increasing capital inputs for institutional services. These results indicate that preferred policies for promoting efficiency might vary from region to region, and thus, policy implications should be drawn with care.

Decomposing Cost Efficiency in Regional Long-term Care Provision in Japan

PubMed Central

Yamauchi, Yasuhiro

2016-01-01

Many developed countries face a growing need for long-term care provision because of population ageing. Japan is one such example, given its population's longevity and low birth rate. In this study, we examine the efficiency of Japan's regional long-term care system in FY2010 by performing a data envelopment analysis, a non-parametric frontier approach, on prefectural data and separating cost efficiency into technical, allocative, and price efficiencies under different average unit costs across regions. In doing so, we elucidate the structure of cost inefficiency by incorporating a method for restricting weight flexibility to avoid unrealistic concerns arising from zero optimal weight. The results indicate that technical inefficiency accounts for the highest share of losses, followed by price inefficiency and allocation inefficiency. Moreover, the majority of technical inefficiency losses stem from labor costs, particularly those for professional caregivers providing institutional services. We show that the largest share of allocative inefficiency losses can also be traced to labor costs for professional caregivers providing institutional services, while the labor provision of in-home care services shows an efficiency gain. However, although none of the prefectures gains efficiency by increasing the number of professional caregivers for institutional services, quite a few prefectures would gain allocative efficiency by increasing capital inputs for institutional services. These results indicate that preferred policies for promoting efficiency might vary from region to region, and thus, policy implications should be drawn with care. PMID:26493427

A compact and high efficiency GAGG well counter for radiocesium concentration measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Ogata, Yoshimune

2014-07-01

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, social concern about radiocesium (137Cs and 134Cs) contamination in food increased. However, highly efficient instruments that can measure low level radioactivity are quite expensive and heavy. A compact, lightweight, and reliable radiation detector that can inexpensively monitor low level radiocesium is highly desired. We developed a compact and highly efficient radiocesium detector to detect ~32 keV X-rays from radiocesium instead of high energy gamma photons. A 1-mm thick GAGG scintillator was selected to effectively detect ~32 keV X-rays from 137Cs to reduce the influence of ambient radiation. Four sets of 25 mm×25 mm×1 mm GAGG plates, each of which was optically coupled to a triangular-shaped light guide, were optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to form a square-shaped well counter. Another GAGG plate was directly optically coupled to the PMT to form its bottom detector. The energy resolution of the GAGG well counter was 22.3% FWHM for 122 keV gamma rays and 32% FWHM for ~32 keV X-rays. The counting efficiency for the X-rays from radiocesium (mixture of 137Cs and 134Cs) was 4.5%. In measurements of the low level radiocesium mixture, a photo-peak of ~32 keV X-rays can clearly be distinguished from the background. The minimum detectable activity (MDA) was estimated to be ~100 Bq/kg for 1000 s measurement. The results show that our developed GAGG well counter is promising for the detection of radiocesium in food.

7Be and hydrological model for more efficient implementation of erosion control measure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Barri, Bashar; Bode, Samuel; Blake, William; Ryken, Nick; Cornelis, Wim; Boeckx, Pascal

2014-05-01

Increased concern about the on-site and off-site impacts of soil erosion in agricultural and forested areas has endorsed interest in innovative methods to assess in an unbiased way spatial and temporal soil erosion rates and redistribution patterns. Hence, interest in precisely estimating the magnitude of the problem and therefore applying erosion control measures (ECM) more efficiently. The latest generation of physically-based hydrological models, which fully couple overland flow and subsurface flow in three dimensions, permit implementing ECM in small and large scales more effectively if coupled with a sediment transport algorithm. While many studies focused on integrating empirical or numerical models based on traditional erosion budget measurements into 3D hydrological models, few studies evaluated the efficiency of ECM on watershed scale and very little attention is given to the potentials of environmental Fallout Radio-Nuclides (FRNs) in such applications. The use of FRN tracer 7Be in soil erosion/deposition research proved to overcome many (if not all) of the problems associated with the conventional approaches providing reliable data for efficient land use management. This poster will underline the pros and cones of using conventional methods and 7Be tracers to evaluate the efficiency of coconuts dams installed as ECM in experimental field in Belgium. It will also outline the potentials of 7Be in providing valuable inputs for evolving the numerical sediment transport algorithm needed for the hydrological model on field scale leading to assess the possibility of using this short-lived tracer as a validation tool for the upgraded hydrological model on watershed scale in further steps. Keywords: FRN, erosion control measures, hydrological modes

Techno-economical efficiency and productivity change of wastewater treatment plants: the role of internal and external factors.

PubMed

Hernández-Sancho, F; Molinos-Senante, M; Sala-Garrido, R

2011-12-01

Efficiency and productivity are important measures for identifying best practice in businesses and optimising resource-use. This study analyses how these two measures change across the period 2003-2008 for 196 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Spain, by using the benchmarking methods of Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Productivity Index. To identify which variables contribute to the sustainability of the WWTPs, differences in efficiency scores and productivity indices for external factors are also investigated. Our results indicate that both efficiency and productivity decreased over the five years. We verify that the productivity drop is primarily explained by technical change. Furthermore, certain external variables affected WWTP efficiency, including plant size, treatment technology and energy consumption. However, plants with low energy consumption are the only ones which improve their productivity. Finally, the benchmarking analyses proved to be useful as management tools in the wastewater sector, by providing vital information for improving the sustainability of plants.

High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor for Rotorcraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medic, Gorazd; Sharma, Om P.; Jongwook, Joo; Hardin, Larry W.; McCormick, Duane C.; Cousins, William T.; Lurie, Elizabeth A.; Shabbir, Aamir; Holley, Brian M.; Van Slooten, Paul R.

2017-01-01

The report "High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor for Rotorcraft Applications" documents the work conducted at UTRC under the NRA Contract NNC08CB03C, with cost share 2/3 NASA, and 1/3 UTRC, that has been extended to 4.5 years. The purpose of this effort was to identify key technical barriers to advancing the state-of-the-art of small centrifugal compressor stages; to delineate the measurements required to provide insight into the flow physics of the technical barriers; to design, fabricate, install, and test a state-of-the-art research compressor that is representative of the rear stage of an axial-centrifugal aero-engine; and to acquire detailed aerodynamic performance and research quality data to clarify flow physics and to establish detailed data sets for future application. The design activity centered on meeting the goal set outlined in the NASA solicitation-the design target was to increase efficiency at higher work factor, while also reducing the maximum diameter of the stage. To fit within the existing Small Engine Components Test Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and to facilitate component re-use, certain key design parameters were fixed by UTRC, including impeller tip diameter, impeller rotational speed, and impeller inlet hub and shroud radii. This report describes the design effort of the High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor stage (HECC) and delineation of measurements, fabrication of the compressor, and the initial tests that were performed. A new High-Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor stage with a very challenging reduction in radius ratio was successfully designed, fabricated and installed at GRC. The testing was successful, with no mechanical problems and the running clearances were achieved without impeller rubs. Overall, measured pressure ratio of 4.68, work factor of 0.81, and at design exit corrected flow rate of 3 lbm/s met the target requirements. Polytropic efficiency of 85.5 percent and stall margin of 7.5 percent were

High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor for Rotorcraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medic, Gorazd; Sharma, Om P.; Jongwook, Joo; Hardin, Larry W.; McCormick, Duane C.; Cousins, William T.; Lurie, Elizabeth A.; Shabbir, Aamir; Holley, Brian M.; Van Slooten, Paul R.

2014-01-01

The report "High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor for Rotorcraft Applications" documents the work conducted at UTRC under the NRA Contract NNC08CB03C, with cost share 2/3 NASA, and 1/3 UTRC, that has been extended to 4.5 years. The purpose of this effort was to identify key technical barriers to advancing the state-of-the-art of small centrifugal compressor stages; to delineate the measurements required to provide insight into the flow physics of the technical barriers; to design, fabricate, install, and test a state-of-the-art research compressor that is representative of the rear stage of an axial-centrifugal aero-engine; and to acquire detailed aerodynamic performance and research quality data to clarify flow physics and to establish detailed data sets for future application. The design activity centered on meeting the goal set outlined in the NASA solicitation-the design target was to increase efficiency at higher work factor, while also reducing the maximum diameter of the stage. To fit within the existing Small Engine Components Test Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and to facilitate component re-use, certain key design parameters were fixed by UTRC, including impeller tip diameter, impeller rotational speed, and impeller inlet hub and shroud radii. This report describes the design effort of the High Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor stage (HECC) and delineation of measurements, fabrication of the compressor, and the initial tests that were performed. A new High-Efficiency Centrifugal Compressor stage with a very challenging reduction in radius ratio was successfully designed, fabricated and installed at GRC. The testing was successful, with no mechanical problems and the running clearances were achieved without impeller rubs. Overall, measured pressure ratio of 4.68, work factor of 0.81, and at design exit corrected flow rate of 3 lbm/s met the target requirements. Polytropic efficiency of 85.5 percent and stall margin of 7.5 percent were

The Development of K-8 Progress Monitoring Measures in Mathematics for Use with the 2% and General Education Populations: Kindergarten. Technical Report # 0921

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2009-01-01

In this technical report, we describe the development and piloting of a series of mathematics progress monitoring measures intended for use with students in kindergarten. These measures, available as part of easyCBM[TM], an online progress monitoring assessment system, were developed in 2008 and administered to approximately 2800 students from…

The Multidimensional Efficiency of Pension System: Definition and Measurement in Cross-Country Studies.

PubMed

Chybalski, Filip

The existing literature on the efficiency of pension system, usually addresses the problem between the choice of different theoretical models, or concerns one or few empirical pension systems. In this paper quite different approach to the measurement of pension system efficiency is proposed. It is dedicated mainly to the cross-country studies of empirical pension systems, however it may be also employed to the analysis of a given pension system on the basis of time series. I identify four dimensions of pension system efficiency, referring to: GDP-distribution, adequacy of pension, influence on the labour market and administrative costs. Consequently, I propose four sets of static and one set of dynamic efficiency indicators. In the empirical part of the paper, I use Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and cluster analysis to verify the proposed method on statistical data covering 28 European countries in years 2007-2011. I prove that the method works and enables some comparisons as well as clustering of analyzed pension systems. The study delivers also some interesting empirical findings. The main goal of pension systems seems to become poverty alleviation, since the efficiency of ensuring protection against poverty, as well as the efficiency of reducing poverty, is very resistant to the efficiency of GDP-distribution. The opposite situation characterizes the efficiency of consumption smoothing-this is generally sensitive to the efficiency of GDP-distribution, and its dynamics are sensitive to the dynamics of GDP-distribution efficiency. The results of the study indicate the Norwegian and the Icelandic pension systems to be the most efficient in the analyzed group.

Does Satisfaction Reflect the Technical Quality of Mental Health Care?

PubMed Central

Edlund, Mark J; Young, Alexander S; Kung, Fuan Yue; Sherbourne, Cathy D; Wells, Kenneth B

2003-01-01

Objective To analyze the relationship between satisfaction and technical quality of care for common mental disorders. Data Source A nationally representative telephone survey of 9,585 individuals conducted in 1997–1998. Study Design Using multinomial logistic regression techniques we investigated the association between a five-level measure of satisfaction with the mental health care available for personal or emotional problems and two quality indicators. The first measure, appropriate technical quality, was defined as use of either appropriate counseling or psychotropic medications during the prior year for a probable depressive or anxiety disorder. The second, active treatment, indicated whether the respondent had received treatment for a psychiatric disorder in the past year. Covariates included measures of physical and mental health and sociodemographic indicators. Principal Findings Appropriate technical quality of care was significantly associated with higher levels of satisfaction. The strength of the association was moderate. Conclusions Satisfaction is associated with technical quality of care. However, profiling quality of care with satisfaction will likely require large samples and case-mix adjustment, which may be more difficult for plans or provider groups to implement than measuring technical indicators. More importantly, satisfaction is not the same as technical quality, and our results suggest that at this time they cannot be made to approach each other closely enough to eliminate either. PMID:12785565

Improved technical success and radiation safety of adrenal vein sampling using rapid, semi-quantitative point-of-care cortisol measurement.

PubMed

Page, Michael M; Taranto, Mario; Ramsay, Duncan; van Schie, Greg; Glendenning, Paul; Gillett, Melissa J; Vasikaran, Samuel D

2018-01-01

Objective Primary aldosteronism is a curable cause of hypertension which can be treated surgically or medically depending on the findings of adrenal vein sampling studies. Adrenal vein sampling studies are technically demanding with a high failure rate in many centres. The use of intraprocedural cortisol measurement could improve the success rates of adrenal vein sampling but may be impracticable due to cost and effects on procedural duration. Design Retrospective review of the results of adrenal vein sampling procedures since commencement of point-of-care cortisol measurement using a novel single-use semi-quantitative measuring device for cortisol, the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Success rate and complications of adrenal vein sampling procedures before and after use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Routine use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit device for intraprocedural measurement of cortisol commenced in 2016. Results Technical success rate of adrenal vein sampling increased from 63% of 99 procedures to 90% of 48 procedures ( P = 0.0007) after implementation of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Failure of right adrenal vein cannulation was the main reason for an unsuccessful study. Radiation dose decreased from 34.2 Gy.cm 2 (interquartile range, 15.8-85.9) to 15.7 Gy.cm 2 (6.9-47.3) ( P = 0.009). No complications were noted, and implementation costs were minimal. Conclusions Point-of-care cortisol measurement during adrenal vein sampling improved cannulation success rates and reduced radiation exposure. The use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit is now standard practice at our centre.

Health systems: changes in hospital efficiency and profitability.

PubMed

Büchner, Vera Antonia; Hinz, Vera; Schreyögg, Jonas

2016-06-01

This study investigates potential changes in hospital performance after health system entry, while differentiating between hospital technical and cost efficiency and hospital profitability. In the first stage we obtained (bootstrapped) data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency scores. Then, genetic matching is used as a novel matching procedure in this context along with a difference-in-difference approach within a panel regression framework. With the genetic matching procedure, independent and health system hospitals are matched along a number of environmental and organizational characteristics. The results show that health system entry increases hospital technical and cost efficiency by between 0.6 and 3.4 % in four alternative post-entry periods, indicating that health system entry has not a transitory but rather a permanent effect on hospital efficiency. Regarding hospital profitability, the results reveal an increase in hospital profitability only 1 year after health system entry, and the estimations suggest that this effect is a transitional phenomenon. Overall, health system entry may serve as an appropriate management instrument for decision makers to increase hospital performance.

Measuring the efficiency of a healthcare waste management system in Serbia with data envelopment analysis.

PubMed