Integrative Biological Chemistry Program Includes The Use Of Informatics Tools, GIS And SAS Software Applications.

PubMed

D'Souza, Malcolm J; Kashmar, Richard J; Hurst, Kent; Fiedler, Frank; Gross, Catherine E; Deol, Jasbir K; Wilson, Alora

Wesley College is a private, primarily undergraduate minority-serving institution located in the historic district of Dover, Delaware (DE). The College recently revised its baccalaureate biological chemistry program requirements to include a one-semester Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences course and project-based experiential learning courses using instrumentation, data-collection, data-storage, statistical-modeling analysis, visualization, and computational techniques. In this revised curriculum, students begin with a traditional set of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics major core-requirements, a geographic information systems (GIS) course, a choice of an instrumental analysis course or a statistical analysis systems (SAS) programming course, and then, students can add major-electives that further add depth and value to their future post-graduate specialty areas. Open-sourced georeferenced census, health and health disparity data were coupled with GIS and SAS tools, in a public health surveillance system project, based on US county zip-codes, to develop use-cases for chronic adult obesity where income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, education, and age were categorical variables. Across the 48 contiguous states, obesity rates are found to be directly proportional to high poverty and inversely proportional to median income and educational achievement. For the State of Delaware, age and educational attainment were found to be limiting obesity risk-factors in its adult population. Furthermore, the 2004-2010 obesity trends showed that for two of the less densely populated Delaware counties; Sussex and Kent, the rates of adult obesity were found to be progressing at much higher proportions when compared to the national average.

40 CFR 63.4965 - How do I determine the add-on control device emission destruction or removal efficiency?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... an alternative to Method 3B, the manual method for measuring the oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon..., Instruments and Apparatus]” (incorporated by reference, see § 63.14). (4) Use Method 4 of appendix A to 40 CFR... total gaseous organic mass emissions as carbon at the inlet and outlet of the add-on control device...

40 CFR 63.3545 - How do I determine the add-on control device emission destruction or removal efficiency?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... an alternative to Method 3B the manual method for measuring the oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon..., Instruments and Apparatus]” (incorporated by reference, see § 63.14). (4) Use Method 4 of appendix A to 40 CFR... total gaseous organic mass emissions as carbon at the inlet and outlet of the add-on control device...

Psychometric Evaluation of a Dutch Version of the Mini PAS-ADD for Assessing Psychiatric Disorders in Adults with Different Levels of Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, R.; Maes, B.

2013-01-01

Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have an increased vulnerability to develop psychiatric problems. Moreover, the early recognition and the accurate diagnosis of psychiatric disorders in the population of persons with ID are challenging. Method: A Dutch version of the Mini PAS-ADD, which is a screening instrument for…

Description of the GMAO OSSE for Weather Analysis Software Package: Version 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koster, Randal D. (Editor); Errico, Ronald M.; Prive, Nikki C.; Carvalho, David; Sienkiewicz, Meta; El Akkraoui, Amal; Guo, Jing; Todling, Ricardo; McCarty, Will; Putman, William M.;

Psychometric properties and norms of the German ABC-Community and PAS-ADD Checklist.

PubMed

Zeilinger, Elisabeth L; Weber, Germain; Haveman, Meindert J

2011-01-01

The aim of the present study was to standardize and generate psychometric evidence of the German language versions of two well-established English language mental health instruments: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) and the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (PAS-ADD) Checklist. New methods in this field were introduced: a simulation method for testing the factor structure and an exploration of long-term stability over two years. The checklists were both administered to a representative sample of 270 individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and, two years later in a second data collection, to 128 participants of the original sample. Principal component analysis and parallel analysis were performed. Reliability measures, long-term stability, subscale intercorrelations, as well as standardized norms were generated. Prevalence of mental health problems was examined. Psychometric properties were mostly excellent, with long-term stability showing moderate to strong effects. The original factor structure of the ABC-C was replicated. PAS-ADD Checklist produced a similar, but still different structure compared with findings from the English language area. The overall prevalence rate of mental health problems in the sample was about 20%. Considering the good results on the measured psychometric properties, the two checklists are recommended for the early detection of mental health problems in persons with ID. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Controversies on the values for health instruments of Chinese medicine.

PubMed

Hou, Zheng-Kun; Chang, Xiang; Liu, Feng-Bin; Xie, Nelson; Guo, Nicole; Chen, Xin-Lin

2017-02-01

Currently, there are increasing debates on the necessity of health instruments in Chinese medicine (CM) emerging in China. This study aims to reevaluate its status and values. Analyzing the causes, limits, advantages, and properties characters of health instruments in CM, it is found that weak fundamental research, incomplete self-awareness, and complicated social factors are the primary causes of debates. A comprehensive analysis showed health instruments in CM have health evaluation benefits to people from a dominant Chinese culture, meet the requirements of cultural background, and bring long-term value to Chinese instrument researches. However, its values and status should be treated differently depending on various subtypes. Although little theoretical and practical evidences proved that patients-reported health instruments in CM should be proposed independently, the doctors- and nurses-reported questionnaires are necessary. With this in mind, the study group proposes the 'Chinese cultural instruments (CCIs)' and 'health-related CCIs'. The latter one aims to evaluate the health status of people in a dominant Chinese culture. The CCIs theory represents Chinese instrument researches on a larger regional and higher level, and resolves the debates on instruments between CM and Western medicine in China. Health instruments in CM bring more scientific and social benefits for Chinese instrument researches. However, it does not include cultural demands, and lacks scientific significance. CCIs have all its virtues, and add solutions to the latter's theory bottleneck and scientific debates, thus bringing increased benefits to clinical assessment in complementary and alternative medicine researches.

Modern Material Analysis Instruments Add a New Dimension to Materials Characterization and Failure Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Binayak

2009-01-01

Modern analytical tools can yield invaluable results during materials characterization and failure analysis. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) provide significant analytical capabilities, including angstrom-level resolution. These systems can be equipped with a silicon drift detector (SDD) for very fast yet precise analytical mapping of phases, as well as electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) units to map grain orientations, chambers that admit large samples, variable pressure for wet samples, and quantitative analysis software to examine phases. Advanced solid-state electronics have also improved surface and bulk analysis instruments: Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) can quantitatively determine and map light elements such as hydrogen, lithium, and boron - with their isotopes. Its high sensitivity detects impurities at parts per billion (ppb) levels. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) can determine oxidation states of elements, as well as identifying polymers and measuring film thicknesses on coated composites. This technique is also known as electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Scanning Auger electron spectroscopy (SAM) combines surface sensitivity, spatial lateral resolution (10 nm), and depth profiling capabilities to describe elemental compositions of near and below surface regions down to the chemical state of an atom.

Substance Abuse among High-Risk Sexual Offenders: Do Measures of Lifetime History of Substance Abuse Add to the Prediction of Recidivism over Actuarial Risk Assessment Instruments?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Looman, Jan; Abracen, Jeffrey

2011-01-01

There has been relatively little research on the degree to which measures of lifetime history of substance abuse add to the prediction of risk based on actuarial measures alone among sexual offenders. This issue is of relevance in that a history of substance abuse is related to relapse to substance using behavior. Furthermore, substance use has…

STATUS OF VARIOUS SNS DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS

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

Blokland, Willem; Purcell, J David; Patton, Jeff

2007-01-01

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator systems are ramping up to deliver a 1.0 GeV, 1.4 MW proton beam to a liquid mercury target for neutron scattering research. Enhancements or additions have been made to several instrument systems to support the ramp up in intensity, improve reliability, and/or add functionality. The Beam Current Monitors now support increased rep rates, the Harp system now includes charge density calculations for the target, and a new system has been created to collect data for the beam accounting and present the data over the web and to the operator consoles. The majority of themore » SNS beam instruments are PC-based and their configuration files are now managed through the Oracle relational database. A new version for the wire scanner software was developed to add features to correlate the scan with beam loss, parking in the beam, and measuring the longitudinal beam current. This software is currently being tested. This paper also includes data from the selected instruments.« less

Quantization error of CCD cameras and their influence on phase calculation in fringe pattern analysis.

PubMed

Skydan, Oleksandr A; Lilley, Francis; Lalor, Michael J; Burton, David R

2003-09-10

We present an investigation into the phase errors that occur in fringe pattern analysis that are caused by quantization effects. When acquisition devices with a limited value of camera bit depth are used, there are a limited number of quantization levels available to record the signal. This may adversely affect the recorded signal and adds a potential source of instrumental error to the measurement system. Quantization effects also determine the accuracy that may be achieved by acquisition devices in a measurement system. We used the Fourier fringe analysis measurement technique. However, the principles can be applied equally well for other phase measuring techniques to yield a phase error distribution that is caused by the camera bit depth.

Role of IAC in large space systems thermal analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, G. K.; Skladany, J. T.; Young, J. P.

1982-01-01

Computer analysis programs to evaluate critical coupling effects that can significantly influence spacecraft system performance are described. These coupling effects arise from the varied parameters of the spacecraft systems, environments, and forcing functions associated with disciplines such as thermal, structures, and controls. Adverse effects can be expected to significantly impact system design aspects such as structural integrity, controllability, and mission performance. One such needed design analysis capability is a software system that can integrate individual discipline computer codes into a highly user-oriented/interactive-graphics-based analysis capability. The integrated analysis capability (IAC) system can be viewed as: a core framework system which serves as an integrating base whereby users can readily add desired analysis modules and as a self-contained interdisciplinary system analysis capability having a specific set of fully integrated multidisciplinary analysis programs that deal with the coupling of thermal, structures, controls, antenna radiation performance, and instrument optical performance disciplines.

The relationship of document and quantitative literacy with learning styles and selected personal variables for aerospace technology students at Indiana State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Royce Ann

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent that student scores on a researcher-constructed quantitative and document literacy test, the Aviation Documents Delineator (ADD), were associated with (a) learning styles (imaginative, analytic, common sense, dynamic, and undetermined), as identified by the Learning Type Measure, (b) program curriculum (aerospace administration, professional pilot, both aerospace administration and professional pilot, other, or undeclared), (c) overall cumulative grade point average at Indiana State University, and (d) year in school (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior). The Aviation Documents Delineator (ADD) was a three-part, 35 question survey that required students to interpret graphs, tables, and maps. Tasks assessed in the ADD included (a) locating, interpreting, and describing specific data displayed in the document, (b) determining data for a specified point on the table through interpolation, (c) comparing data for a string of variables representing one aspect of aircraft performance to another string of variables representing a different aspect of aircraft performance, (d) interpreting the documents to make decisions regarding emergency situations, and (e) performing single and/or sequential mathematical operations on a specified set of data. The Learning Type Measure (LTM) was a 15 item self-report survey developed by Bernice McCarthy (1995) to profile an individual's processing and perception tendencies in order to reveal different individual approaches to learning. The sample used in this study included 143 students enrolled in Aerospace Technology Department courses at Indiana State University in the fall of 1996. The ADD and the LTM were administered to each subject. Data collected in this investigation were analyzed using a stepwise multiple regression analysis technique. Results of the study revealed that the variables, year in school and GPA, were significant predictors of the criterion variables, document, quantitative, and total literacy, when utilizing the ADD. The variables learning style and program of study were found not to be significant predictors of literacy scores on the ADD instrument.

Add Control: plant virtualization for control solutions in WWTP.

PubMed

Maiza, M; Bengoechea, A; Grau, P; De Keyser, W; Nopens, I; Brockmann, D; Steyer, J P; Claeys, F; Urchegui, G; Fernández, O; Ayesa, E

2013-01-01

This paper summarizes part of the research work carried out in the Add Control project, which proposes an extension of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) models and modelling architectures used in traditional WWTP simulation tools, addressing, in addition to the classical mass transformations (transport, physico-chemical phenomena, biological reactions), all the instrumentation, actuation and automation & control components (sensors, actuators, controllers), considering their real behaviour (signal delays, noise, failures and power consumption of actuators). Its ultimate objective is to allow a rapid transition from the simulation of the control strategy to its implementation at full-scale plants. Thus, this paper presents the application of the Add Control simulation platform for the design and implementation of new control strategies at the WWTP of Mekolalde.

Is It Working? Distractor Analysis Results from the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) Assessment Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Stephanie

2009-05-01

The Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) assessment instrument is a multiple-choice survey tightly aligned to the consensus learning goals stated by the American Astronomical Society - Chair's Conference on ASTRO 101, the American Association of the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 Benchmarks, and the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. Researchers from the Cognition in Astronomy, Physics and Earth sciences Research (CAPER) Team at the University of Wyoming's Science and Math Teaching Center (UWYO SMTC) have been conducting a question-by-question distractor analysis procedure to determine the sensitivity and effectiveness of each item. In brief, the frequency each possible answer choice, known as a foil or distractor on a multiple-choice test, is determined and compared to the existing literature on the teaching and learning of astronomy. In addition to having statistical difficulty and discrimination values, a well functioning assessment item will show students selecting distractors in the relative proportions to how we expect them to respond based on known misconceptions and reasoning difficulties. In all cases, our distractor analysis suggests that all items are functioning as expected. These results add weight to the validity of the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) assessment instrument, which is designed to help instructors and researchers measure the impact of course-length duration instructional strategies for undergraduate science survey courses with learning goals tightly aligned to the consensus goals of the astronomy education community.

A retarding ion mass spectrometer for the Dynamics Explorer-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, W.

1985-01-01

The Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer (RIMS) for Dynamics Explorer-1 is an instrument designed to measure the details of the thermal plasma distribution. It combines the ion temperature determining capability of the retarding potential analyzer with the compositional capabilities of the mass spectrometer and adds multiple sensor heads to sample all directions relative to the spacecraft ram direction. This manual provides a functional description of the RIMS, the instrument calibration, and a description of the commands which can be stored in the instrument logic to control its operation.

Formation Flying and Deformable Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rio, Yvon

2009-05-01

Astronomers have always attempted to build very stable instruments. They fight all that can cause mechanical deformation or image motion. This has led to well established technologies (autoguide, active optics, thermal control, tip/tilt correction), as well as observing methods based on the use of controlled motion (scanning, micro scanning, shift and add, chopping and nodding). Formation flying disturbs this practice. It is neither possible to reduce the relative motion to very small amplitudes, nor to control it at will. Some impacts on Simbol-X instrument design, and operation are presented.

Nano-metrology: The art of measuring X-ray mirrors with slope errors <100 nrad

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

Alcock, Simon G., E-mail: simon.alcock@diamond.ac.uk; Nistea, Ioana; Sawhney, Kawal

2016-05-15

We present a comprehensive investigation of the systematic and random errors of the nano-metrology instruments used to characterize synchrotron X-ray optics at Diamond Light Source. With experimental skill and careful analysis, we show that these instruments used in combination are capable of measuring state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors. Examples are provided of how Diamond metrology data have helped to achieve slope errors of <100 nrad for optical systems installed on synchrotron beamlines, including: iterative correction of substrates using ion beam figuring and optimal clamping of monochromator grating blanks in their holders. Simulations demonstrate how random noise from the Diamond-NOM’s autocollimator adds intomore » the overall measured value of the mirror’s slope error, and thus predict how many averaged scans are required to accurately characterize different grades of mirror.« less

75 FR 7634 - New Postal Product

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-22

... public that the Postal Service has filed a request to add International Business Reply Service... entered into two additional International Business Reply Service (IBRS) Contracts.\\1\\ Additionally, the... to Establish Successor Instruments as Baseline International Business Reply Service Competitive...

A phase-stepped point diffraction interferometer using liquid crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercer, Carolyn R.; Creath, Katherine; Rashidnia, Nasser

1995-01-01

A new instrument, the liquid crystal point diffraction interferometer (LCPDI), has been developed for the measurement of phase objects. This instrument maintains the compact, robust design of Linnik's point diffraction interferometer (PDI) and adds to it phase stepping capability for quantitative interferogram analysis. The result is a compact, simple to align, environmentally insensitive interferometer capable of accurately measuring optical wavefronts with high data density and with automated data reduction. The design of the LCPDI is briefly discussed. An algorithm is presented for eliminating phase measurement error caused by object beam intensity variation from frame-to-frame. The LCPDI is demonstrated by measuring the temperature distribution across a heated chamber filled with silicone oil. The measured results are compared to independently measured results and show excellent agreement with them. It is expected that this instrument will have application in the fluid sciences as a diagnostic tool, particularly in space based applications where autonomy, robustness, and compactness are desirable qualities. It should also be useful for the testing of optical elements, provided a master is available for comparison.

Fitting and Modeling in the ASC Data Analysis Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doe, S.; Siemiginowska, A.; Joye, W.; McDowell, J.

As part of the AXAF Science Center (ASC) Data Analysis Environment, we will provide to the astronomical community a Fitting Application. We present a design of the application in this paper. Our design goal is to give the user the flexibility to use a variety of optimization techniques (Levenberg-Marquardt, maximum entropy, Monte Carlo, Powell, downhill simplex, CERN-Minuit, and simulated annealing) and fit statistics (chi (2) , Cash, variance, and maximum likelihood); our modular design allows the user easily to add their own optimization techniques and/or fit statistics. We also present a comparison of the optimization techniques to be provided by the Application. The high spatial and spectral resolutions that will be obtained with AXAF instruments require a sophisticated data modeling capability. We will provide not only a suite of astronomical spatial and spectral source models, but also the capability of combining these models into source models of up to four data dimensions (i.e., into source functions f(E,x,y,t)). We will also provide tools to create instrument response models appropriate for each observation.

A time series modeling approach in risk appraisal of violent and sexual recidivism.

PubMed

Bani-Yaghoub, Majid; Fedoroff, J Paul; Curry, Susan; Amundsen, David E

2010-10-01

For over half a century, various clinical and actuarial methods have been employed to assess the likelihood of violent recidivism. Yet there is a need for new methods that can improve the accuracy of recidivism predictions. This study proposes a new time series modeling approach that generates high levels of predictive accuracy over short and long periods of time. The proposed approach outperformed two widely used actuarial instruments (i.e., the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and the Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide). Furthermore, analysis of temporal risk variations based on specific time series models can add valuable information into risk assessment and management of violent offenders.

Promoting motivation through mode of instruction: The relationship between use of affective teaching techniques and motivation to learn science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez Rivera, Yamil

The purpose of this study is to add to what we know about the affective domain and to create a valid instrument for future studies. The Motivation to Learn Science (MLS) Inventory is based on Krathwohl's Taxonomy of Affective Behaviors (Krathwohl et al., 1964). The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) demonstrated that the MLS Inventory is a valid and reliable instrument. Therefore, the MLS Inventory is a uni-dimensional instrument composed of 9 items with convergent validity (no divergence). The instrument had a high Chronbach Alpha value of .898 during the EFA analysis and .919 with the CFA analysis. Factor loadings on the 9 items ranged from .617 to .800. Standardized regression weights ranged from .639 to .835 in the CFA analysis. Various indices (RMSEA = .033; NFI = .987; GFI = .985; CFI = 1.000) demonstrated a good fitness of the proposed model. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to statistical analyze data where students' motivation to learn science scores (level-1) were nested within teachers (level-2). The analysis was geared toward identifying if teachers' use of affective behavior (a level-2 classroom variable) was significantly related with students' MLS scores (level-1 criterion variable). Model testing proceeded in three phases: intercept-only model, means-as-outcome model, and a random-regression coefficient model. The intercept-only model revealed an intra-class correlation coefficient of .224 with an estimated reliability of .726. Therefore, data suggested that only 22.4% of the variance in MLS scores is between-classes and the remaining 77.6% is at the student-level. Due to the significant variance in MLS scores, X2(62.756, p<.0001), teachers' TAB scores were added as a level-2 predictor. The regression coefficient was non-significant (p>.05). Therefore, the teachers' self-reported use of affective behaviors was not a significant predictor of students' motivation to learn science.

Cognitive task analysis for instruction in single-injection ultrasound guided-regional anesthesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gucev, Gligor V.

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is methodology for eliciting knowledge from subject matter experts. CTA has been used to capture the cognitive processes, decision-making, and judgments that underlie expert behaviors. A review of the literature revealed that CTA has not yet been used to capture the knowledge required to perform ultrasound guided regional anesthesia (UGRA). The purpose of this study was to utilize CTA to extract knowledge from UGRA experts and to determine whether instruction based on CTA of UGRA will produce results superior to the results of traditional training. This study adds to the knowledge base of CTA in being the first one to effectively capture the expert knowledge of UGRA. The derived protocol was used in a randomized, double blinded experiment involving UGRA instruction to 39 novice learners. The results of this study strongly support the hypothesis that CTA-based instruction in UGRA is more effective than conventional clinical instruction, as measured by conceptual pre- and post-tests, performance of a simulated UGRA procedure, and time necessary for the task performance. This study adds to the number of studies that have proven the superiority of CTA-informed instruction. Finally, it produced several validated instruments that can be used in instructing and evaluating UGRA.

Pre-donation cognitions of potential living organ donors: the development of the Donation Cognition Instrument in potential kidney donors.

PubMed

Wirken, Lieke; van Middendorp, Henriët; Hooghof, Christina W; Sanders, Jan-Stephan F; Dam, Ruth E; van der Pant, Karlijn A M I; Berendsen, Elsbeth C M; Wellink, Hiske; Dackus, Henricus J A; Hoitsma, Andries J; Hilbrands, Luuk B; Evers, Andrea W M

2017-03-01

Cognitions surrounding living organ donation, including the motivation to donate, expectations of donation and worries about donation, are relevant themes during living donor evaluation. However, there is no reliable psychometric instrument assessing all these different cognitions. This study developed and validated a questionnaire to assess pre-donation motivations, expectations and worries regarding donation, entitled the Donation Cognition Instrument (DCI). Psychometric properties of the DCI were examined using exploratory factor analysis for scale structure and associations with validated questionnaires for construct validity assessment. From seven Dutch transplantation centres, 719 potential living kidney donors were included. The DCI distinguishes cognitions about donor benefits, recipient benefits, idealistic incentives, gratitude and worries about donation (Cronbach's alpha 0.76-0.81). Scores on pre-donation cognitions differed with regard to gender, age, marital status, religion and donation type. With regard to construct validity, the DCI was moderately correlated with expectations regarding donor's personal well-being and slightly to moderately to health-related quality of life. The DCI is found to be a reliable instrument assessing cognitions surrounding living organ donation, which might add to pre-donation quality of life measures in facilitating psychosocial donor evaluation by healthcare professionals. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

Using a Recently Developed Self-Report Instrument to Assess Social Anxiety Life Interference in Individuals with Co-occurring Depression: A Known-Groups Analysis

PubMed Central

Garcia, Antonio F.; Acosta, Melina; Osman, Augustine

2017-01-01

Social anxiety is a common condition that often entails substantial adverse impacts on social, educational, and occupational functioning. Moreover, social anxiety often co-occurs with depression, making it difficult to distinguish the unique effects of each condition, which can pose a challenge to effective treatment planning and intervention. Until recently, clinicians have not had access to a validated psychometric instrument that measures the degree of life interference stemming from social anxiety, and that distinguishes life interference associated with social anxiety from that associated with depression. Fortunately, recent work has yielded a novel instrument that combines a measure of social anxiety life interference with a measure of depression life interference, providing a measure that can identify functional disruptions uniquely associated with social anxiety, and that may occur in the presence of comorbid depression. The present article reviews two studies describing the development and psychometric properties of the Social Anxiety and Depression Life Interference Inventory (SADLI-24) and adds to the existing literature by demonstrating the discriminative accuracy of the inventory using a “known-groups” methodology. The article concludes by providing recommendations for the practical application of the SADLI-24 and suggesting future directions for research with the instrument. PMID:28782057

Overview of Submm Single Dish: From Observations to Useful Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanke, Thomas

2018-03-01

Observing with single dish telescopes at submillimetre wavelengths adds a number of challenges. The Earth's atmosphere not only absorbs the sky signal with varying amounts as a function of frequency and weather conditions, but it also emits a signal that is many orders of magnitude brighter than the astronomical signal one is interested in. Additional challenges come in the calibration and removal of certain instrumental effects. I will give an overview of present and planned submillimetre telescopes, instrument types, and observing strategies.

MCST Research Operations | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Readiness. Laboratory Utilization. Custom Research Equipment Design-Build Capabilities. Add short description Concept and Design Design Requirements Assessment Controls and Automation Design-Build Services International (SEMI) S2 standard assessment Computer-Aided Design (CAD)/Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P

Multi-sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperature (MISST) for GODAE

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-30

NAVOCEANO has improved on its methodology to add retrieval error information to the US Navy operational data stream. Quantitative estimates of...hycom.rsmas.miami.edu/ “ POSITIV : Prototype Operational System – ISAR – Temperature Instrumentation for the VOS fleet” CIRA/CSU Joint Hurricane Testbed

The convergent and discriminant validity of burnout measures in sport: a multi-trait/multi-method analysis.

PubMed

Cresswell, Scott L; Eklund, Robert C

2006-02-01

Athlete burnout research has been hampered by the lack of an adequate measurement tool. The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS) are two recently developed self-report instruments designed to assess burnout. The convergent and discriminant validity of the ABQ and MBI-GS were assessed through multi-trait/multi-method analysis with a sporting population. Overall, the ABQ and the MBI-GS displayed acceptable convergent validity with matching subscales highly correlated, and satisfactory internal discriminant validity with lower correlations between non-matching subscales. Both scales also indicated an adequate discrimination between the concepts of burnout and depression. These findings add support to previous findings in non-sporting populations that depression and burnout are separate constructs. Based on the psychometric results, construct validity analysis and practical considerations, the results support the use of the ABQ to assess athlete burnout.

Environment Modeling Using Runtime Values for JPF-Android

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

van der Merwe, Heila; Tkachuk, Oksana; Nel, Seal; van der Merwe, Brink; Visser, Willem

2015-01-01

Software applications are developed to be executed in a specific environment. This environment includes external native libraries to add functionality to the application and drivers to fire the application execution. For testing and verification, the environment of an application is simplified abstracted using models or stubs. Empty stubs, returning default values, are simple to generate automatically, but they do not perform well when the application expects specific return values. Symbolic execution is used to find input parameters for drivers and return values for library stubs, but it struggles to detect the values of complex objects. In this work-in-progress paper, we explore an approach to generate drivers and stubs based on values collected during runtime instead of using default values. Entry-points and methods that need to be modeled are instrumented to log their parameters and return values. The instrumented applications are then executed using a driver and instrumented libraries. The values collected during runtime are used to generate driver and stub values on- the-fly that improve coverage during verification by enabling the execution of code that previously crashed or was missed. We are implementing this approach to improve the environment model of JPF-Android, our model checking and analysis tool for Android applications.

Live interactive computer music performance practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wessel, David

2002-05-01

A live-performance musical instrument can be assembled around current lap-top computer technology. One adds a controller such as a keyboard or other gestural input device, a sound diffusion system, some form of connectivity processor(s) providing for audio I/O and gestural controller input, and reactive real-time native signal processing software. A system consisting of a hand gesture controller; software for gesture analysis and mapping, machine listening, composition, and sound synthesis; and a controllable radiation pattern loudspeaker are described. Interactivity begins in the set up wherein the speaker-room combination is tuned with an LMS procedure. This system was designed for improvisation. It is argued that software suitable for carrying out an improvised musical dialog with another performer poses special challenges. The processes underlying the generation of musical material must be very adaptable, capable of rapid changes in musical direction. Machine listening techniques are used to help the performer adapt to new contexts. Machine learning can play an important role in the development of such systems. In the end, as with any musical instrument, human skill is essential. Practice is required not only for the development of musically appropriate human motor programs but for the adaptation of the computer-based instrument as well.

Inflight characterization and correction of Planck/HFI analog to digital converter nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauvé, A.; Couchot, F.; Patanchon, G.; Montier, L.

2016-07-01

The Planck Satellite launched in 2009 was targeted to observe the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Back-ground (CMB) to an unprecedented sensitivity. While the Analog to Digital Converter of the HFI (High Frequency Instrument) readout electronics had not been properly characterized on ground, it has been shown to add a systematic nonlinearity effect up to 2% of the cosmological signal. This was a limiting factor for CMB science at large angular scale. We will present the in-flight analysis and method used to characterize and correct this effect down to 0.05% level. We also discuss how to avoid this kind of complex issue for future missions.

Safety and tolerability of dapagliflozin, saxagliptin and metformin in combination: Post-hoc analysis of concomitant add-on versus sequential add-on to metformin and of triple versus dual therapy with metformin.

PubMed

Del Prato, Stefano; Rosenstock, Julio; Garcia-Sanchez, Ricardo; Iqbal, Nayyar; Hansen, Lars; Johnsson, Eva; Chen, Hungta; Mathieu, Chantal

2018-06-01

The safety of triple oral therapy with dapagliflozin plus saxagliptin plus metformin versus dual therapy with dapagliflozin or saxagliptin plus metformin was compared in a post-hoc analysis of 3 randomized trials of sequential or concomitant add-on of dapagliflozin and saxagliptin to metformin. In the concomitant add-on trial, patients with type 2 diabetes on stable metformin received dapagliflozin 10 mg/d plus saxagliptin 5 mg/d. In sequential add-on trials, patients on metformin plus either saxagliptin 5 mg/d or dapagliflozin 10 mg/d received dapagliflozin 10 mg/d or saxagliptin 5 mg/d, respectively, as add-on therapy. After 24 weeks, incidences of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar between triple and dual therapy and between concomitant and sequential add-on regimens. Urinary tract infections were more common with sequential than with concomitant add-on therapy; genital infections were reported only with sequential add-on of dapagliflozin to saxagliptin plus metformin. Hypoglycaemia incidence was <2.0% across all analysis groups. In conclusion, the safety and tolerability of triple therapy with dapagliflozin, saxagliptin and metformin, as either concomitant or sequential add-on, were similar to dual therapy with either agent added to metformin. © 2018 The Authors. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 7858 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-11

... to pretest the asthma supplement, CAM questions, and computerized assisted interviewing instruments that will mimic current NAMCS forms. If the pretest is successful, NCHS will add the new CAM items... Workflow Survey.. 2,982 1 20/60 Pretest NAMCS forms: Office-based physicians........ Physician Induction...

Multi-Sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperature (MISST) for GODAE

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

new data streams. NAVOCEANO has improved on its methodology to add retrieval error information to the US Navy operational data stream. Quantitative ...HYCOM)”: http://hycom.rsmas.miami.edu/ “ POSITIV : Prototype Operational System – ISAR – Temperature Instrumentation for the VOS fleet” CIRA/CSU Joint

Multi-Sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperature (MISST) for GODAE

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

its methodology to add 3 retrieval error information to the US Navy operational data stream. Quantitative estimates of reliability are added to...hycom.rsmas.miami.edu/ “ POSITIV : Prototype Operational System – ISAR – Temperature Instrumentation for the VOS fleet” CIRA/CSU Joint Hurricane Testbed project

Extending and expanding the life of older current meters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strahle, W.J.; Martini, Marinna A.

1995-01-01

The EG&G Model 610 VACM and Model 630 VMCM are standards for ocean current measurements. It is simple to add peripheral sensors to the data stream of the VACM by use of add-on CMOS circuitry. The firmware control of the VMCM makes it virtually impossible to add sampling of additional sensors. Most of the electronic components used in the VACM are obsolete or difficult to replace and the VMCM will soon follow suit. As a result, the USGS joined WHOI in the development of a PCMCIA data storage system to replace the cassette recording system in the VACM. Using the same PCMCIA recording package as the controller and recorder for the VMCM, a user-friendly VMCM is being designed. PCMCIA cards are rapidly becoming an industry standard with a wide range of storage capacities. By upgrading the VACM and VMCM to PCMCIA storage systems with a flexible microprocessor, they will continue to be viable instruments.

PDS4 vs PDS3 - A Comparison of PDS Data for Two Mars Rovers - Existing Mars Curiosity Mission Mass Spectrometer (SAM) PDS3 Data vs Future ExoMars Rover Mass Spectrometer (MOMA) PDS4 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyness, E.; Franz, H. B.; Prats, B.

2017-12-01

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument is a suite of instruments on Mars aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover. Centered on a mass spectrometer, SAM delivers its data to the PDS Atmosphere's node in PDS3 format. Over five years on Mars the process of operating SAM has evolved and extended significantly from the plan in place at the time the PDS3 delivery specification was written. For instance, SAM commonly receives double or even triple sample aliquots from the rover's drill. SAM also stores samples in spare cups for long periods of time for future analysis. These unanticipated operational changes mean that the PDS data deliveries are absent some valuable metadata without which the data can be confusing. The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument is another suite of instruments centered on a mass spectrometer bound for Mars. MOMA is part of the European ExoMars rover mission schedule to arrive on Mars in 2021. While SAM and MOMA differ in some important scientific ways - MOMA uses an linear ion trap compared to the SAM quadropole mass spectrometer and MOMA has a laser desorption experiment that SAM lacks - the data content from the PDS point of view is comparable. Both instruments produce data containing mass spectra acquired from solid samples collected on the surface of Mars. The MOMA PDS delivery will make use of PDS4 improvements to provide a metadata context to the data. The MOMA PDS4 specification makes few assumptions of the operational processes. Instead it provides a means for the MOMA operators to provide the important contextual metadata that was unanticipated during specification development. Further, the software tools being developed for instrument operators will provide a means for the operators to add this crucial metadata at the time it is best know - during operations.

A Validation Study of Student Differentiation between Computing Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battig, Michael; Shariq, Muhammad

2011-01-01

Using a previously published study of how students differentiate between computing disciplines, this study attempts to validate the original research and add additional hypotheses regarding the type of institution that the student resides. Using the identical survey instrument from the original study, students in smaller colleges and in different…

Initial clinical experience with computerized tomography of the body.

PubMed

Stephens, D H; Sheedy, P F; Hattery, R R; Hartman, G W

1976-04-01

Computerized tomography of the body, now possible with an instrument that can complete a scan rapidly enough to permit patients to suspend respiration, adds an important new dimension to radiologic diagnosis. Cross-sectional antomy is uniquely reconstructed to provide accurate diagnostic information for various disorders throughout the body.

77 FR 59790 - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR); Rewrite of Part 504...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-01

....'' GSAR Subpart 504.11, Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and GSAR 504.1103, Procedures, to add the... Sec. 504.1103 Procedures. Subpart 504.11--Central Contractor Registration 504.1103 Procedures. In addition to the requirements found in FAR 4.1103, prior to awarding a contractual instrument the...

Significant treatment effect of add-on ketamine anesthesia in electroconvulsive therapy in depressive patients: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Li, Dian-Jeng; Wang, Fu-Chiang; Chu, Che-Sheng; Chen, Tien-Yu; Tang, Chia-Hung; Yang, Wei-Cheng; Chow, Philip Chik-Keung; Wu, Ching-Kuan; Tseng, Ping-Tao; Lin, Pao-Yen

2017-01-01

Add-on ketamine anesthesia in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been studied in depressive patients in several clinical trials with inconclusive findings. Two most recent meta-analyses reported insignificant findings with regards to the treatment effect of add-on ketamine anesthesia in ECT in depressive patients. The aim of this study is to update the current evidence and investigate the role of add-on ketamine anesthesia in ECT in depressive patients via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We performed a thorough literature search of the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases, and extracted all relevant clinical variables to compare the antidepressive outcomes between add-on ketamine anesthesia and other anesthetics in ECT. Total 16 articles with 346 patients receiving add-on ketamine anesthesia in ECT and 329 controls were recruited. We found that the antidepressive treatment effect of add-on ketamine anesthesia in ECT in depressive patients was significantly higher than that of other anesthetics (p<0.001). This significance persisted in both short-term (1-2 weeks) and moderate-term (3-4 weeks) treatment courses (all p<0.05). However, the side effect profiles and recovery time profiles were significantly worse in add-on ketamine anesthesia group than in control group. Our meta-analysis highlights the significantly higher antidepressive treatment effect of add-on ketamine in depressive patients receiving ECT compared to other anesthetics. However, clinicians need to take undesirable side effects into consideration when using add-on ketamine anesthesia in ECT in depressive patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Optical Science: Deploying Technical Concepts and Engaging Participation through Digital Storytelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, R. G.; Berry, K.; Arrigo, J.; Hooper, R. P.

2013-12-01

Technical 'hands-on' training workshops are designed to bring together scientists, technicians, and program managers from universities, government agencies, and the private sector to discuss methods used and advances made in instrumentation and data analysis. Through classroom lectures and discussions combined with a field-day component, hands-on workshop participants get a 'full life cycle' perspective from instrumentation concepts and deployment to data analysis. Using film to document this process is becoming increasingly more popular, allowing scientists to add a story-telling component to their research. With the availability of high-quality and low priced professional video equipment and editing software, scientists are becoming digital storytellers. The science video developed from the 'hands-on' workshop, Optical Water Quality Sensors for Nutrients: Concepts, Deployment, and Analysis, encapsulates the objectives of technical training workshops for participants. Through the use of still photography, video, interviews, and sound, the short video, An Introduction to CUAHSI's Hands-on Workshops, produced by a co-instructor of the workshop acts as a multi-purpose tool. The 10-minute piece provides an overview of workshop field day activities and works to bridge the gap between classroom learning, instrumentation application and data analysis. CUAHSI 'hands-on' technical workshops have been collaboratively executed with faculty from several universities and with the U.S. Geological Survey. The video developed was designed to attract new participants to these professional development workshops, to stimulate a connection with the environment, to act as a workshop legacy resource, and also serve as a guide for prospective hands-on workshop organizers. The effective use of film and short videos in marketing scientific programs, such as technical trainings, allows scientists to visually demonstrate the technologies currently being employed and to provide a more intriguing perspective on scientific research.

CTEF 2.0 - Assessment and Improvement of Command Team Effectiveness: Verification of Model and Instrument (CTEF 2.0 - Diagnostic et Amelioration de l’Efficacite d’un Team de Commandement: Verification du Modele et de l’Instrument)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

what level of detail is needed to build their teams, and they can add more detailed items from the model in order to tap deeper in the performance of...of a project on ‘Command Team Effectiveness’ by Task Group 127 for the RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel (RTG HFM-127). Published...vérification du modèle et de l’instrument) This Technical Report documents the findings of a project on ‘Command Team Effectiveness’ by Task Group

UAVSAR Program: Initial Results from New Instrument Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lou, Yunling; Hensley, Scott; Moghaddam, Mahta; Moller, Delwyn; Chapin, Elaine; Chau, Alexandra; Clark, Duane; Hawkins, Brian; Jones, Cathleen; Marks, Phillip;

--No Title--

Science.gov Websites

using mesonet visbility observations and CLARUS QC'd obs; Add ceiling height and sky cover analysis to precipitation coverage gaps near CONUS coastlines; Add significant wave height analysis to OCONUS domains

CRF-Based Model for Instrument Detection and Pose Estimation in Retinal Microsurgery.

PubMed

Alsheakhali, Mohamed; Eslami, Abouzar; Roodaki, Hessam; Navab, Nassir

2016-01-01

Detection of instrument tip in retinal microsurgery videos is extremely challenging due to rapid motion, illumination changes, the cluttered background, and the deformable shape of the instrument. For the same reason, frequent failures in tracking add the overhead of reinitialization of the tracking. In this work, a new method is proposed to localize not only the instrument center point but also its tips and orientation without the need of manual reinitialization. Our approach models the instrument as a Conditional Random Field (CRF) where each part of the instrument is detected separately. The relations between these parts are modeled to capture the translation, rotation, and the scale changes of the instrument. The tracking is done via separate detection of instrument parts and evaluation of confidence via the modeled dependence functions. In case of low confidence feedback an automatic recovery process is performed. The algorithm is evaluated on in vivo ophthalmic surgery datasets and its performance is comparable to the state-of-the-art methods with the advantage that no manual reinitialization is needed.

78 FR 70610 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-26

...-traded futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements. Generally, derivatives are... to invest in derivative instruments, such as options contracts, futures contracts and swap agreements... derivatives will allow the Fund to selectively add diversifying sources of return from selling options. Option...

Funding Education: Developing a Method of Allocation for Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BenDavid-Hadar, Iris

2018-01-01

Purpose: Resource allocation is a key policy instrument that affects the educational achievement distribution (EAD). The literature on methods of allocation is focused mainly on equity issues. The purpose of this paper is to develop a composite funding formula, which adds to the equity-based element (i.e. a needs-based element compensating for…

Science in Orbit. The Shuttle & Spacelab Experience: 1981-1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.

Doing science in the Shuttle and Spacelab is a different experience than having an instrument on a satellite; science becomes more "personal." Interaction between scientists on the ground and the onboard crew in conducting experiments adds a new dimension to a science mission. It transforms the mission from a focus on machines,…

After Four Decades, Pioneer of Calculator Still Leads K-12 Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trotter, Andrew

2007-01-01

Not all educators agree that the best ways to teach mathematics include giving students electronic calculators. But many do, and their view is reflected in the policies and practices of school districts, textbook publishers, testing companies, and state education agencies. That adds up to profits for Texas Instruments Inc., the Dallas-based…

HYDRA Hyperspectral Data Research Application Tom Rink and Tom Whittaker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rink, T.; Whittaker, T.

2005-12-01

HYDRA is a freely available, easy to install tool for visualization and analysis of large local or remote hyper/multi-spectral datasets. HYDRA is implemented on top of the open source VisAD Java library via Jython - the Java implementation of the user friendly Python programming language. VisAD provides data integration, through its generalized data model, user-display interaction and display rendering. Jython has an easy to read, concise, scripting-like, syntax which eases software development. HYDRA allows data sharing of large datasets through its support of the OpenDAP and OpenADDE server-client protocols. The users can explore and interrogate data, and subset in physical and/or spectral space to isolate key areas of interest for further analysis without having to download an entire dataset. It also has an extensible data input architecture to recognize new instruments and understand different local file formats, currently NetCDF and HDF4 are supported.

A Content Analysis of Functional Recovery Strategies of Breast Cancer Survivors

PubMed Central

Lyons, Kathleen D.; Svensborn, Ingrid A.; Kornblith, Alice B.; Hegel, Mark T.

2015-01-01

Seventeen breast cancer survivors completed a six-week, telephone-delivered, Behavioral Activation/Problem-solving intervention designed to reduce participation restrictions. A content analysis of the session data was conducted to identify the goals and patterns of goal attainment, in order to understand what women were trying to achieve in their recovery. The 17 women set 141 goals. Sixty-six (47%) of the goals reflected a desire to add a new activity to their routine and 75 (53%) of the goals reflected a desire to perform a routine activity more efficiently. The women set goals to address challenges in exercising (24%), work (13%), nutrition (11%), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs; 10%), stress management (9%), and social activities (9%). The women set an average of 8 goals and met 71% of their goals. The intervention shows promise in helping women set and achieve a number of functional goals as part of breast cancer recovery. PMID:26460469

First aircraft test results of a compact, low cost hyperspectral imager for earth observation from space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Goeij, B. T. G.; Otter, G. C. J.; van Wakeren, J. M. O.; Veefkind, J. P.; Vlemmix, T.; Ge, X.; Levelt, P. F.; Dirks, B. P. F.; Toet, P. M.; van der Wal, L. F.; Jansen, R.

2017-09-01

In recent years TNO has investigated and developed different innovative opto-mechanical designs to realize advanced spectrometers for space applications in a more compact and cost-effective manner. This offers multiple advantages: a compact instrument can be flown on a much smaller platform or as add-on on a larger platform; a low-cost instrument opens up the possibility to fly multiple instruments in a satellite constellation, improving both global coverage and temporal sampling (e.g. multiple overpasses per day to study diurnal processes); in this way a constellation of low-cost instruments may provide added value to the larger scientific and operational satellite missions (e.g. the Copernicus Sentinel missions); a small, lightweight spectrometer can easily be mounted on a small aircraft or high-altitude UAV (offering high spatial resolution).

Optical instrumentation for science and formation flying with a starshade observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Stefan; Scharf, Daniel; Cady, Eric; Liebe, Carl; Tang, Hong

2015-09-01

In conjunction with a space telescope of modest size, a starshade enables observation of small exoplanets close to the parent star by blocking the direct starlight while the planet light remains unobscured. The starshade is flown some tens of thousands of kilometers ahead of the telescope. Science instruments may include a wide field camera for imaging the target exoplanetary system as well as an integral field spectrometer for characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. We show the preliminary designs of the optical instruments for observatories such as Exo-S, discuss formation flying and control, retargeting maneuvers and other aspects of a starshade mission. The implementation of a starshade-ready WFIRST-AFTA is discussed and we show how a compact, standalone instrument package could be developed as an add-on to future space telescopes, requiring only minor additions to the telescope spacecraft.

Intraoperative Noise Increases Perceived Task Load and Fatigue in Anesthesiology Residents: A Simulation-Based Study.

PubMed

McNeer, Richard R; Bennett, Christopher L; Dudaryk, Roman

2016-02-01

Operating rooms are identified as being one of the noisiest of clinical environments, and intraoperative noise is associated with adverse effects on staff and patient safety. Simulation-based experiments would offer controllable and safe venues for investigating this noise problem. However, realistic simulation of the clinical auditory environment is rare in current simulators. Therefore, we retrofitted our operating room simulator to be able to produce immersive auditory simulations with the use of typical sound sources encountered during surgeries. Then, we tested the hypothesis that anesthesia residents would perceive greater task load and fatigue while being given simulated lunch breaks in noisy environments rather than in quiet ones. As a secondary objective, we proposed and tested the plausibility of a novel psychometric instrument for the assessment of stress. In this simulation-based, randomized, repeated-measures, crossover study, 2 validated psychometric survey instruments, the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), composed of 6 items, and the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI), composed of 5 items, were used to assess perceived task load and fatigue, respectively, in first-year anesthesia residents. Residents completed the psychometric instruments after being given lunch breaks in quiet and noisy intraoperative environments (soundscapes). The effects of soundscape grouping on the psychometric instruments and their comprising items were analyzed with a split-plot analysis. A model for a new psychometric instrument for measuring stress that combines the NASA-TLX and SOFI instruments was proposed, and a factor analysis was performed on the collected data to determine the model's plausibility. Twenty residents participated in this study. Multivariate analysis of variance showed an effect of soundscape grouping on the combined NASA-TLX and SOFI instrument items (P = 0.003) and the comparisons of univariate item reached significance for the NASA Temporal Demand item (P = 0.0004) and the SOFI Lack of Energy item (P = 0.001). Factor analysis extracted 4 factors, which were assigned the following construct names for model development: Psychological Task Load, Psychological Fatigue, Acute Physical Load, and Performance-Chronic Physical Load. Six of the 7 fit tests used in the partial confirmatory factor analysis were positive when we fitted the data to the proposed model, suggesting that further validation is warranted. This study provides evidence that noise during surgery can increase feelings of stress, as measured by perceived task load and fatigue levels, in anesthesiologists and adds to the growing literature pointing to an overall adverse impact of clinical noise on caregivers and patient safety. The psychometric model proposed in this study for assessing perceived stress is plausible based on factor analysis and will be useful for characterizing the impact of the clinical environment on subject stress levels in future investigations.

Flexible add-on solution for MR image-guided interventions in a closed-bore scanner environment.

PubMed

Busse, Harald; Garnov, Nikita; Thörmer, Gregor; Zajonz, Dirk; Gründer, Wilfried; Kahn, Thomas; Moche, Michael

2010-09-01

MRI is of great clinical utility for the guidance of various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In a standard closed-bore scanner, the simplest approach is to manipulate the instrument outside the bore and move the patient into the bore for reference and control imaging only. Without navigational assistance, however, such an approach can be difficult, inaccurate, and time consuming. Therefore, an add-on navigation solution is described that addresses these limitations. Patient registration is established by an automatic, robust, and fast (<30 sec) localization of table-mounted MR reference markers and the instrument is tracked optically. Good hand-eye coordination is provided by following the virtual instrument on MR images that are reconstructed in real time from the reference data. Needle displacements of 2.2 +/- 0.6 mm and 3.9 +/- 2.4 mm were determined in a phantom (P < 0.05), depending on whether the reference markers were placed at smaller (98-139 mm) or larger (147-188 mm) distances from the isocenter. Clinical functionality of the navigation concept is demonstrated by a double oblique, subscapular hook-wire insertion in a patient with a body mass index of 30.1 kg/m(2). Ease of use, compactness, and flexibility of this technique suggest that it can be used for many other procedures in different body regions. More patient cases are needed to evaluate clinical performance and workflow. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Dermatologic Surgical Instruments: A History and Review.

PubMed

Gandhi, Sumul A; Kampp, Jeremy T

2017-01-01

Dermatologic surgery requires precision and accuracy given the delicate nature of procedures performed. The use of the most appropriate instrument for each action helps optimize both functionality and cosmetic outcome. To review the history of surgical instruments used in dermatology, with a focus on mechanism and evolution to the instruments that are used in current practice. A comprehensive literature search was conducted via textbook and journal research for historic references while review of current references was conducted online using multiple search engines and PubMed. There are a number of articles that review instruments in dermatology, but this article adds a unique perspective in classifying their evolution, while also presenting them as levers that serve to increase human dexterity during the course of surgery. Surgical instruments allow fine manipulation of tissue, which in turn produces optimal outcomes. Surgical tools have been around since the dawn of man, and their evolution parallels the extent to which human civilization has specialized over time. This article describes the evolution of instruments from the general surgical armamentaria to the specialized tools that are used today.

MAISIE: a multipurpose astronomical instrument simulator environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Alan; Beard, Steven; Geers, Vincent; Klaassen, Pamela

2016-07-01

Astronomical instruments often need simulators to preview their data products and test their data reduction pipelines. Instrument simulators have tended to be purpose-built with a single instrument in mind, and at- tempting to reuse one of these simulators for a different purpose is often a slow and difficult task. MAISIE is a simulator framework designed for reuse on different instruments. An object-oriented design encourages reuse of functionality and structure, while offering the flexibility to create new classes with new functionality. MAISIE is a set of Python classes, interfaces and tools to help build instrument simulators. MAISIE can just as easily build simulators for single and multi-channel instruments, imagers and spectrometers, ground and space based instruments. To remain easy to use and to facilitate the sharing of simulators across teams, MAISIE is written in Python, a freely available and open-source language. New functionality can be created for MAISIE by creating new classes that represent optical elements. This approach allows new and novel instruments to add functionality and take advantage of the existing MAISIE classes. MAISIE has recently been used successfully to develop the simulator for the JWST/MIRI- Medium Resolution Spectrometer.

Real-time color image processing for forensic fiber investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulsson, Nils

1995-09-01

This paper describes a system for automatic fiber debris detection based on color identification. The properties of the system are fast analysis and high selectivity, a necessity when analyzing forensic fiber samples. An ordinary investigation separates the material into well above 100,000 video images to analyze. The system is based on standard techniques such as CCD-camera, motorized sample table, and IBM-compatible PC/AT with add-on-boards for video frame digitalization and stepping motor control as the main parts. It is possible to operate the instrument at full video rate (25 image/s) with aid of the HSI-color system (hue- saturation-intensity) and software optimization. High selectivity is achieved by separating the analysis into several steps. The first step is fast direct color identification of objects in the analyzed video images and the second step analyzes detected objects with a more complex and time consuming stage of the investigation to identify single fiber fragments for subsequent analysis with more selective techniques.

Visible and infrared spin scanning radiometer /VISSR/ atmospheric sounder /VAS/ ground data system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalton, J. T.; Jamros, R. K.; Helfer, D. P.; Howell, D. R.

1981-01-01

The interactive system developed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center to receive data from the infrared radiometer on GOES-4 in near real time and to perform interactive display and analysis of the 12-channel infrared imagery is described. The system is minicomputer based and uses a menu approach in guiding the analyst through spacecraft instrument programming, area and band selection, image acquisition, enhancement, analysis, and presentation of results. The system is linked by dual port disks to Goddard's Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System for comparing the sounding results with parameters derived from conventional data and from time lapse analysis of visible and IR imagery from other geostationary satellites. It is pointed out that the system hardware and software are being expanded to add capabilities for the integration and assimilation of VAS data with data from other sources, the comparison of severe storm observations from space with special ground network data, and the development of diagnostic models.

Sensitivity analysis of add-on price estimate for select silicon wafering technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mokashi, A. R.

1982-01-01

The cost of producing wafers from silicon ingots is a major component of the add-on price of silicon sheet. Economic analyses of the add-on price estimates and their sensitivity internal-diameter (ID) sawing, multiblade slurry (MBS) sawing and fixed-abrasive slicing technique (FAST) are presented. Interim price estimation guidelines (IPEG) are used for estimating a process add-on price. Sensitivity analysis of price is performed with respect to cost parameters such as equipment, space, direct labor, materials (blade life) and utilities, and the production parameters such as slicing rate, slices per centimeter and process yield, using a computer program specifically developed to do sensitivity analysis with IPEG. The results aid in identifying the important cost parameters and assist in deciding the direction of technology development efforts.

Titan's Upper Atmosphere from Cassini/UVIS Solar Occultations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capalbo, Fernando J.; Bénilan, Yves; Yelle, Roger V.; Koskinen, Tommi T.

2015-12-01

Titan’s atmosphere is composed mainly of molecular nitrogen, methane being the principal trace gas. From the analysis of 8 solar occultations measured by the Extreme Ultraviolet channel of the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on board Cassini, we derived vertical profiles of N2 in the range 1100-1600 km and vertical profiles of CH4 in the range 850-1300 km. The correction of instrument effects and observational effects applied to the data are described. We present CH4 mole fractions, and average temperatures for the upper atmosphere obtained from the N2 profiles. The occultations correspond to different times and locations, and an analysis of variability of density and temperature is presented. The temperatures were analyzed as a function of geographical and temporal variables, without finding a clear correlation with any of them, although a trend of decreasing temperature toward the north pole was observed. The globally averaged temperature obtained is (150 ± 1) K. We compared our results from solar occultations with those derived from other UVIS observations, as well as studies performed with other instruments. The observational data we present confirm the atmospheric variability previously observed, add new information to the global picture of Titan’s upper atmosphere composition, variability, and dynamics, and provide new constraints to photochemical models.

Assessment of the Measurement Properties of the NHCAHPS Family Survey: A Rasch Scaling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Matthew S.

2013-01-01

The introduction of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), a family of survey instruments designed to capture and report people's experiences obtaining health care could soon add satisfaction as a consistent dimension of quality that skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are required to assess and report. The SNF setting…

Tongue Measures in Individuals with Normal and Impaired Swallowing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stierwalt, Julie A. G.; Youmans, Scott R.

2007-01-01

Purpose: This investigation sought to add to the extant literature on measures of normal tongue function, to provide information on measures of tongue function in a group of individuals with oral phase dysphagia, and to provide a comparison of these 2 groups matched for age and gender. Method: The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument was utilized to…

Evaluation of a Small-Group Technique as a Teacher Training Instrument. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whipple, Babette S.

An exploratory study was designed to determine whether the use of a new, small group technique adds significantly to the level of training in early childhood education. Two groups of five student teachers learned the technique and were then evaluated. The evaluation procedure was designed to measure changes in their educational objectives, their…

Comparison of Field Methods and Models to Estimate Mean Crown Diameter

Treesearch

William A. Bechtold; Manfred E. Mielke; Stanley J. Zarnoch

2002-01-01

The direct measurement of crown diameters with logger's tapes adds significantly to the cost of extensive forest inventories. We undertook a study of 100 trees to compare this measurement method to four alternatives-two field instruments, ocular estimates, and regression models. Using the taping method as the standard of comparison, accuracy of the tested...

Neural Biomarkers for Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD in the Auditory Cortex of Children.

PubMed

Serrallach, Bettina; Groß, Christine; Bernhofs, Valdis; Engelmann, Dorte; Benner, Jan; Gündert, Nadine; Blatow, Maria; Wengenroth, Martina; Seitz, Angelika; Brunner, Monika; Seither, Stefan; Parncutt, Richard; Schneider, Peter; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie

2016-01-01

Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10-40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89-98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities.

Neural Biomarkers for Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD in the Auditory Cortex of Children

PubMed Central

Serrallach, Bettina; Groß, Christine; Bernhofs, Valdis; Engelmann, Dorte; Benner, Jan; Gündert, Nadine; Blatow, Maria; Wengenroth, Martina; Seitz, Angelika; Brunner, Monika; Seither, Stefan; Parncutt, Richard; Schneider, Peter; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie

2016-01-01

Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10–40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89–98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities. PMID:27471442

The Case for Deep Space Telecommunications Relay Stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandler, Charles W.; Miranda, Felix A. (Technical Monitor)

2004-01-01

Each future mission to Jupiter and beyond must carry the traditional suite of telecommunications systems for command and control and for mission data transmission to earth. The telecommunications hardware includes the large antenna and the high-power transmitters that enable the communications link. Yet future spacecraft will be scaled down from the hallmark missions of Galileo and Cassini to Jupiter and Saturn, respectively. This implies that a higher percentage of the spacecraft weight and power must be dedicated to telecommunications system. The following analysis quantifies this impact to future missions and then explores the merits of an alternative approach using deep space relay stations for the link back to earth. It will be demonstrated that a telecommunications relay satellite would reduce S/C telecommunications weight and power sufficiently to add one to two more instruments.

Computer-Design Drawing for NASA 2020 Mars Rover

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-07-15

NASA's 2020 Mars rover mission will go to a region of Mars thought to have offered favorable conditions long ago for microbial life, and the rover will search for signs of past life there. It will also collect and cache samples for potential return to Earth, for many types of laboratory analysis. As a pioneering step toward how humans on Mars will use the Red Planet's natural resources, the rover will extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. This 2016 image comes from computer-assisted-design work on the 2020 rover. The design leverages many successful features of NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, but it adds new science instruments and a sampling system to carry out the new goals for the mission. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20759

Cardiovascular variability and introversion/extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.

PubMed

Burdick, J A; Van Dyck, B; Von Bargen, W J

1982-01-01

Forty-eight subjects were measured during a 10 min rest period for pulse wave velocity (PWV) and heart rate (HR) level and variability, using a Cyborg BL 907 instrument. These subjects were also evaluated by means of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for I-E, N, P and L. These data were factor analyzed. Five factors were identified which were accounted for 80.6% of the variance. These factors were: 'cardiovascular lability', 'heart rate time trends', 'cardiovascular balance', 'sex effects' and 'self reports'. The EPQ measurements separated from the physiological measurements in the factor analysis and none were found to be significantly loaded on any physiological variables. On the other hand, significant physiological correlations were found with N. This study adds a possible blood pressure and heart rate descripter to N.

Scientific Data Analysis Toolkit: A Versatile Add-in to Microsoft Excel for Windows

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halpern, Arthur M.; Frye, Stephen L.; Marzzacco, Charles J.

2018-01-01

Scientific Data Analysis Toolkit (SDAT) is a rigorous, versatile, and user-friendly data analysis add-in application for Microsoft Excel for Windows (PC). SDAT uses the familiar Excel environment to carry out most of the analytical tasks used in data analysis. It has been designed for student use in manipulating and analyzing data encountered in…

78 FR 13549 - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Implementation of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-28

... FI must usually be purchased in totality. In addition, FIs do not yield data on the type, amount, and... amend Sec. 246.2 to add the definition of EBT. Cash-Value Voucher/Cash-Value Benefit. Federal WIC regulations (Sec. 246.2) provide definitions for cash-value vouchers (CVV) and food instruments, and within...

Assessing the Availability of Fertility Regulation Methods: Report on a Methodological Study. Scientific Reports, No. 1, February 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, German

The report investigates the problems of assessing the availability of fertility regulation methods in the household and the community. The study originated from the need to evaluate a number of proposed additions to the data collection instruments used by the World Fertility Survey (WFS). The core questionnaire was modified to add the following…

40 CFR 63.4362 - How do I determine the add-on control device emission destruction or removal efficiency?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide content of exhaust gas in ANSI/ASME, PTC 19.10-1981, “Flue and Exhaust Gas Analyses [Part 10, Instruments and Apparatus]” (incorporated by reference, see § 63.14). (4... applicable, during each test run. (b) Measure the volatile organic matter concentration as carbon at the...

Weather Radars and Lidar for Observing the Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

(Vivek) Vivekanandan, J.

2010-05-01

The Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado develops and deploys state-of-the-art ground-based radar, airborne radar and lidar instruments to advance scientific understanding of the earth system. The ground-based radar (S-Pol) is equipped with dual-wavelength capability (S-band and Ka-band). S-Pol is the only transportable radar in the world. In order to capture faster moving weather events such as tornadoes and record observations of clouds over rugged mountainous terrain and ocean, an airborne radar (ELDORA) is used. It is the only airborne Doppler meteorological radar that is able to detect motions in the clear air. The EOL is in the process of building the first phase of a three phase dual wavelength W/Ka-band airborne cloud radar to be called the HIAPER Cloud Radar (HCR). This phase is a pod based W-band radar system with scanning capability. The second phase will add pulse compression and polarimetric capability to the W-band system, while the third phase will add complementary Ka-band radar. The pod-based radar is primarily designed to fly on the Gulfstream V (GV) and C-130 aircraft. The envisioned capability of a millimeter wave radar system on GV is enhanced by coordination with microwave radiometer, in situ probes, and especially by the NCAR GV High-Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) which is also under construction. The presentation will describe the capabilities of current instruments and also planned instrumentation development.

SOFIA Science Instruments: Commissioning, Upgrades and Future Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Erin C.

2014-01-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is the world's largest airborne observatory, featuring a 2.5 meter telescope housed in the aft section of a Boeing 747sp aircraft. SOFIA's current instrument suite includes: FORCAST (Faint Object InfraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope), a 5-40 µm dual band imager/grism spectrometer developed at Cornell University; HIPO (High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations), a 0.3-1.1 micron imager built by Lowell Observatory; FLITECAM (First Light Infrared Test Experiment CAMera), a 1-5 micron wide-field imager/grism spectrometer developed at UCLA; FIFI-LS (Far-Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer), a 42-210 micron IFU grating spectrograph completed by University Stuttgart; and EXES (Echelon-Cross- Echelle Spectrograph), a 5-28 micron high-resolution spectrometer being completed by UC Davis and NASA Ames. A second generation instrument, HAWC+ (Highresolution Airborne Wideband Camera), is a 50-240 micron imager being upgraded at JPL to add polarimetry and new detectors developed at GSFC. SOFIA will continually update its instrument suite with new instrumentation, technology demonstration experiments and upgrades to the existing instrument suite. This paper details instrument capabilities and status as well as plans for future instrumentation, including the call for proposals for 3rd generation SOFIA science instruments.

[Social support and cardiovascular health: Adaptation of a social support scale for hypertensive and diabetic patients in primary care, Chile].

PubMed

Poblete, Fernando; Glasinovic, Andrés; Sapag, Jaime; Barticevic, Nicolás; Arenas, Artzy; Padilla, Oslando

2015-10-01

Validate an instrument to measure the Perceived Social Support in outpatients who are in treatment to hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus ii. Observational and exploratory design with mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative. Two community health centers from the municipality of Puente Alto (Santiago, Chile). Hypertensive and/or diabetic patients between 18 and 65 years old. A purposive sample was undertaken for the qualitative study, and a random sample for the final survey. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the constructs of social support as perceived by patients. According to expert opinion and literature review, a scale of social support was selected and a pilot study was conducted in 40 patients, then we interviewed in depth to some of those participants. The instrument was modified according the results of this process. The final version was applied to 250 participants. The construct existence was verified in the population. In the adaptation, one item was eliminated. The alpha of Cronbach was 0.89 and the factorial analysis had the same four factors from the original study. Nine new items obtained from the focal groups were added to the instrument, obtaining an alpha of Cronbach of 0.92. The final instrument has good psychometric proprieties, and is applicable in our population. The additional items from the qualitative study improve its internal consistency, but don't add new information about Perceived Social Support. This is consistent with other studies, and suggests the application of the original version of the instrument. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomason, Larry W.

1998-01-01

Three SAGE III instruments are being built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation in Boulder, Colorado (USA). SAGE III is a fourth generation instrument that incorporates robust elements of its predecessors [SAM II, SAGE, SAGE II] while incorporating new design elements. The first of these will be launched aboard a Russian Meteor/3M platform in May 1999. SAGE III will add measurements of O2-A band from which density and temperature profiles are retrieved. This feature should improve refraction and Rayleigh computations over earlier. Additionally, the linear array of detectors will permit on-orbit wavelength calibration from observations of the exo-atmospheric solar Fraunhofer spectrum.

U/Th dating by SHRIMP RG ion-microprobe mass spectrometry using single ion-exchange beads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bischoff, James L.; Wooden, Joe; Murphy, Fred; Williams, Ross W.

2005-04-01

We present a new analytical method for U-series isotopes using the SHRIMP RG (Sensitive High mass Resolution Ion MicroProbe) mass spectrometer that utilizes the preconcentration of the U-series isotopes from a sample onto a single ion-exchange bead. Ion-microprobe mass spectrometry is capable of producing Th ionization efficiencies in excess of 2%. Analytical precision is typically better than alpha spectroscopy, but not as good as thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS) and inductively coupled plasma multicollector mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Like TIMS and ICP-MS the method allows analysis of small samples sizes, but also adds the advantage of rapidity of analysis. A major advantage of ion-microprobe analysis is that U and Th isotopes are analyzed in the same bead, simplifying the process of chemical separation. Analytical time on the instrument is ˜60 min per sample, and a single instrument-loading can accommodate 15-20 samples to be analyzed in a 24-h day. An additional advantage is that the method allows multiple reanalyses of the same bead and that samples can be archived for reanalysis at a later time. Because the ion beam excavates a pit only a few μm deep, the mount can later be repolished and reanalyzed numerous times. The method described of preconcentrating a low concentration sample onto a small conductive substrate to allow ion-microprobe mass spectrometry is potentially applicable to many other systems.

U/Th dating by SHRIMP RG ion-microprobe mass spectrometry using single ion-exchange beads

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bischoff, J.L.; Wooden, J.; Murphy, F.; Williams, Ross W.

2005-01-01

We present a new analytical method for U-series isotopes using the SHRIMP RG (Sensitive High mass Resolution Ion MicroProbe) mass spectrometer that utilizes the preconcentration of the U-series isotopes from a sample onto a single ion-exchange bead. Ion-microprobe mass spectrometry is capable of producing Th ionization efficiencies in excess of 2%. Analytical precision is typically better than alpha spectroscopy, but not as good as thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS) and inductively coupled plasma multicollector mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Like TIMS and ICP-MS the method allows analysis of small samples sizes, but also adds the advantage of rapidity of analysis. A major advantage of ion-microprobe analysis is that U and Th isotopes are analyzed in the same bead, simplifying the process of chemical separation. Analytical time on the instrument is ???60 min per sample, and a single instrument-loading can accommodate 15-20 samples to be analyzed in a 24-h day. An additional advantage is that the method allows multiple reanalyses of the same bead and that samples can be archived for reanalysis at a later time. Because the ion beam excavates a pit only a few ??m deep, the mount can later be repolished and reanalyzed numerous times. The method described of preconcentrating a low concentration sample onto a small conductive substrate to allow ion-microprobe mass spectrometry is potentially applicable to many other systems. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

40 CFR 63.4766 - How do I determine the add-on control device emission destruction or removal efficiency?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... also use as an alternative to Method 3B, the manual method for measuring the oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide content of exhaust gas in ANSI/ASME PTC 19.10-1981, “Flue and Exhaust Gas Analyses [Part 10, Instruments and Apparatus]” (incorporated by reference, see § 63.14). (4) Use Method 4 of...

USACDEC Experimentation Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

Commander, Instrumentation Command (Prov) who is responsible for the cinematic form of the films. The writing requirements for discrete sections of the...level of simulated realism required. Higher levels of simulated realism will require higher degrees of control to insure the test events occur as...experimentation, the "enemy" created to add realism . Aggressor forces may be represented by live troops In the field or by mechanical targets with or

Properties of material in the submillimeter wave region (instrumentation and measurement of index of refraction)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lally, J.; Meister, R.

1983-01-01

The Properties of Materials in the Submillimeter Wave Region study was initiated to instrument a system and to make measurements of the complex index of refraction in the wavelength region between 0.1 to 1.0 millimeters. While refractive index data is available for a number of solids and liquids there still exists a need for an additional systematic study of dielectric properties to add to the existing data, to consider the accuracy of the existing data, and to extend measurements in this wavelength region for other selected mateials. The materials chosen for consideration would be those with useful thermal, mechanical, and electrical characteristics. The data is necessary for development of optical components which, for example, include beamsplitters, attenuators, lenses, grids, all useful for development of instrumentation in this relatively unexploited portion of the spectrum.

PIXE analysis of Italian ink drawings of the XVI century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zucchiatti, A.; Climent-Font, A.; Enguita, O.; Fernandez-Jimenez, M. T.; Finaldi, G.; Garrido, C.; Matillas, J. M.

2005-10-01

The composition of inks in a group of 24 drawings of ten XVI century Italian painters, has been determined by PIXE at the external micro-beam line of the Centro de Micro Análisis de Materiales of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Ink elemental thicknesses have been determined by comparison with a set of certified thin standards. A comprehensive comparison of inks has also been performed by renormalisation of spectra and definition of an ink-to-ink distance. The elemental compositions and the ink-to-ink distances give consistent results that are generally in line with the appearance of the drawings and add relevant instrumental information to the stylistic observation, revealing for example the presence of retouches and additions in different parts of a drawing. Cluster analysis performed on a subgroup of 13 artefacts from the Genoese painter Luca Cambiaso and his school has revealed a partition that separates neatly the work of the master from that of his followers.

TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERE FROM CASSINI/UVIS SOLAR OCCULTATIONS

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

Capalbo, Fernando J.; Bénilan, Yves; Yelle, Roger V.

2015-12-01

Titan’s atmosphere is composed mainly of molecular nitrogen, methane being the principal trace gas. From the analysis of 8 solar occultations measured by the Extreme Ultraviolet channel of the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on board Cassini, we derived vertical profiles of N{sub 2} in the range 1100–1600 km and vertical profiles of CH{sub 4} in the range 850–1300 km. The correction of instrument effects and observational effects applied to the data are described. We present CH{sub 4} mole fractions, and average temperatures for the upper atmosphere obtained from the N{sub 2} profiles. The occultations correspond to different times and locations,more » and an analysis of variability of density and temperature is presented. The temperatures were analyzed as a function of geographical and temporal variables, without finding a clear correlation with any of them, although a trend of decreasing temperature toward the north pole was observed. The globally averaged temperature obtained is (150 ± 1) K. We compared our results from solar occultations with those derived from other UVIS observations, as well as studies performed with other instruments. The observational data we present confirm the atmospheric variability previously observed, add new information to the global picture of Titan’s upper atmosphere composition, variability, and dynamics, and provide new constraints to photochemical models.« less

How to change environmental conditions for health.

PubMed

Commers, Matthew J; Gottlieb, Nell; Kok, Gerjo

2007-03-01

Since the Lalonde report, contemporary public-health theory has given steadily more attention to the role of environments in influencing health status. Environments, both social and physical, influence health directly or through complex interactions with behavior, genetics and health-care systems. They are also important for public-health because environments are the complex systems through which people are both empowered and exercise their empowerment. If public-health professionals are to play a significant role in influencing environments for health, they need analytical instruments that enable them to link specific environmental conditions with the actions necessary to improve them. These instruments must also enable public-health professionals to identify points of leverage for stimulating key actors to take the actions necessary to make environments more promoting of health. This article first presents one such analytical instrument. Then, building on examples relating to socio-economic health inequities, the analytical instrument is applied to reveal how it can add value to health professionals' effectiveness in planning interventions for more health-promoting environments.

Fly's Eye GLM Simulator

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-27

The Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) is an airborne array of multi-spectral radiometers optimized to measure the optical emission from lightning. The instrument was designed by the Lightning Group in the Earth Science Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the validation effort for the first Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) onboard GOES-16. From March to May of 2017, FEGS was flown on the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center ER-2 along with a payload of other instruments during the GOES-16 Validation Flight Campaign. Data collected during the campaign are being analyzed by scientists at NASA and collaborating institutions to test the accuracy of GLM and other GOES-16 instruments. FEGS adds the capability to investigate sub-millisecond lightning energetics to the NASA Airborne Earth Science program. When flown with its complimentary suite of instruments, the FEGS package observes lightning radiation signatures that span from radio frequencies to gamma-ray emission. Learn more about the GOES-16 Validation Flight Campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCTIk...

Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) Instrument Response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parsons, A.; Hullinger, D.; Markwardt, C.; Barthelmy, S.; Cummings, J.; Gehrels, N.; Krimm, H.; Tueller, J.; Fenimore, E.; Palmer, D.

2004-01-01

The Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), a large coded aperture instrument with a wide field-of-view (FOV), provides the gamma-ray burst triggers and locations for the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer. In addition to providing this imaging information, BAT will perform a 15 keV - 150 keV all-sky hard x-ray survey based on the serendipitous pointings resulting from the study of gamma-ray bursts and will also monitor the sky for transient hard x-ray sources. For BAT to provide spectral and photometric information for the gamma-ray bursts, the transient sources and the all-sky survey, the BAT instrument response must be determined to an increasingly greater accuracy. In this talk, we describe the BAT instrument response as determined to an accuracy suitable for gamma-ray burst studies. We will also discuss the public data analysis tools developed to calculate the BAT response to sources at different energies and locations in the FOV. The level of accuracy required for the BAT instrument response used for the hard x-ray survey is significantly higher because this response must be used in the iterative clean algorithm for finding fainter sources. Because the bright sources add a lot of coding noise to the BAT sky image, fainter sources can be seen only after the counts due to the bright sources are removed. The better we know the BAT response, the lower the noise in the cleaned spectrum and thus the more sensitive the survey. Since the BAT detector plane consists of 32768 individual, 4 mm square CZT gamma-ray detectors, the most accurate BAT response would include 32768 individual detector response functions to separate mask modulation effects from differences in detector efficiencies! We describe OUT continuing work to improve the accuracy of the BAT instrument response and will present the current results of Monte Carlo simulations as well as BAT ground calibration data.

Advanced instrumentation: Technology database enhancement, volume 4, appendix G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The purpose of this task was to add to the McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company's Sensors Database, including providing additional information on the instruments and sensors applicable to physical/chemical Environmental Control and Life Support System (P/C ECLSS) or Closed Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) which were not previously included. The Sensors Database was reviewed in order to determine the types of data required, define the data categories, and develop an understanding of the data record structure. An assessment of the MDSSC Sensors Database identified limitations and problems in the database. Guidelines and solutions were developed to address these limitations and problems in order that the requirements of the task could be fulfilled.

Instrumentation and control upgrade plan for Browns Ferry nuclear plant

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

Belew, M.R.; Langley, D.T.; Torok, R.C.

1992-01-01

A comprehensive upgrade of the instrumentation and control (I C) systems at a power plant represents a formidable project for any utility. For a nuclear plant, the extra safety and reliability requirements along with regulatory constraints add further complications and cost. The need for the upgrade must, therefore, be very compelling, and the process must be well planned from the start. This paper describes the steps taken to initiate the I C upgrade process for Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Browns Ferry 2 nuclear plant. It explains the impetus for the upgrade, the expected benefits, and the process by which systemmore » upgrades will be selected and implemented.« less

Fine Scale Modeling and Forecasts of Upper Atmospheric Turbulence for Operational Use

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-30

Weather Center Digital Data Service (ADDS) fhttp://www.aviationweather.gov/adds, http://weather.aero/1 Graphical Turbulence Guidance product, GTG -2.5...analysis GTG - Graphical Turbulence Guidance HRMM - High Resolution Mesoscale/Microscale ICD - Interface Control Document IDE - Integrated Development...site (with GTG 2.5 data) http://www.aviationweather.gov/turbuience • ADDS Experimental site http://weather.aero/ • NCEP FNL data - http

Feasibility and applications of the spin-echo modulation option for a small angle neutron scattering instrument at the European Spallation Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmin, A.; Bouwman, W. G.; van Well, A. A.; Pappas, C.

2017-06-01

We describe theoretical and practical aspects of spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) as well as the potential combination with SANS. Based on the preliminary technical designs of SKADI (a SANS instrument proposed for the European Spallation Source) and a SEMSANS add-on, we assess the practicability, feasibility and scientific merit of a combined SANS and SEMSANS setup by calculating tentative SANS and SEMSANS results for soft matter, geology and advanced material samples that have been previously studied by scattering methods. We conclude that lengths from 1 nm up to 0.01 mm can be observed simultaneously in a single measurement. Thus, the combination of SANS and SEMSANS instrument is suited for the simultaneous observation of a wide range of length scales, e.g. for time-resolved studies of kinetic processes in complex multiscale systems.

Spectacle and SpecViz: New Spectral Analysis and Visualization Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earl, Nicholas; Peeples, Molly; JDADF Developers

2018-01-01

A new era of spectroscopic exploration of our universe is being ushered in with advances in instrumentation and next-generation space telescopes. The advent of new spectroscopic instruments has highlighted a pressing need for tools scientists can use to analyze and explore these new data. We have developed Spectacle, a software package for analyzing both synthetic spectra from hydrodynamic simulations as well as real COS data with an aim of characterizing the behavior of the circumgalactic medium. It allows easy reduction of spectral data and analytic line generation capabilities. Currently, the package is focused on automatic determination of absorption regions and line identification with custom line list support, simultaneous line fitting using Voigt profiles via least-squares or MCMC methods, and multi-component modeling of blended features. Non-parametric measurements, such as equivalent widths, delta v90, and full-width half-max are available. Spectacle also provides the ability to compose compound models used to generate synthetic spectra allowing the user to define various LSF kernels, uncertainties, and to specify sampling.We also present updates to the visualization tool SpecViz, developed in conjunction with the JWST data analysis tools development team, to aid in the exploration of spectral data. SpecViz is an open source, Python-based spectral 1-D interactive visualization and analysis application built around high-performance interactive plotting. It supports handling general and instrument-specific data and includes advanced tool-sets for filtering and detrending one-dimensional data, along with the ability to isolate absorption regions using slicing and manipulate spectral features via spectral arithmetic. Multi-component modeling is also possible using a flexible model fitting tool-set that supports custom models to be used with various fitting routines. It also features robust user extensions such as custom data loaders and support for user-created plugins that add new functionality.This work was supported in part by HST AR #13919, HST GO #14268, and HST AR #14560.

Qualitative Research on Fatigue Associated with Depression: Content Validity of the Fatigue Associated with Depression Questionnaire (FAsD-V2).

PubMed

Matza, Louis S; Murray, Lindsey T; Phillips, Glenn A; Konechnik, Thomas J; Dennehy, Ellen B; Bush, Elizabeth N; Revicki, Dennis A

2015-10-01

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). The Fatigue Associated with Depression Questionnaire (FAsD) was developed to assess fatigue and its impact in patients with MDD. The current article presents the qualitative research conducted to develop and examine the content validity of the FAsD and FASD-Version 2 (FAsD-V2). Three phases of qualitative research were conducted with patients recruited from a geographically diverse range of clinics in the US. Phase I included concept elicitation focus groups, followed by cognitive interviews. Phase II employed similar techniques in a more targeted sample. Phase III included cognitive interviews to examine whether minor edits made after Phase II altered comprehensibility of the instrument. Concept elicitation focused on patients' perceptions of fatigue and its impact. Cognitive interviews focused on comprehension, clarity, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the instrument. Data were collected using semi-structured discussion guides. Thematic analyses were conducted and saturation was examined. A total of 98 patients with MDD were included. Patients' statements during concept elicitation in phases I and II supported item development and content. Cognitive interviews supported the relevance of the instrument in the target population, and patients consistently demonstrated a good understanding of the instructions, items, response options, and recall period. Minor changes to instructions for the FAsD-V2 did not affect interpretation of the instrument. This qualitative research supports the content validity of the FAsD and FAsD-V2. These results add to previous quantitative psychometric analysis suggesting the FAsD-V2 is a useful tool for assessing fatigue and its impact in patients with MDD.

The retarding ion mass spectrometer on dynamics Explorer-A. [measuring thermal plasma distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chappell, C. R.; Fields, S. A.; Baugher, C. R.; Hoffman, J. H.; Hanson, W. B.; Wright, W. W.; Hammack, H. D.; Carignan, G. R.; Nagy, A. F.

1981-01-01

An instrument designed to measure the details of the thermal plasma distribution combines the ion temperature-determining capability of the retarding potential analyzer with the compositional capabilities of the mass spectrometer and adds multiple sensor heads to sample all directions relative to the spacecraft ram directions. The retarding ion mass spectrometer, its operational modes and calibration are described as well as the data reduction plan, and the anticipated results.

PySM: Python Sky Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorne, Ben; Alonso, David; Naess, Sigurd; Dunkley, Jo

2017-04-01

PySM generates full-sky simulations of Galactic foregrounds in intensity and polarization relevant for CMB experiments. The components simulated are thermal dust, synchrotron, AME, free-free, and CMB at a given Nside, with an option to integrate over a top hat bandpass, to add white instrument noise, and to smooth with a given beam. PySM is based on the large-scale Galactic part of Planck Sky Model code and uses some of its inputs

Real-Time Tomography Mooring

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

Vi th this sampling schedule the data logger has enough (data. storage capacity for, a five yea r deploymeneit-. SYsteim specifica tionis are shown...sit [I t ille check is pwrformed as a virttial device. called -Ilinei check". which is scheduled in the task tabhe aid(] executed by the systsenm cot...PCI as FSK carrier detect input- add function (5) to do timer/counter control - stop counter when defaults set I 6. Instrument scheduler software

Trade Study for Neutron Transport at Low Earth Orbit: Adding Fidelity to DIORAMA

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

McClanahan, Tucker Caden; Wakeford, Daniel Tyler

The Distributed Infrastructure Offering Real-Time Access to Modeling and Analysis (DIORAMA) software provides performance modeling capabilities of the United States Nuclear Detonation Detection System (USNDS) with a focus on the characterization of Space-Based Nuclear Detonation Detection (SNDD) instrument performance [1]. A case study was done to add the neutron propagation capabilities of DIORAMA to low earth orbit (LEO), and compare the back-calculated incident energy from the time-of- ight (TOF) spectrum with the scored incident energy spectrum. As the scoring altitude lowers, the time increase due to scattering takes up much more of the fraction of total TOF; whereas at geosynchronousmore » earth orbit (GEO), the time increase due to scattering is a negligible fraction of the total TOF [2]. The scattering smears out the TOF enough to make the back-calculation of the initial energy spectrum from the TOF spectrum very convoluted.« less

Development of eHOME, a Mobile Instrument for Reporting, Monitoring, and Consulting Drug-Related Problems in Home Care: Human-Centered Design Study

PubMed Central

Sino, Carolina Geertruida Maria; Heerdink, Eibert Rob; Schuurmans, Marieke Joanna

2018-01-01

Background Home care patients often use many medications and are prone to drug-related problems (DRPs). For the management of problems related to drug use, home care could add to the multidisciplinary expertise of general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists. The home care observation of medication-related problems by home care employees (HOME)-instrument is paper-based and assists home care workers in reporting potential DRPs. To facilitate the multiprofessional consultation, a digital report of DRPs from the HOME-instrument and digital monitoring and consulting of DRPs between home care and general practices and pharmacies is desired. Objective The objective of this study was to develop an electronic HOME system (eHOME), a mobile version of the HOME-instrument that includes a monitoring and a consulting system for primary care. Methods The development phase of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework was followed in which an iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach was applied. The approach involved a Delphi round for the context of use and user requirements analysis of the digital HOME-instrument and the monitoring and consulting system followed by 2 series of pilots for testing the usability and redesign. Results By using an iterative design approach and by involving home care workers, GPs, and pharmacists throughout the process as informants, design partners, and testers, important aspects that were crucial for system realization and user acceptance were revealed. Through the report webpage interface, which includes the adjusted content of the HOME-instrument and added home care practice–based problems, home care workers can digitally report observed DRPs. Furthermore, it was found that the monitoring and consulting webpage interfaces enable digital consultation between home care and general practices and pharmacies. The webpages were considered convenient, clear, easy, and usable. Conclusions By employing an HCD approach, the eHOME-instrument was found to be an easy-to-use system. The systematic approach promises a valuable contribution for the future development of digital mobile systems of paper-based tools. PMID:29514771

Development of eHOME, a Mobile Instrument for Reporting, Monitoring, and Consulting Drug-Related Problems in Home Care: Human-Centered Design Study.

PubMed

Dijkstra, Nienke Elske; Sino, Carolina Geertruida Maria; Heerdink, Eibert Rob; Schuurmans, Marieke Joanna

2018-03-07

Home care patients often use many medications and are prone to drug-related problems (DRPs). For the management of problems related to drug use, home care could add to the multidisciplinary expertise of general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists. The home care observation of medication-related problems by home care employees (HOME)-instrument is paper-based and assists home care workers in reporting potential DRPs. To facilitate the multiprofessional consultation, a digital report of DRPs from the HOME-instrument and digital monitoring and consulting of DRPs between home care and general practices and pharmacies is desired. The objective of this study was to develop an electronic HOME system (eHOME), a mobile version of the HOME-instrument that includes a monitoring and a consulting system for primary care. The development phase of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework was followed in which an iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach was applied. The approach involved a Delphi round for the context of use and user requirements analysis of the digital HOME-instrument and the monitoring and consulting system followed by 2 series of pilots for testing the usability and redesign. By using an iterative design approach and by involving home care workers, GPs, and pharmacists throughout the process as informants, design partners, and testers, important aspects that were crucial for system realization and user acceptance were revealed. Through the report webpage interface, which includes the adjusted content of the HOME-instrument and added home care practice-based problems, home care workers can digitally report observed DRPs. Furthermore, it was found that the monitoring and consulting webpage interfaces enable digital consultation between home care and general practices and pharmacies. The webpages were considered convenient, clear, easy, and usable. By employing an HCD approach, the eHOME-instrument was found to be an easy-to-use system. The systematic approach promises a valuable contribution for the future development of digital mobile systems of paper-based tools. ©Nienke Elske Dijkstra, Carolina Geertruida Maria Sino, Eibert Rob Heerdink, Marieke Joanna Schuurmans. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 07.03.2018.

High Performance Non-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometers for Charge Exchange Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter Frederick; Adams, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Karkatoua, D.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Lautenagger, M.

2010-01-01

Currently, the only measurements of cosmological charge exchange have been made using low resolution, non-dispersive spectrometers like the PSPC on ROSAT and the CCD instruments on Chandra and XMM/Newton. However, upcoming cryogenic spectrometers on Astro-H and IXO will add vast new capabilities to investigate charge exchange in local objects such as comets and planetary atmospheres. They may also allow us to observe charge exchange in extra-solar objects such as galactic supernova remnants. With low spectral resolution instruments such as CCDs, x-ray emission due to charge exchange recombination really only provides information on the acceptor species, such as the solar wind. With the new breed of x-ray calorimeter instruments, emission from charge exchange becomes highly diagnostic allowing one to uniquely determine the acceptor species, ionization state, donor species and ionization state, and the relative velocity of the interaction. We will describe x-ray calorimeter instrumentation and its potential for charge exchange measurements in the near term. We will also touch on the instrumentation behind a decade of high resolution measurements of charge exchange using an x-ray calorimeter at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Miniaturized Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer for CubeSat Atmospheric Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, M.; Paschalidis, N.; Jones, S.; Sittler, E.; Chornay, D.; Uribe, P.; Cameron, T.

2016-01-01

To increase the number of single point in-situ measurements of thermosphere and exosphere ion and neutral composition and density, miniaturized instrumentation is in high demand to take advantage of the increasing platform opportunities available in the smallsat/cubesat industry. The INMS (Ion-Neutral Mass Spectrometer) addresses this need by providing simultaneous measurements of both the neutral and ion environment, essentially providing two instruments in one compact model. The 1.3U volume, 570 gram, 1.8W nominal power INMS instrument makes implementation into cubesat designs (3U and above) practical and feasible. With high dynamic range (0.1-500eV), mass dynamic range of 1-40amu, sharp time resolution (0.1s), and mass resolution of MdM16, the INMS instrument addresses the atmospheric science needs that otherwise would have required larger more expensive instrumentation. INMS-v1 (version 1) launched on Exocube (CalPoly 3U cubesat) in 2015 and INMS-v2 (version 2) is scheduled to launch on Dellingr (GSFC 6U cubesat) in 2017. New versions of INMS are currently being developed to increase and add measurement capabilities, while maintaining its smallsat/cubesat form.

Increased Science Instrumentation Funding Strengthens Mars Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graham, Lee D.; Graff, T. G.

2012-01-01

As the strategic knowledge gaps mature for the exploration of Mars, Mars sample return (MSR), and Phobos/Deimos missions, one approach that becomes more probable involves smaller science instrumentation and integrated science suites. Recent technological advances provide the foundation for a significant evolution of instrumentation; however, the funding support is currently too small to fully utilize these advances. We propose that an increase in funding for instrumentation development occur in the near-term so that these foundational technologies can be applied. These instruments would directly address the significant knowledge gaps for humans to Mars orbit, humans to the Martian surface, and humans to Phobos/ Deimos. They would also address the topics covered by the Decadal Survey and the Mars scientific goals, objectives, investigations and priorities as stated by the MEPAG. We argue that an increase of science instrumentation funding would be of great benefit to the Mars program as well as the potential for human exploration of the Mars system. If the total non-Earth-related planetary science instrumentation budget were increased 100% it would not add an appreciable amount to the overall NASA budget and would provide the real potential for future breakthroughs. If such an approach were implemented in the near-term, NASA would benefit greatly in terms of science knowledge of the Mars, Phobos/Deimos system, exploration risk mitigation, technology development, and public interest.

Prowess - A Software Model for the Ooty Wide Field Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marthi, Visweshwar Ram

2017-03-01

One of the scientific objectives of the Ooty Wide Field Array (OWFA) is to observe the redshifted H i emission from z ˜ 3.35. Although predictions spell out optimistic outcomes in reasonable integration times, these studies were based purely on analytical assumptions, without accounting for limiting systematics. A software model for OWFA has been developed with a view to understanding the instrument-induced systematics, by describing a complete software model for the instrument. This model has been implemented through a suite of programs, together called Prowess, which has been conceived with the dual role of an emulator as well as observatory data analysis software. The programming philosophy followed in building Prowess enables a general user to define an own set of functions and add new functionality. This paper describes a co-ordinate system suitable for OWFA in which the baselines are defined. The foregrounds are simulated from their angular power spectra. The visibilities are then computed from the foregrounds. These visibilities are then used for further processing, such as calibration and power spectrum estimation. The package allows for rich visualization features in multiple output formats in an interactive fashion, giving the user an intuitive feel for the data. Prowess has been extensively used for numerical predictions of the foregrounds for the OWFA H i experiment.

Economic growth and energy regulation in the environmental Kuznets curve.

PubMed

Lorente, Daniel Balsalobre; Álvarez-Herranz, Agustín

2016-08-01

This study establishes the existence of a pattern of behavior, between economic growth and environmental degradation, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for 17 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries between 1990 and 2012. Based on this EKC pattern, it shows that energy regulation measures help reduce per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To validate this hypothesis, we also add the explanatory variables: renewable energy promotion, energy innovation processes, and the suppression effect of income level on the contribution of renewable energy sources to total energy consumption. It aims to be a tool for decision-making regarding energy policy. This paper provides a two-stage econometric analysis of instrumental variables with the aim of correcting the existence of endogeneity in the variable GDP per capita, verifying that the instrumental variables used in this research are appropriate for our aim. To this end, it first makes a methodological contribution before incorporating additional variables associated with environmental air pollution into the EKC hypothesis and showing how they positively affect the explanation of the correction in the GHG emission levels. This study concludes that air pollution will not disappear on its own as economic growth increases. Therefore, it is necessary to promote energy regulation measures to reduce environmental pollution.

Skin dose saving of the staff in 90Y/177Lu peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with the automatic dose dispenser.

PubMed

Fioroni, Federica; Grassi, Elisa; Giorgia, Cavatorta; Sara, Rubagotti; Piccagli, Vando; Filice, Angelina; Mostacci, Domiziano; Versari, Annibale; Iori, Mauro

2016-10-01

When handling Y-labelled and Lu-labelled radiopharmaceuticals, skin exposure is mainly due to β-particles. This study aimed to investigate the equivalent dose saving of the staff when changing from an essentially manual radiolabelling procedure to an automatic dose dispenser (ADD). The chemist and physician were asked to wear thermoluminescence dosimeters on their fingertips to evaluate the quantity of Hp(0.07) on the skin. Data collected were divided into two groups: before introducing ADD (no ADD) and after introducing ADD. For the chemist, the mean values (95th percentile) of Hp(0.07) for no ADD and ADD are 0.030 (0.099) and 0.019 (0.076) mSv/GBq, respectively, for Y, and 0.022 (0.037) and 0.007 (0.023) mSv/GBq, respectively, for Lu. The reduction for ADD was significant (t-test with P<0.05) for both isotopes. The relative differences before and after ADD collected for every finger were treated using the Wilcoxon test, proving a significantly higher reduction in extremity dose to each fingertip for Lu than for Y (P<0.05). For the medical staff, the mean values of Hp(0.07) (95th percentile) for no ADD and ADD are 0.021 (0.0762) and 0.0143 (0.0565) mSv/GBq, respectively, for Y, and 0.0011 (0.00196) and 0.0009 (0.00263) mSv/GBq, respectively, for Lu. The t-test provided a P-value less than 0.05 for both isotopes, making the difference between ADD and no ADD significant. ADD positively affects the dose saving of the chemist in handling both isotopes. For the medical staff not directly involved with the introduction of the ADD system, the analysis shows a learning curve of the workers over a 5-year period. Specific devices and procedures allow staff skin dose to be limited.

EEL spectroscopic tomography: towards a new dimension in nanomaterials analysis.

PubMed

Yedra, Lluís; Eljarrat, Alberto; Arenal, Raúl; Pellicer, Eva; Cabo, Moisés; López-Ortega, Alberto; Estrader, Marta; Sort, Jordi; Baró, Maria Dolors; Estradé, Sònia; Peiró, Francesca

2012-11-01

Electron tomography is a widely spread technique for recovering the three dimensional (3D) shape of nanostructured materials. Using a spectroscopic signal to achieve a reconstruction adds a fourth chemical dimension to the 3D structure. Up to date, energy filtering of the images in the transmission electron microscope (EFTEM) is the usual spectroscopic method even if most of the information in the spectrum is lost. Unlike EFTEM tomography, the use of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectrum images (SI) for tomographic reconstruction retains all chemical information, and the possibilities of this new approach still remain to be fully exploited. In this article we prove the feasibility of EEL spectroscopic tomography at low voltages (80 kV) and short acquisition times from data acquired using an aberration corrected instrument and data treatment by Multivariate Analysis (MVA), applied to Fe(x)Co((3-x))O(4)@Co(3)O(4) mesoporous materials. This approach provides a new scope into materials; the recovery of full EELS signal in 3D. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Medication Decision-Making in Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Maruthur, Nisa M.; Joy, Susan M.; Dolan, James G.; Shihab, Hasan M.; Singh, Sonal

2015-01-01

Aim To investigate the feasibility and utility of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for medication decision-making in type 2 diabetes. Methods We conducted an AHP with nine diabetes experts using structured interviews to rank add-on therapies (to metformin) for type 2 diabetes. During the AHP, participants compared treatment alternatives relative to eight outcomes (hemoglobin A1c-lowering and seven potential harms) and the relative importance of the different outcomes. The AHP model and instrument were pre-tested and pilot-tested prior to use. Results were discussed and an evaluation of the AHP was conducted during a group session. We conducted the quantitative analysis using Expert Choice software with the ideal mode to determine the priority of treatment alternatives. Results Participants judged exenatide to be the best add-on therapy followed by sitagliptin, sulfonylureas, and then pioglitazone. Maximizing benefit was judged 21% more important than minimizing harm. Minimizing severe hypoglycemia was judged to be the most important harm to avoid. Exenatide was the best overall alternative if the importance of minimizing harms was prioritized completely over maximizing benefits. Participants reported that the AHP improved transparency, consistency, and an understanding of others’ perspectives and agreed that the results reflected the views of the group. Conclusions The AHP is feasible and useful to make decisions about diabetes medications. Future studies which incorporate stakeholder preferences should evaluate other decision contexts, objectives, and treatments. PMID:26000636

A developmental dose-response analysis of the effects of methylphenidate on the peer interactions of attention deficit disordered boys.

PubMed

Cunningham, C E; Siegel, L S; Offord, D R

1985-11-01

Mixed dyads of 42 normal and 42 ADD boys were videotaped in free play, co-operative task, and simulated classrooms. ADD boys received placebo, 0.15 mg/kg, and 0.50 mg/kg of methylphenidate. ADD boys were more active and off task, watched peers less, and scored lower on mathematics and visual-motor tasks. Older boys interacted less, ignored peer interactions and play more frequently, were less controlling, and more compliant. In class, methylphenidate improved visual motor scores, and reduced the controlling behaviour, activity level, and off task behaviour of ADD boys. Normal peers displayed reciprocal reductions in controlling behaviour, activity level, and off task behaviour.

Dimeric spectra analysis in Microsoft Excel: a comparative study.

PubMed

Gilani, A Ghanadzadeh; Moghadam, M; Zakerhamidi, M S

2011-11-01

The purpose of this work is to introduce the reader to an Add-in implementation, Decom. This implementation provides the whole processing requirements for analysis of dimeric spectra. General linear and nonlinear decomposition algorithms were integrated as an Excel Add-in for easy installation and usage. In this work, the results of several samples investigations were compared to those obtained by Datan. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mid-frequency Environmental and Acoustic Studies From SW06, and Applications to Asian Littoral Waters

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-30

Research Laboratory, the Korean Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Hanyang University ( HYU ), to undertake collaborative research programs in...objective was to participate in experiment off the coast of Korea with NRL, ADD and HYU that occurred in August. APPROACH The main item of...directions with respect to the MORAY. Key individuals involved in SW06 data analysis include Jeewoong Choi ( HYU ) in relation to propagation analysis

Secured independent tools in peritoneoscopy.

PubMed

Tsin, Daniel A; Davila, Fausto; Dominguez, Guillermo; Manolas, Panagiotis

2010-01-01

Secured independent tools are being introduced to aid in peritoneoscopy. We present a simple technique for anchoring instruments, powered lights, and micro machines through the abdominal wall. We used a laparoscopic trainer, micro alligator clips with one or two 2-0 nylon tails and cables for engines and lights. The above instruments were introduced via a 12-mm or 15-mm port. Clips were placed for traction, retraction and exposure, lights for illumination, and motors for potential work. A laparoscopy port closure or suture passer was introduced percutaneously to grab and extract the tails or cables outside of the simulated abdominal cavity. The engines and lights were powered by a direct electric current (DC) plugged into exteriorized cables. We used 2 to 3 clips for each, and engines performed well. This basic simulation adds independent instruments, lights, and engines. We replaced cannulas with threads or cables in an attempt to limit the number of ports. This technique further opens the door for innovations in wired machines in laparoscopy, single-port laparoscopy, or natural orifice surgery.

Wireless Sensor Needs in the Space Shuttle and CEV Structures Communities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, George H., III

2007-01-01

This presentation will clarify some of the structural measurement needs of NASA's Space Shuttle and Crew Exploration Vehicles. Emerging technologies in wireless sensor systems can be of some advantage in both Programs. The presentation will address how wireless instrumentation has helped in the past and what has gone unmeasured on Shuttle due to various limitations. Finally, it will address the needs of the CEV program that can be met with reliable wireless systems, if modular avionics interfaces are provided to accommodate the usual evolving needs of an ambitious space vehicle development program. Examples of the advantages of flight data to support flight certification engineering analyses and of areas where add-on wireless instrumentation can be used will be shown. Without flight instrumentation, it is necessary to retain the conservative assumptions used in the design process. It will be shown how the lessons learned on Space Shuttle for wired and wireless structural measurements apply to the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), which is currently being designed.

A common reference-based indirect comparison meta-analysis of eslicarbazepine versus lacosamide as add on treatments for focal epilepsy.

PubMed

Brigo, Francesco; Trinka, Eugen; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi; Nardone, Raffaele; Milan, Alberto; Grillo, Elisabetta

2016-11-01

Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) and lacosamide (LCM) have recently emerged as add-on treatments in patients with focal epilepsy experiencing seizures despite adequate monotherapy. Both drugs enhance slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. To date no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has directly compared ESL with LCM as add-on treatments for focal epilepsy. Our aim was to indirectly compare the efficacy of ESL and LCM used as add-on treatments in patients with focal epilepsy using common reference-based indirect comparison meta-analysis. We systematically searched RCTs in which ESL or LCM has been used as add-on treatment in patients with focal epilepsy and compared with placebo. Following outcomes were considered: ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency; seizure freedom; treatment withdrawal for any reason; ≥25% increase in seizure frequency. Random-effects Mantel-Haenszel meta-analyses were performed to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for the efficacy of ESL or LCM versus placebo. Adjusted indirect comparisons were then made between ESL and LCM using the obtained results, and comparing the minimum and the highest effective recommended daily dose of each drug. Eight studies were included. Indirect comparisons adjusted for dose-effect showed no difference between ESL and LCM for responder rate, seizure freedom, and withdrawal rates. We could not assess increase in seizure frequency due to lack of data. Indirect comparisons failed to find a significant difference in efficacy between add-on ESL and LCM in patients with focal epilepsy. Direct head-to-head clinical trials comparing ESL with LCM as add-on antiepileptic treatment are required to confirm these results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel tunable dynamic tweezers using dark-bright soliton collision control in an optical add/drop filter.

PubMed

Teeka, Chat; Jalil, Muhammad Arif; Yupapin, Preecha P; Ali, Jalil

2010-12-01

We propose a novel system of the dynamic optical tweezers generated by a dark soliton in the fiber optic loop. A dark soliton known as an optical tweezer is amplified and tuned within the microring resonator system. The required tunable tweezers with different widths and powers can be controlled. The analysis of dark-bright soliton conversion using a dark soliton pulse propagating within a microring resonator system is analyzed. The dynamic behaviors of soliton conversion in add/drop filter is also analyzed. The control dark soliton is input into the system via the add port of the add/drop filter. The dynamic behavior of the dark-bright soliton conversion is observed. The required stable signal is obtained via a drop and throughput ports of the add/drop filter with some suitable parameters. In application, the trapped light/atom and transportation can be realized by using the proposed system.

Galileo's wondrous telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartlidge, Edwin

2008-06-01

If you need reminding of just how wrong the great and the good can be, take a trip to the Museum of the History of Science in Florence, Italy. The museum is staging an exhibition entitled "Galileo's telescope - the instrument that changed the world" to mark the 400th anniversary this year of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary astronomical discoveries, which were made possible by the invention of the telescope. At the start of the 17th century, astronomers assumed that all the planets and the stars in the heavens had been identified and that there was nothing new for them to discover, as the exhibition's curator, Giorgio Strano, points out. "No-one could have imagined what wondrous new things were about to be revealed by an instrument created by inserting two eyeglass lenses into the ends of a tube," he adds.

Proof of Concept Study: Investigating Force Metrics of an Intracorporeal Suturing Knot Task.

PubMed

Wee, Justin; Azzie, Georges; Drake, James; Gerstle, J Ted

2018-06-19

Mastering proper force manipulation in minimally invasive surgery can take many hours of practice and training. Improper force control can lead to necrosis, infection, and scarring. A force-sensing skin (FSS) has been developed, which measures forces at the distal end of minimal access surgeries' (MAS) instruments without altering the instrument's structural integrity or the surgical workflow, and acts as a minimally disruptive add-on to any MAS instrument. A proof of concept study was conducted using a FSS-equipped 5 mm straight-tip needle holder. Participants (n = 19: 3 novices, 11 fellows, and 5 staff surgeons) performed one intracorporeal suturing knot task (ISKT). Using participant task video footage, each participant's two puncture forces (each wall of the Penrose drain) and three knot tightening forces were measured. Force metrics from the three expertise groups were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honest significance test with statistical significance assessed at P < .05. Preliminary ISKT force metric data showed differences between novices and more experienced fellows and surgeons. Of the five stages of the ISKT evaluated, the first puncture force of the Penrose drain seemed to best reflect the difference in skill among participants. The study demonstrated ISKT knot tightening and puncture force ranges across three expertise levels (novices, surgical fellows, and staff surgeons) of 0.586 to 6.089 newtons (N) and 0.852 to 2.915 N, respectively. The investigation of force metrics is important for the implementation of future force feedback systems as it can provide real-time information to surgeons in training and the operating theater.

Antileukotriene Agents Versus Long-Acting Beta-Agonists in Older Adults with Persistent Asthma: A Comparison of Add-On Therapies.

PubMed

Altawalbeh, Shoroq M; Thorpe, Carolyn T; Zgibor, Janice C; Kane-Gill, Sandra; Kang, Yihuang; Thorpe, Joshua M

2016-08-01

To compare the effectiveness and cardiovascular safety of long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) with those of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) as add-on treatments in older adults with asthma already taking inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). Retrospective cohort study. Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims (2009-10) for a 10% random sample of beneficiaries continuously enrolled in Parts A, B, and D in 2009. Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 and older continuously enrolled in FFS Medicare with Part D coverage with a diagnosis of asthma before 2009 treated exclusively with ICSs plus LABAs or ICSs plus LTRAs (N = 14,702). The augmented inverse propensity-weighted estimator was used to compare the effect of LABA add-on therapy with that of LTRA add-on therapy on asthma exacerbations requiring inpatient, emergency, or outpatient care and on cardiovascular (CV) events, adjusting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and county-level healthcare-access variables. The primary analysis showed that LTRA add-on treatment was associated with greater odds of asthma-related hospitalizations or emergency department visits (odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, P < .001), as well as outpatient exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids or antibiotics (OR = 1.41, P < .001) than LABA treatment. LTRA add-on therapy was also less effective in controlling acute symptoms, as indicated by greater use of short-acting beta agonists (rate ratio = 1.58, P < .001). LTRA add-on treatment was associated with lower odds of experiencing a CV event than LABA treatment (OR = 0.86, P = .006). This study provides new evidence specific to older adults to help healthcare providers weigh the risks and benefits of these add-on treatments. Further subgroup analysis is needed to personalize asthma treatments in this high-risk population. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) in the medical laboratory: CASA in diagnostic andrology and assisted conception.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Mathew J; Naeem, Asad

2018-03-21

CASA has been used in reproductive medicine and pathology laboratories for over 25 years, yet the 'fertility industry' generally remains sceptical and has avoided automation, despite clear weaknesses in manual semen analysis. Early implementers had difficulty in validating CASA-Mot instruments against recommended manual methods (haemocytometer) due to the interference of seminal debris and non-sperm cells, which also affects the accuracy of grading motility. Both the inability to provide accurate sperm counts and a lack of consensus as to the value of sperm kinematic parameters appear to have continued to have a negative effect on CASA-Mot's reputation. One positive interpretation from earlier work is that at least one or more measures of sperm velocity adds clinical value to the semen analysis, and these are clearly more objective than any manual motility analysis. Moreover, recent CASA-Mot systems offer simple solutions to earlier problems in eliminating artefacts and have been successfully validated for sperm concentration; as a result, they should be viewed with more confidence in relation to motility grading. Sperm morphology and DNA testing both require an evidence-based consensus and a well-validated (reliable, reproducible) assay to be developed before automation of either can be of real clinical benefit.

Duration of stimulus presentation and screening for perceptual disabilities.

PubMed

Rohr, M E; Ayers, J B

1975-02-01

This study examined the effects of increasing the stimulus-presentation time of a motion picture test for identifying perceptual disabilities in the performance of Ss in regular first and fourth grade classrooms and on a sample of Ss in special education classes who had been identified as having varying degrees of perceptual deficiencies. The length of stimulus presentation increased the total performance of Ss on the motion picture test but did not add to the value of the instrument as a screening device.

Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Annotated Version

Some key components of a NASA-funded instrument being developed for the payload of the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission stand out in this illustration of the instrument.

The instrument is the Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector. It can check for the faintest traces of life's molecular building blocks. If those are present, it can assess whether they were produced by anything alive. It can also evaluate harsh environmental conditions that could be erasing those molecular clues.

ExoMars is planned as a rover to be launched in 2013 and search on Mars for signs of life.

Samples of Martian soil collected by a drill on the rover will be delivered to the Urey instrument. The instrument component called the sub-critical water extractor adds water and heats the sample, getting different types of organic compounds to dissolve into the water at different temperatures. The Mars organic detector uses a fluorescent reagent and laser to detect organic chemicals. The micro-capillary electrophoresis component separates different types of organic chemicals from each others for identifying which ones are present in the sample. The Mars oxidant instrument, part of which is on a separately mounted deck unit not pictured, assesses how readily organic material would be broken down by the radiation, atmosphere and soil chemistry of the site.

Multiwavelength Shack-Hartmann aberrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Prateek

Measurement of higher order optical aberrations in the human eye has become important and common place now days, particularly in the advent of custom Lasik surgery and adaptive optics. The most widely used instrument in the industry and clinics is the Shack-Hartmann Aberrometer that utilizes the Shack-Hartmann sensor to measure the aberrations of the eye. The standard SH aberrometer is made of a chin rest and requires the subject to look at the target with one eye and measures the aberrations at an infrared wavelength which is generally 780 nm. This research work adds two improvements to the standard instrument. These two new SH aberrometers have been built and tested on Human subjects. The first modification is to make the aberrometer portable and unobtrusive so that it can be hand held and the subject is allowed to look at the target with both eyes. This instrument is called the Unobtrusive SH Aberrometer (USHA). The second modification is to measure the aberrations at three visible wavelengths spanning the visible spectrum so as to not only measure the aberrations over the visible spectrum but also measure the chromatic aberration. This instrument is called the Multiwavelength SH Aberrometer (MSHA). This instrument is probably a first of its kind, capable measuring the in vivo chromatic aberration in a single image.

Construct stability of an instrumented 2-level cervical corpectomy model following fatigue testing: biomechanical comparison of circumferential antero-posterior instrumentation versus a novel anterior-only transpedicular screw-plate fixation technique.

PubMed

Koller, Heiko; Schmoelz, Werner; Zenner, Juliane; Auffarth, Alexander; Resch, Herbert; Hitzl, Wolfgang; Malekzadeh, Davud; Ernstbrunner, Lukas; Blocher, Martina; Mayer, Michael

2015-12-01

A high rate of complications in multilevel cervical surgery with corpectomies and anterior-only screw-and-plate stabilization is reported. A 360°-instrumentation improves construct stiffness and fusion rates, but adds the morbidity of a second approach. A novel ATS-technique (technique that used anterior transpedicular screw placement) was recently described, yet no study to date has analyzed its performance after fatigue loading. Accordingly, the authors performed an analysis of construct stiffness after fatigue testing of a cervical 2-level corpectomy model reconstructed using a novel anterior transpedicular screw-and-plate technique (ATS-group) in comparison to standard antero-posterior instrumentation (360°-group). Twelve fresh-frozen human cervical spines were mounted on a spine motion tester to analyze restriction of ROM under loading (1.5 Nm) in flexion-extension (FE), axial rotation (AR), and lateral bending (LB). Testing was performed in the intact state, and after instrumentation of a 2-level corpectomy C4 + C5 using a cage and the constructs of ATS- and 360°-group, after 1,000 cycles, and after 2,000 cycles of fatigue testing. In the ATS-group (n = 6), instrumentation was achieved using a customized C3-C6 ATS-plate system. In the 360°-group (n = 6), instrumentation consisted of a standard anterior screw-and-plate system with a posterior instrumentation using C3-C6 lateral mass screws. Motion data were assessed as degrees and further processed as normalized values after standardization to the intact ROM state. Specimen age and BMD were not significantly different between the ATS- and 360°-groups. After instrumentation and 2,000 cycles of testing, no specimen exhibited a ROM greater than in the intact state. No specimen exhibited catastrophic construct failure after 2,000 cycles. Construct stiffness in the 360°-group was significantly increased compared to the ATS-group for all loading conditions, except for FE-testing after instrumentation. After 2,000 cycles, restriction of ROM under loading in FE was 39.8 ± 30% in the ATS-group vs. 2.8 ± 2.3% in the 360°-group, in AR 60.4 ± 25.8 vs 15 ± 11%, and in LB 40 ± 23.4 vs 3.9 ± 1.2%. Differences were significant (p < 0.05). 360°-instrumentation resembles the biomechanical standard of reference for stabilization of 2-level corpectomies. An ATS-construct was also shown to confer high construct stiffness, significantly reducing the percentage ROM beyond that of an intact specimen after 2,000 cycles. This type of instrumentation might be a clinical valuable and biomechanically sound adjunct to multilevel anterior surgical procedures.

IkeNet: Social Network Analysis of E-mail Traffic in the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

8217Create the recipients TO TempArray = Sphit(strTo,") For Each varArrayltem In TemnpArray hextGuy = Chr(34) & CStr (Trim(varArrayltem)) & Chr(34) MsgBox...34next guy = " & nextGuy ’Set oRecipient = Recipients.Add(nextGuy) Set oRecipient = Recipients.Add( CStr (Trim(varArrayItem))) oRecipient.Type = olTo...TempArray = Split(strAttachments, "" For Each varArrayltern In TempArray .Attachments.Add CStr (Trim(varArrayItem)) Next varArrayltern .Send No return value

Evolutionary diversification of protein-protein interactions by interface add-ons.

PubMed

Plach, Maximilian G; Semmelmann, Florian; Busch, Florian; Busch, Markus; Heizinger, Leonhard; Wysocki, Vicki H; Merkl, Rainer; Sterner, Reinhard

2017-10-03

Cells contain a multitude of protein complexes whose subunits interact with high specificity. However, the number of different protein folds and interface geometries found in nature is limited. This raises the question of how protein-protein interaction specificity is achieved on the structural level and how the formation of nonphysiological complexes is avoided. Here, we describe structural elements called interface add-ons that fulfill this function and elucidate their role for the diversification of protein-protein interactions during evolution. We identified interface add-ons in 10% of a representative set of bacterial, heteromeric protein complexes. The importance of interface add-ons for protein-protein interaction specificity is demonstrated by an exemplary experimental characterization of over 30 cognate and hybrid glutamine amidotransferase complexes in combination with comprehensive genetic profiling and protein design. Moreover, growth experiments showed that the lack of interface add-ons can lead to physiologically harmful cross-talk between essential biosynthetic pathways. In sum, our complementary in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analysis argues that interface add-ons are a practical and widespread evolutionary strategy to prevent the formation of nonphysiological complexes by specializing protein-protein interactions.

Program Instrumentation and Trace Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Havelund, Klaus; Goldberg, Allen; Filman, Robert; Rosu, Grigore; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Several attempts have been made recently to apply techniques such as model checking and theorem proving to the analysis of programs. This shall be seen as a current trend to analyze real software systems instead of just their designs. This includes our own effort to develop a model checker for Java, the Java PathFinder 1, one of the very first of its kind in 1998. However, model checking cannot handle very large programs without some kind of abstraction of the program. This paper describes a complementary scalable technique to handle such large programs. Our interest is turned on the observation part of the equation: How much information can be extracted about a program from observing a single execution trace? It is our intention to develop a technology that can be applied automatically and to large full-size applications, with minimal modification to the code. We present a tool, Java PathExplorer (JPaX), for exploring execution traces of Java programs. The tool prioritizes scalability for completeness, and is directed towards detecting errors in programs, not to prove correctness. One core element in JPaX is an instrumentation package that allows to instrument Java byte code files to log various events when executed. The instrumentation is driven by a user provided script that specifies what information to log. Examples of instructions that such a script can contain are: 'report name and arguments of all called methods defined in class C, together with a timestamp'; 'report all updates to all variables'; and 'report all acquisitions and releases of locks'. In more complex instructions one can specify that certain expressions should be evaluated and even that certain code should be executed under various conditions. The instrumentation package can hence be seen as implementing Aspect Oriented Programming for Java in the sense that one can add functionality to a Java program without explicitly changing the code of the original program, but one rather writes an aspect and compiles it into the original program using the instrumentation. Another core element of JPaX is an observation package that supports the analysis of the generated event stream. Two kinds of analysis are currently supported. In temporal analysis the execution trace is evaluated against formulae written in temporal logic. We have implemented a temporal logic evaluator on finite traces using the Maude rewriting system from SRI International, USA. Temporal logic is defined in Maude by giving its syntax as a signature and its semantics as rewrite equations. The resulting semantics is extremely efficient and can handle event streams of hundreds of millions events in few minutes. Furthermore, the implementation is very succinct. The second form of even stream analysis supported is error pattern analysis where an execution trace is analyzed using various error detection algorithms that can identify error-prone programming practices that may potentially lead to errors in some different executions. Two such algorithms focusing on concurrency errors have been implemented in JPaX, one for deadlocks and the other for data races. It is important to note, that a deadlock or data race potential does not need to occur in order for its potential to be detected with these algorithms. This is what makes them very scalable in practice. The data race algorithm implemented is the Eraser algorithm from Compaq, however adopted to Java. The tool is currently being applied to a code base for controlling a spacecraft by the developers of that software in order to evaluate its applicability.

Concept Doped-Silicon Thermopile Detectors for Future Planetary Thermal Imaging Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakew, Brook; Barrentine, Emily M.; Aslam, Shahid; Brown, Ari D.

2016-10-01

Presently, uncooled thermopiles are the detectors of choice for thermal mapping in the 4.6-100 μm spectral range. Although cooled detectors like Ge or Si thermistor bolometers, and MgB2 or YBCO superconducting bolometers, have much higher sensitivity, the required active or passive cooling mechanisms add prohibitive cost and mass for long duration missions. Other uncooled detectors, likepyroelectrics, require a motor mechanism to chop against a known reference temperature, which adds unnecessary mission risk. Uncooled vanadium oxide or amorphous Si microbolometer arrays with integrated CMOS readout circuits, not only have lower sensitivity, but also have not been proven to be radiation hard >100 krad (Si) total ionizing dose, and barring additional materials and readout development, their performance has reached a plateau.Uncooled and radiation hard thermopiles with D* ~1x109 cm√Hz/W and time constant τ ~100 ms have been integrated into thermal imaging instruments on several past missions and have extensive flight heritage (Mariner, Voyager, Cassini, LRO, MRO). Thermopile arrays are also on the MERTIS instrument payload on-board the soon to be launched BepiColombo Mission.To date, thermopiles used for spaceflight instrumentation have consisted of either hand assembled "one-off" single thermopile pixels or COTS thermopile pixel arrays both using Bi-Sb or Bi-Te thermoelectric materials. For future high performance imagers, thermal detector arrays with higher D*, lower τ, and high efficiency delineated absorbers are desirable. Existing COTS and other flight thermopile designs require highly specialized and nonstandard processing techniques to fabricate both the Bi-Sb or Bi-Te thermocouples and the gold or silver black absorbers, which put limitations on further development.Our detector arrays will have a D* ≥ 3x109 cm√Hz/W and a thermal time constant ≤ 30 ms at 170 K. They will be produced using proven, standard semiconductor and MEMS fabrication techniques, which will enable the future integration of other ancillary structures like high efficiency broadband absorbers, which will result in D* ≥ 5x109 cm√Hz/W.

Micrometeoroid and Lunar Secondary Ejecta Flux Measurements: Comparison of Three Acoustic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corsaro, R. D.; Giovane, F.; Liou, Jer-Chyi; Burtchell, M.; Pisacane, V.; Lagakos, N.; Williams, E.; Stansbery, E.

2010-01-01

This report examines the inherent capability of three large-area acoustic sensor systems and their applicability for micrometeoroids (MM) and lunar secondary ejecta (SE) detection and characterization for future lunar exploration activities. Discussion is limited to instruments that can be fabricated and deployed with low resource requirements. Previously deployed impact detection probes typically have instrumented capture areas less than 0.2 square meters. Since the particle flux decreases rapidly with increased particle size, such small-area sensors rarely encounter particles in the size range above 50 microns, and even their sampling the population above 10 microns is typically limited. Characterizing the sparse dust population in the size range above 50 microns requires a very large-area capture instrument. However it is also important that such an instrument simultaneously measures the population of the smaller particles, so as to provide a complete instantaneous snapshot of the population. For lunar or planetary surface studies, the system constraints are significant. The instrument must be as large as possible to sample the population of the largest MM. This is needed to reliably assess the particle impact risks and to develop cost-effective shielding designs for habitats, astronauts, and critical instrument. The instrument should also have very high sensitivity to measure the flux of small and slow SE particles. is the SE environment is currently poorly characterized, and possess a contamination risk to machinery and personnel involved in exploration. Deployment also requires that the instrument add very little additional mass to the spacecraft. Three acoustic systems are being explored for this application.

SOFIA science instruments: commissioning, upgrades and future opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Erin C.; Miles, John W.; Helton, L. Andrew; Sankrit, Ravi; Andersson, B. G.; Becklin, Eric E.; De Buizer, James M.; Dowell, C. D.; Dunham, Edward W.; Güsten, Rolf; Harper, Doyal A.; Herter, Terry L.; Keller, Luke D.; Klein, Randolf; Krabbe, Alfred; Logsdon, Sarah; Marcum, Pamela M.; McLean, Ian S.; Reach, William T.; Richter, Matthew J.; Roellig, Thomas L.; Sandell, Göran; Savage, Maureen L.; Temi, Pasquale; Vacca, William D.; Vaillancourt, John E.; Van Cleve, Jeffrey E.; Young, Erick T.

2014-07-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is the world's largest airborne observatory, featuring a 2.5 meter effective aperture telescope housed in the aft section of a Boeing 747SP aircraft. SOFIA's current instrument suite includes: FORCAST (Faint Object InfraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope), a 5-40 μm dual band imager/grism spectrometer developed at Cornell University; HIPO (High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations), a 0.3-1.1μm imager built by Lowell Observatory; GREAT (German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies), a multichannel heterodyne spectrometer from 60-240 μm, developed by a consortium led by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy; FLITECAM (First Light Infrared Test Experiment CAMera), a 1-5 μm wide-field imager/grism spectrometer developed at UCLA; FIFI-LS (Far-Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer), a 42-200 μm IFU grating spectrograph completed by University Stuttgart; and EXES (Echelon-Cross-Echelle Spectrograph), a 5-28 μm highresolution spectrometer designed at the University of Texas and being completed by UC Davis and NASA Ames Research Center. HAWC+ (High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera) is a 50-240 μm imager that was originally developed at the University of Chicago as a first-generation instrument (HAWC), and is being upgraded at JPL to add polarimetry and new detectors developed at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). SOFIA will continually update its instrument suite with new instrumentation, technology demonstration experiments and upgrades to the existing instrument suite. This paper details the current instrument capabilities and status, as well as the plans for future instrumentation.

The Servant Leadership Survey: Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Measure.

PubMed

van Dierendonck, Dirk; Nuijten, Inge

2011-09-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and validation of a multi-dimensional instrument to measure servant leadership. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Based on an extensive literature review and expert judgment, 99 items were formulated. In three steps, using eight samples totaling 1571 persons from The Netherlands and the UK with a diverse occupational background, a combined exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis approach was used. This was followed by an analysis of the criterion-related validity. FINDINGS: The final result is an eight-dimensional measure of 30 items: the eight dimensions being: standing back, forgiveness, courage, empowerment, accountability, authenticity, humility, and stewardship. The internal consistency of the subscales is good. The results show that the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) has convergent validity with other leadership measures, and also adds unique elements to the leadership field. Evidence for criterion-related validity came from studies relating the eight dimensions to well-being and performance. IMPLICATIONS: With this survey, a valid and reliable instrument to measure the essential elements of servant leadership has been introduced. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The SLS is the first measure where the underlying factor structure was developed and confirmed across several field studies in two countries. It can be used in future studies to test the underlying premises of servant leadership theory. The SLS provides a clear picture of the key servant leadership qualities and shows where improvements can be made on the individual and organizational level; as such, it may also offer a valuable starting point for training and leadership development.

75 FR 64221 - Source Specific Federal Implementation Plan for Implementing Best Available Retrofit Technology...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-19

... combination of combustion and post-combustion controls. EPA approached the five factor analysis using a top... from fuel-bound nitrogen and high temperature combustion; (2) post- combustion add-on control to reduce... is a combination of a post- combustion add-on control, i.e., selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and...

Engineering and fabrication cost considerations for cryogenic wind tunnel models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boykin, R. M., Jr.; Davenport, J. B., Jr.

1983-01-01

Design and fabrication cost drivers for cryogenic transonic wind tunnel models are defined. The major cost factors for wind tunnel models are model complexity, tolerances, surface finishes, materials, material validation, and model inspection. The cryogenic temperatures require the use of materials with relatively high fracture toughness but at the same time high strength. Some of these materials are very difficult to machine, requiring extensive machine hours which can add significantly to the manufacturing costs. Some additional engineering costs are incurred to certify the materials through mechanical tests and nondestructive evaluation techniques, which are not normally required with conventional models. When instrumentation such as accelerometers and electronically scanned pressure modules is required, temperature control of these devices needs to be incorporated into the design, which requires added effort. Additional thermal analyses and subsystem tests may be necessary, which also adds to the design costs. The largest driver to the design costs is potentially the additional static and dynamic analyses required to insure structural integrity of the model and support system.

Global analysis of double-strand break processing reveals in vivo properties of the helicase-nuclease complex AddAB

PubMed Central

Badrinarayanan, Anjana; Cisse, Ibrahim I.

2017-01-01

In bacteria, double-strand break (DSB) repair via homologous recombination is thought to be initiated through the bi-directional degradation and resection of DNA ends by a helicase-nuclease complex such as AddAB. The activity of AddAB has been well-studied in vitro, with translocation speeds between 400–2000 bp/s on linear DNA suggesting that a large section of DNA around a break site is processed for repair. However, the translocation rate and activity of AddAB in vivo is not known, and how AddAB is regulated to prevent excessive DNA degradation around a break site is unclear. To examine the functions and mechanistic regulation of AddAB inside bacterial cells, we developed a next-generation sequencing-based approach to assay DNA processing after a site-specific DSB was introduced on the chromosome of Caulobacter crescentus. Using this assay we determined the in vivo rates of DSB processing by AddAB and found that putative chi sites attenuate processing in a RecA-dependent manner. This RecA-mediated regulation of AddAB prevents the excessive loss of DNA around a break site, limiting the effects of DSB processing on transcription. In sum, our results, taken together with prior studies, support a mechanism for regulating AddAB that couples two key events of DSB repair–the attenuation of DNA-end processing and the initiation of homology search by RecA–thereby helping to ensure that genomic integrity is maintained during DSB repair. PMID:28489851

Hexicon 2: Automated Processing of Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Data with Improved Deuteration Distribution Estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L.; Hamprecht, Fred A.; Winkler, Andreas

2014-06-01

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

Hexicon 2: automated processing of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry data with improved deuteration distribution estimation.

PubMed

Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L; Hamprecht, Fred A; Winkler, Andreas

2014-06-01

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

Development of moored oceanographic spectroradiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Booth, Charles R.; Mitchell, B. Greg; Holm-Hansen, O.

1987-01-01

Biospherical Instruments has successfully completed a NASA sponsored SBIR (Small Business Innovational Research Program) project to develop spectroradiometers capable of being deployed in the ocean for long periods of time. The completion of this project adds a valuable tool for the calibration of future spaceborne ocean color sensors and enables oceanographers to extend remote sensing optical techniques beyond the intermittent coverage of spaceborne sensors. Highlights of the project include two moorings totalling 8 months generating extensive sets of optical, biological, and physical data sets in the ocean off La Jolla, California, and a 70 day operational deployment of the resulting commercial product by the ONR and NASA sponsored BIOWATT program. Based on experience gained in these moorings, Biospherical Instruments has developed a new line of spectroradiometers designed to support the oceanographic remote sensing missions of NASA, the Navy, and various oceanographers.

Improved Astronomical Instrumentation for the Far Ultra-Violet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witt, Emily M.; Fleming, Brian; Egan, Arika; Tyler, Rachel; Wiley, James

2018-06-01

Recent technological advances have opened up new instrument capabilities in the ultraviolet. Of particular interest are advanced deposition processes that have made lithium fluoride (LiF) based mirrors more accessible, achieving greater than 80% broadband reflectivity down into the Lyman UV (100 nm). Traditional MgF2 protected aluminum mirrors cut off at 115 nm, missing crucial tracers of warm gas and molecules. The hygroscopic sensitivity of LiF, which adds mission risk and cost, has also been mitigated with a thin capping layer of a more durable substance, making LiF mirrors accessible without onerous environmental procedures. These advances open up a new paradigm in UV astronomy by enabling multi-reflection systems in the Lyman UV. We present recent progress in the testing of eLiF-based optics, and then discuss the potential scientific avenues this opens up in UV astronomy.

A review of materials for spectral design coatings in signature management applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, Kent E.; Škerlind, Christina

2014-10-01

The current focus in Swedish policy towards national security and high-end technical systems, together with a rapid development in multispectral sensor technology, adds to the utility of developing advanced materials for spectral design in signature management applications. A literature study was performed probing research databases for advancements. Qualitative text analysis was performed using a six-indicator instrument: spectrally selective reflectance; low gloss; low degree of polarization; low infrared emissivity; non-destructive properties in radar and in general controllability of optical properties. Trends are identified and the most interesting materials and coating designs are presented with relevant performance metrics. They are sorted into categories in the order of increasing complexity: pigments and paints, one-dimensional structures, multidimensional structures (including photonic crystals), and lastly biomimic and metamaterials. The military utility of the coatings is assessed qualitatively. The need for developing a framework for assessing the military utility of incrementally increasing the performance of spectrally selective coatings is identified.

Design of Astrometric Mission (JASMINE) by Applying Model Driven System Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Y.; Miyashita, H.; Nakamura, H.; Suenaga, K.; Kamiyoshi, S.; Tsuiki, A.

2010-12-01

We are planning space astrometric satellite mission named JASMINE. The target accuracy of parallaxes in JASMINE observation is 10 micro arc second, which corresponds to 1 nm scale on the focal plane. It is very hard to measure the 1 nm scale deformation of focal plane. Eventually, we need to add the deformation to the observation equations when estimating stellar astrometric parameters, which requires considering many factors such as instrument models and observation data analysis. In this situation, because the observation equations become more complex, we may reduce the stability of the hardware, nevertheless, we require more samplings due to the lack of rigidity of each estimation. This mission imposes a number of trades-offs in the engineering choices and then decide the optimal design from a number of candidates. In order to efficiently support such decisions, we apply Model Driven Systems Engineering (MDSE), which improves the efficiency of the engineering by revealing and formalizing requirements, specifications, and designs to find a good balance among various trade-offs.

Relationship between ADD1 Gly460Trp gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in Madeira Island.

PubMed

Sousa, Ana Célia; Palma Dos Reis, Roberto; Pereira, Andreia; Borges, Sofia; Freitas, Ana Isabel; Guerra, Graça; Góis, Teresa; Rodrigues, Mariana; Henriques, Eva; Freitas, Sónia; Ornelas, Ilídio; Pereira, Décio; Brehm, António; Mendonça, Maria Isabel

2017-10-01

Essential hypertension (EH) is a complex disease in which physiological, environmental, and genetic factors are involved in its genesis. The genetic variant of the alpha-adducin gene (ADD1) has been described as a risk factor for EH, but with controversial results.The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of ADD1 (Gly460Trp) gene polymorphism with the EH risk in a population from Madeira Island.A case-control study with 1614 individuals of Caucasian origin was performed, including 817 individuals with EH and 797 controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex and age, by frequency-matching method. All participants collected blood for biochemical and genotypic analysis for the Gly460Trp polymorphism. We further investigated which variables were independently associated to EH, and, consequently, analyzed their interactions.In our study, we found a significant association between the ADD1 gene polymorphism and EH (odds ratio 2.484, P = .01). This association remained statistically significant after the multivariate analysis (odds ratio 2.548, P = .02).The ADD1 Gly460Trp gene polymorphism is significantly and independently associated with EH risk in our population. The knowledge of genetic polymorphisms associated with EH is of paramount importance because it leads to a better understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of this pathology.

Relationship between ADD1 Gly460Trp gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in Madeira Island

PubMed Central

Sousa, Ana Célia; Palma dos Reis, Roberto; Pereira, Andreia; Borges, Sofia; Freitas, Ana Isabel; Guerra, Graça; Góis, Teresa; Rodrigues, Mariana; Henriques, Eva; Freitas, Sónia; Ornelas, Ilídio; Pereira, Décio; Brehm, António; Mendonça, Maria Isabel

2017-01-01

Abstract Essential hypertension (EH) is a complex disease in which physiological, environmental, and genetic factors are involved in its genesis. The genetic variant of the alpha-adducin gene (ADD1) has been described as a risk factor for EH, but with controversial results. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of ADD1 (Gly460Trp) gene polymorphism with the EH risk in a population from Madeira Island. A case-control study with 1614 individuals of Caucasian origin was performed, including 817 individuals with EH and 797 controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex and age, by frequency-matching method. All participants collected blood for biochemical and genotypic analysis for the Gly460Trp polymorphism. We further investigated which variables were independently associated to EH, and, consequently, analyzed their interactions. In our study, we found a significant association between the ADD1 gene polymorphism and EH (odds ratio 2.484, P = .01). This association remained statistically significant after the multivariate analysis (odds ratio 2.548, P = .02). The ADD1 Gly460Trp gene polymorphism is significantly and independently associated with EH risk in our population. The knowledge of genetic polymorphisms associated with EH is of paramount importance because it leads to a better understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of this pathology. PMID:29049185

Diagnostic Accuracy Assessment of Sensititre and Agar Disk Diffusion for Determining Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bovine Clinical Mastitis Pathogens▿

PubMed Central

Saini, V.; Riekerink, R. G. M. Olde; McClure, J. T.; Barkema, H. W.

2011-01-01

Determining the accuracy and precision of a measuring instrument is pertinent in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This study was conducted to predict the diagnostic accuracy of the Sensititre MIC mastitis panel (Sensititre) and agar disk diffusion (ADD) method with reference to the manual broth microdilution test method for antimicrobial resistance profiling of Escherichia coli (n = 156), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 154), streptococcal (n = 116), and enterococcal (n = 31) bovine clinical mastitis isolates. The activities of ampicillin, ceftiofur, cephalothin, erythromycin, oxacillin, penicillin, the penicillin-novobiocin combination, pirlimycin, and tetracycline were tested against the isolates. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve; intertest essential and categorical agreements were determined as well. Sensititre and the ADD method demonstrated moderate to highly accurate (71 to 99%) and moderate to perfect (71 to 100%) predictive accuracies for 74 and 76% of the isolate-antimicrobial MIC combinations, respectively. However, the diagnostic accuracy was low for S. aureus-ceftiofur/oxacillin combinations and other streptococcus-ampicillin combinations by either testing method. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic MIC readings and MIC readings obtained by the broth microdilution test method was 87%. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic and manual MIC reading methods was 97%. Furthermore, the ADD test method and Sensititre MIC method exhibited 92 and 91% categorical agreement (sensitive, intermediate, resistant) of results, respectively, compared with the reference method. However, both methods demonstrated lower agreement for E. coli-ampicillin/cephalothin combinations than for Gram-positive isolates. In conclusion, the Sensititre and ADD methods had moderate to high diagnostic accuracy and very good essential and categorical agreement for most udder pathogen-antimicrobial combinations and can be readily employed in veterinary diagnostic laboratories. PMID:21270215

Multi-Point Observations of the Inner Magnetosphere from the Van Allen Probes and Related Missions at NASA's Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuire, R. E.; Bilitza, D.; Candey, R. M.; Chimiak, R.; Cooper, J. F.; Garcia, L. N.; Harris, B. T.; Johnson, R. C.; Kovalick, T.; Lal, N.; Leckner, H.; Liu, M.; Papitashvili, N. E.; Roberts, D. A.

2014-12-01

A wide range of current, public, science-quality particle and field data from the Van Allen Probes and related missions is ingested, archived and served to the international science community by SPDF. As an active heliophysics final archive, SPDF now serves 100+ Level-2 and Level-3 data products that fully span the range of measurements from particles and plasmas (RBSPICE, ECT) through magnetic-electric fields and waves (EMFISIS, EFW). This collection of mission data (in a standard CDF format with standard ISTP/SPDF) is available through SPDF's CDAWeb user interface, through CDAWeb's web services and associated APIs for IDL and Matlab users, and through direct FTP/HTTP download access. These data are supplemented with orbit displays through our SSCWeb and 4D Orbit Viewer services and HDP/VSPO direct links to investigator sites/resources. This range of data in CDAWeb makes comparison of data among instruments and spacecraft much easier, as well as comparisons and analysis of these data with current data from other missions including THEMIS, TWINS, Cluster, ACE, Wind and now >120 ground magnetometer stations. In addition, SPDF supports data from the BARREL Antarctic balloon program and new data from instruments on the NOAA GOES and POES spacecraft. SPDF will add public data from the MMS mission to this collection when launched in 2015.

Liquid crystal point diffraction interferometer. Ph.D. Thesis - Arizona Univ., 1995

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercer, Carolyn R.

1995-01-01

A new instrument, the liquid crystal point diffraction-interferometer (LCPDI), has been developed for the measurement of phase objects. This instrument maintains the compact, robust design of Linnik's point diffraction interferometer (PDI) and adds to it phase stepping capability for quantitative interferogram analysis. The result is a compact, simple to align, environmentally insensitive interferometer capable of accurately measuring optical wavefronts with very high data density and with automated data reduction. This dissertation describes the theory of both the PDI and liquid crystal phase control. The design considerations for the LCPDI are presented, including manufacturing considerations. The operation and performance of the LCPDI are discussed, including sections regarding alignment, calibration, and amplitude modulation effects. The LCPDI is then demonstrated using two phase objects: defocus difference wavefront, and a temperature distribution across a heated chamber filled with silicone oil. The measured results are compared to theoretical or independently measured results and show excellent agreement. A computer simulation of the LCPDI was performed to verify the source of observed periodic phase measurement error. The error stems from intensity variations caused by dye molecules rotating within the liquid crystal layer. Methods are discussed for reducing this error. Algorithms are presented which reduce this error; they are also useful for any phase-stepping interferometer that has unwanted intensity fluctuations, such as those caused by unregulated lasers.

Blog Analysis: An Exploration of French Students' Perceptions towards Foreign Cultures during Their Overseas Internships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durand, Sandra

2016-01-01

Increasingly, tourism and hospitality university programs in France include internships which add a vocational dimension to the academic aspects of the course. These internships a) provide exposure to real world professional situations, b) add market value to the student experience, and c) offer a foothold for employment. The field of blog…

Authoritarian Parenting and Asian Adolescent School Performance: Insights from the US and Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pong, Suet-ling; Johnston, Jamie; Chen, Vivien

2010-01-01

Our study re-examines the relationship between parenting and school performance among Asian students. We use two sources of data: wave I of the Adolescent Health Longitudinal Survey (Add Health), and waves I and II of the Taiwan Educational Panel Survey (TEPS). Analysis using Add Health reveals that the Asian-American/European-American difference…

Transit spectroscopy with JWST: Systematics, starspots and stitching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barstow, Joanna K.; Aigrain, Suzanne; Irwin, Patrick; Kendrew, Sarah; Fletcher, Leigh N.

2014-11-01

We explore the capabilities of JWST to obtain transit and eclipse spectra of a variety of exoplanets to provide constraints on their atmospheric properties, starting with hot Jupiters and Neptunes. We use the NEMESIS spectral modelling and inversion tool (Irwin et al. 2008) to calculate synthetic spectra for a range of exoplanet types from simple atmospheric models. Using a similar approach to Barstow et al. (2013), we add estimated noise levels to the synthetics before inverting the noisy spectra to check whether we accurately recover the input atmospheric state. The 5 - 12 μm MIRI LRS instrument on JWST ( 100) probes an important part of the infrared spectrum, especially for thermal emission; since a secondary eclipse spectrum relies on the contrast between the exoplanet and its host star, the signal is maximised at longer wavelengths. However, the spectral coverage of the LRS is insufficient to break degeneracies between temperature and composition without some constraint from other instruments. The ideal scenario would be to stitch together observations from NIRSpec ( 100, 0.6 - 5 μm), MIRI LRS, and MIRI MRS (integral field unit providing 3000 spectra across 12 gratings between 5 and 27 μm) to form a complete spectrum with broad wavelength coverage, which would enable the temperature structure and atmospheric composition to be uniquely retrieved. This means that it is necessary to consider in our analysis systematic offsets between parts of the spectrum obtained with different instruments. These offsets may have an astrophysical origin - for example due to stellar activity or temporal variability of the planet itself - or they may be instrumental effects. We explore the influence of these noise sources on our ability to accurately retrieve the true atmospheric state from transit and eclipse spectra. We can simultaneously retrieve temperature structure and H2O, CO2, and CH4 abundances of a hot Jupiter orbiting a sun-like star at 250 parsecs if a single eclipse each is observed with NIRSpec and MIRI LRS.

Topographical optimization of structures for use in musical instruments and other applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkland, William Brandon

Mallet percussion instruments such as the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone have been produced and tuned since their inception by arduously grinding the keys to achieve harmonic ratios between their 1st, 2 nd, and 3rd transverse modes. In consideration of this, it would be preferable to have defined mathematical models such that the keys of these instruments can be produced quickly and reliably. Additionally, physical modeling of these keys or beams provides a useful application of non-uniform beam vibrations as studied by Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories. This thesis work presents a literature review of previous studies regarding mallet percussion instrument design and optimization of non-uniform keys. The progression of previous research from strictly mathematical approaches to finite element methods is shown, ultimately arriving at the most current optimization techniques used by other authors. However, previous research varies slightly in the relative degree of accuracy to which a non-uniform beam can be modeled. Typically, accuracies are shown in literature as 1% to 2% error. While this seems attractive, musical tolerances require 0.25% error and beams are otherwise unsuitable. This research seeks to build on and add to the previous field research by optimizing beam topology and machining keys within tolerances that no further tuning is required. The optimization methods relied on finite element analysis and used harmonic modal frequencies as constraints rather than arguments of an error function to be optimized. Instead, the beam mass was minimized while the modal frequency constraints were required to be satisfied within 0.25% tolerance. The final optimized and machined keys of an A4 vibraphone were shown to be accurate within the required musical tolerances, with strong resonance at the designed frequencies. The findings solidify a systematic method for designing musical structures for accuracy and repeatability upon manufacture.

Evolutionary diversification of protein–protein interactions by interface add-ons

PubMed Central

Plach, Maximilian G.; Semmelmann, Florian; Busch, Florian; Busch, Markus; Heizinger, Leonhard; Wysocki, Vicki H.; Sterner, Reinhard

2017-01-01

Cells contain a multitude of protein complexes whose subunits interact with high specificity. However, the number of different protein folds and interface geometries found in nature is limited. This raises the question of how protein–protein interaction specificity is achieved on the structural level and how the formation of nonphysiological complexes is avoided. Here, we describe structural elements called interface add-ons that fulfill this function and elucidate their role for the diversification of protein–protein interactions during evolution. We identified interface add-ons in 10% of a representative set of bacterial, heteromeric protein complexes. The importance of interface add-ons for protein–protein interaction specificity is demonstrated by an exemplary experimental characterization of over 30 cognate and hybrid glutamine amidotransferase complexes in combination with comprehensive genetic profiling and protein design. Moreover, growth experiments showed that the lack of interface add-ons can lead to physiologically harmful cross-talk between essential biosynthetic pathways. In sum, our complementary in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analysis argues that interface add-ons are a practical and widespread evolutionary strategy to prevent the formation of nonphysiological complexes by specializing protein–protein interactions. PMID:28923934

Genome-wide meta-analysis associates HLA-DQA1/DRB1 and LPA and lifestyle factors with human longevity.

PubMed

Joshi, Peter K; Pirastu, Nicola; Kentistou, Katherine A; Fischer, Krista; Hofer, Edith; Schraut, Katharina E; Clark, David W; Nutile, Teresa; Barnes, Catriona L K; Timmers, Paul R H J; Shen, Xia; Gandin, Ilaria; McDaid, Aaron F; Hansen, Thomas Folkmann; Gordon, Scott D; Giulianini, Franco; Boutin, Thibaud S; Abdellaoui, Abdel; Zhao, Wei; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Bartz, Traci M; Trompet, Stella; Lange, Leslie A; Raffield, Laura; van der Spek, Ashley; Galesloot, Tessel E; Proitsi, Petroula; Yanek, Lisa R; Bielak, Lawrence F; Payton, Antony; Murgia, Federico; Concas, Maria Pina; Biino, Ginevra; Tajuddin, Salman M; Seppälä, Ilkka; Amin, Najaf; Boerwinkle, Eric; Børglum, Anders D; Campbell, Archie; Demerath, Ellen W; Demuth, Ilja; Faul, Jessica D; Ford, Ian; Gialluisi, Alessandro; Gögele, Martin; Graff, MariaElisa; Hingorani, Aroon; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Hougaard, David M; Hurme, Mikko A; Ikram, M Arfan; Jylhä, Marja; Kuh, Diana; Ligthart, Lannie; Lill, Christina M; Lindenberger, Ulman; Lumley, Thomas; Mägi, Reedik; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Medland, Sarah E; Milani, Lili; Nagy, Reka; Ollier, William E R; Peyser, Patricia A; Pramstaller, Peter P; Ridker, Paul M; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Ruggiero, Daniela; Saba, Yasaman; Schmidt, Reinhold; Schmidt, Helena; Slagboom, P Eline; Smith, Blair H; Smith, Jennifer A; Sotoodehnia, Nona; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth; van Rooij, Frank J A; Verbeek, André L; Vermeulen, Sita H; Vollenweider, Peter; Wang, Yunpeng; Werge, Thomas; Whitfield, John B; Zonderman, Alan B; Lehtimäki, Terho; Evans, Michele K; Pirastu, Mario; Fuchsberger, Christian; Bertram, Lars; Pendleton, Neil; Kardia, Sharon L R; Ciullo, Marina; Becker, Diane M; Wong, Andrew; Psaty, Bruce M; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Wilson, James G; Jukema, J Wouter; Kiemeney, Lambertus; Uitterlinden, André G; Franceschini, Nora; North, Kari E; Weir, David R; Metspalu, Andres; Boomsma, Dorret I; Hayward, Caroline; Chasman, Daniel; Martin, Nicholas G; Sattar, Naveed; Campbell, Harry; Esko, Tōnu; Kutalik, Zoltán; Wilson, James F

2017-10-13

Genomic analysis of longevity offers the potential to illuminate the biology of human aging. Here, using genome-wide association meta-analysis of 606,059 parents' survival, we discover two regions associated with longevity (HLA-DQA1/DRB1 and LPA). We also validate previous suggestions that APOE, CHRNA3/5, CDKN2A/B, SH2B3 and FOXO3A influence longevity. Next we show that giving up smoking, educational attainment, openness to new experience and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are most positively genetically correlated with lifespan while susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD), cigarettes smoked per day, lung cancer, insulin resistance and body fat are most negatively correlated. We suggest that the effect of education on lifespan is principally mediated through smoking while the effect of obesity appears to act via CAD. Using instrumental variables, we suggest that an increase of one body mass index unit reduces lifespan by 7 months while 1 year of education adds 11 months to expected lifespan.Variability in human longevity is genetically influenced. Using genetic data of parental lifespan, the authors identify associations at HLA-DQA/DRB1 and LPA and find that genetic variants that increase educational attainment have a positive effect on lifespan whereas increasing BMI negatively affects lifespan.

Mortality of Dandy-Walker syndrome in the United States: Analysis by race, gender, and insurance status.

PubMed

McClelland, Shearwood; Ukwuoma, Onyinyechi I; Lunos, Scott; Okuyemi, Kolawole S

2015-01-01

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a congenital disorder often diagnosed in early childhood. Typically manifesting with signs/symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, DWS is catastrophic unless timely neurosurgical care can be administered via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. The rates of mortality, adverse discharge disposition (ADD), and CSF drainage in DWS may not be uniform regardless of race, gender or insurance status; such differences could reflect disparities in access to neurosurgical care. This study examines these issues on a nationwide level. The Kids' Inpatient Database spanning 1997-2003 was used for analysis. Only patients admitted for DWS (ICD-9-CM = 742.3) were included. Multivariate analysis was adjusted for several variables, including patient age, race, sex, admission type, primary payer, income, and hospital volume. More than 14,000 DWS patients were included. Increasing age predicted reduced mortality (OR = 0.87; P < 0.05), ADD (OR = 0.96; P < 0.05), and decreased likelihood of receiving CSF drainage (OR = 0.86; P < 0.0001). Elective admission type predicted reduced mortality (OR = 0.29; P = 0.0008), ADD (OR = 0.68; P < 0.05), and increased CSF drainage (OR = 2.02; P < 0.0001). African-American race (OR = 1.20; P < 0.05) and private insurance (OR = 1.18; P < 0.05) each predicted increased likelihood of receiving CSF drainage, but were not predictors of mortality or ADD. Gender, income, and hospital volume were not significant predictors of DWS outcome. Increasing age and elective admissions each decrease mortality and ADD associated with DWS. African-American race and private insurance status increase access to CSF drainage. These findings contradict previous literature citing African-American race as a risk factor for mortality in DWS, and emphasize the role of private insurance in obtaining access to potentially lifesaving operative care.

Borehole dilatometer installation, operation, and maintenance at sites in Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Myren, G.D.; Johnston, M.J.S.; Mueller, R.J.

2006-01-01

In response to concerns about the potential hazard of Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, the USGS began efforts in 1998 to add four high-resolution borehole sites. Located at these sites are; strainmeters, tiltmeters, seismometers, accelerometers and other instrumentation. These instruments are capable of providing continuous monitoring of the magma movement under Mauna Loa. Each site was planned to provide multi-parameter monitoring of volcanic activity. In June of 2000, a contract was let for the core drilling of three of these four sites. They are located at Hokukano (west side of Mauna Loa) above Captain Cook, Hawaii; at Mauna Loa Observatory (11,737 feet near the summit), and at Mauna Loa Strip Road (east side of Mauna Loa). Another site was chosen near Halema'uma u' and Kilauea's summit, in the Keller deep well. (See maps). The locations of these instruments are shown in Figure 1 with their latitude and longitude in Table 1. The purpose of this network is to monitor crustal deformation associated with volcanic intrusions and earthquakes on Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes. This report describes the methods used to locate sites, install dilatometers, other instrumentation, and telemetry. We also provide a detailed description of the electronics used for signal amplification and telemetry, plus techniques used for instrument maintenance. Instrument sites were selected in regions of hard volcanic rock where the expected signals from magmatic activity were calculated to be a maximum and the probability of earthquakes with magnitude 4 or greater is large. At each location, an attempt was made to separate tectonic and volcanic signals from known noise sources for each instrument type.

Accurate, Sensitive, and Precise Multiplexed Proteomics Using the Complement Reporter Ion Cluster

DOE PAGES

Sonnett, Matthew; Yeung, Eyan; Wuhr, Martin

2018-03-09

We present that quantitative analysis of proteomes across multiple time points, organelles, and perturbations is essential for understanding both fundamental biology and disease states. The development of isobaric tags (e.g. TMT) have enabled the simultaneous measurement of peptide abundances across several different conditions. These multiplexed approaches are promising in principle because of advantages in throughput and measurement quality. However, in practice existing multiplexing approaches suffer from key limitations. In its simple implementation (TMT-MS2), measurements are distorted by chemical noise leading to poor measurement accuracy. The current state-of-the-art (TMT-MS3) addresses this, but requires specialized quadrupole-iontrap-Orbitrap instrumentation. The complement reporter ion approachmore » (TMTc) produces high accuracy measurements and is compatible with many more instruments, like quadrupole-Orbitraps. However, the required deconvolution of the TMTc cluster leads to poor measurement precision. Here, we introduce TMTc+, which adds the modeling of the MS2-isolation step into the deconvolution algorithm. The resulting measurements are comparable in precision to TMT-MS3/MS2. The improved duty cycle, and lower filtering requirements make TMTc+ more sensitive than TMT-MS3 and comparable with TMT-MS2. At the same time, unlike TMT-MS2, TMTc+ is exquisitely able to distinguish signal from chemical noise even outperforming TMT-MS3. Lastly, we compare TMTc+ to quantitative label-free proteomics of total HeLa lysate and find that TMTc+ quantifies 7.8k versus 3.9k proteins in a 5-plex sample. At the same time the median coefficient of variation improves from 13% to 4%. Furthermore, TMTc+ advances quantitative proteomics by enabling accurate, sensitive, and precise multiplexed experiments on more commonly used instruments.« less

Accurate, Sensitive, and Precise Multiplexed Proteomics Using the Complement Reporter Ion Cluster

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

Sonnett, Matthew; Yeung, Eyan; Wuhr, Martin

We present that quantitative analysis of proteomes across multiple time points, organelles, and perturbations is essential for understanding both fundamental biology and disease states. The development of isobaric tags (e.g. TMT) have enabled the simultaneous measurement of peptide abundances across several different conditions. These multiplexed approaches are promising in principle because of advantages in throughput and measurement quality. However, in practice existing multiplexing approaches suffer from key limitations. In its simple implementation (TMT-MS2), measurements are distorted by chemical noise leading to poor measurement accuracy. The current state-of-the-art (TMT-MS3) addresses this, but requires specialized quadrupole-iontrap-Orbitrap instrumentation. The complement reporter ion approachmore » (TMTc) produces high accuracy measurements and is compatible with many more instruments, like quadrupole-Orbitraps. However, the required deconvolution of the TMTc cluster leads to poor measurement precision. Here, we introduce TMTc+, which adds the modeling of the MS2-isolation step into the deconvolution algorithm. The resulting measurements are comparable in precision to TMT-MS3/MS2. The improved duty cycle, and lower filtering requirements make TMTc+ more sensitive than TMT-MS3 and comparable with TMT-MS2. At the same time, unlike TMT-MS2, TMTc+ is exquisitely able to distinguish signal from chemical noise even outperforming TMT-MS3. Lastly, we compare TMTc+ to quantitative label-free proteomics of total HeLa lysate and find that TMTc+ quantifies 7.8k versus 3.9k proteins in a 5-plex sample. At the same time the median coefficient of variation improves from 13% to 4%. Furthermore, TMTc+ advances quantitative proteomics by enabling accurate, sensitive, and precise multiplexed experiments on more commonly used instruments.« less

Power in health care organizations: contemplations from the first-line management perspective.

PubMed

Isosaari, Ulla

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to examine health care organizations' power structures from the first-line management perspective. What liable power structures derive from the theoretical bases of bureaucratic, professional and result based organizations, and what power type do health care organizations represent, according to the empirical data? The paper seeks to perform an analysis using Mintzberg's power configurations of instrument, closed system, meritocracy and political arena. The empirical study was executed at the end of 2005 through a survey in ten Finnish hospital districts in both specialized and primary care. Respondents were all first-line managers in the area and a sample of staff members from internal disease, surgical and psychiatric units, as well as out-patient and primary care units. The number of respondents was 1,197 and the response percentage was 38. The data were analyzed statistically. As a result, it can be seen that a certain kind of organization structure supports the generation of a certain power type. A bureaucratic organization generates an instrument or closed system organization, a professional organization generates meritocracy and also political arena, and a result-based organization has a connection to political arena and meritocracy. First line managers regarded health care organizations as instruments when staff regarded them mainly as meritocracies having features of political arena. Managers felt their position to be limited by rules, whereas staff members regarded their position as having lots of space and influence potential. If the organizations seek innovative and active managers at the unit level, they should change the organizational structure and redistribute the work so that there could be more space for meaningful management. This research adds to the literature and gives helpful suggestions that will be of interest to those in the position of first-line management in health care.

The Hidden Complexity of Biological "Dirty Bombs": Implications for Special Operations Medical Personnel.

PubMed

Washington, Michael A; Blythe, Jauchia

The recent capture of a terrorist in Belgium carrying explosives, fecal matter, and animal tissue may indicate a shift from conventional weapons to crude bacteriological preparations as instruments of terror. It is important to note that although such weapons lack technological sophistication, bacteria are inherently complex, unpredictable, and undetectable in the field. Therefore, it is important that Special Operations medical personnel understand the complications that such seemingly simple devices can add to the treatment of casualties in the field and subsequent evaluation in the clinic. 2016.

The Automated DC Parameter Testing of GaAs MESFETs Using the Singer Automatic Integrated Circuit Test System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-01

Timing Diagram Showing Relationship of Control Signals to Phase Clocks 219 70 Sample MESFET Used to Obtain Error Factors 231 x LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE...each chi,,, tested ear Leio within the fixture. This means that -:acij vii to e testd must be diced from the wafer. Some sicans urine - ,ut si - nals of...dy anhc testing of GaA; MEVET_’.’ . It would therefore be necess-ry to add a storage buffer between the tri-state fubber and the measurinv instrument

A Minimal Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation For a Mercury Orbiter Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurth, W. S.

2001-01-01

The primary thrust of the effort at The University of Iowa for the definition of an orbiter mission to Mercury is a minimum viable radio and plasma wave investigation. While it is simple to add sensors and capability to any payload, the challenge is to do reasonable science within limited resources; and viable missions to Mercury are especially limited in payload mass. For a wave investigation, this is a serious concern, as the sensor mass often makes up a significant fraction of the instrumentation mass.

How to select outcome measurement instruments for outcomes included in a "Core Outcome Set" - a practical guideline.

PubMed

Prinsen, Cecilia A C; Vohra, Sunita; Rose, Michael R; Boers, Maarten; Tugwell, Peter; Clarke, Mike; Williamson, Paula R; Terwee, Caroline B

2016-09-13

In cooperation with the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative, the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) initiative aimed to develop a guideline on how to select outcome measurement instruments for outcomes (i.e., constructs or domains) included in a "Core Outcome Set" (COS). A COS is an agreed minimum set of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials of a specific disease or trial population. Informed by a literature review to identify potentially relevant tasks on outcome measurement instrument selection, a Delphi study was performed among a panel of international experts, representing diverse stakeholders. In three consecutive rounds, panelists were asked to rate the importance of different tasks in the selection of outcome measurement instruments, to justify their choices, and to add other relevant tasks. Consensus was defined as being achieved when 70 % or more of the panelists agreed and when fewer than 15 % of the panelists disagreed. Of the 481 invited experts, 120 agreed to participate of whom 95 (79 %) completed the first Delphi questionnaire. We reached consensus on four main steps in the selection of outcome measurement instruments for COS: Step 1, conceptual considerations; Step 2, finding existing outcome measurement instruments, by means of a systematic review and/or a literature search; Step 3, quality assessment of outcome measurement instruments, by means of the evaluation of the measurement properties and feasibility aspects of outcome measurement instruments; and Step 4, generic recommendations on the selection of outcome measurement instruments for outcomes included in a COS (consensus ranged from 70 to 99 %). This study resulted in a consensus-based guideline on the methods for selecting outcome measurement instruments for outcomes included in a COS. This guideline can be used by COS developers in defining how to measure core outcomes.

A digital, constant-frequency pulsed phase-locked-loop instrument for real-time, absolute ultrasonic phase measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haldren, H. A.; Perey, D. F.; Yost, W. T.; Cramer, K. E.; Gupta, M. C.

2018-05-01

A digitally controlled instrument for conducting single-frequency and swept-frequency ultrasonic phase measurements has been developed based on a constant-frequency pulsed phase-locked-loop (CFPPLL) design. This instrument uses a pair of direct digital synthesizers to generate an ultrasonically transceived tone-burst and an internal reference wave for phase comparison. Real-time, constant-frequency phase tracking in an interrogated specimen is possible with a resolution of 0.000 38 rad (0.022°), and swept-frequency phase measurements can be obtained. Using phase measurements, an absolute thickness in borosilicate glass is presented to show the instrument's efficacy, and these results are compared to conventional ultrasonic pulse-echo time-of-flight (ToF) measurements. The newly developed instrument predicted the thickness with a mean error of -0.04 μm and a standard deviation of error of 1.35 μm. Additionally, the CFPPLL instrument shows a lower measured phase error in the absence of changing temperature and couplant thickness than high-resolution cross-correlation ToF measurements at a similar signal-to-noise ratio. By showing higher accuracy and precision than conventional pulse-echo ToF measurements and lower phase errors than cross-correlation ToF measurements, the new digitally controlled CFPPLL instrument provides high-resolution absolute ultrasonic velocity or path-length measurements in solids or liquids, as well as tracking of material property changes with high sensitivity. The ability to obtain absolute phase measurements allows for many new applications than possible with previous ultrasonic pulsed phase-locked loop instruments. In addition to improved resolution, swept-frequency phase measurements add useful capability in measuring properties of layered structures, such as bonded joints, or materials which exhibit non-linear frequency-dependent behavior, such as dispersive media.

Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bautista, F. J.; De la Rosa, J.; Gallegos, F. J.

2006-02-01

Fluorescence methods are being used increasingly in the measurement of species concentrations in gases, liquids and solids. Laser induced fluorescence is spontaneous emission from atoms or molecules that have been excited by laser radiation. Here we present a time resolved fluorescence instrument that consists of a 5 μJ Nitrogen laser (337.1 nm), a sample holder, a quartz optical fiber, a spectrometer, a PMT and a PC that allows the measurement of visible fluorescence spectra (350-750 nm). Time response of the system is approximately 5 ns. The instrument has been used in the measurement of colored bond paper, antifreeze, diesel, cochineal pigment and malignant tissues. The data acquisition was achieved through computer control of a digital oscilloscope (using General Purpose Interface Bus GPIB) and the spectrometer via serial (RS232). The instrument software provides a graphic interface that lets make some data acquisition tasks like finding fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence lifetimes. The software was developed using the Lab-View 6i graphic programming package and can be easily managed in order to add more functions to it.

Short-wave infrared reflectance investigation of sites of paleobiological interest: applications for Mars exploration.

PubMed

Brown, Adrian; Walter, Malcolm; Cudahy, Thomas

2004-01-01

Rover missions to the rocky bodies of the Solar System and especially to Mars require lightweight, portable instruments that use minimal power, require no sample preparation, and provide suitably diagnostic mineralogical information to an Earth-based exploration team. Short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopic instruments such as the Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser (PIMA, Integrated Spectronics Pty Ltd., Baulkham Hills, NSW, Australia) fulfill all these requirements. We describe an investigation of a possible Mars analogue site using a PIMA instrument. A survey was carried out on the Strelley Pool Chert, an outcrop of stromatolitic, silicified Archean carbonate and clastic succession in the Pilbara Craton, interpreted as being modified by hydrothermal processes. The results of this study demonstrate the capability of SWIR techniques to add significantly to the geological interpretation of such hydrothermally altered outcrops. Minerals identified include dolomite, white micas such as illite-muscovite, and chlorite. In addition, the detection of pyrophyllite in a bleached and altered unit directly beneath the succession suggests acidic, sulfur-rich hydrothermal activity may have interacted with the silicified sediments of the Strelley Pool Chert.

A cytogenetic analysis of 2 cases of phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of mixed connective tissue type.

PubMed

Graham, Rondell P; Hodge, Jennelle C; Folpe, Andrew L; Oliveira, Andre M; Meyer, Kevin J; Jenkins, Robert B; Sim, Franklin H; Sukov, William R

2012-08-01

Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of mixed connective tissue type is a rare, histologically distinctive mesenchymal neoplasm associated with tumor-induced osteomalacia resulting from production of the phosphaturic hormone fibroblast growth factor 23. Because of its rarity, specific genetic alterations that contribute to the pathogenesis of these tumors have yet to be elucidated. Herein, we report the abnormal karyotypes from 2 cases of confirmed phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of mixed connective tissue type. G-banded analysis demonstrated the first tumor to have a karyotype of 46,Y,t(X;3;14)(q13;p25;q21)[15]/46XY[5], and the second tumor to have a karyotype of 46, XY,add(2)(q31),add(4)(q31.1)[2]/92,slx2[3]/46,sl,der(2)t(2;4)(q14.2;p14),der(4)t(2;4)(q14.2;p14),add(4)(q31.1)[10]/46,sdl,add(13)(q34)[4]/92,sdl2x2[1]. These represent what is, to our knowledge, the first examples of abnormal karyotypes obtained from phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of mixed connective tissue type. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Cost-benefit analysis of the implementation of automated drug-dispensing systems in Critical Care and Emergency Units].

PubMed

Poveda Andrés, J L; García Gómez, C; Hernández Sansalvador, M; Valladolid Walsh, A

2003-01-01

To determine monetary impact when traditional drug floor stocks are replaced by Automated Drug Dispensing Systems (ADDS) in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Room. We analysed four different flows considered to be determinant when implementing ADDS in a hospital environment: capital investment, staff costs, inventory costs and costs related to drug use policies. Costs were estimated by calculation of the current net value. Its analysis shows that those expenses derived from initial investment are compensated by the three remaining flows, with costs related to drug use policies showing the most substantial savings. Five years after initial investment, global cash-flows have been estimated at 300.525 euros. Replacement of traditional floor stocks by ADDS in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Surgery Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Room produces a positive benefit/cost ratio (1.95).

One-year efficacy and safety of saxagliptin add-on in patients receiving dapagliflozin and metformin.

PubMed

Matthaei, S; Aggarwal, N; Garcia-Hernandez, P; Iqbal, N; Chen, H; Johnsson, E; Chin, A; Hansen, L

2016-11-01

Greater reductions in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) with saxagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, versus placebo add-on in patients with type 2 diabetes who had inadequate glycaemic control with dapagliflozin 10 mg/d plus metformin were demonstrated after 24 weeks of treatment. Results over 52 weeks of treatment were assessed in this analysis. Patients (mean baseline HbA1c 7.9%) receiving open-label dapagliflozin 10 mg/d plus metformin were randomized to double-blind saxagliptin 5 mg/d or placebo add-on. The adjusted mean change from baseline to week 52 in HbA1c was greater with saxagliptin than with placebo add-on -0.38% vs 0.05%; difference -0.42% (95% confidence interval -0.64, -0.20)]. More patients achieved the HbA1c target of <7% with saxagliptin than with placebo add-on (29% vs 13%), and fewer patients were rescued or discontinued the study for lack of glycaemic control with saxagliptin than with placebo add-on (19% vs 28%). Reductions from baseline in body weight (≤1.5 kg) occurred in both groups. Similar proportions of patients reported ≥1 adverse event with saxagliptin (58.2%) and placebo add-on (58.0%); no new safety signals were detected. Hypoglycaemia was infrequent in both treatment groups (≤2.5%), with no major episodes. The rate of urinary tract infections was similar in the saxagliptin and placebo add-on groups (7.8% vs 7.4%). The incidence of genital infections was 3.3% with saxagliptin versus 6.2% with placebo add-on. Triple therapy with saxagliptin add-on to dapagliflozin plus metformin for 52 weeks resulted in sustained improvements in glycaemic control without an increase in body weight or increased risk of hypoglycaemia. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Platform to Build Mobile Health Apps: The Personal Health Intervention Toolkit (PHIT).

PubMed

Eckhoff, Randall Peter; Kizakevich, Paul Nicholas; Bakalov, Vesselina; Zhang, Yuying; Bryant, Stephanie Patrice; Hobbs, Maria Ann

2015-06-01

Personal Health Intervention Toolkit (PHIT) is an advanced cross-platform software framework targeted at personal self-help research on mobile devices. Following the subjective and objective measurement, assessment, and plan methodology for health assessment and intervention recommendations, the PHIT platform lets researchers quickly build mobile health research Android and iOS apps. They can (1) create complex data-collection instruments using a simple extensible markup language (XML) schema; (2) use Bluetooth wireless sensors; (3) create targeted self-help interventions based on collected data via XML-coded logic; (4) facilitate cross-study reuse from the library of existing instruments and interventions such as stress, anxiety, sleep quality, and substance abuse; and (5) monitor longitudinal intervention studies via daily upload to a Web-based dashboard portal. For physiological data, Bluetooth sensors collect real-time data with on-device processing. For example, using the BinarHeartSensor, the PHIT platform processes the heart rate data into heart rate variability measures, and plots these data as time-series waveforms. Subjective data instruments are user data-entry screens, comprising a series of forms with validation and processing logic. The PHIT instrument library consists of over 70 reusable instruments for various domains including cognitive, environmental, psychiatric, psychosocial, and substance abuse. Many are standardized instruments, such as the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Patient Health Questionnaire-8, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. Autonomous instruments such as battery and global positioning system location support continuous background data collection. All data are acquired using a schedule appropriate to the app's deployment. The PHIT intelligent virtual advisor (iVA) is an expert system logic layer, which analyzes the data in real time on the device. This data analysis results in a tailored app of interventions and other data-collection instruments. For example, if a user anxiety score exceeds a threshold, the iVA might add a meditation intervention to the task list in order to teach the user how to relax, and schedule a reassessment using the anxiety instrument 2 weeks later to re-evaluate. If the anxiety score exceeds a higher threshold, then an advisory to seek professional help would be displayed. Using the easy-to-use PHIT scripting language, the researcher can program new instruments, the iVA, and interventions to their domain-specific needs. The iVA, instruments, and interventions are defined via XML files, which facilities rapid app development and deployment. The PHIT Web-based dashboard portal provides the researcher access to all the uploaded data. After a secure login, the data can be filtered by criteria such as study, protocol, domain, and user. Data can also be exported into a comma-delimited file for further processing. The PHIT framework has proven to be an extensible, reconfigurable technology that facilitates mobile data collection and health intervention research. Additional plans include instrument development in other domains, additional health sensors, and a text messaging notification system.

A Platform to Build Mobile Health Apps: The Personal Health Intervention Toolkit (PHIT)

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Personal Health Intervention Toolkit (PHIT) is an advanced cross-platform software framework targeted at personal self-help research on mobile devices. Following the subjective and objective measurement, assessment, and plan methodology for health assessment and intervention recommendations, the PHIT platform lets researchers quickly build mobile health research Android and iOS apps. They can (1) create complex data-collection instruments using a simple extensible markup language (XML) schema; (2) use Bluetooth wireless sensors; (3) create targeted self-help interventions based on collected data via XML-coded logic; (4) facilitate cross-study reuse from the library of existing instruments and interventions such as stress, anxiety, sleep quality, and substance abuse; and (5) monitor longitudinal intervention studies via daily upload to a Web-based dashboard portal. For physiological data, Bluetooth sensors collect real-time data with on-device processing. For example, using the BinarHeartSensor, the PHIT platform processes the heart rate data into heart rate variability measures, and plots these data as time-series waveforms. Subjective data instruments are user data-entry screens, comprising a series of forms with validation and processing logic. The PHIT instrument library consists of over 70 reusable instruments for various domains including cognitive, environmental, psychiatric, psychosocial, and substance abuse. Many are standardized instruments, such as the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Patient Health Questionnaire-8, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. Autonomous instruments such as battery and global positioning system location support continuous background data collection. All data are acquired using a schedule appropriate to the app’s deployment. The PHIT intelligent virtual advisor (iVA) is an expert system logic layer, which analyzes the data in real time on the device. This data analysis results in a tailored app of interventions and other data-collection instruments. For example, if a user anxiety score exceeds a threshold, the iVA might add a meditation intervention to the task list in order to teach the user how to relax, and schedule a reassessment using the anxiety instrument 2 weeks later to re-evaluate. If the anxiety score exceeds a higher threshold, then an advisory to seek professional help would be displayed. Using the easy-to-use PHIT scripting language, the researcher can program new instruments, the iVA, and interventions to their domain-specific needs. The iVA, instruments, and interventions are defined via XML files, which facilities rapid app development and deployment. The PHIT Web-based dashboard portal provides the researcher access to all the uploaded data. After a secure login, the data can be filtered by criteria such as study, protocol, domain, and user. Data can also be exported into a comma-delimited file for further processing. The PHIT framework has proven to be an extensible, reconfigurable technology that facilitates mobile data collection and health intervention research. Additional plans include instrument development in other domains, additional health sensors, and a text messaging notification system. PMID:26033047

Cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures in urologic surgery in the USA.

PubMed

Sleeper, Joshua; Lotan, Yair

2011-01-01

New technologies such as robotic-assisted surgery are constantly introduced clinically without a complete understanding of benefits and costs. This article will discuss general concepts of health economics and apply them to the application of robotic-assisted surgery to urologic procedures. Utilization of robotic surgery has increased dramatically in recent years. This has been most dramatic in the treatment of prostate cancer. The robot adds significant costs from acquisition, maintenance and recurrent instrument costs. These added costs, thus far, have not been associated with significant improvement in outcomes over 'pure' laparoscopy or open procedures. In order for the robot to be cost effective, there needs to be an improvement in efficacy over alternative approaches, and a decrease in costs of the robot or instrumentation. Robotic surgery has not been found to be cost effective in urology. Future studies may yet reveal indirect benefits that are not yet obvious.

Advances in SPICE Support of Planetary Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acton, C. H.

2013-01-01

SPICE is the de facto international standard for determining the geometric conditions-parameters such as altitude, lighting angles, and LAT/LON coverage of an instrument footprint-pertaining to scientific observations acquired by instruments on board robotic spacecraft. This system, comprised of data and allied software, is used for planning science observations and for analyzing the data returned from those observations. Use of SPICE is not a NASA requirement but is recommended by NASA's Planetary Data System and by the International Planetary Data Alliance. Owing in part to its reliability, stability, portability and user support, the use of SPICE has spread to many national space agencies, including those of the U.S., Europe (ESA), Japan, Russia and India. SPICE has been in use since the Magellan mission to Venus and so has many well-known capabilities. But the NAIF Team responsible for implementing SPICE continues to add new features; this presentation describes a number of these.

PROMIS fatigue, pain intensity, pain interference, pain behavior, physical function, depression, anxiety, and anger scales demonstrate ecological validity.

PubMed

Stone, Arthur A; Broderick, Joan E; Junghaenel, Doerte U; Schneider, Stefan; Schwartz, Joseph E

2016-06-01

Ecological validity refers to the degree to which instruments faithfully capture information in respondents' natural environments. We examined the ecological validity of eight instruments from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), most of which use 7-day reporting periods, by comparing PROMIS scores with daily diary data as a standard. Five groups of approximately 100 respondents each completed daily diaries and weekly PROMIS instruments for 4 consecutive weeks: community residents; osteoarthritis patients; women experiencing premenstrual syndrome; men undergoing hernia surgery; and breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The last three groups experienced events (menses, surgery, or chemotherapy, respectively) at standardized times in the protocol to examine symptom changes attributable to these events. We examined the ability of the PROMIS scales to replicate between-group differences in diaries, to replicate week-to-week changes in diaries, and the correlation between diary and PROMIS scales. As a secondary aim, we examined known-group differences with the PROMIS measures. All three types of ecological validity were strongly confirmed, as was known-group validity for the PROMIS recall scales. This study adds to the growing literature supporting the reliability and validity of the family of PROMIS instruments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[A Triage Scale for Mental Health, an Emerging Practice, a Value-Add for Measuring Demand for Mental Health Services].

PubMed

Boucher, Lucie

Objectives The article aims to present two studies supporting the development of l'Échelle brève de triage RIFCAS en santé mentale 0-99 ans, a measuring instrument used to determine - based on the level of customer demand, seriousness, and urgent need for intervention - the priority of a mental health service across all age groups.Methods Both versions have been subject to a measurement interjudge agreement that is compared against the judgment of professionals and other comparison tools.Results The results produced by the interjudge agreement reflect significant correlations with the priorities established by l'Échelle brève de triage RIFCAS en santé mentale 0-99 ans, the judgment of professional experts and the usual instruments used.Conclusion The final version of the triage scale provides an objective measure for the priority that should be given to all mental health service requests - these encompass all recognized and essential clinical information. Clinicians can rely on a reliable and proven instrument to prioritize service requests before placing them on the waiting list. The use of this instrument facilitates the development of a common procedure between professionals and ensures a fair and safe treatment of users.

Dichroic Filter for Separating W-Band and Ka-Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Epp, Larry W.; Durden, Stephen L.; Jamnejad, Vahraz; Long, Ezra M.; Sosnowski, John B.; Higuera, Raymond J.; Chen, Jacqueline C.

2012-01-01

The proposed Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems (ACEs) mission development would advance cloud profiling radar from that used in CloudSat by adding a 35-GHz (Ka-band) channel to the 94-GHz (W-band) channel used in CloudSat. In order to illuminate a single antenna, and use CloudSat-like quasi-optical transmission lines, a spatial diplexer is needed to add the Ka-band channel. A dichroic filter separates Ka-band from W-band by employing advances in electrical discharge machining (EDM) and mode-matching analysis techniques developed and validated for designing dichroics for the Deep Space Network (DSN), to develop a preliminary design that both met the requirements of frequency separation and mechanical strength. First, a mechanical prototype was built using an approximately 102-micron-diameter EDM process, and tolerances of the hole dimensions, wall thickness, radius, and dichroic filter thickness measured. The prototype validated the manufacturing needed to design a dichroic filter for a higher-frequency usage than previously used in the DSN. The initial design was based on a Ka-band design, but thicker walls are required for mechanical rigidity than one obtains by simply scaling the Ka-band dichroic filter. The resulting trade of hole dimensions for mechanical rigidity (wall thickness) required electrical redesign of the hole dimensions. Updates to existing codes in the linear solver decreased the analysis time using mode-matching, enabling the electrical design to be realized quickly. This work is applicable to missions and instruments that seek to extend W-band cloud profiling measurements to other frequencies. By demonstrating a dichroic filter that passes W-band, but reflects a lower frequency, this opens up the development of instruments that both compare to and enhance CloudSat.

Clinical validation of the C-VAT 2.0 assessment tool for gaming disorder: A sensitivity analysis of the proposed DSM-5 criteria and the clinical characteristics of young patients with 'video game addiction'.

PubMed

van Rooij, Antonius J; Schoenmakers, Tim M; van de Mheen, Dike

2017-01-01

Clinicians struggle with the identification of video gaming problems. To address this issue, a clinical assessment tool (C-VAT 2.0) was developed and tested in a clinical setting. The instrument allows exploration of the validity of the DSM-5 proposal for 'internet gaming disorder'. Using C-VAT 2.0, the current study provides a sensitivity analysis of the proposed DSM-5 criteria in a clinical youth sample (13-23years old) in treatment for video gaming disorder (N=32). The study also explores the clinical characteristics of these patients. The patients were all male and reported spending extensive amounts of time on video games. At least half of the patients reported playing online games (n=15). Comorbid problems were common (n=22) and included (social) anxiety disorders, PDD NOS, ADHD/ADD, Parent-Child relationship problem, and various types of depressive mood problems. The sensitivity of the test was good: results further show that the C-VAT correctly identified 91% of the sample at the proposed cut-off score of at least 5 out of 9 of the criteria. As our study did not include healthy, extreme gamers, we could not assess the specificity of the tool: future research should make this a priority. Using the proposed DSM-5 cut-off score, the C-VAT 2.0 shows preliminary validity in a sample of gamers in treatment for gaming disorder, but the discriminating value of the instrument should be studied further. In the meantime, it is crucial that therapists try to avoid false positives by using expert judgment of functional impairment in each case. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increasing operating room efficiency through electronic medical record analysis.

PubMed

Attaallah, A F; Elzamzamy, O M; Phelps, A L; Ranganthan, P; Vallejo, M C

2016-05-01

We used electronic medical record (EMR) analysis to determine errors in operating room (OR) time utilisation. Over a two year period EMR data of 44,503 surgical procedures was analysed for OR duration, on-time, first case, and add-on time performance, within 19 surgical specialties. Maximal OR time utilisation at our institution could have saved over 302,620 min or 5,044 hours of OR efficiency over a two year period. Most specialties (78.95%) had inaccurately scheduled procedure times and therefore used the OR more than their scheduled allotment time. Significant differences occurred between the mean scheduled surgical durations (101.38 ± 87.11 min) and actual durations (108.18 ± 102.27 min; P < 0.001). Significant differences also occurred between the mean scheduled add-on durations (111.4 ± 75.5 min) and the actual add-on scheduled durations (118.6 ± 90.1 minutes; P < 0.001). EMR quality improvement analysis can be used to determine scheduling error and bias, in order to improve efficiency and increase OR time utilisation.

Chance of reimbursement for ADD-ON therapies in Poland and in the world - review of the reimbursement recommendations

PubMed

Borowiack, Ewa; Marzec, Magdalena; Nowotarska, Anna; Jarosz, Joanna; Orkisz, Agata; Prząda-Machno, Patrycja

2018-01-01

Oncology drugs combined with standard therapies (so-called add-on therapies, e.g. bevacizumab, palbociclib) often receive negative recommendations regarding the legitimacy of public financing, issued by government agencies responsible for their assessment, i.e. health technology assessment agencies. The aim of the study was to estimate the scale of the problem related to the reimbursement of add-on therapies used in the treatment of breast and genitourinary cancers in Poland and in the world. A multimodal approach was used to select add-on therapies. The reimbursement routes were analysed in 8 reference countries (Poland, Canada, England, Wales, France, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand). Based on a systematic search, data for breast and urogenital cancers were included. A total of 68 reimbursement documents for add-on therapies were identified. The analysis showed that in Poland, 20% of innovative schemes including add-on therapies should be reimbursed, while in the world the percentage of positive recommendations reaches 56%. It was observed that globally (including data for Poland) the chance for a favorable reimbursement recommendation for add-on therapies is 53%, with 29% being positive recommendations with limitations. In Poland, the majority of negative recommendations concern genitourinary cancers in comparison to breast cancer (83% vs 75%). Poland is at the head of the countries in terms of the number of negative reimbursement recommendations. Bearing in mind the world’s need of modifying the criteria for the evaluation of oncological therapies in the context of the possibility of their reimbursement, one should expect a change in the approach to the assessment of the legitimacy of financing innovative add-on therapies in Poland.

Evaluation of add-on devices for the prevention of phlebitis and other complications associated with the use of peripheral catheters in hospitalised adults: a randomised controlled study.

PubMed

Martínez, J A; Piazuelo, M; Almela, M; Blecua, P; Gallardo, R; Rodríguez, S; Escalante, Z; Robau, M; Trilla, A

2009-10-01

The aim of this study was to assess the role of add-on devices for the prevention of phlebitis and other complications associated with the use of peripheral catheters. Patients admitted to an infectious diseases ward and requiring the insertion of a peripheral catheter for at least 24h were randomly allocated to be managed with or without add-on devices. Incidence of phlebitis and all complications were the primary outcomes. Extravasation, inadvertent withdrawal, obstruction and rupture were considered to be mechanical complications, and analysis was performed using survival methods. Of 683 evaluated catheters, 351 were allocated to the add-on device arm and 332 to the control arm. Despite randomisation, patients in the add-on device group were older (P=0.048), less likely to have human immunodeficiency virus (P=0.02) and more likely to have received antibiotics (P=0.05). After adjustment for these variables, the hazard ratio for phlebitis remained non-significant (hazard ratio: 0.95; 95% confidence interval: 0.7-1.3), but the risk of mechanical complications became lower in the add-on device arm (0.68; 0.5-0.94). This translated into a trend towards a lower risk of any complication (0.83; 0.67-1.01). The beneficial effect on mechanical or all complications was noticeable after six days of catheterisation. Add-on devices do not reduce the incidence of phlebitis but may prevent mechanical complications. However, the impact of add-on devices on the incidence of all complications is at most small and only apparent after the sixth day of catheter use.

Development of Rasch-based item banks for the assessment of work performance in patients with musculoskeletal diseases.

PubMed

Mueller, Evelyn A; Bengel, Juergen; Wirtz, Markus A

2013-12-01

This study aimed to develop a self-description assessment instrument to measure work performance in patients with musculoskeletal diseases. In terms of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), work performance is defined as the degree of meeting the work demands (activities) at the actual workplace (environment). To account for the fact that work performance depends on the work demands of the job, we strived to develop item banks that allow a flexible use of item subgroups depending on the specific work demands of the patients' jobs. Item development included the collection of work tasks from literature and content validation through expert surveys and patient interviews. The resulting 122 items were answered by 621 patients with musculoskeletal diseases. Exploratory factor analysis to ascertain dimensionality and Rasch analysis (partial credit model) for each of the resulting dimensions were performed. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in four dimensions, and subsequent Rasch analysis led to the following item banks: 'impaired productivity' (15 items), 'impaired cognitive performance' (18), 'impaired coping with stress' (13) and 'impaired physical performance' (low physical workload 20 items, high physical workload 10 items). The item banks exhibited person separation indices (reliability) between 0.89 and 0.96. The assessment of work performance adds the activities component to the more commonly employed participation component of the ICF-model. The four item banks can be adapted to specific jobs where necessary without losing comparability of person measures, as the item banks are based on Rasch analysis.

The Relationship Between Specific Pavlovian Instrumental Transfer and Instrumental Reward Probability

PubMed Central

Cartoni, Emilio; Moretta, Tania; Puglisi-Allegra, Stefano; Cabib, Simona; Baldassarre, Gianluca

2015-01-01

Goal-directed behavior is influenced by environmental cues: in particular, cues associated with a reward can bias action choice toward actions directed to that same reward. This effect is studied experimentally as specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (specific PIT). We have investigated the hypothesis that cues associated to an outcome elicit specific PIT by rising the estimates of reward probability of actions associated to that same outcome. In other words, cues reduce the uncertainty on the efficacy of instrumental actions. We used a human PIT experimental paradigm to test the effects of two different instrumental contingencies: one group of participants had a 33% chance of being rewarded for each button press, while another had a 100% chance. The group trained with 33% reward probability showed a stronger PIT effect than the 100% group, in line with the hypothesis that Pavlovian cues linked to an outcome work by reducing the uncertainty of receiving it. The 100% group also showed a significant specific PIT effect, highlighting additional factors that could contribute to specific PIT beyond the instrumental training contingency. We hypothesize that the uncertainty about reward delivery due to testing in extinction might be one of these factors. These results add knowledge on how goal-directed behavior is influenced by the presence of environmental cues associated with a reward: such influence depends on the probability that we have to reach a reward, namely when there is less chance of getting a reward we are more influenced by cues associated with it, and vice versa. PMID:26635645

Mapping the MMPI-2-RF Specific Problems Scales Onto Extant Psychopathology Structures.

PubMed

Sellbom, Martin

2017-01-01

A main objective in developing the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008 ) was to link the hierarchical structure of the instrument's scales to contemporary psychopathology and personality models for greater enhancement of construct validity. Initial evidence published with the Restructured Clinical scales has indicated promising results in that the higher order structure of these measures maps onto those reported in the extant psychopathology literature. This study focused on evaluating the internal structure of the Specific Problems and Interest scales, which have not yet been examined in this manner. Two large, mixed-gender outpatient and correctional samples were used. Exploratory factor analyses revealed consistent evidence for a 4-factor structure representing somatization, negative affect, externalizing, and social detachment. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses in the outpatient sample yielded a pattern of results consistent with expectations. These findings add further evidence to indicate that the MMPI-2-RF hierarchy of scales map onto extant psychopathology literature, and also add support to the notion that somatization and detachment should be considered important higher order domains in the psychopathology literature.

The ARM Climate Research Facility - New Capabilities and the Expected Impacts on Climate Science and Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voyles, J.; Mather, J. H.

2010-12-01

The ARM Climate Research Facility is a Department of Energy national scientific user facility. Research sites include fixed and mobile facilities, which collect research quality data for climate research. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science allocated $60 million to the ARM Climate Research Facility for the purchase of instruments and improvement of research sites. With these funds, ARM is in the process of deploying a broad variety of new instruments that will greatly enhance the measurement capabilities of the facility. New instruments being purchased include dual-frequency scanning cloud radars, scanning precipitation radars, Doppler lidars, a mobile Aerosol Observing System and many others. A list of instruments being purchased is available at http://www.arm.gov/about/recovery-act. Orders for all instruments have now been placed and activities are underway to integrate these new systems with our research sites. The overarching goal is to provide instantaneous and statistical measurements of the climate that can be used to advance the physical understanding and predictive performance of climate models. The Recovery Act investments enable the ARM Climate Research Facility to enhance existing and add new measurements, which enable a more complete understanding of the 3-dimensional evolution of cloud processes and related atmospheric properties. Understanding cloud processes are important globally, to reduce climate-modeling uncertainties and help improve our nation’s ability to manage climate impacts. Domer Plot of W-Band Reflectivity

KSC-03pd0936

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers add another base plate segment to the shrouded Space Infrared Telescope Facility. The base plate is being added for the canister. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF is currently scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KSC-03pd0937

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers add another base plate segment to the shrouded Space Infrared Telescope Facility. The base plate is being added for the canister. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF is currently scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Design and performance of a beetle-type double-tip scanning tunneling microscope

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

Jaschinsky, Philipp; Coenen, Peter; Pirug, Gerhard

2006-09-15

A combination of a double-tip scanning tunneling microscope with a scanning electron microscope in ultrahigh vacuum environment is presented. The compact beetle-type design made it possible to integrate two independently driven scanning tunneling microscopes in a small space. Moreover, an additional level for coarse movement allows the decoupling of the translation and approach of the tunneling tip. The position of the two tips can be controlled from the millimeter scale down to 50 nm with the help of an add-on electron microscope. The instrument is capable of atomic resolution imaging with each tip.

Development of flight experiments for remote measurement of pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keafer, L. S., Jr.; Kopia, L. P.

1973-01-01

The status as of February 1973 of several NASA-sponsored development projects is reported concerning flight experiments for remote measurement of pollution. Eight passive multispectral instruments for remotely sensing air and water pollutants are described, as well as two active (laser radar) measuring techniques. These techniques are expected to add some new dimensions to the remote sensing of water quality, oceanographic parameters, and earth resources. Multiple applications in these fields are generally possible. Successful completion of the flight demonstration tests and comparisons with simultaneously obtained surface truth measurements may establish these techniques as valid water quality monitoring tools.

Designing a mixed methods study in primary care.

PubMed

Creswell, John W; Fetters, Michael D; Ivankova, Nataliya V

2004-01-01

Mixed methods or multimethod research holds potential for rigorous, methodologically sound investigations in primary care. The objective of this study was to use criteria from the literature to evaluate 5 mixed methods studies in primary care and to advance 3 models useful for designing such investigations. We first identified criteria from the social and behavioral sciences to analyze mixed methods studies in primary care research. We then used the criteria to evaluate 5 mixed methods investigations published in primary care research journals. Of the 5 studies analyzed, 3 included a rationale for mixing based on the need to develop a quantitative instrument from qualitative data or to converge information to best understand the research topic. Quantitative data collection involved structured interviews, observational checklists, and chart audits that were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. Qualitative data consisted of semistructured interviews and field observations that were analyzed using coding to develop themes and categories. The studies showed diverse forms of priority: equal priority, qualitative priority, and quantitative priority. Data collection involved quantitative and qualitative data gathered both concurrently and sequentially. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative data in these studies occurred between data analysis from one phase and data collection from a subsequent phase, while analyzing the data, and when reporting the results. We recommend instrument-building, triangulation, and data transformation models for mixed methods designs as useful frameworks to add rigor to investigations in primary care. We also discuss the limitations of our study and the need for future research.

Primitive running: a survey analysis of runners' interest, participation, and implementation.

PubMed

Rothschild, Carey E

2012-08-01

Running is a sport that has continued to see growth in numbers over the years. Recently, there has been a movement promoting running barefoot and in light, "minimalist" shoes. Advocates of barefoot running believe that a more primitive style of running may result in fewer running-related injuries and even possibly improve performance. To identify the current interest level and participation in barefoot or minimalist shod running, an electronic survey was developed and dispersed to 6,082 runners. The survey instrument examined demographics, motivating factors, used resources, perceived barriers, and expectations in runners who add barefoot or in minimalist shod running to their training. Seven hundred eighty-five (13%) runners completed the survey. Six hundred and thirty (75.7%) indicated they were at least somewhat interested in running barefoot or in minimalist shoes. One hundred seventy-two (21.9%) runners had previously tried barefoot running, whereas 239 (30.4%) had previously tried minimalist shoes. The primary motivating factor for those running barefoot or in minimalist shoes (n = 283) was to prevent future injury (n = 97, 34.3%). Advice from friends (n = 68, 24.5%) or books (n = 68, 24.5%) was the most commonly used resource in transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shod running. Fear of possible injury (n = 424, 54%) was the most prevalent perceived barrier in transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shod running. An overwhelming 671 (85.5%) indicated that they were at least somewhat likely to continue with or to add barefoot or minimalist shod running if provided sufficient instruction. Runners who are men, of younger age, and who consider themselves elite runners are somewhat more likely to be interested in barefoot or minimalist shod running.

Memantine add-on to antipsychotic treatment for residual negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kishi, Taro; Matsuda, Yuki; Iwata, Nakao

2017-07-01

We examined whether memantine add-on to antipsychotic treatment is beneficial in schizophrenia treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to achieve stronger evidence on the efficacy and safety of memantine add-on for treating schizophrenia. We analyzed double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of memantine add-on treatment in schizophrenia patients receiving antipsychotics. The primary outcomes were amelioration of negative symptoms and all-cause discontinuation. Dichotomous outcomes are presented as risk ratios (RRs), and continuous outcomes are presented as mean differences (MDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs). Eight studies (n = 448) were included. Although memantine add-on treatment was superior to placebo for ameliorating negative symptoms (SMD = -0.96, p = 0.006, I 2  = 88%; N = 7, n = 367) in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale general subscale (MD = -1.62, p = 0.002, I 2  = 0%; N = 4, n = 151) and Mini-Mental Status Examination score (MD = -3.07, p < 0.0001, I 2  = 21%; N = 3, n = 83), there were no statistically significant differences in the amelioration of overall (SMD = -0.75, p = 0.06, I 2  = 86%; N = 5, n = 271), positive (SMD = -0.46, p = 0.07, I 2  = 80%; N = 7, n = 367), and depressive symptoms (SMD = -0.127, p = 0.326, I 2  = 0%; N = 4, n = 201); all-cause discontinuation (RR = 1.34, p = 0.31, I 2  = 0%; N = 8, n = 448); and individual adverse events (fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, constipation) between the groups. For negative symptoms, the significant heterogeneity disappeared when risperidone studies alone were considered (I 2  = 0%). However, memantine add-on treatment remained superior to placebo (SMD = -1.29, p = 0.00001). Meta-regression analysis showed that patient age was associated with memantine-associated amelioration of negative symptoms (slope = 0.171, p = 0.0206). Memantine add-on treatment may be beneficial for treating psychopathological symptoms (especially negative symptoms) in schizophrenia patients. The negative-symptom effect size may be associated with younger adult schizophrenia patients.

Measurement of Gamma-Irradiated Corneal Patch Graft Thickness After Aqueous Drainage Device Surgery.

PubMed

de Luna, Regina A; Moledina, Ameera; Wang, Jiangxia; Jampel, Henry D

2017-09-01

Exposure of the tube of an aqueous drainage device (ADD) through the conjunctiva is a serious complication of ADD surgery. Although placement of gamma-irradiated sterile cornea (GISC) as a patch graft over the tube is commonly performed, exposures still occur. To measure GISC patch graft thickness as a function of time after surgery, estimate the rate of graft thinning, and determine risk factors for graft thinning. Cross-sectional study of graft thickness using anterior segment optic coherence tomography (AS-OCT) was conducted at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. A total of 107 patients (120 eyes, 120 ADDs) 18 years or older who underwent ADD surgery at Johns Hopkins with GISC patch graft between July 1, 2010, and October 31, 2016, were enrolled. Implantation of ADD with placement of GISC patch graft over the tube. Graft thickness vs time after ADD surgery and risk factors for undetectable graft. Of the 107 patients included in the analysis, the mean (SD) age of the cohort was 64 (16.2) years, 49 (45.8%) were male, and 43 (40.2%) were African American. The mean time of measurement after surgery was 1.7 years (range, 1 day to 6 years). Thinner grafts were observed as the time after surgery lengthened (β regression coefficient, -60 µm per year since surgery; 95% CI, -80 µm to -40 µm). The odds ratio of undetectable grafts per year after ADD surgery was 2.1 (95% CI, 1.5-3.0; P < .001). Age, sex, race, type of ADD, quadrant of ADD placement, diagnosis of uveitis or dry eye, and prior conjunctival surgery were not correlated with the presence or absence of the graft. Gamma-irradiated sterile corneal patch grafts do not always retain their integrity after ADD surgery. Data from this cross-sectional study showed that on average, the longer the time after surgery, the thinner the graft. These findings suggest that placement of a GISC patch graft is no guarantee against tube exposure, and that better strategies are needed for preventing this complication.

Mortality of Dandy-Walker syndrome in the United States: Analysis by race, gender, and insurance status

PubMed Central

McClelland, Shearwood; Ukwuoma, Onyinyechi I.; Lunos, Scott; Okuyemi, Kolawole S.

2015-01-01

Background: Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a congenital disorder often diagnosed in early childhood. Typically manifesting with signs/symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, DWS is catastrophic unless timely neurosurgical care can be administered via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. The rates of mortality, adverse discharge disposition (ADD), and CSF drainage in DWS may not be uniform regardless of race, gender or insurance status; such differences could reflect disparities in access to neurosurgical care. This study examines these issues on a nationwide level. Materials and Methods: The Kids’ Inpatient Database spanning 1997-2003 was used for analysis. Only patients admitted for DWS (ICD-9-CM = 742.3) were included. Multivariate analysis was adjusted for several variables, including patient age, race, sex, admission type, primary payer, income, and hospital volume. Results: More than 14,000 DWS patients were included. Increasing age predicted reduced mortality (OR = 0.87; P < 0.05), ADD (OR = 0.96; P < 0.05), and decreased likelihood of receiving CSF drainage (OR = 0.86; P < 0.0001). Elective admission type predicted reduced mortality (OR = 0.29; P = 0.0008), ADD (OR = 0.68; P < 0.05), and increased CSF drainage (OR = 2.02; P < 0.0001). African-American race (OR = 1.20; P < 0.05) and private insurance (OR = 1.18; P < 0.05) each predicted increased likelihood of receiving CSF drainage, but were not predictors of mortality or ADD. Gender, income, and hospital volume were not significant predictors of DWS outcome. Conclusion: Increasing age and elective admissions each decrease mortality and ADD associated with DWS. African-American race and private insurance status increase access to CSF drainage. These findings contradict previous literature citing African-American race as a risk factor for mortality in DWS, and emphasize the role of private insurance in obtaining access to potentially lifesaving operative care. PMID:25883477

Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance of the Child Feeding Questionnaire in low-income Hispanic and African-American mothers with preschool-age children.

PubMed

Kong, Angela; Vijayasiri, Ganga; Fitzgibbon, Marian L; Schiffer, Linda A; Campbell, Richard T

2015-07-01

Validation work of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in low-income minority samples suggests a need for further conceptual refinement of this instrument. Using confirmatory factor analysis, this study evaluated 5- and 6-factor models on a large sample of African-American and Hispanic mothers with preschool-age children (n = 962). The 5-factor model included: 'perceived responsibility', 'concern about child's weight', 'restriction', 'pressure to eat', and 'monitoring' and the 6-factor model also tested 'food as a reward'. Multi-group analysis assessed measurement invariance by race/ethnicity. In the 5-factor model, two low-loading items from 'restriction' and one low-variance item from 'perceived responsibility' were dropped to achieve fit. Only removal of the low-variance item was needed to achieve fit in the 6-factor model. Invariance analyses demonstrated differences in factor loadings. This finding suggests African-American and Hispanic mothers may vary in their interpretation of some CFQ items and use of cognitive interviews could enhance item interpretation. Our results also demonstrated that 'food as a reward' is a plausible construct among a low-income minority sample and adds to the evidence that this factor resonates conceptually with parents of preschoolers; however, further testing is needed to determine the validity of this factor with older age groups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stereovision Imaging in Smart Mobile Phone Using Add on Prisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Magen Numhauser, Jonathan; Zalevsky, Zeev

2014-03-01

In this work we present the use of a prism-based add on component installed on top of a smart phone to achieve stereovision capabilities using iPhone mobile operating system. Through these components and the combination of the appropriate application programming interface and mathematical algorithms the obtained results will permit the analysis of possible enhancements for new uses to such system, in a variety of areas including medicine and communications.

Transient thermal analysis of fluid systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandler, G. D.; Trust, R. D.

1977-01-01

Computer program performs transient thermal analysis of any 2-node to 200-node-thermal network, which transports heat by fluid flow convection. Program can be modified to add conduction along tubes and radiation.

Using basic statistics on the individual patient's own numeric data.

PubMed

Hart, John

2012-12-01

This theoretical report gives an example for how coefficient of variation (CV) and quartile analysis (QA) to assess outliers might be able to be used to analyze numeric data in practice for an individual patient. A patient was examined for 8 visits using infrared instrumentation for measurement of mastoid fossa temperature differential (MFTD) readings. The CV and QA were applied to the readings. The participant also completed the Short Form-12 health perception survey on each visit, and these findings were correlated with CV to determine if CV had outcomes support (clinical significance). An outlier MFTD reading was observed on the eighth visit according to QA that coincided with the largest CV value for the MFTDs. Correlations between the Short Form-12 and CV were low to negligible, positive, and statistically nonsignificant. This case provides an example of how basic statistical analyses could possibly be applied to numerical data in chiropractic practice for an individual patient. This might add objectivity to analyzing an individual patient's data in practice, particularly if clinical significance of a clinical numerical finding is unknown.

Problem-solving strategies of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

PubMed

Lyons, Kathleen D; Erickson, Kelly S; Hegel, Mark T

2012-02-01

Many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience side effects that make it difficult to perform daily occupations. To summarize the types of challenges, goals, and adaptive strategies identified by women with stage 1-3 breast cancer participating in a pilot study of Problem-solving Treatment-Occupational Therapy (PST-OT). Content analysis of 80 PST-OT sessions. Women addressed 11 types of challenging activities, with exercise and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) being the most common. Most women set a goal to adapt a current activity, but also set goals to find a new activity, plan the steps of a current activity, or gather information about a possible activity change in the future. The adaptive strategies generated by the women were grouped into five types. Most often they found ways to add a new step to an activity, but they also brainstormed about when, how, where, and with whom they could do activities. The women were usually trying to adapt familiar activities but also were looking for ways to include new, healthy occupations into their routines.

qcML: An Exchange Format for Quality Control Metrics from Mass Spectrometry Experiments*

PubMed Central

Walzer, Mathias; Pernas, Lucia Espona; Nasso, Sara; Bittremieux, Wout; Nahnsen, Sven; Kelchtermans, Pieter; Pichler, Peter; van den Toorn, Henk W. P.; Staes, An; Vandenbussche, Jonathan; Mazanek, Michael; Taus, Thomas; Scheltema, Richard A.; Kelstrup, Christian D.; Gatto, Laurent; van Breukelen, Bas; Aiche, Stephan; Valkenborg, Dirk; Laukens, Kris; Lilley, Kathryn S.; Olsen, Jesper V.; Heck, Albert J. R.; Mechtler, Karl; Aebersold, Ruedi; Gevaert, Kris; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Hermjakob, Henning; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Martens, Lennart

2014-01-01

Quality control is increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of mass spectrometry based proteomics. Several recent papers discuss relevant parameters for quality control and present applications to extract these from the instrumental raw data. What has been missing, however, is a standard data exchange format for reporting these performance metrics. We therefore developed the qcML format, an XML-based standard that follows the design principles of the related mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, and TraML standards from the HUPO-PSI (Proteomics Standards Initiative). In addition to the XML format, we also provide tools for the calculation of a wide range of quality metrics as well as a database format and interconversion tools, so that existing LIMS systems can easily add relational storage of the quality control data to their existing schema. We here describe the qcML specification, along with possible use cases and an illustrative example of the subsequent analysis possibilities. All information about qcML is available at http://code.google.com/p/qcml. PMID:24760958

qcML: an exchange format for quality control metrics from mass spectrometry experiments.

PubMed

Walzer, Mathias; Pernas, Lucia Espona; Nasso, Sara; Bittremieux, Wout; Nahnsen, Sven; Kelchtermans, Pieter; Pichler, Peter; van den Toorn, Henk W P; Staes, An; Vandenbussche, Jonathan; Mazanek, Michael; Taus, Thomas; Scheltema, Richard A; Kelstrup, Christian D; Gatto, Laurent; van Breukelen, Bas; Aiche, Stephan; Valkenborg, Dirk; Laukens, Kris; Lilley, Kathryn S; Olsen, Jesper V; Heck, Albert J R; Mechtler, Karl; Aebersold, Ruedi; Gevaert, Kris; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Hermjakob, Henning; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Martens, Lennart

2014-08-01

Quality control is increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of mass spectrometry based proteomics. Several recent papers discuss relevant parameters for quality control and present applications to extract these from the instrumental raw data. What has been missing, however, is a standard data exchange format for reporting these performance metrics. We therefore developed the qcML format, an XML-based standard that follows the design principles of the related mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, and TraML standards from the HUPO-PSI (Proteomics Standards Initiative). In addition to the XML format, we also provide tools for the calculation of a wide range of quality metrics as well as a database format and interconversion tools, so that existing LIMS systems can easily add relational storage of the quality control data to their existing schema. We here describe the qcML specification, along with possible use cases and an illustrative example of the subsequent analysis possibilities. All information about qcML is available at http://code.google.com/p/qcml. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Statistical analysis of water-quality data containing multiple detection limits: S-language software for regression on order statistics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, L.; Helsel, D.

2005-01-01

Trace contaminants in water, including metals and organics, often are measured at sufficiently low concentrations to be reported only as values below the instrument detection limit. Interpretation of these "less thans" is complicated when multiple detection limits occur. Statistical methods for multiply censored, or multiple-detection limit, datasets have been developed for medical and industrial statistics, and can be employed to estimate summary statistics or model the distributions of trace-level environmental data. We describe S-language-based software tools that perform robust linear regression on order statistics (ROS). The ROS method has been evaluated as one of the most reliable procedures for developing summary statistics of multiply censored data. It is applicable to any dataset that has 0 to 80% of its values censored. These tools are a part of a software library, or add-on package, for the R environment for statistical computing. This library can be used to generate ROS models and associated summary statistics, plot modeled distributions, and predict exceedance probabilities of water-quality standards. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The affordances of using a flipped classroom approach in the teaching of mathematics: a case study of a grade 10 mathematics class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muir, Tracey; Geiger, Vince

2016-03-01

Teaching secondary mathematics has a number of challenges, including the expectations that teachers cover the prescribed curriculum, help students learn difficult concepts, prepare students for future studies, and, increasingly, that they do so incorporating digital technologies. This study investigates a teacher's, and his students', perceptions of the benefits or otherwise of a flipped classroom approach in meeting these challenges, within a prescribed curriculum context. Data collection instruments included a survey designed to investigate the nature of students' engagement with the flipped approach and semi-structured student and teacher interviews. Analysis of these data indicated that the teacher and students were positive about their experiences with a flipped classroom approach and that students were motivated to engage with the teacher-created online mathematics resources. The study adds to the limited research literature related to student and teacher perceptions of the affordances of the flipped classroom approach and has implications for secondary mathematics teachers who face the challenge of the twin demands of covering the prescribed curriculum and catering for a range of students' learning needs.

A modified extraction and clean-up procedure for the detection and determination of parathion-methyl and chlorpyrifos residues in tea.

PubMed

Shanker, A; Sood, C; Kumar, V; Ravindranath, S D

2001-05-01

Recent advances in methodology and instrumentation have made possible the detection and determination of pesticides at microgram kg-1 (ppb) levels. The sensitivity of a method of analysis depends greatly on the efficient extraction of the pesticide and the subsequent clean-up of the extract. The extract from green tea leaves is a mixture of aroma components, polyphenols and caffeine. The preparation of made tea from green tea leaves adds to this complexity by concentrating these coextractives. Conventional clean-up techniques provide poor recoveries for parathion-methyl and chlorpyrifos from both green tea leaves and made tea. This arises from interference by caffeine during gas chromatography, as it has a similar retention time to the two pesticides and peaks overlap. A modification to the protocol based on a solvent partitioning process using dichloromethane and subsequent washing of the extracts with warm water removed the caffeine, and pigments were removed by column chromatography. Recoveries ranging from 80 to 90% were then obtained for both pesticides.

Sensitivity analysis of the add-on price estimate for the silicon web growth process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mokashi, A. R.

1981-01-01

The web growth process, a silicon-sheet technology option, developed for the flat plate solar array (FSA) project, was examined. Base case data for the technical and cost parameters for the technical and commercial readiness phase of the FSA project are projected. The process add on price, using the base case data for cost parameters such as equipment, space, direct labor, materials and utilities, and the production parameters such as growth rate and run length, using a computer program developed specifically to do the sensitivity analysis with improved price estimation are analyzed. Silicon price, sheet thickness and cell efficiency are also discussed.

A Longitudinal Study on Human Outdoor Decomposition in Central Texas.

PubMed

Suckling, Joanna K; Spradley, M Katherine; Godde, Kanya

2016-01-01

The development of a methodology that estimates the postmortem interval (PMI) from stages of decomposition is a goal for which forensic practitioners strive. A proposed equation (Megyesi et al. 2005) that utilizes total body score (TBS) and accumulated degree days (ADD) was tested using longitudinal data collected from human remains donated to the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) at Texas State University-San Marcos. Exact binomial tests examined the rate of the equation to successfully predict ADD. Statistically significant differences were found between ADD estimated by the equation and the observed value for decomposition stage. Differences remained significant after carnivore scavenged donations were removed from analysis. Low success rates for the equation to predict ADD from TBS and the wide standard errors demonstrate the need to re-evaluate the use of this equation and methodology for PMI estimation in different environments; rather, multivariate methods and equations should be derived that are environmentally specific. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Mid-term financial impact of animal welfare improvements in Dutch broiler production.

PubMed

Gocsik, E; Lansink, A G J M Oude; Saatkamp, H W

2013-12-01

This study used a stochastic bioeconomic simulation model to simulate the business and financial risk of different broiler production systems over a 5-yr period. Simulation analysis was conducted using the @Risk add-in in MS Excel. To compare the impact of different production systems on economic feasibility, 2 cases were considered. The first case focused on the economic feasibility of a completely new system, whereas the second examined economic feasibilities when a farm switches from a conventional to an animal welfare-improving production system. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the key drivers of economic feasibility and to reveal systematic differences across production systems. The study shows that economic feasibility of systems with improved animal welfare predominantly depends on the price that farmers receive. Moreover, the study demonstrates the importance of the level and variation of the price premium for improved welfare, particularly in the first 5 yr after conversion. The economic feasibility of the production system increases with the level of welfare improvements for a sufficiently high price level for broiler meat and low volatility in producer prices. If this is not the case, however, risk attitudes of farmers become important as well as the use of potential risk management instruments.

Evaluating Observation Influence on Regional Water Budgets in Reanalyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Chern, Jiun-Dar; Mocko, David; Robertson, Franklin R.; daSilva, Arlindo M.

2014-01-01

The assimilation of observations in reanalyses incurs the potential for the physical terms of budgets to be balanced by a term relating the fit of the observations relative to a forecast first guess analysis. This may indicate a limitation in the physical processes of the background model, or perhaps inconsistencies in the observing system and its assimilation. In the MERRA reanalysis, an area of long term moisture flux divergence over land has been identified over the Central United States. Here, we evaluate the water vapor budget in this region, taking advantage of two unique features of the MERRA diagnostic output; 1) a closed water budget that includes the analysis increment and 2) a gridded diagnostic output data set of the assimilated observations and their innovations (e.g. forecast departures). In the Central United States, an anomaly occurs where the analysis adds water to the region, while precipitation decreases and moisture flux divergence increases. This is related more to a change in the observing system than to a deficiency in the model physical processes. MERRAs Gridded Innovations and Observations (GIO) data narrow the observations that influence this feature to the ATOVS and Aqua satellites during the 06Z and 18Z analysis cycles. Observing system experiments further narrow the instruments that affect the anomalous feature to AMSUA (mainly window channels) and AIRS. This effort also shows the complexities of the observing system, and the reactions of the regional water budgets in reanalyses to the assimilated observations.

Randomized controlled trial of a messaging intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents: Affective versus instrumental messages.

PubMed

Carfora, Valentina; Caso, Daniela; Conner, Mark

2016-11-01

The present research aimed to test the efficacy of affective and instrumental text messages compared with a no-message control as a strategy to increase fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) in adolescents. A randomized controlled trial was used test impact of different text messages compared with no message on FVI over a 2-week period. A total of 1,065 adolescents (14-19 years) from a high school of the South of Italy completed the baseline questionnaire and were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: instrumental messages (N = 238), affective messages (N = 300), and no messages (N = 521). Students in the message conditions received one message each day over a 2-week period. The messages targeted affective (affective benefits) or instrumental (instrumental benefits) information about FVI. Self-reported FVI at 2 weeks was the key dependent variable. Analyses were based on the N = 634 who completed all aspects of the study. Findings showed that messages significantly increased FVI, particularly in the affective condition and this effect was partially mediated by changes in affective attitude and intentions towards FVI. Text messages can be used to increase FVI in adolescents. Text messages based on affective benefits are more effective than text messages based on instrumental benefits. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Text messages have been shown to promote positive change in health behaviours. However, the most appropriate target for such text messages is less clear although targeting attitudes may be effective. What does this study add? This randomized controlled study shows that text messages targeting instrumental or affective attitudes produce changes in fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) in adolescents. Text messages targeting affective attitudes are shown to be more effective than text messages targeting instrumental attitudes. The effect of affective text messages on FVI was partially mediated by changes in affective attitudes. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Toward making the invisible visible: Studying science teaching self-efficacy beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, Catherine J.

This dissertation consists of two articles to be submitted for publication. The first, a literature review, makes visible common influences on science teaching self-efficacy beliefs and also points to potentially invisible validation concerns regarding the instrument used. The second investigates the participants' invisible science teaching self-efficacy beliefs and, through the use of a more focused interview, makes those beliefs visible. Science teaching self-efficacy beliefs are science teachers' perceptions of their abilities to teach science effectively. The construct "teaching self-efficacy" originated in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977). The first article reviews the mixed results from teaching self-efficacy research in science contexts. The review focuses upon factors that facilitate or inhibit the development of self-efficacy beliefs among science teachers across stages of their careers. Although many studies of science teaching self-efficacy beliefs have utilized the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - STEBI (Enochs & Riggs, 1990; Riggs & Enochs, 1990), this review also includes non-STEBI studies in order to represent diverse lines of research methodology. The review's findings indicate that antecedent factors such as science activities in and out of school, teacher preparation, science teaching experiences and supportive job contexts are significant influences on the development of science teaching self-efficacy beliefs. The review also indicates that the majority of these studies are short term and rely on a single STEBI administration with the collection of antecedent/demographic and/or interview data. The second article documents a study that responded to the above literature review findings. This study utilized multiple STEBI administrations during the preservice and beginning year of teaching for two science teachers. Rather than general questions, these participants were asked item specific, yet open-ended, questions to determine what events or experiences the participants felt influenced their survey answers. This methodological approach was chosen to add clarity to the STEBI scores and to add another layer in the ongoing process of instrument validation. Unlike some studies in science teaching self-efficacy, both participants' STEBI scores continued to increase as they transitioned from preservice to beginning teachers. The participant responses to the focused interview probes also validated their STEBI scores 77% of the time.

iSPEX: the creation of an aerosol sensor network of smartphone spectropolarimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snik, F.; Heikamp, S.; de Boer, J.; Keller, C. U.; van Harten, G.; Smit, J. M.; Rietjens, J. H. H.; Hasekamp, O.; Stam, D. M.; Volten, H.; iSPEX Team

2012-04-01

An increasing amount people carry a mobile phone with internet connection, camera and large computing power. iSPEX, a spectropolarimetric add-on with complementary app, instantly turns a smartphone into a scientific instrument to measure dust and other aerosols in our atmosphere. A measurement involves scanning the blue sky, which yields the angular behavior of the degree of linear polarization as a function of wavelength, which can unambiguously be interpreted in terms of size, shape and chemical composition of the aerosols in the sky directly above. The measurements are tagged with location and pointing information, and submitted to a central database where they will be interpreted and compiled into an aerosol map. Through crowdsourcing, many people will thus be able to contribute to a better assessment of health risks of particulate matter and of whether or not volcanic ash clouds are dangerous for air traffic. It can also contribute to the understanding of the relationship between atmospheric aerosols and climate change. To set the scene for iSPEX, we present data from our new ground-based SPEX instrument that will be deployed at the Cabauw meteorological site, which is also host to complementary aerosol measurement equipment (e.g. sunphotometers and LIDARs). We interpret the data using a modified version of the POLDER algorithm. The data from a ground-based SPEX instrument add significantly to the current suite of aerosol measurement equipment, but the data are necessarily very localized. By distributing many iSPEX units, a measurement network can be created that has both large coverage and the potential for detecting localized effects. Obviously, such a smartphone spectropolarimeter is less accurate than its official counterpart at a meteorological site, but we show how many measurements allow for suppression of errors through averaging. At the poster, we will give a live presentation of the first iSPEX prototype. We hope to convince you that iSPEX is not only a great tool for outreach regarding polarimetry and issues pertaining to atmospheric aerosols, but that it can also contribute to the solution of several urgent social and scientific problems.

Current economic and sensitivity analysis for ID slicing of 4 inch and 6 inch diameter silicon ingots for photovoltaic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, E. G.; Johnson, C. M.

1982-01-01

The economics and sensitivities of slicing large diameter silicon ingots for photovoltaic applications were examined. Current economics and slicing add on cost sensitivities are calculated using variable parameters for blade life, slicing yield, and slice cutting speed. It is indicated that cutting speed has the biggest impact on slicing add on cost, followed by slicing yield, and by blade life as the blade life increases.

MOMA and other next-generation ion trap mass spectrometers for planetary exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arevalo, R. D., Jr.; Brinckerhoff, W. B.; Getty, S.; Mahaffy, P. R.; van Amerom, F. H. W.; Danell, R.; Pinnick, V. T.; Li, X.; Grubisic, A.; Southard, A. E.; Hovmand, L.; Cottin, H.; Makarov, A.

2016-12-01

Since the 1970's, quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) systems have served as low-risk, cost-efficient means to explore the inner and outer reaches of the solar system. These legacy instruments have interrogated the compositions of the lunar exosphere (LADEE), surface materials on Mars (MSL), and the atmospheres of Venus (Pioneer Venus), Mars (MAVEN) and outer planets (Galileo and Cassini-Huygens). However, the in situ detection of organic compounds on Mars and Titan, coupled with ground-based measurements of amino acids in meteorites and a variety of organics in comets, has underlined the importance of molecular disambiguation in the characterization of high-priority planetary environments. The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) flight instrument, centered on a linear ion trap, enables the in situ detection of volatile and non-volatile organics, but also the characterization of molecular structures through SWIFT ion isolation/excitation and tandem mass spectrometry (MSn). Like the SAM instrument on MSL, the MOMA investigation also includes a gas chromatograph (GC), thereby enabling the chemical separation of potential isobaric interferences based on retention times. The Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (LITMS; PI: William Brinckerhoff), developed to TRL 6 via the ROSES MatISSE Program, augments the core MOMA design and adds: expanded mass range (from 20 - 2000 Da); high-temperature evolved gas analysis (up to 1300°C); and, dual polarity detector assemblies (supporting the measurement of negative ions). The LITMS instrument will be tested in the field in 2017 through the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS; PI: Brian Glass) ROSES PSTAR award. Following on these advancements, the Advanced Resolution Organic Molecule Analyzer (AROMA; PI: Ricardo Arevalo Jr.), supported through the ROSES PICASSO Program, combines a highly capable MOMA/LITMS-like linear ion trap and the ultrahigh resolution CosmOrbitrap mass analyzer developed by a consortium of five French laboratories. Phase I of this project has seen the development of a dedicated testbed that enables performance characterization of an Orbitrap analyzer as a function of compromised environmental conditions, simulating the reduced resources expected for planetary missions to small bodies and/or cryogenic worlds.

Possible Detection of Perchlorates by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument: Comparison with Previous Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navarro-Gonzalex, Rafael; Sutter, Brad; Archer, Doug; Ming, Doug; Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Franz, Heather; Glavin, Daniel; McAdam, Amy; Stern, Jennifer; McKay, Christopher;

Influence of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Friction-Related Disease on the Severity of Dry Eye.

PubMed

Vu, Chi Hoang Viet; Kawashima, Motoko; Yamada, Masakazu; Suwaki, Kazuhisa; Uchino, Miki; Shigeyasu, Chika; Hiratsuka, Yoshimune; Yokoi, Norihiko; Tsubota, Kazuo

2018-02-16

To evaluate the effect of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and friction-related disease (FRD) on the severity of dry eye disease (DED). Cross-sectional observational study. This study enrolled 449 patients with DED (63 men and 386 women; mean age, 62.6±15.7 years [range, 21-90 years]) for analysis. Subjective symptoms, the ocular surface, tear function, and the presence of MGD and FRD (superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis, conjunctivochalasis, and lid wiper epitheliopathy) were investigated. Schirmer value, tear film breakup time (TBUT), and keratoconjunctival score. We classified the participants into aqueous-deficient dry eye (ADDE; n = 231 [51.4%]) and short TBUT dry eye subtype (TBUT-DE; n = 109 [24.3%]) subgroups. The TBUT was shorter in patients with MGD than in those without MGD, whereas other ocular signs showed no difference (TBUT: MGD present, 1.97±1.02 seconds; MGD absent, 2.94±1.63 seconds [P < 0.001]; ADDE/MGD present, 1.94±1.08 seconds; ADDE/MGD absent, 2.77±1.61 seconds [P < 0.001]; short TBUT-DE/MGD present, 2.07±0.97 seconds; short TBUT-DE/MGD absent, 2.94±1.23 seconds [P = 0.01]). The ADDE patients with FRD showed a worse TBUT than ADDE patients without FRD (TBUT: ADDE/FRD present, 2.08±1.39 seconds; ADDE/FRD absent, 2.92±1.54 seconds; P < 0.001). This study showed associations between MGD, FRD, or both and ocular signs in DED. In the presence of MGD, FRD, or both, TBUT was significantly shortened regardless of the dry eye status or subtype. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Theta and Alpha Oscillations in Attentional Interaction during Distracted Driving

PubMed Central

Wang, Yu-Kai; Jung, Tzyy-Ping; Lin, Chin-Teng

2018-01-01

Performing multiple tasks simultaneously usually affects the behavioral performance as compared with executing the single task. Moreover, processing multiple tasks simultaneously often involve more cognitive demands. Two visual tasks, lane-keeping task and mental calculation, were utilized to assess the brain dynamics through 32-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded from 14 participants. A 400-ms stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) factor was used to induce distinct levels of attentional requirements. In the dual-task conditions, the deteriorated behavior reflected the divided attention and the overlapping brain resources used. The frontal, parietal and occipital components were decomposed by independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm. The event- and response-related theta and alpha oscillations in selected brain regions were investigated first. The increased theta oscillation in frontal component and decreased alpha oscillations in parietal and occipital components reflect the cognitive demands and attentional requirements as executing the designed tasks. Furthermore, time-varying interactive over-additive (O-Add), additive (Add) and under-additive (U-Add) activations were explored and summarized through the comparison between the summation of the elicited spectral perturbations in two single-task conditions and the spectral perturbations in the dual task. Add and U-Add activations were observed while executing the dual tasks. U-Add theta and alpha activations dominated the posterior region in dual-task situations. Our results show that both deteriorated behaviors and interactive brain activations should be comprehensively considered for evaluating workload or attentional interaction precisely. PMID:29479310

40 CFR 264.99 - Compliance monitoring program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the availability of laboratory facilities to perform the analysis of ground-water samples. (e) The... Administrator, and repeat the analysis. If the second analysis confirms the presence of new constituents, the... Administrator within seven days after the completion of the second analysis and add them to the monitoring list...

Low-Energy Microfocus X-Ray Source for Enhanced Testing Capability in the Stray Light Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica; O'Dell, Stephen; Kolodziejczak, Jeff

2015-01-01

Research toward high-resolution, soft x-ray optics (mirrors and gratings) necessary for the next generation large x-ray observatories requires x-ray testing using a low-energy x-ray source with fine angular size (<1 arcsecond). To accommodate this somewhat demanding requirement, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has procured a custom, windowless low-energy microfocus (approximately 0.1 mm spot) x-ray source from TruFocus Corporation that mates directly to the Stray Light Facility (SLF). MSFC X-ray Astronomy team members are internationally recognized for their expertise in the development, fabrication, and testing of grazing-incidence optics for x-ray telescopes. One of the key MSFC facilities for testing novel x-ray instrumentation is the SLF. This facility is an approximately 100-m-long beam line equipped with multiple x-ray sources and detectors. This new source adds to the already robust compliment of instrumentation, allowing MSFC to support additional internal and community x-ray testing needs.

Compact MEMS-based Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography for Clinical Use

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

Chen, D; Olivier, S; Jones, S

2008-02-04

We describe a compact MEMS-based adaptive optics (AO) optical coherence tomography system with improved AO performance and ease of clinical use. A typical AO system consists of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror that measures and corrects the ocular and system aberrations. Because of the limitation on the current deformable mirror technologies, the amount of real-time ocular-aberration compensation is restricted and small in the previous AO-OCT instruments. In this instrument, we proposed to add an optical apparatus to correct the spectacle aberrations of the patients such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. This eliminated the tedious process of themore » trial lenses in clinical imaging. Different amount of spectacle aberration compensation was achieved by motorized stages and automated with the AO computer for ease of clinical use. In addition, the compact AO-OCT was optimized to have minimum system aberrations to reduce AO registration errors and improve AO performance.« less

Incentive or Habit Learning in Amphibians?

PubMed Central

Muzio, Rubén N.; Pistone Creydt, Virginia; Iurman, Mariana; Rinaldi, Mauro A.; Sirani, Bruno; Papini, Mauricio R.

2011-01-01

Toads (Rhinella arenarum) received training with a novel incentive procedure involving access to solutions of different NaCl concentrations. In Experiment 1, instrumental behavior and weight variation data confirmed that such solutions yield incentive values ranging from appetitive (deionized water, DW, leading to weight gain), to neutral (300 mM slightly hypertonic solution, leading to no net weight gain or loss), and aversive (800 mM highly hypertonic solution leading to weight loss). In Experiment 2, a downshift from DW to a 300 mM solution or an upshift from a 300 mM solution to DW led to a gradual adjustment in instrumental behavior. In Experiment 3, extinction was similar after acquisition with access to only DW or with a random mixture of DW and 300 mM. In Experiment 4, a downshift from DW to 225, 212, or 200 mM solutions led again to gradual adjustments. These findings add to a growing body of comparative evidence suggesting that amphibians adjust to incentive shifts on the basis of habit formation and reorganization. PMID:22087217

APS deposition facility upgrades and future plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conley, Ray; Shi, Bing; Erdmann, Mark; Izzo, Scott; Assoufid, Lahsen; Goetze, Kurt; Mooney, Tim; Lauer, Kenneth

2014-09-01

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) has recently invested resources to upgrade or replace aging deposition systems with modern equipment. Of the three existing deposition systems, one will receive an upgrade, while two are being replaced. A design which adds a three-substrate planetary for the APS rotary deposition system is almost complete. The replacement for the APS large deposition system, dubbed the "Modular Deposition System", has been conceptually designed and is in the procurement process. Eight cathodes will sputter horizontally on mirrors up to 1.5 meters in length. This new instrument is designed to interface with ion-milling instruments and various metrology equipment for ion-beam figuring. A third linear machine, called the APS Profile Coating System, has two cathodes and is designed to accept substrates up to 200mm in length. While this machine is primarily intended for fabrication of figured KB mirrors using the profile-coating technique, it has also been used to produce multilayer monochromators for beamline use.

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

Watchorn, Steven

Because this was a Phase I project, it did not add extensively to the body of A-band knowledge. There was no basic research performed on that subject. The principal addition was that a mechanical and optical design for a triple-etalon Fabry-Perot interferometer (FABSOAR) capable of A-band sensing was sketched out and shown to be within readily feasible instrument fabrication parameters. The parameters for the proposed triple-etalon Fabry-Perot were shown to be very similar to existing Fabry-Perots built by Scientific Solutions. The mechanical design for the FABSOAR instrument incorporated the design of previous Scientific Solutions imagers, condensing the three three-inch-diameter etalonsmore » into a single, sturdy tube. The design allowed for the inclusion of a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) filter wheel and a thermocooled CCD detector from Andor. The tube has supports to mount to a horizontal or vertical opticaltable surface, and was to be coupled to a Scientific Solutions pointing head at the Millstone Hill Observatory in Massachusetts for Phase II calibration and testing.« less

Overview of the TILDAE High-Altitude Balloon Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godbole, N. H.; Maruca, B.; Marino, R.; Sundkvist, D. J.; Constantin, S.; Zimmerman, H.; Carbone, V.

2016-12-01

Though the presence of intermittent turbulence in the stratosphere has been well established, much remains unknown about it. In situ observations of this phenomenon, which have provided the greatest detail of it, have typically been achieved via sounding balloons (i.e., small balloons which burst at peak altitude) carrying constant-temperature "hot wire" anemometers (CTAs). The Turbulence and Intermittency Long-Duration Atmospheric Experiment (TILDAE) was developed to test a new paradigm for stratospheric observations. Rather than flying on a sounding balloon, TILDAE was incorporated as an "add-on" experiment to the payload of a NASA long-duration balloon mission that launched in January, 2016 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Furthermore, TILDAE's key instrument was a sonic anemometer, which (relative to a CTA) provides better-calibrated measurements of wind velocity and more-robust separation of velocity components. This presentation focuses on the technical details of TILDAE's instrumentation and the performance thereof during its flight. Potential design improvements for future flights are also discussed.

Analytical techniques and instrumentation: A compilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Technical information on developments in instrumentation is arranged into four sections: (1) instrumentation for analysis; (2) analysis of matter; (3) analysis of electrical and mechanical phenomena; and (4) structural analysis. Patent information for two of the instruments described is presented.

Managing the cryogenic systems of SCUBA-2 for long term operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cookson, Jamie L.; Bintley, Dan

2016-07-01

SCUBA-2 has been operational on JCMT producing excellent science for almost 5 years. We describe the strategy and methods that we have evolved to keep one of the world's first "dry dilution refrigerators" and the other cryogenic systems working effectively at the summit of Mauna Kea, keeping the instrument functioning at peak efficiency for extended periods (over 12 months at a time), with minimum downtime. We discuss new plans to reduce day-to-day operational costs and to add remote management of the gas handling systems, as we look to the future and envisage another ten years of SCUBA-2 science.

Sample Collection, Analysis, and Respirator Use With Isocyanate Paints

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

waterbath. 4. Acetonitrile. 6. Vials, 20-m. glass, with polypropylene-lined screw 5. Deionized water . caps. 6. Pentane. 7. Vials, 4-mK glass, with screw...Evaporator, Mini-Vap. 6 port, n, eqjivalent. sodium acetate in 1 L deionized 15. Flask, filtration, 500-mt. water . Add 1 L acetonitrile. Add 16. Funnel...methanol toie 5 mi way be stored at -21 uin the dark for at least solution. four weeks. Limit peibd of storage of samler at 6. Water , distilled. 25 *C

Implementation of an Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) System in a General Medicine Clinic

PubMed Central

Deamant, C.; Smith, J.; Garcia, D.; Angulo, F.

2015-01-01

Summary Background Routine implementation of instruments to capture patient-reported outcomes could guide clinical practice and facilitate health services research. Audio interviews facilitate self-interviews across literacy levels. Objectives To evaluate time burden for patients, and factors associated with response times for an audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI) system integrated into the clinical workflow. Methods We developed an ACASI system, integrated with a research data warehouse. Instruments for symptom burden, self-reported health, depression screening, tobacco use, and patient satisfaction were administered through touch-screen monitors in the general medicine clinic at the Cook County Health & Hospitals System during April 8, 2011-July 27, 2012. We performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the mean time burden per item and for each module of instruments; we evaluated factors associated with longer response latency. Results Among 1,670 interviews, the mean per-question response time was 18.4 [SD, 6.1] seconds. By multivariable analysis, age was most strongly associated with prolonged response time and increased per decade compared to < 50 years as follows (additional seconds per question; 95% CI): 50–59 years (1.4; 0.7 to 2.1 seconds); 60–69 (3.4; 2.6 to 4.1); 70–79 (5.1; 4.0 to 6.1); and 80–89 (5.5; 4.1 to 7.0). Response times also were longer for Spanish language (3.9; 2.9 to 4.9); no home computer use (3.3; 2.8 to 3.9); and, low mental self-reported health (0.6; 0.0 to 1.1). However, most interviews were completed within 10 minutes. Conclusions An ACASI software system can be included in a patient visit and adds minimal time burden. The burden was greatest for older patients, interviews in Spanish, and for those with less computer exposure. A patient’s self-reported health had minimal impact on response times. PMID:25848420

Implementation of an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) system in a general medicine clinic: patient response burden.

PubMed

Trick, W E; Deamant, C; Smith, J; Garcia, D; Angulo, F

2015-01-01

Routine implementation of instruments to capture patient-reported outcomes could guide clinical practice and facilitate health services research. Audio interviews facilitate self-interviews across literacy levels. To evaluate time burden for patients, and factors associated with response times for an audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI) system integrated into the clinical workflow. We developed an ACASI system, integrated with a research data warehouse. Instruments for symptom burden, self-reported health, depression screening, tobacco use, and patient satisfaction were administered through touch-screen monitors in the general medicine clinic at the Cook County Health & Hospitals System during April 8, 2011-July 27, 2012. We performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the mean time burden per item and for each module of instruments; we evaluated factors associated with longer response latency. Among 1,670 interviews, the mean per-question response time was 18.4 [SD, 6.1] seconds. By multivariable analysis, age was most strongly associated with prolonged response time and increased per decade compared to < 50 years as follows (additional seconds per question; 95% CI): 50-59 years (1.4; 0.7 to 2.1 seconds); 60-69 (3.4; 2.6 to 4.1); 70-79 (5.1; 4.0 to 6.1); and 80-89 (5.5; 4.1 to 7.0). Response times also were longer for Spanish language (3.9; 2.9 to 4.9); no home computer use (3.3; 2.8 to 3.9); and, low mental self-reported health (0.6; 0.0 to 1.1). However, most interviews were completed within 10 minutes. An ACASI software system can be included in a patient visit and adds minimal time burden. The burden was greatest for older patients, interviews in Spanish, and for those with less computer exposure. A patient's self-reported health had minimal impact on response times.

Designing A Mixed Methods Study In Primary Care

PubMed Central

Creswell, John W.; Fetters, Michael D.; Ivankova, Nataliya V.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND Mixed methods or multimethod research holds potential for rigorous, methodologically sound investigations in primary care. The objective of this study was to use criteria from the literature to evaluate 5 mixed methods studies in primary care and to advance 3 models useful for designing such investigations. METHODS We first identified criteria from the social and behavioral sciences to analyze mixed methods studies in primary care research. We then used the criteria to evaluate 5 mixed methods investigations published in primary care research journals. RESULTS Of the 5 studies analyzed, 3 included a rationale for mixing based on the need to develop a quantitative instrument from qualitative data or to converge information to best understand the research topic. Quantitative data collection involved structured interviews, observational checklists, and chart audits that were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. Qualitative data consisted of semistructured interviews and field observations that were analyzed using coding to develop themes and categories. The studies showed diverse forms of priority: equal priority, qualitative priority, and quantitative priority. Data collection involved quantitative and qualitative data gathered both concurrently and sequentially. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative data in these studies occurred between data analysis from one phase and data collection from a subsequent phase, while analyzing the data, and when reporting the results. DISCUSSION We recommend instrument-building, triangulation, and data transformation models for mixed methods designs as useful frameworks to add rigor to investigations in primary care. We also discuss the limitations of our study and the need for future research. PMID:15053277

Acoustic Resonance Spectroscopy (ARS) Munition Classification System enhancements. Final report

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

Vela, O.A.; Huggard, J.C.

Acoustic Resonance Spectroscopy (ARS) is a non-destructive evaluation technology developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This technology has resulted in three generations of instrumentation, funded by the Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA), specifically designed for field identification of chemical weapon (CW) munitions. Each generation of ARS instrumentation was developed with a specific user in mind. The ARS1OO was built for use by the U.N. Inspection Teams going into Iraq immediately after the Persian Gulf War. The ARS200 was built for use in the US-Russia Bilateral Chemical Weapons Treaty (the primary users for this system are the US Onsitemore » Inspection Agency (OSIA) and their Russian counterparts). The ARS300 was built with the requirements of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in mind. Each successive system is an improved version of the previous system based on learning the weaknesses of each and, coincidentally, on the fact that more time was available to do a requirements analysis and the necessary engineering development. The ARS300 is at a level of development that warrants transferring the technology to a commercial vendor. Since LANL will supply the computer software to the selected vendor, it is possible for LANL to continue to improve the decision algorithms, add features where necessary, and adjust the user interface before the final transfer occurs. This paper describes the current system, ARS system enhancements, and software enhancements. Appendices contain the Operations Manual (software Version 3.01), and two earlier reports on enhancements.« less

Adaptation and validation of the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) to Brazilian Portuguese.

PubMed

Vignola, Rose Claudia Batistelli; Tucci, Adriana Marcassa

2014-02-01

Depression and anxiety have been associated with a range of symptoms that often overlap. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a single instrument to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. This study aimed to adapt and validate the DASS-21 for use in the Brazilian Portuguese language. The DASS-21 has been adapted following the translation-back translation methodology from English to Portuguese. 242 subjects completed the following assessments: the DASS-21, the Beck Depression Index (BDI), Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) and the Inventory of Stress Symptoms of Lipp (ISSL). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) result was .949, indicating that the adequacy of the model was high. Cronbach's alpha was .92 for the depression, .90 for the stress, and .86 for the anxiety, indicating a good internal consistency for each subscale. The correlations between DASS scale and BDI scale, BAI scale and ISSL inventory were strong. The factorial analysis and distribution of factors among the subscales indicated that the structure of three distinct factors is adequate. Older subjects over 65 years of age were not largely represented in this sample. A study specific to this elderly population should be conducted. Another limitation of the study was education level. The impact of low education in its applicability should be considered. The findings support the validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the DASS-21 and add to the evidence of the DASS-21 quality and ability to assess emotional states separately, eliminating the use of different instruments to assess these states. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of the clinical outcomes between antiviral-naïve patients treated with entecavir and lamivudine-resistant patients receiving adefovir add-on lamivudine combination treatment

PubMed Central

Kim, Hong Joo; Park, Soo Kyung; Yang, Hyo Joon; Jung, Yoon Suk; Park, Jung Ho; Park, Dong Il; Cho, Yong Kyun; Sohn, Chong Il; Jeon, Woo Kyu; Kim, Byung Ik; Choi, Kyu Yong

2016-01-01

Background/Aims To analyze the effects of preexisting lamivudine (LAM) resistance and applying antiviral treatment (adefovir [ADV] add-on LAM combination treatment) on long-term treatment outcomes, and comparing the clinical outcomes of antiviral-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients receiving entecavir (ETV) monotherapy. Methods This study enrolled 73 antiviral-naïve patients who received 0.5-mg ETV as an initial therapy and 54 patients who received ADV add-on LAM combination treatment as a rescue therapy from July 2006 to July 2010. Results During 24-month treatments, the decreases in serum log10HBV-DNA values (copies/mL) were significantly greater in the antiviral-naïve patients treated with ETV than the patients receiving ADV add-on LAM combination treatment. The biochemical response rates for alanine aminotransferase normalization at 6 months (ETV) and 12 months (ADV add-on LAM) were 90.4% (66/73) and 77.8% (42/54), respectively (P=0.048). A Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the rates of serologic response, viral breakthrough, and emergence of genotypic resistance did not differ significantly between the two patient groups. There were also no significant intergroup differences in the rates of disease progression (PD) and new development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Conclusion The long-term clinical outcomes of antiviral-naïve patients treated with ETV and LAM-resistant patients receiving ADV add-on LAM combination treatment were comparable in terms of the emergence of HCC and disease progression. PMID:27729626

Cost-effectiveness analysis of exenatide twice daily (BID) vs insulin glargine once daily (QD) as add-on therapy in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled by oral therapies.

PubMed

Deng, Jing; Gu, Shuyan; Shao, Hui; Dong, Hengjin; Zou, Dajin; Shi, Lizheng

2015-01-01

To estimate cost-effectiveness of exenatide twice daily (BID) vs insulin glargine once daily (QD) as add-on therapy in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients not well controlled by oral anti-diabetic (OAD) agents. The Cardiff model was populated with data synthesized from three head-to-head randomized clinical trials of up to 30 weeks in China comparing exenatide BID vs insulin glargine as add-on therapies to oral therapies in the Chinese population. The Cardiff model generated outputs including macrovascular and microvascular complications, diabetes-specific mortality, costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Cost and QALYs were estimated with a time horizon of 40 years at a discount rate of 3% from a societal perspective. Compared with insulin glargine plus OAD treatments, patients on exenatide BID plus OAD gained 1.88 QALYs, at an incremental cost saving of Chinese Renminbi (RMB) 114,593 (i.e., cost saving of RMB 61078/QALY). The cost-effectiveness results were robust to various sensitivity analyses including probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The variables with the most impact on incremental cost-effectiveness ratio included HbA1c level at baseline, health utilities decrement, and BMI at baseline. Compared with insulin glargine QD, exenatide BID as add-on therapy to OAD is a cost-effective treatment in Chinese patients inadequately controlled by OAD treatments.

Assembly of Landsat's TIRS Instrument

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-14

Aleksandra Bogunovic (left) and Veronica Otero (right) look on while Pete Steigner (in the middle) adds a flow tube that will make sure that nitrogen gas flows through the instrument while it's being shipped. The gas will keep contaminating particles from infiltrating the instrument. The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) will fly on the next Landsat satellite, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). TIRS was built on an accelerated schedule at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. and will now be integrated into the LDCM spacecraft at Orbital Science Corp. in Gilbert, Ariz. The Landsat Program is a series of Earth observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat satellites have been consistently gathering data about our planet since 1972. They continue to improve and expand this unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes for the benefit of all. For more information on Landsat, visit: www.nasa.gov/landsat Credit: NASA/GSFC/Rebecca Roth NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

An MHD 3-D solution to the evolution of a CME observed by the STEREO mission on May 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdichevsky, D. B.; Stenborg, G. A.

2009-12-01

Nature offers a variety of examples on the dynamics of matter trapped electromagnetic fields. In particular, sudden ejections of large amounts of solar mass embedded in magnetic field structures develop in the heliosphere, their evolution being affected by the background solar wind. Their plasma and magnetic field values can be obtained by in-situ instruments onboard existing space missions. A particular example of such process is the passage of a magnetic field flux tube-like structure (~ 0.1 AU in cross section) exhibiting a flux-rope topology observed on May 2007 with their in-situ instruments by the Venus Express and Messenger missions. STEREO remote observations obtained with the SECCHI instruments allowed the tracking of this quite weak event from its origins in the Sun to approximately the orbit of Mercury. In this work, we i) discuss on the dynamic evolution of the event as described by the magnetic force-free magneto-hydrodynamic solution proposed in [1], and ii) generalize it to add curvature to the MHD solution. The magneto-hydrodynamic analytical solution obtained allows us to make quantitative estimates on the size of the flux tube just after the ejection, magnetic field intensity, and mass density. [1] Berdichevsky, DB, RP Lepping, and CJ Farrugia, Phys Rev E, 67(3), 036405, 2003.

Acupuncture and related therapies used as add-on or alternative to prokinetics for functional dyspepsia: overview of systematic reviews and network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ho, Robin S T; Chung, Vincent C H; Wong, Charlene H L; Wu, Justin C Y; Wong, Samuel Y S; Wu, Irene X Y

2017-09-04

Prokinetics for functional dyspepsia (FD) have relatively higher number needed to treat values. Acupuncture and related therapies could be used as add-on or alternative. An overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and network meta-analyses (NMA) were performed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different acupuncture and related therapies. We conducted a comprehensive literature search for SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in eight international and Chinese databases. Data from eligible RCTs were extracted for random effect pairwise meta-analyses. NMA was used to explore the most effective treatment among acupuncture and related therapies used alone or as add-on to prokinetics, compared to prokinetics alone. From five SRs, 22 RCTs assessing various acupuncture and related therapies were included. No serious adverse events were reported. Two pairwise meta-analyses showed manual acupuncture has marginally stronger effect in alleviating global FD symptoms, compared to domperidone or itopride. Results from NMA showed combination of manual acupuncture and clebopride has the highest probability in alleviating patient reported global FD symptom. Combination of manual acupuncture and clebopride has the highest probability of being the most effective treatment for FD symptoms. Patients who are contraindicated for prokinetics may use manual acupuncture or moxibustion as alternative. Future confirmatory comparative effectiveness trials should compare clebopride add-on manual acupuncture with domperidone add-on manual acupuncture and moxibustion.

Oceans 2.0: Interactive tools for the Visualization of Multi-dimensional Ocean Sensor Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biffard, B.; Valenzuela, M.; Conley, P.; MacArthur, M.; Tredger, S.; Guillemot, E.; Pirenne, B.

2016-12-01

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates ocean observatories on all three of Canada's coasts. The instruments produce 280 gigabytes of data per day with 1/2 petabyte archived so far. In 2015, 13 terabytes were downloaded by over 500 users from across the world. ONC's data management system is referred to as "Oceans 2.0" owing to its interactive, participative features. A key element of Oceans 2.0 is real time data acquisition and processing: custom device drivers implement the input-output protocol of each instrument. Automatic parsing and calibration takes place on the fly, followed by event detection and quality control. All raw data are stored in a file archive, while the processed data are copied to fast databases. Interactive access to processed data is provided through data download and visualization/quick look features that are adapted to diverse data types (scalar, acoustic, video, multi-dimensional, etc). Data may be post or re-processed to add features, analysis or correct errors, update calibrations, etc. A robust storage structure has been developed consisting of an extensive file system and a no-SQL database (Cassandra). Cassandra is a node-based open source distributed database management system. It is scalable and offers improved performance for big data. A key feature is data summarization. The system has also been integrated with web services and an ERDDAP OPeNDAP server, capable of serving scalar and multidimensional data from Cassandra for fixed or mobile devices.A complex data viewer has been developed making use of the big data capability to interactively display live or historic echo sounder and acoustic Doppler current profiler data, where users can scroll, apply processing filters and zoom through gigabytes of data with simple interactions. This new technology brings scientists one step closer to a comprehensive, web-based data analysis environment in which visual assessment, filtering, event detection and annotation can be integrated.

Characterization of Saharan dust properties transported towards Europe in the frame of the FENNEC project: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marnas, F.; Chazette, P.; Flamant, C.; Royer, P.; Sodemman, H.; Derimian, Y.

2012-04-01

In the framework of the FENNEC experiment (6 to 30 June 2011) an effort has been dedicated to characterize Saharan dust plumes transported towards southern Europe. Hence, a multi instrumented field campaign has been conducted. Ground based nitrogen Raman LIDAR (GBNRL) has been deployed in southern Spain close to Marbella, simultaneously with airborne lidar (AL) performing measurements over both the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the western Africa (from 2 to 23 June). The GBNRL was equipped with co-polar and cross-polar channels to perform continuous measurements of the dust aerosols trapped in the troposphere. It was developed by LSCE with the support of the LEOSPHERE Company. The French FALCON 20 research aircraft operated by SAFIRE (Service des Avions Francais Instrumentés pour la Recherche en Environnement) carried the AL Leandre Nouvelle Generation (LNG) as well as a dropsonde releasing system and radiometers. A major, one week long, dust event has been sampled over Spain from 25 June to 1 July with high optical depth (>0.5 at 355nm) and particular depolarization ratios (15 to 25%). Backtrajectory studies suggest that the dust particles observed were from dust uplifts that occurred in Southern Morocco and Northern Mauritania. The event has been also documented 3 days before by the AL flying over Mauritania. AERONET sunphotometer measurements of aerosol properties, along the dust plume transport path appear to be coherent with both the lidar and the backtrajectory analysis. These analysis exhibit a likely major contribution from the Western Sahara sources to the Southern Europe. Such a contribution may impact the visibility and then the airtrafic, modify the tropospheric chemistry, and add nutrients to both the Mediterranean Sea and the continental surfaces. It can also affect the health of European populations. We will present strategy of the experiment and the case study built from measurements performed at the end of June.

Investigation of parabolic computational techniques for internal high-speed viscous flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, O. L.; Power, G. D.

1985-01-01

A feasibility study was conducted to assess the applicability of an existing parabolic analysis (ADD-Axisymmetric Diffuser Duct), developed previously for subsonic viscous internal flows, to mixed supersonic/subsonic flows with heat addition simulating a SCRAMJET combustor. A study was conducted with the ADD code modified to include additional convection effects in the normal momentum equation when supersonic expansion and compression waves were present. It is concluded from the present study that for the class of problems where strong viscous/inviscid interactions are present a global iteration procedure is required.

Evaluation of the adhesive properties of the cornea by means of optical coherence tomography in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction and lacrimal tear deficiency.

PubMed

Napoli, Pietro Emanuele; Coronella, Franco; Satta, Giovanni Maria; Galantuomo, Maria Silvana; Fossarello, Maurizio

2014-01-01

The aim was to determine the influence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and aqueous tear deficiency dry eye (ADDE) on the adhesive properties of the central cornea by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to investigate the relationship between corneal adhesiveness and classical tear tests, as well as the reliability of results, in these lacrimal functional unit disorders. Prospective, case-control study. Twenty-eight patients with MGD and 27 patients with ADDE were studied. A group of 32 healthy subjects of similar age and gender distribution served as a control group. The adhesive properties of the anterior corneal surface were measured by OCT, based on the retention time of adhesion marker above it, in all participants. An excellent (≥5 minutes), borderline (within 3-5 minutes), fair (within 1-3 minutes) and poor (<1 minute) values of corneal adhesiveness were found, respectively, in 0%, 7.1%, 64.3% and 28.6% of MGD, in 0%, 7.4%, 63% and 29.6% of ADDE, and in 31.3%, 65.6%, 3.1% and 0% of healthy patients. The differences in time of corneal adhesiveness between MGD and healthy patients, as well as between ADDE and healthy patients, were found to be statistically significant (p<0.001; p<0.001; respectively). Conversely, no statistical significant differences between MGD and ADDE were found (p = 0.952). Data analysis revealed a statistically significant correlation between corneal adhesiveness and clinical tests of dry eye, as well as an excellent degree of inter-rater reliability and reproducibility for OCT measurements (p<0.001). ADDE and MGD share similar abnormalities on OCT imaging. Decreased adhesive properties of the anterior cornea were identified as a common feature of MGD and ADDE. This simple OCT approach may provide new clues into the mechanism and evaluation of dry eye syndrome.

Association between genetic variants of the ADD1 and GNB3 genes and blood pressure response to the cold pressor test in a Chinese Han population: the GenSalt Study.

PubMed

Wang, Laiyuan; Chen, Shufeng; Zhao, Qi; Hixson, James E; Rao, Dabeeru C; Jaquish, Cashell E; Huang, Jianfeng; Lu, Xiangfeng; Chen, Jichun; Cao, Jie; Li, Jianxin; Li, Hongfan; He, Jiang; Liu, De-Pei; Gu, Dongfeng

2012-08-01

Genetic factors influence blood pressure (BP) response to the cold pressor test (CPT), which is a phenotype related to hypertension risk. We examined the association between variants of the α-adducin (ADD1) and guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein) β-polypeptide 3 (GNB3) genes and BP response to the CPT. A total of 1998 Han Chinese participants from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Salt Sensitivity completed the CPT. The area under the curve (AUC) above the baseline BP during the CPT was used to measure the BP response. Twelve single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ADD1 and GNB3 genes were selected and genotyped. Both single-marker and haplotype association analyses were conducted using linear mixed models. The rs17833172 and rs3775067 SNPs of the ADD1 gene and the rs4963516 SNP of the GNB3 gene were significantly associated with the BP response to CPT, even after adjusting for multiple testing. For the ADD1 gene, the AA genotype of SNP rs17833172 was associated with lower systolic BP (SBP) reactivity (P<0.0001) and faster BP recovery (P=0.0003). The TT genotype of rs3775067 was associated with slower SBP recovery (P=0.004). For the GNB3 gene, the C allele of SNP rs4963516 was associated with faster diastolic BP recovery (P=0.002) and smaller overall AUC (P=0.003). Haplotype analysis indicated that the CCGC haplotype of ADD1 constructed by rs1263359, rs3775067, rs4961 and rs4963 was significantly associated with the BP response to CPT. These data suggest that genetic variants of the ADD1 and GNB3 genes may have important roles in BP response to the CPT. Future studies aimed at replicating these novel findings are warranted.

Evaluation of Collision Cross Section Calibrants for Structural Analysis of Lipids by Traveling Wave Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Collision cross section (CCS) measurement of lipids using traveling wave ion mobility-mass spectrometry (TWIM-MS) is of high interest to the lipidomics field. However, currently available calibrants for CCS measurement using TWIM are predominantly peptides that display quite different physical properties and gas-phase conformations from lipids, which could lead to large CCS calibration errors for lipids. Here we report the direct CCS measurement of a series of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) in nitrogen using a drift tube ion mobility (DTIM) instrument and an evaluation of the accuracy and reproducibility of PCs and PEs as CCS calibrants for phospholipids against different classes of calibrants, including polyalanine (PolyAla), tetraalkylammonium salts (TAA), and hexakis(fluoroalkoxy)phosphazines (HFAP), in both positive and negative modes in TWIM-MS analysis. We demonstrate that structurally mismatched calibrants lead to larger errors in calibrated CCS values while the structurally matched calibrants, PCs and PEs, gave highly accurate and reproducible CCS values at different traveling wave parameters. Using the lipid calibrants, the majority of the CCS values of several classes of phospholipids measured by TWIM are within 2% error of the CCS values measured by DTIM. The development of phospholipid CCS calibrants will enable high-accuracy structural studies of lipids and add an additional level of validation in the assignment of identifications in untargeted lipidomics experiments. PMID:27321977

Development of a NIR-based blend uniformity method for a drug product containing multiple structurally similar actives by using the quality by design principles.

PubMed

Lin, Yiqing; Li, Weiyong; Xu, Jin; Boulas, Pierre

2015-07-05

The aim of this study is to develop an at-line near infrared (NIR) method for the rapid and simultaneous determination of four structurally similar active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in powder blends intended for the manufacturing of tablets. Two of the four APIs in the formula are present in relatively small amounts, one at 0.95% and the other at 0.57%. Such small amounts in addition to the similarity in structures add significant complexity to the blend uniformity analysis. The NIR method is developed using spectra from six laboratory-created calibration samples augmented by a small set of spectra from a large-scale blending sample. Applying the quality by design (QbD) principles, the calibration design included concentration variations of the four APIs and a main excipient, microcrystalline cellulose. A bench-top FT-NIR instrument was used to acquire the spectra. The obtained NIR spectra were analyzed by applying principal component analysis (PCA) before calibration model development. Score patterns from the PCA were analyzed to reveal relationship between latent variables and concentration variations of the APIs. In calibration model development, both PLS-1 and PLS-2 models were created and evaluated for their effectiveness in predicting API concentrations in the blending samples. The final NIR method shows satisfactory specificity and accuracy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Portable Dew Point Mass Spectrometry System for Real-Time Gas and Moisture Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arkin, C.; Gillespie, Stacey; Ratzel, Christopher

2010-01-01

A portable instrument incorporates both mass spectrometry and dew point measurement to provide real-time, quantitative gas measurements of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide, along with real-time, quantitative moisture analysis. The Portable Dew Point Mass Spectrometry (PDP-MS) system comprises a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and a high vacuum system consisting of a turbopump and a diaphragm-backing pump. A capacitive membrane dew point sensor was placed upstream of the MS, but still within the pressure-flow control pneumatic region. Pressure-flow control was achieved with an upstream precision metering valve, a capacitance diaphragm gauge, and a downstream mass flow controller. User configurable LabVIEW software was developed to provide real-time concentration data for the MS, dew point monitor, and sample delivery system pressure control, pressure and flow monitoring, and recording. The system has been designed to include in situ, NIST-traceable calibration. Certain sample tubing retains sufficient water that even if the sample is dry, the sample tube will desorb water to an amount resulting in moisture concentration errors up to 500 ppm for as long as 10 minutes. It was determined that Bev-A-Line IV was the best sample line to use. As a result of this issue, it is prudent to add a high-level humidity sensor to PDP-MS so such events can be prevented in the future.

Synthesis of High-Speed Digital Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-08

1 (sub2 sub 16 2 (sub3 sub 16) 3 (sub4 sub 16) 4 (eub5 sub 16) 5 (sub6 sub 16) 6 ( sub7 sub 16) 7 (addi add 16) 8 (add2 add 16) 9 (add3 add 16) 10...seB uub5 J2 16 se5) 15 (se6 sub6 JI 16 soO) 18 (se7 sub7 J5 16 se7) 17 (aol addi Dl 16 aol) 18 (a921 add2 add7 18 a02) 19 (&922 add2 add5 16 a02) 20...de4l D4 add4 16 de4) 33 Wd942 D4 sub4 16 de4) 34 (de~i D5 sub7 16 de5) 35 (deS2 D5 add8 16 deS) 36 (jell Ji add7 16 jel) 37 (je12 JI D5 16 jel) 38 (je2

Sensitivity analysis of the add-on price estimate for the edge-defined film-fed growth process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mokashi, A. R.; Kachare, A. H.

1981-01-01

The analysis is in terms of cost parameters and production parameters. The cost parameters include equipment, space, direct labor, materials, and utilities. The production parameters include growth rate, process yield, and duty cycle. A computer program was developed specifically to do the sensitivity analysis.

Deconstructing Statistical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snell, Joel

2014-01-01

Using a very complex statistical analysis and research method for the sake of enhancing the prestige of an article or making a new product or service legitimate needs to be monitored and questioned for accuracy. 1) The more complicated the statistical analysis, and research the fewer the number of learned readers can understand it. This adds a…

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool (BRIEF-P) Applied to Teachers: Psychometric Properties and Usefulness for Disruptive Disorders in 3-Year-Old Preschoolers.

PubMed

Ezpeleta, Lourdes; Granero, Roser; Penelo, Eva; de la Osa, Núria; Domènech, Josep M

2015-06-01

We provide validation data on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool version (BRIEF-P) in preschool children. Teachers of a community sample of six hundred and twenty 3-year-olds, who were followed up at age 4, responded to the BRIEF-P, and parents and children answered different psychological measures. Confirmatory factor analysis achieved adequate fit of the original structure (five-first-order-factor plus three-second-order-factor model) after excluding four items. The derived dimensions obtained satisfactory internal consistency, moderate convergent validity with psychopathology and temperament, and good ability to discriminate between children with ADHD. BRIEF-P scales were not associated with a performance-based measure of attention. The teacher's BRIEF-P adds significant clinical information for the diagnosis of ADHD (ΔR(2) from 5.3 to 15.3) when used with other instruments for the assessment of psychopathology, functional impairment, or performance-based attention. The BRIEF-P may be useful in the identification of preschool children, specifically those with ADHD, who might have a dysfunction in executive functioning. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Catalytic Tar Reduction for Assistance in Thermal Conversion of Space Waste for Energy Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caraccio, Anne Joan; Devor, Robert William; Hintze, Paul E.; Muscatello, Anthony C.; Nur, Mononita

2014-01-01

The Trash to Gas (TtG) project investigates technologies for converting waste generated during spaceflight into various resources. One of these technologies was gasification, which employed a downdraft reactor designed and manufactured at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the conversion of simulated space trash to carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be converted to methane for propulsion and water for life support systems. A minor byproduct of gasification includes large hydrocarbons, also known as tars. Tars are unwanted byproducts that add contamination to the product stream, clog the reactor and cause complications in analysis instrumentation. The objective of this research was to perform reduction studies of a mock tar using select catalysts and choose the most effective for primary treatment within the KSC downdraft gasification reactor. Because the KSC reactor is operated at temperatures below typical gasification reactors, this study evaluates catalyst performance below recommended catalytic operating temperatures. The tar reduction experimentation was observed by passing a model tar vapor stream over the catalysts at similar conditions to that of the KSC reactor. Reduction in tar was determined using gas chromatography. Tar reduction efficiency and catalyst performances were evaluated at different temperatures.

Struggling with one's own parenting after an upbringing with substance abusing parents.

PubMed

Tedgård, Eva; Råstam, Maria; Wirtberg, Ingegerd

2018-12-01

To add to our knowledge concerning the key elements involved in the individual's experience of growing up with substance abusing parents and the resulting challenges this involved for their own parenthood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 parents who had participated in a mental health intervention programme. All had experienced substance abusing parents in their family of origin. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. They also completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their attachment style. Participants reported a high incidence of emotional abuse and neglect coupled with inadequate support from the community. Their own parental role was influenced by high parental stress and a majority had an insecure attachment style. All participants had experienced a very difficult childhood which was reinforced by the fact that they received little support from society. Their childhood experience and the resulting challenges that this created in their own parenting role could negatively influence their own children's ability to form a secure psychosocial development. It is therefore important to develop instruments that can help to identify children who were raised in misuse families in order to accommodate the transgenerational effects of growing up with substance abusing parents.

Target-responsive DNA-capped nanocontainer used for fabricating universal detector and performing logic operations

PubMed Central

Wu, Li; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

2014-01-01

Nucleic acids have become a powerful tool in nanotechnology because of their controllable diverse conformational transitions and adaptable higher-order nanostructure. Using single-stranded DNA probes as the pore-caps for various target recognition, here we present an ultrasensitive universal electrochemical detection system based on graphene and mesoporous silica, and achieve sensitivity with all of the major classes of analytes and simultaneously realize DNA logic gate operations. The concept is based on the locking of the pores and preventing the signal-reporter molecules from escape by target-induced the conformational change of the tailored DNA caps. The coupling of ‘waking up’ gatekeeper with highly specific biochemical recognition is an innovative strategy for the detection of various targets, able to compete with classical methods which need expensive instrumentation and sophisticated experimental operations. The present study has introduced a new electrochemical signal amplification concept and also adds a new dimension to the function of graphene-mesoporous materials hybrids as multifunctional nanoscale logic devices. More importantly, the development of this approach would spur further advances in important areas, such as point-of-care diagnostics or detection of specific biological contaminations, and hold promise for use in field analysis. PMID:25249622

The case for the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health to address gender identity.

PubMed

Pega, Frank; Veale, Jaimie F

2015-03-01

We analyzed the case of the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health, which did not address gender identity in their final report. We argue that gender identity is increasingly being recognized as an important social determinant of health (SDH) that results in health inequities. We identify right to health mechanisms, such as established human rights instruments, as suitable policy tools for addressing gender identity as an SDH to improve health equity. We urge the World Health Organization to add gender identity as an SDH in its conceptual framework for action on the SDHs and to develop and implement specific recommendations for addressing gender identity as an SDH.

AMPS sciences objectives and philosophy. [Atmospheric, Magnetospheric and Plasmas-in-Space project on Spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmerling, E. R.

1975-01-01

The Space Shuttle will open a new era in the exploration of earth's near-space environment, where the weight and power capabilities of Spacelab and the ability to use man in real time add important new features. The Atmospheric, Magnetospheric, and Plasmas-in-Space project (AMPS) is conceived of as a facility where flexible core instruments can be flown repeatedly to perform different observations and experiments. The twin thrusts of remote sensing of the atmosphere below 120 km and active experiments on the space plasma are the major themes. They have broader implications in increasing our understanding of plasma physics and of energy conversion processes elsewhere in the universe.

Experimental Approaches for Solution X-Ray Scattering and Fiber Diffraction

PubMed Central

Irving, T. C.

2008-01-01

X-ray scattering and diffraction from non-crystalline systems have gained renewed interest in recent years, as focus shifts from the structural chemistry information gained by high-resolution studies to the context of structural physiology at larger length scales. Such techniques permit the study of isolated macromolecules as well as highly organized macromolecular assemblies as a whole under near-physiological conditions. Time-resolved approaches, made possible by advanced synchrotron instrumentation, add a critical dimension to many of these investigations. This article reviews experimental approaches in non-crystalline x-ray scattering and diffraction that may be used to illuminate important scientific questions such as protein/nucleic acid folding and structure-function relationships in large macromolecular assemblies. PMID:18801437

Development of Structural Neurobiology and Genomics Programs in the Neurogenetic Institute

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

Henderson, Brian E., M.D.

The purpose of the DOE equipment-only grant was to purchase instrumentation in support of structural biology and genomics core facilities in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute (ZNI). The ZNI, a new laboratory facility (125,000 GSF) and a center of excellence at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was opened in 2003. The goal of the ZNI is to recruit upwards of 30 new faculty investigators engaged in interdisciplinary research programs that will add breadth and depth to existing school strengths in neuroscience, epidemiology and genetics. Many of these faculty, and other faculty researchers at the Keck School will access structuralmore » biology and genomics facilities developed in the ZNI.« less

Constructivism and the projective assessment of meaning in Rorschach administration.

PubMed

Raskin, J D

2001-08-01

Constructivist perspectives on the Rorschach are outlined. I discuss ways in which constructivism complements and adds to existing Rorschach methodologies. It is suggested hat the constructivist emphasis on personally and socially constructed meanings is very consistent with many of the ways the Rorschach has been used and resonates with recent emphases on the Rorschach as a representational task. Furthermore, constructivist perspectives on Rorschach also provide an opportunity to supplement Exner's (1993, 1995) efforts to standardize and norm the Rorschach in a way that maintains the instrument's historic and admirable attention to relational elements of assessment and psychotherapy. I present a variety of meaning-based techniques for conducting Rorschach assessment, incorporating both the constructivist and social constructionist perspective.

Impact of add-on laboratory testing at an academic medical center: a five year retrospective study.

PubMed

Nelson, Louis S; Davis, Scott R; Humble, Robert M; Kulhavy, Jeff; Aman, Dean R; Krasowski, Matthew D

2015-01-01

Clinical laboratories frequently receive orders to perform additional tests on existing specimens ('add-ons'). Previous studies have examined add-on ordering patterns over short periods of time. The objective of this study was to analyze add-on ordering patterns over an extended time period. We also analyzed the impact of a robotic specimen archival/retrieval system on add-on testing procedure and manual effort. In this retrospective study at an academic medical center, electronic health records from were searched to obtain all add-on orders that were placed in the time period of May 2, 2009 to December 31, 2014. During the time period of retrospective study, 880,359 add-on tests were ordered on 96,244 different patients. Add-on testing comprised 3.3 % of total test volumes. There were 443,411 unique ordering instances, leading to an average of 1.99 add-on tests per instance. Some patients had multiple episodes of add-on test orders at different points in time, leading to an average of 9.15 add-on tests per patient. The majority of add-on orders were for chemistry tests (78.8 % of total add-ons) with the next most frequent being hematology and coagulation tests (11.2 % of total add-ons). Inpatient orders accounted for 66.8 % of total add-on orders, while the emergency department and outpatient clinics had 14.8 % and 18.4 % of total add-on orders, respectively. The majority of add-ons were placed within 8 hours (87.3 %) and nearly all by 24 hours (96.8 %). Nearly 100 % of add-on orders within the emergency department were placed within 8 hours. The introduction of a robotic specimen archival/retrieval unit saved an average of 2.75 minutes of laboratory staff manual time per unique add-on order. This translates to 24.1 hours/day less manual effort in dealing with add-on orders. Our study reflects the previous literature in showing that add-on orders significantly impact the workload of the clinical laboratory. The majority of add-on orders are clinical chemistry tests, and most add-on orders occur within 24 hours of original specimen collection. Robotic specimen archival/retrieval units can reduce manual effort in the clinical laboratory associated with add-on orders.

Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative: protocol for an international Delphi study to achieve consensus on how to select outcome measurement instruments for outcomes included in a 'core outcome set'.

PubMed

Prinsen, Cecilia A C; Vohra, Sunita; Rose, Michael R; King-Jones, Susanne; Ishaque, Sana; Bhaloo, Zafira; Adams, Denise; Terwee, Caroline B

2014-06-25

The Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative aims to facilitate the development and application of 'core outcome sets' (COS). A COS is an agreed minimum set of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials of a specific disease or trial population. The overall aim of the Core Outcome Measurement Instrument Selection (COMIS) project is to develop a guideline on how to select outcome measurement instruments for outcomes included in a COS. As part of this project, we describe our current efforts to achieve a consensus on the methods for selecting outcome measurement instruments for outcomes to be included in a COS. A Delphi study is being performed by a panel of international experts representing diverse stakeholders with the intention that this will result in a guideline for outcome measurement instrument selection. Informed by a literature review, a Delphi questionnaire was developed to identify potentially relevant tasks on instrument selection. The Delphi study takes place in a series of rounds. In the first round, panelists were asked to rate the importance of different tasks in the selection of outcome measurement instruments. They were encouraged to justify their choices and to add other relevant tasks. Consensus was reached if at least 70% of the panelists considered a task 'highly recommended' or 'desirable' and if no opposing arguments were provided. These tasks will be included in the guideline. Tasks that at least 50% of the panelists considered 'not relevant' will be excluded from the guideline. Tasks that were indeterminate will be taken to the second round. All responses of the first round are currently being aggregated and will be fed back to panelists in the second round. A third round will only be performed if the results of the second round require it. Since the Delphi method allows a large group of international experts to participate, we consider it to be the preferred consensus-based method for our study. Based upon this consultation process, a guideline will be developed on instrument selection for outcomes to be included in a COS.

Tracking sea ice floes from the Lincoln Sea to Nares Strait and deriving large scale melt from coincident spring and summer (2009) aerial EM thickness surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, B. A.; Haas, C.; Beckers, J.; Hendricks, S.

2011-12-01

Satellite observations demonstrate a decreasing summer Arctic sea ice extent over the past ~40 years, as well as a smaller perennial sea ice zone, with a significantly accelerated decline in the last decade. Recent ice extent observations are significantly lower than predicted by any model employed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The disagreement of the modeled and observed results, along with the large variability of model results, can be in part attributed to a lack of consistent and long term sea ice mass balance observations for the High Arctic. This study presents the derivation of large scale (individual floe) seasonal sea ice mass balance in the Lincoln Sea and Nares Strait. Large scale melt estimates are derived by comparing aerial borne electromagnetic induction thickness surveys conducted in spring with surveys conducted in summer 2009. The comparison of coincident floes is ensured by tracking sea ice using ENIVSAT ASAR and MODIS satellite imagery. Only EM thickness survey sections of floes that were surveyed in both spring and summer are analyzed and the resulting modal thicknesses of the distributions, which represent the most abundant ice type, are compared to determine the difference in thickness and therefore total melt (snow+basal ice+surface ice melt). Preliminary analyses demonstrate a bulk (regional ice tracking) seasonal total thickness variability of 1.1m, Lincoln Sea modal thickness 3.7m (April, 2009) and Nares Strait modal thickness 2.6m (August 2009)(Fig1). More detailed floe tracking, in depth analysis of EM surveys and removal of deformed ridged/rafted sea ice (due to inaccuracies over deformed ice) will result in more accurate melt estimates for this region and will be presented. The physical structure of deformed sea ice and the footprint of the EM instrument typically underestimate the total thicknesses observed. Seasonal variations of sea ice properties can add additional uncertainty to the response of the EM instrument over deformed ridged/rafted sea ice. Here we will present additional analysis of the data comparing total thickness to ridge height that will provide some insight into the magnitude of seasonal discrepancies experienced by the EM instrument over deformed ice.

Pilot Designed Aircraft Displays in General Aviation: An Exploratory Study and Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conaway, Cody R.

From 2001-2011, the General Aviation (GA) fatal accident rate remained unchanged (Duquette & Dorr, 2014) with an overall stagnant accident rate between 2004 and 2013. The leading cause, loss of control in flight (NTSB, 2015b & 2015c) due to pilot inability to recognize approach to stall/spin conditions (NTSB, 2015b & 2016b). In 2013, there were 1,224 GA accidents in the U.S., accounting for 94% of all U.S. aviation accidents and 90% of all U.S. aviation fatalities that year (NTSB, 2015c). Aviation entails multiple challenges for pilots related to task management, procedural errors, perceptual distortions, and cognitive discrepancies. While machine errors in airplanes have continued to decrease over the years, human error still has not (NTSB, 2013). A preliminary analysis of a PC-based, Garmin G1000 flight deck was conducted with 3 professional pilots. Analyses revealed increased task load, opportunities for distraction, confusing perceptual ques, and hindered cognitive performance. Complex usage problems were deeply ingrained in the functionality of the system, forcing pilots to use fallible work arounds, add unnecessary steps, and memorize knob turns or button pushes. Modern computing now has the potential to free GA cockpit designs from knobs, soft keys, or limited display options. Dynamic digital displays might include changes in instrumentation or menu structuring depending on the phase of flight. Airspeed indicators could increase in size to become more salient during landing, simultaneously highlighting pitch angle on Attitude Indicators and automatically decluttering unnecessary information for landing. Likewise, Angle-of-Attack indicators demonstrate a great safety and performance advantage for pilots (Duquette & Dorr, 2014; NTSB, 2015b & 2016b), an instrument typically found in military platforms and now the Icon A5, light-sport aircraft (Icon, 2016). How does the design of pilots' environment---the cockpit---further influence their efficiency and effectiveness? To explore the possibilities for small aircraft displays, a participatory design investigation was conducted with 9 qualified instrument pilots. Aviators designed mock cockpits on a PC using pictorial cutouts of analog (e.g., mechanical dials) and digital (e.g., dynamic displays) controls. Data was analyzed qualitatively and compared to similar work. Finally, a template for GA displays was developed based on pilot input.

Science Planning for the Solar Probe Plus NASA Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusterer, M. B.; Fox, N. J.; Turner, F. S.; Vandegriff, J. D.

2015-12-01

With a planned launch in 2018, there are a number of challenges for the Science Planning Team (SPT) of the Solar Probe Plus mission. The geometry of the celestial bodies and the spacecraft during some of the Solar Probe Plus mission orbits cause limited uplink and downlink opportunities. The payload teams must manage the volume of data that they write to the spacecraft solid-state recorders (SSR) for their individual instruments for downlink to the ground. The aim is to write the instrument data to the spacecraft SSR for downlink before a set of data downlink opportunities large enough to get the data to the ground and before the start of another data collection cycle. The SPT also intend to coordinate observations with other spacecraft and ground based systems. To add further complexity, two of the spacecraft payloads have the capability to write a large volumes of data to their internal payload SSR while sending a smaller "survey" portion of the data to the spacecraft SSR for downlink. The instrument scientists would then view the survey data on the ground, determine the most interesting data from their payload SSR, send commands to transfer that data from their payload SSR to the spacecraft SSR for downlink. The timing required for downlink and analysis of the survey data, identifying uplink opportunities for commanding data transfers, and downlink opportunities big enough for the selected data within the data collection period is critical. To solve these challenges, the Solar Probe Plus Science Working Group has designed a orbit-type optimized data file priority downlink scheme to downlink high priority survey data quickly. This file priority scheme would maximize the reaction time that the payload teams have to perform the survey and selected data method on orbits where the downlink and uplink availability will support using this method. An interactive display and analysis science planning tool is being designed for the SPT to use as an aid to planning. The tool will integrate the data file priority downlink scheme, payload data volume allocations, spacecraft ephemeris, attitude, downlink and uplink schedules, spacecraft and payload activities, and other spacecraft ephemeris. A prototype of the tool is in development using notional inputs obtained from the spacecraft engineering teams.

The New Nordic Diet: phosphorus content and absorption.

PubMed

Salomo, Louise; Poulsen, Sanne K; Rix, Marianne; Kamper, Anne-Lise; Larsen, Thomas M; Astrup, Arne

2016-04-01

High phosphorus content in the diet may have adverse effect on cardiovascular health. We investigated whether the New Nordic Diet (NND), based mainly on local, organic and less processed food and large amounts of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain and fish, versus an Average Danish Diet (ADD) would reduce the phosphorus load due to less phosphorus-containing food additives, animal protein and more plant-based proteins. Phosphorus and creatinine were measured in plasma and urine at baseline, week 12 and week 26 in 132 centrally obese subjects with normal renal function as part of a post hoc analysis of data acquired from a 26-week controlled trial. We used the fractional phosphorus excretion as a measurement of phosphorus absorption. Mean baseline fractional phosphorus excretion was 20.9 ± 6.6 % in the NND group (n = 82) and 20.8 ± 5.5 % in the ADD group (n = 50) and was decreased by 2.8 ± 5.1 and 3.1 ± 5.4 %, respectively, (p = 0.6) at week 26. At week 26, the mean change in plasma phosphorus was 0.04 ± 0.12 mmol/L in the NND group and -0.03 ± 0.13 mmol/L in the ADD group (p = 0.001). Mean baseline phosphorus intake was 1950 ± 16 mg/10 MJ in the NND group and 1968 ± 22 mg/10 MJ in the ADD group and decreased less in the NND compared to the ADD (67 ± 36 mg/10 MJ and -266 ± 45 mg/day, respectively, p < 0.298). Contrary to expectations, the NND had a high phosphorus intake and did not decrease the fractional phosphorus excretion compared with ADD. Further modifications of the diet are needed in order to make this food concept beneficial regarding phosphorus absorption.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) I/D and Alpha-Adducin (ADD1) G460W Gene Polymorphisms in Turkish Patients with Severe Chronic Tinnitus.

PubMed

Yuce, Salim; Sancakdar, Enver; Bağcı, Gokhan; Koc, Sema; Kurtulgan, Hande Kucuk; Bağcı, Binnur; Doğan, Mansur; Uysal, İsmail Onder

2016-04-01

Tinnitus is described as a disturbing sound sensation in the absence of external stimulation. We aimed to investigate whether there is any relationship between severe chronic tinnitus and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D and α-adducin (ADD1) G460W gene polymorphisms. The patient group and control group consisted of 89 and 104 individuals, respectively. The evaluation of tinnitus was performed using the Strukturiertes Tinnitus-Interview (STI). The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was used to evaluate the tinnitus severity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) techniques were used for genotyping. With regard to the ACE I/D polymorphism, there was no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between the patient group and control group. However, a statistically significant difference was found in genotype (p<0.01) and allele frequencies (p=0.021) of the ADD1 G460W gene polymorphism. Combined genotype analysis showed that the ACE II /ADD1 GW genotype was statistically significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (X2: 7.15, p=0.007). The odds ratio value of the GW genotype was 2.5 (95% CI=1.4-4.7) (p<0.01). Our results demonstrate an association between ADD1 G460W gene polymorphism and susceptibility to severe chronic tinnitus. It was found that the GW genotype increased the disease risk by 2.5-fold compared with other genotypes. This indicates that ADD1 G460W polymorphism could be an important factor in the pathophysiology of tinnitus.

EPIC/DSCOVR's Oxygen Absorption Channels: A Cloud Profiling Information Content Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, A. B.; Merlin, G.; Labonnote, L. C.; Cornet, C.; Dubuisson, P.; Ferlay, N.; Parol, F.; Riedi, J.; Yang, Y.

2016-12-01

EPIC/DSCOVR has several spectral channels dedicated to cloud characterization, most notably O2 A- and B-band. Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) ratios of in-band and reference channels are less prone to calibration error than the 4 individual signals. Using these ratios, we have replicated for mono-directional (quasi-backscattering) EPIC observations the recent cloud information content analysis by Merlin et al. (AMT-D,8:12709-12758,2015) that was focused on A-band-only but multi-angle observations by POLDER in the past, by AirMSPI in the present, and by 3MI and MAIA in the future. The methodology is based on extensive forward 1D radiative transfer (RT) computations using the ARTDECO model that implements a k-distribution technique for the absorbing (in-band) channels. These synthetic signals are combined into a Bayesian Rodgers-type framework for estimating posterior uncertainty on retrieved quantities. Recall that this formalism calls explicitly for: (1) estimates of instrument error, and (2) prior uncertainty on the retrieved quantities, to which we add (3) reasonable estimates of uncertainty in the non- or otherwise-retrieved properties. Wide ranges of cloud top heights (CTHs) and cloud geometrical thicknesses (CGTs) are examined for a representative selection of cloud optical thicknesses (COTs), solar angles, and surface reflectances. We found that CTH should be reliably retrieved from EPIC data under most circumstances as long as COT can be inferred from non-absorbing channels, and the bias from in-cloud absorption is removed. However, CGT will be hard to determine unless CTH is constrained by independent means. EPIC has several UV channels that could be brought to bear. These findings conflict those of Yang et al. (JQSRT,122:141-149,2013), so we also revisit that more preliminary study that did not account for a realistic level of residual instrument noise in the DOAS ratios. In conclusion, we believe that the present information content analysis will inform the EPIC/DSCOVR Level 2 algorithm development team about what cloud properties to target using the A/B-band channels, depending on the availability of other cloud information.

Thin-layer chromatography and colorimetric analysis of multi-component explosive mixtures

DOEpatents

Pagoria, Philip F.; Mitchell, Alexander R.; Whipple, Richard E.; Carman, M. Leslie

2014-08-26

A thin-layer chromatography method for detection and identification of common military and peroxide explosives in samples includes the steps of provide a reverse-phase thin-layer chromatography plate; prepare the plate by marking spots on which to deposit the samples by touching the plate with a marker; spot one micro liter of a first standard onto one of the spots, spot one micro liter of a second standard onto another of the spots, and spot samples onto other of spots producing a spotted plate; add eluent to a developing chamber; add the spotted plate to the developing chamber; remove the spotted plate from the developing chamber producing a developed plate; place the developed plate in an ultraviolet light box; add a visualization agent to a dip tank; dip the developed plate in the dip tank and remove the developed plate quickly; and detect explosives by viewing said developed plate.

Coupling analysis of high Q resonators in add-drop configuration through cavity ringdown spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigenti, G.; Arjmand, M.; Barucci, A.; Baldini, F.; Berneschi, S.; Farnesi, D.; Gianfreda, M.; Pelli, S.; Soria, S.; Aray, A.; Dumeige, Y.; Féron, P.; Nunzi Conti, G.

2018-06-01

An original method able to fully characterize high-Q resonators in an add-drop configuration has been implemented. The method is based on the study of two cavity ringdown (CRD) signals, which are produced at the transmission and drop ports by wavelength sweeping a resonance in a time interval comparable with the photon cavity lifetime. All the resonator parameters can be assessed with a single set of simultaneous measurements. We first developed a model describing the two CRD output signals and a fitting program able to deduce the key parameters from the measured profiles. We successfully validated the model with an experiment based on a fiber ring resonator of known characteristics. Finally, we characterized a high-Q, home-made, MgF2 whispering gallery mode disk resonator in the add-drop configuration, assessing its intrinsic and coupling parameters.

Performance of Hippocampus Volumetry with FSL-FIRST for Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease Dementia in at Risk Subjects with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Suppa, Per; Hampel, Harald; Kepp, Timo; Lange, Catharina; Spies, Lothar; Fiebach, Jochen B; Dubois, Bruno; Buchert, Ralph

2016-01-01

MRI-based hippocampus volume, a core feasible biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is not yet widely used in clinical patient care, partly due to lack of validation of software tools for hippocampal volumetry that are compatible with routine workflow. Here, we evaluate fully-automated and computationally efficient hippocampal volumetry with FSL-FIRST for prediction of AD dementia (ADD) in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) from phase 1 of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of FSL-FIRST hippocampal volume (corrected for head size and age) revealed an area under the curve of 0.79, 0.70, and 0.70 for prediction of aMCI-to-ADD conversion within 12, 24, or 36 months, respectively. Thus, FSL-FIRST provides about the same power for prediction of progression to ADD in aMCI as other volumetry methods.

CLOUDCLOUD : general-purpose instrument monitoring and data managing software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, António; Amorim, António; Tomé, António

2016-04-01

An effective experiment is dependent on the ability to store and deliver data and information to all participant parties regardless of their degree of involvement in the specific parts that make the experiment a whole. Having fast, efficient and ubiquitous access to data will increase visibility and discussion, such that the outcome will have already been reviewed several times, strengthening the conclusions. The CLOUD project aims at providing users with a general purpose data acquisition, management and instrument monitoring platform that is fast, easy to use, lightweight and accessible to all participants of an experiment. This work is now implemented in the CLOUD experiment at CERN and will be fully integrated with the experiment as of 2016. Despite being used in an experiment of the scale of CLOUD, this software can also be used in any size of experiment or monitoring station, from single computers to large networks of computers to monitor any sort of instrument output without influencing the individual instrument's DAQ. Instrument data and meta data is stored and accessed via a specially designed database architecture and any type of instrument output is accepted using our continuously growing parsing application. Multiple databases can be used to separate different data taking periods or a single database can be used if for instance an experiment is continuous. A simple web-based application gives the user total control over the monitored instruments and their data, allowing data visualization and download, upload of processed data and the ability to edit existing instruments or add new instruments to the experiment. When in a network, new computers are immediately recognized and added to the system and are able to monitor instruments connected to them. Automatic computer integration is achieved by a locally running python-based parsing agent that communicates with a main server application guaranteeing that all instruments assigned to that computer are monitored with parsing intervals as fast as milliseconds. This software (server+agents+interface+database) comes in easy and ready-to-use packages that can be installed in any operating system, including Android and iOS systems. This software is ideal for use in modular experiments or monitoring stations with large variability in instruments and measuring methods or in large collaborations, where data requires homogenization in order to be effectively transmitted to all involved parties. This work presents the software and provides performance comparison with previously used monitoring systems in the CLOUD experiment at CERN.

Measurements in atmospheric electricity designed to improve launch safety during the Apollo series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nanevicz, J. E.; Pierce, E. T.; Whitson, A. L.

1972-01-01

Ground test measurements were made during the launches of Apollo 13 and 14 in an effort to better define the electrical characteristics of a large launch vehicle. Of particular concern was the effective electrical length of the vehicle and plume since this parameter markedly affects the likelihood of a lightning stroke being triggered by a launch during disturbed weather conditions. Since no instrumentation could be carried aboard the launch vehicle, the experiments were confined to LF radio noise and electrostatic-field measurements on the ground in the vicinity of the launch pad. The philosophy of the experiment and the instrumentation and layout are described. From the results of the experiment it is concluded that the rocket and exhaust do not produce large-scale shorting of the earth's field out to distances of thousands of feet from the launch pad. There is evidence, however, that the plume does add substantially to the electrical length of the rocket. On this basis, it was recommended that there be no relaxation of launch rules for launches during disturbed weather.

Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GeoCAPE) Filter Radiometer (FR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotecki, Carl; Chu, Martha; Wilson, Mark; Clark, Mike; Nanan, Bobby; Matson, Liz; McBirney, Dick; Smith, Jay; Earle, Paul; Choi, Mike;

Environmentally friendly and cost-efficient analysis of aflatoxins in corn

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The extraction procedure adds a significant cost to the overall expense of aflatoxin analysis in agricultural commodities. An inexpensive and low-waste extraction method using a household espresso coffee maker was tested. This appliance was used for the high-temperature /high-pressure extraction of ...

Satellite Contamination and Materials Outgassing Knowledge base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minor, Jody L.; Kauffman, William J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Satellite contamination continues to be a design problem that engineers must take into account when developing new satellites. To help with this issue, NASA's Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program funded the development of the Satellite Contamination and Materials Outgassing Knowledge base. This engineering tool brings together in one location information about the outgassing properties of aerospace materials based upon ground-testing data, the effects of outgassing that has been observed during flight and measurements of the contamination environment by on-orbit instruments. The knowledge base contains information using the ASTM Standard E- 1559 and also consolidates data from missions using quartz-crystal microbalances (QCM's). The data contained in the knowledge base was shared with NASA by government agencies and industry in the US and international space agencies as well. The term 'knowledgebase' was used because so much information and capability was brought together in one comprehensive engineering design tool. It is the SEE Program's intent to continually add additional material contamination data as it becomes available - creating a dynamic tool whose value to the user is ever increasing. The SEE Program firmly believes that NASA, and ultimately the entire contamination user community, will greatly benefit from this new engineering tool and highly encourages the community to not only use the tool but add data to it as well.

Have Mischievous Responders Misidentified Sexual Minority Youth Disparities in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health?

PubMed

Fish, Jessica N; Russell, Stephen T

2018-05-01

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) has been instrumental in identifying sexual minority youth health disparities. Recent commentary suggested that some Wave 1 youth responders, especially males, intentionally mismarked same-sex attraction and, as a result, published reports of health disparities from these data may be suspect. We use two recently developed approaches to identify "jokesters" and mischievous responding and apply them to the Add Health data. First, we show that Wave 1 same-sex attracted youth, including those who later reported completely heterosexual identities in adulthood, were no more likely than different-sex attracted youth and consistently heterosexual participants to be "jokesters." Second, after accounting for mischievous responses, we replicated six previously established disparities: depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and behaviors, alcohol use, cocaine use, parental satisfaction, and school connectedness. Accounting for mischievousness resulted in the elimination of one observed disparity between heterosexual and sexual minority youth: suicidal ideation for males who reported romantic attraction to both sexes. Results also showed that accounting for mischievous responding may underestimate disparities for sexual minority youth, particularly females. Overall, results presented here support previous studies that identified health disparities among sexual minority youth using these data.

Advanced LabVIEW Labs

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

Jones, Eric D.

1999-06-17

In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in G a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn G . Without going into details here, G incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the perfect environment in which to teach computer-based research skills. With this goal in mind, he has succeeded admirably. Advanced LabVIEW Labs presents a series of chapters devoted to not only introducing the reader to LabVIEW, but also to the concepts necessary for writing a successful computer pro- gram. Each chapter is an assignment for the student and is suitable for a ten week course. The first topic introduces the while loop and waveform chart VI'S. After learning how to launch LabVIEW, the student then leans how to use LabVIEW functions such as sine and cosine. The beauty of thk and subsequent chapters, the student is introduced immediately to computer-based instruction by learning how to display the results in graph form on the screen. At each point along the way, the student is not only introduced to another LabVIEW operation, but also to such subjects as spread sheets for data storage, numerical integration, Fourier transformations', curve fitting algorithms, etc. The last few chapters conclude with the purpose of the learning module, and that is, com- puter-based instrumentation. Computer-based laboratory projects such as analog-to-digital con- version, digitizing oscilloscopes treated. Advanced Lab VIEW Labs finishes with a treatment on GPIB interfacing and finally, the student is asked to create an operating VI for temperature con- trol. This is an excellent text, not only as an treatise on LabVIEW but also as an introduction to computer programming logic. All programmers, who are struggling to not only learning how interface computers to instruments, but also trying understand top down programming and other programming language techniques, should add Advanced Lab-VIEW Labs to their computer library.« less

Advanced LabVIEW Labs

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

Jones, Eric D.

1999-06-17

In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in "G" a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn "G". Without going into details here, "G" incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the "perfect environment in which to teach computer-based research skills." With this goal in mind, he has succeeded admirably. Advanced LabVIEW Labs presents a series of chapters devoted to not only introducing the reader to LabVIEW, but also to the concepts necessary for writing a successful computer pro- gram. Each chapter is an assignment for the student and is suitable for a ten week course. The first topic introduces the while loop and waveform chart VI'S. After learning how to launch LabVIEW, the student then leans how to use LabVIEW functions such as sine and cosine. The beauty of thk and subsequent chapters, the student is introduced immediately to computer-based instruction by learning how to display the results in graph form on the screen. At each point along the way, the student is not only introduced to another LabVIEW operation, but also to such subjects as spread sheets for data storage, numerical integration, Fourier transformations', curve fitting algorithms, etc. The last few chapters conclude with the purpose of the learning module, and that is, com- puter-based instrumentation. Computer-based laboratory projects such as analog-to-digital con- version, digitizing oscilloscopes treated. Advanced Lab VIEW Labs finishes with a treatment on GPIB interfacing and finally, the student is asked to create an operating VI for temperature con- trol. This is an excellent text, not only as an treatise on LabVIEW but also as an introduction to computer programming logic. All programmers, who are struggling to not only learning how interface computers to instruments, but also trying understand top down programming and other programming language techniques, should add Advanced Lab-VIEW Labs to their computer library.« less

Assessment of representational competence in kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, P.; Müller, A.; Kuhn, J.

2017-06-01

A two-tier instrument for representational competence in the field of kinematics (KiRC) is presented, designed for a standard (1st year) calculus-based introductory mechanics course. It comprises 11 multiple choice (MC) and 7 multiple true-false (MTF) questions involving multiple representational formats, such as graphs, pictures, and formal (mathematical) expressions (1st tier). Furthermore, students express their answer confidence for selected items, providing additional information (2nd tier). Measurement characteristics of KiRC were assessed in a validation sample (pre- and post-test, N =83 and N =46 , respectively), including usefulness for measuring learning gain. Validity is checked by interviews and by benchmarking KiRC against related measures. Values for item difficulty, discrimination, and consistency are in the desired ranges; in particular, a good reliability was obtained (KR 20 =0.86 ). Confidence intervals were computed and a replication study yielded values within the latter. For practical and research purposes, KiRC as a diagnostic tool goes beyond related extant instruments both for the representational formats (e.g., mathematical expressions) and for the scope of content covered (e.g., choice of coordinate systems). Together with the satisfactory psychometric properties it appears a versatile and reliable tool for assessing students' representational competency in kinematics (and of its potential change). Confidence judgments add further information to the diagnostic potential of the test, in particular for representational misconceptions. Moreover, we present an analytic result for the question—arising from guessing correction or educational considerations—of how the total effect size (Cohen's d ) varies upon combination of two test components with known individual effect sizes, and then discuss the results in the case of KiRC (MC and MTF combination). The introduced method of test combination analysis can be applied to any test comprising two components for the purpose of finding effect size ranges.

Analysis of silicon on insulator (SOI) optical microring add-drop filter based on waveguide intersections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaźmierczak, Andrzej; Bogaerts, Wim; Van Thourhout, Dries; Drouard, Emmanuel; Rojo-Romeo, Pedro; Giannone, Domenico; Gaffiot, Frederic

2008-04-01

We present a compact passive optical add-drop filter which incorporates two microring resonators and a waveguide intersection in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. Such a filter is a key element for designing simple layouts of highly integrated complex optical networks-on-chip. The filter occupies an area smaller than 10μm×10μm and exhibits relatively high quality factors (up to 4000) and efficient signal dropping capabilities. In the present work, the influence of filter parameters such as the microring-resonators radii and the coupling section shape are analyzed theoretically and experimentally

A five-year model to assess the early cost-effectiveness of new diagnostic tests in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Buisman, Leander R; Luime, Jolanda J; Oppe, Mark; Hazes, Johanna M W; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P M H

2016-06-10

There is a lack of information about the sensitivity, specificity and costs new diagnostic tests should have to improve early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our objective was to explore the early cost-effectiveness of various new diagnostic test strategies in the workup of patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) at risk of having RA. A decision tree followed by a patient-level state transition model, using data from published literature, cohorts and trials, was used to evaluate diagnostic test strategies. Alternative tests were assessed as add-on to or replacement of the ACR/EULAR 2010 RA classification criteria for all patients and for intermediate-risk patients. Tests included B-cell gene expression (sensitivity 0.60, specificity 0.90, costs €150), MRI (sensitivity 0.90, specificity 0.60, costs €756), IL-6 serum level (sensitivity 0.70, specificity 0.53, costs €50) and genetic assay (sensitivity 0.40, specificity 0.85, costs €750). Patients with IA at risk of RA were followed for 5 years using a societal perspective. Guideline treatment was assumed using tight controlled treatment based on DAS28; if patients had a DAS28 >3.2 at 12 months or later patients could be eligible for starting biological drugs. The outcome was expressed in incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (€2014 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained) and headroom. The B-cell test was the least expensive strategy when used as an add-on and as replacement in intermediate-risk patients, making it the dominant strategy, as it has better health outcomes and lower costs. As add-on for all patients, the B-cell test was also the most cost-effective test strategy. When using a willingness-to-pay threshold of €20,000 per QALY gained, the IL-6 and MRI strategies were not cost-effective, except as replacement. A genetic assay was not cost-effective in any strategy. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that the B-cell test was consistently superior in all strategies. When performing univariate sensitivity analysis for intermediate-risk patients, specificity and DAS28 in the B-cell add-on strategy, and DAS28 and sensitivity in the MRI add-on strategy had the largest impact on the cost-effectiveness. This early cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that new tests to diagnose RA are most likely to be cost-effective when the tests are used as an add-on in intermediate-risk patients, and have high specificity, and the test costs should not be higher than €200-€300.

The Tides--A Neglected Topic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartel, Hermann

2000-01-01

Finds that computer simulations can be used to visualize the processes involved with lunar tides. Technology adds value, thus opening new paths for a more distinct analysis and increased learning results. (Author/CCM)

The EarthCARE Simulator (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, D. P.; van Zadellhoff, G.; Lajas, D.; Eisinger, M.; Franco, R.

2009-12-01

In recent years, the value of multisensor remote sensing techniques applied to cloud, aerosol, radiation and precipitation studies has become clear. For example, combinations of instruments including lidars and/or radars have proved very useful for profile retrievals of cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties. This is amply illustrated by various results from the ARM (and similar) sites as well as from results derived using the Cloudsat/CALIPSO/A-train combination of instruments. The Earth Clouds Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission is a combined ESA/JAXA mission scheduled for launch in 2013 and has been designed with sensor-synergy playing a driving role in its scientific applications. The EarthCARE mission consists of a cloud profiling Doppler radar, a high-spectral-resolution lidar, a cloud/aerosol imager and a three-view broadband radiometer. As part of the mission development process, a detailed end-to-end multisensor simulation system has been developed. The EarthCARE Simulator (ECSIM) consists of a modular general framework populated by various models. The models within ECSIM are grouped according to the following scheme: 1) Scene creation models (3D atmospheric scene definition) 2) Orbit models (orbit and orientation of the platform as it overflies the scene) 3) Forward models (calculate the signal impinging on the telescope/antenna of the instrument(s) in question) 4) Instrument models (calculate the instrument response to the signals calculated by the Forward models) 5) Retrieval models (invert the instrument signals to recover relevant geophysical information) Within the default ECSIM models crude instrument specific parameterizations (i.e. empirically based Z vs IWC relationships) are avoided. Instead, the radiative transfer forward models are kept as separate as possible from the instrument models. In order to accomplish this, the atmospheric scenes are specified in high detail (i.e. bin resolved cloud size distribution are stored) and the relevant wavelength dependent optical properties are stored in a separate database. This helps insure that all the instruments involved in the simulation are treated in a consistent fashion and that the physical relationships between the various measurements are realistically captured (something that using instrument specific parameterizations relationships can not guarantee). As a consequence, ECSIM's modular structure makes it straightforward to add new instruments (thus expanding ECSIM beyond the EarthCARE instrument suite) and also makes ECSIM well-suited for physically based retrieval algorithm development. In this talk, we will introduce ECSIM and emphasize the philosophy behind its design. We will also give a brief overview on the various default models. Finally, we will present several examples of how ECSIM can and is being used for purposes ranging from general radiative transfer calculations to instrument performance estimation and synergistic algorithm development and characterization.

An Experiment in Radiation Measurement Using the Depron Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benghin, Victor V.; Nechaev, Oleg Y.; Zolotarev, Ivan A.; Amelyushkin, Alexander M.; Petrov, Vasiliy L.; Panasyuk, Milhail I.; Yashin, Ivan V.

2018-02-01

Most of the radiation measurements have been made onboard spacecraft flying along orbits with an inclination of up to 51.6 degrees. Due to the prospect of manned missions at orbits with larger inclinations, it is advisable to conduct preliminary detailed dosimetry measurements at a high-inclination orbit; due to its polar orbit, the Lomonosov satellite provides good opportunities for such study. We chose a method of cosmic radiation dosimetry based on semiconductor detectors. This method is widely used onboard spacecraft, including full-time radiation monitoring onboard the International Space Station (ISS). It should be noted that not only did the charged particles contribute significantly in the dose equivalent, but also did the neutrons. Semiconductor detectors have low sensitivity to neutron radiation and are not sufficient for detecting the expected flux of neutrons. We add a thermal neutron counter to the proposed device in order to provide an opportunity for estimation of neutron flux variations along the satellite trajectory. Thus, the design of the instrument DEPRON (Dosimeter of Electrons, PROtons and Neutrons) was determined. DEPRON is intended for registration of the absorbed doses and linear energy transfer spectra for high-energy electrons, protons and nuclei of space radiation, as well as registration of thermal neutrons. The present paper provides a brief description of the DEPRON instrument. Its calibration results and the first mission results of background radiation measurements are also presented.

BICEP2 III: Instrumental systematics

DOE PAGES

Ade, P. A. R.

2015-11-23

In a companion paper, we have reported a >5σ detection of degree scale B-mode polarization at 150 GHz by the Bicep2 experiment. Here we provide a detailed study of potential instrumental systematic contamination to that measurement. We focus extensively on spurious polarization that can potentially arise from beam imperfections. We present a heuristic classification of beam imperfections according to their symmetries and uniformities, and discuss how resulting contamination adds or cancels in maps that combine observations made at multiple orientations of the telescope about its boresight axis. We introduce a technique, which we call "deprojection," for filtering the leading ordermore » beam-induced contamination from time-ordered data, and show that it reduces power in Bicep2's actual and null-test BB spectra consistent with predictions using high signal-to-noise beam shape measurements. We detail the simulation pipeline that we use to directly simulate instrumental systematics and the calibration data used as input to that pipeline. Finally, we present the constraints on BB contamination from individual sources of potential systematics. We find that systematics contribute BB power that is a factor of ~10× below Bicep2's three-year statistical uncertainty, and negligible compared to the observed BB signal. Lastly, the contribution to the best-fit tensor/scalar ratio is at a level equivalent to r = (3–6) × 10 –3.« less

BICEP2 III: Instrumental systematics

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

Ade, P. A. R.

In a companion paper, we have reported a >5σ detection of degree scale B-mode polarization at 150 GHz by the Bicep2 experiment. Here we provide a detailed study of potential instrumental systematic contamination to that measurement. We focus extensively on spurious polarization that can potentially arise from beam imperfections. We present a heuristic classification of beam imperfections according to their symmetries and uniformities, and discuss how resulting contamination adds or cancels in maps that combine observations made at multiple orientations of the telescope about its boresight axis. We introduce a technique, which we call "deprojection," for filtering the leading ordermore » beam-induced contamination from time-ordered data, and show that it reduces power in Bicep2's actual and null-test BB spectra consistent with predictions using high signal-to-noise beam shape measurements. We detail the simulation pipeline that we use to directly simulate instrumental systematics and the calibration data used as input to that pipeline. Finally, we present the constraints on BB contamination from individual sources of potential systematics. We find that systematics contribute BB power that is a factor of ~10× below Bicep2's three-year statistical uncertainty, and negligible compared to the observed BB signal. Lastly, the contribution to the best-fit tensor/scalar ratio is at a level equivalent to r = (3–6) × 10 –3.« less

Antibiotics: MedlinePlus Health Topic

MedlinePlus

... or not using them properly, can add to antibiotic resistance . This happens when bacteria change and become able ... ports Pseudomembranous colitis Sensitivity analysis Related Health Topics Antibiotic Resistance Bacterial Infections Medicines National Institutes of Health The ...

Authoritarian Parenting and Asian Adolescent School Performance: Insights from the US and Taiwan

PubMed Central

Pong, Suet-ling; Johnston, Jamie; Chen, Vivien

2014-01-01

Our study re-examines the relationship between parenting and school performance among Asian students. We use two sources of data: wave I of the Adolescent Health Longitudinal Survey (Add Health), and waves I and II of the Taiwan Educational Panel Survey (TEPS). Analysis using Add Health reveals that the Asian-American/European-American difference in the parenting–school performance relationship is due largely to differential sample sizes. When we select a random sample of European-American students comparable to the sample size of Asian-American students, authoritarian parenting also shows no effect for European-American students. Furthermore, analysis of TEPS shows that authoritarian parenting is negatively associated with children's school achievement, while authoritative parenting is positively associated. This result for Taiwanese Chinese students is similar to previous results for European-American students in the US. PMID:24850978

Authoritarian Parenting and Asian Adolescent School Performance: Insights from the US and Taiwan.

PubMed

Pong, Suet-Ling; Johnston, Jamie; Chen, Vivien

2010-01-01

Our study re-examines the relationship between parenting and school performance among Asian students. We use two sources of data: wave I of the Adolescent Health Longitudinal Survey (Add Health), and waves I and II of the Taiwan Educational Panel Survey (TEPS). Analysis using Add Health reveals that the Asian-American/European-American difference in the parenting-school performance relationship is due largely to differential sample sizes. When we select a random sample of European-American students comparable to the sample size of Asian-American students, authoritarian parenting also shows no effect for European-American students. Furthermore, analysis of TEPS shows that authoritarian parenting is negatively associated with children's school achievement, while authoritative parenting is positively associated. This result for Taiwanese Chinese students is similar to previous results for European-American students in the US.

Confirmatory analysis of 17beta-boldenone, 17alpha-boldenone and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione in bovine urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Draisci, Rosa; Palleschi, Luca; Ferretti, Emanuele; Lucentini, Luca; delli Quadri, Fernanda

2003-06-15

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method for confirmatory analysis of 17beta-boldenone (17beta-BOL), 17alpha-boldenone (17alpha-BOL) and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) in bovine urine was developed. [2H(2)]17beta-Testosterone (17beta-T-d(2)) was used as the internal standard. Sample preparation involved enzymatic hydrolysis and purification on a C(18) solid-phase extraction column. Chromatographic separation of the analytes was obtained using an RP-C(18) HPLC column. LC-MS-MS detection was carried out with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) source equipped with a heated nebulizer (HN) interface operating in the positive ion mode. For unambiguous hormone confirmation, three analyte precursor-product ion combinations were monitored during multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) LC-MS-MS analysis. Overall recovery (%), repeatability (relative standard deviations, RSD, %) and within-laboratory reproducibility (RSD, %) ranged from 92.2 to 97.7%, from 6.50 to 2.94% and from 13.50 to 5.04%, respectively, for all analytes. The limit of quantification in bovine urine was 0.20 ng ml(-1) for 17beta-BOL and ADD and 0.50 ng ml(-1) for 17alpha-BOL. The validated method was successfully applied for determination of 17beta-BOL, 17alpha-BOL and ADD in a large number of bovine urine samples collected within the national Official Residue Control Program.

Moving your laboratories to the field – Advantages and limitations of the use of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis

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

Gałuszka, Agnieszka, E-mail: Agnieszka.Galuszka@ujk.edu.pl; Migaszewski, Zdzisław M.; Namieśnik, Jacek

The recent rapid progress in technology of field portable instruments has increased their applications in environmental sample analysis. These instruments offer a possibility of cost-effective, non-destructive, real-time, direct, on-site measurements of a wide range of both inorganic and organic analytes in gaseous, liquid and solid samples. Some of them do not require the use of reagents and do not produce any analytical waste. All these features contribute to the greenness of field portable techniques. Several stationary analytical instruments have their portable versions. The most popular ones include: gas chromatographs with different detectors (mass spectrometer (MS), flame ionization detector, photoionization detector),more » ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared spectrophotometers, X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, ion mobility spectrometers, electronic noses and electronic tongues. The use of portable instruments in environmental sample analysis gives a possibility of on-site screening and a subsequent selection of samples for routine laboratory analyses. They are also very useful in situations that require an emergency response and for process monitoring applications. However, quantification of results is still problematic in many cases. The other disadvantages include: higher detection limits and lower sensitivity than these obtained in laboratory conditions, a strong influence of environmental factors on the instrument performance and a high possibility of sample contamination in the field. This paper reviews recent applications of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis and discusses their analytical capabilities. - Highlights: • Field portable instruments are widely used in environmental sample analysis. • Field portable instruments are indispensable for analysis in emergency response. • Miniaturization of field portable instruments reduces resource consumption. • In situ analysis is in agreement with green analytical chemistry principles. • Performance requirements in field analysis stimulate technological progress.« less

Understanding Business Interests in International Large-Scale Student Assessments: A Media Analysis of "The Economist," "Financial Times," and "Wall Street Journal"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steiner-Khamsi, Gita; Appleton, Margaret; Vellani, Shezleen

2018-01-01

The media analysis is situated in the larger body of studies that explore the varied reasons why different policy actors advocate for international large-scale student assessments (ILSAs) and adds to the research on the fast advance of the global education industry. The analysis of "The Economist," "Financial Times," and…

Linkage analysis of systolic blood pressure: a score statistic and computer implementation

PubMed Central

Wang, Kai; Peng, Yingwei

2003-01-01

A genome-wide linkage analysis was conducted on systolic blood pressure using a score statistic. The randomly selected Replicate 34 of the simulated data was used. The score statistic was applied to the sibships derived from the general pedigrees. An add-on R program to GENEHUNTER was developed for this analysis and is freely available. PMID:14975145

Conjugation of fiber-coupled wide-band light sources and acousto-optical spectral elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machikhin, Alexander; Batshev, Vladislav; Polschikova, Olga; Khokhlov, Demid; Pozhar, Vitold; Gorevoy, Alexey

2017-12-01

Endoscopic instrumentation is widely used for diagnostics and surgery. The imaging systems, which provide the hyperspectral information of the tissues accessible by endoscopes, are particularly interesting and promising for in vivo photoluminescence diagnostics and therapy of tumour and inflammatory diseases. To add the spectral imaging feature to standard video endoscopes, we propose to implement acousto-optical (AO) filtration of wide-band illumination of incandescent-lamp-based light sources. To collect maximum light and direct it to the fiber-optic light guide inside the endoscopic probe, we have developed and tested the optical system for coupling the light source, the acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) and the light guide. The system is compact and compatible with the standard endoscopic components.

Ministry-Related Burnout and Stress Coping Mechanisms Among Assemblies of God-Ordained Clergy in Minnesota.

PubMed

Visker, Joseph D; Rider, Taylor; Humphers-Ginther, Anastasia

2017-06-01

Clergy members suffering from burnout face both personal and professional complications. This study assessed occupational burnout and stress coping mechanisms among ministers affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a denomination that has received little attention in previous burnout-related studies. A cross-sectional design was employed using two instruments with acceptable psychometric properties. Approximately 65 % of those surveyed were either suffering from burnout or on the verge of burnout. Statistical differences in coping mechanism use were found between those who were and were not experiencing some level of burnout. The results of this study add to the existing understanding of occupational burnout among clergy members and ways in which burnout may be alleviated.

Active Vibration Isolation Devices with Inertial Servo Actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melik-Shakhnazarov, V. A.; Strelov, V. I.; Sofiyanchuk, D. V.; Tregubenko, A. A.

2018-03-01

The use of active vibration isolation devices (AVIDs) in aerospace engineering is subject to the following restrictions. First, the volume for installing additional devices is always limited in instrument racks and compartments. Secondly, in many cases, it is impossible to add supports for servo actuators for fundamental or design considerations. In the paper, it has been shown that this problem can be solved if the inertial servo actuators are used in AVIDs instead of reference actuators. A transfer function has been theoretically calculated for an AVID controlled by inertial actuators. It has been shown that the volume of a six-mode single-housing AVID with inertial actuators can be 2-2.5 times smaller than that of devices with support actuators.

The Case for the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health to Address Gender Identity

PubMed Central

Veale, Jaimie F.

2015-01-01

We analyzed the case of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health, which did not address gender identity in their final report. We argue that gender identity is increasingly being recognized as an important social determinant of health (SDH) that results in health inequities. We identify right to health mechanisms, such as established human rights instruments, as suitable policy tools for addressing gender identity as an SDH to improve health equity. We urge the World Health Organization to add gender identity as an SDH in its conceptual framework for action on the SDHs and to develop and implement specific recommendations for addressing gender identity as an SDH. PMID:25602894

ASTP experiment support data processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osburn, R. K.; Barnett, E. L.; Moore, H. L.; Moore, J. B.; Ball, J. R.

1975-01-01

Activities associated with the generation of ASTP experiment support data in the areas of spacecraft ephemeris and orientation and instrument pointing and field-of-view are documented. It is intended that this document represent a cradle-to-grave chronicle of these activities. To satisfy this intent while facilitating the ready dissemination of information, the document is being published twice. The first publication, scheduled for release prior to ASTP liftoff, includes all preflight phases of the experiment support activity in addition to those appendixes that do not pertain to any mission-specific data. The second publication will provide any required updates to the original documentation and will add all mission-specific data, including documentation of all postflight data processing activities and data archiving information.

Industrial Instrument Mechanic. Occupational Analyses Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Ann; Zagorac, Mike; Bumbaka, Nick

This analysis covers tasks performed by an industrial instrument mechanic, an occupational title some provinces and territories of Canada have also identified as industrial instrumentation and instrument mechanic. A guide to analysis discusses development, structure, and validation method; scope of the occupation; trends; and safety. To facilitate…

Reuse of disposable laparoscopic instruments: cost analysis*

PubMed Central

DesCôteaux, Jean-Gaston; Tye, Lucille; Poulin, Eric C.

1996-01-01

Objective To evaluate the cost benefits of reusing disposable laparoscopic instruments. Design A cost-analysis study based on a review of laparoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures performed between August 1990 and January 1994, including analysis of disposable instrument use, purchase records, and reprocessing costs for each instrument. Setting The general surgery department of a 461-bed teaching hospital where disposable laparoscopic instruments are routinely reused according to internally validated reprocessing protocols. Methods Laparoscopic and thoracoscopic interventions performed between August 1990 and January 1994 for which the number and types of disposable laparoscopic instruments were standardized. Main Outcome Measures Reprocessing cost per instrument, the savings realized by reusing disposable laparoscopic instruments and the cost-efficient number of reuses per instrument. Results The cost of reprocessing instruments varied from $2.64 (Can) to $4.66 for each disposable laparoscopic instrument. Purchases of 10 commonly reused disposable laparoscopic instruments totalled $183 279, and the total reprocessing cost was estimated at $35 665 for the study period. Not reusing disposable instruments would have cost $527 575 in instrument purchases for the same period. Disposable laparoscopic instruments were reused 1.7 to 68 times each. Conclusions Under carefully monitored conditions and strict guidelines, reuse of disposable laparoscopic and thoracoscopic instruments can be cost-effective. PMID:8769924

Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, H. John

2004-01-01

The topics addressed in this viewgraph presentation include information on 1) Historic instruments at Goddard; 2) Integrated Design Capability at Goddard; 3) The Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Laboratory (ISAL).

Reporting the national antimicrobial consumption in Danish pigs: influence of assigned daily dosage values and population measurement.

PubMed

Dupont, Nana; Fertner, Mette; Kristensen, Charlotte Sonne; Toft, Nils; Stege, Helle

2016-05-03

Transparent calculation methods are crucial when investigating trends in antimicrobial consumption over time and between populations. Until 2011, one single standardized method was applied when quantifying the Danish pig antimicrobial consumption with the unit "Animal Daily Dose" (ADD). However, two new methods for assigning values for ADDs have recently emerged, one implemented by DANMAP, responsible for publishing annual reports on antimicrobial consumption, and one by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA), responsible for the Yellow Card initiative. In addition to new ADD assignment methods, Denmark has also experienced a shift in the production pattern, towards a larger export of live pigs. The aims of this paper were to (1) describe previous and current ADD assignment methods used by the major Danish institutions and (2) to illustrate how ADD assignment method and choice of population and population measurement affect the calculated national antimicrobial consumption in pigs (2007-2013). The old VetStat ADD-values were based on SPCs in contrast to the new ADD-values, which were based on active compound, concentration and administration route. The new ADD-values stated by both DANMAP and DVFA were only identical for 48 % of antimicrobial products approved for use in pigs. From 2007 to 2013, the total number of ADDs per year increased by 9 % when using the new DVFA ADD-values, but decreased by 2 and 7 % when using the new DANMAP ADD-values or the old VetStat ADD-values, respectively. Through 2007 to 2013, the production of pigs increased from 26.1 million pigs per year with 18 % exported live to 28.7 million with 34 % exported live. In the same time span, the annual pig antimicrobial consumption increased by 22.2 %, when calculated using the new DVFA ADD-values and pigs slaughtered per year as population measurement (13.0 ADDs/pig/year to 15.9 ADDs/pig/year). However, when based on the old VetStat ADD values and pigs produced per year (including live export), a 10.9 % decrease was seen (10.6 ADDs/pig/year to 9.4 ADDs/pig/year). The findings of this paper clearly highlight that calculated national antimicrobial consumption is highly affected by chosen population measurement and the applied ADD-values.

SNP_tools: A compact tool package for analysis and conversion of genotype data for MS-Excel

PubMed Central

Chen, Bowang; Wilkening, Stefan; Drechsel, Marion; Hemminki, Kari

2009-01-01

Background Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is a major activity in biomedical research. Scientists prefer to have a facile access to the results which may require conversions between data formats. First hand SNP data is often entered in or saved in the MS-Excel format, but this software lacks genetic and epidemiological related functions. A general tool to do basic genetic and epidemiological analysis and data conversion for MS-Excel is needed. Findings The SNP_tools package is prepared as an add-in for MS-Excel. The code is written in Visual Basic for Application, embedded in the Microsoft Office package. This add-in is an easy to use tool for users with basic computer knowledge (and requirements for basic statistical analysis). Conclusion Our implementation for Microsoft Excel 2000-2007 in Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7 beta can handle files in different formats and converts them into other formats. It is a free software. PMID:19852806

SNP_tools: A compact tool package for analysis and conversion of genotype data for MS-Excel.

PubMed

Chen, Bowang; Wilkening, Stefan; Drechsel, Marion; Hemminki, Kari

2009-10-23

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is a major activity in biomedical research. Scientists prefer to have a facile access to the results which may require conversions between data formats. First hand SNP data is often entered in or saved in the MS-Excel format, but this software lacks genetic and epidemiological related functions. A general tool to do basic genetic and epidemiological analysis and data conversion for MS-Excel is needed. The SNP_tools package is prepared as an add-in for MS-Excel. The code is written in Visual Basic for Application, embedded in the Microsoft Office package. This add-in is an easy to use tool for users with basic computer knowledge (and requirements for basic statistical analysis). Our implementation for Microsoft Excel 2000-2007 in Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7 beta can handle files in different formats and converts them into other formats. It is a free software.

Power calculator for instrumental variable analysis in pharmacoepidemiology

PubMed Central

Walker, Venexia M; Davies, Neil M; Windmeijer, Frank; Burgess, Stephen; Martin, Richard M

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Instrumental variable analysis, for example with physicians’ prescribing preferences as an instrument for medications issued in primary care, is an increasingly popular method in the field of pharmacoepidemiology. Existing power calculators for studies using instrumental variable analysis, such as Mendelian randomization power calculators, do not allow for the structure of research questions in this field. This is because the analysis in pharmacoepidemiology will typically have stronger instruments and detect larger causal effects than in other fields. Consequently, there is a need for dedicated power calculators for pharmacoepidemiological research. Methods and Results The formula for calculating the power of a study using instrumental variable analysis in the context of pharmacoepidemiology is derived before being validated by a simulation study. The formula is applicable for studies using a single binary instrument to analyse the causal effect of a binary exposure on a continuous outcome. An online calculator, as well as packages in both R and Stata, are provided for the implementation of the formula by others. Conclusions The statistical power of instrumental variable analysis in pharmacoepidemiological studies to detect a clinically meaningful treatment effect is an important consideration. Research questions in this field have distinct structures that must be accounted for when calculating power. The formula presented differs from existing instrumental variable power formulae due to its parametrization, which is designed specifically for ease of use by pharmacoepidemiologists. PMID:28575313

Cosmic equation of state from combined angular diameter distances: Does the tension with luminosity distances exist?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Shuo; Zhu, Zong-Hong

2014-10-01

Using relatively complete observational data concerning four angular diameter distance (ADD) measurements and combined SN +GRB observations representing current luminosity distance (LD) data, this paper investigates the compatibility of these two cosmological distances considering three classes of dark energy equation of state (EoS) reconstruction. In particular, we use strongly gravitationally lensed systems from various large systematic gravitational lens surveys and galaxy clusters, which yield the Hubble constant independent ratio between two angular diameter distances Dl s/Ds data. Our results demonstrate that, with more general categories of standard ruler data, ADD and LD data are compatible at 1 σ level. Second, we note that consistency between ADD and LD data is maintained irrespective of the EoS parametrizations: there is a good match between the universally explored Chevalier-Polarski-Linder model and other formulations of cosmic equation of state. Especially for the truncated generalized equation of state (GEoS) model with β =-2 , the conclusions obtained with ADD and LD are almost the same. Finally, statistical analysis of generalized dark energy equation of state performed on four classes of ADD data provides stringent constraints on the EoS parameters w0 , wβ, and β , which suggest that dark energy was a subdominant component at early times. Moreover, the GEoS parametrization with β ≃1 seems to be a more favorable two-parameter model to characterize the cosmic equation of state, because the combined angular diameter distance data (SGL +CBF +BAO +WMAP 9 ) provide the best-fit value β =0.75 1-0.480+0.465 .

Development of Multidisciplinary, Multifidelity Analysis, Integration, and Optimization of Aerospace Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-27

investigated in more detail. The intermediate level of fidelity, though more expensive, is then used to refine the analysis , add geometric detail, and...design stage is used to further refine the analysis , narrowing the design to a handful of options. Figure 1. Integrated Hierarchical Framework. In...computational structural and computational fluid modeling. For the structural analysis tool we used McIntosh Structural Dynamics’ finite element code CNEVAL

Attention Deficit Disorder. NICHCY Briefing Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Mary

This briefing paper uses a question-and-answer format to provide basic information about children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Questions address the following concerns: nature and incidence of ADD; causes of ADD; signs of ADD (impulsivity, hyperactivity, disorganization, social skill deficits); the diagnostic ADD assessment; how to get…

Meta-Analytic Derivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snell, Joel C.; Marsh, Mitchell

2011-01-01

The authors have over the years tried to revise meta-analysis because it's basic premise is to add apples and oranges together and analyze. In other words, various data on the same subject are chosen using different samples, research strategies, and number properties. The findings are then homogenized and a statistical analysis is used (Snell, J.…

Development and Validation of a Unidimensional Maltreatment Scale in the Add Health Data Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marszalek, Jacob M.; Hamilton, Jessica L.

2012-01-01

Four maltreatment items were examined from Wave III (N = 13,516) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, cross-validation, reliability estimates, and convergent validity coefficients strongly supported the validity of using the four items as a unidimensional composite. Implications for…

Deriving Multidimensional Poverty Indicators: Methodological Issues and an Empirical Analysis for Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coromaldi, Manuela; Zoli, Mariangela

2012-01-01

Theoretical and empirical studies have recently adopted a multidimensional concept of poverty. There is considerable debate about the most appropriate degree of multidimensionality to retain in the analysis. In this work we add to the received literature in two ways. First, we derive indicators of multiple deprivation by applying a particular…

Precursors of Young Women's Family Formation Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amato, Paul R.; Landale, Nancy S.; Havasevich-Brooks, Tara C.; Booth, Alan; Eggebeen, David J.; Schoen, Robert; McHale, Susan M.

2008-01-01

We used latent class analysis to create family formation pathways for women between the ages of 18 and 23. Input variables included cohabitation, marriage, parenthood, full-time employment, and attending school. Data (n = 2,290) came from Waves I and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The analysis revealed…

78 FR 17142 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-20

... Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk- Based Preventive Controls for Human Food; Correction AGENCY... manufacturing, packing, or holding human food (CGMPs) to modernize it and to add requirements for domestic and... ``food-production purposes (i.e., manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding) to consistently use...

Weighting-Based Sensitivity Analysis in Causal Mediation Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Guanglei; Qin, Xu; Yang, Fan

2018-01-01

Through a sensitivity analysis, the analyst attempts to determine whether a conclusion of causal inference could be easily reversed by a plausible violation of an identification assumption. Analytic conclusions that are harder to alter by such a violation are expected to add a higher value to scientific knowledge about causality. This article…

Enterprise Requirements and Acquisition Model (ERAM) Analysis and Extension

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-20

add them to the ERAM simulation. References . Arena, M. V., Obaid, Y., Galway L. A., Fox, B., Graser, J. C., Sollinger, J. M., Wu, F., & Wong, C... Galway L. A., Fox, B., Graser, J. C., Sollinger, J. M., Wu, F., & Wong, C. (2006). Impossible certainty: Cost risk analysis for air force systems (MG-415

The aquamet Package for R: A Tool for Use with the National Rivers and Streams Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

The use of R software in environmental data analysis has become increasingly common because it is very powerful, versatile and available free of charge, with hundreds of contributed add-on packages available that perform almost every conceivable type of analysis or task. The Envi...

Water Softeners: How Much Sodium Do They Add?

MedlinePlus

... away the saltshaker and cutting back on processed foods. With Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D. Drinking water advisory: Consumer acceptability advice and health effects analysis on sodium. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www. ...

Clinical evaluation of a combination therapy of imepitoin with phenobarbital in dogs with refractory idiopathic epilepsy.

PubMed

Neßler, Jasmin; Rundfeldt, Chris; Löscher, Wolfgang; Kostic, Draginja; Keefe, Thomas; Tipold, Andrea

2017-01-25

Imepitoin was tested as a combination treatment with phenobarbital in an open-label mono-centre cohort study in dogs with drug-resistant epilepsy. Diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy was based on clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Three cohorts were treated. In cohort A, dogs not responding to phenobarbital with or without established add-on treatment of potassium bromide or levetiracetam were treated add-on with imepitoin, starting at 10 mg/kg BID, with titration allowed to 30 mg/kg BID. In cohort B, the only difference to cohort A was that the starting dose of imepitoin was reduced to 5 mg/kg BID. In cohort C, animals not responding to imepitoin at >20 mg/kg BID were treated with phenobarbital add-on starting at 0.5 mg/kg BID. The add-on treatment resulted in a reduction in monthly seizure frequency (MSF) in all three cohorts. A reduction of ≥50% was obtained in 36-42% of all animals, without significant difference between cohorts. The lower starting dose of 5 mg/kg BID imepitoin was better tolerated, and an up-titration to on average of 15 mg/kg BID was sufficient in cohort A and B. In cohort C, a mean add-on dose of 1.5 mg/kg BID phenobarbital was sufficient to achieve a clinically meaningful effect. Six dogs developed a clinically meaningful increase in MSF of ≥ 50%, mostly in cohort A. Neither imepitoin nor phenobarbital add-on treatment was capable of suppressing cluster seizure activity, making cluster seizure activity an important predictor for drug-resistance. A combination treatment of imepitoin and phenobarbital is a useful treatment option for a subpopulation of dogs with drug-resistant epilepsy, a low starting dose with 5 mg/kg BID is recommended.

Lessons Learned From the Analysis of the SAFOD Downhole Instrument Package.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Wade; Mencin, David; Mattioli, Glen

2013-04-01

In September of 2008 a downhole instrument package (DIP) consisting of a string of seismometers and tilt meters in isolated pressure vessels (PODs) was installed in the SAFOD main borehole. This package was designed to protect the sensors from the corrosive borehole environment and to operate for two years. The SAFOD borehole is not sealed at the bottom allowing borehole gasses and fluids infiltratration. Previous short-term installations of instruments in the SAFOD main borehole had also failed as a result of corrosion of the wireline cable head. The average failure time for these installations was two weeks. The use of stainless steel tubing connected to the pressure vessels through gas tight fittings was designed to block borehole fluid and gas infiltration of the individual instruments within the PODs. Unfortunately, the DIP completely failed within a month of its installation. In October of 2010, the DIP was removed from the borehole and a failure analysis was performed. This analysis involved to following steps: 1. Analysis of data to understand timeline of failure 2. Remove instrument safely, maintaining integrity of spliced section and documenting any external clues. Test instrument at surface 3. Open PODs in a way that allows for sampling and avoids damaging instruments. 4. Chemical analysis of fluids recovered from splices and PODs. 5. Instrument failure analysis by the instrument manufacturers. The analysis found that there were several design flaws in the DIP. This included the use of motor oil to take up air space in the individual PODs, use of a large number of gas tight seals, lack of internal seals, poorly done solder joints, use of non-temperature rated sensors, and lack of management oversight. The lessons learned from the attempts to instrument the SAFOD borehole are critical to the success of future deep borehole projects.

Information retrieval from holographic interferograms: Fundamentals and problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vest, Charles M.

1987-01-01

Holographic interferograms can contain large amounts of information about flow and temperature fields. Their information content can be very high because they can be viewed from many different directions. This multidirectionality, and fringe localization add to the information contained in the fringe pattern if diffuse illumination is used. Additional information, and increased accuracy can be obtained through the use of dual reference wave holography to add reference fringes or to effect discrete phase shift or hetrodyne interferometry. Automated analysis of fringes is possible if interferograms are of simple structure and good quality. However, in practice a large number of practical problems can arise, so that a difficult image processing task results.

Time-resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy: novel technical features and applications for FLIM, FRET and FCS using a sophisticated data acquisition concept in TCSPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koberling, Felix; Krämer, Benedikt; Kapusta, Peter; Patting, Matthias; Wahl, Michael; Erdmann, Rainer

2007-05-01

In recent years time-resolved fluorescence measurement and analysis techniques became a standard in single molecule microscopy. However, considering the equipment and experimental implementation they are typically still an add-on and offer only limited possibilities to study the mutual dependencies with common intensity and spectral information. In contrast, we are using a specially designed instrument with an unrestricted photon data acquisition approach which allows to store spatial, temporal, spectral and intensity information in a generalized format preserving the full experimental information. This format allows us not only to easily study dependencies between various fluorescence parameters but also to use, for example, the photon arrival time for sorting and weighting the detected photons to improve the significance in common FCS and FRET analysis schemes. The power of this approach will be demonstrated for different techniques: In FCS experiments the concentration determination accuracy can be easily improved by a simple time-gated photon analysis to suppress the fast decaying background signal. A more detailed analysis of the arrival times allows even to separate FCS curves for species which differ in their fluorescence lifetime but, for example, cannot be distinguished spectrally. In multichromophoric systems like a photonic wire which undergoes unidirectional multistep FRET the lifetime information complements significantly the intensity based analysis and helps to assign the respective FRET partners. Moreover, together with pulsed excitation the time-correlated analysis enables directly to take advantage of alternating multi-colour laser excitation. This pulsed interleaved excitation (PIE) can be used to identify and rule out inactive FRET molecules which cause interfering artefacts in standard FRET efficiency analysis. We used a piezo scanner based confocal microscope with compact picosecond diode lasers as excitation sources. The timing performance can be significantly increased by using new SPAD detectors which enable, in conjunction with new TCSPC electronics, an overall IRF width of less than 120 ps maintaining single molecule sensitivity.

Microscopic observation drug-susceptibility assay vs. Xpert® MTB/RIF for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in a rural African setting: a cost-utility analysis.

PubMed

Wikman-Jorgensen, Philip E; Llenas-García, Jara; Pérez-Porcuna, Tomàs M; Hobbins, Michael; Ehmer, Jochen; Mussa, Manuel A; Ascaso, Carlos

2017-06-01

To compare the cost-utility of microscopic observation drug-susceptibility assay (MODS) and Xpert ® MTB/RIF implementation for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in rural northern Mozambique. Stochastic transmission compartmental TB model from the healthcare provider perspective with parameter input from direct measurements, systematic literature reviews and expert opinion. MODS and Xpert ® MTB/RIF were evaluated as replacement test of smear microscopy (SM) or as an add-on test after a negative SM. Costs were calculated in 2013 USD, effects in disability-adjusted life years (DALY). Willingness to pay threshold (WPT) was established at once the per capita Gross National Income of Mozambique. MODS as an add-on test to negative SM produced an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 5647.89USD/DALY averted. MODS as a substitute for SM yielded an ICER of 5374.58USD/DALY averted. Xpert ® MTB/RIF as an add-on test to negative SM yielded ICER of 345.71USD/DALY averted. Xpert ® MTB/RIF as a substitute for SM obtained an ICER of 122.13USD/DALY averted. TB prevalence and risk of infection were the main factors impacting MODS and Xpert ® MTB/RIF ICER in the one-way sensitivity analysis. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, Xpert ® MTB/RIF was most likely to have an ICER below the WPT, whereas MODS was not. Our cost-utility analysis favours the implementation of Xpert ® MTB/RIF as a replacement of SM for all TB suspects in this rural high TB/HIV prevalence African setting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reduction in bacterial counts in infected root canals after rotary or hand nickel-titanium instrumentation--a clinical study.

PubMed

Rôças, I N; Lima, K C; Siqueira, J F

2013-07-01

To compare the antibacterial efficacy of two instrumentation techniques, one using hand nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments and the other using rotary NiTi instruments, in root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis. Root canals from single-rooted teeth were instrumented using either hand NiTi instruments in the alternated rotation motion technique or rotary BioRaCe instruments. The irrigant used in both groups was 2.5% NaOCl. DNA extracts from samples taken before and after instrumentation were subjected to quantitative analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Qualitative analysis was also performed using presence/absence data from culture and qPCR assays. Bacteria were detected in all S1 samples by both methods. In culture analysis, 45% and 35% of the canals were still positive for bacterial presence after hand and rotary NiTi instrumentation, respectively (P > 0.05). Rotary NiTi instrumentation resulted in significantly fewer qPCR-positive cases (60%) than hand NiTi instrumentation (95%) (P = 0.01). Intergroup comparison of quantitative data showed no significant difference between the two techniques. There was no significant difference in bacterial reduction in infected canals after instrumentation using hand or rotary NiTi instruments. In terms of incidence of positive results for bacteria, culture also showed no significant differences between the groups, but the rotary NiTi instrumentation resulted in more negative results in the more sensitive qPCR analysis. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PKSolver: An add-in program for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data analysis in Microsoft Excel.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Huo, Meirong; Zhou, Jianping; Xie, Shaofei

2010-09-01

This study presents PKSolver, a freely available menu-driven add-in program for Microsoft Excel written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), for solving basic problems in pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) data analysis. The program provides a range of modules for PK and PD analysis including noncompartmental analysis (NCA), compartmental analysis (CA), and pharmacodynamic modeling. Two special built-in modules, multiple absorption sites (MAS) and enterohepatic circulation (EHC), were developed for fitting the double-peak concentration-time profile based on the classical one-compartment model. In addition, twenty frequently used pharmacokinetic functions were encoded as a macro and can be directly accessed in an Excel spreadsheet. To evaluate the program, a detailed comparison of modeling PK data using PKSolver and professional PK/PD software package WinNonlin and Scientist was performed. The results showed that the parameters estimated with PKSolver were satisfactory. In conclusion, the PKSolver simplified the PK and PD data analysis process and its output could be generated in Microsoft Word in the form of an integrated report. The program provides pharmacokinetic researchers with a fast and easy-to-use tool for routine and basic PK and PD data analysis with a more user-friendly interface. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tutorial in Biostatistics: Instrumental Variable Methods for Causal Inference*

PubMed Central

Baiocchi, Michael; Cheng, Jing; Small, Dylan S.

2014-01-01

A goal of many health studies is to determine the causal effect of a treatment or intervention on health outcomes. Often, it is not ethically or practically possible to conduct a perfectly randomized experiment and instead an observational study must be used. A major challenge to the validity of observational studies is the possibility of unmeasured confounding (i.e., unmeasured ways in which the treatment and control groups differ before treatment administration which also affect the outcome). Instrumental variables analysis is a method for controlling for unmeasured confounding. This type of analysis requires the measurement of a valid instrumental variable, which is a variable that (i) is independent of the unmeasured confounding; (ii) affects the treatment; and (iii) affects the outcome only indirectly through its effect on the treatment. This tutorial discusses the types of causal effects that can be estimated by instrumental variables analysis; the assumptions needed for instrumental variables analysis to provide valid estimates of causal effects and sensitivity analysis for those assumptions; methods of estimation of causal effects using instrumental variables; and sources of instrumental variables in health studies. PMID:24599889

Multitrait-Multimethod Analyses of Two Self-Concept Instruments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Herbert W.; Smith, Ian D.

1982-01-01

The multidimensionality of self-concept and the use of factor analysis in the development of self-concept instruments are supported in multitrait-multimethod analyses of the Sears and Coopersmith instruments. Convergent validity and discriminate validity of subscales in factor analysis and multitrait-multimethod analysis of longitudinal data are…

Schematic of Sample Analysis at Mars SAM Instrument

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-18

This schematic illustration for NASA Mars Science Laboratory Sample Analysis at Mars SAM instrument shows major components of the microwave-oven-size instrument, which will examine samples of Martian rocks, soil and atmosphere.

Spacelab scrubber analysis and test support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Contaminants to be used in qualification and development tests of the add-on charcoal bed scrubber were established, along with rates and methods for their introduction. The contaminant levels to be achieved were predicted and test results were analyzed.

The Internship Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corey, Jim; Killingsworth, M. Jimmie

1987-01-01

Recommends a four-part structure for retrospective internship reports: (1) introduction, (2) narrative, (3) analysis and evaluation, and (4) appendix. Advises teachers to present the report form to the student before the internship begins to add structure to the internship experience. (SKC)

Differential Decomposition Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Remains.

PubMed

Dautartas, Angela; Kenyhercz, Michael W; Vidoli, Giovanna M; Meadows Jantz, Lee; Mundorff, Amy; Steadman, Dawnie Wolfe

2018-03-30

While nonhuman animal remains are often utilized in forensic research to develop methods to estimate the postmortem interval, systematic studies that directly validate animals as proxies for human decomposition are lacking. The current project compared decomposition rates among pigs, rabbits, and humans at the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility across three seasonal trials that spanned nearly 2 years. The Total Body Score (TBS) method was applied to quantify decomposition changes and calculate the postmortem interval (PMI) in accumulated degree days (ADD). Decomposition trajectories were analyzed by comparing the estimated and actual ADD for each seasonal trial and by fuzzy cluster analysis. The cluster analysis demonstrated that the rabbits formed one group while pigs and humans, although more similar to each other than either to rabbits, still showed important differences in decomposition patterns. The decomposition trends show that neither nonhuman model captured the pattern, rate, and variability of human decomposition. © 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Assessing Learning Outcomes: An Analysis of the Goals-2 Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabbag, Anelise Guimaraes; Zieffler, Andrew

2015-01-01

The test instrument GOALS-2 was designed primarily to evaluate the effectiveness of the CATALST curriculum. The purpose of this study was to perform a psychometric analysis of this instrument. Undergraduate students from six universities in the United States (n = 289) were administered the instrument. Three measurement models were fit and…

Authentic Performance in the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory: Building a Visible Spectrophotometer Prototype

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Mark V.; Wilson, Erin

2017-01-01

In this work we describe an authentic performance project for Instrumental Analysis in which students designed, built, and tested spectrophotometers made from simple components. The project addressed basic course content such as instrument design principles, UV-vis spectroscopy, and spectroscopic instrument components as well as skills such as…

A Comparison of Satellite Conjunction Analysis Screening Tools

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

visualization tool. Version 13.1.4 for Linux was tested. The SOAP conjunction analysis function does not have the capacity to perform the large...was examined by SOAP to confirm the conjunction. STK Advanced CAT STK Advanced CAT (Conjunction Analysis Tools) is an add-on module for the STK ...run with each tool. When attempting to perform the seven day all vs all analysis with STK Advanced CAT, the program consistently crashed during report

Capabilities, performance, and status of the SOFIA science instrument suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, John W.; Helton, L. Andrew; Sankrit, Ravi; Andersson, B. G.; Becklin, E. E.; De Buizer, James M.; Dowell, C. D.; Dunham, Edward W.; Güsten, Rolf; Harper, Doyal A.; Herter, Terry L.; Keller, Luke D.; Klein, Randolf; Krabbe, Alfred; Marcum, Pamela M.; McLean, Ian S.; Reach, William T.; Richter, Matthew J.; Roellig, Thomas L.; Sandell, Göran; Savage, Maureen L.; Smith, Erin C.; Temi, Pasquale; Vacca, William D.; Vaillancourt, John E.; Van Cleve, Jeffery E.; Young, Erick T.; Zell, Peter T.

2013-09-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an airborne observatory, carrying a 2.5 m telescope onboard a heavily modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. SOFIA is optimized for operation at infrared wavelengths, much of which is obscured for ground-based observatories by atmospheric water vapor. The SOFIA science instrument complement consists of seven instruments: FORCAST (Faint Object InfraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope), GREAT (German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies), HIPO (High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations), FLITECAM (First Light Infrared Test Experiment CAMera), FIFI-LS (Far-Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer), EXES (Echelon-Cross-Echelle Spectrograph), and HAWC (High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera). FORCAST is a 5-40 μm imager with grism spectroscopy, developed at Cornell University. GREAT is a heterodyne spectrometer providing high-resolution spectroscopy in several bands from 60-240 μm, developed at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. HIPO is a 0.3-1.1 μm imager, developed at Lowell Observatory. FLITECAM is a 1-5 μm wide-field imager with grism spectroscopy, developed at UCLA. FIFI-LS is a 42-210 μm integral field imaging grating spectrometer, developed at the University of Stuttgart. EXES is a 5-28 μm high-resolution spectrograph, developed at UC Davis and NASA ARC. HAWC is a 50-240 μm imager, developed at the University of Chicago, and undergoing an upgrade at JPL to add polarimetry capability and substantially larger GSFC detectors. We describe the capabilities, performance, and status of each instrument, highlighting science results obtained using FORCAST, GREAT, and HIPO during SOFIA Early Science observations conducted in 2011.

[Topic identification for cross-sectoral quality assurance in stroke and TIA treatment].

PubMed

Meyer, Sven; Willms, Gerald; Broge, Björn; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2016-10-01

The development of cross-sectoral quality assurance programs usually requires extensive topic identification. Illustrated by the complex processes of care for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), a method for comprehensive topic identification is presented. The first step involves a thorough literature search in terms of systematic reviews, health technology assessments, guidelines, studies into healthcare delivery and the use of specific instruments. Routine data as well as epidemiologic studies are used to analyze the reality of service provision. In addition, experts are consulted to gain expertise concerning deficits of care, approaches to quality assurance and experience with existing quality assurance programs. Furthermore individual patient experiences are collected to add the patients' perceptions of care. Because of the limitation on the regulatory scope of Book V of the German Social Code, which, in this case, was necessary, another source of information was the legal framework and its impact on rescue chain, acute treatment and rehabilitation. Existent quality management systems, accreditations and quality assurance programs in prevention, acute treatment and rehabilitation have been searched in order to avoid any overlap with existing measures. After identifying a total of 71 quality targets according to deficits of care, recommendations for care and expert opinions in primary and secondary prevention, rescue chain, acute treatment, rehabilitation and supply of assistive equipment and therapies, respectively, the usability of instruments was tested. These instruments included case documentation, patient surveys and routine data. 14 quality targets proved to be reproducible by these instruments and were included in the recommendations for a cross-sectoral quality assurance program for stroke and TIA. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Surgical instrument similarity metrics and tray analysis for multi-sensor instrument identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Bernhard; Schellenberg, Tobias; Franke, Stefan; Dänzer, Stefan; Neumuth, Thomas

2015-03-01

A robust identification of the instrument currently used by the surgeon is crucial for the automatic modeling and analysis of surgical procedures. Various approaches for intra-operative surgical instrument identification have been presented, mostly based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) or endoscopic video analysis. A novel approach is to identify the instruments on the instrument table of the scrub nurse with a combination of video and weight information. In a previous article, we successfully followed this approach and applied it to multiple instances of an ear, nose and throat (ENT) procedure and the surgical tray used therein. In this article, we present a metric for the suitability of the instruments of a surgical tray for identification by video and weight analysis and apply it to twelve trays of four different surgical domains (abdominal surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics and urology). The used trays were digitized at the central sterile services department of the hospital. The results illustrate that surgical trays differ in their suitability for the approach. In general, additional weight information can significantly contribute to the successful identification of surgical instruments. Additionally, for ten different surgical instruments, ten exemplars of each instrument were tested for their weight differences. The samples indicate high weight variability in instruments with identical brand and model number. The results present a new metric for approaches aiming towards intra-operative surgical instrument detection and imply consequences for algorithms exploiting video and weight information for identification purposes.

Working plan for the use of patient-reported outcome measures in adults with brain tumours: a Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) initiative.

PubMed

Dirven, Linda; Armstrong, Terri S; Blakeley, Jaishri O; Brown, Paul D; Grant, Robin; Jalali, Rakesh; Leeper, Heather; Mendoza, Tito; Nayak, Lakshmi; Reijneveld, Jaap C; Le Rhun, Emilie; Walbert, Tobias; Weller, Michael; Wen, Patrick Y; Taphoorn, Martin J B

2018-03-01

The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology-Patient-Reported Outcome (RANO-PRO) working group is an international multidisciplinary collaboration that provides guidance on the use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in clinical trials and practice for adult patients with brain tumours. Findings from both PROs and traditional outcome measures, such as survival, and clinical or radiological response, are essential to inform the research community, policy makers, physicians, and patients in the treatment decision-making process. Previous initiatives in oncology have focused on guidelines concerning the collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of PRO data. However, we recommend the application of appropriate PRO instruments, with respect to its content and measurement properties (ie, research question, content validity, and other measurement properties), in brain tumour research. PROs should be well defined and reliable to generate high-quality evidence, and our recommendations on the use of specific PRO measures could help to improve the quality of PRO evidence derived from neuro-oncological studies, and might add a new dimension in how the value of therapeutics is assessed in patients with brain tumours. In this Policy Review, we present the RANO-PRO working plan for the use of PROs in adults with brain tumours. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coping with changes and uncertainty: A qualitative study of young adult cancer patients' challenges and coping strategies during treatment.

PubMed

Lie, Nataskja-Elena Kersting; Larsen, Torill Marie Bogsnes; Hauken, May Aasebø

2017-07-31

Young adult cancer patients (YACPs), aged 18-35 years when diagnosed with cancer, are in a vulnerable transitioning period from adolescence to adulthood, where cancer adds a tremendous burden. However, YACPs' challenges and coping strategies are under-researched. The objective of this study was to explore what challenges YACP experience during their treatment, and what coping strategies they applied to them. We conducted a qualitative study with a phenomenological-hermeneutic design, including retrospective, semi-structured interviews of 16 YACPs who had undergone cancer treatment. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and interpreted applying the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS). We found "coping with changes and uncertainty" as overarching topic for YACPs' challenges, particularly related to five themes, including (1) receiving the diagnosis, (2) encountering the healthcare system, (3) living with cancer, (4) dealing with the impact of the treatment and (5) reactions from the social network. YACPs' coping strategies applied to these challenges varied broadly and ranged from maladaptive strategies, such as neglecting the situation, to conducive emotional or instrumental approaches to manage their challenges. The findings call for age-specific needs assessments, information and support for YACPs, and their families in order to facilitate YACPs' coping during their treatment. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cassini observations of carbon-based anions in Titan's ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desai, Ravindra; Lewis, Gethyn; Waite, J. Hunter; Kataria, Dhiren; Wellbrock, Anne; Jones, Geraint; Coates, Andrew

2016-07-01

Cassini observations of Titan's ionosphere revealed an atmosphere rich in positively and negatively charged ions and organic molecules. The detection of large quantities of negatively charged ions was particularly surprising and adds Titan to the growing list of locations where anion chemistry has been observed to play an important role. In this study we present updated analysis on these negatively charged ions through an enhanced understanding of the Cassini CAPS Electron Spectrometer (CAPS-ELS) instrument response. The ionisation of Titan's dominant atmospheric constituent, N2, by the HeII Solar line, results in an observable photoelectron population at 24.1eV which we use to correct for differential spacecraft charging. Correcting for further energy-angle signatures within this dataset, we use an updated fitting procedure to show how the ELS mass spectrum, previously grouped into broad mass ranges, can be resolved into specific peaks at multiples of carbon-based anion species up to over 100amu/q. These peaks are shown to be ubiquitous within Titan's upper atmosphere and reminiscent of carbon-based anions identified in dense molecular clouds beyond our Solar System. It is thus shown how the moon Titan in the Outer Solar System can be used as an analogue to study these even more remote and exotic astrophysical environments.

Mental disorders and subsequent educational attainment in a US national sample.

PubMed

Breslau, Joshua; Lane, Michael; Sampson, Nancy; Kessler, Ronald C

2008-07-01

As part of a larger investigation of the adverse effects of mental disorders on role functioning, we examined the associations of early-onset mental disorders with subsequent educational attainment in a large nationally representative survey of the US adult population. Diagnoses and age of onset for each of 17 DSM-IV disorders were assessed through retrospective self-report with the fully structured WHO Composite International Diagnostic Instrument (CIDI). Survival analysis was used to examine the associations between early-onset DSM-IV/CIDI disorders and subsequent termination of schooling with controls for socio-demographic characteristics and childhood adversities (i.e. childhood traumatic events, childhood neglect, parental mental illness, family disruption, and low parental educational attainment). Mental disorders were found to be significantly associated with termination of schooling prior to completion of each of four educational milestones (primary school graduation, high school graduation, college entry, college graduation), with odds ratios in the range of 1.3-7.0. The proportion of school terminations attributable to mental disorders was largest for high school graduation (10.2%) but also meaningful for primary school graduation (3.8%), college entry (4.4%) and college graduation (2.6%). These results add to a growing body of evidence documenting a wide variety of adverse life course effects of mental disorders.

Optical Multi-Gas Monitor Technology Demonstration on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilgrim, Jeffrey S.; Wood, William R.; Casias, Miguel E.; Vakhtin, Andrei B.; Johnson, Michael D.; Mudgett, Paul D.

2014-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) employs a suite of portable and permanently located gas monitors to insure crew health and safety. These sensors are tasked with functions ranging from fixed mass spectrometer based major constituents analysis to portable electrochemical sensor based combustion product monitoring. An all optical multigas sensor is being developed that can provide the specificity of a mass spectrometer with the portability of an electrochemical cell. The technology, developed under the Small Business Innovation Research program, allows for an architecture that is rugged, compact and low power. A four gas version called the Multi-Gas Monitor was launched to ISS in November 2013 aboard Soyuz and activated in February 2014. The portable instrument is comprised of a major constituents analyzer (water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen) and high dynamic range real-time ammonia sensor. All species are sensed inside the same enhanced path length optical cell with a separate vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) targeted at each species. The prototype is controlled digitally with a field-programmable gate array/microcontroller architecture. The optical and electronic approaches are designed for scalability and future versions could add three important acid gases and carbon monoxide combustion product gases to the four species already sensed. Results obtained to date from the technology demonstration on ISS are presented and discussed.

Struggling with one’s own parenting after an upbringing with substance abusing parents

PubMed Central

Tedgård, Eva; Råstam, Maria; Wirtberg, Ingegerd

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Aim: To add to our knowledge concerning the key elements involved in the individual’s experience of growing up with substance abusing parents and the resulting challenges this involved for their own parenthood. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 parents who had participated in a mental health intervention programme. All had experienced substance abusing parents in their family of origin. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. They also completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their attachment style. Result: Participants reported a high incidence of emotional abuse and neglect coupled with inadequate support from the community. Their own parental role was influenced by high parental stress and a majority had an insecure attachment style. Conclusions: All participants had experienced a very difficult childhood which was reinforced by the fact that they received little support from society. Their childhood experience and the resulting challenges that this created in their own parenting role could negatively influence their own children’s ability to form a secure psychosocial development. It is therefore important to develop instruments that can help to identify children who were raised in misuse families in order to accommodate the transgenerational effects of growing up with substance abusing parents. PMID:29482480

Status of air-shower measurements with sparse radio arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröder, Frank G.

2017-03-01

This proceeding gives a summary of the current status and open questions of the radio technique for cosmic-ray air showers, assuming that the reader is already familiar with the principles. It includes recent results of selected experiments not present at this conference, e.g., LOPES and TREND. Current radio arrays like AERA or Tunka-Rex have demonstrated that areas of several km2 can be instrumented for reasonable costs with antenna spacings of the order of 200m. For the energy of the primary particle such sparse antenna arrays can already compete in absolute accuracy with other precise techniques, like the detection of air-fluorescence or air-Cherenkov light. With further improvements in the antenna calibration, the radio detection might become even more accurate. For the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum, Xmax, currently only the dense array LOFAR features a precision similar to the fluorescence technique, but analysis methods for the radio measurement of Xmax are still under development. Moreover, the combination of radio and muon measurements is expected to increase the accuracy of the mass composition, and this around-the-clock recording is not limited to clear nights as are the light-detection methods. Consequently, radio antennas will be a valuable add-on for any air shower array targeting the energy range above 100 PeV.

Editorial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buitink, S.; Hörandel, J. R.; de Jong, S.; Lahmann, R.; Nahnhauer, R.; Scholten, O.

2017-03-01

This proceeding gives a summary of the current status and open questions of the radio technique for cosmic-ray air showers, assuming that the reader is already familiar with the principles. It includes recent results of selected experiments not present at this conference, e.g., LOPES and TREND. Current radio arrays like AERA or Tunka-Rex have demonstrated that areas of several km2 can be instrumented for reasonable costs with antenna spacings of the order of 200m. For the energy of the primary particle such sparse antenna arrays can already compete in absolute accuracy with other precise techniques, like the detection of air-fluorescence or air-Cherenkov light. With further improvements in the antenna calibration, the radio detection might become even more accurate. For the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum, Xmax, currently only the dense array LOFAR features a precision similar to the fluorescence technique, but analysis methods for the radio measurement of Xmax are still under development. Moreover, the combination of radio and muon measurements is expected to increase the accuracy of the mass composition, and this around-the-clock recording is not limited to clear nights as are the light-detection methods. Consequently, radio antennas will be a valuable add-on for any air shower array targeting the energy range above 100 PeV.

Linking Developmental Themes to Theories in the Autobiographical Narratives of Life-Span Development Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayo, Joseph A.

2017-01-01

Prior research findings point to the efficacy of using autobiographical life-story narration as a learning tool in undergraduate classes. The current study seeks to add to the existing literature on this topic by performing a qualitative analysis across events recorded in students' autobiographical narratives. The purpose of this analysis is to…

Participation Structures as a Mediational Means: Learning Balinese Gamelan in the United States through Intent Participation, Mediated Discourse, and Distributed Cognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jocuns, Andrew

2009-01-01

Participation has presented a complex unit of analysis for interactional sociolinguistics. In this study I add another dimension to participation by considering recent theories related to sociocultural activity theory--mediated discourse analysis and distributed cognition. Drawing on examples from "maguru panggul", the traditional…

Lifelong Education and Lifelong Learning with Chinese Characteristics: A Critical Policy Discourse Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shan, Hongxia

2017-01-01

Researchers in China have keenly explored how lifelong education and lifelong learning, as imports from "the West," may become localized in China, although a small chorus has also tried to revitalize Confucianism to bear on the field. This paper adds to this domain of discussion with a critical discourse analysis of Chinese lifelong…

The Impact of Guided Notes on Post-Secondary Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larwin, Karen H.; Larwin, David A.

2013-01-01

The common practice of using of guided notes in the post-secondary classroom is not fully appreciated or understood. In an effort to add to the existing research about this phenomenon, the current investigation expands on previously published research and one previously published meta-analysis that examined the impact of guided notes on…

Identify temporal trend of air temperature and its impact on forest stream flow in Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley using wavelet analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Characterization of stream flow is essential to water resource management, water supply planning, environmental protection, and ecological restoration; while climate change can exacerbate stream flow and add instability to the flow. In this study, the wavelet analysis technique was employed to asse...

Do short courses in evidence based medicine improve knowledge and skills? Validation of Berlin questionnaire and before and after study of courses in evidence based medicine

PubMed Central

Fritsche, L; Greenhalgh, T; Falck-Ytter, Y; Neumayer, H-H; Kunz, R

2002-01-01

Objective To develop and validate an instrument for measuring knowledge and skills in evidence based medicine and to investigate whether short courses in evidence based medicine lead to a meaningful increase in knowledge and skills. Design Development and validation of an assessment instrument and before and after study. Setting Various postgraduate short courses in evidence based medicine in Germany. Participants The instrument was validated with experts in evidence based medicine, postgraduate doctors, and medical students. The effect of courses was assessed by postgraduate doctors from medical and surgical backgrounds. Intervention Intensive 3 day courses in evidence based medicine delivered through tutor facilitated small groups. Main outcome measure Increase in knowledge and skills. Results The questionnaire distinguished reliably between groups with different expertise in evidence based medicine. Experts attained a threefold higher average score than students. Postgraduates who had not attended a course performed better than students but significantly worse than experts. Knowledge and skills in evidence based medicine increased after the course by 57% (mean score before course 6.3 (SD 2.9) v 9.9 (SD 2.8), P<0.001). No difference was found among experts or students in absence of an intervention. Conclusions The instrument reliably assessed knowledge and skills in evidence based medicine. An intensive 3 day course in evidence based medicine led to a significant increase in knowledge and skills. What is already known on this topicNumerous observational studies have investigated the impact of teaching evidence based medicine to healthcare professionals, with conflicting resultsMost of the studies were of poor methodological qualityWhat this study addsAn instrument assessing basic knowledge and skills required for practising evidence based medicine was developed and validatedAn intensive 3 day course on evidence based medicine for doctors from various backgrounds and training level led to a clinically meaningful improvement of knowledge and skills PMID:12468485

Stories of change: the text analysis of handovers in an Italian psychiatric residential care home.

PubMed

Accordini, M; Saita, E; Irtelli, F; Buratti, M; Savuto, G

2017-05-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: There is a growing emphasis on communication as a result of the move towards the more inclusive approach associated with the community-based rehabilitation model. Therefore, more importance is attached to handovers. Besides ensuring transfer of information, handovers enhance group cohesion, socialize staff members to the practices of the service and capture its organizational culture. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: While handovers are mainly used for information transfer and to manage the services' daily routine, this paper offers an insight on how handovers can be conceived as valuable instruments to document cultural and organizational change. Only a limited amount of studies has focused on handovers in mental healthcare settings, and most of them only consider the perspectives of psychiatric nurses, while embracing a broader perspective, this paper provides valuable insights into the perspectives of various service providers. The overcoming of the dichotomy deficit-based vs. recovery-oriented model is possible if professionals use handovers to reflect upon their practice and the ways in which their cultural models are affected by the environmental context. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Handovers are valuable instruments to document organizational change. It would be important for psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities to keep track of the handover records over time as they may provide insightful information about cultural change and the transformations in the core values and beliefs held by professionals. Handovers assure a timely and correct information transfer while socializing workers to the service's culture; however, no study describes them as instruments to document organizational change and only a few have focused on psychiatric settings. Aim To investigate the change in the culture of an Italian psychiatric residential care home as perceived by its mental health workers (MHWs) over the course of two decades. Method Emotional text analysis (ETA) was used to analyse the MHWs' handovers completed from 1990 to 2011. Results The analysis generated four clusters and three main factors illustrating the change in the MHWs' representations of the residential care home and its occupants. The factors showed: (1) the shift from an individualistic, problem-focused view to an inclusive, community-based approach; (2) the presence of a descriptive as well as a specialized language; and (3) the presence of a double focus: on patients and professionals. Conclusions Handovers transcripts document the following changes: (1) a shift from a symptom-based to a recovery-oriented approach; (2) a modification of the MHWs values towards an holistic view of the patient; (3) a growing importance assigned to accountability, services integration and teamwork. The paper shows that handovers can be used diachronically to document organizational change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thermal Protection Supplement for Reducing Interface Thermal Mismatch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, David A. (Inventor); Leiser, Daniel B. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A thermal protection system that reduces a mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients CTE between a first material layer (CTE1) and a second material layer (CTE2) at a first layer-second layer interface. A portion of aluminum borosilicate (abs) or another suitable additive (add), whose CTE value, CTE(add), satisfies (CTE(add)-CTE1)(CTE(add)-CTE2)<0, is distributed with variable additive density,.rho.(z;add), in the first material layer and/or in the second material layer, with.rho.(z;add) near the materials interface being relatively high (alternatively, relatively low) and.rho.(z;add) in a region spaced apart from the interface being relatively low (alternatively, relatively high).

Study on bending behaviour of nickel–titanium rotary endodontic instruments by analytical and numerical analyses

PubMed Central

Tsao, C C; Liou, J U; Wen, P H; Peng, C C; Liu, T S

2013-01-01

Aim To develop analytical models and analyse the stress distribution and flexibility of nickel–titanium (NiTi) instruments subject to bending forces. Methodology The analytical method was used to analyse the behaviours of NiTi instruments under bending forces. Two NiTi instruments (RaCe and Mani NRT) with different cross-sections and geometries were considered. Analytical results were derived using Euler–Bernoulli nonlinear differential equations that took into account the screw pitch variation of these NiTi instruments. In addition, the nonlinear deformation analysis based on the analytical model and the finite element nonlinear analysis was carried out. Numerical results are obtained by carrying out a finite element method. Results According to analytical results, the maximum curvature of the instrument occurs near the instrument tip. Results of the finite element analysis revealed that the position of maximum von Mises stress was near the instrument tip. Therefore, the proposed analytical model can be used to predict the position of maximum curvature in the instrument where fracture may occur. Finally, results of analytical and numerical models were compatible. Conclusion The proposed analytical model was validated by numerical results in analysing bending deformation of NiTi instruments. The analytical model is useful in the design and analysis of instruments. The proposed theoretical model is effective in studying the flexibility of NiTi instruments. Compared with the finite element method, the analytical model can deal conveniently and effectively with the subject of bending behaviour of rotary NiTi endodontic instruments. PMID:23173762

Instructor and course evaluation based on student-identified criteria.

PubMed

Jackson, M O

1977-02-01

Students have come to school for an education and it is their right to evaluate the quality of the education they are receiving. They should not have to demand or even ask for the privilege of saying what they think. Instructors should be providing the opportunity for evaluation by requesting that information from the students. No value judgment can be totally objective, but an instrument composed of mutually agreed upon statements should encourage the greatest possible degree of objectivity. Using one accepted form throughout the school, all students would be considering the same characteristics and traits for every instructor and course evaluated. Each instructor would receive similar information about personal performance and about the course presented. Students would be free to talk to the faculty or to add comments if they so desired; but, a questionnaire used in every course would allow and even encourage responses from every student enrolled. Faculty responsibility would not end with the preparation and implementation of an evaluation instrument. Instructors would have to let the students know their opinions are important and will be considered in curricular and instructional decisions. Faculty and students would be communicating and hopefully fulfilling the needs of and responsibilities to each other.

NASA's Future Active Remote Sensing Missing for Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartley, Jonathan B.

2000-01-01

Since the beginning of space remote sensing of the earth, there has been a natural progression widening the range of electromagnetic radiation used to sense the earth, and slowly, steadily increasing the spatial, spectral, and radiometric resolution of the measurements. There has also been a somewhat slower trend toward active measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum, motivated in part by increased resolution, but also by the ability to make new measurements. Active microwave instruments have been used to measure ocean topography, to study the land surface. and to study rainfall from space. Future NASA active microwave missions may add detail to the topographical studies, sense soil moisture, and better characterize the cryosphere. Only recently have active optical instruments been flown in space by NASA; however, there are currently several missions in development which will sense the earth with lasers and many more conceptual active optical missions which address the priorities of NASA's earth science program. Missions are under development to investigate the structure of the terrestrial vegetation canopy, to characterize the earth's ice caps, and to study clouds and aerosols. Future NASA missions may measure tropospheric vector winds and make vastly improved measurements of the chemical components of the earth's atmosphere.

A Practical Tablet-Based Hearing Aid Configuration as an Exemplar Project for Students of Instrumentation.

PubMed

Simeoni, Ricardo

2015-06-11

This paper presents the configuration and digital signal processing details of a tablet-based hearing aid transmitting wirelessly to standard earphones, whereby the tablet performs full sound processing rather than solely providing a means of setting adjustment by streaming to conventional digital hearing aids. The presented device confirms the recognized advantages of this tablet-based approach (e.g., in relation to cost, frequency domain processing, amplification range, versatility of functionality, component battery rechargeability), and flags the future wider-spread availability of such hearing solutions within mainstream healthcare. The use of a relatively high sampling frequency was found to be beneficial for device performance, while the use of optional off-the-shelf add-on components (e.g., data acquisition device, high fidelity microphone, compact wireless transmitter/receiver, wired headphones) are also discussed in relation to performance optimization. The easy-to-follow configuration utilized is well suited to student learning/research instrumentation projects within the health and biomedical sciences. In this latter regard, the presented device was pedagogically integrated into a flipped classroom approach for the teaching of bioinstrumentation within an Allied Health Sciences School, with the subsequent establishment of positive student engagement outcomes.

Multiplying Mars Lander Opportunities with Marsdrop Microlanders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staehle, Robert L.; Spangelo, Sara; Lane, Marc S.; Aaron, Kim M.; Bhartia, Rohit; Boland, Justin S.; Christensen, Lance E.; Forouhar, Siamak; de la Torre Juarez, Manuel; Trawny, Nikolas;

Teaching Students to Be Instrumental in Analysis: Peer-Led Team Learning in the Instrumental Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jacob L.; Miller, Martin E.; Avitabile, Brianna C.; Burrow, Dillon L.; Schmittou, Allison N.; Mann, Meagan K.; Hiatt, Leslie A.

2017-01-01

Many instrumental analysis students develop limited skills as the course rushes through different instruments to ensure familiarity with as many methodologies as possible. This broad coverage comes at the expense of superficiality of learning and a lack of student confidence and engagement. To mitigate these issues, a peer-led team learning model…

Instrumental Analysis in Environmental Chemistry - Gas Phase Detection Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stedman, Donald H.; Meyers, Philip A.

1974-01-01

Discusses advances made in chemical analysis instrumentation used in environmental monitoring. This first of two articles is concerned with analytical instrumentation in which detection and dispersion depend ultimately on the properties of gaseous molecules. (JR)

Derivation of Design Loads and Random Vibration specifications for Spacecraft Instruments and Sub-Units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fransen, S.; Yamawaki, T.; Akagi, H.; Eggens, M.; van Baren, C.

2014-06-01

After a first estimation based on statistics, the design loads for instruments are generally estimated by coupled spacecraft/instrument sine analysis once an FE-model of the spacecraft is available. When the design loads for the instrument have been derived, the next step in the process is to estimate the random vibration environment at the instrument base and to compute the RMS load at the centre of gravity of the instrument by means of vibro-acoustic analysis. Finally the design loads of the light-weight sub-units of the instrument can be estimated through random vibration analysis at instrument level, taking into account the notches required to protect the instrument interfaces in the hard- mounted random vibration test. This paper presents the aforementioned steps of instrument and sub-units loads derivation in the preliminary design phase of the spacecraft and identifies the problems that may be encountered in terms of design load consistency between low-frequency and high-frequency environments. The SpicA FAR-infrared Instrument (SAFARI) which is currently developed for the Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) will be used as a guiding example.

Regulatory role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 for transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c.

PubMed

Kim, Kang Ho; Song, Min Jeong; Yoo, Eung Jae; Choe, Sung Sik; Park, Sang Dai; Kim, Jae Bum

2004-12-10

Adipocyte determination- and differentiation-dependent factor 1 (ADD1) plays important roles in lipid metabolism and insulin-dependent gene expression. Because insulin stimulates carbohydrate and lipid synthesis, it would be important to decipher how the transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c is regulated in the insulin signaling pathway. In this study, we demonstrated that glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 negatively regulates the transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c. GSK3 inhibitors enhanced a transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c and expression of ADD1/SREBP1c target genes including fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), and steroyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) in adipocytes and hepatocytes. In contrast, overexpression of GSK3beta down-regulated the transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c. GSK3 inhibitor-mediated ADD1/SREBP1c target gene activation did not require de novo protein synthesis, implying that GSK3 might affect transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c at the level of post-translational modification. Additionally, we demonstrated that GSK3 efficiently phosphorylated ADD1/SREBP1c in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, these data suggest that GSK3 inactivation is crucial to confer stimulated transcriptional activity of ADD1/SREBP1c for insulin-dependent gene expression, which would coordinate lipid and glucose metabolism.

Doubling Geothermal Generation Capacity by 2020. A Strategic Analysis

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

Wall, Anna; Young, Katherine

2016-01-01

This report identifies the potential of U.S. geothermal resource and the current market to add an additional 3 GW of geothermal by 2020, in order to meet the goal set forth in the Climate Action Plan.

Pirfenidone in patients with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease associated with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ting; Guo, Li; Chen, Zhiwei; Gu, Liyang; Sun, Fangfang; Tan, Xiaoming; Chen, Sheng; Wang, Xiaodong; Ye, Shuang

2016-09-01

To evaluate the efficacy of pirfenidone in patients with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RPILD) related to clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), we conducted an open-label, prospective study with matched retrospective controls. Thirty patients diagnosed with CADM-RPILD with a disease duration <6 months at Renji Hospital South Campus from June 2014 to November 2015 were prospectively enrolled and treated with pirfenidone at a target dose of 1800 mg/d in addition to conventional treatment, such as a glucocorticoid and/or other immunosuppressants. Matched patients without pirfenidone treatment (n = 27) were retrospectively selected as controls between October 2012 and September 2015. We found that the pirfenidone add-on group displayed a trend of lower mortality compared with the control group (36.7% vs 51.9%, p = 0.2226). Furthermore, the subgroup analysis indicated that the pirfenidone add-on had no impact on the survival of acute ILD patients (disease duration <3 months) (50% vs 50%, p = 0.3862) while for subacute ILD patients (disease duration 3-6 months), the pirfenidone add-on (n = 10) had a significantly higher survival rate compared with the control subgroup (n = 9) (90% vs 44.4%, p = 0.0450). Our data indicated that the pirfenidone add-on may improve the prognosis of patients with subacute ILD related to CADM.

Pirfenidone in patients with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease associated with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis.

PubMed

Li, Ting; Guo, Li; Chen, Zhiwei; Gu, Liyang; Sun, Fangfang; Tan, Xiaoming; Chen, Sheng; Wang, Xiaodong; Ye, Shuang

2016-09-12

To evaluate the efficacy of pirfenidone in patients with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RPILD) related to clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), we conducted an open-label, prospective study with matched retrospective controls. Thirty patients diagnosed with CADM-RPILD with a disease duration <6 months at Renji Hospital South Campus from June 2014 to November 2015 were prospectively enrolled and treated with pirfenidone at a target dose of 1800 mg/d in addition to conventional treatment, such as a glucocorticoid and/or other immunosuppressants. Matched patients without pirfenidone treatment (n = 27) were retrospectively selected as controls between October 2012 and September 2015. We found that the pirfenidone add-on group displayed a trend of lower mortality compared with the control group (36.7% vs 51.9%, p = 0.2226). Furthermore, the subgroup analysis indicated that the pirfenidone add-on had no impact on the survival of acute ILD patients (disease duration <3 months) (50% vs 50%, p = 0.3862); while for subacute ILD patients (disease duration 3-6 months), the pirfenidone add-on (n = 10) had a significantly higher survival rate compared with the control subgroup (n = 9) (90% vs 44.4%, p = 0.0450). Our data indicated that the pirfenidone add-on may improve the prognosis of patients with subacute ILD related to CADM.

Development of an add-on kit for scanning confocal microscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kaikai; Zheng, Guoan

2017-03-01

Scanning confocal microscopy is a standard choice for many fluorescence imaging applications in basic biomedical research. It is able to produce optically sectioned images and provide acquisition versatility to address many samples and application demands. However, scanning a focused point across the specimen limits the speed of image acquisition. As a result, scanning confocal microscope only works well with stationary samples. Researchers have performed parallel confocal scanning using digital-micromirror-device (DMD), which was used to project a scanning multi-point pattern across the sample. The DMD based parallel confocal systems increase the imaging speed while maintaining the optical sectioning ability. In this paper, we report the development of an add-on kit for high-speed and low-cost confocal microscopy. By adapting this add-on kit to an existing regular microscope, one can convert it into a confocal microscope without significant hardware modifications. Compared with current DMD-based implementations, the reported approach is able to recover multiple layers along the z axis simultaneously. It may find applications in wafer inspection and 3D metrology of semiconductor circuit. The dissemination of the proposed add-on kit under $1000 budget could also lead to new types of experimental designs for biological research labs, e.g., cytology analysis in cell culture experiments, genetic studies on multicellular organisms, pharmaceutical drug profiling, RNA interference studies, investigation of microbial communities in environmental systems, and etc.

Energy sources for laparoscopic colectomy: a prospective randomized comparison of conventional electrosurgery, bipolar computer-controlled electrosurgery and ultrasonic dissection. Operative outcome and costs analysis.

PubMed

Targarona, Eduardo Ma; Balague, Carmen; Marin, Juan; Neto, Rene Berindoague; Martinez, Carmen; Garriga, Jordi; Trias, Manuel

2005-12-01

The development of operative laparoscopic surgery is linked to advances in ancillary surgical instrumentation. Ultrasonic energy devices avoid the use of electricity and provide effective control of small- to medium-sized vessels. Bipolar computer-controlled electrosurgical technology eliminates the disadvantages of electrical energy, and a mechanical blade adds a cutting action. This instrument can provide effective hemostasis of large vessels up to 7 mm. Such devices significantly increase the cost of laparoscopic procedures, however, and the amount of evidence-based information on this topic is surprisingly scarce. This study compared the effectiveness of three different energy sources on the laparoscopic performance of a left colectomy. The trial included 38 nonselected patients with a disease of the colon requiring an elective segmental left-sided colon resection. Patients were preoperatively randomized into three groups. Group I had electrosurgery; vascular dissection was performed entirely with an electrosurgery generator, and vessels were controlled with clips. Group II underwent computer-controlled bipolar electrosurgery; vascular and mesocolon section was completed by using the 10-mm Ligasure device alone. In group III, 5-mm ultrasonic shears (Harmonic Scalpel) were used for bowel dissection, vascular pedicle dissection, and mesocolon transection. The mesenteric vessel pedicle was controlled with an endostapler. Demographics (age, sex, body mass index, comorbidity, previous surgery and diagnoses requiring surgery) were recorded, as were surgical details (operative time, conversion, blood loss), additional disposable instruments (number of trocars, EndoGIA charges, and clip appliers), and clinical outcome. Intraoperative economic costs were also evaluated. End points of the trial were operative time and intraoperative blood loss, and an intention-to-treat principle was followed. The three groups were well matched for demographic and pathologic features. Surgical time was significantly longer in patients operated on with conventional electrosurgery vs the Harmonic Scalpel or computed-based bipolar energy devices. This finding correlated with a significant reduction in intraoperative blood loss. Conversion to other endoscopic techniques was more frequent in Group I; however, conversion to open surgery was similar in all three groups. No intraoperative accident related to the use of the specific device was observed in any group. Immediate outcome was similar in the three groups, without differences in morbidity, mortality, or hospital stay. Analysis of operative costs showed no significant differences between the three groups. High-energy power sources specifically adapted for endoscopic surgery reduce operative time and blood loss and may be considered cost-effective when left colectomy is used as a model.

Scripting Module for the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carnright, Robert; Paget, Jim; Coggi, John; Stodden, David

2008-01-01

This add-on module to the SOAP software can perform changes to simulation objects based on the occurrence of specific conditions. This allows the software to encompass simulation response of scheduled or physical events. Users can manipulate objects in the simulation environment under programmatic control. Inputs to the scripting module are Actions, Conditions, and the Script. Actions are arbitrary modifications to constructs such as Platform Objects (i.e. satellites), Sensor Objects (representing instruments or communication links), or Analysis Objects (user-defined logical or numeric variables). Examples of actions include changes to a satellite orbit ( v), changing a sensor-pointing direction, and the manipulation of a numerical expression. Conditions represent the circumstances under which Actions are performed and can be couched in If-Then-Else logic, like performing v at specific times or adding to the spacecraft power only when it is being illuminated by the Sun. The SOAP script represents the entire set of conditions being considered over a specific time interval. The output of the scripting module is a series of events, which are changes to objects at specific times. As the SOAP simulation clock runs forward, the scheduled events are performed. If the user sets the clock back in time, the events within that interval are automatically undone. This script offers an interface for defining scripts where the user does not have to remember the vocabulary of various keywords. Actions can be captured by employing the same user interface that is used to define the objects themselves. Conditions can be set to invoke Actions by selecting them from pull-down lists. Users define the script by selecting from the pool of defined conditions. Many space systems have to react to arbitrary events that can occur from scheduling or from the environment. For example, an instrument may cease to draw power when the area that it is tasked to observe is not in view. The contingency of the planetary body blocking the line of sight is a condition upon which the power being drawn is set to zero. It remains at zero until the observation objective is again in view. Computing the total power drawn by the instrument over a period of days or weeks can now take such factors into consideration. What makes the architecture especially powerful is that the scripting module can look ahead and behind in simulation time, and this temporal versatility can be leveraged in displays such as x-y plots. For example, a plot of a satellite s altitude as a function of time can take changes to the orbit into account.

The VIIRS Ocean Data Simulator Enhancements and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Wayne D.; Patt, Fredrick S.; Franz, Bryan A.; Turpie, Kevin R.; McClain, Charles R.

2011-01-01

The VIIRS Ocean Science Team (VOST) has been developing an Ocean Data Simulator to create realistic VIIRS SDR datasets based on MODIS water-leaving radiances. The simulator is helping to assess instrument performance and scientific processing algorithms. Several changes were made in the last two years to complete the simulator and broaden its usefulness. The simulator is now fully functional and includes all sensor characteristics measured during prelaunch testing, including electronic and optical crosstalk influences, polarization sensitivity, and relative spectral response. Also included is the simulation of cloud and land radiances to make more realistic data sets and to understand their important influence on nearby ocean color data. The atmospheric tables used in the processing, including aerosol and Rayleigh reflectance coefficients, have been modeled using VIIRS relative spectral responses. The capabilities of the simulator were expanded to work in an unaggregated sample mode and to produce scans with additional samples beyond the standard scan. These features improve the capability to realistically add artifacts which act upon individual instrument samples prior to aggregation and which may originate from beyond the actual scan boundaries. The simulator was expanded to simulate all 16 M-bands and the EDR processing was improved to use these bands to make an SST product. The simulator is being used to generate global VIIRS data from and in parallel with the MODIS Aqua data stream. Studies have been conducted using the simulator to investigate the impact of instrument artifacts. This paper discusses the simulator improvements and results from the artifact impact studies.

The VIIRS ocean data simulator enhancements and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Wayne D.; Patt, Frederick S.; Franz, Bryan A.; Turpie, Kevin R.; McClain, Charles R.

2011-10-01

The VIIRS Ocean Science Team (VOST) has been developing an Ocean Data Simulator to create realistic VIIRS SDR datasets based on MODIS water-leaving radiances. The simulator is helping to assess instrument performance and scientific processing algorithms. Several changes were made in the last two years to complete the simulator and broaden its usefulness. The simulator is now fully functional and includes all sensor characteristics measured during prelaunch testing, including electronic and optical crosstalk influences, polarization sensitivity, and relative spectral response. Also included is the simulation of cloud and land radiances to make more realistic data sets and to understand their important influence on nearby ocean color data. The atmospheric tables used in the processing, including aerosol and Rayleigh reflectance coefficients, have been modeled using VIIRS relative spectral responses. The capabilities of the simulator were expanded to work in an unaggregated sample mode and to produce scans with additional samples beyond the standard scan. These features improve the capability to realistically add artifacts which act upon individual instrument samples prior to aggregation and which may originate from beyond the actual scan boundaries. The simulator was expanded to simulate all 16 M-bands and the EDR processing was improved to use these bands to make an SST product. The simulator is being used to generate global VIIRS data from and in parallel with the MODIS Aqua data stream. Studies have been conducted using the simulator to investigate the impact of instrument artifacts. This paper discusses the simulator improvements and results from the artifact impact studies.

What counts: outcome assessment after distal radius fractures in aged patients.

PubMed

Goldhahn, Jörg; Angst, Felix; Simmen, Beat R

2008-09-01

Outcome of surgical interventions at the distal radius does not only depend on the type of intervention used, it also depends on the way the outcome is measured. Substantial differences in outcome assessment between different measurement tools and poor correlation among them result in the question about the best instrument for the evaluation of treatment after distal radius fractures. The aim of the review is to discuss pros and cons of the parameters that are available to assess the outcome after distal radius fractures. The review should help to choose the appropriate instruments for a given research question in aged patients with distal radius fractures. Objective and subjective measures were reviewed with respect to their suitability in outcome assessment. Radiological parameters like inclination, palmar slope, and length of the radius are most common and used to determine especially surgical success. Grip strength and range of motion are considered objective and used as study endpoints in many studies. Functional tests like the Jebsen test provide a realistic feedback about disability but require special skills and resources of the testing personnel. Patient self-assessment adds perceived patient benefit. The patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) provides a reliable and valid instrument for subjective outcome assessment. A combination of objective and subjective parameters should be used to assess the outcome of different treatment strategies due to the known discrepancies. Objective parameters like shortening, radial shift, or others should be clearly defined in the study methodology.

The effect of piezoelectric ultrasonic instrumentation on titanium discs: a microscopy and trace elemental analysis in vitro study.

PubMed

Tawse-Smith, A; Atieh, M A; Tompkins, G; Duncan, W J; Reid, M R; Stirling, C H

2016-08-01

To evaluate in vitro topographical and composition changes by piezoelectric ultrasonic instrumentation with metallic and plastic tips on machined and moderately roughened titanium surfaces. Twenty machined and moderately roughened laser-marked titanium discs were ultrasonically instrumented with metallic and plastic tips. Surface instrumentation was carried out with controlled pressure for 20 and 30 seconds at two power settings. For each time and power setting, instrumentation was repeated four times with one instrumentation per disc quadrant. Surface topography analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Surface roughness measurements were compared between instrumented and non-instrumented surfaces. Surface element composition and rinsing solutions were evaluated using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and trace elemental analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), respectively. SEM photomicrographs and CLSM 3D surface plot images of instrumented machined and moderately roughened surfaces demonstrated severe surface topographical alterations with metallic tips and mild to moderate changes for plastic tip instrumented sites. ICPMS analysis of the rinsing solutions identified titanium and other metal traces with the use of metallic tips, and mainly titanium and carbon when plastic tips were used. Surface EDS analysis showed elemental traces of the ultrasonic tips. Ultrasonic instrumentation with metallic or plastic tips created surface topographical and compositional changes. Different changes in surface topography were noted between the surfaces, as the roughness of the machined surfaces increased while the extent of roughness of the moderately roughened surfaces decreased. The clinical relevance of these changes is yet to be determined. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reconstruction of Flooding Events for the Central Valley, California from Instrumental and Documentary Weather Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodds, S. F.; Mock, C. J.

2009-12-01

All available instrumental winter precipitation data for the Central Valley of California back to 1850 were digitized and analyzed to construct continuous time series. Many of these data, in paper or microfilm format, extend prior to modern National Weather Service Cooperative Data Program and Historical Climate Network data, and were recorded by volunteer observers from networks such as the US Army Surgeon General, Smithsonian Institution, and US Army Signal Service. Given incomplete individual records temporally, detailed documentary data from newspapers, personal diaries and journals, ship logbooks, and weather enthusiasts’ instrumental data, were used in conjunction with instrumental data to reconstruct precipitation frequency per month and season, continuous days of precipitation, and to identify anomalous precipitation events. Multilinear regression techniques, using surrounding stations and the relationships between modern and historical records, bridge timeframes lacking data and provided homogeneous nature of time series. The metadata for each station was carefully screened, and notes were made about any possible changes to the instrumentation, location of instruments, or an untrained observer to verify that anomalous events were not recorded incorrectly. Precipitation in the Central Valley varies throughout the entire region, but waterways link the differing elevations and latitudes. This study integrates the individual station data with additional accounts of flood descriptions through unique newspaper and journal data. River heights and flood extent inundating cities, agricultural lands, and individual homes are often recorded within unique documentary sources, which add to the understanding of flood occurrence within this area. Comparisons were also made between dam and levee construction through time and how waters are diverted through cities in natural and anthropogenically changed environments. Some precipitation that lead to flooding events that occur in the Central Valley in the mid-19th century through the early 20th century are more outstanding at some particular stations than the modern records include. Several years that are included in the study are 1850, 1862, 1868, 1878, 1881, 1890, and 1907. These flood years were compared to the modern record and reconstructed through time series and maps. Incorporating the extent and effects these anomalous events in future climate studies could improve models and preparedness for the future floods.

Development of TPS flight test and operational instrumentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carnahan, K. R.; Hartman, G. J.; Neuner, G. J.

1975-01-01

Thermal and flow sensor instrumentation was developed for use as an integral part of the space shuttle orbiter reusable thermal protection system. The effort was performed in three tasks: a study to determine the optimum instruments and instrument installations for the space shuttle orbiter RSI and RCC TPS; tests and/or analysis to determine the instrument installations to minimize measurement errors; and analysis using data from the test program for comparison to analytical methods. A detailed review of existing state of the art instrumentation in industry was performed to determine the baseline for the departure of the research effort. From this information, detailed criteria for thermal protection system instrumentation were developed.

Sexual offending in adolescence: a comparison of sibling offenders and nonsibling offenders across domains of risk and treatment need.

PubMed

Latzman, Natasha E; Viljoen, Jodi L; Scalora, Mario J; Ullman, Daniel

2011-05-01

Sibling sexual offending has received limited empirical attention, despite estimates that approximately half of all adolescent-perpetrated sexual offenses involve a sibling victim. The present study addresses this gap by examining male adolescent sibling (n = 100) and nonsibling offenders (n = 66) with regard to maltreatment histories and scores on two adolescent risk/need assessment instruments, the ERASOR and YLS/CMI. Adolescents who sexually abused a sibling, versus a nonsibling, were more likely to have histories of sexual abuse and been exposed to domestic violence and pornography. There were no group differences on ERASOR and YLS/CMI scales. This study adds to the limited discourse on sibling sexual offending and the larger literature on the heterogeneity of adolescents who have sexually offended.

Studying the Formation and Development of Molecular Clouds: With the CCAT Heterodyne Array Instrument (CHAI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsmith, Paul F.

2012-01-01

Surveys of all different types provide basic data using different tracers. Molecular clouds have structure over a very wide range of scales. Thus, "high resolution" surveys and studies of selected nearby clouds add critical information. The combination of large-area and high resolution allows Increased spatial dynamic range, which in turn enables detection of new and perhaps critical morphology (e.g. filaments). Theoretical modeling has made major progress, and suggests that multiple forces are at work. Galactic-scale modeling also progressing - indicates that stellar feedback is required. Models must strive to reproduce observed cloud structure at all scales. Astrochemical observations are not unrelated to questions of cloud evolution and star formation but we are still learning how to use this capability.

SEM analysis of defects and wear on Ni-Ti rotary instruments.

PubMed

Arantes, Werington Borges; da Silva, Celso Monteiro; Lage-Marques, José Luiz; Habitante, Sandramarcia; da Rosa, Luiz Carlos Laureano; de Medeiros, João Marcelo Ferreira

2014-01-01

SEM analysis of endodontic instruments from a Ni-Ti rotary system was assessed, before and after using them, considering their defects and deformations. Twenty Twisted File®, BioRąCe®, Mtwo®, and EndoWave® instruments were micrographed at 190× magnification. The files were washed and micrographed again to view alterations as to the presence or absence of irregular edges, grooves, microcavities, and scraping. Simulated root canal preparations were performed using these instruments. The instruments were cleaned and received a microscopic analysis after being used five times. After analysis tests were tested using Fisher's exact test and Kappa to evaluate the concordance among examiners. There was a statistically significant difference with respect to deformations between Twisted File® and other instruments (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in strains between the other groups (p > 0.05). All Twisted File® instruments showed the same defects; however damage were lower than those found in BioRace® and Mtwo®. The Endowave® did not show the same defects. In accordance with the data we conclude that the presence of defects was higher in Twisted File® instruments as the instruments and BioRace® Mtwo® brand, the defect rate was smaller and Endowave® instruments had no defects. Regarding the presence of wear after five uses among the groups all instruments showed changes in their cutting blades. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Creating and Manipulating a Domain-Specific Formal Object Base to Support a Domain-Oriented Application Composition System

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

and add new attributes as needed (11:129). 2.2.3.2 Feature Oriented Domain Analysis In their Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) study, the...dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin Texas, 1990. 12. Kang, Kyo C. and others. Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) Feasibil- ity Study...2-1 2.2.2 Requirements Languages ..................... 2-2 2.2.3 Domain Analysis ............................ 2-3 2.2.4

Implementation of picoSpin Benchtop NMR Instruments into Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories through Spectral Analysis of Fischer Esterification Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yearty, Kasey L.; Sharp, Joseph T.; Meehan, Emma K.; Wallace, Doyle R.; Jackson, Douglas M.; Morrison, Richard W.

2017-01-01

[Superscript 1]H NMR analysis is an important analytical technique presented in introductory organic chemistry courses. NMR instrument access is limited for undergraduate organic chemistry students due to the size of the instrument, price of NMR solvents, and the maintenance level required for instrument upkeep. The University of Georgia Chemistry…

Analysis and evaluation in the production process and equipment area of the low-cost solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, M.; Goldman, H.

1981-01-01

The attributes of the various metallization processes were investigated. It is shown that several metallization process sequences will lead to adequate metallization for large area, high performance solar cells at a metallization add on price in the range of $6. to 12. m squared, or 4 to $.8/W(peak), assuming 15% efficiency. Conduction layer formation by thick film silver or by tin or tin/lead solder leads to metallization add-on prices significantly above the $6. to 12/m squared range c.) The wet chemical processes of electroless and electrolytic plating for strike/barrier layer and conduction layer formation, respectively, seem to be most cost effective.

A comparison of two computer-automated semen analysis instruments for the evaluation of sperm motion characteristics in the stallion.

PubMed

Jasko, D J; Lein, D H; Foote, R H

1990-01-01

Two commercially available computer-automate semen analysis instruments (CellSoft Automated Semen Analyzer and HTM-2000 Motion Analyzer) were compared for their ability to report similar results based on the analysis of pre-recorded video tapes of extended, motile stallion semen. The determinations of the percentage of motile cells by these instruments were more similar than the comparisons between subjective estimates and either instrument. However, mean values obtained from the same sample may still differ by as much as 30 percentage units between instruments. Instruments varied with regard to the determinations of mean sperm curvilinear velocity and sperm concentration, but mean sperm linearity determinations were similar between the instruments. We concluded that the determinations of sperm motion characteristics by subjective estimation, CellSoft Automated Semen Analyzer, and HTM-2000 Motility Analyzer are often dissimilar, making direct comparisons of results difficult.

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

PubMed

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

2016-12-01

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

The ssWavelets package

Treesearch

Jeffrey H. Gove

2017-01-01

This package adds several classes, generics and associated methods as well as a few various functions to help with wavelet decomposition of sampling surfaces generated using sampSurf. As such, it can be thought of as an extension to sampSurf for wavelet analysis.

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

Pinilla, Maria Isabel

This report seeks to study and benchmark code predictions against experimental data; determine parameters to match MCNP-simulated detector response functions to experimental stilbene measurements; add stilbene processing capabilities to DRiFT; and improve NEUANCE detector array modeling and analysis using new MCNP6 and DRiFT features.

Numerical analysis on the cutting and finishing efficiency of MRAFF process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lih, F. L.

2016-03-01

The aim of the present research is to conduct a numerical study of the characteristic of a two-phase magnetorheological fluid with different operation conditions by the finite volume method called SIMPLE with an add-on MHD code.

Analysis of Strategies for Multiple Emissions from Electric Power SO2, NOX, CO2, Mercury and RPS

EIA Publications

2001-01-01

At the request of the Subcommittee, the Energy Information Administration prepared an initial report that focused on the impacts of reducing power sector NOx, SO2, and CO2 emissions. The current report extends the earlier analysis to add the impacts of reducing power sector mercury emissions and introducing renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements.

Course-Shopping in the Urban Community Colleges: An Analysis of Student Drop and Add Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagedorn, Linda Serra; Maxwell, William B.; Cypers, Scott; Moon, Hye Sun; Lester, Jaime

This study examines the course shopping behaviors of approximately 5,000 community college students enrolled across the nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District in spring 2001. The sample students are representative of the district. For the purpose of this analysis, the authors define course shopping as: (1) cyclic shopping, the…

Rasch Analysis of the Locus-of-Hope Scale. Brief Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadiana, Leny G.; David, Adonis P.

2015-01-01

The Locus-of-Hope Scale (LHS) was developed as a measure of the locus-of-hope dimensions (Bernardo, 2010). The present study adds to the emerging literature on locus-of-hope by assessing the psychometric properties of the LHS using Rasch analysis. The results from the Rasch analyses of the four subscales of LHS provided evidence on the…

Distribution and progression of add power among people in need of near correction.

PubMed

Han, Xiaotong; Lee, Pei Ying; Liu, Chi; He, Mingguang

2018-04-16

This study helps to better understand the need and trend in presbyopic add power in the aging society. Distribution and progression of presbyopic add power in East Asian population is largely unknown. Prospective cohort study. About 303 participants from a population-based study of residents aged 35 years and older in Guangzhou, China. Visual acuity (VA) test and non-cycloplegic automated refraction were performed at baseline in 2008 and the 6-year follow-up per standardized protocol. Participants with presenting near VA ≤ 20/40 underwent distance subjective refraction and add power measurement by increasing plus lens at a standard distance of 40 cm at each visit. Add power at baseline and follow-ups. Mean (standard deviation) age of the study participants was 57.6 (11.1) years and 50.2% were female. The mean add power at baseline was 1.43, 1.73, 2.03 and 2.20 diopters (D) for individuals in the age groups of 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65+ years, respectively. Participants with older age and lower educational level had significantly higher add power requirements (P < 0.001). The overall 6-year increase in add power was 0.15D (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.25), and was smaller in myopic subjects (P = 0.03). Baseline age and add power, but not changes in biometric factors, were associated with longitudinal change in add power (P < 0.001). Distribution and progression of add power in Chinese was different from that previously suggested by Caucasian studies. More studies are needed to establish up-to-date age-related add power prescription norms for population of different ethnicities. © 2018 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Metabolomic profiling of doxycycline treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Singh, Brajesh; Jana, Saikat K; Ghosh, Nilanjana; Das, Soumen K; Joshi, Mamata; Bhattacharyya, Parthasarathi; Chaudhury, Koel

2017-01-05

Serum metabolic profiling can identify the metabolites responsible for discrimination between doxycycline treated and untreated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and explain the possible effect of doxycycline in improving the disease conditions. 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was used to obtain serum metabolic profiles of 60 add-on doxycycline treated COPD patients and 40 patients receiving standard therapy. The acquired data were analyzed using multivariate principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal projection to latent structure with discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). A clear metabolic differentiation was apparent between the pre and post doxycycline treated group. The distinguishing metabolites lactate and fatty acids were significantly down-regulated and formate, citrate, imidazole and l-arginine upregulated. Lactate and folate are further validated biochemically. Metabolic changes, such as decreased lactate level, inhibited arginase activity and lowered fatty acid level observed in COPD patients in response to add-on doxycycline treatment, reflect the anti-inflammatory action of the drug. Doxycycline as a possible therapeutic option for COPD seems promising. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The causal role of smoking on the risk of hip or knee replacement due to primary osteoarthritis: a Mendelian randomisation analysis of the HUNT study.

PubMed

Johnsen, M B; Vie, G Å; Winsvold, B S; Bjørngaard, J H; Åsvold, B O; Gabrielsen, M E; Pedersen, L M; Hellevik, A I; Langhammer, A; Furnes, O; Flugsrud, G B; Skorpen, F; Romundstad, P R; Storheim, K; Nordsletten, L; Zwart, J A

2017-06-01

Smoking has been associated with a reduced risk of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) and subsequent joint replacement. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the observed association is likely to be causal. 55,745 participants of a population-based cohort were genotyped for the rs1051730 C > T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a proxy for smoking quantity among smokers. A Mendelian randomization analysis was performed using rs1051730 as an instrument to evaluate the causal role of smoking on the risk of hip or knee replacement (combined as total joint replacement (TJR)). Association between rs1051730 T alleles and TJR was estimated by hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All analyses were adjusted for age and sex. Smoking quantity (no. of cigarettes) was inversely associated with TJR (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.97-0.98). In the Mendelian randomization analysis, rs1051730 T alleles were associated with reduced risk of TJR among current smokers (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.98, per T allele), however we found no evidence of association among former (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88-1.07) and never smokers (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89-1.06). Neither adjusting for body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular disease (CVD) nor accounting for the competing risk of mortality substantially changed the results. This study suggests that smoking may be causally associated with the reduced risk of TJR. Our findings add support to the inverse association found in previous observational studies. More research is needed to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this causal association. Copyright © 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of Edinburgh visual gait score as an evaluation tool for children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Del Pilar Duque Orozco, Maria; Abousamra, Oussama; Church, Chris; Lennon, Nancy; Henley, John; Rogers, Kenneth J; Sees, Julieanne P; Connor, Justin; Miller, Freeman

2016-09-01

Assessment of gait abnormalities in cerebral palsy (CP) is challenging, and access to instrumented gait analysis is not always feasible. Therefore, many observational gait analysis scales have been devised. This study aimed to evaluate the interobserver reliability, intraobserver reliability, and validity of Edinburgh visual gait score (EVGS). Video of 30 children with spastic CP were reviewed by 7 raters (10 children each in GMFCS levels I, II, and III, age 6-12 years). Three observers had high level of experience in gait analysis (10+ years), two had medium level (2-5 years) and two had no previous experience (orthopedic fellows). Interobserver reliability was evaluated using percentage of complete agreement and kappa values. Criterion validity was evaluated by comparing EVGS scores with 3DGA data taken from the same video visit. Interobserver agreement was 60-90% and Kappa values were 0.18-0.85 for the 17 items in EVGS. Reliability was higher for distal segments (foot/ankle/knee 63-90%; trunk/pelvis/hip 60-76%), with greater experience (high 66-91%, medium 62-90%, no-experience 41-87%), with more EVGS practice (1st 10 videos 52-88%, last 10 videos 64-97%) and when used with higher functioning children (GMFCS I 65-96%, II 58-90%, III 35-65%). Intraobserver agreement was 64-92%. Agreement between EVGS and 3DGA was 52-73%. We believe that having EVGS as part of the standardized gait evaluation is helpful in optimizing the visual scoring. EVGS can be a supportive tool that adds quantitative data instead of only qualitative assessment to a video only gait evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Use of ATR-FTIR in Conjunction with Thermal Analysis Methods for Efficient Identification of Polymer Samples: A Qualitative Multiinstrument Instrumental Analysis Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickson-Karn, Nicole M.

2017-01-01

A multi-instrument approach has been applied to the efficient identification of polymers in an upper-division undergraduate instrumental analysis laboratory course. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is used in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to identify 18 polymer samples and…

Analytical techniques and instrumentation: A compilation. [analytical instrumentation, materials performance, and systems analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Technical information is presented covering the areas of: (1) analytical instrumentation useful in the analysis of physical phenomena; (2) analytical techniques used to determine the performance of materials; and (3) systems and component analyses for design and quality control.

Effectiveness of vildagliptin versus other oral antidiabetes drugs as add-on to sulphonylurea monotherapy: Post hoc analysis from the EDGE study.

PubMed

Prasanna Kumar, K M; Phadke, U; Brath, H; Gawai, A; Paldánius, P M; Mathieu, C

2016-12-01

In this post hoc analysis of the EDGE study, we assessed the effectiveness and safety of vildagliptin versus other oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs) as add-on to first-line sulphonylurea (SU) therapy in patients who did not receive metformin in a real-life setting. The primary endpoint was odds of achieving an HbA1c reduction of >0.3% without tolerability issues. Secondary endpoint was odds of achieving HbA1c <7.0% without hypoglycaemia or weight gain. Changes in HbA1c, body weight; and safety were also assessed. 2936 patients received vildagliptin and 820 received comparator OADs (any α-GI, TZD, glinide) as add-on to first-line SU therapy. Overall, the mean age, disease duration, HbA1c, and BMI at baseline were 57.1 years, 6.3 years, 8.5%, and 27.7kg/m 2 , respectively. The odds ratios for achieving primary and secondary endpoints were 1.6 (95% CI: 1.36, 1.86; p<0.0001) and 1.8 (1.45, 2.21; p<0.0001), respectively, in favour of vildagliptin. The between-treatment differences (vildagliptin vs. comparator OAD) for the mean change in HbA1c and body weight were -0.2±0.04% (p<0.0001) and -0.8±0.16kg (p<0.0001), respectively. Overall, the incidence of adverse events was low (vildagliptin, 7% vs. comparator, 8.2%) in both groups. Similar results were observed in a subset of patients enrolled from India and patients who received TZDs as a comparator OAD. Under real-life settings, vildagliptin as add-on to SU monotherapy showed better glycaemic response without tolerability issues compared with other OADs. Copyright © 2016 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SwathProfiler and NProfiler: Two new ArcGIS Add-ins for the automatic extraction of swath and normalized river profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Peña, J. V.; Al-Awabdeh, M.; Azañón, J. M.; Galve, J. P.; Booth-Rea, G.; Notti, D.

2017-07-01

The present-day great availability of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models has improved tectonic geomorphology analyses in their methodological aspects and geological meaning. Analyses based on topographic profiles are valuable to explore the short and long-term landscape response to tectonic activity and climate changes. Swath and river longitudinal profiles are two of the most used analysis to explore the long and short-term landscape responses. Most of these morphometric analyses are conducted in GIS software, which have become standard tools for analyzing drainage network metrics. In this work we present two ArcGIS Add-Ins to automatically delineate swath and normalized river profiles. Both tools are programmed in Visual Basic . NET and use ArcObjects library-architecture to access directly to vector and raster data. The SwathProfiler Add-In allows analyzing the topography within a swath or band by representing maximum-minimum-mean elevations, first and third quartile, local relief and hypsometry. We have defined a new transverse hypsometric integral index (THi) that analyzes hypsometry along the swath and offer valuable information in these kind of graphics. The NProfiler Add-In allows representing longitudinal normalized river profiles and their related morphometric indexes as normalized concavity (CT), maximum concavity (Cmax) and length of maximum concavity (Lmax). Both tools facilitate the spatial analysis of topography and drainage networks directly in a GIS environment as ArcMap and provide graphical outputs. To illustrate how these tools work, we analyzed two study areas, the Sierra Alhamilla mountain range (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain) and the Eastern margin of the Dead Sea (Jordan). The first study area has been recently studied from a morphotectonic perspective and these new tools can show an added value to the previous studies. The second study area has not been analyzed by quantitative tectonic geomorphology and the results suggest a landscape in transient state due to a continuous base-level fall produced by the formation of the Dead Sea basin.

Generating Atomistic Slab Surfaces with Adsorbates

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. from six.moves import range import os import sys import math import copy import numpy as np from...import StructureMatcher from math import acos from mpinterfaces.utils import align_axis, add_vacuum from pymatgen.analysis.structure_matcher import

GDOT Local Beneficiary Analysis of TIA Project Expenditures, Phase II : Impact Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-05-01

In 2012, voters in three regions of GeorgiaCentral Savannah River Area, Heart of Georgia Altamaha, and River Valleyapproved the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) referendum, which added 1% to local sales taxes. Seventy-five percent of the add...

Combining Chemistry and Music to Engage Student Interest: Using Songs to Accompany Selected Chemical Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Last, Arthur M.

2009-01-01

The use of recorded music to add interest to a variety of lecture topics is described. Topics include the periodic table, the formation of ionic compounds, thermodynamics, carbohydrates, nuclear chemistry, and qualitative analysis. (Contains 1 note.)

Analysis of Driver Behavior and Operations at Intersection Short Lanes

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

With the ever-increasing demand to add roadway capacity in a safe and efficient manner, the application of auxiliary through lanes (ATLs) at intersections has increased in recent years. ATL intersections exist when there is an added through lane intr...

TOPLEX: Teleoperated Lunar Explorer. Instruments and Operational Concepts for an Unmanned Lunar Rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blacic, James D.

1992-01-01

A Teleoperated Lunar Explorer, or TOPLEX, consisting of a lunar lander payload in which a small, instrument-carrying lunar surface rover is robotically landed and teleoperated from Earth to perform extended lunar geoscience and resource evaluation traverses is proposed. The rover vehicle would mass about 100 kg and carry approximately 100 kg of analytic instruments. Four instruments are envisioned: (1) a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer (LIBS) for geochemical analysis at ranges up to 100 m, capable of operating in three different modes; (2) a combined x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction (XRF/XRD) instrument for elemental and mineralogic analysis of acquired samples; (3) a mass spectrometer system for stepwise heating analysis of gases released from acquired samples; and (4) a geophysical instrument package for subsurface mapping of structures such as lava tubes.

2017 National Household Travel Survey - California Add-On |

Science.gov Websites

Transportation Secure Data Center | NREL 7 National Household Travel Survey - California Add-On 2017 National Household Travel Survey - California Add-On The California add-on survey supplements the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) with additional household samples and detailed travel

Etiology of Attention Disorders: A Neurological/Genetic Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grantham, Madeline Kay

This paper explores the historical origins of attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) as a neurological disorder, current neurological and genetic research concerning the etiology of ADD/ADHD, and implications for diagnosis and treatment. First, ADD/ADHD is defined and then the origins of ADD/ADHD as a…

Modification of the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-Hm) to consider personalized satisfaction with participation in activities and roles: results from a construct validity study with older adults.

PubMed

Roy-Bouthot, Kathleen; Filiatrault, Patrick; Caron, Cyndi; Gagnon, Maxime; Prémont, Stéphanie; Levasseur, Mélanie

2014-01-01

Participation, defined as a person's involvement in activities and roles, is a primary intervention goal in rehabilitation. To achieve client-centered practice, rehabilitation professionals need to go beyond objective accomplishment criteria and consider satisfaction with and the importance of participation in activities and roles. To our knowledge, no instrument considers accomplishment, satisfaction and importance of activities and roles, and allows numerical scoring and comparison. The objectives of this study were to modify the Assessment of Life Habits questionnaire (LIFE-Hm) to consider personalized satisfaction (satisfaction weighted by importance) with participation in activities and roles, and to: (1) examine its convergent validity with quality of life (QOL) and (2) compare the associations between QOL on the one hand and, satisfaction (LIFE-H) and personalized satisfaction (LIFE-Hm) with participation on the other. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 84 older adults, average age 76 years, with different functional autonomy levels. Quality of life was associated with personalized satisfaction for all categories of activities and roles (r = 0.45 to 0.75; p < 0.001). These associations differed significantly from the associations with satisfaction for the "housing", "mobility" and "responsibilities" categories (p = 0.04 to 0.0047). This study found good construct validity of the LIFE-Hm with QOL. Personalization can add value in achieving client-centered practice. Implications for Rehabilitation The LIFE-Hm becomes the first instrument available in English and French that allows comparison between individuals and informs rehabilitation professionals about the level of accomplishment, satisfaction and personalized satisfaction with participation in activities and roles. Personalized satisfaction can add value in achieving client-centered practice as it considers not only how satisfying activities and roles are for the person, but also the importance that these activities and roles have for her/him. The LIFE-Hm offers the advantage of systematically identifying activities and roles which are not satisfactory but are important for the client and have the potential to be improved (lower accomplishment level).

Latest NASA Instrument Cost Model (NICM): Version VI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mrozinski, Joe; Habib-Agahi, Hamid; Fox, George; Ball, Gary

2014-01-01

The NASA Instrument Cost Model, NICM, is a suite of tools which allow for probabilistic cost estimation of NASA's space-flight instruments at both the system and subsystem level. NICM also includes the ability to perform cost by analogy as well as joint confidence level (JCL) analysis. The latest version of NICM, Version VI, was released in Spring 2014. This paper will focus on the new features released with NICM VI, which include: 1) The NICM-E cost estimating relationship, which is applicable for instruments flying on Explorer-like class missions; 2) The new cluster analysis ability which, alongside the results of the parametric cost estimation for the user's instrument, also provides a visualization of the user's instrument's similarity to previously flown instruments; and 3) includes new cost estimating relationships for in-situ instruments.

Desorden Deficitario de la Atencion. Segunda Edicion. NICHCY Briefing Paper [and] El Desorden Deficitario de la Atencion: Una Bibliografia de Materiales en Ingles y Espanol (Attention Deficit Disorder. Second Edition. NICHCY Briefing Paper [and] Attention Deficit Disorder: A Bibliography of Materials in English and Spanish).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Mary

This briefing paper uses a question-and-answer format to provide basic information about children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Questions address the following concerns: nature and incidence of ADD; causes of ADD; signs of ADD (impulsivity, hyperactivity, disorganization, social skill deficits); the diagnostic ADD assessment; how to…

Efficacy and safety of golimumab in Indian patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Subgroup data from GO-MORE study.

PubMed

Pal, Sarvajeet; Veeravalli, Sarath Chandra Mouli; Das, Siddharth Kumar; Shobha, Vineeta; Uppuluri, Ramakrishna Rao; Dharmanand, B G; Nadkar, Milind; Hsia, Elizabeth; Fei, Kaiyin; Yao, Ruji; Khalifa, Ahmed

2016-11-01

To conduct a subgroup analysis of GO-MORE trial Part 1, comparing efficacy and safety of add-on subcutaneous golimumab therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients enrolled from and outside India. GO-MORE was an open-label, multicenter, prospective trial of add-on golimumab in biologic-naïve RA patients, having active disease despite being on conventional DMARD regimen(s). Part 1 of the study was chosen as the focus of this subgroup analysis because a substantial number of Indian patients (106) were enrolled compared to no Indian patients in Part 2. The primary efficacy outcome was proportion of patients achieving good to moderate DAS28-ESR (Disease Activity Score of 28 joints calculated using erythrocyte sedimentation rate) European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response at month 6. Efficacy evaluable population comprised of 105 and 3175 patients from India and outside India, respectively. Safety analysis included 106 patients enrolled from India and 3251 from outside India. A higher proportion of Indian patients had a high disease activity as measured by DAS28 ESR than outside India patients. At month 6, the proportion of Indian and non-Indian patients achieving DAS28-ESR, DAS28 - C-reactive protein, simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission, and EuroQoL Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D) scores were comparable. Incidence of all adverse events was lower in Indian patients. There were no deaths, cases of tuberculosis or malignancy reported in the patients from India at month 6. The efficacy and safety results with add-on golimumab were consistent between RA patients from India and outside India, despite high baseline disease activity in the Indian patients. © 2016 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Treatment of Early-Age Mania: Outcomes for Partial and Nonresponders to Initial Treatment.

PubMed

Walkup, John T; Wagner, Karen Dineen; Miller, Leslie; Yenokyan, Gayane; Luby, Joan L; Joshi, Paramjit T; Axelson, David A; Robb, Adelaide; Salpekar, Jay A; Wolf, Dwight; Sanyal, Abanti; Birmaher, Boris; Vitiello, Benedetto; Riddle, Mark A

2015-12-01

The Treatment of Early Age Mania (TEAM) study evaluated lithium, risperidone, and divalproex sodium (divalproex) in children with bipolar I disorder who were naive to antimanic medication, or were partial or nonresponders to 1 of 3 study medications. This report evaluates the benefit of either an add-on or a switch of antimanic medications for an 8-week trial period in partial responders and nonresponders, respectively. TEAM is a randomized, controlled trial of individuals (N = 379) aged 6 to 15 years (mean ± SD = 10.2 ± 2.7 years) with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder (mixed or manic phase). Participants (n = 154) in this report were either nonresponders or partial responders to 1 of the 3 study medications. Nonresponders (n = 89) were randomly assigned to 1 of the other 2 antimanic medications and cross-tapered. Partial responders (n = 65) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 other antimanic medications as an add-on to their initial medication. Adverse event (AE) rates are reported only for the add-on group. Response rate for children switched to risperidone (47.6%) was higher than for those switched to either lithium (12.8%; p = .005; number needed to treat [NNT] = 3; 95% CI = 1.71-9.09) or divalproex (17.2%; p = .03; NNT = 3; 95% CI = 1.79-20.10); response rate for partial responders who added risperidone (53.3%) was higher than for those who added divalproex (0%; p = .0002; NNT = 2; 95% CI = 1.27-3.56) and trended higher for lithium (26.7%; p = .07; NNT = 4). Reported AEs in the add-on group were largely consistent with the known AE profile for the second medication. Weight gain (kg) was observed for all add-on medications: lithium add-on (n = 29 of 30) = 1.66 ± 1.97; risperidone add-on (n = 15 of 15) = 2.8 ± 1.34; divalproex add-on (n = 19 of 20) = 1.42 ± 1.96. There was no evidence at the 5% significance level that the average weight gain was different by study medication for partial responders (p = .07, 1-way analysis of variance). Risperidone appears to be more useful than lithium or divalproex for children with bipolar I disorder and other comorbid conditions who are nonresponders or partial responders to an initial antimanic medication trial. Clinical trial registration information-Study of Outcome and Safety of Lithium, Divalproex and Risperidone for Mania in Children and Adolescents (TEAM); http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00057681. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Seattle Rideshare Fleet Adds EVs, Enjoys

Science.gov Websites

Fuels Data Center: Seattle Rideshare Fleet Adds EVs, Enjoys Success on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Seattle Rideshare Fleet Adds EVs, Enjoys Success on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Seattle Rideshare Fleet Adds EVs, Enjoys Success on Google Bookmark Alternative Fuels

The Source for ADD/ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richard, Gail J.; Russell, Joy L.

This book is intended for professionals who are responsible for designing and implementing educational programs for children with attention deficit disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). Chapters address: (1) myths and realities about ADD/ADHD; (2) definitions, disorders associated with ADD/ADHD, and federal educational…

[Isolation of children with attention deficit disorder in their classrooms].

PubMed

Mino, Y; Yasuda, N; Ohara, H; Nagamatsu, K; Yoshida, T

1990-10-01

The isolation of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) among peers was examined by conducting sociometric tests in 28 classrooms to which ADD children belonged. The conclusions are as follows: 1. Among ADD children, 39.3% were classified as isolated children who received no Social Choice votes, a proportion that was significantly higher than normal controls. 2. Results suggests that isolation was correlated with such characteristics of ADD children as higher grade in school, later first consultation and lower IQ levels. 3. Classroom characteristics which correlated with isolation of ADD children were larger number of children per class and stronger class cohesion. It is thought that reducing the number of children in each class will be effective in preventing isolation of ADD children. 4. The possibility of an association between assessment of parents for social relationships of ADD children and their isolation exists and needs to be assessed. The authors emphasize the need for ADD children to have support in their interpersonal relationships, and discuss ways of intervention to prevent their being isolated in their classrooms.

Pressure-Assisted Chelating Extraction as a Teaching Tool in Instrumental Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadik, Omowunmi A.; Wanekaya, Adam K.; Yevgeny, Gelfand

2004-01-01

A novel instrumental-digestion technique using pressure-assisted chelating extraction (PACE), for undergraduate laboratory is reported. This procedure is used for exposing students to safe sample-preparation techniques, for correlating wet-chemical methods with modern instrumental analysis and comparing the performance of PACE with conventional…

Identify temporal trend of air temperature and its impact on forest stream flow in Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley using wavelet analysis

Treesearch

Ying Ouyang; Prem B. Parajuli; Yide Li; Theodor D. Leininger; Gary Feng

2017-01-01

Characterization of stream flow is essential to water resource management, water supply planning, environmental protection, and ecological restoration; while air temperature variation due to climate change can exacerbate stream flow and add instability to the flow. In this study, the wavelet analysis technique was employed to identify temporal trend of air temperature...

Response inhibition in Attention deficit disorder and neurofibromatosis type 1 – clinically similar, neurophysiologically different

PubMed Central

Bluschke, Annet; von der Hagen, Maja; Papenhagen, Katharina; Roessner, Veit; Beste, Christian

2017-01-01

There are large overlaps in cognitive deficits occurring in attention deficit disorder (ADD) and neurodevelopmental disorders like neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). This overlap is mostly based on clinical measures and not on in-depth analyses of neuronal mechanisms. However, the consideration of such neuronal underpinnings is crucial when aiming to integrate measures that can lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Inhibitory control deficits, for example, are a hallmark in ADD, but it is unclear how far there are similar deficits in NF1. We thus compared adolescent ADD and NF1 patients to healthy controls in a Go/Nogo task using behavioural and neurophysiological measures. Clinical measures of ADD-symptoms were not different between ADD and NF1. Only patients with ADD showed increased Nogo errors and reductions in components reflecting response inhibition (i.e. Nogo-P3). Early perceptual processes (P1) were changed in ADD and NF1. Clinically, patients with ADD and NF1 thus show strong similarities. This is not the case in regard to underlying cognitive control processes. This shows that in-depth analyses of neurophysiological processes are needed to determine whether the overlap between ADD and NF1 is as strong as assumed and to develop appropriate treatment strategies. PMID:28262833

Impact of Anxiety and/or Depressive Disorders and Chronic Somatic Diseases on disability and work impairment.

PubMed

Bokma, Wicher A; Batelaan, Neeltje M; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Penninx, Brenda W J H

2017-03-01

Anxiety and/or Depressive Disorders (ADDs) and Chronic Somatic Diseases (CSDs) are associated with substantial levels of health-related disability and work impairment. However, it is unclear whether comorbid ADDs and CSDs additively affect functional outcomes. This paper examines the impact of ADDs, CSDs, and their comorbidity on disability, work absenteeism and presenteeism. Baseline data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (n=2371) were used. We assessed presence of current ADDs (using psychiatric interviews, CIDI) and presence of self-reported CSDs. Outcome measures were disability scores (WHO-DAS II questionnaire, overall and domain-specific), work absenteeism (≤2weeks and >2weeks; TiC-P) and presenteeism (reduced and impaired work performance; TiC-P). We conducted multivariate regression analyses adjusted for socio-demographics. Both ADDs and CSDs significantly and independently impact total disability, but the impact was substantially larger for ADDs (main effect unstandardized β=20.1, p<.001) than for CSDs (main effect unstandardized β=3.88, p<.001). There was a positive interaction between ADDs and CSDs on disability (unstandardized β interaction=4.06, p=.004). Although CSDs also induce absenteeism (OR for extended absenteeism=1.42, p=.015) and presenteeism (OR for impaired work performance=1.42, p=.013), associations with ADDs were stronger (OR for extended absenteeism=6.64, p<.001; OR for impaired work performance=7.51, p<.001). Both CSDs and ADDs cause substantial disability, work absenteeism and presenteeism, but the impact of ADDs far exceeds that of CSDs. CSDs and ADDs interact synergistically on disability, thereby bolstering the current view that patients with physical mental comorbidity (PM-comorbidity) form a severe subgroup with an unfavourable prognosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pregabalin as mono- or add-on therapy for patients with refractory chronic neuropathic pain: a post-marketing prescription-event monitoring study.

PubMed

Lampl, Christian; Schweiger, Christine; Haider, Bernhard; Lechner, Anita

2010-08-01

This observational study examined the outcome of two different therapeutic strategies in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain by including pregabalin (PGB) as mono- or add-on therapy in one of two treatment options. Patients with a pain score of > or =4, refractory to usual care for neuropathic pain for at least 6 months, were allocated consecutively to one of two treatment strategies according to the decision of the physician: complete switch to a flexible-dosage, monotherapeutic or add-on therapy with pregabalin (PGB group), or change established doses and combinations of pre-existing mono- or combination therapy without pregabalin (non-PGB group). After 4 weeks (primary endpoint) a significant improvement in pain reduction was documented in both intention-to treat (ITT) analysis (PGB group, n = 85: mean pain score reduction of 3.53, SD 2.03, p < 0.001; non-PGB group, n = 102; mean pain score reduction of 2.83, SD 2.23, p < 0.001) and per-protocol (PP) analysis (PGB group, n = 79: mean pain score reduction 3.53 vs. 2.83, p < 0.05; non-PGB group, n = 81; 3.5 vs. 2.9, p < 0.05) compared to baseline. Comparison of the results observed in the two groups shows that patients in the PGB group achieved significantly greater pain reduction. These results demonstrate that PGB administered twice daily is superior to treatment regimes without PGB in reducing pain and pain-related interference in quality of life.

US adolescents’ friendship networks and health risk behaviors: a systematic review of studies using social network analysis and Add Health data

PubMed Central

Goodson, Patricia

2015-01-01

Background. Documented trends in health-related risk behaviors among US adolescents have remained high over time. Studies indicate relationships among mutual friends are a major influence on adolescents’ risky behaviors. Social Network Analysis (SNA) can help understand friendship ties affecting individual adolescents’ engagement in these behaviors. Moreover, a systematic literature review can synthesize findings from a range of studies using SNA, as well as assess these studies’ methodological quality. Review findings also can help health educators and promoters develop more effective programs. Objective. This review systematically examined studies of the influence of friendship networks on adolescents’ risk behaviors, which utilized SNA and the Add Health data (a nationally representative sample). Methods. We employed the Matrix Method to synthesize and evaluate 15 published studies that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, retrieved from the Add Health website and 3 major databases (Medline, Eric, and PsycINFO). Moreover, we assigned each study a methodological quality score (MQS). Results. In all studies, friendship networks among adolescents promoted their risky behaviors, including drinking alcohol, smoking, sexual intercourse, and marijuana use. The average MQS was 4.6, an indicator of methodological rigor (scale: 1–9). Conclusion. Better understanding of risky behaviors influenced by friends can be useful for health educators and promoters, as programs targeting friendships might be more effective. Additionally, the overall MQ of these reviewed studies was good, as average scores fell above the scale’s mid-point. PMID:26157622

Agent-based Training: Facilitating Knowledge and Skill Acquisition in a Modern Space Operations Team

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-01

face, and being careful to not add to existing problems such as limited display space. This required us to work closely with members of the SBIRS operational community and use research tools such as cognitive task analysis methods.

Relating Data and Models to Characterize Parameter and Prediction Uncertainty

EPA Science Inventory

Applying PBPK models in risk analysis requires that we realistically assess the uncertainty of relevant model predictions in as quantitative a way as possible. The reality of human variability may add a confusing feature to the overall uncertainty assessment, as uncertainty and v...

Implementation of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale as a universal screening instrument in primary care: feasibility, acceptability, and predictors of professionals' adherence to guidelines.

PubMed

Smith-Nielsen, Johanne; Lønfeldt, Nicole; Guedeney, Antoine; Væver, Mette Skovgaard

2018-03-01

Infant socioemotional development is often held under informal surveillance, but a formal screening program is needed to ensure systematic identification of developmental risk. Even when screening programs exist, they are often ineffective because health care professionals do not adhere to screening guidelines, resulting in low screening prevalence rates. To examine feasibility and acceptability of implementing universal screening for infant socioemotional problems with the Alarm Distress Baby Scale in primary care. The following questions were addressed: Is it possible to obtain acceptable screening prevalence rates within a 1-year period? How do the primary care workers (in this case, health visitors) experience using the instrument? Are attitudes toward using the instrument related to screening prevalence rates? A longitudinal mixed-method study (surveys, data from the health visitors' digital filing system, and qualitative coding of answers to open-ended questions) was undertaken. Health visitors in three of five districts of the City of Copenhagen, Denmark (N=79). We describe and evaluate the implementation process from the date the health visitors started the training on how to use the Alarm Distress Baby Scale to one year after they began using the instrument in practice. To monitor screening prevalence rates and adherence to guidelines, we used three data extractions (6, 9, and 12 months post-implementation) from the electronic filing system. Surveys including both quantitative and open-ended questions (pre- and post-implementation) were used to examine experiences with and attitudes towards the instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistical and qualitative content analyses were used. Screening prevalence rates increased during the first year: Six months after implementation 47% (n=405) of the children had been screened; 12 months after implementation 79% (n=789) of the children were screened (the same child was not counted more than once). Most (92%) of the health visitors reported that the instrument made a positive contribution to their work. The majority (81%) also reported that it posed a challenge in their daily work at least to some degree. The health visitors' attitudes (positive and negative) toward the Alarm Distress Baby Scale, measured 7 months post-implementation, significantly predicted screening prevalence rates 12 months post-implementation. Adding the Alarm Distress Baby Scale to an established surveillance program is feasible and accepTable Screening prevalence rates may be related to the primary care worker's attitude toward the instrument, i.e. successful implementation relies on an instrument that adds value to the work of the screener. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CHI during an ohmic discharge in HIT-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Dennis; Nelson, Brian A.; Redd, Aaron J.; Hamp, William T.

2004-11-01

Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) has been used on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) and HIT-II to initiate plasma and to drive up to 400 kA of toroidal current. The primary goal of the CHI systems is to provide a start-up plasma with substantial toroidal current that can be heated and sustained with other methods. We have investigated the use of CHI systems to add current to an established, inductively driven plasma. This may be an attractive method to add edge current that may modify the stability characteristics of the discharge or modify the particle and energy transport in a spherical torus. For example, divertor biasing experiments have been successful in modifying particle and energy transport in the scrape-off layer of tokamaks. Use of IGBT power supplies to modulate the injector current makes analysis of current penetration feasible by comparisons of before and after CHI using EFIT analysis of the data.

Identification of Gas Components in Lighter by Gas Chromatography: An Experiment of the Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory Which Can Be Used with Distance Learning Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yavuz, Soner; Morgil, Inci

2006-01-01

In the applications of instrumental analysis lessons, advanced instruments with the needed experiments are needed. During the lessons it is a fact that the more experiments are performed, the more learning will be. For this reason, experiments that do not last long and should be performed with more simple instruments and that increase students"…

Preliminary development of a revised version of the School Climate Measure.

PubMed

Zullig, Keith J; Collins, Rani; Ghani, Nadia; Hunter, Amy A; Patton, Jon M; Huebner, E Scott; Zhang, Jianjun

2015-09-01

The School Climate Measure (SCM) was developed and preliminarily validated in 2010 and extended upon in 2013 in response to a dearth of psychometrically sound school climate instruments. This study sought to further validate the SCM on a large diverse sample of Arizona public school adolescents (N = 1,643) with two new domains. The eight original SCM domains (Positive Student-Teacher Relationships, School Connectedness, Academic Support, Order and Discipline, Physical Environment, Social Environment, Perceived Exclusion, and Academic Satisfaction) and two newly developed domains (Parental Involvement and Opportunities for Student Engagement) were subjected to psychometric analysis. The sample was randomly split into exploratory and confirmatory halves and subjected to factor analytic and structural equation modeling techniques. Factor analysis confirmed a 10-factor solution (loadings with absolute values > .40). Item factor loadings ranged from .47 to .95. Coefficient alphas ranged from .70 to .92. Fit statistics indicated a good fitting model (χ2 = 1452.67 [df = 734, p < .01], CFI = .94, TLI = .93, RMSEA = .039). This process eliminated some original SCM items, but the overall SCM increased only from 39 to 42 items with the newly developed domains. This investigation adds to the existing evidence for the SCM and offers support for a more comprehensive version of the SCM. The addition of the Parental Involvement and Opportunities for Student Engagement domains should further enhance the usefulness of the SCM. The SCM can facilitate data-driven decisions and may be incorporated into evidenced-based processes designed to improve important student learning and well-being outcomes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Preliminary results from a microvolume, dynamically heated analytical column for preconcentration and separation of simple gases prior to stable isotopic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panetta, Robert James; Seed, Mike

2016-04-01

Stable isotope applications that call for preconcentration (i.e., greenhouse gas measurements, small carbonate samples, etc.) universally call for cryogenic fluids such as liquid nitrogen, dry ice slurries, or expensive external recirculation chillers. This adds significant complexity, first and foremost in the requirements to store and handle such dangerous materials. A second layer of complexity is the instrument itself - with mechanisms to physically move either coolant around the trap, or move a trap in or out of the coolant. Not to mention design requirements for hardware that can safely isolate the fluid from other sensitive areas. In an effort to simplify the isotopic analysis of gases requiring preconcentration, we have developed a new separation technology, UltiTrapTM (patent pending), which leverage's the proprietary Advanced Purge & Trap (APT) Technology employed in elemental analysers from Elementar Analysensysteme GmbH products. UltiTrapTM has been specially developed as a micro volume, dynamically heated GC separation column. The introduction of solid-state cooling technology enables sub-zero temperatures without cryogenics or refrigerants, eliminates all moving parts, and increases analytical longevity due to no boiling losses of coolant . This new technology makes it possible for the system to be deployed as both a focussing device and as a gas separation device. Initial data on synthetic gas mixtures (CO2/CH4/N2O in air), and real-world applications including long-term room air and a comparison between carbonated waters of different origins show excellent agreement with previous technologies.

[The importance of social relationships as a mechanism to improve the health and quality of life of the elderly, from an interdisciplinary perspective].

PubMed

Rondón García, Luis Miguel; Aguirre Arizala, Blanca Aranzazu; García García, Francisco José

2018-04-24

This study presents an analysis on the effects of positive social relationships as determining factors on the health status of the elderly, from an interdisciplinary point of view. A survey was carried out on a total of 2,332 subjects in the province of Toledo, Spain, using several scales related to the study objectives. For the multivariable analysis of the data, the linear regression, along with goodness of fit, as well as the tests of Cox, Snell and R-squared of Nagelkerke, were calculated to determine the correlation between the networks and the social contacts with the health. Good social relationships result in better health, because they allow us to feel good and add life to the years. The size of the social network, and the frequency of contacts, although decreasing with age, become vitally important at this stage of life. All these factors constitute stimuli to improve the perception of health, to provide social support in activities of daily living, as well as for instrumental or disease management. The main outcome of this study is that positive social relationships can be considered as a determining factor in the health of the elderly, but not all these interactions influence the same extent. The factor of the human relationship in terms of emotional proximity, together with the frequency or quantity of these encounters, are also correlated with health, due to the emotional impact they imply. Copyright © 2018 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Recent trends in atomic fluorescence spectrometry towards miniaturized instrumentation-A review.

PubMed

Zou, Zhirong; Deng, Yujia; Hu, Jing; Jiang, Xiaoming; Hou, Xiandeng

2018-08-17

Atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), as one of the common atomic spectrometric techniques with high sensitivity, simple instrumentation, and low acquisition and running cost, has been widely used in various fields for trace elemental analysis, notably the determination of hydride-forming elements by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). In recent years, the soaring demand of field analysis has significantly promoted the miniaturization of analytical atomic spectrometers or at least instrumental components. Various techniques have also been developed to approach the goal of portable/miniaturized AFS instrumentation for field analysis. In this review, potentially portable/miniaturized AFS techniques, primarily involving advanced instrumental components and whole instrumentation with references since 2000, are summarized and discussed. The discussion mainly includes five aspects: radiation source, atomizer, detector, sample introduction, and miniaturized atomic fluorescence spectrometer/system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development, validity and reliability of the short multidimensional positive mental health instrument.

PubMed

Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Subramaniam, Mythily; Abdin, Edimansyah; Picco, Louisa; Chua, Boon Yiang; Eng, Goi Khia; Sambasivam, Rajeswari; Shafie, Saleha; Zhang, Yunjue; Chong, Siow Ann

2014-06-01

The 47-item positive mental health (PMH) instrument measures the level of PMH in multiethnic adult Asian populations. This study aimed to (1) develop a short PMH instrument and (2) establish its validity and reliability among the adult Singapore population. Two separate studies were conducted among adult community-dwelling Singapore residents of Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity where participants completed self-administered questionnaires. In the first study, secondary data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to shorten the PMH instrument. In the second study, the newly developed short PMH instrument and other scales were administered to 201 residents to establish its factor structure, validity and reliability. A 20-item short PMH instrument fulfilling a higher-order six-factor structure was developed following secondary analysis. The mean age of the participants in the second study was 41 years and about 53% were women. One item with poor factor loading was further removed to generate a 19-item version of the PMH instrument. CFA demonstrated a first-order six-factor model of the short PMH instrument. The PMH-19 instrument and its subscales fulfilled criterion validity hypotheses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PMH-19 instrument were high (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.87; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93, respectively). The 19-item PMH instrument is multidimensional, valid and reliable, and most importantly, with its reduced administration time, the short PMH instrument can be used to measure and evaluate PMH in Asian communities.

Defect propagation in NiTi rotary instruments: a noncontact optical profilometry analysis.

PubMed

Barbosa, I; Ferreira, F; Scelza, P; Neff, J; Russano, D; Montagnana, M; Zaccaro Scelza, M

2018-04-10

To evaluate the presence and propagation of defects and their effects on surfaces of nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments using noncontact, three-dimensional optical profilometry, and to assess the accuracy of this method of investigation. The flute surface areas of instruments from two commercial instrumentation systems, namely Reciproc R25 (n = 5) and WaveOne Primary (n = 5), were assessed and compared before and after performing two instrumentation cycles in simulated root canals in clear resin blocks. All the analyses were conducted on areas measuring 211 × 211 μm, located 3 mm from the tips of the instruments. A quantitative analysis was conducted before and after the first and second instrumentation cycles, using the Sa (average roughness over the measurement field), Sq (root mean square roughness) and Sz (average height over the measurement field) amplitude parameters. All the data were submitted to statistical analysis at a 5% level of significance. There was a significant increase (P = 0.007) in wear in both groups, especially between baseline and the second instrumentation cycle, with significantly higher wear values being observed on WaveOne instruments (Sz median values = 33.68 and 2.89 μm, respectively, for WO and RP groups). A significant increase in surface roughness (P = 0.016 and P = 0.008, respectively, for Sa and Sq) was observed in both groups from the first to the second instrumentation cycle, mostly in WaveOne specimens. Qualitative analysis revealed a greater number of defects on the flute topography of all the instruments after use. More defects were identified in WaveOne Primary instruments compared to Reciproc R25, irrespective of the evaluation stage. The investigation method provided an accurate, repeatable and reproducible assessment of NiTi instruments at different time-points. © 2018 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development and testing of an assessment instrument for the formative peer review of significant event analyses.

PubMed

McKay, J; Murphy, D J; Bowie, P; Schmuck, M-L; Lough, M; Eva, K W

2007-04-01

To establish the content validity and specific aspects of reliability for an assessment instrument designed to provide formative feedback to general practitioners (GPs) on the quality of their written analysis of a significant event. Content validity was quantified by application of a content validity index. Reliability testing involved a nested design, with 5 cells, each containing 4 assessors, rating 20 unique significant event analysis (SEA) reports (10 each from experienced GPs and GPs in training) using the assessment instrument. The variance attributable to each identified variable in the study was established by analysis of variance. Generalisability theory was then used to investigate the instrument's ability to discriminate among SEA reports. Content validity was demonstrated with at least 8 of 10 experts endorsing all 10 items of the assessment instrument. The overall G coefficient for the instrument was moderate to good (G>0.70), indicating that the instrument can provide consistent information on the standard achieved by the SEA report. There was moderate inter-rater reliability (G>0.60) when four raters were used to judge the quality of the SEA. This study provides the first steps towards validating an instrument that can provide educational feedback to GPs on their analysis of significant events. The key area identified to improve instrument reliability is variation among peer assessors in their assessment of SEA reports. Further validity and reliability testing should be carried out to provide GPs, their appraisers and contractual bodies with a validated feedback instrument on this aspect of the general practice quality agenda.

Augmented microscopy: real-time overlay of bright-field and near-infrared fluorescence images.

PubMed

Watson, Jeffrey R; Gainer, Christian F; Martirosyan, Nikolay; Skoch, Jesse; Lemole, G Michael; Anton, Rein; Romanowski, Marek

2015-10-01

Intraoperative applications of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent contrast agents can be aided by instrumentation capable of merging the view of surgical field with that of NIR fluorescence. We demonstrate augmented microscopy, an intraoperative imaging technique in which bright-field (real) and electronically processed NIR fluorescence (synthetic) images are merged within the optical path of a stereomicroscope. Under luminance of 100,000 lx, representing typical illumination of the surgical field, the augmented microscope detects 189 nM concentration of indocyanine green and produces a composite of the real and synthetic images within the eyepiece of the microscope at 20 fps. Augmentation described here can be implemented as an add-on module to visualize NIR contrast agents, laser beams, or various types of electronic data within the surgical microscopes commonly used in neurosurgical, cerebrovascular, otolaryngological, and ophthalmic procedures.

Development and flight test of a helicopter compact, portable, precision landing system concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clary, G. R.; Bull, J. S.; Davis, T. J.; Chisholm, J. P.

1984-01-01

An airborne, radar-based, precision approach concept is being developed and flight tested as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program. A transponder-based beacon landing system (BLS) applying state-of-the-art X-band radar technology and digital processing techniques, was built and is being flight tested to demonstrate the concept feasibility. The BLS airborne hardware consists of an add-on microprocessor, installed in conjunction with the aircraft weather/mapping radar, which analyzes the radar beacon receiver returns and determines range, localizer deviation, and glide-slope deviation. The ground station is an inexpensive, portable unit which can be quickly deployed at a landing site. Results from the flight test program show that the BLS concept has a significant potential for providing rotorcraft with low-cost, precision instrument approach capability in remote areas.

Vibrationally resolved photoelectron angular distributions for H/sub 2/ in the range 17 eVless than or equal toh. nu. less than or equal to39 eV

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

Parr, A.C.; Hardis, J.E.; Southworth, S.H.

1988-01-15

Vibrationally resolved photoelectron angular distributions have been measured for photoionization of H/sub 2/ over the range 17 eVless than or equal toh..nu..less than or equal to39 eV using independent instrumentation at two synchro- tron radiation facilities. The present data greatly extend and add vibrational resolution to earlier variable-wavelength measurements. The average magnitude of the asymmetry parameter continues to lie lower than the best independent-electron calculations. Broad structure is observed for the first time, possibly indicating the effects of channel interaction with dissociative, doubly excited states of H/sub 2/. Neither the average magnitude nor the gross wavelength-dependent structure vary strongly withmore » the final vibrational channel.« less

Augmented microscopy: real-time overlay of bright-field and near-infrared fluorescence images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Jeffrey R.; Gainer, Christian F.; Martirosyan, Nikolay; Skoch, Jesse; Lemole, G. Michael, Jr.; Anton, Rein; Romanowski, Marek

2015-10-01

Intraoperative applications of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent contrast agents can be aided by instrumentation capable of merging the view of surgical field with that of NIR fluorescence. We demonstrate augmented microscopy, an intraoperative imaging technique in which bright-field (real) and electronically processed NIR fluorescence (synthetic) images are merged within the optical path of a stereomicroscope. Under luminance of 100,000 lx, representing typical illumination of the surgical field, the augmented microscope detects 189 nM concentration of indocyanine green and produces a composite of the real and synthetic images within the eyepiece of the microscope at 20 fps. Augmentation described here can be implemented as an add-on module to visualize NIR contrast agents, laser beams, or various types of electronic data within the surgical microscopes commonly used in neurosurgical, cerebrovascular, otolaryngological, and ophthalmic procedures.

An optical scan/statistical package for clinical data management in C-L psychiatry.

PubMed

Hammer, J S; Strain, J J; Lyerly, M

1993-03-01

This paper explores aspects of the need for clinical database management systems that permit ongoing service management, measurement of the quality and appropriateness of care, databased administration of consultation liaison (C-L) services, teaching/educational observations, and research. It describes an OPTICAL SCAN databased management system that permits flexible form generation, desktop publishing, and linking of observations in multiple files. This enhanced MICRO-CARES software system--Medical Application Platform (MAP)--permits direct transfer of the data to ASCII and SAS format for mainframe manipulation of the clinical information. The director of a C-L service may now develop his or her own forms, incorporate structured instruments, or develop "branch chains" of essential data to add to the core data set without the effort and expense to reprint forms or consult with commercial vendors.

Servicing Mission 4 and the Extraordinary Science of the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiseman, Jennifer J.

2012-01-01

Just two years ago, NASA astronauts performed a challenging and flawless final Space Shuttle servicing mission to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. With science instruments repaired on board and two new ones installed, the observatory. is more powerful now than ever before. I will show the dramatic highlights of the servicing mission and present some of the early scientific results from the refurbished telescope. Its high sensitivity and multi-wavelength capabilities are revealing the highest redshift galaxies ever seen, as well as details of the cosmic web of intergalactic medium, large scale structure formation, solar system bodies, and stellar evolution. Enlightening studies of dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanet atmospheres add to the profound contributions to astrophysics that are being made with Hubble, setting a critical stage for future observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope.

Mass Spectrometry Theatre: A Model for Big-Screen Instrumental Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allison, John

2008-01-01

Teaching lecture or lab courses in instrumental analysis can be a source of frustration since one can only crowd a small number of students around a single instrument, typically leading to round-robin approaches. Round-robin labs can spread students into multiple labs and limit instructor-student interactions. We discuss "Mass Spectrometry…

International Space Station Remote Sensing Pointing Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, Craig A.

2007-01-01

This paper analyzes the geometric and disturbance aspects of utilizing the International Space Station for remote sensing of earth targets. The proposed instrument (in prototype development) is SHORE (Station High-Performance Ocean Research Experiment), a multiband optical spectrometer with 15 m pixel resolution. The analysis investigates the contribution of the error effects to the quality of data collected by the instrument. This analysis supported the preliminary studies to determine feasibility of utilizing the International Space Station as an observing platform for a SHORE type of instrument. Rigorous analyses will be performed if a SHORE flight program is initiated. The analysis begins with the discussion of the coordinate systems involved and then conversion from the target coordinate system to the instrument coordinate system. Next the geometry of remote observations from the Space Station is investigated including the effects of the instrument location in Space Station and the effects of the line of sight to the target. The disturbance and error environment on Space Station is discussed covering factors contributing to drift and jitter, accuracy of pointing data and target and instrument accuracies.

What supports do health system organizations have in place to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making? a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Decisions regarding health systems are sometimes made without the input of timely and reliable evidence, leading to less than optimal health outcomes. Healthcare organizations can implement tools and infrastructures to support the use of research evidence to inform decision-making. Objectives The purpose of this study was to profile the supports and instruments (i.e., programs, interventions, instruments or tools) that healthcare organizations currently have in place and which ones were perceived to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making. Methods In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with individuals in three different types of positions (i.e., a senior management team member, a library manager, and a ‘knowledge broker’) in three types of healthcare organizations (i.e., regional health authorities, hospitals and primary care practices) in two Canadian provinces (i.e., Ontario and Quebec). The interviews were taped, transcribed, and then analyzed thematically using NVivo 9 qualitative data analysis software. Results A total of 57 interviews were conducted in 25 organizations in Ontario and Quebec. The main findings suggest that, for the healthcare organizations that participated in this study, the following supports facilitate evidence-informed decision-making: facilitating roles that actively promote research use within the organization; establishing ties to researchers and opinion leaders outside the organization; a technical infrastructure that provides access to research evidence, such as databases; and provision and participation in training programs to enhance staff’s capacity building. Conclusions This study identified the need for having a receptive climate, which laid the foundation for the implementation of other tangible initiatives and supported the use of research in decision-making. This study adds to the literature on organizational efforts that can increase the use of research evidence in decision-making. Some of the identified supports may increase the use of research evidence by decision-makers, which may then lead to more informed decisions, and hopefully to a strengthened health system and improved health. PMID:23915278

What supports do health system organizations have in place to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Ellen, Moriah E; Léon, Gregory; Bouchard, Gisèle; Lavis, John N; Ouimet, Mathieu; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

2013-08-06

Decisions regarding health systems are sometimes made without the input of timely and reliable evidence, leading to less than optimal health outcomes. Healthcare organizations can implement tools and infrastructures to support the use of research evidence to inform decision-making. The purpose of this study was to profile the supports and instruments (i.e., programs, interventions, instruments or tools) that healthcare organizations currently have in place and which ones were perceived to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making. In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with individuals in three different types of positions (i.e., a senior management team member, a library manager, and a 'knowledge broker') in three types of healthcare organizations (i.e., regional health authorities, hospitals and primary care practices) in two Canadian provinces (i.e., Ontario and Quebec). The interviews were taped, transcribed, and then analyzed thematically using NVivo 9 qualitative data analysis software. A total of 57 interviews were conducted in 25 organizations in Ontario and Quebec. The main findings suggest that, for the healthcare organizations that participated in this study, the following supports facilitate evidence-informed decision-making: facilitating roles that actively promote research use within the organization; establishing ties to researchers and opinion leaders outside the organization; a technical infrastructure that provides access to research evidence, such as databases; and provision and participation in training programs to enhance staff's capacity building. This study identified the need for having a receptive climate, which laid the foundation for the implementation of other tangible initiatives and supported the use of research in decision-making. This study adds to the literature on organizational efforts that can increase the use of research evidence in decision-making. Some of the identified supports may increase the use of research evidence by decision-makers, which may then lead to more informed decisions, and hopefully to a strengthened health system and improved health.

Self-efficacy in Environmental Education: Experiences of elementary education preservice teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Cynthia Crompton

Despite research showing Environmental Education can provide positive student outcomes in academic achievement, critical thinking, motivation and engagement (Ernst, 2007; Lieberman & Hoody, 1998; Orr, 1992; Palmer, 1998; Powers, 2004; Volk & Cheak, 2003), Environmental Education is currently not a critical element in American public school K-12 education. The present study investigates self-efficacy in Environmental Education through a mixed methods research approach. The data reveal the participants' perspectives of their sense of self-efficacy in Environmental Education. It adds to the body of work on Environmental Education and self-efficacy by specifically investigating the topics through interviews with preservice teachers. Purposeful sampling is used to identify preservice elementary education teachers in their senior year of college with a high measure of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is measured using the Environmental Education Efficacy Belief Instrument (Sia, 1992). Forty-six preservice teachers completed the instrument. Six preservice teachers were interviewed to determine experiences that impact their self-efficacy in Environmental Education. Continual comparison and cross-case analysis are used to analyze the data. The results reveal a relationship between personal experiences with nature as a young child and current beliefs toward their personal efficacy and teaching outcome efficacy in Environmental Education. Similar to the findings of Sia (1992), the researcher discovered that preservice teachers realize that they lack sufficient knowledge and skill in Environmental Education but believe that effective teaching can increase students understanding of Environmental Education. While the preservice teachers do not believe they will teach Environmental Education as well as other subjects, they will continually seek out better ways to teach Environmental Education. Interviews with participants who had a high self-efficacy revealed the importance of playing outdoors as young children and having an adult role model with whom to share nature. Results showed that experiences with nature are absent in formal schooling, including courses in teacher education programs.

Design Challenges of Power Systems for Instrumented Spacecraft with Very Low Perigees in the Earth's Ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Vickie Eakin; Manzer, Dominic D.; Pfaff, Robert E.; Grebowsky, Joseph M.; Gervin, Jan C.

1999-01-01

Designing a solar array to power a spacecraft bus supporting a set of instruments making in situ plasma and neutral atmosphere measurements in the ionosphere at altitudes of 120km or lower poses several challenges. The driving scientific requirements are the field-of-view constraints of the instruments resulting in a three-axis stabilized spacecraft, the need for an electromagnetically unperturbed environment accomplished by designing an electrostatically conducting solar array surface to avoid large potentials, making the spacecraft body as small and as symmetric as possible, and body-mounting the solar array. Furthermore, the life and thermal constraints, in the midst of the effects of the dense atmosphere at low altitude, drive the cross-sectional area of the spacecraft to be small particularly normal to the ram direction. Widely varying sun angles and eclipse durations add further complications, as does the growing desire for multiple spacecraft to resolve spatial and temporal variations packaged into a single launch vehicle. Novel approaches to insure adequate orbit-averaged power levels of approximately 250W include an oval-shaped cross section to increase the solar array collecting area during noon-midnight orbits and the use of a flywheel energy storage system. The flywheel could also be used to help maintain the spacecraft's attitude, particularly during excursions to the lowest perigee altitudes. This paper discusses the approaches used in conceptual power designs for both the proposed Dipper and the Global Electrodynamics Connections (GEC) Mission currently being studied at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Psychometric Properties of Three Measures of Protective Factors for Depression and Suicidal Behaviour Among Adolescents

PubMed Central

Labelle, Réal; Breton, Jean-Jacques; Berthiaume, Claude; Royer, Chantal; Raymond, Sylvie; Cournoyer, Marilou; Balan, Bogdan; Zaloum, Terry; Bibaud, Antoine; Gauvin, Geoffrey; Janelle, Alain

2015-01-01

Objectives: To assess the reliability of French versions of the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS), the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A), and the Spirituality Scale (SS); to examine the construct validity of these psychometric instruments; and to determine their convergent validity with French versions of the Life Events Questionnaire for Adolescents (LEQ-A), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) among French-Canadian adolescents. Methods: Participants were 429 adolescents from high schools (n = 283) and the Mood Disorder Clinic (n = 146) in Montreal. The instruments were translated into French following the back-translation method. The internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach alpha coefficients. Exploratory analyses were conducted to document the content of their dimensions. Convergent validity was examined by correlating the ACS, the RFL-A, and the SS with the French versions of the LEQ-A, the BDI-II, and the BHS. Results: The findings confirm that the ACS, RFL-A, and SS are psychometric instruments well suited to assess protective factors for depression and suicidal behaviour among French-speaking adolescents in community and clinical settings. However, results must be interpreted with some circumspection as 2 SS subscales obtained reliability coefficients in the moderate range only and the instructions for the RFL-A were reframed in response to ethical considerations. Conclusions: Our results add to those already available on the original English versions of the ACS, RFL-A, and SS and advance the knowledge of the psychometric properties of protective measures. PMID:25886667

Ambient observations of hygroscopic growth factor and f(RH) below 1: Case studies from surface and airborne measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shingler, Taylor; Sorooshian, Armin; Ortega, Amber; Crosbie, Ewan; Wonaschütz, Anna; Perring, Anne E.; Beyersdorf, Andreas; Ziemba, Luke; Jimenez, Jose L.; Campuzano-Jost, Pedro; Mikoviny, Tomas; Wisthaler, Armin; Russell, Lynn M.

2016-11-01

This study reports a detailed set of ambient observations of optical/physical shrinking of particles from exposure to water vapor with consistency across different instruments and regions. Data have been utilized from (i) a shipboard humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer during the Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment in 2011, (ii) multiple instruments on the NASA DC-8 research aircraft during the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys in 2013, and (iii) the Differential Aerosol Sizing and Hygroscopicity Spectrometer Probe during ambient measurements in Tucson, Arizona, during summer 2014 and winter 2015. Hygroscopic growth factor (ratio of humidified-to-dry diameter, GF = Dp,wet/Dp,dry) and f(RH) (ratio of humidified-to-dry scattering coefficients) values below 1 were observed across the range of relative humidity (RH) investigated (75-95%). A commonality of observations of GF and f(RH) below 1 in these experiments was the presence of particles enriched with carbonaceous matter, especially from biomass burning. Evidence of externally mixed aerosol, and thus multiple GFs with at least one GF < 1, was observed concurrently with f(RH) < 1 during smoke periods. Possible mechanisms responsible for observed shrinkage are discussed and include particle restructuring, volatilization effects, and refractive index modifications due to aqueous processing resulting in optical size modification. To further investigate ambient observations of GFs and f(RH) values less than 1, it is recommended to add an optional prehumidification bypass module to hygroscopicity instruments, to preemptively collapse particles prior to controlled RH measurements.

On Recruiting: A Multivariate Analysis of Marine Corps Recruiters and the Market

DTIC Science & Technology

Three recommendations result from this study. The quantitative recommendation developed in this thesis is to add approximately three missioned...canvassing recruiters per Recruiting Station, or 144 total, where the marginal cost of the 1,400 potentially gained contracts is the most economical manpower

Medicating for ADD/ADHD: Personal and Social Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis-Berman, Jennifer L.; Pestello, Frances G.

2010-01-01

Twenty college students from a private Midwestern university were interviewed about their past and present experiences with taking medication for Attention Deficit Disorder. Analysis of respondent interviews suggested the following themes that were discussed and analyzed: recruitment of the young, little personal stigma, societal issues, side…

Encouraging Gender Analysis in Research Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thien, Deborah

2009-01-01

Few resources for practical teaching or fieldwork exercises exist which address gender in geographical contexts. This paper adds to teaching and fieldwork resources by describing an experience with designing and implementing a "gender intervention" for a large-scale, multi-university, bilingual research project that brought together a group of…

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 136 - Methods for Organic Chemical Analysis of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the learest 0.1 mg. 6.5.2Add the assayed reference material: 6.5.2.1Liquid—Using a 100 µL syringe... chromatograph and all required accessories including syringes, analytical columns, and gases. The injection port...

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 136 - Methods for Organic Chemical Analysis of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the learest 0.1 mg. 6.5.2Add the assayed reference material: 6.5.2.1Liquid—Using a 100 µL syringe... chromatograph and all required accessories including syringes, analytical columns, and gases. The injection port...

Cellular telephone-based radiation detection instrument

DOEpatents

Craig, William W [Pittsburg, CA; Labov, Simon E [Berkeley, CA

2011-06-14

A network of radiation detection instruments, each having a small solid state radiation sensor module integrated into a cellular phone for providing radiation detection data and analysis directly to a user. The sensor module includes a solid-state crystal bonded to an ASIC readout providing a low cost, low power, light weight compact instrument to detect and measure radiation energies in the local ambient radiation field. In particular, the photon energy, time of event, and location of the detection instrument at the time of detection is recorded for real time transmission to a central data collection/analysis system. The collected data from the entire network of radiation detection instruments are combined by intelligent correlation/analysis algorithms which map the background radiation and detect, identify and track radiation anomalies in the region.

77 FR 56896 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGA Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-14

... the relevant flags, as described below, for orders that add liquidity to the EDGA book. Specifically... the following flags: Flag B for orders that add liquidity to the EDGA book in Tape B securities; Flag V for orders that add liquidity to the EDGA book in Tape A securities; Flag Y for orders that add...

40 CFR 63.4167 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4167 Section 63.4167... Emission Rate with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4167 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? During the performance test required...

Cosmochemistry: Understanding the Solar System through analysis of extraterrestrial materials.

PubMed

MacPherson, Glenn J; Thiemens, Mark H

2011-11-29

Cosmochemistry is the chemical analysis of extraterrestrial materials. This term generally is taken to mean laboratory analysis, which is the cosmochemistry gold standard because of the ability for repeated analysis under highly controlled conditions using the most advanced instrumentation unhindered by limitations in power, space, or environment. Over the past 40 y, advances in technology have enabled telescopic and spacecraft instruments to provide important data that significantly complement the laboratory data. In this special edition, recent advances in the state of the art of cosmochemistry are presented, which range from instrumental analysis of meteorites to theoretical-computational and astronomical observations.

A Review of Calibration Transfer Practices and Instrument Differences in Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Workman, Jerome J

2018-03-01

Calibration transfer for use with spectroscopic instruments, particularly for near-infrared, infrared, and Raman analysis, has been the subject of multiple articles, research papers, book chapters, and technical reviews. There has been a myriad of approaches published and claims made for resolving the problems associated with transferring calibrations; however, the capability of attaining identical results over time from two or more instruments using an identical calibration still eludes technologists. Calibration transfer, in a precise definition, refers to a series of analytical approaches or chemometric techniques used to attempt to apply a single spectral database, and the calibration model developed using that database, for two or more instruments, with statistically retained accuracy and precision. Ideally, one would develop a single calibration for any particular application, and move it indiscriminately across instruments and achieve identical analysis or prediction results. There are many technical aspects involved in such precision calibration transfer, related to the measuring instrument reproducibility and repeatability, the reference chemical values used for the calibration, the multivariate mathematics used for calibration, and sample presentation repeatability and reproducibility. Ideally, a multivariate model developed on a single instrument would provide a statistically identical analysis when used on other instruments following transfer. This paper reviews common calibration transfer techniques, mostly related to instrument differences, and the mathematics of the uncertainty between instruments when making spectroscopic measurements of identical samples. It does not specifically address calibration maintenance or reference laboratory differences.

Instrumentation of Java Bytecode for Runtime Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Allen; Haveland, Klaus

2003-01-01

This paper describes JSpy, a system for high-level instrumentation of Java bytecode and its use with JPaX, OUT system for runtime analysis of Java programs. JPaX monitors the execution of temporal logic formulas and performs predicative analysis of deadlocks and data races. JSpy s input is an instrumentation specification, which consists of a collection of rules, where a rule is a predicate/action pair The predicate is a conjunction of syntactic constraints on a Java statement, and the action is a description of logging information to be inserted in the bytecode corresponding to the statement. JSpy is built using JTrek an instrumentation package at a lower level of abstraction.

Confirmatory factor analysis of teaching and learning guiding principles instrument among teacher educators in higher education institutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masuwai, Azwani; Tajudin, Nor'ain Mohd; Saad, Noor Shah

2017-05-01

The purpose of this study is to develop and establish the validity and reliability of an instrument to generate teaching and learning guiding principles using Teaching and Learning Guiding Principles Instrument (TLGPI). Participants consisted of 171 Malaysian teacher educators. It is an essential instrument to reflect in generating the teaching and learning guiding principles in higher education level in Malaysia. Confirmatory Factor Analysis has validated all 19 items of TLGPI whereby all items indicated high reliability and internal consistency. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis also confirmed that a single factor model was used to generate teaching and learning guiding principles.

Instrumentation | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Instrumentation [accordion collapsed] Circular Dichroism (CD) Spectroscopy Instrument: J-1500 CD Spectrophotometer (Jasco) Applications: Conformational analysis of biomolecules Protein thermal stability Binding studies Major Specifications:

LOSS OF BLOOD AT OPERATION—A Method for Continuous Measurement

PubMed Central

Borden, Fred W.

1957-01-01

A method for continuous measurement of surgical blood loss has been devised and has been used clinically in some 400 cases. The method combines volumetric measure of the suction loss and gravimetric measure of the sponge loss. The volumetric device automatically deducts the volume of rinse water used and thus measures the amount of blood collected in a metering cylinder. The suction loss scale shows continuously the amount of blood in the metering cylinder. The gravimetric device requires counting sponges into the weighing pan, and turning a dial scale to deduct the initial weight of the sponges. The volume of blood in the sponges is then read directly on the dial scale. Use of the instrument, which is under the supervision of the anesthesiologist, adds about two minutes per hour to the time normally required for counting the sponges; and about three minutes per hour is required for tending the volumetric instrument. In clinical use, knowing constantly the amount of blood loss permits the starting of transfusion before serious deficit develops, and then maintaining the patient's blood volume at a predetermined optimum level. In some 400 cases the continuous measurement of the blood loss served as a reliable guide for carrying out the loss-replacement plan within close limits of accuracy. ImagesFigure 2.p97-a PMID:13446754

Estimating the atmospheric concentration of Criegee intermediates and their possible interference in a FAGE-LIF instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novelli, Anna; Hens, Korbinian; Tatum Ernest, Cheryl; Martinez, Monica; Nölscher, Anke C.; Sinha, Vinayak; Paasonen, Pauli; Petäjä, Tuukka; Sipilä, Mikko; Elste, Thomas; Plass-Dülmer, Christian; Phillips, Gavin J.; Kubistin, Dagmar; Williams, Jonathan; Vereecken, Luc; Lelieveld, Jos; Harder, Hartwig

2017-06-01

We analysed the extensive dataset from the HUMPPA-COPEC 2010 and the HOPE 2012 field campaigns in the boreal forest and rural environments of Finland and Germany, respectively, and estimated the abundance of stabilised Criegee intermediates (SCIs) in the lower troposphere. Based on laboratory tests, we propose that the background OH signal observed in our IPI-LIF-FAGE instrument during the aforementioned campaigns is caused at least partially by SCIs. This hypothesis is based on observed correlations with temperature and with concentrations of unsaturated volatile organic compounds and ozone. Just like SCIs, the background OH concentration can be removed through the addition of sulfur dioxide. SCIs also add to the previously underestimated production rate of sulfuric acid. An average estimate of the SCI concentration of ˜ 5.0 × 104 molecules cm-3 (with an order of magnitude uncertainty) is calculated for the two environments. This implies a very low ambient concentration of SCIs, though, over the boreal forest, significant for the conversion of SO2 into H2SO4. The large uncertainties in these calculations, owing to the many unknowns in the chemistry of Criegee intermediates, emphasise the need to better understand these processes and their potential effect on the self-cleaning capacity of the atmosphere.

Overview of and first observations from the TILDAE High-Altitude Balloon Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruca, Bennett A.; Marino, Raffaele; Sundkvist, David; Godbole, Niharika H.; Constantin, Stephane; Carbone, Vincenzo; Zimmerman, Herb

2017-04-01

Though the presence of intermittent turbulence in the stratosphere has been well established, much remains unknown about it. In situ observations of this phenomenon, which have provided the greatest details of it, have mostly been achieved via sounding balloons (i.e., small balloons which burst at peak altitude) carrying constant-temperature hot-wire anemometers (CTAs). The Turbulence and Intermittency Long-Duration Atmospheric Experiment (TILDAE) was developed to test a new paradigm for stratospheric observations. Rather than flying on a sounding balloon, TILDAE was incorporated as an add-on experiment to the payload of a NASA long-duration balloon mission that launched in January 2016 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Furthermore, TILDAE's key instrument was a sonic anemometer, which (relative to a CTA) provides better-calibrated measurements of wind velocity and a more robust separation of velocity components. During the balloon's ascent, TILDAE's sonic anemometer provided atmospheric measurements up to an altitude of about 18 km, beyond which the ambient air pressure was too low for the instrument to function properly. Efforts are currently underway to scientifically analyze these observations of small-scale fluctuations in the troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere and to develop strategies for increasing the maximum operating altitude of the sonic anemometer.

Adding biofuel/bioproduct capacity to existing U.S. mills. Part 1, Options : Agenda 2020 analysis charts a course.

Treesearch

Tom Belin; Craig Brown; Eric Connor; Jim Frederick; Peter Ince; Ryan Katofsky; Gerard Closset

2008-01-01

The chief technology officers of the American Forest & Paper Association’s Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance recently conducted an analysis of the most feasible and effective routes for forest products facilities in this country to add energy, biofuels and bio-based chemicals to their existing product streams. Considering that at least 21 billion gallons of the...

Rotor systems research aircraft predesign study. Volume 3: Predesign report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, S. A.; Linden, A. W.

1972-01-01

The features of two aircraft designs were selected to be included in the single RSRA configuration. A study was conducted for further preliminary design and a more detailed analysis of development plans and costs. An analysis was also made of foreseeable technical problems and risks, identification of parallel research which would reduce risks and/or add to the basic capability of the aircraft, and a draft aircraft specification.

GEO Collisional Risk Assessment Based on Analysis of NASA-WISE Data and Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-18

GEO Collisional Risk Assessment Based on Analysis of NASA -WISE Data and Modeling Jeremy Murray Krezan1, Samantha Howard1, Phan D. Dao1, Derek...Surka2 1AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate,2Applied Technology Associates Incorporated From December 2009 through 2011 the NASA Wide-Field Infrared...of known debris. The NASA -WISE GEO belt debris population adds potentially thousands previously uncataloged objects. This paper describes

Development and validation of an instrument to assess job satisfaction in eye-care personnel.

PubMed

Paudel, Prakash; Cronjé, Sonja; O'Connor, Patricia M; Khadka, Jyoti; Rao, Gullapalli N; Holden, Brien A

2017-11-01

The aim was to develop and validate an instrument to measure job satisfaction in eye-care personnel and assess the job satisfaction of one-year trained vision technicians in India. A pilot instrument for assessing job satisfaction was developed, based on a literature review and input from a public health expert panel. Rasch analysis was used to assess psychometric properties and to undertake an iterative item reduction. The instrument was then administered to vision technicians in vision centres of Andhra Pradesh in India. Associations between vision technicians' job satisfaction and factors such as age, gender and experience were analysed using t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Rasch analysis confirmed that the 15-item job satisfaction in eye-care personnel (JSEP) was a unidimensional instrument with good fit statistics, measurement precisions and absence of differential item functioning. Overall, vision technicians reported high rates of job satisfaction (0.46 logits). Age, gender and experience were not associated with high job satisfaction score. Item score analysis showed non-financial incentives, salary and workload were the most important determinants of job satisfaction. The 15-item JSEP instrument is a valid instrument for assessing job satisfaction among eye-care personnel. Overall, vision technicians in India demonstrated high rates of job satisfaction. © 2016 Optometry Australia.

Application of tissue mesodissection to molecular cancer diagnostics.

PubMed

Krizman, David; Adey, Nils; Parry, Robert

2015-02-01

To demonstrate clinical application of a mesodissection platform that was developed to combine advantages of laser-based instrumentation with the speed/ease of manual dissection for automated dissection of tissue off standard glass slides. Genomic analysis for KRAS gene mutation was performed on formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) cancer patient tissue that was dissected using the mesodissection platform. Selected reaction monitoring proteomic analysis for quantitative Her2 protein expression was performed on FFPE patient tumour tissue dissected by a laser-based instrument and the MilliSect instrument. Genomic analysis demonstrates highly confident detection of KRAS mutation specifically in lung cancer cells and not the surrounding benign, non-tumour tissue. Proteomic analysis demonstrates Her2 quantitative protein expression in breast cancer cells dissected manually, by laser-based instrumentation and by MilliSect instrumentation (mesodissection). Slide-mounted tissue dissection is commonly performed using laser-based instruments or manually scraping tissue by scalpel. Here we demonstrate that the mesodissection platform as performed by the MilliSect instrument for tissue dissection is cost-effective; it functions comparably to laser-based dissection and which can be adopted into a clinical diagnostic workflow. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Determination of Root Canal Cleanliness by Different Irrigation Methods and Morphometric Analysis of Apical Third.

PubMed

Seixas, Fábio Heredia; Estrela, Carlos; Bueno, Mike Reis; Sousa-Neto, Manoel Damião; Pécora, Jesus Djalma

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to determine the root canal area before and after the instrumentation 1 mm short of the apical foramen by clinical and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) methods, and to evaluate the cleanliness of the apical region in mesiodistal flattened teeth by using optical microscopy. Forty-two human single-canal mandibular incisors were instrumented using the Free Tip Preparation technique up to three, four or five instruments from the initial. Cone beam computed tomography scans were acquired of the samples before and after root canal preparation (RCP). Irrigation was performed by conventional or hydrodynamic means, using 2.5% sodium hypochlorite. The samples were prepared for observation under an optical microscope. Images were digitally obtained, analyzed and the results were submitted to statistical analysis (two-way ANOVA complemented by Bonferroni's post-test). There was no significant difference between the studied anatomical areas with both CBCT and clinical methods. There were no differences between irrigation methods. It was verified differences between instrumentation techniques. Instrumentation with four instruments from the initial instrument determined a significant increase in the contact area when compared to preparation with three instruments, but RCP with 5 instruments did not result in a better cleanliness. The analysis with CBCT was not capable to determine the precise shape of surgical apical area comparing to the clinical method. Both the conventional and hydrodynamic irrigation techniques were not able to promote root canals debris-free. The instruments action in root canal walls was proportional to the number of instruments used from the initial apical instrument.

Intra and interobserver variability of intrapartum transperineal ultrasound measurements with contraction and pushing.

PubMed

Sainz, José A; Fernández-Palacín, Ana; Borrero, Carlota; Aquise, Adriana; Ramos, Zenaida; García-Mejido, José A

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intraobserver correlation of the different intrapartum-transperineal-ultrasound-parameters(ITU) (angle of progression (AoP), progression-distance (PD), head-direction (HD), midline-angle (MLA) and head-perineum distance (HPD)) with contraction and pushing. We evaluated 28 nulliparous women at full dilatation under epidural analgesia. We performed a transperineal ultrasound evaluating AoP and PD in the longitudinal plane, and MLA and HPD in the transverse plane. Interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% CIs and Bland-Altman analysis were used to assess intra- and interobserver measurement's repeatability. The ICC of the ITU for the same observer was adequate for all the parameters (p < .005) AoP 0.98 (95%CI, 0.96-0.99), PD 0.98 (95%CI, 0.97-0.99), MLA 0.99 (95%CI, 0.97-0.99), HPD 0.96 (95%CI, 0.88-0.99). The ICC of the ITU for interobserver was: AoP 0.93 (95%CI, 0.79-0.98), PD 0.92 (95%CI, 0.76-0.97), MLA 0.77 (95%CI, 0.42-0.92), HPD 0.47 (95%CI, -0.12-0.8). The HD had an interobserver correlation of 0.53 (95%CI, 0.1-0.9) (Kappa C). The mean difference of the AoP was 2.42°, of the PD 1 mm and 0.28° MLA (Bland-Altman test). ITU has an adequate intra- and interobserver correlation for its use with contraction and pushing under epidural analgesia. Impact statement What is already known on this subject: The intrapartum transperineal ultrasound parameters can be used with contraction and pushing under epidural analgesia. What the results of this study add to what we know: ITU may be used to evaluate the difficulty of instrumental delivery/to evaluate the difficulty of instrumentation in vaginal operative deliveries and this study concludes that ITU is reproducible during uterine contraction with pushing. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research: Therefore, ITU could be used without difficulty with an adequate intra- and interobserver correlation for the prediction of instrumentation difficulty in operative vaginal deliveries.

An investigation of the Eigenvalue Calibration Method (ECM) using GASP for non-imaging and imaging detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyne, Gillian; Lara, David; Hallinan, Gregg; Redfern, Michael; Shearer, Andrew

2016-02-01

Polarised light from astronomical targets can yield a wealth of information about their source radiation mechanisms, and about the geometry of the scattered light regions. Optical observations, of both the linear and circular polarisation components, have been impeded due to non-optimised instrumentation. The need for suitable observing conditions and the availability of luminous targets are also limiting factors. The science motivation of any instrument adds constraints to its operation such as high signal-to-noise (SNR) and detector readout speeds. These factors in particular lead to a wide range of sources that have yet to be observed. The Galway Astronomical Stokes Polarimeter (GASP) has been specifically designed to make observations of these sources. GASP uses division of amplitude polarimeter (DOAP) (Compain and Drevillon Appl. Opt. 37, 5938-5944, 1998) to measure the four components of the Stokes vector (I, Q, U and V) simultaneously, which eliminates the constraints placed upon the need for moving parts during observation, and offers a real-time complete measurement of polarisation. Results from the GASP calibration are presented in this work for both a 1D detector system, and a pixel-by-pixel analysis on a 2D detector system. Following Compain et al. (Appl. Opt. 38, 3490-3502 1999) we use the Eigenvalue Calibration Method (ECM) to measure the polarimetric limitations of the instrument for each of the two systems. Consequently, the ECM is able to compensate for systematic errors introduced by the calibration optics, and it also accounts for all optical elements of the polarimeter in the output. Initial laboratory results of the ECM are presented, using APD detectors, where errors of 0.2 % and 0.1° were measured for the degree of linear polarisation (DOLP) and polarisation angle (PA) respectively. Channel-to-channel image registration is an important aspect of 2-D polarimetry. We present our calibration results of the measured Mueller matrix of each sample, used by the ECM, when 2 Andor iXon Ultra 897 detectors were loaned to the project. A set of Zenith flat-field images were recorded during an observing campaign at the Palomar 200 inch telescope in November 2012. From these we show the polarimetric errors from the spatial polarimetry indicating both the stability and absolute accuracy of GASP.

Measuring Belief in Conspiracy Theories: The Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale

PubMed Central

Brotherton, Robert; French, Christopher C.; Pickering, Alan D.

2013-01-01

The psychology of conspiracy theory beliefs is not yet well understood, although research indicates that there are stable individual differences in conspiracist ideation – individuals’ general tendency to engage with conspiracy theories. Researchers have created several short self-report measures of conspiracist ideation. These measures largely consist of items referring to an assortment of prominent conspiracy theories regarding specific real-world events. However, these instruments have not been psychometrically validated, and this assessment approach suffers from practical and theoretical limitations. Therefore, we present the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs (GCB) scale: a novel measure of individual differences in generic conspiracist ideation. The scale was developed and validated across four studies. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of a novel 75-item measure of non-event-based conspiracist beliefs identified five conspiracist facets. The 15-item GCB scale was developed to sample from each of these themes. Studies 2, 3, and 4 examined the structure and validity of the GCB, demonstrating internal reliability, content, criterion-related, convergent and discriminant validity, and good test-retest reliability. In sum, this research indicates that the GCB is a psychometrically sound and practically useful measure of conspiracist ideation, and the findings add to our theoretical understanding of conspiracist ideation as a monological belief system unpinned by a relatively small number of generic assumptions about the typicality of conspiratorial activity in the world. PMID:23734136

Extinction of chained instrumental behaviors: Effects of consumption extinction on procurement responding

PubMed Central

Thrailkill, Eric A.; Bouton, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Operant behavior is typically organized into sequences of responses that eventually lead to a reinforcer. Response elements can be categorized as those that directly lead to reward consumption (i.e., a consumption response), and those that lead to the opportunity to make the consumption response (i.e., a procurement response). These responses often differ topographically and in terms of the discriminative stimuli that set the occasion for them. We have recently shown that extinction of the procurement response acts to weaken the specific associated consumption response, and that active inhibition of the procurement response is required for this effect. To expand the analysis of the associative structure of chains, the present experiments asked the reverse question of whether extinction of consumption behavior results in a decrease in the associated procurement response in a discriminated heterogeneous chain. In Experiment 1, extinction of consumption alone led to an attenuation of the associated procurement response only when rats were allowed to make the consumption response in extinction. Exposure to the consumption stimulus alone was not sufficient to produce weakened procurement responding. In Experiment 2, rats learned two distinct heterogeneous chains; extinction of one consumption response specifically weakened the procurement response associated with it. The results add to evidence suggesting that rats learn a highly specific associative structure in behavior chains, and emphasize the role of learning response inhibition in extinction. PMID:26276367

Extinction of chained instrumental behaviors: Effects of consumption extinction on procurement responding.

PubMed

Thrailkill, Eric A; Bouton, Mark E

2016-03-01

Operant behavior is typically organized into sequences of responses that eventually lead to a reinforcer. Response elements can be categorized as those that directly lead to reward consumption (i.e., a consumption response) and those that lead to the opportunity to make the consumption response (i.e., a procurement response). These responses often differ topographically and in terms of the discriminative stimuli that set the occasion for them. We have recently shown that extinction of the procurement response acts to weaken the specific associated consumption response, and that active inhibition of the procurement response is required for this effect. To expand the analysis of the associative structure of chains, in the present experiments we asked the reverse question: whether extinction of consumption behavior results in a decrease in the associated procurement response in a discriminated heterogeneous chain. In Experiment 1, extinction of consumption alone led to an attenuation of the associated procurement response only when rats were allowed to make the consumption response in extinction. Exposure to the consumption stimulus alone was not sufficient to produce weakened procurement responding. In Experiment 2, rats learned two distinct heterogeneous chains, and extinction of one consumption response specifically weakened the procurement response associated with it. The results add to the evidence suggesting that rats learn a highly specific associative structure in behavior chains, emphasizing the role of learning response inhibition in extinction.

Designing for Change: Minimizing the Impact of Changing Requirements in the Later Stages of a Spaceflight Software Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, B. Danette

1998-01-01

In the traditional 'waterfall' model of the software project life cycle, the Requirements Phase ends and flows into the Design Phase, which ends and flows into the Development Phase. Unfortunately, the process rarely, if ever, works so smoothly in practice. Instead, software developers often receive new requirements, or modifications to the original requirements, well after the earlier project phases have been completed. In particular, projects with shorter than ideal schedules are highly susceptible to frequent requirements changes, as the software requirements analysis phase is often forced to begin before the overall system requirements and top-level design are complete. This results in later modifications to the software requirements, even though the software design and development phases may be complete. Requirements changes received in the later stages of a software project inevitably lead to modification of existing developed software. Presented here is a series of software design techniques that can greatly reduce the impact of last-minute requirements changes. These techniques were successfully used to add built-in flexibility to two complex software systems in which the requirements were expected to (and did) change frequently. These large, real-time systems were developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to test and control the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) instrument which flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery as the primary payload on the STS-64 mission.

Temporal Gain Correction for X-Ray Calorimeter Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, F. S.; Chiao, M. P.; Eckart, M. E.; Fujimoto, R.; Ishisaki, Y.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Leutenegger, M. A.; McCammon, D.; Mitsuda, K.

2016-01-01

Calorimetric X-ray detectors are very sensitive to their environment. The boundary conditions can have a profound effect on the gain including heat sink temperature, the local radiation temperature, bias, and the temperature of the readout electronics. Any variation in the boundary conditions can cause temporal variations in the gain of the detector and compromise both the energy scale and the resolving power of the spectrometer. Most production X-ray calorimeter spectrometers, both on the ground and in space, have some means of tracking the gain as a function of time, often using a calibration spectral line. For small gain changes, a linear stretch correction is often sufficient. However, the detectors are intrinsically non-linear and often the event analysis, i.e., shaping, optimal filters etc., add additional non-linearity. Thus for large gain variations or when the best possible precision is required, a linear stretch correction is not sufficient. Here, we discuss a new correction technique based on non-linear interpolation of the energy-scale functions. Using Astro-HSXS calibration data, we demonstrate that the correction can recover the X-ray energy to better than 1 part in 104 over the entire spectral band to above 12 keV even for large-scale gain variations. This method will be used to correct any temporal drift of the on-orbit per-pixel gain using on-board calibration sources for the SXS instrument on the Astro-H observatory.

Time-location patterns of a diverse population of older adults: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air).

PubMed

Spalt, Elizabeth W; Curl, Cynthia L; Allen, Ryan W; Cohen, Martin; Adar, Sara D; Stukovsky, Karen H; Avol, Ed; Castro-Diehl, Cecilia; Nunn, Cathy; Mancera-Cuevas, Karen; Kaufman, Joel D

2016-06-01

The primary aim of this analysis was to present and describe questionnaire data characterizing time-location patterns of an older, multiethnic population from six American cities. We evaluated the consistency of results from repeated administration of this questionnaire and between this questionnaire and other questionnaires collected from participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Participants reported spending most of their time inside their homes (average: 121 h/week or 72%). More than 50% of the participants reported spending no time in several of the location options, including at home outdoors, at work/volunteer/school locations indoors or outdoors, or in "other" locations outdoors. We observed consistency between self-reported time-location patterns from repeated administration of the time-location questionnaire and compared with other survey instruments. Comparisons with national cohorts demonstrated the differences in time-location patterns in the MESA Air cohort due to differences in demographics, but the data showed similar trends in patterns by age, gender, season, and employment status. This study was the first to explicitly examine the time-location patterns in an older, multiethnic population and the first to add data on Chinese participants. These data can be used to inform future epidemiological research of MESA Air and other studies that include diverse populations.

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon: Sounding Enhancement Field Campaign Report

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

Schumacher, Courtney

2016-05-01

The goal of this campaign was to provide higher temporal sampling of the vertical structure of the atmosphere during the two intensive observational periods (IOPs) of the GoAmazon 2014/15 campaign. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) baseline launches for 2014 and 2015 was 4 sondes/day at 2 am, 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm local time (LT) (6, 12, 18 and 0 Coordinated Universal Time [UTC]). However, rapid changes in boundary layer and free tropospheric temperature, humidity, and wind profiles happen throughout the diurnal cycle over Manaus,more » Brazil's complex forest canopy with resulting responses in aerosol, cloud, and precipitation characteristics. This campaign increased sampling to 5 sondes/day for the 2014 wet and dry season IOPs by adding a launch at 11 am (15 UTC) to capture rapid changes in boundary layer properties and convective cloud growth during that time. The extra launch also corresponded to the time of day the ARM Gulfstream (G-1) and German HALO aircraft most often flew, thus providing useful measurements of the large-scale environment during the flights. In addition, the extra launch will significantly add to the quality of AMF1 instrument retrievals and variational analysis forcing data set during the IOPs.« less

An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Reliability Analysis of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Taeho; Richardson, Jennifer C.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instrument to measure student readiness in online learning with reliable predictors of online learning success factors such as learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument were tested using exploratory factor…

Development of an Instrument to Measure Student Use of Academic Success Skills: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, John; Brigman, Greg; Webb, Linda; Villares, Elizabeth; Harrington, Karen

2014-01-01

This article describes the development of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills instrument including item development and exploratory factor analysis. The instrument was developed to measure student use of the skills and strategies identified as most critical for long-term school success that are typically taught by school counselors.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ozinga Adds 14 Natural Gas Concrete Mixers

Science.gov Websites

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40 CFR 63.4767 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4767 Section 63.4767... Rate with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4767 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? During the performance test required by § 63...

40 CFR 63.3546 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.3546 Section 63.3546... device or system of multiple capture devices. The average duct static pressure is the maximum operating... Add-on Controls Option § 63.3546 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control...

40 CFR 63.4966 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4966 Section 63.4966... outlet gas temperature is the maximum operating limit for your condenser. (e) Emission capture system... Emission Rate with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4966 How do I establish the emission capture system and add...

40 CFR 63.3546 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.3546 Section 63.3546... device or system of multiple capture devices. The average duct static pressure is the maximum operating... Add-on Controls Option § 63.3546 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control...

40 CFR 63.4767 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4767 Section 63.4767... Rate with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4767 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? During the performance test required by § 63...

40 CFR 63.4966 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4966 Section 63.4966... outlet gas temperature is the maximum operating limit for your condenser. (e) Emission capture system... with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4966 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control...

40 CFR 63.4966 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4966 Section 63.4966... outlet gas temperature is the maximum operating limit for your condenser. (e) Emission capture system... with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4966 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control...

40 CFR 63.4167 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4167 Section 63.4167... with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4167 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? During the performance test required by § 63.4160...

40 CFR 63.4167 - How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? 63.4167 Section 63.4167... with Add-on Controls Option § 63.4167 How do I establish the emission capture system and add-on control device operating limits during the performance test? During the performance test required by § 63.4160...