The PerkinElmer Omics Laboratory (Seventh Annual Sequencing, Finishing, Analysis in the Future (SFAF) Meeting 2012)

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

Smith, Todd

2012-06-01

Todd Smith of the PerkinElmer Omics Laboratory gives a talk about his lab and its work at the 7th Annual Sequencing, Finishing, Analysis in the Future (SFAF) Meeting held in June, 2012 in Santa Fe, NM.

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

Green, D.W.; Boparai, A.S.; Bowers, D.L.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for fiscal year (FY) 1995 (October 1994 through September 1995). This annual report is the twelfth for the ACL and describes work on 54 continuing and new projects and contributions of the ACL staff to various programs at ANL. The ACL has four technical groups -- Chemical Analysis, Instrumental Analysis, Organic Analysis, and Environmental Analysis.

Preservice and Inservice Teachers' Challenges in the Planning of Practical Work in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nivalainen, Ville; Asikainen, Mervi A.; Sormunen, Kari; Hirvonen, Pekka E.

2010-06-01

Practical work in school science plays many essential roles that have been discussed in the literature. However, less attention has been paid to how teachers learn the different roles of practical work and to the kind of challenges they face in their learning during laboratory courses designed for teachers. In the present study we applied the principles of grounded theory to frame a set of factors that seem to set major challenges concerning both successful work in the school physics laboratory and also in the preparation of lessons that exploit practical work. The subject groups of the study were preservice and inservice physics teachers who participated in a school laboratory course. Our results derived from a detailed analysis of tutoring discussions between the instructor and the participants in the course, which revealed that the challenges in practical or laboratory work consisted of the limitations of the laboratory facilities, an insufficient knowledge of physics, problems in understanding instructional approaches, and the general organization of practical work. Based on these findings, we present our recommendations on the preparation of preservice and inservice teachers for the more effective use of practical work in school science and in school physics.

Revising laboratory work: sociological perspectives on the science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jobér, Anna

2017-09-01

This study uses sociological perspectives to analyse one of the core practices in science education: schoolchildren's and students' laboratory work. Applying an ethnographic approach to the laboratory work done by pupils at a Swedish compulsory school, data were generated through observations, field notes, interviews, and a questionnaire. The pupils, ages 14 and 15, were observed as they took a 5-week physics unit (specifically, mechanics). The analysis shows that the episodes of laboratory work could be filled with curiosity and exciting challenges; however, another picture emerged when sociological concepts and notions were applied to what is a very common way of working in the classroom. Laboratory work is characterised as a social activity that is expected to be organised as a group activity. This entails groups becoming, to some extent, `safe havens' for the pupils. On the other hand, this way of working in groups required pupils to subject to the groups and the peer effect, sometimes undermining their chances to learn and perform better. In addition, the practice of working in groups when doing laboratory work left some pupils and the teacher blaming themselves, even though the outcome of the learning situation was a result of a complex interplay of social processes. This article suggests a stronger emphasis on the contradictions and consequences of the science subjects, which are strongly influenced by their socio-historical legacy.

[Automation and organization of technological process of urinalysis].

PubMed

Kolenkin, S M; Kishkun, A A; Kol'chenko, O L

2000-12-01

Results of introduction into practice of a working model of industrial technology of laboratory studies and KONE Specific Supra and Miditron M devices are shown as exemplified by clinical analysis of the urine. This technology helps standardize all stages and operations, improves the efficiency of quality control of laboratory studies, rationally organizes the work at all stages of the process, creates a system for permanent improvement of the efficiency of investigations at the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical stages of technological process of laboratory studies. As a result of introduction of this technology into laboratory practice, violations of quality criteria of clinical urinalysis decreased from 15 to 8% at the preanalytical stage and from 6 to 3% at the analytical stage. Automation of the analysis decreased the need in reagents 3-fold and improved the productivity at the analytical stage 4-fold.

Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis of Cations in Water Samples: An Experiment for the Introductory Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pursell, Christopher J.; Chandler, Bert; Bushey, Michelle M.

2004-01-01

Capillary electrophoresis is gradually working its way into the undergraduate laboratory curriculum. Typically, experiments utilizing this newer technology have been introduced into analytical or instrumental courses. The authors of this article have introduced an experiment into the introductory laboratory that utilizes capillary electrophoresis…

Factors that impact clinical laboratory scientists' commitment to their work organizations.

PubMed

Bamberg, Richard; Akroyd, Duane; Moore, Ti'eshia M

2008-01-01

To assess the predictive ability of various aspects of the work environment for organizational commitment. A questionnaire measuring three dimensions of organizational commitment along with five aspects of work environment and 10 demographic and work setting characteristics was sent to a national, convenience sample of clinical laboratory professionals. All persons obtaining the CLS certification by NCA from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2006. Only respondents who worked full-time in a clinical laboratory setting were included in the database. Levels of affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment, organizational support, role clarity, role conflict, transformational leadership behavior of supervisor, and organizational type, total years work experience in clinical laboratories, and educational level of respondents. Questionnaire items used either a 7-point or 5-point Likert response scale. Based on multiple regression analysis for the 427 respondents, organizational support and transformational leadership behavior were found to be significant positive predictors of affective and normative organizational commitment. Work setting (non-hospital laboratory) and total years of work experience in clinical laboratories were found to be significant positive predictors of continuance organizational commitment. Overall the organizational commitment levels for all three dimensions were at the neutral rating or below in the slightly disagree range. The results indicate a less than optimal level of organizational commitment to employers, which were predominantly hospitals, by CLS practitioners. This may result in continuing retention problems for hospital laboratories. The results offer strategies for improving organizational commitment via the significant predictors.

In situ Analysis of Organic Matter in Martian Soil: Laboratory Measurements Under Martian Operating Conditions Supporting Treatment and Interpretation of SAM GC-MS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millan, M.; Szopa, C.; Coll, P.; Buch, A.; Cabane, M.; Coscia, D.; Glavin, D. P.; Freissinet, C.

2014-07-01

This work presents laboratory measurements under martian operating conditions in comparison with the SAM GC-MS data provided by the Curiosity rover. Their treatment and interpretation supports the in situ analysis of organic matter on Mars.

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

Campbell, J.A.; Clauss, S.A.; Grant, K.E.

The objectives of this task are to develop and document extraction and analysis methods for organics in waste tanks, and to extend these methods to the analysis of actual core samples to support the Waste Tank organic Safety Program. This report documents progress at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (a) during FY 1994 on methods development, the analysis of waste from Tank 241-C-103 (Tank C-103) and T-111, and the transfer of documented, developed analytical methods to personnel in the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) and 222-S laboratory. This report is intended as an annual report, not a completed work.

Talk and community: The place of reporting in a life sciences laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swieringa, Robert Cecil

This study investigates the routine situated communicative practice within the weekly meetings of a life sciences laboratory. The key, constitutive discourse of "reporting" is examined as an activity in which participants jointly sustain the work community of the laboratory and manage their own work within this community. This study seeks to contribute to studies of small groups by focusing upon the multifunctionality and situated nature of the meeting interactions within this enduring "bona fide" group as participants undertake multiple goals associated with their own progress and with the overlapping contexts of the setting. It also seeks to contribute to investigations of institutional talk and activity by examining "reporting" as interaction with institutional and community consequences for members of the community. This study takes a practice-oriented perspective to investigate the laboratory as a community of practice, focusing upon the "activity" of interaction as the overall unit of analysis. Ethnographic materials (involving observation, interviews, conversations, and activity logs) and discourse analysis techniques (involving audiotaping and transcriptions of meetings) were used to locate and record data within a university entomology laboratory over a two year period. Through triangulation of data, "reporting" is identified as a key discourse activity within the laboratory. As situated communicative practice within the weekly meetings, reporting is found to be compelled discourse through which interactants interactively manage one's ongoing goals and activity while temporally situating that activity within the broader stream of laboratory work. This study provides an example of how engagement in situated discursive activity provides for the coordination of individual lines of progress within the ongoing work of a community.

NASA Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horn, Tom

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the work of the Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory. The capabilities and research interests of the lab are: Structural, thermal, & dynamic analysis; Structural, thermal, & dynamic ground-test techniques; Advanced structural instrumentation; and Flight test support.

Organic Analytical Service within the Superfund Contract Laboratory Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains information about the SOM02.4 statement of work for the analysis of organic compounds at hazardous waste sites. The SOW contains the analytical method and contractual requirements for laboratories.

Inorganic Analytical Service within the Superfund Contract Laboratory Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains information about the ISM02.4 statement of work for the analysis of metals and cyanide at hazardous waste sites. The SOW contains the analytical method and contractual requirements for laboratories.

Nanoparticle concentrations and composition in a dental office and dental laboratory: A pilot study on the influence of working procedures.

PubMed

Lang, Andreja; Ovsenik, Maja; Verdenik, Ivan; Remškar, Maja; Oblak, Čedomir

2018-05-01

During material treatment in dentistry particles of different size are released in the air. To examine the degree of particle exposure, air scanning to dental employees was performed by the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer. The size, shape and chemical composition of particles collected with a low-pressure impactor were determined by scanning electronic microscopy and X-ray dispersive analysis. The average concentrations of nanoparticles during working periods in a clean dental laboratory (45,000-56,000 particles/cm 3 ), in an unclean dental laboratory (28,000-74,000 particles/cm 3 ), and in a dental office (21,000-50,000 particles/cm 3 ), were significantly higher compared to average concentrations during nonworking periods in the clean dental laboratory (11,000-24,000 particles/cm 3 ), unclean laboratory (14,000-40,000 particles/cm 3 ), and dental office (13,000-26,000 particles/cm 3 ). Peak concentration of nanoparticles in work-intensive periods were found significantly higher (up to 773,000 particles/cm 3 ), compared to the non-working periods (147,000 particles/cm 3 ) and work-less intensive periods (365,000 particles/cm 3 ). The highest mass concentration value ranged from 0.055-0.166 mg/m 3 . X-ray dispersive analysis confirmed the presence of carbon, potassium, oxygen, iron, aluminum, zinc, silicon, and phosphorus as integral elements of dental restorative materials in form of nanoparticle clusters, all smaller than 100 nm. We concluded that dental employees are exposed to nanoparticles in their working environment and are therefore potentially at risk for certain respiratory and systematic diseases.

Tensions in the Biology Laboratory: What Are They?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Aik-Ling

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify tensions in teacher-student interaction in a high school biology laboratory. Using micro-analytic analysis of classroom talk, the interaction between the students and a teacher working in the biology laboratory session on "Reproduction in Plants" is studied. The two tensions highlighted here are…

EPA Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chemistry Laboratory (ECL) is a national program laboratory specializing in residue chemistry analysis under the jurisdiction of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs in Washington, D.C. At Stennis Space Center, the laboratory's work supports many federal anti-pollution laws. The laboratory analyzes environmental and human samples to determine the presence and amount of agricultural chemicals and related substances. Pictured, ECL chemists analyze environmental and human samples for the presence of pesticides and other pollutants.

The Investigation of Perchlorate/Iron Phase Mixtures as A Possible Source of Oxygen Detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument in Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutter, B.; Heil, E.; Morris, R. V.; Archer, P. D.; Ming, D. W.; Niles, P. B.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Franz, H.; Freissinet C.; Glavin, D. P.;

Agreed Discoveries: Students' Negotiations in a Virtual Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karlsson, Goran; Ivarsson, Jonas; Lindstrom, Berner

2013-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of the scientific reasoning of a dyad of secondary school students about the phenomenon of dissolution of gases in water as they work on this in a simulated laboratory experiment. A web-based virtual laboratory was developed to provide learners with the opportunity to examine the influence of physical factors on gas…

Analysis of Copper-Bearing Rocks and Minerals for Their Metal Content Using Visible Spectroscopy: A First Year Chemistry Laboratory Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bopegedera, A. M. R. P.

2016-01-01

General chemistry and introductory chemistry students were presented with a laboratory exploration for the determination of the mass percent of copper in rock and mineral samples. They worked independently in the laboratory, which involved multiple lab (pipetting, preparing standard solutions by quantitative dilution, recording visible spectra…

Project-Based Learning in Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory: Using EPA Methods to Guide Student Method Development for Pesticide Quantitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Eric J.; Pauls, Steve; Dick, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Presented is a project-based learning (PBL) laboratory approach for an upper-division environmental chemistry or quantitative analysis course. In this work, a combined laboratory class of 11 environmental chemistry students developed a method based on published EPA methods for the extraction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its…

Destructive Physical Analysis of Flight- and Ground-Tested Sodium-Sulfur Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasz, Margot L.; Carter, Boyd J.; Donet, Charles M.; Baldwin, Richard S.

1999-01-01

Destructive physical analysis (DPA) was used to study the effects of microgravity on the sulfur electrode in sodium-sulfur cells. The cells examined in this work were provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) from their program on sodium-sulfur technology. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) provided electrical characterization of the flight-tested and ground-tested cells.

NEW SAMPLING THEORY FOR MEASURING ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE

EPA Science Inventory

This research considered the application of systems analysis to the study of laboratory ecosystems. The work concerned the development of a methodology which was shown to be useful in the design of laboratory experiments, the processing and interpretation of the results of these ...

Laboratory-based clinical audit as a tool for continual improvement: an example from CSF chemistry turnaround time audit in a South-African teaching hospital.

PubMed

Imoh, Lucius C; Mutale, Mubanga; Parker, Christopher T; Erasmus, Rajiv T; Zemlin, Annalise E

2016-01-01

Timeliness of laboratory results is crucial to patient care and outcome. Monitoring turnaround times (TAT), especially for emergency tests, is important to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of laboratory services. Laboratory-based clinical audits reveal opportunities for improving quality. Our aim was to identify the most critical steps causing a high TAT for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) chemistry analysis in our laboratory. A 6-month retrospective audit was performed. The duration of each operational phase across the laboratory work flow was examined. A process-mapping audit trail of 60 randomly selected requests with a high TAT was conducted and reasons for high TAT were tested for significance. A total of 1505 CSF chemistry requests were analysed. Transport of samples to the laboratory was primarily responsible for the high average TAT (median TAT = 170 minutes). Labelling accounted for most delays within the laboratory (median TAT = 71 minutes) with most delays occurring after regular work hours (P < 0.05). CSF chemistry requests without the appropriate number of CSF sample tubes were significantly associated with delays in movement of samples from the labelling area to the technologist's work station (caused by a preference for microbiological testing prior to CSF chemistry). A laboratory-based clinical audit identified sample transportation, work shift periods and use of inappropriate CSF sample tubes as drivers of high TAT for CSF chemistry in our laboratory. The results of this audit will be used to change pre-analytical practices in our laboratory with the aim of improving TAT and customer satisfaction.

An analysis of high school students' perceptions and academic performance in laboratory experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirchin, Robert Douglas

This research study is an investigation of student-laboratory (i.e., lab) learning based on students' perceptions of experiences using questionnaire data and evidence of their science-laboratory performance based on paper-and-pencil assessments using Maryland-mandated criteria, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) criteria, and published laboratory questions. A 20-item questionnaire consisting of 18 Likert-scale items and 2 open-ended items that addressed what students liked most and least about lab was administered to students before labs were observed. A pre-test and post-test assessing laboratory achievement were administered before and after the laboratory experiences. The three labs observed were: soda distillation, stoichiometry, and separation of a mixture. Five significant results or correlations were found. For soda distillation, there were two positive correlations. Student preference for analyzing data was positively correlated with achievement on the data analysis dimension of the lab rubric. A student preference for using numbers and graphs to analyze data was positively correlated with achievement on the analysis dimension of the lab rubric. For the separating a mixture lab data the following pairs of correlations were significant. Student preference for doing chemistry labs where numbers and graphs were used to analyze data had a positive correlation with writing a correctly worded hypothesis. Student responses that lab experiences help them learn science positively correlated with achievement on the data dimension of the lab rubric. The only negative correlation found related to the first result where students' preference for computers was inversely correlated to their performance on analyzing data on their lab report. Other findings included the following: students like actual experimental work most and the write-up and analysis of a lab the least. It is recommended that lab science instruction be inquiry-based, hands-on, and that students be tested for lab content acquisition. The final conclusion of the study is that students expressed a preference for working in groups and working with materials and equipment as opposed to individual, non-group work and analyzing data.

Analysis of Office/Laboratory Staying Hour and Home Working Hour of Japanese Scientists and Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejiri, A.

The second questionnaire for scientists and engineers was carried out in 2007, and status of Japanese scientists and engineers were analyzed and reported. A part of the data was reanalyzed from the viewpoint of work life balance. In particular, office/laboratory staying hour and home working hour were analyzed and dependences on various factors were investigated. It was found that these hours depend on gender, marital status, number of child, employment status and age. In addition, the total hours tend to be kept constant regardless of various factors.

Academia Meets Industry.

PubMed

Schäfer, Christian; Paprotka, Tobias; Heitzer, Ellen; Eccleston, Mark; Noe, Johannes; Holdenrieder, Stefan; Diehl, Frank; Thierry, Alain

2016-01-01

Researchers working in industrial laboratories as well as in academic laboratories discussed topics related to the use of extracellular nucleic acids in different fields. These included areas like non-invasive prenatal diagnosis, the application of different methods for the analysis and characterization of patients with benign and malignant diseases and technical aspects associated with extracellular nucleic acids. In addition, the possibilities and chances for a cooperation of researchers working in different worlds, i.e. academia and industry, were discussed.

SOIL AND FILL LABORATORY SUPPORT - 1991

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of soil analysis laboratory work by the University of Florida in Support of the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). Analyses were performed on soil and fill samples collected during 1991 by the FRRP Research House program and the New House Evaluation P...

Exploring students' interactions, arguments, and reflections in general chemistry laboratories with different levels of inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Haozhi

Students' learning in inquiry-based investigations has drawn considerable attention of the science education community. Inquiry activities can be viewed as knowledge construction processes in which students are expected to develop conceptual understanding and critical thinking abilities. Our study aimed to explore the effect of experiments with different levels of inquiry on students' interactions in the laboratory setting, as well as on students' written arguments and reflections. Our results are based on direct observations of group work in college general chemistry laboratories and analysis of associated written lab reports. The analysis of students' interactions in the laboratory was approached from three major analytic dimensions: Functional analysis, cognitive processing, and social processing. According to our results, higher levels of inquiry were associated with an increase in the relative frequency of episodes where students were engaged in proposing ideas versus asking and answering each others' questions. Higher levels of inquiry also favored episodes in which experimental work was approached in a more exploratory (versus procedural) manner. However, no major changes were observed in the extent to which students were engaged in either interpretive discussions of central scientific concepts and ideas. As part of our study we were also interested in characterizing the effects of experiments involving different levels of inquiry on the structure and adequacy of university general chemistry students' written arguments, as well as on the nature of their reflections about laboratory work. Our findings indicate that the level of inquiry of the observed experiments had no significant impact on the structure or adequacy of arguments generated by students. However, the level of inquiry of the experiments seemed to have a major impact on several areas of students' written reflections about laboratory work. In general, our results elicit trends and highlight issues that can help instructors and curriculum developers identify strategies to better support and scaffold productive engagement in the laboratory. Our results suggest that careful design and implementation of instructional interventions may be needed to maximize the learning effects of the more open-ended inquiry activities at the college level.

A tracking system for laboratory mice to support medical researchers in behavioral analysis.

PubMed

Macrì, S; Mainetti, L; Patrono, L; Pieretti, S; Secco, A; Sergi, I

2015-08-01

The behavioral analysis of laboratory mice plays a key role in several medical and scientific research areas, such as biology, toxicology, pharmacology, and so on. Important information on mice behavior and their reaction to a particular stimulus is deduced from a careful analysis of their movements. Moreover, behavioral analysis of genetically modified mice allows obtaining important information about particular genes, phenotypes or drug effects. The techniques commonly adopted to support such analysis have many limitations, which make the related systems particularly ineffective. Currently, the engineering community is working to explore innovative identification and sensing technologies to develop new tracking systems able to guarantee benefits to animals' behavior analysis. This work presents a tracking solution based on passive Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. Much emphasis is given to the software component of the system, based on a Web-oriented solution, able to process the raw tracking data coming from a hardware system, and offer 2D and 3D tracking information as well as reports and dashboards about mice behavior. The system has been widely tested using laboratory mice and compared with an automated video-tracking software (i.e., EthoVision). The obtained results have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed solution, which is able to correctly detect the events occurring in the animals' cage, and to offer a complete and user-friendly tool to support researchers in behavioral analysis of laboratory mice.

Teaching Sustainability Analysis in Electrical Engineering Lab Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, D.

2010-01-01

Laboratory courses represent an incompletely tapped opportunity to teach sustainability concepts. This work introduces and evaluates a simple strategy used to teach sustainability concepts in electrical engineering laboratory courses. The technique would readily adapt to other disciplines. The paper presents assessment data and a wiki containing…

Myoglobin structure and function: A multiweek biochemistry laboratory project.

PubMed

Silverstein, Todd P; Kirk, Sarah R; Meyer, Scott C; Holman, Karen L McFarlane

2015-01-01

We have developed a multiweek laboratory project in which students isolate myoglobin and characterize its structure, function, and redox state. The important laboratory techniques covered in this project include size-exclusion chromatography, electrophoresis, spectrophotometric titration, and FTIR spectroscopy. Regarding protein structure, students work with computer modeling and visualization of myoglobin and its homologues, after which they spectroscopically characterize its thermal denaturation. Students also study protein function (ligand binding equilibrium) and are instructed on topics in data analysis (calibration curves, nonlinear vs. linear regression). This upper division biochemistry laboratory project is a challenging and rewarding one that not only exposes students to a wide variety of important biochemical laboratory techniques but also ties those techniques together to work with a single readily available and easily characterized protein, myoglobin. © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Laboratory-based clinical audit as a tool for continual improvement: an example from CSF chemistry turnaround time audit in a South-African teaching hospital

PubMed Central

Imoh, Lucius C; Mutale, Mubanga; Parker, Christopher T; Erasmus, Rajiv T; Zemlin, Annalise E

2016-01-01

Introduction Timeliness of laboratory results is crucial to patient care and outcome. Monitoring turnaround times (TAT), especially for emergency tests, is important to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of laboratory services. Laboratory-based clinical audits reveal opportunities for improving quality. Our aim was to identify the most critical steps causing a high TAT for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) chemistry analysis in our laboratory. Materials and methods A 6-month retrospective audit was performed. The duration of each operational phase across the laboratory work flow was examined. A process-mapping audit trail of 60 randomly selected requests with a high TAT was conducted and reasons for high TAT were tested for significance. Results A total of 1505 CSF chemistry requests were analysed. Transport of samples to the laboratory was primarily responsible for the high average TAT (median TAT = 170 minutes). Labelling accounted for most delays within the laboratory (median TAT = 71 minutes) with most delays occurring after regular work hours (P < 0.05). CSF chemistry requests without the appropriate number of CSF sample tubes were significantly associated with delays in movement of samples from the labelling area to the technologist’s work station (caused by a preference for microbiological testing prior to CSF chemistry). Conclusion A laboratory-based clinical audit identified sample transportation, work shift periods and use of inappropriate CSF sample tubes as drivers of high TAT for CSF chemistry in our laboratory. The results of this audit will be used to change pre-analytical practices in our laboratory with the aim of improving TAT and customer satisfaction. PMID:27346964

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

Green, D.W.; Boparai, A.S.; Bowers, D.L.

This report summarizes the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 (October 1999 through September 2000). This annual progress report, which is the seventeenth in this series for the ACL, describes effort on continuing projects, work on new projects, and contributions of the ACL staff to various programs at ANL. The ACL operates within the ANL system as a full-cost-recovery service center, but it has a mission that includes a complementary research and development component: The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory will provide high-quality, cost-effective chemical analysis and related technical support tomore » solve research problems of our clients--Argonne National Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and others--and will conduct world-class research and development in analytical chemistry and its applications. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems that reflects the diversity of research and development (R&D) work at ANL. Some routine or standard analyses are done, but the ACL operates more typically in a problem-solving mode in which development of methods is required or adaptation of techniques is needed to obtain useful analytical data. The ACL works with clients and commercial laboratories if a large number of routine analyses are required. Much of the support work done by the ACL is very similar to applied analytical chemistry research work.« less

[Tasks and duties of veterinary reference laboratories for food borne zoonoses].

PubMed

Ellerbroek, Lüppo; Alter, T; Johne, R; Nöckler, K; Beutin, L; Helmuth, R

2009-02-01

Reference laboratories are of central importance for consumer protection. Field expertise and high scientific competence are basic requirements for the nomination of a national reference laboratory. To ensure a common approach in the analysis of zoonotic hazards, standards have been developed by the reference laboratories together with national official laboratories on the basis of Art. 33 of Directive (EG) No. 882/2004. Reference laboratories function as arbitrative boards in the case of ambivalent or debatable results. New methods for detection of zoonotic agents are developed and validated to provide tools for analysis, e. g., in legal cases, if results from different parties are disputed. Besides these tasks, national reference laboratories offer capacity building and advanced training courses and control the performance of ring trials to ensure consistency in the quality of analyses in official laboratories. All reference laboratories work according to the ISO standard 17025 which defines the grounds for strict laboratory quality rules and in cooperation with the respective Community Reference Laboratories (CRL). From the group of veterinary reference laboratories for food-borne zoonoses, the national reference laboratories are responsible for Listeria monocytogenes, for Campylobacter, for the surveillance and control of viral and bacterial contamination of bivalve molluscs, for E. coli, for the performance of analysis and tests on zoonoses (Salmonella), and from the group of parasitological zoonotic agents, the national reference laboratory for Trichinella.

Survey of safety practices among hospital laboratories in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Sewunet, Tsegaye; Kebede, Wakjira; Wondafrash, Beyene; Workalemau, Bereket; Abebe, Gemeda

2014-10-01

Unsafe working practices, working environments, disposable waste products, and chemicals in clinical laboratories contribute to infectious and non-infectious hazards. Staffs, the community, and patients are less safe. Furthermore, such practices compromise the quality of laboratory services. We conducted a study to describe safety practices in public hospital laboratories of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Randomly selected ten public hospital laboratories in Oromia Regional State were studied from Oct 2011- Feb 2012. Self-administered structured questionnaire and observation checklists were used for data collection. The respondents were heads of the laboratories, senior technicians, and safety officers. The questionnaire addressed biosafety label, microbial hazards, chemical hazards, physical/mechanical hazards, personal protective equipment, first aid kits and waste disposal system. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis with SPSS version16 statistical software. All of the respondents reported none of the hospital laboratories were labeled with the appropriate safety label and safety symbols. These respondents also reported they may contain organisms grouped under risk group IV in the absence of microbiological safety cabinets. Overall, the respondents reported that there were poor safety regulations or standards in their laboratories. There were higher risks of microbial, chemical and physical/mechanical hazards. Laboratory safety in public hospitals of Oromia Regional State is below the standard. The laboratory workers are at high risk of combined physical, chemical and microbial hazards. Prompt recognition of the problem and immediate action is mandatory to ensure safe working environment in health laboratories.

SOIL AND FILL LABORATORY SUPPORT - 1992 RADIOLOGICAL ANALYSES - FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of soil analysis laboratory work by the University of Florida in support of the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). Analyses were performed on soil and fill samples collected during 1992 by the FRRP Research House Program and the New House Evaluation P...

A method to evaluate performance reliability of individual subjects in laboratory research applied to work settings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-10-01

This report presents a method that may be used to evaluate the reliability of performance of individual subjects, particularly in applied laboratory research. The method is based on analysis of variance of a tasks-by-subjects data matrix, with all sc...

Undergraduate Introductory Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory Course: Interdisciplinary Group Projects in Phytoremediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Engelen, Debra L.; Suljak, Steven W.; Hall, J. Patrick; Holmes, Bert E.

2007-01-01

The laboratory course around the phytoremediation is designed to develop both individual skills and promote cooperative learning while starting students work on projects in a specific area of environmental chemistry and analysis. Many research-active undergraduate institutions have developed courses, which are interdisciplinary in nature that…

Carpal tunnel syndrome among laboratory technicians in relation to personal and ergonomic factors at work.

PubMed

El-Helaly, Mohamed; Balkhy, Hanan H; Vallenius, Laura

2017-11-25

Work-related carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been reported in different occupations, including laboratory technicians, so this study was carried out to determine the prevalence and the associated personal and ergonomic factors for CTS among laboratory technicians. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 279 laboratory technicians at King Fahd Hospital, Saudi Arabia, who filled in a self-administered questionnaire, including questions regarding their demographic criteria, occupational history, job tasks, workplace tools, ergonomic factors at work, and symptoms suggestive of CTS. Physical examinations and electrodiagnostic studies were carried out for those who had symptoms suggestive of CTS to confirm the diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed for both personal and physical factors in association with confirmed CTS among laboratory technicians. The prevalence of CTS among the laboratory technicians was 9.7% (27/279). The following were the statistically significant risk factors for CTS among them: gender (all cases of CTS were female, P=0.00), arm/hand exertion (OR: 7.96; 95% CI: 1.84-34.33), pipetting (OR: 7.27; 95% CI: 3.15-16.78), repetitive tasks (OR: 4.60; 95% CI: 1.39-15.70), using unadjustable chairs or desks (OR: 3.35; 95% CI: 1.23-9.15), and working with a biosafety cabinet (OR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.11-5.59). CTS cases had significant longer work duration (17.9 ± 5.6 years) than CTS non-case (11.5 ± 7.4 yeas) with low OR (1.108). This study demonstrates some personal and ergonomic factors associated with CTS among the laboratory technicians, including female gender, arm/hand exertion, pipetting, repetitive tasks, working with a biosafety cabinet, and an unadjusted workstation.

Carpal tunnel syndrome among laboratory technicians in relation to personal and ergonomic factors at work

PubMed Central

El-Helaly, Mohamed; Balkhy, Hanan H.; Vallenius, Laura

2017-01-01

Objectives: Work-related carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been reported in different occupations, including laboratory technicians, so this study was carried out to determine the prevalence and the associated personal and ergonomic factors for CTS among laboratory technicians. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 279 laboratory technicians at King Fahd Hospital, Saudi Arabia, who filled in a self-administered questionnaire, including questions regarding their demographic criteria, occupational history, job tasks, workplace tools, ergonomic factors at work, and symptoms suggestive of CTS. Physical examinations and electrodiagnostic studies were carried out for those who had symptoms suggestive of CTS to confirm the diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed for both personal and physical factors in association with confirmed CTS among laboratory technicians. Results: The prevalence of CTS among the laboratory technicians was 9.7% (27/279). The following were the statistically significant risk factors for CTS among them: gender (all cases of CTS were female, P=0.00), arm/hand exertion (OR: 7.96; 95% CI: 1.84-34.33), pipetting (OR: 7.27; 95% CI: 3.15-16.78), repetitive tasks (OR: 4.60; 95% CI: 1.39-15.70), using unadjustable chairs or desks (OR: 3.35; 95% CI: 1.23-9.15), and working with a biosafety cabinet (OR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.11-5.59). CTS cases had significant longer work duration (17.9 ± 5.6 years) than CTS non-case (11.5 ± 7.4 yeas) with low OR (1.108). Conclusion: This study demonstrates some personal and ergonomic factors associated with CTS among the laboratory technicians, including female gender, arm/hand exertion, pipetting, repetitive tasks, working with a biosafety cabinet, and an unadjusted workstation. PMID:28855446

Atmospheric, Magnetospheric, and Plasmas in Space (AMPS) spacelab payload definition study, technical summary document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keeley, J. T.

1976-01-01

Some 60 instrument candidates and 80 possible science investigations were evaluated. The early analysis emphasized the science aspect in terms of the functional requirements for each of the potential experiments identified by the AMPS science working group. These requirements were then used for the grouping of instruments into practical payloads which would fit the capabilities of the Shuttle/Spacelab. This analysis resulted in the definition of eleven different AMPS configurations. The data were then used to define a typical set of requirements for a flexible AMPS laboratory. The data gathered to this point showed that a planned sequential buildup of the laboratory would be necessary to meet both physical and funding limitations. This led to the definition of five strawman payloads by the science working group, which were used to establish a conceptual laboratory and to define preliminary design of a configuration which could satisfy AMPS needs during the early program period.

Improvement of analytical capabilities of neutron activation analysis laboratory at the Colombian Geological Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parrado, G.; Cañón, Y.; Peña, M.; Sierra, O.; Porras, A.; Alonso, D.; Herrera, D. C.; Orozco, J.

2016-07-01

The Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) laboratory at the Colombian Geological Survey has developed a technique for multi-elemental analysis of soil and plant matrices, based on Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) using the comparator method. In order to evaluate the analytical capabilities of the technique, the laboratory has been participating in inter-comparison tests organized by Wepal (Wageningen Evaluating Programs for Analytical Laboratories). In this work, the experimental procedure and results for the multi-elemental analysis of four soil and four plant samples during participation in the first round on 2015 of Wepal proficiency test are presented. Only elements with radioactive isotopes with medium and long half-lives have been evaluated, 15 elements for soils (As, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th, U and Zn) and 7 elements for plants (Br, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Na and Zn). The performance assessment by Wepal based on Z-score distributions showed that most results obtained |Z-scores| ≤ 3.

Influence of Decontaminating Agents and Swipe Materials on Laboratory Simulated Working Surfaces Wet Spilled with Sodium Pertechnetate

PubMed Central

Akchata, Suman; Lavanya, K; Shivanand, Bhushan

2017-01-01

Context: Decontamination of various working surfaces with sodium pertechnetate minor spillage is essential for maintaining good radiation safety practices as well as for regulatory compliance. Aim: To observe the influences of decontaminating agents and swipe materials on different type of surfaces used in nuclear medicine laboratory work area wet spilled with 99m-technetium (99mTc) sodium pertechnetate. Settings and Design: Lab-simulated working surface materials. Experimental study design. Materials and Methods: Direct decontamination method on dust-free lab simulated new working surfaces [stainless steel, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Perspex, resin] using four decontaminating agents [tap water, soap water (SW), Radiacwash, and spirit] with four different swipe material [cotton, tissue paper (TP), Whatman paper (WP), adsorbent sheet (AS)] was taken 10 samples (n = 10) for each group. Statistical Analysis: Parametric test two-way analysis of variance is used with significance level of 0.005, was used to evaluate statistical differences between different group of decontaminating agent and swipe material, and the results are expressed in mean ± SD. Results: Decontamination factor is calculated after five cleaning for each group. A total of 160 samples result calculated using four decontaminating agent (tap water, SW, Radiacwash, and spirit), four swipe material (cotton, TP, WP, and AS) for commonly used surface (stainless steel, PVC, Perspex, resin) using direct method by 10 samples (n = 10) for each group. Conclusions: Tap water is the best decontaminating agent compared with SW, Radiac wash and spirit for the laboratory simulated stainless steel, PVC, and Perspex surface material, whereas in case of resin surface material, SW decontaminating agent is showing better effectiveness. Cotton is the best swipe material compared to WP-1, AS and TP for the stainless steel, PVC, Perspex, and resin laboratory simulated surface materials. Perspex and stainless steel are the most suitable and recommended laboratory surface material compared to PVC and resin in nuclear medicine. Radiacwash may show better result for 99mTc labelled product and other radionuclide contamination on the laboratory working surface area. PMID:28680198

77 FR 67013 - Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees From the Battelle Laboratories...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-08

... evaluation, is as follows: Facility: Battelle Laboratories King Avenue Location: Columbus, Ohio. Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the King Avenue facility in Columbus...: Stuart L. Hinnefeld, Director, Division of Compensation Analysis and Support, National Institute for...

Purification and Analysis of Colorful Hypothetical Open Reading Frames: An Inexpensive Gateway Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeSantis, Kara A.; Reinking, Jeffrey L.

2011-01-01

This laboratory exercise is an inquiry-based investigation developed around the core experiment where students, working alone or in groups, each purify and analyze their own prescreened colored proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Here, we present reagents and protocols that allow 12 different proteins to be purified in…

Gait Analysis Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Complete motion analysis laboratory has evolved out of analyzing walking patterns of crippled children at Stanford Children's Hospital. Data is collected by placing tiny electrical sensors over muscle groups of child's legs and inserting step-sensing switches in soles of shoes. Miniature radio transmitters send signals to receiver for continuous recording of abnormal walking pattern. Engineers are working to apply space electronics miniaturization techniques to reduce size and weight of telemetry system further as well as striving to increase signal bandwidth so analysis can be performed faster and more accurately using a mini-computer.

Reduction and analysis of data from cosmic dust experiments on Mariner 4, OGO 3, and Lunar Explorer 35

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The analysis of data from the cosmic dust experiment on three NASA missions is discussed. These missions were Mariner IV, OGO III, and Lunar Explorer 35. The analysis effort has included some work in the laboratory of the physics of microparticle hypervelocity impact. This laboratory effort was initially aimed at the calibration and measurements of the different sensors being used in the experiment. The latter effort was conducted in order to better understand the velocity and mass distributions of the picogram sized ejecta particles.

The Significance of A Neglected Romanian Book - "The Methods of the Clinical Laboratory", by Ioan Manta and Alexandru Ciplea.

PubMed

Barsu, Cristian

2017-04-06

"The Methods of Clinical Laboratory" was the first comprehensive Romanian book in the medical laboratory field, having utility in clinical practice. It was written by Prof. Ioan Manta (1900-1979) and Alexandru Ciplea (1912-1988), both from the Cluj Faculty of Medicine. The volume was published for the first time in 1944, during the refuge of this Faculty in Sibiu, and for the second time in 1947, in Cluj. Our aim is to make a brief analysis of its structure and to put into evidence the importance of this book for the Romanian laboratory medicine, some techniques (e.g. microscopic techniques) keeping their validity until today. The authors made over 800 detailed presentations about: laboratory sampling and preservation techniques, different types of tests and methods for qualitative and quantitative determinations, techniques to prepare various solutions, microbiological culture media, laboratory stains and reagents, as well as maneuvering of some laboratory equipments. For each method, Manta and Ciplea presented: the principle of working method, reagents required, the working technique, mode of calculation, the result and its interpretation. It also includes some laboratory apparatus descriptions, as well as their mode of working. With regard to the scientific value and to the practical utility of this book, it remains a very important milestone in the Romanian medical literature of the XX-th century.

Analysis of vehicle classification and truck weight data of the New England states

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-01

This report is about a statistical analysis of 1995-96 classification and weigh in motion (WIM) data from 17 continuous traffic-monitoring sites in New England. It documents work performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in fulfillment of 'Analysis ...

Supervised analysis of drug prescription sequences.

PubMed

Ficheur, Grégoire; Chazard, Emmanuel; Merlin, Béatrice; Ferret, Laurie; Luyckx, Michel; Beuscart, Régis

2013-01-01

Hospitals have at their disposal large databases that may be considered for reuse. The objective of this work is to evaluate the impact of a drug on a specific laboratory result by analyzing these data. This analysis first involves building a record of temporal patterns, including medical context, of drug prescriptions. Changes in outcome due to these patterns of drug prescription are assessed using short phases of the inpatient stay compared to monotonous changes in the laboratory result. To illustrate this technique, we investigated potassium chloride supplementation and its impact on kalemia. This method enables us to assess the impact of a drug (in its frequent context of prescription) on a laboratory result. This kind of analysis could play a role in post-marketing studies.

Assessment of Application Technology of Natural User Interfaces in the Creation of a Virtual Chemical Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagodziński, Piotr; Wolski, Robert

2015-02-01

Natural User Interfaces (NUI) are now widely used in electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles. We have tried to apply this technology in the teaching of chemistry in middle school and high school. A virtual chemical laboratory was developed in which students can simulate the performance of laboratory activities similar to those that they perform in a real laboratory. Kinect sensor was used for the detection and analysis of the student's hand movements, which is an example of NUI. The studies conducted found the effectiveness of educational virtual laboratory. The extent to which the use of a teaching aid increased the students' progress in learning chemistry was examined. The results indicate that the use of NUI creates opportunities to both enhance and improve the quality of the chemistry education. Working in a virtual laboratory using the Kinect interface results in greater emotional involvement and an increased sense of self-efficacy in the laboratory work among students. As a consequence, students are getting higher marks and are more interested in the subject of chemistry.

Writing Activities Embedded in Bioscience Laboratory Courses to Change Students' Attitudes and Enhance Their Scientific Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Susan E.; Woods, Kyra J.; Tonissen, Kathryn F.

2011-01-01

We introduced writing activities into a project style third year undergraduate biomolecular science laboratory to assist the students to produce a final report in the form of a journal article. To encourage writing while the experimental work was proceeding, the embedded writing activities required ongoing analysis of experimental data. After…

Doing that thing that scientists do: A discovery-driven module on protein purification and characterization for the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory classroom.

PubMed

Garrett, Teresa A; Osmundson, Joseph; Isaacson, Marisa; Herrera, Jennifer

2015-01-01

In traditional introductory biochemistry laboratory classes students learn techniques for protein purification and analysis by following provided, established, step-by-step procedures. Students are exposed to a variety of biochemical techniques but are often not developing procedures or collecting new, original data. In this laboratory module, students develop research skills through work on an original research project and gain confidence in their ability to design and execute an experiment while faculty can enhance their scholarly pursuits through the acquisition of original data in the classroom laboratory. Students are prepared for a 6-8 week discovery-driven project on the purification of the Escherichia coli cytidylate kinase (CMP kinase) through in class problems and other laboratory exercises on bioinformatics and protein structure analysis. After a minimal amount of guidance on how to perform the CMP kinase in vitro enzyme assay, SDS-PAGE, and the basics of protein purification, students, working in groups of three to four, develop a protein purification protocol based on the scientific literature and investigate some aspect of CMP kinase that interests them. Through this process, students learn how to implement a new but perhaps previously worked out procedure to answer their research question. In addition, they learn the importance of keeping a clear and thorough laboratory notebook and how to interpret their data and use that data to inform the next set of experiments. Following this module, students had increased confidence in their ability to do basic biochemistry techniques and reported that the "self-directed" nature of this lab increased their engagement in the project. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory. Progress report for FY 1996

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

Green, D.W.; Boparai, A.S.; Bowers, D.L.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year (FY) 1996. This annual report is the thirteenth for the ACL. It describes effort on continuing and new projects and contributions of the ACL staff to various programs at ANL. The ACL operates in the ANL system as a full-cost-recovery service center, but has a mission that includes a complementary research and development component: The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory will provide high-quality, cost-effective chemical analysis and related technical support to solve research problems of our clients --more » Argonne National Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and others -- and will conduct world-class research and development in analytical chemistry and its applications. Because of the diversity of research and development work at ANL, the ACL handles a wide range of analytical chemistry problems. Some routine or standard analyses are done, but the ACL usually works with commercial laboratories if our clients require high-volume, production-type analyses. It is common for ANL programs to generate unique problems that require significant development of methods and adaption of techniques to obtain useful analytical data. Thus, much of the support work done by the ACL is very similar to our applied analytical chemistry research.« less

Inter-laboratory comparison of multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) for verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 to facilitate data sharing.

PubMed

Holmes, A; Perry, N; Willshaw, G; Hanson, M; Allison, L

2015-01-01

Multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) is used in clinical and reference laboratories for subtyping verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (VTEC O157). However, as yet there is no common allelic or profile nomenclature to enable laboratories to easily compare data. In this study, we carried out an inter-laboratory comparison of an eight-loci MLVA scheme using a set of 67 isolates of VTEC O157. We found all but two isolates were identical in profile in the two laboratories, and repeat units were homogeneous in size but some were incomplete. A subset of the isolates (n = 17) were sequenced to determine the actual copy number of representative alleles, thereby enabling alleles to be named according to international consensus guidelines. This work has enabled us to realize the potential of MLVA as a portable, highly discriminatory and convenient subtyping method.

Preparation and Spectrophotometric Analysis of Hexaamminenickel(II) Chloride.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieder, Grace M.

1986-01-01

Describes an experiment developed at Brooklyn College (New York) in which the preparation and ammonia analysis of an amminenickel(II) chloride is extended to include a spectrophotometric analysis for nickel. Discusses the materials needed and the procedure for the experiment which takes nine hours of laboratory work. (TW)

Nuclear Hybrid Energy Systems FY16 Modeling Efforts at ORNL

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

Cetiner, Sacit M.; Greenwood, Michael Scott; Harrison, Thomas J.

A nuclear hybrid system uses a nuclear reactor as the basic power generation unit. The power generated by the nuclear reactor is utilized by one or more power customers as either thermal power, electrical power, or both. In general, a nuclear hybrid system will couple the nuclear reactor to at least one thermal power user in addition to the power conversion system. The definition and architecture of a particular nuclear hybrid system is flexible depending on local markets needs and opportunities. For example, locations in need of potable water may be best served by coupling a desalination plant to themore » nuclear system. Similarly, an area near oil refineries may have a need for emission-free hydrogen production. A nuclear hybrid system expands the nuclear power plant from its more familiar central power station role by diversifying its immediately and directly connected customer base. The definition, design, analysis, and optimization work currently performed with respect to the nuclear hybrid systems represents the work of three national laboratories. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the lead lab working with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Each laboratory is providing modeling and simulation expertise for the integration of the hybrid system.« less

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

Watrous, Matthew George; Adamic, Mary Louise; Olson, John Eric

The goal of the project, New Paradigms for Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry: Raising the Scientific Profile and Improved Performance for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS), is to ensure that the ongoing isotope ratio determination capability within the U.S. Department of Energy complex is the world’s best for application to nonproliferation. This report spells out the progress of Task 4, Transition of TIMS to AMS for Iodine Analysis, of the larger project. The subtasks under Task 4 and the accomplishments throughout the three year project life cycle are presented in this report. Progress was made inmore » optimization of chemical extraction, determination of a detection limit for 127Iodine, production of standard materials for AMS analysis quality assurance, facilitation of knowledge exchange with respect to analyzing iodine on an AMS, cross comparison with a world-leading AMS laboratory, supercritical fluid extraction of iodine for AMS analysis and electrodeposition of seawater as a direct method of preparation for iodine analysis by AMS--all with the goal of minimizing the time required to stand up an AMS capability for iodine analysis of exposed air filters at INL. An effective extraction method has been developed and demonstrated for iodine analysis of exposed air filters. Innovative techniques to accomplish the cathode preparation for AMS analysis were developed and demonstrated and published. The known gap of a lack of available materials for reference standards in the analysis of iodine by AMS was filled by the preparation of homogenous materials that were calibrated against NIST materials. A minimum limit on the amount of abundant isotope in a sample was determined for AMS analysis. The knowledge exchange occurred with fantastic success. Scientists engaged the international AMS community at conferences, as well as in their laboratories for collaborative work. The supercritical fluid extraction work has positive data, but is not a replacement for leaching yet. The added seawater work has led to a good method and a possible publication. The focus of this project was to minimize the time to stand up the AMS capability, by having all the preparation and supporting functions worked out ahead of the instrument arrival. Due to all the preparatory work and its success, the instrument was delivered and turned over to the INL in February 2015. Since then, INL scientists have been successfully vetting the capabilities and accomplishing their own measurements that agree well with the leading laboratories of the world for iodine analysis by AMS. Initially, all AMS data was gathered on other laboratories instruments, but during the last six months data for this project has come from INL’s AMS.« less

Institutional practices and policies in acid-base testing: a self reported Croatian survey study on behalf of the Croatian society of medical biochemistry and laboratory medicine Working Group for acid-base balance.

PubMed

Dukić, Lora; Simundić, Ana-Maria

2014-01-01

The aim of this survey study was to assess the current practices and policies in use related to the various steps in the blood gas testing process, across hospital laboratories in Croatia. First questionnaire was sent by email to all medical biochemistry laboratories (N = 104) within general, specialized and clinical hospitals and university hospital centres to identify laboratories which perform blood gas analysis. Second questionnaire with detailed questions about sample collection, analysis and quality control procedures, was sent only to 47 laboratories identified by the first survey. Questionnaire was designed as combination of questions and statements with Likert scale. Third questionnaire was sent to all participating laboratories (N=47) for additional clarification for either indeterminate or unclear answers. Blood gas analysis is performed in 47/104 hospital laboratories in Croatia. In 25/41 (0.61) of the laboratories capillary blood gas sampling is the preferred sample type for adult patient population, whereas arterial blood sample is preferentially used in only 5/44 laboratories (0.11). Blood sampling and sample processing for capillary samples is done almost always by laboratory technicians (36/41 and 37/44, respectively), whereas arterial blood sampling is almost always done by the physician (24/29) and only rarely by a nurse (5/28). Sample acceptance criteria and sample analysis are in accordance with international recommendations for majority of laboratories. 43/44 laboratories participate in the national EQA program. POCT analyzers are installed outside of the laboratory in 20/47 (0.43) institutions. Laboratory staff is responsible for education and training of ward personnel, quality control and instrument maintenance in only 12/22, 11/20 and 9/20 institutions, respectively. Practices related to collection and analysis for blood gases in Croatia are not standardised and vary substantially between laboratories. POCT analyzers are not under the direct supervision by laboratory personnel in a large proportion of surveyed institutions. Collective efforts should be made to harmonize and improve policies and procedures related to blood gas testing in Croatian laboratories.

Psychosocial and individual characteristics and musculoskeletal complaints among clinical laboratory workers.

PubMed

Sadeghian, Farideh; Kasaeian, Amir; Noroozi, Pirasteh; Vatani, Javad; Taiebi, Seiyed Hassan

2014-01-01

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are an important health problem among healthcare workers, including clinical laboratory ones. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and individual and psychosocial risk factors among clinical laboratory workers. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 156 workers of 30 clinical laboratories in 3 towns of Iran. The Nordic questionnaire with individual and psychosocial risk factors was used to collect data. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. The prevalence of reported MSDs among the study population was 72.4% in the past 12 months. The most prevalent MSDs were pain in the lower back and neck; 42.7% and 33.3%, respectively. Significant relations were found between MSDs and age, gender, heavy work at home and job control (p < .05). MSDs among laboratory workers were high and associated with age, gender, heavy work at home and job control. More research into measuring these factors and workplace physical demands is suggested.

MULTIVARIATE CURVE RESOLUTION OF NMR SPECTROSCOPY METABONOMIC DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Sandia National Laboratories is working with the EPA to evaluate and develop mathematical tools for analysis of the collected NMR spectroscopy data. Initially, we have focused on the use of Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) also known as molecular factor analysis (MFA), a tech...

PDS Archive Release of Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 17 Lunar Rock Sample Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, P. A.; Stefanov, W. L.; Lofgren, G. E.; Todd, N. S.; Gaddis, L. R.

2013-01-01

Scientists at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Lunar Sample Laboratory, Information Resources Directorate, and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory have been working to digitize (scan) the original film negatives of Apollo Lunar Rock Sample photographs [1, 2]. The rock samples, and associated regolith and lunar core samples, were obtained during the Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 missions. The images allow scientists to view the individual rock samples in their original or subdivided state prior to requesting physical samples for their research. In cases where access to the actual physical samples is not practical, the images provide an alternate mechanism for study of the subject samples. As the negatives are being scanned, they have been formatted and documented for permanent archive in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). The Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate (which includes the Lunar Sample Laboratory and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory) at JSC is working collaboratively with the Imaging Node of the PDS on the archiving of these valuable data. The PDS Imaging Node is now pleased to announce the release of the image archives for Apollo missions 11, 12, and 17.

Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT)

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

Williams, Dean N.

2011-07-20

This report summarizes work carried out by the Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT) Team for the period of January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011. It discusses highlights, overall progress, period goals, and collaborations and lists papers and presentations. To learn more about our project, please visit our UV-CDAT website (URL: http://uv-cdat.org). This report will be forwarded to the program manager for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), national and international collaborators and stakeholders, and to researchers working on a wide range of other climate model, reanalysis, and observation evaluation activities. Themore » UV-CDAT executive committee consists of Dean N. Williams of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Dave Bader and Galen Shipman of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Phil Jones and James Ahrens of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Claudio Silva of Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly); and Berk Geveci of Kitware, Inc. The UV-CDAT team consists of researchers and scientists with diverse domain knowledge whose home institutions also include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the University of Utah. All work is accomplished under DOE open-source guidelines and in close collaboration with the project's stakeholders, domain researchers, and scientists. Working directly with BER climate science analysis projects, this consortium will develop and deploy data and computational resources useful to a wide variety of stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers, and the general public. Members of this consortium already collaborate with other institutions and universities in researching data discovery, management, visualization, workflow analysis, and provenance. The UV-CDAT team will address the following high-level visualization requirements: (1) Alternative parallel streaming statistics and analysis pipelines - Data parallelism, Task parallelism, Visualization parallelism; (2) Optimized parallel input/output (I/O); (3) Remote interactive execution; (4) Advanced intercomparison visualization; (5) Data provenance processing and capture; and (6) Interfaces for scientists - Workflow data analysis and visualization construction tools, and Visualization interfaces.« less

2017 GTO Project review Laboratory Evaluation of EGS Shear Stimulation.

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

Bauer, Stephen J.

The objectives and purpose of this research has been to produce laboratory-based experimental and numerical analyses to provide a physics-based understanding of shear stimulation phenomena (hydroshearing) and its evolution during stimulation. Water was flowed along fractures in hot and stressed fractured rock, to promote slip. The controlled laboratory experiments provide a high resolution/high quality data resource for evaluation of analysis methods developed by DOE to assess EGS “behavior” during this stimulation process. Segments of the experimental program will provide data sets for model input parameters, i.e., material properties, and other segments of the experimental program will represent small scale physicalmore » models of an EGS system, which may be modeled. The coupled lab/analysis project has been a study of the response of a fracture in hot, water-saturated fractured rock to shear stress experiencing fluid flow. Under this condition, the fracture experiences a combination of potential pore pressure changes and fracture surface cooling, resulting in slip along the fracture. The laboratory work provides a means to assess the role of “hydroshearing” on permeability enhancement in reservoir stimulation. Using the laboratory experiments and results to define boundary and input/output conditions of pore pressure, thermal stress, fracture shear deformation and fluid flow, and models were developed and simulations completed by the University of Oklahoma team. The analysis methods are ones used on field scale problems. The sophisticated numerical models developed contain parameters present in the field. The analysis results provide insight into the role of fracture slip on permeability enhancement-“hydroshear” is to be obtained. The work will provide valuable input data to evaluate stimulation models, thus helping design effective EGS.« less

Summary of Environmental Data Analysis and Work Performed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Support of the Navajo Nation Abandoned Mine Lands Project at Tse Tah, Arizona

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

Taffet, Michael J.; Esser, Bradley K.; Madrid, Victor M.

This report summarizes work performed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under Navajo Nation Services Contract CO9729 in support of the Navajo Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Program (NAMLRP). Due to restrictions on access to uranium mine waste sites at Tse Tah, Arizona that developed during the term of the contract, not all of the work scope could be performed. LLNL was able to interpret environmental monitoring data provided by NAMLRP. Summaries of these data evaluation activities are provided in this report. Additionally, during the contract period, LLNL provided technical guidance, instructional meetings, and review of relevant work performed by NAMLRPmore » and its contractors that was not contained in the contract work scope.« less

Targeting Inaccurate Atomic Data in the Eta Car Ejecta Absorption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nielsen, K. E.; Kober, G. Vieira; Gull, T. R.; Blackwell-Whitehead, R.; Nilsson, H.

2006-01-01

The input from the laboratory spectroscopist community has on many occasions helped the analysis of the eta Car spectrum. Our analysis has targeted spectra where improved wavelengths and oscillator strengths are needed. We will demonstrate how experimentally derived atomic data have improved our spectral analysis, and illuminate where more work still is needed.

Comprehensive evaluation of contemporary assisted reproduction technology laboratory operations to determine staffing levels that promote patient safety and quality care.

PubMed

Alikani, Mina; Go, Kathryn J; McCaffrey, Caroline; McCulloh, David H

2014-11-01

To consider how staffing requirements have changed with evolving and increasingly more complex assisted reproduction technology (ART) laboratory practice. Analysis by four laboratory directors from three different ART programs of the level of complexity and time requirements for contemporary ART laboratory activities to determine adequate staffing levels. University-based and private ART programs. None. None. Human resource requirements for ART procedures. Both complexity and time required for completion of a contemporary ART cycle have increased significantly compared with the same requirements for the "traditional cycle" of the past. The latter required roughly 9 personnel hours, but a contemporary cycle can require up to 20 hours for completion. Consistent with this increase, a quantitative analysis shows that the number of embryologists required for safe and efficient operation of the ART laboratory has also increased. This number depends on not only the volume but also the types of procedures performed: the higher the number of complex procedures, the more personnel required. An interactive Personnel Calculator is introduced that can help determine staffing needs. The increased complexity of the contemporary ART laboratory requires a new look at the allocation of human resources. Our work provides laboratory directors with a practical, individualized tool to determine their staffing requirements with a view to increasing the safety and efficiency of operations. The work could serve as the basis for revision of the 2008 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) staffing guidelines. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of Flavonoids in Wine by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Queija, Celeste; Queirós, M. A.; Rodrigues, Ligia M.

2001-02-01

The experiment presented is an application of HPLC to the analysis of flavonoids in wines, designed for students of instrumental methods. It is done in two successive 4-hour laboratory sessions. While the hydrolysis of the wines is in progress, the students prepare the calibration curves with standard solutions of flavonoids and calculate the regression lines and correlation coefficients. During the second session they analyze the hydrolyzed wine samples and calculate the concentrations of the flavonoids using the calibration curves obtained earlier. This laboratory work is very attractive to students because they deal with a common daily product whose components are reported to have preventive and therapeutic effects. Furthermore, students can execute preparative work and apply a more elaborate technique that is nowadays an indispensable tool in instrumental analysis.

Annual Report on the Activities and Publications of the DHS-DNDO-NTNFC Sponsored Post-doctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory

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

Rim, Jung Ho; Tandon, Lav

This report is a summary of the projects Jung Rim is working on as a DHS postdoctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. These research projects are designed to explore different radioanalytical methods to support nuclear forensics applications. The current projects discussed here include development of alpha spectroscopy method for 240/239Pu Isotopic ratio measurement, non-destructive uranium assay method using gamma spectroscopy, and 236U non-destructive uranium analysis using FRAM code. This report documents the work that has been performed since the start of the postdoctoral appointment.

Materials Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Dionne

2005-01-01

The NASA Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) provides science and engineering services to NASA and Contractor customers at KSC, including those working for the Space Shuttle. International Space Station. and Launch Services Programs. These services include: (1) Independent/unbiased failure analysis (2) Support to Accident/Mishap Investigation Boards (3) Materials testing and evaluation (4) Materials and Processes (M&P) engineering consultation (5) Metrology (6) Chemical analysis (including ID of unknown materials) (7) Mechanical design and fabrication We provide unique solutions to unusual and urgent problems associated with aerospace flight hardware, ground support equipment and related facilities.

Final definition and preliminary design study for the initial atmospheric cloud physics laboratory, a Spacelab mission payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The following areas related to the final definition and preliminary design study of the initial atmospheric cloud physics laboratory (ACPL) were covered: (1) proposal organization, personnel, schedule, and project management, (2) proposed configurations, (3) study objectives, (4) ACPL experiment program listing and description, (5) mission/flight flexibility and modularity/commonality, (6) study plan, and (7) description of following tasks: requirement analysis and definition task flow, systems analysis and trade studies, subsystem analysis and trade studies, specifications and interface control documents, preliminary design task flow, work breakdown structure, programmatic analysis and planning, and project costs. Finally, an overview of the scientific requirements was presented.

Beginning Chemistry Can Be Relevant

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corwin, James F.

1971-01-01

Reviews ways of applying laboratory work in general and analytical chemistry to supermarket products. Describes ways water and air pollution analysis can illustrate acid-base reactions, redox reactions, precipitimetry, and colorimetry. (PR)

Do PCDD/PCDF standard solutions used in dioxin analysis pose a risk as potentially acutely toxic to lab personnel?

PubMed

Malisch, Rainer; Denison, Michael S; Fiedler, Heidelore; Fürst, Peter; Hoogenboom, Ron L A P; Schaechtele, Alexander; Schrenk, Dieter; van den Berg, Martin

2017-10-01

Laboratory safety requires protecting personnel from chemical exposures. Working with stock solutions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) in routine analysis of feed and food with bioanalytical or physicochemical methods raises some concerns. Since PCDD/PCDFs are considered as possibly acutely toxic, the potential risks were evaluated to determine whether supervision of their use is necessary. Based on LD 50 -data for oral or dermal intake, hazard classification of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as a substance (category 1) and in commercially available TCDD standard solutions (category 4) is different. As worst case exposure scenario during routine laboratory work it was assumed that a dose of 100 ng TCDD gets onto the skin and is absorbed. This would result in the total body burden of a 70 kg person with 15 kg fat increasing from 10 (upper range of current background levels) to ∼17 pg of toxic equivalents (TEQs) of PCDD/PCDFs per g lipid, a level commonly observed over past decades. Chloracne, the main acute effect occurring weeks after exposure, is observed at much higher blood concentrations than estimated from accidental laboratory exposure. Immunotoxicity, developmental effects and other toxic effects may occur at lower blood levels, but require longer periods to develop. Since acute toxic symptoms don't occur within an "8 h acute time window", no supervision is necessary when working with standard solutions in routine analysis. Nevertheless, precautionary measures are needed regarding long-term adverse health effects and appropriate workplace conditions must exist to ensure that additional occupational exposure to PCDD/PCDFs by laboratory personnel is negligible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation and Certification of Two New Bulk Welding Fume Reference Materials for Use in Laboratories Undertaking Analysis of Occupational Hygiene Samples

PubMed Central

Butler, Owen; Musgrove, Darren; Stacey, Peter

2014-01-01

Workers can be exposed to fume, arising from welding activities, which contain toxic metals and metalloids. Occupational hygienists need to assess and ultimately minimize such exposure risks. The monitoring of the concentration of particles in workplace air is one assessment approach whereby fume, from representative welding activities, is sampled onto a filter and returned to a laboratory for analysis. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry are generally employed as instrumental techniques of choice for the analysis of such filter samples. An inherent difficulty, however, with inductively coupled plasma-based analytical techniques is that they typically require a sample to be presented for analysis in the form of a solution. The efficiency of the required dissolution step relies heavily upon the skill and experience of the analyst involved. A useful tool in assessing the efficacy of this dissolution step would be the availability and subsequent analysis of welding fume reference materials with stated elemental concentrations and matrices that match as closely as possible the matrix composition of welding fume samples submitted to laboratories for analysis. This article describes work undertaken at the Health and Safety Laboratory to prepare and certify two new bulk welding fume reference materials that can be routinely used by analysts to assess the performance of the digestion procedures they employ in their laboratories. PMID:24499055

Preparation and certification of two new bulk welding fume reference materials for use in laboratories undertaking analysis of occupational hygiene samples.

PubMed

Butler, Owen; Musgrove, Darren; Stacey, Peter

2014-01-01

Workers can be exposed to fume, arising from welding activities, which contain toxic metals and metalloids. Occupational hygienists need to assess and ultimately minimize such exposure risks. The monitoring of the concentration of particles in workplace air is one assessment approach whereby fume, from representative welding activities, is sampled onto a filter and returned to a laboratory for analysis. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry are generally employed as instrumental techniques of choice for the analysis of such filter samples. An inherent difficulty, however, with inductively coupled plasma-based analytical techniques is that they typically require a sample to be presented for analysis in the form of a solution. The efficiency of the required dissolution step relies heavily upon the skill and experience of the analyst involved. A useful tool in assessing the efficacy of this dissolution step would be the availability and subsequent analysis of welding fume reference materials with stated elemental concentrations and matrices that match as closely as possible the matrix composition of welding fume samples submitted to laboratories for analysis. This article describes work undertaken at the Health and Safety Laboratory to prepare and certify two new bulk welding fume reference materials that can be routinely used by analysts to assess the performance of the digestion procedures they employ in their laboratories.

[What's the point of cost management in clinical laboratories?].

PubMed

Setoyama, Tomokazu; Yamauchi, Kazuyoshi; Katsuyama, Tsutomu

2006-11-01

Clinical laboratories need to know and manage the costs of laboratory tests, because they need financial data (1) to estimate costs per patient, (2) to request a budget to buy equipment, and (3) to improve their work; however, less than 40% laboratories practice cost management. In 2002, Shinshu University Hospital began to assess the costs of laboratory tests, but it was difficult to evaluate the quality of our cost management because there are few data and papers about the costs of laboratory tests in Japan. In this article, we practiced cost analysis using Shinshu University Hospital's data for 3 years (2002-2004), and studied the features of laboratory test costs and the problems of laboratory cost management. As a result, we listed 7 points to check cost management in clinical laboratories. This check list was established using only one data from our hospital. So, we suggest the benchmarking laboratory test costs between laboratories of the same type of hospitals or various laboratories.

Laboratory Medicine Best Practice Guideline: Vitamins A, E and the Carotenoids in Blood

PubMed Central

Greaves, Ronda F; Woollard, Gerald A; Hoad, Kirsten E; Walmsley, Trevor A; Johnson, Lambro A; Briscoe, Scott; Koetsier, Sabrina; Harrower, Tamantha; Gill, Janice P

2014-01-01

Despite apparent method similarities between laboratories there appear to be confounding factors inhibiting uniform reporting and standardisation of vitamin assays. The Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) Vitamins Working Party, in conjunction with The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, has formulated a guideline to improve performance, reproducibility and accuracy of fat-soluble vitamin results. The aim of the guideline is to identify critical pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical components of the analysis of vitamins A, E and carotenoids in blood to promote best practice and harmonisation. This best practice guideline has been developed with reference to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Laboratory Medicine Best Practices: Developing an Evidence-Based Review and Evaluation Process”. The CDC document cites an evaluation framework for generating best practice recommendations that are specific to laboratory medicine. These 50 recommendations proposed herein, were generated from a comprehensive literature search and the extensive combined experience of the AACB Vitamins Working Party members. They were formulated based on comparison between an impact assessment rating and strength of evidence and were classified as either: (1) strongly recommend, (2) recommend, (3) no recommendation for or against, or (4) recommend against. These best practice recommendations represent the consensus views, in association with peer reviewed evidence of the AACB Vitamins Working Party, towards best practice for the collection, analysis and interpretation of vitamins A, E and carotenoids in blood. PMID:25210208

Noise Exposure Assessment in a Dental School

PubMed Central

Kaimook, Wandee; Tantisarasart, Ratchada; Sooksamear, Puwanai; Chayaphum, Satith; Kongkamol, Chanon; Srisintorn, Wisarut; Phakthongsuk, Pitchaya

2011-01-01

Objectives This cross-sectional study was performed in the Dental School of Prince of Songkla University to ascertain noise exposure of dentists, dental assistants, and laboratory technicians. A noise spectral analysis was taken to illustrate the spectra of dental devices. Methods A noise evaluation was performed to measure the noise level at dental clinics and one dental laboratory from May to December 2010. Noise spectral data of dental devices were taken during dental practices at the dental services clinic and at the dental laboratory. A noise dosimeter was set following the Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria and then attached to the subjects' collar to record personal noise dose exposure during working periods. Results The peaks of the noise spectrum of dental instruments were at 1,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz which depended on the type of instrument. The differences in working areas and job positions had an influence on the level of noise exposure (p < 0.01). Noise measurement in the personal hearing zone found that the laboratory technicians were exposed to the highest impulsive noise levels (137.1 dBC). The dentists and dental assistants who worked at a pedodontic clinic had the highest percent noise dose (4.60 ± 3.59%). In the working areas, the 8-hour time-weighted average of noise levels ranged between 49.7-58.1 dBA while the noisiest working area was the dental laboratory. Conclusion Dental personnel are exposed to noise intensities lower than occupational exposure limits. Therefore, these dental personnel may not experience a noise-induced hearing loss. PMID:22953219

Noise exposure assessment in a dental school.

PubMed

Choosong, Thitiworn; Kaimook, Wandee; Tantisarasart, Ratchada; Sooksamear, Puwanai; Chayaphum, Satith; Kongkamol, Chanon; Srisintorn, Wisarut; Phakthongsuk, Pitchaya

2011-12-01

This cross-sectional study was performed in the Dental School of Prince of Songkla University to ascertain noise exposure of dentists, dental assistants, and laboratory technicians. A noise spectral analysis was taken to illustrate the spectra of dental devices. A noise evaluation was performed to measure the noise level at dental clinics and one dental laboratory from May to December 2010. Noise spectral data of dental devices were taken during dental practices at the dental services clinic and at the dental laboratory. A noise dosimeter was set following the Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria and then attached to the subjects' collar to record personal noise dose exposure during working periods. The peaks of the noise spectrum of dental instruments were at 1,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz which depended on the type of instrument. The differences in working areas and job positions had an influence on the level of noise exposure (p < 0.01). Noise measurement in the personal hearing zone found that the laboratory technicians were exposed to the highest impulsive noise levels (137.1 dBC). The dentists and dental assistants who worked at a pedodontic clinic had the highest percent noise dose (4.60 ± 3.59%). In the working areas, the 8-hour time-weighted average of noise levels ranged between 49.7-58.1 dBA while the noisiest working area was the dental laboratory. Dental personnel are exposed to noise intensities lower than occupational exposure limits. Therefore, these dental personnel may not experience a noise-induced hearing loss.

A comparative analysis of physiological responses at submaximal workloads during different laboratory simulations of field cycling.

PubMed

Kenny, G P; Reardon, F D; Marion, A; Thoden, J S

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between heart rate (fc), oxygen consumption (VO2), peak force and average force developed at the crank in response to submaximal exercise employing a racing bicycle which was attached to an ergometer (RE), ridden on a treadmill (TC) and ridden on a 400-m track (FC). Eight male trained competitive cyclists rode at three pre-determined work intensities set at a proportion of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max): (1) below lactate threshold [work load that produces a VO2 which is 10% less than the lactate threshold VO2 (sub-LT)], (2) lactate threshold VO2 (LT), and (3) above lactate threshold [workload that produces a VO2 which is 10% greater than lactate threshold VO2 (supra-LT)], and equated across exercise modes on the basis of fc. Voltage signals from the crank arm were recorded as FM signals for subsequent representation of peak and average force. Open circuit VO2 measurements were done in the field by Douglas bag gas collection and in the laboratory by automated gas collection and analysis. fc was recorded with a telemeter (Polar Electro Sport Tester, PE3000). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed: (1) in VO2 between FC and both laboratory conditions at sub-LT intensity and LT intensities, (2) in peak force between FC and TC at sub-LT intensity, (3) in average force between FC and RE at sub-LT. No significant differences were demonstrated at supra-LT intensity for VO2. Similarly no significant differences were observed in peak and average force for either LT or supra-LT intensities. These data indicate that equating work intensities on the basis of fc measured in laboratory conditions would overestimate the VO2 which would be generated in the field and conversely, that using fc measured in the laboratory to establish field work intensity would underestimate mechanical workload experienced in the field.

Simulating Astrophysical Jets with Inertial Confinement Fusion Machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Brent

2005-10-01

Large-scale directional outflows of supersonic plasma, also known as `jets', are ubiquitous phenomena in astrophysics. The traditional approach to understanding such phenomena is through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. However, theoretical analysis might not capture all the relevant physics and numerical simulations have limited resolution and fail to scale correctly in Reynolds number and perhaps other key dimensionless parameters. Recent advances in high energy density physics using large inertial confinement fusion devices now allow controlled laboratory experiments on macroscopic volumes of plasma of direct relevance to astrophysics. This talk will present an overview of these facilities as well as results from current laboratory astrophysics experiments designed to study hydrodynamic jets and Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics under Contract No. DE-FC03-92SF19460.

Modeling Supernova Shocks with Intense Lasers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Brent

2006-04-01

Large-scale directional outflows of supersonic plasma are ubiquitous phenomena in astrophysics, with specific application to supernovae. The traditional approach to understanding such phenomena is through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. However, theoretical analysis might not capture all the relevant physics and numerical simulations have limited resolution and fail to scale correctly in Reynolds number and perhaps other key dimensionless parameters. Recent advances in high energy density physics using large inertial confinement fusion devices now allow controlled laboratory experiments on macroscopic volumes of plasma of direct relevance to astrophysics. This talk will present an overview of these facilities as well as results from current laboratory astrophysics experiments designed to study hydrodynamic jets and Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics under Contract No. DE-FC03-92SF19460.

Analytical and Radiochemistry for Nuclear Forensics

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

Steiner, Robert Ernest; Dry, Donald E.; Kinman, William Scott

Information about nonproliferation nuclear forensics, activities in forensics at Los Alamos National Laboratory, radio analytical work at LANL, radiochemical characterization capabilities, bulk chemical and materials analysis capabilities, and future interests in forensics interactions.

Influence of Decontaminating Agents and Swipe Materials on Laboratory Simulated Working Surfaces Wet Spilled with Sodium Pertechnetate.

PubMed

Akchata, Suman; Lavanya, K; Shivanand, Bhushan

2017-01-01

Decontamination of various working surfaces with sodium pertechnetate minor spillage is essential for maintaining good radiation safety practices as well as for regulatory compliance. To observe the influences of decontaminating agents and swipe materials on different type of surfaces used in nuclear medicine laboratory work area wet spilled with 99m-technetium (99mTc) sodium pertechnetate. Lab-simulated working surface materials. Experimental study design. Direct decontamination method on dust-free lab simulated new working surfaces [stainless steel, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Perspex, resin] using four decontaminating agents [tap water, soap water (SW), Radiacwash, and spirit] with four different swipe material [cotton, tissue paper (TP), Whatman paper (WP), adsorbent sheet (AS)] was taken 10 samples (n = 10) for each group. Parametric test two-way analysis of variance is used with significance level of 0.005, was used to evaluate statistical differences between different group of decontaminating agent and swipe material, and the results are expressed in mean ± SD. Decontamination factor is calculated after five cleaning for each group. A total of 160 samples result calculated using four decontaminating agent (tap water, SW, Radiacwash, and spirit), four swipe material (cotton, TP, WP, and AS) for commonly used surface (stainless steel, PVC, Perspex, resin) using direct method by 10 samples (n = 10) for each group. Tap water is the best decontaminating agent compared with SW, Radiac wash and spirit for the laboratory simulated stainless steel, PVC, and Perspex surface material, whereas in case of resin surface material, SW decontaminating agent is showing better effectiveness. Cotton is the best swipe material compared to WP-1, AS and TP for the stainless steel, PVC, Perspex, and resin laboratory simulated surface materials. Perspex and stainless steel are the most suitable and recommended laboratory surface material compared to PVC and resin in nuclear medicine. Radiacwash may show better result for 99mTc labelled product and other radionuclide contamination on the laboratory working surface area.

Integration of Video-Based Demonstrations to Prepare Students for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadelson, Louis S.; Scaggs, Jonathan; Sheffield, Colin; McDougal, Owen M.

2015-08-01

Consistent, high-quality introductions to organic chemistry laboratory techniques effectively and efficiently support student learning in the organic chemistry laboratory. In this work, we developed and deployed a series of instructional videos to communicate core laboratory techniques and concepts. Using a quasi-experimental design, we tested the videos in five traditional laboratory experiments by integrating them with the standard pre-laboratory student preparation presentations and instructor demonstrations. We assessed the influence of the videos on student laboratory knowledge and performance, using sections of students who did not view the videos as the control. Our analysis of pre-quizzes revealed the control group had equivalent scores to the treatment group, while the post-quiz results show consistently greater learning gains for the treatment group. Additionally, the students who watched the videos as part of their pre-laboratory instruction completed their experiments in less time.

Guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction: Investigation of critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and implementing student roles in chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Tanya

Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with peers and in facilitation by the instructor. A student-centered active learning approach may be an effective way to enhance student understanding of concepts in the laboratory. The dissertation research work explores the impact of laboratory instruction and its relevance for college-level chemistry. Each chapter is different from the preceding chapter in terms of the purpose of the study and the research questions asked. However, the overarching idea is to address the importance of guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction in chemistry and its relevance in helping students to make connections with the chemistry content and in imparting skills to students. Such skills include problem solving, collaborative group work and critical thinking. The first research study (Chapter 2) concerns the impact of first year co-requisite general chemistry laboratory instruction on the problem-solving skills of students. The second research study (Chapter 3) examines the impact of implementing student roles also known as Student-Led Instructor Facilitated Guided-Inquiry based Laboratories, SLIFGIL) by modifying the Science Writing Heuristic approach of laboratory instruction. In the third research study (Chapter 4), critical thinking skills of first semester general chemistry laboratory students were compared to advanced (third or fourth year) chemistry laboratory students based on the analysis of their laboratory reports.

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

Shull, H.E.

The objective of the project was to investigate the economic feasibility of converting potato waste to fuel alcohol. The source of potato starch was Troyer Farms Potato Chips. Experimental work was carried out at both the laboratory scale and the larger pilot scale batch operation at a decommissioned waste water treatment building on campus. The laboratory scale work was considerably more extensive than originally planned, resulting in a much improved scientific work. The pilot scale facility has been completed and operated successfully. In contrast, the analysis of the economic feasibility of commercial production has not yet been completed. The projectmore » was brought to a close with the successful demonstration of the fermentation and distillation using the large scale facilities described previously. Two batches of mash were cooked using the procedures established in support of the laboratory scale work. One of the batches was fermented using the optimum values of the seven controlled factors as predicted by the laboratory scale application of the Box-Wilson design. The other batch was fermented under conditions derived out of Mr. Rouse's interpretation of his long sequence of laboratory results. He was gratified to find that his commitment to the Box-Wilson experiments was justified. The productivity of the Box-Wilson design was greater. The difference between the performance of the two fermentors (one stirred, one not) has not been established yet. Both batches were then distilled together, demonstrating the satisfactory performance of the column still. 4 references.« less

Educational Software for Interference and Optical Diffraction Analysis in Fresnel and Fraunhofer Regions Based on MATLAB GUIs and the FDTD Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frances, J.; Perez-Molina, M.; Bleda, S.; Fernandez, E.; Neipp, C.; Belendez, A.

2012-01-01

Interference and diffraction of light are elementary topics in optics. The aim of the work presented here is to develop an accurate and cheap optical-system simulation software that provides a virtual laboratory for studying the effects of propagation in both time and space for the near- and far-field regions. In laboratory sessions, this software…

Preanalytical errors in medical laboratories: a review of the available methodologies of data collection and analysis.

PubMed

West, Jamie; Atherton, Jennifer; Costelloe, Seán J; Pourmahram, Ghazaleh; Stretton, Adam; Cornes, Michael

2017-01-01

Preanalytical errors have previously been shown to contribute a significant proportion of errors in laboratory processes and contribute to a number of patient safety risks. Accreditation against ISO 15189:2012 requires that laboratory Quality Management Systems consider the impact of preanalytical processes in areas such as the identification and control of non-conformances, continual improvement, internal audit and quality indicators. Previous studies have shown that there is a wide variation in the definition, repertoire and collection methods for preanalytical quality indicators. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Working Group on Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety has defined a number of quality indicators for the preanalytical stage, and the adoption of harmonized definitions will support interlaboratory comparisons and continual improvement. There are a variety of data collection methods, including audit, manual recording processes, incident reporting mechanisms and laboratory information systems. Quality management processes such as benchmarking, statistical process control, Pareto analysis and failure mode and effect analysis can be used to review data and should be incorporated into clinical governance mechanisms. In this paper, The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine PreAnalytical Specialist Interest Group review the various data collection methods available. Our recommendation is the use of the laboratory information management systems as a recording mechanism for preanalytical errors as this provides the easiest and most standardized mechanism of data capture.

Patient identification error among prostate needle core biopsy specimens--are we ready for a DNA time-out?

PubMed

Suba, Eric J; Pfeifer, John D; Raab, Stephen S

2007-10-01

Patient identification errors in surgical pathology often involve switches of prostate or breast needle core biopsy specimens among patients. We assessed strategies for decreasing the occurrence of these uncommon and yet potentially catastrophic events. Root cause analyses were performed following 3 cases of patient identification error involving prostate needle core biopsy specimens. Patient identification errors in surgical pathology result from slips and lapses of automatic human action that may occur at numerous steps during pre-laboratory, laboratory and post-laboratory work flow processes. Patient identification errors among prostate needle biopsies may be difficult to entirely prevent through the optimization of work flow processes. A DNA time-out, whereby DNA polymorphic microsatellite analysis is used to confirm patient identification before radiation therapy or radical surgery, may eliminate patient identification errors among needle biopsies.

Hypersonic and Supersonic Static Aerodynamics of Mars Science Laboratory Entry Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyakonov, Artem A.; Schoenenberger, Mark; Vannorman, John W.

2012-01-01

This paper describes the analysis of continuum static aerodynamics of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry vehicle (EV). The method is derived from earlier work for Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Path Finder (MPF) and the appropriate additions are made in the areas where physics are different from what the prior entry systems would encounter. These additions include the considerations for the high angle of attack of MSL EV, ablation of the heatshield during entry, turbulent boundary layer, and other aspects relevant to the flight performance of MSL. Details of the work, the supporting data and conclusions of the investigation are presented.

[The actual possibilities of robotic microscopy in analysis automation and laboratory telemedicine].

PubMed

Medovyĭ, V S; Piatnitskiĭ, A M; Sokolinskiĭ, B Z; Balugian, R Sh

2012-10-01

The article discusses the possibilities of automation microscopy complexes manufactured by Cellavision and MEKOS to perform the medical analyses of blood films and other biomaterials. The joint work of the complex and physician in the regimen of automatic load stages, screening, sampling and sorting on types with simple morphology, visual sorting of sub-sample with complex morphology provides significant increase of method sensitivity, load decrease and enhancement of physician work conditions. The information technologies, the virtual slides and laboratory telemedicine included permit to develop the representative samples of rare types and pathologies to promote automation methods and medical research targets.

Issues Involved in Attempting to Develop Independent Learning in Pupils Working on Technological Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barak, Moshe

2004-01-01

This research addresses the impact of technological projects at high school on pupils' learning. The participants were sixty low-mid achieving pupils who worked for one year on final projects for matriculation exams. Data were collected through observations of laboratory lessons, interviews with pupils and teachers, and analysis of pupils'…

Rotorcraft Conceptual Design Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne; Sinsay, Jeffrey

2009-01-01

Requirements for a rotorcraft conceptual design environment are discussed, from the perspective of a government laboratory. Rotorcraft design work in a government laboratory must support research, by producing technology impact assessments and defining the context for research and development; and must support the acquisition process, including capability assessments and quantitative evaluation of designs, concepts, and alternatives. An information manager that will enable increased fidelity of analysis early in the design effort is described. This manager will be a framework to organize information that describes the aircraft, and enable movement of that information to and from analyses. Finally, a recently developed rotorcraft system analysis tool is described.

Rotorcraft Conceptual Design Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne; Sinsay, Jeffrey D.

2010-01-01

Requirements for a rotorcraft conceptual design environment are discussed, from the perspective of a government laboratory. Rotorcraft design work in a government laboratory must support research, by producing technology impact assessments and defining the context for research and development; and must support the acquisition process, including capability assessments and quantitative evaluation of designs, concepts, and alternatives. An information manager that will enable increased fidelity of analysis early in the design effort is described. This manager will be a framework to organize information that describes the aircraft, and enable movement of that information to and from analyses. Finally, a recently developed rotorcraft system analysis tool is described.

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

Parrado, G., E-mail: gparrado@sgc.gov.co; Cañón, Y.; Peña, M., E-mail: mlpena@sgc.gov.co

The Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) laboratory at the Colombian Geological Survey has developed a technique for multi-elemental analysis of soil and plant matrices, based on Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) using the comparator method. In order to evaluate the analytical capabilities of the technique, the laboratory has been participating in inter-comparison tests organized by Wepal (Wageningen Evaluating Programs for Analytical Laboratories). In this work, the experimental procedure and results for the multi-elemental analysis of four soil and four plant samples during participation in the first round on 2015 of Wepal proficiency test are presented. Only elements with radioactive isotopes withmore » medium and long half-lives have been evaluated, 15 elements for soils (As, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th, U and Zn) and 7 elements for plants (Br, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Na and Zn). The performance assessment by Wepal based on Z-score distributions showed that most results obtained |Z-scores| ≤ 3.« less

Challenges of a negative work load and implications on morale, productivity and quality of service delivered in NHS laboratories in England

PubMed Central

Osaro, Erhabor; Chima, Njemanze

2014-01-01

The National Health Service (NHS) is a term used to describe the publicly funded healthcare delivery system providing quality healthcare services in the United Kingdom. There are several challenges militating against the effective laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England. Biomedical scientists work in healthcare to diagnose disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment through the analysis of body fluids and tissue samples from patients. They provide the “engine room” of modern medicine with 70% of diagnosis based on the laboratory results generated by them. This review involved the search of literature for information on working condition of biomedical scientist in the NHS in England. Laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England faces numerous daunting challenges; staffing levels in the last few years have become dangerously low, less remunerated, relatively less experienced and predominantly band 5's, multidisciplinary rather than specialty based, associated with working more unsocial hours without adequate recovery time, de-banding of staff, high staff turnaround, profit and cost driven rather than quality. These factors has resulted in burn out, low morale, high sickness absences, increased error rate, poor team spirit, diminished productivity and suboptimal laboratory service delivery. There is the urgent need to retract our steps on unpopular policies to ensure that patient care is not compromised by ensuring adequate staffing level and mix, ensuring adequate remuneration of laboratory staff, implementing evidenced-based specialty oriented service, determining the root cause/s for the high staff turnover and implementing corrective action, identifying other potential sources of waste in the system rather than pruning the already dangerously low staffing levels and promoting a quality delivery side by side cost effectiveness. PMID:25182941

Challenges of a negative work load and implications on morale, productivity and quality of service delivered in NHS laboratories in England.

PubMed

Osaro, Erhabor; Chima, Njemanze

2014-06-01

The National Health Service (NHS) is a term used to describe the publicly funded healthcare delivery system providing quality healthcare services in the United Kingdom. There are several challenges militating against the effective laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England. Biomedical scientists work in healthcare to diagnose disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment through the analysis of body fluids and tissue samples from patients. They provide the "engine room" of modern medicine with 70% of diagnosis based on the laboratory results generated by them. This review involved the search of literature for information on working condition of biomedical scientist in the NHS in England. Laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England faces numerous daunting challenges; staffing levels in the last few years have become dangerously low, less remunerated, relatively less experienced and predominantly band 5's, multidisciplinary rather than specialty based, associated with working more unsocial hours without adequate recovery time, de-banding of staff, high staff turnaround, profit and cost driven rather than quality. These factors has resulted in burn out, low morale, high sickness absences, increased error rate, poor team spirit, diminished productivity and suboptimal laboratory service delivery. There is the urgent need to retract our steps on unpopular policies to ensure that patient care is not compromised by ensuring adequate staffing level and mix, ensuring adequate remuneration of laboratory staff, implementing evidenced-based specialty oriented service, determining the root cause/s for the high staff turnover and implementing corrective action, identifying other potential sources of waste in the system rather than pruning the already dangerously low staffing levels and promoting a quality delivery side by side cost effectiveness.

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

Liebetrau, A.M.

Work is underway at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to improve the probabilistic analysis used to model pressurized thermal shock (PTS) incidents in reactor pressure vessels, and, further, to incorporate these improvements into the existing Vessel Integrity Simulation Analysis (VISA) code. Two topics related to work on input distributions in VISA are discussed in this paper. The first involves the treatment of flaw size distributions and the second concerns errors in the parameters in the (Guthrie) equation which is used to compute ..delta..RT/sub NDT/, the shift in reference temperature for nil ductility transition.

Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants' Experiences in Academic Laboratories and Development of a Teaching Self-image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatlin, Todd Adam

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a prominent role in chemistry laboratory instruction at research based universities. They teach almost all undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses. However, their role in laboratory instruction has often been overlooked in educational research. Interest in chemistry GTAs has been placed on training and their perceived expectations, but less attention has been paid to their experiences or their potential benefits from teaching. This work was designed to investigate GTAs' experiences in and benefits from laboratory instructional environments. This dissertation includes three related studies on GTAs' experiences teaching in general chemistry laboratories. Qualitative methods were used for each study. First, phenomenological analysis was used to explore GTAs' experiences in an expository laboratory program. Post-teaching interviews were the primary data source. GTAs experiences were described in three dimensions: doing, knowing, and transferring. Gains available to GTAs revolved around general teaching skills. However, no gains specifically related to scientific development were found in this laboratory format. Case-study methods were used to explore and illustrate ways GTAs develop a GTA self-image---the way they see themselves as instructors. Two general chemistry laboratory programs that represent two very different instructional frameworks were chosen for the context of this study. The first program used a cooperative project-based approach. The second program used weekly, verification-type activities. End of the semester interviews were collected and served as the primary data source. A follow-up case study of a new cohort of GTAs in the cooperative problem-based laboratory was undertaken to investigate changes in GTAs' self-images over the course of one semester. Pre-semester and post-semester interviews served as the primary data source. Findings suggest that GTAs' construction of their self-image is shaped through the interaction of 1) prior experiences, 2) training, 3) beliefs about the nature of knowledge, 4) beliefs about the nature of laboratory work, and 5) involvement in the laboratory setting. Further GTAs' self-images are malleable and susceptible to change through their laboratory teaching experiences. Overall, this dissertation contributes to chemistry education by providing a model useful for exploring GTAs' development of a self-image in laboratory teaching. This work may assist laboratory instructors and coordinators in reconsidering, when applicable, GTA training and support. This work also holds considerable implications for how teaching experiences are conceptualized as part of the chemistry graduate education experience. Findings suggest that appropriate teaching experiences may contribute towards better preparing graduate students for their journey in becoming scientists.

Multiplex cytokine profiling with highly pathogenic material: use of formalin solution in luminex analysis.

PubMed

Dowall, Stuart D; Graham, Victoria A; Tipton, Thomas R W; Hewson, Roger

2009-08-31

Work with highly pathogenic material mandates the use of biological containment facilities, involving microbiological safety cabinets and specialist laboratory engineering structures typified by containment level 3 (CL3) and CL4 laboratories. Consequences of working in high containment are the practical difficulties associated with containing specialist assays and equipment often essential for experimental analyses. In an era of increased interest in biodefence pathogens and emerging diseases, immunological analysis has developed rapidly alongside traditional techniques in virology and molecular biology. For example, in order to maximise the use of small sample volumes, multiplexing has become a more popular and widespread approach to quantify multiple analytes simultaneously, such as cytokines and chemokines. The luminex microsphere system allows for the detection of many cytokines and chemokines in a single sample, but the detection method of using aligned lasers and fluidics means that samples often have to be analysed in low containment facilities. In order to perform cytokine analysis in materials from high containment (CL3 and CL4 laboratories), we have developed an appropriate inactivation methodology after staining steps, which although results in a reduction of median fluorescent intensity, produces statistically comparable outcomes when judged against non-inactivated samples. This methodology thus extends the use of luminex technology for material that contains highly pathogenic biological agents.

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…

Increased Cannabinoids Concentrations Found in Specimens From Fatal Aviation Accidents Between 1997 and 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Work was accomplished under approved task AM-B-09-TOX-206. 16. Abstract The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s toxicology laboratory...routine analysis of pilot specimens, the laboratory tests all cases for the presence of marijuana ( cannabis ). The National Institute on Drug Abuse... cannabis seizures from1997-2001 to 2002-2006. This study was conducted to compare the changes, over those years, in blood and urine cannabinoid

Evaluation of Factors Unique to Multifunction Controls/Displays Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-01

different Iron Report) 18. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES This work was performed by the contractor at the Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Flight Control Division, Crew...This Technical Report is the result of a work effort performed by the Require- ments and Analysis Group of the Crew Systems Development Branch (FIGR...human factors. Mr. Emmett Herron of the Bunker Ramo Corporation provided pilot inputs to the work efforts, and Ms. Gloria Calhoun of the same company

25 CFR 700.829 - Determination of archaeological or commercial value and cost of restoration and repair.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... research design, conducting filed work, carrying out laboratory analysis, and preparing reports as would be... contour reconstruction and surface stabilization; (4) Research necessary to carry out reconstruction or...

Contacts in the Office of Pesticide Programs, Biological and Economic Analysis Division

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

BEAD provides pesticide use-related information and economic analyses in support of pesticide regulatory activities. BEAD's laboratories validate analytical methods and test public health antimicrobials to ensure that they work as intended.

25 CFR 700.829 - Determination of archaeological or commercial value and cost of restoration and repair.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... research design, conducting filed work, carrying out laboratory analysis, and preparing reports as would be... contour reconstruction and surface stabilization; (4) Research necessary to carry out reconstruction or...

Iodine in food- and dietary supplement–composition databases123

PubMed Central

Pehrsson, Pamela R; Patterson, Kristine Y; Spungen, Judith H; Wirtz, Mark S; Andrews, Karen W; Dwyer, Johanna T; Swanson, Christine A

2016-01-01

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) of the USDA Agricultural Research Service have worked independently on determining the iodine content of foods and dietary supplements and are now harmonizing their efforts. The objective of the current article is to describe the harmonization plan and the results of initial iodine analyses accomplished under that plan. For many years, the FDA’s Total Diet Study (TDS) has measured iodine concentrations in selected foods collected in 4 regions of the country each year. For more than a decade, the NDL has collected and analyzed foods as part of the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program; iodine analysis is now being added to the program. The NDL recently qualified a commercial laboratory to conduct iodine analysis of foods by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. Co-analysis of a set of samples by the commercial laboratory using the ICP-MS method and by the FDA laboratory using its standard colorimetric method yielded comparable results. The FDA recently reviewed historical TDS data for trends in the iodine content of selected foods, and the NDL analyzed samples of a limited subset of those foods for iodine. The FDA and the NDL are working to combine their data on iodine in foods and to produce an online database that can be used for estimating iodine intake from foods in the US population. In addition, the NDL continues to analyze dietary supplements for iodine and, in collaboration with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, to publish the data online in the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database. The goal is to provide, through these 2 harmonized databases and the continuing TDS focus on iodine, improved tools for estimating iodine intake in population studies. PMID:27534627

The instruments in the first psychological laboratory in Mexico: antecedents, influence, and methods.

PubMed

Escobar, Rogelio

2014-11-01

Enrique O. Aragón established the first psychological laboratory in Mexico in 1916. This laboratory was inspired by Wundt's laboratory and by those created afterward in Germany and the United States. It was equipped with state-of-the art instruments imported from Germany in 1902 from Ernst Zimmermann who supplied instruments for Wundt's laboratory. Although previous authors have described the social events leading to the creation of the laboratory, there are limited descriptions of the instruments, their use, and their influence. With the aid of archival resources, the initial location of the laboratory was determined. The analysis of instruments revealed a previously overlooked relation with a previous laboratory of experimental physiology. The influence of the laboratory was traced by describing the careers of 4 students, 3 of them women, who worked with the instruments during the first 2 decades of the 20th century, each becoming accomplished scholars. In addition, this article, by identifying and analyzing the instruments shown in photographs of the psychological laboratory and in 1 motion film, provides information of the class demonstrations and the experiments conducted in this laboratory.

A Category-Based Video Analysis of Students' Activities in an Out-of-School Hands-on Gene Technology Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scharfenberg, Franz-Josef; Bogner, Franz X.; Klautke, Siegfried

2008-01-01

Our research objectives focused on monitoring (i) students' activities during experimental teaching phases in an out-of-school gene technology laboratory, and (ii) potential relationships with variables such as work group size and cognitive achievement. Altogether, we videotaped 20 work groups of A-level 12th graders (n = 67) by continuous…

Using the living laboratory framework as a basis for understanding next-generation analyst work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeese, Michael D.; Mancuso, Vincent; McNeese, Nathan; Endsley, Tristan; Forster, Pete

2013-05-01

The preparation of next generation analyst work requires alternative levels of understanding and new methodological departures from the way current work transpires. Current work practices typically do not provide a comprehensive approach that emphasizes the role of and interplay between (a) cognition, (b) emergent activities in a shared situated context, and (c) collaborative teamwork. In turn, effective and efficient problem solving fails to take place, and practice is often composed of piecemeal, techno-centric tools that isolate analysts by providing rigid, limited levels of understanding of situation awareness. This coupled with the fact that many analyst activities are classified produces a challenging situation for researching such phenomena and designing and evaluating systems to support analyst cognition and teamwork. Through our work with cyber, image, and intelligence analysts we have realized that there is more required of researchers to study human-centered designs to provide for analyst's needs in a timely fashion. This paper identifies and describes how The Living Laboratory Framework can be utilized as a means to develop a comprehensive, human-centric, and problem-focused approach to next generation analyst work, design, and training. We explain how the framework is utilized for specific cases in various applied settings (e.g., crisis management analysis, image analysis, and cyber analysis) to demonstrate its value and power in addressing an area of utmost importance to our national security. Attributes of analyst work settings are delineated to suggest potential design affordances that could help improve cognitive activities and awareness. Finally, the paper puts forth a research agenda for the use of the framework for future work that will move the analyst profession in a viable manner to address the concerns identified.

Solar Cell Calibration and Measurement Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Sheila; Brinker, Dave; Curtis, Henry; Jenkins, Phillip; Scheiman, Dave

1997-01-01

The increasing complexity of space solar cells and the increasing international markets for both cells and arrays has resulted in workshops jointly sponsored by NASDA, ESA and NASA. These workshops are designed to obtain international agreement on standardized values for the AMO spectrum and constant, recommend laboratory measurement practices and establish a set of protocols for international comparison of laboratory measurements. A working draft of an ISO standard, WDI 5387, 'Requirements for Measurement and Calibration Procedures for Space Solar Cells' was discussed with a focus on the scope of the document, a definition of primary standard cell, and required error analysis for all measurement techniques. Working groups addressed the issues of Air Mass Zero (AMO) solar constant and spectrum, laboratory measurement techniques, and the international round robin methodology. A summary is presented of the current state of each area and the formulation of the ISO document.

Solar Cell Calibration and Measurement Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Sheila; Brinker, Dave; Curtis, Henry; Jenkins, Phillip; Scheiman, Dave

2004-01-01

The increasing complexity of space solar cells and the increasing international markets for both cells and arrays has resulted in workshops jointly sponsored by NASDA, ESA and NASA. These workshops are designed to obtain international agreement on standardized values for the AMO spectrum and constant, recommend laboratory measurement practices and establish a set of protocols for international comparison of laboratory measurements. A working draft of an ISO standard, WD15387, "Requirements for Measurement and Calibration Procedures for Space Solar Cells" was discussed with a focus on the scope of the document, a definition of primary standard cell, and required error analysis for all measurement techniques. Working groups addressed the issues of Air Mass Zero (AMO) solar constant and spectrum, laboratory measurement techniques, and te international round robin methodology. A summary is presented of the current state of each area and the formulation of the ISO document.

Results of the radiological survey at the ALCOA Research Laboratory, 600 Freeport Road, New Kensington, Pennsylvania (ANK001)

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

Foley, R.D.; Brown, K.S.

1992-10-01

At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at the ALCOA Research Laboratory, 600 Freeport Road, New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The survey was performed on November 12, 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether the property was contaminated with radioactive residues, principally [sup 238]U, as a result of work done for the Manhattan Engineer District in 1944. The survey included measurement of direct alpha and beta-gamma levels in the northeast comer of the basement of Building 29, and the collection of a debris sample frommore » a floor drain for radionuclide analysis. The survey area was used for experimental canning of uranium slugs prior to production activities at the former New Kensington Works nearby.« less

H. W. Laboratory manual: 100 Area section

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

Not Available

1950-07-01

The purpose of this manual is to present a Hazard Breakdown of all jobs normally encountered in the laboratory work of the three sections comprising the Analytic Section, Metallurgy and Control Division of the Technical Department. A Hazard Breakdown is a careful analysis of any job in which the source of possible dangers is clearly indicated for each particular step. The analysis is prepared by individuals who are thoroughly familiar with the specific job or procedure. It is felt that if the hazards herein outlined are recognized by the Laboratory personnel and the suggested safety cautions followed, the chance formore » injury will be minimized and the worker will become generally more safety conscious. The manual, which is prefaced by the general safety rules applying to all the laboratories, is divided into three main sections, one for each of the three sections into which the Laboratories Division is divided. These sections are as follows: Section 1 -- 200 Area Control; Section 2 -- 100 Area Control; Section 3 -- 300 Area Control, Essential Materials, and Methods Improvement.« less

Service quality framework for clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Ramessur, Vinaysing; Hurreeram, Dinesh Kumar; Maistry, Kaylasson

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a service quality framework that enhances service delivery in clinical laboratories by gauging medical practitioner satisfaction and by providing avenues for continuous improvement. The case study method has been used for conducting the exploratory study, with focus on the Mauritian public clinical laboratory. A structured questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL service quality model was used for data collection, analysis and for the development of the service quality framework. The study confirms the pertinence of the following service quality dimensions within the context of clinical laboratories: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, turnaround time, technology, test reports, communication and laboratory staff attitude and behaviour. The service quality framework developed, termed LabSERV, is vital for clinical laboratories in the search for improving service delivery to medical practitioners. This is a pioneering work carried out in the clinical laboratory sector in Mauritius. Medical practitioner expectations and perceptions have been simultaneously considered to generate a novel service quality framework for clinical laboratories.

Laboratory testing of extravascular body fluids in Croatia: a survey of the Working group for extravascular body fluids of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

PubMed

Kopcinovic, Lara Milevoj; Vogrinc, Zeljka; Kocijan, Irena; Culej, Jelena; Aralica, Merica; Jokic, Anja; Antoncic, Dragana; Bozovic, Marija

2016-10-15

We hypothesized that extravascular body fluid (EBF) analysis in Croatia is not harmonized and aimed to investigate preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical procedures used in EBF analysis in order to identify key aspects that should be addressed in future harmonization attempts. An anonymous online survey created to explore laboratory testing of EBF was sent to secondary, tertiary and private health care Medical Biochemistry Laboratories (MBLs) in Croatia. Statements were designed to address preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical procedures of cerebrospinal, pleural, peritoneal (ascites), pericardial, seminal, synovial, amniotic fluid and sweat. Participants were asked to declare the strength of agreement with proposed statements using a Likert scale. Mean scores for corresponding separate statements divided according to health care setting were calculated and compared. The survey response rate was 0.64 (58 / 90). None of the participating private MBLs declared to analyse EBF. We report a mean score of 3.45 obtained for all statements evaluated. Deviations from desirable procedures were demonstrated in all EBF testing phases. Minor differences in procedures used for EBF analysis comparing secondary and tertiary health care MBLs were found. The lowest scores were obtained for statements regarding quality control procedures in EBF analysis, participation in proficiency testing programmes and provision of interpretative comments on EBF's test reports. Although good laboratory EBF practice is present in Croatia, procedures for EBF analysis should be further harmonized to improve the quality of EBF testing and patient safety.

Personal epistemological growth in a college chemistry laboratory environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keen-Rocha, Linda S.

The nature of this study was to explore changes in beliefs and lay a foundation for focusing on more specific features of reasoning related to personal epistemological and NOS beliefs in light of specific science laboratory instructional pedagogical practices (e.g., pre- and post-laboratory activities, laboratory work) for future research. This research employed a mixed methodology, foregrounding qualitative data. The total population consisted of 56 students enrolled in several sections of a general chemistry laboratory course, with the qualitative analysis focusing on the in-depth interviews. A quantitative NOS and epistemological beliefs measure was administered pre- and post-instruction. These measures were triangulated with pre-post interviews to assure the rigor of the descriptions generated. Although little quantitative change in NOS was observed from the pre-post NSKS assessment a more noticeable qualitative change was reflected by the participants during their final interviews. The NSKS results: the mean gain scores for the overall score and all dimensions, except for amoral were found to be significant at p ≤ .05. However there was a more moderate change in the populations' broader epistemological beliefs (EBAPS) which was supported during the final interviews. The EBAPS results: the mean gain scores for the overall score and all dimensions, except for the source of ability to learn were found to be significant at p ≤ .05. The participants' identified the laboratory work as the most effective instructional feature followed by the post-laboratory activities. The pre-laboratory was identified as being the least effective feature. The participants suggested the laboratory work offered real-life experiences, group discussions, and teamwork which added understanding and meaning to their learning. The post-laboratory was viewed as necessary in tying all the information together and being able to see the bigger picture. What one cannot infer at this point is whether these belief changes and beliefs about laboratory instruction are enduring or whether some participants are simply more adaptable than others are to the learning environment. More research studies are needed to investigate the effects of laboratory instruction on student beliefs and understanding.

Pathology economic model tool: a novel approach to workflow and budget cost analysis in an anatomic pathology laboratory.

PubMed

Muirhead, David; Aoun, Patricia; Powell, Michael; Juncker, Flemming; Mollerup, Jens

2010-08-01

The need for higher efficiency, maximum quality, and faster turnaround time is a continuous focus for anatomic pathology laboratories and drives changes in work scheduling, instrumentation, and management control systems. To determine the costs of generating routine, special, and immunohistochemical microscopic slides in a large, academic anatomic pathology laboratory using a top-down approach. The Pathology Economic Model Tool was used to analyze workflow processes at The Nebraska Medical Center's anatomic pathology laboratory. Data from the analysis were used to generate complete cost estimates, which included not only materials, consumables, and instrumentation but also specific labor and overhead components for each of the laboratory's subareas. The cost data generated by the Pathology Economic Model Tool were compared with the cost estimates generated using relative value units. Despite the use of automated systems for different processes, the workflow in the laboratory was found to be relatively labor intensive. The effect of labor and overhead on per-slide costs was significantly underestimated by traditional relative-value unit calculations when compared with the Pathology Economic Model Tool. Specific workflow defects with significant contributions to the cost per slide were identified. The cost of providing routine, special, and immunohistochemical slides may be significantly underestimated by traditional methods that rely on relative value units. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis may identify specific workflow processes requiring improvement.

Determining Iron Content in Foods by Spectrophotometry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Paul E.

1995-01-01

Describes a laboratory experiment for secondary school chemistry students utilizing the classic reaction between the iron(III) ion and the thiocyanate ion. The experiment also works very well in other chemistry courses as an experience in spectrophotometric analysis. (PVD)

An Inquiry-Based Project Focused on the X-Ray Powder Diffraction Analysis of Common Household Solids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulien, Molly L.; Lekse, Jonathan W.; Rosmus, Kimberly A.; Devlin, Kasey P.; Glenn, Jennifer R.; Wisneski, Stephen D.; Wildfong, Peter; Lake, Charles H.; MacNeil, Joseph H.; Aitken, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

While X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) is a fundamental analytical technique used by solid-state laboratories across a breadth of disciplines, it is still underrepresented in most undergraduate curricula. In this work, we incorporate XRPD analysis into an inquiry-based project that requires students to identify the crystalline component(s) of…

An inexpensive modification of the laboratory computer display changes emergency physicians' work habits and perceptions.

PubMed

Marinakis, Harry A; Zwemer, Frank L

2003-02-01

Little is known about how the availability of laboratory data affects emergency physicians' practice habits and satisfaction. We modified our clinical information system to display laboratory test status with continuous updates, similar to an airport arrival display. The objective of this study was to determine whether the laboratory test status display altered emergency physicians' work habits and increased satisfaction compared with the time period before implementation of laboratory test status. A retrospective analysis was performed of emergency physicians' actual use of the clinical information system before and after implementation of the laboratory test status display. Emergency physicians were retrospectively surveyed regarding the effect of laboratory test status display on their practice habits and clinical information system use. Survey responses were matched with actual use of the clinical information system. Data were analyzed by using dependent t tests and Pearson correlation coefficients. The study was conducted at a university hospital. Clinical information system use by 46 emergency physicians was analyzed. Twenty-five surveys were returned (71.4% of available emergency physicians). All emergency physicians perceived fewer clinical information system log ons per day after laboratory test status display. The actual average decrease was 19%. Emergency physicians who reported the greatest decrease in log ons per day tended to have the greatest actual decrease (r =-0.36). There was no significant correlation between actual and perceived total time logged on (r =0.08). In regard to effect on emergency physicians' practice habits, 95% reported increased efficiency, 80% reported improved satisfaction with data access, and 65% reported improved communication with patients. An inexpensive computer modification, laboratory test status display, significantly increased subjective efficiency, changed work habits, and improved satisfaction regarding data access and patient communication among emergency physicians. Knowledge of the test queue changed emergency physician behavior and improved satisfaction.

Improvement of the quality of work in a biochemistry laboratory via measurement system analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Ming-Shu; Liao, Chen-Mao; Wu, Ming-Hsun; Lin, Chih-Ming

2016-10-31

An adequate and continuous monitoring of operational variations can effectively reduce the uncertainty and enhance the quality of laboratory reports. This study applied the evaluation rule of the measurement system analysis (MSA) method to estimate the quality of work conducted in a biochemistry laboratory. Using the gauge repeatability & reproducibility (GR&R) approach, variations in quality control (QC) data among medical technicians in conducting measurements of five biochemical items, namely, serum glucose (GLU), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), uric acid (UA), sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl), were evaluated. The measurements of the five biochemical items showed different levels of variance among the different technicians, with the variances in GLU measurements being higher than those for the other four items. The ratios of precision-to-tolerance (P/T) for Na, Cl and GLU were all above 0.5, implying inadequate gauge capability. The product variation contribution of Na was large (75.45% and 31.24% in normal and abnormal QC levels, respectively), which showed that the impact of insufficient usage of reagents could not be excluded. With regard to reproducibility, high contributions (of more than 30%) of variation for the selected items were found. These high operator variation levels implied that the possibility of inadequate gauge capacity could not be excluded. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of GR&R showed that the operator variations in GLU measurements were significant (F=5.296, P=0.001 in the normal level and F=3.399, P=0.015 in the abnormal level, respectively). In addition to operator variations, product variations of Na were also significant for both QC levels. The heterogeneity of variance for the five technicians showed significant differences for the Na and Cl measurements in the normal QC level. The accuracy of QC for five technicians was identified for further operational improvement. This study revealed that MSA can be used to evaluate product and personnel errors and to improve the quality of work in a biochemical laboratory through proper corrective actions.

[Automation of chemical analysis in enology].

PubMed

Dubernet, M

1978-01-01

Automatic dosages took place a short time ago in oenology laboratories. First researchs about automation of usual manual analysis have been completed by I.N.R.A. Station of Dijon during 1969--1972 years. Then, other researchs were made and in 1974 the first automatic analyser appeared in application laboratories. In all cases continuous flow method was used. First dosages which has been carried out are volatic acidity, residual sugars, total SO2. The rate of work is 30 samples an hour. Then, an original way for free SO2 was suggested. At present, about a dozen of laboratories in France use these dosages. The ethanol dosage automation, very important in oenology, is very difficult to carry out. A new method using a thermometric analyzer is tested. Research about many dosages as tartaric, malic, lactic acids, glucose, fructose, glycérol, have been performed especially by I.N.R.A. Station in Narbonne. But these dosages are not current and at present no laboratory apply them. Now, equipments price and redemption, change of tradionnal dosages for automatical methods and the level of knowledge required for operators are well known. The reproducibility and the accuracy of the continuous flow automatic dosages allow, for enough important laboratories, to make an increasing number of analysis necessary for wine quality control.

UV Raman and Fluorescence for Multi-Species Measurement in Hydrocarbon-Fueled High-Speed Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skaggs, Patricia Annette; Nandula, Sastri P.; Pitz, Robert W.

1999-01-01

This report documents work performed through the NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program, Grant No. NGT3-52316. Research performed included investigation of two-line fluorescence imaging of OH for temperature measurement and an investigation of negative flame speeds for modeling of premixed turbulent flames. The laboratory work and initial analysis of the fluorescence imaging was performed at NASA Glen Research Center with follow up analysis at Vanderbilt University. The negative flame speed investigation was performed using an opposed jet flow simulation program at Vanderbilt University. The fluorescence imaging work is presented first followed by the negative flame speed investigation.

Challenges in Implementing a Biorisk Management Program at Universitas Indonesia: A Checklist Tool for Biorisk Management.

PubMed

Naroeni, Aroem; Bachtiar, Endang Winiati; Ibrahim, Fera; Bela, Budiman; Kusminanti, Yuni; Pujiriani, Ike; Lestari, Fatma

Rapid development and advancement of bioresearch at a university's laboratories can have both positive and negative implications for public health and the environment. Many research activities in which biological materials have been created, modified, stored, and manipulated require safety procedures to keep the negative effects on humans and the environment as low as possible. The Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental (OHS&E) Department of the University of Indonesia (UI) is trying to increase the awareness and responsibility of its university members and laboratory staffs who work with biohazard materials by creating a biorisk checklist. The checklist was developed based on WHO guidelines and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Laboratory Manual, which contains 311 questions about the management, administration, and handling of various hazards, recombinant experiments, and animal and plant experiments. A gap analysis was run against the checklist in 14 laboratories at the University of Indonesia Salemba campus, which daily works with highly infectious pathogens and high-risk agents. Overall result showed that none of these laboratories had met all of the checklist items, and there were only 2 laboratories that had implemented more than half of the items. This checklist was proven to be a simple tool for assessing laboratories that handle and store biohazard materials, and it could be used as a monitoring tool for biorisk programs as well. It also could be further developed as a laboratory software application to increase its effectiveness and its accuracy.

A comparison of two laboratories for the measurement of wood dust using button sampler and diffuse reflection infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS).

PubMed

Chirila, Madalina M; Sarkisian, Khachatur; Andrew, Michael E; Kwon, Cheol-Woong; Rando, Roy J; Harper, Martin

2015-04-01

The current measurement method for occupational exposure to wood dust is by gravimetric analysis and is thus non-specific. In this work, diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for the analysis of only the wood component of dust was further evaluated by analysis of the same samples between two laboratories. Field samples were collected from six wood product factories using 25-mm glass fiber filters with the Button aerosol sampler. Gravimetric mass was determined in one laboratory by weighing the filters before and after aerosol collection. Diffuse reflection mid-infrared spectra were obtained from the wood dust on the filter which is placed on a motorized stage inside the spectrometer. The metric used for the DRIFTS analysis was the intensity of the carbonyl band in cellulose and hemicellulose at ~1735 cm(-1). Calibration curves were constructed separately in both laboratories using the same sets of prepared filters from the inhalable sampling fraction of red oak, southern yellow pine, and western red cedar in the range of 0.125-4 mg of wood dust. Using the same procedure in both laboratories to build the calibration curve and analyze the field samples, 62.3% of the samples measured within 25% of the average result with a mean difference between the laboratories of 18.5%. Some observations are included as to how the calibration and analysis can be improved. In particular, determining the wood type on each sample to allow matching to the most appropriate calibration increases the apparent proportion of wood dust in the sample and this likely provides more realistic DRIFTS results. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society 2014.

Time-Efficiency Analysis Comparing Digital and Conventional Workflows for Implant Crowns: A Prospective Clinical Crossover Trial.

PubMed

Joda, Tim; Brägger, Urs

2015-01-01

To compare time-efficiency in the production of implant crowns using a digital workflow versus the conventional pathway. This prospective clinical study used a crossover design that included 20 study participants receiving single-tooth replacements in posterior sites. Each patient received a customized titanium abutment plus a computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) zirconia suprastructure (for those in the test group, using digital workflow) and a standardized titanium abutment plus a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown (for those in the control group, using a conventional pathway). The start of the implant prosthetic treatment was established as the baseline. Time-efficiency analysis was defined as the primary outcome, and was measured for every single clinical and laboratory work step in minutes. Statistical analysis was calculated with the Wilcoxon rank sum test. All crowns could be provided within two clinical appointments, independent of the manufacturing process. The mean total production time, as the sum of clinical plus laboratory work steps, was significantly different. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) time was 185.4 ± 17.9 minutes for the digital workflow process and 223.0 ± 26.2 minutes for the conventional pathway (P = .0001). Therefore, digital processing for overall treatment was 16% faster. Detailed analysis for the clinical treatment revealed a significantly reduced mean ± SD chair time of 27.3 ± 3.4 minutes for the test group compared with 33.2 ± 4.9 minutes for the control group (P = .0001). Similar results were found for the mean laboratory work time, with a significant decrease of 158.1 ± 17.2 minutes for the test group vs 189.8 ± 25.3 minutes for the control group (P = .0001). Only a few studies have investigated efficiency parameters of digital workflows compared with conventional pathways in implant dental medicine. This investigation shows that the digital workflow seems to be more time-efficient than the established conventional production pathway for fixed implant-supported crowns. Both clinical chair time and laboratory manufacturing steps could be effectively shortened with the digital process of intraoral scanning plus CAD/CAM technology.

76 FR 70456 - Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees From Sandia National Laboratory...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-14

...: Albuquerque, New Mexico. Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All personnel who worked in any area. Period of..., Director, Division of Compensation Analysis and Support, National Institute for Occupational Safety and...

Source Code Analysis Laboratory (SCALe)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

Versus Flagged Nonconformities (FNC) Software System TP/FNC Ratio Mozilla Firefox version 2.0 6/12 50% Linux kernel version 2.6.15 10/126 8...is inappropriately tuned for analysis of the Linux kernel, which has anomalous results. Customizing SCALe to work with software for a particular...servers support a collection of virtual machines (VMs) that can be configured to support analysis in various environments, such as Windows XP and Linux . A

SCALE TSUNAMI Analysis of Critical Experiments for Validation of 233U Systems

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

Mueller, Don; Rearden, Bradley T

2009-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) staff used the SCALE TSUNAMI tools to provide a demonstration evaluation of critical experiments considered for use in validation of current and anticipated operations involving {sup 233}U at the Radiochemical Development Facility (RDF). This work was reported in ORNL/TM-2008/196 issued in January 2009. This paper presents the analysis of two representative safety analysis models provided by RDF staff.

Participation in Performance-Evaluation Studies by U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glodt, Stephen R.; Pirkey, Kimberly D.

1998-01-01

Performance-evaluation studies provide customers of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) with data needed to evaluate performance and to compare of select laboratories for analytical work. The NWQL participates in national and international performance-evaluation (PE) studies that consist of samples of water, sediment, and aquatic biological materials for the analysis of inorganic constituents, organic compounds, and radionuclides. This Fact Sheet provides a summary of PE study results from January 1993 through April 1997. It should be of particular interest to USGS customers and potential customers of the NWQL, water-quality specialists, cooperators, and agencies of the Federal Government.

Integrating teaching and authentic research in the field and laboratory settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daryanto, S.; Wang, L.; Kaseke, K. F.; Ravi, S.

2016-12-01

Typically authentic research activities are separated from rigorous classroom teaching. Here we assessed the potential of integrating teaching and research activities both in the field and in the laboratory. We worked with students from both US and abroad without strong science background to utilize advanced environmental sensors and statistical tool to conduct innovative projects. The students include one from Namibia and two local high school students in Indianapolis (through Project SEED, Summer Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged). They conducted leaf potential measurements, isotope measurements and meta-analysis. The experience showed us the great potential of integrating teaching and research in both field and laboratory settings.

Steroid hormone analysis in diagnosis and treatment of DSD: position paper of EU COST Action BM 1303 'DSDnet'.

PubMed

Kulle, A; Krone, N; Holterhus, P M; Schuler, G; Greaves, R F; Juul, A; de Rijke, Y B; Hartmann, M F; Saba, A; Hiort, O; Wudy, S A

2017-05-01

Disorders or differences in sex development (DSD) comprise a heterogeneous group of conditions with an atypical sex development. For optimal diagnosis, highly specialised laboratory analyses are required across European countries. Working group 3 of EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action BM 1303 'DSDnet' 'Harmonisation of Laboratory Assessment' has developed recommendations on laboratory assessment for DSD regarding the use of technologies and analytes to be investigated. This position paper on steroid hormone analysis in diagnosis and treatment of DSD was compiled by a group of specialists in DSD and/or hormonal analysis, either from participating European countries or international partner countries. The topics discussed comprised analytical methods (immunoassay/mass spectrometry-based methods), matrices (urine/serum/saliva) and harmonisation of laboratory tests. The following positions were agreed upon: support of the appropriate use of immunoassay- and mass spectrometry-based methods for diagnosis and monitoring of DSD. Serum/plasma and urine are established matrices for analysis. Laboratories performing analyses for DSD need to operate within a quality framework and actively engage in harmonisation processes so that results and their interpretation are the same irrespective of the laboratory they are performed in. Participation in activities of peer comparison such as sample exchange or when available subscribing to a relevant external quality assurance program should be achieved. The ultimate aim of the guidelines is the implementation of clinical standards for diagnosis and appropriate treatment of DSD to achieve the best outcome for patients, no matter where patients are investigated or managed. © 2017 The authors.

An interlaboratory transfer of a multi-analyte assay between continents.

PubMed

Georgiou, Alexandra; Dong, Kelly; Hughes, Stephen; Barfield, Matthew

2015-01-01

Alex has worked at GlaxoSmithKline for the past 15 years and currently works within the bioanalytical and toxicokinetic group in the United Kingdom. Alex's role in previous years has been the in-house support of preclinical and clinical bioanalysis, from method development through to sample analysis activities as well as acting as PI for GLP bioanalysis and toxicokinetics. For the past two years, Alex has applied this analytical and regulatory experience to focus on the outsourcing of preclinical bioanalysis, toxicokinetics and clinical bioanalysis, working closely with multiple bioanalytical and in-life CRO partners worldwide. Alex works to support DMPK and Safety Assessment outsourcing activities for GSK across multiple therapeutic areas, from the first GLP study through to late stage clinical PK studies. Transfer and cross-validation of an existing analytical assay between a laboratory providing current analytical support, and a laboratory needed for new or additional support, can present the bioanalyst with numerous challenges. These challenges can be technical or logistical in nature and may prove to be significant when transferring an assay between laboratories in different continents. Part of GlaxoSmithKline's strategy to improve confidence in providing quality data, is to cross-validate between laboratories. If the cross-validation fails predefined acceptance criteria, then a subsequent investigation would follow. This may also prove to be challenging. The importance of thorough planning and good communication throughout assay transfer, cross-validation and any subsequent investigations is illustrated in this case study.

A case-control study of malignant melanoma among Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees: A critical evaluation

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

Kupper, L.L.; Setzer, R.W.; Schwartzbaum, J.

1987-07-01

This document reports on a reevaluation of data obtained in a previous report on occupational factors associated with the development of malignant melanomas at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The current report reduces the number of these factors from five to three based on a rigorous statistical analysis of the original data. Recommendations include restructuring the original questionnaire and trying to contact more individuals that worked with volatile photographic chemicals. 17 refs., 7 figs., 22 tabs. (TEM)

Apoptosis: a four-week laboratory investigation for advanced molecular and cellular biology students.

PubMed

DiBartolomeis, Susan M; Moné, James P

2003-01-01

Over the past decade, apoptosis has emerged as an important field of study central to ongoing research in many diverse fields, from developmental biology to cancer research. Apoptosis proceeds by a highly coordinated series of events that includes enzyme activation, DNA fragmentation, and alterations in plasma membrane permeability. The detection of each of these phenotypic changes is accessible to advanced undergraduate cell and molecular biology students. We describe a 4-week laboratory sequence that integrates cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, DNA isolation and analysis, and western blotting (immunoblotting) to follow apoptosis in cultured human cells. Students working in teams chemically induce apoptosis, and harvest, process, and analyze cells, using their data to determine the order of events during apoptosis. We, as instructors, expose the students to an environment closely simulating what they would encounter in an active cell or molecular biology research laboratory by having students coordinate and perform multiple tasks simultaneously and by having them experience experimental design using current literature, data interpretation, and analysis to answer a single question. Students are assessed by examination of laboratory notebooks for completeness of experimental protocols and analysis of results and for completion of an assignment that includes questions pertaining to data interpretation and apoptosis.

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

Gillespie, B.M.; Stromatt, R.W.; Ross, G.A.

This data package contains the results obtained by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff in the characterization of samples for the 101-SY Hydrogen Safety Project. The samples were submitted for analysis by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) under the Technical Project Plan (TPP) 17667 and the Quality Assurance Plan MCS-027. They came from a core taken during Window C'' after the May 1991 gas release event. The analytical procedures required for analysis were defined in the Test Instructions (TI) prepared by the PNL 101-SY Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) Project Management Office in accordance with the TPP and the QA Plan. The requestedmore » analysis for these samples was volatile organic analysis. The quality control (QC) requirements for each sample are defined in the Test Instructions for each sample. The QC requirements outlined in the procedures and requested in the WHC statement of work were followed.« less

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

Gillespie, B.M.; Stromatt, R.W.; Ross, G.A.

This data package contains the results obtained by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff in the characterization of samples for the 101-SY Hydrogen Safety Project. The samples were submitted for analysis by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) under the Technical Project Plan (TPP) 17667 and the Quality Assurance Plan MCS-027. They came from a core taken during Window ``C`` after the May 1991 gas release event. The analytical procedures required for analysis were defined in the Test Instructions (TI) prepared by the PNL 101-SY Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) Project Management Office in accordance with the TPP and the QA Plan. The requestedmore » analysis for these samples was volatile organic analysis. The quality control (QC) requirements for each sample are defined in the Test Instructions for each sample. The QC requirements outlined in the procedures and requested in the WHC statement of work were followed.« less

Redefining What's Possible for Renewable Energy: Grid Integration

ScienceCinema

Cochran, Jaquelin; Milligan, Michael; Bloom, Aaron; Lopez, Anthony; Mai, Trieu

2018-05-16

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is spearheading engineering innovations that will help optimize the entire energy system, and the lab's analysis capabilities complement that engineering work by identifying ways to integrate renewable energy effectively and economically. This 3-minute video shows how NREL research and analysis are redefining what’s possible for renewable energy on the grid.

A/C Interface: Expert Systems: Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dessy, Raymond E., Ed.

1984-01-01

Discusses working implementations of artificial intelligence systems for chemical laboratory applications. They include expert systems for liquid chromatography, spectral analysis, instrument control of a totally computerized triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer, and the determination of the mineral constituents of a rock sample given the powder…

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

Sprik, Samuel; Kurtz, Jennifer M; Ainscough, Christopher D

In this presentation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory presented aggregated analysis results on the performance of existing hydrogen stations, including performance, operation, utilization, maintenance, safety, hydrogen quality, and cost. The U.S. Department of Energy funds technology validation work at NREL through its National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center (NFCTEC).

Bowersox works with the WMK in Destiny during Expedition Six

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-17

ISS006-E-27226 (17 February 2003) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, Expedition Six mission commander, uses the water microbiology kit (WMK) to collect water samples for in-flight chemistry/microbiology analysis in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

Laboratory testing of extravascular body fluids in Croatia: a survey of the Working group for extravascular body fluids of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine

PubMed Central

Kopcinovic, Lara Milevoj; Vogrinc, Zeljka; Kocijan, Irena; Culej, Jelena; Aralica, Merica; Jokic, Anja; Antoncic, Dragana; Bozovic, Marija

2016-01-01

Introduction We hypothesized that extravascular body fluid (EBF) analysis in Croatia is not harmonized and aimed to investigate preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical procedures used in EBF analysis in order to identify key aspects that should be addressed in future harmonization attempts. Materials and methods An anonymous online survey created to explore laboratory testing of EBF was sent to secondary, tertiary and private health care Medical Biochemistry Laboratories (MBLs) in Croatia. Statements were designed to address preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical procedures of cerebrospinal, pleural, peritoneal (ascites), pericardial, seminal, synovial, amniotic fluid and sweat. Participants were asked to declare the strength of agreement with proposed statements using a Likert scale. Mean scores for corresponding separate statements divided according to health care setting were calculated and compared. Results The survey response rate was 0.64 (58 / 90). None of the participating private MBLs declared to analyse EBF. We report a mean score of 3.45 obtained for all statements evaluated. Deviations from desirable procedures were demonstrated in all EBF testing phases. Minor differences in procedures used for EBF analysis comparing secondary and tertiary health care MBLs were found. The lowest scores were obtained for statements regarding quality control procedures in EBF analysis, participation in proficiency testing programmes and provision of interpretative comments on EBF’s test reports. Conclusions Although good laboratory EBF practice is present in Croatia, procedures for EBF analysis should be further harmonized to improve the quality of EBF testing and patient safety. PMID:27812307

Work flow analysis of around-the-clock processing of blood culture samples and integrated MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections.

PubMed

Schneiderhan, Wilhelm; Grundt, Alexander; Wörner, Stefan; Findeisen, Peter; Neumaier, Michael

2013-11-01

Because sepsis has a high mortality rate, rapid microbiological diagnosis is required to enable efficient therapy. The effectiveness of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis in reducing turnaround times (TATs) for blood culture (BC) pathogen identification when available in a 24-h hospital setting has not been determined. On the basis of data from a total number of 912 positive BCs collected within 140 consecutive days and work flow analyses of laboratory diagnostics, we evaluated different models to assess the TATs for batch-wise and for immediate response (real-time) MALDI-TOF MS pathogen identification of positive BC results during the night shifts. The results were compared to TATs from routine BC processing and biochemical identification performed during regular working hours. Continuous BC incubation together with batch-wise MALDI-TOF MS analysis enabled significant reductions of up to 58.7 h in the mean TATs for the reporting of the bacterial species. The TAT of batch-wise MALDI-TOF MS analysis was inferior by a mean of 4.9 h when compared to the model of the immediate work flow under ideal conditions with no constraints in staff availability. Together with continuous cultivation of BC, the 24-h availability of MALDI-TOF MS can reduce the TAT for microbial pathogen identification within a routine clinical laboratory setting. Batch-wise testing of positive BC loses a few hours compared to real-time identification but is still far superior to classical BC processing. Larger prospective studies are required to evaluate the contribution of rapid around-the-clock pathogen identification to medical decision-making for septicemic patients.

Students' motivation toward laboratory work in physiology teaching.

PubMed

Dohn, Niels Bonderup; Fago, Angela; Overgaard, Johannes; Madsen, Peter Teglberg; Malte, Hans

2016-09-01

The laboratory has been given a central role in physiology education, and teachers report that it is motivating for students to undertake experimental work on live animals or measuring physiological responses on the students themselves. Since motivation is a critical variable for academic learning and achievement, then we must concern ourselves with questions that examine how students engage in laboratory work and persist at such activities. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how laboratory work influences student motivation in physiology. We administered the Lab Motivation Scale to assess our students' levels of interest, willingness to engage (effort), and confidence in understanding (self-efficacy). We also asked students about the role of laboratory work for their own learning and their experience in the physiology laboratory. Our results documented high levels of interest, effort, and self-efficacy among the students. Correlation analyses were performed on the three motivation scales and exam results, yet a significant correlation was only found between self-efficacy in laboratory work and academic performance at the final exam. However, almost all students reported that laboratory work was very important for learning difficult concepts and physiological processes (e.g., action potential), as the hands-on experiences gave a more concrete idea of the learning content and made the content easier to remember. These results have implications for classroom practice as biology students find laboratory exercises highly motivating, despite their different personal interests and subject preferences. This highlights the importance of not replacing laboratory work by other nonpractical approaches, for example, video demonstrations or computer simulations. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Factors Influencing Cerebral Plasticity in the Normal and Injured Brain

PubMed Central

Kolb, Bryan; Teskey, G. Campbell; Gibb, Robbin

2010-01-01

An important development in behavioral neuroscience in the past 20 years has been the demonstration that it is possible to stimulate functional recovery after cerebral injury in laboratory animals. Rodent models of cerebral injury provide an important tool for developing such rehabilitation programs. The models include analysis at different levels including detailed behavioral paradigms, electrophysiology, neuronal morphology, protein chemistry, and epigenetics. A significant challenge for the next 20 years will be the translation of this work to improve the outcome from brain injury and disease in humans. Our goal in the article will be to synthesize the multidisciplinary laboratory work on brain plasticity and behavior in the injured brain to inform the development of rehabilitation programs. PMID:21120136

The relation between students' communicative moves during laboratory work in physics and outcomes of their actions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, J.; Enghag, M.

2017-01-01

In this case study, we explore students' communication during practical work in physics at an upper secondary school in Sweden from a sociocultural perspective. We investigate the relation between the interaction and content of students' communication and outcomes of their actions, with the purpose of finding new knowledge for informing teachers in their choice of instruction. We make discourse analysis of how students interact but also of what students are discussing in terms of underlying content at a linguistic and cognitive level. Twenty students divided into five groups were video recorded while performing four practical tasks at different stations during laboratory work about motion. An analytical framework was developed and applied for one group to three parts of the transcripts in which three different talk-types occurred. Discursive, content, action and purposive moves in the process were identified for each talk-type at both linguistic and cognitive levels. These moves represent information concerning what the teacher actually assigns students to do, and how students make meaning of the activities. Through these different communicative moves, students experience how laboratory work can enhance their competence to collaborate in a scientific environment with complex practical and theoretical questions to solve quickly. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Reliability and validity of job content questionnaire for university research laboratory staff in Malaysia.

PubMed

Nehzat, F; Huda, B Z; Tajuddin, S H Syed

2014-03-01

Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) has been proven a reliable and valid instrument to assess job stress in many countries and among various occupations. In Malaysia, both English and Malay versions of the JCQ have been administered to automotive workers, schoolteachers, and office workers. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the instrument with research laboratory staff in a university. A cross sectional study was conducted among 258 research laboratory staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Malaysian laboratory staff who have worked for at least one year were randomly selected from nine faculties and institutes in the university that have research laboratory. A self-administered English and Malay version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was used. Three major scales of JCQ: decision latitude, psychological job demands, and social support were assessed. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of two scales were acceptable, decision latitude and psychological job demands (0.70 and 0.72, respectively), while Cronbach's alpha coefficient for social support (0.86) was good. Exploratory factor analysis showed five factors that correspond closely to the theoretical construct of the questionnaire. The results of this research suggest that the JCQ is reliable and valid for examining psychosocial work situations and job strain among research laboratory staff. Further studies should be done for confirmative results, and further evaluation is needed on the decision authority subscale for this occupation.

A National Residue Control Plan from the analytical perspective--the Brazilian case.

PubMed

Mauricio, Angelo de Q; Lins, Erick S; Alvarenga, Marcelo B

2009-04-01

Food safety is a strategic topic entailing not only national public health aspects but also competitiveness in international trade. An important component of any food safety program is the control and monitoring of residues posed by certain substances involved in food production. In turn, a National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) relies on an appropriate laboratory network, not only to generate analytical results, but also more broadly to verify and co-validate the controls built along the food production chain. Therefore laboratories operating under a NRCP should work in close cooperation with inspection bodies, fostering the critical alignment of the whole system with the principles of risk analysis. Beyond producing technically valid results, these laboratories should arguably be able to assist in the prediction and establishment of targets for official control. In pursuit of analytical excellence, the Brazilian government has developed a strategic plan for Official Agricultural Laboratories. Inserted in a national agenda for agricultural risk analysis, the plan has succeeded in raising laboratory budget by approximately 200%, it has started a rigorous program for personnel capacity-building, it has initiated strategic cooperation with international reference centres, and finally, it has completely renewed instrumental resources and rapidly triggered a program aimed at full laboratory compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.

Design Construction and Operation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO 2) Loop for Investigation of Dry Cooling and Natural Circulation Potential for Use in Advanced Small Modular Reactors Utilizing sCO 2 Power Conversion Cycles.

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

Middleton, Bobby D.; Rodriguez, Salvador B.; Carlson, Matthew David

This report outlines the work completed for a Laboratory Directed Research and Development project at Sandia National Laboratories from October 2012 through September 2015. An experimental supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2 ) loop was designed, built, and o perated. The experimental work demonstrated that sCO 2 can be uti lized as the working fluid in an air - cooled, natural circulation configuration to transfer heat from a source to the ultimate heat sink, which is the surrounding ambient environment in most ca ses. The loop was also operated in an induction - heated, water - cooled configuration that allows formore » measurements of physical parameters that are difficult to isolate in the air - cooled configuration. Analysis included the development of two computational flu id dynamics models. Future work is anticipated to answer questions that were not covered in this project.« less

Final report: Prototyping a combustion corridor

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

Rutland, Christopher J.; Leach, Joshua

2001-12-15

The Combustion Corridor is a concept in which researchers in combustion and thermal sciences have unimpeded access to large volumes of remote computational results. This will enable remote, collaborative analysis and visualization of state-of-the-art combustion science results. The Engine Research Center (ERC) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison partnered with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and several other universities to build and test the first stages of a combustion corridor. The ERC served two important functions in this partnership. First, we work extensively with combustion simulations so we were able to provide real worldmore » research data sets for testing the Corridor concepts. Second, the ERC was part of an extension of the high bandwidth based DOE National Laboratory connections to universities.« less

Philippine Wind Farm Analysis and Site Selection Analysis, 1 January 2000 - 31 December 2000

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

Conover, K.

2001-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been working in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in an ongoing process to quantify the Philippine wind energy potential and foster wind farm development. As part of that process, NREL retained Global Energy Concepts, LLC (GEC) to review and update the policy needs as well as develop a site-screening process applicable for the Philippines. GEC worked closely with the Philippines National Power Corporation (NPC) in completing this work. This report provides the results of the policy needs and site selection analyses conductedmore » by GEC.« less

An audit of the laboratory service provided to the Health Service Executive Orthodontic Department, St James Hospital, Dublin.

PubMed

Al-Awadhi, E A; Wolstencroft, S J; Blake, M

2006-01-01

To evaluate the service purchased from contracted orthodontic laboratories used by HSE (SWA) regional orthodontic unit, St. James's Hospital, Dublin and identify deficiencies in the current service. A data collection questionnaire was designed and distributed to the departmental orthodontists for a period of three months (October-December 2004). Gold standards, drawn up based on the authors' ideal requirements and published guidelines, were supplied to grade the work returned. During the study period 363 items of laboratory work were requested. 20% of the laboratory work arrived late and most of the delayed work was delayed for more than 24 hours. Most laboratory delays occurred with functional appliances, retainers and study models. Prior to fit, 20% of the appliances required adjustments for more than 30 seconds. 65% of laboratory work returned to the department met all of the gold standards. 10% of appliances were considered unsatisfactory. Functional appliances were most often ill fitting accounting for almost half of the unsatisfactory laboratory work. The majority of the laboratory work returned to the department met our gold standards and arrived on time. Forty six percent of the appliances required adjustments. Functional appliances required the most adjustments; one in five of all functional appliances ordered were considered unsatisfactory.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor Data Validation, SOP No. HW-37A Revision 0; SOM02.2

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document is designed to offer the data reviewer guidance in determining the validity of analytical data generated through the USEPA Contract Laboratory Program (CLP) Statement of Work (SOW) for Multi-Media, Multi-Concentration Organics Analysis

Jobs and Economic Development Impacts from Small Wind: JEDI Model in the Works (Presentation)

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

Tegen, S.

2012-06-01

This presentation covers the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's role in economic impact analysis for wind power Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models, JEDI results, small wind JEDI specifics, and a request for information to complete the model.

State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

DOE PAGES

Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

2016-09-16

The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX-4) in the 21 year history of the Group. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or international organizations. Moreover, exercise samples (including three separate samples of low enriched uranium oxide) were shipped as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. In all, over 30 analytical techniques were applied to characterize exercise materials, for which ten of those techniques weremore » applied to ITWG exercises for the first time. We performed an objective review of the state of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

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

Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX-4) in the 21 year history of the Group. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or international organizations. Moreover, exercise samples (including three separate samples of low enriched uranium oxide) were shipped as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. In all, over 30 analytical techniques were applied to characterize exercise materials, for which ten of those techniques weremore » applied to ITWG exercises for the first time. We performed an objective review of the state of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

Astronauts Working in Spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This Quick Time movie captures astronaut Jan Davis and her fellow crew members working in the Spacelab, a versatile laboratory carried in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay for special research flights. Its various elements can be combined to accommodate the many types of scientific research that can best be performed in space. Spacelab consisted of an enclosed, pressurized laboratory module and open U-shaped pallets located at the rear of the laboratory module. The laboratory module contained utilities, computers, work benches, and instrument racks to conduct scientific experiments in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering. Equipment, such as telescopes, antennas, and sensors, is mounted on pallets for direct exposure to space. A 1-meter (3.3-ft.) diameter aluminum tunnel, resembling a z-shaped tube, connected the crew compartment (mid deck) to the module. The reusable Spacelab allowed scientists to bring experiment samples back to Earth for post-flight analysis. Spacelab was a cooperative venture of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. ESA was responsible for funding, developing, and building Spacelab, while NASA was responsible for the launch and operational use of Spacelab. Spacelab missions were cooperative efforts between scientists and engineers from around the world. Teams from NASA centers, universities, private industry, government agencies and international space organizations designed the experiments. The Marshall Space Flight Center was NASA's lead center for monitoring the development of Spacelab and managing the program.

Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory profile of scrub typhus cases detected by serology and RT-PCR in Kumaon, Uttarakhand: a hospital-based study.

PubMed

Rawat, Vinita; Singh, Rajesh Kumar; Kumar, Ashok; Saxena, Sandip R; Varshney, Umesh; Kumar, Mukesh

2018-04-01

We analysed the epidemiology, clinical and laboratory data of the 168 scrub typhus cases confirmed by a combination of any one of the following: real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or immunofluorescence assay (IFA) (IgM and/or IgG). The peak season for scrub typhus was from July to October. By multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, the risk of scrub typhus was about four times in those working in occupation related to forest work. Major clinical manifestations were fever (100%), myalgia (65%), cough (51%) and vomiting (46%); major complications were meningitis/meningoencephatilitis (12.5%) and multi-organ failure (MOF) and pneumonia (5.3% each). Laboratory investigations revealed raised aminotranferase levels and thrombocytopenia in most confirmed cases. We conclude that scrub typhus is an important cause of febrile illness in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand where this disease had not previously been considered to exist.

Documents of the JPL Photovoltaics Program Analysis and Integration Center: An annotated bibliography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearson, A. M.

1985-01-01

A bibliography of internal and external documents produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, based on the work performed by the Photovoltaics Program Analysis and Integration Center, is presented with annotations. As shown in the Table of Contents, the bibliography is divided into three subject areas: (1) Assessments, (2) Methdological Studies, and (3) Supporting Studies. Annotated abstracts are presented for 20 papers.

Laboratory safety handbook

USGS Publications Warehouse

Skinner, E.L.; Watterson, C.A.; Chemerys, J.C.

1983-01-01

Safety, defined as 'freedom from danger, risk, or injury,' is difficult to achieve in a laboratory environment. Inherent dangers, associated with water analysis and research laboratories where hazardous samples, materials, and equipment are used, must be minimized to protect workers, buildings, and equipment. Managers, supervisors, analysts, and laboratory support personnel each have specific responsibilities to reduce hazards by maintaining a safe work environment. General rules of conduct and safety practices that involve personal protection, laboratory practices, chemical handling, compressed gases handling, use of equipment, and overall security must be practiced by everyone at all levels. Routine and extensive inspections of all laboratories must be made regularly by qualified people. Personnel should be trained thoroughly and repetitively. Special hazards that may involve exposure to carcinogens, cryogenics, or radiation must be given special attention, and specific rules and operational procedures must be established to deal with them. Safety data, reference materials, and texts must be kept available if prudent safety is to be practiced and accidents prevented or minimized.

In-air RBS measurements at the LAMFI external beam setup

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

Silva, T. F.; Added, N.; Moro, M. V.

2014-11-11

This work describes new developments in the external beam setup of the Laboratory of Material Analysis with Ion Beams of the University of São Paulo (LAMFI-USP). This setup was designed to be a versatile analytical station to analyze a broad range of samples. In recent developments, we seek the external beam Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) analysis to complement the Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) measurements. This work presents the initial results of the external beam RBS analysis as well as recent developments to improve the energy resolution RBS measurements, in particular tests to seek for sources of resolution degradation. Thesemore » aspects are discussed and preliminary results of in-air RBS analysis of some test samples are presented.« less

A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the microbiology laboratory.

PubMed

Amerson, Megan H; Pulido, Lila; Garza, Melinda N; Ali, Faheem A; Greenhill, Brandy; Einspahr, Christopher L; Yarsa, Joseph; Sood, Pramilla K; Hu, Peter C

2012-01-01

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is committed to providing the best pathology and medicine through: state-of-the art techniques, progressive ground-breaking research, education and training for the clinical diagnosis and research of cancer and related diseases. After surveying the laboratory staff and other hospital professionals, the Department administrators and Human Resource generalists developed a professional development model for Microbiology to support laboratory skills, behavior, certification, and continual education within its staff. This model sets high standards for the laboratory professionals to allow the labs to work at their fullest potential; it provides organization to training technologists based on complete laboratory needs instead of training technologists in individual areas in which more training is required if the laboratory needs them to work in other areas. This model is a working example for all microbiology based laboratories who want to set high standards and want their staff to be acknowledged for demonstrated excellence and professional development in the laboratory. The PDM model is designed to focus on the needs of the laboratory as well as the laboratory professionals.

Clinical Laboratories – Production Factories or Specialized Diagnostic Centers

PubMed Central

Tóth, Judit

2016-01-01

Since a large proportion of medical decisions are based on laboratory results, clinical laboratories should meet the increasing demand of clinicians and their patients. Huge central laboratories may process over 10 million tests annually; they act as production factories, measuring emergency and routine tests with sufficient speed and accuracy. At the same time, they also serve as specialized diagnostic centers where well-trained experts analyze and interpret special test results. It is essential to improve and constantly monitor this complex laboratory service, by several methods. Sample transport by pneumatic tube system, use of an advanced laboratory information system and point-of-care testing may result in decreased total turnaround time. The optimization of test ordering may result in a faster and more cost-effective laboratory service. Autovalidation can save time for laboratory specialists, when the analysis of more complex results requires their attention. Small teams of experts responsible for special diagnostic work, and their interpretative reporting according to predetermined principles, may help to minimize subjectivity of these special reports. Although laboratory investigations have become so diversely developed in the past decades, it is essential that the laboratory can provide accurate results relatively quickly, and that laboratory specialists can support the diagnosis and monitoring of patients by adequate interpretation of esoteric laboratory methods. PMID:27683528

[Fundamentals of quality control systems in medical-biochemical laboratories--the role of marketing].

PubMed

Topić, E; Turek, S

2000-01-01

The basic criterion for the overall quality system in medical biochemistry laboratories concerning equipment, premises and laboratory staff in primary health care (PHC) (Regulations on quality systems and good laboratory practice of the Croatian Medical Biochemists Chamber, 1995, Regulations on categorization of medical biochemistry laboratories of the Croatian Medical Biochemists Chamber, 1996, EC4: Essential criteria for quality systems in medical laboratories. Eur J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 1997 in medical biochemical laboratories included in the First Croatia health project, Primary health care subproject, has been met by the marketing approach to the project. The equipment ensuring implementation of the complete laboratory program (NN/96), more accurate and precise analytical procedures, and higher reliability of laboratory test results compared with previous equipment, has been purchased by an international tender. Uniform technology and methods of analysis have ensured high standards of good laboratory services, yielding test results than can be transferred from primary to secondary health care level. The new equipment has improved organization between central and detached medical biochemistry laboratory units, while the high quality requirement has led to improvement in the staff structure, e.g., medical biochemists have been employed in laboratories that had previously worked without such a professional. Equipment renewal has been accompanied by proper education for all levels of PHC professionals.

A rigorous detection of interstellar CH3NCO: An important missing species in astrochemical networks.

PubMed

Cernicharo, J; Kisiel, Z; Tercero, B; Kolesniková, L; Medvedev, I R; López, A; Fortman, S; Winnewisser, M; de Lucia, F C; Alonso, J L; Guillemin, J-C

2016-03-01

The recent analysis of the composition of the frozen surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has revealed a significant number of complex organic molecules. Methyl isocyanate (CH 3 NCO) is one of the more abundant species detected on the comet surface. In this work we report extensive characterization of its rotational spectrum resulting in a list of 1269 confidently assigned laboratory lines and its detection in space towards the Orion clouds where 399 lines of the molecule have been unambiguously identified. We find that the limited mm-wave laboratory data reported prior to our work require some revision. The abundance of CH 3 NCO in Orion is only a factor of ten below those of HNCO and CH 3 CN. Unlike the molecular abundances in the coma of comets, which correlate with those of warm molecular clouds, molecular abundances in the gas phase in Orion are only weakly correlated with those measured on the comet surface. We also compare our abundances with those derived recently for this molecule towards Sgr B2 (Halfen et al. 2015). A more accurate abundance of CH 3 NCO is provided for this cloud based on our extensive laboratory work.

A rigorous detection of interstellar CH3NCO: An important missing species in astrochemical networks⋆,⋆⋆

PubMed Central

Cernicharo, J.; Kisiel, Z.; Tercero, B.; Kolesniková, L.; Medvedev, I.R.; López, A.; Fortman, S.; Winnewisser, M.; de Lucia, F. C.; Alonso, J. L.; Guillemin, J.-C.

2016-01-01

The recent analysis of the composition of the frozen surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has revealed a significant number of complex organic molecules. Methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO) is one of the more abundant species detected on the comet surface. In this work we report extensive characterization of its rotational spectrum resulting in a list of 1269 confidently assigned laboratory lines and its detection in space towards the Orion clouds where 399 lines of the molecule have been unambiguously identified. We find that the limited mm-wave laboratory data reported prior to our work require some revision. The abundance of CH3NCO in Orion is only a factor of ten below those of HNCO and CH3CN. Unlike the molecular abundances in the coma of comets, which correlate with those of warm molecular clouds, molecular abundances in the gas phase in Orion are only weakly correlated with those measured on the comet surface. We also compare our abundances with those derived recently for this molecule towards Sgr B2 (Halfen et al. 2015). A more accurate abundance of CH3NCO is provided for this cloud based on our extensive laboratory work. PMID:27274565

Intelligent Performance Assessment of Students' Laboratory Work in a Virtual Electronic Laboratory Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achumba, I. E.; Azzi, D.; Dunn, V. L.; Chukwudebe, G. A.

2013-01-01

Laboratory work is critical in undergraduate engineering courses. It is used to integrate theory and practice. This demands that laboratory activities are synchronized with lectures to maximize their derivable learning outcomes, which are measurable through assessment. The typical high costs of the traditional engineering laboratory, which often…

Probing the Reproducibility of Leaf Growth and Molecular Phenotypes: A Comparison of Three Arabidopsis Accessions Cultivated in Ten Laboratories1[W

PubMed Central

Massonnet, Catherine; Vile, Denis; Fabre, Juliette; Hannah, Matthew A.; Caldana, Camila; Lisec, Jan; Beemster, Gerrit T.S.; Meyer, Rhonda C.; Messerli, Gaëlle; Gronlund, Jesper T.; Perkovic, Josip; Wigmore, Emma; May, Sean; Bevan, Michael W.; Meyer, Christian; Rubio-Díaz, Silvia; Weigel, Detlef; Micol, José Luis; Buchanan-Wollaston, Vicky; Fiorani, Fabio; Walsh, Sean; Rinn, Bernd; Gruissem, Wilhelm; Hilson, Pierre; Hennig, Lars; Willmitzer, Lothar; Granier, Christine

2010-01-01

A major goal of the life sciences is to understand how molecular processes control phenotypes. Because understanding biological systems relies on the work of multiple laboratories, biologists implicitly assume that organisms with the same genotype will display similar phenotypes when grown in comparable conditions. We investigated to what extent this holds true for leaf growth variables and metabolite and transcriptome profiles of three Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genotypes grown in 10 laboratories using a standardized and detailed protocol. A core group of four laboratories generated similar leaf growth phenotypes, demonstrating that standardization is possible. But some laboratories presented significant differences in some leaf growth variables, sometimes changing the genotype ranking. Metabolite profiles derived from the same leaf displayed a strong genotype × environment (laboratory) component. Genotypes could be separated on the basis of their metabolic signature, but only when the analysis was limited to samples derived from one laboratory. Transcriptome data revealed considerable plant-to-plant variation, but the standardization ensured that interlaboratory variation was not considerably larger than intralaboratory variation. The different impacts of the standardization on phenotypes and molecular profiles could result from differences of temporal scale between processes involved at these organizational levels. Our findings underscore the challenge of describing, monitoring, and precisely controlling environmental conditions but also demonstrate that dedicated efforts can result in reproducible data across multiple laboratories. Finally, our comparative analysis revealed that small variations in growing conditions (light quality principally) and handling of plants can account for significant differences in phenotypes and molecular profiles obtained in independent laboratories. PMID:20200072

Open web system of Virtual labs for nuclear and applied physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saldikov, I. S.; Afanasyev, V. V.; Petrov, V. I.; Ternovykh, M. Yu

2017-01-01

An example of virtual lab work on unique experimental equipment is presented. The virtual lab work is software based on a model of real equipment. Virtual labs can be used for educational process in nuclear safety and analysis field. As an example it includes the virtual lab called “Experimental determination of the material parameter depending on the pitch of a uranium-water lattice”. This paper included general description of this lab. A description of a database on the support of laboratory work on unique experimental equipment which is included this work, its concept development are also presented.

Analytic Methods for Benchmarking Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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

Melaina, Marc; Saur, Genevieve; Ramsden, Todd

2015-05-28

This presentation summarizes NREL's hydrogen and fuel cell analysis work in three areas: resource potential, greenhouse gas emissions and cost of delivered energy, and influence of auxiliary revenue streams. NREL's hydrogen and fuel cell analysis projects focus on low-­carbon and economic transportation and stationary fuel cell applications. Analysis tools developed by the lab provide insight into the degree to which bridging markets can strengthen the business case for fuel cell applications.

U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Need for Flow Physics and Control With Applications Involving Aero-Optics and Weapon Bay Cavities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmit, Ryan

2010-01-01

To develop New Flow Control Techniques: a) Knowledge of the Flow Physics with and without control. b) How does Flow Control Effect Flow Physics (What Works to Optimize the Design?). c) Energy or Work Efficiency of the Control Technique (Cost - Risk - Benefit Analysis). d) Supportability, e.g. (size of equipment, computational power, power supply) (Allows Designer to include Flow Control in Plans).

[Knowledge management system for laboratory work and clinical decision support].

PubMed

Inada, Masanori; Sato, Mayumi; Yoneyama, Akiko

2011-05-01

This paper discusses a knowledge management system for clinical laboratories. In the clinical laboratory of Toranomon Hospital, we receive about 20 questions relevant to laboratory tests per day from medical doctors or co-medical staff. These questions mostly involve the essence to appropriately accomplish laboratory tests. We have to answer them carefully and suitably because an incorrect answer may cause a medical accident. Up to now, no method has been in place to achieve a rapid response and standardized answers. For this reason, the laboratory staff have responded to various questions based on their individual knowledge. We began to develop a knowledge management system to promote the knowledge of staff working for the laboratory. This system is a type of knowledge base for assisting the work, such as inquiry management, laboratory consultation, process management, and clinical support. It consists of several functions: guiding laboratory test information, managing inquiries from medical staff, reporting results of patient consultation, distributing laboratory staffs notes, and recording guidelines for laboratory medicine. The laboratory test information guide has 2,000 records of medical test information registered in the database with flexible retrieval. The inquiry management tool provides a methos to record all questions, answer easily, and retrieve cases. It helps staff to respond appropriately in a short period of time. The consulting report system treats patients' claims regarding medical tests. The laboratory staffs notes enter a file management system so they can be accessed to aid in clinical support. Knowledge sharing using this function can achieve the transition from individual to organizational learning. Storing guidelines for laboratory medicine will support EBM. Finally, it is expected that this system will support intellectual activity concerning laboratory work and contribute to the practice of knowledge management for clinical work support.

Applied behavior analysis: New directions from the laboratory

PubMed Central

Epling, W. Frank; Pierce, W. David

1983-01-01

Applied behavior analysis began when laboratory based principles were extended to humans inorder to change socially significant behavior. Recent laboratory findings may have applied relevance; however, the majority of basic researchers have not clearly communicated the practical implications of their work. The present paper samples some of the new findings and attempts to demonstrate their applied importance. Schedule-induced behavior which occurs as a by-product of contingencies of reinforcement is discussed. Possible difficulties in treatment and management of induced behaviors are considered. Next, the correlation-based law of effect and the implications of relative reinforcement are explored in terms of applied examples. Relative rate of reinforcement is then extended to the literature dealing with concurrent operants. Concurrent operant models may describe human behavior of applied importance, and several techniques for modification of problem behavior are suggested. As a final concern, the paper discusses several new paradigms. While the practical importance of these models is not clear at the moment, it may be that new practical advantages will soon arise. Thus, it is argued that basic research continues to be of theoretical and practical importance to applied behavior analysis. PMID:22478574

Teacher Professional Development to Foster Authentic Student Research Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conn, K.; Iyengar, E.

2004-12-01

This presentation reports on a new teacher workshop design that encourages teachers to initiate and support long-term student-directed research projects in the classroom setting. Teachers were recruited and engaged in an intensive marine ecology learning experience at Shoals Marine Laboratory, Appledore Island, Maine. Part of the weeklong summer workshop was spent in field work, part in laboratory work, and part in learning experimental design and basic statistical analysis of experimental results. Teachers were presented with strategies to adapt their workshop learnings to formulate plans for initiating and managing authentic student research projects in their classrooms. The authors will report on the different considerations and constraints facing the teachers in their home school settings and teachers' progress in implementing their plans. Suggestions for replicating the workshop will be offered.

Application of failure mode and effect analysis in an assisted reproduction technology laboratory.

PubMed

Intra, Giulia; Alteri, Alessandra; Corti, Laura; Rabellotti, Elisa; Papaleo, Enrico; Restelli, Liliana; Biondo, Stefania; Garancini, Maria Paola; Candiani, Massimo; Viganò, Paola

2016-08-01

Assisted reproduction technology laboratories have a very high degree of complexity. Mismatches of gametes or embryos can occur, with catastrophic consequences for patients. To minimize the risk of error, a multi-institutional working group applied failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to each critical activity/step as a method of risk assessment. This analysis led to the identification of the potential failure modes, together with their causes and effects, using the risk priority number (RPN) scoring system. In total, 11 individual steps and 68 different potential failure modes were identified. The highest ranked failure modes, with an RPN score of 25, encompassed 17 failures and pertained to "patient mismatch" and "biological sample mismatch". The maximum reduction in risk, with RPN reduced from 25 to 5, was mostly related to the introduction of witnessing. The critical failure modes in sample processing were improved by 50% in the RPN by focusing on staff training. Three indicators of FMEA success, based on technical skill, competence and traceability, have been evaluated after FMEA implementation. Witnessing by a second human operator should be introduced in the laboratory to avoid sample mix-ups. These findings confirm that FMEA can effectively reduce errors in assisted reproduction technology laboratories. Copyright © 2016 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Revising Laboratory Work: Sociological Perspectives on the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jobér, Anna

2017-01-01

This study uses sociological perspectives to analyse one of the core practices in science education: school children's and students' laboratory work. Applying an ethnographic approach to the laboratory work done by pupils at a Swedish compulsory school, data were generated through observations, field notes, interviews, and a questionnaire. The…

A Network of Automatic Control Web-Based Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vargas, Hector; Sanchez Moreno, J.; Jara, Carlos A.; Candelas, F. A.; Torres, Fernando; Dormido, Sebastian

2011-01-01

This article presents an innovative project in the context of remote experimentation applied to control engineering education. Specifically, the authors describe their experience regarding the analysis, design, development, and exploitation of web-based technologies within the scope of automatic control. This work is part of an inter-university…

77 FR 14814 - Tobacco Product Analysis; Scientific Workshop; Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

... work to develop tobacco reference products that are not currently available for laboratory use. Discuss... methods used to analyze tobacco products. FDA will invite speakers to address scientific and technical matters relating to the testing of tobacco reference products and the analytical methods used to measure...

Work with Us | Advanced Manufacturing Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

advanced manufacturing R&D project through analysis and our world-class facilities. Contact Us Headshot of a man Matthew Ringer Laboratory Program Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Email | 303-275-4469 facilities for your advanced manufacturing R&D projects. License Our Technologies See our technologies

A multiclass multiresidue LC-MS/MS method for analysis of veterinary drugs in bovine kidney

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The increased efficiency permitted by multiclass, multiresidue methods has made such approaches very attractive to laboratories involved in monitoring veterinary drug residues in animal tissues. In this current work, evaluation of a multiclass multiresidue LC-MS/MS method in bovine kidney is describ...

Application of Wikis with Scaffolding Structure in Laboratory Reporting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ge, Changfeng

2012-01-01

This work demonstrates how a Wiki can be mapped into different learning stages during group-based lab reporting via an adequate scaffolding structure. The scaffolding structure of the Wiki-based group report is comprised of six constructs in sequence: Appendix, Methods, Results, Analysis, Introduction and Conclusion. The scaffolding structure was…

Sandia National Laboratories: Bumper crop of partnerships

Science.gov Websites

of IR Dynamics LLC of Santa Fe, is working with Sandia's Nelson Bell (1815) through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. IR Dynamics is developing thermochromic materials to control infrared analysis of human visual perception and cognition with dynamic content. IR Dynamics LLC: The Santa Fe

Side-channel Analysis of Subscriber Identity Modules

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

with fuming nitric acid or a similar caustic chemical. Once the die is bare, the problem of extreme miniaturization can be mitigated with the use of...laboratory. Had this possibility been considered earlier, less time would have been spent attempting to work around the probe limitations. 5.3 Future

Performance Analysis of Saturated Induction Motors by Virtual Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojaghi, M.; Faiz, J.; Kazemi, M.; Rezaei, M.

2012-01-01

Many undergraduate-level electrical machines textbooks give detailed treatments of the performance of induction motors. Students can deepen this understanding of motor performance by performing the appropriate practical work in laboratories or in simulation using proper software packages. This paper considers various common and less-common tests…

A Military/Civilian Dual-Use Visual Perception Laboratory for Investigating Vehicle Detectability

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-27

estimate of the trued’ is the average of the two individual estimates. The method of computation is described in Macmillan and Creelman ( 1991 ). Dual...foundation in engineering, psychological and psychophysical Lheory, yet is well suited w the applied analysis of vebjcle delectability. Future work for

Experiential Learning through Integrated Project Work: An Example from Soil Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mellor, Antony

1991-01-01

Describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated student soil science project. Reports that the course was designed to develop student-centered approaches to learning and to develop transferable skills and personal qualities at the same time. Explains that the project included fieldwork, laboratory analysis, data…

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

Driscoll, Frederick; Platt, Andrew; Sirnivas, Senu

This project was performed under the Work for Others—Funds in Agreement FIA-14-1793 between Statoil and the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, manager and operator of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). To support the development of a 6-MW spar-mounted offshore wind turbine, Statoil funded NREL to perform tasks in the following three categories: 1. Design and analysis 2. Wake modeling 3. Concept resource assessment. This summarizes the document reports on the design and analysis work package, which built a FAST [Jonkman & Buhl, 2005] computer model of the Hywind 6-MW floating wind turbine system and uses this tool to evaluate themore » performance of a set of design load cases (DLCs). The FAST model was also used in Work Package 2: Wake Modeling.« less

Space Station Freedom pressurized element interior design process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopson, George D.; Aaron, John; Grant, Richard L.

1990-01-01

The process used to develop the on-orbit working and living environment of the Space Station Freedom has some very unique constraints and conditions to satisfy. The goal is to provide maximum efficiency and utilization of the available space, in on-orbit, zero G conditions that establishes a comfortable, productive, and safe working environment for the crew. The Space Station Freedom on-orbit living and working space can be divided into support for three major functions: (1) operations, maintenance, and management of the station; (2) conduct of experiments, both directly in the laboratories and remotely for experiments outside the pressurized environment; and (3) crew related functions for food preparation, housekeeping, storage, personal hygiene, health maintenance, zero G environment conditioning, and individual privacy, and rest. The process used to implement these functions, the major requirements driving the design, unique considerations and constraints that influence the design, and summaries of the analysis performed to establish the current configurations are described. Sketches and pictures showing the layout and internal arrangement of the Nodes, U.S. Laboratory and Habitation modules identify the current design relationships of the common and unique station housekeeping subsystems. The crew facilities, work stations, food preparation and eating areas (galley and wardroom), and exercise/health maintenance configurations, waste management and personal hygiene area configuration are shown. U.S. Laboratory experiment facilities and maintenance work areas planned to support the wide variety and mixtures of life science and materials processing payloads are described.

Building Transnational Bodies: Norway and the International Development of Laboratory Animal Science, ca. 1956–1980

PubMed Central

Druglitrø, Tone; Kirk, Robert G. W.

2015-01-01

Argument This article adopts a historical perspective to examine the development of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine, an auxiliary field which formed to facilitate the work of the biomedical sciences by systematically improving laboratory animal production, provision, and maintenance in the post Second World War period. We investigate how Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine co-developed at the local level (responding to national needs and concerns) yet was simultaneously transnational in orientation (responding to the scientific need that knowledge, practices, objects and animals circulate freely). Adapting the work of Tsing (2004), we argue that national differences provided the creative “friction” that helped drive the formation of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine as a transnational endeavor. Our analysis engages with the themes of this special issue by focusing on the development of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine in Norway, which both informed wider transnational developments and was formed by them. We show that Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine can only be properly understood from a spatial perspective; whilst it developed and was structured through national “centers,” its orientation was transnational necessitating international networks through which knowledge, practice, technologies, and animals circulated. More and better laboratory animals are today required than ever before, and this demand will continue to rise if it is to keep pace with the quickening tempo of biological and veterinary research. The provision of this living experimental material is no longer a local problem; local, that is, to the research institute. It has become a national concern, and, in some of its aspects . . . even international. (William Lane-Petter 1957, 240) PMID:24941794

Project development laboratories energy fuels and oils based on NRU “MPEI”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burakov, I. A.; Burakov, A. Y.; Nikitina, I. S.; Khomenkov, A. M.; Paramonova, A. O.; Khtoo Naing, Aung

2017-11-01

In the process of improving the efficiency of power plants a hot topic is the use of high-quality fuels and lubricants. In the process of transportation, preparation for use, storage and maintenance of the properties of fuels and lubricants may deteriorate, which entails a reduction in the efficiency of power plants. One of the ways to prevent the deterioration of the properties is a timely analysis of the relevant laboratories. In this day, the existence of laboratories of energy fuels and energy laboratory oil at thermal power stations is satisfactory character. However, the training of qualified personnel to work in these laboratories is a serious problem, as the lack of opportunities in these laboratories a complete list of required tests. The solution to this problem is to explore the possibility of application of methods of analysis of the properties of fuels and lubricants in the stage of training and re-training of qualified personnel. In this regard, on the basis of MPEI developed laboratory projects of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, power and energy oils and lubricants. Projects allow for a complete list of tests required for the timely control of properties and prevent the deterioration of these properties. Assess the financial component of the implementation of the developed projects based on the use of modern equipment used for tests. Projects allow for a complete list of tests required for the timely control of properties and prevent the deterioration of these properties.

Brain-wave measures of workload in advanced cockpits: The transition of technology from laboratory to cockpit simulator, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horst, Richard L.; Mahaffey, David L.; Munson, Robert C.

1989-01-01

The present Phase 2 small business innovation research study was designed to address issues related to scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP) indices of mental workload and to transition this technology from the laboratory to cockpit simulator environments for use as a systems engineering tool. The project involved five main tasks: (1) Two laboratory studies confirmed the generality of the ERP indices of workload obtained in the Phase 1 study and revealed two additional ERP components related to workload. (2) A task analysis' of flight scenarios and pilot tasks in the Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (ACFS) defined cockpit events (i.e., displays, messages, alarms) that would be expected to elicit ERPs related to workload. (3) Software was developed to support ERP data analysis. An existing ARD-proprietary package of ERP data analysis routines was upgraded, new graphics routines were developed to enhance interactive data analysis, and routines were developed to compare alternative single-trial analysis techniques using simulated ERP data. (4) Working in conjunction with NASA Langley research scientists and simulator engineers, preparations were made for an ACFS validation study of ERP measures of workload. (5) A design specification was developed for a general purpose, computerized, workload assessment system that can function in simulators such as the ACFS.

Analysis of munitions constituents in groundwater using a field-portable GC-MS.

PubMed

Bednar, A J; Russell, A L; Hayes, C A; Jones, W T; Tackett, P; Splichal, D E; Georgian, T; Parker, L V; Kirgan, R A; MacMillan, D K

2012-05-01

The use of munitions constituents (MCs) at military installations can produce soil and groundwater contamination that requires periodic monitoring even after training or manufacturing activities have ceased. Traditional groundwater monitoring methods require large volumes of aqueous samples (e.g., 2-4 L) to be shipped under chain of custody, to fixed laboratories for analysis. The samples must also be packed on ice and shielded from light to minimize degradation that may occur during transport and storage. The laboratory's turn-around time for sample analysis and reporting can be as long as 45 d. This process hinders the reporting of data to customers in a timely manner; yields data that are not necessarily representative of current site conditions owing to the lag time between sample collection and reporting; and incurs significant shipping costs for samples. The current work compares a field portable Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) for analysis of MCs on-site with traditional laboratory-based analysis using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV absorption detection. The field method provides near real-time (within ~1 h of sampling) concentrations of MCs in groundwater samples. Mass spectrometry provides reliable confirmation of MCs and a means to identify unknown compounds that are potential false positives for methods with UV and other non-selective detectors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Reducing cognitive load in the chemistry laboratory by using technology-driven guided inquiry experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubacz, Frank, Jr.

The chemistry laboratory is an integral component of the learning experience for students enrolled in college-level general chemistry courses. Science education research has shown that guided inquiry investigations provide students with an optimum learning environment within the laboratory. These investigations reflect the basic tenets of constructivism by engaging students in a learning environment that allows them to experience what they learn and to then construct, in their own minds, a meaningful understanding of the ideas and concepts investigated. However, educational research also indicates that the physical plant of the laboratory environment combined with the procedural requirements of the investigation itself often produces a great demand upon a student's working memory. This demand, which is often superfluous to the chemical concept under investigation, creates a sensory overload or extraneous cognitive load within the working memory and becomes a significant obstacle to student learning. Extraneous cognitive load inhibits necessary schema formation within the learner's working memory thereby impeding the transfer of ideas to the learner's long-term memory. Cognitive Load Theory suggests that instructional material developed to reduce extraneous cognitive load leads to an improved learning environment for the student which better allows for schema formation. This study first compared the cognitive load demand, as measured by mental effort, experienced by 33 participants enrolled in a first-year general chemistry course in which the treatment group, using technology based investigations, and the non-treatment group, using traditional labware, investigated identical chemical concepts on five different exercises. Mental effort was measured via a mental effort survey, a statistical comparison of individual survey results to a procedural step count, and an analysis of fourteen post-treatment interviews. Next, a statistical analysis of achievement was completed by comparing lab grade averages, final exam averages, and final course grade averages between the two groups. Participant mental effort survey results showed significant positive effects of technology in reducing cognitive load for two laboratory investigations. One investigation revealed a significant difference in achievement measured by lab grade average comparisons. Although results of this study are inconclusive as to the usefulness of technology-driven investigations to affect learning, recommendations for further study are discussed.

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 2. General Practices.

PubMed

Mazur, Steven; Holbrook, Michael R; Burdette, Tracey; Joselyn, Nicole; Barr, Jason; Pusl, Daniela; Bollinger, Laura; Coe, Linda; Jahrling, Peter B; Lackemeyer, Matthew G; Wada, Jiro; Kuhn, Jens H; Janosko, Krisztina

2016-10-03

Work in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) containment laboratory requires time and great attention to detail. The same work that is done in a BSL-2 laboratory with non-high-consequence pathogens will take significantly longer in a BSL-4 setting. This increased time requirement is due to a multitude of factors that are aimed at protecting the researcher from laboratory-acquired infections, the work environment from potential contamination and the local community from possible release of high-consequence pathogens. Inside the laboratory, movement is restricted due to air hoses attached to the mandatory full-body safety suits. In addition, disinfection of every item that is removed from Class II biosafety cabinets (BSCs) is required. Laboratory specialists must be trained in the practices of the BSL-4 laboratory and must show high proficiency in the skills they are performing. The focus of this article is to outline proper procedures and techniques to ensure laboratory biosafety and experimental accuracy using a standard viral plaque assay as an example procedure. In particular, proper techniques to work safely in a BSL-4 environment when performing an experiment will be visually emphasized. These techniques include: setting up a Class II BSC for experiments, proper cleaning of the Class II BSC when finished working, waste management and safe disposal of waste generated inside a BSL-4 laboratory, and the removal of inactivated samples from inside a BSL-4 laboratory to the BSL-2 laboratory.

Interlaboratory comparison of autoradiographic DNA profiling measurements: precision and concordance.

PubMed

Duewer, D L; Lalonde, S A; Aubin, R A; Fourney, R M; Reeder, D J

1998-05-01

Knowledge of the expected uncertainty in restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) measurements is required for confident exchange of such data among different laboratories. The total measurement uncertainty among all Technical Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods laboratories has previously been characterized and found to be acceptably small. Casework cell line control measurements provided by six Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and 30 U.S. commercial, local, state, and Federal forensic laboratories enable quantitative determination of the within-laboratory precision and among-laboratory concordance components of measurement uncertainty typical of both sets of laboratories. Measurement precision is the same in the two countries for DNA fragments of size 1000 base pairs (bp) to 10,000 bp. However, the measurement concordance among the RCMP laboratories is clearly superior to that within the U.S. forensic community. This result is attributable to the use of a single analytical protocol in all RCMP laboratories. Concordance among U.S. laboratories cannot be improved through simple mathematical adjustments. Community-wide efforts focused on improved concordance may be the most efficient mechanism for further reduction of among-laboratory RFLP measurement uncertainty, should the resources required to fully evaluate potential cross-jurisdictional matches become burdensome as the number of RFLP profiles on record increases.

Zachary D. Barker: Final DHS HS-STEM Report

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

Barker, Z D

Working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) this summer has provided a very unique and special experience for me. I feel that the research opportunities given to me have allowed me to significantly benefit my research group, the laboratory, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy. The researchers in the Single Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (SPAMS) group were very welcoming and clearly wanted me to get the most out of my time in Livermore. I feel that my research partner, Veena Venkatachalam of MIT, and I have been extremely productive in meeting our research goals throughout thismore » summer, and have learned much about working in research at a national laboratory such as Lawrence Livermore. I have learned much about the technical aspects of research while working at LLNL, however I have also gained important experience and insight into how research groups at national laboratories function. I believe that this internship has given me valuable knowledge and experience which will certainly help my transition to graduate study and a career in engineering. My work with Veena Venkatachalam in the SPAMS group this summer has focused on two major projects. Initially, we were tasked with an analysis of data collected by the group this past spring in a large public environment. The SPAMS instrument was deployed for over two months, collecting information on many of the ambient air particles circulating through the area. Our analysis of the particle data collected during this deployment concerned several aspects, including finding groups, or clusters, of particles that seemed to appear more during certain times of day, analyzing the mass spectral data of clusters and comparing them with mass spectral data of known substances, and comparing the real-time detection capability of the SPAMS instrument with that of a commercially available biological detection instrument. This analysis was performed in support of a group report to the Department of Homeland Security on the results of the deployment. The analysis of the deployment data revealed some interesting applications of the SPAMS instrument to homeland security situations. Using software developed in-house by SPAMS group member Dr. Paul Steele, Veena and I were able to cluster a subset of data over a certain timeframe (ranging from a single hour to an entire week). The software used makes clusters based on the mass spectral characteristics of the each particle in the data set, as well as other parameters. By looking more closely at the characteristics of individual clusters, including the mass spectra, conclusions could be made about what these particles are. This was achieved partially through examination and discussion of the mass spectral data with the members of the SPAMS group, as well as through comparison with known mass spectra collected from substances tested in the laboratory. In many cases, broad conclusions could be drawn about the identity of a cluster of particles.« less

EPOS-WP16: A Platform for European Multi-scale Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiers, Chris; Drury, Martyn; Kan-Parker, Mirjam; Lange, Otto; Willingshofer, Ernst; Funiciello, Francesca; Rosenau, Matthias; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Sagnotti, Leonardo; W16 Participants

2016-04-01

The participant countries in EPOS embody a wide range of world-class laboratory infrastructures ranging from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue modeling and paleomagnetic laboratories. Most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are presently available only in limited "final form" in publications. As such many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. However, the data produced at the participating laboratories are crucial to serving society's need for geo-resources exploration and for protection against geo-hazards. Indeed, to model resource formation and system behaviour during exploitation, we need an understanding from the molecular to the continental scale, based on experimental data. This contribution will describe the work plans that the laboratories community in Europe is making, in the context of EPOS. The main objectives are: - To collect and harmonize available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and processes controlling rock system behaviour at multiple scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting research activities. - To co-ordinate the development, integration and trans-national usage of the major solid Earth Science laboratory centres and specialist networks. The length scales encompassed by the infrastructures included range from the nano- and micrometer levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetre sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. - To provide products and services supporting research into Geo-resources and Geo-storage, Geo-hazards and Earth System Evolution.

Blood gas testing and related measurements: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

PubMed

Dukić, Lora; Kopčinović, Lara Milevoj; Dorotić, Adrijana; Baršić, Ivana

2016-10-15

Blood gas analysis (BGA) is exposed to risks of errors caused by improper sampling, transport and storage conditions. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) generated documents with recommendations for avoidance of potential errors caused by sample mishandling. Two main documents related to BGA issued by the CLSI are GP43-A4 (former H11-A4) Procedures for the collection of arterial blood specimens; approved standard - fourth edition, and C46-A2 Blood gas and pH analysis and related measurements; approved guideline - second edition. Practices related to processing of blood gas samples are not standardized in the Republic of Croatia. Each institution has its own protocol for ordering, collection and analysis of blood gases. Although many laboratories use state of the art analyzers, still many preanalytical procedures remain unchanged. The objective of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CSMBLM) is to standardize the procedures for BGA based on CLSI recommendations. The Working Group for Blood Gas Testing as part of the Committee for the Scientific Professional Development of the CSMBLM prepared a set of recommended protocols for sampling, transport, storage and processing of blood gas samples based on relevant CLSI documents, relevant literature search and on the results of Croatian survey study on practices and policies in acid-base testing. Recommendations are intended for laboratory professionals and all healthcare workers involved in blood gas processing.

Blood gas testing and related measurements: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine

PubMed Central

Dukić, Lora; Kopčinović, Lara Milevoj; Dorotić, Adrijana; Baršić, Ivana

2016-01-01

Blood gas analysis (BGA) is exposed to risks of errors caused by improper sampling, transport and storage conditions. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) generated documents with recommendations for avoidance of potential errors caused by sample mishandling. Two main documents related to BGA issued by the CLSI are GP43-A4 (former H11-A4) Procedures for the collection of arterial blood specimens; approved standard – fourth edition, and C46-A2 Blood gas and pH analysis and related measurements; approved guideline – second edition. Practices related to processing of blood gas samples are not standardized in the Republic of Croatia. Each institution has its own protocol for ordering, collection and analysis of blood gases. Although many laboratories use state of the art analyzers, still many preanalytical procedures remain unchanged. The objective of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CSMBLM) is to standardize the procedures for BGA based on CLSI recommendations. The Working Group for Blood Gas Testing as part of the Committee for the Scientific Professional Development of the CSMBLM prepared a set of recommended protocols for sampling, transport, storage and processing of blood gas samples based on relevant CLSI documents, relevant literature search and on the results of Croatian survey study on practices and policies in acid-base testing. Recommendations are intended for laboratory professionals and all healthcare workers involved in blood gas processing. PMID:27812301

Forecasting staffing needs for productivity management in hospital laboratories.

PubMed

Pang, C Y; Swint, J M

1985-12-01

Daily and weekly prediction models are developed to help forecast hospital laboratory work load for the entire laboratory and individual sections of the laboratory. The models are tested using historical data obtained from hospital census and laboratory log books of a 90-bed southwestern hospital. The results indicate that the predictor variables account for 50%, 81%, 56%, and 82% of the daily work load variation for chemistry, hematology, and microbiology sections, and for the entire laboratory, respectively. Equivalent results for the weekly model are 53%, 72%, 12%, and 78% for the same respective sections. On the basis of the predicted work load, staffing assessment is made and a productivity monitoring system constructed. The purpose of such a system is to assist laboratory management in efforts to utilize laboratory manpower in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

Reliability on intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory data of hair mineral analysis comparing with blood analysis.

PubMed

Namkoong, Sun; Hong, Seung Phil; Kim, Myung Hwa; Park, Byung Cheol

2013-02-01

Nowadays, although its clinical value remains controversial institutions utilize hair mineral analysis. Arguments about the reliability of hair mineral analysis persist, and there have been evaluations of commercial laboratories performing hair mineral analysis. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory data at three commercial laboratories conducting hair mineral analysis, compared to serum mineral analysis. Two divided hair samples taken from near the scalp were submitted for analysis at the same time, to all laboratories, from one healthy volunteer. Each laboratory sent a report consisting of quantitative results and their interpretation of health implications. Differences among intra-laboratory and interlaboratory data were analyzed using SPSS version 12.0 (SPSS Inc., USA). All the laboratories used identical methods for quantitative analysis, and they generated consistent numerical results according to Friedman analysis of variance. However, the normal reference ranges of each laboratory varied. As such, each laboratory interpreted the patient's health differently. On intra-laboratory data, Wilcoxon analysis suggested they generated relatively coherent data, but laboratory B could not in one element, so its reliability was doubtful. In comparison with the blood test, laboratory C generated identical results, but not laboratory A and B. Hair mineral analysis has its limitations, considering the reliability of inter and intra laboratory analysis comparing with blood analysis. As such, clinicians should be cautious when applying hair mineral analysis as an ancillary tool. Each laboratory included in this study requires continuous refinement from now on for inducing standardized normal reference levels.

Strategies of organization and service for the critical-care laboratory.

PubMed

Fleisher, M; Schwartz, M K

1990-08-01

Critical-care medicine requires rapidity of treatment decisions and clinical management. To meet the objectives of critical-care medicine, the critical-care laboratory must consider four major aspects of laboratory organization in addition to analytical responsibilities: specimen collection and delivery, training of technologists, selection of reliable instrumentation, and efficient data dissemination. One must also consider the advantages and disadvantages of centralization vs decentralization, the influence of such a laboratory on patient care and personnel needs, and the space required for optimal operation. Centralization may lead to workflow interruption and increased turnaround time (TAT); decentralization requires redundancy of instrumentation and staff but may shorten TAT. Minimal TAT is the hallmark of efficient laboratory service. We surveyed 55 laboratories in 33 hospitals and found that virtually all hospitals with 200 or more beds had a critical-care laboratory operating as a satellite of the main laboratory. We present data on actual TAT, although these were available in only eight of the 15 routine laboratories that provided emergency service and in eight of the 40 critical-care laboratories. In meeting the challenges of an increasing workload, a reduced clinical laboratory work force, and the need to reduce TAT, changes in traditional laboratory practice are mandatory. An increased reliance on whole-blood analysis, for example, should eliminate delays associated with sample preparation, reduce the potential hazards associated with centrifugation, and eliminate excess specimen handling.

The paediatric change laboratory: optimising postgraduate learning in the outpatient clinic.

PubMed

Skipper, Mads; Musaeus, Peter; Nøhr, Susanne Backman

2016-02-02

This study aimed to analyse and redesign the outpatient clinic in a paediatric department. The study was a joint collaboration with the doctors of the department (paediatric residents and specialists) using the Change Laboratory intervention method as a means to model and implement change in the outpatient clinic. This study was motivated by a perceived failure to integrate the activities of the outpatient clinic, patient care and training of residents. The ultimate goal of the intervention was to create improved care for patients through resident learning and development. We combined the Change Laboratory intervention with an already established innovative process for residents, 3-h meetings. The Change Laboratory intervention method consists of a well-defined theory (Cultural-historical activity theory) and concrete actions where participants construct a new theoretical model of the activity, which in this case was paediatric doctors' workplace learning modelled in order to improve medical social practice. The notion of expansive learning was used during the intervention in conjunction with thematic analysis of data in order to fuel the process of analysis and intervention. The activity system of the outpatient clinic can meaningfully be analysed in terms of the objects of patient care and training residents. The Change Laboratory sessions resulted in a joint action plan for the outpatient clinic structured around three themes: (1) Before: Preparation, expectations, and introduction; (2) During: Structural context and resources; (3) After: Follow-up and feedback. The participants found the Change Laboratory method to be a successful way of sharing reflections on how to optimise the organisation of work and training with patient care in mind. The Change Laboratory approach outlined in this study succeeded to change practices and to help medical doctors redesigning their work. Participating doctors must be motivated to uncover inherent contradictions in their medical activity systems of which care and learning are both part. Facilitators must be willing to spend time analysing both historical paediatric practice, current data on practice, and steer clear of organisational issues that might hamper a transformative learning environment. To ensure long-term success, economical and organisational resources, participant buy-in and department leadership support play a major role.

Study of Isospin Correlation in High Energy Heavy Ion Interactions with the RHIC PHENIX. Final Report

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

Takahashi, Y.

This report describes the research work performed under the support of the DOE research grant E-FG02-97ER4108. The work is composed of three parts: (1) Visual analysis and quality control of the Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) of the PHENIX experiments carried out of Brookhaven National Laboratory. (2) Continuation of the data analysis of the EMU05/09/16 experiments for the study of the inclusive particle production spectra and multi-particle correlation. (3) Exploration of a new statistical means to study very high-multiplicity of nuclear-particle ensembles and its perspectives to apply to the higher energy experiments.

Systematic internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis for identification of clinical mold isolates in diagnostic mycology: a 5-year study.

PubMed

Ciardo, Diana E; Lucke, Katja; Imhof, Alex; Bloemberg, Guido V; Böttger, Erik C

2010-08-01

The implementation of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing for routine identification of molds in the diagnostic mycology laboratory was analyzed in a 5-year study. All mold isolates (n = 6,900) recovered in our laboratory from 2005 to 2009 were included in this study. According to a defined work flow, which in addition to troublesome phenotypic identification takes clinical relevance into account, 233 isolates were subjected to ITS sequence analysis. Sequencing resulted in successful identification for 78.6% of the analyzed isolates (57.1% at species level, 21.5% at genus level). In comparison, extended in-depth phenotypic characterization of the isolates subjected to sequencing achieved taxonomic assignment for 47.6% of these, with a mere 13.3% at species level. Optimization of DNA extraction further improved the efficacy of molecular identification. This study is the first of its kind to testify to the systematic implementation of sequence-based identification procedures in the routine workup of mold isolates in the diagnostic mycology laboratory.

Exploring the links between quality assurance and laboratory resources. An audit-based study.

PubMed

Singh, Navjeevan; Panwar, Aru; Masih, Vipin Fazal; Arora, Vinod K; Bhatia, Arati

2003-01-01

To investigate and rectify the problems related to Ziehl-Neelsen (Z-N) staining in a cytology laboratory in the context of quality assurance. An audit based quality assurance study of 1,421 patients with clinical diagnoses of tubercular lymphadenopathy who underwent fine needle aspiration cytology. Data from 8 months were audited (group 1). Laboratory practices related to selection of smears for Z-N staining were studied. A 2-step corrective measure based on results of the audit was introduced for 2 months (group 2). Results were subjected to statistical analysis using the chi 2 test. Of 1,172 patients in group 1,368 had diagnoses other than tuberculosis. Overall acid-fast bacillus (AFB) positivity was 42%. AFB positivity in 249 patients in group 2 was 89% (P < .0001). Several issues in the laboratory are linked to quality assurance. Solving everyday problems can have far-reaching benefits for the performance of laboratory personnel, resources and work flow.

Ranking protective coatings: Laboratory vs. field experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conner, Jeffrey A.; Connor, William B.

1994-12-01

Environmentally protective coatings are used on a wide range of gas turbine components for survival in the harsh operating conditions of engines. A host of coatings are commercially available to protect hot-section components, ranging from simple aluminides to designer metallic overlays and ceramic thermal barrier coatings. A variety of coating-application processes are available, and they range from simple pack cementation processing to complex physical vapor deposition, which requires multimillion dollar facilities. Detailed databases are available for most coatings and coating/process combinations for a range of laboratory tests. Still, the analysis of components actually used in engines often yields surprises when compared against predicted coating behavior from laboratory testing. This paper highlights recent work to develop new laboratory tests that better simulate engine environments. Comparison of in-flight coating performance as well as industrial and factory engine testing on a range of hardware is presented along with laboratory predictions from standard testing and from recently developed cyclic burner-rig testing.

Work-related psychosocial stress and glycemic control among working adults with diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Annor, Francis B; Roblin, Douglas W; Okosun, Ike S; Goodman, Michael

2015-01-01

To examine the association between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and four subscales of work-related psychosocial stress at study baseline and over time. We used survey data from a major HMO located in the Southeastern part of the US on health and healthy behaviors linked with patients' clinical, pharmacy and laboratory records for the period between 2005 and 2009. Study participants (n=537) consisted of working adults aged 25-59 years, diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) but without advanced micro or macrovascular complications at the time of the survey. We estimated the baseline (2005) association between HbA1c and work-related psychosocial stress and their interactions using linear regression analysis. Using individual growth model approach, we estimated the association between HbA1c over time and work-related psychosocial stress. Each of the models controlled for socio-demographic variables, diet and physical activity factor, laboratory factor, physical examinations variables and medication use in a hierarchical fashion. After adjusting for all study covariates, we did not find a significant association between work-related psychosocial stress and glycemic control either at baseline or over time. Among fairly healthy middle aged working adults with DM, work-related psychosocial stress was not directly associated with glycemic control. Copyright © 2015 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cold Agglutinin Disease; A Laboratory Challenge.

PubMed

Nikousefat, Zahra; Javdani, Moosa; Hashemnia, Mohammad; Haratyan, Abbas; Jalili, Ali

2015-10-01

Autoimmune haemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a complex process characterized by an immune reaction against red blood cell self-antigens. The analysis of specimens, drawn from patients with cold auto-immune hemolytic anemia is a difficult problem for automated hematology analyzer. This paper was written to alert technologists and pathologists to the presence of cold agglutinins and its effect on laboratory tests. A 72-year-old female presented to the Shafa laboratory for hematology profile evaluation. CBC indices showed invalid findings with the Sysmex automated hematology analyzer. Checking the laboratory process showed precipitation residue sticking to the sides of the tube. After warming the tubes, results become valid and the problem attributed to cold agglutinin disease. In this situation, aggregation of RBCs, which occurs at t < 30°C, causes invalid findings meanwhile working with automated hematology analyzer. Knowledge of this phenomenon can help prevent wasting too much time and make an early and accurate diagnosis.

Single-Family Energy Auditor Job Task Analysis

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

Head, Heather R.; Kurnik, Charles W.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Single-Family Quality Control Inspector Job Task Analysis

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

Head, Heather R; Kurnik, Charles W

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Source Code Analysis Laboratory (SCALe) for Energy Delivery Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

the software for reevaluation. Once the ree- valuation process is completed, CERT provides the client a report detailing the software’s con - formance...Flagged Nonconformities (FNC) Software System TP/FNC Ratio Mozilla Firefox version 2.0 6/12 50% Linux kernel version 2.6.15 10/126 8% Wine...inappropriately tuned for analysis of the Linux kernel, which has anomalous results. Customizing SCALe to work with energy system software will help

Human Ecology: An Approach to the Science Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bybee, Rodger W.; And Others

1981-01-01

Discusses the use of and recommends a new direction for laboratory work within the context of teaching human ecology for science and social science teachers and compares traditional and human ecological approaches to science laboratory work. (CS)

Assessing the cost-effectiveness of a routine versus an extensive laboratory work-up in the diagnosis of anaemia in Dutch general practice.

PubMed

Kip, Michelle Ma; Schop, Annemarie; Stouten, Karlijn; Dekker, Soraya; Dinant, Geert-Jan; Koffijberg, Hendrik; Bindels, Patrick Je; IJzerman, Maarten J; Levin, Mark-David; Kusters, Ron

2018-01-01

Background Establishing the underlying cause of anaemia in general practice is a diagnostic challenge. Currently, general practitioners individually determine which laboratory tests to request (routine work-up) in order to diagnose the underlying cause. However, an extensive work-up (consisting of 14 tests) increases the proportion of patients correctly diagnosed. This study investigates the cost-effectiveness of this extensive work-up. Methods A decision-analytic model was developed, incorporating all societal costs from the moment a patient presents to a general practitioner with symptoms suggestive of anaemia (aged ≥ 50 years), until the patient was (correctly) diagnosed and treated in primary care, or referred to (and diagnosed in) secondary care. Model inputs were derived from an online survey among general practitioners, expert estimates and published data. The primary outcome measure was expressed as incremental cost per additional patient diagnosed with the correct underlying cause of anaemia in either work-up. Results The probability of general practitioners diagnosing the correct underlying cause increased from 49.6% (95% CI: 44.8% to 54.5%) in the routine work-up to 56.0% (95% CI: 51.2% to 60.8%) in the extensive work-up (i.e. +6.4% [95% CI: -0.6% to 13.1%]). Costs are expected to increase slightly from €842/patient (95% CI: €704 to €994) to €845/patient (95% CI: €711 to €994), i.e. +€3/patient (95% CI: €-35 to €40) in the extensive work-up, indicating incremental costs of €43 per additional patient correctly diagnosed. Conclusions The extensive laboratory work-up is more effective for diagnosing the underlying cause of anaemia by general practitioners, at a minimal increase in costs. As accompanying benefits in terms of quality of life and reduced productivity losses could not be captured in this analysis, the extensive work-up is likely cost-effective.

The impact of automation on organizational changes in a community hospital clinical microbiology laboratory.

PubMed

Camporese, Alessandro

2004-06-01

The diagnosis of infectious diseases and the role of the microbiology laboratory are currently undergoing a process of change. The need for overall efficiency in providing results is now given the same importance as accuracy. This means that laboratories must be able to produce quality results in less time with the capacity to interpret the results clinically. To improve the clinical impact of microbiology results, the new challenge facing the microbiologist has become one of process management instead of pure analysis. A proper project management process designed to improve workflow, reduce analytical time, and provide the same high quality results without losing valuable time treating the patient, has become essential. Our objective was to study the impact of introducing automation and computerization into the microbiology laboratory, and the reorganization of the laboratory workflow, i.e. scheduling personnel to work shifts covering both the entire day and the entire week. In our laboratory, the introduction of automation and computerization, as well as the reorganization of personnel, thus the workflow itself, has resulted in an improvement in response time and greater efficiency in diagnostic procedures.

Particle image velocimetry experiments for the IML-I spaceflight. [International Microgravity Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trolinger, J. D.; Lal, R. B.; Batra, A. K.; Mcintosh, D.

1991-01-01

The first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1), scheduled for spaceflight in early 1992 includes a crystal-growth-from-solution experiment which is equipped with an array of optical diagnostics instrumentation which includes transmission and reflection holography, tomography, schlieren, and particle image displacement velocimetry. During the course of preparation for this spaceflight experiment we have performed both experimentation and analysis for each of these diagnostics. In this paper we describe the work performed in the development of holographic particle image displacement velocimetry for microgravity application which will be employed primarily to observe and quantify minute convective currents in the Spacelab environment and also to measure the value of g. Additionally, the experiment offers a unique opportunity to examine physical phenomena which are normally negligible and not observable. A preliminary analysis of the motion of particles in fluid was performed and supporting experiments were carried out. The results of the analysis and the experiments are reported.

Retrospective Analysis of the Benefits and Impacts of U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards

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

Wiser, Ryan; Barbose, Galen; Heeter, Jenny

This analysis is the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the benefits and impacts of state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). This joint National Renewable Energy Laboratory-Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory project provides a retrospective analysis of RPS program benefits and impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions, air pollution emission reductions, water use reductions, gross jobs and economic development impacts, wholesale electricity price reduction impacts, and natural gas price reduction impacts. Wherever possible, benefits and impacts are quantified in monetary terms. The paper will inform state policymakers, RPS program administrators, industry, and others about the costs and benefits of state RPS programs. In particular,more » the work seeks to inform decision-making surrounding ongoing legislative proposals to scale back, freeze, or expand existing RPS programs, as well as future discussions about increasing RPS targets or otherwise increasing renewable energy associated with Clean Power Plan compliance or other emission-reduction goals.« less

How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in the tuberculosis diagnostic process? A cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia.

PubMed

Widjanarko, Bagoes; Widyastari, Dyah Anantalia; Martini, Martini; Ginandjar, Praba

2016-01-01

Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians. This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables. Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%-75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled. Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients' treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program.

A Failure Analysis Conducted on a Fractured AISI 5160 Steel Blade Which Separated from an Agricultural Rotary Cutter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Alan A.; Storey, Randall J.

2011-07-01

One of the six blades of an agricultural rotary cutter used for cutting down small trees and bushes broke into two pieces while the blades were rotating. One piece was hurled from the cutter and struck a young farmer, who had been operating the machine, causing a near fatal leg injury. In the ensuing litigation against the manufacturers and marketer of the machine each litigant retained a metallurgist and other experts. The metallurgists jointly directed laboratory work on the broken blade conducted at an independent laboratory according to a protocol which they developed and which was approved by the court. As a result of the laboratory work the present authors, working for the Plaintiffs, concluded that failure of the blade occurred because it contained quench cracks introduced when it was manufactured. The Defendants' metallurgists concluded that the blade had been misassembled onto the machine and, as a result, had failed by fatigue. Eventually, the case was set for a jury trial in a Circuit Court in rural Kentucky. The jury found for the Plaintiffs and awarded them $5.9 million in damages. Part of this judgement was later reversed by the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the case was then settled without a second trial under terms which were not revealed.

JSC Materials Laboratory Reproduction and Failure Analysis of Cracked Orbiter Reaction Control System Niobium Thruster Injectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castner, Willard L.; Jacobs, Jeremy B.

2006-01-01

In April 2004 a Space Shuttle Orbiter Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster was found to be cracked while undergoing a nozzle (niobium/C103 alloy) retrofit. As a failure resulting from an in-flight RCS thruster burn-through (initiated from a crack) could be catastrophic, an official Space Shuttle Program flight constraint was issued until flight safety could be adequately demonstrated. This paper describes the laboratory test program which was undertaken to reproduce the cracking in order to fully understand and bound the driving environments. The associated rationale developed to justify continued safe flight of the Orbiter RCS system is also described. The laboratory testing successfully reproduced the niobium cracking, and established specific bounding conditions necessary to cause cracking in the C103 thruster injectors. Each of the following conditions is necessary in combination together: 1) a mechanically disturbed / cold-worked free surface, 2) an externally applied sustained tensile stress near yield strength, 3) presence of fluorine-containing fluids on exposed tensile / cold-worked free surfaces, and 4) sustained exposure to temperatures greater than 400 F. As a result of this work, it was concluded that fluorine-containing materials (e.g. HF acid, Krytox , Brayco etc.) should be carefully controlled or altogether eliminated during processing of niobium and its alloys.

Dual Arm Work Package performance estimates and telerobot task network simulation

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

Draper, J.V.; Blair, L.M.

1997-02-01

This paper describes the methodology and results of a network simulation study of the Dual Arm Work Package (DAWP), to be employed for dismantling the Argonne National Laboratory CP-5 reactor. The development of the simulation model was based upon the results of a task analysis for the same system. This study was performed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in the Robotics and Process Systems Division. Funding was provided the US Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development, Robotics Technology Development Program (RTDP). The RTDP is developing methods of computer simulation to estimate telerobotic system performance. Data were collectedmore » to provide point estimates to be used in a task network simulation model. Three skilled operators performed six repetitions of a pipe cutting task representative of typical teleoperation cutting operations.« less

Report of the Terrestrial Bodies Science Working Group. Volume 6: The asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, C. R.; Johnson, T. V.; Mccord, T. B.

1977-01-01

Earth-based astronomical observations and laboratory analysis of meteorites provide the only scientific data available on asteroids. These data are summarized and subjects for future investigations are explored. The measurements required for potential missions are discussed and concepts for a multi-asteroid rendezvous mission in the mid-1980's are outlined.

A LABORATORY STUDY TO INVESTIGATE GASEOUS EMISSIONS AND SOLIDS DECOMPOSITION DURING COMPOSTING OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a materials flow analysis performed for composting municipal solid waste (MSW) and specific biodegradable organic components of MSW. (NOTE: This work is part of an overall U.S. EPA project providing cost, energy, and materials flow information on diffe...

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

Smith, Kandler A; Usseglio Viretta, Francois L; Graf, Peter A

This presentation describes research work led by NREL with team members from Argonne National Laboratory and Texas A&M University in microstructure analysis, modeling and validation under DOE's Computer-Aided Engineering of Batteries (CAEBAT) program. The goal of the project is to close the gaps between CAEBAT models and materials research by creating predictive models that can be used for electrode design.

THE FERTILITY BIOMARKER (SP22) IS COMPROMISED IN AN ADDITIVE FASHION BY HALOACIDS: COMPARATIVE QUANTITATION BY IMMUNOASSAY AND 2D-GEL ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Dibromoacetic acid (DBA) and bromochloroacetic acid (BCA) are prevalent disinfection by-products of drinking water known to produce defects in spermatogenesis and fertility in adult rats. Previous work in our laboratory demonstated a high correlation between fertility of sperm fr...

76 FR 47917 - Lead; Clearance and Clearance Testing Requirements for the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-05

... settlement of litigation over certain post- renovation cleaning requirements of the 2008 Lead Renovation... work practice standards for persons performing renovations for compensation in most pre-1978 housing... it to a recognized laboratory for analysis in lieu of using a lead test kit, minor changes to the...

Laboratory directed research and development program, FY 1996

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

NONE

1997-02-01

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory`s forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides themore » resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances the Laboratory`s core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. Areas eligible for support include: (1) Work in forefront areas of science and technology that enrich Laboratory research and development capability; (2) Advanced study of new hypotheses, new experiments, and innovative approaches to develop new concepts or knowledge; (3) Experiments directed toward proof of principle for initial hypothesis testing or verification; and (4) Conception and preliminary technical analysis to explore possible instrumentation, experimental facilities, or new devices.« less

[Modal failure analysis and effects in the detection of errors in the transport of samples to the clinical laboratory].

PubMed

Parés-Pollán, L; Gonzalez-Quintana, A; Docampo-Cordeiro, J; Vargas-Gallego, C; García-Álvarez, G; Ramos-Rodríguez, V; Diaz Rubio-García, M P

2014-01-01

Owing to the decrease in values of biochemical glucose parameter in some samples from external extraction centres, and the risk this implies to patient safety; it was decided to apply an adaptation of the «Health Services Failure Mode and Effects Analysis» (HFMEA) to manage risk during the pre-analytical phase of sample transportation from external centres to clinical laboratories. A retrospective study of glucose parameter was conducted during two consecutive months. The analysis was performed in its different phases: to define the HFMEA topic, assemble the team, graphically describe the process, conduct a hazard analysis, design the intervention and indicators, and identify a person to be responsible for ensuring completion of each action. The results of glucose parameter in one of the transport routes, were significantly lower (P=.006). The errors and potential causes of this problem were analysed, and criteria of criticality and detectability were applied (score≥8) in the decision tree. It was decided to: develop a document management system; reorganise extractions and transport routes in some centres; quality control of the sample container ice-packs, and the time and temperature during transportation. This work proposes quality indicators for controlling time and temperature of transported samples in the pre-analytical phase. Periodic review of certain laboratory parameters can help to detect problems in transporting samples. The HFMEA technique is useful for the clinical laboratory. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Experiments in intermediate energy physics

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

Dehnhard, D.

Research in experimental nuclear physics was done from 1979 to 2002 primarily at intermediate energy facilities that provide pion, proton, and kaon beams. Particularly successful has been the work at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) on unraveling the neutron and proton contributions to nuclear ground state and transition densities. This work was done on a wide variety of nuclei and with great detail on the carbon, oxygen, and helium isotopes. Some of the investigations involved the use of polarized targets which allowed the extraction of information on the spin-dependent part of the triangle-nucleon interaction. At the Indiana Universitymore » Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) we studied proton-induced charge exchange reactions with results of importance to astrophysics and the nuclear few-body problem. During the first few years, the analysis of heavy-ion nucleus scattering data that had been taken prior to 1979 was completed. During the last few years we created hypernuclei by use of a kaon beam at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and an electron beam at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab). The data taken at BNL for a study of the non-mesonic weak decay of the A particle in a nucleus are still under analysis by our collaborators. The work at JLab resulted in the best resolution hypernuclear spectra measured thus far with magnetic spectrometers.« less

Whole-cell luminescence biosensor-based lab-on-chip integrated system for water toxicity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabner, Arthur; Belkin, Shimshon; Rozen, Rachel; Shacham, Yosi

2006-01-01

A novel water chemical toxin sensor has been successfully developed and evaluated as a working portable laboratory prototype. This sensor relies on a disposable plastic biochip prepared with a 4x4 micro-laboratory (μLab) chambers array of Escherichia coli reporter cells and micro-fluidic channels for liquids translocation. Each bacterial strain has been genetically modified into a bioluminescent reporter that responds to a pre-determined class of chemical agents. When challenged with a water sample containing a toxic chemical, the sensor responds with an increased bioluminescent signal from the biochip that is monitored over time. The signal is received by a motorized photomultiplier-based analyzer and interpreted by signal processing software. We have performed several levels of analysis: (i) the change in the bioluminescent signal from the sensor bacteria serves as a rapid indication for the presence of toxic chemicals in the water sample; (ii) the intensity of the change indicates the toxin concentration level; and (iii) the pattern of the responses for the different members of the bacterial panel on the biochip characterizes the biological origin of the toxin. The analyzer contains housing mechanics, electro-optics for signal acquisition, motorized readout calibration accessories, hydro-pneumatics modules for water sample translocation into biochip micro laboratories, electronics for overall control and communication with the host computer. This prototype has a demonstrated sensitivity for broad classes of water-borne toxic chemicals including naladixic acid (a model genotoxic agent), botulinum and acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. This work has initiated an investigation of a novel handheld field-deployable Water Toxicity Analysis (WTA) device.

Multi-modality molecular imaging: pre-clinical laboratory configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yanjun; Wellen, Jeremy W.; Sarkar, Susanta K.

2006-02-01

In recent years, the prevalence of in vivo molecular imaging applications has rapidly increased. Here we report on the construction of a multi-modality imaging facility in a pharmaceutical setting that is expected to further advance existing capabilities for in vivo imaging of drug distribution and the interaction with their target. The imaging instrumentation in our facility includes a microPET scanner, a four wavelength time-domain optical imaging scanner, a 9.4T/30cm MRI scanner and a SPECT/X-ray CT scanner. An electronics shop and a computer room dedicated to image analysis are additional features of the facility. The layout of the facility was designed with a central animal preparation room surrounded by separate laboratory rooms for each of the major imaging modalities to accommodate the work-flow of simultaneous in vivo imaging experiments. This report will focus on the design of and anticipated applications for our microPET and optical imaging laboratory spaces. Additionally, we will discuss efforts to maximize the daily throughput of animal scans through development of efficient experimental work-flows and the use of multiple animals in a single scanning session.

The radiation metrology network related to the field of mammography: implementation and uncertainty analysis of the calibration system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peixoto, J. G. P.; de Almeida, C. E.

2001-09-01

It is recognized by the international guidelines that it is necessary to offer calibration services for mammography beams in order to improve the quality of clinical diagnosis. Major efforts have been made by several laboratories in order to establish an appropriate and traceable calibration infrastructure and to provide the basis for a quality control programme in mammography. The contribution of the radiation metrology network to the users of mammography is reviewed in this work. Also steps required for the implementation of a mammography calibration system using a constant potential x-ray and a clinical mammography x-ray machine are presented. The various qualities of mammography radiation discussed in this work are in accordance with the IEC 61674 and the AAPM recommendations. They are at present available at several primary standard dosimetry laboratories (PSDLs), namely the PTB, NIST and BEV and a few secondary standard dosimetry laboratories (SSDLs) such as at the University of Wisconsin and at the IAEA's SSDL. We discuss the uncertainties involved in all steps of the calibration chain in accord with the ISO recommendations.

The upper bound of abutment scour defined by selected laboratory and field data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benedict, Stephen; Caldwell, Andral W.

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted a field investigation of abutment scour in South Carolina and used that data to develop envelope curves defining the upper bound of abutment scour. To expand upon this previous work, an additional cooperative investigation was initiated to combine the South Carolina data with abutment-scour data from other sources and evaluate the upper bound of abutment scour with the larger data set. To facilitate this analysis, a literature review was made to identify potential sources of published abutment-scour data, and selected data, consisting of 446 laboratory and 331 field measurements, were compiled for the analysis. These data encompassed a wide range of laboratory and field conditions and represent field data from 6 states within the United States. The data set was used to evaluate the South Carolina abutment-scour envelope curves. Additionally, the data were used to evaluate a dimensionless abutment-scour envelope curve developed by Melville (1992), highlighting the distinct difference in the upper bound for laboratory and field data. The envelope curves evaluated in this investigation provide simple but useful tools for assessing the potential maximum abutment-scour depth in the field setting.

United States Air Force Summer Research Program 1991. Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Reports. Volume 8. Rome Laboratory, Arnold Engineering Development Center, F. J. Seiler Research Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-09

and reliability and it concludes with a discussion of possible applications to the IMS prototype design. 1-2 AcknowledQements I would like to thank the...technologies and procedures such as cut-vertex set analysis, the results of which may lead to future applications of this work in network management. 1... mathematically as follows. If the distance between the atoms of the surface is d and the wave is scattered it an angle 9 (measured from the surface

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

Carla J. Miller

This report provides a summary of the literature review that was performed and based on previous work performed at the Idaho National Laboratory studying the Three Mile Island 2 (TMI-2) nuclear reactor accident, specifically the melted fuel debris. The purpose of the literature review was to document prior published work that supports the feasibility of the analytical techniques that were developed to provide quantitative results of the make-up of the fuel and reactor component debris located inside and outside the containment. The quantitative analysis provides a technique to perform nuclear fuel accountancy measurements

[Modelling metallic bars in an orthopaedic laboratory: postural and biomechanical analysis].

PubMed

Draicchio, F; Miccio, A; Mari, S; Silvetti, A; Forzano, F; Ranavolo, A

2012-01-01

Aim of this work is to assess, with an objective technique (i.e. surface electromyography), the upper limb biomechanical load in workers specialized in manufacturing of orthopedic prostheses. We considered two different working configurations (workstation height at 105 and 110 cm) and three different materials to be modeled (aluminum, steel and titanium). Our results showed significant differences between aluminum/steel and titanium bars. As regards the working configurations, we found differences in the muscle activation patterns between the two heights, with an increased exertion of the shoulder muscles at 110 cm with respect to 105.

Integration of Simulation into Pre-Laboratory Chemical Course: Computer Cluster versus WebCT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limniou, Maria; Papadopoulos, Nikos; Whitehead, Christopher

2009-01-01

Pre-laboratory activities have been known to improve students' preparation before their practical work as they assist students to make available more working memory capacity for actual learning during the laboratory. The aim of this investigation was to compare two different teaching approaches which supported a pre-laboratory session by using the…

Inquiring Scaffolds in Laboratory Tasks: An Instance of a "Worked Laboratory Guide Effect"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt-Borcherding, Florian; Hänze, Martin; Wodzinski, Rita; Rincke, Karsten

2013-01-01

The study explores if established support devices for paper-pencil problem solving, namely worked examples and incremental scaffolds, are applicable to laboratory tasks. N?=?173 grade eight students solved in dyads a physics laboratory task in one of three conditions. In condition A (unguided problem solving), students were asked to determine the…

Tried and True: Tested Ideas for Teaching and Learning from the Regional Educational Laboratories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levinson, Luna; Stonehill, Robert

This collection of 16 tested ideas for improving teaching and learning evolved from the work of the 1995 Proven Laboratory Practices Task Force charged with identifying and collecting the best and most useful work from the Regional Educational Laboratories. The Regional Educational Laboratory program is the largest research and development…

Evaluating interest in an influenza A(H5N1) vaccine among laboratory workers who work with highly-pathogenic avian influenza viruses in the United States.

PubMed

Russell, Kate E; Bresee, J S; Katz, J M; Olsen, S J

2018-01-04

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) viruses found in poultry and wild birds occasionally infect humans and can cause serious disease. In 2014, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviewed data from one licensed ASO3-adjuvanted influenza A(H5N1) vaccine for consideration of use during inter-pandemic periods among persons with occupational exposure. To guide vaccine policy decisions, we conducted a survey of laboratory workers to assess demand for HPAI vaccination. We designed an anonymous web survey (EpiInfo 7.0) to collect information on demographics, type of work and time spent with HPAI viruses, and interest in HPAI vaccination. Eligible participants were identified from 42 entities registered with United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Select Agent program in 2016 and emailed electronic surveys. Personnel with Biosafety Level 3 enhanced (BSL-3E) laboratory access were surveyed. Descriptive analysis was performed. Overall, 131 responses were received from 33 principal investigators, 26 research scientists, 24 technicians, 15 postdoctoral fellows, 6 students, and 27 others. The estimated response rate was 15% among the laboratory personnel of responding principal investigators. One hundred respondents reported working in a BSL-3E area where HPAI experiments occurred with a mean time of 5.1-11.7 h per week. Overall, 49% were interested in receiving an A(H5N1) vaccine. By role, interest was highest among students (80%) and among those who spent >50% of their time in a BSL-3E area (64%). Most (61%) of those who said they might be or were not interested in vaccine believed it would not provide additional protection to current safety practices. Half of responding laboratory workers was interested in receiving an influenza A(H5N1) vaccine. HPAI vaccination of laboratory workers at risk of occupational exposure could be used along with existing safety practices to protect this population. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

'The artist's piece is already in the stone': constructing creativity in paleontology laboratories.

PubMed

Wylie, Caitlin Donahue

2015-02-01

Laboratory technicians are typically portrayed as manual workers following routine procedures to produce scientific data. However, technicians in vertebrate paleontology laboratories often describe their work in terms of creativity and artistry. Fossil specimens undergo extensive preparation--including rock removal, damage repair, and reconstruction of missing parts--to become accessible to researchers. Technicians called 'fossil preparators' choose, apply, and sometimes invent these preparation methods. They have no formal training, no standard protocols, and few publications to consult on techniques. Despite the resulting diversity of people and practices, preparators and their work are usually absent from research publications, making them 'invisible technicians' in Steven Shapin's sense. But preparators reject the view of their work as predictable or simple; in particular, many preparators value art training, the aesthetics of prepared fossils, and the process of creative problem-solving in their work. Based on interviews and participant observation and drawing from literature in science studies, sociology of work, and anthropology of craft, I ask why these technicians compare themselves with artists and how this portrayal affects scientific practice and social order in laboratories. I argue that associating artistry and creativity with their work distances preparators from ideas of unskilled technical work and technicians' low status, thus improving their social role in the laboratory community and preserving their power over laboratory practices.

An Investigation of Zimbabwe High School Chemistry Students' Laboratory Work-Based Images of the Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vhurumuku, Elaosi; Holtman, Lorna; Mikalsen, Oyvind; Kolsto, Stein D.

2006-01-01

This study investigates the proximal and distal images of the nature of science (NOS) that A-level students develop from their participation in chemistry laboratory work. We also explored the nature of the interactions among the students' proximal and distal images of the NOS and students' participation in laboratory work. Students' views of the…

Harmonization of European laboratory response networks by implementing CWA 15793: use of a gap analysis and an "insider" exercise as tools.

PubMed

Sundqvist, Bo; Bengtsson, Ulrika Allard; Wisselink, Henk J; Peeters, Ben P H; van Rotterdam, Bart; Kampert, Evelien; Bereczky, Sándor; Johan Olsson, N G; Szekely Björndal, Asa; Zini, Sylvie; Allix, Sébastien; Knutsson, Rickard

2013-09-01

Laboratory response networks (LRNs) have been established for security reasons in several countries including the Netherlands, France, and Sweden. LRNs function in these countries as a preparedness measure for a coordinated diagnostic response capability in case of a bioterrorism incident or other biocrimes. Generally, these LRNs are organized on a national level. The EU project AniBioThreat has identified the need for an integrated European LRN to strengthen preparedness against animal bioterrorism. One task of the AniBioThreat project is to suggest a plan to implement laboratory biorisk management CWA 15793:2011 (CWA 15793), a management system built on the principle of continual improvement through the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. The implementation of CWA 15793 can facilitate trust and credibility in a future European LRN and is an assurance that the work done at the laboratories is performed in a structured way with continuous improvements. As a first step, a gap analysis was performed to establish the current compliance status of biosafety and laboratory biosecurity management with CWA 15793 in 5 AniBioThreat partner institutes in France (ANSES), the Netherlands (CVI and RIVM), and Sweden (SMI and SVA). All 5 partners are national and/or international laboratory reference institutes in the field of public or animal health and possess high-containment laboratories and animal facilities. The gap analysis showed that the participating institutes already have robust biorisk management programs in place, but several gaps were identified that need to be addressed. Despite differences between the participating institutes in their compliance status, these variations are not significant. Biorisk management exercises also have been identified as a useful tool to control compliance status and thereby implementation of CWA 15793. An exercise concerning an insider threat and loss of a biological agent was performed at SVA in the AniBioThreat project to evaluate implementation of the contingency plans and as an activity in the implementation process of CWA 15793. The outcome of the exercise was perceived as very useful, and improvements to enhance biorisk preparedness were identified. Gap analyses and exercises are important, useful activities to facilitate implementation of CWA 15793. The PDCA cycle will enforce a structured way to work, with continual improvements concerning biorisk management activities. Based on the activities in the AniBioThreat project, the following requirements are suggested to promote implementation: support from the top management of the organizations, knowledge about CWA 15793, a compliance audit checklist and gap analysis, training and exercises, networking in LRNs and other networks, and interinstitutional audits. Implementation of CWA 15793 at each institute would strengthen the European animal bioterrorism response capabilities by establishing a well-prepared LRN.

An investigation of Zimbabwe high school chemistry students' laboratory work-based images of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vhurumuku, Elaosi; Holtman, Lorna; Mikalsen, Oyvind; Kolsto, Stein D.

2006-02-01

This study investigates the proximal and distal images of the nature of science (NOS) that A-level students develop from their participation in chemistry laboratory work. We also explored the nature of the interactions among the students' proximal and distal images of the NOS and students' participation in laboratory work. Students' views of the NOS and the nature of their chemistry laboratory work were elicited through students' responses to an open-ended questionnaire and semistructured interviews. The results suggest that students build some understandings of the NOS from their participation in laboratory work. Students' proximal NOS understandings appear to build into and interact with their understandings of the nature and practice of professional science. This interaction appears to be mediated by the nature of instruction. It is posited that each student's conceptual ecological system is replete with interactions, which govern attenuation of proximal understandings into distal images. Methodologically, the study illustrates how students' laboratory work-based proximal and distal images of the NOS can be identified and extracted through analyzing and interpreting their responses to protocols. Implications for A-level Chemistry instruction and curriculum development are raised.

Economic justification of costs at inspection of industrial safety of high-rise marine structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garibin, Pavel; Ol'khovik, Evgeniy; Rastorguev, Igor

2018-03-01

The task of technical and economic regulation within mutual international recognition of testing laboratories are considered. Codes and procedures within requirements of international ISO/IEC standards of a series 17000 for elimination of non-tariff barriers and interlaboratory exchange of experts in the field of high-rise marine construction are considered. In paper, the methods of assessment of formation of economically justified cost of works at inspection and monitoring of technical condition of high-rise marine wharf engineering port structure based on settlement and actual labor input were applied. For the countries of EU, data on the average cost of works of testing laboratory within a week have been taken as a basis. Such approach will be objective as considers only expenses on obligatory actions in the course of inspection of technical condition of port engineering constructions. The analysis of public results of financial activities of the accredited organizations allowed to calculate the main indicators of the size of necessary profit and overheads at observance of all requirements imposed to test laboratories including taking into account their future technical development. The offered practice corresponds to the general direction by mutual international recognition of independent testing laboratories and can be use in the future.

Repeatability and reproducibility of ribotyping and its computer interpretation.

PubMed

Lefresne, Gwénola; Latrille, Eric; Irlinger, Françoise; Grimont, Patrick A D

2004-04-01

Many molecular typing methods are difficult to interpret because their repeatability (within-laboratory variance) and reproducibility (between-laboratory variance) have not been thoroughly studied. In the present work, ribotyping of coryneform bacteria was the basis of a study involving within-gel and between-gel repeatability and between-laboratory reproducibility (two laboratories involved). The effect of different technical protocols, different algorithms, and different software for fragment size determination was studied. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed, within a laboratory, that there was no significant added variance between gels. However, between-laboratory variance was significantly higher than within-laboratory variance. This may be due to the use of different protocols. An experimental function was calculated to transform the data and make them compatible (i.e., erase the between-laboratory variance). The use of different interpolation algorithms (spline, Schaffer and Sederoff) was a significant source of variation in one laboratory only. The use of either Taxotron (Institut Pasteur) or GelCompar (Applied Maths) was not a significant source of added variation when the same algorithm (spline) was used. However, the use of Bio-Gene (Vilber Lourmat) dramatically increased the error (within laboratory, within gel) in one laboratory, while decreasing the error in the other laboratory; this might be due to automatic normalization attempts. These results were taken into account for building a database and performing automatic pattern identification using Taxotron. Conversion of the data considerably improved the identification of patterns irrespective of the laboratory in which the data were obtained.

The laboratory of the 1990s—Planning for total automation

PubMed Central

Brunner, Linda A.

1992-01-01

The analytical laboratory of the 1990s must be able to meet and accommodate the rapid evolution of modern-day technology. One such area is laboratory automation. Total automation may be seen as the coupling of computerized sample tracking, electronic documentation and data reduction with automated sample handling, preparation and analysis, resulting in a complete analytical procedure with minimal human involvement. Requirements may vary from one laboratory or facility to another, so the automation has to be flexible enough to cover a wide range of applications, and yet fit into specific niches depending on individual needs. Total automation must be planned for, well in advance, if the endeavour is to be a success. Space, laboratory layout, proper equipment, and the availability and access to necessary utilities must be taken into account. Adequate training and experience of the personnel working with the technology must also be ensured. In addition, responsibilities of installation, programming maintenance and operation have to be addressed. Proper time management and the efficient implementation and use of total automation are also crucial to successful operations. This paper provides insights into laboratory organization and requirements, as well as discussing the management issues that must be faced when automating laboratory procedures. PMID:18924925

Developing a lean culture in the laboratory.

PubMed

Napoles, Leyda; Quintana, Maria

2006-07-25

The Director of Pathology at Jackson Memorial Hospital was interested in improving the operational efficiencies of the department in order to enhance the department's level of service in conjunction with the expansion of the overall health system. The decision was made to implement proven Lean practices in the laboratory under the direction of a major consulting firm. This article details the scope of the initial project as well as the operating principles of Lean manufacturing practices as applied to the clinical laboratory. The goals of the project were to improve turnaround times of laboratory results, reduce inventory and supply costs, improve staff productivity, maximize workflow, and eliminate waste. Extensive data gathering and analysis guided the work process by highlighting the areas of highest opportunity. This systematic approach resulted in recommendations for the workflow and physical layout of the laboratory. It also included the introduction of "standard workflow" and "visual controls" as critical items that streamlined operational efficiencies. The authors provide actual photographs and schematics of the reorganization and improvements to the physical layout of the laboratory. In conclusion, this project resulted in decreased turnaround times and increased productivity, as well as significant savings in the overall laboratory operations.

Location of coating defects and assessment of level of cathodic protection on underground pipelines using AC impedance, deterministic and non-deterministic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castaneda-Lopez, Homero

A methodology for detecting and locating defects or discontinuities on the outside covering of coated metal underground pipelines subjected to cathodic protection has been addressed. On the basis of wide range AC impedance signals for various frequencies applied to a steel-coated pipeline system and by measuring its corresponding transfer function under several laboratory simulation scenarios, a physical laboratory setup of an underground cathodic-protected, coated pipeline was built. This model included different variables and elements that exist under real conditions, such as soil resistivity, soil chemical composition, defect (holiday) location in the pipeline covering, defect area and geometry, and level of cathodic protection. The AC impedance data obtained under different working conditions were used to fit an electrical transmission line model. This model was then used as a tool to fit the impedance signal for different experimental conditions and to establish trends in the impedance behavior without the necessity of further experimental work. However, due to the chaotic nature of the transfer function response of this system under several conditions, it is believed that non-deterministic models based on pattern recognition algorithms are suitable for field condition analysis. A non-deterministic approach was used for experimental analysis by applying an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm based on classification analysis capable of studying the pipeline system and differentiating the variables that can change impedance conditions. These variables include level of cathodic protection, location of discontinuities (holidays), and severity of corrosion. This work demonstrated a proof-of-concept for a well-known technique and a novel algorithm capable of classifying impedance data for experimental results to predict the exact location of the active holidays and defects on the buried pipelines. Laboratory findings from this procedure are promising, and efforts to develop it for field conditions should continue.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Progress Report for FY 1994

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

Green, D.W.; Boparai, A.S.; Bowers, D.L.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year (FY) 1994 (October 1993 through September 1994). This annual report is the eleventh for the ACL and describes continuing effort on projects, work on new projects, and contributions of the ACL staff to various programs at ANL. The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. The ACL also has a research program inmore » analytical chemistry, conducts instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems. Some routine or standard analyses are done, but it is common for the Argonne programs to generate unique problems that require significant development of methods and adaption of techniques to obtain useful analytical data. The ACL has four technical groups -- Chemical Analysis, Instrumental Analysis, Organic Analysis, and Environmental Analysis -- which together include about 45 technical staff members. Talents and interests of staff members cross the group lines, as do many projects within the ACL. The Chemical Analysis Group uses wet- chemical and instrumental methods for elemental, compositional, and isotopic determinations in solid, liquid, and gaseous samples and provides specialized analytical services. Major instruments in this group include an ion chromatograph (IC), an inductively coupled plasma/atomic emission spectrometer (ICP/AES), spectrophotometers, mass spectrometers (including gas-analysis and thermal-ionization mass spectrometers), emission spectrographs, autotitrators, sulfur and carbon determinators, and a kinetic phosphorescence uranium analyzer.« less

Biases encountered in long-term monitoring studies of invertebrates and microflora: Australian examples of protocols, personnel, tools and site location.

PubMed

Greenslade, Penelope; Florentine, Singarayer K; Hansen, Brigita D; Gell, Peter A

2016-08-01

Monitoring forms the basis for understanding ecological change. It relies on repeatability of methods to ensure detected changes accurately reflect the effect of environmental drivers. However, operator bias can influence the repeatability of field and laboratory work. We tested this for invertebrates and diatoms in three trials: (1) two operators swept invertebrates from heath vegetation, (2) four operators picked invertebrates from pyrethrum knockdown samples from tree trunk and (3) diatom identifications by eight operators in three laboratories. In each trial, operators were working simultaneously and their training in the field and laboratory was identical. No variation in catch efficiency was found between the two operators of differing experience using a random number of net sweeps to catch invertebrates when sequence, location and size of sweeps were random. Number of individuals and higher taxa collected by four operators from tree trunks varied significantly between operators and with their 'experience ranking'. Diatom identifications made by eight operators were clustered together according to which of three laboratories they belonged. These three tests demonstrated significant potential bias of operators in both field and laboratory. This is the first documented case demonstrating the significant influence of observer bias on results from invertebrate field-based studies. Examples of two long-term trials are also given that illustrate further operator bias. Our results suggest that long-term ecological studies using invertebrates need to be rigorously audited to ensure that operator bias is accounted for during analysis and interpretation. Further, taxonomic harmonisation remains an important step in merging field and laboratory data collected by different operators.

Finite element analysis of constrained total Condylar Knee Prosthesis

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

NONE

1998-07-13

Exactech, Inc., is a prosthetic joint manufacturer based in Gainesville, FL. The company set the goal of developing a highly effective prosthetic articulation, based on scientific principles, not trial and error. They developed an evolutionary design for a total knee arthroplasty system that promised improved performance. They performed static load tests in the laboratory with similar previous designs, but dynamic laboratory testing was both difficult to perform and prohibitively expensive for a small business to undertake. Laboratory testing also cannot measure stress levels in the interior of the prosthesis where failures are known to initiate. To fully optimize their designsmore » for knee arthroplasty revisions, they needed range-of-motion stress/strain data at interior as well as exterior locations within the prosthesis. LLNL developed computer software (especially NIKE3D) specifically designed to perform stress/strain computations (finite element analysis) for complex geometries in large displacement/large deformation conditions. Additionally, LLNL had developed a high fidelity knee model for other analytical purposes. The analysis desired by Exactech could readily be performed using NIKE3D and a modified version of the high fidelity knee that contained the geometry of the condylar knee components. The LLNL high fidelity knee model was a finite element computer model which would not be transferred to Exactech during the course of this CRADA effort. The previously performed laboratory studies by Exactech were beneficial to LLNL in verifying the analytical capabilities of NIKE3D for human anatomical modeling. This, in turn, gave LLNL further entree to perform work-for-others in the prosthetics field. There were two purposes to the CRADA (1) To modify the LLNL High Fidelity Knee Model to accept the geometry of the Exactech Total Knee; and (2) To perform parametric studies of the possible design options in appropriate ranges of motion so that an optimum design could be selected for production. Because of unanticipated delays in the CRADA funding, the knee design had to be finalized before the analysis could be accomplished. Thus, the scope of work was modified by the industrial partner. It was decided that it would be most beneficial to perform FEA that would closely replicate the lab tests that had been done as the basis of the design. Exactech was responsible for transmitting the component geometries to Livermore, as well as providing complete data from the quasi-static laboratory loading tests that were performed on various designs. LLNL was responsible for defining the basic finite element mesh and carrying out the analysis. We performed the initial computer simulation and verified model integrity, using the laboratory data. After performing the parametric studies, the results were reviewed with Exactech. Also, the results were presented at the Orthopedic Research Society meeting in a poster session.« less

State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

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

Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

Founded in 1996 upon the initiative of the “Group of 8” governments (G8), the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) is an ad hoc organization of official nuclear forensics practitioners (scientists, law enforcement, and regulators) that can be called upon to provide technical assistance to the global community in the event of a seizure of nuclear or radiological materials. The ITWG is supported by and is affiliated with roughly 40 countries and international partner organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), EURATOM, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Besides providing amore » network of nuclear forensics laboratories that are able to assist law enforcement during a nuclear smuggling event, the ITWG is also committed to the advancement of the science of nuclear forensic analysis, largely through participation in periodic table top and Collaborative Materials Exercises (CMXs). Exercise scenarios use “real world” samples with realistic forensics investigation time constraints and reporting requirements. These exercises are designed to promote best practices in the field and test, evaluate, and improve new technical capabilities, methods and techniques in order to advance the science of nuclear forensics. The ITWG recently completed its fourth CMX in the 20 year history of the organization. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or organizations. Three samples of low enriched uranium were shipped to these laboratories as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. An objective review of the State Of Practice and Art of international nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

Numerical Methods for Forward and Inverse Problems in Discontinuous Media

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

Chartier, Timothy P.

The research emphasis under this grant's funding is in the area of algebraic multigrid methods. The research has two main branches: 1) exploring interdisciplinary applications in which algebraic multigrid can make an impact and 2) extending the scope of algebraic multigrid methods with algorithmic improvements that are based in strong analysis.The work in interdisciplinary applications falls primarily in the field of biomedical imaging. Work under this grant demonstrated the effectiveness and robustness of multigrid for solving linear systems that result from highly heterogeneous finite element method models of the human head. The results in this work also give promise tomore » medical advances possible with software that may be developed. Research to extend the scope of algebraic multigrid has been focused in several areas. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Colorado, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, the PI developed an adaptive multigrid with subcycling via complementary grids. This method has very cheap computing costs per iterate and is showing promise as a preconditioner for conjugate gradient. Recent work with Los Alamos National Laboratory concentrates on developing algorithms that take advantage of the recent advances in adaptive multigrid research. The results of the various efforts in this research could ultimately have direct use and impact to researchers for a wide variety of applications, including, astrophysics, neuroscience, contaminant transport in porous media, bi-domain heart modeling, modeling of tumor growth, and flow in heterogeneous porous media. This work has already led to basic advances in computational mathematics and numerical linear algebra and will continue to do so into the future.« less

A semester-long project for teaching basic techniques in molecular biology such as restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to undergraduate and graduate students.

PubMed

DiBartolomeis, Susan M

2011-01-01

Several reports on science education suggest that students at all levels learn better if they are immersed in a project that is long term, yielding results that require analysis and interpretation. I describe a 12-wk laboratory project suitable for upper-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students, in which the students molecularly locate and map a gene from Drosophila melanogaster called dusky and one of dusky's mutant alleles. The mapping strategy uses restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis; hence, students perform most of the basic techniques of molecular biology (DNA isolation, restriction enzyme digestion and mapping, plasmid vector subcloning, agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, DNA labeling, and Southern hybridization) toward the single goal of characterizing dusky and the mutant allele dusky(73). Students work as individuals, pairs, or in groups of up to four students. Some exercises require multitasking and collaboration between groups. Finally, results from everyone in the class are required for the final analysis. Results of pre- and postquizzes and surveys indicate that student knowledge of appropriate topics and skills increased significantly, students felt more confident in the laboratory, and students found the laboratory project interesting and challenging. Former students report that the lab was useful in their careers.

A Semester-Long Project for Teaching Basic Techniques in Molecular Biology Such as Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis to Undergraduate and Graduate Students

PubMed Central

DiBartolomeis, Susan M.

2011-01-01

Several reports on science education suggest that students at all levels learn better if they are immersed in a project that is long term, yielding results that require analysis and interpretation. I describe a 12-wk laboratory project suitable for upper-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students, in which the students molecularly locate and map a gene from Drosophila melanogaster called dusky and one of dusky's mutant alleles. The mapping strategy uses restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis; hence, students perform most of the basic techniques of molecular biology (DNA isolation, restriction enzyme digestion and mapping, plasmid vector subcloning, agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, DNA labeling, and Southern hybridization) toward the single goal of characterizing dusky and the mutant allele dusky73. Students work as individuals, pairs, or in groups of up to four students. Some exercises require multitasking and collaboration between groups. Finally, results from everyone in the class are required for the final analysis. Results of pre- and postquizzes and surveys indicate that student knowledge of appropriate topics and skills increased significantly, students felt more confident in the laboratory, and students found the laboratory project interesting and challenging. Former students report that the lab was useful in their careers. PMID:21364104

Comparison of PIXE and XRF analysis of airborne particulate matter samples collected on Teflon and quartz fibre filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiari, M.; Yubero, E.; Calzolai, G.; Lucarelli, F.; Crespo, J.; Galindo, N.; Nicolás, J. F.; Giannoni, M.; Nava, S.

2018-02-01

Within the framework of research projects focusing on the sampling and analysis of airborne particulate matter, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) techniques are routinely used in many laboratories throughout the world to determine the elemental concentration of the particulate matter samples. In this work an inter-laboratory comparison of the results obtained from analysing several samples (collected on both Teflon and quartz fibre filters) using both techniques is presented. The samples were analysed by PIXE (in Florence, at the 3 MV Tandetron accelerator of INFN-LABEC laboratory) and by XRF (in Elche, using the ARL Quant'X EDXRF spectrometer with specific conditions optimized for specific groups of elements). The results from the two sets of measurements are in good agreement for all the analysed samples, thus validating the use of the ARL Quant'X EDXRF spectrometer and the selected measurement protocol for the analysis of aerosol samples. Moreover, thanks to the comparison of PIXE and XRF results on Teflon and quartz fibre filters, possible self-absorption effects due to the penetration of the aerosol particles inside the quartz fibre-filters were quantified.

Quality-control materials in the USDA National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP).

PubMed

Phillips, Katherine M; Patterson, Kristine Y; Rasor, Amy S; Exler, Jacob; Haytowitz, David B; Holden, Joanne M; Pehrsson, Pamela R

2006-03-01

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) develops and maintains the USDA National Nutrient Databank System (NDBS). Data are released from the NDBS for scientific and public use through the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl ). In 1997 the NDL initiated the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to update and expand its food-composition data. The program included: 1) nationwide probability-based sampling of foods; 2) central processing and archiving of food samples; 3) analysis of food components at commercial, government, and university laboratories; 4) incorporation of new analytical data into the NDBS; and 5) dissemination of these data to the scientific community. A key feature and strength of the NFNAP was a rigorous quality-control program that enabled independent verification of the accuracy and precision of analytical results. Custom-made food-control composites and/or commercially available certified reference materials were sent to the laboratories, blinded, with the samples. Data for these materials were essential to ongoing monitoring of analytical work, to identify and resolve suspected analytical problems, to ensure the accuracy and precision of results for the NFNAP food samples.

Highlight on Bottlenecks in Food Allergen Analysis: Detection and Quantification by Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Planque, Mélanie; Arnould, Thierry; Renard, Patricia; Delahaut, Philippe; Dieu, Marc; Gillard, Nathlie

2017-07-01

Food laboratories have developed methods for testing allergens in foods. The efficiency of qualitative and quantitative methods is of prime importance in protecting allergic populations. Unfortunately, food laboratories encounter barriers to developing efficient methods. Bottlenecks include the lack of regulatory thresholds, delays in the emergence of reference materials and guidelines, and the need to detect processed allergens. In this study, ultra-HPLC coupled to tandem MS was used to illustrate difficulties encountered in determining method performances. We measured the major influences of both processing and matrix effects on the detection of egg, milk, soy, and peanut allergens in foodstuffs. The main goals of this work were to identify difficulties that food laboratories still encounter in detecting and quantifying allergens and to sensitize researchers to them.

Comparison of the Output in Weighted Work Units of Installation Dental Laboratories with that of Regional Dental Activities. Part II.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

at the study sites and compare it to the total production at each site. Orthodontics was excepted be- cause it is not done at all laboratories, nor is...DENTAC laboratories. It is sometimes tempting to relate productivity in terms of weighted work units to the type of work being done. Orthodontic laboratory...hypotheses. DENTAC Sites 2 and 3 both produce a heavy orthodontic workload, whereas Site 1 did very little in Month 1. In Month 2, when Site 1 reported a

How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in the tuberculosis diagnostic process? A cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia

PubMed Central

Widjanarko, Bagoes; Widyastari, Dyah Anantalia; Martini, Martini; Ginandjar, Praba

2016-01-01

Purpose Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians. Methods This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables. Results Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%–75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled. Conclusion Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients’ treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program. PMID:27660502

The Development and Evaluation of Industrial Case Studies to Support a New Laboratory Course in Electrical Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolton, B.; Adderley, K. J.

1978-01-01

After viewing videotaped case studies indicating the relevance of electrical laboratory work to professional engineers, student attitudes showed a positive improvement toward laboratory work. Semantic differential tests, questionnaires, and interviews were used. (Author/MH)

Health and safety in clinical laboratories in developing countries: safety considerations.

PubMed

Ejilemele, A A; Ojule, A C

2004-01-01

Clinical laboratories are potentially hazardous work areas. Health and safety in clinical laboratories is becoming an increasingly important subject as a result of the emergence of highly infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. This is even more so in developing countries where health and safety have traditionally been regarded as low priority issues, considering the more important health problems confronting the health authorities in these countries. We conducted a literature search using the medical subheadings titles on the INTERNET over a period of twenty years and summarized our findings. This article identifies hazards in the laboratories and highlights measures to make the laboratory a safer work place. It also emphasizes the mandatory obligations of employers and employees towards the attainment of acceptable safety standards in clinical laboratories in Third World countries in the face of the current HIV/AIDS epidemic in many of these developing countries especially in the sub-Saharan Africa while accommodating the increasing work load in these laboratories. Both the employer and the employee have major roles to play in the maintenance of a safe working environment. This can be achieved if measures discussed are incorporated into everyday laboratory practice.

GENERAL RELATIVITY DERIVATION OF BEAM REST-FRAME HAMILTONIAN.

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

WEI,J.

2001-06-18

Analysis of particle interaction in the laboratory frame of storage rings is often complicated by the fact that particle motion is relativistic, and that reference particle trajectory is curved. Rest frame of the reference particle is a convenient coordinate system to work with, within which particle motion is non-relativistic. We have derived the equations of motion in the beam rest frame from the general relativity formalism, and have successfully applied them to the analysis of crystalline beams [1].

Contributions and limitations of scientific examination and analysis in the detection of forgeries of old masters' paintings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Chanu, Patrick

1998-05-01

There is a law in my country, France, which is supposed to deal with forgeries in several fields including the arts. It is called the 'Erreur sur la substance' Error on substance. It means that after an object was sold, if the former owner or buyer can prove that he or she was not aware of the substance of the object, meaning in this particular case its authenticity or lack of authenticity, the sale can be cancelled. We should keep in mind this theme of what makes up the substance of a work of art when we study forgeries. The making of forgeries is probably as old, if not as art itself, at least as old as the art market. Making forgeries is a response to the demand of the market, in close connection with art historical activity. The critics and the art historians inside and outside museums contribute to the fame of artists, which stimulates the art market, the rise inspires the demand for more works, thus the making of copies and of forgeries. Before presenting a few studies made in our laboratory, I would like to make a short survey of the examination and analysis methods we use that particularly help us in the detection of forgeries of old masters paintings. The Research Laboratory of French Museums (LRMF) generally makes a distinction between two main categories of working methods: The first one, Examination, concerns mostly photographic and imaging techniques. The second one, Analysis, is a structural study for which the goal is the identification of the constitutive materials of a work of art and how they were used.

THE LANGUAGE LABORATORY--WORK SHEET.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CROSBIE, KEITH

DESIGNED FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS, THIS WORK SHEET PROVIDES GENERAL AND SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHY, TYPES, AND USES OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES IN SECONDARY SCHOOL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. THE FIRST SECTION DISCUSSES THE ADVANTAGES OF USING THE LABORATORY EFFECTIVELY TO REINFORCE AND CONSOLIDATE CLASSROOM LEARNING, AND MENTIONS SOME…

The Computerized Laboratory Notebook concept for genetic toxicology experimentation and testing.

PubMed

Strauss, G H; Stanford, W L; Berkowitz, S J

1989-03-01

We describe a microcomputer system utilizing the Computerized Laboratory Notebook (CLN) concept developed in our laboratory for the purpose of automating the Battery of Leukocyte Tests (BLT). The BLT was designed to evaluate blood specimens for toxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic effects after in vivo exposure to putative mutagens. A system was developed with the advantages of low cost, limited spatial requirements, ease of use for personnel inexperienced with computers, and applicability to specific testing yet flexibility for experimentation. This system eliminates cumbersome record keeping and repetitive analysis inherent in genetic toxicology bioassays. Statistical analysis of the vast quantity of data produced by the BLT would not be feasible without a central database. Our central database is maintained by an integrated package which we have adapted to develop the CLN. The clonal assay of lymphocyte mutagenesis (CALM) section of the CLN is demonstrated. PC-Slaves expand the microcomputer to multiple workstations so that our computerized notebook can be used next to a hood while other work is done in an office and instrument room simultaneously. Communication with peripheral instruments is an indispensable part of many laboratory operations, and we present a representative program, written to acquire and analyze CALM data, for communicating with both a liquid scintillation counter and an ELISA plate reader. In conclusion we discuss how our computer system could easily be adapted to the needs of other laboratories.

A Remote PLC Laboratory (RLab) for Distance Practical Work of Industrial Automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haritman, E.; Somantri, Y.; Wahyudin, D.; Mulyana, E.

2018-02-01

A laboratory is an essential equipment for engineering students to do a useful practical work. Therefore, universities should provide an adequate facility for practical work. On the other hand, industrial automation laboratory would offer students beneficial experience by using various educational PLC kits. This paper describes the development of Web-based Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) remote laboratory called RLab. It provides an environment for learners to study PLC application to control the level of the non-interacting tank. The RLab architecture is based on a Moodle and Remote Desktop, which also manages the booking system of the schedule of practical work in the laboratory. The RLab equipped by USB cameras providing a real-time view of PLC environment. To provide a secured system, the RLab combines Moodle and Remote Desktop application for the authentication system and management of remote users. Moodle will send PartnerID and password to connect to TeamViewer. It has been examined that the laboratory requirement, time and flexibility restrictions constitute a significant obstacle facing traditional students desiring to finish the course. A remote access laboratory can be eliminating time and flexibility restrictions. The preliminary study of RLab usability proved that such system is adequate to give the learners a distance practical work environment.

Walking through the Impulse-Momentum Theorem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haugland, Ole Anton

2013-01-01

Modern force platforms are handy tools for investigating forces during human motion. Earlier they were very expensive and were mostly used in research laboratories. But now even platforms that can measure in two directions are quite affordable. In this work we used the PASCO 2-Axis Force Platform. The analysis of the data can serve as a nice…

A Ten-Week Biochemistry Lab Project Studying Wild-Type and Mutant Bacterial Alkaline Phosphatase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witherow, D. Scott

2016-01-01

This work describes a 10-week laboratory project studying wild-type and mutant bacterial alkaline phosphatase, in which students purify, quantitate, and perform kinetic assays on wild-type and selected mutants of the enzyme. Students also perform plasmid DNA purification, digestion, and gel analysis. In addition to simply learning important…

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA PCR in the Teaching of Molecular Epidemiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinoso, Elina B.; Bettera, Susana G.

2016-01-01

In this article, we describe a basic practical laboratory designed for fifth-year undergraduate students of Microbiology as part of the Epidemiology course. This practice provides the students with the tools for molecular epidemiological analysis of pathogenic microorganisms using a rapid and simple PCR technique. The aim of this work was to assay…

DETERMINATION OF 2-METHYL TETROLS AND 2-METHYLGLYCERIC ACID IN SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL FROM LABORATORY IRRADIATED ISOPRENE/NO X/SO 2/AIR MIXTURES

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation addresses recent work performed at EPA to evaluate the potential for the photooxidation of isoprene to produce secondary organic aerosol. Analysis of the samples for methyl tetrols and 2-methylglyceric acid were performed at EPA and the University of Antwerp. T...

An evidence- and risk-based approach to a harmonized laboratory alert list in Australia and New Zealand.

PubMed

Campbell, Craig A; Lam, Que; Horvath, Andrea R

2018-04-19

Individual laboratories are required to compose an alert list for identifying critical and significant risk results. The high-risk result working party of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) has developed a risk-based approach for a harmonized alert list for laboratories throughout Australia and New Zealand. The six-step process for alert threshold identification and assessment involves reviewing the literature, rating the available evidence, performing a risk analysis, assessing method transferability, considering workload implications and seeking endorsement from stakeholders. To demonstrate this approach, a worked example for deciding the upper alert threshold for potassium is described. The findings of the worked example are for infants aged 0-6 months, a recommended upper potassium alert threshold of >7.0 mmol/L in serum and >6.5 mmol/L in plasma, and for individuals older than 6 months, a threshold of >6.2 mmol/L in both serum and plasma. Limitations in defining alert thresholds include the lack of well-designed studies that measure the relationship between high-risk results and patient outcomes or the benefits of treatment to prevent harm, and the existence of a wide range of clinical practice guidelines with conflicting decision points at which treatment is required. The risk-based approach described presents a transparent, evidence- and consensus-based methodology that can be used by any laboratory when designing an alert list for local use. The RCPA-AACB harmonized alert list serves as a starter set for further local adaptation or adoption after consultation with clinical users.

Oral histories in meteoritics and planetary science—XVI: Donald D. Bogard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, Derek W. G.

2012-03-01

Donald D. Bogard (Don, Fig. 1) became interested in meteorites after seeing the Fayetteville meteorite in an undergraduate astronomy class at the University of Arkansas. During his graduate studies with Paul Kuroda at Arkansas, Don helped discover the Xe decay products of 244Pu. After a postdoctoral period at Caltech, where he learned much from Jerry Wasserburg, Peter Eberhardt, Don Burnett, and Sam Epstein, Don became one of a number of young Ph.D. scientists hired by NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center to set up the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) and to perform a preliminary examination of Apollo samples. In collaboration with Oliver Schaeffer (SUNY), Joseph Zähringer (Max Planck, Heidelberg), and Raymond Davis (Brookhaven National Laboratory), he built a gas analysis laboratory at JSC, and the noble gas portion of this laboratory remained operational until he retired in 2010. At NASA, Don worked on the lunar regolith, performed pioneering work on cosmic ray produced noble gas isotopes and Ar-Ar dating, the latter for important insights into the thermal and shock history of meteorites and lunar samples. During this work, he discovered that the trapped gases in SNC meteorites were very similar to those of the Martian atmosphere and thus established their Martian origin. Among Don's many administrative accomplishments are helping to establish the Antarctic meteorite and cosmic dust processing programs at JSC and serving as a NASA-HQ discipline scientist, where he advanced peer review and helped create new programs. Don is a recipient of NASA's Scientific Achievement and Exceptional Service Medals and the Meteoritical Society's Leonard Medal.

Mini-Special Issue: Taking Practical Work Beyond the Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodson, Derek

1998-01-01

Reviews the traditional definition of practical work in science, offers a different definition of it, and points out that practical work is not always laboratory based. Discusses the logistics of coordinating fieldwork. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

How to Motivate Students to Work in the Laboratory: A New Approach for an Electrical Machines Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saavedra Montes, A. J.; Botero Castro, H. A.; Hernandez Riveros, J. A.

2010-01-01

Many laboratory courses have become iterative processes in which students only seek to meet the requirements and pass the course. Some students believe these courses are boring and do not give them training as engineers. To provide a solution to the poor motivation of students in laboratories with few resources, this work proposes the method…

A Systematic Review of Remote Laboratory Work in Science Education with the Support of Visualizing Its Structure through the "HistCite" and "CiteSpace" Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tho, Siew Wei; Yeung, Yau Yuen; Wei, Rui; Chan, Ka Wing; So, Winnie Wing-mui

2017-01-01

Laboratory work, particularly the latest remote laboratories (RLs), has been assumed to have a general positive effect on science education because practical work can provide diverse learning experiences and enhance thinking skills suitable for the 21st century. However, there has not been a synthesis of the science education research to support…

Engaging with science: High school students in summer lab internships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bequette, Marjorie Bullitt

Years of research and rhetoric have suggested that students should be given the opportunity to work with practicing scientists as a way to develop more sophisticated ideas about the nature of science, yet little research about these experiences exists. This project uses a case study approach to examine the experience of eight high school students working part-time during one summer as research assistants in biomedical laboratories. The students completed small research studies under the supervision of scientist-mentors. This dissertation explores questions related to how these students learned to work in a lab, in what ways they grew to understand this scientific context, and how their own relationships with science changed. The goal of looking at these young adults' summer experiences in science labs is to make suggestions for three settings: programs like this one, where high school students work closely with scientists in lab settings; other programs where scientists and students work together; and science education more generally. Analysis of pre- and post-interviews with students, and extensive observations of their laboratory work, suggests that students develop new ideas about the culture of science and the day-to-day workings of the labs. These ideas hold potential power for the students, and other participants in both similar and different educational settings, as they prepare for lives as scientifically engaged adults.

Potential Measurements of Coronal Magnetic Field Strengths Using Line Ratios in EUV and X-ray Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beiersdorfer, Peter; Scofield, J. H.; Lepson, J. K.; Osten, R.; Smith, R. K.

2006-09-01

We will discuss a class of lines from highly charged ions that are sensitive to the strength of the ambient magnetic field. Calculations show that the magnitude of field strengths that can be measured ranges from a few hundred gauss to several tens of kilogauss depending on the particular ion emitting the line. These calculations have been verified in the laboratory by studying the spectra of S VII, Ar IX, and Fe XVII. As an example of the diagnostic utility, the possibility of using these lines to determine the coronal magnetic field strength of Prox Cen will be presented. This work was supported by NASA Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis program work order NNH04AA751, and was performed under the auspices of the Department of Energy by the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.

2D-3D μXRF elemental mapping of archeological samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampai, D.; Liedl, A.; Cappuccio, G.; Capitolo, E.; Iannarelli, M.; Massussi, M.; Tucci, S.; Sardella, R.; Sciancalepore, A.; Polese, C.; Dabagov, S. B.

2017-07-01

Recently opened for users at LNF XLab-Frascati a μ XRF station, named "Rainbow X-ray" - RXR, has been optimized for most of X-ray analytical research fields. The basic principle of the station is in the use of various geometrical combinations of polycapillary optics for X-ray beam shaping (focusing/collimation) at specially designed laboratory unit. In this work we have presented the results of archaeological studies on the artifacts of Paleolithic period and Iron Age (9th century BC to the midway of the 8th BC). The elemental analysis of these artifacts has been first performed by compact laboratory setup. Superficial (2D) and bulk (3D) micro-fluorescence mapping provides useful informations for the geologists in order to identify the possible artifacts provenience and origin. The results presented in this work are a part of wider anthropological/archeological investigations aimed at the understanding of social and economical relations of prehistorical communities.

Presence and metabolism of the anabolic steroid boldenone in various animal species: a review.

PubMed

De Brabander, H F; Poelmans, S; Schilt, R; Stephany, R W; Le Bizec, B; Draisci, R; Sterk, S S; van Ginkel, L A; Courtheyn, D; Van Hoof, N; Macrì, A; De Wasch, K

2004-06-01

The review summarizes current knowledge on the possible illegal use of the anabolic steroid boldenone. The presence of' boldenone and metabolites in different animal species and the possibility of the occurrence of endogenous boldenone and metabolites is assessed, as are the methods of analysis used for detection. Different laboratories in the European Union have examined the occurrence of boldenone and its metabolites. The results were discussed at different meetings of a European Commission DG-SANCO Working Party) and summarized in an expert report. The situation of the different laboratories at this time is also covered herein. The overall conclusion of the Working Party was that there was a necessity for further research to distinguish between naturally occurring and illegally used boldenone forms. The confirmation of the presence of boldenone metabolites (free and conjugated forms) in certain matrices of animals is proposed as a marker for the illegal treatment with boldenone.

Rocket and laboratory studies in astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldman, P. D.

1993-01-01

This report covers the period from September 1, 1992 to August 31, 1993. During the reporting period we launched the Faint Object Telescope to measure absolute fluxes of two hot dwarf stars in the spectral range below 1200 A. Although all systems worked normally, a higher than anticipated pressure in the detector led to ion-feedback that masked the useable data from the source. We have identified the source of the problem and are preparing for a reflight in the Fall of 1993. Our laboratory program for the evaluation of the ultraviolet performance of charge-coupled-detector (CCD) arrays continued with the aim of including a UV-sensitive CCD in a payload to be flown in 1994, and we have begun the assembly of this payload. Work has continued on the analysis of data from previous rocket experiments and from the UVX experiment which flew on STS-61C in January 1986.

PHABSIM for Windows User's Manual and Exercises

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waddle, Terry

2001-01-01

This document is a combined self-study textbook and reference manual. The material is presented in the general order of a PHABSIM study placed within the context of an IFIM application. The document may also be used as reading material for a lecture-based course. This manual provides documentation of the various PHABSIM programs so every option of each program is treated.This text is not a guidebook for organization and implementation of a PHABSIM study. Use of PHABSIM should take place in the context of an IFIM application. See Bovee et al. (1998) for guidance in designing and performing a PHABSIM study as part of a larger IFIM application.The document concludes with a set of 12 laboratory exercises. Users are strongly encouraged to work through the laboratory exercises prior to applying the software to a study. Working through the exercises will enhance familiarity with the programs and answer many questions that may arise during a PHABSIM analysis.

Epidemiologic surveillance. Annual report for Idaho National Engineering Laboratory 1994

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

NONE

1994-12-31

Epidemiologic surveillance at DOE facilities consists of regular and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on absences due to illness and injury in the work force. Its purpose is to provide an early warning system for health problems occurring among employees at participating sites. In this annual report, the 1994 morbidity data for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory are summarized. These analyses focus on absences of 5 or more consecutive workdays occurring among workers aged 17-85 years. They are arranged in five sets of tables that present: (1) the distribution of the labor force by occupational category and paymore » status; (2) the absences per person, diagnoses per absence, and diagnosis rates for the whole work force; (3) diagnosis rates by type of disease or injury; (4) diagnosis rates by occupational category; and (5) relative risks for specific types of disease or injury by occupational category.« less

Epidemiologic surveillance. Annual report for Sandia National Laboratories 1994

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

NONE

1994-12-31

Epidemiologic surveillance at DOE facilities consists of regular and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on absences due to illness and injury in the work force. Its purpose is to provide an early warning system for health problems occurring among employees at participating sites. In this annual report, 1994 morbidity data for the Sandia National Laboratories are summarized. These analyses focus on absences of 5 or more consecutive workdays occurring among workers aged 15-76 years. They are arranged in five sets of tables that present: (1) the distribution of the labor force by occupational category and pay status; (2)more » the absences per person, diagnoses per absence, and diagnosis rates for the whole work force; (3) diagnosis rates by type of disease or injury; (4) diagnosis rates by occupational category; and (5) relative risks for specific types of disease or injury by occupational category.« less

Pilot-Reported Beta-Blockers Identified by Forensic Toxicology Analysis of Postmortem Specimens.

PubMed

Canfield, Dennis V; Dubowski, Kurt M; Whinnery, James M; Forster, Estrella M

2018-01-01

This study compared beta-blockers reported by pilots with the medications found by postmortem toxicology analysis of specimens received from fatal aviation accidents between 1999 and 2015. Several studies have compared drugs using the standard approach: Compare the drug found by toxicology analysis with the drug reported by the pilot. This study uniquely examined first the pilot-reported medication and then compared it to that detected by toxicology analysis. This study will serve two purposes: (i) to determine the capability of a toxicology laboratory to detect reported medications, and (ii) to identify pilots with medications below detectable limits. All information required for this study was extracted from the Toxicology Data Base system and was searched using ToxFlo or SQL Server Management Studio. The following information was collected and analyzed: pilot-reported trade and/or generic drug, date specimens received, time of accident, type of aviation operations (CFR), state, pilot level, age, class of medical, specimen type, specimen concentration, dose reported, frequency reported associated with the accident, quantity reported, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident event number, and all NTSB reports. There were 319 pilots that either reported taking a beta-blocker or were found to be taking a beta-blocker by postmortem toxicology analysis. Time of death, therapeutic concentration and specimen type were found to be factors in the ability of the laboratory to detect beta-blockers. Beta-blockers taken by pilots will, in most cases, be found by a competent postmortem forensic toxicology laboratory at therapeutic concentrations. The dose taken by the pilot was not found to be a factor in the ability of the laboratory to identify beta-blockers. Time of dose, route of administration, specimen tested and therapeutic concentration of the drug were found to be factors in the ability of the laboratory to identify beta-blockers in postmortem specimens. Published by Oxford University Press 2017. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Guidelines for Proof Test Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chell, G. G.; McClung, R. C.; Kuhlman, C. J.; Russell, D. A.; Garr, K.; Donnelly, B.

1999-01-01

These guidelines integrate state-of-the-art elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) and proof test implementation issues into a comprehensive proof test analysis procedure in the form of a road map which identifies the types of data, fracture mechanics based parameters, and calculations needed to perform flaw screening and minimum proof load analyses of fracture critical components. Worked examples are presented to illustrate the application of the road map to proof test analysis. The state-of-the art fracture technology employed in these guidelines is based on the EPFM parameter, J, and a pictorial representation of a J fracture analysis, called the failure assessment diagram (FAD) approach. The recommended fracture technology is validated using finite element J results, and laboratory and hardware fracture test results on the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718, the aluminum alloy 2024-T3511, and ferritic pressure vessel steels. In all cases the laboratory specimens and hardware failed by ductile mechanisms. Advanced proof test analyses involving probability analysis and multiple-cycle proof testing (MCPT) are addressed. Finally, recommendations are provided on how to account for the effects of the proof test overload on subsequent service fatigue and fracture behaviors.

Homogeneity study of a corn flour laboratory reference material candidate for inorganic analysis.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Ana Maria Pinto; Dos Santos, Liz Oliveira; Brandao, Geovani Cardoso; Leao, Danilo Junqueira; Bernedo, Alfredo Victor Bellido; Lopes, Ricardo Tadeu; Lemos, Valfredo Azevedo

2015-07-01

In this work, a homogeneity study of a corn flour reference material candidate for inorganic analysis is presented. Seven kilograms of corn flour were used to prepare the material, which was distributed among 100 bottles. The elements Ca, K, Mg, P, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and Mo were quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) after acid digestion procedure. The method accuracy was confirmed by analyzing the rice flour certified reference material, NIST 1568a. All results were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA). In the study, a sample mass of 400mg was established as the minimum mass required for analysis, according to the PCA. The between-bottle test was performed by analyzing 9 bottles of the material. Subsamples of a single bottle were analyzed for the within-bottle test. No significant differences were observed for the results obtained through the application of both statistical methods. This fact demonstrates that the material is homogeneous for use as a laboratory reference material. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EPOS-WP16: A coherent and collaborative network of Solid Earth Multi-scale laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calignano, Elisa; Rosenau, Matthias; Lange, Otto; Spiers, Chris; Willingshofer, Ernst; Drury, Martyn; van Kan-Parker, Mirjam; Elger, Kirsten; Ulbricht, Damian; Funiciello, Francesca; Trippanera, Daniele; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Tesei, Telemaco; Winkler, Aldo

2017-04-01

Laboratory facilities are an integral part of Earth Science research. The diversity of methods employed in such infrastructures reflects the multi-scale nature of the Earth system and is essential for the understanding of its evolution, for the assessment of geo-hazards and for the sustainable exploitation of geo-resources. In the frame of EPOS (European Plate Observing System), the Working Package 16 represents a developing community of European Geoscience Multi-scale laboratories. The participant and collaborating institutions (Utrecht University, GFZ, RomaTre University, INGV, NERC, CSIC-ICTJA, CNRS, LMU, C4G-UBI, ETH, CNR*) embody several types of laboratory infrastructures, engaged in different fields of interest of Earth Science: from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue tectonic and geodynamic modelling and paleomagnetic laboratories. The length scales encompassed by these infrastructures range from the nano- and micrometre levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetres-sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. The aim of WP16 is to provide two services by the year 2019: first, providing virtual access to data from laboratories (data service) and, second, providing physical access to laboratories (transnational access, TNA). Regarding the development of a data service, the current status is such that most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are available only in limited "final form" in publications, many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. Within EPOS the TCS Multi-scale laboratories is collecting and harmonizing available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and process controlling rock system behaviour at all relevant scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting research activities into Geo-resources and Geo-storage, Geo-hazards and Earth System Evolution. Regarding the provision of physical access to laboratories the current situation is such that access to WP16's laboratories is often based on professional relations, available budgets, shared interests and other constraints. In WP16 we aim at reducing the present diversity and non-transparency of access rules and replace ad-hoc procedures for access by a streamlined mechanisms, objective rules and a transparent policy. We work on procedures and mechanisms regulating application, negotiation, evaluation, feedback, selection, admission, approval, feasibility check, setting-up, use, monitoring and dismantling. In the end laboratories should each have a single point providing clear and transparent information on the facility itself, its services, access policy, data management policy and the legal terms and conditions for use of equipment. Through its role as an intermediary and information broker, EPOS will acquire a wealth of information from Research Infrastructures and users on the establishment of efficient collaboration agreements.

Effective Laboratory Work in Biochemistry Subject: Students' and Lecturers' Perspective in Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anwar, Yunita Arian Sani; Senam; Laksono F. X., Endang Widjajanti

2017-01-01

Biochemistry subject had problem in learning and teaching, especially in laboratory work. We explored laboratory learning implementation in Biochemistry subject. Participants of this research were 195 students who took biochemistry subject and 4 lecturers of biochemistry in three universities in Indonesia. We obtained data using questionnaires and…

The effect of a science work experience program for teachers on the classroom environment: A qualitative program evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frazier, Wendy Michelle

Science Work Experience Programs for Teachers (SWEPTs) provide an opportunity for science and math teachers to work in research laboratories during the summer to experience science as it is practiced in the laboratory-setting. Through the use of interviews with teachers and students, classroom observations, and an analysis of printed student sheets and student work, the lived experience of a cohort of program participants in Columbia University's Summer Research Program for Secondary School Science Teachers was recorded in an effort to describe the effect of experience in a SWEPT on the classroom environment of teacher participants and student outcomes. Relying on Social Learning Theory and science education reform documentation as a theoretical framework the following dimensions of the classroom were examined: (1) emergent themes that include the participants' perceptions of the importance of technology in the classroom, (2) interpersonal relationships with the teachers at the participants' schools, fellow program participants, research scientists, and students, and (3) changes in epistemological structure, curriculum, instructional strategies, and classroom practices. Methodological and theoretical implications are addressed with respect to future studies, and suggestions for refinement of SWEPTs are provided.

Simulation Data Management - Requirements and Design Specification

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

Clay, Robert L.; Friedman-Hill, Ernest J.; Gibson, Marcus J.

Simulation Data Management (SDM), the ability to securely organize, archive, and share analysis models and the artifacts used to create them, is a fundamental requirement for modern engineering analysis based on computational simulation. We have worked separately to provide secure, network SDM services to engineers and scientists at our respective laboratories for over a decade. We propose to leverage our experience and lessons learned to help develop and deploy a next-generation SDM service as part of a multi-laboratory team. This service will be portable across multiple sites and platforms, and will be accessible via a range of command-line tools andmore » well-documented APIs. In this document, we’ll review our high-level and low-level requirements for such a system, review one existing system, and briefly discuss our proposed implementation.« less

Laboratory Detection and Analysis of Organic Compounds in Rocks Using HPLC and XRD Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dragoi, D.; Kanik, I.; Bar-Cohen, Y.; Sherrit, S.; Tsapin, A.; Kulleck, J.

2004-01-01

In this work we describe an analytical method for determining the presence of organic compounds in rocks, limestone, and other composite materials. Our preliminary laboratory experiments on different rocks/limestone show that the organic component in mineralogical matrices is a minor phase on order of hundreds of ppm and can be better detected using high precision liquid chromatography (HPLC). The matrix, which is the major phase, plays an important role in embedding and protecting the organic molecules from the harsh Martian environment. Some rocks bear significant amounts of amino acids therefore, it is possible to identify these phases using powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) by crystallizing the organic. The method of detection/analysis of organics, in particular amino acids, that have been associated with life will be shown in the next section.

Time-efficiency analysis of the treatment with monolithic implant crowns in a digital workflow: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Joda, Tim; Brägger, Urs

2016-11-01

The aim of the randomized controlled trial was to analyze time-efficiency of a treatment with implant crowns made of monolithic lithium disilicate (LS2) plus titanium base vs. porcelain fuse to zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ) in a digital workflow. Twenty study participants were included for single-tooth replacement in premolar and molar sites. Baseline was the start of the prosthetic treatment. All patients received transocclusal screw-retained implant reconstructions on a soft tissue level-type implant. The 3D implant position was captured with intraoral optical scanning (IOS). After randomization, ten patients were restored with CAD-/CAM-produced monolithic LS2-crowns bonded to prefabricated titanium abutments without any physical models (test), and ten patients with CAD-/CAM-fabricated ZrO 2 -suprastructures and hand-layered ceramic veneering with milled master models (control). Every single clinical and laboratory work step was timed in minutes and then analyzed for time-efficiency with Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests. Direct costs were assessed for laboratory fees for first line production in Swiss Francs (CHF). Two clinical appointments were necessary for IOS and seating of all implant crowns. The mean total production time, as the sum of clinical plus laboratory work steps, was significantly different, resulting in 75.3 min (SD ± 2.1) for test and 156.6 min (SD ± 4.6) for control [P = 0.0001]. Analysis for clinical treatment sessions showed a significantly shorter mean chair time for the complete digital workflow of 20.8 min (SD ± 0.3) compared to 24.1 min (SD ± 1.1) [P = 0.001]. Even more obvious were the results for the mean laboratory work time with a significant reduction of 54.5 min (SD ± 4.9) vs. 132.5 min (SD ± 8.7), respectively [P = 0.0001]. The test workflow was more time-efficient than the controls for implant-supported crowns; notably, laboratory fabrication steps could be effectively shortened with the digital process of monolithic LS2 plus titanium base resulting in more than 30% reduced overall treatment costs. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Literature Review and Experimental Plan for Research on the Display of Information on Matrix-Addressable Displays.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-02-01

Factors Laboratory, Department of Industria AREA 6 WORK UNIT NUAE1 Engineering and Operations Research, Virginia Pol - technic Institute & State Univ...Symbolic Research 105 Experiment 14: Multichromatic Optimum Character Symbolic 105 Summary 105 Quality Metrics Analysis 105 REFERENCES 107 ANNOTATED...17.52 12.26 9.43 7.66 6.45 5.57 An analysis of variance was performed on accuracy and response time data. For accuracy data there was a significant

Development of a naming convention and data ma nagement system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnider, Richard T.; Botts, Michael; Moss, Don; Conover, Helen; Criswell, Evan; Graves, Sara; Hardin, Danny

1993-01-01

This contract covered work in data management, acquisition, and analysis for the Earth Science and Applications Division (ESAD) of the Space Science Laboratory of MSFC. Under this contract, a naming convention and data management system were developed for ESAD data sets, data visualization, and standard data format issues were investigated, and specific data analysis and management needs were addressed for several ESAD projects and data sets. In the following sections, details of the research performed over the duration of this contract are summarized.

Generation of a monodispersed aerosol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenck, H.; Mikasa, M.; Devicariis, R.

1974-01-01

The identity and laboratory test methods for the generation of a monodispersed aerosol are reported on, and are subjected to the following constraints and parameters; (1) size distribution; (2) specific gravity; (3) scattering properties; (4) costs; (5) production. The procedure called for the collection of information from the literature, commercial available products, and experts working in the field. The following topics were investigated: (1) aerosols; (2) air pollution -- analysis; (3) atomizers; (4) dispersion; (5) particles -- optics, size analysis; (6) smoke -- generators, density measurements; (7) sprays; (8) wind tunnels -- visualization.

Cost Effectiveness Analysis, A DTIC Bibliography.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

CoSt.Nonstetionary Case. - AD-AO46 808 AD-AO0O 505 -PERSONAL AUTHOR -IKDEX-49 UNCLASSIFIED ZOW)? SAV-C"U F UNC LASS IF! ED *SCHUMACHER. WILLIAM J. OSEABERO. ERNEST ...Laboratory. Wright- Patterson AFB. envirOnmelnks wnder risk. Historically- VERT hs Ohio 45433. This work was ai calibration and been used crirnCiPally to...WRIGHT- PATTERSON AFB OH SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIA VA SYSTEMS A𔃾D LOGISTICS A Methodology and Analysis for Cost-EffzCtive An Investigation of Changes in

Uncertainties in 63Ni and 55Fe determinations using liquid scintillation counting methods.

PubMed

Herranz, M; Idoeta, R; Abelairas, A; Legarda, F

2012-09-01

The implementation of (63)Ni and (55)Fe determination methods in an environmental laboratory implies their validation. In this process, the uncertainties related to these methods should be analysed. In this work, the expression of the uncertainty of the results obtained using separation methods followed by liquid scintillation counting is presented. This analysis includes the consideration of uncertainties coming from the different alternatives which these methods use as well as those which are specific to the individual laboratory and the competency of its operators in applying the standard ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metrological activity determination of 133Ba by sum-peak absolute method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, R. L.; de Almeida, M. C. M.; Delgado, J. U.; Poledna, R.; Santos, A.; de Veras, E. V.; Rangel, J.; Trindade, O. L.

2016-07-01

The National Laboratory for Metrology of Ionizing Radiation provides gamma sources of radionuclide and standardized in activity with reduced uncertainties. Relative methods require standards to determine the sample activity while the absolute methods, as sum-peak, not. The activity is obtained directly with good accuracy and low uncertainties. 133Ba is used in research laboratories and on calibration of detectors for analysis in different work areas. Classical absolute methods don't calibrate 133Ba due to its complex decay scheme. The sum-peak method using gamma spectrometry with germanium detector standardizes 133Ba samples. Uncertainties lower than 1% to activity results were obtained.

A practical tool for monitoring the performance of measuring systems in a laboratory network: report of an ACB Working Group.

PubMed

Ayling, Pete; Hill, Robert; Jassam, Nuthar; Kallner, Anders; Khatami, Zahra

2017-11-01

Background A logical consequence of the introduction of robotics and high-capacity analysers has seen a consolidation to larger units. This requires new structures and quality systems to ensure that laboratories deliver consistent and comparable results. Methods A spreadsheet program was designed to accommodate results from up to 12 different instruments/laboratories and present IQC data, i.e. Levey-Jennings and Youden plots and comprehensive numerical tables of the performance of each item. Input of data was made possible by a 'data loader' by which IQC data from the individual instruments could be transferred to the spreadsheet program on line. Results A set of real data from laboratories is used to populate the data loader and the networking software program. Examples are present from the analysis of variance components, the Levey-Jennings and Youden plots. Conclusions This report presents a software package that allows the simultaneous management and detailed monitoring of the performance of up to 12 different instruments/laboratories in a fully interactive mode. The system allows a quality manager of networked laboratories to have a continuous updated overview of the performance. This software package has been made available at the ACB website.

Meeting the challenges of globalisation and miniaturisation in laboratory services.

PubMed

Melo, Murilo R; Rosenfeld, Luiz Gastão

2007-12-01

In the recent years, two trends emerged in the clinical laboratory: the miniaturisation of equipments to provide point-of-care testing (POCT) and a concentration of laboratories through mergers and acquisitions. New technology has expanded both opportunities. POCT provides the benefit of a convenient test where it is needed, i.e. near the patient. For companies, it is easier and cheaper to develop such tests, since technical requirements are somewhat less stringent, being an interesting area for start-ups. Nanotechnology is one of the most fascinating technical advances, with some advocating a US$1 trillion market-size for it by 2015. Laboratory tests and biomaterials will probably be greatly influenced by it, with new approaches for molecular diagnosis, with tests that can target both DNA and proteins in a process that eliminates PCR and allows multiplex analysis. On the other hand, there is a strong trend towards the globalisation of clinical laboratories and that occurs in four areas: a) Consumption of health services abroad; b) Movement of Health Personnel; c) Cross-Border delivery of trade; and d) Commercial presence. Each of these areas presents new challenges and opportunities for clinical laboratories, what will certainly shape the way we work today and in the future.

Systematic Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequence Analysis for Identification of Clinical Mold Isolates in Diagnostic Mycology: a 5-Year Study▿ †

PubMed Central

Ciardo, Diana E.; Lucke, Katja; Imhof, Alex; Bloemberg, Guido V.; Böttger, Erik C.

2010-01-01

The implementation of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing for routine identification of molds in the diagnostic mycology laboratory was analyzed in a 5-year study. All mold isolates (n = 6,900) recovered in our laboratory from 2005 to 2009 were included in this study. According to a defined work flow, which in addition to troublesome phenotypic identification takes clinical relevance into account, 233 isolates were subjected to ITS sequence analysis. Sequencing resulted in successful identification for 78.6% of the analyzed isolates (57.1% at species level, 21.5% at genus level). In comparison, extended in-depth phenotypic characterization of the isolates subjected to sequencing achieved taxonomic assignment for 47.6% of these, with a mere 13.3% at species level. Optimization of DNA extraction further improved the efficacy of molecular identification. This study is the first of its kind to testify to the systematic implementation of sequence-based identification procedures in the routine workup of mold isolates in the diagnostic mycology laboratory. PMID:20573873

An Analysis of the Naval Innovation Laboratory’s Virtual Work Environment-Based Management Information System for Application in Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal Notional Concepts Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Mr. A.N. Briggs and Susie Adams at NAVEODTECHDIV, Mr. Ronald Simmons of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and Mr. Michael Jinnett of the...was implemented. It is the system that members of the Notional Concepts Working Group are familiar with and requires little training or investigation...each user to individually perform each of these steps. There is little chance that all users would do this, and even less chance that they would come

Gate Set Tomography on a trapped ion qubit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, Erik; Blume-Kohout, Robin; Gamble, John; Rundinger, Kenneth; Mizrahi, Jonathan; Sterk, Johathan; Maunz, Peter

2015-03-01

We present enhancements to gate-set tomography (GST), which is a framework in which an entire set of quantum logic gates (including preparation and measurement) can be fully characterized without need for pre-calibrated operations. Our new method, ``extended Linear GST'' (eLGST) uses fast, reliable analysis of structured long gate sequences to deliver tomographic precision at the Heisenberg limit with GST's calibration-free framework. We demonstrate this precision on a trapped-ion qubit, and show significant (orders of magnitude) advantage over both standard process tomography and randomized benchmarking. This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Inter-laboratory analysis of selected genetically modified plant reference materials with digital PCR.

PubMed

Dobnik, David; Demšar, Tina; Huber, Ingrid; Gerdes, Lars; Broeders, Sylvia; Roosens, Nancy; Debode, Frederic; Berben, Gilbert; Žel, Jana

2018-01-01

Digital PCR (dPCR), as a new technology in the field of genetically modified (GM) organism (GMO) testing, enables determination of absolute target copy numbers. The purpose of our study was to test the transferability of methods designed for quantitative PCR (qPCR) to dPCR and to carry out an inter-laboratory comparison of the performance of two different dPCR platforms when determining the absolute GM copy numbers and GM copy number ratio in reference materials certified for GM content in mass fraction. Overall results in terms of measured GM% were within acceptable variation limits for both tested dPCR systems. However, the determined absolute copy numbers for individual genes or events showed higher variability between laboratories in one third of the cases, most possibly due to variability in the technical work, droplet size variability, and analysis of the raw data. GMO quantification with dPCR and qPCR was comparable. As methods originally designed for qPCR performed well in dPCR systems, already validated qPCR assays can most generally be used for dPCR technology with the purpose of GMO detection. Graphical abstract The output of three different PCR-based platforms was assessed in an inter-laboratory comparison.

Cost and implementation analysis of a personal digital assistant system for laboratory data collection.

PubMed

Blaya, J A; Gomez, W; Rodriguez, P; Fraser, H

2008-08-01

One hundred and twenty-six public health centers and laboratories in Lima, Peru, without internet. We have previously shown that a personal digital assistant (PDA) based system reduces data collection delays and errors for tuberculosis (TB) laboratory results when compared to a paper system. To assess the data collection efficiency of each system and the resources required to develop, implement and transfer the PDA-based system to a resource-poor setting. Time-motion study of data collectors using the PDA-based and paper systems. Cost analysis of developing, implementing and transferring the PDA-based system to a local organization and their redeployment of the system. Work hours spent collecting and processing results decreased by 60% (P < 0.001). Users perceived this decrease to be 70% and had no technical problems they failed to fix. The total cost and time to develop and implement the intervention was US$26092 and 22 weeks. The cost to extend the system to cover nine more districts was $1125 and to implement collecting patient weights was $4107. A PDA-based system drastically reduced the effort required to collect TB laboratory results from remote locations. With the framework described, open-source software and local development, organizations in resource-poor settings could reap the benefits of this technology.

Integrated Data Collection Analysis (IDCA) Program - Final Review September 12, 2012 at DHS

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

Sandstrom, Mary M.; Brown, Geoffrey W.; Warner, Kirstin F.

The Integrated Data Collection Analysis (IDCA) program conducted a final program review at the Department of Homeland Security on September 12, 2012. The review was focused on the results of the program over the complete performance period. A summary presentation delineating the accomplished tasks started the meeting, followed by technical presentations on various issues that arose during the performance period. The presentations were completed with a statistical evaluation of the testing results from all the participants in the IDCA Proficiency Test study. The meeting closed with a discussion of potential sources of funding for continuing work to resolve some ofmore » these technical issues. This effort, funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), put the issues of safe handling of these materials in perspective with standard military explosives. The study added Small-Scale Safety and Thermal (SSST) testing results for a broad suite of different HMEs to the literature, and suggested new guidelines and methods to develop safe handling practices for HMEs. Each participating testing laboratory used identical test materials and preparation methods wherever possible. Note, however, the test procedures differ among the laboratories. The results were compared among the laboratories and then compared to historical data from various sources. The testing performers involved were Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Air Force Research Laboratory, Tyndall AFB (AFRL/RXQL). These tests were conducted as a proficiency study in order to establish some consistency in test protocols, procedures, and experiments and to compare results when these testing variables cannot be made consistent.« less

Standardisation of a European measurement method for organic carbon and elemental carbon in ambient air: results of the field trial campaign and the determination of a measurement uncertainty and working range.

PubMed

Brown, Richard J C; Beccaceci, Sonya; Butterfield, David M; Quincey, Paul G; Harris, Peter M; Maggos, Thomas; Panteliadis, Pavlos; John, Astrid; Jedynska, Aleksandra; Kuhlbusch, Thomas A J; Putaud, Jean-Philippe; Karanasiou, Angeliki

2017-10-18

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) Technical Committee 264 'Air Quality' has recently produced a standard method for the measurements of organic carbon and elemental carbon in PM 2.5 within its working group 35 in response to the requirements of European Directive 2008/50/EC. It is expected that this method will be used in future by all Member States making measurements of the carbonaceous content of PM 2.5 . This paper details the results of a laboratory and field measurement campaign and the statistical analysis performed to validate the standard method, assess its uncertainty and define its working range to provide clarity and confidence in the underpinning science for future users of the method. The statistical analysis showed that the expanded combined uncertainty for transmittance protocol measurements of OC, EC and TC is expected to be below 25%, at the 95% level of confidence, above filter loadings of 2 μg cm -2 . An estimation of the detection limit of the method for total carbon was 2 μg cm -2 . As a result of the laboratory and field measurement campaign the EUSAAR2 transmittance measurement protocol was chosen as the basis of the standard method EN 16909:2017.

Final Technical Report

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

Michael Laub

2008-12-29

Our team of investigators from MIT (Michael Laub) and Stanford (Harley McAdams and Lucy Shapiro) conducted a multi-faceted, systematic experimental analysis of the 106 Caulobacter two-component signal transduction system proteins (62 histidine kinases and 44 response regulators) to understand how they coordinate cell cycle progression, metabolism, and response to environmental changes. These two-component signaling proteins were characterized at the genetic, biochemical, and genomic levels. The results generated by our laboratories have provided numerous insights into how Caulobacter cells sense and respond to a myriad of signals. As nearly all bacteria use two-component signaling for cell regulation, the results from thismore » project help to deepen our general understanding of bacterial signal transduction. The tools and approaches developed can be applied to other bacteria. In particular, work from the Laub laboratory now enables the systematic, rational rewiring of two-component signaling proteins, a major advance that stands to impact synthetic biology and the development of biosensors and other designer molecular circuits. Results are summarized from our work. Each section lists publications and publicly-available resources which result from the work described.« less

Survey on the use of CAD-CAM technology by UK and Irish dental technicians.

PubMed

Blackwell, E; Nesbit, M; Petridis, H

2017-05-12

Statement of the problem Digital workflows (CAD/CAM) have been introduced in dentistry during recent years. No published information exists on dental technicians' use and reporting of this technology.Purpose The aim of this cross sectional survey was to identify the extent digital technology has infiltrated the workplace and to investigate the factors affecting the use of CAD-CAM technology by dental laboratory technicians within Ireland and the UK.Materials and methods A web-based questionnaire was composed (Opinio, Object Planet Inc. Oslo, Norway) and distributed to UK and Irish dental technicians. Answers to all questions were anonymous and grouped such that general information was gathered initially, followed by branching of the survey into two sections depending on whether or not the respondent worked with CAD-CAM technology. Results were compiled and statistical analysis (Fisher's Exact test, SPSS, IBM, Armonk, New York, USA) was performed in order to investigate any correlation between various demographic variables and the answers provided.Results The survey was distributed to 760 UK technicians and 77 Irish technicians. The total number of completed surveys was 105, which yielded a total response rate of 14%. Most technicians reported using some form of CAD/CAM aspect in the workflow, and this was more significant for technicians working in large laboratories. Most training received was company-led. Large laboratories were also significantly correlated with less outsourcing of CAD/CAM work and a change in dental material use leading to the increase of zirconia and the decrease of noble alloys. Dental technicians did not report any significant change in working relationships and staffing as a result of CAD/CAM incorporation. High initial investment cost was the most common reason quoted from non-users, along with the lack of such technology in their working environment.

Using Laboratory Homework to Facilitate Skill Integration and Assess Understanding in Intermediate Physics Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, Marty; Jalkio, Jeffrey

2013-04-01

By the time students have reached the intermediate level physics courses they have been exposed to a broad set of analytical, experimental, and computational skills. However, their ability to independently integrate these skills into the study of a physical system is often weak. To address this weakness and assess their understanding of the underlying physical concepts we have introduced laboratory homework into lecture based, junior level theoretical mechanics and electromagnetics courses. A laboratory homework set replaces a traditional one and emphasizes the analysis of a single system. In an exercise, students use analytical and computational tools to predict the behavior of a system and design a simple measurement to test their model. The laboratory portion of the exercises is straight forward and the emphasis is on concept integration and application. The short student reports we collect have revealed misconceptions that were not apparent in reviewing the traditional homework and test problems. Work continues on refining the current problems and expanding the problem sets.

Alternatives for Laboratory Measurement of Aerosol Samples from the International Monitoring System of the CTBT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miley, H.; Forrester, J. B.; Greenwood, L. R.; Keillor, M. E.; Eslinger, P. W.; Regmi, R.; Biegalski, S.; Erikson, L. E.

2013-12-01

The aerosol samples taken from the CTBT International Monitoring Systems stations are measured in the field with a minimum detectable concentration (MDC) of ~30 microBq/m3 of Ba-140. This is sufficient to detect far less than 1 kt of aerosol fission products in the atmosphere when the station is in the plume from such an event. Recent thinking about minimizing the potential source region (PSR) from a detection has led to a desire for a multi-station or multi-time period detection. These would be connected through the concept of ';event formation', analogous to event formation in seismic event study. However, to form such events, samples from the nearest neighbors of the detection would require re-analysis with a more sensitive laboratory to gain a substantially lower MDC, and potentially find radionuclide concentrations undetected by the station. The authors will present recent laboratory work with air filters showing various cost effective means for enhancing laboratory sensitivity.

VNTR diversity in Yersinia pestis isolates from an animal challenge study reveals the potential for in vitro mutations during laboratory cultivation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vogler, Amy J.; Nottingham, Roxanne; Busch, Joseph D.; Sahl, Jason W.; Shuey, Megan M.; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Schupp, James M.; Smith, Susan; Rocke, Tonie E.; Klein, Paul; Wagner, David M.

2016-01-01

Underlying mutation rates and other evolutionary forces shape the population structure of bacteria in nature. Although easily overlooked, similar forces are at work in the laboratory and may influence observed mutations. Here, we investigated tissue samples and Yersinia pestis isolates from a rodent laboratory challenge with strain CO92 using whole genome sequencing and multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA). We identified six VNTR mutations that were found to have occurred in vitro during laboratory cultivation rather than in vivo during the rodent challenge. In contrast, no single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations were observed, either in vivo or in vitro. These results were consistent with previously published mutation rates and the calculated number of Y. pestis generations that occurred during the in vitro versus the in vivo portions of the experiment. When genotyping disease outbreaks, the potential for in vitro mutations should be considered, particularly when highly variable genetic markers such as VNTRs are used.

A combined field and laboratory design for assessing the impact of night shift work on police officer operational performance.

PubMed

Waggoner, Lauren B; Grant, Devon A; Van Dongen, Hans P A; Belenky, Gregory; Vila, Bryan

2012-11-01

This study assessed the utility of a combined field and laboratory research design for measuring the impact of consecutive night shift work on the sleepiness, vigilance, and driving performance of police patrol officers. For police patrol officers working their normal night shift duty cycles, simulated driving performance and psychomotor vigilance were measured in a laboratory on two separate occasions: in the morning after the last of five consecutive 10.7-h night shifts, and at the same time in the morning after three consecutive days off duty. Order of participation in conditions was randomized among subjects. Subjects experienced manipulation of sleep schedules due to working night shifts in a real operational environment, but performance testing was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. N = 29 active-duty police patrol officers (27 male, 2 female; age 37.1 ± 6.3 years) working night shift schedules participated in this study. Simulated driving performance, psychomotor vigilance, and subjective sleepiness were significantly degraded following 5 consecutive night shifts as compared to 3 consecutive days off duty, indicating that active-duty police officers are susceptible to performance degradation as a consequence of working nights. This combined field and laboratory research design succeeded in bridging the gap between the realism of the operational environment and the control of laboratory performance testing, demonstrating that this is a useful approach for addressing the relationship between shift work induced fatigue and critical operational task performance.

[Microbiological Surveillance of Measles and Rubella in Spain. Laboratory Network].

PubMed

Echevarría, Juan Emilio; Fernández García, Aurora; de Ory, Fernando

2015-01-01

The Laboratory is a fundamental component on the surveillance of measles and rubella. Cases need to be properly confirmed to ensure an accurate estimation of the incidence. Strains should be genetically characterized to know the transmission pattern of these viruses and frequently, outbreaks and transmission chains can be totally discriminated only after that. Finally, the susceptibility of the population is estimated on the basis of sero-prevalence surveys. Detection of specific IgM response is the base of the laboratory diagnosis of these diseases. It should be completed with genomic detection by RT-PCR to reach an optimal efficiency, especially when sampling is performed early in the course of the disease. Genotyping is performed by genomic sequencing according to reference protocols of the WHO. Laboratory surveillance of measles and rubella in Spain is organized as a net of regional laboratories with different capabilities. The National Center of Microbiology as National Reference Laboratory (NRL), supports regional laboratories ensuring the availability of all required techniques in the whole country and watching for the quality of the results. The NRL is currently working in the implementation of new molecular techniques based on the analysis of genomic hypervariable regions for the strain characterization at sub-genotypic levels and use them in the surveillance.

Increasing Student Engagement with Practical Classes through Online Pre-Lab Quizzes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cann, Alan J.

2016-01-01

Laboratory practicals classes are an essential component of all science degrees, but are a pinch point because of rising student numbers, rising student expectations and falling student exposure to laboratory work prior to entering higher education. Augmentation of physical laboratory work with online interventions is not new, but as virtual…

Vapor Pressure Data and Analysis for Selected Organophosphorus Compounds: DIBMP, DCMP, IMMP, IMPA, EMPA, and MPFA

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-01

Methodology, Statistics, and Applications; CRDEC-TR-386; U.S. Army Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center: Aberdeen Proving Ground...Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT: Recent work from our laboratory has focused on chemical ...vaporization Volatility Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) Vapor saturation Boiling point Diisobutyl methylphosphonate (DIBMP), Chemical Abstracts

The Use of Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry to Introduce General Chemistry Students to Percent Mass and Atomic Mass Calculations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfennig, Brian W.; Schaefer, Amy K.

2011-01-01

A general chemistry laboratory experiment is described that introduces students to instrumental analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), while simultaneously reinforcing the concepts of mass percent and the calculation of atomic mass. Working in small groups, students use the GC to separate and quantify the percent composition…

Comparison of O-antigen gene clusters of all O-serogroups of Escherichia coli and proposal for adopting a new nomenclature for O-typing

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Genetics Analysis Core Facility at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) is a centralized laboratory working in support of the United States Department of Agriculture scientists within the ERRC. The application of molecular diagnostics within the Center has resulted in the morphing of the...

Determination of Surface Tension of Surfactant Solutions through Capillary Rise Measurements: An Image-Processing Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huck-Iriart, Cristia´n; De-Candia, Ariel; Rodriguez, Javier; Rinaldi, Carlos

2016-01-01

In this work, we described an image processing procedure for the measurement of surface tension of the air-liquid interface using isothermal capillary action. The experiment, designed for an undergraduate course, is based on the analysis of a series of solutions with diverse surfactant concentrations at different ionic strengths. The objective of…

Study of Occupational Safety and Health Audit on Facilities at Ungku Omar College, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM): A Preliminary Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariffin, Kadir; Ahmad, Shaharuddin; Aiyub, Kadaruddin; Awang, Azhan; Aziz, Azmi; Mohamad, Lukman Z.; Mamat, Samsu Adabi

2010-01-01

Occupational safety and health (OSH) in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is being considered as an important program to measure employee and student welfare and well-being. During academic session, apart from attending lectures, laboratory works, tutorial and library search, majority of students spend most of their time in residential…

NREL Taps Young to Oversee Geothermal Energy Program | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Taps Young to Oversee Geothermal Energy Program News Release: NREL Taps Young to Oversee Geothermal (NREL) promoted Katherine Young to laboratory program manager for geothermal energy. Young has been with NREL since 2008, working as a senior geothermal analyst and engineer in the Strategic Energy Analysis

The Shock and Vibration Bulletin. Part 5. Isolation, Damping, Dynamic Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-06-01

may write : AW c Fio . 5 Sonecran Young’s modulus determinationa , 7 - 2 (19) t a Application of the methodwhere CM, kj, mj are the modal damping , stif...work, us although thle question of how to do it is just in its Infancy. If you could in fact increase Mr. Russo : (Air Force Materials Laboratory) the

[Evaluation of the quality of clinical practice guidelines published in the Annales de Biologie Clinique with the help of the EFLM checklist].

PubMed

Wils, Julien; Fonfrède, Michèle; Augereau, Christine; Watine, Joseph

2014-01-01

Several tools are available to help evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPG). The AGREE instrument (Appraisal of guidelines for research & evaluation) is the most consensual tool but it has been designed to assess CPG methodology only. The European federation of laboratory medicine (EFLM) recently designed a check-list dedicated to laboratory medicine which is supposed to be comprehensive and which therefore makes it possible to evaluate more thoroughly the quality of CPG in laboratory medicine. In the present work we test the comprehensiveness of this check-list on a sample of CPG written in French and published in Annales de biologie clinique (ABC). Thus we show that some work remains to be achieved before a truly comprehensive check-list is designed. We also show that there is some room for improvement for the CPG published in ABC, for example regarding the fact that some of these CPG do not provide any information about allowed durations of transport and of storage of biological samples before analysis, or about standards of minimal analytical performance, or about the sensitivities or the specificities of the recommended tests.

Summer Research Internships at Biosphere 2 Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broecker, Wallace S.; Colodner, Debra; Griffin, Kevin

1997-01-01

Through the support of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, Biosphere 2 Center hosted 11 research interns for 6 to 8 weeks each during the summer of 1997. In addition, we were able to offer scholarships to 14 students for Columbia University summer field courses. These two types of programs engaged students in much of the range of activity of practicing Earth Scientists, with an emphasis on the collection and analysis of data in both the field and the laboratory. Research interns and students in the field courses also played an important part in the design and evolution of their research projects. In addition to laboratory and field research, students participated in weekly research seminars by resident and visiting scientists. Research interns were exposed to the geology and ecology of the region via short field trips to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Mount Lemmon, Aravaipa Canyon and the Gulf of California, while field course students were exposed to laboratory-based research via intern-led hands-on demonstrations of their work. All students made oral and written presentations of their work during the summer, and two of the research interns have applied to present their results at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Maryland in April, 1998.

Laboratory or field tests for evaluating firefighters' work capacity?

PubMed

Lindberg, Ann-Sofie; Oksa, Juha; Malm, Christer

2014-01-01

Muscle strength is important for firefighters work capacity. Laboratory tests used for measurements of muscle strength, however, are complicated, expensive and time consuming. The aims of the present study were to investigate correlations between physical capacity within commonly occurring and physically demanding firefighting work tasks and both laboratory and field tests in full time (N = 8) and part-time (N = 10) male firefighters and civilian men (N = 8) and women (N = 12), and also to give recommendations as to which field tests might be useful for evaluating firefighters' physical work capacity. Laboratory tests of isokinetic maximal (IM) and endurance (IE) muscle power and dynamic balance, field tests including maximal and endurance muscle performance, and simulated firefighting work tasks were performed. Correlations with work capacity were analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs). The highest significant (p<0.01) correlations with laboratory and field tests were for Cutting: IE trunk extension (rs = 0.72) and maximal hand grip strength (rs = 0.67), for Stairs: IE shoulder flexion (rs = -0.81) and barbell shoulder press (rs = -0.77), for Pulling: IE shoulder extension (rs = -0.82) and bench press (rs = -0.85), for Demolition: IE knee extension (rs = 0.75) and bench press (rs = 0.83), for Rescue: IE shoulder flexion (rs = -0.83) and bench press (rs = -0.82), and for the Terrain work task: IE trunk flexion (rs = -0.58) and upright barbell row (rs = -0.70). In conclusion, field tests may be used instead of laboratory tests. Maximal hand grip strength, bench press, chin ups, dips, upright barbell row, standing broad jump, and barbell shoulder press were strongly correlated (rs≥0.7) with work capacity and are therefore recommended for evaluating firefighters work capacity.

Development of a competency based training programme to support multidisciplinary working in a combined biochemistry/haematology laboratory

PubMed Central

Woods, R; Longmire, W; Galloway, M; Smellie, W

2000-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a competency based training programme to support multidisciplinary working in a combined biochemistry and haematology laboratory. The training programme was developed to document that staff were trained in the full range of laboratory tests that they were expected to perform. This programme subsequently formed the basis for the annual performance review of all staff. All staff successfully completed the first phase of the programme. This allowed laboratory staff to work unsupervised at night as part of a partial shift system. All staff are now working towards achieving a level of competence equivalent to the training level required for state registration by the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine. External evaluation of the training programme has included accreditation by the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and reinspection by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. The development of a competency based training system has facilitated the introduction of multidisciplinary working in the laboratory. In addition, it enables the documentation of all staff to ensure that they are fully trained and are keeping up to date, because the continuing professional development programme in use in our laboratory has been linked to this training scheme. This approach to documentation of training facilitated a recent reinspection by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. Key Words: Keyword: multidisciplinary working • competency based training PMID:10889827

A survey of Asian life scientists :the state of biosciences, laboratory biosecurity, and biosafety in Asia.

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

Gaudioso, Jennifer Marie

2006-02-01

Over 300 Asian life scientists were surveyed to provide insight into work with infectious agents. This report provides the reader with a more complete understanding of the current practices employed to study infectious agents by laboratories located in Asian countries--segmented by level of biotechnology sophistication. The respondents have a variety of research objectives and study over 60 different pathogens and toxins. Many of the respondents indicated that their work was hampered by lack of adequate resources and the difficulty of accessing critical resources. The survey results also demonstrate that there appears to be better awareness of laboratory biosafety issues comparedmore » to laboratory biosecurity. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these researchers work with pathogens and toxins under less stringent laboratory biosafety and biosecurity conditions than would be typical for laboratories in the West.« less

A first evaluation of the analytical capabilities of the new X-ray fluorescence facility at International Atomic Energy Agency-Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste for multipurpose total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marguí, Eva; Hidalgo, Manuela; Migliori, Alessandro; Leani, Juan José; Queralt, Ignasi; Kallithrakas-Kontos, Nikolaos; Streli, Christina; Prost, Josef; Karydas, Andreas Germanos

2018-07-01

The aim of the work is to present a systematic evaluation of the analytical capabilities of the new X-ray fluorescence facility jointly operated between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste for multipurpose total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis. The analytical performance of the XRF beamline end-station (IAEAXspe) was systematically evaluated under TXRF excitation geometry by analyzing different types of aqueous (lake, waste and fresh water) and solid (soil, vegetal, biological) certified reference materials using an excitation energy of 13.0 keV (for the purpose of multielemental analysis). The results obtained for both types of samples in terms of limits of detection and accuracy were also compared with those obtained using laboratory X-ray tube based TXRF systems with different features (including Mo and W X-ray tube systems). Taking advantage of the possibility to work under high vacuum, the IAEAXspe set-up instrumental sensitivity was also determined using an excitation energy of 6.2 keV to explore the possibilities for light elements determination. A clear improvement of the element detection limits is achieved when comparing this facility to conventional X-ray tube based TXRF systems highlighting the benefits of using the monoenergetic synchrotron exciting radiation and the ultra-high vacuum chamber in comparison with conventional laboratory systems. The results of the present work are discussed in view of further exploitation of the facility for different environmental and biological related applications.

Interview: partnering with the industry: the Olympic laboratory model.

PubMed

Cowan, David A; Barker, Campbell P

2012-07-01

David A Cowan and Campbell P Barker speak to Ryan De Vooght-Johnson at Bioanalysis in May 2012 about the partnership between industry and academia for the setup and running of the doping-control laboratory for the London 2012 Olympic Games. David A Cowan is Director of the London 2012 anti-doping laboratory as well as Director of the King's College London Drug Control Centre, the UK's only WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory, and Head of the Department of Forensic Science and Drug Monitoring. Cowan co-founded the Drug Control Centre in 1978 and became its Director in 1990. He has published extensively in the field of pharmaceutical analysis, especially as it relates to detecting drug administration in sport, and was awarded a personal chair in pharmaceutical toxicology in 1996. Cowan became Head of the Department of Forensic Science and Drug Monitoring at King's College London in 2002. He has served on a number of national and international committees, including the Council of Europe Working Party Investigating Drug Abuse in Sport that led to the first World Anti-Doping Convention, the Laboratory Representative on the International Olympic Committee's Medical Commission, and WADA's Laboratory Accreditation Subcommittee. He is a member of the Crippen Club for Distinguished Toxicologists. In 1998 he was awarded the IOC Trophy for Sport Ethics by the BOA. He was a founding member of the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists and became its first President serving on its Executive Board between 2001 and 2004. He was a Visiting Laboratory Director at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games 2002, where the first novel erythropoiesis-stimulating protein (NESP) positive was discovered. He was also a senior advisory scientist at both the Turin Winter Olympic Games in 2006 and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He was also a member of the IOC Medical Commission for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010. The Drug Control Centre undertook the sample analysis during the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and Cowan was Co-Director of the laboratory for the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. Cowan, who has directed the laboratory at King's College London for many years, was a member of the bid team making the presentation to the International Olympic Committee in February 2005. Campbell P Barker has been leading GlaxoSmithKline's delivery of the London 2012 laboratory services since September 2009. Prior to that time he was Director of Global Strategic Projects in GlaxoSmithKline's Consumer Healthcare business from 2006, and from 1994 to 2006 he worked in R&D for Procter & Gamble. Barker holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Durham.

Professional behaviors, sense of belonging, and professional socialization of early career clinical laboratory scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schill, Janna Marie

Professional socialization is a process that individuals experience as members of a profession and consists of the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences that influence and shape their professional identity. The process of professional socialization has not been studied in the clinical laboratory science profession. Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession that is faced by a workforce shortage that has been caused by a decrease in new graduates, decreased retention of qualified professionals, and increased retirements. Other allied health professions such as nursing, athletic training, and pharmacy have studied professional socialization as a way to identify factors that may influence the retention of early career professionals. This mixed method study, which quantitatively used Hall's Professionalism Scale (1968) in addition to qualitative focus group interviews, sought to identify the professional attitudes and behaviors, sense of belonging, and professional socialization of early career clinical laboratory scientists. Early career clinical laboratory scientists were divided into two groups based upon the amount of work experience they had; new clinical laboratory science graduates have had less than one year of work experience and novice clinical laboratory scientists had between one and three years of work experience. This study found that early career clinical laboratory scientists have established professional identities and view themselves as members of the clinical laboratory science field within four proposed stages of professional socialization consisting of pre-arrival, encounter, adaptation, and commitment. New CLS graduates and novice clinical laboratory scientists were found to be at different stages of the professional stage process. New CLS graduates, who had less than one year of work experience, were found to be in the encounter stage. Novice clinical laboratory scientists, with one to three years of work experience, were found to be in the adaptation stage. In order for early career clinical laboratory scientists to successfully transition from student to committed professional, increased support from more experienced colleagues needs to be provided for this group of laboratory professionals. This study provided an initial examination of the professional socialization process in the CLS profession and adds to existing professional socialization studies in allied health.

Typing: Creating a Laboratory Atmosphere

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Jane A.

1976-01-01

Using materials clipped from newspapers, students in a Typing I laboratory learn how to tabulate, proofread, type letters, and reports, etc., and work independently and evaluate other students' work. (TA)

[Activities of Colorado University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, Theodore P.; Bierbaum, Veronica

2003-01-01

During the report period we completed several studies and embarked on a new set of laboratory experiments. We also hired a new post-doctoral Research Associate, Momir Stepanovic, who has gradually assumed leadership in the laboratory work. The other person involved has been graduate student Brian Eichelberger, who will complete his Ph.D. based on this work by late spring of this year. We have also continued to collaborate with our previous postdoctoral Research Associate, Valery Le Page, through a consulting arrangement. In the following sections we summarize work that has been completed and either in print, in press, or in final stages of preparation for publication; current work being carried out in the laboratory; and plans for the coming year. Work completed in 2002: 1. Modeling the physical and chemical states of PAHs in the diffuse interstellar medium. 2. Hydrogenation and charge states of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in diffuse clouds. 3. Laboratory studies of chemical reactions involving carbon chain anions.

Final Progress Report: Internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory

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

Dunham, Ryan Q.

2012-08-10

Originally I was tasked fluidized bed modeling, however, I changed projects. While still working with ANSYS Fluent, I performed a study of particle tracks in glove boxes. This is useful from a Health-Physics perspective, dealing respirable particles that can be hazardous to the human body. I iteratively tested different amounts of turbulent particles in a steady-state flow. The goal of this testing was to discover how Fluent handles built-in Rosin-Rammler distributions for particle injections. I worked on the health physics flow problems and distribution analysis under the direction of two mentors, Bruce Letellier and Dave Decroix. I set up andmore » ran particle injection calculations using Fluent. I tried different combinations of input parameters to produce sets of 500,000, 1 million, and 1.5 million particles to determine what a good test case would be for future experiments. I performed a variety of tasks in my work as an Undergraduate Student Intern at LANL this summer, and learned how to use a powerful CFD application in addition to expanding my skills in MATLAB. I enjoyed my work at LANL and hope to be able to use the experience here to further my career in the future working in a security-conscious environment. My mentors provided guidance and help with all of my projects and I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory.« less

Secure web book to store structural genomics research data.

PubMed

Manjasetty, Babu A; Höppner, Klaus; Mueller, Uwe; Heinemann, Udo

2003-01-01

Recently established collaborative structural genomics programs aim at significantly accelerating the crystal structure analysis of proteins. These large-scale projects require efficient data management systems to ensure seamless collaboration between different groups of scientists working towards the same goal. Within the Berlin-based Protein Structure Factory, the synchrotron X-ray data collection and the subsequent crystal structure analysis tasks are located at BESSY, a third-generation synchrotron source. To organize file-based communication and data transfer at the BESSY site of the Protein Structure Factory, we have developed the web-based BCLIMS, the BESSY Crystallography Laboratory Information Management System. BCLIMS is a relational data management system which is powered by MySQL as the database engine and Apache HTTP as the web server. The database interface routines are written in Python programing language. The software is freely available to academic users. Here we describe the storage, retrieval and manipulation of laboratory information, mainly pertaining to the synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments and the subsequent protein structure analysis, using BCLIMS.

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

Not Available

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year (FY) 1993 (October 1992 through September 1993). This annual report is the tenth for the ACL and describes continuing effort on projects, work on new projects, and contributions of the ACL staff to various programs at ANL. The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. The ACL also has research programs in analyticalmore » chemistry, conducts instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems. Some routine or standard analyses are done, but it is common for the Argonne programs to generate unique problems that require development or modification of methods and adaption of techniques to obtain useful analytical data. The ACL is administratively within the Chemical Technology Division (CMT), its principal ANL client, but provides technical support for many of the technical divisions and programs at ANL. The ACL has four technical groups--Chemical Analysis, Instrumental Analysis, Organic Analysis, and Environmental Analysis--which together include about 45 technical staff members. Talents and interests of staff members cross the group lines, as do many projects within the ACL.« less

Scanning-PIXE analysis of gold lace embroideries in a relic of St. Francis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Migliori, A.; Grassi, N.; Mandò, P. A.

2008-05-01

In this work, we describe the compositional analysis performed by scanning-mode PIXE on the metal threads of a XIII century embroidery. The precious work analysed is the pillow-case used to cover the pillow, on which - according to tradition - St. Francis of Assisi was resting his head when he died. Measurements were performed in order to characterise the embroideries of the two sides and the passementerie in the lateral hems. Several areas, each of the order of two square millimetres, were scanned with a 3 MeV proton external beam of 20 μm size on target, using the external micro-beam facility of our laboratory, with list-mode acquisition. Analysis of elemental maps and spectra from selected homogeneous sub-areas allowed us to extract the quantitative composition of the gilded tape and estimates of its thickness.

Becoming a scientist: A qualitative study of the educational experience of undergraduates working in an American and a Brazilian research laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascoa, Maria Beatriz Amorim

Because the production of scientific and technological innovations has been at the center of debates for economic growth, scientists are recognized as important actors in the current global market. In this study, I will examine the undergraduate education of future scientists by focusing on students working in research projects of faculty members. This research activity has been promoted by American and Brazilian public agencies as an attempt to attract more college students to scientific careers as well as to improve their future performance in science. Evaluations of these programs have focused on important quantitative indicators focusing mainly on the amount of students that later choose to pursue scientific careers. However, these studies fail to address important educational aspects of undergraduates' experience. In this research, I explore the educational processes taking place as students are introduced to the making of science in order to understand how and what they are learning. Three bodies of literature illuminates the formulation and the analysis of the research questions: (1) theories of globalization situate the education of scientists within the dynamics of a broader social, economic, cultural, and historical framework; (2) the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire is the basis for the understanding of the pedagogical processes shaping undergraduate students' experiences within the research site; (3) Critical and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology illuminate the analysis of the complex interactions and practices constructed within the laboratory. In order to understand the educational processes shaping the experiences of undergraduate students engaged in research activities, I conducted a qualitative investigation based on participant-observation and in-depth interviews in an American and a Brazilian laboratories. The two sites constituted insightful case studies that illuminated the understanding of inquires about the training of students in science. In addition, the study of two countries enriched the research inquiry, adding to the findings reflections on the ways differences in national contexts affects scientific training and scientific practices. Mainly, this qualitative research of students in laboratories offers some concrete recommendations and illuminating reflections for science educators, science policy makers, and for those working in the understanding of science epistemologies.

Information and consent in internet paternity testing: focus on minors' protection in Italy.

PubMed

Caenazzo, Luciana; Tozzo, Pamela; Benciolini, Paolo; Rodriguez, Daniele

2008-12-01

Paternity testing in Italy is usually performed by private laboratories and universities having direct contacts with the applicants. Recently, the number of paternity tests offered through laboratory websites has increased in Italy and Europe. The execution of genetic tests, including paternity testing based on DNA analysis, represents a complex act, which contains three main steps. Paternity analyses carried out by laboratories via Internet are performed on samples collected by the applicants and then mailed back to the laboratories without any patient-physician relationship. Information is given to the subjects through the laboratory's website or mailed with the test order form. The execution of "household" DNA analysis without technical precautions may provide an incorrect response with severe consequences on the individual who has undergone testing, on the family involved, and on society in general. The problems connected with this kind of analysis are not technical, but ethical and deontological. In this work, we will discuss the problems related to information and consent by way of outlining the relevant Italian laws and codes of medical ethics. The Italian Privacy's Guarantor is assessing the ethical and legal implications, but regulations are not yet in place. We believe that adequate information related to this practice cannot be given via Internet, and, consequently, the validity of the consent expressed during this kind of procedure can be uncertain. Further, we will analyze issues regarding the importance of minors' protection when a paternity test is performed via Internet. In our opinion, the complexity of the situations and expectations linked to paternity investigations require a special sensitivity in dealing with each case, based on a patient-physician relationship in the decision-making process especially referring to the defense of the minors' well-being.

Using the failure mode and effects analysis model to improve parathyroid hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone testing

PubMed Central

Magnezi, Racheli; Hemi, Asaf; Hemi, Rina

2016-01-01

Background Risk management in health care systems applies to all hospital employees and directors as they deal with human life and emergency routines. There is a constant need to decrease risk and increase patient safety in the hospital environment. The purpose of this article is to review the laboratory testing procedures for parathyroid hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (which are characterized by short half-lives) and to track failure modes and risks, and offer solutions to prevent them. During a routine quality improvement review at the Endocrine Laboratory in Tel Hashomer Hospital, we discovered these tests are frequently repeated unnecessarily due to multiple failures. The repetition of the tests inconveniences patients and leads to extra work for the laboratory and logistics personnel as well as the nurses and doctors who have to perform many tasks with limited resources. Methods A team of eight staff members accompanied by the Head of the Endocrine Laboratory formed the team for analysis. The failure mode and effects analysis model (FMEA) was used to analyze the laboratory testing procedure and was designed to simplify the process steps and indicate and rank possible failures. Results A total of 23 failure modes were found within the process, 19 of which were ranked by level of severity. The FMEA model prioritizes failures by their risk priority number (RPN). For example, the most serious failure was the delay after the samples were collected from the department (RPN =226.1). Conclusion This model helped us to visualize the process in a simple way. After analyzing the information, solutions were proposed to prevent failures, and a method to completely avoid the top four problems was also developed. PMID:27980440

NASA Work Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frandsen, Athela F.

2015-01-01

I have had the opportunity to support the analytical laboratories in chemical analysis of unknown samples, using Optical Microscopy (OM), Polarizing Light Microscopy (PLM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEMEDS), and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XPD). I have assisted in characterizing fibers pulled from a spacecraft, a white fibrous residue discovered in a jet refueler truck, brown residue from a plant habitat slated for delivery to the ISS (International Space Station), corrosion on a pipe from a sprinkler, and air filtration material brought back from the ISS. I also conducted my own fiber study in order to practice techniques and further my understanding of background concepts. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to participate in diverse work assignments, where I was assigned to work with other branches of the engineering department for 1-2 days each. The first was in the Materials Science branch where I participated in the construction of the plant habitat intended for use in research aboard the ISS. The second was in the Testing Design branch where I assisted with tensile and hardness testing of over 40 samples. In addition, I have had the privilege to attend multiple tours of the NASA KSC campus, including to the Astronaut Crew Quarters, the VAB (the main area, the Columbia room, and the catwalk), the Visitor Center housing the shuttle Atlantis, the Saturn-V exhibit, the Prototype laboratory, SWAMP WORKS, the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Crawler, and the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF). Lastly, much of my coursework prepared me for this experience, including numerous laboratory courses with topics diverse as chemistry, physics, and biology.

9 CFR 97.1 - Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Overtime work at laboratories, border... POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS OVERTIME SERVICES RELATING TO IMPORTS AND EXPORTS § 97.1 Overtime work at... inspection as a consequence of the operation of the aircraft, for work performed outside of the regularly...

Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Douglas T.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the work of the Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) at NASA Johnson Space Center. It is one of the Space Human Factors Laboratories in the Habitability and Human Factors Branch (SF3) at NASA Johnson Space Center The primary focus pf the UTAF is to perform Human factors evaluation and usability testing of crew / vehicle interfaces. The presentation reviews the UTAF expertise and capabilities, the processes and methodologies, and the equipment available. It also reviews the programs that it has supported detailing the human engineering activities in support of the design of the Orion space craft, testing of the EVA integrated spacesuit, and work done for the design of the lunar projects of the Constellation Program: Altair, Lunar Electric Rover, and Outposts

Space station systems analysis study. Part 2, volume 3: Appendixes, Book 2: Supporting data (7 through 18)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Topics discussed include: (1) design considerations for a MARS sample return laboratory module for space station investigations; (2) crew productivity as a function of work shift arrangement; (3) preliminary analysis of the local logistics problem on the space construction base; (4) mission hardware construction operational flows and timelines; (5) orbit transfer vehicle concept definition; (6) summary of results and findings of space processing working review; (7) crew and habitability subsystem (option L); (8) habitability subsystem considerations for shuttle tended option L; (9) orbiter utilization in manned sortie missions; (10) considerations in definition of space construction base standard module configuration (option L); (11) guidance, control, and navigation subsystems; and (12) system and design tradeoffs.

Microcircuit failure analysis using the SEM. [Scanning Electron Microscopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicolas, D. P.

1974-01-01

The scanning electron microscope adds a new dimension to the knowledge that can be obtained from a failed microcircuit. When used with conventional techniques, SEM assists and clarifies the analysis, but it does not replace light microscopy. The most advantageous features for microcircuit analysis are long working distances and great depth of field. Manufacturer related failure modes of microcircuits are metallization defects, poor bonding, surface and particle contamination, and design and fabrication faults. User related failure modes are caused by abuse, such as overstress. The Physics of Failure Procedure followed by the Astrionics Laboratory in failure analysis is described, which is designed to obtain maximum information available from each step.

Instrumentation for motor-current signature analysis using synchronous sampling

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

Castleberry, K.N.

1996-07-01

Personnel in the Instrumentation and Controls Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in association with the United States Enrichment Corporation, the U.S. Navy, and various Department of Energy sponsors, have been involved in the development and application of motor-current signature analysis for several years. In that time, innovation in the field has resulted in major improvements in signal processing, analysis, and system performance and capabilities. Recent work has concentrated on industrial implementation of one of the most promising new techniques. This report describes the developed method and the instrumentation package that is being used to investigate and develop potential applications.

Fluid Mechanics Experiments as a Unifying Theme in the Physics Instrumentation Laboratory Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borrero-Echeverry, Daniel

2017-11-01

We discuss the transformation of a junior-level instrumentation laboratory course from a sequence of cookbook lab exercises to a semester-long, project-based course. In the original course, students conducted a series of activities covering the usual electronics topics (amplifiers, filters, oscillators, logic gates, etc.) and learned basic LabVIEW programming for data acquisition and analysis. Students complained that these topics seemed disconnected and not immediately applicable to ``real'' laboratory work. To provide a unifying theme, we restructured the course around the design, construction, instrumentation of a low-cost Taylor-Couette cell where fluid is sheared between rotating coaxial cylinders. The electronics labs were reworked to guide students from fundamental electronics through the design and construction of a stepper motor driver, which was used to actuate the cylinders. Some of the legacy labs were replaced with a module on computer-aided design (CAD) in which students designed parts for the apparatus, which they then built in the departmental machine shop. Signal processing topics like spectral analysis were introduced in the context of time-series analysis of video data acquired from flow visualization. The course culminated with a capstone project in which students conducted experiments of their own design on a variety of topics in rheology and nonlinear dynamics.

Trace analysis of high-purity graphite by LA-ICP-MS.

PubMed

Pickhardt, C; Becker, J S

2001-07-01

Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been established as a very efficient and sensitive technique for the direct analysis of solids. In this work the capability of LA-ICP-MS was investigated for determination of trace elements in high-purity graphite. Synthetic laboratory standards with a graphite matrix were prepared for the purpose of quantifying the analytical results. Doped trace elements, concentration 0.5 microg g(-1), in a laboratory standard were determined with an accuracy of 1% to +/- 7% and a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2-13%. Solution-based calibration was also used for quantitative analysis of high-purity graphite. It was found that such calibration led to analytical results for trace-element determination in graphite with accuracy similar to that obtained by use of synthetic laboratory standards for quantification of analytical results. Results from quantitative determination of trace impurities in a real reactor-graphite sample, using both quantification approaches, were in good agreement. Detection limits for all elements of interest were determined in the low ng g(-1) concentration range. Improvement of detection limits by a factor of 10 was achieved for analyses of high-purity graphite with LA-ICP-MS under wet plasma conditions, because the lower background signal and increased element sensitivity.

Investigation of salt distribution in porous stone material using paper pulp poultices under laboratory condititions and on site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egartner, Isabel; Sass, Oliver

2016-04-01

The presented investigation is part of a longer-term project which deals with the influence of salt and moisture on weathering of historic stonework. The main investigation object in the field is a part of the 300 hundred year old boundary wall of the Worchester College in Oxford, UK. A range of non-destructive techniques were applied in course of field campaigns, e.g. mapping of weathering phenomena; handheld moisture sensors; and salt sampling by paper pulp poultices. In a second step we investigated the behaviour and distribution of water and salt solution in a porous material, similar to the limestone of the College wall, under laboratory condititions. Limestone cube samples (5x5x5 cm) were soaked first with ultrapure H2O and second with different concentration of saline solutions of NaCl and Na2SO4. During the dehydration process of the stone cubes a multi-method approach including sampling by drilling, paper pulp poultices, handheld moisture sensor, conductivity sensor and Ion Chromatography (IC) were applied to investigate the moisture and salt content and distribution within the samples. The laboratory analyses were carried out at the department of applied geoscience of the Technical University of Graz, Austria. The main aim was to investigate the effectivity of the paper pulp poultices in soaking up salts from the stone samples and to use the results of the laboratory analysis to interpret and calibrate the field work results from the College wall in Oxford. Keywords: Salt weathering, paper pulp poultices, cultural heritage, field work and laboratory investigation

Digital vs. conventional implant prosthetic workflows: a cost/time analysis.

PubMed

Joda, Tim; Brägger, Urs

2015-12-01

The aim of this prospective cohort trial was to perform a cost/time analysis for implant-supported single-unit reconstructions in the digital workflow compared to the conventional pathway. A total of 20 patients were included for rehabilitation with 2 × 20 implant crowns in a crossover study design and treated consecutively each with customized titanium abutments plus CAD/CAM-zirconia-suprastructures (test: digital) and with standardized titanium abutments plus PFM-crowns (control conventional). Starting with prosthetic treatment, analysis was estimated for clinical and laboratory work steps including measure of costs in Swiss Francs (CHF), productivity rates and cost minimization for first-line therapy. Statistical calculations were performed with Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Both protocols worked successfully for all test and control reconstructions. Direct treatment costs were significantly lower for the digital workflow 1815.35 CHF compared to the conventional pathway 2119.65 CHF [P = 0.0004]. For subprocess evaluation, total laboratory costs were calculated as 941.95 CHF for the test group and 1245.65 CHF for the control group, respectively [P = 0.003]. The clinical dental productivity rate amounted to 29.64 CHF/min (digital) and 24.37 CHF/min (conventional) [P = 0.002]. Overall, cost minimization analysis exhibited an 18% cost reduction within the digital process. The digital workflow was more efficient than the established conventional pathway for implant-supported crowns in this investigation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

How can plants tell which way is up?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiss, J. Z.; Weise, S. E.; Kiss, H. G.

2000-01-01

Many people think of plants as essentially sessile organisms that do not actively respond to their environment. What could be further from the truth! In fact, plants are capable of a variety of movements, including the dramatic nastic responses (such as Venus fly trap closure) and the less sensational tropisms. These latter movements are directed growth responses to some type of external stimulus such as gravity (gravitropism, formerly known as geotropism) or light (phototropism). This paper describes some interesting exercises that are derived from recent work, including research that has led to experiments performed on two Space Shuttle missions in 1997 (Kiss et al. 1998). The study of tropisms can be a useful way to introduce students to plant biology in high school and introductory college courses. In our experience, students are fascinated by plant movements when they are presented in lectures and find laboratory experiences on this topic quite engaging. Laboratory work on plant tropisms can also be used to introduce important concepts in science such as hypothesis testing, quantitative analysis, and the use of statistics. The laboratory exercises described in this paper involve the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which has become an important organism in molecular biology research and is the focus of an international plant genome project. Based on the material presented here, a number of plant gravitropism laboratory exercises with Arabidopsis that are simple in terms of equipment/materials and procedures can be developed. These exercises are robust in that they work well even in the hands of introductory students, and they can be expanded according to the individual instructor's needs. This paper describes two exercises that have been performed by beginning college students, and these exercises can easily be performed in biology classes in most high school settings.

Radiation and Health Technology Laboratory Capabilities

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

Bihl, Donald E.; Lynch, Timothy P.; Murphy, Mark K.

2005-07-09

The Radiological Standards and Calibrations Laboratory, a part of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)(a) performs calibrations and upholds reference standards necessary to maintain traceability to national standards. The facility supports U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs at the Hanford Site, programs sponsored by DOE Headquarters and other federal agencies, radiological protection programs at other DOE and commercial nuclear sites and research and characterization programs sponsored through the commercial sector. The laboratory is located in the 318 Building of the Hanford Site's 300 Area. The facility contains five major exposure rooms and several laboratories used for exposure work preparation, low-activity instrumentmore » calibrations, instrument performance evaluations, instrument maintenance, instrument design and fabrication work, thermoluminescent and radiochromic Dosimetry, and calibration of measurement and test equipment (M&TE). The major exposure facilities are a low-scatter room used for neutron and photon exposures, a source well room used for high-volume instrument calibration work, an x-ray facility used for energy response studies, a high-exposure facility used for high-rate photon calibration work, a beta standards laboratory used for beta energy response studies and beta reference calibrations and M&TE laboratories. Calibrations are routinely performed for personnel dosimeters, health physics instrumentation, photon and neutron transfer standards alpha, beta, and gamma field sources used throughout the Hanford Site, and a wide variety of M&TE. This report describes the standards and calibrations laboratory.« less

A Guide to Laboratory Practicum on Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, A. S.; Rusu, S. S.; Pirtac, C.

2012-12-01

The Guide represent a Laboratory practicum in mechanics for students from the Technical University of Moldova. The works are modernized as compared with older ones put in 1964 by Computer assistance. Each work contains theoretical framework, a work instruction and control questions. The Guide contains 27 figures.

1993-94-95 Kara sea field experiments and analysis. 1995 progress report to onr Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program

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

Phillips, G.W.; August, R.A.; King, S.E.

1996-01-14

This progress report covers field work and laboratory analysis efforts for quantifying the environmental threat of radioactive waste released in the Arctic seas adjacent to the former Soviet Union and for studying the various transport mechanisms by which this radioactivity could effect populations of the U.S. and other countries bordering the Arctic. We obtained water, sediment, biological samples and oceanographic data from several cruises to the Kara Sea and adjacent waters and conducted detailed laboratory analyses of the samples for radionuclides and physical biological properties. In addition, we obtained water and sediment samples and conducted on site low level radionuclidemore » analysis on the Angara, Yenisey River system which drains a major part of the Siberian industrial heartland and empties into the Kara Sea. We report on radionuclide concentrations, on radionuclide transport and scrubbing by sediments, on adsorption by suspended particles, on transport by surface and benthic boundary layer currents, on the effects of benthic and demersal organisms, on studies of long term monitoring in the Arctic, and on an interlaboratory calibration for radionuclide analysis.« less

The role of flow injection analysis within the framework of an automated laboratory

PubMed Central

Stockwell, Peter B.

1990-01-01

Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) was invented at roughly the same time by two quite dissimilar research groups [1,2]. FIA was patented by both groups in 1974; a year also marked by the publication of the first book on automatic chemical analysis [3]. This book was a major undertaking for its authors and it is hoped that it has added to the knowledge of those analysts attempting to automate their work or to increase the level of computerization/automation and thus reduce staffing commitments. This review discusses the role of FIA in laboratory automation, the advantages and disadvantages of the FIA approach, and the part it could play in future developments. It is important to stress at the outset that the FIA approach is all too often closely paralleled with convention al continuous flow analysis (CFA). This is a mistake for many reasons, none the least of which because of the considerable success of the CFA approach in contrast to the present lack of penetration in the commercial market-place of FIA instrumentation. PMID:18925262

Conceptual Demand of Practical Work in Science Curricula. A Methodological Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Sílvia; Morais, Ana M.

2014-02-01

This article addresses the issue of the level of complexity of practical work in science curricula and is focused on the discipline of Biology and Geology at high school. The level of complexity is seen in terms of the emphasis on and types of practical work and, most importantly, in terms of its level of conceptual demand as given by the complexity of scientific knowledge, the degree of inter-relation between knowledges, and the complexity of cognitive skills. The study also analyzes recontextualizing processes that may occur within the official recontextualizing field. The study is psychologically and sociologically grounded, particularly on Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse. It uses a mixed methodology. The results show that practical work is poorly represented in the curriculum, particularly in the case of laboratory work. The level of conceptual demand of practical work varies according to the text under analysis, between the two subjects Biology and Geology, and, within each of them, between general and specific guidelines. Aspects studied are not clearly explicated to curriculum receivers (teachers and textbooks authors). The meaning of these findings is discussed in the article. In methodological terms, the study explores assumptions used in the analysis of the level of conceptual demand and presents innovative instruments constructed for developing this analysis.

Developments of Spent Nuclear Fuel Pyroprocessing Technology at Idaho National Laboratory

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

Michael F. Simpson

This paper summarizes research in used fuel pyroprocessing that has been published by Idaho National Laboratory over the last decade. It includes work done both on treatment of Experimental Breeder Reactor-II and development of advanced technology for potential scale-up and commercialization. Collaborations with universities and other laboratories is included in the cited work.

Aprendizaje en grupo en el laboratorio de idiomas (Group Learning in the Language Laboratory).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monteverde G., Luisa

1971-01-01

This paper describes a teaching method, presently in the experimental stage, that advocates the use of a programed instruction model in the language laboratory, with students working in homogeneous groups of three. The author describes the technical construction and operation of the language laboratory which allows three students to work together…

Isotherm Sensor Calibration Program for Mars Science Laboratory Heat Shield Flight Data Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santos, Jose A.; Oishi, Tomo; Martinez, Ed R.

2011-01-01

Seven instrumented sensor plugs were installed on the Mars Science Laboratory heat shield in December 2008 as part of the Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) project. These sensor plugs contain four in-depth thermocouples and one Hollow aErothermal Ablation and Temperature (HEAT) sensor. The HEAT sensor follows the time progression of a 700 C isotherm through the thickness of a thermal protection system (TPS) material. The data can be used to infer char depth and, when analyzed in conjunction with the thermocouple data, the thermal gradient through the TPS material can also be determined. However, the uncertainty on the isotherm value is not well defined. To address this uncertainty, a team at NASA Ames Research Center is carrying out a HEAT sensor calibration test program. The scope of this test program is described, and initial results from experiments conducted in the laboratory to study the isotherm temperature of the HEAT sensor are presented. Data from the laboratory tests indicate an isotherm temperature of 720 C 60 C. An overview of near term arc jet testing is also given, including preliminary data from 30.48cm 30.48cm PICA panels instrumented with two MEDLI sensor plugs and tested in the NASA Ames Panel Test Facility. Forward work includes analysis of the arc jet test data, including an evaluation of the isotherm value based on the instant in time when it reaches a thermocouple depth.

Large-Scale Variability of Inpatient Tacrolimus Therapeutic Drug Monitoring at an Academic Transplant Center: a Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Strohbehn, Garth W; Pan, Warren W; Petrilli, Christopher M; Heidemann, Lauren; Larson, Sophia; Aaronson, Keith D; Johnson, Matt; Ellies, Tammy; Heung, Michael

2018-04-30

Inpatient tacrolimus therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) lacks standardized guidelines. In this study, the authors analyzed variability in the pre-analytical phase of the inpatient tacrolimus TDM process at their institution. Patients receiving tacrolimus (twice-daily formulation) and tacrolimus laboratory analysis were included in the study. Times of tacrolimus administration and laboratory study collection were extracted and time distribution plots for each step in the inpatient TDM process were generated. Trough levels were drawn appropriately in 25.9% of the cases. Timing between doses was consistent, with 91.9% of the following dose administrations occurring 12 +/- 2 hours after the previous dose. Only 38.1% of the drug administrations occurred within one hour of laboratory study collection. Tacrolimus-related patient safety events were reported at a rate of 1.9 events per month while incorrect timing of TDM sample collection occurred approximately 200 times per month. Root cause analysis identified a TDM process marked by a lack of communication and coordination of drug administration and TDM sample collection. Extrapolating findings nationwide, we estimate $22 million in laboratory costs wasted annually. Based on this large single-center study, the authors concluded that the inpatient TDM process is prone to timing errors, thus is financially wasteful, and at its worst harmful to patients due to clinical decisions being made on the basis of unreliable data. Further work is needed on systems solutions to better align the laboratory study collection and drug administration processes.

7 CFR 160.17 - Laboratory analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Laboratory analysis. 160.17 Section 160.17 Agriculture... STANDARDS FOR NAVAL STORES Methods of Analysis, Inspection, Sampling and Grading § 160.17 Laboratory analysis. The analysis and laboratory testing of naval stores shall be conducted, so far as is practicable...

7 CFR 160.17 - Laboratory analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Laboratory analysis. 160.17 Section 160.17 Agriculture... STANDARDS FOR NAVAL STORES Methods of Analysis, Inspection, Sampling and Grading § 160.17 Laboratory analysis. The analysis and laboratory testing of naval stores shall be conducted, so far as is practicable...

Design and implementation of a hospital-based usability laboratory: insights from a Department of Veterans Affairs laboratory for health information technology.

PubMed

Russ, Alissa L; Weiner, Michael; Russell, Scott A; Baker, Darrell A; Fahner, W Jeffrey; Saleem, Jason J

2012-12-01

Although the potential benefits of more usable health information technologies (HIT) are substantial-reduced HIT support costs, increased work efficiency, and improved patient safety--human factors methods to improve usability are rarely employed. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has emerged as an early leader in establishing usability laboratories to inform the design of HIT, including its electronic health record. Experience with a usability laboratory at a VA Medical Center provides insights on how to design, implement, and leverage usability laboratories in the health care setting. The VA Health Services Research and Development Service Human-Computer Interaction & Simulation Laboratory emerged as one of the first VA usability laboratories and was intended to provide research-based findings about HIT designs. This laboratory supports rapid prototyping, formal usability testing, and analysis tools to assess existing technologies, alternative designs, and potential future technologies. RESULTS OF IMPLEMENTATION: Although the laboratory has maintained a research focus, it has become increasingly integrated with VA operations, both within the medical center and on a national VA level. With this resource, data-driven recommendations have been provided for the design of HIT applications before and after implementation. The demand for usability testing of HIT is increasing, and information on how to develop usability laboratories for the health care setting is often needed. This article may assist other health care organizations that want to invest in usability resources to improve HIT. The establishment and utilization of usability laboratories in the health care setting may improve HIT designs and promote safe, high-quality care for patients.

NASA Research Announcement Phase 1 Report and Phase 2 Proposal for the Development of a Power Assisted Space Suit Glove Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cadogan, Dave; Lingo, Bob

1996-01-01

In July of 1996, ILC Dover was awarded Phase 1 of a contract for NASA to develop a prototype Power Assisted Space Suit glove to enhance the performance of astronauts during Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). This report summarizes the work performed to date on Phase 1, and details the work to be conducted on Phase 2 of the program. Phase 1 of the program consisted of research and review of related technical sources, concept brainstorming, baseline design development, modeling and analysis, component mock-up testing, and test data analysis. ILC worked in conjunction with the University of Maryland's Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) to develop the power assisted glove. Phase 2 activities will focus on the design maturation and the manufacture of a working prototype system. The prototype will be tested and evaluated in conjunction with existing space suit glove technology to determine the performance enhancement anticipated with the implementation of the power assisted joint technology in space suit gloves.

The changing patterns of psychosocial exposures at work in the south of Europe: Spain as a labor market laboratory.

PubMed

Utzet, Mireia; Moncada, Salvador; Molinero, Emilia; Llorens, Clara; Moreno, Neus; Navarro, Albert

2014-09-01

To examine the pattern of psychosocial risk exposures at work among wage-earners in Spain in 2005 and 2010, and to analyze changes in exposure inequalities by gender and job category. Psychosocial exposures were compared using the COPSOQ-ISTAS21 method, based on two surveys representative of the Spanish wage-earning population (2005 and 2010). Statistical analysis was conducted using correspondence analysis. There was an increase in exposure to high Double Presence, low Social Support, high Work Pace, and high Insecurity about finding a job; and reduction in exposure to high Insecurity about losing a job, and to high Insecurity over worsening of employment conditions. A gender- and occupation-related gradient was maintained. Although this study analyzes wage-earner "survivors" after the outbreak of the current economic crisis, it shows a worsening of harmful exposures to some psychosocial risks. In a context of job destruction, concerns about worsening working conditions appear to be subordinate to insecurity about job loss. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Landing site rationality scaling for subsurface sampling on Mars—Case study for ExoMars Rover-like missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kereszturi, Akos

2012-11-01

Subsurface sampling will be important in the robotic exploration of Mars in the future, and this activity requires a somewhat different approach in landing site selection than earlier, surface analysis focused missions. In this work theoretical argumentation for the selection of ideal sites is summarized, including various parameters that were defined as examples for the earlier four candidate landing sites of Mars Science Laboratory. The aim here was to compare interesting sites; the decision on the final site does not affect this work. Analyzing the theoretical background, to identify ideal locations for subsurface analysis, several factors could be identified by remote sensing, including the dust and dune coverage, the cap layer distribution as well as the location of probable important outcrops. Beyond the fact that image based information on the rock hardness on Mars is lacking, more work would be also useful to put the interesting sites into global context and to understand the role of secondary cratering in age estimation. More laboratory work would be also necessary to improve our knowledge on the extraction and preservation of organic materials under different conditions. Beyond the theoretical argumentation mentioned above, the size and accessibility of possible important shallow subsurface materials were analyzed at the four earlier candidate landing sites of Mars Science Laboratory. At the sample terrains, interesting but inaccessible, interesting and sideward accessible, and interesting and from above accessible outcrops were identified. Surveying these outcrop types at the sample terrains, the currently available datasets showed only 3-9% of exposed strata over the entire analyzed area is present at Eberswalde and Holden crater, and individual outcrops have an average diameter between 100 and 400 m there. For Gale crater and Mawrth Valles region, these parameters were 46-35% of exposed strata, with an average outcrop diameter of ˜300 m. In the case of the first two sites smaller and elongated outcrops were present in larger number, while in the second group average sizes of outcrops were around 3000 m in diameter. The analysis suggests that for future missions aimed at subsurface sampling, different exploration strategies would be ideal at different terrains, and the target terrain's characteristics should be taken into account during the planning phase of the mission.

The use of computers to teach human anatomy and physiology to allied health and nursing students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, Valerie J.

Educational institutions are under tremendous pressure to adopt the newest technologies in order to prepare their students to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. For the last twenty years huge amounts of money have been spent on computers, printers, software, multimedia projection equipment, and so forth. A reasonable question is, "Has it worked?" Has this infusion of resources, financial as well as human, resulted in improved learning? Are the students meeting the intended learning goals? Any attempt to develop answers to these questions should include examining the intended goals and exploring the effects of the changes on students and faculty. This project investigated the impact of a specific application of a computer program in a community college setting on students' attitudes and understanding of human anatomy and physiology. In this investigation two sites of the same community college with seemingly similar students populations, seven miles apart, used different laboratory activities to teach human anatomy and physiology. At one site nursing students were taught using traditional dissections and laboratory activities; at the other site two of the dissections, specifically cat and sheep pluck, were replaced with the A.D.A.M.RTM (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine) computer program. Analysis of the attitude data indicated that students at both sites were extremely positive about their laboratory experiences. Analysis of the content data indicated a statistically significant difference in performance between the two sites in two of the eight content areas that were studied. For both topics the students using the computer program scored higher. A detailed analysis of the surveys, interviews with faculty and students, examination of laboratory materials, and observations of laboratory facilities in both sites, and cost-benefit analysis led to the development of seven recommendations. The recommendations call for action at the level of the institution requiring investment in additional resources, and at the level of the faculty requiring a commitment to exploration and reflective practice.

Assessment of working conditions in a modern Russian milk processing plant from the aspect of occupational medicine.

PubMed

Belova, L V; Mishkich, I A; Kresova, G A; Liubomudrova, T A

1999-03-01

Assessment of harmful industrial factors caused by work conditions in a modern milk processing plant. Work conditions, rest, nutrition, medical service, and subjective health indices among the employees in a new milk processing plant were studied. We used a specially formed questionnaire; instrumental measurements of microclimate parameters, noise, and illumination at workplace; laboratory physical and chemical evaluation of air pollution with aerosols and gases in the plant premises; chronometric studies determining the workers' activity during the working day location, and physical and psychological body exertion at the time of industrial activities; and assessment of design and operating documents of the plant. Laboratory studies included 157 workers, 1,724 tests, 26 chronometric studies, and analysis of 11 plant's documents. Unfavorable microclimatic conditions, noise, inadequate illumination, air pollution with dust and toxic substances, physical workload, increased demand for concentration, and monotony of labor in mass production professions were found. A great proportion of workers was dissatisfied with their working conditions and many suffered from occupational diseases and work-related diseases. The conditions of work in the studied milk processing plant may be classified as harmful and dangerous. The flaws in technological process, omissions in design and construction of the plant, as well as its improper exploitation aggravated industrial harmful factors. In combination with unsatisfactory organization of rest, nutrition, and medical services in the plant these factors may affect the workers' health and cause general and occupational diseases.

Intraoral laser welding: ultrastructural and mechanical analysis to compare laboratory laser and dental laser.

PubMed

Fornaini, Carlo; Passaretti, Francesca; Villa, Elena; Rocca, Jean-Paul; Merigo, Elisabetta; Vescovi, Paolo; Meleti, Marco; Manfredi, Maddalena; Nammour, Samir

2011-07-01

The Nd:YAG laser has been used since 1970 in dental laboratories to weld metals on dental prostheses. Recently in several clinical cases, we have suggested that the Nd:YAG laser device commonly utilized in the dental office could be used to repair broken fixed, removable and orthodontic prostheses and to weld metals directly in the mouth. The aim of this work was to evaluate, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the quality of the weld and its mechanical strength, comparing a device normally used in dental laboratory and a device normally used in the dental office for oral surgery, the same as that described for intraoral welding. Metal plates of a Co-Cr-Mo dental alloy and steel orthodontic wires were subjected to four welding procedures: welding without filler metal using the laboratory laser, welding with filler metal using the laboratory laser, welding without filler metal using the office laser, and welding with filler metal using the office laser. The welded materials were then analysed by SEM, EDS and DMA. SEM analysis did not show significant differences between the samples although the plates welded using the office laser without filler metal showed a greater number of fissures than the other samples. EDS microanalysis of the welding zone showed a homogeneous composition of the metals. Mechanical tests showed similar elastic behaviours of the samples, with minimal differences between the samples welded with the two devices. No wire broke even under the maximum force applied by the analyser. This study seems to demonstrate that the welds produced using the office Nd:YAG laser device and the laboratory Nd:YAG laser device, as analysed by SEM, EDS and DMA, showed minimal and nonsignificant differences, although these findings need to be confirmed using a greater number of samples.

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

Wiser, Ryan; Barbose, Galen; Heeter, Jenny

This analysis is the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the benefits and impacts of state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). This joint National Renewable Energy Laboratory-Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory project provides a retrospective analysis of RPS program benefits and impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions, air pollution emission reductions, water use reductions, gross jobs and economic development impacts, wholesale electricity price reduction impacts, and natural gas price reduction impacts. Wherever possible, benefits and impacts are quantified in monetary terms. The paper will inform state policymakers, RPS program administrators, industry, and others about the costs and benefits of state RPS programs. In particular,more » the work seeks to inform decision-making surrounding ongoing legislative proposals to scale back, freeze, or expand existing RPS programs, as well as future discussions about increasing RPS targets or otherwise increasing renewable energy associated with Clean Power Plan compliance or other emission-reduction goals.« less

Integrated optomechanical analysis and testing software development at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoeckel, Gerhard P.; Doyle, Keith B.

2013-09-01

Advanced analytical software capabilities are being developed to advance the design of prototypical hardware in the Engineering Division at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The current effort is focused on the integration of analysis tools tailored to the work flow, organizational structure, and current technology demands. These tools are being designed to provide superior insight into the interdisciplinary behavior of optical systems and enable rapid assessment and execution of design trades to optimize the design of optomechanical systems. The custom software architecture is designed to exploit and enhance the functionality of existing industry standard commercial software, provide a framework for centralizing internally developed tools, and deliver greater efficiency, productivity, and accuracy through standardization, automation, and integration. Specific efforts have included the development of a feature-rich software package for Structural-Thermal-Optical Performance (STOP) modeling, advanced Line Of Sight (LOS) jitter simulations, and improved integration of dynamic testing and structural modeling.

ENFIN--A European network for integrative systems biology.

PubMed

Kahlem, Pascal; Clegg, Andrew; Reisinger, Florian; Xenarios, Ioannis; Hermjakob, Henning; Orengo, Christine; Birney, Ewan

2009-11-01

Integration of biological data of various types and the development of adapted bioinformatics tools represent critical objectives to enable research at the systems level. The European Network of Excellence ENFIN is engaged in developing an adapted infrastructure to connect databases, and platforms to enable both the generation of new bioinformatics tools and the experimental validation of computational predictions. With the aim of bridging the gap existing between standard wet laboratories and bioinformatics, the ENFIN Network runs integrative research projects to bring the latest computational techniques to bear directly on questions dedicated to systems biology in the wet laboratory environment. The Network maintains internally close collaboration between experimental and computational research, enabling a permanent cycling of experimental validation and improvement of computational prediction methods. The computational work includes the development of a database infrastructure (EnCORE), bioinformatics analysis methods and a novel platform for protein function analysis FuncNet.

Application of LIBS and TMA for the determination of combustion predictive indices of coals and coal blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ctvrtnickova, T.; Mateo, M. P.; Yañez, A.; Nicolas, G.

2011-04-01

Presented work brings results of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis (TMA) of coals and coal blends used in coal fired power plants all over Spain. Several coal specimens, its blends and corresponding laboratory ash were analyzed by mentioned techniques and results were compared to standard laboratory methods. The indices of slagging, which predict the tendency of coal ash deposition on the boiler walls, were determined by means of standard chemical analysis, LIBS and TMA. The optimal coal suitable to be blended with the problematic national lignite coal was suggested in order to diminish the slagging problems. Used techniques were evaluated based on the precision, acquisition time, extension and quality of information they could provide. Finally, the applicability of LIBS and TMA to the successful calculation of slagging indices is discussed and their substitution of time-consuming and instrumentally difficult standard methods is considered.

Dockres: a computer program that analyzes the output of virtual screening of small molecules

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This paper describes a computer program named Dockres that is designed to analyze and summarize results of virtual screening of small molecules. The program is supplemented with utilities that support the screening process. Foremost among these utilities are scripts that run the virtual screening of a chemical library on a large number of processors in parallel. Methods Dockres and some of its supporting utilities are written Fortran-77; other utilities are written as C-shell scripts. They support the parallel execution of the screening. The current implementation of the program handles virtual screening with Autodock-3 and Autodock-4, but can be extended to work with the output of other programs. Results Analysis of virtual screening by Dockres led to both active and selective lead compounds. Conclusions Analysis of virtual screening was facilitated and enhanced by Dockres in both the authors' laboratories as well as laboratories elsewhere. PMID:20205801

The Investigation of Chlorates as a Possible Source of Oxygen and Chlorine Detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument in Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutter, B.; Archer, D. P.; Ming, D. W.; Niles, P. B.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Franz, H.; Glavin, D. P.; McAdam, A. C.; Mahaffy, P; Stern, J. C.;

Bootstrapping Methods Applied for Simulating Laboratory Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prodan, Augustin; Campean, Remus

2005-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this work is to implement bootstrapping methods into software tools, based on Java. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a category of software e-tools aimed at simulating laboratory works and experiments. Findings: Both students and teaching staff use traditional statistical methods to infer the truth from sample…

Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: time for a safer environment.

PubMed

Klein, Lloyd W; Miller, Donald L; Balter, Stephen; Laskey, Warren; Haines, David; Norbash, Alexander; Mauro, Matthew A; Goldstein, James A

2009-07-01

This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in the interventional laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks. Its purpose is to affirm that the interventional laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be acknowledged, better understood, and mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Vigorous efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards. Interventional physicians and their professional societies, working together with industry, should strive toward minimizing operator radiation exposure, eliminating the need for personal protective apparel, and ending the orthopedic and ergonomic consequences of the interventional laboratory work environment.

Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: time for a safer environment.

PubMed

Klein, Lloyd W; Miller, Donald L; Balter, Stephen; Laskey, Warren; Haines, David; Norbash, Alexander; Mauro, Matthew A; Goldstein, James A

2009-02-15

This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in the interventional laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks. Its purpose is to affirm that the interventional laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be acknowledged, better understood, and mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Vigorous efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards. Interventional physicians and their professional societies, working together with industry, should strive toward minimizing operator radiation exposure, eliminating the need for personal protective apparel, and ending the orthopedic and ergonomic consequences of the interventional laboratory work environment. Copyright SIR, 2009

Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: time for a safer environment.

PubMed

Klein, Lloyd W; Miller, Donald L; Balter, Stephen; Laskey, Warren; Haines, David; Norbash, Alexander; Mauro, Matthew A; Goldstein, James A

2009-02-01

This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in the interventional laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks. Its purpose is to affirm that the interventional laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be acknowledged, better understood, and mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Vigorous efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards. Interventional physicians and their professional societies, working together with industry, should strive toward minimizing operator radiation exposure, eliminating the need for personal protective apparel, and ending the orthopedic and ergonomic consequences of the interventional laboratory work environment.

Final Report - Few-Body Studies Using Electromagnetic Interactions

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

Norum, Blaine

The work discussed here is an extension of work previously funded by U.S. Department of Energy Grant DE-FG02-97ER41025. Measurements of charged pion photoproduction from deuterium using the Laser Electron Gamma Source (LEGS) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory previously made by us, as members of the LEGS Collaboration, resulted in the most interesting result of two decades of work. By measuring the production of a charged pion (π +) in coincidence with an emitted photon we observed structures in the residual two-nucleon system. These indicated the existence of rare, long-lived states not explicable by standard nuclear theory; they suggested a setmore » of configurations not explicable in terms of a nucleon-nucleon pair. The existence of such “exotic” structures has formed the foundation for most of the work that has ensued. Several measurements at various laboratories have supported, but not proved, the existence of these exotic states. The rarity of these states made their existence undetectable in most previous measurements. Only by observing characteristic signatures of such states (i.e., decay photons), by using very specific kinematics which isolate certain reaction products, or by measuring polarization-dependent observables. During the period of this grant we pursued and made progress on the development of experiments to be performed at the High Intensity Gamma Source (HIGS) of the Tri Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). Our understanding of photon- and electron-induced nuclear reactions depends on understanding of the basic electron and photon interaction. Recently, the issue of two-photon contributions has arisen in the context of deeply inelastic electron scattering. One way to address this is to measure asymmetries in the Bethe-Heitler ee process. We also made progress in developing the detectors required to measure these asymmetries at HIGS. During the last several years the apparent discrepancy between the size of the proton as measured using electrons and that as measured using muons has received a great deal of attention. Working with colleagues at the Jefferson Laboratory (JLAB) we showed that the apparent discrepancy was almost surely the result of mistakes in the statistical analysis of electron scattering data, that there is almost surely no discrepancy.« less

Ink dating using thermal desorption and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: comparison of results obtained in two laboratories.

PubMed

Koenig, Agnès; Bügler, Jürgen; Kirsch, Dieter; Köhler, Fritz; Weyermann, Céline

2015-01-01

An ink dating method based on solvent analysis was recently developed using thermal desorption followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and is currently implemented in several forensic laboratories. The main aims of this work were to implement this method in a new laboratory to evaluate whether results were comparable at three levels: (i) validation criteria, (ii) aging curves, and (iii) results interpretation. While the results were indeed comparable in terms of validation, the method proved to be very sensitive to maintenances. Moreover, the aging curves were influenced by ink composition, as well as storage conditions (particularly when the samples were not stored in "normal" room conditions). Finally, as current interpretation models showed limitations, an alternative model based on slope calculation was proposed. However, in the future, a probabilistic approach may represent a better solution to deal with ink sample inhomogeneity. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Science.

Simulations of Laboratory Astrophysics Experiments using the CRASH code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trantham, Matthew; Kuranz, Carolyn; Manuel, Mario; Keiter, Paul; Drake, R. P.

2014-10-01

Computer simulations can assist in the design and analysis of laboratory astrophysics experiments. The Center for Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics (CRASH) at the University of Michigan developed a code that has been used to design and analyze high-energy-density experiments on OMEGA, NIF, and other large laser facilities. This Eulerian code uses block-adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) with implicit multigroup radiation transport, electron heat conduction and laser ray tracing. This poster/talk will demonstrate some of the experiments the CRASH code has helped design or analyze including: Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Taylor, imploding bubbles, and interacting jet experiments. This work is funded by the Predictive Sciences Academic Alliances Program in NNSA-ASC via Grant DEFC52-08NA28616, by the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas, Grant Number DE-NA0001840, and by the National Laser User Facility Program, Grant Number DE-NA0000850.

Upper bound of pier scour in laboratory and field data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benedict, Stephen; Caldwell, Andral W.

2016-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted several field investigations of pier scour in South Carolina and used the data to develop envelope curves defining the upper bound of pier scour. To expand on this previous work, an additional cooperative investigation was initiated to combine the South Carolina data with pier scour data from other sources and to evaluate upper-bound relations with this larger data set. To facilitate this analysis, 569 laboratory and 1,858 field measurements of pier scour were compiled to form the 2014 USGS Pier Scour Database. This extensive database was used to develop an envelope curve for the potential maximum pier scour depth encompassing the laboratory and field data. The envelope curve provides a simple but useful tool for assessing the potential maximum pier scour depth for effective pier widths of about 30 ft or less.

Upper bound of abutment scour in laboratory and field data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benedict, Stephen

2016-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted a field investigation of abutment scour in South Carolina and used those data to develop envelope curves that define the upper bound of abutment scour. To expand on this previous work, an additional cooperative investigation was initiated to combine the South Carolina data with abutment scour data from other sources and evaluate upper bound patterns with this larger data set. To facilitate this analysis, 446 laboratory and 331 field measurements of abutment scour were compiled into a digital database. This extensive database was used to evaluate the South Carolina abutment scour envelope curves and to develop additional envelope curves that reflected the upper bound of abutment scour depth for the laboratory and field data. The envelope curves provide simple but useful supplementary tools for assessing the potential maximum abutment scour depth in the field setting.

Addressing information gaps in wild-caught foods in the US: Brook trout nutritional analysis for inclusion into the USDA national nutrient database for standard reference

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many species of wild game and fish that are legal to hunt or catch do not have nutrition information in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). Among those species that lack nutrition information are brook trout. The research team worked with the Nutrient Data Laboratory wit...

Environmental microbiology as related to planetary quarantine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pflug, I. J.

1974-01-01

Continued experimental work related to dry heat resistance of microorganisms. One phase of this research has been concerned with the viability and dry heat resistance of indigenous microflora associated with small soil particles. The second part of this report is an analysis of the present status of dry heat sterilization. An attempt is made to integrate results for both laboratory grown spores and spores in soil.

Translational Research for Muscular Dystrophy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

year of work was awarded to allow completion of our transgenic analysis of Becker -like muscular dystrophy rescue experiments, allow completion of the D2... Dystrophy PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Gregory A. Cox, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: The Jackson Laboratory Bar Harbor, ME 04609-1523...April 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Translational Research for Muscular Dystrophy 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-11-1-0330 5c

Alkaloid-Derived Thioureas in Asymmetric Organocatalysis: A Cooperative Learning Activity in a Project-Based Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monge, David

2015-01-01

An experiment carried out by advanced undergraduate students in a project-based laboratory course is described. Taking into account the positive effects of working in teams, which has been key for successful research in industry and academia, a cooperative learning experience in the laboratory was developed. Students working in teams of four…

9 CFR 97.1 - Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 97.1 Section 97.1 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT... laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 1 For designated ports of entry for certain animals...

9 CFR 97.1 - Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 97.1 Section 97.1 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT... laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 1 For designated ports of entry for certain animals...

9 CFR 97.1 - Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Overtime work at laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 97.1 Section 97.1 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT... laboratories, border ports, ocean ports, and airports. 1 1 For designated ports of entry for certain animals...

COED Transactions, Vol. XI, No. 7 & 8, July/August 1979. A Miniature Automated Warehouse: A Laboratory Teaching Device.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Eugene E., Ed.

A do-it-yourself laboratory course in automated systems designed at the University of Florida is described. Using a working model of a warehouse interfaced with a minicomputer as a working laboratory, the student gains hands-on experience in operations programing and applications of scheduling, materials handling, and heuristic optimization. (BT)

Training to Use the Scientific Method in a First-Year Physics Laboratory: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarasola, Ane; Rojas, Jose Félix; Okariz, Ana

2015-01-01

In this work, a specific implementation of a so-called experimental or open-ended laboratory is proposed and evaluated. Keeping in mind the scheduling limitations imposed by the context, first-year engineering physics laboratory practices have been revised in order to facilitate acquisition of the skills that are required in the experimental work.…

Bartus Iris biometrics

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

Johnston, R.; Grace, W.

1996-07-01

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). We won a 1994 R&D 100 Award for inventing the Bartas Iris Verification System. The system has been delivered to a sponsor and is no longer available to us. This technology can verify the identity of a person for purposes of access control, national security, law enforcement, forensics, counter-terrorism, and medical, financial, or scholastic records. The technique is non-invasive, psychologically acceptable, works in real-time, and obtains more biometric data than any other biometric except DNA analysis. This project soughtmore » to develop a new, second-generation prototype instrument.« less

The breaking load method - Results and statistical modification from the ASTM interlaboratory test program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colvin, E. L.; Emptage, M. R.

1992-01-01

The breaking load test provides quantitative stress corrosion cracking data by determining the residual strength of tension specimens that have been exposed to corrosive environments. Eight laboratories have participated in a cooperative test program under the auspices of ASTM Committee G-1 to evaluate the new test method. All eight laboratories were able to distinguish between three tempers of aluminum alloy 7075. The statistical analysis procedures that were used in the test program do not work well in all situations. An alternative procedure using Box-Cox transformations shows a great deal of promise. An ASTM standard method has been drafted which incorporates the Box-Cox procedure.

Bayesian Techniques for Plasma Theory to Bridge the Gap Between Space and Lab Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crabtree, Chris; Ganguli, Gurudas; Tejero, Erik

2017-10-01

We will show how Bayesian techniques provide a general data analysis methodology that is better suited to investigate phenomena that require a nonlinear theory for an explanation. We will provide short examples of how Bayesian techniques have been successfully used in the radiation belts to provide precise nonlinear spectral estimates of whistler mode chorus and how these techniques have been verified in laboratory plasmas. We will demonstrate how Bayesian techniques allow for the direct competition of different physical theories with data acting as the necessary arbitrator. This work is supported by the Naval Research Laboratory base program and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant No. NNH15AZ90I.

Simulations of Laboratory Astrophysics Experiments using the CRASH code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trantham, Matthew; Kuranz, Carolyn; Fein, Jeff; Wan, Willow; Young, Rachel; Keiter, Paul; Drake, R. Paul

2015-11-01

Computer simulations can assist in the design and analysis of laboratory astrophysics experiments. The Center for Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics (CRASH) at the University of Michigan developed a code that has been used to design and analyze high-energy-density experiments on OMEGA, NIF, and other large laser facilities. This Eulerian code uses block-adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) with implicit multigroup radiation transport, electron heat conduction and laser ray tracing. This poster will demonstrate some of the experiments the CRASH code has helped design or analyze including: Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Taylor, magnetized flows, jets, and laser-produced plasmas. This work is funded by the following grants: DEFC52-08NA28616, DE-NA0001840, and DE-NA0002032.

Improvement of capabilities of the Distributed Electrochemistry Modeling Tool for investigating SOFC long term performance

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

Gonzalez Galdamez, Rinaldo A.; Recknagle, Kurtis P.

2012-04-30

This report provides an overview of the work performed for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) modeling during the 2012 Winter/Spring Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). A brief introduction on the concept, operation basics and applications of fuel cells is given for the general audience. Further details are given regarding the modifications and improvements of the Distributed Electrochemistry (DEC) Modeling tool developed by PNNL engineers to model SOFC long term performance. Within this analysis, a literature review on anode degradation mechanisms is explained and future plans of implementing these into the DEC modeling tool are alsomore » proposed.« less

Multi-Year Analysis Examines Costs, Benefits, and Impacts of Renewable Portfolio Standards

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

As states consider revising renewable portfolio standard (RPS) programs or developing new ones, careful assessments of the costs, benefits, and other impacts of existing policies will be critical. RPS programs currently exist in 29 states and Washington, D.C. Many of these policies, which were enacted largely during the late 1990s and 2000s, will reach their terminal targets by the end of this decade. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) are engaged in a multi-year project to examine the costs, benefits, and other impacts of state RPS polices both retrospectively and prospectively. This fact sheetmore » overviews this work.« less

Multi-way chemometric methodologies and applications: a central summary of our research work.

PubMed

Wu, Hai-Long; Nie, Jin-Fang; Yu, Yong-Jie; Yu, Ru-Qin

2009-09-14

Multi-way data analysis and tensorial calibration are gaining widespread acceptance with the rapid development of modern analytical instruments. In recent years, our group working in State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics in Hunan University has carried out exhaustive scientific research work in this area, such as building more canonical symbol systems, seeking the inner mathematical cyclic symmetry property for trilinear or multilinear decomposition, suggesting a series of multi-way calibration algorithms, exploring the rank estimation of three-way trilinear data array and analyzing different application systems. In this present paper, an overview from second-order data to third-order data covering about theories and applications in analytical chemistry has been presented.

40 CFR 141.705 - Approved laboratories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Cryptosporidium analysis by an equivalent State laboratory certification program. (b) E. coli. Any laboratory... coliform or fecal coliform analysis under § 141.74 is approved for E. coli analysis under this subpart when the laboratory uses the same technique for E. coli that the laboratory uses for § 141.74. (c...

40 CFR 141.705 - Approved laboratories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Cryptosporidium analysis by an equivalent State laboratory certification program. (b) E. coli. Any laboratory... coliform or fecal coliform analysis under § 141.74 is approved for E. coli analysis under this subpart when the laboratory uses the same technique for E. coli that the laboratory uses for § 141.74. (c...

40 CFR 141.705 - Approved laboratories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Cryptosporidium analysis by an equivalent State laboratory certification program. (b) E. coli. Any laboratory... coliform or fecal coliform analysis under § 141.74 is approved for E. coli analysis under this subpart when the laboratory uses the same technique for E. coli that the laboratory uses for § 141.74. (c...

40 CFR 141.705 - Approved laboratories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Cryptosporidium analysis by an equivalent State laboratory certification program. (b) E. coli. Any laboratory... coliform or fecal coliform analysis under § 141.74 is approved for E. coli analysis under this subpart when the laboratory uses the same technique for E. coli that the laboratory uses for § 141.74. (c...

40 CFR 141.705 - Approved laboratories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Cryptosporidium analysis by an equivalent State laboratory certification program. (b) E. coli. Any laboratory... coliform or fecal coliform analysis under § 141.74 is approved for E. coli analysis under this subpart when the laboratory uses the same technique for E. coli that the laboratory uses for § 141.74. (c...

A Different Laboratory Tale: Fifty Years of Mössbauer Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westfall, Catherine

2006-05-01

I explore the fifty-year development of Mössbauer spectroscopy by focusing on three episodes in its development at Argonne National Laboratory: work by nuclear physicists using radioactive sources in the early 1960s, work by solid-state physicists using radioactive resources from the mid- 1960s through the 1970s,and work by solid-state physicists using the Advanced Photon Source from the 1980s to 2005. These episodes show how knowledge about the properties of matter was produced in a national-laboratory context and highlights the web of connections that allow nationallaboratory scientists working at a variety of scales to produce both technological and scientific innovations.

NASA Contractor Report: Guidelines for Proof Test Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chell, G. G.; McClung, R. C.; Kuhlman, C. J.; Russell, D. A.; Garr, K.; Donnelly, B.

1997-01-01

These Guidelines integrate state-of-the-art Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics (EPFM) and proof test implementation issues into a comprehensive proof test analysis procedure in the form of a Road Map which identifies the types of data, fracture mechanics based parameters, and calculations needed to perform flaw screening and minimum proof load analyses of fracture critical components. Worked examples are presented to illustrate the application of the Road Map to proof test analysis. The state-of-the-art fracture technology employed in these Guidelines is based on the EPFM parameter, J, and a pictorial representation of a J fracture analysis, called the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) approach. The recommended fracture technology is validated using finite element J results, and laboratory and hardware fracture test results on the nickel-based superalloy IN-718, the aluminum alloy 2024-T351 1, and ferritic pressure vessel steels. In all cases the laboratory specimens and hardware failed by ductile mechanisms. Advanced proof test analyses involving probability analysis and Multiple Cycle Proof Testing (MCPT) are addressed. Finally, recommendations are provided on to how to account for the effects of the proof test overload on subsequent service fatigue and fracture behaviors.

IFDOTMETER: A New Software Application for Automated Immunofluorescence Analysis.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Arribas, Mario; Pizarro-Estrella, Elisa; Gómez-Sánchez, Rubén; Yakhine-Diop, S M S; Gragera-Hidalgo, Antonio; Cristo, Alejandro; Bravo-San Pedro, Jose M; González-Polo, Rosa A; Fuentes, José M

2016-04-01

Most laboratories interested in autophagy use different imaging software for managing and analyzing heterogeneous parameters in immunofluorescence experiments (e.g., LC3-puncta quantification and determination of the number and size of lysosomes). One solution would be software that works on a user's laptop or workstation that can access all image settings and provide quick and easy-to-use analysis of data. Thus, we have designed and implemented an application called IFDOTMETER, which can run on all major operating systems because it has been programmed using JAVA (Sun Microsystems). Briefly, IFDOTMETER software has been created to quantify a variety of biological hallmarks, including mitochondrial morphology and nuclear condensation. The program interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it useful for users not familiar with computer handling. By setting previously defined parameters, the software can automatically analyze a large number of images without the supervision of the researcher. Once analysis is complete, the results are stored in a spreadsheet. Using software for high-throughput cell image analysis offers researchers the possibility of performing comprehensive and precise analysis of a high number of images in an automated manner, making this routine task easier. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

The impact of collaborative groups versus individuals in undergraduate inquiry-based astronomy laboratory learning exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibbernsen, Kendra J.

One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However, recent research has shown that learners in traditional undergraduate science laboratory environments are not developing a sufficiently meaningful understanding of scientific inquiry. Recently, astronomy laboratory activities have been developed that intentionally scaffold a student from guided activities to open inquiry ones and preliminary results show that these laboratories are successful for supporting students to understand the nature of scientific inquiry (Slater, S., Slater, T. F., & Shaner, 2008). This mixed-method quasi-experimental study was designed to determine how students in an undergraduate astronomy laboratory increase their understanding of inquiry working in relative isolation compared to working in small collaborative learning groups. The introductory astronomy laboratory students in the study generally increased their understanding of scientific inquiry over the course of the semester and this held true similarly for students working in groups and students working individually in the laboratories. This was determined by the examining the change in responses from the pretest to the posttest administration of the Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI) survey, the increase in scores on laboratory exercises, and observations from the instructor. Because the study was successful in determining that individuals in the astronomy laboratory do as well at understanding inquiry as those who complete their exercises in small groups, it would be appropriate to offer these inquiry-based exercises in an online format.

Kuipers works at the MSG in the U.S. Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-16

ISS030-E-032779 (16 Jan. 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, works at the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

Portable Device Analyzes Rocks and Minerals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

inXitu Inc., of Mountain View, California, entered into a Phase II SBIR contract with Ames Research Center to develop technologies for the next generation of scientific instruments for materials analysis. The work resulted in a sample handling system that could find a wide range of applications in research and industrial laboratories as a means to load powdered samples for analysis or process control. Potential industries include chemical, cement, inks, pharmaceutical, ceramics, and forensics. Additional applications include characterizing materials that cannot be ground to a fine size, such as explosives and research pharmaceuticals.

The workload book: Assessment of operator workload to engineering systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopher, D.

1983-01-01

The structure and initial work performed toward the creation of a handbook for workload analysis directed at the operational community of engineers and human factors psychologists are described. The goal, when complete, will be to make accessible to such individuals the results of theoretically-based research that are of practical interest and utility in the analysis and prediction of operator workload in advanced and existing systems. In addition, the results of laboratory study focused on the development of a subjective rating technique for workload that is based on psychophysical scaling techniques are described.

Current Results and Proposed Activities in Microgravity Fluid Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polezhaev, V. I.

1996-01-01

The Institute for Problems in Mechanics' Laboratory work in mathematical and physical modelling of fluid mechanics develops models, methods, and software for analysis of fluid flow, instability analysis, direct numerical modelling and semi-empirical models of turbulence, as well as experimental research and verification of these models and their applications in technological fluid dynamics, microgravity fluid mechanics, geophysics, and a number of engineering problems. This paper presents an overview of the results in microgravity fluid dynamics research during the last two years. Nonlinear problems of weakly compressible and compressible fluid flows are discussed.

Working Towards Net Zero Energy at Fort Irwin, CA

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

capacity factor for the solar photovoltaic analysis was based on simu- lations conducted by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for Las Vegas, NV...kWhAC/kWhDC) x 8760 hrs = 5240 kWhAC/yr Savings for annual electricity savings are: 5240 kWh x 8.3 cents/kWh = $435/yr The capacity factor for the...43,668 kWh/yr Annual electricity savings are: 43,668 kWh x 8.3 cents/kWh = $3624/yr The capacity factor for the solar photovoltaic analysis was

A Remote Laboratory Platform for Electrical Drive Control Using Programmable Logic Controllers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrater-Simon, C.; Molas-Balada, L.; Gomis-Bellmunt, O.; Lorenzo-Martinez, N.; Bayo-Puxan, O.; Villafafila-Robles, R.

2009-01-01

Many teaching institutions worldwide are working on distance learning applications. In this field, remote laboratories are enabling intensive use of university facilities, while aiding the work of professors and students. The present paper introduces a platform designed to be used in industrial automation practical work. The platform is…

Community Laboratory in Political Science. Profiles of Promise 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bilek, Robert; Haley, Frances

The Community Laboratory in Political Science (CLIPS) is a unique combination of American government and exploratory work experience. Each semester 16 seniors from four high schools in Salinas work in community agencies and receive credit for both government and work experience. The major objective of the program is to provide students with…

7 CFR 57.960 - Small importations for consignee's personal use, display, or laboratory analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., display, or laboratory analysis. 57.960 Section 57.960 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of..., display, or laboratory analysis. Any eggs that are offered for importation, exclusively for the consignee's personal use, display, or laboratory analysis, and not for sale or distribution; which is sound...

Software validation applied to spreadsheets used in laboratories working under ISO/IEC 17025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banegas, J. M.; Orué, M. W.

2016-07-01

Several documents deal with software validation. Nevertheless, more are too complex to be applied to validate spreadsheets - surely the most used software in laboratories working under ISO/IEC 17025. The method proposed in this work is intended to be directly applied to validate spreadsheets. It includes a systematic way to document requirements, operational aspects regarding to validation, and a simple method to keep records of validation results and modifications history. This method is actually being used in an accredited calibration laboratory, showing to be practical and efficient.

[Cellular transplantation laboratory: a new field of action for nurses].

PubMed

Corradi, Maria Inês; da Silva, Sandra Honorato

2008-01-01

This article presents the experience of a nurse at a cellular transplantation laboratory. This laboratory goal is to isolate insulin producing cells for human transplantation. The nurse, as a member of an interdisciplinary team, took part in the planning of all work processes: working procedures and team training. The main activities under the nurse responsibilities include contamination control, on-the-job training and evaluation of the Quality of the procedures developed by the interdisciplinary team. Results have shown the effectiveness of the nurses' work in this new field.

Artificial Intelligence Research Branch future plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Helen (Editor)

1992-01-01

This report contains information on the activities of the Artificial Intelligence Research Branch (FIA) at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in 1992, as well as planned work in 1993. These activities span a range from basic scientific research through engineering development to fielded NASA applications, particularly those applications that are enabled by basic research carried out in FIA. Work is conducted in-house and through collaborative partners in academia and industry. All of our work has research themes with a dual commitment to technical excellence and applicability to NASA short, medium, and long-term problems. FIA acts as the Agency's lead organization for research aspects of artificial intelligence, working closely with a second research laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and AI applications groups throughout all NASA centers. This report is organized along three major research themes: (1) Planning and Scheduling: deciding on a sequence of actions to achieve a set of complex goals and determining when to execute those actions and how to allocate resources to carry them out; (2) Machine Learning: techniques for forming theories about natural and man-made phenomena; and for improving the problem-solving performance of computational systems over time; and (3) Research on the acquisition, representation, and utilization of knowledge in support of diagnosis design of engineered systems and analysis of actual systems.

A ten-week biochemistry lab project studying wild-type and mutant bacterial alkaline phosphatase.

PubMed

Witherow, D Scott

2016-11-12

This work describes a 10-week laboratory project studying wild-type and mutant bacterial alkaline phosphatase, in which students purify, quantitate, and perform kinetic assays on wild-type and selected mutants of the enzyme. Students also perform plasmid DNA purification, digestion, and gel analysis. In addition to simply learning important techniques, students acquire novel biochemical data in their kinetic analysis of mutant enzymes. The experiments are designed to build on students' work from week to week in a way that requires them to apply quantitative analysis and reasoning skills, reinforcing traditional textbook biochemical concepts. Students are assessed through lab reports focused on journal style writing, quantitative and conceptual question sheets, and traditional exams. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):555-564, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Classification of Peronospora infected grapevine leaves with the use of hyperspectral imaging analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serranti, S.; Bonifazi, G.; Luciani, V.; D'Aniello, L.

2017-05-01

The present work explores the possible utilization of hyperspectral devices, following a proximity based approach, for the diagnosis of Peronospora infection in the vineyards. It compares the performance of two hyperspectral cameras, characterized by different spectral acquisition ranges, in the identification of different levels of infection as detectable from the analysis of the leaf surface. For this purpose, healthy grapevine leaves and leaves affected by a different grade of Peronospora infection have been acquired in laboratory conditions using two different sensing devices: a Specim Imspector V10™ and a Specim Spectral Camera N17™ working in the region between 400-1000 nm and 1000-1700 nm, respectively. A Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model has been built to perform the classification of healthy, infected and necrotic leaves.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-05-01

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

UNCERTAINTY ON RADIATION DOSES ESTIMATED BY BIOLOGICAL AND RETROSPECTIVE PHYSICAL METHODS.

PubMed

Ainsbury, Elizabeth A; Samaga, Daniel; Della Monaca, Sara; Marrale, Maurizio; Bassinet, Celine; Burbidge, Christopher I; Correcher, Virgilio; Discher, Michael; Eakins, Jon; Fattibene, Paola; Güçlü, Inci; Higueras, Manuel; Lund, Eva; Maltar-Strmecki, Nadica; McKeever, Stephen; Rääf, Christopher L; Sholom, Sergey; Veronese, Ivan; Wieser, Albrecht; Woda, Clemens; Trompier, Francois

2018-03-01

Biological and physical retrospective dosimetry are recognised as key techniques to provide individual estimates of dose following unplanned exposures to ionising radiation. Whilst there has been a relatively large amount of recent development in the biological and physical procedures, development of statistical analysis techniques has failed to keep pace. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of the art in uncertainty analysis techniques across the 'EURADOS Working Group 10-Retrospective dosimetry' members, to give concrete examples of implementation of the techniques recommended in the international standards, and to further promote the use of Monte Carlo techniques to support characterisation of uncertainties. It is concluded that sufficient techniques are available and in use by most laboratories for acute, whole body exposures to highly penetrating radiation, but further work will be required to ensure that statistical analysis is always wholly sufficient for the more complex exposure scenarios.

The quality of laboratory aspects of troponin testing in clinical practice guidelines and consensus documents needs to be improved.

PubMed

Aakre, Kristin M; Langlois, Michel R; Barth, Julian H; Misra, Shivani; Watine, Joseph; Oosterhuis, Wytze P

2014-11-01

The European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) and the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) joint Working Group on guidelines recently proposed a checklist to help standardize the description of laboratory investigations in clinical practice guidelines (CPG). Nine CPGs or consensus documents published from 2011 to 2013 describing the investigation of chest pain, diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, or myocardial infarction were evaluated against the published checklist. Clinical use of troponin analysis are commonly dealt with but the publications present variable, vague and sometimes conflicting information regarding this laboratory test being very much relied on upon making a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Most of the laboratory related checklist items are not considered or need to be updated e.g. suggested analytical quality goals are not applicable for the high sensitive assays and important interferences that may lead to false positive or negative diagnoses are commonly not mentioned. The current paper sums up important analytical and biological issues related to troponin assays and gives suggestions for analytical quality goals that could be included in CPG's. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Forsterite and Enstatite Shock Temperatures: Implications for Planetary Impact Melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Erik; Root, Seth; Kraus, Rick; Spaulding, Dylan; Stewart, Sarah; Jacobsen, Stein; Mattsson, Thomas; Lemke, Ray

2017-06-01

We present experimental results on enstatite and forsterite to probe extreme conditions in the laboratory in order to examine melting and vaporization of rocky planet mantles upon shock and release. Flyer plate impact experiments are carried out on the Z-Machine at Sandia National Laboratory. Planar, supported shock waves are generated in single crystal samples, permitting observation of both compressed and released states. Shock velocity of the sample is measured using laser interferometry, and the pressure and particle velocity are derived through impedance matching to the aluminum flyer. Temperature of the shocked state is measured with a streaked visible spectrum and calibrated with a quartz standard, mounted downrange from the sample. Preliminary analysis shows that current equation of state models underestimate the entropy gain, which suggests that for shock pressures above 250 GPa, a higher degree of impact vaporization will be reached. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Extreme Performance Scalable Operating Systems Final Progress Report (July 1, 2008 - October 31, 2011)

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

Malony, Allen D; Shende, Sameer

This is the final progress report for the FastOS (Phase 2) (FastOS-2) project with Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Oregon (UO). The project started at UO on July 1, 2008 and ran until April 30, 2010, at which time a six-month no-cost extension began. The FastOS-2 work at UO delivered excellent results in all research work areas: * scalable parallel monitoring * kernel-level performance measurement * parallel I/0 system measurement * large-scale and hybrid application performance measurement * onlne scalable performance data reduction and analysis * binary instrumentation

Continued Development of a Precision Cryogenic Dilatometer for the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karlmann, Paul B.; Dudik, Matthew J.; Halverson, Peter G.; Levine, Marie; Marcin, Martin; Peters, Robert D.; Shaklan, Stuart; VanBuren, David

2004-01-01

As part of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) materials working group, a novel cryogenic dilatometer was designed and built at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help address stringent coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) knowledge requirements. Previously reported results and error analysis have estimated a CTE measurement accuracy for ULE of 1.7 ppb/K with a 20K thermal load and 0.1 ppb/K with a 280K thermal load. Presented here is a further discussion of the cryogenic dilatometer system and a description of recent work including system modifications and investigations.

The Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in Earth and planetary science, by conducting innovative research using space technology. The Laboratory's mission and activities support the work and new initiatives at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The Laboratory's success contributes to the Earth Science Directorate as a national resource for studies of Earth from Space. The Laboratory is part of the Earth Science Directorate based at the GSFC in Greenbelt, MD. The Directorate itself is comprised of the Global Change Data Center (GCDC), the Space Data and Computing Division (SDCD), and four science Laboratories, including Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics, Laboratory for Atmospheres, and Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes all in Greenbelt, MD. The fourth research organization, Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), is in New York, NY. Relevant to NASA's Strategic Plan, the Laboratory ensures that all work undertaken and completed is within the vision of GSFC. The philosophy of the Laboratory is to balance the completion of near term goals, while building on the Laboratory's achievements as a foundation for the scientific challenges in the future.

Workers’ Exposure to Nano-Objects with Different Dimensionalities in R&D Laboratories: Measurement Strategy and Field Studies

PubMed Central

Boccuni, Fabio; Ferrante, Riccardo; Tombolini, Francesca; Lega, Daniela; Antonini, Alessandra; Alvino, Antonello; Pingue, Pasqualantonio; Beltram, Fabio; Sorba, Lucia; Piazza, Vincenzo; Gemmi, Mauro; Porcari, Andrea; Iavicoli, Sergio

2018-01-01

With the increasing interest in the potential benefits of nanotechnologies, concern is still growing that they may present emerging risks for workers. Various strategies have been developed to assess the exposure to nano-objects and their agglomerates and aggregates (NOAA) in the workplace, integrating different aerosol measurement instruments and taking into account multiple parameters that may influence NOAA toxicity. The present study proposes a multi-metric approach for measuring and sampling NOAA in the workplace, applied to three case studies in laboratories each dedicated to materials with different shapes and dimensionalities: graphene, nanowires, and nanoparticles. The study is part of a larger project with the aim of improving risk management tools in nanomaterials research laboratories. The harmonized methodology proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been applied, including information gathering about materials and processes, measurements with easy-to-use and hand-held real-time devices, air sampling with personal samplers, and off-line analysis using scanning electron microscopy. Significant values beyond which an emission can be attributed to the NOAA production process were identified by comparison of the particle number concentration (PNC) time series and the corresponding background levels in the three laboratories. We explored the relations between background PNC and microclimatic parameters. Morphological and elemental analysis of sampled filters was done to identify possible emission sources of NOAA during the production processes: rare particles, spherical, with average diameter similar to the produced NOAA were identified in the nanoparticles laboratory, so further investigation is recommended to confirm the potential for worker exposure. In conclusion, the information obtained should provide a valuable basis for improving risk management strategies in the laboratory at work. PMID:29364852

Workers' Exposure to Nano-Objects with Different Dimensionalities in R&D Laboratories: Measurement Strategy and Field Studies.

PubMed

Boccuni, Fabio; Ferrante, Riccardo; Tombolini, Francesca; Lega, Daniela; Antonini, Alessandra; Alvino, Antonello; Pingue, Pasqualantonio; Beltram, Fabio; Sorba, Lucia; Piazza, Vincenzo; Gemmi, Mauro; Porcari, Andrea; Iavicoli, Sergio

2018-01-24

With the increasing interest in the potential benefits of nanotechnologies, concern is still growing that they may present emerging risks for workers. Various strategies have been developed to assess the exposure to nano-objects and their agglomerates and aggregates (NOAA) in the workplace, integrating different aerosol measurement instruments and taking into account multiple parameters that may influence NOAA toxicity. The present study proposes a multi-metric approach for measuring and sampling NOAA in the workplace, applied to three case studies in laboratories each dedicated to materials with different shapes and dimensionalities: graphene, nanowires, and nanoparticles. The study is part of a larger project with the aim of improving risk management tools in nanomaterials research laboratories. The harmonized methodology proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been applied, including information gathering about materials and processes, measurements with easy-to-use and hand-held real-time devices, air sampling with personal samplers, and off-line analysis using scanning electron microscopy. Significant values beyond which an emission can be attributed to the NOAA production process were identified by comparison of the particle number concentration (PNC) time series and the corresponding background levels in the three laboratories. We explored the relations between background PNC and microclimatic parameters. Morphological and elemental analysis of sampled filters was done to identify possible emission sources of NOAA during the production processes: rare particles, spherical, with average diameter similar to the produced NOAA were identified in the nanoparticles laboratory, so further investigation is recommended to confirm the potential for worker exposure. In conclusion, the information obtained should provide a valuable basis for improving risk management strategies in the laboratory at work.

Addressing the key communication barriers between microbiology laboratories and clinical units: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Skodvin, Brita; Aase, Karina; Brekken, Anita Løvås; Charani, Esmita; Lindemann, Paul Christoffer; Smith, Ingrid

2017-09-01

Many countries are on the brink of establishing antibiotic stewardship programmes in hospitals nationwide. In a previous study we found that communication between microbiology laboratories and clinical units is a barrier to implementing efficient antibiotic stewardship programmes in Norway. We have now addressed the key communication barriers between microbiology laboratories and clinical units from a laboratory point of view. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 employees (managers, doctors and technicians) from six diverse Norwegian microbiological laboratories, representing all four regional health authorities. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was applied, identifying emergent themes, subthemes and corresponding descriptions. The main barrier to communication is disruption involving specimen logistics, information on request forms, verbal reporting of test results and information transfer between poorly integrated IT systems. Furthermore, communication is challenged by lack of insight into each other's area of expertise and limited provision of laboratory services, leading to prolonged turnaround time, limited advisory services and restricted opening hours. Communication between microbiology laboratories and clinical units can be improved by a review of testing processes, educational programmes to increase insights into the other's area of expertise, an evaluation of work tasks and expansion of rapid and point-of-care test services. Antibiotic stewardship programmes may serve as a valuable framework to establish these measures. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Addressing the key communication barriers between microbiology laboratories and clinical units: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Skodvin, Brita; Aase, Karina; Brekken, Anita Løvås; Charani, Esmita; Lindemann, Paul Christoffer; Smith, Ingrid

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Many countries are on the brink of establishing antibiotic stewardship programmes in hospitals nationwide. In a previous study we found that communication between microbiology laboratories and clinical units is a barrier to implementing efficient antibiotic stewardship programmes in Norway. We have now addressed the key communication barriers between microbiology laboratories and clinical units from a laboratory point of view. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 employees (managers, doctors and technicians) from six diverse Norwegian microbiological laboratories, representing all four regional health authorities. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was applied, identifying emergent themes, subthemes and corresponding descriptions. Results The main barrier to communication is disruption involving specimen logistics, information on request forms, verbal reporting of test results and information transfer between poorly integrated IT systems. Furthermore, communication is challenged by lack of insight into each other’s area of expertise and limited provision of laboratory services, leading to prolonged turnaround time, limited advisory services and restricted opening hours. Conclusions Communication between microbiology laboratories and clinical units can be improved by a review of testing processes, educational programmes to increase insights into the other’s area of expertise, an evaluation of work tasks and expansion of rapid and point-of-care test services. Antibiotic stewardship programmes may serve as a valuable framework to establish these measures. PMID:28633405

Project Management Plan for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Experimental Test Program

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

Connolly, M.J.; Sayer, D.L.

1993-11-01

EG&G Idaho, Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) are participating in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory`s (INEL`s) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program (WETP). The purpose of the INEL WET is to provide chemical, physical, and radiochemical data on transuranic (TRU) waste to be stored at WIPP. The waste characterization data collected will be used to support the WIPP Performance Assessment (PA), development of the disposal No-Migration Variance Petition (NMVP), and to support the WIPP disposal decision. The PA is an analysis required by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Part 191 (40 CFR 191), whichmore » identifies the processes and events that may affect the disposal system (WIPP) and examines the effects of those processes and events on the performance of WIPP. A NMVP is required for the WIPP by 40 CFR 268 in order to dispose of land disposal restriction (LDR) mixed TRU waste in WIPP. It is anticipated that the detailed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste characterization data of all INEL retrievably-stored TRU waste to be stored in WIPP will be required for the NMVP. Waste characterization requirements for PA and RCRA may not necessarily be identical. Waste characterization requirements for the PA will be defined by Sandia National Laboratories. The requirements for RCRA are defined in 40 CFR 268, WIPP RCRA Part B Application Waste Analysis Plan (WAP), and WIPP Waste Characterization Program Plan (WWCP). This Project Management Plan (PMP) addresses only the characterization of the contact handled (CH) TRU waste at the INEL. This document will address all work in which EG&G Idaho is responsible concerning the INEL WETP. Even though EG&G Idaho has no responsibility for the work that ANL-W is performing, EG&G Idaho will keep a current status and provide a project coordination effort with ANL-W to ensure that the INEL, as a whole, is effectively and efficiently completing the requirements for WETP.« less

Restoration and PDS Archive of Apollo Lunar Rock Sample Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, P. A.; Todd, N. S.; Lofgren, G. E.; Stefanov, W. L.; Runco, S. K.; LaBasse, D.; Gaddis, L. R.

2011-01-01

In 2008, scientists at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Lunar Sample Laboratory and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory (under the auspices of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate or ARES) began work on a 4-year project to digitize the original film negatives of Apollo Lunar Rock Sample photographs. These rock samples together with lunar regolith and core samples were collected as part of the lander missions for Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. The original film negatives are stored at JSC under cryogenic conditions. This effort is data restoration in the truest sense. The images represent the only record available to scientists which allows them to view the rock samples when making a sample request. As the negatives are being scanned, they are also being formatted and documented for permanent archive in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) archive. The ARES group is working collaboratively with the Imaging Node of the PDS on the archiving.

Lunar Receiving Laboratory Project History

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mangus, Susan; Larsen, William

2004-01-01

As early as 1959, the Working Group on Lunar Exploration within NASA advocated that 'one of the prime objectives of the first lunar landing mission should be the collection of samples for return to Earth, where they could be subjected to detailed study and analysis.' Within NASA, neither this group nor any other scientists working with the Agency were concerned about back contamination issues. Outside of NASA, back contamination concerns had been raised as early as 1960. Although NASA did not seem to pay any attention to the concerns at that time, the scientific community continued to be interested in the topic. In 1962 and again in 1963, as the Apollo Program loomed large, further discussions were held. These early discussions of back contamination did not make their way into NASA's administration, however, and when Manned Spacecraft Center personnel began to articulate early concepts for the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL), the back contamination issue was not considered. Once this concern became a major focus, however, the LRL's development became increasingly complex. This is the history of that development.

Assessment of Collaboration and Interoperability in an Information Management System to Support Bioscience Research

PubMed Central

Myneni, Sahiti; Patel, Vimla L.

2009-01-01

Biomedical researchers often have to work on massive, detailed, and heterogeneous datasets that raise new challenges of information management. This study reports an investigation into the nature of the problems faced by the researchers in two bioscience test laboratories when dealing with their data management applications. Data were collected using ethnographic observations, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The major problems identified in working with these systems were related to data organization, publications, and collaboration. The interoperability standards were analyzed using a C4I framework at the level of connection, communication, consolidation, and collaboration. Such an analysis was found to be useful in judging the capabilities of data management systems at different levels of technological competency. While collaboration and system interoperability are the “must have” attributes of these biomedical scientific laboratory information management applications, usability and human interoperability are the other design concerns that must also be addressed for easy use and implementation. PMID:20351900

Laboratory or Field Tests for Evaluating Firefighters' Work Capacity?

PubMed Central

Lindberg, Ann-Sofie; Oksa, Juha; Malm, Christer

2014-01-01

Muscle strength is important for firefighters work capacity. Laboratory tests used for measurements of muscle strength, however, are complicated, expensive and time consuming. The aims of the present study were to investigate correlations between physical capacity within commonly occurring and physically demanding firefighting work tasks and both laboratory and field tests in full time (N = 8) and part-time (N = 10) male firefighters and civilian men (N = 8) and women (N = 12), and also to give recommendations as to which field tests might be useful for evaluating firefighters' physical work capacity. Laboratory tests of isokinetic maximal (IM) and endurance (IE) muscle power and dynamic balance, field tests including maximal and endurance muscle performance, and simulated firefighting work tasks were performed. Correlations with work capacity were analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs). The highest significant (p<0.01) correlations with laboratory and field tests were for Cutting: IE trunk extension (rs = 0.72) and maximal hand grip strength (rs = 0.67), for Stairs: IE shoulder flexion (rs = −0.81) and barbell shoulder press (rs = −0.77), for Pulling: IE shoulder extension (rs = −0.82) and bench press (rs = −0.85), for Demolition: IE knee extension (rs = 0.75) and bench press (rs = 0.83), for Rescue: IE shoulder flexion (rs = −0.83) and bench press (rs = −0.82), and for the Terrain work task: IE trunk flexion (rs = −0.58) and upright barbell row (rs = −0.70). In conclusion, field tests may be used instead of laboratory tests. Maximal hand grip strength, bench press, chin ups, dips, upright barbell row, standing broad jump, and barbell shoulder press were strongly correlated (rs≥0.7) with work capacity and are therefore recommended for evaluating firefighters work capacity. PMID:24614596

Whitson works at the MSG in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition Five

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-07-08

ISS005-E-07142 (8 July 2002) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, works near the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

Whitson works at the MSG in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition Five

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-07-09

ISS005-E-07187 (9 July 2002) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, works with the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

Whitson works at the MSG in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition Five

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-07-08

ISS005-E-07157 (8 July 2002) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, works with the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

Whitson works at the MSG in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition Five

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-07-08

ISS005-E-07161 (8 July 2002) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, works with the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

BioVeL: a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology.

PubMed

Hardisty, Alex R; Bacall, Finn; Beard, Niall; Balcázar-Vargas, Maria-Paula; Balech, Bachir; Barcza, Zoltán; Bourlat, Sarah J; De Giovanni, Renato; de Jong, Yde; De Leo, Francesca; Dobor, Laura; Donvito, Giacinto; Fellows, Donal; Guerra, Antonio Fernandez; Ferreira, Nuno; Fetyukova, Yuliya; Fosso, Bruno; Giddy, Jonathan; Goble, Carole; Güntsch, Anton; Haines, Robert; Ernst, Vera Hernández; Hettling, Hannes; Hidy, Dóra; Horváth, Ferenc; Ittzés, Dóra; Ittzés, Péter; Jones, Andrew; Kottmann, Renzo; Kulawik, Robert; Leidenberger, Sonja; Lyytikäinen-Saarenmaa, Päivi; Mathew, Cherian; Morrison, Norman; Nenadic, Aleksandra; de la Hidalga, Abraham Nieva; Obst, Matthias; Oostermeijer, Gerard; Paymal, Elisabeth; Pesole, Graziano; Pinto, Salvatore; Poigné, Axel; Fernandez, Francisco Quevedo; Santamaria, Monica; Saarenmaa, Hannu; Sipos, Gergely; Sylla, Karl-Heinz; Tähtinen, Marko; Vicario, Saverio; Vos, Rutger Aldo; Williams, Alan R; Yilmaz, Pelin

2016-10-20

Making forecasts about biodiversity and giving support to policy relies increasingly on large collections of data held electronically, and on substantial computational capability and capacity to analyse, model, simulate and predict using such data. However, the physically distributed nature of data resources and of expertise in advanced analytical tools creates many challenges for the modern scientist. Across the wider biological sciences, presenting such capabilities on the Internet (as "Web services") and using scientific workflow systems to compose them for particular tasks is a practical way to carry out robust "in silico" science. However, use of this approach in biodiversity science and ecology has thus far been quite limited. BioVeL is a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology, freely accessible via the Internet. BioVeL includes functions for accessing and analysing data through curated Web services; for performing complex in silico analysis through exposure of R programs, workflows, and batch processing functions; for on-line collaboration through sharing of workflows and workflow runs; for experiment documentation through reproducibility and repeatability; and for computational support via seamless connections to supporting computing infrastructures. We developed and improved more than 60 Web services with significant potential in many different kinds of data analysis and modelling tasks. We composed reusable workflows using these Web services, also incorporating R programs. Deploying these tools into an easy-to-use and accessible 'virtual laboratory', free via the Internet, we applied the workflows in several diverse case studies. We opened the virtual laboratory for public use and through a programme of external engagement we actively encouraged scientists and third party application and tool developers to try out the services and contribute to the activity. Our work shows we can deliver an operational, scalable and flexible Internet-based virtual laboratory to meet new demands for data processing and analysis in biodiversity science and ecology. In particular, we have successfully integrated existing and popular tools and practices from different scientific disciplines to be used in biodiversity and ecological research.

Gold grade of epithermal gold ore at Lamuntet, Brang Rea, West Sumbawa District, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernawati, Rika; Idrus, Arifudin; TBMP, Himawan

2017-06-01

Lamuntet is one of gold ore mining area carried out by the Artisanal Small scale Gold Mining (ASGM) located in West Sumbawa, Indonesia. Most of the miners at this area are not the local miners but also those from other regions. Mineralization of this area is strong identified as low sulfidation epithermal system. There are two blocks of this mining location, namely, Ngelampar block with an area of 0.164 km2 and Song block with an area of 0.067 km2. This study was focused on Ngelampar block. The characteristic of epithermal system is the existence of quartz vein with comb, vuggy, and sugary texture. The aim of this research was to analyze the gold grade and other metals, such as Cu, Ag, Pb, As, Zn, and Hg. The research methods included literature study from previous researches, field work, laboratory work, and interpretation. The literature study was performed on previous researches with similar study area. The field work comprised of direct observation and sampling. Fieldwork was done for a week to obtain gold ore/vein. Sixteen samples were analyzed to obtain the grade of ore/metal. The Hg laboratory analysis was then performed on the six samples with the highest gold grade. Laboratory works were conducted at Intertek Jakarta by using Fire Assay (FA) for gold grade and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) for Cu, Ag, Pb, As, Zn, and Hg. Results of the analysis showed the range of Au was grade (0.1 ppm - 27.8 ppm), Cu was 26 ppm -1740 ppm, Pb was 101 ppm- >4000 ppm, Zn of 73 ppm- >10,000 ppm, Ag of 3 ppm -185 ppm, As was 150 ppm-6530 ppm, and Hg of 0.08 ppm - 1.89 ppm. L1 and L15 had high grade for all values (Au, Ag, Zn, Cu, As, and Hg). Gold mineralization was formed as electrum because of Ag content is higher than 20%. Associated minerals of the samples in the study area were galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite which showed the characteristic of rich base metal of Pb, Zn, and Cu at LS epithermal.

Validating the Collision-Dominated Child-Langmuir Law for a DC Discharge Cathode Sheath in an Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lisovskiy, V.; Yegorenkov, V.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we propose a simple method of observing the collision-dominated Child-Langmuir law in the course of an undergraduate laboratory work devoted to studying the properties of gas discharges. To this end we employ the dc gas discharge whose properties are studied in sufficient detail. The undergraduate laboratory work itself is reduced…

The changing role of the medical technologist from technologist to information specialist.

PubMed

Miller, W G

2000-01-01

Pathology laboratory services are dependent on the laboratory information system (LIS) to organize the work, manage the operation, and communicate the results for effective laboratory medicine. For maximum efficiency, staffing for the LIS should be an integral component of laboratory operations and is facilitated by a two-tier structure. A core LIS staff provides system support and continuous services. A group of bench medical technologists have multitasking responsibilities, including LIS support for a specific laboratory work area. The two components form a team that uses staff efficiently to provide ongoing operational services and flexibility for problem solving and new functionality implementation.

Ergonomics in an oral pathology laboratory: Back to basics in microscopy

PubMed Central

Sundaragiri, Krishna Sireesha; Shrivastava, Shikha; Sankhla, Bharat; Bhargava, Akshay

2014-01-01

Ergonomics is simply a science focused on “study of work” to reduce fatigue and discomfort through product design. A comprehensive ergonomics program for the pathology laboratory has become necessary to prevent the occurrence of work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and accidents. Most of the literature on ergonomics involve various web links or occasional studies on the effect of laboratory work and associated MSDs. A Google search was carried out corresponding to the terms “ergonomics”, “pathology laboratory”, “microscope”. All the relevant literature from web sources was sorted out and categorized. In this review, we intend to identify basic anthropometric factors, biomechanical risk factors, laboratory design considerations and specific microscopy-related considerations. The ultimate aim of ergonomics is to provide a safe environment for laboratory personnel to conduct their work and to allow maximum flexibility for safe research use. PMID:25364157

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 1. Biosafety Level 4 Suit Laboratory Suite Entry and Exit Procedures.

PubMed

Janosko, Krisztina; Holbrook, Michael R; Adams, Ricky; Barr, Jason; Bollinger, Laura; Newton, Je T'aime; Ntiforo, Corrie; Coe, Linda; Wada, Jiro; Pusl, Daniela; Jahrling, Peter B; Kuhn, Jens H; Lackemeyer, Matthew G

2016-10-03

Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) suit laboratories are specifically designed to study high-consequence pathogens for which neither infection prophylaxes nor treatment options exist. The hallmarks of these laboratories are: custom-designed airtight doors, dedicated supply and exhaust airflow systems, a negative-pressure environment, and mandatory use of positive-pressure ("space") suits. The risk for laboratory specialists working with highly pathogenic agents is minimized through rigorous training and adherence to stringent safety protocols and standard operating procedures. Researchers perform the majority of their work in BSL-2 laboratories and switch to BSL-4 suit laboratories when work with a high-consequence pathogen is required. Collaborators and scientists considering BSL-4 projects should be aware of the challenges associated with BSL-4 research both in terms of experimental technical limitations in BSL-4 laboratory space and the increased duration of such experiments. Tasks such as entering and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories are considerably more complex and time-consuming compared to BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. The focus of this particular article is to address basic biosafety concerns and describe the entrance and exit procedures for the BSL-4 laboratory at the NIH/NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick. Such procedures include checking external systems that support the BSL-4 laboratory, and inspecting and donning positive-pressure suits, entering the laboratory, moving through air pressure-resistant doors, and connecting to air-supply hoses. We will also discuss moving within and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories, including using the chemical shower and removing and storing positive-pressure suits.

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 1. Biosafety Level 4 Suit Laboratory Suite Entry and Exit Procedures

PubMed Central

Janosko, Krisztina; Holbrook, Michael R.; Adams, Ricky; Barr, Jason; Bollinger, Laura; Newton, Je T'aime; Ntiforo, Corrie; Coe, Linda; Wada, Jiro; Pusl, Daniela; Jahrling, Peter B.; Kuhn, Jens H.; Lackemeyer, Matthew G.

2016-01-01

Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) suit laboratories are specifically designed to study high-consequence pathogens for which neither infection prophylaxes nor treatment options exist. The hallmarks of these laboratories are: custom-designed airtight doors, dedicated supply and exhaust airflow systems, a negative-pressure environment, and mandatory use of positive-pressure (“space”) suits. The risk for laboratory specialists working with highly pathogenic agents is minimized through rigorous training and adherence to stringent safety protocols and standard operating procedures. Researchers perform the majority of their work in BSL-2 laboratories and switch to BSL-4 suit laboratories when work with a high-consequence pathogen is required. Collaborators and scientists considering BSL-4 projects should be aware of the challenges associated with BSL-4 research both in terms of experimental technical limitations in BSL-4 laboratory space and the increased duration of such experiments. Tasks such as entering and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories are considerably more complex and time-consuming compared to BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. The focus of this particular article is to address basic biosafety concerns and describe the entrance and exit procedures for the BSL-4 laboratory at the NIH/NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick. Such procedures include checking external systems that support the BSL-4 laboratory, and inspecting and donning positive-pressure suits, entering the laboratory, moving through air pressure-resistant doors, and connecting to air-supply hoses. We will also discuss moving within and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories, including using the chemical shower and removing and storing positive-pressure suits. PMID:27768063

Phototherapy and orange-tinted goggles for night-shift adaptation of police officers on patrol.

PubMed

Boivin, Diane B; Boudreau, Philippe; Tremblay, Geneviève M

2012-06-01

The aim of the present combined field and laboratory study was to assess circadian entrainment in two groups of police officers working seven consecutive 8/8.5-h night shifts as part of a rotating schedule. Eight full-time police officers on patrol (mean age ± SD: 29.8 ± 6.5 yrs) were provided an intervention consisting of intermittent exposure to wide-spectrum bright light at night, orange-tinted goggles at sunrise, and maintenance of a regular sleep/darkness episode in the day. Orange-tinted goggles have been shown to block the melatonin-suppressing effect of light significantly more than neutral gray density goggles. Nine control group police officers (mean age ± SD: 30.3 ± 4.1 yrs) working the same schedule were enrolled. Police officers were studied before, after (in the laboratory), and during (ambulatory) a series of seven consecutive nights. Urine samples were collected at wake time and bedtime throughout the week of night work and during laboratory visits (1 × /3 h) preceding and following the work week to measure urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (UaMT6s) excretion rate. Subjective alertness was assessed at the start, middle, and end of night shifts. A 10-min psychomotor vigilance task was performed at the start and end of each shift. Both laboratory visits consisted of two 8-h sleep episodes based on the prior schedule. Saliva samples were collected 2 × /h during waking episodes to assay their melatonin content. Subjective alertness (3 × /h) and performance (1 × /2 h) were assessed during wake periods in the laboratory. A mixed linear model was used to analyze the progression of UaMt6s excreted during daytime sleep episodes at home, as well as psychomotor performance and subjective alertness during night shifts. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (factors: laboratory visit and group) were used to compare peak salivary melatonin and UaMT6s excretion rate in the laboratory. In both groups of police officers, the excretion rate of UaMT6s at home was higher during daytime sleep episodes at the end compared to the start of the work week (p < .001). This rate increased significantly more in the intervention than control group (p = .032). A significant phase delay of salivary melatonin was observed in both groups at the end of study (p = .009), although no significant between-group difference was reached. Reaction speed dropped, and subjective alertness decreased throughout the night shift in both groups (p < .001). Reaction speed decreased throughout the work week in the control group (p ≤ .021), whereas no difference was observed in the intervention group. Median reaction time was increased as of the 5th and 6th nights compared to the 2nd night in controls (p ≤ .003), whereas it remained stable in the intervention group. These observations indicate better physiological adaptation in the intervention group compared to the controls.

Status Report on Laboratory Testing and International Collaborations in Salt.

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

Kuhlman, Kristopher L.; Matteo, Edward N.; Hadgu, Teklu

This report is a summary of the international collaboration and laboratory work funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) as part of the Sandia National Laboratories Salt R&D work package. This report satisfies milestone levelfour milestone M4SF-17SN010303014. Several stand-alone sections make up this summary report, each completed by the participants. The first two sections discuss international collaborations on geomechanical benchmarking exercises (WEIMOS) and bedded salt investigations (KOSINA), while the last three sections discuss laboratory work conducted on brucite solubility in brine, dissolution of borosilicate glass into brine, andmore » partitioning of fission products into salt phases.« less

Quantitative mass spectrometry: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Pawel L.

2016-10-01

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a mainstream chemical analysis technique in the twenty-first century. It has contributed to numerous discoveries in chemistry, physics and biochemistry. Hundreds of research laboratories scattered all over the world use MS every day to investigate fundamental phenomena on the molecular level. MS is also widely used by industry-especially in drug discovery, quality control and food safety protocols. In some cases, mass spectrometers are indispensable and irreplaceable by any other metrological tools. The uniqueness of MS is due to the fact that it enables direct identification of molecules based on the mass-to-charge ratios as well as fragmentation patterns. Thus, for several decades now, MS has been used in qualitative chemical analysis. To address the pressing need for quantitative molecular measurements, a number of laboratories focused on technological and methodological improvements that could render MS a fully quantitative metrological platform. In this theme issue, the experts working for some of those laboratories share their knowledge and enthusiasm about quantitative MS. I hope this theme issue will benefit readers, and foster fundamental and applied research based on quantitative MS measurements. This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'.

Modeling, simulation, and analysis at Sandia National Laboratories for health care systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polito, Joseph

1994-12-01

Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis are special competencies of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories which have been developed and refined through years of national defense work. Today, many of these skills are being applied to the problem of understanding the performance of medical devices and treatments. At Sandia National Laboratories we are developing models at all three levels of health care delivery: (1) phenomenology models for Observation and Test, (2) model-based outcomes simulations for Diagnosis and Prescription, and (3) model-based design and control simulations for the Administration of Treatment. A sampling of specific applications include non-invasive sensors for blood glucose, ultrasonic scanning for development of prosthetics, automated breast cancer diagnosis, laser burn debridement, surgical staple deformation, minimally invasive control for administration of a photodynamic drug, and human-friendly decision support aids for computer-aided diagnosis. These and other projects are being performed at Sandia with support from the DOE and in cooperation with medical research centers and private companies. Our objective is to leverage government engineering, modeling, and simulation skills with the biotechnical expertise of the health care community to create a more knowledge-rich environment for decision making and treatment.

The work of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Food Additives (EURL) and its support for the authorisation process of feed additives in the European Union: a review

PubMed Central

von Holst, Christoph; Robouch, Piotr; Bellorini, Stefano; de la Huebra, María José González; Ezerskis, Zigmas

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT This paper describes the operation of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives (EURL) and its role in the authorisation procedure of feed additives in the European Union. Feed additives are authorised according to Regulation (EC) No. 1831/2003, which introduced a completely revised authorisation procedure and also established the EURL. The regulations authorising feed additives contain conditions of use such as legal limits of the feed additives, which require the availability of a suitable method of analysis for official control purposes under real world conditions. It is the task of the EURL to evaluate the suitability of analytical methods as proposed by the industry for this purpose. Moreover, the paper shows that one of the major challenges is the huge variety of the methodology applied in feed additive analysis, thus requiring expertise in quite different analytical areas. In order to cope with this challenge, the EURL is supported by a network of national reference laboratories (NRLs) and only the merged knowledge of all NRLs allows for a scientifically sound assessment of the analytical methods. PMID:26540604

Facility-specific radiation exposure risks and their implications for radiation workers at Department of Energy laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Adam Christopher

This research develops a new framework for evaluating the occupational risks of exposure to hazardous substances in any setting where As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) practices are mandated or used. The evaluation is performed by developing a hypothesis-test-based procedure for evaluating the homogeneity of various epidemiological cohorts, and thus the appropriateness of the application of aggregate data-pooling techniques to those cohorts. A statistical methodology is then developed as an alternative to aggregate pooling for situations in which individual cohorts show heterogeneity between them and are thus unsuitable for pooled analysis. These methods are then applied to estimate the all-cancer mortality risks incurred by workers at four Department-of-Energy nuclear weapons laboratories. Both linear, no-threshold and dose-bin averaged risks are calculated and it is further shown that aggregate analysis tends to overestimate the risks with respect to those calculated by the methods developed in this work. The risk estimates developed in Chapter 2 are, in Chapter 3, applied to assess the risks to workers engaged in americium recovery operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The work described in Chapter 3 develops a full radiological protection assessment for the new americium recovery project, including development of exposure cases, creation and modification of MCNP5 models, development of a time-and-motion study, and the final synthesis of all data. This work also develops a new risk-based method of determining whether administrative controls, such as staffing increases, are ALARA-optimized. The EPA's estimate of the value of statistical life is applied to these risk estimates to determine a monetary value for risk. The rate of change of this "risk value" (marginal risk) is then compared with the rate of change of workers' compensations as additional workers are added to the project to reduce the dose (and therefore, presumably, risk) to each individual.

Research on the rolling moment in the symmetrical and asymmetrical rolling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexa, V.; Raţiu, S. A.; Kiss, I.; Cioată, C. G.

2017-01-01

Research distribution the rolling moments symmetrical and asymmetrical report presents great importance both in theory and to introduce clarifications to the calculation of rolling resistance line assemblies. Clarifying individuals of metallic material deformation between the rolls single cylinder diameters act of any difference of work and analysis of advance and delay phenomena. Torque drive value for each of the rolling cylinders was done by reducing the thickness of the laminate samples, an experimental facility located in the laboratory of plastic deformation of the Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara. The analysis of research results show that in terms of power consumption for deformation and safety equipment in operation is rational for mills which require such a difference between the work rolls to execute about one cylinder operated.

US-VISIT Identity Matching Algorithm Evaluation Program: ADIS Algorithm Evaluation Project Plan Update

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

Grant, C W; Lenderman, J S; Gansemer, J D

This document is an update to the 'ADIS Algorithm Evaluation Project Plan' specified in the Statement of Work for the US-VISIT Identity Matching Algorithm Evaluation Program, as deliverable II.D.1. The original plan was delivered in August 2010. This document modifies the plan to reflect modified deliverables reflecting delays in obtaining a database refresh. This document describes the revised schedule of the program deliverables. The detailed description of the processes used, the statistical analysis processes and the results of the statistical analysis will be described fully in the program deliverables. The US-VISIT Identity Matching Algorithm Evaluation Program is work performed bymore » Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under IAA HSHQVT-07-X-00002 P00004 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).« less

White coats and no trousers: narrating the experiences of women technicians in medical laboratories, 1930–90

PubMed Central

Hartley, J. M.; Tansey, E. M.

2015-01-01

Laboratory technicians are a vital part of any working lab. Not only is their knowledge and expertise important for the success of research, but they also often maintain the lab's intellectual and social life. Despite the importance of their work, they are rarely acknowledged in publications, and leave only a few traces within the historical record—the voices of women laboratory technicians are even harder to uncover. This paper attempts to correct this imbalance by presenting the narratives of women who worked as laboratory technicians at places such as the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), the Wellcome Research Laboratories, and established hospital and university labs in Cambridge, Oxford and London. The data were collected though narrative interviews. Specifically, the paper looks at the roles of these women within the lab, their experiences of the social and gender dynamics of the lab, and the development of expertise in regard to the work they carried out and the extent to which they received credit for their contributions to science. PMID:26489181

In situ analysis of martian regolith with the SAM experiment during the first mars year of the MSL mission: Identification of organic molecules by gas chromatography from laboratory measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millan, M.; Szopa, C.; Buch, A.; Coll, P.; Glavin, D. P.; Freissinet, C.; Navarro-Gonzalez, R.; François, P.; Coscia, D.; Bonnet, J. Y.; Teinturier, S.; Cabane, M.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2016-09-01

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument onboard the Curiosity rover, is specifically designed for in situ molecular and isotopic analyses of martian surface materials and atmosphere. It contributes to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missions primary scientific goal to characterize the potential past, present or future habitability of Mars. In all of the analyses of solid samples delivered to SAM so far, chlorinated organic compounds have been detected above instrument background levels and identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) (Freissinet et al., 2015; Glavin et al., 2013). While some of these may originate from reactions between oxychlorines and terrestrial organic carbon present in the instrument background (Glavin et al., 2013), others have been demonstrated to originate from indigenous organic carbon present in samples (Freissinet et al., 2015). We present here laboratory calibrations that focused on the analyses performed with the MXT-CLP GC column (SAM GC-5 channel) used for nearly all of the GC-MS analyses of the martian soil samples carried out with SAM to date. Complementary to the mass spectrometric data, gas chromatography allows us to separate and identify the species analyzable in a nominal SAM-GC run time of about 21 min. To characterize the analytical capabilities of this channel within the SAM Flight Model (FM) operating conditions on Mars, and their implications on the detection of organic matter, it is required to perform laboratory experimental tests and calibrations on spare model components. This work assesses the SAM flight GC-5 column efficiency, confirms the identification of the molecules based on their retention time, and enables a better understanding of the behavior of the SAM injection trap (IT) and its release of organic molecules. This work will enable further optimization of the SAM-GC runs for additional samples to be analyzed during the MSL mission.

In Situ Analysis of Martian Regolith with the SAM Experiment During the First Mars Year of the MSL Mission: Identification of Organic Molecules by Gas Chromatography from Laboratory Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millan, M.; Szopa, C.; Buch, A.; Coll, P.; Glavin, D. P.; Freissinet, C.; Navarro-Gonzalez, R.; Francois, P.; Coscia, D.; Bonnet, J. Y.;

Comparability of river suspended-sediment sampling and laboratory analysis methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Groten, Joel T.; Johnson, Gregory D.

2018-03-06

Accurate measurements of suspended sediment, a leading water-quality impairment in many Minnesota rivers, are important for managing and protecting water resources; however, water-quality standards for suspended sediment in Minnesota are based on grab field sampling and total suspended solids (TSS) laboratory analysis methods that have underrepresented concentrations of suspended sediment in rivers compared to U.S. Geological Survey equal-width-increment or equal-discharge-increment (EWDI) field sampling and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) laboratory analysis methods. Because of this underrepresentation, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, collected concurrent grab and EWDI samples at eight sites to compare results obtained using different combinations of field sampling and laboratory analysis methods.Study results determined that grab field sampling and TSS laboratory analysis results were biased substantially low compared to EWDI sampling and SSC laboratory analysis results, respectively. Differences in both field sampling and laboratory analysis methods caused grab and TSS methods to be biased substantially low. The difference in laboratory analysis methods was slightly greater than field sampling methods.Sand-sized particles had a strong effect on the comparability of the field sampling and laboratory analysis methods. These results indicated that grab field sampling and TSS laboratory analysis methods fail to capture most of the sand being transported by the stream. The results indicate there is less of a difference among samples collected with grab field sampling and analyzed for TSS and concentration of fines in SSC. Even though differences are present, the presence of strong correlations between SSC and TSS concentrations provides the opportunity to develop site specific relations to address transport processes not captured by grab field sampling and TSS laboratory analysis methods.

Burbank works with the PPFS MBS in the U.S. Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-02

ISS030-E-060136 (2 Feb. 2012) --- NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, works with the Portable Pulmonary Function System (PPFS) Mixing Bag System (MBS) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

Dezhurov works in the sleep station in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition Three

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-09-09

ISS003-E-5560 (9 September 2001) --- Cosmonaut Vladimir Dezhurov of Rosaviakosmos, Expedition Three flight engineer, works on a laptop computer in the Temporary Sleep Station (TSS) in the U.S. Laboratory.

Sandia National Laboratories: Sandia National Laboratories: Missions:

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Using Chem-Wiki to Increase Student Collaboration through Online Lab Reporting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Edward W., III; Fraiman, Ana

2010-01-01

The nature of laboratory work has changed in the past decade. One example is a shift from working individually or in pairs on single traditional verification experiments to working collaboratively in larger groups in inquiry and research-based laboratories, over extended periods in and outside of the lab. In this increased era of collaboration, we…

Effect of Cooperative Problem-Based Lab Instruction on Metacognition and Problem-Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandi-Urena, Santiago; Cooper, Melanie; Stevens, Ron

2012-01-01

While most scientists agree that laboratory work is an important part of introductory science courses, there is scant evidence for the relationship between laboratory work and student learning, particularly at the college level. This work reports the quantitative component of a mixed-methods study of the effect of cooperative problem-based…

Comparative Validation of Five Quantitative Rapid Test Kits for the Analysis of Salt Iodine Content: Laboratory Performance, User- and Field-Friendliness

PubMed Central

Rohner, Fabian; Kangambèga, Marcelline O.; Khan, Noor; Kargougou, Robert; Garnier, Denis; Sanou, Ibrahima; Ouaro, Bertine D.; Petry, Nicolai; Wirth, James P.; Jooste, Pieter

2015-01-01

Background Iodine deficiency has important health and development consequences and the introduction of iodized salt as national programs has been a great public health success in the past decades. To render national salt iodization programs sustainable and ensure adequate iodization levels, simple methods to quantitatively assess whether salt is adequately iodized are required. Several methods claim to be simple and reliable, and are available on the market or are in development. Objective This work has validated the currently available quantitative rapid test kits (quantRTK) in a comparative manner for both their laboratory performance and ease of use in field settings. Methods Laboratory performance parameters (linearity, detection and quantification limit, intra- and inter-assay imprecision) were conducted on 5 quantRTK. We assessed inter-operator imprecision using salt of different quality along with the comparison of 59 salt samples from across the globe; measurements were made both in a laboratory and a field setting by technicians and non-technicians. Results from the quantRTK were compared against iodometric titration for validity. An ‘ease-of-use’ rating system was developed to identify the most suitable quantRTK for a given task. Results Most of the devices showed acceptable laboratory performance, but for some of the devices, use by non-technicians revealed poorer performance when working in a routine manner. Of the quantRTK tested, the iCheck® and I-Reader® showed most consistent performance and ease of use, and a newly developed paper-based method (saltPAD) holds promise if further developed. Conclusions User- and field-friendly devices are now available and the most appropriate quantRTK can be selected depending on the number of samples and the budget available. PMID:26401655

Contribution of bulk mass spectrometry isotopic analysis to characterization of materials in the framework of CMX-4

DOE PAGES

Kuchkin, A.; Stebelkov, V.; Zhizhin, K.; ...

2018-01-30

Seven laboratories used the results of bulk uranium isotopic analysis by either inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) for characterization of the samples in the Nuclear Forensic International Technical Working Group fourth international collaborative material exercise, CMX-4. Comparison of the measured isotopic compositions of uranium in three exercise samples is implemented for identifying any differences or similarities between the samples. The role of isotopic analyses in the context of a real nuclear forensic investigation is discussed. Several limitations in carrying out ICP-MS or TIMS analysis in CMX-4 are noted.

Contribution of bulk mass spectrometry isotopic analysis to characterization of materials in the framework of CMX-4

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

Kuchkin, A.; Stebelkov, V.; Zhizhin, K.

Seven laboratories used the results of bulk uranium isotopic analysis by either inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) for characterization of the samples in the Nuclear Forensic International Technical Working Group fourth international collaborative material exercise, CMX-4. Comparison of the measured isotopic compositions of uranium in three exercise samples is implemented for identifying any differences or similarities between the samples. The role of isotopic analyses in the context of a real nuclear forensic investigation is discussed. Several limitations in carrying out ICP-MS or TIMS analysis in CMX-4 are noted.

Failure Analysis of Space Shuttle Orbiter Valve Poppet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Rick

2010-01-01

The poppet failed during STS-126 due to fatigue cracking that most likely was initiated during MDC ground-testing. This failure ultimately led to the discovery that the cracking problem was a generic issue effecting numerous poppets throughout the Shuttle program's history. This presentation has focused on the laboratory analysis of the failed hardware, but this analysis was only one aspect of a comprehensive failure investigation. One critical aspect of the overall investigation was modeling of the fluid flow through this valve to determine the possible sources of cyclic loading. This work has led to the conclusion that the poppets are failing due to flow-induced vibration.

Doing laboratory ethnography: reflections on method in scientific workplaces.

PubMed

Stephens, Neil; Lewis, Jamie

2017-04-01

Laboratory ethnography extended the social scientist's gaze into the day-to-day accomplishment of scientific practice. Here we reflect upon our own ethnographies of biomedical scientific workspaces to provoke methodological discussion on the doing of laboratory ethnography. What we provide is less a 'how to' guide and more a commentary on what to look for and what to look at. We draw upon our empirical research with stem cell laboratories and animal houses, teams producing robotic surgical tools, musicians sonifying data science, a psychiatric genetics laboratory, and scientists developing laboratory grown meat. We use these cases to example a set of potential ethnographic themes worthy of pursuit: science epistemics and the extended laboratory, the interaction order of scientific work, sensory realms and the rending of science as sensible, conferences as performative sites, and the spaces, places and temporalities of scientific work.

Guidelines for biosafety laboratory competency: CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

PubMed

Delany, Judy R; Pentella, Michael A; Rodriguez, Joyce A; Shah, Kajari V; Baxley, Karen P; Holmes, David E

2011-04-15

These guidelines for biosafety laboratory competency outline the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities required for working with biologic agents at the three highest biosafety levels (BSLs) (levels 2, 3, and 4). The competencies are tiered to a worker's experience at three levels: entry level, midlevel (experienced), and senior level (supervisory or managerial positions). These guidelines were developed on behalf of CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) by an expert panel comprising 27 experts representing state and federal public health laboratories, private sector clinical and research laboratories, and academic centers. They were then reviewed by approximately 300 practitioners representing the relevant fields. The guidelines are intended for laboratorians working with hazardous biologic agents, obtained from either samples or specimens that are maintained and manipulated in clinical, environmental, public health, academic, and research laboratories.

Laboratory Building

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

Herrera, Joshua M.

2015-03-01

This report is an analysis of the means of egress and life safety requirements for the laboratory building. The building is located at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, NM. The report includes a prescriptive-based analysis as well as a performance-based analysis. Following the analysis are appendices which contain maps of the laboratory building used throughout the analysis. The top of all the maps is assumed to be north.

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

Bass, D A; TenKate, L B

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS) is used for determination of ultra-trace metals in environmentally important samples. In the generation of GFAAS calibration curves for many environmental applications, low concentration calibration standards must be prepared dally, as required by the Statement of Work (SOW) for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Contract Laboratory Program (CLP). This results in significant time and work for the analyst and significant cost to the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) for chemicals and waste management. While EPA SW 846 is less prescriptive than the CLP SOW, ACL has been following the CLP guidelines because in-house criteriamore » regarding the stability of GFAAS standards have not been established. A study was conducted to determine the stability of GFAAS standards for analytes commonly used in the ACL (single and mixed) as a function of time. Data were collected over nine months. The results show that GFAAS standards for Sb, Pb, Se, Ag, and TI are stable for a longer period of time than currently assumed by the CLP SOW. Reducing the frequency of preparing these standards will increase efficiency, decrease the handling of hazardous the quantity of hazardous waste generated, and decrease the quantity of hazardous substances to be ordered and stocked by the laboratory. These benefits will improve GFAAS analysis quality, reduce costs, enhance safety, and lower environmental concerns.« less

Developing an analytical toxicology service: principles and guidance.

PubMed

Flanagan, Robert J

2004-01-01

Many acutely poisoned patients are treated with no laboratory help other than general clinical chemistry and haematology. Emergency toxicological analyses (24-hour availability) that could influence immediate patient management such as iron, lithium and paracetamol (acetaminophen), are relatively few in number and are remarkably similar worldwide. These assays should be provided at hospitals with large accident and emergency departments. More complex, less frequently needed clinical toxicological assays that can often be offered on a less urgent basis are usually provided from regional or national centres because of the need to make best use of resources. Recommendations as to the assays that should be provided locally and at regional centres are available for the UK and US, and are generally applicable. Regional centres normally diversify into specialised therapeutic drug monitoring, urine screening for drugs of abuse, metals analysis and sometimes forensic work in order to widen the repertoire of tests available and to increase funding. Whatever the type and quantity of work undertaken and the instrumentation used, guidelines are now available delineating staff training, method validation, assay operation, quality control/quality assurance, and indeed virtually all other aspects of laboratory operation. These considerations notwithstanding, clinical interpretation of analytical results remains a difficult area and is the responsibility of the reporting laboratory, at least in the first instance.

Hypercube matrix computation task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calalo, Ruel H.; Imbriale, William A.; Jacobi, Nathan; Liewer, Paulett C.; Lockhart, Thomas G.; Lyzenga, Gregory A.; Lyons, James R.; Manshadi, Farzin; Patterson, Jean E.

1988-01-01

A major objective of the Hypercube Matrix Computation effort at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is to investigate the applicability of a parallel computing architecture to the solution of large-scale electromagnetic scattering problems. Three scattering analysis codes are being implemented and assessed on a JPL/California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Mark 3 Hypercube. The codes, which utilize different underlying algorithms, give a means of evaluating the general applicability of this parallel architecture. The three analysis codes being implemented are a frequency domain method of moments code, a time domain finite difference code, and a frequency domain finite elements code. These analysis capabilities are being integrated into an electromagnetics interactive analysis workstation which can serve as a design tool for the construction of antennas and other radiating or scattering structures. The first two years of work on the Hypercube Matrix Computation effort is summarized. It includes both new developments and results as well as work previously reported in the Hypercube Matrix Computation Task: Final Report for 1986 to 1987 (JPL Publication 87-18).

The Advanced Lab Course at the University of Houston

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forrest, Rebecca

2009-04-01

The University of Houston Advanced Lab course is designed to help students understand the physics in classic experiments, become familiar with experimental equipment and techniques, gain experience with independent experimentation, and learn to communicate results orally and in writing. It is a two semester course, with a Lab Seminar also required during the first semester. In the Seminar class we discuss keeping a notebook and writing a laboratory report, error analysis, data fitting, and scientific ethics. The students give presentations, in pairs, on the workings and use of basic laboratory equipment. In the Lab courses students do a one week introductory experiment, followed by six two-week experiments each semester. These range from traditional experiments in modern physics to contemporary experiments with superconductivity and chaos. The students are required to keep a laboratory notebook and to write a four-page paper for each experiment in the publication style of the American Institute of Physics. This course introduces students to the experimental tools and techniques used in physics, engineering, and industry laboratories, and allows them to mature as experimentalists.