Capture and fission with DANCE and NEUANCE

DOE PAGES

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bond, E.; ...

2015-12-23

A summary of the current and future experimental program at DANCE is presented. Measurements of neutron capture cross sections are planned for many actinide isotopes with the goal to reduce the present uncertainties in nuclear data libraries. Detailed studies of capture gamma rays in the neutron resonance region will be performed in order to derive correlated data on the de-excitation of the compound nucleus. New approaches on how to remove the DANCE detector response from experimental data and retain the correlations between the cascade gamma rays are presented. Studies on 235U are focused on quantifying the population of short-lived isomericmore » states in 236U after neutron capture. For this purpose, a new neutron detector array NEUANCE is under construction. It will be installed in the central cavity of the DANCE array and enable the highly efficient tagging of fission and capture events. In addition, developments of fission fragment detectors are also underway to expand DANCE capabilities to measurements of fully correlated data on fission observables.« less

Capture and fission with DANCE and NEUANCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bond, E.; Rusev, G.; Walker, C.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Chadwick, M. B.; Couture, A.; Fowler, M. M.; Hayes, A.; Kawano, T.; Mosby, S.; Stetcu, I.; Taddeucci, T. N.; Talou, P.; Ullmann, J. L.; Vieira, D. J.; Wilhelmy, J. B.

2015-12-01

A summary of the current and future experimental program at DANCE is presented. Measurements of neutron capture cross sections are planned for many actinide isotopes with the goal to reduce the present uncertainties in nuclear data libraries. Detailed studies of capture gamma rays in the neutron resonance region will be performed in order to derive correlated data on the de-excitation of the compound nucleus. New approaches on how to remove the DANCE detector response from experimental data and retain the correlations between the cascade gamma rays are presented. Studies on 235U are focused on quantifying the population of short-lived isomeric states in 236U after neutron capture. For this purpose, a new neutron detector array NEUANCE is under construction. It will be installed in the central cavity of the DANCE array and enable the highly efficient tagging of fission and capture events. In addition, developments of fission fragment detectors are also underway to expand DANCE capabilities to measurements of fully correlated data on fission observables.

Integrated Energy System with Beneficial Carbon Dioxide (CO{sub 2}) Use

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

Sun, Xiaolei; Rink, Nancy

2011-04-30

To address the public concerns regarding the consequences of climate change from anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions, the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE-NETL) is actively funding a CO{sub 2} management program to develop technologies capable of reducing the CO{sub 2} emissions from fossil fuel power plants and other industrial facilities. Over the past decade, this program has focused on reducing the costs of carbon capture and storage technologies. Recently, DOE-NETL launched an alternative CO{sub 2} mitigation program focusing on beneficial CO{sub 2} reuse and supporting the development of technologies that mitigate emissions by converting CO{submore » 2} to solid mineral form that can be utilized for enhanced oil recovery, in the manufacturing of concrete or as a benign landfill, in the production of valuable chemicals and/or fuels. This project was selected as a CO{sub 2} reuse activity which would conduct research and development (R&D) at the pilot scale via a cost-shared Cooperative Agreement number DE-FE0001099 with DOE-NETL and would utilize funds setaside by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 for Industrial Carbon Capture and Sequestration R&D,« less

HERO: Program Status and Fist Images from a Balloon-Borne Focusing Hard-X-ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, B. D.; Alexander, C. D.; Apple, J. A.; Benson, C. M.; Dietz, K. L.; Elsner, R. F.; Engelhaupt. D. E.; Ghosh, K. K.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.; ODell, S. L.;

Proposed roadmap for overcoming legal and financial obstacles to carbon capture and sequestration

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

Jacobs, Wendy; Chohen, Leah; Kostakidis-Lianos, Leah

Many existing proposals either lack sufficient concreteness to make carbon capture and geological sequestration (CCGS) operational or fail to focus on a comprehensive, long term framework for its regulation, thus failing to account adequately for the urgency of the issue, the need to develop immediate experience with large scale demonstration projects, or the financial and other incentives required to launch early demonstration projects. We aim to help fill this void by proposing a roadmap to commercial deployment of CCGS in the United States.This roadmap focuses on the legal and financial incentives necessary for rapid demonstration of geological sequestration in themore » absence of national restrictions on CO2 emissions. It weaves together existing federal programs and financing opportunities into a set of recommendations for achieving commercial viability of geological sequestration.« less

Igniting interest in prevention: using firefighter focus groups to inform implementation and enhancement of an urban canvassing program.

PubMed

Frattaroli, Shannon; McDonald, Eileen M; Tran, Nhan T; Trump, Alison R; OʼBrocki, Raymond C; Gielen, Andrea C

2012-01-01

Smoke alarm canvassing is recognized as an empirically based, effective intervention for increasing access to and the presence of smoke alarms in homes. We sought to inform the implementation of an intervention designed to enhance an existing fire department smoke alarm canvassing program through an empirically grounded, participatory process. We conducted a series of focus groups with fire union leaders and firefighters involved with the canvassing program in 1 US city, shared the results with the participants, and presented the resulting recommendations to fire department leadership. This research occurred in Baltimore, Maryland. Focus group participants included firefighters who participate in the Fire Department's smoke alarm canvassing program and representatives from the local firefighters' union. The focus groups sought to capture firefighters' experiences with and opinions about the canvassing program and how to improve it as well as challenges to canvassing work. We conducted 10 focus groups with 65 participants. Firefighters' perspectives on the canvassing program and their recommendations for improving it were expressed through 3 categories of themes concerning program management, canvassing challenges, and attitudes about the program and the community. We also discuss the process of presenting these findings and recommendations to the participants and the fire department leadership, and describe how implementation of some of the recommendations has progressed. Both the process and outcomes of this formative work inform how to develop and implement community-based public health interventions in real-world settings through academic-community partnerships. The findings also have implications for how canvassing programs are being implemented.

Biotelemetry data for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured in coastal southern California, November 2014–February 2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tracey, Jeff A.; Madden, Melanie C.; Sebes, Jeremy B.; Bloom, Peter H.; Katzner, Todd E.; Fisher, Robert N.

2016-04-21

The status of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in coastal southern California is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with local, State, and other Federal agencies began a multi-year survey and tracking program of golden eagles to address questions regarding habitat use, movement behavior, nest occupancy, genetic population structure, and human impacts on eagles. Golden eagle trapping and tracking efforts began in October 2014 and continued until early March 2015. During the first trapping season that focused on San Diego County, we captured 13 golden eagles (8 females and 5 males). During the second trapping season that began in November 2015, we focused on trapping sites in San Diego, Orange, and western Riverside Counties. By February 23, 2016, we captured an additional 14 golden eagles (7 females and 7 males). In this report, biotelemetry data were collected between November 22, 2014, and February 23, 2016. The location data for eagles ranged as far north as San Luis Obispo, California, and as far south as La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.

Density Functional Theory Calculations of Activation Energies for Carrier Capture by Defects in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modine, Normand; Wright, Alan; Lee, Stephen

2015-03-01

Carrier recombination due to defects can have a major impact on device performance. The rate of defect-induced recombination is determined by both defect levels and carrier capture cross-sections. Density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to predict defect levels, but only recently has work begun to focus on using DFT to determine carrier capture cross-sections. Lang and Henry worked out the fundamental theory of carrier-capture by multiphonon emission in the 1970s and showed that, above the Debye temperature, carrier-capture cross-sections differ between defects primarily due to differences in their carrier capture activation energies. We present an approach to using DFT to calculate carrier capture activation energies that does not depend on an assumed configuration coordinate and that fully accounts for anharmonic effects, which can substantially modify carrier activation energies. We demonstrate our approach for the -3/-2 level of the Ga vacancy in wurtzite GaN. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Density Functional Theory Calculations of Activation Energies for Carrier Capture by Defects in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modine, N. A.; Wright, A. F.; Lee, S. R.

The rate of defect-induced carrier recombination is determined by both defect levels and carrier capture cross-sections. Density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to predict defect levels, but only recently has work begun to focus on using DFT to determine carrier capture cross-sections. Lang and Henry developed the theory of carrier-capture by multiphonon emission in the 1970s and showed that carrier-capture cross-sections differ between defects primarily due to differences in their carrier capture activation energies. We present an approach to using DFT to calculate carrier capture activation energies that does not depend on an assumed configuration coordinate and that fully accounts for anharmonic effects, which can substantially modify carrier activation energies. We demonstrate our approach for intrinisic defects in GaAs and GaN and discuss how our results depend on the choice of exchange-correlation functional and the treatment of spin polarization. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Superboom Caustic Analysis and Measurement Program (SCAMP) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, Juliet; Plotkin, Ken; Hobbs, Chris; Sparrow, Vic; Salamone, Joe; Cowart, Robbie; Elmer, Kevin; Welge, H. Robert; Ladd, John; Maglieri, Domenic;

Enhancing mutual accountability to promote quality, safety, and nurses' recovery from substance use disorders.

PubMed

Horton-Deutsch, Sara; McNelis, Angela; O'Haver Day, Pamela

2011-12-01

Year after year, the public view nurses at the top of the list of the most honest and ethical professionals. However, nurses impaired with substance use disorders are subject to the tremendous stigma associated with addiction. Successful treatment programs protect public safety and support nurses' recovery and reentry into practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses' experience in an alternative-to-discipline treatment program, the Indiana State Nurses Assistance Program (ISNAP), administered by the Indiana State Nurses Association. For this study, focus groups were used to capture nurses' experience with the ISNAP, a nurse-monitoring program for substance use. Three focus groups were conducted with 25 participants. The overall theme of the focus groups was enhancing mutual accountability. Nurses' views were grouped into four major areas of importance, including accountability, clear expectations, addressing individual concerns, and educating others about substance use disorders. Nurses described how each of these factors supported and impeded their recovery. The findings support the need for further education and research on how to best promote and sustain recovery. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Methodology for Studying the Relationship between Comprehension and Second Language Development in a Comprehension-Based ESL Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paribakht, T. Sima; Wesche, Marjorie Bingham

A study investigated the role of comprehension of meaningful language input in young adults' second language learning, focusing on: (1) what kinds of measurement instruments and procedures can be used in tracking student gains in specific aspects of target language proficiency; (2) development of a reliable self-report scale capturing different…

Making Sense of Rocket Science - Building NASA's Knowledge Management Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holm, Jeanne

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a range of KM activities-from deploying intelligent "know-bots" across millions of electronic sources to ensuring tacit knowledge is transferred across generations. The strategy and implementation focuses on managing NASA's wealth of explicit knowledge, enabling remote collaboration for international teams, and enhancing capture of the key knowledge of the workforce. An in-depth view of the work being done at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) shows the integration of academic studies and practical applications to architect, develop, and deploy KM systems in the areas of document management, electronic archives, information lifecycles, authoring environments, enterprise information portals, search engines, experts directories, collaborative tools, and in-process decision capture. These systems, together, comprise JPL's architecture to capture, organize, store, and distribute key learnings for the U.S. exploration of space.

Auditory and Visual Capture during Focused Visual Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koelewijn, Thomas; Bronkhorst, Adelbert; Theeuwes, Jan

2009-01-01

It is well known that auditory and visual onsets presented at a particular location can capture a person's visual attention. However, the question of whether such attentional capture disappears when attention is focused endogenously beforehand has not yet been answered. Moreover, previous studies have not differentiated between capture by onsets…

Membrane-based systems for carbon capture and hydrogen purification

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

Berchtold, Kathryn A

2010-11-24

This presentation describes the activities being conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop carbon capture technologies for power systems. This work is aimed at continued development and demonstration of a membrane based pre- and post-combustion carbon capture technology and separation schemes. Our primary work entails the development and demonstration of an innovative membrane technology for pre-combustion capture of carbon dioxide that operates over a broad range of conditions relevant to the power industry while meeting the US DOE's Carbon Sequestration Program goals of 90% CO{sub 2} capture at less than a 10% increase in the cost of energy services.more » Separating and capturing carbon dioxide from mixed gas streams is a first and critical step in carbon sequestration. To be technically and economically viable, a successful separation method must be applicable to industrially relevant gas streams at realistic temperatures and pressures as well as be compatible with large gas volumes. Our project team is developing polymer membranes based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) chemistries that can purify hydrogen and capture CO{sub 2} at industrially relevant temperatures. Our primary objectives are to develop and demonstrate polymer-based membrane chemistries, structures, deployment platforms, and sealing technologies that achieve the critical combination of high selectivity, high permeability, chemical stability, and mechanical stability all at elevated temperatures (> 150 C) and packaged in a scalable, economically viable, high area density system amenable to incorporation into an advanced Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (IGCC) plant for pre-combustion CO{sub 2} capture. Stability requirements are focused on tolerance to the primary synthesis gas components and impurities at various locations in the IGCC process. Since the process stream compositions and conditions (temperature and pressure) vary throughout the IGCC process, the project is focused on the optimization of a technology that could be positioned upstream or downstream of one or more of the water-gas-shift reactors (WGSRs) or integrated with a WGSR.« less

Reduction of feral cat (Felis catus Linnaeus 1758) colony size following hysterectomy of adult female cats.

PubMed

Mendes-de-Almeida, Flavya; Remy, Gabriella L; Gershony, Liza C; Rodrigues, Daniela P; Chame, Marcia; Labarthe, Norma V

2011-06-01

The size of urban cat colonies is limited only by the availability of food and shelter; therefore, their population growth challenges all known population control programs. To test a new population control method, a free-roaming feral cat colony at the Zoological Park in the city of Rio de Janeiro was studied, beginning in 2001. The novel method consisted of performing a hysterectomy on all captured female cats over 6 months of age. To estimate the size of the colony and compare population from year to year, a method of capture-mark-release-recapture was used. The aim was to capture as many individuals as possible, including cats of all ages and gender to estimate numbers of cats in all population categories. Results indicated that the feral cat population remained constant from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2008, the hysterectomy program and population estimates were performed every other year (2006 and 2008). The population was estimated to be 40 cats in 2004, 26 in 2006, and 17 cats in 2008. Although pathogens tend to infect more individuals as the population grows older and maintains natural behavior, these results show that free-roaming feral cat colonies could have their population controlled by a biannual program that focuses on hysterectomy of sexually active female cats. Copyright © 2011 ISFM and AAFP. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Succession planning and leadership development: critical business strategies for healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Collins, Sandra K; Collins, Kevin S

2007-01-01

As labor shortages intensify, succession planning and leadership development have become strategic initiatives requiring rigorous consideration. Traditional methods of replacing personnel will not accommodate the vacancies expected to plague healthcare organizations. Managers should focus on identifying potential gaps of key personnel and adapting programs to accommodate organizational need. Attention should be placed on capturing the intellectual capital existent in the organization and developing diverse groups of leadership candidates.

Report on all ARRA Funded Technical Work

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

None, None

2013-10-05

The main focus of this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funded project was to design an energy efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) process using the Recipients membrane system for H{sub 2} separation and CO{sub 2} capture. In the ARRA-funded project, the Recipient accelerated development and scale-up of ongoing hydrogen membrane technology research and development (R&D). Specifically, this project focused on accelerating the current R&D work scope of the base program-funded project, involving lab scale tests, detail design of a 250 lb/day H{sub 2} process development unit (PDU), and scale-up of membrane tube and coating manufacturing. Thismore » project scope included the site selection and a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study of a nominally 4 to 10 ton-per-day (TPD) Pre-Commercial Module (PCM) hydrogen separation membrane system. Process models and techno-economic analysis were updated to include studies on integration of this technology into an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power generation system with CCS.« less

Enterprise Imaging Governance: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper.

PubMed

Roth, Christopher J; Lannum, Louis M; Joseph, Carol L

2016-10-01

Enterprise imaging governance is an emerging need in health enterprises today. This white paper highlights the decision-making body, framework, and process for optimal enterprise imaging governance inclusive of five areas of focus: program governance, technology governance, information governance, clinical governance, and financial governance. It outlines relevant parallels and differences when forming or optimizing imaging governance as compared with other established broad horizontal governance groups, such as for the electronic health record. It is intended for CMIOs and health informatics leaders looking to grow and govern a program to optimally capture, store, index, distribute, view, exchange, and analyze the images of their enterprise.

Being a hospice volunteer influenced medical students' comfort with dying and death: a pilot study.

PubMed

Stecho, Will; Khalaf, Roy; Prendergast, Patrick; Geerlinks, Ashley; Lingard, Lorelei; Schulz, Valerie

2012-01-01

Being comfortable with death and communicating with patients near the end of life are important attributes in palliative care. We developed a hospice volunteer program to teach these attitudes and skills to preclinical medical students. Using a mixed-methods approach, validated surveys measured participants' and non-participants fear of death and communication apprehension regarding dying. Journals and focus groups examined participants' subjective experiences as their patient relationships evolved. Survey scores were significantly lower for participant hospice volunteers, indicating lower levels of death anxiety and communication apprehension regarding dying. An explanatory framework, using journals and focus groups, captured participants' sense of development over time into three categories: challenges, learning, and growth. This pilot project provides insight into the medical students' experiential learning as they participate in our hospice volunteer program.

77 FR 19408 - Dynamic Mobility Applications and Data Capture Management Programs; Notice of Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Dynamic Mobility Applications and Data Capture Management Programs...) Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) will host a free public meeting to provide stakeholders an update on the Data Capture and Management (DCM) and Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA...

Advanced Video Activity Analytics (AVAA): Human Factors Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

video, and 3) creating and saving annotations (Fig. 11). (The logging program was updated after the pilot to also capture search clicks.) Playing and... visual search task and the auditory task together and thus automatically focused on the visual task. Alternatively, the operator may have intentionally...affect performance on the primary task; however, in the current test there was no apparent effect on the operator’s performance in the visual search task

Challenges to Improve Inter-Professional Care and Service Collaboration for People Living With Psychiatric Disabilities in Ordinary Housing

PubMed Central

Ainalem, Ingrid; Berg, Agneta; Janlöv, Ann-Christin

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe health care- and social service professionals' experiences of a quality-improvement program implemented in the south of Sweden. The focus of the program was to develop inter-professional collaboration to improve care and service to people with psychiatric disabilities in ordinary housing. Focus group interviews and a thematic analysis were used. The result was captured as themes along steps in process. (I) Entering the quality-improvement program: Lack of information about the program, The challenge of getting started, and Approaching the resources reluctantly. (II) Doing the practice-based improvement work: Facing unprepared workplaces, and Doing twice the work. (III) Looking back—evaluation over 1 year: Balancing theoretical knowledge with practical training, and Considering profound knowledge as an integral part of work. The improvement process in clinical practice was found to be both time and energy consuming, yet worth the effort. The findings also indicate that collaboration across organizational boundaries was broadened, and the care and service delivery were improved. PMID:26783867

Piloting a stress management and mindfulness program for undergraduate nursing students: student feedback and lessons learned.

PubMed

van der Riet, Pamela; Rossiter, Rachel; Kirby, Dianne; Dluzewska, Teresa; Harmon, Charles

2015-01-01

Widespread reports of high stress levels and mental health problems among university student populations indicate the use of interventions to facilitate stress reduction and support student resilience and wellbeing. There is growing evidence that regular mindfulness practice may confer positive health benefits and reduced stress levels. The aim of this pilot project was to explore the impact of a seven-week stress management and mindfulness program as a learning support and stress reduction method for nursing and midwifery students. The program was conducted at a large regional university in Australia. Fourteen first-year undergraduate nursing and midwifery students agreed to attend the program and to participate in a follow-up focus group. A descriptive qualitative design was utilised to examine the impact of the program. A semi-structured focus group interview was conducted with a thematic analysis undertaken of the transcript and process notes. Ten students completed the research component of this project by participating in the focus group interview. Three main themes capture the participants' experience: attending to self, attending to others and attending to program related challenges. Data indicate a positive impact on sleep, concentration, clarity of thought and a reduction in negative cognitions. Participants also identified challenges related to timetabling, program structure and venue. Overall, this pilot program enhanced the participants' sense of well-being. Despite the challenges, benefits were identified on a personal and professional level. Valuable feedback was provided that will be used to further develop and expand stress management and mindfulness programs offered to students attending this university. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Using focused plenoptic cameras for rich image capture.

PubMed

Georgiev, T; Lumsdaine, A; Chunev, G

2011-01-01

This approach uses a focused plenoptic camera to capture the plenoptic function's rich "non 3D" structure. It employs two techniques. The first simultaneously captures multiple exposures (or other aspects) based on a microlens array having an interleaved set of different filters. The second places multiple filters at the main lens aperture.

Auditory and visual capture during focused visual attention.

PubMed

Koelewijn, Thomas; Bronkhorst, Adelbert; Theeuwes, Jan

2009-10-01

It is well known that auditory and visual onsets presented at a particular location can capture a person's visual attention. However, the question of whether such attentional capture disappears when attention is focused endogenously beforehand has not yet been answered. Moreover, previous studies have not differentiated between capture by onsets presented at a nontarget (invalid) location and possible performance benefits occurring when the target location is (validly) cued. In this study, the authors modulated the degree of attentional focus by presenting endogenous cues with varying reliability and by displaying placeholders indicating the precise areas where the target stimuli could occur. By using not only valid and invalid exogenous cues but also neutral cues that provide temporal but no spatial information, they found performance benefits as well as costs when attention is not strongly focused. The benefits disappear when the attentional focus is increased. These results indicate that there is bottom-up capture of visual attention by irrelevant auditory and visual stimuli that cannot be suppressed by top-down attentional control. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Can light-field photography ease focusing on the scalp and oral cavity?

PubMed

Taheri, Arash; Feldman, Steven R

2013-08-01

Capturing a well-focused image using an autofocus camera can be difficult in oral cavity and on a hairy scalp. Light-field digital cameras capture data regarding the color, intensity, and direction of rays of light. Having information regarding direction of rays of light, computer software can be used to focus on different subjects in the field after the image data have been captured. A light-field camera was used to capture the images of the scalp and oral cavity. The related computer software was used to focus on scalp or different parts of oral cavity. The final pictures were compared with pictures taken with conventional, compact, digital cameras. The camera worked well for oral cavity. It also captured the pictures of scalp easily; however, we had to repeat clicking between the hairs on different points to choose the scalp for focusing. A major drawback of the system was the resolution of the resulting pictures that was lower than conventional digital cameras. Light-field digital cameras are fast and easy to use. They can capture more information on the full depth of field compared with conventional cameras. However, the resolution of the pictures is relatively low. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Program theory-driven evaluation science in a youth development context.

PubMed

Deane, Kelsey L; Harré, Niki

2014-08-01

Program theory-driven evaluation science (PTDES) provides a useful framework for uncovering the mechanisms responsible for positive change resulting from participation in youth development (YD) programs. Yet it is difficult to find examples of PTDES that capture the complexity of such experiences. This article offers a much-needed example of PTDES applied to Project K, a youth development program with adventure, service-learning and mentoring components. Findings from eight program staff focus groups, 351 youth participants' comments, four key program documents, and results from six previous Project K research projects were integrated to produce a theory of change for the program. A direct logic analysis was then conducted to assess the plausibility of the proposed theory against relevant research literature. This demonstrated that Project K incorporates many of the best practice principles discussed in the literature that covers the three components of the program. The contributions of this theory-building process to organizational learning and development are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydropower Projects

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

None

2015-04-02

The Water Power Program helps industry harness this renewable, emissions-free resource to generate environmentally sustainable and cost-effective electricity. Through support for public, private, and nonprofit efforts, the Water Power Program promotes the development, demonstration, and deployment of advanced hydropower devices and pumped storage hydropower applications. These technologies help capture energy stored by diversionary structures, increase the efficiency of hydroelectric generation, and use excess grid energy to replenish storage reserves for use during periods of peak electricity demand. In addition, the Water Power Program works to assess the potential extractable energy from domestic water resources to assist industry and government inmore » planning for our nation’s energy future. From FY 2008 to FY 2014, DOE’s Water Power Program announced awards totaling approximately $62.5 million to 33 projects focused on hydropower. Table 1 provides a brief description of these projects.« less

Improved Methods for Capture, Extraction, and Quantitative Assay of Environmental DNA from Asian Bigheaded Carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.)

PubMed Central

Turner, Cameron R.; Miller, Derryl J.; Coyne, Kathryn J.; Corush, Joel

2014-01-01

Indirect, non-invasive detection of rare aquatic macrofauna using aqueous environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new approach to population and biodiversity monitoring. As such, the sensitivity of monitoring results to different methods of eDNA capture, extraction, and detection is being investigated in many ecosystems and species. One of the first and largest conservation programs with eDNA-based monitoring as a central instrument focuses on Asian bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.), an invasive fish spreading toward the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, the standard eDNA methods of this program have not advanced since their development in 2010. We developed new, quantitative, and more cost-effective methods and tested them against the standard protocols. In laboratory testing, our new quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for bigheaded carp eDNA was one to two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the existing endpoint PCR assays. When applied to eDNA samples from an experimental pond containing bigheaded carp, the qPCR assay produced a detection probability of 94.8% compared to 4.2% for the endpoint PCR assays. Also, the eDNA capture and extraction method we adapted from aquatic microbiology yielded five times more bigheaded carp eDNA from the experimental pond than the standard method, at a per sample cost over forty times lower. Our new, more sensitive assay provides a quantitative tool for eDNA-based monitoring of bigheaded carp, and the higher-yielding eDNA capture and extraction method we describe can be used for eDNA-based monitoring of any aquatic species. PMID:25474207

Improved methods for capture, extraction, and quantitative assay of environmental DNA from Asian bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.).

PubMed

Turner, Cameron R; Miller, Derryl J; Coyne, Kathryn J; Corush, Joel

2014-01-01

Indirect, non-invasive detection of rare aquatic macrofauna using aqueous environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new approach to population and biodiversity monitoring. As such, the sensitivity of monitoring results to different methods of eDNA capture, extraction, and detection is being investigated in many ecosystems and species. One of the first and largest conservation programs with eDNA-based monitoring as a central instrument focuses on Asian bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.), an invasive fish spreading toward the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, the standard eDNA methods of this program have not advanced since their development in 2010. We developed new, quantitative, and more cost-effective methods and tested them against the standard protocols. In laboratory testing, our new quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for bigheaded carp eDNA was one to two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the existing endpoint PCR assays. When applied to eDNA samples from an experimental pond containing bigheaded carp, the qPCR assay produced a detection probability of 94.8% compared to 4.2% for the endpoint PCR assays. Also, the eDNA capture and extraction method we adapted from aquatic microbiology yielded five times more bigheaded carp eDNA from the experimental pond than the standard method, at a per sample cost over forty times lower. Our new, more sensitive assay provides a quantitative tool for eDNA-based monitoring of bigheaded carp, and the higher-yielding eDNA capture and extraction method we describe can be used for eDNA-based monitoring of any aquatic species.

Onsite and Electric Backup Capabilities at Critical Infrastructure Facilities in the United States

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

Phillips, Julia A.; Wallace, Kelly E.; Kudo, Terence Y.

2016-04-01

The following analysis, conducted by Argonne National Laboratory’s (Argonne’s) Risk and Infrastructure Science Center (RISC), details an analysis of electric power backup of national critical infrastructure as captured through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Enhanced Critical Infrastructure Program (ECIP) Initiative. Between January 1, 2011, and September 2014, 3,174 ECIP facility surveys have been conducted. This study focused first on backup capabilities by infrastructure type and then expanded to infrastructure type by census region.

Orion Flight Test 1 Architecture: Observed Benefits of a Model Based Engineering Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, Kimberly A.; Sindiy, Oleg V.; McVittie, Thomas I.

2012-01-01

This paper details how a NASA-led team is using a model-based systems engineering approach to capture, analyze and communicate the end-to-end information system architecture supporting the first unmanned orbital flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Exploration Vehicle. Along with a brief overview of the approach and its products, the paper focuses on the observed program-level benefits, challenges, and lessons learned; all of which may be applied to improve system engineering tasks for characteristically similarly challenges

Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-18

Jenn Gustetic, Prizes Program Executive, NASA Office of the Chief Technologist moderates the Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Washington. During the event NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other senior NASA officials discussed the progress being made on NASA's mission to capture, redirect, and explore an asteroid. NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-18

Jason Kessler, Special Projects Program Executive, NASA Office of the Chief Technologist, talks during the Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Washington. During the event NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other senior NASA officials discussed the progress being made on NASA's mission to capture, redirect, and explore an asteroid. NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Evaluation of the Boll Weevil Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) suppression program in the state of Goiás, Brazil.

PubMed

de Lima, I S; Degrande, P E; Miranda, J E; dos Santos, W J

2013-02-01

The boll weevil Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the most important cotton pest in Brazil. A large-scale field-testing of a Boll Weevil Suppression Program (BWSP) was implemented to assess its technical and operational feasibility for boll weevil suppression in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The pilot plan focused on 3,608 ha of cotton during the 2006/2007 and 6,011 ha in the 2007/2008 growing seasons; the areas were divided into four inner zones with an outer buffer zone. We analyzed data on boll weevil captures using pheromone traps installed in the BWSP fields, on the detection of the first insect and the first damaged floral bud, greatest damage, and number of insecticide applications. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to evaluate the differences between presuppression and suppression years. Fourteen pheromone-baited trapping evaluations were used to compare the weevil populations from 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 growing seasons. The BWSP regime reduced in-season boll weevil captures from 15- to 500-fold compared to presuppression levels in the preceding year. The low capture rates were related to delays in infestation and damage by weevils. The smaller population size measured by trapping and field monitoring reduced the number of required insecticide treatments. The BWSP strategy was efficient in suppressing populations of this pest and is a viable program for cotton production in subtropical and tropical regions, with long-term economic and environmental benefits.

NITARP: Effects on Student Participants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, Richard; Odden, Caroline; Hall, Garrison; Rebull, Luisa M.

2016-01-01

NITARP (NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program) is a teacher mentorship program designed to give educators experiences in authentic research in the area of astronomy. While the main focus of the program is aimed at giving educators experience working with and publishing scientific research, teachers are encouraged to involve students with the experience. NITARP funds up to two students to travel along with the educator while allowing an additional two students to attend but with no additional financial assistance. Teachers are welcome to have more student participants but no more than 4 may travel with the teacher to Caltech and the AAS meeting. Given that the focus of the NITARP program is on the educators, little is known about the effects of the program on the student participants other than anecdotal evidence. In order to better understand the impact on the students, we have designed a survey to be administered to past student participants. The survey was constructed with a goal to determine if the NITARP experience had an impact on students' views of science and influenced their educational paths. While the NITARP project has assembled some evidence of the impact on students, this is the first formal attempt to capture that impact. This poster will present the results of that survey.

Knowledge Capture and Management for Space Flight Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, John L.

2005-01-01

The incorporation of knowledge capture and knowledge management strategies early in the development phase of an exploration program is necessary for safe and successful missions of human and robotic exploration vehicles over the life of a program. Following the transition from the development to the flight phase, loss of underlying theory and rationale governing design and requirements occur through a number of mechanisms. This degrades the quality of engineering work resulting in increased life cycle costs and risk to mission success and safety of flight. Due to budget constraints, concerned personnel in legacy programs often have to improvise methods for knowledge capture and management using existing, but often sub-optimal, information technology and archival resources. Application of advanced information technology to perform knowledge capture and management would be most effective if program wide requirements are defined at the beginning of a program.

2015 Fermilab Laboratory Directed Research & Development Annual Report

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

Wester, W.

2016-05-26

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) is conducting a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. Fiscal year 2015 represents the first full year of LDRD at Fermilab and includes seven projects approved mid-year in FY14 and six projects approved in FY15. One of the seven original projects has been completed just after the beginning of FY15. The implementation of LDRD at Fermilab is captured in the approved Fermilab 2015 LDRD Annual Program Plan. In FY15, the LDRD program represents 0.64% of Laboratory funding. The scope of the LDRD program at Fermilab will be established over the next couple ofmore » years where a portfolio of about 20 on-going projects representing approximately between 1% and 1.5% of the Laboratory funding is anticipated. This Annual Report focuses on the status of the current projects and provides an overview of the current status of LDRD at Fermilab.« less

From recovery programs to recovery-oriented practice? A qualitative study of mental health professionals' experiences when facilitating a recovery-oriented rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Dalum, Helle Stentoft; Pedersen, Inge Kryger; Cunningham, Harry; Eplov, Lene Falgaard

2015-12-01

The recovery model has influenced mental health services and fostered new standards for best practice. However, knowledge about how mental health care professionals (HCPs) experience recovery-oriented programs is sparse. This paper explores HCPs' experiences when facilitating a recovery-oriented rehabilitation program. The research question is how do HCPs experience a change in their attitude and practice when applying recovery-oriented programs? This paper draws on semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 16 HCPs experienced in facilitating a recovery-oriented rehabilitation program in either the USA or Denmark. Three themes emerged from the HCPs' reflections on changes in attitudes and practices: "Hopeful Attitude" captures a change in the HCPs' attitude toward a more positive view on the future for clients' living with mental illness; "A New Focus in the Dialogue With Clients" thematizes how the HCPs focus more on the individual's own goal for recovery rather than disease-induced goals in the dialog with clients; "A Person-Centered Role" comprises a shift in the professional role whereby the HCPs value the client's own ideas in addition to the professional's standards. This study supports the theory of the recovery model by its empirical findings and indications that when facilitating a recovery-oriented program, HCPs experience recovery-oriented changes in their attitude toward life with mental illness, and it alters their professional practice toward a stronger focus on client's own goals during treatment. More studies are needed to further clarify how changes in HCPs' attitudes translate into changes in mental health practices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementation of a patient safety program at a tertiary health system: A longitudinal analysis of interventions and serious safety events.

PubMed

Cropper, Douglas P; Harb, Nidal H; Said, Patricia A; Lemke, Jon H; Shammas, Nicolas W

2018-04-01

We hypothesize that implementation of a safety program based on high reliability organization principles will reduce serious safety events (SSE). The safety program focused on 7 essential elements: (a) safety rounding, (b) safety oversight teams, (c) safety huddles, (d) safety coaches, (e) good catches/safety heroes, (f) safety education, and (g) red rule. An educational curriculum was implemented focusing on changing high-risk behaviors and implementing critical safety policies. All unusual occurrences were captured in the Midas system and investigated by risk specialists, the safety officer, and the chief medical officer. A multidepartmental committee evaluated these events, and a root cause analysis (RCA) was performed. Events were tabulated and serious safety event (SSE) recorded and plotted over time. Safety success stories (SSSs) were also evaluated over time. A steady drop in SSEs was seen over 9 years. Also a rise in SSSs was evident, reflecting on staff engagement in the program. The parallel change in SSEs, SSSs, and the implementation of various safety interventions highly suggest that the program was successful in achieving its goals. A safety program based on high-reliability organization principles and made a core value of the institution can have a significant positive impact on reducing SSEs. © 2018 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

The Siren's Song: Exploitation of Female Flight Tones to Passively Capture Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

PubMed

Johnson, Brian J; Ritchie, Scott A

2016-01-01

The need to capture male mosquitoes has intensified recently as a result of a number of male-based sterile insect technique (SIT) and population-modification programs focused on Aedes aegypti (L.) having initiated field releases. Here, we report the results of the successful exploitation of the attraction of male Ae. aegypti to female flight tones to enhance male collections in nonmechanical passive (nonbattery powered) Gravid Aedes Traps (GAT). Prior to field studies, male attraction to female flight tones of 484 and 560 Hz, as well as to a male flight tone of 715 Hz, were assessed in a series of controlled release-recapture and semifield trials. These trials determined that a pure tone of 484 Hz was significantly more attractive to free-flying males than the other flight tones and enabled their collection in sound-baited GATs (ca. 95% capture rate after 2 h; 484 Hz at 65 dB). In contrast, gravid females were unresponsive to male or female flight tones and were evenly distributed among sound-baited and control GATs. Importantly, under normal field conditions sound-baited GATs (484 Hz at 70 dB) captured significantly more male Ae. aegypti per 24-h trap interval (1.3 ± 0.37) than controls (0.2 ± 0.13). Overall, sound-bated GATs captured approximately twice as many Ae. aegypti (male and female; 3.0 ± 0.68 per interval, 30 total) than controls (1.5 ± 0.56 per interval, 15 total). These results reveal that sound-baited GATs are a simple and effective surveillance tool for Ae. aegypti that would allow current male-based SIT and population-modification programs to effectively monitor males in their target populations. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ceftaroline Fosamil for the Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: from FOCUS to CAPTURE.

PubMed

Carreno, Joseph J; Lodise, Thomas P

2014-12-01

Ceftaroline fosamil (ceftaroline hereafter) is the latest addition to the armamentarium for the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). It is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), which is a recent FDA indication that centers on individuals with documented bacterial pneumonias that arise in the community setting. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss the major findings from the Phase III CAP clinical trials as well as the clinical experience with ceftaroline among patients with CAP in the "Ceftaroline Assessment Program and Teflaro(®) Utilization Registry" (CAPTURE). In its two Phase III CAP trials, ceftaroline was compared to ceftriaxone among adults with radiographically confirmed CAP requiring hospitalization who were classified as Pneumonia Outcomes Research Team (PORT) risk class III or IV. Among patients with CAP, clinical success at test of cure was 84.3% vs 77.7% (difference 6.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6-11.8%) in those treated with ceftaroline and ceftriaxone, respectively, across the two Phase III clinical trials. Among patients with a culture-confirmed CABP, day 4 response rates were numerically higher, albeit non-significant, among patients that received ceftaroline vs. ceftriaxone (69.5% for ceftaroline vs. 59.4% for ceftriaxone, difference 10.1%, 95% CI, -0.6% to 20.6%). The efficacy of ceftaroline is supported by real-world observational data from CAPTURE for patients with both CAP and CABP. In addition, the CAPTURE program afforded an opportunity to assess the outcomes of patients who were excluded or limited in the original Phase III trials in a non-comparative fashion. These underrepresented patient populations with CAP included: patients that received prior antibiotics, patients in the ICU, patients with severe renal dysfunction, and those with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from respiratory or blood culture. As CAPTURE is a retrospective, non-comparator convenience sample registry, all the findings need to be interpreted with caution.

Neutron capture therapy with deep tissue penetration using capillary neutron focusing

DOEpatents

Peurrung, Anthony J.

1997-01-01

An improved method for delivering thermal neutrons to a subsurface cancer or tumor which has been first doped with a dopant having a high cross section for neutron capture. The improvement is the use of a guide tube in cooperation with a capillary neutron focusing apparatus, or neutron focusing lens, for directing neutrons to the tumor, and thereby avoiding damage to surrounding tissue.

Engineering design knowledge recycling in near-real-time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leifer, Larry; Baya, Vinod; Toye, George; Baudin, Catherine; Underwood, Jody Gevins

1994-01-01

It is hypothesized that the capture and reuse of machine readable design records is cost beneficial. This informal engineering notebook design knowledge can be used to model the artifact and the design process. Design rationale is, in part, preserved and available for examination. Redesign cycle time is significantly reduced (Baya et al, 1992). These factors contribute to making it less costly to capture and reuse knowledge than to recreate comparable knowledge (current practice). To test the hypothesis, we have focused on validation of the concept and tools in two 'real design' projects this past year: (1) a short (8 month) turnaround project for NASA life science bioreactor researchers was done by a team of three mechanical engineering graduate students at Stanford University (in a class, ME210abc 'Mechatronic Systems Design and Methodology' taught by one of the authors, Leifer); and (2) a long range (8 to 20 year) international consortium project for NASA's Space Science program (STEP: satellite test of the equivalence principle). Design knowledge capture was supported this year by assigning the use of a Team-Design PowerBook. Design records were cataloged in near-real time. These records were used to qualitatively model the artifact design as it evolved. Dedal, an 'intelligent librarian' developed at NASA-ARC, was used to navigate and retrieve captured knowledge for reuse.

Jupiter Observation Campaign - Citizen Science At The Outer Planets: A Progress Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houston Jones, J.; Dyches, P.

2012-12-01

Amateur astronomers and astrophotographers diligently image Mars, Saturn and Jupiter in amazing detail. They often capture first views of storms on Saturn, impacts on Jupiter and changes in the planet's atmospheres. Many of the worldwide cadre of imagers share their images with each other and with planetary scientists. This new Jupiter focused citizen science program seeks to collect images and sort them into categories useful to scientists. In doing so, it provides a larger population of amateur astronomers with the opportunity to contribute their observations to NASA's JUNO Mission.

Closing the gap-cardiovascular risk and primary prevention: results from the American College of Physicians quality improvement program.

PubMed

Snow, Vincenza; Reynolds, Cara Egan; Bennett, Lia; Weiss, Kevin B; Snooks, Qianna; Qaseem, Amir

2010-01-01

The objective was to study the impact of a practice-based quality improvement program on practice teams' care for patients who have increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A total of 54 team members from 18 internal medicine practices participated in an educational program that used a pre-post intervention study design and focused on measures related to cardiovascular risk factors. The program involved live instruction, faculty-led conference calls, practice data collection, and progress reports detailing practices' improvement strategies. Data on 817 patients were reported. Practices showed significant improvement in counseling for diet (70% to 78%), exercise (67% to 74%), and weight loss (64% to 72%). Use of aspirin (53% to 64%) and statins (83% to 89%) also showed significant improvement. Administration of flu vaccine increased significantly from 51% to 54%. Improvements in patient counseling and medication management, if sustained, should lead to fewer cardiovascular events. However, program duration did not allow the capture of outcomes measures improvement.

Software Review: A program for testing capture-recapture data for closure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, Thomas R.; Richards, Jon D.

2005-01-01

Capture-recapture methods are widely used to estimate population parameters of free-ranging animals. Closed-population capture-recapture models, which assume there are no additions to or losses from the population over the period of study (i.e., the closure assumption), are preferred for population estimation over the open-population models, which do not assume closure, because heterogeneity in detection probabilities can be accounted for and this improves estimates. In this paper we introduce CloseTest, a new Microsoft® Windows-based program that computes the Otis et al. (1978) and Stanley and Burnham (1999) closure tests for capture-recapture data sets. Information on CloseTest features and where to obtain the program are provided.

Explaining Verification Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deney, Ewen; Fischer, Bernd

2006-01-01

The Hoare approach to program verification relies on the construction and discharge of verification conditions (VCs) but offers no support to trace, analyze, and understand the VCs themselves. We describe a systematic extension of the Hoare rules by labels so that the calculus itself can be used to build up explanations of the VCs. The labels are maintained through the different processing steps and rendered as natural language explanations. The explanations can easily be customized and can capture different aspects of the VCs; here, we focus on their structure and purpose. The approach is fully declarative and the generated explanations are based only on an analysis of the labels rather than directly on the logical meaning of the underlying VCs or their proofs. Keywords: program verification, Hoare calculus, traceability.

Participatory Data Collection Technique for Capturing Beginning Farmer Program Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eschbach, Cheryl L.; Sirrine, J. R.; Lizotte, Erin; Rothwell, N. L.

2016-01-01

This article describes an innovative evaluation plan we employed to capture outcomes of a multiyear beginning farmer program and, specifically, highlights the facilitation technique we used to document short-term and intermediate goals of the program that matched U.S. Department of Agriculture grant requirements and Extension administration…

Accelerated Electron-Beam Formation with a High Capture Coefficient in a Parallel Coupled Accelerating Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernousov, Yu. D.; Shebolaev, I. V.; Ikryanov, I. M.

2018-01-01

An electron beam with a high (close to 100%) coefficient of electron capture into the regime of acceleration has been obtained in a linear electron accelerator based on a parallel coupled slow-wave structure, electron gun with microwave-controlled injection current, and permanent-magnet beam-focusing system. The high capture coefficient was due to the properties of the accelerating structure, beam-focusing system, and electron-injection system. Main characteristics of the proposed systems are presented.

Neutron capture therapy with deep tissue penetration using capillary neutron focusing

DOEpatents

Peurrung, A.J.

1997-08-19

An improved method is disclosed for delivering thermal neutrons to a subsurface cancer or tumor which has been first doped with a dopant having a high cross section for neutron capture. The improvement is the use of a guide tube in cooperation with a capillary neutron focusing apparatus, or neutron focusing lens, for directing neutrons to the tumor, and thereby avoiding damage to surrounding tissue. 1 fig.

Focusing-schlieren visualization in a dual-mode scramjet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouchi, Toshinori; Goyne, Christopher P.; Rockwell, Robert D.; McDaniel, James C.

2015-12-01

Schlieren imaging is particularly suited to measuring density gradients in compressible flowfields and can be used to capture shock waves and expansion fans, as well as the turbulent structures of mixing and wake flows. Conventional schlieren imaging, however, has difficulty clearly capturing such structures in long-duration supersonic combustion test facilities. This is because the severe flow temperatures locally change the refractive index of the window glass that is being used to provide optical access. On the other hand, focusing-schlieren imaging presents the potential of reduced sensitivity to thermal distortion of the windows and to clearly capture the flow structures even during a combustion test. This reduced sensitivity is due the technique's ability to achieve a narrow depth of focus. As part of this study, a focusing-schlieren system was developed with a depth of focus near ±5 mm and was applied to a direct-connect, continuous-flow type, supersonic combustion test facility with a stagnation temperature near 1200 K. The present system was used to successfully visualize the flowfield inside a dual-mode scramjet. The imaging system captured combustion-induced volumetric expansion of the fuel jet and an anchored bifurcated shock wave at the trailing edge of the ramp fuel injector. This is the first time successful focusing-schlieren measurements have been reported for a dual-mode scramjet.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data

Science.gov Websites

emissions comparison of heavy duty vehicles as captured by the Clean Cities Program. Last update February emissions comparison of light duty vehicles as captured by the Clean Cities Program. Last update February

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data

Science.gov Websites

gas emissions comparison of heavy duty vehicles as captured by the Clean Cities Program. Last update gas emissions comparison of light duty vehicles as captured by the Clean Cities Program. Last update

Set-specific capture can be reduced by preemptively occupying a limited-capacity focus of attention.

PubMed

Moore, Katherine Sledge; Weissman, Daniel H

2011-01-01

Recent work has shown that contingent attentional capture effects can be especially large when multiple attentional sets for color guide visual search (Moore & Weissman, 2010). In particular, this research suggests that detecting a target-colored (e.g., orange) distractor leads the corresponding attentional set (e.g., identify orange letters) to enter a limited-capacity focus of attention in working memory, where it remains briefly while the distractor is being attended. Consequently, the ability to identify a differently-colored (e.g., green) target 100-300 ms later is impaired because the appropriate set (e.g., identify green letters) cannot also enter the focus of attention. In two experiments, we investigated whether such set-specific capture can be reduced by preemptively occupying the focus of attention. As predicted, a target-colored central distractor presented 233 ms before a target-colored peripheral distractor eliminated set-specific capture arising from the peripheral distractor. Moreover, this effect was observed only when the central distractor's color (e.g., orange) (a) matched a different set than the upcoming peripheral distractor's color (e.g., green) and (b) matched the same set as the upcoming central target's color (e.g., orange). We conclude that the same working memory limitations that give rise to set-specific capture can be preemptively exploited to reduce it.

Mine Safety and Health Administration's Part 50 program does not fully capture chronic disease and injury in the Illinois mining industry.

PubMed

Almberg, Kirsten S; Friedman, Lee S; Swedler, David; Cohen, Robert A

2018-05-01

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires reporting of injuries and illnesses to their Part 50 program. A 2011 study indicated that the Part 50 program did not capture many cases of injury in Kentucky, causing concern about underreporting in other states. MSHA Part 50 reports from Illinois for 2001-2013 were linked to Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (IWCC) data. IWCC cases not found in the Part 50 data were considered unreported. Overall, the Part 50 Program did not capture 66% of IWCC cases from 2001 to 2013. Chronic injuries or illnesses were more likely to be unreported to MSHA. The majority of occupational injuries and illnesses found in the IWCC from this time period, were not captured by Part 50. Inaccurate reporting of injuries and illnesses to the Part 50 program hinders MSHA's ability to enforce safety and health standards in the mining industry. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The modulation of perceptual selection by working memory is dependent on the focus of spatial attention.

PubMed

Pan, Yi; Soto, David

2010-07-09

Recent research suggests that visual selection can be automatically biased to those stimuli matching the contents of working memory (WM). However, a complete functional account of the interplay between WM and attention remains to be established. In particular, the boundary conditions of the WM effect on selection are unclear. Here, the authors investigate the influence of the focus of spatial attention (i.e., diffused vs. focused) by assessing the effect of spatial precues on attentional capture by WM. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that relative to a neutral condition without memory-matching stimuli, the presence of a memory distractor can trigger attentional capture despite being entirely irrelevant for the attention task but this happened only when the item was actively maintained in WM and not when it was merely repeated. Experiments 3a, 3b and 3c showed that attentional capture by WM can be modulated by endogenous spatial pre-cueing of the incoming target of selection. The authors conclude that WM-driven capture of visual selection is dependent on the focus of spatial attention. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capture zones for simple aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

McElwee, Carl D.

1991-01-01

Capture zones showing the area influenced by a well within a certain time are useful for both aquifer protection and cleanup. If hydrodynamic dispersion is neglected, a deterministic curve defines the capture zone. Analytical expressions for the capture zones can be derived for simple aquifers. However, the capture zone equations are transcendental and cannot be explicitly solved for the coordinates of the capture zone boundary. Fortunately, an iterative scheme allows the solution to proceed quickly and efficiently even on a modest personal computer. Three forms of the analytical solution must be used in an iterative scheme to cover the entire region of interest, after the extreme values of the x coordinate are determined by an iterative solution. The resulting solution is a discrete one, and usually 100-1000 intervals along the x-axis are necessary for a smooth definition of the capture zone. The presented program is written in FORTRAN and has been used in a variety of computing environments. No graphics capability is included with the program; it is assumed the user has access to a commercial package. The superposition of capture zones for multiple wells is expected to be satisfactory if the spacing is not too close. Because this program deals with simple aquifers, the results rarely will be the final word in a real application.

Bringing Culture Into Parent Training With Latinos

PubMed Central

Calzada, Esther J.

2015-01-01

Traditional frameworks of parenting have failed to capture the distinctive nature of parenting in Latino families. Cultural values likely influence parenting practices. The study of cultural values may allow us to identify aspects of parenting that are unique to Latinos and which complement traditional frameworks of parenting. This paper presents qualitative work on two Latino cultural values, familismo and respeto, and examines ways in which these values may inform the provision of standard parent training programs with Latinos. The first study is an ethnography that explored the value of familismo. The second study consisted of focus groups in which Latina mothers discussed the value of respeto. Findings from these two studies are used to examine the cultural congruence of the characteristics of parent training programs and the Latino values of familismo and respeto. In light of the issues identified, clinical guidelines for working with Latino parents in parent training programs are offered. PMID:25960630

Snake River Sockeye Salmon Captive Broodstock Program; Research Element, 2002 Annual Report.

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

Willard, Catherine; Hebdon, J. Lance; Castillo, Jason

2004-06-01

On November 20, 1991, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration listed Snake River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 1991, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and Idaho Department of Fish and Game initiated the Snake River Sockeye Salmon Sawtooth Valley Project to conserve and rebuild populations in Idaho. Restoration efforts are focusing on Redfish, Pettit, and Alturas lakes within the Sawtooth Valley. The first release of hatchery-produced juvenile sockeye salmon from the captive broodstock program occurred in 1994. The first anadromous adult returns from the captive broodstock program were recorded in 1999 when six jacksmore » and one jill were captured at IDFG's Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. In 2002, progeny from the captive broodstock program were released using four strategies: age-0 presmolts were released to Alturas, Pettit, and Redfish lakes in August and to Pettit and Redfish lakes in October, age-1 smolts were released to Redfish Lake Creek in May, eyed-eggs were planted in Pettit Lake in December, and hatchery-produced and anadromous adult sockeye salmon were released to Redfish Lake for volitional spawning in September. Oncorhynchus nerka population monitoring was conducted on Redfish, Alturas, and Pettit lakes using a midwater trawl in September 2002. Age-0, age-1, and age-2 O. nerka were captured in Redfish Lake, and population abundance was estimated at 50,204 fish. Age-0, age-1, age-2, and age-3 kokanee were captured in Alturas Lake, and population abundance was estimated at 24,374 fish. Age-2 and age-3 O. nerka were captured in Pettit Lake, and population abundance was estimated at 18,328 fish. The ultimate goal of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) captive broodstock development and evaluation efforts is to recover sockeye salmon runs in Idaho waters. Recovery is defined as reestablishing sockeye salmon runs and providing for utilization of sockeye salmon and kokanee resources by anglers. The immediate project goal is to maintain this unique sockeye salmon population through captive broodstock technology and avoid species extinction. The project objectives are: (1) Develop captive broodstocks from Redfish Lake anadromous sockeye salmon. (2) Determine the contribution hatchery-produced sockeye salmon make toward avoiding population extinction and increasing population abundance. (3) Describe O. nerka population characteristics for Sawtooth Valley lakes in relation to carrying capacity and broodstock program supplementation efforts. (4) Refine our ability to discern the origin of wild and broodstock sockeye salmon to provide maximum effectiveness in their utilization within the broodstock program. (5) Transfer technology through participation in the technical oversight committee process, providing written activity reports and participation in essential program management and planning activities.« less

Insights from Smart Meters. Ramp-up, dependability, and short-term persistence of savings from Home Energy Reports

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

Todd, Annika; Perry, Michael; Smith, Brian

Smart meters, smart thermostats, and other new technologies provide previously unavailable high-frequency and location-specific energy usage data. Many utilities are now able to capture real-time, customer specific hourly interval usage data for a large proportion of their residential and small commercial customers. These vast, constantly growing streams of rich data (or, “big data”) have the potential to provide novel insights into key policy questions about how people make energy decisions. The richness and granularity of these data enable many types of creative and cutting-edge analytics. Technically sophisticated and rigorous statistical techniques can be used to pull useful insights out ofmore » this high-frequency, human-focused data. In this series, we call this “behavior analytics.” This kind of analytics has the potential to provide tremendous value to a wide range of energy programs. For example, disaggregated and heterogeneous information about actual energy use allows energy efficiency (EE) and/or demand response (DR) program implementers to target specific programs to specific households; enables evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) of energy efficiency programs to be performed on a much shorter time horizon than was previously possible; and may provide better insights into the energy and peak hour savings associated with EE and DR programs (e.g., behavior-based (BB) programs). The goal of this series is to enable evidence-based and data-driven decision making by policy makers and industry stakeholders, including program planners, program administrators, utilities, state regulatory agencies, and evaluators. We focus on research findings that are immediately relevant.« less

An asynchronous learning approach for the instructional component of a dual-campus pharmacy resident teaching program.

PubMed

Garrison, Gina Daubney; Baia, Patricia; Canning, Jacquelyn E; Strang, Aimee F

2015-03-25

To describe the shift to an asynchronous online approach for pedagogy instruction within a pharmacy resident teaching program offered by a dual-campus college. The pedagogy instruction component of the teaching program (Part I) was redesigned with a focus on the content, delivery, and coordination of the learning environment. Asynchronous online learning replaced distance technology or lecture capture. Using a pedagogical content knowledge framework, residents participated in self-paced online learning using faculty recordings, readings, and discussion board activities. A learning management system was used to assess achievement of learning objectives and participation prior to progressing to the teaching experiences component of the teaching program (Part II). Evaluation of resident pedagogical knowledge development and participation in Part I of the teaching program was achieved through the learning management system. Participant surveys and written reflections showed general satisfaction with the online learning environment. Future considerations include addition of a live orientation session and increased faculty presence in the online learning environment. An online approach framed by educational theory can be an effective way to provide pedagogy instruction within a teaching program.

Program SPACECAP: software for estimating animal density using spatially explicit capture-recapture models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gopalaswamy, Arjun M.; Royle, J. Andrew; Hines, James E.; Singh, Pallavi; Jathanna, Devcharan; Kumar, N. Samba; Karanth, K. Ullas

2012-01-01

1. The advent of spatially explicit capture-recapture models is changing the way ecologists analyse capture-recapture data. However, the advantages offered by these new models are not fully exploited because they can be difficult to implement. 2. To address this need, we developed a user-friendly software package, created within the R programming environment, called SPACECAP. This package implements Bayesian spatially explicit hierarchical models to analyse spatial capture-recapture data. 3. Given that a large number of field biologists prefer software with graphical user interfaces for analysing their data, SPACECAP is particularly useful as a tool to increase the adoption of Bayesian spatially explicit capture-recapture methods in practice.

MARC ES: a computer program for estimating medical information storage requirements.

PubMed

Konoske, P J; Dobbins, R W; Gauker, E D

1998-01-01

During combat, documentation of medical treatment information is critical for maintaining continuity of patient care. However, knowledge of prior status and treatment of patients is limited to the information noted on a paper field medical card. The Multi-technology Automated Reader Card (MARC), a smart card, has been identified as a potential storage mechanism for casualty medical information. Focusing on data capture and storage technology, this effort developed a Windows program, MARC ES, to estimate storage requirements for the MARC. The program calculates storage requirements for a variety of scenarios using medical documentation requirements, casualty rates, and casualty flows and provides the user with a tool to estimate the space required to store medical data at each echelon of care for selected operational theaters. The program can also be used to identify the point at which data must be uploaded from the MARC if size constraints are imposed. Furthermore, this model can be readily extended to other systems that store or transmit medical information.

Bench Scale Process for Low Cost CO2 Capture Using a Phase-Changing Absorbent: Topical Report EH&S Risk Assessment

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

Westendorf, Tiffany; Farnum, Rachel; Perry, Robert

2016-05-11

GE Global Research was contracted by the Department of Energy to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing aminosilicone-based CO2 capture solvent (award number DEFE0013687). As part of this program, a technology EH&S assessment (Subtask 5.1) has been completed for a CO2 capture system for a 550 MW coal-fired power plant. The assessment focuses on two chemicals used in the process, the aminosilicone solvent, GAP-0, and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DDBSA), the GAP-0 carbamate formed upon reaction of the GAP-0 with CO2, and two potential byproducts formed in the process, GAP-0/SOx salts and amine-terminated, urea-containing silicone (also referred tomore » as “ureas” in this report). The EH&S assessment identifies and estimates the magnitude of the potential air and water emissions and solid waste generated by the process and reviews the toxicological profiles of the chemicals associated with the process. Details regarding regulatory requirements, engineering controls, and storage and handling procedures are also provided in the following sections.« less

Integration of virtual and real scenes within an integral 3D imaging environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Jinsong; Aggoun, Amar; McCormick, Malcolm

2002-11-01

The Imaging Technologies group at De Montfort University has developed an integral 3D imaging system, which is seen as the most likely vehicle for 3D television avoiding psychological effects. To create real fascinating three-dimensional television programs, a virtual studio that performs the task of generating, editing and integrating the 3D contents involving virtual and real scenes is required. The paper presents, for the first time, the procedures, factors and methods of integrating computer-generated virtual scenes with real objects captured using the 3D integral imaging camera system. The method of computer generation of 3D integral images, where the lens array is modelled instead of the physical camera is described. In the model each micro-lens that captures different elemental images of the virtual scene is treated as an extended pinhole camera. An integration process named integrated rendering is illustrated. Detailed discussion and deep investigation are focused on depth extraction from captured integral 3D images. The depth calculation method from the disparity and the multiple baseline method that is used to improve the precision of depth estimation are also presented. The concept of colour SSD and its further improvement in the precision is proposed and verified.

2012 Gordon Research Conference on Bioinspired Materials - Formal Schedule and Speaker/Poster Program

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

Chilkoti, Ashutosk

2012-06-29

The emerging, interdisciplinary field of Bioinspired Materials focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the synthesis, directed self-assembly and hierarchical organization of natural occurring materials, and uses this understanding to engineer new bioinspired artificial materials for diverse applications. The inaugural 2012 Gordon Conference on Bioinspired Materials seeks to capture the excitement of this burgeoning field by a cutting-edge scientific program and roster of distinguished invited speakers and discussion leaders who will address the key issues in the field. The Conference will feature a wide range of topics, such as materials and devices from DNA, reprogramming the genetic code for designmore » of new materials, peptide, protein and carbohydrate based materials, biomimetic systems, complexity in self-assembly, and biomedical applications of bioinspired materials.« less

A simple tool for stereological assessment of digital images: the STEPanizer.

PubMed

Tschanz, S A; Burri, P H; Weibel, E R

2011-07-01

STEPanizer is an easy-to-use computer-based software tool for the stereological assessment of digitally captured images from all kinds of microscopical (LM, TEM, LSM) and macroscopical (radiology, tomography) imaging modalities. The program design focuses on providing the user a defined workflow adapted to most basic stereological tasks. The software is compact, that is user friendly without being bulky. STEPanizer comprises the creation of test systems, the appropriate display of digital images with superimposed test systems, a scaling facility, a counting module and an export function for the transfer of results to spreadsheet programs. Here we describe the major workflow of the tool illustrating the application on two examples from transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, respectively. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Set-specific capture can be reduced by preemptively occupying a limited-capacity focus of attention

PubMed Central

Moore, Katherine Sledge; Weissman, Daniel H.

2011-01-01

Recent work has shown that contingent attentional capture effects can be especially large when multiple attentional sets for color guide visual search (Moore & Weissman, 2010). In particular, this research suggests that detecting a target-colored (e.g., orange) distractor leads the corresponding attentional set (e.g., identify orange letters) to enter a limited-capacity focus of attention in working memory, where it remains briefly while the distractor is being attended. Consequently, the ability to identify a differently-colored (e.g., green) target 100–300 ms later is impaired because the appropriate set (e.g., identify green letters) cannot also enter the focus of attention. In two experiments, we investigated whether such set-specific capture can be reduced by preemptively occupying the focus of attention. As predicted, a target-colored central distractor presented 233 ms before a target-colored peripheral distractor eliminated set-specific capture arising from the peripheral distractor. Moreover, this effect was observed only when the central distractor’s color (e.g., orange) (a) matched a different set than the upcoming peripheral distractor’s color (e.g., green) and (b) matched the same set as the upcoming central target’s color (e.g., orange). We conclude that the same working memory limitations that give rise to set-specific capture can be preemptively exploited to reduce it. PMID:21779149

Video Screen Capture Basics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunbar, Laura

2014-01-01

This article is an introduction to video screen capture. Basic information of two software programs, QuickTime for Mac and BlueBerry Flashback Express for PC, are also discussed. Practical applications for video screen capture are given.

76 FR 24007 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Lake Charles Carbon Capture...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-29

... Charles Carbon Capture and Sequestration Project, Lake Charles, LA AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION... competitive process under the Industrial Carbon Capture and Sequestration (ICCS) Program. The Lake Charles Carbon Capture and Sequestration Project (Lake Charles CCS Project) would demonstrate: (1) advanced...

Economic Analysis of a Multi-Site Prevention Program: Assessment of Program Costs and Characterizing Site-level Variability

PubMed Central

Corso, Phaedra S.; Ingels, Justin B.; Kogan, Steven M.; Foster, E. Michael; Chen, Yi-Fu; Brody, Gene H.

2013-01-01

Programmatic cost analyses of preventive interventions commonly have a number of methodological difficulties. To determine the mean total costs and properly characterize variability, one often has to deal with small sample sizes, skewed distributions, and especially missing data. Standard approaches for dealing with missing data such as multiple imputation may suffer from a small sample size, a lack of appropriate covariates, or too few details around the method used to handle the missing data. In this study, we estimate total programmatic costs for a prevention trial evaluating the Strong African American Families-Teen program. This intervention focuses on the prevention of substance abuse and risky sexual behavior. To account for missing data in the assessment of programmatic costs we compare multiple imputation to probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The latter approach uses collected cost data to create a distribution around each input parameter. We found that with the multiple imputation approach, the mean (95% confidence interval) incremental difference was $2149 ($397, $3901). With the probabilistic sensitivity analysis approach, the incremental difference was $2583 ($778, $4346). Although the true cost of the program is unknown, probabilistic sensitivity analysis may be a more viable alternative for capturing variability in estimates of programmatic costs when dealing with missing data, particularly with small sample sizes and the lack of strong predictor variables. Further, the larger standard errors produced by the probabilistic sensitivity analysis method may signal its ability to capture more of the variability in the data, thus better informing policymakers on the potentially true cost of the intervention. PMID:23299559

Economic analysis of a multi-site prevention program: assessment of program costs and characterizing site-level variability.

PubMed

Corso, Phaedra S; Ingels, Justin B; Kogan, Steven M; Foster, E Michael; Chen, Yi-Fu; Brody, Gene H

2013-10-01

Programmatic cost analyses of preventive interventions commonly have a number of methodological difficulties. To determine the mean total costs and properly characterize variability, one often has to deal with small sample sizes, skewed distributions, and especially missing data. Standard approaches for dealing with missing data such as multiple imputation may suffer from a small sample size, a lack of appropriate covariates, or too few details around the method used to handle the missing data. In this study, we estimate total programmatic costs for a prevention trial evaluating the Strong African American Families-Teen program. This intervention focuses on the prevention of substance abuse and risky sexual behavior. To account for missing data in the assessment of programmatic costs we compare multiple imputation to probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The latter approach uses collected cost data to create a distribution around each input parameter. We found that with the multiple imputation approach, the mean (95 % confidence interval) incremental difference was $2,149 ($397, $3,901). With the probabilistic sensitivity analysis approach, the incremental difference was $2,583 ($778, $4,346). Although the true cost of the program is unknown, probabilistic sensitivity analysis may be a more viable alternative for capturing variability in estimates of programmatic costs when dealing with missing data, particularly with small sample sizes and the lack of strong predictor variables. Further, the larger standard errors produced by the probabilistic sensitivity analysis method may signal its ability to capture more of the variability in the data, thus better informing policymakers on the potentially true cost of the intervention.

Integration of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and probabilistic dynamic programming in formulating an optimal fleet management model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teoh, Lay Eng; Khoo, Hooi Ling

2013-09-01

This study deals with two major aspects of airlines, i.e. supply and demand management. The aspect of supply focuses on the mathematical formulation of an optimal fleet management model to maximize operational profit of the airlines while the aspect of demand focuses on the incorporation of mode choice modeling as parts of the developed model. The proposed methodology is outlined in two-stage, i.e. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process is first adopted to capture mode choice modeling in order to quantify the probability of probable phenomena (for aircraft acquisition/leasing decision). Then, an optimization model is developed as a probabilistic dynamic programming model to determine the optimal number and types of aircraft to be acquired and/or leased in order to meet stochastic demand during the planning horizon. The findings of an illustrative case study show that the proposed methodology is viable. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of mode choice modeling could affect the operational profit and fleet management decision of the airlines at varying degrees.

Engaging Students Through Classroom Connection Webinars to Improve Their Understanding of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, Paige V.; Achilles, Cherie

2013-01-01

Planetary exploration missions to other worlds, like Mars, can generate a lot of excitement and wonder for the public. The Mars Science Laboratory Mission is one of the latest planetary missions that has intrigued the public perhaps more than most. How can scientists and educational specialists capitalize on the allure of this mission and involve students and teachers in a way that not only shares the story of the mission, but actively engages classrooms with scientists and improves their understanding of the science? The Expedition Earth and Beyond (EEAB) Program [1], facilitated by the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate Education Program at the NASA Johnson Space Center achieves this by facilitating MSL mission focused classroom connection webinars. Five MSL-focused webinars facilitated through EEAB during the 2012 fall semester engaged almost 3000 students and teachers. Involved STEM experts/role models helped translate the science behind the Mars Science Laboratory mission in a comprehensive, exciting, and engaging manner. These virtual events captured participants attention while increasing their science awareness and understanding of the MSL mission.

Predicting the stability of endangered stonecats in the LaPlatte River, Vermont

USGS Publications Warehouse

Puchala, Elizabeth A.; Parrish, Donna; Donovan, Therese M.

2016-01-01

Stonecats Noturus flavus in Vermont conform to a rare distribution pattern (as designated by Rabinowitz 1981) because their known distribution within the state is limited to the LaPlatte and Missisquoi rivers. We focused on Stonecats in the LaPlatte River to predict the stability of the population. During 2012–2014, we captured Stonecats via backpack electrofishing; fish were PIT-tagged (>90 mm TL) and marked with visible implant elastomer. Among the 1,671 Stonecats that were captured, 1,252 were PIT-tagged. Only 156 (12%) of the PIT-tagged fish were recaptured, and only 22 of those individuals were recaptured more than once. The Pradel model in Program MARK was used to estimate apparent survival (Φ) and seniority, which were used to derive the rate of population change (λ) for the Stonecat encounter histories we studied. We examined a total of 64 models in our candidate set, with the following covariates: TL at first capture, maximum temperature, season, maximum discharge, and area sampled. Survival estimates were highest in the spring (range of daily Φ = 0.9993–0.9995) and increased with greater TL at first capture. We also estimated increases in capture probability with increasing area sampled. We derived an annual λ of 0.9794, which indicates a slightly decreasing population. However, our λ estimate contained uncertainty that was likely increased due to the low recapture rates. Additional years of data could increase the accuracy of the λ estimate. In the meantime, we have provided insight into Stonecat population parameters that were otherwise unknown.

FY07 LDRD Final Report Neutron Capture Cross-Section Measurements at DANCE

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

Parker, W; Agvaanluvsan, U; Wilk, P

2008-02-08

We have measured neutron capture cross sections intended to address defense science problems including mix and the Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU), and provide details about statistical decay of excited nuclei. A major part of this project included developing the ability to produce radioactive targets. The cross-section measurements were made using the white neutron source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, the detector array called DANCE (The Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments) and targets important for astrophysics and stockpile stewardship. DANCE is at the leading edge of neutron capture physics and represents a major leap forward inmore » capability. The detector array was recently built with LDRD money. Our measurements are a significant part of the early results from the new experimental DANCE facility. Neutron capture reactions are important for basic nuclear science, including astrophysics and the statistics of the {gamma}-ray cascades, and for applied science, including stockpile science and technology. We were most interested in neutron capture with neutron energies in the range between 1 eV and a few hundred keV, with targets important to basic science, and the s-process in particular. Of particular interest were neutron capture cross-section measurements of rare isotopes, especially radioactive isotopes. A strong collaboration between universities and Los Alamos due to the Academic Alliance was in place at the start of our project. Our project gave Livermore leverage in focusing on Livermore interests. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory did not have a resident expert in cross-section measurements; this project allowed us to develop this expertise. For many radionuclides, the cross sections for destruction, especially (n,{gamma}), are not well known, and there is no adequate model that describes neutron capture. The modeling problem is significant because, at low energies where capture reactions are important, the neutron reaction cross sections show resonance behavior or follow 1/v of the incident neutrons. In the case of odd-odd nuclei, the modeling problem is particularly difficult because degenerate states (rotational bands) present in even-even nuclei have separated in energy. Our work included interpretation of the {gamma}-ray spectra to compare with the Statistical Model and provides information on level density and statistical decay. Neutron capture cross sections are of programmatic interest to defense sciences because many elements were added to nuclear devices in order to determine various details of the nuclear detonation, including fission yields, fusion yields, and mix. Both product nuclei created by (n,2n) reactions and reactant nuclei are transmuted by neutron capture during the explosion. Very few of the (n,{gamma}) cross sections for reactions that create products measured by radiochemists have ever been experimentally determined; most are calculated by radiochemical equivalences. Our new experimentally measured capture cross sections directly impact our knowledge about the uncertainties in device performances, which enhances our capability of carrying out our stockpile stewardship program. Europium and gadolinium cross sections are important for both astrophysics and defense programs. Measurements made prior to this project on stable europium targets differ by 30-40%, which was considered to be significantly disparate. Of the gadolinium isotopes, {sup 151}Gd is important for stockpile stewardship, and {sup 153}Gd is of high interest to astrophysics, and nether of these (radioactive) gadolinium (n,{gamma}) cross sections have been measured. Additional stable gadolinium isotopes, including {sup 157,160}Gd are of interest to astrophysics. Historical measurements of gadolinium isotopes, including {sup 152,154}Gd, had disagreements similar to the 30-40% disagreements found in the historical europium data. Actinide capture cross section measurements are important for both Stockpile Stewardship and for nuclear forensics. We focused on the {sup 242m}Am(n,{gamma}) measurement, as there was no existing capture measurement for this isotope. The cross-section measurements (cross section vs. E{sub n}) were made at the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments. DANCE is comprised of a highly segmented array of barium fluoride (BaF{sub 2}) crystals specifically designed for neutron capture-gamma measurements, using small radioactive targets (less than one milligram). A picture of half the array, along with a photo of one crystal, is shown in Fig. 1. DANCE provides the world's leading capability for measurements of neutron capture cross sections with radioactive targets. The DANCE is a 4{pi} calorimeter and uses the intense spallation neutron source the Lujan Center at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The detector array consists of 159 barium fluoride crystals arranged in a sphere around the target.« less

Moving beyond health to flourishing: the effects of yoga teacher training.

PubMed

Conboy, L A; Wilson, A; Braun, T

2010-05-04

Research in the medical and psychological fields has primarily followed a "disease-focused" approach to health. Although there is growing research on the components and outcomes of well-being, very few studies have focused on traditional practices that can be used as interventions to encourage human flourishing. The current study was developed to address this research gap. We suggest one effective method of increasing psychological well-being, the practice of yoga, an age-old practice that has been said to produce physical and psychological health. In this observational study, we examined associations with participation in a 4-week yoga teacher training resident program. Measurement instruments were chosen to capture changes in psychosocial health and human flourishing. Measurements were taken before the start of the program, immediately after the program, and 3 months postprogram. As expected, in this healthy population, the human flourishing scales showed more change than the psychosocial health scales. For example, in this healthy sample, there were no significant changes in perceived social support, quality of life, or self-efficacy from baseline to the 3-month follow-up. However, optimism, a positive psychology research measure, improved from baseline to follow-up. The mindfulness subscales of observation, awareness, and nonreactivity all improved following the training, suggesting that one benefit of yoga practice is a more refined ability to attend to one's inner experience. This study adds to the growing literature focusing on interventions that move beyond relieving pathology to those that produce optimal functioning and human thriving.

Space robotics in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whittaker, William; Lowrie, James W.; Mccain, Harry; Bejczy, Antal; Sheridan, Tom; Kanade, Takeo; Allen, Peter

1994-01-01

Japan has been one of the most successful countries in the world in the realm of terrestrial robot applications. The panel found that Japan has in place a broad base of robotics research and development, ranging from components to working systems for manufacturing, construction, and human service industries. From this base, Japan looks to the use of robotics in space applications and has funded work in space robotics since the mid-1980's. The Japanese are focusing on a clear image of what they hope to achieve through three objectives for the 1990's: developing long-reach manipulation for tending experiments on Space Station Freedom, capturing satellites using a free-flying manipulator, and surveying part of the moon with a mobile robot. This focus and a sound robotics infrastructure is enabling the young Japanese space program to develop relevant systems for extraterrestrial robotics applications.

75 FR 66420 - ITS Joint Program Office; IntelliDriveSM

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-28

... issues; details of the IntelliDrive program's open data environment and its open source mobility... host a free two-day public workshop to discuss the IntelliDrive\\SM\\ Real-Time Data Capture and... communicate with stakeholders interested in the data capture and dynamic mobility components of the Intelli...

Effectiveness of differing trap types for the detection of emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae).

PubMed

Marshall, Jordan M; Storer, Andrew J; Fraser, Ivich; Beachy, Jessica A; Mastro, Victor C

2009-08-01

The early detection of populations of a forest pest is important to begin initial control efforts, minimizing the risk of further spread and impact. Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is an introduced pestiferous insect of ash (Fraxinus spp. L.) in North America. The effectiveness of trapping techniques, including girdled trap trees with sticky bands and purple prism traps, was tested in areas with low- and high-density populations of emerald ash borer. At both densities, large girdled trap trees (>30 cm diameter at breast height [dbh], 1.37 m in height) captured a higher rate of adult beetles per day than smaller trees. However, the odds of detecting emerald ash borer increased as the dbh of the tree increased by 1 cm for trap trees 15-25 cm dbh. Ash species used for the traps differed in the number of larvae per cubic centimeter of phloem. Emerald ash borer larvae were more likely to be detected below, compared with above, the crown base of the trap tree. While larval densities within a trap tree were related to the species of ash, adult capture rates were not. These results provide support for focusing state and regional detection programs on the detection of emerald ash borer adults. If bark peeling for larvae is incorporated into these programs, peeling efforts focused below the crown base may increase likelihood of identifying new infestations while reducing labor costs. Associating traps with larger trees ( approximately 25 cm dbh) may increase the odds of detecting low-density populations of emerald ash borer, possibly reducing the time between infestation establishment and implementing management strategies.

Final Scientific/Technical Report Carbon Capture and Storage Training Northwest - CCSTNW

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

Workman, James

This report details the activities of the Carbon Capture and Storage Training Northwest (CCSTNW) program 2009 to 2013. The CCSTNW created, implemented, and provided Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) training over the period of the program. With the assistance of an expert advisory board, CCSTNW created curriculum and conducted three short courses, more than three lectures, two symposiums, and a final conference. The program was conducted in five phases; 1) organization, gap analysis, and form advisory board; 2) develop list serves, website, and tech alerts; 3) training needs survey; 4) conduct lectures, courses, symposiums, and a conference; 5) evaluation surveysmore » and course evaluations. This program was conducted jointly by Environmental Outreach and Stewardship Alliance (dba. Northwest Environmental Training Center – NWETC) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL).« less

Characterization of Pressure Fields of Focused Transducers at TÜBİTAK UME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaböce, B.; Şahin, A.; İnce, A. T.; Skarlatos, Y.

Field radiated by HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) has been investigated by measuring its pressure field and mapping in 2-D and 3-D. A new ultrasound pressure measurement system has been designed and constructed at TÜBİTAK UME (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, the National Metrology Institute). System consists of a water tank, positioning system, measurement devices and a controlling program. The hydrophone was attached to a 3-axis, computer-controlled positioning system for alignment with the ultrasound source. The signal was captured and analyzed by the commercially available LabVIEW 8.1 software. The measurements of the ultrasound field were carried out with a needle hydrophone. For each waveform, p, p+ and p-pressures have been calculated. Wave behaviors produced by the KZK model and from experiments look like similar in general. In p, p+, p- the focal point, zero point after the primary peak (focus) and extremum points in the near field well match.

Advances in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) at kyoto university - From reactor-based BNCT to accelerator-based BNCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakurai, Yoshinori; Tanaka, Hiroki; Takata, Takushi; Fujimoto, Nozomi; Suzuki, Minoru; Masunaga, Shinichiro; Kinashi, Yuko; Kondo, Natsuko; Narabayashi, Masaru; Nakagawa, Yosuke; Watanabe, Tsubasa; Ono, Koji; Maruhashi, Akira

2015-07-01

At the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI), a clinical study of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) using a neutron irradiation facility installed at the research nuclear reactor has been regularly performed since February 1990. As of November 2014, 510 clinical irradiations were carried out using the reactor-based system. The world's first accelerator-based neutron irradiation system for BNCT clinical irradiation was completed at this institute in early 2009, and the clinical trial using this system was started in 2012. A shift of BCNT from special particle therapy to a general one is now in progress. To promote and support this shift, improvements to the irradiation system, as well as its preparation, and improvements in the physical engineering and the medical physics processes, such as dosimetry systems and quality assurance programs, must be considered. The recent advances in BNCT at KURRI are reported here with a focus on physical engineering and medical physics topics.

Fermionic topological quantum states as tensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, C.; Buerschaper, O.; Eisert, J.

2017-06-01

Tensor network states, and in particular projected entangled pair states, play an important role in the description of strongly correlated quantum lattice systems. They do not only serve as variational states in numerical simulation methods, but also provide a framework for classifying phases of quantum matter and capture notions of topological order in a stringent and rigorous language. The rapid development in this field for spin models and bosonic systems has not yet been mirrored by an analogous development for fermionic models. In this work, we introduce a tensor network formalism capable of capturing notions of topological order for quantum systems with fermionic components. At the heart of the formalism are axioms of fermionic matrix-product operator injectivity, stable under concatenation. Building upon that, we formulate a Grassmann number tensor network ansatz for the ground state of fermionic twisted quantum double models. A specific focus is put on the paradigmatic example of the fermionic toric code. This work shows that the program of describing topologically ordered systems using tensor networks carries over to fermionic models.

Improvements in continuum modeling for biomolecular systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Qiao; Ben-Zhuo, Lu

2016-01-01

Modeling of biomolecular systems plays an essential role in understanding biological processes, such as ionic flow across channels, protein modification or interaction, and cell signaling. The continuum model described by the Poisson- Boltzmann (PB)/Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) equations has made great contributions towards simulation of these processes. However, the model has shortcomings in its commonly used form and cannot capture (or cannot accurately capture) some important physical properties of the biological systems. Considerable efforts have been made to improve the continuum model to account for discrete particle interactions and to make progress in numerical methods to provide accurate and efficient simulations. This review will summarize recent main improvements in continuum modeling for biomolecular systems, with focus on the size-modified models, the coupling of the classical density functional theory and the PNP equations, the coupling of polar and nonpolar interactions, and numerical progress. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 91230106) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Program for Cross & Cooperative Team of the Science & Technology Innovation.

Space Shuttle Guidance, Navigation, and Rendezvous Knowledge Capture Reports. Revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, John L.

2011-01-01

This document is a catalog and readers guide to lessons learned, experience, and technical history reports, as well as compilation volumes prepared by United Space Alliance personnel for the NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) Flight Dynamics Division.1 It is intended to make it easier for future generations of engineers to locate knowledge capture documentation from the Shuttle Program. The first chapter covers observations on documentation quality and research challenges encountered during the Space Shuttle and Orion programs. The second chapter covers the knowledge capture approach used to create many of the reports covered in this document. These chapters are intended to provide future flight programs with insight that could be used to formulate knowledge capture and management strategies. The following chapters contain descriptions of each knowledge capture report. The majority of the reports concern the Space Shuttle. Three are included that were written in support of the Orion Program. Most of the reports were written from the years 2001 to 2011. Lessons learned reports concern primarily the shuttle Global Positioning System (GPS) upgrade and the knowledge capture process. Experience reports on navigation and rendezvous provide examples of how challenges were overcome and how best practices were identified and applied. Some reports are of a more technical history nature covering navigation and rendezvous. They provide an overview of mission activities and the evolution of operations concepts and trajectory design. The lessons learned, experience, and history reports would be considered secondary sources by historians and archivists.

The influence of capture-recapture methodology on the evolution of the North American Bird Banding Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tautin, J.; Lebreton, J.-D.; North, P.M.

1993-01-01

Capture-recapture methodology has advanced greatly in the last twenty years and is now a major factor driving the continuing evolution of the North American bird banding program. Bird banding studies are becoming more scientific with improved study designs and analytical procedures. Researchers and managers are gaining more reliable knowledge which in turn betters the conservation of migratory birds. The advances in capture-recapture methodology have benefited gamebird studies primarily, but nongame bird studies will benefit similarly as they expand greatly in the next decade. Further theoretical development of capture-recapture methodology should be encouraged, and, to maximize benefits of the methodology, work on practical applications should be increased.

Constant-parameter capture-recapture models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brownie, C.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.

1986-01-01

Jolly (1982, Biometrics 38, 301-321) presented modifications of the Jolly-Seber model for capture-recapture data, which assume constant survival and/or capture rates. Where appropriate, because of the reduced number of parameters, these models lead to more efficient estimators than the Jolly-Seber model. The tests to compare models given by Jolly do not make complete use of the data, and we present here the appropriate modifications, and also indicate how to carry out goodness-of-fit tests which utilize individual capture history information. We also describe analogous models for the case where young and adult animals are tagged. The availability of computer programs to perform the analysis is noted, and examples are given using output from these programs.

An Asynchronous Learning Approach for the Instructional Component of a Dual-Campus Pharmacy Resident Teaching Program

PubMed Central

Baia, Patricia; Canning, Jacquelyn E.; Strang, Aimee F.

2015-01-01

Objective. To describe the shift to an asynchronous online approach for pedagogy instruction within a pharmacy resident teaching program offered by a dual-campus college. Design. The pedagogy instruction component of the teaching program (Part I) was redesigned with a focus on the content, delivery, and coordination of the learning environment. Asynchronous online learning replaced distance technology or lecture capture. Using a pedagogical content knowledge framework, residents participated in self-paced online learning using faculty recordings, readings, and discussion board activities. A learning management system was used to assess achievement of learning objectives and participation prior to progressing to the teaching experiences component of the teaching program (Part II). Assessment. Evaluation of resident pedagogical knowledge development and participation in Part I of the teaching program was achieved through the learning management system. Participant surveys and written reflections showed general satisfaction with the online learning environment. Future considerations include addition of a live orientation session and increased faculty presence in the online learning environment. Conclusion. An online approach framed by educational theory can be an effective way to provide pedagogy instruction within a teaching program. PMID:25861110

Costs and consequences of a cash transfer for hospital births in a rural district of Uttar Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Coffey, Diane

2014-08-01

The Janani Suraksha Yojana, India's "safe motherhood program," is a conditional cash transfer to encourage women to give birth in health facilities. Despite the program's apparent success in increasing facility-based births, quantitative evaluations have not found corresponding improvements in health outcomes. This study analyses original qualitative data collected between January, 2012 and November, 2013 in a rural district in Uttar Pradesh to address the question of why the program has not improved health outcomes. It finds that health service providers are focused on capturing economic rents associated with the program, and provide an extremely poor quality care. Further, the program does not ultimately provide beneficiaries a large net monetary transfer at the time of birth. Based on a detailed accounting of the monetary costs of hospital and home deliveries, this study finds that the value of the transfer to beneficiaries is small due to costs associated with hospital births. Finally, this study also documents important emotional and psychological costs to women of delivering in the hospital. These findings suggest the need for a substantial rethinking of the program, paying careful attention to incentivizing health outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photography Basics. Capturing the Essence of Physical Education and Sport Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kluka, Darlene A.; Mitchell, Carolyn B.

1990-01-01

The physical educator or coach may be responsible for marketing programs to the public, and skill in 35mm photography can help. Ingredients necessary for successful 35mm movement photography are discussed: knowledge of the movement and the appropriate equipment; techniques for capturing movement; positioning for the ultimate shot; and practice.…

Capturing subregional variability in regional-scale climate change vulnerability assessments of natural resources.

PubMed

Buotte, Polly C; Peterson, David L; McKelvey, Kevin S; Hicke, Jeffrey A

2016-03-15

Natural resource vulnerability to climate change can depend on the climatology and ecological conditions at a particular site. Here we present a conceptual framework for incorporating spatial variability in natural resource vulnerability to climate change in a regional-scale assessment. The framework was implemented in the first regional-scale vulnerability assessment conducted by the US Forest Service. During this assessment, five subregional workshops were held to capture variability in vulnerability and to develop adaptation tactics. At each workshop, participants answered a questionnaire to: 1) identify species, resources, or other information missing from the regional assessment, and 2) describe subregional vulnerability to climate change. Workshop participants divided into six resource groups; here we focus on wildlife resources. Participants identified information missing from the regional assessment and multiple instances of subregional variability in climate change vulnerability. We provide recommendations for improving the process of capturing subregional variability in a regional vulnerability assessment. We propose a revised conceptual framework structured around pathways of climate influence, each with separate rankings for exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. These revisions allow for a quantitative ranking of species, pathways, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity across subregions. Rankings can be used to direct the development and implementation of future regional research and monitoring programs. The revised conceptual framework is equally applicable as a stand-alone model for assessing climate change vulnerability and as a nested model within a regional assessment for capturing subregional variability in vulnerability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomedical health assessments of the Florida manatee in Crystal River - providing opportunities for training during the capture, handling, and processing of this endangered aquatic mammal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bonde, Robert K.; Garrett, Andrew; Belanger, Michael; Askin, Nesime; Tan, Luke; Wittnich, Carin

2012-01-01

Federal and state researchers have been involved in manatee (Trichechus manatus) biomedical health assessment programs for a couple of decades. These benchmark studies have provided a foundation for the development of consistent capture, handling, and processing techniques and protocols. Biologists have implemented training and encouraged multi-agency participation whenever possible to ensure reliable data acquisition, recording, sample collection, publication integrity, and meeting rigorous archival standards. Under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife research permit granted to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sirenia Project, federal biologists and collaborators are allowed to conduct research studies on wild and captive manatees detailing various aspects of their biology. Therefore, researchers with the project have been collaborating on numerous studies over the last several years. One extensive study, initiated in 2006 has focused on health and fitness of the winter manatee population located in Crystal River, Florida. During those health assessments, capture, handling, and work-up training has been afforded to many of the participants. That study has successfully captured and handled 123 manatees. The data gathered have provided baseline information on manatee health, reproductive status, and nutritional condition. This research initiative addresses concerns and priorities outlined in the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan. The assessment teams strive to continue this collaborative effort to help advance our understanding of health-related issues confronting manatees throughout their range and interlacing these findings with surrogate species concepts.

Approximating the r-Process on Earth with Thermonuclear Explosions. Lessons Learned and Unanswered Questions

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

Becker, Stephen Allan

2016-01-28

During the astrophysical r-process, multiple neutron captures occur so rapidly on target nuclei that their daughter nuclei generally do not have time to undergo radioactive decay before another neutron is captured. The r-process can be approximately simulated on Earth in certain types of thermonuclear explosions through an analogous process of rapid neutron captures known as the "prompt capture" process. Between 1952 and 1969, 23 nuclear tests were fielded by the US which were involved (at least partially) with the "prompt capture" process. Of these tests, 15 were at least partially successful. Some of these tests were conducted under the Plowsharemore » Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Program as scientific research experiments. It is now known that the USSR conducted similar nuclear tests during 1966 to 1979. The elements einsteinium and fermium were first discovered by this process. The most successful tests achieved 19 successive neutron captures on the initial target nuclei. A review of the US program, target nuclei used, heavy element yields, scientific achievements of the program, and how some of the results have been used by the astrophysical community is given. Finally, some unanswered questions concerning very neutron-rich nuclei that could potentially have been answered with additional nuclear experiments is presented.« less

Role of Passive Capturing in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogata, Hiroaki; Hou, Bin; Li, MengMeng; Uosaki, Noriko; Mouri, Kousuke

2013-01-01

Ubiquitous Learning Log (ULL) is defined as a digital record of what you have learned in the daily life using ubiquitous technologies. This paper focuses on how to capture learning experiences in our daily life for vocabulary learning. In our previous works, we developed a system named SCROLL (System for Capturing and Reminding Of Learning Log) in…

Boeing CST-100 Starliner Seat Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-21

Engineers working with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner test the spacecraft's seat design in Mesa, Arizona, focusing on how the spacecraft seats would protect an astronaut's head, neck and spine during the 240-mile descent from the International Space Station. The company incorporated test dummies for a detailed analysis of impacts on a crew returning to earth. The human-sized dummies were equipped with sensitive instrumentation and secured in the seats for 30 drop tests at varying heights, angles, velocities and seat orientations in order to mimic actual landing conditions. High-speed cameras captured the footage for further analysis. The Starliner spacecraft is being developed in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Methane Hydrate Field Program. Development of a Scientific Plan for a Methane Hydrate-Focused Marine Drilling, Logging and Coring Program

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

Collett, Tim; Bahk, Jang-Jun; Frye, Matt

2013-12-31

This topical report represents a pathway toward better understanding of the impact of marine methane hydrates on safety and seafloor stability and future collection of data that can be used by scientists, engineers, managers and planners to study climate change and to assess the feasibility of marine methane hydrate as a potential future energy resource. Our understanding of the occurrence, distribution and characteristics of marine methane hydrates is incomplete; therefore, research must continue to expand if methane hydrates are to be used as a future energy source. Exploring basins with methane hydrates has been occurring for over 30 years, butmore » these efforts have been episodic in nature. To further our understanding, these efforts must be more regular and employ new techniques to capture more data. This plan identifies incomplete areas of methane hydrate research and offers solutions by systematically reviewing known methane hydrate “Science Challenges” and linking them with “Technical Challenges” and potential field program locations.« less

ASSESSMENT OF THE RATES OF INJURY AND MORTALITY IN WATERFOWL CAPTURED WITH FIVE METHODS OF CAPTURE AND TECHNIQUES FOR MINIMIZING RISKS.

PubMed

O'Brien, Michelle F; Lee, Rebecca; Cromie, Ruth; Brown, Martin J

2016-04-01

Swan pipes, duck decoys, cage traps, cannon netting, and roundups are widely used to capture waterfowl in order to monitor populations. These methods are often regulated in countries with national ringing or banding programs and are considered to be safe, and thus justifiable given the benefits to conservation. However, few published studies have addressed how frequently injuries and mortalities occur, or the nature of any injuries. In the present study, rates of mortality and injury during captures with the use of these methods carried out by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust as part of conservation programs were assessed. The total rate of injury (including mild dermal abrasions) was 0.42% across all species groups, whereas total mortality was 0.1% across all capture methods. Incidence of injury varied among species groups (ducks, geese, swans, and rails), with some, for example, dabbling ducks, at greater risk than others. We also describe techniques used before, during, and after a capture to reduce stress and injury in captured waterfowl. Projects using these or other capture methods should monitor and publish their performance to allow sharing of experience and to reduce risks further.

Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: a multi-site focus group study.

PubMed

Palepu, Anita; Hubley, Anita M; Russell, Lara B; Gadermann, Anne M; Chinni, Mary

2012-08-15

The aim of this study was to identify what is most important to the quality of life (QoL) of those who experience homelessness by directly soliciting the views of homeless and hard-to-house Canadians themselves. These individuals live within a unique social context that differs considerably from that of the general population. To understand the life areas that are most important to them, it is critical to have direct input from target populations of homeless and hard-to-house persons. Focus groups were conducted with 140 individuals aged 15 to 73 years who were homeless or hard-to-house to explore the circumstances in which they were living and to capture what they find to be important and relevant domains of QoL. Participants were recruited in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Six major content themes emerged: Health/health care; Living conditions; Financial situation; Employment situation; Relationships; and Recreational and leisure activities. These themes were linked to broader concepts that included having choices, stability, respect, and the same rights as other members of society. These findings not only aid our understanding of QoL in this group, but may be used to develop measures that capture QoL in this population and help programs and policies become more effective in improving the life situation for persons who are homeless and hard-to-house. Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: A multi-site focus group study.

Captures of Boll Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Relation to Trap Orientation and Distance From Brush Lines.

PubMed

Spurgeon, Dale W

2016-04-01

Eradication programs for the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman) rely on pheromone-baited traps to trigger insecticide treatments and monitor program progress. A key objective of monitoring in these programs is the timely detection of incipient weevil populations to limit or prevent re-infestation. Therefore, improvements in the effectiveness of trapping would enhance efforts to achieve and maintain eradication. Association of pheromone traps with woodlots and other prominent vegetation are reported to increase captures of weevils, but the spatial scale over which this effect occurs is unknown. The influences of trap distance (0, 10, and 20 m) and orientation (leeward or windward) to brush lines on boll weevil captures were examined during three noncropping seasons (October to February) in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Differences in numbers of captured weevils and in the probability of capture between traps at 10 or 20 m from brush, although often statistically significant, were generally small and variable. Variations in boll weevil population levels, wind directions, and wind speeds apparently contributed to this variability. In contrast, traps closely associated with brush (0 m) generally captured larger numbers of weevils, and offered a higher probability of weevil capture compared with traps away from brush. These increases in the probability of weevil capture were as high as 30%. Such increases in the ability of traps to detect low-level boll weevil populations indicate trap placement with respect to prominent vegetation is an important consideration in maximizing the effectiveness of trap-based monitoring for the boll weevil.

Rapid discovery of peptide capture candidates with demonstrated specificity for structurally similar toxins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkes, Deborah A.; Hurley, Margaret M.; Coppock, Matthew B.; Farrell, Mikella E.; Pellegrino, Paul M.; Stratis-Cullum, Dimitra N.

2016-05-01

Peptides have emerged as viable alternatives to antibodies for molecular-based sensing due to their similarity in recognition ability despite their relative structural simplicity. Various methods for peptide capture reagent discovery exist, including phage display, yeast display, and bacterial display. One of the primary advantages of peptide discovery by bacterial display technology is the speed to candidate peptide capture agent, due to both rapid growth of bacteria and direct utilization of the sorted cells displaying each individual peptide for the subsequent round of biopanning. We have previously isolated peptide affinity reagents towards protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis using a commercially available automated magnetic sorting platform with improved enrichment as compared to manual magnetic sorting. In this work, we focus on adapting our automated biopanning method to a more challenging sort, to demonstrate the specificity possible with peptide capture agents. This was achieved using non-toxic, recombinant variants of ricin and abrin, RiVax and abrax, respectively, which are structurally similar Type II ribosomal inactivating proteins with significant sequence homology. After only two rounds of biopanning, enrichment of peptide capture candidates binding abrax but not RiVax was achieved as demonstrated by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) studies. Further sorting optimization included negative sorting against RiVax, proper selection of autoMACS programs for specific sorting rounds, and using freshly made buffer and freshly thawed protein target for each round of biopanning for continued enrichment over all four rounds. Most of the resulting candidates from biopanning for abrax binding peptides were able to bind abrax but not RiVax, demonstrating that short peptide sequences can be highly specific even at this early discovery stage.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2003 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

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

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the seventh season (1997-2003) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the fifth season (1999-2003) of acclimating the resultant progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2003, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 3, 2003 through to April 14, 2003 and a total of 242,776 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2001 egg source and included captive broodstock (141,860) and conventional broodstock (100,916) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2003 began April 30th, the first Chinook was captured on May 16, 2003 and the last Chinook was captured on September 21, 2003. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2003. A total of 464 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 239 natural origin fish and 225 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 45 natural and 4 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 366 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 49 hatchery origin adult jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 49 adults retained for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 21 natural females and no hatchery origin females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 106,609 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 95.50% which yielded a total of 101,811 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 5,077 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage. At eye they were transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they were reared to the fingerling state at which time they were transported back to LGH until they were smolts in the spring of 2005. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2005.« less

Jumpstarting commercial-scale CO 2 capture and storage with ethylene production and enhanced oil recovery in the US Gulf

DOE PAGES

Middleton, Richard S.; Levine, Jonathan S.; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; ...

2015-04-27

CO 2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology has yet to be widely deployed at a commercial scale despite multiple high-profile demonstration projects. We suggest that developing a large-scale, visible, and financially viable CCUS network could potentially overcome many barriers to deployment and jumpstart commercial-scale CCUS. To date, substantial effort has focused on technology development to reduce the costs of CO 2 capture from coal-fired power plants. Here, we propose that near-term investment could focus on implementing CO 2 capture on facilities that produce high-value chemicals/products. These facilities can absorb the expected impact of the marginal increase in the costmore » of production on the price of their product, due to the addition of CO 2 capture, more than coal-fired power plants. A financially viable demonstration of a large-scale CCUS network requires offsetting the costs of CO 2 capture by using the CO 2 as an input to the production of market-viable products. As a result, we demonstrate this alternative development path with the example of an integrated CCUS system where CO 2 is captured from ethylene producers and used for enhanced oil recovery in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.« less

Integration of Case Mix and Drug Utilization Data in the Long Term Care Setting

PubMed Central

Miller, R. Paul; Coblio, Nick; Bellnier, Terrance J.; Veneron, John P.

1989-01-01

Federal and state regulations mandate that a pharmacist perform a monthly review of the medical chart of residents at nursing homes. The review focuses on 31 quality issues which center on nursing and physician practice. We have computerized the data gathered by the pharmacist review with microcomputer technology and a relational data base manager. By introducing a “severity code” for each quality issue, we are able to pinpoint those data elements which physician staff can choose to focus on. The data can be studied longitudinally for trend analysis. The data was linked to that captured during the reimbursement case mix screens. Thus, two disparate data bases were integrated to allow further insights into our patient population. We conclude that computerization of disparate federal or state mandated data sets at nursing homes can be linked to aid patient care and quality assurance programs.

A Methodology to Assess the Strategic Benefits of New Production Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

does not capture these strategic advantage , that make new technologies attractive. Our methodology integrates investments in new pro- duction...capture these strategic advantages that make new technologies attractive. Our methodology integrates investments in new production technologies into the...focus on reducing labor costs, does not capture these strategic advantages that make new technologies attractive. In many cases, retaining the existing

A Two-Stage Microfluidic Device for the Isolation and Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Andrew; Belsare, Sayali; Giorgio, Todd; Mu, Richard

2014-11-01

Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be critical for studying how tumors grow and metastasize, in addition to personalizing treatment for cancer patients. CTCs are rare events in blood, making it difficult to remove CTCs from the blood stream. Two microfluidic devices have been developed to separate CTCs from blood. The first is a double spiral device that focuses cells into streams, the positions of which are determined by cell diameter. The second device uses ligand-coated magnetic nanoparticles that selectively attach to CTCs. The nanoparticles then pull CTCs out of solution using a magnetic field. These two devices will be combined into a single 2-stage microfluidic device that will capture CTCs more efficiently than either device on its own. The first stage depletes the number of blood cells in the sample by size-based separation. The second stage will magnetically remove CTCs from solution for study and culturing. Thus far, size-based separation has been achieved. Research will also focus on understanding the equations that govern fluid dynamics and magnetic fields in order to determine how the manipulation of microfluidic parameters, such as dimensions and flow rate, will affect integration and optimization of the 2-stage device. NSF-CREST: Center for Physics and Chemistry of Materials. HRD-0420516; Department of Defense, Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Award W81XWH-13-1-0397.

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

Middleton, Richard S.; Levine, Jonathan S.; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.

CO 2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology has yet to be widely deployed at a commercial scale despite multiple high-profile demonstration projects. We suggest that developing a large-scale, visible, and financially viable CCUS network could potentially overcome many barriers to deployment and jumpstart commercial-scale CCUS. To date, substantial effort has focused on technology development to reduce the costs of CO 2 capture from coal-fired power plants. Here, we propose that near-term investment could focus on implementing CO 2 capture on facilities that produce high-value chemicals/products. These facilities can absorb the expected impact of the marginal increase in the costmore » of production on the price of their product, due to the addition of CO 2 capture, more than coal-fired power plants. A financially viable demonstration of a large-scale CCUS network requires offsetting the costs of CO 2 capture by using the CO 2 as an input to the production of market-viable products. As a result, we demonstrate this alternative development path with the example of an integrated CCUS system where CO 2 is captured from ethylene producers and used for enhanced oil recovery in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.« less

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2016-01-01

The NASA U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture (SKC) Program continues to capture, share, and archive significant spacesuit-related knowledge with engineers and other technical staff and invested entities. Since its 2007 inception, the SKC Program has hosted and recorded more than 75 events. By the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, 40 of these were processed and uploaded to a publically accessible NASA Web site where viewers can expand their knowledge about the spacesuit's evolution, known capabilities and limitations, and lessons learned. Sharing this knowledge with entities beyond NASA can increase not only more people's understanding of the technical effort and importance involved in designing a spacesuit, it can also expand the interest and support in this valuable program that ensures significant knowledge is retained and accessible. This paper discusses the FY 2015 SKC events, the release and accessibility of the approved events, and the program's future plans.

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2016-01-01

The NASA U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture (SKC) Program continues to capture, share, and archive significant spacesuit-related knowledge with engineers and other technical staff and invested entities. Since its 2007 inception, the SKC Program has hosted and recorded more than 65 events. By the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, 40 of these were processed and uploaded to a publically accessible NASA Web site where viewers can expand their knowledge about the spacesuit's evolution, known capability and limitations, and lessons learned. Sharing this knowledge with entities beyond NASA can increase not only more people's understanding of the technical effort and importance involved in designing a spacesuit, it can also expand the interest and support in this valuable program that ensures significant knowledge is retained and accessible. This paper discusses the FY 2015 SKC events, the release and accessibility of the approved events, and the program's future plans.

Exploring Zen Marketing: A Strategic Experiment in Leveraging End User Intellectual Capital to Stimulate Primary Market Demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilbert, Raymond

2003-10-01

Recently the Telecom Industry experienced an economic boom & bust cycle that hampered new service development & deployment. Consequently, there are significant problems in capturing key requirements for new network-based services and in educating CIO-IT leaders so they can promote investment proposals with their enterprise business leadership. This paper outlines a multi-functional initiative that Lucent Technologies established to engage and exchange with key Enterprises & their Telecom Suppliers views of future network technologies. This experiment is unique because it is facilitated by the corporate CIO-IT leadership & is focused on the latest 3G wireless technologies. CIO-IT provides externally facing resources that collaborate directly with Enterprises, and Service Providers while facilitating internal interactions with Bell Labs, Business Units and Sales teams. This program embodies a Zen Marketing approach since it seeks to create flashes of enlightenment with IT & business leaders by exercising all the knowledge, culture & behaviors available to an IT end user. The paper summarizes several organizational challenges & benefits uncovered by a program that is focused on transforming Mobility Provider relationships with their customers and expanding the overall awareness of the latest 3G wireless technologies.

Costs and Consequences of a Cash Transfer for Hospital Births in a Rural District of Uttar Pradesh, India

PubMed Central

Coffey, Diane

2014-01-01

The Janani Suraksha Yojana, India’s “safe motherhood program,” is a conditional cash transfer to encourage women to give birth in health facilities. Despite the program’s apparent success in increasing facility-based births, quantitative evaluations have not found corresponding improvements in health outcomes. This study analyses original qualitative data collected between January, 2012 and November, 2013 in a rural district in Uttar Pradesh to address the question of why the program has not improved health outcomes. It finds that health service providers are focused on capturing economic rents associated with the program, and provide an extremely poor quality care. Further, the program does not ultimately provide beneficiaries a large net monetary transfer at the time of birth. Based on a detailed accounting of the monetary costs of hospital and home deliveries, this study finds that the value of the transfer to beneficiaries is small due to costs associated with hospital births. Finally, this study also documents important emotional and psychological costs to women of delivering in the hospital. These findings suggest the need for a substantial rethinking of the program, paying careful attention to incentivizing health outcomes. PMID:24911512

MATERNAL PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTING FOLLOWING AN EVIDENCE-BASED PARENTING PROGRAM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LEGACY FOR CHILDRENTM.

PubMed

Hartwig, Sophie A; Robinson, Lara R; Comeau, Dawn L; Claussen, Angelika H; Perou, Ruth

2017-07-01

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of maternal perceptions of parenting following participation in Legacy for Children TM (Legacy), an evidence-based parenting program for low-income mothers of young children and infants. To further examine previous findings and better understand participant experiences, we analyzed semistructured focus-group discussions with predominantly Hispanic and Black, non-Hispanic Legacy mothers at two sites (n = 166) using thematic analysis and grounded theory techniques. The qualitative study presented here investigated how mothers view their parenting following participation in Legacy, allowing participants to describe their experience with the program in their own words, thus capturing an "insider" perspective. Mothers at both sites communicated knowledge and use of positive parenting practices targeted by the goals of Legacy; some site-specific differences emerged related to these parenting practices. These findings align with the interpretation of quantitative results from the randomized controlled trials and further demonstrate the significance of the Legacy program in promoting positive parenting for mothers living in poverty. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding real-world context regarding program efficacy and the benefit of using qualitative research to understand participant experiences. © 2017 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Growing Nurse Leaders: Their Perspectives on Nursing Leadership and Today’s Practice Environment

PubMed

Dyess, Susan M; Sherman, Rose O; Pratt, Beth A; Chiang-Hanisko, Lenny

2016-01-14

With the growing complexity of healthcare practice environments and pending nurse leader retirements, the development of future nurse leaders is increasingly important. This article reports on focus group research conducted with Generation Y nurses prior to their initiating coursework in a Master’s Degree program designed to support development of future nurse leaders. Forty-four emerging nurse leaders across three program cohorts participated in this qualitative study conducted to capture perspectives about nursing leaders and leadership. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze and code the data into categories. We discuss the three major categories identified, including: idealistic expectations of leaders, leading in a challenging practice environment, and cautious but optimistic outlook about their own leadership and future, and study limitations. The conclusion offers implications for future nurse leader development. The findings provide important insight into the viewpoints of nurses today about leaders and leadership.

Effective domain-dependent reuse in medical knowledge bases.

PubMed

Dojat, M; Pachet, F

1995-12-01

Knowledge reuse is now a critical issue for most developers of medical knowledge-based systems. As a rule, reuse is addressed from an ambitious, knowledge-engineering perspective that focuses on reusable general purpose knowledge modules, concepts, and methods. However, such a general goal fails to take into account the specific aspects of medical practice. From the point of view of the knowledge engineer, whose goal is to capture the specific features and intricacies of a given domain, this approach addresses the wrong level of generality. In this paper, we adopt a more pragmatic viewpoint, introducing the less ambitious goal of "domain-dependent limited reuse" and suggesting effective means of achieving it in practice. In a knowledge representation framework combining objects and production rules, we propose three mechanisms emerging from the combination of object-oriented programming and rule-based programming. We show these mechanisms contribute to achieve limited reuse and to introduce useful limited variations in medical expertise.

Brief report: Feasibility of a mindfulness and self-compassion based mobile intervention for adolescents.

PubMed

Donovan, Elizabeth; Rodgers, Rachel F; Cousineau, Tara M; McGowan, Kayla M; Luk, Stephanie; Yates, Kayla; Franko, Debra L

2016-12-01

The aim of the study was to test the feasibility of a mindfulness and self-compassion based program for adolescents, to be delivered though mobile phones. Twenty racially and ethnically diverse US adolescents enrolled in a study to use the app for 30 days, after which they provided satisfaction data and participated in focus groups to describe their experiences and offer suggestions for improving the app. Usage data were also captured. Results indicated that participants used the app on the majority of days over the intervention period, reported finding it helpful for managing stress, and provided suggestions for substantive areas for improvement. These findings suggest that a mobile app may be a feasible way to disseminate a mindfulness and selfcompassion based program widely among adolescents. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bench-scale Development of an Advanced Solid Sorbent-based CO 2 Capture Process for Coal-fired Power Plants

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

Nelson, Thomas; Kataria, Atish; Soukri, Mustapha

It is increasingly clear that CO 2 capture and sequestration (CCS) must play a critical role in curbing worldwide CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere. Development of these technologies to cost-effectively remove CO 2 from coal-fired power plants is very important to mitigating the impact these power plants have within the world’s power generation portfolio. Currently, conventional CO 2 capture technologies, such as aqueous-monoethanolamine based solvent systems, are prohibitively expensive and if implemented could result in a 75 to 100% increase in the cost of electricity for consumers worldwide. Solid sorbent CO 2 capture processes – such as RTI’s Advancedmore » Solid Sorbent CO 2, Capture Process – are promising alternatives to conventional, liquid solvents. Supported amine sorbents – of the nature RTI has developed – are particularly attractive due to their high CO 2 loadings, low heat capacities, reduced corrosivity/volatility and the potential to reduce the regeneration energy needed to carry out CO 2 capture. Previous work in this area has failed to adequately address various technology challenges such as sorbent stability and regenerability, sorbent scale-up, improved physical strength and attrition-resistance, proper heat management and temperature control, proper solids handling and circulation control, as well as the proper coupling of process engineering advancements that are tailored for a promising sorbent technology. The remaining challenges for these sorbent processes have provided the framework for the project team’s research and development and target for advancing the technology beyond lab- and bench-scale testing. Under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy, and part of NETL’s CO 2 Capture Program, RTI has led an effort to address and mitigate the challenges associated with solid sorbent CO 2 capture. The overall objective of this project was to mitigate the technical and economic risks associated with the scale-up of solid sorbent-based CO 2 capture processes, enabling subsequent larger pilot demonstrations and ultimately commercial deployment. An integrated development approach has been a key focus of this project in which process development, sorbent development, and economic analyses have informed each of the other development processes. Development efforts have focused on improving the performance stability of sorbent candidates, refining process engineering and design, and evaluating the viability of the technology through detailed economic analyses. Sorbent advancements have led to a next generation, commercially-viable CO 2 capture sorbent exhibiting performance stability in various gas environments and a physically strong fluidizable form. The team has reduced sorbent production costs and optimized the production process and scale-up of PEI-impregnated, fluidizable sorbents. Refinement of the process engineering and design, as well as the construction and operation of a bench-scale research unit has demonstrated promising CO 2 capture performance under simulated coal-fired flue gas conditions. Parametric testing has shown how CO 2 capture performance is impacted by changing process variables, such as Adsorber temperature, Regenerator temperature, superficial flue gas velocity, solids circulation rate, CO 2 partial pressure in the Regenerator, and many others. Long-term testing has generated data for the project team to set the process conditions needed to operate a solids-based system for optimal performance, with continuous 90% CO 2 capture, and no operational interruptions. Data collected from all phases of testing has been used to develop a detailed techno-economic assessment of RTI’s technology. These detailed analyses show that RTI’s technology has significant economic advantages over current amine scrubbing and potential to achieve the DOE’s Carbon Capture Program’s goal of >90% CO 2 capture rate at a cost of < $40/T-CO 2 captured by 2025. Through this integrated technology development approach, the project team has advanced RTI’s CO 2 capture technology to TRL-4 (nearly TRL-5, with the missing variable being testing on actual, coal-fired flue gas), according to the DOE/FE definitions for Technology Readiness Levels. At a broader level, this project has advanced the whole of the solid sorbent CO 2 capture field, with advancements in process engineering and design, technical risk mitigation, sorbent scale-up optimization, and an understanding of the commercial viability and applicability of solid sorbent CO 2 capture technologies for the U.S. existing fleet of coal-fired power plants.« less

Subtask 2.18 - Advancing CO 2 Capture Technology: Partnership for CO 2 Capture (PCO 2C) Phase III

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

Kay, John; Azenkeng, Alexander; Fiala, Nathan

2016-03-31

Industries and utilities continue to investigate ways to decrease their carbon footprint. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can enable existing power generation facilities to meet the current national CO 2 reduction goals. The Partnership for CO2 Capture Phase III focused on several important research areas in an effort to find ways to decrease the cost of capture across both precombustion and postcombustion platforms. Two flue gas pretreatment technologies for postcombustion capture, an SO 2 reduction scrubbing technology from Cansolv Technologies Inc. and the Tri-Mer filtration technology that combines particulate, NOx, and SO 2 control, were evaluated on the Energy &more » Environmental Research Center’s (EERC’s) pilot-scale test system. Pretreating the flue gas should enable more efficient, and therefore less expensive, CO 2 capture. Both technologies were found to be effective in pretreating flue gas prior to CO 2 capture. Two new postcombustion capture solvents were tested, one from the Korea Carbon Capture and Sequestration R&D Center (KCRC) and one from CO 2 Solutions Incorporated. Both of these solvents showed the ability to capture CO 2 while requiring less regeneration energy, which would reduce the cost of capture. Hydrogen separation membranes from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation were evaluated through precombustion testing. They are composed of vanadium alloy, which is less expensive than the palladium alloys that are typically used. Their performance was comparable to that of other membranes that have been tested at the EERC. Aspen Plus® software was used to model the KCRC and CO 2 Solutions solvents and found that they would result in significantly improved overall plant performance. The modeling effort also showed that the parasitic steam load at partial capture of 45% is less than half that of 90% overall capture, indicating savings that could be accrued if 90% capture is not required. Modeling of three regional power plants using the Carnegie Mellon Integrated Environmental Control Model showed that, among other things, the use of a bypass during partial capture may minimize the size of the capture tower(s) and result in a slight reduction in the revenue required to operate the capture facility. The results reinforced that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be taken to adding capture to a power plant. Laboratory testing indicated that Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy could be used to continuously sample stack emissions at CO 2 capture facilities to detect and quantify any residual amine or its degradation products, particularly nitrosamines. The information gathered during Phase III is important for utility stakeholders as they determine how to reduce their CO 2 emissions in a carbon-constrained world. This subtask was funded through the EERC–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-08NT43291. Nonfederal funding was provided by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, PPL Montana, Nebraska Public Power District, Tri-Mer Corporation, Montana–Dakota Utilities Co., Basin Electric Power Cooperative, KCRC/Korean Institute of Energy Research, Cansolv Technologies, and CO 2 Solutions, Inc.« less

The elements of design knowledge capture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freeman, Michael S.

1988-01-01

This paper will present the basic constituents of a design knowledge capture effort. This will include a discussion of the types of knowledge to be captured in such an effort and the difference between design knowledge capture and more traditional knowledge base construction. These differences include both knowledge base structure and knowledge acquisition approach. The motivation for establishing a design knowledge capture effort as an integral part of major NASA programs will be outlined, along with the current NASA position on that subject. Finally the approach taken in design knowledge capture for Space Station will be contrasted with that used in the HSTDEK project.

The Impact of Lecture Capture Presentations in a Distributed Learning Environment in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vassar, Penny; Havice, Pamela A.; Havice, William L.; Brookover, Robert, IV

2015-01-01

Lecture capture technology allows instructors to record presentations and make them available to their students digitally. This study examined one program's implementation of lecture capture. Participants were undergraduate college students enrolled in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management courses at a public land grant university in the…

A Learning Theory Conceptual Foundation for Using Capture Technology in Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berardi, Victor; Blundell, Greg

2014-01-01

Lecture capture technologies are increasingly being used by instructors, programs, and institutions to deliver online lectures and courses. This lecture capture movement is important as it increases access to education opportunities that were not possible before, it can improve efficiency, and it can increase student engagement. However, this is…

Generic drug discount programs: are prescriptions being submitted for pharmacy benefit adjudication?

PubMed

Tungol, Alexandra; Starner, Catherine I; Gunderson, Brent W; Schafer, Jeremy A; Qiu, Yang; Gleason, Patrick P

2012-01-01

  In 2006, pharmacies began offering select generic prescription drugs at discount prices (e.g., $4 for a 30-day supply) through nonmembership and membership programs. As part of the contract in membership generic drug discount programs, the member agrees to forgo submission of the claim to the insurance company. Claims not submitted for insurance adjudication may result in incomplete pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and health plan data, which could negatively influence adherence reporting and clinical programs. To address potentially missing claims data, the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages Medicare Part D sponsors to incentivize network pharmacies to submit claims directly to the plan for drugs dispensed outside of a member's Part D benefit, unless a member refuses. The extent of PBM and health plan claims capture loss due to generic drug discount programs is unknown. To identify changes in levothyroxine utilizers' prescription claims capture rate following the advent of generic drug discount membership and nonmembership programs. This retrospective concurrent cohort study used claims data from 3.5 million commercially insured members enrolled in health plans located in the central and southern United States with Prime Therapeutics pharmacy benefit coverage. Members were required to be 18 years or older and younger than 60 years as of January 1, 2006, and continuously enrolled from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2010. Members utilizing generic levothyroxine for at least 120 days during January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2006 (baseline period) from the same pharmacy group with supply on July 1, 2006, were placed into 1 of 3 pharmacy groups: (1) nonmembership (Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, City Market, and King Soopers pharmacies), (2) membership (Walgreens, CVS, Albertsons, and Savon pharmacies), or (3) the reference group of all other pharmacies. The index date was defined as July 1, 2006. The levothyroxine claim providing supply on July 1, 2006, was the index claim. Members with a Kmart pharmacy index claim were excluded, since the Kmart membership drug discount program began prior to July 1, 2006. Levothyroxine claims capture nonpersistency, defined as the occurrence of a claim supply end date prior to a 180-day gap, was the primary outcome variable and was assessed from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2010 (follow-up period). The odds of levothyroxine claims capture nonpersistency by pharmacy group were assessed using a logistic regression analysis adjusted for the following covariates: age, gender, median income in the ZIP code of residence (binomial for ≤ $50,000 vs. greater than $50,000), switch to a brand levothyroxine product during the follow-up period, index levothyroxine claim supply of 90 days or more, and index levothyroxine claim member cost share per 30-day supply in tertiles (≤ $5.00, $5.01-$7.99, ≥ $8.00). Of 2,632,855 eligible members aged 18 years or older, 13,427 met all study eligibility criteria. The baseline pharmacy groups were membership with 3,595 (26.8%), nonmembership with 1,919 (14.3%), and all other pharmacies with 7,913 (58.9%) members. The rates of levothyroxine claims capture persistency throughout the 4-year follow-up period were 85.4% for nonmembership (P = 0.593 vs. all other pharmacies), 77.7% for the membership group (P  less than  0.001 vs. all other pharmacies), and 85.9% for all other pharmacies. The Kaplan-Meier comparison of claims capture persistency found nearly identical claims capture loss for the nonmembership compared with all other pharmacies group, and when compared in a multivariate logistic regression model, there was no difference in the odds of levothyroxine claims capture over 4 years follow-up (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.88-1.16, P = 0.900). The membership generic drug discount programs (Walgreens, CVS, Alberstons, and Savon pharmacies) had a statistically significant 61% higher odds (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.45-1.79, P  less than  0.001) of levothyroxine claims capture nonpersistency. The onset of the difference between the membership group and the all other pharmacies group was temporally associated with the launch of the membership programs. In comparison to index levothyroxine member cost of ≤ $5.00 per 30-day supply, higher cost shares were associated with higher levothyroxine claims capture nonpersistency ($5.01 to $7.99 OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.19-1.52 and ≥ $8.00 OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.40-1.82). Among levothyroxine utilizers in 2006 (prior to the advent of drug discount programs), those with claims from a pharmacy that subsequently implemented a nonmembership generic drug discount program did not appear to have a different rate of levothyroxine claims capture than members from the reference group when followed through June 2010. Utilizers with claims from a pharmacy that subsequently implemented a membership program had a significantly lower levothyroxine claims capture rate. Increasing index levothyroxine member cost was associated with higher levothyroxine claims capture loss. Because the analysis could not directly measure claims capture loss associated with members who switched to a new pharmacy group without presenting their insurance information (e.g., membership discount programs), further research is needed to confirm these findings.

A Comparison of the Usage of Tablet PC, Lecture Capture, and Online Homework in an Introductory Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Revell, Kevin D.

2014-01-01

Three emerging technologies were used in a large introductory chemistry class: a tablet PC, a lecture capture and replay software program, and an online homework program. At the end of the semester, student usage of the lecture replay and online homework systems was compared to course performance as measured by course grade and by a standardized…

Compositional mining of multiple object API protocols through state abstraction.

PubMed

Dai, Ziying; Mao, Xiaoguang; Lei, Yan; Qi, Yuhua; Wang, Rui; Gu, Bin

2013-01-01

API protocols specify correct sequences of method invocations. Despite their usefulness, API protocols are often unavailable in practice because writing them is cumbersome and error prone. Multiple object API protocols are more expressive than single object API protocols. However, the huge number of objects of typical object-oriented programs poses a major challenge to the automatic mining of multiple object API protocols: besides maintaining scalability, it is important to capture various object interactions. Current approaches utilize various heuristics to focus on small sets of methods. In this paper, we present a general, scalable, multiple object API protocols mining approach that can capture all object interactions. Our approach uses abstract field values to label object states during the mining process. We first mine single object typestates as finite state automata whose transitions are annotated with states of interacting objects before and after the execution of the corresponding method and then construct multiple object API protocols by composing these annotated single object typestates. We implement our approach for Java and evaluate it through a series of experiments.

Compositional Mining of Multiple Object API Protocols through State Abstraction

PubMed Central

Mao, Xiaoguang; Qi, Yuhua; Wang, Rui; Gu, Bin

2013-01-01

API protocols specify correct sequences of method invocations. Despite their usefulness, API protocols are often unavailable in practice because writing them is cumbersome and error prone. Multiple object API protocols are more expressive than single object API protocols. However, the huge number of objects of typical object-oriented programs poses a major challenge to the automatic mining of multiple object API protocols: besides maintaining scalability, it is important to capture various object interactions. Current approaches utilize various heuristics to focus on small sets of methods. In this paper, we present a general, scalable, multiple object API protocols mining approach that can capture all object interactions. Our approach uses abstract field values to label object states during the mining process. We first mine single object typestates as finite state automata whose transitions are annotated with states of interacting objects before and after the execution of the corresponding method and then construct multiple object API protocols by composing these annotated single object typestates. We implement our approach for Java and evaluate it through a series of experiments. PMID:23844378

HAT DRMs 2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G.

2013-01-01

NASA uses a set of Design Reference Missions (DRMs) to help focus capability development activities across the agency The DRMs are intended to show capability needs and represent a set of various implementations The "mission class" context is used to establish temporal priorities and a LIMITED set of DRMs is used to capture driving mission capabilities The DRMs represent a snapshot in time of current thinking, and do not represent all potential future missions The DRMs are generic in nature, with stated assumptions for some supporting capabilities and elements - they do not represent firm requirements SLS/Orion DRMs are being developed and refined as part of the development program for SLS & Orion and are not included in this package.

LLVM Infrastructure and Tools Project Summary

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

McCormick, Patrick Sean

2017-11-06

This project works with the open source LLVM Compiler Infrastructure (http://llvm.org) to provide tools and capabilities that address needs and challenges faced by ECP community (applications, libraries, and other components of the software stack). Our focus is on providing a more productive development environment that enables (i) improved compilation times and code generation for parallelism, (ii) additional features/capabilities within the design and implementations of LLVM components for improved platform/performance portability and (iii) improved aspects related to composition of the underlying implementation details of the programming environment, capturing resource utilization, overheads, etc. -- including runtime systems that are often not easilymore » addressed by application and library developers.« less

Fundamental Physics Changes in Response to Evolving NASA Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israelsson, Ulf

2003-01-01

To continue growing as a discipline, we need to establish a new vision of where we are going that is consistent with today s physics, NASA s strategic plan, and the new OBPR direction. 1998 Roadmap focused exclusively on Physics, and did not worry about boundaries between OBPR and OSS. Updated Roadmap: Must incorporate some strategic research activities to be fully responsive to the current OBPR direction. Must capture the imagination of OBPR leadership, OMB, and Congress. Must delineate OBPR from the "beyond Einstein" program in OSS. Must address relevancy to Society explicitly. Status of the Roadmap development will be discussed after lunch today. Seeking community inputs and endorsement. Draft update targeted for June, final in August.

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Status and Initiatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Woods, Ron; Jairala, Juniper; Bitterly, Rose; McMann, Joe; Lewis, Cathleen

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other organizations and individuals have been performing United States (U.S.) spacesuit knowledge capture since the beginning of space exploration via publication of reports, conference presentations, specialized seminars, and classes instructed by veterans in the field. Recently, the effort has been more concentrated and formalized whereby a new avenue of spacesuit knowledge capture has been added to the archives through which videotaping occurs, engaging both current and retired specialists in the field presenting technical scope specifically for education and preservation of knowledge or being interviewed to archive their significance to NASA s history. Now with video archiving, all these avenues of learning are brought to life with the real experts presenting their wealth of knowledge on screen for future learners to enjoy. U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture topics have included lessons learned in spacesuit technology, experience from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs, hardware certification, design, development and other program components, spacesuit evolution and experience, failure analysis and resolution, aspects of program management, and personal interviews. These archives of actual spacesuit legacy now reflect its rich history and will provide a wealth of knowledge which will greatly enhance the chances for the success of future and more ambitious spacesuit system programs. In this paper, NASA s formal spacesuit knowledge capture efforts will be reviewed and a status will be provided to reveal initiatives and accomplishments since the inception of the more formal U.S. spacesuit knowledge program. A detail itemization of the actual archives will be addressed along with topics that are now available to the general NASA community and the public. Additionally, the latest developments in the archival relationship with the Smithsonian will be discussed.

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Status and Initiatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Woods, Ron; Jairala, Juniper; Bitterly, Rose; McMann, Joe; Lewis, Cathleen

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other organizations and individuals have been performing United States (U.S.) spacesuit knowledge capture since the beginning of space exploration via publication of reports, conference presentations, specialized seminars, and classes instructed by veterans in the field. Recently, the effort has been more concentrated and formalized whereby a new avenue of spacesuit knowledge capture has been added to the archives through which videotaping occurs, engaging both current and retired specialists in the field presenting technical scope specifically for education and preservation of knowledge or being interviewed to archive their significance to NASA's history. Now with video archiving, all these avenues of learning are brought to life with the real experts presenting their wealth of knowledge on screen for future learners to enjoy. U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture topics have included lessons learned in spacesuit technology, experience from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs, hardware certification, design, development and other program components, spacesuit evolution and experience, failure analysis and resolution, aspects of program management, and personal interviews. These archives of actual spacesuit legacy now reflect its rich history and will provide a wealth of knowledge which will greatly enhance the chances for the success of future and more ambitious spacesuit system programs. In this paper, NASA s formal spacesuit knowledge capture efforts will be reviewed and a status will be provided to reveal initiatives and accomplishments since the inception of the more formal U.S. spacesuit knowledge program. A detail itemization of the actual archives will be addressed along with topics that are now available to the general NASA community and the public. Additionally, the latest developments in the archival relationship with the Smithsonian will be discussed.

Inertial focusing and passive micro-mixing techniques for rare cells capturing microfluidic platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phadke, Manisha; Shaner, Sebastian; Shah, Shreyas; Rodriguez, Ygnacio; Wibowo, Denni; Whulanza, Yudan; Teriete, Peter; Allen, Jeff; Kassegne, Sam

2018-02-01

Isolation and capture of rare cells continues to be a daunting task that is still looking for an innovative and efficient method. While a variety of approaches have been suggested over the past several years, immunocapturing in a microfluidic platform carries a substantial promise as shown by recent published works. In this paper, we introduced a combination of inertial focusing and passive micro-mixing through 3D chevron-type features in a microchannel to induce chaotic mixing within antibody-coated microchannels and, ultimately, promote rare cell capture. The device introduced in this work contains curved microchannels that consist of a series of staggered chevron grooves. The curved channels enable inertial focusing while the chevron grooves allow for chaotic mixing. The microfluidics platform microfabricated through soft lithography has a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) foundation and was thinly coated with an alginate hydrogel derivatized with streptavidin. We submitted that our qualitative and quantitative results demonstrated the potentials in advancements in rare cell isolation through this integration of two techniques.

The Local Turn: an Introductory Essay Revisiting Leadership, Elite Capture and Good Governance in Indonesian Conservation and Development Programs.

PubMed

Warren, Carol; Visser, Leontine

The local turn in good governance theory and practice responded to critiques of the ineffectiveness of state management and the inequity of privatization alternatives in natural resource management. Confounding expectations of greater effectiveness from decentralised governance, including community-based natural resource management, however, critics argue that expanded opportunities for elite capture have become widely associated with program failures. This overview of theoretical controversies on leadership, patronage and elite capture is part of a themed section in this issue that challenges assumptions across a wide range of current policy literature. It introduces a set of Indonesian case studies that examine practices of local leaders and elites and seek to account in structural terms for appropriations both by ('elite capture') and of ('captured elites') these key figures. These studies explore the structural factors and co-governance practices most likely to promote effective participation of the full spectrum of local interests in pursuit of better local natural resource governance.

A Process for Capturing the Art of Systems Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Clark V., III; Sekeres, Carrie; Roumie, Yasmeen

2016-01-01

There is both an art and a science to systems engineering. The science of systems engineering is effectively captured in processes and procedures, but the art is much more elusive. We propose that there is six step process that can be applied to any systems engineering organization to create an environment from which the "art" of that organization can be captured, be allowed to evolve collaboratively and be shared with all members of the organization. This paper details this process as it was applied to NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) Integration Engineering Branch during a pilot program of Confluence, a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) wiki tool.

A collapsible trap for capturing ruffe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edwards, Andrew J.; Czypinski, Gary D.; Selgeby, James H.

1998-01-01

A modified version of the Windermere trap was designed, constructed, and tested for its effectiveness in capturing ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus. The inexpensive, lightweight, collapsible trap was easily deployed and retrieved from a small boat. Field tests conducted at the St. Louis River estuary in western Lake Superior in spring 1995 and 1996 indicated that the trap was effective in capturing ruffe. Proportions of the ruffe in trap and bottom trawl catches were similar in 1995 and 1996. This trap could be a useful tool in surveillance, monitoring, or control programs for ruffe or similar species, either to augment existing sampling programs or especially in situations where gillnetting or bottom trawling are not feasible.

Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: A multi-site focus group study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to identify what is most important to the quality of life (QoL) of those who experience homelessness by directly soliciting the views of homeless and hard-to-house Canadians themselves. These individuals live within a unique social context that differs considerably from that of the general population. To understand the life areas that are most important to them, it is critical to have direct input from target populations of homeless and hard-to-house persons. Methods Focus groups were conducted with 140 individuals aged 15 to 73 years who were homeless or hard-to-house to explore the circumstances in which they were living and to capture what they find to be important and relevant domains of QoL. Participants were recruited in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Six major content themes emerged: Health/health care; Living conditions; Financial situation; Employment situation; Relationships; and Recreational and leisure activities. These themes were linked to broader concepts that included having choices, stability, respect, and the same rights as other members of society. Conclusions These findings not only aid our understanding of QoL in this group, but may be used to develop measures that capture QoL in this population and help programs and policies become more effective in improving the life situation for persons who are homeless and hard-to-house. Quality of life themes in Canadian adults and street youth who are homeless or hard-to-house: A multi-site focus group study. PMID:22894551

Aerocapture Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Andrew S.

2006-01-01

Aeroassist technology development is a vital part of the NASA In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program. One of the main focus areas of ISPT is aeroassist technologies through the Aerocapture Technology (AT) Activity. Within the ISPT, the current aeroassist technology development focus is aerocapture. Aerocapture relies on the exchange of momentum with an atmosphere to achieve thrust, in this case a decelerating thrust leading to orbit capture. Without aerocapture, a substantial propulsion system would be needed on the spacecraft to perform the same reduction of velocity. This could cause reductions in the science payload delivered to the destination, increases in the size of the launch vehicle (to carry the additional fuel required for planetary capture) or could simply make the mission impossible due to additional propulsion requirements. The AT is advancing each technology needed for the successful implementation of aerocapture in future missions. The technology development focuses on both rigid aeroshell systems as well as the development of inflatable aerocapture systems, advanced aeroshell performance sensors, lightweight structure and higher temperature adhesives. Inflatable systems such as tethered trailing ballutes ('balloon parachutes'), clamped ballutes, and inflatable aeroshells are also under development. Aerocapture-specific computational tools required to support future aerocapture missions are also an integral part of the ATP. Tools include: engineering reference atmosphere models, guidance and navigation, aerothermodynamic modeling, radiation modeling and flight simulation. Systems analysis plays a key role in the AT development process. The NASA in-house aerocapture systems analysis team has been taken with multiple systems definition and concept studies to complement the technology development tasks. The team derives science requirements, develops guidance and navigation algorithms, as well as engineering reference atmosphere models and aeroheating specifications. The study team also creates designs for the overall mission spacecraft. Presentation slides are provided to further describe the aerocapture project.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2006 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

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

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the tenth season (1997-2006) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the eighth season (1999-2006) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2006, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from February 27, 2006 through to April 10, 2006 and a total of 240,568 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2004 egg source and included captive brood (40,982) and conventional (199,586) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2006 began May 15th, the first Chinook was captured on June 14, 2006 and the last Chinook was captured on September 27, 2006. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2006. A total of 534 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 205 natural origin fish and 329 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 33 natural and 120 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning and 397 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally. In 2006, no hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and out planted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in under seeded habitat. In order to meet egg take goals for the conventional portion of the program, a determination was made that approximately 147 adults were needed for broodstock. As a result 16 (8 males and 8 females) of the 153 fish collected for broodstock were returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally. Females that were spawned and provided the brood source were made up of 12 natural females and 45 supplementation females. One of these females tested positive for high levels of Bacterial Kidney Disease and consequently this females eggs were destroyed. The remaining females produced a total of 241,372 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 85.47% which yielded a total of 206,309 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,162 eggs per female. The brood year 2006 eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2008. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2008.« less

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2007 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

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

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eleventh season (1997-2007) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the ninth season (1999-2007) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2007, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from 3/5/07 through to 4/17/07 and a total of 230,010 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2005 egg source and included captive brood (24,604) and conventional (205,406) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2007 began May 14th. The first Chinook was captured on June 2, 2007 and the last Chinook was captured on September 25, 2007. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2007. A total of 637 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 240 natural origin fish and 397 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 41 natural and 81 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 403 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and only hatchery origin jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek in underseeded habitat. Of the 122 adult fish retained for broodstock, 20 natural females and 40 supplementation females were represented in spawning. The eggs from these females produced a total of 267,350 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 86.73% which yielded a total of 231,882 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,456 eggs per female. These eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2009. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2009. Due to the success of the 2007 egg collection, the number of fish produced exceeded program needs and facility capabilities. As a result, there are plans to outplant fry in 2008 and parr in early 2009 to underseeded habitat in the Wallowa River.« less

MSFC Space Station Program Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations Listing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gates, Thomas G.

1988-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center maintains an active history program to assure that the foundation of the Center's history is captured and preserved for current and future generations. As part of that overall effort, the Center began a project in 1987 to capture historical information and documentation on the Marshall Center's roles regarding Space Shuttle and Space Station. This document is MSFC Space Station Program Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations Listing. It contains acronyms and abbreviations used in Space Station documentation and in the Historian Annotated Bibliography of Space Station Program. The information may be used by the researcher as a reference tool.

Capture of white sturgeon larvae downstream of The Dalles Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsley, Michael J.; Kofoot, Eric

2013-01-01

Wild-spawned white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) larvae captured and reared in aquaculture facilities and subsequently released, are increasingly being used in sturgeon restoration programs in the Columbia River Basin. A reconnaissance study was conducted to determine where to deploy nets to capture white sturgeon larvae downstream of a known white sturgeon spawning area. As a result of the study, 103 white sturgeon larvae and 5 newly hatched free-swimming embryos were captured at 3 of 5 reconnaissance netting sites. The netting, conducted downstream of The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River during June 25–29, 2012, provided information for potentially implementing full-scale collection efforts of large numbers of larvae for rearing in aquaculture facilities and for subsequent release at a larger size in white sturgeon restoration programs.

Design knowledge capture for a corporate memory facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boose, John H.; Shema, David B.; Bradshaw, Jeffrey M.

1990-01-01

Currently, much of the information regarding decision alternatives and trade-offs made in the course of a major program development effort is not represented or retained in a way that permits computer-based reasoning over the life cycle of the program. The loss of this information results in problems in tracing design alternatives to requirements, in assessing the impact of change in requirements, and in configuration management. To address these problems, the problem was studied of building an intelligent, active corporate memory facility which would provide for the capture of the requirements and standards of a program, analyze the design alternatives and trade-offs made over the program's lifetime, and examine relationships between requirements and design trade-offs. Early phases of the work have concentrated on design knowledge capture for the Space Station Freedom. Tools are demonstrated and extended which helps automate and document engineering trade studies, and another tool is being developed to help designers interactively explore design alternatives and constraints.

Development of the FOCUS (Focus on the Outcomes of Communication under Six), a Communication Outcome Measure for Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas-Stonell, Nancy L.; Oddson, Bruce; Robertson, Bernadette; Rosenbaum, Peter L.

2010-01-01

Aim: Our aim was to develop an outcome measure, called Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS), that captures real-world changes in preschool children's communication. Conceptually grounded in the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, the FOCUS items were derived…

Promoting Reflexive Thinking and Adaptive Expertise through Video Capturing to Challenge Postgraduate Primary Student Teachers to Think, Know, Feel, and Act Like a Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sexton, Steven S.; Williamson-Leadley, Sandra

2017-01-01

This article reports on a study of how a 1-year, course-taught, master's level initial teacher education (ITE) program challenged primary student teachers (n = 4) in developing their sense of self-as-teacher. This study examined how the program's incorporation of video capturing technology impacted on these student teachers' development of…

US Spacesuit Knowledge Capture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Thomas, Ken; McMann, Joe; Dolan, Kristi; Bitterly, Rose; Lewis, Cathleen

2011-01-01

The ability to learn from both the mistakes and successes of the past is vital to assuring success in the future. Due to the close physical interaction between spacesuit systems and human beings as users, spacesuit technology and usage lends itself rather uniquely to the benefits realized from the skillful organization of historical information; its dissemination; the collection and identification of artifacts; and the education of those in the field. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other organizations and individuals have been performing United States (U.S.) Spacesuit Knowledge Capture since the beginning of space exploration. Avenues used to capture the knowledge have included publication of reports; conference presentations; specialized seminars; and classes usually given by veterans in the field. More recently the effort has been more concentrated and formalized whereby a new avenue of spacesuit knowledge capture has been added to the archives in which videotaping occurs engaging both current and retired specialists in the field presenting technical scope specifically for education and preservation of knowledge. With video archiving, all these avenues of learning can now be brought to life with the real experts presenting their wealth of knowledge on screen for future learners to enjoy. Scope and topics of U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture have included lessons learned in spacesuit technology, experience from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs, hardware certification, design, development and other program components, spacesuit evolution and experience, failure analysis and resolution, and aspects of program management. Concurrently, U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture activities have progressed to a level where NASA, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Hamilton Sundstrand (HS) and the spacesuit community are now working together to provide a comprehensive closed-looped spacesuit knowledge capture system which includes

Scalable Coding of Plenoptic Images by Using a Sparse Set and Disparities.

PubMed

Li, Yun; Sjostrom, Marten; Olsson, Roger; Jennehag, Ulf

2016-01-01

One of the light field capturing techniques is the focused plenoptic capturing. By placing a microlens array in front of the photosensor, the focused plenoptic cameras capture both spatial and angular information of a scene in each microlens image and across microlens images. The capturing results in a significant amount of redundant information, and the captured image is usually of a large resolution. A coding scheme that removes the redundancy before coding can be of advantage for efficient compression, transmission, and rendering. In this paper, we propose a lossy coding scheme to efficiently represent plenoptic images. The format contains a sparse image set and its associated disparities. The reconstruction is performed by disparity-based interpolation and inpainting, and the reconstructed image is later employed as a prediction reference for the coding of the full plenoptic image. As an outcome of the representation, the proposed scheme inherits a scalable structure with three layers. The results show that plenoptic images are compressed efficiently with over 60 percent bit rate reduction compared with High Efficiency Video Coding intra coding, and with over 20 percent compared with an High Efficiency Video Coding block copying mode.

Evaluating Integrative Cancer Clinics With the Claim Assessment Profile: An Example With the InspireHealth Clinic.

PubMed

Hilton, Lara; Elfenbaum, Pamela; Jain, Shamini; Sprengel, Meredith; Jonas, Wayne B

2018-03-01

The evaluation of freestanding integrative cancer clinical programs is challenging and is rarely done. We have developed an approach called the Claim Assessment Profile (CAP) to identify whether evaluation of a practice is justified, feasible, and likely to provide useful information. A CAP was performed in order to (1) clarify the healing claims at InspireHealth, an integrative oncology treatment program, by defining the most important impacts on its clients; (2) gather information about current research capacity at the clinic; and (3) create a program theory and path model for use in prospective research. This case study design incorporates methods from a variety of rapid assessment approaches. Procedures included site visits to observe the program, structured qualitative interviews with 26 providers and staff, surveys to capture descriptive data about the program, and observational data on program implementation. The InspireHealth program is a well-established, multi-site, thriving integrative oncology clinical practice that focuses on patient support, motivation, and health behavior engagement. It delivers patient-centered care via a standardized treatment protocol. There arehigh levels of research interest from staff and resources by which to conduct research. This analysis provides the primary descriptive and claims clarification of an integrative oncology treatment program, an evaluation readiness report, a detailed logic model explicating program theory, and a clinical outcomes path model for conducting prospective research. Prospective evaluation of this program would be feasible and valuable, adding to our knowledge base of integrative cancer therapies.

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Thomas, Ken; McMann, Joe; Dolan, Kristi; Bitterly, Rose; Lewis, Cathleen

2010-01-01

The ability to learn from both the mistakes and successes of the past is vital to assuring success in the future. Due to the close physical interaction between spacesuit systems and human beings as users, spacesuit technology and usage lends itself rather uniquely to the benefits realized from the skillful organization of historical information; its dissemination; the collection and identification of artifacts; and the education of individuals and groups working in the field. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other organizations and individuals have been performing United States (U.S.) spacesuit knowledge capture since the beginning of space exploration. Avenues used to capture the knowledge have included publication of reports; conference presentations; specialized seminars; and classes usually given by veterans in the field. Recently, the effort has been more concentrated and formalized whereby a new avenue of spacesuit knowledge capture has been added to the archives through which videotaping occurs, engaging both current and retired specialists in the field presenting technical scope specifically for education and preservation of knowledge. Now with video archiving, all these avenues of learning can be brought to life with the real experts presenting their wealth of knowledge on screen for future learners to enjoy. U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture topics have included lessons learned in spacesuit technology, experience from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs, hardware certification, design, development and other program components, spacesuit evolution and experience, failure analysis and resolution, and aspects of program management. Concurrently, U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture activities have progressed to a level where NASA, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Hamilton Sundstrand (HS) and the spacesuit community are now working together to provide a rather closed-looped spacesuit knowledge capture system which includes specific attention to spacesuit system artifacts as well. A NASM report has recently been created that allows the cross reference of history to the artifacts and the artifacts to the history including spacesuit manufacturing details with current condition and location. NASA has examined spacesuits in the NASM collection for evidence of wear during their operational life. NASA s formal spacesuit knowledge capture efforts now make use of both the NASM spacesuit preservation collection and report to enhance its efforts to educate NASA personnel and contribute to spacesuit history. Be it archiving of human knowledge or archiving of the actual spacesuit legacy hardware with its rich history, the joining together of spacesuit system artifact history with that of development and use during past programs will provide a wealth of knowledge which will greatly enhance the chances for the success of future and more ambitious spacesuit system programs.

Connecting the Pioneers, Current Leaders and the Nature and History of Space Weather with K-12 Classrooms and the General Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C.; Thompson, B. J.; Cline, T.; Lewis, E.; Barbier, B.; Odenwald, S.; Spadaccini, J.; James, N.; Stephenson, B.; Davis, H. B.; Major, E. R.; Space Weather Living History

2011-12-01

The Space Weather Living History program will explore and share the breakthrough new science and captivating stories of space environments and space weather by interviewing space physics pioneers and leaders active from the International Geophysical Year (IGY) to the present. Our multi-mission project will capture, document and preserve the living history of space weather utilizing original historical materials (primary sources). The resulting products will allow us to tell the stories of those involved in interactive new media to address important STEM needs, inspire the next generation of explorers, and feature women as role models. The project is divided into several stages, and the first stage, which began in mid-2011, focuses on resource gathering. The goal is to capture not just anecdotes, but the careful analogies and insights of researchers and historians associated with the programs and events. The Space Weather Living History Program has a Scientific Advisory Board, and with the Board's input our team will determine the chronology, key researchers, events, missions and discoveries for interviews. Education activities will be designed to utilize autobiographies, newspapers, interviews, research reports, journal articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, websites, diaries, letters, and artworks. With the help of a multimedia firm, we will use some of these materials to develop an interactive timeline on the web, and as a downloadable application in a kiosk and on tablet computers. In summary, our project augments the existing historical records with education technologies, connect the pioneers, current leaders and the nature and history of space weather with K-12 classrooms and the general public, covering all areas of studies in Heliophysics. The project is supported by NASA award NNX11AJ61G.

Development of a metrics dashboard for monitoring involvement in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

PubMed

Karralli, Rusol; Tipton, Joyce; Dumitru, Doina; Scholz, Lisa; Masilamani, Santhi

2015-09-01

An electronic tool to support hospital organizations in monitoring and addressing financial and compliance challenges related to participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program is described. In recent years there has been heightened congressional and regulatory scrutiny of the federal 340B program, which provides discounted drug prices on Medicaid-covered drugs to safety net hospitals and other 340B-eligible healthcare organizations, or "covered entities." Historically, the 340B program has lacked a metrics-driven reporting framework to help covered entities capture the value of 340B program involvement, community benefits provided to underserved populations, and costs associated with compliance with 340B eligibility requirements. As part of an initiative by a large health system to optimize its 340B program utilization and regulatory compliance efforts, a team of pharmacists led the development of an electronic dashboard tool to help monitor 340B program activities at the system's 340B-eligible facilities. After soliciting input from an array of internal and external 340B program stakeholders, the team designed the dashboard and associated data-entry tools to facilitate the capture and analysis of 340B program-related data in four domains: cost savings and revenue, program maintenance costs, community benefits, and compliance. A large health system enhanced its ability to evaluate and monitor 340B program-related activities through the use of a dashboard tool capturing key metrics on cost savings achieved, maintenance costs, and other aspects of program involvement. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Capture and Analysis Using the BBC Microcomputer--an Interfacing Project Applied to Enzyme Kinetics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Lawrence; Graham, Ian

1986-01-01

Reviews the main principles of interfacing and discusses the software developed to perform kinetic data capture and analysis with a BBC microcomputer linked to a recording spectrophotometer. Focuses on the steps in software development. Includes results of a lactate dehydrogenase assay. (ML)

Development of a technical assistance framework for building organizational capacity of health programs in resource-limited settings.

PubMed

Reyes, E Michael; Sharma, Anjali; Thomas, Kate K; Kuehn, Chuck; Morales, José Rafael

2014-09-17

Little information exists on the technical assistance needs of local indigenous organizations charged with managing HIV care and treatment programs funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This paper describes the methods used to adapt the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) framework, which has successfully strengthened HIV primary care services in the US, into one that could strengthen the capacity of local partners to deliver priority health programs in resource-constrained settings by identifying their specific technical assistance needs. Qualitative methods and inductive reasoning approaches were used to conceptualize and adapt the new Clinical Assessment for Systems Strengthening (ClASS) framework. Stakeholder interviews, comparisons of existing assessment tools, and a pilot test helped determine the overall ClASS framework for use in low-resource settings. The framework was further refined one year post-ClASS implementation. Stakeholder interviews, assessment of existing tools, a pilot process and the one-year post- implementation assessment informed the adaptation of the ClASS framework for assessing and strengthening technical and managerial capacities of health programs at three levels: international partner, local indigenous partner, and local partner treatment facility. The PCAT focus on organizational strengths and systems strengthening was retained and implemented in the ClASS framework and approach. A modular format was chosen to allow the use of administrative, fiscal and clinical modules in any combination and to insert new modules as needed by programs. The pilot led to refined pre-visit planning, informed review team composition, increased visit duration, and restructured modules. A web-based toolkit was developed to capture three years of experiential learning; this kit can also be used for independent implementation of the ClASS framework. A systematic adaptation process has produced a qualitative framework that can inform implementation strategies in support of country led HIV care and treatment programs. The framework, as a well-received iterative process focused on technical assistance, may have broader utility in other global programs.

North Carolina Toxic Substance Incidents Program 2010-2015: Identifying Areas for Injury Prevention Efforts.

PubMed

Eiffert, Samantha; Etienne, Suze; Hirsch, Annie; Langley, Ricky

2017-08-06

The National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) is a surveillance system designed to capture acute toxic substance releases, factors contributing to the release, and any associated injuries. North Carolina has participated since 2010, when NTSIP was established. This article will present a descriptive statistical summary from 2010 to 2015 focused on releases that resulted in injuries in order to identify areas for public health prevention efforts. Of the 1690 toxic releases in North Carolina, 155 incidents resulted in injuries and 500 people were injured. Carbon monoxide injured the greatest number of people. Of the incidents that resulted in injuries, 68 occurred at private vehicles or residences (44%), injuring 124 people (25%). Over half of events where at least one responder was injured occurred at private vehicles or residences. Events occurring at private residences did not have a significant relationship between evacuations and injuries, while for industry-related events, the odds of an evacuation being ordered were 8.18 times greater (OR = 8.18, 95% CI = 5.19, 12.89) when there were injuries associated with an event. Intervention efforts should focus on preventing responder injuries while responding to private residence releases and educating the general public on how to prevent injuries by self-evacuating areas where hazardous chemicals have been released.

North Carolina Toxic Substance Incidents Program 2010–2015: Identifying Areas for Injury Prevention Efforts

PubMed Central

Eiffert, Samantha; Etienne, Suze; Hirsch, Annie

2017-01-01

The National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) is a surveillance system designed to capture acute toxic substance releases, factors contributing to the release, and any associated injuries. North Carolina has participated since 2010, when NTSIP was established. This article will present a descriptive statistical summary from 2010 to 2015 focused on releases that resulted in injuries in order to identify areas for public health prevention efforts. Of the 1690 toxic releases in North Carolina, 155 incidents resulted in injuries and 500 people were injured. Carbon monoxide injured the greatest number of people. Of the incidents that resulted in injuries, 68 occurred at private vehicles or residences (44%), injuring 124 people (25%). Over half of events where at least one responder was injured occurred at private vehicles or residences. Events occurring at private residences did not have a significant relationship between evacuations and injuries, while for industry-related events, the odds of an evacuation being ordered were 8.18 times greater (OR = 8.18, 95% CI = 5.19, 12.89) when there were injuries associated with an event. Intervention efforts should focus on preventing responder injuries while responding to private residence releases and educating the general public on how to prevent injuries by self-evacuating areas where hazardous chemicals have been released. PMID:29051448

Kokkos GPU Compiler

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

Moss, Nicholas

The Kokkos Clang compiler is a version of the Clang C++ compiler that has been modified to perform targeted code generation for Kokkos constructs in the goal of generating highly optimized code and to provide semantic (domain) awareness throughout the compilation toolchain of these constructs such as parallel for and parallel reduce. This approach is taken to explore the possibilities of exposing the developer’s intentions to the underlying compiler infrastructure (e.g. optimization and analysis passes within the middle stages of the compiler) instead of relying solely on the restricted capabilities of C++ template metaprogramming. To date our current activities havemore » focused on correct GPU code generation and thus we have not yet focused on improving overall performance. The compiler is implemented by recognizing specific (syntactic) Kokkos constructs in order to bypass normal template expansion mechanisms and instead use the semantic knowledge of Kokkos to directly generate code in the compiler’s intermediate representation (IR); which is then translated into an NVIDIA-centric GPU program and supporting runtime calls. In addition, by capturing and maintaining the higher-level semantics of Kokkos directly within the lower levels of the compiler has the potential for significantly improving the ability of the compiler to communicate with the developer in the terms of their original programming model/semantics.« less

Tacit Knowledge Capture and the Brain-Drain at Electrical Utilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perjanik, Nicholas Steven

As a consequence of an aging workforce, electric utilities are at risk of losing their most experienced and knowledgeable electrical engineers. In this research, the problem was a lack of understanding of what electric utilities were doing to capture the tacit knowledge or know-how of these engineers. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the tacit knowledge capture strategies currently used in the industry by conducting a case study of 7 U.S. electrical utilities that have demonstrated an industry commitment to improving operational standards. The research question addressed the implemented strategies to capture the tacit knowledge of retiring electrical engineers and technical personnel. The research methodology involved a qualitative embedded case study. The theories used in this study included knowledge creation theory, resource-based theory, and organizational learning theory. Data were collected through one time interviews of a senior electrical engineer or technician within each utility and a workforce planning or training professional within 2 of the 7 utilities. The analysis included the use of triangulation and content analysis strategies. Ten tacit knowledge capture strategies were identified: (a) formal and informal on-boarding mentorship and apprenticeship programs, (b) formal and informal off-boarding mentorship programs, (c) formal and informal training programs, (d) using lessons learned during training sessions, (e) communities of practice, (f) technology enabled tools, (g) storytelling, (h) exit interviews, (i) rehiring of retirees as consultants, and (j) knowledge risk assessments. This research contributes to social change by offering strategies to capture the know-how needed to ensure operational continuity in the delivery of safe, reliable, and sustainable power.

Conceptual Modeling in the Time of the Revolution: Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mylopoulos, John

Conceptual Modeling was a marginal research topic at the very fringes of Computer Science in the 60s and 70s, when the discipline was dominated by topics focusing on programs, systems and hardware architectures. Over the years, however, the field has moved to centre stage and has come to claim a central role both in Computer Science research and practice in diverse areas, such as Software Engineering, Databases, Information Systems, the Semantic Web, Business Process Management, Service-Oriented Computing, Multi-Agent Systems, Knowledge Management, and more. The transformation was greatly aided by the adoption of standards in modeling languages (e.g., UML), and model-based methodologies (e.g., Model-Driven Architectures) by the Object Management Group (OMG) and other standards organizations. We briefly review the history of the field over the past 40 years, focusing on the evolution of key ideas. We then note some open challenges and report on-going research, covering topics such as the representation of variability in conceptual models, capturing model intentions, and models of laws.

The SmartOR: a distributed sensor network to improve operating room efficiency.

PubMed

Huang, Albert Y; Joerger, Guillaume; Fikfak, Vid; Salmon, Remi; Dunkin, Brian J; Bass, Barbara L; Garbey, Marc

2017-09-01

Despite the significant expense of OR time, best practice achieves only 70% efficiency. Compounding this problem is a lack of real-time data. Most current OR utilization programs require manual data entry. Automated systems require installation and maintenance of expensive tracking hardware throughout the institution. This study developed an inexpensive, automated OR utilization system and analyzed data from multiple operating rooms. OR activity was deconstructed into four room states. A sensor network was then developed to automatically capture these states using only three sensors, a local wireless network, and a data capture computer. Two systems were then installed into two ORs, recordings captured 24/7. The SmartOR recorded the following events: any room activity, patient entry/exit time, anesthesia time, laparoscopy time, room turnover time, and time of preoperative patient identification by the surgeon. From November 2014 to December 2015, data on 1003 cases were collected. The mean turnover time was 36 min, and 38% of cases met the institutional goal of ≤30 min. Data analysis also identified outlier cases (>1 SD from mean) in the domains of time from patient entry into the OR to intubation (11% of cases) and time from extubation to patient exiting the OR (11% of cases). Time from surgeon identification of patient to scheduled procedure start time was 11 min (institution bylaws require 20 min before scheduled start time), yet OR teams required 22 min on average to bring a patient into the room after surgeon identification. The SmartOR automatically and reliably captures data on OR room state and, in real time, identifies outlier cases that may be examined closer to improve efficiency. As no manual entry is required, the data are indisputable and allow OR teams to maintain a patient-centric focus.

U-tube based near-surface environmental monitoring in the Shenhua carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) project.

PubMed

Li, Qi; Song, Ranran; Shi, Hui; Ma, Jianli; Liu, Xuehao; Li, Xiaochun

2018-04-01

The CO 2 injected into deep formations during implementation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture and storage (CCS) technology may leak and migrate into shallow aquifers or ground surfaces through a variety of pathways over a long period. The leaked CO 2 can threaten shallow environments as well as human health. Therefore, almost all monitoring programs for CCS projects around the world contain near-surface monitoring. This paper presents a U-tube based near-surface monitoring technology focusing on its first application in the Shenhua CCS demonstration project, located in the Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. First, background information on the site monitoring program of the Shenhua CCS demonstration project was provided. Then, the principle of fluid sampling and the monitoring methods were summarized for the U-tube sampler system, and the monitoring data were analyzed in detail. The U-tube based monitoring results showed that the U-tube sampler system is accurate, flexible, and representative of the subsurface fluid sampling process. The monitoring indicators for the subsurface water and soil gas at the Shenhua CCS site indicate good stratification characteristics. The concentration level of each monitoring indicator decreases with increasing depth. Finally, the significance of this near-surface environmental monitoring technology for CO 2 leakage assessments was preliminarily confirmed at the Shenhua CCS site. The application potential of the U-tube based monitoring technology was also demonstrated during the subsurface environmental monitoring of other CCS projects.

Application of a unique server-based oligonucleotide probe selection tool toward a novel biosensor for the detection of Streptococcus pyogenes.

PubMed

Nugen, Sam R; Leonard, Barbara; Baeumner, Antje J

2007-05-15

We developed a software program for the rapid selection of detection probes to be used in nucleic acid-based assays. In comparison to commercially available software packages, our program allows the addition of oligotags as required by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) as well as automatic BLAST searches for all probe/primer pairs. We then demonstrated the usefulness of the program by designing a novel lateral flow biosensor for Streptococcus pyogenes that does not rely on amplification methods such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or NASBA to obtain low limits of detection, but instead uses multiple reporter and capture probes per target sequence and an instantaneous amplification via dye-encapsulating liposomes. These assays will decrease the detection time to just a 20 min hybridization reaction and avoid costly enzymatic gene amplification reactions. The lateral flow assay was developed quantifying the 16S rRNA from S. pyogenes by designing reporter and capture probes that specifically hybridize with the RNA and form a sandwich. DNA reporter probes were tagged with dye-encapsulating liposomes, biotinylated DNA oligonucleotides were used as capture probes. From the initial number of capture and reporter probes chosen, a combination of two capture and three reporter probes were found to provide optimal signal generation and significant enhancement over single capture/reporter probe combinations. The selectivity of the biosensor was proven by analyzing organisms closely related to S. pyogenes, such as other Streptococcus and Enterococcus species. All probes had been selected by the software program within minutes and no iterative optimization and re-design of the oligonucleotides was required which enabled a very rapid biosensor prototyping. While the sensitivity obtained with the biosensor was only 135 ng, future experiments will decrease this significantly by the addition of more reporter and capture probes for either the same rRNA or a different nucleic acid target molecule. This will lead to the possibility of detecting S. pyogenes with a rugged assay that does not require a cell culturing or gene amplification step and will therefore enable rapid, specific and sensitive onsite testing.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2004 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

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

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eighth season (1997-2004) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the sixth season (1999-2004) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progency for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2004, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 1, 2004 through to April 14, 2004 and a total of 250,249 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2002 egg source and included captive brood (133,781) and conventional (116,468) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2004 began May 10, the first Chinook was captured on May 19, 2004 and the last Chinook was captured on September 16, 2004. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2004. A total of 1,091 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 299 natural origin fish and 792 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 46 natural and 69 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to Lookingglass Hatchery for holding and spawning, 537 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 447 hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 107 adults retained (eight additional hatchery females were collected and then later returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally) for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 22 natural females and 30 supplementation females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 221,889 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 94.9% which yielded a total of 210,661 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,267 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage and then transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they will be reared to the fingerling stage. They will then be transported back to LGH and reared to the smolt stage and then transported to the Lostine acclimation facility for release in the spring of 2006. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2006.« less

Neutron capture therapy: Years of experimentation---Years of reflection

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

Farr, L.E.

1991-12-16

This report describes early research on neutron capture therapy over a number of years, beginning in 1950, speaking briefly of patient treatments but dwelling mostly on interpretations of our animal experiments. This work carried out over eighteen years, beginning over forty years ago. Yet, it is only fitting to start by relating how neutron capture therapy became part of Brookhaven`s Medical Research Center program.

Neutron capture therapy: Years of experimentation---Years of reflection

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

Farr, L.E.

1991-12-16

This report describes early research on neutron capture therapy over a number of years, beginning in 1950, speaking briefly of patient treatments but dwelling mostly on interpretations of our animal experiments. This work carried out over eighteen years, beginning over forty years ago. Yet, it is only fitting to start by relating how neutron capture therapy became part of Brookhaven's Medical Research Center program.

Remote gaze tracking system on a large display.

PubMed

Lee, Hyeon Chang; Lee, Won Oh; Cho, Chul Woo; Gwon, Su Yeong; Park, Kang Ryoung; Lee, Heekyung; Cha, Jihun

2013-10-07

We propose a new remote gaze tracking system as an intelligent TV interface. Our research is novel in the following three ways: first, because a user can sit at various positions in front of a large display, the capture volume of the gaze tracking system should be greater, so the proposed system includes two cameras which can be moved simultaneously by panning and tilting mechanisms, a wide view camera (WVC) for detecting eye position and an auto-focusing narrow view camera (NVC) for capturing enlarged eye images. Second, in order to remove the complicated calibration between the WVC and NVC and to enhance the capture speed of the NVC, these two cameras are combined in a parallel structure. Third, the auto-focusing of the NVC is achieved on the basis of both the user's facial width in the WVC image and a focus score calculated on the eye image of the NVC. Experimental results showed that the proposed system can be operated with a gaze tracking accuracy of ±0.737°~±0.775° and a speed of 5~10 frames/s.

Remote Gaze Tracking System on a Large Display

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyeon Chang; Lee, Won Oh; Cho, Chul Woo; Gwon, Su Yeong; Park, Kang Ryoung; Lee, Heekyung; Cha, Jihun

2013-01-01

We propose a new remote gaze tracking system as an intelligent TV interface. Our research is novel in the following three ways: first, because a user can sit at various positions in front of a large display, the capture volume of the gaze tracking system should be greater, so the proposed system includes two cameras which can be moved simultaneously by panning and tilting mechanisms, a wide view camera (WVC) for detecting eye position and an auto-focusing narrow view camera (NVC) for capturing enlarged eye images. Second, in order to remove the complicated calibration between the WVC and NVC and to enhance the capture speed of the NVC, these two cameras are combined in a parallel structure. Third, the auto-focusing of the NVC is achieved on the basis of both the user's facial width in the WVC image and a focus score calculated on the eye image of the NVC. Experimental results showed that the proposed system can be operated with a gaze tracking accuracy of ±0.737°∼±0.775° and a speed of 5∼10 frames/s. PMID:24105351

Linear combination reading program for capture gamma rays

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Allan B.

1971-01-01

This program computes a weighting function, Qj, which gives a scalar output value of unity when applied to the spectrum of a desired element and a minimum value (considering statistics) when applied to spectra of materials not containing the desired element. Intermediate values are obtained for materials containing the desired element, in proportion to the amount of the element they contain. The program is written in the BASIC language in a format specific to the Hewlett-Packard 2000A Time-Sharing System, and is an adaptation of an earlier program for linear combination reading for X-ray fluorescence analysis (Tanner and Brinkerhoff, 1971). Following the program is a sample run from a study of the application of the linear combination technique to capture-gamma-ray analysis for calcium (report in preparation).

Introduction of the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident, Investigation Details, Findings and Crew Survival Investigation Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandler, Michael

2010-01-01

As the Space Shuttle Program comes to an end, it is important that the lessons learned from the Columbia accident be captured and understood by those who will be developing future aerospace programs and supporting current programs. Aeromedical lessons learned from the Accident were presented at AsMA in 2005. This Panel will update that information, closeout the lessons learned, provide additional information on the accident and provide suggestions for the future. To set the stage, an overview of the accident is required. The Space Shuttle Columbia was returning to Earth with a crew of seven astronauts on 1Feb, 2003. It disintegrated along a track extending from California to Louisiana and observers along part of the track filmed the breakup of Columbia. Debris was recovered from Littlefield, Texas to Fort Polk, Louisiana, along a 567 statute mile track; the largest ever recorded debris field. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) concluded its investigation in August 2003, and released their findings in a report published in February 2004. NASA recognized the importance of capturing the lessons learned from the loss of Columbia and her crew and the Space Shuttle Program managers commissioned the Spacecraft Crew Survival Integrated Investigation Team (SCSIIT) to accomplish this. Their task was to perform a comprehensive analysis of the accident, focusing on factors and events affecting crew survival, and to develop recommendations for improving crew survival, including the design features, equipment, training and procedures intended to protect the crew. NASA released the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report in December 2008. Key personnel have been assembled to give you an overview of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, the medical response, the medico-legal issues, the SCSIIT findings and recommendations and future NASA flight surgeon spacecraft accident response training. Educational Objectives: Set the stage for the Panel to address the investigation, medico-legal issues, the Spacecraft Crew Survival Integrated Investigation Team report and training for accident response.

End-Stage Renal Disease Outcomes among the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Creatinine Safety Program (Creatinine SureNet): Opportunities to Reflect and Improve

PubMed Central

Sim, John J; Batech, Michael; Danforth, Kim N; Rutkowski, Mark P; Jacobsen, Steven J; Kanter, Michael H

2017-01-01

Objectives: The Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) creatinine safety program (Creatinine SureNet) identifies and outreaches to thousands of people annually who may have had a missed diagnosis for chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to determine the value of this outpatient program and evaluate opportunities for improvement. Methods: Longitudinal cohort study (February 2010 through December 2015) of KPSC members captured into the creatinine safety program who were characterized using demographics, laboratory results, and different estimations of glomerular filtration rate. Age- and sex-adjusted rates of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were compared with those in the overall KPSC population. Results: Among 12,394 individuals, 83 (0.7%) reached ESRD. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of ESRD was 2.7 times higher compared with the KPSC general population during the same period (94.7 vs 35.4 per 100,000 person-years; p < 0.001). Screening with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (vs Modification Diet in Renal Diseases) equation would capture 44% fewer individuals and have a higher predictive value for CKD. Of those who had repeated creatinine measurements, only 13% had a urine study performed (32% among patients with confirmed CKD). Conclusion: Our study found a higher incidence of ESRD among individuals captured into the KPSC creatinine safety program. If the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation were used, fewer people would have been captured while improving the accuracy for diagnosing CKD. Urine testing was low even among patients with confirmed CKD. Our findings demonstrate the importance of a creatinine safety net program in an integrated health system but also suggest opportunities to improve CKD care and screening. PMID:28241912

End-Stage Renal Disease Outcomes among the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Creatinine Safety Program (Creatinine SureNet): Opportunities to Reflect and Improve.

PubMed

Sim, John J; Batech, Michael; Danforth, Kim N; Rutkowski, Mark P; Jacobsen, Steven J; Kanter, Michael H

2017-01-01

The Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) creatinine safety program (Creatinine SureNet) identifies and outreaches to thousands of people annually who may have had a missed diagnosis for chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to determine the value of this outpatient program and evaluate opportunities for improvement. Longitudinal cohort study (February 2010 through December 2015) of KPSC members captured into the creatinine safety program who were characterized using demographics, laboratory results, and different estimations of glomerular filtration rate. Age- and sex-adjusted rates of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were compared with those in the overall KPSC population. Among 12,394 individuals, 83 (0.7%) reached ESRD. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of ESRD was 2.7 times higher compared with the KPSC general population during the same period (94.7 vs 35.4 per 100,000 person-years; p < 0.001). Screening with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (vs Modification Diet in Renal Diseases) equation would capture 44% fewer individuals and have a higher predictive value for CKD. Of those who had repeated creatinine measurements, only 13% had a urine study performed (32% among patients with confirmed CKD). Our study found a higher incidence of ESRD among individuals captured into the KPSC creatinine safety program. If the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation were used, fewer people would have been captured while improving the accuracy for diagnosing CKD. Urine testing was low even among patients with confirmed CKD. Our findings demonstrate the importance of a creatinine safety net program in an integrated health system but also suggest opportunities to improve CKD care and screening.

Real-Time Data Capture and Management Evaluation and Performance Measures : Evaluation Framework

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

Through connected vehicle research, the U.S. DOT Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) is leading an effort to assess the potential for systematic and dynamic data capture from vehicles, travelers and the transportation sy...

CCSI and the role of advanced computing in accelerating the commercial deployment of carbon capture systems

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

Miller, David; Agarwal, Deborah A.; Sun, Xin

2011-09-01

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative is developing state-of-the-art computational modeling and simulation tools to accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture technology. The CCSI Toolset consists of an integrated multi-scale modeling and simulation framework, which includes extensive use of reduced order models (ROMs) and a comprehensive uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodology. This paper focuses on the interrelation among high performance computing, detailed device simulations, ROMs for scale-bridging, UQ and the integration framework.

CCSI and the role of advanced computing in accelerating the commercial deployment of carbon capture systems

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

Miller, D.; Agarwal, D.; Sun, X.

2011-01-01

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative is developing state-of-the-art computational modeling and simulation tools to accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture technology. The CCSI Toolset consists of an integrated multi-scale modeling and simulation framework, which includes extensive use of reduced order models (ROMs) and a comprehensive uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodology. This paper focuses on the interrelation among high performance computing, detailed device simulations, ROMs for scale-bridging, UQ and the integration framework.

Can a new behaviorally oriented training process to improve lifting technique prevent occupationally related back injuries due to lifting?

PubMed

Lavender, Steven A; Lorenz, Eric P; Andersson, Gunnar B J

2007-02-15

A prospective randomized control trial. To determine the degree to which a new behavior-based lift training program (LiftTrainer; Ascension Technology, Burlington, VT) could reduce the incidence of low back disorder in distribution center jobs that require repetitive lifting. Most studies show programs aimed at training lifting techniques to be ineffective in preventing low back disorders, which may be due to their conceptual rather than behavioral learning approach. A total of 2144 employees in 19 distribution centers were randomized into either the LiftTrainer program or a video control group. In the LiftTrainer program, participants were individually trained in up to 5, 30-minute sessions while instrumented with motion capture sensors to quantify the L5/S1 moments. Twelve months following the initial training, injury data were obtained from company records. Survival analyses (Kaplan-Meier) indicated that there was no difference in injury rates between the 2 training groups. Likewise, there was no difference in the turnover rates. However, those with a low (<30 Nm) average twisting moment at the end of the first session experienced a significantly (P < 0.005) lower rate of low back disorder than controls. While overall the LiftTrainer program was not effective, those with twisting moments below 30 Nm reported fewer injuries, suggesting a shift in focus for "safe" lifting programs.

Postdeployment Reintegration: The Ethics of Embodied Personal Presence and the Formation of Military Meaning.

PubMed

Jeschke, E Ann

2016-01-01

In 2014, the Institute of Medicine published a meta-analysis on current military reintegration programs, suggesting they have failed to improve postdeployment behavioral health. In this chapter, I explore some of the issues associated with the two paradigm reintegration programs supported by the Department of Defense (DoD), namely, BATTLEMIND postdeployment debriefings and Master Resilience Training. My discussion will be located within a subpopulation of military personnel I call warriors, particularly those men who have been exposed to combat. In performing a normative analysis of current reintegration programs, I rely on an ethics of embodied personal presence as a derivative focus of both nursing ethics and the just war tradition. Using an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate warriors' experiences of training across the military life cycle illustrates how reintegration challenges have been construed as potential pathology because disembodied reintegration programs do not consider the influence of military training and lifestyle in the development of certain health behaviors. When compared to the warrior's lived experience, a broader set of reintegration challenges emerge that cannot be fully captured by the symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Therefore, new reintegration programs need to be developed. Although I do not provide explicit details concerning what these reintegration programs should look at, I suggest that the DoD turn to something akin to the Healthy People campaign.

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

Byrer, C.W.; Layne, A.W.; Guthrie, H.D.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), at its Morgantown Energy Technology Center, has been involved in natural gas research since the 1970`s. DOE has assessed the potential of gas in coals throughout the U.S. and promoted research and development for recovery and use of methane found in minable and unminable coalbeds. DOE efforts have focused on the use of coal mine methane for regional economic gas self-sufficiency, energy parks, self-help initiatives, and small-power generation. This paper focuses on DOE`s past and present efforts to more effectively and efficiently recover and use this valuable domestic energy source. The Climate Change Actionmore » Plan (CCAP) (1) lists a series of 50 voluntary initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane from mining operations, to their 1990 levels. Action No. 36 of the CCAP expands the DOE research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) efforts to broaden the range of cost-effective technologies and practices for recovering methane associated with coal mining operations. The major thrust of Action No. 36 is to reduce methane emissions associated with coal mining operations from target year 2000 levels by 1.5 MMT of carbon equivalent. Crosscutting activities in the DOE Natural Gas Program supply the utilization sectors will address RD&D to reduce methane emissions released from various mining operations, focusing on recovery and end use technology systems to effectively drain, capture, and utilize the emitted gas. Pilot projects with industry partners will develop and test the most effective methods and technology systems for economic recovery and utilization of coal mine gas emissions in regions where industry considers efforts to be presently non-economic. These existing RD&D programs focus on near-term gas recovery and gathering systems, gas upgrading, and power generation.« less

Are UNDP Indices Appropriate to Capture Gender Inequalities in Europe?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Permanyer, Inaki

2013-01-01

This study critically investigates the suitability of United Nations' composite indices and other related measures--among which the Gender Inequality Index just released in 2010--to capture gender inequalities in the context of "highly developed" countries, focusing on the case of Europe. Our results indicate that many of the gender gaps…

"The Capture:" Kidnapping Students' Interests Using the "Guardians of Ga'Hoole"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradbury, Leslie; Frye, Beth; Gross, Lisa

2013-01-01

This project describes a fourth-grade unit that integrated science and language arts using the book "The Capture" as a focal point. During the unit, students engaged in science activities and language arts lessons that focused on owls. Students conducted investigations that helped them develop a deeper understanding of the adaptations of…

[Current State of Studies on Job-related Stress among Psychiatric Social Workers and Insights into Future Research].

PubMed

Yada, Hironori; Abe, Hiroshi; Odachi, Ryo; Iwanaga, Yasushi; Yamane, Toshie

2016-01-01

We studied the characteristics of psychiatric social workers (PSWs) and present research on job-related stress among them; we also provide insights into the future of such research. In recent years, studies on job-related stress among PSWs have been gaining interest. In particular, stress associated with the repeated revisions of related laws has increased. Subsequently, it was found that occupational stress in PSWs differs qualitatively and quantitatively depending on educational history, years of experience, and service department. However, no scale captures the specific characteristics of job-related stress among PSWs. Moreover, the development of a mental health care program for PSWs seems difficult. To develop a mental health care program that caters specifically to this group, future research should focus on developing a scale that determines the specific characteristics of job-related stress among PSWs, which should be evaluated on the basis of each PSW's educational history, years of experience, and service department.

Distractors associated with reward break through the focus of attention.

PubMed

Munneke, Jaap; Belopolsky, Artem V; Theeuwes, Jan

2016-10-01

In the present study, we investigated the conditions in which rewarded distractors have the ability to capture attention, even when attention is directed toward the target location. Experiment 1 showed that when the probability of obtaining reward was high, all salient distractors captured attention, even when they were not associated with reward. This effect may have been caused by participants suboptimally using the 100%-valid endogenous location cue. Experiment 2 confirmed this result by showing that salient distractors did not capture attention in a block in which no reward was expected. In Experiment 3, the probability of the presence of a distractor was high, but it only signaled reward availability on a low number of trials. The results showed that those very infrequent distractors that signaled reward captured attention, whereas the distractors (both frequent and infrequent ones) not associated with reward were simply ignored. The latter experiment indicates that even when attention is directed to a location in space, stimuli associated with reward break through the focus of attention, but equally salient stimuli not associated with reward do not.

Guidelines for Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating Mind-Body Programs in a Military Healthcare Setting.

PubMed

Smith, Katherine; Firth, Kimberly; Smeeding, Sandra; Wolever, Ruth; Kaufman, Joanna; Delgado, Roxana; Bellanti, Dawn; Xenakis, Lea

2016-01-01

Research suggests that the development of mind-body skills can improve individual and family resilience, particularly related to the stresses of illness, trauma, and caregiving. To operationalize the research evidence that mind-body skills help with health and recovery, Samueli Institute, in partnership with experts in mind-body programming, created a set of guidelines for developing and evaluating mind-body programs for service members, veterans, and their families. The Guidelines for Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating Mind-Body Programs in a Military Healthcare Setting outline key strategies and issues to consider when developing, implementing, and evaluating a mind-body focused family empowerment approach in a military healthcare setting. Although these guidelines were developed specifically for a military setting, most of the same principles can be applied to the development of programs in the civilian setting as well. The guidelines particularly address issues unique to mind-body programs, such as choosing evidence-based modalities, licensure and credentialing, safety and contraindications, and choosing evaluation measures that capture the holistic nature of these types of programs. The guidelines are practical, practice-based guidelines, developed by experts in the fields of program development and evaluation, mind-body therapies, patient- and family-centered care, as well as, experts in military and veteran's health systems. They provide a flexible framework to create mind-body family empowerment programs and describe important issues that program developers and evaluators are encouraged to address to ensure the development of the most impactful, successful, evidence-supported programs possible. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extended capture range for focus-diverse phase retrieval in segmented aperture systems using geometrical optics.

PubMed

Jurling, Alden S; Fienup, James R

2014-03-01

Extending previous work by Thurman on wavefront sensing for segmented-aperture systems, we developed an algorithm for estimating segment tips and tilts from multiple point spread functions in different defocused planes. We also developed methods for overcoming two common modes for stagnation in nonlinear optimization-based phase retrieval algorithms for segmented systems. We showed that when used together, these methods largely solve the capture range problem in focus-diverse phase retrieval for segmented systems with large tips and tilts. Monte Carlo simulations produced a rate of success better than 98% for the combined approach.

Autofocus algorithm using one-dimensional Fourier transform and Pearson correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bueno Mario, A.; Alvarez-Borrego, Josue; Acho, L.

2004-10-01

A new autofocus algorithm based on one-dimensional Fourier transform and Pearson correlation for Z automatized microscope is proposed. Our goal is to determine in fast response time and accuracy, the best focused plane through an algorithm. We capture in bright and dark field several images set at different Z distances from biological organism sample. The algorithm uses the one-dimensional Fourier transform to obtain the image frequency content of a vectors pattern previously defined comparing the Pearson correlation of these frequency vectors versus the reference image frequency vector, the most out of focus image, we find the best focusing. Experimental results showed the algorithm has fast response time and accuracy in getting the best focus plane from captured images. In conclusions, the algorithm can be implemented in real time systems due fast response time, accuracy and robustness. The algorithm can be used to get focused images in bright and dark field and it can be extended to include fusion techniques to construct multifocus final images beyond of this paper.

Design knowledge capture for the space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crouse, K. R.; Wechsler, D. B.

1987-01-01

The benefits of design knowledge availability are identifiable and pervasive. The implementation of design knowledge capture and storage using current technology increases the probability for success, while providing for a degree of access compatibility with future applications. The space station design definition should be expanded to include design knowledge. Design knowledge should be captured. A critical timing relationship exists between the space station development program, and the implementation of this project.

AVESTAR Center for Operational Excellence of Electricity Generation Plants

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

Zitney, Stephen

2012-08-29

To address industry challenges in attaining operational excellence for electricity generation plants, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has launched a world-class facility for Advanced Virtual Energy Simulation Training and Research (AVESTARTM). This presentation will highlight the AVESTARTM Center simulators, facilities, and comprehensive training, education, and research programs focused on the operation and control of high-efficiency, near-zero-emission electricity generation plants. The AVESTAR Center brings together state-of-the-art, real-time, high-fidelity dynamic simulators with full-scope operator training systems (OTSs) and 3D virtual immersive training systems (ITSs) into an integrated energy plant and control room environment. AVESTAR’s initial offeringmore » combines--for the first time--a “gasification with CO2 capture” process simulator with a “combined-cycle” power simulator together in a single OTS/ITS solution for an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. IGCC systems are an attractive technology option for power generation, especially when capturing and storing CO2 is necessary to satisfy emission targets. The AVESTAR training program offers a variety of courses that merge classroom learning, simulator-based OTS learning in a control-room operations environment, and immersive learning in the interactive 3D virtual plant environment or ITS. All of the courses introduce trainees to base-load plant operation, control, startups, and shutdowns. Advanced courses require participants to become familiar with coordinated control, fuel switching, power-demand load shedding, and load following, as well as to problem solve equipment and process malfunctions. Designed to ensure work force development, training is offered for control room and plant field operators, as well as engineers and managers. Such comprehensive simulator-based instruction allows for realistic training without compromising worker, equipment, and environmental safety. It also better prepares operators and engineers to manage the plant closer to economic constraints while minimizing or avoiding the impact of any potentially harmful, wasteful, or inefficient events. The AVESTAR Center is also used to augment graduate and undergraduate engineering education in the areas of process simulation, dynamics, control, and safety. Students and researchers gain hands-on simulator-based training experience and learn how the commercial-scale power plants respond dynamically to changes in manipulated inputs, such as coal feed flow rate and power demand. Students also analyze how the regulatory control system impacts power plant performance and stability. In addition, students practice start-up, shutdown, and malfunction scenarios. The 3D virtual ITSs are used for plant familiarization, walk-through, equipment animations, and safety scenarios. To further leverage the AVESTAR facilities and simulators, NETL and its university partners are pursuing an innovative and collaborative R&D program. In the area of process control, AVESTAR researchers are developing enhanced strategies for regulatory control and coordinated plant-wide control, including gasifier and gas turbine lead, as well as advanced process control using model predictive control (MPC) techniques. Other AVESTAR R&D focus areas include high-fidelity equipment modeling using partial differential equations, dynamic reduced order modeling, optimal sensor placement, 3D virtual plant simulation, and modern grid. NETL and its partners plan to continue building the AVESTAR portfolio of dynamic simulators, immersive training systems, and advanced research capabilities to satisfy industry’s growing need for training and experience with the operation and control of clean energy plants. Future dynamic simulators under development include natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) and supercritical pulverized coal (SCPC) plants with post-combustion CO2 capture. These dynamic simulators are targeted for use in establishing a Virtual Carbon Capture Center (VCCC), similar in concept to the DOE’s National Carbon Capture Center for slipstream testing. The VCCC will enable developers of CO2 capture technologies to integrate, test, and optimize the operation of their dynamic capture models within the context of baseline power plant dynamic models. The objective is to provide hands-on, simulator-based “learn-by-operating” test platforms to accelerate the scale-up and deployment of CO2 capture technologies. Future AVESTAR plans also include pursuing R&D on the dynamics, operation, and control of integrated electricity generation and storage systems for the modern grid era. Special emphasis will be given to combining load-following energy plants with renewable and distributed generating supplies and fast-ramping energy storage systems to provide near constant baseload power.« less

Scheimpflug with computational imaging to extend the depth of field of iris recognition systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinharoy, Indranil

Despite the enormous success of iris recognition in close-range and well-regulated spaces for biometric authentication, it has hitherto failed to gain wide-scale adoption in less controlled, public environments. The problem arises from a limitation in imaging called the depth of field (DOF): the limited range of distances beyond which subjects appear blurry in the image. The loss of spatial details in the iris image outside the small DOF limits the iris image capture to a small volume-the capture volume. Existing techniques to extend the capture volume are usually expensive, computationally intensive, or afflicted by noise. Is there a way to combine the classical Scheimpflug principle with the modern computational imaging techniques to extend the capture volume? The solution we found is, surprisingly, simple; yet, it provides several key advantages over existing approaches. Our method, called Angular Focus Stacking (AFS), consists of capturing a set of images while rotating the lens, followed by registration, and blending of the in-focus regions from the images in the stack. The theoretical underpinnings of AFS arose from a pair of new and general imaging models we developed for Scheimpflug imaging that directly incorporates the pupil parameters. The model revealed that we could register the images in the stack analytically if we pivot the lens at the center of its entrance pupil, rendering the registration process exact. Additionally, we found that a specific lens design further reduces the complexity of image registration making AFS suitable for real-time performance. We have demonstrated up to an order of magnitude improvement in the axial capture volume over conventional image capture without sacrificing optical resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. The total time required for capturing the set of images for AFS is less than the time needed for a single-exposure, conventional image for the same DOF and brightness level. The net reduction in capture time can significantly relax the constraints on subject movement during iris acquisition, making it less restrictive.

Techno-socio-economic analysis of losses in capture fishery: a case study in Pelabuhan Ratu, Sukabumi, West Java Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurhayati, A.; Purnomo, A. H.

2018-03-01

This research was aimed at analyzing factors influencing capture fisheries losses, focusing on technical, social and economic aspects at Pelabuhan Ratu. A case study was undertaken, through a survey involving 40 respondents. These respondents represented groups of fishers, collectors, middlemen, processors and consumers. The questions delivered in the survey was adapted from the Exploratory Fish Loss Assessment Method (EFLAM). Based on this research, the fish loss was detected in Palabuhan Ratu, which amounted to 4.25 % at the fisher level and 5.12 % in the following supply chains, due to some factors. It was found that among the technical factors, the most influential ones were handling of landed fish, fish sortation, fish size, fish shelf life and season. Among economic aspect, factors with the most significant influence were fish price fluctuation and price level; meanwhile, among the social factors, those that had the most significant influence was the revenue distribution system. Based on this, the relevant policy implication of this research was the need for effective programs which covers the development of cold chain and distribution facilities and infrastructure, and an improvement in skills and knowledge of fish derivative product processors.

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

Ozolins, Vidvuds

Molecularly Engineered Energy Materials (MEEM) was established as an interdisciplinary cutting-edge UCLA-based research center uniquely equipped to attack the challenge of rationally designing, synthesizing and testing revolutionary new energy materials. Our mission was to achieve transformational improvements in the performance of materials via controlling the nano-and mesoscale structure using selectively designed, earth-abundant, inexpensive molecular building blocks. MEEM has focused on materials that are inherently abundant, can be easily assembled from intelligently designed building blocks (molecules, nanoparticles), and have the potential to deliver transformative economic benefits in comparison with the current crystalline-and polycrystalline-based energy technologies. MEEM addressed basic science issues relatedmore » to the fundamental mechanisms of carrier generation, energy conversion, as well as transport and storage of charge and mass in tunable, architectonically complex materials. Fundamental understanding of these processes will enable rational design, efficient synthesis and effective deployment of novel three-dimensional material architectures for energy applications. Three interrelated research directions were initially identified where these novel architectures hold great promise for high-reward research: solar energy generation, electrochemical energy storage, and materials for CO 2 capture. Of these, the first two remained throughout the project performance period, while carbon capture was been phased out in consultation and with approval from BES program manager.« less

A manipulative instrument with simultaneous gesture and end-effector trajectory planning and controlling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hsien-I.; Nguyen, Xuan-Anh

2017-05-01

To operate a redundant manipulator to accomplish the end-effector trajectory planning and simultaneously control its gesture in online programming, incorporating the human motion is a useful and flexible option. This paper focuses on a manipulative instrument that can simultaneously control its arm gesture and end-effector trajectory via human teleoperation. The instrument can be classified by two parts; first, for the human motion capture and data processing, marker systems are proposed to capture human gesture. Second, the manipulator kinematics control is implemented by an augmented multi-tasking method, and forward and backward reaching inverse kinematics, respectively. Especially, the local-solution and divergence problems of a multi-tasking method are resolved by the proposed augmented multi-tasking method. Computer simulations and experiments with a 7-DOF (degree of freedom) redundant manipulator were used to validate the proposed method. Comparison among the single-tasking, original multi-tasking, and augmented multi-tasking algorithms were performed and the result showed that the proposed augmented method had a good end-effector position accuracy and the most similar gesture to the human gesture. Additionally, the experimental results showed that the proposed instrument was realized online.

Evolution of Altimetry Calibration and Future Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fu, Lee-Lueng; Haines, Bruce J.

2012-01-01

Over the past 20 years, altimetry calibration has evolved from an engineering-oriented exercise to a multidisciplinary endeavor driving the state of the art. This evolution has been spurred by the developing promise of altimetry to capture the large-scale, but small-amplitude, changes of the ocean surface containing the expression of climate change. The scope of altimeter calibration/validation programs has expanded commensurately. Early efforts focused on determining a constant range bias and verifying basic compliance of the data products with mission requirements. Contemporary investigations capture, with increasing accuracies, the spatial and temporal characteristics of errors in all elements of the measurement system. Dedicated calibration sites still provide the fundamental service of estimating absolute bias, but also enable long-term monitoring of the sea-surface height and constituent measurements. The use of a network of island and coastal tide gauges has provided the best perspective on the measurement stability, and revealed temporal variations of altimeter measurement system drift. The cross-calibration between successive missions provided fundamentally new information on the performance of altimetry systems. Spatially and temporally correlated errors pose challenges for future missions, underscoring the importance of cross-calibration of new measurements against the established record.

A model for long-distance dispersal of boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westbrook, John K.; Eyster, Ritchie S.; Allen, Charles T.

2011-07-01

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis (Boheman), has been a major insect pest of cotton production in the US, accounting for yield losses and control costs on the order of several billion US dollars since the introduction of the pest in 1892. Boll weevil eradication programs have eliminated reproducing populations in nearly 94%, and progressed toward eradication within the remaining 6%, of cotton production areas. However, the ability of weevils to disperse and reinfest eradicated zones threatens to undermine the previous investment toward eradication of this pest. In this study, the HYSPLIT atmospheric dispersion model was used to simulate daily wind-aided dispersal of weevils from the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. Simulated weevil dispersal was compared with weekly capture of weevils in pheromone traps along highway trap lines between the LRGV and the South Texas / Winter Garden zone of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Program. A logistic regression model was fit to the probability of capturing at least one weevil in individual pheromone traps relative to specific values of simulated weevil dispersal, which resulted in 60.4% concordance, 21.3% discordance, and 18.3% ties in estimating captures and non-captures. During the first full year of active eradication with widespread insecticide applications in 2006, the dispersal model accurately estimated 71.8%, erroneously estimated 12.5%, and tied 15.7% of capture and non-capture events. Model simulations provide a temporal risk assessment over large areas of weevil reinfestation resulting from dispersal by prevailing winds. Eradication program managers can use the model risk assessment information to effectively schedule and target enhanced trapping, crop scouting, and insecticide applications.

A model for long-distance dispersal of boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

PubMed

Westbrook, John K; Eyster, Ritchie S; Allen, Charles T

2011-07-01

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis (Boheman), has been a major insect pest of cotton production in the US, accounting for yield losses and control costs on the order of several billion US dollars since the introduction of the pest in 1892. Boll weevil eradication programs have eliminated reproducing populations in nearly 94%, and progressed toward eradication within the remaining 6%, of cotton production areas. However, the ability of weevils to disperse and reinfest eradicated zones threatens to undermine the previous investment toward eradication of this pest. In this study, the HYSPLIT atmospheric dispersion model was used to simulate daily wind-aided dispersal of weevils from the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. Simulated weevil dispersal was compared with weekly capture of weevils in pheromone traps along highway trap lines between the LRGV and the South Texas/Winter Garden zone of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Program. A logistic regression model was fit to the probability of capturing at least one weevil in individual pheromone traps relative to specific values of simulated weevil dispersal, which resulted in 60.4% concordance, 21.3% discordance, and 18.3% ties in estimating captures and non-captures. During the first full year of active eradication with widespread insecticide applications in 2006, the dispersal model accurately estimated 71.8%, erroneously estimated 12.5%, and tied 15.7% of capture and non-capture events. Model simulations provide a temporal risk assessment over large areas of weevil reinfestation resulting from dispersal by prevailing winds. Eradication program managers can use the model risk assessment information to effectively schedule and target enhanced trapping, crop scouting, and insecticide applications.

Deep magnetic capture of magnetically loaded cells for spatially targeted therapeutics.

PubMed

Huang, Zheyong; Pei, Ning; Wang, Yanyan; Xie, Xinxing; Sun, Aijun; Shen, Li; Zhang, Shuning; Liu, Xuebo; Zou, Yunzeng; Qian, Juying; Ge, Junbo

2010-03-01

Magnetic targeting has recently demonstrated potential in promoting magnetically loaded cell delivery to target lesion, but its application is limited by magnetic attenuation. For deep magnetic capture of cells for spatial targeting therapeutics, we designed a magnetic pole, in which the magnetic field density can be focused at a distance from the pole. As flowing through a tube served as a model of blood vessels, the magnetically loaded mesenchymal stem cells (MagMSCs) were highly enriched at the site distance from the magnetic pole. The cell capture efficiency was positively influenced by the magnetic flux density, and inversely influenced by the flow velocity, and well-fitted with the deductive value by theoretical considerations. It appeared to us that the spatially-focused property of the magnetic apparatus promises a new deep targeting strategy to promote homing and engraftment for cellular therapy. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Integrative Cancer Clinics With the Claim Assessment Profile: An Example With the InspireHealth Clinic

PubMed Central

Hilton, Lara; Elfenbaum, Pamela; Jain, Shamini; Sprengel, Meredith; Jonas, Wayne B.

2016-01-01

Background: The evaluation of freestanding integrative cancer clinical programs is challenging and is rarely done. We have developed an approach called the Claim Assessment Profile (CAP) to identify whether evaluation of a practice is justified, feasible, and likely to provide useful information. Objectives: A CAP was performed in order to (1) clarify the healing claims at InspireHealth, an integrative oncology treatment program, by defining the most important impacts on its clients; (2) gather information about current research capacity at the clinic; and (3) create a program theory and path model for use in prospective research. Study Design/Methods: This case study design incorporates methods from a variety of rapid assessment approaches. Procedures included site visits to observe the program, structured qualitative interviews with 26 providers and staff, surveys to capture descriptive data about the program, and observational data on program implementation. Results: The InspireHealth program is a well-established, multi-site, thriving integrative oncology clinical practice that focuses on patient support, motivation, and health behavior engagement. It delivers patient-centered care via a standardized treatment protocol. There arehigh levels of research interest from staff and resources by which to conduct research. Conclusions: This analysis provides the primary descriptive and claims clarification of an integrative oncology treatment program, an evaluation readiness report, a detailed logic model explicating program theory, and a clinical outcomes path model for conducting prospective research. Prospective evaluation of this program would be feasible and valuable, adding to our knowledge base of integrative cancer therapies. PMID:29444602

Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop Summary Report

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

None, None

The Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop Summary Report summarizes a workshop hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office on May 23–24, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The event gathered stakeholder input through facilitated discussions focused on innovative technologies and business strategies for growing algae on waste carbon dioxide resources.

ROLE OF SURFACE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS IN THE CAPTURE OF ELEMENTAL MERCURY AND MERCURIC CHLORIDE BY ACTIVATED CARBONS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses using a laboratory-scale, fixed bed apparatus to study the role of surface functional groups (SFGs) in the capture of mercuric chloride (HgC12) and elemental mercury (Hgo) in nitrogen (N2) prior to flue gas atmosphere studies. The study focused on two activat...

Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop Summary Report

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

None, None

2017-05-01

The Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop Summary Report summarizes a workshop hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office on May 23–24, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The event gathered stakeholder input through facilitated discussions focused on innovative technologies and business strategies for growing algae on waste carbon dioxide resources.

Density Functional Theory Calculations of Activation Energies for Non-radiative Carrier Capture by Deep Defect Levels in Semiconductors.

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

Modine, Normand Arthur; Wright, Alan F.; Lee, Stephen R.

Carrier recombination due to defects can have a major impact on device performance. The rate of defect-induced carrier recombination is determined by both defect levels and carrier capture cross-sections. Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to predict defect levels in semiconductors and insulators, but only recently has work begun to focus on using DFT to determine carrier capture cross-sections. Lang and Henry worked out the fundamental theory of carrier-capture cross-sections in the 1970s and showed that, in most cases, room temperature carrier-capture cross-sections differ between defects primarily due to differences in the carrier capture activationmore » energies. Here, we present an approach to using DFT to calculate carrier capture activation energies that does not depend on perturbation theory or an assumed configuration coordinate, and we demonstrate this approach for the -3/-2 level of the Ga vacancy in wurtzite GaN.« less

On-orbit demonstration of automated closure and capture using ESA-developed proximity operations technologies and an existing, serviceable NASA Explorer Platform spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hohwiesner, Bill; Claudinon, Bernard

1991-01-01

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been working to develop an autonomous rendezvous and docking capability since 1984 to enable Hermes to automatically dock with Columbus. As a result, ESA with Matra, MBB, and other space companies have developed technologies that are also directly supportive of the current NASA initiative for Automated Rendezvous and Capture. Fairchild and Matra would like to discuss the results of the applicable ESA/Matra rendezvous and capture developments, and suggest how these capabilities could be used, together with an existing NASA Explorer Platform satellite, to minimize new development and accomplish a cost effective automatic closure and capture demonstration program. Several RV sensors have been developed at breadboard level for the Hermes/Columbus program by Matra, MBB, and SAAB. Detailed algorithms for automatic rendezvous, closure, and capture have been developed by ESA and CNES for application with Hermes to Columbus rendezvous and docking, and they currently are being verified with closed-loop software simulation. The algorithms have multiple closed-loop control modes and phases starting at long range using GPS navigation. Differential navigation is used for coast/continuous thrust homing, holdpoint acquisition, V-bar hopping, and station point acquisition. The proximity operation sensor is used for final closure and capture. A subset of these algorithms, comprising the proximity operations algorithms, could easily be extracted and tailored to a limited objective closure and capture flight demonstration.

Routine Immunization Service Delivery Through the Basic Package of Health Services Program in Afghanistan: Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities.

PubMed

Mbaeyi, Chukwuma; Kamawal, Noor Shah; Porter, Kimberly A; Azizi, Adam Khan; Sadaat, Iftekhar; Hadler, Stephen; Ehrhardt, Derek

2017-07-01

The Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) program has increased access to immunization services for children living in rural Afghanistan. However, multiple surveys have indicated persistent immunization coverage gaps. Hence, to identify gaps in implementation, an assessment of the BPHS program was undertaken, with specific focus on the routine immunization (RI) component. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 on a representative sample drawn from a sampling frame of 1858 BPHS health facilities. Basic descriptive analysis was performed, capturing general characteristics of survey respondents and assessing specific RI components, and χ2 tests were used to evaluate possible differences in service delivery by type of health facility. Of 447 survey respondents, 27% were health subcenters (HSCs), 30% were basic health centers, 32% were comprehensive health centers, and 12% were district hospitals. Eighty-seven percent of all respondents offered RI services, though only 61% of HSCs did so. Compared with other facility types, HSCs were less likely to have adequate stock of vaccines, essential cold-chain equipment, or proper documentation of vaccination activities. There is an urgent need to address manpower and infrastructural deficits in RI service delivery through the BPHS program, especially at the HSC level. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Focusing and depth of field in photography: application in dermatology practice.

PubMed

Taheri, Arash; Yentzer, Brad A; Feldman, Steven R

2013-11-01

Conventional photography obtains a sharp image of objects within a given 'depth of field'; objects not within the depth of field are out of focus. In recent years, digital photography revolutionized the way pictures are taken, edited, and stored. However, digital photography does not result in a deeper depth of field or better focusing. In this article, we briefly review the concept of depth of field and focus in photography as well as new technologies in this area. A deep depth of field is used to have more objects in focus; a shallow depth of field can emphasize a subject by blurring the foreground and background objects. The depth of field can be manipulated by adjusting the aperture size of the camera, with smaller apertures increasing the depth of field at the cost of lower levels of light capture. Light-field cameras are a new generation of digital cameras that offer several new features, including the ability to change the focus on any object in the image after taking the photograph. Understanding depth of field and camera technology helps dermatologists to capture their subjects in focus more efficiently. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using lecture capture: a qualitative study of nursing faculty's experience.

PubMed

Freed, Patricia E; Bertram, Julie E; McLaughlin, Dorcas E

2014-04-01

As lecture capture technology becomes widely available in schools of nursing, faculty will need to master new technological skills and make decisions about recording their classroom lectures or other activities. This study sought to understand faculty's experience of using a new lecture capture system. This qualitative study used Kruger's systematic approach to explore undergraduate nursing faculty's first-time experience using a lecture capture system purchased by the university. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of fourteen undergraduate faculty using lecture capture for the first-time. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and then analyzed by the researchers. Four themes were identified from the faculty interviews. Two of the themes expressed faculty's concerns about the teaching role, and two themes expressed the faculty's concerns about student learning. Participants experienced stress when learning to use the new lecture capture technology and struggled to resolve it with their own beliefs and teaching values. The impact of lecture capture on student learning, impact on class attendance, and the promotion of a culture of lecturing were revealed as important issues to consider when lecture capture becomes available. © 2013.

Connected vehicle Data Capture and Management (DCM) and dynamic mobility applications (DMA) : assessment of relevant standards and gaps for candidate applications.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-01

The Connected Vehicle Mobility Standards Coordination Plan project links activities in three programs (Data Capture and Management, Dynamic Mobility Applications, and ITS Standards). The plan coordinates the timing, intent and relationship of activit...

CZAEM USER'S GUIDE: MODELING CAPTURE ZONES OF GROUND-WATER WELLS USING ANALYTIC ELEMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The computer program CZAEM is designed for elementary capture zone analysis, and is based on the analytic element method. CZAEM is applicable to confined and/or unconfined low in shallow aquifers; the Dupuit-Forchheimer assumption is adopted. CZAEM supports the following analyt...

Investigating the experiences in a school-based occupational therapy program to inform community-based paediatric occupational therapy practice.

PubMed

Rens, Lezahn; Joosten, Annette

2014-06-01

A collaborative approach with teachers is required when providing community-based occupational therapy to educationally at risk children. Collaborators share common goals and interact and support each other but challenges arise in providing collaborative occupational therapy in settings outside the school environment. The aim of this study was to capture experiences of teachers and occupational therapists working within a school-based occupational therapy program to determine if their experiences could inform collaborative practice. In this pilot study, participant responses to questionnaires (n = 32) about their experiences formed the basis for focus groups and individual interviews. Two focus group were conducted, one with teachers (n = 11) and one with occupational therapy participants (n = 6). Individual interviews were conducted with the supervising occupational therapist, school principal and two leading teachers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data from closed questions, and thematic analysis using a constant comparison approach was used to analyse open ended questions, focus groups and interviews. Three main themes emerged: (i) the need for occupational therapists to spend time in the school, to explain their role, build relationships, understand classroom routines and the teacher role; (ii) occupational therapists need to not see themselves as the expert but develop equal partnerships to set collaborative goals and (iii) occupational therapists advocating for all parties to be informed throughout the occupational therapy process. The pilot study findings identified teacher and therapist experiences within the school setting that could inform improved collaborative practice with teachers and community-based occupational therapists and these findings warrant further investigation. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Modeling to Mars: a NASA Model Based Systems Engineering Pathfinder Effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phojanamongkolkij, Nipa; Lee, Kristopher A.; Miller, Scott T.; Vorndran, Kenneth A.; Vaden, Karl R.; Ross, Eric P.; Powell, Bobby C.; Moses, Robert W.

2017-01-01

The NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) Systems Engineering (SE) Technical Discipline Team (TDT) initiated the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Pathfinder effort in FY16. The goals and objectives of the MBSE Pathfinder include developing and advancing MBSE capability across NASA, applying MBSE to real NASA issues, and capturing issues and opportunities surrounding MBSE. The Pathfinder effort consisted of four teams, with each team addressing a particular focus area. This paper focuses on Pathfinder team 1 with the focus area of architectures and mission campaigns. These efforts covered the timeframe of February 2016 through September 2016. The team was comprised of eight team members from seven NASA Centers (Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center IV&V Facility, Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Stennis Space Center). Collectively, the team had varying levels of knowledge, skills and expertise in systems engineering and MBSE. The team applied their existing and newly acquired system modeling knowledge and expertise to develop modeling products for a campaign (Program) of crew and cargo missions (Projects) to establish a human presence on Mars utilizing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Pathfinder team 1 developed a subset of modeling products that are required for a Program System Requirement Review (SRR)/System Design Review (SDR) and Project Mission Concept Review (MCR)/SRR as defined in NASA Procedural Requirements. Additionally, Team 1 was able to perform and demonstrate some trades and constraint analyses. At the end of these efforts, over twenty lessons learned and recommended next steps have been identified.

Overview of the High Performance Antiproton Trap (HiPAT) Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, James; Chakrabarti, Suman; Pearson, Boise; Sims, W. Herbert; Lewis, Raymond; Fant, Wallace; Rodgers, Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A general overview of the High Performance Antiproton Trap (HiPAT) Experiment is presented. The topics include: 1) Why Antimatter? 2) HiPAT Applicability; 3) Approach-Goals; 4) HiPAT General Layout; 5) Sizing For Containment; 6) Laboratory Operations; 7) Vacuum System Cleaning; 8) Ion Production Via Electron Gun; 9) Particle Capture Via Ion Sources; 10) Ion Beam Steering/Focusing; 11) Ideal Ion Stacking Sequence; 12) Setup For Dynamic Capture; 13) Dynamic Capture of H(+) Ions; 14) Dynamic Capture; 15) Radio Frequency Particle Detection; 16) Radio Frequency Antenna Modeling; and 17) R.F. Stabilization-Low Frequencies. A short presentation of propulsion applications of Antimatter is also given. This paper is in viewgraph form.

Low-Income Urban Mothers' Experiences with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

PubMed

Robbins, Sarah; Ettinger, Anna K; Keefe, Carolyn; Riley, Anne; Surkan, Pamela J

2017-10-01

Food insecurity remains a public health concern in the United States, particularly among low-income urban ethnically diverse families, even with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Limited phenomenologic data exist to capture how programmatic changes to SNAP address the needs of users and why a gap in SNAP use may exist. The primary aim of this study was to examine the experiences of low-income, Baltimore, MD, mothers in applying for and maintaining access to SNAP. Secondary aims included understanding participants' perspectives on the influence of changes in SNAP over a 3-year period and how SNAP fits into the overall system of social services for families. In this qualitative, phenomenologic study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 mothers and three focus groups with 20 mothers, for a total sample of 33 mothers receiving SNAP benefits. Ten mothers participated in the first round of data collection (January to May 2010), and 23 in the second round (February to May 2013). Participants were 33 mothers receiving SNAP benefits in Baltimore City, MD. Baltimore SNAP users' experiences with applying for and maintaining access to SNAP, as well as with program changes to the SNAP program. Data were analyzed using an iterative emergent design and phenomenologic approach. A constructivist perspective was implemented throughout the coding process. SNAP functioned as a valuable support system within the broader social safety net for mothers living in poverty, yet participants expressed frustration about the processes of applying for and maintaining benefits due to communication problems and poor integration of services. In applying for and accessing SNAP, positive interactions with caseworkers and previous knowledge of the SNAP program were important for maintaining benefits. Interviews and focus group discussions revealed the need for additional outreach and education about the implemented program changes to build trust and improve access to SNAP among participants. Improving communication and supporting participants' ability to maintain relationships with the same caseworkers, as well as developing better integration with other aid programs, could improve the SNAP program. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Particle capture device

DOEpatents

Jayne, John T.; Worsnop, Douglas R.

2016-02-23

In example embodiments, particle collection efficiency in aerosol analyzers and other particle measuring instruments is improved by a particle capture device that employs multiple collisions to decrease momentum of particles until the particles are collected (e.g., vaporized or come to rest). The particle collection device includes an aperture through which a focused particle beam enters. A collection enclosure is coupled to the aperture and has one or more internal surfaces against which particles of the focused beam collide. One or more features are employed in the collection enclosure to promote particles to collide multiple times within the enclosure, and thereby be vaporized or come to rest, rather than escape through the aperture.

USM3D Predictions of Supersonic Nozzle Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Melissa B.; Elmiligui, Alaa A.; Campbell, Richard L.; Nayani, Sudheer N.

2014-01-01

This study focused on the NASA Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System CFD code (USM3D) capability to predict supersonic plume flow. Previous studies, published in 2004 and 2009, investigated USM3D's results versus historical experimental data. This current study continued that comparison however focusing on the use of the volume souring to capture the shear layers and internal shock structure of the plume. This study was conducted using two benchmark axisymmetric supersonic jet experimental data sets. The study showed that with the use of volume sourcing, USM3D was able to capture and model a jet plume's shear layer and internal shock structure.

Design of Belief Propagation Based on FPGA for the Multistereo CAFADIS Camera

PubMed Central

Magdaleno, Eduardo; Lüke, Jonás Philipp; Rodríguez, Manuel; Rodríguez-Ramos, José Manuel

2010-01-01

In this paper we describe a fast, specialized hardware implementation of the belief propagation algorithm for the CAFADIS camera, a new plenoptic sensor patented by the University of La Laguna. This camera captures the lightfield of the scene and can be used to find out at which depth each pixel is in focus. The algorithm has been designed for FPGA devices using VHDL. We propose a parallel and pipeline architecture to implement the algorithm without external memory. Although the BRAM resources of the device increase considerably, we can maintain real-time restrictions by using extremely high-performance signal processing capability through parallelism and by accessing several memories simultaneously. The quantifying results with 16 bit precision have shown that performances are really close to the original Matlab programmed algorithm. PMID:22163404

Design of belief propagation based on FPGA for the multistereo CAFADIS camera.

PubMed

Magdaleno, Eduardo; Lüke, Jonás Philipp; Rodríguez, Manuel; Rodríguez-Ramos, José Manuel

2010-01-01

In this paper we describe a fast, specialized hardware implementation of the belief propagation algorithm for the CAFADIS camera, a new plenoptic sensor patented by the University of La Laguna. This camera captures the lightfield of the scene and can be used to find out at which depth each pixel is in focus. The algorithm has been designed for FPGA devices using VHDL. We propose a parallel and pipeline architecture to implement the algorithm without external memory. Although the BRAM resources of the device increase considerably, we can maintain real-time restrictions by using extremely high-performance signal processing capability through parallelism and by accessing several memories simultaneously. The quantifying results with 16 bit precision have shown that performances are really close to the original Matlab programmed algorithm.

[Bioethics and environmental justice in the health of the Andean residents of Peru].

PubMed

Alcantara Zapata, Diana E; Mazzei Pimental, Marinella

2018-01-01

This article attempts to capture the bioethical-environmental panorama of the health in the residents who live on the Peruvian highlands, highlighting the inequity in access to health services that exist in this region and reflecting on the possible historical and current contextual causes that have originated differences between Inca-Andean settler and modern-Andean settler. The change in the view of the world about the environment and natural resources, the decline of justice approach, loss of solidarity, welfare, and respect to human being and nature. Besides, we describe health from a historical scenario of this region, where Public health has and will have as a challenge the application of programs that respond to the specific needs of this population, with a focus on the environment.

Problem solving in the borderland between mathematics and physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Jens Højgaard; Niss, Martin; Jankvist, Uffe Thomas

2017-01-01

The article addresses the problématique of where mathematization is taught in the educational system, and who teaches it. Mathematization is usually not a part of mathematics programs at the upper secondary level, but we argue that physics teaching has something to offer in this respect, if it focuses on solving so-called unformalized problems, where a major challenge is to formalize the problems in mathematics and physics terms. We analyse four concrete examples of unformalized problems for which the formalization involves different order of mathematization and applying physics to the problem, but all require mathematization. The analysis leads to the formulation of a model by which we attempt to capture the important steps of the process of solving unformalized problems by means of mathematization and physicalization.

Intelligently deciphering unintelligible designs: algorithmic algebraic model checking in systems biology

PubMed Central

Mishra, Bud

2009-01-01

Systems biology, as a subject, has captured the imagination of both biologists and systems scientists alike. But what is it? This review provides one researcher's somewhat idiosyncratic view of the subject, but also aims to persuade young scientists to examine the possible evolution of this subject in a rich historical context. In particular, one may wish to read this review to envision a subject built out of a consilience of many interesting concepts from systems sciences, logic and model theory, and algebra, culminating in novel tools, techniques and theories that can reveal deep principles in biology—seen beyond mere observations. A particular focus in this review is on approaches embedded in an embryonic program, dubbed ‘algorithmic algebraic model checking’, and its powers and limitations. PMID:19364723

Interactive Voice/Web Response System in clinical research

PubMed Central

Ruikar, Vrishabhsagar

2016-01-01

Emerging technologies in computer and telecommunication industry has eased the access to computer through telephone. An Interactive Voice/Web Response System (IxRS) is one of the user friendly systems for end users, with complex and tailored programs at its backend. The backend programs are specially tailored for easy understanding of users. Clinical research industry has experienced revolution in methodologies of data capture with time. Different systems have evolved toward emerging modern technologies and tools in couple of decades from past, for example, Electronic Data Capture, IxRS, electronic patient reported outcomes, etc. PMID:26952178

Interactive Voice/Web Response System in clinical research.

PubMed

Ruikar, Vrishabhsagar

2016-01-01

Emerging technologies in computer and telecommunication industry has eased the access to computer through telephone. An Interactive Voice/Web Response System (IxRS) is one of the user friendly systems for end users, with complex and tailored programs at its backend. The backend programs are specially tailored for easy understanding of users. Clinical research industry has experienced revolution in methodologies of data capture with time. Different systems have evolved toward emerging modern technologies and tools in couple of decades from past, for example, Electronic Data Capture, IxRS, electronic patient reported outcomes, etc.

Proximity Operations for the Robotic Boulder Capture Option for the Asteroid Redirect Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, David M.; Naasz, Bo J.; Wright, Cinnamon A.; Pini, Alex J.

2014-01-01

In September of 2013, the Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission (ARRM) Option B team was formed to expand on NASA's previous work on the robotic boulder capture option. While the original Option A concept focuses on capturing an entire smaller Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) using an inflatable bag capture mechanism, this design seeks to land on a larger NEA and retrieve a boulder off of its surface. The Option B team has developed a detailed and feasible mission concept that preserves many aspects of Option A's vehicle design while employing a fundamentally different technique for returning a significant quantity of asteroidal material to the Earth-Moon system. As part of this effort, a point of departure proximity operations concept was developed complete with a detailed timeline, as well as DeltaV and propellant allocations. Special attention was paid to the development of the approach strategy, terminal descent to the surface, controlled ascent with the captured boulder, and control during the Enhanced Gravity Tractor planetary defense demonstration. The concept of retrieving a boulder from the surface of an asteroid and demonstrating the Enhanced Gravity Tractor planetary defense technique is found to be feasible and within the proposed capabilities of the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV). While this point of departure concept initially focuses on a mission to Itokawa, the proximity operations design is also shown to be extensible to wide range of asteroids.

Capturing, Codifying and Scoring Complex Data for Innovative, Computer-Based Items.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luecht, Richard M.

The Microsoft Certification Program (MCP) includes many new computer-based item types, based on complex cases involving the Windows 2000 (registered) operating system. This Innovative Item Technology (IIT) has presented challenges beyond traditional psychometric considerations such as capturing and storing the relevant response data from…

Intro to Carbon Sequestration

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

NETL's Carbon Sequestration Program is helping to develop technologies to capture, purify, and store carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without adversely influencing energy use or hindering economic growth. Carbon sequestration technologies capture and store CO2 that would otherwise reside in the atmosphere for long periods of time.

77 FR 14340 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Broadband Technology Opportunities Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

... (PPRs) to capture quarterly and annual reports for each project type (Infrastructure, Public Computer... Information Collection; Comment Request; Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Quarterly and..., which included competitive grants to expand public computer center capacity and innovative programs to...

Utilizing Light-field Imaging Technology in Neurosurgery.

PubMed

Chen, Brian R; Buchanan, Ian A; Kellis, Spencer; Kramer, Daniel; Ohiorhenuan, Ifije; Blumenfeld, Zack; Grisafe Ii, Dominic J; Barbaro, Michael F; Gogia, Angad S; Lu, James Y; Chen, Beverly B; Lee, Brian

2018-04-10

Traditional still cameras can only focus on a single plane for each image while rendering everything outside of that plane out of focus. However, new light-field imaging technology makes it possible to adjust the focus plane after an image has already been captured. This technology allows the viewer to interactively explore an image with objects and anatomy at varying depths and clearly focus on any feature of interest by selecting that location during post-capture viewing. These images with adjustable focus can serve as valuable educational tools for neurosurgical residents. We explore the utility of light-field cameras and review their strengths and limitations compared to other conventional types of imaging. The strength of light-field images is the adjustable focus, as opposed to the fixed-focus of traditional photography and video. A light-field image also is interactive by nature, as it requires the viewer to select the plane of focus and helps with visualizing the three-dimensional anatomy of an image. Limitations include the relatively low resolution of light-field images compared to traditional photography and video. Although light-field imaging is still in its infancy, there are several potential uses for the technology to complement traditional still photography and videography in neurosurgical education.

Utilizing Light-field Imaging Technology in Neurosurgery

PubMed Central

Chen, Brian R; Kellis, Spencer; Kramer, Daniel; Ohiorhenuan, Ifije; Blumenfeld, Zack; Grisafe II, Dominic J; Barbaro, Michael F; Gogia, Angad S; Lu, James Y; Chen, Beverly B; Lee, Brian

2018-01-01

Traditional still cameras can only focus on a single plane for each image while rendering everything outside of that plane out of focus. However, new light-field imaging technology makes it possible to adjust the focus plane after an image has already been captured. This technology allows the viewer to interactively explore an image with objects and anatomy at varying depths and clearly focus on any feature of interest by selecting that location during post-capture viewing. These images with adjustable focus can serve as valuable educational tools for neurosurgical residents. We explore the utility of light-field cameras and review their strengths and limitations compared to other conventional types of imaging. The strength of light-field images is the adjustable focus, as opposed to the fixed-focus of traditional photography and video. A light-field image also is interactive by nature, as it requires the viewer to select the plane of focus and helps with visualizing the three-dimensional anatomy of an image. Limitations include the relatively low resolution of light-field images compared to traditional photography and video. Although light-field imaging is still in its infancy, there are several potential uses for the technology to complement traditional still photography and videography in neurosurgical education. PMID:29888163

Neutron capture on short-lived nuclei via the surrogate (d,pγ) reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cizewski, Jolie A.; Ratkiewicz, Andrew

2018-05-01

Rapid r-process nucleosynthesis is responsible for the creation of about half of the elements heavier than iron. Neutron capture on shortlived nuclei in cold processes or during freeze out from hot processes can have a significant impact on the final observed r-process abundances. We are validating the (d,pγ) reaction as a surrogate for neutron capture with measurements on 95Mo targets and a focus on discrete transitions. The experimental results have been analyzed within the Hauser-Feshbach approach with non-elastic breakup of the deuteron providing a neutron to be captured. Preliminary results support the (d,pγ) reaction as a valid surrogate for neutron capture. We are poised to measure the (d,pγ) reaction in inverse kinematics with unstable beams following the development of the experimental techniques.

Purity and cleanness of aerogel as a cosmic dust capture medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsou, P.; Fleming, R. H.; Lindley, P. M.; Craig, A. Y.; Blake, D.

1994-01-01

The capability for capturing micrometeoroids intact through laboratory simulations and in space in passive underdense silica aerogel offers a valuable tool for cosmic dust research. The integrity of the sample handling medium can substantially modify the integrity of the sample. Intact capture is a violent hypervelocity event: the integrity of the capturing medium can cause even greater modification of the sample. Doubts of the suitability of silica aerogel as a capture medium were raised at the 20th LPSC, and questions were raised again at the recent workshop on Particle Capture, Recovery, and Velocity Trajectory Measurement Technologies. Assessment of aerogel's volatile components and carbon contents have been made. We report the results of laboratory measurements of the purity and cleanliness of silica aerogel used for several Sample Return Experiments flown on the Get Away Special program.

A Web-Based Simulation Tool on The Performance of Different Roofing Systems

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

Huang, Joe; New, Joshua Ryan; Miller, William A

The Roof Savings Calculator (www.roofcalc.com) provides the general public with a web-based program for calculating the energy savings of different roofing and attic systems on four different building types (residential, office, retail, and warehouse) in 239 US TMY2 locations. The core simulation engine of the RSC is doe2attic, which couples the AtticSim program developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the DOE-2.1E program originally developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory a widely used whole-building simulation program since the 1980 s. Although simulating heat flows through the roof may seem to be an easy task, simulating the net effect of roofingmore » strategies on building heating and cooling energy use can be quite challenging. Few simulation programs can reliably capture dynamics including an attic or plenum with large day-night temperature swings, high ventilation rates, significant radiant exchange between the roof and the attic floor and thermal interactions when there are ducts in the attic, as is typical in North American buildings. The doe2attic program has been tested against detailed measurements gathered in two residential buildings in Fresno, California from cooling energy use to air and surface temperatures, and heat fluxes of the roof and attic floor. The focus of this paper is on the doe2attic simulation tool, but the user interface of the RSC will also be briefly described.« less

Palliative Care Training in Surgical Oncology and Hepatobiliary Fellowships: A National Survey of Program Directors.

PubMed

Larrieux, Gregory; Wachi, Blake I; Miura, John T; Turaga, Kiran K; Christians, Kathleen K; Gamblin, T Clark; Peltier, Wendy L; Weissman, David E; Nattinger, Ann B; Johnston, Fabian M

2015-12-01

Despite previous literature affirming the importance of palliative care training in surgery, there is scarce literature about the readiness of Surgical Oncology and hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) fellows to provide such care. We performed the first nationally representative study of surgical fellowship program directors' assessment of palliative care education. The aim was to capture attitudes about the perception of palliative care and disparity between technical/clinical education and palliative care training. A survey originally used to assess surgical oncology and HPB surgery fellows' training in palliative care, was modified and sent to Program Directors of respective fellowships. The final survey consisted of 22 items and was completed online. Surveys were completed by 28 fellowship programs (70 % response rate). Only 60 % offered any formal teaching in pain management, delivering bad news or discussion about prognosis. Fifty-eight percent offered formal training in basic communication skills and 43 % training in conducting family conferences. Resources were available, with 100 % of the programs having a palliative care consultation service, 42 % having a faculty member with recognized clinical interest/expertise in palliative care, and 35 % having a faculty member board-certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Our data shows HPB and surgical oncology fellowship programs are providing insufficient education and assessment in palliative care. This is not due to a shortage of faculty, palliative care resources, or teaching opportunities. Greater focus one valuation and development of strategies for teaching palliative care in surgical fellowships are needed.

Finding Text-Supported Gene-to-Disease Co-appearances with MOPED-Digger.

PubMed

Kolker, Eugene; Janko, Imre; Montague, Elizabeth; Higdon, Roger; Stewart, Elizabeth; Choiniere, John; Lai, Aaron; Eckert, Mary; Broomall, William; Kolker, Natali

2015-12-01

Gene/disease associations are a critical part of exploring disease causes and ultimately cures, yet the publications that might provide such information are too numerous to be manually reviewed. We present a software utility, MOPED-Digger, that enables focused human assessment of literature by applying natural language processing (NLP) to search for customized lists of genes and diseases in titles and abstracts from biomedical publications. The results are ranked lists of gene/disease co-appearances and the publications that support them. Analysis of 18,159,237 PubMed title/abstracts yielded 1,796,799 gene/disease co-appearances that can be used to focus attention on the most promising publications for a possible gene/disease association. An integrated score is provided to enable assessment of broadly presented published evidence to capture more tenuous connections. MOPED-Digger is written in Java and uses Apache Lucene 5.0 library. The utility runs as a command-line program with a variety of user-options and is freely available for download from the MOPED 3.0 website (moped.proteinspire.org).

The role of expectations, hype and ethics in neuroimaging and neuromodulation futures

PubMed Central

Rusconi, Elena; Mitchener-Nissen, Timothy

2014-01-01

The production of expectations or future-goals for the development of techniques which “read” and modulate brain function, represent an important practical tool for neuroscientists. These visions-of-the-future assist scientists by providing focus for both individual and cross-disciplinary research programs; they encourage the development of new industrial sectors, are used to justify the allocation of government resources and funding, and via the media can help capture the imagination and support of the public. However, such expectations need to be tempered by reality. Over-hyping brain imaging and modulation will lead to disappointment; disappointment that in turn can undermine its potential. Similarly, if neuroscientists focus their attention narrowly on the science without concomitant consideration of its future ethical, legal and social implications, then their expectations may remain unrealized. To develop these arguments herein we introduce the theoretical concept of expectations and the practical consequences of expectations. We contextualize these reflections by referring to brain imaging and modulation studies on deception, which encompass the measurement-suppression-augmentation range. PMID:25400557

Roofline model toolkit: A practical tool for architectural and program analysis

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

Lo, Yu Jung; Williams, Samuel; Van Straalen, Brian

We present preliminary results of the Roofline Toolkit for multicore, many core, and accelerated architectures. This paper focuses on the processor architecture characterization engine, a collection of portable instrumented micro benchmarks implemented with Message Passing Interface (MPI), and OpenMP used to express thread-level parallelism. These benchmarks are specialized to quantify the behavior of different architectural features. Compared to previous work on performance characterization, these microbenchmarks focus on capturing the performance of each level of the memory hierarchy, along with thread-level parallelism, instruction-level parallelism and explicit SIMD parallelism, measured in the context of the compilers and run-time environments. We also measuremore » sustained PCIe throughput with four GPU memory managed mechanisms. By combining results from the architecture characterization with the Roofline model based solely on architectural specifications, this work offers insights for performance prediction of current and future architectures and their software systems. To that end, we instrument three applications and plot their resultant performance on the corresponding Roofline model when run on a Blue Gene/Q architecture.« less

Creating and testing the concept of an academic NGO for enhancing health equity: a new mode of knowledge production?

PubMed

Robinson, Vivian; Tugwell, Peter; Walker, Peter; Ter Kuile, Aleida A; Neufeld, Vic; Hatcher-Roberts, Janet; Amaratunga, Carol; Andersson, Neil; Doull, Marion; Labonte, Ron; Muckle, Wendy; Murangira, Felicite; Nyamai, Caroline; Ralph-Robinson, Dawn; Simpson, Don; Sitthi-Amorn, Chitr; Turnbull, Jeff; Walker, Joelle; Wood, Chris

2007-08-01

Collaborative action is required to address persistent and systematic health inequities which exist for most diseases in most countries of the world. The Academic NGO initiative (ACANGO) described in this paper was set up as a focused network giving priority to twinned partnerships between Academic research centres and community-based NGOs. ACANGO aims to capture the strengths of both in order to build consensus among stakeholders, engage the community, focus on leadership training, shared management and resource development and deployment. A conceptual model was developed through a series of community consultations. This model was tested with four academic-community challenge projects based in Kenya, Canada, Thailand and Rwanda and an online forum and coordinating hub based at the University of Ottawa. Between February 2005 and February 2007, each of the four challenge projects was able to show specific outputs, outcomes and impacts related to enhancing health equity through the relevant production and application of knowledge. The ACANGO initiative model and network has demonstrated success in enhancing the production and use of knowledge in program design and implementation for vulnerable populations.

A Categorization of Dynamic Analyzers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lujan, Michelle R.

1997-01-01

Program analysis techniques and tools are essential to the development process because of the support they provide in detecting errors and deficiencies at different phases of development. The types of information rendered through analysis includes the following: statistical measurements of code, type checks, dataflow analysis, consistency checks, test data,verification of code, and debugging information. Analyzers can be broken into two major categories: dynamic and static. Static analyzers examine programs with respect to syntax errors and structural properties., This includes gathering statistical information on program content, such as the number of lines of executable code, source lines. and cyclomatic complexity. In addition, static analyzers provide the ability to check for the consistency of programs with respect to variables. Dynamic analyzers in contrast are dependent on input and the execution of a program providing the ability to find errors that cannot be detected through the use of static analysis alone. Dynamic analysis provides information on the behavior of a program rather than on the syntax. Both types of analysis detect errors in a program, but dynamic analyzers accomplish this through run-time behavior. This paper focuses on the following broad classification of dynamic analyzers: 1) Metrics; 2) Models; and 3) Monitors. Metrics are those analyzers that provide measurement. The next category, models, captures those analyzers that present the state of the program to the user at specified points in time. The last category, monitors, checks specified code based on some criteria. The paper discusses each classification and the techniques that are included under them. In addition, the role of each technique in the software life cycle is discussed. Familiarization with the tools that measure, model and monitor programs provides a framework for understanding the program's dynamic behavior from different, perspectives through analysis of the input/output data.

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Accomplishments in Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2014-01-01

The NASA U.S. spacesuit knowledge capture (KC) program has been in operations since the beginning 2008. The program was designed to augment engineers and others with information about spacesuits in a historical way. A multitude of seminars have captured spacesuit history and knowledge over the last six years of the programs existence. Subject matter experts have provided lectures and were interviewed to help bring the spacesuit to life so that lessons learned will never be lost. As well, the program concentrated in reaching out to the public and industry by making the recorded events part of the public domain through the NASA technical library via You Tube media. The U.S. spacesuit KC topics have included lessons learned from some of the most prominent spacesuit experts and spacesuit users including current and former astronauts. The events have enriched the spacesuit legacy knowledge from Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs. As well, expert engineers and scientists have shared their challenges and successes to be remembered. The last few years have been some of the most successful years of the KC program program's life with numerous recordings and releases to the public. It is evidenced by the thousands that have view the recordings online. This paper reviews the events accomplished and archived over Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 and highlights a few of the most memorable ones. This paper also communicates ways to access the events that are available internally to NASA as well as in the public domain.

Multi-objective Extremum Seeking Control for Enhancement of Wind Turbine Power Capture with Load Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yan; Li, Yaoyu; Rotea, Mario A.

2016-09-01

The primary objective in below rated wind speed (Region 2) is to maximize the turbine's energy capture. Due to uncertainty, variability of turbine characteristics and lack of inexpensive but precise wind measurements, model-free control strategies that do not use wind measurements such as Extremum Seeking Control (ESC) have received significant attention. Based on a dither-demodulation scheme, ESC can maximize the wind power capture in real time despite uncertainty, variabilities and lack of accurate wind measurements. The existing work on ESC based wind turbine control focuses on power capture only. In this paper, a multi-objective extremum seeking control strategy is proposed to achieve nearly optimum wind energy capture while decreasing structural fatigue loads. The performance index of the ESC combines the rotor power and penalty terms of the standard deviations of selected fatigue load variables. Simulation studies of the proposed multi-objective ESC demonstrate that the damage-equivalent loads of tower and/or blade loads can be reduced with slight compromise in energy capture.

Dual phase high-temperature membranes for CO2 separation - performance assessment in post- and pre-combustion processes.

PubMed

Anantharaman, Rahul; Peters, Thijs; Xing, Wen; Fontaine, Marie-Laure; Bredesen, Rune

2016-10-20

Dual phase membranes are highly CO 2 -selective membranes with an operating temperature above 400 °C. The focus of this work is to quantify the potential of dual phase membranes in pre- and post-combustion CO 2 capture processes. The process evaluations show that the dual phase membranes integrated with an NGCC power plant for CO 2 capture are not competitive with the MEA process for post-combustion capture. However, dual phase membrane concepts outperform the reference Selexol technology for pre-combustion CO 2 capture in an IGCC process. The two processes evaluated in this work, post-combustion NGCC and pre-combustion IGCC, represent extremes in CO 2 partial pressure fed to the separation unit. Based on the evaluations it is expected that dual phase membranes could be competitive for post-combustion capture from a pulverized coal fired power plant (PCC) and pre-combustion capture from an Integrated Reforming Cycle (IRCC).

A preliminary architecture for building communication software from traffic captures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta, Jaime C.; Estrada, Pedro

2017-05-01

Security analysts are tasked with identifying and mitigating network service vulnerabilities. A common problem associated with in-depth testing of network protocols is the availability of software that communicates across disparate protocols. Many times, the software required to communicate with these services is not publicly available. Developing this software is a time-consuming undertaking that requires expertise and understanding of the protocol specification. The work described in this paper aims at developing a software package that is capable of automatically creating communication clients by using packet capture (pcap) and TShark dissectors. Currently, our focus is on simple protocols with fixed fields. The methodologies developed as part of this work will extend to other complex protocols such as the Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP), Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP), and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF). Thus far, we have architected a modular pipeline for an automatic traffic-based software generator. We start the transformation of captured network traffic by employing TShark to convert packets into a Packet Details Markup Language (PDML) file. The PDML file contains a parsed, textual, representation of the packet data. Then, we extract field data, types, along with inter and intra-packet dependencies. This information is then utilized to construct an XML file that encompasses the protocol state machine and field vocabulary. Finally, this XML is converted into executable code. Using our methodology, and as a starting point, we have succeeded in automatically generating software that communicates with other hosts using an automatically generated Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) client program.

A DNAzyme-mediated logic gate for programming molecular capture and release on DNA origami.

PubMed

Li, Feiran; Chen, Haorong; Pan, Jing; Cha, Tae-Gon; Medintz, Igor L; Choi, Jong Hyun

2016-06-28

Here we design a DNA origami-based site-specific molecular capture and release platform operated by a DNAzyme-mediated logic gate process. We show the programmability and versatility of this platform with small molecules, proteins, and nanoparticles, which may also be controlled by external light signals.

Profcasts and Class Attendance--Does Year in Program Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Jane; Dupont, Christine

2009-01-01

The use of technology to capture the audio and visual elements of lectures, to engage students in course concepts, and to provide feedback to assignments has become a mainstream practice in higher education through podcasting and lecture capturing mechanisms. Instructors can create short podcasts or videos to produce "nuggets" of information for…

Advancing Climate Literacy through Investment in Science Education Faculty, and Future and Current Science Teachers: Providing Professional Learning, Instructional Materials, and a Model for Locally-Relevant and Culturally-Responsive Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halversen, C.; Apple, J. K.; McDonnell, J. D.; Weiss, E.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for 5th grade students to "obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth's resources and environment". Achieving this, and other objectives in NGSS, will require changes in the educational system for both students and teachers. Teachers need access to high quality instructional materials and continuous professional learning opportunities starting in pre-service education. Students need highly engaging and authentic learning experiences focused on content that is strategically interwoven with science practices. Pre-service and early career teachers, even at the secondary level, often have relatively weak understandings of the complex Earth systems science required for understanding climate change and hold alternative ideas and naïve beliefs about the nature of science. These naïve understandings cause difficulties in portraying and teaching science, especially considering what is being called for in NGSS. The ACLIPSE program focuses on middle school pre-service science teachers and education faculty because: (1) the concepts that underlie climate change align well with the disciplinary core ideas and practices in NGSS for middle grades; and (2) middle school is a critical time for capturing students interest in science as student engagement by eighth grade is the most effective predictor of student pursuit of science in high school and college. Capturing student attention at this age is critical for recruitment to STEM careers and lifelong climate literacy. THE ACLIPSE program uses cutting edge research and technology in ocean observing systems to provide educators with new tools to engage students that will lead to deeper understanding of the interactions between the ocean and climate systems. Establishing authentic, meaningful connections between indigenous and place-based, and technological climate observations will help generate a more holistic perspective on climate change and demonstrate that observing systems can enhance understanding. ACLIPSE materials strive to translate research about climate change effectively into understandable narratives of real world phenomena using ocean data, creating meaningful pathways into ocean-climate science for students in ALL communities.

Petroleum Science and Technology Institute with the TeXas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, H. C.; Olson, J. E.; Bryant, S. L.; Lake, L. W.; Bommer, P.; Torres-Verdin, C.; Jablonowski, C.; Willis, M.

2009-12-01

The TeXas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution, a professional development program for 8th- thru 12th-grade Earth Science teachers, presented a one-week Petroleum Science and Technology Institute at The University of Texas at Austin campus. The summer program was a joint effort between the Jackson School of Geosciences and the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. The goal of the institute was to focus on the STEM components involved in the petroleum industry and to introduce teachers to the larger energy resources theme. The institute kicked off with a welcoming event and tour of a green, energy-efficient home (LEED Platinum certified) owned by one of the petroleum engineering faculty. Tours of the home included an introduction to rainwater harvesting, solar energy, sustainable building materials and other topics on energy efficiency. Classroom topics included drilling technology (including a simulator lab and an overview of the history of the technology), energy use and petroleum geology, well-logging technology and interpretation, reservoir engineering and volumetrics (including numerous labs combining chemistry and physics), risk assessment and economics, carbon capture and storage (CO2 sequestration technology) and hydraulic fracturing. A mid-week field trip included visiting the Ocean Star offshore platform in Galveston, the Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Science and Schlumberger (to view 3-D visualization technology) in Houston. Teachers remarked that they really appreciated the focused nature of the institute and especially found the increased use of mathematics both a tool for professional growth, as well as a challenge for them to use more math in their science classes. STEM integration was an important feature of the summer institute, and teachers found the integration of science (earth sciences, geophysics), technology, engineering (petroleum, chemical and reservoir) and mathematics particularly valuable. Pre-conception surveys and post-tests indicate a significant gain in these teachers' knowledge of petroleum science and technology. In particular, teachers noted that a large area of new knowledge was gained in the area of carbon capture and storage technology.

Involuntary transfer of a top-down attentional set into the focus of attention: evidence from a contingent attentional capture paradigm.

PubMed

Moore, Katherine Sledge; Weissman, Daniel H

2010-08-01

In the present study, we investigated whether involuntarily directing attention to a target-colored distractor causes the corresponding attentional set to enter a limited-capacity focus of attention, thereby facilitating the identification of a subsequent target whose color matches the same attentional set. As predicted, in Experiment 1, contingent attentional capture effects from a target-colored distractor were only one half to one third as large when subsequent target identification relied on the same (vs. a different) attentional set. In Experiment 2, this effect was eliminated when all of the target colors matched the same attentional set, arguing against bottom-up perceptual priming of the distractor's color as an alternative account of our findings. In Experiment 3, this effect was reversed when a target-colored distractor appeared after the target, ruling out a feature-based interference account of our findings. We conclude that capacity limitations in working memory strongly influence contingent attentional capture when multiple attentional sets guide selection.

High Density Aerial Image Matching: State-Of and Future Prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haala, N.; Cavegn, S.

2016-06-01

Ongoing innovations in matching algorithms are continuously improving the quality of geometric surface representations generated automatically from aerial images. This development motivated the launch of the joint ISPRS/EuroSDR project "Benchmark on High Density Aerial Image Matching", which aims on the evaluation of photogrammetric 3D data capture in view of the current developments in dense multi-view stereo-image matching. Originally, the test aimed on image based DSM computation from conventional aerial image flights for different landuse and image block configurations. The second phase then put an additional focus on high quality, high resolution 3D geometric data capture in complex urban areas. This includes both the extension of the test scenario to oblique aerial image flights as well as the generation of filtered point clouds as additional output of the respective multi-view reconstruction. The paper uses the preliminary outcomes of the benchmark to demonstrate the state-of-the-art in airborne image matching with a special focus of high quality geometric data capture in urban scenarios.

Age-structured mark-recapture analysis: A virtual-population-analysis-based model for analyzing age-structured capture-recapture data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coggins, L.G.; Pine, William E.; Walters, C.J.; Martell, S.J.D.

2006-01-01

We present a new model to estimate capture probabilities, survival, abundance, and recruitment using traditional Jolly-Seber capture-recapture methods within a standard fisheries virtual population analysis framework. This approach compares the numbers of marked and unmarked fish at age captured in each year of sampling with predictions based on estimated vulnerabilities and abundance in a likelihood function. Recruitment to the earliest age at which fish can be tagged is estimated by using a virtual population analysis method to back-calculate the expected numbers of unmarked fish at risk of capture. By using information from both marked and unmarked animals in a standard fisheries age structure framework, this approach is well suited to the sparse data situations common in long-term capture-recapture programs with variable sampling effort. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2006.

Contingent capture of visual-spatial attention depends on capacity-limited central mechanisms: evidence from human electrophysiology and the psychological refractory period.

PubMed

Brisson, Benoit; Leblanc, Emilie; Jolicoeur, Pierre

2009-02-01

It has recently been demonstrated that a lateralized distractor that matches the individual's top-down control settings elicits an N2pc wave, an electrophysiological index of the focus of visual-spatial attention, indicating that contingent capture has a visual-spatial locus. Here, we investigated whether contingent capture required capacity-limited central resources by incorporating a contingent capture task as the second task of a psychological refractory period (PRP) dual-task paradigm. The N2pc was used to monitor where observers were attending while they performed concurrent central processing known to cause the PRP effect. The N2pc elicited by the lateralized distractor that matched the top-down control settings was attenuated in high concurrent central load conditions, indicating that although involuntary, the deployment of visual-spatial attention occurring during contingent capture depends on capacity-limited central resources.

78 FR 14516 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-06

... Program/Cost Report (RSA 2) collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported employment... (Rehabilitation Act). The RSA-2 captures: administrative expenditures for the VR and SE programs; VR program... for the VR program by number of individuals served; the costs of types of services provided; and a...

A Comparison of Linear and Systems Thinking Approaches for Program Evaluation Illustrated Using the Indiana Interdisciplinary GK-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyehouse, Melissa; Bennett, Deborah; Harbor, Jon; Childress, Amy; Dark, Melissa

2009-01-01

Logic models are based on linear relationships between program resources, activities, and outcomes, and have been used widely to support both program development and evaluation. While useful in describing some programs, the linear nature of the logic model makes it difficult to capture the complex relationships within larger, multifaceted…

MEMBRANE PROCESS TO SEQUESTER CO2 FROM POWER PLANT FLUE GAS

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

Tim Merkel; Karl Amo; Richard Baker

2009-03-31

The objective of this project was to assess the feasibility of using a membrane process to capture CO2 from coal-fired power plant flue gas. During this program, MTR developed a novel membrane (Polaris™) with a CO2 permeance tenfold higher than commercial CO2-selective membranes used in natural gas treatment. The Polaris™ membrane, combined with a process design that uses a portion of combustion air as a sweep stream to generate driving force for CO2 permeation, meets DOE post-combustion CO2 capture targets. Initial studies indicate a CO2 separation and liquefaction cost of $20 - $30/ton CO2 using about 15% of the plantmore » energy at 90% CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant. Production of the Polaris™ CO2 capture membrane was scaled up with MTR’s commercial casting and coating equipment. Parametric tests of cross-flow and countercurrent/sweep modules prepared from this membrane confirm their near-ideal performance under expected flue gas operating conditions. Commercial-scale, 8-inch diameter modules also show stable performance in field tests treating raw natural gas. These findings suggest that membranes are a viable option for flue gas CO2 capture. The next step will be to conduct a field demonstration treating a realworld power plant flue gas stream. The first such MTR field test will capture 1 ton CO2/day at Arizona Public Service’s Cholla coal-fired power plant, as part of a new DOE NETL funded program.« less

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

Brian McPherson

The Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration completed its Phase I program in December 2005. The main objective of the Southwest Partnership Phase I project was to evaluate and demonstrate the means for achieving an 18% reduction in carbon intensity by 2012. Many other goals were accomplished on the way to this objective, including (1) analysis of CO{sub 2} storage options in the region, including characterization of storage capacities and transportation options, (2) analysis and summary of CO{sub 2} sources, (3) analysis and summary of CO{sub 2} separation and capture technologies employed in the region, (4) evaluation and ranking of themore » most appropriate sequestration technologies for capture and storage of CO{sub 2} in the Southwest Region, (5) dissemination of existing regulatory/permitting requirements, and (6) assessing and initiating public knowledge and acceptance of possible sequestration approaches. Results of the Southwest Partnership's Phase I evaluation suggested that the most convenient and practical ''first opportunities'' for sequestration would lie along existing CO{sub 2} pipelines in the region. Action plans for six Phase II validation tests in the region were developed, with a portfolio that includes four geologic pilot tests distributed among Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. The Partnership will also conduct a regional terrestrial sequestration pilot program focusing on improved terrestrial MMV methods and reporting approaches specific for the Southwest region. The sixth and final validation test consists of a local-scale terrestrial pilot involving restoration of riparian lands for sequestration purposes. The validation test will use desalinated waters produced from one of the geologic pilot tests. The Southwest Regional Partnership comprises a large, diverse group of expert organizations and individuals specializing in carbon sequestration science and engineering, as well as public policy and outreach. These partners include 21 state government agencies and universities, five major electric utility companies, seven oil, gas and coal companies, three federal agencies, the Navajo Nation, several NGOs, and the Western Governors Association. This group is continuing its work in the Phase II Validation Program, slated to conclude in 2009.« less

A framework for evaluating national space activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Danielle; Weigel, Annalisa

2012-04-01

Space technology and resources are used around the world to address societal challenges. Space provides valuable satellite services, unique scientific discoveries, surprising technology applications and new economic opportunities. Many developing countries formally recognize the advantages of space resources and pursue national level activity to harness them. There is limited data or documentation on the space activities of developing countries. Meanwhile, traditional approaches to summarize national space activity do not necessarily capture the types of activity that developing countries pursue in space. This is especially true if they do not have a formal national space program or office. Developing countries pursue national space activity through activities of many types—from national satellite programs to commercial use of satellite services to involvement with international space institutions. This research aims to understand and analyze these trends. This paper introduces two analytical frameworks for evaluating space activity at the national level. The frameworks are specifically designed to capture the activity of countries that have traditionally been less involved in space. They take a broad view of space related activity across multiple societal sectors and disciplines. The discussion explains the approach for using the frameworks as well as illustrative examples of how they can be applied as part of a research process. The first framework is called the Mission and Management Ladders. This framework considers specific space projects within countries and ranks them on "Ladders" that measure technical challenge and managerial autonomy. This first method is at a micro level of analysis. The second framework is called the Space Participation Metric (SPM). The SPM can be used to assign a Space Participation score to countries based on their involvement in various space related activities. This second method uses a macro level of analysis. The authors developed both frameworks as part of a long term research program about the space activities of developing countries. This aspect of the research focuses on harnessing multiple techniques to summarize complex, multi-disciplinary information about global space activity.

Taking Risk Assessment and Management to the Next Level: Program-Level Risk Analysis to Enable Solid Decision-Making on Priorities and Funding

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

Nelson, J. G.; Morton, R. L.; Castillo, C.

2011-02-01

A multi-level (facility and programmatic) risk assessment was conducted for the facilities in the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities (RTBF) Program and results were included in a new Risk Management Plan (RMP), which was incorporated into the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Integrated Plans. Risks, risk events, probability, consequence(s), and mitigation strategies were identified and captured, for most scope areas (i.e., risk categories) during the facilitated risk workshops. Risk mitigations (i.e., efforts in addition to existing controls) were identified during the facilitated risk workshops when the risk event was identified. Risk mitigation strategies fell intomore » two broad categories: threats or opportunities. Improvement projects were identified and linked to specific risks they mitigate, making the connection of risk reduction through investments for the annual Site Execution Plan. Due to the amount of that was collected, analysis to be performed, and reports to be generated, a Risk Assessment/ Management Tool (RAMtool) database was developed to analyze the risks in real-time, at multiple levels, which reinforced the site-level risk management process and procedures. The RAMtool database was developed and designed to assist in the capturing and analysis of the key elements of risk: probability, consequence, and impact. The RAMtool calculates the facility-level and programmatic-level risk factors to enable a side-by-side comparison to see where the facility manager and program manager should focus their risk reduction efforts and funding. This enables them to make solid decisions on priorities and funding to maximize the risk reduction. A more active risk management process was developed where risks and opportunities are actively managed, monitored, and controlled by each facility more aggressively and frequently. risk owners have the responsibility and accountability to manage their assigned risk in real-time, using the RAMtool database.« less

77 FR 39224 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Office of Special Education and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-02

..., Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-2 collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported... Rehabilitation Program/Cost Report (RSA-2) collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported... (Rehabilitation Act). The RSA-2 captures: administrative expenditures for the VR and SE programs; VR program...

INEL BNCT Program

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

Ackermann, A.L.

1991-08-01

This Bulletin presents a summary of accomplishments and highlights in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Program for August 1991. This bulletin includes information on the brain tumor and melanoma research programs, Power Burst Facility (PBF) technical support and modifications, PBF operations, and updates to the animal data charts.

Converting from XML to HDF-EOS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ullman, Richard; Bane, Bob; Yang, Jingli

2008-01-01

A computer program recreates an HDF-EOS file from an Extensible Markup Language (XML) representation of the contents of that file. This program is one of two programs written to enable testing of the schemas described in the immediately preceding article to determine whether the schemas capture all details of HDF-EOS files.

Computer program for assessing the theoretical performance of a three dimensional inlet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agnone, A. M.; Kung, F.

1972-01-01

A computer program for determining the theoretical performance of a three dimensional inlet is presented. An analysis for determining the capture area, ram force, spillage force, and surface pressure force is presented, along with the necessary computer program. A sample calculation is also included.

Capturing Teachers' Experience of Learning Design through Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masterman, Elizabeth; Jameson, Jill; Walker, Simon

2009-01-01

This article distinguishes three dimensions to learning design: a technological infrastructure, a conceptual framework for practice that focuses on the creation of structured sequences of learning activities, and a way to represent and share practice through the use of mediating artefacts. Focusing initially on the second of these dimensions, the…

Demonstration of Advanced CO 2 Capture Process Improvements for Coal-Fired Flue Gas

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

Carroll, John

This document summarizes the activities of Cooperative Agreement DE-FE0026590, “Demonstration of Advanced CO 2 Capture Process Improvements for Coal-Fired Flue Gas” during the performance period of October 1, 2015 through May 31, 2017. This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Southern Company Services, Inc. (SCS) was the prime contractor and co-funder of the project. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA) and AECOM were project team members. The overall project objective was to improve costs, energy requirements, and performance of an existing amine-based CO 2 capture process. This will occur via improvements inmore » three areas: 1. Reboiler design – The first objective of the program was to demonstrate performance of an integrated stripper/reboiler (termed Built-in Reboiler, or BIR) to reduce footprint, capital costs, and integration issues of the current technology. 2. Particulate management – The second objective was to carry out a Particulate Matter Management (PMM) test. This has the potential to reduce operating costs and capital costs due to the reduced or eliminated need for mechanical filtration. 3. Solvent – The third objective was to carry out a new solvent test plan (referred to as NSL) to demonstrate a new solvent (termed New Solvent A), which is expected to reduce regeneration steam. The bulk price is also expected to be lower than KS-1, which is the current solvent used in this process. NSL testing would include baseline testing, optimization, long term testing, solvent reclamation testing, and final inspection. These combine to form the Advanced Carbon Capture (ACC) technology. Much of this work will be applicable to generic solvent processes, especially in regards to improved reboiler design, and focused to meet or exceed the DOE’s overall carbon capture performance goals of 90% CO 2 capture rate with 95% CO 2 purity at a cost of $40/tonne of CO 2 by 2025 and at a cost of electricity (COE) 30% less than baseline CO 2 capture approaches by 2030. This project was divided into two phases. Phase 1 is the planning phase, and Phase 2 is the construction, operations, testing, and analysis phase. A down select occurred after Phase 1. Phase 1 activities were carried out during this reporting period, and therefore, Phase 1 activities are solely considered in this report. The project was not selected for Phase 2 funding.« less

Mission to Planet Earth Strategic Enterprise Plan 1996-2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Mission to Planet Earth's (MTPE's) first Strategic Enterprise Plan, issued in May 1995, defined the Agency's major goals and objectives as well as constraints. This update of the Strategic Enterprise Plan identifies the following major changes: a focused Science Research Plan that integrates space-based and in situ observational critical science to address critical science uncertainties; a technology infusion plan to reduce the cost of future missions; a series of flight opportunities to infuse new science into the overall program; and a tighter coupling between NASA and NOAA to reduce costs and to improve the overall program. Three important new initiatives are also under development and are described briefly in this plan: MTPE Education Strategy, MTPE Commercial Strategy, and an emerging concept for an Integrated Global Observing Strategy. This first update to the MTPE Strategic Enterprise Plan captures these new developments, and takes a significant step forward in planning this complex Earth system science endeavor. The plan and other information on MTPE may be viewed via the Internet at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/mtpe/.

Depth measurements through controlled aberrations of projected patterns.

PubMed

Birch, Gabriel C; Tyo, J Scott; Schwiegerling, Jim

2012-03-12

Three-dimensional displays have become increasingly present in consumer markets. However, the ability to capture three-dimensional images in space confined environments and without major modifications to current cameras is uncommon. Our goal is to create a simple modification to a conventional camera that allows for three dimensional reconstruction. We require such an imaging system have imaging and illumination paths coincident. Furthermore, we require that any three-dimensional modification to a camera also permits full resolution 2D image capture.Here we present a method of extracting depth information with a single camera and aberrated projected pattern. A commercial digital camera is used in conjunction with a projector system with astigmatic focus to capture images of a scene. By using an astigmatic projected pattern we can create two different focus depths for horizontal and vertical features of a projected pattern, thereby encoding depth. By designing an aberrated projected pattern, we are able to exploit this differential focus in post-processing designed to exploit the projected pattern and optical system. We are able to correlate the distance of an object at a particular transverse position from the camera to ratios of particular wavelet coefficients.We present our information regarding construction, calibration, and images produced by this system. The nature of linking a projected pattern design and image processing algorithms will be discussed.

TARGETED CAPTURE IN EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL GENOMICS

PubMed Central

Jones, Matthew R.; Good, Jeffrey M.

2016-01-01

The rapid expansion of next-generation sequencing has yielded a powerful array of tools to address fundamental biological questions at a scale that was inconceivable just a few years ago. Various genome partitioning strategies to sequence select subsets of the genome have emerged as powerful alternatives to whole genome sequencing in ecological and evolutionary genomic studies. High throughput targeted capture is one such strategy that involves the parallel enrichment of pre-selected genomic regions of interest. The growing use of targeted capture demonstrates its potential power to address a range of research questions, yet these approaches have yet to expand broadly across labs focused on evolutionary and ecological genomics. In part, the use of targeted capture has been hindered by the logistics of capture design and implementation in species without established reference genomes. Here we aim to 1) increase the accessibility of targeted capture to researchers working in non-model taxa by discussing capture methods that circumvent the need of a reference genome, 2) highlight the evolutionary and ecological applications where this approach is emerging as a powerful sequencing strategy, and 3) discuss the future of targeted capture and other genome partitioning approaches in light of the increasing accessibility of whole genome sequencing. Given the practical advantages and increasing feasibility of high-throughput targeted capture, we anticipate an ongoing expansion of capture-based approaches in evolutionary and ecological research, synergistic with an expansion of whole genome sequencing. PMID:26137993

Multi-Annual Data Products on Turbulent Heat Fluxes at the Local and Continental Scale Using AATSR and FY-2 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menenti, M.; Ghafarian, H.; Tang, B.; Faivre, R.; Colin, J.; Jia, L.; Roupios, L.

2013-01-01

This paper summarizes the results of studies carried in the framework of the Dragon 2 Program - Project 5322 Key Eco-Hydrological Parameters Retrieval and Land Data Assimilation System Development in a Typical Inland River Basin of Chinas Arid Region. The investigations were focused on monitoring the fluxes of energy and water at the land-atmosphere interface across a range of spatial scales, using multi-spectral radiometric data collected by space-borne imaging radiometers. At the local scale a new approach to parameterize heat and vapour fluxes was developed and applied using Computational Fluid Dynamics to describe state and dynamics of the boundary layer over the heterogeneous and 3D structured land surface. An airborne scanning LIDAR was used to capture in detail surface geometry. Over the large area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau a land-atmospheric model was used to characterize the atmospheric Planetary Boundary Layer. The effect of land surface heterogeneity and structure on the exchange of heat and water was captured using the bi-angular observations of brightness temperature provided by the AATSR imaging radiometer. The heat and water flux densities were calculated hourly with Feng-Yun C, D and E VISSR data over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the headwaters of main rivers around it.

SPICE: An innovative, flexible instrument concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishioka, Kenji; Cauffman, D. P.; Jurcevich, B.; Mendez, David J.; Ryder, James T.

1994-01-01

Studies and plans for orbital capture of cosmic dust and interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) looked very bright with the advent of space station Freedom (SSF) and formal selection of Cosmic Dust Collection Facility (CDCF) as an attached payload in 1990. Unfortunately it has been downhill since its selection, culminating in CDCF being dropped as attached payload in the SSF redesign process this year. This action was without any input from the science or cosmic dust communities. The Exobiology Intact Capture Experiment (Exo-ICE) as an experiment on CDCF was also lost. Without CDCF, no facility-class instrument for cosmic dust studies is available or planned. When CDCF (and Exo-ICE) was selected as a SSF attached payload, an exercise called the small particle intact capture experiment (SPICE) was started for Exo-ICE to develop an understanding and early testing of the necessary expertise and technology for intact capture of cosmic dust and IDP's. This SPICE activity looks to fly small, meter square or less, collection area experiments on early orbital platforms of opportunity such as EURECA, MIR, WESTAR, and others, including the shuttle. The SPICE activity has focused on developing techniques and instrument concepts to capture particles intact and without inadvertent contamination. It began with a survey and screening of available capture media concepts and then focused on the development of a capture medium that can meet these requirements. Evaluation and development of the chosen capture medium, aerogel (a silicon oxide gel), has so far lived up to the expectations of meeting the requirements and is highlighted in a companion paper at this workshop. Others such as McDonnell's Timeband Capture Cell Experiment (TICCE) on EuReCa and Tsuo's GAS-CAN lid experiments on STS 47 and 57 have flown aerogel, but without addressing the contamination issue/requirement, especially regarding organics. Horz, Zolenskym and others have studied and have also been advocates for its development. The SPICE instrument's experiment design builds on the knowledge gained from these efforts to meet the intact capture, noncontamination requirements. An overview of a possible SPICE experimental instrument concept using the MIR space station as a host platform for cosmic dust collection is provided in this paper. The SPICE concept is nonplatform-specified and can fly on any platform that provides a mode for experiment recovery.

Capturing Essential Information to Achieve Safe Interoperability.

PubMed

Weininger, Sandy; Jaffe, Michael B; Rausch, Tracy; Goldman, Julian M

2017-01-01

In this article, we describe the role of "clinical scenario" information to assure the safety of interoperable systems, as well as the system's ability to deliver the requisite clinical functionality to improve clinical care. Described are methods and rationale for capturing the clinical needs, workflow, hazards, and device interactions in the clinical environment. Key user (clinician and clinical engineer) needs and system requirements can be derived from this information, therefore, improving the communication from clinicians to medical device and information technology system developers. This methodology is intended to assist the health care community, including researchers, standards developers, regulators, and manufacturers, by providing clinical definition to support requirements in the systems engineering process, particularly those focusing on development of Integrated Clinical Environments described in standard ASTM F2761. Our focus is on identifying and documenting relevant interactions and medical device capabilities within the system using a documentation tool called medical device interface data sheets and mitigating hazardous situations related to workflow, product usability, data integration, and the lack of effective medical device-health information technology system integration to achieve safe interoperability. Portions of the analysis of a clinical scenario for a "patient-controlled analgesia safety interlock" are provided to illustrate the method. Collecting better clinical adverse event information and proposed solutions can help identify opportunities to improve current device capabilities and interoperability and support a learning health system to improve health care delivery. Developing and analyzing clinical scenarios are the first steps in creating solutions to address vexing patient safety problems and enable clinical innovation. A Web-based research tool for implementing a means of acquiring and managing this information, the Clinical Scenario Repository™ (MD PnP Program), is described.

Capturing the emerging market for climate-friendly technologies: opportunities for Ohio

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

NONE

2006-11-15

This paper briefly describes the factors driving the growing demand for climate-friendly technologies, some of the key existing companies, organizations, and resources in Ohio, and the potential for Ohio to become a leading supplier of climate solutions. These solutions include a new generation of lower-emitting coal technologies, components for wind turbines, and the feedstocks and facilities to produce biofuels. Several public-private partnerships and initiatives have been established in Ohio. These efforts have encouraged the development of numerous federal- and state-funded projects and attracted major private investments in two increasingly strategic sectors of the Ohio economy: clean-coal technology and alternative energymore » technology, with a focus on fuel cells. Several major clean-coal projects have been recently initiated in Ohio. In April 2006, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved American Electric Power's (AEP) plan to build a 600 MW clean-coal plant along the Ohio River in Meigs County. The plant will use Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology which makes it easier to capture carbon dioxide for sequestration. Three other potential coal gasification facilities are being considered in Ohio: a combination IGCC and synthetic natural gas plant in Allen County by Global Energy/Lima Energy; a coal-to-fuels facility in Lawrence County by Baard Energy, and a coal-to-fuels facility in Scioto County by CME North American Merchant Energy. The paper concludes with recommendations for how Ohio can capitalize on these emerging opportunities. These recommendations include focusing and coordinating state funding of climate technology programs, promoting the development of climate-related industry clusters, and exploring export opportunities to states and countries with existing carbon constraints.« less

Assessment of the NASA Space Shuttle Program's Problem Reporting and Corrective Action System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korsmeryer, D. J.; Schreiner, J. A.; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper documents the general findings and recommendations of the Design for Safety Programs Study of the Space Shuttle Programs (SSP) Problem Reporting and Corrective Action (PRACA) System. The goals of this Study were: to evaluate and quantify the technical aspects of the SSP's PRACA systems, and to recommend enhancements addressing specific deficiencies in preparation for future system upgrades. The Study determined that the extant SSP PRACA systems accomplished a project level support capability through the use of a large pool of domain experts and a variety of distributed formal and informal database systems. This operational model is vulnerable to staff turnover and loss of the vast corporate knowledge that is not currently being captured by the PRACA system. A need for a Program-level PRACA system providing improved insight, unification, knowledge capture, and collaborative tools was defined in this study.

Supporting Intrapersonal Development in Substance Use Disorder Programs: A Conceptual Framework for Client Assessment.

PubMed

Turpin, Aaron; Shier, Micheal L

2017-01-01

Improvements to intrapersonal development of clients involved with substance use disorder treatment programs has widely been recognized as contributing to the intended goal of reducing substance misuse behaviors. This study sought to identify a broad framework of primary outcomes related to the intrapersonal development of clients in treatment for substance misuse. Using qualitative research methods, individual interviews were conducted with program participants (n = 41) at three treatment programs to identify the ways in which respondents experienced intrapersonal development through participation in treatment. The findings support the development of a conceptual model that captures the importance and manifestation of achieving improvements in the following outcomes: self-awareness, coping ability, self-worth, outlook, and self-determination. The findings provide a conceptual framework for client assessment that captures a broad range of the important intrapersonal development factors utilized as indicators for client development and recovery that should be measured in tandem during assessment.

Where the rubber meets the road: long-term in-stream data collection to inform regional land management monitoring in the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, C.

2017-12-01

The initiation of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) in 1994 brought a sea change to federal land management agencies of the Pacific Northwest. The NWFP was developed in response to the listing of the Northern Spotted Owl and concern about declining populations of Pacific Salmon. The Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AREMP) was developed to track changes that occurred as a result of active and passive management on the landscape. A significant management change affecting riparian areas was the creation of buffers around fish bearing and non-fish bearing streams. Two monitoring arms of the AREMP program focus on upslope and in-stream conditions in order to capture watershed-scale effects of land management changes. Field data to support the in-stream monitoring mission of AREMP began in 2002 with a study design based on an 8-year re-survey rotation. The sampling design was intended to capture watershed-scale variability across the broad and diverse study area in western Washington, western Oregon, and northwest California. 2017 marks repeat visits of every site and opens the door to more detailed assessments of changes that have occurred at local and regional extents over this time period. Results so far show improving trends in characteristics such as water temperature and macroinvertebrate community diversity. Maintaining an ongoing and relevant monitoring program over time has required a strong commitment to quality control in terms of data collection and analysis, and an openness to how AREMP can provide management relevant information as new challenges occur. AREMP's mandated role as the aquatic monitoring arm of the NWFP provides the overarching framework within which the program operates. However, new emerging topics of relevance to aquatic managers such as climate change and aquatic invasive species have been rolled into the mission over time. By being responsive to new challenges, and providing consistent feedback, AREMP has been able to evolve over time. AREMP is now poised to provide relevant feedback on changes to date, while also informing the emerging challenges faced by federal land managers in the west.

Effect of seeding on the capture of six stored product beetle species: The relative species matters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

n trapping programs prior capture of individuals of the same or different species may influence subsequent attractiveness of the trap. To evaluate this process with stored-product insects, the effect of the presence of dead or alive adults on the behavioral responses of six stored product insect spe...

Quick and Easy: Use Screen Capture Software to Train and Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuster, Ellen

2011-01-01

Screen capture (screen cast) software can be used to develop short videos for training purposes. Developing videos is quick and easy. This article describes how these videos are used as tools to reinforce face-to-face and interactive TV curriculum training in a nutrition education program. Advantages of developing these videos are shared.…

To catch a fly: landing and capture of ceratitis capitata in a Jackson trap with and without an insecticide

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Attractant-based traps are a cornerstone of detection, delimitation and eradication programs for tephritid fruit flies and other pests. The ideal trap and lure combination has high attraction (it brings pest tephritids to the trap from a distance) and high capture efficiency (it has a high probabili...

Atmospheric chemistry and environmental impact of the use of amines in carbon capture and storage (CCS).

PubMed

Nielsen, Claus J; Herrmann, Hartmut; Weller, Christian

2012-10-07

This critical review addresses the atmospheric gas phase and aqueous phase amine chemistry that is relevant to potential emissions from amine-based carbon capture and storage (CCS). The focus is on amine, nitrosamine and nitramine degradation, and nitrosamine and nitramine formation processes. A comparison between the relative importance of the various atmospheric sinks for amines, nitrosamines and nitramines is presented.

Modelling individual difference in visual categorization.

PubMed

Shen, Jianhong; Palmeri, Thomas J

Recent years has seen growing interest in understanding, characterizing, and explaining individual differences in visual cognition. We focus here on individual differences in visual categorization. Categorization is the fundamental visual ability to group different objects together as the same kind of thing. Research on visual categorization and category learning has been significantly informed by computational modeling, so our review will focus both on how formal models of visual categorization have captured individual differences and how individual difference have informed the development of formal models. We first examine the potential sources of individual differences in leading models of visual categorization, providing a brief review of a range of different models. We then describe several examples of how computational models have captured individual differences in visual categorization. This review also provides a bit of an historical perspective, starting with models that predicted no individual differences, to those that captured group differences, to those that predict true individual differences, and to more recent hierarchical approaches that can simultaneously capture both group and individual differences in visual categorization. Via this selective review, we see how considerations of individual differences can lead to important theoretical insights into how people visually categorize objects in the world around them. We also consider new directions for work examining individual differences in visual categorization.

Modelling individual difference in visual categorization

PubMed Central

Shen, Jianhong; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

Recent years has seen growing interest in understanding, characterizing, and explaining individual differences in visual cognition. We focus here on individual differences in visual categorization. Categorization is the fundamental visual ability to group different objects together as the same kind of thing. Research on visual categorization and category learning has been significantly informed by computational modeling, so our review will focus both on how formal models of visual categorization have captured individual differences and how individual difference have informed the development of formal models. We first examine the potential sources of individual differences in leading models of visual categorization, providing a brief review of a range of different models. We then describe several examples of how computational models have captured individual differences in visual categorization. This review also provides a bit of an historical perspective, starting with models that predicted no individual differences, to those that captured group differences, to those that predict true individual differences, and to more recent hierarchical approaches that can simultaneously capture both group and individual differences in visual categorization. Via this selective review, we see how considerations of individual differences can lead to important theoretical insights into how people visually categorize objects in the world around them. We also consider new directions for work examining individual differences in visual categorization. PMID:28154496

Field type, trap type and field-edge characteristics affect Rhagoletis mendax captures in lowbush blueberries.

PubMed

Renkema, Justin M; Cutler, G Christopher; Gaul, Sonia O

2014-11-01

Blueberry maggot, Rhagoletis mendax Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), is the most important pest of blueberries in eastern North America. Insecticide use in fruit-bearing lowbush blueberry fields could be reduced with management strategies focused on vegetative fields. Fly distribution and fruit infestation levels were assessed where fruit-bearing and vegetative fields adjoin and along forested edges of vegetative fields. Along adjoining edges, immature female flies were captured in fruiting fields and mature females in vegetative fields throughout the season. Male fly captures and fruit infestation levels were greater at 5 m than at 30 m from the edge. Along forested edges, fly captures were best predicted by densities of ripe lowbush blueberries and large coniferous trees. Maggot infestation level in lowbush blueberries was best predicted by blueberry density and small deciduous trees. Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis L., was the only non-crop host in which blueberry maggot was found. We have shown that relatively high numbers of flies occur in vegetative fields and at edges of fruiting fields. Ripe blueberries and certain vegetation in forested edges affect fly distribution and probably maintain populations. These results may help to predict where controls for blueberry maggot should be targeted and suggest that management strategies focused on vegetative fields and field edges may be worthwhile. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Captures of Boll Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Relation to Trap Distance From Cotton Fields.

PubMed

Spurgeon, Dale W

2016-12-01

The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman) has been eradicated from much of the United States, but remains an important pest of cotton (Gossypium spp.) in other parts of the Americas. Where the weevil occurs, the pheromone trap is a key tool for population monitoring or detection. Traditional monitoring programs have placed traps in or near the outermost cotton rows where damage by farm equipment can cause loss of trapping data. Recently, some programs have adopted a trap placement adjacent to but outside monitored fields. The effects of these changes have not been previously reported. Captures of early-season boll weevils by traps near (≤1 m) or far (7-10 m) from the outermost cotton row were evaluated. In 2005, during renewed efforts to eradicate the boll weevil from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, far traps consistently captured more weevils than traps near cotton. Traps at both placements indicated similar patterns of early-season weevil captures, which were consistent with those previously reported. In 2006, no distinction between trap placements was detected. Early-season patterns of captures in 2006 were again similar for both trap placements, but captures were much lower and less regular compared with those observed in 2005. These results suggest magnitude and likelihood of weevil capture in traps placed away from cotton are at least as high as for traps adjacent to cotton. Therefore, relocation of traps away from the outer rows of cotton should not negatively impact ability to monitor or detect the boll weevil. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2016. This work is written by a US Government employee and is in the public domain in the US.

NSF's Perspective on Space Weather Research for Building Forecasting Capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisi, M. M.; Pulkkinen, A. A.; Bisi, M. M.; Pulkkinen, A. A.; Webb, D. F.; Oughton, E. J.; Azeem, S. I.

2017-12-01

Space weather research at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is focused on scientific discovery and on deepening knowledge of the Sun-Geospace system. The process of maturation of knowledge base is a requirement for the development of improved space weather forecast models and for the accurate assessment of potential mitigation strategies. Progress in space weather forecasting requires advancing in-depth understanding of the underlying physical processes, developing better instrumentation and measurement techniques, and capturing the advancements in understanding in large-scale physics based models that span the entire chain of events from the Sun to the Earth. This presentation will provide an overview of current and planned programs pertaining to space weather research at NSF and discuss the recommendations of the Geospace Section portfolio review panel within the context of space weather forecasting capabilities.

Improvement of Automated POST Case Success Rate Using Support Vector Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwack, Mathew R.; Dees, Patrick D.

2017-01-01

During early conceptual design of complex systems, concept down selection can have a large impact upon program life-cycle cost. Therefore, any concepts selected during early design will inherently commit program costs and affect the overall probability of program success. For this reason it is important to consider as large a design space as possible in order to better inform the down selection process. For conceptual design of launch vehicles, trajectory analysis and optimization often presents the largest obstacle to evaluating large trade spaces. This is due to the sensitivity of the trajectory discipline to changes in all other aspects of the vehicle design. Small deltas in the performance of other subsystems can result in relatively large fluctuations in the ascent trajectory because the solution space is non-linear and multi-modal. In order to help capture large design spaces for new launch vehicles, the authors have performed previous work seeking to automate the execution of the industry standard tool, Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST). This work initially focused on implementation of analyst heuristics to enable closure of cases in an automated fashion, with the goal of applying the concepts of design of experiments (DOE) and surrogate modeling to enable near instantaneous throughput of vehicle cases.3 As noted in [4] work was then completed to improve the DOE process by utilizing a graph theory based approach to connect similar design points.

Processes and outcomes of the veterans health administration safe patient handling program: study protocol.

PubMed

Rugs, Deborah; Toyinbo, Peter; Patel, Nitin; Powell-Cope, Gail; Hahm, Bridget; Elnitsky, Christine; Besterman-Dahan, Karen; Campbell, Robert; Sutton, Bryce

2013-11-18

Health care workers, such as nurses, nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants, who manually move patients, are consistently listed in the top professions for musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These MSIs are typically caused by high-risk patient caregiving activities. In 2008, a safe patient handling (SPH) program was implemented in all 153 Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMCs) throughout the United States to reduce patient handling injuries. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the effects associated with the national implementation of a comprehensive SPH program. The primary objectives of the research were to determine the effectiveness of the SPH program in improving direct care nursing outcomes and to provide a context for understanding variations in program results across sites over time. Secondary objectives of the present research were to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in reducing direct and indirect costs associated with patient handling, to explore the potential mediating and moderating mechanisms, and to identify unintended consequences of implementing the program. This 3-year longitudinal study used mixed methods of data collection at 6- to 9-month intervals. The analyses will include data from surveys, administrative databases, individual and focus group interviews, and nonparticipant observations. For this study, a 3-tiered measurement plan was used. For Tier 1, the unit of analysis was the facility, the data source was the facility coordinator or administrative data, and all 153 VAMCs participated. For Tier 2, frontline caregivers and program peer leaders at 17 facilities each completed different surveys. For Tier 3, six facilities completed qualitative site visits, which included individual interviews, focus groups, and nonparticipant observations. Multiple regression models were proposed to test the effects of SPH components on nursing outcomes related to patient handling. Content analysis and constant comparative analysis were proposed for qualitative data analysis to understand the context of implementation and to triangulate quantitative data. All three tiers of data for this study have been collected. We are now in the analyses and writing phase of the project, with the possibility for extraction of additional administrative data. The focus of this paper is to describe the SPH program, its evaluation study design, and its data collection procedures. This study evaluates the effects associated with the national implementation of a comprehensive SPH program that was implemented in all 153 VAMCs throughout the United States to reduce patient handling injuries. To our knowledge, this is the largest evaluation of an SPH program in the United States. A major strength of this observational study design is that all VAMCs implemented the program and were included in Tier 1 of the study; therefore, population sampling bias is not a concern. Although the design lacks a comparison group for testing program effects, this longitudinal field study design allows for capturing program dose-response effects within a naturalistic context. Implementation of the VA-wide SPH program afforded the opportunity for rigorous evaluation in a naturalistic context. Findings will guide VA operations for policy and decision making about resources, and will be useful for health care, in general, outside of the VA, in implementation and impact of an SPH program.

Proceedings of a workshop on digital mapping techniques; methods for geologic map data capture, management, and publication - June 2 - 5, 1997, Lawrence, Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soller, David R.

1997-01-01

Introduction: From June 2-5, 1997, selected technical representatives of the USGS and State geological surveys participated in the 'AASG/USGS Digital Mapping Techniques' workshop in Lawrence, Kansas. The workshop was initiated by the AASG/USGS Data Capture Working Group, and was hosted by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS). With a focus on methods for data capture and digital map production, the goal was to help move the state surveys and the USGS toward development of more cost-effective, flexible, and useful systems for digital mapping and GIS analysis.

Evaluation of a Novel Dog Adoption Program in Two US Communities

PubMed Central

Mohan-Gibbons, Heather; Weiss, Emily; Garrison, Laurie; Allison, Meg

2014-01-01

Millions of dogs enter animal welfare organizations every year and only a fraction of them are adopted. Despite the most recent American Pet Products Association (APPA) data that nearly half the US population owns a dog, only 20% acquired their dog from an animal welfare organization. Studies show that people consider adopting from an animal shelter more often than they actually do, which indicates a potential market increase if programs can make shelter dogs more visible to adopters. This research focused on a novel adoption program where shelter dogs were transferred into foster homes who were tasked with finding an adopter. Shelter dogs were placed in the path of potential adopters and bypassed the need for the adopter to go to the shelter. The results show that this novel program was effective in a variety of ways including getting dogs adopted. Although length of stay was significantly longer for dogs in the program, the dogs were in a home environment, not taking up kennel space in the shelter. The program also had a lower rate of returns than dogs adopted at the shelter. The foster program tapped adopters in different geographical segments of the community than the dogs adopted from the shelter. By bringing shelter dogs to where adopters spend their time (ex: restaurants, parks, hair salons), the program potentially captured a segment of the population who might have obtained their dog from other sources besides the shelter (such as breeders or pet stores). This novel approach can be an effective method for adoption, has many benefits for shelters, and can tap into a new adopter market by engaging their community in a new way. PMID:24663804

Health Science Students' Perception about Research Training Programs Offered in Saudi Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Kuwaiti, Ahmed; Subbarayalu, Arun Vijay

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the perceptions of students of health sciences on research training programs offered at Saudi universities. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to capture the perceptions of health science students about research training programs offered at selected Saudi…

Captures of boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in relation to trap orientation and distance from brush lines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Eradication programs for the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) rely on pheromone-baited traps to trigger insecticide treatments and monitor program progress. A key objective of monitoring in these programs is the timely detection of incipient weevil populations to limit or prevent re-infestat...

Regulatory considerations of occupational tuberculosis control.

PubMed

McDiarmid, M A; Gillen, N A; Hathon, L

1994-01-01

The authors argue that the classic hierarchy of industrial hygiene controls may be successfully used to control TB. Various elements of hygiene control programs reviewed here include TB exposure control programs, identification and isolation of patients, respiratory isolation, local source capture ventilation, laboratory procedures, employee surveillance programs, reporting of occupational illnesses, labeling requirements, and respiratory protection.

INEL BNCT Program: Volume 5, No. 9

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

Ackermann, A.L.

1991-01-01

This Bulletin presents a summary of accomplishments and highlights of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Program for September 1991. This bulletin includes information on the brain tumor and melanoma research programs, Power Burst Facility (PBF) technical support and modifications, PBF operations, and updates to the animal data charts.

Innovating to enhance clinical data management using non-commercial and open source solutions across a multi-center network supporting inpatient pediatric care and research in Kenya

PubMed Central

Tuti, Timothy; Bitok, Michael; Paton, Chris; Makone, Boniface; Malla, Lucas; Muinga, Naomi; Gathara, David; English, Mike

2016-01-01

Objective To share approaches and innovations adopted to deliver a relatively inexpensive clinical data management (CDM) framework within a low-income setting that aims to deliver quality pediatric data useful for supporting research, strengthening the information culture and informing improvement efforts in local clinical practice. Materials and methods The authors implemented a CDM framework to support a Clinical Information Network (CIN) using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a noncommercial software solution designed for rapid development and deployment of electronic data capture tools. It was used for collection of standardized data from case records of multiple hospitals’ pediatric wards. R, an open-source statistical language, was used for data quality enhancement, analysis, and report generation for the hospitals. Results In the first year of CIN, the authors have developed innovative solutions to support the implementation of a secure, rapid pediatric data collection system spanning 14 hospital sites with stringent data quality checks. Data have been collated on over 37 000 admission episodes, with considerable improvement in clinical documentation of admissions observed. Using meta-programming techniques in R, coupled with branching logic, randomization, data lookup, and Application Programming Interface (API) features offered by REDCap, CDM tasks were configured and automated to ensure quality data was delivered for clinical improvement and research use. Conclusion A low-cost clinically focused but geographically dispersed quality CDM (Clinical Data Management) in a long-term, multi-site, and real world context can be achieved and sustained and challenges can be overcome through thoughtful design and implementation of open-source tools for handling data and supporting research. PMID:26063746

The promise of new ideas and new technology for improving teaching and learning.

PubMed

Novak, Joseph D

2003-01-01

There have been enormous advances in our understanding of human learning in the past three decades. There have also been important advances in our understanding of the nature of knowledge and new knowledge creation. These advances, when combined with the explosive development of the Internet and other technologies, permit advances in educational practices at least as important as the invention of the printing press in 1460. We have built on the cognitive learning theory of David Ausubel and various sources of new ideas on epistemology. Our research program has focused on understanding meaningful learning and on developing better methods to achieve such learning and to assess progress in meaningful learning. The concept map tool developed in our program has proved to be highly effective both in promoting meaningful learning and in assessing learning outcomes. Concept mapping strategies are also proving powerful for eliciting, capturing, and archiving knowledge of experts and organizations. New technology for creating concept maps developed at the University of West Florida permits easier and better concept map construction, thus facilitating learning, knowledge capture, and local or distance creation and sharing of structured knowledge, especially when utilized with the Internet. A huge gap exists between what we now know to improve learning and use of knowledge and the practices currently in place in most schools and corporations. There are promising projects in progress that may help to achieve accelerated advances. These include projects in schools at all educational levels, including projects in Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, and the United States, and collaborative projects with corporate organizations and distance learning projects. Results to date have been encouraging and suggest that we may be moving from the lag phase of educational innovation to a phase of exponential growth.

The Promise of New Ideas and New Technology for Improving Teaching and Learning

PubMed Central

Novak, Joseph D.

2003-01-01

There have been enormous advances in our understanding of human learning in the past three decades. There have also been important advances in our understanding of the nature of knowledge and new knowledge creation. These advances, when combined with the explosive development of the Internet and other technologies, permit advances in educational practices at least as important as the invention of the printing press in 1460. We have built on the cognitive learning theory of David Ausubel and various sources of new ideas on epistemology. Our research program has focused on understanding meaningful learning and on developing better methods to achieve such learning and to assess progress in meaningful learning. The concept map tool developed in our program has proved to be highly effective both in promoting meaningful learning and in assessing learning outcomes. Concept mapping strategies are also proving powerful for eliciting, capturing, and archiving knowledge of experts and organizations. New technology for creating concept maps developed at the University of West Florida permits easier and better concept map construction, thus facilitating learning, knowledge capture, and local or distance creation and sharing of structured knowledge, especially when utilized with the Internet. A huge gap exists between what we now know to improve learning and use of knowledge and the practices currently in place in most schools and corporations. There are promising projects in progress that may help to achieve accelerated advances. These include projects in schools at all educational levels, including projects in Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, and the United States, and collaborative projects with corporate organizations and distance learning projects. Results to date have been encouraging and suggest that we may be moving from the lag phase of educational innovation to a phase of exponential growth. PMID:12888848

Innovating to enhance clinical data management using non-commercial and open source solutions across a multi-center network supporting inpatient pediatric care and research in Kenya.

PubMed

Tuti, Timothy; Bitok, Michael; Paton, Chris; Makone, Boniface; Malla, Lucas; Muinga, Naomi; Gathara, David; English, Mike

2016-01-01

To share approaches and innovations adopted to deliver a relatively inexpensive clinical data management (CDM) framework within a low-income setting that aims to deliver quality pediatric data useful for supporting research, strengthening the information culture and informing improvement efforts in local clinical practice. The authors implemented a CDM framework to support a Clinical Information Network (CIN) using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a noncommercial software solution designed for rapid development and deployment of electronic data capture tools. It was used for collection of standardized data from case records of multiple hospitals' pediatric wards. R, an open-source statistical language, was used for data quality enhancement, analysis, and report generation for the hospitals. In the first year of CIN, the authors have developed innovative solutions to support the implementation of a secure, rapid pediatric data collection system spanning 14 hospital sites with stringent data quality checks. Data have been collated on over 37 000 admission episodes, with considerable improvement in clinical documentation of admissions observed. Using meta-programming techniques in R, coupled with branching logic, randomization, data lookup, and Application Programming Interface (API) features offered by REDCap, CDM tasks were configured and automated to ensure quality data was delivered for clinical improvement and research use. A low-cost clinically focused but geographically dispersed quality CDM (Clinical Data Management) in a long-term, multi-site, and real world context can be achieved and sustained and challenges can be overcome through thoughtful design and implementation of open-source tools for handling data and supporting research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Lunar Exploration Architecture Level Key Drivers and Sensitivities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodliff, Kandyce; Cirillo, William; Earle, Kevin; Reeves, J. D.; Shyface, Hilary; Andraschko, Mark; Merrill, R. Gabe; Stromgren, Chel; Cirillo, Christopher

2009-01-01

Strategic level analysis of the integrated behavior of lunar transportation and lunar surface systems architecture options is performed to assess the benefit, viability, affordability, and robustness of system design choices. This analysis employs both deterministic and probabilistic modeling techniques so that the extent of potential future uncertainties associated with each option are properly characterized. The results of these analyses are summarized in a predefined set of high-level Figures of Merit (FOMs) so as to provide senior NASA Constellation Program (CxP) and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) management with pertinent information to better inform strategic level decision making. The strategic level exploration architecture model is designed to perform analysis at as high a level as possible but still capture those details that have major impacts on system performance. The strategic analysis methodology focuses on integrated performance, affordability, and risk analysis, and captures the linkages and feedbacks between these three areas. Each of these results leads into the determination of the high-level FOMs. This strategic level analysis methodology has been previously applied to Space Shuttle and International Space Station assessments and is now being applied to the development of the Constellation Program point-of-departure lunar architecture. This paper provides an overview of the strategic analysis methodology and the lunar exploration architecture analyses to date. In studying these analysis results, the strategic analysis team has identified and characterized key drivers affecting the integrated architecture behavior. These key drivers include inclusion of a cargo lander, mission rate, mission location, fixed-versus- variable costs/return on investment, and the requirement for probabilistic analysis. Results of sensitivity analysis performed on lunar exploration architecture scenarios are also presented.

Child Skills and Teacher Qualifications: Associations with Elementary Classroom Teachers' Reading Instruction for Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bratsch-Hines, Mary E.; Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Varghese, Cheryl; Garwood, Justin

2017-01-01

This study explored the extent to which kindergarten and first grade teachers provided individualized reading instruction to struggling readers during a unique one-on-one reading instruction task. Three outcomes of teachers' instructional strategies were captured: code-focused strategies, meaning-focused strategies, and level of challenge. Child…

Examining Focused L2 Practice: From in Vitro to in Vivo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornillie, Frederik; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Van den Branden, Kris; Desmet, Piet

2017-01-01

Behaviour-tracking technology has been used for decades in SLA research on focused practice with an eye toward elucidating the nature of L2 automatization (e.g. DeKeyser, 1997; Robinson, 1997). This involves longitudinally capturing learners' judgments or linguistic production along with their response times in order to investigate how specific…

Engendering Hope: Women's (Dis)engagement in Change in Afghanistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sehin, Oleksandra; Coryell, Joellen; Stewart, Trae

2017-01-01

Afghan women's human rights are a crucial concern for the international community and the government in Afghanistan. Framed by hope theory, this study captured Afghan women's understandings of recent realities, particularly those focused on expanding women's roles in Afghan life and community. Based on focus groups with 107 women conducted in 10…

Asset-Based Assessment in Educational Psychology: Capturing Perceptions during a Paradigm Shift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubbe, Carien; Eloff, Irma

2004-01-01

Several trends are compelling educational psychologists towards a philosophy of assessment that is asset-based and strength focused. This article shares the results from a study that explored perceptions about asset-based assessment in Educational Psychology in South Africa. Three focus groups were held and four main themes emerged from the…

Guidance on Performing Focused Ethnographies with an Emphasis on Healthcare Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higginbottom, Gina M. A.; Pillay, Jennifer J.; Boadu, Nana Y.

2013-01-01

Focused ethnographies can have meaningful and useful application in primary care, community, or hospital healthcare practice, and are often used to determine ways to improve care and care processes. They can be pragmatic and efficient ways to capture data on a specific topic of importance to individual clinicians or clinical specialties. While…

"It's Changed Everything": Voices of Veterans in the Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services Program.

PubMed

Mahoney, Ellen K; Milliken, Aimee; Mahoney, Kevin J; Edwards-Orr, Merle; Willis, Danny G

2018-04-05

The purpose of this study was to understand the value and impact of the Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services program (VD-HCBS) on Veterans' lives in their own voices. Focus groups and individual interviews by telephone were conducted to elicit participant perspectives on what was most meaningful, and what difference VD-HCBS made in their lives. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. The sample included 21 Veterans, with a mean age of 66±14, enrolled in VD-HCBS an average of 20.8 months. All were at risk of institutional placement based on their level of disability. Five major categories captured the information provided by participants: What a Difference Choice Makes; I'm a Person!; It's a Home-Saver; Coming Back to Life; and Keeping Me Healthy & Safe. Participants described the program as life changing. This study is the first time that Veterans themselves have identified the ways in which VD-HCBS impacted their lives, uncovering the mechanisms underlying positive outcomes. These categories revealed new ways of understanding VD-HCBS as an innovative approach to meeting the person-centered needs of Veterans wishing to remain at home, while experiencing quality care and leading meaningful lives, areas identified as priorities for improving long term services and supports.

Healthcare resource utilisation by patients with coronary heart disease receiving a lifestyle-focused text message support program: an analysis from the TEXT ME study.

PubMed

Thakkar, Jay; Redfern, Julie; Khan, Ehsan; Atkins, Emily; Ha, Jeffrey; Vo, Kha; Thiagalingam, Aravinda; Chow, Clara K

2018-05-23

The 'Tobacco, Exercise and Diet Messages' (TEXT ME) study was a 6-month, single-centre randomised clinical trial (RCT) that found a text message support program improved levels of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The current analyses examined whether receipt of text messages influenced participants' engagement with conventional healthcare resources. The TEXT ME study database (N=710) was linked with routinely collected health department databases. Number of doctor consultations, investigations and cardiac medication prescriptions in the two study groups were compared. The most frequently accessed health service was consultations with a General Practitioner (mean 7.1, s.d. 5.4). The numbers of medical consultations, biochemical tests or cardiac-specific investigations were similar between the study groups. There was at least one prescription registered for statin, ACEI/ARBs and β-blockers in 79, 66 and 50% of patients respectively, with similar refill rates in both the study groups. The study identified TEXT ME text messaging program did not increase use of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) captured healthcare services. The observed benefits of TEXT ME reflect direct effects of intervention independent of conventional healthcare resource engagement.

Energy and material balance of CO2 capture from ambient air.

PubMed

Zeman, Frank

2007-11-01

Current Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies focus on large, stationary sources that produce approximately 50% of global CO2 emissions. We propose an industrial technology that captures CO2 directly from ambient air to target the remaining emissions. First, a wet scrubbing technique absorbs CO2 into a sodium hydroxide solution. The resultant carbonate is transferred from sodium ions to calcium ions via causticization. The captured CO2 is released from the calcium carbonate through thermal calcination in a modified kiln. The energy consumption is calculated as 350 kJ/mol of CO2 captured. It is dominated by the thermal energy demand of the kiln and the mechanical power required for air movement. The low concentration of CO2 in air requires a throughput of 3 million cubic meters of air per ton of CO2 removed, which could result in significant water losses. Electricity consumption in the process results in CO2 emissions and the use of coal power would significantly reduce to net amount captured. The thermodynamic efficiency of this process is low but comparable to other "end of pipe" capture technologies. As another carbon mitigation technology, air capture could allow for the continued use of liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the transportation sector.

Choices of capture chromatography technology in antibody manufacturing processes.

PubMed

DiLeo, Michael; Ley, Arthur; Nixon, Andrew E; Chen, Jie

2017-11-15

The capture process employed in monoclonal antibody downstream purification is not only the most critically impacted process by increased antibody titer resulting from optimized mammalian cell culture expression systems, but also the most important purification step in determining overall process throughput, product quality, and economics. Advances in separation technology for capturing antibodies from complex feedstocks have been one focus of downstream purification process innovation for past 10 years. In this study, we evaluated new generation chromatography resins used in the antibody capture process including Protein A, cation exchange, and mixed mode chromatography to address the benefits and unique challenges posed by each chromatography approach. Our results demonstrate the benefit of improved binding capacity of new generation Protein A resins, address the concern of high concentration surge caused aggregation when using new generation cation exchange resins with over 100mg/mL binding capacity, and highlight the potential of multimodal cation exchange resins for capture process design. The new landscape of capture chromatography technologies provides options to achieve overall downstream purification outcome with high product quality and process efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

WORKING WITH WHAEM2000: CAPTURE ZONE DELINEATION FOR A CITY WELLFIELD IN A VALLEY FILL GLACIAL OUTWASH AQUIFER SUPPORTING WELLHEAD PROTECTION

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this document is to introduce through a case study the use of the ground water geohydrology computer program WhAEM for Microsoft Windows (32-bit), or WhAEM2000. WhAEM2000 is a public domain, ground-water flow model designed to facilitate capture zone delineation an...

Military Police Operations and Counterinsurgency

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

that deceitfully advertised PRUs as assassination squads. In reality most PRU operations ended in the successful capture and prosecution of VCI...and neutralize Kimathi whose capture " virtually ended Mau Mau resistence" (Asprey, 886). This campaign analysis will use the following categories to...for special access programs. , 3.10. Employs specialized investigative techniques to include forensic and t:>ehavioral sciencell and hypnosis . 3.11

State and Regional Control of Geological Carbon Sequestration

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

Reitze, Arnold; Durrant, Marie

2011-03-01

The United States has economically recoverable coal reserves of about 261 billion tons, which is in excess of a 250-­year supply based on 2009 consumption rates. However, in the near future the use of coal may be legally restricted because of concerns over the effects of its combustion on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Carbon capture and geologic sequestration offer one method to reduce carbon emissions from coal and other hydrocarbon energy production. While the federal government is providing increased funding for carbon capture and sequestration, recent congressional legislative efforts to create a framework for regulating carbon emissions have failed. However,more » regional and state bodies have taken significant actions both to regulate carbon and facilitate its capture and sequestration. This article explores how regional bodies and state government are addressing the technical and legal problems that must be resolved in order to have a viable carbon sequestration program. Several regional bodies have formed regulations and model laws that affect carbon capture and storage, and three bodies comprising twenty-three states—the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Midwest Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord, and the Western Climate initiative—have cap-­and-trade programs in various stages of development. State property, land use and environmental laws affect the development and implementation of carbon capture and sequestration projects, and unless federal standards are imposed, state laws on torts and renewable portfolio requirements will directly affect the liability and viability of these projects. This paper examines current state laws and legislative efforts addressing carbon capture and sequestration.« less

Recent progress in ab-initio studies of nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest with A ≤ 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcucci, Laura E.

2018-03-01

We review the most recent theoretical studies of nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest involving few-nucleon systems. In particular, we focus on the consequences for the solar neutrino fluxes of the recent determination for the astrophysical S-factor of the proton weak capture by proton, and on the radiative capture of protons by deuterons in the energy range of interest for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis.

Residency research requirements and the CanMEDS-FM scholar role

PubMed Central

Koo, Jonathan; Bains, Jason; Collins, Marisa B.; Dharamsi, Shafik

2012-01-01

Abstract Objective To explore the perspectives of family medicine residents and recent family medicine graduates on the research requirements and other CanMEDS scholar competencies in family practice residency training. Design Semistructured focus groups and individual interviews. Setting Family practice residency program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Participants Convenience sample of 6 second-year family medicine residents and 6 family physicians who had graduated from the University of British Columbia family practice residency program within the previous 5 years. Methods Two focus groups with residents and individual interviews with each of the 6 recently graduated physicians. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed for thematic content. Main findings Three themes emerged that captured key issues around research requirements in family practice training: 1) relating the scholar role to family practice, 2) realizing that scholarship is more than simply the creation or discovery of new knowledge, and 3) addressing barriers to integrating research into a clinical career. Conclusion Creation of new medical knowledge is just one aspect of the CanMEDS scholar role, and more attention should be paid to the other competencies, including teaching, enhancing professional activities through ongoing learning, critical appraisal of information, and learning how to better contribute to the dissemination, application, and translation of knowledge. Research is valued as important, but opinions still vary as to whether a formal research study should be required in residency. Completion of residency research projects is viewed as somewhat rewarding, but with an equivocal effect on future research intentions. PMID:22859631

Particle-In-Cell Modeling For MJ Dense Plasma Focus with Varied Anode Shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Link, A.; Halvorson, C.; Schmidt, A.; Hagen, E. C.; Rose, D.; Welch, D.

2014-10-01

Megajoule scale dense plasma focus (DPF) Z-pinches with deuterium gas fill are compact devices capable of producing 1012 neutrons per shot but past predictive models of large-scale DPF have not included kinetic effects such as ion beam formation or anomalous resistivity. We report on progress of developing a predictive DPF model by extending our 2D axisymmetric collisional kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to the 1 MJ, 2 MA Gemini DPF using the PIC code LSP. These new simulations incorporate electrodes, an external pulsed-power driver circuit, and model the plasma from insulator lift-off through the pinch phase. The simulations were performed using a new hybrid fluid-to-kinetic model transitioning from a fluid description to a fully kinetic PIC description during the run-in phase. Simulations are advanced through the final pinch phase using an adaptive variable time-step to capture the fs and sub-mm scales of the kinetic instabilities involved in the ion beam formation and neutron production. Results will be present on the predicted effects of different anode configurations. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (11-ERD-063) and the Computing Grand Challenge program at LLNL. This work supported by Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development within U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

40 Years of Discovery

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

Weinstein, B; Heller, A

2003-07-08

History is most interesting when seen through the eyes of those who lived it. In this 40th anniversary retrospective of bioscience research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we've asked 19 scientists to share their personal recollections about a major accomplishment in the program's history. We have not tried to create a comprehensive or seamless story. Rather, we've attempted to capture the perspectives of key individuals, each of whom worked on a research program that met significant milestones. We have focused particularly on programs and accomplishments that have shaped the current Biology and Biotechnology Research Program (BBRP). In addition, we havemore » included a timeline of biosciences at LLNL, a history of the directorate that appeared in the Laboratory's magazine, ''Science & Technology Review'', in 2002, and a list of bioscience-related articles that have appeared over the years in ''Science & Technology Review and its predecessor, Energy & Technology Review''. The landscape of biological science today is stunningly different from 40 years ago. When LLNL bioscience began in 1963, we knew about the structure of DNA and that it was the carrier of genetic information. However, it would be another year before scientists would understand how DNA codes for the production of proteins and more than a decade before the earliest DNA sequence would be known. It is sometimes difficult to remember that it was only 15 years ago that the polymerase chain reaction, a synthetic method to amplify pieces of DNA was developed, and that only within the last half-dozen years has sequence data for entire organisms begun to be available. In this publication, we have tried to capture some of the landmark and seminal research history: radiation effects studies, which were a major reason for founding the biological research program, and flow sorting and chromosome painting, which dramatically changed our ability to study DNA damage and enabled the creation of chromosome-specific clone libraries, a key step toward sequencing the human genome. Several histories relate to the Human Genome Project itself and surrounding technologies, and several to long-standing research themes such as DNA repair, food mutagens, and reproductive biology. Others describe more recent developments such as computational biology, health-care technologies, and biodefense research.« less

Monitoring of adult Lost River and shortnose suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, 2008–2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hewitt, David A.; Hayes, Brian S.

2013-01-01

Problems with inferring status and population dynamics from size composition data can be overcome by a robust capture-recapture program that follows the histories of PIT-tagged individuals. Inferences from such a program are currently hindered by poor detection rates during spawning seasons with low flows in Willow Creek, which indicate that a key assumption of capture-recapture models is violated. We suggest that the most straightforward solution to this issue would be to collect detection data during the spawning season using remote PIT tag antennas in the strait between the west and east lobes of the lake.

After-school enrichment and the activity theory: How can a management service organization assist schools with reducing the achievement gap among minority and non-minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) during the after-school hours?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flowers, Reagan D.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how a management service organization can assist schools with reducing the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) during the after-school hours. Developing a strategic plan through creating a program that provides support services for the implementation of hands-on activities in STEM for children during the after-school hours was central to this purpose. This Project Demonstrating Excellence (PDE), a social action project, also presents historical and current after-school program developments in the nation. The study is quantitative and qualitative in nature. Surveys were utilized to quantitatively capture the opinions of participants in the social action project on three specific education related issues: (1) disparity in academic motivation of students to participate in after-school STEM enrichment programs; (2) whether teachers and school administrators saw a need for STEM after-school enrichment; and (3) developing STEM after-school programs that were centered on problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills to develop students' interest in STEM careers. The sample consisted of 50 participants comprised of students, teachers, and administrators. The focus groups and interviews provided the qualitative data for the study. The qualitative sample consisted of 14 participants comprised of students, parents and teachers, administrators, an education consultant, and a corporate sponsor. The empirical data obtained from the study survey, focus groups, and interviews provided a comprehensive profile on the current views and future expectations of STEM after-school enrichment, student and school needs, and community partnerships with STEM companies. Results of the study and review of the implementation of the social action project, C-STEM (communication, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc., revealed the need and focus for STEM after-school enrichment programs in Houston, Texas. This result, along with requirements of STEM Research and Special Programs Administrations and a multiyear and multilevel strategic plan inspired by this study, led to the conceptualization, development, and implementation of C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc. at multiple schools in Houston, Texas. The purpose of C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc. is to provide hands-on support services that encourage schools, organizations and families to improve academic achievement and socioemotional development through project-based learning in communication, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (CSTEM) in grades 4-12.

Insights from Smart Meters: The Potential for Peak-Hour Savings from Behavior-Based Programs

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

Todd, Annika; Perry, Michael; Smith, Brian

The rollout of smart meters in the last several years has opened up new forms of previously unavailable energy data. Many utilities are now able in real-time to capture granular, household level interval usage data at very high-frequency levels for a large proportion of their residential and small commercial customer population. This can be linked to other time and locationspecific information, providing vast, constantly growing streams of rich data (sometimes referred to by the recently popular buzz word, “big data”). Within the energy industry there is increasing interest in tapping into the opportunities that these data can provide. What canmore » we do with all of these data? The richness and granularity of these data enable many types of creative and cutting-edge analytics. Technically sophisticated and rigorous statistical techniques can be used to pull interesting insights out of this highfrequency, human-focused data. We at LBNL are calling this “behavior analytics”. This kind of analytics has the potential to provide tremendous value to a wide range of energy programs. For example, highly disaggregated and heterogeneous information about actual energy use would allow energy efficiency (EE) and/or demand response (DR) program implementers to target specific programs to specific households; would enable evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) of energy efficiency programs to be performed on a much shorter time horizon than was previously possible; and would provide better insights in to the energy and peak hour savings associated with specifics types of EE and DR programs (e.g., behavior-based (BB) programs). In this series, “Insights from Smart Meters”, we will present concrete, illustrative examples of the type of value that insights from behavior analytics of these data can provide (as well as pointing out its limitations). We will supply several types of key findings, including: • Novel results, which answer questions the industry previously was unable to answer; • Proof-of-concept analytics tools that can be adapted and used by others; and • Guidelines and protocols that summarize analytical best practices. This report focuses on one example of the kind of value that analysis of this data can provide: insights into whether behavior-based (BB) efficiency programs have the potential to provide peak-hour energy savings.« less

Selective gas capture via kinetic trapping

DOE PAGES

Kundu, Joyjit; Pascal, Tod; Prendergast, David; ...

2016-07-13

Conventional approaches to the capture of CO 2 by metal-organic frameworks focus on equilibrium conditions, and frameworks that contain little CO 2 in equilibrium are often rejected as carbon-capture materials. Here we use a statistical mechanical model, parameterized by quantum mechanical data, to suggest that metal-organic frameworks can be used to separate CO 2 from a typical flue gas mixture when used under nonequilibrium conditions. The origin of this selectivity is an emergent gas-separation mechanism that results from the acquisition by different gas types of different mobilities within a crowded framework. The resulting distribution of gas types within the frameworkmore » is in general spatially and dynamically heterogeneous. Our results suggest that relaxing the requirement of equilibrium can substantially increase the parameter space of conditions and materials for which selective gas capture can be effected.« less

Capture versus suppression of attention by salient singletons: electrophysiological evidence for an automatic attend-to-me signal.

PubMed

Sawaki, Risa; Luck, Steven J

2010-08-01

There is considerable controversy about whether salient singletons capture attention in a bottom-up fashion, irrespective of top-down control settings. One possibility is that salient singletons always generate an attention capture signal, but this signal can be actively suppressed to avoid capture. In the present study, we investigated this issue by using event-related potential recordings, focusing on N2pc (N2-posterior-contralateral; a measure of attentional deployment) and Pd (distractor positivity; a measure of attentional suppression). Participants searched for a specific letter within one of two regions, and irrelevant color singletons were sometimes present. We found that the irrelevant singletons did not elicit N2pc but instead elicited Pd; this occurred equally within the attended and unattended regions. These findings suggest that salient singletons may automatically produce an attend-to-me signal, irrespective of top-down control settings, but this signal can be overridden by an active suppression process to prevent the actual capture of attention.

Early melanoma diagnosis with mobile imaging.

PubMed

Do, Thanh-Toan; Zhou, Yiren; Zheng, Haitian; Cheung, Ngai-Man; Koh, Dawn

2014-01-01

We research a mobile imaging system for early diagnosis of melanoma. Different from previous work, we focus on smartphone-captured images, and propose a detection system that runs entirely on the smartphone. Smartphone-captured images taken under loosely-controlled conditions introduce new challenges for melanoma detection, while processing performed on the smartphone is subject to computation and memory constraints. To address these challenges, we propose to localize the skin lesion by combining fast skin detection and fusion of two fast segmentation results. We propose new features to capture color variation and border irregularity which are useful for smartphone-captured images. We also propose a new feature selection criterion to select a small set of good features used in the final lightweight system. Our evaluation confirms the effectiveness of proposed algorithms and features. In addition, we present our system prototype which computes selected visual features from a user-captured skin lesion image, and analyzes them to estimate the likelihood of malignance, all on an off-the-shelf smartphone.

Long Term Degradation of Resin for High Temperature Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patekar, Kaustubh A.

2000-01-01

The durability of polymer matrix composites exposed to harsh environments is a major concern. Surface degradation and damage are observed in polyimide composites used in air at 125 to 300 C. It is believed that diffusion of oxygen into the material and oxidative chemical reactions in the matrix are responsible. Previous work has characterized and modeled diffusion behavior, and thermogravimetric analyses (TGAs) have been carried out in nitrogen, air, and oxygen to provide quantitative information on thermal and oxidative reactions. However, the model developed using these data was not able to capture behavior seen in isothermal tests, especially those of long duration. A test program that focuses on lower temperatures and makes use of isothermal tests was undertaken to achieve a better understanding of the degradation reactions under use conditions. A new low-cost technique was developed to collect chemical degradation data for isothermal tests lasting over 200 hr in the temperature range 125 to 300 C. Results indicate complex behavior not captured by the previous TGA tests, including the presence of weight-adding reactions. Weight gain reactions dominated in the 125 to 225 C temperature range, while weight loss reactions dominated beyond 225 C. The data obtained from isothermal tests was used to develop a new model of the material behavior. This model was able to fully capture the behavior seen in the tests up to 275 C. Correlation of the current model with both isothermal data at 300 C and high rate TGA test data is mediocre. At 300 C and above, the reaction mechanisms appear to change. Attempts (which failed) to measure non-oxidative degradation indicate that oxidative reactions dominate the degradation at low temperatures. Based on this work, long term isothermal testing in an oxidative atmosphere is recommended for studying the degradation behavior of this class of materials.

Continuous Processing With Mars Gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, Clyde; Jennings, Paul

2000-01-01

Current Martian missions call for the production of oxygen for breathing, and fuel and oxygen for propulsion to be produced from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Adsorption and freezing are the two methods considered for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. However, the nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar), which make up less than 5 percent of the atmosphere, cause difficulties with both of these processes by blocking the CO2. This results in the capture process rapidly changing from a pressure driven process to a diffusion controlled process. To increase the CO2 capture rates, some type of mechanical pump is usually proposed to remove the N2 and Ar. The N2 and Ar are useful and have been proposed for blanketing and pressurizing fuel tanks and as buffer gas for breathing air for manned missions. Separation of the Martian gases with the required purity can be accomplished with a combination of membranes. These membrane systems do not require a high feed pressure and provide suitable separation. Therefore, by use of the appropriate membrane combination with the Martian atmosphere supplied by a compressor a continuous Supply Of CO2 for fuel and oxygen production can be supplied. This phase of our program has focused on the selection of the membrane system. Since permeation data for membranes did not exist for Martian atmospheric pressures and temperatures, this information had to be compiled. The general trend as the temperature was lowered was for the membranes to become more selective. In addition, the relative permeation rates between the three gases changed with temperature. The end result was to provide design parameters that could be used to separate CO2 from N2 and Ar. This paper will present the membrane data, provide the design requirements for a compressor, and compare the results with adsorption and freezer methods.

Continuous Processing with Mars Gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, Clyde; Jennings, Paul; Delgado, Hugo (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Current Martian missions call for the production of oxygen for breathing, and fuel and oxygen for propulsion to be produced from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Adsorption and freezing are the two methods considered for capturing CO, from the atmosphere. However, the nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar), which make up less than 5 percent of the atmosphere, cause difficulties with both of these processes by blocking the CO2, This results in the capture process rapidly changing from a pressure driven process to a diffusion controlled process. To increase the CO, capture rates, some type of mechanical pump is usually proposed to remove the N2 and Ar. The N2 and Ar are useful and have been proposed for blanketing and pressurizing fuel tanks and as buffer gas for breathing air for manned missions. Separation of the Martian gases with the required purity can be accomplished with a combination of membranes. These membrane systems do not require a high feed pressure and provide suitable separation. Therefore, by use of the appropriate membrane combination with the Martian atmosphere supplied by a compressor a continuous supply of CO2 for fuel and oxygen production can be supplied. This phase of our program has focused on the selection of the membrane system. Since permeation data for membranes did not exist for Martian atmospheric pressures and temperatures, this information had to be compiled. The general trend as the temperature was lowered was for the membranes to become more selective. In addition, the relative permeation rates between the three gases changed with temperature. The end result was to provide design parameters that could be used to separate CO2 from N2 and Ar. This paper will present the membrane data, provide the design requirements for a compressor, and compare the results with adsorption and freezer methods.

Trade Space Specification Tool (TSST) for Rapid Mission Architecture (Version 1.2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yeou-Fang; Schrock, Mitchell; Borden, Chester S.; Moeller, Robert C.

2013-01-01

Trade Space Specification Tool (TSST) is designed to capture quickly ideas in the early spacecraft and mission architecture design and categorize them into trade space dimensions and options for later analysis. It is implemented as an Eclipse RCP Application, which can be run as a standalone program. Users rapidly create concept items with single clicks on a graphical canvas, and can organize and create linkages between the ideas using drag-and-drop actions within the same graphical view. Various views such as a trade view, rules view, and architecture view are provided to help users to visualize the trade space. This software can identify, explore, and assess aspects of the mission trade space, as well as capture and organize linkages/dependencies between trade space components. The tool supports a user-in-the-loop preliminary logical examination and filtering of trade space options to help identify which paths in the trade space are feasible (and preferred) and what analyses need to be done later with executable models. This tool provides multiple user views of the trade space to guide the analyst/team to facilitate interpretation and communication of the trade space components and linkages, identify gaps in combining and selecting trade space options, and guide user decision-making for which combinations of architectural options should be pursued for further evaluation. This software provides an environment to capture mission trade space elements rapidly and assist users for their architecture analysis. This is primarily focused on mission and spacecraft architecture design, rather than general-purpose design application. In addition, it provides more flexibility to create concepts and organize the ideas. The software is developed as an Eclipse plug-in and potentially can be integrated with other Eclipse-based tools.

Aerocapture Benefits to Future Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Artis, Gwen; James, Bonnie

2006-01-01

NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program is investing in technologies to revolutionize the robotic exploration of deep space. One of these technologies is Aerocapture, the most promising of the "aeroassist" techniques used to maneuver a space vehicle within an atmosphere, using aerodynamic forces in lieu of propellant. (Other aeroassist techniques include aeroentry and aerobraking.) Aerocapture relies on drag atmospheric drag to decelerate an incoming spacecraft and capture it into orbit. This technique is very attractive since it permits spacecraft to be launched from Earth at higher velocities, providing shorter trip times and saving mass and overall cost on future missions. Recent aerocapture systems analysis studies quantify the benefits of aerocapture to future exploration. The 2002 Titan aerocapture study showed that using aerocapture at Titan instead of conventional propulsive capture results in over twice as much payload delivered to Titan. Aerocapture at Venus results in almost twice the payload delivered to Venus as with aerobraking, and over six times more mass delivered into orbit than all-propulsive capture. Aerocapture at Mars shows significant benefits as the payload sizes increase and as missions become more complex. Recent Neptune aerocapture studies show that aerocapture opens up entirely new classes of missions at Neptune. Current aerocapture technology development is advancing the maturity of each subsystem technology needed for successful implementation of aerocapture on future missions. Recent development has focused on both rigid aeroshell and inflatable aerocapture systems. Rigid aeroshell systems development includes new ablative and non-ablative thermal protection systems, advanced aeroshell performance sensors, lightweight structures and higher temperature adhesives. Inflatable systems such as trailing tethered and clamped "ballutes" and inflatable aeroshells are also under development. Computational tools required to support future aerocapture missions are an integral part of aerocapture development. Tools include engineering reference atmosphere models, guidance and navigation algorithms, aerothermodynamic modeling, and flight simulation.

INEL BNCT Program: Volume 5, No. 9. Bulletin, September 1991

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

Ackermann, A.L.

1991-12-31

This Bulletin presents a summary of accomplishments and highlights of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory`s (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Program for September 1991. This bulletin includes information on the brain tumor and melanoma research programs, Power Burst Facility (PBF) technical support and modifications, PBF operations, and updates to the animal data charts.

Creating Social Connections in Higher Education: Insights from the Campus Canines Program at the University of Pittsburgh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camaioni, Nicole

2013-01-01

The overall purpose of this study was to capture the relationships made during the Campus Canines Program, an animal-assisted activity program, at the University of Pittsburgh. Meaningful social relationships create greater educational satisfaction. These social relationships are an important piece to creating and sustaining student involvement,…

A design of a high speed dual spectrometer by single line scan camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palawong, Kunakorn; Meemon, Panomsak

2018-03-01

A spectrometer that can capture two orthogonal polarization components of s light beam is demanded for polarization sensitive imaging system. Here, we describe the design and implementation of a high speed spectrometer for simultaneous capturing of two orthogonal polarization components, i.e. vertical and horizontal components, of light beam. The design consists of a polarization beam splitter, two polarization-maintain optical fibers, two collimators, a single line-scan camera, a focusing lens, and a reflection blaze grating. The alignment of two beam paths was designed to be symmetrically incident on the blaze side and reverse blaze side of reflection grating, respectively. The two diffracted beams were passed through the same focusing lens and focused on the single line-scan sensors of a CMOS camera. The two spectra of orthogonal polarization were imaged on 1000 pixels per spectrum. With the proposed setup, the amplitude and shape of the two detected spectra can be controlled by rotating the collimators. The technique for optical alignment of spectrometer will be presented and discussed. The two orthogonal polarization spectra can be simultaneously captured at a speed of 70,000 spectra per second. The high speed dual spectrometer can simultaneously detected two orthogonal polarizations, which is an important component for the development of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. The performance of the spectrometer have been measured and analyzed.

Checkmate: Capturing Gifted Students' Logical Thinking Using Chess.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rifner, Philip J.; Feldhusen, John F.

1997-01-01

Describes the use of chess instruction to develop abstract thinking skills and problem solving among gifted students. Offers suggestions for starting school chess programs, teaching and evaluating chess skills, and measuring the success of both student-players and the program in general. (PB)

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: FIELD ANALYTICAL SCREENING PROGRAM: PCB METHOD - U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPA Science Inventory

The field analytical screening program (FASP) polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) method uses a temperature-programmable gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with an electron capture detector (ECD) to identify and quantify PCBs. Gas chromatography is an EPA-approved method for determi...

FIELD ANALYTICAL SCREENING PROGRAM: PCP METHOD - INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

The Field Analytical Screening Program (FASP) pentachlorophenol (PCP) method uses a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a megabore capillary column and flame ionization detector (FID) and electron capture detector (ECD) to identify and quantify PCP. The FASP PCP method is design...

Project Integration Architecture (PIA) and Computational Analysis Programming Interface (CAPRI) for Accessing Geometry Data from CAD Files

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benyo, Theresa L.

2002-01-01

Integration of a supersonic inlet simulation with a computer aided design (CAD) system is demonstrated. The integration is performed using the Project Integration Architecture (PIA). PIA provides a common environment for wrapping many types of applications. Accessing geometry data from CAD files is accomplished by incorporating appropriate function calls from the Computational Analysis Programming Interface (CAPRI). CAPRI is a CAD vendor neutral programming interface that aids in acquiring geometry data directly from CAD files. The benefits of wrapping a supersonic inlet simulation into PIA using CAPRI are; direct access of geometry data, accurate capture of geometry data, automatic conversion of data units, CAD vendor neutral operation, and on-line interactive history capture. This paper describes the PIA and the CAPRI wrapper and details the supersonic inlet simulation demonstration.

Analysis and Modeling of Ground Operations at Hub Airports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atkins, Stephen (Technical Monitor); Andersson, Kari; Carr, Francis; Feron, Eric; Hall, William D.

2000-01-01

Building simple and accurate models of hub airports can considerably help one understand airport dynamics, and may provide quantitative estimates of operational airport improvements. In this paper, three models are proposed to capture the dynamics of busy hub airport operations. Two simple queuing models are introduced to capture the taxi-out and taxi-in processes. An integer programming model aimed at representing airline decision-making attempts to capture the dynamics of the aircraft turnaround process. These models can be applied for predictive purposes. They may also be used to evaluate control strategies for improving overall airport efficiency.

Evaluation of Solid Sorbents as a Retrofit Technology for CO 2 Capture

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

Sjostrom, Sharon

2016-06-02

ADA completed a DOE-sponsored program titled Evaluation of Solid Sorbents as a Retrofit Technology for CO 2 Capture under program DE-FE0004343. During this program, sorbents were analyzed for use in a post-combustion CO 2 capture process. A supported amine sorbent was selected based upon superior performance to adsorb a greater amount of CO 2 than the activated carbon sorbents tested. When the most ideal sorbent at the time was selected, it was characterized and used to create a preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA). A preliminary 550 MW coal-fired power plant using Illinois #6 bituminous coal was designed with a solid sorbentmore » CO 2 capture system using the selected supported amine sorbent to both facilitate the TEA and to create the necessary framework to scale down the design to a 1 MWe equivalent slipstream pilot facility. The preliminary techno-economic analysis showed promising results and potential for improved performance for CO 2 capture compared to conventional MEA systems. As a result, a 1 MWe equivalent solid sorbent system was designed, constructed, and then installed at a coal-fired power plant in Alabama. The pilot was designed to capture 90% of the CO 2 from the incoming flue gas at 1 MWe net electrical generating equivalent. Testing was not possible at the design conditions due to changes in sorbent handling characteristics at post-regenerator temperatures that were not properly incorporated into the pilot design. Thus, severe pluggage occurred at nominally 60% of the design sorbent circulation rate with heated sorbent, although no handling issues were noted when the system was operated prior to bringing the regenerator to operating temperature. Testing within the constraints of the pilot plant resulted in 90% capture of the incoming CO 2 at a flow rate equivalent of 0.2 to 0.25 MWe net electrical generating equivalent. The reduction in equivalent flow rate at 90% capture was primarily the result of sorbent circulation limitations at operating temperatures combined with pre-loading of the sorbent with CO 2 prior to entering the adsorber. Specifically, CO 2-rich gas was utilized to convey sorbent from the regenerator to the adsorber. This gas was nominally 45°C below the regenerator temperature during testing. ADA’s post-combustion capture system with modifications to overcome pilot constraints, in conjunction with incorporating a sorbent with CO 2 working capacity of 15 g CO 2/100 g sorbent and a contact time of 10 to 15 minutes or less with flue gas could provide significant cost and performance benefits when compared to an MEA system.« less

Influence of trap modifications and environmental predictors on capture success of southern flying squirrels

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacques, Christopher N.; Zweep, James S.; Scheihing, Mary E.; Rechkemmer, Will T.; Jenkins, Sean E.; Klaver, Robert W.; Dubay, Shelli A.

2017-01-01

Sherman traps are the most commonly used live traps in studies of small mammals and have been successfully used in the capture of arboreal species such as the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). However, southern flying squirrels spend proportionately less time foraging on the ground, which necessitates above-ground trapping methods and modifications of capture protocols. Further, quantitative estimates of the factors affecting capture success of flying squirrel populations have focused solely on effects of trapping methodologies. We developed and evaluated the efficacy of a portable Sherman trap design for capturing southern flying squirrels during 2015–2016 at the Alice L. Kibbe Field Station, Illinois, USA. Additionally, we used logistic regression to quantify potential effects of time-dependent (e.g., weather) and time-independent (e.g., habitat, extrinsic) factors on capture success of southern flying squirrels. We recorded 165 capture events (119 F, 44 M, 2 unknown) using our modified Sherman trap design. Probability of capture success decreased 0.10/1° C increase in daily maximum temperature and by 0.09/unit increase (km/hr) in wind speed. Conversely, probability of capture success increased by 1.2/1° C increase in daily minimum temperature. The probability of capturing flying squirrels was negatively associated with trap orientation. When tree-mounted traps are required, our modified trap design is a safe, efficient, and cost-effective method of capturing animals when moderate weather (temp and wind speed) conditions prevail. Further, we believe that strategic placement of traps (e.g., northeast side of tree) and quantitative information on site-specific (e.g., trap location) characteristics (e.g., topographical features, slope, aspect, climatologic factors) could increase southern flying squirrel capture success. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

NASA/MOD Operations Impacts from Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzpatrick, Michael; Mattes, Gregory; Grabois, Michael; Griffith, Holly

2011-01-01

Operations plays a pivotal role in the success of any human spaceflight program. This paper will highlight some of the core tenets of spaceflight operations from a systems perspective and use several examples from the Space Shuttle Program to highlight where the success and safety of a mission can hinge upon the preparedness and competency of the operations team. Further, awareness of the types of operations scenarios and impacts that can arise during human crewed space missions can help inform design and mission planning decisions long before a vehicle gets into orbit. A strong operations team is crucial to the development of future programs; capturing the lessons learned from the successes and failures of a past program will allow for safer, more efficient, and better designed programs in the future. No matter how well a vehicle is designed and constructed, there are always unexpected events or failures that occur during space flight missions. Preparation, training, real-time execution, and troubleshooting are skills and values of the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) flight controller; these operational standards have proven invaluable to the Space Shuttle Program. Understanding and mastery of these same skills will be required of any operations team as technology advances and new vehicles are developed. This paper will focus on individual Space Shuttle mission case studies where specific operational skills, techniques, and preparedness allowed for mission safety and success. It will detail the events leading up to the scenario or failure, how the operations team identified and dealt with the failure and its downstream impacts. The various options for real-time troubleshooting will be discussed along with the operations team final recommendation, execution, and outcome. Finally, the lessons learned will be summarized along with an explanation of how these lessons were used to improve the operational preparedness of future flight control teams.

Phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer focus-aid enhanced mask

DOEpatents

Naulleau, Patrick

2000-01-01

A phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer system (PS/PDI) employing a PS/PDI mask that includes a PDI focus aid is provided. The PDI focus aid mask includes a large or secondary reference pinhole that is slightly displaced from the true or primary reference pinhole. The secondary pinhole provides a larger capture tolerance for interferometrically performing fine focus. With the focus-aid enhanced mask, conventional methods such as the knife-edge test can be used to perform an initial (or rough) focus and the secondary (large) pinhole is used to perform interferometric fine focus. Once the system is well focused, high accuracy interferometry can be performed using the primary (small) pinhole.

Redesigning the Traditional Business Gaming Process: Aiming to Capture Business Process Authenticity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lainema, Timo

2004-01-01

The constantly changing business environment has forced many organizations to move away from focusing on individual tasks and functions to focusing on more integrated and coordinated ways of work. Higher-level business and information systems (IS) education is also in a state of change, as the traditional curriculum does not coincide with business…

The Socio-Cultural and Learning Experiences of Music Students in a British University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dibben, Nicola

2006-01-01

Research into student experience in Higher Education has largely focused on students' role as learners. However, the student experience encompasses a much wider range of behaviours and beliefs than can be captured through a focus on teaching and learning alone. I report the findings of a research project which explored student experience in the…

Examining the Relationship between Comparative and Self-Focused Academic Data Visualizations in At-Risk College Students' Academic Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguilar, Stephen J.

2018-01-01

This qualitative study focuses on capturing students' understanding two visualizations often utilized by learning analytics-based educational technologies: bar graphs, and line graphs. It is framed by Achievement Goal Theory--a prominent theory of students' academic motivation--and utilizes interviews (n = 60) to investigate how students at risk…

U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture Accomplishments in Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2014-01-01

The NASA U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture (KC) program has existed since the beginning of 2008. The program was designed to augment engineers and other technical team members with historical spacesuit information to add to their understanding of the spacesuit, its evolution, its limitations, and its capabilities. Over 40 seminars have captured spacesuit history and knowledge over the last six years of the program's existence. Subject matter experts have provided lectures and some were interviewed to help bring the spacesuit to life so that lessons learned will never be lost. As well, the program concentrated in reaching out to the public and industry by making the recorded events part of the public domain through the NASA technical library through YouTube media. The U.S. Spacesuit KC topics have included lessons learned from some of the most prominent spacesuit experts and spacesuit users including current and former astronauts. The events have enriched the spacesuit legacy knowledge from Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs. As well, expert engineers and scientists have shared their challenges and successes to be remembered. Based on evidence by the thousands of people who have viewed the recordings online, the last few years have been some of the most successful years of the KC program's life with numerous digital recordings and public releases. This paper reviews the events accomplished and archived over Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 and highlights a few of the most memorable ones. This paper also communicates ways to access the events that are available internally on the NASA domain as well as those released on the public domain.

Truth in Reporting: How Data Capture Methods Obfuscate Actual Surgical Site Infection Rates within a Health Care Network System.

PubMed

Bordeianou, Liliana; Cauley, Christy E; Antonelli, Donna; Bird, Sarah; Rattner, David; Hutter, Matthew; Mahmood, Sadiqa; Schnipper, Deborah; Rubin, Marc; Bleday, Ronald; Kenney, Pardon; Berger, David

2017-01-01

Two systems measure surgical site infection rates following colorectal surgeries: the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pay-for-performance initiatives use National Healthcare Safety Network data for hospital comparisons. This study aimed to compare database concordance. This is a multi-institution cohort study of systemwide Colorectal Surgery Collaborative. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program requires rigorous, standardized data capture techniques; National Healthcare Safety Network allows 5 data capture techniques. Standardized surgical site infection rates were compared between databases. The Cohen κ-coefficient was calculated. This study was conducted at Boston-area hospitals. National Healthcare Safety Network or National Surgical Quality Improvement Program patients undergoing colorectal surgery were included. Standardized surgical site infection rates were the primary outcomes of interest. Thirty-day surgical site infection rates of 3547 (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) vs 5179 (National Healthcare Safety Network) colorectal procedures (2012-2014). Discrepancies appeared: National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database of hospital 1 (N = 1480 patients) routinely found surgical site infection rates of approximately 10%, routinely deemed rate "exemplary" or "as expected" (100%). National Healthcare Safety Network data from the same hospital and time period (N = 1881) revealed a similar overall surgical site infection rate (10%), but standardized rates were deemed "worse than national average" 80% of the time. Overall, hospitals using less rigorous capture methods had improved surgical site infection rates for National Healthcare Safety Network compared with standardized National Surgical Quality Improvement Program reports. The correlation coefficient between standardized infection rates was 0.03 (p = 0.88). During 25 site-time period observations, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and National Healthcare Safety Network data matched for 52% of observations (13/25). κ = 0.10 (95% CI, -0.1366 to 0.3402; p = 0.403), indicating poor agreement. This study investigated hospitals located in the Northeastern United States only. Variation in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-mandated National Healthcare Safety Network infection surveillance methodology leads to unreliable results, which is apparent when these results are compared with standardized data. High-quality data would improve care quality and compare outcomes among institutions.

Modeling Thermally Driven Flow Problems with a Grid-Free Vortex Filament Scheme: Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-02-01

provision has been made to include grid-free energy particles and thus a capability of capturing 2-way coupling between momentum and energy via barotropic...vorticity generation associated with thermal gradients. The validation studies have focused on natural convection following a release of energy into...a stagnant field and show that this new method is capable of capturing the correct physics of 3-D natural convection problems. vortex filament, energy

76 FR 330 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-04

... USFWS initiated a capture-based research program starting in 2008 on the sea ice off the Chukchi Sea coastline. Captures occur on the sea ice up to 100 mi (161 km) offshore of the Alaskan coastline between Shishmaref and Cape Lisburne (see Figure 1 in the USFWS' application). Take of ice seals may occur when the...

Improving the image discontinuous problem by using color temperature mapping method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeng, Wei-De; Mang, Ou-Yang; Lai, Chien-Cheng; Wu, Hsien-Ming

2011-09-01

This article mainly focuses on image processing of radial imaging capsule endoscope (RICE). First, it used the radial imaging capsule endoscope (RICE) to take the images, the experimental used a piggy to get the intestines and captured the images, but the images captured by RICE were blurred due to the RICE has aberration problems in the image center and lower light uniformity affect the image quality. To solve the problems, image processing can use to improve it. Therefore, the images captured by different time can use Person correlation coefficient algorithm to connect all the images, and using the color temperature mapping way to improve the discontinuous problem in the connection region.

Focus characterization at an X-ray free-electron laser by coherent scattering and speckle analysis

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

Sikorski, Marcin; Song, Sanghoon; Schropp, Andreas

2015-04-14

X-ray focus optimization and characterization based on coherent scattering and quantitative speckle size measurements was demonstrated at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Its performance as a single-pulse free-electron laser beam diagnostic was tested for two typical focusing configurations. The results derived from the speckle size/shape analysis show the effectiveness of this technique in finding the focus' location, size and shape. In addition, its single-pulse compatibility enables users to capture pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in focus properties compared with other techniques that require scanning and averaging.

Technology Cost and Schedule Estimation (TCASE) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Jon; Schaffer, Mark

2015-01-01

During the 2014-2015 project year, the focus of the TCASE project has shifted from collection of historical data from many sources to securing a data pipeline between TCASE and NASA's widely used TechPort system. TCASE v1.0 implements a data import solution that was achievable within the project scope, while still providing the basis for a long-term ability to keep TCASE in sync with TechPort. Conclusion: TCASE data quantity is adequate and the established data pipeline will enable future growth. Data quality is now highly dependent the quality of data in TechPort. Recommendation: Technology development organizations within NASA should continue to work closely with project/program data tracking and archiving efforts (e.g. TechPort) to ensure that the right data is being captured at the appropriate quality level. TCASE would greatly benefit, for example, if project cost/budget information was included in TechPort in the future.

Image analysis of ocular fundus for retinopathy characterization

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

Ushizima, Daniela; Cuadros, Jorge

2010-02-05

Automated analysis of ocular fundus images is a common procedure in countries as England, including both nonemergency examination and retinal screening of patients with diabetes mellitus. This involves digital image capture and transmission of the images to a digital reading center for evaluation and treatment referral. In collaboration with the Optometry Department, University of California, Berkeley, we have tested computer vision algorithms to segment vessels and lesions in ground-truth data (DRIVE database) and hundreds of images of non-macular centric and nonuniform illumination views of the eye fundus from EyePACS program. Methods under investigation involve mathematical morphology (Figure 1) for imagemore » enhancement and pattern matching. Recently, we have focused in more efficient techniques to model the ocular fundus vasculature (Figure 2), using deformable contours. Preliminary results show accurate segmentation of vessels and high level of true-positive microaneurysms.« less

A Computer Model of Insect Traps in a Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoukis, Nicholas C.; Hall, Brian; Geib, Scott M.

2014-11-01

Attractant-based trap networks are important elements of invasive insect detection, pest control, and basic research programs. We present a landscape-level, spatially explicit model of trap networks, focused on detection, that incorporates variable attractiveness of traps and a movement model for insect dispersion. We describe the model and validate its behavior using field trap data on networks targeting two species, Ceratitis capitata and Anoplophora glabripennis. Our model will assist efforts to optimize trap networks by 1) introducing an accessible and realistic mathematical characterization of the operation of a single trap that lends itself easily to parametrization via field experiments and 2) allowing direct quantification and comparison of sensitivity between trap networks. Results from the two case studies indicate that the relationship between number of traps and their spatial distribution and capture probability under the model is qualitatively dependent on the attractiveness of the traps, a result with important practical consequences.

Determination of Pyrethroids through Liquid-Liquid Extraction and GC-ECD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, B.

2010-12-01

Storm water samples from various locations in San Diego Creek and Newport Bay watershed, southern California, were taken to study the occurrence and fate of pyrethroids. This study focused on four commonly used pyrethroids: bifenthrin, cypermethrin, permethrin, and fenpropathrin. Since the ban of DDT, usage of pyrethroids became an effective second choice. However, pyrethroids are extremely toxic to fish and aquatic organisms. They can pass through secondary wastewater treatment system, causing the final effluent to be in lethal doses to aquatic invertebrates and some insects such as mayflies. Hence, it is necessary to monitor the amount of pyrethroid concentration in storm water. As a part of this study, I attended the RISE internship program at Stanford University in this summer. In the seven weeks, I learned liquid-liquid extraction, water-bath evaporation, nitrogen evaporation, and gas chromatography-electron capture detector techniques to extract and detect the pyrethroid residues in the water sample.

Plan recognition and generalization in command languages with application to telerobotics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yared, Wael I.; Sheridan, Thomas B.

1991-01-01

A method for pragmatic inference as a necessary accompaniment to command languages is proposed. The approach taken focuses on the modeling and recognition of the human operator's intent, which relates sequences of domain actions ('plans') to changes in some model of the task environment. The salient feature of this module is that it captures some of the physical and linguistic contextual aspects of an instruction. This provides a basis for generalization and reinterpretation of the instruction in different task environments. The theoretical development is founded on previous work in computational linguistics and some recent models in the theory of action and intention. To illustrate these ideas, an experimental command language to a telerobot is implemented. The program consists of three different components: a robot graphic simulation, the command language itself, and the domain-independent pragmatic inference module. Examples of task instruction processes are provided to demonstrate the benefits of this approach.

Counselor Assessments of Training and Adoption Barriers

PubMed Central

Bartholomew, Norma G.; Joe, George W.; Rowan-Szal, Grace A.; Simpson, D. Dwayne

2007-01-01

The prevailing emphasis on adoption of evidence-based practices suggests more focused training evaluations are needed that capture factors in clinician decisions to use new techniques. This includes relationships of post-conference evaluations with subsequent adoption of training materials. Training assessments were therefore collected at two time points from substance abuse treatment counselors who attended training on dual diagnosis and on therapeutic alliance as part of a state-sponsored conference. Customized evaluations were collected to assess counselor perceptions of training quality, relevance, and resources in relation to its utilization during the 6 months following the conference. Higher ratings for relevance of training concepts and materials to service needs of clients, desire to have additional training, and level of program support were each related to greater trial usage during the follow-up period. Primary resource-related and procedural barriers cited by counselors included lack of time and redundancy with existing practices. PMID:17434707

A pilot randomized trial teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction to traumatized youth in foster care.

PubMed

Jee, Sandra H; Couderc, Jean-Philippe; Swanson, Dena; Gallegos, Autumn; Hilliard, Cammie; Blumkin, Aaron; Cunningham, Kendall; Heinert, Sara

2015-08-01

This article presents a pilot project implementing a mindfulness-based stress reduction program among traumatized youth in foster and kinship care over 10 weeks. Forty-two youth participated in this randomized controlled trial that used a mixed-methods (quantitative, qualitative, and physiologic) evaluation. Youth self-report measuring mental health problems, mindfulness, and stress were lower than anticipated, and the relatively short time-frame to teach these skills to traumatized youth may not have been sufficient to capture significant changes in stress as measured by electrocardiograms. Main themes from qualitative data included expressed competence in managing ongoing stress, enhanced self-awareness, and new strategies to manage stress. We share our experiences and recommendations for future research and practice, including focusing efforts on younger youth, and using community-based participatory research principles to promote engagement and co-learning. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: Protocol Registration System ID NCT01708291. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systems Biology-Driven Hypotheses Tested In Vivo: The Need to Advancing Molecular Imaging Tools.

PubMed

Verma, Garima; Palombo, Alessandro; Grigioni, Mauro; La Monaca, Morena; D'Avenio, Giuseppe

2018-01-01

Processing and interpretation of biological images may provide invaluable insights on complex, living systems because images capture the overall dynamics as a "whole." Therefore, "extraction" of key, quantitative morphological parameters could be, at least in principle, helpful in building a reliable systems biology approach in understanding living objects. Molecular imaging tools for system biology models have attained widespread usage in modern experimental laboratories. Here, we provide an overview on advances in the computational technology and different instrumentations focused on molecular image processing and analysis. Quantitative data analysis through various open source software and algorithmic protocols will provide a novel approach for modeling the experimental research program. Besides this, we also highlight the predictable future trends regarding methods for automatically analyzing biological data. Such tools will be very useful to understand the detailed biological and mathematical expressions under in-silico system biology processes with modeling properties.

Wings in Orbit: Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle, 1971-2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Wayne (Editor); Lane, Helen (Editor); Chapline, Gail (Editor); Lulla, Kamlesh (Editor)

2011-01-01

The Space Shuttle is an engineering marvel perhaps only exceeded by the station itself. The shuttle was based on the technology of the 1960s and early 1970s. It had to overcome significant challenges to make it reusable. Perhaps the greatest challenges were the main engines and the Thermal Protection System. The program has seen terrible tragedy in its 3 decades of operation, yet it has also seen marvelous success. One of the most notable successes is the Hubble Space Telescope, a program that would have been a failure without the shuttle's capability to rendezvous, capture, repair, as well as upgrade. Now Hubble is a shining example of success admired by people around the world. As the program comes to a close, it is important to capture the legacy of the shuttle for future generations. That is what "Wings In Orbit" does for space fans, students, engineers, and scientists. This book, written by the men and women who made the program possible, will serve as an excellent reference for building future space vehicles. We are proud to have played a small part in making it happen. Our journey to document the scientific and engineering accomplishments of this magnificent winged vehicle began with an audacious proposal: to capture the passion of those who devoted their energies to its success while answering the question "What are the most significant accomplishments?" of the longestoperating human spaceflight program in our nation s history. This is intended to be an honest, accurate, and easily understandable account of the research and innovation accomplished during the era.

Engineered Resilient Systems: Knowledge Capture and Transfer

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-29

development, but the work has not progressed significantly. 71 Peter Kall and Stein W. Wallace, Stochastic Programming, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1994...John Wiley and Sons: Hoboken, 2008. Peter Kall and Stein W. Wallace, Stochastic Programming, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1994. Rhodes, D.H., Lamb

Simulations of a dense plasma focus on a high impedance generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beresnyak, Andrey; Giuliani, John; Jackson, Stuart; Richardson, Steve; Swanekamp, Steve; Schumer, Joe; Commisso, Robert; Mosher, Dave; Weber, Bruce; Velikovich, Alexander

2017-10-01

We study the connection between plasma instabilities and fast ion acceleration for neutron production on a Dense Plasma Focus (DPF). The experiments will be performed on the HAWK generator (665 kA), which has fast rise time, 1.2 μs, and a high inductance, 607 nH. It is hypothesized that high impedance may enhance the neutron yield because the current will not be reduced during the collapse resulting in higher magnetization. To prevent upstream breakdown, we will inject plasma far from the insulator stack. We simulated rundown and collapse dynamics with Athena - Eulerian 3D, unsplit finite volume MHD code that includes shock capturing with Riemann solvers, resistive diffusion and the Hall term. The simulations are coupled to an equivalent circuit model for HAWK. We will report the dynamics and implosion time as a function of the initial injected plasma distribution and the implications of non-ideal effects. We also traced test particles in MHD fields and confirmed the presence of stochastic acceleration, which was limited by the size of the system and the strength of the magnetic field. Supported by DOE/NNSA and the Naval Research Laboratory Base Program.

Barriers to health service access among female migrant Ugandan sex workers in Guangzhou, China.

PubMed

Davis, Alissa; Meyerson, Beth E; Aghaulor, Blessing; Brown, Katherine; Watson, Adisyn; Muessig, Kathryn E; Yang, Ligang; Tucker, Joseph D

2016-10-14

Increased trade between China and Uganda has fueled trafficking of female Ugandans into China. These women may face challenges accessing health services. This study focused on examining barriers to health care access among female Ugandan sex workers in China. In 2014, we undertook in-depth interviews with 19 female Ugandan sex workers in Guangzhou, China. Interviews focused on barriers to health service access and were analyzed using an a priori coding framework followed by open-coding to capture emergent themes. Out of 19 women, 12 women reported a history of being trafficked into China. None of the women had a valid Chinese visa. Fear of being arrested for lack of documentation discouraged women in this sample from accessing hospital services. Low pay, housing exploitation, and remittances contributed to participants' lack of financial resources, which further inhibited their ability to access health services. Participants expressed feeling social isolation from the local community and reported mistrust of local individuals and organizations, including hospitals. Ugandan sex workers in China faced substantial structural barriers that limited health service access. Policy changes and the development of new programs are urgently needed to ensure these women have improved access to health services.

Perceptual Learning Induces Persistent Attentional Capture by Nonsalient Shapes.

PubMed

Qu, Zhe; Hillyard, Steven A; Ding, Yulong

2017-02-01

Visual attention can be attracted automatically by salient simple features, but whether and how nonsalient complex stimuli such as shapes may capture attention in humans remains unclear. Here, we present strong electrophysiological evidence that a nonsalient shape presented among similar shapes can provoke a robust and persistent capture of attention as a consequence of extensive training in visual search (VS) for that shape. Strikingly, this attentional capture that followed perceptual learning (PL) was evident even when the trained shape was task-irrelevant, was presented outside the focus of top-down spatial attention, and was undetected by the observer. Moreover, this attentional capture persisted for at least 3-5 months after training had been terminated. This involuntary capture of attention was indexed by electrophysiological recordings of the N2pc component of the event-related brain potential, which was localized to ventral extrastriate visual cortex, and was highly predictive of stimulus-specific improvement in VS ability following PL. These findings provide the first evidence that nonsalient shapes can capture visual attention automatically following PL and challenge the prominent view that detection of feature conjunctions requires top-down focal attention. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Active chemisorption sites in functionalized ionic liquids for carbon capture.

PubMed

Cui, Guokai; Wang, Jianji; Zhang, Suojiang

2016-07-25

Development of novel technologies for the efficient and reversible capture of CO2 is highly desired. In the last decade, CO2 capture using ionic liquids has attracted intensive attention from both academia and industry, and has been recognized as a very promising technology. Recently, a new approach has been developed for highly efficient capture of CO2 by site-containing ionic liquids through chemical interaction. This perspective review focuses on the recent advances in the chemical absorption of CO2 using site-containing ionic liquids, such as amino-based ionic liquids, azolate ionic liquids, phenolate ionic liquids, dual-functionalized ionic liquids, pyridine-containing ionic liquids and so on. Other site-containing liquid absorbents such as amine-based solutions, switchable solvents, and functionalized ionic liquid-amine blends are also investigated. Strategies have been discussed for how to activate the existent reactive sites and develop novel reactive sites by physical and chemical methods to enhance CO2 absorption capacity and reduce absorption enthalpy. The carbon capture mechanisms of these site-containing liquid absorbents are also presented. Particular attention has been paid to the latest progress in CO2 capture in multiple-site interactions by amino-free anion-functionalized ionic liquids. In the last section, future directions and prospects for carbon capture by site-containing ionic liquids are outlined.

The efficacy of interactive, motion capture-based rehabilitation on functional outcomes in an inpatient stroke population: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Cannell, John; Jovic, Emelyn; Rathjen, Amy; Lane, Kylie; Tyson, Anna M; Callisaya, Michele L; Smith, Stuart T; Ahuja, Kiran Dk; Bird, Marie-Louise

2018-02-01

To compare the efficacy of novel interactive, motion capture-rehabilitation software to usual care stroke rehabilitation on physical function. Randomized controlled clinical trial. Two subacute hospital rehabilitation units in Australia. In all, 73 people less than six months after stroke with reduced mobility and clinician determined capacity to improve. Both groups received functional retraining and individualized programs for up to an hour, on weekdays for 8-40 sessions (dose matched). For the intervention group, this individualized program used motivating virtual reality rehabilitation and novel gesture controlled interactive motion capture software. For usual care, the individualized program was delivered in a group class on one unit and by rehabilitation assistant 1:1 on the other. Primary outcome was standing balance (functional reach). Secondary outcomes were lateral reach, step test, sitting balance, arm function, and walking. Participants (mean 22 days post-stroke) attended mean 14 sessions. Both groups improved (mean (95% confidence interval)) on primary outcome functional reach (usual care 3.3 (0.6 to 5.9), intervention 4.1 (-3.0 to 5.0) cm) with no difference between groups ( P = 0.69) on this or any secondary measures. No differences between the rehabilitation units were seen except in lateral reach (less affected side) ( P = 0.04). No adverse events were recorded during therapy. Interactive, motion capture rehabilitation for inpatients post stroke produced functional improvements that were similar to those achieved by usual care stroke rehabilitation, safely delivered by either a physical therapist or a rehabilitation assistant.

Captured streams and springs in combined sewers: a review of the evidence, consequences and opportunities.

PubMed

Broadhead, A T; Horn, R; Lerner, D N

2013-09-01

Captured streams and springs may be flowing in combined sewers, increasing clean baseflow in pipes and wastewater treatment works (WwTWs), reducing pipe capacity and increasing treatment costs. The UK water industry is aware of this in principle, but there has been no explicit discussion of this in the published literature, nor have there been any known attempts to manage it. Instead, the current focus is on the similar intrusion of groundwater infiltration through pipe cracks and joints. We have conducted a thorough review of literature and international case studies to investigate stream and spring capture, finding several examples with convincing evidence that this occurs. We identify three modes of entry: capture by conversion, capture by interception, and direct spring capture. Methods to identify and quantify capture are limited, but the experience in Zurich suggests that it contributed 7-16% of the baseflow reaching WwTWs. There are negative impacts for the water industry in capital and operational expenditure, as well as environmental and social impacts of loss of urban streams. For a typical WwTW (Esholt, Bradford) with 16% of baseflow from captured streams and springs, we conservatively estimate annual costs of £ 2 million to £ 7 million. A detailed case study from Zurich is considered that has successfully separated captured baseflow into daylighted streams through the urban area, with multiple economic, environmental and social benefits. We conclude that there is a strong case for the UK water industry to consider captured streams and springs, quantify them, and assess the merits of managing them. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptual grouping allows for attention to cover noncontiguous locations and suppress capture from nearby locations.

PubMed

Kerzel, Dirk; Born, Sabine; Schönhammer, Josef

2012-12-01

A salient stimulus may interrupt visual search because of attentional capture. It has been shown that attentional capture occurs with a wide, but not with a small attentional window. We tested the hypothesis that capture depends more strongly on the shape of the attentional window than on its size. Search elements were arranged in two nested rings. The ring containing the search target remained fixed, while a salient color singleton occurred either in the same or in the other ring. We observed that color singletons only disrupted search when shown in the same ring as the search target. It is important to note that, when focusing on the outer array, which presumably required a larger attentional window, singletons on the inner array did not capture attention. In contrast to the original attentional window hypothesis, our results show that attentional capture does not always occur with a large attentional window. Rather, attention can be flexibly allocated to the set of relevant stimulus locations and attentional capture is confined to the attended locations. Further experiments showed that attention was allocated to search elements that were perceptually grouped into "whole" or "Gestalt"-like objects, which prevented attentional capture from nearby locations. However, when attention was allocated to noncontiguous locations that did not form a perceptual Gestalt, nearby locations elicited attentional capture. Perceptual grouping could be based on a combination of color and position, but not on color alone. Thus, the allocation of attention to Gestalt-like objects that were jointly defined by similarity and proximity prevented attentional capture from nearby locations.

Targeting climate diversity in conservation planning to build resilience to climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heller, Nicole E.; Kreitler, Jason R.; Ackerly, David; Weiss, Stuart; Recinos, Amanda; Branciforte, Ryan; Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.; Micheli, Elisabeth

2015-01-01

Climate change is raising challenging concerns for systematic conservation planning. Are methods based on the current spatial patterns of biodiversity effective given long-term climate change? Some conservation scientists argue that planning should focus on protecting the abiotic diversity in the landscape, which drives patterns of biological diversity, rather than focusing on the distribution of focal species, which shift in response to climate change. Climate is one important abiotic driver of biodiversity patterns, as different climates host different biological communities and genetic pools. We propose conservation networks that capture the full range of climatic diversity in a region will improve the resilience of biotic communities to climate change compared to networks that do not. In this study we used historical and future hydro-climate projections from the high resolution Basin Characterization Model to explore the utility of directly targeting climatic diversity in planning. Using the spatial planning tool, Marxan, we designed conservation networks to capture the diversity of climate types, at the regional and sub-regional scale, and compared them to networks we designed to capture the diversity of vegetation types. By focusing on the Conservation Lands Network (CLN) of the San Francisco Bay Area as a real-world case study, we compared the potential resilience of networks by examining two factors: the range of climate space captured, and climatic stability to 18 future climates, reflecting different emission scenarios and global climate models. We found that the climate-based network planned at the sub-regional scale captured a greater range of climate space and showed higher climatic stability than the vegetation and regional based-networks. At the same time, differences among network scenarios are small relative to the variance in climate stability across global climate models. Across different projected futures, topographically heterogeneous areas consistently show greater climate stability than homogenous areas. The analysis suggests that utilizing high-resolution climate and hydrological data in conservation planning improves the likely resilience of biodiversity to climate change. We used these analyses to suggest new conservation priorities for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Exercise Sensing and Pose Recovery Inference Tool (ESPRIT) - A Compact Stereo-based Motion Capture Solution For Exercise Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Mun Wai

2015-01-01

Crew exercise is important during long-duration space flight not only for maintaining health and fitness but also for preventing adverse health problems, such as losses in muscle strength and bone density. Monitoring crew exercise via motion capture and kinematic analysis aids understanding of the effects of microgravity on exercise and helps ensure that exercise prescriptions are effective. Intelligent Automation, Inc., has developed ESPRIT to monitor exercise activities, detect body markers, extract image features, and recover three-dimensional (3D) kinematic body poses. The system relies on prior knowledge and modeling of the human body and on advanced statistical inference techniques to achieve robust and accurate motion capture. In Phase I, the company demonstrated motion capture of several exercises, including walking, curling, and dead lifting. Phase II efforts focused on enhancing algorithms and delivering an ESPRIT prototype for testing and demonstration.

The Isolation of Pure Populations of Neurons by Laser Capture Microdissection: Methods and Application in Neuroscience.

PubMed

Morris, Renée; Mehta, Prachi

2018-01-01

In mammals, the central nervous system (CNS) is constituted of various cellular elements, posing a challenge to isolating specific cell types to investigate their expression profile. As a result, tissue homogenization is not amenable to analyses of motor neurons profiling as these represent less than 10% of the total spinal cord cell population. One way to tackle the problem of tissue heterogeneity and obtain meaningful genomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic profiling is to use laser capture microdissection technology (LCM). In this chapter, we describe protocols for the capture of isolated populations of motor neurons from spinal cord tissue sections and for downstream transcriptomic analysis of motor neurons with RT-PCR. We have also included a protocol for the immunological confirmation that the captured neurons are indeed motor neurons. Although focused on spinal cord motor neurons, these protocols can be easily optimized for the isolation of any CNS neurons.

Liquid biopsy on chip: a paradigm shift towards the understanding of cancer metastasis.

PubMed

Tadimety, Amogha; Syed, Abeer; Nie, Yuan; Long, Christina R; Kready, Kasia M; Zhang, John X J

2017-01-23

This comprehensive review serves as a guide for developing scalable and robust liquid biopsies on chip for capture, detection, and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Liquid biopsy, the detection of biomarkers from body fluids, has proven challenging because of CTC rarity and the heterogeneity of CTCs shed from tumors. The review starts with the underlying biological mechanisms that make liquid biopsy a challenge before moving into an evaluation of current technological progress. Then, a framework for evaluation of the technologies is presented with special attention to throughput, capture rate, and cell viability for analysis. Technologies for CTC capture, detection, and analysis will be evaluated based on these criteria, with a focus on current approaches, limitations and future directions. The paper provides a critical review for microchip developers as well as clinical investigators to build upon the existing progress towards the goal of designing CTC capture, detection, and analysis platforms.

Block Copolymer Membranes for Efficient Capture of a Chemotherapy Drug

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

Chen, X. Chelsea; Oh, Hee Jeung; Yu, Jay F.

In this paper, we introduce the use of block copolymer membranes for an emerging application, “drug capture”. The polymer is incorporated in a new class of biomedical devices, referred to as ChemoFilter, which is an image-guided temporarily deployable endovascular device designed to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy-based cancer treatment. We show that block copolymer membranes consisting of functional sulfonated polystyrene end blocks and a structural polyethylene middle block (SSES) are capable of capturing doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug. We focus on the relationship between morphology of the membrane in the ChemoFilter device and efficacy of doxorubicin capture measured in vitro. Usingmore » small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy, we discovered that rapid doxorubicin capture is associated with the presence of water-rich channels in the lamellar-forming S-SES membranes in aqueous environment.« less

Optical surface profiling of orb-web spider capture silks.

PubMed

Kane, D M; Joyce, A M; Staib, G R; Herberstein, M E

2010-09-01

Much spider silk research to date has focused on its mechanical properties. However, the webs of many orb-web spiders have evolved for over 136 million years to evade visual detection by insect prey. It is therefore a photonic device in addition to being a mechanical device. Herein we use optical surface profiling of capture silks from the webs of adult female St Andrews cross spiders (Argiope keyserlingi) to successfully measure the geometry of adhesive silk droplets and to show a bowing in the aqueous layer on the spider capture silk between adhesive droplets. Optical surface profiling shows geometric features of the capture silk that have not been previously measured and contributes to understanding the links between the physical form and biological function. The research also demonstrates non-standard use of an optical surface profiler to measure the maximum width of a transparent micro-sized droplet (microlens).

Block Copolymer Membranes for Efficient Capture of a Chemotherapy Drug

DOE PAGES

Chen, X. Chelsea; Oh, Hee Jeung; Yu, Jay F.; ...

2016-07-23

In this paper, we introduce the use of block copolymer membranes for an emerging application, “drug capture”. The polymer is incorporated in a new class of biomedical devices, referred to as ChemoFilter, which is an image-guided temporarily deployable endovascular device designed to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy-based cancer treatment. We show that block copolymer membranes consisting of functional sulfonated polystyrene end blocks and a structural polyethylene middle block (SSES) are capable of capturing doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug. We focus on the relationship between morphology of the membrane in the ChemoFilter device and efficacy of doxorubicin capture measured in vitro. Usingmore » small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy, we discovered that rapid doxorubicin capture is associated with the presence of water-rich channels in the lamellar-forming S-SES membranes in aqueous environment.« less

What Works for Whom? A Bayesian Approach to Channeling Big Data Streams for Public Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finucane, Mariel McKenzie; Martinez, Ignacio; Cody, Scott

2018-01-01

In the coming years, public programs will capture even more and richer data than they do now, including data from web-based tools used by participants in employment services, from tablet-based educational curricula, and from electronic health records for Medicaid beneficiaries. Program evaluators seeking to take full advantage of these data…

Capturing Complexity: Integrating Health and Education Research to Inform Health-Promoting Schools Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowling, Louise; Jeffreys, Vicki

2006-01-01

Despite the intersectoral nature of health promotion practice many programs limit their evidence base to health sector research and do not draw on evidence from other sectors' research in program design. To help ensure programs are relevant and acceptable to intersectoral partners and intended outcomes are of value to all sectors involved,…

Measuring communicative participation using the FOCUS©1: Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six

PubMed Central

Thomas-Stonell, N; Washington, K; Oddson, B; Robertson, B; Rosenbaum, P

2013-01-01

Background The FOCUS© is a new outcome tool for use by both parents and clinicians that measures changes in the communicative participation skills of preschool children. Changes in communicative participation skills as measured by the FOCUS were compared across three groups of children: those with speech impairments only (SI), those with language impairments only (LI) and those with both speech and language impairments (S/LI). Methods Participating families (n = 112, 75 male children) were recruited through 13 Canadian organizations. Children ranged from 10 months to 6 years 0 months (mean = 2.11 years; SD = 1.18 years) and attended speech-language intervention. Parents completed the FOCUS at the start and end of treatment. There were 23 children in the SI group, 62 children in the LI group and 27 children in the S/LI group. The average amount of the children's therapy varied from 7 to 10 h. Results The FOCUS captures changes in communicative participation for children with a range of communication disorder types and severities. All three groups of children made clinically important improvements according to their FOCUS scores (MCID ≥ 16 points). The FOCUS captured improvements in intelligibility, independent communication, play and socialization. Conclusions The FOCUS measured positive changes in communicative participation skills for all three groups of children after 7–10 h of speech-language therapy. An outcome measure that targets only specific speech and language skills would miss many of the important social function changes associated with speech-language treatment. PMID:23763248

Game Development as a Pathway to Information Technology Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frydenberg, Mark

2016-01-01

Teaching game development has become an accepted methodology for introducing programming concepts and capturing the interest of beginning computer science and information technology (IT) students. This study, conducted over three consecutive semesters, explores game development using a gaming engine, rather than a traditional programming language,…

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FROM OBSERVATIONS OF MERCURY OXIDATION AND BINDING MECHANISMS

EPA Science Inventory

This paper describes a bench-scale program at the U.S. EPA. The goals of this program are to (a) isolate individual mechanisms of elemental mercury oxidation and oxidized mercury capture, (b) compete these mechanisms over a broad temperature range to determine which are dominant...

Active suppression after involuntary capture of attention.

PubMed

Sawaki, Risa; Luck, Steven J

2013-04-01

After attention has been involuntarily captured by a distractor, how is it reoriented toward a target? One possibility is that attention to the distractor passively fades over time, allowing the target to become attended. Another possibility is that the captured location is actively suppressed so that attention can be directed toward the target location. The present study investigated this issue with event-related potentials (ERPs), focusing on the N2pc component (a neural measure of attentional deployment) and the Pd component (a neural measure of attentional suppression). Observers identified a color-defined target in a search array, which was preceded by a task-irrelevant cue array. When the cue array contained an item that matched the target color, this item captured attention (as measured both behaviorally and with the N2pc component). This capture of attention was followed by active suppression (indexed by the Pd component), and this was then followed by a reorienting of attention toward the target in the search array (indexed by the N2pc component). These findings indicate that the involuntary capture of attention by a distractor is followed by an active suppression process that presumably facilitates the subsequent voluntary orienting of attention to the target.

Simultaneous measurement of (n,{gamma}) and (n,fission) cross sections with the DANCE 4{pi} BaF2 array

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

Bredeweg, T. A.; Fowler, M. M.; Bond, E. M.

2006-03-13

Neutron capture cross section measurements on many of the actinides are complicated by low-energy neutron-induced fission, which competes with neutron capture to varying degrees depending on the nuclide of interest. Measurements of neutron capture on 235U using the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) have shown that we can partially resolve capture from fission events based on total photon calorimetry (i.e. total {gamma}-ray energy and {gamma}-ray multiplicity per event). The addition of a fission-tagging detector to the DANCE array will greatly improve our ability to separate these two competing processes so that improved neutron capture and (n,{gamma})/(n,fission) cross sectionmore » ratio measurements can be obtained. The addition of a fission-tagging detector to the DANCE array will also provide a means to study several important issues associated with neutron-induced fission, including (n,fission) cross sections as a function of incident neutron energy, and total energy and multiplicity of prompt fission photons. We have focused on two detector designs with complementary capabilities, a parallel-plate avalanche counter and an array of solar cells.« less

Experience with Aero- and Fluid-Dynamic Testing for Engineering and CFD Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, James C.

2016-01-01

Ever since computations have been used to simulate aerodynamics the need to ensure that the computations adequately represent real life has followed. Many experiments have been performed specifically for validation and as computational methods have improved, so have the validation experiments. Validation is also a moving target because computational methods improve requiring validation for the new aspect of flow physics that the computations aim to capture. Concurrently, new measurement techniques are being developed that can help capture more detailed flow features pressure sensitive paint (PSP) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) come to mind. This paper will present various wind-tunnel tests the author has been involved with and how they were used for validation of various kinds of CFD. A particular focus is the application of advanced measurement techniques to flow fields (and geometries) that had proven to be difficult to predict computationally. Many of these difficult flow problems arose from engineering and development problems that needed to be solved for a particular vehicle or research program. In some cases the experiments required to solve the engineering problems were refined to provide valuable CFD validation data in addition to the primary engineering data. All of these experiments have provided physical insight and validation data for a wide range of aerodynamic and acoustic phenomena for vehicles ranging from tractor-trailers to crewed spacecraft.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program and Pathology: Towards Strengthening the Critical Relationship

PubMed Central

Duggan, Máire A.; Anderson, William F.; Altekruse, Sean; Penberthy, Lynne; Sherman, Mark E.

2016-01-01

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute collects data on cancer diagnoses, treatment and survival for approximately 30% of the United States (U.S.) population. To reflect advances in research and oncology practice, approaches to cancer control are evolving from simply enumerating the development of cancers by organ sites in populations to include monitoring of cancer occurrence by histopathologic and molecular subtype, as defined by driver mutations and other alterations. SEER is an important population-based resource for understanding the implications of pathology diagnoses across demographic groups, geographic regions, and time, and provides unique insights into the practice of oncology in the U.S that are not attainable from other sources. It provides incidence, survival and mortality data for histopathologic cancer subtypes, and data by molecular subtyping is expanding. The program is developing systems to capture additional biomarker data, results from special populations, and expand bio-specimen banking to enable cutting edge cancer research that can improve oncology practice. Pathology has always been central and critical to the effectiveness of SEER, and strengthening this relationship in this modern era of cancer diagnosis could be mutually beneficial. Achieving this goal requires close interactions between pathologists and the SEER program. This review provides a brief overview of SEER, focuses on facets relevant to pathology practice and research, and highlights the opportunities and challenges for pathologists to benefit from and enhance the value of SEER data. PMID:27740970

Dynamics and control of robot for capturing objects in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Panfeng

Space robots are expected to perform intricate tasks in future space services, such as satellite maintenance, refueling, and replacing the orbital replacement unit (ORU). To realize these missions, the capturing operation may not be avoided. Such operations will encounter some challenges because space robots have some unique characteristics unfound on ground-based robots, such as, dynamic singularities, dynamic coupling between manipulator and space base, limited energy supply and working without a fixed base, and so on. In addition, since contacts and impacts may not be avoided during capturing operation. Therefore, dynamics and control problems of space robot for capturing objects are significant research topics if the robots are to be deployed for the space services. A typical servicing operation mainly includes three phases: capturing the object, berthing and docking the object, then repairing the target. Therefore, this thesis will focus on resolving some challenging problems during capturing the object, berthing and docking, and so on. In this thesis, I study and analyze the dynamics and control problems of space robot for capturing objects. This work has potential impact in space robotic applications. I first study the contact and impact dynamics of space robot and objects. I specifically focus on analyzing the impact dynamics and mapping the relationship of influence and speed. Then, I develop the fundamental theory for planning the minimum-collision based trajectory of space robot and designing the configuration of space robot at the moment of capture. To compensate for the attitude of the space base during the capturing approach operation, a new balance control concept which can effectively balance the attitude of the space base using the dynamic couplings is developed. The developed balance control concept helps to understand of the nature of space dynamic coupling, and can be readily applied to compensate or minimize the disturbance to the space base. After capturing the object, the space robot must complete the following two tasks: one is to berth the object, and the other is to re-orientate the attitude of the whole robot system for communication and power supply. Therefore, I propose a method to accomplish these two tasks simultaneously using manipulator motion only. The ultimate goal of space services is to realize the capture and manipulation autonomously. Therefore, I propose an affective approach based on learning human skill to track and capture the objects automatically in space. With human-teaching demonstration, the space robot is able to learn and abstract human tracking and capturing skill using an efficient neural-network learning architecture that combines flexible Cascade Neural Networks with Node Decoupled Extended Kalman Filtering (CNN-NDEKF). The simulation results attest that this approach is useful and feasible in tracking trajectory planning and capturing of space robot. Finally I propose a novel approach based on Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to optimize the approach trajectory of space robots in order to realize effective and stable operations. I complete the minimum-torque path planning in order to save the limited energy in space, and design the minimum jerk trajectory for the stabilization of the space manipulator and its space base. These optimal algorithms are very important and useful for the application of space robot.

Computational cameras for moving iris recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCloskey, Scott; Venkatesha, Sharath

2015-05-01

Iris-based biometric identification is increasingly used for facility access and other security applications. Like all methods that exploit visual information, however, iris systems are limited by the quality of captured images. Optical defocus due to a small depth of field (DOF) is one such challenge, as is the acquisition of sharply-focused iris images from subjects in motion. This manuscript describes the application of computational motion-deblurring cameras to the problem of moving iris capture, from the underlying theory to system considerations and performance data.

Preparation Methods of Metal Organic Frameworks and Their Capture of CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Linjian; Liand, Fangqin; Luo, Liangfei

2018-01-01

The increasingly serious greenhouse effect makes people pay more attention to the capture and storage technology of CO2. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have the advantages of high specific surface area, porous structure and controllable structure, and become the research focus of CO2 emission reduction technology in recent years. In this paper, the characteristics, preparation methods and application of MOFs in the field of CO2 adsorption and separation are discussed, especially the application of flue gas environment in power plants.

Lessons in Commercial PACE Leadership: The Path from Legislation to Launch

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

Leventis, G; Schwartz, LC; Kramer, C

Nonresidential buildings are responsible for over a quarter of primary energy consumption in the United States. Efficiency improvements in these buildings could result in significant energy and utility bill savings. To unlock those potential savings, a number of market barriers to energy efficiency must be addressed. Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing programs can help overcome several of these barriers with minimal investment from state and local governments. With programs established or under development in 22 states, and at least $521 million in investments so far, other state and local governments are interested in bringing the benefits of C-PACEmore » to their jurisdictions. Lessons in Commercial PACE Leadership: The Path from Legislation to Launch, aims to fast track the set-up of C-PACE programs for state and local governments by capturing the lessons learned from leaders. The report examines the list of potential program design options and important decision points in setting up a C-PACE program, tradeoffs for available options, and experiences of stakeholders that have gone through (or are going through) the process. C-PACE uses a voluntary special property assessment to facilitate energy and other improvements in commercial buildings. For example: - Long financing terms under C-PACE can produce cash flow-positive -- projects to help overcome a focus on short paybacks. - Payment obligations can transfer to subsequent owners, mitigating concern about investing in improvements for a building that may be sold before the return on the investment is fully realized. - 100% of both hard and soft costs can be financed. To capture the benefits of C-PACE financing, state and local governments must navigate numerous decision points and engage with stakeholders to set-up or join a program. Researchers interviewed experts (including state and local sponsors, program administrators, capital providers and industry experts) on their lessons learned and arrived at the following key takeaways for state and local leaders: Enabling legislation: Carefully developed enabling legislation (which includes certain key provisions) and early stakeholder input can greatly improve the chances of program success. Options for program administrative structure: At least four program administrative structures are in use; certain administrative structures inherently result in more standardized product offerings and, potentially, economies of scale. Approaches to program and project capitalization: Two approaches to capitalization have been used. Bonding (project capital is raised through a bond sale) and direct funding (capital providers fund projects directly); programs can rely on one capital provider (a closed market) or allow multiple capital providers to participate (an open market). What and who qualifies for the program: Some programs require a minimum project savings-to-investment ratio; other programs encourage it or are indifferent. Estimating and documenting project energy cost saving: Estimating and documenting energy and cost savings can add costs to projects but also demonstrate C-PACE program value. Stakeholder engagement: Key stakeholder groups to engage include community leaders, local governments, building owners, contractors, utilities, capital providers and mortgage holders; stakeholder engagement should be tailored to each particular group. Start-up and ongoing costs: Understanding set-up and ongoing costs can help program sponsors plan for funding C-PACE programs and projects. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs funded the report.« less

Progress Report Abstracts. Oceanic Biology Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

predominantly of myctophids and larval fishes of the genus Sebastolobus (having swimbladders). Our sampling efforts were concentrated on the 400m DSL...in collection of 7 individual animals of the genus , Nanomi sp. These animals were gently captured with the SGR and their oxygen consumption and...fishes of the genus , Sebastolobus altivelis, demersal fish as adults (Moser, 1974), were captured similarly at 600m with the SGR and their in situ

National Reconnaissance Almanac

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

Germany. 1945 Mar. 19: The German V-2 program was abandoned, leaving rocket technology for capture by Allied forces. 1946 Apr. 16: The U.S. Army...first launched captured German V-2 rocket at White Sands, New Mexico during missile testing. May 2: RAND report, “Preliminary Design of Experimental...first human in space. May 5: LCDR Alan Shepard became first American in space during a brief sub-orbital flight. Aug. 30: USAF launched Corona

Language Networks as Models of Cognition: Understanding Cognition through Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckage, Nicole M.; Colunga, Eliana

Language is inherently cognitive and distinctly human. Separating the object of language from the human mind that processes and creates language fails to capture the full language system. Linguistics traditionally has focused on the study of language as a static representation, removed from the human mind. Network analysis has traditionally been focused on the properties and structure that emerge from network representations. Both disciplines could gain from looking at language as a cognitive process. In contrast, psycholinguistic research has focused on the process of language without committing to a representation. However, by considering language networks as approximations of the cognitive system we can take the strength of each of these approaches to study human performance and cognition as related to language. This paper reviews research showcasing the contributions of network science to the study of language. Specifically, we focus on the interplay of cognition and language as captured by a network representation. To this end, we review different types of language network representations before considering the influence of global level network features. We continue by considering human performance in relation to network structure and conclude with theoretical network models that offer potential and testable explanations of cognitive and linguistic phenomena.

Social Return on Investment: A New Approach to Understanding and Advocating for Value in Healthcare.

PubMed

Laing, Catherine M; Moules, Nancy J

2017-12-01

To determine whether the methodology of social return on investment (SROI) could be a way in which the value of a healthcare-related program (children's cancer camp) could be captured, evaluated, and communicated. The value of healthcare goes beyond what can be captured in financial terms; however, this is the most common type of value that is measured. The SROI methodology accounts for a broader concept of value by measuring social, environmental, and economic outcomes and uses monetary values to represent them. The steps/stages of an SROI analysis were applied to the context of a children's camp for this article. Applying the SROI methodology to this healthcare-related program was feasible and provided insight and understanding related to the impacts of this program. Because of SROI's flexibility, it is a tool that has great potential in a healthcare environment and for leaders to evaluate programmatic return on investment.

Mesoscale behavior study of collector aggregations in a wet dust scrubber.

PubMed

Li, Xiaochuan; Wu, Xiang; Hu, Haibin; Jiang, Shuguang; Wei, Tao; Wang, Dongxue

2018-01-01

In order to address the bottleneck problem of low fine-particle removal efficiency of self-excited dust scrubbers, this paper is focused on the influence of the intermittent gas-liquid two-phase flow on the mesoscale behavior of collector aggregations. The latter is investigated by the application of high-speed dynamic image technology to the self-excited dust scrubber experimental setup. The real-time-scale monitoring of the dust removal process is provided to clarify its operating mechanism at the mesoscale level. The results obtained show that particulate capturing in self-excited dust scrubber is provided by liquid droplets, liquid films/curtains, bubbles, and their aggregations. Complex spatial and temporal structures are intrinsic to each kind of collector morphology, and these are considered as the major factors controlling the dust removal mechanism of self-excited dust scrubbers. For the specific parameters of gas-liquid two-phase flow under study, the evolution patterns of particular collectors reflect the intrinsic, intermittent, and complex characteristics of the temporal structure. The intermittent initiation of the collector and the air hole formation-collapse cyclic processes provide time and space for the fine dust to escape from being trapped by the collectors. The above mesoscale experimental data provide more insight into the factors reducing the dust removal efficiency of self-excited dust scrubbers. This paper focuses on the reconsideration of the capturer aggregations of self-excited dust scrubbers from the mesoscale. Complex structures in time and space scales exist in each kind of capturer morphology. With changes of operating parameters, the morphology and spatial distributions of capturers diversely change. The change of the capturer over time presents remarkable, intermittent, and complex characteristics of the temporal structure.

Productivity Research and Development Planning Workshop.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

mission. These ideas must come from everyone in all echelons of the Comand. The MAC quality of worklife efforts consist of quality circles, labor-manage...that would not have been captured by the measure as initially formulated by the PIG. The balance of the plan and recommenda- tions made by the PMWG...people are doing things. We have the suggestion program, the quality of worklife program, and the Tech Mod program. All of these programs are productivity

Using the Intervention Mapping and Behavioral Intervention Technology Frameworks: Development of an mHealth Intervention for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Change.

PubMed

Direito, Artur; Walsh, Deirdre; Hinbarji, Moohamad; Albatal, Rami; Tooley, Mark; Whittaker, Robyn; Maddison, Ralph

2018-06-01

Few interventions to promote physical activity (PA) adapt dynamically to changes in individuals' behavior. Interventions targeting determinants of behavior are linked with increased effectiveness and should reflect changes in behavior over time. This article describes the application of two frameworks to assist the development of an adaptive evidence-based smartphone-delivered intervention aimed at influencing PA and sedentary behaviors (SB). Intervention mapping was used to identify the determinants influencing uptake of PA and optimal behavior change techniques (BCTs). Behavioral intervention technology was used to translate and operationalize the BCTs and its modes of delivery. The intervention was based on the integrated behavior change model, focused on nine determinants, consisted of 33 BCTs, and included three main components: (1) automated capture of daily PA and SB via an existing smartphone application, (2) classification of the individual into an activity profile according to their PA and SB, and (3) behavior change content delivery in a dynamic fashion via a proof-of-concept application. This article illustrates how two complementary frameworks can be used to guide the development of a mobile health behavior change program. This approach can guide the development of future mHealth programs.

Discovery of Boolean metabolic networks: integer linear programming based approach.

PubMed

Qiu, Yushan; Jiang, Hao; Ching, Wai-Ki; Cheng, Xiaoqing

2018-04-11

Traditional drug discovery methods focused on the efficacy of drugs rather than their toxicity. However, toxicity and/or lack of efficacy are produced when unintended targets are affected in metabolic networks. Thus, identification of biological targets which can be manipulated to produce the desired effect with minimum side-effects has become an important and challenging topic. Efficient computational methods are required to identify the drug targets while incurring minimal side-effects. In this paper, we propose a graph-based computational damage model that summarizes the impact of enzymes on compounds in metabolic networks. An efficient method based on Integer Linear Programming formalism is then developed to identify the optimal enzyme-combination so as to minimize the side-effects. The identified target enzymes for known successful drugs are then verified by comparing the results with those in the existing literature. Side-effects reduction plays a crucial role in the study of drug development. A graph-based computational damage model is proposed and the theoretical analysis states the captured problem is NP-completeness. The proposed approaches can therefore contribute to the discovery of drug targets. Our developed software is available at " http://hkumath.hku.hk/~wkc/APBC2018-metabolic-network.zip ".

Public school teachers in the U.S. evaluate the educational impact of student space experiments launched by expendable vehicles, aboard Skylab, and aboard Space Shuttle.

PubMed

Burkhalter, B B; McLean, J E; Curtis, J P; James, G S

1991-12-01

Space education is a discipline that has evolved at an unprecedented rate over the past 25 years. Although program proceedings, research literature, and historical documentation have captured fragmented pieces of information about student space experiments, the field lacks a valid comprehensive study that measures the educational impact of sounding rockets, Skylab, Ariane, AMSAT, and Space Shuttle. The lack of this information is a problem for space educators worldwide which led to a national study with classroom teachers. Student flown experiments continue to offer a unique experiential approach to teach students thinking and reasoning skills that are imperative in the current international competitive environment in which they live and will work. Understanding the history as well as the current status and educational spin-offs of these experimental programs strengthens the teaching capacity of educators throughout the world to develop problem solving skills and various higher mental processes in the schools. These skills and processes enable students to use their knowledge more effectively and efficiently long after they leave the classroom. This paper focuses on student space experiments as a means of motivating students to meet this educational goal successfully.

MyPOD: an EMR-Based Tool that Facilitates Quality Improvement and Maintenance of Certification.

PubMed

Berman, Loren; Duffy, Brian; Randall Brenn, B; Vinocur, Charles

2017-03-01

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) was designed to assess physician competencies including operative case volume and outcomes. This information, if collected consistently and systematically, can be used to facilitate quality improvement. Information automatically extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR) can be used as a prompt to compile these data. We developed an EMR-based program called MyPOD (My Personal Outcomes Data) to track surgical outcomes at our institution. We compared occurrences reported in the first 18 months to those captured in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric (ACS NSQIP-P) over the same time period. During the first 18 months of using MyPOD, 691 cases were captured in both MyPOD and NSQIP-P. There were 48 cases with occurrences in NSQIP-P (6.9% occurrence rate). MyPOD captured 33% of the occurrences and 83% of the deaths reported in NSQIP-P. Use of the MyPOD program helped to identify series of complications and facilitated systematic change to improve outcomes. MyPOD provides comparative data that is essential in performance evaluation and facilitates quality improvement in surgery. This program and similar EMR-driven tools are becoming essential components of the MOC process. Our initial review has revealed opportunities for improvement in self-reporting which we can continue to measure by comparison to NSQIP-P. In addition, it has identified systems issues that have led to hospital-wide improvements.

Opportunities for Decarbonizing Existing U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants via CO2 Capture, Utilization and Storage.

PubMed

Zhai, Haibo; Ou, Yang; Rubin, Edward S

2015-07-07

This study employs a power plant modeling tool to explore the feasibility of reducing unit-level emission rates of CO2 by 30% by retrofitting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to existing U.S. coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs). Our goal is to identify feasible EGUs and their key attributes. The results indicate that for about 60 gigawatts of the existing coal-fired capacity, the implementation of partial CO2 capture appears feasible, though its cost is highly dependent on the unit characteristics and fuel prices. Auxiliary gas-fired boilers can be employed to power a carbon capture process without significant increases in the cost of electricity generation. A complementary CO2 emission trading program can provide additional economic incentives for the deployment of CCS with 90% CO2 capture. Selling and utilizing the captured CO2 product for enhanced oil recovery can further accelerate CCUS deployment and also help reinforce a CO2 emission trading market. These efforts would allow existing coal-fired EGUs to continue to provide a significant share of the U.S. electricity demand.

Case-Based Capture and Reuse of Aerospace Design Rationale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leake, David B.

1998-01-01

The goal of this project is to apply artificial intelligence techniques to facilitate capture and reuse of aerospace design rationale. The project applies case-based reasoning (CBR) and concept mapping (CMAP) tools to the task of capturing, organizing, and interactively accessing experiences or "cases" encapsulating the methods and rationale underlying expert aerospace design. As stipulated in the award, Indiana University and Ames personnel are collaborating on performance of research and determining the direction of research, to assure that the project focuses on high-value tasks. In the first five months of the project, we have made two visits to Ames Research Center to consult with our NASA collaborators, to learn about the advanced aerospace design tools being developed there, and to identify specific needs for intelligent design support. These meetings identified a number of task areas for applying CBR and concept mapping technology. We jointly selected a first task area to focus on: Acquiring the convergence criteria that experts use to guide the selection of useful data from a set of numerical simulations of high-lift systems. During the first funding period, we developed two software systems. First, we have adapted a CBR system developed at Indiana University into a prototype case-based reasoning shell to capture and retrieve information about design experiences, with the sample task of capturing and reusing experts' intuitive criteria for determining convergence (work conducted at Indiana University). Second, we have also adapted and refined existing concept mapping tools that will be used to clarify and capture the rationale underlying those experiences, to facilitate understanding of the expert's reasoning and guide future reuse of captured information (work conducted at the University of West Florida). The tools we have developed are designed to be the basis for a general framework for facilitating tasks within systems developed by the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed (ADTT) project at ARC. The tenets of our framework are (1) that the systems developed should leverage a designer's knowledge, rather than attempting to replace it; (2) that learning and user feedback must play a central role, so that the system can adapt to how it is used, and (3) that the learning and feedback processes must be as natural and as unobtrusive as possible. In the second funding period we will extend our current work, applying the tools to capturing higher-level design rationale.

Neutron radiative capture reactions on nuclei of relevance to 0νββ, dark matter and neutrino/antineutrino searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tornow, W.; Bhike, Megha

2015-05-01

A program is underway at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) to measure the neutron capture cross section in the 0.5 to 15 MeV energy range on nuclei whose radioactive daughters could potentially create backgrounds in searches for rare events. Here, we refer to neutrino-less double-beta decay and dark-matter searches, and to detectors built for neutrino and/or antineutrino studies. Neutron capture cross-section data obtained by using the activation method are reported for 40Ar, 74,76Ge, 128,130Te and 136Xe and compared to model calculations and evaluations.

NRG CO 2NCEPT - Confirmation Of Novel Cost-effective Emerging Post-combustion Technology

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

Stevenson, Matthew; Armpriester, Anthony

Under DOE's solicitation DE-FOA-0001190, NRG and Inventys conceptualized a Large-Scale pilot (>10MWe) post-combustion CO 2 capture project using Inventys' VeloxoThermTM carbon capture technology. The technology is comprised of an intensified thermal swing adsorption (TSA) process that uses a patented architecture of structured adsorbent and a novel process design and embodiment to capture CO 2 from industrial flue gas streams. The result of this work concluded that the retrofit of this technology is economically and technically viable, but that the sorbent material selected for the program would need improving to meet the techno-economic performance requirements of the solicitation.

Failure of communication and capture: The perils of temporary unipolar pacing system.

PubMed

Sahinoglu, Efe; Wool, Thomas J; Wool, Kenneth J

2015-06-01

We present a case of a patient with pacemaker dependence secondary to complete heart block who developed loss of capture of her temporary pacemaker. Patient developed torsades de pointes then ventricular fibrillation, requiring CPR and external cardioversion. After patient was stabilized, it was noticed that loss of capture of pacemaker corresponded with nursing care, when the pulse generator was lifted off patient׳s chest wall, and that patient׳s temporary pacing system had been programmed to unipolar mode without knowledge of attending cardiologist. This case highlights the importance of communication ensuring all caregivers are aware of mode of the temporary pacing system.

Do I Have My Attention? Speed of Processing Advantages for the Self-Face Are Not Driven by Automatic Attention Capture

PubMed Central

Keyes, Helen; Dlugokencka, Aleksandra

2014-01-01

We respond more quickly to our own face than to other faces, but there is debate over whether this is connected to attention-grabbing properties of the self-face. In two experiments, we investigate whether the self-face selectively captures attention, and the attentional conditions under which this might occur. In both experiments, we examined whether different types of face (self, friend, stranger) provide differential levels of distraction when processing self, friend and stranger names. In Experiment 1, an image of a distractor face appeared centrally – inside the focus of attention – behind a target name, with the faces either upright or inverted. In Experiment 2, distractor faces appeared peripherally – outside the focus of attention – in the left or right visual field, or bilaterally. In both experiments, self-name recognition was faster than other name recognition, suggesting a self-referential processing advantage. The presence of the self-face did not cause more distraction in the naming task compared to other types of face, either when presented inside (Experiment 1) or outside (Experiment 2) the focus of attention. Distractor faces had different effects across the two experiments: when presented inside the focus of attention (Experiment 1), self and friend images facilitated self and friend naming, respectively. This was not true for stranger stimuli, suggesting that faces must be robustly represented to facilitate name recognition. When presented outside the focus of attention (Experiment 2), no facilitation occurred. Instead, we report an interesting distraction effect caused by friend faces when processing strangers’ names. We interpret this as a “social importance” effect, whereby we may be tuned to pick out and pay attention to familiar friend faces in a crowd. We conclude that any speed of processing advantages observed in the self-face processing literature are not driven by automatic attention capture. PMID:25338170

Do I have my attention? Speed of processing advantages for the self-face are not driven by automatic attention capture.

PubMed

Keyes, Helen; Dlugokencka, Aleksandra

2014-01-01

We respond more quickly to our own face than to other faces, but there is debate over whether this is connected to attention-grabbing properties of the self-face. In two experiments, we investigate whether the self-face selectively captures attention, and the attentional conditions under which this might occur. In both experiments, we examined whether different types of face (self, friend, stranger) provide differential levels of distraction when processing self, friend and stranger names. In Experiment 1, an image of a distractor face appeared centrally - inside the focus of attention - behind a target name, with the faces either upright or inverted. In Experiment 2, distractor faces appeared peripherally - outside the focus of attention - in the left or right visual field, or bilaterally. In both experiments, self-name recognition was faster than other name recognition, suggesting a self-referential processing advantage. The presence of the self-face did not cause more distraction in the naming task compared to other types of face, either when presented inside (Experiment 1) or outside (Experiment 2) the focus of attention. Distractor faces had different effects across the two experiments: when presented inside the focus of attention (Experiment 1), self and friend images facilitated self and friend naming, respectively. This was not true for stranger stimuli, suggesting that faces must be robustly represented to facilitate name recognition. When presented outside the focus of attention (Experiment 2), no facilitation occurred. Instead, we report an interesting distraction effect caused by friend faces when processing strangers' names. We interpret this as a "social importance" effect, whereby we may be tuned to pick out and pay attention to familiar friend faces in a crowd. We conclude that any speed of processing advantages observed in the self-face processing literature are not driven by automatic attention capture.

77 FR 5615 - Information Collection Activity; Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-03

...) 366-1930. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: U.S. Department of Transportation Mentor- Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Pilot Program Evaluation Form; and U.S. Department of Transportation Mentor Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Pilot Program Annual Report. Abstract: DOT will use the data captured in the Mentor- Prot[eacute]g...

Teaching Perspectives among Introductory Computer Programming Faculty in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mainier, Michael J.

2011-01-01

This study identified the teaching beliefs, intentions, and actions of 80 introductory computer programming (CS1) faculty members from institutions of higher education in the United States using the Teacher Perspectives Inventory. Instruction method used inside the classroom, categorized by ACM CS1 curriculum guidelines, was also captured along…

Literacy, Language and Social Interaction in Special Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reichenberg, Monica

2015-01-01

The present study is a follow up study to a quantitative intervention study where two intervention programs, Reciprocal Teaching and Inference Training, were practiced. This study aims at capturing the potentials benefits and qualitative aspects of one of the programs evaluated, Reciprocal Teaching. More specifically, I have investigated the video…

WHAEM: PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION FOR THE WELLHEAD ANALYTIC ELEMENT MODEL (EPA/600/SR-94/210)

EPA Science Inventory

A new computer program has been developed to determine time-of-travel capture zones in relatively simple geohydrological settings. The WhAEM package contains an analytic element model that uses superposition of (many) closed form analytical solutions to generate a groundwater flo...

17 CFR 38.552 - Elements of an acceptable audit trail program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... of the order shall also be captured. (b) Transaction history database. A designated contract market's audit trail program must include an electronic transaction history database. An adequate transaction history database includes a history of all trades executed via open outcry or via entry into an electronic...

17 CFR 38.552 - Elements of an acceptable audit trail program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... of the order shall also be captured. (b) Transaction history database. A designated contract market's audit trail program must include an electronic transaction history database. An adequate transaction history database includes a history of all trades executed via open outcry or via entry into an electronic...

Ripple Effect Mapping: A "Radiant" Way to Capture Program Impacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kollock, Debra Hansen; Flage, Lynette; Chazdon, Scott; Paine, Nathan; Higgins, Lorie

2012-01-01

Learn more about a promising follow-up, participatory group process designed to document the results of Extension educational efforts within complex, real-life settings. The method, known as Ripple Effect Mapping, uses elements of Appreciative Inquiry, mind mapping, and qualitative data analysis to engage program participants and other community…

Hospitals' Internal Accountability

PubMed Central

Kraetschmer, Nancy; Jass, Janak; Woodman, Cheryl; Koo, Irene; Kromm, Seija K.; Deber, Raisa B.

2014-01-01

This study aimed to enhance understanding of the dimensions of accountability captured and not captured in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Based on an Ontario-wide survey and follow-up interviews with three acute care hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area, we found that the two dominant dimensions of hospital accountability being reported are financial and quality performance. These two dimensions drove both internal and external reporting. Hospitals' internal reports typically included performance measures that were required or mandated in external reports. Although respondents saw reporting as a valuable mechanism for hospitals and the health system to monitor and track progress against desired outcomes, multiple challenges with current reporting requirements were communicated, including the following: 58% of survey respondents indicated that performance-reporting resources were insufficient; manual data capture and performance reporting were prevalent, with the majority of hospitals lacking sophisticated tools or technology to effectively capture, analyze and report performance data; hospitals tended to focus on those processes and outcomes with high measurability; and 53% of respondents indicated that valuable cross-system accountability, performance measures or both were not captured by current reporting requirements. PMID:25305387

Short-term and long-term plasticity in the visual-attention system: Evidence from habituation of attentional capture.

PubMed

Turatto, Massimo; Pascucci, David

2016-04-01

Attention is known to be crucial for learning and to regulate activity-dependent brain plasticity. Here we report the opposite scenario, with plasticity affecting the onset-driven automatic deployment of spatial attention. Specifically, we showed that attentional capture is subject to habituation, a fundamental form of plasticity consisting in a response decrement to repeated stimulations. Participants performed a visual discrimination task with focused attention, while being occasionally exposed to a distractor consisting of a high-luminance peripheral onset. With practice, short-term and long-term habituation of attentional capture emerged, making the visual-attention system fully immune to distraction. Furthermore, spontaneous recovery of attentional capture was found when the distractor was temporarily removed. Capture, however, once habituated was surprisingly resistant to spontaneous recovery, taking from several minutes to days to recover. The results suggest that the mechanisms subserving exogenous attentional orienting are subject to profound and enduring plastic changes based on previous experience, and that habituation can impact high-order cognitive functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Elite Capture and Corruption in two Villages in Bengkulu Province, Sumatra.

PubMed

Lucas, Anton

This paper examines leadership, elite capture and corruption in two villages in Sumatra. It compares implementation and outcomes of several conservation and development projects in the context of democratization and decentralization reforms introduced in Indonesia since 1998. In examining aspects of elite control and elite capture, this paper focuses on the activities of local elites, particularly village officials, who use their positions to monopolize planning and management of projects that were explicitly intended to incorporate participatory and accountability features. While elites' use of authority and influence to benefit personally from their roles clearly reflects elite capture, there are nonetheless members of elite groups in these case studies who use their control of projects to broad community benefit. In both villages there is considerable friction between villagers and elites as well as among members of the local elite themselves over control of local resources. Differences in the structure of these cross-cutting internal relationships and of ties between local authorities and outside government and non-government agents largely explain the differences in degree of elite capture and its outcomes in the two cases.

Toward noncooperative iris recognition: a classification approach using multiple signatures.

PubMed

Proença, Hugo; Alexandre, Luís A

2007-04-01

This paper focuses on noncooperative iris recognition, i.e., the capture of iris images at large distances, under less controlled lighting conditions, and without active participation of the subjects. This increases the probability of capturing very heterogeneous images (regarding focus, contrast, or brightness) and with several noise factors (iris obstructions and reflections). Current iris recognition systems are unable to deal with noisy data and substantially increase their error rates, especially the false rejections, in these conditions. We propose an iris classification method that divides the segmented and normalized iris image into six regions, makes an independent feature extraction and comparison for each region, and combines each of the dissimilarity values through a classification rule. Experiments show a substantial decrease, higher than 40 percent, of the false rejection rates in the recognition of noisy iris images.

A Qualitative Analysis of African American Female High School Graduates' Perceptions of Participating in an Asynchronous Credit Recovery Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, Eric L.

2010-01-01

Asynchronous online credit recovery programs have been implemented in public schools across the United States for a variety of reasons. In this case, African American female students who are deficient in course credits towards high school graduation have taken advantage of this relatively new e-programming mechanism as a means to capture course…

Do numerical rating scales and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire capture changes that are meaningful to patients with persistent back pain?

PubMed

Hush, Julia M; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Sullivan, Gerard; De Souza, Lorraine; McAuley, James H

2010-07-01

To investigate patients' views about two common outcome measures used for back pain: Numerical Rating Scales for pain and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Thirty-six working adults who had previously sought primary care for back pain and who could speak and read English. Eight focus groups were conducted to explore participants' views about the 11-point Numerical Rating Scales and the 24-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Each group was led by a facilitator and an interview topic guide was used. Audio recordings of focus groups were transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis was used to chart participants' views and an interpretive analysis performed to explain the findings. Participants reported that neither the Roland-Morris nor the Numerical Rating Scales captured the complex personal experience of pain or relevant changes in their condition. The time-frame of assessment was identified as particularly problematic and the Roland-Morris did not capture relevant functional domains. This study provides empirical data that working adults with persistent back pain consider these clinical outcome measures largely inadequate. These measures currently used for back pain may contribute to misleading conclusions about treatment efficacy and patient recovery.

Computational photography with plenoptic camera and light field capture: tutorial.

PubMed

Lam, Edmund Y

2015-11-01

Photography is a cornerstone of imaging. Ever since cameras became consumer products more than a century ago, we have witnessed great technological progress in optics and recording mediums, with digital sensors replacing photographic films in most instances. The latest revolution is computational photography, which seeks to make image reconstruction computation an integral part of the image formation process; in this way, there can be new capabilities or better performance in the overall imaging system. A leading effort in this area is called the plenoptic camera, which aims at capturing the light field of an object; proper reconstruction algorithms can then adjust the focus after the image capture. In this tutorial paper, we first illustrate the concept of plenoptic function and light field from the perspective of geometric optics. This is followed by a discussion on early attempts and recent advances in the construction of the plenoptic camera. We will then describe the imaging model and computational algorithms that can reconstruct images at different focus points, using mathematical tools from ray optics and Fourier optics. Last, but not least, we will consider the trade-off in spatial resolution and highlight some research work to increase the spatial resolution of the resulting images.

CE: Original Research: Exploring Clinicians' Perceptions About Sustaining an Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Program.

PubMed

Porter, Rebecca B; Cullen, Laura; Farrington, Michele; Matthews, Grace; Tucker, Sharon

2018-05-01

: Purpose: This study aimed to address the knowledge gap between implementing and sustaining evidence-based fall prevention practices for hospitalized patients by exploring perspectives of the interprofessional health care team. A qualitative design was used to capture insights from clinicians across disciplines in a large midwestern academic medical center. Four homogenous semistructured focus groups and three individual interviews involving a total of 20 clinicians were conducted between October 2013 and March 2014. Audio-recorded data were transcribed and analyzed using inductive qualitative analysis. Two primary themes emerged from participants regarding the sustainability of an evidence-based fall prevention program: communication patterns within the interprofessional health care team and influences of hospital organizational practices and elements. Several subthemes also emerged. Participants gave nursing staff primary responsibility for fall risk assessment and prevention. Individual professional perceptions and practices, as well as organizational characteristics, affect the sustainability of evidence-based fall prevention practices. While all team members recognized patient falls as a significant quality and safety issue, most believed that direct care nurses hold primary responsibility for leading fall prevention efforts. The data support the importance of effective interprofessional team communication and organizational practices in sustaining an evidence-based fall prevention program across inpatient units. Furthermore, the data call into question the wisdom in labeling quality indicators as "nursing sensitive"; the evidence indicates that a team approach is best.

Global budgets in Maryland: early evidence on revenues, expenses, and margins in regulated and unregulated services.

PubMed

Malmmose, Margit; Mortensen, Karoline; Holm, Claus

2018-04-02

Maryland implemented one of the most aggressive payment innovations the nation has seen in several decades when it introduced global budgets in all its acute care hospitals in 2014. Prior to this, a pilot program, total patient revenue (TPR), was established for 8 rural hospitals in 2010. Using financial hospital report data from the Health Services Cost Review Commission from 2007 to 2013, we examined the hospitals' financial results including revenue, costs, and profit/loss margins to explore the impact of the adoption of the TPR pilot global budget program relative to the remaining hospitals in the state. We analyze financial results for both regulated (included in the global budget and subject to rate-setting) and unregulated services in order to capture a holistic image of the hospitals' actual revenue, cost and margin structures. Common size and difference-in-differences analyses of the data suggest that regulated profit ratios for treatment hospitals increased (from 5% in 2007 to 8% in 2013) and regulated expense-to-gross patient revenue ratios decreased (75% in 2007 and 68% in 2013) relative to the controls. Simultaneously, the profit margins for treatment hospitals' unregulated services decreased (- 12% in 2007 and - 17% in 2013), which reduced the overall margin significantly. This analysis therefore indicates cost shifting and less profit gain from the program than identified by solely focusing on the regulated margins.

An overview of DANCE: a 4II BaF[2] detector for neutron capture measurements at LANSCE.

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

Ullmann, J. L.

2004-01-01

The Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture experiments (DANCE) is a 162-element, 4{pi} BaF{sub 2} array designed to make neutron capture cross-section measurements on rare or radioactive targets with masses as little as 1 mg. Accurate capture cross sections are needed in many research areas, including stellar nucleosynthesis, advanced nuclear fuel cycles, waste transmutation, and other applied programs. These cross sections are difficult to calculate accurately and must be measured. Up to now, except for a few long-lived nuclides there are essentially no differential capture measurements on radioactive nuclei. The DANCE array is located at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center atmore » LANSCE, which is a continuous-spectrum neutron source with useable energies from below thermal to about 100 keV. Data acquisition is done with 320 fast waveform digitizers. The design and initial performance results, including background minimization, will be discussed.« less

Passive fishing techniques: a cause of turtle mortality in the Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barko, V.A.; Briggler, J.T.; Ostendorf, D.E.

2004-01-01

We investigated variation of incidentally captured turtle mortality in response to environmental factors and passive fishing techniques. We used Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) data collected from 1996 to 2001 in the unimpounded upper Mississippi River (UMR) adjacent to Missouri and Illinois, USA. We used a principle components analysis (PCA) and a stepwise discriminant function analysis to identify factors correlated with mortality of captured turtles. Furthermore, we were interested in what percentage of turtles died from passive fishing techniques and what techniques caused the most turtle mortality. The main factors influencing captured turtle mortality were water temperature and depth at net deployment. Fyke nets captured the most turtles and caused the most turtle mortality. Almost 90% of mortalities occurred in offshore aquatic areas (i.e., side channel or tributary). Our results provide information on causes of turtle mortality (as bycatch) in a riverine system and implications for river turtle conservation by suggesting management strategies to reduce turtle bycatch and decrease mortality of captured turtles.

Current and Future Research at DANCE

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

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bredeweg, T. A.

2015-05-28

An overview of the current experimental program on measurements of neutron capture and neutron induced fission at the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) is presented. Three major projects are currently under way: 1) high precision measurements of neutron capture cross sections on Uranium isotopes, 2) research aimed at studies of the short-lived actinide isomer production in neutron capture on 235U and 3) measurements of correlated data of fission observables. New projects include developments of auxiliary detectors to improve the capability of DANCE. We are building a compact, segmented NEUtron detector Array at DANCE (NEUANCE), which will be installedmore » in the central cavity of the DANCE array. It will thus provide experimental information on prompt fission neutrons in coincidence with the prompt fission gamma-rays measured by 160 BaF 2 crystals of DANCE. Additionally, unique correlated data will be obtained for neutron capture and neutron-induced fission using the DANCE-NEUANCE experimental set up in the future.« less

Rebooting Kirkpatrick: Integrating Information System Theory Into the Evaluation of Web-based Continuing Professional Development Interventions for Interprofessional Education.

PubMed

Shen, Nelson; Yufe, Shira; Saadatfard, Omid; Sockalingam, Sanjeev; Wiljer, David

2017-01-01

Information system research has stressed the importance of theory in understanding how user perceptions can motivate the use and adoption of technology such as web-based continuing professional development programs for interprofessional education (WCPD-IPE). A systematic review was conducted to provide an information system perspective on the current state of WCPD-IPE program evaluation and how current evaluations capture essential theoretical constructs in promoting technology adoption. Six databases were searched to identify studies evaluating WCPD-IPE. Three investigators determined eligibility of the articles. Evaluation items extracted from the studies were assessed using the Kirkpatrick-Barr framework and mapped to the Benefits Evaluation Framework. Thirty-seven eligible studies yielded 362 evaluation items for analysis. Most items (n = 252) were assessed as Kirkpatrick-Barr level 1 (reaction) and were mainly focused on the quality (information, service, and quality) and satisfaction dimensions of the Benefits Evaluation. System quality was the least evaluated quality dimension, accounting for 26 items across 13 studies. WCPD-IPE use was reported in 17 studies and its antecedent factors were evaluated in varying degrees of comprehensiveness. Although user reactions were commonly evaluated, greater focus on user perceptions of system quality (ie, functionality and performance), usefulness, and usability of the web-based platform is required. Surprisingly, WCPD-IPE use was reported in less than half of the studies. This is problematic as use is a prerequisite to realizing any individual, organizational, or societal benefit of WCPD-IPE. This review proposes an integrated framework which accounts for these factors and provides a theoretically grounded guide for future evaluations.

Label-Free Isolation and mRNA Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells from Patients with Metastatic Lung Cancer for Disease Diagnosis and Monitoring Therapeutic Efficacy.

PubMed

Wang, Jidong; Lu, Wenjing; Tang, Chuanhao; Liu, Yi; Sun, Jiashu; Mu, Xuan; Zhang, Lin; Dai, Bo; Li, Xiaoyan; Zhuo, Hailong; Jiang, Xingyu

2015-12-01

We develop an inertial-based microfluidic cell sorter combined with an integrated membrane filter, allowing for size-based, label-free, and high-efficiency separation and enrichment of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in whole blood. The cell sorter is composed of a double spiral microchannel that hydrodynamically focuses and separates large CTCs from small blood cells. The focused CTCs with the equilibrium position around the midline of microchannel are further captured and enriched by a membrane filter (pore size of 8 μm) attached at the middle outlet. This integrated microfluidic device can process 1 mL of whole blood containing spiked tumor cells (A549, human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line) within 15 min, with the capture efficiency of 74.4% at the concentration as low as tens of A549 cells per mL of whole blood. This microfluidic cell sorter is further adopted for isolation of CTCs from peripheral blood samples of patients with metastatic lung cancer. The immunostaining and CK-19 mRNA detection are applied for identification of captured CTCs, showing that our method can detect 90% of metastatic lung cancer patients before therapy, whereas the commercially used system can only detect 40% of the same patients. We also use the expression of CK-19 mRNA from captured CTCs as an indicator for monitoring the therapeutic efficiency, which correlates well with X-ray computed tomography (CT) assessment of the disease.

Static and Alternating Field Magnetic Capture and Heating of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Simulated Blood Vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Joanne Haeun; Shah, Rhythm R.; Brazel, Christopher S.

2014-11-01

Targeted drug delivery and localized hyperthermia are being studied as alternatives to conventional cancer treatments, which can affect the whole body and indiscriminately kill healthy cells. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have potential as drug carriers that can be captured and trigger hyperthermia at the site of the tumor by applying an external magnetic field. This study focuses on comparing the capture efficiency of the magnetic field applied by a static magnet to an alternating current coil. The effect of particle size, degree of dispersion, and the frequency of the AC field on capture and heating were studied using 3 different dispersions: 16 nm maghemite in water, 50 nm maghemite in dopamine, and 20--30 nm magnetite in dimercaptosuccinic acid. A 480G static field captured more MNPs than a similar 480G AC field at either 194 or 428 kHz; however, the AC field also allowed heating. The MNPs in water had a lower capture and heating efficiency than the larger, dopamine-coated MNPs. This finding was supported by dynamic light scattering data showing the particle size distribution and vibrating sample magnetometry data showing that the larger MNPs in the dopamine solution have a higher field of coercivity, exhibit ferrimagnetism and allow for better capture while smaller (16 nm) MNPs exhibit superparamagnetism. The dispersions that captured the best also heated the best. NSF ECE Grant #1358991 supported the first author as an REU student.

JView Visualization for Next Generation Air Transportation System

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

hardware graphics acceleration. JView relies on concrete Object Oriented Design (OOD) and programming techniques to provide a robust and venue non...visibility priority of a texture set. A good example of this is you have translucent images that should always be visible over the other textures...elements present in the scene. • Capture Alpha. Allows the alpha color channel ( translucency ) to be saved when capturing images or movies of a 3D scene

Automated rendezvous and capture development infrastructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryan, Thomas C.; Roe, Fred; Coker, Cynthia

1992-01-01

The facilities at Marshall Space Flight Center and JSC to be utilized to develop and test an autonomous rendezvous and capture (ARC) system are described. This includes equipment and personnel facility capabilities to devise, develop, qualify, and integrate ARC elements and subsystems into flight programs. Attention is given to the use of a LEO test facility, the current concept and unique system elements of the ARC, and the options available to develop ARC technology.

Numerical Propulsion System Simulation: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lytle, John K.

2000-01-01

The cost of implementing new technology in aerospace propulsion systems is becoming prohibitively expensive and time consuming. One of the main contributors to the high cost and lengthy time is the need to perform many large-scale hardware tests and the inability to integrate all appropriate subsystems early in the design process. The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing the technologies required to enable simulations of full aerospace propulsion systems in sufficient detail to resolve critical design issues early in the design process before hardware is built. This concept, called the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS), is focused on the integration of multiple disciplines such as aerodynamics, structures and heat transfer with computing and communication technologies to capture complex physical processes in a timely and cost-effective manner. The vision for NPSS, as illustrated, is to be a "numerical test cell" that enables full engine simulation overnight on cost-effective computing platforms. There are several key elements within NPSS that are required to achieve this capability: 1) clear data interfaces through the development and/or use of data exchange standards, 2) modular and flexible program construction through the use of object-oriented programming, 3) integrated multiple fidelity analysis (zooming) techniques that capture the appropriate physics at the appropriate fidelity for the engine systems, 4) multidisciplinary coupling techniques and finally 5) high performance parallel and distributed computing. The current state of development in these five area focuses on air breathing gas turbine engines and is reported in this paper. However, many of the technologies are generic and can be readily applied to rocket based systems and combined cycles currently being considered for low-cost access-to-space applications. Recent accomplishments include: (1) the development of an industry-standard engine cycle analysis program and plug 'n play architecture, called NPSS Version 1, (2) A full engine simulation that combines a 3D low-pressure subsystem with a 0D high pressure core simulation. This demonstrates the ability to integrate analyses at different levels of detail and to aerodynamically couple components, the fan/booster and low-pressure turbine, through a 3D computational fluid dynamics simulation. (3) Simulation of all of the turbomachinery in a modern turbofan engine on parallel computing platform for rapid and cost-effective execution. This capability can also be used to generate full compressor map, requiring both design and off-design simulation. (4) Three levels of coupling characterize the multidisciplinary analysis under NPSS: loosely coupled, process coupled and tightly coupled. The loosely coupled and process coupled approaches require a common geometry definition to link CAD to analysis tools. The tightly coupled approach is currently validating the use of arbitrary Lagrangian/Eulerian formulation for rotating turbomachinery. The validation includes both centrifugal and axial compression systems. The results of the validation will be reported in the paper. (5) The demonstration of significant computing cost/performance reduction for turbine engine applications using PC clusters. The NPSS Project is supported under the NASA High Performance Computing and Communications Program.

Linked Open Data in the Global Change Information System (GCIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilmes, Curt A.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (http://globalchange.gov) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP is developing a Global Change Information System (GCIS) that will centralize access to data and information related to global change across the U.S. federal government. The first implementation will focus on the 2013 National Climate Assessment (NCA) . (http://assessment.globalchange.gov) The NCA integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the USGCRP; analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. The NCA has received over 500 distinct technical inputs to the process, many of which are reports distilling and synthesizing even more information, coming from thousands of individuals around the federal, state and local governments, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. The GCIS will present a web-based version of the NCA including annotations linking the findings and content of the NCA with the scientific research, datasets, models, observations, etc. that led to its conclusions. It will use semantic tagging and a linked data approach, assigning globally unique, persistent, resolvable identifiers to all of the related entities and capturing and presenting the relationships between them, both internally and referencing out to other linked data sources and back to agency data centers. The developing W3C PROV Data Model and ontology will be used to capture the provenance trail and present it in both human readable web pages and machine readable formats such as RDF and SPARQL. This will improve visibility into the assessment process, increase understanding and reproducibility, and ultimately increase credibility and trust of the resulting report. Building on the foundation of the NCA, longer term plans for the GCIS include extending these capabilities throughout the U.S. Global Change Research Program, centralizing access to global change data and information across the thirteen agencies that comprise the program.

Multiscale Modeling and Characterization of the Effects of Damage Evolution on the Multifunctional Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-27

the mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube -polymer nanocomposites. Focus was placed on understanding and capturing the key... nanotube nanocomposite piezoresistive sensing in performing structural health monitoring in epoxy-based energetic materials. The focus was to...Carbon Nanotube , Nanocomposite, Structural Health Monitoring, Strain Sensing, Damage Sensing 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU

The efficacy of interactive, motion capture-based rehabilitation on functional outcomes in an inpatient stroke population: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Cannell, John; Jovic, Emelyn; Rathjen, Amy; Lane, Kylie; Tyson, Anna M; Callisaya, Michele L; Smith, Stuart T; Ahuja, Kiran DK; Bird, Marie-Louise

2017-01-01

Objective: To compare the efficacy of novel interactive, motion capture-rehabilitation software to usual care stroke rehabilitation on physical function. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Two subacute hospital rehabilitation units in Australia. Participants: In all, 73 people less than six months after stroke with reduced mobility and clinician determined capacity to improve. Interventions: Both groups received functional retraining and individualized programs for up to an hour, on weekdays for 8–40 sessions (dose matched). For the intervention group, this individualized program used motivating virtual reality rehabilitation and novel gesture controlled interactive motion capture software. For usual care, the individualized program was delivered in a group class on one unit and by rehabilitation assistant 1:1 on the other. Main measures: Primary outcome was standing balance (functional reach). Secondary outcomes were lateral reach, step test, sitting balance, arm function, and walking. Results: Participants (mean 22 days post-stroke) attended mean 14 sessions. Both groups improved (mean (95% confidence interval)) on primary outcome functional reach (usual care 3.3 (0.6 to 5.9), intervention 4.1 (−3.0 to 5.0) cm) with no difference between groups (P = 0.69) on this or any secondary measures. No differences between the rehabilitation units were seen except in lateral reach (less affected side) (P = 0.04). No adverse events were recorded during therapy. Conclusion: Interactive, motion capture rehabilitation for inpatients post stroke produced functional improvements that were similar to those achieved by usual care stroke rehabilitation, safely delivered by either a physical therapist or a rehabilitation assistant. PMID:28719977

Simultaneous reconstruction of multiple depth images without off-focus points in integral imaging using a graphics processing unit.

PubMed

Yi, Faliu; Lee, Jieun; Moon, Inkyu

2014-05-01

The reconstruction of multiple depth images with a ray back-propagation algorithm in three-dimensional (3D) computational integral imaging is computationally burdensome. Further, a reconstructed depth image consists of a focus and an off-focus area. Focus areas are 3D points on the surface of an object that are located at the reconstructed depth, while off-focus areas include 3D points in free-space that do not belong to any object surface in 3D space. Generally, without being removed, the presence of an off-focus area would adversely affect the high-level analysis of a 3D object, including its classification, recognition, and tracking. Here, we use a graphics processing unit (GPU) that supports parallel processing with multiple processors to simultaneously reconstruct multiple depth images using a lookup table containing the shifted values along the x and y directions for each elemental image in a given depth range. Moreover, each 3D point on a depth image can be measured by analyzing its statistical variance with its corresponding samples, which are captured by the two-dimensional (2D) elemental images. These statistical variances can be used to classify depth image pixels as either focus or off-focus points. At this stage, the measurement of focus and off-focus points in multiple depth images is also implemented in parallel on a GPU. Our proposed method is conducted based on the assumption that there is no occlusion of the 3D object during the capture stage of the integral imaging process. Experimental results have demonstrated that this method is capable of removing off-focus points in the reconstructed depth image. The results also showed that using a GPU to remove the off-focus points could greatly improve the overall computational speed compared with using a CPU.

Family Therapy Training at the Ackerman Institute: Thoughts of Form and Substance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPerriere, Kitty

1979-01-01

Presents the history, philosophy, and form of training at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, and attempts to capture the spirit and atmosphere of the program rather than enumerate details. The program teaches family therapy and a systems perspective on human behavior to professionals who have completed basic professional training. (Author)

Measuring Quality of Delivery in a Substance Use Prevention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giles, Steven; Jackson-Newsom, Julia; Pankratz, Melinda M.; Hansen, William B.; Ringwalt, Christopher L.; Dusenbury, Linda

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an observation measure designed to capture teachers' use of interactive teaching skills within the delivery of the All Stars substance use prevention program. Coders counted the number of times teachers praised and encouraged students, accepted and used students' ideas, asked questions,…

Buffering Negative Impacts of Divorce on Children: Evaluating Impact of Divorce Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Jennifer K.; Riffe, Jane; Trevisan, Dominic A.; Adesope, Olusola O.

2014-01-01

Following the call for more stringent evaluation methodology and recently documented national Extension presence in the field of divorce education for parents and children, the study reported here describes a local multi-level evaluation to capture program impact of a stakeholder-accepted divorce education program. Using a post-then-pre…

Empowerment evaluation with programs designed to prevent first-time male perpetration of sexual violence.

PubMed

Noonan, Rita K; Gibbs, Deborah

2009-01-01

This special issue captures several threads in the ongoing evolution of sexual violence prevention. The articles that follow examine an empowerment evaluation process with four promising programs dedicated to preventing first-time male perpetration of sexual violence, as well as evaluation findings. Both the evaluation approach and the programs examined shed light on how sexual violence prevention can continue to be improved in the future.

PcapDB: Search Optimized Packet Capture, Version 0.1.0.0

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

Ferrell, Paul; Steinfadt, Shannon

PcapDB is a packet capture system designed to optimize the captured data for fast search in the typical (network incident response) use case. The technology involved in this software has been submitted via the IDEAS system and has been filed as a provisional patent. It includes the following primary components: capture: The capture component utilizes existing capture libraries to retrieve packets from network interfaces. Once retrieved the packets are passed to additional threads for sorting into flows and indexing. The sorted flows and indexes are passed to other threads so that they can be written to disk. These components aremore » written in the C programming language. search: The search components provide a means to find relevant flows and the associated packets. A search query is parsed and represented as a search tree. Various search commands, written in C, are then used resolve this tree into a set of search results. The tree generation and search execution management components are written in python. interface: The PcapDB web interface is written in Python on the Django framework. It provides a series of pages, API's, and asynchronous tasks that allow the user to manage the capture system, perform searches, and retrieve results. Web page components are written in HTML,CSS and Javascript.« less

Prenatal stress from trawl capture affects mothers and neonates: a case study using the southern fiddler ray (Trygonorrhina dumerilii)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guida, L.; Awruch, C.; Walker, T. I.; Reina, R. D.

2017-04-01

Assessing fishing effects on chondrichthyan populations has predominantly focused on quantifying mortality rates. Consequently, sub-lethal effects of capture stress on the reproductive capacity of chondrichthyans are largely unknown. We investigated the reproductive consequences of capture on pregnant southern fiddler rays (Trygonorrhina dumerilii) collected from Swan Bay, Australia, in response to laboratory-simulated trawl capture (8 h) followed immediately by air exposure (30 min). Immediately prior to, and for up to 28 days post trawling, all females were measured for body mass (BM), sex steroid concentrations (17-β estradiol, progesterone, testosterone) and granulocyte to lymphocyte (G:L) ratio. At parturition, neonates were measured for total length (TL), BM and G:L ratio. Trawling reduced maternal BM and elevated the G:L ratio for up to 28 days. Trawling did not significantly affect any sex steroid concentrations relative to controls. Neonates from trawled mothers were significantly lower in BM and TL than control animals, and had an elevated G:L ratio. Our results show that capture of pregnant T. dumerilii can influence their reproductive potential and affect the fitness of neonates. We suggest other viviparous species are likely to be similarly affected. Sub-lethal effects of capture, particularly on reproduction, require further study to improve fisheries management and conservation of chondrichthyans.

Impact of electron-captures on nuclei near N = 50 on core-collapse supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titus, R.; Sullivan, C.; Zegers, R. G. T.; Brown, B. A.; Gao, B.

2018-01-01

The sensitivity of the late stages of stellar core collapse to electron-capture rates on nuclei is investigated, with a focus on electron-capture rates on 74 nuclei with neutron number close to 50, just above doubly magic 78Ni. It is demonstrated that variations in key characteristics of the evolution, such as the lepton fraction, electron fraction, entropy, stellar density, and in-fall velocity are about 50% due to uncertainties in the electron-capture rates on nuclei in this region, although thousands of nuclei are included in the simulations. The present electron-capture rate estimates used for the nuclei in this high-sensitivity region of the chart of isotopes are primarily based on a simple approximation, and it is shown that the estimated rates are likely too high, by an order of magnitude or more. Electron-capture rates based on Gamow-Teller strength distributions calculated in microscopic theoretical models will be required to obtain better estimates. Gamow-Teller distributions extracted from charge-exchange experiments performed at intermediate energies serve to guide the development and benchmark the models. A previously compiled weak-rate library that is used in the astrophysical simulations was updated as part of the work presented here, by adding additional rate tables for nuclei near stability for mass numbers between 60 and 110.

Recent Simulations of the Late Stages Growth of Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lissauer, Jack J.; D'Angelo, Gennaro; Hubickyj, Olenka

2012-01-01

Presented by Lissauer et al. (2009, Icarus 199, 338) are used to test the model of capture of Jupiter's irregular satellites within proto-Jupiter's distended and thermally-supported envelope. We find such capture highly unlikely, since the envelope shrinks too slowly for a large number of moons to be retained, and many of those that would be retained would orbit closer to the planet than do the observed Jovian irregulars. Our calculations do not address (and therefore do not exclude) the possibility that the irregular satellites were captured as a result of gas drag within a circumjovian disk. Support for this research from NASA Outer Planets Research Program is gratefully acknowledged.

Objective Methodology to Assess Meaningful Research Productivity by Orthopaedic Residency Departments: Validation Against Widely Distributed Ranking Metrics and Published Surrogates.

PubMed

Jones, Louis B; Goel, Sameer; Hung, Leroy Y; Graves, Matthew L; Spitler, Clay A; Russell, George V; Bergin, Patrick F

2018-04-01

The mission of any academic orthopaedic training program can be divided into 3 general areas of focus: clinical care, academic performance, and research. Clinical care is evaluated on clinical volume, patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, and becoming increasingly focused on data-driven quality metrics. Academic performance of a department can be used to motivate individual surgeons, but objective measures are used to define a residency program. Annual in-service examinations serve as a marker of resident knowledge base, and board pass rates are clearly scrutinized. Research productivity, however, has proven harder to objectively quantify. In an effort to improve transparency and better account for conflicts of interest, bias, and self-citation, multiple bibliometric measures have been developed. Rather than using individuals' research productivity as a surrogate for departmental research, we sought to establish an objective methodology to better assess a residency program's ability to conduct meaningful research. In this study, we describe a process to assess the number and quality of publications produced by an orthopaedic residency department. This would allow chairmen and program directors to benchmark their current production and make measurable goals for future research investment. The main goal of the benchmarking system is to create an "h-index" for residency programs. To do this, we needed to create a list of relevant articles in the orthopaedic literature. We used the Journal Citation Reports. This publication lists all orthopaedic journals that are given an impact factor rating every year. When we accessed the Journal Citation Reports database, there were 72 journals included in the orthopaedic literature section. To ensure only relevant, impactful journals were included, we selected journals with an impact factor greater than 0.95 and an Eigenfactor Score greater than 0.00095. After excluding journals not meeting these criteria, we were left with 45 journals. We performed a Scopus search over a 10-year period of these journals and created a database of articles and their affiliated institutions. We performed several iterations of this to maximize the capture of articles attributed to institutions with multiple names. Based off of this extensive database, we were able to analyze all allopathic US residency programs based on their quality research productivity. We believe this as a novel methodology to create a system by which residency program chairmen and directors can assess progress over time and accurate comparison with other programs.

Structure and properties of visible-light absorbing homodisperse nanoparticle

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

Benedict, Jason

Broadly, the scientific progress from this award focused in two main areas: developing time-resolved X-ray diffraction methods and the synthesis and characterization of molecular systems relevant to solar energy harvesting. The knowledge of photo–induced non–equilibrium states is central to our understanding of processes involved in solar–energy capture. More specifically, knowledge of the geometry changes on excitation and their relation to lifetimes and variation with adsorption of chromophores on the substrates is of importance for the design of molecular devices used in light capture.

Introducing electron capture into the unitary-convolution-approximation energy-loss theory at low velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiwietz, G.; Grande, P. L.

2011-11-01

Recent developments in the theoretical treatment of electronic energy losses of bare and screened ions in gases are presented. Specifically, the unitary-convolution-approximation (UCA) stopping-power model has proven its strengths for the determination of nonequilibrium effects for light as well as heavy projectiles at intermediate to high projectile velocities. The focus of this contribution will be on the UCA and its extension to specific projectile energies far below 100 keV/u, by considering electron-capture contributions at charge-equilibrium conditions.

Dwarf galaxies: a lab to investigate the neutron capture elements production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cescutti, Gabriele

2018-06-01

In this contribution, I focus on the neutron capture elements observed in the spectra of old halo and ultra faint galaxies stars. Adopting a stochastic chemical evolution model and the Galactic halo as a benchmark, I present new constraints on the rate and time scales of r-process events, based on the discovery of the r-process rich stars in the ultra faint galaxy Reticulum 2. I also show that an s-process activated by rotation in massive stars can play an important role in the production of heavy elements.

Motion capture based identification of the human body inertial parameters.

PubMed

Venture, Gentiane; Ayusawa, Ko; Nakamura, Yoshihiko

2008-01-01

Identification of body inertia, masses and center of mass is an important data to simulate, monitor and understand dynamics of motion, to personalize rehabilitation programs. This paper proposes an original method to identify the inertial parameters of the human body, making use of motion capture data and contact forces measurements. It allows in-vivo painless estimation and monitoring of the inertial parameters. The method is described and then obtained experimental results are presented and discussed.

The Quest CCS Project - MMV Technology Deployment Through Two Years of Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, S.

2017-12-01

In September 2012, Shell, on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project venture (Shell Canada Energy, Chevron Canada Limited, Marathon Oil Canada Corporation), announced that it was proceeding to construct the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project near Fort Saskatchewan. Quest is the world's first large-scale commercial application of CCS at an oil sands operation, and it is now capturing more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year from the Scotford Upgrader. It is a fully integrated project, involving CO2 capture at the bitumen upgrader, transportation along a 65 km pipeline, and CO2 storage in a deep saline aquifer (the Basal Cambrian Sands). Construction was completed in August 2015, and the Quest project was certified for commercial operation in September 2015. The Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) program for Quest is comprehensive, with a variety of technologies being used to monitor the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere. These include a Lightsource system for atmospheric monitoring, extensive groundwater sampling, DAS VSPs to assess the development of the CO2 plume, a microseismic array to measure any induced seismic activity, and temperature and pressure gauges for reservoir monitoring. Over two years of operations, this program has been optimized to address key risks while improving operational efficiency. Quest has now successfully captured and stored more than 2 million tonnes of CO2 with no MMV indications of any storage issues.

Using Focus Groups to Validate a Pharmacy Vaccination Training Program.

PubMed

Bushell, Mary; Morrissey, Hana; Ball, Patrick

2015-06-12

Introduction: Focus group methodology is commonly used to quickly collate, integrated views from a variety of different stakeholders. This paper provides an example of how focus groups can be employed to collate expert opinion informing amendments on a newly developed training program for integration into undergraduate pharmacy curricula. Materials and methods: Four focus groups were conducted, across three continents, to determine the appropriateness and reliability of a developed vaccination training program with nested injection skills training. All focus groups were comprised of legitimate experts in the field of vaccination, medicine and/or pharmacy. Results: Themes that emerged across focus groups informed amendments giving rise to a validated version of a training program. Discussion : The rigorous validation of the vaccination training program offers generalizable lessons to inform the design and validation of future training programs intended for the health sector and or pharmacy curricula. Using the knowledge and experience of focus group participants fostered collaborative problem solving and validation of material and concept development. The group dynamics of a focus group allowed synthesis of feedback in an inter-professional manner. Conclusions : This paper provides a demonstration of how focus groups can be structured and used by health researchers to validate a newly developed training program.

Out-of-School-Time Academic Programs to Improve School Achievement: A Community Guide Health Equity Systematic Review.

PubMed

Knopf, John A; Hahn, Robert A; Proia, Krista K; Truman, Benedict I; Johnson, Robert L; Muntaner, Carles; Fielding, Jonathan E; Jones, Camara Phyllis; Fullilove, Mindy T; Hunt, Pete C; Qu, Shuli; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K; Milstein, Bobby

2015-01-01

Low-income and minority status in the United States are associated with poor educational outcomes, which, in turn, reduce the long-term health benefits of education. This systematic review assessed the extent to which out-of-school-time academic (OSTA) programs for at-risk students, most of whom are from low-income and racial/ethnic minority families, can improve academic achievement. Because most OSTA programs serve low-income and ethnic/racial minority students, programs may improve health equity. Methods of the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used. An existing systematic review assessing the effects of OSTA programs on academic outcomes (Lauer et al 2006; search period 1985-2003) was supplemented with a Community Guide update (search period 2003-2011). Standardized mean difference. Thirty-two studies from the existing review and 25 studies from the update were combined and stratified by program focus (ie, reading-focused, math-focused, general academic programs, and programs with minimal academic focus). Focused programs were more effective than general or minimal academic programs. Reading-focused programs were effective only for students in grades K-3. There was insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness on behavioral outcomes and longer-term academic outcomes. OSTA programs, particularly focused programs, are effective in increasing academic achievement for at-risk students. Ongoing school and social environments that support learning and development may be essential to ensure the longer-term benefits of OSTA programs.

Out-of-School-Time Academic Programs to Improve School Achievement: A Community Guide Health Equity Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Knopf, John A.; Hahn, Robert A.; Proia, Krista K.; Truman, Benedict I.; Johnson, Robert L.; Muntaner, Carles; Fielding, Jonathan E.; Jones, Camara Phyllis; Fullilove, Mindy T.; Hunt, Pete C.; Qu, Shuli; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K.; Milstein, Bobby

2015-01-01

Context Low-income and minority status in the United States are associated with poor educational outcomes, which, in turn, reduce the long-term health benefits of education. Objective This systematic review assessed the extent to which out-of-school-time academic (OSTA) programs for at-risk students, most of whom are from low-income and racial/ethnic minority families, can improve academic achievement. Because most OSTA programs serve low-income and ethnic/racial minority students, programs may improve health equity. Design Methods of the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used. An existing systematic review assessing the effects of OSTA programs on academic outcomes (Lauer et al 2006; search period 1985–2003) was supplemented with a Community Guide update (search period 2003–2011). Main Outcome Measure Standardized mean difference. Results Thirty-two studies from the existing review and 25 studies from the update were combined and stratified by program focus (ie, reading-focused, math-focused, general academic programs, and programs with minimal academic focus). Focused programs were more effective than general or minimal academic programs. Reading-focused programs were effective only for students in grades K-3. There was insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness on behavioral outcomes and longer-term academic outcomes. Conclusions OSTA programs, particularly focused programs, are effective in increasing academic achievement for at-risk students. Ongoing school and social environments that support learning and development may be essential to ensure the longer-term benefits of OSTA programs. PMID:26062096

Truck trip data collection methods : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-02-01

A considerable body of research exists for addressing the data needs for passenger transportation models and statewide freight truck movements. The number of studies which focus on methods for capturing the necessary data on urban freight movements i...

Effects of Psychological Attention on Pronoun Comprehension

PubMed Central

Arnold, Jennifer E.; Lao, Shin-Yi C.

2015-01-01

Pronoun comprehension is facilitated for referents that are focused in the discourse context. Discourse focus has been described as a function of attention, especially shared attention, but few studies have explicitly tested this idea. Two experiments used an exogenous capture cue paradigm to demonstrate that listeners’ visual attention at the onset of a story influences their preferences during pronoun resolution later in the story. In both experiments trial-initial attention modulated listeners’ transitory biases while considering referents for the pronoun, whether it was in response to the capture cue or not. These biases even had a small influence on listeners’ final interpretation of the pronoun. These results provide independently-motivated evidence that the listener’s attention influences the on-line processes of pronoun comprehension. Trial-initial attentional shifts were made on the basis of non-shared, private information, demonstrating that attentional effects on pronoun comprehension are not restricted to shared attention among interlocutors. PMID:26191533

Leaf LIMS: A Flexible Laboratory Information Management System with a Synthetic Biology Focus.

PubMed

Craig, Thomas; Holland, Richard; D'Amore, Rosalinda; Johnson, James R; McCue, Hannah V; West, Anthony; Zulkower, Valentin; Tekotte, Hille; Cai, Yizhi; Swan, Daniel; Davey, Robert P; Hertz-Fowler, Christiane; Hall, Anthony; Caddick, Mark

2017-12-15

This paper presents Leaf LIMS, a flexible laboratory information management system (LIMS) designed to address the complexity of synthetic biology workflows. At the project's inception there was a lack of a LIMS designed specifically to address synthetic biology processes, with most systems focused on either next generation sequencing or biobanks and clinical sample handling. Leaf LIMS implements integrated project, item, and laboratory stock tracking, offering complete sample and construct genealogy, materials and lot tracking, and modular assay data capture. Hence, it enables highly configurable task-based workflows and supports data capture from project inception to completion. As such, in addition to it supporting synthetic biology it is ideal for many laboratory environments with multiple projects and users. The system is deployed as a web application through Docker and is provided under a permissive MIT license. It is freely available for download at https://leaflims.github.io .

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

Rychel, Dwight

The Permian Basin Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Training Center was one of seven regional centers formed in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and managed by the Department of Energy. Based in the Permian Basin, it is focused on the utilization of CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects for the long term storage of CO 2 while producing a domestic oil and revenue stream. It delivers training to students, oil and gas professionals, regulators, environmental and academia through a robust web site, newsletter, tech alerts, webinars, self-paced online courses, one day workshops, andmore » two day high level forums. While course material prominently features all aspects of the capture, transportation and EOR utilization of CO 2, the audience focus is represented by its high level forums where selected graduate students with an interest in CCUS interact with Industry experts and in-house workshops for the regulatory community.« less

Ambulatory surgery centers best practices for the 90s.

PubMed

Hoover, J A

1994-05-01

Outpatient surgery will be the driving force in the continued growth of ambulatory care in the 1990s. Providing efficient, high-quality ambulatory surgical services should therefore be a priority among healthcare providers. Arthur Andersen conducted a survey to discover best practices in ambulatory surgical service. General success characteristics of best performers were business-focused relationships with physicians, the use of clinical protocols, patient convenience, cost management, strong leadership, teamwork, streamlined processes and efficient design. Other important factors included scheduling to maximize OR room use; achieving surgical efficiencies through reduced case pack assembly errors and equipment availability; a focus on cost capture rather than charge capture; sound materiel management practices, such as standardization and vendor teaming; and the appropriate use of automated systems. It is important to evaluate whether the best practices are applicable to your environment and what specific changes to your current processes would be necessary to adopt them.

MOOSE Implementation of MAMBA

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

Galloway, Jack; Matthews, Topher

The development of MAMBA is targeted at capturing both core wide CRUD induced power shifts (CIPS) as well as pin-­level CRUD induced localized corrosion (CILC). Both CIPS and CILC require some sort of information from thermal-­hydraulic, neutronics, and fuel performance codes, although the degree of coupling is different for the two effects. Since CIPS necessarily requires a core-­wide power distribution solve, it requires tight coupling with a neutronics code. Conversely, CIPS tends to be an individual pin phenomenon, requiring tight coupling a fuel performance code. As efforts are now focused on coupling MAMBA within the VERA suite, a natural separationmore » has surfaced in which a FORTRAN rewrite of MAMBA is optimal for VERA integration to capture CIPS behavior, while a CILC focused calculation would benefit from a tight coupling with BISON, motivating a MOOSE version of MAMBA.« less

Inference from single occasion capture experiments using genetic markers.

PubMed

Hettiarachchige, Chathurika K H; Huggins, Richard M

2018-05-01

Accurate estimation of the size of animal populations is an important task in ecological science. Recent advances in the field of molecular genetics researches allow the use of genetic data to estimate the size of a population from a single capture occasion rather than repeated occasions as in the usual capture-recapture experiments. Estimating the population size using genetic data also has sometimes led to estimates that differ markedly from each other and also from classical capture-recapture estimates. Here, we develop a closed form estimator that uses genetic information to estimate the size of a population consisting of mothers and daughters, focusing on estimating the number of mothers, using data from a single sample. We demonstrate the estimator is consistent and propose a parametric bootstrap to estimate the standard errors. The estimator is evaluated in a simulation study and applied to real data. We also consider maximum likelihood in this setting and discover problems that preclude its general use. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Two-step rapid sulfur capture. Final report

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

NONE

1994-04-01

The primary goal of this program was to test the technical and economic feasibility of a novel dry sorbent injection process called the Two-Step Rapid Sulfur Capture process for several advanced coal utilization systems. The Two-Step Rapid Sulfur Capture process consists of limestone activation in a high temperature auxiliary burner for short times followed by sorbent quenching in a lower temperature sulfur containing coal combustion gas. The Two-Step Rapid Sulfur Capture process is based on the Non-Equilibrium Sulfur Capture process developed by the Energy Technology Office of Textron Defense Systems (ETO/TDS). Based on the Non-Equilibrium Sulfur Capture studies the rangemore » of conditions for optimum sorbent activation were thought to be: activation temperature > 2,200 K for activation times in the range of 10--30 ms. Therefore, the aim of the Two-Step process is to create a very active sorbent (under conditions similar to the bomb reactor) and complete the sulfur reaction under thermodynamically favorable conditions. A flow facility was designed and assembled to simulate the temperature, time, stoichiometry, and sulfur gas concentration prevalent in the advanced coal utilization systems such as gasifiers, fluidized bed combustors, mixed-metal oxide desulfurization systems, diesel engines, and gas turbines.« less

Monte Carlo analysis of TRX lattices with ENDF/B version 3 data

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

Hardy, J. Jr.

1975-03-01

Four TRX water-moderated lattices of slightly enriched uranium rods have been reanalyzed with consistent ENDF/B Version 3 data by means of the full-range Monte Carlo program RECAP. The following measured lattice parameters were studied: ratio of epithermal-to-thermal $sup 238$U capture, ratio of epithermal- to-thermal $sup 235$U fissions, ration of $sup 238$U captures to $sup 235$U fissions, ratio of $sup 238$U fissions to $sup 235$U fissions, and multiplication factor. In addition to the base calculations, some studies were done to find sensitivity of the TRX lattice parameters to selected variations of cross section data. Finally, additional experimental evidence is afforded bymore » effective $sup 238$U capture integrals for isolated rods. Shielded capture integrals were calculated for $sup 238$U metal and oxide rods. These are compared with other measurements. (auth)« less

Status of the Neutron Capture Measurement on 237Np with the DANCE Array at LANSCE

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

Esch, E.-I.; Bond, E.M.; Bredeweg, T. A.

2005-05-24

Neptunium-237 is a major constituent of spent nuclear fuel. Estimates place the amount of 237Np bound for the Yucca Mountain high-level waste repository at 40 metric tons. The Department of Energy's Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative program is evaluating methods for transmuting the actinide waste that will be generated by future operation of commercial nuclear power plants. The critical parameter that defines the transmutation efficiency of actinide isotopes is the neutron fission-to-capture ratio for the particular isotope in a given neutron spectrum. The calculation of transmutation efficiency therefore requires accurate fission and capture cross sections. Current 237Np evaluations available for transmutermore » system studies show significant discrepancies in both the fission and capture cross sections in the energy regions of interest. Herein we report on 237Np (n,{gamma}) measurements using the recently commissioned DANCE array.« less

Advanced Prosthetic Gait Training Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

motion capture sequences was provided by MPL to CCAD and OGAL. CCAD’s work focused on imposing these sequences on the SantosTM digital human avatar ...manipulating the avatar image. These manipulations are accomplished in the context of reinforcing what is the more ideal position and relating...focus on the visual environment by asking users to manipulate a static image of the Santos avatar to represent their perception of what they observe

Rocket Design for the Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Follett, William W.; Rajagopal, Raj

2001-01-01

The focus of the AA MDO team is to reduce product development cost through the capture and automation of best design and analysis practices and through increasing the availability of low-cost, high-fidelity analysis. Implementation of robust designs reduces costs associated with the Test-Fall-Fix cycle. RD is currently focusing on several technologies to improve the design process, including optimization and robust design, expert and rule-based systems, and collaborative technologies.

Light field image denoising using a linear 4D frequency-hyperfan all-in-focus filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dansereau, Donald G.; Bongiorno, Daniel L.; Pizarro, Oscar; Williams, Stefan B.

2013-02-01

Imaging in low light is problematic as sensor noise can dominate imagery, and increasing illumination or aperture size is not always effective or practical. Computational photography offers a promising solution in the form of the light field camera, which by capturing redundant information offers an opportunity for elegant noise rejection. We show that the light field of a Lambertian scene has a 4D hyperfan-shaped frequency-domain region of support at the intersection of a dual-fan and a hypercone. By designing and implementing a filter with appropriately shaped passband we accomplish denoising with a single all-in-focus linear filter. Drawing examples from the Stanford Light Field Archive and images captured using a commercially available lenselet- based plenoptic camera, we demonstrate that the hyperfan outperforms competing methods including synthetic focus, fan-shaped antialiasing filters, and a range of modern nonlinear image and video denoising techniques. We show the hyperfan preserves depth of field, making it a single-step all-in-focus denoising filter suitable for general-purpose light field rendering. We include results for different noise types and levels, over a variety of metrics, and in real-world scenarios. Finally, we show that the hyperfan's performance scales with aperture count.

Bench Scale Process for Low Cost CO 2 Capture Using a PhaseChanging Absorbent: Techno-Economic Analysis Topical Report

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

Miebach, Barbara; McDuffie, Dwayne; Spiry, Irina

The objective of this project is to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing CO 2 capture solvent. The project will establish scalability and technical and economic feasibility of using a phase-changing CO 2 capture absorbent for post-combustion capture of CO 2 from coal-fired power plants with 90% capture efficiency and 95% CO 2 purity at a cost of $40/tonne of CO 2 captured by 2025 and a cost of <$10/tonne of CO 2 captured by 2035. This report presents system and economic analysis for a process that uses a phase changing aminosilicone solvent to remove COmore » 2 from pulverized coal (PC) power plant flue gas. The aminosilicone solvent is a pure 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (GAP-0). Performance of the phase-changing aminosilicone technology is compared to that of a conventional carbon capture system using aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA). This analysis demonstrates that the aminosilicone process has significant advantages relative to an MEA-based system. The first-year CO 2 removal cost for the phase-changing CO 2 capture process is $52.1/tonne, compared to $66.4/tonne for the aqueous amine process. The phase-changing CO 2 capture process is less costly than MEA because of advantageous solvent properties that include higher working capacity, lower corrosivity, lower vapor pressure, and lower heat capacity. The phase-changing aminosilicone process has approximately 32% lower equipment capital cost compared to that of the aqueous amine process. However, this solvent is susceptible to thermal degradation at CSTR desorber operating temperatures, which could add as much as $88/tonne to the CO 2 capture cost associated with solvent makeup. Future work is focused on mitigating this critical risk by developing an advanced low-temperature desorber that can deliver comparable desorption performance and significantly reduced thermal degradation rate.« less

Field Testing of Cryogenic Carbon Capture

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

Sayre, Aaron; Frankman, Dave; Baxter, Andrew

Sustainable Energy Solutions has been developing Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ (CCC) since 2008. In that time two processes have been developed, the External Cooling Loop and Compressed Flue Gas Cryogenic Carbon Capture processes (CCC ECL™ and CCC CFG™ respectively). The CCC ECL™ process has been scaled up to a 1TPD CO2 system. In this process the flue gas is cooled by an external refrigerant loop. SES has tested CCC ECL™ on real flue gas slip streams from subbituminous coal, bituminous coal, biomass, natural gas, shredded tires, and municipal waste fuels at field sites that include utility power stations, heating plants, cementmore » kilns, and pilot-scale research reactors. The CO2 concentrations from these tests ranged from 5 to 22% on a dry basis. CO2 capture ranged from 95-99+% during these tests. Several other condensable species were also captured including NO2, SO2 and PMxx at 95+%. NO was also captured at a modest rate. The CCC CFG™ process has been scaled up to a .25 ton per day system. This system has been tested on real flue gas streams including subbituminous coal, bituminous coal and natural gas at field sites that include utility power stations, heating plants, and pilot-scale research reactors. CO2 concentrations for these tests ranged from 5 to 15% on a dry basis. CO2 capture ranged from 95-99+% during these tests. Several other condensable species were also captured including NO2, SO2 and PMxx at 95+%. NO was also captured at 90+%. Hg capture was also verified and the resulting effluent from CCC CFG™ was below a 1ppt concentration. This paper will focus on discussion of the capabilities of CCC, the results of field testing and the future steps surrounding the development of this technology.« less

Consolidated principles for screening based on a systematic review and consensus process.

PubMed

Dobrow, Mark J; Hagens, Victoria; Chafe, Roger; Sullivan, Terrence; Rabeneck, Linda

2018-04-09

In 1968, Wilson and Jungner published 10 principles of screening that often represent the de facto starting point for screening decisions today; 50 years on, are these principles still the right ones? Our objectives were to review published work that presents principles for population-based screening decisions since Wilson and Jungner's seminal publication, and to conduct a Delphi consensus process to assess the review results. We conducted a systematic review and modified Delphi consensus process. We searched multiple databases for articles published in English in 1968 or later that were intended to guide population-based screening decisions, described development and modification of principles, and presented principles as a set or list. Identified sets were compared for basic characteristics (e.g., number, categorization), a citation analysis was conducted, and principles were iteratively synthesized and consolidated into categories to assess evolution. Participants in the consensus process assessed the level of agreement with the importance and interpretability of the consolidated screening principles. We identified 41 sets and 367 unique principles. Each unique principle was coded to 12 consolidated decision principles that were further categorized as disease/condition, test/intervention or program/system principles. Program or system issues were the focus of 3 of Wilson and Jungner's 10 principles, but comprised almost half of all unique principles identified in the review. The 12 consolidated principles were assessed through 2 rounds of the consensus process, leading to specific refinements to improve their relevance and interpretability. No gaps or missing principles were identified. Wilson and Jungner's principles are remarkably enduring, but increasingly reflect a truncated version of contemporary thinking on screening that does not fully capture subsequent focus on program or system principles. Ultimately, this review and consensus process provides a comprehensive and iterative modernization of guidance to inform population-based screening decisions. © 2018 Joule Inc. or its licensors.

Consolidated principles for screening based on a systematic review and consensus process

PubMed Central

Hagens, Victoria; Chafe, Roger; Sullivan, Terrence; Rabeneck, Linda

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: In 1968, Wilson and Jungner published 10 principles of screening that often represent the de facto starting point for screening decisions today; 50 years on, are these principles still the right ones? Our objectives were to review published work that presents principles for population-based screening decisions since Wilson and Jungner’s seminal publication, and to conduct a Delphi consensus process to assess the review results. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and modified Delphi consensus process. We searched multiple databases for articles published in English in 1968 or later that were intended to guide population-based screening decisions, described development and modification of principles, and presented principles as a set or list. Identified sets were compared for basic characteristics (e.g., number, categorization), a citation analysis was conducted, and principles were iteratively synthesized and consolidated into categories to assess evolution. Participants in the consensus process assessed the level of agreement with the importance and interpretability of the consolidated screening principles. RESULTS: We identified 41 sets and 367 unique principles. Each unique principle was coded to 12 consolidated decision principles that were further categorized as disease/condition, test/intervention or program/system principles. Program or system issues were the focus of 3 of Wilson and Jungner’s 10 principles, but comprised almost half of all unique principles identified in the review. The 12 consolidated principles were assessed through 2 rounds of the consensus process, leading to specific refinements to improve their relevance and interpretability. No gaps or missing principles were identified. INTERPRETATION: Wilson and Jungner’s principles are remarkably enduring, but increasingly reflect a truncated version of contemporary thinking on screening that does not fully capture subsequent focus on program or system principles. Ultimately, this review and consensus process provides a comprehensive and iterative modernization of guidance to inform population-based screening decisions. PMID:29632037

An Integrated Model for Improving Undergraduate Geoscience Workforce Readiness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keane, C. M.; Houlton, H. R.

2017-12-01

Within STEM fields, employers are reporting a widening gap in the workforce readiness of new graduates. As departments continue to be squeezed with new requirements, chasing the latest technologies and scientific developments and constrained budgets, formal undergraduate programs struggle to fully prepare students for the workforce. One major mechanisms to address gaps within formal education is in life-long learning. Most technical and professional fields have life-long learning requirements, but it is not common in the geosciences, as licensing requirements remain limited. By introducing the concept of career self-management and life-long learning into the formal education experience of students, we can build voluntary engagement and shift some of the preparation burden from existing degree programs. The Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI) seeks to extend professional life-long learning into the formal education realm. By utilizing proven, effective means to capture expert knowledge, the GOLI program constructs courses in the OpenEdX platform, where the content authors and society staff continuously refine the material into effective one- to two-hour long asynchronous modules. The topical focus of these courses are outside of the usual scope of the academic curriculum, but are aligned with applied technical or professional issues. These courses are provided as open education resources, but also qualify for CEUs as the ongoing professional microcredential in the profession. This way, interested faculty can utilize these resources as focused modules in their own course offerings or students can engage in the courses independently and upon passing the assessments and paying of a nominal fee, be awarded CEUs which count towards their professional qualifications. Establishing a continuum of learning over one's career is a critical cultural change needed for students to succeed and be resilient through the duration of a career. We will examine how this approach mimics successful efforts in other STEM fields and where it aligns with both ongoing evolution in professional geoscience employment and broader trends in STEM career management.

Barriers and Facilitators to Colorectal Cancer Screening in Vietnamese Americans: A Qualitative Analysis

PubMed Central

Kimura, Amanda; Sin, Mo-Kyung; Spigner, Clarence; Tran, Anh; Tu, Shin-Ping

2015-01-01

Background Vietnamese Americans are the fourth largest Asian ethnic group in the United States. Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as one of the most common cancers in Vietnamese Americans. However, CRC screening rates remain low among Vietnamese Americans, with 40% of women and 60% of men reporting never having a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or Fecal Occult Blood Test. Methods We partnered with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Seattle, Washington, to conduct focus groups as part of a process evaluation. Using interpreters, we recruited and conducted three focus groups comprised of 6 women screened for CRC, 6 women not screened for CRC, and 7 men screened for CRC, which made up a total of 19 FQHC patients of Vietnamese descent between 50 and 79 years old. Three team members analyzed transcripts using open coding and axial coding. Major themes were categorized into barriers and facilitators to CRC screening. Results Barriers include lack of health problems, having comorbidities, challenges with medical terminology, and concerns with the colonoscopy. Participants singled out the risk of perforation as a fear they have towards colonoscopy procedures. Facilitators include knowledge about CRC and CRC screening, access to sources of information and social networks, and physician recommendation. Conclusion Our focus groups elicited information that adds to the literature and has not been previously captured through published surveys. Findings from this study can be used to develop more culturally appropriate CRC screening interventions and improve upon existing CRC screening programs for the Vietnamese American population. PMID:24756545

Attendance and graduation patterns in a group-model health maintenance organization alternative cardiac rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Ratchford, Andria M; Hamman, Richard F; Regensteiner, Judith G; Magid, David J; Gallagher, Stacy Brennan; Merenich, John A

2004-01-01

Poor rates of participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs are well documented, especially among women and older patients. The Colorado Kaiser Permanente Cardiac Rehabilitation (KPCR) program is a home-based, case-managed, goal-oriented program with an active recruitment process and unlimited program length. This study evaluated the participation rates for the program and the predictors of attendance and graduation. Patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, and percutaneous coronary intervention from June 1999 to May 2000 (n = 1030) were identified from the administrative database, and the proportion captured by the KPCR staff was determined. Subsequent attendance and graduation patterns were evaluated. Nearly 94% of patients with one of the three aforementioned conditions were identified by the rehabilitation staff, and 41% of all patients attended the KPCR program. More than 75% of the patients who participated went on to graduate from the program. Gender comparisons showed no difference in participation between men (66.8%) and women (59.7%) (P =.07). Participation rates were inversely associated with age, yet age was not associated with graduation from the program. Surgical interventions and two or more events experienced within the first 4 weeks of the index event were the strongest predictors of attendance and graduation from the KPCR program. Innovative approaches for the capture and retention of patients in cardiac rehabilitation programs are urgently needed. The alternative program evaluated in this study showed little difference in participation between men and women, yet participation among older patients remained poor. Overall, patients who underwent surgical interventions or multiple events were more likely to attend and graduate from the program.

Computer program for prediction of capture maneuver probability for an on-off reaction controlled upper stage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knauber, R. N.

1982-01-01

A FORTRAN coded computer program which computes the capture transient of a launch vehicle upper stage at the ignition and/or separation event is presented. It is for a single degree-of-freedom on-off reaction jet attitude control system. The Monte Carlo method is used to determine the statistical value of key parameters at the outcome of the event. Aerodynamic and booster induced disturbances, vehicle and control system characteristics, and initial conditions are treated as random variables. By appropriate selection of input data pitch, yaw and roll axes can be analyzed. Transient response of a single deterministic case can be computed. The program is currently set up on a CDC CYBER 175 computer system but is compatible with ANSI FORTRAN computer language. This routine has been used over the past fifteen (15) years for the SCOUT Launch Vehicle and has been run on RECOMP III, IBM 7090, IBM 360/370, CDC6600 and CDC CYBER 175 computers with little modification.

Preliminary Design of a Consultation Knowledge-Based System for the Minimization of Distortion in Welded Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-02-01

which capture the knowledge of such experts. These Expert Systems, or Knowledge-Based Systems’, differ from the usual computer programming techniques...their applications in the fields of structural design and welding is reviewed. 5.1 Introduction Expert Systems, or KBES, are computer programs using Al...procedurally constructed as conventional computer programs usually are; * The knowledge base of such systems is executable, unlike databases 3 "Ill

The Early Tech Development Course: Experiential Commercialization Education for the Medical Academician.

PubMed

Servoss, Jonathan; Chang, Connie; Fay, Jonathan; Ward, Kevin

2017-04-01

Research produced by medical academicians holds promise for developing into biomedical innovations in therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, and health care information technology; however, the road to biomedical innovation is fraught with risk, including the challenge of moving from basic research insight onto a viable commercialization path. Compounding this challenge is the growing demand on medical academicians to be more productive in their clinical, teaching, and research duties within a resource-constrained environment. In 2014, the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School and College of Engineering codesigned and implemented an accelerated, biomedical-focused version of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The UM Early Tech Development (ETD) Course, designed for medical academicians exploring the commercial potential of early-stage ideas, covers the NSF I-Corps concept; supports the formation of teams of faculty, graduate, and medical students; and accommodates medical academicians' schedules. From 2014 to 2015, the ETD Course graduated 39 project teams from UM and other institutions. One-third of the teams have continued to pursue their projects, receiving additional funding, engaging industry partners, or enrolling in the NSF I-Corps program. The ETD Course, a potential pipeline to the NSF I-Corps program, captures a target audience of medical academicians and others in academic medicine. To better understand the long-term effects of the course and its relationship to the NSF I-Corps program, the authors will conduct a study on the careers of all ETD Course graduates, including those who have enrolled in NSF I-Corps versus those who have not.

The Early Tech Development Course: Experiential Commercialization Education for the Medical Academician

PubMed Central

Chang, Connie; Fay, Jonathan; Ward, Kevin

2017-01-01

Problem Research produced by medical academicians holds promise for developing into biomedical innovations in therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, and health care information technology; however, the road to biomedical innovation is fraught with risk, including the challenge of moving from basic research insight onto a viable commercialization path. Compounding this challenge is the growing demand on medical academicians to be more productive in their clinical, teaching, and research duties within a resource-constrained environment. Approach In 2014, the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School and College of Engineering codesigned and implemented an accelerated, biomedical-focused version of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The UM Early Tech Development (ETD) Course, designed for medical academicians exploring the commercial potential of early-stage ideas, covers the NSF I-Corps concept; supports the formation of teams of faculty, graduate, and medical students; and accommodates medical academicians’ schedules. Outcomes From 2014 to 2015, the ETD Course graduated 39 project teams from UM and other institutions. One-third of the teams have continued to pursue their projects, receiving additional funding, engaging industry partners, or enrolling in the NSF I-Corps program. Next Steps The ETD Course, a potential pipeline to the NSF I-Corps program, captures a target audience of medical academicians and others in academic medicine. To better understand the long-term effects of the course and its relationship to the NSF I-Corps program, the authors will conduct a study on the careers of all ETD Course graduates, including those who have enrolled in NSF I-Corps versus those who have not. PMID:28351064

Disease self-management needs of adolescents with cancer: perspectives of adolescents with cancer and their parents and healthcare providers.

PubMed

Stinson, J N; Sung, L; Gupta, A; White, M E; Jibb, L A; Dettmer, E; Baker, N

2012-09-01

The ability for adolescents with cancer (AWC) to engage in disease self-management may result in improved cancer outcomes and quality-of-life ratings for this group. Despite this, a comprehensive self-management program for this group is yet to be developed. To ensure that self-management programming developed for AWC meets the needs of this group, discussion with key stakeholders (i.e., AWC, parents, and healthcare providers) is required. A descriptive qualitative design was used. Adolescents (n = 29) who varied in age (12 to 18 years) and type of cancer, their parents (n = 30) and their healthcare providers (n = 22) were recruited from one large tertiary-care oncology center. Audio-taped semi-structured individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with participants. Transcribed data were organized into categories that reflected emerging themes. Four major themes, which captured the self-management needs of AWC, emerged from the data. These themes were: (1) disease knowledge and cancer care skills, (2) knowledge and skills to support effective transition to adult healthcare, (3) delivery of AWC-accessible healthcare services, and (4) supports for the adolescent with cancer. In order to provide comprehensive, relevant, and acceptable self-management programs to AWC, the voices of this population, their parents, and healthcare providers should be considered. Findings from this study will be used to develop and evaluate cancer self-management programming for AWC. Self-management represents an important avenue for exploration into improving cancer outcomes and quality of life for survivors of cancers during adolescence.

Understanding Quality Issues in Your Surgical Department: Comparing the ACS NSQIP With Traditional Morbidity and Mortality Conferences in a Canadian Academic Hospital.

PubMed

Auspitz, Mark; Cleghorn, Michelle C; Tse, Alvina; Sockalingam, Sanjeev; Quereshy, Fayez A; Okrainec, Allan; Jackson, Timothy D

2015-01-01

Review of surgical complications in traditional morbidity and mortality (M&M) rounds remains an important mechanism to identify and discuss quality-of-care issues. This process relies on case selection by providers; therefore, complications identified for review may differ from those captured in comprehensive quality programs such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Additionally, although the ACS NSQIP captures robust data on complications in surgical wards, without strategies to disseminate this information to staff and improve practice, minimal change may result. The objective of this study was to compare complications identified by the ACS NSQIP with those captured in M&M conferences at a large Canadian academic hospital. Retrospective medical record reviews of all patients admitted to the general surgery unit from March 2012 to March 2013 were reviewed. Number and types of complications were recorded for cases that were both submitted and reviewed in M&M rounds and those cases that were submitted but not reviewed. These complications were compared with those extracted from our local ACS NSQIP database. A total of 1348 general surgical procedures were performed. The ACS NSQIP captured complications in 143 patients compared with 58 patients identified for review in M&M rounds. Both the methods identified similar proportions of major and minor complications (ACS NSQIP 52% major, 48% minor; M&M 58% major, 42% minor). More postoperative deaths were entered into the ACS NSQIP (12) than in M&M conferences (8 reviewed and 2 submitted). The ACS NSQIP identified higher proportions of surgical site infections and readmissions. However, M&M conferences captured additional complications in patients who did not undergo surgery and identified potential quality issues in patients who did not ultimately experience an adverse outcome. M&M rounds and the ACS NSQIP provide important and potentially complementary data on surgical quality. Incorporating the ACS NSQIP outcomes data into traditional M&M conferences may help to optimize quality improvement efforts. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compound-nuclear Reactions with Unstable Isotopes: Constraining Capture Cross Sections with Indirect Data and Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escher, Jutta

2016-09-01

Cross sections for compound-nuclear reactions involving unstable targets are important for many applications, but can often not be measured directly. Several indirect methods have recently been proposed to determine neutron capture cross sections for unstable isotopes. These methods aim at constraining statistical calculations of capture cross sections with data obtained from the decay of the compound nucleus relevant to the desired reaction. Each method produces this compound nucleus in a different manner (via a light-ion reaction, a photon-induced reaction, or β decay) and requires additional ingredients to yield the sought-after cross section. This contribution focuses on the process of determining capture cross sections from inelastic scattering and transfer experiments. Specifically, theoretical descriptions of the (p,d) transfer reaction have been developed to complement recent measurements in the Zr-Y region. The procedure for obtaining constraints for unknown capture cross sections is illustrated. The main advantages and challenges of this approach are compared to those of the proposed alternatives. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Working memory contents revive the neglected, but suppress the inhibited.

PubMed

Han, Suk Won

2015-12-01

It is well known that attention is biased toward a stimulus matching working memory contents. However, it remains unknown whether the maintenance of information in working memory by itself is sufficient to create memory-driven attentional capture. Notably, in many previous studies showing the memory-driven attentional capture, the task settings might have explicitly or implicitly incentivized participants to strategically attend to a memory-matching stimulus. By innovating an experimental paradigm, the present study overcame this challenge and directly tested whether working memory contents capture attention in the absence of task-level attentional bias toward a memory-matching stimulus. I found that a stimulus that is usually outside the focus of attention, powerfully captured attention when it matched working memory contents, whereas a match between working memory and an inhibited stimulus suppressed attentional allocation toward the memory-matching stimulus. These findings suggest that in the absence of any task-level attentional bias toward memory-matching stimuli, attention is biased toward a memory-matching stimulus, but this memory-driven attentional capture is diminished when top-down inhibition is imposed on the stimulus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In defense of abstract conceptual representations.

PubMed

Binder, Jeffrey R

2016-08-01

An extensive program of research in the past 2 decades has focused on the role of modal sensory, motor, and affective brain systems in storing and retrieving concept knowledge. This focus has led in some circles to an underestimation of the need for more abstract, supramodal conceptual representations in semantic cognition. Evidence for supramodal processing comes from neuroimaging work documenting a large, well-defined cortical network that responds to meaningful stimuli regardless of modal content. The nodes in this network correspond to high-level "convergence zones" that receive broadly crossmodal input and presumably process crossmodal conjunctions. It is proposed that highly conjunctive representations are needed for several critical functions, including capturing conceptual similarity structure, enabling thematic associative relationships independent of conceptual similarity, and providing efficient "chunking" of concept representations for a range of higher order tasks that require concepts to be configured as situations. These hypothesized functions account for a wide range of neuroimaging results showing modulation of the supramodal convergence zone network by associative strength, lexicality, familiarity, imageability, frequency, and semantic compositionality. The evidence supports a hierarchical model of knowledge representation in which modal systems provide a mechanism for concept acquisition and serve to ground individual concepts in external reality, whereas broadly conjunctive, supramodal representations play an equally important role in concept association and situation knowledge.

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

Curran, Scott; Wagner, Robert M.; Campbell, Russ

The SAE 2016 Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Symposium was a 2-day technical meeting focused on the role of advanced internal combustion engines (ICEs) and other novel energy converter technologies for extending the range of electric vehicles (EVs). The first-of-its-kind symposium was notable for focusing solely on the range extender (REx) technologies and not the EVs. The technical program featured presentations from international leaders from industry, government, national laboratories, and academia. The opening keynote presentations covered a broad range of topics including consumer behavior, policy implications, regulatory considerations, and REx architectures as enablers for advanced technologies. The technical sessions focusedmore » on an array of REx technologies including conventional ICEs, as well as less conventional or emerging technologies such as microturbines, fuel cells, low-temperature combustion engines, and aluminum-air batteries. The symposium included two panel sessions. The trend toward increasing vehicle electrification and the changing role of ICEs and other auxiliary power unit technologies for use as REx’s is leading to new research and design development needs. The symposium captured the interest of the industry and research communities in exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with REx’s for EVs. This report includes key takeaways, summarized below, and draft notes for each presentation and panel discussion.« less

Clinician-patient communication measures: drilling down into assumptions, approaches, and analyses.

PubMed

Street, Richard L; Mazor, Kathleen M

2017-08-01

To critically examine properties of clinician-patient communication measures and offer suggestions for selecting measures appropriate to the purposes of research or clinical practice assessment. We analyzed different types of communication measures by focusing on their ontological properties. We describe their relative advantages and disadvantages with respect to different types of research questions. Communication measures vary along dimensions of reporter (observer vs. participant), focus of measurement (behavior, meaning, or quality), target, and timing. Observer coded measures of communication behavior function well as dependent variables (e.g., evaluating communication skill interventions, examining variability related to gender or race), but are less effective as predictors of perceptions and health outcomes. Measures of participants' judgments (e.g., what the communication means or how well it was done) capture patients' or clinicians' experiences (e.g., satisfaction) and can be useful for predicting outcomes, especially in longitudinal designs. In the absence of a theoretically coherent set of measures that could be used across research programs and applied setting, users should take steps to select measures with properties that are optimally matched to specific questions. Quality assessments of clinician-patient communication should take into account the timing of the assessment and use measures that drill down into specific aspects of patient experience to mitigate ceiling effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enabling the Capture and Sharing of NASA Technical Expertise Through Communities of Practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Topousis, Daria E.; Dennehy, Cornelius J.; Lebsock, Kenneth L.

2011-01-01

Historically, engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had few opportunities or incentives to share their technical expertise across the Agency. Its center- and project- focused culture often meant that knowledge never left organizational and geographic boundaries. With increasingly complex missions, the closeout of the Shuttle Program, and a new generation entering the workforce, developing a knowledge sharing culture became critical. To address this need, the Office of the Chief Engineer established communities of practice on the NASA Engineering Network. These communities were strategically aligned with NASA's core competencies in such disciplines as avionics, flight mechanics, life support, propulsion, structures, loads and dynamics, human factors, and guidance, navigation, and control. This paper describes the process used to identify and develop communities, from establishing simple websites that compiled discipline-specific resources to fostering a knowledge-sharing environment through collaborative and interactive technologies. It includes qualitative evidence of improved availability and transfer of knowledge. It focuses on pivotal capabilities that increased knowledge exchange such as a custom-made Ask An Expert system, community contact lists, publication of key resources, and submission forms that allowed any user to propose content for the sites. It discusses the peer relationships that developed through the communities and the leadership and infrastructure that made them possible.

Poetic Expressions: Students of Color Express Resiliency through Metaphors and Similes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Horace R.

2007-01-01

The after-school City School Outreach youth program captured the attention of high school male students by offering them a physically and psychologically safe environment to talk about issues they faced. The students of color who attended the program used various forms of creative written expression (i.e., poetry, spoken word, and hip hop) to…

77 FR 75265 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Termination of the Southern Sea Otter...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-19

... designed and intended, we committed to a full and final evaluation of the program. We have now completed... its sea otter research project and would no longer be able to assist if we resumed capturing sea.... In light of our inability to implement the translocation program as designed and intended, we...

(Almost) Word for Word: As Voice Recognition Programs Improve, Students Reap the Benefits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mark

2006-01-01

Voice recognition software is hardly new--attempts at capturing spoken words and turning them into written text have been available to consumers for about two decades. But what was once an expensive and highly unreliable tool has made great strides in recent years, perhaps most recognized in programs such as Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking…

Examining Practices of Staff Recruitment and Retention in Four High-Functioning Afterschool Programs: Extended Study from the National Afterschool Partnership Report. CRESST Report 769

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Denise; Cho, Jamie; Nam, Hannah H.; La Torre, Deborah; Oh, Christine; Harven, Aletha; Huber, Lindsay Perez; Rudo, Zena; Caverly, Sarah

2010-01-01

This study describes how staff qualifications, decisions on staffing procedures, and professional development opportunities support the recruitment and retention of quality staff members. Four high-functioning programs were identified. Qualitative procedures and instruments were designed to capture staff and parents' academic perspectives about…

SOURCE WATER AREA DELINEATION OF PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY WELLS USING WHAEM2000. INTERNATIONAL GROUND WATER MODELING CENTER NEWSLETTER, V.19(1):4

EPA Science Inventory

WhAEM2000 is computer program that solves steady state ground-water flow and advective streamlines in homogeneous, single layer aquifers. The program was designed for capture zone delineation in support of protection of the source water area surrounding public water supply well...

Assessment without Testing: Using Performance Measures Embedded in a Technology-Based Instructional Program as Indicators of Reading Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Alison; Baron, Lauren; Macaruso, Paul

2018-01-01

Screening and monitoring student reading progress can be costly and time consuming. Assessment embedded within the context of online instructional programs can capture ongoing student performance data while limiting testing time outside of instruction. This paper presents two studies that examined the validity of using performance measures from a…

Tissue culture of conifer seedlings-20 years on: Viewed through the lens of seedling quality

Treesearch

Steven C. Grossnickle

2011-01-01

Operational vegetative propagation systems provide a means of bringing new genetic material into forestry programs through the capture of a greater proportion of the genetic gain inherent within a selected tree species. Vegetative propagation systems also provide a method for multiplying superior varieties and/or families identified in tree improvement programs. Twenty...

Statistical inference for capture-recapture experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollock, Kenneth H.; Nichols, James D.; Brownie, Cavell; Hines, James E.

1990-01-01

This monograph presents a detailed, practical exposition on the design, analysis, and interpretation of capture-recapture studies. The Lincoln-Petersen model (Chapter 2) and the closed population models (Chapter 3) are presented only briefly because these models have been covered in detail elsewhere. The Jolly- Seber open population model, which is central to the monograph, is covered in detail in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5 we consider the "enumeration" or "calendar of captures" approach, which is widely used by mammalogists and other vertebrate ecologists. We strongly recommend that it be abandoned in favor of analyses based on the Jolly-Seber model. We consider 2 restricted versions of the Jolly-Seber model. We believe the first of these, which allows losses (mortality or emigration) but not additions (births or immigration), is likely to be useful in practice. Another series of restrictive models requires the assumptions of a constant survival rate or a constant survival rate and a constant capture rate for the duration of the study. Detailed examples are given that illustrate the usefulness of these restrictions. There often can be a substantial gain in precision over Jolly-Seber estimates. In Chapter 5 we also consider 2 generalizations of the Jolly-Seber model. The temporary trap response model allows newly marked animals to have different survival and capture rates for 1 period. The other generalization is the cohort Jolly-Seber model. Ideally all animals would be marked as young, and age effects considered by using the Jolly-Seber model on each cohort separately. In Chapter 6 we present a detailed description of an age-dependent Jolly-Seber model, which can be used when 2 or more identifiable age classes are marked. In Chapter 7 we present a detailed description of the "robust" design. Under this design each primary period contains several secondary sampling periods. We propose an estimation procedure based on closed and open population models that allows for heterogeneity and trap response of capture rates (hence the name robust design). We begin by considering just 1 age class and then extend to 2 age classes. When there are 2 age classes it is possible to distinguish immigrants and births. In Chapter 8 we give a detailed discussion of the design of capture-recapture studies. First, capture-recapture is compared to other possible sampling procedures. Next, the design of capture-recapture studies to minimize assumption violations is considered. Finally, we consider the precision of parameter estimates and present figures on proportional standard errors for a variety of initial parameter values to aid the biologist about to plan a study. A new program, JOLLY, has been written to accompany the material on the Jolly-Seber model (Chapter 4) and its extensions (Chapter 5). Another new program, JOLLYAGE, has been written for a special case of the age-dependent model (Chapter 6) where there are only 2 age classes. In Chapter 9 a brief description of the different versions of the 2 programs is given. Chapter 10 gives a brief description of some alternative approaches that were not considered in this monograph. We believe that an excellent overall view of capture- recapture models may be obtained by reading the monograph by White et al. (1982) emphasizing closed models and then reading this monograph where we concentrate on open models. The important recent monograph by Burnham et al. (1987) could then be read if there were interest in the comparison of different populations.

Posts to online news message boards and public discourse surrounding DUI enforcement.

PubMed

Connor, Susan M; Wesolowski, Kathryn

2009-12-01

This study analyzes posts to online news message boards covering driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement efforts to determine their usefulness for informing traffic safety program planning and public relations efforts aimed at mainstream drinking drivers. A series of Google searches were conducted using keywords designed to capture news stories regarding impaired driving enforcement efforts. For each search, the first 100 Web pages returned were reviewed and articles were included in analysis if they were from an independent news source and contained user comments. Coders captured data on 28 fields for each post, including tone in relation to enforcement, tone of interpersonal communication with other posters, and expressed feelings regarding drinking and driving. Fifty-six news articles covering DUI enforcement efforts met study criteria, with 615 posts. The majority of posts (57%) were neutral on DUI enforcement; 24 percent (148) took a negative tone and 19 percent (115) positive. Posts that discussed checkpoints were 2.6 times more likely to take a negative tone toward enforcement than those that did not. Twenty-one percent of anti-enforcement posts challenged the idea that driving after drinking was necessarily dangerous. Of the 321 posts involving direct communication between posters, 67 percent involved disagreement with another post. Profanity or belittling comments appeared in 10 percent of posts. Public responses to DUI enforcement news articles provide insight into the beliefs and thought processes of those who oppose enforcement efforts or view drinking and driving as no big deal. Primary objections to enforcement focused on civil and personal rights issues, skepticism regarding law enforcement's motives and objectivity, and the belief that drinking driving is not a "real" crime. Online news message boards could be useful in informing campaigns and helping program planners frame media events and press releases to best appeal to the most at-risk segments of the driving public.

Construction of Core Collections Suitable for Association Mapping to Optimize Use of Mediterranean Olive (Olea europaea L.) Genetic Resources

PubMed Central

El Bakkali, Ahmed; Haouane, Hicham; Moukhli, Abdelmajid; Costes, Evelyne; Van Damme, Patrick; Khadari, Bouchaib

2013-01-01

Phenotypic characterisation of germplasm collections is a decisive step towards association mapping analyses, but it is particularly expensive and tedious for woody perennial plant species. Characterisation could be more efficient if focused on a reasonably sized subset of accessions, or so-called core collection (CC), reflecting the geographic origin and variability of the germplasm. The questions that arise concern the sample size to use and genetic parameters that should be optimized in a core collection to make it suitable for association mapping. Here we investigated these questions in olive (Olea europaea L.), a perennial fruit species. By testing different sampling methods and sizes in a worldwide olive germplasm bank (OWGB Marrakech, Morocco) containing 502 unique genotypes characterized by nuclear and plastid loci, a two-step sampling method was proposed. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index was found to be the best criterion to be maximized in the first step using the Core Hunter program. A primary core collection of 50 entries (CC50) was defined that captured more than 80% of the diversity. This latter was subsequently used as a kernel with the Mstrat program to capture the remaining diversity. 200 core collections of 94 entries (CC94) were thus built for flexibility in the choice of varieties to be studied. Most entries of both core collections (CC50 and CC94) were revealed to be unrelated due to the low kinship coefficient, whereas a genetic structure spanning the eastern and western/central Mediterranean regions was noted. Linkage disequilibrium was observed in CC94 which was mainly explained by a genetic structure effect as noted for OWGB Marrakech. Since they reflect the geographic origin and diversity of olive germplasm and are of reasonable size, both core collections will be of major interest to develop long-term association studies and thus enhance genomic selection in olive species. PMID:23667437

Fine-tuned echolocation and capture-flight of Myotis capaccinii when facing different-sized insect and fish prey.

PubMed

Aizpurua, Ostaizka; Aihartza, Joxerra; Alberdi, Antton; Baagøe, Hans J; Garin, Inazio

2014-09-15

Formerly thought to be a strictly insectivorous trawling bat, recent studies have shown that Myotis capaccinii also preys on fish. To determine whether differences exist in bat flight behaviour, prey handling and echolocation characteristics when catching fish and insects of different size, we conducted a field experiment focused on the last stage of prey capture. We used synchronized video and ultrasound recordings to measure several flight and dip features as well as echolocation characteristics, focusing on terminal buzz phase I, characterized by a call rate exceeding 100 Hz, and buzz phase II, characterized by a drop in the fundamental well below 20 kHz and a repetition rate exceeding 150 Hz. When capturing insects, bats used both parts of the terminal phase to the same extent, and performed short and superficial drags on the water surface. In contrast, when preying on fish, buzz I was longer and buzz II shorter, and the bats made longer and deeper dips. These variations suggest that lengthening buzz I and shortening buzz II when fishing is beneficial, probably because buzz I gives better discrimination ability and the broader sonar beam provided by buzz II is useless when no evasive flight of the prey is expected. Additionally, bats continued emitting calls beyond the theoretical signal-overlap zone, suggesting that they might obtain information even when they have surpassed that threshold, at least initially. This study shows that M. capaccinii can regulate the temporal components of its feeding buzzes and modify prey capture technique according to the target. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Towards a resolution of the attentional-capture debate.

PubMed

Carmel, Tomer; Lamy, Dominique

2015-12-01

The relative contributions of stimulus-driven and goal-directed control of attention have been extensively studied by investigating which irrelevant stimuli capture attention. Although much of this research has focused on color-singleton distractors, the circumstances under which these capture attention remain controversial. In search for a target with a unique known color (known-singleton search), whether singletons in an irrelevant color can be successfully ignored is a hotly debated issue. In search for a target that is not a singleton (feature search), no capture by irrelevant-color singletons is typically observed, but a reverse cueing effect was occasionally reported in the spatial-cueing paradigm. In 3 experiments, we resolve these controversies, by showing that the net spatial effect observed in the spatial-cueing paradigm reflects the sum of 3 separate effects. (a) A same-location benefit, which is determined by the match between the cue and the target colors and indexes contingent attentional capture. (b) A same-location cost, which is also determined by the match between the cue and the target colors, but occurs after selection and indexes processes related to visual working memory; and (c) task-dependent capture by singletons that occurs only when the target is consistently a singleton. Crucially, we show that the same-location cost is strongly determined by cue exposure duration, which explains previous failures to isolate it. The implications of these findings for the attentional capture debate are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Study on the keV neutron capture reaction in 56Fe and 57Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Taofeng; Lee, Manwoo; Kim, Guinyun; Ro, Tae-Ik; Kang, Yeong-Rok; Igashira, Masayuki; Katabuchi, Tatsuya

2014-03-01

The neutron capture cross-sections and the radiative capture gamma-ray spectra from the broad resonances of 56Fe and 57Fe in the neutron energy range from 10 to 90keV and 550keV have been measured with an anti-Compton NaI(Tl) detector. Pulsed keV neutrons were produced from the 7Li 7Be reaction by bombarding the lithium target with the 1.5ns bunched proton beam from the 3MV Pelletron accelerator. The incident neutron spectrum on a capture sample was measured by means of a time-of-flight (TOF) method with a 6Li -glass detector. The number of weighted capture counts of the iron or gold sample was obtained by applying a pulse height weighting technique to the corresponding capture gamma-ray pulse height spectrum. The neutron capture gamma-ray spectra were obtained by unfolding the observed capture gamma-ray pulse height spectra. To achieve further understanding on the mechanism of neutron radiative capture reaction and study on physics models, theoretical calculations of the -ray spectra for 56Fe and 57Fe with the POD program have been performed by applying the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. The dominant ingredients to perform the statistical calculation were the Optical Model Potential (OMP), the level densities described by the Mengoni-Nakajima approach, and the -ray transmission coefficients described by -ray strength functions. The comparison of the theoretical calculations, performed only for the 550keV point, show a good agreement with the present experimental results.