Promoting pedagogical content knowledge development for early career secondary teachers in science and technology using content representations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, John; Eames, Chris; Hume, Anne; Lockley, John

2012-11-01

Background: This research addressed the key area of early career teacher education and aimed to explore the use of a 'content representation' (CoRe) as a mediational tool to develop early career secondary teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study was situated in the subject areas of science and technology, where sound teacher knowledge is particularly important to student engagement. Purpose: The study was designed to examine whether such a tool (a CoRe), co-designed by an early career secondary teacher with expert content and pedagogy specialists, can enhance the PCK of early career teachers. The research questions were: How can experts in content and pedagogy work together with early career teachers to develop one science topic CoRe and one technology topic CoRe to support the development of PCK for early career secondary teachers? How does the use of a collaboratively designed CoRe affect the planning of an early career secondary teacher in science or technology? How has engagement in the development and use of an expert-informed CoRe developed an early career teacher's PCK? Sample: The research design incorporated a unique partnership between two expert classroom teachers, two content experts, four early career teachers, and four researchers experienced in science and technology education. Design: This study employed an interpretivist-based methodology and an action research approach within a four-case study design. Data were gathered using qualitative research methods focused on semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. Results: The study indicated that CoRes, developed through this collaborative process, helped the early career teachers focus on the big picture of the topic, emphasize particularly relevant areas of content and consider alternative ways of planning for their teaching. Conclusions: This paper presents an analysis of the process of CoRe development by the teacher-expert partnerships and the effect that had on the early career teachers' PCK. In addition, as the same tools and methodology were applied to both a science and a technology teaching context, differences between the two learning areas are discussed.

Instruments for Characterizing Carbon and Sulfur-Resistant Core-Shell Redox Catalysts for Combined Hydrocarbon Reforming and Water-Splitting

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-22

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: This project aims to investigate a novel core-shell redox catalyst for combined methane partial oxidation and water...Properly designed redox catalyst are shown to be highly effective for syngas production (from methane ) and water-splitting. The resulting syngas has a...27709-2211 redox catalyst, methane partial oxidation, water-splitting REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 10. SPONSOR

DCMIP2016: a review of non-hydrostatic dynamical core design and intercomparison of participating models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullrich, Paul A.; Jablonowski, Christiane; Kent, James; Lauritzen, Peter H.; Nair, Ramachandran; Reed, Kevin A.; Zarzycki, Colin M.; Hall, David M.; Dazlich, Don; Heikes, Ross; Konor, Celal; Randall, David; Dubos, Thomas; Meurdesoif, Yann; Chen, Xi; Harris, Lucas; Kühnlein, Christian; Lee, Vivian; Qaddouri, Abdessamad; Girard, Claude; Giorgetta, Marco; Reinert, Daniel; Klemp, Joseph; Park, Sang-Hun; Skamarock, William; Miura, Hiroaki; Ohno, Tomoki; Yoshida, Ryuji; Walko, Robert; Reinecke, Alex; Viner, Kevin

2017-12-01

Atmospheric dynamical cores are a fundamental component of global atmospheric modeling systems and are responsible for capturing the dynamical behavior of the Earth's atmosphere via numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations. These systems have existed in one form or another for over half of a century, with the earliest discretizations having now evolved into a complex ecosystem of algorithms and computational strategies. In essence, no two dynamical cores are alike, and their individual successes suggest that no perfect model exists. To better understand modern dynamical cores, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of 11 non-hydrostatic dynamical cores, drawn from modeling centers and groups that participated in the 2016 Dynamical Core Model Intercomparison Project (DCMIP) workshop and summer school. This review includes a choice of model grid, variable placement, vertical coordinate, prognostic equations, temporal discretization, and the diffusion, stabilization, filters, and fixers employed by each system.

Optimization of GRIN lenses coupling system for twin-core fiber interconnection with single core fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Gongdai; Deng, Hongchang; Yuan, Libo

2018-07-01

We aim at a more compact, flexible, and simpler core-to-fiber coupling approach, optimal combinations of two graded refractive index (GRIN) lenses have been demonstrated for the interconnection between a twin-core single-mode fiber and two single-core single-mode fibers. The optimal two-lens combinations achieve an efficient core-to-fiber separating coupling and allow the fibers and lenses to coaxially assemble. Finally, axial deviations and transverse displacements of the components are discussed, and the latter increases the coupling loss more significantly. The gap length between the two lenses is designed to be fine-tuned to compensate for the transverse displacement, and the good linear compensation relationship contributes to the device manufacturing. This approach has potential applications in low coupling loss and low crosstalk devices without sophisticated alignment and adjustment, and enables the channel separating for multicore fibers.

Application of quality by design (QbD) to formulation and processing of naproxen pellets by extrusion-spheronization.

PubMed

Wang, Junlin; Kan, Shuling; Chen, Tong; Liu, Jianping

2015-03-01

The aim of this research was to apply quality by design (QbD) to the development of naproxen loaded core pellets which can be used as the potential core for colon-specific pellets. In the early stages of this study, prior knowledge and preliminary studies were systematically incorporated into the risk assessment using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and fishbone diagram. Then Plackett-Burman design was used to screen eight potential high risk factors (spheronization speed, spheronization time, extrusion speed, drying method, CCMC-Na concentration, lactose concentration, water concentration and Tween 80 concentration) obtained from the above risk assessment. It was discovered that out of the eight potential high risk factors only three factors (spheronization speed, extrusion speed and CCMC-Na concentration) had significant effects on the quality of the pellets. This allowed the use of Box-Behnken design (BBD) to fully elucidate the relationship between the variables and critical quality attribute (CQA). Finally, the final control space was established within which the quality of the pellets can meet the requirement of colon-specific drug delivery system. This study demonstrated that naproxen loaded core pellets were successfully designed using QbD principle.

The influence of linear elements on plant species diversity of Mediterranean rural landscapes: assessment of different indices and statistical approaches.

PubMed

García del Barrio, J M; Ortega, M; Vázquez De la Cueva, A; Elena-Rosselló, R

2006-08-01

This paper mainly aims to study the linear element influence on the estimation of vascular plant species diversity in five Mediterranean landscapes modeled as land cover patch mosaics. These landscapes have several core habitats and a different set of linear elements--habitat edges or ecotones, roads or railways, rivers, streams and hedgerows on farm land--whose plant composition were examined. Secondly, it aims to check plant diversity estimation in Mediterranean landscapes using parametric and non-parametric procedures, with two indices: Species richness and Shannon index. Land cover types and landscape linear elements were identified from aerial photographs. Their spatial information was processed using GIS techniques. Field plots were selected using a stratified sampling design according to relieve and tree density of each habitat type. A 50x20 m2 multi-scale sampling plot was designed for the core habitats and across the main landscape linear elements. Richness and diversity of plant species were estimated by comparing the observed field data to ICE (Incidence-based Coverage Estimator) and ACE (Abundance-based Coverage Estimator) non-parametric estimators. The species density, percentage of unique species, and alpha diversity per plot were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in linear elements than in core habitats. ICE estimate of number of species was 32% higher than of ACE estimate, which did not differ significantly from the observed values. Accumulated species richness in core habitats together with linear elements, were significantly higher than those recorded only in the core habitats in all the landscapes. Conversely, Shannon diversity index did not show significant differences.

A finite element study of teeth restored with post and core: Effect of design, material, and ferrule.

PubMed

Upadhyaya, Viram; Bhargava, Akshay; Parkash, Hari; Chittaranjan, B; Kumar, Vivek

2016-01-01

Different postdesigns and materials are available; however, no consensus exists regarding superiority for stress distribution. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of design and material of post with or without ferrule on stress distribution using finite element analysis. A total of 12 three-dimensional (3D) axisymmetric models of postretained central incisors were made: Six with ferrule design and six without it. Three of these six models had tapered posts, and three had parallel posts. The materials tested were titanium post with a composite resin core, nickel chromium cast post and core, and fiber reinforced composite (FRC) post with a composite resin core. The stress analysis was done using ANSYS software. The load of 100 N at an angle of 45΀ was applied 2 mm cervical to incisal edge on the palatal surface and results were analyzed using 3D von Mises criteria. The highest amount of stress was in the cervical region. Overall, the stress in the tapered postsystem was more than the parallel one. FRC post and composite resin core recorded minimal stresses within the post but the stresses transmitted to cervical dentin were more as compared to other systems. Minimal stresses in cervical dentine were observed where the remaining coronal dentin was strengthen by ferrule. A rigid material with high modulus of elasticity for post and core system creates most uniform stress distribution pattern. Ferrule provides uniform distribution of stresses and decreases the cervical stresses.

An embedded multi-core parallel model for real-time stereo imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wenjing; Hu, Jian; Niu, Jingyu; Li, Chuanrong; Liu, Guangyu

2018-04-01

The real-time processing based on embedded system will enhance the application capability of stereo imaging for LiDAR and hyperspectral sensor. The task partitioning and scheduling strategies for embedded multiprocessor system starts relatively late, compared with that for PC computer. In this paper, aimed at embedded multi-core processing platform, a parallel model for stereo imaging is studied and verified. After analyzing the computing amount, throughout capacity and buffering requirements, a two-stage pipeline parallel model based on message transmission is established. This model can be applied to fast stereo imaging for airborne sensors with various characteristics. To demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the parallel model, a parallel software was designed using test flight data, based on the 8-core DSP processor TMS320C6678. The results indicate that the design performed well in workload distribution and had a speed-up ratio up to 6.4.

Core Noise - Increasing Importance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2011-01-01

This presentation is a technical summary of and outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external research on core (combustor and turbine) noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project. Sections of the presentation cover: the SFW system-level noise metrics for the 2015, 2020, and 2025 timeframes; turbofan design trends and their aeroacoustic implications; the emerging importance of core noise and its relevance to the SFW Reduced-Perceived-Noise Technical Challenge; and the current research activities in the core-noise area, with additional details given about the development of a high-fidelity combustor-noise prediction capability as well as activities supporting the development of improved reduced-order, physics-based models for combustor-noise prediction. The need for benchmark data for validation of high-fidelity and modeling work and the value of a potential future diagnostic facility for testing of core-noise-reduction concepts are indicated. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The SFW Reduced-Perceived-Noise Technical Challenge aims to develop concepts and technologies to dramatically reduce the perceived aircraft noise outside of airport boundaries. This reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic. Noise generated in the jet engine core, by sources such as the compressor, combustor, and turbine, can be a significant contribution to the overall noise signature at low-power conditions, typical of approach flight. At high engine power during takeoff, jet and fan noise have traditionally dominated over core noise. However, current design trends and expected technological advances in engine-cycle design as well as noise-reduction methods are likely to reduce non-core noise even at engine-power points higher than approach. In addition, future low-emission combustor designs could increase the combustion-noise component. The trend towards high-power-density cores also means that the noise generated in the low-pressure turbine will likely increase. Consequently, the combined result from these emerging changes will be to elevate the overall importance of turbomachinery core noise, which will need to be addressed in order to meet future noise goals.

Deliverology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordstrum, Lee E.; LeMahieu, Paul G.; Dodd, Karen

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper is one of seven in this volume elaborating different approaches to quality improvement in education. This paper aims to delineate a methodology called Deliverology. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the origins, theoretical foundations, core principles and a case study showing an application of Deliverology in the…

Optical interconnection network for parallel access to multi-rank memory in future computing systems.

PubMed

Wang, Kang; Gu, Huaxi; Yang, Yintang; Wang, Kun

2015-08-10

With the number of cores increasing, there is an emerging need for a high-bandwidth low-latency interconnection network, serving core-to-memory communication. In this paper, aiming at the goal of simultaneous access to multi-rank memory, we propose an optical interconnection network for core-to-memory communication. In the proposed network, the wavelength usage is delicately arranged so that cores can communicate with different ranks at the same time and broadcast for flow control can be achieved. A distributed memory controller architecture that works in a pipeline mode is also designed for efficient optical communication and transaction address processes. The scaling method and wavelength assignment for the proposed network are investigated. Compared with traditional electronic bus-based core-to-memory communication, the simulation results based on the PARSEC benchmark show that the bandwidth enhancement and latency reduction are apparent.

A Xhosa language translation of the CORE-OM using South African university student samples.

PubMed

Campbell, Megan M; Young, Charles

2016-10-01

The translation of well established psychometric tools from English into Xhosa may assist in improving access to psychological services for Xhosa speakers. The aim of this study was to translate the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), a measure of general distress and dysfunction developed in the UK, into Xhosa for use at South African university student counselling centres. The CORE-OM and embedded CORE-10 were translated into Xhosa using a five-stage translation design. This design included (a) forward-translation, (b) back-translation, (c) committee approach, (d) qualitative piloting, and (e) quantitative piloting on South African university students. Clinical and general samples were drawn from English-medium South African universities. Clinical samples were generated from university student counselling centres. General student samples were generated through random stratified cluster sampling of full-time university students. Qualitative feedback from the translation process and results from quantitative piloting of the 34-item CORE-OM English and Xhosa versions supported the reduction of the scale to 10 items. This reduced scale is referred to as the South African CORE-10 (SA CORE-10). A measurement and structural model of the SA CORE-10 English version was developed and cross-validated using an English-speaking university student sample. Equivalence of this model with the SA CORE-10 Xhosa version was investigated using a first-language Xhosa-speaking university sample. Partial measurement equivalence was achieved at the metric level. The resultant SA CORE-10 Xhosa and English versions provide core measures of distress and dysfunction. Additional, culture- and language-specific domains could be added to increase sensitivity and specificity. © The Author(s) 2016.

Designing nursing excellence through a National Quality Forum nurse scholar program.

PubMed

Neumann, Julie A; Brady-Schluttner, Katherine A; Attlesey-Pries, Jacqueline M; Twedell, Diane M

2010-01-01

Closing the knowledge gap for current practicing nurses in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) core competencies is critical to providing safe patient care. The National Quality Forum (NQF) nurse scholar program is one organization's journey to close the gap in the IOM core competencies in a large teaching organization. The NQF nurse scholar program is positioned to provide a plan to assist current nurses to accelerate their learning about quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and informatics, 3 of the core competencies identified by the IOM, and focus on application of skills to NQF nurse-sensitive measures. Curriculum outline, educational methodologies, administrative processes, and aims of the project are discussed.

Lean for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeMahieu, Paul G.; Nordstrum, Lee E.; Greco, Patricia

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper is one of seven in this volume that aims to elaborate different approaches to quality improvement in education. It delineates a methodology called Lean for Education. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the origins, theoretical foundations, core concepts and a case study demonstrating an application in US education,…

Multi-scale ecosystem monitoring: an application of scaling data to answer multiple ecological questions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background/Question/Methods Standardized monitoring data collection efforts using a probabilistic sample design, such as in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy, provide a core suite of ecological indicators, maximize data collection efficiency,...

Multiscale ecosystem monitoring: an application of scaling data to answer multiple ecological questions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Standardized monitoring data collection efforts using a probabilistic sample design, such as in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy, provide a core suite of ecological indicators, maximize data collection efficiency, and promote reuse of monitor...

Low-loss single-mode hollow-core fiber with anisotropic anti-resonant elements.

PubMed

Habib, Md Selim; Bang, Ole; Bache, Morten

2016-04-18

A hollow-core fiber using anisotropic anti-resonant tubes in the cladding is proposed for low loss and effectively single-mode guidance. We show that the loss performance and higher-order mode suppression is significantly improved by using symmetrically distributed anisotropic anti-resonant tubes in the cladding, elongated in the radial direction, when compared to using isotropic, i.e. circular, anti-resonant tubes. The effective single-mode guidance of the proposed fiber is achieved by enhancing the coupling between the cladding modes and higher-order-core modes by suitably engineering the anisotropic anti-resonant elements. With a silica-based fiber design aimed at 1.06 µm, we show that the loss extinction ratio between the higher-order core modes and the fundamental core mode can be more than 1000 in the range 1.0-1.65 µm, while the leakage loss of the fundamental core mode is below 15 dB/km in the same range.

Research of aluminum alloys with using eddy-current transducers on the basis of cores of various form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, S. F.; Ishkov, A. V.; Katasonov, A. O.; Malikov, V. N.; Sagalakov, A. M.

2018-01-01

The research aims to develop a microminiature eddy current transducer for aluminum alloys. The research topic is considered relevant due to the need for evaluation and forecasting of safe operating life of aluminum. A microminiature transformer-type transducer was designed, which enables to perform local investigations of unferromagnetic materials using eddy-current method based on local studies conductivity. Having the designed transducer as a basis, a hardware-software complex was built to perform experimental studies of aluminium. Cores with different shapes were used in this work. Test results are reported for a flaws in the form of hidden slits and apertures inside the slabs is derived for excitation coil frequencies of 300-700 Hz.

Core-Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2010-01-01

This presentation is a technical progress report and near-term outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external work on core (combustor and turbine) noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project. Sections of the presentation cover: the SFW system level noise metrics for the 2015, 2020, and 2025 timeframes; the emerging importance of core noise and its relevance to the SFW Reduced-Noise-Aircraft Technical Challenge; the current research activities in the core-noise area, with some additional details given about the development of a high-fidelity combustion-noise prediction capability; the need for a core-noise diagnostic capability to generate benchmark data for validation of both high-fidelity work and improved models, as well as testing of future noise-reduction technologies; relevant existing core-noise tests using real engines and auxiliary power units; and examples of possible scenarios for a future diagnostic facility. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The SFW Reduced-Noise-Aircraft Technical Challenge aims to enable concepts and technologies to dramatically reduce the perceived aircraft noise outside of airport boundaries. This reduction of aircraft noise is critical for enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic. Noise generated in the jet engine core, by sources such as the compressor, combustor, and turbine, can be a significant contribution to the overall noise signature at low-power conditions, typical of approach flight. At high engine power during takeoff, jet and fan noise have traditionally dominated over core noise. However, current design trends and expected technological advances in engine-cycle design as well as noise-reduction methods are likely to reduce non-core noise even at engine-power points higher than approach. In addition, future low-emission combustor designs could increase the combustion-noise component. The trend towards high-power-density cores also means that the noise generated in the low-pressure turbine will likely increase. Consequently, the combined result from these emerging changes will be to elevate the overall importance of turbomachinery core noise, which will need to be addressed in order to meet future noise goals.

Collaborative Learning: Students' Perspectives on How Learning Happens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almajed, Abdulaziz; Skinner, Vicki; Peterson, Ray; Winning, Tracey

2016-01-01

Collaborative learning (CL), a core component of inquiry-based learning approaches, aims to support students' development of key skills (e.g., working in multidisciplinary teams). To design effective CL activities, we need to understand students' perceptions about CL. However, few studies have examined students' understandings of CL. This…

Word and World Reading: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

See, Beng Huat; Gorard, Stephen; Siddiqui, Nadia

2015-01-01

The Word and World Reading programme aimed to improve the reading comprehension and wider literacy skills of children aged 7-9 from low income families. The programme focused on improving the vocabulary and background knowledge (sometimes labelled "core knowledge") of pupils, through the use of specially designed "knowledge…

Six Sigma in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeMahieu, Paul G.; Nordstrum, Lee E.; Cudney, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper is one of seven in this volume that aims to elaborate different approaches to quality improvement in education. It delineates a methodology called Six Sigma. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the origins, theoretical foundations, core principles and a case study demonstrating an application of Six Sigma in a…

Digital Initiatives and Metadata Use in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SuKantarat, Wichada

2008-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to provide information about various digital initiatives in libraries in Thailand and especially use of Dublin Core metadata in cataloguing digitized objects in academic and government digital databases. Design/methodology/approach: The author began researching metadata use in Thailand in 2003 and 2004 while on sabbatical…

The effects of stainless steel radial reflector on core reactivity for small modular reactor

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

Kang, Jung Kil, E-mail: jkkang@email.kings.ac.kr; Hah, Chang Joo, E-mail: changhah@kings.ac.kr; Cho, Sung Ju, E-mail: sungju@knfc.co.kr

Commercial PWR core is surrounded by a radial reflector, which consists of a baffle and water. Radial reflector is designed to reflect neutron back into the core region to improve the neutron efficiency of the reactor and to protect the reactor vessels from the embrittling effects caused by irradiation during power operation. Reflector also helps to flatten the neutron flux and power distributions in the reactor core. The conceptual nuclear design for boron-free small modular reactor (SMR) under development in Korea requires to have the cycle length of 4∼5 years, rated power of 180 MWth and enrichment less than 5more » w/o. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of stainless steel radial reflector on the performance of the SMR using UO{sub 2} fuels. Three types of reflectors such as water, water/stainless steel 304 mixture and stainless steel 304 are selected to investigate the effect on core reactivity. Additionally, the thickness of stainless steel and double layer reflector type are also investigated. CASMO-4/SIMULATE-3 code system is used for this analysis. The results of analysis show that single layer stainless steel reflector is the most efficient reflector.« less

Results of NanTroSEIZE Expeditions Stages 1 & 2: Deep-sea Coring Operations on-board the Deep-sea Drilling Vessel Chikyu and Development of Coring Equipment for Stage 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinmoto, Y.; Wada, K.; Miyazaki, E.; Sanada, Y.; Sawada, I.; Yamao, M.

2010-12-01

The Nankai-Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) has carried out several drilling expeditions in the Kumano Basin off the Kii-Peninsula of Japan with the deep-sea scientific drilling vessel Chikyu. Core sampling runs were carried out during the expeditions using an advanced multiple wireline coring system which can continuously core into sections of undersea formations. The core recovery rate with the Rotary Core Barrel (RCB) system was rather low as compared with other methods such as the Hydraulic Piston Coring System (HPCS) and Extended Shoe Coring System (ESCS). Drilling conditions such as hole collapse and sea conditions such as high ship-heave motions need to be analyzed along with differences in lithology, formation hardness, water depth and coring depth in order to develop coring tools, such as the core barrel or core bit, that will yield the highest core recovery and quality. The core bit is especially important in good recovery of high quality cores, however, the PDC cutters were severely damaged during the NanTroSEIZE Stages 1 & 2 expeditions due to severe drilling conditions. In the Stage 1 (riserless coring) the average core recovery was rather low at 38 % with the RCB and many difficulties such as borehole collapse, stick-slip and stuck pipe occurred, causing the damage of several of the PDC cutters. In Stage 2, a new design for the core bit was deployed and core recovery was improved at 67 % for the riserless system and 85 % with the riser. However, due to harsh drilling conditions, the PDC core bit and all of the PDC cutters were completely worn down. Another original core bit was also deployed, however, core recovery performance was low even for plate boundary core samples. This study aims to identify the influence of the RCB system specifically on the recovery rates at each of the holes drilled in the NanTroSEIZE coring expeditions. The drilling parameters such as weight-on-bit, torque, rotary speed and flow rate, etc., were analyzed and conditions such as formation, tools, and sea conditions which directly affect core recovery have been categorized. Also discussed will be the further development of such coring equipment as the core bit and core barrel for the NanTroSEIZE Stage 3 expeditions, which aim to reach a depth of 7000 m-below the sea floor into harder formations under extreme drilling conditions.

Low pressure bottom-up synthesis of metal@oxide and oxide nanoparticles: control of structure and functional properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Addato, Sergio; Chiara Spadaro, Maria

2018-03-01

Experimental activity on core@shell, metal@oxide, and oxide nanoparticles (NPs) grown with physical synthesis, and more specifically by low pressure gas aggregation sources (LPGAS) is reviewed, through a selection of examples encompassing some potential applications in nanotechnology. After an introduction to the applications of NPs, a brief description of the main characteristics of the growth process of clusters and NPs in LPGAS is given. Thereafter, some relevant case studies are reported: • Formation of native oxide shells around the metal cores in core@shell NPs. • Experimental efforts to obtain magnetic stabilization in magnetic core@shell NPs by controlling their structure and morphology. • Recent advancements in NP source design and new techniques of co-deposition, with relevant results in the realization of NPs with a greater variety of functionalities. • Recent results on reducible oxide NPs, with potentialities in nanocatalysis, energy storage, and other applications. Although this list is far from being exhaustive, the aim of the authors is to provide the reader a descriptive glimpse into the physics behind the growth and studies of low pressure gas-phase synthesized NPs, with their ever-growing potentialities for the rational design of new functional materials.

Comparative evaluation of the effect of different crown ferrule designs on the fracture resistance of endodontically treated mandibular premolars restored with fiber posts, composite cores, and crowns: An ex-vivo study

PubMed Central

Dua, Nikita; Kumar, Bhupendra; Arunagiri, D.; Iqbal, Mohammad; Pushpa, S.; Hussain, Juhi

2016-01-01

Introduction: In cases of severe hard tissue loss, 2 mm circumferential ferrule is difficult to achieve which leads to incorporation of different ferrule designs. Aim: To compare and evaluate the effect of different crown ferrule designs on the fracture resistance of mandibular premolars restored with fiber posts, composite cores, and crowns. Materials and Methods: Fifty freshly extracted mandibular premolars were endodontically treated and divided into five groups: Group I - 2 mm circumferential ferrule above the cementoenamel junction (CEJ); Group II - 2 mm ferrule on the facial aspect above CEJ; Group III - 2 mm ferrule on the lingual aspect above CEJ; Group IV - 2 mm ferrule on the facial and lingual aspects above CEJ with interproximal concavities, and Group V - no ferrule (control group) and were later restored with fiber posts, composite cores, and crowns. Specimens were mounted on a universal testing machine, and compressive load was applied at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min until fracture occurred. Results: The results showed that circumferential ferrule produced the highest mean fracture resistance and the least fracture resistance was found in the control group. Conclusion: Circumferential ferrule increases the fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth restored with bonded post, core, and crown. PMID:27217642

Quiet Honeycomb Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palumbo, Daniel L.; Klos, Jacob

2010-01-01

Sandwich honeycomb composite panels are lightweight and strong, and, therefore, provide a reasonable alternative to the aluminum ring frame/stringer architecture currently used for most aircraft airframes. The drawback to honeycomb panels is that they radiate noise into the aircraft cabin veil- efficiently provoking the need for additional sound treatment which adds weight and reduces the material's cost advantage. A series of honeycomb panels was made -hick incorporated different design strategies aimed at reducing the honeycomb panels' radiation efficiency while at the same time maintaining their strength. The majority of the designs were centered around the concept of creating areas of reduced stiffness in the panel by adding voids and recesses to the core. The effort culminated with a reinforced/recessed panel which had 6 dB higher transmission loss than the baseline solid core panel while maintaining comparable strength.

The Effect of Core and Veneering Design on the Optical Properties of Polyether Ether Ketone.

PubMed

Zeighami, S; Mirmohammadrezaei, S; Safi, M; Falahchai, S M

2017-12-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of core shade and core and veneering thickness on color parameters and translucency of polyether ether ketone (PEEK). Sixty PEEK discs (0.5 and 1 mm in thickness) with white and dentine shades were veneered with A2 shade indirect composite resin with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mm thickness (n=5). Cores without the veneering material served as controls for translucency evaluation. Color parameters were measured by a spectroradiometer. Color difference (ΔE₀₀) and translucency parameters (TP) were computed. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (for veneering thickness) and independent t-test (for core shade and thickness) via SPSS 20.0 (p⟨0.05). Regarding the veneering thickness, white cores of 0.5 mm thickness showed significant differences in all color parameters. In white cores of 1 mm thickness and dentine cores of 0.5 and 1 mm thickness, there were statistically significant differences only in L∗, a∗ and h∗. The mean TP was significantly higher in all white cores of 1 mm thickness than dentine cores of 1 mm. Considering ΔE₀₀=3.7 as clinically unacceptable, only three groups had higher mean ΔE₀₀ values. Core shade, core thickness, and the veneering thickness affected the color and translucency of PEEK restorations. Copyright© 2017 Dennis Barber Ltd.

A New Capability for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Design

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

Amiri, Benjamin W.; Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; Kapernick, Richard J.

2007-01-30

This paper describes a new capability for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) design that has been developed, and presents the results of some analyses performed with this design tool. The purpose of the tool is to design to specified mission and material limits, while maximizing system thrust to weight. The head end of the design tool utilizes the ROCket Engine Transient Simulation (ROCETS) code to generate a system design and system design requirements as inputs to the core analysis. ROCETS is a modular system level code which has been used extensively in the liquid rocket engine industry for many years. Themore » core design tool performs high-fidelity reactor core nuclear and thermal-hydraulic design analysis. At the heart of this process are two codes TMSS-NTP and NTPgen, which together greatly automate the analysis, providing the capability to rapidly produce designs that meet all specified requirements while minimizing mass. A PERL based command script, called CORE DESIGNER controls the execution of these two codes, and checks for convergence throughout the process. TMSS-NTP is executed first, to produce a suite of core designs that meet the specified reactor core mechanical, thermal-hydraulic and structural requirements. The suite of designs consists of a set of core layouts and, for each core layout specific designs that span a range of core fuel volumes. NTPgen generates MCNPX models for each of the core designs from TMSS-NTP. Iterative analyses are performed in NTPgen until a reactor design (fuel volume) is identified for each core layout that meets cold and hot operation reactivity requirements and that is zoned to meet a radial core power distribution requirement.« less

Ontologies for Effective Use of Context in E-Learning Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jovanovic, Jelena; Gasevic, Dragan; Knight, Colin; Richards, Griff

2007-01-01

This paper presents an ontology-based framework aimed at explicit representation of context-specific metadata derived from the actual usage of learning objects and learning designs. The core part of the proposed framework is a learning object context ontology, that leverages a range of other kinds of learning ontologies (e.g., user modeling…

Interesting and Difficult Mathematical Problems: Changing Teachers' Views by Employing Multiple-Solution Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guberman, Raisa; Leikin, Roza

2013-01-01

The study considers mathematical problem solving to be at the heart of mathematics teaching and learning, while mathematical challenge is a core element of any educational process. The study design addresses the complexity of teachers' knowledge. It is aimed at exploring the development of teachers' mathematical and pedagogical conceptions…

Who Moved My Curriculum? Leadership Preparation Programs and the Core Technology of Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doolittle, Gini; Browne, Evelyn Gallagher

2011-01-01

This cross-case study utilizes the publically available data of three urban low-performing, low-socioeconomic-status districts designated as "districts in need of improvement" under No Child Left Behind legislation. Despite multiple interventions aimed at improving student learning, these and other districts remain in corrective action.…

Designing Play for Dark Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamada-Rice, Dylan

2017-01-01

This article reports on a knowledge-exchange network project that had the core aim of informing the development of a video game for hospitalized children. In order to do this, it brought together hospital play specialists, academics and representatives from the digital games industry to co-produce knowledge that could be used in the future…

[Design of an embedded stroke rehabilitation apparatus system based on Linux computer engineering].

PubMed

Zhuang, Pengfei; Tian, XueLong; Zhu, Lin

2014-04-01

A realizaton project of electrical stimulator aimed at motor dysfunction of stroke is proposed in this paper. Based on neurophysiological biofeedback, this system, using an ARM9 S3C2440 as the core processor, integrates collection and display of surface electromyography (sEMG) signal, as well as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) into one system. By embedding Linux system, the project is able to use Qt/Embedded as a graphical interface design tool to accomplish the design of stroke rehabilitation apparatus. Experiments showed that this system worked well.

Core Noise Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2011-01-01

This presentation is a technical summary of and outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external research on core (combustor and turbine) noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project. Sections of the presentation cover: the SFW system-level noise metrics for the 2015, 2020, and 2025 timeframes; turbofan design trends and their aeroacoustic implications; the emerging importance of core noise and its relevance to the SFW Reduce-Perceived-Noise Technical Challenge; and the current research activities in the core noise area. Recent work1 on the turbine-transmission loss of combustor noise is briefly described, two2,3 new NRA efforts in the core-noise area are outlined, and an effort to develop CMC-based acoustic liners for broadband noise reduction suitable for turbofan-core application is delineated. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic. The Subsonic Fixed Wing Project's Reduce-Perceived-Noise Technical Challenge aims to develop concepts and technologies to dramatically reduce the perceived aircraft noise outside of airport boundaries.

Photoluminescence of double core/shell infrared (CdSeTe)/ZnS quantum dots conjugated to Pseudo rabies virus antibodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torchynska, T. V.; Casas Espinola, J. L.; Jaramillo Gómez, J. A.; Douda, J.; Gazarian, K.

2013-06-01

Double core CdSeTe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with emission at 800 nm (1.60 eV) have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering methods in the non-conjugated state and after the conjugation to the Pseudo rabies virus (PRV) antibodies. The transformation of PL spectra, stimulated by the electric charge of antibodies, has been detected for the bioconjugated QDs. Raman scattering spectra are investigated with the aim to reveal the CdSeTe core compositions. The double core QD energy diagrams were designed that help to analyze the PL spectra and their transformation at the bioconjugation. It is revealed that the interface in double core QDs has the type II quantum well character that permits to explain the near IR optical transition (1.60 eV) in the double core QDs. It is shown that the essential transformation of PL spectra is useful for the study of QD bioconjugation with specific antibodies and can be a powerful technique in early medical diagnostics.

Fuel cycle cost reduction through Westinghouse fuel design and core management

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

Frank, F.J.; Scherpereel, L.R.

1985-11-01

This paper describes advances in Westinghouse nuclear fuel and their impact on fuel cycle cost. Recent fabrication development has been aimed at maintaining high integrity, increased operating flexibility, longer operating cycles, and improved core margins. Development efforts at Westinghouse toward meeting these directions have culminated in VANTAGE 5 fuel. The current trend toward longer operating cycles provides a further driving force to minimize the resulting inherent increase in fuel cycle costs by further increases in region discharge burnup. Westinghouse studies indicate the capability of currently offered products to meet cycle lengths up to 24 months.

Ceramic regenerator systems development program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, J. A.; Fucinari, C. A.; Lingscheit, J. N.; Rahnke, C. J.; Rao, V. D.

1978-01-01

Ceramic regenerator cores are considered that can be used in passenger car gas turbine engines, Stirling engines, and industrial/truck gas turbine engines. Improved materials and design concepts aimed at reducing or eliminating chemical attack were placed on durability tests/in industrial gas turbine engines. A regenerator core made from aluminum silicate shows minimal evidence of chemical attack damage after 7804 hours of engine test at 800 C and another showed little distress after 4983 hours at 982 C. The results obtained in ceramic material screening tests, aerothermodynamic performance tests, stress analysis, cost studies, and material specifications are also included.

Lead users' ideas on core features to support physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a first step in the development of an internet service using participatory design.

PubMed

Revenäs, Åsa; Opava, Christina H; Åsenlöf, Pernilla

2014-03-22

Despite the growing evidence of the benefits of physical activity (PA) in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the majority is not physically active enough. An innovative strategy is to engage lead users in the development of PA interventions provided over the internet. The aim was to explore lead users' ideas and prioritization of core features in a future internet service targeting adoption and maintenance of healthy PA in people with RA. Six focus group interviews were performed with a purposively selected sample of 26 individuals with RA. Data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and quantification of participants' prioritization of most important content. Six categories were identified as core features for a future internet service: up-to-date and evidence-based information and instructions, self-regulation tools, social interaction, personalized set-up, attractive design and content, and access to the internet service. The categories represented four themes, or core aspects, important to consider in the design of the future service: (1) content, (2) customized options, (3) user interface and (4) access and implementation. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study involving people with RA in the development of an internet service to support the adoption and maintenance of PA.Participants helped identifying core features and aspects important to consider and further explore during the next phase of development. We hypothesize that involvement of lead users will make transfer from theory to service more adequate and user-friendly and therefore will be an effective mean to facilitate PA behavior change.

Construct Validity of the Autism Impact Measure (AIM).

PubMed

Mazurek, Micah O; Carlson, Coleen; Baker-Ericzén, Mary; Butter, Eric; Norris, Megan; Kanne, Stephen

2018-01-17

The Autism Impact Measure (AIM) was designed to track incremental change in frequency and impact of core ASD symptoms. The current study examined the structural and convergent validity of the AIM in a large sample of children with ASD. The results of a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a final model with five theoretically and empirically meaningful subdomains: Repetitive Behavior, Atypical Behavior, Communication, Social Reciprocity, and Peer Interaction. The final model showed very good fit both overall and for each of the five factors, indicating excellent structural validity. AIM subdomain scores were significantly correlated with measures of similar constructs across all five domains. The results provide further support for the psychometric properties of the AIM.

From research to evidence-informed decision making: a systematic approach

PubMed Central

Poot, Charlotte C; van der Kleij, Rianne M; Brakema, Evelyn A; Vermond, Debbie; Williams, Siân; Cragg, Liza; van den Broek, Jos M; Chavannes, Niels H

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Knowledge creation forms an integral part of the knowledge-to-action framework aimed at bridging the gap between research and evidence-informed decision making. Although principles of science communication, data visualisation and user-centred design largely impact the effectiveness of communication, their role in knowledge creation is still limited. Hence, this article aims to provide researchers a systematic approach on how knowledge creation can be put into practice. Methods A systematic two-phased approach towards knowledge creation was formulated and executed. First, during a preparation phase the purpose and audience of the knowledge were defined. Subsequently, a developmental phase facilitated how the content is ‘said’ (language) and communicated (channel). This developmental phase proceeded via two pathways: a translational cycle and design cycle, during which core translational and design components were incorporated. The entire approach was demonstrated by a case study. Results The case study demonstrated how the phases in this systematic approach can be operationalised. It furthermore illustrated how created knowledge can be delivered. Conclusion The proposed approach offers researchers a systematic, practical and easy-to-implement tool to facilitate effective knowledge creation towards decision-makers in healthcare. Through the integration of core components of knowledge creation evidence-informed decision making will ultimately be optimized. PMID:29538728

Navigating Complex Trade-Offs in Conservation and Development: An Integrative Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsch, Paul D.; Brosius, J. Peter

2013-01-01

We present a framework that makes space for multiple perspectives and ways of thinking about complex trade-off problems in conservation and development. At the core of the framework are three "integrative lenses" designed to facilitate lines of inquiry according to three unique ways of perceiving complexity. The aim of the framework is…

How Teachers Integrate a Math Computer Game: Professional Development Use, Teaching Practices, and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callaghan, M. N.; Long, J. J.; van Es, E. A.; Reich, S. M.; Rutherford, T.

2018-01-01

As more attention is placed on designing digital educational games to align with schools' academic aims (e.g., Common Core), questions arise regarding how professional development (PD) may support teachers' using games for instruction and how such integration might impact students' achievement. This study seeks to (a) understand how teachers use…

Enhancing a Core Journal Collection for Digital Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovacevic, Ana; Devedzic, Vladan; Pocajt, Viktor

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to address the problem of enhancing the selection of titles offered by a digital library, by analysing the differences in these titles when they are cited by local authors in their publications and when they are listed in the digital library offer. Design/methodology/approach: Text mining techniques were used to identify…

School-University Action Research: Impacts on Teaching Practices and Pupil Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Attorps, Iiris; Kellner, Eva

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to describe a design and implementation of a school-university action research project about teaching and learning biology and mathematics in primary school. Nine teachers in grades 1 to 6, in collaboration with two researchers, were using content representation (CoRe) in learning study (LS)-inspired cycle as pedagogical…

The Perceived Effect of Hidden Costs on the Operational Management of Information Technology Outsourcing: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, Ian

2011-01-01

Information technology (IT) outsourcing is a business trend aimed at reducing costs and enabling companies to concentrate on their core competencies. This qualitative multiple case design research study explored the effects of hidden costs on the operational management of IT outsourcing. The study involved analyzing IT outsourcing agreements as…

Core Health Outcomes In Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE): protocol for the selection of a core outcome set.

PubMed

Morris, Christopher; Dunkley, Colin; Gibbon, Frances M; Currier, Janet; Roberts, Deborah; Rogers, Morwenna; Crudgington, Holly; Bray, Lucy; Carter, Bernie; Hughes, Dyfrig; Tudur Smith, Catrin; Williamson, Paula R; Gringras, Paul; Pal, Deb K

2017-11-28

There is increasing recognition that establishing a core set of outcomes to be evaluated and reported in trials of interventions for particular conditions will improve the usefulness of health research. There is no established core outcome set for childhood epilepsy. The aim of this work is to select a core outcome set to be used in evaluative research of interventions for children with rolandic epilepsy, as an exemplar of common childhood epilepsy syndromes. First we will identify what outcomes should be measured; then we will decide how to measure those outcomes. We will engage relevant UK charities and health professional societies as partners, and convene advisory panels for young people with epilepsy and parents of children with epilepsy. We will identify candidate outcomes from a search for trials of interventions for childhood epilepsy, statutory guidance and consultation with our advisory panels. Families, charities and health, education and neuropsychology professionals will be invited to participate in a Delphi survey following recommended practices in the development of core outcome sets. Participants will be able to recommend additional outcome domains. Over three rounds of Delphi survey participants will rate the importance of candidate outcome domains and state the rationale for their decisions. Over the three rounds we will seek consensus across and between families and health professionals on the more important outcomes. A face-to-face meeting will be convened to ratify the core outcome set. We will then review and recommend ways to measure the shortlisted outcomes using clinical assessment and/or patient-reported outcome measures. Our methodology is a proportionate and pragmatic approach to expediently produce a core outcome set for evaluative research of interventions aiming to improve the health of children with epilepsy. A number of decisions have to be made when designing a study to develop a core outcome set including defining the scope, choosing which stakeholders to engage, most effective ways to elicit their views, especially children and a potential role for qualitative research.

The Design of the Automatic Control System of the Gripping-Belt Speed in Long-Rootstalk Traditional Chinese Herbal Harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jinxia; Wang, Junfa; Yu, Yonghong

This article aims to design a kind of gripping-belt speed automatic tracking system of traditional Chinese herbal harvester by AT89C52 single-chip micro computer as a core combined with fuzzy PID control algorithm. The system can adjust the gripping-belt speed in accordance with the variation of the machine's operation, so there is a perfect matching between the machine operation speed and the gripping-belt speed. The harvesting performance of the machine can be improved greatly. System design includes hardware and software.

Lead users’ ideas on core features to support physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a first step in the development of an internet service using participatory design

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Despite the growing evidence of the benefits of physical activity (PA) in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the majority is not physically active enough. An innovative strategy is to engage lead users in the development of PA interventions provided over the internet. The aim was to explore lead users’ ideas and prioritization of core features in a future internet service targeting adoption and maintenance of healthy PA in people with RA. Methods Six focus group interviews were performed with a purposively selected sample of 26 individuals with RA. Data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and quantification of participants’ prioritization of most important content. Results Six categories were identified as core features for a future internet service: up-to-date and evidence-based information and instructions, self-regulation tools, social interaction, personalized set-up, attractive design and content, and access to the internet service. The categories represented four themes, or core aspects, important to consider in the design of the future service: (1) content, (2) customized options, (3) user interface and (4) access and implementation. Conclusions This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study involving people with RA in the development of an internet service to support the adoption and maintenance of PA. Participants helped identifying core features and aspects important to consider and further explore during the next phase of development. We hypothesize that involvement of lead users will make transfer from theory to service more adequate and user-friendly and therefore will be an effective mean to facilitate PA behavior change. PMID:24655757

Core-Noise Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2012-01-01

This presentation is a technical summary of and outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external research on core noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project. Sections of the presentation cover: the SFW system-level noise metrics for the 2015 (N+1), 2020 (N+2), and 2025 (N+3) timeframes; SFW strategic thrusts and technical challenges; SFW advanced subsystems that are broadly applicable to N+3 vehicle concepts, with an indication where further noise research is needed; the components of core noise (compressor, combustor and turbine noise) and a rationale for NASA's current emphasis on the combustor-noise component; the increase in the relative importance of core noise due to turbofan design trends; the need to understand and mitigate core-noise sources for high-efficiency small gas generators; and the current research activities in the core-noise area, with additional details given about forthcoming updates to NASA's Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP) core-noise prediction capabilities, two NRA efforts (Honeywell International, Phoenix, AZ and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively) to improve the understanding of core-noise sources and noise propagation through the engine core, and an effort to develop oxide/oxide ceramic-matrix-composite (CMC) liners for broadband noise attenuation suitable for turbofan-core application. Core noise must be addressed to ensure that the N+3 noise goals are met. Focused, but long-term, core-noise research is carried out to enable the advanced high-efficiency small gas-generator subsystem, common to several N+3 conceptual designs, needed to meet NASA's technical challenges. Intermediate updates to prediction tools are implemented as the understanding of the source structure and engine-internal propagation effects is improved. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The SFW Quiet-Aircraft Subproject aims to develop concepts and technologies to reduce perceived community noise attributable to aircraft with minimal impact on weight and performance. This reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic.

Comparison of biomechanical function at ideal and varied surgical placement for two lumbar artificial disc implant designs: mobile-core versus fixed-core.

PubMed

Moumene, Missoum; Geisler, Fred H

2007-08-01

Finite element model. To estimate the effect of lumbar mobile-core and fixed-core artificial disc design and placement on the loading of the facet joints, and stresses on the polyethylene core. Although both mobile-core and fixed-core lumbar artificial disc designs have been used clinically, the effect of their design and the effect of placement within the disc space on the structural element loading, and in particular the facets and the implant itself, have not been investigated. A 3D nonlinear finite element model of an intact ligamentous L4-L5 motion segment was developed and validated in all 6 df based on previous experiments conducted on human cadavers. Facet loading of a mobile-core TDR and a fixed-core TDR were estimated with 4 different prosthesis placements for 3 different ranges of motion. Placing the mobile-core TDR anywhere within the disc space reduced facet loading by more than 50%, while the fixed-core TDR increased facet loading by more than 10% when compared with the intact disc in axial rotation. For central (ideal) placement, the mobile- and fixed-core implants were subjected to compressive stresses on the order of 3 MPa and 24 MPa, respectively. The mobile-core stresses were not affected by implant placement, while the fixed-core stresses increased by up to 40%. A mobile-core artificial disc design is less sensitive to placement, and unloads the facet joints, compared with a fixed-core design. The decreased core stress may result in a reduced potential for wear in a mobile-core prosthesis compared with a fixed-core prosthesis, which may increase the functional longevity of the device.

Sediment cores as archives of historical changes in floodplain lake hydrology.

PubMed

Lintern, Anna; Leahy, Paul J; Zawadzki, Atun; Gadd, Patricia; Heijnis, Henk; Jacobsen, Geraldine; Connor, Simon; Deletic, Ana; McCarthy, David T

2016-02-15

Anthropogenic activities are contributing to the changing hydrology of rivers, often resulting in their degradation. Understanding the drivers and nature of these changes is critical for the design and implementation of effective mitigation strategies for these systems. However, this can be hindered by gaps in historical measured flow data. This study therefore aims to use sediment cores to identify historical hydrological changes within a river catchment. Sediment cores from two floodplain lakes (billabongs) in the urbanised Yarra River catchment (Melbourne, South-East Australia) were collected and high resolution images, trends in magnetic susceptibility and trends in elemental composition through the sedimentary records were obtained. These were used to infer historical changes in river hydrology to determine both average trends in hydrology (i.e., coarse temporal resolution) as well as discrete flood layers in the sediment cores (i.e., fine temporal resolution). Through the 20th century, both billabongs became increasingly disconnected from the river, as demonstrated by the decreasing trends in magnetic susceptibility, particle size and inorganic matter in the cores. Additionally the number of discrete flood layers decreased up the cores. These reconstructed trends correlate with measured flow records of the river through the 20th century, which validates the methodology that has been used in this study. Not only does this study provide evidence on how natural catchments can be affected by land-use intensification and urbanisation, but it also introduces a general analytical framework that could be applied to other river systems to assist in the design of hydrological management strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teacher Education and Curriculum for Development. Report of a Regional Planning Workshop (Quezon City, Philippines, May 19-31, 1975).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philippines Univ., Quezon City. Asian Inst. for Teacher Educators.

The Regional Planning Workshop on Teacher Education and Curriculum for Development had as its aim the preparation of guidelines for: 1) the development of modules for curriculum designers with reference to curriculum for development; 2) the development of modules for selected elements of the core curriculum of teacher education; and 3)…

The Role of Personality in the Job Demands-Resources Model: A Study of Australian Academic Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakker, Arnold B.; Boyd, Carolyn M.; Dollard, Maureen; Gillespie, Nicole; Winefield, Anthony H.; Stough, Con

2010-01-01

Purpose: The central aim of this study is to incorporate two core personality factors (neuroticism and extroversion) in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Design/methodology/approach: It was hypothesized that neuroticism would be most strongly related to the health impairment process, and that extroversion would be most strongly related to…

Silicon as a potential anode material for Li-ion batteries: where size, geometry and structure matter.

PubMed

Ashuri, Maziar; He, Qianran; Shaw, Leon L

2016-01-07

Silicon has attracted huge attention in the last decade because it has a theoretical capacity ∼10 times that of graphite. However, the practical application of Si is hindered by three major challenges: large volume expansion during cycling (∼300%), low electrical conductivity, and instability of the SEI layer caused by repeated volume changes of the Si material. Significant research efforts have been devoted to addressing these challenges, and significant breakthroughs have been made particularly in the last two years (2014 and 2015). In this review, we have focused on the principles of Si material design, novel synthesis methods to achieve such structural designs, and the synthesis-structure-performance relationships to enhance the properties of Si anodes. To provide a systematic overview of the Si material design strategies, we have grouped the design strategies into several categories: (i) particle-based structures (containing nanoparticles, solid core-shell structures, hollow core-shell structures, and yolk-shell structures), (ii) porous Si designs, (iii) nanowires, nanotubes and nanofibers, (iv) Si-based composites, and (v) unusual designs. Finally, our personal perspectives on outlook are offered with an aim to stimulate further discussion and ideas on the rational design of durable and high performance Si anodes for the next generation Li-ion batteries in the near future.

Childhood vaccination communication outcomes unpacked and organized in a taxonomy to facilitate core outcome establishment.

PubMed

Kaufman, Jessica; Ryan, Rebecca; Glenton, Claire; Lewin, Simon; Bosch-Capblanch, Xavier; Cartier, Yuri; Cliff, Julie; Oyo-Ita, Angela; Ames, Heather; Muloliwa, Artur Manuel; Oku, Afiong; Rada, Gabriel; Hill, Sophie

2017-04-01

We present a comprehensive taxonomy of outcomes for childhood vaccination communication interventions. Adding to our earlier map of trial outcomes, we aimed to (1) identify relevant outcomes not measured in trials, (2) identify outcomes from stakeholder focus groups, and (3) organize outcomes into a taxonomy. We identified additional outcomes from nonvaccination health communication literature and through parent and health care professional focus groups. We organized outcomes into the taxonomy through iterative discussion and informed by organizational principles established by leaders in core outcome research. The taxonomy includes three overarching core areas, divided into eight domains and then into outcomes. Core area one is psychosocial impact, including the domains "knowledge or understanding," "attitudes or beliefs," and "decision-making." Core area two is health impact, covering "vaccination status and behaviors" and "health status and well-being." Core area three is community, social, or health system impact, containing "intervention design and implementation," "community participation," and "resource use." To our knowledge, this taxonomy is the first attempt to conceptualize the range of potential outcomes for vaccination communication. It can be used by researchers selecting outcomes for complex communication interventions. We will also present the taxonomy to stakeholders to establish core outcome domains. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain Jogging Training to Improve Motivation and Learning Result of Tennis Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafaqur, M.; Komarudin; Mulyana; Saputra, M. Y.

2017-03-01

This research is aimed to determine the effect of brain jogging towards improvement of motivation and learning result of tennis skills. The method used in this research is experimental method. The population of this research is 15 tennis athletes of Core Siliwangi Bandung Tennis Club. The sampling technique used in this research is purposive sampling technique. Sample of this research is the 10 tennis athletes of Core Siliwangi Bandung Tennis Club. Design used for this research is pretest-posttest group design. Data analysis technique used in this research is by doing Instrument T-test to measure motivation using The Sport Motivation Scale questionnaire (SMS-28) and Instrument to measure learning result of tennis skill by using tennis skills test, which include: (1) forehand test, (2) backhand test, and (3) service placement test. The result of this research showed that brain jogging significantly impact the improvement of motivation and learning result of tennis skills.

CanOpen on RASTA: The Integration of the CanOpen IP Core in the Avionics Testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furano, Gianluca; Guettache, Farid; Magistrati, Giorgio; Tiotto, Gabriele; Ortega, Carlos Urbina; Valverde, Alberto

2013-08-01

This paper presents the work done within the ESA Estec Data Systems Division, targeting the integration of the CanOpen IP Core with the existing Reference Architecture Test-bed for Avionics (RASTA). RASTA is the reference testbed system of the ESA Avionics Lab, designed to integrate the main elements of a typical Data Handling system. It aims at simulating a scenario where a Mission Control Center communicates with on-board computers and systems through a TM/TC link, thus providing the data management through qualified processors and interfaces such as Leon2 core processors, CAN bus controllers, MIL-STD-1553 and SpaceWire. This activity aims at the extension of the RASTA with two boards equipped with HurriCANe controller, acting as CANOpen slaves. CANOpen software modules have been ported on the RASTA system I/O boards equipped with Gaisler GR-CAN controller and acts as master communicating with the CCIPC boards. CanOpen serves as upper application layer for based on CAN defined within the CAN-in-Automation standard and can be regarded as the definitive standard for the implementation of CAN-based systems solutions. The development and integration of CCIPC performed by SITAEL S.p.A., is the first application that aims to bring the CANOpen standard for space applications. The definition of CANOpen within the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) is under development.

LFRic: Building a new Unified Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melvin, Thomas; Mullerworth, Steve; Ford, Rupert; Maynard, Chris; Hobson, Mike

2017-04-01

The LFRic project, named for Lewis Fry Richardson, aims to develop a replacement for the Met Office Unified Model in order to meet the challenges which will be presented by the next generation of exascale supercomputers. This project, a collaboration between the Met Office, STFC Daresbury and the University of Manchester, builds on the earlier GungHo project to redesign the dynamical core, in partnership with NERC. The new atmospheric model aims to retain the performance of the current ENDGame dynamical core and associated subgrid physics, while also enabling a far greater scalability and flexibility to accommodate future supercomputer architectures. Design of the model revolves around a principle of a 'separation of concerns', whereby the natural science aspects of the code can be developed without worrying about the underlying architecture, while machine dependent optimisations can be carried out at a high level. These principles are put into practice through the development of an autogenerated Parallel Systems software layer (known as the PSy layer) using a domain-specific compiler called PSyclone. The prototype model includes a re-write of the dynamical core using a mixed finite element method, in which different function spaces are used to represent the various fields. It is able to run in parallel with MPI and OpenMP and has been tested on over 200,000 cores. In this talk an overview of the both the natural science and computational science implementations of the model will be presented.

Mechanical design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Design concepts for a 1000 mw thermal stationary power plant employing the UF6 fueled gas core breeder reactor are examined. Three design combinations-gaseous UF6 core with a solid matrix blanket, gaseous UF6 core with a liquid blanket, and gaseous UF6 core with a circulating blanket were considered. Results show the gaseous UF6 core with a circulating blanket was best suited to the power plant concept.

78 FR 32988 - Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contract Markets; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-03

... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 17 CFR Part 38 RIN 3038-AD09 Core Principles and Other... regarding Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contract Markets by inserting a missing... regarding Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contract Markets (77 FR 36612, June 19, 2012...

Thermal Modeling of the Injection of Standard and Thermally Insulated Cored Wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro-Cedeno, E.-I.; Jardy, A.; Carré, A.; Gerardin, S.; Bellot, J. P.

2017-12-01

Cored wire injection is a widespread method used to perform alloying additions during ferrous and non-ferrous liquid metal treatment. The wire consists of a metal casing that is tightly wrapped around a core of material; the casing delays the release of the material as the wire is immersed into the melt. This method of addition presents advantages such as higher repeatability and yield of cored material with respect to bulk additions. Experimental and numerical work has been performed by several authors on the subject of alloy additions, spherical and cylindrical geometries being mainly considered. Surprisingly this has not been the case for cored wire, where the reported experimental or numerical studies are scarce. This work presents a 1-D finite volume numerical model aimed for the simulation of the thermal phenomena which occurs when the wire is injected into a liquid metal bath. It is currently being used as a design tool for the conception of new types of cored wire. A parametric study on the effect of injection velocity and steel casing thickness for an Al cored wire immersed into a steel melt at 1863 K (1590 °C) is presented. The standard single casing wire is further compared against a wire with multiple casings. Numerical results show that over a certain range of injection velocities, the core contents' release is delayed in the multiple casing when compared to a single casing wire.

Investigation on influence of Wurster coating process parameters for the development of delayed release minitablets of Naproxen.

PubMed

Shah, Neha; Mehta, Tejal; Aware, Rahul; Shetty, Vasant

2017-12-01

The present work aims at studying process parameters affecting coating of minitablets (3 mm in diameter) through Wurster coating process. Minitablets of Naproxen with high drug loading were manufactured using 3 mm multi-tip punches. The release profile of core pellets (published) and minitablets was compared with that of marketed formulation. The core formulation of minitablets was found to show similarity in dissolution profile with marketed formulation and hence was further carried forward for functional coating over it. Wurster processing was implemented to pursue functional coating over core formulation. Different process parameters were screened and control strategy was applied for factors significantly affecting the process. Modified Plackett Burman Design was applied for studying important factors. Based on the significant factors and minimum level of coating required for functionalization, optimized process was executed. Final coated batch was evaluated for coating thickness, surface morphology, and drug release study.

Development of a core outcome set for medication review in older patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy: a study protocol.

PubMed

Beuscart, Jean-Baptiste; Dalleur, Olivia; Boland, Benoit; Thevelin, Stefanie; Knol, Wilma; Cullinan, Shane; Schneider, Claudio; O'Mahony, Denis; Rodondi, Nicolas; Spinewine, Anne

2017-01-01

Medication review has been advocated to address the challenge of polypharmacy in older patients, yet there is no consensus on how best to evaluate its efficacy. Heterogeneity of outcomes reported in clinical trials can hinder the comparison of clinical trial findings in systematic reviews. Moreover, the outcomes that matter most to older patients might be under-reported or disregarded altogether. A core outcome set can address this issue as it defines a minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in all clinical trials in any particular field of research. As part of the European Commission-funded project, called OPtimising thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in the Multimorbid elderly, this paper describes the methods used to develop a core outcome set for clinical trials of medication review in older patients with multimorbidity. The study was designed in several steps. First, a systematic review established which outcomes were measured in published and ongoing clinical trials of medication review in older patients. Second, we undertook semistructured interviews with older patients and carers aimed at identifying additional relevant outcomes. Then, a multilanguage European Delphi survey adapted to older patients was designed. The international Delphi survey was conducted with older patients, health care professionals, researchers, and clinical experts in geriatric pharmacotherapy to validate outcomes to be included in the core outcome set. Consensus meetings were conducted to validate the results. We present the method for developing a core outcome set for medication review in older patients with multimorbidity. This study protocol could be used as a basis to develop core outcome sets in other fields of geriatric research.

Core Noise: Overview of Upcoming LDI Combustor Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2012-01-01

This presentation is a technical summary of and outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external research on core (combustor and turbine) noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Fixed Wing Project. The presentation covers: the emerging importance of core noise due to turbofan design trends and its relevance to the NASA N+3 noise-reduction goal; the core noise components and the rationale for the current emphasis on combustor noise; and the current and planned research activities in the combustor-noise area. Two NASA-sponsored research programs, with particular emphasis on indirect combustor noise, "Acoustic Database for Core Noise Sources", Honeywell Aerospace (NNC11TA40T) and "Measurement and Modeling of Entropic Noise Sources in a Single-Stage Low-Pressure Turbine", U. Illinois/U. Notre Dame (NNX11AI74A) are briefly described. Recent progress in the development of CMC-based acoustic liners for broadband noise reduction suitable for turbofan-core application is outlined. Combustor-design trends and the potential impacts on combustor acoustics are discussed. A NASA GRC developed nine-point lean-direct-injection (LDI) fuel injector is briefly described. The modification of an upcoming thermo-acoustic instability evaluation of the GRC injector in a combustor rig to also provide acoustic information relevant to community noise is presented. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic. The Quiet Performance Research Theme of the Fixed Wing Project aims to develop concepts and technologies to dramatically reduce the perceived community noise attributable to aircraft with minimal impact on weight and performance.

Fabricating a Shell-Core Delayed Release Tablet Using Dual FDM 3D Printing for Patient-Centred Therapy.

PubMed

Okwuosa, Tochukwu C; Pereira, Beatriz C; Arafat, Basel; Cieszynska, Milena; Isreb, Abdullah; Alhnan, Mohamed A

2017-02-01

Individualizing gastric-resistant tablets is associated with major challenges for clinical staff in hospitals and healthcare centres. This work aims to fabricate gastric-resistant 3D printed tablets using dual FDM 3D printing. The gastric-resistant tablets were engineered by employing a range of shell-core designs using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and methacrylic acid co-polymer for core and shell structures respectively. Filaments for both core and shell were compounded using a twin-screw hot-melt extruder (HME). CAD software was utilized to design a capsule-shaped core with a complementary shell of increasing thicknesses (0.17, 0.35, 0.52, 0.70 or 0.87 mm). The physical form of the drug and its integrity following an FDM 3D printing were assessed using x-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD), thermal analysis and HPLC. A shell thickness ≥0.52 mm was deemed necessary in order to achieve sufficient core protection in the acid medium. The technology proved viable for incorporating different drug candidates; theophylline, budesonide and diclofenac sodium. XRPD indicated the presence of theophylline crystals whilst budesonide and diclofenac sodium remained amorphous in the PVP matrix of the filaments and 3D printed tablets. Fabricated tablets demonstrated gastric resistant properties and a pH responsive drug release pattern in both phosphate and bicarbonate buffers. Despite its relatively limited resolution, FDM 3D printing proved to be a suitable platform for a single-process fabrication of delayed release tablets. This work reveals the potential of dual FDM 3D printing as a unique platform for personalising delayed release tablets to suit an individual patient's needs.

Fast reactor core concepts to improve transmutation efficiency

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

Fujimura, Koji; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Itooka, Satoshi

Fast Reactor (FR) core concepts to improve transmutation efficiency were conducted. A heterogeneous MA loaded core was designed based on the 1000MWe-ABR breakeven core. The heterogeneous MA loaded core with Zr-H loaded moderated targets had a better transmutation performance than the MA homogeneous loaded core. The annular pellet rod design was proposed as one of the possible design options for the MA target. It was shown that using annular pellet MA rods mitigates the self-shielding effect in the moderated target so as to enhance the transmutation rate.

Failure Predictions for VHTR Core Components using a Probabilistic Contiuum Damage Mechanics Model

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

Fok, Alex

2013-10-30

The proposed work addresses the key research need for the development of constitutive models and overall failure models for graphite and high temperature structural materials, with the long-term goal being to maximize the design life of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). To this end, the capability of a Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) model, which has been used successfully for modeling fracture of virgin graphite, will be extended as a predictive and design tool for the core components of the very high- temperature reactor (VHTR). Specifically, irradiation and environmental effects pertinent to the VHTR will be incorporated into the modelmore » to allow fracture of graphite and ceramic components under in-reactor conditions to be modeled explicitly using the finite element method. The model uses a combined stress-based and fracture mechanics-based failure criterion, so it can simulate both the initiation and propagation of cracks. Modern imaging techniques, such as x-ray computed tomography and digital image correlation, will be used during material testing to help define the baseline material damage parameters. Monte Carlo analysis will be performed to address inherent variations in material properties, the aim being to reduce the arbitrariness and uncertainties associated with the current statistical approach. The results can potentially contribute to the current development of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes for the design and construction of VHTR core components.« less

SPOC Benchmark Case: SNRE Model

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

Vishal Patel; Michael Eades; Claude Russel Joyner II

The Small Nuclear Rocket Engine (SNRE) was modeled in the Center for Space Nuclear Research’s (CSNR) Space Propulsion Optimization Code (SPOC). SPOC aims to create nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) geometries quickly to perform parametric studies on design spaces of historic and new NTP designs. The SNRE geometry was modeled in SPOC and a critical core with a reasonable amount of criticality margin was found. The fuel, tie-tubes, reflector, and control drum masses were predicted rather well. These are all very important for neutronics calculations so the active reactor geometries created with SPOC can continue to be trusted. Thermal calculations ofmore » the average and hot fuel channels agreed very well. The specific impulse calculations used historically and in SPOC disagree so mass flow rates and impulses differed. Modeling peripheral and power balance components that do not affect nuclear characteristics of the core is not a feature of SPOC and as such, these components should continue to be designed using other tools. A full paper detailing the available SNRE data and comparisons with SPOC outputs will be submitted as a follow-up to this abstract.« less

The HTA core model: a novel method for producing and reporting health technology assessments.

PubMed

Lampe, Kristian; Mäkelä, Marjukka; Garrido, Marcial Velasco; Anttila, Heidi; Autti-Rämö, Ilona; Hicks, Nicholas J; Hofmann, Björn; Koivisto, Juha; Kunz, Regina; Kärki, Pia; Malmivaara, Antti; Meiesaar, Kersti; Reiman-Möttönen, Päivi; Norderhaug, Inger; Pasternack, Iris; Ruano-Ravina, Alberto; Räsänen, Pirjo; Saalasti-Koskinen, Ulla; Saarni, Samuli I; Walin, Laura; Kristensen, Finn Børlum

2009-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop and test a generic framework to enable international collaboration for producing and sharing results of health technology assessments (HTAs). Ten international teams constructed the HTA Core Model, dividing information contained in a comprehensive HTA into standardized pieces, the assessment elements. Each element contains a generic issue that is translated into practical research questions while performing an assessment. Elements were described in detail in element cards. Two pilot assessments, designated as Core HTAs were also produced. The Model and Core HTAs were both validated. Guidance on the use of the HTA Core Model was compiled into a Handbook. The HTA Core Model considers health technologies through nine domains. Two applications of the Model were developed, one for medical and surgical interventions and another for diagnostic technologies. Two Core HTAs were produced in parallel with developing the model, providing the first real-life testing of the Model and input for further development. The results of formal validation and public feedback were primarily positive. Development needs were also identified and considered. An online Handbook is available. The HTA Core Model is a novel approach to HTA. It enables effective international production and sharing of HTA results in a structured format. The face validity of the Model was confirmed during the project, but further testing and refining are needed to ensure optimal usefulness and user-friendliness. Core HTAs are intended to serve as a basis for local HTA reports. Core HTAs do not contain recommendations on technology use.

Core Competencies or a Competent Core? A Scoping Review and Realist Synthesis of Invasive Bedside Procedural Skills Training in Internal Medicine.

PubMed

Brydges, Ryan; Stroud, Lynfa; Wong, Brian M; Holmboe, Eric S; Imrie, Kevin; Hatala, Rose

2017-11-01

Invasive bedside procedures are core competencies for internal medicine, yet no formal training guidelines exist. The authors conducted a scoping review and realist synthesis to characterize current training for lumbar puncture, arthrocentesis, paracentesis, thoracentesis, and central venous catheterization. They aimed to collate how educators justify using specific interventions, establish which interventions have the best evidence, and offer directions for future research and training. The authors systematically searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ERIC through April 2015. Studies were screened in three phases; all reviews were performed independently and in duplicate. The authors extracted information on learner and patient demographics, study design and methodological quality, and details of training interventions and measured outcomes. A three-step realist synthesis was performed to synthesize findings on each study's context, mechanism, and outcome, and to identify a foundational training model. From an initial 6,671 studies, 149 studies were further reduced to 67 (45%) reporting sufficient information for realist synthesis. Analysis yielded four types of procedural skills training interventions. There was relative consistency across contexts and significant differences in mechanisms and outcomes across the four intervention types. The medical procedural service was identified as an adaptable foundational training model. The observed heterogeneity in procedural skills training implies that programs are not consistently developing residents who are competent in core procedures. The findings suggest that researchers in education and quality improvement will need to collaborate to design training that develops a "competent core" of proceduralists using simulation and clinical rotations.

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

Beyond Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How: Preparing Students to Generate Questions in the Age of Common Core Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Jean; Ness, Molly

2015-01-01

Using a case study design, our research explored question generation as a reading comprehension strategy, focusing on the types of questions 4th- and 5th-grade students posed before, during, and after reading narrative text. The authors aimed to determine whether their participants are ready to pose the higher-level questions expected of them by…

Core sample extractor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akins, James; Cobb, Billy; Hart, Steve; Leaptrotte, Jeff; Milhollin, James; Pernik, Mark

1989-01-01

The problem of retrieving and storing core samples from a hole drilled on the lunar surface is addressed. The total depth of the hole in question is 50 meters with a maximum diameter of 100 millimeters. The core sample itself has a diameter of 60 millimeters and will be two meters in length. It is therefore necessary to retrieve and store 25 core samples per hole. The design utilizes a control system that will stop the mechanism at a certain depth, a cam-linkage system that will fracture the core, and a storage system that will save and catalogue the cores to be extracted. The Rod Changer and Storage Design Group will provide the necessary tooling to get into the hole as well as to the core. The mechanical design for the cam-linkage system as well as the conceptual design of the storage device are described.

An Overview of Reactor Concepts, a Survey of Reactor Designs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-02-01

may be very different. HTGRs may use highly enriched uranium, thereby yielding better fuel economy and a reduc- tion of the actual core size for a...specific power level. The HTGR core may have fuel and control rods placed in graphite arrays similar to PWR core con- figuration, or they may have fuel ...rods are pulled out. A Peach Bottom core design is another HTGR design. This design is featured by the fuel pin’s ability to purge itself of fission

Time-dependent fracture probability of bilayer, lithium-disilicate-based, glass-ceramic, molar crowns as a function of core/veneer thickness ratio and load orientation.

PubMed

Anusavice, Kenneth J; Jadaan, Osama M; Esquivel-Upshaw, Josephine F

2013-11-01

Recent reports on bilayer ceramic crown prostheses suggest that fractures of the veneering ceramic represent the most common reason for prosthesis failure. The aims of this study were to test the hypotheses that: (1) an increase in core ceramic/veneer ceramic thickness ratio for a crown thickness of 1.6mm reduces the time-dependent fracture probability (Pf) of bilayer crowns with a lithium-disilicate-based glass-ceramic core, and (2) oblique loading, within the central fossa, increases Pf for 1.6-mm-thick crowns compared with vertical loading. Time-dependent fracture probabilities were calculated for 1.6-mm-thick, veneered lithium-disilicate-based glass-ceramic molar crowns as a function of core/veneer thickness ratio and load orientation in the central fossa area. Time-dependent fracture probability analyses were computed by CARES/Life software and finite element analysis, using dynamic fatigue strength data for monolithic discs of a lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic core (Empress 2), and ceramic veneer (Empress 2 Veneer Ceramic). Predicted fracture probabilities (Pf) for centrally loaded 1.6-mm-thick bilayer crowns over periods of 1, 5, and 10 years are 1.2%, 2.7%, and 3.5%, respectively, for a core/veneer thickness ratio of 1.0 (0.8mm/0.8mm), and 2.5%, 5.1%, and 7.0%, respectively, for a core/veneer thickness ratio of 0.33 (0.4mm/1.2mm). CARES/Life results support the proposed crown design and load orientation hypotheses. The application of dynamic fatigue data, finite element stress analysis, and CARES/Life analysis represent an optimal approach to optimize fixed dental prosthesis designs produced from dental ceramics and to predict time-dependent fracture probabilities of ceramic-based fixed dental prostheses that can minimize the risk for clinical failures. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. All rights reserved.

Time-dependent fracture probability of bilayer, lithium-disilicate-based glass-ceramic molar crowns as a function of core/veneer thickness ratio and load orientation

PubMed Central

Anusavice, Kenneth J.; Jadaan, Osama M.; Esquivel–Upshaw, Josephine

2013-01-01

Recent reports on bilayer ceramic crown prostheses suggest that fractures of the veneering ceramic represent the most common reason for prosthesis failure. Objective The aims of this study were to test the hypotheses that: (1) an increase in core ceramic/veneer ceramic thickness ratio for a crown thickness of 1.6 mm reduces the time-dependent fracture probability (Pf) of bilayer crowns with a lithium-disilicate-based glass-ceramic core, and (2) oblique loading, within the central fossa, increases Pf for 1.6-mm-thick crowns compared with vertical loading. Materials and methods Time-dependent fracture probabilities were calculated for 1.6-mm-thick, veneered lithium-disilicate-based glass-ceramic molar crowns as a function of core/veneer thickness ratio and load orientation in the central fossa area. Time-dependent fracture probability analyses were computed by CARES/Life software and finite element analysis, using dynamic fatigue strength data for monolithic discs of a lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic core (Empress 2), and ceramic veneer (Empress 2 Veneer Ceramic). Results Predicted fracture probabilities (Pf) for centrally-loaded 1,6-mm-thick bilayer crowns over periods of 1, 5, and 10 years are 1.2%, 2.7%, and 3.5%, respectively, for a core/veneer thickness ratio of 1.0 (0.8 mm/0.8 mm), and 2.5%, 5.1%, and 7.0%, respectively, for a core/veneer thickness ratio of 0.33 (0.4 mm/1.2 mm). Conclusion CARES/Life results support the proposed crown design and load orientation hypotheses. Significance The application of dynamic fatigue data, finite element stress analysis, and CARES/Life analysis represent an optimal approach to optimize fixed dental prosthesis designs produced from dental ceramics and to predict time-dependent fracture probabilities of ceramic-based fixed dental prostheses that can minimize the risk for clinical failures. PMID:24060349

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

Burgett, Eric; Al-Sheikhly, Mohamad; Summers, Christopher

An advanced in-pile multi-parameter reactor monitoring system is being proposed in this funding opportunity. The proposed effort brings cutting edge, high-fidelity optical measurement systems into the reactor environment in an unprecedented fashion, including in-core, in-cladding and in-fuel pellet itself. Unlike instrumented leads, the proposed system provides a unique solution to a multi-parameter monitoring need in core while being minimally intrusive in the reactor core. Detector designs proposed herein can monitor fuel compression and expansion in both the radial and axial dimensions as well as monitor linear power profiles and fission rates during the operation of the reactor. In addition tomore » pressure, stress, strain, compression, neutron flux, neutron spectra, and temperature can be observed inside the fuel bundle and fuel rod using the proposed system. The proposed research aims at developing radiation-hard, harsh-environment multi-parameter systems for insertion into the reactor environment. The proposed research holds the potential to drastically increase the fidelity and precision of in-core instrumentation with little or no impact in the neutron economy in the reactor environment while providing a measurement system capable of operation for entire operating cycles. Significant work has been done over the last few years on the use of nanoparticle-based scintillators. Through the use of metamaterials, the PIs aim to develop planar neutron detectors and large-volume neutron detectors. These detectors will have high efficiencies for neutron detection and will have a high gamma discrimination capability.« less

Energy Efficient Engine core design and performance report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, E. Marshall

1982-01-01

The Energy Efficient Engine (E3) is a NASA program to develop fuel saving technology for future large transport aircraft engines. Testing of the General Electric E3 core showed that the core component performance and core system performance necessary to meet the program goals can be achieved. The E3 core design and test results are described.

Introduction to autonomous mobile robotics using Lego Mindstorms NXT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akın, H. Levent; Meriçli, Çetin; Meriçli, Tekin

2013-12-01

Teaching the fundamentals of robotics to computer science undergraduates requires designing a well-balanced curriculum that is complemented with hands-on applications on a platform that allows rapid construction of complex robots, and implementation of sophisticated algorithms. This paper describes such an elective introductory course where the Lego Mindstorms NXT kits are used as the robot platform. The aims, scope and contents of the course are presented, and the design of the laboratory sessions as well as the term projects, which address several core problems of robotics and artificial intelligence simultaneously, are explained in detail.

Core-valence stockholder AIM analysis and its connection to nonadiabatic effects in small molecules.

PubMed

Amaral, Paulo H R; Mohallem, José R

2017-05-21

A previous theory of separation of motions of core and valence fractions of electrons in a molecule [J. R. Mohallem et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 501, 575 (2011)] is invoked as basis for the useful concept of Atoms-in-Molecules (AIM) in the stockholder scheme. The output is a new tool for the analysis of the chemical bond that identifies core and valence electron density fractions (core-valence stockholder AIM (CVSAIM)). One-electron effective potentials for each atom are developed, which allow the identification of the parts of the AIM which move along with the nuclei (cores). This procedure results in a general method for obtaining effective masses that yields accurate non-adiabatic corrections to vibrational energies, necessary to attain cm -1 accuracy in molecular spectroscopy. The clear-cut determination of the core masses is exemplified for either homonuclear (H 2 + , H 2 ) or heteronuclear (HeH + , LiH) molecules. The connection of CVSAIM with independent physically meaningful quantities can resume the question of whether they are observable or not.

Core-valence stockholder AIM analysis and its connection to nonadiabatic effects in small molecules

PubMed Central

Amaral, Paulo H. R.; Mohallem, José R.

2017-01-01

A previous theory of separation of motions of core and valence fractions of electrons in a molecule [J. R. Mohallem et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 501, 575 (2011)] is invoked as basis for the useful concept of Atoms-in-Molecules (AIM) in the stockholder scheme. The output is a new tool for the analysis of the chemical bond that identifies core and valence electron density fractions (core-valence stockholder AIM (CVSAIM)). One-electron effective potentials for each atom are developed, which allow the identification of the parts of the AIM which move along with the nuclei (cores). This procedure results in a general method for obtaining effective masses that yields accurate non-adiabatic corrections to vibrational energies, necessary to attain cm−1 accuracy in molecular spectroscopy. The clear-cut determination of the core masses is exemplified for either homonuclear (H2+, H2) or heteronuclear (HeH+, LiH) molecules. The connection of CVSAIM with independent physically meaningful quantities can resume the question of whether they are observable or not. PMID:28527456

Ultra-miniature wireless temperature sensor for thermal medicine applications.

PubMed

Khairi, Ahmad; Hung, Shih-Chang; Paramesh, Jeyanandh; Fedder, Gary; Rabin, Yoed

2011-01-01

This study presents a prototype design of an ultra-miniature, wireless, battery-less, and implantable temperature-sensor, with applications to thermal medicine such as cryosurgery, hyperthermia, and thermal ablation. The design aims at a sensory device smaller than 1.5 mm in diameter and 3 mm in length, to enable minimally invasive deployment through a hypodermic needle. While the new device may be used for local temperature monitoring, simultaneous data collection from an array of such sensors can be used to reconstruct the 3D temperature field in the treated area, offering a unique capability in thermal medicine. The new sensory device consists of three major subsystems: a temperature-sensing core, a wireless data-communication unit, and a wireless power reception and management unit. Power is delivered wirelessly to the implant from an external source using an inductive link. To meet size requirements while enhancing reliability and minimizing cost, the implant is fully integrated in a regular foundry CMOS technology (0.15 μm in the current study), including the implant-side inductor of the power link. A temperature-sensing core that consists of a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) circuit has been designed and characterized. It employs a microwatt chopper stabilized op-amp and dynamic element-matched current sources to achieve high absolute accuracy. A second order sigma-delta (Σ-Δ) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is designed to convert the temperature reading to a digital code, which is transmitted by backscatter through the same antenna used for receiving power. A high-efficiency multi-stage differential CMOS rectifier has been designed to provide a DC supply to the sensing and communication subsystems. This paper focuses on the development of the all-CMOS temperature sensing core circuitry part of the device, and briefly reviews the wireless power delivery and communication subsystems.

Modified Y-TZP Core Design Improves All-ceramic Crown Reliability

PubMed Central

Silva, N.R.F.A.; Bonfante, E.A.; Rafferty, B.T.; Zavanelli, R.A.; Rekow, E.D.; Thompson, V.P.; Coelho, P.G.

2011-01-01

This study tested the hypothesis that all-ceramic core-veneer system crown reliability is improved by modification of the core design. We modeled a tooth preparation by reducing the height of proximal walls by 1.5 mm and the occlusal surface by 2.0 mm. The CAD-based tooth preparation was replicated and positioned in a dental articulator for core and veneer fabrication. Standard (0.5 mm uniform thickness) and modified (2.5 mm height lingual and proximal cervical areas) core designs were produced, followed by the application of veneer porcelain for a total thickness of 1.5 mm. The crowns were cemented to 30-day-aged composite dies and were either single-load-to-failure or step-stress-accelerated fatigue-tested. Use of level probability plots showed significantly higher reliability for the modified core design group. The fatigue fracture modes were veneer chipping not exposing the core for the standard group, and exposing the veneer core interface for the modified group. PMID:21057036

Advanced Burner Reactor with Breed-and-Burn Thorium Blankets for Improved Economics and Resource Utilization

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

Greenspan, Ehud

2015-11-04

This study assesses the feasibility of designing Seed and Blanket (S&B) Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) to generate a significant fraction of the core power from radial thorium fueled blankets that operate on the Breed-and-Burn (B&B) mode without exceeding the radiation damage constraint of presently verified cladding materials. The S&B core is designed to maximize the fraction of neutrons that radially leak from the seed (or “driver”) into the subcritical blanket and reduce neutron loss via axial leakage. The blanket in the S&B core makes beneficial use of the leaking neutrons for improved economics and resource utilization. A specific objective ofmore » this study is to maximize the fraction of core power that can be generated by the blanket without violating the thermal hydraulic and material constraints. Since the blanket fuel requires no reprocessing along with remote fuel fabrication, a larger fraction of power from the blanket will result in a smaller fuel recycling capacity and lower fuel cycle cost per unit of electricity generated. A unique synergism is found between a low conversion ratio (CR) seed and a B&B blanket fueled by thorium. Among several benefits, this synergism enables the very low leakage S&B cores to have small positive coolant voiding reactivity coefficient and large enough negative Doppler coefficient even when using inert matrix fuel for the seed. The benefits of this synergism are maximized when using an annular seed surrounded by an inner and outer thorium blankets. Among the high-performance S&B cores designed to benefit from this unique synergism are: (1) the ultra-long cycle core that features a cycle length of ~7 years; (2) the high-transmutation rate core where the seed fuel features a TRU CR of 0.0. Its TRU transmutation rate is comparable to that of the reference Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR) with CR of 0.5 and the thorium blanket can generate close to 60% of the core power; but requires only one sixth of the reprocessing and fabrication capacity per unit of core power. Nevertheless, these high-performance cores were designed to set upper bounds on the S&B core performance by using larger height and pressure drop than those of typical SFR design. A study was subsequently undertaken to quantify the tradeoff between S&B core design variables and the core performance. This study concludes that a viable S&B core can be designed without significant deviation from SFR core design practices. For example, the S&B core with 120cm active height will be comparable in volume, HM mass and specific power with the S-PRISM core and could fit within the S-PRISM reactor vessel. 43% of this core power will be generated by the once-through thorium blanket; the required capacity for reprocessing and remote fuel fabrication per unit of electricity generated will be approximately one fifth of that for a comparable ABR. The sodium void worth of this 120cm tall S&B core is significantly less positive than that of the reference ABR and the Doppler coefficient is only slightly smaller even though the seed uses a fertile-free fuel. The seed in the high transmutation core requires inert matrix fuel (TRU-40Zr) that has been successfully irradiated by the Fuel Cycle Research & Development program. An additional sensitivity analysis was later conducted to remove the bias introduced by the discrepancy between radiation damage constraints -- 200 DPA applied for S&B cores and fast fluence of 4x1023 n(>0.1MeV)/cm2 applied for ABR core design. Although the performance characteristics of the S&B cores are sensitive to the radiation damage constraint applied, the S&B cores offer very significant performance improvements relative to the conventional ABR core design when using identical constraint.« less

Portable LQCD Monte Carlo code using OpenACC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonati, Claudio; Calore, Enrico; Coscetti, Simone; D'Elia, Massimo; Mesiti, Michele; Negro, Francesco; Fabio Schifano, Sebastiano; Silvi, Giorgio; Tripiccione, Raffaele

2018-03-01

Varying from multi-core CPU processors to many-core GPUs, the present scenario of HPC architectures is extremely heterogeneous. In this context, code portability is increasingly important for easy maintainability of applications; this is relevant in scientific computing where code changes are numerous and frequent. In this talk we present the design and optimization of a state-of-the-art production level LQCD Monte Carlo application, using the OpenACC directives model. OpenACC aims to abstract parallel programming to a descriptive level, where programmers do not need to specify the mapping of the code on the target machine. We describe the OpenACC implementation and show that the same code is able to target different architectures, including state-of-the-art CPUs and GPUs.

Questionnaire of core beliefs related to drug use and craving for assessment of relapse risk.

PubMed

Martínez-González, José Miguel; Vilar López, Raquel; Lozano-Rojas, Oscar; Verdejo-García, Antonio

2017-07-12

This study was aimed at designing a questionnaire for the assessment of addiction-related core beliefs and craving. The sample comprised 215 patients (85.8% males and 14.2% females) in treatment for dependence to alcohol (40%), cocaine (36.3%) and cannabis (23.7%). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. Variance, regression and factorial analyses were conducted to study the questionnaire structure and its relation with variables such as abstinence and craving. Items about drug-related beliefs yielded a four-factor structure: what patient think that they could not do without drug use, lack of withdrawal, conditions required to use drugs again, and use of drugs as the only way to feel good. Items related to craving yielded three factors: negative emotions as precipitants of drug use, positive emotions, and difficulties attributed to coping with craving. Furthermore, beliefs were more important to predict craving than abstinence time. The present questionnaire allows to assess a set of significant factors to design prevention relapse programs.

Design Aspects of a Case-Control Clinical Investigation of the Effect of HIV on Oral and Gastrointestinal Soluble Innate Factors and Microbes

PubMed Central

Phelan, Joan A.; Abrams, William R.; Norman, Robert G.; Li, Yihong; Laverty, Maura; Corby, Patricia M.; Nembhard, Jason; Neri, Dinah; Barber, Cheryl A.; Aberg, Judith A.; Fisch, Gene S.; Poles, Michael A.; Malamud, Daniel

2014-01-01

Introduction The impaired host defense system in HIV infection impacts the oral and gastrointestinal microbiota and associated opportunistic infections. Antiretroviral treatment is predicted to partially restore host defenses and decrease the oral manifestation of HIV/AIDS. Well-designed longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the interactions of soluble host defense proteins with bacteria and virus in HIV/AIDS. “Crosstalk” was designed as a longitudinal study of host responses along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and interactions between defense molecules and bacteria in HIV infection and subsequent therapy. Purpose The clinical core formed the infrastructure for the study of the interactions between the proteome, microbiome and innate immune system. The core recruited and retained study subjects, scheduled visits, obtained demographic and medical data, assessed oral health status, collected samples, and guided analysis of the hypotheses. This manuscript presents a well-designed clinical core that may serve as a model for studies that combine clinical and laboratory data. Methods Crosstalk was a case-control longitudinal clinical study an initial planned enrollment of 170 subjects. HIV+ antiretroviral naïve subjects were followed for 9 visits over 96 weeks and HIV uninfected subjects for 3 visits over 24 weeks. Clinical prevalence of oral mucosal lesions, dental caries and periodontal disease were assessed. Results During the study, 116 subjects (47 HIV+, 69 HIV-) were enrolled. Cohorts of HIV+ and HIV- were demographically similar except for a larger proportion of women in the HIV- group. The most prevalent oral mucosal lesions were oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia in the HIV+ group. Discussion The clinical core was essential to enable the links between clinical and laboratory data. The study aims to determine specific differences between oral and GI tissues that account for unique patterns of opportunistic infections and to delineate the differences in their susceptibility to infection by HIV and their responses post-HAART. PMID:25409430

Design aspects of a case-control clinical investigation of the effect of HIV on oral and gastrointestinal soluble innate factors and microbes.

PubMed

Phelan, Joan A; Abrams, William R; Norman, Robert G; Li, Yihong; Laverty, Maura; Corby, Patricia M; Nembhard, Jason; Neri, Dinah; Barber, Cheryl A; Aberg, Judith A; Fisch, Gene S; Poles, Michael A; Malamud, Daniel

2014-01-01

The impaired host defense system in HIV infection impacts the oral and gastrointestinal microbiota and associated opportunistic infections. Antiretroviral treatment is predicted to partially restore host defenses and decrease the oral manifestation of HIV/AIDS. Well-designed longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the interactions of soluble host defense proteins with bacteria and virus in HIV/AIDS. "Crosstalk" was designed as a longitudinal study of host responses along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and interactions between defense molecules and bacteria in HIV infection and subsequent therapy. The clinical core formed the infrastructure for the study of the interactions between the proteome, microbiome and innate immune system. The core recruited and retained study subjects, scheduled visits, obtained demographic and medical data, assessed oral health status, collected samples, and guided analysis of the hypotheses. This manuscript presents a well-designed clinical core that may serve as a model for studies that combine clinical and laboratory data. Crosstalk was a case-control longitudinal clinical study an initial planned enrollment of 170 subjects. HIV+ antiretroviral naïve subjects were followed for 9 visits over 96 weeks and HIV uninfected subjects for 3 visits over 24 weeks. Clinical prevalence of oral mucosal lesions, dental caries and periodontal disease were assessed. During the study, 116 subjects (47 HIV+, 69 HIV-) were enrolled. Cohorts of HIV+ and HIV- were demographically similar except for a larger proportion of women in the HIV- group. The most prevalent oral mucosal lesions were oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia in the HIV+ group. The clinical core was essential to enable the links between clinical and laboratory data. The study aims to determine specific differences between oral and GI tissues that account for unique patterns of opportunistic infections and to delineate the differences in their susceptibility to infection by HIV and their responses post-HAART.

An In Vitro Study on the Effects of Post-Core Design and Ferrule on the Fracture Resistance of Endodontically Treated Maxillary Central Incisors.

PubMed

Sreedevi, S; Sanjeev, R; Raghavan, Rekha; Abraham, Anna; Rajamani, T; Govind, Girish Kumar

2015-08-01

Endodontically treated teeth have significantly different physical and mechanical properties compared to vital teeth and are more prone to fracture. The study aims to compare the fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth with and without post reinforcement, custom cast post-core and prefabricated post with glass ionomer core and to evaluate the ferrule effect on endodontically treated teeth restored with custom cast post-core. A total of 40 human maxillary central incisors with similar dimensions devoid of any root caries, restorations, previous endodontic treatment or cracks were selected from a collection of stored extracted teeth. An initial silicone index of each tooth was made. They were treated endodontically and divided into four groups of ten specimens each. Their apical seal was maintained with 4 mm of gutta-percha. Root canal preparation was done and then post core fabrication was done. The prepared specimens were subjected to load testing using a computer coordinated UTM. The fracture load results were then statistically analyzed. One-way ANOVA was followed by paired t-test. 1. Reinforcement of endodontically treated maxillary central incisors with post and core, improved their fracture resistance to be at par with that of endodontically treated maxillary central incisor, with natural crown. 2. The fracture resistance of endodontically treated maxillary central incisors is significantly increased when restored with custom cast post-core and 2 mm ferrule. With 2 mm ferrule, teeth restored with custom cast post-core had a significantly higher fracture resistance than teeth restored with custom cast post-core or prefabricated post and glass ionomer core without ferrule.

Optimization of burnable poison design for Pu incineration in fully fertile free PWR core

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

Fridman, E.; Shwageraus, E.; Galperin, A.

2006-07-01

The design challenges of the fertile-free based fuel (FFF) can be addressed by careful and elaborate use of burnable poisons (BP). Practical fully FFF core design for PWR reactor has been reported in the past [1]. However, the burnable poison option used in the design resulted in significant end of cycle reactivity penalty due to incomplete BP depletion. Consequently, excessive Pu loading were required to maintain the target fuel cycle length, which in turn decreased the Pu burning efficiency. A systematic evaluation of commercially available BP materials in all configurations currently used in PWRs is the main objective of thismore » work. The BP materials considered are Boron, Gd, Er, and Hf. The BP geometries were based on Wet Annular Burnable Absorber (WABA), Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber (IFBA), and Homogeneous poison/fuel mixtures. Several most promising combinations of BP designs were selected for the full core 3D simulation. All major core performance parameters for the analyzed cases are very close to those of a standard PWR with conventional UO{sub 2} fuel including possibility of reactivity control, power peaking factors, and cycle length. The MTC of all FFF cores was found at the full power conditions at all times and very close to that of the UO{sub 2} core. The Doppler coefficient of the FFF cores is also negative but somewhat lower in magnitude compared to UO{sub 2} core. The soluble boron worth of the FFF cores was calculated to be lower than that of the UO{sub 2} core by about a factor of two, which still allows the core reactivity control with acceptable soluble boron concentrations. The main conclusion of this work is that judicial application of burnable poisons for fertile free fuel has a potential to produce a core design with performance characteristics close to those of the reference PWR core with conventional UO{sub 2} fuel. (authors)« less

[Three-dimensional computer aided design for individualized post-and-core restoration].

PubMed

Gu, Xiao-yu; Wang, Ya-ping; Wang, Yong; Lü, Pei-jun

2009-10-01

To develop a method of three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) of post-and-core restoration. Two plaster casts with extracted natural teeth were used in this study. The extracted teeth were prepared and scanned using tomography method to obtain three-dimensional digitalized models. According to the basic rules of post-and-core design, posts, cores and cavity surfaces of the teeth were designed using the tools for processing point clouds, curves and surfaces on the forward engineering software of Tanglong prosthodontic system. Then three-dimensional figures of the final restorations were corrected according to the configurations of anterior teeth, premolars and molars respectively. Computer aided design of 14 post-and-core restorations were finished, and good fitness between the restoration and the three-dimensional digital models were obtained. Appropriate retention forms and enough spaces for the full crown restorations can be obtained through this method. The CAD of three-dimensional figures of the post-and-core restorations can fulfill clinical requirements. Therefore they can be used in computer-aided manufacture (CAM) of post-and-core restorations.

Design review report for rotary mode core sample truck (RMCST) modifications for flammable gas tanks, preliminary design

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

Corbett, J.E.

1996-02-01

This report documents the completion of a preliminary design review for the Rotary Mode Core Sample Truck (RMCST) modifications for flammable gas tanks. The RMCST modifications are intended to support core sampling operations in waste tanks requiring flammable gas controls. The objective of this review was to validate basic design assumptions and concepts to support a path forward leading to a final design. The conclusion reached by the review committee was that the design was acceptable and efforts should continue toward a final design review.

Designing efficient photochromic dithienylethene dyads.

PubMed

Fihey, Arnaud; Jacquemin, Denis

2015-06-01

Aiming at designing more efficient multiphotochromes, we investigate with the help of ab initio tools the impact of the substitution on a series of dimers constituted of two dithienylethene (DTE) moieties, strongly coupled to each other through an ethynyl linker. The electronic structure and the optical properties of a large panel of compounds, substituted on different positions by various types of electroactive groups, have been compared with the aim of designing a dyad in which the three possible isomers (open-open, closed-open, closed-closed) can be reached. We show that appending the reactive carbons atoms of the DTE core with electroactive groups on one of the two photochromes allows cyclisation to be induced on a specific moiety, which leads to the formation of the desired closed-open isomer. Substituting the lateral positions of the thiophene rings provides further control of the topology of the frontier molecular orbitals, so that the electronic transition inducing the second ring closure stands out in the spectrum of the intermediate isomer.

[JSPS-NRCT Core university program on natural medicine in pharmaceutical sciences].

PubMed

Saiki, Ikuo; Yamazaki, Mikako; Matsumoto, Kinzo

2009-04-01

The Core University Program provides a framework for international cooperative research in specifically designated fields and topics, centering around a core university in Japan and its counterpart university in other countries. In this program, individual scientists in the affiliated countries carry out cooperative research projects with sharply focused topics and explicitly delineated goals under leadership of the core universities. The Core University Program which we introduce here has been renewed since 2001 under the support of both the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). Our program aims to conduct cooperative researches particularly focusing on Natural Medicine in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Institute of Natural Medicine at University of Toyama (Japan), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and Chulabhorn Research Institute (Thailand) have been taking part in this JSPS-NRCT Core University Program as core universities. The Program is also supported by the 20 institution members in both countries. This program is running the five research subject under a key word of natural medicine which are related to i) age-related diseases, ii) allergy and cancer, iii) hepatitis and infectious diseases, iv) structure, synthesis, and bioactivity of natural medicines, and v) molecular biology of Thai medicinal plant components and database assembling of Thai medicinal plants. The program also encourages university members to strengthen related research activities, to share advanced academic and scientific knowledge on natural medicines.

Preliminary engineering design of sodium-cooled CANDLE core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takaki, Naoyuki; Namekawa, Azuma; Yoda, Tomoyuki; Mizutani, Akihiko; Sekimoto, Hiroshi

2012-06-01

The CANDLE burning process is characterized by the autonomous shifting of burning region with constant reactivity and constant spacial power distribution. Evaluations of such critical burning process by using widely used neutron diffusion and burning codes under some realistic engineering constraints are valuable to confirm the technical feasibility of the CANDLE concept and to put the idea into concrete core design. In the first part of this paper, it is discussed that whether the sustainable and stable CANDLE burning process can be reproduced even by using conventional core analysis tools such as SLAROM and CITATION-FBR. As a result, it is certainly possible to demonstrate it if the proper core configuration and initial fuel composition required as CANDLE core are applied to the analysis. In the latter part, an example of a concrete image of sodium cooled, metal fuel, 2000MWt rating CANDLE core has been presented by assuming an emerging inevitable technology of recladding. The core satisfies engineering design criteria including cladding temperature, pressure drop, linear heat rate, and cumulative damage fraction (CDF) of cladding, fast neutron fluence and sodium void reactivity which are defined in the Japanese FBR design project. It can be concluded that it is feasible to design CADLE core by using conventional codes while satisfying some realistic engineering design constraints assuming that recladding at certain time interval is technically feasible.

Development and Integration of Professional Core Values Among Practicing Clinicians.

PubMed

McGinnis, Patricia Quinn; Guenther, Lee Ann; Wainwright, Susan F

2016-09-01

The physical therapy profession has adopted professional core values, which define expected values for its members, and developed a self-assessment tool with sample behaviors for each of the 7 core values. However, evidence related to the integration of these core values into practice is limited. The aims of this study were: (1) to gain insight into physical therapists' development of professional core values and (2) to gain insight into participants' integration of professional core values into clinical practice. A qualitative design permitted in-depth exploration of the development and integration of the American Physical Therapy Association's professional core values into physical therapist practice. Twenty practicing physical therapists were purposefully selected to explore the role of varied professional, postprofessional, and continuing education experiences related to exposure to professional values. The Core Values Self-Assessment and résumé sort served as prompts for reflection via semistructured interviews. Three themes were identified: (1) personal values were the foundation for developing professional values, which were further shaped by academic and clinical experiences, (2) core values were integrated into practice independent of practice setting and varied career paths, and (3) participants described the following professional core values as well integrated into their practice: integrity, compassion/caring, and accountability. Social responsibility was an area consistently identified as not being integrated into their practice. The Core Values Self-Assessment tool is a consensus-based document developed through a Delphi process. Future studies to establish reliability and construct validity of the tool may be warranted. Gaining an in-depth understanding of how practicing clinicians incorporate professional core values into clinical practice may shed light on the relationship between core values mastery and its impact on patient care. Findings may help shape educators' decisions for professional (entry-level), postprofessional, and continuing education. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

Hybrid porous core low loss dispersion flattened fiber for THz propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Sharafat; Ahmed, Nasim; Aljunid, Syed; Ahmad, Badlishah

2016-11-01

This manuscript represents a novel porous core fiber design for Terahertz (THz) propagation with low loss and near zero flat dispersion properties. In this proposed fiber a hexagonal arrangement is used as cladding structure and a hybrid core containing circular and triangular designs is used as the central porous region. The Effective Material Loss (EML), confinement loss and bending loss are investigated for the proposed fiber along with dispersion characteristics. Simulation results show a very low EML of 0.01944 cm-1 at 1 THz operating frequency with negligible confinement and bending loss. The proposed novel porous design shows 0.55 THz range near zero flat dispersion of ±0.05 ps/THz/cm at 0.95 ps/THz/cm. The reported design consists of only circular shaped air holes with proper core diameter and porosity to simplify the fabrication process. The newly proposed hybrid design in the porous core region can be considered as an improved edition in the research of THz porous core fibers.

History and Systems of Psychology: A Course to Unite a Core Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joshua L.; McCarley, Nancy; Kraft, John

2013-01-01

Core curricula are designed, in part, to help undergraduate students become intellectually well-rounded. To merge core curricula with the components of the scholarship of teaching and learning movement, students engaged in core curricula need capstone courses designed to aid them in retaining information over the long term and synthesizing…

The National United States Center Data Repository: Core essential interprofessional practice & education data enabling triple aim analytics.

PubMed

Pechacek, Judith; Shanedling, Janet; Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Brandt, Barbara F; Cerra, Frank B; Delaney, Connie White

2015-01-01

Understanding the impact that interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) might have on triple aim patient outcomes is of high interest to health care providers, educators, administrators, and policy makers. Before the work undertaken by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota, no standard mechanism to acquire and report outcome data related to interprofessional education and collaborative practice and its effect on triple aim outcomes existed. This article describes the development and adoption of the National Center Data Repository (NCDR) designed to capture data related to IPECP processes and outcomes to support analyses of the relationship of IPECP on the Triple Aim. The data collection methods, web-based survey design and implementation process are discussed. The implications of this informatics work to the field of IPECP and health care quality and safety include creating standardized capacity to describe interprofessional practice and measure outcomes connecting interprofessional education and collaborative practice to the triple aim within and across sites/settings, leveraging an accessible data collection process using user friendly web-based survey design to support large data scholarship and instrument testing, and establishing standardized data elements and variables that can potentially lead to enhancements to national/international information system and academic accreditation standards to further team-based, interprofessional, collaborative research in the field.

The National United States Center Data Repository: Core essential interprofessional practice & education data enabling triple aim analytics

PubMed Central

Pechacek, Judith; Shanedling, Janet; Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Brandt, Barbara F.; Cerra, Frank B.; Delaney, Connie White

2015-01-01

Abstract Understanding the impact that interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) might have on triple aim patient outcomes is of high interest to health care providers, educators, administrators, and policy makers. Before the work undertaken by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota, no standard mechanism to acquire and report outcome data related to interprofessional education and collaborative practice and its effect on triple aim outcomes existed. This article describes the development and adoption of the National Center Data Repository (NCDR) designed to capture data related to IPECP processes and outcomes to support analyses of the relationship of IPECP on the Triple Aim. The data collection methods, web-based survey design and implementation process are discussed. The implications of this informatics work to the field of IPECP and health care quality and safety include creating standardized capacity to describe interprofessional practice and measure outcomes connecting interprofessional education and collaborative practice to the triple aim within and across sites/settings, leveraging an accessible data collection process using user friendly web-based survey design to support large data scholarship and instrument testing, and establishing standardized data elements and variables that can potentially lead to enhancements to national/international information system and academic accreditation standards to further team-based, interprofessional, collaborative research in the field. PMID:26652631

Effect of long-term isometric training on core/torso stiffness.

PubMed

Lee, Benjamin C Y; McGill, Stuart M

2015-06-01

Although core stiffness enhances athletic performance traits, controversy exists regarding the effectiveness of isometric vs. dynamic core training methods. This study aimed to determine whether long-term changes in stiffness can be trained, and if so, what is the most effective method. Twenty-four healthy male subjects (23 ± 3 years; 1.8 ± 0.06 m; 77.5 ± 10.8 kg) were recruited for passive and active stiffness measurements before and after a 6-week core training intervention. Twelve subjects (22 ± 2 years; 1.8 ± 0.08 m; 78.3 ± 12.3 kg) were considered naive to physical and core exercise. The other 12 subjects (24 ± 3 years; 1.8 ± 0.05 m; 76.8 ± 9.7 kg) were Muay Thai athletes (savvy). A repeated-measures design compared core training methods (isometric vs. dynamic, with a control group) and subject training experience (naive vs. savvy) before and after a 6-week training period. Passive stiffness was assessed on a "frictionless" bending apparatus and active stiffness assessed through a quick release mechanism. Passive stiffness increased after the isometric training protocol. Dynamic training produced a smaller effect, and as expected, there was no change in the control group. Active stiffness did not change in any group. Comparisons between subject and training groups did not reveal any interactions. Thus, an isometric training approach was superior in terms of enhancing core stiffness. This is important since increased core stiffness enhances load bearing ability, arrests painful vertebral micromovements, and enhances ballistic distal limb movement. This may explain the efficacy reported for back and knee injury reduction.

[Empowerment, stress vulnerability and burnout among Portuguese nursing staff].

PubMed

Orgambídez-Ramos, Alejandro; Borrego-Alés, Yolanda; Ruiz-Frutos, Carlos

2018-01-01

The work environment in Portuguese hospitals, characterized by economic cutbacks, can lead to higher levels of burnout experienced by nursing staff. Furthermore, vulnerability to stress can negatively affect the perception of burnout in the workplace. However, structural empowerment is an organizational process that can prevent and decrease burnout among nurses. Consequently, the aim of the study was to examine to what extent structural empowerment and vulnerability to stress can play a predictive role in core burnout in a sample of Portuguese nurses. A convenience sample of 297 nursing staff members from Portuguese hospitals was used in this study. Core burnout was negatively and significantly related to all the dimensions of structural empowerment, and it was positively and significantly related to vulnerability to stress. Regression models showed that core burnout was significantly predicted by access to funds, access to opportunities and vulnerability to stress. Organizational administrations must make every effort in designing interventions focused on structural empowerment, as well as interventions focused on individual interventions that enhance skills for coping with stress.

Influence of core design, production technique, and material selection on fracture behavior of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal fixed dental prostheses produced using different multilayer techniques: split-file, over-pressing, and manually built-up veneers.

PubMed

Mahmood, Deyar Jallal Hadi; Linderoth, Ewa H; Wennerberg, Ann; Vult Von Steyern, Per

2016-01-01

To investigate and compare the fracture strength and fracture mode in eleven groups of currently, the most commonly used multilayer three-unit all-ceramic yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) with respect to the choice of core material, veneering material area, manufacturing technique, design of connectors, and radii of curvature of FDP cores. A total of 110 three-unit Y-TZP FDP cores with one intermediate pontic were made. The FDP cores in groups 1-7 were made with a split-file design, veneered with manually built-up porcelain, computer-aided design-on veneers, and over-pressed veneers. Groups 8-11 consisted of FDPs with a state-of-the-art design, veneered with manually built-up porcelain. All the FDP cores were subjected to simulated aging and finally loaded to fracture. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between the core designs, but not between the different types of Y-TZP materials. The split-file designs with VITABLOCS(®) (1,806±165 N) and e.max(®) ZirPress (1,854±115 N) and the state-of-the-art design with VITA VM(®) 9 (1,849±150 N) demonstrated the highest mean fracture values. The shape of a split-file designed all-ceramic reconstruction calls for a different dimension protocol, compared to traditionally shaped ones, as the split-file design leads to sharp approximal indentations acting as fractural impressions, thus decreasing the overall strength. The design of a framework is a crucial factor for the load bearing capacity of an all-ceramic FDP. The state-of-the-art design is preferable since the split-file designed cores call for a cross-sectional connector area at least 42% larger, to have the same load bearing capacity as the state-of-the-art designed cores. All veneering materials and techniques tested in the study, split-file, over-press, built-up porcelains, and glass-ceramics are, with a great safety margin, sufficient for clinical use both anteriorly and posteriorly. Analysis of the fracture pattern shows differences between the milled veneers and over-pressed or built-up veneers, where the milled ones show numerically more veneer cracks and the other groups only show complete connector fractures.

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

Walston, S; Rowland, M; Campbell, K

It is difficult to track to the location of a melted core in a GE BWR with Mark I containment during a beyond-design-basis accident. The Cooper Nuclear Station provided a baseline of normal material distributions and shielding configurations for the GE BWR with Mark I containment. Starting with source terms for a design-basis accident, methods and remote observation points were investigated to allow tracking of a melted core during a beyond-design-basis accident. The design of the GE BWR with Mark-I containment highlights an amazing poverty of expectations regarding a common mode failure of all reactor core cooling systems resulting inmore » a beyond-design-basis accident from the simple loss of electric power. This design is shown in Figure 1. The station blackout accident scenario has been consistently identified as the leading contributor to calculated probabilities for core damage. While NRC-approved models and calculations provide guidance for indirect methods to assess core damage during a beyond-design-basis loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), there appears to be no established method to track the location of the core directly should the LOCA include a degree of fuel melt. We came to the conclusion that - starting with detailed calculations which estimate the release and movement of gaseous and soluble fission products from the fuel - selected dose readings in specific rooms of the reactor building should allow the location of the core to be verified.« less

Computer-assisted design of flux-cored wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubtsov, Yu N.; Zorin, I. V.; Sokolov, G. N.; Antonov, A. A.; Artem'ev, A. A.; Lysak, V. I.

2017-02-01

The algorithm and description of the AlMe-WireLaB software for the computer-assisted design of flux-cored wires are introduced. The software functionality is illustrated with the selection of the components for the flux-cored wire, ensuring the acquisition of the deposited metal of the Fe-Cr-C-Mo-Ni-Ti-B system. It is demonstrated that the developed software enables the technologically reliable flux-cored wire to be designed for surfacing, resulting in a metal of an ordered composition.

Turbofan Engine Core Compartment Vent Aerodynamic Configuration Development Methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hebert, Leonard J.

2006-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the design methodology used in the development of the aerodynamic configuration of the nacelle core compartment vent for a typical Boeing commercial airplane together with design challenges for future design efforts. Core compartment vents exhaust engine subsystem flows from the space contained between the engine case and the nacelle of an airplane propulsion system. These subsystem flows typically consist of precooler, oil cooler, turbine case cooling, compartment cooling and nacelle leakage air. The design of core compartment vents is challenging due to stringent design requirements, mass flow sensitivity of the system to small changes in vent exit pressure ratio, and the need to maximize overall exhaust system performance at cruise conditions.

75 FR 80571 - Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contract Markets

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-22

... Part II Commodity Futures Trading Commission 17 CFR Parts 1, 16, and 38 Core Principles and Other... CFR Parts 1, 16, and 38 RIN 3038-AD09 Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contract... Principles 1. Subpart B--Designation as Contract Market 2. Subpart C--Compliance With Rules i. Proposed Sec...

Defining the Estimated Core Genome of Bacterial Populations Using a Bayesian Decision Model

PubMed Central

van Tonder, Andries J.; Mistry, Shilan; Bray, James E.; Hill, Dorothea M. C.; Cody, Alison J.; Farmer, Chris L.; Klugman, Keith P.; von Gottberg, Anne; Bentley, Stephen D.; Parkhill, Julian; Jolley, Keith A.; Maiden, Martin C. J.; Brueggemann, Angela B.

2014-01-01

The bacterial core genome is of intense interest and the volume of whole genome sequence data in the public domain available to investigate it has increased dramatically. The aim of our study was to develop a model to estimate the bacterial core genome from next-generation whole genome sequencing data and use this model to identify novel genes associated with important biological functions. Five bacterial datasets were analysed, comprising 2096 genomes in total. We developed a Bayesian decision model to estimate the number of core genes, calculated pairwise evolutionary distances (p-distances) based on nucleotide sequence diversity, and plotted the median p-distance for each core gene relative to its genome location. We designed visually-informative genome diagrams to depict areas of interest in genomes. Case studies demonstrated how the model could identify areas for further study, e.g. 25% of the core genes with higher sequence diversity in the Campylobacter jejuni and Neisseria meningitidis genomes encoded hypothetical proteins. The core gene with the highest p-distance value in C. jejuni was annotated in the reference genome as a putative hydrolase, but further work revealed that it shared sequence homology with beta-lactamase/metallo-beta-lactamases (enzymes that provide resistance to a range of broad-spectrum antibiotics) and thioredoxin reductase genes (which reduce oxidative stress and are essential for DNA replication) in other C. jejuni genomes. Our Bayesian model of estimating the core genome is principled, easy to use and can be applied to large genome datasets. This study also highlighted the lack of knowledge currently available for many core genes in bacterial genomes of significant global public health importance. PMID:25144616

Space Station Furnace Facility. Volume 2: Appendix 1: Contract End Item specification (CEI), part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seabrook, Craig

1992-01-01

This specification establishes the performance, design, development, and verification requirements for the Space Station Furnace Facility (SSFF) Core. The definition of the SSFF Core and its interfaces, specifies requirements for the SSFF Core performance, specifies requirements for the SSFF Core design, and construction are presented, and the verification requirements are established.

Skate Genome Project: Cyber-Enabled Bioinformatics Collaboration

PubMed Central

Vincent, J.

2011-01-01

The Skate Genome Project, a pilot project of the North East Cyber infrastructure Consortium, aims to produce a draft genome sequence of Leucoraja erinacea, the Little Skate. The pilot project was designed to also develop expertise in large scale collaborations across the NECC region. An overview of the bioinformatics and infrastructure challenges faced during the first year of the project will be presented. Results to date and lessons learned from the perspective of a bioinformatics core will be highlighted.

Mathematics Anxiety among Ghanaian Students: A Case Study of Students of Kinbu Senior High/Technical School, Accra and Hermann-Gmeiner SOS Junior High School, Tema

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Daniel

2016-01-01

The aim of this was to find out the reason for low performance in West African Examinations Council final examination in Core Mathematics. The exploratory research design was used for the study. A population of two hundred (200) students; 100 females and males in a breakdown of 50 males and 50 females from SHS and 50 males and 50 females from JHS…

De novo design of the hydrophobic core of ubiquitin.

PubMed Central

Lazar, G. A.; Desjarlais, J. R.; Handel, T. M.

1997-01-01

We have previously reported the development and evaluation of a computational program to assist in the design of hydrophobic cores of proteins. In an effort to investigate the role of core packing in protein structure, we have used this program, referred to as Repacking of Cores (ROC), to design several variants of the protein ubiquitin. Nine ubiquitin variants containing from three to eight hydrophobic core mutations were constructed, purified, and characterized in terms of their stability and their ability to adopt a uniquely folded native-like conformation. In general, designed ubiquitin variants are more stable than control variants in which the hydrophobic core was chosen randomly. However, in contrast to previous results with 434 cro, all designs are destabilized relative to the wild-type (WT) protein. This raises the possibility that beta-sheet structures have more stringent packing requirements than alpha-helical proteins. A more striking observation is that all variants, including random controls, adopt fairly well-defined conformations, regardless of their stability. This result supports conclusions from the cro studies that non-core residues contribute significantly to the conformational uniqueness of these proteins while core packing largely affects protein stability and has less impact on the nature or uniqueness of the fold. Concurrent with the above work, we used stability data on the nine ubiquitin variants to evaluate and improve the predictive ability of our core packing algorithm. Additional versions of the program were generated that differ in potential function parameters and sampling of side chain conformers. Reasonable correlations between experimental and predicted stabilities suggest the program will be useful in future studies to design variants with stabilities closer to that of the native protein. Taken together, the present study provides further clarification of the role of specific packing interactions in protein structure and stability, and demonstrates the benefit of using systematic computational methods to predict core packing arrangements for the design of proteins. PMID:9194177

Stack-and-Draw Manufacture Process of a Seven-Core Optical Fiber for Fluorescence Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samir, Ahmed; Batagelj, Bostjan

2018-01-01

Multi-core, optical-fiber technology is expected to be used in telecommunications and sensory systems in a relatively short amount of time. However, a successful transition from research laboratories to industry applications will only be possible with an optimized design and manufacturing process. The fabrication process is an important aspect in designing and developing new multi-applicable, multi-core fibers, where the best candidate is a seven-core fiber. Here, the basics for designing and manufacturing a single-mode, seven-core fiber using the stack-and-draw process is described for the example of a fluorescence sensory system.

Guiding and amplification properties of rod-type photonic crystal fibers with sectioned core doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selleri, S.; Poli, F.; Passaro, D.; Cucinotta, A.; Lægsgaard, J.; Broeng, J.

2009-05-01

Rod-type photonic crystal fibers are large mode area double-cladding fibers with an outer diameter of few millimeters which can provide important advantages for high-power lasers and amplifiers. Numerical studies have recently demonstrated the guidance of higher-order modes in these fibers, which can worsen the output beam quality of lasers and amplifiers. In the present analysis a sectioned core doping has been proposed for Ybdoped rod-type photonic crystal fibers, with the aim to improve the higher-order mode suppression. A full-vector modal solver based on the finite element method has been applied to properly design the low refractive index ring in the fiber core, which can provide an increase of the differential overlap between the fundamental and the higher-order mode. Then, the gain competition among the guided modes along the Yb-doped rod-type fibers has been investigated with a spatial and spectral amplifier model. Simulation results have shown the effectiveness of the sectioned core doping in worsening the higher-order mode overlap on the doped area, thus providing an effective single-mode behavior of the Yb-doped rod-type photonic crystal fibers.

Psychometric properties of the self-report Malay version of the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQLTM) 4.0 Generic Core Scales among multiethnic Malaysian adolescents.

PubMed

Ainuddin, Husna A; Loh, Siew Yim; Chinna, Karuthan; Low, Wah Yun; Roslani, April Camilla

2015-06-01

Adolescence is the potential period for growth and optimal functioning, but developmental issues like time of transition from childhood to adulthood will create stress and affect the adolescent's quality of life (QOL). However, there is a lack of research tool for measuring adolescent's QOL in Malaysia. The aim of the study was to determine the validity and reliability of the self-report Malay version of the pediatric QOL (PedsQL™) 4.0 Generic Core Scales in assessing the QOL of Malaysian adolescents. A cross-sectional study design using the 23-item self-report Malay version of the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales was administered on a convenient cluster sampling (n = 297 adolescent) from a secondary school. The internal consistency reliability had Cronbach's α values ranging from .70 to .89. Factor analysis reported a six-factor structure via principal axis factor analysis. In conclusion, the self-report Malay version of the pediatric QOL 4.0 Generic Core Scales is a reliable and valid tool to measure the QOL of multiethnic Malaysian adolescents. © The Author(s) 2013.

In-Pile Instrumentation Multi- Parameter System Utilizing Photonic Fibers and Nanovision

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

Burgett, Eric

2015-10-13

An advanced in-pile multi-parameter reactor monitoring system is being proposed in this funding opportunity. The proposed effort brings cutting edge, high fidelity optical measurement systems into the reactor environment in an unprecedented fashion, including in-core, in-cladding and in-fuel pellet itself. Unlike instrumented leads, the proposed system provides a unique solution to a multi-parameter monitoring need in core while being minimally intrusive in the reactor core. Detector designs proposed herein can monitor fuel compression and expansion in both the radial and axial dimensions as well as monitor linear power profiles and fission rates during the operation of the reactor. In additionmore » to pressure, stress, strain, compression, neutron flux, neutron spectra, and temperature can be observed inside the fuel bundle and fuel rod using the proposed system. The proposed research aims at developing radiation-hard, harsh-environment multi-parameter systems for insertion into the reactor environment. The proposed research holds the potential to drastically increase the fidelity and precision of in-core instrumentation with little or no impact in the neutron economy in the reactor environment while providing a measurement system capable of operation for entire operating cycles.« less

Identifying the core competencies of mental health telephone triage.

PubMed

Sands, Natisha; Elsom, Stephen; Gerdtz, Marie; Henderson, Kathryn; Keppich-Arnold, Sandra; Droste, Nicolas; Prematunga, Roshani K; Wereta, Zewdu W

2013-11-01

The primary aim of this study was to identify the core competencies of mental health telephone triage, including key role tasks, skills, knowledge and responsibilities, in which clinicians are required to be competent to perform safe and effective triage. Recent global trends indicate an increased reliance on telephone-based health services to facilitate access to health care across large populations. The trend towards telephone-based health services has also extended to mental health settings, evidenced by the growing number of mental health telephone triage services providing 24-hour access to specialist mental health assessment and treatment. Mental health telephone triage services are critical to the early identification of mental health problems and the provision of timely, appropriate interventions. In spite of the rapid growth in mental health telephone triage and the important role these services play in the assessment and management of mental illness and related risks, there has been very little research investigating this area of practice. An observational design was employed to address the research aims. Structured observations (using dual wireless headphones) were undertaken on 197 occasions of mental health telephone triage over a three-month period from January to March 2011. The research identified seven core areas of mental health telephone triage practice in which clinicians are required to be competent in to perform effective mental health telephone triage, including opening the call; performing mental status examination; risk assessment; planning and action; termination of call; referral and reporting; and documentation. The findings of this research contribute to the evidence base for mental health telephone triage by articulating the core competencies for practice. The mental health telephone triage competencies identified in this research may be used to define an evidence-based framework for mental health telephone triage practice that aims to improve the quality, consistency and accuracy of telephone-based mental health triage assessment. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Design of space-type electronic power transformers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahearn, J. F.; Lagadinos, J. C.

1977-01-01

Both open and encapsulated varieties of high reliability, low weight, and high efficiency moderate and high voltage transformers were investigated to determine the advantages and limitations of their construction in the ranges of power and voltage required for operation in the hard vacuum environment of space. Topics covered include: (1) selection of the core material; (2) preliminary calculation of core dimensions; (3) selection of insulating materials including magnet wire insulation, coil forms, and layer and interwinding insulation; (4) coil design; (5) calculation of copper losses, core losses and efficiency; (6) calculation of temperature rise; and (7) optimization of design with changes in core selection or coil design as required to meet specifications.

Baseline Design Compliance Matrix for the Rotary Mode Core Sampling System

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

LECHELT, J.A.

2000-10-17

The purpose of the design compliance matrix (DCM) is to provide a single-source document of all design requirements associated with the fifteen subsystems that make up the rotary mode core sampling (RMCS) system. It is intended to be the baseline requirement document for the RMCS system and to be used in governing all future design and design verification activities associated with it. This document is the DCM for the RMCS system used on Hanford single-shell radioactive waste storage tanks. This includes the Exhauster System, Rotary Mode Core Sample Trucks, Universal Sampling System, Diesel Generator System, Distribution Trailer, X-Ray Cart System,more » Breathing Air Compressor, Nitrogen Supply Trailer, Casks and Cask Truck, Service Trailer, Core Sampling Riser Equipment, Core Sampling Support Trucks, Foot Clamp, Ramps and Platforms and Purged Camera System. Excluded items are tools such as light plants and light stands. Other items such as the breather inlet filter are covered by a different design baseline. In this case, the inlet breather filter is covered by the Tank Farms Design Compliance Matrix.« less

Efficiency of static core turn-off in a system-on-a-chip with variation

DOEpatents

Cher, Chen-Yong; Coteus, Paul W; Gara, Alan; Kursun, Eren; Paulsen, David P; Schuelke, Brian A; Sheets, II, John E; Tian, Shurong

2013-10-29

A processor-implemented method for improving efficiency of a static core turn-off in a multi-core processor with variation, the method comprising: conducting via a simulation a turn-off analysis of the multi-core processor at the multi-core processor's design stage, wherein the turn-off analysis of the multi-core processor at the multi-core processor's design stage includes a first output corresponding to a first multi-core processor core to turn off; conducting a turn-off analysis of the multi-core processor at the multi-core processor's testing stage, wherein the turn-off analysis of the multi-core processor at the multi-core processor's testing stage includes a second output corresponding to a second multi-core processor core to turn off; comparing the first output and the second output to determine if the first output is referring to the same core to turn off as the second output; outputting a third output corresponding to the first multi-core processor core if the first output and the second output are both referring to the same core to turn off.

Pm-1 Reactor Core Final Design Report

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

Bagley, R. O.; Cox, F. H.; Carnasale, A.

1962-01-01

The PM-1 water cooled and moderated core contains 741 highly enriched stainless steel cermet tubular fuel elements and 90 lumped B stainless steel burnable poison elements, and it is controlled by 6 Y-shaped europium titanate movable control rods. The core has a lifetime of 1.95 years when operated at its design power level of 9.37 mw of thermal energy. The control of the core is designed so that there is a positive shutdown margin at all times with either one rod stuck completely out or the core or with two rods stuck in the operating condition. The core power ismore » removed by 2125 gpm of pressurized water at an average temperature of 463 deg F and pressure of 1300 psia. In reactors of this type, the core is stable with a negative temperature coefficient of approximately 2.5 x 10/sup -4/ DELTA K/K/ deg F.« less

Evaluation of Analysis Techniques for Fluted-Core Sandwich Cylinders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lovejoy, Andrew E.; Schultz, Marc R.

2012-01-01

Buckling-critical launch-vehicle structures require structural concepts that have high bending stiffness and low mass. Fluted-core, also known as truss-core, sandwich construction is one such concept. In an effort to identify an analysis method appropriate for the preliminary design of fluted-core cylinders, the current paper presents and compares results from several analysis techniques applied to a specific composite fluted-core test article. The analysis techniques are evaluated in terms of their ease of use and for their appropriateness at certain stages throughout a design analysis cycle (DAC). Current analysis techniques that provide accurate determination of the global buckling load are not readily applicable early in the DAC, such as during preliminary design, because they are too costly to run. An analytical approach that neglects transverse-shear deformation is easily applied during preliminary design, but the lack of transverse-shear deformation results in global buckling load predictions that are significantly higher than those from more detailed analysis methods. The current state of the art is either too complex to be applied for preliminary design, or is incapable of the accuracy required to determine global buckling loads for fluted-core cylinders. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an analytical method for calculating global buckling loads of fluted-core cylinders that includes transverse-shear deformations, and that can be easily incorporated in preliminary design.

Development of an extensible dual-core wireless sensing node for cyber-physical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Michael; Zhu, Dapeng; Hirose, Mitsuhito; Dong, Xinjun; Winter, Benjamin; Häckell, Mortiz; Lynch, Jerome P.; Wang, Yang; Swartz, A.

2014-04-01

The introduction of wireless telemetry into the design of monitoring and control systems has been shown to reduce system costs while simplifying installations. To date, wireless nodes proposed for sensing and actuation in cyberphysical systems have been designed using microcontrollers with one computational pipeline (i.e., single-core microcontrollers). While concurrent code execution can be implemented on single-core microcontrollers, concurrency is emulated by splitting the pipeline's resources to support multiple threads of code execution. For many applications, this approach to multi-threading is acceptable in terms of speed and function. However, some applications such as feedback controls demand deterministic timing of code execution and maximum computational throughput. For these applications, the adoption of multi-core processor architectures represents one effective solution. Multi-core microcontrollers have multiple computational pipelines that can execute embedded code in parallel and can be interrupted independent of one another. In this study, a new wireless platform named Martlet is introduced with a dual-core microcontroller adopted in its design. The dual-core microcontroller design allows Martlet to dedicate one core to standard wireless sensor operations while the other core is reserved for embedded data processing and real-time feedback control law execution. Another distinct feature of Martlet is a standardized hardware interface that allows specialized daughter boards (termed wing boards) to be interfaced to the Martlet baseboard. This extensibility opens opportunity to encapsulate specialized sensing and actuation functions in a wing board without altering the design of Martlet. In addition to describing the design of Martlet, a few example wings are detailed, along with experiments showing the Martlet's ability to monitor and control physical systems such as wind turbines and buildings.

Lightweight Low Force Rotary Percussive Coring Tool for Planetary Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hironaka, Ross; Stanley, Scott

2010-01-01

A prototype low-force rotary-percussive rock coring tool for use in acquiring samples for geological surveys in future planetary missions was developed. The coring tool could eventually enable a lightweight robotic system to operate from a relatively small (less than 200 kg) mobile or fixed platform to acquire and cache Mars or other planetary rock samples for eventual return to Earth for analysis. To gain insight needed to design an integrated coring tool, the coring ability of commercially available coring bits was evaluated for effectiveness of varying key parameters: weight-on-bit, rotation speed, percussive rate and force. Trade studies were performed for different methods of breaking a core at its base and for retaining the core in a sleeve to facilitate sample transfer. This led to a custom coring tool design which incorporated coring, core breakage, core retention, and core extraction functions. The coring tool was tested on several types of rock and demonstrated the overall feasibility of this approach for robotic rock sample acquisition.

Analysis and Design of ITER 1 MV Core Snubber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haitian; Li, Ge

2012-11-01

The core snubber, as a passive protection device, can suppress arc current and absorb stored energy in stray capacitance during the electrical breakdown in accelerating electrodes of ITER NBI. In order to design the core snubber of ITER, the control parameters of the arc peak current have been firstly analyzed by the Fink-Baker-Owren (FBO) method, which are used for designing the DIIID 100 kV snubber. The B-H curve can be derived from the measured voltage and current waveforms, and the hysteresis loss of the core snubber can be derived using the revised parallelogram method. The core snubber can be a simplified representation as an equivalent parallel resistance and inductance, which has been neglected by the FBO method. A simulation code including the parallel equivalent resistance and inductance has been set up. The simulation and experiments result in dramatically large arc shorting currents due to the parallel inductance effect. The case shows that the core snubber utilizing the FBO method gives more compact design.

Improving socket design to prevent difficult removal of locking screws.

PubMed

Lin, Chen-Huei; Chao, Ching-Kong; Tang, Yi-Hsuan; Lin, Jinn

2018-03-01

Reports of driver slippage leading to difficult locking screw removals have increased since the adoption of titanium for screw fabrication; the use of titanium is known to cause cross-threading and cold welding. Such problems occur most frequently in screws with hex sockets, and may cause serious surgical complications. This study aimed to improve screw socket design to prevent slippage and difficult screw removal. Three types of small sockets (hex, Torx, and cruciate) and six types of large sockets (hex, Torx, Octatorx, Torx+ I, Torx+ II, and Torx+ III) with screw head diameters of 5.5 mm were manufactured from titanium, and corresponding screwdrivers were manufactured from stainless steel. The screw heads and drivers were mounted on a material testing machine, and torsional tests were conducted to simulate screw usage in clinical settings at two insertion depths: 1 and 2 mm. Ten specimens were tested from each design, and the maximum torque and failure patterns were recorded and compared. For small sockets in 2 mm conditions, the hex with the largest driver core had the highest torque, followed by Torx and cruciate. In these tests, the drivers were twisted off in all specimens. However, under the 1 mm condition, the hex slipped and the torque decreased markedly. Overall, torque was higher for large sockets than for small sockets. The Octatorx, with a large core and simultaneous deformation of the driver and socket lobes, had the highest torque at almost twice that of the small hex. The hex had the lowest torque, a result of slippage in both the 1 and 2 mm conditions. Torx plus designs, with more designed degrees of freedom, were able to maintain a higher driving angle and larger core for higher torque. The hex design showed slipping tendencies with a marked decrease in torque, especially under conditions with inadequate driver engagement. Large sockets allowed for substantial increases in torque. The Torx, Octatorx, and Torx plus designs displayed better performance than the hexes. Improvements to the socket design could effectively prevent slippage and solve difficult screw removal problems. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Targeting core groups for gonorrhoea control: feasibility and impact.

PubMed

Giguère, Katia; Alary, Michel

2015-06-01

We aimed to outline why core groups should be targeted in Neisseria gonorrhoeae control and suggest several important and timely interventions to target core groups while highly resistant strains are spreading. Core group definition, feasibility and impact of gonorrhoea core group interventions as well as gonorrhoea resistance development have been reviewed in the paper. Core group interventions have proven effective in gonorrhoea control in the past but are compromised by the spread of highly resistant strains. Worldwide functional Gonorrhoea Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, better screening and better treatment programmes are needed. Prevention through condom promotion aimed at core groups remains essential. More specific treatment guidance for low-income and middle-income countries without resistance data is required in the meantime to achieve a better use of antibiotics. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Tuning the redox potential of vitamin K3 derivatives by oxidative functionalization using a Ag(i)/GO catalyst.

PubMed

El-Hout, S I; Suzuki, H; El-Sheikh, S M; Hassan, H M A; Harraz, F A; Ibrahim, I A; El-Sharkawy, E A; Tsujimura, S; Holzinger, M; Nishina, Y

2017-08-03

We propose herein initial results to develop optimum redox mediators by the combination of computational simulation and catalytic functionalization of the core structure of vitamin K 3 . We aim to correlate the calculated energy value of the LUMO of different vitamin K 3 derivatives with their actual redox potential. For this, we optimized the catalytic alkylation of 1,4-naphthoquinones with a designed Ag(i)/GO catalyst and synthesized a series of molecules.

Study of sample drilling techniques for Mars sample return missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, D. C.; Harris, P. T.

1980-01-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of acquiring various surface samples for a Mars sample return mission the following tasks were performed: (1) design of a Mars rover-mounted drill system capable of acquiring crystalline rock cores; prediction of performance, mass, and power requirements for various size systems, and the generation of engineering drawings; (2) performance of simulated permafrost coring tests using a residual Apollo lunar surface drill, (3) design of a rock breaker system which can be used to produce small samples of rock chips from rocks which are too large to return to Earth, but too small to be cored with the Rover-mounted drill; (4)design of sample containers for the selected regolith cores, rock cores, and small particulate or rock samples; and (5) design of sample handling and transfer techniques which will be required through all phase of sample acquisition, processing, and stowage on-board the Earth return vehicle. A preliminary design of a light-weight Rover-mounted sampling scoop was also developed.

Core competencies for pharmaceutical physicians and drug development scientists

PubMed Central

Silva, Honorio; Stonier, Peter; Buhler, Fritz; Deslypere, Jean-Paul; Criscuolo, Domenico; Nell, Gerfried; Massud, Joao; Geary, Stewart; Schenk, Johanna; Kerpel-Fronius, Sandor; Koski, Greg; Clemens, Norbert; Klingmann, Ingrid; Kesselring, Gustavo; van Olden, Rudolf; Dubois, Dominique

2013-01-01

Professional groups, such as IFAPP (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Pharmaceutical Medicine), are expected to produce the defined core competencies to orient the discipline and the academic programs for the development of future competent professionals and to advance the profession. On the other hand, PharmaTrain, an Innovative Medicines Initiative project, has become the largest public-private partnership in biomedicine in the European Continent and aims to provide postgraduate courses that are designed to meet the needs of professionals working in medicines development. A working group was formed within IFAPP including representatives from PharmaTrain, academic institutions and national member associations, with special interest and experience on Quality Improvement through education. The objectives were: to define a set of core competencies for pharmaceutical physicians and drug development scientists, to be summarized in a Statement of Competence and to benchmark and align these identified core competencies with the Learning Outcomes (LO) of the PharmaTrain Base Course. The objectives were successfully achieved. Seven domains and 60 core competencies were identified and aligned accordingly. The effective implementation of training programs using the competencies or the PharmaTrain LO anywhere in the world may transform the drug development process to an efficient and integrated process for better and safer medicines. The PharmaTrain Base Course might provide the cognitive framework to achieve the desired Statement of Competence for Pharmaceutical Physicians and Drug Development Scientists worldwide. PMID:23986704

Long-Term Reduction of High Blood Pressure by Angiotensin II DNA Vaccine in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

PubMed

Koriyama, Hiroshi; Nakagami, Hironori; Nakagami, Futoshi; Osako, Mariana Kiomy; Kyutoku, Mariko; Shimamura, Munehisa; Kurinami, Hitomi; Katsuya, Tomohiro; Rakugi, Hiromi; Morishita, Ryuichi

2015-07-01

Recent research on vaccination has extended its scope from infectious diseases to chronic diseases, including Alzheimer disease, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. The aim of this study was to design DNA vaccines for high blood pressure and eventually develop human vaccine therapy to treat hypertension. Plasmid vector encoding hepatitis B core-angiotensin II (Ang II) fusion protein was injected into spontaneously hypertensive rats using needleless injection system. Anti-Ang II antibody was successfully produced in hepatitis B core-Ang II group, and antibody response against Ang II was sustained for at least 6 months. Systolic blood pressure was consistently lower in hepatitis B core-Ang II group after immunization, whereas blood pressure reduction was continued for at least 6 months. Perivascular fibrosis in heart tissue was also significantly decreased in hepatitis B core-Ang II group. Survival rate was significantly improved in hepatitis B core-Ang II group. This study demonstrated that Ang II DNA vaccine to spontaneously hypertensive rats significantly lowered high blood pressure for at least 6 months. In addition, Ang II DNA vaccines induced an adequate humoral immune response while avoiding the activation of self-reactive T cells, assessed by ELISPOT assay. Future development of DNA vaccine to treat hypertension may provide a new therapeutic option to treat hypertension. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Bypass flow computations on the LOFA transient in a VHTR

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

Tung, Yu-Hsin; Johnson, Richard W.; Ferng, Yuh-Ming

2014-01-01

Bypass flow in the prismatic gas-cooled very high temperature reactor (VHTR) is not intentionally designed to occur, but is present in the gaps between graphite blocks. Previous studies of the bypass flow in the core indicated that the cooling provided by flow in the bypass gaps had a significant effect on temperature and flow distributions for normal operating conditions. However, the flow and heat transports in the core are changed significantly after a Loss of Flow Accident (LOFA). This study aims to study the effect and role of the bypass flow after a LOFA in terms of the temperature andmore » flow distributions and for the heat transport out of the core by natural convection of the coolant for a 1/12 symmetric section of the active core which is composed of images and mirror images of two sub-region models. The two sub-region models, 9 x 1/12 and 15 x 1/12 symmetric sectors of the active core, are employed as the CFD flow models using computational grid systems of 70.2 million and 117 million nodes, respectively. It is concluded that the effect of bypass flow is significant for the initial conditions and the beginning of LOFA, but the bypass flow has little effect after a long period of time in the transient computation of natural circulation.« less

Acoustics and Trust of Separate-Flow Exhaust Nozzles With Mixing Devices for High-Bypass-Ratio Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saiyed, Naseem H.; Mikkelsen, Kevin L.; Bridges, James E.

2000-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center recently completed an experimental study to reduce the jet noise from modern turbofan engines. The study concentrated on exhaust nozzle designs for high-bypass-ratio engines. These designs modified the core and fan nozzles individually and simultaneously. Several designs provided an ideal jet noise reduction of over 2.5 EPNdB for the effective perceived noise level (EPNL) metric. Noise data, after correcting for takeoff thrust losses, indicated over a 2.0-EPNdB reduction for nine designs. Individually modifying the fan nozzle did not provide attractive EPNL reductions. Designs in which only the core nozzle was modified provided greater EPNL reductions. Designs in which core and fan nozzles were modified simultaneously provided the greatest EPNL reduction. The best nozzle design had a 2.7-EPNdB reduction (corrected for takeoff thrust loss) with a 0.06-point cruise thrust loss. This design simultaneously employed chevrons on the core and fan nozzles. In comparison with chevrons, tabs appeared to be an inefficient method for reducing jet noise. Data trends indicate that the sum of the thrust losses from individually modifying core and fan nozzles did not generally equal the thrust loss from modifying them simultaneously. Flow blockage from tabs did not scale directly with cruise thrust loss and the interaction between fan flow and the core nozzle seemed to strongly affect noise and cruise performance. Finally, the nozzle configuration candidates for full-scale engine demonstrations are identified.

Aero-acoustic performance comparison of core engine noise suppressors on NASA quiet engine 'C'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomer, H. E.; Schaefer, J. W.

1977-01-01

The purpose of the experimental program reported herein was to evaluate and compare the relative aero-acoustic effectiveness of two core engine suppressors, a contractor-designed suppressor delivered with the Quiet Engine, and a NASA-designed suppressor, designed and built subsequently. The NASA suppressor was tested with and without a splitter making a total of three configurations being reported in addition to the baseline hardwall case. The aerodynamic results are presented in terms of tailpipe pressure loss, corrected net thrust, and corrected specific fuel consumption as functions of engine power setting. The acoustic results are divided into duct and far-field acoustic data. The NASA-designed core suppressor did the better job of suppressing aft end noise, but the splitter associated with it caused a significant engine performance penalty. The NASA core suppressor without the splitter suppressed most of the core noise without any engine performance penalty.

Determining Coolant Flow Rate Distribution In The Fuel-Modified TRIGA Plate Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puji Hastuti, Endiah; Widodo, Surip; Darwis Isnaini, M.; Geni Rina, S.; Syaiful, B.

2018-02-01

TRIGA 2000 reactor in Bandung is planned to have the fuel element replaced, from cylindrical uranium and zirconium-hydride (U-ZrH) alloy to U3Si2-Al plate type of low enriched uranium of 19.75% with uranium density of 2.96 gU/cm3, while the reactor power is maintained at 2 MW. This change is planned to anticipate the discontinuity of TRIGA fuel element production. The selection of this plate-type fuel element is supported by the fact that such fuel type has been produced in Indonesia and used in MPR-30 safely since 2000. The core configuration of plate-type-fuelled TRIGA reactor requires coolant flow rate through each fuel element channel in order to meet its safety function. This paper is aimed to describe the results of coolant flow rate distribution in the TRIGA core that meets the safety function at normal operation condition, physical test, shutdown, and at initial event of loss of coolant flow due power supply interruption. The design analysis to determine coolant flow rate in this paper employs CAUDVAP and COOLODN computation code. The designed coolant flow rate that meets the safety criteria of departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR), onset of flow instability ratio (OFIR), and ΔΤ onset of nucleate boiling (ONB), indicates that the minimum flow rate required to cool the plate-type fuelled TRIGA core at 2 MW is 80 kg/s. Therefore, it can be concluded that the operating limitation condition (OLC) for the minimum flow rate is 80 kg/s; the 72 kg/s is to cool the active core; while the minimum flow rate for coolant flow rate drop is limited to 68 kg/s with the coolant inlet temperature 35°C. This thermohydraulic design also provides cooling for 4 positions irradiation position (IP) utilization and 1 central irradiation position (CIP) with end fitting inner diameter (ID) of 10 mm and 20 mm, respectively.

Ultra-miniature wireless temperature sensor for thermal medicine applications

PubMed Central

Khairi, Ahmad; Hung, Shih-Chang; Paramesh, Jeyanandh; Fedder, Gary; Rabin, Yoed

2017-01-01

This study presents a prototype design of an ultra-miniature, wireless, battery-less, and implantable temperature-sensor, with applications to thermal medicine such as cryosurgery, hyperthermia, and thermal ablation. The design aims at a sensory device smaller than 1.5 mm in diameter and 3 mm in length, to enable minimally invasive deployment through a hypodermic needle. While the new device may be used for local temperature monitoring, simultaneous data collection from an array of such sensors can be used to reconstruct the 3D temperature field in the treated area, offering a unique capability in thermal medicine. The new sensory device consists of three major subsystems: a temperature-sensing core, a wireless data-communication unit, and a wireless power reception and management unit. Power is delivered wirelessly to the implant from an external source using an inductive link. To meet size requirements while enhancing reliability and minimizing cost, the implant is fully integrated in a regular foundry CMOS technology (0.15 μm in the current study), including the implant-side inductor of the power link. A temperature-sensing core that consists of a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) circuit has been designed and characterized. It employs a microwatt chopper stabilized op-amp and dynamic element-matched current sources to achieve high absolute accuracy. A second order sigma-delta (Σ-Δ) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is designed to convert the temperature reading to a digital code, which is transmitted by backscatter through the same antenna used for receiving power. A high-efficiency multi-stage differential CMOS rectifier has been designed to provide a DC supply to the sensing and communication subsystems. This paper focuses on the development of the all-CMOS temperature sensing core circuitry part of the device, and briefly reviews the wireless power delivery and communication subsystems. PMID:28989222

Development of Quiet Honeycomb Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palumbo, Daniel L.; Klos, Jacob

2009-01-01

Sandwich honeycomb composite panels are lightweight and strong, and, therefore, provide a reasonable alternative to the aluminum ring framelstringer architecture currently used for most aircraft airframes. The drawback to honeycomb panels is that they radiate noise into the aircraft cabin very efficiently provoking the need for additional sound treatment which adds weight and reduces the material's cost advantage. A series of honeycomb panels were made which incorporated different design strategies aimed at reducing the honeycomb panels' radiation efficiency while at the same time maintaining its strength. The majority of the desi gns were centered around the concept of creatin g areas of reduced stiffness in the panel by adding voids and recesses to the core. The effort culminated with a reinforced./recessed panel which had 6 dB higher transmission loss than the baseline solid core panel while maintaining comparable strength.

Ceramic regenerator systems development program. [for automobile gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, J. A.; Fucinari, C. A.; Lingscheit, J. N.; Rahnke, C. J.

1977-01-01

Ceramic regenerator cores are considered that can be used in passenger car gas turbine engines, Stirling engines, and industrial/truck gas turbine engines. Improved materials and design concepts aimed at reducing or eliminating chemical attack were placed on durability test in Ford 707 industrial gas turbine engines. The results of 19,600 hours of turbine engine durability testing are described. Two materials, aluminum silicate and magnesium aluminum silicate, continue to show promise toward achieving the durability objectives of this program. A regenerator core made from aluminum silicate showed minimal evidence of chemical attack damage after 6935 hours of engine test at 800 C and another showed little distress after 3510 hours at 982 C. Results obtained in ceramic material screening tests, aerothermodynamic performance tests, stress analysis, cost studies, and material specifications are also included.

Characterization of a New Mach 9 Nozzle for the HEAT Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baccarella, D.; Passaro, A.; Caredda, P.; Cristofolini, A.; Neretti, G.; Granciu, V. M.; Schettino, A.; Battista, F.; D'Ambrosio, D.

2009-01-01

A new Mach 9 contoured nozzle to use with air was designed and realized at Alta SpA with the aim to produce a uniform core flow with a diameter of at least 80 mm. The design was iteratively carried out using engineering codes and CFD simulations by CIRA. The characterization activity was carried out mapping the complete test section in terms of pitot pressure and total enthalpy and measuring the pressure and heat flux distribution on the nozzle internal walls. The flow before the convergent was characterized by means of total pressure measurements and spectroscopy. A numerical rebuilding of the test was performed by CIRA and PoliTO and compared with experimental data. The paper will briefly describe the design phase and will present all the characterization results.

[Design of low-intermediate frequency electrotherapy and pain assessment system].

PubMed

Liang, Chunyan; Tian, Xuelong; Yu, Xuehong; Luo, Hongyan

2014-06-01

Aiming at the single treatment and the design separation between treatment and assessment in electrotherapy equipment, a kind of system including low-intermediate frequency treatment and efficacy evaluation was developed. With C8051F020 single-chip microcomputer as the core and the circuit design and software programming used, the system realized the random switch of therapeutic parameters, the collection, display and data storage of pressure pain threshold in the assessment. Experiment results showed that the stimulus waveform, current intensity, frequency, duty ratio of the system output were adjustable, accurate and reliable. The obtained pressure pain threshold had a higher accuracy (< 0.3 N) and better stability, guiding the parameter choice in the precise electrical stimulation. It, therefore, provides a reliable technical support for the treatment and curative effect assessment.

Hepatitis C Virus core+1/ARF Protein Modulates the Cyclin D1/pRb Pathway and Promotes Carcinogenesis.

PubMed

Moustafa, Savvina; Karakasiliotis, Ioannis; Mavromara, Penelope

2018-05-01

Viruses often encompass overlapping reading frames and unconventional translation mechanisms in order to maximize the output from a minimum genome and to orchestrate their timely gene expression. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) possesses such an unconventional open reading frame (ORF) within the core-coding region, encoding an additional protein, initially designated ARFP, F, or core+1. Two predominant isoforms of core+1/ARFP have been reported, core+1/L, initiating from codon 26, and core+1/S, initiating from codons 85/87 of the polyprotein coding region. The biological significance of core+1/ARFP expression remains elusive. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the functional and pathological properties of core+1/ARFP through its interaction with the host cell, combining in vitro and in vivo approaches. Our data provide strong evidence that the core+1/ARFP of HCV-1a stimulates cell proliferation in Huh7-based cell lines expressing either core+1/S or core+1/L isoforms and in transgenic liver disease mouse models expressing core+1/S protein in a liver-specific manner. Both isoforms of core+1/ARFP increase the levels of cyclin D1 and phosphorylated Rb, thus promoting the cell cycle. In addition, core+1/S was found to enhance liver regeneration and oncogenesis in transgenic mice. The induction of the cell cycle together with increased mRNA levels of cell proliferation-related oncogenes in cells expressing the core+1/ARFP proteins argue for an oncogenic potential of these proteins and an important role in HCV-associated pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE This study sheds light on the biological importance of a unique HCV protein. We show here that core+1/ARFP of HCV-1a interacts with the host machinery, leading to acceleration of the cell cycle and enhancement of liver carcinogenesis. This pathological mechanism(s) may complement the action of other viral proteins with oncogenic properties, leading to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, given that immunological responses to core+1/ARFP have been correlated with liver disease severity in chronic HCV patients, we expect that the present work will assist in clarifying the pathophysiological relevance of this protein as a biomarker of disease progression. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

The development of optimal lightweight truss-core sandwich panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langhorst, Benjamin Robert

Sandwich structures effectively provide lightweight stiffness and strength by sandwiching a low-density core between stiff face sheets. The performance of lightweight truss-core sandwich panels is enhanced through the design of novel truss arrangements and the development of methods by which the panels may be optimized. An introduction to sandwich panels is presented along with an overview of previous research of truss-core sandwich panels. Three alternative truss arrangements are developed and their corresponding advantages, disadvantages, and optimization routines are discussed. Finally, performance is investigated by theoretical and numerical methods, and it is shown that the relative structural efficiency of alternative truss cores varies with panel weight and load-carrying capacity. Discrete truss core sandwich panels can be designed to serve bending applications more efficiently than traditional pyramidal truss arrangements at low panel weights and load capacities. Additionally, discrete-truss cores permit the design of heterogeneous cores, which feature unit cells that vary in geometry throughout the panel according to the internal loads present at each unit cell's location. A discrete-truss core panel may be selectively strengthened to more efficiently support bending loads. Future research is proposed and additional areas for lightweight sandwich panel development are explained.

Design Considerations for High Temperature Power Inductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.

2005-01-01

A uniform B-field approximation model is used to develop design formulas for single-layer wound, toroidal core, ac power inductors that must handle a specified current. Such a geometry is well suited for high temperature, high frequency inductors, where removal of heat from the core becomes critical. Explicit expressions are derived for core radii, core and winding volumes, winding turns and core permeability as functions of a dimensional scaling ratio (S). A limit on the maximum allowed core B-field leads to the result that the minimum core volume is proportional to the permeability, which has a lower bound. Plots versus S are provided for a specific case, to show that good designs can be picked in the overlap regions around the minima in mass and overall size, where the mass and size are relatively flat. Data to 250 C are presented for an MPP core based inductor to show that a quasi-linear, high temperature inductor can be constructed with available materials. A similar development is applied to a toroidal air-core geometry, showing that for the same ratings, such an inductor is considerably bigger and more massive, at least in the single-layer version.

Low-loss hollow-core silica fibers with adjacent nested anti-resonant tubes.

PubMed

Habib, Md Selim; Bang, Ole; Bache, Morten

2015-06-29

We report on numerical design optimization of hollow-core anti-resonant fibers with the aim of reducing transmission losses. We show that re-arranging the nested anti-resonant tubes in the cladding to be adjacent has the effect of significantly reducing leakage as well as bending losses, and for reaching high loss extinction ratios between the fundamental mode and higher order modes. We investigate two versions of the proposed design, one optimized for the mid-IR and another scaled down version for the near-IR and compare them in detail with previously proposed anti-resonant fiber designs including nested elements. Our proposed design is superior with respect to obtaining the lowest leakage losses and the bend losses are also much lower than for the previous designs. Leakage losses as low as 0.0015 dB/km and bending losses of 0.006 dB/km at 5 cm bending radius are predicted at the ytterbium lasing wavelength 1.06 µm. When optimizing the higher-order-mode extinction ratio, the low leakage loss is sacrificed to get an effective single-mode behavior of the fiber. We show that the higher-order-mode extinction ratio is more than 1500 in the range 1.0-1.1 µm around the ytterbium lasing wavelength, while in the mid-IR it can be over 100 around λ = 2.94 μm. This is higher than the previously considered structures in the literature using nested tubes.

Stress distributions in maxillary central incisors restored with various types of post materials and designs.

PubMed

Madfa, A A; Kadir, M R Abdul; Kashani, J; Saidin, S; Sulaiman, E; Marhazlinda, J; Rahbari, R; Abdullah, B J J; Abdullah, H; Abu Kasim, N H

2014-07-01

Different dental post designs and materials affect the stability of restoration of a tooth. This study aimed to analyse and compare the stability of two shapes of dental posts (parallel-sided and tapered) made of five different materials (titanium, zirconia, carbon fibre and glass fibre) by investigating their stress transfer through the finite element (FE) method. Ten three-dimensional (3D) FE models of a maxillary central incisor restored with two different designs and five different materials were constructed. An oblique loading of 100 N was applied to each 3D model. Analyses along the centre of the post, the crown-cement/core and the post-cement/dentine interfaces were computed, and the means were calculated. One-way ANOVAs followed by post hoc tests were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the post materials and designs (p=0.05). For post designs, the tapered posts introduced significantly higher stress compared with the parallel-sided post (p<0.05), especially along the centre of the post. Of the materials, the highest level of stress was found for stainless steel, followed by zirconia, titanium, glass fibre and carbon fibre posts (p<0.05). The carbon and glass fibre posts reduced the stress distribution at the middle and apical part of the posts compared with the stainless steel, zirconia and titanium posts. The opposite results were observed at the crown-cement/core interface. Copyright © 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing Class Activities to Meet Specific Core Training Competencies: A Developmental Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guth, Lorraine J.; McDonnell, Kelly A.

2004-01-01

This article presents a developmental model for designing and utilizing class activities to meet specific Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) core training competencies for group workers. A review of the relevant literature about teaching group work and meeting core training standards is provided. The authors suggest a process by…

Core Physics and Kinetics Calculations for the Fissioning Plasma Core Reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, C.; Albright, D.

2007-01-01

Highly efficient, compact nuclear reactors would provide high specific impulse spacecraft propulsion. This analysis and numerical simulation effort has focused on the technical feasibility issues related to the nuclear design characteristics of a novel reactor design. The Fissioning Plasma Core Reactor (FPCR) is a shockwave-driven gaseous-core nuclear reactor, which uses Magneto Hydrodynamic effects to generate electric power to be used for propulsion. The nuclear design of the system depends on two major calculations: core physics calculations and kinetics calculations. Presently, core physics calculations have concentrated on the use of the MCNP4C code. However, initial results from other codes such as COMBINE/VENTURE and SCALE4a. are also shown. Several significant modifications were made to the ISR-developed QCALC1 kinetics analysis code. These modifications include testing the state of the core materials, an improvement to the calculation of the material properties of the core, the addition of an adiabatic core temperature model and improvement of the first order reactivity correction model. The accuracy of these modifications has been verified, and the accuracy of the point-core kinetics model used by the QCALC1 code has also been validated. Previously calculated kinetics results for the FPCR were described in the ISR report, "QCALC1: A code for FPCR Kinetics Model Feasibility Analysis" dated June 1, 2002.

Modulation of venlafaxine hydrochloride release from press coated matrix tablet.

PubMed

Gohel, M C; Soni, C D; Nagori, S A; Sarvaiya, K G

2008-01-01

The aim of present study was to prepare novel modified release press coated tablets of venlafaxine hydrochloride. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose K4M and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose K100M were used as release modifier in core and coat, respectively. A 3(2) full factorial design was adopted in the optimization study. The drug to polymer ratio in core and coat were chosen as independent variables. The drug release in the first hour and drug release rate between 1 and 12 h were chosen as dependent variables. The tablets were characterized for dimension analysis, crushing strength, friability and in vitro drug release. A check point batch, containing 1:2.6 and 1:5.4 drug to polymer in core and coat respectively, was prepared. The tablets of check point batch were subjected to in vitro drug release in dissolution media with pH 5, 7.2 and distilled water. The kinetics of drug release was best explained by Korsmeyer and Peppas model (anomalous non-Fickian diffusion). The systematic formulation approach enabled us to develop modified release venlafaxine hydrochloride tablets.

Structure of block copolymer micelles in the presence of co-solvents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Megan; Wang, Shu; Le, Kim Mai; Piemonte, Rachele; Madsen, Louis

2015-03-01

Amphiphilic block copolymer micelles in water are under broad exploration for drug delivery applications due to their high loading capacity and targeted drug delivery. We aim to understand the kinetic and thermodynamic processes that underlie the self-assembly of diblock copolymer micelle systems. The present work focuses on diblock copolymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) (a hydrophilic polymer) and polycaprolactone (a hydrophobic polymer), which spontaneously self-assemble into spherical micelles in water. Addition of a common good solvent (a co-solvent) for both of the constituting blocks, such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), reduces the interfacial tension at the core-corona interface. We are currently investigating the effect of this phenomenon on the micelle structural properties, using scattering experiments and nuclear magnetic resonance. We have characterized the hydrodynamic radius, core radius, corona thickness, aggregation number, degree of swelling of the micelle core with the co-solvent, and unimer (free chain) concentration, as a function of the co-solvent concentration. Fundamental knowledge from these studies will inform design of drug delivery systems by allowing us to tailor micelle properties for optimal cargo loading.

Core Flood study for enhanced oil recovery through ex-situ bioaugmentation with thermo- and halo-tolerant rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCIM 5514.

PubMed

Varjani, Sunita J; Upasani, Vivek N

2016-11-01

The aim of this work was to study the Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) employing core field model ex-situ bioaugmenting a thermo- and halo-tolerant rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) revealed that the biosurfactant produced was rhamnolipid type. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis showed that the purified rhamnolipids comprised two principal rhamnolipid homologues, i.e., Rha-Rha-C10-C14:1 and Rha-C8-C10. The rhamnolipid was stable under wide range of temperature (4°C, 30-100°C), pH (2.0-10.0) and NaCl concentration (0-18%, w/v). Core Flood model was designed for oil recovery operations using rhamnolipid. The oil recovery enhancement over Residual Oil Saturation was 8.82% through ex-situ bioaugmentation with rhamnolipid. The thermal stability of rhamnolipid shows promising scope for its application at conditions where high temperatures prevail in oil recovery processes, whereas its halo-tolerant nature increases its application in marine environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influencing the structure of block copolymer micelles with small molecule additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Megan; Singh, Avantika; Cooksey, Tyler; Kidd, Bryce; Piemonte, Rachele; Wang, Shu; Mai Le, Kim; Madsen, Louis

Amphiphilic block copolymer micelles in water are under broad exploration for drug delivery applications due to their high loading capacity and targeted drug delivery. We aim to understand the kinetic and thermodynamic processes that underlie the self-assembly of diblock copolymer micelle systems. The present work focuses on diblock copolymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) (a hydrophilic polymer) and polycaprolactone (a hydrophobic polymer), which spontaneously self-assemble into spherical micelles in water. Addition of a common good solvent (a co-solvent) for both of the constituting blocks, such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), reduces the interfacial tension at the core-corona interface. We are currently investigating the effect of this phenomenon on the micelle structural properties, using small-angle scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance. We have characterized the hydrodynamic radius, core radius, corona thickness, aggregation number, degree of swelling of the micelle core with the co-solvent, and unimer (free chain) concentration, as a function of the co-solvent concentration. Fundamental knowledge from these studies will inform design of drug delivery systems by allowing us to tailor micelle properties for optimal cargo loading.

Power Peaking Effect of OTTO Fuel Scheme Pebble Bed Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiadipura, T.; Suwoto; Zuhair; Bakhri, S.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) type of Hight Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is a very interesting nuclear reactor design to fulfill the growing electricity and heat demand with a superior passive safety features. Effort to introduce the PBR design to the market can be strengthen by simplifying its system with the Once-through-then-out (OTTO) cycle PBR in which the pebble fuel only pass the core once. Important challenge in the OTTO fuel scheme is the power peaking effect which limit the maximum nominal power or burnup of the design. Parametric survey is perform in this study to investigate the contribution of different design parameters to power peaking effect of OTTO cycle PBR. PEBBED code is utilized in this study to perform the equilibrium PBR core analysis for different design parameter and fuel scheme. The parameters include its core diameter, height-per-diameter (H/D), power density, and core nominal power. Results of this study show that diameter and H/D effectsare stronger compare to the power density and nominal core power. Results of this study might become an importance guidance for design optimization of OTTO fuel scheme PBR.

Free-space optics technology employed in an UMTS release 4 bearer independent core network access part

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bibac, Ionut

2005-08-01

The UMTS Bearer Independent Core Network program introduced the 3rd Generation Partnership Program Release 4 BICN architecture into the legacy UMTS TDM-switched network. BICN is the application of calI server archltecture for voice and circuit switched data, enabling the provisioning of traditional circuit-switched services using a packet-switched transport network. Today"s business climate has made it essential for service providers to develop a comprehensive networking strategy that means introduction of RCBICN networks. The R4-BICN solution to the evolution of the Core Network in UMTS will enable operators to significantly reduce the capital and operational costs of delivering both traditional voice sewices and new multimedia services. To build the optical backbone, which can support the third generation (3G) packetized infrastructure, the operators could choose a fibre connection, or they could retain the benefits of a wireless connectivity by using a FSO - Free Space Optical lmk, the only wireless technology available that is capable of achieving data rates up to 2.4 Gbit/s. FSO offers viable alternatives for both core transmission networks and for replacing microwaves links in NodeB - RNC access networks. The paper and presentation aim to demonstrate the manner in which FSO products and networks are employed into R4-BICN design solutions.

The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project: Rationale and Approach.

PubMed

MacLean, Paul S; Rothman, Alexander J; Nicastro, Holly L; Czajkowski, Susan M; Agurs-Collins, Tanya; Rice, Elise L; Courcoulas, Anita P; Ryan, Donna H; Bessesen, Daniel H; Loria, Catherine M

2018-04-01

Individual variability in response to multiple modalities of obesity treatment is well documented, yet our understanding of why some individuals respond while others do not is limited. The etiology of this variability is multifactorial; however, at present, we lack a comprehensive evidence base to identify which factors or combination of factors influence treatment response. This paper provides an overview and rationale of the Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project, which aims to advance the understanding of individual variability in response to adult obesity treatment. This project provides an integrated model for how factors in the behavioral, biological, environmental, and psychosocial domains may influence obesity treatment responses and identify a core set of measures to be used consistently across adult weight-loss trials. This paper provides the foundation for four companion papers that describe the core measures in detail. The accumulation of data on factors across the four ADOPT domains can inform the design and delivery of effective, tailored obesity treatments. ADOPT provides a framework for how obesity researchers can collectively generate this evidence base and is a first step in an ongoing process that can be refined as the science advances. © 2018 The Obesity Society.

Learn from the Core--Design from the Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ockerse, Thomas

2012-01-01

The current objective, object-oriented approach to design is questioned along with design education viewed as a job-oriented endeavor. Instead relational knowledge and experience in a holistic sense, both tacit and explicit, are valued along with an appreciation of the unique character of the student. A new paradigm for design education is…

Injection Molding Parameters Calculations by Using Visual Basic (VB) Programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tony, B. Jain A. R.; Karthikeyen, S.; Alex, B. Jeslin A. R.; Hasan, Z. Jahid Ali

2018-03-01

Now a day’s manufacturing industry plays a vital role in production sectors. To fabricate a component lot of design calculation has to be done. There is a chance of human errors occurs during design calculations. The aim of this project is to create a special module using visual basic (VB) programming to calculate injection molding parameters to avoid human errors. To create an injection mold for a spur gear component the following parameters have to be calculated such as Cooling Capacity, Cooling Channel Diameter, and Cooling Channel Length, Runner Length and Runner Diameter, Gate Diameter and Gate Pressure. To calculate the above injection molding parameters a separate module has been created using Visual Basic (VB) Programming to reduce the human errors. The outcome of the module dimensions is the injection molding components such as mold cavity and core design, ejector plate design.

A Delphi study to identify the core components of nurse to nurse handoff.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Jennifer; Abraham, Joanna; Riesenberg, Lee Ann; Matson, Jeff; Lopez, Karen Dunn

2018-03-08

The aim of this study was to identify the core components of nurse-nurse handoffs. Patient handoffs involve a process of passing information, responsibility and control from one caregiver to the next during care transitions. Around the globe, ineffective handoffs have serious consequences resulting in wrong treatments, delays in diagnosis, longer stays, medication errors, patient falls and patient deaths. To date, the core components of nurse-nurse handoff have not been identified. This lack of identification is a significant gap in moving towards a standardized approach for nurse-nurse handoff. Mixed methods design using the Delphi technique. From May 2016 - October 2016, using a series of iterative steps, a panel of handoff experts gave feedback on the nurse-nurse handoff core components and the content in each component to be passed from one nurse to the next during a typical unit-based shift handoff. Consensus was defined as 80% agreement or higher. After three rounds of participant review, 17 handoff experts with backgrounds in clinical nursing practice, academia and handoff research came to consensus on the core components of handoff: patient summary, action plan and nurse-nurse synthesis. This is the first study to identify the core components of nurse-nurse handoff. Subsequent testing of the core components will involve evaluating the handoff approach in a simulated and then actual patient care environment. Our long-term goal is to improve patient safety outcomes by validating an evidence-based handoff framework and handoff curriculum for pre-licensure nursing programmes that strengthen the quality of their handoff communication as they enter clinical practice. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A core outcome set for localised prostate cancer effectiveness trials: protocol for a systematic review of the literature and stakeholder involvement through interviews and a Delphi survey.

PubMed

MacLennan, Steven; Bekema, Hendrika J; Williamson, Paula R; Campbell, Marion K; Stewart, Fiona; MacLennan, Sara J; N'Dow, James M O; Lam, Thomas B L

2015-03-04

Prostate cancer is a growing health problem worldwide. The management of localised prostate cancer is controversial. It is unclear which of several surgical, radiotherapeutic, ablative, and surveillance treatments is the most effective. All have cost, process and recovery, and morbidity implications which add to treatment decision-making complexity for patients and healthcare professionals. Evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is not optimal because of uncertainty as to what constitutes important outcomes. Another issue hampering evidence synthesis is heterogeneity of outcome definition, measurement, and reporting. This project aims to determine which outcomes are the most important to patients and healthcare professionals, and use these findings to recommend a standardised core outcome set for comparative effectiveness trials of treatments for localised prostate cancer, to optimise decision-making. The range of potentially important outcomes and measures will be identified through systematic reviews of the literature and semi-structured interviews with patients. A consultation exercise involving representatives from two key stakeholder groups (patients and healthcare professionals) will ratify the list of outcomes to be entered into a three round Delphi study. The Delphi process will refine and prioritise the list of identified outcomes. A methodological substudy (nested RCT design) will also be undertaken. Participants will be randomised after round one of the Delphi study to one of three feedback groups, based on different feedback strategies, in order to explore the potential impact of feedback strategies on participant responses. This may assist the design of a future core outcome set and Delphi studies. Following the Delphi study, a final consensus meeting attended by representatives from both stakeholder groups will determine the final recommended core outcome set. This study will inform clinical practice and future trials of interventions of localised prostate cancer by standardising a core outcome set which should be considered in comparative effectiveness studies for localised prostate cancer.

Quality improvement training for core medical and general practice trainees: a pilot study of project participation, completion and journal publication.

PubMed

McNab, Duncan; McKay, John; Bowie, Paul

2015-11-01

Small-scale quality improvement projects are expected to make a significant contribution towards improving the quality of healthcare. Enabling doctors-in-training to design and lead quality improvement projects is important preparation for independent practice. Participation is mandatory in speciality training curricula. However, provision of training and ongoing support in quality improvement methods and practice is variable. We aimed to design and deliver a quality improvement training package to core medical and general practice specialty trainees and evaluate impact in terms of project participation, completion and publication in a healthcare journal. A quality improvement training package was developed and delivered to core medical trainees and general practice specialty trainees in the west of Scotland encompassing a 1-day workshop and mentoring during completion of a quality improvement project over 3 months. A mixed methods evaluation was undertaken and data collected via questionnaire surveys, knowledge assessment, and formative assessment of project proposals, completed quality improvement projects and publication success. Twenty-three participants attended the training day with 20 submitting a project proposal (87%). Ten completed quality improvement projects (43%), eight were judged as satisfactory (35%), and four were submitted and accepted for journal publication (17%). Knowledge and confidence in aspects of quality improvement improved during the pilot, while early feedback on project proposals was valued (85.7%). This small study reports modest success in training core medical trainees and general practice specialty trainees in quality improvement. Many gained knowledge of, confidence in and experience of quality improvement, while journal publication was shown to be possible. The development of educational resources to aid quality improvement project completion and mentoring support is necessary if expectations for quality improvement are to be realised. © The Author(s) 2015.

Does core strength training influence running kinetics, lower-extremity stability, and 5000-M performance in runners?

PubMed

Sato, Kimitake; Mokha, Monique

2009-01-01

Although strong core muscles are believed to help athletic performance, few scientific studies have been conducted to identify the effectiveness of core strength training (CST) on improving athletic performance. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 6 weeks of CST on ground reaction forces (GRFs), stability of the lower extremity, and overall running performance in recreational and competitive runners. After a screening process, 28 healthy adults (age, 36.9 +/- 9.4 years; height, 168.4 +/- 9.6 cm; mass, 70.1 +/- 15.3 kg) volunteered and were divided randomly into 2 groups (n = 14 in each group). A test-retest design was used to assess the differences between CST (experimental) and no CST (control) on GRF measures, lower-extremity stability scores, and running performance. The GRF variables were determined by calculating peak impact, active vertical GRFs (vGRFs), and duration of the 2 horizontal GRFs (hGRFs), as measured while running across a force plate. Lower-extremity stability was assessed using the Star Excursion Balance Test. Running performance was determined by 5000-m run time measured on outdoor tracks. Six 2 (pre, post) x 2 (CST, control) mixed-design analyses of variance were used to determine the influence of CST on each dependent variable, p < 0.05. Twenty subjects completed the study (nexp = 12 and ncon = 8). A significant interaction occurred, with the CST group showing faster times in the 5000-m run after 6 weeks. However, CST did not significantly influence GRF variables and lower-leg stability. Core strength training may be an effective training method for improving performance in runners.

Core to College Evaluation: Statewide Networks. Connecting Education Systems and Stakeholders to Support College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracco, Kathy Reeves; Klarin, Becca; Broek, Marie; Austin, Kim; Finkelstein, Neal; Bugler, Daniel; Mundry, Susan

2014-01-01

The Core to College initiative aims to facilitate greater coordination between K-12 and postsecondary education systems around implementation of the Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments. Core to College grants have been awarded to teams in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon,…

Large core plastic planar optical splitter fabricated by 3D printing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prajzler, Václav; Kulha, Pavel; Knietel, Marian; Enser, Herbert

2017-10-01

We report on the design, fabrication and optical properties of large core multimode optical polymer splitter fabricated using fill up core polymer in substrate that was made by 3D printing technology. The splitter was designed by the beam propagation method intended for assembling large core waveguide fibers with 735 μm diameter. Waveguide core layers were made of optically clear liquid adhesive, and Veroclear polymer was used as substrate and cover layers. Measurement of optical losses proved that the insertion optical loss was lower than 6.8 dB in the visible spectrum.

Design, synthesis and applications of core-shell, hollow core, and nanorattle multifunctional nanostructures.

PubMed

El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Habila, Mohamed A; Labis, Joselito Puzon; ALOthman, Zeid A; Alhoshan, Mansour; Elzatahry, Ahmed A; Zhang, Fan

2016-02-07

With the evolution of nanoscience and nanotechnology, studies have been focused on manipulating nanoparticle properties through the control of their size, composition, and morphology. As nanomaterial research has progressed, the foremost focus has gradually shifted from synthesis, morphology control, and characterization of properties to the investigation of function and the utility of integrating these materials and chemical sciences with the physical, biological, and medical fields, which therefore necessitates the development of novel materials that are capable of performing multiple tasks and functions. The construction of multifunctional nanomaterials that integrate two or more functions into a single geometry has been achieved through the surface-coating technique, which created a new class of substances designated as core-shell nanoparticles. Core-shell materials have growing and expanding applications due to the multifunctionality that is achieved through the formation of multiple shells as well as the manipulation of core/shell materials. Moreover, core removal from core-shell-based structures offers excellent opportunities to construct multifunctional hollow core architectures that possess huge storage capacities, low densities, and tunable optical properties. Furthermore, the fabrication of nanomaterials that have the combined properties of a core-shell structure with that of a hollow one has resulted in the creation of a new and important class of substances, known as the rattle core-shell nanoparticles, or nanorattles. The design strategies of these new multifunctional nanostructures (core-shell, hollow core, and nanorattle) are discussed in the first part of this review. In the second part, different synthesis and fabrication approaches for multifunctional core-shell, hollow core-shell and rattle core-shell architectures are highlighted. Finally, in the last part of the article, the versatile and diverse applications of these nanoarchitectures in catalysis, energy storage, sensing, and biomedicine are presented.

The mediating role of nurses' professional commitment in the relationship between core self-evaluation and job satisfaction.

PubMed

Barać, Ivana; Prlić, Nada; Plužarić, Jadranka; Farčić, Nikolina; Kovačević, Suzana

2018-05-11

The aim of this study was to examine the degree to which it is possible to predict job satisfaction in hospital nurses based on core self-evaluation and the nurses' professional commitment. Psychological constructs of nurses' professional commitment could predict a level of job satisfaction. A cross-sectional design was applied. Data were collected between April 2016 and November 2016 from 584 nurses of the University Hospital Osijek. Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES), Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and Nurses' professional commitment scale (NPCS) were administrated to the study participants. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the validity of each questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to test the prediction of nurses' professional commitment and core self-evaluation on job satisfaction. Nurses' professional commitment is variable, which functions as a mediator between predictor (CSE) and criterion variable (JS). As a mediator, it explains what the effect is, provided that correlations between all variables are significant. The correlation analyses reveal significant positive correlations between job satisfaction and core self evaluation (r = 0.441, p > 0.001) and also between job satisfaction and nurses' professional commitment (r = 0.464, p > 0.001). Furthermore, core self evaluation significantly and positively correlates with nurses' professional commitment (r = 0.402, p > 0.001). The results showed that nurses' professional commitment mediates the relationship between core self evaluation and job satisfaction. Bootstrap analysis showed that core self evaluation partially mediated the relationship between nurses' professional commitment and job satisfaction ( β = 0.78, p < 0.001**). The indirect effects of core self evaluation on job satisfaction through nurses' professional commitment was also significant (β = 0.17, p < 0.001**). Nurses who are more committed to their work, regardless of the structure of personality, have greater satisfaction in their work. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Core Outcomes in Ventilation Trials (COVenT): protocol for a core outcome set using a Delphi survey with a nested randomised trial and observational cohort study.

PubMed

Blackwood, Bronagh; Ringrow, Suzanne; Clarke, Mike; Marshall, John; Rose, Louise; Williamson, Paula; McAuley, Danny

2015-08-20

Among clinical trials of interventions that aim to modify time spent on mechanical ventilation for critically ill patients there is considerable inconsistency in chosen outcomes and how they are measured. The Core Outcomes in Ventilation Trials (COVenT) study aims to develop a set of core outcomes for use in future ventilation trials in mechanically ventilated adults and children. We will use a mixed methods approach that incorporates a randomised trial nested within a Delphi study and a consensus meeting. Additionally, we will conduct an observational cohort study to evaluate uptake of the core outcome set in published studies at 5 and 10 years following core outcome set publication. The three-round online Delphi study will use a list of outcomes that have been reported previously in a review of ventilation trials. The Delphi panel will include a range of stakeholder groups including patient support groups. The panel will be randomised to one of three feedback methods to assess the impact of the feedback mechanism on subsequent ranking of outcomes. A final consensus meeting will be held with stakeholder representatives to review outcomes. The COVenT study aims to develop a core outcome set for ventilation trials in critical care, explore the best Delphi feedback mechanism for achieving consensus and determine if participation increases use of the core outcome set in the long term.

Monitoring of NMR porosity changes in the full-size core salvage through the drying process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattakhov, Artur; Kosarev, Victor; Doroginitskii, Mikhail; Skirda, Vladimir

2015-04-01

Currently the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the most popular technologies in the field of borehole geophysics and core analysis. Results of NMR studies allow to calculate the values of the porosity and permeability of sedimentary rocks with sufficient reliability. All standard tools for the study of core salvage on the basis of NMR have significant limitations: there is considered only long relaxation times corresponding to the mobile formation fluid. Current trends in energy obligate to move away from conventional oil to various alternative sources of energy. One of these sources are deposits of bitumen and high-viscosity oil. In Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (Russia) there was developed a mobile unit for the study of the full-length core salvage by the NMR method ("NMR-Core") together with specialists of "TNG-Group" (a company providing maintenance services to oil companies). This unit is designed for the study of core material directly on the well, after removing it from the core receiver. The maximum diameter of the core sample may be up to 116 mm, its length (or length of the set of samples) may be up to 1000 mm. Positional precision of the core sample relative to the measurement system is 1 mm, and the spatial resolution along the axis of the core is 10 mm. Acquisition time of the 1 m core salvage varies depending on the mode of research and is at least 20 minutes. Furthermore, there is implemented a special investigation mode of the core samples with super small relaxation times (for example, heavy oil) is in the tool. The aim of this work is tracking of the NMR porosity changes in the full-size core salvage in time. There was used a water-saturated core salvage from the shallow educational well as a sample. The diameter of the studied core samples is 93 mm. There was selected several sections length of 1m from the 200-meter coring interval. The studied core samples are being measured several times. The time interval between the measurements is from 1 hour to 48 hours. Making the measurements it possible to draw conclusions about that the processes of NMR porosity changes in time as a result of evaporation of the part of fluid from the surface layer of the core salvage and suggest a core analysis technique directly on the well. This work is supported by the grant of Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (project No. 02.G25.31.0029).

National Undergraduate Medical Core Curriculum in Turkey: Evaluation of Residents

PubMed Central

Budakoğlu, Işıl İrem; Coşkun, Özlem; Ergün, Mehmet Ali

2014-01-01

Background: There is very little information available on self-perceived competence levels of junior medical doctors with regard to definitions by the National Core Curriculum (NCC) for Undergraduate Medical Education. Aims: This study aims to determine the perceived level of competence of residents during undergraduate medical education within the context of the NCC. Study Design: Descriptive study. Methods: The survey was conducted between February 2010 and December 2011; the study population comprised 450 residents. Of this group, 318 (71%) participated in the study. Self-assessment questionnaires on competencies were distributed and residents were asked to assess their own competence in different domains by scoring them on a scale of 1 to 10. Results: Nearly half of the residents reported insufficient experience of putting clinical skills into practice when they graduated. In the theoretical part of NCC, the lowest competency score was reported for health-care administration, while the determination of level of chlorine in water, delivering babies, and conducting forensic examinations had the lowest perceived levels of competency in the clinical skills domain. Conclusion: Residents reported low levels of perceived competency in skills they rarely performed outside the university hospital. They were much more confident in skills they performed during their medical education. PMID:25207163

Optimization of Chitosan and Cellulose Acetate Phthalate Controlled Delivery of Methylprednisolone for Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PubMed

Jagdale, Swati; Chandekar, Apoorva

2017-06-01

Purpose: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing and often life-long disorder. The best way to tackle IBD is to develop a site targeted drug delivery. Methylprednisolone is a potent anti-inflammatory steroid. The relative potency of methylprednisolone to hydrocortisone is at least four is to one. The aim of the present research was to develop a colon targeted drug delivery for treatment of IBD. Methods: Compression coated drug delivery system was designed and optimised. Core tablet contained drug, croscarmellose sodium (CCS-superdisintegrant), avicel (binder) and dicalcium phosphate (diluent). Design of experiment with 3 2 factorial design was applied for optimization of compression coated delivery. Chitosan and cellulose acetate phthalate were chosen as independent variables. Swelling index, hardness and % drug release were dependant variables. Results: Core tablet (C5 batch) containing 2.15% CCS showed disintegration in less than 10sec. FTIR, UV and DSC study had shown absence of any significant physical and chemical interaction between drug and polymers. F8 was found to be optimised formulation. F8 contained 35% chitosan and 17.5% cellulose acetate phthalate. It showed drug release of 86.3% ± 6.1%, hardness 6.5 ± 1.5 and lag time 7 hrs. Simulated media drug release was 97.51 ± 8.6% with 7.5 hrs lag time. The results confirmed that the lag time was highly affected by the coating of the polymers as well as the concentration of the superdisintegrant used in core tablet. Conclusion: In-vitro and in-vivo results confirmed a potential colon targeted drug therapy for treatment of IBD.

Optimization of Chitosan and Cellulose Acetate Phthalate Controlled Delivery of Methylprednisolone for Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PubMed Central

Jagdale, Swati; Chandekar, Apoorva

2017-01-01

Purpose: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing and often life-long disorder. The best way to tackle IBD is to develop a site targeted drug delivery. Methylprednisolone is a potent anti-inflammatory steroid. The relative potency of methylprednisolone to hydrocortisone is at least four is to one. The aim of the present research was to develop a colon targeted drug delivery for treatment of IBD. Methods: Compression coated drug delivery system was designed and optimised. Core tablet contained drug, croscarmellose sodium (CCS-superdisintegrant), avicel (binder) and dicalcium phosphate (diluent). Design of experiment with 32 factorial design was applied for optimization of compression coated delivery. Chitosan and cellulose acetate phthalate were chosen as independent variables. Swelling index, hardness and % drug release were dependant variables. Results: Core tablet (C5 batch) containing 2.15% CCS showed disintegration in less than 10sec. FTIR, UV and DSC study had shown absence of any significant physical and chemical interaction between drug and polymers. F8 was found to be optimised formulation. F8 contained 35% chitosan and 17.5% cellulose acetate phthalate. It showed drug release of 86.3% ± 6.1%, hardness 6.5 ± 1.5 and lag time 7 hrs. Simulated media drug release was 97.51 ± 8.6% with 7.5 hrs lag time. The results confirmed that the lag time was highly affected by the coating of the polymers as well as the concentration of the superdisintegrant used in core tablet. Conclusion: In-vitro and in-vivo results confirmed a potential colon targeted drug therapy for treatment of IBD. PMID:28761822

Aero-acoustic performance comparison of core engine noise suppressors on NASA quiet engine C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomer, H. E.; Schaefer, J. W.

1977-01-01

The relative aero-acoustic effectiveness of two core engine suppressors, a contractor-designed suppressor delivered with the Quiet Engine, and a NASA-designed suppressor was evaluated. The NASA suppressor was tested with and without a splitter making a total of three configurations being reported in addition to the baseline hardwall case. The aerodynamic results are presented in terms of tailpipe pressure loss, corrected net thrust, and corrected specific fuel consumption as functions of engine power setting. The acoustic results are divided into duct and far-field acoustic data. The NASA-designed core suppressor did the better job of suppressing aft end noise, but the splitter associated with it caused a significant engine performance penality. The NASA core suppressor without the spltter suppressed most of the core noise without any engine performance penalty.

Optimal design for crosstalk analysis in 12-core 5-LP mode homogeneous multicore fiber for different lattice structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dablu; Ranjan, Rakesh

2018-03-01

12-Core 5-LP mode homogeneous multicore fibers have been proposed for analysis of inter-core crosstalk and dispersion, with four different lattice structures (circular, 2-ring, square lattice, and triangular lattice) having cladding diameter of 200 μm and a fixed cladding thickness of 35 μm. The core-to-core crosstalk impact has been studied numerically with respect to bending radius, core pitch, transmission distance, wavelength, and core diameter for all 5-LP modes. In anticipation of further reduction in crosstalk levels, the trench-assisted cores have been incorporated for all respective designs. Ultra-low crosstalk (-138 dB/100 km) has been achieved through the triangular lattice arrangement, with trench depth Δ2 = -1.40% for fundamental (LP01) mode. It has been noted that the impact of mode polarization on crosstalk behavior is minor, with difference in crosstalk levels between two polarized spatial modes as ≤0.2 dB. Moreover, the optimized cladding diameter has been obtained for all 5-LP modes for a target value of crosstalk of -50 dB/100 km, with all the core arrangements. The dispersion characteristic has also been analyzed with respect to wavelength, which is nearly 2.5 ps/nm km at operating wavelength 1550 nm. The relative core multiplicity factor (RCMF) for the proposed design is obtained as 64.

The use of modified scaling factors in the design of high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Jared Williams; Dvorak, Steven L.; Sternberg, Ben K.

2010-10-01

In this paper, we develop a technique for designing high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas by using simple modified scale factors rather than running labor-intensive numerical models. By using modified scale factors, a designer can predict changes in magnetic moment, inductance, core series loss resistance, etc. We define modified scale factors as the case when all physical dimensions of the rod antenna are scaled by p, except for the cross-sectional area of the individual wires or strips that are used to construct the core. This allows one to make measurements on a scaled-down version of the rod antenna using the same core material that will be used in the final antenna design. The modified scale factors were derived from prolate spheroidal analytical expressions for a finite-length rod antenna and were verified with experimental results. The modified scaling factors can only be used if the magnetic flux densities within the two scaled cores are the same. With the magnetic flux density constant, the two scaled cores will operate with the same complex permeability, thus changing the non-linear problem to a quasi-linear problem. We also demonstrate that by holding the number of turns times the drive current constant, while changing the number of turns, the inductance and core series loss resistance change by the number of turns squared. Experimental measurements were made on rod cores made from varying diameters of black oxide, low carbon steel wires and different widths of Metglas foil. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the modified scale factors work even in the presence of eddy currents within the core material.

An Application of Structural Equation Modeling for Developing Good Teaching Characteristics Ontology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phiakoksong, Somjin; Niwattanakul, Suphakit; Angskun, Thara

2013-01-01

Ontology is a knowledge representation technique which aims to make knowledge explicit by defining the core concepts and their relationships. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is a statistical technique which aims to explore the core factors from empirical data and estimates the relationship between these factors. This article presents an…

Core Aims for Three Credits of First-Year Communications: Written Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Alexandra

2008-01-01

The objective of this project is to establish a statement of core aims for first-year Communications writing courses that will serve to: (1) Facilitate the process of establishing equivalence of existing and future Communications courses for transfer purposes; (2) Address evolving challenges to the existing transfer and articulation process,…

Vibration Characteristics Determined for Stainless Steel Sandwich Panels With a Metal Foam Core for Lightweight Fan Blade Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghosn, Louis J.; Min, James B.; Raj, Sai V.; Lerch, Bradley A.; Holland, Frederic A., Jr.

2004-01-01

The goal of this project at the NASA Glenn Research Center is to provide fan materials that are safer, weigh less, and cost less than the currently used titanium alloy or polymer matrix composite fans. The proposed material system is a sandwich fan construction made up of thin solid face sheets and a lightweight metal foam core. The stiffness of the sandwich structure is increased by separating the two face sheets by the foam layer. The resulting structure has a high stiffness and lighter weight in comparison to the solid facesheet material alone. The face sheets carry the applied in-plane and bending loads (ref. 1). The metal foam core must resist the transverse shear and transverse normal loads, as well as keep the facings supported and working as a single unit. Metal foams have ranges of mechanical properties, such as light weight, impact resistance, and vibration suppression (ref. 2), which makes them more suitable for use in lightweight fan structures. Metal foams have been available for decades (refs. 3 and 4), but the difficulties in the original processes and high costs have prevented their widespread use. However, advances in production techniques and cost reduction have created a new interest in this class of materials (ref. 5). The material chosen for the face sheet and the metal foam for this study was the aerospace-grade stainless steel 17-4PH. This steel was chosen because of its attractive mechanical properties and the ease with which it can be made through the powder metallurgy process (ref. 6). The advantages of a metal foam core, in comparison to a typical honeycomb core, are material isotropy and the ease of forming complex geometries, such as fan blades. A section of a 17-4PH sandwich structure is shown in the following photograph. Part of process of designing any blade is to determine the natural frequencies of the particular blade shape. A designer needs to predict the resonance frequencies of a new blade design to properly identify a useful operating range. Operating a blade at or near the resonance frequencies leads to high-cycle fatigue, which ultimately limits the blade's durability and life. So the aim of this study is to determine the variation of the resonance frequencies for an idealized sandwich blade as a function of its face-sheet thickness, core thickness, and foam density. The finite element method is used to determine the natural frequencies for an idealized rectangular sandwich blade. The proven Lanczos method (ref. 7) is used in the study to extract the natural frequency.

An Introduction to the Development of a Product Brand: An Evidence-Based Template for Use with First Year Undergraduate Industrial Designers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torrens, George Edward; Badni, Kevin; Hurn, Karl; Storer, Ian James

2015-01-01

The manipulation of colour, form and texture within a commercial design activity is a core competency for an industrial designer. The job of the Industrial designer is to use colour, form, texture, temperature and movement to deliver a sensory experience that evokes a desired response. The core deliverables of an industrial designer are embedded…

Investigation of Abnormal Heat Transfer and Flow in a VHTR Reactor Core

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

Kawaji, Masahiro; Valentin, Francisco I.; Artoun, Narbeh

2015-12-21

The main objective of this project was to identify and characterize the conditions under which abnormal heat transfer phenomena would occur in a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) with a prismatic core. High pressure/high temperature experiments have been conducted to obtain data that could be used for validation of VHTR design and safety analysis codes. The focus of these experiments was on the generation of benchmark data for design and off-design heat transfer for forced, mixed and natural circulation in a VHTR core. In particular, a flow laminarization phenomenon was intensely investigated since it could give rise to hot spotsmore » in the VHTR core.« less

REACTOR CONTROL DEVICE

DOEpatents

Graham, R.H.

1962-09-01

A wholly mechanical compact control device is designed for automatically rendering the core of a fission reactor subcritical in response to core temperatures in excess of the design operating temperature limit. The control device comprises an expansible bellows interposed between the base of a channel in a reactor core and the inner end of a fuel cylinder therein which is normally resiliently urged inwardly. The bellows contains a working fluid which undergoes a liquid to vapor phase change at a temperature substantially equal to the design temperature limit. Hence, the bellows abruptiy expands at this limiting temperature to force the fuel cylinder outward and render the core subcritical. The control device is particularly applicable to aircraft propulsion reactor service. (AEC)

Geophysical, geochemical, and geological investigations of the Dunes geothermal system, Imperial Valley, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elders, W. A.; Combs, J.; Coplen, T. B.; Kolesar, P.; Bird, D. K.

1974-01-01

The Dunes anomaly is a water-dominated geothermal system in the alluvium of the Salton Trough, lacking any surface expression. It was discovered by shallow-temperature gradient measurements. A 612-meter-deep test well encountered several temperature-gradient reversals, with a maximum of 105 C at 114 meters. The program involves surface geophysics, including electrical, gravity, and seismic methods, down-hole geophysics and petrophysics of core samples, isotopic and chemical studies of water samples, and petrological and geochemical studies of the cores and cuttings. The aim is (1) to determine the source and temperature history of the brines, (2) to understand the interaction between the brines and rocks, and (3) to determine the areal extent, nature, origin, and history of the geothermal system. These studies are designed to provide better definition of exploration targets for hidden geothermal anomalies and to contribute to improved techniques of exploration and resource assessment.

Forced orthodontic extrusion and use of CAD/CAM for reconstruction of grossly destructed crown: A multidisciplinary approach

PubMed Central

Kumar, Rahul; Patil, Suvarna

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to present a report of a case where forced orthodontic extrusion and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technique was used for reconstruction of right maxillary central incisor with grossly destructed crown. Aesthetic rehabilitation of a fractured maxillary right central incisor was performed employing a multidisciplinary approach i.e. conventional endodontic treatment followed by orthodontic extrusion and final restoration using CAD-CAM and one piece milled zirconia post and core with full coverage zirconia crown. After the procedure being completed, periapical radiographs taken at 3 month follow up period demonstrated that the post and core remained well adapted to post space and there was a complete healing of periapical lesion. This technique can provide a complete aesthetic rehabilitation of a grossly destructed tooth without hampering the biological width and thus has a better prognosis. PMID:22557823

Meeting report: advancing practical applications of biodiversity ontologies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We describe the outcomes of three recent workshops aimed at advancing development of the Biological Collections Ontology (BCO), the Population and Community Ontology (PCO), and tools to annotate data using those and other ontologies. The first workshop gathered use cases to help grow the PCO, agreed upon a format for modeling challenging concepts such as ecological niche, and developed ontology design patterns for defining collections of organisms and population-level phenotypes. The second focused on mapping datasets to ontology terms and converting them to Resource Description Framework (RDF), using the BCO. To follow-up, a BCO hackathon was held concurrently with the 16th Genomics Standards Consortium Meeting, during which we converted additional datasets to RDF, developed a Material Sample Core for the Global Biodiversity Information Framework, created a Web Ontology Language (OWL) file for importing Darwin Core classes and properties into BCO, and developed a workflow for converting biodiversity data among formats.

A theoretical model to describe progressions and regressions for exercise rehabilitation.

PubMed

Blanchard, Sam; Glasgow, Phil

2014-08-01

This article aims to describe a new theoretical model to simplify and aid visualisation of the clinical reasoning process involved in progressing a single exercise. Exercise prescription is a core skill for physiotherapists but is an area that is lacking in theoretical models to assist clinicians when designing exercise programs to aid rehabilitation from injury. Historical models of periodization and motor learning theories lack any visual aids to assist clinicians. The concept of the proposed model is that new stimuli can be added or exchanged with other stimuli, either intrinsic or extrinsic to the participant, in order to gradually progress an exercise whilst remaining safe and effective. The proposed model maintains the core skills of physiotherapists by assisting clinical reasoning skills, exercise prescription and goal setting. It is not limited to any one pathology or rehabilitation setting and can adapted by any level of skilled clinician. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SMT-Aware Instantaneous Footprint Optimization

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

Roy, Probir; Liu, Xu; Song, Shuaiwen

Modern architectures employ simultaneous multithreading (SMT) to increase thread-level parallelism. SMT threads share many functional units and the whole memory hierarchy of a physical core. Without a careful code design, SMT threads can easily contend with each other for these shared resources, causing severe performance degradation. Minimizing SMT thread contention for HPC applications running on dedicated platforms is very challenging, because they usually spawn threads within Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) models. To address this important issue, we introduce a simple scheme for SMT-aware code optimization, which aims to reduce the memory contention across SMT threads.

Electronics for the STEREO experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

HÉLAINE, Victor; STEREO Collaboration

2017-09-01

The STEREO experiment, aiming to probe short baseline neutrino oscillations by precisely measuring reactor anti-neutrino spectrum, is currently under installation. It is located at short distance from the compact research reactor core of the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France. Dedicated electronics, hosted in a single µTCA crate, were designed for this experiment. In this article, the electronics requirements, architecture and the performances achieved are described. It is shown how intrinsic Pulse Shape Discrimination properties of the liquid scintillator are preserved and how custom adaptable logic is used to improve the muon veto efficiency.

Full 3D visualization tool-kit for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport codes

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

Frambati, S.; Frignani, M.

2012-07-01

We propose a package of tools capable of translating the geometric inputs and outputs of many Monte Carlo and deterministic radiation transport codes into open source file formats. These tools are aimed at bridging the gap between trusted, widely-used radiation analysis codes and very powerful, more recent and commonly used visualization software, thus supporting the design process and helping with shielding optimization. Three main lines of development were followed: mesh-based analysis of Monte Carlo codes, mesh-based analysis of deterministic codes and Monte Carlo surface meshing. The developed kit is considered a powerful and cost-effective tool in the computer-aided design formore » radiation transport code users of the nuclear world, and in particular in the fields of core design and radiation analysis. (authors)« less

The Effects of Q-Matrix Design on Classification Accuracy in the Log-Linear Cognitive Diagnosis Model.

PubMed

Madison, Matthew J; Bradshaw, Laine P

2015-06-01

Diagnostic classification models are psychometric models that aim to classify examinees according to their mastery or non-mastery of specified latent characteristics. These models are well-suited for providing diagnostic feedback on educational assessments because of their practical efficiency and increased reliability when compared with other multidimensional measurement models. A priori specifications of which latent characteristics or attributes are measured by each item are a core element of the diagnostic assessment design. This item-attribute alignment, expressed in a Q-matrix, precedes and supports any inference resulting from the application of the diagnostic classification model. This study investigates the effects of Q-matrix design on classification accuracy for the log-linear cognitive diagnosis model. Results indicate that classification accuracy, reliability, and convergence rates improve when the Q-matrix contains isolated information from each measured attribute.

Gas core reactors for actinide transmutation and breeder applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, J. D.; Rust, J. H.

1978-01-01

This work consists of design power plant studies for four types of reactor systems: uranium plasma core breeder, uranium plasma core actinide transmuter, UF6 breeder and UF6 actinide transmuter. The plasma core systems can be coupled to MHD generators to obtain high efficiency electrical power generation. A 1074 MWt UF6 breeder reactor was designed with a breeding ratio of 1.002 to guard against diversion of fuel. Using molten salt technology and a superheated steam cycle, an efficiency of 39.2% was obtained for the plant and the U233 inventory in the core and heat exchangers was limited to 105 Kg. It was found that the UF6 reactor can produce high fluxes (10 to the 14th power n/sq cm-sec) necessary for efficient burnup of actinide. However, the buildup of fissile isotopes posed severe heat transfer problems. Therefore, the flux in the actinide region must be decreased with time. Consequently, only beginning-of-life conditions were considered for the power plant design. A 577 MWt UF6 actinide transmutation reactor power plant was designed to operate with 39.3% efficiency and 102 Kg of U233 in the core and heat exchanger for beginning-of-life conditions.

Core stability exercises for low back pain in athletes: a systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Stuber, Kent J; Bruno, Paul; Sajko, Sandy; Hayden, Jill A

2014-11-01

The aim of this study was to systematically review the evidence for the effectiveness of core stability exercises for treating athletes with low back pain (LBP). We searched several databases (Medline, AMED, CINAHL, SportDiscus, and EMBASE). Our eligibility criteria consisted of articles published in a peer-reviewed journal in English, using any prospective clinical study design, where athletes with nonspecific LBP were treated with core stability exercises in at least 1 study arm, and back pain intensity and/or disability were used as outcome measures. All included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, whereas non-RCT studies were assessed for quality using the Downs and Black checklist. Five studies including 151 participants met the inclusion criteria, including 2 RCTs. The quality of the literature on this topic was deemed to be low overall, with only 1 non-RCT having a moderate quality score, and 1 RCT having a lower risk of bias. Four studies reported statistically significant decreases in back pain intensity in their core stability intervention group. The quantity and quality of literature on the use of core stability exercises for treating LBP in athletes is low. The existing evidence has been conducted on small and heterogeneous study populations using interventions that vary drastically with only mixed results and short-term follow-up. This precludes the formulation of strong conclusions, and additional high quality research is clearly needed.

Wireline-rotary air coring of the Bandelier Tuff, Los Alamos, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Teasdale, W.E.; Pemberton, R.R.

1984-01-01

This paper describes experiments using wireline-rotary air-coring techniques conducted in the Bandelier Tuff using a modified standard wireline core-barrel system. The modified equipment was used to collect uncontaminated cores of unconsolidated ash and indurated tuff at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Core recovery obtained from the 210-foot deep test hole was about 92 percent. A standard HQ-size, triple-tube wireline core barrel (designed for the passage of liquid drilling fluids) was modified for air coring as follows: (1) Air passages were milled in the latch body part of the head assembly; (2) the inside dimension of the outer core barrel tube was machined and honed to provide greater clearance between the inner and outer barrels; (3) oversized reaming devices were added to the outer core barrel and the coring bit to allow more clearance for air and cuttings return; (4) the eight discharge ports in the coring bit were enlarged. To control airborne-dust pollution, a dust-and-cuttings discharge subassembly, designed and built by project personnel, was used. (USGS)

Design of air-gapped magnetic-core inductors for superimposed direct and alternating currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohri, A. K.; Wilson, T. G.; Owen, H. A., Jr.

1976-01-01

Using data on standard magnetic-material properties and standard core sizes for air-gap-type cores, an algorithm designed for a computer solution is developed which optimally determines the air-gap length and locates the quiescent point on the normal magnetization curve so as to yield an inductor design with the minimum number of turns for a given ac voltage and frequency and with a given dc bias current superimposed in the same winding. Magnetic-material data used in the design are the normal magnetization curve and a family of incremental permeability curves. A second procedure, which requires a simpler set of calculations, starts from an assigned quiescent point on the normal magnetization curve and first screens candidate core sizes for suitability, then determines the required turns and air-gap length.

Development of innovative oil-core self-organized nanovesicles prepared with chitosan and lecithin using a 2(3) full-factorial design.

PubMed

Haas, Sandra Elisa; de Andrade, Cristiane; Sansone, Pedro Ernesto da Silva; Guterres, Silvia; Dalla Costa, Teresa

2014-11-01

The aim of this study was to develop innovative nanosystems with isopropyl myristate as the oil core of self-assembly nanovesicles constituted of chitosan and lecithin using a 2(3) factorial design. The factors analyzed were chitosan (X1, levels 4 and 8  mg/ml), oil (X2, levels 10 and 20  mg/ml) and lecithin (X3, levels 4 and 8 mg/ml). The responses evaluated were diameter, zeta potential, pH, viscosity, and backscattering analysis. The bioavailability was evaluated after oral administration of clozapine free and nanoencapsulated in rats. The diameter ranged from 0.348 to 1.5 µm for F2 (X1, 4; X2, 10; X3, 8 mg/ml) and F7 (X1, 8; X2, 20; X3, 4  mg/ml), respectively. Laser diffractometry analysis revealed only one diameter population for all batches. Zeta potential was positive, being influenced by X1 and X2/X3 association. Viscosity values were dependent on the X1 and X2 concentrations used. A structure proposed for the nanosystem consists of chitosan forming the hydrophilic shell layer that protects the core comprised of lecithin and the hydrophobic groups of oil. The AUC0-∞ was almost 3 times higher with the clozapine nanoencapsuted in relation to free drug. It was developed a new nanosystem which is able of improving the absorption of drugs.

An evaluation of MPI message rate on hybrid-core processors

DOE PAGES

Barrett, Brian W.; Brightwell, Ron; Grant, Ryan; ...

2014-11-01

Power and energy concerns are motivating chip manufacturers to consider future hybrid-core processor designs that may combine a small number of traditional cores optimized for single-thread performance with a large number of simpler cores optimized for throughput performance. This trend is likely to impact the way in which compute resources for network protocol processing functions are allocated and managed. In particular, the performance of MPI match processing is critical to achieving high message throughput. In this paper, we analyze the ability of simple and more complex cores to perform MPI matching operations for various scenarios in order to gain insightmore » into how MPI implementations for future hybrid-core processors should be designed.« less

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

Wagner, B.

A specially designed wire line retrievable continuous coring system cored its initial project wells to total depth in hard rock formations in less than half the time that would have been required by conventional coring rigs. The hybrid wire line coring systems have since been used on other wells in similar lithologies, with a total of 38,000 m (124,640 ft) of hole cored and with penetration rates averaging 2.27 m/hr (7.45 ft/hr). This paper reports that Parker Drilling Co. designed the hybrid rigs and has recently been contracted to wire line core several holes for oil and gas exploration inmore » the Congo. The first core hole has been completed to 1,490 m, and total depth was reached in 21 days. The rig is now being mobilized to a second hole in the Congo.« less

A Primer on Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Design

PubMed Central

Coppejans, Hugo H. G.; Myburgh, Herman C.

2015-01-01

There is a large amount of research currently being done on autonomous micro-aerial vehicles (MAV), such as quadrotor helicopters or quadcopters. The ability to create a working autonomous MAV depends mainly on integrating a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solution with the rest of the system. This paper provides an introduction for creating an autonomous MAV for enclosed environments, aimed at students and professionals alike. The standard autonomous system and MAV automation are discussed, while we focus on the core concepts of SLAM systems and trajectory planning algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of using remote processing are evaluated, and recommendations are made regarding the viability of on-board processing. Recommendations are made regarding best practices to serve as a guideline for aspirant MAV designers. PMID:26633410

A Primer on Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Design.

PubMed

Coppejans, Hugo H G; Myburgh, Herman C

2015-12-02

There is a large amount of research currently being done on autonomous micro-aerial vehicles (MAV), such as quadrotor helicopters or quadcopters. The ability to create a working autonomous MAV depends mainly on integrating a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solution with the rest of the system. This paper provides an introduction for creating an autonomous MAV for enclosed environments, aimed at students and professionals alike. The standard autonomous system and MAV automation are discussed, while we focus on the core concepts of SLAM systems and trajectory planning algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of using remote processing are evaluated, and recommendations are made regarding the viability of on-board processing. Recommendations are made regarding best practices to serve as a guideline for aspirant MAV designers.

The Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) - Plans and progress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, Paul N.

1987-01-01

The program history, scientific aims, design, and projected performance of the LDR, a 20-m-primary two-stage four-mirror orbiting sub-mm/FIR astronomical observatory under NASA development, are reviewed. It is shown that the LDR would provide capabilities complementary to those of IRAS, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, the IRTF, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the planned Space IR Telescope Facility for observations of small-scale background anisotropies, high-redshift galaxies, and objects at temperatures of a few times 10 K or lower. The current design concept is illustrated with extensive drawings, diagrams, and tables of instrument parameters. Particular attention is given to the graphite-epoxy facing and Al-honeycomb core of the primary structure, the focal-plane instruments, and outstanding technological problems.

Down-selection of candidate alloys for further testing of advanced replacement materials for LWR core internals

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

Was, Gary; Leonard, Keith J.; Tan, Lizhen

Life extension of the existing nuclear reactors imposes irradiation of high fluences to structural materials, resulting in significant challenges to the traditional reactor materials such as type 304 and 316 stainless steels. Advanced alloys with superior radiation resistance will increase safety margins, design flexibility, and economics for not only the life extension of the existing fleet but also new builds with advanced reactor designs. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) teamed up with Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program to initiate the Advanced Radiation Resistant Materials (ARRM) program, aiming to identify and develop advanced alloys with superiormore » degradation resistance in light water reactor (LWR)-relevant environments by 2024.« less

Core Components for a Clinically Integrated mHealth App for Asthma Symptom Monitoring.

PubMed

Rudin, Robert S; Fanta, Christopher H; Predmore, Zachary; Kron, Kevin; Edelen, Maria O; Landman, Adam B; Zimlichman, Eyal; Bates, David W

2017-10-01

Background mHealth apps may be useful tools for supporting chronic disease management. Objective Our aim was to apply user-centered design principles to efficiently identify core components for an mHealth-based asthma symptom–monitoring intervention using patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Methods We iteratively combined principles of qualitative research, user-centered design, and “gamification” to understand patients' and providers' needs, develop and refine intervention components, develop prototypes, and create a usable mobile app to integrate with clinical workflows. We identified anticipated benefits and burdens for stakeholders. Results We conducted 19 individual design sessions with nine adult patients and seven clinicians from an academic medical center (some were included multiple times). We identified four core intervention components: (1) Invitation—patients are invited by their physicians. (2) Symptom checks—patients receive weekly five-item questionnaires via the app with 48 hours to respond. Depending on symptoms, patients may be given the option to request a call from a nurse or receive one automatically. (3) Patient review—in the app, patients can view their self-reported data graphically. (4) In-person visit—physicians have access to patient-reported symptoms in the electronic health record (EHR) where they can review them before in-person visits. As there is currently no location in the EHR where physicians would consistently notice these data, recording a recent note was the best option. Benefits to patients may include helping decide when to call their provider and facilitating shared decision making. Benefits to providers may include saving time discussing symptoms. Provider organizations may need to pay nurses extra, but those costs may be offset by reduced visits and hospitalizations. Conclusion Recent systematic reviews show inconsistent outcomes and little insight into functionalities required for mHealth asthma interventions, highlighting the need for systematic intervention design. We identified specific features for adoption and engagement that meet the stated needs of users for asthma symptom monitoring.

Design of a fuel element for a lead-cooled fast reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, V.; Malambu, E.; Abderrahim, H. Aït

2009-03-01

The options of a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) of the fourth generation (GEN-IV) reactor with the electric power of 600 MW are investigated in the ELSY Project. The fuel selection, design and optimization are important steps of the project. Three types of fuel are considered as candidates: highly enriched Pu-U mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for the first core, the MOX containing between 2.5% and 5.0% of the minor actinides (MA) for next core and Pu-U-MA nitride fuel as an advanced option. Reference fuel rods with claddings made of T91 ferrite-martensitic steel and two alternative fuel assembly designs (one uses a closed hexagonal wrapper and the other is an open square variant without wrapper) have been assessed. This study focuses on the core variant with the closed hexagonal fuel assemblies. Based on the neutronic parameters provided by Monte-Carlo modeling with MCNP5 and ALEPH codes, simulations have been carried out to assess the long-term thermal-mechanical behaviour of the hottest fuel rods. A modified version of the fuel performance code FEMAXI-SCK-1, adapted for fast neutron spectrum, new fuels, cladding materials and coolant, was utilized for these calculations. The obtained results show that the fuel rods can withstand more than four effective full power years under the normal operation conditions without pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). In a variant with solid fuel pellets, a mild PCMI can appear during the fifth year, however, it remains at an acceptable level up to the end of operation when the peak fuel pellet burnup ∼80 MW d kg-1 of heavy metal (HM) and the maximum clad damage of about 82 displacements per atom (dpa) are reached. Annular pellets permit to delay PCMI for about 1 year. Based on the results of this simulation, further steps are envisioned for the optimization of the fuel rod design, aiming at achieving the fuel burnup of 100 MW d kg-1 of HM.

Flux harmonics in large SFR cores in relation with core characteristics such as power peaks

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

Rimpault, G.; Buiron, L.; Fontaine, B.

2013-07-01

Designing future Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR) requires enhancing their operational performance and reducing the probability to go into core disruption. As a consequence of these constraints, these novel reactors exhibit rather unusual features compared to past designs. The cores are much larger with rather flat shape. The consequences of that shape on the core characteristics deserve to be studied. The approach taken in this paper is to calculate the eigenvalue associated to the first harmonic and its associated flux. It is demonstrated that these values are linked to some core features, in particular, those sensitive to spatial effects such asmore » power peaks induced by the movement of control rods. The uncertainty associated to these characteristics is being tentatively studied and guidelines for further studied are being identified. In the development strategy of these new SFR designs, a first demonstration plant of limited installed power (around 1500 MWth) will have to be built first. Identifying the possibility of going later to higher power plants (around 3600 MWth) without facing new challenges is an important criterion for designing such a plant. That strategy is being studied, in this paper, focusing on some rather frequent initiator such as the inadvertent control rod withdrawal for different core sizes with the help of the perturbation theory and the flux harmonics. (authors)« less

Fabrication and Testing of a Modular Micro-Pocket Fission Detector Instrumentation System for Test Nuclear Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichenberger, Michael A.; Nichols, Daniel M.; Stevenson, Sarah R.; Swope, Tanner M.; Hilger, Caden W.; Roberts, Jeremy A.; Unruh, Troy C.; McGregor, Douglas S.

2018-01-01

Advancements in nuclear reactor core modeling and computational capability have encouraged further development of in-core neutron sensors. Measurement of the neutron-flux distribution within the reactor core provides a more complete understanding of the operating conditions in the reactor than typical ex-core sensors. Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors have been developed and tested previously but have been limited to single-node operation and have utilized highly specialized designs. The development of a widely deployable, multi-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector assembly will enhance nuclear research capabilities. A modular, four-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was designed, fabricated, and tested at Kansas State University. The array was constructed from materials that do not significantly perturb the neutron flux in the reactor core. All four sensor nodes were equally spaced axially in the array to span the fuel-region of the reactor core. The array was filled with neon gas, serving as an ionization medium in the small cavities of the Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors. The modular design of the instrument facilitates the testing and deployment of numerous sensor arrays. The unified design drastically improved device ruggedness and simplified construction from previous designs. Five 8-mm penetrations in the upper grid plate of the Kansas State University TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor were utilized to deploy the array between fuel elements in the core. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was coupled to an electronic support system which has been specially developed to support pulse-mode operation. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array composed of four sensors was used to monitor local neutron flux at a constant reactor power of 100 kWth at different axial locations simultaneously. The array was positioned at five different radial locations within the core to emulate the deployment of multiple arrays and develop a 2-dimensional measurement of neutron flux in the reactor core.

Design and Synthesis of Piperazine Sulfonamide Cores Leading to Highly Potent HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors.

PubMed

Bungard, Christopher J; Williams, Peter D; Schulz, Jurgen; Wiscount, Catherine M; Holloway, M Katharine; Loughran, H Marie; Manikowski, Jesse J; Su, Hua-Poo; Bennett, David J; Chang, Lehua; Chu, Xin-Jie; Crespo, Alejandro; Dwyer, Michael P; Keertikar, Kartik; Morriello, Gregori J; Stamford, Andrew W; Waddell, Sherman T; Zhong, Bin; Hu, Bin; Ji, Tao; Diamond, Tracy L; Bahnck-Teets, Carolyn; Carroll, Steven S; Fay, John F; Min, Xu; Morris, William; Ballard, Jeanine E; Miller, Michael D; McCauley, John A

2017-12-14

Using the HIV-1 protease binding mode of MK-8718 and PL-100 as inspiration, a novel aspartate binding bicyclic piperazine sulfonamide core was designed and synthesized. The resulting HIV-1 protease inhibitor containing this core showed an 60-fold increase in enzyme binding affinity and a 10-fold increase in antiviral activity relative to MK-8718 .

ACT-CCREC Core Research Program: Study Questions and Design. ACT Working Paper Series. WP-2015-01

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruce, Ty M.

2015-01-01

This report provides a non-technical overview of the guiding research questions and research design for the ACT-led core research program conducted on behalf of the GEAR UP College and Career Readiness Evaluation Consortium (CCREC). The core research program is a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of 14 GEAR UP state grants on the academic…

Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) / Emergency Core Coolant System (ECCS Evaluation of Risk-Informed Margins Management Strategies for a Representative Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

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

Szilard, Ronaldo Henriques

A Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) toolkit and methodology are proposed for investigating nuclear power plant core, fuels design and safety analysis, including postulated Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) analysis. This toolkit, under an integrated evaluation model framework, is name LOCA toolkit for the US (LOTUS). This demonstration includes coupled analysis of core design, fuel design, thermal hydraulics and systems analysis, using advanced risk analysis tools and methods to investigate a wide range of results.

Gfr Core Neutronics Studies at CEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosq, J. C.; Brun-Magaud, V.; Rimpault, G.; Tommasi, J.; Conti, A.; Garnier, J. C.

2006-04-01

The Gas cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) is a high priority in the CEA R&D program on Future Nuclear Energy Systems. After preliminary neutronics and thermo-aerolic studies, a first He-cooled 2400MWth core design based on a series of carbide CERCER plates arranged in an hexagonal wrapper were selected. Although GFR subassembly and core design studies are still at an early stage of development, it is nonetheless possible to identify a number of nuclear data needs that could have some impact on the actual design: new materials, decay heat contributors….

Which doctors and with what problems contact a specialist service for doctors? A cross sectional investigation.

PubMed

Garelick, Antony I; Gross, Samantha R; Richardson, Irene; von der Tann, Matthias; Bland, Julia; Hale, Rob

2007-08-28

In the United Kingdom, specialist treatment and intervention services for doctors are underdeveloped. The MedNet programme, created in 1997 and funded by the London Deanery, aims to fill this gap by providing a self-referral, face-to-face, psychotherapeutic assessment service for doctors in London and South-East England. MedNet was designed to be a low-threshold service, targeting doctors without formal psychiatric problems. The aim of this study was to delineate the characteristics of doctors utilising the service, to describe their psychological morbidity, and to determine if early intervention is achieved. A cross-sectional study including all consecutive self-referred doctors (n = 121, 50% male) presenting in 2002-2004 was conducted. Measures included standardised and bespoke questionnaires both self-report and clinician completed. The multi-dimensional evaluation included: demographics, CORE (CORE-OM, CORE-Workplace and CORE-A) an instrument designed to evaluate the psychological difficulties of patients referred to outpatient services, Brief Symptom Inventory to quantify caseness and formal psychiatric illness, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The most prevalent presenting problems included depression, anxiety, interpersonal, self-esteem and work-related issues. However, only 9% of the cohort were identified as severely distressed psychiatrically using this measure. In approximately 50% of the sample, problems first presented in the preceding year. About 25% were on sick leave at the time of consultation, while 50% took little or no leave in the prior 12 months. A total of 42% were considered to be at some risk of suicide, with more than 25% considered to have a moderate to severe risk. There were no significant gender differences in type of morbidity, severity or days off sick. Doctors displayed high levels of distress as reflected in the significant proportion of those who were at some risk of suicide; however, low rates of severe psychiatric illness were detected. These findings suggest that MedNet clients represent both ends of the spectrum of severity, enabling early clinical engagement for a significant proportion of cases that is of importance both in terms of personal health and protecting patient care, and providing a timely intervention for those who are at risk, a group for whom rapid intervention services are in need and an area that requires further investigation in the UK.

Thermal Hydraulics Design and Analysis Methodology for a Solid-Core Nuclear Thermal Rocket Engine Thrust Chamber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Ten-See; Canabal, Francisco; Chen, Yen-Sen; Cheng, Gary; Ito, Yasushi

2013-01-01

Nuclear thermal propulsion is a leading candidate for in-space propulsion for human Mars missions. This chapter describes a thermal hydraulics design and analysis methodology developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, in support of the nuclear thermal propulsion development effort. The objective of this campaign is to bridge the design methods in the Rover/NERVA era, with a modern computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer methodology, to predict thermal, fluid, and hydrogen environments of a hypothetical solid-core, nuclear thermal engine the Small Engine, designed in the 1960s. The computational methodology is based on an unstructured-grid, pressure-based, all speeds, chemically reacting, computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer platform, while formulations of flow and heat transfer through porous and solid media were implemented to describe those of hydrogen flow channels inside the solid24 core. Design analyses of a single flow element and the entire solid-core thrust chamber of the Small Engine were performed and the results are presented herein

Increasing Sequence Diversity with Flexible Backbone Protein Design: The Complete Redesign of a Protein Hydrophobic Core

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

Murphy, Grant S.; Mills, Jeffrey L.; Miley, Michael J.

2015-10-15

Protein design tests our understanding of protein stability and structure. Successful design methods should allow the exploration of sequence space not found in nature. However, when redesigning naturally occurring protein structures, most fixed backbone design algorithms return amino acid sequences that share strong sequence identity with wild-type sequences, especially in the protein core. This behavior places a restriction on functional space that can be explored and is not consistent with observations from nature, where sequences of low identity have similar structures. Here, we allow backbone flexibility during design to mutate every position in the core (38 residues) of a four-helixmore » bundle protein. Only small perturbations to the backbone, 12 {angstrom}, were needed to entirely mutate the core. The redesigned protein, DRNN, is exceptionally stable (melting point >140C). An NMR and X-ray crystal structure show that the side chains and backbone were accurately modeled (all-atom RMSD = 1.3 {angstrom}).« less

Silicon Nanophotonics for Many-Core On-Chip Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Moustafa

Number of cores in many-core architectures are scaling to unprecedented levels requiring ever increasing communication capacity. Traditionally, architects follow the path of higher throughput at the expense of latency. This trend has evolved into being problematic for performance in many-core architectures. Moreover, the trends of power consumption is increasing with system scaling mandating nontraditional solutions. Nanophotonics can address these problems, offering benefits in the three frontiers of many-core processor design: Latency, bandwidth, and power. Nanophotonics leverage circuit-switching flow control allowing low latency; in addition, the power consumption of optical links is significantly lower compared to their electrical counterparts at intermediate and long links. Finally, through wave division multiplexing, we can keep the high bandwidth trends without sacrificing the throughput. This thesis focuses on realizing nanophotonics for communication in many-core architectures at different design levels considering reliability challenges that our fabrication and measurements reveal. First, we study how to design on-chip networks for low latency, low power, and high bandwidth by exploiting the full potential of nanophotonics. The design process considers device level limitations and capabilities on one hand, and system level demands in terms of power and performance on the other hand. The design involves the choice of devices, designing the optical link, the topology, the arbitration technique, and the routing mechanism. Next, we address the problem of reliability in on-chip networks. Reliability not only degrades performance but can block communication. Hence, we propose a reliability-aware design flow and present a reliability management technique based on this flow to address reliability in the system. In the proposed flow reliability is modeled and analyzed for at the device, architecture, and system level. Our reliability management technique is superior to existing solutions in terms of power and performance. In fact, our solution can scale to thousand core with low overhead.

Design of a multi-center immunophenotyping analysis of peripheral blood, sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS).

PubMed

Freeman, Christine M; Crudgington, Sean; Stolberg, Valerie R; Brown, Jeanette P; Sonstein, Joanne; Alexis, Neil E; Doerschuk, Claire M; Basta, Patricia V; Carretta, Elizabeth E; Couper, David J; Hastie, Annette T; Kaner, Robert J; O'Neal, Wanda K; Paine, Robert; Rennard, Stephen I; Shimbo, Daichi; Woodruff, Prescott G; Zeidler, Michelle; Curtis, Jeffrey L

2015-01-27

Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcomes in COPD Study (SPIROMICS) is a multi-center longitudinal, observational study to identify novel phenotypes and biomarkers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a subset of 300 subjects enrolled at six clinical centers, we are performing flow cytometric analyses of leukocytes from induced sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and peripheral blood. To minimize several sources of variability, we use a "just-in-time" design that permits immediate staining without pre-fixation of samples, followed by centralized analysis on a single instrument. The Immunophenotyping Core prepares 12-color antibody panels, which are shipped to the six Clinical Centers shortly before study visits. Sputum induction occurs at least two weeks before a bronchoscopy visit, at which time peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage are collected. Immunostaining is performed at each clinical site on the day that the samples are collected. Samples are fixed and express shipped to the Immunophenotyping Core for data acquisition on a single modified LSR II flow cytometer. Results are analyzed using FACS Diva and FloJo software and cross-checked by Core scientists who are blinded to subject data. Thus far, a total of 152 sputum samples and 117 samples of blood and BAL have been returned to the Immunophenotyping Core. Initial quality checks indicate useable data from 126 sputum samples (83%), 106 blood samples (91%) and 91 BAL samples (78%). In all three sample types, we are able to identify and characterize the activation state or subset of multiple leukocyte cell populations (including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, B cells, monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils and eosinophils), thereby demonstrating the validity of the antibody panel. Our study design, which relies on bi-directional communication between clinical centers and the Core according to a pre-specified protocol, appears to reduce several sources of variability often seen in flow cytometric studies involving multiple clinical sites. Because leukocytes contribute to lung pathology in COPD, these analyses will help achieve SPIROMICS aims of identifying subgroups of patients with specific COPD phenotypes. Future analyses will correlate cell-surface markers on a given cell type with smoking history, spirometry, airway measurements, and other parameters. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT01969344 .

Core Today! Rationale and Implications. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vars, Gordon, Ed.; Larson, Craig, Ed.

This pamphlet is designed to help educators apply the core concept to current problems and situations in educational settings. The preface establishes the position of the National Association for Core Curriculum. A definition of the core curriculum concept is stated in the introduction. Ten assumptions and beliefs on which the core concept is…

The Earth's Core: How Does It Work? Perspectives in Science. Number 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.

Various research studies designed to enhance knowledge about the earth's core are discussed. Areas addressed include: (1) the discovery of the earth's core; (2) experimental approaches used in studying the earth's core (including shock-wave experiments and experiments at high static pressures), the search for the core's light elements, the…

Suspended core subwavelength fibers: towards practical designs for low-loss terahertz guidance.

PubMed

Rozé, Mathieu; Ung, Bora; Mazhorova, Anna; Walther, Markus; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

2011-05-09

In this work we report two designs of subwavelength fibers packaged for practical terahertz wave guiding. We describe fabrication, modeling and characterization of microstructured polymer fibers featuring a subwavelength-size core suspended in the middle of a large porous outer cladding. This design allows convenient handling of the subwavelength fibers without distorting their modal profile. Additionally, the air-tight porous cladding serves as a natural enclosure for the fiber core, thus avoiding the need for a bulky external enclosure for humidity-purged atmosphere. Fibers of 5 mm and 3 mm in outer diameters with a 150 µm suspended solid core and a 900 µm suspended porous core respectively, were obtained by utilizing a combination of drilling and stacking techniques. Characterization of the fiber optical properties and the subwavelength imaging of the guided modes were performed using a terahertz near-field microscopy setup. Near-field imaging of the modal profiles at the fiber output confirmed the effectively single-mode behavior of such waveguides. The suspended core fibers exhibit transmission from 0.10 THz to 0.27 THz (larger core), and from 0.25 THz to 0.51 THz (smaller core). Due to the large fraction of power that is guided in the holey cladding, fiber propagation losses as low as 0.02 cm(-1) are demonstrated specifically for the small core fiber. Low-loss guidance combined with the core isolated from environmental perturbations make these all-dielectric fibers suitable for practical terahertz imaging and sensing applications. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Energy efficient engine. Volume 1: Component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Technology for achieving lower installed fuel consumption and lower operating costs in future commercial turbofan engines are developed, evaluated, and demonstrated. The four program objectives are: (1) propulsion system analysis; (2) component analysis, design, and development; (3) core design, fabrication, and test; and (4) integrated core/low spoon design, fabrication, and test.

High Level Analysis, Design and Validation of Distributed Mobile Systems with CoreASM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahbod, R.; Glässer, U.; Jackson, P. J.; Vajihollahi, M.

System design is a creative activity calling for abstract models that facilitate reasoning about the key system attributes (desired requirements and resulting properties) so as to ensure these attributes are properly established prior to actually building a system. We explore here the practical side of using the abstract state machine (ASM) formalism in combination with the CoreASM open source tool environment for high-level design and experimental validation of complex distributed systems. Emphasizing the early phases of the design process, a guiding principle is to support freedom of experimentation by minimizing the need for encoding. CoreASM has been developed and tested building on a broad scope of applications, spanning computational criminology, maritime surveillance and situation analysis. We critically reexamine here the CoreASM project in light of three different application scenarios.

Core compressor exit stage study. 1: Aerodynamic and mechanical design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burdsall, E. A.; Canal, E., Jr.; Lyons, K. A.

1979-01-01

The effect of aspect ratio on the performance of core compressor exit stages was demonstrated using two three stage, highly loaded, core compressors. Aspect ratio was identified as having a strong influence on compressors endwall loss. Both compressors simulated the last three stages of an advanced eight stage core compressor and were designed with the same 0.915 hub/tip ratio, 4.30 kg/sec (9.47 1bm/sec) inlet corrected flow, and 167 m/sec (547 ft/sec) corrected mean wheel speed. The first compressor had an aspect ratio of 0.81 and an overall pressure ratio of 1.357 at a design adiabatic efficiency of 88.3% with an average diffusion factor or 0.529. The aspect ratio of the second compressor was 1.22 with an overall pressure ratio of 1.324 at a design adiabatic efficiency of 88.7% with an average diffusion factor of 0.491.

Analysis of the Gas Core Actinide Transmutation Reactor (GCATR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, J. D.; Rust, J. H.

1977-01-01

Design power plant studies were carried out for two applications of the plasma core reactor: (1) As a breeder reactor, (2) As a reactor able to transmute actinides effectively. In addition to the above applications the reactor produced electrical power with a high efficiency. A reactor subsystem was designed for each of the two applications. For the breeder reactor, neutronics calculations were carried out for a U-233 plasma core with a molten salt breeding blanket. A reactor was designed with a low critical mass (less than a few hundred kilograms U-233) and a breeding ratio of 1.01. The plasma core actinide transmutation reactor was designed to transmute the nuclear waste from conventional LWR's. The spent fuel is reprocessed during which 100% of Np, Am, Cm, and higher actinides are separated from the other components. These actinides are then manufactured as oxides into zirconium clad fuel rods and charged as fuel assemblies in the reflector region of the plasma core actinide transmutation reactor. In the equilibrium cycle, about 7% of the actinides are directly fissioned away, while about 31% are removed by reprocessing.

Methodes d'optimisation des parametres 2D du reflecteur dans un reacteur a eau pressurisee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerc, Thomas

With a third of the reactors in activity, the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) is today the most used reactor design in the world. This technology equips all the 19 EDF power plants. PWRs fit into the category of thermal reactors, because it is mainly the thermal neutrons that contribute to the fission reaction. The pressurized light water is both used as the moderator of the reaction and as the coolant. The active part of the core is composed of uranium, slightly enriched in uranium 235. The reflector is a region surrounding the active core, and containing mostly water and stainless steel. The purpose of the reflector is to protect the vessel from radiations, and also to slow down the neutrons and reflect them into the core. Given that the neutrons participate to the reaction of fission, the study of their behavior within the core is capital to understand the general functioning of how the reactor works. The neutrons behavior is ruled by the transport equation, which is very complex to solve numerically, and requires very long calculation. This is the reason why the core codes that will be used in this study solve simplified equations to approach the neutrons behavior in the core, in an acceptable calculation time. In particular, we will focus our study on the diffusion equation and approximated transport equations, such as SPN or S N equations. The physical properties of the reflector are radically different from those of the fissile core, and this structural change causes important tilt in the neutron flux at the core/reflector interface. This is why it is very important to accurately design the reflector, in order to precisely recover the neutrons behavior over the whole core. Existing reflector calculation techniques are based on the Lefebvre-Lebigot method. This method is only valid if the energy continuum of the neutrons is discretized in two energy groups, and if the diffusion equation is used. The method leads to the calculation of a homogeneous reflector. The aim of this study is to create a computational scheme able to compute the parameters of heterogeneous, multi-group reflectors, with both diffusion and SPN/SN operators. For this purpose, two computational schemes are designed to perform such a reflector calculation. The strategy used in both schemes is to minimize the discrepancies between a power distribution computed with a core code and a reference distribution, which will be obtained with an APOLLO2 calculation based on the method Method Of Characteristics (MOC). In both computational schemes, the optimization parameters, also called control variables, are the diffusion coefficients in each zone of the reflector, for diffusion calculations, and the P-1 corrected macroscopic total cross-sections in each zone of the reflector, for SPN/SN calculations (or correction factors on these parameters). After a first validation of our computational schemes, the results are computed, always by optimizing the fast diffusion coefficient for each zone of the reflector. All the tools of the data assimilation have been used to reflect the different behavior of the solvers in the different parts of the core. Moreover, the reflector is refined in six separated zones, corresponding to the physical structure of the reflector. There will be then six control variables for the optimization algorithms. [special characters omitted]. Our computational schemes are then able to compute heterogeneous, 2-group or multi-group reflectors, using diffusion or SPN/SN operators. The optimization performed reduces the discrepancies distribution between the power computed with the core codes and the reference power. However, there are two main limitations to this study: first the homogeneous modeling of the reflector assemblies doesn't allow to properly describe its physical structure near the core/reflector interface. Moreover, the fissile assemblies are modeled in infinite medium, and this model reaches its limit at the core/reflector interface. These two problems should be tackled in future studies. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Inter-Agency Perspectives on Core Group Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calder, Martin C.; Barratt, Mark

1997-01-01

Examined "core groups," a child-protective practice in Great Britain aimed at fostering professional cooperation. Surveyed school teachers, health visitors, and social workers about their respective roles and the management and tasks of core groups. Found conflicts in understanding of the system and roles, raising questions about the…

[Core muscle chains activation during core exercises determined by EMG-a systematic review].

PubMed

Rogan, Slavko; Riesen, Jan; Taeymans, Jan

2014-10-15

Good core muscles strength is essential for daily life and sports activities. However, the mechanism how core muscles may be effectively triggered by exercises is not yet precisely described in the literature. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the rate of activation as measured by electromyography of the ventral, lateral and dorsal core muscle chains during core (trunk) muscle exercises. A total of 16 studies were included. Exercises with a vertical starting position, such as the deadlift or squat activated significantly more core muscles than exercises in the horizontal initial position.

Flow characteristics of Korea multi-purpose research reactor

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

Heonil Kim; Hee Taek Chae; Byung Jin Jun

1995-09-01

The construction of Korea Multi-purpose Research Reactor (KMRR), a 30 MW{sub th} open-tank-in-pool type, is completed. Various thermal-hydraulic experiments have been conducted to verify the design characteristics of the KMRR. This paper describes the commissioning experiments to determine the flow distribution of KMRR core and the flow characteristics inside the chimney which stands on top of the core. The core flow is distributed to within {+-}6% of the average values, which is sufficiently flat in the sense that the design velocity in the fueled region is satisfied. The role of core bypass flow to confine the activated core coolant inmore » the chimney structure is confirmed.« less

Longer biopsy cores do not increase prostate cancer detection rate: A large-scale cohort study refuting cut-off values indicated in the literature

PubMed Central

Yılmaz, Hasan; Yavuz, Ufuk; Üstüner, Murat; Çiftçi, Seyfettin; Yaşar, Hikmet; Müezzinoğlu, Bahar; Uslubaş, Ali Kemal; Dillioğlugil, Özdal

2017-01-01

Objective Only a few papers in the literature aimed to evaluate biopsy core lengths. Additionally, studies evaluated the core length with different approaches. We aimed to determine whether prostate cancer (PCa) detection is affected from core lengths according to three different approaches in a large standard cohort and compare our cut-off values with the published cut-offs. Material and methods We retrospectively analyzed 1,523 initial consecutive transrectal ultrasound-guided 12-core prostate biopsies. Biopsies were evaluated with respect to total core length (total length of each patients’ core) average core length (total core length divided by total number of cores in each patient), and mean core length (mean length of all cores pooled), and compared our cut-off values with the published cut-offs. The prostate volumes were categorized into four groups (<30, 30–59.99, 60–119.99, ≥120 cm3) and PCa detection rates in these categories were examined. Results PCa was found in 41.5% patients. There was no difference between benign and malignant mean core lengths of the pooled cores (p>0.05). Total core length and average core length were not significantly associated with PCa in multivariate logistic regression analyses (p>0.05). The core lengths (mean, average and total core lengths) increased (p<0.001) and PCa rates decreased (p<0.001) steadily with increasing prostate volume categories. PCa percentages decreased in all categories above the utilized cut-offs for mean (p>0.05), average (p<0.05), and total core lengths (p>0.05). Conclusion There was no difference between mean core lengths of benign and malignant cores. Total core length and average core length were not significantly associated with PCa. Contrary to the cut-offs used for mean and average core lengths in the published studies, PCa rates decrease as these core lengths increase. Larger studies are necessary for the determination and acceptance of accurate cut-offs. PMID:28861301

Sex networking of young men who have sex with men in densely connected saunas in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Poon, Chin Man; Lee, Shui Shan

2013-12-01

Some men who have sex with men (MSM) meet and have sex with male partners at gay saunas, the connections between which are little explored for designing HIV prevention measures. This study aims to describe the network configuration of gay saunas and explore its relationship with risk behavior of MSM in the respective sauna communities, in the city of Hong Kong. Using venue-based sampling, 205 MSM were recruited in 8 saunas in July 2011 for a cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire survey. A network of saunas was constructed based on the proportion of clients shared between them. Core saunas with higher intensity of linkages were delineated from core-periphery analysis. Men who have sex with men in core saunas were compared with those in peripheral ones in terms of their demographics and risk behavioral profiles. Eight core saunas were differentiated from a highly connected sauna network, consisting of 13 saunas with a diameter of 2. Men who have sex with men visiting core saunas were more likely to be younger and users of the Internet for sex networking (odds ratio, 5.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.84-16.01). On average, they visited 1.7 saunas and had 2.6 sauna partners over a 1-month period, which were both significantly higher than those for MSM in peripheral saunas. However, there was no association between having unprotected anal sex and visiting core saunas. Sauna affiliation patterns were age dependent and geographically related. Saunas were not homogeneously connected with each other. Prioritization may be considered so that public health interventions can be targeted at saunas in denser networks. An assortative mixing in age among MSM in sauna community informs planning for client-specific venue-based prevention programs.

Utilization of thorium and U-ZrH1.6 fuels in various heterogeneous cores for TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damahuri, Abdul Hannan Bin; Mohamed, Hassan; Aziz Mohamed, Abdul; Idris, Faridah

2018-01-01

The use of thorium as nuclear fuel has been an appealing prospect for many years and will be great significance to nuclear power generation. There is an increasing need for more research on thorium as Malaysian government is currently active in the national Thorium Flagship Project, which was launched in 2014. The thorium project, which is still in phase 1, focuses on the research and development of the thorium extraction from mineral processing ore. Thus, the aim of the study is to investigate other alternative TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP) core designs that can fully utilize thorium. Currently, the RTP reactor has an average neutron flux of 2.797 x 1012 cm-2/s-1 and an effective multiplication factor, k eff, of 1.001. The RTP core has a circular array core configuration with six circular rings. Each ring consists of 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 or 36 U-ZrH1.6 fuel rods. There are three main type of uranium weight, namely 8.5, 12 and 20 wt.%. For this research, uranium zirconium hydride (U-ZrH1.6) fuel rods in the RTP core were replaced by thorium (ThO2) fuel rods. Seven core configurations with different thorium fuel rods placements were modelled in a 2D structure and simulated using Monte Carlo n-particle (MCNPX) code. Results show that the highest initial criticality obtained is around 1.35101. Additionally there is a significant discrepancy between results from previous study and the work because of the large estimated leakage probability of approximately 21.7% and 2D model simplification.

Nevirapine Loaded Core Shell Gold Nanoparticles by Double Emulsion Solvent Evaporation: In vitro and In vivo Evaluation.

PubMed

Dalvi, Bhagyashree R; Siddiqui, Ejaz A; Syed, Asad S; Velhal, Shilpa M; Ahmad, Absar; Bandivdekar, Atmaram B; Devarajan, Padma V

2016-01-01

HIV/AIDS is a macrophage resident infection localized in the reticuloendothelial system and remote locations of brain and bone marrow. We present core shell nanoparticles of gold(AuNPs) and nevirapine(NVP) for targeted delivery to the multiple HIV reservoirs. The aim of the study was to design core shell NVP loaded AuNPs with high drug loading and to evaluate biodistribution of the nanoparticles in possible HIV reservoirs in vivo. A specific objective was to assess the possible synergy of AuNPs with NVP on anti-HIV activity in vitro. Core shell nanoparticles were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterized. Glyceryl monostearate-nevirapine-gold nanoparticles(GMS-NVP-AuNPs) revealed high entrapment efficiency (>70%), high loading (~40%), particle size <250 nm and zeta potential -35.9± 1.41mv and exhibited sustained release with good stability. Surface plasmon resonance indicated shell formation while SEM coupled EDAX confirmed the presence of Au. TEM confirmed formation of spherical core shell nanoparticles. GMS-NVP-AuNPs revealed low hemolysis (<10 %) and serum stability upto 6 h. GMS-NVP-AuNPs exhibited rapid, high and sustained accumulation in the possible HIV reservoir organs, including the major organs of liver, spleen, lymph nodes, thymus and also remote locations of brain, ovary and bone marrow. High cell viability and enhanced uptake in PBMC's and TZM-bl cells were observed. While uptake in PBMC's proposed monocytes/macrophages enabled brain delivery. GMS-NVP-AuNPs demonstrated synergistic anti-HIV activity. The superior anti-HIV activity in vitro coupled with extensive localization of the nanoparticles in multiple HIV reservoirs suggests great promise of the core shell GMS-NVP-AuNPs for improved therapy of HIV.

Experimental Study of the Compression Response of Fluted-Core Composite Panels with Joints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Marc R.; Rose, Cheryl A.; Guzman, J. Carlos; McCarville, Douglas; Hilburger, Mark W.

2012-01-01

Fluted-core sandwich composites consist of integral angled web members spaced between laminate face sheets, and may have the potential to provide benefits over traditional sandwich composites for certain aerospace applications. However, fabrication of large autoclave-cured fluted-core cylindrical shells with existing autoclaves will require that the shells be fabricated in segments, and joined longitudinally to form a complete barrel. Two different longitudinal fluted-core joint designs were considered experimentally in this study. In particular, jointed fluted-core-composite panels were tested in longitudinal compression because longitudinal compression is the primary loading condition in dry launch-vehicle barrel sections. One of the joint designs performed well in comparison with unjointed test articles, and the other joint design failed at loads approximately 14% lower than unjointed test articles. The compression-after-impact (CAI) performance of jointed fluted-core composites was also investigated by testing test articles that had been subjected to 6 ft-lb impacts. It was found that such impacts reduced the load-carrying capability by 9% to 40%. This reduction is dependent on the joint concept, component flute size, and facesheet thickness.

Virtual Design Method for Controlled Failure in Foldcore Sandwich Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturm, Ralf; Fischer, S.

2015-12-01

For certification, novel fuselage concepts have to prove equivalent crashworthiness standards compared to the existing metal reference design. Due to the brittle failure behaviour of CFRP this requirement can only be fulfilled by a controlled progressive crash kinematics. Experiments showed that the failure of a twin-walled fuselage panel can be controlled by a local modification of the core through-thickness compression strength. For folded cores the required change in core properties can be integrated by a modification of the fold pattern. However, the complexity of folded cores requires a virtual design methodology for tailoring the fold pattern according to all static and crash relevant requirements. In this context a foldcore micromodel simulation method is presented to identify the structural response of a twin-walled fuselage panels with folded core under crash relevant loading condition. The simulations showed that a high degree of correlation is required before simulation can replace expensive testing. In the presented studies, the necessary correlation quality could only be obtained by including imperfections of the core material in the micromodel simulation approach.

System-level protection and hardware Trojan detection using weighted voting.

PubMed

Amin, Hany A M; Alkabani, Yousra; Selim, Gamal M I

2014-07-01

The problem of hardware Trojans is becoming more serious especially with the widespread of fabless design houses and design reuse. Hardware Trojans can be embedded on chip during manufacturing or in third party intellectual property cores (IPs) during the design process. Recent research is performed to detect Trojans embedded at manufacturing time by comparing the suspected chip with a golden chip that is fully trusted. However, Trojan detection in third party IP cores is more challenging than other logic modules especially that there is no golden chip. This paper proposes a new methodology to detect/prevent hardware Trojans in third party IP cores. The method works by gradually building trust in suspected IP cores by comparing the outputs of different untrusted implementations of the same IP core. Simulation results show that our method achieves higher probability of Trojan detection over a naive implementation of simple voting on the output of different IP cores. In addition, experimental results show that the proposed method requires less hardware overhead when compared with a simple voting technique achieving the same degree of security.

The concept lens diagram: a new mechanism for presenting biochemistry content in terms of "big ideas".

PubMed

Rowland, Susan L; Smith, Christopher A; Gillam, Elizabeth M A; Wright, Tony

2011-07-01

A strong, recent movement in tertiary education is the development of conceptual, or "big idea" teaching. The emphasis in course design is now on promoting key understandings, core competencies, and an understanding of connections between different fields. In biochemistry teaching, this radical shift from the content-based tradition is being driven by the "omics" information explosion; we can no longer teach all the information we have available. Biochemistry is a core, enabling discipline for much of modern scientific research, and biochemistry teaching is in urgent need of a method for delivery of conceptual frameworks. In this project, we aimed to define the key concepts in biochemistry. We find that the key concepts we defined map well onto the core science concepts recommended by the Vision and Change project. We developed a new method to present biochemistry through the lenses of these concepts. This new method challenged the way we thought about biochemistry as teachers. It also stimulated the majority of the students to think more deeply about biochemistry and to make links between biochemistry and material in other courses. This method is applicable to the full spectrum of content usually taught in biochemistry. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification and characterization of the highly polymorphic locus D14S739 in the Han Chinese population

PubMed Central

Shao, Chengchen; Zhang, Yaqi; Zhou, Yueqin; Zhu, Wei; Xu, Hongmei; Liu, Zhiping; Tang, Qiqun; Shen, Yiwen; Xie, Jianhui

2015-01-01

Aim To systemically select and evaluate short tandem repeats (STRs) on the chromosome 14 and obtain new STR loci as expanded genotyping markers for forensic application. Methods STRs on the chromosome 14 were filtered from Tandem Repeats Database and further selected based on their positions on the chromosome, repeat patterns of the core sequences, sequence homology of the flanking regions, and suitability of flanking regions in primer design. The STR locus with the highest heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC) was selected for further analysis of genetic polymorphism, forensic parameters, and the core sequence. Results Among 26 STR loci selected as candidates, D14S739 had the highest heterozygosity (0.8691) and PIC (0.8432), and showed no deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. 14 alleles were observed, ranging in size from 21 to 34 tetranucleotide units in the core region of (GATA)9-18 (GACA)7-12 GACG (GACA)2 GATA. Paternity testing showed no mutations. Conclusion D14S739 is a highly informative STR locus and could be a suitable genetic marker for forensic applications in the Han Chinese population. PMID:26526885

Nursing professional practice environments: setting the stage for constructive conflict resolution and work effectiveness.

PubMed

Siu, Heidi; Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Finegan, Joan

2008-05-01

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of nurses' perceived professional practice environment on their quality of nursing conflict management approaches and ultimately their perceptions of unit effectiveness from the perspective of Deutsch's theory of constructive conflict management. Rising reports of hostility and conflict among Canadian nurses are a concern to nurses' health and the viability of effective patient care delivery. However, research on the situational factors that influence nurses' ability to apply effective conflict resolution skills that lead to positive results in practice is limited. A nonexperimental, predictive design was used in a sample of 678 registered nurses working in community hospitals within a large metropolitan area in Ontario. The results supported a modified version of the hypothesized model [chi2(1) = 16.25, Goodness of Fit = 0.99, Comparative Fit Index = 0.98, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation = 0.15] linking professional practice environment and core self-evaluation to nurses' conflict management and, ultimately, unit effectiveness. Professional practice environment, conflict management, and core-self evaluation explained approximately 46.6% of the variance in unit effectiveness. Positive professional practice environments and high core self-evaluations predicted nurses' constructive conflict management and, in turn, greater unit effectiveness.

Analysis of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) ability of science teachers in planning and reflecting on environmental pollution content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwianingsih, W.; Mardiyah, A.

2018-05-01

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is a blend of content knowledge and pedagogy knowledge, which can illustrate the ability of teachers to design and to teach a content by accessing what they knows about the material, students, curriculum and how best to teach the content. Description of PCK ability of science teachers can be accessed through an analysis of their ability to plan and reflect on learning. This study aims to provide an overview of teachers’ PCK skills on environmental pollution materials through use of Content Representation (CoRe) and Pedagogical and Professional-experience Repertoires (PaP-eRs). Descriptive method used in this study with six of science teachers on 7th class from three different schools as subject. The results show that teachers’ PCK skills in planning through CoRe and reflecting through PaP-eRs are in fairly good category. The teacher’s ability in implementing environmental pollution learning materials is in good category. However, there is still a discrepancy between planning through CoRe and the implementation of classroom learning. The teacher’s PCK is influenced by teaching experience and educational background.

The French initiative for scientific cores virtual curating : a user-oriented integrated approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pignol, Cécile; Godinho, Elodie; Galabertier, Bruno; Caillo, Arnaud; Bernardet, Karim; Augustin, Laurent; Crouzet, Christian; Billy, Isabelle; Teste, Gregory; Moreno, Eva; Tosello, Vanessa; Crosta, Xavier; Chappellaz, Jérome; Calzas, Michel; Rousseau, Denis-Didier; Arnaud, Fabien

2016-04-01

Managing scientific data is probably one the most challenging issue in modern science. The question is made even more sensitive with the need of preserving and managing high value fragile geological sam-ples: cores. Large international scientific programs, such as IODP or ICDP are leading an intense effort to solve this problem and propose detailed high standard work- and dataflows thorough core handling and curating. However most results derived from rather small-scale research programs in which data and sample management is generally managed only locally - when it is … The national excellence equipment program (Equipex) CLIMCOR aims at developing French facilities for coring and drilling investigations. It concerns indiscriminately ice, marine and continental samples. As part of this initiative, we initiated a reflexion about core curating and associated coring-data management. The aim of the project is to conserve all metadata from fieldwork in an integrated cyber-environment which will evolve toward laboratory-acquired data storage in a near future. In that aim, our demarche was conducted through an close relationship with field operators as well laboratory core curators in order to propose user-oriented solutions. The national core curating initiative currently proposes a single web portal in which all scientifics teams can store their field data. For legacy samples, this will requires the establishment of a dedicated core lists with associated metadata. For forthcoming samples, we propose a mobile application, under Android environment to capture technical and scientific metadata on the field. This application is linked with a unique coring tools library and is adapted to most coring devices (gravity, drilling, percussion, etc...) including multiple sections and holes coring operations. Those field data can be uploaded automatically to the national portal, but also referenced through international standards or persistent identifiers (IGSN, ORCID and INSPIRE) and displayed in international portals (currently, NOAA's IMLGS). In this paper, we present the architecture of the integrated system, future perspectives and the approach we adopted to reach our goals. We will also present in front of our poster, one of the three mobile applications, dedicated more particularly to the operations of continental drillings.

Exploring mechanisms of change in schema therapy for chronic depression.

PubMed

Renner, Fritz; DeRubeis, Robert; Arntz, Arnoud; Peeters, Frenk; Lobbestael, Jill; Huibers, Marcus J H

2018-03-01

The underlying mechanisms of symptom change in schema therapy (ST) for chronic major depressive disorder (cMDD) have not been studied. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of two potentially important mechanisms of symptom change, maladaptive schemas (proxied by negative idiosyncratic core-beliefs) and the therapeutic alliance. We drew data from a single-case series of ST for cMDD. Patients with cMDD (N = 20) received on average 78 repeated weekly assessments over a course of up to 65 individual sessions of ST. Focusing on repeated assessments within-individuals, we used mixed regression to test whether change in core-beliefs and therapeutic alliance preceded, followed, or occurred concurrently with change in depressive symptoms. Changes in core-beliefs did not precede but were concurrently related to changes in symptoms. Repeated goal and task agreement ratings (specific aspects of alliance) of the same session, completed on separate days, were at least in part associated with concurrent changes in symptoms. By design this study had a small sample-size and no control group. Contrary to what would be expected based on theory, our findings suggest that change in core-beliefs does not precede change in symptoms. Instead, change in these variables occurs concurrently. Moreover, alliance ratings seem to be at least in part colored by changes in current mood state. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Core Knowledge Confusions among University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindeman, Marjaana; Svedholm, Annika M.; Takada, Mikito; Lonnqvist, Jan-Erik; Verkasalo, Markku

2011-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that university students hold several paranormal beliefs and that paranormal beliefs can be best explained with core knowledge confusions. The aim of this study was to explore to what extent university students confuse the core ontological attributes of lifeless material objects (e.g. a house, a stone), living…

Energy efficient engine. Core engine bearings, drives and configuration: Detailed design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broman, C. L.

1981-01-01

The detailed design of the forward and aft sumps, the accessory drive system, the lubrication system, and the piping/manifold configuration to be employed in the core engine test of the Energy Efficient Engine is addressed. The design goals for the above components were established based on the requirements of the test cell engine.

7 CFR 1755.903 - Fiber optic service entrance cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... group or core designs must consist of 12 fibers or less. (3) When threads or tapes are used as core...: Cable designs must meet the requirements of Part 7, Testing and Test Methods, of ICEA S-110-717... testing. (1) The tests described in this section are intended for acceptance of cable designs and major...

7 CFR 1755.903 - Fiber optic service entrance cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... group or core designs must consist of 12 fibers or less. (3) When threads or tapes are used as core...: Cable designs must meet the requirements of Part 7, Testing and Test Methods, of ICEA S-110-717... testing. (1) The tests described in this section are intended for acceptance of cable designs and major...

7 CFR 1755.903 - Fiber optic service entrance cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... group or core designs must consist of 12 fibers or less. (3) When threads or tapes are used as core...: Cable designs must meet the requirements of Part 7, Testing and Test Methods, of ICEA S-110-717... testing. (1) The tests described in this section are intended for acceptance of cable designs and major...

7 CFR 1755.902 - Minimum performance Specification for fiber optic cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... such a way as to form a cylindrical group. (2) The standard cylindrical group or core designs commonly consist of 4, 6, 12, 18, or 24 fibers. Cylindrical groups or core designs larger than the sizes shown...) Inner jackets. (1) For designs with more than one jacket, the inner jackets must be applied directly...

7 CFR 1755.902 - Minimum performance Specification for fiber optic cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... such a way as to form a cylindrical group. (2) The standard cylindrical group or core designs commonly consist of 4, 6, 12, 18, or 24 fibers. Cylindrical groups or core designs larger than the sizes shown...) Inner jackets. (1) For designs with more than one jacket, the inner jackets must be applied directly...

7 CFR 1755.902 - Minimum performance Specification for fiber optic cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... such a way as to form a cylindrical group. (2) The standard cylindrical group or core designs commonly consist of 4, 6, 12, 18, or 24 fibers. Cylindrical groups or core designs larger than the sizes shown...) Inner jackets. (1) For designs with more than one jacket, the inner jackets must be applied directly...

7 CFR 1755.902 - Minimum performance Specification for fiber optic cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... such a way as to form a cylindrical group. (2) The standard cylindrical group or core designs commonly consist of 4, 6, 12, 18, or 24 fibers. Cylindrical groups or core designs larger than the sizes shown...) Inner jackets. (1) For designs with more than one jacket, the inner jackets must be applied directly...

7 CFR 1755.902 - Minimum performance Specification for fiber optic cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... such a way as to form a cylindrical group. (2) The standard cylindrical group or core designs commonly consist of 4, 6, 12, 18, or 24 fibers. Cylindrical groups or core designs larger than the sizes shown...) Inner jackets. (1) For designs with more than one jacket, the inner jackets must be applied directly...

7 CFR 1755.903 - Fiber optic service entrance cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... group or core designs must consist of 12 fibers or less. (3) When threads or tapes are used as core...: Cable designs must meet the requirements of Part 7, Testing and Test Methods, of ICEA S-110-717... testing. (1) The tests described in this section are intended for acceptance of cable designs and major...

7 CFR 1755.903 - Fiber optic service entrance cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... group or core designs must consist of 12 fibers or less. (3) When threads or tapes are used as core...: Cable designs must meet the requirements of Part 7, Testing and Test Methods, of ICEA S-110-717... testing. (1) The tests described in this section are intended for acceptance of cable designs and major...

Design of Far-Red Sensitizing Squaraine Dyes Aiming Towards the Fine Tuning of Dye Molecular Structure.

PubMed

Morimoto, Takuya; Fujikawa, Naotaka; Ogomi, Yuhei; Pandey, Shyam S; Ma, Tingli; Hayase, Shuzi

2016-04-01

Model squaraine dyes having sharp and narrow absorptions mainly in the far-red wavelength region has been logically designed, synthesized and used for their application as sensitizer in the dyesensitized solar cells (DSSC). In order to have fine control on energetics, dyes having same mother core and alkyl chain length varying only in molecular symmetry and position of substituent were designed. It has been found that even keeping all other structural factor constant, only positional variation of substituent leads to not only in the variation of energetics by 0.1 eV but affects the photovoltaic characteristics also. Optimum concentration of dye de-aggregating agent was found to be 100 times with respect to the sensitizing dye concentration. Amongst dyes utilized in this work best performance was obtained for unsymmetrical dye SQ-40 giving a photoconversion efficiency of 4.01% under simulated solar irradiation at global AM 1.5.

Core Outcome Domains for early phase clinical trials of sound-, psychology-, and pharmacology-based interventions to manage chronic subjective tinnitus in adults: the COMIT'ID study protocol for using a Delphi process and face-to-face meetings to establish consensus.

PubMed

Fackrell, Kathryn; Smith, Harriet; Colley, Veronica; Thacker, Brian; Horobin, Adele; Haider, Haúla F; Londero, Alain; Mazurek, Birgit; Hall, Deborah A

2017-08-23

The reporting of outcomes in clinical trials of subjective tinnitus indicates that many different tinnitus-related complaints are of interest to investigators, from perceptual attributes of the sound (e.g. loudness) to psychosocial impacts (e.g. quality of life). Even when considering one type of intervention strategy for subjective tinnitus, there is no agreement about what is critically important for deciding whether a treatment is effective. The main purpose of this observational study is, therefore to, develop Core Outcome Domain Sets for the three different intervention strategies (sound, psychological, and pharmacological) for adults with chronic subjective tinnitus that should be measured and reported in every clinical trial of these interventions. Secondary objectives are to identify the strengths and limitations of our study design for recruiting and reducing attrition of participants, and to explore uptake of the core outcomes. The 'Core Outcome Measures in Tinnitus: International Delphi' (COMIT'ID) study will use a mixed-methods approach that incorporates input from health care users at the pre-Delphi stage, a modified three-round Delphi survey and final consensus meetings (one for each intervention). The meetings will generate recommendations by stakeholder representatives on agreed Core Outcome Domain Sets specific to each intervention. A subsequent step will establish a common cross-cutting Core Outcome Domain Set by identifying the common outcome domains included in all three intervention-specific Core Outcome Domain Sets. To address the secondary objectives, we will gather feedback from participants about their experience of taking part in the Delphi process. We aspire to conduct an observational cohort study to evaluate uptake of the core outcomes in published studies at 7 years following Core Outcome Set publication. The COMIT'ID study aims to develop a Core Outcome Domain Set that is agreed as critically important for deciding whether a treatment for subjective tinnitus is effective. Such a recommendation would help to standardise future clinical trials worldwide and so we will determine if participation increases use of the Core Outcome Set in the long term. This project has been registered (November 2014) in the database of the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative.

Core outcome measures for interventions to prevent or slow the progress of dementia for people living with mild to moderate dementia: Systematic review and consensus recommendations

PubMed Central

Groskreutz, Derek; Grinbergs-Saull, Anna; Howard, Rob; O’Brien, John T.; Mountain, Gail; Woods, Bob; Perneczky, Robert; McCleery, Jenny; Pickett, James; Challis, David; Charlesworth, Georgina; Featherstone, Katie; Jones, Roy; Schneider, Justine; Shepperd, Sasha; Thompson-Coon, Jo; Ballard, Clive; Burns, Alistair; Garrard, Peter; Kehoe, Patrick; Passmore, Peter; Robinson, Louise

2017-01-01

Background There are no disease-modifying treatments for dementia. There is also no consensus on disease modifying outcomes. We aimed to produce the first evidence-based consensus on core outcome measures for trials of disease modification in mild-to-moderate dementia. Methods and findings We defined disease-modification interventions as those aiming to change the underlying pathology. We systematically searched electronic databases and previous systematic reviews for published and ongoing trials of disease-modifying treatments in mild-to-moderate dementia. We included 149/22,918 of the references found; with 81 outcome measures from 125 trials. Trials involved participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) alone (n = 111), or AD and mild cognitive impairment (n = 8) and three vascular dementia. We divided outcomes by the domain measured (cognition, activities of daily living, biological markers, neuropsychiatric symptoms, quality of life, global). We calculated the number of trials and of participants using each outcome. We detailed psychometric properties of each outcome. We sought the views of people living with dementia and family carers in three cities through Alzheimer’s society focus groups. Attendees at a consensus conference (experts in dementia research, disease-modification and harmonisation measures) decided on the core set of outcomes using these results. Recommended core outcomes were cognition as the fundamental deficit in dementia and to indicate disease modification, serial structural MRIs. Cognition should be measured by Mini Mental State Examination or Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale. MRIs would be optional for patients. We also made recommendations for measuring important, but non-core domains which may not change despite disease modification. Limitations Most trials were about AD. Specific instruments may be superseded. We searched one database for psychometric properties. Interpretation This is the first review to identify the 81 outcome measures the research community uses for disease-modifying trials in mild-to-moderate dementia. Our recommendations will facilitate designing, comparing and meta-analysing disease modification trials in mild-to-moderate dementia, increasing their value. Trial registration PROSPERO no. CRD42015027346. PMID:28662127

A Way to Select Electrical Sheets of the Segment Stator Core Motors.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enomoto, Yuji; Kitamura, Masashi; Sakai, Toshihiko; Ohara, Kouichiro

The segment stator core, high density winding coil, high-energy-product permanent magnet are indispensable technologies in the development of a compact and also high efficient motors. The conventional design method for the segment stator core mostly depended on experienced knowledge of selecting a suitable electromagnetic material, far from optimized design. Therefore, we have developed a novel design method in the selection of a suitable electromagnetic material based on the correlation evaluation between the material characteristics and motor performance. It enables the selection of suitable electromagnetic material that will meet the motor specification.

Undercut feature recognition for core and cavity generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusof, Mursyidah Md; Salman Abu Mansor, Mohd

2018-01-01

Core and cavity is one of the important components in injection mould where the quality of the final product is mostly dependent on it. In the industry, with years of experience and skill, mould designers commonly use commercial CAD software to design the core and cavity which is time consuming. This paper proposes an algorithm that detect possible undercut features and generate the core and cavity. Two approaches are presented; edge convexity and face connectivity approach. The edge convexity approach is used to recognize undercut features while face connectivity is used to divide the faces into top and bottom region.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, China: Energy

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-29

capacity. There are currently two types of HTGR reactor designs: the particle-bed core , which uses spherical fuel elements, and the rod type core , in...and trial operating experience with the HTGR reactor. Its main design features are as follows. 1. A particle-bed core , continuous fueling and...Favorable for Development of Small-Scale HTGR (Xu Jiming; HE DONGLI GONGCHENG, Feb 88) 47 ERRATUM: In JPRS-CEN-88-003 of 25 April 1988 in article

Successive measurements of streaming potential and electroosmotic pressure with the same core-holder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Chenggang; Hu, Hengshan; Yu, Chunhao; Wang, Jun

2018-05-01

Successive measurements of the streaming potential and electroosmotic pressure of each core sample are important for understanding the mechanisms of electrokinetic effects. In previous studies, one plug of the core-holder needs to be replaced in these two experiments, which causes the change of the fluid parameters and the boundary conditions in the core. We design a new core-holder to permit successive experiments without plug replacement, which ensures the consistency of the measurement environment. A two-direction harmonic pressure-driving source is accordingly designed. Using this new equipment, electrokinetic experiments conducted ten core samples at 0.4 mol/L NaCl solution. The results show good agreement between the electrokinetically deduced permeability and premeasured gas permeability. For high salinity saturated samples, the permeability can be inverted from electroosmotic effect instead of the streaming potential.

Design and analysis of a nuclear reactor core for innovative small light water reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldatov, Alexey I.

In order to address the energy needs of developing countries and remote communities, Oregon State University has proposed the Multi-Application Small Light Water Reactor (MASLWR) design. In order to achieve five years of operation without refueling, use of 8% enriched fuel is necessary. This dissertation is focused on core design issues related with increased fuel enrichment (8.0%) and specific MASLWR operational conditions (such as lower operational pressure and temperature, and increased leakage due to small core). Neutron physics calculations are performed with the commercial nuclear industry tools CASMO-4 and SIMULATE-3, developed by Studsvik Scandpower Inc. The first set of results are generated from infinite lattice level calculations with CASMO-4, and focus on evaluation of the principal differences between standard PWR fuel and MASLWR fuel. Chapter 4-1 covers aspects of fuel isotopic composition changes with burnup, evaluation of kinetic parameters and reactivity coefficients. Chapter 4-2 discusses gadolinium self-shielding and shadowing effects, and subsequent impacts on power generation peaking and Reactor Control System shadowing. The second aspect of the research is dedicated to core design issues, such as reflector design (chapter 4-3), burnable absorber distribution and programmed fuel burnup and fuel use strategy (chapter 4-4). This section also includes discussion of the parameters important for safety and evaluation of Reactor Control System options for the proposed core design. An evaluation of the sensitivity of the proposed design to uncertainty in calculated parameters is presented in chapter 4-5. The results presented in this dissertation cover a new area of reactor design and operational parameters, and may be applicable to other small and large pressurized water reactor designs.

Research advances in polymer emulsion based on "core-shell" structure particle design.

PubMed

Ma, Jian-zhong; Liu, Yi-hong; Bao, Yan; Liu, Jun-li; Zhang, Jing

2013-09-01

In recent years, quite many studies on polymer emulsions with unique core-shell structure have emerged at the frontier between material chemistry and many other fields because of their singular morphology, properties and wide range of potential applications. Organic substance as a coating material onto either inorganic or organic internal core materials promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of final functions through rational designs. This contribution provides a brief overview of recent progress in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of both inorganic-organic and organic-organic polymer emulsions with core-shell structure. In addition, future research trends in polymer composites with core-shell structure are also discussed in this review. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teaching Scientists to Communicate: Evidence-based assessment for undergraduate science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercer-Mapstone, Lucy; Kuchel, Louise

2015-07-01

Communication skills are one of five nationally recognised learning outcomes for an Australian Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. Previous evidence indicates that communication skills taught in Australian undergraduate science degrees are not developed sufficiently to meet the requirements of the modern-day workplace-a problem faced in the UK and USA also. Curriculum development in this area, however, hinges on first evaluating how communication skills are taught currently as a base from which to make effective changes. This study aimed to quantify the current standard of communication education within BSc degrees at Australian research-intensive universities. A detailed evidential baseline for not only what but also how communication skills are being taught was established. We quantified which communication skills were taught and assessed explicitly, implicitly, or were absent in a range of undergraduate science assessment tasks (n = 35) from four research-intensive Australian universities. Results indicate that 10 of the 12 core science communication skills used for evaluation were absent from more than 50% of assessment tasks and 77.14% of all assessment tasks taught less than 5 core communication skills explicitly. The design of assessment tasks significantly affected whether communication skills were taught explicitly. Prominent trends were that communication skills in tasks aimed at non-scientific audiences were taught more explicitly than in tasks aimed at scientific audiences, and the majority of group and multimedia tasks taught communication elements more explicitly than individual, or written and oral tasks. Implications for science communication in the BSc and further research are discussed.

Reassessment of True Core Collapse Differential Pressure Values for Filter Elements in Safety Critical Environments - 13076

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

Swain, Adam

2013-07-01

As the areas of application for diverse filter types increases, the mechanics and material sciences associated with the hardware and its relationship with more and more arduous process environments becomes critical to the successful and reliable operation of the filtration equipment. Where the filter is the last safe barrier between the process and the life environment, structural integrity and reliability is paramount in both the validation and the ethical acceptability of the designed equipment. Core collapse is a key factor influencing filter element selection, and is an extremely complex issue with a number of variables and failure mechanisms. It ismore » becoming clear that the theory behind core collapse calculations is not always supported with real tested data. In exploring this issue we have found that the calculation method is not always reflective of the true as tested collapse value, with the calculated values being typically in excess or even an order of magnitude higher than the tested values. The above claim is supported by a case study performed by the author, which disproves most of what was previously understood to be true. This paper also aims to explore the various failure mechanisms of different configurations of filter core, comparing calculated collapse values against real tested values, with a view to understanding a method of calculating their true collapse value. As the technology is advancing, and filter elements are being used in higher temperature, higher pressure, more radioactive and more chemically aggressive environments, confidence in core collapse values and data is crucial. (authors)« less

The influence of multiple firing on thermal contraction of ceramic materials used for the fabrication of layered all-ceramic dental restorations.

PubMed

Isgrò, Giuseppe; Kleverlaan, Cornelis J; Wang, Hang; Feilzer, Albert J

2005-06-01

During the production of layered all-ceramic restorations transient and/or residual thermal stresses may be formed which may affect a restoration's longevity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of multiple firings on the thermal behavior of veneering porcelains and a ceramic core. The materials tested were: Empress 2 Core, Empress 2 Veneer and Eris glass-ceramics, Carrara Vincent and an experimental leucite-based veneering porcelain, Vitadur-Alpha aluminous porcelain, and two porcelains designed for titanium (i.e. Duceratin Dentine and Enamel). The thermal contraction coefficient of the materials was measured by means of dilatometery. The thermal contraction coefficient was measured during cooling and calculated over the temperature range of 450-20 degrees C by linear regression. One and two-way analysis of variance together with Tukey post-hoc tests were used as statistical analysis. Repeated firing affects the thermal contraction coefficients of Empress 2 Veneer, Carrara Vincent porcelain and the experimental porcelain. The thermal contraction coefficients of Empress 2 Core were significantly different from Vitadur-Alpha, Carrara Vincent, experimental porcelain, and Duceratin porcelains. The contraction coefficients of Empress 2 Veneer and Eris were closest to that of Empress 2 Core. The Empress 2 Core and Eris glass-ceramics, the aluminous porcelain and Duceratin porcelains showed better thermal stability after repeated firing than leucite porcelains. It can be concluded that due to the thermal stability of glass-ceramic materials, layered all-ceramic restorations of these materials may perform better.

Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between the Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM) and the Core French Teachers Who Use It: Why Agency and Experience Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnott, Stephanie

2011-01-01

Over the last decade, almost 4,000 Canadian schools have moved to using the Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM) for core French (CF) instruction. Following researchers' recommendations (Brumfit, 1984; Lapkin, Mady, & Arnott, 2009; Larsen-Freeman, 1996, 2000; Prahbu, 1990), I am shifting the focus in this case study from product to process. In…

Identification of a Core Set of Exercise Tests for Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy: A Delphi Survey of Researchers and Clinicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verschuren, Olaf; Ketelaar, Marjolijn; Keefer, Daniel; Wright, Virginia; Butler, Jane; Ada, Louise; Maher, Carol; Reid, Siobhan; Wright, Marilyn; Dalziel, Blythe; Wiart, Lesley; Fowler, Eileen; Unnithan, Viswanath; Maltais, Desiree B.; van den Berg-Emons, Rita; Takken, Tim

2011-01-01

Aim: Evidence-based recommendations regarding which exercise tests to use in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) are lacking. This makes it very difficult for therapists and researchers to choose the appropriate exercise-related outcome measures for this group. This study aimed to identify a core set of exercise tests for children…

Multi-Core Processor Memory Contention Benchmark Analysis Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Tyler; McGalliard, James

2009-01-01

Multi-core processors dominate current mainframe, server, and high performance computing (HPC) systems. This paper provides synthetic kernel and natural benchmark results from an HPC system at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that illustrate the performance impacts of multi-core (dual- and quad-core) vs. single core processor systems. Analysis of processor design, application source code, and synthetic and natural test results all indicate that multi-core processors can suffer from significant memory subsystem contention compared to similar single-core processors.

Core-shell designed scaffolds for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

PubMed

Perez, Roman A; Kim, Hae-Won

2015-07-01

Scaffolds that secure and deliver therapeutic ingredients like signaling molecules and stem cells hold great promise for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Employing a core-shell design for scaffolds provides a promising solution. Some unique methods, such as co-concentric nozzle extrusion, microfluidics generation, and chemical confinement reactions, have been successful in producing core-shelled nano/microfibers and nano/microspheres. Signaling molecules and drugs, spatially allocated to the core and/or shell part, can be delivered in a controllable and sequential manner for optimal therapeutic effects. Stem cells can be loaded within the core part on-demand, safely protected from the environments, which ultimately affords ex vivo culture and in vivo tissue engineering. The encapsulated cells experience three-dimensional tissue-mimic microenvironments in which therapeutic molecules are secreted to the surrounding tissues through the semi-permeable shell. Tuning the material properties of the core and shell, changing the geometrical parameters, and shaping them into proper forms significantly influence the release behaviors of biomolecules and the fate of the cells. This topical issue highlights the immense usefulness of core-shell designs for the therapeutic actions of scaffolds in the delivery of signaling molecules and stem cells for tissue regeneration and disease treatment. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High permeability cores to optimize the stimulation of deeply located brain regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvador, R.; Miranda, P. C.; Roth, Y.; Zangen, A.

2009-05-01

Efficient stimulation of deeply located brain regions with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) poses many challenges, arising from the fact that the induced field decays rapidly and becomes less focal with depth. We propose a new method to improve the efficiency of TMS of deep brain regions that combines high permeability cores, to increase focality and field intensity, with a coil specifically designed to induce a field that decays slowly with increasing depth. The performance of the proposed design was investigated using the finite element method to determine the total electric field induced by this coil/core arrangement on a realistically shaped homogeneous head model. The calculations show that the inclusion of the cores increases the field's magnitude by as much as 25% while also decreasing the field's decay with depth along specific directions. The focality, as measured by the area where the field's norm is greater than 1/\\sqrt 2 of its maximum value, is also improved by as much as 15% with some core arrangements. The coil's inductance is not significantly increased by the cores. These results show that the presence of the cores might make this specially designed coil even more suited for the effective stimulation of deep brain regions.

Enhancing the Practicum Experience for Pre-service Chemistry Teachers Through Collaborative CoRe Design with Mentor Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hume, Anne; Berry, Amanda

2013-10-01

This paper reports findings from an ongoing study exploring how the Content Representation (CoRe) design can be used as a tool to help chemistry student teachers begin acquiring the professional knowledge required to become expert chemistry teachers. Phase 2 of the study, reported in this paper, investigated how collaboration with school-based mentors (associate teachers) on teaching practice (practicum) might impact on this process and student teachers' development of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The collaboration involved identifying and discussing pedagogical issues related to a practicum-teaching topic using a student teacher's draft CoRe as a starting point and ongoing focus for the professional dialogue. Practicum offered an opportunity for aspects of student teachers' PCK, as embodied in their draft CoRes, to be explored and expanded upon in classroom programmes with the support and input of associate teachers. The findings were influenced by different contextual factors; however, the student teachers found their CoRes to be very useful frameworks for engaging in focussed professional dialogue with their teaching mentors. They valued the expertise, currency of knowledge and mentoring of their associates and reported positively about the contribution this support made to their PCK development via the CoRe design process and the transformation of the CoRe into classroom teaching.

Control of autonomous robot using neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Adam; Volna, Eva

2017-07-01

The aim of the article is to design a method of control of an autonomous robot using artificial neural networks. The introductory part describes control issues from the perspective of autonomous robot navigation and the current mobile robots controlled by neural networks. The core of the article is the design of the controlling neural network, and generation and filtration of the training set using ART1 (Adaptive Resonance Theory). The outcome of the practical part is an assembled Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot solving the problem of avoiding obstacles in space. To verify models of an autonomous robot behavior, a set of experiments was created as well as evaluation criteria. The speed of each motor was adjusted by the controlling neural network with respect to the situation in which the robot was found.

Design Core Commonalities: A Study of the College of Design at Iowa State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venes, Jane

2015-01-01

This comprehensive study asks what a group of rather diverse disciplines have in common. It involves a cross-disciplinary examination of an entire college, the College of Design at Iowa State University. This research was intended to provide a sense of direction in developing and assessing possible core content. The reasoning was that material…

Effect of framework design on crown failure.

PubMed

Bonfante, Estevam A; da Silva, Nelson R F A; Coelho, Paulo G; Bayardo-González, Daniel E; Thompson, Van P; Bonfante, Gerson

2009-04-01

This study evaluated the effect of core-design modification on the characteristic strength and failure modes of glass-infiltrated alumina (In-Ceram) (ICA) compared with porcelain fused to metal (PFM). Premolar crowns of a standard design (PFMs and ICAs) or with a modified framework design (PFMm and ICAm) were fabricated, cemented on dies, and loaded until failure. The crowns were loaded at 0.5 mm min(-1) using a 6.25 mm tungsten-carbide ball at the central fossa. Fracture load values were recorded and fracture analysis of representative samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Probability Weibull curves with two-sided 90% confidence limits were calculated for each group and a contour plot of the characteristic strength was obtained. Design modification showed an increase in the characteristic strength of the PFMm and ICAm groups, with PFM groups showing higher characteristic strength than ICA groups. The PFMm group showed the highest characteristic strength among all groups. Fracture modes of PFMs and of PFMm frequently reached the core interface at the lingual cusp, whereas ICA exhibited bulk fracture through the alumina core. Core-design modification significantly improved the characteristic strength for PFM and for ICA. The PFM groups demonstrated higher characteristic strength than both ICA groups combined.

Energy absorption capabilities of composite sandwich panels under blast loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankar Ray, Tirtha

As blast threats on military and civilian structures continue to be a significant concern, there remains a need for improved design strategies to increase blast resistance capabilities. The approach to blast resistance proposed here is focused on dissipating the high levels of pressure induced during a blast through maximizing the potential for energy absorption of composite sandwich panels, which are a competitive structural member type due to the inherent energy absorption capabilities of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Furthermore, the middle core in the sandwich panels can be designed as a sacrificial layer allowing for a significant amount of deformation or progressive failure to maximize the potential for energy absorption. The research here is aimed at the optimization of composite sandwich panels for blast mitigation via energy absorption mechanisms. The energy absorption mechanisms considered include absorbed strain energy due to inelastic deformation as well as energy dissipation through progressive failure of the core of the sandwich panels. The methods employed in the research consist of a combination of experimentally-validated finite element analysis (FEA) and the derivation and use of a simplified analytical model. The key components of the scope of work then includes: establishment of quantified energy absorption criteria, validation of the selected FE modeling techniques, development of the simplified analytical model, investigation of influential core architectures and geometric parameters, and investigation of influential material properties. For the parameters that are identified as being most-influential, recommended values for these parameters are suggested in conceptual terms that are conducive to designing composite sandwich panels for various blast threats. Based on reviewing the energy response characteristic of the panel under blast loading, a non-dimensional parameter AET/ ET (absorbed energy, AET, normalized by total energy, ET) was suggested to compare energy absorption capabilities of the structures under blast loading. In addition, AEweb/ET (where AEweb is the energy absorbed by the middle core) was also employed to evaluate the energy absorption contribution from the web. Taking advantage of FEA and the simplified analytical model, the influences of material properties as well as core architectures and geometries on energy absorption capabilities (quantified by AET/ ET and AEweb/E T) were investigated through parametric studies. Results from the material property investigation indicated that density of the front face sheet and strength were most influential on the energy absorption capability of the composite sandwich panels under blast loading. The study to investigate the potential effectiveness of energy absorbed via inelastic deformation compared to energy absorbed via progressive failure indicated that for practical applications (where the position of bomb is usually unknown and the panel is designed to be the same anywhere), the energy absorption via inelastic deformation is the more efficient approach. Regarding the geometric optimization, it was found that a core architecture consisting of vertically-oriented webs was ideal. The optimum values for these parameters can be generally described as those which cause the most inelasticity, but not failure, of the face sheets and webs.

Microbiology of the lower ocean crust - Preliminary results from IODP Expedition 360, Atlantis Bank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylvan, J. B.; Edgcomb, V. P.; Burgaud, G.; Klein, F.; Schubotz, F.; Expedition 360 Scientists, I.

2016-12-01

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 360 represents the first leg of a multi-phase drilling program, SloMo, aimed at investigating the nature of the lower crust and Moho at slow spreading ridges. The goal of Expedition 360 was to recover a representative transect of the lower oceanic crust formed at Atlantis Bank, an oceanic core complex on the SW Indian Ridge. We present here preliminary analysis of microbial communities sampled from Hole U1473A, drilled to 789.7 m below seafloor during Expedition 360. Sub-sampling of core sections was conducted in a newly designed plexiglass enclosure with positive air pressure and HEPA filtered air, providing a clean environment for microbiology sampling aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Adenosine triphosphoate, an indicator of microbial biomass, was quantified above detection in 23 of 66 samples analyzed. We measured exoenzyme activity for alkaline phosphatase (AP), leucine aminopeptidase and arginine aminopeptidase in 16 samples and found AP to be very low but above background for 14 of the samples, with highest activities measured between 10 and 70 m below seafloor (mbsf) and peaks again at 158 and 307 mbsf, while both peptidase enzymes were above detection for only one sample at 715 mbsf. Isolates of fungi obtained from core samples as well as analyses of lipid and DNA biomarkers, and Raman spectra for a few of our rock core samples provide initial insights into microbial communities in the lower oceanic crust. Finally, a new tracer of seawater and drilling mud contamination, perfluoromethyl decaline (PFMD), was tested for the first time and its performance compared with the commonly used tracer perfluoromethylcyclohexane (PMCH). PFMD was run during coring operations for ten samples and was routinely detected in the drilling fluids, usually detected on the outside of uncleaned cores, and rarely above detection on the cleaned outside of cores. It was below detection on the inside of cores, indicating penetration of drill fluids to the interior of whole round drill cores, where we collected our samples, is unlikely.

Design and pilot evaluation of the RAH-66 Comanche Core AFCS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fogler, Donald L., Jr.; Keller, James F.

1993-01-01

This paper addresses the design and pilot evaluation of the Core Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) for the Reconnaissance/Attack Helicopter (RAH-66) Comanche. During the period from November 1991 through February 1992, the RAH-66 Comanche control laws were evaluated through a structured pilot acceptance test using a motion base simulator. Design requirements, descriptions of the control law design, and handling qualities data collected from ADS-33 maneuvers are presented.

Miller's Pyramid and Core Competency Assessment: A Study in Relationship Construct Validity.

PubMed

Williams, Betsy White; Byrne, Phil D; Welindt, Dillon; Williams, Michael V

2016-01-01

Continuous professional development relies on the link between performance and an educational process aimed at improving knowledge and skill. One of the most broadly used frameworks for assessing skills is Miller's Pyramid. This Pyramid has a series of levels of achievement beginning with knowledge (at the base) and ending with routine application in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of convergence of two measurement methods, one based on Miller's framework, the second using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education/American Board of Medical Specialties (ACGME/ABMS) Core Competency framework. The data were gathered from the faculty of a large, Midwestern regional health care provider and hospital system. Data from 264 respondents were studied. The 360° data were from raters of physicians holding supervisory roles in the organization. The scale items were taken from an instrument that has been validated for both structure and known group prediction. The Miller scale was purposely built for this application. The questions were designed to describe each level of the model. The Miller scale was reduced to a single dimension. This result was then regressed on the items from the 360° item ratings. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance isolated a significant relationship between the Miller's Pyramid score and the competency items (P < 0.001). These findings demonstrate a relationship between measures based on Miller's framework and behavioral measures based on the ABMS/ACGME core competencies. Equally important is the finding that while they are related they are not identical. These findings have implications for continuous professional development programing design.

Comparative Study on Various Geometrical Core Design of 300 MWth Gas Cooled Fast Reactor with UN-PuN Fuel Longlife without Refuelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi Syarifah, Ratna; Su'ud, Zaki; Basar, Khairul; Irwanto, Dwi

2017-07-01

Nuclear power has progressive improvement in the operating performance of exiting reactors and ensuring economic competitiveness of nuclear electricity around the world. The GFR use gas coolant and fast neutron spectrum. This research use helium coolant which has low neutron moderation, chemical inert and single phase. Comparative study on various geometrical core design for modular GFR with UN-PuN fuel long life without refuelling has been done. The calculation use SRAC2006 code both PIJ calculation and CITATION calculation. The data libraries use JENDL 4.0. The variation of fuel fraction is 40% until 65%. In this research, we varied the geometry of core reactor to find the optimum geometry design. The variation of the geometry design is balance cylinder; it means that the diameter active core (D) same with height active core (H). Second, pancake cylinder (D>H) and third, tall cylinder (D

CopperCore Service Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogten, Hubert; Martens, Harrie; Nadolski, Rob; Tattersall, Colin; van Rosmalen, Peter; Koper, Rob

2007-01-01

In an e-learning environment there is a need to integrate various e-learning services like assessment services, collaboration services, learning design services and communication services. In this article we present the design and implementation of a generic integrative service framework, called CopperCore Service Integration (CCSI). We will…

Analysis of Stainless Steel Sandwich Panels with a Metal Foam Core for Lightweight Fan Blade Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Min, James B.; Ghosn, Louis J.; Lerch, Bradley A.; Raj, Sai V.; Holland, Frederic A., Jr.; Hebsur, Mohan G.

2004-01-01

The quest for cheap, low density and high performance materials in the design of aircraft and rotorcraft engine fan and propeller blades poses immense challenges to the materials and structural design engineers. The present study investigates the use of a sandwich foam fan blade mae up of solid face sheets and a metal foam core. The face sheets and the metal foam core material were an aerospace grade precipitation hardened 17-4 PH stainless steel with high strength and high toughness. The resulting structures possesses a high stiffness while being lighter than a similar solid construction. The material properties of 17-4 PH metal foam are reviewed briefly to describe the characteristics of sandwich structure for a fan blade application. A vibration analysis for natural frequencies and a detailed stress analysis on the 17-4 PH sandwich foam blade design for different combinations of kin thickness and core volume are presented with a comparison to a solid titanium blade.

Design Study of Modular Nuclear Power Plant with Small Long Life Gas Cooled Fast Reactors Utilizing MOX Fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilham, Muhammad; Su'ud, Zaki

2017-01-01

Growing energy needed due to increasing of the world’s population encourages development of technology and science of nuclear power plant in its safety and security. In this research, it will be explained about design study of modular fast reactor with helium gas cooling (GCFR) small long life reactor, which can be operated over 20 years. It had been conducted about neutronic design GCFR with Mixed Oxide (UO2-PuO2) fuel in range of 100-200 MWth NPPs of power and 50-60% of fuel fraction variation with cylindrical pin cell and cylindrical balance of reactor core geometry. Calculation method used SRAC-CITATION code. The obtained results are the effective multiplication factor and density value of core reactor power (with geometry optimalization) to obtain optimum design core reactor power, whereas the obtained of optimum core reactor power is 200 MWth with 55% of fuel fraction and 9-13% of percentages.

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

Bi, G.; Liu, C.; Si, S.

This paper was focused on core design, neutronics evaluation and fuel cycle analysis for Thorium-Uranium Breeding Recycle in current PWRs, without any major change to the fuel lattice and the core internals, but substituting the UOX pellet with Thorium-based pellet. The fuel cycle analysis indicates that Thorium-Uranium Breeding Recycle is technically feasible in current PWRs. A 4-loop, 193-assembly PWR core utilizing 17 x 17 fuel assemblies (FAs) was taken as the model core. Two mixed cores were investigated respectively loaded with mixed reactor grade Plutonium-Thorium (PuThOX) FAs and mixed reactor grade {sup 233}U-Thorium (U{sub 3}ThOX) FAs on the basis ofmore » reference full Uranium oxide (UOX) equilibrium-cycle core. The UOX/PuThOX mixed core consists of 121 UOX FAs and 72 PuThOX FAs. The reactor grade {sup 233}U extracted from burnt PuThOX fuel was used to fabrication of U{sub 3}ThOX for starting Thorium-. Uranium breeding recycle. In UOX/U{sub 3}ThOX mixed core, the well designed U{sub 3}ThOX FAs with 1.94 w/o fissile uranium (mainly {sup 233}U) were located on the periphery of core as a blanket region. U{sub 3}ThOX FAs remained in-core for 6 cycles with the discharged burnup achieving 28 GWD/tHM. Compared with initially loading, the fissile material inventory in U{sub 3}ThOX fuel has increased by 7% via 1-year cooling after discharge. 157 UOX fuel assemblies were located in the inner of UOX/U{sub 3}ThOX mixed core refueling with 64 FAs at each cycle. The designed UOX/PuThOX and UOX/U{sub 3}ThOX mixed core satisfied related nuclear design criteria. The full core performance analyses have shown that mixed core with PuThOX loading has similar impacts as MOX on several neutronic characteristic parameters, such as reduced differential boron worth, higher critical boron concentration, more negative moderator temperature coefficient, reduced control rod worth, reduced shutdown margin, etc.; while mixed core with U{sub 3}ThOX loading on the periphery of core has no visible impacts on neutronic characteristics compared with reference full UOX core. The fuel cycle analysis has shown that {sup 233}U mono-recycling with U{sub 3}ThOX fuel could save 13% of natural uranium resource compared with UOX once through fuel cycle, slightly more than that of Plutonium single-recycling with MOX fuel. If {sup 233}U multi-recycling with U{sub 3}ThOX fuel is implemented, more natural uranium resource would be saved. (authors)« less

Creation of a core outcome set for clinical trials of people with shoulder pain: a study protocol.

PubMed

Gagnier, Joel J; Page, Matthew J; Huang, Hsiaomin; Verhagen, Arianne P; Buchbinder, Rachelle

2017-07-20

The selection of appropriate outcomes or domains is crucial when designing clinical trials, to appreciate the effects of different interventions, pool results, and make valid comparisons between trials. If the findings are to influence policy and practice, then the chosen outcomes need to be relevant and important to key stakeholders, including patients and the public, healthcare professionals and others making decisions about health care. There is a growing recognition that insufficient attention has been paid to the outcomes measured in clinical trials. Recent reviews of the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures for shoulder disorders revealed a large selection of diverse measures, many with questionable validity, reliability, and responsiveness. These issues could be addressed through the development and use of an agreed standardized collection of outcomes, known as a core outcome set (COS), which should be measured and reported in all trials of shoulder disorders. The purpose of the present project is to develop and disseminate a COS for clinical trials in shoulder disorders. The methods for the COS development will include 3 phases: (1) a comprehensive review of the core domains used in shoulder disorder trials; (2) an international Delphi study involving relevant stakeholders (patients, clinicians, scientists) to define which domains should be core; and (3) an international focus group informed by the evidence identified in phases 1 and 2, to determine which measurement instruments best measure the core domains and identification of any evidence gaps that require further empiric evidence. The aim of the current proposal is to convene several meetings of international experts and patients to develop a COS for clinical trials of shoulder disorders and to develop an implementation strategy to ensure rapid uptake of the core set of outcomes in clinical trials. There would be an expectation that the core set of outcomes would always be collected and reported, but it would not preclude use of additional outcomes in a particular trial.

Comparison of fine-needle aspiration and core needle biopsy under ultrasonographic guidance for detecting malignancy and for the tissue-specific diagnosis of salivary gland tumors.

PubMed

Eom, H-J; Lee, J H; Ko, M-S; Choi, Y J; Yoon, R G; Cho, K J; Nam, S Y; Baek, J H

2015-06-01

Diagnostic test accuracy studies for ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy have shown inconclusive results due to their heterogenous study designs. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration versus ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy for detecting malignant tumors of the salivary gland and for the tissue-specific diagnosis of salivary gland tumors in a single tertiary hospital. This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board and informed consent was waived. Four hundred twelve patients who underwent ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration (n = 155) or ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy (n = 257) with subsequent surgical confirmation or clinical follow-up were enrolled. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy regarding malignant salivary gland tumors and the correct tissue-specific diagnosis of benign and malignant tumors. We also tested the difference between these procedures according to the operator's experience and lesion characteristics. The inconclusive rates of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy were 19% and 4%, respectively (P < .001). The overall accuracy of ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy for diagnosing malignant tumors was significantly higher than that of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration (P = .024). The correct tissue-specific diagnosis rates of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy were 95% versus 97% for benign tumors (P = .648) and 67% versus 80% for malignant tumors (P = .310). Trainees showed significantly lower accuracy with ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration than with ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy for diagnosing malignant tumors (P = .021). There was no difference between the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy according to the internal composition of the lesions. There were no complications requiring intervention or hospitalization in our patients. Ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy is superior to ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration in detecting and characterizing malignant tumors of the salivary gland and could emerge as the diagnostic method of choice for patients presenting with a salivary gland mass. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Nuclear design analysis of square-lattice honeycomb space nuclear rocket engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widargo, Reza; Anghaie, Samim

1999-01-01

The square-lattice honeycomb reactor is designed based on a cylindrical core that is determined to have critical diameter and length of 0.50 m and 0.50 c, respectively. A 0.10-cm thick radial graphite reflector, in addition to a 0.20-m thick axial graphite reflector are used to reduce neutron leakage from the reactor. The core is fueled with solid solution of 93% enriched (U, Zr, Nb)C, which is one of several ternary uranium carbides that are considered for this concept. The fuel is to be fabricated as 2 mm grooved (U, Zr, Nb)C wafers. The fuel wafers are used to form square-lattice honeycomb fuel assemblies, 0.10 m in length with 30% cross-sectional flow area. Five fuel assemblies are stacked up axially to form the reactor core. Based on the 30% void fraction, the width of the square flow channel is about 1.3 mm. The hydrogen propellant is passed through these flow channels and removes the heat from the reactor core. To perform nuclear design analysis, a series of neutron transport and diffusion codes are used. The preliminary results are obtained using a simple four-group cross-section model. To optimize the nuclear design, the fuel densities are varied for each assembly. Tantalum, hafnium and tungsten are considered and used as a replacement for niobium in fuel material to provide water submersion sub-criticality for the reactor. Axial and radial neutron flux and power density distributions are calculated for the core. Results of the neutronic analysis indicate that the core has a relatively fast spectrum. From the results of the thermal hydraulic analyses, eight axial temperature zones are chosen for the calculation of group average cross-sections. An iterative process is conducted to couple the neutronic calculations with the thermal hydraulics calculations. Results of the nuclear design analysis indicate that a compact core can be designed based on ternary uranium carbide square-lattice honeycomb fuel. This design provides a relatively high thrust to weight ratio.

Creation of Novel Cores for β-Secretase (BACE-1) Inhibitors: A Multiparameter Lead Generation Strategy

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

In order to find optimal core structures as starting points for lead optimization, a multiparameter lead generation workflow was designed with the goal of finding BACE-1 inhibitors as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. De novo design of core fragments was connected with three predictive in silico models addressing target affinity, permeability, and hERG activity, in order to guide synthesis. Taking advantage of an additive SAR, the prioritized cores were decorated with a few, well-characterized substituents from known BACE-1 inhibitors in order to allow for core-to-core comparisons. Prediction methods and analyses of how physicochemical properties of the core structures correlate to in vitro data are described. The syntheses and in vitro data of the test compounds are reported in a separate paper by Ginman et al. [J. Med. Chem.2013, 56, 4181–4205]. The affinity predictions are described in detail by Roos et al. [J. Chem. Inf.2014, DOI: 10.1021/ci400374z]. PMID:24900855

Creation of Novel Cores for β-Secretase (BACE-1) Inhibitors: A Multiparameter Lead Generation Strategy.

PubMed

Viklund, Jenny; Kolmodin, Karin; Nordvall, Gunnar; Swahn, Britt-Marie; Svensson, Mats; Gravenfors, Ylva; Rahm, Fredrik

2014-04-10

In order to find optimal core structures as starting points for lead optimization, a multiparameter lead generation workflow was designed with the goal of finding BACE-1 inhibitors as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. De novo design of core fragments was connected with three predictive in silico models addressing target affinity, permeability, and hERG activity, in order to guide synthesis. Taking advantage of an additive SAR, the prioritized cores were decorated with a few, well-characterized substituents from known BACE-1 inhibitors in order to allow for core-to-core comparisons. Prediction methods and analyses of how physicochemical properties of the core structures correlate to in vitro data are described. The syntheses and in vitro data of the test compounds are reported in a separate paper by Ginman et al. [J. Med. Chem. 2013, 56, 4181-4205]. The affinity predictions are described in detail by Roos et al. [J. Chem. Inf. 2014, DOI: 10.1021/ci400374z].

Core Vessel Insert Handling Robot for the Spallation Neutron Source

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

Graves, Van B; Dayton, Michael J

2011-01-01

The Spallation Neutron Source provides the world's most intense pulsed neutron beams for scientific research and industrial development. Its eighteen neutron beam lines will eventually support up to twenty-four simultaneous experiments. Each beam line consists of various optical components which guide the neutrons to a particular instrument. The optical components nearest the neutron moderators are the core vessel inserts. Located approximately 9 m below the high bay floor, these inserts are bolted to the core vessel chamber and are part of the vacuum boundary. They are in a highly radioactive environment and must periodically be replaced. During initial SNS construction,more » four of the beam lines received Core Vessel Insert plugs rather than functional inserts. Remote replacement of the first Core Vessel Insert plug was recently completed using several pieces of custom-designed tooling, including a highly complicated Core Vessel Insert Robot. The design of this tool are discussed.« less

Coring Sample Acquisition Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haddad, Nicolas E.; Murray, Saben D.; Walkemeyer, Phillip E.; Badescu, Mircea; Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Kriechbaum, Kristopher L.; Richardson, Megan; Klein, Kerry J.

2012-01-01

A sample acquisition tool (SAT) has been developed that can be used autonomously to sample drill and capture rock cores. The tool is designed to accommodate core transfer using a sample tube to the IMSAH (integrated Mars sample acquisition and handling) SHEC (sample handling, encapsulation, and containerization) without ever touching the pristine core sample in the transfer process.

Spacecraft transformer and inductor design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclyman, W. T.

1977-01-01

The conversion process in spacecraft power electronics requires the use of magnetic components which frequently are the heaviest and bulkiest items in the conversion circuit. This handbook pertains to magnetic material selection, transformer and inductor design tradeoffs, transformer design, iron core dc inductor design, toroidal power core inductor design, window utilization factors, regulation, and temperature rise. Relationships are given which simplify and standardize the design of transformers and the analysis of the circuits in which they are used. The interactions of the various design parameters are also presented in simplified form so that tradeoffs and optimizations may easily be made.

COOLED NEUTRONIC REACTOR

DOEpatents

Binner, C.R.; Wilkie, C.B.

1958-03-18

This patent relates to a design for a reactor of the type in which a fluid coolant is flowed through the active portion of the reactor. This design provides for the cooling of the shielding material as well as the reactor core by the same fluid coolant. The core structure is a solid moderator having coolant channels in which are disposed the fuel elements in rod or slug form. The coolant fluid enters the chamber in the shield, in which the core is located, passes over the inner surface of said chamber, enters the core structure at the center, passes through the coolant channels over the fuel elements and out through exhaust ducts.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR

DOEpatents

Stewart, H.B.

1958-12-23

A nuclear reactor of the type speclfically designed for the irradiation of materials is discussed. In this design a central cyllndrical core of moderating material ls surrounded by an active portlon comprlsed of an annular tank contalning fissionable material immersed ln a liquid moderator. The active portion ls ln turn surrounded by a reflector, and a well ls provided in the center of the core to accommodate the materlals to be irradiated. The over-all dimensions of the core ln at least one plane are equal to or greater than twice the effective slowing down length and equal to or less than twlce the effective diffuslon length for neutrons in the core materials.

The ESFRI Instruct Core Centre Frankfurt: automated high-throughput crystallization suited for membrane proteins and more.

PubMed

Thielmann, Yvonne; Koepke, Juergen; Michel, Hartmut

2012-06-01

Structure determination of membrane proteins and membrane protein complexes is still a very challenging field. To facilitate the work on membrane proteins the Core Centre follows a strategy that comprises four labs of protein analytics and crystal handling, covering mass spectrometry, calorimetry, crystallization and X-ray diffraction. This general workflow is presented and a capacity of 20% of the operating time of all systems is provided to the European structural biology community within the ESFRI Instruct program. A description of the crystallization service offered at the Core Centre is given with detailed information on screening strategy, screens used and changes to adapt high throughput for membrane proteins. Our aim is to constantly develop the Core Centre towards the usage of more efficient methods. This strategy might also include the ability to automate all steps from crystallization trials to crystal screening; here we look ahead how this aim might be realized at the Core Centre.

EVALUATION OF AN ADVANCED ENGINEERING TEST REACTOR DESIGN

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

McVey, M.; Bradfute, J.O.; Buck, K.E.

1958-07-15

The scope of the study was primarily concerned with optimization of the geometrical and core-composition variables to achieve maximum flux in the loop region per unit core power without exceeding heat transfer and other engineering limitations. Centain other design questions are to be investigated. (A.C.)

Using the CoRE Requirements Method with ADARTS. Version 01.00.05

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

requirements; combining ADARTS processes and objects derived from CoRE requirements into an ADARTS software architecture design ; and taking advantage of...CoRE’s precision in the ADARTS process structuring, class structuring, and software architecture design activities. Object-oriented requirements and

Synthetic Core Promoters as Universal Parts for Fine-Tuning Expression in Different Yeast Species

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering experiments frequently require the fine-tuning of gene expression to balance and optimize protein levels of regulators or metabolic enzymes. A key concept of synthetic biology is the development of modular parts that can be used in different contexts. Here, we have applied a computational multifactor design approach to generate de novo synthetic core promoters and 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) for yeast cells. In contrast to upstream cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), core promoters are typically not subject to specific regulation, making them ideal engineering targets for gene expression fine-tuning. 112 synthetic core promoter sequences were designed on the basis of the sequence/function relationship of natural core promoters, nucleosome occupancy and the presence of short motifs. The synthetic core promoters were fused to the Pichia pastoris AOX1 CRM, and the resulting activity spanned more than a 200-fold range (0.3% to 70.6% of the wild type AOX1 level). The top-ten synthetic core promoters with highest activity were fused to six additional CRMs (three in P. pastoris and three in Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Inducible CRM constructs showed significantly higher activity than constitutive CRMs, reaching up to 176% of natural core promoters. Comparing the activity of the same synthetic core promoters fused to different CRMs revealed high correlations only for CRMs within the same organism. These data suggest that modularity is maintained to some extent but only within the same organism. Due to the conserved role of eukaryotic core promoters, this rational design concept may be transferred to other organisms as a generic engineering tool. PMID:27973777

How cores grow by pebble accretion. I. Direct core growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brouwers, M. G.; Vazan, A.; Ormel, C. W.

2018-03-01

Context. Planet formation by pebble accretion is an alternative to planetesimal-driven core accretion. In this scenario, planets grow by the accretion of cm- to m-sized pebbles instead of km-sized planetesimals. One of the main differences with planetesimal-driven core accretion is the increased thermal ablation experienced by pebbles. This can provide early enrichment to the planet's envelope, which influences its subsequent evolution and changes the process of core growth. Aims: We aim to predict core masses and envelope compositions of planets that form by pebble accretion and compare mass deposition of pebbles to planetesimals. Specifically, we calculate the core mass where pebbles completely evaporate and are absorbed before reaching the core, which signifies the end of direct core growth. Methods: We model the early growth of a protoplanet by calculating the structure of its envelope, taking into account the fate of impacting pebbles or planetesimals. The region where high-Z material can exist in vapor form is determined by the temperature-dependent vapor pressure. We include enrichment effects by locally modifying the mean molecular weight of the envelope. Results: In the pebble case, three phases of core growth can be identified. In the first phase (Mcore < 0.23-0.39 M⊕), pebbles impact the core without significant ablation. During the second phase (Mcore < 0.5M⊕), ablation becomes increasingly severe. A layer of high-Z vapor starts to form around the core that absorbs a small fraction of the ablated mass. The rest of the material either rains out to the core or instead mixes outwards, slowing core growth. In the third phase (Mcore > 0.5M⊕), the high-Z inner region expands outwards, absorbing an increasing fraction of the ablated material as vapor. Rainout ends before the core mass reaches 0.6 M⊕, terminating direct core growth. In the case of icy H2O pebbles, this happens before 0.1 M⊕. Conclusions: Our results indicate that pebble accretion can directly form rocky cores up to only 0.6 M⊕, and is unable to form similarly sized icy cores. Subsequent core growth can proceed indirectly when the planet cools, provided it is able to retain its high-Z material.

Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development: The COS-STAD recommendations.

PubMed

Kirkham, Jamie J; Davis, Katherine; Altman, Douglas G; Blazeby, Jane M; Clarke, Mike; Tunis, Sean; Williamson, Paula R

2017-11-01

The use of core outcome sets (COS) ensures that researchers measure and report those outcomes that are most likely to be relevant to users of their research. Several hundred COS projects have been systematically identified to date, but there has been no formal quality assessment of these studies. The Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development (COS-STAD) project aimed to identify minimum standards for the design of a COS study agreed upon by an international group, while other specific guidance exists for the final reporting of COS development studies (Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting [COS-STAR]). An international group of experienced COS developers, methodologists, journal editors, potential users of COS (clinical trialists, systematic reviewers, and clinical guideline developers), and patient representatives produced the COS-STAD recommendations to help improve the quality of COS development and support the assessment of whether a COS had been developed using a reasonable approach. An open survey of experts generated an initial list of items, which was refined by a 2-round Delphi survey involving nearly 250 participants representing key stakeholder groups. Participants assigned importance ratings for each item using a 1-9 scale. Consensus that an item should be included in the set of minimum standards was defined as at least 70% of the voting participants from each stakeholder group providing a score between 7 and 9. The Delphi survey was followed by a consensus discussion with the study management group representing multiple stakeholder groups. COS-STAD contains 11 minimum standards that are the minimum design recommendations for all COS development projects. The recommendations focus on 3 key domains: the scope, the stakeholders, and the consensus process. The COS-STAD project has established 11 minimum standards to be followed by COS developers when planning their projects and by users when deciding whether a COS has been developed using reasonable methods.

LIDAR TS for ITER core plasma. Part II: simultaneous two wavelength LIDAR TS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gowers, C.; Nielsen, P.; Salzmann, H.

2017-12-01

We have shown recently, and in more detail at this conference (Salzmann et al) that the LIDAR approach to ITER core TS measurements requires only two mirrors in the inaccessible port plug area of the machine. This leads to simplified and robust alignment, lower risk of mirror damage by plasma contamination and much simpler calibration, compared with the awkward and vulnerable optical geometry of the conventional imaging TS approach, currently under development by ITER. In the present work we have extended the simulation code used previously to include the case of launching two laser pulses, of different wavelengths, simultaneously in LIDAR geometry. The aim of this approach is to broaden the choice of lasers available for the diagnostic. In the simulation code it is assumed that two short duration (300 ps) laser pulses of different wavelengths, from an Nd:YAG laser are launched through the plasma simultaneously. The temperature and density profiles are deduced in the usual way but from the resulting combined scattered signals in the different spectral channels of the single spectrometer. The spectral response and quantum efficiencies of the detectors used in the simulation are taken from catalogue data for commercially available Hamamatsu MCP-PMTs. The response times, gateability and tolerance to stray light levels of this type of photomultiplier have already been demonstrated in the JET LIDAR system and give sufficient spatial resolution to meet the ITER specification. Here we present the new simulation results from the code. They demonstrate that when the detectors are combined with this two laser, LIDAR approach, the full range of the specified ITER core plasma Te and ne can be measured with sufficient accuracy. So, with commercially available detectors and a simple modification of a Nd:YAG laser similar to that currently being used in the design of the conventional ITER core TS design mentioned above, the ITER requirements can be met.

To probe a core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-04-01

Hidden under many kilometres of silicate mantle material, the cores of Earth and other planets are hard to investigate. The Psyche spacecraft, designed to visit a metal body that may be a core stripped of its mantle, could bring a close-up view.

Design Study of a Modular Gas-Cooled, Closed-Brayton Cycle Reactor for Marine Use

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

materials in the core and surroundings. To investigate this design point in the marine variant I developed the program HEAT.BAS to perform a one-dimensional...helium as the working fluid. The core is a graphite moderated, epithermal spectrum reactor, using TRISO fuel particles in extruded graphite fuel elements...The fuel is highly enriched U2315 . The containment is shaped in an inverted ’T’ with two sections. The upper section contains the reactor core

Coilable Crystalline Fiber (CCF) Lasers and their Scalability

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

Fibers: Double-Clad Design Concept of Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. SPIE 2012, 8237 , 82373M. 8. Beach, R. J.; Mitchell, S. C...Dubinskii, M. True Crystalline Fibers: Double-Clad LMA Design Concept of Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. of SPIE 2012, 8237 , 82373M-1...Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. SPIE 8237 , 82373M, 2012. 8. Beach, R. J.; Mitchell, S. C.; Meissner, H. E.; Meissner, O. R.; Krupke, W

Exclusion Area Radiation Release during the MIT Reactor Design Basis Accident.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-06

Concrete Wall 116 6.2 Concrete Albedo Dose 121 6.3 Steel Door Scattering Dose 124 7.1 Total Dose Results 133 A.1 Values of N /NO for Neutron -Capture...plate fuel elements arranged in x a compact hexagonal core. This core design maximizes the neutron flux in the DO2 reflector region where numerous...sec) V = Volume of the fuel (cm 3 f Ef = Macroscopic fission cross section (cm ) = Thermal neutron flux ( neutrons /cm2 - sec) = Core-averaged value Yi

Options for Parallelizing a Planning and Scheduling Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, Bradley J.; Estlin, Tara A.; Bornstein, Benjamin D.

2011-01-01

Space missions have a growing interest in putting multi-core processors onboard spacecraft. For many missions processing power significantly slows operations. We investigate how continual planning and scheduling algorithms can exploit multi-core processing and outline different potential design decisions for a parallelized planning architecture. This organization of choices and challenges helps us with an initial design for parallelizing the CASPER planning system for a mesh multi-core processor. This work extends that presented at another workshop with some preliminary results.

Core Competencies in Advanced Training: What Supervisors Say about Graduate Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Thorana S.; Graves, Todd

2011-01-01

In an attempt to identify needed mental health skills, many professional organizations have or are in the process of establishing core competency standards for their professions. The AAMFT identified 128 core competencies for the independent practice of MFT. The aim of this study was to learn the opinions of AAMFT Approved Supervisors as to how…

Core Vocabulary: Its Morphological Content and Presence in Exemplar Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiebert, Elfrieda H.; Goodwin, Amanda P.; Cervetti, Gina N.

2018-01-01

This study addresses the distribution of words in texts at different points of schooling. The first aim was to identify a core vocabulary that accounts for the majority of the words in texts through the lens of morphological families. Results showed that 2,451 morphological families, averaging 4.61 members, make up the core vocabulary of school…

Identifying Core Competencies to Advance Female Professors' Careers: An Exploratory Study in United States Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seo, Ga-eun; Hedayati Mehdiabadi, Amir; Huang, Wenhao

2017-01-01

This exploratory study aims to identify the core competencies necessary to successfully advance the careers of female associate professors in higher education. To ascertain these core career competencies, a critical incident interview technique was employed. One-to-one semi-structured interviews with six female full professors at a major research…

Design modification for the modular helium reactor for higher temperature operation and reliability studies for nuclear hydrogen production processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reza, S. M. Mohsin

Design options have been evaluated for the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) for higher temperature operation. An alternative configuration for the MHR coolant inlet flow path is developed to reduce the peak vessel temperature (PVT). The coolant inlet path is shifted from the annular path between reactor core barrel and vessel wall through the permanent side reflector (PSR). The number and dimensions of coolant holes are varied to optimize the pressure drop, the inlet velocity, and the percentage of graphite removed from the PSR to create this inlet path. With the removal of ˜10% of the graphite from PSR the PVT is reduced from 541°C to 421°C. A new design for the graphite block core has been evaluated and optimized to reduce the inlet coolant temperature with the aim of further reduction of PVT. The dimensions and number of fuel rods and coolant holes, and the triangular pitch have been changed and optimized. Different packing fractions for the new core design have been used to conserve the number of fuel particles. Thermal properties for the fuel elements are calculated and incorporated into these analyses. The inlet temperature, mass flow and bypass flow are optimized to limit the peak fuel temperature (PFT) within an acceptable range. Using both of these modifications together, the PVT is reduced to ˜350°C while keeping the outlet temperature at 950°C and maintaining the PFT within acceptable limits. The vessel and fuel temperatures during low pressure conduction cooldown and high pressure conduction cooldown transients are found to be well below the design limits. The reliability and availability studies for coupled nuclear hydrogen production processes based on the sulfur iodine thermochemical process and high temperature electrolysis process have been accomplished. The fault tree models for both these processes are developed. Using information obtained on system configuration, component failure probability, component repair time and system operating modes and conditions, the system reliability and availability are assessed. Required redundancies are made to improve system reliability and to optimize the plant design for economic performance. The failure rates and outage factors of both processes are found to be well below the maximum acceptable range.

Assessing the validity of health impact assessment predictions regarding a Japanese city's transition to core city status: a monitoring review.

PubMed

Hoshiko, M; Hara, K; Ishitake, T

2012-02-01

The validity of health impact assessment (HIA) predictions has not been accurately assessed to date. In recent years, legislative attempts to promote decentralization have been progressing in Japan, and Kurume was designated as a core city in April 2008. An HIA into the transition of Kurume to a core city was conducted before the event, but the recommendations were not accepted by city officials. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of predictions made in the HIA on Kurume by conducting a monitoring review into the accuracy of the predictions. Before Kurume was designated as a core city, the residents completed an online questionnaire and city officials were interviewed. The findings and recommendations were presented to the city administration. One year after the transition, a monitoring review was performed to clarify the accuracy of the HIA predictions by evaluating the correlation between the predictions and reality. Many of the HIA predictions were found to conflict with reality in Kurume. Prediction validity was evaluated for two groups: residents of Kurume and city officials. For the residents, 17% (2/12 items) of the predictions were found to be compatible, 58% (7/12) were incompatible and 25% (3/12) were difficult to evaluate. For city officials, the analysis was divided into those whose department was directly involved in tasks transferred to them (transfer tasks) and those whose department was not. For the city officials in departments responsible for conducting core city transfer tasks, 33% (3/9 items) of the predictions were found to be compatible, 33% (3/9) were incompatible and 33% (3/9) were difficult to evaluate. However, for the city officials whose responsibilities were unrelated to core city transfer tasks, 11% (1/9) of predictions were found to be compatible, 78% (7/9) were incompatible and 11% (1/9) were difficult to evaluate. Although it was possible to validate some of the HIA predictions, the results of this monitoring review found substantial discrepancies between the predictions and reality 1 year after the transition of Kurume to a core city. This suggests that the accuracy of HIA predictions may be called into question. However, it should be noted that the review was conducted very soon after the transition and the steering group was very small, which may explain why the HIA predictions were inaccurate. Further, long-term studies may be needed to assess the accuracy of HIA predictions in similar contexts. Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Deep Burn Core and Fuel Analysis: Design Selection for the Prismatic Block Reactor With Results from FY-2011 Activities

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

Michael A. Pope

2011-10-01

The Deep Burn (DB) Project is a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored feasibility study of Transuranic Management using high burnup fuel in the high temperature helium cooled reactor (HTR). The DB Project consists of seven tasks: project management, core and fuel analysis, spent fuel management, fuel cycle integration, TRU fuel modeling, TRU fuel qualification, and HTR fuel recycle. In the Phase II of the Project, we conducted nuclear analysis of TRU destruction/utilization in the HTR prismatic block design (Task 2.1), deep burn fuel/TRISO microanalysis (Task 2.3), and synergy with fast reactors (Task 4.2). The Task 2.1 covers the core physicsmore » design, thermo-hydraulic CFD analysis, and the thermofluid and safety analysis (low pressure conduction cooling, LPCC) of the HTR prismatic block design. The Task 2.3 covers the analysis of the structural behavior of TRISO fuel containing TRU at very high burnup level, i.e. exceeding 50% of FIMA. The Task 4.2 includes the self-cleaning HTR based on recycle of HTR-generated TRU in the same HTR. Chapter IV contains the design and analysis results of the 600MWth DB-HTR core physics with the cycle length, the average discharged burnup, heavy metal and plutonium consumptions, radial and axial power distributions, temperature reactivity coefficients. Also, it contains the analysis results of the 450MWth DB-HTR core physics and the analysis of the decay heat of a TRU loaded DB-HTR core. The evaluation of the hot spot fuel temperature of the fuel block in the DB-HTR (Deep-Burn High Temperature Reactor) core under full operating power conditions are described in Chapter V. The investigated designs are the 600MWth and 460MWth DB-HTRs. In Chapter VI, the thermo-fluid and safety of the 600MWth DB-HTRs has been analyzed to investigate a thermal-fluid design performance at the steady state and a passive safety performance during an LPCC event. Chapter VII describes the analysis results of the TRISO fuel microanalysis of the 600MWth and 450MWth DB-HTRs. The TRISO fuel microanalysis covers the gas pressure buildup in a coated fuel particle including helium production, the thermo-mechanical behavior of a CFP, the failure probabilities of CFPs, the temperature distribution in a CPF, and the fission product (FP) transport in a CFP and a graphite. In Chapter VIII, it contains the core design and analysis of sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) with deep burn HTR reactor. It considers a synergistic combination of the DB-MHR and an SFR burner for a safe and efficient transmutation of the TRUs from LWRs. Chapter IX describes the design and analysis results of the self-cleaning (or self-recycling) HTR core. The analysis is considered zero and 5-year cooling time of the spent LWR fuels.« less

High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Deep Burn Core and Fuel Analysis: Design Selection for the Prismatic Block Reactor

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

Francesco Venneri; Chang-Keun Jo; Jae-Man Noh

2010-09-01

The Deep Burn (DB) Project is a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored feasibility study of Transuranic Management using high burnup fuel in the high temperature helium cooled reactor (HTR). The DB Project consists of seven tasks: project management, core and fuel analysis, spent fuel management, fuel cycle integration, TRU fuel modeling, TRU fuel qualification, and HTR fuel recycle. In the Phase II of the Project, we conducted nuclear analysis of TRU destruction/utilization in the HTR prismatic block design (Task 2.1), deep burn fuel/TRISO microanalysis (Task 2.3), and synergy with fast reactors (Task 4.2). The Task 2.1 covers the core physicsmore » design, thermo-hydraulic CFD analysis, and the thermofluid and safety analysis (low pressure conduction cooling, LPCC) of the HTR prismatic block design. The Task 2.3 covers the analysis of the structural behavior of TRISO fuel containing TRU at very high burnup level, i.e. exceeding 50% of FIMA. The Task 4.2 includes the self-cleaning HTR based on recycle of HTR-generated TRU in the same HTR. Chapter IV contains the design and analysis results of the 600MWth DB-HTR core physics with the cycle length, the average discharged burnup, heavy metal and plutonium consumptions, radial and axial power distributions, temperature reactivity coefficients. Also, it contains the analysis results of the 450MWth DB-HTR core physics and the analysis of the decay heat of a TRU loaded DB-HTR core. The evaluation of the hot spot fuel temperature of the fuel block in the DB-HTR (Deep-Burn High Temperature Reactor) core under full operating power conditions are described in Chapter V. The investigated designs are the 600MWth and 460MWth DB-HTRs. In Chapter VI, the thermo-fluid and safety of the 600MWth DB-HTRs has been analyzed to investigate a thermal-fluid design performance at the steady state and a passive safety performance during an LPCC event. Chapter VII describes the analysis results of the TRISO fuel microanalysis of the 600MWth and 450MWth DB-HTRs. The TRISO fuel microanalysis covers the gas pressure buildup in a coated fuel particle including helium production, the thermo-mechanical behavior of a CFP, the failure probabilities of CFPs, the temperature distribution in a CPF, and the fission product (FP) transport in a CFP and a graphite. In Chapter VIII, it contains the core design and analysis of sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) with deep burn HTR reactor. It considers a synergistic combination of the DB-MHR and an SFR burner for a safe and efficient transmutation of the TRUs from LWRs. Chapter IX describes the design and analysis results of the self-cleaning (or self-recycling) HTR core. The analysis is considered zero and 5-year cooling time of the spent LWR fuels.« less

Potent Inhibitors of Plasmodial Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) Featuring a Spirocyclic Scaffold.

PubMed

Schwertz, Geoffrey; Witschel, Matthias C; Rottmann, Matthias; Leartsakulpanich, Ubolsree; Chitnumsub, Penchit; Jaruwat, Aritsara; Amornwatcharapong, Watcharee; Ittarat, Wanwipa; Schäfer, Anja; Aponte, Raphael A; Trapp, Nils; Chaiyen, Pimchai; Diederich, François

2018-05-08

With the discovery that serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) is a druggable target for antimalarials, the aim of this study was to design novel inhibitors of this key enzyme in the folate biosynthesis cycle. Herein, 19 novel spirocyclic ligands based on either 2-indolinone or dihydroindene scaffolds and featuring a pyrazolopyran core are reported. Strong target affinities for Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) SHMT (14-76 nm) and cellular potencies in the low nanomolar range (165-334 nm) were measured together with interesting selectivity against human cytosolic SHMT1 (hSHMT1). Four co-crystal structures with Plasmodium vivax (Pv) SHMT solved at 2.2-2.4 Å resolution revealed the key role of the vinylogous cyanamide for anchoring ligands within the active site. The spirocyclic motif in the molecules enforces the pyrazolopyran core to adopt a substantially more curved conformation than that of previous non-spirocyclic analogues. Finally, solvation of the spirocyclic lactam ring of the receptor-bound ligands is discussed. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A portable platform for accelerated PIC codes and its application to GPUs using OpenACC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariri, F.; Tran, T. M.; Jocksch, A.; Lanti, E.; Progsch, J.; Messmer, P.; Brunner, S.; Gheller, C.; Villard, L.

2016-10-01

We present a portable platform, called PIC_ENGINE, for accelerating Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes on heterogeneous many-core architectures such as Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). The aim of this development is efficient simulations on future exascale systems by allowing different parallelization strategies depending on the application problem and the specific architecture. To this end, this platform contains the basic steps of the PIC algorithm and has been designed as a test bed for different algorithmic options and data structures. Among the architectures that this engine can explore, particular attention is given here to systems equipped with GPUs. The study demonstrates that our portable PIC implementation based on the OpenACC programming model can achieve performance closely matching theoretical predictions. Using the Cray XC30 system, Piz Daint, at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), we show that PIC_ENGINE running on an NVIDIA Kepler K20X GPU can outperform the one on an Intel Sandy bridge 8-core CPU by a factor of 3.4.

Nanodiamond-Based Composite Structures for Biomedical Imaging and Drug Delivery.

PubMed

Rosenholm, Jessica M; Vlasov, Igor I; Burikov, Sergey A; Dolenko, Tatiana A; Shenderova, Olga A

2015-02-01

Nanodiamond particles are widely recognized candidates for biomedical applications due to their excellent biocompatibility, bright photoluminescence based on color centers and outstanding photostability. Recently, more complex architectures with a nanodiamond core and an external shell or nanostructure which provides synergistic benefits have been developed, and their feasibility for biomedical applications has been demonstrated. This review is aimed at summarizing recent achievements in the fabrication and functional demonstrations of nanodiamond-based composite structures, along with critical considerations that should be taken into account in the design of such structures from a biomedical point of view. A particular focus of the review is core/shell structures of nanodiamond surrounded by porous silica shells, which demonstrate a remarkable increase in drug loading efficiency; as well as nanodiamonds decorated with carbon dots, which have excellent potential as bioimaging probes. Other combinations are also considered, relying on the discussed inherent properties of the inorganic materials being integrated in a way to advance inorganic nanomedicine in the quest for better health-related nanotechnology.

Health and social care management for older adults with multimorbidity: a multiperspective approach.

PubMed

Meranius, Martina Summer; Josefsson, Karin

2017-03-01

Multimorbidity, a condition common among older adults, may be regarded as a failure of a complex system. The aim of this study was to describe the core components in health and social care management for older adults with multimorbidity. A cross-sectional design included two methods: individual interviews and group discussions. A total of 105 participants included older adults with multimorbidity and their relatives, care staff and healthcare policymakers. Data were analysed using content analysis. The results show that seven core components comprise a multiperspective view of health and social care management for older adults with multimorbidity: political steering, leadership, cooperation, competence, support for relatives, availability and continuity. Steps should be taken to ensure that every older adult with multimorbidity has a treatment plan according to a multiperspective view to prevent fragmentation of their health care. This study provides relevant evidence developing a multiperspective model of health and social care management for older adults with multimorbidity. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Composite Cores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Spang & Company's new configuration of converter transformer cores is a composite of gapped and ungapped cores assembled together in concentric relationship. The net effect of the composite design is to combine the protection from saturation offered by the gapped core with the lower magnetizing requirement of the ungapped core. The uncut core functions under normal operating conditions and the cut core takes over during abnormal operation to prevent power surges and their potentially destructive effect on transistors. Principal customers are aerospace and defense manufacturers. Cores also have applicability in commercial products where precise power regulation is required, as in the power supplies for large mainframe computers.

Gas Hydrate Exploration, Mid Chilean Coast; Geochemical-Geophysical Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-27

design for the piston core provided a more safe core delivery and retrieval protocol with changes in the messenger weight and triggering mechanism ...selection of samples that were analyzed onboard depended on key data needed to assist in sample station selection and the ability to transport and...weight and triggering mechanism . Through the cruise there were 17 piston coring attempts resulting in 15 successful cores. Failures in the core

Spring design for use in the core of a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Willard, Jr., H. James

1993-01-01

A spring design particularly suitable for use in the core of a nuclear reactor includes one surface having a first material oriented in a longitudinal direction, and another surface having a second material oriented in a transverse direction. The respective surfaces exhibit different amounts of irraditation induced strain.

76 FR 14825 - Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contact Markets

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-18

... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 17 CFR Parts 1, 16, and 38 RIN 3038-AD09 Core Principles and Other Requirements for Designated Contact Markets AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission. ACTION... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Markowitz, Assistant Deputy Director, 202-418-5453, [email protected

Experiences sharing of implementing Template-based Electronic Medical Record System (TEMRS) in a Hong Kong medical organization.

PubMed

Ting, S L; Kwok, S K; Tsang, Albert H C; Lee, W B; Yee, K F

2011-12-01

This paper aims to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of Template-based Electronic Medical Record System (TEMRS) and factors for its successful implementation. A TEMRS was designed and implemented in one core clinic of a Hong Kong professional multi-disciplinary medical services provider with four core clinics located in different parts of Hong Kong. Eight doctors participated in the study. Surveys and interviews were conducted to acquire the users' feedback and satisfaction level. The design, development, and the factors related to the success of the implementation of TEMRS were analyzed. In the study period, 3,032 cases were collected. The most encountered diagnosis were upper respiratory tract infection (50.59%), gastroenteritis (10.19%), dermatitis (5.87%), dyspepsia (5.28%) and rhinitis (4.82%). The system gained an overall satisfaction by the users and the most satisfied areas were rapid retrieving the necessary information of patient (75%) and fasten the diagnostic selection (75%). TEMRS is an enabling system which can reduce the user resistance in new technology with its flexibility. The consideration of cost, security, human, technical, data migration and standardization issues are essential in the implementation of the TEMRS and further research should be conducted to expand the TEMRS's implementation in health care system.

Optics derotator servo control system for SONG Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jin; Ren, Changzhi; Ye, Yu

2012-09-01

The Stellar Oscillations Network Group (SONG) is an initiative which aims at designing and building a groundbased network of 1m telescopes dedicated to the study of phenomena occurring in the time domain. Chinese standard node of SONG is an Alt-Az Telescope of F/37 with 1m diameter. Optics derotator control system of SONG telescope adopts the development model of "Industrial Computer + UMAC Motion Controller + Servo Motor".1 Industrial computer is the core processing part of the motion control, motion control card(UMAC) is in charge of the details on the motion control, Servo amplifier accepts the control commands from UMAC, and drives the servo motor. The position feedback information comes from the encoder, to form a closed loop control system. This paper describes in detail hardware design and software design for the optics derotator servo control system. In terms of hardware design, the principle, structure, and control algorithm of servo system based on optics derotator are analyzed and explored. In terms of software design, the paper proposes the architecture of the system software based on Object-Oriented Programming.

IS-EPOS - a prototype of EPOS Thematic Core Service for seismic processes induced by human operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlecka-Sikora, Beata; Lasocki, Stanislaw; Leptokaropoulos, Konstantinos

2014-05-01

The community focused on seismic processes induced by human operations has been organized within EPOS Integration Program as Working Group 10 Infrastructure for Georesources. This group has brought together representatives from the scientific community and industry from 13 European countries. WG10 aims to integrate the research infrastructure (RI) in the area of seismicity induced (IS) by human activity: tremors and rockbursts in underground mines, seismicity associated with conventional and unconventional oil and gas production, induced by geothermal energy extraction and by underground reposition and storage of liquids (e.g. water disposal associated with energy extraction) and gases (CO2 sequestration, inter alia) and triggered by filling surface water reservoirs, etc. WG10 priority is to create new research opportunities in the field responding to global challenges connected with exploitation of georesources. WG10 has prepared the model of integration fulfilling the scientific mission and raising the visibility of stakeholders. The end-state Induced Seismicity Thematic Core Service (IS TCS) has been designed together with key metrics for TCS benefits in four areas: scientific, societal, economic and capacity building. IS-EPOS project, funded by National Centre for Research and Development, Poland within the program "Innovative Economy Operational Program Priority Axis 2 - R&D Infrastructure", aims at building a prototype of IS TCS. The prototype will implement fully the designed logic of IS TCS. Research infrastructure integrated within the prototype will comprise altogether seven comprehensive data cases of seismicity linked to deep mining related, associating geothermal production and triggered by reservoir impoundment. The implemented thematic services will enable studies within the use-case "Clustering of induced earthquakes". The IS TCS prototype is expected to reach full functionality by the end of 2014.

Tailoring the dendrimer core for efficient gene delivery.

PubMed

Hu, Jingjing; Hu, Ke; Cheng, Yiyun

2016-04-15

Dendrimers have been widely used as non-viral gene vectors due to well-defined chemical structures, high density of cationic charges and ease of surface modification. Although a large number of studies have reported the important roles of dendrimer architecture, component, generation and surface functionality in gene delivery, the effect of dendrimer core on this issue still remains unclear. Recent literatures suggest that a slight alternation in dendrimer core has a profound effect in the transfection efficacy and biocompatibility. In this review, we will discuss the transfection mechanism of dendrimers with different types of cores in respect of flexibility, hydrophobicity and functionality. We hope to open a possibility of designing efficient dendrimers for gene delivery by choosing a proper dendrimer core. As a branch of researches on dendrimers and dendritic polymers, the design of biocompatible and high efficient polymeric gene carriers has attracted increasing attentions during these years. Although the effect of dendrimer generation, species, architecture and surface functionality on gene delivery have been widely reported, the effect of dendrimer core on this issue still remains unclear. Recent literatures suggest that a minor variation on the dendrimer core has a profound effect in the transfection efficacy and biocompatibility. This critical review summarized the dendrimers with different types of cores and discussed the transfection mechanism with particular focus on the flexibility, hydrophobicity, and functionality. It is hoped to provide a new insight to design efficient and safe dendrimer-based gene vectors by choosing a proper core. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review on the effect of dendrimer core on gene delivery. The findings obtained in this filed are of central importance in the design of efficient polymeric gene vectors. This article will appeal a wide readership such as physical chemist, dendrimer chemist, biological chemist, pharmaceutical scientist, and biomaterial researchers. We hope that this review article can be published by Acta Biomaterialia, a top journal that publishes important reviews in the field of biomaterials science. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The design and performance of IceCube DeepCore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Allen, M. M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brown, A. M.; Buitink, S.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carson, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; Cruz Silva, A. H.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Degner, T.; Demirörs, L.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, B.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülß, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Porrata, R.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schmidt, T.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Stüer, M.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Zoll, M.

2012-05-01

The IceCube neutrino observatory in operation at the South Pole, Antarctica, comprises three distinct components: a large buried array for ultrahigh energy neutrino detection, a surface air shower array, and a new buried component called DeepCore. DeepCore was designed to lower the IceCube neutrino energy threshold by over an order of magnitude, to energies as low as about 10 GeV. DeepCore is situated primarily 2100 m below the surface of the icecap at the South Pole, at the bottom center of the existing IceCube array, and began taking physics data in May 2010. Its location takes advantage of the exceptionally clear ice at those depths and allows it to use the surrounding IceCube detector as a highly efficient active veto against the principal background of downward-going muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers. DeepCore has a module density roughly five times higher than that of the standard IceCube array, and uses photomultiplier tubes with a new photocathode featuring a quantum efficiency about 35% higher than standard IceCube PMTs. Taken together, these features of DeepCore will increase IceCube's sensitivity to neutrinos from WIMP dark matter annihilations, atmospheric neutrino oscillations, galactic supernova neutrinos, and point sources of neutrinos in the northern and southern skies. In this paper we describe the design and initial performance of DeepCore.

The Design and Performance of IceCube DeepCore

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stamatikos, M.

2012-01-01

The IceCube neutrino observatory in operation at the South Pole, Antarctica, comprises three distinct components: a large buried array for ultrahigh energy neutrino detection, a surface air shower array, and a new buried component called DeepCore. DeepCore was designed to lower the IceCube neutrino energy threshold by over an order of magnitude, to energies as low as about 10 GeV. DeepCore is situated primarily 2100 m below the surface of the icecap at the South Pole, at the bottom center of the existing IceCube array, and began taking pbysics data in May 2010. Its location takes advantage of the exceptionally clear ice at those depths and allows it to use the surrounding IceCube detector as a highly efficient active veto against the principal background of downward-going muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers. DeepCore has a module density roughly five times higher than that of the standard IceCube array, and uses photomultiplier tubes with a new photocathode featuring a quantum efficiency about 35% higher than standard IceCube PMTs. Taken together, these features of DeepCore will increase IceCube's sensitivity to neutrinos from WIMP dark matter annihilations, atmospheric neutrino oscillations, galactic supernova neutrinos, and point sources of neutrinos in the northern and southern skies. In this paper we describe the design and initial performance of DeepCore.

A rural, community-based suicide awareness and intervention program.

PubMed

Jones, Sharon; Walker, Coralanne; Miles, Alison C J; De Silva, Eve; Zimitat, Craig

2015-01-01

Suicide is a prominent public health issue in rural Australia and specifically in Tasmania, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. The Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) program was developed in rural Tasmania in response to a significant number of suicides over a short period of time. CORES is unique in that it is both a community-based and gatekeeper education model. CORES aims to build and empower communities to take ownership of suicide prevention strategies. It also aims to increase the individual community member's interpersonal skills and awareness of suicide risks, while building peer support and awareness of suicide prevention support services within the community itself. Pre- and post-test surveys after the CORES 1-day suicide awareness and intervention program (SAIP) showed significant increases in levels of comfort and confidence in discussing suicide with those who may be contemplating that action. CORES builds community capital through establishing new connections within communities. Establishment of local executive groups, funding and SAIP are key activities of successful CORES programs in communities around Australia. Over half of the initial leaders are still actively involved after a decade, which reflects positively on the quality and outcomes of the program. This study supports CORES as a beneficial and feasible community-based suicide intervention program for rural communities.

V/STOL model fan stage rig design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheatham, J. G.; Creason, T. L.

1983-01-01

A model single-stage fan with variable inlet guide vanes (VIGV) was designed to demonstrate efficient point operation while providing flow and pressure ratio modulation capability required for a V/STOL propulsion system. The fan stage incorporates a split-flap VIGV with an independently actuated ID flap to permit independent modulation of fan and core engine airstreams, a flow splitter integrally designed into the blade and vanes to completely segregate fan and core airstreams in order to maximize core stream supercharging for V/STOL operation, and an EGV with a variable leading edge fan flap for rig performance optimization. The stage was designed for a maximum flow size of 37.4 kg/s (82.3 lb/s) for compatibility with LeRC test facility requirements. Design values at maximum flow for blade tip velocity and stage pressure ratio are 472 m/s (1550 ft/s) and 1.68, respectively.

Design criteria for a self-actuated shutdown system to ensure limitation of core damage. [LMFBR

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

Deane, N.A.; Atcheson, D.B.

1981-09-01

Safety-based functional requirements and design criteria for a self-actuated shutdown system (SASS) are derived in accordance with LOA-2 success criteria and reliability goals. The design basis transients have been defined and evaluated for the CDS Phase II design, which is a 2550 MWt mixed oxide heterogeneous core reactor. A partial set of reactor responses for selected transients is provided as a function of SASS characteristics such as reactivity worth, trip points, and insertion times.

Towards high performing hospital enterprise systems: an empirical and literature based design framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos Fradinho, Jorge Miguel

2014-05-01

Our understanding of enterprise systems (ES) is gradually evolving towards a sense of design which leverages multidisciplinary bodies of knowledge that may bolster hybrid research designs and together further the characterisation of ES operation and performance. This article aims to contribute towards ES design theory with its hospital enterprise systems design (HESD) framework, which reflects a rich multidisciplinary literature and two in-depth hospital empirical cases from the US and UK. In doing so it leverages systems thinking principles and traditionally disparate bodies of knowledge to bolster the theoretical evolution and foundation of ES. A total of seven core ES design elements are identified and characterised with 24 main categories and 53 subcategories. In addition, it builds on recent work which suggests that hospital enterprises are comprised of multiple internal ES configurations which may generate different levels of performance. Multiple sources of evidence were collected including electronic medical records, 54 recorded interviews, observation, and internal documents. Both in-depth cases compare and contrast higher and lower performing ES configurations. Following literal replication across in-depth cases, this article concludes that hospital performance can be improved through an enriched understanding of hospital ES design.

Development of an ICT in IBSE course for science teachers: A design-based research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Trinh-Ba

2018-01-01

Integration of ICT tools for measuring with sensors, analyzing video, and modelling into Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) is a need globally recognized. The challenge to teachers is how to turn manipulation of equipment and software into manipulation of ideas. We have developed a short ICT in IBSE course to prepare and support science teachers to teach inquiry-based activities with ICT tools. Within the framework of design-based research, we first defined the pedagogical principles from the literature, developed core materials for teacher learning, explored boundary conditions of the training in different countries, and elaborated set-ups of the course for the Dutch, Slovak, and Vietnamese contexts. Next, we taught and evaluated three iterative cycles of the Dutch course set-ups for pre-service science teachers from four teacher-education institutes nationwide. In each cycle, data on the teacher learning was collected via observations, questionnaires, interviews, and documents. These data were then analyzed for the questions about faithful implementation and effectiveness of the course. Following the same approach, we taught and evaluated two cycles of the Slovak course set-ups for in-service science teachers in the context of the national accreditation programme for teacher professional development. In addition, we investigated applicability of the final Dutch course set-up in the context of the physics-education master program in Vietnam with adaptations geared to educational and cultural difference. Through the iterations of implementation, evaluation, and revision, eventually the course objectives were achieved to certain extent; the pedagogical principles and core materials proved to be effective and applicable in different contexts. We started this research and design project with the pedagogical principles and concluded it with these principles (i.e. complete theory-practice cycle, depth first, distributed learning, and ownership of learning) as the core of the basic design of the ICT in IBSE course. These principles can be considered as independent, validated educational products, which teacher educators can "buy into" and use for broader aims than only "ICT in IBSE" integration. Pedagogical principles establish the theoretical model underlying the course design, provide guidelines and structure to the (re)design, implementation, evaluation, and optimization process, and help to communicate the design-based research to others. The role of pedagogical principles in design-based research is indeed essential. Moreover, we incorporated a robustness test and a generalizability/transferability test as a further step in our design-based research and achieved successful outcomes with this step. Consequently, we strongly recommend the testing of the design product in routine implementation conditions and in considerably different contexts (e.g. different programmes or even countries) as part of design-based research.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY HIGH-TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED TEST REACTOR

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

Sterbentz, James; Bayless, Paul; Strydom, Gerhard

2016-11-01

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis is an indispensable element of any substantial attempt in reactor simulation validation. The quantification of uncertainties in nuclear engineering has grown more important and the IAEA Coordinated Research Program (CRP) on High-Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) initiated in 2012 aims to investigate the various uncertainty quantification methodologies for this type of reactors. The first phase of the CRP is dedicated to the estimation of cell and lattice model uncertainties due to the neutron cross sections co-variances. Phase II is oriented towards the investigation of propagated uncertainties from the lattice to the coupled neutronics/thermal hydraulics core calculations.more » Nominal results for the prismatic single block (Ex.I-2a) and super cell models (Ex.I-2c) have been obtained using the SCALE 6.1.3 two-dimensional lattice code NEWT coupled to the TRITON sequence for cross section generation. In this work, the TRITON/NEWT-flux-weighted cross sections obtained for Ex.I-2a and various models of Ex.I-2c is utilized to perform a sensitivity analysis of the MHTGR-350 core power densities and eigenvalues. The core solutions are obtained with the INL coupled code PHISICS/RELAP5-3D, utilizing a fixed-temperature feedback for Ex. II-1a.. It is observed that the core power density does not vary significantly in shape, but the magnitude of these variations increases as the moderator-to-fuel ratio increases in the super cell lattice models.« less

Experimental course of bioethics upon the bioethics core curriculum of UNESCO: methodoloy and result of investigation.

PubMed

Davtyan, S

2012-12-01

In October 2005 the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. The aim of this Declaration was to assist in the realization ofprinciples and support the thorough understanding of the consequences of the ethics of scientific and technical progress, especially for youth. In 2008, the Division of Ethics of Science and Technology Sector for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO worked out an Educational Program (Bioethics Core Curriculum). On November 23, 2010 a Memorandum was signed between UNESCO and the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi. The Memorandum was aimed to test the Bioethics Core Curriculum of UNESCO. In this article we will analyze the aims and goals of studying the course, as well as disputable shortcomings of the Program, make recommendations for the improvement of the course of bioethics, and highlight the positive aspects of this Educational Program.

Candidate molten salt investigation for an accelerator driven subcritical core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sooby, E.; Baty, A.; Beneš, O.; McIntyre, P.; Pogue, N.; Salanne, M.; Sattarov, A.

2013-09-01

We report a design for accelerator-driven subcritical fission in a molten salt core (ADSMS) that utilizes a fuel salt composed of NaCl and transuranic (TRU) chlorides. The ADSMS core is designed for fast neutronics (28% of neutrons >1 MeV) to optimize TRU destruction. The choice of a NaCl-based salt offers benefits for corrosion, operating temperature, and actinide solubility as compared with LiF-based fuel salts. A molecular dynamics (MD) code has been used to estimate properties of the molten salt system which are important for ADSMS design but have never been measured experimentally. Results from the MD studies are reported. Experimental measurements of fuel salt properties and studies of corrosion and radiation damage on candidate metals for the core vessel are anticipated. A special thanks is due to Prof. Paul Madden for introducing the ADSMS group to the concept of using the molten salt as the spallation target, rather than a conventional heavy metal spallation target. This feature helps to optimize this core as a Pu/TRU burner.

Case for a field-programmable gate array multicore hybrid machine for an image-processing application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakvic, Ryan N.; Ives, Robert W.; Lira, Javier; Molina, Carlos

2011-01-01

General purpose computer designers have recently begun adding cores to their processors in order to increase performance. For example, Intel has adopted a homogeneous quad-core processor as a base for general purpose computing. PlayStation3 (PS3) game consoles contain a multicore heterogeneous processor known as the Cell, which is designed to perform complex image processing algorithms at a high level. Can modern image-processing algorithms utilize these additional cores? On the other hand, modern advancements in configurable hardware, most notably field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have created an interesting question for general purpose computer designers. Is there a reason to combine FPGAs with multicore processors to create an FPGA multicore hybrid general purpose computer? Iris matching, a repeatedly executed portion of a modern iris-recognition algorithm, is parallelized on an Intel-based homogeneous multicore Xeon system, a heterogeneous multicore Cell system, and an FPGA multicore hybrid system. Surprisingly, the cheaper PS3 slightly outperforms the Intel-based multicore on a core-for-core basis. However, both multicore systems are beaten by the FPGA multicore hybrid system by >50%.

Development of 3D pseudo pin-by-pin calculation methodology in ANC

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

Zhang, B.; Mayhue, L.; Huria, H.

2012-07-01

Advanced cores and fuel assembly designs have been developed to improve operational flexibility, economic performance and further enhance safety features of nuclear power plants. The simulation of these new designs, along with strong heterogeneous fuel loading, have brought new challenges to the reactor physics methodologies currently employed in the industrial codes for core analyses. Control rod insertion during normal operation is one operational feature in the AP1000{sup R} plant of Westinghouse next generation Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) design. This design improves its operational flexibility and efficiency but significantly challenges the conventional reactor physics methods, especially in pin power calculations. Themore » mixture loading of fuel assemblies with significant neutron spectrums causes a strong interaction between different fuel assembly types that is not fully captured with the current core design codes. To overcome the weaknesses of the conventional methods, Westinghouse has developed a state-of-the-art 3D Pin-by-Pin Calculation Methodology (P3C) and successfully implemented in the Westinghouse core design code ANC. The new methodology has been qualified and licensed for pin power prediction. The 3D P3C methodology along with its application and validation will be discussed in the paper. (authors)« less

Cartographic sign as a core of multimedia map prepared by non-cartographers in free map services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medyńska-Gulij, Beata

2014-06-01

The fundamental importance of cartographic signs in traditional maps is unquestionable, although in the case of multimedia maps their key function is not so obvious. Our aim was to search the problem of cartographic signs as a core of multimedia maps prepared by non-cartographer in on-line Map Services. First, preestablished rules for multimedia map designers were prepared emphasizing the key role of the cartographic signs and habits of Web-users. The comparison of projects completed by a group of designers led us to the general conclusion that a cartographic sign should determine the design of a multimedia map in on-line Map Services. Despite the selection of five different map topics, one may list the general characteristics of the maps with a cartographic sign in the core. Fundamentalne znaczenie znaków kartograficznych na tradycyjnej mapie nie budzi wątpliwości, jednak w przypadku multimedialnej mapy ich kluczowa funkcja nie jest już tak oczywista. W tych badaniach podjęto problem znaczenia znaku kartograficznego jako spoiwa mapy multimedialnej opracowanej przez nie-kartografa w darmowych serwisach mapowych. Zadaniem dla projektujących mapy stało się opracowanie mapy multimedialnej według ustalonych wstępnie zasad, w której kluczową rolę odgrywały znaki kartograficzne oraz przyzwyczajenia użytkowników Internetu. Porównanie wypełnionych arkuszy zadań przez uczestników badań skłania do wyciągnięcia generalnego wniosku, że znak kartograficzny powinien determinować projektowanie multimedialnej mapy w serwisach mapowych on-line. Pomimo opracowania pięciu różnych tematów map, można wymienić ogólne charakterystyki map, w których znak kartograficzny jest spoiwem.

Aerodynamics inside a rapid compression machine

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

Mittal, Gaurav; Sung, Chih-Jen

2006-04-15

The aerodynamics inside a rapid compression machine after the end of compression is investigated using planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of acetone. To study the effect of reaction chamber configuration on the resulting aerodynamics and temperature field, experiments are conducted and compared using a creviced piston and a flat piston under varying conditions. Results show that the flat piston design leads to significant mixing of the cold vortex with the hot core region, which causes alternate hot and cold regions inside the combustion chamber. At higher pressures, the effect of the vortex is reduced. The creviced piston head configuration is demonstratedmore » to result in drastic reduction of the effect of the vortex. Experimental conditions are also simulated using the Star-CD computational fluid dynamics package. Computed results closely match with experimental observation. Numerical results indicate that with a flat piston design, gas velocity after compression is very high and the core region shrinks quickly due to rapid entrainment of cold gases. Whereas, for a creviced piston head design, gas velocity after compression is significantly lower and the core region remains unaffected for a long duration. As a consequence, for the flat piston, adiabatic core assumption can significantly overpredict the maximum temperature after the end of compression. For the creviced piston, the adiabatic core assumption is found to be valid even up to 100 ms after compression. This work therefore experimentally and numerically substantiates the importance of piston head design for achieving a homogeneous core region inside a rapid compression machine. (author)« less

Study of a Fine Grained Threaded Framework Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, C. D.

2012-12-01

Traditionally, HEP experiments exploit the multiple cores in a CPU by having each core process one event. However, future PC designs are expected to use CPUs which double the number of processing cores at the same rate as the cost of memory falls by a factor of two. This effectively means the amount of memory per processing core will remain constant. This is a major challenge for LHC processing frameworks since the LHC is expected to deliver more complex events (e.g. greater pileup events) in the coming years while the LHC experiment's frameworks are already memory constrained. Therefore in the not so distant future we may need to be able to efficiently use multiple cores to process one event. In this presentation we will discuss a design for an HEP processing framework which can allow very fine grained parallelization within one event as well as supporting processing multiple events simultaneously while minimizing the memory footprint of the job. The design is built around the libdispatch framework created by Apple Inc. (a port for Linux is available) whose central concept is the use of task queues. This design also accommodates the reality that not all code will be thread safe and therefore allows one to easily mark modules or sub parts of modules as being thread unsafe. In addition, the design efficiently handles the requirement that events in one run must all be processed before starting to process events from a different run. After explaining the design we will provide measurements from simulating different processing scenarios where the processing times used for the simulation are drawn from processing times measured from actual CMS event processing.

Discussion of examination of a cored hydraulic fracture in a deep gas well

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

Nolte, K.G.

Warpinski et al. document information found from a core through a formation after a hydraulic fracture treatment. As they indicate, the core provides the first detailed evaluation of an actual propped hydraulic fracture away from the well and at a significant depth, and this evaluation leads to findings that deviate substantially from the assumptions incorporated into current fracturing models. In this discussion, a defense of current fracture design assumptions is developed. The affirmation of current assumptions, for general industry applications, is based on an assessment of the global impact of the local complexity found in the core. The assessment leadsmore » to recommendations for the evolution of fracture design practice.« less

Design and analysis of large-core single-mode windmill single crystal sapphire optical fiber

DOE PAGES

Cheng, Yujie; Hill, Cary; Liu, Bo; ...

2016-06-01

We present a large-core single-mode “windmill” single crystal sapphire optical fiber (SCSF) design, which exhibits single-mode operation by stripping off the higher-order modes (HOMs) while maintaining the fundamental mode. The “windmill” SCSF design was analyzed using the finite element analysis method, in which all the HOMs are leaky. The numerical simulation results show single-mode operation in the spectral range from 0.4 to 2 μm in the windmill SCSF, with an effective core diameter as large as 14 μm. Such fiber is expected to improve the performance of many of the current sapphire fiber optic sensor structures.

The CONSENSUS study: protocol for a mixed methods study to establish which outcomes should be included in a core outcome set for oropharyngeal cancer

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer is increasing in the developed world. This has led to a large rise in research activity and clinical trials in this area, yet there is no consensus on which outcomes should be measured. As a result, the outcomes measured often differ between trials of comparable interventions, making the combination or comparison of results between trials impossible. Outcomes may also be ‘cherry-picked’, such that favourable results are reported, and less favourable results withheld. The development of a minimum outcome reporting standard, known as a core outcome set, goes some way to addressing these problems. Core outcome sets are ideally developed using a patient-centred approach so that the outcomes measured are relevant to patients and clinical practice. Core outcome sets drive up the quality and relevance of research by ensuring that the right outcomes are consistently measured and reported in trials in specific areas of health or healthcare. Methods/Design This is a mixed methods study involving three phases to develop a core outcome set for oropharyngeal cancer clinical trials. Firstly, a systematic review will establish which outcomes are measured in published oropharyngeal cancer randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Secondly, qualitative interviews with patients and carers in the UK and the USA will aim to establish which outcomes are important to these stakeholders. Data from these first two stages will be used to develop a comprehensive list of outcomes to be considered for inclusion in the core outcome set. In the third stage, patients and clinicians will participate in an iterative consensus exercise known as a Delphi study to refine the contents of the core outcome set. This protocol lays out the methodology to be implemented in the CONSENSUS study. Discussion A core outcome set defines a minimum outcome reporting standard for clinical trials in a particular area of health or healthcare. Its consistent implementation in oropharyngeal cancer clinical trials will improve the quality and relevance of research. Trials and registration This study is registered at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) portfolio, ID 13823 (17 January 2013). PMID:24885068

Impact and Blast Resistance of Sandwich Plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dvorak, George J.; Bahei-El-Din, Yehia A.; Suvorov, Alexander P.

Response of conventional and modified sandwich plate designs is examined under static load, impact by a rigid cylindrical or flat indenter, and during and after an exponential pressure impulse lasting for 0.05 ms, at peak pressure of 100 MPa, simulating a nearby explosion. The conventional sandwich design consists of thin outer (loaded side) and inner facesheets made of carbon/epoxy fibrous laminates, separated by a thick layer of structural foam core. In the three modified designs, one or two thin ductile interlayers are inserted between the outer facesheet and the foam core. Materials selected for the interlayers are a hyperelas-tic rate-independent polyurethane;a compression strain and strain rate dependent, elastic-plastic polyurea;and an elastomeric foam. ABAQUS and LS-Dyna software were used in various response simulations. Performance comparisons between the enhanced and conventional designs show that the modified designs provide much better protection against different damage modes under both load regimes. After impact, local facesheet deflection, core compression, and energy release rate of delamination cracks, which may extend on hidden interfaces between facesheet and core, are all reduced. Under blast or impulse loads, reductions have been observed in the extent of core crushing, facesheet delaminations and vibration amplitudes, and in overall deflections. Similar reductions were found in the kinetic energy and in the stored and dissipated strain energy. Although strain rates as high as 10-4/s1 are produced by the blast pressure, peak strains in the interlayers were too low to raise the flow stress in the polyurea to that in the polyurethane, where a possible rate-dependent response was neglected. Therefore, stiff polyurethane or hard rubber interlayers materials should be used for protection of sandwich plate foam cores against both impact and blast-induced damage.

The study of capability natural uranium as fuel cycle input for long life gas cooled fast reactors with helium as coolant

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

Ariani, Menik, E-mail: menikariani@gmail.com; Satya, Octavianus Cakra; Monado, Fiber

The objective of the present research is to assess the feasibility design of small long-life Gas Cooled Fast Reactor with helium as coolant. GCFR included in the Generation-IV reactor systems are being developed to provide sustainable energy resources that meet future energy demand in a reliable, safe, and proliferation-resistant manner. This reactor can be operated without enrichment and reprocessing forever, once it starts. To obtain the capability of consuming natural uranium as fuel cycle input modified CANDLE burn-up scheme was adopted in this system with different core design. This study has compared the core with three designs of core reactorsmore » with the same thermal power 600 MWth. The fuel composition each design was arranged by divided core into several parts of equal volume axially i.e. 6, 8 and 10 parts related to material burn-up history. The fresh natural uranium is initially put in region 1, after one cycle of 10 years of burn-up it is shifted to region 2 and the region 1 is filled by fresh natural uranium fuel. This concept is basically applied to all regions, i.e. shifted the core of the region (i) into region (i+1) region after the end of 10 years burn-up cycle. The calculation results shows that for the burn-up strategy on “Region-8” and “Region-10” core designs, after the reactors start-up the operation furthermore they only needs natural uranium supply to the next life operation until one period of refueling (10 years).« less

Analysis of C/E results of fission rate ratio measurements in several fast lead VENUS-F cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochetkov, Anatoly; Krása, Antonín; Baeten, Peter; Vittiglio, Guido; Wagemans, Jan; Bécares, Vicente; Bianchini, Giancarlo; Fabrizio, Valentina; Carta, Mario; Firpo, Gabriele; Fridman, Emil; Sarotto, Massimo

2017-09-01

During the GUINEVERE FP6 European project (2006-2011), the zero-power VENUS water-moderated reactor was modified into VENUS-F, a mock-up of a lead cooled fast spectrum system with solid components that can be operated in both critical and subcritical mode. The Fast Reactor Experiments for hybrid Applications (FREYA) FP7 project was launched in 2011 to support the designs of the MYRRHA Accelerator Driven System (ADS) and the ALFRED Lead Fast Reactor (LFR). Three VENUS-F critical core configurations, simulating the complex MYRRHA core design and one configuration devoted to the LFR ALFRED core conditions were investigated in 2015. The MYRRHA related cores simulated step by step design peculiarities like the BeO reflector and in pile sections. For all of these cores the fuel assemblies were of a simple design consisting of 30% enriched metallic uranium, lead rodlets to simulate the coolant and Al2O3 rodlets to simulate the oxide fuel. Fission rate ratios of minor actinides such as Np-237, Am-241 as well as Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-242 and U-238 to U-235 were measured in these VENUS-F critical assemblies with small fission chambers in specially designed locations, to determine the spectral indices in the different neutron spectrum conditions. The measurements have been analyzed using advanced computational tools including deterministic and stochastic codes and different nuclear data sets like JEFF-3.1, JEFF-3.2, ENDF/B7.1 and JENDL-4.0. The analysis of the C/E discrepancies will help to improve the nuclear data in the specific energy region of fast neutron reactor spectra.

Integrally cored ceramic investment casting mold fabricated by ceramic stereolithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Chang-Jun

Superalloy airfoils are produced by investment casting (IC), which uses ceramic cores and wax patterns with ceramic shell molds. Hollow cored superalloy airfoils in a gas turbine engine are an example of complex IC parts. The complex internal hollow cavities of the airfoil are designed to conduct cooling air through one or more passageways. These complex internal passageways have been fabricated by a lost wax process requiring several processing steps; core preparation, injection molding for wax pattern, and dipping process for ceramic shell molds. Several steps generate problems such as high cost and decreased accuracy of the ceramic mold. For example, costly tooling and production delay are required to produce mold dies for complex cores and wax patterns used in injection molding, resulting in a big obstacle for prototypes and smaller production runs. Rather than using separate cores, patterns, and shell molds, it would be advantageous to directly produce a mold that has the casting cavity and the ceramic core by one process. Ceramic stereolithography (CerSLA) can be used to directly fabricate the integrally cored ceramic casting mold (ICCM). CerSLA builds ceramic green objects from CAD files from many thin liquid layers of powder in monomer, which are solidified by polymerization with a UV laser, thereby "writing" the design for each slice. This dissertation addresses the integrally cored casting ceramic mold (ICCM), the ceramic core with a ceramic mold shell in a single patternless construction, fabricated by ceramic stereolithography (CerSLA). CerSLA is considered as an alternative method to replace lost wax processes, for small production runs or designs too complex for conventional cores and patterns. The main topic is the development of methods to successfully fabricate an ICCM by CerSLA from refractory silica, as well as related issues. The related issues are the segregation of coarse fused silica powders in a layer, the degree of segregation parameter to prevent segregation, and sintering and cristobalite transformation in fused silica compacts.

Repacking the Core of T4 lysozyme by automated design.

PubMed

Mooers, Blaine H M; Datta, Deepshikha; Baase, Walter A; Zollars, Eric S; Mayo, Stephen L; Matthews, Brian W

2003-09-19

Automated protein redesign, as implemented in the program ORBIT, was used to redesign the core of phage T4 lysozyme. A total of 26 buried or partially buried sites in the C-terminal domain were allowed to vary both their sequence and side-chain conformation while the backbone and non-selected side-chains remained fixed. A variant with seven substitutions ("Core-7") was identified as having the most favorable energy. The redesign experiment was repeated with a penalty for the presence of methionine residues. In this case the redesigned protein ("Core-10") had ten amino acid changes. The two designed proteins, as well as the constituent single mutants, and several single-site revertants were over-expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and subjected to crystallographic and thermal analyses. The thermodynamic and structural data show that some repacking was achieved although neither redesigned protein was more stable than the wild-type protein. The use of the methionine penalty was shown to be effective. Several of the side-chain rotamers in the predicted structure of Core-10 differ from those observed. Rather than changing to new rotamers predicted by the design process, side-chains tend to maintain conformations similar to those seen in the native molecule. In contrast, parts of the backbone change by up to 2.8A relative to both the designed structure and wild-type. Water molecules that are present within the lysozyme molecule were removed during the design process. In the redesigned protein the resultant cavities were, to some degree, re-occupied by side-chain atoms. In the observed structure, however, water molecules were still bound at or near their original sites. This suggests that it may be preferable to leave such water molecules in place during the design procedure. The results emphasize the specificity of the packing that occurs within the core of a typical protein. While point substitutions within the core are tolerated they almost always result in a loss of stability. Likewise, combinations of substitutions may also be tolerated but usually destabilize the protein. Experience with T4 lysozyme suggests that a general core repacking methodology with retention or enhancement of stability may be difficult to achieve without provision for shifts in the backbone.

Shorter Psychiatry Clerkship Length Is Associated with Lower NBME Psychiatry Shelf Exam Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bostwick, J. Michael; Alexander, Cara

2012-01-01

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate a recent medical school curriculum change at our institution 3 years ago; specifically: shortening the Psychiatry core clerkship from 4 to 3 weeks and adding an optional 6-week core/elective combination rotation in lieu of the 3-week core. The authors aimed to determine whether clerkship length was…

An Ability-Based View of the Organization: Strategic-Resource and Contingency Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nobre, Farley Simon; Walker, David S.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper extends the corporation-based metaphor of the tree by proposing that cognition is the core ability that nourishes the development of core competencies. From such an extension, this paper aims to take a step forward to answer the question: what is the role of cognition in the organization that is in pursuit of core competencies…

Effect of Core Training on 16 Year-Old Soccer Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afyon, Yakup Akif

2014-01-01

Core trainings have been widely used by trainers recently in order to improve performance of soccer players. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of core training on some motoric capabilities of 16 years old soccer players. Thirty certified soccer players who were 16 years old from B.B. Bodrumspor Club in 2013-2014…

KSI's Cross Insulated Core Transformer Technology

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

Uhmeyer, Uwe

2009-08-04

Cross Insulated Core Transformer (CCT) technology improves on Insulated Core Transformer (ICT) implementations. ICT systems are widely used in very high voltage, high power, power supply systems. In an ICT transformer ferrite core sections are insulated from their neighboring ferrite cores. Flux leakage is present at each of these insulated gaps. The flux loss is raised to the power of stages in the ICT design causing output voltage efficiency to taper off with increasing stages. KSI's CCT technology utilizes a patented technique to compensate the flux loss at each stage of an ICT system. Design equations to calculate the fluxmore » compensation capacitor value are presented. CCT provides corona free operation of the HV stack. KSI's CCT based High Voltage power supply systems offer high efficiency operation, high frequency switching, low stored energy and smaller size over comparable ICT systems.« less

Effects of risperidone on core symptoms of autistic disorder based on childhood autism rating scale: an open label study.

PubMed

Ghaeli, Padideh; Nikvarz, Naemeh; Alaghband-Rad, Javad; Alimadadi, Abbas; Tehrani-Doost, Mehdi

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of risperidone in patients afflicted by autistic disorder especially with regards to its three core symptoms, including "relating to others", "communication skills", and "stereotyped behaviors" based on Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). An 8-week open-label study of risperidone for treatment of autistic disorder in children 4-17 years old was designed. Risperidone dose titration was as follow: 0.02 mg/kg/day at the first week, 0.04 mg/kg/day at the second week, and 0.06 mg/kg/day at the third week and thereafter. The outcome measures were scores obtained by CARS, Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Fifteen patients completed this study. After 8 weeks, CARS total score decreased significantly, (P=0.001). At the end of the study, social interactions and verbal communication skills of the patients were significantly improved (P<0.001, P=0.03, respectively). However, stereotypic behaviors did not show any significant change in this study. Increase in appetite and somnolence were the most reported side effects. This study suggests that risperidone may be an effective treatment for the management of core symptoms of autistic disorder.

Exploring the dynamics of research collaborations by mapping social networks in invasion science.

PubMed

Abrahams, B; Sitas, N; Esler, K J

2018-06-19

Moving towards more integrative approaches within the invasion sciences has been recognized as a means of improving linkages between science, policy, and practice. Yet despite the recognition that biological invasions pose complex social-ecological challenges, the invasion literature poorly covers social-ecological or distinctly integrative research. Various initiatives and investments have been made towards building research capacity and conducting more integrative research aimed at improving the management of biological invasions. Using a combination of social network and thematic analysis approaches, and the South African Working for Water (WfW) program as a case study for the management of invasive species, we identify and explore the roles of core authors in shaping collaboration networks and research outputs, based on bibliographic records. We found that research produced under the auspices of WfW is authored by a handful of core authors, conducting primarily ecologically-focused research, with social research significantly underrepresented. Core authors identified in this study play an essential role in mediating relationships between researchers, in addition to potentially controlling access to those seeking to form collaborations, maintaining network cohesion and connectivity across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Research projects should be designed to span disciplines and institutions if they are to adequately address complex challenges. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examining the relationships between span of control and manager job and unit performance outcomes.

PubMed

Wong, Carol A; Elliott-Miller, Pat; Laschinger, Heather; Cuddihy, Michael; Meyer, Raquel M; Keatings, Margaret; Burnett, Camille; Szudy, Natalie

2015-03-01

Our aim was to examine the combination of frontline manager (FLM) personal characteristics and span of control (SOC) on their job and unit performance outcomes. Healthcare downsizing and reform have contributed to larger spans for FLMs in Canadian hospitals and increased concerns about manager workload. Despite a heightened awareness of SOC issues among decision makers, there is limited empirical evidence related to the effects of SOC on outcomes. A non-experimental predictive survey design was used to examine FLM SOC in 14 Canadian academic hospitals. Managers (n = 121) completed an online survey of work characteristics and The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) SOC tool. Unit turnover data were collected from organisational databases. The combination of SOC and core self-evaluation significantly predicted role overload, work control and job satisfaction, but only SOC predicted unit adverse outcomes and neither significantly predicted unit turnover. The findings contribute to an understanding of connections between the combination of SOC and core self-evaluation and manager job and unit performance outcomes. Organisational strategies to create manageable FLM SOC are essential to ensure exemplary job and unit outcomes. Core self-evaluation is a personality characteristic that may enhance manager performance in the face of high spans of control. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Energy consumption estimation of an OMAP-based Android operating system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Gabriel; Juárez, Eduardo; Castro, Juan José; Sanz, César

2011-05-01

System-level energy optimization of battery-powered multimedia embedded systems has recently become a design goal. The poor operational time of multimedia terminals makes computationally demanding applications impractical in real scenarios. For instance, the so-called smart-phones are currently unable to remain in operation longer than several hours. The OMAP3530 processor basically consists of two processing cores, a General Purpose Processor (GPP) and a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The former, an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, is aimed to run a generic Operating System (OS) while the latter, a DSP core based on the C64x+, has architecture optimized for video processing. The BeagleBoard, a commercial prototyping board based on the OMAP processor, has been used to test the Android Operating System and measure its performance. The board has 128 MB of SDRAM external memory, 256 MB of Flash external memory and several interfaces. Note that the clock frequency of the ARM and DSP OMAP cores is 600 MHz and 430 MHz, respectively. This paper describes the energy consumption estimation of the processes and multimedia applications of an Android v1.6 (Donut) OS on the OMAP3530-Based BeagleBoard. In addition, tools to communicate the two processing cores have been employed. A test-bench to profile the OS resource usage has been developed. As far as the energy estimates concern, the OMAP processor energy consumption model provided by the manufacturer has been used. The model is basically divided in two energy components. The former, the baseline core energy, describes the energy consumption that is independent of any chip activity. The latter, the module active energy, describes the energy consumed by the active modules depending on resource usage.

An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salim, Mohd Faiz; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie; Mamat @ Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal; Roslan, Ridha; Sadri, Abd Aziz; Farid, Mohd Fairus Abd

2016-01-01

Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH1.6, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D® computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.

A transversal multicenter study assessing functioning, disability and environmental factors with the comprehensive ICF core set for low back pain in Brazil.

PubMed

Riberto, M; Chiappetta, L M; Lopes, K A; Chiappetta, L R

2014-04-01

Low back pain is a leading cause of disability in Brazil. The multiple aspects of disability in these patients require comprehensive tools for their assessment. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) core set for low back pain is designed to comprehensively describe the experience of such patients with their functioning. This study aimed to describe functioning and contextual factors and to empirically validate the ICF core set for low back pain. Cross sectional study. Three outpatient clinics in Manaus, Maceio and São Paulo, Brazil. Population. 135 low back pain outpatients under rehabilitation. Data concerning diagnosis, personal features, and the 78 ICF core set categories for low back pain were collected from clinical charts, physical examinations, tests, and interviews with patients from rehabilitation services in three parts of Brazil. 7.7% of the categories (6 body functions and 10 activity and participation) were affected in less than 20% of the sample, and were thus considered not validated. Pain and other sensations related to the musculoskeletal system were the body most frequently impaired functions. Mobility and domestic life were the chapters of activity and limitation most often described as limited. All environmental factors were qualified as either facilitators or barriers and acted as modulators of disability. The comprehensive ICF core sets for low back pain can be used to describe the living experience of such individuals, although efforts to make it operational and enhance the reproducibility of the results are needed to warrant its reliable routine use. This study highlights the importance of a complete assessment of chronic low back pain and demonstrate the need for multidisciplinary approach.

An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

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

Salim, Mohd Faiz, E-mail: mohdfaizs@tnb.com.my; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie, E-mail: rafies@tnb.com.my; Mamat Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal, E-mail: m-rizal@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my

Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to bemore » employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH{sub 1.6}, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D{sup ®} computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.« less

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Accomplishments in the Energy Efficient Engine Component Development and Integration program during the period of April 1, 1981 through September 30, 1981 are discussed. The major topics considered are: (1) propulsion system analysis, design, and integration; (2) engine component analysis, design, and development; (3) core engine tests; and (4) integrated core/low spool testing.

Engineering and Physics Optimization of Breed and Burn Fast Reactor Systems

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

Michael J. Driscoll; Pavel Hejzlar; Peter Yarsky

2005-12-09

This project is organized under four major tasks (each of which has two or more subtasks) with contributions among the three collaborating organizations (MIT, INEEL and ANL-West): Task A: Core Physics and Fuel Cycle; Task B: Core Thermal Hydraulics; Task C: Plant Design Task; and D: Fuel Design.

SPECIFICATION AND UTILIZATION OF A TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LIEBERMAN, D.; AND OTHERS

SCIENTIFIC REPORT NO. 1 OF THIS PROJECT CONTAINS FOUR PARTS. THE FIRST, BY P. ROSENBAUM AND D. LOCHAK, PRESENTS AND EXPLAINS THE "IBM CORE GRAMMAR OF ENGLISH" AND GIVES A SET OF 66 DERIVATIONS CONSTRUCTED IN TERMS OF THE CORE GRAMMAR. PART II, "DESIGN OF A GRAMMAR TESTER" BY D. LIEBERMAN, SUMMARIZES THE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS OF…

Monte Carlo Analysis of the Battery-Type High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grodzki, Marcin; Darnowski, Piotr; Niewiński, Grzegorz

2017-12-01

The paper presents a neutronic analysis of the battery-type 20 MWth high-temperature gas cooled reactor. The developed reactor model is based on the publicly available data being an `early design' variant of the U-battery. The investigated core is a battery type small modular reactor, graphite moderated, uranium fueled, prismatic, helium cooled high-temperature gas cooled reactor with graphite reflector. The two core alternative designs were investigated. The first has a central reflector and 30×4 prismatic fuel blocks and the second has no central reflector and 37×4 blocks. The SERPENT Monte Carlo reactor physics computer code, with ENDF and JEFF nuclear data libraries, was applied. Several nuclear design static criticality calculations were performed and compared with available reference results. The analysis covered the single assembly models and full core simulations for two geometry models: homogenous and heterogenous (explicit). A sensitivity analysis of the reflector graphite density was performed. An acceptable agreement between calculations and reference design was obtained. All calculations were performed for the fresh core state.

Invalidating childhood environments and core beliefs in women with eating disorders.

PubMed

Ford, Gillian; Waller, Glenn; Mountford, Victoria

2011-01-01

It can be hypothesised that invalidating environments in childhood influence the negative core beliefs that are found in the eating disorders. This study of eating-disordered women aimed to test the relationships between perceived childhood invalidating environments and negative core beliefs. Forty-one eating-disordered females completed the measures of childhood invalidating experiences and core beliefs. Such core beliefs were most closely related to the individuals' perceptions of having grown up in a 'chaotic' family environment. Future clinical practice should continue to target core beliefs in formulating cases of eating disorders. Explaining those core beliefs may depend on understanding the individual's experiences of invalidation in early years. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

A decision model for cost effective design of biomass based green energy supply chains.

PubMed

Yılmaz Balaman, Şebnem; Selim, Hasan

2015-09-01

The core driver of this study is to deal with the design of anaerobic digestion based biomass to energy supply chains in a cost effective manner. In this concern, a decision model is developed. The model is based on fuzzy multi objective decision making in order to simultaneously optimize multiple economic objectives and tackle the inherent uncertainties in the parameters and decision makers' aspiration levels for the goals. The viability of the decision model is explored with computational experiments on a real-world biomass to energy supply chain and further analyses are performed to observe the effects of different conditions. To this aim, scenario analyses are conducted to investigate the effects of energy crop utilization and operational costs on supply chain structure and performance measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation on the Core Bypass Flow in a Very High Temperature Reactor

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

Hassan, Yassin

2013-10-22

Uncertainties associated with the core bypass flow are some of the key issues that directly influence the coolant mass flow distribution and magnitude, and thus the operational core temperature profiles, in the very high-temperature reactor (VHTR). Designers will attempt to configure the core geometry so the core cooling flow rate magnitude and distribution conform to the design values. The objective of this project is to study the bypass flow both experimentally and computationally. Researchers will develop experimental data using state-of-the-art particle image velocimetry in a small test facility. The team will attempt to obtain full field temperature distribution using racksmore » of thermocouples. The experimental data are intended to benchmark computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes by providing detailed information. These experimental data are urgently needed for validation of the CFD codes. The following are the project tasks: • Construct a small-scale bench-top experiment to resemble the bypass flow between the graphite blocks, varying parameters to address their impact on bypass flow. Wall roughness of the graphite block walls, spacing between the blocks, and temperature of the blocks are some of the parameters to be tested. • Perform CFD to evaluate pre- and post-test calculations and turbulence models, including sensitivity studies to achieve high accuracy. • Develop the state-of-the art large eddy simulation (LES) using appropriate subgrid modeling. • Develop models to be used in systems thermal hydraulics codes to account and estimate the bypass flows. These computer programs include, among others, RELAP3D, MELCOR, GAMMA, and GAS-NET. Actual core bypass flow rate may vary considerably from the design value. Although the uncertainty of the bypass flow rate is not known, some sources have stated that the bypass flow rates in the Fort St. Vrain reactor were between 8 and 25 percent of the total reactor mass flow rate. If bypass flow rates are on the high side, the quantity of cooling flow through the core may be considerably less than the nominal design value, causing some regions of the core to operate at temperatures in excess of the design values. These effects are postulated to lead to localized hot regions in the core that must be considered when evaluating the VHTR operational and accident scenarios.« less

Institutional management of core facilities during challenging financial times.

PubMed

Haley, Rand

2011-12-01

The economic downturn is likely to have lasting effects on institutions of higher education, prioritizing proactive institutional leadership and planning. Although by design, core research facilities are more efficient and effective than supporting individual pieces of research equipment, cores can have significant underlying financial requirements and challenges. This paper explores several possible institutional approaches to managing core facilities during challenging financial times.

Comparing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and NCTM's "Curriculum Focal Points". Achieving the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2010

2010-01-01

Through the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative, states and territories have collaborated in the development of a common core of standards in English Language Arts and mathematics for grades kindergarten through twelve that are now being adopted by states. Designed not only for the purpose of providing strong, shared expectations, the…

RAPID-L Highly Automated Fast Reactor Concept Without Any Control Rods (2) Critical experiment of lithium-6 used in LEM and LIM

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

Tsunoda, Hirokazu; Sato, Osamu; Okajima, Shigeaki

2002-07-01

In order to achieve fully automated reactor operation of RAPID-L reactor, innovative reactivity control systems LEM, LIM, and LRM are equipped with lithium-6 as a liquid poison. Because lithium-6 has not been used as a neutron absorbing material of conventional fast reactors, measurements of the reactivity worth of Lithium-6 were performed at the Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The FCA core was composed of highly enriched uranium and stainless steel samples so as to simulate the core spectrum of RAPID-L. The samples of 95% enriched lithium-6 were inserted into the core parallel to themore » core axis for the measurement of the reactivity worth at each position. It was found that the measured reactivity worth in the core region well agreed with calculated value by the method for the core designs of RAPID-L. Bias factors for the core design method were obtained by comparing between experimental and calculated results. The factors were used to determine the number of LEM and LIM equipped in the core to achieve fully automated operation of RAPID-L. (authors)« less

Core-to-core uniformity improvement in multi-core fiber Bragg gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindley, Emma; Min, Seong-Sik; Leon-Saval, Sergio; Cvetojevic, Nick; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Lawrence, Jon; Gris-Sanchez, Itandehui; Birks, Tim; Haynes, Roger; Haynes, Dionne

2014-07-01

Multi-core fiber Bragg gratings (MCFBGs) will be a valuable tool not only in communications but also various astronomical, sensing and industry applications. In this paper we address some of the technical challenges of fabricating effective multi-core gratings by simulating improvements to the writing method. These methods allow a system designed for inscribing single-core fibers to cope with MCFBG fabrication with only minor, passive changes to the writing process. Using a capillary tube that was polished on one side, the field entering the fiber was flattened which improved the coverage and uniformity of all cores.

Laser techniques for spectroscopy of core-excited atomic levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, S. E.; Young, J. F.; Falcone, R. W.; Rothenberg, J. E.; Willison, J. R.

1982-01-01

We discuss three techniques which allow the use of tunable lasers for high resolution and picosecond time scale spectroscopy of core-excited atomic levels. These are: anti-Stokes absorption spectroscopy, laser induced emission from metastable levels, and laser designation of selected core-excited levels.

Planning and Execution of a Marine Methane Hydrate Pressure Coring Program for the Walker Ridge and Green Canyon Areas of the Gulf of Mexico

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

Humphrey, Gary

The objective of this project (and report) is to produce a guide to developing scientific, operational, and logistical plans for a future methane hydrate-focused offshore pressure coring program. This report focuses primarily on a potential coring program in the Walker Ridge 313 and Green Canyon 955 blocks where previous investigations were undertaken as part of the 2009 Department of Energy JIP Leg II expedition, however, the approach to designing a pressure coring program that was utilized for this project may also serve as a useful model for planning pressure coring programs for hydrates in other areas. The initial portion ofmore » the report provides a brief overview of prior investigations related to gas hydrates in general and at the Walker Ridge 313 and Green Canyon 955 blocks in particular. The main content of the report provides guidance for various criteria that will come into play when designing a pressure coring program.« less

Finite Element Development and Specifications of a Patched, Recessed Nomex Core Honeycomb Panel for Increased Sound Transmission Loss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosveld, Ferdinand W.

2007-01-01

This informal report summarizes the development and the design specifications of a recessed nomex core honeycomb panel in fulfillment of the deliverable in Task Order 13RBE, Revision 10, Subtask 17. The honeycomb panel, with 0.020-inch thick aluminum face sheets, has 0.016-inch thick aluminum patches applied to twenty-five, 6 by 6 inch, quarter inch thick recessed cores. A 10 dB higher transmission loss over the frequency range 250 - 1000 Hz was predicted by a MSC/NASTRAN finite element model when compared with the transmission loss of the base nomex core honeycomb panel. The static displacement, due to a unit force applied at either the core or recessed core area, was of the same order of magnitude as the static displacement of the base honeycomb panel when exposed to the same unit force. The mass of the new honeycomb design is 5.1% more than the base honeycomb panel. A physical model was constructed and is being tested.

Hollow-Core Photonic Band Gap Fibers for Particle Acceleration

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

Noble, Robert J.; Spencer, James E.; /SLAC

Photonic band gap (PBG) dielectric fibers with hollow cores are being studied both theoretically and experimentally for use as laser driven accelerator structures. The hollow core functions as both a longitudinal waveguide for the transverse-magnetic (TM) accelerating fields and a channel for the charged particles. The dielectric surrounding the core is permeated by a periodic array of smaller holes to confine the mode, forming a photonic crystal fiber in which modes exist in frequency pass-bands, separated by band gaps. The hollow core acts as a defect which breaks the crystal symmetry, and so-called defect, or trapped modes having frequencies inmore » the band gap will only propagate near the defect. We describe the design of 2-D hollow-core PBG fibers to support TM defect modes with high longitudinal fields and high characteristic impedance. Using as-built dimensions of industrially-made fibers, we perform a simulation analysis of the first prototype PBG fibers specifically designed to support speed-of-light TM modes.« less

Contamination Control of Freeze Shoe Coring System for Collection of Aquifer Sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homola, K.; van Geen, A.; Spivack, A. J.; Grzybowski, B.; Schlottenmier, D.

2017-12-01

We have developed and tested an original device, the freeze-shoe coring system, designed to recover undisturbed samples of water contained in sand-dominated aquifers. Aquifer sands are notoriously difficult to collect together with porewater from coincident depths, as high hydraulic permeability leads to water drainage and mixing during retrieval. Two existing corer designs were reconfigured to incorporate the freeze-shoe system; a Hydraulic Piston (HPC) and a Rotary (RC) Corer. Once deployed, liquid CO­2 contained in an interior tank is channeled to coils at the core head where it changes phase, rapidly cooling the deepest portion of the core. The resulting frozen core material impedes water loss during recovery. We conducted contamination tests to examine the integrity of cores retrieved during a March 2017 yard test deployment. Perfluorocarbon tracer (PFC) was added to the drill fluid and recovered cores were subsampled to capture the distribution of PFC throughout the core length and interior. Samples were collected from two HPC and one RC core and analyzed for PFC concentrations. The lowest porewater contamination, around 0.01% invasive fluid, occurs in the center of both HPC cores. The greatest contamination (up to 10%) occurs at the disturbed edges where core material contacts drill fluid. There was lower contamination in the core interior than top, bottom, and edges, as well as significantly lower contamination in HPC cores that those recovered with the RC. These results confirm that the freeze-shoe system, proposed for field test deployments in West Bengal, India, can successfully collect intact porewater and sediment material with minimal if any contamination from drill fluid.

Design study of an air pump and integral lift engine ALF-504 using the Lycoming 502 core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rauch, D.

1972-01-01

Design studies were conducted for an integral lift fan engine utilizing the Lycoming 502 fan core with the final MQT power turbine. The fan is designed for a 12.5 bypass ratio and 1.25:1 pressure ratio, and provides supercharging for the core. Maximum sea level static thrust is 8370 pounds with a specific fuel consumption of 0.302 lb/hr-lb. The dry engine weight without starter is 1419 pounds including full-length duct and sound-attenuating rings. The engine envelope including duct treatment but not localized accessory protrusion is 53.25 inches in diameter and 59.2 inches long from exhaust nozzle exit to fan inlet flange. Detailed analyses include fan aerodynamics, fan and reduction gear mechanical design, fan dynamic analysis, engine noise analysis, engine performance, and weight analysis.

Calibrator device for the extrusion of cable coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garbacz, Tomasz; Dulebová, Ľudmila; Spišák, Emil; Dulebová, Martina

2016-05-01

This paper presents selected results of theoretical and experimental research works on a new calibration device (calibrators) used to produce coatings of electric cables. The aim of this study is to present design solution calibration equipment and present a new calibration machine, which is an important element of the modernized technology extrusion lines for coating cables. As a result of the extrusion process of PVC modified with blowing agents, an extrudate in the form of an electrical cable was obtained. The conditions of the extrusion process were properly selected, which made it possible to obtain a product with solid external surface and cellular core.

MindDigger: Feature Identification and Opinion Association for Chinese Movie Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lili; Li, Chunping

In this paper, we present a prototype system called MindDigger, which can be used to analyze the opinions in Chinese movie reviews. Different from previous research that employed techniques on product reviews, we focus on Chinese movie reviews, in which opinions are expressed in subtle and varied ways. The system designed in this work aims to extract the opinion expressions and assign them to the corresponding features. The core tasks include feature and opinion extraction, and feature-opinion association. To deal with Chinese effectively, several novel approaches based on syntactic analysis are proposed in this paper. Running results show the performance is satisfactory.

Multi level optimization of burnable poison utilization for advanced PWR fuel management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yilmaz, Serkan

The objective of this study was to develop an unique methodology and a practical tool for designing burnable poison (BP) pattern for a given PWR core. Two techniques were studied in developing this tool. First, the deterministic technique called Modified Power Shape Forced Diffusion (MPSFD) method followed by a fine tuning algorithm, based on some heuristic rules, was developed to achieve this goal. Second, an efficient and a practical genetic algorithm (GA) tool was developed and applied successfully to Burnable Poisons (BPs) placement optimization problem for a reference Three Mile Island-1 (TMI-1) core. This thesis presents the step by step progress in developing such a tool. The developed deterministic method appeared to perform as expected. The GA technique produced excellent BP designs. It was discovered that the Beginning of Cycle (BOC) Kinf of a BP fuel assembly (FA) design is a good filter to eliminate invalid BP designs created during the optimization process. By eliminating all BP designs having BOC Kinf above a set limit, the computational time was greatly reduced since the evaluation process with reactor physics calculations for an invalid solution is canceled. Moreover, the GA was applied to develop the BP loading pattern to minimize the total Gadolinium (Gd) amount in the core together with the residual binding at End-of-Cycle (EOC) and to keep the maximum peak pin power during core depletion and Soluble boron concentration at BOC both less than their limit values. The number of UO2/Gd2O3 pins and Gd 2O3 concentrations for each fresh fuel location in the core are the decision variables and the total amount of the Gd in the core and maximum peak pin power during core depletion are in the fitness functions. The use of different fitness function definition and forcing the solution movement towards to desired region in the solution space accelerated the GA runs. Special emphasize is given to minimizing the residual binding to increase core lifetime as well as minimizing the total Gd amount in the core. The GA code developed many good solutions that satisfy all of the design constraints. For these solutions, the EOC soluble boron concentration changes from 68.9 to 97.2 ppm. It is important to note that the difference of 28.3 ppm between the best and the worst solution in the good solutions region represent the potential of 12.5 Effective-Full-Power-Day (EPFD) savings in cycle length. As a comparison, the best BP loading design has 97.2 ppm soluble boron concentration at EOC while the BP loading with available vendors' U/Gd FA designs has 94.4 ppm SOB at EOC. It was estimated that the difference of 2.8 ppm reflected the potential savings of 1.25 EFPD in cycle length. Moreover, the total Gd amount was reduced by 6.89% in mass that provided extra savings in fuel cost compared to the BP loading pattern with available vendor's U/Gd FA designs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

[The relevance of core muscles in ice hockey players: a feasibility study].

PubMed

Rogan, S; Blasimann, A; Nyffenegger, D; Zimmerli, N; Radlinger, L

2013-12-01

Good core strength is seen as a condition for high performance in sports. In general, especially maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and strength endurance (SE) measurements of the core muscles are used. In addition, a few studies can be found that examine the core muscles in terms of MVC, rate of force development (RFD) and SE. Primary aims of this feasibility study were to investigate the feasibility regarding recruiting process, compliance and safety of the testing conditions and raise the force capabilities MVC, RFD and SE of the core muscles in amateur ice hockey players. Secondarily, tendencies of correlations between muscle activity and either shot speed and sprint time shall be examined. In this feasibility study the recruitment process has been approved by 29 ice hockey players, their adherence to the study measurements of trunk muscles, and safety of the measurements was evaluated. To determine the MVC, RFD and SE for the ventral, lateral and dorsal core muscles a dynamic force measurement was performed. To determine the correlation between core muscles and shot speed and 40-m sprint, respectively, the rank correlation coefficient (rho) from Spearman was used. The recruited number of eight field players and one goal-keeper was not very high. The compliance with 100 % was excellent. The players reported no adverse symptoms or injuries after the measurements. The results show median values for the ventral core muscles for MVC with 46.5 kg for RFD with 2.23 m/s2 and 96 s for the SE. For lateral core muscle median values of the lateral core muscles for MVC with 71.10 kg, RFD with 2.59 m/s2 and for SE over 66 s were determined. The dorsal core muscles shows values for MVC 69.7 kg, for RFD 3.39 m/s2 and for SE of 75 s. High correlations between MVC of the ventral core muscles (rho = -0.721, p = 0.021), and between the SE of the ventral core muscles (rho = 0.787, p = 0.012), and the shot velocity rate were determined. Another high correlation between SE of the ventral core muscles and sprint over 40 m (rho = 0.717, p = 0.030) could be demonstrated. This feasibility study has shown that the implementation of the selected design is adapted for future studies. Further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between the velocity rate and the MVC, and the SE respectively, as well as between the sprint and the SE. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

POWER-BURST FACILITY (PBF) CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

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

Wasserman, A.A.; Johnson, S.O.; Heffner, R.E.

1963-06-21

A description is presented of the conceptual design of a high- performance, pulsed reactor called the Power Burst Facility (PBF). This reactor is designed to generate power bursts with initial asymptotic periods as short as 1 msec, producing energy releases large enough to destroy entire fuel subassemblies placed in a capsule or flow loop mounted in the reactor, all without damage to the reactor itself. It will be used primarily to evaluate the consequences and hazards of very rapid destructive accidents in reactors representing the entire range of current nuclear technology as applied to power generation, propulsion, and testing. Itmore » will also be used to carry out detailed studies of nondestructive reactivity feedback mechanisms in the shortperiod domain. The facility was designed to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate future cores of even more advanced design. The design for the first reactor core is based upon proven technology; hence, completion of the final design of this core will involve no significant development delays. Construction of the PBF is proposed to begin in September 1984, and is expected to take approximately 20 months to complete. (auth)« less

Air-Gapped Structures as Magnetic Elements for Use in Power Processing Systems. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohri, A. K.

1977-01-01

Methodical approaches to the design of inductors for use in LC filters and dc-to-dc converters using air gapped magnetic structures are presented. Methods for the analysis and design of full wave rectifier LC filter circuits operating with the inductor current in both the continuous conduction and the discontinuous conduction modes are also described. In the continuous conduction mode, linear circuit analysis techniques are employed, while in the case of the discontinuous mode, the method of analysis requires computer solutions of the piecewise linear differential equations which describe the filter in the time domain. Procedures for designing filter inductors using air gapped cores are presented. The first procedure requires digital computation to yield a design which is optimized in the sense of minimum core volume and minimum number of turns. The second procedure does not yield an optimized design as defined above, but the design can be obtained by hand calculations or with a small calculator. The third procedure is based on the use of specially prepared magnetic core data and provides an easy way to quickly reach a workable design.

Optimization of Time Controlled 6-mercaptopurine Delivery for Site- Specific Targeting to Colon Diseases.

PubMed

Hude, Rahul U; Jagdale, Swati C

2016-01-01

6-MP has short elimination time (<2 h) and low bioavailability (~ 50%). Present study was aimed to develop time controlled and site targeted delivery of 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) for treatment of colon diseases. Compression coating technique was used. 32 full factorial design was designed for optimization of the outer coat for the core tablet. For outer coat amount of Eudragit RS 100 and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K100) were employed as independent variables each at three levels while responses evaluated were swelling index and bursting time. Direct compression method was used for tablets formulation. 80% w/w of microcrystalline cellulose and 20% w/w of croscarmellose sodium were found to be optimum concentration for the core tablet. The outer coat of optimized batch (ED) contains 21.05% w/w Eudragit RS 100 and 78.95% w/w HPMC K100 of total polymer weight. In-vitro dissolution study indicated that combination of polymer retards the drug release in gastric region and releases ≥95% of drug in colonic region after ≥7 h. Whereas in case of in-vivo placebo x-ray imaging study had shown that the tablet reaches colonic part after 5±0.5 h providing the proof of arrival in the colon. Stability study indicated that the optimized formulation were physically and chemically stable. Present research work concluded that compression coating by Eudragit RS 100 and HPMC K100 to 6-MP core provides potential colon targeted system with advantages of reduced gastric exposure and enhanced bioavailability. Formulation can be considered as potential and promising candidate for the treatment of colon diseases.

STEADY STATE MODELING OF THE MINIMUM CRITICAL CORE OF THE TRANSIENT REACTOR TEST FACILITY

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

Anthony L. Alberti; Todd S. Palmer; Javier Ortensi

2016-05-01

With the advent of next generation reactor systems and new fuel designs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has identified the need for the resumption of transient testing of nuclear fuels. The DOE has decided that the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is best suited for future testing. TREAT is a thermal neutron spectrum, air-cooled, nuclear test facility that is designed to test nuclear fuels in transient scenarios. These specific scenarios range from simple temperature transients to full fuel melt accidents. DOE has expressed a desire to develop a simulation capability that will accurately modelmore » the experiments before they are irradiated at the facility. It is the aim for this capability to have an emphasis on effective and safe operation while minimizing experimental time and cost. The multi physics platform MOOSE has been selected as the framework for this project. The goals for this work are to identify the fundamental neutronics properties of TREAT and to develop an accurate steady state model for future multiphysics transient simulations. In order to minimize computational cost, the effect of spatial homogenization and angular discretization are investigated. It was found that significant anisotropy is present in TREAT assemblies and to capture this effect, explicit modeling of cooling channels and inter-element gaps is necessary. For this modeling scheme, single element calculations at 293 K gave power distributions with a root mean square difference of 0.076% from those of reference SERPENT calculations. The minimum critical core configuration with identical gap and channel treatment at 293 K resulted in a root mean square, total core, radial power distribution 2.423% different than those of reference SERPENT solutions.« less

Design, implementation, and demographic differences of HEAL: a self-report health care leadership instrument

PubMed Central

Murphy, Kelly R; McManigle, John E; Wildman-Tobriner, Benjamin M; Little Jones, Amy; Dekker, Travis J; Little, Barrett A; Doty, Joseph P; Taylor, Dean C

2016-01-01

The medical community has recognized the importance of leadership skills among its members. While numerous leadership assessment tools exist at present, few are specifically tailored to the unique health care environment. The study team designed a 24-item survey (Healthcare Evaluation & Assessment of Leadership [HEAL]) to measure leadership competency based on the core competencies and core principles of the Duke Healthcare Leadership Model. A novel digital platform was created for use on handheld devices to facilitate its distribution and completion. This pilot phase involved 126 health care professionals self-assessing their leadership abilities. The study aimed to determine both the content validity of the survey and the feasibility of its implementation and use. The digital platform for survey implementation was easy to complete, and there were no technical problems with survey use or data collection. With regard to reliability, initial survey results revealed that each core leadership tenet met or exceeded the reliability cutoff of 0.7. In self-assessment of leadership, women scored themselves higher than men in questions related to patient centeredness (P=0.016). When stratified by age, younger providers rated themselves lower with regard to emotional intelligence and integrity. There were no differences in self-assessment when stratified by medical specialty. While only a pilot study, initial data suggest that HEAL is a reliable and easy-to-administer survey for health care leadership assessment. Differences in responses by sex and age with respect to patient centeredness, integrity, and emotional intelligence raise questions about how providers view themselves amid complex medical teams. As the survey is refined and further administered, HEAL will be used not only as a self-assessment tool but also in “360” evaluation formats. PMID:29355186

Design, implementation, and demographic differences of HEAL: a self-report health care leadership instrument.

PubMed

Murphy, Kelly R; McManigle, John E; Wildman-Tobriner, Benjamin M; Little Jones, Amy; Dekker, Travis J; Little, Barrett A; Doty, Joseph P; Taylor, Dean C

2016-01-01

The medical community has recognized the importance of leadership skills among its members. While numerous leadership assessment tools exist at present, few are specifically tailored to the unique health care environment. The study team designed a 24-item survey (Healthcare Evaluation & Assessment of Leadership [HEAL]) to measure leadership competency based on the core competencies and core principles of the Duke Healthcare Leadership Model. A novel digital platform was created for use on handheld devices to facilitate its distribution and completion. This pilot phase involved 126 health care professionals self-assessing their leadership abilities. The study aimed to determine both the content validity of the survey and the feasibility of its implementation and use. The digital platform for survey implementation was easy to complete, and there were no technical problems with survey use or data collection. With regard to reliability, initial survey results revealed that each core leadership tenet met or exceeded the reliability cutoff of 0.7. In self-assessment of leadership, women scored themselves higher than men in questions related to patient centeredness ( P =0.016). When stratified by age, younger providers rated themselves lower with regard to emotional intelligence and integrity. There were no differences in self-assessment when stratified by medical specialty. While only a pilot study, initial data suggest that HEAL is a reliable and easy-to-administer survey for health care leadership assessment. Differences in responses by sex and age with respect to patient centeredness, integrity, and emotional intelligence raise questions about how providers view themselves amid complex medical teams. As the survey is refined and further administered, HEAL will be used not only as a self-assessment tool but also in "360" evaluation formats.

Estimate of radiation release from MIT reactor with un-finned LEU core during Maximum Hypothetical Accident

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

Sun, Kaichao; Hu, Lin-wen; Newton, Thomas

2017-05-01

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR-II) is a research reactor in Cambridge, Massachusetts designed primarily for experiments using neutron beam and in-core irradiation facilities. At 6 MW, it delivers neutron flux and energy spectrum comparable to light water reactor (LWR) power reactors in a compact core using highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel. In the framework of nonproliferation policy, the international community aims to minimize the use of HEU in civilian facilities. Within this context, research and test reactors have started a program to convert HEU fuel to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. A new type of LEU fuel basedmore » on a high density alloy of uranium and molybdenum (U-10Mo) is expected to allow the conversion of U.S. domestic high performance reactors like MITR. The current study focuses on the impacts of MITR Maximum Hypothetical Accident (MHA), which is also the Design Basis Accident (DBA), with LEU fuel. The MHA for the MITR is postulated to be a coolant flow blockage in the fuel element that contains the hottest fuel plate. It is assumed that the entire active portion of five fuel plates melts. The analysis shows that, within a 2-h period and by considering all the possible radiation sources and dose pathways, the overall off-site dose is 302.1 mrem (1 rem ¼ 0.01 Sv) Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) at 8 m exclusion area boundary (EAB) and a higher dose of 392.8 mrem TEDE is found at 21 m EAB. In all cases the dose remains below the 500 mrem total TEDE limit goal based on NUREG-1537 guidelines.« less

Development of a novel resin-based dental material with dual biocidal modes and sustained release of Ag+ ions based on photocurable core-shell AgBr/cationic polymer nanocomposites.

PubMed

Cao, Weiwei; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Xi; Chen, Yinyan; Li, Qiang; Xing, Xiaodong; Xiao, Yuhong; Peng, Xuefeng; Ye, Zhiwen

2017-07-01

Research on the incorporation of cutting-edge nano-antibacterial agent for designing dental materials with potent and long-lasting antibacterial property is demanding and provoking work. In this study, a novel resin-based dental material containing photocurable core-shell AgBr/cationic polymer nanocomposite (AgBr/BHPVP) was designed and developed. The shell of polymerizable cationic polymer not only provided non-releasing antibacterial capability for dental resins, but also had the potential to polymerize with other methacrylate monomers and prevented nanoparticles from aggregating in the resin matrix. As a result, incorporation of AgBr/BHPVP nanocomposites did not adversely affect the flexural strength and modulus but greatly increased the Vicker's hardness of resin disks. By continuing to release Ag + ions without the impact of anaerobic environment, resins containing AgBr/BHPVP nanoparticles are particularly suitable to combat anaerobic cariogenic bacteria. By reason of the combined bactericidal effect of the contact-killing cationic polymers and the releasing-killing Ag + ions, AgBr/BHPVP-containing resin disks had potent bactericidal activity against S. mutans. The long-lasting antibacterial activity was also achieved through the sustained release of Ag + ions due to the core-shell structure of the nanocomposites. The results of macrophage cytotoxicity showed that the cell viability of dental resins loading less than 1.0 wt% AgBr/BHPVP was close to that of neat resins. The AgBr/BHPVP-containing dental resin with dual bactericidal capability and long term antimicrobial effect is a promising material aimed at preventing second caries and prolonging the longevity of resin composite restorations.

Designing and delivering facilitated storytelling interventions for chronic disease self-management: a scoping review.

PubMed

Gucciardi, Enza; Jean-Pierre, Nicole; Karam, Grace; Sidani, Souraya

2016-07-11

Little is known about how to develop and deliver storytelling as an intervention to support those managing chronic illnesses. This scoping review aims to describe the core elements of storytelling interventions in order to help facilitate its implementation. A scoping review was conducted in seven databases for articles published up to May 2014 to identify interventions that describe in detail how storytelling was used to support people in disease self-management interventions. Ten articles met all inclusion criteria. Core elements consistently observed across the storytelling interventions were: reflection and interactive meaning-making of experiences; principles of informality and spontaneity; non-directional and non-hierarchical facilitation; development of group norms and conduct to create a community among participants; and both an individual and collective role for participants. Differences were also observed across interventions, such as: the conceptual frameworks that directed the design of the intervention; the type and training of facilitators; intervention duration; and how session topics were selected and stories delivered. Furthermore, evaluation of the intervention and outcome assessment varied greatly across studies. The use of storytelling can be a novel intervention to enhance chronic disease self-management. The core elements identified in the review inform the development of the intervention to be more patient-centred by guiding participants to take ownership of and lead the intervention, which differs significantly from traditional support groups. Storytelling has the potential to provide patients with a more active role in their health care by identifying their specific needs as well as gaps in knowledge and skills, while allowing them to form strong bonds with peers who share similar disease-related experiences. However, measures of impact differed across interventions given the variation in chronic conditions. Our findings can guide future development and implementations of storytelling interventions.

Energy efficient engine low-pressure compressor component test hardware detailed design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michael, C. J.; Halle, J. E.

1981-01-01

The aerodynamic and mechanical design description of the low pressure compressor component of the Energy Efficient Engine were used. The component was designed to meet the requirements of the Flight Propulsion System while maintaining a low cost approach in providing a low pressure compressor design for the Integrated Core/Low Spool test required in the Energy Efficient Engine Program. The resulting low pressure compressor component design meets or exceeds all design goals with the exception of surge margin. In addition, the expense of hardware fabrication for the Integrated Core/Low Spool test has been minimized through the use of existing minor part hardware.

A core syllabus for the teaching of neuroanatomy to medical students.

PubMed

Moxham, Bernard; McHanwell, Stephen; Plaisant, Odile; Pais, Diogo

2015-09-01

There is increasingly a call for clinical relevance in the teaching of biomedical sciences within all health care courses. However, this presupposes that there is a clear understanding of what can be considered core material within the curricula. To date, the anatomical sciences have been relatively poorly served by the development of core syllabuses, particularly for specialized core syllabuses such as neuroanatomy. One of the aims of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) and of the European Federation for Experimental Morphology (EFEM) is to formulate, on an international scale, core syllabuses for all branches of the anatomical sciences using Delphi Panels consisting of anatomists, scientists, and clinicians to initially evaluate syllabus content. In this article, the findings of a Delphi Panel for neuroanatomy are provided. These findings will subsequently be published on the IFAA website to enable anatomical (and other cognate learned) societies and individual anatomists, clinicians, and students to freely comment upon, and elaborate and amend, the syllabuses. The aim is to set internationally recognized standards and thus to provide guidelines concerning neuroanatomical knowledge when engaged in course development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Performance of ARCHITECT HCV core antigen test with specimens from US plasma donors and injecting drug users.

PubMed

Mixson-Hayden, Tonya; Dawson, George J; Teshale, Eyasu; Le, Thao; Cheng, Kevin; Drobeniuc, Jan; Ward, John; Kamili, Saleem

2015-05-01

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen is a serological marker of current HCV infection. The aim of this study was mainly to evaluate the performance characteristics of the ARCHITECT HCV core antigen assay with specimens from US plasma donors and injecting drug users. A total of 551 serum and plasma samples with known anti-HCV and HCV RNA status were tested for HCV core antigen using the Abbott ARCHITECT HCV core antigen test. HCV core antigen was detectable in 100% of US plasma donor samples collected during the pre-seroconversion phase of infection (anti-HCV negative/HCV RNA positive). Overall sensitivity of the HCV core antigen assay was 88.9-94.3% in samples collected after seroconversion. The correlation between HCV core antigen and HCV RNA titers was 0.959. HCV core antigen testing may be reliably used to identify current HCV infection. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The "Bain Linguistique": A Core French Experiment at Churchill Alternative School, 1993-94. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wesche, Marjorie; MacFarlane, Alina; Peters, Martine

This report describes an experimental intensive core French program for grades 5 and 6 at Churchill Alternative School in Ottawa (Canada). The aim was to improve the oral French skills of core French students by providing a period of intensive exposure to French and by increasing the total number of hours in French during one program year from 120…

Core to College Evaluation: Exploring the Use of Multiple Measures for Placement into College-Level Courses. Seeking Alternatives or Improvements to the Use of a Single Standardized Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracco, Kathy Reeves; Dadgar, Mina; Austin, Kim; Klarin, Becca; Broek, Marie; Finkelstein, Neal; Mundry, Susan; Bugler, Dan

2014-01-01

"Core to College: Preparing Students for College Readiness and Success" is a three-year initiative. The initiative's mission is to "facilitate greater coordination between K-12 and postsecondary education systems around implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and aligned assessments." Its aim is to foster…

NCI Core Open House Shines Spotlight on Supportive Science and Basic Research | Poster

Cancer.gov

The lobby of Building 549 at NCI at Frederick bustled with activity for two hours on Tuesday, May 1, as several dozen scientists and staff gathered for the NCI Core Open House. The event aimed to encourage discussion and educate visitors about the capabilities of the cores, laboratories, and facilities that offer support to NCI’s Center for Cancer Research.

Lining up: The Relationship between the Common Core State Standards and Five Sets of Comparison Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, David T.; Drummond, Kathryn V.; de Gonzalez, Alicia; Seburn, Mary; Stout, Odile; Rooseboom, Jennifer

2011-01-01

In June 2010, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Offices (CCSSO) released the Common Core State Standards. The stated aim of the Common Core standards is to define the knowledge and skills students should achieve in order to graduate from high school ready to succeed in a…

Reaching the Goal: The Applicability and Importance of the Common Core State Standards to College and Career Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, David T.; Drummond, Kathryn V.; de Gonzalez, Alicia; Rooseboom, Jennifer; Stout, Odile

2011-01-01

In June 2010, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released the Common Core State Standards[C]. The stated aim of the Common Core State Standards is to define the knowledge and skills students should achieve in order to graduate from high school ready to…

Design of a family of ring-core fibers for OAM transmission studies.

PubMed

Brunet, Charles; Ung, Bora; Wang, Lixian; Messaddeq, Younès; LaRochelle, Sophie; Rusch, Leslie A

2015-04-20

We propose a family of ring-core fibers, designed for the transmission of OAM modes, that can be fabricated by drawing five different fibers from a single preform. This novel technique allows us to experimentally sweep design parameters and speed up the fiber design optimization process. Such a family of fibers could be used to examine system performance, but also facilitate understanding of parameter impact in the transition from design to fabrication. We present design parameters characterizing our fiber, and enumerate criteria to be satisfied. We determine targeted fiber dimensions and explain our strategy for examining a design family rather than a single fiber design. We simulate modal properties of the designed fibers, and compare the results with measurements performed on fabricated fibers.

Towards a Framework for Evolvable Network Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Hoda; Eltarras, Ramy; Eltoweissy, Mohamed

The layered Internet architecture that had long guided network design and protocol engineering was an “interconnection architecture” defining a framework for interconnecting networks rather than a model for generic network structuring and engineering. We claim that the approach of abstracting the network in terms of an internetwork hinders the thorough understanding of the network salient characteristics and emergent behavior resulting in impeding design evolution required to address extreme scale, heterogeneity, and complexity. This paper reports on our work in progress that aims to: 1) Investigate the problem space in terms of the factors and decisions that influenced the design and development of computer networks; 2) Sketch the core principles for designing complex computer networks; and 3) Propose a model and related framework for building evolvable, adaptable and self organizing networks We will adopt a bottom up strategy primarily focusing on the building unit of the network model, which we call the “network cell”. The model is inspired by natural complex systems. A network cell is intrinsically capable of specialization, adaptation and evolution. Subsequently, we propose CellNet; a framework for evolvable network design. We outline scenarios for using the CellNet framework to enhance legacy Internet protocol stack.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT, SEDIMENT SAMPLING TECHNOLOGY, ART'S MANUFACTURING, SPLIT CORE SAMPLER FOR SUBMERGED SEDIMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The Split Core Sampler for Submerged Sediments (Split Core Sampler) designed and fabricated by Arts Manufacturing & Supply, Inc., was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in April and May 1999 at ...

Compression Behavior of Fluted-Core Composite Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Marc R.; Oremont, Leonard; Guzman, J. Carlos; McCarville, Douglas; Rose, Cheryl A.; Hilburger, Mark W.

2011-01-01

In recent years, fiber-reinforced composites have become more accepted for aerospace applications. Specifically, during NASA s recent efforts to develop new launch vehicles, composite materials were considered and baselined for a number of structures. Because of mass and stiffness requirements, sandwich composites are often selected for many applications. However, there are a number of manufacturing and in-service concerns associated with traditional honeycomb-core sandwich composites that in certain instances may be alleviated through the use of other core materials or construction methods. Fluted-core, which consists of integral angled web members with structural radius fillers spaced between laminate face sheets, is one such construction alternative and is considered herein. Two different fluted-core designs were considered: a subscale design and a full-scale design sized for a heavy-lift-launch-vehicle interstage. In particular, axial compression of fluted-core composites was evaluated with experiments and finite-element analyses (FEA); axial compression is the primary loading condition in dry launch-vehicle barrel sections. Detailed finite-element models were developed to represent all components of the fluted-core construction, and geometrically nonlinear analyses were conducted to predict both buckling and material failures. Good agreement was obtained between test data and analyses, for both local buckling and ultimate material failure. Though the local buckling events are not catastrophic, the resulting deformations contribute to material failures. Consequently, an important observation is that the material failure loads and modes would not be captured by either linear analyses or nonlinear smeared-shell analyses. Compression-after-impact (CAI) performance of fluted core composites was also investigated by experimentally testing samples impacted with 6 ft.-lb. impact energies. It was found that such impacts reduced the ultimate load carrying capability by approximately 40% on the subscale test articles and by less than 20% on the full-scale test articles. Nondestructive inspection of the damage zones indicated that the detectable damage was limited to no more than one flute on either side of any given impact. More study is needed, but this may indicate that an inherent damage-arrest capability of fluted core could provide benefits over traditional sandwich designs in certain weight-critical applications.

Tory II-A: a nuclear ramjet test reactor

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

Hadley, J.W.

Declassified 28 Nov 1973. The first test reactor in the Pluto program, leading to development of a nuclear ramjet engine, is called Tory II-A. While it is not an actual prototype engine, this reactor embodies a core design which is considered feasible for an engine, and operation of the reactor will provide a test of that core type as well as more generalized values in reactor design and testing. The design of Tory II-A and construction of the reactor and of its test facility are described. Operation of the Tory II-A core at a total power of 160 megawatts, withmore » 800 pounds of air per second passing through the core and emerging at a temperature of 2000 deg F, is the central objective of the test program. All other reactor and facility components exist to support operation of the core, and preliminary steps in the test program itself will be directed primarily toward ensuring attalnment of full-power operation and collection of meaningful data on core behavior during that operation. The core, 3 feet in diameter and 41/2 feet long, will be composed of bundled ceramic tubes whose central holes will provide continuous air passages from end to end of the reactor. These tubes are to be composed of a homogeneous mixture of UO/sub 2/ fuel and BeO moderator, compacted and sintered to achieve high strength and density. (30 references) (auth)« less

Magnetic suspension using high temperature superconducting cores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scurlock, R. G.

1992-01-01

The development of YBCO high temperature superconductors, in wire and tape forms, is rapidly approaching the point where the bulk transport current density j vs magnetic field H characteristics with liquid nitrogen cooling will enable its use in model cores. On the other hand, BSCCO high temperature superconductor in wire form has poor j-H characteristics at 77 K today, although with liquid helium or hydrogen cooling, it appears to be superior to NbTi superconductor. Since liquid nitrogen cooling is approx. 100 times cheaper than liquid helium cooling, the use of YBCO is very attractive for use in magnetic suspension. The design is discussed of a model core to accommodate lift and drag loads up to 6000 and 3000 N respectively. A comparison is made between the design performance of a liquid helium cooled NbTi (or BSCCO) superconducting core and a liquid nitrogen cooled YBCO superconducting core.

AMIA Board white paper: definition of biomedical informatics and specification of core competencies for graduate education in the discipline

PubMed Central

Kulikowski, Casimir A; Shortliffe, Edward H; Currie, Leanne M; Elkin, Peter L; Hunter, Lawrence E; Johnson, Todd R; Kalet, Ira J; Lenert, Leslie A; Musen, Mark A; Ozbolt, Judy G; Smith, Jack W; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter Z

2012-01-01

The AMIA biomedical informatics (BMI) core competencies have been designed to support and guide graduate education in BMI, the core scientific discipline underlying the breadth of the field's research, practice, and education. The core definition of BMI adopted by AMIA specifies that BMI is ‘the interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health.’ Application areas range from bioinformatics to clinical and public health informatics and span the spectrum from the molecular to population levels of health and biomedicine. The shared core informatics competencies of BMI draw on the practical experience of many specific informatics sub-disciplines. The AMIA BMI analysis highlights the central shared set of competencies that should guide curriculum design and that graduate students should be expected to master. PMID:22683918

MERCHANT MARINE SHIP REACTOR

DOEpatents

Mumm, J.F.; North, D.C. Jr.; Rock, H.R.; Geston, D.K.

1961-05-01

A nuclear reactor is described for use in a merchant marine ship. The reactor is of pressurized light water cooled and moderated design in which three passes of the water through the core in successive regions of low, intermediate, and high heat generation and downflow in a fuel region are made. The foregoing design makes a compact reactor construction with extended core life. The core has an egg-crate lattice containing the fuel elements confined between a lower flow baffle and upper grid plate, with the latter serving also as part of a turn- around manifold from which the entire coolant is distributed into the outer fuel elements for the second pass through the core. The inner fuel elements are cooled in the third pass.

Merchant Marine Ship Reactor

DOEpatents

Sankovich, M. F.; Mumm, J. F.; North, Jr, D. C.; Rock, H. R.; Gestson, D. K.

1961-05-01

A nuclear reactor for use in a merchant marine ship is described. The reactor is of pressurized, light water cooled and moderated design in which three passes of the water through the core in successive regions of low, intermediate, and high heat generation and downflow in a fuel region are made. The design makes a compact reactor construction with extended core life. The core has an egg-crate lattice containing the fuel elements that are confined between a lower flow baffle and upper grid plate, with the latter serving also as part of a turn- around manifold from which the entire coolant is distributed into the outer fuel elements for the second pass through the core. The inner fuel elements are cooled in the third pass. (AEC)

Increased visceral tissue perfusion with heated, humidified carbon dioxide insufflation during open abdominal surgery in a rodent model.

PubMed

Robson, Jonathan P; Kokhanenko, Pavlo; Marshall, Jean K; Phillips, Anthony R; van der Linden, Jan

2018-01-01

Tissue perfusion during surgery is important in reducing surgical site infections and promoting healing. This study aimed to determine if insufflation of the open abdomen with heated, humidified (HH) carbon dioxide (CO2) increased visceral tissue perfusion and core body temperature during open abdominal surgery in a rodent model. Using two different rodent models of open abdominal surgery, visceral perfusion and core temperature were measured. Visceral perfusion was investigated using a repeated measures crossover experiment with rodents receiving the same sequence of two alternating treatments: exposure to ambient air (no insufflation) and insufflation with HH CO2. Core body temperature was measured using an independent experimental design with three treatment groups: ambient air, HH CO2 and cold, dry (CD) CO2. Visceral perfusion was measured by laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) and core body temperature was measured with a rectal thermometer. Insufflation with HH CO2 into a rodent open abdominal cavity significantly increased visceral tissue perfusion (2.4 perfusion units (PU)/min (95% CI 1.23-3.58); p<0.0001) compared with ambient air, which significantly reduced visceral blood flow (-5.20 PU/min (95% CI -6.83- -3.58); p<0.0001). Insufflation of HH CO2 into the open abdominal cavity significantly increased core body temperature (+1.15 ± 0.14°C) compared with open cavities exposed to ambient air (-0.65 ± 0.52°C; p = 0.037), or cavities insufflated with CD CO2 (-0.73 ± 0.33°C; p = 0.006). Abdominal visceral temperatures also increased with HH CO2 insufflation compared with ambient air or CD CO2, as shown by infrared thermography. This study reports for the first time the use of LASCA to measure visceral perfusion in open abdominal surgery and shows that insufflation of open abdominal cavities with HH CO2 significantly increases visceral tissue perfusion and core body temperature.

Developing core economic outcome sets for asthma studies: a protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Hounsome, Natalia; Fitzsimmons, Deborah; Phillips, Ceri; Patel, Anita

2017-08-11

Core outcome sets are standardised lists of outcomes, which should be measured and reported in all clinical studies of a specific condition. This study aims to develop core outcome sets for economic evaluations in asthma studies. Economic outcomes include items such as costs, resource use or quality-adjusted life years. The starting point in developing core outcome sets will be conducting a systematic literature review to establish a preliminary list of reporting items to be considered for inclusion in the core outcome set. We will conduct literature searches of peer-reviewed studies published from January 1990 to January 2017. These will include any comparative or observational studies (including economic models) and systematic reviews reporting economic outcomes. All identified economic outcomes will be tabulated together with the major study characteristics, such as population, study design, the nature and intensity of the intervention, mode of data collection and instrument(s) used to derive an outcome. We will undertake a 'realist synthesis review' to analyse the identified economic outcomes. The outcomes will be summarised in the context of evaluation perspectives, types of economic evaluation and methodological approaches. Parallel to undertaking a systematic review, we will conduct semistructured interviews with stakeholders (including people with personal experience of asthma, health professionals, researchers and decision makers) in order to explore additional outcomes which have not been considered, or used, in published studies. The list of outcomes generated from the systematic review and interviews with stakeholders will form the basis of a Delphi survey to refine the identified outcomes into a core outcome set. The review will not involve access to individual-level data. Findings from our systematic review will be communicated to a broad range of stakeholders including clinical guideline developers, research funders, trial registries, ethics committees and other regulators. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

What is mental health? Evidence towards a new definition from a mixed methods multidisciplinary international survey

PubMed Central

Manwell, Laurie A; Barbic, Skye P; Roberts, Karen; Durisko, Zachary; Lee, Cheolsoon; Ware, Emma; McKenzie, Kwame

2015-01-01

Objective Lack of consensus on the definition of mental health has implications for research, policy and practice. This study aims to start an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive dialogue to answer the question: What are the core concepts of mental health? Design and participants 50 people with expertise in the field of mental health from 8 countries completed an online survey. They identified the extent to which 4 current definitions were adequate and what the core concepts of mental health were. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of their responses. The results were validated at a consensus meeting of 58 clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience. Results 46% of respondents rated the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC, 2006) definition as the most preferred, 30% stated that none of the 4 definitions were satisfactory and only 20% said the WHO (2001) definition was their preferred choice. The least preferred definition of mental health was the general definition of health adapted from Huber et al (2011). The core concepts of mental health were highly varied and reflected different processes people used to answer the question. These processes included the overarching perspective or point of reference of respondents (positionality), the frameworks used to describe the core concepts (paradigms, theories and models), and the way social and environmental factors were considered to act. The core concepts of mental health identified were mainly individual and functional, in that they related to the ability or capacity of a person to effectively deal with or change his/her environment. A preliminary model for the processes used to conceptualise mental health is presented. Conclusions Answers to the question, ‘What are the core concepts of mental health?’ are highly dependent on the empirical frame used. Understanding these empirical frames is key to developing a useful consensus definition for diverse populations. PMID:26038353

Using Video Games to Teach Game Design: A Gaming Collection for Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mastel, Kristen; Huston, Dave

2009-01-01

Game-design programs are relatively new in the world of academia, as the author of this article discovered when she worked as Brown College's librarian and learning resource center coordinator. With that newness comes the challenge of determining a "core" collection of materials to support the discipline. This kind of core collection is…

An Assessment Program Designed To Improve Communication Instruction through a Competency-Based Core Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aitken, Joan E.; Neer, Michael R.

This paper provides an example procedure used to design and install a program of assessment to improve communication instruction through a competency-based core curriculum at a mid-sized, urban university. The paper models the various steps in the process, and includes specific tests, forms, memos, course description, sources, and procedures which…

17 CFR Appendix B to Part 38 - Guidance on, and Acceptable Practices in, Compliance With Core Principles

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... decision-making and implementation of emergency intervention in the market. At a minimum, the DCM must have... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DESIGNATED CONTRACT MARKETS Pt. 38, App. B Appendix B to Part 38... the core principle is illustrative only of the types of matters a designated contract market may...

Multimedia Learning System and Its Effect on Self-Efficacy in Database Modeling and Design: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Waiman; Li, Eldon Y.; Yee, Lester W.

2003-01-01

Metadatabase modeling and design integrate process modeling and data modeling methodologies. Both are core topics in the information technology (IT) curriculum. Learning these topics has been an important pedagogical issue to the core studies for management information systems (MIS) and computer science (CSc) students. Unfortunately, the learning…

The Development of Statistics Textbook Supported with ICT and Portfolio-Based Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendikawati, Putriaji; Yuni Arini, Florentina

2016-02-01

This research was development research that aimed to develop and produce a Statistics textbook model that supported with information and communication technology (ICT) and Portfolio-Based Assessment. This book was designed for students of mathematics at the college to improve students’ ability in mathematical connection and communication. There were three stages in this research i.e. define, design, and develop. The textbooks consisted of 10 chapters which each chapter contains introduction, core materials and include examples and exercises. The textbook developed phase begins with the early stages of designed the book (draft 1) which then validated by experts. Revision of draft 1 produced draft 2 which then limited test for readability test book. Furthermore, revision of draft 2 produced textbook draft 3 which simulated on a small sample to produce a valid model textbook. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics. The analysis showed that the Statistics textbook model that supported with ICT and Portfolio-Based Assessment valid and fill up the criteria of practicality.

Ultralight porous metals: From fundamentals to applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Tianjian

2002-10-01

Over the past few years a number of low cost metallic foams have been produced and used as the core of sandwich panels and net shaped parts. The main aim is to develop lightweight structures which are stiff, strong, able to absorb large amount of energy and cheap for application in the transport and construction industries. For example, the firewall between the engine and passenger compartment of an automobile must have adequate mechanical strength, good energy and sound absorbing properties, and adequate fire retardance. Metal foams provide all of these features, and are under serious consideration for this applications by a number of automobile manufacturers (e.g., BMW and Audi). Additional specialized applications for foam-cored sandwich panels range from heat sinks for electronic devices to crash barriers for automobiles, from the construction panels in lifts on aircraft carriers to the luggage containers of aircraft, from sound proofing walls along railway tracks and highways to acoustic absorbers in lean premixed combustion chambers. But there is a problem. Before metallic foams can find a widespread application, their basic properties must be measured, and ideally modeled as a function of microstructural details, in order to be included in a design. This work aims at reviewing the recent progress and presenting some new results on fundamental research regarding the micromechanical origins of the mechanical, thermal, and acoustic properties of metallic foams.

Balancing intertwined responsibilities: A grounded theory study of teamwork in everyday intensive care unit practice.

PubMed

Bjurling-Sjöberg, Petronella; Wadensten, Barbro; Pöder, Ulrika; Jansson, Inger; Nordgren, Lena

2017-03-01

This study aimed to describe and explain teamwork and factors that influence team processes in everyday practice in an intensive care unit (ICU) from a staff perspective. The setting was a Swedish ICU. Data were collected from 38 ICU staff in focus groups with registered nurses, assistant nurses, and anaesthetists, and in one individual interview with a physiotherapist. Constant comparative analysis according to grounded theory was conducted, and to identify the relations between the emerged categories, the paradigm model was applied. The core category to emerge from the data was "balancing intertwined responsibilities." In addition, eleven categories that related to the core category emerged. These categories described and explained the phenomenon's contextual conditions, causal conditions, and intervening conditions, as well as the staff actions/interactions and the consequences that arose. The findings indicated that the type of teamwork fluctuated due to circumstantial factors. Based on the findings and on current literature, strategies that can optimise interprofessional teamwork are presented. The analysis generated a conceptual model, which aims to contribute to existing frameworks by adding new dimensions about perceptions of team processes within an ICU related to staff actions/interactions. This model may be utilised to enhance the understanding of existing contexts and processes when designing and implementing interventions to facilitate teamwork in the pursuit of improving healthcare quality and patient safety.

Toward a theoretical framework for trustworthy cyber sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Shouhuai

2010-04-01

Cyberspace is an indispensable part of the economy and society, but has been "polluted" with many compromised computers that can be abused to launch further attacks against the others. Since it is likely that there always are compromised computers, it is important to be aware of the (dynamic) cyber security-related situation, which is however challenging because cyberspace is an extremely large-scale complex system. Our project aims to investigate a theoretical framework for trustworthy cyber sensing. With the perspective of treating cyberspace as a large-scale complex system, the core question we aim to address is: What would be a competent theoretical (mathematical and algorithmic) framework for designing, analyzing, deploying, managing, and adapting cyber sensor systems so as to provide trustworthy information or input to the higher layer of cyber situation-awareness management, even in the presence of sophisticated malicious attacks against the cyber sensor systems?

Design of Energy Storage Management System Based on FPGA in Micro-Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yafeng; Wang, Yanping; Han, Dexiao

2018-01-01

Energy storage system is the core to maintain the stable operation of smart micro-grid. Aiming at the existing problems of the energy storage management system in the micro-grid such as Low fault tolerance, easy to cause fluctuations in micro-grid, a new intelligent battery management system based on field programmable gate array is proposed : taking advantage of FPGA to combine the battery management system with the intelligent micro-grid control strategy. Finally, aiming at the problem that during estimation of battery charge State by neural network, initialization of weights and thresholds are not accurate leading to large errors in prediction results, the genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize the neural network method, and the experimental simulation is carried out. The experimental results show that the algorithm has high precision and provides guarantee for the stable operation of micro-grid.

Strengthening core public health capacity based on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005): Chinese lessons

PubMed Central

Liu, Bin; Sun, Yan; Dong, Qian; Zhang, Zongjiu; Zhang, Liang

2015-01-01

As an international legal instrument, the International Health Regulations (IHR) is internationally binding in 196 countries, especially in all the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO). The IHR aims to prevent, protect against, control, and respond to the international spread of disease and aims to cut out unnecessary interruptions to traffic and trade. To meet IHR requirements, countries need to improve capacity construction by developing, strengthening, and maintaining core response capacities for public health risk and Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). In addition, all the related core capacity requirements should be met before June 15, 2012. If not, then the deadline can be extended until 2016 upon request by countries. China has promoted the implementation of the IHR comprehensively, continuingly strengthening the core public health capacity and advancing in core public health emergency capacity building, points of entry capacity building, as well as risk prevention and control of biological events (infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, and food safety), radiological, nuclear, and chemical events, and other catastrophic events. With significant progress in core capacity building, China has dealt with many public health emergencies successfully, ensuring that its core public health capacity has met the IHR requirements, which was reported to WHO in June 2014. This article describes the steps, measures, and related experiences in the implementation of IHR in China. PMID:26029897

Development of an open metadata schema for prospective clinical research (openPCR) in China.

PubMed

Xu, W; Guan, Z; Sun, J; Wang, Z; Geng, Y

2014-01-01

In China, deployment of electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical data management system (CDMS) for clinical research (CR) is in its very early stage, and about 90% of clinical studies collected and submitted clinical data manually. This work aims to build an open metadata schema for Prospective Clinical Research (openPCR) in China based on openEHR archetypes, in order to help Chinese researchers easily create specific data entry templates for registration, study design and clinical data collection. Singapore Framework for Dublin Core Application Profiles (DCAP) is used to develop openPCR and four steps such as defining the core functional requirements and deducing the core metadata items, developing archetype models, defining metadata terms and creating archetype records, and finally developing implementation syntax are followed. The core functional requirements are divided into three categories: requirements for research registration, requirements for trial design, and requirements for case report form (CRF). 74 metadata items are identified and their Chinese authority names are created. The minimum metadata set of openPCR includes 3 documents, 6 sections, 26 top level data groups, 32 lower data groups and 74 data elements. The top level container in openPCR is composed of public document, internal document and clinical document archetypes. A hierarchical structure of openPCR is established according to Data Structure of Electronic Health Record Architecture and Data Standard of China (Chinese EHR Standard). Metadata attributes are grouped into six parts: identification, definition, representation, relation, usage guides, and administration. OpenPCR is an open metadata schema based on research registration standards, standards of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) and Chinese healthcare related standards, and is to be publicly available throughout China. It considers future integration of EHR and CR by adopting data structure and data terms in Chinese EHR Standard. Archetypes in openPCR are modularity models and can be separated, recombined, and reused. The authors recommend that the method to develop openPCR can be referenced by other countries when designing metadata schema of clinical research. In the next steps, openPCR should be used in a number of CR projects to test its applicability and to continuously improve its coverage. Besides, metadata schema for research protocol can be developed to structurize and standardize protocol, and syntactical interoperability of openPCR with other related standards can be considered.

Polarization splitter in three-core photonic crystal fibers.

PubMed

Saitoh, Kunimasa; Sato, Y; Koshiba, M

2004-08-23

A novel design of polarization splitter in three-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) has been proposed. The three-core PCF consists of two given identical cores with two-fold symmetry separated by a core with high birefringence. The polarization splitter is based on the phenomenon of resonant tunneling. Numerical simulations with a full vectorial beam propagation method demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a 1.9-mm-long splitter with the extinction ratio better than -20 dB and a bandwidth of 37nm.

Essential Distinctiveness: Strategic Alternatives in Updating the Business Core Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alstete, Jeffrey W.

2013-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to propose the use of specific strategic management tools for identifying opportunities for gaining competitive advantage in the business core curricula offered at colleges and universities. Design/methodology/approach: A brief review of the literature on business core curriculum innovation and change is examined, and…

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 50 - General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Heat Removal 34 Emergency Core Cooling 35 Inspection of Emergency Core Cooling System 36 Testing of Emergency Core Cooling System 37 Containment Heat Removal 38 Inspection of Containment Heat Removal System 39 Testing of Containment Heat Removal System 40 Containment Atmosphere Cleanup 41 Inspection of...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 50 - General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Heat Removal 34 Emergency Core Cooling 35 Inspection of Emergency Core Cooling System 36 Testing of Emergency Core Cooling System 37 Containment Heat Removal 38 Inspection of Containment Heat Removal System 39 Testing of Containment Heat Removal System 40 Containment Atmosphere Cleanup 41 Inspection of...

Two-Dimensional Neutronic and Fuel Cycle Analysis of the Transatomic Power Molten Salt Reactor

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

Betzler, Benjamin R.; Powers, Jeffrey J.; Worrall, Andrew

2017-01-15

This status report presents the results from the first phase of the collaboration between Transatomic Power Corporation (TAP) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide neutronic and fuel cycle analysis of the TAP core design through the Department of Energy Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, Nuclear Energy Voucher program. The TAP design is a molten salt reactor using movable moderator rods to shift the neutron spectrum in the core from mostly epithermal at beginning of life to thermal at end of life. Additional developments in the ChemTriton modeling and simulation tool provide the critical moderator-to-fuel ratio searches andmore » time-dependent parameters necessary to simulate the continuously changing physics in this complex system. Results from simulations with these tools show agreement with TAP-calculated performance metrics for core lifetime, discharge burnup, and salt volume fraction, verifying the viability of reducing actinide waste production with this design. Additional analyses of time step sizes, mass feed rates and enrichments, and isotopic removals provide additional information to make informed design decisions. This work further demonstrates capabilities of ORNL modeling and simulation tools for analysis of molten salt reactor designs and strongly positions this effort for the upcoming three-dimensional core analysis.« less

In vitro evaluation of five core materials.

PubMed

Gu, Steven; Rasimick, Brian J; Deutsch, Allan S; Musikant, Barry L

2007-01-01

This in vitro study determined the fracture strength of five core materials supported by two different endodontic dowels. Diametral tensile strength and microhardness of the three resin composite core materials used in this study were also tested. The fracture strength study used one lanthanide-reinforced flowable resin composite (Ti-Core Auto E), one titanium- and lanthanide-reinforced composite (Ti-Core), one lanthanide-reinforced composite (Ti-Core Natural), and two metal-reinforced glass ionomer core materials (Ketac Silver and GC Miracle Mix). Two types of dowels were used: a multitiered, split-shank threaded dowel with a flange (#1 Flexi-Flange) and one without a flange design (#1 Flexi-Post). The specimens were divided into ten groups. Each tooth/dowel and core specimen was placed in a special jig at 45 degrees and subjected to a load by a universal testing machine. The diametral tensile strength and the microhardness of the three resin composite core materials were measured by a universal testing machine and Barcol hardness tester, respectively. All test groups contained ten specimens. The fracture strength value of the resin composite core materials was significantly larger ( p < 0.0001) than those for the metal-reinforced glass-ionomer core materials. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) also showed that the Flexi-Flange dowel interacted with Ti-Core and Ti-Core Auto E to significantly ( p < 0.0013) increase the fracture strength relative to the Flexi-Post. One-way ANOVA revealed that there were no significant differences between them in terms of diametral tensile strength. The Barcol hardness values of the composite core materials were statistically different ( p < 0.0001), with the Ti-Core the highest, followed by Ti-Core Natural, then Ti-Core Auto E. Resin composite core material performed better than glass ionomer material in this in vitro study. The flowable composite core material performed about the same in terms of fracture strength and diametral tensile strength compared with nonflowable composites. Combined with certain core materials, the flange design increased the fracture strength of the tooth/dowel and core combination.

Industry Application ECCS / LOCA Integrated Cladding/Emergency Core Cooling System Performance: Demonstration of LOTUS-Baseline Coupled Analysis of the South Texas Plant Model

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

Zhang, Hongbin; Szilard, Ronaldo; Epiney, Aaron

Under the auspices of the DOE LWRS Program RISMC Industry Application ECCS/LOCA, INL has engaged staff from both South Texas Project (STP) and the Texas A&M University (TAMU) to produce a generic pressurized water reactor (PWR) model including reactor core, clad/fuel design and systems thermal hydraulics based on the South Texas Project (STP) nuclear power plant, a 4-Loop Westinghouse PWR. A RISMC toolkit, named LOCA Toolkit for the U.S. (LOTUS), has been developed for use in this generic PWR plant model to assess safety margins for the proposed NRC 10 CFR 50.46c rule, Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) performance duringmore » LOCA. This demonstration includes coupled analysis of core design, fuel design, thermalhydraulics and systems analysis, using advanced risk analysis tools and methods to investigate a wide range of results. Within this context, a multi-physics best estimate plus uncertainty (MPBEPU) methodology framework is proposed.« less

AP1000{sup R} severe accident features and post-Fukushima considerations

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

Scobel, J. H.; Schulz, T. L.; Williams, M. G.

2012-07-01

The AP1000{sup R} passive nuclear power plant is uniquely equipped to withstand an extended station blackout scenario such as the events following the earthquake and tsunami at Fukushima without compromising core and containment integrity. The AP1000 plant shuts down the reactor, cools the core, containment and spent fuel pool for more than 3 days using passive systems that do not require AC or DC power or operator actions. Following this passive coping period, minimal operator actions are needed to extend the operation of the passive features to 7 days using installed equipment. To provide defense-in-depth for design extension conditions, themore » AP1000 plant has engineered features that mitigate the effects of core damage. Engineered features retain damaged core debris within the reactor vessel as a key feature. Other aspects of the design protect containment integrity during severe accidents, including unique features of the AP1000 design relative to passive containment cooling with water and air, and hydrogen management. (authors)« less

How can core self-evaluations influence job burnout? The key roles of organizational commitment and job satisfaction.

PubMed

Peng, Jiaxi; Li, Dongdong; Zhang, Zhenjiang; Tian, Yu; Miao, Danmin; Xiao, Wei; Zhang, Jiaxi

2016-01-01

This study aimed to explore how core self-evaluations influenced job burnout and mainly focused on the confirmation of the mediator roles of organizational commitment and job satisfaction. A total of 583 female nurses accomplished the Core Self-Evaluation Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. The results revealed that core self-evaluations, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and job burnout were significantly correlated with each other. Structural equation modeling indicated that core self-evaluations can significantly influence job burnout and are completely mediated by organizational commitment and job satisfaction. © The Author(s) 2014.

Toroidal-Core Microinductors Biased by Permanent Magnets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieneweg, Udo; Blaes, Brent

2003-01-01

The designs of microscopic toroidal-core inductors in integrated circuits of DC-to-DC voltage converters would be modified, according to a proposal, by filling the gaps in the cores with permanent magnets that would apply bias fluxes (see figure). The magnitudes and polarities of the bias fluxes would be tailored to counteract the DC fluxes generated by the DC components of the currents in the inductor windings, such that it would be possible to either reduce the sizes of the cores or increase the AC components of the currents in the cores without incurring adverse effects. Reducing the sizes of the cores could save significant amounts of space on integrated circuits because relative to other integrated-circuit components, microinductors occupy large areas - of the order of a square millimeter each. An important consideration in the design of such an inductor is preventing magnetic saturation of the core at current levels up to the maximum anticipated operating current. The requirement to prevent saturation, as well as other requirements and constraints upon the design of the core are expressed by several equations based on the traditional magnetic-circuit approximation. The equations involve the core and gap dimensions and the magnetic-property parameters of the core and magnet materials. The equations show that, other things remaining equal, as the maximum current is increased, one must increase the size of the core to prevent the flux density from rising to the saturation level. By using a permanent bias flux to oppose the flux generated by the DC component of the current, one would reduce the net DC component of flux in the core, making it possible to reduce the core size needed to prevent the total flux density (sum of DC and AC components) from rising to the saturation level. Alternatively, one could take advantage of the reduction of the net DC component of flux by increasing the allowable AC component of flux and the corresponding AC component of current. In either case, permanent-magnet material and the slant (if any) and thickness of the gap must be chosen according to the equations to obtain the required bias flux. In modifying the design of the inductor, one must ensure that the inductance is not altered. The simplest way to preserve the original value of inductance would be to leave the gap dimensions unchanged and fill the gap with a permanent- magnet material that, fortuitously, would produce just the required bias flux. A more generally applicable alternative would be to partly fill either the original gap or a slightly enlarged gap with a suitable permanent-magnet material (thereby leaving a small residual gap) so that the reluctance of the resulting magnetic circuit would yield the desired inductance.

Assessment of the Neutronic and Fuel Cycle Performance of the Transatomic Power Molten Salt Reactor Design

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

Robertson, Sean; Dewan, Leslie; Massie, Mark

This report presents results from a collaboration between Transatomic Power Corporation (TAP) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide neutronic and fuel cycle analysis of the TAP core design through the Department of Energy Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) Nuclear Energy Voucher program. The TAP concept is a molten salt reactor using configurable zirconium hydride moderator rod assemblies to shift the neutron spectrum in the core from mostly epithermal at beginning of life to thermal at end of life. Additional developments in the ChemTriton modeling and simulation tool provide the critical moderator-to-fuel ratio searches and time-dependent parametersmore » necessary to simulate the continuously changing physics in this complex system. The implementation of continuous-energy Monte Carlo transport and depletion tools in ChemTriton provide for full-core three-dimensional modeling and simulation. Results from simulations with these tools show agreement with TAP-calculated performance metrics for core lifetime, discharge burnup, and salt volume fraction, verifying the viability of reducing actinide waste production with this concept. Additional analyses of mass feed rates and enrichments, isotopic removals, tritium generation, core power distribution, core vessel helium generation, moderator rod heat deposition, and reactivity coeffcients provide additional information to make informed design decisions. This work demonstrates capabilities of ORNL modeling and simulation tools for neutronic and fuel cycle analysis of molten salt reactor concepts.« less

Current advances in precious metal core-shell catalyst design.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaohong; He, Beibei; Hu, Zhiyu; Zeng, Zhigang; Han, Sheng

2014-08-01

Precious metal nanoparticles are commonly used as the main active components of various catalysts. Given their high cost, limited quantity, and easy loss of catalytic activity under severe conditions, precious metals should be used in catalysts at low volumes and be protected from damaging environments. Accordingly, reducing the amount of precious metals without compromising their catalytic performance is difficult, particularly under challenging conditions. As multifunctional materials, core-shell nanoparticles are highly important owing to their wide range of applications in chemistry, physics, biology, and environmental areas. Compared with their single-component counterparts and other composites, core-shell nanoparticles offer a new active interface and a potential synergistic effect between the core and shell, making these materials highly attractive in catalytic application. On one hand, when a precious metal is used as the shell material, the catalytic activity can be greatly improved because of the increased surface area and the closed interfacial interaction between the core and the shell. On the other hand, when a precious metal is applied as the core material, the catalytic stability can be remarkably improved because of the protection conferred by the shell material. Therefore, a reasonable design of the core-shell catalyst for target applications must be developed. We summarize the latest advances in the fabrications, properties, and applications of core-shell nanoparticles in this paper. The current research trends of these core-shell catalysts are also highlighted.

A VHDL Core for Intrinsic Evolution of Discrete Time Filters with Signal Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwaltney, David A.; Dutton, Kenneth

2005-01-01

The design of an Evolvable Machine VHDL Core is presented, representing a discrete-time processing structure capable of supporting control system applications. This VHDL Core is implemented in an FPGA and is interfaced with an evolutionary algorithm implemented in firmware on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to create an evolvable system platform. The salient features of this architecture are presented. The capability to implement IIR filter structures is presented along with the results of the intrinsic evolution of a filter. The robustness of the evolved filter design is tested and its unique characteristics are described.

Design data for brazed Rene 41 honeycomb sandwich

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hepler, A. K.; Arnquist, J.; Koetje, E. L.; Esposito, J. J.; Lindsay, V. E. J.; Swegle, A. R.

1981-01-01

Strength data, creep data and residual strength data after cyclic thermal exposure were obtained at temperatures from 78 K to 1144 K (-320 F to 1600 F). The influences of face thickness, core depth, core gage, cell size and thermal/stress exposure conditions on the mechanical design properties were investigated. A braze alloy and process was developed that is adequate to fully develop the strength of the honeycomb core while simultaneously solution treating and aging the Rene 41 fact sheets. New test procedures and test specimen configurations were developed to avoid excessive thermal stresses during cyclic thermal exposure.

Transmission loss optimization in acoustic sandwich panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makris, S. E.; Dym, C. L.; MacGregor Smith, J.

1986-06-01

Considering the sound transmission loss (TL) of a sandwich panel as the single objective, different optimization techniques are examined and a sophisticated computer program is used to find the optimum TL. Also, for one of the possible case studies such as core optimization, closed-form expressions are given between TL and the core-design variables for different sets of skins. The significance of these functional relationships lies in the fact that the panel designer can bypass the necessity of using a sophisticated software package in order to assess explicitly the dependence of the TL on core thickness and density.

Moving away from exhaustion: how core self-evaluations influence academic burnout.

PubMed

Lian, Penghu; Sun, Yunfeng; Ji, Zhigang; Li, Hanzhong; Peng, Jiaxi

2014-01-01

Academic burnout refers to students who have low interest, lack of motivation, and tiredness in studying. Studies concerning how to prevent academic burnout are rare. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of core self-evaluations on the academic burnout of university students, and mainly focused on the confirmation of the mediator role of life satisfaction. A total of 470 university students accomplished the core self-evaluation scale, Satisfaction with Life, and academic burnout scale. Both core self-evaluations and life satisfaction were significantly correlated with academic burnout. Structural equation modeling indicated that life satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between core self-evaluations and academic burnout. Core self-evaluations significantly influence academic burnout and are partially mediated by life satisfaction.

Glucose Sensors Based on Core@Shell Magnetic Nanomaterials and Their Application in Diabetes Management: A Review.

PubMed

Liu, Lin; Lv, Hongying; Teng, Zhenyuan; Wang, Chengyin; Wang, Guoxiu

2015-01-01

This review presents a comprehensive attempt to conclude and discuss various glucose biosensors based on core@shell magnetic nanomaterials. Owing to good biocompatibility and stability, the core@shell magnetic nanomaterials have found widespread applications in many fields and draw extensive attention. Most magnetic nanoparticles possess an intrinsic enzyme mimetic activity like natural peroxidases, which invests magnetic nanomaterials with great potential in the construction of glucose sensors. We summarize the synthesis of core@shell magnetic nanomaterials, fundamental theory of glucose sensor and the advances in glucose sensors based on core@shell magnetic nanomaterials. The aim of the review is to provide an overview of the exploitation of the core@shell magnetic nanomaterials for glucose sensors construction.

Atomistic Design of CdSe/CdS Core-Shell Quantum Dots with Suppressed Auger Recombination.

PubMed

Jain, Ankit; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Korkusinski, Marek; Hawrylak, Pawel; Sargent, Edward H

2016-10-12

We design quasi-type-II CdSe/CdS core-shell colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) exhibiting a suppressed Auger recombination rate. We do so using fully atomistic tight-binding wave functions and microscopic Coulomb interactions. The recombination rate as a function of the core and shell size and shape is tested against experiments. Because of a higher density of deep hole states and stronger hole confinement, Auger recombination is found to be up to six times faster for positive trions compared to negative ones in 4 nm core/10 nm shell CQDs. Soft-confinement at the interface results in weak suppression of Auger recombination compared to same-bandgap sharp-interface CQDs. We find that the suppression is due to increased volume of the core resulting in delocalization of the wave functions, rather than due to soft-confinement itself. We show that our results are consistent with previous effective mass models with the same system parameters. Increasing the dot volume remains the most efficient way to suppress Auger recombination. We predict that a 4-fold suppression of Auger recombination can be achieved in 10 nm CQDs by increasing the core volume by using rodlike cores embedded in thick shells.

Low-Power Embedded DSP Core for Communication Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Ya-Lan; Chen, Wei-Hao; Tan, Ming Hsuan; Lin, Maw-Ching; Jou, Shyh-Jye

2003-12-01

This paper proposes a parameterized digital signal processor (DSP) core for an embedded digital signal processing system designed to achieve demodulation/synchronization with better performance and flexibility. The features of this DSP core include parameterized data path, dual MAC unit, subword MAC, and optional function-specific blocks for accelerating communication system modulation operations. This DSP core also has a low-power structure, which includes the gray-code addressing mode, pipeline sharing, and advanced hardware looping. Users can select the parameters and special functional blocks based on the character of their applications and then generating a DSP core. The DSP core has been implemented via a cell-based design method using a synthesizable Verilog code with TSMC 0.35[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]m SPQM and 0.25[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]m 1P5M library. The equivalent gate count of the core area without memory is approximately 50 k. Moreover, the maximum operating frequency of a[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] version is 100 MHz (0.35[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]m) and 140 MHz (0.25[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]m).

Enhancing the Practicum Experience for Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers through Collaborative CoRe Design with Mentor Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hume, Anne; Berry, Amanda

2013-01-01

This paper reports findings from an ongoing study exploring how the Content Representation (CoRe) design can be used as a tool to help chemistry student teachers begin acquiring the professional knowledge required to become expert chemistry teachers. Phase 2 of the study, reported in this paper, investigated how collaboration with school-based…

Keeping the Magnet® Flame Alive With Appreciative Inquiry.

PubMed

Halm, Margo A; Crusoe, Kristen

2018-06-01

Sustaining a clinical excellence culture for Magnet® redesignation requires continued engagement of frontline nurses, nurse leaders, and executives. Appreciative Inquiry is a strength-based approach emanating from a positive core. From this core, teams discover, dream, design, and create their preferred destiny. This article describes how a Magnet-designated organization used Appreciative Inquiry to revitalize its redesignation preparation and beyond.

Enacting Common Core Instruction: How School District Leadership Drove Implementation of LDC and MDC in Kenton County, KY

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research For Action, 2012

2012-01-01

Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) offer a set of instructional and formative assessment tools in literacy and math, which were developed to help educators better prepare all students to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and succeed beyond high…

Adaptive control method for core power control in TRIGA Mark II reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri Minhat, Mohd; Selamat, Hazlina; Subha, Nurul Adilla Mohd

2018-01-01

The 1MWth Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) Mark II type has undergone more than 35 years of operation. The existing core power control uses feedback control algorithm (FCA). It is challenging to keep the core power stable at the desired value within acceptable error bands to meet the safety demand of RTP due to the sensitivity of nuclear research reactor operation. Currently, the system is not satisfied with power tracking performance and can be improved. Therefore, a new design core power control is very important to improve the current performance in tracking and regulate reactor power by control the movement of control rods. In this paper, the adaptive controller and focus on Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) and Self-Tuning Control (STC) were applied to the control of the core power. The model for core power control was based on mathematical models of the reactor core, adaptive controller model, and control rods selection programming. The mathematical models of the reactor core were based on point kinetics model, thermal hydraulic models, and reactivity models. The adaptive control model was presented using Lyapunov method to ensure stable close loop system and STC Generalised Minimum Variance (GMV) Controller was not necessary to know the exact plant transfer function in designing the core power control. The performance between proposed adaptive control and FCA will be compared via computer simulation and analysed the simulation results manifest the effectiveness and the good performance of the proposed control method for core power control.

Design Considerations for a Computationally-Lightweight Authentication Mechanism for Passive RFID Tags

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

suffer the power and complexity requirements of a public key system. 28 In [18], a simulation of the SHA –1 algorithm is performed on a Xilinx FPGA ... 256 bits. Thus, the construction of a hash table would need 2512 independent comparisons. It is known that hash collisions of the SHA –1 algorithm... SHA –1 algorithm for small-core FPGA design. Small-core FPGA design is the process by which a circuit is adapted to use the minimal amount of logic

Rolling-Tooth Core Breakoff and Retention Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Badescu, Mircea; Bickler, Donald B.; Sherrit, Stewart; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Bao, Xiaoqi; Hudson, Nicolas H.

2011-01-01

Sampling cores requires the controlled breakoff of the core at a known location with respect to the drill end. An additional problem is designing a mechanism that can be implemented at a small scale that is robust and versatile enough to be used for a variety of core samples. This design consists of a set of tubes (a drill tube and an inner tube) and a rolling element (rolling tooth). An additional tube can be used as a sample tube. The drill tube and the inner tube have longitudinal holes with the axes offset from the axis of each tube. The two eccentricities are equal. The inner tube fits inside the drill tube, and the sample tube fits inside the inner tube. While drilling, the two tubes are positioned relative to each other such that the sample tube is aligned with the drill tube axis and core. The drill tube includes teeth and flutes for cuttings removal. The inner tube includes, at the base, the rolling element implemented as a wheel on a shaft in an eccentric slot. An additional slot in the inner tube and a pin in the drill tube limit the relative motion of the two tubes. While drilling, the drill assembly rotates relative to the core and forces the rolling tooth to stay hidden in the slot along the inner tube wall. When the drilling depth has been reached, the drill bit assembly is rotated in the opposite direction, and the rolling tooth is engaged and penetrates into the core. Depending on the strength of the created core, the rolling tooth can score, lock the inner tube relative to the core, start the eccentric motion of the inner tube, and break the core. The tooth and the relative position of the two tubes can act as a core catcher or core-retention mechanism as well. The design was made to fit the core and hole parameters produced by an existing bit; the parts were fabricated and a series of demonstration tests were performed. This invention is potentially applicable to sample return and in situ missions to planets such as Mars and Venus, to moons such as Titan and Europa, and to comets. It is also applicable to terrestrial applications like forensic sampling and geological sampling in the field.

Toward unified ice core chronologies with the DatIce tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toye Mahamadou Kele, H.; Lemieux-Dudon, B.; Blayo, E.

2012-04-01

Antarctic and Greenland ice cores provide a means to study the phase relationships of climate changes in both hemispheres. They also enable to study the timing between climate, and greenhouse gases or orbital forcings. One key step for such studies is to improve the absolute and relative precisions of ice core age scales (for ice and trapped gas), and beyond that, to try to reach the best consistency between chronologies of paleo records of any kind. The DatIce tool is designed to increase the consistency between pre-existing (also called background) core chronologies. It formulates a variational inverse problem which aims at correcting three key quantities that uniquely define the core age scales: the accumulation rate, the total thinning function, and the close-off depth. For that purpose, it integrates paleo data constraints of many types among which age markers (with for instance documented volcanoes eruptions), and stratigraphic links (with for instance abrupt changes in methane concentration). A cost function is built that enables to calculate new chronologies by making a trade-off between all the constraints (background chronologies and paleo data). The method presented in Lemieux-Dudon et al (2010) has already been applied simultaneously to EPICA EDML and EDC, Vostok and NGRIP. Currently, on going works are conducted at LSCE Saclay and LGGE Grenoble laboratories to construct unified Antarctic chronologies by applying the DatIce tool with new ice cores and new sets of paleo measurements. We here present the DatIce tool, the underlying methodology, and its potential applications. We further show some improvements that have been made recently. We especially adress the issue related to the calibration of the error of pre-existing core chronologies. They are inputs that may have a strong impact on the results. However these uncertainties are uneasy to analyze, since prior chronologies are most of the time assessed on the basis of glaciological models (firn densification and ice flow models) which still face large uncertainties (forcing fields, model parameters, mechanic and physic formulation). For that reason, we chose to calibrate errors by applying consistency diagnostics, a classical method in data assimilation (Desrozier et al, 2009).

Conservation Process Model (cpm): a Twofold Scientific Research Scope in the Information Modelling for Cultural Heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorani, D.; Acierno, M.

2017-05-01

The aim of the present research is to develop an instrument able to adequately support the conservation process by means of a twofold approach, based on both BIM environment and ontology formalisation. Although BIM has been successfully experimented within AEC (Architecture Engineering Construction) field, it has showed many drawbacks for architectural heritage. To cope with unicity and more generally complexity of ancient buildings, applications so far developed have shown to poorly adapt BIM to conservation design with unsatisfactory results (Dore, Murphy 2013; Carrara 2014). In order to combine achievements reached within AEC through BIM environment (design control and management) with an appropriate, semantically enriched and flexible The presented model has at its core a knowledge base developed through information ontologies and oriented around the formalization and computability of all the knowledge necessary for the full comprehension of the object of architectural heritage an its conservation. Such a knowledge representation is worked out upon conceptual categories defined above all within architectural criticism and conservation scope. The present paper aims at further extending the scope of conceptual modelling within cultural heritage conservation already formalized by the model. A special focus is directed on decay analysis and surfaces conservation project.

MIC-SVM: Designing A Highly Efficient Support Vector Machine For Advanced Modern Multi-Core and Many-Core Architectures

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

You, Yang; Song, Shuaiwen; Fu, Haohuan

2014-08-16

Support Vector Machine (SVM) has been widely used in data-mining and Big Data applications as modern commercial databases start to attach an increasing importance to the analytic capabilities. In recent years, SVM was adapted to the field of High Performance Computing for power/performance prediction, auto-tuning, and runtime scheduling. However, even at the risk of losing prediction accuracy due to insufficient runtime information, researchers can only afford to apply offline model training to avoid significant runtime training overhead. To address the challenges above, we designed and implemented MICSVM, a highly efficient parallel SVM for x86 based multi-core and many core architectures,more » such as the Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs and Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor (MIC).« less

Precision Casting via Advanced Simulation and Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

A two-year program was conducted to develop and commercially implement selected casting manufacturing technologies to enable significant reductions in the costs of castings, increase the complexity and dimensional accuracy of castings, and reduce the development times for delivery of high quality castings. The industry-led R&D project was cost shared with NASA's Aerospace Industry Technology Program (AITP). The Rocketdyne Division of Boeing North American, Inc. served as the team lead with participation from Lockheed Martin, Ford Motor Company, Howmet Corporation, PCC Airfoils, General Electric, UES, Inc., University of Alabama, Auburn University, Robinson, Inc., Aracor, and NASA-LeRC. The technical effort was organized into four distinct tasks. The accomplishments reported herein. Task 1.0 developed advanced simulation technology for core molding. Ford headed up this task. On this program, a specialized core machine was designed and built. Task 2.0 focused on intelligent process control for precision core molding. Howmet led this effort. The primary focus of these experimental efforts was to characterize the process parameters that have a strong impact on dimensional control issues of injection molded cores during their fabrication. Task 3.0 developed and applied rapid prototyping to produce near net shape castings. Rocketdyne was responsible for this task. CAD files were generated using reverse engineering, rapid prototype patterns were fabricated using SLS and SLA, and castings produced and evaluated. Task 4.0 was aimed at developing technology transfer. Rocketdyne coordinated this task. Casting related technology, explored and evaluated in the first three tasks of this program, was implemented into manufacturing processes.

Effect of different surface treatments on microtensile bond strength of two resin cements to aged simulated composite core materials.

PubMed

Esmaeili, Behnaz; Alaghehmand, Homayoon; Shakerian, Mohadese

2015-01-01

Roughening of the aged composite resin core (CRC) surface seems essential for durable adhesion. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of various surface treatments and different resin cements on microtensile bond strength (µ TBS) between two aged core build-up composites (CBCs) and feldspathic ceramic. A total of 16 composite blocks made of two CBCs, Core.it and Build-it were randomly assigned to four surface treatment groups after water storage and thermocycling (2 weeks and 500 cycles). Experimental groups included surface roughening with air abrasion (AA), hydrofluoric acid, pumice, and laser and then were bonded to computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing feldspathic ceramic blocks using two resin cements, Panavia F2 (PF), and Duo-link (DL). The µ TBS was tested, and the fracture mode was assessed. The data were analyzed with multiple analysis of variance to estimate the contribution of different surface treatments, resin cements, and two aged CRCs on µ TBS. Statistical significance level was set at α < 0.05. Surface treatment and cement type significantly affected bond strength (P < 0.001) but the type of CRC did not (P = 0.468). Between roughening methods, the highest and the lowest values of µ TBS were sequentially obtained in AA and Er.YAG laser groups. The highest bond strength was in AA group cemented with PF (31.83 MPa). The most common failure mode was cohesive fracture in the cement. Different surface treatments had different effects on µ TBS of aged CRCs to feldspathic ceramics. PF was significantly better than DL.

Combustion and Energy Transfer Experiments: A Laboratory Model for Linking Core Concepts across the Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barreto, Jose C.; Dubetz, Terry A.; Schmidt, Diane L.; Isern, Sharon; Beatty, Thomas; Brown, David W.; Gillman, Edward; Alberte, Randall S.; Egiebor, Nosa O.

2007-01-01

Core concepts can be integrated throughout lower-division science and engineering courses by using a series of related, cross-referenced laboratory experiments. Starting with butane combustion in chemistry, the authors expanded the underlying core concepts of energy transfer into laboratories designed for biology, physics, and engineering. This…

Allied Health Core Curriculum: Its Time Has Come

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPherson, M. LaCheeta

2004-01-01

There is lack of a clear definition regarding an allied health core curriculum. The Pew Health Professions Commission and the Bureau of Health Professions use the following to define a core curriculum: "A set of interdisciplinary courses, clinical training, and other educational exposures designed to provide allied health students at each level…

Common Core Units in Business Education: Grooming for Your Job Interview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddell, Lynda

This secondary unit of instruction on grooming for job interviews is one of sixteen Common Core Units in Business Education (CCUBE). The units were designed for implementing the sixteen common core competencies identified in the California Business Education Program Guide for Office and Distributive Education. Each competency-based unit is…

A Numerical Study on the Edgewise Compression Strength of Sandwich Structures with Facesheet-Core Disbonds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergan, Andrew C.

2017-01-01

Damage tolerant design approaches require determination of critical damage modes and flaw sizes in order to establish nondestructive evaluation detection requirements. A finite element model is developed to assess the effect of circular facesheet-core disbonds on the strength of sandwich specimens subjected to edgewise compressive loads for the purpose of predicting the critical flaw size for a variety of design parameters. Postbuckling analyses are conducted in which an initial imperfection is seeded using results from a linear buckling analysis. Both the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) and cohesive elements are considered for modeling disbond growth. Predictions from analyses using the VCCT and analyses using cohesive elements are in good correlation. A series of parametric analyses are conducted to investigate the effect of core thickness and material, facesheet layup, facesheet-core interface properties, and curvature on the criticality of facesheet-core disbonds of various sizes. The results from these analyses provide a basis for determining the critical flaw size for facesheet-core disbonds subjected to edgewise compression loads and, therefore, nondestructive evaluation flaw detection requirements for this configuration.

ZPR-6 assembly 7 high {sup 240} PU core : a cylindrical assemby with mixed (PU, U)-oxide fuel and a central high {sup 240} PU zone.

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

Lell, R. M.; Schaefer, R. W.; McKnight, R. D.

Over a period of 30 years more than a hundred Zero Power Reactor (ZPR) critical assemblies were constructed at Argonne National Laboratory. The ZPR facilities, ZPR-3, ZPR-6, ZPR-9 and ZPPR, were all fast critical assembly facilities. The ZPR critical assemblies were constructed to support fast reactor development, but data from some of these assemblies are also well suited to form the basis for criticality safety benchmarks. Of the three classes of ZPR assemblies, engineering mockups, engineering benchmarks and physics benchmarks, the last group tends to be most useful for criticality safety. Because physics benchmarks were designed to test fast reactormore » physics data and methods, they were as simple as possible in geometry and composition. The principal fissile species was {sup 235}U or {sup 239}Pu. Fuel enrichments ranged from 9% to 95%. Often there were only one or two main core diluent materials, such as aluminum, graphite, iron, sodium or stainless steel. The cores were reflected (and insulated from room return effects) by one or two layers of materials such as depleted uranium, lead or stainless steel. Despite their more complex nature, a small number of assemblies from the other two classes would make useful criticality safety benchmarks because they have features related to criticality safety issues, such as reflection by soil-like material. The term 'benchmark' in a ZPR program connotes a particularly simple loading aimed at gaining basic reactor physics insight, as opposed to studying a reactor design. In fact, the ZPR-6/7 Benchmark Assembly (Reference 1) had a very simple core unit cell assembled from plates of depleted uranium, sodium, iron oxide, U3O8, and plutonium. The ZPR-6/7 core cell-average composition is typical of the interior region of liquid-metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs) of the era. It was one part of the Demonstration Reactor Benchmark Program,a which provided integral experiments characterizing the important features of demonstration-size LMFBRs. As a benchmark, ZPR-6/7 was devoid of many 'real' reactor features, such as simulated control rods and multiple enrichment zones, in its reference form. Those kinds of features were investigated experimentally in variants of the reference ZPR-6/7 or in other critical assemblies in the Demonstration Reactor Benchmark Program.« less

ORBS, ORCS, OACS, a Software Suite for Data Reduction and Analysis of the Hyperspectral Imagers SITELLE and SpIOMM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, T.; Drissen, L.; Joncas, G.

2015-09-01

SITELLE (installed in 2015 at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope) and SpIOMM (a prototype attached to the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic) are the first Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometers (IFTS) capable of obtaining a hyperspectral data cube which samples a 12 arc minutes field of view into four millions of visible spectra. The result of each observation is made up of two interferometric data cubes which need to be merged, corrected, transformed and calibrated in order to get a spectral cube of the observed region ready to be analysed. ORBS is a fully automatic data reduction software that has been entirely designed for this purpose. The data size (up to 68 Gb for larger science cases) and the computational needs have been challenging and the highly parallelized object-oriented architecture of ORBS reflects the solutions adopted which made possible to process 68 Gb of raw data in less than 11 hours using 8 cores and 22.6 Gb of RAM. It is based on a core framework (ORB) that has been designed to support the whole software suite for data analysis (ORCS and OACS), data simulation (ORUS) and data acquisition (IRIS). They all aim to provide a strong basis for the creation and development of specialized analysis modules that could benefit the scientific community working with SITELLE and SpIOMM.

Application and the key technology on high power fiber-optic laser in laser weapon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Zhou; Li, Qiushi; Meng, Haihong; Sui, Xin; Zhang, Hongtao; Zhai, Xuhua

2014-12-01

The soft-killing laser weapon plays an important role in photoelectric defense technology. It can be used for photoelectric detection, search, blinding of photoelectric sensor and other devices on fire control and guidance devices, therefore it draws more and more attentions by many scholars. High power fiber-optic laser has many virtues such as small volume, simple structure, nimble handling, high efficiency, qualified light beam, easy thermal management, leading to blinding. Consequently, it may be used as the key device of soft-killing laser weapon. The present study introduced the development of high power fiber-optic laser and its main features. Meanwhile the key technology of large mode area (LMA) optical fiber design, the beam combination technology, double-clad fiber technology and pumping optical coupling technology was stated. The present study is aimed to design high doping LMA fiber, ensure single mode output by increasing core diameter and decrease NA. By means of reducing the spontaneous emission particle absorbed by fiber core and Increasing the power density in the optical fiber, the threshold power of nonlinear effect can increase, and the power of single fiber will be improved. Meantime, high power will be obtained by the beam combination technology. Application prospect of high power fiber laser in photoelectric defense technology was also set forth. Lastly, the present study explored the advantages of high power fiber laser in photoelectric defense technology.

Design and analysis of a toroidal tester for the measurement of core losses under axial compressive stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alatawneh, Natheer; Rahman, Tanvir; Lowther, David A.; Chromik, Richard

2017-06-01

Electric machine cores are subjected to mechanical stresses due to manufacturing processes. These stresses include radial, circumferential and axial components that may have significant influences on the magnetic properties of the electrical steel and hence, on the output and efficiencies of electrical machines. Previously, most studies of iron losses due to mechanical stress have considered only radial and circumferential components. In this work, an improved toroidal tester has been designed and developed to measure the core losses and the magnetic properties of electrical steel under a compressive axial stress. The shape of the toroidal ring has been verified using 3D stress analysis. Also, 3D electromagnetic simulations show a uniform flux density distribution in the specimen with a variation of 0.03 T and a maximum average induction level of 1.5 T. The developed design has been prototyped, and measurements were carried out using a steel sample of grade 35WW300. Measurements show that applying small mechanical stresses normal to the sample thickness rises the delivered core losses, then the losses decrease continuously as the stress increases. However, the drop in core losses at high stresses does not go lower than the free-stress condition. Physical explanations for the observed trend of core losses as a function of stress are provided based on core loss separation to the hysteresis and eddy current loss components. The experimental results show that the effect of axial compressive stress on magnetic properties of electrical steel at high level of inductions becomes less pronounced.

Building core capacities at the designated points of entry according to the International Health Regulations 2005: a review of the progress and prospects in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chiu, Hsiao-Hsuan; Hsieh, Jui-Wei; Wu, Yi-Chun; Chou, Jih-Haw; Chang, Feng-Yee

2014-01-01

Background As designated points of entry (PoEs) play a critical role in preventing the transmission of international public health risks, huge efforts have been invested in Taiwan to improve the core capacities specified in the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005). This article reviews how Taiwan strengthened the core capacities at the Taoyuan International Airport (TIA) and the Port of Kaohsiung (PoK) by applying a new, practicable model. Design An IHR PoE program was initiated for implementing the IHR core capacities at designated PoEs. The main methods of this program were 1) identifying the designated PoEs according to the pre-determined criteria, 2) identifying the competent authority for each health measure, 3) building a close collaborative relationship between stakeholders from the central and PoE level, 4) designing three stages of systematic assessment using the assessment tool published by the World Health Organization (WHO), and 5) undertaking action plans targeting the gaps identified by the assessments. Results Results of the self-assessment, preliminary external assessment, and follow-up external assessment revealed a continuous progressive trend at the TIA (86, 91, and 100%, respectively), and at the PoK (77, 97, and 99.9%, respectively). The results of the follow-up external assessment indicated that both these designated PoEs already conformed to the IHR requirements. These achievements were highly associated with strong collaboration, continuous empowerment, efficient resource integration, and sustained commitments. Conclusions Considering that many countries had requested for an extension on the deadline to fulfill the IHR 2005 core capacity requirements, Taiwan's experiences can be a source of learning for countries striving to fully implement these requirements. Further, in order to broaden the scope of public health protection into promoting global security, Taiwan will keep its commitments on multisectoral cooperation, human resource capacity building, and maintaining routine and emergency capacities. PMID:25037903

Design of composite flywheel rotors with soft cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Taehan

A flywheel is an inertial energy storage system in which the energy or momentum is stored in a rotating mass. Over the last twenty years, high-performance flywheels have been developed with significant improvements, showing potential as energy storage systems in a wide range of applications. Despite the great advances in fundamental knowledge and technology, the current successful rotors depend mainly on the recent developments of high-stiffness and high-strength carbon composites. These composites are expensive and the cost of flywheels made of them is high. The ultimate goal of the study presented here is the development of a cost-effective composite rotor made of a hybrid material. In this study, two-dimensional and three-dimensional analysis tools were developed and utilized in the design of the composite rim, and extensive spin tests were performed to validate the designed rotors and give a sound basis for large-scale rotor design. Hybrid rims made of several different composite materials can effectively reduce the radial stress in the composite rim, which is critical in the design of composite rims. Since the hybrid composite rims we studied employ low-cost glass fiber for the inside of the rim, and the result is large radial growth of the hybrid rim, conventional metallic hubs cannot be used in this design. A soft core developed in this study was successfully able to accommodate the large radial growth of the rim. High bonding strength at the shaft-to-core interface was achieved by the soft core being molded directly onto the steel shaft, and a tapered geometry was used to avoid stress concentrations at the shaft-to-core interface. Extensive spin tests were utilized for reverse engineering of the design of composite rotors, and there was good correlation between tests and analysis. A large-scale composite rotor for ground transportation is presented with the performance levels predicted for it.

Design of a wearable device for ECG continuous monitoring using wireless technology.

PubMed

Led, Santiago; Fernández, Jorge; Serrano, Luis

2004-01-01

This project focuses on the design and implementation of an intelligent wearable device for ECG continuous acquisition and transmission to some remote gateway using Bluetooth technology. The acquisition device has been designed for having very low power consumption and reduced size. The Analog Devices' ADuC831 Micro-Converter for achieving the analog to digital conversion and the CSR's BlueCore2 chip for the Bluetooth transmission are the core of the device. The designed device is an important component of a complete prototype for remote ECG continuous monitoring of patients with diverse cardiac diseases.

17 CFR 38.1050 - Core Principle 20.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... automated systems, that are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity; (b) Establish and... CONTRACT MARKETS System Safeguards § 38.1050 Core Principle 20. Each designated contract market shall: (a...

17 CFR 38.1050 - Core Principle 20.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... automated systems, that are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity; (b) Establish and... CONTRACT MARKETS System Safeguards § 38.1050 Core Principle 20. Each designated contract market shall: (a...

[Comparative investigation of compressive resistance of glass-cermet cements used as a core material in post-core systems].

PubMed

Ersoy, E; Cetiner, S; Koçak, F

1989-09-01

In post-core applications, addition to the cast designs restorations that are performed on fabrication posts with restorative materials are being used. To improve the physical properties of glass-ionomer cements that are popular today, glass-cermet cements have been introduced and those materials have been proposed to be an alternative restorative material in post-core applications. In this study, the compressive resistance of Ketac-Silver as a core material was investigated comparatively with amalgam and composite resins.

Challenges Regarding IP Core Functional Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; LaBel, Kenneth A.

2017-01-01

For many years, intellectual property (IP) cores have been incorporated into field programmable gate array (FPGA) and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design flows. However, the usage of large complex IP cores were limited within products that required a high level of reliability. This is no longer the case. IP core insertion has become mainstream including their use in highly reliable products. Due to limited visibility and control, challenges exist when using IP cores and subsequently compromise product reliability. We discuss challenges and suggest potential solutions to critical application IP insertion.

Self-immunity microcapsules for corrosion protection of steel bar in reinforced concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yanshuai; Fang, Guohao; Ding, Weijian; Han, Ningxu; Xing, Feng; Dong, Biqin

2015-12-01

A novel microcapsule-based self-immunity system for reinforced concrete is proposed. Its feasibility for hindering the corrosion of steel rebar by means of lifting the threshold value of [Cl-]/[OH-] is discussed. Precisely controlled release behavior enables corrosion protection in the case of depassivation. The release process is characterized over a designated range of pH values, and its release characteristics of the microcapsules, triggered by decreasing pH value, are captured by observing that the core crystals are released when exposed to a signal (stimulus). The aim of corrosion protection of steel bar is achieved through the constantly-stabilized passive film, and its stability is promoted using continuous calcium hydroxide released from the microcapsule, restoring alkaline conditions. The test results exhibited that the release process of the microcapsules is a function of time. Moreover, the release rate of core materials could interact with environmental pH value, in which the release rate is found to increase remarkably with decreasing pH value, but is inhibited by high pH levels.

Self-immunity microcapsules for corrosion protection of steel bar in reinforced concrete.

PubMed

Wang, Yanshuai; Fang, Guohao; Ding, Weijian; Han, Ningxu; Xing, Feng; Dong, Biqin

2015-12-17

A novel microcapsule-based self-immunity system for reinforced concrete is proposed. Its feasibility for hindering the corrosion of steel rebar by means of lifting the threshold value of [Cl(-)]/[OH(-)] is discussed. Precisely controlled release behavior enables corrosion protection in the case of depassivation. The release process is characterized over a designated range of pH values, and its release characteristics of the microcapsules, triggered by decreasing pH value, are captured by observing that the core crystals are released when exposed to a signal (stimulus). The aim of corrosion protection of steel bar is achieved through the constantly-stabilized passive film, and its stability is promoted using continuous calcium hydroxide released from the microcapsule, restoring alkaline conditions. The test results exhibited that the release process of the microcapsules is a function of time. Moreover, the release rate of core materials could interact with environmental pH value, in which the release rate is found to increase remarkably with decreasing pH value, but is inhibited by high pH levels.

Magnetization pinning in modulated nanowires: from topological protection to the "corkscrew" mechanism.

PubMed

Fernandez-Roldan, Jose Angel; Perez Del Real, Rafael; Bran, Cristina; Vazquez, Manuel; Chubykalo-Fesenko, Oksana

2018-03-29

Diameter-modulated nanowires offer an important paradigm to design the magnetization response of 3D magnetic nanostructures by engineering the domain wall pinning. With the aim to understand its nature and to control the process, we analyze the magnetization response in FeCo periodically modulated polycrystalline nanowires varying the minor segment diameter. Our modelling indicates a very complex behavior with a strong dependence on the disorder distribution and an important role of topologically non-trivial magnetization structures. We demonstrate that modulated nanowires with a small diameter difference are characterized by an increased coercive field in comparison to the straight ones, which is explained by a formation of topologically protected walls formed by two 3D skyrmions with opposite chiralities. For a large diameter difference we report the occurrence of a novel pinning type called here the "corkscrew": the magnetization of the large diameter segment forms a skyrmion tube with a core position in a helical modulation along the nanowire. This structure is pinned at the constriction and in order to penetrate the narrow segments the vortex/skyrmion core size should be reduced.

Enhancement of the sensitivity of gas sensor based on microstructure optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morshed, Monir; Hasan, Md. Imran; Razzak, S. M. Abdur

2015-12-01

This paper proposes the design and characterization of microstructure optical fiber for gas sensing applications. The aim is to detect toxic and colorless gases over a wide transmission band covering 0.80 µm to 2.00 µm wavelength. Numerical investigation is carried out by using the finite element method (FEM). The numerical study shows that sensitivity of the proposed sensor is moderately increased by introducing four non-circular holes around the defected core of photonic crystal fiber and the confinement loss is also reduced. Furthermore, we confirm that increasing the diameter of central air core and size of the non-circular holes can improve the relative sensitivity and the confinement loss is reduced by increasing the diameter of air holes in the cladding. The enhancement of the relative sensitivity is more than 27.58% (0.1323 to 0.1688) at the wavelength λ=1.33µm that is the absorption line of methane (CH4) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) gases. The confinement loss of the fiber is 1.765×10-8 dB/m.

Highly efficient spatial data filtering in parallel using the opensource library CPPPO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Municchi, Federico; Goniva, Christoph; Radl, Stefan

2016-10-01

CPPPO is a compilation of parallel data processing routines developed with the aim to create a library for "scale bridging" (i.e. connecting different scales by mean of closure models) in a multi-scale approach. CPPPO features a number of parallel filtering algorithms designed for use with structured and unstructured Eulerian meshes, as well as Lagrangian data sets. In addition, data can be processed on the fly, allowing the collection of relevant statistics without saving individual snapshots of the simulation state. Our library is provided with an interface to the widely-used CFD solver OpenFOAM®, and can be easily connected to any other software package via interface modules. Also, we introduce a novel, extremely efficient approach to parallel data filtering, and show that our algorithms scale super-linearly on multi-core clusters. Furthermore, we provide a guideline for choosing the optimal Eulerian cell selection algorithm depending on the number of CPU cores used. Finally, we demonstrate the accuracy and the parallel scalability of CPPPO in a showcase focusing on heat and mass transfer from a dense bed of particles.

Lyophilized sustained release mucoadhesive chitosan sponges for buccal buspirone hydrochloride delivery: formulation and in vitro evaluation.

PubMed

Kassem, Mohamed A A; ElMeshad, Aliaa N; Fares, Ahmed R

2015-06-01

This work aims to prepare sustained release buccal mucoadhesive lyophilized chitosan sponges of buspirone hydrochloride (BH) to improve its systemic bioavailability. Chitosan sponges were prepared using simple casting/freeze-drying technique according to 3(2) factorial design where chitosan grade was set at three levels (low, medium, and high molecular weight), and concentration of chitosan solution at three levels (0.5, 1, and 2%). Mucoadhesion force, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, percent BH released after 8 h (Q8h), and time for release of 50% BH (T50%) were chosen as dependent variables. Additional BH cup and core buccal chitosan sponge were prepared to achieve uni-directional BH release toward the buccal mucosa. Sponges were evaluated in terms of drug content, surface pH, scanning electron microscopy, swelling index, mucoadhesion strength, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, and in vitro drug release. Cup and core sponge (HCH 0.5E) were able to adhere to the buccal mucosa for 8 h. It showed Q8h of 68.89% and exhibited a uni-directional drug release profile following Higuchi diffusion model.

Coupled field-structural analysis of HGTR fuel brick using ABAQUS

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

Mohanty, S.; Jain, R.; Majumdar, S.

2012-07-01

High-temperature, gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are usually helium-gas cooled, with a graphite core that can operate at reactor outlet temperatures much higher than can conventional light water reactors. In HTGRs, graphite components moderate and reflect neutrons. During reactor operation, high temperature and high irradiation cause damage to the graphite crystal and grains and create other defects. This cumulative structural damage during the reactor lifetime leads to changes in graphite properties, which can alter the ability to support the designed loads. The aim of the present research is to develop a finite-element code using commercially available ABAQUS software for the structural integritymore » analysis of graphite core components under extreme temperature and irradiation conditions. In addition, the Reactor Geometry Generator tool-kit, developed at Argonne National Laboratory, is used to generate finite-element mesh for complex geometries such as fuel bricks with multiple pin holes and coolant flow channels. This paper presents the proposed concept and discusses results of stress analysis simulations of a fuel block with H-451 grade material properties. (authors)« less

The impact of the National Treatment Purchase Fund on numbers of core urology training cases at University Hospital Galway.

PubMed

Harney, T J; Dowling, C M; Brady, C M

2011-06-01

Since the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) scheme was introduced in 2002, public patients waiting longer than three months for investigations and treatment are offered care in the private medical sector. Our aim was to assess the impact of the NTPF scheme on the number of training cases performed at University Hospital Galway (UHG). The number and type of urological procedures performed in the private medical sector under the NTFP scheme in 2008 were obtained from the UHG waiting list office. The number of these procedures performed on public patients by trainees at UHG in 2008 was determined retrospectively by reviewing theatre records. A significant number of core urology procedures were performed in the private sector via the NTPF scheme. Cancer centre designation and implementation of the EWTD will also place further pressures on urological training opportunities in Ireland. Copyright © 2010 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strengthening core public health capacity based on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005): Chinese lessons.

PubMed

Liu, Bin; Sun, Yan; Dong, Qian; Zhang, Zongjiu; Zhang, Liang

2015-04-17

As an international legal instrument, the International Health Regulations (IHR) is internationally binding in 196 countries, especially in all the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO). The IHR aims to prevent, protect against, control, and respond to the international spread of disease and aims to cut out unnecessary interruptions to traffic and trade. To meet IHR requirements, countries need to improve capacity construction by developing, strengthening, and maintaining core response capacities for public health risk and Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). In addition, all the related core capacity requirements should be met before June 15, 2012. If not, then the deadline can be extended until 2016 upon request by countries. China has promoted the implementation of the IHR comprehensively, continuingly strengthening the core public health capacity and advancing in core public health emergency capacity building, points of entry capacity building, as well as risk prevention and control of biological events (infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, and food safety), radiological, nuclear, and chemical events, and other catastrophic events. With significant progress in core capacity building, China has dealt with many public health emergencies successfully, ensuring that its core public health capacity has met the IHR requirements, which was reported to WHO in June 2014. This article describes the steps, measures, and related experiences in the implementation of IHR in China. © 2015 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Safety and core design of large liquid-metal cooled fast breeder reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qvist, Staffan Alexander

In light of the scientific evidence for changes in the climate caused by greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities, the world is in ever more desperate need of new, inexhaustible, safe and clean primary energy sources. A viable solution to this problem is the widespread adoption of nuclear breeder reactor technology. Innovative breeder reactor concepts using liquid-metal coolants such as sodium or lead will be able to utilize the waste produced by the current light water reactor fuel cycle to power the entire world for several centuries to come. Breed & burn (B&B) type fast reactor cores can unlock the energy potential of readily available fertile material such as depleted uranium without the need for chemical reprocessing. Using B&B technology, nuclear waste generation, uranium mining needs and proliferation concerns can be greatly reduced, and after a transitional period, enrichment facilities may no longer be needed. In this dissertation, new passively operating safety systems for fast reactors cores are presented. New analysis and optimization methods for B&B core design have been developed, along with a comprehensive computer code that couples neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and structural mechanics and enables a completely automated and optimized fast reactor core design process. In addition, an experiment that expands the knowledge-base of corrosion issues of lead-based coolants in nuclear reactors was designed and built. The motivation behind the work presented in this thesis is to help facilitate the widespread adoption of safe and efficient fast reactor technology.

Integrating Content and Literacy in Social Studies: Assessing Instructional Materials and Student Work from a Common Core-Aligned Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reisman, Abby

2017-01-01

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) call on science and social studies teachers to engage in literacy instruction that prepares students for the academic rigors of college. The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) designed a framework to address the challenge of literacy-content integration. At the heart of the intervention are fill-in-the-blank…

Reading Don't Fix No Chevys (Yet!): Motivating Boys in the Age of the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D.; Smith, Michael W.

2015-01-01

Research establishes that boys underperform in literacy relative to girls. If boys are to be successful on the assessments designed to measure achievement on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and if they are to become lifelong readers, they must be motivated to embrace instruction designed both to prepare them for success and to experience…

Thomson's Jumping Ring over a Long Coil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffery, Rondo N.; Amiri, Farhang

2018-01-01

The classic jumping ring apparatus consists of a coil with an iron core that extends out of the coil. A copper or aluminum ring placed over the iron core jumps upward when AC power is applied to the coil. In this paper we will examine a modified design of the jumping ring apparatus, called the "long-coil design." It allows the ring to…

Enacting Common Core Instruction: How Intermediate Unit 13 Leveraged Its Position as an Educational Service Agency to Implement and Scale the LDC Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research For Action, 2014

2014-01-01

Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) offer a set of instructional and formative assessment tools in literacy and math, which were developed to help educators better prepare all students to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and succeed beyond high…

An Evaluation of the Impact of "Learning Design" on the Distance Learning and Teaching Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifton, Grace

2017-01-01

This paper evaluates the implementation of Learning Design on the production of a core FHEQ level 6 (QAA, 2008) unit of study at a UK distance learning institution. By comparing student (n = 656) and tutor (n = 42) survey data with questionnaire responses (n = 9) from the unit of study's core production team, this paper assesses the impact of…

Advance market commitment for pneumococcal vaccines: putting theory into practice.

PubMed

Cernuschi, Tania; Furrer, Eliane; Schwalbe, Nina; Jones, Andrew; Berndt, Ernst R; McAdams, Susan

2011-12-01

Markets for life-saving vaccines do not often generate the most desired outcomes from a public health perspective in terms of product quantity, quality, affordability, programmatic suitability and/or sustainability for use in the lowest income countries. The perceived risks and uncertainties about sustainably funded demand from developing countries often leads to underinvestment in development and manufacturing of appropriate products. The pilot initiative Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for pneumococcal vaccines, launched in 2009, aims to remove some of these market risks by providing a legally binding forward commitment to purchase vaccines according to predetermined terms. To date, 14 countries have already introduced pneumococcal vaccines through the AMC with a further 39 countries expected to introduce before the end of 2013.This paper describes early lessons learnt on the selection of a target disease and the core design choices for the pilot AMC. It highlights the challenges faced with tailoring the AMC design to the specific supply situation of pneumococcal vaccines. It points to the difficulty - and the AMC's apparent early success - in establishing a long-term, credible commitment in a constantly changing unpredictable environment. It highlights one of the inherent challenges of the AMC: its dependence on continuous donor funding to ensure long-term purchases of products. The paper examines alternative design choices and aims to provide a starting point to inform discussions and encourage debate about the potential application of the AMC concept to other fields.

Life cycle assessment of a national policy proposal - the case of a Swedish waste incineration tax.

PubMed

Björklund, Anna E; Finnveden, Göran

2007-01-01

At the core of EU and Swedish waste policy is the so-called waste hierarchy, according to which waste should first be prevented, but should otherwise be treated in the following order of prioritisation: reuse, recycling when environmentally motivated, energy recovery, and last landfilling. Some recent policy decisions in Sweden aim to influence waste management in the direction of the waste hierarchy. In 2001 a governmental commission assessed the economic and environmental impacts of introducing a weight-based tax on waste incineration, the purpose of which would be to encourage waste reduction and increase materials recycling and biological treatment. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the waste incineration tax proposal. It was done in the context of a larger research project concerning the development and testing of a framework for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The aim of this paper is to assess the life cycle environmental impacts of the waste incineration tax proposal, and to investigate whether there are any possibilities of more optimal design of such a tax. The proposed design of the waste incineration tax results in increased recycling, but only in small environmental improvements. A more elaborate tax design is suggested, in which the tax level would partly be related to the fossil carbon content of the waste.

Nondestructive Evaluation Methods for the Ares I Common Bulkhead

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, James

2010-01-01

A large scale bonding demonstration test article was fabricated to prove out manufacturing techniques for the current design of the NASA Ares I Upper Stage common bulkhead. The common bulkhead serves as the single interface between the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen portions of the Upper Stage propellant tank. The bulkhead consists of spin-formed aluminum domes friction stir welded to Y-rings and bonded to a perforated phenolic honeycomb core. Nondestructive evaluation methods are being developed for assessing core integrity and the core-to-dome bond line of the common bulkhead. Detection of manufacturing defects such as delaminations between the core and face sheets as well as service life defects such as crushed or sheared core resulting from impact loading are all of interest. The focus of this work will be on the application of thermographic, shearographic, and phased array ultrasonic methods to the bonding demonstration article as well as various smaller test panels featuring design specific defect types and geometric features.

Reconfigurable Hardware Adapts to Changing Mission Demands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

A new class of computing architectures and processing systems, which use reconfigurable hardware, is creating a revolutionary approach to implementing future spacecraft systems. With the increasing complexity of electronic components, engineers must design next-generation spacecraft systems with new technologies in both hardware and software. Derivation Systems, Inc., of Carlsbad, California, has been working through NASA s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop key technologies in reconfigurable computing and Intellectual Property (IP) soft cores. Founded in 1993, Derivation Systems has received several SBIR contracts from NASA s Langley Research Center and the U.S. Department of Defense Air Force Research Laboratories in support of its mission to develop hardware and software for high-assurance systems. Through these contracts, Derivation Systems began developing leading-edge technology in formal verification, embedded Java, and reconfigurable computing for its PF3100, Derivational Reasoning System (DRS ), FormalCORE IP, FormalCORE PCI/32, FormalCORE DES, and LavaCORE Configurable Java Processor, which are designed for greater flexibility and security on all space missions.