Sample records for design monitoring programs

  1. Chapter 3. Planning and design for habitat monitoring

    Treesearch

    Christina D. Vojta; Lyman L. McDonald; C. Kenneth Brewer; Kevin S. McKelvey; Mary M Rowland; Michael I. Goldstein

    2013-01-01

    This chapter provides guidance for designing a habitat monitoring program so that it will meet the monitoring objective, will be repeatable, and will adequately represent habitat within the spatial extent of interest. Although a number of excellent resources are available for planning and designing a monitoring program for wildlife populations (e.g., Busch and Trexler...

  2. Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Caughlan, L.; Oakley, K.L.

    2001-01-01

    For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program's focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said than done. Frequently, the true costs of monitoring are not recognized and are, therefore, underestimated. Benefits are rarely evaluated, because they are difficult to quantify. The intent of this review is to assist the designers and managers of long-term ecological monitoring programs by providing a general framework for building and operating a cost-effective program. Previous considerations of monitoring costs have focused on sampling design optimization. We present cost considerations of monitoring in a broader context. We explore monitoring costs, including both budgetary costs--what dollars are spent on--and economic costs, which include opportunity costs. Often, the largest portion of a monitoring program budget is spent on data collection, and other, critical aspects of the program, such as scientific oversight, training, data management, quality assurance, and reporting, are neglected. Recognizing and budgeting for all program costs is therefore a key factor in a program's longevity. The close relationship between statistical issues and cost is discussed, highlighting the importance of sampling design, replication and power, and comparing the costs of alternative designs through pilot studies and simulation modeling. A monitoring program development process that includes explicit checkpoints for considering costs is presented. The first checkpoint occur during the setting of objectives and during sampling design optimization. The last checkpoint occurs once the basic shape of the program is known, and the costs and benefits, or alternatively the cost-effectiveness, of each program element can be evaluated. Moving into the implementation phase without careful evaluation of costs and benefits is risky because if costs are later found to exceed benefits, the program will fail. The costs of development, which can be quite high, will have been largely wasted. Realistic expectations of costs and benefits will help ensure that monitoring programs survive the early, turbulent stages of development and the challenges posed by fluctuating budgets during implementation.

  3. The role of population monitoring in the management of North American waterfowl

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nichols, J.D.; Williams, B.K.; Johnson, F.A.

    2000-01-01

    Despite the effort and expense devoted to large-scale monitoring programs, few existing programs have been designed with specific objectives in mind and few permit strong inferences about the dynamics of monitored systems. The waterfowl population monitoring programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service and state and provincial agencies provide a nice example with respect to program objectives, design and implementation. The May Breeding Grounds Survey provides an estimate of system state (population size) that serves two primary purposes in the adaptive management process: identifying the appropriate time-specific management actions and updating the information state (model weights) by providing a basis for evaluating predictions of competing models. Other waterfowl monitoring programs (e.g., banding program, hunter questionnaire survey, parts collection survey, winter survey) provide estimates of vital rates (rates of survival, reproduction and movement) associated with system dynamics and variables associated with management objectives (e.g., harvest). The reliability of estimates resulting from monitoring programs depends strongly on whether considerations about spatial variation and detection probability have been adequately incorporated into program design and implementation. Certain waterfowl surveys again provide nice examples of monitoring programs that incorporate these considerations.

  4. Design Exception In-Service Monitoring Program Development

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-05-01

    This study evaluates various possible program designs for in-service monitoring of design exceptions (DEs) for the Georgia Department of Transportation. The study recommends a multitier stepwise approach to the evaluation of DEs. Specifically, the pr...

  5. The strategy and design of the effectiveness monitoring program for the Northwest Forest Plan.

    Treesearch

    Barry S. Mulder; Barry R. Noon; Thomas A. Spies; Martin G. Raphael; Craig J. Palmer; Anthony R. Olsen; Gordon H. Reeves; Hartwell H. Welsh

    1999-01-01

    This report describes the logic and design of an effectiveness monitoring program for the Northwest Forest Plan. The program is prospective, providing an early warning of environmental change before irreversible loss has occurred. Monitoring is focused at two resource levels: individual species and specific ecosystem types. Selection of prospective indicators for the...

  6. Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Caughlan, L.; Oakley, K.L.

    2001-01-01

    For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program’s focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said than done. Frequently, the true costs of monitoring are not recognized and are, therefore, underestimated. Benefits are rarely evaluated, because they are difficult to quantify. The intent of this review is to assist the designers and managers of long-term ecological monitoring programs by providing a general framework for building and operating a cost-effective program. Previous considerations of monitoring costs have focused on sampling design optimization. We present cost considerations of monitoring in a broader context. We explore monitoring costs, including both budgetary costs, what dollars are spent on, and economic costs, which include opportunity costs. Often, the largest portion of a monitoring program budget is spent on data collection, and other, critical aspects of the program, such as scientific oversight, training, data management, quality assurance, and reporting, are neglected. Recognizing and budgeting for all program costs is therefore a key factor in a program’s longevity. The close relationship between statistical issues and cost is discussed, highlighting the importance of sampling design, replication and power, and comparing the costs of alternative designs through pilot studies and simulation modeling. A monitoring program development process that includes explicit checkpoints for considering costs is presented. The first checkpoint occurs during the setting of objectives and during sampling design optimization. The last checkpoint occurs once the basic shape of the program is known, and the costs and benefits, or alternatively the cost-effectiveness, of each program element can be evaluated. Moving into the implementation phase without careful evaluation of costs and benefits is risky because if costs are later found to exceed benefits, the program will fail. The costs of development, which can be quite high, will have been largely wasted. Realistic expectations of costs and benefits will help ensure that monitoring programs survive the early, turbulent stages of development and the challenges posed by fluctuating budgets during implementation.

  7. Northern region landbird monitoring program: a program designed to monitor more than long-term population trends

    Treesearch

    Richard L. Hutto

    2005-01-01

    The Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program (NRLMP) has been in place for nearly a decade and is designed to allow us to track population trends of numerous landbird species, while at the same time allowing us to investigate the effects of various kinds of land use activity on the occurrence, abundance, or demographics of numerous landbird species. We conduct...

  8. Estuarine monitoring programs in the Albemarle Sound study area, North Carolina

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moorman, Michelle; Kolb, Katharine R.; Supak, Stacy

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to identify major natural resource management issues for the region, provide information on current monitoring activities occurring within the Albemarle Sound study area, determine how the current monitoring network fits into the design of the NMN, and determine what additional monitoring data are needed to address these issues. In order to address these questions, a shapefile and data table were created to document monitoring and research programs in the Albemarle Sound study area with an emphasis on current monitoring programs within the region. This database was queried to determine monitoring gaps that existed in the Albemarle Sound by comparing current monitoring programs with the design indicated by the NMN. The report uses this information to provide recommendations on how monitoring could be improved in the Albemarle Sound study area.

  9. Groundwater monitoring of hydraulic fracturing in California: Recommendations for permit-required monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Esser, B. K.; Beller, H. R.; Carroll, S.; Cherry, J. A.; Jackson, R. B.; Jordan, P. D.; Madrid, V.; Morris, J.; Parker, B. L.; Stringfellow, W. T.; Varadharajan, C.; Vengosh, A.

    2015-12-01

    California recently passed legislation mandating dedicated groundwater quality monitoring for new well stimulation operations. The authors provided the State with expert advice on the design of such monitoring networks. Factors that must be considered in designing a new and unique groundwater monitoring program include: Program design: The design of a monitoring program is contingent on its purpose, which can range from detection of individual well leakage to demonstration of regional impact. The regulatory goals for permit-required monitoring conducted by operators on a well-by-well basis will differ from the scientific goals of a regional monitoring program conducted by the State. Vulnerability assessment: Identifying factors that increase the probability of transport of fluids from the hydrocarbon target zone to a protected groundwater zone enables the intensity of permit-required monitoring to be tiered by risk and also enables prioritization of regional monitoring of groundwater basins based on vulnerability. Risk factors include well integrity; proximity to existing wellbores and geologic features; wastewater disposal; vertical separation between the hydrocarbon and groundwater zones; and site-specific hydrogeology. Analyte choice: The choice of chemical analytes in a regulatory monitoring program is guided by the goals of detecting impact, assuring public safety, preventing resource degradation, and minimizing cost. Balancing these goals may be best served by tiered approach in which targeted analysis of specific chemical additives is triggered by significant changes in relevant but more easily analyzed constituents. Such an approach requires characterization of baseline conditions, especially in areas with long histories of oil and gas development. Monitoring technology: Monitoring a deep subsurface process or a long wellbore is more challenging than monitoring a surface industrial source. The requirement for monitoring multiple groundwater aquifers across a range of depths and of monitoring at deeper depths than is typical for regulatory monitoring programs requires consideration of monitoring technology, which can range from clusters of wells to multiple wells in a single wellbore to multi-level systems in a single cased wellbore.

  10. A framework for evaluating and designing citizen science programs for natural resources monitoring.

    PubMed

    Chase, Sarah K; Levine, Arielle

    2016-06-01

    We present a framework of resource characteristics critical to the design and assessment of citizen science programs that monitor natural resources. To develop the framework we reviewed 52 citizen science programs that monitored a wide range of resources and provided insights into what resource characteristics are most conducive to developing citizen science programs and how resource characteristics may constrain the use or growth of these programs. We focused on 4 types of resource characteristics: biophysical and geographical, management and monitoring, public awareness and knowledge, and social and cultural characteristics. We applied the framework to 2 programs, the Tucson (U.S.A.) Bird Count and the Maui (U.S.A.) Great Whale Count. We found that resource characteristics such as accessibility, diverse institutional involvement in resource management, and social or cultural importance of the resource affected program endurance and success. However, the relative influence of each characteristic was in turn affected by goals of the citizen science programs. Although the goals of public engagement and education sometimes complimented the goal of collecting reliable data, in many cases trade-offs must be made between these 2 goals. Program goals and priorities ultimately dictate the design of citizen science programs, but for a program to endure and successfully meet its goals, program managers must consider the diverse ways that the nature of the resource being monitored influences public participation in monitoring. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

  11. A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions.

    PubMed

    Pavlacky, David C; Lukacs, Paul M; Blakesley, Jennifer A; Skorkowsky, Robert C; Klute, David S; Hahn, Beth A; Dreitz, Victoria J; George, T Luke; Hanni, David J

    2017-01-01

    Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer's sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales.

  12. A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions

    PubMed Central

    Hahn, Beth A.; Dreitz, Victoria J.; George, T. Luke

    2017-01-01

    Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer’s sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer’s sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales. PMID:29065128

  13. The future role of next-generation DNA sequencing and metagenetics in aquatic biology monitoring programs

    EPA Science Inventory

    The development of current biological monitoring and bioassessment programs was a drastic improvement over previous programs created for monitoring a limited number of specific chemical pollutants. Although these assessment programs are better designed to address the transient an...

  14. Guidelines for designing short-term bird monitoring projects

    Treesearch

    Jonathan Bart

    2005-01-01

    The Coordinated Bird Monitoring Program (Bart and Ralph, this volume) program is helping biologists around the country design short-term monitoring projects for birds. We have found that addressing a series of questions (table 1), in a systematic way, helps insure that projects are well planned. The process is being used by several States and...

  15. A western state perspective on monitoring and managing neotropical migratory birds

    Treesearch

    Frank Howe

    1993-01-01

    Neotropical migratory bird monitoring programs can contribute greatly to a more holistic and proactive management approach for state agencies. It is, however, imperative that these monitoring programs be scientifically designed and clearly communicated to managers. Information from monitoring programs can be used to develop multiple-species habitat management...

  16. Enterprise tools to promote interoperability: MonitoringResources.org supports design and documentation of large-scale, long-term monitoringprograms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weltzin, J. F.; Scully, R. A.; Bayer, J.

    2016-12-01

    Individual natural resource monitoring programs have evolved in response to different organizational mandates, jurisdictional needs, issues and questions. We are establishing a collaborative forum for large-scale, long-term monitoring programs to identify opportunities where collaboration could yield efficiency in monitoring design, implementation, analyses, and data sharing. We anticipate these monitoring programs will have similar requirements - e.g. survey design, standardization of protocols and methods, information management and delivery - that could be met by enterprise tools to promote sustainability, efficiency and interoperability of information across geopolitical boundaries or organizational cultures. MonitoringResources.org, a project of the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership, provides an on-line suite of enterprise tools focused on aquatic systems in the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States. We will leverage on and expand this existing capacity to support continental-scale monitoring of both aquatic and terrestrial systems. The current stakeholder group is focused on programs led by bureaus with the Department of Interior, but the tools will be readily and freely available to a broad variety of other stakeholders. Here, we report the results of two initial stakeholder workshops focused on (1) establishing a collaborative forum of large scale monitoring programs, (2) identifying and prioritizing shared needs, (3) evaluating existing enterprise resources, (4) defining priorities for development of enhanced capacity for MonitoringResources.org, and (5) identifying a small number of pilot projects that can be used to define and test development requirements for specific monitoring programs.

  17. Design and operation of internal dosimetry programs

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

    LaBone, T.R.

    1991-01-01

    The proposed revision to USNRC 10 CFR 20 and the USDOE Order 5480.11 require intakes of radioactive material to be evaluated. Radiation dose limits are based on the sum of effective dose equivalent from intakes and the whole body dose from external sources. These significant changes in the regulations will require, at a minimum, a complete review of personnel monitoring programs to determine their adequacy. In this session we will review a systematic method of designing a routine personnel monitoring program that will comply with the requirements of the new regulations. Specific questions discussed are: (a) What are the goalsmore » and objectives of a routine personnel monitoring program (b) When is a routine personnel monitoring program required (c) What are the required capabilities of the routine personnel monitoring program (d) What should be done with the information generated in a personnel monitoring program Specific recommendations and interpretations are given in the session. 5 refs., 3 figs., 33 tabs.« less

  18. 40 CFR 64.3 - Monitoring design criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Monitoring design criteria. 64.3 Section 64.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE MONITORING § 64.3 Monitoring design criteria. (a) General criteria. To provide a...

  19. 40 CFR 64.3 - Monitoring design criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Monitoring design criteria. 64.3 Section 64.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE MONITORING § 64.3 Monitoring design criteria. (a) General criteria. To provide a...

  20. Improving Ecological Response Monitoring of Environmental Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, Alison J.; Gawne, Ben; Beesley, Leah; Koehn, John D.; Nielsen, Daryl L.; Price, Amina

    2015-05-01

    Environmental flows are now an important restoration technique in flow-degraded rivers, and with the increasing public scrutiny of their effectiveness and value, the importance of undertaking scientifically robust monitoring is now even more critical. Many existing environmental flow monitoring programs have poorly defined objectives, nonjustified indicator choices, weak experimental designs, poor statistical strength, and often focus on outcomes from a single event. These negative attributes make them difficult to learn from. We provide practical recommendations that aim to improve the performance, scientific robustness, and defensibility of environmental flow monitoring programs. We draw on the literature and knowledge gained from working with stakeholders and managers to design, implement, and monitor a range of environmental flow types. We recommend that (1) environmental flow monitoring programs should be implemented within an adaptive management framework; (2) objectives of environmental flow programs should be well defined, attainable, and based on an agreed conceptual understanding of the system; (3) program and intervention targets should be attainable, measurable, and inform program objectives; (4) intervention monitoring programs should improve our understanding of flow-ecological responses and related conceptual models; (5) indicator selection should be based on conceptual models, objectives, and prioritization approaches; (6) appropriate monitoring designs and statistical tools should be used to measure and determine ecological response; (7) responses should be measured within timeframes that are relevant to the indicator(s); (8) watering events should be treated as replicates of a larger experiment; (9) environmental flow outcomes should be reported using a standard suite of metadata. Incorporating these attributes into future monitoring programs should ensure their outcomes are transferable and measured with high scientific credibility.

  1. Establishing monitoring programs for travel time reliability. [supporting datasets

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this project was to develop system designs for programs to monitor travel time reliability and to prepare a guidebook that practitioners and others can use to design, build, operate, and maintain such systems. Generally, such travel ...

  2. 40 CFR 64.3 - Monitoring design criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Monitoring design criteria. 64.3 Section 64.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE MONITORING § 64.3 Monitoring design criteria. (a) General criteria. To provide a reasonable assurance of compliance with...

  3. Cumulative distribution functions and their use in monitoring programs

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ecological resource monitoring programs typically have estimating the status and change in status as an objective. A well designed and skillfully implemented survey design will produce an accurate representation of the status of the resource at the time the survey was conducted....

  4. United States of America Ocean Dumping Report for Calendar Year 1981. Dredged Material.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-06-01

    to monitoring studies under the Disposal Area Monitoring System ( DAHOS ) program. The program is designed to identify and evaluate impacts resulting...sites. The DAHOS program continually contributes to the development of new monitoring methodologies that reflect on the efficiency of field observations

  5. Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program Data (REMAP)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP) was initiated to test the applicability of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) approach to answer questions about ecological conditions at regional and local scales. Using EMAP's statistical design and indicator concepts, REMAP conducts projects at smaller geographic scales and in shorter time frames than the national EMAP program.

  6. Design to monitor trend in abundance and presence of American beaver (Castor canadensis) at the national forest scale.

    PubMed

    Beck, Jeffrey L; Dauwalter, Daniel C; Gerow, Kenneth G; Hayward, Gregory D

    2010-05-01

    Wildlife conservationists design monitoring programs to assess population dynamics, project future population states, and evaluate the impacts of management actions on populations. Because agency mandates and conservation laws call for monitoring data to elicit management responses, it is imperative to design programs that match the administrative scale for which management decisions are made. We describe a program to monitor population trends in American beaver (Castor canadensis) on the US Department of Agriculture, Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, USA. Beaver have been designated as a management indicator species on the BHNF because of their association with riparian and aquatic habitats and its status as a keystone species. We designed our program to monitor the density of beaver food caches (abundance) within sampling units with beaver and the proportion of sampling units with beavers present at the scale of a national forest. We designated watersheds as sampling units in a stratified random sampling design that we developed based on habitat modeling results. Habitat modeling indicated that the most suitable beaver habitat was near perennial water, near aspen (Populus tremuloides) and willow (Salix spp.), and in low gradient streams at lower elevations. Results from the initial monitoring period in October 2007 allowed us to assess costs and logistical considerations, validate our habitat model, and conduct power analyses to assess whether our sampling design could detect the level of declines in beaver stated in the monitoring objectives. Beaver food caches were located in 20 of 52 sampled watersheds. Monitoring 20 to 25 watersheds with beaver should provide sufficient power to detect 15-40% declines in the beaver food cache index as well as a twofold decline in the odds of beaver being present in watersheds. Indices of abundance, such as the beaver food cache index, provide a practical measure of population status to conduct long-term monitoring across broad landscapes such as national forests.

  7. Sampling design for early detection of aquatic invasive species in Great Lakes ports

    EPA Science Inventory

    We evaluated a pilot adaptive monitoring program for aquatic invasive species (AIS) early detection in Lake Superior. The monitoring program is designed to detect newly-introduced fishes, and encompasses the lake’s three major ports (Duluth-Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Thund...

  8. Monitoring multiple species: Estimating state variables and exploring the efficacy of a monitoring program

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mattfeldt, S.D.; Bailey, L.L.; Grant, E.H.C.

    2009-01-01

    Monitoring programs have the potential to identify population declines and differentiate among the possible cause(s) of these declines. Recent criticisms regarding the design of monitoring programs have highlighted a failure to clearly state objectives and to address detectability and spatial sampling issues. Here, we incorporate these criticisms to design an efficient monitoring program whose goals are to determine environmental factors which influence the current distribution and measure change in distributions over time for a suite of amphibians. In designing the study we (1) specified a priori factors that may relate to occupancy, extinction, and colonization probabilities and (2) used the data collected (incorporating detectability) to address our scientific questions and adjust our sampling protocols. Our results highlight the role of wetland hydroperiod and other local covariates in the probability of amphibian occupancy. There was a change in overall occupancy probabilities for most species over the first three years of monitoring. Most colonization and extinction estimates were constant over time (years) and space (among wetlands), with one notable exception: local extinction probabilities for Rana clamitans were lower for wetlands with longer hydroperiods. We used information from the target system to generate scenarios of population change and gauge the ability of the current sampling to meet monitoring goals. Our results highlight the limitations of the current sampling design, emphasizing the need for long-term efforts, with periodic re-evaluation of the program in a framework that can inform management decisions.

  9. Can Wide Consultation Help with Setting Priorities for Large-Scale Biodiversity Monitoring Programs?

    PubMed Central

    Boivin, Frédéric; Simard, Anouk; Peres-Neto, Pedro

    2014-01-01

    Climate and other global change phenomena affecting biodiversity require monitoring to track ecosystem changes and guide policy and management actions. Designing a biodiversity monitoring program is a difficult task that requires making decisions that often lack consensus due to budgetary constrains. As monitoring programs require long-term investment, they also require strong and continuing support from all interested parties. As such, stakeholder consultation is key to identify priorities and make sound design decisions that have as much support as possible. Here, we present the results of a consultation conducted to serve as an aid for designing a large-scale biodiversity monitoring program for the province of Québec (Canada). The consultation took the form of a survey with 13 discrete choices involving tradeoffs in respect to design priorities and 10 demographic questions (e.g., age, profession). The survey was sent to thousands of individuals having expected interests and knowledge about biodiversity and was completed by 621 participants. Overall, consensuses were few and it appeared difficult to create a design fulfilling the priorities of the majority. Most participants wanted 1) a monitoring design covering the entire territory and focusing on natural habitats; 2) a focus on species related to ecosystem services, on threatened and on invasive species. The only demographic characteristic that was related to the type of prioritization was the declared level of knowledge in biodiversity (null to high), but even then the influence was quite small. PMID:25525798

  10. Can wide consultation help with setting priorities for large-scale biodiversity monitoring programs?

    PubMed

    Boivin, Frédéric; Simard, Anouk; Peres-Neto, Pedro

    2014-01-01

    Climate and other global change phenomena affecting biodiversity require monitoring to track ecosystem changes and guide policy and management actions. Designing a biodiversity monitoring program is a difficult task that requires making decisions that often lack consensus due to budgetary constrains. As monitoring programs require long-term investment, they also require strong and continuing support from all interested parties. As such, stakeholder consultation is key to identify priorities and make sound design decisions that have as much support as possible. Here, we present the results of a consultation conducted to serve as an aid for designing a large-scale biodiversity monitoring program for the province of Québec (Canada). The consultation took the form of a survey with 13 discrete choices involving tradeoffs in respect to design priorities and 10 demographic questions (e.g., age, profession). The survey was sent to thousands of individuals having expected interests and knowledge about biodiversity and was completed by 621 participants. Overall, consensuses were few and it appeared difficult to create a design fulfilling the priorities of the majority. Most participants wanted 1) a monitoring design covering the entire territory and focusing on natural habitats; 2) a focus on species related to ecosystem services, on threatened and on invasive species. The only demographic characteristic that was related to the type of prioritization was the declared level of knowledge in biodiversity (null to high), but even then the influence was quite small.

  11. Software design of a remote real-time ECG monitoring system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Chengbo; Tao, Hongyan

    2005-12-01

    Heart disease is one of the main diseases that threaten the health and lives of human beings. At present, the normal remote ECG monitoring system has the disadvantages of a short testing distance and limitation of monitoring lines. Because of accident and paroxysmal disease, ECG monitoring has extended from the hospital to the family. Therefore, remote ECG monitoring through the Internet has the actual value and significance. The principle and design method of software of the remote dynamic ECG monitor was presented and discussed. The monitoring software is programmed with Delphi software based on client-sever interactive mode. The application program of the system, which makes use of multithreading technology, is shown to perform in an excellent manner. The program includes remote link users and ECG processing, i.e. ECG data's receiving, real-time displaying, recording and replaying. The system can connect many clients simultaneously and perform real-time monitoring to patients.

  12. DESIGNING A COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MONITORING PROGRAM FOR FLORIDA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Proceedings of the National Water Quality Monitoring Conference "Monitoring Critical Foundations to Protect Our Waters," 7-9 July 1998, Reno, NV.

    In late 1996, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) initiated an effort to design a multi-tiered monitoring and...

  13. STATISTICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS ON NATURAL RESOURCE MONITORING PROGRAMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Natural resource monitoring includes a wide variation in the type of natural resource monitored as well as in the objectives for the monitoring. Rather than address the entire breadth, the focus will be restricted to programs whose focus is to produce state, regional, or nationa...

  14. Designing monitoring programs in an adaptive management context for regional multiple species conservation plans

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Atkinson, A.J.; Trenham, P.C.; Fisher, R.N.; Hathaway, S.A.; Johnson, B.S.; Torres, S.G.; Moore, Y.C.

    2004-01-01

    critical management uncertainties; and 3) implementing long-term monitoring and adaptive management. Ultimately, the success of regional conservation planning depends on the ability of monitoring programs to confront the challenges of adaptively managing and monitoring complex ecosystems and diverse arrays of sensitive species.

  15. Review of present groundwater monitoring programs at the Nevada Test Site

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

    Hershey, R.L.; Gillespie, D.

    1993-09-01

    Groundwater monitoring at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) is conducted to detect the presence of radionuclides produced by underground nuclear testing and to verify the quality and safety of groundwater supplies as required by the State of Nevada and federal regulations, and by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. Groundwater is monitored at water-supply wells and at other boreholes and wells not specifically designed or located for traditional groundwater monitoring objectives. Different groundwater monitoring programs at the NTS are conducted by several DOE Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) contractors. Presently, these individual groundwater monitoring programs have not been assessed or administeredmore » under a comprehensive planning approach. Redundancy exists among the programs in both the sampling locations and the constituents analyzed. Also, sampling for certain radionuclides is conducted more frequently than required. The purpose of this report is to review the existing NTS groundwater monitoring programs and make recommendations for modifying the programs so a coordinated, streamlined, and comprehensive monitoring effort may be achieved by DOE/NV. This review will be accomplished in several steps. These include: summarizing the present knowledge of the hydrogeology of the NTS and the potential radionuclide source areas for groundwater contamination; reviewing the existing groundwater monitoring programs at the NTS; examining the rationale for monitoring and the constituents analyzed; reviewing the analytical methods used to quantify tritium activity; discussing monitoring network design criteria; and synthesizing the information presented and making recommendations based on the synthesis. This scope of work was requested by the DOE/NV Hydrologic Resources Management Program (HRMP) and satisfies the 1993 (fiscal year) HRMP Groundwater Monitoring Program Review task.« less

  16. NCCN Mountain Lakes Monitoring Strategy: Guidelines to Resolution

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoffman, Robert L.; Huff, Mark H.

    2008-01-01

    The North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program provides funds to its Network Parks to plan and implement the goals and objectives of the National Park Services? (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program. The primary purpose of the I&M program is to develop and implement a long-term monitoring program in each network. The purpose of this document is to describe the outcome of a meeting held to find solutions to obstacles inhibiting development of a unified core design and methodology for mountain lake monitoring.

  17. Microseismic monitoring of Chocolate Bayou, Texas. The Pleasant Bayou No. 2 geopressured/geothermal energy test-well program. 1982 annual progress report

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

    Mauk, F.J.; Davis, R.A.

    1982-01-01

    To investigate the seismic risks associated with geopressured fluid production from the Pleasant Bayou No. 2 design well a seismic monitoring program was conducted in the vicinity of the Brazoria County design wells since 1979. The monitoring program was designed first to establish the nature of the local ambient seismicity prior to production, and second to provide continued surveillance of the area during the well tests to determine if production altered ambient seismic conditions significantly. The operation, data analyses, results and conclusions of the Brazoria seismic network during the operational period from 1 January through 31 December 1982 are described.

  18. An Overview of the Ontario Forest Bird Monitoring Program in Canada

    Treesearch

    Daniel A. Welsh

    1995-01-01

    In 1987, the Canadian Wildlife Service (Ontario Region) initiated a program to inventory and monitor trends in forest birds. The Forest Bird Monitoring Program (FBMP) was designed to describe changes in numbers over time for all forest songbirds, to develop a habitat-specific baseline inventory of forest birds (species composition and relative abundance), and to...

  19. USDA Forest Service goals and programs for monitoring neotropical migratory birds

    Treesearch

    Patricia Manley

    1993-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service (USFS) developed goals, objectives, and guidelines for monitoring neotropical migratory birds (NTMB) on National Forest System lands in response to the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Program Partners in Flight. A USFS task group developed a hierarchical monitoring framework designed to define priorities for type of monitoring data....

  20. A synthesis of evaluation monitoring projects by the forest health monitoring program (1998-2007)

    Treesearch

    William A. Bechtold; Michael J. Bohne; Barbara L. Conkling; Dana L. Friedman

    2012-01-01

    The national Forest Health Monitoring Program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, has funded over 200 Evaluation Monitoring projects. Evaluation Monitoring is designed to verify and define the extent of deterioration in forest ecosystems where potential problems have been identified. This report is a synthesis of results from over 150 Evaluation...

  1. Mapping the information landscape: Discerning peaks and valleys for ecological monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moniz, L.J.; Nichols, J.D.; Nichols, J.M.

    2007-01-01

    We investigate previously unreported phenomena that have a potentially significant impact on the design of surveillance monitoring programs for ecological systems. Ecological monitoring practitioners have long recognized that different species are differentially informative of a system?s dynamics, as codified in the well-known concepts of indicator or keystone species. Using a novel combination of analysis techniques from nonlinear dynamics, we describe marked variation among spatial sites in information content with respect to system dynamics in the entire region. We first observed these phenomena in a spatially extended predator?prey model, but we observed strikingly similar features in verified water-level data from a NOAA/NOS Great Lakes monitoring program. We suggest that these features may be widespread and the design of surveillance monitoring programs should reflect knowledge of their existence.

  2. A novel and cost-effective monitoring approach for outcomes in an Australian biodiversity conservation incentive program.

    PubMed

    Lindenmayer, David B; Zammit, Charles; Attwood, Simon J; Burns, Emma; Shepherd, Claire L; Kay, Geoff; Wood, Jeff

    2012-01-01

    We report on the design and implementation of ecological monitoring for an Australian biodiversity conservation incentive scheme - the Environmental Stewardship Program. The Program uses competitive auctions to contract individual land managers for up to 15 years to conserve matters of National Environmental Significance (with an initial priority on nationally threatened ecological communities). The ecological monitoring was explicitly aligned with the Program's policy objective and desired outcomes and was applied to the Program's initial Project which targeted the critically endangered White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland ecological community in south eastern Australia. These woodlands have been reduced to <3% of their original extent and persist mostly as small remnants of variable condition on private farmland. We established monitoring sites on 153 farms located over 172,232 sq km. On each farm we established a monitoring site within the woodland patch funded for management and, wherever possible, a matched control site. The monitoring has entailed gathering data on vegetation condition, reptiles and birds. We also gathered data on the costs of experimental design, site establishment, field survey, and data analysis. The costs of monitoring are approximately 8.5% of the Program's investment in the first four years and hence are in broad accord with the general rule of thumb that 5-10% of a program's funding should be invested in monitoring. Once initial monitoring and site benchmarking are completed we propose to implement a novel rotating sampling approach that will maintain scientific integrity while achieving an annual cost-efficiency of up to 23%. We discuss useful lessons relevant to other monitoring programs where there is a need to provide managers with reliable early evidence of program effectiveness and to demonstrate opportunities for cost-efficiencies.

  3. Modular biowaste monitoring system conceptual design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fogal, G. L.

    1974-01-01

    The objective of the study was to define requirements and generate a conceptual design for a Modular Biowaste Monitoring System for specifically supporting shuttle life science experimental and diagnostic programs.

  4. The Modular Borehole Monitoring Program. A research program to optimize well-based monitoring for geologic carbon sequestration

    DOE PAGES

    Freifeld, Barry; Daley, Tom; Cook, Paul; ...

    2014-12-31

    Understanding the impacts caused by injection of large volumes of CO 2 in the deep subsurface necessitates a comprehensive monitoring strategy. While surface-based and other remote geophysical methods can provide information on the general morphology of a CO 2 plume, verification of the geochemical conditions and validation of the remote sensing data requires measurements from boreholes that penetrate the storage formation. Unfortunately, the high cost of drilling deep wellbores and deploying instrumentation systems constrains the number of dedicated monitoring borings as well as limits the technologies that can be incorporated in a borehole completion. The objective of the Modular Boreholemore » Monitoring (MBM) Program was to develop a robust suite of well-based tools optimized for subsurface monitoring of CO 2 that could meet the needs of a comprehensive well-based monitoring program. It should have enough flexibility to be easily reconfigured for various reservoir geometries and geologies. The MBM Program sought to provide storage operators with a turn-key fully engineered design that incorporated key technologies, function over the decades long time-span necessary for post-closure reservoir monitoring, and meet industry acceptable risk profiles for deep-well installations. While still within the conceptual design phase of the MBM program, the SECARB Anthropogenic Test in Citronelle, Alabama, USA was identified as a deployment site for our engineered monitoring systems. The initial step in designing the Citronelle MBM system was to down-select from the various monitoring tools available to include technologies that we considered essential to any program. Monitoring methods selected included U-tube geochemical sampling, discrete quartz pressure and temperature gauges, an integrated fibre-optic bundle consisting of distributed temperature and heat-pulse sensing, and a sparse string of conventional 3C-geophones. While not originally planned within the initial MBM work scope, the fibre-optic cable was able to also be used for the emergent technology of distributed acoustic sensing. The MBM monitoring string was installed in March, 2012. To date, the Citronelle MBM instruments continue to operate reliably. Results and lessons learned from the Citronelle MBM deployment are addressed along with examples of data being collected.« less

  5. Land Application of Wastes: An Educational Program. Monitoring at Land Application Sites - Module 18, Objectives, Script, and Booklet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clarkson, W. W.; And Others

    This module summarizes four major reasons for employing monitoring during design and operation of a land application site: documentation of existing water quality and system performance, confirmation of design parameters, provision of data for future designs and for management decisions. Monitoring requirements are examined for different land…

  6. Monitoring post-fire vegetation rehabilitation projects: A common approach for non-forested ecosystems

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wirth, Troy A.; Pyke, David A.

    2007-01-01

    Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) and Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) treatments are short-term, high-intensity treatments designed to mitigate the adverse effects of wildfire on public lands. The federal government expends significant resources implementing ES&R and BAER treatments after wildfires; however, recent reviews have found that existing data from monitoring and research are insufficient to evaluate the effects of these activities. The purpose of this report is to: (1) document what monitoring methods are generally used by personnel in the field; (2) describe approaches and methods for post-fire vegetation and soil monitoring documented in agency manuals; (3) determine the common elements of monitoring programs recommended in these manuals; and (4) describe a common monitoring approach to determine the effectiveness of future ES&R and BAER treatments in non-forested regions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure effectiveness of ES&R treatments are used by federal land management agencies. Quantitative methods are used in the field depending on factors such as funding, personnel, and time constraints. There are seven vegetation monitoring manuals produced by the federal government that address monitoring methods for (primarily) vegetation and soil attributes. These methods vary in their objectivity and repeatability. The most repeatable methods are point-intercept, quadrat-based density measurements, gap intercepts, and direct measurement of soil erosion. Additionally, these manuals recommend approaches for designing monitoring programs for the state of ecosystems or the effect of management actions. The elements of a defensible monitoring program applicable to ES&R and BAER projects that most of these manuals have in common are objectives, stratification, control areas, random sampling, data quality, and statistical analysis. The effectiveness of treatments can be determined more accurately if data are gathered using an approach that incorporates these six monitoring program design elements and objectives, as well as repeatable procedures to measure cover, density, gap intercept, and soil erosion within each ecoregion and plant community. Additionally, using a common monitoring program design with comparable methods, consistently documenting results, and creating and maintaining a central database for query and reporting, will ultimately allow a determination of the effectiveness of post-fire rehabilitation activities region-wide.

  7. Generic command interpreter for robot controllers

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

    Werner, J.

    1991-04-09

    Generic command interpreter programs have been written for robot controllers at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Each interpreter program resides on a robot controller and interfaces the controller with a supervisory program on another (host) computer. We call these interpreter programs monitors because they wait, monitoring a communication line, for commands from the supervisory program. These monitors are designed to interface with the object-oriented software structure of the supervisory programs. The functions of the monitor programs are written in each robot controller's native language but reflect the object-oriented functions of the supervisory programs. These functions and other specifics of the monitormore » programs written for three different robots at SNL will be discussed. 4 refs., 4 figs.« less

  8. Monitoring Program Quality: Who and How Should It Be Done?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scholl, Geraldine T.; And Others

    Aspects of monitoring and evaluating programs for visually handicapped students are examined. The certification/accreditation program evaluation design is considered in terms of advantages and disadvantages. Roles of governmental (state and federal) and voluntary agencies are discussed. The functions of the National Accreditation Council of…

  9. Analysis of U. S. Forest Service bird point-count monitoring database - implications for designing and implementing avian monitoring

    Treesearch

    Eric T. Linder; David A. Buehler

    2005-01-01

    In 1996, Region 8 of the U. S. Forest Service implemented a program to monitor landbirds on southeastern U.S. national forests. The goal was to develop a monitoring system that could document population trends and bird-habitat relationships. Using power analysis, we examined the ability of the monitoring program to detect population trends (3 percent annual change) at...

  10. Visual monitoring of autonomous life sciences experimentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blank, G. E.; Martin, W. N.

    1987-01-01

    The design and implementation of a computerized visual monitoring system to aid in the monitoring and control of life sciences experiments on board a space station was investigated. A likely multiprocessor design was chosen, a plausible life science experiment with which to work was defined, the theoretical issues involved in the programming of a visual monitoring system for the experiment was considered on the multiprocessor, a system for monitoring the experiment was designed, and simulations of such a system was implemented on a network of Apollo workstations.

  11. Psychosocial Correlates of Clinicians' Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Utilization.

    PubMed

    Pugliese, John A; Wintemute, Garen J; Henry, Stephen G

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to extend prior research on barriers to use of a prescription drug monitoring program by examining psychosocial correlates of intended use among physicians and pharmacists. Overall, 1,904 California physicians and pharmacists responded to a statewide survey (24.1% response rate) from August 2016 to January 2017. Participants completed an online survey examining attitudes toward prescription drug misuse and abuse, prescribing practices, prescription drug monitoring program design and ease of use, professional obligations, and normative beliefs regarding prescription drug monitoring program use. Data were analyzed in 2017. Perceived prescription drug monitoring program usefulness and normative beliefs fully mediated the relationship between concern about prescription drug abuse and intentions to use the prescription drug monitoring program. Clinicians' sense of professional and moral obligation to use the prescription drug monitoring program was unrelated to intention to use the prescription drug monitoring program despite a positive relationship with concern about misuse and abuse. Compared with physicians, pharmacists reported greater concern about prescription drug misuse, greater professional and moral obligation to use prescription drug monitoring program, and greater rating of prescription drug monitoring program usefulness. Interventions that target normative beliefs surrounding prescription drug monitoring program use and how to use prescription drug monitoring programs effectively are likely to be more effective than those that target professional obligations or moralize to the medical community. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. A program downloader and other utility software for the DATAC bus monitor unit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Novacki, Stanley M., III

    1987-01-01

    A set or programs designed to facilitate software testing on the DATAC Bus Monitor is described. By providing a means to simplify program loading, firmware generation, and subsequent testing of programs, the overhead involved in software evaluation is reduced and that time is used more productively in performance, analysis and improvement of current software.

  13. Space radiation studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gregory, J. C.

    1986-01-01

    Instrument design and data analysis expertise was provided in support of several space radiation monitoring programs. The Verification of Flight Instrumentation (VFI) program at NASA included both the Active Radiation Detector (ARD) and the Nuclear Radiation Monitor (NRM). Design, partial fabrication, calibration and partial data analysis capability to the ARD program was provided, as well as detector head design and fabrication, software development and partial data analysis capability to the NRM program. The ARD flew on Spacelab-1 in 1983, performed flawlessly and was returned to MSFC after flight with unchanged calibration factors. The NRM, flown on Spacelab-2 in 1985, also performed without fault, not only recording the ambient gamma ray background on the Spacelab, but also recording radiation events of astrophysical significance.

  14. Monitoring the condition of natural resources in US national parks.

    PubMed

    Fancy, S G; Gross, J E; Carter, S L

    2009-04-01

    The National Park Service has developed a long-term ecological monitoring program for 32 ecoregional networks containing more than 270 parks with significant natural resources. The monitoring program assists park managers in developing a broad-based understanding of the status and trends of park resources as a basis for making decisions and working with other agencies and the public for the long-term protection of park ecosystems. We found that the basic steps involved in planning and designing a long-term ecological monitoring program were the same for a range of ecological systems including coral reefs, deserts, arctic tundra, prairie grasslands, caves, and tropical rainforests. These steps involve (1) clearly defining goals and objectives, (2) compiling and summarizing existing information, (3) developing conceptual models, (4) prioritizing and selecting indicators, (5) developing an overall sampling design, (6) developing monitoring protocols, and (7) establishing data management, analysis, and reporting procedures. The broad-based, scientifically sound information obtained through this systems-based monitoring program will have multiple applications for management decision-making, research, education, and promoting public understanding of park resources. When combined with an effective education program, monitoring results can contribute not only to park issues, but also to larger quality-of-life issues that affect surrounding communities and can contribute significantly to the environmental health of the nation.

  15. Experimental Design Considerations for Establishing an Off-Road, Habitat-Specific Bird Monitoring Program Using Point Counts

    Treesearch

    JoAnn M. Hanowski; Gerald J. Niemi

    1995-01-01

    We established bird monitoring programs in two regions of Minnesota: the Chippewa National Forest and the Superior National Forest. The experimental design defined forest cover types as strata in which samples of forest stands were randomly selected. Subsamples (3 point counts) were placed in each stand to maximize field effort and to assess within-stand and between-...

  16. Modular biowaste monitoring system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fogal, G. L.

    1975-01-01

    The objective of the Modular Biowaste Monitoring System Program was to generate and evaluate hardware for supporting shuttle life science experimental and diagnostic programs. An initial conceptual design effort established requirements and defined an overall modular system for the collection, measurement, sampling and storage of urine and feces biowastes. This conceptual design effort was followed by the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a flight prototype model urine collection, volume measurement and sampling capability. No operational or performance deficiencies were uncovered as a result of the performance evaluation tests.

  17. 1997 annual report : environmental monitoring program Louisiana offshore oil port pipeline.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-06-01

    The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) Environmental Monitoring Program includes an onshore pipeline vegetation and wildlife survey as a continuing study designed to measure the immediate and long-term impacts of LOOP-related pipeline construction an...

  18. A critical look at national monitoring programs for birds and other wildlife species

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sauer, J.R.; O'Shea, T.J.; Bogon, M.A.

    2003-01-01

    Concerns?about declines in numerous taxa have created agreat deal of interest in survey development. Because birds have traditionally been monitored by a variety of methods, bird surveys form natural models for development of surveys for other taxa. Here I suggest that most bird surveys are not appropriate models for survey design. Most lack important design components associated with estimation of population parameters at sample sites or with sampling over space, leading to estimates that may be biased, I discuss the limitations of national bird monitoring programs designed to monitor population size. Although these surveys are often analyzed, careful consideration must be given to factors that may bias estimates but that cannot be evaluated within the survey. Bird surveys with appropriate designs have generally been developed as part of management programs that have specific information needs. Experiences gained from bird surveys provide important information for development of surveys for other taxa, and statistical developments in estimation of population sizes from counts provide new approaches to overcoming the limitations evident in many bird surveys. Design of surveys is a collaborative effort, requiring input from biologists, statisticians, and the managers who will use the information from the surveys.

  19. Designing and implementing a monitoring program and the standards for conducting point counts

    Treesearch

    C. John Ralph

    1993-01-01

    Choosing between the apparent plethora of methods for monitoring bird populations is a dilemma for a person contemplating beginning a monitoring program. Cooperrider et al. (1986) and Koskimies and Vaisanen (1991) describe many methods. In the Americas, three methods have been suggested as standard (Butcher 1992). They are: point counts for determining habitat...

  20. Developing enterprise tools and capacities for large-scale natural resource monitoring: A visioning workshop

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bayer, Jennifer M.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Scully, Rebecca A.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives of the workshop were: 1) identify resources that support natural resource monitoring programs working across the data life cycle; 2) prioritize desired capacities and tools to facilitate monitoring design and implementation; 3) identify standards and best practices that improve discovery, accessibility, and interoperability of data across programs and jurisdictions; and 4) contribute to an emerging community of practice focused on natural resource monitoring.

  1. COMPLEMENTARY MONITORING DESIGNS TO DOCUMENT REGIONAL GRADIENTS, AND TEMPORTAL VARIATIONS OF DISSOLOVED OXYGEN IN ESTUARINE WATERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. EPA National Coastal Assessment program is designed to address two broad questions: 1) what are the conditions of estuarine resources, how are they changing, and what causes those changes; 2) which monitoring designs, indicators, and protocols are appropriate for assessi...

  2. Enhanced surveillance strategies for detecting and monitoring chronic wasting disease in free-ranging cervids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walsh, Daniel P.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide wildlife management agencies with the foundation upon which they can build scientifically rigorous and cost-effective surveillance and monitoring programs for chronic wasting disease (CWD) or refine their existing programs. The first chapter provides an overview of potential demographic and spatial risk factors of susceptible wildlife populations that may be exploited for CWD surveillance and monitoring. The information contained in this chapter explores historic as well as recent developments in our understanding of CWD disease dynamics. It also contains many literature references for readers who may desire a more thorough review of the topics or CWD in general. The second chapter examines methods for enhancing efforts to detect CWD on the landscape where it is not presently known to exist and focuses on the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the surveillance program. Specifically, it describes the means of exploiting current knowledge of demographic and spatial risk factors, as described in the first chapter, through a two-stage surveillance scheme that utilizes traditional design-based sampling approaches and novel statistical methods to incorporate information about the attributes of the landscape, environment, populations and individual animals into CWD surveillance activities. By accounting for these attributes, efficiencies can be gained and cost-savings can be realized. The final chapter is unique in relation to the first two chapters. Its focus is on designing programs to monitor CWD once it is discovered within a jurisdiction. Unlike the prior chapters that are more detailed or prescriptive, this chapter by design is considerably more general because providing comprehensive direction for creating monitoring programs for jurisdictions without consideration of their monitoring goals, sociopolitical constraints, or their biological systems, is not possible. Therefore, the authors draw upon their collective experiences implementing disease-monitoring programs to present the important questions to consider, potential tools, and various strategies for those wildlife management agencies endeavoring to create or maintain a CWD monitoring program. Its intent is to aid readers in creating efficient and cost-effective monitoring programs, while avoiding potential pitfalls. It is hoped that these three chapters will be useful tools for wildlife managers struggling to implement efficient and effective CWD disease management programs.

  3. FutureGen 2.0 Monitoring Program: An Overview of the Monitoring Approach and Technologies Selected for Implementation

    DOE PAGES

    Vermeul, Vince R.; Strickland, Chris E.; Thorne, Paul D.; ...

    2014-12-31

    The FutureGen 2.0 Project will design and build a first-of-its-kind, near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS). To assess storage site performance and meet the regulatory requirements of the Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program for CO2 Geologic Sequestration, the FutureGen 2.0 project will implement a suite of monitoring technologies designed to 1) evaluate CO2 mass balance and 2) detect any unforeseen loss in CO2 containment. The monitoring program will include direct monitoring of the injection stream and reservoir, and early-leak-detection monitoring directly above the primary confining zone. It will also implement an adaptive monitoringmore » strategy whereby monitoring results are continually evaluated and the monitoring network is modified as required, including the option to drill additional wells in out-years. Wells will be monitored for changes in CO2 concentration and formation pressure, and other geochemical/isotopic signatures that provide indication of CO2 or brine leakage. Indirect geophysical monitoring technologies that were selected for implementation include passive seismic, integrated surface deformation, time-lapse gravity, and pulsed neutron capture logging. Near-surface monitoring approaches that have been initiated include surficial aquifer and surface- water monitoring, soil-gas monitoring, atmospheric monitoring, and hyperspectral data acquisition for assessment of vegetation conditions. Initially, only the collection of baseline data sets is planned; the need for additional near- surface monitoring will be continually evaluated throughout the design and operational phases of the project, and selected approaches may be reinstituted if conditions warrant. Given the current conceptual understanding of the subsurface environment, early and appreciable impacts to near-surface environments are not expected.« less

  4. Logic Models: A Tool for Designing and Monitoring Program Evaluations. REL 2014-007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawton, Brian; Brandon, Paul R.; Cicchinelli, Louis; Kekahio, Wendy

    2014-01-01

    introduction to logic models as a tool for designing program evaluations defines the major components of education programs--resources, activities, outputs, and short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes--and uses an example to demonstrate the relationships among them. This quick…

  5. A plan for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Loeb, Susan C.; Rodhouse, Thomas J.; Ellison, Laura E.; Lausen, Cori L.; Reichard, Jonathan D.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Ingersoll, Thomas E.; Coleman, Jeremy; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Sauer, John R.; Francis, Charles M.; Bayless, Mylea L.; Stanley, Thomas R.; Johnson, Douglas H.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is to create a continent-wide program to monitor bats at local to rangewide scales that will provide reliable data to promote effective conservation decisionmaking and the long-term viability of bat populations across the continent. This is an international, multiagency program. Four approaches will be used to gather monitoring data to assess changes in bat distributions and abundances: winter hibernaculum counts, maternity colony counts, mobile acoustic surveys along road transects, and acoustic surveys at stationary points. These monitoring approaches are described along with methods for identifying species recorded by acoustic detectors. Other chapters describe the sampling design, the database management system (Bat Population Database), and statistical approaches that can be used to analyze data collected through this program.

  6. Statewide water-quality network for Massachusetts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Desimone, Leslie A.; Steeves, Peter A.; Zimmerman, Marc James

    2001-01-01

    A water-quality monitoring program is proposed that would provide data to meet multiple information needs of Massachusetts agencies and other users concerned with the condition of the State's water resources. The program was designed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Watershed Management, with input from many organizations involved in water-quality monitoring in the State, and focuses on inland surface waters (streams and lakes). The proposed monitoring program consists of several components, or tiers, which are defined in terms of specific monitoring objectives, and is intended to complement the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative (MWI) basin assessments. Several components were developed using the Neponset River Basin in eastern Massachusetts as a pilot area, or otherwise make use of data from and sampling approaches used in that basin as part of a MWI pilot assessment in 1994. To guide development of the monitoring program, reviews were conducted of general principles of network design, including monitoring objectives and approaches, and of ongoing monitoring activities of Massachusetts State agencies.Network tiers described in this report are primarily (1) a statewide, basin-based assessment of existing surface-water-quality conditions, and (2) a fixed-station network for determining contaminant loads carried by major rivers. Other components, including (3) targeted programs for hot-spot monitoring and other objectives, and (4) compliance monitoring, also are discussed. Monitoring programs for the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads for specific water bodies, which would constitute another tier of the network, are being developed separately and are not described in this report. The basin-based assessment of existing conditions is designed to provide information on the status of surface waters with respect to State water-quality standards and designated uses in accordance with the reporting requirements [Section 305(b)] of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Geographic Information System (GIS)-based procedures were developed to inventory streams and lakes in a basin for these purposes. Several monitoring approaches for this tier and their associated resource requirements were investigated. Analysis of the Neponset Basin for this purpose demonstrated that the large number of sites needed in order for all the small streams in a basin to be sampled (about half of stream miles in the basin were headwater or first-order streams) pose substantial resource-based problems for a comprehensive assessment of existing conditions. The many lakes pose similar problems. Thus, a design is presented in which probabilistic monitoring of small streams is combined with deterministic or targeted monitoring of large streams and lakes to meet CWA requirements and to provide data for other information needs of Massachusetts regulatory agencies and MWI teams.The fixed-station network is designed to permit the determination of contaminant loads carried by the State's major rivers to sensitive inland and coastal receiving waters and across State boundaries. Sampling at 19 proposed sites in 17 of the 27 major basins in Massachusetts would provide information on contaminant loads from 67 percent of the total land area of the State; unsampled areas are primarily coastal areas drained by many small streams that would be impossible to sample within realistic resource limitations. Strategies for hot-spot monitoring, a targeted monitoring program focused on identifying contaminant sources, are described with reference to an analysis of the bacteria sampling program of the 1994 Neponset Basin assessment. Finally, major discharge sites permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) were evaluated as a basis for ambient water-quality monitoring. The discharge sites are well distributed geographically among basins, but are primarily on large rivers (two-thirds or more

  7. Forest communities and the Northwest Forest Plan: what socioeconomic monitoring can tell us.

    Treesearch

    Jonathan Thompson

    2007-01-01

    The Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) was designed to balance protection of older forest ecosystems with mitigation of impacts on rural communities and economies. It was implemented by using an adaptive management approach that featured an interagency monitoring program. This program included socioeconomic monitoring—the systematic observation and measurement of a set...

  8. Spatially explicit power analysis for occupancy-based monitoring of wolverine populations in the U.S

    Treesearch

    Martha M. Ellis; Jacob S. Ivan; Michael K. Schwartz

    2014-01-01

    Conservation scientists and resource managers often have to design monitoring programs for species that are rare or patchily distributed across large landscapes. Such programs are frequently expensive and seldom can be conducted by one entity. It is essential that a prospective power analysis be undertaken to ensure stated monitoring goals are feasible. We developed a...

  9. Revised ground-water monitoring compliance plan for the 300 area process trenches

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

    Schalla, R.; Aaberg, R.L.; Bates, D.J.

    1988-09-01

    This document contains ground-water monitoring plans for process-water disposal trenches located on the Hanford Site. These trenches, designated the 300 Area Process Trenches, have been used since 1973 for disposal of water that contains small quantities of both chemicals and radionuclides. The ground-water monitoring plans contained herein represent revision and expansion of an effort initiated in June 1985. At that time, a facility-specific monitoring program was implemented at the 300 Area Process Trenches as part of a regulatory compliance effort for hazardous chemicals being conducted on the Hanford Site. This monitoring program was based on the ground-water monitoring requirements formore » interim-status facilities, which are those facilities that do not yet have final permits, but are authorized to continue interim operations while engaged in the permitting process. The applicable monitoring requirements are described in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 40 CFR 265.90 of the federal regulations, and in WAC 173-303-400 of Washington State's regulations (Washington State Department of Ecology 1986). The program implemented for the process trenches was designed to be an alternate program, which is required instead of the standard detection program when a facility is known or suspected to have contaminated the ground water in the uppermost aquifer. The plans for the program, contained in a document prepared by the US Department of Energy (USDOE) in 1985, called for monthly sampling of 14 of the 37 existing monitoring wells at the 300 Area plus the installation and sampling of 2 new wells. 27 refs., 25 figs., 15 tabs.« less

  10. Improved Real-Time Monitoring Using Multiple Expert Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schwuttke, Ursula M.; Angelino, Robert; Quan, Alan G.; Veregge, John; Childs, Cynthia

    1993-01-01

    Monitor/Analyzer of Real-Time Voyager Engineering Link (MARVEL) computer program implements combination of techniques of both conventional automation and artificial intelligence to improve monitoring of complicated engineering system. Designed to support ground-based operations of Voyager spacecraft, also adapted to other systems. Enables more-accurate monitoring and analysis of telemetry, enhances productivity of monitoring personnel, reduces required number of such personnel by performing routine monitoring tasks, and helps ensure consistency in face of turnover of personnel. Programmed in C language and includes commercial expert-system software shell also written in C.

  11. Importance of well-designed monitoring programs for the conservation of endangered species: case study of the Snail Kite

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martin, J.; Kitchens, W.M.; Hines, J.E.

    2007-01-01

    Monitoring natural populations is often a necessary step to establish the conservation status of species and to help improve management decisions. Nevertheless, many monitoring programs do not effectively address primary sources of variability in monitoring data, which ultimately may limit the utility of monitoring in identifying declines and improving management. To illustrate the importance of taking into account detectability and spatial variation, we used a recently proposed estimator of abundance (superpopulation estimator) to estimate population size of and number of young produced by the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in Florida. During the last decade, primary recovery targets set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Snail Kite that were based on deficient monitoring programs (i.e., uncorrected counts) were close to being met (by simply increasing search effort during count surveys). During that same period, the Snail Kite population declined dramatically (by 55% from 1997 to 2005) and the number of young decreased by 70% between 1992?1998 and 1999?2005. Our results provide a strong practical case in favor of the argument that investing a sufficient amount of time and resources into designing and implementing monitoring programs that carefully address detectability and spatial variation is critical for the conservation of endangered species.

  12. Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ward, David L.; Casper, Andrew F.; Counihan, Timothy D.; Bayer, Jennifer M.; Waite, Ian R.; Kosovich, John J.; Chapman, Colin; Irwin, Elise R.; Sauer, Jennifer S.; Ickes, Brian; McKerrow, Alexa

    2017-01-01

    In business, benchmarking is a widely used practice of comparing your own business processes to those of other comparable companies and incorporating identified best practices to improve performance. Biologists and resource managers designing and conducting monitoring programs for fish in large river systems tend to focus on single river basins or segments of large rivers, missing opportunities to learn from those conducting fish monitoring in other rivers. We briefly examine five long-term fish monitoring programs in large rivers in the United States (Colorado, Columbia, Mississippi, Illinois, and Tallapoosa rivers) and identify opportunities for learning across programs by detailing best monitoring practices and why these practices were chosen. Although monitoring objectives, methods, and program maturity differ between each river system, examples from these five case studies illustrate the important role that long-term monitoring programs play in interpreting temporal and spatial shifts in fish populations for both established objectives and newly emerging questions. We suggest that deliberate efforts to develop a broader collaborative network through benchmarking will facilitate sharing of ideas and development of more effective monitoring programs.

  13. STATISTICAL ISSUES FOR MONITORING ECOLOGICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States funds a number of national monitoring programs to measure the status and trends of ecological and natural resources. Each of these programs has a unique focus: the scientific objectives are different as are the sample designs. However, individuals and committees...

  14. Conceptual design of a monitoring system for the Charters of Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cutts, J. A.

    1984-01-01

    A conceptual design of a monitoring system for the Charters of Freedom was developed for the National Archives and Records Service. The monitoring system would be installed at the National Archives and used to document the condition of the Charters as part of a regular inspection program. The results of an experimental measurements program that led to the definition of analysis system requirements are presented, a conceptual design of the monitoring system is described and the alternative approaches to implementing this design were discussed. The monitoring system is required to optically detect and measure deterioration in documents that are permanently encapsulated in glass cases. An electronic imaging system with the capability for precise photometric measurements of the contrast of the script on the documents can perform this task. Two general types of imaging systems are considered (line and area array), and their suitability for performing these required measurements are compared. A digital processing capability for analyzing the electronic imaging data is also required, and several optional levels of complexity for this digital analysis system are evaluated.

  15. Integrated natural resource monitoring on Army lands and its application to conservation of neotropical birds

    Treesearch

    Timothy J. Hayden; David J. Tazik

    1993-01-01

    The U.S. Army is responsible for managing 5.0 million ha (12.4 million acres) of land on 186 major installations world-wide. The Land Condition Trend Analysis (LCTA) Program is the Army's integrated monitoring and data collection program designed to fulfill the Army's natural resource information and management needs. implementation of this program was...

  16. Successful water quality monitoring: The right combination of intent, measurement, interpretation, and a cooperating ecosystem

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Soballe, D.M.

    1998-01-01

    Water quality monitoring is invaluable to ensure compliance with regulations, detect trends or patterns, and advance ecological understanding. However, monitoring typically measures only a few characteristics in a small fraction of a large and complex system, and thus the information contained in monitoring data depends upon which features of the ecosystem are actually captured by the measurements. Difficulties arise when these data contain something other than intended, but this can be minimized if the purpose of the sampling is clear, and the sampling design, measurements, and data interpretations are all compatible with this purpose. The monitoring program and data interpretation must also be properly matched to the structure and functioning of the system. Obtaining this match is sometimes an iterative process that demands a close link between research and monitoring. This paper focuses on water quality monitoring that is intended to track trends in aquatic resources and advance ecological understanding. It includes examples from three monitoring programs and a simulation exercise that illustrate problems that arise when the information content of monitoring data differs from expectation. The examples show (1) how inconsistencies among, or lack of information about, the basic elements of a monitoring program (intent, design, measurement, interpretation, and the monitored system) can produce a systematic difference (bias) between monitoring measurements and sampling intent or interpretation, and (2) that bias is not just a statistical consideration, but an insidious problem that can undermine the scientific integrity of a monitoring program. Some general suggestions are provided and hopefully these examples will help those engaged in water quality monitoring to enhance and protect the value of their monitoring investment.

  17. A Framework for Long-term Ecological Monitoring in Olympic National Park: Prototype for the Coniferous Forest Biome

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jenkins, Kurt; Woodward, Andrea; Schreiner, Ed

    2003-01-01

    This report is the result of a five-year collaboration between scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Olympic Field Station, and the natural resources staff of Olympic National Park to develop a comprehensive strategy for monitoring natural resources of Olympic National Park. Olympic National Park is the National Park Serviceʼs prototype monitoring park, representing parks in the coniferous forest biome. Under the umbrella of the National Park Serviceʼs prototype parks program, U.S. Geological Survey and Olympic National Park staffs are obligated to:develop strategies and designs for monitoring the long-term health and integrity of national park ecosystems with a significant coniferous forest component.design exportable monitoring protocols that can be used by other parks within the coniferous forest biome (i.e., parks having similar environments), andcreate a demonstration area and ʻcenter of excellenceʼ for assisting other parks in developing ecological monitoring programs.Olympic National Park is part of the North Coast and Cascades Network, a network of seven Pacific Northwestern park units created recently by the National Park Serviceʼs Inventory and Monitoring Program to extend the monitoring of ʻvital signsʼ of park health to all National Park Service units. It is our intent and hope that the monitoring strategies and conceptual models described here will meet the overall purpose of the prototype parks monitoring program in proving useful not only to Olympic National Park, but also to parks within the North Coast and Cascades Network and elsewhere. Part I contains the conceptual design and sampling framework for the prototype long-term monitoring program in Olympic National Park. In this section, we explore key elements of monitoring design that help to ensure the spatial, ecological, and temporal integration of monitoring program elements and discuss approaches used to design an ecosystem-based monitoring program. Basic monitoring components include ecosystem drivers, (e.g., climate, atmospheric inputs, human pressures), indicators of ecosystem integrity (e.g., biogeochemical indicators), known threats (e.g., impacts of introduced mountain goats), and focal or ʻkeyʼ species (e.g., rare or listed species, Roosevelt elk). Monitoring system drivers and key indicators of ecosystem integrity provide the long-term baseline needed to judge what constitutes ʻunnaturalʼ variation in park resources and provide the earliest possible warning of unacceptable change. Monitoring effects of known threats and the status of focal species will provide information useful to park managers for dealing with current park issues. In Part I we describe the process of identifying potential indicators of ecological condition and present conceptual models of park ecosystems. In addition we report results from several workshops held in conjunction with Olympic National Park aimed at identifying potential indicators of change in the parkʼs ecosystem. First, we describe the responses of Olympic National Park staff to the generic question, “What is the most important resource to monitor in Olympic National Park and why?” followed by the responses from resource and land managers from areas adjoining the park. We also catalogue the responses of various expert groups that we asked to help identify the most appropriate system drivers and indicators of change in the Olympic National Park ecosystems. Results of the workshops provided the justification for selecting basic indicators of ecosystem integrity, effects of current threats to park resources, and focal resources of parks to detect both the currently evident and unforeseeable changes in park resources. We conclude Part I by exploring several generic statistical issues relevant to monitoring natural resources in Olympic National Park. Specifically we discuss trade-offs associated with sampling extensively versus sampling intensively in smaller geographic regions and describe a conceptual framework to guide development of a generic sampling frame for monitoring. We recommend partitioning Olympic National Park into three zones of decreasing accessibility to maximize monitoring efficiency. We present examples of how the generic sampling frame could be used to help ensure spatial integration of individual monitoring projects. Part II of the report is a record of the potential monitoring questions and indicators identified to date in our workshops. The presentation is organized according to the major system drivers, components, and processes identified in the intermediate-level working model of the Olympic National Park ecosystem. For each component of the park system, we develop the need and justification for monitoring, articulate park management issues, and describe key resources and ecosystem functions. We also present a pictorial conceptual model of each ecological subsystem, identify monitoring questions, and list potential indicators for each monitoring question. We conclude each section by identifying linkages of indicators to other ecological subsystems in our general ecosystem model, spatial and temporal contexts for monitoring (where and how often to monitor), and research and development needs. Part II represents the most current detailed listing of potential indicators—the material for subsequent discussions of monitoring priorities and selection of indicators for protocol development.Collectively, the sections of this report contain a comprehensive list of the important monitoring questions and potential indicators as well as recommendations for designing an integrated monitoring program. In Part I, Chapter 6 we provide recommendations on how to proceed with the important next steps in the design process: establishing priorities among the many possible monitoring questions and indicators, and beginning to research and design effective long-term monitoring protocols.

  18. Monitoring challenges and innovative ideas

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

    O'Neill, R.V.; Hunsaker, C.T.; Levine, D.A.

    1990-01-01

    Monitoring programs are difficult to design even when they focus on specific problems. Ecosystems are complex, and it is often impossible to predetermine what aspects of system structure or dynamics will respond to a specific insult. It is equally difficult to interpret whether a response is a stabilizing compensatory mechanism or a real loss of capacity to maintain the ecosystem. The problems are compounded in a broad monitoring program designed to assess ecosystem health'' at regional and continental scales. It is challenging in the extreme to monitor ecosystem response, at any scale, to past insults as well as an unknownmore » future array of impacts. The present paper will examine some of the fundamental issues and challenges raised by large-scale monitoring efforts. The challenges will serve as a framework and as an excuse to discuss several important topics in more detail. Following the discussion of challenges, we suggest some basic innovations that could be important across a range of monitoring programs. The innovations include integrative measures, innovative methodology, and creative interpretation. 59 refs., 1 tab.« less

  19. Investigation of acoustic emission coupling techniques

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jolly, W. D.

    1988-01-01

    A three-phase research program was initiated by NASA in 1983 to investigate the use of acoustic monitoring techniques to detect incipient failure in turbopump bearings. Two prototype acoustic coupler probes were designed and evaluated, and four units of the final probe design were fabricated. Success in this program could lead to development of an on-board monitor which could detect bearing damage in flight and reduce or eliminate the need for disassembly after each flight. This final report reviews the accomplishments of the first two phases and presents the results of fabrication and testing completed in the final phase of the research program.

  20. Ecological Monitoring and Compliance Program 2007 Report

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

    Hansen, Dennis; Anderson, David; Derek, Hall

    2008-03-01

    In accordance with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 450.1, 'Environmental Protection Program', the Office of the Assistant Manager for Environmental Management of the DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) requires ecological monitoring and biological compliance support for activities and programs conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), Ecological Services has implemented the Ecological Monitoring and Compliance (EMAC) Program to provide this support. EMAC is designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, delineate and define NTS ecosystems, and provide ecological information that can be used to predict and evaluate themore » potential impacts of proposed projects and programs on those ecosystems. This report summarizes the EMAC activities conducted by NSTec during calendar year 2007. Monitoring tasks during 2007 included eight program areas: (a) biological surveys, (b) desert tortoise compliance, (c) ecosystem mapping and data management, (d) sensitive plant monitoring, (e) sensitive and protected/regulated animal monitoring, (f) habitat monitoring, (g) habitat restoration monitoring, and (h) biological monitoring at the Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex (NPTEC). The following sections of this report describe work performed under these eight areas.« less

  1. Design and analysis for detection monitoring of forest health

    Treesearch

    F. A. Roesch

    1995-01-01

    An analysis procedure is proposed for the sample design of the Forest Health Monitoring Program (FHM) in the United States. The procedure is intended to provide increased sensitivity to localized but potentially important changes in forest health by explicitly accounting for the spatial relationships between plots in the FHM design. After a series of median sweeps...

  2. Design of a Monitoring Program for Northern Spotted Owls

    Treesearch

    Jonathan Bart; Douglas S. Robson

    1995-01-01

    This paper discusses methods for estimating population trends of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) based on point counts. Although the monitoring program will have five distinct components, attention here is restricted to one of these: roadside surveys of territorial birds. Analyses of Breeding Bird Survey data and computer...

  3. Monitoring for conservation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nichols, J.D.; Williams, B.K.

    2006-01-01

    Human-mediated environmental changes have resulted in appropriate concern for the conservation of ecological systems and have led to the development of many ecological monitoring programs worldwide. Many programs that are identified with the purpose of `surveillance? represent an inefficient use of conservation funds and effort. Here, we revisit the 1964 paper by Platt and argue that his recommendations about the conduct of science are equally relevant to the conduct of ecological monitoring programs. In particular, we argue that monitoring should not be viewed as a stand-alone activity, but instead as a component of a larger process of either conservation-oriented science or management. Corresponding changes in monitoring focus and design would lead to substantial increases in the efficiency and usefulness of monitoring results in conservation.

  4. Population size influences amphibian detection probability: implications for biodiversity monitoring programs.

    PubMed

    Tanadini, Lorenzo G; Schmidt, Benedikt R

    2011-01-01

    Monitoring is an integral part of species conservation. Monitoring programs must take imperfect detection of species into account in order to be reliable. Theory suggests that detection probability may be determined by population size but this relationship has not yet been assessed empirically. Population size is particularly important because it may induce heterogeneity in detection probability and thereby cause bias in estimates of biodiversity. We used a site occupancy model to analyse data from a volunteer-based amphibian monitoring program to assess how well different variables explain variation in detection probability. An index to population size best explained detection probabilities for four out of six species (to avoid circular reasoning, we used the count of individuals at a previous site visit as an index to current population size). The relationship between the population index and detection probability was positive. Commonly used weather variables best explained detection probabilities for two out of six species. Estimates of site occupancy probabilities differed depending on whether the population index was or was not used to model detection probability. The relationship between the population index and detectability has implications for the design of monitoring and species conservation. Most importantly, because many small populations are likely to be overlooked, monitoring programs should be designed in such a way that small populations are not overlooked. The results also imply that methods cannot be standardized in such a way that detection probabilities are constant. As we have shown here, one can easily account for variation in population size in the analysis of data from long-term monitoring programs by using counts of individuals from surveys at the same site in previous years. Accounting for variation in population size is important because it can affect the results of long-term monitoring programs and ultimately the conservation of imperiled species.

  5. Designing Reading Instruction for Cultural Minorities: The Case of the Kamehameha Early Education Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calfee, Robert C.; And Others

    This is a report on the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP), a research and development project designed to find ways of improving the school performance of educationally disadvantaged Hawaiian children. The project, implemented in a laboratory school setting and continuously monitored, is described as a reading instruction program for…

  6. 78 FR 50399 - Spectrum Monitoring Pilot Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-19

    ... National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to design and conduct a pilot program to... to Congress for fiscal year (FY) 2014 seeks an initial $7.5 million research and development... design, features, deployment options, operational parameters, expected utility, potential benefits, and...

  7. Hydrological Monitoring System Design and Implementation Based on IOT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Kun; Zhang, Dacheng; Bo, Jingyi; Zhang, Zhiguang

    In this article, an embedded system development platform based on GSM communication is proposed. Through its application in hydrology monitoring management, the author makes discussion about communication reliability and lightning protection, suggests detail solutions, and also analyzes design and realization of upper computer software. Finally, communication program is given. Hydrology monitoring system from wireless communication network is a typical practical application of embedded system, which has realized intelligence, modernization, high-efficiency and networking of hydrology monitoring management.

  8. Designing a high-frequency nutrient and biogeochemical monitoring network for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, northern California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bergamaschi, Brian A.; Downing, Bryan D.; Kraus, Tamara E.C.; Pellerin, Brian A.

    2017-07-11

    Executive SummaryThis report is the third in a series of three reports that provide information about how high-frequency (HF) nutrient monitoring may be used to assess nutrient inputs and dynamics in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California (Delta). The purpose of this report is to provide the background, principles, and considerations for designing an HF nutrient-monitoring network for the Delta to address high-priority, nutrient-management questions. The report starts with discussion of the high-priority management questions to be addressed, continues through discussion of the questions and considerations that place demands and constraints on network design, discusses the principles applicable to network design, and concludes with the presentation of three example nutrient-monitoring network designs for the Delta. For three example network designs, we assess how they would address high-priority questions that have been identified by the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta Regional Monitoring Program Technical Advisory Committee, 2015).This report, along with the other two reports of this series (Kraus and others, 2017; Downing and others, 2017), was drafted in cooperation with the Delta Regional Monitoring Program to help scientists, managers, and planners understand how HF data improve our understanding of nutrient sources and sinks, drivers, and effects in the Delta. The first report in the series (Kraus and others, 2017) provides an introduction to the reasons for and fundamental concepts behind using HF monitoring measurements, including a brief summary of nutrient status and trends in the Delta and an extensive literature review showing how and where other research and monitoring programs have used HF monitoring to improve our understanding of nutrient cycling. The report covers the various technologies available for HF nutrient monitoring and presents the different ways HF monitoring instrumentation may be used for both fixed station and spatial assessments. Finally, it presents numerous examples of how HF measurements are currently (2017) being used in the Delta to examine how nutrients and nutrient cycling are related to aquatic habitat conditions.The second report in the series (Downing and others, 2017) summarizes information about HF nutrient and associated biogeochemical monitoring in the north Delta. The report synthesizes data available from the nutrient and water quality monitoring network currently (2017) operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in this ecologically important region of the Delta. In the report, we present and discuss the available data at various timescales—first at the monthly, seasonal, and inter-annual timescales; and, second, for comparison, at the tidal and event timescales. As expected, we determined that there is substantial variability in nitrate concentrations at short timescales, such as within a few hours, but also significant variability at longer timescales such as months or years. This high variability affects calculation of fluxes and loads, indicating that HF monitoring is necessary for understanding and assessing flux-based processes and outcomes in Delta tidal environments.

  9. Principles in sampling design, lessons, and recommendations from a multi-year, multi-port surveillance program in Lake Superior

    EPA Science Inventory

    We evaluated a pilot aquatic invasive species (AIS) early detection monitoring program in Lake Superior that was designed to detect newly-introduced fishes. We established survey protocols for three major ports (Duluth-Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay), and designed an ada...

  10. Real-Time Monitoring of Scada Based Control System for Filling Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soe, Aung Kyaw; Myint, Aung Naing; Latt, Maung Maung; Theingi

    2008-10-01

    This paper is a design of real-time monitoring for filling system using Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). The monitoring of production process is described in real-time using Visual Basic.Net programming under Visual Studio 2005 software without SCADA software. The software integrators are programmed to get the required information for the configuration screens. Simulation of components is expressed on the computer screen using parallel port between computers and filling devices. The programs of real-time simulation for the filling process from the pure drinking water industry are provided.

  11. A Web-Based System for Monitoring and Controlling Multidisciplinary Design Projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Salas, Andrea O.; Rogers, James L.

    1997-01-01

    In today's competitive environment, both industry and government agencies are under enormous pressure to reduce the time and cost of multidisciplinary design projects. A number of frameworks have been introduced to assist in this process by facilitating the integration of and communication among diverse disciplinary codes. An examination of current frameworks reveals weaknesses in various areas such as sequencing, displaying, monitoring, and controlling the design process. The objective of this research is to explore how Web technology, in conjunction with an existing framework, can improve these areas of weakness. This paper describes a system that executes a sequence of programs, monitors and controls the design process through a Web-based interface, and visualizes intermediate and final results through the use of Java(Tm) applets. A small sample problem, which includes nine processes with two analysis programs that are coupled to an optimizer, is used to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.

  12. The Influence of Microbiology on Spacecraft Design and Controls: A Historical Perspective of the Shuttle and International Space Station Programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Castro, Victoria A.; Bruce, Rebekah J.; Ott, C. Mark; Pierson, D. L.

    2006-01-01

    For over 40 years, NASA has been putting humans safely into space in part by minimizing microbial risks to crew members. Success of the program to minimize such risks has resulted from a combination of engineering and design controls as well as active monitoring of the crew, food, water, hardware, and spacecraft interior. The evolution of engineering and design controls is exemplified by the implementation of HEPA filters for air treatment, antimicrobial surface materials, and the disinfection regimen currently used on board the International Space Station. Data from spaceflight missions confirm the effectiveness of current measures; however, fluctuations in microbial concentrations and trends in contamination events suggest the need for continued diligence in monitoring and evaluation as well as further improvements in engineering systems. The knowledge of microbial controls and monitoring from assessments of past missions will be critical in driving the design of future spacecraft.

  13. OPTIMAL WELL LOCATOR (OWL): A SCREENING TOOL FOR EVALUATING LOCATIONS OF MONITORING WELLS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Optimal Well Locator ( OWL) program was designed and developed by USEPA to be a screening tool to evaluate and optimize the placement of wells in long term monitoring networks at small sites. The first objective of the OWL program is to allow the user to visualize the change ...

  14. THE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (EMAP) SAMPLE DESIGNS AND OVERVIEW

    EPA Science Inventory

    This presentation will discuss the fundamentals of the EMAP sample design and program elements. Central components of EMAP such as the methodology for site selection and data analysis, indicator selection and interpretation will be discussed. Examples from wadeable surfact water,...

  15. Preliminary assessment of a water-quality monitoring program for total maximum daily loads in Johnson County, Kansas, January 2015 through June 2016

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rasmussen, Teresa J.; Paxson, Chelsea R.

    2017-08-25

    Municipalities in Johnson County in northeastern Kansas are required to implement stormwater management programs to reduce pollutant discharges, protect water quality, and comply with applicable water-quality regulations in accordance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for stormwater discharge. To this end, municipalities collect grab samples at streams entering and leaving their jurisdiction to determine levels of excessive nutrients, sediment, and fecal bacteria to characterize pollutants and understand the factors affecting them.In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program, with input from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, initiated a 5-year monitoring program to satisfy minimum sampling requirements for each municipality as described by new stormwater permits issued to Johnson County municipalities. The purpose of this report is to provide a preliminary assessment of the monitoring program. The monitoring program is described, a preliminary assessment of the monitoring program design is provided using water-quality data collected during the first 2 years of the program, and the ability of the current monitoring network and sampling plan to provide data sufficient to quantify improvements in water quality resulting from implemented and planned best management practices is evaluated. The information in this initial report may be used to evaluate changes in data collection methods while data collection is still ongoing that may lead to improved data utility.Discrete water-quality samples were collected at 27 sites and analyzed for nutrients, Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, total suspended solids, and suspended-sediment concentration. In addition, continuous water-quality data (water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, turbidity, and nitrate plus nitrite) were collected at one site to characterize variability and provide a basis for comparison to discrete data. Base flow samples indicated that point sources are likely affecting nutrient concentrations and E. coli bacteria densities at several sites. Concentrations of all analytes in storm runoff samples were characterized by substantial variability among sites and samples. About one-half of the sites, representing different watersheds, had storm runoff samples with nitrogen concentrations greater than 10 milligrams per liter. About one-third of the sites, representing different watersheds, had storm runoff samples with total phosphorus concentrations greater than 3 milligrams per liter. Six sites had samples with E. coli densities greater than 100,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water. Total suspended solids concentrations of about 12,000 milligrams per liter or greater occurred in samples from three sites.Data collected for this monitoring program may be useful for some general assessment purposes but may also be limited in potential to fully inform stormwater management activities. Valuable attributes of the monitoring program design included incorporating many sites across the county for comparisons among watersheds and municipalities, using fixed-stage samplers to collect multiple samples during single events, collection of base flow samples in addition to storm samples to isolate possible point sources from stormwater sources, and use of continuous monitors to characterize variability. Limiting attributes of the monitoring program design included location of monitoring sites along municipal boundaries to satisfy permit requirements rather than using watershed-based criteria such as locations of tributaries, potential pollutant sources, and implemented management practices. Additional limiting attributes include having a large number of widespread sampling locations, which presented logistical challenges for predicting localized rainfall and collecting and analyzing samples during short timeframes associated with storms, and collecting storm samples at fixed-stage elevations only during the rising limb of storms, which does not characterize conditions over the storm hydrograph. The small number of samples collected per site resulted in a sample size too small to be representative of site conditions, including seasonal and hydrologic variability, and insufficient for meaningful statistical analysis or site-specific modeling.Several measures could be taken to improve data utility and include redesigning the monitoring network according to watershed characteristics, incorporating a nested design in which data are collected at different scales (watershed, subwatershed, and best management practices), increasing sampling frequency, and combining different methods to allow for flexibility to focus on areas and conditions of particular interest. A monitoring design that would facilitate most of these improvements would be to focus efforts on a limited number of watersheds for several years, then cycle to the next set of watersheds for several years, eventually returning to previously monitored watersheds to document changes.Redesign of the water-quality monitoring program requires considerable effort and commitment from municipalities of Johnson County. However, the long-term benefit likely is a monitoring program that results in improved stream conditions and more effective management practices and efficient expenditure of resources.

  16. Generic particulate-monitoring system for retrofit to Hanford exhaust stacks

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

    Camman, J.W.; Carbaugh, E.H.

    1982-11-01

    Evaluations of 72 sampling and monitoring systems were performed at Hanford as the initial phase of a program to upgrade such systems. Each evaluation included determination of theoretical sampling efficiencies for particle sizes ranging from 0.5 to 10 micrometers aerodynamic equivalent diameter, addressing anisokinetic bias, sample transport line losses, and collector device efficiency. Upgrades needed to meet current Department of Energy guidance for effluent sampling and monitoring were identified, and a cost for each upgrade was estimated. A relative priority for each system's upgrade was then established based on evaluation results, current operational status, and future plans for the facilitymore » being exhausted. Common system upgrade requirements lead to the development of a generic design for common components of an exhaust stack sampling and monitoring system for airborne radioactive particulates. The generic design consists of commercially available off-the-shelf components to the extent practical and will simplify future stack sampling and monitoring system design, fabrication, and installation efforts. Evaluation results and their significance to system upgrades are empasized. A brief discussion of the analytical models used and experience to date with the upgrade program is included. Development of the generic stack sampling and monitoring system design is outlined. Generic system design features and limitations are presented. Requirements for generic system retrofitting to existing exhaust stacks are defined and benefits derived from generic system application are discussed.« less

  17. Construction of a General Purpose Command Language for Use in Computer Dialog.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-01

    Page 1 Skeletal Command Action File...............35 2 Sample from Cyber Action File.................36 3 Program MONITOR Structure Chart...return indicates subroutine call and no return Fig 3. Program MONITOR Structure Chart 48 IV. Validation The general purpose command language was...executive control of these functions, in C addition to its role as interpreter. C C The structure , concept, design, and implementation of program C

  18. Aminoglycoside Therapy Manager: An Advanced Computer Program for Decision Support for Drug Dosing and Therapeutic Monitoring

    PubMed Central

    Lenert, Leslie; Lurie, Jon; Coleman, Robert; Klosterman, Heidrun; Blaschke, Terrence

    1990-01-01

    In this paper, we will describe an advanced drug dosing program, Aminoglycoside Therapy Manager that reasons using Bayesian pharmacokinetic modeling and symbolic modeling of patient status and drug response. Our design is similar to the design of the Digitalis Therapy Advisor program, but extends previous work by incorporating a Bayesian pharmacokinetic model, a “meta-level” analysis of drug concentrations to identify sampling errors and changes in pharmacokinetics, and including the results of the “meta-level” analysis in reasoning for dosing and therapeutic monitoring recommendations. The program is user friendly and runs on low cost general-purpose hardware. Validation studies show that the program is as accurate in predicting future drug concentrations as an expert using commercial Bayesian forecasting software.

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

    Peterson, Mark J; Efroymson, Rebecca Ann; Adams, Marshall

    The long-term ecological recovery of an impaired stream in response to an industrial facility's pollution abatement actions and the implications of the biological monitoring effort to environmental management is the subject of this special issue of Environmental Management. This final article focuses on the synthesis of the biological monitoring program's components and methods, the efficacy of various biological monitoring techniques to environmental management, and the lessons learned from the program that might be applicable to the design and application of other programs. The focus of the 25-year program has been on East Fork Poplar Creek, an ecologically impaired stream inmore » Oak Ridge, Tennessee with varied and complex stressors from a Department of Energy facility in its headwaters. Major components of the long-term program included testing and monitoring of invertebrate and fish toxicity, bioindicators of fish health, fish contaminant accumulation, and instream communities (including periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrate, and fish). Key parallel components of the program include water chemistry sampling and data management. Multiple lines of evidence suggested positive ecological responses during three major pollution abatement periods. Based on this case study and the related literature, effective environmental management of impaired streams starts with program design that is consistent across space and time, but also adaptable to changing conditions. The biological monitoring approaches used for the program provided a strong basis for assessments of recovery from remedial actions, and the likely causes of impairment. This case study provides a unique application of multidisciplinary and quantitative techniques to address multiple and complex regulatory and programmatic goals, environmental stressors, and remedial actions.« less

  20. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS): Design and Architecture. 3.2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yan, Jerry C.; Schmidt, Melisa; Schulbach, Cathy; Bailey, David (Technical Monitor)

    1997-01-01

    Whether a researcher is designing the 'next parallel programming paradigm', another 'scalable multiprocessor' or investigating resource allocation algorithms for multiprocessors, a facility that enables parallel program execution to be captured and displayed is invaluable. Careful analysis of such information can help computer and software architects to capture, and therefore, exploit behavioral variations among/within various parallel programs to take advantage of specific hardware characteristics. A software tool-set that facilitates performance evaluation of parallel applications on multiprocessors has been put together at NASA Ames Research Center under the sponsorship of NASA's High Performance Computing and Communications Program over the past five years. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring Systematic has three major software components: a source code instrumentor which automatically inserts active event recorders into program source code before compilation; a run-time performance monitoring library which collects performance data; and a visualization tool-set which reconstructs program execution based on the data collected. Besides being used as a prototype for developing new techniques for instrumenting, monitoring and presenting parallel program execution, AIMS is also being incorporated into the run-time environments of various hardware testbeds to evaluate their impact on user productivity. Currently, the execution of FORTRAN and C programs on the Intel Paragon and PALM workstations can be automatically instrumented and monitored. Performance data thus collected can be displayed graphically on various workstations. The process of performance tuning with AIMS will be illustrated using various NAB Parallel Benchmarks. This report includes a description of the internal architecture of AIMS and a listing of the source code.

  1. Compliance Groundwater Monitoring of Nonpoint Sources - Emerging Approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harter, T.

    2008-12-01

    Groundwater monitoring networks are typically designed for regulatory compliance of discharges from industrial sites. There, the quality of first encountered (shallow-most) groundwater is of key importance. Network design criteria have been developed for purposes of determining whether an actual or potential, permitted or incidental waste discharge has had or will have a degrading effect on groundwater quality. The fundamental underlying paradigm is that such discharge (if it occurs) will form a distinct contamination plume. Networks that guide (post-contamination) mitigation efforts are designed to capture the shape and dynamics of existing, finite-scale plumes. In general, these networks extend over areas less than one to ten hectare. In recent years, regulatory programs such as the EU Nitrate Directive and the U.S. Clean Water Act have forced regulatory agencies to also control groundwater contamination from non-incidental, recharging, non-point sources, particularly agricultural sources (fertilizer, pesticides, animal waste application, biosolids application). Sources and contamination from these sources can stretch over several tens, hundreds, or even thousands of square kilometers with no distinct plumes. A key question in implementing monitoring programs at the local, regional, and national level is, whether groundwater monitoring can be effectively used as a landowner compliance tool, as is currently done at point-source sites. We compare the efficiency of such traditional site-specific compliance networks in nonpoint source regulation with various designs of regional nonpoint source monitoring networks that could be used for compliance monitoring. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the site vs. regional monitoring approaches with respect to effectively protecting groundwater resources impacted by nonpoint sources: Site-networks provide a tool to enforce compliance by an individual landowner. But the nonpoint source character of the contamination and its typically large spatial extend requires extensive networks at an individual site to accurately and fairly monitor individual compliance. In contrast, regional networks seemingly fail to hold individual landowners accountable. But regional networks can effectively monitor large-scale impacts and water quality trends; and thus inform regulatory programs that enforce management practices tied to nonpoint source pollution. Regional monitoring networks for compliance purposes can face significant challenges in the implementation due to a regulatory and legal landscape that is exclusively structured to address point sources and individual liability, and due to the non-intensive nature of a regional monitoring program (lack of control of hot spots; lack of accountability of individual landowners).

  2. INEL Geothermal Environmental Program. Final environmental report

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

    Thurow, T.L.; Cahn, L.S.

    1982-09-01

    An overview of environmental monitoring programs and research during development of a moderate temperature geothermal resource in the Raft River Valley is presented. One of the major objectives was to develop programs for environmental assessment and protection that could serve as an example for similar types of development. The monitoring studies were designed to establish baseline conditions (predevelopment) of the physical, biological, and human environment. Potential changes were assessed and adverse environmental impacts minimized. No major environmental impacts resulted from development of the Raft River Geothermal Research Facility. The results of the physical, biological, and human environment monitoring programs aremore » summarized.« less

  3. Design and implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program: a United States example: understanding the limitations of using compliance-monitoring data to assess the water quality of a large river basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wangsness, David J.

    1997-01-01

    In the 1980s it was determined that existing ambient and compliance-monitoring data could not satisfactorily evaluate the results of hundreds of billions of dollars spent for water-pollution abatement in the United States. At the request of the US Congress, a new programme, the National Water-Quality Assessment, was designed and implemented by government agency, the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Assessment has reported status and trends in surface- and ground-water quality at national, regional, and local scales since 1991. The legislative basis for US monitoring and data-sharing policies are identified as well as the successive phases of the design and implementation of the USGS Assessment. Application to the Danube Basin is suggested. Much of the water-quality monitoring conducted in the United States is designed to comply with Federal and State laws mandated primarily by the Clean Water Act of 1987 and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1986. Monitoring programs generally focus on rivers upstream and downstream of point-source discharges and at water-supply intakes. Few data are available for aquifer systems, and chemical analyses are often limited to those constituents required by law. In most cases, the majority of the available chemical and streamflow data have provided the information necessary to meet the objectives of the compliance-monitoring programs, but do not necessarily provide the information requires for basin-wide assessments of the water quality at the local, regional, or national scale.

  4. State-of-the-art practices in farmland biodiversity monitoring for North America and Europe.

    PubMed

    Herzog, Felix; Franklin, Janet

    2016-12-01

    Policy makers and farmers need to know the status of farmland biodiversity in order to meet conservation goals and evaluate management options. Based on a review of 11 monitoring programs in Europe and North America and on related literature, we identify the design choices or attributes of a program that balance monitoring costs and usefulness for stakeholders. A useful program monitors habitats, vascular plants, and possibly faunal groups (ecosystem service providers, charismatic species) using a stratified random sample of the agricultural landscape, including marginal and intensive regions. The size of landscape samples varies with the grain of the agricultural landscape; for example, samples are smaller in Europe and larger in North America. Raw data are collected in a rolling survey, which distributes sampling over several years. Sufficient practical experience is now available to implement broad monitoring schemes on both continents. Technological developments in remote sensing, metagenomics, and social media may offer new opportunities for affordable farmland biodiversity monitoring and help to lower the overall costs of monitoring programs.

  5. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS) reference manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yan, Jerry; Hontalas, Philip; Listgarten, Sherry

    1993-01-01

    Whether a researcher is designing the 'next parallel programming paradigm,' another 'scalable multiprocessor' or investigating resource allocation algorithms for multiprocessors, a facility that enables parallel program execution to be captured and displayed is invaluable. Careful analysis of execution traces can help computer designers and software architects to uncover system behavior and to take advantage of specific application characteristics and hardware features. A software tool kit that facilitates performance evaluation of parallel applications on multiprocessors is described. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS) has four major software components: a source code instrumentor which automatically inserts active event recorders into the program's source code before compilation; a run time performance-monitoring library, which collects performance data; a trace file animation and analysis tool kit which reconstructs program execution from the trace file; and a trace post-processor which compensate for data collection overhead. Besides being used as prototype for developing new techniques for instrumenting, monitoring, and visualizing parallel program execution, AIMS is also being incorporated into the run-time environments of various hardware test beds to evaluate their impact on user productivity. Currently, AIMS instrumentors accept FORTRAN and C parallel programs written for Intel's NX operating system on the iPSC family of multi computers. A run-time performance-monitoring library for the iPSC/860 is included in this release. We plan to release monitors for other platforms (such as PVM and TMC's CM-5) in the near future. Performance data collected can be graphically displayed on workstations (e.g. Sun Sparc and SGI) supporting X-Windows (in particular, Xl IR5, Motif 1.1.3).

  6. Legal implications of monitoring workers for carcinogenic and mutagenic risk.

    PubMed

    Damme, C J

    1982-01-01

    Many industries have initiated testing programs designed to identify workers who are especially vulnerable to workplace assaults by carcinogenic or mutagenic agents. This paper examines a number of legal issues attendant on such programs, including disclosure and consent, confidentiality, and other potential liability-producing factors. This paper also briefly looks at the legal issues that might arise if the federal government were to mandate similar programs. Finally, the basic rationale of industrial monitoring programs is discussed within the context of the emerging legal issues.

  7. ATS-6 engineering performance report. Volume:Program and systems summaries: Mechanical and thermal details

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wales, R. O. (Editor)

    1981-01-01

    The overall mission and spacecraft systems, testing, and operations are summarized. The mechanical subsystems are reviewed, encompassing mechanical design requirements; separation and deployment mechanisms; design and performance evaluation; and the television camera reflector monitor. Thermal control and contamination are discussed in terms of thermal control subsystems, design validation, subsystems performance, the advanced flight experiment, and the quartz-crystal microbalance contamination monitor.

  8. Family Literacy Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Illinois Literacy Resource Development Center, Rantoul.

    Seven model family literacy programs in Illinois were monitored for one year to determine successful program components and characteristics and to assist local programs in developing and implementing practical evaluation systems. Six were networking programs each of which involved several agencies, and one program was designed on a center-based…

  9. WFC3 Cycle 19 Calibration Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabbi, E.; WFC3 Team

    2012-03-01

    The Cycle 19 WFC3 Calibration Program runs from October 2011 through September 2012 and is designed to measure and monitor the behavior of both the UVIS and IR channels. The program was prepared with the actual usage of WFC3 in mind, to provide the best calibration data and reference les for the approved scientic programs. During Cycle 19 the WFC3 team is using 125 external and 1587 internal orbits of HST time divided in 29 di erent programs, grouped in six categories: Monitor, Photometry, Spectroscopy, Detectors, Flat-elds, and Image Quality

  10. OPTIMAL WELL LOCATOR (OWL): A SCREENING TOOL FOR EVALUATING LOCATIONS OF MONITORING WELLS: USER'S GUIDE VERSION 1.2

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Optimal Well Locator ( OWL) program was designed and developed by USEPA to be a screening tool to evaluate and optimize the placement of wells in long term monitoring networks at small sites. The first objective of the OWL program is to allow the user to visualize the change ...

  11. Collaborative monitoring in Walnut Creek, California

    Treesearch

    Heidi Ballard; Ralph Kraetsch; Lynn Huntsinger

    2002-01-01

    In 1995 and 2000, a monitoring program was designed and implemented to track oak regeneration and native grass populations in target management areas in the four Open Space Preserves of the City of Walnut Creek, California. The program resulted from a collaboration of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, a group of interested citizens known as the...

  12. Long-Term Stream Monitoring Programs in U.S. Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Overholt, Erin; MacKenzie, Ann Haley

    2005-01-01

    The authors surveyed 15 secondary school teachers in 5 states about how they designed and implemented long-term stream monitoring in their classrooms and the problems and benefits they encountered. The authors surveyed students involved in the stream monitoring projects to obtain their perspective. Teachers reported that stream monitoring provided…

  13. A Chemical Monitoring Program of the Explosion Products in Underwater Explosion Tests

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-04-04

    CLASSIFICATION QF THIS PAGE- (When Date Entered) UNCLASSIFIED tL,URJTY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(Then Data Entered) 20.and determination of various explosion...to institute a chemical monitoring program of the explosion products in underwater explosion tests, to determine monitoring parameters, and to...27 3.2.3 Samplers 28 3.2.4 Storage of Sediment Samples 32 IV. DETERMINATION OF EXPLOSION PRODUCTS 32 4.1 DESIGN OF MEASUREMENT SYSTEM 32 4.1.1

  14. Water Quality Monitoring Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, Fred J.; Houdart, Joseph F.

    This manual is designed for students involved in environmental education programs dealing with water pollution problems. By establishing a network of Environmental Monitoring Stations within the educational system, four steps toward the prevention, control, and abatement of water pollution are proposed. (1) Train students to recognize, monitor,…

  15. TIME-RELEVANT BEACH AND RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY AND MONITORING AND REPORTING

    EPA Science Inventory

    This handbook provides information on how to design and implement a time-relevant water quality monitoring program for beaches and other recreational waters. It was developed to help interested communities learn more about the beach monitoring projects associated with EPA's Envir...

  16. MONITORING OF A RETENTION POND BEFORE AND AFTER MAINTENANCE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA’s Urban Watershed Management Branch has monitored stormwater drainage and best management practices (BMP) as part of its research program. One BMP being monitored is a retention pond with wetland plantings in the Richmond Creek (RC) watershed. This BMP, designated RC-...

  17. Data-quality measures for stakeholder-implemented watershed-monitoring programs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Greve, Adrienne I.

    2002-01-01

    Community-based watershed groups, many of which collect environmental data, have steadily increased in number over the last decade. The data generated by these programs are often underutilized due to uncertainty in the quality of data produced. The incorporation of data-quality measures into stakeholder monitoring programs lends statistical validity to data. Data-quality measures are divided into three steps: quality assurance, quality control, and quality assessment. The quality-assurance step attempts to control sources of error that cannot be directly quantified. This step is part of the design phase of a monitoring program and includes clearly defined, quantifiable objectives, sampling sites that meet the objectives, standardized protocols for sample collection, and standardized laboratory methods. Quality control (QC) is the collection of samples to assess the magnitude of error in a data set due to sampling, processing, transport, and analysis. In order to design a QC sampling program, a series of issues needs to be considered: (1) potential sources of error, (2) the type of QC samples, (3) inference space, (4) the number of QC samples, and (5) the distribution of the QC samples. Quality assessment is the process of evaluating quality-assurance measures and analyzing the QC data in order to interpret the environmental data. Quality assessment has two parts: one that is conducted on an ongoing basis as the monitoring program is running, and one that is conducted during the analysis of environmental data. The discussion of the data-quality measures is followed by an example of their application to a monitoring program in the Big Thompson River watershed of northern Colorado.

  18. The OA System of College - - Design of the Teaching Quality Monitoring Subsystem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Hongjuan; Ying, Hong; Jiang, Youyi; Yan, Pei

    According to the drawbacks of traditional teaching quality monitoring subsystems and based on the achievements of practical research in the teaching quality monitoring administration in College, this paper provides a design of overall structure of teaching quality monitoring subsystem, that is more suitable for colleges' management. This new system is endowed with the same features as .NET application programes: easy to extend, easy to maintain, flexible, convenient, and it let enterprises, students' parents and excellent graduates participate in teaching quality monitoring administration, have significant effect to ensure the quality of talent training in colleges.

  19. Development of a long-term ecological monitoring program in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska (USA)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Oakley, Karen L.; Debevec, Edward M.; Rexstad, Eric A.; Aguirre-Bravo, Celedonio; Franco, Carlos Rodriguez

    1999-01-01

    A Long-term Ecological Monitoring (LTEM) program began at Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska (USA) in 1992, as a prototype for subarctic parks. The early history of the Denali LTEM program provides insight into the challenges that can arise during monitoring program development. The Denali program has thus far taken a watershed approach, involving collocation of study effort for a mix of abiotic and biotic attributes within a small, headwater stream (Rock Creek) which crosses the tundra-taiga boundary. An initial effort at integration and synthesis of meteorological, vegetation, small mammal and passerine bird data for the first 7 years of the program found few correlations, but power was low. We will now attempt to balance the intensive work in Rock Creek by developing a cost-effective sampling design that includes more of the park. We are also working to improve linkages between the monitoring program and park management decision-making and to strengthen data management and reporting mechanisms.

  20. A Novel and Cost-Effective Monitoring Approach for Outcomes in an Australian Biodiversity Conservation Incentive Program

    PubMed Central

    Lindenmayer, David B.; Zammit, Charles; Attwood, Simon J.; Burns, Emma; Shepherd, Claire L.; Kay, Geoff; Wood, Jeff

    2012-01-01

    We report on the design and implementation of ecological monitoring for an Australian biodiversity conservation incentive scheme – the Environmental Stewardship Program. The Program uses competitive auctions to contract individual land managers for up to 15 years to conserve matters of National Environmental Significance (with an initial priority on nationally threatened ecological communities). The ecological monitoring was explicitly aligned with the Program’s policy objective and desired outcomes and was applied to the Program’s initial Project which targeted the critically endangered White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland ecological community in south eastern Australia. These woodlands have been reduced to <3% of their original extent and persist mostly as small remnants of variable condition on private farmland. We established monitoring sites on 153 farms located over 172,232 sq km. On each farm we established a monitoring site within the woodland patch funded for management and, wherever possible, a matched control site. The monitoring has entailed gathering data on vegetation condition, reptiles and birds. We also gathered data on the costs of experimental design, site establishment, field survey, and data analysis. The costs of monitoring are approximately 8.5% of the Program’s investment in the first four years and hence are in broad accord with the general rule of thumb that 5–10% of a program’s funding should be invested in monitoring. Once initial monitoring and site benchmarking are completed we propose to implement a novel rotating sampling approach that will maintain scientific integrity while achieving an annual cost-efficiency of up to 23%. We discuss useful lessons relevant to other monitoring programs where there is a need to provide managers with reliable early evidence of program effectiveness and to demonstrate opportunities for cost-efficiencies. PMID:23236399

  1. The environmental audit. I. Concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaeffer, David J.; Kerster, Harold W.; Perry, James A.; Cox, David K.

    1985-05-01

    Extensive criticism of water quality monitoring programs has developed as costs are compared with the benefits produced by monitoring efforts. Collecting water quality data while developing understanding of the functional character of the environment will improve water quality monitoring data utility in environmental management. The “environmental audit” characterizes the attributes of the natural environment (that is, attribute type, intensity, and variability), providing a theoretical as well as practical foundation for data interpretation. In the view proposed here, traditional monitoring means the very narrow activity of collecting samples and perhaps analyzing them and storing the analyses. In the environmental audit, these activities are a mechanism to systematically improve environmental monitoring and assessment by improving the design and implementation of environmental programs. Major reasons why existing programs fail to meet the needs of legislators, regulators, and conservationists are identified.

  2. Assessing power of large river fish monitoring programs to detect population changes: the Missouri River sturgeon example

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wildhaber, M.L.; Holan, S.H.; Bryan, J.L.; Gladish, D.W.; Ellersieck, M.

    2011-01-01

    In 2003, the US Army Corps of Engineers initiated the Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP) to monitor pallid sturgeon and the fish community of the Missouri River. The power analysis of PSPAP presented here was conducted to guide sampling design and effort decisions. The PSPAP sampling design has a nested structure with multiple gear subsamples within a river bend. Power analyses were based on a normal linear mixed model, using a mixed cell means approach, with variance estimates from the original data. It was found that, at current effort levels, at least 20 years for pallid and 10 years for shovelnose sturgeon is needed to detect a 5% annual decline. Modified bootstrap simulations suggest power estimates from the original data are conservative due to excessive zero fish counts. In general, the approach presented is applicable to a wide array of animal monitoring programs.

  3. MONITORING OF A BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE POND IN THE STATEN ISLAND BLUEBELT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA’s Urban Watershed Management Branch has monitored stormwater drainage and best management practices (BMP) as part of its research program. One BMP being monitored is a retention pond with wetland plantings in the Richmond Creek (RC) watershed. This BMP, designated RC-...

  4. MONITORING OF A RETENTION POND FOR EFFECTS OF MAINTENANCE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA’s Urban Watershed Management Branch has monitored stormwater drainage and best management practices (BMP) as part of its research program. One BMP monitored was a retention pond with wetland plantings in the Richmond Creek (RC) watershed. This BMP, designated RC-5, is o...

  5. 36 CFR 62.6 - Natural landmark monitoring.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Natural landmark monitoring... INTERIOR NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARKS PROGRAM § 62.6 Natural landmark monitoring. (a) Owner contact. The Field Offices of the NPS maintain periodic contacts with the owners of designated national natural...

  6. Estimating site occupancy and detection probabilities for cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks in the Southern Sierra Nevada

    Treesearch

    Jennifer E. Carlson; Douglas D. Piirto; John J. Keane; Samantha J. Gill

    2015-01-01

    Long-term monitoring programs that can detect a population change over time can be useful for managers interested in assessing population trends in response to forest management activities for a particular species. Such long-term monitoring programs have been designed for the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), but not for the more elusive Sharp...

  7. Putting Adaptive Management into Monitoring: Retrospective and Prospective Views of Northwest Forest Plan Monitoring

    Treesearch

    David E. Busch; Jon R. Martin

    2006-01-01

    Based on ten years of Northwest Forest Plan implementation, we focus on key scientifically-oriented questions relating to improving Plan monitoring. The questions, which fall into groups concerning issues of scale, integration, and efficiency, have applicability to monitoring programs being designed and implemented throughout the world. Progress toward answering such...

  8. Elk-effects vegetation monitoring program for Tomales Point Elk Range, Point Reyes National Seashore, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McEachern, Kathryn; Semenoff-Irving, Marcia; van der Leeden, Pamela

    2000-01-01

    The monitoring program for elk effects on Tomales Point vegetation is designed to provide information on how tule elk grazing affects plant communities and rare species. The basic objective of the program is to show whether the elk are driving the vegetation into an unacceptable state by their grazing. The expectation is that as elk numbers increase, grazing pressure will increase too, resulting in unacceptable levels of any or all of the following: low vegetation ground cover, poor nutritional quality for the elk, undesirable increases in weedy species, unacceptable loss of native plant biodiversity, population declines in rare plants, population declines in plants used for food and nectar by the endangered silverspot butterfly, and increased erosion.The monitoring program has 3 basic components designed to provide complementary information on different aspects of the elk-vegetation system. Long-term plant community monitoring along permanent transects will show how plant species composition and cover are changing since cattle removal in 1979, and it will show whether any of he undesirable traits listed above are developing in the vegetation. However, monitoring these transects alone will not tell us what the effects of continued grazing by elk are apart from changes the vegetation would be undergoing anyway. In order to tease apart the elk effects from change that is happening because of cattle removal, elk exclosures are needed. By sampling inside and outside exclosures, we will be able to see how elk are modifying the rates and directions of change in the vegetation that would be happening in their absence. In a sense, the exclosures serve as a “check” on elk effects. They will allow us to interpret how much of the change is due to elk and how much can be attributed to other processes such as natural succession or weather patterns. This information will allow us to analyze whether changing elk management will have a desirable effect on the vegetation. Finally, periodic mapping and counting of plants in rare plant populations will show whether plant population ranges are expanding and populations are stable or growing. If not, then management actions can be taken to improve habitat conditions for the plants.A general summary of the rationale and sample design for each of the 3 components of the elk-effects monitoring program follows. Field sampling for the entire program should require about 15 weeks for a 2 to 3- person team, and data processing, analysis, and report writing should require about 9 weeks. Time and labor estimates for this program are given in Table A-1. In addition to elk-effects monitoring, Point Reyes staff periodically monitor fire transects and residual dry matter plots on Tomales Point. They are not included as part of the elk-effects monitoring program and they are described elsewhere. Protocols for fire and residual dry matter sampling are not included in the time estimate for the elk- effects monitoring program.

  9. Boreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Handel, Colleen M.; Bonney, Rick; Pashley, David N.; Cooper, Robert J.; Niles, Larry

    1999-01-01

    Boreal regions of western North America regularly support breeding populations of 130 species of landbirds, including 68 Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. Primary conservation concerns within the region include increased timber harvesting, insect outbreaks, fire suppression, mining, impacts of military training activities, urbanization, and recreational activities. Under auspices of Partners in Flight, biologists, land and resource managers, and conservationists from Alaska and western Canada have combined efforts to develop a regional research and monitoring program for landbirds. An experimental monitoring program has been under way during the past four years to test the relative statistical power and cost-effectiveness of various monitoring methods in Alaska. Joint efforts currently include the Alaska Checklist Project on National Wildlife Refuges, 75 Breeding Bird Surveys along the road system, 122 Off-road Point Count routes, 27 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship banding sites, and 8 migration banding stations. The ultimate goal is to design a comprehensive monitoring program that is sensitive to changes in population size, survival rates, and productivity, but robust enough to accommodate logistical constraints that arise when working in vast, roadless areas with limited funds and staff. Primary challenges that must be faced to assure the long-term future of such a program are obtaining long-term commitment from resource agencies in the region, integrating this program with other national and regional programs that address those species and habitats that are inadequately monitored by established techniques, and developing cooperative research, monitoring, and management programs at the landscape level.

  10. Designing and Piloting a Program to Provide Water Filters and Improved Cookstoves in Rwanda

    PubMed Central

    Barstow, Christina K.; Ngabo, Fidele; Rosa, Ghislaine; Majorin, Fiona; Boisson, Sophie; Clasen, Thomas; Thomas, Evan A.

    2014-01-01

    Background In environmental health interventions addressing water and indoor air quality, multiple determinants contribute to adoption. These may include technology selection, technology distribution and education methods, community engagement with behavior change, and duration and magnitude of implementer engagement. In Rwanda, while the country has the fastest annual reduction in child mortality in the world, the population is still exposed to a disease burden associated with environmental health challenges. Rwanda relies both on direct donor funding and coordination of programs managed by international non-profits and health sector businesses working on these challenges. Methods and Findings This paper describes the design, implementation and outcomes of a pilot program in 1,943 households across 15 villages in the western province of Rwanda to distribute and monitor the use of household water filters and improved cookstoves. Three key program design criteria include a.) an investment in behavior change messaging and monitoring through community health workers, b.) free distributions to encourage community-wide engagement, and c.) a private-public partnership incentivized by a business model designed to encourage “pay for performance”. Over a 5-month period of rigorous monitoring, reported uptake was maintained at greater than 90% for both technologies, although exclusive use of the stove was reported in only 28.5% of households and reported water volume was 1.27 liters per person per day. On-going qualitative monitoring suggest maintenance of comparable adoption rates through at least 16 months after the intervention. Conclusion High uptake and sustained adoption of a water filter and improved cookstove was measured over a five-month period with indications of continued comparable adoption 16 months after the intervention. The design attributes applied by the implementers may be sufficient in a longer term. In particular, sustained and comprehensive engagement by the program implementer is enabled by a pay-for-performance business model that rewards sustained behavior change. PMID:24676210

  11. Database and interactive monitoring system for the photonics and electronics of RPC Muon Trigger in CMS experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiacek, Daniel; Kudla, Ignacy M.; Pozniak, Krzysztof T.; Bunkowski, Karol

    2005-02-01

    The main task of the RPC (Resistive Plate Chamber) Muon Trigger monitoring system design for the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment (at LHC in CERN Geneva) is the visualization of data that includes the structure of electronic trigger system (e.g. geometry and imagery), the way of its processes and to generate automatically files with VHDL source code used for programming of the FPGA matrix. In the near future, the system will enable the analysis of condition, operation and efficiency of individual Muon Trigger elements, registration of information about some Muon Trigger devices and present previously obtained results in interactive presentation layer. A broad variety of different database and programming concepts for design of Muon Trigger monitoring system was presented in this article. The structure and architecture of the system and its principle of operation were described. One of ideas for building this system is use object-oriented programming and design techniques to describe real electronics systems through abstract object models stored in database and implement these models in Java language.

  12. Monitoring components of GypsES

    Treesearch

    Lukas P. Schaub; F. William Ravlin; Jesse A. Logan; Shelby J. Fleischer

    1991-01-01

    The manager needs tools for assistance in planning and interpreting monitoring systems. We are building a system that designs sampling programs by interpreting data about Gypsy Moth, stand condition and management objectives. The system prioritizes areas within the management unit within budgetary constraints and defines the areas to be monitored. The system proposes...

  13. Lessons from a Community-Based Program to Monitor Forest Vertebrates in the Brazilian Amazon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benchimol, Maíra; von Mühlen, Eduardo M.; Venticinque, Eduardo M.

    2017-09-01

    A large number of sustainable use reserves recently have been titled in the Brazilian Amazonia. These reserves require public participation in the design and implementation of management and monitoring programs. Species-monitoring programs that engage local stakeholders may be useful for assessing wildlife status over the long term. We collaborated on the development of a participatory program to monitor forest vertebrates in the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve and to build capacity among the local people. We examined relations between the distance to the nearest human community and sighting rates of each species, and evaluated the program overall. Eighteen wildlife monitors received training in line transect and sign surveys and then conducted surveys along a total of ten transects. Sighting rates of most species in the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve were higher than those reported in other Amazonian forests. Distance to the human community was not associated with the overall vertebrate sighting rate. Use of the trained monitors was successful in terms of data acquisition and engagement. The involvement of local people promoted discussions about regulation of hunting in the reserve. Implementation of community-based programs to monitor forest wildlife in Amazonian sustainable use reserves may empower local communities and assess the status of wildlife through time.

  14. Chickamauga Reservoir 1992 fisheries monitoring cove rotenone results

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

    Kerley, B.L.

    1993-06-01

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) to conduct and report annually a nonradiological operational monitoring program to evaluate potential effects of SQN on Chickamauga Reservoir. This monitoring program was initially designed to identify potential changes in water quality and biological communities in Chickamauga Reservoir resulting from operation of SQU. Chickamauga Reservoir cove rotenone sampling has also been conducted as part of the preoperational monitoring program for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN) to evaluate the combined effects of operating two nuclear facilities on one reservoir oncemore » WBU becomes operational. The purpose of this report is to present results of cove rotenone sampling conducted on Chickamauga Reservoir in 1992.« less

  15. 24 CFR 570.206 - Program administrative costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... section for overall program management of: (1) A Federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise....204, since those costs are eligible as part of such activities. (a) General management, oversight and coordination. Reasonable costs of overall program management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. Such...

  16. 24 CFR 570.206 - Program administrative costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... section for overall program management of: (1) A Federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise....204, since those costs are eligible as part of such activities. (a) General management, oversight and coordination. Reasonable costs of overall program management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. Such...

  17. 24 CFR 570.206 - Program administrative costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... section for overall program management of: (1) A Federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise....204, since those costs are eligible as part of such activities. (a) General management, oversight and coordination. Reasonable costs of overall program management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. Such...

  18. A ground-water-quality monitoring program for Nevada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nowlin, Jon O.

    1986-01-01

    A program was designed for the systematic monitoring of ground-water quality in Nevada. Basic hydrologic and water-quality principles are discussed in the formulation of a rational approach to developing a statewide monitoring program. A review of ground-water monitoring efforts in Nevada through 1977 indicates that few requirements for an effective statewide program are being met. A suggested program has been developed that consists of five major elements: (1) A Background-Quality Network to assess the existing water quality in Nevada aquifers, (2) a Contamination Source Inventory of known or potential threats to ground-water quality, (3) Surveillance Networks to monitor ground-water quality in selected hydrographic areas, (4) Intensive Surveys of individual instances of known or potential ground-water contamination, and (5) Ground-Water Data File to manage data generated by the other monitoring elements. Two indices have been developed to help assign rational priorities for monitoring ground water in the 255 hydrographic areas of Nevada: (1) A Hydrographic-Area Priority Index for surveillance monitoring, and (2) A Development-Potential Index for background monitoring of areas with little or no current development. Requirements for efficient management of data from ground-water monitoring are discussed and the three major systems containing Nevada ground-water data are reviewed. More than 11,000 chemical analyses of ground water have been acquired from existing systems and incorporated into a prototype data base.

  19. Use of EMAP Freshwater and Marine Data in EPA Region 10

    Treesearch

    Gretchen A. Hayslip; C. Lorraine Edmond; Lillian G. Herger

    2006-01-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) to provide tools to monitor and assess the condition of the nation’s ecological resources. Since 1993, EPA Region 10 has worked with the States in our region to demonstrate the application of the ecological indicators and statistical designs developed by EMAP...

  20. Generalized linear models and point count data: statistical considerations for the design and analysis of monitoring studies

    Treesearch

    Nathaniel E. Seavy; Suhel Quader; John D. Alexander; C. John Ralph

    2005-01-01

    The success of avian monitoring programs to effectively guide management decisions requires that studies be efficiently designed and data be properly analyzed. A complicating factor is that point count surveys often generate data with non-normal distributional properties. In this paper we review methods of dealing with deviations from normal assumptions, and we focus...

  1. Conceptual Design for the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Battaglin, W. A.; Langtimm, C. A.; Adams, M. J.; Gallant, A. L.; James, D. L.

    2001-12-01

    In 2000, the President of the United States (US) and Congress directed Department of Interior (DOI) agencies to develop a program for monitoring trends in amphibian populations on DOI lands and to conduct research into causes of declines. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was given lead responsibility for planning and implementing the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. The program objectives are to (1) establish a network for monitoring the status and distribution of amphibian species on DOI lands; (2) identify and monitor environmental conditions known to affect amphibian populations; (3) conduct research on causes of amphibian population change and malformations; and (4) provide information to resource managers, policy makers, and the public in support of amphibian conservation. The ARMI program will integrate research efforts of USGS, other Federal, and non-federal herpetologists, hydrologists, and geographers across the Nation. ARMI will conduct a small number (~20) of intensive research efforts (for example, studies linking amphibian population changes to hydrologic conditions) and a larger number (~50) of more generalized inventory and monitoring studies encompassing broader areas such as NPS units. ARMI will coordinate with and try to augment other amphibian inventory studies such as the National Amphibian Atlas and the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program. ARMI will develop and test protocols for the standardized collection of amphibian data and provide a centrally managed database designed to simplify data entry, retrieval, and analysis. ARMI pilot projects are underway at locations across the US.

  2. Cost-Effective Large-Scale Occupancy–Abundance Monitoring of Invasive Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus Vulpecula) on New Zealand’s Public Conservation Land

    PubMed Central

    Gormley, Andrew M.; Forsyth, David M.; Wright, Elaine F.; Lyall, John; Elliott, Mike; Martini, Mark; Kappers, Benno; Perry, Mike; McKay, Meredith

    2015-01-01

    There is interest in large-scale and unbiased monitoring of biodiversity status and trend, but there are few published examples of such monitoring being implemented. The New Zealand Department of Conservation is implementing a monitoring program that involves sampling selected biota at the vertices of an 8-km grid superimposed over the 8.6 million hectares of public conservation land that it manages. The introduced brushtail possum (Trichosurus Vulpecula) is a major threat to some biota and is one taxon that they wish to monitor and report on. A pilot study revealed that the traditional method of monitoring possums using leg-hold traps set for two nights, termed the Trap Catch Index, was a constraint on the cost and logistical feasibility of the monitoring program. A phased implementation of the monitoring program was therefore conducted to collect data for evaluating the trade-off between possum occupancy–abundance estimates and the costs of sampling for one night rather than two nights. Reducing trapping effort from two nights to one night along four trap-lines reduced the estimated costs of monitoring by 5.8% due to savings in labour, food and allowances; it had a negligible effect on estimated national possum occupancy but resulted in slightly higher and less precise estimates of relative possum abundance. Monitoring possums for one night rather than two nights would provide an annual saving of NZ$72,400, with 271 fewer field days required for sampling. Possums occupied 60% (95% credible interval; 53–68) of sampling locations on New Zealand’s public conservation land, with a mean relative abundance (Trap Catch Index) of 2.7% (2.0–3.5). Possum occupancy and abundance were higher in forest than in non-forest habitats. Our case study illustrates the need to evaluate relationships between sampling design, cost, and occupancy–abundance estimates when designing and implementing large-scale occupancy–abundance monitoring programs. PMID:26029890

  3. Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beever, Erik A.; Woodward, Andrea

    2011-01-01

    Long-term monitoring of ecological systems can prove invaluable for resource management and conservation. Such monitoring can: (1) detect instances of long-term trend (either improvement or deterioration) in monitored resources, thus providing an early-warning indication of system change to resource managers; (2) inform management decisions and help assess the effects of management actions, as well as anthropogenic and natural disturbances; and (3) provide the grist for supplemental research on mechanisms of system dynamics and cause-effect relationships (Fancy et al., 2009). Such monitoring additionally provides a snapshot of the status of monitored resources during each sampling cycle, and helps assess whether legal standards and regulations are being met. Until the last 1-2 decades, tracking and understanding changes in condition of natural resources across broad spatial extents have been infrequently attempted. Several factors, however, are facilitating the achievement of such broad-scale investigation and monitoring. These include increasing awareness of the importance of landscape context, greater prevalence of regional and global environmental stressors, and the rise of landscape-scale programs designed to manage and monitor biological systems. Such programs include the US Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program (Moser et al., 2008), Canada's National Forest Inventory, the 3Q Programme for monitoring agricultural landscapes of Norway (Dramstad et al., 2002), and the emerging (US) Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (USDOI Secretarial Order 3289, 2009; Anonymous, 2011). This Special Section explores the underlying design considerations, as well as many pragmatic aspects associated with program implementation and interpretation of results from broad-scale monitoring systems, particularly within the constraints of high-latitude contexts (e.g., low road density, short field season, dramatic fluctuations in temperature). Although Alaska is the focus of most papers in this Special Section, we posit that many of the issues that characterize the remote, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of high northern latitudes are widespread and thus applicable to natural-resource management and conservation across northern portions of the Holarctic ecozone and indeed anywhere broad-scale monitoring is contemplated.

  4. Spatial Analysis for Monitoring Forest Health

    Treesearch

    Francis A. Roesch

    1994-01-01

    A plan for the spatial analysis for the sample design for the detection monitoring phase in the joint USDA Forest Service/EPA Forest Health Monitoring Program (FHM) in the United States is discussed. The spatial analysis procedure is intended to more quickly identify changes in forest health by providing increased sensitivity to localized changes. The procedure is...

  5. SIMON: A Simple Instructional Monitor. Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feurzeig, Wallace; And Others

    An instructional monitor is a program which tries to detect, diagnose, and possibly help overcome a student's learning difficulties in the course of solving a problem or performing a task. In one approach to building an instructional monitor, the student uses a special task- or problem-oriented language expressly designed around some particular…

  6. Gulf Coast geopressured-geothermal program summary report compilation. Volume 2-B: Resource description, program history, wells tested, university and company based research, site restoration

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

    John, C.J.; Maciasz, G.; Harder, B.J.

    1998-06-01

    The US Department of Energy established a geopressured-geothermal energy program in the mid 1970`s as one response to America`s need to develop alternate energy resources in view of the increasing dependence on imported fossil fuel energy. This program continued for 17 years and approximately two hundred million dollars were expended for various types of research and well testing to thoroughly investigate this alternative energy source. This volume describes the following studies: Design well program; LaFourche Crossing; MG-T/DOE Amoco Fee No. 1 (Sweet Lake); Environmental monitoring at Sweet Lake; Air quality; Water quality; Microseismic monitoring; Subsidence; Dow/DOE L.R. Sweezy No. 1more » well; Reservoir testing; Environmental monitoring at Parcperdue; Air monitoring; Water runoff; Groundwater; Microseismic events; Subsidence; Environmental consideration at site; Gladys McCall No. 1 well; Test results of Gladys McCall; Hydrocarbons in production gas and brine; Environmental monitoring at the Gladys McCall site; Pleasant Bayou No. 2 well; Pleasant Bayou hybrid power system; Environmental monitoring at Pleasant Bayou; and Plug abandonment and well site restoration of three geopressured-geothermal test sites. 197 figs., 64 tabs.« less

  7. USEPA REGION 10 REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: PROGRAM OVERVIEW

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA designed and implemented the Environmental Assessment Program (EMAP) to determine the current status, extent, changes, and trends in indicators of the condition of the Nations ecological resources on regional and national scales with known confidence. USEPA Region 10s ...

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

    Johnson, Gary E.; Diefenderfer, Heida L.; Ebberts, Blaine D.

    The purpose ofthis document is to describe research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) for the Federal Columbia River Estuary Program. The intent of this RME effort is to provide data and information to evaluate progress toward meeting program goals and objectives and support decision-making in the Estuary Program. The goal of the Estuary Program is to understand, conserve, and restore the estuary ecosystem to improve the performance of listed salmonid populations. The Estuary Program has five general objectives, designed to fulfill the program goal, as follows. 1. Understand the primary stressors affecting ecosystem controlling factors, such as ocean conditions and invasivemore » species. 2. Conserve and restore factors controlling ecosystem structures and processes, such as hydrodynamics and water quality. 3. Increase the quantity and quality of ecosystem structures, i.e., habitats, juvenile salmonids use during migration through the estuary. 4. Maintain the food web to benefit salmonid performance. 5. Improve salmonid performance in terms of life history diversity, foraging success, growth, and survival. The goal of estuary RME is to provide pertinent and timely research and monitoring information to planners, implementers, and managers of the Estuary Program. In conclusion, the estuary RME effort is designed to meet the research and monitoring needs of the estuary Program using an adaptive management process. Estuary RME's success and usefulness will depend on the actual conduct of adaptive management, as embodied in the objectives, implrementation, data, reporting, and synthesis, evaluation, and decision-making described herein.« less

  9. Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program: A USFS-University of Montana Partnership Designed to Provide Both Short-term and Long-term Feedback for Land Managers

    Treesearch

    R. Hutto; Skip Kowalski

    2006-01-01

    The Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program (NRLMP) began in 1990 as a cooperative effort between the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the University of Montana. The combination of a research-oriented perspective from the University and a management-needs perspective from the National Forests within the Northern Region led to the realization that landbirds...

  10. Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program Monitoring Optimization Plan for Groundwater Monitoring Wells at the U.S. Department of Energy Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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

    None, None

    This document is the monitoring optimization plan for groundwater monitoring wells associated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The plan describes the technical approach that is implemented under the Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP) to focus available resources on the monitoring wells at Y-12 that provide the most useful hydrologic and groundwater quality monitoring data. The technical approach is based on the GWPP status designation for each well. Under this approach, wells granted “active” status are used by the GWPP for hydrologic monitoring and/or groundwater quality sampling, whereas wells grantedmore » “inactive” status are not used for either purpose. The status designation also defines the frequency at which the GWPP will inspect applicable wells, the scope of these well inspections, and extent of any maintenance actions initiated by the GWPP. Details regarding the ancillary activities associated with implementation of this plan (e.g., well inspection) are deferred to the referenced GWPP plans.« less

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

    Call, Justin

    This contract report is one of a series of reports that document implementation components of the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) funded project: Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program (ISEMP - BPA project No.2003-017-00, Chris Jordan, NOAA-NWFSC project sponsor). Other components of the project are separately reported, as explained below. The ISEMP project has been created as a cost effective means of developing protocols and new technologies, novel indicators, sample designs, analytical data management, communication tools and skills, and restoration experiments that support the development of a region-wide Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RME) program to assess the status of anadromous salmonidsmore » populations, their tributary habitat and restoration and management actions. The most straightforward approach to developing a regional-scale monitoring and evaluation program would be to increase standardization among status and trend monitoring programs. However, the diversity of species and their habitat, as well as the overwhelming uncertainty surrounding indicators, metrics, and data interpretation methods requires the testing of multiple approaches. Thus, ISEMP has adopted an approach to develop a broad template that may differ in the details among subbasins, but one that will ultimately lead to the formation of a unified RME process for the management of anadromous salmonid populations and habitat across the Columbia River Basin. ISEMP has been initiated in three pilot areas, the Wenatchee/Entiat, John Day, and Salmon. To balance replicating experimental approaches with the goal of developing monitoring and evaluation tools that apply as broadly as possible across the Pacific Northwest, these subbasins were chosen as representative of a wide range of potential challenges and conditions, e.g., differing fish species composition and life histories, ecoregions, institutional settings, and existing data. ISEMP has constructed a framework that builds on current status and trend monitoring infrastructures in these pilot subbasins, but challenges current programs by testing alternative monitoring approaches. In addition, the ISEMP is: (1) Collecting information over a hierarchy of spatial scales, allowing for a greater flexibility of data aggregation for multi-scale recovery planning assessments, and (2) Designing methods that: (a) Identify factors limiting fish production in watersheds; (b) Determine restoration actions to address these problems; (c) Implement actions as a large-scale experiment (e.g. Before After Control Impact, or BACI design), and (d) Implement intensive monitoring and research to evaluate the action's success. The intent of the ISEMP project is to design monitoring programs that can efficiently collect information to address multiple management objectives over a broad range of scales. This includes: Evaluating the status of anadromous salmonids and their habitat; Identifying opportunities to restore habitat function and fish performance, and Evaluating the benefits of the actions to the fish populations across the Columbia River Basin. The multi-scale nature of this goal requires the standardization of protocols and sampling designs that are statistically valid and powerful, properties that are currently inconsistent across the multiple monitoring programs in the region. Other aspects of the program will aid in the ability to extrapolate information beyond the study area, such as research to elucidate causal mechanisms, and a classification of watersheds throughout the Columbia River Basin. Obviously, the scale of the problem is immense and the ISEMP does not claim to be the only program working towards this goal. As such, ISEMP relies heavily on the basin's current monitoring infrastructure to test and develop monitoring strategies, while acting as a coordinating body and providing support for key elements such as data management and technical analyses. The ISEMP also ensures that monitoring programs can address large-scale management objectives (resulting largely from the ESA) through these local efforts. While the ISEMP maintains a regional focus it also returns the necessary information to aid in management at the smaller spatial scales (individual projects) where manipulations (e.g., habitat restoration actions) actually occur. The work captured in this report is a component of the overall ISEMP, and while it stands alone as an important contribution to the management of anadromous salmonids and their habitat, it also plays a key role within ISEMP. Each component of work within ISEMP is reported on individually, as is done so here, and in annual and triennial summary reports that present all of the overall project components in their programmatic context and shows how the data and tools developed can be applied to the development of regionally consistent, efficient and effective Research, Monitoring and Evaluation.« less

  12. Thermal and orbital analysis of Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous space experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Killough, Brian D.

    1990-01-01

    The fundamentals of an Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous orbit are presented. A Sun-synchronous Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) was developed to calculate orbital parameters for an entire year. The output from this program provides the required input data for the TRASYS thermal radiation computer code, which in turn computes the infrared, solar and Earth albedo heat fluxes incident on a space experiment. Direct incident heat fluxes can be used as input to a generalized thermal analyzer program to size radiators and predict instrument operating temperatures. The SOAP computer code and its application to the thermal analysis methodology presented, should prove useful to the thermal engineer during the design phases of Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous space experiments.

  13. Preliminary Design Program: Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schubert, F. H.; Boyda, R. B.

    1995-01-01

    This document provides a description of the results of a program to prepare a preliminary design of a flight experiment to demonstrate the function of a Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD) Wastewater Processor (WWP) in microgravity. This report describes the test sequence to be performed and the hardware, control/monitor instrumentation and software designs prepared to perform the defined tests. the purpose of the flight experiment is to significantly reduce the technical and programmatic risks associated with implementing a VCD-based WWP on board the International Space Station Alpha.

  14. Environmental stratification framework and water-quality monitoring design strategy for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Africa

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Friedel, Michael J.

    2008-01-01

    Mauritania anticipates an increase in mining activities throughout the country and into the foreseeable future. Because mining-induced changes in the landscape are likely to affect their limited ground-water resources and sensitive aquatic ecosystems, a water-quality assessment program was designed for Mauritania that is based on a nationally consistent environmental stratification framework. The primary objectives of this program are to ensure that the environmental monitoring systems can quantify near real-time changes in surface-water chemistry at a local scale, and quantify intermediate- to long-term changes in groundwater and aquatic ecosystems over multiple scales.

  15. Design description of a microprocessor based Engine Monitoring and Control unit (EMAC) for small turboshaft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baez, A. N.

    1985-01-01

    Research programs have demonstrated that digital electronic controls are more suitable for advanced aircraft/rotorcraft turbine engine systems than hydromechanical controls. Commercially available microprocessors are believed to have the speed and computational capability required for implementing advanced digital control algorithms. Thus, it is desirable to demonstrate that off-the-shelf microprocessors are indeed capable of performing real time control of advanced gas turbine engines. The engine monitoring and control (EMAC) unit was designed and fabricated specifically to meet the requirements of an advanced gas turbine engine control system. The EMAC unit is fully operational in the Army/NASA small turboshaft engine digital research program.

  16. Overview of the National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC)

    Treesearch

    Charles T. Scott

    2009-01-01

    The National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) was created by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program in 2006. NIMAC addresses a growing need, expressed by FIA partners, for technical assistance in designing and implementing monitoring plans for forests at scales finer than that provided by the FIA standard inventory. NIMAC's goal is to...

  17. General specifications for the development of a PC-based simulator of the NASA RECON system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Triantafyllopoulos, Spiros

    1984-01-01

    The general specifications for the design and implementation of an IBM PC/XT-based simulator of the NASA RECON system, including record designs, file structure designs, command language analysis, program design issues, error recovery considerations, and usage monitoring facilities are discussed. Once implemented, such a simulator will be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of simulated information system access in addition to actual system usage as part of the total educational programs being developed within the NASA contract.

  18. STS-44 Space Shuttle mission report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fricke, Robert W.

    1992-01-01

    The STS-44 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report is a summary of the vehicle subsystem operations during the forty-fourth flight of the Space Shuttle Program and the tenth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Atlantis (OV-104). In addition to the Atlantis vehicle, the flight vehicle consisted of the following: an External Tank (ET) designated as ET-53 (LWT-46); three Space Shuttle main engines (SSME's) (serial numbers 2015, 2030, and 2029 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively); and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) designated as BI-047. The lightweight redesigned Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM's) installed in each one of the SRB's were designated as 360L019A for the left SRB and 360W019B for the right SRB. The primary objective of the STS-44 mission was to successfully deploy the Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite/inertial upper stage (IUS) into a 195 nmi. earth orbit at an inclination of 28.45 deg. Secondary objectives of this flight were to perform all operations necessary to support the requirements of the following: Terra Scout, Military Man in Space (M88-1), Air Force Maui Optical System Calibration Test (AMOS), Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM), Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM), Radiation Monitoring Equipment-3 (RME-3), Visual Function Tester-1 (VFT-1), and the Interim Operational Contamination Monitor (IOCM) secondary payloads/experiments.

  19. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM FOR MONITORING AND CHARACTERIZATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Environmental Technology Verification Program is a service of the Environmental Protection Agency designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of improved environmental technology through third party verification and reporting of performance. The goal of ETV i...

  20. Migrant Education Administrative Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Compensatory Education.

    Relating specifically to the North Carolina migrant education program's administrative responsibilities, this guide is designed to aid administrators in program management, monitoring project activities, project evaluation, self-assessment, determining needs for training and staff development, site-visit preparation, policy development, and…

  1. Application of Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring under the CAFF Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program: Designing and Implementing Terrestrial Monitoring to Establish the Canadian High Arctic Research Station as a Flagship Arctic Environmental Monitoring Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLennan, D.; Kehler, D.

    2016-12-01

    The Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) is scheduled for completion in July 2017 and is the northern science component of Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR). A mandated goal for POLAR is to establish the adjacent Experimental and Reference Area (ERA) as an Arctic Flagship monitoring site that will track change in Arctic terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Situated in the community of Cambridge Bay, CHARS provides the opportunity to draw on the Indigenous Knowledge of local residents to help design and conduct the monitoring, and to operate 12 months a year. Monitoring at CHARS will be linked to networks nationally and internationally, and is being designed so that change in key indicators can be understood in terms of drivers and processes, modeled and scaled up regionally, and used to predict important changes in critical indicators. As a partner in the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), the monitoring design for terrestrial ecosystems follows approaches outlined by the CBMP Terrestrial Expert Monitoring Group, who have listed key monitoring questions and identified a list of important Focal Ecosystem Components (FECs). To link drivers to FECs we are proposing a multi-scaled approach: 1) an Intensive Monitoring Area to establish replicated monitoring plots that track change in snow depth and condition, active layer depth, soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil solution chemistry that are spatially and temporally linked to changes in microbiological activity, CO2/CH4 net ecosystem flux, vegetation relative frequency, species composition, growth and foliar nutrient concentration, arthropod abundance, lemming abundance and health, and shorebird/songbird abundance and productivity. 2) These intensive observations are supported by watershed scale measures that will monitor, during the growing season, lemming winter nest abundance, songbird, shorebird and waterfowl staging and nesting, and other observations; in the winter we will monitor muskoxen, caribou, Arctic hare, wolf and Arctic fox using tracks and DNA analysis of fresh scat. 3) Ground measures will be supported by aerial flights and satellite remote sensing approaches to reach out with regional calibration-validation. Feedback is being sought at this time on project design, implementation and scope.

  2. DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE MONITORING PROGRAMS FOR DREDGING CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Currently, there is a growing national debate about dredging contaminated sediments, including risks to human health and the environment as well as the overall effectiveness of remedial activities. Presently, monitoring methods are available to address both concerns. This present...

  3. HANDBOOK: CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR NON-CRITERIA POLLUTANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    This Handbook provides a description of the methods used to continuously monitor non-criteria pollutants emitted from stationary sources. The Handbook contains a review of current regulatory programs, the state-of-the-art sampling system design, analytical techniques, and the use...

  4. 9 CFR 318.307 - Record review and maintenance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... temperature/time recording devices shall be identified by production date, container code, processing vessel... made available to Program employees for review. (b) Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping. Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping systems shall be designed and operated in a manner that will...

  5. 9 CFR 318.307 - Record review and maintenance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... temperature/time recording devices shall be identified by production date, container code, processing vessel... made available to Program employees for review. (b) Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping. Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping systems shall be designed and operated in a manner that will...

  6. 9 CFR 318.307 - Record review and maintenance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... temperature/time recording devices shall be identified by production date, container code, processing vessel... made available to Program employees for review. (b) Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping. Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping systems shall be designed and operated in a manner that will...

  7. 9 CFR 318.307 - Record review and maintenance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... temperature/time recording devices shall be identified by production date, container code, processing vessel... made available to Program employees for review. (b) Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping. Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping systems shall be designed and operated in a manner that will...

  8. 9 CFR 318.307 - Record review and maintenance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... temperature/time recording devices shall be identified by production date, container code, processing vessel... made available to Program employees for review. (b) Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping. Automated process monitoring and recordkeeping systems shall be designed and operated in a manner that will...

  9. Calendar years 1989 and 1990 monitoring well installation program Y-12 plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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

    Not Available

    1991-10-01

    This report documents the well-construction activities at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during 1989 and 1990. The well- construction program consisted of installing seventy-five monitoring wells. Geologists from ERCE (formally the Engineering, Design and Geosciences Group) and Martin Marietta Energy Systems (Energy Systems), supervised and documented well-construction activities and monitored for health and safety concerns. Sixty-seven monitoring wells were installed under the supervision of an ERCE geologist from March 1989 to September 1990. Beginning in September 1990, Energy Systems supervised drilling activities for eight monitoring wells, the last of which was completed in December 1990. 9 refs., 3more » figs., 2 tabs.« less

  10. The Design and Development of a Curriculum in Energy Conservation to Train Secondary and Post-Secondary Vocational Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orsak, Charles; Green, C. Paul

    Designed for practical hands-on secondary and postsecondary vocational programs and adult/continuing education programs, this eleven-module curriculum was developed to equip both male and female students with the capabilities to identify, monitor, manage, and curb energy usage in their daily lives and vocational pursuits. It is intended for use as…

  11. Reflections on a vision for integrated research and monitoring after 15 years

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Murdoch, Peter S.; McHale, Michael; Baron, Jill S.

    2014-01-01

    In May of 1998, Owen Bricker and his co-author Michael Ruggiero introduced a conceptual design for integrating the Nation’s environmental research and monitoring programs. The Framework for Integrated Monitoring and Related Research was an organizing strategy for relating data collected by various programs, at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and by multiple science disciplines to solve complex ecological issues that individual research or monitoring programs were not designed to address. The concept nested existing intensive monitoring and research stations within national and regional surveys, remotely sensed data, and inventories to produce a collaborative program for multi-scale, multi-network integrated environmental monitoring and research. Analyses of gaps in data needed for specific issues would drive decisions on network improvements or enhancements. Data contributions to the Framework from existing networks would help indicate critical research and monitoring programs to protect during budget reductions. Significant progress has been made since 1998 on refining the Framework strategy. Methods and models for projecting scientific information across spatial and temporal scales have been improved, and a few regional pilots of multi-scale data-integration concepts have been attempted. The links between science and decision-making are also slowly improving and being incorporated into science practice. Experiments with the Framework strategy since 1998 have revealed the foundational elements essential to its successful implementation, such as defining core measurements, establishing standards of data collection and management, integrating research and long-term monitoring, and describing baseline ecological conditions. They have also shown us the remaining challenges to establishing the Framework concept: protecting and enhancing critical long-term monitoring, filling gaps in measurement methods, improving science for decision support, and integrating the disparate integrated science efforts now underway. In the 15 years since the Bricker and Ruggiero (Ecol Appl 8(2):326–329, 1998) paper challenged us with a new paradigm for bringing sound and comprehensive science to environmental decisions, the scientific community can take pride in the progress that has been made, while also taking stock of the challenges ahead for completing the Framework vision.

  12. Look-Listen Opinion Poll, 1983-1984. Project of the National Telemedia Council, Inc.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Telemedia Council, Inc., Madison, WI.

    Designed to indicate the reasons behind viewer program preferences, this report presents results of a survey which asked 1,576 television viewers (monitors) to evaluate programs they liked, did not like, and/or new programs. Tables summarize the findings for why programs were chosen, their technical quality, content realism, overall quality, and…

  13. Use of process evaluation to guide health education in Forsyth County's project to prevent cervical cancer.

    PubMed

    Dignan, M B; Michielutte, R; Sharp, P C; Young, L D; Daniels, L A

    1991-01-01

    The Forsyth County, NC, Cervical Cancer Prevention Project is a 5-year public health education program designed to increase the proportion of black women in the county who are appropriately screened for cervical cancer. In this paper, the authors report on process evaluation--the procedures used to monitor the intervention and to insure that the target population was reached with a high quality, community-based health education program. A system that encompasses documentation of program activities, interviews with women in waiting rooms of primary care providers, semiannual interviews with a panel of approximately 100 women from the target population, and telephone followup with participants in direct education workshops was designed and implemented. Through October 1990, more than 2,100 interviews had been conducted. Data from these activities have facilitated continued development and refinement of educational materials, provided guidance for developing new strategies for reaching the target population, and provided continuous feedback to program managers to allow monitoring the impact of all program activities.

  14. 40 CFR 61.184 - Ambient air monitoring for inorganic arsenic.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard... this subpart applies shall operate a continuous monitoring system for the measurement of inorganic... operator shall submit a written plan describing, and explaining the basis for, the design and adequacy of...

  15. 40 CFR 61.184 - Ambient air monitoring for inorganic arsenic.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard... this subpart applies shall operate a continuous monitoring system for the measurement of inorganic... operator shall submit a written plan describing, and explaining the basis for, the design and adequacy of...

  16. 40 CFR 61.184 - Ambient air monitoring for inorganic arsenic.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard... this subpart applies shall operate a continuous monitoring system for the measurement of inorganic... operator shall submit a written plan describing, and explaining the basis for, the design and adequacy of...

  17. Sustainable urban stormwater management in the tropics: An evaluation of Singapore's ABC Waters Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, H. S.; Lu, X. X.

    2016-07-01

    The Active Beautiful Clean (ABC) Waters Program was implemented in 2006 as part of Singapore's stormwater management strategy and reflects the country's move towards Water Sensitive Urbanism through the adoption of Low-Impact Development (LID) ideology and practices. It is the first holistic and comprehensive LID program in the tropics and holds promise for extension to other tropical cities. This paper presents a comprehensive summary of the goals, LID practices (ABC design features) and design considerations as well as results of several monitored sites, including a constructed wetland, two rain gardens, green roofs and three canal restoration projects. We evaluate the ABC Waters Program based on these initial results and consider the challenges, issues and the research needs for it to meet its hydrological and water quality remediation goals. So far, the ABC design features evaluated perform well in removing particulates. Performance in nutrient removal is poor. With over 60 projects completed within 10 years, post-project monitoring and evaluation is necessary and complements on-going laboratory and modelling research projects conducted by local academic institutions.

  18. Fitting Community Based Newborn Care Package into the health systems of Nepal.

    PubMed

    Pradhan, Y V; Upreti, S R; Kc, N P; Thapa, K; Shrestha, P R; Shedain, P R; Dhakwa, J R; Aryal, D R; Aryal, S; Paudel, D C; Paudel, D; Khanal, S; Bhandari, A; Kc, A

    2011-10-01

    Community-based strategies for delivering effective newborn interventions are an essential step to avert newborn death, in settings where the health facilities are unable to effectively deliver the interventions and reach their population. Effective implementation of community-based interventions as a large scale program and within the existing health system depends on the appropriate design and planning, monitoring and support systems. This article provides an overview of implementation design of Community-Based Newborn Care Package (CB-NCP) program, its setup within the health system, and early results of the implementation from one of the pilot districts. The evaluation of CB-NCP in one of the pilot districts shows significant improvement in antenatal, intrapartum and post natal care. The implementation design of the CB-NCP has six different health system management functions: i) district planning and orientation, ii) training/human resource development, iii) monitoring and evaluation, iv) logistics and supply chain management, v) communication strategy, and vi) pay for performance. The CB-NCP program embraced the existing system of monitoring with some additional components for the pilot phase to test implementation feasibility, and aligns with existing safe motherhood and child health programs. Though CB-NCP interventions are proven independently in different local and global contexts, they are piloted in 10 districts as a "package" within the national health system settings of Nepal.

  19. Heat stress management program improving worker health and operational effectiveness: a case study.

    PubMed

    Huss, Rosalyn G; Skelton, Scott B; Alvis, Kimberly L; Shane, Leigh A

    2013-03-01

    Heat stress monitoring is a vital component of an effective health and safety program when employees work in exceptionally warm environments. Workers at hazardous waste sites often wear personal protective equipment (PPE), which increases the body heat stress load. No specific Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations address heat stress; however, OSHA does provide several guidance documents to assist employers in addressing this serious workplace health hazard. This article describes a heat stress and surveillance plan implemented at a hazardous waste site as part of the overall health and safety program. The PPE requirement for work at this site, coupled with extreme environmental temperatures, made heat stress a significant concern. Occupational health nurses and industrial hygienists developed a monitoring program for heat stress designed to prevent the occurrence of significant heat-related illness in site workers. The program included worker education on the signs of heat-related illness and continuous physiologic monitoring to detect early signs of heat-related health problems. Biological monitoring data were collected before workers entered the exclusion zone and on exiting the zone following decontamination. Sixty-six site workers were monitored throughout site remediation. More than 1,700 biological monitoring data points were recorded. Outcomes included improved worker health and safety, and increased operational effectiveness. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  20. Model Based Optimal Sensor Network Design for Condition Monitoring in an IGCC Plant

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

    Kumar, Rajeeva; Kumar, Aditya; Dai, Dan

    2012-12-31

    This report summarizes the achievements and final results of this program. The objective of this program is to develop a general model-based sensor network design methodology and tools to address key issues in the design of an optimal sensor network configuration: the type, location and number of sensors used in a network, for online condition monitoring. In particular, the focus in this work is to develop software tools for optimal sensor placement (OSP) and use these tools to design optimal sensor network configuration for online condition monitoring of gasifier refractory wear and radiant syngas cooler (RSC) fouling. The methodology developedmore » will be applicable to sensing system design for online condition monitoring for broad range of applications. The overall approach consists of (i) defining condition monitoring requirement in terms of OSP and mapping these requirements in mathematical terms for OSP algorithm, (ii) analyzing trade-off of alternate OSP algorithms, down selecting the most relevant ones and developing them for IGCC applications (iii) enhancing the gasifier and RSC models as required by OSP algorithms, (iv) applying the developed OSP algorithm to design the optimal sensor network required for the condition monitoring of an IGCC gasifier refractory and RSC fouling. Two key requirements for OSP for condition monitoring are desired precision for the monitoring variables (e.g. refractory wear) and reliability of the proposed sensor network in the presence of expected sensor failures. The OSP problem is naturally posed within a Kalman filtering approach as an integer programming problem where the key requirements of precision and reliability are imposed as constraints. The optimization is performed over the overall network cost. Based on extensive literature survey two formulations were identified as being relevant to OSP for condition monitoring; one based on LMI formulation and the other being standard INLP formulation. Various algorithms to solve these two formulations were developed and validated. For a given OSP problem the computation efficiency largely depends on the “size” of the problem. Initially a simplified 1-D gasifier model assuming axial and azimuthal symmetry was used to test out various OSP algorithms. Finally these algorithms were used to design the optimal sensor network for condition monitoring of IGCC gasifier refractory wear and RSC fouling. The sensors type and locations obtained as solution to the OSP problem were validated using model based sensing approach. The OSP algorithm has been developed in a modular form and has been packaged as a software tool for OSP design where a designer can explore various OSP design algorithm is a user friendly way. The OSP software tool is implemented in Matlab/Simulink© in-house. The tool also uses few optimization routines that are freely available on World Wide Web. In addition a modular Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) block has also been developed in Matlab/Simulink© which can be utilized for model based sensing of important process variables that are not directly measured through combining the online sensors with model based estimation once the hardware sensor and their locations has been finalized. The OSP algorithm details and the results of applying these algorithms to obtain optimal sensor location for condition monitoring of gasifier refractory wear and RSC fouling profile are summarized in this final report.« less

  1. Integrating population and genetic monitoring to understand changes in the abundance of a threatened seabird

    Treesearch

    Catalina Vásquez-Carrillo; R. William Henry; Laird Henkel; M. Zachariah Peery

    2013-01-01

    Population monitoring programs for threatened species are rarely designed to disentangle the effects of movements from changes in birth and death rates on estimated trends in abundance. Here, we illustrate how population and genetic monitoring can be integrated to understand the cause of large changes in the abundance of a threatened species of seabird, the Marbled...

  2. Monitoring recreational impacts in wilderness of Kamchatka (on example of Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Preserve)

    Treesearch

    Anya V. Zavadskaya

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes an assessment and monitoring program that was designed and initiated for monitoring recreational impacts in a wilderness in Kamchatka. The framework of the recreational assessment was tested through its application to a case study conducted during the summers of 2008 and 2009 in the Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Preserve (Kamchatka peninsula,...

  3. Design and implementation of an air monitoring program in support of a brownfields redevelopment program

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

    Maisel, B.E.; Hunt, G.T.; Devaney, R.J. Jr.

    EPA`s Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative has sparked renewal of industrial and commercial parcels otherwise idled or under-utilized because of real or perceived environmental contamination. In certain cases, restoring such parcels to productive economic use requires a redevelopment effort protective of human health and welfare through minimizing offsite migration of environmental contaminants during cleanup, demolition and remediation activities. To support these objectives, an air monitoring program is often required as an integral element of a comprehensive brownfields redevelopment effort. This paper presents a strategic framework for design and execution of an ambient air monitoring program in support of a brownfields remediationmore » effort ongoing in Lawrence, MA. Based on site characterization, the program included sample collection and laboratory analysis of ambient air samples for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs), total suspended particulate (TSP), inhalable particulate (PM10), and lead. The program included four monitoring phases, identified as background, wintertime, demolition/remediation and post-demolition. Air sampling occurred over a 16 month period during 1996--97, during which time nine sampling locations were utilized to produce approximately 1,500 ambient air samples. Following strict data review and validation procedures, ambient air data interpretation focused on the following: evaluation of upwind/downwind sample pairs, comparison of ambient levels to existing regulatory standards, relation of ambient levels to data reported in the open literature, and, determination of normal seasonal variations in existing background burden, comparison of ambient levels measured during site activity to background levels.« less

  4. Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 4: Review criteria for photovoltaic applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koenig, John C.; Billitti, Joseph W.; Tallon, John M.

    1979-01-01

    Guidelines are provided for the organization, preparation and conduct of program reviews for photovoltaic applications. These criteria apply to all photovoltaic applications. They include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Conceptual design review; (2) Preliminary design review; (3) Critical design review; and (4) Operational readiness review. Contract goal's and objectives are met through program monitoring for cost, schedule, and performance for both managerial and technical elements for all PV applications activities.

  5. Optimizing an estuarine water quality monitoring program through an entropy-based hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alameddine, Ibrahim; Karmakar, Subhankar; Qian, Song S.; Paerl, Hans W.; Reckhow, Kenneth H.

    2013-10-01

    The total maximum daily load program aims to monitor more than 40,000 standard violations in around 20,000 impaired water bodies across the United States. Given resource limitations, future monitoring efforts have to be hedged against the uncertainties in the monitored system, while taking into account existing knowledge. In that respect, we have developed a hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian model that can be used to optimize an existing monitoring network by retaining stations that provide the maximum amount of information, while identifying locations that would benefit from the addition of new stations. The model assumes the water quality parameters are adequately described by a joint matrix normal distribution. The adopted approach allows for a reduction in redundancies, while emphasizing information richness rather than data richness. The developed approach incorporates the concept of entropy to account for the associated uncertainties. Three different entropy-based criteria are adopted: total system entropy, chlorophyll-a standard violation entropy, and dissolved oxygen standard violation entropy. A multiple attribute decision making framework is adopted to integrate the competing design criteria and to generate a single optimal design. The approach is implemented on the water quality monitoring system of the Neuse River Estuary in North Carolina, USA. The model results indicate that the high priority monitoring areas identified by the total system entropy and the dissolved oxygen violation entropy criteria are largely coincident. The monitoring design based on the chlorophyll-a standard violation entropy proved to be less informative, given the low probabilities of violating the water quality standard in the estuary.

  6. NASA's Lunar Impact Monitoring Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Suggs, Robert M.; Cooke, William; Swift, Wesley; Hollon, Nicholas

    2007-01-01

    NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office nas implemented a program to monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts from the Marshall Space Flight Center. Using off-the-shelf telescopes and video equipment, the moon is monitored for as many as 10 nights per month, depending on weather. Custom software automatically detects flashes which are confirmed by a second telescope, photometrically calibrated using background stars, and published on a website for correlation with other observations, Hypervelocity impact tests at the Ames Vertical Gun Facility have been performed to determine the luminous efficiency ana ejecta characteristics. The purpose of this research is to define the impact ejecta environment for use by lunar spacecraft designers of the Constellation (manned lunar) Program. The observational techniques and preliminary results will be discussed.

  7. Empirical evaluation of the conceptual model underpinning a regional aquatic long-term monitoring program using causal modelling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Irvine, Kathryn M.; Miller, Scott; Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Archer, Erik; Roper, Brett B.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.

    2015-01-01

    Conceptual models are an integral facet of long-term monitoring programs. Proposed linkages between drivers, stressors, and ecological indicators are identified within the conceptual model of most mandated programs. We empirically evaluate a conceptual model developed for a regional aquatic and riparian monitoring program using causal models (i.e., Bayesian path analysis). We assess whether data gathered for regional status and trend estimation can also provide insights on why a stream may deviate from reference conditions. We target the hypothesized causal pathways for how anthropogenic drivers of road density, percent grazing, and percent forest within a catchment affect instream biological condition. We found instream temperature and fine sediments in arid sites and only fine sediments in mesic sites accounted for a significant portion of the maximum possible variation explainable in biological condition among managed sites. However, the biological significance of the direct effects of anthropogenic drivers on instream temperature and fine sediments were minimal or not detected. Consequently, there was weak to no biological support for causal pathways related to anthropogenic drivers’ impact on biological condition. With weak biological and statistical effect sizes, ignoring environmental contextual variables and covariates that explain natural heterogeneity would have resulted in no evidence of human impacts on biological integrity in some instances. For programs targeting the effects of anthropogenic activities, it is imperative to identify both land use practices and mechanisms that have led to degraded conditions (i.e., moving beyond simple status and trend estimation). Our empirical evaluation of the conceptual model underpinning the long-term monitoring program provided an opportunity for learning and, consequently, we discuss survey design elements that require modification to achieve question driven monitoring, a necessary step in the practice of adaptive monitoring. We suspect our situation is not unique and many programs may suffer from the same inferential disconnect. Commonly, the survey design is optimized for robust estimates of regional status and trend detection and not necessarily to provide statistical inferences on the causal mechanisms outlined in the conceptual model, even though these relationships are typically used to justify and promote the long-term monitoring of a chosen ecological indicator. Our application demonstrates a process for empirical evaluation of conceptual models and exemplifies the need for such interim assessments in order for programs to evolve and persist.

  8. 76 FR 29728 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Potential Floodplain...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-23

    ... 2.0 program would proceed through 2020 with design, construction, operation, and monitoring... of this test includes project definition, design, procurement, manufacture, installation, startup... the repowered oxy-combustion design. The station contains existing infrastructure that could support...

  9. Structural health monitoring feature design by genetic programming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harvey, Dustin Y.; Todd, Michael D.

    2014-09-01

    Structural health monitoring (SHM) systems provide real-time damage and performance information for civil, aerospace, and other high-capital or life-safety critical structures. Conventional data processing involves pre-processing and extraction of low-dimensional features from in situ time series measurements. The features are then input to a statistical pattern recognition algorithm to perform the relevant classification or regression task necessary to facilitate decisions by the SHM system. Traditional design of signal processing and feature extraction algorithms can be an expensive and time-consuming process requiring extensive system knowledge and domain expertise. Genetic programming, a heuristic program search method from evolutionary computation, was recently adapted by the authors to perform automated, data-driven design of signal processing and feature extraction algorithms for statistical pattern recognition applications. The proposed method, called Autofead, is particularly suitable to handle the challenges inherent in algorithm design for SHM problems where the manifestation of damage in structural response measurements is often unclear or unknown. Autofead mines a training database of response measurements to discover information-rich features specific to the problem at hand. This study provides experimental validation on three SHM applications including ultrasonic damage detection, bearing damage classification for rotating machinery, and vibration-based structural health monitoring. Performance comparisons with common feature choices for each problem area are provided demonstrating the versatility of Autofead to produce significant algorithm improvements on a wide range of problems.

  10. Monitoring is not enough: on the need for a model-based approach to migratory bird management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nichols, J.D.; Bonney, Rick; Pashley, David N.; Cooper, Robert; Niles, Larry

    2000-01-01

    Informed management requires information about system state and about effects of potential management actions on system state. Population monitoring can provide the needed information about system state, as well as information that can be used to investigate effects of management actions. Three methods for investigating effects of management on bird populations are (1) retrospective analysis, (2) formal experimentation and constrained-design studies, and (3) adaptive management. Retrospective analyses provide weak inferences, regardless of the quality of the monitoring data. The active use of monitoring data in experimental or constrained-design studies or in adaptive management is recommended. Under both approaches, learning occurs via the comparison of estimates from the monitoring program with predictions from competing management models.

  11. Lower Granite Dam Smolt Monitoring Program, 1998 Annual Report.

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

    Verhey, Peter; Ross, Doug; Morrill, Charles

    1998-12-01

    The 1998 fish collection season at Lower Granite was characterized by relatively moderate spring flows and spill, moderate levels of debris, cool spring, warm summer and fall water temperatures, and increased chinook numbers, particularly wild subyearling chinook collected and transported. The Fish Passage Center's Smolt Monitoring Program is designed to provide a consistent, real-time database on fish passage and document the migrational characteristics of the many stocks of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.

  12. The CHAT System: An OS/360 MVT Time-Sharing Subsystem for Displays and Teletype. Technical Progress Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schultz, Gary D.

    The design and operation of a time-sharing monitor are described. It runs under OS/360 MVT that supports multiple application program interaction with operators of CRT (cathode ray tube) display stations and of a teletype. Key design features discussed include: 1) an interface allowing application programs to be coded in either PL/I or assembler…

  13. Testing as a Way to Monitor English as a Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becker, Anthony; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana; Petrashova, Tamara

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted at a large technical university in Russia, which offers English language courses to students majoring in nine different degree programs. Each degree program develops and delivers its own English language curriculum. While all degree programs followed the same curriculum development model to design language courses, each…

  14. 40 CFR 123.35 - As the NPDES Permitting Authority for regulated small MS4s, what is my role?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... management programs, TMDL programs, and water quality monitoring programs; (v) Where appropriate, you may... storm water discharge results in or has the potential to result in exceedances of water quality standards, including impairment of designated uses, or other significant water quality impacts, including...

  15. 40 CFR 123.35 - As the NPDES Permitting Authority for regulated small MS4s, what is my role?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... management programs, TMDL programs, and water quality monitoring programs; (v) Where appropriate, you may... storm water discharge results in or has the potential to result in exceedances of water quality standards, including impairment of designated uses, or other significant water quality impacts, including...

  16. Automated biowaste sampling system feces monitoring system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hunt, S. R.; Glanfield, E. J.

    1979-01-01

    The Feces Monitoring System (FMS) Program designed, fabricated, assembled and tested an engineering model waste collector system (WCS) to be used in support of life science and medical experiments related to Shuttle missions. The FMS design was patterned closely after the Shuttle WCS, including: interface provisions; mounting; configuration; and operating procedures. These similarities make it possible to eventually substitute an FMS for the Shuttle WCS of Orbiter. In addition, several advanced waste collection features, including the capability of real-time inertial fecal separation and fecal mass measurement and sampling were incorporated into the FMS design.

  17. Video Monitoring a Simulation-Based Quality Improvement Program in Bihar, India.

    PubMed

    Dyer, Jessica; Spindler, Hilary; Christmas, Amelia; Shah, Malay Bharat; Morgan, Melissa; Cohen, Susanna R; Sterne, Jason; Mahapatra, Tanmay; Walker, Dilys

    2018-04-01

    Simulation-based training has become an accepted clinical training andragogy in high-resource settings with its use increasing in low-resource settings. Video recordings of simulated scenarios are commonly used by facilitators. Beyond using the videos during debrief sessions, researchers can also analyze the simulation videos to quantify technical and nontechnical skills during simulated scenarios over time. Little is known about the feasibility and use of large-scale systems to video record and analyze simulation and debriefing data for monitoring and evaluation in low-resource settings. This manuscript describes the process of designing and implementing a large-scale video monitoring system. Mentees and Mentors were consented and all simulations and debriefs conducted at 320 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) were video recorded. The system design, number of video recordings, and inter-rater reliability of the coded videos were assessed. The final dataset included a total of 11,278 videos. Overall, a total of 2,124 simulation videos were coded and 183 (12%) were blindly double-coded. For the double-coded sample, the average inter-rater reliability (IRR) scores were 80% for nontechnical skills, and 94% for clinical technical skills. Among 4,450 long debrief videos received, 216 were selected for coding and all were double-coded. Data quality of simulation videos was found to be very good in terms of recorded instances of "unable to see" and "unable to hear" in Phases 1 and 2. This study demonstrates that video monitoring systems can be effectively implemented at scale in resource limited settings. Further, video monitoring systems can play several vital roles within program implementation, including monitoring and evaluation, provision of actionable feedback to program implementers, and assurance of program fidelity.

  18. Space Technology for Patient Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    A contract for the development of an astronaut monitoring system in the early days of the space program provided Mennen Medical, Inc. with a foundation in telemetry that led to the development of a computerized medical electronic system used by hospitals. Mennen was the first company to adopt solid state design in patient monitoring and to offer multipatient telemetry monitoring. Telemetry converts instrument data to electrical signals and relays them to a remote receiver where they are displayed. From a central station, a nurse can monitor several patients. Company products include VISTA systems and Horizon 2000 Monitor.

  19. Means of storage and automated monitoring of versions of text technical documentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leonovets, S. A.; Shukalov, A. V.; Zharinov, I. O.

    2018-03-01

    The paper presents automation of the process of preparation, storage and monitoring of version control of a text designer, and program documentation by means of the specialized software is considered. Automation of preparation of documentation is based on processing of the engineering data which are contained in the specifications and technical documentation or in the specification. Data handling assumes existence of strictly structured electronic documents prepared in widespread formats according to templates on the basis of industry standards and generation by an automated method of the program or designer text document. Further life cycle of the document and engineering data entering it are controlled. At each stage of life cycle, archive data storage is carried out. Studies of high-speed performance of use of different widespread document formats in case of automated monitoring and storage are given. The new developed software and the work benches available to the developer of the instrumental equipment are described.

  20. Environmental auditing: Capabilities and management utility of recreation impact monitoring programs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Marion, J.L.

    1995-01-01

    A recreation impact monitoring system was developed and applied in 1984?1986 and in 1991 to all backcountry river-accessed campsites within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Results suggest that actions implemented by park managers in response to problems identified by the initial survey were highly effective in reducing resource degradation caused by camping. In particular, the elimination of some designated campsites and installation of anchored firegrates reduced the total area of disturbance by 50%. Firegrate installation provided a focal point that increased the concentration of camping activities, allowing peripheral areas to recover. As suggested by predictive models, additional resource degradation caused by increased camping intensities is more than offset by improvements in the condition of areas where use is eliminated. The capabilities and management utility of recreation impact monitoring programs, illustrated by the Delaware Water Gap monitoring program, are also presented and discussed.

  1. Design tradeoffs for trend assessment in aquatic biological monitoring programs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gurtz, Martin E.; Van Sickle, John; Carlisle, Daren M.; Paulsen, Steven G.

    2013-01-01

    Assessments of long-term (multiyear) temporal trends in biological monitoring programs are generally undertaken without an adequate understanding of the temporal variability of biological communities. When the sources and levels of variability are unknown, managers cannot make informed choices in sampling design to achieve monitoring goals in a cost-effective manner. We evaluated different trend sampling designs by estimating components of both short- and long-term variability in biological indicators of water quality in streams. Invertebrate samples were collected from 32 sites—9 urban, 6 agricultural, and 17 relatively undisturbed (reference) streams—distributed throughout the United States. Between 5 and 12 yearly samples were collected at each site during the period 1993–2008, plus 2 samples within a 10-week index period during either 2007 or 2008. These data allowed calculation of four sources of variance for invertebrate indicators: among sites, among years within sites, interaction among sites and years (site-specific annual variation), and among samples collected within an index period at a site (residual). When estimates of these variance components are known, changes to sampling design can be made to improve trend detection. Design modifications that result in the ability to detect the smallest trend with the fewest samples are, from most to least effective: (1) increasing the number of years in the sampling period (duration of the monitoring program), (2) decreasing the interval between samples, and (3) increasing the number of repeat-visit samples per year (within an index period). This order of improvement in trend detection, which achieves the greatest gain for the fewest samples, is the same whether trends are assessed at an individual site or an average trend of multiple sites. In multiple-site surveys, increasing the number of sites has an effect similar to that of decreasing the sampling interval; the benefit of adding sites is greater when a new set of different sites is selected for each sampling effort than when the same sites are sampled each time. Understanding variance components of the ecological attributes of interest can lead to more cost-effective monitoring designs to detect trends.

  2. Summary of 1989 - 1990 aeronautics design projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    Four design projects were completed at Auburn University this year under the sponsorship of the NASA/Universities Space Research Association Advanced Design Program. The topics discussed are the design of a high speed civil transport; the design of a 79 passenger, high efficiency, commercial transport; the design of a low cost short takeof vertical landing export fighter; and the design of an ozone monitoring vehicle.

  3. Implementation of a research prototype onboard fault monitoring and diagnosis system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palmer, Michael T.; Abbott, Kathy H.; Schutte, Paul C.; Ricks, Wendell R.

    1987-01-01

    Due to the dynamic and complex nature of in-flight fault monitoring and diagnosis, a research effort was undertaken at NASA Langley Research Center to investigate the application of artificial intelligence techniques for improved situational awareness. Under this research effort, concepts were developed and a software architecture was designed to address the complexities of onboard monitoring and diagnosis. This paper describes the implementation of these concepts in a computer program called FaultFinder. The implementation of the monitoring, diagnosis, and interface functions as separate modules is discussed, as well as the blackboard designed for the communication of these modules. Some related issues concerning the future installation of FaultFinder in an aircraft are also discussed.

  4. 40 CFR Appendix B to Part 60 - Performance Specifications

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... manufacturers comply with a comprehensive series of design and performance specifications and test procedures to... must periodically select and test an opacity monitor, that is representative of a group of monitors... program are used. One Run may include results for more than one test condition. Constant emissions means...

  5. 40 CFR Appendix B to Part 60 - Performance Specifications

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... manufacturers comply with a comprehensive series of design and performance specifications and test procedures to... must periodically select and test an opacity monitor, that is representative of a group of monitors... program are used. One Run may include results for more than one test condition. Constant emissions means...

  6. 40 CFR Appendix B to Part 60 - Performance Specifications

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... manufacturers comply with a comprehensive series of design and performance specifications and test procedures to... must periodically select and test an opacity monitor, that is representative of a group of monitors... program are used. One Run may include results for more than one test condition. Constant emissions means...

  7. Achievement Monitoring of Individually Paced Instruction. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinsky, Paul D.

    A study was made to monitor achievement of individually paced instruction. The project concentrated on designing testing procedures in group paced instructional programs to provide information to student, teachers, parents and administrators which could be used in both a formative and summative evaluation. The three objectives of the project were:…

  8. Application of Computers for Experiment Design, Data Acquisition, and Analysis in the Chemistry Laboratory

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-05-01

    Obtain Thermistor Operating Characteristics ................................. 82 25. Ag+/Ci" Thermometric Titration ........................... 85 26...Experiment Program for Thermometric Titrations ............... 85 27. Appearance of the Spreadsheet in the Analysis Mode ............ 86 28...rate experiments, carbon dioxide exhalation monitoring, stream turbidity measurement, photosynthesis monitoring, pendulum timing, thermometric titrations

  9. 40 CFR 62.14453 - What must I monitor?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What must I monitor? 62.14453 Section 62.14453 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Federal Plan Requirements for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste...

  10. ELEMENTAL FISH TISSUE CONTAMINATION IN NORTHEASTERN U.S. LAKES: EVALUATION OF AN APPROACH TO REGIONAL ASSESSMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The approach of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) to monitoring of fish tissue contaminants is shown to have utility for regional assessment,and for discrimination of regional from local contamination.The survey sampling design employed by EMAP can be use...

  11. ELEMENTAL FISH TISSUE CONTAMINATION IN NORTHEASTERN U.S. LAKES: EVALUATION OF AN APPROACH TO REGIONAL ASSESSMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The approach of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) to monitoring of fish tissue contaminants is shown to have utility for regional assessment, and for discrimination of regional from local contamination. The survey sampling design employed EMAP can be used...

  12. Approaches to Integrated Assessment of Large Lakes involving New Survey Designs and Synoptic, in situ Technologies

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Laurentian Great Lakes have had, for decades, regular water quality monitoring programs to track conditions in their offshore waters, as dictated by a binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the US and Canada. Unfortunately, resources have limited monitoring t...

  13. SOUND SURVEY DESIGNS CAN FACILITATE INTEGRATING STREAM MONITORING DATA ACROSS MULTIPLE PROGRAMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Multiple agencies in the Pacific Northwest monitor the condition of stream networks or their watersheds. Some agencies use a stream "network" perspective to report on the fraction or length of the network that either meets or violates particular criteria. Other agencies use a "wa...

  14. Coral Reef Monitoring Needs Assessment Workshop U.S. Virgin Islands

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Virgin Island Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) held a workshop September 11-13, 2007 in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) to begin the process of designing a monitoring program that meets multiple mana...

  15. What Is Scientifically-Based Research on Progress Monitoring?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas

    2001-01-01

    When teachers use systematic progress monitoring to track their students progress in reading, mathematics, or spelling, they are better able to identify students in need of additional or different forms of instruction, they design stronger instructional programs, and their students achieve better. This document first describes progress monitoring…

  16. Harmonizing disease prevention and police practice in the implementation of HIV prevention programs: Up-stream strategies from Wilmington, Delaware

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Introduction Improving access to sterile injection equipment is a key component in community-based infectious disease prevention. Implementation of syringe access programs has sometimes been complicated by community opposition and police interference. Case description In 2006, the Delaware legislature authorized a pilot syringe exchange program (SEP). A program designed to prevent, monitor, and respond to possible policing and community barriers before they had a chance to effect program implementation and operation. A program designed to prevent, monitor, and respond to these barriers was planned and implemented by a multidisciplinary team of legal practitioners and public health professionals. Discussion We report on an integrated intervention to address structural barriers to syringe exchange program utilization. This intervention employs community, police and client education combined with systematic surveillance of and rapid response to police interference to preempt the kinds of structural barriers to implementation observed elsewhere. The intervention addresses community concerns and stresses the benefits of syringe exchange programs to officer occupational safety. Conclusions A cohesive effort combining collaboration with and educational outreach to police and community members based on the needs and concerns of these groups as well as SEP clients and potential clients helped establish a supportive street environment for the SEP. Police-driven structural barriers to implementation of public health programs targeting populations engaged in drug use and other illicit behavior can be addressed by up-stream planning, prevention, monitoring and intervention strategies. More research is needed to inform the tailoring of interventions to address police-driven barriers to HIV prevention services, especially among marginalized populations. PMID:22591836

  17. From B. F. Skinner to Spiderman to Martha Stewart: The Past, Present and Future of Electronic Monitoring of Offenders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burrell, William D.; Gable, Robert S.

    2008-01-01

    Electronic monitoring was originally designed as a system to facilitate the rehabilitation of young adult offenders. The concept was not well-received, and the first judicially sanctioned program was not initiated until 20 years later. Adoption of the technology then spread rapidly. The primary use of monitoring has evolved from being an adjunct…

  18. THE NATIONAL COAST ASSESSMENT : EPA TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO STRATEGIC PARTNERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The National Coastal Assessment (NCA) is a large-scale, comprehensive environmental monitoring program designed to characterize the ecological condition of the Nation's coastal resources (estuaries and near shore waters). A key to the success of the program is the development of ...

  19. 1982 HHS/LIHEAP funds used for weatherization. An analysis of data from twenty states: Task A. Final report

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

    Not Available

    1983-05-01

    During the Summer and Fall of 1982, Arawak Consulting Corporation monitored a number of program management functions of the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in the 20 states under the jurisdiction of the DOE Chicago Operations Office. The monitoring included on-site visits to all 20 state grantees and 85 randomly selected local subgrantees. Although the monitoring was designed to focus only on the DOE funded program, it soon became apparent that funds from the Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) often had a significant effect on the scope and mode of operationmore » of the weatherization program. As a result of these and other outcomes, DOE asked Arawak to further study the impact of HHS funds on the Weatherization Assistance Program in the same 20 states. This report is the result of that request. It draws on information collected during the monitoring visits which were conducted from mid-July to mid-October 1982, and on additional information obtained in telephone interviews during the last two weeks of February 1983.« less

  20. Satellite Data Processing System (SDPS) users manual V1.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caruso, Michael; Dunn, Chris

    1989-01-01

    SDPS is a menu driven interactive program designed to facilitate the display and output of image and line-based data sets common to telemetry, modeling and remote sensing. This program can be used to display up to four separate raster images and overlay line-based data such as coastlines, ship tracks and velocity vectors. The program uses multiple windows to communicate information with the user. At any given time, the program may have up to four image display windows as well as auxiliary windows containing information about each image displayed. SDPS is not a commercial program. It does not contain complete type checking or error diagnostics which may allow the program to crash. Known anomalies will be mentioned in the appropriate section as notes or cautions. SDPS was designed to be used on Sun Microsystems Workstations running SunView1 (Sun Visual/Integrated Environment for Workstations). It was primarily designed to be used on workstations equipped with color monitors, but most of the line-based functions and several of the raster-based functions can be used with monochrome monitors. The program currently runs on Sun 3 series workstations running Sun OS 4.0 and should port easily to Sun 4 and Sun 386 series workstations with SunView1. Users should also be familiar with UNIX, Sun workstations and the SunView window system.

  1. Hybrid Modeling Improves Health and Performance Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2007-01-01

    Scientific Monitoring Inc. was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to create a new, simplified health-monitoring approach for flight vehicles and flight equipment. The project developed a hybrid physical model concept that provided a structured approach to simplifying complex design models for use in health monitoring, allowing the output or performance of the equipment to be compared to what the design models predicted, so that deterioration or impending failure could be detected before there would be an impact on the equipment's operational capability. Based on the original modeling technology, Scientific Monitoring released I-Trend, a commercial health- and performance-monitoring software product named for its intelligent trending, diagnostics, and prognostics capabilities, as part of the company's complete ICEMS (Intelligent Condition-based Equipment Management System) suite of monitoring and advanced alerting software. I-Trend uses the hybrid physical model to better characterize the nature of health or performance alarms that result in "no fault found" false alarms. Additionally, the use of physical principles helps I-Trend identify problems sooner. I-Trend technology is currently in use in several commercial aviation programs, and the U.S. Air Force recently tapped Scientific Monitoring to develop next-generation engine health-management software for monitoring its fleet of jet engines. Scientific Monitoring has continued the original NASA work, this time under a Phase III SBIR contract with a joint NASA-Pratt & Whitney aviation security program on propulsion-controlled aircraft under missile-damaged aircraft conditions.

  2. Conceptual ecological models to support detection of ecological change on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Woodward, Andrea; Beever, Erik A.

    2011-01-01

    More than 31 million hectares of land are protected and managed in 16 refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Alaska. The vastness and isolation of Alaskan refuges give rise to relatively intact and complete ecosystems. The potential for these lands to provide habitat for trust species is likely to be altered, however, due to global climate change, which is having dramatic effects at high latitudes. The ability of USFWS to effectively manage these lands in the future will be enhanced by a regional inventory and monitoring program that integrates and supplements monitoring currently being implemented by individual refuges. Conceptual models inform monitoring programs in a number of ways, including summarizing important ecosystem components and processes as well as facilitating communication, discussion and debate about the nature of the system and important management issues. This process can lead to hypotheses regarding future changes, likely results of alternative management actions, identification of monitoring indicators, and ultimately, interpretation of monitoring results. As a first step towards developing a monitoring program, the 16 refuges in Alaska each created a conceptual model of their refuge and the landscape context. Models include prominent ecosystem components, drivers, and processes by which components are linked or altered. The Alaska refuge system also recognizes that designing and implementing monitoring at regional and ecoregional extents has numerous scientific, fiscal, logistical, and political advantages over monitoring conducted exclusively at refuge-specific scales. Broad-scale monitoring is particularly advantageous for examining phenomena such as climate change because effects are best interpreted at broader spatial extents. To enable an ecoregional perspective, a rationale was developed for deriving ecoregional boundaries for four ecoregions (Polar, Interior Alaska, Bering Coast, and North Pacific Coast) from the Unified Ecoregions of Alaska. Ecoregional models were then developed to illustrate resources and processes that operate at spatial scales larger than individual refuges within each ecoregion. Conceptual models also were developed for adjacent marine areas, designated as the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Beaufort-Chukchi Sea Marine Ecoregions. Although many more conceptual models will be required to support development of a regional monitoring program, these definitions of ecoregions and associated conceptual models are an important foundation.

  3. Evaluation of groundwater levels in the South Platte River alluvial aquifer, Colorado, 1953-2012, and design of initial well networks for monitoring groundwater levels

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wellman, Tristan

    2015-01-01

    A network of candidate monitoring wells was proposed to initiate a regional monitoring program. Consistent monitoring and analysis of groundwater levels will be needed for informed decisions to optimize beneficial use of water and to limit high groundwater levels in susceptible areas. Finalization of the network will require future field reconnaissance to assess local site conditions and discussions with State authorities.

  4. Framework for a ground-water quality monitoring and assessment program for California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Belitz, Kenneth; Dubrovsky, Neil M.; Burow, Karen; Jurgens, Bryant C.; John, Tyler

    2003-01-01

    The State of California uses more ground water than any other State in the Nation. With a population of over 30 million people, an agricultural economy based on intensive irrigation, large urban industrial areas, and naturally elevated concentrations of some trace elements, there is a wide range of contaminant sources that have the potential to contaminate ground water and limit its beneficial uses. In response to the many-and different-potential sources of ground-water contamination, the State of California has evolved an extensive set of rules and programs to protect ground-water quality, and agencies to implement the rules and programs. These programs have in common a focus on compliance with regulations governing chemical use and (or) ground-water quality. Although appropriate for, and successful at, their specific missions, these programs do not at present provide a comprehensive view of ground-water quality in the State of California. In October 2001, The California Assembly passed a bill, AB 599, establishing the Ground-Water- Quality Monitoring Act of 2001.' The goal of AB 599 is to improve Statewide comprehensive ground-water monitoring and increase availability of information about ground-water quality to the public. AB 599 requires the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), in collaboration with an interagency task force (ITF) and a public advisory committee (PAC), to develop a plan for a comprehensive ground-water monitoring program. AB 599 specifies that the comprehensive program should be capable of assessing each ground-water basin in the State through direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches, and that the program should integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements, as necessary. AB 599 also stresses the importance of prioritizing ground-water basins that provide drinking water. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the SWRCB, and in coordination with the ITF and PAC, has developed a framework for a comprehensive ground-water-quality monitoring and assessment program for California. The proposed framework relies extensively on previous work conducted by the USGS through its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. In particular, the NAWQA program defines three types of ground-water assessment: (1) status, the assessment of the current quality of the ground-water resource; (2) trends, the detection of changes in water quality, and (3) understanding, assessing the human and natural factors that affect ground-water quality. A Statewide, comprehensive ground-water quality-monitoring and assessment program is most efficiently accomplished by applying uniform and consistent study-design and data-collection protocols to the entire State. At the same time, a comprehensive program should be relevant at a variety of scales, and therefore needs to retain flexibility to address regional and local issues. Consequently, many of the program components include a predominant element that will be consistently applied in all basins, and a secondary element that may be applied in specific basins where local conditions warrant attention.

  5. Optimal Design of Air Quality Monitoring Network and its Application in an Oil Refinery Plant: An Approach to Keep Health Status of Workers.

    PubMed

    ZoroufchiBenis, Khaled; Fatehifar, Esmaeil; Ahmadi, Javad; Rouhi, Alireza

    2015-01-01

    Industrial air pollution is a growing challenge to humane health, especially in developing countries, where there is no systematic monitoring of air pollution. Given the importance of the availability of valid information on population exposure to air pollutants, it is important to design an optimal Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN) for assessing population exposure to air pollution and predicting the magnitude of the health risks to the population. A multi-pollutant method (implemented as a MATLAB program) was explored for configur-ing an AQMN to detect the highest level of pollution around an oil refinery plant. The method ranks potential monitoring sites (grids) according to their ability to represent the ambient concentration. The term of cluster of contiguous grids that exceed a threshold value was used to calculate the Station Dosage. Selection of the best configuration of AQMN was done based on the ratio of a sta-tion's dosage to the total dosage in the network. Six monitoring stations were needed to detect the pollutants concentrations around the study area for estimating the level and distribution of exposure in the population with total network efficiency of about 99%. An analysis of the design procedure showed that wind regimes have greatest effect on the location of monitoring stations. The optimal AQMN enables authorities to implement an effective program of air quality management for protecting human health.

  6. Optimal Design of Air Quality Monitoring Network and its Application in an Oil Refinery Plant: An Approach to Keep Health Status of Workers

    PubMed Central

    ZoroufchiBenis, Khaled; Fatehifar, Esmaeil; Ahmadi, Javad; Rouhi, Alireza

    2015-01-01

    Background: Industrial air pollution is a growing challenge to humane health, especially in developing countries, where there is no systematic monitoring of air pollution. Given the importance of the availability of valid information on population exposure to air pollutants, it is important to design an optimal Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN) for assessing population exposure to air pollution and predicting the magnitude of the health risks to the population. Methods: A multi-pollutant method (implemented as a MATLAB program) was explored for configur­ing an AQMN to detect the highest level of pollution around an oil refinery plant. The method ranks potential monitoring sites (grids) according to their ability to represent the ambient concentration. The term of cluster of contiguous grids that exceed a threshold value was used to calculate the Station Dosage. Selection of the best configuration of AQMN was done based on the ratio of a sta­tion’s dosage to the total dosage in the network. Results: Six monitoring stations were needed to detect the pollutants concentrations around the study area for estimating the level and distribution of exposure in the population with total network efficiency of about 99%. An analysis of the design procedure showed that wind regimes have greatest effect on the location of monitoring stations. Conclusion: The optimal AQMN enables authorities to implement an effective program of air quality management for protecting human health. PMID:26933646

  7. Spatially balanced survey designs for natural resources

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ecological resource monitoring programs typically require the use of a probability survey design to select locations or entities to be physically sampled in the field. The ecological resource of interest, the target population, occurs over a spatial domain and the sample selecte...

  8. Mechanistic-empirical design, implementation, and monitoring for flexible pavements : a project summary.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-05-01

    This document is a summary of tasks performed for Project ICT-R27-060. : Mechanistic-empirical (M-E)based flexible pavement design concepts and procedures were : developed in previous Illinois Cooperative Highway Research Program projects (IHR-510...

  9. Optimal surveillance strategy for invasive species management when surveys stop after detection.

    PubMed

    Guillera-Arroita, Gurutzeta; Hauser, Cindy E; McCarthy, Michael A

    2014-05-01

    Invasive species are a cause for concern in natural and economic systems and require both monitoring and management. There is a trade-off between the amount of resources spent on surveying for the species and conducting early management of occupied sites, and the resources that are ultimately spent in delayed management at sites where the species was present but undetected. Previous work addressed this optimal resource allocation problem assuming that surveys continue despite detection until the initially planned survey effort is consumed. However, a more realistic scenario is often that surveys stop after detection (i.e., follow a "removal" sampling design) and then management begins. Such an approach will indicate a different optimal survey design and can be expected to be more efficient. We analyze this case and compare the expected efficiency of invasive species management programs under both survey methods. We also evaluate the impact of mis-specifying the type of sampling approach during the program design phase. We derive analytical expressions that optimize resource allocation between monitoring and management in surveillance programs when surveys stop after detection. We do this under a scenario of unconstrained resources and scenarios where survey budget is constrained. The efficiency of surveillance programs is greater if a "removal survey" design is used, with larger gains obtained when savings from early detection are high, occupancy is high, and survey costs are not much lower than early management costs at a site. Designing a surveillance program disregarding that surveys stop after detection can result in an efficiency loss. Our results help guide the design of future surveillance programs for invasive species. Addressing program design within a decision-theoretic framework can lead to a better use of available resources. We show how species prevalence, its detectability, and the benefits derived from early detection can be considered.

  10. Development of an Intervention Map for a Parent Education Intervention to Prevent Violence Among Hispanic Middle School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Nancy; Kelder, Steve; Parcel, Guy; Orpinas, Pamela

    1998-01-01

    Describes development of an intervention program for Hispanic parents to reduce violence by increased monitoring of their middle school students. Program development used a five-step guided intervention mapping process. Student surveys and parent interviews provided data to inform program design. Intervention mapping ensured involvement with the…

  11. Industrial Safety. MAS-123. Waste Isolation Division (WID). Management and Supervisor Training (MAST) Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM.

    This learning module, which is part of a management and supervisor training program for managers and supervisors employed at the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Division, is designed to prepare trainees to promote and monitor the industrial safety program at their plant. The following topics are covered in the module's individual sections:…

  12. Are two systemic fish assemblage sampling programmes on the upper Mississippi River telling us the same thing?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dukerschein, J.T.; Bartels, A.D.; Ickes, B.S.; Pearson, M.S.

    2013-01-01

    We applied an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) used on Wisconsin/Minnesota waters of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) to compare data from two systemic sampling programmes. Ability to use data from multiple sampling programmes could extend spatial and temporal coverage of river assessment and monitoring efforts. We normalized for effort and tested fish community data collected by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program-Great Rivers Ecosystems (EMAP-GRE) 2004–2006 and the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) 1993–2006. Each programme used daytime electrofishing along main channel borders but with some methodological and design differences. EMAP-GRE, designed for baseline and, eventually, compliance monitoring, used a probabilistic, continuous design. LTRMP, designed primarily for baseline and trend monitoring, used a stratified random design in five discrete study reaches. Analysis of similarity indicated no significant difference between EMAP-GRE and LTRMP IBI scores (n=238; Global R= 0.052; significance level=0.972). Both datasets distinguished clear differences only between 'Fair' and 'Poor' condition categories, potentially supporting a 'pass–fail' assessment strategy. Thirteen years of LTRMP data demonstrated stable IBI scores through time in four of five reaches sampled. LTRMP and EMAPGRE IBI scores correlated along the UMR's upstream to downstream gradient (df [3, 25]; F=1.61; p=0.22). A decline in IBI scores from upstream to downstream was consistent with UMR fish community studies and a previous, empirically modelled human disturbance gradient. Comparability between EMAP-GRE (best upstream to downstream coverage) and LTRMP data (best coverage over time and across the floodplain) supports a next step of developing and testing a systemic, multi-metric fish index on the UMR that both approaches could inform.

  13. Measuring Success in Obesity Prevention: A Synthesis of Health Promotion Switzerland's Long-Term Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy

    PubMed Central

    Ackermann, Günter; Kirschner, Michael; Guggenbühl, Lisa; Abel, Bettina; Klohn, Axel; Mattig, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Aims Since 2007, Health Promotion Switzerland has implemented a national priority program for a healthy body weight. This article provides insight into the methodological challenges and results of the program evaluation. Methods Evaluation of the long-term program required targeted monitoring and evaluation projects addressing different outcome levels. The evaluation was carried out according to the Swiss Model for Outcome Classification (SMOC), a model designed to classify the effects of health promotion and prevention efforts. Results The results presented in this article emphasize both content and methods. The national program successfully achieved outcomes on many different levels within complex societal structures. The evaluation system built around the SMOC enabled assessment of program progress and the development of key indicators. However, it is not possible to determine definitively to what extent the national program helped stabilize the prevalence of obesity in Switzerland. Conclusion The model has shown its utility in providing a basis for evaluation and monitoring of the national program. Continuous analysis of data from evaluation and monitoring has made it possible to check the plausibility of suspected causal relationships as well as to establish an overall perspective and assessment of effectiveness supported by a growing body of evidence. PMID:25765161

  14. An Overview of the NASA Aviation Safety Program Propulsion Health Monitoring Element

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simon, Donald L.

    2000-01-01

    The NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) has been initiated with aggressive goals to reduce the civil aviation accident rate, To meet these goals, several technology investment areas have been identified including a sub-element in propulsion health monitoring (PHM). Specific AvSP PHM objectives are to develop and validate propulsion system health monitoring technologies designed to prevent engine malfunctions from occurring in flight, and to mitigate detrimental effects in the event an in-flight malfunction does occur. A review of available propulsion system safety information was conducted to help prioritize PHM areas to focus on under the AvSP. It is noted that when a propulsion malfunction is involved in an aviation accident or incident, it is often a contributing factor rather than the sole cause for the event. Challenging aspects of the development and implementation of PHM technology such as cost, weight, robustness, and reliability are discussed. Specific technology plans are overviewed including vibration diagnostics, model-based controls and diagnostics, advanced instrumentation, and general aviation propulsion system health monitoring technology. Propulsion system health monitoring, in addition to engine design, inspection, maintenance, and pilot training and awareness, is intrinsic to enhancing aviation propulsion system safety.

  15. Mobile-Based Nutrition and Child Health Monitoring to Inform Program Development: An Experience From Liberia.

    PubMed

    Guyon, Agnes; Bock, Ariella; Buback, Laura; Knittel, Barbara

    2016-12-23

    Implementing complex nutrition and other public health projects and tracking nutrition interventions, such as women's diet and supplementation and infant and young child feeding practices, requires reliable routine data to identify potential program gaps and to monitor trends in behaviors in real time. However, current monitoring and evaluation practices generally do not create an environment for this real-time tracking. This article describes the development and application of a mobile-based nutrition and health monitoring system, which collected monitoring data on project activities, women's nutrition, and infant and young child feeding practices in real time. The Liberia Agricultural Upgrading Nutrition and Child Health (LAUNCH) project implemented a nutrition and health monitoring system between April 2012 and June 2014. The LAUNCH project analyzed project monitoring and outcome data from the system and shared selected behavioral and programmatic indicators with program managers through a short report, which later evolved into a visual data dashboard, during program-update meetings. The project designed protocols to ensure representativeness of program participants. LAUNCH made programmatic adjustments in response to findings from the monitoring system; these changes were then reflected in subsequent quarterly trends, indicating that the availability of timely data allowed for the project to react quickly to issues and adapt the program appropriately. Such issues included lack of participation in community groups and insufficient numbers of food distribution points. Likewise, the system captured trends in key outcome indicators such as breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, linking them to project activities and external factors including seasonal changes and national health campaigns. Digital data collection platforms can play a vital role in improving routine programmatic functions. Fixed gathering locations such as food distribution points represent an opportunity to easily access program participants and enable managers to identify strengths and weaknesses in project implementation. For programs that track individuals over time, a mobile tool combined with a strong database can greatly improve efficiency and data visibility and reduce resource leakages. © Guyon et al.

  16. Mechanistic-Empirical (M-E) Design Implementation & Monitoring for Flexible Pavements : 2018 PROJECT SUMMARY

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-06-01

    This document is a summary of the tasks performed for Project ICT-R27-149-1. Mechanistic-empirical (M-E)based flexible pavement design concepts and procedures were previously developed in Illinois Cooperative Highway Research Program projects IHR-...

  17. VARIANCE ESTIMATION FOR SPATIALLY BALANCED SAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The spatial distribution of a natural resource is an important consideration in designing an efficient survey or monitoring program for the resource. We review a unified strategy for designing probability samples of discrete, finite resource populations, such as lakes within som...

  18. Analysis of time domain reflectometry data from LTPP seasonal monitoring program test sections

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-07-01

    This report documents an approach for designing an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) from a human factors perspective. In designing the ATMS from a human factors perspective, a user-centered top-down system analysis was conducted. Methodologi...

  19. The Influence of Wireless Self-Monitoring Program on the Relationship Between Patient Activation and Health Behaviors, Medication Adherence, and Blood Pressure Levels in Hypertensive Patients: A Substudy of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Kim, Ju Young; Wineinger, Nathan E; Steinhubl, Steven R

    2016-06-22

    Active engagement in the management of hypertension is important in improving self-management behaviors and clinical outcomes. Mobile phone technology using wireless monitoring tools are now widely available to help individuals monitor their blood pressure, but little is known about the conditions under which such technology can effect positive behavior changes or clinical outcomes. To study the influence of wireless self-monitoring program and patient activation measures on health behaviors, medication adherence, and blood pressure levels as well as control of blood pressure in hypertensive patients. We examined a subset of 95 hypertensive participants from a 6-month randomized controlled trial designed to determine the utility of a wireless self-monitoring program (n=52 monitoring program, n=43 control), which consisted of a blood pressure monitoring device connected with a mobile phone, reminders for self-monitoring, a Web-based disease management program, and a mobile app for monitoring and education, compared with the control group receiving a standard disease management program. Study participants provided measures of patient activation, health behaviors including smoking, drinking, and exercise, medication adherence, and blood pressure levels. We assessed the influence of wireless self-monitoring as a moderator of the relationship between patient activation and health behaviors, medication adherence, and control of blood pressure. Improvements in patient activation were associated with improvements in cigarette smoking (beta=-0.46, P<.001) and blood pressure control (beta=0.04, P=.02). This relationship was further strengthened in reducing cigarettes (beta=-0.60, P<.001), alcohol drinking (beta=-0.26, P=.01), and systolic (beta=-0.27, P=.02) and diastolic blood pressure (beta=-0.34, P=.007) at 6 months among individuals participating in the wireless self-monitoring program. No differences were observed with respect to medication adherence. Participation in a wireless self-monitoring program provides individuals motivated to improve their health management with an added benefit above and beyond that of motivation alone. Hypertensive individuals eager to change health behaviors are excellent candidates for mobile health self-monitoring.. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01975428, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01975428 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6iSO5OgOG).

  20. Dual-Modulation, Dual-Wavelength, Optical Polarimetry System for Glucose Monitoring

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-26

    dual-wavelength, optical polarimetry system for glucose monitoring 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER N/A 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...JBO.21.8.087001] 14. ABSTRACT A dual modulation optical polarimetry system utilizing both laser intensity and polarization modulation was designed...varying birefringence, which is one of the major limitations to the realization of polarimetry for glucose monitoring in the eye. The high-speed less

  1. Design and implementation of estimation-based monitoring programs for flora and fauna: A case study on the Cherokee National Forest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Klimstra, J.D.; O'Connell, A.F.; Pistrang, M.J.; Lewis, L.M.; Herrig, J.A.; Sauer, J.R.

    2007-01-01

    Science-based monitoring of biological resources is important for a greater understanding of ecological systems and for assessment of the target population using theoretic-based management approaches. When selecting variables to monitor, managers first need to carefully consider their objectives, the geographic and temporal scale at which they will operate, and the effort needed to implement the program. Generally, monitoring can be divided into two categories: index and inferential. Although index monitoring is usually easier to implement, analysis of index data requires strong assumptions about consistency in detection rates over time and space, and parameters are often biasednot accounting for detectability and spatial variation. In most cases, individuals are not always available for detection during sampling periods, and the entire area of interest cannot be sampled. Conversely, inferential monitoring is more rigorous because it is based on nearly unbiased estimators of spatial distribution. Thus, we recommend that detectability and spatial variation be considered for all monitoring programs that intend to make inferences about the target population or the area of interest. Application of these techniques is especially important for the monitoring of Threatened and Endangered (T&E) species because it is critical to determine if population size is increasing or decreasing with some level of certainty. Use of estimation-based methods and probability sampling will reduce many of the biases inherently associated with index data and provide meaningful information with respect to changes that occur in target populations. We incorporated inferential monitoring into protocols for T&E species spanning a wide range of taxa on the Cherokee National Forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We review the various approaches employed for different taxa and discuss design issues, sampling strategies, data analysis, and the details of estimating detectability using site occupancy. These techniques provide a science-based approach for monitoring and can be of value to all resource managers responsible for management of T&E species.

  2. Contribution of large-scale forest inventories to biodiversity assessment and monitoring

    Treesearch

    Piermaria Corona; Gherardo Chirici; Ronald E. McRoberts; Susanne Winter; Anna Barbati

    2011-01-01

    Statistically-designed inventories and biodiversity monitoring programs are gaining relevance for biological conservation and natural resources management. Mandated periodic surveys provide unique opportunities to identify and satisfy natural resources management information needs. However, this is not an end in itself but rather is the beginning of a process that...

  3. 40 CFR 62.14454 - How must I monitor the required parameters?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How must I monitor the required parameters? 62.14454 Section 62.14454 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Federal Plan Requirements for Hospital...

  4. Rapid Assessment of the ED Institutional Eligibility and Compliance Monitoring Systems. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Steven M.

    Two U.S. Department of Education (ED) systems for establishing the initial eligibility and monitoring the performance of postsecondary institutions that participate in ED financial assistance programs were assessed. The evaluation was designed to describe and evaluate the eligibility and certification functions of ED's Eligibility and Agency…

  5. 50 CFR 216.125 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... through June), conduct follow-up surveys within 2 weeks of the launch to ensure that there were no adverse... surveys each day that surveys are required that record the species, number of animals, general behavior... following information: (1) Date(s) and time(s) of the launch, (2) Design of the monitoring program, and (3...

  6. 50 CFR 216.125 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... through June), conduct follow-up surveys within 2 weeks of the launch to ensure that there were no adverse... surveys each day that surveys are required that record the species, number of animals, general behavior... following information: (1) Date(s) and time(s) of the launch, (2) Design of the monitoring program, and (3...

  7. 50 CFR 216.125 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... through June), conduct follow-up surveys within 2 weeks of the launch to ensure that there were no adverse... surveys each day that surveys are required that record the species, number of animals, general behavior... following information: (1) Date(s) and time(s) of the launch, (2) Design of the monitoring program, and (3...

  8. 50 CFR 216.125 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... through June), conduct follow-up surveys within 2 weeks of the launch to ensure that there were no adverse... surveys each day that surveys are required that record the species, number of animals, general behavior... following information: (1) Date(s) and time(s) of the launch, (2) Design of the monitoring program, and (3...

  9. The design of composite monitoring scheme for multilevel information in crop early diseases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yan; Meng, Qinglong; Shang, Jing

    2018-02-01

    It is difficult to monitor and predict the crops early diseases in that the crop disease monitoring is usually monitored by visible light images and the availabilities in early warning are poor at present. The features of common nondestructive testing technology applied to the crop diseases were analyzed in this paper. Based on the changeable characteristics of the virus from the incubation period to the onset period of crop activities, the multilevel composite information monitoring scheme were designed by applying infrared thermal imaging, visible near infrared hyperspectral imaging, micro-imaging technology to the monitoring of multilevel information of crop disease infection comprehensively. The early warning process and key monitoring parameters of compound monitoring scheme are given by taking the temperature, color, structure and texture of crops as the key monitoring characteristics of disease. With overcoming the deficiency that the conventional monitoring scheme is only suitable for the observation of diseases with naked eyes, the monitoring and early warning of the incubation and early onset of the infection crops can be realized by the composite monitoring program as mentioned in this paper.

  10. IMPROVING ESTUARINE EVALUATION THROUGH OUTREACH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO STATES, TRIBES AND OTHER PARTNERS: EPA'S NATIONAL COASTAL ASSESSMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Coastal Assessment (NCA) is a large-scale, comprehensive environmental monitoring program designed to characterize the ecological condition of the Nation's coastal resources. A key to this successful program is the developmen...

  11. Instrument Development for Examining Student Attrition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McRoberts, Timothy J.; Miller, Tess

    2015-01-01

    Instruments designed to track student changes in higher education are essential for monitoring program development in competitive higher education markets. As part of a developmental evaluation, a student questionnaire was developed and piloted to examine attrition rates in college programs. The purpose of the questionnaire was to explore factors…

  12. Applications of formal simulation languages in the control and monitoring subsystems of Space Station Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lacovara, R. C.

    1990-01-01

    The notions, benefits, and drawbacks of numeric simulation are introduced. Two formal simulation languages, Simpscript and Modsim are introduced. The capabilities of each are discussed briefly, and then the two programs are compared. The use of simulation in the process of design engineering for the Control and Monitoring System (CMS) for Space Station Freedom is discussed. The application of the formal simulation language to the CMS design is presented, and recommendations are made as to their use.

  13. Microbiological monitoring for the US Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Francy, Donna S.; Myers, Donna N.; Helsel, Dennis R.

    2000-01-01

    Data to characterize the microbiological quality of the Nation?s fresh, marine, and estuarine waters are usually collected for local purposes, most often to judge compliance with standards for protection of public health in swimmable or drinkable waters. Methods and procedures vary with the objectives and practices of the parties collecting data and are continuously being developed or modified. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a nationally consistent picture of the microbial quality of the Nation?s waters. Study objectives and guidelines for a national microbiological monitoring program are outlined in this report, using the framework of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. A national program is designed to provide long-term data on the presence of microbiological pathogens and indicators in ground water and surface water to support effective water policy and management. Three major groups of waterborne pathogens affect the public health acceptability of waters in the United States?bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Microbiological monitoring in NAWQA would be designed to assess the occurrence, distribution, and trends of pathogenic organisms and indicators in surface waters and ground waters; relate the patterns discerned to factors that help explain them; and improve our understanding of the processes that control microbiological water quality.

  14. Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Monitoring Program; 1988-1989 Annual Report.

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

    Peone, Tim L.; Scholz, Allan T.; Griffith, James R.

    1990-10-01

    In the Northwest Power Planning Council's 1987 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC 1987), the Council directed the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to construct two kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) hatcheries as partial mitigation for the loss of anadromous salmon and steelhead incurred by construction of Grand Coulee Dam [Section 903 (g)(l)(C)]. The hatcheries will produce kokanee salmon for outplanting into Lake Roosevelt as well as rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) for the Lake Roosevelt net-pen program. In section 903 (g)(l)(E), the Council also directed BPA to fund a monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of the kokanee hatcheries. Themore » monitoring program included the following components: (1) a year-round, reservoir-wide, creel survey to determine angler use, catch rates and composition, and growth and condition of fish; (2) assessment of kokanee, rainbow, and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) feeding habits and densities of their preferred prey, and; (3) a mark and recapture study designed to assess the effectiveness of different locations where hatchery-raised kokanee and net pen reared rainbow trout are released. The above measures were adopted by the Council based on a management plan, developed by the Upper Columbia United Tribes Fisheries Center, Spokane Indian Tribe, Colville Confederated Tribes, Washington Department of Wildlife, and National Park Service, that examined the feasibility of restoring and enhancing Lake Roosevelt fisheries (Scholz et al. 1986). In July 1988, BPA entered into a contract with the Spokane Indian Tribe to initiate the monitoring program. The projected duration of the monitoring program is through 1995. This report contains the results of the monitoring program from August 1988 to December 1989.« less

  15. Design for mosquito abundance, diversity, and phenology sampling within the National Ecological Observatory Network

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoekman, D.; Springer, Yuri P.; Barker, C.M.; Barrera, R.; Blackmore, M.S.; Bradshaw, W.E.; Foley, D. H.; Ginsberg, Howard; Hayden, M. H.; Holzapfel, C. M.; Juliano, S. A.; Kramer, L. D.; LaDeau, S. L.; Livdahl, T. P.; Moore, C. G.; Nasci, R.S.; Reisen, W.K.; Savage, H. M.

    2016-01-01

    The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) intends to monitor mosquito populations across its broad geographical range of sites because of their prevalence in food webs, sensitivity to abiotic factors and relevance for human health. We describe the design of mosquito population sampling in the context of NEON’s long term continental scale monitoring program, emphasizing the sampling design schedule, priorities and collection methods. Freely available NEON data and associated field and laboratory samples, will increase our understanding of how mosquito abundance, demography, diversity and phenology are responding to land use and climate change.

  16. A conceptual framework for the design of environmental post-market monitoring of genetically modified plants.

    PubMed

    Sanvido, Olivier; Widmer, Franco; Winzeler, Michael; Bigler, Franz

    2005-01-01

    Genetically modified plants (GMPs) may soon be cultivated commercially in several member countries of the European Union (EU). According to EU Directive 2001/18/EC, post-market monitoring (PMM) for commercial GMP cultivation must be implemented, in order to detect and prevent adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, no general PMM strategies for GMP cultivation have been established so far. We present a conceptual framework for the design of environmental PMM for GMP cultivation based on current EU legislation and common risk analysis procedures. We have established a comprehensive structure of the GMP approval process, consisting of pre-market risk assessment (PMRA) as well as PMM. Both programs can be distinguished conceptually due to principles inherent to risk analysis procedures. The design of PMM programs should take into account the knowledge gained during approval for commercialization of a specific GMP and the decisions made in the environmental risk assessments (ERAs). PMM is composed of case-specific monitoring (CSM) and general surveillance. CSM focuses on anticipated effects of a specific GMP. Selection of case-specific indicators for detection of ecological exposure and effects, as well as definition of effect sizes, are important for CSM. General surveillance is designed to detect unanticipated effects on general safeguard subjects, such as natural resources, which must not be adversely affected by human activities like GMP cultivation. We have identified clear conceptual differences between CSM and general surveillance, and propose to adopt separate frameworks when developing either of the two programs. Common to both programs is the need to put a value on possible ecological effects of GMP cultivation. The structure of PMM presented here will be of assistance to industry, researchers, and regulators, when assessing GMPs during commercialization.

  17. Geotechnical Field Data and Analysis Report, July 1991--June 1992. Volume 1

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

    Not Available

    1993-09-01

    The Geotechnical Field Data and Analysis Report documents the geotechnical data from the underground excavations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The data are used to characterize conditions, confirm design assumptions, and understand and predict the performance of the underground excavations during operations. The data are obtained as part of a routine monitoring program and do not include data from tests performed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the Scientific Advisor to the project, in support of performance assessment studies. The purpose of the geomechanical monitoring program is to provide in situ data to supportmore » continuing assessments of the design for the underground facilities. Specifically, the program provides: Early detection of conditions that could compromise operational safety; evaluation of room closure to ensure retrievability of waste; guidance for design modifications and remedial actions; and data for interpreting the actual behavior of underground openings, in comparison with established design criteria. This Geotechnical Field Data and Analysis Report covers the period July 1, 1991 to June 30, 1992. Volume 1 provides an interpretation of the field data while Volume 2 describes and presents the data itself.« less

  18. Advanced CO2 removal process control and monitor instrumentation development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heppner, D. B.; Dalhausen, M. J.; Klimes, R.

    1982-01-01

    A progam to evaluate, design and demonstrate major advances in control and monitor instrumentation was undertaken. A carbon dioxide removal process, one whose maturity level makes it a prime candidate for early flight demonstration was investigated. The instrumentation design incorporates features which are compatible with anticipated flight requirements. Current electronics technology and projected advances are included. In addition, the program established commonality of components for all advanced life support subsystems. It was concluded from the studies and design activities conducted under this program that the next generation of instrumentation will be greatly smaller than the prior one. Not only physical size but weight, power and heat rejection requirements were reduced in the range of 80 to 85% from the former level of research and development instrumentation. Using a microprocessor based computer, a standard computer bus structure and nonvolatile memory, improved fabrication techniques and aerospace packaging this instrumentation will greatly enhance overall reliability and total system availability.

  19. WV R-EMAP STUDY: MULTIPLE-OBJECTIVE SAMPLING DESIGN FRAMEWORK

    EPA Science Inventory

    A multi-objective sampling design has been implemented through Regional Monitoring and Assessment Program (R-EMAP) support of a cooperative agreement with the state of West Virginia. Goals of the project include: 1) development and testing of a temperature-adjusted fish IBI for t...

  20. 75 FR 80056 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-21

    ... Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), DBS implemented a standalone survey designed to monitor mental... additional questions taken from standardized scales or from other surveys designed to measure anxiety... Surveillance (DBS) Gulf States Population Survey--New--Public Health Surveillance Program Office (PHSPO...

  1. Pilot testing of SHRP 2 reliability data and analytical products: Southern California. [supporting datasets

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this project was to develop system designs for programs to monitor travel time reliability and to prepare a guidebook that practitioners and others can use to design, build, operate, and maintain such systems. Generally, such travel ...

  2. Pilot testing of SHRP 2 reliability data and analytical products: Minnesota. [supporting datasets

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this project was to develop system designs for programs to monitor travel time reliability and to prepare a guidebook that practitioners and others can use to design, build, operate, and maintain such systems. Generally, such travel ...

  3. 40 CFR 53.11 - Cancellation of reference or equivalent method designation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cancellation of reference or equivalent method designation. 53.11 Section 53.11 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) AMBIENT AIR MONITORING REFERENCE AND EQUIVALENT METHODS General...

  4. 10 CFR 60.141 - Confirmation of geotechnical and design parameters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... reported to the Commission. (e) In situ monitoring of the thermomechanical response of the underground... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Performance Confirmation Program § 60.141 Confirmation of geotechnical and... needed in design to accommodate actual field conditions encountered. (b) Subsurface conditions shall be...

  5. 10 CFR 60.141 - Confirmation of geotechnical and design parameters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... reported to the Commission. (e) In situ monitoring of the thermomechanical response of the underground... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Performance Confirmation Program § 60.141 Confirmation of geotechnical and... needed in design to accommodate actual field conditions encountered. (b) Subsurface conditions shall be...

  6. 10 CFR 60.141 - Confirmation of geotechnical and design parameters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... reported to the Commission. (e) In situ monitoring of the thermomechanical response of the underground... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Performance Confirmation Program § 60.141 Confirmation of geotechnical and... needed in design to accommodate actual field conditions encountered. (b) Subsurface conditions shall be...

  7. Sampling and monitoring for closure

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McLemore, Virginia T.; Smith, Kathleen S.; Russell, Carol C.

    2007-01-01

    An important aspect of planning a new mine or mine expansion within the modern regulatory framework is to design for ultimate closure. Sampling and monitoring for closure is a form of environmental risk management. By implementing a sampling and monitoring program early in the life of the mining operation, major costs can be avoided or minimized. The costs for treating mine drainage in perpetuity are staggering, especially if they are unanticipated. The Metal Mining Sector of the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative (ADTI-MMS), a cooperative government-industry-academia organization, was established to address drainage-quality technologies of metal mining and metallurgical operations. ADTI-MMS recommends that sampling and monitoring programs consider the entire mine-life cycle and that data needed for closure of an operation be collected from exploration through postclosure.

  8. A Cost-Benefit Study of a Breaking the Cycle Program for Juveniles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowell, Alexander J.; Lattimore, Pamela K.; Krebs, Christopher P.

    2010-01-01

    The authors present a cost-benefit analysis of a Juvenile Breaking the Cycle (JBTC) program in Oregon designed to provide juvenile justice system monitoring and coordinated treatment and services to youth who are assessed as at high risk for recidivism and substance use. Detailed cost analyses are presented for youth in the JBTC program and a…

  9. Planned Environmental Microbiology Aspects of Future Lunar and Mars Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ott, C. Mark; Castro, Victoria A.; Pierson, Duane L.

    2006-01-01

    With the establishment of the Constellation Program, NASA has initiated efforts designed similar to the Apollo Program to return to the moon and subsequently travel to Mars. Early lunar sorties will take 4 crewmembers to the moon for 4 to 7 days. Later missions will increase in duration up to 6 months as a lunar habitat is constructed. These missions and vehicle designs are the forerunners of further missions destined for human exploration of Mars. Throughout the planning and design process, lessons learned from the International Space Station (ISS) and past programs will be implemented toward future exploration goals. The standards and requirements for these missions will vary depending on life support systems, mission duration, crew activities, and payloads. From a microbiological perspective, preventative measures will remain the primary techniques to mitigate microbial risk. Thus, most of the effort will focus on stringent preflight monitoring requirements and engineering controls designed into the vehicle, such as HEPA air filters. Due to volume constraints in the CEV, in-flight monitoring will be limited for short-duration missions to the measurement of biocide concentration for water potability. Once long-duration habitation begins on the lunar surface, a more extensive environmental monitoring plan will be initiated. However, limited in-flight volume constraints and the inability to return samples to Earth will increase the need for crew capabilities in determining the nature of contamination problems and method of remediation. In addition, limited shelf life of current monitoring hardware consumables and limited capabilities to dispose of biohazardous trash will drive flight hardware toward non-culture based methodologies, such as hardware that rapidly distinguishes biotic versus abiotic surface contamination. As missions progress to Mars, environmental systems will depend heavily on regeneration of air and water and biological waste remediation and regeneration systems, increasing the need for environmental monitoring. Almost complete crew autonomy will be needed for assessment and remediation of contamination problems. Cabin capacity will be limited; thus, current methods of microbial monitoring will be inadequate. Future methodology must limit consumables, and these consumables must have a shelf life of over three years. In summary, missions to the moon and Mars will require a practical design that prudently uses available resources to mitigate microbial risk to the crew.

  10. 75 FR 18889 - Notice of Quarterly Report (October 1, 2009-December 31, 2009)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-13

    ... 17,583,512 Control, Monitoring and Evaluation. Pending subsequent reports**..... 1,368,813 * Program... irrigation. Number of beneficial biological control agents developed for use by program farmers or other.... Percent of contracted road works disbursed-- rural roads. Signed contracts for feasibility and/or design...

  11. SPATIALLY-BALANCED SURVEY DESIGN FOR GROUNDWATER USING EXISTING WELLS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Many states have a monitoring program to evaluate the water quality of groundwater across the state. These programs rely on existing wells for access to the groundwater, due to the high cost of drilling new wells. Typically, a state maintains a database of all well locations, in...

  12. LINKAGES ACROSS PM POLICY AND RESEARCH: EXAMINING THE POLICY RELEVANT FINDINGS FROM THE PM2.5 SUPERSITES PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    The PM2.5 Supersites program was designed to complement routinely operating PM2.5 networks by providing enhanced temporal and chemical/physical composition data in addressing three overarching objectives: supporting health effects and exposure research, advanced monitoring meth...

  13. Implementation of evidence-based home visiting programs aimed at reducing child maltreatment: A meta-analytic review.

    PubMed

    Casillas, Katherine L; Fauchier, Angèle; Derkash, Bridget T; Garrido, Edward F

    2016-03-01

    In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of home visitation programs as a means of addressing risk factors for child maltreatment. The evidence supporting the effectiveness of these programs from several meta-analyses, however, is mixed. One potential explanation for this inconsistency explored in the current study involves the manner in which these programs were implemented. In the current study we reviewed 156 studies associated with 9 different home visitation program models targeted to caregivers of children between the ages of 0 and 5. Meta-analytic techniques were used to determine the impact of 18 implementation factors (e.g., staff selection, training, supervision, fidelity monitoring, etc.) and four study characteristics (publication type, target population, study design, comparison group) in predicting program outcomes. Results from analyses revealed that several implementation factors, including training, supervision, and fidelity monitoring, had a significant effect on program outcomes, particularly child maltreatment outcomes. Study characteristics, including the program's target population and the comparison group employed, also had a significant effect on program outcomes. Implications of the study's results for those interested in implementing home visitation programs are discussed. A careful consideration and monitoring of program implementation is advised as a means of achieving optimal study results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. A smartphone-supported weight loss program: design of the ENGAGED randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Pellegrini, Christine A; Duncan, Jennifer M; Moller, Arlen C; Buscemi, Joanna; Sularz, Alyson; DeMott, Andrew; Pictor, Alex; Pagoto, Sherry; Siddique, Juned; Spring, Bonnie

    2012-11-30

    Obesity remains a major public health challenge, demanding cost-effective and scalable weight management programs. Delivering key treatment components via mobile technology offers a potential way to reduce expensive in-person contact, thereby lowering the cost and burden of intensive weight loss programs. The ENGAGED study is a theory-guided, randomized controlled trial designed to examine the feasibility and efficacy of an abbreviated smartphone-supported weight loss program. Ninety-six obese adults (BMI 30-39.9 kg/m2) will be randomized to one of three treatment conditions: (1) standard behavioral weight loss (STND), (2) technology-supported behavioral weight loss (TECH); or (3) self-guided behavioral weight loss (SELF). All groups will aim to achieve a 7% weight loss goal by reducing calorie and fat intake and progressively increasing moderate intensity physical activity to 175 minutes/week. STND and TECH will attend 8 group sessions and receive regular coaching calls during the first 6 months of the intervention; SELF will receive the Group Lifestyle Balance Program DVD's and will not receive coaching calls. During months 1-6, TECH will use a specially designed smartphone application to monitor dietary intake, body weight, and objectively measured physical activity (obtained from a Blue-tooth enabled accelerometer). STND and SELF will self-monitor on paper diaries. Linear mixed modeling will be used to examine group differences on weight loss at months 3, 6, and 12. Self-monitoring adherence and diet and activity goal attainment will be tested as mediators. ENGAGED is an innovative weight loss intervention that integrates theory with emerging mobile technologies. We hypothesize that TECH, as compared to STND and SELF, will result in greater weight loss by virtue of improved behavioral adherence and goal achievement. NCT01051713.

  15. The Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bart, J.; Andres, B.; Brown, S.; Donaldson, G.; Harrington, B.; Johnston, V.; Jones, S.; Morrison, R.I.G.; Skagen, S.K.

    2005-01-01

    This report describes the "Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring" (PRISM). PRISM is being implemented by a Canada-United States Shorebird Monitoring and Assessment Committee formed in 2001 by the Canadian Shorebird Working Group and the U.S. Shorebird Council. PRISM provides a single blueprint for implementing the shorebird conservation plans recently completed in Canada and the United States. The goals of PRISM are to (1) estimate the size of breeding population of 74 shorebird taxa in North America; (2) describe the distribution, abundance, and habitat relationships for each of these taxa; (3) monitor trends in shorebird population size; (4) monitor shorebird numbers at stopover locations, and; (5) assist local managers in meeting their shorebird conservation goals. PRISM has four main components: arctic and boreal breeding surveys, temperate breeding surveys, temperate non-breeding surveys, and neotropical surveys. Progress on, and action items for, each major component are described. The more important major tasks for immediate action are carrying out the northern surveys, conducting regional analyses to design the program of migration counts, and evaluating aerial photographic surveys for migration and winter counts.

  16. Designing an evaluation for a multiple-strategy community intervention: the North Coast Stay on Your Feet program.

    PubMed

    van Beurden, E; Kempton, A; Sladden, T; Garner, E

    1998-02-01

    Evaluation of the North Coast Stay on Your Feet falls prevention program is described as a case study of a comprehensive evaluation design for multi-strategic community interventions. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the program at formative, process and outcome levels. Formative evaluation used literature review, focus groups, mail-out and telephone survey methods to gather evidence from publications, older people, health workers, local business, media and government bodies. It included an analysis of demographic and hospital databases and identified incidence, causal pathways, knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, consequences and effectiveness of potential strategies. Process evaluation employed auditing, monitoring and telephone surveys to maintain an inventory of intervention activities and to track the reach of the program. Outcome evaluation involved a longitudinal study of intervention and control cohorts, surveyed before, during and after the intervention by telephone to monitor changes in knowledge, attitudes, risk and falls incidence. The survey instrument was designed for both formative and outcome evaluation, and analysis reflected the research design by incorporating repeat measures and adjusting for bias and confounding. Outcome validity was cross-checked via hospital admission rates. A novel, integrated framework for presenting inputs, activities and outcomes from all stages of the program is described. This framework facilitated feedback to stakeholders and enabled subsequent rapid adjustment of the intervention. Rigorous evaluation combined with clear presentation of findings helped to engender intersectoral support and obtain funding grants for extended implementation and evaluation. It also helped Stay on Your Feet to become a model for other falls prevention programs within Australia and internationally.

  17. Spatial and temporal ecological variability in the northern Gulf of Alaska: What have we learned since the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aderhold, Donna G. R.; Lindeberg, Mandy R.; Holderied, Kris; Pegau, W. Scott

    2018-01-01

    This special issue examines oceanographic and biological variability in the northern Gulf of Alaska region with an emphasis on recent monitoring efforts of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) and Herring Research and Monitoring (HRM) programs funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (EVOSTC). These programs are designed to improve our understanding of how changing environmental conditions affect Gulf of Alaska ecosystems and the long-term status of resources injured by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

  18. Sampling design for aquatic invasive species early detection in Great Lakes ports

    EPA Science Inventory

    From 2006-2012, we evaluated a pilot aquatic invasive species (AIS) early detection monitoring program in Lake Superior that was designed to detect newly introduced fishes. We established survey protocols for three major ports (Duluth-Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay) and ...

  19. Evaluation of LADOTD traffic load data for determination of traffic load equivalency factors : technical summary.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-04-01

    Louisianan has established a traffic monitoring program, compliant with FHWA incentives, that is designed to collect and manage the traffic data needed for the design and management of LADOTD's network of current and future highways. In the early 198...

  20. 40 CFR 53.8 - Designation of reference and equivalent methods.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Designation of reference and equivalent methods. 53.8 Section 53.8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) AMBIENT AIR MONITORING REFERENCE AND EQUIVALENT METHODS General Provisions § 53.8...

  1. OZONE MONITORING, MAPPING, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The U.S. EPA had developed a handbook to help state and local government officials implement ozone monitoring, mapping, and outreach programs. The handbook, called Ozone Monitoring, Mapping, and Public Outreach: Delivering Real-Time Ozone Information to Your Community, provides step-by-step instructions on how to: Design, site, operate, and maintain an ozone monitoring network. Install, configure, and operate the Automatic Data Transfer System Use MapGen software to create still-frame and animated ozone maps. Develop and outreach plan to communicate information about real-time ozone levels and their health effects to the public.This handbook was developed by EPA's EMPACT program. The program takes advantage of new technologies that make it possible to provide environmental information to the public in near real time. EMPACT is working with the 86 largest metropolitan areas of the country to help communities in these areas: Collect, manage and distribute time-relevant environmental information. Provide their residents with easy-to-understand information they can use in making informed, day-to-day decisions. Information

  2. Planning an integrated agriculture and health program and designing its evaluation: Experience from Western Kenya.

    PubMed

    Cole, Donald C; Levin, Carol; Loechl, Cornelia; Thiele, Graham; Grant, Frederick; Girard, Aimee Webb; Sindi, Kirimi; Low, Jan

    2016-06-01

    Multi-sectoral programs that involve stakeholders in agriculture, nutrition and health care are essential for responding to nutrition problems such as vitamin A deficiency among pregnant and lactating women and their infants in many poor areas of lower income countries. Yet planning such multi-sectoral programs and designing appropriate evaluations, to respond to different disciplinary cultures of evidence, remain a challenge. We describe the context, program development process, and evaluation design of the Mama SASHA project (Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa) which promoted production and consumption of a bio-fortified, orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). In planning the program we drew upon information from needs assessments, stakeholder consultations, and a first round of the implementation evaluation of a pilot project. The multi-disciplinary team worked with partner organizations to develop a program theory of change and an impact pathway which identified aspects of the program that would be monitored and established evaluation methods. Responding to the growing demand for greater rigour in impact evaluations, we carried out quasi-experimental allocation by health facility catchment area, repeat village surveys for assessment of change in intervention and control areas, and longitudinal tracking of individual mother-child pairs. Mid-course corrections in program implementation were informed by program monitoring, regular feedback from implementers and partners' meetings. To assess economic efficiency and provide evidence for scaling we collected data on resources used and project expenses. Managing the multi-sectoral program and the mixed methods evaluation involved bargaining and trade-offs that were deemed essential to respond to the array of stakeholders, program funders and disciplines involved. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  3. Planning an integrated agriculture and health program and designing its evaluation: Experience from Western Kenya

    PubMed Central

    Cole, Donald C.; Levin, Carol; Loechl, Cornelia; Thiele, Graham; Grant, Frederick; Girard, Aimee Webb; Sindi, Kirimi; Low, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Multi-sectoral programs that involve stakeholders in agriculture, nutrition and health care are essential for responding to nutrition problems such as vitamin A deficiency among pregnant and lactating women and their infants in many poor areas of lower income countries. Yet planning such multi-sectoral programs and designing appropriate evaluations, to respond to different disciplinary cultures of evidence, remain a challenge. We describe the context, program development process, and evaluation design of the Mama SASHA project (Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa) which promoted production and consumption of a bio-fortified, orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). In planning the program we drew upon information from needs assessments, stakeholder consultations, and a first round of the implementation evaluation of a pilot project. The multi-disciplinary team worked with partner organizations to develop a program theory of change and an impact pathway which identified aspects of the program that would be monitored and established evaluation methods. Responding to the growing demand for greater rigour in impact evaluations, we carried out quasi-experimental allocation by health facility catchment area, repeat village surveys for assessment of change in intervention and control areas, and longitudinal tracking of individual mother-child pairs. Mid-course corrections in program implementation were informed by program monitoring, regular feedback from implementers and partners’ meetings. To assess economic efficiency and provide evidence for scaling we collected data on resources used and project expenses. Managing the multi-sectoral program and the mixed methods evaluation involved bargaining and trade-offs that were deemed essential to respond to the array of stakeholders, program funders and disciplines involved. PMID:27003730

  4. Monitoring Student Interaction during Collaborative Learning: Design and Evaluation of a Training Program for Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaendler, Celia; Wiedmann, Michael; Leuders, Timo; Rummel, Nikol; Spada, Hans

    2016-01-01

    The monitoring by teachers of collaborative, cognitive, and meta-cognitive student activities in collaborative learning is crucial for fostering beneficial student interaction. In a quasi-experimental study, we trained pre-service teachers (N = 74) to notice behavioral indicators for these three dimensions of student activities. Video clips of…

  5. 9 CFR 56.10 - Initial State response and containment plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    .../H7 LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA § 56.10 Initial State response and containment plan. (a) In order... and education programs regarding avian influenza. (b) If a State is designated a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Layers under § 146.24(a) of this chapter or a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Turkeys...

  6. 9 CFR 56.10 - Initial State response and containment plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    .../H7 LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA § 56.10 Initial State response and containment plan. (a) In order... and education programs regarding avian influenza. (b) If a State is designated a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Layers under § 146.24(a) of this chapter or a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Turkeys...

  7. 9 CFR 56.10 - Initial State response and containment plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    .../H7 LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA § 56.10 Initial State response and containment plan. (a) In order... and education programs regarding avian influenza. (b) If a State is designated a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Layers under § 146.24(a) of this chapter or a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Turkeys...

  8. 9 CFR 56.10 - Initial State response and containment plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    .../H7 LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA § 56.10 Initial State response and containment plan. (a) In order... and education programs regarding avian influenza. (b) If a State is designated a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Layers under § 146.24(a) of this chapter or a U.S. Avian Influenza Monitored State, Turkeys...

  9. 40 CFR 62.15275 - How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon? 62.15275 Section 62.15275 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Federal Plan Requirements fo...

  10. 40 CFR 62.15275 - How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon? 62.15275 Section 62.15275 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Federal Plan Requirements fo...

  11. THE MEASUREMENT OF PM2.5, INCLUDING SEMI-VOLATILE COMPONENTS, IN THE EMPACT PROGRAM: RESULTS FROM THE SALT LAKE CITY STUDY. (R827993)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Salt Lake City EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project, initiated in October 1999, is designed to evaluate the usefulness of a newly developed real-time continuous monitor (RAMS) for total (non-volatile plus semi-volatile) PM<...

  12. 40 CFR 62.15275 - How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How do I monitor the injection rate of activated carbon? 62.15275 Section 62.15275 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Federal Plan Requirements fo...

  13. 75 FR 26685 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-12

    ... devices necessary to collect data on ambient air quality, and programs to enforce the limitations. General...-hour ozone NAAQS, based on the most recent three years of complete, quality assured monitoring data... air quality monitoring data for the 3-year period must meet a data completeness requirement. The...

  14. A ROBUST DESIGN FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF A GREAT RIVER, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM - UPPER MISSOURI RIVER (EMAP-UMR)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Great Rivers and reservoirs are complex, trans-border resources that are difficult and expensive to assess, monitor and manage. EMAP-UMR is a five-year effort to develop the methodology for Great River assessments, using the Upper Missouri as a test case. A major early achievemen...

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

    PubMed

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

    2015-09-01

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

  16. Adherence to and effectiveness of an individually tailored home-based exercise program for frail older adults, driven by mobility monitoring: design of a prospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Geraedts, Hilde A E; Zijlstra, Wiebren; Zhang, Wei; Bulstra, Sjoerd; Stevens, Martin

    2014-06-07

    With the number of older adults in society rising, frailty becomes an increasingly prevalent health condition. Regular physical activity can prevent functional decline and reduce frailty symptoms. In particular, home-based exercise programs can be beneficial in reducing frailty of older adults and fall risk, and in improving associated physiological parameters. However, adherence to home-based exercise programs is generally low among older adults. Current developments in technology can assist in enlarging adherence to home-based exercise programs. This paper presents the rationale and design of a study evaluating the adherence to and effectiveness of an individually tailored, home-based physical activity program for frail older adults driven by mobility monitoring through a necklace-worn physical activity sensor and remote feedback using a tablet PC. Fifty transitionally frail community-dwelling older adults will join a 6-month home-based physical activity program in which exercises are provided in the form of exercise videos on a tablet PC and daily activity is monitored by means of a necklace-worn motion sensor. Participants exercise 5 times a week. Exercises are built up in levels and are individually tailored in consultation with a coach through weekly telephone contact. The physical activity program driven by mobility monitoring through a necklace-worn sensor and remote feedback using a tablet PC is an innovative method for physical activity stimulation in frail older adults. We hypothesize that, if participants are sufficiently adherent, the program will result in higher daily physical activity and higher strength and balance assessed by physical tests compared to baseline. If adherence to and effectiveness of the program is considered sufficient, the next step would be to evaluate the effectiveness with a randomised controlled trial. The knowledge gained in this study can be used to develop and fine-tune the application of innovative technology in home-based exercise programs. Nederlands Trial Register (NTR); trial number 4265. The study was prospectively registered (registration date 14/11/2013).

  17. A hydrologic retention system and water quality monitoring program for a human decomposition research facility: concept and design.

    PubMed

    Wozniak, Jeffrey R; Thies, Monte L; Bytheway, Joan A; Lutterschmidt, William I

    2015-01-01

    Forensic taphonomy is an essential research field; however, the decomposition of human cadavers at forensic science facilities may lead to nutrient loading and the introduction of unique biological compounds to adjacent areas. The infrastructure of a water retention system may provide a mechanism for the biogeochemical processing and retention of nutrients and compounds, ensuring the control of runoff from forensic facilities. This work provides a proof of concept for a hydrologic retention system and an autonomous water quality monitoring program designed to mitigate runoff from The Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science (STAFS) Facility. Water samples collected along a sample transect were analyzed for total phosphorous, total nitrogen, NO3-, NO2-, NH4, F(-), and Cl(-). Preliminary water quality analyses confirm the overall effectiveness of the water retention system. These results are discussed with relation to how this infrastructure can be expanded upon to monitor additional, more novel, byproducts of forensic science research facilities. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  18. Precision segmented reflector, figure verification sensor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manhart, Paul K.; Macenka, Steve A.

    1989-01-01

    The Precision Segmented Reflector (PSR) program currently under way at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a test bed and technology demonstration program designed to develop and study the structural and material technologies required for lightweight, precision segmented reflectors. A Figure Verification Sensor (FVS) which is designed to monitor the active control system of the segments is described, a best fit surface is defined, and an image or wavefront quality of the assembled array of reflecting panels is assessed

  19. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM FOR WET DEPOSITION SAMPLING AND CHEMICAL ANALYSES FOR THE NATIONAL TRENDS NETWORK.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schroder, LeRoy J.; Malo, Bernard A.; ,

    1985-01-01

    The purpose of the National Trends Network is to delineate the major inorganic constituents in the wet deposition in the United States. The approach chosen to monitor the Nation's wet deposition is to install approximately 150 automatic sampling devices with at least one collector in each state. Samples are collected at one week intervals, removed from collectors, and transported to an analytical laboratory for chemical analysis. The quality assurance program has divided wet deposition monitoring into 5 parts: (1) Sampling site selection, (2) sampling device, (3) sample container, (4) sample handling, and (5) laboratory analysis. Each of these five components is being examined using existing designs or new designs. Each existing or proposed sampling site is visited and a criteria audit is performed.

  20. Space shuttle propulsion systems on-board checkout and monitoring system development study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    Investigations on the fundamental space shuttle propulsion systems program are reported, with emphasis on in-depth reviews of preliminary drafts of the guidelines. The guidelines will be used to incorporate the onboard checkout and monitoring function into the basic design of the propulsion systems and associated interfacing systems. The analysis of checkout and monitoring requirements of the Titan 3 L expandable booster propulsion systems was completed, and the techniques for accomplishing the checkout and monitoring functions were determined. Updating results of the basic study of propulsion system checkout and monitoring is continuing.

  1. Synthesis of data from high-frequency nutrient and associated biogeochemical monitoring for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, northern California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Downing, Bryan D.; Bergamaschi, Brian A.; Kraus, Tamara E.C.

    2017-07-11

    Executive SummaryThis report is the second in a series of three reports that provide information about high-frequency (HF) nutrient and biogeochemical monitoring in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta of northern California (Delta). The purpose of this report is to synthesize the data available from a nutrient and water-quality HF (about every 15 minutes) monitoring network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the northern Delta. In this report, we describe the network and focus on the purpose of each station. We then present and discuss the available data, at various timescales—first at the monthly, seasonal, and inter-annual timescales, and second, for comparison, at the tidal and event timescales. As expected, we determined that there is substantial variability in nitrate-N concentrations at short timescales within hours, but also significant variability at longer timescales such as months or years. Resolving this variability is made possible by the HF data, with the largest variability caused by storms, tides, and diel biological processes. Given this large temporal variability, calculations of cumulative nutrient fluxes (for example, daily, monthly, or annual loads) is difficult without HF data. For example, in the Cache Slough, calculation of the annual load without the tidal variability resulted in a 30 percent underestimation of the true annual load value. We conclude that HF measurements are important for accurate determination of fluxes and loads in tidal environments, but, more importantly, provide important insights into processes and rates of nutrient cycling.This report, along with the other two reports of this series (Bergamaschi and others, 2017; Kraus, Bergamaschi, and others, 2017), was drafted in cooperation with the Delta Regional Monitoring Program to help scientists, managers, and planners understand how HF data improve our understanding of nutrient sources and sinks, drivers, and effects in the Delta. The first report in the series (Kraus, Bergamaschi, and others, 2017) provides an introduction to the reasons for and fundamental concepts behind using HF monitoring measurements, including a brief summary of nutrient status and trends in the Delta and an extensive literature review showing how and where other research and monitoring programs have used HF monitoring to improve our understanding of nutrient cycling. The report covers the various technologies available for HF nutrient monitoring and presents the different ways HF monitoring instrumentation may be used for fixed station and spatial assessments. Finally, it presents numerous examples of how HF measurements are currently (2017) being used in the Delta to examine how nutrients and nutrient cycling are related to aquatic habitat conditions.The third report in the series (Bergamaschi and others, 2017) provides the background, principles, and considerations for designing an HF nutrient-monitoring network for the Delta to address high-priority, nutrient-management questions. The report starts with discussion of the high‑priority management questions to be addressed, continues through discussion of the questions and considerations that place demands and constraints on network design, discusses the principles applicable to network design, and concludes with the presentation of three example nutrient-monitoring network designs for the Delta, proposed to address high-priority questions identified by the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta Regional Monitoring Program Technical Advisory Committee, 2015).

  2. "Smart" Sensor Module

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mahajan, Ajay

    2007-01-01

    An assembly that contains a sensor, sensor-signal-conditioning circuitry, a sensor-readout analog-to-digital converter (ADC), data-storage circuitry, and a microprocessor that runs special-purpose software and communicates with one or more external computer(s) has been developed as a prototype of "smart" sensor modules for monitoring the integrity and functionality (the "health") of engineering systems. Although these modules are now being designed specifically for use on rocket-engine test stands, it is anticipated that they could also readily be designed to be incorporated into health-monitoring subsystems of such diverse engineering systems as spacecraft, aircraft, land vehicles, bridges, buildings, power plants, oilrigs, and defense installations. The figure is a simplified block diagram of the "smart" sensor module. The analog sensor readout signal is processed by the ADC, the digital output of which is fed to the microprocessor. By means of a standard RS-232 cable, the microprocessor is connected to a local personal computer (PC), from which software is downloaded into a randomaccess memory in the microprocessor. The local PC is also used to debug the software. Once the software is running, the local PC is disconnected and the module is controlled by, and all output data from the module are collected by, a remote PC via an Ethernet bus. Several smart sensor modules like this one could be connected to the same Ethernet bus and controlled by the single remote PC. The software running in the microprocessor includes driver programs for operation of the sensor, programs that implement self-assessment algorithms, programs that implement protocols for communication with the external computer( s), and programs that implement evolutionary methodologies to enable the module to improve its performance over time. The design of the module and of the health-monitoring system of which it is a part reflects the understanding that the main purpose of a health-monitoring system is to detect damage and, therefore, the health-monitoring system must be able to function effectively in the presence of damage and should be capable of distinguishing between damage to itself and damage to the system being monitored. A major benefit afforded by the self-assessment algorithms is that in the output of the module, the sensor data indicative of the health of the engineering system being monitored are coupled with a confidence factor that quantifies the degree of reliability of the data. Hence, the output includes information on the health of the sensor module itself in addition to information on the health of the engineering system being monitored.

  3. 40 CFR Appendix B to Part 60 - Performance Specifications

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 6216-98 is the reference for design specifications, manufacturer's performance specifications, and test... representative of a group of monitors produced during a specified period or lot, for conformance with the design... technique and a single analytical program are used. One Run may include results for more than one test...

  4. School Building Design: The Building as an Instructional Tool.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rakestraw, William E.

    1979-01-01

    Concepts used in the design of a Dallas school make the building an integral part of the instructional program. These concepts include instrumented resource consumption, wind powered electrical generating capabilities, solar powered domestic hot water system, grey water cycling and sampling capabilities, and mechanical systems monitoring.…

  5. SLICEIT and TAHMO Partnerships: Students Local and International Collaboration for Climate and Environmental Monitoring, Technology Development, Education, Adaptation and Mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aishlin, P. S.; Selker, J. S.

    2015-12-01

    Climate change understanding and impacts vary by community, yet the global nature of climate change requires international collaboration to address education, monitoring, adaptation and mitigation needs. We propose that effective climate change monitoring and education can be accomplished via student-led local and international community partnerships. By empowering students as community leaders in climate-environmental monitoring and education, as well as exploration of adaptation/mitigation needs, well-informed communities and young leadership are developed to support climate change science moving forward. Piloted 2013-2015, the SLICEIT1 program partnered with TAHMO2 to connect student leaders in North America, Europe and Africa. At the international level, schools in the U.S.A and Netherlands were partnered with schools in Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda for science and cultural exchange. Each school was equipped with a climate or other environmental sensing system, real-time data publication and curricula for both formal and informal science, technology, engineering and math education and skill development. African counterparts in TAHMO's School-2-School program collect critically important data for enhanced on-the-ground monitoring of weather conditions in data-scarce regions of Africa. In Idaho, student designed, constructed and installed weather stations provide real time data for classroom and community use. Student-designed formal educational activities are disseminated to project partners, increasing hands-on technology education and peer-based learning. At the local level, schools are partnered with a local agency, research institute, nonprofit organization, industry and/or community partner that supplies a climate science expert mentor to SLICEIT program leaders and teachers. Mentor engagement is facilitated and secured by program components that directly benefit the mentor's organization and local community via climate/environment monitoring, student workforce skill development, community education, and/or adaptation/mitigation activities. Students are motivated by advanced real-world skill development, leadership opportunity, internship, community service and opportunity for international peer communication.

  6. The Coordination of Program Planning and Evaluation Systems for Occupational Education. Volume 1 Appendix: A Layman's Guide to the Reporting and Evaluation System for Occupational Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pargament, Richard

    The manuscript is a draft written in nontechnical terms, for the purpose of acquainting local and regional occupational administrators with RESOE's functional specifications and basic design concepts. Following a brief introduction is a description of what RESOE does, covering: evaluation of occupational programs; program monitoring and…

  7. Applications of satellite ocean color sensors for monitoring and predicting harmful algal blooms

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stumpf, Richard P.

    2001-01-01

    The new satellite ocean color sensors offer a means of detecting and monitoring algal blooms in the ocean and coastal zone. Beginning with SeaWiFS (Sea Wide Field-of-view Sensor) in September 1997, these sensors provide coverage every 1 to 2 days with 1-km pixel view at nadir. Atmospheric correction algorithms designed for the coastal zone combined with regional chlorophyll algorithms can provide good and reproducible estimates of chlorophyll, providing the means of monitoring various algal blooms. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by Karenia brevis in the Gulf of Mexico are particularly amenable to remote observation. The Gulf of Mexico has relatively clear water and K. brevis, in bloom conditions, tends to produce a major portion of the phytoplankton biomass. A monitoring program has begun in the Gulf of Mexico that integrates field data from state monitoring programs with satellite imagery, providing an improved capability for the monitoring of K. brevis blooms.

  8. Using adaptive processes and adverse outcome pathways to develop meaningful, robust, and actionable environmental monitoring programs.

    PubMed

    Arciszewski, Tim J; Munkittrick, Kelly R; Scrimgeour, Garry J; Dubé, Monique G; Wrona, Fred J; Hazewinkel, Rod R

    2017-09-01

    The primary goals of environmental monitoring are to indicate whether unexpected changes related to development are occurring in the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of ecosystems and to inform meaningful management intervention. Although achieving these objectives is conceptually simple, varying scientific and social challenges often result in their breakdown. Conceptualizing, designing, and operating programs that better delineate monitoring, management, and risk assessment processes supported by hypothesis-driven approaches, strong inference, and adverse outcome pathways can overcome many of the challenges. Generally, a robust monitoring program is characterized by hypothesis-driven questions associated with potential adverse outcomes and feedback loops informed by data. Specifically, key and basic features are predictions of future observations (triggers) and mechanisms to respond to success or failure of those predictions (tiers). The adaptive processes accelerate or decelerate the effort to highlight and overcome ignorance while preventing the potentially unnecessary escalation of unguided monitoring and management. The deployment of the mutually reinforcing components can allow for more meaningful and actionable monitoring programs that better associate activities with consequences. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:877-891. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

  9. Optimization of Sensor Monitoring Strategies for Emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klise, K. A.; Laird, C. D.; Downey, N.; Baker Hebert, L.; Blewitt, D.; Smith, G. R.

    2016-12-01

    Continuous or regularly scheduled monitoring has the potential to quickly identify changes in air quality. However, even with low-cost sensors, only a limited number of sensors can be placed to monitor airborne pollutants. The physical placement of these sensors and the sensor technology used can have a large impact on the performance of a monitoring strategy. Furthermore, sensors can be placed for different objectives, including maximum coverage, minimum time to detection or exposure, or to quantify emissions. Different objectives may require different monitoring strategies, which need to be evaluated by stakeholders before sensors are placed in the field. In this presentation, we outline methods to enhance ambient detection programs through optimal design of the monitoring strategy. These methods integrate atmospheric transport models with sensor characteristics, including fixed and mobile sensors, sensor cost and failure rate. The methods use site specific pre-computed scenarios which capture differences in meteorology, terrain, concentration averaging times, gas concentration, and emission characteristics. The pre-computed scenarios become input to a mixed-integer, stochastic programming problem that solves for sensor locations and types that maximize the effectiveness of the detection program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  10. Long Term Baseline Atmospheric Monitoring

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldman, Mark A.

    1975-01-01

    Describes a program designed to measure the normal concentrations of certain chemical and physical parameters of the atmosphere so that quantitative estimates can be made of local, regional, and global pollution. (GS)

  11. 32 CFR 536.105 - Responsibilities generally/international agreements claims.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...) Monitoring the reimbursement system to ensure that programs for the proper verification and certification of... liaison with sending State representatives and establishing procedures designed to carry out the...

  12. Cycle 24 HST+COS Target Acquisition Monitor Summary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penton, Steven V.; White, James

    2018-06-01

    HST/COS calibration program 14847 (P14857) was designed to verify that all three COS Target Acquisition (TA) modes were performing nominally during Cycle 24. The program was designed not only to determine if any of the COS TA flight software (FSW) patchable constants need updating but also to determine the values of any required parameter updates. All TA modes were determined to be performing nominally during the Cycle 24 calendar period of October 1, 2016 - October 1, 2017. No COS SIAF, TA subarray, or FSW parameter updates were required as a result of this program.

  13. 40 CFR 97.175 - Petitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Petitions. 97.175 Section 97.175... BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS Monitoring and Reporting § 97.175 Petitions. The CAIR designated representative of a CAIR NOX unit may submit a petition under § 75.66 of this...

  14. 40 CFR 97.275 - Petitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Petitions. 97.275 Section 97.275... BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS Monitoring and Reporting § 97.275 Petitions. The CAIR designated representative of a CAIR SO2 unit may submit a petition under § 75.66 of this...

  15. 40 CFR 97.375 - Petitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Petitions. 97.375 Section 97.375... BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS Monitoring and Reporting § 97.375 Petitions. The CAIR designated representative of a CAIR NOX Ozone Season unit may submit a petition under § 75.66...

  16. Assessment of eutrophication in estuaries: Pressure-state-response and source apportionment

    Treesearch

    David Whitall; Suzanne Bricker

    2006-01-01

    The National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment (NEEA) Update Program is a management oriented program designed to improve monitoring and assessment efforts through the development of type specific classification of estuaries that will allow improved assessment methods and development of analytical and research models and tools for managers which will help guide and...

  17. Total Quality Management Simplified.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arias, Pam

    1995-01-01

    Maintains that Total Quality Management (TQM) is one method that helps to monitor and improve the quality of child care. Lists four steps for a child-care center to design and implement its own TQM program. Suggests that quality assurance in child-care settings is an ongoing process, and that TQM programs help in providing consistent, high-quality…

  18. Student Attendance: Research and Strategies. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, Howard

    2005-01-01

    What are the characteristics of successful student attendance programs for the high school? It is commonly believed and well supported by research that students who attend school regularly are more successful than those who do not. The challenge for high schools is to design and implement attendance policies and programs that monitor, encourage,…

  19. Successful Attendance Policies and Programs. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Partnerships, Inc., 2012

    2012-01-01

    What steps can be taken to assure that High School students have the best attendance possible? It is commonly believed and well supported by research that students who attend school regularly are more successful than those who do not. The challenge for high schools is to design and implement attendance policies and programs that monitor,…

  20. 75 FR 54048 - Energy Efficiency Program: Test Procedure for Televisions; Request for Information and Request...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-03

    ... plasma, cathode ray tube (CRT), and locally dimmed LED-backlit LCD designs. As a result, it can be useful.... This may disadvantage Plasma TVs, and has proven to be unpredictable with LED models. Furthermore, the... by the electronic programming guide, monitoring for emergency messaging/ communications and/or...

  1. The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Teachers' Understandings about Watersheds, Water Quality, and Stream Monitoring.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepardson, Daniel P.; Harbor, Jon; Cooper, Barbara; McDonald, Jim

    2002-01-01

    Professional development programs should provide teachers with experiences that develop their knowledge and skills to integrate environmental field studies into their school curriculum. Reports on a professional development model that engaged teachers in designing and conducting local environmental science research projects. (Author/YDS)

  2. Design of MPPT Controller Monitoring Software Based on QT Framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, X. Z.; Lu, P. G.

    2017-10-01

    The MPPT controller was a hardware device for tracking the maximum power point of solar photovoltaic array. Multiple controllers could be working as networking mode by specific communicating protocol. In this article, based on C++ GUI programming with Qt frame, we designed one sort of desktop application for monitoring and analyzing operational parameter of MPPT controller. The type of communicating protocol for building network was Modbus protocol which using Remote Terminal Unit mode and The desktop application of host computer was connected with all the controllers in the network through RS485 communication or ZigBee wireless communication. Using this application, user could monitor the parameter of controller wherever they were by internet.

  3. Objectives and metrics for wildlife monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sauer, J.R.; Knutson, M.G.

    2008-01-01

    Monitoring surveys allow managers to document system status and provide the quantitative basis for management decision-making, and large amounts of effort and funding are devoted to monitoring. Still, monitoring surveys often fall short of providing required information; inadequacies exist in survey designs, analyses procedures, or in the ability to integrate the information into an appropriate evaluation of management actions. We describe current uses of monitoring data, provide our perspective on the value and limitations of current approaches to monitoring, and set the stage for 3 papers that discuss current goals and implementation of monitoring programs. These papers were derived from presentations at a symposium at The Wildlife Society's 13th Annual Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. [2006

  4. Selecting the optimum plot size for a California design-based stream and wetland mapping program.

    PubMed

    Lackey, Leila G; Stein, Eric D

    2014-04-01

    Accurate estimates of the extent and distribution of wetlands and streams are the foundation of wetland monitoring, management, restoration, and regulatory programs. Traditionally, these estimates have relied on comprehensive mapping. However, this approach is prohibitively resource-intensive over large areas, making it both impractical and statistically unreliable. Probabilistic (design-based) approaches to evaluating status and trends provide a more cost-effective alternative because, compared with comprehensive mapping, overall extent is inferred from mapping a statistically representative, randomly selected subset of the target area. In this type of design, the size of sample plots has a significant impact on program costs and on statistical precision and accuracy; however, no consensus exists on the appropriate plot size for remote monitoring of stream and wetland extent. This study utilized simulated sampling to assess the performance of four plot sizes (1, 4, 9, and 16 km(2)) for three geographic regions of California. Simulation results showed smaller plot sizes (1 and 4 km(2)) were most efficient for achieving desired levels of statistical accuracy and precision. However, larger plot sizes were more likely to contain rare and spatially limited wetland subtypes. Balancing these considerations led to selection of 4 km(2) for the California status and trends program.

  5. A Discussion of Issues in Integrity Constraint Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fernandez, Francisco G.; Gates, Ann Q.; Cooke, Daniel E.

    1998-01-01

    In the development of large-scale software systems, analysts, designers, and programmers identify properties of data objects in the system. The ability to check those assertions during runtime is desirable as a means of verifying the integrity of the program. Typically, programmers ensure the satisfaction of such properties through the use of some form of manually embedded assertion check. The disadvantage to this approach is that these assertions become entangled within the program code. The goal of the research is to develop an integrity constraint monitoring mechanism whereby a repository of software system properties (called integrity constraints) are automatically inserted into the program by the mechanism to check for incorrect program behaviors. Such a mechanism would overcome many of the deficiencies of manually embedded assertion checks. This paper gives an overview of the preliminary work performed toward this goal. The manual instrumentation of constraint checking on a series of test programs is discussed, This review then is used as the basis for a discussion of issues to be considered in developing an automated integrity constraint monitor.

  6. Dosimeter Design Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-01-05

    monitor the radiation environment in a geosynchronous satellite. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Radiation testing, Cobalt, Microcontroller 16. SECURITY...electronics including: an Aeroflex 8051 microcontroller , a Maxwell Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Texas Instrument analog

  7. Climate and Health Co-Benefits in Low-Income Countries: A Case Study of Carbon Financed Water Filters in Kenya and a Call for Independent Monitoring

    PubMed Central

    Pickering, Amy J.; Arnold, Benjamin F.; Dentz, Holly N.; Colford, John M.; Null, Clair

    2016-01-01

    Background: The recent global climate agreement in Paris aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development and establishes an international trading mechanism to meet this goal. Currently, carbon offset program implementers are allowed to collect their own monitoring data to determine the number of carbon credits to be awarded. Objectives: We summarize reasons for mandating independent monitoring of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. In support of our policy recommendations, we describe a case study of a program designed to earn carbon credits by distributing almost one million drinking water filters in rural Kenya to avert the use of fuel for boiling water. We compare results from an assessment conducted by our research team in the program area among households with pregnant women or caregivers in rural villages with low piped water access with the reported program monitoring data and discuss the implications. Discussion: Our assessment in Kenya found lower levels of household water filter usage than the internal program monitoring reported estimates used to determine carbon credits; we found 19% (n = 4,041) of households reported filter usage 2–3 years after filter distribution compared to the program stated usage rate of 81% (n = 14,988) 2.7 years after filter distribution. Although carbon financing could be a financially sustainable approach to scale up water treatment and improve health in low-income settings, these results suggest program effectiveness will remain uncertain in the absence of requiring monitoring data be collected by third-party organizations. Conclusion: Independent monitoring should be a key requirement for carbon credit verification in future international carbon trading mechanisms to ensure programs achieve benefits in line with sustainable development goals. Citation: Pickering AJ, Arnold BF, Dentz HN, Colford JM Jr., Null C. 2017. Climate and health co-benefits in low-income countries: a case study of carbon financed water filters in Kenya and a call for independent monitoring. Environ Health Perspect 125:278–283; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP342 PMID:27634098

  8. Climate and Health Co-Benefits in Low-Income Countries: A Case Study of Carbon Financed Water Filters in Kenya and a Call for Independent Monitoring.

    PubMed

    Pickering, Amy J; Arnold, Benjamin F; Dentz, Holly N; Colford, John M; Null, Clair

    2017-03-01

    The recent global climate agreement in Paris aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development and establishes an international trading mechanism to meet this goal. Currently, carbon offset program implementers are allowed to collect their own monitoring data to determine the number of carbon credits to be awarded. We summarize reasons for mandating independent monitoring of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. In support of our policy recommendations, we describe a case study of a program designed to earn carbon credits by distributing almost one million drinking water filters in rural Kenya to avert the use of fuel for boiling water. We compare results from an assessment conducted by our research team in the program area among households with pregnant women or caregivers in rural villages with low piped water access with the reported program monitoring data and discuss the implications. Our assessment in Kenya found lower levels of household water filter usage than the internal program monitoring reported estimates used to determine carbon credits; we found 19% ( n = 4,041) of households reported filter usage 2-3 years after filter distribution compared to the program stated usage rate of 81% ( n = 14,988) 2.7 years after filter distribution. Although carbon financing could be a financially sustainable approach to scale up water treatment and improve health in low-income settings, these results suggest program effectiveness will remain uncertain in the absence of requiring monitoring data be collected by third-party organizations. Independent monitoring should be a key requirement for carbon credit verification in future international carbon trading mechanisms to ensure programs achieve benefits in line with sustainable development goals. Citation: Pickering AJ, Arnold BF, Dentz HN, Colford JM Jr., Null C. 2017. Climate and health co-benefits in low-income countries: a case study of carbon financed water filters in Kenya and a call for independent monitoring. Environ Health Perspect 125:278-283; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP342.

  9. Targeting Performance Dimensions in Sequence According to the Instructional Hierarchy: Effects on Children's Math Work within a Self-Monitoring Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lannie, Amanda L.; Martens, Brian K.

    2008-01-01

    Four fifth-grade students were presented with frustration-level math probes while three performance dimensions were measured (i.e., percent intervals on-task, percent correct digits, and digits correct per minute (DCM)). Using a multiple baseline design across participants, students were trained to self-monitor time on-task, accuracy, and…

  10. Repeatability of riparian vegetation sampling methods: how useful are these techniques for broad-scale, long-term monitoring?

    Treesearch

    Marc C. Coles-Ritchie; Richard C. Henderson; Eric K. Archer; Caroline Kennedy; Jeffrey L. Kershner

    2004-01-01

    Tests were conducted to evaluate variability among observers for riparian vegetation data collection methods and data reduction techniques. The methods are used as part of a largescale monitoring program designed to detect changes in riparian resource conditions on Federal lands. Methods were evaluated using agreement matrices, the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity metric, the...

  11. Forest Health Monitoring in the Interior West: A baseline summary of forest issues, 1996-1999

    Treesearch

    Paul Rogers; David Atkins; Michelle Frank; Douglas Parker

    2001-01-01

    Although forest health may be difficult to define and measure, a strong demand exists for assessment of forest conditions at various state, regional, and national scales. Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) is a national program designed to measure the status, changes, and trends of forest conditions annually. This report presents a broad view of forest health issues...

  12. Low cost environmental sensors for Spaceflight : NMP Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garrett, Henry B.; Buelher, Martin G.; Brinza, D.; Patel, J. U.

    2005-01-01

    An outstanding problem in spaceflight is the lack of adequate sensors for monitoring the space environment and its effects on engineering systems. By adequate, we mean low cost in terms of mission impact (e.g., low price, low mass/size, low power, low data rate, and low design impact). The New Millennium Program (NMP) is investigating the development of such a low-cost Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) package for inclusion on its technology validation flights. This effort follows from the need by NMP to characterize the space environment during testing so that potential users can extrapolate the test results to end-use conditions. The immediate objective of this effort is to develop a small diagnostic sensor package that could be obtained from commercial sources. Environments being considered are: contamination, atomic oxygen, ionizing radiation, cosmic radiation, EMI, and temperature. This talk describes the requirements and rational for selecting these environments and reviews a preliminary design that includes a micro-controller data logger with data storage and interfaces to the sensors and spacecraft. If successful, such a sensor package could be the basis of a unique, long term program for monitoring the effects of the space environment on spacecraft systems.

  13. Low Cost Environmental Sensors for Spaceflight: NMP Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) Requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garrett, Henry B.; Buehler, Martin G.; Brinza, D.; Patel, J. U.

    2005-01-01

    An outstanding problem in spaceflight is the lack of adequate sensors for monitoring the space environment and its effects on engineering systems. By adequate, we mean low cost in terms of mission impact (e.g., low price, low mass/size, low power, low data rate, and low design impact). The New Millennium Program (NMP) is investigating the development of such a low-cost Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) package for inclusion on its technology validation flights. This effort follows from the need by NMP to characterize the space environment during testing so that potential users can extrapolate the test results to end-use conditions. The immediate objective of this effort is to develop a small diagnostic sensor package that could be obtained from commercial sources. Environments being considered are: contamination, atomic oxygen, ionizing radiation, cosmic radiation, EMI, and temperature. This talk describes the requirements and rational for selecting these environments and reviews a preliminary design that includes a micro-controller data logger with data storage and interfaces to the sensors and spacecraft. If successful, such a sensor package could be the basis of a unique, long term program for monitoring the effects of the space environment on spacecraft systems.

  14. Development of a quality assurance program for ionizing radiation secondary calibration laboratories

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

    Heaton, H.T. II; Taylor, A.R. Jr.

    For calibration laboratories, routine calibrations of instruments meeting stated accuracy goals are important. One method of achieving the accuracy goals is to establish and follow a quality assurance program designed to monitor all aspects of the calibration program and to provide the appropriate feedback mechanism if adjustments are needed. In the United States there are a number of organizations with laboratory accreditation programs. All existing accreditation programs require that the laboratory implement a quality assurance program with essentially the same elements in all of these programs. Collectively, these elements have been designated as a Measurement Quality Assurance (MQA) program. Thismore » paper will briefly discuss the interrelationship of the elements of an MQA program. Using the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) X-ray Calibration Laboratory (XCL) as an example, it will focus on setting up a quality control program for the equipment in a Secondary Calibration Laboratory.« less

  15. Comparison of bioimpedance analysis scan, hemoglobin and urea reduction ratio in hemodialysis patients following and not following monitoring program for improving quality of life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muzasti, R. A.; Lubis, H. R.

    2018-03-01

    Hemodialysis (HD) is the renal replacement therapy in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), at least 2-3 times a week, impacting substantial changes in daily life. Therefore a monitoring program is needed to improve the quality of life (QoL) of HD patients. Indicators in monitoring QoL include phase angle (PhA), muscle and fat mass, and body fluid composition through Bio Scan impedance analysis (BIA) Scan, hemoglobin level, and urea reduction ratio (URR). An analytic study with the cross-sectional design was performed in 168 patients at Klinik Spesialis Ginjal Hipertensi (KSGH) Rasyida, Medan to compare BIA Scan profiles, hemoglobin levels, and URR in HD patients who follow and do not follow the monitoring program for improving QoL {Program Pemantauan Peningkatan Kualitas Hidup (P3KH)}. Each variable was analyzed by independent T-test, it is significant if p <0.05. This study showed that there were differences in BMI (p = 0.006), fat mass (p = 0.010), extracellular water / intracellular water (ECW / ICW) (p = 0.046), and haemoglobin p = 0.001). Although it was better in the program group, statistically there was no difference of PhA (p = 0.136), muscle mass (p = 0.842), and URR (p = 0.232).

  16. Evaluation of a regional monitoring program's statistical power to detect temporal trends in forest health indicators

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Perles, Stephanie J.; Wagner, Tyler; Irwin, Brian J.; Manning, Douglas R.; Callahan, Kristina K.; Marshall, Matthew R.

    2014-01-01

    Forests are socioeconomically and ecologically important ecosystems that are exposed to a variety of natural and anthropogenic stressors. As such, monitoring forest condition and detecting temporal changes therein remain critical to sound public and private forestland management. The National Parks Service’s Vital Signs monitoring program collects information on many forest health indicators, including species richness, cover by exotics, browse pressure, and forest regeneration. We applied a mixed-model approach to partition variability in data for 30 forest health indicators collected from several national parks in the eastern United States. We then used the estimated variance components in a simulation model to evaluate trend detection capabilities for each indicator. We investigated the extent to which the following factors affected ability to detect trends: (a) sample design: using simple panel versus connected panel design, (b) effect size: increasing trend magnitude, (c) sample size: varying the number of plots sampled each year, and (d) stratified sampling: post-stratifying plots into vegetation domains. Statistical power varied among indicators; however, indicators that measured the proportion of a total yielded higher power when compared to indicators that measured absolute or average values. In addition, the total variability for an indicator appeared to influence power to detect temporal trends more than how total variance was partitioned among spatial and temporal sources. Based on these analyses and the monitoring objectives of theVital Signs program, the current sampling design is likely overly intensive for detecting a 5 % trend·year−1 for all indicators and is appropriate for detecting a 1 % trend·year−1 in most indicators.

  17. Design and performance test of NIRS-based spinal cord lesion detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Nanxi; Li, Ting

    2018-02-01

    Spinal cord lesions can cause a series of severe complications, which can even lead to paralysis with high mortality. However, the traditional diagnosis of spinal cord lesion relies on complicated imaging modalities and other invasive and dangerous methods. Here, we have designed a small monitor based on NIRS technology for noninvasive monitoring for spinal cord lesions. The development of the instrument system includes the design of hardware circuits and the program of software. In terms of hardware, OPT1011 is selected as the light detector, and the appropriate probe distribution structure is selected according to the simulation result of Monte Carlo Simulation. At the same time, the powerful controller is selected as our system's central processing chip for the circuit design, and the data is transmitted by serial port to the host computer for post processing. Finally, we verify the stability and feasibility of the instrument system. It is found that the spinal signal could be obviously detected in the system, which indicates that our monitor based on NIRS technology has the potential to monitor the spinal lesion.

  18. Problems, pitfalls and probes: Welcome to the jungle of electrochemical noise technology

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

    Edgemon, G.L.

    1998-02-19

    The rise in electrochemical noise (EN) as a corrosion monitoring technique has resulted in unique problems associated with the field application of this method. Many issues relate to the design of the EN probe electrodes. The ability of an electrochemical noise monitoring system to identify and discriminate between localized corrosion mechanisms is related primarily to the capability of the probe to separate the corrosion cell anode from the corresponding cathode. Effectiveness of this separation is largely determined by the details of and the proper design of the probe that is in the environment of interest. No single probe design ormore » geometry can be effectively use in every situation to monitor all types of corrosion. In this paper the authors focus on a case study and probe development history related to monitoring corrosion in an extremely hostile environment using EN. While the ultimate application of EN was and continues to be successful, the case study shows that patience and persistence was necessary to meet and properly implement the monitoring program. Other possible source of problems and frustration with implementing EN are also discussed.« less

  19. Designing a monitoring program to estimate estuarine survival of anadromous salmon smolts: simulating the effect of sample design on inference

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Romer, Jeremy D.; Gitelman, Alix I.; Clements, Shaun; Schreck, Carl B.

    2015-01-01

    A number of researchers have attempted to estimate salmonid smolt survival during outmigration through an estuary. However, it is currently unclear how the design of such studies influences the accuracy and precision of survival estimates. In this simulation study we consider four patterns of smolt survival probability in the estuary, and test the performance of several different sampling strategies for estimating estuarine survival assuming perfect detection. The four survival probability patterns each incorporate a systematic component (constant, linearly increasing, increasing and then decreasing, and two pulses) and a random component to reflect daily fluctuations in survival probability. Generally, spreading sampling effort (tagging) across the season resulted in more accurate estimates of survival. All sampling designs in this simulation tended to under-estimate the variation in the survival estimates because seasonal and daily variation in survival probability are not incorporated in the estimation procedure. This under-estimation results in poorer performance of estimates from larger samples. Thus, tagging more fish may not result in better estimates of survival if important components of variation are not accounted for. The results of our simulation incorporate survival probabilities and run distribution data from previous studies to help illustrate the tradeoffs among sampling strategies in terms of the number of tags needed and distribution of tagging effort. This information will assist researchers in developing improved monitoring programs and encourage discussion regarding issues that should be addressed prior to implementation of any telemetry-based monitoring plan. We believe implementation of an effective estuary survival monitoring program will strengthen the robustness of life cycle models used in recovery plans by providing missing data on where and how much mortality occurs in the riverine and estuarine portions of smolt migration. These data could result in better informed management decisions and assist in guidance for more effective estuarine restoration projects.

  20. Ozone bioindicators and forest health: a guide to the evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of the ozone injury data in the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

    Treesearch

    Gretchen C. Smith; John W. Coulston; Barbara M. O' Connell

    2008-01-01

    In 1994, the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Forest Health Monitoring programs of the U.S. Forest Service implemented a national ozone (O3) biomonitoring program designed to address specific questions about the area and percent of forest land subject to levels of O3 pollution that may negatively affect the forest...

  1. School of the Americas: At War With Democracy? Study Guide. Episode #804. America's Defense Monitor, Educational TV for the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flaherty, Sean L.

    This program examines the 50-year practice of the U.S. training of Latin American soldiers at the School of the Americas. Originally designed as a jungle warfare training center in the 1950s, the program evolved into a Cold War program to promote stability and democracy in Latin America. Human rights abuses have been charged against these elite…

  2. Dredging Operations Technical Support Program. Guidelines for Physical and Biological Monitoring of Aquatic Dredged Material Disposal Sites

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-09-01

    I C4 -44 0 i r Uo IP Stop I Designation of Site-Specific Managerial Needs and Objectives Step 2 Identification of Physical and Chemical Parameters...improved as experience dictates. Emphasis is placed on the establishment of concise objectives and hypotheses, the use of multidisciplinary approaches to...resulting monitoring can thus focus on the detection of changes in specific conditions rather than identifying any or all detectable changes. A monitoring

  3. Using Mach threads to control DSN operational sequences

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Urista, Juan

    1993-01-01

    The Link Monitor and Control Operator Assistant prototype (LMCOA) is a state-of-the-art, semiautomated monitor and control system based on an object-oriented design. The purpose of the LMCOA prototyping effort is to both investigate new technology (such as artificial intelligence) to support automation and to evaluate advances in information systems toward developing systems that take advantage of the technology. The emergence of object-oriented design methodology has enabled a major change in how software is designed and developed. This paper describes how the object-oriented approach was used to design and implement the LMCOA and the results of operational testing. The LMCOA is implemented on a NeXT workstation using the Mach operating system and the Objective-C programming language.

  4. Transient upset models in computer systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mason, G. M.

    1983-01-01

    Essential factors for the design of transient upset monitors for computers are discussed. The upset is a system level event that is software dependent. It can occur in the program flow, the opcode set, the opcode address domain, the read address domain, and the write address domain. Most upsets are in the program flow. It is shown that simple, external monitors functioning transparently relative to the system operations can be built if a detailed accounting is made of the characteristics of the faults that can happen. Sample applications are provided for different states of the Z-80 and 8085 based system.

  5. Saturn Apollo Program

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1967-08-01

    The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard the Skylab. The ATM contained eight complex astronomical instruments designed to observe the Sun over a wide spectrum from visible light to x-rays. This photo depicts a mockup of the ATM contamination monitor camera and photometer.

  6. Saturn Apollo Program

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1967-08-01

    The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard the Skylab. The ATM contained eight complex astronomical instruments designed to observe the Sun over a wide spectrum from visible light to x-rays. This angle view is of an ATM contamination monitor meter mockup.

  7. Determining the size of a complete disturbance landscape: multi-scale, continental analysis of forest change

    Treesearch

    Brian Buma; Jennifer K Costanza; Kurt Riitters

    2017-01-01

    The scale of investigation for disturbanceinfluenced processes plays a critical role in theoretical assumptions about stability, variance, and equilibrium, as well as conservation reserve and long-term monitoring program design. Critical consideration of scale is required for robust planning designs, especially when anticipating future disturbances whose exact...

  8. Evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding in infants and young children.

    PubMed

    Frongillo, Edward A

    2017-10-01

    Evaluation of complementary feeding programs is needed to enhance knowledge on what works, to document responsible use of resources, and for advocacy. Evaluation is done during program conceptualization and design, implementation, and determination of effectiveness. This paper explains the role of evaluation in the advancement of complementary feeding programs, presenting concepts and methods and illustrating them through examples. Planning and investments for evaluations should occur from the beginning of the project life cycle. Essential to evaluation is articulation of a program theory on how change would occur and what program actions are required for change. Analysis of program impact pathways makes explicit the dynamic connections in the program theory and accounts for contextual factors that could influence program effectiveness. Evaluating implementation functioning is done through addressing questions about needs, coverage, provision, and utilization using information obtained from process evaluation, operations research, and monitoring. Evaluating effectiveness is done through assessing impact, efficiency, coverage, process, and causality. Plausibility designs ask whether the program seemed to have an effect above and beyond external influences, often using a nonrandomized control group and baseline and end line measures. Probability designs ask whether there was an effect using a randomized control group. Evaluations may not be able to use randomization, particularly for programs implemented at a large scale. Plausibility designs, innovative designs, or innovative combinations of designs sometimes are best able to provide useful information. Further work is needed to develop practical designs for evaluation of large-scale country programs on complementary feeding. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation, 1999-2002 Annual Report.

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

    Chess, Dale W.; Cameron, William A.; Stonecypher, Jr., R. Wes

    2003-12-01

    REPORT A: UMATILLA HATCHERY MONITORING AND EVALUATION--This report summarizes monitoring and evaluation studies of salmonids reared at Umatilla Fish Hatchery (UFH) for 1 November, 1999 to 31 October, 2002. Studies at UFH are designed to evaluate rearing of chinook salmon and steelhead in ''Michigan raceways''. Characteristics of Michigan raceways include high fish densities, rapid water turnover, oxygen supplementation, reuse of water, and baffles designed to reduce cleaning. Fish health at UFH and other facilities associated with the Umatilla program are intensively monitored and evaluated along with the overall research project. Further, under the Integrated Hatchery Operations Team guidelines, specific requirementsmore » for fish health monitoring at UFH are mandatory. An experiment designed to evaluate rearing subyearling fall chinook salmon in Michigan and Oregon raceways has been completed. An evaluation of survival of subyearling fall chinook salmon reared at three densities will be completed with final returns in 2005. Two new evaluations were started during this reporting period. The first is an evaluation of spring chinook survival of groups transferred to Imeques acclimation facility in the fall, overwinter-acclimated and released with the standard acclimated production groups in March. The second is an evaluation of subyearling fall chinook survival and straying of a direct-stream released group in the lower Umatilla River and the standard group acclimated at Thornhollow acclimation facility in the upper Umatilla River. An important aspect of the project is evaluation of the spring chinook and summer steelhead fisheries in the upper and lower Umatilla River. REPORT B: Fish Health Monitoring and Evaluation, 2000 Fiscal Year--The results presented in this report are from the ninth year of Fish Health Monitoring and Evaluation in the Umatilla Hatchery program. Broodstock monitoring for hatchery production was conducted on adult returns to the Umatilla River at Three Mile Dam and South Fork Walla Walla adult facilities for salmon; steelhead adults were monitored at Minthorn adult facility. A new addition to this year's report is the effort to bring together an overview of fish health monitoring results including historical and year to date pathogen information. This information is in table form (Appendix Tables A-28, A-29 and A-30). A summary of juvenile disease outbreaks at Umatilla Hatchery is also included (Appendix Table A-31). REPORT C: Fish Health Monitoring and Evaluation, 2001 Fiscal Year--Results from the 2001 annual report cover the 10th year of Fish Health Monitoring in the Umatilla Hatchery program. Efforts were again made to provide up to date fish health and juvenile disease outbreak loss summary tables from the beginning of the Umatilla Hatchery program (Appendix Tables A-27, A-28, A-29 and A-30). Outmigrant Fish Health Monitoring results were included in this report since this was part of the fish health work statement for this report period. The discussion section for the 2001 and 2002 annual reports are combined in the 2002 report due to time constraints and consolidation efforts to complete this report by the end of May 2003.« less

  10. Designing monitoring programs for chemicals of emerging concern in potable reuse--what to include and what not to include?

    PubMed

    Drewes, J E; Anderson, P; Denslow, N; Olivieri, A; Schlenk, D; Snyder, S A; Maruya, K A

    2013-01-01

    This study discussed a proposed process to prioritize chemicals for reclaimed water monitoring programs, selection of analytical methods required for their quantification, toxicological relevance of chemicals of emerging concern regarding human health, and related issues. Given that thousands of chemicals are potentially present in reclaimed water and that information about those chemicals is rapidly evolving, a transparent, science-based framework was developed to guide prioritization of which compounds of emerging concern (CECs) should be included in reclaimed water monitoring programs. The recommended framework includes four steps: (1) compile environmental concentrations (e.g., measured environmental concentration or MEC) of CECs in the source water for reuse projects; (2) develop a monitoring trigger level (MTL) for each of these compounds (or groups thereof) based on toxicological relevance; (3) compare the environmental concentration (e.g., MEC) to the MTL; CECs with a MEC/MTL ratio greater than 1 should be prioritized for monitoring, compounds with a ratio less than '1' should only be considered if they represent viable treatment process performance indicators; and (4) screen the priority list to ensure that a commercially available robust analytical method is available for that compound.

  11. Promote the Vocational Education Program. Competency-Based Vocational Education Administrator Module Series. Leadership and Training Series No. 58B-9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quinn, Karen M.; And Others

    Designed to provide pre- and inservice administrators with the skills necessary to select appropriate program development and implementation, and monitor and evaluate their success, this competency-based learning module consists of an introduction and four sequential learning experiences. Each learning experience contains an overview, required and…

  12. Georgia Long-Term Pavement Performance (GALTPP) Program – Maintaining Georgia’s Calibration Sites and Identifying the Potential for Using MEPDG for Characterization of Non-Standard Materials and Methods (Phase 1)

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-10-01

    The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has initiated a Georgia Long-Term Pavement Performance (GALTPP) monitoring program 1) to provide data for calibrating the prediction models in the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEP...

  13. Regulatory Organizations and Their Requirements. MAS-113. Waste Isolation Division (WID). Management and Supervisor Training (MAST) Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM.

    This learning module, which is part of a management and supervisor training program for managers and supervisors employed at the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Division, is designed to enable trainees to identify regulatory organizations and oversight groups and monitor and provide guidance in the implementation of the requirements of…

  14. The Listening and Spoken Language Data Repository: Design and Project Overview

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradham, Tamala S.; Fonnesbeck, Christopher; Toll, Alice; Hecht, Barbara F.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of the Listening and Spoken Language Data Repository (LSL-DR) was to address a critical need for a systemwide outcome data-monitoring program for the development of listening and spoken language skills in highly specialized educational programs for children with hearing loss highlighted in Goal 3b of the 2007 Joint Committee…

  15. Microelectronics bioinstrumentation systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ko, W. H.

    1977-01-01

    Microelectronic bioinstrumentation systems to be employed in the Cardiovascular Deconditioning Program were developed. Implantable telemetry systems for long-term monitoring of animals on earth were designed to collect physiological data necessary for the understanding of the mechanisms of cardiovascular deconditioning. In-flight instrumentation systems, microelectronic instruments, and RF powering techniques for other life science experiments in the NASA program were studied.

  16. An automated system for global atmospheric sampling using B-747 airliners

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lew, K. Q.; Gustafsson, U. R. C.; Johnson, R. E.

    1981-01-01

    The global air sampling program utilizes commercial aircrafts in scheduled service to measure atmospheric constituents. A fully automated system designed for the 747 aircraft is described. Airline operational constraints and data and control subsystems are treated. The overall program management, system monitoring, and data retrieval from four aircraft in global service is described.

  17. Methods and Models of the Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program, PNNL-MA-860

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

    Carbaugh, Eugene H.; Bihl, Donald E.; Maclellan, Jay A.

    2003-01-03

    This manual describes the technical basis for the design of the routine radiobioassay monitoring program and assessments of internal dose. Its purpose is to provide a historical record of the methods, models, and assumptions used for internal dosimetry at Hanford, and serve as a technical reference for radiation protection and dosimetry staff.

  18. 50 CFR 23.70 - How can I trade internationally in American alligator and other crocodilian skins, parts, and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., crusted, tanned, partially tanned, or otherwise processed), including skins of sport-hunted trophies. (2... American alligator. States and Tribes set up and maintain management and harvest programs designed to monitor and protect American alligators from over-harvest. When a State or Tribe with a management program...

  19. Effect of Task-Centered Instructional Programs on Hypertensives' Ability to Achieve and Maintain Reduced Dietary Sodium Intake.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mann, Karen V.; Sullivan, Patricia L.

    This study sought to determine the effectiveness of systematically designed instructional programs in helping adult hypertensives to achieve and maintain dietary sodium intake. Sixty-six subjects were randomly allocated to one of three groups: task-centered instruction; task-centered instruction plus goal-setting and self-monitoring; or control.…

  20. Design and evaluation of a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing system.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

    2009-01-01

    The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system.

  1. Design and Evaluation of a Wireless Sensor Network Based Aircraft Strength Testing System

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

    2009-01-01

    The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system. PMID:22408521

  2. Monitoring of the electrical parameters in off-grid solar power system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Idzkowski, Adam; Leoniuk, Katarzyna; Walendziuk, Wojciech

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this work was to make a monitoring dedicated to an off-grid installation. A laboratory set, which was built for that purpose, was equipped with a PV panel, a battery, a charge controller and a load. Additionally, to monitor electrical parameters from this installation there were used: LabJack module (data acquisition card), measuring module (self-built) and a computer with a program, which allows to measure and present the off-grid installation parameters. The program was made in G language using LabVIEW software. The designed system enables analyzing the currents and voltages of PV panel, battery and load. It makes also possible to visualize them on charts and to make reports from registered data. The monitoring system was also verified by a laboratory test and in real conditions. The results of this verification are also presented.

  3. Multiple-User, Multitasking, Virtual-Memory Computer System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Generazio, Edward R.; Roth, Don J.; Stang, David B.

    1993-01-01

    Computer system designed and programmed to serve multiple users in research laboratory. Provides for computer control and monitoring of laboratory instruments, acquisition and anlaysis of data from those instruments, and interaction with users via remote terminals. System provides fast access to shared central processing units and associated large (from megabytes to gigabytes) memories. Underlying concept of system also applicable to monitoring and control of industrial processes.

  4. Design of Cycle 3 of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, 2013-23: Part 2: Science plan for improved water-quality information and management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rowe, Gary L.; Belitz, Kenneth; Demas, Charlie R.; Essaid, Hedeff I.; Gilliom, Robert J.; Hamilton, Pixie A.; Hoos, Anne B.; Lee, Casey J.; Munn, Mark D.; Wolock, David W.

    2013-01-01

    This report presents a science strategy for the third decade of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, which since 1991, has been responsible for providing nationally consistent information on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater; how water quality is changing over time; and the major natural and human factors that affect current water quality conditions and trends. The strategy is based on an extensive evaluation of the accomplishments of NAWQA over its first two decades, the current status of water-quality monitoring activities by USGS and its partners, and an updated analysis of stakeholder priorities. The plan is designed to address priority issues and national needs identified by NAWQA stakeholders and the National Research Council (2012) irrespective of budget constraints. This plan describes four major goals for the third decade (Cycle 3), the approaches for monitoring, modeling, and scientific studies, key partnerships required to achieve these goals, and products and outcomes that will result from planned assessment activities. The science plan for 2013–2023 is a comprehensive approach to meet stakeholder priorities for: (1) rebuilding NAWQA monitoring networks for streams, rivers, and groundwater, and (2) upgrading models used to extrapolate and forecast changes in water-quality and stream ecosystem condition in response to changing climate and land use. The Cycle 3 plan continues approaches that have been central to the Program’s long-term success, but adjusts monitoring intensities and study designs to address critical information needs and identified data gaps. Restoration of diminished monitoring networks and new directions in modeling and interpretative studies address growing and evolving public and stakeholder needs for water-quality information and improved management, particularly in the face of increasing challenges related to population growth, increasing demands for water, and changing land use and climate. However, a combination of funding growth and extensive collaboration with other USGS programs and other Federal, State, and local agencies, public interest groups, professional and trade associations, academia, and private industry will be needed to fully realize the monitoring and modeling goals laid out in this plan (USGS Fact Sheet 2013-3008).

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

    Virginia L. Finley

    The purpose of this report is to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the public with information on the level of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's (PPPL) operations. The results of the 2001 environmental surveillance and monitoring program for PPPL are presented and discussed. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and programs that were undertaken in 2001. PPPL has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The vision of the Laboratory is to create innovations to make fusion power a practicalmore » reality--a clean, alternative energy source. The Year 2001 marked the third year of National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) operations and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) dismantlement and deconstruction activities. A collaboration among fourteen national laboratories, universities, and research institutions, the NSTX is a major element in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. It has been designed to test the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas. The ST concept could play an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion reactors. In 2001, PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program measured tritium in the air at on- and off-site sampling stations. PPPL is capable of detecting small changes in the ambient levels of tritium by using highly sensitive monitors. The operation of an in-stack monitor located on D-site is a requirement of the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations; also included in PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program, are water monitoring--precipitation, ground-, surface-, and waste-waters. PPPL's radiological monitoring program characterized the ambient, background levels of tritium in the environment and from the D-site stack; the data are presented in this report. Groundwater monitoring continue d under a voluntary agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. PPPL monitored for the presence of nonradiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds (components of degreasing solvents). Monitoring revealed the low levels of volatile organic compounds in an area adjacent to PPPL. In 2001, PPPL was in compliance with its permit limits for surface and sanitary discharges and had no reportable releases. Additionally, as part of DOE's program for the purchase of recycled content and other environmentally preferred products, PPPL has ranked in the excellent category of 80 to 90% of the goal.« less

  6. Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    2010-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Congress enacted the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in response to growing awareness of a land loss crisis in Louisiana. Projects funded by CWPPRA require monitoring and evaluation of project effectiveness, and there is also a need to assess the cumulative effects of all projects to achieve a sustainable coastal environment. In 2003, the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received approval from the CWPPRA Task Force to implement the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) as a mechanism to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of CWPPRA projects at the project, region, and coastwide levels. The CRMS design implements a multiple reference approach by using aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling. The CRMS program is as dynamic as the coastal habitats it monitors. The program is currently funded through CWPPRA and provides data for a variety of user groups, including resource managers, academics, landowners, and researchers.

  7. A computer program for the design of optimum catalytic monoliths for CO2 lasers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guinn, K.; Goldblum, S.; Noskowski, E.; Herz, R.

    1990-01-01

    Pulsed CO2 lasers have many applications in aeronautics, space research, weather monitoring and other areas. Full exploitation of the potential of these lasers is hampered by the dissociation of CO2 that occurs during laser operation. The development of closed-cycle CO2 lasers requires active CO-O2 recombination (CO oxidation) catalysts and design methods for implementation of catalysts inside lasers. The performance criteria and constraints involved in the design of catalyst configurations for use in a closed-cycle laser are discussed, and several design studies performed with a computerized design program that was written are presented. Trade-offs between catalyst activity and dimensions, flow channel dimensions, pressure drop, O2 conversion and other variables are discussed.

  8. Differences between nipher and slter shielded rain gages at two Colorado deposition monitoring sites

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bigelow, David S.; Denning, A. Scott

    1990-01-01

    In the last decade the United States and Canada have made significant progress in establishing spatial ad temporal estimates of atmospheric deposition throughout North America. Fundamental to the wet-deposition portion of these estimates is the accurate and precise measurement of precipitation amount. Goodison and others (I-3) have reported on a new type of shielded snow gage known as the Canadian MSC Nipher shielded snow gage. Because this shielded snow gage has been shown to be superior to other precipitation gages for the estimation of snowfall amount, its design was adapted to the Universal Belfort precipitation gage (4), the dominant precipitation gage used at deposition monitoring sites in the United States. Favorable results taken from monitoring sites using this modified Nipher shielded snow gage (3-6) have prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Electric Power Research Institute to adopt the Nipher shielded Belfort gage as a standard piece of equipment in the Acid MODES and Operational Evaluation Network (OEN) monitoring programs and to propose that is be included as a standard snow gage in other North American deposition monitoring programs. This communication details preliminary results from two of nine NADP/NTN deposition monitoring sites selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to compare Nipher shielded Belfort precipitation gage volumes to volumes obtained from the standard Belfort gage used in the NADP/NTN monitoring program.

  9. Meaningful public participation in scientific research: How to build an effective site-based long-term education program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnett, L.

    2013-12-01

    Many site-based educators (Wildlife Refuges, nature centers, Cooperative Extension Programs, schools, arboretums) struggle with developing and implementing cohesive long-term scientific monitoring projects into their existing outreach programming. Moreover, projects that are not meaningful to participants often have little or no sustainable long-term impact. Programs proven most effective are those which 1.) engage the participants in the study design and implementation process, 2.) answer a scientific question posed by site leaders; the data collected supports USA-NPN efforts as well as related site management and monitoring questions, 3.) are built into existing outreach and education programs, using phenology as a lens for understanding both natural and cultural history, and 4.) consistently share outcomes and results with the participants. The USA National Phenology Network's (USA-NPN) Education Program provides phenology curriculum and outreach to educators in formal, non-formal, and informal settings. Materials are designed to serve participants in grades 5-12, higher education, and adult learners. Phenology, used as a lens for place-based education, can inform science, environmental, and climate literacy, as well as other subject areas including cultural studies, art, and language arts. The USA-NPN offers consultation with site leaders on how to successfully engage site-based volunteers and students in long-term phenological studies using Nature's Notebook (NN), the professional and citizen science phenology monitoring program. USA-NPN education and educator instruction materials are designed and field-tested to demonstrate how to implement a long-term NN phenology-monitoring program at such sites. These curricula incorporate monitoring for public visitors, long-term volunteers, and school groups, while meeting the goals of USA-NPN and the site, and can be used as a model for other public participation in science programs interested in achieving similar sustainable results. Encouraging long-term data collection, interaction between educators, and offering information about how educators can ask and answer science questions is a key component to meaningfully engaging participants in long-term scientific participation. Evaluation data collected during a two-year initial implementation plan at a demonstration garden site inclusive of these four engagement strategies reflect these findings. Thirty percent of year one participants were very likely to continue NN observations while 48% of year two participants were very likely to continue with the project. Forty percent of participants were very likely to attend an advanced training on NN and 55% of second year participants responded positively. Students better understood phenology's relationship to gardening. Comments included: '...makes you more aware,' 'Very informative... motivate(s) me to record more than...when I hear the first cicada,' and 'Phenology touches everything...brings to light...connecting you already know...tests your new insights [that will] make it more meaningful.' In conclusion, effective education materials holistically and explicitly incorporate personal meaning. Directed content creation helps form an engaged participant base.

  10. [Impact of a quality assurance program on the use of neuromuscular monitoring and reversal of muscle relaxants].

    PubMed

    Motamed, C; Bourgain, J-L

    2009-04-01

    As part of a quality assurance in the anaesthesia department, this study was designed to enhance the rate of neuromuscular blockade monitoring for patients receiving muscle relaxant during anaesthesia. After approval of our local ethical committee, we assessed 200 computerized anaesthesia records in which neuromuscular relaxants were used. The following data were collected: demographic characteristics, durations of anaesthesia and surgery, use of neuromuscular monitoring, reversal agents and the quality of neuromuscular monitoring. The results were discussed with all anaesthesia providers of the department and an internal guideline was elaborated with the endpoint that all patients having muscle relaxants should have quantitative neuromuscular monitoring. Six months later, another assessment of 200 consecutive records collected the same data to check the efficiency of the elaborated guideline. The monitoring rate was of 67% at the first assessment and increased to 94% (p<0.05). The reversal rate was at 48% in the first assessment and was stable at the second assessment (50%). The rate of patients not monitored and not reversed decreased from 5 to 2% (p<0.05). This study shows that as part of a quality assurance program systematic quantitative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade can be significantly increased.

  11. Construction Monitoring of Soft Ground Rapid Transit Tunnels : Volume 2. Appendixes.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1974-11-01

    The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) Tunneling Program Concentrates its efforts on reducing tunneling costs, minimizing environmental impact and enhancing safety as it applies to the planning, organization, design, construction and mai...

  12. Automated validation of a computer operating system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dervage, M. M.; Milberg, B. A.

    1970-01-01

    Programs apply selected input/output loads to complex computer operating system and measure performance of that system under such loads. Technique lends itself to checkout of computer software designed to monitor automated complex industrial systems.

  13. A participatory approach to design monitoring indicators of production diseases in organic dairy farms.

    PubMed

    Duval, J E; Fourichon, C; Madouasse, A; Sjöström, K; Emanuelson, U; Bareille, N

    2016-06-01

    Production diseases have an important negative effect on the health and welfare of dairy cows. Although organic animal production systems aim for high animal health levels, compliance with European organic farming regulations does not guarantee that this is achieved. Herd health and production management (HHPM) programs aim at optimizing herd health by preventing disease and production problems, but as yet they have not been consistently implemented by farmers. We hypothesize that one reason is the mismatch between what scientists propose as indicators for herd health monitoring and what farmers would like to use. Herd health monitoring is a key element in HHPM programs as it permits a regular assessment of the functioning of the different components of the production process. Planned observations or measurements of these components are indispensable for this monitoring. In this study, a participatory approach was used to create an environment in which farmers could adapt the indicators proposed by scientists for monitoring the five main production diseases on dairy cattle farms. The adaptations of the indicators were characterized and the farmers' explanations for the changes made were described. The study was conducted in France and Sweden, which differ in terms of their national organic regulations and existing advisory services. In both countries, twenty certified organic dairy farmers and their animal health management advisors participated in the study. All of the farmers adapted the initial monitoring plan proposed by scientists to specific production and animal health situation on their farm. This resulted in forty unique and farm-specific combinations of indicators for herd health monitoring. All but three farmers intended to monitor five health topics simultaneously using the constructed indicators. The qualitative analysis of the explanations given by farmers for their choices enabled an understanding of farmers' reasons for selecting and adapting indicators. This is valuable information for scientists involved in the design of HHPM programs. Advisors in the field also can benefit from this participatory approach because it transforms monitoring tools provided by scientists into farm-specific tools. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Operating boundaries of full-scale advanced water reuse treatment plants: many lessons learned from pilot plant experience.

    PubMed

    Bele, C; Kumar, Y; Walker, T; Poussade, Y; Zavlanos, V

    2010-01-01

    Three Advanced Water Treatment Plants (AWTP) have recently been built in South East Queensland as part of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP) producing Purified Recycled Water from secondary treated waste water for the purpose of indirect potable reuse. At Luggage Point, a demonstration plant was primarily operated by the design team for design verification. The investigation program was then extended so that the operating team could investigate possible process optimisation, and operation flexibility. Extending the demonstration plant investigation program enabled monitoring of the long term performance of the microfiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, which did not appear to foul even after more than a year of operation. The investigation primarily identified several ways to optimise the process. It highlighted areas of risk for treated water quality, such as total nitrogen. Ample and rapid swings of salinity from 850 to 3,000 mg/l-TDS were predicted to affect the RO process day-to-day operation and monitoring. Most of the setpoints used for monitoring under HACCP were determined during the pilot plant trials.

  15. Natural Resources at Kennedy Space Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phillips, Lynne

    2015-01-01

    Informative presentation on the purpose and need for an Ecological Program at the Kennedy Space Center. Includes the federal laws mandating the program followed by a description of many of the long term monitoring projects. Projects include wildlife surveying by observation as well as interactive surveys to collect basic animal data for analysis of trends in habitat use and ecosystem health. The program is designed for a broad range in audience from elementary to college level.

  16. Rig Diagnostic Tools

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soileau, Kerry M.; Baicy, John W.

    2008-01-01

    Rig Diagnostic Tools is a suite of applications designed to allow an operator to monitor the status and health of complex networked systems using a unique interface between Java applications and UNIX scripts. The suite consists of Java applications, C scripts, Vx- Works applications, UNIX utilities, C programs, and configuration files. The UNIX scripts retrieve data from the system and write them to a certain set of files. The Java side monitors these files and presents the data in user-friendly formats for operators to use in making troubleshooting decisions. This design allows for rapid prototyping and expansion of higher-level displays without affecting the basic data-gathering applications. The suite is designed to be extensible, with the ability to add new system components in building block fashion without affecting existing system applications. This allows for monitoring of complex systems for which unplanned shutdown time comes at a prohibitive cost.

  17. Long Term Resource Monitoring Program procedures: fish monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ratcliff, Eric N.; Glittinger, Eric J.; O'Hara, T. Matt; Ickes, Brian S.

    2014-01-01

    This manual constitutes the second revision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program (UMRR-EMP) Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) element Fish Procedures Manual. The original (1988) manual merged and expanded on ideas and recommendations related to Upper Mississippi River fish sampling presented in several early documents. The first revision to the manual was made in 1995 reflecting important protocol changes, such as the adoption of a stratified random sampling design. The 1995 procedures manual has been an important document through the years and has been cited in many reports and scientific manuscripts. The resulting data collected by the LTRMP fish component represent the largest dataset on fish within the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) with more than 44,000 collections of approximately 5.7 million fish. The goal of this revision of the procedures manual is to document changes in LTRMP fish sampling procedures since 1995. Refinements to sampling methods become necessary as monitoring programs mature. Possible refinements are identified through field experiences (e.g., sampling techniques and safety protocols), data analysis (e.g., planned and studied gear efficiencies and reallocations of effort), and technological advances (e.g., electronic data entry). Other changes may be required because of financial necessity (i.e., unplanned effort reductions). This version of the LTRMP fish monitoring manual describes the most current (2014) procedures of the LTRMP fish component.

  18. High Resolution Displacement Monitoring for Urban Environments in Seattle, Washington using Terrestrial Radar Interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lowry, B. W.; Schrock, G.; Werner, C. L.; Zhou, W.; Pugh, N.

    2015-12-01

    Displacement monitoring using Terrestrial Radar Interferometry (TRI) over an urban environment was conducted to monitor for potential movement of buildings, roadways, and urban infrastructure in Seattle, Washington for a 6 week deployment in March and April of 2015. A Gamma Portable Radar Interferometer was deployed on a the lower roof of the Smith Tower at an elevation of about 100 m, overlooking the historical district of Pioneer Square. Radar monitoring in this context provides wide area coverage, sub millimeter precision, near real time alarming, and reflectorless measurement. Image georectification was established using a previously collected airborne lidar scan which was used to map the radar image onto a 3D 1st return elevation model of downtown Seattle. Platform stability concerns were monitored using high rate GPS and a 3-axis accelerometer to monitor for building movement or platform instability. Displacements were imaged at 2 minute intervals and stacked into 2 hour averages to aid in noise characterization. Changes in coherence are characterized based on diurnal fluctuations of temperature, cultural noise, and target continuity. These informed atmospheric and image selection filters for optimizing interferogram generation and displacement measurement quality control. An urban monitoring workflow was established using point target interferometric analysis to create a monitoring set of approximately 100,000 stable monitoring points measured at 2 minute to 3 hour intervals over the 6 week deployment. Radar displacement measurements were verified using ongoing survey and GPS monitoring program and with corner reflector tests to verify look angle corrections to settlement motion. Insights from this monitoring program can be used to design TRI monitoring programs for underground tunneling, urban subsidence, and earthquake damage assessment applications.

  19. Solar wind monitor—a school geophysics project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robinson, Ian

    2018-05-01

    Described is an established geophysics project to construct a solar wind monitor based on a nT resolution fluxgate magnetometer. Low-cost and appropriate from school to university level it incorporates elements of astrophysics, geophysics, electronics, programming, computer networking and signal processing. The system monitors the earth’s field in real-time uploading data and graphs to a website every few minutes. Modular design encourages construction and testing by teams of students as well as expansion and refinement. The system has been tested running unattended for months at a time. Both the hardware design and software is published as open-source [1, 10].

  20. An overview of the Columbia Habitat Monitoring Program's (CHaMP) spatial-temporal design framework

    EPA Science Inventory

    We briefly review the concept of a master sample applied to stream networks in which a randomized set of stream sites is selected across a broad region to serve as a list of sites from which a subset of sites is selected to achieve multiple objectives of specific designs. The Col...

  1. Meter Designs Reduce Operation Costs for Industry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2013-01-01

    Marshall Space Flight Center collaborated with Quality Monitoring and Control (QMC) of Humble, Texas, through a Space Act Agreement to design a balanced flow meter for the Space Shuttle Program. QMC founded APlus-QMC LLC to commercialize the technology, which has contributed to 100 new jobs, approximately $250,000 in yearly sales, and saved customers an estimated $10 million.

  2. Interdisciplinary Distinguished Seminar Series

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-29

    official Department of the Army position, policy or decision, unless so designated by other documentation. 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND...Received Book TOTAL: Patents Submitted Patents Awarded Awards Graduate Students Names of Post Doctorates Names of Faculty Supported Names of Under...capabilities, estimation and optimization techniques, image and color standards, efficient programming methods and efficient ASIC designs . This seminar will

  3. Saturn Apollo Program

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1967-08-01

    The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard the Skylab. The ATM contained eight complex astronomical instruments designed to observe the Sun over a wide spectrum from visible light to x-rays. This photo depicts a side view is of a fully extended ATM contamination monitor mockup.

  4. Saturn Apollo Program

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1967-08-01

    The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard the Skylab. The ATM contained eight complex astronomical instruments designed to observe the Sun over a wide spectrum from visible light to x-rays. This photo of the ATM contamination monitor mockup offers an extended view of the sunshield interior.

  5. An introduction to high-frequency nutrient and biogeochemical monitoring for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, northern California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kraus, Tamara E.C.; Bergamaschi, Brian A.; Downing, Bryan D.

    2017-07-11

    Executive SummaryThis report is the first in a series of three reports that provide information about high-frequency (HF) nutrient and biogeochemical monitoring in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta of northern California (Delta). This first report provides an introduction to the reasons for and fundamental concepts behind collecting HF measurements, and describes the benefits associated with a real-time, continuous, HF, multi-parameter water quality monitoring station network that is co-located with flow stations. It then provides examples of how HF nutrient measurements have improved our understating of nutrient sources and cycling in aquatic systems worldwide, followed by specific examples from the Delta. These examples describe the ways in which HF instrumentation may be used for both fixed-station and spatial assessments. The overall intent of this document is to describe how HF measurements currently (2017) are being used in the Delta to examine the relationship between nutrient concentrations, nutrient cycling, and aquatic habitat conditions.The second report in the series (Downing and others, 2017) summarizes information about HF nutrient and associated biogeochemical monitoring in the northern Delta. The report synthesizes data available from the nutrient and water quality monitoring network currently operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in this ecologically important region of the Delta. In the report, we present and discuss the available data at various timescales—first, at the monthly, seasonal, and inter-annual timescales; and, second, for comparison, at the tidal and event (for example, storms, reservoir releases, phytoplankton blooms) timescales. As expected, we determined that there is substantial variability in nitrate concentrations at short timescales within hours, but also significant variability at longer timescales such as months or years. This multi-scale, high variability affects calculation of fluxes and loads, indicating that HF monitoring is necessary for understanding and assessing flux-based processes and outcomes in tidal environments, such as the Delta.The third report in the series (Bergamaschi and others, 2017) provides information about how to design HF nutrient and biogeochemical monitoring for assessment of nutrient inputs and dynamics in the Delta. The report provides background, principles, and considerations for designing an HF nutrient-monitoring network for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta to address high-priority, nutrient-management questions. The report starts with high-priority management questions to be addressed, continues with questions and considerations that place demands and constraints on network design, discusses the principles applicable to network design, and concludes with the presentation of three example nutrient‑monitoring network designs for the Delta. For the three example networks, we assess how they would address high-priority questions identified by the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta Regional Monitoring Program Technical Advisory Committee, 2015).

  6. A better way to evaluate remote monitoring programs in chronic disease care: receiver operating characteristic analysis.

    PubMed

    Brown Connolly, Nancy E

    2014-12-01

    This foundational study applies the process of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to evaluate utility and predictive value of a disease management (DM) model that uses RM devices for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The literature identifies a need for a more rigorous method to validate and quantify evidence-based value for remote monitoring (RM) systems being used to monitor persons with a chronic disease. ROC analysis is an engineering approach widely applied in medical testing, but that has not been evaluated for its utility in RM. Classifiers (saturated peripheral oxygen [SPO2], blood pressure [BP], and pulse), optimum threshold, and predictive accuracy are evaluated based on patient outcomes. Parametric and nonparametric methods were used. Event-based patient outcomes included inpatient hospitalization, accident and emergency, and home health visits. Statistical analysis tools included Microsoft (Redmond, WA) Excel(®) and MedCalc(®) (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium) version 12 © 1993-2013 to generate ROC curves and statistics. Persons with COPD were monitored a minimum of 183 days, with at least one inpatient hospitalization within 12 months prior to monitoring. Retrospective, de-identified patient data from a United Kingdom National Health System COPD program were used. Datasets included biometric readings, alerts, and resource utilization. SPO2 was identified as a predictive classifier, with an optimal average threshold setting of 85-86%. BP and pulse were failed classifiers, and areas of design were identified that may improve utility and predictive capacity. Cost avoidance methodology was developed. RESULTS can be applied to health services planning decisions. Methods can be applied to system design and evaluation based on patient outcomes. This study validated the use of ROC in RM program evaluation.

  7. Implications of Modeling Uncertainty for Water Quality Decision Making

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shabman, L.

    2002-05-01

    The report, National Academy of Sciences report, "Assessing the TMDL Approach to Water Quality Management" endorsed the "watershed" and "ambient water quality focused" approach" to water quality management called for in the TMDL program. The committee felt that available data and models were adequate to move such a program forward, if the EPA and all stakeholders better understood the nature of the scientific enterprise and its application to the TMDL program. Specifically, the report called for a greater acknowledgement of model prediction uncertinaity in making and implementing TMDL plans. To assure that such uncertinaity was addressed in water quality decision making the committee called for a commitment to "adaptive implementation" of water quality management plans. The committee found that the number and complexity of the interactions of multiple stressors, combined with model prediction uncertinaity means that we need to avoid the temptation to make assurances that specific actions will result in attainment of particular water quality standards. Until the work on solving a water quality problem begins, analysts and decision makers cannot be sure what the correct solutions are, or even what water quality goals a community should be seeking. In complex systems we need to act in order to learn; adaptive implementation is a concurrent process of action and learning. Learning requires (1) continued monitoring of the waterbody to determine how it responds to the actions taken and (2) carefully designed experiments in the watershed. If we do not design learning into what we attempt we are not doing adaptive implementation. Therefore, there needs to be an increased commitment to monitoring and experiments in watersheds that will lead to learning. This presentation will 1) explain the logic for adaptive implementation; 2) discuss the ways that water quality modelers could characterize and explain model uncertinaity to decision makers; 3) speculate on the implications of the adaptive implementation for setting of water quality standards, for design of watershed monitoring programs and for the regulatory rules governing the TMDL program implementation.

  8. Final system instrumentation design package for Decade 80 solar house

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The final configuration of the Decade 80 solar house to monitor and collect system performance data is presented. A review demonstrated by actual operation that the system and the data acquisition subsystem operated satisfactorily and installation of instrumentation was in accordance with the design. This design package is made up of (1) site and system description, (2) operating and control modes, and (3) instrumentation program (including sensor schematic).

  9. Wusor II: A Computer Aided Instruction Program with Student Modelling Capabilities. AI Memo 417.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, Brian

    Wusor II is the second intelligent computer aided instruction (ICAI) program that has been developed to monitor the progress of, and offer suggestions to, students playing Wumpus, a computer game designed to teach logical thinking and problem solving. From the earlier efforts with Wusor I, it was possible to produce a rule-based expert which…

  10. Data Management Plan and Functional System Design for the Information Management System of the Clinch River Remedial Investigation and Waste Area Grouping 6

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

    Ball, T.; Brandt, C.; Calfee, J.

    1994-03-01

    The Data Management Plan and Functional System Design supports the Clinch River Remedial Investigation (CRRI) and Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 6 Environmental Monitoring Program. The objective of the Data Management Plan and Functional System Design is to provide organization, integrity, security, traceability, and consistency of the data generated during the CRRI and WAG 6 projects. Proper organization will ensure that the data are consistent with the procedures and requirements of the projects. The Information Management Groups (IMGs) for these two programs face similar challenges and share many common objectives. By teaming together, the IMGs have expedited the development and implementationmore » of a common information management strategy that benefits each program.« less

  11. Developing Tribal Integrated Waste Management Plans

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    An IWMP outlines how the tribe will reduce, manage, and dispose of its waste. It identifies existing waste systems, assesses needs, and sets forth the ways to design, implement, and monitor a more effective and sustainable waste management program.

  12. Display/control requirements for automated VTOL aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoffman, W. C.; Kleinman, D. L.; Young, L. R.

    1976-01-01

    A systematic design methodology for pilot displays in advanced commercial VTOL aircraft was developed and refined. The analyst is provided with a step-by-step procedure for conducting conceptual display/control configurations evaluations for simultaneous monitoring and control pilot tasks. The approach consists of three phases: formulation of information requirements, configuration evaluation, and system selection. Both the monitoring and control performance models are based upon the optimal control model of the human operator. Extensions to the conventional optimal control model required in the display design methodology include explicit optimization of control/monitoring attention; simultaneous monitoring and control performance predictions; and indifference threshold effects. The methodology was applied to NASA's experimental CH-47 helicopter in support of the VALT program. The CH-47 application examined the system performance of six flight conditions. Four candidate configurations are suggested for evaluation in pilot-in-the-loop simulations and eventual flight tests.

  13. Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010-2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zuellig, Robert E.; Bruce, James F.; Stogner, Sr., Robert W.; Brown, Krystal D.

    2014-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Springs City Engineering and Colorado Springs Utilities, designed a study to determine if sampling method and sample timing resulted in comparable samples and assessments of biological condition. To accomplish this task, annual invertebrate samples were collected concurrently using four sampling methods at 15 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gages in the Fountain Creek basin from 2010 to 2012. Collectively, the four methods are used by local (U.S. Geological Survey cooperative monitoring program) and State monitoring programs (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) in the Fountain Creek basin to produce two distinct sample types for each program that target single-and multiple-habitats. This study found distinguishable differences between single-and multi-habitat sample types using both community similarities and multi-metric index values, while methods from each program within sample type were comparable. This indicates that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment methods were compatible with the cooperative monitoring program methods within multi-and single-habitat sample types. Comparisons between September and October samples found distinguishable differences based on community similarities for both sample types, whereas only differences were found for single-habitat samples when multi-metric index values were considered. At one site, differences between September and October index values from single-habitat samples resulted in opposing assessments of biological condition. Direct application of the results to inform the revision of the existing Fountain Creek basin U.S. Geological Survey cooperative monitoring program are discussed.

  14. Skylab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1970-01-01

    This 1970 photograph shows equipment for the Skylab's Sleep Monitoring Experiment (M133), a medical evaluation designed to objectively determine the amount and quality of crewmembers' inflight sleep. The experiment monitored and recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrooculographic (EOG) activity during astronauts' sleep periods. One of the astronauts was selected for this experiment and wore a fitted cap during his sleep periods. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

  15. THE MEASUREMENT OF PM2.5, INCLUDING SEMI-VOLATILE COMPONENTS, IN THE EMPACT PROGRAM: RESULTS FROM THE SALT LAKE CITY STUDY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS, HEALTH EFFECTS, AND CONTROL STRATEGIES (R827993)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Salt Lake City EPA Environmental

    Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project,

    initiated in October 1999, is designed to evaluate the usefulness of a

    newly developed real-time continuous monitor (RAMS) for total

    (non-volatil...

  16. Potential and challenges of body area networks for cardiac monitoring.

    PubMed

    Gyselinckx, Bert; Penders, Julien; Vullers, Ruud

    2007-01-01

    This article gives an overview of results of the Human++ research program related to cardiac monitoring (http://www.imec-nl.nl/). This research aims to achieve highly miniaturized and nearly autonomous sensor systems that assist our health and comfort. It combines expertise in wireless ultra-low-power communications, packaging and 3D integration technologies, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) energy scavenging techniques, and low-power design techniques.

  17. Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) Program Summary Report: Data and Analyses 2006 through 2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kindinger, Jack G.; Buster, Noreen A.; Flocks, James G.; Bernier, Julie C.; Kulp, Mark A.

    2013-01-01

    The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was implemented under the Louisiana Coastal Area Science and Technology (LCA S&T) office as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring (SWAMP) program. The BICM project was developed by the State of Louisiana (Coastal Protection Restoration Authority [CPRA], formerly Department of Natural Resources [DNR]) to complement other Louisiana coastal monitoring programs such as the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System-Wetlands (CRMS-Wetlands) and was a collaborative research effort by CPRA, University of New Orleans (UNO), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The goal of the BICM program was to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana that could be used to plan, design, evaluate, and maintain current and future barrier-island restoration projects. The BICM program used both historical and newly acquired (2006 to 2010) data to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. BICM datasets included aerial still and video photography (multiple time series) for shoreline positions, habitat mapping, and land loss; light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations; single-beam and swath bathymetry; and sediment grab samples. Products produced using BICM data and analyses included (but were not limited to) storm-impact assessments, rate of shoreline and bathymetric change, shoreline-erosion and accretion maps, high-resolution elevation maps, coastal-shoreline and barrier-island habitat-classification maps, and coastal surficial-sediment characterization maps. Discussions in this report summarize the extensive data-collection efforts and present brief interpretive analyses for four coastal Louisiana geographic regions. In addition, several coastal-wide and topical themes were selected that integrate the data and analyses within a broader coastal context: (1) barrier-shoreline evolution driven by rapid relative sea-level rise (RSLR), (2) hurricane impacts to the Chandeleur Islands and likelihood of island recovery, (3) impact of tropical storms on barrier shorelines, (4) Barataria Bay tidal-inlet management, and (5) habitat changes related to RSLR. The final theme addresses potential future goals of the BICM program, including rotational annual to semi-decadal monitoring, proposed new-data collection, how to incorporate technological advances with previous data-collection and monitoring protocols, and standardizing methods and quality-control assessments for continued coastal monitoring and restoration.

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

    Virginia L. Finley

    The results of the 2000 environmental surveillance and monitoring program for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are presented and discussed. The purpose of this report is to provide the U.S. Department of Energy and the public with information on the level of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of PPPL's operations. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and programs that were undertaken in 2000. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The long-range goal of the U.S. Magnetic Fusion Energy Research Program ismore » to create innovations to make fusion power a practical reality -- an alternative energy source. The year 2000 marked the second year of National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) operations and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) dismantlement and deconstruction activities. A collaboration among fourteen national laboratories, universities, and research institutions, the NSTX is a major element in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. It has been designed to test the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas. The ST concept could play an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion power plants. With its completion within budget and ahead of its target schedule, NSTX first plasma occurred on February 12, 1999. In 2000, PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program measured tritium in the air at on-site and off-site sampling stations. PPPL is capable of detecting small changes in the ambient levels of tritium by using highly sensitive monitors. The operation of an in-stack monitor located on D-site is a requirement of the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations with limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also included in PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program, are precipitation, surface, ground, a nd waste water monitoring. Groundwater investigations continued under a voluntary agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. PPPL monitored for the presence of nonradiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds (components of degreasing solvents). Monitoring revealed the presence of low levels of volatile organic compounds in an area adjacent to PPPL. Also, PPPL's radiological monitoring program characterized the ambient, background levels of tritium in the environment and from the D-site stack; the data are presented in this report.« less

  19. Actionable Science in the Gulf of Mexico: Connecting Researchers and Resource Managers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lartigue, J.; Parker, F.; Allee, R.; Young, C.

    2017-12-01

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RESTORE Science Program was established in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to to carry out research, observation, and monitoring to support the long-term sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries. Administered in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Science Program emphasizes a connection between science and decision-making. This emphasis translated into an engagement process that allowed for resource managers and other users of information about the ecosystem to provide direct input into the science plan for the program. In developing funding opportunities, the Science Program uses structured conversations with resource managers and other decision makers to focus competitions on specific end user needs. When evaluating proposals for funding, the Science Program uses criteria that focus on applicability of a project's findings and products, end user involvement in project planning, and the approach for transferring findings and products to the end user. By including resource managers alongside scientific experts on its review panels, the Science Program ensures that these criteria are assessed from both the researcher and end user perspectives. Once funding decisions are made, the Science Program assigns a technical monitor to each award to assist with identifying and engaging end users. Sharing of best practices among the technical monitors has provided the Science Program insight on how best to bridge the gap between research and resource management and how to build successful scientist-decision maker partnerships. During the presentation, we will share two case studies: 1) design of a cooperative (fisheries scientist, fisheries managers, and fishers), Gulf-wide conservation and monitoring program for fish spawning aggregations and 2) development of habitat-specific ecosystem indicators for use by federal and state resource managers.

  20. Incorporating precision, accuracy and alternative sampling designs into a continental monitoring program for colonial waterbirds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Steinkamp, Melanie J.; Peterjohn, B.G.; Keisman, J.L.

    2003-01-01

    A comprehensive monitoring program for colonial waterbirds in North America has never existed. At smaller geographic scales, many states and provinces conduct surveys of colonial waterbird populations. Periodic regional surveys are conducted at varying times during the breeding season using a variety of survey methods, which complicates attempts to estimate population trends for most species. The US Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has recently started to coordinate colonial waterbird monitoring efforts throughout North America. A centralized database has been developed with an Internet-based data entry and retrieval page. The extent of existing colonial waterbird surveys has been defined, allowing gaps in coverage to be identified and basic inventories completed where desirable. To enable analyses of comparable data at regional or larger geographic scales, sampling populations through statistically sound sampling designs should supersede obtaining counts at every colony. Standardized breeding season survey techniques have been agreed upon and documented in a monitoring manual. Each survey in the manual has associated with it recommendations for bias estimation, and includes specific instructions on measuring detectability. The methods proposed in the manual are for developing reliable, comparable indices of population size to establish trend information at multiple spatial and temporal scales, but they will not result in robust estimates of total population numbers.

  1. Study of the Cherokee Nuclear Station: projected impacts, monitoring plan, and mitigation options for Cherokee County, South Carolina

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

    Peelle, E.; Schweitzer, M.; Scharre, P.

    1979-07-01

    This report inventories Cherokee County's capabilities and CNS project characteristics, projects expected impacts from the interaction of the two defines four options for Cherokee County decision makers, and presents a range of possible mitigation and monitoring plans for dealing with the problems identified. The four options and general implementation guidelines for each are presented after reviewing pertinent features of other mitigation and monitoring plans. The four options include (1) no action, (2) preventing impacts by preventing growth, (3) selective growth in designated areas as services can be supplied, and (4) maximum growth designed to attract as many in-movers as possiblemore » through a major program of capital investiments in public and private services. With the exception of the no action option, all plans deal with impacts according to some strategy determined by how the County wishes to manage growth. Solutions for impact problems depend on which growth strategy is selected and what additional resources are secured during the impact period. A monitoring program deals with the problems of data and projections uncertainty, while direct action is proposed to deal with the institutional problems of delay of the needed access road, timeing and location problems from the tax base mismatch, and lack of local planning capability.« less

  2. Design and Implementation of a Modern Automatic Deformation Monitoring System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Engel, Philipp; Schweimler, Björn

    2016-03-01

    The deformation monitoring of structures and buildings is an important task field of modern engineering surveying, ensuring the standing and reliability of supervised objects over a long period. Several commercial hardware and software solutions for the realization of such monitoring measurements are available on the market. In addition to them, a research team at the University of Applied Sciences in Neubrandenburg (NUAS) is actively developing a software package for monitoring purposes in geodesy and geotechnics, which is distributed under an open source licence and free of charge. The task of managing an open source project is well-known in computer science, but it is fairly new in a geodetic context. This paper contributes to that issue by detailing applications, frameworks, and interfaces for the design and implementation of open hardware and software solutions for sensor control, sensor networks, and data management in automatic deformation monitoring. It will be discussed how the development effort of networked applications can be reduced by using free programming tools, cloud computing technologies, and rapid prototyping methods.

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

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirsch, C.

    2017-12-01

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

  4. POIS, a Low Cost Tilt and Position Sensor: Design and First Tests

    PubMed Central

    Artese, Giuseppe; Perrelli, Michele; Artese, Serena; Meduri, Sebastiano; Brogno, Natale

    2015-01-01

    An integrated sensor for the measurement and monitoring of position and inclination, characterized by low cost, small size and low weight, has been designed, realized and calibrated at the Geomatics Lab of the University of Calabria. The design of the prototype, devoted to the monitoring of landslides and structures, was aiming at realizing a fully automated monitoring instrument, able to send the data acquired periodically or upon request by a control center through a bidirectional transmission protocol. The sensor can be released with different accuracy and range of measurement, by choosing bubble vials with different characteristics. The instrument is provided with a computer, which can be programmed so as to independently perform the processing of the data collected by a single sensor or a by a sensor network, and to transmit, consequently, alert signals if the thresholds determined by the monitoring center are exceeded. The bidirectional transmission also allows the users to vary the set of the monitoring parameters (time of acquisition, duration of satellite acquisitions, thresholds for the observed data). In the paper, hardware and software of the sensor are described, along with the calibration, the results of laboratory tests and of the first in field acquisitions. PMID:25961381

  5. Implementation of a patient blood management monitoring and feedback program significantly reduces transfusions and costs.

    PubMed

    Mehra, Tarun; Seifert, Burkhardt; Bravo-Reiter, Silvina; Wanner, Guido; Dutkowski, Philipp; Holubec, Tomas; Moos, Rudolf M; Volbracht, Jörk; Manz, Markus G; Spahn, Donat R

    2015-12-01

    Patient blood management (PBM) measures have been shown to be effective in reducing transfusions while maintaining patient outcome. The issuance of transfusion guidelines is seen as being key to the success of PBM programs. As the introduction of guidelines alone did not visibly reduce transfusions in our center, a monitoring and feedback program was established. The aim of our study was to show the effectiveness of such measures in reducing transfusions and cost. We designed a prospective, interventional cohort study with a 3-year time frame (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014). In total, 101,794 patients aged 18 years or older were included. The PBM monitoring and feedback program was introduced on January 1, 2014, with the subsequent issuance of quarterly reporting. Within the first year of introduction, transfusion of all allogeneic blood products per 1000 patients was reduced by 27% (red blood cell units, -24%; platelet units, -25%; and fresh-frozen plasma units, -37%; all p < 0.001) leading to direct allogeneic blood product related savings of more than 2 million USD. The number of blood products transfused per case was significantly reduced from 9 ± 19 to 7 ± 14 (p < 0.001). With an odds ratio of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.91), the introduction of our PBM monitoring and feedback program was a significant independent factor in the reduction of transfusion probability (p < 0.001). Our PBM monitoring and feedback program was highly efficacious in reducing the transfusion of allogeneic blood products and transfusion-related costs. © 2015 AABB.

  6. A knowledge authoring tool for clinical decision support.

    PubMed

    Dunsmuir, Dustin; Daniels, Jeremy; Brouse, Christopher; Ford, Simon; Ansermino, J Mark

    2008-06-01

    Anesthesiologists in the operating room are unable to constantly monitor all data generated by physiological monitors. They are further distracted by clinical and educational tasks. An expert system would ideally provide assistance to the anesthesiologist in this data-rich environment. Clinical monitoring expert systems have not been widely adopted, as traditional methods of knowledge encoding require both expert medical and programming skills, making knowledge acquisition difficult. A software application was developed for use as a knowledge authoring tool for physiological monitoring. This application enables clinicians to create knowledge rules without the need of a knowledge engineer or programmer. These rules are designed to provide clinical diagnosis, explanations and treatment advice for optimal patient care to the clinician in real time. By intelligently combining data from physiological monitors and demographical data sources the expert system can use these rules to assist in monitoring the patient. The knowledge authoring process is simplified by limiting connective relationships between rules. The application is designed to allow open collaboration between communities of clinicians to build a library of rules for clinical use. This design provides clinicians with a system for parameter surveillance and expert advice with a transparent pathway of reasoning. A usability evaluation demonstrated that anesthesiologists can rapidly develop useful rules for use in a predefined clinical scenario.

  7. Aquarius and the Aquarius/SAC-D Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    LeVine, D. M.; Lagerloef, G. S. E.; Torrusio, S.

    2010-01-01

    Aquarius is a combination L-band radiometer and scatterometer designed to map the salinity field at the ocean surface from space. It will be flown on the Aquarius/SAC-D mission, a partnership between the USA space agency (NASA) and Argentine space agency (CONAE). The mission is composed of two parts: (a) The Aquarius instrument being developed as part of NASA.s Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program; and (b) SAC-D the fourth spacecraft service platform in the CONAE Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC) program. The primary focus of the mission is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variations of the salinity field in the open ocean. The mission also meets the needs of the Argentine space program for monitoring the environment and for hazard detection and includes several instruments related to these goals.

  8. Translating Behavior Change Principles Into a Blended Exercise Intervention for Older Adults: Design Study.

    PubMed

    Mehra, Sumit; Visser, Bart; Dadema, Tessa; van den Helder, Jantine; Engelbert, Raoul Hh; Weijs, Peter Jm; Kröse, Ben Ja

    2018-05-02

    Physical activity can prevent or delay age-related impairments and prolong the ability of older adults to live independently. Community-based programs typically offer classes where older adults can exercise only once a week under the guidance of an instructor. The health benefits of such programs vary. Exercise frequency and the duration of the program play a key role in realizing effectiveness. An auxiliary home-based exercise program can provide older adults the opportunity to exercise more regularly over a prolonged period of time in the convenience of their own homes. Furthermore, mobile electronic devices can be used to motivate and remotely guide older adults to exercise in a safe manner. Such a blended intervention, where technology is combined with personal guidance, needs to incorporate behavior change principles to ensure effectiveness. The aim of this study was to identify theory-based components of a blended intervention that supports older adults to exercise at home. The Medical Research Council framework was used to develop the blended intervention. Insights from focus group, expert panels, and literature were combined into leading design considerations. A client-server system had been developed that combined a tablet app with a database in the cloud and a Web-based dashboard that can be used by a personal coach to remotely monitor and guide older adults. The app contains several components that facilitate behavior change-an interactive module for goal setting, the ability to draw up a personal training schedule from a library containing over 50 exercise videos, progress monitoring, and possibilities to receive remote feedback and guidance of a personal coach. An evidence-based blended intervention was designed to promote physical activity among older adults. The underlying design choices were underpinned by behavior change techniques that are rooted in self-regulation. Key components of the tablet-supported intervention were a tailored program that accommodates individual needs, demonstrations of functional exercises, monitoring, and remote feedback. The blended approach combines the convenience of a home-based exercise program for older adults with the strengths of mobile health and personal guidance. ©Sumit Mehra, Bart Visser, Tessa Dadema, Jantine van den Helder, Raoul HH Engelbert, Peter JM Weijs, Ben JA Kröse. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 02.05.2018.

  9. The Croton-Yorktown Model of Individualized Earth Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matthias, George F.; Snyder, Edward B.

    1980-01-01

    The individualized learning model, discussed in this article, uses an efficient feedback mechanism which incorporates an innovative student evaluation program and a unique system of classroom management. The design provides a model for monitoring student progress. (Author/SA)

  10. ALIENS IN WESTERN STREAM ECOSYSTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program conducted a five year probability sample of permanent mapped streams in 12 western US states. The study design enables us to determine the extent of selected riparian invasive plants, alien aquatic vertebrates, and some ...

  11. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant No-migration variance petition. Addendum: Volume 7, Revision 1

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

    Not Available

    1990-03-01

    This report describes various aspects of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) including design data, waste characterization, dissolution features, ground water hydrology, natural resources, monitoring, general geology, and the gas generation/test program.

  12. HEAVY METALS STRUCTURE BENTHIC COMUNITIES IN COLORADO MOUNTAIN STREAMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The development of field sampling designs that employ multiple reference and polluted sites has been proposed as an alternative to the traditional upstream vs. downstream approach used in most biomonitoring studies. Spatially extensive monitoring programs can characterize ecologi...

  13. Data Automata in Scala

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Havelund, Klaus

    2014-01-01

    The field of runtime verification has during the last decade seen a multitude of systems for monitoring event sequences (traces) emitted by a running system. The objective is to ensure correctness of a system by checking its execution traces against formal specifications representing requirements. A special challenge is data parameterized events, where monitors have to keep track of the combination of control states as well as data constraints, relating events and the data they carry across time points. This poses a challenge wrt. efficiency of monitors, as well as expressiveness of logics. Data automata is a form of automata where states are parameterized with data, supporting monitoring of data parameterized events. We describe the full details of a very simple API in the Scala programming language, an internal DSL (Domain-Specific Language), implementing data automata. The small implementation suggests a design pattern. Data automata allow transition conditions to refer to other states than the source state, and allow target states of transitions to be inlined, offering a temporal logic flavored notation. An embedding of a logic in a high-level language like Scala in addition allows monitors to be programmed using all of Scala's language constructs, offering the full flexibility of a programming language. The framework is demonstrated on an XML processing scenario previously addressed in related work.

  14. Social network analysis for program implementation.

    PubMed

    Valente, Thomas W; Palinkas, Lawrence A; Czaja, Sara; Chu, Kar-Hai; Brown, C Hendricks

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces the use of social network analysis theory and tools for implementation research. The social network perspective is useful for understanding, monitoring, influencing, or evaluating the implementation process when programs, policies, practices, or principles are designed and scaled up or adapted to different settings. We briefly describe common barriers to implementation success and relate them to the social networks of implementation stakeholders. We introduce a few simple measures commonly used in social network analysis and discuss how these measures can be used in program implementation. Using the four stage model of program implementation (exploration, adoption, implementation, and sustainment) proposed by Aarons and colleagues [1] and our experience in developing multi-sector partnerships involving community leaders, organizations, practitioners, and researchers, we show how network measures can be used at each stage to monitor, intervene, and improve the implementation process. Examples are provided to illustrate these concepts. We conclude with expected benefits and challenges associated with this approach.

  15. Social Network Analysis for Program Implementation

    PubMed Central

    Valente, Thomas W.; Palinkas, Lawrence A.; Czaja, Sara; Chu, Kar-Hai; Brown, C. Hendricks

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces the use of social network analysis theory and tools for implementation research. The social network perspective is useful for understanding, monitoring, influencing, or evaluating the implementation process when programs, policies, practices, or principles are designed and scaled up or adapted to different settings. We briefly describe common barriers to implementation success and relate them to the social networks of implementation stakeholders. We introduce a few simple measures commonly used in social network analysis and discuss how these measures can be used in program implementation. Using the four stage model of program implementation (exploration, adoption, implementation, and sustainment) proposed by Aarons and colleagues [1] and our experience in developing multi-sector partnerships involving community leaders, organizations, practitioners, and researchers, we show how network measures can be used at each stage to monitor, intervene, and improve the implementation process. Examples are provided to illustrate these concepts. We conclude with expected benefits and challenges associated with this approach. PMID:26110842

  16. Research of hydroelectric generating set low-frequency vibration monitoring system based on optical fiber sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Min, Li; Zhang, Xiaolei; Zhang, Faxiang; Sun, Zhihui; Li, ShuJuan; Wang, Meng; Wang, Chang

    2017-10-01

    In order to satisfy hydroelectric generating set low-frequency vibration monitoring, the design of Passive low-frequency vibration monitoring system based on Optical fiber sensing in this paper. The hardware of the system adopts the passive optical fiber grating sensor and unbalanced-Michelson interferometer. The software system is used to programming by Labview software and finishing the control of system. The experiment show that this system has good performance on the standard vibration testing-platform and it meets system requirements. The frequency of the monitoring system can be as low as 0.2Hz and the resolution is 0.01Hz.

  17. A distributed cloud-based cyberinfrastructure framework for integrated bridge monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeong, Seongwoon; Hou, Rui; Lynch, Jerome P.; Sohn, Hoon; Law, Kincho H.

    2017-04-01

    This paper describes a cloud-based cyberinfrastructure framework for the management of the diverse data involved in bridge monitoring. Bridge monitoring involves various hardware systems, software tools and laborious activities that include, for examples, a structural health monitoring (SHM), sensor network, engineering analysis programs and visual inspection. Very often, these monitoring systems, tools and activities are not coordinated, and the collected information are not shared. A well-designed integrated data management framework can support the effective use of the data and, thereby, enhance bridge management and maintenance operations. The cloud-based cyberinfrastructure framework presented herein is designed to manage not only sensor measurement data acquired from the SHM system, but also other relevant information, such as bridge engineering model and traffic videos, in an integrated manner. For the scalability and flexibility, cloud computing services and distributed database systems are employed. The information stored can be accessed through standard web interfaces. For demonstration, the cyberinfrastructure system is implemented for the monitoring of the bridges located along the I-275 Corridor in the state of Michigan.

  18. Using normal ranges for interpreting results of monitoring and tiering to guide future work: A case study of increasing polycyclic aromatic compounds in lake sediments from the Cold Lake oil sands (Alberta, Canada) described in Korosi et al. (2016).

    PubMed

    Munkittrick, Kelly R; Arciszewski, Tim J

    2017-12-01

    Since the publishing of the Kelly et al. papers (2009, 2010) describing elevated contaminants in snow near the Alberta oil sands, there has been a significant expansion of monitoring efforts, enhanced by $50M a year contributed by industry to a regional Joint Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM) program. In parallel to the intensification of research and monitoring efforts, including expansion of measured indicators, techniques for chemical analysis have also become more sensitive. Both factors contribute to the increased sensitivity and power, and improve our capacity to detect any change. The increase in capability requires a counterbalance to account for trivial change. This can be done using an interpretative approach that requires contextualization of differences to meaningfully inform environmental monitoring programs and provide focus for action. Experience obtained through 25 years of involvement with Canada's Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) program has shown that a tiered program informed by triggers can provide the context to make decisions about monitoring priorities. Here we provide a potential interpretation framework using a case study around the Korosi et al. (2016) study which found recent increases in alkylated polycyclic aromatic compounds (aPACs) in the Cold Lake in situ oil sands area. Public contaminant profiles from the JOSM studies in the oil sands region are used to evaluate the changes using an interpretation framework based on estimated normal ranges using existing data for site-specific, local and regional (distant) levels that was modelled after the tiered Canadian EEM design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Disease management to promote blood pressure control among African Americans.

    PubMed

    Brennan, Troyen; Spettell, Claire; Villagra, Victor; Ofili, Elizabeth; McMahill-Walraven, Cheryl; Lowy, Elizabeth J; Daniels, Pamela; Quarshie, Alexander; Mayberry, Robert

    2010-04-01

    African Americans have a higher prevalence of hypertension and poorer cardiovascular and renal outcomes than white Americans. The objective of this study was to determine whether a telephonic nurse disease management (DM) program designed for African Americans is more effective than a home monitoring program alone to increase blood pressure (BP) control among African Americans enrolled in a national health plan. A prospective randomized controlled study (March 2006-December 2007) was conducted, with 12 months of follow-up on each subject. A total of 5932 health plan members were randomly selected from the population of self-identified African Americans, age 23 and older, in health maintenance organization plans, with hypertension; 954 accepted, 638 completed initial assessment, and 485 completed follow-up assessment. The intervention consisted of telephonic nurse DM (intervention group) including educational materials, lifestyle and diet counseling, and home BP monitor vs. home BP monitor alone (control group). Measurements included proportion with BP < 120/80, mean systolic BP, mean diastolic BP, and frequency of BP self-monitoring. Results revealed that systolic BP was lower in the intervention group (adjusted means 123.6 vs. 126.7 mm Hg, P = 0.03); there was no difference for diastolic BP. The intervention group was 50% more likely to have BP in control (odds ratio [OR] = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.997-2.27, P = 0.052) and 46% more likely to monitor BP at least weekly (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.07-2.00, P = 0.02) than the control group. A nurse DM program tailored for African Americans was effective at decreasing systolic BP and increasing the frequency of self-monitoring of BP to a greater extent than home monitoring alone. Recruitment and program completion rates could be improved for maximal impact.

  20. Foreword: Contributions of Arctic PRISM to monitoring western hemispheric shorebirds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Skagen, Susan K.; Smith, Paul A.; Andres, Brad A.; Donaldson, Garry; Brown, Stephen; Bart, Jonathan R.; Johnston, Victoria H.

    2012-01-01

    Long-term monitoring of populations is of paramount importance to understanding responses of organisms to global environmental change and to evaluating whether conservation practices are yielding intended results through time (Wiens 2009). The population status of many shorebird species, the focus of this volume, remain poorly known. Long-distance migrant shorebirds have proven particularly difficult to monitor, in part because of their highly inaccessible regions. As migrant shorebirds travel the length of the hemisphere, the congregate and disperse in ways that vary among species, locations, and years, presenting serious challenges to designing and implementing monitoring programs. Rigorous field and quantitative methods that estimate population size and monitor trends are vitally needed to direct and evaluate effective conservation measures. Many management efforts depend on unbiased population size estimates; for examples, the shorebird conservation plans for both Canada and the United States seek to restore populations to levels calculated for the 1970s based on the best information available from existing surveys. Further, federal wildlife agencies within the United States and Canada have mandates to understand the state of their nations' resources under various conventions for the protection of migratory birds. Accurate estimates of population size are vital statistics for a variety of conservation activities, such as prioritizing species for conservation action and setting management targets. Areas of essential habitat, such as those designated under the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, the Important Bird Areas program of BirdLife Internationals and the National Audubon Society, or Canada's National Wildlife Areas program, are all evaluated on the basis of proportions of species' populations which they contain. The size, and trends in size, of a species' population are considered key information for assessing its vulnerability and subsequent listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Canadian Species at Risk Act. To meet the need for information on population size and trends, shorebird biologists from Canada and the United States proposed a shared blueprint for shorebird monitoring across the Western Hemisphere in the late 1990s; this effort was undertaken in concert with the development of the Canadian and the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plans. Soon thereafter, partners in the monitoring effort adopted the name "Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring" (PRISM). Among the primary objectives of PRISM were to estimate the population sizes and trends of breeding North American shorebirds and describe their distributions. PRISM members evaluated ongoing and potential monitoring approached to address 74 taxa (including subspecies) and proposed a combination of arctic and boreal breeding surveys, temperate breeding and non-breeding surveys, and neotropical surveys.

  1. On the importance of incorporating sampling weights in ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Occupancy models are used extensively to assess wildlife-habitat associations and to predict species distributions across large geographic regions. Occupancy models were developed as a tool to properly account for imperfect detection of a species. Current guidelines on survey design requirements for occupancy models focus on the number of sample units and the pattern of revisits to a sample unit within a season. We focus on the sampling design or how the sample units are selected in geographic space (e.g., stratified, simple random, unequal probability, etc). In a probability design, each sample unit has a sample weight which quantifies the number of sample units it represents in the finite (oftentimes areal) sampling frame. We demonstrate the importance of including sampling weights in occupancy model estimation when the design is not a simple random sample or equal probability design. We assume a finite areal sampling frame as proposed for a national bat monitoring program. We compare several unequal and equal probability designs and varying sampling intensity within a simulation study. We found the traditional single season occupancy model produced biased estimates of occupancy and lower confidence interval coverage rates compared to occupancy models that accounted for the sampling design. We also discuss how our findings inform the analyses proposed for the nascent North American Bat Monitoring Program and other collaborative synthesis efforts that propose h

  2. [Monitor of ECG signal and heart rate using a mobile phone with Bluetooth communication protocol].

    PubMed

    Becerra-Luna, Brayans; Dávila-García, Rodrigo; Salgado-Rodríguez, Paola; Martínez-Memije, Raúl; Infante-Vázquez, Oscar

    2012-01-01

    To develop a portable signal monitoring equipment for electrocardiography (ECG) and heart rate (HR), communicated with a mobile phone using the Bluetooth (BT) communication protocol for display of the signal on screen. A monitoring system was designed in which the electronic section performs the ECG signal acquisition, as well as amplification, filtering, analog to digital conversion and transmission of the ECG and HR using BT. Two programs were developed for the system. The first one calculates HR through QRS identification and sends the ECG signals and HR to the mobile, and the second program is an application to acquire and display them on the mobile screen. We developed a portable electronic system powered by a 9 volt battery, with amplification and bandwidth meeting the international standards for ECG monitoring. The QRS complex identification was performed using the second derivative algorithm, while the programs allow sending and receiving information from the ECG and HR via BT, and viewing it on the mobile screen. The monitoring is feasible within distances of 15 m and it has been tested in various mobiles telephones of brands Nokia®, Sony Ericsson® and Samsung®. This system shows an alternative for mobile monitoring using BT and Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) programming. It allows the register of the ECG trace and HR, and it can be implemented in different phones. Copyright © 2011 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

  3. Double degree master program: Optical Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bakholdin, Alexey; Kujawinska, Malgorzata; Livshits, Irina; Styk, Adam; Voznesenskaya, Anna; Ezhova, Kseniia; Ermolayeva, Elena; Ivanova, Tatiana; Romanova, Galina; Tolstoba, Nadezhda

    2015-10-01

    Modern tendencies of higher education require development of master programs providing achievement of learning outcomes corresponding to quickly variable job market needs. ITMO University represented by Applied and Computer Optics Department and Optical Design and Testing Laboratory jointly with Warsaw University of Technology represented by the Institute of Micromechanics and Photonics at The Faculty of Mechatronics have developed a novel international master double-degree program "Optical Design" accumulating the expertise of both universities including experienced teaching staff, educational technologies, and experimental resources. The program presents studies targeting research and professional activities in high-tech fields connected with optical and optoelectronics devices, optical engineering, numerical methods and computer technologies. This master program deals with the design of optical systems of various types, assemblies and layouts using computer modeling means; investigation of light distribution phenomena; image modeling and formation; development of optical methods for image analysis and optical metrology including optical testing, materials characterization, NDT and industrial control and monitoring. The goal of this program is training a graduate capable to solve a wide range of research and engineering tasks in optical design and metrology leading to modern manufacturing and innovation. Variability of the program structure provides its flexibility and adoption according to current job market demands and personal learning paths for each student. In addition considerable proportion of internship and research expands practical skills. Some special features of the "Optical Design" program which implements the best practices of both Universities, the challenges and lessons learnt during its realization are presented in the paper.

  4. Field methods and data processing techniques associated with mapped inventory plots

    Treesearch

    William A. Bechtold; Stanley J. Zarnoch

    1999-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) programs utilize a fixed-area mapped-plot design as the national standard for extensive forest inventories. The mapped-plot design is explained, as well as the rationale for its selection as the national standard. Ratio-of-means estimators am presented as a method to process data from...

  5. CURMIS. Curriculum Management Information System (and) Prospectus of a Design to Assist a High School Staff in the Evaluation of Its Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sapone, Carmelo V.

    CURMIS (Curriculum Management Information System) is a conceptual system, the framework of which is designed to identify and reveal relationships among complex related interacting phenomena. This paper is a description of the system which will centralize and make conveniently available information needed for developing and monitoring instructional…

  6. Defense program pushes microchip frontiers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Julian, K.

    1985-05-01

    The very-high-speed integrated circuit (VHSIC) program of the Department of Defense will have a significant effect on the expansion of integrated circuit technology. This program, which is to cost several hundred million dollars, is accelerating the trend toward higher-speed, denser circuitry for microchips through innovative design and fabrication techniques. Teams in six different American companies are to design and fabricate a military useful 'brassboard' system which would employ chips developed in the first phase of the VHSIC program. Military objectives envisaged include automatic monitoring of displays in tactical aircraft by means of an artificial intelligence system, a brassboard used in airborne electronic warfare system, and antisubmarine warfare applications. After a fivefold improvement in performance achieved in the first phase, the second phase is concerned with a further 20-fold increase. The entire VHSIC program is, therefore, to produce a 100-fold gain over the state of the art found when the program started.

  7. Focal plane subsystem design and performance for atmospheric chemistry from geostationary orbit tropospheric emissions monitoring of pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmore, A. S.; Philbrick, R. H.; Funderburg, J.

    2017-09-01

    Remote sensing of pollutants are enabled from a satellite in a geostationary orbit containing an imaging spectrometer encompassing the wavelength ranges of 290 - 490 nm and 540 - 740 nm. As the first of NASA's Earth Venture Instrument Program, the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) program will utilize this instrument to measure hourly air quality over a large portion of North America. The focal plane subsystem (FPS) contains two custom designed and critically aligned full frame transfer charge coupled devices (active area: 1028 x 2048, 18 μm) within a focal plane array package designed for radiation tolerance and space charging rejection. In addition, the FPS contains custom distributed focal plane electronics that provide all necessary clocks and biases to the sensors, receives all analog data from the sensors and performs 14 bit analog to digital conversion for upstream processing. Finally, the FPS encompasses custom low noise cables connecting the focal plane array and associated electronics. This paper discusses the design and performance of this novel focal plane subsystem with particular emphasis on the optical performance achieved including alignment, quantum efficiency, and modulation transfer function.

  8. H-GRASP: the feasibility of an upper limb home exercise program monitored by phone for individuals post stroke

    PubMed Central

    Simpson, Lisa A.; Eng, Janice J.; Chan, May

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a phone-monitored home exercise program for the upper limb following stroke. Methods: A pre-post double baseline repeated measures design was used. Participants completed an 8-week home exercise program that included behavioural strategies to promote greater use of the affected upper limb. Participants were monitored weekly by therapists over the phone. The following feasibility outcomes were collected: Process (e.g. recruitment rate); Resources (e.g. exercise adherence rate); Management (e.g. therapist monitoring) and Scientific (e.g. safety, effect sizes). Clinical outcomes included: The Chedoke Arm and Hand Inventory, Motor Activity Log, grip strength and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Results: Eight individuals with stroke were recruited and six participants completed the exercise program. All but one of the six participants met the exercise target of 60 minutes/day, 6 days/week. Participants were stable across the baseline period. The following post-treatment effect sizes were observed: CAHAI (0.944, p = 0.046); MALQ (0.789, p = 0.03) grip strength (0.947, p = 0.046); COPM (0.789, p = 0.03). Improvements were maintained at three and six month follow ups. Conclusions: Community dwelling individuals with stroke may benefit from a phone-monitored upper limb home exercise program that includes behavioural strategies that promote transfer of exercise gains into daily upper limb use.Implications for RehabilitationA repetitive, task-oriented home exercise program that utilizes telephone supervision may be an effective method for the treatment of the upper limb following strokeThis program is best suited for individuals with mild to moderate level impairment and experience a sufficient level of challenge from the exercisesAn exercise program that includes behavioural strategies may promote transfer of exercise gains into greater use of the affected upper limb during daily activities PMID:27017890

  9. Domestic water uses: characterization of daily cycles in the north region of Portugal.

    PubMed

    Matos, Cristina; Teixeira, Carlos A; Duarte, A A L S; Bentes, I

    2013-08-01

    Nowadays, there is an increasing discussion among specialists about water use efficiency and the best measures to improve it. In Portugal, there have been a few attempts to expand the implementation of in situ water reuse projects. However, there is a lack of information about indoor water uses and how they are influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. There are several studies that investigate per capita global water usage, but the partitioning of this volume per domestic device and daily cycles is yet unknown. Identified as one of the key questions in sustainable building design, the water end-use is of primary importance to the design of hydraulic networks in buildings. In order to overcome this lack, a quantitative characterization of daily water uses for each domestic device was performed, based on a weekly monitoring program in fifty-two different dwellings in the northern region of Portugal (Vila Real, Valpaços and Oporto). For forty of them, each water usage of different domestic devices of each dwelling was recorded. At the same time, the remaining twelve dwellings were also monitored in order to register the volume of water consumed in each utilization of each domestic device. This paper presents the results of this complete monitoring program, using collected data to establish indoor water use patterns for each domestic device, aiming to support a more realistic approach to residential water use. The daily cycles in the different cities, where the monitoring program was performed, are also presented, in order to evaluate possible influences of sociodemographic characteristics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Monitoring in the context of structured decision-making and adaptive management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lyons, J.E.; Runge, M.C.; Laskowski, H.P.; Kendall, W.L.

    2008-01-01

    In a natural resource management setting, monitoring is a crucial component of an informed process for making decisions, and monitoring design should be driven by the decision context and associated uncertainties. Monitoring itself can play >3 roles. First, it is important for state-dependent decision-making, as when managers need to know the system state before deciding on the appropriate course of action during the ensuing management cycle. Second, monitoring is critical for evaluating the effectiveness of management actions relative to objectives. Third, in an adaptive management setting, monitoring provides the feedback loop for learning about the system; learning is sought not for its own sake but primarily to better achieve management objectives. In this case, monitoring should be designed to reduce the critical uncertainties in models of the managed system. The United States Geological Survey and United States Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting a large-scale management experiment on 23 National Wildlife Refuges across the Northeast and Midwest Regions. The primary management objective is to provide habitat for migratory waterbirds, particularly during migration, using water-level manipulations in managed wetlands. Key uncertainties are related to the potential trade-offs created by management for a specific waterbird guild (e.g., migratory shorebirds) and the response of waterbirds, plant communities, and invertebrates to specific experimental hydroperiods. We reviewed the monitoring program associated with this study, and the ways that specific observations fill >1 of the roles identified above. We used observations from our monitoring to improve state-dependent decisions to control undesired plants, to evaluate management performance relative to shallow-water habitat objectives, and to evaluate potential trade-offs between waterfowl and shorebird habitat management. With limited staff and budgets, management agencies need efficient monitoring programs that are used for decision-making, not comprehensive studies that elucidate all manner of ecological relationships.

  11. PUPTH Prehospital Air Medical Plasma (PAMP) Trial

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-07-01

    collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for...projects. Scott Gunn, MD, is an Associate Professor of CCM and Emergency Medicine and Director , Combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine/CCM...Residency Program. Dr. Gunn is also Director of the CCM Clinical Trials Program. As such, he is experienced in the design and monitoring of clinical trials

  12. 2016 Annual Site Environmental Report

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

    Finley, Virginia

    This report provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the public with information on the level of radioactive and non-radioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s (PPPL) operations. The results of the 2016 environmental surveillance and monitoring program for PPPL’s are presented and discussed. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and community involvement programs that were undertaken in 2016. PPPL has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The vision of the Laboratory is to create innovations to make fusion power a practical reality – a clean,more » alternative energy source. 2016 marked the eighteenth year of National Spherical Torus Experiment and the first year of NSTX-U (Upgrade) operations. The NSTX-U Project is a collaboration among national laboratories, universities, and national and international research institutions and is a major element in the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program. Its design tests the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas, playing an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion reactors. NSTX-U began operations after its first upgrade that installed the new center stack magnets and second neutral beam, which would allow for hotter plasmas and greater field strength to maintain the fusion reaction longer. Due to operational issues with a poloidal coil, NSTX-U operated briefly in 2016. In 2016, PPPL’s radiological environmental monitoring program measured tritium in the air at the NSTX-U Stack and at on -site sampling stations. Using highly sensitive monitors, PPPL is capable of detecting small changes in the ambient levels of tritium. The operation of an in- stack monitor located on D-site is used to demonstrate compliance with the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations. Also included in PPPL’s radiological environmental monitoring program, are water monitoring – ground and surface, and waste waters. PPPL’s radiological monitoring program characterized the background levels of tritium in the environment; the data are presented in this report. Ground water monitoring continued under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Site Remediation Program. PPPL monitored for non-radiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds (components of chlorinated degreasing solvents). In 2016, PPPL was in compliance with its permit limits for surface and sanitary discharges, excepting two elevated chlorine-produced oxidant concentration. PPPL was honored with awards for its waste reduction and recycling program, and its “EPEAT” electronics purchasing for the third consecutive year.« less

  13. A national clinical quality program for Veterans Affairs catheterization laboratories (from the Veterans Affairs clinical assessment, reporting, and tracking program).

    PubMed

    Maddox, Thomas M; Plomondon, Mary E; Petrich, Megan; Tsai, Thomas T; Gethoffer, Hans; Noonan, Gregory; Gillespie, Brian; Box, Tamara; Fihn, Stephen D; Jesse, Robert L; Rumsfeld, John S

    2014-12-01

    A "learning health care system", as outlined in a recent Institute of Medicine report, harnesses real-time clinical data to continuously measure and improve clinical care. However, most current efforts to understand and improve the quality of care rely on retrospective chart abstractions complied long after the provision of clinical care. To align more closely with the goals of a learning health care system, we present the novel design and initial results of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) program-a national clinical quality program for VA cardiac catheterization laboratories that harnesses real-time clinical data to support clinical care and quality-monitoring efforts. Integrated within the VA electronic health record, the CART program uses a specialized software platform to collect real-time patient and procedural data for all VA patients undergoing coronary procedures in VA catheterization laboratories. The program began in 2005 and currently contains data on 434,967 catheterization laboratory procedures, including 272,097 coronary angiograms and 86,481 percutaneous coronary interventions, performed by 801 clinicians on 246,967 patients. We present the initial data from the CART program and describe 3 quality-monitoring programs that use its unique characteristics-procedural and complications feedback to individual labs, coronary device surveillance, and major adverse event peer review. The VA CART program is a novel approach to electronic health record design that supports clinical care, quality, and safety in VA catheterization laboratories. Its approach holds promise in achieving the goals of a learning health care system. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Implementation of a drug-use and disease-state management program.

    PubMed

    Skledar, S J; Hess, M M

    2000-12-15

    A drug-use and disease-state management (DUDSM) program was instituted in 1996 at a teaching hospital associated with a large nonprofit health care system. The program's goals are to optimize pharmacotherapeutic regimens, evaluate health outcomes of identified disease states, and evaluate the economic impact of pharmacotherapeutic options for given disease states by developing practice guidelines. Through a re-engineering process, resources within the pharmacy department were identified that could be devoted to the DUDSM program, including the use of clinical pharmacy specialists, promotion of staff pharmacists into the DUDSM program, a pharmacy technician, and information systems support. A strength of the program is its systematic approach for developing and implementing new initiatives, as well as monitoring compliance with all initiatives on an ongoing basis. The initiative-design process incorporates continuous quality improvement principles, outcome design and evaluation, competency assessment for all pharmacists, multidisciplinary collaboration, and sophisticated information systems. Seventy-five initiatives have been implemented, ranging from simple dose-optimization strategies for specific drugs to complicated practice guidelines for managing specific disease states. Improved patient outcomes have been documented, including reduced length of stay, postsurgical wound infection, adverse drug reactions, and medication errors. Documented cost savings exceeded $4 million annually for fiscal years 1996-97 through 1999-2000. Overall compliance with DUDSM initiatives exceeds 80%, and physician service profiling has been initiated to monitor variant prescribing. The DUDSM program has successfully integrated practice guidelines into therapeutic decision-making, resulting in improved patient-care outcomes and cost savings.

  15. Urban household food security, Madagascar.

    PubMed

    Balachander, J

    1997-12-01

    This article discusses the success of the Madagascar Food Security and Nutrition project in decreasing malnutrition and monitoring child health. Success has occurred in the following realms: effective collaboration between government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), capacity building through investment in training of community workers, increased quality of services provided by community nutrition workers, community involvement, government commitment, and a flexible program design. NGOs were able to respond to community concerns by adding program inputs without losing the focus on core nutrition interventions. Community workers were selected from a group of mothers. Women were trained to monitor the growth of all children under age 5. Children who were severely malnourished were identified and referred to rehabilitation centers for treatment lasting up to 3 weeks. The program offered support and nutrition education for mothers of sick children. One drawback of the treatment program was the inability of mothers to stay for long periods of time during the duration of treatment. The program offers distribution of iodine capsules as part of a long-term salt iodization program that is supported by UNICEF and the World Bank. The program also offers microcredit. Since 1993, 28,000 children under age 5 have been weighed each month. These children came from two provinces and belonged to 300,000 families. The monitored children were 66% of the total number of children aged under 5 years. Malnutrition rates decreased from 46% to 37%.

  16. Status and trends monitoring of the mainstem Columbia River: sample frame development and review of programs relevant to the development of an integrated approach to monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Counihan, Timothy D.; Hardiman, Jill M.; Waste, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    Implementing an Integrated Status and Trends Monitoring program (ISTM) for the mainstem Columbia River will help identify trends in important natural resources and help us understand the long-term collective effects of management actions. In this report, we present progress towards the completion of a stepwise process that will facilitate the development of an ISTM for the mainstem Columbia River. We discuss planning and regulatory documents that can be used to identify monitoring goals and objectives and present existing monitoring and research activities that should be considered as the development of a Columbia River ISTM proceeds. We also report progress towards the development of sample frames for the Columbia and Snake Rivers and their floodplains. The sample frames were formulated using Digital Elevation Models (DEM’s) of the river channel and upland areas and a Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) algorithm for an area based resource to generate “master sample(s).” Working with the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) we facilitated the transfer of the sample frames to the PNAMP “Monitoring Sample Designer” tool. We then discuss aspects of response and survey designs as they pertain to the formulation of a mainstem Columbia River ISTM. As efforts to formulate an ISTM for the mainstem Columbia River proceed, practitioners should utilize the extensive literature describing the planning and implementation of fish and wildlife mitigation and recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin. While we make progress towards establishing an ISTM framework, considerable work needs to be done to formulate an ISTM program for the mainstem Columbia River. Long-term monitoring programs have been established for other large rivers systems; scientists that have experience planning, implementing, and maintaining large river monitoring efforts such as those in the Colorado, Illinois, and Mississippi Rivers should be consulted and involved as efforts proceed.

  17. A comprehensive guide to fuel management practices for dry mixed conifer forests in the northwestern United States: Monitoring

    Treesearch

    Theresa B. Jain; Mike A. Battaglia; Han-Sup Han; Russell T. Graham; Christopher R. Keyes; Jeremy S. Fried; Jonathan E. Sandquist

    2014-01-01

    Short- and medium-term evaluation of how fuel treatments are working is the only way to know if the hundreds of activities on the ground are adding up to the goals of more resilient landscapes and increased safety of people and property. Monitoring is a critical resource for decision makers who design fuels management programs, however it is an often neglected part of...

  18. The Upper Colorado River; National Water-Quality Assessment Program; surface-water-monitoring network

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spahr, Norman E.; Driver, Nancy E.; Stephens, Verlin C.

    1996-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey began full implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program in 1991. The long-term goals of the NAWQA program are to (1) describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams, rivers, and aquifers; (2) describe how water quality is changing over time; and (3) improve understanding of the primary natural and human factors that affect water-quality conditions (Leahy and others, 1990). To meet these goals, 60 study units representing the Nation's most important river basins and aquifers are being investigated. The program design balances the unique assessment requirements of individual study units with a nationally consistent design structure that incorporates a multiscale, interdisciplinary approach for assessment of surface and ground water.

  19. Developing the human-computer interface for Space Station Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holden, Kritina L.

    1991-01-01

    For the past two years, the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory (HCIL) at the Johnson Space Center has been involved in prototyping and prototype reviews of in support of the definition phase of the Space Station Freedom program. On the Space Station, crew members will be interacting with multi-monitor workstations where interaction with several displays at one time will be common. The HCIL has conducted several experiments to begin to address design issues for this complex system. Experiments have dealt with design of ON/OFF indicators, the movement of the cursor across multiple monitors, and the importance of various windowing capabilities for users performing multiple tasks simultaneously.

  20. Residual water bactericide monitor development program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    A silver-ion bactericidal monitor is considered for the Space Shuttle Potable Water System. Potentiometric measurement using an ion-selective electrode is concluded to be the most feasible of available techniques. Four commercially available electrodes and a specially designed, solid-state, silver-sulfide electrode were evaluated for their response characteristics and suitability for space use. The configuration of the solid-state electrode with its Nernstian response of 10 to 10,000 ppb silver shows promise for use in space. A pressurized double-junction reference electrode with a quartz-fiber junction and a replaceable bellows electrolyte reservoir was designed verification-tested, and paired with a solid-state silver-sulfide electrode in a test fixture.

  1. Design of Remote GPRS-based Gas Data Monitoring System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Xiyue; Yang, Jianhua; Lu, Wei

    2018-01-01

    In order to solve the problem of remote data transmission of gas flowmeter, and realize unattended operation on the spot, an unattended remote monitoring system based on GPRS for gas data is designed in this paper. The slave computer of this system adopts embedded microprocessor to read data of gas flowmeter through rs-232 bus and transfers it to the host computer through DTU. In the host computer, the VB program dynamically binds the Winsock control to receive and parse data. By using dynamic data exchange, the Kingview configuration software realizes history trend curve, real time trend curve, alarm, print, web browsing and other functions.

  2. Combining fast walking training and a step activity monitoring program to improve daily walking activity after stroke: a preliminary study

    PubMed Central

    Danks, Kelly A.; Pohlig, Ryan; Reisman, Darcy S.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To determine preliminary efficacy and to identify baseline characteristics predicting who would benefit most from fast walking training plus a step activity monitoring program (FAST+SAM) compared to fast walking training alone (FAST) in persons with chronic stroke. Design Randomized controlled trial with blinded assessors Setting Outpatient clinical research laboratory Participants 37 individuals greater than 6 months post-stroke. Interventions Subjects were assigned to either FAST which was walking training at their fastest possible speed on the treadmill (30 minutes) and over ground 3 times/week for 12 weeks or FAST plus a step activity monitoring program (FAST+SAM). The step activity monitoring program consisted of daily step monitoring with a StepWatch Activity monitor, goal setting, and identification of barriers to activity and strategies to overcome barriers. Main Outcome Measures Daily step activity metrics (steps/day, time walking/day), walking speed and six minute walk test distance (6MWT). Results There was a significant effect of time for both groups with all outcomes improving from pre to post-training, (all p<0.05). The FAST+SAM was superior to FAST for 6MWT (p=0.018), with a larger increase in the FAST+SAM group. The interventions had differential effectiveness based on baseline step activity. Sequential moderated regression models demonstrated that for subjects with baseline levels of step activity and 6MWT distances that were below the mean, the FAST+SAM intervention was more effective than FAST (1715±1584 vs. 254±933 steps/day, respectively; p<0.05 for overall model and ΔR2 for steps/day and 6MWT). Conclusions The addition of a step activity monitoring program to a fast walking training intervention may be most effective in persons with chronic stroke that have initial low levels of walking endurance and activity. Regardless of baseline performance, the FAST + SAM intervention was more effective for improving walking endurance. PMID:27240430

  3. The Effect of Monitoring: How Data Collection Type and Frequency Boosts Participation and the Adoption of Best Practices in a Coffee Agronomy Training Program in Rwanda.

    PubMed

    Gathani, Sachin; Gomez, Maria Paula; Sabates, Ricardo; Stoelinga, Dimitri

    2015-12-01

    The impact of surveying on individuals' behavior and decision making has been widely studied in academic literature on market research but not so much the impact of monitoring on economic development interventions. To estimate whether different monitoring strategies lead to improvement in participation levels and adoption of best practices for coffee production for farmer who participated in TechnoServe Agronomy Training Program in Rwanda. Farmers were identified randomly for monitoring purposes to belong to two different groups and then selected depending on the additional criterion of having productive coffee trees. We estimate treatment-on-the-treated and intention-to-treat effects on training attendance rates and farmers best-practice adoptions using difference-in-differences estimation techniques. Farmers were randomly identified to a high or low monitoring with different type and frequency of data collection and selected if they had productive coffee trees as part of the monitoring strategy. Attendance to training sessions by all farmers in the program and best-practice adoption data for improving coffee yield. We find that monitoring led to surprisingly large increases in farmer participation levels in the project and also improved best-practice adoption rates. We also find that higher frequency of data collection has long-lasting effects and are more pronounced for low-attendance farmers. Monitoring not only provides more data and a better understanding of project dynamics, which in turn can help improve design, but can also improve processes and outcomes, in particular for the least engaged. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Monitoring Diffuse Impacts: Australian Tourism Developments.

    PubMed

    Warnken; Buckley

    2000-04-01

    / The scientific quality of monitoring for diffuse environmental impacts has rarely been quantified. This paper presents an analysis of all formal environmental monitoring programs for Australian tourism developments over a 15-year period from 1980 to 1995. The tourism sector provides a good test bed for this study because tourism developments are (1) often adjacent to or even within conservation reserves and other relatively undisturbed natural environments, and (2) often clustered, with resulting cumulative impacts that require detection at an early stage. Here we analyze the precision and reliability with which monitoring programs as actually implemented can detect diffuse environmental impacts against natural variation. Of 175 Australian tourism developments subject to EIA from 1980 to 1993 inclusive, only 13 were subject to formal monitoring. Only 44 individual parameters, in total, were monitored for all these developments together. No baseline monitoring was conducted for nine of the 44 parameters. For the remaining 35, only one was monitored for a full year. Before, after, control, impact, paired sampling (BACIP) monitoring designs were used for 24 of the 44 parameters, and power analysis in 10. The scientific quality of monitoring was significantly better for developments subject to control by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). The key factor appears to be the way in which GBRMPA uses external referees and manages external consultants. The GBRMPA model merits wider adoption.

  5. Reactor Operations Monitoring System

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

    Hart, M.M.

    1989-01-01

    The Reactor Operations Monitoring System (ROMS) is a VME based, parallel processor data acquisition and safety action system designed by the Equipment Engineering Section and Reactor Engineering Department of the Savannah River Site. The ROMS will be analyzing over 8 million signal samples per minute. Sixty-eight microprocessors are used in the ROMS in order to achieve a real-time data analysis. The ROMS is composed of multiple computer subsystems. Four redundant computer subsystems monitor 600 temperatures with 2400 thermocouples. Two computer subsystems share the monitoring of 600 reactor coolant flows. Additional computer subsystems are dedicated to monitoring 400 signals from assortedmore » process sensors. Data from these computer subsystems are transferred to two redundant process display computer subsystems which present process information to reactor operators and to reactor control computers. The ROMS is also designed to carry out safety functions based on its analysis of process data. The safety functions include initiating a reactor scram (shutdown), the injection of neutron poison, and the loadshed of selected equipment. A complete development Reactor Operations Monitoring System has been built. It is located in the Program Development Center at the Savannah River Site and is currently being used by the Reactor Engineering Department in software development. The Equipment Engineering Section is designing and fabricating the process interface hardware. Upon proof of hardware and design concept, orders will be placed for the final five systems located in the three reactor areas, the reactor training simulator, and the hardware maintenance center.« less

  6. Design Support of an Above Cap-rock Early Detection Monitoring System using Simulated Leakage Scenarios at the FutureGen2.0 Site

    DOE PAGES

    Williams, Mark D.; USA, Richland Washington; Vermuel, Vince R.; ...

    2014-12-31

    The FutureGen 2.0 Project will design and build a first-of-its-kind, near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS). To assess storage site performance and meet the regulatory requirements of the Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program for CO 2 Geologic Sequestration, the FutureGen 2.0 project will implement a suite of monitoring technologies designed to evaluate CO 2 mass balance and detect any unforeseen loss in CO 2 containment. The monitoring program will include direct monitoring of the reservoir, and early-leak-detection monitoring directly above the primary confining zone. This preliminary modeling study described here focuses on hypotheticalmore » leakage scenarios into the first permeable unit above the primary confining zone (Ironton Sandstone) and is used to support assessment of early-leak detection capabilities. Future updates of the model will be used to assess potential impacts on the lowermost underground source of drinking water (Saint Peter Sandstone) for a range of theoretical leakage scenarios. This preliminary modeling evaluation considers both pressure response and geochemical signals in the overlying Ironton Sandstone. This model is independent of the FutureGen 2.0 reservoir model in that it does not simulate caprock discontinuities, faults, or failure scenarios. Instead this modeling effort is based on theoretical, volumetric-rate based leakage scenarios. The scenarios include leakage of 1% of the total injected CO 2 mass, but spread out over different time periods (20, 100, and 500 years) with each case yielding a different mass flux (i.e., smaller mass fluxes for longer duration leakage cases]. A brine leakage scenario using a volumetric leakage similar to the 20 year 1% CO 2 case was also considered. A framework for the comparison of the various cases was developed based on the exceedance of selected pressure and geochemical thresholds at different distances from the point of leakage and at different vertical positions within the Ironton Sandstone. These preliminary results, and results from an updated models that incorporate additional site-specific characterization data, support development/refinement of the monitoring system design.« less

  7. Estuarine water quality in parks of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network: Development and early implementation of vital signs estuarine nutrient-enrichment monitoring, 2003-06

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kopp, Blaine S.; Nielsen, Martha; Glisic, Dejan; Neckles, Hilary A.

    2009-01-01

    This report documents results of pilot tests of a protocol for monitoring estuarine nutrient enrichment for the Vital Signs Monitoring Program of the National Park Service Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network. Data collected from four parks during protocol development in 2003-06 are presented: Gateway National Recreation Area, Colonial National Historic Park, Fire Island National Seashore, and Assateague Island National Seashore. The monitoring approach incorporates several spatial and temporal designs to address questions at a hierarchy of scales. Indicators of estuarine response to nutrient enrichment were sampled using a probability design within park estuaries during a late-summer index period. Monitoring variables consisted of dissolved-oxygen concentration, chlorophyll a concentration, water temperature, salinity, attenuation of downwelling photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), and turbidity. The statistical sampling design allowed the condition of unsampled locations to be inferred from the distribution of data from a set of randomly positioned "probability" stations. A subset of sampling stations was sampled repeatedly during the index period, and stations were not rerandomized in subsequent years. These "trend stations" allowed us to examine temporal variability within the index period, and to improve the sensitivity of the monitoring protocol to detecting change through time. Additionally, one index site in each park was equipped for continuous monitoring throughout the index period. Thus, the protocol includes elements of probabilistic and targeted spatial sampling, and the temporal intensity ranges from snapshot assessments to continuous monitoring.

  8. Quantifying structural physical habitat attributes using LIDAR and hyperspectral imagery - PRK

    EPA Science Inventory

    Structural physical habitat attributes include indices of stream size, channel gradient, substrate size, habitat complexity, and riparian vegetation cover and structure. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is designed to assess the status and trends of ecol...

  9. LOOP marine and estuarine monitoring program, 1978-95 : volume 6 : sediment quality.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-01-01

    The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) facilities in coastal Louisiana provide the United States with the country's only Superport for off-loading deep draft tankers. Sediment samples were collected quarterly from 1970 through 1995 at designated stat...

  10. New Bedford Harbor Long Term Monitoring Program

    EPA Science Inventory

    New Bedford Harbor (NBH), located in southeastern Massachusetts, was designated as a Superfund site in 1983 due to unacceptably high levels of sediment contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Based on human health and environmental concerns, the decision was made to d...

  11. NATIONAL ORAL HEALTH SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (NOHSS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS) is a collaborative effort between CDC's Division of Oral Health and The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD). NOHSS is designed to help public health programs monitor the burden of oral disease, use of the ...

  12. Construction Monitoring of Soft Ground Rapid Transit Tunnels : Volume 1. A Definition of Needs and Potential Developments.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1974-11-01

    The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) Tunneling Program Concentrates its efforts on reducing tunneling costs, minimizing environmental impact and enhancing safety as it applies to the planning, organization, design, construction and mai...

  13. SPATIALLY-BALANCED SAMPLING OF NATURAL RESOURCES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The spatial distribution of a natural resource is an important consideration in designing an efficient survey or monitoring program for the resource. Generally, sample sites that are spatially-balanced, that is, more or less evenly dispersed over the extent of the resource, will ...

  14. Quantifying Structural Physical Habitat Attributes Using Lidar and Hyperspectral Imagery (1)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Structural physical habitat attributes include indices of stream size, channel gradient, substrate size, habitat complexity, and riparian vegetation cover and structure. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is designed to assess the status and trends of eco...

  15. Lower Mississippi River Environmental Program. Report 13. Preliminary Environmental Design Considerations Associated with Articulated Concrete Mattress Revetments along the Lower Mississippi River

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-05-01

    Engineer Water Resources Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va. Conner, J. W., Pennington, C. H., and Bosley, T. R. 1983. "Larval Fish of Selected Aquatic ...Mississippi River Environmental Program; Report 13 6a NAME OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 6b OFFICE SYMBOL 7a. NAME OF MONITORING ORGANIZATION Aquatic Ecosystem...Jenkins, Aquatic Ecosystem Analysts, PO Box 4188, Fayetteville, Ark. Mr. Stephen P. Cobb, MRC, Vicksburg, Miss., was the project officer and program manager

  16. Command/response protocols and concurrent software

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bynum, W. L.

    1987-01-01

    A version of the program to control the parallel jaw gripper is documented. The parallel jaw end-effector hardware and the Intel 8031 processor that is used to control the end-effector are briefly described. A general overview of the controller program is given and a complete description of the program's structure and design are contained. There are three appendices: a memory map of the on-chip RAM, a cross-reference listing of the self-scheduling routines, and a summary of the top-level and monitor commands.

  17. Evaluation of water-quality characteristics and sampling design for streams in North Dakota, 1970–2008

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Galloway, Joel M.; Vecchia, Aldo V.; Vining, Kevin C.; Densmore, Brenda K.; Lundgren, Robert F.

    2012-01-01

    In response to the need to examine the large amount of historic water-quality data comprehensively across North Dakota and evaluate the efficiency of the State-wide sampling programs, a study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the North Dakota State Water Commission and the North Dakota Department of Health to describe the water-quality data collected for the various programs and determine an efficient State-wide sampling design for monitoring future water-quality conditions. Although data collected for the North Dakota State Water Commission High-Low Sampling Program, the North Dakota Department of Health Ambient Water-Quality Network, and other projects and programs provide valuable information on the quality of water in streams in North Dakota, the objectives vary among the programs, some of the programs overlap spatially and temporally, and the various sampling designs may not be the most efficient or relevant to the objectives of the individual programs as they have changed through time. One objective of a State-wide sampling program was to evaluate ways to describe the spatial variability of water-quality conditions across the State in the most efficient manner. Weighted least-squares regression analysis was used to relate the average absolute difference between paired downstream and upstream concentrations, expressed as a percent of the average downstream concentration, to the average absolute difference in daily flow between the downstream and upstream pairs, expressed as a percent of the average downstream flow. The analysis showed that a reasonable spatial network would consist of including the most downstream sites in large basins first, followed by the next upstream site(s) that roughly bisect the downstream flows at the first sites, followed by the next upstream site(s) that roughly bisect flows for the second sites. Sampling sites to be included in a potential State-wide network were prioritized into 3 design levels: level 1 (highest priority), level 2 (second priority), and level 3 (third priority). Given the spatial distribution and priority designation (levels 1–3) of sites in the potential spatial network, the next consideration was to determine the appropriate temporal sampling frequency to use for monitoring future water-quality conditions. The time-series model used to detect concentration trends for this report also was used to evaluate sampling designs to monitor future water-quality trends. Sampling designs were evaluated with regard to their sensitivity to detect seasonal trends that occurred during three 4-month seasons—March through June, July through October, and November through February. For the 34 level-1 sites, samples would be collected for major ions, trace metals, nutrients, bacteria, and sediment eight times per year, with samples in January, April (2 samples),May, June, July, August, and October. For the 21 level-2 sites, samples would be collected for major ions, trace metals, and nutrients six times per year (January, April, May, June, August, and October), and for the 26 level-3 sites, samples would be collected for these constituents four times per year (April, June, August, and October).

  18. Characterizing the Breadth and Depth of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs in the United States.

    PubMed

    Stepenuck, Kristine F; Genskow, Kenneth D

    2018-01-01

    A survey of 345 volunteer water monitoring programs in the United States was conducted to document their characteristics, and perceived level of support for data to inform natural resource management or policy decisions. The response rate of 86% provided information from 46 states. Programs represented a range of ages, budgets, objectives, scopes, and level of quality assurance, which influenced data uses and perceived support by sponsoring agency administrators and external decision makers. Most programs focused on rivers, streams, and lakes. Programs had not made substantial progress to develop EPA or state-approved quality assurance plans since 1998, with only 48% reporting such plans. Program coordinators reported feeling slightly more support for data to be used for management as compared to policy decisions. Programs with smaller budgets may be at particular risk of being perceived to lack credibility due to failure to develop quality assurance plans. Over half of programs identified as collaborative, in that volunteers assisted scientists in program design, data analysis and/or dissemination of results. Just under a third were contributory, in which volunteers primarily collected data in a scientist-defined program. Recommendations to improve perceived data credibility, and to augment limited budgets include developing quality assurance plans and gaining agency approval, and developing partnerships with other organizations conducting monitoring in the area to share resources and knowledge. Funding agencies should support development of quality assurance plans to help ensure data credibility. Service providers can aid in plan development by providing training to program staff over time to address high staff turnover rates.

  19. Characterizing the Breadth and Depth of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stepenuck, Kristine F.; Genskow, Kenneth D.

    2018-01-01

    A survey of 345 volunteer water monitoring programs in the United States was conducted to document their characteristics, and perceived level of support for data to inform natural resource management or policy decisions. The response rate of 86% provided information from 46 states. Programs represented a range of ages, budgets, objectives, scopes, and level of quality assurance, which influenced data uses and perceived support by sponsoring agency administrators and external decision makers. Most programs focused on rivers, streams, and lakes. Programs had not made substantial progress to develop EPA or state-approved quality assurance plans since 1998, with only 48% reporting such plans. Program coordinators reported feeling slightly more support for data to be used for management as compared to policy decisions. Programs with smaller budgets may be at particular risk of being perceived to lack credibility due to failure to develop quality assurance plans. Over half of programs identified as collaborative, in that volunteers assisted scientists in program design, data analysis and/or dissemination of results. Just under a third were contributory, in which volunteers primarily collected data in a scientist-defined program. Recommendations to improve perceived data credibility, and to augment limited budgets include developing quality assurance plans and gaining agency approval, and developing partnerships with other organizations conducting monitoring in the area to share resources and knowledge. Funding agencies should support development of quality assurance plans to help ensure data credibility. Service providers can aid in plan development by providing training to program staff over time to address high staff turnover rates.

  20. Remotely Delivered Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation: Design and Content Development of a Novel mHealth Platform.

    PubMed

    Rawstorn, Jonathan C; Gant, Nicholas; Meads, Andrew; Warren, Ian; Maddison, Ralph

    2016-06-24

    Participation in traditional center-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs (exCR) is limited by accessibility barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies can overcome these barriers while preserving critical attributes of center-based exCR monitoring and coaching, but these opportunities have not yet been capitalized on. We aimed to design and develop an evidence- and theory-based mHealth platform for remote delivery of exCR to any geographical location. An iterative process was used to design and develop an evidence- and theory-based mHealth platform (REMOTE-CR) that provides real-time remote exercise monitoring and coaching, behavior change education, and social support. The REMOTE-CR platform comprises a commercially available smartphone and wearable sensor, custom smartphone and Web-based applications (apps), and a custom middleware. The platform allows exCR specialists to monitor patients' exercise and provide individualized coaching in real-time, from almost any location, and provide behavior change education and social support. Intervention content incorporates Social Cognitive Theory, Self-determination Theory, and a taxonomy of behavior change techniques. Exercise components are based on guidelines for clinical exercise prescription. The REMOTE-CR platform extends the capabilities of previous telehealth exCR platforms and narrows the gap between existing center- and home-based exCR services. REMOTE-CR can complement center-based exCR by providing an alternative option for patients whose needs are not being met. Remotely monitored exCR may be more cost-effective than establishing additional center-based programs. The effectiveness and acceptability of REMOTE-CR are now being evaluated in a noninferiority randomized controlled trial.

  1. Recommendations for strengthening the infrared technology component of any condition monitoring program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicholas, Jack R., Jr.; Young, R. K.

    1999-03-01

    This presentation provides insights of a long term 'champion' of many condition monitoring technologies and a Level III infra red thermographer. The co-authors present recommendations based on their observations of infra red and other components of predictive, condition monitoring programs in manufacturing, utility and government defense and energy activities. As predictive maintenance service providers, trainers, informal observers and formal auditors of such programs, the co-authors provide a unique perspective that can be useful to practitioners, managers and customers of advanced programs. Each has over 30 years experience in the field of machinery operation, maintenance, and support the origins of which can be traced to and through the demanding requirements of the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine forces. They have over 10 years each of experience with programs in many different countries on 3 continents. Recommendations are provided on the following: (1) Leadership and Management Support (For survival); (2) Life Cycle View (For establishment of a firm and stable foundation for a program); (3) Training and Orientation (For thermographers as well as operators, managers and others); (4) Analyst Flexibility (To innovate, explore and develop their understanding of machinery condition); (5) Reports and Program Justification (For program visibility and continued expansion); (6) Commitment to Continuous Improvement of Capability and Productivity (Through application of updated hardware and software); (7) Mutual Support by Analysts (By those inside and outside of the immediate organization); (8) Use of Multiple Technologies and System Experts to Help Define Problems (Through the use of correlation analysis of data from up to 15 technologies. An example correlation analysis table for AC and DC motors is provided.); (9) Root Cause Analysis (Allows a shift from reactive to proactive stance for a program); (10) Master Equipment Identification and Technology Application (To place the condition monitoring program in perspective); (11) Use of procedures for Predictive, Condition Monitoring and maintenance in general (To get consistent results); (12) Developing a scheme for predictive, condition monitoring personnel qualification and certification (To provide a career path and incentive to advance skill level and value to the company); (13) Analyst Assignment to Technologies and Related Duties (To make intelligent use of the skills of individuals assigned); (14) Condition Monitoring Analyst Selection Criteria (Key attributes for success are mentioned.); (15) Design and Modification to Support Monitoring (For old and new machinery to facilitate data acquisition); (16) Establishment of a Museum of Components and Samples Pulled from Service for Cause (For orientation and awareness training of operators and managers and exchange of information between analysts); (17) Goals (To promote a proactive program approach for machinery condition improvement).

  2. Geography program, design, structure and operational strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alexander, R. H.

    1970-01-01

    The geography program is designed to move systematically toward a capability to increase remote sensing data into operational systems for monitoring land use and related environmental change. The problems of environmental imbalance arising from rapid urbanization and other dramatic changes in land use are considered. These overall problems translate into working level problems of establishing the validity of various sensor-data combinations that will best obtain the regional land use and environmental information. The goal, to better understand, predict, and assist policy makers to regulate urban and regional land use changes resulting from population growth and technological advancement, is put forth.

  3. Integrating environmental monitoring with cumulative effects management and decision making.

    PubMed

    Cronmiller, Joshua G; Noble, Bram F

    2018-05-01

    Cumulative effects (CE) monitoring is foundational to emerging regional and watershed CE management frameworks, yet monitoring is often poorly integrated with CE management and decision-making processes. The challenges are largely institutional and organizational, more so than scientific or technical. Calls for improved integration of monitoring with CE management and decision making are not new, but there has been limited research on how best to integrate environmental monitoring programs to ensure credible CE science and to deliver results that respond to the more immediate questions and needs of regulatory decision makers. This paper examines options for the integration of environmental monitoring with CE frameworks. Based on semistructured interviews with practitioners, regulators, and other experts in the Lower Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, 3 approaches to monitoring system design are presented. First, a distributed monitoring system, reflecting the current approach in the Lower Athabasca, where monitoring is delegated to different external programs and organizations; second, a 1-window system in which monitoring is undertaken by a single, in-house agency for the purpose of informing management and regulatory decision making; third, an independent system driven primarily by CE science and understanding causal relationships, with knowledge adopted for decision support where relevant to specific management questions. The strengths and limitations of each approach are presented. A hybrid approach may be optimal-an independent, nongovernment, 1-window model for CE science, monitoring, and information delivery-capitalizing on the strengths of distributed, 1-window, and independent monitoring systems while mitigating their weaknesses. If governments are committed to solving CE problems, they must invest in the long-term science needed to do so; at the same time, if science-based monitoring programs are to be sustainable over the long term, they must be responsive to the more immediate, often shorter term needs and CE information requirements of decision makers. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:407-417. © 2018 SETAC. © 2018 SETAC.

  4. Extended Community: An Oral History of the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), 1989 - 2003

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

    Susan DeSilva

    2004-07-01

    Studying the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) provides a unique opportunity to trace a concept created by two nuclear industry originators from inception, as it transitioned through several stewardship agencies, to management by a non-profit organization. This transition is informed not only by changes over two decades in the views of the general populace toward nuclear testing but also by changing political climates and public policies. Several parallel histories accompanied the development of the CEMP: an administrative history, an environmental history, and a history of changing public perception of not only nuclear testing, but other activities involving radiation such asmore » waste transportation, as well. Although vital, those histories will be provided only as background to the subject of this study, the oral histories gathered in this project. The oral histories collected open a window into the nuclear testing history of Nevada and Utah that has not heretofore been opened. The nuclear industry has generated a great deal of positive and negative reaction since its inception. The CEMP emerged with specific objectives. It was designed to provide information to potential downwind communities and counter negative perceptions by creating more community involvement and education about the testing. The current objectives of the program are to: (1) Manage and maintain the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) offsite monitoring program including 26 radiation and environmental monitoring stations with associated equipment. Provide air sample collection and analysis, radiological and meteorological data collection, interpretation and reporting. (2) Facilitate independent operation of radiological monitoring stations and data verification by private citizens living in communities in proximity to the Nevada Test Site (NTS). (3) Hire and initiate training of local citizens to serve as Community Environmental Monitors (CEMs) in designated communities. (4) Provide relevant training by qualified instructors to the CEMs as necessary. (5) Assist and manage CEMs in accomplishing their duties, and ensure that contracts and paychecks are issued on schedule. (6) Provide CEMs and Emeriti monthly materials to facilitate public awareness. This project explores how those objectives evolved over time with changes in the nuclear testing program. How similar are today's objectives to those originally established for the program? Do those objectives reflect a changing political landscape as well as changes in testing needs? Those questions and more will be addressed as we follow the program from its inception, through earlier versions administered first by the Public Health Service (PHS), then by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the current administrator, the Desert Research Institute (DRI).« less

  5. Dealing with incomplete and variable detectability in multi-year, multi-site monitoring of ecological populations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Converse, Sarah J.; Royle, J. Andrew; Gitzen, Robert A.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Cooper, Andrew B.; Licht, Daniel S.

    2012-01-01

    An ecological monitoring program should be viewed as a component of a larger framework designed to advance science and/or management, rather than as a stand-alone activity. Monitoring targets (the ecological variables of interest; e.g. abundance or occurrence of a species) should be set based on the needs of that framework (Nichols and Williams 2006; e.g. Chapters 2–4). Once such monitoring targets are set, the subsequent step in monitoring design involves consideration of the field and analytical methods that will be used to measure monitoring targets with adequate accuracy and precision. Long-term monitoring programs will involve replication of measurements over time, and possibly over space; that is, one location or each of multiple locations will be monitored multiple times, producing a collection of site visits (replicates). Clearly this replication is important for addressing spatial and temporal variability in the ecological resources of interest (Chapters 7–10), but it is worth considering how this replication can further be exploited to increase the effectiveness of monitoring. In particular, defensible monitoring of the majority of animal, and to a lesser degree plant, populations and communities will generally require investigators to account for imperfect detection (Chapters 4, 18). Raw indices of population state variables, such as abundance or occupancy (sensu MacKenzie et al. 2002), are rarely defensible when detection probabilities are < 1, because in those cases detection may vary over time and space in unpredictable ways. Myriad authors have discussed the risks inherent in making inference from monitoring data while failing to correct for differences in detection, resulting in indices that have an unknown relationship to the parameters of interest (e.g. Nichols 1992, Anderson 2001, MacKenzie et al. 2002, Williams et al. 2002, Anderson 2003, White 2005, Kéry and Schmidt 2008). While others have argued that indices may be preferable in some cases due to the challenges associated with estimating detection probabilities (e.g. McKelvey and Pearson 2001, Johnson 2008), we do not attempt to resolve this debate here. Rather, we are more apt to agree with MacKenzie and Kendall (2002) that the burden of proof ought to be on the assertion that detection probabilities are constant. Furthermore, given the wide variety of field methods available for estimating detection probabilities and the inability for an investigator to know, a priori, if detection probabilities will be constant over time and space, we believe that development of monitoring programs ought to include field and analytical methods to account for the imperfect detection of organisms.

  6. Design and fabrication of prototype system for early warning of impending bearing failure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meacher, J.; Chen, H. M.

    1974-01-01

    A test program was conducted with the objective of developing a method and equipment for on-line monitoring of installed ball bearings to detect deterioration or impending failure of the bearings. The program was directed at the spin-axis bearings of a control moment gyro. The bearings were tested at speeds of 6000 and 8000 rpm, thrust loads from 50 to 1000 pounds, with a wide range of lubrication conditions, with and without a simulated fatigue spall implanted in the inner race ball track. It was concluded that a bearing monitor system based on detection and analysis of modulations of a fault indicating bearing resonance frequency can provide a low threshold of sensitivity.

  7. Installation Restoration Program. Phase II--Confirmation/Quantification. Stage 1.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-03-01

    four phases. Phase I, Initial Assessment/ Records Search, is designed to identify possible hazardous waste contami- nated sites and potential...7 71 -. - - IL’ -, 1% 33 AihlIII Is 33 n~iL t iiC UII! ii CL C LU 1-3, Phase II, Confirmation and Quantification, is designed to confirm the...additional monitoring data upon which design of mitigative actions are based. In Phase III, Technology Base Development, appropriate technology is selected and

  8. Social factors in space station interiors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cranz, Galen; Eichold, Alice; Hottes, Klaus; Jones, Kevin; Weinstein, Linda

    1987-01-01

    Using the example of the chair, which is often written into space station planning but which serves no non-cultural function in zero gravity, difficulties in overcoming cultural assumptions are discussed. An experimental approach is called for which would allow designers to separate cultural assumptions from logistic, social and psychological necessities. Simulations, systematic doubt and monitored brainstorming are recommended as part of basic research so that the designer will approach the problems of space module design with a complete program.

  9. Cost-benefit analysis of childhood asthma management through school-based clinic programs.

    PubMed

    Tai, Teresa; Bame, Sherry I

    2011-04-01

    Asthma is a leading chronic illness among American children. School-based health clinics (SBHCs) reduced expensive ER visits and hospitalizations through better healthcare access and monitoring in select case studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-benefit of SBHC programs in managing childhood asthma nationwide for reduction in medical costs of ER, hospital and outpatient physician care and savings in opportunity social costs of lowing absenteeism and work loss and of future earnings due to premature deaths. Eight public data sources were used to compare costs of delivering primary and preventive care for childhood asthma in the US via SBHC programs, including direct medical and indirect opportunity costs for children and their parents. The costs of nurse staffing for a nationwide SBHC program were estimated at $4.55 billion compared to the estimated medical savings of $1.69 billion, including ER, hospital, and outpatient care. In contrast, estimated total savings for opportunity costs of work loss and premature death were $23.13 billion. Medical savings alone would not offset the expense of implementing a SBHC program for prevention and monitoring childhood asthma. However, even modest estimates of reducing opportunity costs of parents' work loss would be far greater than the expense of this program. Although SBHC programs would not be expected to affect the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma, these programs would be designed to reduce the severity of asthma condition with ongoing monitoring, disease prevention and patient compliance.

  10. Application of the automated spatial surveillance program to birth defects surveillance data.

    PubMed

    Gardner, Bennett R; Strickland, Matthew J; Correa, Adolfo

    2007-07-01

    Although many birth defects surveillance programs incorporate georeferenced records into their databases, practical methods for routine spatial surveillance are lacking. We present a macroprogram written for the software package R designed for routine exploratory spatial analysis of birth defects data, the Automated Spatial Surveillance Program (ASSP), and present an application of this program using spina bifida prevalence data for metropolitan Atlanta. Birth defects surveillance data were collected by the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program. We generated ASSP maps for two groups of years that correspond roughly to the periods before (1994-1998) and after (1999-2002) folic acid fortification of flour. ASSP maps display census tract-specific spina bifida prevalence, smoothed prevalence contours, and locations of statistically elevated prevalence. We used these maps to identify areas of elevated prevalence for spina bifida. We identified a large area of potential concern in the years following fortification of grains and cereals with folic acid. This area overlapped census tracts containing large numbers of Hispanic residents. The potential utility of ASSP for spatial disease monitoring was demonstrated by the identification of areas of high prevalence of spina bifida and may warrant further study and monitoring. We intend to further develop ASSP so that it becomes practical for routine spatial monitoring of birth defects. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  11. Considerations for the establishment of a machinery monitoring analysis program for surface ships of the US Navy

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

    Strunk, W.D.

    1987-01-01

    Personnel at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory were tasked by the US Navy to assist in establishing a maintenance monitoring program for machinery aboard surface ships. Given the number of surface ships, the variety of locations in which they operate, the different types of equipment (rotating and reciprocating, as well as instrumentation), and the different procedures which control the operation and maintenance of a ship, it can be seen, apart from the logistics of organizing such a monitoring program, that the technical issues are as varied and numerous as the ships themselves. Unique methods and procedures have been developed tomore » perform the tasks required on a large scale. Among the specific tasks and technical issues addressed were the development and installation of a data collection and communication instrumentation system for each port, the qualification of measurement methodologies and techniques, the establishment of computer data bases, the evaluation of the instrumentation used, training of civilian and military personnel, development of machinery condition assessment aids using machine design and modal analysis information, and development of computer displays. After these tasks were completed and the appropriate resolution integrated into the program, the final task was the development of a method to continually evaluate the effectiveness of the program, using actual maintenance records.« less

  12. Development and validation of a streamlined method designed to detech residues of 62 veterinary drugs in bovine kidney using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In the USA, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts the National Residue Program designed to monitor veterinary drug and other chemical residues in beef and other slaughtered food animals. Currently, FSIS uses a 7-plate bioassay in the laboratory to screen f...

  13. Design considerations for examining trends in avian abundance using point counts: examples from oak woodlands

    Treesearch

    Kathryn L. Purcell; Sylvia R. Mori; Mary K. Chase

    2005-01-01

    We used data from two oak-woodland sites in California to develop guidelines for the design of bird monitoring programs using point counts. We used power analysis to determine sample size adequacy when varying the number of visits, count stations, and years for examining trends in abundance. We assumed an overdispersed Poisson distribution for count data, with...

  14. GIS Application System Design Applied to Information Monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qun, Zhou; Yujin, Yuan; Yuena, Kang

    Natural environment information management system involves on-line instrument monitoring, data communications, database establishment, information management software development and so on. Its core lies in collecting effective and reliable environmental information, increasing utilization rate and sharing degree of environment information by advanced information technology, and maximizingly providing timely and scientific foundation for environmental monitoring and management. This thesis adopts C# plug-in application development and uses a set of complete embedded GIS component libraries and tools libraries provided by GIS Engine to finish the core of plug-in GIS application framework, namely, the design and implementation of framework host program and each functional plug-in, as well as the design and implementation of plug-in GIS application framework platform. This thesis adopts the advantages of development technique of dynamic plug-in loading configuration, quickly establishes GIS application by visualized component collaborative modeling and realizes GIS application integration. The developed platform is applicable to any application integration related to GIS application (ESRI platform) and can be as basis development platform of GIS application development.

  15. A Portable Cell Maintenance System for Rapid Toxicity Monitoring Final Report CRADA No. TC-02081-04

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

    Kane, S.; Zhou, P.

    The Phase I STTR research project was targeted at meeting the objectives and requirements stated in STTR solicitation A04-T028 for a Portable Cell Maintenance System for Rapid Toxicity Monitoring. In accordance with the requirements for STTR programs, collaboration was formed between a small business, Kionix, Inc., and The Regents of the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The collaboration included CytoDiscovery, Inc. (CDI) which, in collaboration with Kionix, provided access to membrane chip technology and provided program support and coordination. The objective of the overall program (excerpted from the original solicitation) was: “To develop a small, portable cellmore » maintenance system for the transport, storage, and monitoring of viable vertebrate cells and tissues.” The goal of the Phase I project was to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving the program objectives utilizing a system comprised of a small-size, microfluidic chip-based cell maintenance cartridge (CMC) and a portable cell maintenance system (CMS) capable of housing a minimum of four CMCs. The system was designed to be capable of optimally maintaining multiple vertebrate cell types while supporting a wide variety of cellular assays.« less

  16. An object-oriented, knowledge-based system for cardiovascular rehabilitation--phase II.

    PubMed Central

    Ryder, R. M.; Inamdar, B.

    1995-01-01

    The Heart Monitor is an object-oriented, knowledge-based system designed to support the clinical activities of cardiovascular (CV) rehabilitation. The original concept was developed as part of graduate research completed in 1992. This paper describes the second generation system which is being implemented in collaboration with a local heart rehabilitation program. The PC UNIX-based system supports an extensive patient database organized by clinical areas. In addition, a knowledge base is employed to monitor patient status. Rule-based automated reasoning is employed to assess risk factors contraindicative to exercise therapy and to monitor administrative and statutory requirements. PMID:8563285

  17. 40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - References

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Indoor Air Sampling: Design and Calibration., JAPCA, 37: 1303-1307 (1987). (2) Vanderpool, R.W. and K.L... Part 53 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) AMBIENT AIR MONITORING REFERENCE AND EQUIVALENT METHODS Procedures for Testing Performance Characteristics...

  18. 40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart F of... - References

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Indoor Air Sampling: Design and Calibration., JAPCA, 37: 1303-1307 (1987). (2) Vanderpool, R.W. and K.L... Part 53 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) AMBIENT AIR MONITORING REFERENCE AND EQUIVALENT METHODS Procedures for Testing Performance Characteristics...

  19. Design and assessment of molecular assays to genotype male-specific (F+RNA) coliphages (Family Leviviridae)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Monitoring programs for recreational waters utilize indicator bacteria concentrations as predictors of sewage-exposure related illness risks. However, most illnesses contracted through exposure to recreational waters may be of viral etiology. Identifying the fecal sources (non-...

  20. A Dynamic Programming Model for Optimizing Frequency of Time-Lapse Seismic Monitoring in Geological CO2 Storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhattacharjya, D.; Mukerji, T.; Mascarenhas, O.; Weyant, J.

    2005-12-01

    Designing a cost-effective and reliable monitoring program is crucial to the success of any geological CO2 storage project. Effective design entails determining both, the optimal measurement modality, as well as the frequency of monitoring the site. Time-lapse seismic provides the best spatial coverage and resolution for reservoir monitoring. Initial results from Sleipner (Norway) have demonstrated effective monitoring of CO2 plume movement. However, time-lapse seismic is an expensive monitoring technique especially over the long term life of a storage project and should be used judiciously. We present a mathematical model based on dynamic programming that can be used to estimate site-specific optimal frequency of time-lapse surveys. The dynamics of the CO2 sequestration process are simplified and modeled as a four state Markov process with transition probabilities. The states are M: injected CO2 safely migrating within the target zone; L: leakage from the target zone to the adjacent geosphere; R: safe migration after recovery from leakage state; and S: seepage from geosphere to the biosphere. The states are observed only when a monitoring survey is performed. We assume that the system may go to state S only from state L. We also assume that once observed to be in state L, remedial measures are always taken to bring it back to state R. Remediation benefits are captured by calculating the expected penalty if CO2 seeped into the biosphere. There is a trade-off between the conflicting objectives of minimum discounted costs of performing the next time-lapse survey and minimum risk of seepage and its associated costly consequences. A survey performed earlier would spot the leakage earlier. Remediation methods would have been utilized earlier, resulting in savings in costs attributed to excessive seepage. On the other hand, there are also costs for the survey and remedial measures. The problem is solved numerically using Bellman's optimality principal of dynamic programming to optimize over the entire finite time horizon. We use a Monte Carlo approach to explore trade-offs between survey costs, remediation costs, and survey frequency and to analyze the sensitivity to leakage probabilities, and carbon tax. The model can be useful in determining a monitoring regime appropriate to a specific site's risk and set of remediation options, rather than a generic one based on a maximum downside risk threshold for CO2 storage as a whole. This may have implications on the overall costs associated with deploying Carbon capture and storage on a large scale.

  1. Simulating future uncertainty to guide the selection of survey designs for long-term monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Garman, Steven L.; Schweiger, E. William; Manier, Daniel J.; Gitzen, Robert A.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Cooper, Andrew B.; Licht, Daniel S.

    2012-01-01

    A goal of environmental monitoring is to provide sound information on the status and trends of natural resources (Messer et al. 1991, Theobald et al. 2007, Fancy et al. 2009). When monitoring observations are acquired by measuring a subset of the population of interest, probability sampling as part of a well-constructed survey design provides the most reliable and legally defensible approach to achieve this goal (Cochran 1977, Olsen et al. 1999, Schreuder et al. 2004; see Chapters 2, 5, 6, 7). Previous works have described the fundamentals of sample surveys (e.g. Hansen et al. 1953, Kish 1965). Interest in survey designs and monitoring over the past 15 years has led to extensive evaluations and new developments of sample selection methods (Stevens and Olsen 2004), of strategies for allocating sample units in space and time (Urquhart et al. 1993, Overton and Stehman 1996, Urquhart and Kincaid 1999), and of estimation (Lesser and Overton 1994, Overton and Stehman 1995) and variance properties (Larsen et al. 1995, Stevens and Olsen 2003) of survey designs. Carefully planned, “scientific” (Chapter 5) survey designs have become a standard in contemporary monitoring of natural resources. Based on our experience with the long-term monitoring program of the US National Park Service (NPS; Fancy et al. 2009; Chapters 16, 22), operational survey designs tend to be selected using the following procedures. For a monitoring indicator (i.e. variable or response), a minimum detectable trend requirement is specified, based on the minimum level of change that would result in meaningful change (e.g. degradation). A probability of detecting this trend (statistical power) and an acceptable level of uncertainty (Type I error; see Chapter 2) within a specified time frame (e.g. 10 years) are specified to ensure timely detection. Explicit statements of the minimum detectable trend, the time frame for detecting the minimum trend, power, and acceptable probability of Type I error (α) collectively form the quantitative sampling objective.

  2. Applicability of NASQAN data for ecosystem assessments on the Missouri River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blevins, Dale W.; Fairchild, James

    2001-01-01

    The effectiveness of ecological restoration efforts on large developed rivers is often unknown because comprehensive ecological monitoring programs are often absent. Although Eulerian water-quality monitoring programs, such as the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) program, are more common, they are usually not designed for ecological assessment. Therefore, this paper addresses the value of NASQAN for ecological assessments on the Missouri River and identifies potential program additions and modifications to assess certain ecological changes in physical habitat, biological structure and function, and ecotoxicity. Five additional sites: The analysis of chlorophyll, mercury, ATP, potential endocrine disruptors, total trace elements, and selected total hydrophobic organics; and the hourly measurement of dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and temperature are recommended. Hourly measurements would require an entirely new operational aspect to NASQAN. However, the presence of data loggers and satellite transmitters in the gauging stations at all NASQAN sites substantially improves the feasibility of continuous water-quality monitoring. The use of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) to monitor dissolved bioaccumulating organics and trace elements, identification and enumeration of zooplankton, and characterization of the bioavailability of organic matter are also recommended. The effect of biological processes on the conservative assumptions that are used in flux and source determinations of NASQAN constituents are also evaluated. Organic carbon, organic nitrogen, dissolved phosphate, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen are the NASQAN constituents most vulnerable to biological processes and thus violation of conservative assumptions.

  3. Design of a smart ECG garment based on conductive textile electrode and flexible printed circuit board.

    PubMed

    Cai, Zhipeng; Luo, Kan; Liu, Chengyu; Li, Jianqing

    2017-08-09

    A smart electrocardiogram (ECG) garment system was designed for continuous, non-invasive and comfortable ECG monitoring, which mainly consists of four components: Conductive textile electrode, garment, flexible printed circuit board (FPCB)-based ECG processing module and android application program. Conductive textile electrode and FPCB-based ECG processing module (6.8 g, 55 mm × 53 mm × 5 mm) are identified as two key techniques to improve the system's comfort and flexibility. Preliminary experimental results verified that the textile electrodes with circle shape, 40 mm size in diameter, and 5 mm thickness sponge are best suited for the long-term ECG monitoring application. The tests on the whole system confirmed that the designed smart garment can obtain long-term ECG recordings with high signal quality.

  4. An assessment of campsite conditions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Marion, J.L.; Leung, Y-L

    1997-01-01

    This research effort designed and implemented a backcountry campsite monitoring program for Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). This report reviews the need for visitor impact monitoring programs, describes monitoring procedures developed and applied at GSMNP, presents results from the first monitoring cycle, evaluates current park camping management policies, and provides recommendations for reducing campingrelated visitor impacts. Field staff assessed 377 campsites at 82 designated backcountry campgrounds, and all 18 shelters. Campgrounds are frequently bisected by park trails and more than half (188, 58%) of legal campsites are within 100 feet of a park trail. High campsite intervisibility diminishes the potential for solitude; 79% of the campsites have at least one other site visible, 26% have three or more other sites visible. Campsite conditions are quite variable, with some campgrounds exhibiting generally good conditions while others are exceptionally large, with substantial vegetation loss, soil exposure, and damage to trees. Evaluations of campsite condition data reveal a number of potential problems, most notably: 1) campsite proliferation, 2) campsite expansion and excessive size, 3) excessive vegetation loss and soil exposure, 4) excessive campfire-related degradation, and 5) low visitor solitude at campsites. Data are used to characterize these problems and evaluate influential relationships and contributing causes. Recreation ecology findings from other studies are considered in evaluating alternative management responses. Park backcountry management policies are also reviewed and recommendations are offered for management consideration.

  5. [Microinjection Monitoring System Design Applied to MRI Scanning].

    PubMed

    Xu, Yongfeng

    2017-09-30

    A microinjection monitoring system applied to the MRI scanning was introduced. The micro camera probe was used to stretch into the main magnet for real-time video injection monitoring of injection tube terminal. The programming based on LabVIEW was created to analysis and process the real-time video information. The feedback signal was used for intelligent controlling of the modified injection pump. The real-time monitoring system can make the best use of injection under the condition that the injection device was away from the sample which inside the magnetic room and unvisible. 9.4 T MRI scanning experiment showed that the system in ultra-high field can work stability and doesn't affect the MRI scans.

  6. Clark county monitoring program

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

    Conway, Sheila; Auger, Jeremy; Navies, Irene

    2007-07-01

    Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: Since 1988, Clark County has been one of the counties designated by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) as an 'Affected Unit of Local Government' (AULG). The AULG designation is an acknowledgement by the federal government that could be negatively impacted to a considerable degree by activities associated with the Yucca Mountain High Level Nuclear Waste Repository. These negative effects would have an impact on residents as individuals and the community as a whole. As an AULG, Clark County is authorized to identify 'any potential economic, social, public healthmore » and safety, and environmental impacts' of the potential repository (42 USC Section 10135(C)(1)(B)(1)). Toward this end, Clark County has conducted numerous studies of potential impacts, many of which are summarized in the Clark County's Impact Assessment Report that was submitted by the DOE and the president of the United States in February 2002. Given the unprecedented magnitude and duration of the DoE's proposal, as well as the many unanswered questions about the number of shipments and the modal mix, the estimate of impacts described in these studies are preliminary. In order to refine these estimates, Clark County Comprehensive Planning Department's Nuclear Waste Division is continuing to assess potential impacts. In addition, the County has implemented a Monitoring Program designed to capture changes to the social, environmental, and economic well-being of its residents resulting from the Yucca Mountain project and other significant events within the County. The Monitoring Program acts as an 'early warning system' that allows Clark County decision makers to proactive respond to impacts from the Yucca Mountain Project. (authors)« less

  7. Evaluating sampling designs by computer simulation: A case study with the Missouri bladderpod

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Morrison, L.W.; Smith, D.R.; Young, C.; Nichols, D.W.

    2008-01-01

    To effectively manage rare populations, accurate monitoring data are critical. Yet many monitoring programs are initiated without careful consideration of whether chosen sampling designs will provide accurate estimates of population parameters. Obtaining accurate estimates is especially difficult when natural variability is high, or limited budgets determine that only a small fraction of the population can be sampled. The Missouri bladderpod, Lesquerella filiformis Rollins, is a federally threatened winter annual that has an aggregated distribution pattern and exhibits dramatic interannual population fluctuations. Using the simulation program SAMPLE, we evaluated five candidate sampling designs appropriate for rare populations, based on 4 years of field data: (1) simple random sampling, (2) adaptive simple random sampling, (3) grid-based systematic sampling, (4) adaptive grid-based systematic sampling, and (5) GIS-based adaptive sampling. We compared the designs based on the precision of density estimates for fixed sample size, cost, and distance traveled. Sampling fraction and cost were the most important factors determining precision of density estimates, and relative design performance changed across the range of sampling fractions. Adaptive designs did not provide uniformly more precise estimates than conventional designs, in part because the spatial distribution of L. filiformis was relatively widespread within the study site. Adaptive designs tended to perform better as sampling fraction increased and when sampling costs, particularly distance traveled, were taken into account. The rate that units occupied by L. filiformis were encountered was higher for adaptive than for conventional designs. Overall, grid-based systematic designs were more efficient and practically implemented than the others. ?? 2008 The Society of Population Ecology and Springer.

  8. 75 FR 65975 - Exchange Visitor Program-Secondary School Students

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-27

    ...The Department is revising existing Secondary School Student regulations regarding the screening, selection, school enrollment, orientation, and quality assurance monitoring of exchange students as well as the screening, selection, orientation, and quality assurance monitoring of host families and field staff. Further, the Department is adopting a new requirement regarding training for all organizational representatives who place and/or monitor students with host families. The proposed requirement to conduct FBI fingerprint-based criminal background checks will not be implemented at this time. Rather, it will continue to be examined and a subsequent Final Rule regarding this provision will be forthcoming. These regulations, as revised, govern the Department designated exchange visitor programs under which foreign secondary school students (ages 15-18\\1/2\\) are afforded the opportunity to study in the United States at accredited public or private secondary schools for an academic semester or year while living with American host families or residing at accredited U.S. boarding schools.

  9. Application of a microcomputer-based system to control and monitor bacterial growth.

    PubMed

    Titus, J A; Luli, G W; Dekleva, M L; Strohl, W R

    1984-02-01

    A modular microcomputer-based system was developed to control and monitor various modes of bacterial growth. The control system was composed of an Apple II Plus microcomputer with 64-kilobyte random-access memory; a Cyborg ISAAC model 91A multichannel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter; paired MRR-1 pH, pO(2), and foam control units; and in-house-designed relay, servo control, and turbidimetry systems. To demonstrate the flexibility of the system, we grew bacteria under various computer-controlled and monitored modes of growth, including batch, turbidostat, and chemostat systems. The Apple-ISAAC system was programmed in Labsoft BASIC (extended Applesoft) with an average control program using ca. 6 to 8 kilobytes of memory and up to 30 kilobytes for datum arrays. This modular microcomputer-based control system was easily coupled to laboratory scale fermentors for a variety of fermentations.

  10. Application of a Microcomputer-Based System to Control and Monitor Bacterial Growth

    PubMed Central

    Titus, Jeffrey A.; Luli, Gregory W.; Dekleva, Michael L.; Strohl, William R.

    1984-01-01

    A modular microcomputer-based system was developed to control and monitor various modes of bacterial growth. The control system was composed of an Apple II Plus microcomputer with 64-kilobyte random-access memory; a Cyborg ISAAC model 91A multichannel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter; paired MRR-1 pH, pO2, and foam control units; and in-house-designed relay, servo control, and turbidimetry systems. To demonstrate the flexibility of the system, we grew bacteria under various computer-controlled and monitored modes of growth, including batch, turbidostat, and chemostat systems. The Apple-ISAAC system was programmed in Labsoft BASIC (extended Applesoft) with an average control program using ca. 6 to 8 kilobytes of memory and up to 30 kilobytes for datum arrays. This modular microcomputer-based control system was easily coupled to laboratory scale fermentors for a variety of fermentations. PMID:16346462

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

    Haney, Thomas Jay

    This report documents the Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) developed for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site ambient air surveillance program. The development of the DQOs was based on the seven-step process recommended “for systematic planning to generate performance and acceptance criteria for collecting environmental data” (EPA 2006). The process helped to determine the type, quantity, and quality of data needed to meet current regulatory requirements and to follow U.S. Department of Energy guidance for environmental surveillance air monitoring design. It also considered the current air monitoring program that has existed at INL Site since the 1950s. The development of themore » DQOs involved the application of the atmospheric dispersion model CALPUFF to identify likely contamination dispersion patterns at and around the INL Site using site-specific meteorological data. Model simulations were used to quantitatively assess the probable frequency of detection of airborne radionuclides released by INL Site facilities using existing and proposed air monitors.« less

  12. Biowaste monitoring system for shuttle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fogal, G. L.; Sauer, R. L.

    1975-01-01

    The acquisition of crew biomedical data has been an important task on all manned space missions from Project Mercury through the recently completed Skylab Missions. The monitoring of metabolic wastes from the crew is an important aspect of this activity. On early missions emphasis was placed on the collection and return of biowaste samples for post-mission analysis. On later missions such as Skylab, equipment for inflight measurement was also added. Life Science experiments are being proposed for Shuttle missions which will require the inflight measurement and sampling of metabolic wastes. In order to minimize the crew impact associated with these requirements, a high degree of automation of these processes will be required. This paper reviews the design and capabilities of urine biowaste monitoring equipment provided on past-manned space programs and defines and describes the urine volume measurement and sampling equipment planned for the Shuttle Orbiter program.

  13. The efficacy of using self-monitoring diaries in a weight loss program for chronically ill obese adults in a rural area.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chi-Jane; Fetzer, Susan J; Yang, Yi-Ching; Wang, Wen-Ling

    2012-09-01

    Self-monitoring is part of many weight-loss programs and is widely accepted as effective. However, there is a lack of research related to the efficacy of various self-monitoring instruments in meeting the needs of individuals with limited mobility or access to healthcare providers, especially those with limited education living in rural settings. This study examined the efficacy of using self-monitoring diaries in a weight loss program targeting chronically ill and obese rural-dwelling adults. A community-based intervention program using a pretest and posttest design examined the effect of using self-monitoring diaries on weight loss. Fifty participants were enrolled from the chronic disease clinic of a district health center with limited medical resources in a remote village in southwestern Taiwan. All participants were diagnosed with diabetes and/or hypertension, had body mass indices between 27 and 32 kg/m, and had a minimum educational level of junior high school. Mean participant age was 43.7 years. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. All attended a mandatory 12-week weight loss program. The intervention group received instructions on how to record diet and exercise details in a structured, graphics-based diary provided by the researchers. Body weight and percentage of body fat were measured before and after the program, and data were analyzed by chi-square and ANCOVA. The intervention group significantly lost more weight than the control group (5.7 kg vs. 2.1 kg; p < .05). The participants of 88% in the intervention group lost 5% or more of their baseline weight greater than the 23% in the control group. Both groups achieved the mean of body fat reductions by comparing pretest and posttest. Self-monitoring diaries can have a significant impact on weight loss in individuals living in rural communities. Healthcare providers and health promotion agencies can use the suggested checklist method to improve weight loss promotion programs in isolated rural communities with limited medical resources.

  14. Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation, 1998-1999 Annual Report.

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

    Stonecypher, R. Wess; Groberg, Jr., Warren J.; Farman, Brett M.

    2001-07-01

    The Northwest Power Planning Council's Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program authorized construction of Umatilla Fish Hatchery (UFH) in 1986. Measure 703 of the program amended the original authorization for the hatchery and specified evaluation of the Michigan (MI) raceways using oxygen supplementation to reach production goals of 290,000 lb of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss). The hatchery was completed in fall 1991. Partial justification for the hatchery was to evaluate new production and supplementation techniques. MI raceways at UFH increase smolt production with a limited water supply. Test results for MI raceways will have systematicmore » application in the Columbia River basin. The UFH is the foundation for rehabilitating chinook salmon and enhancing steelhead in the Umatilla River (CTUIR and ODFW 1990) and is expected to contribute significantly to the Northwest Power Planning Council's goal of doubling salmon production in the Columbia Basin. Hatchery production goals and a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan were presented in the Umatilla Hatchery Master Plan (CTUIR and ODFW 1990). The Comprehensive Plan for Monitoring and Evaluation of Umatilla Hatchery (Carmichael 1990) was approved by the Northwest Power Planning Council as a critical adaptive management guide for fisheries rehabilitation in the Umatilla River. Monitoring and evaluation will be used to increase knowledge about uncertainties inherent in the fisheries rehabilitation and will complement the developing systematic monitoring and evaluation program. The monitoring and evaluation goals are: (1) Provide information and recommendations for the culture and release of hatchery fish, harvest regulations, and natural escapement to accomplish long-term natural and hatchery production goals in the Umatilla River basin that are consistent with provisions of the Council's Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. (2) Assess the success of achieving the management objectives in the Umatilla River basin that are presented in the Master Plan and the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan. A substantial proportion of the production at UFH is reared in MI raceways. This system has not been thoroughly evaluated to determine the effects on Smolt-to-adult survival (SAS). In addition, the rearing strategies proposed for spring chinook salmon require an unusually extensive period of incubation in chilled well water. Extensive background and justification for UFH monitoring and evaluation is presented in Carmichael (1990). In this report, we present findings for the UFH Monitoring and Evaluation Project from 1 November 1998 to 31 October 1999. We designed our program to evaluate fish cultural practices, conduct rearing and survival studies, assess sport fisheries, and provide information for planning and coordination. Additional studies have been designed for fall chinook salmon to evaluate straying and the effects of tagging. We monitored the culture and performance of more than 3.2 million chinook salmon and steelhead produced at UFH in 1997-98 (Appendix Tables A1-8). Individual stock profiles, release, performance, and return data of previously released groups are presented in the following sections.« less

  15. Clinical services provided by staff pharmacists in a community hospital.

    PubMed

    Garrelts, J C; Smith, D F

    1990-09-01

    A program for developing staff pharmacists' clinical skills and documenting pharmacists' clinical interventions in a large community teaching hospital is described. A coordinator hired in 1984 to develop clinical pharmacy services began a didactic and experiential program for baccalaureate-level staff pharmacists. Fourteen educational modules are supplemented by journal and textbook articles and small-group discussions of clinical cases, and the clinical coordinator provides individual training on the patient-care units for each pharmacist. Monitoring of clinical pharmacy services began in June 1987; each intervention provided by a pharmacist is recorded on a specially designed form. A target-drug program is used to document cost avoidance achieved through clinical services. Information collected through these monitoring activities is used to educate the pharmacy staff, shared with the pharmacy and therapeutics committee, and used to monitor prescribing patterns of individual physicians. The data are used in the hospital's productivity-monitoring system. All pharmacists who were on staff in 1984 have completed the educational modules, and all new employees are in the process. Since monitoring began, the number of clinical interventions has averaged 2098 per month. Cost avoidance has averaged $9306 per month. Over a five-year period, the development of staff pharmacists' clinical services raised the level of professional practice, produced substantial cost avoidance, and increased the number of pharmacist interventions in medication use.

  16. The Mexican experience in monitoring and evaluation of public policies addressing social determinants of health

    PubMed Central

    Valle, Adolfo Martinez

    2016-01-01

    Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) have gradually become important and regular components of the policy-making process in Mexico since, and even before, the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) called for interventions and policies aimed at tackling the social determinants of health (SDH). This paper presents two case studies to show how public policies addressing the SDH have been monitored and evaluated in Mexico using reliable, valid, and complete information, which is not regularly available. Prospera, for example, evaluated programs seeking to improve the living conditions of families in extreme poverty in terms of direct effects on health, nutrition, education and income. Monitoring of Prospera's implementation has also helped policy-makers identify windows of opportunity to improve the design and operation of the program. Seguro Popular has monitored the reduction of health inequalities and inequities evaluated the positive effects of providing financial protection to its target population. Useful and sound evidence of the impact of programs such as Progresa and Seguro Popular plus legal mandates, and a regulatory evaluation agency, the National Council for Social Development Policy Evaluation, have been fundamental to institutionalizing M&E in Mexico. The Mexican experience may provide useful lessons for other countries facing the challenge of institutionalizing the M&E of public policy processes to assess the effects of SDH as recommended by the WHO CSDH. PMID:26928215

  17. The Mexican experience in monitoring and evaluation of public policies addressing social determinants of health.

    PubMed

    Valle, Adolfo Martinez

    2016-01-01

    Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) have gradually become important and regular components of the policy-making process in Mexico since, and even before, the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) called for interventions and policies aimed at tackling the social determinants of health (SDH). This paper presents two case studies to show how public policies addressing the SDH have been monitored and evaluated in Mexico using reliable, valid, and complete information, which is not regularly available. Prospera, for example, evaluated programs seeking to improve the living conditions of families in extreme poverty in terms of direct effects on health, nutrition, education and income. Monitoring of Prospera's implementation has also helped policy-makers identify windows of opportunity to improve the design and operation of the program. Seguro Popular has monitored the reduction of health inequalities and inequities evaluated the positive effects of providing financial protection to its target population. Useful and sound evidence of the impact of programs such as Progresa and Seguro Popular plus legal mandates, and a regulatory evaluation agency, the National Council for Social Development Policy Evaluation, have been fundamental to institutionalizing M&E in Mexico. The Mexican experience may provide useful lessons for other countries facing the challenge of institutionalizing the M&E of public policy processes to assess the effects of SDH as recommended by the WHO CSDH.

  18. A gas flow indicator for portable life support systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bass, R. L., III; Schroeder, E. C.

    1975-01-01

    A three-part program was conducted to develop a gas flow indicator (GFI) to monitor ventilation flow in a portable life support system. The first program phase identified concepts which could potentially meet the GFI requirements. In the second phase, a working breadboard GFI, based on the concept of a pressure sensing diaphragm-aneroid assembly connected to a venturi, was constructed and tested. Extensive testing of the breadboard GFI indicated that the design would meet all NASA requirements including eliminating problems experienced with the ventilation flow sensor used in the Apollo program. In the third program phase, an optimized GFI was designed by utilizing test data obtained on the breadboard unit. A prototype unit was constructed using prototype materials and fabrication techniques, and performance tests indicated that the prototype GFI met or exceeded all requirements.

  19. Results of external quality-assurance program for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and National Trends Network during 1985

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brooks, M.H.; Schroder, L.J.; Willoughby, T.C.

    1988-01-01

    External quality assurance monitoring of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and National Trends Network (NTN) was performed by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1985. The monitoring consisted of three primary programs: (1) an intersite comparison program designed to assess the precision and accuracy of onsite pH and specific conductance measurements made by NADP and NTN site operators; (2) a blind audit sample program designed to assess the effect of routine field handling on the precision and bias of NADP and NTN wet deposition data; and (3) an interlaboratory comparison program designed to compare analytical data from the laboratory processing NADP and NTN samples with data produced by other laboratories routinely analyzing wet deposition samples and to provide estimates of individual laboratory precision. An average of 94% of the site operators participated in the four voluntary intersite comparisons during 1985. A larger percentage of participating site operators met the accuracy goal for specific conductance measurements (average, 87%) than for pH measurements (average, 67%). Overall precision was dependent on the actual specific conductance of the test solution and independent of the pH of the test solution. Data for the blind audit sample program indicated slight positive biases resulting from routine field handling for all analytes except specific conductance. These biases were not large enough to be significant for most data users. Data for the blind audit sample program also indicated that decreases in hydrogen ion concentration were accompanied by decreases in specific conductance. Precision estimates derived from the blind audit sample program indicate that the major source of uncertainty in wet deposition data is the routine field handling that each wet deposition sample receives. Results of the interlaboratory comparison program were similar to results of previous years ' evaluations, indicating that the participating laboratories produced comparable data when they analyzed identical wet deposition samples, and that the laboratory processing NADP and NTN samples achieved the best analyte precision of the participating laboratories. (Author 's abstract)

  20. An inventory and monitoring plan for a Sonoran Desert ecosystem; Barry M. Goldwater Range-West

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Villarreal, Miguel L.; van Riper, Charles; Lovich, Robert E.; Palmer, Robert L.; Nauman, Travis; Studd, Sarah E.; Drake, Sam; Rosenberg, Abigail S.; Malusa, Jim; Pearce, Ronald L.

    2011-01-01

    Marine Corps Air Station Yuma manages the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West, which encompasses approximately 2,800 square kilometers of Sonoran Desert habitat in southwestern Arizona. The Barry M. Goldwater Range is a major U.S. military installation designed as an air combat training location for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, but it also includes some of the most pristine desert habitat in the United States. In an effort to ensure the long-term viability of this unique natural resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan and Inventory and Monitoring Plan to guide natural resource management of the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West. This Inventory and Monitoring Plan provides a framework for long-term ecosystem monitoring on Barry M. Goldwater Range-West lands by identifying existing and potential threats to ecosystem function, prioritizing resources for monitoring, and providing information and protocols necessary to initiate a long-term ecosystem monitoring program. The Inventory and Monitoring Plan and related protocols were developed through extensive review of existing Sonoran Desert monitoring programs and monitoring literature and through a 2-day workshop with resource managers, monitoring experts, and other stakeholders. The Barry M. Goldwater Range-West Inventory and Monitoring Plan stresses the importance of regional monitoring partnerships and protocol standardization for understanding landscape-scale ecosystem changes in the Sonoran Desert; information and protocols contained within the plan may also be of interest to land managers engaged in large-scale ecosystem monitoring and adaptive management of other arid regions.

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