46 CFR 62.25-30 - Environmental design standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-30 Environmental design standards. (a... inclination requirements for fire and flooding safety systems are described in 46 CFR 112.05-5(c). (2) Ambient...

46 CFR 111.51-3 - Protection of vital equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Protection of vital equipment. 111.51-3 Section 111.51-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Coordination of Overcurrent Protective Devices § 111.51-3 Protection of vital...

46 CFR 111.51-3 - Protection of vital equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Protection of vital equipment. 111.51-3 Section 111.51-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Coordination of Overcurrent Protective Devices § 111.51-3 Protection of vital...

46 CFR 111.51-3 - Protection of vital equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Protection of vital equipment. 111.51-3 Section 111.51-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Coordination of Overcurrent Protective Devices § 111.51-3 Protection of vital...

46 CFR 111.51-3 - Protection of vital equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Protection of vital equipment. 111.51-3 Section 111.51-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Coordination of Overcurrent Protective Devices § 111.51-3 Protection of vital...

46 CFR 111.60-9 - Segregation of vital circuits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Segregation of vital circuits. 111.60-9 Section 111.60-9 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Wiring Materials and Methods § 111.60-9 Segregation of vital circuits. (a) General. A...

46 CFR 111.60-9 - Segregation of vital circuits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Segregation of vital circuits. 111.60-9 Section 111.60-9 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Wiring Materials and Methods § 111.60-9 Segregation of vital circuits. (a) General. A...

46 CFR 61.40-3 - Design verification testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-3 Design verification testing. (a) Tests must verify that automated vital systems are designed, constructed, and operate in...

46 CFR 62.25-30 - Environmental design standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., and shutdown. (b) Low voltage electronics must be designed with due consideration for static discharge...-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-30 Environmental design standards. (a...

46 CFR 62.25-30 - Environmental design standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., and shutdown. (b) Low voltage electronics must be designed with due consideration for static discharge...-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-30 Environmental design standards. (a...

46 CFR 62.25-30 - Environmental design standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., and shutdown. (b) Low voltage electronics must be designed with due consideration for static discharge...-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-30 Environmental design standards. (a...

46 CFR 62.25-30 - Environmental design standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., and shutdown. (b) Low voltage electronics must be designed with due consideration for static discharge...-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-30 Environmental design standards. (a...

46 CFR 62.35-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false General. 62.35-1 Section 62.35-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-1 General. (a) Minimum instrumentation, alarms, and...

46 CFR 62.35-15 - Fire safety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire safety. 62.35-15 Section 62.35-15 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-15 Fire safety. (a) All required fire pump...

46 CFR 62.30-1 - Failsafe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Failsafe. 62.30-1 Section 62.30-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety Criteria, All Automated Vital Systems § 62.30-1 Failsafe. (a) The failsafe state must be evaluated for each...

46 CFR 62.25-20 - Instrumentation, alarms, and centralized stations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements for All Automated Vital Systems § 62.25-20... there is no off position. (5) Automation alarms must be separate and independent of the following: (i... with a means to test audible and visual annunciators; (iv) Provide for normal equipment starting and...

46 CFR 62.01-5 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Applicability. 62.01-5 Section 62.01-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General... subparts 58.25 and 111.93 of this chapter). (3) Non-vital and industrial systems. (4) The communication and...

46 CFR 62.01-5 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Applicability. 62.01-5 Section 62.01-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General... (see subparts 58.25 and 111.93 of this chapter). (3) Non-vital and industrial systems. (4) The...

46 CFR 62.01-5 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Applicability. 62.01-5 Section 62.01-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General... subparts 58.25 and 111.93 of this chapter). (3) Non-vital and industrial systems. (4) The communication and...

46 CFR 62.01-5 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Applicability. 62.01-5 Section 62.01-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General... subparts 58.25 and 111.93 of this chapter). (3) Non-vital and industrial systems. (4) The communication and...

46 CFR 62.01-5 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Applicability. 62.01-5 Section 62.01-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General... subparts 58.25 and 111.93 of this chapter). (3) Non-vital and industrial systems. (4) The communication and...

46 CFR 62.35-15 - Fire safety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire safety. 62.35-15 Section 62.35-15 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-15 Fire safety. (a) All required fire pump...

Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) IDEF3 Process Description Capture Method Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

methodology, knowledge acquisition, 140 requirements definition, information systems, information engineering, 16. PRICE CODE systems engineering...and knowledge resources. Like manpower, materials, and machines, information and knowledge assets are recognized as vital resources that can be...evolve towards an information -integrated enterprise. These technologies are designed to leverage information and knowledge resources as the key

Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) IDEF3 Process Description Capture Method Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-09-01

vital processes of a business. process, IDEF, method, methodology, modeling, knowledge acquisition, requirements definition, information systems... knowledge resources. Like manpower, materials, and machines, information and knowledge assets are recognized as vital resources that can be leveraged to...integrated enterprise. These technologies are designed to leverage information and knowledge resources as the key enablers for high quality systems

Project-Based Learning to Enhance Teaching Embedded Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sababha, Belal H.; Alqudah, Yazan A.; Abualbasal, Abdelraheem; AlQaralleh, Esam A.

2016-01-01

Exposing engineering students during their education to real-world problems and giving them the chance to apply what they learn in the classroom is a vital element of engineering education. The Embedded Systems course at Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) is one of the main courses that bridge the gap between theoretical electrical…

Development of a triage engine enabling behavior recognition and lethal arrhythmia detection for remote health care system.

PubMed

Sugano, Hiroto; Hara, Shinsuke; Tsujioka, Tetsuo; Inoue, Tadayuki; Nakajima, Shigeyoshi; Kozaki, Takaaki; Namkamura, Hajime; Takeuchi, Kazuhide

2011-01-01

For ubiquitous health care systems which continuously monitor a person's vital signs such as electrocardiogram (ECG), body surface temperature and three-dimensional (3D) acceleration by wireless, it is important to accurately detect the occurrence of an abnormal event in the data and immediately inform a medical doctor of its detail. In this paper, we introduce a remote health care system, which is composed of a wireless vital sensor, multiple receivers and a triage engine installed in a desktop personal computer (PC). The middleware installed in the receiver, which was developed in C++, supports reliable data handling of vital data to the ethernet port. On the other hand, the human interface of the triage engine, which was developed in JAVA, shows graphics on his/her ECG data, 3D acceleration data, body surface temperature data and behavior status in the display of the desktop PC and sends an urgent e-mail containing the display data to a pre-registered medical doctor when it detects the occurrence of an abnormal event. In the triage engine, the lethal arrhythmia detection algorithm based on short time Fourier transform (STFT) analysis can achieve 100 % sensitivity and 99.99 % specificity, and the behavior recognition algorithm based on the combination of the nearest neighbor method and the Naive Bayes method can achieve more than 71 % classification accuracy.

46 CFR 62.30-1 - Failsafe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... subsystem, system, or vessel to determine the least critical consequence. (b) All automatic control, remote control, safety control, and alarm systems must be failsafe. ..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety...

Engine health monitoring: An advanced system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyson, R. J. E.

1981-01-01

The advanced propulsion monitoring system is described. The system was developed in order to fulfill a growing need for effective engine health monitoring. This need is generated by military requirements for increased performance and efficiency in more complex propulsion systems, while maintaining or improving the cost to operate. This program represents a vital technological step in the advancement of the state of the art for monitoring systems in terms of reliability, flexibility, accuracy, and provision of user oriented results. It draws heavily on the technology and control theory developed for modern, complex, electronically controlled engines and utilizes engine information which is a by-product of such a system.

Examining E-Learning Barriers as Perceived by Faculty Members of Engineering Colleges in the Jordanian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Alawneh, Muhammad K.

2014-01-01

Employing computer's technology that includes e-learning system in the field of Engineering is a vital issue which needs to be discussed. Therefore, this study purposed to examine e-learning barriers as perceived by faculty members of engineering in three major universities in Jordan (Yarmouk University, Jordan University of Science and…

46 CFR 62.10-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... control means a function of an automatic control system to restrict operation to a specified operating... automatic or manual control. Safety trip control system means a manually or automatically operated system... GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Terms Used...

46 CFR 62.10-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... control means a function of an automatic control system to restrict operation to a specified operating... automatic or manual control. Safety trip control system means a manually or automatically operated system... GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Terms Used...

46 CFR 62.10-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... control means a function of an automatic control system to restrict operation to a specified operating... automatic or manual control. Safety trip control system means a manually or automatically operated system... GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Terms Used...

46 CFR 62.10-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... control means a function of an automatic control system to restrict operation to a specified operating... automatic or manual control. Safety trip control system means a manually or automatically operated system... GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Terms Used...

46 CFR 62.10-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... control means a function of an automatic control system to restrict operation to a specified operating... automatic or manual control. Safety trip control system means a manually or automatically operated system... GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Terms Used...

Engineering Infrastructures: Problems of Safety and Security in the Russian Federation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makhutov, Nikolay A.; Reznikov, Dmitry O.; Petrov, Vitaly P.

Modern society cannot exist without stable and reliable engineering infrastructures (EI), whose operation is vital for any national economy. These infrastructures include energy, transportation, water and gas supply systems, telecommunication and cyber systems, etc. Their performance is commensurate with storing and processing huge amounts of information, energy and hazardous substances. Ageing infrastructures are deteriorating — with operating conditions declining from normal to emergency and catastrophic. The complexity of engineering infrastructures and their interdependence with other technical systems makes them vulnerable to emergency situations triggered by natural and manmade catastrophes or terrorist attacks.

Coping with Variability in Model-Based Systems Engineering: An Experience in Green Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trujillo, Salvador; Garate, Jose Miguel; Lopez-Herrejon, Roberto Erick; Mendialdua, Xabier; Rosado, Albert; Egyed, Alexander; Krueger, Charles W.; de Sosa, Josune

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is an emerging engineering discipline whose driving motivation is to provide support throughout the entire system life cycle. MBSE not only addresses the engineering of software systems but also their interplay with physical systems. Quite frequently, successful systems need to be customized to cater for the concrete and specific needs of customers, end-users, and other stakeholders. To effectively meet this demand, it is vital to have in place mechanisms to cope with the variability, the capacity to change, that such customization requires. In this paper we describe our experience in modeling variability using SysML, a leading MBSE language, for developing a product line of wind turbine systems used for the generation of electricity.

46 CFR 62.20-3 - Plans for information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...-based system hardware. (3) Safety controls. (4) Automated electric power management. (5) Automation... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Plan... Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, for use in the evaluation of automated systems provided to replace...

Validating Emergency Department Vital Signs Using a Data Quality Engine for Data Warehouse

PubMed Central

Genes, N; Chandra, D; Ellis, S; Baumlin, K

2013-01-01

Background : Vital signs in our emergency department information system were entered into free-text fields for heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation. Objective : We sought to convert these text entries into a more useful form, for research and QA purposes, upon entry into a data warehouse. Methods : We derived a series of rules and assigned quality scores to the transformed values, conforming to physiologic parameters for vital signs across the age range and spectrum of illness seen in the emergency department. Results : Validating these entries revealed that 98% of free-text data had perfect quality scores, conforming to established vital sign parameters. Average vital signs varied as expected by age. Degradations in quality scores were most commonly attributed logging temperature in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius; vital signs with this error could still be transformed for use. Errors occurred more frequently during periods of high triage, though error rates did not correlate with triage volume. Conclusions : In developing a method for importing free-text vital sign data from our emergency department information system, we now have a data warehouse with a broad array of quality-checked vital signs, permitting analysis and correlation with demographics and outcomes. PMID:24403981

Validating emergency department vital signs using a data quality engine for data warehouse.

PubMed

Genes, N; Chandra, D; Ellis, S; Baumlin, K

2013-01-01

Vital signs in our emergency department information system were entered into free-text fields for heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation. We sought to convert these text entries into a more useful form, for research and QA purposes, upon entry into a data warehouse. We derived a series of rules and assigned quality scores to the transformed values, conforming to physiologic parameters for vital signs across the age range and spectrum of illness seen in the emergency department. Validating these entries revealed that 98% of free-text data had perfect quality scores, conforming to established vital sign parameters. Average vital signs varied as expected by age. Degradations in quality scores were most commonly attributed logging temperature in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius; vital signs with this error could still be transformed for use. Errors occurred more frequently during periods of high triage, though error rates did not correlate with triage volume. In developing a method for importing free-text vital sign data from our emergency department information system, we now have a data warehouse with a broad array of quality-checked vital signs, permitting analysis and correlation with demographics and outcomes.

46 CFR 62.35-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Automatic propulsion systems, automated electric power management systems, and all associated subsystems and... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false General. 62.35-1 Section 62.35-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for...

46 CFR 62.35-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Automatic propulsion systems, automated electric power management systems, and all associated subsystems and... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false General. 62.35-1 Section 62.35-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for...

46 CFR 62.35-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Automatic propulsion systems, automated electric power management systems, and all associated subsystems and... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false General. 62.35-1 Section 62.35-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for...

46 CFR 62.35-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Automatic propulsion systems, automated electric power management systems, and all associated subsystems and... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false General. 62.35-1 Section 62.35-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Requirements for...

46 CFR 62.30-1 - Failsafe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Failsafe. 62.30-1 Section 62.30-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... control, safety control, and alarm systems must be failsafe. ...

46 CFR 62.30-1 - Failsafe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Failsafe. 62.30-1 Section 62.30-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... control, safety control, and alarm systems must be failsafe. ...

46 CFR 62.30-1 - Failsafe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Failsafe. 62.30-1 Section 62.30-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... control, safety control, and alarm systems must be failsafe. ...

The Tools That Help Systems Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gamertsfelder, Jacob O.

2017-01-01

There are many tools that systems engineers use in today's space programs. In my time in the Commercial Crew Program I sought to improve one of the vital tools for the verification and validation team. This was my main project but only a small part of what I have done in the department. I have also had the chance to learn from the best and see actual hardware, this real world experience will help me be a better aerospace engineer when I enter the workforce. I look forward to seeing the Commercial Crew Program progress to launch.

Concepts for Distributed Engine Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culley, Dennis E.; Thomas, Randy; Saus, Joseph

2007-01-01

Gas turbine engines for aero-propulsion systems are found to be highly optimized machines after over 70 years of development. Still, additional performance improvements are sought while reduction in the overall cost is increasingly a driving factor. Control systems play a vitally important part in these metrics but are severely constrained by the operating environment and the consequences of system failure. The considerable challenges facing future engine control system design have been investigated. A preliminary analysis has been conducted of the potential benefits of distributed control architecture when applied to aero-engines. In particular, reductions in size, weight, and cost of the control system are possible. NASA is conducting research to further explore these benefits, with emphasis on the particular benefits enabled by high temperature electronics and an open-systems approach to standardized communications interfaces.

46 CFR 62.30-10 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Testing. 62.30-10 Section 62.30-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... override safety trip control systems. This equipment must indicate when it is active. ...

46 CFR 62.30-10 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Testing. 62.30-10 Section 62.30-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... override safety trip control systems. This equipment must indicate when it is active. ...

46 CFR 62.30-10 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Testing. 62.30-10 Section 62.30-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... override safety trip control systems. This equipment must indicate when it is active. ...

46 CFR 62.30-10 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Testing. 62.30-10 Section 62.30-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... override safety trip control systems. This equipment must indicate when it is active. ...

46 CFR 62.50-20 - Additional requirements for minimally attended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-20 Additional... to troubleshoot, repair and test the installed equipment and what parts are necessary to accomplish...

46 CFR 62.50-20 - Additional requirements for minimally attended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-20 Additional... program must be functioning prior to the completion of the evaluation period for reduced manning required...

46 CFR 62.50-20 - Additional requirements for minimally attended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-20 Additional... program must be functioning prior to the completion of the evaluation period for reduced manning required...

46 CFR 62.50-20 - Additional requirements for minimally attended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-20 Additional... program must be functioning prior to the completion of the evaluation period for reduced manning required...

46 CFR 62.50-20 - Additional requirements for minimally attended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-20 Additional... program must be functioning prior to the completion of the evaluation period for reduced manning required...

46 CFR 62.25-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false General. 62.25-1 Section 62.25-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Requirements... unsafe condition. (b) Automation systems or subsystems that control or monitor more than one safety...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Stability Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-12

advance (FEST-A) or forward engineer support team-main (FEST- M ) is another vital asset that USACE can provide in stability operations. The FEST- M ...engineer units and if deployed with a FEST- M will fall under that element. FEST are small teams with specialized expertise based on where they are...in Afghanistan and set the conditions for the creation of an Afghan political system ( Donini et al., 46). Major reconstruction projects were not

ARDesigner: a web-based system for allosteric RNA design.

PubMed

Shu, Wenjie; Liu, Ming; Chen, Hebing; Bo, Xiaochen; Wang, Shengqi

2010-12-01

RNA molecules play vital informational, structural, and functional roles in molecular biology, making them ideal targets for synthetic biology. However, several challenges remain for engineering novel allosteric RNA molecules, and the development of efficient computational design techniques is vitally needed. Here we describe the development of Allosteric RNA Designer (ARDesigner), a user-friendly and freely available web-based system for allosteric RNA design that incorporates mutational robustness in the design process. The system output includes detailed design information in a graphical HTML format. We used ARDesigner to engineer a temperature-sensitive AR, and found that the resulting design satisfied the prescribed properties/input. ARDesigner provides a simple means for researchers to design allosteric RNAs with specific properties. With its versatile framework and possibilities for further enhancement, ARDesigner may serve as a useful tool for synthetic biologists and therapeutic design. ARDesigner and its executable version are freely available at http://biotech.bmi.ac.cn/ARDesigner. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationships, Variety & Synergy: The Vital Ingredients for Scholarship in Engineering Education? A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Robin; Andrews, Jane

2014-01-01

This paper begins with the argument that within modern-day society, engineering has shifted from being the scientific and technical mainstay of industrial, and more recently digital change to become the most vital driver of future advancement. In order to meet the inevitable challenges resulting from this role, the nature of engineering education…

46 CFR 61.40-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-1 General. (a) All automatically or... tests and inspections to evaluate the operation and reliability of controls, alarms, safety features...

Non-Contact Sensor for Long-Term Continuous Vital Signs Monitoring: A Review on Intelligent Phased-Array Doppler Sensor Design

PubMed Central

Hall, Travis; Nguyen, Tam Q.; Mayeda, Jill C.; Lie, Paul E.; Lopez, Jerry; Banister, Ron E.

2017-01-01

It has been the dream of many scientists and engineers to realize a non-contact remote sensing system that can perform continuous, accurate and long-term monitoring of human vital signs as we have seen in many Sci-Fi movies. Having an intelligible sensor system that can measure and record key vital signs (such as heart rates and respiration rates) remotely and continuously without touching the patients, for example, can be an invaluable tool for physicians who need to make rapid life-and-death decisions. Such a sensor system can also effectively help physicians and patients making better informed decisions when patients’ long-term vital signs data is available. Therefore, there has been a lot of research activities on developing a non-contact sensor system that can monitor a patient’s vital signs and quickly transmit the information to healthcare professionals. Doppler-based radio-frequency (RF) non-contact vital signs (NCVS) monitoring system are particularly attractive for long term vital signs monitoring because there are no wires, electrodes, wearable devices, nor any contact-based sensors involved so the subjects may not be even aware of the ubiquitous monitoring. In this paper, we will provide a brief review on some latest development on NCVS sensors and compare them against a few novel and intelligent phased-array Doppler-based RF NCVS biosensors we have built in our labs. Some of our NCVS sensor tests were performed within a clutter-free anechoic chamber to mitigate the environmental clutters, while most tests were conducted within the typical Herman-Miller type office cubicle setting to mimic a more practical monitoring environment. Additionally, we will show the measurement data to demonstrate the feasibility of long-term NCVS monitoring. The measured data strongly suggests that our latest phased array NCVS system should be able to perform long-term vital signs monitoring intelligently and robustly, especially for situations where the subject is sleeping without hectic movements nearby. PMID:29140281

Non-Contact Sensor for Long-Term Continuous Vital Signs Monitoring: A Review on Intelligent Phased-Array Doppler Sensor Design.

PubMed

Hall, Travis; Lie, Donald Y C; Nguyen, Tam Q; Mayeda, Jill C; Lie, Paul E; Lopez, Jerry; Banister, Ron E

2017-11-15

It has been the dream of many scientists and engineers to realize a non-contact remote sensing system that can perform continuous, accurate and long-term monitoring of human vital signs as we have seen in many Sci-Fi movies. Having an intelligible sensor system that can measure and record key vital signs (such as heart rates and respiration rates) remotely and continuously without touching the patients, for example, can be an invaluable tool for physicians who need to make rapid life-and-death decisions. Such a sensor system can also effectively help physicians and patients making better informed decisions when patients' long-term vital signs data is available. Therefore, there has been a lot of research activities on developing a non-contact sensor system that can monitor a patient's vital signs and quickly transmit the information to healthcare professionals. Doppler-based radio-frequency (RF) non-contact vital signs (NCVS) monitoring system are particularly attractive for long term vital signs monitoring because there are no wires, electrodes, wearable devices, nor any contact-based sensors involved so the subjects may not be even aware of the ubiquitous monitoring. In this paper, we will provide a brief review on some latest development on NCVS sensors and compare them against a few novel and intelligent phased-array Doppler-based RF NCVS biosensors we have built in our labs. Some of our NCVS sensor tests were performed within a clutter-free anechoic chamber to mitigate the environmental clutters, while most tests were conducted within the typical Herman-Miller type office cubicle setting to mimic a more practical monitoring environment. Additionally, we will show the measurement data to demonstrate the feasibility of long-term NCVS monitoring. The measured data strongly suggests that our latest phased array NCVS system should be able to perform long-term vital signs monitoring intelligently and robustly, especially for situations where the subject is sleeping without hectic movements nearby.

Technical Evaluation Report on the Propulsion and Energetics Panel 54th (A) Meeting Advanced Control Systems for Aircraft Powerplants.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

availability and accuracy were vital to continued advance in electronic control and that the man-machine interface should continue to be addressed. Mr Bentz was...why there is not more digital engine control being brought in on a retro fit basis so as to obtain its advantages. Dr Bentz answered that it was too...surge line. Mr Bentz answered that all engines are being designed with digital control in mind. The issue is whether the systems can withstand the

A comparison study of one-and two-dimensional hydraulic models for river environments.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-05-01

Computer models are used every day to analyze river systems for a wide variety of reasons vital to : the public interest. For decades most hydraulic engineers have been limited to models that simplify the fluid : mechanics to the unidirectional case....

46 CFR 62.05-1 - Incorporation by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Incorporation by reference. 62.05-1 Section 62.05-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reference Specifications § 62.05-1 Incorporation by reference. (a) Certain material is...

Key Facts about Higher Education in Washington

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2011

2011-01-01

Since its establishment in the 1860s, Washington's higher education system has evolved rapidly to meet a myriad of state needs in fields as diverse as agriculture, bioscience, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering, medicine, law, business, computer science, and architecture. Today, higher education, like other vital state functions, faces…

46 CFR 61.40-6 - Periodic safety tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Periodic safety tests. 61.40-6 Section 61.40-6 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-6 Periodic safety...

46 CFR 61.40-6 - Periodic safety tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Periodic safety tests. 61.40-6 Section 61.40-6 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-6 Periodic safety...

46 CFR 61.40-6 - Periodic safety tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Periodic safety tests. 61.40-6 Section 61.40-6 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-6 Periodic safety...

46 CFR 61.40-6 - Periodic safety tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Periodic safety tests. 61.40-6 Section 61.40-6 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-6 Periodic safety...

Three-Dimensional Printing of Human Skeletal Muscle Cells: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Studying Biological Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, James R.; Galpin, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Interdisciplinary exploration is vital to education in the 21st century. This manuscript outlines an innovative laboratory-based teaching method that combines elements of biochemistry/molecular biology, kinesiology/health science, computer science, and manufacturing engineering to give students the ability to better conceptualize complex…

46 CFR 62.01-3 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Scope. 62.01-3 Section 62.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Provisions... automation; (2) In subpart 62.30, the criteria used to evaluate the designed reliability and safety of all...

46 CFR 61.40-6 - Periodic safety tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Periodic safety tests. 61.40-6 Section 61.40-6 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-6 Periodic safety...

46 CFR 61.40-10 - Test procedure details.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Test procedure details. 61.40-10 Section 61.40-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-10 Test procedure...

46 CFR 62.20-5 - Self-certification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Self-certification. 62.20-5 Section 62.20-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Plan... certify to the Coast Guard, in writing, that the automation is designed to meet the environmental design...

46 CFR 62.50-30 - Additional requirements for periodically unattended machinery plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Additional requirements for periodically unattended machinery plants. 62.50-30 Section 62.50-30 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Automated Self-propelled Vessel Manning § 62.50-30 Additional...

46 CFR 61.40-10 - Test procedure details.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Test procedure details. 61.40-10 Section 61.40-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-10 Test procedure...

On Quality and Measures in Software Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bucur, Ion I.

2006-01-01

Complexity measures are mainly used to estimate vital information about reliability and maintainability of software systems from regular analysis of the source code. Such measures also provide constant feedback during a software project to assist the control of the development procedure. There exist several models to classify a software product's…

Home care decision support using an Arden engine--merging smart home and vital signs data.

PubMed

Marschollek, Michael; Bott, Oliver J; Wolf, Klaus-H; Gietzelt, Matthias; Plischke, Maik; Madiesh, Moaaz; Song, Bianying; Haux, Reinhold

2009-01-01

The demographic change with a rising proportion of very old people and diminishing resources leads to an intensification of the use of telemedicine and home care concepts. To provide individualized decision support, data from different sources, e.g. vital signs sensors and home environmental sensors, need to be combined and analyzed together. Furthermore, a standardized decision support approach is necessary. The aim of our research work is to present a laboratory prototype home care architecture that integrates data from different sources and uses a decision support system based on the HL7 standard Arden Syntax for Medical Logical Modules. Data from environmental sensors connected to a home bus system are stored in a data base along with data from wireless medical sensors. All data are analyzed using an Arden engine with the medical knowledge represented in Medical Logic Modules. Multi-modal data from four different sensors in the home environment are stored in a single data base and are analyzed using an HL7 standard conformant decision support system. Individualized home care decision support must be based on all data available, including context data from smart home systems and medical data from electronic health records. Our prototype implementation shows the feasibility of using an Arden engine for decision support in a home setting. Our future work will include the utilization of medical background knowledge for individualized decision support, as there is no one-size-fits-all knowledge base in medicine.

Regenerative endodontics: a state of the art.

PubMed

Bansal, Rashmi; Bansal, Rajesh

2011-01-01

Scientific advances in the creation of restorative biomaterials, in vitro cell culture technology, tissue grafting, tissue engineering, molecular biology and the human genome project provide the basis for the introduction of new technologies into dentistry. Non-vital infected teeth have long been treated with root canal therapy (for mature root apex) and apexification (for immature root apex), or doomed to extraction. Although successful, current treatments fail to re-establish healthy pulp tissue in these teeth. But, what if the non-vital tooth could be made vital once again? That is the hope offered by regenerative endodontics, an emerging field focused on replacing traumatized and diseased pulp with functional pulp tissue. Restoration of vitality of non-vital tooth is based on tissue engineering and revascularization procedures. The purpose of this article is to review these biological procedures and the hurdles that must be overcome to develop regenerative endodontic procedures.

Using Interactive Problem-Solving Techniques to Enhance Control Systems Education for Non English-Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamont, L. A.; Chaar, L.; Toms, C.

2010-01-01

Interactive learning is beneficial to students in that it allows the continual development and testing of many skills. An interactive approach enables students to improve their technical capabilities, as well as developing both verbal and written communicative ability. Problem solving and communication skills are vital for engineering students; in…

Engineering an Associate Degree-Level STEM Workforce Education Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selwitz, Jason L.; Ahring, Birgitte; Garcia-Perez, Manuel; Morrison, Judith

2018-01-01

Community and technical colleges serve a vital function in STEM education by training workers for medium- and high-skilled technical careers and providing employers the labor necessary to operate and maintain thriving business ventures. A curriculum developed with the elements of a systems-based approach results in a program more relevant to the…

46 CFR 62.01-1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Purpose. 62.01-1 Section 62.01-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Provisions § 62.01-1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to make sure that the safety of a vessel with automated...

46 CFR 62.01-1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Purpose. 62.01-1 Section 62.01-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION General Provisions § 62.01-1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to make sure that the safety of a vessel with automated...

46 CFR 62.30-10 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Testing. 62.30-10 Section 62.30-10 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Reliability and Safety... accordance with subpart 61.40 of this chapter. (b) On-line built-in test equipment must not lock out or...

Transformation from manufacturing process taxonomy to repair process taxonomy: a phenetic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raza, Umair; Ahmad, Wasim; Khan, Atif

2018-02-01

The need of taxonomy is vital for knowledge sharing. This need has been portrayed by through-life engineering services/systems. This paper addresses this issue by repair process taxonomy development. Framework for repair process taxonomy was developed followed by its implementation. The importance of repair process taxonomy has been highlighted.

The MSFC Systems Engineering Guide: An Overview and Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shelby, Jerry A.; Thomas, L. Dale

2007-01-01

As systems and subsystems requirements become more complex in the pursuit of the exploration of space, advanced technology will demand and require an integrated approach to the design and development of safe and successful space vehicles and there products. System engineers play a vital and key role in transforming mission needs into vehicle requirements that can be verified and validated. This will result in a safe and cost effective design that will satisfy the mission schedule. A key to successful vehicle design within systems engineering is communication. Communication, through a systems engineering infrastructure, will not only ensure that customers and stakeholders are satisfied but will also assist in identifying vehicle requirements; i.e. identification, integration and management. This vehicle design will produce a system that is verifiable, traceable, and effectively satisfies cost, schedule, performance, and risk throughout the life-cycle of the product. A communication infrastructure will bring about the integration of different engineering disciplines within vehicle design. A system utilizing these aspects will enhance system engineering performance and improve upon required activities such as Development of Requirements, Requirements Management, Functional Analysis, Test, Synthesis, Trade Studies, Documentation, and Lessons Learned to produce a successful final product. This paper will describe the guiding vision, progress to date and the plan forward for development of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Systems Engineering Guide (SEG), a virtual systems engineering handbook and archive that will describe the system engineering processes that are used by MSFC in the development of complex systems such as the Ares launch vehicle. It is the intent of this website to be a "One Stop Shop" for our systems engineers that will provide tutorial information, an overview of processes and procedures and links to assist system engineering with guidance and references, and provide an archive of systems engineering artifacts produced by the many NASA projects developed and managed by MSFC over the years.

46 CFR 62.15-1 - Conditions under which equivalents may be used.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Conditions under which equivalents may be used. 62.15-1 Section 62.15-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL SYSTEM AUTOMATION Equivalents § 62.15-1 Conditions under which equivalents may be used. (a) The Coast...

Technological Literacy for Students Aged 6-18: A New Method for Holistic Measuring of Knowledge, Capabilities, Critical Thinking and Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avsec, Stanislav; Jamšek, Janez

2016-01-01

Technological literacy is identified as a vital achievement of technology- and engineering-intensive education. It guides the design of technology and technical components of educational systems and defines competitive employment in technological society. Existing methods for measuring technological literacy are incomplete or complicated,…

A Systems Engineering Analysis of Unmanned Maritime Systems for U.S. Coast Guard Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

accidental, are apparent when considering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and its follow -on radiation hazards [52]. In addition, recent increases in...on the maritime domain increases innovative approaches such as UMS will be vital in gaining awareness , especially in remote locations such as the...Horizon oil disaster clean-up employed a limited use of UMS, specifically Remotely Op- erated Vehicles [20]. As oil drilling increases throughout the

Communicating Microbiology Concepts from Multiple Contexts through Poster Presentations.

PubMed

Gruss, Amy Borello

2018-01-01

Accredited environmental engineering degrees require graduates to be able to apply their scholarship to concepts of professional practice and design. This transferable skill of relating what you learn in one setting to another situation is vital for all professions, not just engineering. A course project involving designing and presenting a professional poster was implemented to enhance student mastery in Environmental Engineering Microbiology while also developing communication and transferable skills vital for all majors. Students were asked to read a contemporary non-fiction book relating to microbiology and expand upon the book's thesis by integrating course content, news articles, and peer-reviewed journal articles. They then were required to present this information in class using a professional poster. Students felt the project allowed them to synthesize and organize information, analyze ideas, and integrate ideas from various sources. These transferable skills are vital for students and professionals alike to be able to communicate advanced information and master a topic.

Space transportation propulsion application - A development challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beichel, Rudi; O'Brien, Charles J.; Taylor, James P.

1989-10-01

This paper presents an approach to achieving a cost-effective vertical takeoff, horizontal landing earth-to-orbit vehicle. The key propulsion system problems are addressed. The approach leads to a near-term rocket-powered single-stage-to-orbit system. A flying test-bed vehicle development program is described which allows the orderly development of vital advanced propulsion system and vehicle structural technology within a reasonable cost. The experimental (X-n) vehicle approach also allows the development of operational procedures that result in airline-type costs to space, and permits concepts, such as heavy-lift flight configurations, to be tested in a stepwise manner. Thrust modulation, instead of gimballed engines, allows a significant weight reduction in the propulsion system. Air-breathing airturborocket engines are used for loiter and landing to ensure safe return to earth.

Meganucleases Revolutionize the Production of Genetically Engineered Pigs for the Study of Human Diseases.

PubMed

Redel, Bethany K; Prather, Randall S

2016-04-01

Animal models of human diseases are critically necessary for developing an in-depth knowledge of disease development and progression. In addition, animal models are vital to the development of potential treatments or even cures for human diseases. Pigs are exceptional models as their size, physiology, and genetics are closer to that of humans than rodents. In this review, we discuss the use of pigs in human translational research and the evolving technology that has increased the efficiency of genetically engineering pigs. With the emergence of the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein 9 system technology, the cost and time it takes to genetically engineer pigs has markedly decreased. We will also discuss the use of another meganuclease, the transcription activator-like effector nucleases , to produce pigs with severe combined immunodeficiency by developing targeted modifications of the recombination activating gene 2 (RAG2).RAG2mutant pigs may become excellent animals to facilitate the development of xenotransplantation, regenerative medicine, and tumor biology. The use of pig biomedical models is vital for furthering the knowledge of, and for treating human, diseases. © The Author(s) 2015.

Sample environment for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K.

PubMed

Kirichek, O; Timms, J D; Kelleher, J F; Down, R B E; Offer, C D; Kabra, S; Zhang, S Y

2017-02-01

Internal stresses in materials have a considerable effect on material properties including strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance. The ENGIN-X beamline is an engineering science facility at ISIS optimized for the measurement of strain and stress using the atomic lattice planes as a strain gauge. Nowadays, the rapidly rising interest in the mechanical properties of engineering materials at low temperatures has been stimulated by the dynamic development of the cryogenic industry and the advanced applications of the superconductor technology. Here we present the design and discuss the test results of a new cryogenic sample environment system for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials under a load of up to 100 kN and in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K. Complete cooling of the system starting from the room temperature down to the base temperature takes around 90 min. Understanding of internal stresses in engineering materials at cryogenic temperatures is vital for the modelling and designing of cutting-edge superconducting magnets and other superconductor based applications.

Sample environment for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirichek, O.; Timms, J. D.; Kelleher, J. F.; Down, R. B. E.; Offer, C. D.; Kabra, S.; Zhang, S. Y.

2017-02-01

Internal stresses in materials have a considerable effect on material properties including strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance. The ENGIN-X beamline is an engineering science facility at ISIS optimized for the measurement of strain and stress using the atomic lattice planes as a strain gauge. Nowadays, the rapidly rising interest in the mechanical properties of engineering materials at low temperatures has been stimulated by the dynamic development of the cryogenic industry and the advanced applications of the superconductor technology. Here we present the design and discuss the test results of a new cryogenic sample environment system for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials under a load of up to 100 kN and in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K. Complete cooling of the system starting from the room temperature down to the base temperature takes around 90 min. Understanding of internal stresses in engineering materials at cryogenic temperatures is vital for the modelling and designing of cutting-edge superconducting magnets and other superconductor based applications.

Wireless alerting system using vibration for vehicles dashboard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raj, Sweta; Rai, Shweta; Magaramagara, Wilbert; Sivacoumar, R.

2017-11-01

This paper aims at improving the engine life of any vehicle through a continuous measurement and monitoring of vital engine operational parameters and providing an effective alerting to drivers for any abnormality. Vehicles currently are using audio and visible alerting signals through alarms and light as a warning to the driver but these are not effective in noisy environments and during daylight. Through the use of the sense of feeling a driver can be alerted effectively. The need to no other vehicle parameter needs to be aided through the mobile display (phone).Thus a system is designed and implements to measure engine temperature, RPM, Oil level and Coolant level using appropriate sensors and a wireless communication (Bluetooth) is established to actuate a portable vibration control device and to read the different vehicle sensor readings through an android application for display and diagnosis.

NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle Upper Stage Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davusm Daniel J.; McArthur, J. Craig

2008-01-01

By incorporating rigorous engineering practices, innovative manufacturing processes and test techniques, a unique multi-center government/contractor partnership, and a clean-sheet design developed around the primary requirements for the International Space Station (ISS) and Lunar missions, the Upper Stage Element of NASA's Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), the "Ares I," is a vital part of the Constellation Program's transportation system.

NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle Upper State Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Daniel J.

2008-01-01

By incorporating rigorous engineering practices, innovative manufacturing processes and test techniques, a unique multi-center government/contractor partnership, and a clean-sheet design developed around the primary requirements for the International Space Station (ISS) and Lunar missions, the Upper Stage Element of NASA s Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), the "Ares I," is a vital part of the Constellation Program s transportation system.

Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) Compendium of Methods Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-01

technological, economic, and strategic benefits can be attained through the effective capture, control, and management of information and knowledge ...resources. Like manpower, materials, and machines, information and knowledge assets are recognized as vital resources that can be leveraged to achieve...integrated enterprise. These technologies are designed to leverage information and knowledge resources as the key enablers for high quality systems that

A Mobile Multi-Agent Information System for Ubiquitous Fetal Monitoring

PubMed Central

Su, Chuan-Jun; Chu, Ta-Wei

2014-01-01

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) systems integrate many previously separate clinical activities related to fetal monitoring. Promoting the use of ubiquitous fetal monitoring services with real time status assessments requires a robust information platform equipped with an automatic diagnosis engine. This paper presents the design and development of a mobile multi-agent platform-based open information systems (IMAIS) with an automated diagnosis engine to support intensive and distributed ubiquitous fetal monitoring. The automatic diagnosis engine that we developed is capable of analyzing data in both traditional paper-based and digital formats. Issues related to interoperability, scalability, and openness in heterogeneous e-health environments are addressed through the adoption of a FIPA2000 standard compliant agent development platform—the Java Agent Development Environment (JADE). Integrating the IMAIS with light-weight, portable fetal monitor devices allows for continuous long-term monitoring without interfering with a patient’s everyday activities and without restricting her mobility. The system architecture can be also applied to vast monitoring scenarios such as elder care and vital sign monitoring. PMID:24452256

An Expert System for the Design of Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-14

vital sources of information that helped to solve this problem were a survey questionnaire sent to a group of novice engineers and classroom interaction...DTIC RILE COPY 00 N FROM: AFIT/CI 31 Jan 90 SUBJ: Review of Thesis/Disseration for Public Release N S TO: PA Request you review the attached for...REPORT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; 2b. DECLASSIFICATION/ DOWNGRADING SCHEDULE DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. 4. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER( S ) S

Cryogenic Vacuum Insulation for Vessels and Piping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kogan, A.; Fesmire, J.; Johnson, W.; Minnick, J.

2010-01-01

Cryogenic vacuum insulation systems, with proper materials selection and execution, can offer the highest levels of thermal performance. Three areas of consideration are vital to achieve the optimum result: materials, representative test conditions, and engineering approach for the particular application. Deficiency in one of these three areas can prevent optimum performance and lead to severe inefficiency. Materials of interest include micro-fiberglass, multilayer insulation, and composite arrangements. Cylindrical liquid nitrogen boil-off calorimetry methods were used. The need for standard thermal conductivity data is addressed through baseline testing. Engineering analysis and design factors such as layer thickness, density, and practicality are also considered.

The Economic Vitality Formula of Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konopnicki, Patrick M.

2012-01-01

An economic vitality formula of success can be accomplished by creating partnerships between local career and technical education (CTE), and workforce development and economic development entities. Student industry certifications; dynamic partnerships; programs and projects focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and…

Using interactive problem-solving techniques to enhance control systems education for non English-speakers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamont, L. A.; Chaar, L.; Toms, C.

2010-03-01

Interactive learning is beneficial to students in that it allows the continual development and testing of many skills. An interactive approach enables students to improve their technical capabilities, as well as developing both verbal and written communicative ability. Problem solving and communication skills are vital for engineering students; in the workplace they will be required to communicate with people of varying technical abilities and from different linguistic and engineering backgrounds. In this paper, a case study is presented that discusses how the traditional method of teaching control systems can be improved. 'Control systems' is a complex engineering topic requiring students to process an extended amount of mathematical formulae. MATLAB software, which enables students to interactively compare a range of possible combinations and analyse the optimal solution, is used to this end. It was found that students became more enthusiastic and interested when given ownership of their learning objectives. As well as improving the students' technical knowledge, other important engineering skills are also improved by introducing an interactive method of teaching.

The 2003 Goddard Rocket Replica Project: A Reconstruction of the World's First Functional Liquid Rocket System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farr, R. A.; Elam, S. K.; Hicks, G. D.; Sanders, T. M.; London, J. R.; Mayne, A. W.; Christensen, D. L.

2003-01-01

As a part of NASA s 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration, engineers and technicians at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama, in cooperation with the Alabama-Mississippi AIAA Section, have reconstructed historically accurate, functional replicas of Dr. Robert H. Goddard s 1926 first liquid- fuel rocket. The purposes of this project were to clearly understand, recreate, and document the mechanisms and workings of the 1926 rocket for exhibit and educational use, creating a vital resource for researchers studying the evolution of liquid rocketry for years to come. The MSFC team s reverse engineering activity has created detailed engineering-quality drawings and specifications describing the original rocket and how it was built, tested, and operated. Static hot-fire tests, as well as flight demonstrations, have further defined and quantified the actual performance and engineering actual performance and engineering challenges of this major segment in early aerospace history.

Metabolic engineering approaches for production of biochemicals in food and medicinal plants.

PubMed

Wilson, Sarah A; Roberts, Susan C

2014-04-01

Historically, plants are a vital source of nutrients and pharmaceuticals. Recent advances in metabolic engineering have made it possible to not only increase the concentration of desired compounds, but also introduce novel biosynthetic pathways to a variety of species, allowing for enhanced nutritional or commercial value. To improve metabolic engineering capabilities, new transformation techniques have been developed to allow for gene specific silencing strategies or stacking of multiple genes within the same region of the chromosome. The 'omics' era has provided a new resource for elucidation of uncharacterized biosynthetic pathways, enabling novel metabolic engineering approaches. These resources are now allowing for advanced metabolic engineering of plant production systems, as well as the synthesis of increasingly complex products in engineered microbial hosts. The status of current metabolic engineering efforts is highlighted for the in vitro production of paclitaxel and the in vivo production of β-carotene in Golden Rice and other food crops. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, Japan, 1987 S&T Paper

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-26

council recommended in its report increasing the amount of subsidies for scientific research, vitalizing the scientific research systems at...activities that have recently been progressing in Japan. Greatest importance was attached to "the development of an effective means of preventing cancer...natter COKPENDEX (Engineering —Civil enginsering, environmental eng, —Hetal, resource eng —Hechanical eng. —ChBnical, agric . eng —Agricultural, nana

Communicating Microbiology Concepts from Multiple Contexts through Poster Presentations †

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Accredited environmental engineering degrees require graduates to be able to apply their scholarship to concepts of professional practice and design. This transferable skill of relating what you learn in one setting to another situation is vital for all professions, not just engineering. A course project involving designing and presenting a professional poster was implemented to enhance student mastery in Environmental Engineering Microbiology while also developing communication and transferable skills vital for all majors. Students were asked to read a contemporary non-fiction book relating to microbiology and expand upon the book’s thesis by integrating course content, news articles, and peer-reviewed journal articles. They then were required to present this information in class using a professional poster. Students felt the project allowed them to synthesize and organize information, analyze ideas, and integrate ideas from various sources. These transferable skills are vital for students and professionals alike to be able to communicate advanced information and master a topic. PMID:29904521

Cyber security best practices for the nuclear industry

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

Badr, I.

2012-07-01

When deploying software based systems, such as, digital instrumentation and controls for the nuclear industry, it is vital to include cyber security assessment as part of architecture and development process. When integrating and delivering software-intensive systems for the nuclear industry, engineering teams should make use of a secure, requirements driven, software development life cycle, ensuring security compliance and optimum return on investment. Reliability protections, data loss prevention, and privacy enforcement provide a strong case for installing strict cyber security policies. (authors)

Productive Communication in an Afterschool Engineering Club with Girls Who Are English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McVee, Mary; Silvestri, Katarina; Shanahan, Lynn; English, Ken

2017-01-01

This article [explores] the learning of girls who were in a co-ed after school engineering club related to the project: Designing Vital Engineering and Literacy Practices for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for Elementary Teachers and Children (DeVELOP STEM ETC). While few girls grow up to become engineers in the US, recently more…

Science and Engineering Indicators 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Foundation, 2010

2010-01-01

The Science Indicators series was designed to provide a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology for use by policymakers, researchers, and the general public. "Science and Engineering Indicators 2010" contains analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation's science…

Detailed view inside the aft fuselage of the Orbiter Discovery ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Detailed view inside the aft fuselage of the Orbiter Discovery showing the network of supply, distribution and feed lines to deliver fuel, oxidizer and other vital gasses and fluids to the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs). This photograph was taken in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Operational Issues in the Development of a Cost-Effective Reusable LOX/LH2 Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, Richard O.

2003-01-01

The NASA Space Launch Initiative (SLI) was initiated in early 2001 to conduct technology development and to reduce the business and technical risk associated with developing the next-generation reusable launch system. In the field of main propulsion, two LOXLH2 rocket engine systems, the Pratt & Whitney / Aerojet Joint Venture (JV) COBRA and the Rocketdyne RS-83, were funded to develop a safe, economical, and reusable propulsion system. Given that a large-thrust reusable rocket engine program had not been started in the U.S. since 1971, with the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), this provided an opportunity to build on the experience developed on the SSME system, while exploiting advances in technology that had occurred in the intervening 30 years. One facet of engine development that was identified as being especially vital in order to produce an optimal system was in the areas of operability and maintainability. In order to achieve the high levels of performance required by the Space Shuttle, the SSME system is highly complex with very tight tolerances and detailed requirements. Over the lifetime of the SSME program, the engine has required a high level of manpower to support the performance of inspections, maintenance (scheduled and unscheduled) and operations (prelaunch and post-flight). As a consequence, the labor- intensive needs of the SSME provide a significant impact to the overall cost efficiency of the Space Transportation System (STS). One of the strategic goals of the SLI is to reduce cost by requiring the engine(s) to be easier (Le. less expensive) to operate and maintain. The most effective means of accomplishing this goal is to infuse the operability and maintainability features into the engine design from the start. This paper discusses some of the operational issues relevant to a reusable LOx/LH2 main engine, and the means by which their impact is mitigated in the design phase.

A portable bioluminescence engineered cell-based biosensor for on-site applications.

PubMed

Roda, Aldo; Cevenini, Luca; Michelini, Elisa; Branchini, Bruce R

2011-04-15

We have developed a portable biosensing device based on genetically engineered bioluminescent (BL) cells. Cells were immobilized on a 4 × 3 multiwell cartridge using a new biocompatible matrix that preserved their vitality. Using a fiber optic taper, the cartridge was placed in direct contact with a cooled CCD sensor to image and quantify the BL signals. Yeast and bacterial cells were engineered to express recognition elements, whose interaction with the analyte led to luciferase expression, via reporter gene technology. Three different biosensors were developed. The first detects androgenic compounds using yeast cells carrying a green-emitting P. pyralis luciferase regulated by the human androgen receptor and a red mutant of the same species as internal vitality control. The second biosensor detects two classes of compounds (androgens and estrogens) using yeast strains engineered to express green-or red-emitting mutant firefly luciferases in response to androgens or estrogens, respectively. The third biosensor detects lactose analogue isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside using two E. coli strains. One strain exploits the lac operon as recognition element for the expression of P. pyralis luciferase. The other strain serves as a vitality control expressing Gaussia princeps luciferase, which requires a different luciferin substrate. The immobilized cells were stable for up to 1 month. The analytes could be detected at nanomolar levels with good precision and accuracy when the specific signal was corrected using the internal vitality control. This portable device can be used for on-site multiplexed bioassays for different compound classes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Genome-Based Metabolic Systems Engineering to Boost Levan Production in a Halophilic Bacterial Model.

PubMed

Aydin, Busra; Ozer, Tugba; Oner, Ebru Toksoy; Arga, Kazim Yalcin

2018-03-01

Metabolic systems engineering is being used to redirect microbial metabolism for the overproduction of chemicals of interest with the aim of transforming microbial hosts into cellular factories. In this study, a genome-based metabolic systems engineering approach was designed and performed to improve biopolymer biosynthesis capability of a moderately halophilic bacterium Halomonas smyrnensis AAD6 T producing levan, which is a fructose homopolymer with many potential uses in various industries and medicine. For this purpose, the genome-scale metabolic model for AAD6 T was used to characterize the metabolic resource allocation, specifically to design metabolic engineering strategies for engineered bacteria with enhanced levan production capability. Simulations were performed in silico to determine optimal gene knockout strategies to develop new strains with enhanced levan production capability. The majority of the gene knockout strategies emphasized the vital role of the fructose uptake mechanism, and pointed out the fructose-specific phosphotransferase system (PTS fru ) as the most promising target for further metabolic engineering studies. Therefore, the PTS fru of AAD6 T was restructured with insertional mutagenesis and triparental mating techniques to construct a novel, engineered H. smyrnensis strain, BMA14. Fermentation experiments were carried out to demonstrate the high efficiency of the mutant strain BMA14 in terms of final levan concentration, sucrose consumption rate, and sucrose conversion efficiency, when compared to the AAD6 T . The genome-based metabolic systems engineering approach presented in this study might be considered an efficient framework to redirect microbial metabolism for the overproduction of chemicals of interest, and the novel strain BMA14 might be considered a potential microbial cell factory for further studies aimed to design levan production processes with lower production costs.

Relationships, variety & synergy: the vital ingredients for scholarship in engineering education? A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Robin; Andrews, Jane

2014-11-01

This paper begins with the argument that within modern-day society, engineering has shifted from being the scientific and technical mainstay of industrial, and more recently digital change to become the most vital driver of future advancement. In order to meet the inevitable challenges resulting from this role, the nature of engineering education is constantly evolving and as such engineering education has to change. The paper argues that what is needed is a fresh approach to engineering education - one that is sufficiently flexible so as to capture the fast-changing needs of engineering education as a discipline, whilst being pedagogically suitable for use with a range of engineering epistemologies. It provides an overview of a case study in which a new approach to engineering education has been developed and evaluated. The approach, which is based on the concept of scholarship, is described in detail. This is followed by a discussion of how the approach has been put into practice and evaluated. The paper concludes by arguing that within today's market-driven university world, the need for effective learning and teaching practice, based in good scholarship, is fundamental to student success.

Integrated water resources management using engineering measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.

2015-04-01

The management process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) consists of aspects of policies/strategies, measures (engineering measures and non-engineering measures) and organizational management structures, etc., among which engineering measures such as reservoirs, dikes, canals, etc., play the backbone that enables IWRM through redistribution and reallocation of water in time and space. Engineering measures are usually adopted for different objectives of water utilization and water disaster prevention, such as flood control and drought relief. The paper discusses the planning and implementation of engineering measures in IWRM of the Changjiang River, China. Planning and implementation practices of engineering measures for flood control and water utilization, etc., are presented. Operation practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir, particularly the development and application of regulation rules for flood management, power generation, water supply, ecosystem needs and sediment issues (e.g. erosion and siltation), are also presented. The experience obtained in the implementation of engineering measures in Changjiang River show that engineering measures are vital for IWRM. However, efforts should be made to deal with changes of the river system affected by the operation of engineering measures, in addition to escalatory development of new demands associated with socio-economic development.

Datasets on demographic trends in enrollment into undergraduate engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria.

PubMed

Popoola, Segun I; Atayero, Aderemi A; Badejo, Joke A; Odukoya, Jonathan A; Omole, David O; Ajayi, Priscilla

2018-06-01

In this data article, we present and analyze the demographic data of undergraduates admitted into engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria. The population distribution of 2649 candidates admitted into Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering programs between 2002 and 2009 are analyzed by gender, age, and state of origin. The data provided in this data article were retrieved from the student bio-data submitted to the Department of Admissions and Student Records (DASR) and Center for Systems and Information Services (CSIS) by the candidates during the application process into the various engineering undergraduate programs. These vital information is made publicly available, after proper data anonymization, to facilitate empirical research in the emerging field of demographics analytics in higher education. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file is attached to this data article and the data is thoroughly described for easy reuse. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions of the demographic data are presented in tables, plots, graphs, and charts. Unrestricted access to these demographic data will facilitate reliable and evidence-based research findings for sustainable education in developing countries.

Creative Collaboration between Chevron and CSUB: Research Experience Vitalizing Science -- University Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jianjun

2013-01-01

Since 2007, Chevron has funded the Research Experience Vitalizing Science -- University Program (REVS-UP), which lasts four weeks each summer to develop Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) projects at CSUB [California State University, Bakersfield]. Over the past six years, a total of 26 STEM professors have led the…

Enhancing Critical Thinking Via a Clinical Scholar Approach.

PubMed

Simpson, Vicki; McComb, Sara A; Kirkpatrick, Jane M

2017-11-01

Safety, quality improvement, and a systems perspective are vital for nurses to provide quality evidence-based care. Responding to the call to prepare nurses with these perspectives, one school of nursing used a clinical scholar approach, enhanced by systems engineering to more intentionally develop the ability to clinically reason and apply evidence-based practice. A two-group, repeated-measures control trial was used to determine the effects of systems engineering content and support on nursing students' clinical judgment and critical thinking skills. Findings indicated this approach had a positive effects on student's clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills. This approach helped students view health care issues from a broader perspective and use evidence to guide solution development, enhancing the focus on evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. Intentional integration of an evidence-based, systems perspective by nursing faculty supports development of nurses who can function safely and effectively in the current health care system. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(11):679-682.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Resilience Engineering in Critical Long Term Aerospace Software Systems: A New Approach to Spacecraft Software Safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dulo, D. A.

Safety critical software systems permeate spacecraft, and in a long term venture like a starship would be pervasive in every system of the spacecraft. Yet software failure today continues to plague both the systems and the organizations that develop them resulting in the loss of life, time, money, and valuable system platforms. A starship cannot afford this type of software failure in long journeys away from home. A single software failure could have catastrophic results for the spaceship and the crew onboard. This paper will offer a new approach to developing safe reliable software systems through focusing not on the traditional safety/reliability engineering paradigms but rather by focusing on a new paradigm: Resilience and Failure Obviation Engineering. The foremost objective of this approach is the obviation of failure, coupled with the ability of a software system to prevent or adapt to complex changing conditions in real time as a safety valve should failure occur to ensure safe system continuity. Through this approach, safety is ensured through foresight to anticipate failure and to adapt to risk in real time before failure occurs. In a starship, this type of software engineering is vital. Through software developed in a resilient manner, a starship would have reduced or eliminated software failure, and would have the ability to rapidly adapt should a software system become unstable or unsafe. As a result, long term software safety, reliability, and resilience would be present for a successful long term starship mission.

A Quantitative Analysis of Students' Perception of Generic Skills within an Undergraduate Electronics/mechanical Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duggan, Louise

2014-01-01

Generic skills are considered as key essential skills which are required by all individuals in the engineering profession and are considered vital for success. Integrating generic skills into engineering education is a key concern for universities and colleges involved in delivering such courses. The accreditation criteria for engineering…

Nanomaterials for Craniofacial and Dental Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Li, G; Zhou, T; Lin, S; Shi, S; Lin, Y

2017-07-01

Tissue engineering shows great potential as a future treatment for the craniofacial and dental defects caused by trauma, tumor, and other diseases. Due to the biomimetic features and excellent physiochemical properties, nanomaterials are of vital importance in promoting cell growth and stimulating tissue regeneration in tissue engineering. For craniofacial and dental tissue engineering, the frequently used nanomaterials include nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanotubes, and nanosheets. Nanofibers are attractive for cell invasion and proliferation because of their resemblance to extracellular matrix and the presence of large pores, and they have been used as scaffolds in bone, cartilage, and tooth regeneration. Nanotubes and nanoparticles improve the mechanical and chemical properties of scaffold, increase cell attachment and migration, and facilitate tissue regeneration. In addition, nanofibers and nanoparticles are also used as a delivery system to carry the bioactive agent in bone and tooth regeneration, have better control of the release speed of agent upon degradation of the matrix, and promote tissue regeneration. Although applications of nanomaterials in tissue engineering remain in their infancy with numerous challenges to face, the current results indicate that nanomaterials have massive potential in craniofacial and dental tissue engineering.

Engineering Emergency: African Americans and Hispanics Lack Pathways to Engineering. Vital Signs: Reports on the Condition of STEM Learning in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Change the Equation, 2014

2014-01-01

A quality education that leads to good jobs offers a reliable pathway to economic security, yet the first step on that pathway remains inaccessible to far too many Americans, especially Americans of color. Nowhere is this inequity more apparent than in engineering. On average, people with engineering bachelor's degrees earn higher salaries than…

FY2004 SYSTEM ENGINEER PROGRAM MANAGER ANNUAL REPORT

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

JACKSON, G.J.

2004-10-29

During FY 2004, reviews of the FH System Engineer (SE) Program were conducted by the Independent Assessment (IA) Group. The results of these reviews are summarized as a part of this document. Additional reviews were performed by FH Engineering personnel. SE Engineering reviews performed include Periodic Walkdowns (typically, quarterly) by the SEs, a review of System Notebooks by the System Engineer Program Manager (SEPM), annual status report by each SE, and an annual status report by each of the Project Chief Engineers (PCEs). FY 2004 marked the completion of the first round of Vital Safety System assessments. Each of themore » VSSs on the FH VSS list has been evaluated at least once by either the FH Independent Assessment organization or was included as a part of DOE Phase II assessment. Following the completion of the K-Basins Assessment in May 2004, a review of the VSS assessment process was completed. Criteria were developed by FH, and concurred with by RL, to determine the frequency and priority of future VSS assessments. Additional actions have been taken to increase the visibility and emphasis assigned to VSSs. Completion of several Documented Safety Analyses (DSA), in combination with efforts to remove source term materials from several facilities, enabled the number of systems on the FH VSS list to be reduced from 60 at the beginning of FY 2004 to 48 by the end of FY 2004. It is expected that there will be further changes to the FH VSS list based on additional DSA revisions and continued progress towards reduction of source terms across the Hanford Site. Other new VSSs may be added to the list to reflect the relocation of materials away from the River Corridor to interim storage locations on the Central Plateau.« less

FAA Airport Design Competition for Universities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandy, Mary

2008-01-01

Raise awareness of the importance of airports to the National Airspace System infrastructure. Increase the involvement of the academic community in addressing airport operations and infrastructure issues and needs. Engage U.S. students in the conceptualization of applications, systems and equipment capable of addressing related challenges in a robust, reliable and comprehensive manner. Encourage U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to contribute innovative ideas and solutions to airport and runway safety issues. Provide the framework and incentives for quality educational experiences for university students. d Develop an awareness of and an interest in airports as a vital and interesting area for engineering and technology careers.

Real-time quantitation of internal metabolic activity of three-dimensional engineered tissues using an oxygen microelectrode and optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Kagawa, Yuki; Haraguchi, Yuji; Tsuneda, Satoshi; Shimizu, Tatsuya

2017-05-01

Recent progress in tissue engineering technology has enabled us to develop thick tissue constructs that can then be transplanted in regenerative therapies. In clinical situations, it is vital that the engineered tissues to be implanted are safe and functional before use. However, there is currently a limited number of studies on real-time quality evaluation of thick living tissue constructs. Here we developed a system for quantifying the internal activities of engineered tissues, from which we can evaluate its quality in real-time. The evaluation was achieved by measuring oxygen concentration profiles made along the vertical axis and the thickness of the tissues estimated from cross-sectional images obtained noninvasively by an optical coherence tomography system. Using our novel system, we obtained (i) oxygen concentration just above the tissues, (ii) gradient of oxygen along vertical axis formed above the tissues within culture medium, and (iii) gradient of oxygen formed within the tissues in real-time. Investigating whether these three parameters could be used to evaluate engineered tissues during culturing, we found that only the third parameter was a good candidate. This implies that the activity of living engineered tissues can be monitored in real-time by measuring the oxygen gradient within the tissues. The proposed measuring strategy can be applied to developing more efficient culturing methods to support the fabrication of engineered thick tissues, as well as providing methods to confirm the quality in real-time. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 855-864, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-01-01

This view depicts engineers conducting a system test on the Saturn V instrument unit (IU) at International Business Machines (IBM) in Huntsville, Alabama. IBM is a prime contractor for development and fabrication of the IU. The IU is vital to the proper flight of the vehicle. It contains navigation, guidance, control, and sequencing equipment for the launch vehicle. Three-feet tall, twenty-one feet in diameter, and weighing about 4,000 pounds, the IU is mounted atop the S-IVB (third) stage, between the S-IVB stage and the Apollo spacecraft.

This Act of Cultural Vandalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cushman, Mike

2010-01-01

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are vital areas of learning and research. The loss of physics, chemistry and engineering departments in many British universities has been pitiful to observe. But the recent announcement of funding for universities highlights the disastrous effects of the decision to prioritise these "STEM"…

Demonstration of a Speckle Based Sensing with Pulse-Doppler Radar for Vibration Detection.

PubMed

Ozana, Nisan; Bauer, Reuven; Ashkenazy, Koby; Sasson, Nissim; Schwarz, Ariel; Shemer, Amir; Zalevsky, Zeev

2018-05-03

In previous works, an optical technique for extraction and separation of remote static vibrations has been demonstrated. In this paper, we will describe an approach in which RF speckle movement is used to extract remote vibrations of a static target. The use of conventional radar Doppler methods is not suitable for detecting vibrations of static targets. In addition, the speckle method has an important advantage, in that it is able to detect vibrations at far greater distances than what is normally detected in classical optical methods. The experiment described in this paper was done using a motorized vehicle, which engine was turned on and off. The results showed that the system was able to distinguish between the different engine states, and in addition, was able to determine the vibration frequency of the engine. The first step towards real time detection of human vital signs using RF speckle patterns is presented.

The Art and Science of Systems Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, Christopher E.

2009-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958, and its Marshall Space Flight Center was founded in 1960, as space-related work was transferred from the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal, where Marshall is located. With this heritage, Marshall contributes almost 50 years of systems engineering experience with human-rated launch vehicles and scientific spacecraft to fulfill NASA's mission exploration and discovery. These complex, highly specialized systems have provided vital platforms for expanding the knowledge base about Earth, the solar system, and cosmos; developing new technologies that also benefit life on Earth; and opening new frontiers for America's strategic space goals. From Mercury and Gemini, to Apollo and the Space Shuttle, Marshall's systems engineering expertise is an unsurpassed foundational competency for NASA and the nation. Current assignments comprise managing Space Shuttle Propulsion systems; developing environmental control and life support systems and coordinating science operations on the International Space Station; and a number of exploration-related responsibilities. These include managing and performing science missions, such as the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter slated to launch for the Moon in April 2009, to developing the Ares I crew launch vehicle upper stage and integrating the vehicle stack in house, as well as designing the Ares V cargo launch vehicle and contributing to the development of the Altair Lunar Lander and an International Lunar Network with communications nodes and other infrastructure.

FY10 Engineering Innovations, Research and Technology Report

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

Lane, M A; Aceves, S M; Paulson, C N

This report summarizes key research, development, and technology advancements in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate for FY2010. These efforts exemplify Engineering's nearly 60-year history of developing and applying the technology innovations needed for the Laboratory's national security missions, and embody Engineering's mission to ''Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory's vitality tomorrow.'' Leading off the report is a section featuring compelling engineering innovations. These innovations range from advanced hydrogen storage that enables clean vehicles, to new nuclear material detection technologies, to a landmine detection system using ultra-wideband ground-penetrating radar. Many have been recognized with R&D Magazine's prestigious R&Dmore » 100 Award; all are examples of the forward-looking application of innovative engineering to pressing national problems and challenging customer requirements. Engineering's capability development strategy includes both fundamental research and technology development. Engineering research creates the competencies of the future where discovery-class groundwork is required. Our technology development (or reduction to practice) efforts enable many of the research breakthroughs across the Laboratory to translate from the world of basic research to the national security missions of the Laboratory. This portfolio approach produces new and advanced technological capabilities, and is a unique component of the value proposition of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. The balance of the report highlights this work in research and technology, organized into thematic technical areas: Computational Engineering; Micro/Nano-Devices and Structures; Measurement Technologies; Engineering Systems for Knowledge Discovery; and Energy Manipulation. Our investments in these areas serve not only known programmatic requirements of today and tomorrow, but also anticipate the breakthrough engineering innovations that will be needed in the future.« less

Dental Implant Systems

PubMed Central

Oshida, Yoshiki; Tuna, Elif B.; Aktören, Oya; Gençay, Koray

2010-01-01

Among various dental materials and their successful applications, a dental implant is a good example of the integrated system of science and technology involved in multiple disciplines including surface chemistry and physics, biomechanics, from macro-scale to nano-scale manufacturing technologies and surface engineering. As many other dental materials and devices, there are crucial requirements taken upon on dental implants systems, since surface of dental implants is directly in contact with vital hard/soft tissue and is subjected to chemical as well as mechanical bio-environments. Such requirements should, at least, include biological compatibility, mechanical compatibility, and morphological compatibility to surrounding vital tissues. In this review, based on carefully selected about 500 published articles, these requirements plus MRI compatibility are firstly reviewed, followed by surface texturing methods in details. Normally dental implants are placed to lost tooth/teeth location(s) in adult patients whose skeleton and bony growth have already completed. However, there are some controversial issues for placing dental implants in growing patients. This point has been, in most of dental articles, overlooked. This review, therefore, throws a deliberate sight on this point. Concluding this review, we are proposing a novel implant system that integrates materials science and up-dated surface technology to improve dental implant systems exhibiting bio- and mechano-functionalities. PMID:20480036

COINGRAD; Control Oriented Interactive Graphical Analysis and Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volz, Richard A.; And Others

The computer is currently a vital tool in engineering analysis and design. With the introduction of moderately priced graphics terminals, it will become even more important in the future as rapid graphic interaction between the engineer and the computer becomes more feasible in computer-aided design (CAD). To provide a vehicle for introducing…

Relationship between Students' Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement in a Pre-University Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shim, George Tan Geok; Shakawi, Abang Mohammad Hudzaifah Abang; Azizan, Farah Liyana

2017-01-01

Educators have always highlighted the importance of mathematics mastery in education for many years. With the current emphasis of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMs) education, mathematics mastery is even more vital because it supports the learning and mastery of science fields such as engineering and science. Furthermore, in…

Technology and Engineering Education Accommodation Service Profile: An Ex Post Facto Research Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst, Jeremy V.; Williams, Thomas O., Jr.

2014-01-01

Technology and engineering educators have an opportunity to serve a vital role in contributing to or assisting in the guidance of educational programming for students qualifying for accommodation services. Within this article, students referred to as at-risk were from two specific special populations within this group: individuals with…

Engineering Student Self-Assessment through Confidence-Based Scoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen-Reed, Gigi; Reed, Kyle B.

2015-01-01

A vital aspect of an answer is the confidence that goes along with it. Misstating the level of confidence one has in the answer can have devastating outcomes. However, confidence assessment is rarely emphasized during typical engineering education. The confidence-based scoring method described in this study encourages students to both think about…

Dynamic modeling and vibration characteristics analysis of the aero-engine dual-rotor system with Fan blade out

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Pingchao; Zhang, Dayi; Ma, Yanhong; Hong, Jie

2018-06-01

Fan Blade Out (FBO) from a running rotor of the turbofan engine will not only introduce the sudden unbalance and inertia asymmetry into the rotor, but also apply large impact load and induce rotor-to-stator rubbing on the rotor, which makes the mass, gyroscopic and stiffness matrixes of the dynamic equation become time-varying and highly nonlinear, consequently leads to the system's complicated vibration. The dynamic analysis of the aero-engine rotor system is one essential requirement of the authorities and is vital to the aero-engine's safety. The paper aims at studying the dynamic responses of the complicated dual-rotor systems at instantaneous and windmilling statuses when FBO event occurs. The physical process and mechanical characteristics of the FBO event are described qualitatively, based on which the dynamic modeling for an aero-engine dual-rotor system is carried out considering several excitations caused by FBO. Meanwhile the transient response during the instantaneous status and steady-state response at the windmilling status are obtained. The results reveal that the sudden unbalance can induce impact load to the rotor, and lead to the sharp increase of the vibration amplitude and reaction force. The rub-impact will apply constraint effects on the rotor and restrict the transient vibration amplitude, while the inertia asymmetry has little influence on the transient response. When the rotor with huge unbalance operates at windmilling status, the rub-impact turns to be the main factor determining the rotor's dynamic behavior, and several potential motion states, such as instable dry whip, intermittent rubbing and synchronous full annular rubbing would happen on certain conditions.

Current state of biotechnology in Turkey.

PubMed

Dundar, Munis; Akbarova, Yagut

2011-09-01

Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary branch of science that encompasses a wide range of subjects like genetics, virology, microbiology, immunology, engineering to develop vaccines, and so on and plays a vital role in health systems, crop and seed management, yield improvement, agriculture, soil management, ecology, animal farming, cellular process, bio statistics, and so on. This article is about activities in medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology and nanobiotechnology carried out in Turkey. Turkey has made some progress in biotechnology projects for research and development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FY08 Engineering Research and Technology Report

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

Minichino, C; McNichols, D

2009-02-24

This report summarizes the core research, development, and technology accomplishments in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate for FY2008. These efforts exemplify Engineering's more than 50-year history of developing and applying the technologies needed to support the Laboratory's national security missions. A partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence, Engineering has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and technical resources developed through both internal and external venues. These accomplishments embody Engineering's mission: 'Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory's vitality tomorrow.' Engineering's mission is carried out through basic research and technologymore » development. Research is the vehicle for creating competencies that are cutting-edge, or require discovery-class groundwork to be fully understood. Our technology efforts are discipline-oriented, preparing research breakthroughs for broader application to a variety of Laboratory needs. The term commonly used for technology-based projects is 'reduction to practice.' As we pursue this two-pronged approach, an enormous range of technological capabilities result. This report combines our work in research and technology into one volume, organized into thematic technical areas: Engineering Modeling and Simulation; Measurement Technologies; Micro/Nano-Devices and Structures; Engineering Systems for Knowledge and Inference; and Energy Manipulation. Our investments in these areas serve not only known programmatic requirements of today and tomorrow, but also anticipate the breakthrough engineering innovations that will be needed in the future.« less

Repair of Segmental Bone Defect Using Totally Vitalized Tissue Engineered Bone Graft by a Combined Perfusion Seeding and Culture System

PubMed Central

Feng, Ya-Fei; Li, Xiang; Hu, Yun-Yu; Wang, Zhen; Ma, Zhen-Sheng; Lei, Wei

2014-01-01

Background The basic strategy to construct tissue engineered bone graft (TEBG) is to combine osteoblastic cells with three dimensional (3D) scaffold. Based on this strategy, we proposed the “Totally Vitalized TEBG” (TV-TEBG) which was characterized by abundant and homogenously distributed cells with enhanced cell proliferation and differentiation and further investigated its biological performance in repairing segmental bone defect. Methods In this study, we constructed the TV-TEBG with the combination of customized flow perfusion seeding/culture system and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffold fabricated by Rapid Prototyping (RP) technique. We systemically compared three kinds of TEBG constructed by perfusion seeding and perfusion culture (PSPC) method, static seeding and perfusion culture (SSPC) method, and static seeding and static culture (SSSC) method for their in vitro performance and bone defect healing efficacy with a rabbit model. Results Our study has demonstrated that TEBG constructed by PSPC method exhibited better biological properties with higher daily D-glucose consumption, increased cell proliferation and differentiation, and better cell distribution, indicating the successful construction of TV-TEBG. After implanted into rabbit radius defects for 12 weeks, PSPC group exerted higher X-ray score close to autograft, much greater mechanical property evidenced by the biomechanical testing and significantly higher new bone formation as shown by histological analysis compared with the other two groups, and eventually obtained favorable healing efficacy of the segmental bone defect that was the closest to autograft transplantation. Conclusion This study demonstrated the feasibility of TV-TEBG construction with combination of perfusion seeding, perfusion culture and RP technique which exerted excellent biological properties. The application of TV-TEBG may become a preferred candidate for segmental bone defect repair in orthopedic and maxillofacial fields. PMID:24728277

Power System Simulation for Policymaking and Making Policymakers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Michael Ari

Power system simulation is a vital tool for anticipating, planning for and ultimately addressing future conditions on the power grid, especially in light of contemporary shifts in power generation, transmission and use that are being driven by a desire to utilize more environmentally responsible energy sources. This dissertation leverages power system simulation and engineering-economic analysis to provide initial answers to one open question about future power systems: how will high penetrations of distributed (rooftop) solar power affect the physical and economic operation of distribution feeders? We find that the overall impacts of distributed solar power (both positive and negative) on the feeders we modeled are minor compared to the overall cost of energy, but that there is on average a small net benefit provided by distributed generation. We then describe an effort to make similar analyses more accessible to a non-engineering (high school) audience by developing an educational video game called "Griddle" that is based on the same power system simulation techniques used in the first study. We describe the design and evaluation of Griddle and find that it demonstrates potential to provide students with insights about key power system learning objectives.

Don't Just Cover the Engineering Design Process, Patent It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Philip A.

2013-01-01

Learning about intellectual property can help students understand the process it takes to bring ideas to fruition. It is very important for technology and engineering students to learn early that technology is not just concrete processes and physical artifacts. Creativity is closely linked to technology and is vital in helping us address perceived…

From Science to Business: Preparing Female Scientists and Engineers for Successful Transitions into Entrepreneurship--Summary of a Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Didion, Catherine Jay; Guenther, Rita S.; Gunderson, Victoria

2012-01-01

Scientists, engineers, and medical professionals play a vital role in building the 21st- century science and technology enterprises that will create solutions and jobs critical to solving the large, complex, and interdisciplinary problems faced by society: problems in energy, sustainability, the environment, water, food, disease, and healthcare.…

Needs Analysis in ESP Context: Saudi Engineering Students as a Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsamadani, Hashem Ahmed

2017-01-01

Needs analysis can be a vital asset for teachers of English for specific purposes (ESP) to identify their learners' key requirements or needs and determine the areas in which they are lacking skills. Against this background, this study was undertaken during the academic year 2015-16 to define the English language needs of engineering students…

Intelligent data reduction for autonomous power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Floyd, Stephen A.

1988-01-01

Since 1984 Marshall Space Flight Center was actively engaged in research and development concerning autonomous power systems. Much of the work in this domain has dealt with the development and application of knowledge-based or expert systems to perform tasks previously accomplished only through intensive human involvement. One such task is the health status monitoring of electrical power systems. Such monitoring is a manpower intensive task which is vital to mission success. The Hubble Space Telescope testbed and its associated Nickel Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) were designated as the system on which the initial proof of concept for intelligent power system monitoing will be established. The key function performed by an engineer engaged in system monitoring is to analyze the raw telemetry data and identify from the whole only those elements which can be considered significant. This function requires engineering expertise on the functionality of the system, the mode of operation and the efficient and effective reading of the telemetry data. Application of this expertise to extract the significant components of the data is referred to as data reduction. Such a function possesses characteristics which make it a prime candidate for the application of knowledge-based systems' technologies. Such applications are investigated and recommendations are offered for the development of intelligent data reduction systems.

Engineering of In Vitro 3D Capillary Beds by Self-Directed Angiogenic Sprouting

PubMed Central

Chan, Juliana M.; Zervantonakis, Ioannis K.; Rimchala, Tharathorn; Polacheck, William J.; Whisler, Jordan; Kamm, Roger D.

2012-01-01

In recent years, microfluidic systems have been used to study fundamental aspects of angiogenesis through the patterning of single-layered, linear or geometric vascular channels. In vivo, however, capillaries exist in complex, three-dimensional (3D) networks, and angiogenic sprouting occurs with a degree of unpredictability in all x,y,z planes. The ability to generate capillary beds in vitro that can support thick, biological tissues remains a key challenge to the regeneration of vital organs. Here, we report the engineering of 3D capillary beds in an in vitro microfluidic platform that is comprised of a biocompatible collagen I gel supported by a mechanical framework of alginate beads. The engineered vessels have patent lumens, form robust ∼1.5 mm capillary networks across the devices, and support the perfusion of 1 µm fluorescent beads through them. In addition, the alginate beads offer a modular method to encapsulate and co-culture cells that either promote angiogenesis or require perfusion for cell viability in engineered tissue constructs. This laboratory-constructed vascular supply may be clinically significant for the engineering of capillary beds and higher order biological tissues in a scalable and modular manner. PMID:23226527

Jim Sanovia - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Undergrad: Geological Engineering (Jr.) September 7, 2004 thesanoves@hotmail.com Abstract Experiences Interning at NASA/GSFC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanovia, J. J.

2004-12-01

In the summer of 2001 and 2004 I experienced internships at the NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Through these internships I was introduced to Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing. My experiences at NASA have also helped me acquire the ability to learn how I can now best utilize my networking contacts at NASA and other connections to facilitate my future plans as an engineer working on Indian and non-Indian Reservation lands. My experiences working at a large agency such as NASA have shown me the significance how a Native American engineer can strive to improve and preserve Indian and non-Indian lands for future generations. Formulating new and inventive methodologies on how to better approach Indian Reservation research while incorporating Native American culture I feel are vital for success. My accomplishments throughout the recent past years have also allowed me conduct outreach to Indian K-12 kids and college students alike.

SmartSIM - a virtual reality simulator for laparoscopy training using a generic physics engine.

PubMed

Khan, Zohaib Amjad; Kamal, Nabeel; Hameed, Asad; Mahmood, Amama; Zainab, Rida; Sadia, Bushra; Mansoor, Shamyl Bin; Hasan, Osman

2017-09-01

Virtual reality (VR) training simulators have started playing a vital role in enhancing surgical skills, such as hand-eye coordination in laparoscopy, and practicing surgical scenarios that cannot be easily created using physical models. We describe a new VR simulator for basic training in laparoscopy, i.e. SmartSIM, which has been developed using a generic open-source physics engine called the simulation open framework architecture (SOFA). This paper describes the systems perspective of SmartSIM including design details of both hardware and software components, while highlighting the critical design decisions. Some of the distinguishing features of SmartSIM include: (i) an easy-to-fabricate custom-built hardware interface; (ii) use of a generic physics engine to facilitate wider accessibility of our work and flexibility in terms of using various graphical modelling algorithms and their implementations; and (iii) an intelligent and smart evaluation mechanism that facilitates unsupervised and independent learning. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Three-Dimensional Printing and Cell Therapy for Wound Repair.

PubMed

van Kogelenberg, Sylvia; Yue, Zhilian; Dinoro, Jeremy N; Baker, Christopher S; Wallace, Gordon G

2018-05-01

Significance: Skin tissue damage is a major challenge and a burden on healthcare systems, from burns and other trauma to diabetes and vascular disease. Although the biological complexities are relatively well understood, appropriate repair mechanisms are scarce. Three-dimensional bioprinting is a layer-based approach to regenerative medicine, whereby cells and cell-based materials can be dispensed in fine spatial arrangements to mimic native tissue. Recent Advances: Various bioprinting techniques have been employed in wound repair-based skin tissue engineering, from laser-induced forward transfer to extrusion-based methods, and with the investigation of the benefits and shortcomings of each, with emphasis on biological compatibility and cell proliferation, migration, and vitality. Critical issues: Development of appropriate biological inks and the vascularization of newly developed tissues remain a challenge within the field of skin tissue engineering. Future Directions: Progress within bioprinting requires close interactions between material scientists, tissue engineers, and clinicians. Microvascularization, integration of multiple cell types, and skin appendages will be essential for creation of complex skin tissue constructs.

FY2011 Engineering Innovations, Research, and Technology Report

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

Hamilton, Kip; Martz, Harry E.; Poyneer, Lisa A.

2012-04-24

This report summarizes key research, development, and technology advancements in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Engineering Directorate for FY2011. These efforts exemplify Engineering’s nearly 60-year history of developing and applying the technology innovations needed for the Laboratory’s national security missions, and embody Engineering’s mission to “Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory’s vitality tomorrow.

Development of a decision support system for analysis and solutions of prolonged standing in the workplace.

PubMed

Halim, Isa; Arep, Hambali; Kamat, Seri Rahayu; Abdullah, Rohana; Omar, Abdul Rahman; Ismail, Ahmad Rasdan

2014-06-01

Prolonged standing has been hypothesized as a vital contributor to discomfort and muscle fatigue in the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop a decision support system that could provide systematic analysis and solutions to minimize the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. The integration of object-oriented programming and a Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System were used to design the architecture of the decision support system. Validation of the decision support system was carried out in two manufacturing companies. The validation process showed that the decision support system produced reliable results. The decision support system is a reliable advisory tool for providing analysis and solutions to problems related to the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Further testing of the decision support system is suggested before it is used commercially.

Development of a Decision Support System for Analysis and Solutions of Prolonged Standing in the Workplace

PubMed Central

Halim, Isa; Arep, Hambali; Kamat, Seri Rahayu; Abdullah, Rohana; Omar, Abdul Rahman; Ismail, Ahmad Rasdan

2014-01-01

Background Prolonged standing has been hypothesized as a vital contributor to discomfort and muscle fatigue in the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop a decision support system that could provide systematic analysis and solutions to minimize the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Methods The integration of object-oriented programming and a Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System were used to design the architecture of the decision support system. Results Validation of the decision support system was carried out in two manufacturing companies. The validation process showed that the decision support system produced reliable results. Conclusion The decision support system is a reliable advisory tool for providing analysis and solutions to problems related to the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Further testing of the decision support system is suggested before it is used commercially. PMID:25180141

Passive fire protection--a vital safety role.

PubMed

MacInnes, Callum; Rankin, Richard

2012-06-01

Callum Maclnnes BSc (Hons), AIFireE, an engineer at WSP UK--part of a global design engineering and management consultancy group specialising in property, transport and infrastructure, industry and environment projects--and his colleague, senior engineer, Richard Rankin CEng MEng (Hons) MIFireE, discuss the importance of passive fire protection in healthcare premises at a time when, due particularly to the difficult financial climate, many hospitals are undergoing upgrading and refurbishment, potentially affording an ideal opportunity to ensure that proper fire compartmentation measures are in place.

[Research and Implementation of Vital Signs Monitoring System Based on Cloud Platform].

PubMed

Yu, Man; Tan, Anzu; Huang, Jianqi

2018-05-30

Through analyzing the existing problems in the current mode, the vital signs monitoring information system based on cloud platform is designed and developed. The system's aim is to assist nurse carry out vital signs nursing work effectively and accurately. The system collects, uploads and analyzes patient's vital signs data by PDA which connecting medical inspection equipments. Clinical application proved that the system can effectively improve the quality and efficiency of medical care and may reduce medical expenses. It is alse an important practice result to build a medical cloud platform.

[Medical application of nano-materials].

PubMed

Jiang, Hui-qing; Chen, Yi-fei

2002-11-01

To review the research progress and medical application of nano-materials. The literature review and comprehensive analysis, methods were used in this study. The Nanotechnology is a typical crossing knowledge. It could be extensively applied in the fields of novel biomaterials, effective transmission of bioactive factor; the detection of functions for all vital organ systems, vascular circulation condition, the control of repair of burn trauma wounds will be monitored by the varied methods of nano technology combined with molecular biological engineering. The application of Nanotechnology will play important roles in clinical medicine, wound repair and basic research for the traditional Chinese medicine.

Watershed Management Partnership Agreement

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On November 19, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the Watershed Management Partnership Agreement to promote watershed health, economic sustainability and community vitality through effective manageme

Who Majors in Science? College Graduates in Science, Engineering, or Mathematics from the High School Class of 1980. Survey Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Henry A.

The number of college graduates majoring in science, engineering, or mathematics is widely perceived as vital to the future international competitiveness of the United States. This report examines the major fields of study of a representative sample of high school seniors from the 1980 High School and Beyond senior cohort survey who had graduated…

Bell P-39 in the Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Image and Video Library

1944-11-21

A Bell P-39 Airacobra in the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory’s Icing Research Tunnel for a propeller deicing study. The tunnel, which began operation in June 1944, was built to study the formation of ice on aircraft surfaces and methods of preventing or eradicating that ice. Ice buildup adds extra weight to aircraft, effects aerodynamics, and sometimes blocks airflow through engines. NACA design engineers added the Icing Research Tunnel to the new AERL’s original layout to take advantage of the massive refrigeration system being constructed for the Altitude Wind Tunnel. The Icing Research Tunnel is a closed-loop atmospheric wind tunnel with a 6- by 9-foot test section. The tunnel can produce speeds up to 300 miles per hour and temperatures from about 30 to –45⁰ F. During World War II AERL researchers analyzed different ice protection systems for propeller, engine inlets, antennae, and wings in the icing tunnel. The P-39 was a vital low-altitude pursuit aircraft of the US during the war. NACA investigators investigated several methods of preventing ice buildup on the P-39’s propeller, including the use of internal and external electrical heaters, alcohol, and hot gases. They found that continual heating of the blades expended more energy than the aircraft could supply, so studies focused on intermittent heating. The results of the wind tunnel investigations were then compared to actual flight tests on aircraft.

Vultee YA–31C Vengeance at the NACA

NASA Image and Video Library

1945-03-21

A Bell P-39 Airacobra in the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory’s Icing Research Tunnel for a propeller deicing study. The tunnel, which began operation in June 1944, was built to study the formation of ice on aircraft surfaces and methods of preventing or eradicating that ice. Ice buildup adds extra weight to aircraft, effects aerodynamics, and sometimes blocks airflow through engines. NACA design engineers added the Icing Research Tunnel to the new AERL’s original layout to take advantage of the massive refrigeration system being constructed for the Altitude Wind Tunnel. The Icing Research Tunnel is a closed-loop atmospheric wind tunnel with a 6- by 9-foot test section. The tunnel can produce speeds up to 300 miles per hour and temperatures from about 30 to -45⁰ F. During World War II AERL researchers analyzed different ice protection systems for propeller, engine inlets, antennae, and wings in the icing tunnel. The P-39 was a vital low-altitude pursuit aircraft of the US during the war. NACA investigators investigated several methods of preventing ice buildup on the P-39’s propeller, including the use of internal and external electrical heaters, alcohol, and hot gases. They found that continual heating of the blades expended more energy than the aircraft could supply, so studies focused on intermittent heating. The results of the wind tunnel investigations were then compared to actual flight tests on aircraft.

32 CFR 644.48 - Review and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... as a means of resolving differences that might be found in two or more individual appraisals of a... vital importance to the successful operation of the real estate mission of the Corps of Engineers. It is...

32 CFR 644.48 - Review and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... as a means of resolving differences that might be found in two or more individual appraisals of a... vital importance to the successful operation of the real estate mission of the Corps of Engineers. It is...

32 CFR 644.48 - Review and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... as a means of resolving differences that might be found in two or more individual appraisals of a... vital importance to the successful operation of the real estate mission of the Corps of Engineers. It is...

32 CFR 644.48 - Review and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... as a means of resolving differences that might be found in two or more individual appraisals of a... vital importance to the successful operation of the real estate mission of the Corps of Engineers. It is...

Virginia Improves Teaching and Learning (VITAL): A Comprehensive Statewide Data System for Teacher Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, Virginia L.; Ward, Thomas J.; Massa, Tod R.

2008-01-01

This article describes the development of Virginia Improves Teaching and Learning (VITAL) as a statewide data warehouse focused on teacher education. The VITAL system is a longitudinal data system that tracks individuals from their entry into teacher preparation programs to employment in public schools. The system goes far beyond typical…

Fashion sketch design by interactive genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mok, P. Y.; Wang, X. X.; Xu, J.; Kwok, Y. L.

2012-11-01

Computer aided design is vitally important for the modern industry, particularly for the creative industry. Fashion industry faced intensive challenges to shorten the product development process. In this paper, a methodology is proposed for sketch design based on interactive genetic algorithms. The sketch design system consists of a sketch design model, a database and a multi-stage sketch design engine. First, a sketch design model is developed based on the knowledge of fashion design to describe fashion product characteristics by using parameters. Second, a database is built based on the proposed sketch design model to define general style elements. Third, a multi-stage sketch design engine is used to construct the design. Moreover, an interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) is used to accelerate the sketch design process. The experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed method is effective in helping laypersons achieve satisfied fashion design sketches.

Characterization of Nanophase Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhong Lin

2000-01-01

Engineering of nanophase materials and devices is of vital interest in electronics, semiconductors and optics, catalysis, ceramics and magnetism. Research associated with nanoparticles has widely spread and diffused into every field of scientific research, forming a trend of nanocrystal engineered materials. The unique properties of nanophase materials are entirely determined by their atomic scale structures, particularly the structures of interfaces and surfaces. Development of nanotechnology involves several steps, of which characterization of nanoparticles is indespensable to understand the behavior and properties of nanoparticles, aiming at implementing nanotechnolgy, controlling their behavior and designing new nanomaterials systems with super performance. The book will focus on structural and property characterization of nanocrystals and their assemblies, with an emphasis on basic physical approach, detailed techniques, data interpretation and applications. Intended readers of this comprehensive reference work are advanced graduate students and researchers in the field, who are specialized in materials chemistry, materials physics and materials science.

Achievements and challenges of Space Station Freedom's safety review process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, David W.

1993-01-01

The most complex space vehicle in history, Space Station Freedom, is well underway to completion, and System Safety is a vital part of the program. The purpose is to summarize and illustrate the progress that over one-hundred System Safety engineers have made in identifying, documenting, and controlling the hazards inherent in the space station. To date, Space Station Freedom has been reviewed by NASA's safety panels through the first six assembly flights, when Freedom achieves a configuration known as Man Tended Capability. During the eight weeks of safety reviews spread out over a year and a half, over 200 preliminary hazard reports were presented. Along the way NASA and its contractors faced many challenges, made much progress, and even learned a few lessons.

Achievements and challenges of Space Station Freedom's safety review process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, David W.

1993-07-01

The most complex space vehicle in history, Space Station Freedom, is well underway to completion, and System Safety is a vital part of the program. The purpose is to summarize and illustrate the progress that over one-hundred System Safety engineers have made in identifying, documenting, and controlling the hazards inherent in the space station. To date, Space Station Freedom has been reviewed by NASA's safety panels through the first six assembly flights, when Freedom achieves a configuration known as Man Tended Capability. During the eight weeks of safety reviews spread out over a year and a half, over 200 preliminary hazard reports were presented. Along the way NASA and its contractors faced many challenges, made much progress, and even learned a few lessons.

[Exploration of the design of media access control layer of wireless body area network for medical healthcare].

PubMed

Liu, Xuemei; Ge, Baofeng

2012-04-01

This paper proposes a media access control (MAC) layer design for wireless body area network (WBAN) systems. WBAN is a technology that targets for wireless networking of wearable and implantable body sensors which monitor vital body signs, such as heart-rate, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. It has been receiving attentions from international organizations, e. g. the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), due to its capability of providing efficient healthcare services and clinical management. This paper reviews the standardization procedure of WBAN and summarizes the challenge of the MAC layer design. It also discusses the methods of improving power consumption performance, which is one of the major issues of WBAN systems.

Prototyping sensor network system for automatic vital signs collection. Evaluation of a location based automated assignment of measured vital signs to patients.

PubMed

Kuroda, T; Noma, H; Naito, C; Tada, M; Yamanaka, H; Takemura, T; Nin, K; Yoshihara, H

2013-01-01

Development of a clinical sensor network system that automatically collects vital sign and its supplemental data, and evaluation the effect of automatic vital sensor value assignment to patients based on locations of sensors. The sensor network estimates the data-source, a target patient, from the position of a vital sign sensor obtained from a newly developed proximity sensing system. The proximity sensing system estimates the positions of the devices using a Bluetooth inquiry process. Using Bluetooth access points and the positioning system newly developed in this project, the sensor network collects vital sign and its 4W (who, where, what, and when) supplemental data from any Bluetooth ready vital sign sensors such as Continua-ready devices. The prototype was evaluated in a pseudo clinical setting at Kyoto University Hospital using a cyclic paired comparison and statistical analysis. The result of the cyclic paired analysis shows the subjects evaluated the proposed system is more effective and safer than POCS as well as paper-based operation. It halves the times for vital signs input and eliminates input errors. On the other hand, the prototype failed in its position estimation for 12.6% of all attempts, and the nurses overlooked half of the errors. A detailed investigation clears that an advanced interface to show the system's "confidence", i.e. the probability of estimation error, must be effective to reduce the oversights. This paper proposed a clinical sensor network system that relieves nurses from vital signs input tasks. The result clearly shows that the proposed system increases the efficiency and safety of the nursing process both subjectively and objectively. It is a step toward new generation of point of nursing care systems where sensors take over the tasks of data input from the nurses.

Experience of High School Cooperation with Manufacturing Enterprise While Training Rocket and Space Industry Experts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novykov, O.; Dzhur, Y.; Perlyk, V.

2002-01-01

Cooperation between Yuzhnoye SDO and Dniepropetrovsk National University (Physical and Engineering Institute) constitutes an example for the efficient practical realization of the idea of integration of science, industry and education, i.e. scientists and industrial experts take an active part in educational process while teachers and students participate in resolution of vital scientific and technical problems. The report is devoted to a summary analysis of such cooperation, which during the creation of Dniepropetrovsk Rocket Center, the largest in the former USSR, helped solving the relevant employment issues and contributed to foundation of Dniepropetrovsk scientific rocket school in the shortest possible time. Later, the cooperation was of avail in adequate reinforcement of the rocket and space industry with highly skilled experts (more than 20 thousand experts have graduated during 50 years). The University department branches representative of principal schools, i.e. rocket and spacecraft design and manufacture, engine design, automated control systems, production practice etc. established at the company's premises resolve vital issues related to improvement of expert training reliability. The department branches successfully resolve the tasks associated with prompt adaptation of the experts by comprehensively accounting both for the needs of the industry and the company's development outlook as well as by involving up-to-date manufacturing equipment in educational process, during researches, etc. Recently a new entity has been established playing an important role in building a continuous aerospace education system. This entity is called the National Center for aerospace education of Ukrainian youth, which unites high and higher school students, young scientists, and allows resolving different tasks ranging from searching and selecting gifted youth to training of highly skilled scientists.

Development of a prehospital vital signs chart sharing system.

PubMed

Nakada, Taka-aki; Masunaga, Naohisa; Nakao, Shota; Narita, Maiko; Fuse, Takashi; Watanabe, Hiroaki; Mizushima, Yasuaki; Matsuoka, Tetsuya

2016-01-01

Physiological parameters are crucial for the caring of trauma patients. There is a significant loss of prehospital vital signs data of patients during handover between prehospital and in-hospital teams. Effective strategies for reducing the loss remain a challenging research area. We tested whether the newly developed electronic automated prehospital vital signs chart sharing system would increase the amount of prehospital vital signs data shared with a remote trauma center prior to hospital arrival. Fifty trauma patients, transferred to a level I trauma center in Japan, were studied. The primary outcome variable was the number of prehospital vital signs shared with the trauma center prior to hospital arrival. The prehospital vital signs chart sharing system significantly increased the number of prehospital vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation, shared with the in-hospital team at a remote trauma center prior to patient arrival at the hospital (P < .0001). There were significant differences in prehospital vital signs during ambulance transfer between patients who had severe bleeding and non-severe bleeding within 24 hours after injury onset. Vital signs data collected during ambulance transfer via patient monitors could be automatically converted to easily visible patient charts and effectively shared with the remote trauma center prior to hospital arrival. The prehospital vital signs chart sharing system increased the number of precise vital signs shared prior to patient arrival at the hospital, which can potentially contribute to better trauma care without increasing labor and reduce information loss during clinical handover. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS) and regenerative braking system (RBS) in hybrid electric vehicle for smart transportation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evuri, Geetha Reddy; Rao, G. Srinivasa; Reddy, T. Ramasubba; Reddy, K. Srinivasa

2018-04-01

Pulse width modulation (PWM) based (a non-consistent) breaking system is used to keep the wheels from being bolted in the proposed antilock breaking system (ABS). Using this method a better hold of the street by wheels is possible and halting separations likewise diminish essentially particularly on precarious street surfaces like frosty or wet streets. The active vitality of the wheel is by and large lost amid braking as warmth because of grinding among brake cushions. This vitality can be recuperated using regenerative braking systems (RBS). In this strategy, the overabundance vitality is put away incidentally in capacitor banks before it gets changed over to warm vitality and is squandered. This framework delays the battery life by reviving the battery utilizing the put away vitality. Subsequently the mileage of the electric vehicle likewise increments as it can travel more separation in a solitary battery charge. These two techniques together help make electric vehicle vitality productive and more secure and less demanding to utilize subsequently anticipating and diminishing the quantity of mischance's.

The Cybathlon challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazil, Rachel

2018-03-01

Science and engineering are vital for developing “assistive technology” to help disabled people perform everyday tasks. But as Rachel Brazil finds out, a sporting contest called the Cybathlon has proved invaluable for discovering if the devices are fit for purpose

Tissue engineering in endodontics.

PubMed

Saber, Shehab El-Din M

2009-12-01

Tissue engineering is the science of design and manufacture of new tissues to replace impaired or damaged ones. The key ingredients for tissue engineering are stem cells, the morphogens or growth factors that regulate their differentiation, and a scaffold of extracellular matrix that constitutes the microenvironment for their growth. Recently, there has been increasing interest in applying the concept of tissue engineering to endodontics. The aim of this study was to review the body of knowledge related to dental pulp stem cells, the most common growth factors, and the scaffolds used to control their differentiation, and a clinical technique for the management of immature non-vital teeth based on this novel concept.

75 FR 54219 - Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-03

... microprocessor-based systems. NJT proposes to verify and test signal locking systems controlled by microprocessor... interlocking, controlled points and other locations are controlled by solid-state vital microprocessor-based... components for control of both vital and non-vital functions. The logic does not change once a microprocessor...

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Strategies for Conjunctival Reconstruction and Dry Eye Treatment

PubMed Central

Lu, Qiaozhi; Al-Sheikh, Osama; Elisseeff, Jennifer H.; Grant, Michael P.

2015-01-01

The ocular surface is a component of the anterior segment of the eye and is covered by the tear film. Together, they protect the vital external components of the eye from the environment. Injuries, surgical trauma, and autoimmune diseases can damage this system, and in severe cases, tissue engineering strategies are necessary to ensure proper wound healing and recovery. Dry eye is another major concern and a complicated disease affecting the ocular surface. More effective and innovative therapies are required for better outcomes in treating dry eye. This review focuses on the regenerative medicine of the conjunctiva, which is an essential part of the ocular surface system. Features and advances of different types of biomolecular materials, and autologous and allogeneic tissue grafts are summarized and compared. Specifically, vitrigel, a collagen membrane and novel material for use on the ocular surface, offers significant advantages over other biomaterials. This review also discusses a breakthrough microfluidic technology, “organ-on-a-chip” and its potential application in investigating new therapies for dry eye. PMID:26692712

Development and practice of a Telehealthcare Expert System (TES).

PubMed

Lin, Hanjun; Hsu, Yeh-Liang; Hsu, Ming-Shinn; Cheng, Chih-Ming

2013-07-01

Expert systems have been widely used in medical and healthcare practice for various purposes. In addition to vital sign data, important concerns in telehealthcare include the compliance with the measurement prescription, the accuracy of vital sign measurements, and the functioning of vital sign meters and home gateways. However, few expert system applications are found in the telehealthcare domain to address these issues. This article presents an expert system application for one of the largest commercialized telehealthcare practices in Taiwan by Min-Sheng General Hospital. The main function of the Telehealthcare Expert System (TES) developed in this research is to detect and classify events based on the measurement data transmitted to the database at the call center, including abnormality of vital signs, violation of vital sign measurement prescriptions, and malfunction of hardware devices (home gateway and vital sign meter). When the expert system detects an abnormal event, it assigns an "urgent degree" and alerts the nursing team in the call center to take action, such as phoning the patient for counseling or to urge the patient to return to the hospital for further tests. During 2 years of clinical practice, from 2009 to 2011, 19,182 patients were served by the expert system. The expert system detected 41,755 events, of which 22.9% indicated abnormality of vital signs, 75.2% indicated violation of measurement prescription, and 1.9% indicated malfunction of devices. On average, the expert system reduced by 76.5% the time that the nursing team in the call center spent in handling the events. The expert system helped to reduce cost and improve quality of the telehealthcare service.

A Self-Calibrating Radar Sensor System for Measuring Vital Signs.

PubMed

Huang, Ming-Chun; Liu, Jason J; Xu, Wenyao; Gu, Changzhan; Li, Changzhi; Sarrafzadeh, Majid

2016-04-01

Vital signs (i.e., heartbeat and respiration) are crucial physiological signals that are useful in numerous medical applications. The process of measuring these signals should be simple, reliable, and comfortable for patients. In this paper, a noncontact self-calibrating vital signs monitoring system based on the Doppler radar is presented. The system hardware and software were designed with a four-tiered layer structure. To enable accurate vital signs measurement, baseband signals in the radar sensor were modeled and a framework for signal demodulation was proposed. Specifically, a signal model identification method was formulated into a quadratically constrained l1 minimization problem and solved using the upper bound and linear matrix inequality (LMI) relaxations. The performance of the proposed system was comprehensively evaluated using three experimental sets, and the results indicated that this system can be used to effectively measure human vital signs.

Technical economics in the power industry

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

Dicks, J.B.

1990-01-01

This paper reports discusses technical economics is an emerging subject different from such areas as engineering management. The subject of engineering economics will be vital in the coming years as the world economy is about to undergo an economic explosion due to the effect of the computer on every area of technology and the simultaneous large expansion of the world market through the opening and democratization of the Communist block together with the European Common Market.

Advances in Thermal Spray Coatings for Gas Turbines and Energy Generation: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardwicke, Canan U.; Lau, Yuk-Chiu

2013-06-01

Functional coatings are widely used in energy generation equipment in industries such as renewables, oil and gas, propulsion engines, and gas turbines. Intelligent thermal spray processing is vital in many of these areas for efficient manufacturing. Advanced thermal spray coating applications include thermal management, wear, oxidation, corrosion resistance, sealing systems, vibration and sound absorbance, and component repair. This paper reviews the current status of materials, equipment, processing, and properties' aspects for key coatings in the energy industry, especially the developments in large-scale gas turbines. In addition to the most recent industrial advances in thermal spray technologies, future technical needs are also highlighted.

How to improve vital sign data quality for use in clinical decision support systems? A qualitative study in nine Swedish emergency departments.

PubMed

Skyttberg, Niclas; Vicente, Joana; Chen, Rong; Blomqvist, Hans; Koch, Sabine

2016-06-04

Vital sign data are important for clinical decision making in emergency care. Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have been advocated to increase patient safety and quality of care. However, the efficiency of CDSS depends on the quality of the underlying vital sign data. Therefore, possible factors affecting vital sign data quality need to be understood. This study aims to explore the factors affecting vital sign data quality in Swedish emergency departments and to determine in how far clinicians perceive vital sign data to be fit for use in clinical decision support systems. A further aim of the study is to provide recommendations on how to improve vital sign data quality in emergency departments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen physicians and nurses from nine hospitals and vital sign documentation templates were collected and analysed. Follow-up interviews and process observations were done at three of the hospitals to verify the results. Content analysis with constant comparison of the data was used to analyse and categorize the collected data. Factors related to care process and information technology were perceived to affect vital sign data quality. Despite electronic health records (EHRs) being available in all hospitals, these were not always used for vital sign documentation. Only four out of nine sites had a completely digitalized vital sign documentation flow and paper-based triage records were perceived to provide a better mobile workflow support than EHRs. Observed documentation practices resulted in low currency, completeness, and interoperability of the vital signs. To improve vital sign data quality, we propose to standardize the care process, improve the digital documentation support, provide workflow support, ensure interoperability and perform quality control. Vital sign data quality in Swedish emergency departments is currently not fit for use by CDSS. To address both technical and organisational challenges, we propose five steps for vital sign data quality improvement to be implemented in emergency care settings.

46 CFR 119.715 - Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non... 49 PASSENGERS MACHINERY INSTALLATION Piping Systems § 119.715 Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems. Piping subject to more than 1034 kPa (150 psig) in a non-vital system...

46 CFR 119.715 - Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non... 49 PASSENGERS MACHINERY INSTALLATION Piping Systems § 119.715 Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems. Piping subject to more than 1034 kPa (150 psig) in a non-vital system...

46 CFR 119.715 - Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non... 49 PASSENGERS MACHINERY INSTALLATION Piping Systems § 119.715 Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems. Piping subject to more than 1034 kPa (150 psig) in a non-vital system...

Discussion on the Development of Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunshen

2017-11-01

Chemical industry plays a vital role in the development process of national economy. However, in view of the special nature of the chemical industry, a large number of poisonous and harmful substances pose a great threat to the ecological environment and human health in the entire process of raw material acquisition, production, transportation, product manufacturing, and the final practical application. Therefore, it is a general trend to promote the development of chemistry and chemical engineering towards a greener environment. This article will focus on some basic problems occurred in the development process of green chemistry and chemical engineering.

Regenerative life support system research and concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Life support systems that involve recycling of atmospheres, water, food and waste are so complex that models incorporating all the interactions and relationships are vital to design, development, simulations, and ultimately to control of space qualified systems. During early modeling studies, FORTRAN and BASIC programs were used to obtain numerical comparisons of the performance of different regenerative concepts. Recently, models were made by combining existing capabilities with expert systems to establish an Intelligent Design Support Environment for simpliflying user interfaces and to address the need for the engineering aspects. Progress was also made toward modeling and evaluating the operational aspects of closed loop life support systems using Time-step and Dynamic simulations over a period of time. Example models are presented which show the status and potential of developed modeling techniques. For instance, closed loop systems involving algae systeMs for atmospheric purification and food supply augmentation, plus models employing high plants and solid waste electrolysis are described and results of initial evaluations are presented.

Compiling mortality statistics from civil registration systems in Viet Nam: the long road ahead.

PubMed

Rao, Chalapati; Osterberger, Brigitta; Anh, Tran Dam; MacDonald, Malcolm; Chúc, Nguyen Thi Kim; Hill, Peter S

2010-01-01

Accurate mortality statistics, needed for population health assessment, health policy and research, are best derived from data in vital registration systems. However, mortality statistics from vital registration systems are not available for several countries including Viet Nam. We used a mixed methods case study approach to assess vital registration operations in 2006 in three provinces in Viet Nam (Hòa Bình, Thùa Thiên-Hué and Bình Duong), and provide recommendations to strengthen vital registration systems in the country. For each province we developed life tables from population and mortality data compiled by sex and age group. Demographic methods were used to estimate completeness of death registration as an indicator of vital registration performance. Qualitative methods (document review, key informant interviews and focus group discussions) were used to assess administrative, technical and societal aspects of vital registration systems. Completeness of death registration was low in all three provinces. Problems were identified with the legal framework for registration of early neonatal deaths and deaths of temporary residents or migrants. The system does not conform to international standards for reporting cause of death or for recording detailed statistics by age, sex and cause of death. Capacity-building along with an intersectoral coordination committee involving the Ministries of Justice and Health and the General Statistics Office would improve the vital registration system, especially with regard to procedures for death registration. There appears to be strong political support for sentinel surveillance systems to generate reliable mortality statistics in Viet Nam.

Synthetic biology approaches in cancer immunotherapy, genetic network engineering, and genome editing.

PubMed

Chakravarti, Deboki; Cho, Jang Hwan; Weinberg, Benjamin H; Wong, Nicole M; Wong, Wilson W

2016-04-18

Investigations into cells and their contents have provided evolving insight into the emergence of complex biological behaviors. Capitalizing on this knowledge, synthetic biology seeks to manipulate the cellular machinery towards novel purposes, extending discoveries from basic science to new applications. While these developments have demonstrated the potential of building with biological parts, the complexity of cells can pose numerous challenges. In this review, we will highlight the broad and vital role that the synthetic biology approach has played in applying fundamental biological discoveries in receptors, genetic circuits, and genome-editing systems towards translation in the fields of immunotherapy, biosensors, disease models and gene therapy. These examples are evidence of the strength of synthetic approaches, while also illustrating considerations that must be addressed when developing systems around living cells.

Federal Support for Preserve America

Science.gov Websites

the economic vitality of our communities. "Historic preservation has an important place in America. Preserve America promotes education, historic preservation and economic development while economic engine for the community in which that history took place as more Americans discover and

Systems engineering implementation in the preliminary design phase of the Giant Magellan Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maiten, J.; Johns, M.; Trancho, G.; Sawyer, D.; Mady, P.

2012-09-01

Like many telescope projects today, the 24.5-meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is truly a complex system. The primary and secondary mirrors of the GMT are segmented and actuated to support two operating modes: natural seeing and adaptive optics. GMT is a general-purpose telescope supporting multiple science instruments operated in those modes. GMT is a large, diverse collaboration and development includes geographically distributed teams. The need to implement good systems engineering processes for managing the development of systems like GMT becomes imperative. The management of the requirements flow down from the science requirements to the component level requirements is an inherently difficult task in itself. The interfaces must also be negotiated so that the interactions between subsystems and assemblies are well defined and controlled. This paper will provide an overview of the systems engineering processes and tools implemented for the GMT project during the preliminary design phase. This will include requirements management, documentation and configuration control, interface development and technical risk management. Because of the complexity of the GMT system and the distributed team, using web-accessible tools for collaboration is vital. To accomplish this GMTO has selected three tools: Cognition Cockpit, Xerox Docushare, and Solidworks Enterprise Product Data Management (EPDM). Key to this is the use of Cockpit for managing and documenting the product tree, architecture, error budget, requirements, interfaces, and risks. Additionally, drawing management is accomplished using an EPDM vault. Docushare, a documentation and configuration management tool is used to manage workflow of documents and drawings for the GMT project. These tools electronically facilitate collaboration in real time, enabling the GMT team to track, trace and report on key project metrics and design parameters.

Activities of the Institute for Mechanical Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IME) is part of Canada's National Research Council. Its mission is to undertake, support, promote, and disseminate research and development in the mechanical engineering aspects of three vital sectors of the Canadian economy: transportation, resource industries, and manufacturing. The IME achieves its mission by performing research and development in its own facilities; by developing, providing, and transferring expertise and knowledge; by making its research facilities available to collaborators and clients; and by participating in international liaison and collaborative research activities. Six research programs are conducted in the IME: Advanced Manufacturing Technology; Coastal Zone Engineering; Cold Regions Engineering; Combustion and Fluids Engineering; Ground Transportation Technology; and Machinery and Engine Technology. The rationale and major research thrusts of each program are described, and specific achievements in 1991-92 are reviewed. Lists of technical reports and papers presented by IME personnel are also included.

IMPLEMENTATION OF DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITY SAFETY BOARD RECOMMENDATION 2000-2 AT WIPP

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

Jackson, K.; Wu, C.

2002-02-26

The Defense Nuclear Safeties Board (DNFSB) issued Recommendation 2000-2 on March 8, 2000, concerning the degrading conditions of vital safety systems, or systems important to nuclear safety, at DOE sites across the nation. The Board recommended that the DOE take action to assess the condition of its nuclear systems to ensure continued operational readiness of vital safety systems that are important for safely accomplishing the DOE's mission. To verify the readiness of vital safety systems, a two-phased approach was established. Phase I consisted of a qualitative assessment to approved criteria of the defined vital safety systems by operating contractor personnel,more » overseen by Federal field office personnel. Based on Phase I Assessment results, vital safety systems with significant deficiencies would be further assessed in Phase II, a more extensive quantitative assessment, by a contractor and Federal team, using a second set of criteria. In addition, Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board Recommendation 2000-2 concluded that the degradation of confinement ventilation systems was of major concern, and issued a separate set of criteria to perform a Phase II Assessment on confinement ventilation systems.« less

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1960-01-01

This chart provides the vital statistics for the F-1 rocket engine. Developed by Rocketdyne, under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the F-1 engine was utilized in a cluster of five engines to propel the Saturn V's first stage, the S-IC. Liquid oxygen and kerosene were used as its propellant. Initially rated at 1,500,000 pounds of thrust, the engine was later uprated to 1,522,000 pounds of thrust after the third Saturn V launch (Apollo 8, the first marned Saturn V mission) in December 1968. The cluster of five F-1 engines burned over 15 tons of propellant per second, during its two and one-half minutes of operation, to take the vehicle to a height of about 36 miles and to a speed of about 6,000 miles per hour.

Centile-based early warning scores derived from statistical distributions of vital signs.

PubMed

Tarassenko, Lionel; Clifton, David A; Pinsky, Michael R; Hravnak, Marilyn T; Woods, John R; Watkinson, Peter J

2011-08-01

To develop an early warning score (EWS) system based on the statistical properties of the vital signs in at-risk hospitalised patients. A large dataset comprising 64,622 h of vital-sign data, acquired from 863 acutely ill in-hospital patients using bedside monitors, was used to investigate the statistical properties of the four main vital signs. Normalised histograms and cumulative distribution functions were plotted for each of the four variables. A centile-based alerting system was modelled using the aggregated database. The means and standard deviations of our population's vital signs are very similar to those published in previous studies. When compared with EWS systems based on a future outcome, the cut-off values in our system are most different for respiratory rate and systolic blood pressure. With four-hourly observations in a 12-h shift, about 1 in 8 at-risk patients would trigger our alerting system during the shift. A centile-based EWS system will identify patients with abnormal vital signs regardless of their eventual outcome and might therefore be more likely to generate an alert when presented with patients with redeemable morbidity or avoidable mortality. We are about to start a stepped-wedge clinical trial gradually introducing an electronic version of our EWS system on the trauma wards in a teaching hospital. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Some guidance on preparing validation plans for the DART Full System Models.

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

Gray, Genetha Anne; Hough, Patricia Diane; Hills, Richard Guy

2009-03-01

Planning is an important part of computational model verification and validation (V&V) and the requisite planning document is vital for effectively executing the plan. The document provides a means of communicating intent to the typically large group of people, from program management to analysts to test engineers, who must work together to complete the validation activities. This report provides guidelines for writing a validation plan. It describes the components of such a plan and includes important references and resources. While the initial target audience is the DART Full System Model teams in the nuclear weapons program, the guidelines are generallymore » applicable to other modeling efforts. Our goal in writing this document is to provide a framework for consistency in validation plans across weapon systems, different types of models, and different scenarios. Specific details contained in any given validation plan will vary according to application requirements and available resources.« less

Characterization and nultivariate analysis of physical properties of processing peaches

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Characterization of physical properties of fruits represents the first vital step to ensure optimal performance of fruit processing operations and is also a prerequisite in the development of new processing equipment. In this study, physical properties of engineering significance to processing of th...

Requirements Engineering in Building Climate Science Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batcheller, Archer L.

Software has an important role in supporting scientific work. This dissertation studies teams that build scientific software, focusing on the way that they determine what the software should do. These requirements engineering processes are investigated through three case studies of climate science software projects. The Earth System Modeling Framework assists modeling applications, the Earth System Grid distributes data via a web portal, and the NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) Command Language is used to convert, analyze and visualize data. Document analysis, observation, and interviews were used to investigate the requirements-related work. The first research question is about how and why stakeholders engage in a project, and what they do for the project. Two key findings arise. First, user counts are a vital measure of project success, which makes adoption important and makes counting tricky and political. Second, despite the importance of quantities of users, a few particular "power users" develop a relationship with the software developers and play a special role in providing feedback to the software team and integrating the system into user practice. The second research question focuses on how project objectives are articulated and how they are put into practice. The team seeks to both build a software system according to product requirements but also to conduct their work according to process requirements such as user support. Support provides essential communication between users and developers that assists with refining and identifying requirements for the software. It also helps users to learn and apply the software to their real needs. User support is a vital activity for scientific software teams aspiring to create infrastructure. The third research question is about how change in scientific practice and knowledge leads to changes in the software, and vice versa. The "thickness" of a layer of software infrastructure impacts whether the software team or users have control and responsibility for making changes in response to new scientific ideas. Thick infrastructure provides more functionality for users, but gives them less control of it. The stability of infrastructure trades off against the responsiveness that the infrastructure can have to user needs.

46 CFR 182.715 - Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems. 182.715 Section 182.715 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED... subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150 psig) in non-vital systems. Piping subject to more than 1,034 kPa (150...

SearchGUI: A Highly Adaptable Common Interface for Proteomics Search and de Novo Engines.

PubMed

Barsnes, Harald; Vaudel, Marc

2018-05-25

Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics has become the standard approach for identifying and quantifying proteins. A vital step consists of analyzing experimentally generated mass spectra to identify the underlying peptide sequences for later mapping to the originating proteins. We here present the latest developments in SearchGUI, a common open-source interface for the most frequently used freely available proteomics search and de novo engines that has evolved into a central component in numerous bioinformatics workflows.

Identification of Noise Sources During Rocket Engine Test Firings and a Rocket Launch Using a Microphone Phased-Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta; Mosher, Robert N.; Porter, Barry J.

2013-01-01

A 70 microphone, 10-foot by 10-foot, microphone phased array was built for use in the harsh environment of rocket launches. The array was setup at NASA Wallops launch pad 0A during a static test firing of Orbital Sciences' Antares engines, and again during the first launch of the Antares vehicle. It was placed 400 feet away from the pad, and was hoisted on a scissor lift 40 feet above ground. The data sets provided unprecedented insight into rocket noise sources. The duct exit was found to be the primary source during the static test firing; the large amount of water injected beneath the nozzle exit and inside the plume duct quenched all other sources. The maps of the noise sources during launch were found to be time-dependent. As the engines came to full power and became louder, the primary source switched from the duct inlet to the duct exit. Further elevation of the vehicle caused spilling of the hot plume, resulting in a distributed noise map covering most of the pad. As the entire plume emerged from the duct, and the ondeck water system came to full power, the plume itself became the loudest noise source. These maps of the noise sources provide vital insight for optimization of sound suppression systems for future Antares launches.

NASA Testing the Webb Telescope's MIRI Thermal Shield

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA engineer Acey Herrera recently checked out copper test wires inside the thermal shield of the Mid-Infrared Instrument, known as MIRI, that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The shield is designed to protect the vital MIRI instrument from excess heat. At the time of the photo, the thermal shield was about to go through rigorous environmental testing to ensure it can perform properly in the extreme cold temperatures that it will encounter in space. Herrera is working in a thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. As the MIRI shield lead, Herrera along with a thermal engineer and cryo-engineer verify that the shield is ready for testing. On the Webb telescope, the pioneering camera and spectrometer that comprise the MIRI instrument sit inside the Integrated Science Instrument Module flight structure, that holds Webb's four instruments and their electronic systems during launch and operations. Read more: 1.usa.gov/15I0wrS Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

U.S. Geological Survey water-resource monitoring activities in support of the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soileau, Suzanna; Miller, Kirk

2013-01-01

The quality of the Nation’s water resources are vital to the health and well-being of both our communities and the natural landscapes we value. The U.S. Geological Survey investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution, and movement of surface water and groundwater and provides this information to engineers, scientists, managers, educators, and the general public. This information also supplements current (2013) and historical water data provided by the National Water Information System. The U.S. Geological Survey collects and shares data nationwide, but how those data are used is often site specific; this variety of data assists natural-resource managers in addressing unique, local, and regional challenges.

Provenance Usage in the OceanLink Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narock, T.; Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chandler, C. L.; Cheatham, M.; Fils, D.; Finin, T.; Hitzler, P.; Janowicz, K.; Jones, M.; Krisnadhi, A.; Lehnert, K. A.; Mickle, A.; Raymond, L. M.; Schildhauer, M.; Shepherd, A.; Wiebe, P. H.

2014-12-01

A wide spectrum of maturing methods and tools, collectively characterized as the Semantic Web, is helping to vastly improve thedissemination of scientific research. The OceanLink project, an NSF EarthCube Building Block, is utilizing semantic technologies tointegrate geoscience data repositories, library holdings, conference abstracts, and funded research awards. Provenance is a vital componentin meeting both the scientific and engineering requirements of OceanLink. Provenance plays a key role in justification and understanding when presenting users with results aggregated from multiple sources. In the engineering sense, provenance enables the identification of new data and the ability to determine which data sources to query. Additionally, OceanLink will leverage human and machine computation for crowdsourcing, text mining, and co-reference resolution. The results of these computations, and their associated provenance, will be folded back into the constituent systems to continually enhance precision and utility. We will touch on the various roles provenance is playing in OceanLink as well as present our use of the PROV Ontology and associated Ontology Design Patterns.

Tissue Equivalents Based on Cell-Seeded Biodegradable Microfluidic Constructs

PubMed Central

Borenstein, Jeffrey T.; Megley, Katie; Wall, Kimberly; Pritchard, Eleanor M.; Truong, David; Kaplan, David L.; Tao, Sarah L.; Herman, Ira M.

2010-01-01

One of the principal challenges in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is the formation of functional microvascular networks capable of sustaining tissue constructs. Complex tissues and vital organs require a means to support oxygen and nutrient transport during the development of constructs both prior to and after host integration, and current approaches have not demonstrated robust solutions to this challenge. Here, we present a technology platform encompassing the design, construction, cell seeding and functional evaluation of tissue equivalents for wound healing and other clinical applications. These tissue equivalents are comprised of biodegradable microfluidic scaffolds lined with microvascular cells and designed to replicate microenvironmental cues necessary to generate and sustain cell populations to replace dermal and/or epidermal tissues lost due to trauma or disease. Initial results demonstrate that these biodegradable microfluidic devices promote cell adherence and support basic cell functions. These systems represent a promising pathway towards highly integrated three-dimensional engineered tissue constructs for a wide range of clinical applications.

University of Wyoming College of Engineering undergraduate design projects to aid Wyoming persons with disabilities, a mid-program review.

PubMed

Barrett, Steven F; Gray, J Renee

2005-01-01

In Spring 2002 the University of Wyoming received National Science Foundation funding from the Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems to provide a meaningful design experience for University of Wyoming, College of Engineering students that will directly aid individuals with disabilities within the state of Wyoming. At the 2003 RMBS we presented a paper on the value of starting such a program. We have found that students receive a much richer capstone design experience when developing a project for direct use by a challenged individual. We are now approximately midway through this project. Since its inception the program has blossomed to include serving individuals in several regional states, outreach short courses to the community, projects have become of increasing difficulty and involve interdisciplinary teamwork, and many challenged individuals have been provided specialized one of a kind assistive devices. In this paper we will report on these advancements, lessons learned, and benefits received by participating in this vital program.

Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP)

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-07-21

An ion thruster is removed from a vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The thruster, a spare engine from NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, with a designed life of 8,000 hours, ran for a record 30,352 hours (nearly 5 years) giving researchers the ability to observe its performance and wear at different power levels throughout the test. This information will be vital to future missions that use ion propulsion. Ion propulsion systems can be very lightweight, rurning on just a few grams of xenon gas a day. Xenon is the same gas that is found in photo flash bulbs. This fuel efficiency can lower launch vehicle costs. The successful Deep Space 1 mission featured the first use of an ion engine as the primary means of propulsion on a NASA spacecraft. NASA's next-generation ion propulsion efforts are implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The program seeks to develop advanced propulsion technologies that will significantly reduce cost, mass, or travel times.

Fate of Engineered Nanoparticles: Implications in the ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The increased flux of the engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in consumer and commercial products has become a viable threat, particularly if their release affects the environment. The aim of this paper is to review the recent literature results pertaining to the underlying mechanisms initiating the transformations of ENPs for both, the biotic and abiotic processes. The transformation of ENPs is necessarily interrelated to multiple environmental aspects and many concepts overlap. Physicochemical, macromolecular, and biological pathways contribute to assessing the impact of the altered activities of ENPs on the surrounding environmental matrices. Transformations involving both organic and inorganic ligands are vital in soil and water systems. Energy-efficient biocatalytic pathways can easily facilitate biotransformation involving enzymatic reactions and biomolecules. The relationship between physicochemical and biological parameters triggers transformation, greatly affecting the bioavailability and aging of ENPs to various extents. Therefore, the interaction of ENPs in environmental matrices is significant in understanding the risk of potential exposure and/or uptake by biota. Submitted to Elsevier journal, Coordination Chemistry Reviews

Extracellular vesicles at the cross-line between basic science and clinical needs.

PubMed

Sasso, Luana; Hosamuddin, Huma; Emanueli, Costanza

2017-01-01

MiRNAs are small noncoding RNAs vital for protein regulation and gene expression. Since their discovery in the early nineties, many of their intracellular roles have been characterized. However, it is only recently that EVs loaded with miRNAs and other molecular types have started to be appreciated for their substantial involvement in cell-to-cell communication and signaling in physiological and pathological processes. EVs cell-to-cell signaling functions are complex and largely unknown, which still hampers the direct use of endogenous engineered EVs as therapeutics. However, ad hoc engineered synthetic EVs could represent new therapeutics. The potential of EV-inspired delivery carriers has now attracted the interest of the pharmaceutical industry and has challenged drug delivery researchers with new questions. This review will focus on EVs and EV-inspired drug delivery carriers, on their potential and on the challenges involved in the use of EV-inspired drug delivery systems. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Research progress of articular cartilage scaffold for tissue engineering].

PubMed

Liu, Qingyu; Wang, Fuyou; Yang, Liu

2012-10-01

To review the research progress of articular cartilage scaffold materials and look into the future development prospects. Recent literature about articular cartilage scaffold for tissue engineering was reviewed, and the results from experiments and clinical application about natural and synthetic scaffold materials were analyzed. The design of articular cartilage scaffold for tissue engineering is vital to articular cartilage defects repair. The ideal scaffold can promote the progress of the cartilage repair, but the scaffold materials still have their limitations. It is necessary to pay more attention to the research of the articular cartilage scaffold, which is significant to the repair of cartilage defects in the future.

75 FR 2591 - Petition for Waiver of Compliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-15

... on vital microprocessor-based systems. CSXT proposes to verify and test signal locking systems controlled by microprocessor-based equipment by use of alternative procedures every 4 years after initial... vital microprocessor-based systems. These systems utilize programmed logic equations in lieu of relays...

Vital signs and other observations used to detect deterioration in pregnant women: an analysis of vital sign charts in consultant-led UK maternity units.

PubMed

Smith, G B; Isaacs, R; Andrews, L; Wee, M Y K; van Teijlingen, E; Bick, D E; Hundley, V

2017-05-01

Obstetric early warning systems are recommended for monitoring hospitalised pregnant and postnatal women. We decided to compare: (i) vital sign values used to define physiological normality; (ii) symptoms and signs used to escalate care; (iii) type of chart used; and (iv) presence of explicit instructions for escalating care. One-hundred-and-twenty obstetric early warning charts and escalation protocols were obtained from consultant-led maternity units in the UK and Channel Islands. These data were extracted: values used to determine normality for each maternal vital sign; chart colour-coding; instructions following early warning system triggering; other criteria used as triggers. There was considerable variation in the charts, warning systems and escalation protocols. Of 120 charts, 89.2% used colour; 69.2% used colour-coded escalation systems. Forty-one (34.2%) systems required the calculation of weighted scores. Seventy-five discrete combinations of 'normal' vital sign ranges were found, the most common being: heart rate=50-99beats/min; respiratory rate=11-20breaths/min; blood pressure, systolic=100-149mmHg, diastolic ≤89mmHg; SpO 2 =95-100%; temperature=36.0-37.9°C; and Alert-Voice-Pain-Unresponsive assessment=Alert. Most charts (90.8%) provided instructions about who to contact following triggering, but only 41.7% gave instructions about subsequent observation frequency. The wide range of 'normal' vital sign values in different systems suggests a lack of equity in the processes for detecting deterioration and escalating care in hospitalised pregnant and postnatal women. Agreement regarding 'normal' vital sign ranges is urgently required and would assist the development of a standardised obstetric early warning system and chart. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tribology. LC Science Tracer Bullet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Havas, George D., Comp.

Tribology is the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It incorporates a number of scientific fields, including friction, wear, lubrication, materials science, and various branches of surface physics and surface chemistry. Tribology forms a vital part of engineering science. The interacting surfaces may be on machinery…

Assessing the damage potential in pretensioned bridges caused by increased truck loads due to freight movements (phase II).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

With aging and deterioration of bridges, evaluation of existing conditions of their structural elements becomes vital to : engineers and public officials when deciding how to repair or replace the structures. The ability to obtain necessary : informa...

The Gaze of the Perfect Search Engine: Google as an Infrastructure of Dataveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmer, M.

Web search engines have emerged as a ubiquitous and vital tool for the successful navigation of the growing online informational sphere. The goal of the world's largest search engine, Google, is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" and to create the "perfect search engine" that provides only intuitive, personalized, and relevant results. While intended to enhance intellectual mobility in the online sphere, this chapter reveals that the quest for the perfect search engine requires the widespread monitoring and aggregation of a users' online personal and intellectual activities, threatening the values the perfect search engines were designed to sustain. It argues that these search-based infrastructures of dataveillance contribute to a rapidly emerging "soft cage" of everyday digital surveillance, where they, like other dataveillance technologies before them, contribute to the curtailing of individual freedom, affect users' sense of self, and present issues of deep discrimination and social justice.

Managing Nicaraguan Water Resources Definition and Relative Importance of Information Needs

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

Engi, D.; Guillen, S.M.; Vammen, K.

1999-01-01

This report provides an overview of the results of the Vital the Nicaraguan Water Resources Management Initiative, Issues process as implemented for a collaborative effort between the Nicaraguan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and Sandia National Laboratories. This initiative is being developed to assist in the development of an efficient and sustainable water resources management system for Nicamgua. The Vital Issues process was used to provide information for developing a project that will develop and implement an advanced information system for managing Nicaragua's water resources. Three Vital Issues panel meetings were convened to 1) develop a mission statement andmore » evaluation criteria for identifying and ranking the issues vital to water resources management in Nicaragua 2) define and rank the vital issues; and 3) identify a preliminary list of information needed to address the vital issues. The selection of panelists from the four basic institutional perspectives- government, industiy, academe, and citizens' groups (through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs))-ensured a high level of stakeholder representation on the panels. The already existing need for a water resource management information system has been magnified in the aftemnath of Hurricane Mitch. This information system would be beneficial for an early warning system in emergencies, and the modeling and simulation capabilities of the system would allow for advanced planning. Additionally, the outreach program will provide education to help Nicaraguan improve their water hygiene practices.« less

33 CFR 157.435 - Vital systems surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Vital systems surveys. 157.435... systems surveys. (a) A tank vessel owner or operator shall ensure that surveys of the following systems are conducted: (1) Cargo systems. The survey must include the examination and testing of the items...

33 CFR 157.435 - Vital systems surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Vital systems surveys. 157.435... systems surveys. (a) A tank vessel owner or operator shall ensure that surveys of the following systems are conducted: (1) Cargo systems. The survey must include the examination and testing of the items...

33 CFR 157.435 - Vital systems surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Vital systems surveys. 157.435... systems surveys. (a) A tank vessel owner or operator shall ensure that surveys of the following systems are conducted: (1) Cargo systems. The survey must include the examination and testing of the items...

33 CFR 157.435 - Vital systems surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Vital systems surveys. 157.435... systems surveys. (a) A tank vessel owner or operator shall ensure that surveys of the following systems are conducted: (1) Cargo systems. The survey must include the examination and testing of the items...

33 CFR 157.435 - Vital systems surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Vital systems surveys. 157.435... systems surveys. (a) A tank vessel owner or operator shall ensure that surveys of the following systems are conducted: (1) Cargo systems. The survey must include the examination and testing of the items...

Cooperative expression of atomic chirality in inorganic nanostructures.

PubMed

Wang, Peng-Peng; Yu, Shang-Jie; Govorov, Alexander O; Ouyang, Min

2017-02-02

Cooperative chirality phenomena extensively exist in biomolecular and organic systems via intra- and inter-molecular interactions, but study of inorganic materials has been lacking. Here we report, experimentally and theoretically, cooperative chirality in colloidal cinnabar mercury sulfide nanocrystals that originates from chirality interplay between the crystallographic lattice and geometric morphology at different length scales. A two-step synthetic scheme is developed to allow control of critical parameters of these two types of handedness, resulting in different chiral interplays expressed as observables through materials engineering. Furthermore, we adopt an electromagnetic model with the finite element method to elucidate cooperative chirality in inorganic systems, showing excellent agreement with experimental results. Our study enables an emerging class of nanostructures with tailored cooperative chirality that is vital for fundamental understanding of nanoscale chirality as well as technology applications based on new chiroptical building blocks.

Cooperative expression of atomic chirality in inorganic nanostructures

PubMed Central

Wang, Peng-peng; Yu, Shang-Jie; Govorov, Alexander O; Ouyang, Min

2017-01-01

Cooperative chirality phenomena extensively exist in biomolecular and organic systems via intra- and inter-molecular interactions, but study of inorganic materials has been lacking. Here we report, experimentally and theoretically, cooperative chirality in colloidal cinnabar mercury sulfide nanocrystals that originates from chirality interplay between the crystallographic lattice and geometric morphology at different length scales. A two-step synthetic scheme is developed to allow control of critical parameters of these two types of handedness, resulting in different chiral interplays expressed as observables through materials engineering. Furthermore, we adopt an electromagnetic model with the finite element method to elucidate cooperative chirality in inorganic systems, showing excellent agreement with experimental results. Our study enables an emerging class of nanostructures with tailored cooperative chirality that is vital for fundamental understanding of nanoscale chirality as well as technology applications based on new chiroptical building blocks. PMID:28148957

Biological responses to engineered nanomaterials: Needs for the next decade

DOE PAGES

Murphy, Catherine J.; Vartanian, Ariane M.; Geiger, Franz M.; ...

2015-06-09

In this study, the interaction of nanomaterials with biomolecules, cells, and organisms is an enormously vital area of current research, with applications in nanoenabled diagnostics, imaging agents, therapeutics, and contaminant removal technologies. Yet the potential for adverse biological and environmental impacts of nanomaterial exposure is considerable and needs to be addressed to ensure sustainable development of nanomaterials. In this Outlook four research needs for the next decade are outlined: (i) measurement of the chemical nature of nanomaterials in dynamic, complex aqueous environments; (ii) real-time measurements of nanomaterial-biological interactions with chemical specificity; (iii) delineation of molecular modes of action for nanomaterialmore » effects on living systems as functions of nanomaterial properties; and (iv) an integrated systems approach that includes computation and simulation across orders of magnitude in time and space.« less

Naval research fellowships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is seeking applicants for 40 fellowships that will be awarded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1984. This program is designed to increase the number of U.S. citizens doing graduate work in such fields as ocean engineering, applied physics, electrical engineering, computer science, naval architecture, materials science) and aerospace a n d mechanical engineering. The fellowships are awarded on the recommendation of a panel of scientists and engineers convened by the ASEE. The deadline for applications is February 15, 1984.The program is open to graduating seniors who already have or will shortly have baccalaureates in disciplines vital to the research aims of the Navy and critical to national defense. As a reflection of the quality of the program, 1983 fellows had an average cummulative grade point average of 3.88; nine had a perfect 4.0.

Engineered BDNF producing cells as a potential treatment for neurologic disease

PubMed Central

Deng, Peter; Anderson, Johnathon D.; Yu, Abigail S.; Annett, Geralyn; Fink, Kyle D.; Nolta, Jan A.

2018-01-01

Introduction Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in wide range of neurological diseases and injury. This neurotrophic factor is vital for neuronal health, survival, and synaptic connectivity. Many therapies focus on the restoration or enhancement of BDNF following injury or disease progression. Areas covered The present review will focus on the mechanisms in which BDNF exerts its beneficial functioning, current BDNF therapies, issues and potential solutions for delivery of neurotrophic factors to the central nervous system, and other disease indications that may benefit from overexpression or restoration of BDNF. Expert opinion Due to the role of BDNF in neuronal development, maturation, and health, BDNF is implicated in numerous neurological diseases making it a prime therapeutic agent. Numerous studies have shown the therapeutic potential of BDNF in a number of neurodegenerative disease models and in acute CNS injury, however clinical translation has fallen short due to issues in delivering this molecule. The use of MSC as a delivery platform for BDNF holds great promise for clinical advancement of neurotrophic factor restoration. The ease with which MSC can be engineered opens the door to the possibility of using this cell-based delivery system to advance a BDNF therapy to the clinic. PMID:27159050

Situational awareness of a coordinated cyber attack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudit, Moises; Stotz, Adam; Holender, Michael

2005-03-01

As technology continues to advance, services and capabilities become computerized, and an ever increasing amount of business is conducted electronically the threat of cyber attacks gets compounded by the complexity of such attacks and the criticality of the information which must be secured. A new age of virtual warfare has dawned in which seconds can differentiate between the protection of vital information and/or services and a malicious attacker attaining their goal. In this paper we present a novel approach in the real-time detection of multistage coordinated cyber attacks and the promising initial testing results we have obtained. We introduce INFERD (INformation Fusion Engine for Real-time Decision-making), an adaptable information fusion engine which performs fusion at levels zero, one, and two to provide real-time situational assessment and its application to the cyber domain in the ECCARS (Event Correlation for Cyber Attack Recognition System) system. The advantages to our approach are fourfold: (1) The complexity of the attacks which we consider, (2) the level of abstraction in which the analyst interacts with the attack scenarios, (3) the speed at which the information fusion is presented and performed, and (4) our disregard for ad-hoc rules or a priori parameters.

Considerations for Teaching Integrated STEM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stohlmann, Micah; Moore, Tamara J.; Roehrig, Gillian H.

2012-01-01

Quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is vital for the future success of students. Integrated STEM education is one way to make learning more connected and relevant for students. There is a need for further research and discussion on the knowledge, experiences, and background that teachers need to effectively…

76 FR 59879 - National Public Lands Day, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-27

... energy, grazing, and recreation--vital economic engines in both rural and urban communities. On National... children will find opportunities for outdoor activity on the millions of acres of national forests, parks... conversation in the report, America's Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations. To act on these findings...

An Overview of Magnetic Bearing Technology for Gas Turbine Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Daniel J.; Jansen, Mark J.; Montague, Gerald T.

2004-01-01

The idea of the magnetic bearing and its use in exotic applications has been conceptualized for many years, over a century, in fact. Patented, passive systems using permanent magnets date back over 150 years. More recently, scientists of the 1930s began investigating active systems using electromagnets for high-speed ultracentrifuges. However, passive magnetic bearings are physically unstable and active systems only provide proper stiffness and damping through sophisticated controllers and algorithms. This is precisely why, until the last decade, magnetic bearings did not become a practical alternative to rolling element bearings. Today, magnetic bearing technology has become viable because of advances in micro-processing controllers that allow for confident and robust active control. Further advances in the following areas: rotor and stator materials and designs which maximize flux, minimize energy losses, and minimize stress limitations; wire materials and coatings for high temperature operation; high-speed micro processing for advanced controller designs and extremely robust capabilities; back-up bearing technology for providing a viable touchdown surface; and precision sensor technology; have put magnetic bearings on the forefront of advanced, lubrication free support systems. This paper will discuss a specific joint program for the advancement of gas turbine engines and how it implies the vitality of magnetic bearings, a brief comparison between magnetic bearings and other bearing technologies in both their advantages and limitations, and an examination of foreseeable solutions to historically perceived limitations to magnetic bearing.

Safety of Vital Control and Communication Systems in Guided Ground Transportation : Analysis of Railroad Signaling System Microprocessor Interlocking

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-05-01

This study has been conducted with the goal of gaining an insight into the issues of maintaining vital signal systems implemented with microprocessor chips and of making field changes to the application of such systems. To relate these abstract topic...

Development of a Commerical Enzyme System for Lignocellulosic Biomass Saccharification

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

Kumar, Manoj

2011-02-14

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant, least expensive renewable natural biological resource for the production of biobased products and bioenergy is important for the sustainable development of human civilization in 21st century. For making the fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, a reduction in cellulase production cost, an improvement in cellulase performance, and an increase in sugar yields are all vital to reduce the processing costs of biorefineries. Improvements in specific cellulase activities for non-complexed cellulase mixtures can be implemented through cellulase engineering based on rational design or directed evolution for each cellulase component enzyme, as well as on the reconstitutionmore » of cellulase components. In this paper, we will provide DSM's efforts in cellulase research and developments and focus on limitations. Cellulase improvement strategies based on directed evolution using screening on relevant substrates, screening for higher thermal tolerance based on activity screening approaches such as continuous culture using insoluble cellulosic substrates as a powerful selection tool for enriching beneficial cellulase mutants from the large library. We will illustrate why and how thermostable cellulases are vital for economic delivery of bioproducts from cellulosic biomass using biochemical conversion approach.« less

Management of the Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roman, Monsi; Perry, Jay; Howard, David

2013-01-01

The Advanced Exploration Systems Program's Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) project is working to further optimize atmosphere revitalization and environmental monitoring system architectures. This paper discusses project management strategies that tap into skill sets across multiple engineering disciplines, projects, field centers, and industry to achieve the project success. It is the project's objective to contribute to system advances that will enable sustained exploration missions beyond Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) and improve affordability by focusing on the primary goals of achieving high reliability, improving efficiency, and reducing dependence on ground-based logistics resupply. Technology demonstrations are achieved by infusing new technologies and concepts with existing developmental hardware and operating in a controlled environment simulating various crewed habitat scenarios. The ARREM project's strengths include access to a vast array of existing developmental hardware that perform all the vital atmosphere revitalization functions, exceptional test facilities to fully evaluate system performance, and a well-coordinated partnering effort among the NASA field centers and industry partners to provide the innovative expertise necessary to succeed.

A MySQL Based EPICS Archiver

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

Christopher Slominski

2009-10-01

Archiving a large fraction of the EPICS signals within the Jefferson Lab (JLAB) Accelerator control system is vital for postmortem and real-time analysis of the accelerator performance. This analysis is performed on a daily basis by scientists, operators, engineers, technicians, and software developers. Archiving poses unique challenges due to the magnitude of the control system. A MySQL Archiving system (Mya) was developed to scale to the needs of the control system; currently archiving 58,000 EPICS variables, updating at a rate of 11,000 events per second. In addition to the large collection rate, retrieval of the archived data must also bemore » fast and robust. Archived data retrieval clients obtain data at a rate over 100,000 data points per second. Managing the data in a relational database provides a number of benefits. This paper describes an archiving solution that uses an open source database and standard off the shelf hardware to reach high performance archiving needs. Mya has been in production at Jefferson Lab since February of 2007.« less

Vital signs in older patients: age-related changes.

PubMed

Chester, Jennifer Gonik; Rudolph, James L

2011-06-01

Vital signs are objective measures of physiological function that are used to monitor acute and chronic disease and thus serve as a basic communication tool about patient status. The purpose of this analysis was to review age-related changes of traditional vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature) with a focus on age-related molecular changes, organ system changes, systemic changes, and altered compensation to stressors. The review found that numerous physiological and pathological changes may occur with age and alter vital signs. These changes tend to reduce the ability of organ systems to adapt to physiological stressors, particularly in frail older patients. Because of the diversity of age-related physiological changes and comorbidities in an individual, single-point measurements of vital signs have less sensitivity in detecting disease processes. However, serial vital sign assessments may have increased sensitivity, especially when viewed in the context of individualized reference ranges. Vital sign change with age may be subtle because of reduced physiological ranges. However, change from an individual reference range may indicate important warning signs and thus may require additional evaluation to understand potential underlying pathological processes. As a result, individualized reference ranges may provide improved sensitivity in frail, older patients. Copyright © 2011 American Medical Directors Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Designing and Implementation of a Heart Failure Telemonitoring System

PubMed Central

Safdari, Reza; Jafarpour, Maryam; Mokhtaran, Mehrshad; Naderi, Nasim

2017-01-01

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify patients at-risk, enhancing self-care management of HF patients at home and reduce the disease exacerbations and readmissions. Method: In this research according to standard heart failure guidelines and Semi-structured interviews with 10 heart failure Specialists, a draft heart failure rule set for alerts and patient instructions was developed. Eventually, the clinical champion of the project vetted the rule set. Also we designed a transactional system to enhance monitoring and follow up of CHF patients. With this system, CHF patients are required to measure their physiological measurements (vital signs and body weight) every day and to submit their symptoms using the app. additionally, based on their data, they will receive customized notifications and motivation messages to classify risk of disease exacerbation. The architecture of system comprised of six major components: 1) a patient data collection suite including a mobile app and website; 2) Data Receiver; 3) Database; 4) a Specialists expert Panel; 5) Rule engine classifier; 6) Notifier engine. Results: This system has implemented in Iran for the first time and we are currently in the testing phase with 10 patients to evaluate the technical performance of our system. The developed expert system generates alerts and instructions based on the patient’s data and the notify engine notifies responsible nurses and physicians and sometimes patients. Detailed analysis of those results will be reported in a future report. Conclusion: This study is based on the design of a telemonitoring system for heart failure self-care that intents to overcome the gap that occurs when patients discharge from the hospital and tries to accurate requirement of readmission. A rule set for classifying and resulting automated alerts and patient instructions for heart failure telemonitoring was developed. It also facilitates daily communication among patients and heart failure clinicians so any deterioration in health could be identified immediately. PMID:29114106

Designing and Implementation of a Heart Failure Telemonitoring System.

PubMed

Safdari, Reza; Jafarpour, Maryam; Mokhtaran, Mehrshad; Naderi, Nasim

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to identify patients at-risk, enhancing self-care management of HF patients at home and reduce the disease exacerbations and readmissions. In this research according to standard heart failure guidelines and Semi-structured interviews with 10 heart failure Specialists, a draft heart failure rule set for alerts and patient instructions was developed. Eventually, the clinical champion of the project vetted the rule set. Also we designed a transactional system to enhance monitoring and follow up of CHF patients. With this system, CHF patients are required to measure their physiological measurements (vital signs and body weight) every day and to submit their symptoms using the app. additionally, based on their data, they will receive customized notifications and motivation messages to classify risk of disease exacerbation. The architecture of system comprised of six major components: 1) a patient data collection suite including a mobile app and website; 2) Data Receiver; 3) Database; 4) a Specialists expert Panel; 5) Rule engine classifier; 6) Notifier engine. This system has implemented in Iran for the first time and we are currently in the testing phase with 10 patients to evaluate the technical performance of our system. The developed expert system generates alerts and instructions based on the patient's data and the notify engine notifies responsible nurses and physicians and sometimes patients. Detailed analysis of those results will be reported in a future report. This study is based on the design of a telemonitoring system for heart failure self-care that intents to overcome the gap that occurs when patients discharge from the hospital and tries to accurate requirement of readmission. A rule set for classifying and resulting automated alerts and patient instructions for heart failure telemonitoring was developed. It also facilitates daily communication among patients and heart failure clinicians so any deterioration in health could be identified immediately.

Methane heat transfer investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Future high chamber pressure LOX/hydrocarbon booster engines require copper base alloy main combustion chamber coolant channels similar to the SSME to provide adequate cooling and reusable engine life. Therefore, it is of vital importance to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics and coking thresholds for LNG (94% methane) cooling, with a copper base alloy material adjacent to he fuel coolant. High pressure methane cooling and coking characteristics recently evaluated at Rocketdyne using stainless steel heated tubes at methane bulk temperatures and coolant wall temperatures typical of advanced engine operation except at lower heat fluxes as limited by the tube material. As expected, there was no coking observed. However, coking evaluations need be conducted with a copper base surface exposed to the methane coolant at higher heat fluxes approaching those of future high chamber pressure engines.

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Latina Engineering Students at a Community College: Intersection of Race, Gender, and Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melendez, Marnie

The United States Science, Technology, and Engineering and Math (STEM) workforce is vital to this country's economic development interests, and its ability to compete effectively in the global market. One of the greatest challenges facing that industry in the US is the current and projected shortage of engineers serving the STEM industry. Policymakers, educators, and industry leaders in the US are concerned that if the noted challenge is not addressed, the projected shortage particularly in the engineering sector, will have a significant negative impact on the economic well-being of the U.S. (Hagedorn & Purnamasari, 2012). Research supports the need to widen the net when seeking out potential STEM students, and experts have pointed to increasing recruitment of women and underrepresented students into the STEM majors and fields. This study sought a deeper understanding of the lived experience of Latinas pursuing an engineering major at a California community college. Having the Latin engineering students describe in their own words what it is like to be women of color pursuing an engineering degree at a community college made their struggle real. It helped to explore new strategies and provoke change in policies to increase student success rates for Latinas in the STEM fields specifically in engineering. To attract and retain women of color (e.g., Latinas) in STEM programs, the effort must start where many of them typically begin their higher education, in the community college system. The researcher is also recommending that educators concerned with increasing retention, persistence, and academic performance, also examine and promote practices that serve to enhance the sense of belonging among all students, especially students of color. Furthermore, this research recommends that school administrators within the community college system should reaffirm their stated mission to eradicate racial and gender discrimination within the classroom and throughout the campus. Essentially, this stresses that college administration can play a huge role in enhancing the student success of historically disadvantaged students, including women of color pursuing or aspiring to pursue a degree within the STEM field.

Engineering a Blood Vessel Network Module for Body-on-a-Chip Applications.

PubMed

Ryu, Hyunryul; Oh, Soojung; Lee, Hyun Jae; Lee, Jin Young; Lee, Hae Kwang; Jeon, Noo Li

2015-06-01

The blood circulatory system links all organs from one to another to support and maintain each organ's functions consistently. Therefore, blood vessels have been considered as a vital unit. Engineering perfusable functional blood vessels in vitro has been challenging due to difficulties in designing the connection between rigid macroscale tubes and fragile microscale ones. Here, we propose a generalizable method to engineer a "long" perfusable blood vessel network. To form millimeter-scale vessels, fibroblasts were co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in close proximity. In contrast to previous works, in which all cells were permanently placed within the device, we developed a novel method to culture paracrine factor secreting fibroblasts on an O-ring-shaped guide that can be transferred in and out. This approach affords flexibility in co-culture, where the effects of secreted factors can be decoupled. Using this, blood vessels with length up to 2 mm were successfully produced in a reproducible manner (>90%). Because the vessels form a perfusable network within the channel, simple links to inlets and outlets of the device allowed connections to the outside world. The robust and reproducible formation of in vitro engineered vessels can be used as a module to link various organ components as parts of future body-on-a-chip applications. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Reverse Engineering of Genome-wide Gene Regulatory Networks from Gene Expression Data

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhi-Ping

2015-01-01

Transcriptional regulation plays vital roles in many fundamental biological processes. Reverse engineering of genome-wide regulatory networks from high-throughput transcriptomic data provides a promising way to characterize the global scenario of regulatory relationships between regulators and their targets. In this review, we summarize and categorize the main frameworks and methods currently available for inferring transcriptional regulatory networks from microarray gene expression profiling data. We overview each of strategies and introduce representative methods respectively. Their assumptions, advantages, shortcomings, and possible improvements and extensions are also clarified and commented. PMID:25937810

49 CFR 236.1015 - PTC Safety Plan content requirements and PTC System Certification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Administrator finds that the PTCSP and supporting documentation support a finding that the system complies with... additional requirements apply to: (1) Non-vital overlay. A PTC system proposed as an overlay on the existing... greater than the level of safety for the previous PTC systems. (2) Vital overlay. A PTC system proposed on...

49 CFR 236.1015 - PTC Safety Plan content requirements and PTC System Certification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Administrator finds that the PTCSP and supporting documentation support a finding that the system complies with... additional requirements apply to: (1) Non-vital overlay. A PTC system proposed as an overlay on the existing... greater than the level of safety for the previous PTC systems. (2) Vital overlay. A PTC system proposed on...

49 CFR 236.1015 - PTC Safety Plan content requirements and PTC System Certification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Administrator finds that the PTCSP and supporting documentation support a finding that the system complies with... additional requirements apply to: (1) Non-vital overlay. A PTC system proposed as an overlay on the existing... greater than the level of safety for the previous PTC systems. (2) Vital overlay. A PTC system proposed on...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

The detection of 4 vital signs of in-patients Using fuzzy database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haris Rangkuti, A.; Erlisa Rasjid, Zulfany

2014-03-01

Actually in order to improve in the performance of the Hospital's administrator, by serve patients effectively and efficiently, the role of information technology become the dominant support. Especially when it comes to patient's conditions, such that it will be reported to a physician as soon as possible, including monitoring the patient's conditions regularly. For this reason it is necessary to have a Hospital Monitoring Information System, that is able to provide information about the patient's condition which is based on the four vital signs, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. To monitor the 4 vital signs, the concept of fuzzy logic is used, where the vital signs number approaches 1 then the patient is close to recovery, and on the contrary, when the vital signs number approaches 0 then the patient still has problems. This system also helps nurses to provide answers to the relatives of patients, who wants to know the development of the patient's condition, including the recovery percentage based on the average of Fuzzy max from the 4 vital signs. Using Fuzzy-based monitoring system, the monitoring of the patient's condition becomes simpler and easier.

DC motor speed control using fuzzy logic controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, N. L.; Zakaria, K. A.; Nazar, N. S. Moh; Syaripuddin, M.; Mokhtar, A. S. N.; Thanakodi, S.

2018-02-01

The automatic control has played a vital role in the advance of engineering and science. Nowadays in industries, the control of direct current (DC) motor is a common practice thus the implementation of DC motor controller speed is important. The main purpose of motor speed control is to keep the rotation of the motor at the present speed and to drive a system at the demand speed. The main purpose of this project is to control speed of DC Series Wound Motor using Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC). The expectation of this project is the Fuzzy Logic Controller will get the best performance compared to dc motor without controller in terms of settling time (Ts), rise time (Tr), peak time (Tp) and percent overshoot (%OS).

46 CFR 62.15-1 - Conditions under which equivalents may be used.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Conditions under which equivalents may be used. 62.15-1 Section 62.15-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL... level of safety and reliability. Demonstration of functional equivalence must include comparison of a...

46 CFR 62.15-1 - Conditions under which equivalents may be used.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Conditions under which equivalents may be used. 62.15-1 Section 62.15-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL... level of safety and reliability. Demonstration of functional equivalence must include comparison of a...

46 CFR 62.15-1 - Conditions under which equivalents may be used.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Conditions under which equivalents may be used. 62.15-1 Section 62.15-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL... level of safety and reliability. Demonstration of functional equivalence must include comparison of a...

46 CFR 62.15-1 - Conditions under which equivalents may be used.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Conditions under which equivalents may be used. 62.15-1 Section 62.15-1 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING VITAL... level of safety and reliability. Demonstration of functional equivalence must include comparison of a...

Science after School: Way Cool! A Course-Based Approach to Teaching Science Outreach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtis, Kathleen S.

2017-01-01

Outreach efforts directed toward improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) literacy are vitally important to ensure that all of our citizens are prepared to fully participate in an increasingly complex and technology-driven world. Attempts to maximize the effectiveness of STEM outreach has focused on younger populations,…

Students' Assessment of Interactive Distance Experimentation in Nuclear Reactor Physics Laboratory Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malkawi, Salaheddin; Al-Araidah, Omar

2013-01-01

Laboratory experiments develop students' skills in dealing with laboratory instruments and physical processes with the objective of reinforcing the understanding of the investigated subject. In nuclear engineering, where research reactors play a vital role in the practical education of students, the high cost and long construction time of research…

About the Transportation Secure Data Center | Transportation Secure Data

Science.gov Websites

Center | NREL About the Transportation Secure Data Center About the Transportation Secure Data Center The Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC) makes vital transportation data broadly available large, colorful map of the United States. NREL data experts and engineers analyze large sets of complex

Implementing a High School Level Geospatial Technologies and Spatial Thinking Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Curtis P.; Oberle, Alex; Sugumaran, Ramanathan

2011-01-01

Understanding geospatial technologies (GSTs) and spatial thinking is increasingly vital to contemporary life including common activities and hobbies; learning in science, mathematics, and social science; and employment within fields as diverse as engineering, health, business, and planning. As such, there is a need for a stand-alone K-12…

75 FR 9196 - Letter From Secretary of Energy Accepting Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-01

... capability for non- vital laboratory room electrical loads that provides an engineered control to reduce..., approximately two orders of magnitude higher than our evaluation guideline for selecting safety class controls. Approval of the DSA included recognition of weaknesses in the facility's control set and the need to...

Fueling Education Reform: Historically Black Colleges Are Meeting a National Science Imperative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suitts, Steve

2003-01-01

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are playing a critical role today in helping America overcome a looming shortage of scientists and engineers who are vital to the nation's future economic growth and competitiveness. Despite meager funding and a lack of public recognition, these educational institutions are producing a large…

75 FR 56459 - National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-15

... America A Proclamation Early in our Nation's history, higher education was not possible for most African... National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, we honor these pillars of higher education in... engines of economic growth and community service and will continue to play a vital role in helping America...

Engineering Cellulases for Biorefinery

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

Kumar, Manoj

2010-06-27

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant, least expensive renewable natural biological resource for the production of biobased products and bioenergy is important for the sustainable development of human civilization in 21st century. For making the fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, a reduction in cellulase production cost, an improvement in cellulase performance, and an increase in sugar yields are all vital to reduce the processing costs of biorefineries. Improvements in specific cellulase activities for non-complexed cellulase mixtures can be implemented through cellulase engineering based on rational design or directed evolution for each cellulase component enzyme, as well as on the reconstitutionmore » of cellulase components. In this paper, we will provide DSM's efforts in cellulase research and developments and focus on limitations. Cellulase improvement strategies based on directed evolution using screening on relevant substrates, screening for higher thermal tolerance based on activity screening approaches such as continuous culture using insoluble cellulosic substrates as a powerful selection tool for enriching beneficial cellulase mutants from the large library. We will illustrate why and how thermostable cellulases are vital for economic delivery of bioproducts from cellulosic biomass using biochemical conversion approach.« less

Optimization strategy for and structural properties of traffic efficiency under bounded information accessibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanghyun, Ahn; Seungwoong, Ha; Kim, Soo Yong

2016-06-01

A vital challenge for many socioeconomic systems is determining the optimum use of limited information. Traffic systems, wherein the range of resources is limited, are a particularly good example of this challenge. Based on bounded information accessibility in terms of, for example, high costs or technical limitations, we develop a new optimization strategy to improve the efficiency of a traffic system with signals and intersections. Numerous studies, including the study by Chowdery and Schadschneider (whose method we denote by ChSch), have attempted to achieve the maximum vehicle speed or the minimum wait time for a given traffic condition. In this paper, we introduce a modified version of ChSch with an independently functioning, decentralized control system. With the new model, we determine the optimization strategy under bounded information accessibility, which proves the existence of an optimal point for phase transitions in the system. The paper also provides insight that can be applied by traffic engineers to create more efficient traffic systems by analyzing the area and symmetry of local sites. We support our results with a statistical analysis using empirical traffic data from Seoul, Korea.

Closeout of CRADA JSA 2012S004: Chapter 5, Integrated Control System, of the document of the ESS Conceptual Design Report, publicly available at https://europeanspallationsource.se/accelerator-documents

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

Satogata, Todd

2013-04-22

The integrated control system (ICS) is responsible for the whole ESS machine and facility: accelerator, target, neutron scattering instruments and conventional facilities. This unified approach keeps the costs of development, maintenance and support relatively low. ESS has selected a standardised, field-proven controls framework, the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS), which was originally developed jointly by Argonne and Los Alamos National Laboratories. Complementing this selection are best practices and experience from similar facilities regarding platform standardisation, control system development and device integration and commissioning. The components of ICS include the control system core, the control boxes, the BLED databasemore » management system, and the human machine interface. The control system core is a set of systems and tools that make it possible for the control system to provide required data, information and services to engineers, operators, physicists and the facility itself. The core components are the timing system that makes possible clock synchronisation across the facility, the machine protection system (MPS) and the personnel protection system (PPS) that prevent damage to the machine and personnel, and a set of control system services. Control boxes are servers that control a collection of equipment (for example a radio frequency cavity). The integrated control system will include many control boxes that can be assigned to one supplier, such as an internal team, a collaborating institute or a commercial vendor. This approach facilitates a clear division of responsibilities and makes integration much easier. A control box is composed of a standardised hardware platform, components, development tools and services. On the top level, it interfaces with the core control system components (timing, MPS, PPS) and with the human-machine interface. At the bottom, it interfaces with the equipment and parts of the facility through a set of analog and digital signals, real-time control loops and other communication buses. The ICS central data management system is named BLED (beam line element databases). BLED is a set of databases, tools and services that is used to store, manage and access data. It holds vital control system configuration and physics-related (lattice) information about the accelerator, target and instruments. It facilitates control system configuration by bringing together direct input-output controller (IOC) con guration and real-time data from proton and neutron beam line models. BLED also simplifies development and speeds up the code-test-debug cycle. The set of tools that access BLED will be tailored to the needs of different categories of users, such as ESS staff physicists, engineers, and operators; external partner laboratories; and visiting experimental instrument users. The human-machine interface is vital to providing a high-quality experience to ICS users. It encompasses a wide array of devices and software tools, from control room screens to engineer terminal windows; from beam physics data tools to post-mortem data analysis tools. It serves users with a wide range of skills from widely varied backgrounds. The Controls Group is developing a set of user profiles to accommodate this diverse range of use-cases and users.« less

Incorporating Human Readiness Levels at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE PAGES

See, Judi E.; Morris, Jason; Craft, Richard; ...

2018-01-24

Since 2010, the concept of human readiness levels has been under development as a possible supplement to the existing technology readiness level (TRL) scale. The intent is to provide a mechanism to address safety and performance risks associated with the human component in a system that parallels the TRL structure already familiar to the systems engineering community. Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initiated a study in 2015 to evaluate options to incorporate human readiness planning for Sandia processes and products. The study team has collected the majority of baseline assessment data and has conducted interviews to understand staffmore » perceptions of four different options for human readiness planning. Preliminary results suggest that all four options may have a vital role, depending on the type of work performed and the phase of product development. Upon completion of data collection, the utility of identified solutions will be assessed in one or more test cases.« less

Bearing tester data compilation, analysis, and reporting and bearing math modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The Shaberth bearing analysis computer program was developed for the analysis of jet engine shaft/bearing systems operating above room temperature with normal hydrocarbon lubricants. It is also possible to use this tool to evaluate the shaft bearing systems operating in cryogenics. Effects such as fluid drag, radial temperature gradients, outer race misalignments and clearance changes were simulated and evaluated. In addition, the speed and preload effects on bearing radial stiffness was evaluated. The Shaberth program was also used to provide contact stresses from which contact geometry was calculated to support other analyses such as the determination of cryogenic fluid film thickness in the contacts and evaluation of surface and subsurface stresses necessary for bearing failure evaluation. This program was a vital tool for the thermal analysis of the bearing in that it provides the heat generation rates at the rolling element/race contacts for input into a thermal model of the bearing/shaft assembly.

Control of coupled oscillator networks with application to microgrid technologies.

PubMed

Skardal, Per Sebastian; Arenas, Alex

2015-08-01

The control of complex systems and network-coupled dynamical systems is a topic of vital theoretical importance in mathematics and physics with a wide range of applications in engineering and various other sciences. Motivated by recent research into smart grid technologies, we study the control of synchronization and consider the important case of networks of coupled phase oscillators with nonlinear interactions-a paradigmatic example that has guided our understanding of self-organization for decades. We develop a method for control based on identifying and stabilizing problematic oscillators, resulting in a stable spectrum of eigenvalues, and in turn a linearly stable synchronized state. The amount of control, that is, number of oscillators, required to stabilize the network is primarily dictated by the coupling strength, dynamical heterogeneity, and mean degree of the network, and depends little on the structural heterogeneity of the network itself.

Control of coupled oscillator networks with application to microgrid technologies

PubMed Central

Skardal, Per Sebastian; Arenas, Alex

2015-01-01

The control of complex systems and network-coupled dynamical systems is a topic of vital theoretical importance in mathematics and physics with a wide range of applications in engineering and various other sciences. Motivated by recent research into smart grid technologies, we study the control of synchronization and consider the important case of networks of coupled phase oscillators with nonlinear interactions—a paradigmatic example that has guided our understanding of self-organization for decades. We develop a method for control based on identifying and stabilizing problematic oscillators, resulting in a stable spectrum of eigenvalues, and in turn a linearly stable synchronized state. The amount of control, that is, number of oscillators, required to stabilize the network is primarily dictated by the coupling strength, dynamical heterogeneity, and mean degree of the network, and depends little on the structural heterogeneity of the network itself. PMID:26601231

Incorporating Human Readiness Levels at Sandia National Laboratories

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

See, Judi E.; Morris, Jason; Craft, Richard

Since 2010, the concept of human readiness levels has been under development as a possible supplement to the existing technology readiness level (TRL) scale. The intent is to provide a mechanism to address safety and performance risks associated with the human component in a system that parallels the TRL structure already familiar to the systems engineering community. Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initiated a study in 2015 to evaluate options to incorporate human readiness planning for Sandia processes and products. The study team has collected the majority of baseline assessment data and has conducted interviews to understand staffmore » perceptions of four different options for human readiness planning. Preliminary results suggest that all four options may have a vital role, depending on the type of work performed and the phase of product development. Upon completion of data collection, the utility of identified solutions will be assessed in one or more test cases.« less

Porphyrins at interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auwärter, Willi; Écija, David; Klappenberger, Florian; Barth, Johannes V.

2015-02-01

Porphyrins and other tetrapyrrole macrocycles possess an impressive variety of functional properties that have been exploited in natural and artificial systems. Different metal centres incorporated within the tetradentate ligand are key for achieving and regulating vital processes, including reversible axial ligation of adducts, electron transfer, light-harvesting and catalytic transformations. Tailored substituents optimize their performance, dictating their arrangement in specific environments and mediating the assembly of molecular nanoarchitectures. Here we review the current understanding of these species at well-defined interfaces, disclosing exquisite insights into their structural and chemical properties, and also discussing methods by which to manipulate their intramolecular and organizational features. The distinct characteristics arising from the interfacial confinement offer intriguing prospects for molecular science and advanced materials. We assess the role of surface interactions with respect to electronic and physicochemical characteristics, and describe in situ metallation pathways, molecular magnetism, rotation and switching. The engineering of nanostructures, organized layers, interfacial hybrid and bio-inspired systems is also addressed.

Control of coupled oscillator networks with application to microgrid technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arenas, Alex

The control of complex systems and network-coupled dynamical systems is a topic of vital theoretical importance in mathematics and physics with a wide range of applications in engineering and various other sciences. Motivated by recent research into smart grid technologies, we study the control of synchronization and consider the important case of networks of coupled phase oscillators with nonlinear interactions-a paradigmatic example that has guided our understanding of self-organization for decades. We develop a method for control based on identifying and stabilizing problematic oscillators, resulting in a stable spectrum of eigenvalues, and in turn a linearly stable syn- chronized state. The amount of control, that is, number of oscillators, required to stabilize the network is primarily dictated by the coupling strength, dynamical heterogeneity, and mean degree of the network, and depends little on the structural heterogeneity of the network itself.

Recent developments in turbomachinery component materials and manufacturing challenges for aero engine applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivas, G.; Raghunandana, K.; Satish Shenoy, B.

2018-02-01

In the recent years the development of turbomachinery materials performance enhancement plays a vital role especially in aircraft air breathing engines like turbojet engine, turboprop engine, turboshaft engine and turbofan engines. Especially the transonic flow engines required highly sophisticated materials where it can sustain the entire thrust which can create by the engine. The main objective of this paper is to give an overview of the present cost-effective and technological capabilities process for turbomachinery component materials. Especially the main focus is given to study the Electro physical, Photonic additive removal process and Electro chemical process for turbomachinery parts manufacture. The aeronautical propulsion based technologies are reviewed thoroughly where in surface reliability, geometrical precession, and material removal and highly strengthened composite material deposition rates usually difficult to cut dedicated steels, Titanium and Nickel based alloys. In this paper the past aeronautical and propulsion mechanical based manufacturing technologies, current sophisticated technologies and also future challenging material processing techniques are covered. The paper also focuses on the brief description of turbomachinery components of shaping process and coating in aeromechanical applications.

Engineering extracellular matrix through nanotechnology.

PubMed

Kelleher, Cassandra M; Vacanti, Joseph P

2010-12-06

The goal of tissue engineering is the creation of a living device that can restore, maintain or improve tissue function. Behind this goal is a new idea that has emerged from twentieth century medicine, science and engineering. It is preceded by centuries of human repair and replacement with non-living materials adapted to restore function and cosmetic appearance to patients whose tissues have been destroyed by disease, trauma or congenital abnormality. The nineteenth century advanced replacement and repair strategies based on moving living structures from a site of normal tissue into a site of defects created by the same processes. Donor skin into burn wounds, tendon transfers, intestinal replacements into the urinary tract, toes to replace fingers are all examples. The most radical application is that of vital organ transplantation in which a vital part such as heart, lung or liver is removed from one donor, preserved for transfer and implanted into a patient dying of end-stage organ failure. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have advanced a general strategy combining the cellular elements of living tissue with sophisticated biomaterials to produce living structures of sufficient size and function to improve patients' lives. Multiple strategies have evolved and the application of nanotechnology can only improve the field. In our era, by necessity, any medical advance must be successfully commercialized to allow widespread application to help the greatest number of patients. It follows that business models and regulatory agencies must adapt and change to enable these new technologies to emerge. This brief review will discuss the science of nanotechnology and how it has been applied to this evolving field. We will then briefly summarize the history of commercialization of tissue engineering and suggest that nanotechnology may be of use in breeching the barriers to commercialization although its primary mission is to improve the technology by solving some remaining and vexing problems in its science and engineering aspects.

High Efficiency, Clean Combustion

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

Donald Stanton

2010-03-31

Energy use in trucks has been increasing at a faster rate than that of automobiles within the U.S. transportation sector. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), a 23% increase in fuel consumption for the U.S. heavy duty truck segment is expected between 2009 to 2020. The heavy duty vehicle oil consumption is projected to grow between 2009 and 2050 while light duty vehicle (LDV) fuel consumption will eventually experience a decrease. By 2050, the oil consumption rate by LDVs is anticipated to decrease below 2009 levels due to CAFE standards and biofuel use. In contrast,more » the heavy duty oil consumption rate is anticipated to double. The increasing trend in oil consumption for heavy trucks is linked to the vitality, security, and growth of the U.S. economy. An essential part of a stable and vibrant U.S. economy is a productive U.S. trucking industry. Studies have shown that the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) is strongly correlated to freight transport. Over 90% of all U.S. freight tonnage is transported by diesel power and over 75% is transported by trucks. Given the vital role that the trucking industry plays in the economy, improving the efficiency of the transportation of goods was a central focus of the Cummins High Efficient Clean Combustion (HECC) program. In a commercial vehicle, the diesel engine remains the largest source of fuel efficiency loss, but remains the greatest opportunity for fuel efficiency improvements. In addition to reducing oil consumption and the dependency on foreign oil, this project will mitigate the impact on the environment by meeting US EPA 2010 emissions regulations. Innovation is a key element in sustaining a U.S. trucking industry that is competitive in global markets. Unlike passenger vehicles, the trucking industry cannot simply downsize the vehicle and still transport the freight with improved efficiency. The truck manufacturing and supporting industries are faced with numerous challenges to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gases, meet stringent emissions regulations, provide customer value, and improve safety. The HECC program successfully reduced engine fuel consumption and greenhouse gases while providing greater customer valve. The US EPA 2010 emissions standard poses a significant challenge for developing clean diesel powertrains that meet the DoE Vehicle Technologies Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) for fuel efficiency improvement while remaining affordable. Along with exhaust emissions, an emphasis on heavy duty vehicle fuel efficiency is being driven by increased energy costs as well as the potential regulation of greenhouse gases. An important element of the success of meeting emissions while significantly improving efficiency is leveraging Cummins component technologies such as fuel injection equipment, aftertreatment, turbomahcinery, electronic controls, and combustion systems. Innovation in component technology coupled with system integration is enabling Cummins to move forward with the development of high efficiency clean diesel products with a long term goal of reaching a 55% peak brake thermal efficiency for the engine plus aftertreatment system. The first step in developing high efficiency clean products has been supported by the DoE co-sponsored HECC program. The objectives of the HECC program are: (1) To design and develop advanced diesel engine architectures capable of achieving US EPA 2010 emission regulations while improving the brake thermal efficiency by 10% compared to the baseline (a state of the art 2007 production diesel engine). (2) To design and develop components and subsystems (fuel systems, air handling, controls, etc) to enable construction and development of multi-cylinder engines. (3) To perform an assessment of the commercial viability of the newly developed engine technology. (4) To specify fuel properties conducive to improvements in emissions, reliability, and fuel efficiency for engines using high-efficiency clean combustion (HECC) technologies. To demonstrate the technology is compatible with B20 (biodiesel). (5) To further improve the brake thermal efficiency of the engine as integrated into the vehicle. To demonstrate robustness and commercial viability of the HECC engine technology as integrated into the vehicles. The Cummins HECC program supported the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D and Fuels Technology initiatives of the DoE Vehicle Technologies Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP). In particular, the HECC project goals enabled the DoE Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP) to meet energy-efficiency improvement targets for advanced combustion engines suitable for passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as addressing technology barriers and R&D needs that are common between passenger and commercial vehicle applications of advanced combustion engines.« less

An aura of confusion: 'seeing auras-vital energy or human physiology?' Part 1 of a three part series.

PubMed

Duerden, Tim

2004-02-01

The first of three papers that considers claims made for the perception or detection of vital energy. Many systems of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) assume the existence of a vital force that mediates therapeutic efficacy, for example chi or qi in Traditional Chinese medicine. Vital energy directly perceived or imaged that surrounds living organisms is frequently termed the aura. This paper aims to show how phenomena that arise as a consequence of the normal functioning of the human visual system can be inappropriately offered as support of claims for the direct perception of vital energy or the aura. Specifically, contrast and complementary colour phenomena, entoptic phenomena and the deformation phosphene, the 'flying corpuscle effect', the blind spot and the 'reverse telescope effect' are explained and discussed.

Underestimates of unintentional firearm fatalities: comparing Supplementary Homicide Report data with the National Vital Statistics System

PubMed Central

Barber, C; Hemenway, D; Hochstadt, J; Azrael, D

2002-01-01

Objective: A growing body of evidence suggests that the nation's vital statistics system undercounts unintentional firearm deaths that are not self inflicted. This issue was examined by comparing how unintentional firearm injuries identified in police Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data were coded in the National Vital Statistics System. Methods: National Vital Statistics System data are based on death certificates and divide firearm fatalities into six subcategories: homicide, suicide, accident, legal intervention, war operations, and undetermined. SHRs are completed by local police departments as part of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports program. The SHR divides homicides into two categories: "murder and non-negligent manslaughter" (type A) and "negligent manslaughter" (type B). Type B shooting deaths are those that are inflicted by another person and that a police investigation determined were inflicted unintentionally, as in a child killing a playmate after mistaking a gun for a toy. In 1997, the SHR classified 168 shooting victims this way. Using probabilistic matching, 140 of these victims were linked to their death certificate records. Results: Among the 140 linked cases, 75% were recorded on the death certificate as homicides and only 23% as accidents. Conclusion: Official data from the National Vital Statistics System almost certainly undercount firearm accidents when the victim is shot by another person. PMID:12226128

Mobile healthcare applications: system design review, critical issues and challenges.

PubMed

Baig, Mirza Mansoor; GholamHosseini, Hamid; Connolly, Martin J

2015-03-01

Mobile phones are becoming increasingly important in monitoring and delivery of healthcare interventions. They are often considered as pocket computers, due to their advanced computing features, enhanced preferences and diverse capabilities. Their sophisticated sensors and complex software applications make the mobile healthcare (m-health) based applications more feasible and innovative. In a number of scenarios user-friendliness, convenience and effectiveness of these systems have been acknowledged by both patients as well as healthcare providers. M-health technology employs advanced concepts and techniques from multidisciplinary fields of electrical engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering and medicine which benefit the innovations of these fields towards healthcare systems. This paper deals with two important aspects of current mobile phone based sensor applications in healthcare. Firstly, critical review of advanced applications such as; vital sign monitoring, blood glucose monitoring and in-built camera based smartphone sensor applications. Secondly, investigating challenges and critical issues related to the use of smartphones in healthcare including; reliability, efficiency, mobile phone platform variability, cost effectiveness, energy usage, user interface, quality of medical data, and security and privacy. It was found that the mobile based applications have been widely developed in recent years with fast growing deployment by healthcare professionals and patients. However, despite the advantages of smartphones in patient monitoring, education, and management there are some critical issues and challenges related to security and privacy of data, acceptability, reliability and cost that need to be addressed.

A comparison of two surveillance systems for deaths related to violent injury

PubMed Central

Comstock, R; Mallonee, S; Jordan, F

2005-01-01

Objective: To compare violent injury death reporting by the statewide Medical Examiner and Vital Statistics Office surveillance systems in Oklahoma. Methods: Using a standard study definition for violent injury death, the sensitivity and predictive value positive (PVP) of the Medical Examiner and Vital Statistics violent injury death reporting systems in Oklahoma in 2001 were evaluated. Results: Altogether 776 violent injury deaths were identified (violent injury death rate: 22.4 per 100 000 population) including 519 (66.9%) suicides, 248 (32.0%) homicides, and nine (1.2%) unintentional firearm deaths. The Medical Examiner system over-reported homicides and the Vital Statistics system under-reported homicides and suicides and over-reported unintentional firearm injury deaths. When compared with the standard, the Medical Examiner and Vital Statistics systems had sensitivities of 99.2% and 90.7% (respectively) and PVPs of 95.0% and 99.1% for homicide, sensitivities of 99.2% and 93.1% and PVPs of 100% and 99.0% for suicide, and sensitivities of 100% and 100% and PVPs of 100% and 31.0% for unintentional firearm deaths. Conclusions: Both the Vital Statistics and Medical Examiner systems contain valuable data and when combined can work synergistically to provide violent injury death information while also serving as quality control checks for each other. Preventable errors within both systems can be reduced by increasing training, addressing sources of human error, and expanding computer quality assurance programming. A standardized nationwide Medical Examiners' coding system and a national violent death reporting system that merges multiple public health and criminal justice datasets would enhance violent injury surveillance and prevention efforts. PMID:15691992

77 FR 62517 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-15

...-based vital statistics at the national level, referred to as the U.S. National Vital Statistics System... days of this notice. Proposed Project Vital Statistics Training Application, OMB No. 0920-0217--Revision exp. 5/31/2013--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and...

Do you think you have what it takes to set up a long-term video monitoring unit?

PubMed

Smith, Sheila L

2006-03-01

The single most important factor when setting up a long-term video monitoring unit is research. Research all vendors by traveling to other sites and calling other facilities. Considerations with equipment include the server, acquisition units, review units, cameras, software, and monitors as well as other factors including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. Research customer support including both field and telephone support. Involve your Clinical Engineering Department in your investigations. Be sure to obtain warranty information. Researching placement of the equipment is essential. Communication with numerous groups is vital. Administration, engineers, clinical engineering, physicians, infection control, environmental services, house supervisors, security, and all involved parties should be involved in the planning.

Science and Technology Review June 2006

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

Radousky, H

2006-04-20

This month's issue has the following articles: (1) Maintaining Excellence through Intellectual Vitality--Commentary by Cherry A. Murray; (2) Next-Generation Scientists and Engineers Tap Lab's Resources--University of California Ph.D. candidates work with Livermore scientists and engineers to conduct fundamental research as part of their theses; (3) Adaptive Optics Provide a Clearer View--The Center for Adaptive Optics is sharpening the view of celestial objects and retinal cells; (4) Wired on the Nanoscale--A Lawrence Fellow at Livermore is using genetically engineered viruses to create nanostructures such as tiny gold wires; and (5) Too Hot to Handle--Livermore scientists couple carbon-cycle and climate models tomore » predict the global effects of depleting Earth's fossil-fuel supply.« less

Terascale Computing in Accelerator Science and Technology

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

Ko, Kwok

2002-08-21

We have entered the age of ''terascale'' scientific computing. Processors and system architecture both continue to evolve; hundred-teraFLOP computers are expected in the next few years, and petaFLOP computers toward the end of this decade are conceivable. This ever-increasing power to solve previously intractable numerical problems benefits almost every field of science and engineering and is revolutionizing some of them, notably including accelerator physics and technology. At existing accelerators, it will help us optimize performance, expand operational parameter envelopes, and increase reliability. Design decisions for next-generation machines will be informed by unprecedented comprehensive and accurate modeling, as well as computer-aidedmore » engineering; all this will increase the likelihood that even their most advanced subsystems can be commissioned on time, within budget, and up to specifications. Advanced computing is also vital to developing new means of acceleration and exploring the behavior of beams under extreme conditions. With continued progress it will someday become reasonable to speak of a complete numerical model of all phenomena important to a particular accelerator.« less

Formalization of the engineering science discipline - knowledge engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Xiao

Knowledge is the most precious ingredient facilitating aerospace engineering research and product development activities. Currently, the most common knowledge retention methods are paper-based documents, such as reports, books and journals. However, those media have innate weaknesses. For example, four generations of flying wing aircraft (Horten, Northrop XB-35/YB-49, Boeing BWB and many others) were mostly developed in isolation. The subsequent engineers were not aware of the previous developments, because these projects were documented such which prevented the next generation of engineers to benefit from the previous lessons learned. In this manner, inefficient knowledge retention methods have become a primary obstacle for knowledge transfer from the experienced to the next generation of engineers. In addition, the quality of knowledge itself is a vital criterion; thus, an accurate measure of the quality of 'knowledge' is required. Although qualitative knowledge evaluation criteria have been researched in other disciplines, such as the AAA criterion by Ernest Sosa stemming from the field of philosophy, a quantitative knowledge evaluation criterion needs to be developed which is capable to numerically determine the qualities of knowledge for aerospace engineering research and product development activities. To provide engineers with a high-quality knowledge management tool, the engineering science discipline Knowledge Engineering has been formalized to systematically address knowledge retention issues. This research undertaking formalizes Knowledge Engineering as follows: 1. Categorize knowledge according to its formats and representations for the first time, which serves as the foundation for the subsequent knowledge management function development. 2. Develop an efficiency evaluation criterion for knowledge management by analyzing the characteristics of both knowledge and the parties involved in the knowledge management processes. 3. Propose and develop an innovative Knowledge-Based System (KBS), AVD KBS, forming a systematic approach facilitating knowledge management. 4. Demonstrate the efficiency advantages of AVDKBS over traditional knowledge management methods via selected design case studies. This research formalizes, for the first time, Knowledge Engineering as a distinct discipline by delivering a robust and high-quality knowledge management and process tool, AVDKBS. Formalizing knowledge proves to significantly impact the effectiveness of aerospace knowledge retention and utilization.

Telemetry Boards Interpret Rocket, Airplane Engine Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

For all the data gathered by the space shuttle while in orbit, NASA engineers are just as concerned about the information it generates on the ground. From the moment the shuttle s wheels touch the runway to the break of its electrical umbilical cord at 0.4 seconds before its next launch, sensors feed streams of data about the status of the vehicle and its various systems to Kennedy Space Center s shuttle crews. Even while the shuttle orbiter is refitted in Kennedy s orbiter processing facility, engineers constantly monitor everything from power levels to the testing of the mechanical arm in the orbiter s payload bay. On the launch pad and up until liftoff, the Launch Control Center, attached to the large Vehicle Assembly Building, screens all of the shuttle s vital data. (Once the shuttle clears its launch tower, this responsibility shifts to Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, with Kennedy in a backup role.) Ground systems for satellite launches also generate significant amounts of data. At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, across the Banana River from Kennedy s location on Merritt Island, Florida, NASA rockets carrying precious satellite payloads into space flood the Launch Vehicle Data Center with sensor information on temperature, speed, trajectory, and vibration. The remote measurement and transmission of systems data called telemetry is essential to ensuring the safe and successful launch of the Agency s space missions. When a launch is unsuccessful, as it was for this year s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite, telemetry data also provides valuable clues as to what went wrong and how to remedy any problems for future attempts. All of this information is streamed from sensors in the form of binary code: strings of ones and zeros. One small company has partnered with NASA to provide technology that renders raw telemetry data intelligible not only for Agency engineers, but also for those in the private sector.

Spinoff 2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

Topics include: Bioreactors Drive Advances in Tissue Engineering; Tooling Techniques Enhance Medical Imaging; Ventilator Technologies Sustain Critically Injured Patients; Protein Innovations Advance Drug Treatments, Skin Care; Mass Analyzers Facilitate Research on Addiction; Frameworks Coordinate Scientific Data Management; Cameras Improve Navigation for Pilots, Drivers; Integrated Design Tools Reduce Risk, Cost; Advisory Systems Save Time, Fuel for Airlines; Modeling Programs Increase Aircraft Design Safety; Fly-by-Wire Systems Enable Safer, More Efficient Flight; Modified Fittings Enhance Industrial Safety; Simulation Tools Model Icing for Aircraft Design; Information Systems Coordinate Emergency Management; Imaging Systems Provide Maps for U.S. Soldiers; High-Pressure Systems Suppress Fires in Seconds; Alloy-Enhanced Fans Maintain Fresh Air in Tunnels; Control Algorithms Charge Batteries Faster; Software Programs Derive Measurements from Photographs; Retrofits Convert Gas Vehicles into Hybrids; NASA Missions Inspire Online Video Games; Monitors Track Vital Signs for Fitness and Safety; Thermal Components Boost Performance of HVAC Systems; World Wind Tools Reveal Environmental Change; Analyzers Measure Greenhouse Gasses, Airborne Pollutants; Remediation Technologies Eliminate Contaminants; Receivers Gather Data for Climate, Weather Prediction; Coating Processes Boost Performance of Solar Cells; Analyzers Provide Water Security in Space and on Earth; Catalyst Substrates Remove Contaminants, Produce Fuel; Rocket Engine Innovations Advance Clean Energy; Technologies Render Views of Earth for Virtual Navigation; Content Platforms Meet Data Storage, Retrieval Needs; Tools Ensure Reliability of Critical Software; Electronic Handbooks Simplify Process Management; Software Innovations Speed Scientific Computing; Controller Chips Preserve Microprocessor Function; Nanotube Production Devices Expand Research Capabilities; Custom Machines Advance Composite Manufacturing; Polyimide Foams Offer Superior Insulation; Beam Steering Devices Reduce Payload Weight; Models Support Energy-Saving Microwave Technologies; Materials Advance Chemical Propulsion Technology; and High-Temperature Coatings Offer Energy Savings.

StakeMeter: value-based stakeholder identification and quantification framework for value-based software systems.

PubMed

Babar, Muhammad Imran; Ghazali, Masitah; Jawawi, Dayang N A; Bin Zaheer, Kashif

2015-01-01

Value-based requirements engineering plays a vital role in the development of value-based software (VBS). Stakeholders are the key players in the requirements engineering process, and the selection of critical stakeholders for the VBS systems is highly desirable. Based on the stakeholder requirements, the innovative or value-based idea is realized. The quality of the VBS system is associated with the concrete set of valuable requirements, and the valuable requirements can only be obtained if all the relevant valuable stakeholders participate in the requirements elicitation phase. The existing value-based approaches focus on the design of the VBS systems. However, the focus on the valuable stakeholders and requirements is inadequate. The current stakeholder identification and quantification (SIQ) approaches are neither state-of-the-art nor systematic for the VBS systems. The existing approaches are time-consuming, complex and inconsistent which makes the initiation process difficult. Moreover, the main motivation of this research is that the existing SIQ approaches do not provide the low level implementation details for SIQ initiation and stakeholder metrics for quantification. Hence, keeping in view the existing SIQ problems, this research contributes in the form of a new SIQ framework called 'StakeMeter'. The StakeMeter framework is verified and validated through case studies. The proposed framework provides low-level implementation guidelines, attributes, metrics, quantification criteria and application procedure as compared to the other methods. The proposed framework solves the issues of stakeholder quantification or prioritization, higher time consumption, complexity, and process initiation. The framework helps in the selection of highly critical stakeholders for the VBS systems with less judgmental error.

Enhancing Visualization Skills-Improving Options and Success (EnViSIONS) of Engineering and Technology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veurink, N. L.; Hamlin, A. J.; Kampe; J. C. M.; Sorby, S. A.; Blasko, D. G.; Holliday-Darr, K. A.; Kremer, J. D. Trich; Harris, L. V. Abe; Connolly, P. E.; Sadowski, M. A.; Harris, K. S.; Brus, C. P.; Boyle, L. N.; Study, N. E.; Knott, T. W.

2009-01-01

Spatial visualization skills are vital to many careers and in particular to STEM fields. Materials have been developed at Michigan Technological University and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College to assess and develop spatial skills. The EnViSIONS (Enhancing Visualization Skills-Improving Options aNd Success) project is combining these materials…

Gender Matters: An Examination of Differential Effects of the College Experience on Degree Attainment in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gayles, Joy Gaston; Ampaw, Frim D.

2011-01-01

Although more women than men are enrolled in college within the United States, women remain underrepresented in critical areas of study such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This is particularly concerning given that STEM fields of study are vital to the economic growth and workforce development within the United…

The Role of Informal Science in the State Education Agenda. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomasian, John

2012-01-01

Many governors have launched initiatives to raise student proficiency in math and science and encourage youth to pursue careers in STEM fields (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and math). Individuals with strong STEM skills play vital roles in technological innovation and economic growth and are rewarded with more secure jobs and higher…

3 CFR 8719 - Proclamation 8719 of September 22, 2011. National Public Lands Day, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...—vital economic engines in both rural and urban communities. On National Public Lands Day, we take time... lakes, and pick up litter in city parks. Through their service, families and children will find..., America’s Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations. To act on these findings, we are undertaking...

Computational Thinking in K-12: A Review of the State of the Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grover, Shuchi; Pea, Roy

2013-01-01

Jeannette Wing's influential article on computational thinking 6 years ago argued for adding this new competency to every child's analytical ability as a vital ingredient of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. What is computational thinking? Why did this article resonate with so many and serve as a rallying cry for…

Insights into mortality patterns and causes of death through a process point of view model.

PubMed

Anderson, James J; Li, Ting; Sharrow, David J

2017-02-01

Process point of view (POV) models of mortality, such as the Strehler-Mildvan and stochastic vitality models, represent death in terms of the loss of survival capacity through challenges and dissipation. Drawing on hallmarks of aging, we link these concepts to candidate biological mechanisms through a framework that defines death as challenges to vitality where distal factors defined the age-evolution of vitality and proximal factors define the probability distribution of challenges. To illustrate the process POV, we hypothesize that the immune system is a mortality nexus, characterized by two vitality streams: increasing vitality representing immune system development and immunosenescence representing vitality dissipation. Proximal challenges define three mortality partitions: juvenile and adult extrinsic mortalities and intrinsic adult mortality. Model parameters, generated from Swedish mortality data (1751-2010), exhibit biologically meaningful correspondences to economic, health and cause-of-death patterns. The model characterizes the twentieth century epidemiological transition mainly as a reduction in extrinsic mortality resulting from a shift from high magnitude disease challenges on individuals at all vitality levels to low magnitude stress challenges on low vitality individuals. Of secondary importance, intrinsic mortality was described by a gradual reduction in the rate of loss of vitality presumably resulting from reduction in the rate of immunosenescence. Extensions and limitations of a distal/proximal framework for characterizing more explicit causes of death, e.g. the young adult mortality hump or cancer in old age are discussed.

Insights into mortality patterns and causes of death through a process point of view model

PubMed Central

Anderson, James J.; Li, Ting; Sharrow, David J.

2016-01-01

Process point of view models of mortality, such as the Strehler-Mildvan and stochastic vitality models, represent death in terms of the loss of survival capacity through challenges and dissipation. Drawing on hallmarks of aging, we link these concepts to candidate biological mechanisms through a framework that defines death as challenges to vitality where distal factors defined the age-evolution of vitality and proximal factors define the probability distribution of challenges. To illustrate the process point of view, we hypothesize that the immune system is a mortality nexus, characterized by two vitality streams: increasing vitality representing immune system development and immunosenescence representing vitality dissipation. Proximal challenges define three mortality partitions: juvenile and adult extrinsic mortalities and intrinsic adult mortality. Model parameters, generated from Swedish mortality data (1751-2010), exhibit biologically meaningful correspondences to economic, health and cause-of-death patterns. The model characterizes the 20th century epidemiological transition mainly as a reduction in extrinsic mortality resulting from a shift from high magnitude disease challenges on individuals at all vitality levels to low magnitude stress challenges on low vitality individuals. Of secondary importance, intrinsic mortality was described by a gradual reduction in the rate of loss of vitality presumably resulting from reduction in the rate of immunosenescence. Extensions and limitations of a distal/proximal framework for characterizing more explicit causes of death, e.g. the young adult mortality hump or cancer in old age are discussed. PMID:27885527

Are vital signs indicative for bacteremia in newborns?

PubMed

Yapıcıoğlu, Hacer; Özlü, Ferda; Sertdemir, Yaşar

2015-01-01

Neonatal systemic infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality both in industrialized and developing countries. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate if vital signs had a predictive power in neonatal sepsis as an early marker. This study was designed as a matched case-control study. Vital signs were monitorized prior to infection in newborns that had healthcare-associated blood stream infection (BSI). Maximum and minimum values of the vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature) of the babies at rest were recorded from the nurse observation charts five days prior to clinical sepsis and compared with vital signs of healthy, age-matched babies. Maximum mean heart rates, respiratory rates and systolic blood pressure levels of the patients in BSI group were significantly higher than the control group in the past three days prior to clinical deterioration. Monitoring vital signs closely might be helpful in a newborn infant to define a BSI. In future, a respiratory and blood pressure predictive monitoring system such as heart rate variability index may be developed for newborn patients with sepsis.

The prevalence and diagnostic utility of systemic inflammatory response syndrome vital signs in a pediatric emergency department.

PubMed

Scott, Halden F; Deakyne, Sara J; Woods, Jason M; Bajaj, Lalit

2015-04-01

This study sought to determine the prevalence, test characteristics, and severity of illness of pediatric patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) vital signs among pediatric emergency department (ED) visits. This was a retrospective descriptive cohort study of all visits to the ED of a tertiary academic free-standing pediatric hospital over 1 year. Visits were included if the patient was <18 years of age and did not leave before full evaluation or against medical advice. Exclusion criteria were trauma diagnoses or missing documentation of vital signs. Data were electronically extracted from the medical record. The primary predictor was presence of vital signs meeting pediatric SIRS definitions. Specific vital sign pairs comprising SIRS were evaluated as predictors (temperature-heart rate, temperature-respiratory rate, and temperature-corrected heart rate, in which a formula was used to correct heart rate for degree of temperature elevation). The primary outcome measure was requirement for critical care (receipt of a vasoactive agent or intubation) within 24 hours of ED arrival. There were 56,210 visits during the study period; 40,356 met inclusion criteria. Of these, 6,596 (16.3%) visits had fever >38.5°C, and 6,122 (15.2% of included visits) met SIRS vital sign criteria. Among included visits, those with SIRS vital signs accounted for 92.8% of all visits with fever >38.5°C. Among patients with SIRS vital signs, 4993 (81.6%) were discharged from the ED without intravenous (IV) therapy and without 72-hour readmission. Critical care within the first 24 hours was present in 99 (0.25%) patients: 23 patients with and 76 without SIRS vital signs. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission was present in 126 (2.06%) with SIRS vital signs and 487 (1.42%) without SIRS vital signs. SIRS vital signs were associated with increased risk of critical care within 24 hours (relative risk [RR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06 to 2.70), ICU admission (RR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.76), ED laboratory tests (RR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.37 to 1.45), ED IV medication/fluid administration (RR = 2.54, 95% CI = 2.29 to 2.82), hospital admission (RR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.42 to 1.63), and 72-hour readmission (RR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.69). SIRS vital signs were not associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality (RR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.05 to 2.82). SIRS vital signs had a low sensitivity for critical care requirement (23.2%, 95% CI = 15.3% to 32.8%). The pair of SIRS vital signs with the strongest association with critical care requirement was temperature and corrected heart rate (positive likelihood ratio = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.87 to 4.01). Systemic inflammatory response syndrome vital signs are common among medical pediatric patients presenting to an ED, and critical illness is rare. The majority of patients with SIRS vital signs were discharged without IV therapy and without readmission. Patients with SIRS vital signs had a statistically significant increased risk of critical care requirement, ED IV treatment, ED laboratory tests, admission, and readmission. However, SIRS vital sign criteria did not identify the majority of patients with mortality or need for critical care. SIRS vital signs had low sensitivity for critical illness, making it poorly suited for use in isolation in this setting as a test to detect children requiring sepsis resuscitation. © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and potential synthetic treatments.

PubMed

Ali, Junaid; Rafiq, Qasim A; Ratcliffe, Elizabeth

2018-04-01

Since the discovery of antibiotics by Sir Alexander Fleming they have been used throughout medicine and play a vital role in combating microorganisms. However, with their vast use, development of resistance has become more prevalent and their use is currently under threat. Antibiotic resistance poses a global threat to human and animal health, with many bacterial species having developed some form of resistance and in some cases within a year of first exposure to antimicrobial agents. This review aims to examine some of the mechanisms behind resistance. Additionally, re-engineering organisms, re-sensitizing bacteria to antibiotics and gene-editing techniques such as the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 system are providing novel approaches to combat bacterial resistance. To that extent, we have reviewed some of these novel and innovative technologies.

Chitosan microsphere scaffold tethered with RGD-conjugated poly(methacrylic acid) brushes as effective carriers for the endothelial cells.

PubMed

Yang, Zhenyi; Yuan, Shaojun; Liang, Bin; Liu, Yang; Choong, Cleo; Pehkonen, Simo O

2014-09-01

Endothelial cell-matrix interactions play a vital role in promoting vascularization of engineered tissues. The current study reports a facile and controllable method to develop a RGD peptide-functionalized chitosan microsphere scaffolds for rapid cell expansion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Functional poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes are grafted from the chitosan microsphere surfaces via surface-initiated ATRP. Subsequent conjugation of RGD peptides on the pendent carboxyl groups of PMAA side chain is accomplished by carbodiimide chemistry to facilitate biocompatibility of the 3D CS scaffolding system. In vitro cell-loading assay of HUVECs exhibits a significant improvment of cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation on the RGD peptide-immobilized CS microsphere surfaces. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mathematical support for surveying measurements in order to obtain the draft tube three-dimensional model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gridan, Maria-Roberta; Herban, Sorin; Grecea, Oana

2017-07-01

Nowadays, the engineering companies and contractors are facing challenges never experienced before. They are being charged with - and being held liable for - the health of the structures they create and maintain. To surmount these challenges, engineers need to be able to measure structural movements up to millimetre level accuracy. Accurate and timely information on the status of a structure is highly valuable to engineers. It enables them to compare the real world behaviour of a structure against the design and theoretical models. When empowered by such data, engineers can effectively and cost efficiently measure and maintain the health of vital infrastructure. This paper presents the interpretation of the draft tube topographical measurements in order to obtain its 3D model. Based on the documents made available by the beneficiary and the data obtained in situ, the modernization conclusions were presented.

Vital signs monitoring and patient tracking over a wireless network.

PubMed

Gao, Tia; Greenspan, Dan; Welsh, Matt; Juang, Radford; Alm, Alex

2005-01-01

Patients at a disaster scene can greatly benefit from technologies that continuously monitor their vital status and track their locations until they are admitted to the hospital. We have designed and developed a real-time patient monitoring system that integrates vital signs sensors, location sensors, ad-hoc networking, electronic patient records, and web portal technology to allow remote monitoring of patient status. This system shall facilitate communication between providers at the disaster scene, medical professionals at local hospitals, and specialists available for consultation from distant facilities.

Plausible Effect of Weather on Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation with a Coupled General Circulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zedong; Wan, Xiuquan

2018-04-01

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a vital component of the global ocean circulation and the heat engine of the climate system. Through the use of a coupled general circulation model, this study examines the role of synoptic systems on the AMOC and presents evidence that internally generated high-frequency, synoptic-scale weather variability in the atmosphere could play a significant role in maintaining the overall strength and variability of the AMOC, thereby affecting climate variability and change. Results of a novel coupling technique show that the strength and variability of the AMOC are greatly reduced once the synoptic weather variability is suppressed in the coupled model. The strength and variability of the AMOC are closely linked to deep convection events at high latitudes, which could be strongly affected by the weather variability. Our results imply that synoptic weather systems are important in driving the AMOC and its variability. Thus, interactions between atmospheric weather variability and AMOC may be an important feedback mechanism of the global climate system and need to be taken into consideration in future climate change studies.

Technology in education: A guidebook for developing a science and math education support program

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

Wagner, C.L.

1992-09-01

Education is vital to survival and success in an increasingly technical world, and the quality of education is the responsibility of everyone students, teachers, parents, industry, and government. Any technical organization wanting to contribute to that success through its local education system can do so easily and effectively through careful planning. This report details that planning process and includes methods to (1) identify the interests, strengths, and resources of the technical organization; (2) identify the needs of the local education system; (3) interface with local school system administration, principals, and teachers; and (4) develop a unique plan to match themore » organization's strengths and resources with the needs of the school system. Following these getting started'' activities is the actual program that the Engineering Technology Division implemented in a local elementary school, including the curriculum, topics, and actual lesson plans used by technical personnel in the classroom. Finally, there are enrichment activities for teachers and students, suggestions for measuring the success of an education support program, and an overview of student responses to questions about the overall program.« less

Technology in education: A guidebook for developing a science and math education support program

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

Wagner, C.L.

1992-09-01

Education is vital to survival and success in an increasingly technical world, and the quality of education is the responsibility of everyone students, teachers, parents, industry, and government. Any technical organization wanting to contribute to that success through its local education system can do so easily and effectively through careful planning. This report details that planning process and includes methods to (1) identify the interests, strengths, and resources of the technical organization; (2) identify the needs of the local education system; (3) interface with local school system administration, principals, and teachers; and (4) develop a unique plan to match themore » organization`s strengths and resources with the needs of the school system. Following these ``getting started`` activities is the actual program that the Engineering Technology Division implemented in a local elementary school, including the curriculum, topics, and actual lesson plans used by technical personnel in the classroom. Finally, there are enrichment activities for teachers and students, suggestions for measuring the success of an education support program, and an overview of student responses to questions about the overall program.« less

46 CFR 61.40-3 - Design verification testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Design verification testing. 61.40-3 Section 61.40-3... INSPECTIONS Design Verification and Periodic Testing of Vital System Automation § 61.40-3 Design verification testing. (a) Tests must verify that automated vital systems are designed, constructed, and operate in...

Intelligent model-based diagnostics for vehicle health management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jianhui; Tu, Fang; Azam, Mohammad S.; Pattipati, Krishna R.; Willett, Peter K.; Qiao, Liu; Kawamoto, Masayuki

2003-08-01

The recent advances in sensor technology, remote communication and computational capabilities, and standardized hardware/software interfaces are creating a dramatic shift in the way the health of vehicles is monitored and managed. These advances facilitate remote monitoring, diagnosis and condition-based maintenance of automotive systems. With the increased sophistication of electronic control systems in vehicles, there is a concomitant increased difficulty in the identification of the malfunction phenomena. Consequently, the current rule-based diagnostic systems are difficult to develop, validate and maintain. New intelligent model-based diagnostic methodologies that exploit the advances in sensor, telecommunications, computing and software technologies are needed. In this paper, we will investigate hybrid model-based techniques that seamlessly employ quantitative (analytical) models and graph-based dependency models for intelligent diagnosis. Automotive engineers have found quantitative simulation (e.g. MATLAB/SIMULINK) to be a vital tool in the development of advanced control systems. The hybrid method exploits this capability to improve the diagnostic system's accuracy and consistency, utilizes existing validated knowledge on rule-based methods, enables remote diagnosis, and responds to the challenges of increased system complexity. The solution is generic and has the potential for application in a wide range of systems.

Key Future Engineering Capabilities for Human Capital Retention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivich, Lorrie

Projected record retirements of Baby Boomer generation engineers have been predicted to result in significant losses of mission-critical knowledge in space, national security, and future scientific ventures vital to high-technology corporations. No comprehensive review or analysis of engineering capabilities has been performed to identify threats related to the specific loss of mission-critical knowledge posed by the increasing retirement of tenured engineers. Archival data from a single diversified Fortune 500 aerospace manufacturing engineering company's engineering career database were analyzed to ascertain whether relationships linking future engineering capabilities, engineering disciplines, and years of engineering experience could be identified to define critical knowledge transfer models. Chi square, logistic, and linear regression analyses were used to map patterns of discipline-specific, mission-critical knowledge using archival data of engineers' perceptions of engineering capabilities, key developmental experiences, and knowledge learned from their engineering careers. The results from the study were used to document key engineering future capabilities. The results were then used to develop a proposed human capital retention plan to address specific key knowledge gaps of younger engineers as veteran engineers retire. The potential for social change from this study involves informing leaders of aerospace engineering corporations on how to build better quality mentoring or succession plans to fill the void of lost knowledge from retiring engineers. This plan can secure mission-critical knowledge for younger engineers for current and future product development and increased global competitiveness in the technology market.

Vital signs monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steffen, Dale A. (Inventor); Sturm, Ronald E. (Inventor); Rinard, George A. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A system is disclosed for monitoring vital physiological signs. Each of the system components utilizes a single hybrid circuit with each component having high accuracy without the necessity of repeated calibration. The system also has low power requirements, provides a digital display, and is of sufficiently small size to be incorporated into a hand-carried case for portable use. Components of the system may also provide independent outputs making the component useful, of itself, for monitoring one or more vital signs. The overall system preferably includes an ECG amplifier and cardiotachometer signal conditioner unit, an impedance pneumograph and respiration rate signal conditioner unit, a heart/breath rate processor unit, a temperature monitoring unit, a selector switch, a clock unit, and an LCD driver unit and associated LCDs, with the system being capable of being expanded as needed or desired, such as, for example, by addition of a systolic/diastolic blood pressure unit.

Wood used in residential repair and remodeling in the United States, 2014

Treesearch

Joe Elling; David B. McKeever

2018-01-01

The repair, remodeling, and renovation of existing residential structures and properties has been, and continues to be, a vital market for the use of wood products in the United States. This market is either the first or second largest market (alternating with new residential construction) for a number of wood products including softwood lumber, engineered wood...

Idling Reduction for Emergency and Other Service Vehicles

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

None

2015-05-07

This is a fact sheet about reducing idling for emergency and service vehicles. Emergency vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, along with other service vehicles such as armored cars, are often exempt from laws that limit engine idling. However, these vehicles can save fuel and reduce emissions with technologies that allow them to perform vital services without idling.

Australian DefenceScience. Volume 15, Number 3, Spring

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

ignition, high pressure sealing, ignitor and propellent design, and ballistics instrumentation . Validation of simulation models of internal ballistics...supplementing visual information obtained by sources such as radiography and scanning electron microscopy, revealing details about features that are not...otherwise visible. Hence, it can assist with the inspection of vital component parts that are subject to high stresses, like aircraft engine turbine

The Effect of a Climate Change Monitoring Program on Students' Knowledge and Perceptions of STEAM Education in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeong, Sophia; Kim, Hyoungbum

2015-01-01

Korea has recently started to implement a STEM-like approach in K-12 education, titled STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum, to educate the next generation of students to become creative innovators. As this approach has been shown to increase educational success, it is vital to prepare and develop interest in…

Operating in the Middle: The Experiences of African American Female Transfer Students in STEM Degree Programs at HBCUs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Dimitra Jackson

2016-01-01

Increasing the representation of African American females is essential to ensure the United States (U.S.) remains a viable competitor in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. With minorities anticipated to represent half of the resident U.S population by 2050, fostering STEM talent among this population is vital.…

A Qualitative Investigation of African Americans' Decision to Pursue Computing Science Degrees: Implications for Cultivating Career Choice and Aspiration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charleston, LaVar J.

2012-01-01

According to Pearson (2002), minority groups are not well represented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Among these underrepresented groups are African Americans. To ensure the economic vitality of the STEM workforce in the United States, it is imperative to broaden participation in STEM-related fields and…

Multidisciplinary Perspectives on a Video Case of Children Designing and Coding for Robotics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Krista; Bruce, Cathy; Davis, Brent; Drefs, Michelle; Hallowell, David; Hawes, Zachary; McGarvey, Lynn; Moss, Joan; Mulligan, Joanne; Okamoto, Yukari; Sinclair, Nathalie; Whiteley, Walter; Woolcott, Geoff

2017-01-01

Spatial reasoning plays a vital role in choice of and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, yet the topic is scarce in grade school curricula. We conjecture that this absence may be due to limited knowledge of how spatial reasoning is discussed and engaged across STEM professions. This study aimed to address…

Aerocapture Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Andrew S.

2006-01-01

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

2D/3D video content adaptation decision engine based on content classification and user assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Rui; Andrade, M. T.

2017-07-01

Multimedia adaptation depends on several factors, such as the content itself, the consumption device and its characteristics, the transport and access networks and the user. An adaptation decision engine, in order to provide the best possible Quality of Experience to a user, needs to have information about all variables that may influence its decision. For the aforementioned factors, we implement content classification, define device classes, consider limited bandwidth scenarios and categorize user preferences based on a subjective quality evaluation test. The results of these actions generate vital information to pass to the adaptation decision engine so that its operation may provide the indication of the most suitable adaptation to perform that delivers the best possible outcome for the user under the existing constraints.

Review on Enhanced Heat Transfer Techniques using Modern Technologies for 4S Air Cooled Engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramasubramanian, S.; Bupesh Raja, V. K.

2017-05-01

Engine performance is a biggest challenge and a vital area of concern when it comes to automobiles. Researchers across the globe have been working decades together meticulously improvising the performance of engine in terms of efficiency. The durability of the engine components mainly depends on the thermal stress it undergoes over the period of operation. Air cooling of engine is the simplest and most desirous technique that has been adopted for ages. In this regard fins or extended surfaces are employed for effective cooling of the cylinder while in operation. The conductive and convective heat transfer rate from the cylinder to the fins and in turn from the fins to surrounding ambience determines the effective performance of the engine. In this paper an attempt is made to review and summarize the various researches that were conducted on the Fins in terms of profile geometry, number of fins, size, thickness factor, material used etc., and to bring about a long term solution with the modern technologies like nano coatings and nano materials.

Dual-Use system architecture for a space situational awareness system in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, Y.; Kohtake, N.; Ohkami, Y.

The use of outer space plays a vital role in both defense and civil fields. Since the separation of space activities between civil and defense applications is extremely inefficient, the Dual-Use concept has been considered fundamental for promoting the effective use of space. To the best of the authors' knowledge, most previous studies on Dual-Use focused on the technological aspects, and very few on a system engineering approach to Dual-Use. This left some important issues untouched such as the operational aspects of a system of systems, which need to be understood in a more generic context. This paper presents the results of a conceptual study, system design and management analysis of Dual-Use system architecture. First, an outline of the Dual-Use concept will be described and a definition of Dual-Use given. The effectiveness of applying the Dual-Use system concept to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) for both defense and civil users as a system of systems will then be discussed and investigated with a stakeholders analysis, context diagram and design structure matrix method. It has demonstrated that there is a need for a Dual-Use SSA Data Center which works as a binder between defense and civil systems as well as a data policy for constructing a Dual-Use SSA system.

Undergraduate design projects for assistive technology needs: assisted fishing.

PubMed

Borrego, Nick; Bilan, Kristi; Gebes, T J; Barrett, S F; Morton, S A

2012-01-01

In 2010 the University of Wyoming, College of Engineering and Applied Science was funded for a five year increment of the National Science Foundation’s Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities. This program provides a vital link between challenged individuals who require custom assistive technology devices with senior capstone design students who require challenging, meaningful projects. The program also provides education for our next generation of engineers on the needs of all individuals. In this paper we describe the program organization including project partners in the College and Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND). We also provide a case study of a recently completed project for an assistive fishing device.

A telemedicine system for wireless home healthcare based on Bluetooth and the Internet.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaoming; Fei, Ding-Yu; Doarn, Charles R; Harnett, Brett; Merrell, Ronald

2004-01-01

The VitalPoll Telemedicine System (VTS) was designed and developed for wireless home healthcare. The aims of this study were: to design the architecture and communication methods for a telemedicine system; to implement a physiologic routing hub to collect data from different medical devices and sensors; and to evaluate the feasibility of this system for applications in wireless home healthcare. The VTS was built using Bluetooth wireless and Internet technologies with client/server architecture. Several medical devices, which acquire vital signs, such as real-time electrocardiogram signals, heart rate, body temperature, and activity (physical motion), were integrated into the VTS. Medical information and data were transmitted over short-range interface (USB, RS232), wireless communication, and the Internet. The medical results were stored in a database and presented using a web browser. The patient's vital signals can be collected, transmitted, and displayed in real time by the VTS. The experiments verified no data loss during Bluetooth and Internet communication. Bluetooth and the Internet provide enough bandwidth channels to tranmit these vital signs. The experimental results show that VTS may be suitable for a practical telemedicine system in home healthcare.

Vital roles of stem cells and biomaterials in skin tissue engineering

PubMed Central

Mohd Hilmi, Abu Bakar; Halim, Ahmad Sukari

2015-01-01

Tissue engineering essentially refers to technology for growing new human tissue and is distinct from regenerative medicine. Currently, pieces of skin are already being fabricated for clinical use and many other tissue types may be fabricated in the future. Tissue engineering was first defined in 1987 by the United States National Science Foundation which critically discussed the future targets of bioengineering research and its consequences. The principles of tissue engineering are to initiate cell cultures in vitro, grow them on scaffolds in situ and transplant the composite into a recipient in vivo. From the beginning, scaffolds have been necessary in tissue engineering applications. Regardless, the latest technology has redirected established approaches by omitting scaffolds. Currently, scientists from diverse research institutes are engineering skin without scaffolds. Due to their advantageous properties, stem cells have robustly transformed the tissue engineering field as part of an engineered bilayered skin substitute that will later be discussed in detail. Additionally, utilizing biomaterials or skin replacement products in skin tissue engineering as strategy to successfully direct cell proliferation and differentiation as well as to optimize the safety of handling during grafting is beneficial. This approach has also led to the cells’ application in developing the novel skin substitute that will be briefly explained in this review. PMID:25815126

Vital roles of stem cells and biomaterials in skin tissue engineering.

PubMed

Mohd Hilmi, Abu Bakar; Halim, Ahmad Sukari

2015-03-26

Tissue engineering essentially refers to technology for growing new human tissue and is distinct from regenerative medicine. Currently, pieces of skin are already being fabricated for clinical use and many other tissue types may be fabricated in the future. Tissue engineering was first defined in 1987 by the United States National Science Foundation which critically discussed the future targets of bioengineering research and its consequences. The principles of tissue engineering are to initiate cell cultures in vitro, grow them on scaffolds in situ and transplant the composite into a recipient in vivo. From the beginning, scaffolds have been necessary in tissue engineering applications. Regardless, the latest technology has redirected established approaches by omitting scaffolds. Currently, scientists from diverse research institutes are engineering skin without scaffolds. Due to their advantageous properties, stem cells have robustly transformed the tissue engineering field as part of an engineered bilayered skin substitute that will later be discussed in detail. Additionally, utilizing biomaterials or skin replacement products in skin tissue engineering as strategy to successfully direct cell proliferation and differentiation as well as to optimize the safety of handling during grafting is beneficial. This approach has also led to the cells' application in developing the novel skin substitute that will be briefly explained in this review.

A new biomedical device for in vivo multiparametric evaluation of tissue vitality in critical care medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayevsky, Avraham; Deutsch, Assaf; Dekel, Nava; Pevzner, Eliyahu; Jaronkin, Alex

2005-04-01

Real time Monitoring of mitochondrial function in vivo is a significant factor in the understanding of tissue vitality. Nevertheless a single parameter monitoring device is not appropriate and effective in clinical diagnosis of tissue vitality. Therefore we have developed a multi-parametric monitoring system that monitors, in addition to mitochondrial NADH redox state, tissue microcirculatory blood flow, tissue total back-scattered light as an indication of blood volume and blood oxygenation (Hb02). In the present communication a new device named "CritiView" is described. This device was developed in order to enable real time monitoring of the four parameters from various organs in the body. The main medical application of the CritiView is in critical care medicine of patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and intraoperatively in operating rooms. The physiological basis for our clinical monitoring approach is based on the well known response to the development of body emergency situation, such as shock or trauma. Under such conditions a process of blood flow redistribution will give preference to vital organs (Brain, Heart) neglecting less vital organs (Skin, G-I tract or the urinary system). Under such condition the brain will by hyperperfused and O2 supply will increase to provide the need of the activated mitochondria. The non-vital organs will be hypoperfused and mitochondial function will be inhibited leading to energy failure. This differentiation between the two types of organs could be used for the early detection of body deterioration by monitoring of the non-vital organ vitality. A fiber optic sensor was embedded in a Foley catheter, enabling the monitoring of Urethral wall vitality, to serve as an early warning signal of body deterioration.

Vital signs monitoring and nurse-patient interaction: A qualitative observational study of hospital practice.

PubMed

Cardona-Morrell, M; Prgomet, M; Lake, R; Nicholson, M; Harrison, R; Long, J; Westbrook, J; Braithwaite, J; Hillman, K

2016-04-01

High profile safety failures have demonstrated that recognising early warning signs of clinical and physiological deterioration can prevent or reduce harm resulting from serious adverse events. Early warning scoring systems are now routinely used in many places to detect and escalate deteriorating patients. Timely and accurate vital signs monitoring are critical for ensuring patient safety through providing data for early warning scoring systems, but little is known about current monitoring practices. To establish a profile of nurses' vital signs monitoring practices, related dialogue, and adherence to health service protocol in New South Wales, Australia. Direct observations of nurses' working practices were conducted in two wards. The observations focused on times of the day when vital signs were generally measured. Patient interactions were recorded if occurring any time during the observation periods. Participants (n=42) included nursing staff on one chronic disease medical and one acute surgical ward in a large urban teaching hospital in New South Wales. We observed 441 patient interactions. Measurement of vital signs occurred in 52% of interactions. The minimum five vital signs measures required by New South Wales Health policy were taken in only 6-21% of instances of vital signs monitoring. Vital signs were documented immediately on 93% of vitals-taking occasions and documented according to the policy in the patient's chart on 89% of these occasions. Nurse-patient interactions were initiated for the purpose of taking vital signs in 49% of interactions, with nurse-patient discourse observed during 88% of all interactions. Nurse-patient dialogue led to additional care being provided to patients in 12% of interactions. The selection of appropriate vital signs measured and responses to these appears to rely on nurses' clinical judgement or time availability rather than on policy-mandated frequency. The prevalence of incomplete sets of vital signs may limit identification of deteriorating patients. The findings from this study present an important baseline profile against which to evaluate the impact of introducing continuous monitoring approaches on current hospital practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vitro enteroid-derived three-dimensional tissue model of human small intestinal epithelium with innate immune responses.

PubMed

Chen, Ying; Zhou, Wenda; Roh, Terrence; Estes, Mary K; Kaplan, David L

2017-01-01

There is a need for functional in vitro 3D human intestine systems that can bridge the gap between conventional cell culture studies and human trials. The successful engineering in vitro of human intestinal tissues relies on the use of the appropriate cell sources, biomimetic scaffolds, and 3D culture conditions to support vital organ functions. We previously established a compartmentalized scaffold consisting of a hollow space within a porous bulk matrix, in which a functional and physiologically relevant intestinal epithelium system was generated using intestinal cell lines. In this study, we adopt the 3D scaffold system for the cultivation of stem cell-derived human small intestinal enteriods (HIEs) to engineer an in vitro 3D model of a nonstransformed human small intestinal epithelium. Characterization of tissue properties revealed a mature HIE-derived epithelium displaying four major terminally differentiated epithelial cell types (enterocytes, Goblet cells, Paneth cells, enteroendocrine cells), with tight junction formation, microvilli polarization, digestive enzyme secretion, and low oxygen tension in the lumen. Moreover, the tissue model demonstrates significant antibacterial responses to E. coli infection, as evidenced by the significant upregulation of genes involved in the innate immune response. Importantly, many of these genes are activated in human patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), implicating the potential application of the 3D stem-cell derived epithelium for the in vitro study of host-microbe-pathogen interplay and IBD pathogenesis.

StakeMeter: Value-Based Stakeholder Identification and Quantification Framework for Value-Based Software Systems

PubMed Central

Babar, Muhammad Imran; Ghazali, Masitah; Jawawi, Dayang N. A.; Zaheer, Kashif Bin

2015-01-01

Value-based requirements engineering plays a vital role in the development of value-based software (VBS). Stakeholders are the key players in the requirements engineering process, and the selection of critical stakeholders for the VBS systems is highly desirable. Based on the stakeholder requirements, the innovative or value-based idea is realized. The quality of the VBS system is associated with the concrete set of valuable requirements, and the valuable requirements can only be obtained if all the relevant valuable stakeholders participate in the requirements elicitation phase. The existing value-based approaches focus on the design of the VBS systems. However, the focus on the valuable stakeholders and requirements is inadequate. The current stakeholder identification and quantification (SIQ) approaches are neither state-of-the-art nor systematic for the VBS systems. The existing approaches are time-consuming, complex and inconsistent which makes the initiation process difficult. Moreover, the main motivation of this research is that the existing SIQ approaches do not provide the low level implementation details for SIQ initiation and stakeholder metrics for quantification. Hence, keeping in view the existing SIQ problems, this research contributes in the form of a new SIQ framework called ‘StakeMeter’. The StakeMeter framework is verified and validated through case studies. The proposed framework provides low-level implementation guidelines, attributes, metrics, quantification criteria and application procedure as compared to the other methods. The proposed framework solves the issues of stakeholder quantification or prioritization, higher time consumption, complexity, and process initiation. The framework helps in the selection of highly critical stakeholders for the VBS systems with less judgmental error. PMID:25799490

Trends in Transportation Sciences and How to Get a Job in the Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Springer, Carl

2010-03-01

Fifty years after the transportation engineering and planning industry began, the skill set of the prototypical professional has shifted radically. At its origins, transportation sciences were purposed to plan and construct a national infrastructure of highway facilities. A typical professional in those days was a civil engineer that narrowed their expertise to roadway design, construction and maintenance. Now, the focus of the profession is much more diverse, encompassing all modes of transport in both rural and urban contexts, and it plays a key role in economic vitality, livability and the environment. This presentation introduces three current trends and discusses their potential influence on the industry and the communities that they serve. First, now that the federal interstate system is largely built, there is great interest in better understanding how the system is really used in metropolitan areas, and how to get better value out of it. This helps professionals to better manage the regional system and its users. Second, the movement towards achieving more sustainable urban planning and design will require better empirical models about why people choose to walk, bike, or drive and how they are influenced by accessibility and land uses. These tools will measure trade-offs in public infrastructure, safety, health and energy consumption. Finally, there is a clear trend for putting transportation data in the public's hands to help them better use and evaluate the systems that are integral to their daily living. Responding to these trends will require new and deeper skills for the transportation professional.

The Impact of Redundancy and Teamwork on Resilience Engineering Factors by Fuzzy Mathematical Programming and Analysis of Variance in a Large Petrochemical Plant.

PubMed

Azadeh, Ali; Salehi, Vahid; Mirzayi, Mahsa

2016-12-01

Resilience engineering (RE) is a new paradigm that can control incidents and reduce their consequences. Integrated RE includes four new factors-self-organization, teamwork, redundancy, and fault-tolerance-in addition to conventional RE factors. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of these four factors on RE and determine the most efficient factor in an uncertain environment. The required data were collected through a questionnaire in a petrochemical plant in June 2013. The questionnaire was completed by 115 respondents including 37 managers and 78 operators. Fuzzy data envelopment analysis was used in different α-cuts in order to calculate the impact of each factor. Analysis of variance was employed to compare the efficiency score means of the four above-mentioned factors. The results showed that as α approached 0 and the system became fuzzier (α = 0.3 and α = 0.1), teamwork played a significant role and had the highest impact on the resilient system. In contrast, as α approached 1 and the fuzzy system went toward a certain mode (α = 0.9 and α = 1), redundancy had a vital role in the selected resilient system. Therefore, redundancy and teamwork were the most efficient factors. The approach developed in this study could be used for identifying the most important factors in such environments. The results of this study may help managers to have better understanding of weak and strong points in such industries.

The development of a phosphite-mediated fertilization and weed control system for rice.

PubMed

Manna, Mrinalini; Achary, V Mohan M; Islam, Tahmina; Agrawal, Pawan K; Reddy, Malireddy K

2016-04-25

Fertilizers and herbicides are two vital components of modern agriculture. The imminent danger of phosphate reserve depletion and multiple herbicide tolerance casts doubt on agricultural sustainability in the future. Phosphite, a reduced form of phosphorus, has been proposed as an alternative fertilizer and herbicide that would address the above problems to a considerable extent. To assess the suitability of a phosphite-based fertilization and weed control system for rice, we engineered rice plants with a codon-optimized ptxD gene from Pseudomonas stutzeri. Ectopic expression of this gene led to improved root growth, physiology and overall phenotype in addition to normal yield in transgenic plants in the presence of phosphite. Phosphite functioned as a translocative, non-selective, pre- and post-emergent herbicide. Phosphite use as a dual fertilizer and herbicide may mitigate the overuse of phosphorus fertilizers and reduce eutrophication and the development of herbicide resistance, which in turn will improve the sustainability of agriculture.

Performance Optimization Control of ECH using Fuzzy Inference Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, Abhay Kumar

Electro-chemical honing (ECH) is a hybrid electrolytic precision micro-finishing technology that, by combining physico-chemical actions of electro-chemical machining and conventional honing processes, provides the controlled functional surfaces-generation and fast material removal capabilities in a single operation. Process multi-performance optimization has become vital for utilizing full potential of manufacturing processes to meet the challenging requirements being placed on the surface quality, size, tolerances and production rate of engineering components in this globally competitive scenario. This paper presents an strategy that integrates the Taguchi matrix experimental design, analysis of variances and fuzzy inference system (FIS) to formulate a robust practical multi-performance optimization methodology for complex manufacturing processes like ECH, which involve several control variables. Two methodologies one using a genetic algorithm tuning of FIS (GA-tuned FIS) and another using an adaptive network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) have been evaluated for a multi-performance optimization case study of ECH. The actual experimental results confirm their potential for a wide range of machining conditions employed in ECH.

The development of a phosphite-mediated fertilization and weed control system for rice

PubMed Central

Manna, Mrinalini; Achary, V. Mohan M.; Islam, Tahmina; Agrawal, Pawan K.; Reddy, Malireddy K.

2016-01-01

Fertilizers and herbicides are two vital components of modern agriculture. The imminent danger of phosphate reserve depletion and multiple herbicide tolerance casts doubt on agricultural sustainability in the future. Phosphite, a reduced form of phosphorus, has been proposed as an alternative fertilizer and herbicide that would address the above problems to a considerable extent. To assess the suitability of a phosphite-based fertilization and weed control system for rice, we engineered rice plants with a codon-optimized ptxD gene from Pseudomonas stutzeri. Ectopic expression of this gene led to improved root growth, physiology and overall phenotype in addition to normal yield in transgenic plants in the presence of phosphite. Phosphite functioned as a translocative, non-selective, pre- and post-emergent herbicide. Phosphite use as a dual fertilizer and herbicide may mitigate the overuse of phosphorus fertilizers and reduce eutrophication and the development of herbicide resistance, which in turn will improve the sustainability of agriculture. PMID:27109389

77 FR 24211 - Information Collection Requests to Office of Management and Budget

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-23

... and Records for Vital System Automation. Our ICRs describe the information we seek to collect from the... holidays. You may also find the docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov . Copies of the ICRs... has increased from 514 hours to 581 hours a year. 2. Title: Plan Approval and Records for Vital System...

Fiber optic based multiparametric spectroscopy in vivo: Toward a new quantitative tissue vitality index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutai-Asis, Hofit; Barbiro-Michaely, Efrat; Deutsch, Assaf; Mayevsky, Avraham

2006-02-01

In our previous publication (Mayevsky et al SPIE 5326: 98-105, 2004) we described a multiparametric fiber optic system enabling the evaluation of 4 physiological parameters as indicators of tissue vitality. Since the correlation between the various parameters may differ in various pathophysiological conditions there is a need for an objective quantitative index that will integrate the relative changes measured in real time by the multiparametric monitoring system into a single number-vitality index. Such an approach to calculate tissue vitality index is critical for the possibility to use such an instrument in clinical environments. In the current presentation we are reporting our preliminary results indicating that calculation of an objective tissue vitality index is feasible. We used an intuitive empirical approach based on the comparison between the calculated index by the computer and the subjective evaluation made by an expert in the field of physiological monitoring. We used the in vivo brain of rats as an animal model in our current studies. The rats were exposed to anoxia, ischemia and cortical spreading depression and the responses were recorded in real time. At the end of the monitoring session the results were analyzed and the tissue vitality index was calculated offline. Mitochondrial NADH, tissue blood flow and oxy-hemoglobin were used to calculate the vitality index of the brain in vivo, where each parameter received a different weight, in each experiment type based on their significance. It was found that the mitochondrial NADH response was the main factor affected the calculated vitality index.

Nanogap-Engineerable Electromechanical System for Ultralow Power Memory.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Deng, Ya; Hu, Xiao; Nshimiyimana, Jean Pierre; Liu, Siyu; Chi, Xiannian; Wu, Pei; Dong, Fengliang; Chen, Peipei; Chu, Weiguo; Zhou, Haiqing; Sun, Lianfeng

2018-02-01

Nanogap engineering of low-dimensional nanomaterials has received considerable interest in a variety of fields, ranging from molecular electronics to memories. Creating nanogaps at a certain position is of vital importance for the repeatable fabrication of the devices. Here, a rational design of nonvolatile memories based on sub-5 nm nanogaped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via the electromechanical motion is reported. The nanogaps are readily realized by electroburning in a partially suspended SWNT device with nanoscale region. The SWNT memory devices are applicable for both metallic and semiconducting SWNTs, resolving the challenge of separation of semiconducting SWNTs from metallic ones. Meanwhile, the memory devices exhibit excellent performance: ultralow writing energy (4.1 × 10 -19 J bit -1 ), ON/OFF ratio of 10 5 , stable switching ON operations, and over 30 h retention time in ambient conditions.

KSC-2013-4400

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians prepare the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for stacking in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4423

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians support lifting a Centaur second stage for stacking atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4425

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians support lifting a Centaur second stage for stacking atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4422

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians support preparations for lifting the Centaur second stage of the United Launch Alliance rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4430

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians inspect a Centaur second stage that was just stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4401

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians prepare the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for stacking in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4424

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians support lifting a Centaur second stage for stacking atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4399

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians prepare the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for stacking in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

“Eat me” imaging and therapy☆

PubMed Central

Bagalkot, Vaishali; Deiuliis, Jeffrey A.; Rajagopalan, Sanjay; Maiseyeu, Andrei

2016-01-01

Clearance of apoptotic debris is a vital role of the innate immune system. Drawing upon principles of apoptotic clearance, convenient delivery vehicles including intrinsic anti-inflammatory characteristics and specificity to immune cells can be engineered to aid in drug delivery. In this article, we examine the use of phosphatidylserine (PtdSer), the well-known “eat-me” signal, in nanoparticle-based therapeutics making them highly desirable “meals” for phagocytic immune cells. Use of PtdSer facilitates engulfment of nanoparticles allowing for imaging and therapy in various pathologies and may result in immunomodulation. Furthermore, we discuss the targeting of the macrophages and other cells at sites of inflammation in disease. A thorough understanding of the immunobiology of “eat-me” signals is requisite for the successful application of “eat-me”-bearing materials in biomedical applications. PMID:26826436

Evaluation of concrete cover by surface wave technique: Identification procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piwakowski, Bogdan; Kaczmarek, Mariusz; Safinowski, Paweł

2012-05-01

Concrete cover degradation is induced by aggressive agents in ambiance, such as moisture, chemicals or temperature variations. Due to degradation usually a thin (a few millimeters thick) surface layer has porosity slightly higher than the deeper sound material. The non destructive evaluation of concrete cover is vital to monitor the integrity of concrete structures and prevent their irreversible damage. In this paper the methodology applied by the classical technique used for ground structure recovery called Multichanel Analysis of Surface Waves is discussed as the NDT tool in civil engineering domain to characterize the concrete cover. In order to obtain the velocity as a function of sample depth the dispersion of surface waves is used as an input for solving inverse problem. The paper describes the inversion procedure and provides the practical example of use of developed system.

Active porous transition towards spatiotemporal control of molecular flow in a crystal membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takasaki, Yuichi; Takamizawa, Satoshi

2015-11-01

Fluidic control is an essential technology widely found in processes such as flood control in land irrigation and cell metabolism in biological tissues. In any fluidic control system, valve function is the key mechanism used to actively regulate flow and miniaturization of fluidic regulation with precise workability will be particularly vital in the development of microfluidic control. The concept of crystal engineering is alternative to processing technology in microstructure construction, as the ultimate microfluidic devices must provide molecular level control. Consequently, microporous crystals can instantly be converted to microfluidic devices if introduced in an active transformability of porous structure and geometry. Here we show that the introduction of a stress-induced martensitic transition mechanism converts a microporous molecular crystal into an active fluidic device with spatiotemporal molecular flow controllability through mechanical reorientation of subnanometre channels.

Nanogap‐Engineerable Electromechanical System for Ultralow Power Memory

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jian; Deng, Ya; Hu, Xiao; Nshimiyimana, Jean Pierre; Liu, Siyu; Chi, Xiannian; Wu, Pei; Dong, Fengliang; Chen, Peipei

2017-01-01

Abstract Nanogap engineering of low‐dimensional nanomaterials has received considerable interest in a variety of fields, ranging from molecular electronics to memories. Creating nanogaps at a certain position is of vital importance for the repeatable fabrication of the devices. Here, a rational design of nonvolatile memories based on sub‐5 nm nanogaped single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via the electromechanical motion is reported. The nanogaps are readily realized by electroburning in a partially suspended SWNT device with nanoscale region. The SWNT memory devices are applicable for both metallic and semiconducting SWNTs, resolving the challenge of separation of semiconducting SWNTs from metallic ones. Meanwhile, the memory devices exhibit excellent performance: ultralow writing energy (4.1 × 10−19 J bit−1), ON/OFF ratio of 105, stable switching ON operations, and over 30 h retention time in ambient conditions. PMID:29619307

FY04 Engineering Technology Reports Laboratory Directed Research and Development

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

Sharpe, R M

2005-01-27

This report summarizes the science and technology research and development efforts in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate for FY2004, and exemplifies Engineering's more than 50-year history of developing the technologies needed to support the Laboratory's missions. Engineering has been a partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence and has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and the technical resources developed through venues like the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD). This accomplishment is well summarized by Engineering's mission: ''Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory's vitality tomorrow''. Engineering's investmentmore » in technologies is carried out through two programs, the ''Tech Base'' program and the LDRD program. LDRD is the vehicle for creating those technologies and competencies that are cutting edge. These require a significant level of research or contain some unknown that needs to be fully understood. Tech Base is used to apply technologies to a Laboratory need. The term commonly used for Tech Base projects is ''reduction to practice''. Therefore, the LDRD report covered here has a strong research emphasis. Areas that are presented all fall into those needed to accomplish our mission. For FY2004, Engineering's LDRD projects were focused on mesoscale target fabrication and characterization, development of engineering computational capability, material studies and modeling, remote sensing and communications, and microtechnology and nanotechnology for national security applications. Engineering's five Centers, in partnership with the Division Leaders and Department Heads, are responsible for guiding the long-term science and technology investments for the Directorate. The Centers represent technologies that have been identified as critical for the present and future work of the Laboratory, and are chartered to develop their respective areas. Their LDRD projects are the key resources to attain this competency, and, as such, nearly all of Engineering's portfolio falls under one of the five Centers. The Centers and their Directors are: (1) Center for Computational Engineering: Robert M. Sharpe; (2) Center for Microtechnology and Nanotechnology: Raymond P. Mariella, Jr.; (3) Center for Nondestructive Characterization: Harry E. Martz, Jr.; (4) Center for Precision Engineering: Keith Carlisle; and (5) Center for Complex Distributed Systems: Gregory J. Suski, Acting Director.« less

Incorporating geoethics into environmental engineering lectures - three years of experience from international students visiting Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finger, David C.

2017-04-01

Never before has human kind been facing bigger environmental challenges than today. The challenges are overwhelming: growing human population, increasing ecological footprints, accelerated climate change, severe soil degradation, eutrophication of vital fresh water resources, acidification of oceans, health threatening air pollution and rapid biodiversity loss, to name just a few. It is the task of environmental scientists to transmit established knowledge on these complex and interdisciplinary challenges while demonstrating that management and engineering solutions exist to meet these threats. In this presentation I will outline the concept of my environmental impact (EI) assessment course, where prospective engineering students can select a topic of their choice, assess the environmental impacts, discuss with relevant stakeholders and come up with innovative solutions. The course is structured in three parts: i) lecturing of theoretical methods frequently used within the EI assessment process, ii) interaction with local businesses to acquire first-hand experience and iii) hands on training by writing an EI statement on a selected topic (see link below). Over the course of three years over 70 prospective engineering students from all over the world have not only acquired environmental system understanding, but also enhanced their awareness and developed potential solutions to mitigate, compensate and reverse the persistent environmental challenges. Most importantly, during this process all involved stakeholders (students, teachers, industry partners, governmental bodies and NGO partners) will hopefully develop a mutual understanding of the above mentioned environmental challenges and engage in an open and constructive dialogue necessary to generate acceptable solutions. Link to student projects from previous years: https://fingerd.jimdo.com/teaching/courses/environmental-impact-assessment/

Engineering Approaches Toward Deconstructing and Controlling the Stem Cell Environment

PubMed Central

Edalat, Faramarz; Bae, Hojae; Manoucheri, Sam; Cha, Jae Min; Khademhosseini, Ali

2012-01-01

Stem cell-based therapeutics have become a vital component in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The microenvironment within which stem cells reside, i.e. the niche, plays a crucial role in regulating stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. However, current biological techniques lack the means to recapitulate the complexity of this microenvironment. Nano- and microengineered materials offer innovative methods to: (1) deconstruct the stem cell niche to understand the effects of individual elements; (2) construct complex tissue-like structures resembling the niche to better predict and control cellular processes; and (3) transplant stem cells or activate endogenous stem cell populations for regeneration of aged or diseased tissues. Here, we highlight some of the latest advances in this field and discuss future applications and directions of the use of nano- and microtechnologies for stem cell engineering. PMID:22101755

Engineering approaches toward deconstructing and controlling the stem cell environment.

PubMed

Edalat, Faramarz; Bae, Hojae; Manoucheri, Sam; Cha, Jae Min; Khademhosseini, Ali

2012-06-01

Stem cell-based therapeutics have become a vital component in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The microenvironment within which stem cells reside, i.e., the niche, plays a crucial role in regulating stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. However, current biological techniques lack the means to recapitulate the complexity of this microenvironment. Nano- and microengineered materials offer innovative methods to (1) deconstruct the stem cell niche to understand the effects of individual elements; (2) construct complex tissue-like structures resembling the niche to better predict and control cellular processes; and (3) transplant stem cells or activate endogenous stem cell populations for regeneration of aged or diseased tissues. In this article, we highlight some of the latest advances in this field and discuss future applications and directions of the use of nano- and microtechnologies for stem cell engineering.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the auxiliary power unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J. E.

1986-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The APUs are required to provide power to the Orbiter hydraulics systems during ascent and entry flight phases for aerosurface actuation, main engine gimballing, landing gear extension, and other vital functions. For analysis purposes, the APU system was broken down into ten functional subsystems. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. A preponderance of 1/1 criticality items were related to failures that allowed the hydrazine fuel to escape into the Orbiter aft compartment, creating a severe fire hazard, and failures that caused loss of the gas generator injector cooling system.

Structural Design Considerations for an 8-m Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, William R. Sr.; Stahl, H. Philip

2009-01-01

NASA's upcoming ARES V launch vehicle, with its' immerse payload capacities (both volume and mass) has opened the possibilities for a whole new paradigm of space observatories. It becomes practical to consider a monolith mirror of sufficient size to permit significant scientific advantages, both in collection area and smoothness or figure at a reasonable price. The technologies and engineering to manufacture and test 8 meter class monoliths is mature, with nearly a dozen of such mirrors already in operation around the world. This paper will discuss the design requirements to adapt an 8m meniscus mirror into a Space Telescope System, both launch and operational considerations are included. With objects this massive and structurally sensitive, the mirror design must include all stages of the process. Based upon the experiences of the Hubble Space Telescope, testing and verification at both component and integrated system levels are considered vital to mission success. To this end, two different component level test methods for gravity sag (the so call zero- gravity simulation or test mount) are proposed, with one of these methods suitable for the full up system level testing as well.

Structural design considerations for an 8-m space telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, William r., Sr.; Stahl, H. Philip

2009-08-01

NASA's upcoming ARES V launch vehicle, with its' immense payload capacities (both volume and mass) has opened the possibilities for a whole new paradigm of space observatories. It becomes practical to consider a monolith mirror of sufficient size to permit significant scientific advantages, both in collection area and smoothness or figure at a reasonable price. The technologies and engineering to manufacture and test 8 meter class monoliths is mature, with nearly a dozen of such mirrors already in operation around the world. This paper will discuss the design requirements to adapt an 8m meniscus mirror into a Space Telescope System, both launch and operational considerations are included. With objects this massive and structurally sensitive, the mirror design must include all stages of the process. Based upon the experiences of the Hubble Space Telescope, testing and verification at both component and integrated system levels are considered vital to mission success. To this end, two different component level test methods for gravity sag (the so call zero- gravity simulation or test mount) are proposed, with one of these methods suitable for the full up system level testing as well.

Novel method for measuring a dense 3D strain map of robotic flapping wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Beiwen; Zhang, Song

2018-04-01

Measuring dense 3D strain maps of the inextensible membranous flapping wings of robots is of vital importance to the field of bio-inspired engineering. Conventional high-speed 3D videography methods typically reconstruct the wing geometries through measuring sparse points with fiducial markers, and thus cannot obtain the full-field mechanics of the wings in detail. In this research, we propose a novel system to measure a dense strain map of inextensible membranous flapping wings by developing a superfast 3D imaging system and a computational framework for strain analysis. Specifically, first we developed a 5000 Hz 3D imaging system based on the digital fringe projection technique using the defocused binary patterns to precisely measure the dynamic 3D geometries of rapidly flapping wings. Then, we developed a geometry-based algorithm to perform point tracking on the precisely measured 3D surface data. Finally, we developed a dense strain computational method using the Kirchhoff-Love shell theory. Experiments demonstrate that our method can effectively perform point tracking and measure a highly dense strain map of the wings without many fiducial markers.

Experimental investigations and guidelines for PCB design for a fuel injection ECU to meet automotive environmental, EMI/EMC and ESD standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalyankar-Narwade, Supriya; Kumar, C. Ramesh; Patil, Sanjay A.

2017-11-01

Engine Management ECU plays a vital role in controlling different important features related to the engine performance. ECU is an embedded system which includes hardware and firmware platform for control logics. However, it is necessary to verify its smooth performance by its functionality testing in the Electromagnetic environment for approval. If these requirements are not known at earlier stages, then ECU may not fulfil functional requirements during required automotive electronic test standards. Hence, focusing on EMS ECU, this paper highlights hardware, layout and software guidelines for solving problems related with Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) to comply ISO 7637, CISPR 25 standard, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) to comply ISO 11452-4,5 standard, Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) to comply ISO 10605 standard and Environmental Testing to comply standards as per IEC standards. This paper specifies initially the importance, need and guidelines for reducing the EMI effect on PCB i.e. making ECU more electromagnetically compatible as per automotive standards. The guidelines are useful for the designers to avoid pitfalls at the later stage. After mentioned modifications in the paper, ECU successfully passed the requirements for all standard tests.

Managing Senegalese water resources: Definition and relative importance of information needs

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

Engi, D.

1998-09-01

This report provides an overview of the results of the Vital Issues process as implemented for the Senegal Water Resources Management Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Senegalese Ministry of Water Resources and Sandia National Laboratories. This Initiative is being developed to assist in the development of an efficient and sustainable water resources management system for Senegal. The Vital Issues process was used to provide information for the development of a proposal that will recommend actions to address the key management issues and establish a state-of-the-art decision support system (DSS) for managing Senegal`s water resources. Three Vital Issues panel meetingsmore » were convened to (1) develop a goal statement and criteria for identifying and ranking the issues vital to water resources management in Senegal; (2) define and rank the issues, and (3) identify and prioritize a preliminary list of information needed to address the vital issues. The selection of panelists from the four basic institutional perspectives (government, industry, academe, and citizens` interest groups) ensured a high level of stakeholder representation on the panels.« less

Statewide real-time in-flight trauma patient vital signs collection system.

PubMed

Hu, Peter F; Mackenzie, Colin; Dutton, Richard; Sen, Ayan; Xiao, Yan; Handley, Christopher; Ho, Danny; Scalea, Thomas

2008-11-06

Continuous recorded in-flight vital signs monitoring and life-saving interventions linked to outcomes may provide better understanding of pre-hospital triage, care management and patient responses during the 'golden hour' of trauma care. Evaluation of 157 patients' vital signs data collected from our statewide network has identified episodes of physiological decompensation which holds promise for creation of new triage algorithms and enhanced trauma center preparedness.

Decision support system for triage management: A hybrid approach using rule-based reasoning and fuzzy logic.

PubMed

Dehghani Soufi, Mahsa; Samad-Soltani, Taha; Shams Vahdati, Samad; Rezaei-Hachesu, Peyman

2018-06-01

Fast and accurate patient triage for the response process is a critical first step in emergency situations. This process is often performed using a paper-based mode, which intensifies workload and difficulty, wastes time, and is at risk of human errors. This study aims to design and evaluate a decision support system (DSS) to determine the triage level. A combination of the Rule-Based Reasoning (RBR) and Fuzzy Logic Classifier (FLC) approaches were used to predict the triage level of patients according to the triage specialist's opinions and Emergency Severity Index (ESI) guidelines. RBR was applied for modeling the first to fourth decision points of the ESI algorithm. The data relating to vital signs were used as input variables and modeled using fuzzy logic. Narrative knowledge was converted to If-Then rules using XML. The extracted rules were then used to create the rule-based engine and predict the triage levels. Fourteen RBR and 27 fuzzy rules were extracted and used in the rule-based engine. The performance of the system was evaluated using three methods with real triage data. The accuracy of the clinical decision support systems (CDSSs; in the test data) was 99.44%. The evaluation of the error rate revealed that, when using the traditional method, 13.4% of the patients were miss-triaged, which is statically significant. The completeness of the documentation also improved from 76.72% to 98.5%. Designed system was effective in determining the triage level of patients and it proved helpful for nurses as they made decisions, generated nursing diagnoses based on triage guidelines. The hybrid approach can reduce triage misdiagnosis in a highly accurate manner and improve the triage outcomes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lipidomics: the function of vital lipids in embryogenesis preventing autism spectrum disorders, treating sterile inflammatory diatheses with a lymphopoietic central nervous system component.

PubMed

Tallberg, Thomas; Dabek, Jan; Hallamaa, Raija; Atroshi, Faik

2011-01-01

The central role performed by billions of vital central nervous system (CNS) lipids "lipidomics" in medical physiology is usually overlooked. A metabolic deficiency embracing these vital lipids can form the aetiology for a variety of diseases. CNS lipids regulate embryogenesis, cell induction, mental balance by preventing autism spectrum disorders, depression, burn-out syndromes like posttraumatic stress disease PTSD, by guarding normal immunity, treating sterile inflammatory diatheses with a titanium containing lymphopoietic CNS lipid component. The propaganda driving for unphysiological fat-free diets is dangerous and can cause serious health problems for a whole generation. This article presents a broad list of various mental and motor bodily functions of which the healthy function depends on these vital CNS lipids. A rigorous fat-free diet can provoke these metabolic lipid deficiencies but they can fortunately be compensated by dietary supplementation, but not by pharmacologic treatment.

Trends in Teenage Childbearing, United States, 1970-81. Data from the National Vital Statistics System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ventura, Stephanie J.

1984-01-01

This report describes trends and differentials in births and birth rates for teenagers since 1970, and examines the demographic characteristics of the mothers and the health of their newborn children. A brief introduction and a review of highlights of the findings from National Vital Statistics System data is followed by discussions in several…

[Biosynthesis of indigo and indirubin by whole-cell catalyst designed by combination of protein engineering and metabolic engineering].

PubMed

Li, Yang; Zhu, Junge; Wang, Jianjun; Xia, Huanzhang; Wu, Sheng

2016-01-01

The phenylacetone monooxygenase, isolated from Thermobifida fusca, mainly catalyzes Baeyer-Villiger oxidation reaction towards aromatic compounds. Met446 plays a vital role in catalytic promiscuity, based on the structure and function of phenylacetone monooxygenase. Mutation in Met446 locus can offer enzyme new catalytic feature to activate C-H bond, oxidizing indole to finally generate indigo and indirubin, but the yield was only 1.89 mg/L. In order to further improve the biosynthesis efficiency of the whole-cell catalyst, metabolic engineering was applied to change glucose metabolism pathway of Escherichia coli. Blocking glucose isomerase gene pgi led to pentose phosphate pathway instead of the glycolytic pathway to become the major metabolic pathways of glucose, which provided more cofactor NADPH needed in enzymatic oxidation of indole. Engineering the host E. coli led to synthesis of indigo and indirubin efficiency further increased to 25 mg/L. Combination of protein and metabolic engineering to design efficient whole-cell catalysts not only improves the synthesis of indigo and indirubin, but also provides a novel strategy for whole-cell catalyst development.

Tissue engineering for lateral ridge augmentation with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 combination therapy: a case report.

PubMed

Mandelaris, George A; Spagnoli, Daniel B; Rosenfeld, Alan L; McKee, James; Lu, Mei

2015-01-01

This case report describes a tissue-engineered reconstruction with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2/acellular collagen sponge (rhBMP-2/ ACS) + cancellous allograft and space maintenance via Medpor Contain mesh in the treatment of a patient requiring maxillary and mandibular horizontal ridge augmentation to enable implant placement. The patient underwent a previously unsuccessful corticocancellous bone graft at these sites. Multiple and contiguous sites in the maxilla and in the mandibular anterior, demonstrating advanced lateral ridge deficiencies, were managed using a tissue engineering approach as an alternative to autogenous bone harvesting. Four maxillary and three mandibular implants were placed 9 and 10 months, respectively, after tissue engineering reconstruction, and all were functioning successfully after 24 months of follow-up. Histomorphometric analysis of a bone core obtained at the time of the maxillary implant placement demonstrated a mean of 76.1% new vital bone formation, 22.2% marrow/cells, and 1.7% residual graft tissue. Tissue engineering for lateral ridge augmentation with combination therapy requires further research to determine predictability and limitations.

Evaluation of human engineering design standard (MSFC-STD-267A) in the design of manned space vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, J. G.

1972-01-01

The major conclusion of the detailed examination of the human factors engineering design standard is that it is unsuitable for future spacecraft design. The standard, published in 1966, was not intended to be a zero or reduced gravity standard and was directed primarily toward ground support equipment and technology. Futhermore, ambiguities, conflicts, and unenforceable requirements contribute to the difficulty. The role of man in future space missions and its impact on human engineering standards are also discussed, and it is concluded that greater standardization is vital to the success of future missions. A survey of NASA/MSFC contractors was made, and it was found that MSFC-STD-267A is largely ignored and the most significant problems are inaccessibility and nonspecificity of the data. The resistance of contract management and designer and of program managers is a primary reason for poor human engineering design. Specific recommendations for improvement of format and organization, including an interim solution, are given.

Monitoring sinew contraction during formation of tissue-engineered fibrin-based ligament constructs.

PubMed

Paxton, Jennifer Z; Wudebwe, Uchena N G; Wang, Anqi; Woods, Daniel; Grover, Liam M

2012-08-01

The ability to study the gross morphological changes occurring during tissue formation is vital to producing tissue-engineered structures of clinically relevant dimensions in vitro. Here, we have used nondestructive methods of digital imaging and optical coherence tomography to monitor the early-stage formation and subsequent maturation of fibrin-based tissue-engineered ligament constructs. In addition, the effect of supplementation with essential promoters of collagen synthesis, ascorbic acid (AA) and proline (P), has been assessed. Contraction of the cell-seeded fibrin gel occurs unevenly within the first 5 days of culture around two fixed anchor points before forming a longitudinal ligament-like construct. AA+P supplementation accelerates gel contraction in the maturation phase of development, producing ligament-like constructs with a higher collagen content and distinct morphology to that of unsupplemented constructs. These studies highlight the importance of being able to control the methods of tissue formation and maturation in vitro to enable the production of tissue-engineered constructs with suitable replacement tissue characteristics for repair of clinical soft-tissue injuries.

A Non-Invasive Multichannel Hybrid Fiber-Optic Sensor System for Vital Sign Monitoring

PubMed Central

Fajkus, Marcel; Nedoma, Jan; Martinek, Radek; Vasinek, Vladimir; Nazeran, Homer; Siska, Petr

2017-01-01

In this article, we briefly describe the design, construction, and functional verification of a hybrid multichannel fiber-optic sensor system for basic vital sign monitoring. This sensor uses a novel non-invasive measurement probe based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The probe is composed of two FBGs encapsulated inside a polydimethylsiloxane polymer (PDMS). The PDMS is non-reactive to human skin and resistant to electromagnetic waves, UV absorption, and radiation. We emphasize the construction of the probe to be specifically used for basic vital sign monitoring such as body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. The proposed sensor system can continuously process incoming signals from up to 128 individuals. We first present the overall design of this novel multichannel sensor and then elaborate on how it has the potential to simplify vital sign monitoring and consequently improve the comfort level of patients in long-term health care facilities, hospitals and clinics. The reference ECG signal was acquired with the use of standard gel electrodes fixed to the monitored person’s chest using a real-time monitoring system for ECG signals with virtual instrumentation. The outcomes of these experiments have unambiguously proved the functionality of the sensor system and will be used to inform our future research in this fast developing and emerging field. PMID:28075341

Delivering advanced therapies: the big pharma approach.

PubMed

Tarnowski, J; Krishna, D; Jespers, L; Ketkar, A; Haddock, R; Imrie, J; Kili, S

2017-09-01

After two decades of focused development and some recent clinical successes, cell and gene therapy (CGT) is emerging as a promising approach to personalized medicines. Genetically engineered cells as a medical modality are poised to stand alongside or in combination with small molecule and biopharmaceutical approaches to bring new therapies to patients globally. Big pharma can have a vital role in industrializing CGT by focusing on diseases with high unmet medical need and compelling genetic evidence. Pharma should invest in manufacturing and supply chain solutions that deliver reproducible, high-quality therapies at a commercially viable cost. Owing to the fast pace of innovation in this field proactive engagement with regulators is critical. It is also vital to understand the needs of patients all along the patient care pathway and to establish product pricing that is accepted by prescribers, payers and patients.

The United States Air Force Academy Solar Energy Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

controller, ir the solar sy .4tem, is malfunctioning. Put simply, the house will get cold. lf oh cUrs the occupant will notify civil engineering mainte...with this product has been Revere Copper Laminated Panel Sys - trial uses, condenser tubing, electrical of vital assistance in accumulating the tern...Laminated Panel require water temperatures near the additional components Include tubes,. Construction. In the Revere Panel Sys - boiling point,whereas

Early Rockets

NASA Image and Video Library

1940-01-01

This drawing illustrates the vital dimensions of the A-4 (Aggregate-4). Later renamed the V-2 (Vengeance Weapon-2), the rocket was developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the German rocket team at Peenemuende, Germany on the Baltic Sea. At the end of World War II, the team of German engineers and scientists came to the United States and continued rocket research for the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

White House Maker Faire

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-18

Joey Hudy demonstrates his Intel Galileo-based 10x10x10 LED Cube during the first ever White House Maker Faire which brings together students, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens who are using new tools and techniques to launch new businesses, learn vital skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing, at the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

An Efficient Variable Screening Method for Effective Surrogate Models for Reliability-Based Design Optimization

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

surrogate model generation is difficult for high -dimensional problems, due to the curse of dimensionality. Variable screening methods have been...a variable screening model was developed for the quasi-molecular treatment of ion-atom collision [16]. In engineering, a confidence interval of...for high -level radioactive waste [18]. Moreover, the design sensitivity method can be extended to the variable screening method because vital

FY04 Engineering Technology Reports Technology Base

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

Sharpe, R M

2005-01-27

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate has two primary discretionary avenues for its investment in technologies: the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program and the ''Tech Base'' program. This volume summarizes progress on the projects funded for technology-base efforts in FY2004. The Engineering Technical Reports exemplify Engineering's more than 50-year history of researching and developing (LDRD), and reducing to practice (technology-base) the engineering technologies needed to support the Laboratory's missions. Engineering has been a partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence, and has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and technicalmore » resources. This accomplishment is well summarized by Engineering's mission: ''Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory's vitality tomorrow''. LDRD is the vehicle for creating those technologies and competencies that are cutting edge. These require a significant level of research or contain some unknown that needs to be fully understood. Tech Base is used to apply those technologies, or adapt them to a Laboratory need. The term commonly used for Tech Base projects is ''reduction to practice''. Tech Base projects effect the natural transition to reduction-to-practice of scientific or engineering methods that are well understood and established. They represent discipline-oriented, core competency activities that are multi-programmatic in application, nature, and scope. The objectives of technology-base funding include: (1) the development and enhancement of tools and processes to provide Engineering support capability, such as code maintenance and improved fabrication methods; (2) support of Engineering science and technology infrastructure, such as the installation or integration of a new capability; (3) support for technical and administrative leadership through our technology Centers; and (4) the initial scoping and exploration of selected technology areas with high strategic potential, such as assessment of university, laboratory, and industrial partnerships. Engineering's five Centers, in partnership with the Division Leaders and Department Heads, focus and guide longer-term investments within Engineering. The Centers attract and retain top staff, develop and maintain critical core technologies, and enable programs. Through their technology-base projects, they oversee the application of known engineering approaches and techniques to scientific and technical problems. The Centers and their Directors are as follows: (1) Center for Computational Engineering: Robert M. Sharpe; (2) Center for Microtechnology and Nanotechnology: Raymond P. Mariella, Jr. (3) Center for Nondestructive Characterization: Harry E. Martz, Jr.; (4) Center for Precision Engineering: Keith Carlisle; and (5) Center for Complex Distributed Systems: Gregory J. Suski, Acting Director.« less

Regenerative endodontics as a tissue engineering approach: past, current and future.

PubMed

Malhotra, Neeraj; Mala, Kundabala

2012-12-01

With the reported startling statistics of high incidence of tooth decay and tooth loss, the current interest is focused on the development of alternate dental tissue replacement therapies. This has led to the application of dental tissue engineering as a clinically relevant method for the regeneration of dental tissues and generation of bioengineered whole tooth. Although, tissue engineering approach requires the three main key elements of stem cells, scaffold and morphogens, a conductive environment (fourth element) is equally important for successful engineering of any tissue and/or organ. The applications of this science has evolved continuously in dentistry, beginning from the application of Ca(OH)(2) in vital pulp therapy to the development of a fully functional bioengineered tooth (mice). Thus, with advances in basic research, recent reports and studies have shown successful application of tissue engineering in the field of dentistry. However, certain practical obstacles are yet to be overcome before dental tissue regeneration can be applied as evidence-based approach in clinics. The article highlights on the past achievements, current developments and future prospects of tissue engineering and regenerative therapy in the field of endodontics and bioengineered teeth (bioteeth). © 2012 The Authors. Australian Endodontic Journal © 2012 Australian Society of Endodontology.

Properties of the Loess Sediments in Ostrava Region (Czech Republic) and Comparison with Some Other Loess Sediments

PubMed Central

Marschalko, Marian; Yilmaz, Işık; Fojtova, Lucie; Lamich, David; Bednarik, Martin

2013-01-01

This study deals with a methodical identification and evaluation of physical-mechanical properties of one genetic type of geological structure. This is represented by an engineering-geological zone of eolian sediments, which is regionally rather abundant. The paper contributes to a need to identify typical soil properties for widespread geological environments in a particular region and thus add to good engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers' awareness in the region. Such information is much required as it permits comparing results of newly conducted engineering-geological investigations and research with the results characteristic for the region in question. It is vital for engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers to be sufficiently informed on the foundation soil properties of widespread geological environments because of professionalism and higher quality of their work results. Comparing other loess sediment studies worldwide it was discovered that the physical properties of the most abundant clays of low to medium plasticity, sandy clays, and sands as foundation soils vary as for the plasticity index, porosity, natural water content, and bulk density to a certain extent but not as significantly as once expected. PMID:24391464

DENTAL PULP TISSUE ENGINEERING

PubMed Central

Demarco, FF; Conde, MCM; Cavalcanti, B; Casagrande, L; Sakai, V; Nör, JE

2013-01-01

Dental pulp is a highly specialized mesenchymal tissue, which have a restrict regeneration capacity due to anatomical arrangement and post-mitotic nature of odontoblastic cells. Entire pulp amputation followed by pulp-space disinfection and filling with an artificial material cause loss of a significant amount of dentin leaving as life-lasting sequelae a non-vital and weakened tooth. However, regenerative endodontics is an emerging field of modern tissue engineering that demonstrated promising results using stem cells associated with scaffolds and responsive molecules. Thereby, this article will review the most recent endeavors to regenerate pulp tissue based on tissue engineering principles and providing insightful information to readers about the different aspects enrolled in tissue engineering. Here, we speculate that the search for the ideal combination of cells, scaffolds, and morphogenic factors for dental pulp tissue engineering may be extended over future years and result in significant advances in other areas of dental and craniofacial research. The finds collected in our review showed that we are now at a stage in which engineering a complex tissue, such as the dental pulp, is no longer an unachievable and the next decade will certainly be an exciting time for dental and craniofacial research. PMID:21519641

Exploring Vital Sign Data Quality in Electronic Health Records with Focus on Emergency Care Warning Scores.

PubMed

Skyttberg, Niclas; Chen, Rong; Blomqvist, Hans; Koch, Sabine

2017-08-30

Computerized clinical decision support and automation of warnings have been advocated to assist clinicians in detecting patients at risk of physiological instability. To provide reliable support such systems are dependent on high-quality vital sign data. Data quality depends on how, when and why the data is captured and/or documented. This study aims to describe the effects on data quality of vital signs by three different types of documentation practices in five Swedish emergency hospitals, and to assess data fitness for calculating warning and triage scores. The study also provides reference data on triage vital signs in Swedish emergency care. We extracted a dataset including vital signs, demographic and administrative data from emergency care visits (n=335027) at five Swedish emergency hospitals during 2013 using either completely paper-based, completely electronic or mixed documentation practices. Descriptive statistics were used to assess fitness for use in emergency care decision support systems aiming to calculate warning and triage scores, and data quality was described in three categories: currency, completeness and correctness. To estimate correctness, two further categories - plausibility and concordance - were used. The study showed an acceptable correctness of the registered vital signs irrespectively of the type of documentation practice. Completeness was high in sites where registrations were routinely entered into the Electronic Health Record (EHR). The currency was only acceptable in sites with a completely electronic documentation practice. Although vital signs that were recorded in completely electronic documentation practices showed plausible results regarding correctness, completeness and currency, the study concludes that vital signs documented in Swedish emergency care EHRs cannot generally be considered fit for use for calculation of triage and warning scores. Low completeness and currency were found if the documentation was not completely electronic.

The impact of left ventricular stretching in model cultivations with neonatal cardiomyocytes in a whole-heart bioreactor.

PubMed

Hülsmann, Jörn; Aubin, Hug; Wehrmann, Alexander; Lichtenberg, Artur; Akhyari, Payam

2017-05-01

Here, we investigate the impact of integrated three-dimensional (3D) left ventricular (LV) stretching on myocardial maturation in a whole-heart bioreactor setting. Therefore, decellularized rat hearts were selectively repopulated with rodent neonatal cardiomyocytes (5 · 10 6 cells per heart) and cultured over 5 days. Continuous medium perfusion was maintained through the coronary artery system in a customized whole-heart bioreactor system with or without integrated biomechanical stimulation of LV. 3D repopulation effectiveness and cellular vitality were evaluated by repetitive metabolic WST-1 assays and 3D confocal microscopy analysis through fluorescent staining, also assessing cellular organization. Moreover, specific myocardial vitality was verified by detecting spontaneous electrophysiological activity using a multielectrode assay. Western blot analysis of cardiac myosin heavychain (MHC) and quantitative RT-PCR for Connexin 43 was used to analyze cardiomyocyte maturation. Decellularized whole-heart constructs repopulated with neonatal cardiomyocytes (repopWHC) showed vital 3D cell populations throughout the repopulation sites within the LV with a significant increase in metabolic activity (326 ± 113% for stimulated constructs vs. 162 ± 32% for non-stimulated controls after 96 h of continuous cultivation as compared to their state 24 h after injection, directly prior to bioreactor cultivation). Further, bioreactor cultivation under integrated mechanical LV stimulation not only led to a higher degree of cellular organization and an increased MHC content, but also to a significant increase of Cx43 gene expression resulting in a regain of 60 ± 19% of native neonatal hearts expression level in contrast to 20 ± 9% for non-stimulated controls (P = 0.03). Therefore, our study suggests that the integration of LV stretching into whole-heart bioreactor cultivation may enhance cardiac maturation not only by promoting cellular organization but also through adaptive protein and gene expression with particular implications for the formation of the conductive apparatus. Further, this study emphasizes the importance of suitable bioprocessing strategies within sophisticated bioreactor systems as tools for customized stimulation and cultivation of tissue engineered tissues and organs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1107-1117. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A flexible system for vital signs monitoring in hospital general care wards based on the integration of UNIX-based workstations, standard networks and portable vital signs monitors.

PubMed

Welch, J P; Sims, N; Ford-Carlton, P; Moon, J B; West, K; Honore, G; Colquitt, N

1991-01-01

The article describes a study conducted on general surgical and thoracic surgical floors of a 1000-bed hospital to assess the impact of a new network for portable patient care devices. This network was developed to address the needs of hospital patients who need constant, multi-parameter, vital signs surveillance, but do not require intensive nursing care. Bedside wall jacks were linked to UNIX-based workstations using standard digital network hardware, creating a flexible system (for general care floors of the hospital) that allowed the number of monitored locations to increase and decrease as patient census and acuity levels varied. It also allowed the general care floors to provide immediate, centralized vital signs monitoring for patients who unexpectedly became unstable, and permitted portable monitors to travel with patients as they were transferred between hospital departments. A disk-based log within the workstation automatically collected performance data, including patient demographics, monitor alarms, and network status for analysis. The log has allowed the developers to evaluate the use and performance of the system.

West Virginia Geological Survey's role in siting fluidized bed combustion facilities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, C.J.; King, Hobart M.; Ashton, K.C.; Kirstein, D.S.; McColloch, G.H.

1989-01-01

A project is presented which demonstrates the role of geology in planning and siting a fluidized bed combustion facility. Whenever a project includes natural resource utilization, cooperation between geologists and design engineers will provide an input that could and should save costs, similar to the one stated in our initial premise. Regardless of whether cost reductions stem from a better knowledge of fuel and sorbent availabilities, or a better understanding of the local hydrology, susceptibility to mine-subsidence, or other geologic hazards, the geological survey has a vital role in planning. Input to planning could help the fluidized-bed developer and design-engineer solve some economic questions and stretch the financial resources at their disposal.

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

Farrell, John T; Kelly, Kenneth J; Duran, Adam W

Range-extended electric vehicle (EV) technology can be a viable option for reducing fuel consumption from medium-duty (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) engines by approximately 50 percent or more. Such engines have wide variations in use and duty cycles, however, and identifying the vocations/duty cycles most suitable for range-extended applications is vital for maximizing the potential benefits. This presentation provides information about NREL's research on range-extended EV technologies, with a focus on NREL's real-world data collection and analysis approach to identifying the vocations/duty cycles best suited for range-extender applications and to help guide related powertrain optimization and design requirements. The presentation alsomore » details NREL's drive cycle development process as it pertains to package delivery applications.« less

Visualization-based decision support for value-driven system design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibor, Elliott

In the past 50 years, the military, communication, and transportation systems that permeate our world, have grown exponentially in size and complexity. The development and production of these systems has seen ballooning costs and increased risk. This is particularly critical for the aerospace industry. The inability to deal with growing system complexity is a crippling force in the advancement of engineered systems. Value-Driven Design represents a paradigm shift in the field of design engineering that has potential to help counteract this trend. The philosophy of Value-Driven Design places the desires of the stakeholder at the forefront of the design process to capture true preferences and reveal system alternatives that were never previously thought possible. Modern aerospace engineering design problems are large, complex, and involve multiple levels of decision-making. To find the best design, the decision-maker is often required to analyze hundreds or thousands of combinations of design variables and attributes. Visualization can be used to support these decisions, by communicating large amounts of data in a meaningful way. Understanding the design space, the subsystem relationships, and the design uncertainties is vital to the advancement of Value-Driven Design as an accepted process for the development of more effective, efficient, robust, and elegant aerospace systems. This research investigates the use of multi-dimensional data visualization tools to support decision-making under uncertainty during the Value-Driven Design process. A satellite design system comprising a satellite, ground station, and launch vehicle is used to demonstrate effectiveness of new visualization methods to aid in decision support during complex aerospace system design. These methods are used to facilitate the exploration of the feasible design space by representing the value impact of system attribute changes and comparing the results of multi-objective optimization formulations with a Value-Driven Design formulation. The visualization methods are also used to assist in the decomposition of a value function, by representing attribute sensitivities to aid with trade-off studies. Lastly, visualization is used to enable greater understanding of the subsystem relationships, by displaying derivative-based couplings, and the design uncertainties, through implementation of utility theory. The use of these visualization methods is shown to enhance the decision-making capabilities of the designer by granting them a more holistic view of the complex design space.

Design and implementation of a mobile-care system over wireless sensor network for home healthcare applications.

PubMed

Lee, Ren-Guey; Lai, Chien-Chih; Chiang, Shao-Shan; Liu, Hsin-Sheng; Chen, Chun-Chang; Hsieh, Guan-Yu

2006-01-01

According to home healthcare requirement of chronic patients, this paper proposes a mobile-care system integrated with a variety of vital-sign monitoring, where all the front-end vital-sign measuring devices are portable and have the ability of short-range wireless communication. In order to make the system more suitable for home applications, the technology of wireless sensor network is introduced to transmit the captured vital signs to the residential gateway by means of multi-hop relay. Then the residential gateway uploads data to the care server via Internet to carry out patient's condition monitoring and the management of pathological data. Furthermore, the system is added in the alarm mechanism, which the portable care device is able to immediately perceive the critical condition of the patient and to send a warning message to medical and nursing personnels in order to achieve the goal of prompt rescue.

Performance-based seismic design of nonstructural building components: The next frontier of earthquake engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filiatrault, Andre; Sullivan, Timothy

2014-08-01

With the development and implementation of performance-based earthquake engineering, harmonization of performance levels between structural and nonstructural components becomes vital. Even if the structural components of a building achieve a continuous or immediate occupancy performance level after a seismic event, failure of architectural, mechanical or electrical components can lower the performance level of the entire building system. This reduction in performance caused by the vulnerability of nonstructural components has been observed during recent earthquakes worldwide. Moreover, nonstructural damage has limited the functionality of critical facilities, such as hospitals, following major seismic events. The investment in nonstructural components and building contents is far greater than that of structural components and framing. Therefore, it is not surprising that in many past earthquakes, losses from damage to nonstructural components have exceeded losses from structural damage. Furthermore, the failure of nonstructural components can become a safety hazard or can hamper the safe movement of occupants evacuating buildings, or of rescue workers entering buildings. In comparison to structural components and systems, there is relatively limited information on the seismic design of nonstructural components. Basic research work in this area has been sparse, and the available codes and guidelines are usually, for the most part, based on past experiences, engineering judgment and intuition, rather than on objective experimental and analytical results. Often, design engineers are forced to start almost from square one after each earthquake event: to observe what went wrong and to try to prevent repetitions. This is a consequence of the empirical nature of current seismic regulations and guidelines for nonstructural components. This review paper summarizes current knowledge on the seismic design and analysis of nonstructural building components, identifying major knowledge gaps that will need to be filled by future research. Furthermore, considering recent trends in earthquake engineering, the paper explores how performance-based seismic design might be conceived for nonstructural components, drawing on recent developments made in the field of seismic design and hinting at the specific considerations required for nonstructural components.

BMTC: --A Tool for Standardized Tissue Engineering on Ground and in Space ---

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, Peter; Kemmerle, Kurt; Jones, David

ESA is developing the BMTC (Biotechnology Mammalian Tissue Culture Facility) as ground demonstrator in order to: • establish a well characterised terrestrial platform for tissue engineer-ing under defined, reproducible conditions • prepare for future tissue engineering experiments in space using proven, well characterised, modular equipment. In the beginning the facility will be dedicated to support research of bone and cartilage growth under controlled mechanical and/or biochemical stimulation. Meanwhile, the industrial BMTC team has finalised the first model. The BMTC is highly automated system which provides standardized experiment hardware for tissue cultivation and stimulation under controlled conditions and the reproducible execution of the experiment according pre-programmed protocols. The BMTC consists of an incubator for the control of the experiment environment. Internally it offers all experiment relevant subsystems: • two Cultivation Units, each with eight Experiment Chamber Modules optical in-situ sensors for pO2 and pH • the Liquid Handling Device for medium exchange and sample taking • the handling devices for the internal transport of the experiment chamber modules to different experiment services • workstations for uni-axial loading of tissue samples; ZETOS (for bone tissue) / CHONDROS (for cartilage tissue) provision of reproducible displacement profiles measurement of the resulting forces computation of the visco-eleastic properties of the samples provision of flow induced shear stress fluorescence microscope • two different reactor types are included in the baseline flat reactor for 2D-and flat 3D-cultures with flow induced shear stress stimulation compatible with microscope cylindrical 3D-reactor for cultivation of vital bone and cartilage samples compatible with un-directional stimulation / analysis by ZETOS / CHONDROS. The modular, flexible design of the system allows the servicing and accommodation of a wide range of other experiment specific reactors. The functional principles and the essential features for controlled experiments will be reported. This facility complements the research done on ground on osteoporosis and the bone and muscle loss during bed rest studies during space flights. It is considered to become a new in-orbit research tool for tissue engineering and the verification of mechanical or pharmaceutical countermeasures.

Female peer mentors early in college increase women’s positive academic experiences and retention in engineering

PubMed Central

Dasgupta, Nilanjana

2017-01-01

Scientific and engineering innovation is vital for American competitiveness, quality of life, and national security. However, too few American students, especially women, pursue these fields. Although this problem has attracted enormous attention, rigorously tested interventions outside artificial laboratory settings are quite rare. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment investigating the effect of peer mentoring on women’s experiences and retention in engineering during college transition, assessing its impact for 1 y while mentoring was active, and an additional 1 y after mentoring had ended. Incoming women engineering students (n = 150) were randomly assigned to female or male peer mentors or no mentors for 1 y. Their experiences were assessed multiple times during the intervention year and 1-y postintervention. Female (but not male) mentors protected women’s belonging in engineering, self-efficacy, motivation, retention in engineering majors, and postcollege engineering aspirations. Counter to common assumptions, better engineering grades were not associated with more retention or career aspirations in engineering in the first year of college. Notably, increased belonging and self-efficacy were significantly associated with more retention and career aspirations. The benefits of peer mentoring endured long after the intervention had ended, inoculating women for the first 2 y of college—the window of greatest attrition from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Thus, same-gender peer mentoring for a short period during developmental transition points promotes women’s success and retention in engineering, yielding dividends over time. PMID:28533360

Female peer mentors early in college increase women's positive academic experiences and retention in engineering.

PubMed

Dennehy, Tara C; Dasgupta, Nilanjana

2017-06-06

Scientific and engineering innovation is vital for American competitiveness, quality of life, and national security. However, too few American students, especially women, pursue these fields. Although this problem has attracted enormous attention, rigorously tested interventions outside artificial laboratory settings are quite rare. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment investigating the effect of peer mentoring on women's experiences and retention in engineering during college transition, assessing its impact for 1 y while mentoring was active, and an additional 1 y after mentoring had ended. Incoming women engineering students ( n = 150) were randomly assigned to female or male peer mentors or no mentors for 1 y. Their experiences were assessed multiple times during the intervention year and 1-y postintervention. Female (but not male) mentors protected women's belonging in engineering, self-efficacy, motivation, retention in engineering majors, and postcollege engineering aspirations. Counter to common assumptions, better engineering grades were not associated with more retention or career aspirations in engineering in the first year of college. Notably, increased belonging and self-efficacy were significantly associated with more retention and career aspirations. The benefits of peer mentoring endured long after the intervention had ended, inoculating women for the first 2 y of college-the window of greatest attrition from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Thus, same-gender peer mentoring for a short period during developmental transition points promotes women's success and retention in engineering, yielding dividends over time.

STS-116 Crew Portrait

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

This is the STS-116 Crew Portrait. Pictured on the front row from left to right are: William Oefelein, pilot; Joan Higginbotham, mission specialist; and Mark Polansky, commander. On the back row, left to right, are: Robert Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams, and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists. Williams joined Expedition 14 in progress to serve as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on December 9, 2006, the seven delivered two high profile Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC') payloads: The Lab-On-A Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) and the Water Delivery System, a vital component of the Station's Oxygen Generation System. The primary mission objective was to deliver and install the P5 truss element. The P5 installation was conducted during the first of three space walks, and involved use of both the shuttle and station's robotic arms. The remainder of the mission included a major reconfiguration and activation of the ISS electrical and thermal control systems, as well as delivery of Zvezda Service Module debris panels, which will increase ISS protection from potential impacts of micro-meteorites and orbital debris.

A VCSEL based system for on-site monitoring of low level methane emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kannath, A.; Hodgkinson, J.; Gillard, R. G.; Riley, R. J.; Tatam, R. P.

2011-03-01

Continuous monitoring of methane emissions has assumed greater significance in the recent past due to increasing focus on global warming issues. Many industries have also identified the need for ppm level methane measurement as a means of gaining carbon credits. Conventional instruments based on NDIR spectroscopy are unable to offer the high selectivity and sensitivity required for such measurements. Here we discuss the development of a robust VCSEL based system for accurate low level measurements of methane. A possible area of application is the measurement of residual methane whilst monitoring the output of flare stacks and exhaust gases from methane combustion engines. The system employs a Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) scheme with second harmonic detection at 1651 nm. Optimum modulation frequency and ramp rates were chosen to maintain high resolution and fast response times which are vital for the intended application. Advanced data processing techniques were used to achieve long term sensitivity of the order of 10-5 in absorbance. The system is immune to cross interference from other gases and its inherent design features makes it ideal for large scale commercial production. The instrument maintains its calibration and offers a completely automated continuous monitoring solution for remote on site deployment.

Sample registration of vital events with verbal autopsy: a renewed commitment to measuring and monitoring vital statistics.

PubMed Central

Setel, Philip W.; Sankoh, Osman; Rao, Chalapati; Velkoff, Victoria A.; Mathers, Colin; Gonghuan, Yang; Hemed, Yusuf; Jha, Prabhat; Lopez, Alan D.

2005-01-01

Registration of births, recording deaths by age, sex and cause, and calculating mortality levels and differentials are fundamental to evidence-based health policy, monitoring and evaluation. Yet few of the countries with the greatest need for these data have functioning systems to produce them despite legislation providing for the establishment and maintenance of vital registration. Sample vital registration (SVR), when applied in conjunction with validated verbal autopsy procedures and implemented in a nationally representative sample of population clusters represents an affordable, cost-effective, and sustainable short- and medium-term solution to this problem. SVR complements other information sources by producing age-, sex-, and cause-specific mortality data that are more complete and continuous than those currently available. The tools and methods employed in an SVR system, however, are imperfect and require rigorous validation and continuous quality assurance; sampling strategies for SVR are also still evolving. Nonetheless, interest in establishing SVR is rapidly growing in Africa and Asia. Better systems for reporting and recording data on vital events will be sustainable only if developed hand-in-hand with existing health information strategies at the national and district levels; governance structures; and agendas for social research and development monitoring. If the global community wishes to have mortality measurements 5 or 10 years hence, the foundation stones of SVR must be laid today. PMID:16184280

Remote sensing of multiple vital signs using a CMOS camera-equipped infrared thermography system and its clinical application in rapidly screening patients with suspected infectious diseases.

PubMed

Sun, Guanghao; Nakayama, Yosuke; Dagdanpurev, Sumiyakhand; Abe, Shigeto; Nishimura, Hidekazu; Kirimoto, Tetsuo; Matsui, Takemi

2017-02-01

Infrared thermography (IRT) is used to screen febrile passengers at international airports, but it suffers from low sensitivity. This study explored the application of a combined visible and thermal image processing approach that uses a CMOS camera equipped with IRT to remotely sense multiple vital signs and screen patients with suspected infectious diseases. An IRT system that produced visible and thermal images was used for image acquisition. The subjects' respiration rates were measured by monitoring temperature changes around the nasal areas on thermal images; facial skin temperatures were measured simultaneously. Facial blood circulation causes tiny color changes in visible facial images that enable the determination of the heart rate. A logistic regression discriminant function predicted the likelihood of infection within 10s, based on the measured vital signs. Sixteen patients with an influenza-like illness and 22 control subjects participated in a clinical test at a clinic in Fukushima, Japan. The vital-sign-based IRT screening system had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a negative predictive value of 91.7%; these values are higher than those of conventional fever-based screening approaches. Multiple vital-sign-based screening efficiently detected patients with suspected infectious diseases. It offers a promising alternative to conventional fever-based screening. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

High-Efficiency Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cell Enabling by Integration of Film-Morphology Optimization, Donor Selection, and Interfacial Engineering.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Li, Weiping; Yao, Jiannian; Zhan, Chuanlang

2016-06-22

Carrier mobility is a vital factor determining the electrical performance of organic solar cells. In this paper we report that a high-efficiency nonfullerene organic solar cell (NF-OSC) with a power conversion efficiency of 6.94 ± 0.27% was obtained by optimizing the hole and electron transportations via following judicious selection of polymer donor and engineering of film-morphology and cathode interlayers: (1) a combination of solvent annealing and solvent vapor annealing optimizes the film morphology and hence both hole and electron mobilities, leading to a trade-off of fill factor and short-circuit current density (Jsc); (2) the judicious selection of polymer donor affords a higher hole and electron mobility, giving a higher Jsc; and (3) engineering the cathode interlayer affords a higher electron mobility, which leads to a significant increase in electrical current generation and ultimately the power conversion efficiency (PCE).

Continence technologies whitepaper: Informing new engineering science research.

PubMed

Culmer, Pete; Alazmani, Ali; Bryant, Mike; Mancuso, Elena; King, Sarah; Mapunde, Vee; Jeays-Ward, Katherine; Heron, Nicola; Pearson, Russell; Vollebregt, Paul F; Corner, Lynne; Day, Richard

2018-06-01

Advances in healthcare technology for continence have historically been limited compared to other areas of medicine, reflecting the complexities of the condition and social stigma which act as a barrier to participation. This whitepaper has been developed to inspire and direct the engineering science community towards research opportunities that exist for continence technologies that address unmet needs in diagnosis, treatment and long-term management. Our aim is to pinpoint key challenges and highlight related research opportunities for novel technological advances. To do so, we draw on experience and expertise from academics, clinicians, patients and patient groups linked to continence healthcare. This is presented in four areas of consideration: the clinical pathway, patient perspective, research challenges and effective innovation. In each we introduce seminal research, background information and demonstrative case-studies, before discussing their relevance to engineering science researchers who are interested in approaching this overlooked but vital area of healthcare.

Cobalt: A vital element in the aircraft engine industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, J. R.

1981-01-01

Recent trends in the United States consumption of cobalt indicate that superalloys for aircraft engine manufacture require increasing amounts of this strategic element. Superalloys consume a lion's share of total U.S. cobalt usage which was about 16 million pounds in 1980. In excess of 90 percent of the cobalt used in this country was imported, principally from the African countries of Zaire and Zambia. Early studies on the roles of cobalt as an alloying element in high temperature alloys concentrated on the simple Ni-Cr and Nimonic alloy series. The role of cobalt in current complex nickel base superalloys is not well defined and indeed, the need for the high concentration of cobalt in widely used nickel base superalloys is not firmly established. The current cobalt situation is reviewed as it applies to superalloys and the opportunities for research to reduce the consumption of cobalt in the aircraft engine industry are described.

Similitude design for the vibration problems of plates and shells: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yunpeng; Wang, You; Luo, Zhong; Han, Qingkai; Wang, Deyou

2017-06-01

Similitude design plays a vital role in the analysis of vibration and shock problems encountered in large engineering equipment. Similitude design, including dimensional analysis and governing equation method, is founded on the dynamic similitude theory. This study reviews the application of similitude design methods in engineering practice and summarizes the major achievements of the dynamic similitude theory in structural vibration and shock problems in different fields, including marine structures, civil engineering structures, and large power equipment. This study also reviews the dynamic similitude design methods for thin-walled and composite material plates and shells, including the most recent work published by the authors. Structure sensitivity analysis is used to evaluate the scaling factors to attain accurate distorted scaling laws. Finally, this study discusses the existing problems and the potential of the dynamic similitude theory for the analysis of vibration and shock problems of structures.

A clinical decision-making mechanism for context-aware and patient-specific remote monitoring systems using the correlations of multiple vital signs.

PubMed

Forkan, Abdur Rahim Mohammad; Khalil, Ibrahim

2017-02-01

In home-based context-aware monitoring patient's real-time data of multiple vital signs (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure) are continuously generated from wearable sensors. The changes in such vital parameters are highly correlated. They are also patient-centric and can be either recurrent or can fluctuate. The objective of this study is to develop an intelligent method for personalized monitoring and clinical decision support through early estimation of patient-specific vital sign values, and prediction of anomalies using the interrelation among multiple vital signs. In this paper, multi-label classification algorithms are applied in classifier design to forecast these values and related abnormalities. We proposed a completely new approach of patient-specific vital sign prediction system using their correlations. The developed technique can guide healthcare professionals to make accurate clinical decisions. Moreover, our model can support many patients with various clinical conditions concurrently by utilizing the power of cloud computing technology. The developed method also reduces the rate of false predictions in remote monitoring centres. In the experimental settings, the statistical features and correlations of six vital signs are formulated as multi-label classification problem. Eight multi-label classification algorithms along with three fundamental machine learning algorithms are used and tested on a public dataset of 85 patients. Different multi-label classification evaluation measures such as Hamming score, F1-micro average, and accuracy are used for interpreting the prediction performance of patient-specific situation classifications. We achieved 90-95% Hamming score values across 24 classifier combinations for 85 different patients used in our experiment. The results are compared with single-label classifiers and without considering the correlations among the vitals. The comparisons show that multi-label method is the best technique for this problem domain. The evaluation results reveal that multi-label classification techniques using the correlations among multiple vitals are effective ways for early estimation of future values of those vitals. In context-aware remote monitoring this process can greatly help the doctors in quick diagnostic decision making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Isotopologue Record of Repeat Vital Effect Offenders: Tracking (Dis)equilibrium Effects in Sea Urchins and Nannofossil Using Clumped Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, C. M.; Davies, A.; Drury, A. J.

2016-12-01

Vital effects vary between species and affect various isotopic systems in unequal proportion. The magnitude of the response of different isotopic systems might thus be key in understanding biologically-mediated disequilibrium, especially in groups that show a tendency to be "repeat offenders" with regards to vital effects. Here we present carbon, oxygen, and clumped isotope data from echinoderm calcite and nannofossil ooze, both of which exhibit strong vital effects in bulk isotopes. Our study is the first to investigate the clumped isotope (dis)equilibrium of echinoids. Results from two echinoids, three marine gastropods and a bivalve mollusk from modern beach deposits of Bali, Indonesia, highlight a significant offset in clumped isotopes of a regular echinoid test from expected values, interpreted as evidence of a similar "vital effect" as observed in surface corals. This is in contrast to the test of an irregular "sand dollar" echinoid, with clumped isotope values within error of expected sea surface temperature. Furthermore, data on the inter-skeletal variability in the clumped isotopic composition of two regular echinoid species shows that the spines of the echinoids are in equilibrium with seawater with respect to clumped isotopes, but the test is not. For the nannofossil material, no clumped isotope vital effects are observed, consistent with previously published studies but at odds with strong vital effects in carbon and oxygen isotopes, often correlated with cell-size. In addition, we reveal that the <63 micron fraction of deep-sea ooze could constitute useful material for clumped isotope studies. An intriguing result of our study is that vital effects are mostly absent in clumped isotopes, even in phylums known for important isotopic effects. It remains to be explained why some parts of the echinoids show clear vital effects, notably enrichment in clumped isotopes of urchin tests. Mechanisms that could explain this include pH effects during calcification. Rapid precipitation of calcite is however not considered as a likely mechanism as skeletal components with the largest growth rates show no clear clumped isotope vital effects.

A preliminary analysis of human factors affecting the recognition accuracy of a discrete word recognizer for C3 systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yellen, H. W.

1983-03-01

Literature pertaining to Voice Recognition abounds with information relevant to the assessment of transitory speech recognition devices. In the past, engineering requirements have dictated the path this technology followed. But, other factors do exist that influence recognition accuracy. This thesis explores the impact of Human Factors on the successful recognition of speech, principally addressing the differences or variability among users. A Threshold Technology T-600 was used for a 100 utterance vocubalary to test 44 subjects. A statistical analysis was conducted on 5 generic categories of Human Factors: Occupational, Operational, Psychological, Physiological and Personal. How the equipment is trained and the experience level of the speaker were found to be key characteristics influencing recognition accuracy. To a lesser extent computer experience, time or week, accent, vital capacity and rate of air flow, speaker cooperativeness and anxiety were found to affect overall error rates.

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 26: The relationship between technology policy and scientific and technical information within the US and Japanese aerospace industries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

1993-01-01

Government technology policy has nurtured the growth of the aerospace industry which is vital to both the U.S. and Japanese economies. Japanese technology policy differs significantly from U.S. technology policy, however, particularly with respect to the production, transfer, and use of scientific and technical information (STI). In this paper, we discuss the unique position of the aerospace industry in the U.S. and Japan, U.S. and Japanese aerospace policy, and the role of STI in the process of aerospace innovation. The information-seeking behaviors of U.S. and Japanese aerospace engineers and scientists are compared. The authors advocate the development of innovation-adoption technology and STI policy goals for U.S. aerospace and the inclusion of an aerospace knowledge diffusion transfer system with an 'active' component for scanning and acquiring foreign aerospace technology and STI.

TDRS-L Spacecraft Fairing Encapsulation

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-08

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians encapsulate the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft in its payload fairing. TDRS-L will then be transported to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The TDRS-L satellite will be a part of the second of three next-generation spacecraft designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdrs/home/index.html

KSC-2013-4402

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians support lifting the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during stacking operations in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

TDRS-L Spacecraft Fairing Encapsulation

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-08

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians ensure precision as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft is being encapsulated in its payload fairing in preparation for begin transported to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The TDRS-L satellite will be a part of the second of three next-generation spacecraft designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdrs/home/index.html

KSC-2013-4412

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians support lifting the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during stacking operations in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2013-4404

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, engineers and technicians support lifting the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during stacking operations in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. The vehicle will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. XXVI - The relationship between technology policy and scientific and technical information within the U.S. and Japanese aerospace industries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Lahr, Tom; Hoetker, Glenn

1993-01-01

Government technology policy has nurtured the growth of the aerospace industry, which is vital to both the U.S. and Japanese economies. Japanese technology policy differs significantly from U.S. technology policy, however, particularly with respect to the production, transfer, and use of scientific and technical information (STI). In this paper, we discuss the unique position of the aerospace industry in the U.S. and Japan, U.S. and Japanese aerospace policy, and the role of STI in the process of aerospace innovation. The information-seeking behaviors of U.S. and Japanese aerospace engineers and scientists are compared. The authors advocate the development of innovation-adoption technology and STI policy goals for U.S. aerospace and the inclusion of an aerospace knowledge diffusion transfer system with an 'active' component for scanning and acquiring foreign aerospace technology and STI.

Evaluation of Active Mortality Surveillance System Data for Monitoring Hurricane-Related Deaths—Texas, 2008

PubMed Central

Choudhary, Ekta; Zane, David F.; Beasley, Crystal; Jones, Russell; Rey, Araceli; Noe, Rebecca S.; Martin, Colleen; Wolkin, Amy F.; Bayleyegn, Tesfaye M.

2015-01-01

Introduction The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) implemented an active mortality surveillance system to enumerate and characterize hurricane-related deaths during Hurricane Ike in 2008. This surveillance system used established guidelines and case definitions to categorize deaths as directly, indirectly, and possibly related to Hurricane Ike. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate Texas DSHS’ active mortality surveillance system using US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) surveillance system evaluation guidelines. Methods Using CDC’s Updated Guidelines for Surveillance System Evaluation, the active mortality surveillance system of the Texas DSHS was evaluated. Data from the active mortality surveillance system were compared with Texas vital statistics data for the same time period to estimate the completeness of reported disaster-related deaths. Results From September 8 through October 13, 2008, medical examiners (MEs) and Justices of the Peace (JPs) in 44 affected counties reported deaths daily by using a one-page, standardized mortality form. The active mortality surveillance system identified 74 hurricane-related deaths, whereas a review of vital statistics data revealed only four deaths that were hurricane-related. The average time of reporting a death by active mortality surveillance and vital statistics was 14 days and 16 days, respectively. Conclusions Texas’s active mortality surveillance system successfully identified hurricane-related deaths. Evaluation of the active mortality surveillance system suggested that it is necessary to collect detailed and representative mortality data during a hurricane because vital statistics do not capture sufficient information to identify whether deaths are hurricane-related. The results from this evaluation will help improve active mortality surveillance during hurricanes which, in turn, will enhance preparedness and response plans and identify public health interventions to reduce future hurricane-related mortality rates. PMID:22800916

Evaluation of active mortality surveillance system data for monitoring hurricane-related deaths-Texas, 2008.

PubMed

Choudhary, Ekta; Zane, David F; Beasley, Crystal; Jones, Russell; Rey, Araceli; Noe, Rebecca S; Martin, Colleen; Wolkin, Amy F; Bayleyegn, Tesfaye M

2012-08-01

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) implemented an active mortality surveillance system to enumerate and characterize hurricane-related deaths during Hurricane Ike in 2008. This surveillance system used established guidelines and case definitions to categorize deaths as directly, indirectly, and possibly related to Hurricane Ike. The objective of this study was to evaluate Texas DSHS' active mortality surveillance system using US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) surveillance system evaluation guidelines. Using CDC's Updated Guidelines for Surveillance System Evaluation, the active mortality surveillance system of the Texas DSHS was evaluated. Data from the active mortality surveillance system were compared with Texas vital statistics data for the same time period to estimate the completeness of reported disaster-related deaths. From September 8 through October 13, 2008, medical examiners (MEs) and Justices of the Peace (JPs) in 44 affected counties reported deaths daily by using a one-page, standardized mortality form. The active mortality surveillance system identified 74 hurricane-related deaths, whereas a review of vital statistics data revealed only four deaths that were hurricane-related. The average time of reporting a death by active mortality surveillance and vital statistics was 14 days and 16 days, respectively. Texas's active mortality surveillance system successfully identified hurricane-related deaths. Evaluation of the active mortality surveillance system suggested that it is necessary to collect detailed and representative mortality data during a hurricane because vital statistics do not capture sufficient information to identify whether deaths are hurricane-related. The results from this evaluation will help improve active mortality surveillance during hurricanes which, in turn, will enhance preparedness and response plans and identify public health interventions to reduce future hurricane-related mortality rates.

A New Tool for CME Arrival Time Prediction using Machine Learning Algorithms: CAT-PUMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiajia; Ye, Yudong; Shen, Chenglong; Wang, Yuming; Erdélyi, Robert

2018-03-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are arguably the most violent eruptions in the solar system. CMEs can cause severe disturbances in interplanetary space and can even affect human activities in many aspects, causing damage to infrastructure and loss of revenue. Fast and accurate prediction of CME arrival time is vital to minimize the disruption that CMEs may cause when interacting with geospace. In this paper, we propose a new approach for partial-/full halo CME Arrival Time Prediction Using Machine learning Algorithms (CAT-PUMA). Via detailed analysis of the CME features and solar-wind parameters, we build a prediction engine taking advantage of 182 previously observed geo-effective partial-/full halo CMEs and using algorithms of the Support Vector Machine. We demonstrate that CAT-PUMA is accurate and fast. In particular, predictions made after applying CAT-PUMA to a test set unknown to the engine show a mean absolute prediction error of ∼5.9 hr within the CME arrival time, with 54% of the predictions having absolute errors less than 5.9 hr. Comparisons with other models reveal that CAT-PUMA has a more accurate prediction for 77% of the events investigated that can be carried out very quickly, i.e., within minutes of providing the necessary input parameters of a CME. A practical guide containing the CAT-PUMA engine and the source code of two examples are available in the Appendix, allowing the community to perform their own applications for prediction using CAT-PUMA.

Laser surface modification of decellularized extracellular cartilage matrix for cartilage tissue engineering.

PubMed

Goldberg-Bockhorn, Eva; Schwarz, Silke; Subedi, Rachana; Elsässer, Alexander; Riepl, Ricarda; Walther, Paul; Körber, Ludwig; Breiter, Roman; Stock, Karl; Rotter, Nicole

2018-02-01

The implantation of autologous cartilage as the gold standard operative procedure for the reconstruction of cartilage defects in the head and neck region unfortunately implicates a variety of negative effects at the donor site. Tissue-engineered cartilage appears to be a promising alternative. However, due to the complex requirements, the optimal material is yet to be determined. As demonstrated previously, decellularized porcine cartilage (DECM) might be a good option to engineer vital cartilage. As the dense structure of DECM limits cellular infiltration, we investigated surface modifications of the scaffolds by carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and Er:YAG laser application to facilitate the migration of chondrocytes inside the scaffold. After laser treatment, the scaffolds were seeded with human nasal septal chondrocytes and analyzed with respect to cell migration and formation of new extracellular matrix proteins. Histology, immunohistochemistry, SEM, and TEM examination revealed an increase of the scaffolds' surface area with proliferation of cell numbers on the scaffolds for both laser types. The lack of cytotoxic effects was demonstrated by standard cytotoxicity testing. However, a thermal denaturation area seemed to hinder the migration of the chondrocytes inside the scaffolds, even more so after CO 2 laser treatment. Therefore, the Er:YAG laser seemed to be better suitable. Further modifications of the laser adjustments or the use of alternative laser systems might be advantageous for surface enlargement and to facilitate migration of chondrocytes into the scaffold in one step.

Chemically individual armoured bioreporter bacteria used for the in vivo sensing of ultra-trace toxic metal ions.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhijun; Ju, Enguo; Bing, Wei; Wang, Zhenzhen; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

2017-07-25

A chemically engineered armour is developed for simultaneously improving bioreporter bacterial vitality and shielding infectivity. The armour can help bacteria to resist various insults and even immune phagocytosis. Meanwhile, the bacterial infectivity has proven to be greatly shielded as well. Most importantly, the original bacterial biosensing activity is well preserved, which is competent for sensing trace arsenic in water, serum, and even in vivo.

Determining the Most Vital Arcs Within a Multi-Mode Communication Network Using Set-Based Measures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Disruption • llE"GreedyDisruption F’ ig u r c8 . A b..-o r grap h d isplayin g tho avcragcch augc in v;• lnc at cnchdcgrccor d is r u l>- t io n w h...Force Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering and Management (AFIT/ENS) 2950 Hobson Way WPAFB OH 45433-7765 AFIT-ENS-MS-15-M-131

A Home Health Care System for Family Doctor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamabe, Ryuji; Taketa, Norihiro

We propose a constitution technique of small-scale Home Health Care system for family doctor that has been developed by applying various API of JAVA. One function is vital data transmission which allows a family doctor to check the data of elderly persons with ease via Internet. Vital data is encrypted and transmitted for the purpose of security. The other function is telecommunication with voice and face image for care consulting.

Avoiding Another Hollow Force: Optimizing the Joint Force Despite Sequestration

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

Vietnam, socio-economic factors and funding decisions that favored the development of advanced weapon systems rather than funding other vital requirements...funding decisions that favored the development of advanced weapon systems rather than funding other vital requirements such as manpower led to the...to factors such as inefficiencies in production, $29.6 billion to quantity changes, and $13.7 billion to research and development (R&D) cost growth

Use of a novel electronic maternal surveillance system to generate automated alerts on the labor and delivery unit.

PubMed

Klumpner, Thomas T; Kountanis, Joanna A; Langen, Elizabeth S; Smith, Roger D; Tremper, Kevin K

2018-06-26

Maternal early warning systems reduce maternal morbidity. We developed an electronic maternal surveillance system capable of visually summarizing the labor and delivery census and identifying changes in clinical status. Automatic page alerts to clinical providers, using an algorithm developed at our institution, were incorporated in an effort to improve early detection of maternal morbidity. We report the frequency of pages generated by the system. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a system has been used in peripartum care. Alert criteria were developed after review of maternal early warning systems, including the Maternal Early Warning Criteria (MEWC). Careful consideration was given to the frequency of pages generated by the surveillance system. MEWC notification criteria were liberalized and a paging algorithm was created that triggered paging alerts to first responders (nurses) and then managing services due to the assumption that paging all clinicians for each vital sign triggering MEWC would generate an inordinate number of pages. For preliminary analysis, to determine the effect of our automated paging algorithm on alerting frequency, the paging frequency of this system was compared to the frequency of vital signs meeting the Maternal Early Warning Criteria (MEWC). This retrospective analysis was limited to a sample of 34 patient rooms uniquely capable of storing every vital sign reported by the bedside monitor. Over a 91-day period, from April 1 to July 1, 2017, surveillance was conducted from 64 monitored beds, and the obstetrics service received one automated page every 2.3 h. The most common triggers for alerts were for hypertension and tachycardia. For the subset of 34 patient rooms uniquely capable of real-time recording, one vital sign met the MEWC every 9.6 to 10.3 min. Anecdotally, the system was well-received. This novel electronic maternal surveillance system is designed to reduce cognitive bias and improve timely clinical recognition of maternal deterioration. The automated paging algorithm developed for this software dramatically reduces paging frequency compared to paging for isolated vital sign abnormalities alone. Long-term, prospective studies will be required to determine its impact on patient outcomes.

A Catchment Systems Engineering (CSE) approach to managing intensively farmed land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonczyk, Jennine; Quinn, Paul; Barber, Nicholas; Wilkinson, Mark; ODonnell, Greg

2014-05-01

Rural land management practices can have a significant impact on the hydrological and nutrient dynamics within a catchment which can dramatically alter the way it processes water, exacerbating nutrient losses from the system. A collaborative and holistic approach for managing potential conflicts between land management activity for food production alongside the aspiration to achieve good water quality and the need to make space for water can ensure the long-term sustainability of our agricultural catchments. Catchment System Engineering (CSE) is an interventionist approach to altering the catchment scale runoff regime through the manipulation of hydrological flow pathways throughout the catchment. By targeting hydrological flow pathways at source, such as overland flow, field drain and ditch function, a significant component of the runoff generation can be managed, greatly reducing erosive soil losses. Coupled with management of farm nutrients at source many runoff attenuation features or measures can be co-located to achieve benefits for water quality. Examples of community-led mitigation measures using the CSE approach will be presented from two catchments in Northumberland, Northern England, that demonstrate the generic framework for identification of multipurpose features that slow, store and filter runoff at strategic locations in the landscape. Measures include within-field barriers, edge of field traps and within-field sediment filters and sediment traps which demonstrate how sediment can be trapped locally (including silt and clay fractions) and be recovered for use back on the land. Deliverables from this CSE approach includes the reduction of downstream flood risk and capturing of sediment and associated nutrients. The CSE approach allows for a more natural flood and nutrient management approach which helps to restore vital catchment functions to re-establish a healthy catchment system.

Monitoring of Vital Signs with Flexible and Wearable Medical Devices.

PubMed

Khan, Yasser; Ostfeld, Aminy E; Lochner, Claire M; Pierre, Adrien; Arias, Ana C

2016-06-01

Advances in wireless technologies, low-power electronics, the internet of things, and in the domain of connected health are driving innovations in wearable medical devices at a tremendous pace. Wearable sensor systems composed of flexible and stretchable materials have the potential to better interface to the human skin, whereas silicon-based electronics are extremely efficient in sensor data processing and transmission. Therefore, flexible and stretchable sensors combined with low-power silicon-based electronics are a viable and efficient approach for medical monitoring. Flexible medical devices designed for monitoring human vital signs, such as body temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, pulse oxygenation, and blood glucose have applications in both fitness monitoring and medical diagnostics. As a review of the latest development in flexible and wearable human vitals sensors, the essential components required for vitals sensors are outlined and discussed here, including the reported sensor systems, sensing mechanisms, sensor fabrication, power, and data processing requirements. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Engine rotor health monitoring: an experimental approach to fault detection and durability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul-Aziz, Ali; Woike, Mark R.; Clem, Michelle; Baaklini, George

2015-03-01

Efforts to update and improve turbine engine components in meeting flights safety and durability requirements are commitments that engine manufacturers try to continuously fulfill. Most of their concerns and developments energies focus on the rotating components as rotor disks. These components typically undergo rigorous operating conditions and are subject to high centrifugal loadings which subject them to various failure mechanisms. Thus, developing highly advanced health monitoring technology to screen their efficacy and performance is very essential to their prolonged service life and operational success. Nondestructive evaluation techniques are among the many screening methods that presently are being used to pre-detect hidden flaws and mini cracks prior to any appalling events occurrence. Most of these methods or procedures are confined to evaluating material's discontinuities and other defects that have mature to a point where failure is eminent. Hence, development of more robust techniques to pre-predict faults prior to any catastrophic events in these components is highly vital. This paper is focused on presenting research activities covering the ongoing research efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) rotor dynamics laboratory in support of developing a fault detection system for key critical turbine engine components. Data obtained from spin test experiments of a rotor disk that relates to investigating behavior of blade tip clearance, tip timing and shaft displacement based on measured data acquired from sensor devices such as eddy current, capacitive and microwave are presented. Additional results linking test data with finite element modeling to characterize the structural durability of a cracked rotor as it relays to the experimental tests and findings is also presented. An obvious difference in the vibration response is shown between the notched and the baseline no notch rotor disk indicating the presence of some type of irregularity.

A flexible system for vital signs monitoring in hospital general care wards based on the integration of UNIX-based workstations, standard networks and portable vital signs monitors.

PubMed Central

Welch, J. P.; Sims, N.; Ford-Carlton, P.; Moon, J. B.; West, K.; Honore, G.; Colquitt, N.

1991-01-01

The article describes a study conducted on general surgical and thoracic surgical floors of a 1000-bed hospital to assess the impact of a new network for portable patient care devices. This network was developed to address the needs of hospital patients who need constant, multi-parameter, vital signs surveillance, but do not require intensive nursing care. Bedside wall jacks were linked to UNIX-based workstations using standard digital network hardware, creating a flexible system (for general care floors of the hospital) that allowed the number of monitored locations to increase and decrease as patient census and acuity levels varied. It also allowed the general care floors to provide immediate, centralized vital signs monitoring for patients who unexpectedly became unstable, and permitted portable monitors to travel with patients as they were transferred between hospital departments. A disk-based log within the workstation automatically collected performance data, including patient demographics, monitor alarms, and network status for analysis. The log has allowed the developers to evaluate the use and performance of the system. PMID:1807720

Using OPC and HL7 Standards to Incorporate an Industrial Big Data Historian in a Health IT Environment.

PubMed

Cruz, Márcio Freire; Cavalcante, Carlos Arthur Mattos Teixeira; Sá Barretto, Sérgio Torres

2018-05-30

Health Level Seven (HL7) is one of the standards most used to centralize data from different vital sign monitoring systems. This solution significantly limits the data available for historical analysis, because it typically uses databases that are not effective in storing large volumes of data. In industry, a specific Big Data Historian, known as a Process Information Management System (PIMS), solves this problem. This work proposes the same solution to overcome the restriction on storing vital sign data. The PIMS needs a compatible communication standard to allow storing, and the one most commonly used is the OLE for Process Control (OPC). This paper presents a HL7-OPC Server that permits communication between vital sign monitoring systems with PIMS, thus allowing the storage of long historical series of vital signs. In addition, it carries out a review about local and cloud-based Big Medical Data researches, followed by an analysis of the PIMS in a Health IT Environment. Then it shows the architecture of HL7 and OPC Standards. Finally, it shows the HL7-OPC Server and a sequence of tests that proved its full operation and performance.

Sustainable and non-conventional monitoring systems to mitigate natural hazards in low income economies: the 4onse project approach.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannata, Massimiliano; Ratnayake, Rangajeewa; Antonovic, Milan; Strigaro, Daniele

2017-04-01

Environmental monitoring systems in low economies countries are often in decline, outdated or missing with the consequence that there is a very scarce availability and accessibility to these information that are vital for coping and mitigating natural hazards. Non-conventional monitoring systems based on open technologies may constitute a viable solution to create low cost and sustainable monitoring systems that may be fully developed, deployed and maintained at local level without lock-in dependances on copyrights or patents or high costs of replacements. The 4onse research project , funded under the Research for Development program of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Office for Development and Cooperation, propose a complete monitoring system that integrates Free & Open Source Software, Open Hardware, Open Data, and Open Standards. After its engineering, it will be tested in the Deduru Oya catchment (Sri Lanka) to evaluate the system and develop a water management information system to optimize the regulation of artificial basins levels and mitigate flash floods. One of the objective is to better scientifically understand strengths, criticalities and applicabilities in terms of data quality; system durability; management costs; performances; sustainability. Results, challenges and experiences from the first six months of the projects will be presented with particular focus on the activities of synergies building and data collection and dissemination system advances.

Optical design considerations for high-concentration photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garboushian, Vahan; Gordon, Robert

2006-08-01

Over the past 15 years, major advances in Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) have been achieved. Ultra-efficient Si solar cells have produced commercial concentration systems which are being fielded today and are competitively priced. Advanced research has primarily focused on significantly more efficient multi-junction solar cells for tomorrow's systems. This effort has produced sophisticated solar cells that significantly improve power production. Additional performance and cost improvements, especially in the optical system area and system integration, must be made before CPV can realize its ultimate commercial potential. Structural integrity and reliability are vital for commercial success. As incremental technical improvements are made in solar cell technologies, evaluation and 'fine-tuning' of optical systems properly matched to the solar cell are becoming increasingly necessary. As we move forward, it is increasingly important to optimize all of the interrelated elements of a CPV system for high performance without sacrificing the marketable cost and structural requirements of the system. Areas such as wavelength absorption of refractive optics need to be carefully matched to the solar cell technology employed. Reflective optics require advanced engineering models to insure uniform flux distribution without excessive losses. In Situ measurement of the 'fine-grain' improvements are difficult as multiple variables such as solar insolation, temperature, wind, altitude, etc. infringe on analytical data. This paper discusses design considerations based on 10 years of field trials of high concentration systems and their relevance for tomorrow's advanced CPV systems.

Effect of processing on Polymer/Composite structure and properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Advances in the vitality and economic health of the field of polymer forecasting are discussed. A consistent and rational point of view which considers processing as a participant in the underlying triad of relationships which comprise materials science and engineering is outlined. This triad includes processing as it influences material structure, and ultimately properties. Methods in processing structure properties, polymer science and engineering, polymer chemistry and synthesis, structure and modification and optimization through processing, and methods of melt flow modeling in processing structure property relations of polymer were developed. Mechanical properties of composites are considered, and biomedical materials research to include polymer processing effects are studied. An analysis of the design technology of advances graphite/epoxy composites is also reported.

White House Maker Faire

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-18

Lindsay Lawlor, of San Diego, Calif., left, demonstrates his creation, a 17-foot-tall, robotic giraffe that "walks" on wheels and is powered by a 12-horsepower hybrid fuel-engine motor, during the first ever White House Maker Faire, which brings together students, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens who are using new tools and techniques to launch new businesses, learn vital skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing, at the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in Washington. The President announced new steps the Administration and its partners are taking to support the ability of more Americans, young and old, to have to access to these tools and techniques and brings their ideas to life. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Error Estimation and Uncertainty Propagation in Computational Fluid Mechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhu, J. Z.; He, Guowei; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Numerical simulation has now become an integral part of engineering design process. Critical design decisions are routinely made based on the simulation results and conclusions. Verification and validation of the reliability of the numerical simulation is therefore vitally important in the engineering design processes. We propose to develop theories and methodologies that can automatically provide quantitative information about the reliability of the numerical simulation by estimating numerical approximation error, computational model induced errors and the uncertainties contained in the mathematical models so that the reliability of the numerical simulation can be verified and validated. We also propose to develop and implement methodologies and techniques that can control the error and uncertainty during the numerical simulation so that the reliability of the numerical simulation can be improved.

Three-dimensional (3D) evaluation of liquid distribution in shake flask using an optical fluorescence technique.

PubMed

Azizan, Amizon; Büchs, Jochen

2017-01-01

Biotechnological development in shake flask necessitates vital engineering parameters e.g. volumetric power input, mixing time, gas liquid mass transfer coefficient, hydromechanical stress and effective shear rate. Determination and optimization of these parameters through experiments are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) provides the ability to predict and validate these parameters in bioprocess engineering. This work provides ample experimental data which are easily accessible for future validations to represent the hydrodynamics of the fluid flow in the shake flask. A non-invasive measuring technique using an optical fluorescence method was developed for shake flasks containing a fluorescent solution with a waterlike viscosity at varying filling volume (V L  = 15 to 40 mL) and shaking frequency ( n  = 150 to 450 rpm) at a constant shaking diameter (d o  = 25 mm). The method detected the leading edge (LB) and tail of the rotating bulk liquid (TB) relative to the direction of the centrifugal acceleration at varying circumferential heights from the base of the shake flask. The determined LB and TB points were translated into three-dimensional (3D) circumferential liquid distribution plots. The maximum liquid height (H max ) of the bulk liquid increased with increasing filling volume and shaking frequency of the shaking flask, as expected. The toroidal shapes of LB and TB are clearly asymmetrical and the measured TB differed by the elongation of the liquid particularly towards the torus part of the shake flask. The 3D liquid distribution data collected at varying filling volume and shaking frequency, comprising of LB and TB values relative to the direction of the centrifugal acceleration are essential for validating future numerical solutions using CFD to predict vital engineering parameters in shake flask.

Pulp regeneration concepts for non-vital teeth: from tissue engineering to clinical approaches.

PubMed

Orti, Valérie; Collart-Dutilleul, Pierre-Yves; Piglionico, Sofía Silvia; Pall, Orsolya; Cuisinier, Frédéric; Panayotov, Ivan Vladislavov

2018-05-04

Following the basis of tissue engineering (Cells - Scaffold - Bioactive molecules), regenerative endodontic has emerged as a new concept of dental treatment. Clinical procedures have been proposed by endodontic practitioners willing to promote regenerative therapy. Preserving pulp vitality was a first approach. Later procedures aimed to regenerate a vascularized pulp in necrotic root canals. However, there is still no protocol allowing an effective regeneration of necrotic pulp tissue either in immature or mature teeth. This review explore in vitro and preclinical concepts developed during the last decade, especially the potential use of stem cells, bioactive molecules and scaffolds, and makes a comparison with the goals achieved so far in clinical practice. Regeneration of pulp-like tissue has been shown in various experimental conditions. However, the appropriate techniques are currently in a developmental stage. The ideal combination of scaffolds and growth factors to obtain a complete regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex is still unknown. The use of stem cells, especially from pulp origin, sounds promising for pulp regeneration therapy, but it has not been applied so far for clinical endodontics, in case of necrotic teeth. The gap observed between the hope raised from in vitro experiments and the reality of endodontic treatments suggests that clinical success may be achieved without external stem cell application. Therefore, procedures using the concept of cell homing, through evoked bleeding, that permit to recreate a living tissue that mimics the original pulp have been proposed. Perspectives for pulp tissue engineering in a near future include a better control of clinical parameters and pragmatic approach of the experimental results (autologous stem cells from cell homing, controlled release of growth factors). In the coming years, this therapeutic strategy will probably become a clinical reality, even for mature necrotic teeth.

Radioisotope Power Systems Reference Book for Mission Designers and Planners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Young; Bairstow, Brian

2015-01-01

The RPS Program's Program Planning and Assessment (PPA) Office commissioned the Mission Analysis team to develop the Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Reference Book for Mission Planners and Designers to define a baseline of RPS technology capabilities with specific emphasis on performance parameters and technology readiness. The main objective of this book is to provide RPS technology information that could be utilized by future mission concept studies and concurrent engineering practices. A progress summary from the major branches of RPS technology research provides mission analysis teams with a vital tool for assessing the RPS trade space, and provides concurrent engineering centers with a consistent set of guidelines for RPS performance characteristics. This book will be iterated when substantial new information becomes available to ensure continued relevance, serving as one of the cornerstone products of the RPS PPA Office. This book updates the original 2011 internal document, using data from the relevant publicly released RPS technology references and consultations with RPS technologists. Each performance parameter and RPS product subsection has been reviewed and cleared by at least one subject matter representative. A virtual workshop was held to reach consensus on the scope and contents of the book, and the definitions and assumptions that should be used. The subject matter experts then reviewed and updated the appropriate sections of the book. The RPS Mission Analysis Team then performed further updates and crosschecked the book for consistency. Finally, a second virtual workshop was held to ensure all subject matter experts and stakeholders concurred on the contents.

An Assessment of Environmental Health Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macatangay, Ariel V.

2013-01-01

Environmental health fundamentally addresses the physical, chemical, and biological risks external to the human body that can impact the health of a person by assessing and controlling these risks in order to generate and maintain a health-supportive environment. In manned spacecraft, environmental health risks are mitigated by a multi-disciplinary effort, employing several measures including active and passive controls, by establishing environmental standards (SMACs, SWEGs, microbial and acoustics limits), and through environmental monitoring. Human Health and Performance (HHP) scientists and Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) engineers consider environmental monitoring a vital component to an environmental health management strategy for maintaining a healthy crew and achieving mission success. ECLS engineers use environmental monitoring data to monitor and confirm the health of ECLS systems, whereas HHP scientists use the data to manage the health of the human system. Because risks can vary between missions and change over time, environmental monitoring is critical. Crew health risks associated with the environment were reviewed by agency experts with the goal of determining risk-based environmental monitoring needs for future NASA manned missions. Once determined, gaps in environmental health knowledge and technology, required to address those risks, were identified for various types of exploration missions. This agency-wide assessment of environmental health needs will help guide the activities/hardware development efforts to close those gaps and advance the knowledge required to meet NASA manned space exploration objectives. Details of the roadmap development and findings are presented in this paper.

More Than A SketchUp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Derrick D.

2014-01-01

This 2014 summer internship assignment at John F. Kennedy Space Center (K.S.C) was conducted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Engineering and Technology (NE) group in support of the Control and Data Systems Division (NE-C) within the Test, Operations & Support Software Engineering Branch (NE-C2). The primary focus of this project was to assist Branch Chief Laurie B. Griffin, to support NASA's Small Payload Launch Integrated Testing Services (SPLITS) mission, by mastering the capabilities of 3-D modeling software called SketchUp. I used SketchUp to create a virtual environment for different laboratories of the NE-00 Division. My mission was to have these models uploaded into a K.S.C Partnerships Website and be used as a visual aid to viewers who browsed the site. The leads of this project were Kay L. Craig, Business and Industry Specialist (AD-A) and Steven E. Cain, (FA-C). I teamed with fellow intern Tait Sorenson of the Flight Structures and Thermal Protection Systems Branch (NE-M5) and met with many K.S.C lab managers willing to display their lab's structure and capabilities. The information collected during these lab tours was vital to the building of the K.S.C Partnerships Website. To accomplish this goal Sorenson and I later teamed with fellow Marketing intern Marlee Pereda-Ramos, of the Spaceport Planning Office In Center Planning And Development (AD-A) Along with Ramos, Tait and I toured an array of laboratories and got first hand exposure to their functions and capabilities.

46 CFR 182.720 - Nonmetallic piping materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... braid; (iv) Flexible hose used for alcohol-gasoline blend fuels must meet the permeability requirements...) and (d) of this section. (b) Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used in vital and non-vital... gasoline or diesel fuel systems. Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used where permitted by...

46 CFR 182.720 - Nonmetallic piping materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... braid; (iv) Flexible hose used for alcohol-gasoline blend fuels must meet the permeability requirements...) and (d) of this section. (b) Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used in vital and non-vital... gasoline or diesel fuel systems. Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used where permitted by...

46 CFR 182.720 - Nonmetallic piping materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... braid; (iv) Flexible hose used for alcohol-gasoline blend fuels must meet the permeability requirements...) and (d) of this section. (b) Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used in vital and non-vital... gasoline or diesel fuel systems. Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used where permitted by...

46 CFR 182.720 - Nonmetallic piping materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... braid; (iv) Flexible hose used for alcohol-gasoline blend fuels must meet the permeability requirements...) and (d) of this section. (b) Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used in vital and non-vital... gasoline or diesel fuel systems. Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used where permitted by...

46 CFR 182.720 - Nonmetallic piping materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... braid; (iv) Flexible hose used for alcohol-gasoline blend fuels must meet the permeability requirements...) and (d) of this section. (b) Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used in vital and non-vital... gasoline or diesel fuel systems. Flexible nonmetallic materials (hose) may be used where permitted by...

[The human life cycle from a theoretical viewpoint].

PubMed

Beier, W

1976-02-15

In the view of theoretical considerations the human course of life is regarded as a generalized motion. It is made an attempt to define terms, such as chronological age, biological age and ageing. In the model of ageing irreversible alterations affecting the organism are described by a complex variable, called vitality, which represents the state of systems. The rate of vitality dV/dt and the biomorphosis of systems are equivalent terms.

Personalised physical exercise regime for chronic patients through a wearable ICT platform.

PubMed

Angelidis, Pantelis A

2010-01-01

Today's state of the art in exercise physiology, professional athletics and sports practice in general clearly shows that the best results depend on the personalisation and continuous update of the recommendations provided to an athlete training, a sports lover or a person whose medical condition demands regular physical exercise. The vital signs information gathered in telemonitoring systems can be better evaluated and exploited if processed along with data from the subject's electronic health records, training history and performance statistics. In this context, the current paper intends to exploit modern smart miniaturised systems and advanced information systems towards the development of an infrastructure for continuous, non-invasive acquisition and advanced processing of vital signs information. In particular, it will look into wearable electronics embedded in textile capable of performing regular or exceptional measurements of vital physiological parameters and communicating them to an application server for further processing.

4onse: four times open & non-conventional technology for sensing the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannata, Massimiliano; Ratnayake, Rangageewa; Antonovic, Milan; Strigaro, Daniele; Cardoso, Mirko; Hoffmann, Marcus

2017-04-01

The availability of complete, quality and dense monitoring hydro-meteorological data is essential to address a number of practical issues including, but not limited to, flood-water and urban drainage management, climate change impact assessment, early warning and risk management, now-casting and weather predictions. Thanks to the recent technological advances such as Internet Of Things, Big Data and Ubiquitous Internet, non-conventional monitoring systems based on open technologies and low cost sensors may represent a great opportunity either as a complement of authoritative monitoring network or as a vital source of information wherever existing monitoring networks are in decline or completely missing. Nevertheless, scientific literature on such a kind of open and non-conventional monitoring systems is still limited and often relates to prototype engineering and testing in rather limited case studies. For this reason the 4onse project aims at integrating existing open technologies in the field of Free & Open Source Software, Open Hardware, Open Data, and Open Standards and evaluate this kind of system in a real case (about 30 stations) for a medium period of 2 years to better scientifically understand strengths, criticalities and applicabilities in terms of data quality; system durability; management costs; performances; sustainability. The ultimate objective is to contribute in non-conventional monitoring systems adoption based on four open technologies.

Are well functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems associated with better health outcomes?

PubMed

Phillips, David E; AbouZahr, Carla; Lopez, Alan D; Mikkelsen, Lene; de Savigny, Don; Lozano, Rafael; Wilmoth, John; Setel, Philip W

2015-10-03

In this Series paper, we examine whether well functioning civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are associated with improved population health outcomes. We present a conceptual model connecting CRVS to wellbeing, and describe an ecological association between CRVS and health outcomes. The conceptual model posits that the legal identity that civil registration provides to individuals is key to access entitlements and services. Vital statistics produced by CRVS systems provide essential information for public health policy and prevention. These outcomes benefit individuals and societies, including improved health. We use marginal linear models and lag-lead analysis to measure ecological associations between a composite metric of CRVS performance and three health outcomes. Results are consistent with the conceptual model: improved CRVS performance coincides with improved health outcomes worldwide in a temporally consistent manner. Investment to strengthen CRVS systems is not only an important goal for individuals and societies, but also a development imperative that is good for health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From stem to roots: Tissue engineering in endodontics

PubMed Central

Kala, M.; Banthia, Priyank; Banthia, Ruchi

2012-01-01

The vitality of dentin-pulp complex is fundamental to the life of tooth and is a priority for targeting clinical management strategies. Loss of the tooth, jawbone or both, due to periodontal disease, dental caries, trauma or some genetic disorders, affects not only basic mouth functions but aesthetic appearance and quality of life. One novel approach to restore tooth structure is based on biology: regenerative endodontic procedure by application of tissue engineering. Regenerative endodontics is an exciting new concept that seeks to apply the advances in tissue engineering to the regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex. The basic logic behind this approach is that patient-specific tissue-derived cell populations can be used to functionally replace integral tooth tissues. The development of such ‘test tube teeth’ requires precise regulation of the regenerative events in order to achieve proper tooth size and shape, as well as the development of new technologies to facilitate these processes. This article provides an extensive review of literature on the concept of tissue engineering and its application in endodontics, providing an insight into the new developmental approaches on the horizon. Key words:Regenerative, tissue engineering, stem cells, scaffold. PMID:24558528

Integrated subsurface water solutions for coastal environments through integrated pump&treat and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perdikaki, Martha; Kallioras, Andreas; Christoforidis, Christophoros; Iossifidis, Dimitris; Zafeiropoulos, Anastasios; Dimitriadis, Klisthenis; Makropoulos, Christos; Raat, Klaasjan; van den Berg, Gerard

2016-04-01

Coastal wetlands in semi-arid regions, as in Circum-Mediterranean, are considered important ecosystems that provide valuable services to human population and the environment, such as: flood protection, erosion control, wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation and carbon sequestration. Un-managed surface and groundwater exploitation in these areas usually leads to deterioration of such sensitive ecosystems by means of water resources degradation and/or increased salinity. Groundwater usually plays a vital role for the sustainability of these hydrological systems, as the underlying aquifers operate as regulators for both quantity and quality of their waters. Multi-layer and multi-objective Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) systems can be proved effective groundwater engineered solutions for the restoration of deteriorated coastal wetlands in semi- and arid regions. The plain of Marathon is a typical Mediterranean environment that hosts a naturally occurring -and today degraded- coastal wetland with the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem linked to a typical coastal hydrogeological system of a semi-arid region; and therefore can serve as a model for similar systems world-wide. The geo-hydrological setting of the area involves a multi-layer aquifer system consisting of (i) an upper un-consolidated formation of depositional unit dominated mostly by fluvial sediments and (ii) the surrounding and underlying karstified marbles; both being linked to the investigated wetland and also subjected to seawater encroachment. A smart engineered MAR system via an optimised Pump & Treat system integrated with an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) scheme in this area would include the abstraction of brackish groundwater from the deeper karst aquifer at a location close to the shoreline and direct treatment with Reverse Osmosis (RO). for desalination. Two-fold re-use scheme of the purified effluent can then be engineered for (i) the restoration of the coastal wetland; and (ii) managed aquifer recharge of the upper un-consolidated formation to sustain irrigation at the upstream area for agriculture. This facility will demonstrate how MAR can be used to sustain groundwater dependent ecosystems (and/or prevent their further degradation), while at the same time safeguarding water supply. Acknowledgements: This research is part of SUBSOL-bringing coastal SUBsurface water SOLutions to the market. SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Differentials in vital information in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, 2006-2008.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Mirella; Bonfim, Cristine; de Frias, Paulo Germano; Braga, Cynthia; Gurgel, Idê Gomes Dantas; Medeiros, Zulma

2012-06-01

To assess differentials in official birth and death data for estimating infant mortality. An ecological study was conducted based on data obtained from birth and death information systems in the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, between 2006 and 2008. The following indicators were used: age-standardized mortality rate, relative mean deviation of mortality rate, ratio of reported to estimated live births, relative mean deviation of birth rate and proportion of deaths of unknown cause. These indicators were grouped into three dimensions: mortality, fertility and ill-defined causes. Based on predetermined criteria, municipalities were classified as follows: consolidated vital data; vital data in the consolidation phase; and non-consolidated data. The data were analyzed using EpiInfo and Terraview for map preparation. Of the 185 municipalities in the state of Pernambuco, 141 (76.2%) were classified as having consolidated vital data, accounting for about 85% of the state population, and 17 (9.2%) were classified as having non-consolidated data, accounting for only 4.9% of the population. Larger municipalities (50,000 inhabitants or more) showed better data quality. The approach studied proved itself valuable to assess the quality of vital information and identify inequalities in Pernambuco. Reduction of inequalities is a challenge in this state in the sense of enabling vital information to be analyzed directly from data systems at the local level. It will also allow assessing the effectiveness of initiatives to reduce infant mortality in Pernambuco.

Wearable, multimodal, vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage.

PubMed

Beck, Christoph; Georgiou, Julius

2016-09-01

In this Letter, the authors describe the characterisation design and development of the authors' wearable, multimodal vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage. The unit is able to record the standard electrocardiogram, blood oxygen and body temperature parameters and also has the unique capability to record up to eight custom designed acoustic streams for heart and lung sound auscultation. These acquisition channels are highly synchronised to fully maintain the time correlation of the signals. The unit is a key component enabling systematic and intelligent field triage to continuously acquire vital patient information. With the realised unit a novel data-set with highly synchronised vital signs was recorded. The new data-set may be used for algorithm design in vital sign analysis or decision making. The monitoring unit is the only known body worn system that records standard emergency parameters plus eight multi-channel auscultatory streams and stores the recordings and wirelessly transmits them to mobile response teams.

Radar sensitivity to human heartbeats and respiration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aardal, Øyvind; Brovoll, Sverre; Paichard, Yoann; Berger, Tor; Lande, Tor Sverre; Hamran, Svein-Erik

2015-05-01

Human heartbeats and respiration can be detected from a distance using radar. This can be used for medical applications and human being detection. It is useful to have a system independent measure of how detectable the vital signs are. In radar applications, the Radar Cross Section (RCS) is normally used to characterize the detectability of an object. Since the human vital signs are seen by the radar as movements of the torso, the modulations in the person RCS can be used as a system independent measure of the vital signs detectability. In this paper, measurements of persons seated in an anechoic chamber are presented. The measurements were calibrated using empty room and a metallic calibration sphere. A narrowband radar operating at frequencies from 500 MHz to 18 GHz in discrete steps was used. A turntable provided measurements at precise aspect angles all around the person under test. In an I & Q receiver, the heartbeat and respiration modulation is a combination of amplitude and phase mod- modulations. The measurements were filtered, leaving the modulations from the vital signs in the radar recordings. The procedure for RCS computation was applied to these filtered data, capturing the complex signatures. It was found that both the heartbeat and respiration detectability increase with increasing frequency. The heartbeat signatures are almost equal from the front and the back, while being almost undetectable from the sides of the person. The respiration signatures are slightly higher from the front than from the back, and smaller from the sides. The signature measurements presented in this paper provide an objective system independent measure of the detectability of human vital signs as a function of frequency and aspect angle. These measures are useful for example in system design and in assessing real measurement scenarios.

How well do vital signs identify children with serious infections in paediatric emergency care?

PubMed

Thompson, M; Coad, N; Harnden, A; Mayon-White, R; Perera, R; Mant, D

2009-11-01

To determine whether vital signs identify children with serious infections, and to compare their diagnostic value with that of the Manchester triage score (MTS) and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) traffic light system of clinical risk factors. Prospective cohort of children presenting with suspected acute infection. We recorded vital signs, level of consciousness, activity level, respiratory distress, hydration and MTS category. Paediatric assessment unit at a teaching hospital in England. 700 children (median age 3 years), of whom 357 (51.0%) were referred from primary care, 198 (28.3%) self-referrals and 116 (16.6%) emergency ambulance transfers. Just over half (383 or 54.7%) were admitted. Severity of infection categorised as serious, intermediate, minor or not infection. Children with serious or intermediate infections (n = 313) were significantly more likely than those with minor or no infection (n = 387) to have a temperature >or=39 degrees C, tachycardia, saturations 2 seconds. Having one or more of temperature >or=39 degrees C, saturations

From vital signs to clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis: a machine learning basis for a clinical decision support system

PubMed Central

Gultepe, Eren; Green, Jeffrey P; Nguyen, Hien; Adams, Jason; Albertson, Timothy; Tagkopoulos, Ilias

2014-01-01

Objective To develop a decision support system to identify patients at high risk for hyperlactatemia based upon routinely measured vital signs and laboratory studies. Materials and methods Electronic health records of 741 adult patients at the University of California Davis Health System who met at least two systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria were used to associate patients’ vital signs, white blood cell count (WBC), with sepsis occurrence and mortality. Generative and discriminative classification (naïve Bayes, support vector machines, Gaussian mixture models, hidden Markov models) were used to integrate heterogeneous patient data and form a predictive tool for the inference of lactate level and mortality risk. Results An accuracy of 0.99 and discriminability of 1.00 area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for lactate level prediction was obtained when the vital signs and WBC measurements were analysed in a 24 h time bin. An accuracy of 0.73 and discriminability of 0.73 AUC for mortality prediction in patients with sepsis was achieved with only three features: median of lactate levels, mean arterial pressure, and median absolute deviation of the respiratory rate. Discussion This study introduces a new scheme for the prediction of lactate levels and mortality risk from patient vital signs and WBC. Accurate prediction of both these variables can drive the appropriate response by clinical staff and thus may have important implications for patient health and treatment outcome. Conclusions Effective predictions of lactate levels and mortality risk can be provided with a few clinical variables when the temporal aspect and variability of patient data are considered. PMID:23959843

The Subject Matter of Process Improvement: A Topic and Reference Source for Software Engineering Educators and Trainers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-05-01

Random House Business Division, 1986. Ishikawa , Kaoru . What is Total Quality Control?: The Japanese Way. En- glewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall...by drawing attention to the vital few truly important problems. Cause-and-effect diagrams. Also called fishbone and Ishikawa diagrams due to their...February 1994. 5.2 The Seeds [Aguayo 91] [Crosby 79] [Crosby 92] [Deming 86] [Fellers 92] [Gitlow 87] [Gluckman 93] [Imai 86] [ Ishikawa 85] [Juran

Demonstration of Lightweight Engineering Solutions for a Low-Cost Safe Explosive Ordnance Destruct Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

Staff) and Mr. Doug Learned ( Intercity Manufacturing), whose efficiency and expertise was vital in manufacturing the parts required for our tests...detonation products caused by the hollow cavity. Upon initiation of a hollow lined charge, the resulting high pressure shock wave travels outward...5.6 km/s for the brass encased charge at 2 and 3 CD. This indicates that the jet must be traveling at velocities greater than the estimates, which

Defense AT and L Magazine. Vol. 46, no. 4, July-August 2017

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

engineering. He also is a certified Project Manage - ment Professional. Supply Chain Management SCM has become a vital tool used in today’s global economy to...modifying the project management dashboards originally developed by one of the authors, described in “Leveraging Fidelity of Performance­Based Metric...Tools for Project Man­ agement,” an article in the January­February 2003 issue of Program Manager , the predecessor of Defense AT&L magazine

The Vital Role of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the New Administration

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-14

S&T effort. OSTP coordinates interagency R&D—including such areas as nanotechnology, climate change , and genomics—while keeping the President and...Bill Clinton, 2000 ----- “On issues ranging from climate change to AIDS research to genetic engineering to food additives, government relies on...States and other nations of the world while protecting human health and the world’s ecosystem and mitigating climate change is, arguably, the number

Recent Experiences of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Guidance Navigation and Control (GN and C) Technical Discipline Team (TDT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennehy, Cornelius J.

2011-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) is an independently funded NASA Program whose dedicated team of technical experts provides objective engineering and safety assessments of critical, high risk projects. NESC's strength is rooted in the diverse perspectives and broad knowledge base that add value to its products, affording customers a responsive, alternate path for assessing and preventing technical problems while protecting vital human and national resources. The Guidance Navigation and Control (GN&C) Technical Discipline Team (TDT) is one of fifteen such discipline-focused teams within the NESC organization. The TDT membership is composed of GN&C specialists from across NASA and its partner organizations in other government agencies, industry, national laboratories, and universities. This paper will briefly define the vision, mission, and purpose of the NESC organization. The role of the GN&C TDT will then be described in detail along with an overview of how this team operates and engages in its objective engineering and safety assessments of critical NASA.

75 FR 15709 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... statistics at the national level, referred to as the U.S. National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), depends on.... Proposed Project Vital Statistics Training Application (OMB No. 0920-0217 exp. 7/31/ 2010)--Extension--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Background...

Study of emotion-based neurocardiology through wearable systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramasamy, Mouli; Varadan, Vijay

2016-04-01

Neurocardiology is the exploration of neurophysiological, neurological and neuroanatomical facets of neuroscience's influence in cardiology. The paraphernalia of emotions on the heart and brain are premeditated because of the interaction between the central and peripheral nervous system. This is an investigative attempt to study emotion based neurocardiology and the factors that influence this phenomena. The factors include: interaction between sleep EEG (electroencephalogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram), relationship between emotion and music, psychophysiological coherence between the heart and brain, emotion recognition techniques, and biofeedback mechanisms. Emotions contribute vitally to the mundane life and are quintessential to a numerous biological and everyday-functional modalities of a human being. Emotions are best represented through EEG signals, and to a certain extent, can be observed through ECG and body temperature. Confluence of medical and engineering science has enabled the monitoring and discrimination of emotions influenced by happiness, anxiety, distress, excitement and several other factors that influence the thinking patterns and the electrical activity of the brain. Similarly, HRV (Heart Rate Variability) widely investigated for its provision and discerning characteristics towards EEG and the perception in neurocardiology.

Research and application of an intelligent control system in central air-conditioning based on energy consumption simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ling; Che, Wenbin

2018-05-01

For the central air-conditioning energy-saving, it is common practice to use a wide range of PTD controllers in engineering to optimize energy savings. However, the shortcomings of the PTD controller have also been magnified on this issue, such as: calculation accuracy is not enough, the calculation time is too long. Particle swarm optimization has the advantage of fast convergence. This paper is based on Particle Swarm Optimization apply in PTD controller tuning parameters in order to achieve the purpose of saving energy while ensuring comfort. The algorithm proposed in this paper can adjust the weight according to the change of population fitness, reduce the weights of particles with lower fitness and enhance the weights of particles with higher fitness in the population, and fully release the population vitality. The method in this paper is validated by the TRNSYS model based on the central air-conditioning system. The experimental results show that the room temperature fluctuation is small, the overshoot is small, the adjustment speed is fast, and the energy-saving fluctuates at 10%.

Artificial engineering of secondary lymphoid organs.

PubMed

Tan, Jonathan K H; Watanabe, Takeshi

2010-01-01

Secondary lymphoid organs such as spleen and lymph nodes are highly organized immune structures essential for the initiation of immune responses. They display distinct B cell and T cell compartments associated with specific stromal follicular dendritic cells and fibroblastic reticular cells, respectively. Interweaved through the parenchyma is a conduit system that distributes small antigens and chemokines directly to B and T cell zones. While most structural aspects between lymph nodes and spleen are common, the entry of lymphocytes, antigen-presenting cells, and antigen into lymphoid tissues is regulated differently, reflecting the specialized functions of each organ in filtering either lymph or blood. The overall organization of lymphoid tissue is vital for effective antigen screening and recognition, and is a feature which artificially constructed lymphoid organoids endeavor to replicate. Synthesis of artificial lymphoid tissues is an emerging field that aims to provide therapeutic application for the treatment of severe infection, cancer, and age-related involution of secondary lymphoid tissues. The development of murine artificial lymphoid tissues has benefited greatly from an understanding of organogenesis of lymphoid organs, which has delineated cellular and molecular elements essential for the recruitment and organization of lymphocytes into lymphoid structures. Here, the field of artificial lymphoid tissue engineering is considered including elements of lymphoid structure and development relevant to organoid synthesis. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of Active Learning Causal Discovery Methods for Reverse-Engineering Local Causal Pathways of Gene Regulation

PubMed Central

Ma, Sisi; Kemmeren, Patrick; Aliferis, Constantin F.; Statnikov, Alexander

2016-01-01

Reverse-engineering of causal pathways that implicate diseases and vital cellular functions is a fundamental problem in biomedicine. Discovery of the local causal pathway of a target variable (that consists of its direct causes and direct effects) is essential for effective intervention and can facilitate accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Recent research has provided several active learning methods that can leverage passively observed high-throughput data to draft causal pathways and then refine the inferred relations with a limited number of experiments. The current study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of active learning methods for local causal pathway discovery in real biological data. Specifically, 54 active learning methods/variants from 3 families of algorithms were applied for local causal pathways reconstruction of gene regulation for 5 transcription factors in S. cerevisiae. Four aspects of the methods’ performance were assessed, including adjacency discovery quality, edge orientation accuracy, complete pathway discovery quality, and experimental cost. The results of this study show that some methods provide significant performance benefits over others and therefore should be routinely used for local causal pathway discovery tasks. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of local causal pathway reconstruction in real biological systems with significant quality and low experimental cost. PMID:26939894

Maternal bacteremia and the Irish maternity early warning system.

PubMed

Maguire, Patrick J; O'Higgins, Amy C; Power, Karen A; Daly, Niamh; McKeating, Aoife; Turner, Michael J

2015-05-01

To assess whether introduction of the Irish maternity early warning system (IMEWS) in 2013 has improved the recording of vital signs among women with proven maternal bacteremia. In a mixed retrospective and prospective study at a single center in Dublin, Ireland, the patient records of all cases of maternal bacteremia between January 1, 2009, and March 31, 2014, were reviewed. The IMEWS chart was applied retrospectively to records of vital signs from January 2009 to March 2013, and prospectively from April 2013 to March 2014. For the 61 cases from the period before IMEWS introduction, vital signs were recorded inconsistently on multiple pages. The frequency of recordings was not standardized. Respiratory rate, in particular, was under-recorded. Among the 17 cases between April 2013 and March 2014 that were eligible for IMEWS chart use, 14 women had vital signs recorded on an IMEWS chart. As compared with the period before IMEWS introduction, there was an improvement in respiratory rate recording as part of the first set of observations. Among pregnant women with proven bacteremia, introduction of IMEWS has been associated with an improvement in the recording of vital signs, particularly respiratory rate. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microstructural indicators of transition mechanisms in time-dependent fatigue crack growth in nickel base superalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heeter, Ann E.

Gas turbine engines are an important part of power generation in modern society, especially in the field of aerospace. Aerospace engines are design to last approximately 30 years and the engine components must be designed to survive for the life of the engine or to be replaced at regular intervals to ensure consumer safety. Fatigue crack growth analysis is a vital component of design for an aerospace component. Crack growth modeling and design methods date back to an origin around 1950 with a high rate of accuracy. The new generation of aerospace engines is designed to be efficient as possible and require higher operating temperatures than ever seen before in previous generations. These higher temperatures place more stringent requirements on the material crack growth performance under creep and time dependent conditions. Typically the types of components which are subject to these requirements are rotating disk components which are made from advanced materials such as nickel base superalloys. Traditionally crack growth models have looked at high temperature crack growth purely as a function of temperature and assumed that all crack growth was either controlled by a cycle dependent or time dependent mechanism. This new analysis is trying to evaluate the transition between cycle-dependent and time-dependent mechanism and the microstructural markers that characterize this transitional behavior. The physical indications include both the fracture surface morphology as well as the shape of the crack front. The research will evaluate whether crack tunneling occurs and whether it consistently predicts a transition from cycle-dependent crack growth to time-dependent crack growth. The study is part of a larger research program trying to include the effects of geometry, mission profile and environmental effects, in addition to temperature effects, as a part of the overall crack growth system. The outcome will provide evidence for various transition types and correlate those physical attributes back to the material mechanisms to improve predictive modeling capability.

NASA's New Science Education and Public Outreach Forums: Bringing Communities and Resources Together to Increase Effectiveness and Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Denise A.; Mendez, B.; Shipp, S.; Schwerin, T.; Stockman, S.; Cooper, L. P.; Sharma, M.

2010-01-01

Scientists, engineers, educators, and public outreach professionals have a rich history of creatively using NASA's pioneering scientific discoveries and technology to engage and educate youth and adults nationwide in core science, technology, engineering, and mathematics topics. We introduce four new Science Education and Public Outreach Forums that will work in partnership with the community and NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to ensure that current and future SMD-funded education and public outreach (E/PO) activities form a seamless whole, with easy entry points for general public, students, K-12 formal and informal science educators, faculty, scientists, engineers, and E/PO professionals alike. The new Science Education and Public Outreach Forums support the astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary and Earth science divisions of NASA SMD in three core areas: 1) E/PO community engagement and development activities will provide clear paths of involvement for scientists and engineers interested - or potentially interested - in participating in SMD-funded E/PO activities. Collaborations with scientists and engineers are vital for infusing current, accurate SMD mission and research findings into educational products and activities. Forum activities will also yield readily accessible information on effective E/PO strategies, resources, and expertise; context for individual E/PO activities; and opportunities for collaboration. 2) A rigorous analysis of SMD-funded K-12 formal, informal, and higher education products and activities will help the community and SMD to understand how the existing collection supports education standards and audience needs, and to strategically identify areas of opportunity for new materials and activities. 3) Finally, a newly convened Coordinating Committee will work across the four SMD science divisions to address systemic issues and integrate related activities. By supporting the NASA E/PO community and facilitating coordination of E/PO activities, the NASA-SEPOF partnerships will lead to more effective, sustainable, and efficient utilization of NASA science discoveries and learning experiences.

Neonatal non-contact respiratory monitoring based on real-time infrared thermography

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Monitoring of vital parameters is an important topic in neonatal daily care. Progress in computational intelligence and medical sensors has facilitated the development of smart bedside monitors that can integrate multiple parameters into a single monitoring system. This paper describes non-contact monitoring of neonatal vital signals based on infrared thermography as a new biomedical engineering application. One signal of clinical interest is the spontaneous respiration rate of the neonate. It will be shown that the respiration rate of neonates can be monitored based on analysis of the anterior naris (nostrils) temperature profile associated with the inspiration and expiration phases successively. Objective The aim of this study is to develop and investigate a new non-contact respiration monitoring modality for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using infrared thermography imaging. This development includes subsequent image processing (region of interest (ROI) detection) and optimization. Moreover, it includes further optimization of this non-contact respiration monitoring to be considered as physiological measurement inside NICU wards. Results Continuous wavelet transformation based on Debauches wavelet function was applied to detect the breathing signal within an image stream. Respiration was successfully monitored based on a 0.3°C to 0.5°C temperature difference between the inspiration and expiration phases. Conclusions Although this method has been applied to adults before, this is the first time it was used in a newborn infant population inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The promising results suggest to include this technology into advanced NICU monitors. PMID:22243660

Farm Management Support on Cloud Computing Platform: A System for Cropland Monitoring Using Multi-Source Remotely Sensed Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coburn, C. A.; Qin, Y.; Zhang, J.; Staenz, K.

2015-12-01

Food security is one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. Recent estimates predict that over one billion people don't have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs. The ability of remote sensing tools to monitor and model crop production and predict crop yield is essential for providing governments and farmers with vital information to ensure food security. Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a cloud computing platform, which integrates storage and processing algorithms for massive remotely sensed imagery and vector data sets. By providing the capabilities of storing and analyzing the data sets, it provides an ideal platform for the development of advanced analytic tools for extracting key variables used in regional and national food security systems. With the high performance computing and storing capabilities of GEE, a cloud-computing based system for near real-time crop land monitoring was developed using multi-source remotely sensed data over large areas. The system is able to process and visualize the MODIS time series NDVI profile in conjunction with Landsat 8 image segmentation for crop monitoring. With multi-temporal Landsat 8 imagery, the crop fields are extracted using the image segmentation algorithm developed by Baatz et al.[1]. The MODIS time series NDVI data are modeled by TIMESAT [2], a software package developed for analyzing time series of satellite data. The seasonality of MODIS time series data, for example, the start date of the growing season, length of growing season, and NDVI peak at a field-level are obtained for evaluating the crop-growth conditions. The system fuses MODIS time series NDVI data and Landsat 8 imagery to provide information of near real-time crop-growth conditions through the visualization of MODIS NDVI time series and comparison of multi-year NDVI profiles. Stakeholders, i.e., farmers and government officers, are able to obtain crop-growth information at crop-field level online. This unique utilization of GEE in combination with advanced analytic and extraction techniques provides a vital remote sensing tool for decision makers and scientists with a high-degree of flexibility to adapt to different uses.

Accuracy and Efficiency of Recording Pediatric Early Warning Scores Using an Electronic Physiological Surveillance System Compared With Traditional Paper-Based Documentation.

PubMed

Sefton, Gerri; Lane, Steven; Killen, Roger; Black, Stuart; Lyon, Max; Ampah, Pearl; Sproule, Cathryn; Loren-Gosling, Dominic; Richards, Caitlin; Spinty, Jean; Holloway, Colette; Davies, Coral; Wilson, April; Chean, Chung Shen; Carter, Bernie; Carrol, E D

2017-05-01

Pediatric Early Warning Scores are advocated to assist health professionals to identify early signs of serious illness or deterioration in hospitalized children. Scores are derived from the weighting applied to recorded vital signs and clinical observations reflecting deviation from a predetermined "norm." Higher aggregate scores trigger an escalation in care aimed at preventing critical deterioration. Process errors made while recording these data, including plotting or calculation errors, have the potential to impede the reliability of the score. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a controlled study of documentation using five clinical vignettes. We measured the accuracy of vital sign recording, score calculation, and time taken to complete documentation using a handheld electronic physiological surveillance system, VitalPAC Pediatric, compared with traditional paper-based charts. We explored the user acceptability of both methods using a Web-based survey. Twenty-three staff participated in the controlled study. The electronic physiological surveillance system improved the accuracy of vital sign recording, 98.5% versus 85.6%, P < .02, Pediatric Early Warning Score calculation, 94.6% versus 55.7%, P < .02, and saved time, 68 versus 98 seconds, compared with paper-based documentation, P < .002. Twenty-nine staff completed the Web-based survey. They perceived that the electronic physiological surveillance system offered safety benefits by reducing human error while providing instant visibility of recorded data to the entire clinical team.

Vital Recorder-a free research tool for automatic recording of high-resolution time-synchronised physiological data from multiple anaesthesia devices.

PubMed

Lee, Hyung-Chul; Jung, Chul-Woo

2018-01-24

The current anaesthesia information management system (AIMS) has limited capability for the acquisition of high-quality vital signs data. We have developed a Vital Recorder program to overcome the disadvantages of AIMS and to support research. Physiological data of surgical patients were collected from 10 operating rooms using the Vital Recorder. The basic equipment used were a patient monitor, the anaesthesia machine, and the bispectral index (BIS) monitor. Infusion pumps, cardiac output monitors, regional oximeter, and rapid infusion device were added as required. The automatic recording option was used exclusively and the status of recording was frequently checked through web monitoring. Automatic recording was successful in 98.5% (4,272/4,335) cases during eight months of operation. The total recorded time was 13,489 h (3.2 ± 1.9 h/case). The Vital Recorder's automatic recording and remote monitoring capabilities enabled us to record physiological big data with minimal effort. The Vital Recorder also provided time-synchronised data captured from a variety of devices to facilitate an integrated analysis of vital signs data. The free distribution of the Vital Recorder is expected to improve data access for researchers attempting physiological data studies and to eliminate inequalities in research opportunities due to differences in data collection capabilities.

The CRADLE vital signs alert: qualitative evaluation of a novel device designed for use in pregnancy by healthcare workers in low-resource settings.

PubMed

Nathan, Hannah L; Boene, Helena; Munguambe, Khatia; Sevene, Esperança; Akeju, David; Adetoro, Olalekan O; Charanthimath, Umesh; Bellad, Mrutyunjaya B; de Greeff, Annemarie; Anthony, John; Hall, David R; Steyn, Wilhelm; Vidler, Marianne; von Dadelszen, Peter; Chappell, Lucy C; Sandall, Jane; Shennan, Andrew H

2018-01-05

Vital signs measurement can identify pregnant and postpartum women who require urgent treatment or referral. In low-resource settings, healthcare workers have limited access to accurate vital signs measuring devices suitable for their environment and training. The CRADLE Vital Signs Alert (VSA) is a novel device measuring blood pressure and pulse that is accurate in pregnancy and designed for low-resource settings. Its traffic light early warning system alerts healthcare workers to the need for escalation of care for women with hypertension, haemorrhage or sepsis. This study evaluated the usability and acceptability of the CRADLE VSA device. Evaluation was conducted in community and primary care settings in India, Mozambique and Nigeria and tertiary hospitals in South Africa. Purposeful sampling was used to convene 155 interviews and six focus groups with healthcare workers using the device (n = 205) and pregnant women and their family members (n = 41). Interviews and focus groups were conducted in the local language and audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English for analysis. Thematic analysis was undertaken using an a priori thematic framework, as well as an inductive approach. Most healthcare workers perceived the CRADLE device to be easy to use and accurate. The traffic lights early warning system was unanimously reported positively, giving healthcare workers confidence with decision-making and a sense of professionalism. However, a minority in South Africa described manual inflation as tiring, particularly when measuring vital signs in obese and hypertensive women (n = 4) and a few South African healthcare workers distrusted the device's accuracy (n = 7). Unanimously, pregnant women liked the CRADLE device. The traffic light early warning system gave women and their families a better understanding of the importance of vital signs in pregnancy and during the postpartum period. The CRADLE device was well accepted by healthcare workers from a range of countries and levels of facility, including those with no previous vital signs measurement experience. The device motivated women to attend primary care and encouraged them to accept treatment and referral.

ENGage: The use of space and pixel art for increasing primary school children's interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Simon J.

2014-01-01

The Faculty of Engineering at The University of Nottingham, UK, has developed interdisciplinary, hands-on workshops for primary schools that introduce space technology, its relevance to everyday life and the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths. The workshop activities for 7-11 year olds highlight the roles that space and satellite technology play in observing and monitoring the Earth's biosphere as well as being vital to communications in the modern digital world. The programme also provides links to 'how science works', the environment and citizenship and uses pixel art through the medium of digital photography to demonstrate the importance of maths in a novel and unconventional manner. The interactive programme of activities provides learners with an opportunity to meet 'real' scientists and engineers, with one of the key messages from the day being that anyone can become involved in science and engineering whatever their ability or subject of interest. The methodology introduces the role of scientists and engineers using space technology themes, but it could easily be adapted for use with any inspirational topic. Analysis of learners' perceptions of science, technology, engineering and maths before and after participating in ENGage showed very positive and significant changes in their attitudes to these subjects and an increase in the number of children thinking they would be interested and capable in pursuing a career in science and engineering. This paper provides an overview of the activities, the methodology, the evaluation process and results.

Vital Sign Monitoring and Mobile Phone Usage Detection Using IR-UWB Radar for Intended Use in Car Crash Prevention.

PubMed

Leem, Seong Kyu; Khan, Faheem; Cho, Sung Ho

2017-05-30

In order to avoid car crashes, active safety systems are becoming more and more important. Many crashes are caused due to driver drowsiness or mobile phone usage. Detecting the drowsiness of the driver is very important for the safety of a car. Monitoring of vital signs such as respiration rate and heart rate is important to determine the occurrence of driver drowsiness. In this paper, robust vital signs monitoring through impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar is discussed. We propose a new algorithm that can estimate the vital signs even if there is motion caused by the driving activities. We analyzed the whole fast time vital detection region and found the signals at those fast time locations that have useful information related to the vital signals. We segmented those signals into sub-signals and then constructed the desired vital signal using the correlation method. In this way, the vital signs of the driver can be monitored noninvasively, which can be used by researchers to detect the drowsiness of the driver which is related to the vital signs i.e., respiration and heart rate. In addition, texting on a mobile phone during driving may cause visual, manual or cognitive distraction of the driver. In order to reduce accidents caused by a distracted driver, we proposed an algorithm that can detect perfectly a driver's mobile phone usage even if there are various motions of the driver in the car or changes in background objects. These novel techniques, which monitor vital signs associated with drowsiness and detect phone usage before a driver makes a mistake, may be very helpful in developing techniques for preventing a car crash.

Vital Sign Monitoring and Mobile Phone Usage Detection Using IR-UWB Radar for Intended Use in Car Crash Prevention

PubMed Central

Leem, Seong Kyu; Khan, Faheem; Cho, Sung Ho

2017-01-01

In order to avoid car crashes, active safety systems are becoming more and more important. Many crashes are caused due to driver drowsiness or mobile phone usage. Detecting the drowsiness of the driver is very important for the safety of a car. Monitoring of vital signs such as respiration rate and heart rate is important to determine the occurrence of driver drowsiness. In this paper, robust vital signs monitoring through impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar is discussed. We propose a new algorithm that can estimate the vital signs even if there is motion caused by the driving activities. We analyzed the whole fast time vital detection region and found the signals at those fast time locations that have useful information related to the vital signals. We segmented those signals into sub-signals and then constructed the desired vital signal using the correlation method. In this way, the vital signs of the driver can be monitored noninvasively, which can be used by researchers to detect the drowsiness of the driver which is related to the vital signs i.e., respiration and heart rate. In addition, texting on a mobile phone during driving may cause visual, manual or cognitive distraction of the driver. In order to reduce accidents caused by a distracted driver, we proposed an algorithm that can detect perfectly a driver's mobile phone usage even if there are various motions of the driver in the car or changes in background objects. These novel techniques, which monitor vital signs associated with drowsiness and detect phone usage before a driver makes a mistake, may be very helpful in developing techniques for preventing a car crash. PMID:28556818

The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs, 2010

2010-01-01

A vital and productive society with a prosperous and sustainable future is built on a foundation of healthy child development. Health in the earliest years--beginning with the future mother's well-being before she becomes pregnant--lays the groundwork for a lifetime of vitality. When developing biological systems are strengthened by positive early…

28 CFR 16.96 - Exemption of Federal Bureau of Investigation Systems-limited access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual can only be... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual often can... A, so the records can be amended if found to be incorrect. (7) From subsection (e)(8) because the...

28 CFR 16.96 - Exemption of Federal Bureau of Investigation Systems-limited access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual can only be... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual often can... A, so the records can be amended if found to be incorrect. (7) From subsection (e)(8) because the...

28 CFR 16.96 - Exemption of Federal Bureau of Investigation Systems-limited access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual can only be... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual often can... A, so the records can be amended if found to be incorrect. (7) From subsection (e)(8) because the...

28 CFR 16.96 - Exemption of Federal Bureau of Investigation Systems-limited access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual can only be... criminal and other investigative activities is such that vital information about an individual often can... A, so the records can be amended if found to be incorrect. (7) From subsection (e)(8) because the...

From Dr. Steven Ashby, Director of PNNL

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

Ashby, Steven

Powered by the creativity and imagination of more than 4,000 exceptional scientists, engineers and support professionals, at PNNL we advance the frontiers of science and address some of the most challenging problems in energy, the environment and national security. As DOE’s premier chemistry, environmental sciences and data analytics laboratory, we provide national leadership in four areas: deepening our understanding of climate science; inventing the future power grid; preventing nuclear proliferation; and speeding environmental remediation. Other areas where we make important contributions include energy storage, microbial biology and cyber security. PNNL also is home to EMSL (the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory),more » one of DOE’s scientific user facilities. We apply these science strengths to address both national and international problems in complex adaptive systems that are too difficult for one institution to tackle alone. Take earth systems, for instance. The earth is a complex adaptive system because it involves everything from climate and microbial communities in the soil to emissions from cars and coal-powered industrial plants. All of these factors and others ultimately influence not only our environment and overall quality of life, but cause the earth to adapt in ways that must be further addressed. PNNL researchers are playing a vital role in finding solutions across every area of this complex adaptive system.« less

The Tsunami Project: Integrating engineering, natural and social sciences into post-tsunami surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAdoo, B. G.; Goff, J. R.; Fritz, H. M.; Cochard, R.; Kong, L. S.

2009-12-01

Complexities resulting from recent tsunamis in the Solomon Islands (2007), Java (2006) and Sumatra (2004, 2005) have demonstrated the need for an integrated, interdisciplinary team of engineers, natural and social scientists to better understand the nature of the disaster. Documenting the complex interactions in the coupled human-environment system necessitate a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach that combines the strengths of engineering, geoscience, ecology and social science. Engineers, modelers and geoscientists untangle the forces required to leave an imprint of a tsunami in the geologic record. These same forces affect ecosystems that provide services from buffers to food security; therefore coastal ecologists play a vital role. It is also crucial to understand the social structures that contribute to disasters, so local or regional policy experts, planners, economists, etc. should be included. When these experts arrive in a disaster area as part of an Interdisciplinary Tsunami Survey Team, the interactions between the systems can be discussed in the field, and site-specific data can be collected. A diverse team in the field following a tsunami shares critical resources and discoveries in real-time, making the survey more efficient. Following the 2006 Central Java earthquake and tsunami, civil engineers covered broad areas quickly, collecting ephemeral water level data and communicating areas of interest to the geologists, who would follow to do the slower sediment data collection. The 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake and tsunami caused extensive damage to the coral reef, which highlighting the need to have an ecologist on the team who was able to identify species and their energy tolerance. Rather than diluting the quality of post-tsunami data collection, this approach in fact strengthens it- engineers and geoscientists no longer have to indentify coral or mangrove species, nor do ecologists evaluate the velocity of a wave as it impacted a forested coastline. Interviews, a core element of post-tsunami surveys and which most US academic institutions require human-subject training to complete, can be undertaken by social scientists trained to ask pertinent questions to both the natural scientists and engineers, and those that will illuminate the underlying weaknesses of the social institutions that contributed to the magnitude of the disaster. Data collected by interdisciplinary teams provides baseline data that can set the redevelopment process off on the right track. Geoscientists constrain the location, frequency and magnitude of hazards, and how they affect the landscape. Ecologists document the interaction of hazards with ecosystems and evaluate their risk reduction role. Engineers and modelers constrain the effects of a hazard on the built environment. A coupled human-environment approach at the intersection of the physical, ecological and the built environments provides the right kind of data decision makers need to build back better in the most ecologically and economically sustainable manner.

Economics in Criticality and Restoration of Energy Infrastructures.

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

Boyd, Gale A.; Flaim, Silvio J.; Folga, Stephen M.

Economists, systems analysts, engineers, regulatory specialists, and other experts were assembled from academia, the national laboratories, and the energy industry to discuss present restoration practices (many have already been defined to the level of operational protocols) in the sectors of the energy infrastructure as well as other infrastructures, to identify whether economics, a discipline concerned with the allocation of scarce resources, is explicitly or implicitly a part of restoration strategies, and if there are novel economic techniques and solution methods that could be used help encourage the restoration of energy services more quickly than present practices or to restore servicemore » more efficiently from an economic perspective. AcknowledgementsDevelopment of this work into a coherent product with a useful message has occurred thanks to the thoughtful support of several individuals:Kenneth Friedman, Department of Energy, Office of Energy Assurance, provided the impetus for the work, as well as several suggestions and reminders of direction along the way. Funding from DOE/OEA was critical to the completion of this effort.Arnold Baker, Chief Economist, Sandia National Laboratories, and James Peerenboom, Director, Infrastructure Assurance Center, Argonne National Laboratory, provided valuable contacts that helped to populate the authoring team with the proper mix of economists, engineers, and systems and regulatory specialists to meet the objectives of the work.Several individuals provided valuable review of the document at various stages of completion, and provided suggestions that were valuable to the editing process. This list of reviewers includes Jeffrey Roark, Economist, Tennessee Valley Authority; James R. Dalrymple, Manager of Transmission System Services and Transmission/Power Supply, Tennessee Valley Authority; William Mampre, Vice President, EN Engineering; Kevin Degenstein, EN Engineering; and Patrick Wilgang, Department of Energy, Office of Energy Assurance.With many authors, creating a document with a single voice is a difficult task. Louise Maffitt, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Engineering Research and Applications at New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (on contract to Sandia National Laboratories) served a vital role in the development of this document by taking the unedited material (in structured format) and refining the basic language so as to make the flow of the document as close to a single voice as one could hope for. Louise's work made the job of reducing the content to a readable length an easier process. Additional editorial suggestions from the authors themselves, particularly from Sam Flaim, Steve Folga, and Doug Gotham, expedited this process.« less

Estimating the costs of human space exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandell, Humboldt C., Jr.

1994-01-01

The plan for NASA's new exploration initiative has the following strategic themes: (1) incremental, logical evolutionary development; (2) economic viability; and (3) excellence in management. The cost estimation process is involved with all of these themes and they are completely dependent upon the engineering cost estimator for success. The purpose is to articulate the issues associated with beginning this major new government initiative, to show how NASA intends to resolve them, and finally to demonstrate the vital importance of a leadership role by the cost estimation community.

Three Models of Anthrax Toxin Effects on the MAP-Kinase Pathway and Macrophage Survival

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

USAMRIID, April 2005. van Aken, Jan and Edward Hammond. “Genetic engineering and biological weapons,” EMBO Reports, 4:S57-S60 (2003). Vitale, Gaetano...must be preventable or treatable ( van Aken and Hammond, 2003:S58). The latter requirement applies primarily to a nation state using bioagents against...where the only specification not met is in the ability to successfully treat anthrax victims “even several days after infection” ( van Aken and

The Role of the Military in Building Political Community: The Case of the Two German States.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

community is represented primarily by three vital intervening outcomes of the political socialization process: a distinct political culture, a separate...case-study attempts to first identify any conscious political socialization processes implemented by the two militaries, and then tries to link these processes to the two distinct German political communities....rapidly engineer political change in these cases, the resurrection and maintenance of a military may especially contribute to the process of political

Motorboat propeller injuries.

PubMed

Di Nunno, N; Di Nunno, C

2000-07-01

The authors analyze the case of an Albanian refugee who was killed by the propellers of the outboard engine of a rubber dinghy while illegally attempting to reach Italy. The finding of multiple parallel, deep clear-cut injuries is uncommon, but highly characteristic of the object producing the lesions. These are typical and cannot be mistaken with those produced by sharp objects or shark bites. The description of the injuries is vital for establishing the position of the victim with regard to the propeller that struck him.

1995 Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Annual report

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

Cauffman, D.P.; Shoaf, D.L.; Hill, D.A.

1995-12-31

The Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD) is a key component of the discretionary research conducted by Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company (Lockheed Idaho) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). The threefold purpose and goal of the LDRD program is to maintain the scientific and technical vitality of the INEL, respond to and support new technical opportunities, and enhance the agility and flexibility of the national laboratory and Lockheed Idaho to address the current and future missions of the Department of Energy.