Going "social" to access experimental and potentially life-saving treatment: an assessment of the policy and online patient advocacy environment for expanded access.

PubMed

Mackey, Tim K; Schoenfeld, Virginia J

2016-02-02

Social media is fundamentally altering how we access health information and make decisions about medical treatment, including for terminally ill patients. This specifically includes the growing phenomenon of patients who use online petitions and social media campaigns in an attempt to gain access to experimental drugs through expanded access pathways. Importantly, controversy surrounding expanded access and "compassionate use" involves several disparate stakeholders, including patients, manufacturers, policymakers, and regulatory agencies-all with competing interests and priorities, leading to confusion, frustration, and ultimately advocacy. In order to explore this issue in detail, this correspondence article first conducts a literature review to describe how the expanded access policy and regulatory environment in the United States has evolved over time and how it currently impacts access to experimental drugs. We then conducted structured web searches to identify patient use of online petitions and social media campaigns aimed at compelling access to experimental drugs. This was carried out in order to characterize the types of communication strategies utilized, the diseases and drugs subject to expanded access petitions, and the prevalent themes associated with this form of "digital" patient advocacy. We find that patients and their families experience mixed results, but still gravitate towards the use of online campaigns out of desperation, lack of reliable information about treatment access options, and in direct response to limitations of the current fragmented structure of expanded access regulation and policy currently in place. In response, we discuss potential policy reforms to improve expanded access processes, including advocating greater transparency for expanded access programs, exploring use of targeted economic incentives for manufacturers, and developing systems to facilitate patient information about existing treatment options. This includes leveraging recent legislative attention to reform expanded access through the CURE Act Provisions contained in the proposed U.S. 21st Century Cures Act. While expanded access may not be the best option for the majority of individuals, terminally ill patients and their families nevertheless deserve better processes, policies, and availability to potentially life-changing information, before they decide to pursue an online campaign in the desperate hope of gaining access to experimental drugs.

A multidisciplinary protocol for planned skin-preserving delayed breast reconstruction for patients with locally advanced breast cancer requiring postmastectomy radiation therapy: 3-year follow-up.

PubMed

Kronowitz, Steven J; Lam, Candace; Terefe, Welela; Hunt, Kelly K; Kuerer, Henry M; Valero, Vicente; Lance, Samuel; Robb, Geoffrey L; Feng, Lei; Buchholz, Thomas A

2011-06-01

The authors examined the safety of a protocol for planned skin-preserving delayed breast reconstruction after postmastectomy radiotherapy with placement of a tissue expander for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stages IIB and III). The authors compared 47 patients treated according to the protocol between December 2003 and May 2008 with 47 disease-stage-matched control patients who underwent standard delayed reconstruction after postmastectomy radiotherapy (no skin preservation or tissue expander) during the same period. Protocol-group complication rates were 21 percent for skin-preserving mastectomy and placement of the expander (stage 1), 5 percent for postmastectomy radiotherapy, 25 percent for expander reinflation after radiotherapy, and 24 percent for skin-preserving delayed reconstruction. The complication rate for standard delayed reconstruction was 38 percent. Tissue-expander loss rates were 32 percent overall, 9 percent for stage 1, 5 percent for postmastectomy radiotherapy, and 22 percent for reinflation. Wound-healing complications after reconstruction occurred in 3 percent of protocol-group and 10 percent of control-group patients. The median follow-up time for patients still alive at last follow-up was 40 months (range, 8.5 to 85.3 months). Three-year recurrence-free survival rates were 92 percent (95 percent CI, 83 to 100 percent) and 86 percent (95 percent CI, 76 to 98 percent) for the protocol and control groups, respectively (p = 0.87). In patients with locally advanced breast cancer, skin-preserving mastectomy with a deflated tissue expander on the chest wall during postmastectomy radiotherapy does not increase locoregional recurrence risk and is associated with lower complication rates of definitive reconstruction.

Delta Alert: Expanding Gerotrauma Criteria to Improve Patient Outcomes: A 2-Year Study.

PubMed

Wiles, Lynn L; Day, Mark D

Because of their decreased physical reserve and increased risk of complications, the geriatric trauma patient (GTP) population warrants heightened awareness by clinical staff. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the institution of a third-tier trauma protocol results in a change in GTP outcomes, complications, and mortality rates. Researchers conducted a retrospective review of 2 years of data from the trauma registry, hospital quality improvement audits, and patient charts to examine what, if any, patient outcomes were impacted by the institution of the expanded GTP protocol. Sample homogeneity was determined. Emergency department (ED) length of stay and time to the operating room decreased in the protocol cohort. The rate of complications decreased from 16.4% preprotocol to 1.6% postprotocol. Discharge to home rates in the GTP population improved from 31% preprotocol to nearly 77% postimplementation of the protocol. The expanded GTP protocol front loads evaluation and resuscitation to be consistent with ED trauma protocols already in place. By fast-tracking radiology and laboratory testing, patients injuries are identified and the appropriate consultations are initiated. Appropriate inpatient nursing unit placement is identified or treatment and discharge from the ED are expedited. The expanded GTP protocol provided early and comprehensive evaluation and interventions for GTPs who fall outside of traditional trauma alert criteria. Patients spend less time in the ED and the hospital. Patients had decreased length of stay in the ED, less complications, and return to home rates showed significant improvement after the protocol was implemented.

Components of Effective Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Headache: A Mixed Methods Approach

PubMed Central

Law, Emily F.; Beals-Erickson, Sarah E.; Fisher, Emma; Lang, Emily A.; Palermo, Tonya M.

2017-01-01

Internet-delivered treatment has the potential to expand access to evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for pediatric headache, and has demonstrated efficacy in small trials for some youth with headache. We used a mixed methods approach to identify effective components of CBT for this population. In Study 1, component profile analysis identified common interventions delivered in published RCTs of effective CBT protocols for pediatric headache delivered face-to-face or via the Internet. We identified a core set of three treatment components that were common across face-to-face and Internet protocols: 1) headache education, 2) relaxation training, and 3) cognitive interventions. Biofeedback was identified as an additional core treatment component delivered in face-to-face protocols only. In Study 2, we conducted qualitative interviews to describe the perspectives of youth with headache and their parents on successful components of an Internet CBT intervention. Eleven themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis, which broadly focused on patient experiences using the treatment components and suggestions for new treatment components. In the Discussion, these mixed methods findings are integrated to inform the adaptation of an Internet CBT protocol for youth with headache. PMID:29503787

Components of Effective Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Headache: A Mixed Methods Approach.

PubMed

Law, Emily F; Beals-Erickson, Sarah E; Fisher, Emma; Lang, Emily A; Palermo, Tonya M

2017-01-01

Internet-delivered treatment has the potential to expand access to evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for pediatric headache, and has demonstrated efficacy in small trials for some youth with headache. We used a mixed methods approach to identify effective components of CBT for this population. In Study 1, component profile analysis identified common interventions delivered in published RCTs of effective CBT protocols for pediatric headache delivered face-to-face or via the Internet. We identified a core set of three treatment components that were common across face-to-face and Internet protocols: 1) headache education, 2) relaxation training, and 3) cognitive interventions. Biofeedback was identified as an additional core treatment component delivered in face-to-face protocols only. In Study 2, we conducted qualitative interviews to describe the perspectives of youth with headache and their parents on successful components of an Internet CBT intervention. Eleven themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis, which broadly focused on patient experiences using the treatment components and suggestions for new treatment components. In the Discussion, these mixed methods findings are integrated to inform the adaptation of an Internet CBT protocol for youth with headache.

Recommendations to Facilitate Expanded Access to Investigational Therapies for Seriously Ill Patients

PubMed Central

Jerome, Rebecca N.; Edwards, Terri L.; Boswell, Haley C.; Bernard, Gordon R.; Harris, Paul A.; Pulley, Jill M.

2015-01-01

When clinical trial enrollment is not an option for seriously ill patients whose illnesses have not responded to approved treatment options, those patients and their physicians may consider gaining access to investigational therapies through a pathway established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called expanded access. However, recent events have highlighted the challenging dynamics involved in accessing investigational therapies through expanded access that include a complex interplay of factors involving the patient, physician, drug company, FDA, and, increasingly, social media. The authors offer several potential strategies to streamline what is otherwise an arduous process for all involved. (1) The drug company should prospectively determine whether it will establish an expanded access program for specific drugs. (2) A central clearinghouse for companies should support registration of expanded access drugs for suitable patients. (3) The determination of whether a patient fits criteria would be made by an independent review board of clinicians. (4) An independent coordinating center is needed; academic health centers are ideally suited for that role. (5) Adequate financing of the costs of therapy need to be in place to make expanded access a reality, given frequent lack of payor coverage for therapies. (6) Further enhancement of regulatory pathways, approaches, or rules would promote expanded access. (7) Patients should explicitly acknowledge the limited data available. (8) There should be a shared, secure, technical platform to facilitate expanded access. All the authors’ strategies present important prospects for improving treatment options for the most seriously ill patients. PMID:26445080

Assessing local capacity to expand rural breast cancer screening and patient navigation: An iterative mixed-method tool.

PubMed

Inrig, Stephen J; Higashi, Robin T; Tiro, Jasmin A; Argenbright, Keith E; Lee, Simon J Craddock

2017-04-01

Despite federal funding for breast cancer screening, fragmented infrastructure and limited organizational capacity hinder access to the full continuum of breast cancer screening and clinical follow-up procedures among rural-residing women. We proposed a regional hub-and-spoke model, partnering with local providers to expand access across North Texas. We describe development and application of an iterative, mixed-method tool to assess county capacity to conduct community outreach and/or patient navigation in a partnership model. Our tool combined publicly-available quantitative data with qualitative assessments during site visits and semi-structured interviews. Application of our tool resulted in shifts in capacity designation in 10 of 17 county partners: 8 implemented local outreach with hub navigation; 9 relied on the hub for both outreach and navigation. Key factors influencing capacity: (1) formal linkages between partner organizations; (2) inter-organizational relationships; (3) existing clinical service protocols; (4) underserved populations. Qualitative data elucidate how our tool captured these capacity changes. Our capacity assessment tool enabled the hub to establish partnerships with county organizations by tailoring support to local capacity and needs. Absent a vertically integrated provider network for preventive services in these rural counties, our tool facilitated a virtually integrated regional network to extend access to breast cancer screening to underserved women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Naloxone administration for suspected opioid overdose: An expanded scope of practice by a basic life support collegiate-based emergency medical services agency.

PubMed

Jeffery, Ryan M; Dickinson, Laura; Ng, Nicholas D; DeGeorge, Lindsey M; Nable, Jose V

2017-04-01

Opioid abuse is a growing and significant public health concern in the United States. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can rapidly reverse the respiratory depression associated with opioid toxicity. Georgetown University's collegiate-based emergency medical services (EMS) agency recently adopted a protocol, allowing providers to administer intranasal naloxone for patients with suspected opioid overdose. While normally not within the scope of practice of basic life support prehospital agencies, the recognition of an increasing epidemic of opioid abuse has led many states, including the District of Columbia, to expand access to naloxone for prehospital providers of all levels of training. In particular, intranasal naloxone is a method of administering this medication that potentially avoids needlestick injuries among EMS providers. Universities with collegiate-based EMS agencies are well positioned to provide life-saving treatments for patients acutely ill from opioid overdose.

Newly available technologies present expanding opportunities for scientific and technical information exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tolzman, Jean M.

1993-01-01

The potential for expanded communication among researchers, scholars, and students is supported by growth in the capabilities for electronic communication as well as expanding access to various forms of electronic interchange and computing capabilities. Increased possibilities for information exchange, collegial dialogue, collaboration, and access to remote resources exist as high-speed networks, increasingly powerful workstations, and large, multi-user computational facilities are more frequently linked and more commonly available. Numerous writers speak of the telecommunications revolution and its impact on the development and dissemination of knowledge and learning. One author offers the phrase 'Scholarly skywriting' to represent a new form of scientific communication that he envisions using electronic networks. In the United States (U.S.), researchers associated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) are exploring 'nationwide collaboratories' and 'digital collaboration.' Research supported by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) points to a future where workstations with built-in audio, video monitors, and screen sharing protocols are used to support collaborations with colleagues located throughout the world. Instruments and sensors located worldwide will produce data streams that will be brought together, analyzed, and distributed as new findings. Researchers will have access to machines that can supply domain-specific information in addition to locator and directory assistance. New forms of electronic journals will emerge and provide opportunities for researchers and scientists to exchange information electronically and interactively in a range of structures and formats. Ultimately, the wide-scale use of these technologies in the dissemination of research results and the stimulation of collegial dialogue will change the way we represent and express our knowledge of the world. A new paradigm will evolve--perhaps a truly worldwide 'invisible college.'

Exploitation of Existing Voice Over Internet Protocol Technology for Department of the Navy Application

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-09-01

Protocol LAN Local Area Network LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LLQ Low Latency Queuing MAC Media Access Control MarCorSysCom Marine...Description Protocol SIP Session Initiation Protocol SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol SPAWAR Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center SS7 ...PSTN infrastructure previously required to carry the conversation. The cost of accessing the PSTN is thereby eliminated. In cases where Internet

Consolidating emerging evidence surrounding HIVST and HIVSS: a rapid systematic mapping protocol.

PubMed

Witzel, T Charles; Weatherburn, Peter; Burns, Fiona M; Johnson, Cheryl C; Figueroa, Carmen; Rodger, Alison J

2017-04-05

HIV self-testing (HIVST) is becoming popular with policy makers and commissioners globally, with a key aim of expanding access through reducing barriers to testing for individuals at risk of HIV infection. HIV self-sampling (HIVSS) was available previously to self-testing but was confined mainly to the USA and the UK. It remains to be seen whether the momentum behind HIVST will also energise efforts to expand HIVSS. Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the type of evidence related to these interventions as well as several systematic reviews. The vast majority of this evidence relates to acceptability as well as values and preferences, although new types of evidence are emerging. This systematic map aims to consolidate all emerging evidence related to HIVST and HIVSS to respond to this rapidly changing area. We will systematically search databases and the abstracts of five conferences from 2006 to the present date, with monthly-automated database searches. Searches will combine key terms relating to HIV (e.g. HIV, AIDS, human immune-deficiency syndrome) with terms related to self-testing (e.g. home-test, self-test, mail-test, home dried blood spot test). Abstracts will be reviewed against inclusion criteria in duplicate. Data will be manually extracted through a standard form and then entered to an open access relational map (HIVST.org). When new and sufficient evidence emerges which addresses existing knowledge gaps, we will complete a review on a relevant topic. This innovative approach will allow rapid cataloguing, documenting and dissemination of new evidence and key findings as they emerge into the public domain. This protocol has not been registered with PROSPERO as they do not register systematic maps.

"In rape cases we can use this pill": a multimethods assessment of emergency contraception knowledge, access, and needs on the Thailand-Burma border.

PubMed

Hobstetter, Margaret; Sietstra, Cari; Walsh, Meredith; Leigh, Jennifer; Foster, Angel M

2015-08-01

To evaluate availability, service delivery, and barriers to access to emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) along the Thailand-Burma border. From June 2010 to May 2011 we undertook a multimethods qualitative assessment among cross-border populations, migrants, and refugees. We conducted 46 key informant interviews with representatives from 25 organizations, 18 focus group discussions with migrant adults, migrant adolescents, and healthcare workers, and a service mapping exercise with 22 stakeholders. We found low use of ECPs among the target populations. Structural barriers and lack of evidence-based reproductive health protocols, education, and information restrict access to the limited family planning resources available in this region. Misinformation about ECPs was widespread among health workers and organizational policies were often non-evidence based. Potential policy and program interventions to improve access to ECPs along the Thailand-Burma border include integrating evidence-based practices into community efforts, expanding training opportunities for health workers, and improving communication and coordination among organizations serving populations on both sides of the border. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Protecting intellectual property associated with Canadian academic clinical trials--approaches and impact.

PubMed

Ross, Sue; Magee, Laura; Walker, Mark; Wood, Stephen

2012-12-27

Intellectual property is associated with the creative work needed to design clinical trials. Two approaches have developed to protect the intellectual property associated with multicentre trial protocols prior to site initiation. The 'open access' approach involves publishing the protocol, permitting easy access to the complete protocol. The main advantages of the open access approach are that the protocol is freely available to all stakeholders, permitting them to discuss the protocol widely with colleagues, assess the quality and rigour of the protocol, determine the feasibility of conducting the trial at their centre, and after trial completion, to evaluate the reported findings based on a full understanding of the protocol. The main potential disadvantage of this approach is the potential for plagiarism; however if that occurred, it should be easy to identify because of the open access to the original trial protocol, as well as ensure that appropriate sanctions are used to deal with plagiarism. The 'restricted access' approach involves the use of non-disclosure agreements, legal documents that must be signed between the trial lead centre and collaborative sites. Potential sites must guarantee they will not disclose any details of the study before they are permitted to access the protocol. The main advantages of the restricted access approach are for the lead institution and nominated principal investigator, who protect their intellectual property associated with the trial. The main disadvantages are that ownership of the protocol and intellectual property is assigned to the lead institution; defining who 'needs to know' about the study protocol is difficult; and the use of non-disclosure agreements involves review by lawyers and institutional representatives at each site before access is permitted to the protocol, significantly delaying study implementation and adding substantial indirect costs to research institutes. This extra step may discourage sites from joining a trial. It is possible that the restricted access approach may contribute to the failure of well-designed trials without any significant benefit in protecting intellectual property. Funding agencies should formalize rules around open versus restricted access to the study protocol just as they have around open access to results.

Visualization of cortical, subcortical, and deep brain neural circuit dynamics during naturalistic mammalian behavior with head-mounted microscopes and chronically implanted lenses

PubMed Central

Resendez, Shanna L.; Jennings, Josh H.; Ung, Randall L.; Namboodiri, Vijay Mohan K.; Zhou, Zhe Charles; Otis, James M.; Nomura, Hiroshi; McHenry, Jenna A.; Kosyk, Oksana; Stuber, Garret D.

2016-01-01

Genetically encoded calcium indicators for visualizing dynamic cellular activity have greatly expanded our understanding of the brain. However, due to light scattering properties of the brain as well as the size and rigidity of traditional imaging technology, in vivo calcium imaging has been limited to superficial brain structures during head fixed behavioral tasks. This limitation can now be circumvented by utilizing miniature, integrated microscopes in conjunction with an implantable microendoscopic lens to guide light into and out of the brain, thus permitting optical access to deep brain (or superficial) neural ensembles during naturalistic behaviors. Here, we describe procedural steps to conduct such imaging studies using mice. However, we anticipate the protocol can be easily adapted for use in other small vertebrates. Successful completion of this protocol will permit cellular imaging of neuronal activity and the generation of data sets with sufficient statistical power to correlate neural activity with stimulus presentation, physiological state, and other aspects of complex behavioral tasks. This protocol takes 6–11 weeks to complete. PMID:26914316

How Often Are Drugs Made Available Under the Food and Drug Administration's Expanded Access Process Approved?

PubMed

McKee, Amy E; Markon, André O; Chan-Tack, Kirk M; Lurie, Peter

2017-10-01

In this review of individual patient expanded-access requests to the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for the period Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2014, we evaluated the number of applications received and the number allowed to proceed. We also evaluated whether drugs and certain biologics obtained under expanded access went on to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Finally, we considered concerns that adverse events occurring during expanded access might place sponsors at risk for legal liability. Overall, 98% of individual patient expanded-access requests were allowed to proceed. During the study period, among drugs without a previous approval for any indication or dosage form, 24% of unique drugs (ie, multiple applications for access to the same drug were considered to relate to 1 unique drug), and 20% of expanded-access applications received marketing approval by 1 year after initial submission; 43% and 33%, respectively, were approved by 5 years after initial submission. A search of 3 legal databases and a database of news articles did not appear to identify any product liability cases arising from the use of a product in expanded access. Our analyses seek to give physicians and patients a realistic perspective on the likelihood of a drug's approval as well as certain information regarding the product liability risks for commercial sponsors when providing expanded access to investigational drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s expanded-access program maintains a careful balance between authorizing patient access to potentially beneficial drugs and protecting them from drugs that may have unknown risks. At the same time, the agency wishes to maintain the integrity of the clinical trials process, ultimately the best way to get safe and effective drugs to patients. © 2017, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Access and accounting schemes of wireless broadband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Huang, Benxiong; Wang, Yan; Yu, Xing

2004-04-01

In this paper, two wireless broadband access and accounting schemes were introduced. There are some differences in the client and the access router module between them. In one scheme, Secure Shell (SSH) protocol is used in the access system. The SSH server makes the authentication based on private key cryptography. The advantage of this scheme is the security of the user's information, and we have sophisticated access control. In the other scheme, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol is used the access system. It uses the technology of public privacy key. Nowadays, web browser generally combines HTTP and SSL protocol and we use the SSL protocol to implement the encryption of the data between the clients and the access route. The schemes are same in the radius sever part. Remote Authentication Dial in User Service (RADIUS), as a security protocol in the form of Client/Sever, is becoming an authentication/accounting protocol for standard access to the Internet. It will be explained in a flow chart. In our scheme, the access router serves as the client to the radius server.

Integrated web-based viewing and secure remote access to a clinical data repository and diverse clinical systems.

PubMed

Duncan, R G; Saperia, D; Dulbandzhyan, R; Shabot, M M; Polaschek, J X; Jones, D T

2001-01-01

The advent of the World-Wide-Web protocols and client-server technology has made it easy to build low-cost, user-friendly, platform-independent graphical user interfaces to health information systems and to integrate the presentation of data from multiple systems. The authors describe a Web interface for a clinical data repository (CDR) that was moved from concept to production status in less than six months using a rapid prototyping approach, multi-disciplinary development team, and off-the-shelf hardware and software. The system has since been expanded to provide an integrated display of clinical data from nearly 20 disparate information systems.

An adaptable chromosome preparation methodology for use in invertebrate research organisms.

PubMed

Guo, Longhua; Accorsi, Alice; He, Shuonan; Guerrero-Hernández, Carlos; Sivagnanam, Shamilene; McKinney, Sean; Gibson, Matthew; Sánchez Alvarado, Alejandro

2018-02-26

The ability to efficiently visualize and manipulate chromosomes is fundamental to understanding the genome architecture of organisms. Conventional chromosome preparation protocols developed for mammalian cells and those relying on species-specific conditions are not suitable for many invertebrates. Hence, a simple and inexpensive chromosome preparation protocol, adaptable to multiple invertebrate species, is needed. We optimized a chromosome preparation protocol and applied it to several planarian species (phylum Platyhelminthes), the freshwater apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (phylum Mollusca), and the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (phylum Cnidaria). We demonstrated that both mitotically active adult tissues and embryos can be used as sources of metaphase chromosomes, expanding the potential use of this technique to invertebrates lacking cell lines and/or with limited access to the complete life cycle. Simple hypotonic treatment with deionized water was sufficient for karyotyping; growing cells in culture was not necessary. The obtained karyotypes allowed the identification of differences in ploidy and chromosome architecture among otherwise morphologically indistinguishable organisms, as in the case of a mixed population of planarians collected in the wild. Furthermore, we showed that in all tested organisms representing three different phyla this protocol could be effectively coupled with downstream applications, such as chromosome fluorescent in situ hybridization. Our simple and inexpensive chromosome preparation protocol can be readily adapted to new invertebrate research organisms to accelerate the discovery of novel genomic patterns across the branches of the tree of life.

Applying the Notion of Metaphor Types to Enhance Counseling Protocols

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tay, Dennis

2012-01-01

This article introduces the notion of metaphor types to show how the more nuanced aspects of metaphor theory can be applied to counseling practice. The author suggests that metaphor types can enhance existing interview protocols designed to help clients expand the source domain imagery of their metaphors and "bridge back" the expanded imagery to…

Synthesis of many different types of organic small molecules using one automated process.

PubMed

Li, Junqi; Ballmer, Steven G; Gillis, Eric P; Fujii, Seiko; Schmidt, Michael J; Palazzolo, Andrea M E; Lehmann, Jonathan W; Morehouse, Greg F; Burke, Martin D

2015-03-13

Small-molecule synthesis usually relies on procedures that are highly customized for each target. A broadly applicable automated process could greatly increase the accessibility of this class of compounds to enable investigations of their practical potential. Here we report the synthesis of 14 distinct classes of small molecules using the same fully automated process. This was achieved by strategically expanding the scope of a building block-based synthesis platform to include even C(sp3)-rich polycyclic natural product frameworks and discovering a catch-and-release chromatographic purification protocol applicable to all of the corresponding intermediates. With thousands of compatible building blocks already commercially available, many small molecules are now accessible with this platform. More broadly, these findings illuminate an actionable roadmap to a more general and automated approach for small-molecule synthesis. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Protecting intellectual property associated with Canadian academic clinical trials - approaches and impact

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Intellectual property is associated with the creative work needed to design clinical trials. Two approaches have developed to protect the intellectual property associated with multicentre trial protocols prior to site initiation. The ‘open access’ approach involves publishing the protocol, permitting easy access to the complete protocol. The main advantages of the open access approach are that the protocol is freely available to all stakeholders, permitting them to discuss the protocol widely with colleagues, assess the quality and rigour of the protocol, determine the feasibility of conducting the trial at their centre, and after trial completion, to evaluate the reported findings based on a full understanding of the protocol. The main potential disadvantage of this approach is the potential for plagiarism; however if that occurred, it should be easy to identify because of the open access to the original trial protocol, as well as ensure that appropriate sanctions are used to deal with plagiarism. The ‘restricted access’ approach involves the use of non-disclosure agreements, legal documents that must be signed between the trial lead centre and collaborative sites. Potential sites must guarantee they will not disclose any details of the study before they are permitted to access the protocol. The main advantages of the restricted access approach are for the lead institution and nominated principal investigator, who protect their intellectual property associated with the trial. The main disadvantages are that ownership of the protocol and intellectual property is assigned to the lead institution; defining who ‘needs to know’ about the study protocol is difficult; and the use of non-disclosure agreements involves review by lawyers and institutional representatives at each site before access is permitted to the protocol, significantly delaying study implementation and adding substantial indirect costs to research institutes. This extra step may discourage sites from joining a trial. It is possible that the restricted access approach may contribute to the failure of well-designed trials without any significant benefit in protecting intellectual property. Funding agencies should formalize rules around open versus restricted access to the study protocol just as they have around open access to results. PMID:23270486

An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Boubiche, Sabrina; Boubiche, Djallel Eddine; Bilami, Azzedine; Toral-Cruz, Homero

2016-04-12

Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes' resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach.

Medium Access Control Protocols for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks: A Survey

PubMed Central

Islam, A. K. M. Muzahidul; Baharun, Sabariah; Mansoor, Nafees

2017-01-01

New wireless network paradigms will demand higher spectrum use and availability to cope with emerging data-hungry devices. Traditional static spectrum allocation policies cause spectrum scarcity, and new paradigms such as Cognitive Radio (CR) and new protocols and techniques need to be developed in order to have efficient spectrum usage. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are accountable for recognizing free spectrum, scheduling available resources and coordinating the coexistence of heterogeneous systems and users. This paper provides an ample review of the state-of-the-art MAC protocols, which mainly focuses on Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks (CRAHN). First, a description of the cognitive radio fundamental functions is presented. Next, MAC protocols are divided into three groups, which are based on their channel access mechanism, namely time-slotted protocol, random access protocol and hybrid protocol. In each group, a detailed and comprehensive explanation of the latest MAC protocols is presented, as well as the pros and cons of each protocol. A discussion on future challenges for CRAHN MAC protocols is included with a comparison of the protocols from a functional perspective. PMID:28926952

PKI-based secure mobile access to electronic health services and data.

PubMed

Kambourakis, G; Maglogiannis, I; Rouskas, A

2005-01-01

Recent research works examine the potential employment of public-key cryptography schemes in e-health environments. In such systems, where a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is established beforehand, Attribute Certificates (ACs) and public key enabled protocols like TLS, can provide the appropriate mechanisms to effectively support authentication, authorization and confidentiality services. In other words, mutual trust and secure communications between all the stakeholders, namely physicians, patients and e-health service providers, can be successfully established and maintained. Furthermore, as the recently introduced mobile devices with access to computer-based patient record systems are expanding, the need of physicians and nurses to interact increasingly with such systems arises. Considering public key infrastructure requirements for mobile online health networks, this paper discusses the potential use of Attribute Certificates (ACs) in an anticipated trust model. Typical trust interactions among doctors, patients and e-health providers are presented, indicating that resourceful security mechanisms and trust control can be obtained and implemented. The application of attribute certificates to support medical mobile service provision along with the utilization of the de-facto TLS protocol to offer competent confidentiality and authorization services is also presented and evaluated through experimentation, using both the 802.11 WLAN and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks.

Robust and effective methodologies for cryopreservation and DNA extraction from anaerobic gut fungi.

PubMed

Solomon, Kevin V; Henske, John K; Theodorou, Michael K; O'Malley, Michelle A

2016-04-01

Cell storage and DNA isolation are essential to developing an expanded suite of microorganisms for biotechnology. However, many features of non-model microbes, such as an anaerobic lifestyle and rigid cell wall, present formidable challenges to creating strain repositories and extracting high quality genomic DNA. Here, we establish accessible, high efficiency, and robust techniques to store lignocellulolytic anaerobic gut fungi long term without specialized equipment. Using glycerol as a cryoprotectant, gut fungal isolates were preserved for a minimum of 23 months at -80 °C. Unlike previously reported approaches, this improved protocol is non-toxic and rapid, with samples surviving twice as long with negligible growth impact. Genomic DNA extraction for these isolates was optimized to yield samples compatible with next generation sequencing platforms (e.g. Illumina, PacBio). Popular DNA isolation kits and precipitation protocols yielded preps that were unsuitable for sequencing due to carbohydrate contaminants from the chitin-rich cell wall and extensive energy reserves of gut fungi. To address this, we identified a proprietary method optimized for hardy plant samples that rapidly yielded DNA fragments in excess of 10 kb with minimal RNA, protein or carbohydrate contamination. Collectively, these techniques serve as fundamental tools to manipulate powerful biomass-degrading gut fungi and improve their accessibility among researchers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A simple, effective media access protocol system for integrated, high data rate networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, K.; Overstreet, C. M.; Khanna, S.; Zhang, L.

1992-01-01

The operation and performance of a dual media access protocol for integrated, gigabit networks are described. Unlike other dual protocols, each protocol supports a different class of traffic. The Carrier Sensed Multiple Access-Ring Network (CSMA/RN) protocol and the Circulating Reservation Packet (CRP) protocol support asynchronous and synchronous traffic, respectively. The two protocols operate with minimal impact upon each other. Performance information demonstrates that they support a complete range of integrated traffic loads, do not require call setup/termination or a special node for synchronous traffic control, and provide effective pre-use and recovery. The CRP also provides guaranteed access and fairness control for the asynchronous system. The paper demonstrates that the CSMA-CRP system fulfills many of the requirements for gigabit LAN-MAN networks most effectively and simply. To accomplish this, CSMA-CRP features are compared against similar ring and bus systems, such as Cambridge Fast Ring, Metaring, Cyclic Reservation Multiple Access, and Distributed Dual Queue Data Bus (DQDB).

Synthesizing Existing CSMA and TDMA Based MAC Protocols for VANETs

PubMed Central

Huang, Jiawei; Li, Qi; Zhong, Shaohua; Liu, Lianhai; Zhong, Ping; Wang, Jianxin; Ye, Jin

2017-01-01

Many Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) based medium access control (MAC) protocols for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have been proposed recently. Contrary to the common perception that they are competitors, we argue that the underlying strategies used in these MAC protocols are complementary. Based on this insight, we design CTMAC, a MAC protocol that synthesizes existing strategies; namely, random accessing channel (used in CSMA-style protocols) and arbitral reserving channel (used in TDMA-based protocols). CTMAC swiftly changes its strategy according to the vehicle density, and its performance is better than the state-of-the-art protocols. We evaluate CTMAC using at-scale simulations. Our results show that CTMAC reduces the channel completion time and increases the network goodput by 45% for a wide range of application workloads and network settings. PMID:28208590

Effects of expanded and standard captions on deaf college students' comprehension of educational videos.

PubMed

Stinson, Michael S; Stevenson, Susan

2013-01-01

Twenty-two college students who were deaf viewed one instructional video with standard captions and a second with expanded captions, in which key terms were expanded in the form of vocabulary definitions, labeled illustrations, or concept maps. The students performed better on a posttest after viewing either type of caption than on a pretest; however, there was no difference in comprehension between standard and expanded captions. Camtasia recording software enabled examination of the extent to which the students accessed the expanded captions. The students accessed less than 20% of the available expanded captions. Thus, one explanation for the lack of difference in comprehension between the standard and expanded captions is that the students did not access the expanded captions sufficiently. Despite limited use of the expanded captions, the students stated, when interviewed, that they considered these captions beneficial in learning from the instructional video.

Research on a Banknote Printing Wastewater Monitoring System based on Wireless Sensor Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, B. B.; Yuan, Z. F.

2006-10-01

In this paper, a banknote printing wastewater monitoring system based on WSN is presented in line with the system demands and actual condition of the worksite for a banknote printing factory. In Physical Layer, the network node is a nRF9e5-centric embedded instrument, which can realize the multi-function such as data collecting, status monitoring, wireless data transmission and so on. Limited by the computing capability, memory capability, communicating energy and others factors, it is impossible for the node to get every detail information of the network, so the communication protocol on WSN couldn't be very complicated. The competitive-based MACA (Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) Protocol is introduced in MAC, which can decide the communication process and working mode of the nodes, avoid the collision of data transmission, hidden and exposed station problem of nodes. On networks layer, the routing protocol in charge of the transmitting path of the data, the networks topology structure is arranged based on address assignation. Accompanied with some redundant nodes, the network performances stabile and expandable. The wastewater monitoring system is a tentative practice of WSN theory in engineering. Now, the system has passed test and proved efficiently.

Modelling optimal location for pre-hospital helicopter emergency medical services.

PubMed

Schuurman, Nadine; Bell, Nathaniel J; L'Heureux, Randy; Hameed, Syed M

2009-05-09

Increasing the range and scope of early activation/auto launch helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) may alleviate unnecessary injury mortality that disproportionately affects rural populations. To date, attempts to develop a quantitative framework for the optimal location of HEMS facilities have been absent. Our analysis used five years of critical care data from tertiary health care facilities, spatial data on origin of transport and accurate road travel time catchments for tertiary centres. A location optimization model was developed to identify where the expansion of HEMS would cover the greatest population among those currently underserved. The protocol was developed using geographic information systems (GIS) to measure populations, distances and accessibility to services. Our model determined Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) was the optimal site for an expanded HEMS - based on denominator population, distance to services and historical usage patterns. GIS based protocols for location of emergency medical resources can provide supportive evidence for allocation decisions - especially when resources are limited. In this study, we were able to demonstrate conclusively that a logical choice exists for location of additional HEMS. This protocol could be extended to location analysis for other emergency and health services.

A Multifactor Secure Authentication System for Wireless Payment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanyal, Sugata; Tiwari, Ayu; Sanyal, Sudip

Organizations are deploying wireless based online payment applications to expand their business globally, it increases the growing need of regulatory requirements for the protection of confidential data, and especially in internet based financial areas. Existing internet based authentication systems often use either the Web or the Mobile channel individually to confirm the claimed identity of the remote user. The vulnerability is that access is based on only single factor authentication which is not secure to protect user data, there is a need of multifactor authentication. This paper proposes a new protocol based on multifactor authentication system that is both secure and highly usable. It uses a novel approach based on Transaction Identification Code and SMS to enforce another security level with the traditional Login/password system. The system provides a highly secure environment that is simple to use and deploy with in a limited resources that does not require any change in infrastructure or underline protocol of wireless network. This Protocol for Wireless Payment is extended as a two way authentications system to satisfy the emerging market need of mutual authentication and also supports secure B2B communication which increases faith of the user and business organizations on wireless financial transaction using mobile devices.

75 FR 69502 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-12

... Connection testing [using current Nasdaq access protocols] during the normal operating hours of the NTF; No Charge--For Idle Connection testing [using current Nasdaq access protocols]; $333/hour--For Active Connection testing [using current Nasdaq access protocols] at all times other than the normal operating hours...

Gigabit Ethernet: A Technical Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axner, David

1997-01-01

Describes gigabit ethernet for LAN (local area network) technology that will expand ethernet bandwidth. Technical details are discussed, including protocol stacks, optical fiber, deployment strategy for performance improvement, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), real-time protocol, reserve reservation protocol, and standards. (LRW)

Right-to-try laws and individual patient "compassionate use" of experimental oncology medications: A call for improved provider-patient communication.

PubMed

Hoerger, Michael

2016-01-01

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Expanded Access program allows patients with life-threatening diagnoses, such as advanced cancer, to use experimental medications without participating in clinical research (colloquially, "Compassionate Use"). Sixteen U.S. states recently passed "right-to-try" legislation aimed at promoting Expanded Access. Acknowledging popular support, Expanded Access could undermine clinical trials that benefit public health. Moreover, existing norms in oncologic care, for example, often lead patients to pursue intense treatments near the end of life, at the expense of palliation, and improved communication about the risks and benefits of Expanded Access would more often discourage its use.

FD/DAMA Scheme For Mobile/Satellite Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Tsun-Yee; Wang, Charles C.; Cheng, Unjeng; Rafferty, William; Dessouky, Khaled I.

1992-01-01

Integrated-Adaptive Mobile Access Protocol (I-AMAP) proposed to allocate communication channels to subscribers in first-generation MSAT-X mobile/satellite communication network. Based on concept of frequency-division/demand-assigned multiple access (FD/DAMA) where partition of available spectrum adapted to subscribers' demands for service. Requests processed, and competing requests resolved according to channel-access protocol, or free-access tree algorithm described in "Connection Protocol for Mobile/Satellite Communications" (NPO-17735). Assigned spectrum utilized efficiently.

Geoscience Information Network (USGIN) Solutions for Interoperable Open Data Access Requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allison, M. L.; Richard, S. M.; Patten, K.

2014-12-01

The geosciences are leading development of free, interoperable open access to data. US Geoscience Information Network (USGIN) is a freely available data integration framework, jointly developed by the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), in compliance with international standards and protocols to provide easy discovery, access, and interoperability for geoscience data. USGIN standards include the geologic exchange language 'GeoSciML' (v 3.2 which enables instant interoperability of geologic formation data) which is also the base standard used by the 117-nation OneGeology consortium. The USGIN deployment of NGDS serves as a continent-scale operational demonstration of the expanded OneGeology vision to provide access to all geoscience data worldwide. USGIN is developed to accommodate a variety of applications; for example, the International Renewable Energy Agency streams data live to the Global Atlas of Renewable Energy. Alternatively, users without robust data sharing systems can download and implement a free software packet, "GINstack" to easily deploy web services for exposing data online for discovery and access. The White House Open Data Access Initiative requires all federally funded research projects and federal agencies to make their data publicly accessible in an open source, interoperable format, with metadata. USGIN currently incorporates all aspects of the Initiative as it emphasizes interoperability. The system is successfully deployed as the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS), officially launched at the White House Energy Datapalooza in May, 2014. The USGIN Foundation has been established to ensure this technology continues to be accessible and available.

A Web Resource for Standardized Benchmark Datasets, Metrics, and Rosetta Protocols for Macromolecular Modeling and Design.

PubMed

Ó Conchúir, Shane; Barlow, Kyle A; Pache, Roland A; Ollikainen, Noah; Kundert, Kale; O'Meara, Matthew J; Smith, Colin A; Kortemme, Tanja

2015-01-01

The development and validation of computational macromolecular modeling and design methods depend on suitable benchmark datasets and informative metrics for comparing protocols. In addition, if a method is intended to be adopted broadly in diverse biological applications, there needs to be information on appropriate parameters for each protocol, as well as metrics describing the expected accuracy compared to experimental data. In certain disciplines, there exist established benchmarks and public resources where experts in a particular methodology are encouraged to supply their most efficient implementation of each particular benchmark. We aim to provide such a resource for protocols in macromolecular modeling and design. We present a freely accessible web resource (https://kortemmelab.ucsf.edu/benchmarks) to guide the development of protocols for protein modeling and design. The site provides benchmark datasets and metrics to compare the performance of a variety of modeling protocols using different computational sampling methods and energy functions, providing a "best practice" set of parameters for each method. Each benchmark has an associated downloadable benchmark capture archive containing the input files, analysis scripts, and tutorials for running the benchmark. The captures may be run with any suitable modeling method; we supply command lines for running the benchmarks using the Rosetta software suite. We have compiled initial benchmarks for the resource spanning three key areas: prediction of energetic effects of mutations, protein design, and protein structure prediction, each with associated state-of-the-art modeling protocols. With the help of the wider macromolecular modeling community, we hope to expand the variety of benchmarks included on the website and continue to evaluate new iterations of current methods as they become available.

An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Boubiche, Sabrina; Boubiche, Djallel Eddine; Bilami, Azzedine; Toral-Cruz, Homero

2016-01-01

Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes’ resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach. PMID:27077866

On Ramps: Options and Issues in Accessing the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bocher, Bob

1995-01-01

Outlines the basic options that schools and libraries have for accessing the Internet, focusing on four models: direct connection; dial access using SLIP/PPP (Serial Line Internet Protocol/Point-to-Point Protocol); dial-up using terminal emulation mode; and dial access through commercial online services. Discusses access option issues such as…

Validity of Assessments of Youth Access to Tobacco: The Familiarity Effect

PubMed Central

Landrine, Hope; Klonoff, Elizabeth A.

2003-01-01

Objectives. We examined the standard compliance protocol and its validity as a measure of youth access to tobacco. Methods. In Study 1, youth smokers reported buying cigarettes in stores where they are regular customers. In Study 2, youths attempted to purchase cigarettes by using the Standard Protocol, in which they appeared at stores once for cigarettes, and by using the Familiarity Protocol, in which they were rendered regular customers by purchasing nontobacco items 4 times and then requested cigarettes during their fifth visit. Results. Sales to youths aged 17 years in the Familiarity Protocol were significantly higher than sales to the same age group in the Standard Protocols (62.5% vs. 6%, respectively). Conclusions. The Standard Protocol does not match how youths obtain cigarettes. Access is low for stranger youths within compliance studies, but access is high for familiar youths outside of compliance studies. PMID:14600057

A slotted access control protocol for metropolitan WDM ring networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baziana, P. A.; Pountourakis, I. E.

2009-03-01

In this study we focus on the serious scalability problems that many access protocols for WDM ring networks introduce due to the use of a dedicated wavelength per access node for either transmission or reception. We propose an efficient slotted MAC protocol suitable for WDM ring metropolitan area networks. The proposed network architecture employs a separate wavelength for control information exchange prior to the data packet transmission. Each access node is equipped with a pair of tunable transceivers for data communication and a pair of fixed tuned transceivers for control information exchange. Also, each access node includes a set of fixed delay lines for synchronization reasons; to keep the data packets, while the control information is processed. An efficient access algorithm is applied to avoid both the data wavelengths and the receiver collisions. In our protocol, each access node is capable of transmitting and receiving over any of the data wavelengths, facing the scalability issues. Two different slot reuse schemes are assumed: the source and the destination stripping schemes. For both schemes, performance measures evaluation is provided via an analytic model. The analytical results are validated by a discrete event simulation model that uses Poisson traffic sources. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol manages efficient bandwidth utilization, especially under high load. Also, comparative simulation results prove that our protocol achieves significant performance improvement as compared with other WDMA protocols which restrict transmission over a dedicated data wavelength. Finally, performance measures evaluation is explored for diverse numbers of buffer size, access nodes and data wavelengths.

Right-to-Try Laws and Individual Patient “Compassionate Use” of Experimental Oncology Medications: A Call for Improved Provider-Patient Communication

PubMed Central

Hoerger, Michael

2016-01-01

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Expanded Access program allows patients with life-threatening diagnoses, such as advanced cancer, to use experimental medications without participating in clinical research (colloquially, “Compassionate Use”). Sixteen U.S. states recently passed “right-to-try” legislation aimed at promoting Expanded Access. Acknowledging popular support, Expanded Access could undermine clinical trials that benefit public health. Moreover, existing norms in oncologic care, for example, often lead patients to pursue intense treatments near the end of life, at the expense of palliation, and improved communication about the risks and benefits of Expanded Access would more often discourage its use. PMID:26313583

Spacelab system analysis: The modified free access protocol: An access protocol for communication systems with periodic and Poisson traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingels, Frank; Owens, John; Daniel, Steven

1989-01-01

The protocol definition and terminal hardware for the modified free access protocol, a communications protocol similar to Ethernet, are developed. A MFA protocol simulator and a CSMA/CD math model are also developed. The protocol is tailored to communication systems where the total traffic may be divided into scheduled traffic and Poisson traffic. The scheduled traffic should occur on a periodic basis but may occur after a given event such as a request for data from a large number of stations. The Poisson traffic will include alarms and other random traffic. The purpose of the protocol is to guarantee that scheduled packets will be delivered without collision. This is required in many control and data collection systems. The protocol uses standard Ethernet hardware and software requiring minimum modifications to an existing system. The modification to the protocol only affects the Ethernet transmission privileges and does not effect the Ethernet receiver.

Expanding Access to HCV Treatment - Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Project: Disruptive Innovation in Specialty Care

PubMed Central

Arora, Sanjeev; Kalishman, Summers; Thornton, Karla; Dion, Denise; Murata, Glen; Deming, Paulina; Parish, Brooke; Brown, John; Komaromy, Miriam; Colleran, Kathleen; Bankhurst, Arthur; Katzman, Joanna; Harkins, Michelle; Curet, Luis; Cosgrove, Ellen; Pak, Wesley

2013-01-01

The Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Model was developed by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC) as a platform to deliver complex specialty medical care to underserved populations through an innovative educational model of team-based inter-disciplinary development. Using state-of-the-art telehealth technology, best practice protocols, and case based learning, ECHO trains and supports primary care providers to develop knowledge and self-efficacy on a variety of diseases. As a result, they can deliver best practice care for complex health conditions in communities where specialty care is unavailable. ECHO was first developed for the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV), optimal management of which requires consultation with multi-disciplinary experts in medical specialties, mental health and substance abuse. Few practitioners, particularly in rural and underserved areas, have the knowledge to manage its emerging treatment options, side effects, drug toxicities and treatment-induced depression. In addition data was obtained from observation of ECHO weekly clinics and database of ECHO clinic participation and patient presentations by clinical provider, evaluation of the ECHO program incorporates annual survey integrated into the ECHO annual meeting and routine surveys of community providers about workplace learning, personal and professional experiences, systems and environmental factors associated with professional practice, self-efficacy, facilitators and barriers to ECHO. The initial survey data show a significant improvement in provider knowledge, self-efficacy and professional satisfaction through participation in ECHO HCV clinics. Clinicians reported a moderate to major benefit from participation. We conclude that ECHO expands access to best practice care for underserved populations, builds communities of practice to enhance professional development and satisfaction of primary care clinicians, and expands sustainable capacity for care by building local centers of excellence. PMID:20607688

Scalable Lunar Surface Networks and Adaptive Orbit Access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Xudong

2015-01-01

Teranovi Technologies, Inc., has developed innovative network architecture, protocols, and algorithms for both lunar surface and orbit access networks. A key component of the overall architecture is a medium access control (MAC) protocol that includes a novel mechanism of overlaying time division multiple access (TDMA) and carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA), ensuring scalable throughput and quality of service. The new MAC protocol is compatible with legacy Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 networks. Advanced features include efficiency power management, adaptive channel width adjustment, and error control capability. A hybrid routing protocol combines the advantages of ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing and disruption/delay-tolerant network (DTN) routing. Performance is significantly better than AODV or DTN and will be particularly effective for wireless networks with intermittent links, such as lunar and planetary surface networks and orbit access networks.

Interoperability in the Planetary Science Archive (PSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rios Diaz, C.

2017-09-01

The protocols and standards currently being supported by the recently released new version of the Planetary Science Archive at this time are the Planetary Data Access Protocol (PDAP), the EuroPlanet- Table Access Protocol (EPN-TAP) and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. We explore these protocols in more detail providing scientifically useful examples of their usage within the PSA.

Experiences with http/WebDAV protocols for data access in high throughput computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernabeu, Gerard; Martinez, Francisco; Acción, Esther; Bria, Arnau; Caubet, Marc; Delfino, Manuel; Espinal, Xavier

2011-12-01

In the past, access to remote storage was considered to be at least one order of magnitude slower than local disk access. Improvement on network technologies provide the alternative of using remote disk. For those accesses one can today reach levels of throughput similar or exceeding those of local disks. Common choices as access protocols in the WLCG collaboration are RFIO, [GSI]DCAP, GRIDFTP, XROOTD and NFS. HTTP protocol shows a promising alternative as it is a simple, lightweight protocol. It also enables the use of standard technologies such as http caching or load balancing which can be used to improve service resilience and scalability or to boost performance for some use cases seen in HEP such as the "hot files". WebDAV extensions allow writing data, giving it enough functionality to work as a remote access protocol. This paper will show our experiences with the WebDAV door for dCache, in terms of functionality and performance, applied to some of the HEP work flows in the LHC Tier1 at PIC.

Pragmatic open space box utilization: asteroid survey model using distributed objects management based articulation (DOMBA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammad, Atif Farid; Straub, Jeremy

2015-05-01

A multi-craft asteroid survey has significant data synchronization needs. Limited communication speeds drive exacting performance requirements. Tables have been used in Relational Databases, which are structure; however, DOMBA (Distributed Objects Management Based Articulation) deals with data in terms of collections. With this, no read/write roadblocks to the data exist. A master/slave architecture is created by utilizing the Gossip protocol. This facilitates expanding a mission that makes an important discovery via the launch of another spacecraft. The Open Space Box Framework facilitates the foregoing while also providing a virtual caching layer to make sure that continuously accessed data is available in memory and that, upon closing the data file, recharging is applied to the data.

Building-in-Briefcase: A Rapidly-Deployable Environmental Sensor Suite for the Smart Building.

PubMed

Weekly, Kevin; Jin, Ming; Zou, Han; Hsu, Christopher; Soyza, Chris; Bayen, Alexandre; Spanos, Costas

2018-04-29

A building’s environment has profound influence on occupant comfort and health. Continuous monitoring of building occupancy and environment is essential to fault detection, intelligent control, and building commissioning. Though many solutions for environmental measuring based on wireless sensor networks exist, they are not easily accessible to households and building owners who may lack time or technical expertise needed to set up a system and get quick and detailed overview of environmental conditions. Building-in-Briefcase (BiB) is a portable sensor network platform that is trivially easy to deploy in any building environment. Once the sensors are distributed, the environmental data is collected and communicated to the BiB router via the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and WiFi technology, which then forwards the data to the central database securely over the internet through a 3G radio. The user, with minimal effort, can access the aggregated data and visualize the trends in real time on the BiB web portal. Paramount to the adoption and continued operation of an indoor sensing platform is battery lifetime. This design has achieved a multi-year lifespan by careful selection of components, an efficient binary communications protocol and data compression. Our BiB sensor is capable of collecting a rich set of environmental parameters, and is expandable to measure others, such as CO 2 . This paper describes the power characteristics of BiB sensors and their occupancy estimation and activity recognition functionality. We have demonstrated large-scale deployment of BiB throughout Singapore. Our vision is that, by monitoring thousands of buildings through BiB, it would provide ample research opportunities and opportunities to identify ways to improve the building environment and energy efficiency.

Building-in-Briefcase: A Rapidly-Deployable Environmental Sensor Suite for the Smart Building

PubMed Central

Weekly, Kevin; Jin, Ming; Zou, Han; Hsu, Christopher; Soyza, Chris; Bayen, Alexandre; Spanos, Costas

2018-01-01

A building’s environment has profound influence on occupant comfort and health. Continuous monitoring of building occupancy and environment is essential to fault detection, intelligent control, and building commissioning. Though many solutions for environmental measuring based on wireless sensor networks exist, they are not easily accessible to households and building owners who may lack time or technical expertise needed to set up a system and get quick and detailed overview of environmental conditions. Building-in-Briefcase (BiB) is a portable sensor network platform that is trivially easy to deploy in any building environment. Once the sensors are distributed, the environmental data is collected and communicated to the BiB router via the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and WiFi technology, which then forwards the data to the central database securely over the internet through a 3G radio. The user, with minimal effort, can access the aggregated data and visualize the trends in real time on the BiB web portal. Paramount to the adoption and continued operation of an indoor sensing platform is battery lifetime. This design has achieved a multi-year lifespan by careful selection of components, an efficient binary communications protocol and data compression. Our BiB sensor is capable of collecting a rich set of environmental parameters, and is expandable to measure others, such as CO2. This paper describes the power characteristics of BiB sensors and their occupancy estimation and activity recognition functionality. We have demonstrated large-scale deployment of BiB throughout Singapore. Our vision is that, by monitoring thousands of buildings through BiB, it would provide ample research opportunities and opportunities to identify ways to improve the building environment and energy efficiency. PMID:29710839

Snap-, CLIP- and Halo-Tag Labelling of Budding Yeast Cells

PubMed Central

Stagge, Franziska; Mitronova, Gyuzel Y.; Belov, Vladimir N.; Wurm, Christian A.; Jakobs, Stefan

2013-01-01

Fluorescence microscopy of the localization and the spatial and temporal dynamics of specifically labelled proteins is an indispensable tool in cell biology. Besides fluorescent proteins as tags, tag-mediated labelling utilizing self-labelling proteins as the SNAP-, CLIP-, or the Halo-tag are widely used, flexible labelling systems relying on exogenously supplied fluorophores. Unfortunately, labelling of live budding yeast cells proved to be challenging with these approaches because of the limited accessibility of the cell interior to the dyes. In this study we developed a fast and reliable electroporation-based labelling protocol for living budding yeast cells expressing SNAP-, CLIP-, or Halo-tagged fusion proteins. For the Halo-tag, we demonstrate that it is crucial to use the 6′-carboxy isomers and not the 5′-carboxy isomers of important dyes to ensure cell viability. We report on a simple rule for the analysis of 1H NMR spectra to discriminate between 6′- and 5′-carboxy isomers of fluorescein and rhodamine derivatives. We demonstrate the usability of the labelling protocol by imaging yeast cells with STED super-resolution microscopy and dual colour live cell microscopy. The large number of available fluorophores for these self-labelling proteins and the simplicity of the protocol described here expands the available toolbox for the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PMID:24205303

Positioning Medical Assistants for a Greater Role in the Era of Health Reform.

PubMed

Chapman, Susan A; Marks, Angela; Dower, Catherine

2015-10-01

Medical assistants (MAs) are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States. As of 2014 there were about 585,000 MAs in the United States, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the MA workforce to grow by 29% from 2012 to 2022. The MA population is primarily female, ethnically and racially diverse, and paid about $15.01 per hour. MAs are primarily educated in private schools, many at for-profit institutions. The MA curriculum and length of training can be quite varied and can lead to uneven preparation for practice. Traditionally, the MA role has involved a limited clinical role and little involvement with team care, particularly in larger practices or clinics. Medical groups, clinics, and health systems are now taking a new look at MAs and how they can play a greater role in reforming health care delivery models. Expanded roles for MAs might include health coach, referral coordinator, disease registry manager, and health screener using protocols. In expanding MA roles, education and regulatory issues need to be addressed by the provider community including current inconsistent regulation and certification requirements and the lack of preparation for expanded roles in traditional MA training programs. MAs are well positioned to help address challenges in the health care delivery system including improving access to care while reducing overall cost. Successful model practices using MAs in expanded roles need further formal evaluation and replication across practice settings.

Distributed reservation control protocols for random access broadcasting channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, E. P.; Ephremides, A.

1981-01-01

Attention is given to a communication network consisting of an arbitrary number of nodes which can communicate with each other via a time-division multiple access (TDMA) broadcast channel. The reported investigation is concerned with the development of efficient distributed multiple access protocols for traffic consisting primarily of single packet messages in a datagram mode of operation. The motivation for the design of the protocols came from the consideration of efficient multiple access utilization of moderate to high bandwidth (4-40 Mbit/s capacity) communication satellite channels used for the transmission of short (1000-10,000 bits) fixed length packets. Under these circumstances, the ratio of roundtrip propagation time to packet transmission time is between 100 to 10,000. It is shown how a TDMA channel can be adaptively shared by datagram traffic and constant bandwidth users such as in digital voice applications. The distributed reservation control protocols described are a hybrid between contention and reservation protocols.

A hybrid MAC protocol design for energy-efficient very-high-throughput millimeter wave, wireless sensor communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Wei; Estevez, Claudio; Chowdhury, Arshad; Jia, Zhensheng; Wang, Jianxin; Yu, Jianguo; Chang, Gee-Kung

2010-12-01

This paper presents an energy-efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for very-high-throughput millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless sensor communication networks (VHT-MSCNs) based on hybrid multiple access techniques of frequency division multiplexing access (FDMA) and time division multiplexing access (TDMA). An energy-efficient Superframe for wireless sensor communication network employing directional mm-wave wireless access technologies is proposed for systems that require very high throughput, such as high definition video signals, for sensing, processing, transmitting, and actuating functions. Energy consumption modeling for each network element and comparisons among various multi-access technologies in term of power and MAC layer operations are investigated for evaluating the energy-efficient improvement of proposed MAC protocol.

The Clinical Urine Culture: Enhanced Techniques Improve Detection of Clinically Relevant Microorganisms

PubMed Central

Price, Travis K.; Dune, Tanaka; Hilt, Evann E.; Thomas-White, Krystal J.; Kliethermes, Stephanie; Brincat, Cynthia; Brubaker, Linda; Wolfe, Alan J.

2016-01-01

Enhanced quantitative urine culture (EQUC) detects live microorganisms in the vast majority of urine specimens reported as “no growth” by the standard urine culture protocol. Here, we evaluated an expanded set of EQUC conditions (expanded-spectrum EQUC) to identify an optimal version that provides a more complete description of uropathogens in women experiencing urinary tract infection (UTI)-like symptoms. One hundred fifty adult urogynecology patient-participants were characterized using a self-completed validated UTI symptom assessment (UTISA) questionnaire and asked “Do you feel you have a UTI?” Women responding negatively were recruited into the no-UTI cohort, while women responding affirmatively were recruited into the UTI cohort; the latter cohort was reassessed with the UTISA questionnaire 3 to 7 days later. Baseline catheterized urine samples were plated using both standard urine culture and expanded-spectrum EQUC protocols: standard urine culture inoculated at 1 μl onto 2 agars incubated aerobically; expanded-spectrum EQUC inoculated at three different volumes of urine onto 7 combinations of agars and environments. Compared to expanded-spectrum EQUC, standard urine culture missed 67% of uropathogens overall and 50% in participants with severe urinary symptoms. Thirty-six percent of participants with missed uropathogens reported no symptom resolution after treatment by standard urine culture results. Optimal detection of uropathogens could be achieved using the following: 100 μl of urine plated onto blood (blood agar plate [BAP]), colistin-nalidixic acid (CNA), and MacConkey agars in 5% CO2 for 48 h. This streamlined EQUC protocol achieved 84% uropathogen detection relative to 33% detection by standard urine culture. The streamlined EQUC protocol improves detection of uropathogens that are likely relevant for symptomatic women, giving clinicians the opportunity to receive additional information not currently reported using standard urine culture techniques. PMID:26962083

J-Plus Web Portal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civera Lorenzo, Tamara

2017-10-01

Brief presentation about the J-PLUS EDR data access web portal (http://archive.cefca.es/catalogues/jplus-edr) where the different services available to retrieve images and catalogues data have been presented.J-PLUS Early Data Release (EDR) archive includes two types of data: images and dual and single catalogue data which include parameters measured from images. J-PLUS web portal offers catalogue data and images through several different online data access tools or services each suited to a particular need. The different services offered are: Coverage map Sky navigator Object visualization Image search Cone search Object list search Virtual observatory services: Simple Cone Search Simple Image Access Protocol Simple Spectral Access Protocol Table Access Protocol

A controlled, before-and-after trial of an urban sanitation intervention to reduce enteric infections in children: research protocol for the Maputo Sanitation (MapSan) study, Mozambique

PubMed Central

Brown, Joe; Cumming, Oliver; Bartram, Jamie; Cairncross, Sandy; Ensink, Jeroen; Holcomb, David; Knee, Jackie; Kolsky, Peter; Liang, Kaida; Liang, Song; Nala, Rassul; Norman, Guy; Rheingans, Richard; Stewart, Jill; Zavale, Olimpio; Zuin, Valentina; Schmidt, Wolf-Peter

2015-01-01

Introduction Access to safe sanitation in low-income, informal settlements of Sub-Saharan Africa has not significantly improved since 1990. The combination of a high faecal-related disease burden and inadequate infrastructure suggests that investment in expanding sanitation access in densely populated urban slums can yield important public health gains. No rigorous, controlled intervention studies have evaluated the health effects of decentralised (non-sewerage) sanitation in an informal urban setting, despite the role that such technologies will likely play in scaling up access. Methods and analysis We have designed a controlled, before-and-after (CBA) trial to estimate the health impacts of an urban sanitation intervention in informal neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique, including an assessment of whether exposures and health outcomes vary by localised population density. The intervention consists of private pour-flush latrines (to septic tank) shared by multiple households in compounds or household clusters. We will measure objective health outcomes in approximately 760 children (380 children with household access to interventions, 380 matched controls using existing shared private latrines in poor sanitary conditions), at 2 time points: immediately before the intervention and at follow-up after 12 months. The primary outcome is combined prevalence of selected enteric infections among children under 5 years of age. Secondary outcome measures include soil-transmitted helminth (STH) reinfection in children following baseline deworming and prevalence of reported diarrhoeal disease. We will use exposure assessment, faecal source tracking, and microbial transmission modelling to examine whether and how routes of exposure for diarrhoeagenic pathogens and STHs change following introduction of effective sanitation. Ethics Study protocols have been reviewed and approved by human subjects review boards at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Ministry of Health, Republic of Mozambique. Trial registration number NCT02362932. PMID:26088809

Health care access for rural youth on equal terms? A mixed methods study protocol in northern Sweden.

PubMed

Goicolea, Isabel; Carson, Dean; San Sebastian, Miguel; Christianson, Monica; Wiklund, Maria; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2018-01-11

The purpose of this paper is to propose a protocol for researching the impact of rural youth health service strategies on health care access. There has been no published comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of youth health strategies in rural areas, and there is no clearly articulated model of how such assessments might be conducted. The protocol described here aims to gather information to; i) Assess rural youth access to health care according to their needs, ii) Identify and understand the strategies developed in rural areas to promote youth access to health care, and iii) Propose actions for further improvement. The protocol is described with particular reference to research being undertaken in the four northernmost counties of Sweden, which contain a widely dispersed and diverse youth population. The protocol proposes qualitative and quantitative methodologies sequentially in four phases. First, to map youth access to health care according to their health care needs, including assessing horizontal equity (equal use of health care for equivalent health needs,) and vertical equity (people with greater health needs should receive more health care than those with lesser needs). Second, a multiple case study design investigates strategies developed across the region (youth clinics, internet applications, public health programs) to improve youth access to health care. Third, qualitative comparative analysis of the 24 rural municipalities in the region identifies the best combination of conditions leading to high youth access to health care. Fourth, a concept mapping study involving rural stakeholders, care providers and youth provides recommended actions to improve rural youth access to health care. The implementation of this research protocol will contribute to 1) generating knowledge that could contribute to strengthening rural youth access to health care, as well as to 2) advancing the application of mixed methods to explore access to health care.

Structural barriers in access to medical marijuana in the USA-a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Valencia, Celina I; Asaolu, Ibitola O; Ehiri, John E; Rosales, Cecilia

2017-08-07

There are 43 state medical marijuana programs in the USA, yet limited evidence is available on the demographic characteristics of the patient population accessing these programs. Moreover, insights into the social and structural barriers that inform patients' success in accessing medical marijuana are limited. A current gap in the scientific literature exists regarding generalizable data on the social, cultural, and structural mechanisms that hinder access to medical marijuana among qualifying patients. The goal of this systematic review, therefore, is to identify the aforementioned mechanisms that inform disparities in access to medical marijuana in the USA. This scoping review protocol outlines the proposed study design for the systematic review and evaluation of peer-reviewed scientific literature on structural barriers to medical marijuana access. The protocol follows the guidelines set forth by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) checklist. The overarching goal of this study is to rigorously evaluate the existing peer-reviewed data on access to medical marijuana in the USA. Income, ethnic background, stigma, and physician preferences have been posited as the primary structural barriers influencing medical marijuana patient population demographics in the USA. Identification of structural barriers to accessing medical marijuana provides a framework for future policies and programs. Evidence-based policies and programs for increasing medical marijuana access help minimize the disparity of access among qualifying patients.

Advanced teleprocessing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinrock, L.; Gerla, M.

1982-09-01

This Annual Technical Report covers research covering the period from October 1, 1981 to September 30, 1982. This contract has three primary designated research areas: packet radio systems, resource sharing and allocation, and distributed processing and control. This report contains abstracts of publications which summarize research results in these areas followed by the main body of the report which is devoted to a study of channel access protocols that are executed by the nodes of a network to schedule their transmissions on multi-access broadcast channel. In particular the main body consists of a Ph.D. dissertation, Channel Access Protocols for Multi-Hop Broadcast Packet Radio Networks. This work discusses some new channel access protocols useful for mobile radio networks. Included is an analysis of slotted ALOHA and some tight bounds on the performance of all possible protocols in a mobile environment.

75 FR 69492 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-12

... month.[the following charges: $285/hour--For Active Connection testing using current Exchange access... using current Exchange access protocols; $333/hour--For Active Connection testing using current Exchange... a fee of $285 per hour for active connection testing using current BX access protocols during the...

A Brief Survey of Media Access Control, Data Link Layer, and Protocol Technologies for Lunar Surface Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallett, Thomas M.

2009-01-01

This paper surveys and describes some of the existing media access control and data link layer technologies for possible application in lunar surface communications and the advanced wideband Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DSCDMA) conceptual systems utilizing phased-array technology that will evolve in the next decade. Time Domain Multiple Access (TDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) are standard Media Access Control (MAC) techniques that can be incorporated into lunar surface communications architectures. Another novel hybrid technique that is recently being developed for use with smart antenna technology combines the advantages of CDMA with those of TDMA. The relatively new and sundry wireless LAN data link layer protocols that are continually under development offer distinct advantages for lunar surface applications over the legacy protocols which are not wireless. Also several communication transport and routing protocols can be chosen with characteristics commensurate with smart antenna systems to provide spacecraft communications for links exhibiting high capacity on the surface of the Moon. The proper choices depend on the specific communication requirements.

Research on a Queue Scheduling Algorithm in Wireless Communications Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenchuan; Hu, Yuanmei; Zhou, Qiancai

This paper proposes a protocol QS-CT, Queue Scheduling Mechanism based on Multiple Access in Ad hoc net work, which adds queue scheduling mechanism to RTS-CTS-DATA using multiple access protocol. By endowing different queues different scheduling mechanisms, it makes networks access to the channel much more fairly and effectively, and greatly enhances the performance. In order to observe the final performance of the network with QS-CT protocol, we simulate it and compare it with MACA/C-T without QS-CT protocol. Contrast to MACA/C-T, the simulation result shows that QS-CT has greatly improved the throughput, delay, rate of packets' loss and other key indicators.

A New Cellular Architecture for Information Retrieval from Sensor Networks through Embedded Service and Security Protocols

PubMed Central

Shahzad, Aamir; Landry, René; Lee, Malrey; Xiong, Naixue; Lee, Jongho; Lee, Changhoon

2016-01-01

Substantial changes have occurred in the Information Technology (IT) sectors and with these changes, the demand for remote access to field sensor information has increased. This allows visualization, monitoring, and control through various electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, i-Pads, PCs, and cellular phones. The smart phone is considered as a more reliable, faster and efficient device to access and monitor industrial systems and their corresponding information interfaces anywhere and anytime. This study describes the deployment of a protocol whereby industrial system information can be securely accessed by cellular phones via a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) server. To achieve the study goals, proprietary protocol interconnectivity with non-proprietary protocols and the usage of interconnectivity services are considered in detail. They support the visualization of the SCADA system information, and the related operations through smart phones. The intelligent sensors are configured and designated to process real information via cellular phones by employing information exchange services between the proprietary protocol and non-proprietary protocols. SCADA cellular access raises the issue of security flaws. For these challenges, a cryptography-based security method is considered and deployed, and it could be considered as a part of a proprietary protocol. Subsequently, transmission flows from the smart phones through a cellular network. PMID:27314351

A New Cellular Architecture for Information Retrieval from Sensor Networks through Embedded Service and Security Protocols.

PubMed

Shahzad, Aamir; Landry, René; Lee, Malrey; Xiong, Naixue; Lee, Jongho; Lee, Changhoon

2016-06-14

Substantial changes have occurred in the Information Technology (IT) sectors and with these changes, the demand for remote access to field sensor information has increased. This allows visualization, monitoring, and control through various electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, i-Pads, PCs, and cellular phones. The smart phone is considered as a more reliable, faster and efficient device to access and monitor industrial systems and their corresponding information interfaces anywhere and anytime. This study describes the deployment of a protocol whereby industrial system information can be securely accessed by cellular phones via a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) server. To achieve the study goals, proprietary protocol interconnectivity with non-proprietary protocols and the usage of interconnectivity services are considered in detail. They support the visualization of the SCADA system information, and the related operations through smart phones. The intelligent sensors are configured and designated to process real information via cellular phones by employing information exchange services between the proprietary protocol and non-proprietary protocols. SCADA cellular access raises the issue of security flaws. For these challenges, a cryptography-based security method is considered and deployed, and it could be considered as a part of a proprietary protocol. Subsequently, transmission flows from the smart phones through a cellular network.

An economic analysis on optical Ethernet in the access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sung Hwi; Nam, Dohyun; Yoo, Gunil; Kim, WoonHa

2004-04-01

Nowadays, Broadband service subscribers have increased exponentially and have almost saturated in Korea. Several types of solutions for broadband service applied to the field. Among several types of broadband services, most of subscribers provided xDSL service like ADSL or VDSL. Usually, they who live in an apartment provided Internet service by Ntopia network as FTTC structure that is a dormant network in economical view at KT. Under competitive telecom environment for new services like video, we faced with needing to expand or rebuild portions of our access networks, are looking for ways to provide any service that competitors might offer presently or in the near future. In order to look for new business model like FTTH service, we consider deploying optical access network. In spite of numerous benefits of PON until now, we cannot believe that PON is the best solution in Korea. Because we already deployed optical access network of ring type feeder cable and have densely population of subscribers that mainly distributed inside 6km from central office. So we try to utilize an existing Ntopia network for FTTH service under optical access environment. Despite of such situations, we try to deploy PON solution in the field as FTTC or FTTH architecture. Therefore we analyze PON structure in comparison with AON structure in order to look for optimized structure in Korea. At first, we describe the existing optical access networks and network architecture briefly. Secondly we investigate the cost of building optical access networks by modeling cost functions on AON and PON structure which based on Ethernet protocol, and analyze two different network architectures according to different deployment scenarios: Urban, small town, rural. Finally we suggest the economic and best solution with PON structure to optimize to optical access environment of KT.

An improved ATAC-seq protocol reduces background and enables interrogation of frozen tissues.

PubMed

Corces, M Ryan; Trevino, Alexandro E; Hamilton, Emily G; Greenside, Peyton G; Sinnott-Armstrong, Nicholas A; Vesuna, Sam; Satpathy, Ansuman T; Rubin, Adam J; Montine, Kathleen S; Wu, Beijing; Kathiria, Arwa; Cho, Seung Woo; Mumbach, Maxwell R; Carter, Ava C; Kasowski, Maya; Orloff, Lisa A; Risca, Viviana I; Kundaje, Anshul; Khavari, Paul A; Montine, Thomas J; Greenleaf, William J; Chang, Howard Y

2017-10-01

We present Omni-ATAC, an improved ATAC-seq protocol for chromatin accessibility profiling that works across multiple applications with substantial improvement of signal-to-background ratio and information content. The Omni-ATAC protocol generates chromatin accessibility profiles from archival frozen tissue samples and 50-μm sections, revealing the activities of disease-associated DNA elements in distinct human brain structures. The Omni-ATAC protocol enables the interrogation of personal regulomes in tissue context and translational studies.

Abbreviated MRI Protocols: Wave of the Future for Breast Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Chhor, Chloe M; Mercado, Cecilia L

2017-02-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the use of abbreviated breast MRI protocols for improving access to screening for women at intermediate risk. Breast MRI is not a cost-effective modality for screening women at intermediate risk, including those with dense breast tissue as the only risk. Abbreviated breast MRI protocols have been proposed as a way of achieving efficiency and rapid throughput. Use of these abbreviated protocols may increase availability and provide women with greater access to breast MRI.

Xrootd in dCache - design and experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behrmann, Gerd; Ozerov, Dmitry; Zangerl, Thomas

2011-12-01

dCache is a well established distributed storage solution used in both high energy physics computing and other disciplines. An overview of the implementation of the xrootd data access protocol within dCache is presented. The performance of various access mechanisms is studied and compared and it is concluded that our implementation is as perfomant as other protocols. This makes dCache a compelling alternative to the Scalla software suite implementation of xrootd, with added value from broad protocol support, including the IETF approved NFS 4.1 protocol.

Design of the frame structure for a multiservice interactive system using ATM-PON

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Jae-Hyun; Jang, Jongwook; Lee, Jung-Tae

1998-10-01

The MAC (Medium Access Control) protocol controls B-NT1s' (Optical Network Unit) access to the shared capacity on the PON, this protocol is very important if TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) multiplexing is used on the upstream. To control the upstream traffic some kind of access protocol has to be implemented. There are roughly two different approaches to use request cells: in a collision free way or such that collisions in a request slot are allowed. It is the objective of this paper to describe a MAC-protocol structure that supports both approaches and hybrids of it. In our paper we grantee the QoS (Quality of Service) of each B-NT1 through LOC, LOV, LOA field that are the length field of the transmitted cell at each B-NT1. Each B-NT1 transmits its status of request on request cell.

Cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells amplified ex vivo from cord blood CD34+ cells.

PubMed

Duchez, Pascale; Chevaleyre, Jean; Brunet de la Grange, Philippe; Vlaski, Marija; Boiron, Jean-Michel; Wouters, Guy; Ivanovic, Zoran

2013-09-01

Our ex vivo expansion procedure starting from cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells enabled expansion of committed progenitors (CPs) without a negative impact on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) exhibiting both short- and long-term repopulating capacity. Upgraded to clinical scale (Macopharma HP01 in the presence of stem cell factor, FLT3-L [100 ng/mL each], granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor [10 ng/mL], and thrombopoietin [20 ng/mL]), it is being used for an ongoing clinical trial (adult allogeneic context) yielding promising preliminary results. Transplantation of ex vivo expanded CB cells is becoming a reality, while the issue of expanded cells' cryopreservation emerges as an option that allows the conservation of the product for transportation and future use. Here, we investigated whether it is possible to maintain the functional HSC and CP properties after freezing and thawing of expanded cells. We compared cryopreservation efficiency of the ex vivo expanded CB cells using the standard protocol (freezing solution human serum albumin (HSA)-dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO]) with the newly designed protocol based on an enriched freezing solution (HP01-DMSO) with respect to the viability index, number of CD34+ and total cells, and recovery of CPs (colony-forming units) and HSCs (NOG/Scid/gamma-null mice engraftment). Cryopreservation and thawing of expanded CB cells using the "standard" procedure (HSA-DMSO) reduced recovery of the CPs (40%) and HSCs (drastically decreasing engraftment capacity). HP01-based protocol resulted in improvement of preservation of both CPs (>60%) and HSCs (nonaltered engraftment capacities). Functional maintenance of the expanded graft by cryopreservation is feasible in conditions compatible with human cell therapy requirements. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

Web-accessible molecular modeling with Rosetta: The Rosetta Online Server that Includes Everyone (ROSIE).

PubMed

Moretti, Rocco; Lyskov, Sergey; Das, Rhiju; Meiler, Jens; Gray, Jeffrey J

2018-01-01

The Rosetta molecular modeling software package provides a large number of experimentally validated tools for modeling and designing proteins, nucleic acids, and other biopolymers, with new protocols being added continually. While freely available to academic users, external usage is limited by the need for expertise in the Unix command line environment. To make Rosetta protocols available to a wider audience, we previously created a web server called Rosetta Online Server that Includes Everyone (ROSIE), which provides a common environment for hosting web-accessible Rosetta protocols. Here we describe a simplification of the ROSIE protocol specification format, one that permits easier implementation of Rosetta protocols. Whereas the previous format required creating multiple separate files in different locations, the new format allows specification of the protocol in a single file. This new, simplified protocol specification has more than doubled the number of Rosetta protocols available under ROSIE. These new applications include pK a determination, lipid accessibility calculation, ribonucleic acid redesign, protein-protein docking, protein-small molecule docking, symmetric docking, antibody docking, cyclic toxin docking, critical binding peptide determination, and mapping small molecule binding sites. ROSIE is freely available to academic users at http://rosie.rosettacommons.org. © 2017 The Protein Society.

Redactions in protocols for drug trials: what industry sponsors concealed.

PubMed

Marquardsen, Mikkel; Ogden, Michelle; Gøtzsche, Peter C

2018-04-01

Objective To describe the redactions in contemporary protocols for industry-sponsored randomised drug trials with patient relevant outcomes and to evaluate whether there was a legitimate rationale for the redactions. Design Cohort study. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we requested access to trial protocols approved by a research ethics committee in Denmark from October 2012 to March 2013. We received 17 consecutive protocols, which had been redacted before we got them, and nine protocols without redactions. In five additional cases, the companies refused to let the committees give us access, and in three other cases, documents were missing. Participants Not applicable. Setting Not applicable. Main outcome measure Amount and nature of redactions in 22 predefined key protocol variables. Results The redactions were most widespread in those sections of the protocol where there is empirical evidence of substantial problems with the trustworthiness of published drug trials: data analysis, handling of missing data, detection and analysis of adverse events, definition of the outcomes, interim analyses and premature termination of the study, sponsor's access to incoming data while the study is running, ownership to the data and investigators' publication rights. The parts of the text that were redacted differed widely, both between companies and within the same company. Conclusions We could not identify any legitimate rationale for the redactions. The current mistrust in industry-sponsored drug trials can only change if the industry offers unconditional access to its trial protocols and other relevant documents and data.

Isolation and culture of human multipotent stromal cells from the pancreas.

PubMed

Seeberger, Karen L; Eshpeter, Alana; Korbutt, Gregory S

2011-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells, also termed multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), can be isolated from most adult tissues. Although the exact origin of MSCs expanded from the human pancreas has not been resolved, we have developed protocols to isolate and expand MSCs from human pancreatic tissue that remains after islet procurement. Similar to techniques used to isolate MSCs from bone marrow, pancreatic MSCs are isolated based on their cell adherence, expression of several cell surface antigens, and multilineage differentiation. The protocols for isolating, characterizing, and differentiating MSCs from the pancreas are presented in this chapter.

Research on IPv6 intrusion detection system Snort-based

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Zihao; Wang, Hui

2010-07-01

This paper introduces the common intrusion detection technologies, discusses the work flow of Snort intrusion detection system, and analyzes IPv6 data packet encapsulation and protocol decoding technology. We propose the expanding Snort architecture to support IPv6 intrusion detection in accordance with CIDF standard combined with protocol analysis technology and pattern matching technology, and present its composition. The research indicates that the expanding Snort system can effectively detect various intrusion attacks; it is high in detection efficiency and detection accuracy and reduces false alarm and omission report, which effectively solves the problem of IPv6 intrusion detection.

Collaboration Between Medical Providers and Dental Hygienists in Pediatric Health Care.

PubMed

Braun, Patricia A; Cusick, Allison

2016-06-01

Basic preventive oral services for children can be provided within the medical home through the collaborative care of medical providers and dental hygienists to expand access for vulnerable populations. Because dental caries is a largely preventable disease, it is untenable that it remains the most common chronic disease of childhood. Leveraging the multiple visits children have with medical providers has potential to expand access to early preventive oral services. Developing interprofessional relationships between dental providers, including dental hygienists, and medical providers is a strategic approach to symbiotically expand access to dental care. Alternative care delivery models that provide dental services in the medical home expand access to these services for vulnerable populations. The purpose of this article is to explore 4 innovative care models aimed to expand access to dental care. Current activities in Colorado and around the nation are described regarding the provision of basic preventive oral health services (eg, fluoride varnish) by medical providers with referral to a dentist (expanded coordinated care), the colocation of dental hygiene services into the medical home (colocated care), the integration of a dental hygienist into the medical care team (integrated care), and the expansion of the dental home into the community setting through telehealth-enabled teams (virtual dental home). Gaps in evidence regarding the impacts of these models are elucidated. Bringing preventive and restorative dental services to the patient both in the medical home and in the community has potential to reduce long-standing barriers to receive these services, improve oral health outcomes of vulnerable patients, and decrease oral health disparities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sandia National Laboratories: Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC)

Science.gov Websites

Visiting the LVOC Locations Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC) Open engagement Expanding opportunities for open engagement of the broader scientific community. Building on success Sandia's Combustion Research Facility pioneered open collaboration over 30 years ago. Access to DOE-funded capabilities Expanding access

Human endothelial colony-forming cells expanded with an improved protocol are a useful endothelial cell source for scaffold-based tissue engineering.

PubMed

Denecke, Bernd; Horsch, Liska D; Radtke, Stefan; Fischer, Johannes C; Horn, Peter A; Giebel, Bernd

2015-11-01

One of the major challenges in tissue engineering is to supply larger three-dimensional (3D) bioengineered tissue transplants with sufficient amounts of nutrients and oxygen and to allow metabolite removal. Consequently, artificial vascularization strategies of such transplants are desired. One strategy focuses on endothelial cells capable of initiating new vessel formation, which are settled on scaffolds commonly used in tissue engineering. A bottleneck in this strategy is to obtain sufficient amounts of endothelial cells, as they can be harvested only in small quantities directly from human tissues. Thus, protocols are required to expand appropriate cells in sufficient amounts without interfering with their capability to settle on scaffold materials and to initiate vessel formation. Here, we analysed whether umbilical cord blood (CB)-derived endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) fulfil these requirements. In a first set of experiments, we showed that marginally expanded ECFCs settle and survive on different scaffold biomaterials. Next, we improved ECFC culture conditions and developed a protocol for ECFC expansion compatible with 'Good Manufacturing Practice' (GMP) standards. We replaced animal sera with human platelet lysates and used a novel type of tissue-culture ware. ECFCs cultured under the new conditions revealed significantly lower apoptosis and increased proliferation rates. Simultaneously, their viability was increased. Since extensively expanded ECFCs could still settle on scaffold biomaterials and were able to form tubular structures in Matrigel assays, we conclude that these ex vivo-expanded ECFCs are a novel, very potent cell source for scaffold-based tissue engineering. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Electronic decision protocols for ART patient triaging to expand access to HIV treatment in South Africa: a cross sectional study for development and validation.

PubMed

Mitchell, Marc; Hedt, Bethany L; Eshun-Wilson, Ingrid; Fraser, Hamish; John, Melanie-Anne; Menezes, Colin; Grobusch, Martin P; Jackson, Jonathan; Taljaard, Jantjie; Lesh, Neal

2012-03-01

The shortage of doctors and nurses, along with future expansion into rural clinics, will require that the majority of clinic visits by HIV infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are managed by non-doctors. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a screening protocol to determine which patients needed a full clinical assessment and which patients were stable enough to receive their medications without a doctor's consultation. For this study, we developed an electronic, handheld tool to guide non-physician counselors through screening questions. Patients visiting two ART clinics in South Africa for routine follow-up visits between March 2007 and April 2008 were included in our study. Each patient was screened by non-physician counselors using the handheld device and then received a full clinical assessment. Clinicians' report on whether full clinical assessment had been necessary was used as the gold standard for determining "required referral". Observations were randomly divided into two datasets--989 for developing a referral protocol and 200 for validating protocol performance. A third of patients had at least one physical complaint, and 16% had five or more physical complaints. 38% of patients required referral for full clinical assessment. We identify a subset of questions which are 87% sensitive and 47% specific for recommended patient referral. The final screening protocol is highly sensitive and could reduce burden on ART clinicians by 30%. The uptake and acceptance of the handheld tool to support implementation of the protocol was high. Further examination of the data reveals several important questions to include in future referral algorithms to improve sensitivity and specificity. Based on these results, we identify a refined algorithm to explore in future evaluations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical scale rapid expansion of lymphocytes for adoptive cell transfer therapy in the WAVE® bioreactor

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background To simplify clinical scale lymphocyte expansions, we investigated the use of the WAVE®, a closed system bioreactor that utilizes active perfusion to generate high cell numbers in minimal volumes. Methods We have developed an optimized rapid expansion protocol for the WAVE bioreactor that produces clinically relevant numbers of cells for our adoptive cell transfer clinical protocols. Results TIL and genetically modified PBL were rapidly expanded to clinically relevant scales in both static bags and the WAVE bioreactor. Both bioreactors produced comparable numbers of cells; however the cultures generated in the WAVE bioreactor had a higher percentage of CD4+ cells and had a less activated phenotype. Conclusions The WAVE bioreactor simplifies the process of rapidly expanding tumor reactive lymphocytes under GMP conditions, and provides an alternate approach to cell generation for ACT protocols. PMID:22475724

Cholera diagnosis in human stool and detection in water: protocol for a systematic review of available technologies.

PubMed

Diaconu, Karin; Falconer, Jennifer; O'May, Fiona; Jimenez, Miguel; Matragrano, Joe; Njanpop-Lafourcade, Betty; Ager, Alastair

2018-02-20

Cholera is a highly infectious diarrheal disease spread via fecal contamination of water and food sources; it is endemic in parts of Africa and Asia and recent outbreaks have been reported in Haiti, the Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal in less than 24 h and result in case fatality ratios of 30-50%. Cholera disproportionately affects those living in areas with poor access to water and sanitation: the long-term public health response is focused on improving water and hygiene facilities and access. Short-term measures for infection prevention and control, and disease characterization and surveillance, are impaired by diagnostic delays: culture methods are slow and rely on the availability of infrastructure and specialist equipment. Rapid diagnostic tests have shown promise under field conditions and further innovations in this area have been proposed. This paper is the protocol for a systematic review focused on identifying current technologies and methods used for cholera diagnosis in stool, and detection in water. We will synthesize and appraise information on product technical specifications, accuracy and design features in order to inform infection prevention and control and innovation development. Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Proquest, IndMed and the WHO and Campbell libraries will be searched. We will include studies reporting on field evaluations, including within-study comparisons against a reference standard, and laboratory evaluations reporting on product validation against field stool or water samples. We will extract data according to protocol and attempt meta-analyses if appropriate given data availability and quality. The systematic review builds on a previous scoping review in this field and expands upon this by synthesising data on both product technical characteristics and design features. The review will be of particular value to stakeholders engaged in diagnostic procurement and manufacturers interested in developing cholera or diarrheal disease diagnostics. PROSPERO CRD42016048428 .

Matching Students to Opportunity: Expanding College Choice, Access, and Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Andrew P., Ed.; Howell, Jessica S., Ed.; Sattin-Bajaj, Carolyn, Ed.

2016-01-01

"Matching Students to Opportunity" expands on the discussion of a critical issue in college access and success: the match between prospective students and the colleges in which they enroll. Research indicates that ensuring a good match significantly increases a student's chance of graduating. The contributors to this volume argue that…

Response to "Expanding Access to Learning with Mobile Digital Devices"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanek, Jen

2017-01-01

In his article "Expanding Access to Learning with Mobile Digital Devices" (EJ1150752), Jeff Carter recommended a balanced perspective when measuring the potential of mobile learning to redefine teaching and learning for adults with basic skills needs. In response to Carter's article, the author makes some recommendations that she thinks…

21 CFR 312.305 - Requirements for all expanded access uses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... options; (iii) The criteria for patient selection or, for an individual patient, a description of the... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Requirements for all expanded access uses. 312.305 Section 312.305 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of the SailValve Self-Expanding Deep Venous Valve System in a Porcine Model.

PubMed

Boersma, Doeke; Vink, Aryan; Moll, Frans L; de Borst, Gert J

2017-06-01

To evaluate the SailValve, a new self-expanding deep venous valve concept based on a single polytetrafluoroethylene cusp floating up and down in the bloodstream like a sail, acting as a flow regulator and allowing minimal reflux to reduce thrombogenicity. Both iliac veins of 5 pigs were implanted with SailValve devices; the first animal was an acute pilot experiment to show the feasibility of accurately positioning the SailValve via a femoral access. The other 4 animals were followed for 2 weeks (n=2) or 4 weeks (n=2) under a chronic implantation protocol. Patency and valve function were evaluated directly in all animals using ascending and descending phlebography after device placement and at termination in the chronic implant animals. For reasons of clinical relevance, a regimen of clopidogrel and calcium carbasalate was administered. Histological analysis was performed according to a predefined protocol by an independent pathologist. Deployment was technically feasible in all 10 iliac veins, and all were patent directly after placement. No perioperative or postoperative complications occurred. Ascending phlebograms in the follow-up animals confirmed the patency of all valves after 2 or 4 weeks. Descending phlebograms showed full function in 5 of 8 valves. Limited reflux was seen in 1 valve (4-week group), and the function in the remaining 2 valves (2-week group) was insufficient because of malpositioning. No macroscopic thrombosis was noted on histology. Histology in the follow-up groups revealed a progressive inflammatory reaction to the valves. This animal study shows the potential of the SailValve concept with sufficient valve function after adequate positioning and no (thrombogenic) occlusions after short-term follow-up. Future research is essential to optimize valve material and long-term patency.

Closed Conference Signalling Using the Session Initiation Protocol.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miladinovic, Igor; Stadler, Johannes

2003-01-01

Introduces an extension of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for closed multiparty conferences; the extension expands SIP for discovery of participant identities in a conference, and ensures that each participant is notified before a new participant joins. Verifies this extension by applying it to two SIP conference models. Concludes with an…

Environmental Technology Verification Program Materials Management and Remediation Center Generic Protocol for Verification of In Situ Chemical Oxidation

EPA Science Inventory

The protocol provides generic procedures for implementing a verification test for the performance of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), focused specifically to expand the application of ISCO at manufactured gas plants with polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination (MGP/PAH) an...

A universal data access and protocol integration mechanism for smart home

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Pengfei; Yang, Qi; Zhang, Xuan

2013-03-01

With the lack of standardized or completely missing communication interfaces in home electronics, there is no perfect solution to address every aspect in smart homes based on existing protocols and technologies. In addition, the central control unit (CCU) of smart home system working point-to-point between the multiple application interfaces and the underlying hardware interfaces leads to its complicated architecture and unpleasant performance. A flexible data access and protocol integration mechanism is required. The current paper offers a universal, comprehensive data access and protocol integration mechanism for a smart home. The universal mechanism works as a middleware adapter with unified agreements of the communication interfaces and protocols, offers an abstraction of the application level from the hardware specific and decoupling the hardware interface modules from the application level. Further abstraction for the application interfaces and the underlying hardware interfaces are executed based on adaption layer to provide unified interfaces for more flexible user applications and hardware protocol integration. This new universal mechanism fundamentally changes the architecture of the smart home and in some way meets the practical requirement of smart homes more flexible and desirable.

Pace: Privacy-Protection for Access Control Enforcement in P2P Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Artigas, Marc; García-López, Pedro

In open environments such as peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, the decision to collaborate with multiple users — e.g., by granting access to a resource — is hard to achieve in practice due to extreme decentralization and the lack of trusted third parties. The literature contains a plethora of applications in which a scalable solution for distributed access control is crucial. This fact motivates us to propose a protocol to enforce access control, applicable to networks consisting entirely of untrusted nodes. The main feature of our protocol is that it protects both sensitive permissions and sensitive policies, and does not rely on any centralized authority. We analyze the efficiency (computational effort and communication overhead) as well as the security of our protocol.

Optimizing Libraries’ Content Findability Using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) With Multi-Tier Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahinta, A.; Haris, I.; Abdillah, T.

2017-03-01

The aim of this paper is to describe a developed application of Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) as a model for improving libraries’ digital content findability on the library web. The study applies XML text-based protocol tools in the collection of data about libraries’ visibility performance in the search results of the book. Model from the integrated Web Service Document Language (WSDL) and Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) are applied to analyse SOAP as element within the system. The results showed that the developed application of SOAP with multi-tier architecture can help people simply access the website in the library server Gorontalo Province and support access to digital collections, subscription databases, and library catalogs in each library in Regency or City in Gorontalo Province.

Control of estrus and ovulation in beef heifers.

PubMed

Patterson, David J; Thomas, Jordan M; Martin, Neal T; Nash, Justin M; Smith, Michael F

2013-11-01

Expanded use of artificial insemination (AI) and/or adoption of emerging reproductive technologies for beef heifers and cows require precise methods of estrous-cycle control. New protocols for inducing and synchronizing a fertile estrus in replacement beef heifers and postpartum beef cows in which progestins are used provide new opportunities for beef producers to synchronize estrus and ovulation and to facilitate fixed-time AI. This article reviews the various estrous synchronization protocols currently available for use in replacement beef heifers. New methods of inducing and synchronizing estrus now create the opportunity to significantly expand the use of AI in the United States cowherd. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Browsing for the Best Internet Access Provider?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weil, Marty

1996-01-01

Highlights points to consider when choosing an Internet Service Provider. Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) and Point to Point Protocol (PPP) are compared regarding price, performance, bandwidth, speed, and technical support. Obtaining access via local, national, consumer online, and telephone-company providers is discussed. A pricing chart and…

Direct data access protocols benchmarking on DPM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furano, Fabrizio; Devresse, Adrien; Keeble, Oliver; Mancinelli, Valentina

2015-12-01

The Disk Pool Manager is an example of a multi-protocol, multi-VO system for data access on the Grid that went though a considerable technical evolution in the last years. Among other features, its architecture offers the opportunity of testing its different data access frontends under exactly the same conditions, including hardware and backend software. This characteristic inspired the idea of collecting monitoring information from various testbeds in order to benchmark the behaviour of the HTTP and Xrootd protocols for the use case of data analysis, batch or interactive. A source of information is the set of continuous tests that are run towards the worldwide endpoints belonging to the DPM Collaboration, which accumulated relevant statistics in its first year of activity. On top of that, the DPM releases are based on multiple levels of automated testing that include performance benchmarks of various kinds, executed regularly every day. At the same time, the recent releases of DPM can report monitoring information about any data access protocol to the same monitoring infrastructure that is used to monitor the Xrootd deployments. Our goal is to evaluate under which circumstances the HTTP-based protocols can be good enough for batch or interactive data access. In this contribution we show and discuss the results that our test systems have collected under the circumstances that include ROOT analyses using TTreeCache and stress tests on the metadata performance.

Chapter 4. Manpower. Recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster.

PubMed

Sandrock, Christian

2010-04-01

To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital preparations for an influenza pandemic or mass disaster with a specific focus on manpower. Based on a literature review and expert opinion, a Delphi process was used to define the essential topics including manpower. Key recommendations include: (1) plan to access, coordinate and increase labor resources for continued and expanded ICU care including increasing critical care specialists and expanded practice for non-critical care personnel; (2) develop an education, awareness, preparation and communication program to ensure a well-protected and prepared workforce with coordinated rapid manpower expansion; (3) maintain a central inventory of all clinical and non-clinical staff with their current roles along with possible emergency re-training possibilities; (4) coordinate all clinical and non-clinical staffing requirements and determine the hospital's daily needs including a sick and no-show list together with ICU requirements; (5) provide clinical care to patients only with clinical staff and not with non-clinical staff; (6) delegate duties not within the scope of workers' practice under crisis conditions with proper supervision and support from experienced clinicians to ensure patient safety; (7) intensivists should supervise nonintensivist physicians to expand the workforce if patient surge exceeds the number of available ICU-trained specialists. Judicious planning and adoption of protocols for providing adequate manpower are necessary to optimize outcomes during a pandemic.

Expanded Access Programs

PubMed Central

Van Campen, Luann E.; Garnett, Timothy

2015-01-01

Expanded access is a regulatory mechanism by which an investigational drug can be made available outside of a clinical trial to treat patients with serious or life-threatening conditions for which there are no satisfactory treatment options. An expanded access program (EAP) is the formal plan under which preapproval access to an investigational drug can be provided to a group of patients. Although an EAP is a regulated program, the decision to authorize an EAP is the responsibility of the biopharmaceutical sponsor. Because of the significant impact an EAP can have on current patients, drug development, and future patients, we propose that a sponsor’s decision must be based not only on regulatory criteria but also on ethical and practical considerations regarding implementation of an EAP. Such an approach will help ensure that decisions and plans uphold ethical precepts such as fairness, promoting good, and minimizing risk of harm. PMID:29473010

Performance comparison of token ring protocols for hard-real-time communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamat, Sanjay; Zhao, Wei

1992-01-01

The ability to guarantee the deadlines of synchronous messages while maintaining a good aggregate throughput is an important consideration in the design of distributed real-time systems. In this paper, we study two token ring protocols, the priority driven protocol and the timed token protocol, for their suitability for hard real-time systems. Both these protocols use a token to control access to the transmission medium. In a priority driven protocol, messages are assigned priorities and the protocol ensures that messages are transmitted in the order of their priorities. Timed token protocols do not provide for priority arbitration but ensure that the maximum access delay for a station is bounded. For both protocols, we first derive the schedulability conditions under which the transmission deadlines of a given set of synchronous messages can be guaranteed. Subsequently, we use these schedulability conditions to quantitatively compare the average case behavior of the protocols. This comparison demonstrates that each of the protocols has its domain of superior performance and neither dominates the other for the entire range of operating conditions.

Community Impact of Pharmacy-Randomized Intervention to Improve Access to Syringes and Services for Injection Drug Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Natalie D.; Amesty, Silvia; Rivera, Alexis V.; Harripersaud, Katherine; Turner, Alezandria; Fuller, Crystal M.

2014-01-01

Objectives: In an effort to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users (IDUs), New York State deregulated pharmacy syringe sales in 2001 through the Expanded Syringe Access Program by removing the requirement of a prescription. With evidence suggesting pharmacists' ability to expand their public health role, a structural, pharmacy-based…

Patterns of Response in Patients with Pretreated Metastatic Melanoma who Received Ipilimumab 3 mg/kg in a European Expanded Access Program: Five Illustrative Case Reports

PubMed Central

Wilgenhof, Sofie; Four, Stephanie Du; Everaert, Hendrik

2012-01-01

Ipilimumab 3 mg/kg was the first agent to improve survival of pretreated advanced melanoma patients. Nonconventional response patterns to ipilimumab have been reported widely, but most of these data were from studies with ipilimumab 10 mg/kg. Here, case reports from five patients treated within an expanded access program (EAP) with ipilimumab at its licensed dose of 3 mg/kg illustrate the efficacy of ipilimumab in an expanded access setting and the range of different tumor response patterns encountered. The durable clinical benefit seen in these patients despite the observed atypical response patterns highlights the necessity for comprehensive clinical decision making. PMID:23043499

76 FR 24862 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Protocol for Access to Tissue Specimen Samples...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-03

... Collection; Comment Request; Protocol for Access to Tissue Specimen Samples From the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice... National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (NMMTB) was established by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS...

Securing TCP/IP and Dial-up Access to Administrative Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, L. Dean

1992-01-01

This article describes Arizona State University's solution to security risk inherent in general access systems such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/INTERNET Protocol). Advantages and disadvantages of various options are compared, and the process of selecting a log-on authentication approach involving generation of a different password at…

SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 25: Ocean optics protocols for SeaWiFS validation, revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Acker, James G. (Editor); Mueller, James L.; Austin, Roswell W.

1995-01-01

This report presents protocols for measuring optical properties, and other environmental variables, to validate the radiometric performance of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), and to develop and validate bio-optical algorithms for use with SeaWiFS data. The protocols are intended to establish foundations for a measurement strategy to verify the challenging SeaWiFS uncertainty goals of 5 percent in water-leaving radiances and 35 percent in chlorophyll alpha concentration. The protocols first specify the variables which must be measured, and briefly review the rationale for measuring each variable. Subsequent chapters cover detailed protocols for instrument performance specifications, characterizing and calibrating instruments, methods of making measurements in the field, and methods of data analysis. These protocols were developed at a workshop sponsored by the SeaWiFS Project Office (SPO) and held at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (9-12 April 1991). This report began as the proceedings of the workshop, as interpreted and expanded by the authors and reviewed by workshop participants and other members of the bio-optical research community. The protocols are an evolving prescription to allow the research community to approach the unprecedented measurement uncertainties implied by the SeaWiFS goals; research and development are needed to improve the state-of-the-art in specific areas. These protocols should be periodically revised to reflect technical advances during the SeaWiFS Project cycle. The present edition (Revision 1) incorporates new protocols in several areas, including expanded protocol descriptions for Case-2 waters and other improvements, as contributed by several members of the SeaWiFS Science Team.

Expanding Access and Usage of NASA Near Real-Time Imagery and Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cechini, M.; Murphy, K. J.; Boller, R. A.; Schmaltz, J. E.; Thompson, C. K.; Huang, T.; McGann, J. M.; Ilavajhala, S.; Alarcon, C.; Roberts, J. T.

2013-12-01

In late 2009, the Land Atmosphere Near-real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) was created to greatly expand the range of near real-time data products from a variety of Earth Observing System (EOS) instruments. Since that time, NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) developed the Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) to provide highly responsive, scalable, and expandable imagery services that distribute near real-time imagery in an intuitive and geo-referenced format. The GIBS imagery services provide access through standards-based protocols such as the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) and standard mapping file formats such as the Keyhole Markup Language (KML). Leveraging these standard mechanisms opens NASA near real-time imagery to a broad landscape of mapping libraries supporting mobile applications. By easily integrating with mobile application development libraries, GIBS makes it possible for NASA imagery to become a reliable and valuable source for end-user applications. Recently, EOSDIS has taken steps to integrate near real-time metadata products into the EOS ClearingHOuse (ECHO) metadata repository. Registration of near real-time metadata allows for near real-time data discovery through ECHO clients. In kind with the near real-time data processing requirements, the ECHO ingest model allows for low-latency metadata insertion and updates. Combining with the ECHO repository, the fast visual access of GIBS imagery can now be linked directly back to the source data file(s). Through the use of discovery standards such as OpenSearch, desktop and mobile applications can connect users to more than just an image. As data services, such as OGC Web Coverage Service, become more prevalent within the EOSDIS system, applications may even be able to connect users from imagery to data values. In addition, the full resolution GIBS imagery provides visual context to other GIS data and tools. The NASA near real-time imagery covers a broad set of Earth science disciplines. By leveraging the ECHO and GIBS services, these data can become a visual context within which other GIS activities are performed. The focus of this presentation is to discuss the GIBS imagery and ECHO metadata services facilitating near real-time discovery and usage. Existing synergies and future possibilities will also be discussed. The NASA Worldview demonstration client will be used to show an existing application combining the ECHO and GIBS services.

Empowering Staff Nurses as Primary Educators to Children with Type 1 Diabetes.

PubMed

Sy, Virginia

2016-01-01

Patient and family education is a critical element of diabetes management. Manychildren with new onset type 1 diabetes present with symptoms of diabeticketoacidosis (DKA) and are hospitalized at diagnosis. These children and theirfamilies receive their initial education in the hospital setting. As soon as bloodglucose levels are stabilized and the acidosis is corrected, the patient is dischargedhome, usually within three days (Nettles, 2005). There is little time toprovide the skills and education, as well as emotional support, for a smooth transitionto home. It is a challenge to achieve these goals if the only resource personfor diabetes education is the clinical nurse specialist (CNS). The CNS for a 14-bed pediatric unit sought to expand the role of the bedside nurse to being the primaryeducator of patients with diabetes through education and support. All nursesattended an eight-hour workshop on diabetes. A DKA protocol was developedthrough multidisciplinary collaboration, and nurses were educated on this protocol.Additionally, the CNS organized a diabetes resource cart that contains thetools for diabetes education. The protocol and education materials wereuploaded in the Pediatric SharePoint site to make them accessible to nurses. Most importantly, the CNS developed a structured patient education plan that isoutcome-oriented, and based on review of current literature and practices in theunit. This initiative resulted in an increase in nursing confidence and expertiserelated to diabetes care as demonstrated by competencies met by nurses andanecdotal evidence from nurses and patients’ caregivers.

Comparison between publicly accessible publications, registries, and protocols of phase III trials indicated persistence of selective outcome reporting.

PubMed

Zhang, Sheng; Liang, Fei; Li, Wenfeng

2017-11-01

The decision to make protocols of phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) publicly accessible by leading journals was a landmark event in clinical trial reporting. Here, we compared primary outcomes defined in protocols with those in publications describing the trials and in trial registration. We identified phase III RCTs published between January 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015, in The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The BMJ with available protocols. Consistency in primary outcomes between protocols and registries (articles) was evaluated. We identified 299 phase III RCTs with available protocols in this analysis. Out of them, 25 trials (8.4%) had some discrepancy for primary outcomes between publications and protocols. Types of discrepancies included protocol-defined primary outcome reported as nonprimary outcome in publication (11 trials, 3.7%), protocol-defined primary outcome omitted in publication (10 trials, 3.3%), new primary outcome introduced in publication (8 trials, 2.7%), protocol-defined nonprimary outcome reported as primary outcome in publication (4 trials, 1.3%), and different timing of assessment of primary outcome (4 trials, 1.3%). Out of trials with discrepancies in primary outcome, 15 trials (60.0%) had discrepancies that favored statistically significant results. Registration could be seen as a valid surrogate of protocol in 237 of 299 trials (79.3%) with regard to primary outcome. Despite unrestricted public access to protocols, selective outcome reporting persists in a small fraction of phase III RCTs. Only studies from four leading journals were included, which may cause selection bias and limit the generalizability of this finding. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Channel Access in Erlang

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

Nicklaus, Dennis J.

2013-10-13

We have developed an Erlang language implementation of the Channel Access protocol. Included are low-level functions for encoding and decoding Channel Access protocol network packets as well as higher level functions for monitoring or setting EPICS process variables. This provides access to EPICS process variables for the Fermilab Acnet control system via our Erlang-based front-end architecture without having to interface to C/C++ programs and libraries. Erlang is a functional programming language originally developed for real-time telecommunications applications. Its network programming features and list management functions make it particularly well-suited for the task of managing multiple Channel Access circuits and PVmore » monitors.« less

Variability in donation after cardiac death protocols: a national survey.

PubMed

Fugate, Jennifer E; Stadtler, Maria; Rabinstein, Alejandro A; Wijdicks, Eelco F M

2011-02-27

As donation after cardiac death practices expand, the number of institutional policies is increasing. We contacted organ procurement organizations throughout the United States and requested protocols in hospitals in their donor service areas. Sixty-four protocols were obtained with representation from 16 different states. The terminology and recommended practices varied substantially. The methods for death determination were not specified in 28 (44%) protocols. Most adhered to a 2- to 5-min observation time between circulatory arrest and organ procurement, but 10 (16%) provided no information. This variability reveals a need to define a uniform standard in donation after cardiac death protocols and death determination practices.

Possible Phenylacetate Hepatotoxicity During 4-Phenylbutyrate Therapy of Byler Disease.

PubMed

Shneider, Benjamin L; Morris, Amy; Vockley, Jerry

2016-03-01

In vitro studies have suggested that 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) may rescue missense mutated proteins that underlie some forms of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. Encouraging preliminary responses to 4-PBA have been reported in liver disease secondary to mutations in ABCB11 and ATP8B1. A 4-year-old boy with Byler disease was treated with 4-PBA in the forms of sodium PBA (5 months) and then glycerol PBA (7 months) as part of expanded access single patient protocols. During this therapy serum total bilirubin fell and his general well-being was reported to be improved, although total serum bile acids were not reduced. Discontinuation of rifampin therapy, which had been used to treat pruritus, resulted in reversible severe acute liver injury that was potentially the result of phenylacetate toxicity. Interactions between 4-PBA and cytochrome P450 enzymes should be considered in the use of this agent with special attention to potential phenylacetate toxicity.

The Intersystem - Internetworking for space systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landauer, C.

This paper is a description of the Intersystem, which is a mechanism for internetworking among existing and planned military satellite communication systems. The communication systems interconnected with this mechanism are called member systems, and the interconnected set of communication systems is called the Intersystem. The Intersystem is implemented with higher layer protocols that impose a common organization on the different signaling conventions, so that end users of different systems can communicate with each other. The Intersystem provides its coordination of member system access and resource requests with Intersystem Resource Controllers (IRCs), which are processors that implement the Intersystem protocols and have interfaces to the member systems' own access and resource control mechanisms. The IRCs are connected to each other to form the IRC Subnetwork. Terminals request services from the IRC Subnetwork using the Intersystem Access Control Protocols, and the IRC Subnetwork responses to the requests are coordinated using the RCRC (Resource Controller to Resource Controller) Protocols.

On the designing of a tamper resistant prescription RFID access control system.

PubMed

Safkhani, Masoumeh; Bagheri, Nasour; Naderi, Majid

2012-12-01

Recently, Chen et al. have proposed a novel tamper resistant prescription RFID access control system, published in the Journal of Medical Systems. In this paper we consider the security of the proposed protocol and identify some existing weaknesses. The main attack is a reader impersonation attack which allows an active adversary to impersonate a legitimate doctor, e.g. the patient's doctor, to access the patient's tag and change the patient prescription. The presented attack is quite efficient. To impersonate a doctor, the adversary should eavesdrop one session between the doctor and the patient's tag and then she can impersonate the doctor with the success probability of '1'. In addition, we present efficient reader-tag to back-end database impersonation, de-synchronization and traceability attacks against the protocol. Finally, we propose an improved version of protocol which is more efficient compared to the original protocol while provides the desired security against the presented attacks.

Expanding the Role of Nurse Practitioners: Effects on Rural Access to Care for Injured Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sears, Jeanne M.; Wickizer, Thomas M.; Franklin, Gary M.; Cheadle, Allen D.; Berkowitz, Bobbie

2008-01-01

Context: A 3-year pilot program to expand the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Washington State workers' compensation system was implemented in 2004 (SHB 1691), amid concern about disparities in access to health care for injured workers in rural areas. SHB 1691 authorized NPs to independently perform most functions of an attending…

Expanding Access to Quality Pre-K Is Sound Public Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, W. Steven

2013-01-01

In 2013, preschool education received more attention in the media and public policy circles than it has for some time, in part because of a series of high-profile proposals to expand access to quality pre-K. The scientific basis for these proposed expansions of quality pre-K is impressive. This paper brings to bear the full weight of the evidence…

75 FR 11189 - Expanded Access to Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-10

...] Expanded Access to Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Infection in... hepatitis C (CHC) infection in patients with unmet medical need. This public hearing is being held to obtain.... Background A. CHC In the United States, hepatitis C virus infection causes 20 percent of all cases of acute...

A Fair Contention Access Scheme for Low-Priority Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Sajeel, Muhammad; Bashir, Faisal; Asfand-e-yar, Muhammad; Tauqir, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Recently, wireless body area networks (WBANs) have attracted significant consideration in ubiquitous healthcare. A number of medium access control (MAC) protocols, primarily derived from the superframe structure of the IEEE 802.15.4, have been proposed in literature. These MAC protocols aim to provide quality of service (QoS) by prioritizing different traffic types in WBANs. A contention access period (CAP)with high contention in priority-based MAC protocols can result in higher number of collisions and retransmissions. During CAP, traffic classes with higher priority are dominant over low-priority traffic; this has led to starvation of low-priority traffic, thus adversely affecting WBAN throughput, delay, and energy consumption. Hence, this paper proposes a traffic-adaptive priority-based superframe structure that is able to reduce contention in the CAP period, and provides a fair chance for low-priority traffic. Simulation results in ns-3 demonstrate that the proposed MAC protocol, called traffic- adaptive priority-based MAC (TAP-MAC), achieves low energy consumption, high throughput, and low latency compared to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and the most recent priority-based MAC protocol, called priority-based MAC protocol (PA-MAC). PMID:28832495

An Adaptive OFDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Khalil, Issa M.; Gadallah, Yasser; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Khreishah, Abdallah

2012-01-01

Underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks (UAWSNs) have many applications across various civilian and military domains. However, they suffer from the limited available bandwidth of acoustic signals and harsh underwater conditions. In this work, we present an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocol that is configurable to suit the operating requirements of the underwater sensor network. The protocol has three modes of operation, namely random, equal opportunity and energy-conscious modes of operation. Our MAC design approach exploits the multi-path characteristics of a fading acoustic channel to convert it into parallel independent acoustic sub-channels that undergo flat fading. Communication between node pairs within the network is done using subsets of these sub-channels, depending on the configurations of the active mode of operation. Thus, the available limited bandwidth gets fully utilized while completely avoiding interference. We derive the mathematical model for optimal power loading and subcarrier selection, which is used as basis for all modes of operation of the protocol. We also conduct many simulation experiments to evaluate and compare our protocol with other Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based MAC protocols. PMID:23012517

An adaptive OFDMA-based MAC protocol for underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Khalil, Issa M; Gadallah, Yasser; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Khreishah, Abdallah

2012-01-01

Underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks (UAWSNs) have many applications across various civilian and military domains. However, they suffer from the limited available bandwidth of acoustic signals and harsh underwater conditions. In this work, we present an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocol that is configurable to suit the operating requirements of the underwater sensor network. The protocol has three modes of operation, namely random, equal opportunity and energy-conscious modes of operation. Our MAC design approach exploits the multi-path characteristics of a fading acoustic channel to convert it into parallel independent acoustic sub-channels that undergo flat fading. Communication between node pairs within the network is done using subsets of these sub-channels, depending on the configurations of the active mode of operation. Thus, the available limited bandwidth gets fully utilized while completely avoiding interference. We derive the mathematical model for optimal power loading and subcarrier selection, which is used as basis for all modes of operation of the protocol. We also conduct many simulation experiments to evaluate and compare our protocol with other Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based MAC protocols.

Online interventions for problem gamblers with and without co-occurring problem drinking: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Cunningham, John A; Hodgins, David C; Keough, Matthew; Hendershot, Christian S; Bennett, Kylie; Bennett, Anthony; Godinho, Alexandra

2018-05-25

The current randomized controlled trial seeks to evaluate whether providing access to an Internet intervention for problem drinking in addition to an Internet intervention for problem gambling is beneficial for participants with gambling problems who do or do not have co-occurring problem drinking. Potential participants will be recruited online via a comprehensive advertisement strategy, if they meet the criteria for problem gambling. As part of the baseline measures, problem drinking will also be assessed. Eligible participants (N = 280) who agree to partake in the study and to be followed up for 6 months will be randomized into one of two versions of an Internet intervention for gamblers: an intervention that targets only gambling issues (G-only) and one that combines a gambling intervention with an intervention for problem drinking (G + A). For problem gamblers who exhibit co-occurring problem drinking, it is predicted that participants who are provided access to the G + A intervention will demonstrate a significantly greater level of reduction in gambling outcomes at 6 months compared to those provided access to the G-only intervention. This trial will expand upon the current research on Internet interventions for addictions and inform the development of treatments for those with co-occurring problem drinking and gambling. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03323606 . Registered on 24 October 2017.

A GMP-compliant protocol to expand and transfect cancer patient T cells with mRNA encoding a tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptor.

PubMed

Krug, Christian; Wiesinger, Manuel; Abken, Hinrich; Schuler-Thurner, Beatrice; Schuler, Gerold; Dörrie, Jan; Schaft, Niels

2014-10-01

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which combine an antibody-derived binding domain (single chain fragment variable) with T-cell-activating signaling domains, have become a promising tool in the adoptive cellular therapy of cancer. Retro- and lenti-viral transductions are currently the standard methods to equip T cells with a CAR; permanent CAR expression, however, harbors several risks like uncontrolled auto-reactivity. Modification of T cells by electroporation with CAR-encoding RNA to achieve transient expression likely circumvents these difficulties. We here present a GMP-compliant protocol to activate and expand T cells for clinical application. The protocol is optimized in particular to produce CAR-modified T cells in clinically sufficient numbers under full GMP-compliance from late-stage cancer patients. This protocol allows the generation of 6.7 × 10(8) CAR-expressing T cells from one patient leukapheresis. The CAR-engineered T cells produced pro-inflammatory cytokines after stimulation with antigen-bearing tumor cells and lysed tumor cells in an antigen-specific manner. This functional capacity was maintained after cryopreservation. Taken together, we provide a clinically applicable protocol to transiently engineer sufficient numbers of antigen-specific patient T cells for use in adoptive cell therapy of cancer.

Channel MAC Protocol for Opportunistic Communication in Ad Hoc Wireless Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashraf, Manzur; Jayasuriya, Aruna; Perreau, Sylvie

2008-12-01

Despite significant research effort, the performance of distributed medium access control methods has failed to meet theoretical expectations. This paper proposes a protocol named "Channel MAC" performing a fully distributed medium access control based on opportunistic communication principles. In this protocol, nodes access the channel when the channel quality increases beyond a threshold, while neighbouring nodes are deemed to be silent. Once a node starts transmitting, it will keep transmitting until the channel becomes "bad." We derive an analytical throughput limit for Channel MAC in a shared multiple access environment. Furthermore, three performance metrics of Channel MAC—throughput, fairness, and delay—are analysed in single hop and multihop scenarios using NS2 simulations. The simulation results show throughput performance improvement of up to 130% with Channel MAC over IEEE 802.11. We also show that the severe resource starvation problem (unfairness) of IEEE 802.11 in some network scenarios is reduced by the Channel MAC mechanism.

Traffic Adaptive Energy Efficient and Low Latency Medium Access Control for Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Rajesh; Varma, Shirshu; Malaviya, N.

2008-05-01

Medium access control for wireless sensor networks has been a very active research area in the recent years. The traditional wireless medium access control protocol such as IEEE 802.11 is not suitable for the sensor network application because these are battery powered. The recharging of these sensor nodes is expensive and also not possible. The most of the literature in the medium access for the sensor network focuses on the energy efficiency. The proposed MAC protocol solves the energy inefficiency caused by idle listening, control packet overhead and overhearing taking nodes latency into consideration based on the network traffic. Simulation experiments have been performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The validation of the simulation results of the proposed MAC has been done by comparing it with the analytical model. This protocol has been simulated in Network Simulator ns-2.

Simple Spectral Lines Data Model Version 1.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osuna, Pedro; Salgado, Jesus; Guainazzi, Matteo; Dubernet, Marie-Lise; Roueff, Evelyne; Osuna, Pedro; Salgado, Jesus

2010-12-01

This document presents a Data Model to describe Spectral Line Transitions in the context of the Simple Line Access Protocol defined by the IVOA (c.f. Ref[13] IVOA Simple Line Access protocol) The main objective of the model is to integrate with and support the Simple Line Access Protocol, with which it forms a compact unit. This integration allows seamless access to Spectral Line Transitions available worldwide in the VO context. This model does not provide a complete description of Atomic and Molecular Physics, which scope is outside of this document. In the astrophysical sense, a line is considered as the result of a transition between two energy levels. Under the basis of this assumption, a whole set of objects and attributes have been derived to define properly the necessary information to describe lines appearing in astrophysical contexts. The document has been written taking into account available information from many different Line data providers (see acknowledgments section).

Investing in Our Children: A Plan to Expand Access to Preschool and Child Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Cynthia G.; Cooper, Donna; Herman, Juliana; Lazarín, Melissa; Linden, Michael; Post, Sasha; Tanden, Neera

2013-01-01

This issue brief presents a plan to expand educational opportunities and care for children ages 0-5 years old by investing significant federal dollars to: (1) Make high-quality preschool universally accessible to all 3- and 4-year-old children; and (2) Enable more lower-income families to afford child care for children ages 0-3 years old. These…

Syringe Disposal among Injection Drug Users in Harlem and the Bronx during the New York State Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleland, Charles M.; Deren, Sherry; Fuller, Crystal M.; Blaney, Shannon; McMahon, James M.; Tortu, Stephanie; Des Jarlais, Don C.; Vlahov, David

2007-01-01

Effective January 1, 2001, New York State enacted the Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP), allowing syringes to be sold in pharmacies without a prescription or dispensed through doctors, hospitals, and clinics to adults. A concern in the assessment of ESAP is its effects on syringe disposal practices. Syringe use data regarding…

Expanding Audio Access to Mathematics Expressions by Students with Visual Impairments via MathML. Research Report. ETS RR-17-13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frankel, Lois; Brownstein, Beth; Soiffer, Neil

2017-01-01

This report describes the pilot conducted in the final phase of a project, Expanding Audio Access to Mathematics Expressions by Students With Visual Impairments via MathML, to provide easy-to-use tools for authoring and rendering secondary-school algebra-level math expressions in synthesized speech that is useful for students with blindness or low…

Optimizing the NASA Technical Report Server

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Michael L.; Maa, Ming-Hokng

1996-01-01

The NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), a World Wide Web report distribution NASA technical publications service, is modified for performance enhancement, greater protocol support, and human interface optimization. Results include: Parallel database queries, significantly decreasing user access times by an average factor of 2.3; access from clients behind firewalls and/ or proxies which truncate excessively long Uniform Resource Locators (URLs); access to non-Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) databases and compatibility with the 239-50.3 protocol; and a streamlined user interface.

The US Culture Collection Network responding to the requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The US Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Bio...

Effect of expansions in state Medicaid eligibility on access to care and the use of emergency department services for adult Medicaid enrollees.

PubMed

Ndumele, Chima D; Mor, Vincent; Allen, Susan; Burgess, James F; Trivedi, Amal N

2014-06-01

Medicaid enrollees typically report worse access to care than other insured populations. Expansions in Medicaid through less restrictive income eligibility requirements and the resulting influx of new enrollees may further erode access to care for those already enrolled in Medicaid. To assess the effect of previous Medicaid expansions on self-reported access to care and the use of emergency department services by Medicaid enrollees. Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design among 1714 adult Medicaid enrollees in 10 states that expanded Medicaid between June 1, 2000, and October 1, 2009, and 5097 Medicaid enrollees in 14 bordering control states that did not expand Medicaid. Self-reported access to care and annualized emergency department use. Among states expanding their Medicaid program for adults, the mean income eligibility level increased from 82.6% to 144.2% of the federal poverty level. Income eligibility in matched control states remained constant at 77.1% of the federal poverty level. The proportion of adults reporting being enrolled in Medicaid increased from 7.2% to 8.8% in expansion states and from 6.1% to 6.4% in matched control states. In Medicaid program expansion states, the proportion of Medicaid enrollees reporting poor access to care declined from 8.5% before the expansion to 7.3% after the expansion. In matched control states, the proportion of Medicaid enrollees reporting poor access to care remained constant at 5.3%. The proportion of enrollees reporting any emergency department use decreased from 41.2% to 40.1% in expansion states and from 37.3% to 36.1% in matched control states. In the period following expansions, newly eligible enrollees reported poorer access to care than previously enrolled beneficiaries, although the overall difference between groups did not reach statistical significance. We found no evidence that expanding the number of individuals eligible for Medicaid coverage eroded perceived access to care or increased the use of emergency services among adult Medicaid enrollees.

Ex vivo-expanded bone marrow CD34(+) for acute myocardial infarction treatment: in vitro and in vivo studies.

PubMed

Gunetti, Monica; Noghero, Alessio; Molla, Fabiola; Staszewsky, Lidia Irene; de Angelis, Noeleen; Soldo, Annarita; Russo, Ilaria; Errichiello, Edoardo; Frasson, Chiara; Rustichelli, Deborah; Ferrero, Ivana; Gualandris, Anna; Berger, Massimo; Geuna, Massimo; Scacciatella, Paolo; Basso, Giuseppe; Marra, Sebastiano; Bussolino, Federico; Latini, Roberto; Fagioli, Franca

2011-10-01

Bone marrow (BM)-derived cells appear to be a promising therapeutic source for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the quantity and quality of the cells to be used, along with the appropriate time of administration, still need to be defined. We thus investigated the use of BM CD34(+)-derived cells as cells suitable for a cell therapy protocol (CTP) in the treatment of experimental AMI. The need for a large number of cells was satisfied by the use of a previously established protocol allowing the expansion of human CD34(+) cells isolated from neonatal and adult hematopoietic tissues. We evaluated gene expression, endothelial differentiation potential and cytokine release by BM-derived cells during in vitro culture. Basal and expanded CD34(+) cells were used as a delivery product in a murine AMI model consisting of a coronary artery ligation (CAL). Cardiac function recovery was evaluated after injecting basal or expanded cells. Gene expression analysis of in vitro-expanded cells revealed that endothelial markers were up-regulated during culture. Moreover, expanded cells generated a CD14(+) subpopulation able to differentiate efficiently into VE-cadherin-expressing cells. In vivo, we observed a cardiac function recovery in mice sequentially treated with basal and expanded cells injected 4 h and 7 days after CAL, respectively. Our data suggest that combining basal and expanded BM-derived CD34(+) cells in a specific temporal pattern of administration might represent a promising strategy for a successful cell-based therapy.

OPACs: The User and Subject Access.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Elizabeth

1985-01-01

This survey of the literature reveals user and professional opinions of changes in subject access features available for online public access catalogs. Highlights include expanded access to fields already incorporated into traditional MARC record, access to context of the record, and design of the user interface. Twenty-four references are cited.…

Numerical simulation of the optimal two-mode attacks for two-way continuous-variable quantum cryptography in reverse reconciliation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yichen; Li, Zhengyu; Zhao, Yijia; Yu, Song; Guo, Hong

2017-02-01

We analyze the security of the two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol in reverse reconciliation against general two-mode attacks, which represent all accessible attacks at fixed channel parameters. Rather than against one specific attack model, the expression of secret key rates of the two-way protocol are derived against all accessible attack models. It is found that there is an optimal two-mode attack to minimize the performance of the protocol in terms of both secret key rates and maximal transmission distances. We identify the optimal two-mode attack, give the specific attack model of the optimal two-mode attack and show the performance of the two-way protocol against the optimal two-mode attack. Even under the optimal two-mode attack, the performances of two-way protocol are still better than the corresponding one-way protocol, which shows the advantage of making double use of the quantum channel and the potential of long-distance secure communication using a two-way protocol.

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms.

PubMed

Riggs, Alexa; Patel, Vaishali; Paneri, Bhaskar; Portenoy, Russell K; Bikson, Marom; Knotkova, Helena

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications. Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support. Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) and a tDCS user survey. Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10-20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients' training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and there were no adverse events. Data collection was feasible and there were no missing data. Satisfaction with the tDCS-telehealth procedure was high and the patients were comfortable using the system. Conclusion: At-home tDCS with telehealth support appears to be a feasible approach for the management of symptom burden in patients with chronic illness. Further studies to evaluate and optimize the protocol effectiveness for symptom-control outcomes are warranted.

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms

PubMed Central

Riggs, Alexa; Patel, Vaishali; Paneri, Bhaskar; Portenoy, Russell K.; Bikson, Marom; Knotkova, Helena

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications. Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support. Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) and a tDCS user survey. Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10–20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients’ training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and there were no adverse events. Data collection was feasible and there were no missing data. Satisfaction with the tDCS-telehealth procedure was high and the patients were comfortable using the system. Conclusion: At-home tDCS with telehealth support appears to be a feasible approach for the management of symptom burden in patients with chronic illness. Further studies to evaluate and optimize the protocol effectiveness for symptom-control outcomes are warranted. PMID:29872381

Data aggregation in wireless sensor networks using the SOAP protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Yasiri, A.; Sunley, A.

2007-07-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) offer an increasingly attractive method of data gathering in distributed system architectures and dynamic access via wireless connectivity. Wireless sensor networks have physical and resource limitations, this leads to increased complexity for application developers and often results in applications that are closely coupled with network protocols. In this paper, a data aggregation framework using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) on wireless sensor networks is presented. The framework works as a middleware for aggregating data measured by a number of nodes within a network. The aim of the study is to assess the suitability of the protocol in such environments where resources are limited compared to traditional networks.

Wireless access to a pharmaceutical database: a demonstrator for data driven Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) applications in medical information processing.

PubMed

Schacht Hansen, M; Dørup, J

2001-01-01

The Wireless Application Protocol technology implemented in newer mobile phones has built-in facilities for handling much of the information processing needed in clinical work. To test a practical approach we ported a relational database of the Danish pharmaceutical catalogue to Wireless Application Protocol using open source freeware at all steps. We used Apache 1.3 web software on a Linux server. Data containing the Danish pharmaceutical catalogue were imported from an ASCII file into a MySQL 3.22.32 database using a Practical Extraction and Report Language script for easy update of the database. Data were distributed in 35 interrelated tables. Each pharmaceutical brand name was given its own card with links to general information about the drug, active substances, contraindications etc. Access was available through 1) browsing therapeutic groups and 2) searching for a brand name. The database interface was programmed in the server-side scripting language PHP3. A free, open source Wireless Application Protocol gateway to a pharmaceutical catalogue was established to allow dial-in access independent of commercial Wireless Application Protocol service providers. The application was tested on the Nokia 7110 and Ericsson R320s cellular phones. We have demonstrated that Wireless Application Protocol-based access to a dynamic clinical database can be established using open source freeware. The project opens perspectives for a further integration of Wireless Application Protocol phone functions in clinical information processing: Global System for Mobile communication telephony for bilateral communication, asynchronous unilateral communication via e-mail and Short Message Service, built-in calculator, calendar, personal organizer, phone number catalogue and Dictaphone function via answering machine technology. An independent Wireless Application Protocol gateway may be placed within hospital firewalls, which may be an advantage with respect to security. However, if Wireless Application Protocol phones are to become effective tools for physicians, special attention must be paid to the limitations of the devices. Input tools of Wireless Application Protocol phones should be improved, for instance by increased use of speech control.

Wireless access to a pharmaceutical database: A demonstrator for data driven Wireless Application Protocol applications in medical information processing

PubMed Central

Hansen, Michael Schacht

2001-01-01

Background The Wireless Application Protocol technology implemented in newer mobile phones has built-in facilities for handling much of the information processing needed in clinical work. Objectives To test a practical approach we ported a relational database of the Danish pharmaceutical catalogue to Wireless Application Protocol using open source freeware at all steps. Methods We used Apache 1.3 web software on a Linux server. Data containing the Danish pharmaceutical catalogue were imported from an ASCII file into a MySQL 3.22.32 database using a Practical Extraction and Report Language script for easy update of the database. Data were distributed in 35 interrelated tables. Each pharmaceutical brand name was given its own card with links to general information about the drug, active substances, contraindications etc. Access was available through 1) browsing therapeutic groups and 2) searching for a brand name. The database interface was programmed in the server-side scripting language PHP3. Results A free, open source Wireless Application Protocol gateway to a pharmaceutical catalogue was established to allow dial-in access independent of commercial Wireless Application Protocol service providers. The application was tested on the Nokia 7110 and Ericsson R320s cellular phones. Conclusions We have demonstrated that Wireless Application Protocol-based access to a dynamic clinical database can be established using open source freeware. The project opens perspectives for a further integration of Wireless Application Protocol phone functions in clinical information processing: Global System for Mobile communication telephony for bilateral communication, asynchronous unilateral communication via e-mail and Short Message Service, built-in calculator, calendar, personal organizer, phone number catalogue and Dictaphone function via answering machine technology. An independent Wireless Application Protocol gateway may be placed within hospital firewalls, which may be an advantage with respect to security. However, if Wireless Application Protocol phones are to become effective tools for physicians, special attention must be paid to the limitations of the devices. Input tools of Wireless Application Protocol phones should be improved, for instance by increased use of speech control. PMID:11720946

Quantum And Relativistic Protocols For Secure Multi-Party Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbeck, Roger

2009-11-01

After a general introduction, the thesis is divided into four parts. In the first, we discuss the task of coin tossing, principally in order to highlight the effect different physical theories have on security in a straightforward manner, but, also, to introduce a new protocol for non-relativistic strong coin tossing. This protocol matches the security of the best protocol known to date while using a conceptually different approach to achieve the task. In the second part variable bias coin tossing is introduced. This is a variant of coin tossing in which one party secretly chooses one of two biased coins to toss. It is shown that this can be achieved with unconditional security for a specified range of biases, and with cheat-evident security for any bias. We also discuss two further protocols which are conjectured to be unconditionally secure for any bias. The third section looks at other two-party secure computations for which, prior to our work, protocols and no-go theorems were unknown. We introduce a general model for such computations, and show that, within this model, a wide range of functions are impossible to compute securely. We give explicit cheating attacks for such functions. In the final chapter we discuss the task of expanding a private random string, while dropping the usual assumption that the protocol's user trusts her devices. Instead we assume that all quantum devices are supplied by an arbitrarily malicious adversary. We give two protocols that we conjecture securely perform this task. The first allows a private random string to be expanded by a finite amount, while the second generates an arbitrarily large expansion of such a string.

NSI operations center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zanley, Nancy L.

1991-01-01

The NASA Science Internet (NSI) Network Operations Staff is responsible for providing reliable communication connectivity for the NASA science community. As the NSI user community expands, so does the demand for greater interoperability with users and resources on other networks (e.g., NSFnet, ESnet), both nationally and internationally. Coupled with the science community's demand for greater access to other resources is the demand for more reliable communication connectivity. Recognizing this, the NASA Science Internet Project Office (NSIPO) expands its Operations activities. By January 1990, Network Operations was equipped with a telephone hotline, and its staff was expanded to six Network Operations Analysts. These six analysts provide 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week coverage to assist site managers with problem determination and resolution. The NSI Operations staff monitors network circuits and their associated routers. In most instances, NSI Operations diagnoses and reports problems before users realize a problem exists. Monitoring of the NSI TCP/IP Network is currently being done with Proteon's Overview monitoring system. The Overview monitoring system displays a map of the NSI network utilizing various colors to indicate the conditions of the components being monitored. Each node or site is polled via the Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP). If a circuit goes down, Overview alerts the Network Operations staff with an audible alarm and changes the color of the component. When an alert is received, Network Operations personnel immediately verify and diagnose the problem, coordinate repair with other networking service groups, track problems, and document problem and resolution into a trouble ticket data base. NSI Operations offers the NSI science community reliable connectivity by exercising prompt assessment and resolution of network problems.

Wireless Distribution Systems To Support Medical Response to Disasters

PubMed Central

Arisoylu, Mustafa; Mishra, Rajesh; Rao, Ramesh; Lenert, Leslie A.

2005-01-01

We discuss the design of multi-hop access networks with multiple gateways that supports medical response to disasters. We examine and implement protocols to ensure high bandwidth, robust, self-healing and secure wireless multi-hop access networks for extreme conditions. Address management, path setup, gateway discovery and selection protocols are described. Future directions and plans are also considered. PMID:16779171

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP): A tutorial (expanded version)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Robert M.; Weaver, Alfred C.

1990-01-01

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a reliable, real-time, light weight transfer layer protocol. Current transport layer protocols such as DoD's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and ISO's Transport Protocol (TP) were not designed for the next generation of high speed, interconnected reliable networks such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) and the gigabit/second wide area networks. Unlike all previous transport layer protocols, XTP is being designed to be implemented in hardware as a VLSI chip set. By streamlining the protocol, combining the transport and network layers and utilizing the increased speed and parallelization possible with a VLSI implementation, XTP will be able to provide the end-to-end data transmission rates demanded in high speed networks without compromising reliability and functionality. This paper describes the operation of the XTP protocol and in particular, its error, flow and rate control; inter-networking addressing mechanisms; and multicast support features, as defined in the XTP Protocol Definition Revision 3.4.

Improving access to health care for undocumented immigrants in the United States.

PubMed

Wallace, Steven P; Rodriguez, Michael; Padilla-Frausto, Imelda; Arredondo, Armando; Orozco, Emanuel

2013-01-01

To identify policies that increase access to health care for undocumented Mexican immigrants. Four focus groups (n=34 participants) were conducted with uninsured Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, California. The feasibility and desirability of different policy proposals for increasing access were discussed by each group. Respondents raised significant problems with policies including binational health insurance, expanded employer-provided health insurance, and telemedicine. The only solution with a consensus that the change would be feasible, result in improved access, and they had confidence in was expanded access to community health centers (CHC's). Given the limited access to most specialists at CHC's and the continued barriers to hospital care for those without health insurance, the most effective way of improving the complete range of health services to undocumented immigrants is through immigration reform that will bring these workers under the other health care reform provisions.

Extending the International Space Station Life and Operability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cecil, Andrew J.; Pitts, R. Lee; Sparks, Ray N.; Wickline, Thomas W.; Zoller, David A.

2012-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) is in an operational configuration with final assembly complete. To fully utilize ISS and extend the operational life, it became necessary to upgrade and extend the onboard systems with the Obsolescence Driven Avionics Redesign (ODAR) project. ODAR enabled a joint project between the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) focused on upgrading the onboard payload and Ku-Band systems, expanding the voice and video capabilities, and including more modern protocols allowing unprecedented access for payload investigators to their on-orbit payloads. The MSFC Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) was tasked with developing a high-rate enhanced Functionally Distributed Processor (eFDP) to handle 300Mbps Return Link data, double the legacy rate, and incorporate a Line Outage Recorder (LOR). The eFDP also provides a 25Mbps uplink transmission rate with a Space Link Extension (SLE) interface. HOSC also updated the Payload Data Services System (PDSS) to incorporate the latest Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) protocols, most notably the use of the Internet Protocol (IP) Encapsulation, in addition to the legacy capabilities. The Central Command Processor was also updated to interact with the new onboard and ground capabilities of Mission Control Center -- Houston (MCC-H) for the uplink functionality. The architecture, implementation, and lessons learned, including integration and incorporation of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) hardware and software into the operational mission of the ISS, is described herein. The applicability of this new technology provides new benefits to ISS payload users and ensures better utilization of the ISS by the science community

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Responding to the Requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

Treesearch

Kevin McCluskey; Katharine B. Barker; Hazel A. Barton; Kyria Boundy-Mills; Daniel R. Brown; Jonathan A. Coddington; Kevin Cook; Philippe Desmeth; David Geiser; Jessie A. Glaeser; Stephanie Greene; Seogchan Kang; Michael W. Lomas; Ulrich Melcher; Scott E. Miller; David R. Nobles; Kristina J. Owens; Jerome H. Reichman; Manuela da Silva; John Wertz; Cale Whitworth; David Smith; Steven E. Lindow

2017-01-01

The U.S. Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how culture collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting included representatives...

Development and validation of a remote home safety protocol.

PubMed

Romero, Sergio; Lee, Mi Jung; Simic, Ivana; Levy, Charles; Sanford, Jon

2018-02-01

Environmental assessments and subsequent modifications conducted by healthcare professionals can enhance home safety and promote independent living. However, travel time, expense and the availability of qualified professionals can limit the broad application of this intervention. Remote technology has the potential to increase access to home safety evaluations. This study describes the development and validation of a remote home safety protocol that can be used by a caregiver of an elderly person to video-record their home environment for later viewing and evaluation by a trained professional. The protocol was developed based on literature reviews and evaluations from clinical and content experts. Cognitive interviews were conducted with a group of six caregivers to validate the protocol. The final protocol included step-by-step directions to record indoor and outdoor areas of the home. The validation process resulted in modifications related to safety, clarity of the protocol, readability, visual appearance, technical descriptions and usability. Our final protocol includes detailed instructions that a caregiver should be able to follow to record a home environment for subsequent evaluation by a home safety professional. Implications for Rehabilitation The results of this study have several implications for rehabilitation practice The remote home safety evaluation protocol can potentially improve access to rehabilitation services for clients in remote areas and prevent unnecessary delays for needed care. Using our protocol, a patient's caregiver can partner with therapists to quickly and efficiently evaluate a patient's home before they are released from the hospital. Caregiver narration, which reflects a caregiver's own perspective, is critical to evaluating home safety. In-home safety evaluations, currently not available to all who need them due to access barriers, can enhance a patient's independence and provide a safer home environment.

Exploring the population-level impact of antiretroviral treatment: the influence of baseline intervention context.

PubMed

Mishra, Sharmistha; Mountain, Elisa; Pickles, Michael; Vickerman, Peter; Shastri, Suresh; Gilks, Charles; Dhingra, Nandini K; Washington, Reynold; Becker, Marissa L; Blanchard, James F; Alary, Michel; Boily, Marie-Claude

2014-01-01

To compare the potential population-level impact of expanding antiretroviral treatment (ART) in HIV epidemics concentrated among female sex workers (FSWs) and clients, with and without existing condom-based FSW interventions. Mathematical model of heterosexual HIV transmission in south India. We simulated HIV epidemics in three districts to assess the 10-year impact of existing ART programs (ART eligibility at CD4 cell count ≤350) beyond that achieved with high condom use, and the incremental benefit of expanding ART by either increasing ART eligibility, improving access to care, or prioritizing ART expansion to FSWs/clients. Impact was estimated in the total population (including FSWs and clients). In the presence of existing condom-based interventions, existing ART programs (medium-to-good coverage) were predicted to avert 11-28% of remaining HIV infections between 2014 and 2024. Increasing eligibility to all risk groups prevented an incremental 1-15% over existing ART programs, compared with 29-53% when maximizing access to all risk groups. If there was no condom-based intervention, and only poor ART coverage, then expanding ART prevented a larger absolute number but a smaller relative fraction of HIV infections for every additional person-year of ART. Across districts and baseline interventions, for every additional person-year of treatment, prioritizing access to FSWs was most efficient (and resource saving), followed by prioritizing access to FSWs and clients. The relative and absolute benefit of ART expansion depends on baseline condom use, ART coverage, and epidemic size. In south India, maximizing FSWs' access to care, followed by maximizing clients' access are the most efficient ways to expand ART for HIV prevention, across baseline intervention context.

Analyzing the effect of routing protocols on media access control protocols in radio networks

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

Barrett, C. L.; Drozda, M.; Marathe, A.

2002-01-01

We study the effect of routing protocols on the performance of media access control (MAC) protocols in wireless radio networks. Three well known MAC protocols: 802.11, CSMA, and MACA are considered. Similarly three recently proposed routing protocols: AODV, DSR and LAR scheme 1 are considered. The experimental analysis was carried out using GloMoSim: a tool for simulating wireless networks. The main focus of our experiments was to study how the routing protocols affect the performance of the MAC protocols when the underlying network and traffic parameters are varied. The performance of the protocols was measured w.r.t. five important parameters: (i)more » number of received packets, (ii) average latency of each packet, (iii) throughput (iv) long term fairness and (v) number of control packets at the MAC layer level. Our results show that combinations of routing and MAC protocols yield varying performance under varying network topology and traffic situations. The result has an important implication; no combination of routing protocol and MAC protocol is the best over all situations. Also, the performance analysis of protocols at a given level in the protocol stack needs to be studied not locally in isolation but as a part of the complete protocol stack. A novel aspect of our work is the use of statistical technique, ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) to characterize the effect of routing protocols on MAC protocols. This technique is of independent interest and can be utilized in several other simulation and empirical studies.« less

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Responding to the Requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

PubMed Central

Barker, Katharine B.; Barton, Hazel A.; Boundy-Mills, Kyria; Brown, Daniel R.; Coddington, Jonathan A.; Cook, Kevin; Desmeth, Philippe; Geiser, David; Glaeser, Jessie A.; Greene, Stephanie; Kang, Seogchan; Lomas, Michael W.; Melcher, Ulrich; Miller, Scott E.; Nobles, David R.; Owens, Kristina J.; Reichman, Jerome H.; da Silva, Manuela; Wertz, John; Whitworth, Cale; Smith, David

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The U.S. Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how culture collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting included representatives of many culture collections and other biological collections, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretariat of the CBD, interested scientific societies, and collection groups, including Scientific Collections International and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. The participants learned about the policies of the United States and other countries regarding access to genetic resources, the definition of genetic resources, and the status of historical materials and genetic sequence information. Key topics included what constitutes access and how the CBD Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House can help guide researchers through the process of obtaining Prior Informed Consent on Mutually Agreed Terms. U.S. scientists and their international collaborators are required to follow the regulations of other countries when working with microbes originally isolated outside the United States, and the local regulations required by the Nagoya Protocol vary by the country of origin of the genetic resource. Managers of diverse living collections in the United States described their holdings and their efforts to provide access to genetic resources. This meeting laid the foundation for cooperation in establishing a set of standard operating procedures for U.S. and international culture collections in response to the Nagoya Protocol. PMID:28811341

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Responding to the Requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.

PubMed

McCluskey, Kevin; Barker, Katharine B; Barton, Hazel A; Boundy-Mills, Kyria; Brown, Daniel R; Coddington, Jonathan A; Cook, Kevin; Desmeth, Philippe; Geiser, David; Glaeser, Jessie A; Greene, Stephanie; Kang, Seogchan; Lomas, Michael W; Melcher, Ulrich; Miller, Scott E; Nobles, David R; Owens, Kristina J; Reichman, Jerome H; da Silva, Manuela; Wertz, John; Whitworth, Cale; Smith, David

2017-08-15

The U.S. Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how culture collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting included representatives of many culture collections and other biological collections, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretariat of the CBD, interested scientific societies, and collection groups, including Scientific Collections International and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. The participants learned about the policies of the United States and other countries regarding access to genetic resources, the definition of genetic resources, and the status of historical materials and genetic sequence information. Key topics included what constitutes access and how the CBD Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House can help guide researchers through the process of obtaining Prior Informed Consent on Mutually Agreed Terms. U.S. scientists and their international collaborators are required to follow the regulations of other countries when working with microbes originally isolated outside the United States, and the local regulations required by the Nagoya Protocol vary by the country of origin of the genetic resource. Managers of diverse living collections in the United States described their holdings and their efforts to provide access to genetic resources. This meeting laid the foundation for cooperation in establishing a set of standard operating procedures for U.S. and international culture collections in response to the Nagoya Protocol.

A Mobile Satellite Experiment (MSAT-X) network definition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Charles C.; Yan, Tsun-Yee

1990-01-01

The network architecture development of the Mobile Satellite Experiment (MSAT-X) project for the past few years is described. The results and findings of the network research activities carried out under the MSAT-X project are summarized. A framework is presented upon which the Mobile Satellite Systems (MSSs) operator can design a commercial network. A sample network configuration and its capability are also included under the projected scenario. The Communication Interconnection aspect of the MSAT-X network is discussed. In the MSAT-X network structure two basic protocols are presented: the channel access protocol, and the link connection protocol. The error-control techniques used in the MSAT-X project and the packet structure are also discussed. A description of two testbeds developed for experimentally simulating the channel access protocol and link control protocol, respectively, is presented. A sample network configuration and some future network activities of the MSAT-X project are also presented.

Distributed reservation-based code division multiple access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieselthier, J. E.; Ephremides, A.

1984-11-01

The use of spread spectrum signaling, motivated primarily by its antijamming capabilities in military applications, leads naturally to the use of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) techniques that permit the successful simultaneous transmission by a number of users over a wideband channel. In this paper we address some of the major issues that are associated with the design of multiple access protocols for spread spectrum networks. We then propose, analyze, and evaluate a distributed reservation-based multiple access protocol that does in fact exploit CDMA properties. Especially significant is the fact that no acknowledgment or feedback information from the destination is required (thus facilitating communication with a radio-silent mode), nor is any form of coordination among the users necessary.

CSMA/RN: A universal protocol for gigabit networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Overstreet, C. Michael; Khanna, S.; Paterra, Frank

1990-01-01

Networks must provide intelligent access for nodes to share the communications resources. In the range of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, the demand access class of protocols were studied extensively. Many use some form of slot or reservation system and many the concept of attempt and defer to determine the presence or absence of incoming information. The random access class of protocols like shared channel systems (Ethernet), also use the concept of attempt and defer in the form of carrier sensing to alleviate the damaging effects of collisions. In CSMA/CD, the sensing of interference is on a global basis. All systems discussed above have one aspect in common, they examine activity on the network either locally or globally and react in an attempt and whatever mechanism. Of the attempt + mechanisms discussed, one is obviously missing; that is attempt and truncate. Attempt and truncate was studied in a ring configuration called the Carrier Sensed Multiple Access Ring Network (CSMA/RN). The system features of CSMA/RN are described including a discussion of the node operations for inserting and removing messages and for handling integrated traffic. The performance and operational features based on analytical and simulation studies which indicate that CSMA/RN is a useful and adaptable protocol over a wide range of network conditions are discussed. Finally, the research and development activities necessary to demonstrate and realize the potential of CSMA/RN as a universal, gigabit network protocol is outlined.

Tag Content Access Control with Identity-based Key Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Liang; Rong, Chunming

2010-09-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that used to identify objects and users has been applied to many applications such retail and supply chain recently. How to prevent tag content from unauthorized readout is a core problem of RFID privacy issues. Hash-lock access control protocol can make tag to release its content only to reader who knows the secret key shared between them. However, in order to get this shared secret key required by this protocol, reader needs to communicate with a back end database. In this paper, we propose to use identity-based secret key exchange approach to generate the secret key required for hash-lock access control protocol. With this approach, not only back end database connection is not needed anymore, but also tag cloning problem can be eliminated at the same time.

High-speed network for delivery of education-on-demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, Carlos; Harris, Dale; Hsieh, Jeff

1996-03-01

A project to investigate the feasibility of delivering on-demand distance education to the desktop, known as the Asynchronous Distance Education ProjecT (ADEPT), is presently being carried out. A set of Stanford engineering classes is digitized on PC, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms, and is made available on servers. Students on campus and in industry may then access class material on these servers via local and metropolitan area networks. Students can download class video and audio, encoded in QuickTimeTM and Show-Me TVTM formats, via file-transfer protocol or the World Wide Web. Alternatively, they may stream a vector-quantized version of the class directly from a server for real-time playback. Students may also download PostscriptTM and Adobe AcrobatTM versions of class notes. Off-campus students may connect to ADEPT servers via the internet, the Silicon Valley Test Track (SVTT), or the Bay-Area Gigabit Network (BAGNet). The SVTT and BAGNet are high-speed metropolitan-area networks, spanning the Bay Area, which provide IP access over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Student interaction is encouraged through news groups, electronic mailing lists, and an ADEPT home page. Issues related to having multiple platforms and interoperability are examined in this paper. The ramifications of providing a reliable service are discussed. System performance and the parameters that affect it are then described. Finally, future work on expanding ATM access, real-time delivery of classes, and enhanced student interaction is described.

Building transparent data access for ocean observatories: Coordination of U.S. IOOS DMAC with NSF's OOI Cyberinfrastructure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arrott, M.; Alexander, Corrine; Graybeal, J.; Mueller, C.; Signell, R.; de La Beaujardière, J.; Taylor, A.; Wilkin, J.; Powell, B.; Orcutt, J.

2011-01-01

The NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) have been collaborating since 2007 on advanced tools and technologies that ensure open access to ocean observations and models. Initial collaboration focused on serving ocean data via cloud computing-a key component of the OOI cyberinfrastructure (CI) architecture. As the OOI transitioned from planning to execution in the Fall of 2009, an OOI/IOOS team developed a customer-based "use case" to align more closely with the emerging objectives of OOI-CI team's first software release scheduled for Summer 2011 and provide a quantitative capacity for stress-testing these tools and protocols. A requirements process was initiated with coastal modelers, focusing on improved workflows to deliver ocean observation data. Accomplishments to date include the documentation and assessment of scientific workflows for two "early adopter" modeling teams from IOOS Regional partners (Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey and University of Hawaii's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology) to enable full understanding of data sources and needs; generation of all-inclusive lists of the data sets required and those obtainable through IOOS; a more complete understanding of areas where IOOS can expand data access capabilities to better serve the needs of the modeling community; and development of "data set agents" (software) to facilitate data acquisition from numerous data providers and conversions of the data format to the OOI-CI canonical form. ?? 2011 MTS.

Genelab: Scientific Partnerships and an Open-Access Database to Maximize Usage of Omics Data from Space Biology Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinsch, S. S.; Galazka, J..; Berrios, D. C; Chakravarty, K.; Fogle, H.; Lai, S.; Bokyo, V.; Timucin, L. R.; Tran, P.; Skidmore, M.

2016-01-01

NASA's mission includes expanding our understanding of biological systems to improve life on Earth and to enable long-duration human exploration of space. The GeneLab Data System (GLDS) is NASA's premier open-access omics data platform for biological experiments. GLDS houses standards-compliant, high-throughput sequencing and other omics data from spaceflight-relevant experiments. The GeneLab project at NASA-Ames Research Center is developing the database, and also partnering with spaceflight projects through sharing or augmentation of experiment samples to expand omics analyses on precious spaceflight samples. The partnerships ensure that the maximum amount of data is garnered from spaceflight experiments and made publically available as rapidly as possible via the GLDS. GLDS Version 1.0, went online in April 2015. Software updates and new data releases occur at least quarterly. As of October 2016, the GLDS contains 80 datasets and has search and download capabilities. Version 2.0 is slated for release in September of 2017 and will have expanded, integrated search capabilities leveraging other public omics databases (NCBI GEO, PRIDE, MG-RAST). Future versions in this multi-phase project will provide a collaborative platform for omics data analysis. Data from experiments that explore the biological effects of the spaceflight environment on a wide variety of model organisms are housed in the GLDS including data from rodents, invertebrates, plants and microbes. Human datasets are currently limited to those with anonymized data (e.g., from cultured cell lines). GeneLab ensures prompt release and open access to high-throughput genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data from spaceflight and ground-based simulations of microgravity, radiation or other space environment factors. The data are meticulously curated to assure that accurate experimental and sample processing metadata are included with each data set. GLDS download volumes indicate strong interest of the scientific community in these data. To date GeneLab has partnered with multiple experiments including two plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) experiments, two mice experiments, and several microbe experiments. GeneLab optimized protocols in the rodent partnerships for maximum yield of RNA, DNA and protein from tissues harvested and preserved during the SpaceX-4 mission, as well as from tissues from mice that were frozen intact during spaceflight and later dissected on the ground. Analysis of GeneLab data will contribute fundamental knowledge of how the space environment affects biological systems, and as well as yield terrestrial benefits resulting from mitigation strategies to prevent effects observed during exposure to space environments.

Development and Operation of Dual-Mode Analyzers for Wireless Power Consortium/Power Matters Alliance Wireless Power Systems.

PubMed

Um, Keehong

2016-05-01

We have designed a protocol analyzer to be used in wireless power systems and analyzed the operation of wireless chargers defined by standards of Qi of Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA) protocols. The integrated circuit (IC, or microchip) developed so far for wireless power transmission is not easily adopted by chargers for specific purposes. A device for measuring the performance of test equipment currently available is required to transform and expand the types of protocol. Since a protocol analyzer with these functions is required, we have developed a device that can analyze the two protocols of WPC and PMA at the same time. As a result of our research, we present a dual-mode system that can analyze the protocols of both WPC and PMA.

Awakening Tiger: India’s Quest for Expanded Influence in the World

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

media.csis/pubs/sam98. pdf (accessed June 3, 2007). 2 Lisa Curtis. “India’s Expanding Role in Asia: Adapting to Rising Power Status,” Heritage Foundation...Backgrounder No. 2008 (February 20, 2007), http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/upload/bg_2008. pdf (accessed May 29, 2007). 3...Growth,” Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi Working Papers Number 122 (2004). http://www.icrier.org/ pdf /wp122. pdf

Securing the AliEn File Catalogue - Enforcing authorization with accountable file operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreiner, Steffen; Bagnasco, Stefano; Sankar Banerjee, Subho; Betev, Latchezar; Carminati, Federico; Vladimirovna Datskova, Olga; Furano, Fabrizio; Grigoras, Alina; Grigoras, Costin; Mendez Lorenzo, Patricia; Peters, Andreas Joachim; Saiz, Pablo; Zhu, Jianlin

2011-12-01

The AliEn Grid Services, as operated by the ALICE Collaboration in its global physics analysis grid framework, is based on a central File Catalogue together with a distributed set of storage systems and the possibility to register links to external data resources. This paper describes several identified vulnerabilities in the AliEn File Catalogue access protocol regarding fraud and unauthorized file alteration and presents a more secure and revised design: a new mechanism, called LFN Booking Table, is introduced in order to keep track of access authorization in the transient state of files entering or leaving the File Catalogue. Due to a simplification of the original Access Envelope mechanism for xrootd-protocol-based storage systems, fundamental computational improvements of the mechanism were achieved as well as an up to 50% reduction of the credential's size. By extending the access protocol with signed status messages from the underlying storage system, the File Catalogue receives trusted information about a file's size and checksum and the protocol is no longer dependent on client trust. Altogether, the revised design complies with atomic and consistent transactions and allows for accountable, authentic, and traceable file operations. This paper describes these changes as part and beyond the development of AliEn version 2.19.

Health service utilization before and after evidence-based treatment for PTSD.

PubMed

Tuerk, Peter W; Wangelin, Bethany; Rauch, Sheila A M; Dismuke, Clara E; Yoder, Matthew; Myrick, Hugh; Eftekhari, Afsoon; Acierno, Ron

2013-11-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with functional impairment, co-occurring diagnoses, and increased health care utilization. Associated high demand for health care services is an important contributor to the large public-health cost of PTSD. Treatments incorporating exposure therapy are efficacious in ameliorating or eliminating PTSD symptoms. Accordingly, the Veterans Health Administration has made significant investments toward nationwide dissemination of a manualized exposure therapy protocol, prolonged exposure (PE). PE is effective with veterans; however, the relationship between PE and mental health service utilization is unknown. The current study investigates PE as it relates to actual tracked mental health service utilization in an urban VA medical center. A sample of 60 veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD was used to examine mental health service utilization in the 12-months prior to and 12-months after being offered PE. Hierarchical Linear Models and traditional repeated-measures ANOVA were used to estimate R²- and d-type effect sizes for service utilization. Associated estimated cost saving are reported. PE was associated with large reductions in symptoms and diagnosis remission. Treatment was also associated with statistically significant, large reductions in mental health service utilization for veterans who completed treatment. Findings suggest that expanding access to PE can increase access to mental health services in general by decreasing ongoing demand for specialty care clinical services.

What Can OpenEI Do For You?

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

None

2010-12-10

Open Energy Information (OpenEI) is an open source web platform—similar to the one used by Wikipedia—developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to make the large amounts of energy-related data and information more easily searched, accessed, and used both by people and automated machine processes. Built utilizing the standards and practices of the Linked Open Data community, the OpenEI platform is much more robust and powerful than typical web sites and databases. As an open platform, all users can search, edit, add, and access data in OpenEI for free. The user communitymore » contributes the content and ensures its accuracy and relevance; as the community expands, so does the content's comprehensiveness and quality. The data are structured and tagged with descriptors to enable cross-linking among related data sets, advanced search functionality, and consistent, usable formatting. Data input protocols and quality standards help ensure the content is structured and described properly and derived from a credible source. Although DOE/NREL is developing OpenEI and seeding it with initial data, it is designed to become a true community model with millions of users, a large core of active contributors, and numerous sponsors.« less

What Can OpenEI Do For You?

ScienceCinema

None

2018-02-06

Open Energy Information (OpenEI) is an open source web platform—similar to the one used by Wikipedia—developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to make the large amounts of energy-related data and information more easily searched, accessed, and used both by people and automated machine processes. Built utilizing the standards and practices of the Linked Open Data community, the OpenEI platform is much more robust and powerful than typical web sites and databases. As an open platform, all users can search, edit, add, and access data in OpenEI for free. The user community contributes the content and ensures its accuracy and relevance; as the community expands, so does the content's comprehensiveness and quality. The data are structured and tagged with descriptors to enable cross-linking among related data sets, advanced search functionality, and consistent, usable formatting. Data input protocols and quality standards help ensure the content is structured and described properly and derived from a credible source. Although DOE/NREL is developing OpenEI and seeding it with initial data, it is designed to become a true community model with millions of users, a large core of active contributors, and numerous sponsors.

Accessing Multi-Dimensional Images and Data Cubes in the Virtual Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tody, Douglas; Plante, R. L.; Berriman, G. B.; Cresitello-Dittmar, M.; Good, J.; Graham, M.; Greene, G.; Hanisch, R. J.; Jenness, T.; Lazio, J.; Norris, P.; Pevunova, O.; Rots, A. H.

2014-01-01

Telescopes across the spectrum are routinely producing multi-dimensional images and datasets, such as Doppler velocity cubes, polarization datasets, and time-resolved “movies.” Examples of current telescopes producing such multi-dimensional images include the JVLA, ALMA, and the IFU instruments on large optical and near-infrared wavelength telescopes. In the near future, both the LSST and JWST will also produce such multi-dimensional images routinely. High-energy instruments such as Chandra produce event datasets that are also a form of multi-dimensional data, in effect being a very sparse multi-dimensional image. Ensuring that the data sets produced by these telescopes can be both discovered and accessed by the community is essential and is part of the mission of the Virtual Observatory (VO). The Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO, http://www.usvao.org/), in conjunction with its international partners in the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA), has developed a protocol and an initial demonstration service designed for the publication, discovery, and access of arbitrarily large multi-dimensional images. The protocol describing multi-dimensional images is the Simple Image Access Protocol, version 2, which provides the minimal set of metadata required to characterize a multi-dimensional image for its discovery and access. A companion Image Data Model formally defines the semantics and structure of multi-dimensional images independently of how they are serialized, while providing capabilities such as support for sparse data that are essential to deal effectively with large cubes. A prototype data access service has been deployed and tested, using a suite of multi-dimensional images from a variety of telescopes. The prototype has demonstrated the capability to discover and remotely access multi-dimensional data via standard VO protocols. The prototype informs the specification of a protocol that will be submitted to the IVOA for approval, with an operational data cube service to be delivered in mid-2014. An associated user-installable VO data service framework will provide the capabilities required to publish VO-compatible multi-dimensional images or data cubes.

An Ultra-low-power Medium Access Control Protocol for Body Sensor Network.

PubMed

Li, Huaming; Tan, Jindong

2005-01-01

In this paper, a medium access control (MAC) protocol designed for Body Sensor Network (BSN-MAC) is proposed. BSN-MAC is an adaptive, feedback-based and IEEE 802.15.4-compatible MAC protocol. Due to the traffic coupling and sensor diversity characteristics of BSNs, common MAC protocols can not satisfy the unique requirements of the biomedical sensors in BSN. BSN-MAC exploits the feedback information from the deployed sensors to form a closed-loop control of the MAC parameters. A control algorithm is proposed to enable the BSN coordinator to adjust parameters of the IEEE 802.15.4 superframe to achieve both energy efficiency and low latency on energy critical nodes. We evaluate the performance of BSN-MAC using energy efficiency as the primary metric.

Space Network IP Services (SNIS): An Architecture for Supporting Low Earth Orbiting IP Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israel, David J.

2005-01-01

The NASA Space Network (SN) supports a variety of missions using the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), which includes ground stations in White Sands, New Mexico and Guam. A Space Network IP Services (SNIS) architecture is being developed to support future users with requirements for end-to-end Internet Protocol (IP) communications. This architecture will support all IP protocols, including Mobile IP, over TDRSS Single Access, Multiple Access, and Demand Access Radio Frequency (RF) links. This paper will describe this architecture and how it can enable Low Earth Orbiting IP satellite missions.

An access technology delivery protocol for children with severe and multiple disabilities: a case demonstration.

PubMed

Mumford, Leslie; Lam, Rachel; Wright, Virginia; Chau, Tom

2014-08-01

This study applied response efficiency theory to create the Access Technology Delivery Protocol (ATDP), a child and family-centred collaborative approach to the implementation of access technologies. We conducted a descriptive, mixed methods case study to demonstrate the ATDP method with a 12-year-old boy with no reliable means of access to an external device. Evaluations of response efficiency, satisfaction, goal attainment, technology use and participation were made after 8 and 16 weeks of training with a custom smile-based access technology. At the 16 week mark, the new access technology offered better response quality; teacher satisfaction was high; average technology usage was 3-4 times per week for up to 1 h each time; switch sensitivity and specificity reached 78% and 64%, respectively, and participation scores increased by 38%. This case supports further development and testing of the ATDP with additional children with multiple or severe disabilities.

Application of an access technology delivery protocol to two children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Mumford, Leslie; Chau, Tom

2015-07-14

This study further delineates the merits and limitations of the Access Technology Delivery Protocol (ATDP) through its application to two children with severe disabilities. We conducted mixed methods case studies to demonstrate the ATDP with two children with no reliable means of access to an external device. Evaluations of response efficiency, satisfaction, goal attainment, technology use and participation were made after 8 and 16 weeks of training with custom access technologies. After 16 weeks, one child's switch offered improved response efficiency, high teacher satisfaction and increased participation. The other child's switch resulted in improved satisfaction and switch effectiveness but lower overall efficiency. The latter child was no longer using his switch by the end of the study. These contrasting findings indicate that changes to any contextual factors that may impact the user's switch performance should mandate a reassessment of the access pathway. Secondly, it is important to ensure that individuals who will be responsible for switch training be identified at the outset and engaged throughout the ATDP. Finally, the ATDP should continue to be tested with individuals with severe disabilities to build an evidence base for the delivery of response efficient access solutions. Implications for Rehabilitation A data-driven, comprehensive access technology delivery protocol for children with complex communication needs could help to mitigate technology abandonment. Successful adoption of an access technology requires personalized design, training of the technology user, the teaching staff, the caregivers and other communication partners, and integration with functional activities.

Honest broker protocol streamlines research access to data while safeguarding patient privacy.

PubMed

Silvey, Scott A; Silvey, Scott Andrew; Schulte, Janet; Smaltz, Detlev H; Smaltz, Detlev Herb; Kamal, Jyoti

2008-11-06

At Ohio State University Medical Center, The Honest Broker Protocol provides a streamlined mechanism whereby investigators can obtain de-identified clinical data for non-FDA research without having to invest the significant time and effort necessary to craft a formalized protocol for IRB approval.

28 CFR 115.221 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault... for investigating allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol... developed after 2011. (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical...

28 CFR 115.21 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic... allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol that maximizes the potential.... (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical examinations...

28 CFR 115.221 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault... for investigating allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol... developed after 2011. (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical...

28 CFR 115.221 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault... for investigating allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol... developed after 2011. (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical...

28 CFR 115.21 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic... allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol that maximizes the potential.... (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical examinations...

28 CFR 115.21 - Evidence protocol and forensic medical examinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Office on Violence Against Women publication, “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic... allegations of sexual abuse, the agency shall follow a uniform evidence protocol that maximizes the potential.... (c) The agency shall offer all victims of sexual abuse access to forensic medical examinations...

MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks Using a Genetic Algorithm

PubMed Central

Elizarraras, Omar; Panduro, Marco; Méndez, Aldo L.

2014-01-01

The problem of obtaining the transmission rate in an ad hoc network consists in adjusting the power of each node to ensure the signal to interference ratio (SIR) and the energy required to transmit from one node to another is obtained at the same time. Therefore, an optimal transmission rate for each node in a medium access control (MAC) protocol based on CSMA-CDMA (carrier sense multiple access-code division multiple access) for ad hoc networks can be obtained using evolutionary optimization. This work proposes a genetic algorithm for the transmission rate election considering a perfect power control, and our proposition achieves improvement of 10% compared with the scheme that handles the handshaking phase to adjust the transmission rate. Furthermore, this paper proposes a genetic algorithm that solves the problem of power combining, interference, data rate, and energy ensuring the signal to interference ratio in an ad hoc network. The result of the proposed genetic algorithm has a better performance (15%) compared to the CSMA-CDMA protocol without optimizing. Therefore, we show by simulation the effectiveness of the proposed protocol in terms of the throughput. PMID:25140339

Implementation of broad screening with Ebola rapid diagnostic tests in Forécariah, Guinea

PubMed Central

Nebie, Yacouba K.; Koivogui, Lamine; Abiola, Nadine; Vansteelandt, Amanda; Worrel, Mary C.; Shang, Judith; Murphy, Louise B.; Fitter, David L.; Marston, Barbara J.; Martel, Lise

2017-01-01

Background Laboratory-enhanced surveillance is critical for rapidly detecting the potential re-emergence of Ebola virus disease. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for Ebola antigens could expand diagnostic capacity for Ebola virus disease. Objectives The Guinean National Coordination for Ebola Response conducted a pilot implementation to determine the feasibility of broad screening of patients and corpses with the OraQuick® Ebola RDT. Methods The implementation team developed protocols and trained healthcare workers to screen patients and corpses in Forécariah prefecture, Guinea, from 15 October to 30 November 2015. Data collected included number of consultations, number of fevers reported or measured, number of tests performed for patients or corpses and results of confirmatory RT-PCR testing. Data on malaria RDT results were collected for comparison. Feedback from Ebola RDT users was collected informally during supervision visits and forums. Results There were 3738 consultations at the 15 selected healthcare facilities; 74.6% of consultations were for febrile illness. Among 2787 eligible febrile patients, 2633 were tested for malaria and 1628 OraQuick® Ebola RDTs were performed. A total of 322 OraQuick® Ebola RDTs were conducted on corpses. All Ebola tests on eligible patients were negative. Conclusions Access to Ebola testing was expanded by the implementation of RDTs in an emergency situation. Feedback from Ebola RDT users and lessons learned will contribute to improving quality for RDT expansion. PMID:28879148

A rapid and versatile method for the isolation, purification and cryogenic storage of Schwann cells from adult rodent nerves

PubMed Central

Andersen, Natalia D.; Srinivas, Shruthi; Piñero, Gonzalo; Monje, Paula V.

2016-01-01

We herein developed a protocol for the rapid procurement of adult nerve-derived Schwann cells (SCs) that was optimized to implement an immediate enzymatic dissociation of fresh nerve tissue while maintaining high cell viability, improving yields and minimizing fibroblast and myelin contamination. This protocol introduces: (1) an efficient method for enzymatic cell release immediately after removal of the epineurium and extensive teasing of the nerve fibers; (2) an adaptable drop-plating method for selective cell attachment, removal of myelin debris, and expansion of the initial SC population in chemically defined medium; (3) a magnetic-activated cell sorting purification protocol for rapid and effective fibroblast elimination; and (4) an optional step of cryopreservation for the storage of the excess of cells. Highly proliferative SC cultures devoid of myelin and fibroblast growth were obtained within three days of nerve processing. Characterization of the initial, expanded, and cryopreserved cell products confirmed maintenance of SC identity, viability and growth rates throughout the process. Most importantly, SCs retained their sensitivity to mitogens and potential for differentiation even after cryopreservation. To conclude, this easy-to-implement and clinically relevant protocol allows for the preparation of expandable homogeneous SC cultures while minimizing time, manipulation of the cells, and exposure to culture variables. PMID:27549422

Anti-Noise Bidirectional Quantum Steganography Protocol with Large Payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Zhiguo; Chen, Siyi; Ji, Sai; Ma, Songya; Wang, Xiaojun

2018-06-01

An anti-noise bidirectional quantum steganography protocol with large payload protocol is proposed in this paper. In the new protocol, Alice and Bob enable to transmit classical information bits to each other while teleporting secret quantum states covertly. The new protocol introduces the bidirectional quantum remote state preparation into the bidirectional quantum secure communication, not only to expand secret information from classical bits to quantum state, but also extract the phase and amplitude values of secret quantum state for greatly enlarging the capacity of secret information. The new protocol can also achieve better imperceptibility, since the eavesdropper can hardly detect the hidden channel or even obtain effective secret quantum states. Comparing with the previous quantum steganography achievements, due to its unique bidirectional quantum steganography, the new protocol can obtain higher transmission efficiency and better availability. Furthermore, the new algorithm can effectively resist quantum noises through theoretical analysis. Finally, the performance analysis proves the conclusion that the new protocol not only has good imperceptibility, high security, but also large payload.

Anti-Noise Bidirectional Quantum Steganography Protocol with Large Payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Zhiguo; Chen, Siyi; Ji, Sai; Ma, Songya; Wang, Xiaojun

2018-03-01

An anti-noise bidirectional quantum steganography protocol with large payload protocol is proposed in this paper. In the new protocol, Alice and Bob enable to transmit classical information bits to each other while teleporting secret quantum states covertly. The new protocol introduces the bidirectional quantum remote state preparation into the bidirectional quantum secure communication, not only to expand secret information from classical bits to quantum state, but also extract the phase and amplitude values of secret quantum state for greatly enlarging the capacity of secret information. The new protocol can also achieve better imperceptibility, since the eavesdropper can hardly detect the hidden channel or even obtain effective secret quantum states. Comparing with the previous quantum steganography achievements, due to its unique bidirectional quantum steganography, the new protocol can obtain higher transmission efficiency and better availability. Furthermore, the new algorithm can effectively resist quantum noises through theoretical analysis. Finally, the performance analysis proves the conclusion that the new protocol not only has good imperceptibility, high security, but also large payload.

iSAFT Protocol Validation Platform for On-Board Data Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavoularis, Antonis; Kollias, Vangelis; Marinis, Kostas

2014-08-01

iSAFT is an integrated powerful HW/SW environmentfor the simulation, validation & monitoring of satellite/spacecraft on-board data networks supporting simultaneously a wide range of protocols (RMAP, PTP, CCSDS Space Packet, TM/TC, CANopen, etc.) and network interfaces (SpaceWire, ECSS MIL-STD-1553, ECSS CAN). It is based on over 20 years of TELETEL's experience in the area of protocol validation in the telecommunications and aeronautical sectors, and it has been fully re-engineered in cooperation of TELETEL with ESA & space Primes, to comply with space on-board industrial validation requirements (ECSS, EGSE, AIT, AIV, etc.). iSAFT is highly modular and expandable to support new network interfaces & protocols and it is based on the powerful iSAFT graphical tool chain (Protocol Analyser / Recorder, TestRunner, Device Simulator, Traffic Generator, etc.).

Doing more for less: identifying opportunities to expand public sector access to safe abortion in South Africa through budget impact analysis.

PubMed

Lince-Deroche, Naomi; Harries, Jane; Constant, Deborah; Morroni, Chelsea; Pleaner, Melanie; Fetters, Tamara; Grossman, Daniel; Blanchard, Kelly; Sinanovic, Edina

2018-02-01

To estimate the costs of public-sector abortion provision in South Africa and to explore the potential for expanding access at reduced cost by changing the mix of technologies used. We conducted a budget impact analysis using public sector abortion statistics and published cost data. We estimated the total costs to the public health service over 10 years, starting in South Africa's financial year 2016/17, given four scenarios: (1) holding service provision constant, (2) expanding public sector provision, (3) changing the abortion technologies used (i.e. the method mix), and (4) expansion plus changing the method mix. The public sector performed an estimated 20% of the expected total number of abortions in 2016/17; 26% and 54% of all abortions were performed illegally or in the private sector respectively. Costs were lowest in scenarios where method mix shifting occurred. Holding the proportion of abortions performed in the public-sector constant, shifting to more cost-effective service provision (more first-trimester services with more medication abortion and using the combined regimen for medical induction in the second trimester) could result in savings of $28.1 million in the public health service over the 10-year period. Expanding public sector provision through elimination of unsafe abortions would require an additional $192.5 million. South Africa can provide more safe abortions for less money in the public sector through shifting the methods provided. More research is needed to understand whether the cost of expanding access could be offset by savings from averting costs of managing unsafe abortions. South Africa can provide more safe abortions for less money in the public sector through shifting to more first-trimester methods, including more medication abortion, and shifting to a combined mifepristone plus misoprostol regimen for second trimester medical induction. Expanding access in addition to method mix changes would require additional funds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Security Analysis and Improvements of Authentication and Access Control in the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Ndibanje, Bruce; Lee, Hoon-Jae; Lee, Sang-Gon

2014-01-01

Internet of Things is a ubiquitous concept where physical objects are connected over the internet and are provided with unique identifiers to enable their self-identification to other devices and the ability to continuously generate data and transmit it over a network. Hence, the security of the network, data and sensor devices is a paramount concern in the IoT network as it grows very fast in terms of exchanged data and interconnected sensor nodes. This paper analyses the authentication and access control method using in the Internet of Things presented by Jing et al (Authentication and Access Control in the Internet of Things. In Proceedings of the 2012 32nd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems Workshops, Macau, China, 18–21 June 2012, pp. 588–592). According to our analysis, Jing et al.'s protocol is costly in the message exchange and the security assessment is not strong enough for such a protocol. Therefore, we propose improvements to the protocol to fill the discovered weakness gaps. The protocol enhancements facilitate many services to the users such as user anonymity, mutual authentication, and secure session key establishment. Finally, the performance and security analysis show that the improved protocol possesses many advantages against popular attacks, and achieves better efficiency at low communication cost. PMID:25123464

Security analysis and improvements of authentication and access control in the Internet of Things.

PubMed

Ndibanje, Bruce; Lee, Hoon-Jae; Lee, Sang-Gon

2014-08-13

Internet of Things is a ubiquitous concept where physical objects are connected over the internet and are provided with unique identifiers to enable their self-identification to other devices and the ability to continuously generate data and transmit it over a network. Hence, the security of the network, data and sensor devices is a paramount concern in the IoT network as it grows very fast in terms of exchanged data and interconnected sensor nodes. This paper analyses the authentication and access control method using in the Internet of Things presented by Jing et al. (Authentication and Access Control in the Internet of Things. In Proceedings of the 2012 32nd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems Workshops, Macau, China, 18-21 June 2012, pp. 588-592). According to our analysis, Jing et al.'s protocol is costly in the message exchange and the security assessment is not strong enough for such a protocol. Therefore, we propose improvements to the protocol to fill the discovered weakness gaps. The protocol enhancements facilitate many services to the users such as user anonymity, mutual authentication, and secure session key establishment. Finally, the performance and security analysis show that the improved protocol possesses many advantages against popular attacks, and achieves better efficiency at low communication cost.

Expanded access to naloxone among firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians in Massachusetts.

PubMed

Davis, Corey S; Ruiz, Sarah; Glynn, Patrick; Picariello, Gerald; Walley, Alexander Y

2014-08-01

Naloxone is a medication that reverses respiratory depression from opioid overdose if given in time. Paramedics routinely administer naloxone to opioid overdose victims in the prehospital setting, and many states are moving to increase access to the medication. Several jurisdictions have expanded naloxone administration authority to nonparamedic first responders, and others are considering that step. We report here on policy change in Massachusetts, where several communities have equipped emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, and firefighters with naloxone.

47 CFR 79.109 - Activating accessibility features.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... ACCESSIBILITY OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING Apparatus § 79.109 Activating accessibility features. (a) Requirements... video programming transmitted in digital format simultaneously with sound, including apparatus designed to receive or display video programming transmitted in digital format using Internet protocol, with...

VoIP Accessibility: A Usability Study of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Systems and A Survey of VoIP Users with Vision Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Packer, Jaclyn; Reuschel, William

2018-01-01

Introduction: Accessibility of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems was tested with a hands-on usability study and an online survey of VoIP users who are visually impaired. The survey examined the importance of common VoIP features, and both methods assessed difficulty in using those features. Methods: The usability test included four paid…

Comparison of two MAC protocols based on LEO satellite networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Mingxiang; Wang, Ruichun

2009-12-01

With the development of LEO satellite communication, it is the basic requirement that various kinds of services will be provided. Considering that weak channel collision detection ability, long propagation delay and heavy load in LEO satellite communication system, a valid adaptive access control protocol APRMA is proposed. Different access probability functions for different services are obtained and appropriate access probabilities for voice and data users are updated slot by slot based on the estimation of the voice traffic and the channel status. Finally simulation results demonstrate that the performance of system is improved by the APRMA compared with the conventional PRMA, with an acceptable trade-off between QoS of voice and delay of data. Also the APRMA protocol will be suitable for HAPS (high altitude platform station) with the characters of weak channel collision detection ability, long propagation delay and heavy load.

Peer Review and Publication of Research Protocols and Proposals: A Role for Open Access Journals

PubMed Central

2004-01-01

Peer-review and publication of research protocols offer several advantages to all parties involved. Among these are the following opportunities for authors: external expert opinion on the methods, demonstration to funding agencies of prior expert review of the protocol, proof of priority of ideas and methods, and solicitation of potential collaborators. We think that review and publication of protocols is an important role for Open Access journals. Because of their electronic form, openness for readers, and author-pays business model, they are better suited than traditional journals to ensure the sustainability and quality of protocol reviews and publications. In this editorial, we describe the workflow for investigators in eHealth research, from protocol submission to a funding agency, to protocol review and (optionally) publication at JMIR, to registration of trials at the International eHealth Study Registry (IESR), and to publication of the report. One innovation at JMIR is that protocol peer reviewers will be paid a honorarium, which will be drawn partly from a new submission fee for protocol reviews. Separating the article processing fee into a submission and a publishing fee will allow authors to opt for “peer-review only” (without subsequent publication) at reduced costs, if they wish to await a funding decision or for other reasons decide not to make the protocol public. PMID:15471763

Peer-review and publication of research protocols and proposals: a role for open access journals.

PubMed

Eysenbach, Gunther

2004-09-30

Peer-review and publication of research protocols offer several advantages to all parties involved. Among these are the following opportunities for authors: external expert opinion on the methods, demonstration to funding agencies of prior expert review of the protocol, proof of priority of ideas and methods, and solicitation of potential collaborators. We think that review and publication of protocols is an important role for Open Access journals. Because of their electronic form, openness for readers, and author-pays business model, they are better suited than traditional journals to ensure the sustainability and quality of protocol reviews and publications. In this editorial, we describe the workflow for investigators in eHealth research, from protocol submission to a funding agency, to protocol review and (optionally) publication at JMIR, to registration of trials at the International eHealth Study Registry (IESR), and to publication of the report. One innovation at JMIR is that protocol peer reviewers will be paid a honorarium, which will be drawn partly from a new submission fee for protocol reviews. Separating the article processing fee into a submission and a publishing fee will allow authors to opt for "peer-review only" (without subsequent publication) at reduced costs, if they wish to await a funding decision or for other reasons decide not to make the protocol public.

Treatment of active duty military with PTSD in primary care: A follow-up report.

PubMed

Cigrang, Jeffrey A; Rauch, Sheila A M; Mintz, Jim; Brundige, Antoinette; Avila, Laura L; Bryan, Craig J; Goodie, Jeffrey L; Peterson, Alan L

2015-12-01

First-line trauma-focused therapies offered in specialty mental health clinics do not reach many veterans and active duty service members with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Primary care is an ideal environment to expand access to mental health care. Several promising clinical case series reports of brief PTSD therapies adapted for primary care have shown positive results, but the long-term effectiveness with military members is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term outcome of an open trial of a brief cognitive-behavioral primary care-delivered protocol developed specifically for deployment-related PTSD in a sample of 24 active duty military (15 men, 9 women). Measures of PTSD symptom severity showed statistically and clinically significant reductions from baseline to posttreatment that were maintained at the 6-month and 1-year follow-up assessments. Similar reductions were maintained in depressive symptoms and ratings of global mental health functioning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation of adipose derived stem cells and their induction to a chondrogenic phenotype

PubMed Central

Estes, Bradley T.; Diekman, Brian O.; Gimble, Jeffrey M.; Guilak, Farshid

2011-01-01

Summary The ability to isolate, expand, and differentiate adult stem cells into a chondrogenic lineage is an important step in the development of tissue engineering approaches for cartilage repair or regeneration for the treatment of joint injury or osteoarthritis, or for application in plastic or reconstructive surgery. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) provide an abundant and easily accessible source of adult stem cells for use in such regenerative approaches. This protocol describes the isolation of ASCs from liposuction aspirate, as well as cell culture conditions for growth factor based induction of ASCs into chondrocyte-like cells. These methods are similar to those used for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells but distinct due to the unique properties of ASCs. Investigators can expect consistent ASC differentiation, allowing for slight variation due to donor and serum lot effects. Approximately 10–12 weeks are needed for ASC isolation and the characterization of chondrocyte-like cells, which is also described. PMID:20595958

Redox-controlled potassium intercalation into two polyaromatic hydrocarbon solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, F. Denis; Pitcher, M. J.; Hiley, C. I.; Whitehead, G. F. S.; Kar, S.; Ganin, A. Y.; Antypov, D.; Collins, C.; Dyer, M. S.; Klupp, G.; Colman, R. H.; Prassides, K.; Rosseinsky, M. J.

2017-07-01

Alkali metal intercalation into polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been studied intensely after reports of superconductivity in a number of potassium- and rubidium-intercalated materials. There are, however, no reported crystal structures to inform our understanding of the chemistry and physics because of the complex reactivity of PAHs with strong reducing agents at high temperature. Here we present the synthesis of crystalline K2Pentacene and K2Picene by a solid-solid insertion protocol that uses potassium hydride as a redox-controlled reducing agent to access the PAH dianions, and so enables the determination of their crystal structures. In both cases, the inserted cations expand the parent herringbone packings by reorienting the molecular anions to create multiple potassium sites within initially dense molecular layers, and thus interact with the PAH anion π systems. The synthetic and crystal chemistry of alkali metal intercalation into PAHs differs from that into fullerenes and graphite, in which the cation sites are pre-defined by the host structure.

Expanding access to transplantation with hepatitis C-positive donors: A new perspective on an old issue.

PubMed

Kling, Catherine E; Limaye, Ajit P; Landis, Charles S; Sibulesky, Lena

2017-02-01

With the need for organs far exceeding supply, donors previously exposed to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viral infections should be considered for transplantation. Although many centers have protocols for transplanting organs from HBV core antibody-positive (HBcAb+) donors into select recipients, in the era of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), a new focus should be placed on HCV-positive donors. The transmission rate from HCV antibody-positive (HCVAb+) nucleic acid testing negative (HCV NAT-) donors is expected to be very low, and we encourage use of such organs in HCV recipients provided a normal biopsy, appropriate counseling, and careful post-transplant monitoring. While transmission of HCV from HCV NAT+ donors is universal, the success of DAA in obtaining a sustained viral response in post-transplant recipients should make the use of these organs more appealing. We herein provide information to help guide the use of organs from HCV donors. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

OpenAQ: A Platform to Aggregate and Freely Share Global Air Quality Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasenkopf, C. A.; Flasher, J. C.; Veerman, O.; DeWitt, H. L.

2015-12-01

Thousands of ground-based air quality monitors around the world publicly publish real-time air quality data; however, researchers and the public do not have access to this information in the ways most useful to them. Often, air quality data are posted on obscure websites showing only current values, are programmatically inaccessible, and/or are in inconsistent data formats across sites. Yet, historical and programmatic access to such a global dataset would be transformative to several scientific fields, from epidemiology to low-cost sensor technologies to estimates of ground-level aerosol by satellite retrievals. To increase accessibility and standardize this disparate dataset, we have built OpenAQ, an innovative, open platform created by a group of scientists and open data programmers. The source code for the platform is viewable at github.com/openaq. Currently, we are aggregating, storing, and making publicly available real-time air quality data (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3) via an Application Program Interface (API). We will present the OpenAQ platform, which currently has the following specific capabilities: A continuous ingest mechanism for some of the most polluted cities, generalizable to more sources An API providing data-querying, including ability to filter by location, measurement type and value and date, as well as custom sort options A generalized, chart-based visualization tool to explore data accessible via the API At this stage, we are seeking wider participation and input from multiple research communities in expanding our data retrieval sites, standardizing our protocols, receiving feedback on quality issues, and creating tools that can be built on top of this open platform.

A carrier sensed multiple access protocol for high data base rate ring networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Overstreet, C. Michael; Khanna, S.; Paterra, Frank

1990-01-01

The results of the study of a simple but effective media access protocol for high data rate networks are presented. The protocol is based on the fact that at high data rates networks can contain multiple messages simultaneously over their span, and that in a ring, nodes used to detect the presence of a message arriving from the immediate upstream neighbor. When an incoming signal is detected, the node must either abort or truncate a message it is presently sending. Thus, the protocol with local carrier sensing and multiple access is designated CSMA/RN. The performance of CSMA/RN with TTattempt and truncate is studied using analytic and simulation models. Three performance factors, wait or access time, service time and response or end-to-end travel time are presented. The service time is basically a function of the network rate, it changes by a factor of 1 between no load and full load. Wait time, which is zero for no load, remains small for load factors up to 70 percent of full load. Response time, which adds travel time while on the network to wait and service time, is mainly a function of network length, especially for longer distance networks. Simulation results are shown for CSMA/RN where messages are removed at the destination. A wide range of local and metropolitan area network parameters including variations in message size, network length, and node count are studied. Finally, a scaling factor based upon the ratio of message to network length demonstrates that the results, and hence, the CSMA/RN protocol, are applicable to wide area networks.

Adams National Historical Park expanded transit service evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

In 2005 and 2006, Adams National Historical Park piloted expanded shuttle service, with the aim of promoting car-free access for its visitors. This report evaluates the 2006 season of operation. Adams National Historical Park (NHP) is located approxi...

Access to Higher Education in Egypt: Examining Trends by University Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckner, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Access to higher education in Egypt is expanding in both the public and private sectors. Using a nationally representative sample from the Survey of Young People in Egypt, this article is able to disaggregate patterns of access by both demographic group and university sector. Findings suggest that access in the public sector is governed strongly…

Review and publication of protocol submissions to Trials - what have we learned in 10 years?

PubMed

Li, Tianjing; Boutron, Isabelle; Al-Shahi Salman, Rustam; Cobo, Erik; Flemyng, Ella; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Altman, Douglas G

2016-12-16

Trials has 10 years of experience in providing open access publication of protocols for randomised controlled trials. In this editorial, the senior editors and editors-in-chief of Trials discuss editorial issues regarding managing trial protocol submissions, including the content and format of the protocol, timing of submission, approaches to tracking protocol amendments, and the purpose of peer reviewing a protocol submission. With the clarification and guidance provided, we hope we can make the process of publishing trial protocols more efficient and useful to trial investigators and readers.

O How Wondrous Is E-Mail!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Larry

1998-01-01

Addresses the use of e-mail for communication and collaborative projects in schools. Discusses the effectiveness of an e-mail system based on a UNIX host; problems with POP (post office protocol) client programs; and the new Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) which addresses most of the shortcomings of the POP protocol while keeping advantages…

Energy Efficient Medium Access Control Protocol for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks with Adaptive Cross-Layer Scheduling.

PubMed

Sefuba, Maria; Walingo, Tom; Takawira, Fambirai

2015-09-18

This paper presents an Energy Efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for clustered wireless sensor networks that aims to improve energy efficiency and delay performance. The proposed protocol employs an adaptive cross-layer intra-cluster scheduling and an inter-cluster relay selection diversity. The scheduling is based on available data packets and remaining energy level of the source node (SN). This helps to minimize idle listening on nodes without data to transmit as well as reducing control packet overhead. The relay selection diversity is carried out between clusters, by the cluster head (CH), and the base station (BS). The diversity helps to improve network reliability and prolong the network lifetime. Relay selection is determined based on the communication distance, the remaining energy and the channel quality indicator (CQI) for the relay cluster head (RCH). An analytical framework for energy consumption and transmission delay for the proposed MAC protocol is presented in this work. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated based on transmission delay, energy consumption, and network lifetime. The results obtained indicate that the proposed MAC protocol provides improved performance than traditional cluster based MAC protocols.

Energy Efficient Medium Access Control Protocol for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks with Adaptive Cross-Layer Scheduling

PubMed Central

Sefuba, Maria; Walingo, Tom; Takawira, Fambirai

2015-01-01

This paper presents an Energy Efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for clustered wireless sensor networks that aims to improve energy efficiency and delay performance. The proposed protocol employs an adaptive cross-layer intra-cluster scheduling and an inter-cluster relay selection diversity. The scheduling is based on available data packets and remaining energy level of the source node (SN). This helps to minimize idle listening on nodes without data to transmit as well as reducing control packet overhead. The relay selection diversity is carried out between clusters, by the cluster head (CH), and the base station (BS). The diversity helps to improve network reliability and prolong the network lifetime. Relay selection is determined based on the communication distance, the remaining energy and the channel quality indicator (CQI) for the relay cluster head (RCH). An analytical framework for energy consumption and transmission delay for the proposed MAC protocol is presented in this work. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated based on transmission delay, energy consumption, and network lifetime. The results obtained indicate that the proposed MAC protocol provides improved performance than traditional cluster based MAC protocols. PMID:26393608

Zero-Copy Objects System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burleigh, Scott C.

2011-01-01

Zero-Copy Objects System software enables application data to be encapsulated in layers of communication protocol without being copied. Indirect referencing enables application source data, either in memory or in a file, to be encapsulated in place within an unlimited number of protocol headers and/or trailers. Zero-copy objects (ZCOs) are abstract data access representations designed to minimize I/O (input/output) in the encapsulation of application source data within one or more layers of communication protocol structure. They are constructed within the heap space of a Simple Data Recorder (SDR) data store to which all participating layers of the stack must have access. Each ZCO contains general information enabling access to the core source data object (an item of application data), together with (a) a linked list of zero or more specific extents that reference portions of this source data object, and (b) linked lists of protocol header and trailer capsules. The concatenation of the headers (in ascending stack sequence), the source data object extents, and the trailers (in descending stack sequence) constitute the transmitted data object constructed from the ZCO. This scheme enables a source data object to be encapsulated in a succession of protocol layers without ever having to be copied from a buffer at one layer of the protocol stack to an encapsulating buffer at a lower layer of the stack. For large source data objects, the savings in copy time and reduction in memory consumption may be considerable.

Policies to Spur Energy Access. Executive Summary; Volume 1, Engaging the Private Sector in Expanding Access to Electricity; Volume 2, Case Studies to Public-Private Models to Finance Decentralized Electricity Access

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

Walters, Terri; Rai, Neha; Esterly, Sean

Government policy is one of the most important factors in engaging the private sector in providing universal access to electricity. In particular, the private sector is well positioned to provide decentralized electricity products and services. While policy uncertainty and regulatory barriers can keep enterprises and investors from engaging in the market, targeted policies can create opportunities to leverage private investment and skills to expand electricity access. However, creating a sustainable market requires policies beyond traditional electricity regulation. The report reviews the range of policy issues that impact the development and expansion of a market for decentralized electricity services from establishingmore » an enabling policy environment to catalyzing finance, building human capacity, and integrating energy access with development programs. The case studies in this report show that robust policy frameworks--addressing a wide range of market issues--can lead to rapid transformation in energy access. The report highlights examples of these policies in action Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mali, Mexico, and Nepal.« less

Quantum Tomography Protocols with Positivity are Compressed Sensing Protocols (Open Access)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-08

ARTICLE OPEN Quantum tomography protocols with positivity are compressed sensing protocols Amir Kalev1, Robert L Kosut2 and Ivan H Deutsch1...Characterising complex quantum systems is a vital task in quantum information science. Quantum tomography, the standard tool used for this purpose, uses a well...designed measurement record to reconstruct quantum states and processes. It is, however, notoriously inefficient. Recently, the classical signal

A balloon-expandable sheath facilitates transfemoral TAVR in patients with peripheral vascular disease and tortuosity.

PubMed

Goldsweig, Andrew M; Faheem, Osman; Cleman, Michael W; Forrest, John K

2015-06-01

We sought to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) via the transfemoral approach in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. For patients with increased surgical risk, TAVR is associated with a higher 1-year survival rate than surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Transfemoral vascular access for TAVR results in superior outcomes versus procedures performed via other routes in terms of mortality, morbidity and healthcare economics. In many patients, the ability to safely perform the procedure via the transfemoral approach is limited by narrow, diseased and tortuous ileofemoral vasculature. We employed the SoloPath Balloon Expandable TransFemoral Access System (Terumo Med. Corp., Tokyo, Japan) to perform transfemoral TAVR in five patients with PAD, small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. We report our experience using this balloon-expandable sheath during 5 cases of transfemoral TAVR in patients with inhospitable ileofemoral vasculature of mean diameter ⩽ 5.8 mm. The unexpanded sheath's malleable structure and hydrophilic coating permitted deployment despite severe stenoses and tortuosity. Subsequent inflation to 18 Fr facilitated successful TAVR. Postprocedural angiography demonstrated no significant vascular access complications. In one case, the entire procedure was performed percutaneously, without common femoral artery surgical cutdown. The SoloPath sheath system permits transfemoral TAVR in patients with PAD small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. The transfemoral balloon-expandable sheath allowed these patients to avoid the increased morbidity and mortality risks associated with direct aortic or transapical access. © The Author(s), 2015.

47 CFR 9.7 - Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. 9.7 Section 9.7 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL INTERCONNECTED VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES § 9.7 Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. (a) Access. Subject to the...

47 CFR 9.7 - Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. 9.7 Section 9.7 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL INTERCONNECTED VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES § 9.7 Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. (a) Access. Subject to the...

47 CFR 9.7 - Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. 9.7 Section 9.7 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL INTERCONNECTED VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES § 9.7 Access to 911 and E911 service capabilities. (a) Access. Subject to the...

Guidelines for Outsourcing Remote Access.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassler, Ardoth; Neuman, Michael

1996-01-01

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing remote access to campus computer networks and the Internet, focusing on improved service, cost-sharing, partnerships with vendors, supported protocols, bandwidth, scope of access, implementation, support, network security, and pricing. Includes a checklist for a request for proposals on…

Implementation of a written protocol for management of central venous access devices: a theoretical and practical education, including bedside examinations.

PubMed

Ahlin, Catharina; Klang-Söderkvist, Birgitta; Brundin, Seija; Hellström, Birgitta; Pettersson, Karin; Johansson, Eva

2006-01-01

The objectives of this study were to evaluate registered nurses' (RN) compliance with a local clinical central venous access device (CVAD) protocol after completing an educational program and to determine RNs' perception of the program. Seventy-five RNs working in hematology participated in the educational part of the program. Sixty-eight RNs were examined while changing CVAD dressings or placing a Huber needle into a port on actual patients. Sixty percent of the RNs passed the examination and reported that the program increased their knowledge. The results indicated that the educational program could be recommended for use when implementing a new clinical protocol.

Enhancing Access to Information: Designing Catalogs for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyckoson, David A., Ed.

This book addresses the problem of when a library has limited catalog access, and explores various technological methods to expand the catalog beyond its traditional boundaries. Fourteen chapters describe catalog projects in individual libraries: (1) "Enhancing Access to Information: Building Catalogs for the Future" (David A. Tyckoson);…

Thoughts on Access, Differentiation, and Implementation of a Multicultural Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavilla, Derek

2014-01-01

Identification of gifted students from diverse and underserved communities is traditionally low; however, there are ways to expand identification methods in order to make access to gifted education programs more equitable. Creation and implementation of multi-faceted and multi-dimensional assessments as well as tiered access into gifted education…

Higher Education: In Search of Access and Scholarship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, David A.

This report presents a brief historical review of how American higher education has attempted to develop potential by adhering to the foundations of its educational mission: access and scholarship. Higher education has accomplished its mission by expanding in areas such as diversity in enrollment and educational legislation to provide access to…

Adult Intraosseous Access by Advanced EMTs: A Statewide Non-Inferiority Study.

PubMed

Wolfson, Daniel L; Tandoh, Margaret A; Jindal, Mohit; Forgione, Patrick M; Harder, Valerie S

2017-01-01

Intraosseous (IO) access is increasingly being used as an alternative to peripheral intravenous access, which is often difficult or impossible to establish in critically ill patients in the prehospital setting. Until recently, only Paramedics performed adult IO access. In 2014, Vermont Emergency Medical Services (EMS) expanded the Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs) scope of practice to include IO access in adult patients. This study compares successful IO access in adults performed by AEMTs compared to Paramedics in the prehospital setting. All Vermont EMS patient encounters between January 1, 2013 and November 30, 2015 were examined, and 543 adult patients with a documented IO access insertion attempt were identified. The proportion of successful IO insertions was compared between AEMTs and Paramedics using a Chi-Squared statistic and a non-inferiority test. There was no significant difference in the percentage of successful IO access between AEMTs and Paramedics [95.2% and 95.6%, respectively; P = 0.84]. The confidence interval around this 0.4% difference (95% confidence interval = -4.2, 3.2) was within a pre-specified delta of ±10% indicating non-inferiority of AEMTs compared to Paramedics. This study's finding that successful IO access was not different among AEMTs and Paramedics lends evidence in support of expanding the scope of practice of AEMTs to include establishing IO access in adults.

Bearer channel control protocol for the dynamic VB5.2 interface in ATM access networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fragoulopoulos, Stratos K.; Mavrommatis, K. I.; Venieris, Iakovos S.

1996-12-01

In the multi-vendor systems, a customer connected to an Access network (AN) must be capable of selecting a specific Service Node (SN) according to the services the SN provides. The multiplicity of technologically varying AN calls for the definition of a standard reference point between the AN and the SN widely known as the VB interface. Two versions are currently offered. The VB5.1 is simpler to implement but is not as flexible as the VB5.2, which supports switched connections. The VB5.2 functionality is closely coupled to the Broadband Bearer Channel Connection Protocol (B-BCCP). The B-BCCP is used for conveying the necessary information for dynamic resource allocation, traffic policing and routing in the AN as well as for information exchange concerning the status of the AN before a new call is established by the SN. By relying on such a protocol for the exchange of information instead of intercepting and interpreting signalling messages in the AN, the architecture of the AN is simplified because the functionality related to processing is not duplicated. In this paper a prominent B- BCCP candidate is defined, called the Service node Access network Interaction Protocol.

The deployment of a large scale object store at the RAL Tier-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewhurst, A.; Johnson, I.; Adams, J.; Canning, B.; Vasilakakos, G.; Packer, A.

2017-10-01

Since 2014, the RAL Tier-1 has been working on deploying a Ceph backed object store. The aim is to replace Castor for disk-only storage. This new service must be scalable to meet the data demands of the LHC to 2020 and beyond. As well as offering access protocols the LHC experiments currently use, it must also provide industry standard access protocols. In order to keep costs down the service must use erasure coding rather than replication to ensure data reliability. This paper will present details of the storage service setup, which has been named Echo, as well as the experience gained from running it. The RAL Tier-1 has also been developing XrootD and GridFTP plugins for Ceph. Both plugins are built on top of the same libraries that write striped data into Ceph and therefore data written by one protocol will be accessible by the other. In the long term we hope the LHC experiments will migrate to industry standard protocols, therefore these plugins will only provide the features needed by the LHC experiments. This paper will report on the development and testing of these plugins.

Increasing the Accessibility of Science for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langley-Turnbaugh, S. J.; Wilson, G.; Lovewell, L.

2009-01-01

This paper evaluates the accessibility of selected field and laboratory high school science activities, and provides suggestions for increasing accessibility for students with disabilities. We focused on GLOBE (Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment) protocols, specifically the new Seasons and Biomes investigation currently being…

Ten good reasons to practice ultrasound in critical care.

PubMed

Lichtenstein, Daniel; van Hooland, Simon; Elbers, Paul; Malbrain, Manu L N G

2014-01-01

Over the past decade, critical care ultrasound has gained its place in the armamentarium of monitoring tools. A greater understanding of lung, abdominal, and vascular ultrasound plus easier access to portable machines have revolutionised the bedside assessment of our ICU patients. Because ultrasound is not only a diagnostic test, but can also be seen as a component of the physical exam, it has the potential to become the stethoscope of the 21st century. Critical care ultrasound is a combination of simple protocols, with lung ultrasound being a basic application, allowing assessment of urgent diagnoses in combination with therapeutic decisions. The LUCI (Lung Ultrasound in the Critically Ill) consists of the identification of ten signs: the bat sign (pleural line); lung sliding (seashore sign); the A-lines (horizontal artefact); the quad sign and sinusoid sign indicating pleural effusion; the fractal and tissue-like sign indicating lung consolidation; the B-lines and lung rockets indicating interstitial syndromes; abolished lung sliding with the stratosphere sign suggesting pneumothorax; and the lung point indicating pneumothorax. Two more signs, the lung pulse and the dynamic air bronchogram, are used to distinguish atelectasis from pneumonia. The BLUE protocol (Bedside Lung Ultrasound in Emergency) is a fast protocol (< 3 minutes), also including a vascular (venous) analysis allowing differential diagnosis in patients with acute respiratory failure. With this protocol, it becomes possible to differentiate between pulmonary oedema, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and pneumothorax, each showing specific ultrasound patterns and profiles. The FALLS protocol (Fluid Administration Limited by Lung Sonography) adapts the BLUE protocol to be used in patients with acute circulatory failure. It makes a sequential search for obstructive, cardiogenic, hypovolemic, and distributive shock using simple real-time echocardiography in combination with lung ultrasound, with the appearance of B-lines considered to be the endpoint for fluid therapy. An advantage of lung ultrasound is that the patient is not exposed to radiation, and so the LUCI-FLR project (LUCI favouring limitation of radiation) can be unfolded in trauma patients. Although it has been practiced for 25 years, critical care ultrasound is a relatively young but expanding discipline and can be seen as the stethoscope of the modern intensivist. In this review, the usefulness and advantages of ultrasound in the critical care setting are discussed in ten points. The emphasis is on a holistic approach, with a central role for lung ultrasound.

Traffic placement policies for a multi-band network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maly, Kurt J.; Foudriat, E. C.; Game, David; Mukkamala, R.; Overstreet, C. Michael

1990-01-01

Recently protocols were introduced that enable the integration of synchronous traffic (voice or video) and asynchronous traffic (data) and extend the size of local area networks without loss in speed or capacity. One of these is DRAMA, a multiband protocol based on broadband technology. It provides dynamic allocation of bandwidth among clusters of nodes in the total network. A number of traffic placement policies for such networks are proposed and evaluated. Metrics used for performance evaluation include average network access delay, degree of fairness of access among the nodes, and network throughput. The feasibility of the DRAMA protocol is established through simulation studies. DRAMA provides effective integration of synchronous and asychronous traffic due to its ability to separate traffic types. Under the suggested traffic placement policies, the DRAMA protocol is shown to handle diverse loads, mixes of traffic types, and numbers of nodes, as well as modifications to the network structure and momentary traffic overloads.

A MAC Protocol for Medical Monitoring Applications of Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Shu, Minglei; Yuan, Dongfeng; Zhang, Chongqing; Wang, Yinglong; Chen, Changfang

2015-01-01

Targeting the medical monitoring applications of wireless body area networks (WBANs), a hybrid medium access control protocol using an interrupt mechanism (I-MAC) is proposed to improve the energy and time slot utilization efficiency and to meet the data delivery delay requirement at the same time. Unlike existing hybrid MAC protocols, a superframe structure with a longer length is adopted to avoid unnecessary beacons. The time slots are mostly allocated to nodes with periodic data sources. Short interruption slots are inserted into the superframe to convey the urgent data and to guarantee the real-time requirements of these data. During these interruption slots, the coordinator can break the running superframe and start a new superframe. A contention access period (CAP) is only activated when there are more data that need to be delivered. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed MAC protocol in WBANs with low urgent traffic. PMID:26046596

Agreements between Industry and Academia on Publication Rights: A Retrospective Study of Protocols and Publications of Randomized Clinical Trials.

PubMed

Kasenda, Benjamin; von Elm, Erik; You, John J; Blümle, Anette; Tomonaga, Yuki; Saccilotto, Ramon; Amstutz, Alain; Bengough, Theresa; Meerpohl, Joerg J; Stegert, Mihaela; Olu, Kelechi K; Tikkinen, Kari A O; Neumann, Ignacio; Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Faulhaber, Markus; Mulla, Sohail M; Mertz, Dominik; Akl, Elie A; Bassler, Dirk; Busse, Jason W; Ferreira-González, Ignacio; Lamontagne, Francois; Nordmann, Alain; Gloy, Viktoria; Raatz, Heike; Moja, Lorenzo; Ebrahim, Shanil; Schandelmaier, Stefan; Sun, Xin; Vandvik, Per O; Johnston, Bradley C; Walter, Martin A; Burnand, Bernard; Schwenkglenks, Matthias; Hemkens, Lars G; Bucher, Heiner C; Guyatt, Gordon H; Briel, Matthias

2016-06-01

Little is known about publication agreements between industry and academic investigators in trial protocols and the consistency of these agreements with corresponding statements in publications. We aimed to investigate (i) the existence and types of publication agreements in trial protocols, (ii) the completeness and consistency of the reporting of these agreements in subsequent publications, and (iii) the frequency of co-authorship by industry employees. We used a retrospective cohort of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) based on archived protocols approved by six research ethics committees between 13 January 2000 and 25 November 2003. Only RCTs with industry involvement were eligible. We investigated the documentation of publication agreements in RCT protocols and statements in corresponding journal publications. Of 647 eligible RCT protocols, 456 (70.5%) mentioned an agreement regarding publication of results. Of these 456, 393 (86.2%) documented an industry partner's right to disapprove or at least review proposed manuscripts; 39 (8.6%) agreements were without constraints of publication. The remaining 24 (5.3%) protocols referred to separate agreement documents not accessible to us. Of those 432 protocols with an accessible publication agreement, 268 (62.0%) trials were published. Most agreements documented in the protocol were not reported in the subsequent publication (197/268 [73.5%]). Of 71 agreements reported in publications, 52 (73.2%) were concordant with those documented in the protocol. In 14 of 37 (37.8%) publications in which statements suggested unrestricted publication rights, at least one co-author was an industry employee. In 25 protocol-publication pairs, author statements in publications suggested no constraints, but 18 corresponding protocols documented restricting agreements. Publication agreements constraining academic authors' independence are common. Journal articles seldom report on publication agreements, and, if they do, statements can be discrepant with the trial protocol.

A protocol for combined Photinus and Renilla luciferase quantification compatible with protein assays.

PubMed

Hampf, Mathias; Gossen, Manfred

2006-09-01

We established a quantitative reporter gene protocol, the P/Rluc assay system, allowing the sequential measurement of Photinus and Renilla luciferase activities from the same extract. Other than comparable commercial reporter assay systems and their noncommercial counterparts, the P/Rluc assay system was formulated under the aspect of full compatibility with standard methods for protein assays. This feature greatly expands the range of applications for assay systems quantifying the expression of multiple luciferase reporters.

PANATIKI: A Network Access Control Implementation Based on PANA for IoT Devices

PubMed Central

Sanchez, Pedro Moreno; Lopez, Rafa Marin; Gomez Skarmeta, Antonio F.

2013-01-01

Internet of Things (IoT) networks are the pillar of recent novel scenarios, such as smart cities or e-healthcare applications. Among other challenges, these networks cover the deployment and interaction of small devices with constrained capabilities and Internet protocol (IP)-based networking connectivity. These constrained devices usually require connection to the Internet to exchange information (e.g., management or sensing data) or access network services. However, only authenticated and authorized devices can, in general, establish this connection. The so-called authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services are in charge of performing these tasks on the Internet. Thus, it is necessary to deploy protocols that allow constrained devices to verify their credentials against AAA infrastructures. The Protocol for Carrying Authentication for Network Access (PANA) has been standardized by the Internet engineering task force (IETF) to carry the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), which provides flexible authentication upon the presence of AAA. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first deep study of the feasibility of EAP/PANA for network access control in constrained devices. We provide light-weight versions and implementations of these protocols to fit them into constrained devices. These versions have been designed to reduce the impact in standard specifications. The goal of this work is two-fold: (1) to demonstrate the feasibility of EAP/PANA in IoT devices; (2) to provide the scientific community with the first light-weight interoperable implementation of EAP/PANA for constrained devices in the Contiki operating system (Contiki OS), called PANATIKI. The paper also shows a testbed, simulations and experimental results obtained from real and simulated constrained devices. PMID:24189332

PANATIKI: a network access control implementation based on PANA for IoT devices.

PubMed

Moreno Sanchez, Pedro; Marin Lopez, Rafa; Gomez Skarmeta, Antonio F

2013-11-01

Internet of Things (IoT) networks are the pillar of recent novel scenarios, such as smart cities or e-healthcare applications. Among other challenges, these networks cover the deployment and interaction of small devices with constrained capabilities and Internet protocol (IP)-based networking connectivity. These constrained devices usually require connection to the Internet to exchange information (e.g., management or sensing data) or access network services. However, only authenticated and authorized devices can, in general, establish this connection. The so-called authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services are in charge of performing these tasks on the Internet. Thus, it is necessary to deploy protocols that allow constrained devices to verify their credentials against AAA infrastructures. The Protocol for Carrying Authentication for Network Access (PANA) has been standardized by the Internet engineering task force (IETF) to carry the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), which provides flexible authentication upon the presence of AAA. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first deep study of the feasibility of EAP/PANA for network access control in constrained devices. We provide light-weight versions and implementations of these protocols to fit them into constrained devices. These versions have been designed to reduce the impact in standard specifications. The goal of this work is two-fold: (1) to demonstrate the feasibility of EAP/PANA in IoT devices; (2) to provide the scientific community with the first light-weight interoperable implementation of EAP/PANA for constrained devices in the Contiki operating system (Contiki OS), called PANATIKI. The paper also shows a testbed, simulations and experimental results obtained from real and simulated constrained devices.

Solar in Your Community Challenge Fact Sheet

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

None

The SunShot Prize: Solar in Your Community Challenge is a $5 million prize competition funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar electricity access to low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and community organizations that haven’t been able to take advantage of the booming solar market. Because of rooftop limitations, lack of a strong credit history, or inability to utilize tax incentives, over 50% of Americans don’t have access to solar electricity. Offering $5 million in cash prizes and technical assistance over 18 months, the challenge supports teams across the country as they develop and demonstratemore » replicable projects or programs that expand solar access to underserved groups.« less

Higher Education In Michigan: Overcoming Challenges to Expand Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Alisa F.; Erisman, Wendy; Looney, Shannon E.

2008-01-01

This report examines access to higher education in underserved regions of Michigan. This study focuses on specific concerns about postsecondary education access in three geographically diverse areas of the state: suburban Macomb County; the city of Saginaw; and six rural counties in the northeastern Lower Peninsula. The report provides a summary…

Beyond the Yellow Bus: Promising Practices for Maximizing Access to Opportunity through Innovations in Student Transportation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Jeffrey M.; Makarewicz, Carrie; Miller, Ruth; Ehrman, Julia; McKoy, Deborah L.

2014-01-01

Access to safe, affordable, and convenient transportation shapes the 'geography of opportunity' for many children and youth. This study looks at how ?localities acrossthe country are implementing new and innovative alternative approaches to student transportation that expand regionaltransportation access for K-12 students, improve…

Technology for People, Not Disabilities: Ensuring Access and Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Alan; Ferri, Beth A.

2012-01-01

The potential of technology to connect people and provide access to education, commerce, employment and entertainment has never been greater or more rapidly changing. Communication technologies and new media promise to "revolutionize our lives" by breaking down barriers and expanding access for disabled people. Yet, it is also true that technology…

Gaining Access or Losing Ground? Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students in Undergraduate Engineering, 1994-2003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundy-Wagner, Valerie C.; Veenstra, Cindy P.; Orr, Marisa K.; Ramirez, Nichole M.; Ohland, Matthew W.; Long, Russell A.

2014-01-01

Expanding access to engineering for underrepresented groups has by and large focused on ethnicity/race and gender, with little understanding of socioeconomic disadvantages. In this study, we use economic, human, and cultural capital theories to frame and then describe access to undergraduate engineering degree programs and bachelor's degrees.…

Using Internet Audio to Enhance Online Accessibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Linda Matula

2004-01-01

Accessibility to online education programs is an important factor that requires continued research, improvement, and regulation. Particularly valuable in the enhancement of online accessibility is the Voice-over Internet Protocol (VOIP) medium. VOIP compresses analog voice data and converts it into digital packets for transmission over the…

Improving access to emergency contraception under the Scottish Sexual Health Strategy: can rates of unintended pregnancy be reduced?

PubMed

McGowan, James G

2013-09-01

Unintended pregnancy is a global sexual health problem. Outcomes of unintended pregnancy include unwanted childbirth and abortion, which may be associated with negative physical and psychosocial health implications for women. In Scotland, the Scottish Sexual Health Strategy has the stated goal of improving the sexual health of the people of Scotland. One aim of the Strategy is to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy and one policy designed to achieve this is 'widening access to emergency contraception'. This paper examines the success of this policy with reference to the implicit link it makes between expanding access to emergency contraception and increasing its effective use, aiming thereby to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy. Since there is evidence that previous policies and strategies expanding access to emergency contraception have failed to reduce such rates, alternative approaches to achieve a reduction in unintended pregnancies are discussed.

Smartphones in nursing education.

PubMed

Phillippi, Julia C; Wyatt, Tami H

2011-08-01

Smartphones are a new technology similar to PDAs but with expanded functions and greater Internet access. This article explores the potential uses and issues surrounding the use of smartphones in nursing education. While the functions of smartphones, such as sending text messages, viewing videos, and access to the Internet, may seem purely recreational, they can be used within the nursing curriculum to engage students and reinforce learning at any time or location. Smartphones can be used for quick access to educational materials and guidelines during clinical, class, or clinical conference. Students can review instructional videos prior to performing skills and readily reach their clinical instructor via text message. Downloadable applications, subscriptions, and reference materials expand the smartphone functions even further. Common concerns about requiring smartphones in nursing education include cost, disease transmission, and equipment interference; however, there are many ways to overcome these barriers and provide students with constant access to current clinical evidence.

Similarity searching and scaffold hopping in synthetically accessible combinatorial chemistry spaces.

PubMed

Boehm, Markus; Wu, Tong-Ying; Claussen, Holger; Lemmen, Christian

2008-04-24

Large collections of combinatorial libraries are an integral element in today's pharmaceutical industry. It is of great interest to perform similarity searches against all virtual compounds that are synthetically accessible by any such library. Here we describe the successful application of a new software tool CoLibri on 358 combinatorial libraries based on validated reaction protocols to create a single chemistry space containing over 10 (12) possible products. Similarity searching with FTrees-FS allows the systematic exploration of this space without the need to enumerate all product structures. The search result is a set of virtual hits which are synthetically accessible by one or more of the existing reaction protocols. Grouping these virtual hits by their synthetic protocols allows the rapid design and synthesis of multiple follow-up libraries. Such library ideas support hit-to-lead design efforts for tasks like follow-up from high-throughput screening hits or scaffold hopping from one hit to another attractive series.

Geospatial Brokering - Challenges and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, C. E.

2012-12-01

An important feature of many brokers is to facilitate straightforward human access to scientific data while maintaining programmatic access to it for system solutions. Standards-based protocols are critical for this, and there are a number of protocols to choose from. In this discussion, we will present a web application solution that leverages certain protocols - e.g., OGC CSW, REST, and OpenSearch - to provide programmatic as well as human access to geospatial resources. We will also discuss managing resources to reduce duplication yet increase discoverability, federated search solutions, and architectures that combine human-friendly interfaces with powerful underlying data management. The changing requirements witnessed in brokering solutions over time, our recent experience participating in the EarthCube brokering hack-a-thon, and evolving interoperability standards provide insight to future technological and philosophical directions planned for geospatial broker solutions. There has been much change over the past decade, but with the unprecedented data collaboration of recent years, in many ways the challenges and opportunities are just beginning.

Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Assessment in Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review of Guidance for Trial Protocol Writers

PubMed Central

Calvert, Melanie; Kyte, Derek; Duffy, Helen; Gheorghe, Adrian; Mercieca-Bebber, Rebecca; Ives, Jonathan; Draper, Heather; Brundage, Michael; Blazeby, Jane; King, Madeleine

2014-01-01

Background Evidence suggests there are inconsistencies in patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessment and reporting in clinical trials, which may limit the use of these data to inform patient care. For trials with a PRO endpoint, routine inclusion of key PRO information in the protocol may help improve trial conduct and the reporting and appraisal of PRO results; however, it is currently unclear exactly what PRO-specific information should be included. The aim of this review was to summarize the current PRO-specific guidance for clinical trial protocol developers. Methods and Findings We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL and Cochrane Library databases (inception to February 2013) for PRO-specific guidance regarding trial protocol development. Further guidance documents were identified via Google, Google scholar, requests to members of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration registered clinical trials units and international experts. Two independent investigators undertook title/abstract screening, full text review and data extraction, with a third involved in the event of disagreement. 21,175 citations were screened and 54 met the inclusion criteria. Guidance documents were difficult to access: electronic database searches identified just 8 documents, with the remaining 46 sourced elsewhere (5 from citation tracking, 27 from hand searching, 7 from the grey literature review and 7 from experts). 162 unique PRO-specific protocol recommendations were extracted from included documents. A further 10 PRO recommendations were identified relating to supporting trial documentation. Only 5/162 (3%) recommendations appeared in ≥50% of guidance documents reviewed, indicating a lack of consistency. Conclusions PRO-specific protocol guidelines were difficult to access, lacked consistency and may be challenging to implement in practice. There is a need to develop easily accessible consensus-driven PRO protocol guidance. Guidance should be aimed at ensuring key PRO information is routinely included in appropriate trial protocols, in order to facilitate rigorous collection/reporting of PRO data, to effectively inform patient care. PMID:25333995

Strategies for Optimal MAC Parameters Tuning in IEEE 802.15.6 Wearable Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Alam, Muhammad Mahtab; Ben Hamida, Elyes

2015-09-01

Wireless body area networks (WBAN) has penetrated immensely in revolutionizing the classical heath-care system. Recently, number of WBAN applications has emerged which introduce potential limits to existing solutions. In particular, IEEE 802.15.6 standard has provided great flexibility, provisions and capabilities to deal emerging applications. In this paper, we investigate the application-specific throughput analysis by fine-tuning the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) parameters of the IEEE 802.15.6 standard. Based on PHY characterizations in narrow band, at the MAC layer, carrier sense multiple access collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) and scheduled access protocols are extensively analyzed. It is concluded that, IEEE 802.15.6 standard can satisfy most of the WBANs applications throughput requirements by maximum achieving 680 Kbps. However, those emerging applications which require high quality audio or video transmissions, standard is not able to meet their constraints. Moreover, delay, energy efficiency and successful packet reception are considered as key performance metrics for comparing the MAC protocols. CSMA/CA protocol provides the best results to meet the delay constraints of medical and non-medical WBAN applications. Whereas, the scheduled access approach, performs very well both in energy efficiency and packet reception ratio.

Internet and Intranet Use with a PC: Effects of Adapter Cards, Windows Versions and TCP/IP Software on Networking Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nieuwenhuysen, Paul

1997-01-01

Explores data transfer speeds obtained with various combinations of hardware and software components through a study of access to the Internet from a notebook computer connected to a local area network based on Ethernet and TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) network protocols. Upgrading is recommended for higher transfer…

Applications of Multi-Channel Safety Authentication Protocols in Wireless Networks.

PubMed

Chen, Young-Long; Liau, Ren-Hau; Chang, Liang-Yu

2016-01-01

People can use their web browser or mobile devices to access web services and applications which are built into these servers. Users have to input their identity and password to login the server. The identity and password may be appropriated by hackers when the network environment is not safe. The multiple secure authentication protocol can improve the security of the network environment. Mobile devices can be used to pass the authentication messages through Wi-Fi or 3G networks to serve as a second communication channel. The content of the message number is not considered in a multiple secure authentication protocol. The more excessive transmission of messages would be easier to collect and decode by hackers. In this paper, we propose two schemes which allow the server to validate the user and reduce the number of messages using the XOR operation. Our schemes can improve the security of the authentication protocol. The experimental results show that our proposed authentication protocols are more secure and effective. In regard to applications of second authentication communication channels for a smart access control system, identity identification and E-wallet, our proposed authentication protocols can ensure the safety of person and property, and achieve more effective security management mechanisms.

Human Parainfluenza Virus-3 can be Targeted by Rapidly ex vivo Expanded T-Lymphocytes

PubMed Central

McLaughlin, Lauren P.; Lang, Haili; Williams, Elizabeth; Wright, Kaylor E.; Powell, Allison; Cruz, Conrad R; Colberg-Poley, Anamaris M.; Barese, Cecilia; Hanley, Patrick J.; Bollard, Catherine M.; Keller, Michael D.

2016-01-01

Background Human Parainfluenza virus-3 (HPIV) is a common cause of respiratory infection in immunocompromised patients, and presently has no effective therapies. Virus-specific T-cell therapy has been successful for the treatment or prevention of viral infections in immunocompromised patients, but requires determination of T-cell antigens on targeted viruses. Methods HPIV3-specific T cells were expanded from peripheral blood of healthy donors using a rapid generation protocol targeting four HPIV3 proteins. Immunophenotyping was performed by flow cytometry. Viral specificity was determined by IFN-γ ELISpot, intracellular cytokine staining, and cytokine measurements from culture supernatants by Luminex assay. Cytotoxic activity was tested by 51Cr release and CD107a mobilization assays. Virus-specific T-cells targeting 6 viruses were then produced by rapid protocol, and the phenotype of HPIV3-specific T-cells was determined by immunomagnetic sorting for IFN-γ producing cells. Results HPIV3-specific T cells were expanded from 13 healthy donors. HPIV3-specific T-cells showed a CD4+ predominance (mean CD4:CD8 ratio 2.89), and demonstrated specificity for multiple HPIV3 antigens. The expanded T-cells were polyfunctional based on cytokine production, but only had a minor cytotoxic component. T cells targeting six viruses in a single product similarly showed HPIV3 specificity, with a predominant effector memory phenotype (CD3+/CD45RA-/CCR7-) in responder cells. Discussion HPIV3-specific T cells can be produced using a rapid ex vivo protocol from healthy donors and are predominantly CD4+ T-cells with Th1 activity. HPIV3 epitopes can also be successfully targeted alongside multiple other viral epitopes in production of 6-virus T-cells, without loss of HPIV3 specificity. These products may be clinically beneficial to combat HPIV3 infections by adoptive T-cell therapy in immune compromised patients. PMID:27692559

21 CFR 1311.130 - Requirements for establishing logical access control-Institutional practitioner.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... practitioner's hard token or any other authentication factor required by the practitioner's two-factor authentication protocol is lost, stolen, or compromised. Such access must be terminated immediately upon...

Autologous Stem Cells in Achilles Tendinopathy (ASCAT): protocol for a phase IIA, single-centre, proof-of-concept study

PubMed Central

Goldberg, Andrew J; Zaidi, Razi; Brooking, Deirdre; Kim, Louise; Korda, Michelle; Masci, Lorenzo; Green, Ruth; O’Donnell, Paul; Smith, Roger

2018-01-01

Introduction Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a cause of pain and disability affecting both athletes and sedentary individuals. More than 150 000 people in the UK every year suffer from AT. While there is much preclinical work on the use of stem cells in tendon pathology, there is a scarcity of clinical data looking at the use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat tendon disease and there does not appear to be any studies of the use of autologous cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for AT. Our hypothesis is that autologous culture expanded MSCs implanted into an area of mid-portion AT will lead to improved pain-free mechanical function. The current paper presents the protocol for a phase IIa clinical study. Methods and analysis The presented protocol is for a non-commercial, single-arm, open-label, phase IIa proof-of-concept study. The study will recruit 10 participants and will follow them up for 6 months. Included will be patients aged 18–70 years with chronic mid-portion AT who have failed at least 6 months of non-operative management. Participants will have a bone marrow aspirate collected from the posterior iliac crest under either local or general anaesthetic. MSCs will be isolated and expanded from the bone marrow. Four to 6 weeks after the harvest, participants will undergo implantation of the culture expanded MSCs under local anaesthetic and ultrasound guidance. The primary outcome will be safety as defined by the incidence rate of serious adverse reaction. The secondary outcomes will be efficacy as measured by patient-reported outcome measures and radiological outcome using ultrasound techniques. Ethics and dissemination The protocol has been approved by the National Research Ethics Service Committee (London, Harrow; reference 13/LO/1670). Trial findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number NCT02064062. PMID:29764889

Improving accessibility and discovery of ESA planetary data through the new planetary science archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macfarlane, A. J.; Docasal, R.; Rios, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Saiz, J.; Vallejo, F.; Besse, S.; Arviset, C.; Barthelemy, M.; De Marchi, G.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; Heather, D.; Lim, T.; Martinez, S.; Vallat, C.

2018-01-01

The Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is the European Space Agency's (ESA) repository of science data from all planetary science and exploration missions. The PSA provides access to scientific data sets through various interfaces at http://psa.esa.int. Mostly driven by the evolution of the PDS standards which all new ESA planetary missions shall follow and the need to update the interfaces to the archive, the PSA has undergone an important re-engineering. In order to maximise the scientific exploitation of ESA's planetary data holdings, significant improvements have been made by utilising the latest technologies and implementing widely recognised open standards. To facilitate users in handling and visualising the many products stored in the archive which have spatial data associated, the new PSA supports Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by implementing the standards approved by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The modernised PSA also attempts to increase interoperability with the international community by implementing recognised planetary science specific protocols such as the PDAP (Planetary Data Access Protocol) and EPN-TAP (EuroPlanet-Table Access Protocol). In this paper we describe some of the methods by which the archive may be accessed and present the challenges that are being faced in consolidating data sets of the older PDS3 version of the standards with the new PDS4 deliveries into a single data model mapping to ensure transparent access to the data for users and services whilst maintaining a high performance.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion and gains in health insurance coverage and access among cancer survivors.

PubMed

Nikpay, Sayeh S; Tebbs, Margaret G; Castellanos, Emily H

2018-04-17

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act extends Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income adults, including many survivors of cancer who were unable to purchase affordable health insurance coverage in the individual health insurance market. Using data from the 2011 to 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the authors compared changes in coverage and health care access measures for low-income cancer survivors in states that did and did not expand Medicaid. The study population of 17,381 individuals included adults aged 18 to 64 years, and was predominantly female, white, and unmarried. The authors found a relative reduction in the uninsured rate of 11.7 percentage points and a relative increase in the probability of having a personal physician of 5.8 percentage points. Stratifying by whether states expanded Medicaid by 2015, the authors found that relative gains in coverage and access were larger among those individuals residing in states with expanded Medicaid compared with those residing in nonexpansion states. The results of the current study suggest that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion has improved coverage and access for cancer survivors. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Can biosimilars help achieve the goals of US health care reform?

PubMed

Boccia, Ralph; Jacobs, Ira; Popovian, Robert; de Lima Lopes, Gilberto

2017-01-01

The US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to expand health care coverage, contain costs, and improve health care quality. Accessibility and affordability of innovative biopharmaceuticals are important to the success of the ACA. As it is substantially more difficult to manufacture them compared with small-molecule drugs, many of which have generic alternatives, biologics may increase drug costs. However, biologics offer demonstrated improvements in patient care that can reduce expensive interventions, thus lowering net health care costs. Biosimilars, which are highly similar to their reference biologics, cost less than the originators, potentially increasing access through reduced prescription drug costs while providing equivalent therapeutic results. This review evaluates 1) the progress made toward enacting health care reform since the passage of the ACA and 2) the role of biosimilars, including the potential impact of expanded biosimilar use on access, health care costs, patient management, and outcomes. Barriers to biosimilar adoption in the USA are noted, including low awareness and financial disincentives relating to reimbursement. The evaluated evidence suggests that the ACA has partly achieved some of its aims; however, the opportunity remains to transform health care to fully achieve reform. Although the future is uncertain, increased use of biosimilars in the US health care system could help achieve expanded access, control costs, and improve the quality of care.

OAS :: Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy (SSD)

Science.gov Websites

Structure Our Locations Contact Us Access to Information Offices in the Member States Our History Logo Authorities Services Legal Protocol Topics A Access to Information Access to Rights Actions against Corruption Management Public Security R Racism and Intolerance Refugees S Scholarships School of Governance Science and

The Many Faces of the Economic Bulletin Board.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boettcher, Jennifer

1996-01-01

The Economic Bulletin Board (EBB), a one-stop site for economic statistics and government-sponsored business information, can be accessed on the World Wide Web, gopher, telnet, file transfer protocol, dial-up, and fax. Each access method has advantages and disadvantages related to connections, pricing, depth of access, retrieval, and system…

Improving Access and Systems of Care for Evidence-Based Childhood Obesity Treatment: Conference Key Findings and Next Steps

PubMed Central

Wilfley, Denise E.; Staiano, Amanda E.; Altman, Myra; Lindros, Jeanne; Lima, Angela; Hassink, Sandra G.; Dietz, William H.; Cook, Stephen

2017-01-01

Objectives To improve systems of care to advance implementation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for childhood obesity treatment (i.e. clinicians offer/refer children with obesity to intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions of >25 hours over 6–12 months to improve weight status) and to expand payment for these services. Methods In July 2015, forty-three cross-sector stakeholders attended a conference supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, and The Obesity Society. Plenary sessions presenting scientific evidence and clinical and payment practices were interspersed with breakout sessions to identify consensus recommendations. Results Consensus recommendations for childhood obesity treatment included: family-based multicomponent behavioral therapy; integrated care model; and multi-disciplinary care team. The use of evidence-based protocols, a well-trained healthcare team, medical oversight, and treatment at or above the minimum dose (e.g. >25 hours) are critical components to ensure effective delivery of high-quality care and to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss. Approaches to secure reimbursement for evidence-based obesity treatment within payment models were recommended. Conclusion Continued cross-sector collaboration is crucial to ensure a unified approach to increase payment and access for childhood obesity treatment and to scale-up training to ensure quality of care. PMID:27925451

Improving access and systems of care for evidence-based childhood obesity treatment: Conference key findings and next steps.

PubMed

Wilfley, Denise E; Staiano, Amanda E; Altman, Myra; Lindros, Jeanne; Lima, Angela; Hassink, Sandra G; Dietz, William H; Cook, Stephen

2017-01-01

To improve systems of care to advance implementation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for childhood obesity treatment (i.e., clinicians offer/refer children with obesity to intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions of >25 h over 6 to 12 months to improve weight status) and to expand payment for these services. In July 2015, 43 cross-sector stakeholders attended a conference supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, and The Obesity Society. Plenary sessions presenting scientific evidence and clinical and payment practices were interspersed with breakout sessions to identify consensus recommendations. Consensus recommendations for childhood obesity treatment included: family-based multicomponent behavioral therapy; integrated care model; and multidisciplinary care team. The use of evidence-based protocols, a well-trained healthcare team, medical oversight, and treatment at or above the minimum dose (e.g., >25 h) are critical components to ensure effective delivery of high-quality care and to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss. Approaches to secure reimbursement for evidence-based obesity treatment within payment models were recommended. Continued cross-sector collaboration is crucial to ensure a unified approach to increase payment and access for childhood obesity treatment and to scale up training to ensure quality of care. © 2016 The Obesity Society.

[Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and improving chess performance in promising young chess-players].

PubMed

Ruiz, Francisco J; Luciano, Carmen

2009-08-01

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is shown to be effective in relatively distant fields from the so-called psychological disorders. One of these areas is sport performance improvement. The aim of the current study is to expand the application of brief ACT protocols to improve chess-players' performance. In a previous study, a brief protocol was applied to international-level adult chess-players that was effective. The current study aims to apply an equivalent brief ACT protocol, but in this case, applied in a group format to promising young chess-players. In addition, this brief protocol is compared to a non-intervention control condition. Results show that the ACT brief protocol improved the performance in 5 out of 7 participants, and that none of the chess-players in the control condition reached the established change criterion. The differences between the conditions in chess performance were statistically significant. The results are discussed, emphasizing the replicated impact of a brief ACT protocol on the improvement of chess-players' performance.

Efficacy of Chinese auriculotherapy for stress in nursing staff: a randomized clinical trial

PubMed Central

Kurebayashi, Leonice Fumiko Sato; da Silva, Maria Júlia Paes

2014-01-01

Objective this randomized single blind clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of auriculotherapy with and without a protocol for reducing stress levels among nursing staff. Method a total of 175 nursing professionals with medium and high scores according to Vasconcelos' Stress Symptoms List were divided into 3 groups: Control (58), Group with protocol (58), Group with no protocol (59). They were assessed at the baseline, after 12 sessions, and at the follow-up (30 days). Results in the analysis of variance, statistically significant differences between the Control and Intervention groups were found in the two evaluations (p<0.05) with greater size of effect indices (Cohen) for the No protocol group. The Yang Liver 1 and 2, Kidney, Brain Stem and Shen Men were the points most used. Conclusion individualized auriculotherapy, with no protocol, could expand the scope of the technique for stress reduction compared with auriculotherapy with a protocol. NCT: 01420835 PMID:25029046

An Efficient and QoS Supported Multichannel MAC Protocol for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Tan, Guozhen; Yu, Chao

2017-01-01

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety (transport efficiency and infotainment) applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. Different types of applications require different levels Quality-of-Service (QoS) support. Recently, transport efficiency and infotainment applications (e.g., electronic map download and Internet access) have received more and more attention, and this kind of applications is expected to become a big market driver in a near future. In this paper, we propose an Efficient and QoS supported Multichannel Medium Access Control (EQM-MAC) protocol for VANETs in a highway environment. The EQM-MAC protocol utilizes the service channel resources for non-safety message transmissions during the whole synchronization interval, and it dynamically adjusts minimum contention window size for different non-safety services according to the traffic conditions. Theoretical model analysis and extensive simulation results show that the EQM-MAC protocol can support QoS services, while ensuring the high saturation throughput and low transmission delay for non-safety applications. PMID:28991217

Potential contributions of hypnosis to ego-strengthening procedures in EMDR. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing.

PubMed

Phillips, M

2001-01-01

This paper explores how hypnotic principles can be systematically incorporated into the standard EMDR protocol to enhance various ego strength capacities during EMDR treatment. Expanding these skill areas can widen the therapeutic window of possibility for clients with a variety of complex clinical issues, including posttraumatic, dissociative or personality disorders, anxiety symptoms, and depressive difficulties. Clinical case examples are used to illustrate ways of integrating hypnotic principles within a proposed EMDR protocol to promote ego strengthening and facilitate therapeutic change.

Transforming Epidemiology for 21st Century Medicine and Public Health

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

Khoury, Muin J; Lam, Tram Kim; Ioannidis, John

2013-01-01

n 2012, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) engaged the scientific community to provide a vision for cancer epidemiology in the 21st century. Eight overarching thematic recommendations, with proposed corresponding actions for consideration by funding agencies, professional societies, and the research community emerged from the collective intellectual discourse. The themes are (i) extending the reach of epidemiology beyond discovery and etiologic research to include multilevel analysis, intervention evaluation, implementation, and outcomes research; (ii) transforming the practice of epidemiology by moving toward more access and sharing of protocols, data, metadata, and specimens to foster collaboration, to ensure reproducibility and replication, and acceleratemore » translation; (iii) expanding cohort studies to collect exposure, clinical, and other information across the life course and examining multiple health-related endpoints; (iv) developing and validating reliable methods and technologies to quantify exposures and outcomes on a massive scale, and to assess concomitantly the role of multiple factors in complex diseases; (v) integrating big data science into the practice of epidemiology; (vi) expanding knowledge integration to drive research, policy, and practice; (vii) transforming training of 21st century epidemiologists to address interdisciplinary and translational research; and (viii) optimizing the use of resources and infrastructure for epidemiologic studies. These recommendations can transform cancer epidemiology and the field of epidemiology, in general, by enhancing transparency, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strategic applications of new technologies. They should lay a strong scientific foundation for accelerated translation of scientific discoveries into individual and population health benefits.« less

Functional high-resolution time-course expression analysis of human embryonic stem cells undergoing cardiac induction.

PubMed

Piccini, Ilaria; Araúzo-Bravo, Marcos; Seebohm, Guiscard; Greber, Boris

2016-12-01

Cardiac induction of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is a process bearing increasing medical relevance, yet it is poorly understood from a developmental biology perspective. Anticipated technological progress in deriving stably expandable cardiac precursor cells or in advancing cardiac subtype specification protocols will likely require deeper insights into this fascinating system. Recent improvements in controlling hESC differentiation now enable a near-homogeneous induction of the cardiac lineage. This is based on an optimized initial stimulation of mesoderm-inducing signaling pathways such as Activin and/or FGF, BMP, and WNT, followed by WNT inhibition as a secondary requirement. Here, we describe a comprehensive data set based on varying hESC differentiation conditions in a systematic manner and recording high-resolution differentiation time-courses analyzed by genome-wide expression profiling (GEO accession number GSE67154). As a baseline, hESCs were differentiated into cardiomyocytes under optimal conditions. Moreover, in additional time-series, individual signaling factors were withdrawn from the initial stimulation cocktail to reveal their specific roles via comparison to the standard condition. Hence, this data set presents a rich resource for hypothesis generation in studying human cardiac induction, as we reveal numbers of known as well as uncharacterized genes prominently marking distinct intermediate stages in the process. These data will also be useful for identifying putative cardiac master regulators in the human system as well as for characterizing expandable cardiac stem cells.

Transforming Epidemiology for 21st Century Medicine and Public Health

PubMed Central

Khoury, Muin J.; Lam, Tram Kim; Ioannidis, John P.A.; Hartge, Patricia; Spitz, Margaret R.; Buring, Julie E.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Croyle, Robert T.; Goddard, Katrina A.; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S.; Herceg, Zdenko; Hiatt, Robert A.; Hoover, Robert N.; Hunter, David J.; Kramer, Barnet S.; Lauer, Michael S.; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A.; Olopade, Olufunmilayo I.; Palmer, Julie R.; Sellers, Thomas A.; Seminara, Daniela; Ransohoff, David F.; Rebbeck, Timothy R.; Tourassi, Georgia; Winn, Deborah M.; Zauber, Ann; Schully, Sheri D.

2013-01-01

In 2012, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) engaged the scientific community to provide a vision for cancer epidemiology in the 21st century. Eight overarching thematic recommendations, with proposed corresponding actions for consideration by funding agencies, professional societies, and the research community emerged from the collective intellectual discourse. The themes are (i) extending the reach of epidemiology beyond discovery and etiologic research to include multilevel analysis, intervention evaluation, implementation, and outcomes research; (ii) transforming the practice of epidemiology by moving towards more access and sharing of protocols, data, metadata, and specimens to foster collaboration, to ensure reproducibility and replication, and accelerate translation; (iii) expanding cohort studies to collect exposure, clinical and other information across the life course and examining multiple health-related endpoints; (iv) developing and validating reliable methods and technologies to quantify exposures and outcomes on a massive scale, and to assess concomitantly the role of multiple factors in complex diseases; (v) integrating “big data” science into the practice of epidemiology; (vi) expanding knowledge integration to drive research, policy and practice; (vii) transforming training of 21st century epidemiologists to address interdisciplinary and translational research; and (viii) optimizing the use of resources and infrastructure for epidemiologic studies. These recommendations can transform cancer epidemiology and the field of epidemiology in general, by enhancing transparency, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strategic applications of new technologies. They should lay a strong scientific foundation for accelerated translation of scientific discoveries into individual and population health benefits. PMID:23462917

Beyond the Yellow Bus: Promising Practices for Maximizing Access to Opportunity through Innovations in Student Transportation. Policy Brief 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Cities & Schools, 2014

2014-01-01

Access to safe, affordable, and convenient transportation shapes the "geography of opportunity" for many children and youth. This study looks at how ?localities across the country are implementing new and innovative alternative approaches to student transportation that expand regional transportation access for K-12 students, improve…

77 FR 25994 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Institute of Education Sciences; Pell Grant...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-02

... will have expanded access to Pell grants; or (2) a control group, which will not have access. Within both substudies, the treatment group will be very similar to the control at the time of random... between treatment and control group members can then be attributed to Pell grant access. The first...

Emulation of Equal Open Access and Competition Creation in the Wireline Telecommunications Local and Last Mile Market Segments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Epps, Daniel L.

2013-01-01

Expanded telecommunications was deemed a serious need for end users. The "Local Market" and "Last Mile" market segments have largely consolidated into "natural utilities". Competition and access problems occur if new providers enter the local market and desire competitive access and service to end users. Local and…

Expanding Access, Participation, and Success in International Baccalaureate Programmes: Year 1 Documentation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corcoran, Thomas B.; Gerry, Gail B.

2010-01-01

In fall 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded a three-year project (IB Access Project) with International Baccalaureate (IB) to increase participation of minority students and students in poverty in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). The IB Access Project seeks to do four things: (1) Improve teacher practice…

[A security protocol for the exchange of personal medical data via Internet: monitoring treatment and drug effects].

PubMed

Viviani, R; Fischer, J; Spitzer, M; Freudenmann, R W

2004-04-01

We present a security protocol for the exchange of medical data via the Internet, based on the type/domain model. We discuss two applications of the protocol: in a system for the exchange of data for quality assurance, and in an on-line database of adverse reactions to drug use. We state that a type/domain security protocol can successfully comply with the complex requirements for data privacy and accessibility typical of such applications.

76 FR 76158 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; RCRA Expanded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-06

... contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available..., including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection... as State, local, or Tribal governments. Title: RCRA Expanded Public Participation. ICR numbers: EPA...

Expanding access to sterile syringes through pharmacies: assessment of New York's Expanded Syringe Access Program.

PubMed

Tesoriero, James M; Battles, Haven B; Klein, Susan J; Kaufman, Erin; Birkhead, Guthrie S

2009-01-01

To investigate the evolution of pharmacist practices, attitudes, and experiences with the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP), which permits over-the-counter sale of syringes by registered pharmacies in New York State. Longitudinal study. New York State in 2002 and 2006. 506 (2002) and 682 (2006) managing pharmacists (response rates approximately 70%) at ESAP-registered pharmacies (n = 346 in both years). Mailed surveys (2002 and 2006). Pharmacist practices, attitudes, and experiences with ESAP over time. Approximately 75% of pharmacists reported that ESAP had facilitated timely/emergency access to syringes, and more than 90% in each year reported no problems or very few problems administering ESAP. The practice of placing additional requirements on the sale of syringes decreased from 2002 (51.4%) to 2006 (45.1%), while a 55% increase in syringe sales was reported between 2002 (43.3/month) and 2006 (67.1/month). The sale of sharps containers also increased between 2002 (85.2%) and 2006 (92.8%). Community independent pharmacies and those located outside New York City generally expressed more favorable attitudes and experiences with ESAP, although these differences decreased over time. Pharmacy-based syringe access is a viable harm-reduction alternative in the fight against blood-borne diseases, with ESAP now equaling the number of syringes being distributed by syringe exchange programs in New York State. Continued education/training is necessary to increase participation in ESAP and to further reduce barriers to ESAP use.

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

NONE

The Library Services Alliance is a unique multi-type library consortium committed to resource sharing. As a voluntary association of university and governmental laboratory libraries supporting scientific research, the Alliance has become a leader in New Mexico in using cooperative ventures to cost-effectively expand resources supporting their scientific and technical communities. During 1994, the alliance continued to expand on their strategic planning foundation to enhance access to research information for the scientific and technical communities. Significant progress was made in facilitating easy access to the on-line catalogs of member libraries via connections through the Internet. Access to Alliance resources is nowmore » available via the World Wide Web and Gopher, as well as links to other databases and electronic information. This report highlights the accomplishments of the Alliance during calendar year 1994.« less

Access to Schooling in a Post-Apartheid South Africa: Linking Concepts to Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fataar, Aslam

1997-07-01

This paper focuses on the policy issue of expanding schooling in a post-apartheid South Africa. The Project of placing about two million children of school-going age in school is viewed as central to the rebuilding of South Africa. The paper argues that this project should be located within the peculiar history of this country's educational underdevelopment. Challenging the constraining influence of the New Right context should be central in conceptualising the provision of expanded school access. Access policy should be based on a notion of educational development that is linked to the overall socioeconomic development of this society. The view is promoted in this paper that a policy of quantitative expansion of schooling should not ignore the quality of such schooling.

Distribution of Information in Ad Hoc Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

2.4. MACA Protocol...................................20 Figure 2.5. Route discovery in AODV (From [32]).............28 Figure 2.6. Creation of a...19 Figure 2.3. Exposed terminal Problem (From [20]) (3) MACA and MACAW Protocols. One of the first protocols conceived for wireless local area...networks is MACA [21] (Multiple Accesses with Collision Avoidance). The transmitter sends a small packet, or RTS (Request To Send), which has little

Receiver Statistics for Cognitive Radios in Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-28

SNR) are employed by many protocols and processes in direct-sequence ( DS ) spread-spectrum packet radio networks, including soft-decision decoding...adaptive modulation protocols, and power adjustment protocols. For DS spread spectrum, we have introduced and evaluated SNR estimators that employ...obtained during demodulation in a binary CDMA receiver. We investigated several methods to apply the proposed metric to the demodulator’s soft-decision

Q-Learning and p-persistent CSMA based rendezvous protocol for cognitive radio networks operating with shared spectrum activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Clifton L.; Biswas, Subir

2014-06-01

With an increasing demand for spectrum, dynamic spectrum access (DSA) has been proposed as viable means for providing the flexibility and greater access to spectrum necessary to meet this demand. Within the DSA concept, unlicensed secondary users temporarily "borrow" or access licensed spectrum, while respecting the licensed primary user's rights to that spectrum. As key enablers for DSA, cognitive radios (CRs) are based on software-defined radios which allow them to sense, learn, and adapt to the spectrum environment. These radios can operate independently and rapidly switch channels. Thus, the initial setup and maintenance of cognitive radio networks are dependent upon the ability of CR nodes to find each other, in a process known as rendezvous, and create a link on a common channel for the exchange of data and control information. In this paper, we propose a novel rendezvous protocol, known as QLP, which is based on Q-learning and the p-persistent CSMA protocol. With the QLP protocol, CR nodes learn which channels are best for rendezvous and thus adapt their behavior to visit those channels more frequently. We demonstrate through simulation that the QLP protocol provides a rendevous capability for DSA environments with different dynamics of PU activity, while attempting to achieve the following performance goals: (1) minimize the average time-to-rendezvous, (2) maximize system throughput, (3) minimize primary user interference, and (4) minimize collisions among CR nodes.

Tolcapone suppresses ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring rats performing a novel cued access protocol.

PubMed

McCane, Aqilah M; Czachowski, Cristine L; Lapish, Christopher C

2014-09-01

Dopamine (DA) has been shown to play a central role in regulating motivated behavior and encoding reward. Chronic drug abuse elicits a state of hypodopaminergia in the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) system in both humans and preclinical rodent models of addiction, including those modeling alcohol use disorders (AUD). Working under the hypothesis that reductions in the bioavailability of DA play an integral role in the expression of the excessive drinking phenotype, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone was used as a means to amplify cortical DA concentration and drinking behaviors were then assessed. Sucrose and ethanol (EtOH) consumption were measured in P and Wistar rats in both a free choice drinking protocol and a novel cued access protocol. Tolcapone attenuated the consumption of EtOH, and to a lesser extent sucrose, in P rats in the cued access protocol, while no effect was observed in the free choice drinking protocol. Tolcapone also decreased EtOH consumption in high drinking Wistar rats. A follow-up experiment using the indirect DA agonist d-amphetamine showed no change in EtOH consumption. Collectively, these data suggest that COMT inhibitors may be capable of alleviating the extremely motivating or salient nature of stimuli associated with alcohol. The hypothesis is put forth that the relative specificity of tolcapone for cortical DA systems may mediate the suppression of the high seeking/drinking phenotype. Copyright © 2014 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

A protocol for rat in vitro fertilization during conventional laboratory working hours.

PubMed

Aoto, Toshihiro; Takahashi, Ri-ichi; Ueda, Masatsugu

2011-12-01

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a valuable technique for the propagation of experimental animals. IVF has typically been used in mice to rapidly expand breeding colonies and create large numbers of embryos. However, applications of IVF in rat breeding experiments have stalled due to the inconvenient laboratory work schedules imposed by current IVF protocols for this species. Here, we developed a new rat IVF protocol that consists of experimental steps performed during common laboratory working hours. Our protocol can be completed within 12 h by shortening the period of sperm capacitation from 5 to 1 h and the fertilization time from 10 to 8 h in human tubal fluid (HTF) medium. This new protocol generated an excellent birth rate and was applicable not only to closed colony rat strains, such as Wistar, Long-Evans, and Sprague-Dawley (SD), but also to the inbred Lewis strain. Moreover, Wistar and Long-Evans embryos prepared by this protocol were successfully frozen by vitrification and later successfully thawed and resuscitated. This protocol is practical and can be easily adopted by laboratory workers.

The Robinson Protocol: a treadmill anaerobic performance test.

PubMed

Robinson, Ellyn M; Graham, Louise B; Headley, Samuel A

2004-08-01

The current investigation was designed to further examine the reliability of the Robinson protocol, which is a run-to-exhaustion treadmill test. Robinson (10) originally examined this protocol with 5 subjects. The significance of the initial exploratory study was the impetus for expanding the study to examine the reliability of the protocol with a larger sample. Fifteen male subjects participated in 3 trial runs on the treadmill. The first trial was a modified McConnell (7) test to determine the aerobic capacity of each subject. The second and third trials were identical Robinson protocols (10). The first trial run mean, in seconds (262.04 +/- 74.50), was not significantly different from the second trial run mean (257.30 +/- 72.65), p = 0.526 (2 tailed). As expected, trial 1 and trial 2 were highly correlated (intraclass) (r = 0.927, p < 0.001). These results provide additional support for the hypothesis that the Robinson protocol with a greater subject pool is a reliable protocol that can be used in research studies interested in examining various physiological interventions or anaerobic training.

From synthesis to function via iterative assembly of N-methyliminodiacetic acid boronate building blocks.

PubMed

Li, Junqi; Grillo, Anthony S; Burke, Martin D

2015-08-18

The study and optimization of small molecule function is often impeded by the time-intensive and specialist-dependent process that is typically used to make such compounds. In contrast, general and automated platforms have been developed for making peptides, oligonucleotides, and increasingly oligosaccharides, where synthesis is simplified to iterative applications of the same reactions. Inspired by the way natural products are biosynthesized via the iterative assembly of a defined set of building blocks, we developed a platform for small molecule synthesis involving the iterative coupling of haloboronic acids protected as the corresponding N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates. Here we summarize our efforts thus far to develop this platform into a generalized and automated approach for small molecule synthesis. We and others have employed this approach to access many polyene-based compounds, including the polyene motifs found in >75% of all polyene natural products. This platform further allowed us to derivatize amphotericin B, the powerful and resistance-evasive but also highly toxic last line of defense in treating systemic fungal infections, and thereby understand its mechanism of action. This synthesis-enabled mechanistic understanding has led us to develop less toxic derivatives currently under evaluation as improved antifungal agents. To access more Csp(3)-containing small molecules, we gained a stereocontrolled entry into chiral, non-racemic α-boryl aldehydes through the discovery of a chiral derivative of MIDA. These α-boryl aldehydes are versatile intermediates for the synthesis of many Csp(3) boronate building blocks that are otherwise difficult to access. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of these types of building blocks in accessing pharmaceutically relevant targets via an iterative Csp(3) cross-coupling cycle. We have further expanded the scope of the platform to include stereochemically complex macrocyclic and polycyclic molecules using a linear-to-cyclized strategy, in which Csp(3) boronate building blocks are iteratively assembled into linear precursors that are then cyclized into the cyclic frameworks found in many natural products and natural product-like structures. Enabled by the serendipitous discovery of a catch-and-release protocol for generally purifying MIDA boronate intermediates, the platform has been automated. The synthesis of 14 distinct classes of small molecules, including pharmaceuticals, materials components, and polycyclic natural products, has been achieved using this new synthesis machine. It is anticipated that the scope of small molecules accessible by this platform will continue to expand via further developments in building block synthesis, Csp(3) cross-coupling methodologies, and cyclization strategies. Achieving these goals will enable the more generalized synthesis of small molecules and thereby help shift the rate-limiting step in small molecule science from synthesis to function.

Energy-efficient boarder node medium access control protocol for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M

2014-03-12

This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi-synchronous feature with a low duty cycle, which is advantageous for reducing the latency and energy consumption for several WSN application areas to improve the throughput. BN-MAC uses a unique window slot size to enhance the contention resolution issue for improved throughput. BN-MAC also prefers to communicate within a one-hop destination using Anycast, which maintains load balancing to maintain network reliability. BN-MAC is introduced with the goal of supporting four major application areas: monitoring and behavioral areas, controlling natural disasters, human-centric applications, and tracking mobility and static home automation devices from remote places. These application areas require a congestion-free mobility-supported MAC protocol to guarantee reliable data delivery. BN-MAC was evaluated using network simulator-2 (ns2) and compared with other hybrid MAC protocols, such as Zebra medium access control (Z-MAC), advertisement-based MAC (A-MAC), Speck-MAC, adaptive duty cycle SMAC (ADC-SMAC), and low-power real-time medium access control (LPR-MAC). The simulation results indicate that BN-MAC is a robust and energy-efficient protocol that outperforms other hybrid MAC protocols in the context of quality of service (QoS) parameters, such as energy consumption, latency, throughput, channel access time, successful delivery rate, coverage efficiency, and average duty cycle.

Energy-Efficient Boarder Node Medium Access Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M.

2014-01-01

This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi-synchronous feature with a low duty cycle, which is advantageous for reducing the latency and energy consumption for several WSN application areas to improve the throughput. BN-MAC uses a unique window slot size to enhance the contention resolution issue for improved throughput. BN-MAC also prefers to communicate within a one-hop destination using Anycast, which maintains load balancing to maintain network reliability. BN-MAC is introduced with the goal of supporting four major application areas: monitoring and behavioral areas, controlling natural disasters, human-centric applications, and tracking mobility and static home automation devices from remote places. These application areas require a congestion-free mobility-supported MAC protocol to guarantee reliable data delivery. BN-MAC was evaluated using network simulator-2 (ns2) and compared with other hybrid MAC protocols, such as Zebra medium access control (Z-MAC), advertisement-based MAC (A-MAC), Speck-MAC, adaptive duty cycle SMAC (ADC-SMAC), and low-power real-time medium access control (LPR-MAC). The simulation results indicate that BN-MAC is a robust and energy-efficient protocol that outperforms other hybrid MAC protocols in the context of quality of service (QoS) parameters, such as energy consumption, latency, throughput, channel access time, successful delivery rate, coverage efficiency, and average duty cycle. PMID:24625737

Recently arrested adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

PubMed

Belenko, Steven; Dembo, Richard; Weiland, Doris; Rollie, Matthew; Salvatore, Christopher; Hanlon, Alexandra; Childs, Kristina

2008-08-01

Adolescent offenders may be at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). With previous research and interventions focused on incarcerated adolescents, data are needed on STD prevalence and risk factors among newly arrested youth released to the community, a far larger subgroup. Participants were recruited from all arrested youth processed at the Hillsborough County, Florida Juvenile Assessment Center during the last half of 2006 (506 males, 442 females). Participants voluntarily providing urine samples for drug testing as part of standard protocol were also consented to having their specimens split and tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, using an FDA-approved nucleic acid amplification test. STD prevalence was similar to those previously reported among incarcerated adolescents: 11.5% tested positive for chlamydia, 4.2% for gonorrhea, and 13.2% for either or both infections. Prevalence was significantly higher among females: 19.2% of females had either or both infections compared with 10.5% of males. Prevalence was higher for 17 to 18 year olds (15.2% of males, 25.5% of females), blacks, detained youths, drug users, and those engaged in sexual risk behaviors. Previous STD testing experience was limited. The study indicated that a voluntary STD screening protocol is feasible for arrested youth entering the juvenile justice system, and these offenders are at high risk for STDs. Because most arrested youths are released back to the community, routine testing and treatment of recently arrested youths, and expanded access to risk reduction and prevention programs, can yield substantial public health benefits.

One-Step Salvage of Infected Prosthetic Breast Reconstructions Using Antibiotic-Impregnated Polymethylmethacrylate Plates and Concurrent Tissue Expander Exchange.

PubMed

Albright, Steven B; Xue, Amy S; McKnight, Aisha; Wolfswinkel, Erik M; Hollier, Larry H; Brown, Rodger H; Bullocks, Jamal M; Izaddoost, Shayan A

2016-09-01

Periprosthetic infection represents a major complication in breast reconstruction, frequently leading to expander-implant loss. Recent studies report variable success in the salvage of infected breast prostheses through systemic antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention. There is currently no consensus regarding a management algorithm for attempted salvage. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the early outcomes of a protocol using antibiotic-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) implant placement with expander device exchange. A retrospective database was queried to identify all patients with infected implant-based breast reconstruction who were treated by the study authors and who underwent attempted salvage under the study protocol. All patients received intravenous antibiotics followed by surgical debridement of the infected pocket, insertion of antibiotic-impregnated PMMA plates and/or beads, device exchange, and postoperative antibiotics. After clinical resolution of infection, tissue expansion was performed with the PMMA implants remaining in situ until exchanged to permanent implants. All patients with infected prosthetic breast reconstructions achieved implant pocket sterilization using this method. At a mean follow-up of 8.2 months (range, 1-19 months), none of these patients have required reoperation for capsular contracture. One patient, while under treatment with prednisone for a rash, developed recurrent infection, which led to explantation of her implant. Two patients underwent radiation therapy while an antibiotic plate and tissue expander were in place, with no observed exposure or infection recurrence. Sustained local antibiotic delivery using PMMA implants and expander device exchange can successfully salvage an infected breast implant. Perceived benefits include shorter time to completed reconstruction, preserved skin envelope integrity, and possibly improved long-term aesthetic outcomes.

A Secure and Efficient Handover Authentication Protocol for Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Weijia; Hu, Lei

2014-01-01

Handover authentication protocol is a promising access control technology in the fields of WLANs and mobile wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we firstly review an efficient handover authentication protocol, named PairHand, and its existing security attacks and improvements. Then, we present an improved key recovery attack by using the linearly combining method and reanalyze its feasibility on the improved PairHand protocol. Finally, we present a new handover authentication protocol, which not only achieves the same desirable efficiency features of PairHand, but enjoys the provable security in the random oracle model. PMID:24971471

User Procedures Standardization for Network Access. NBS Technical Note 799.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, A. J.

User access procedures to information systems have become of crucial importance with the advent of computer networks, which have opened new types of resources to a broad spectrum of users. This report surveys user access protocols of six representative systems: BASIC, GE MK II, INFONET, MEDLINE, NIC/ARPANET and SPIRES. Functional access…

Tools to Ease Your Internet Adventures: Part I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Descy, Don E.

1993-01-01

This first of a two-part series highlights three tools that improve accessibility to Internet resources: (1) Alex, a database that accesses files in FTP (file transfer protocol) sites; (2) Archie, software that searches for file names with a user's search term; and (3) Gopher, a menu-driven program to access Internet sites. (LRW)

15 CFR 784.1 - Complementary access: General information on the purpose of complementary access, affected...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... may be conducted, on a selective basis, to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear material and nuclear related activities at reportable uranium hard-rock mines and ore beneficiation plants (see § 783.1... OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL REGULATIONS COMPLEMENTARY ACCESS...

Semiquantum key distribution with secure delegated quantum computation

PubMed Central

Li, Qin; Chan, Wai Hong; Zhang, Shengyu

2016-01-01

Semiquantum key distribution allows a quantum party to share a random key with a “classical” party who only can prepare and measure qubits in the computational basis or reorder some qubits when he has access to a quantum channel. In this work, we present a protocol where a secret key can be established between a quantum user and an almost classical user who only needs the quantum ability to access quantum channels, by securely delegating quantum computation to a quantum server. We show the proposed protocol is robust even when the delegated quantum server is a powerful adversary, and is experimentally feasible with current technology. As one party of our protocol is the most quantum-resource efficient, it can be more practical and significantly widen the applicability scope of quantum key distribution. PMID:26813384

Two Mechanisms to Avoid Control Conflicts Resulting from Uncoordinated Intent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishkin, Andrew H.; Dvorak, Daniel L.; Wagner, David A.; Bennett, Matthew B.

2013-01-01

This software implements a real-time access control protocol that is intended to make all connected users aware of the presence of other connected users, and which of them is currently in control of the system. Here, "in control" means that a single user is authorized and enabled to issue instructions to the system. The software The software also implements a goal scheduling mechanism that can detect situations where plans for the operation of a target system proposed by different users overlap and interact in conflicting ways. In such situations, the system can either simply report the conflict (rejecting one goal or the entire plan), or reschedule the goals in a way that does not conflict. The access control mechanism (and associated control protocol) is unique. Other access control mechanisms are generally intended to authenticate users, or exclude unauthorized access. This software does neither, and would likely depend on having some other mechanism to support those requirements.

An Action-Based Fine-Grained Access Control Mechanism for Structured Documents and Its Application

PubMed Central

Su, Mang; Li, Fenghua; Tang, Zhi; Yu, Yinyan; Zhou, Bo

2014-01-01

This paper presents an action-based fine-grained access control mechanism for structured documents. Firstly, we define a describing model for structured documents and analyze the application scenarios. The describing model could support the permission management on chapters, pages, sections, words, and pictures of structured documents. Secondly, based on the action-based access control (ABAC) model, we propose a fine-grained control protocol for structured documents by introducing temporal state and environmental state. The protocol covering different stages from document creation, to permission specification and usage control are given by using the Z-notation. Finally, we give the implementation of our mechanism and make the comparisons between the existing methods and our mechanism. The result shows that our mechanism could provide the better solution of fine-grained access control for structured documents in complicated networks. Moreover, it is more flexible and practical. PMID:25136651

An action-based fine-grained access control mechanism for structured documents and its application.

PubMed

Su, Mang; Li, Fenghua; Tang, Zhi; Yu, Yinyan; Zhou, Bo

2014-01-01

This paper presents an action-based fine-grained access control mechanism for structured documents. Firstly, we define a describing model for structured documents and analyze the application scenarios. The describing model could support the permission management on chapters, pages, sections, words, and pictures of structured documents. Secondly, based on the action-based access control (ABAC) model, we propose a fine-grained control protocol for structured documents by introducing temporal state and environmental state. The protocol covering different stages from document creation, to permission specification and usage control are given by using the Z-notation. Finally, we give the implementation of our mechanism and make the comparisons between the existing methods and our mechanism. The result shows that our mechanism could provide the better solution of fine-grained access control for structured documents in complicated networks. Moreover, it is more flexible and practical.

A prototype of Virtual Observatory access for planetary data in the framework of Europlanet-RI/IDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangloff, M.; Cecconi, B.; Bourrel, N.; Jacquey, C.; Le Sidaner, P.; Berthier, J.; André, N.; Pallier, E.; Erard, S.; Aboudarham, J.; Chanteur, G. M.; Capria, M. T.; Khodachenko, M.; Manaud, N.; Schmidt, W.; Schmitt, B.; Topf, F.; Trautan, F.; Sarkissian, A.

2011-12-01

Europlanet RI is a four-year project supported by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme. Launched in January 2009, it is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative, ie. A combination of Networking Activities, Transnational Access Activities and Joint Research Activities. The Networking Activities aim at further fostering a culture of cooperation in the field of Planetary Sciences. The objective of the Transnational Access Activities is to provide transnational access to a range of laboratory and field site facilities tailored to the needs of planetary research and on-line access to the available planetary science data, information and software tools, through the IDIS e-service. The overall aim of the Joint Research Activities (JRA) is to improve the services provided by the ensemble of Transnational Access Activities. In EuroPlaNet-RI, JRA4 must prepare essential tools for IDIS (Integrated and Distributed Information Service) allowing the planetary science community to interrogate some selected data centres, access and process data and visualize the results. This is the first step towards a Planetary Virtual Observatory. The first requirement for different data centres to be able to operate together collectively is adequate standardization. In particular a common description of data and services is essential. This is why the major part of JRA4/Task2 activity is focussing on data models, associated dictionnaries, and protocols to exchange queries. A specific data model is being developed for IDIS, associated with the PDAP protocol, a standard defined by the IPDA (International Planetary Data Alliance) The scope of this prototype is to demonstrate the capabilities of the IDIS Data Model, and the PDAP protocol to search and retrieve data in the wide topical planetology context.

Recommendations for a service framework to access astronomical archives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Travisano, J. J.; Pollizzi, J.

1992-01-01

There are a large number of astronomical archives and catalogs on-line for network access, with many different user interfaces and features. Some systems are moving towards distributed access, supplying users with client software for their home sites which connects to servers at the archive site. Many of the issues involved in defining a standard framework of services that archive/catalog suppliers can use to achieve a basic level of interoperability are described. Such a framework would simplify the development of client and server programs to access the wide variety of astronomical archive systems. The primary services that are supplied by current systems include: catalog browsing, dataset retrieval, name resolution, and data analysis. The following issues (and probably more) need to be considered in establishing a standard set of client/server interfaces and protocols: Archive Access - dataset retrieval, delivery, file formats, data browsing, analysis, etc.; Catalog Access - database management systems, query languages, data formats, synchronous/asynchronous mode of operation, etc.; Interoperability - transaction/message protocols, distributed processing mechanisms (DCE, ONC/SunRPC, etc), networking protocols, etc.; Security - user registration, authorization/authentication mechanisms, etc.; Service Directory - service registration, lookup, port/task mapping, parameters, etc.; Software - public vs proprietary, client/server software, standard interfaces to client/server functions, software distribution, operating system portability, data portability, etc. Several archive/catalog groups, notably the Astrophysics Data System (ADS), are already working in many of these areas. In the process of developing StarView, which is the user interface to the Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution Service (ST-DADS), these issues and the work of others were analyzed. A framework of standard interfaces for accessing services on any archive system which would benefit archive user and supplier alike is proposed.

Kenai Fjords National Park Over-the-Snow Transportation Feasibility Study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-31

Kenai Fjords National Park seeks to expand winter access to the Exit Glacier Area. Year-round access would better enable the park to accomplish its mission related to visitor experience, education, and research. The road to the area is inaccessible t...

Internet Connections: Understanding Your Access Options.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notess, Greg R.

1994-01-01

Describes levels of Internet connectivity, physical connections, and connection speeds. Compares options for connecting to the Internet, including terminal accounts, dial-up terminal accounts, direct connections through a local area network, and direct connections using SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol). (eight…

Providing Internet Access to the Ohio Career Information System for All Residents: A Feasibility Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Morgan V.

Expanded Internet access to the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) would provide adults in Ohio who need to or wish to make career changes with the best available information about occupations, education and training programs, and financial aid. In order to determine the feasibility of improving access without cost to users, an advisory group,…

Satellite Communications Using Commercial Protocols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Griner, James H.; Dimond, Robert; Frantz, Brian D.; Kachmar, Brian; Shell, Dan

2000-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center has been working with industry, academia, and other government agencies in assessing commercial communications protocols for satellite and space-based applications. In addition, NASA Glenn has been developing and advocating new satellite-friendly modifications to existing communications protocol standards. This paper summarizes recent research into the applicability of various commercial standard protocols for use over satellite and space- based communications networks as well as expectations for future protocol development. It serves as a reference point from which the detailed work can be readily accessed. Areas that will be addressed include asynchronous-transfer-mode quality of service; completed and ongoing work of the Internet Engineering Task Force; data-link-layer protocol development for unidirectional link routing; and protocols for aeronautical applications, including mobile Internet protocol routing for wireless/mobile hosts and the aeronautical telecommunications network protocol.

Funding, coverage, and access under Thailand's universal health insurance program: an update after ten years.

PubMed

Damrongplasit, Kannika; Melnick, Glenn

2015-04-01

In 2001, Thailand implemented a universal coverage program by expanding government-funded health coverage to uninsured citizens and limited their out-of-pocket payments to 30 Baht per encounter and, in 2006, eliminated out-of-pocket payments entirely. Prior research covering the early years of the program showed that the program effectively expanded coverage while a more recent paper of the early effects of the program found that improved access from the program led to a reduction in infant mortality. We expand and update previous analyses of the effects of the 30 Baht program on access and out-of-pocket payments. We analyze national survey and governmental budgeting data through 2011 to examine trends in health care financing, coverage and access, including out-of-pocket payments. By 2011, only 1.64 % of the population remained uninsured in Thailand (down from 2.61 % in 2009). While government funding increased 75 % between 2005 and 2010, budgetary requests by health care providers exceeded approved amounts in many years. The 30 Baht program beneficiaries paid zero out-of-pocket payments for both outpatient and inpatient care. Inpatient and outpatient contact rates across all insurance categories fell slightly over time. Overall, the statistical results suggest that the program is continuing to achieve its goals after 10 years of operation. Insurance coverage is now virtually universal, access has been more or less maintained, government funding has continued to grow, though at rates below requested levels and 30 Baht patients are still guaranteed access to care with limited or no out-of-pocket costs. Important issues going forward are the ability of the government to sustain continued funding increases while minimizing cost sharing.

Agreements between Industry and Academia on Publication Rights: A Retrospective Study of Protocols and Publications of Randomized Clinical Trials

PubMed Central

Kasenda, Benjamin; von Elm, Erik; You, John J.; Tomonaga, Yuki; Saccilotto, Ramon; Amstutz, Alain; Bengough, Theresa; Meerpohl, Joerg J.; Stegert, Mihaela; Olu, Kelechi K.; Tikkinen, Kari A. O.; Neumann, Ignacio; Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Faulhaber, Markus; Mulla, Sohail M.; Mertz, Dominik; Akl, Elie A.; Bassler, Dirk; Busse, Jason W.; Nordmann, Alain; Gloy, Viktoria; Ebrahim, Shanil; Schandelmaier, Stefan; Sun, Xin; Vandvik, Per O.; Johnston, Bradley C.; Walter, Martin A.; Burnand, Bernard; Hemkens, Lars G.; Bucher, Heiner C.; Guyatt, Gordon H.; Briel, Matthias

2016-01-01

Background Little is known about publication agreements between industry and academic investigators in trial protocols and the consistency of these agreements with corresponding statements in publications. We aimed to investigate (i) the existence and types of publication agreements in trial protocols, (ii) the completeness and consistency of the reporting of these agreements in subsequent publications, and (iii) the frequency of co-authorship by industry employees. Methods and Findings We used a retrospective cohort of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) based on archived protocols approved by six research ethics committees between 13 January 2000 and 25 November 2003. Only RCTs with industry involvement were eligible. We investigated the documentation of publication agreements in RCT protocols and statements in corresponding journal publications. Of 647 eligible RCT protocols, 456 (70.5%) mentioned an agreement regarding publication of results. Of these 456, 393 (86.2%) documented an industry partner’s right to disapprove or at least review proposed manuscripts; 39 (8.6%) agreements were without constraints of publication. The remaining 24 (5.3%) protocols referred to separate agreement documents not accessible to us. Of those 432 protocols with an accessible publication agreement, 268 (62.0%) trials were published. Most agreements documented in the protocol were not reported in the subsequent publication (197/268 [73.5%]). Of 71 agreements reported in publications, 52 (73.2%) were concordant with those documented in the protocol. In 14 of 37 (37.8%) publications in which statements suggested unrestricted publication rights, at least one co-author was an industry employee. In 25 protocol-publication pairs, author statements in publications suggested no constraints, but 18 corresponding protocols documented restricting agreements. Conclusions Publication agreements constraining academic authors’ independence are common. Journal articles seldom report on publication agreements, and, if they do, statements can be discrepant with the trial protocol. PMID:27352244

Community Conversations: An Approach for Expanding and Connecting Opportunities for Employment for Adolescents with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trainor, Audrey A.; Carter, Erik W.; Swedeen, Beth; Pickett, Kelly

2012-01-01

Although early work experiences can impart a number of benefits to adolescents with disabilities, few students have meaningful access to these opportunities. The authors examined "community conversations" to build capacity and interest in expanding employment opportunities. Events were held in seven different communities and used the…

Expanding Learning, Enriching Learning: Portraits of Five Programs. Stories from the Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browne, Daniel; Syed, Sarosh; Mendels, Pamela

2013-01-01

These "Stories From the Field" describe five Wallace-funded programs working to expand learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children, so they can benefit from the types of opportunities their wealthier counterparts have access to, from homework help to swimming classes. The report details each program's approach, successes and…

Expanding Discourse Options through Computer-Mediated Communication: Guiding Learners toward Autonomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abraham, Lee B.; Williams, Lawrence

2011-01-01

This article proposes a multiliteracies-based pedagogical framework for the analysis of computer-mediated discourse (CMD) in order to give students increased access to expanded discourse options that are available in online communication environments and communities (i.e., beyond the classroom). Through the analysis of excerpts and a corpus of…

Addressing a Yellow Fever Vaccine Shortage - United States, 2016-2017.

PubMed

Gershman, Mark D; Angelo, Kristina M; Ritchey, Julian; Greenberg, David P; Muhammad, Riyadh D; Brunette, Gary; Cetron, Martin S; Sotir, Mark J

2017-05-05

Recent manufacturing problems resulted in a shortage of the only U.S.-licensed yellow fever vaccine. This shortage is expected to lead to a complete depletion of yellow fever vaccine available for the immunization of U.S. travelers by mid-2017. CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Sanofi Pasteur are collaborating to ensure a continuous yellow fever vaccine supply in the United States. As part of this collaboration, Sanofi Pasteur submitted an expanded access investigational new drug (eIND) application to FDA in September 2016 to allow for the importation and use of an alternative yellow fever vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur France, with safety and efficacy comparable to the U.S.-licensed vaccine; the eIND was accepted by FDA in October 2016. The implementation of this eIND protocol included developing a systematic process for selecting a limited number of clinic sites to provide the vaccine. CDC and Sanofi Pasteur will continue to communicate with the public and other stakeholders, and CDC will provide a list of locations that will be administering the replacement vaccine at a later date.

Advertisement-Based Energy Efficient Medium Access Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Surjya Sarathi

One of the main challenges that prevents the large-scale deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is providing the applications with the required quality of service (QoS) given the sensor nodes' limited energy supplies. WSNs are an important tool in supporting applications ranging from environmental and industrial monitoring, to battlefield surveillance and traffic control, among others. Most of these applications require sensors to function for long periods of time without human intervention and without battery replacement. Therefore, energy conservation is one of the main goals for protocols for WSNs. Energy conservation can be performed in different layers of the protocol stack. In particular, as the medium access control (MAC) layer can access and control the radio directly, large energy savings is possible through intelligent MAC protocol design. To maximize the network lifetime, MAC protocols for WSNs aim to minimize idle listening of the sensor nodes, packet collisions, and overhearing. Several approaches such as duty cycling and low power listening have been proposed at the MAC layer to achieve energy efficiency. In this thesis, I explore the possibility of further energy savings through the advertisement of data packets in the MAC layer. In the first part of my research, I propose Advertisement-MAC or ADV-MAC, a new MAC protocol for WSNs that utilizes the concept of advertising for data contention. This technique lets nodes listen dynamically to any desired transmission and sleep during transmissions not of interest. This minimizes the energy lost in idle listening and overhearing while maintaining an adaptive duty cycle to handle variable loads. Additionally, ADV-MAC enables energy efficient MAC-level multicasting. An analytical model for the packet delivery ratio and the energy consumption of the protocol is also proposed. The analytical model is verified with simulations and is used to choose an optimal value of the advertisement period. Simulations show that the optimized ADV-MAC provides substantial energy gains (50% to 70% less than other MAC protocols for WSNs such as T-MAC and S-MAC for the scenarios investigated) while faring as well as T-MAC in terms of packet delivery ratio and latency. Although ADV-MAC provides substantial energy gains over S-MAC and T-MAC, it is not optimal in terms of energy savings because contention is done twice -- once in the Advertisement Period and once in the Data Period. In the next part of my research, the second contention in the Data Period is eliminated and the advantages of contention-based and TDMA-based protocols are combined to form Advertisement based Time-division Multiple Access (ATMA), a distributed TDMA-based MAC protocol for WSNs. ATMA utilizes the bursty nature of the traffic to prevent energy waste through advertisements and reservations for data slots. Extensive simulations and qualitative analysis show that with bursty traffic, ATMA outperforms contention-based protocols (S-MAC, T-MAC and ADV-MAC), a TDMA based protocol (TRAMA) and hybrid protocols (Z-MAC and IEEE 802.15.4). ATMA provides energy reductions of up to 80%, while providing the best packet delivery ratio (close to 100%) and latency among all the investigated protocols. Simulations alone cannot reflect many of the challenges faced by real implementations of MAC protocols, such as clock-drift, synchronization, imperfect physical layers, and irregular interference from other transmissions. Such issues may cripple a protocol that otherwise performs very well in software simulations. Hence, to validate my research, I conclude with a hardware implementation of the ATMA protocol on SORA (Software Radio), developed by Microsoft Research Asia. SORA is a reprogrammable Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform that satisfies the throughput and timing requirements of modern wireless protocols while utilizing the rich general purpose PC development environment. Experimental results obtained from the hardware implementation of ATMA closely mirror the simulation results obtained for a single hop network with 4 nodes.

Network support for turn-taking in multimedia collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dommel, Hans-Peter; Garcia-Luna-Aceves, Jose J.

1997-01-01

The effectiveness of collaborative multimedia systems depends on the regulation of access to their shared resources, such as continuous media or instruments used concurrently by multiple parties. Existing applications use only simple protocols to mediate such resource contention. Their cooperative rules follow a strict agenda and are largely application-specific. The inherent problem of floor control lacks a systematic methodology. This paper presents a general model on floor control for correct, scalable, fine-grained and fair resource sharing that integrates user interaction with network conditions, and adaptation to various media types. The motion of turn-taking known from psycholinguistics in studies on discourse structure is adapted for this framework. Viewed as a computational analogy to speech communication, online collaboration revolves around dynamically allocated access permissions called floors. The control semantics of floors derives from concurrently control methodology. An explicit specification and verification of a novel distributed Floor Control Protocol are presented. Hosts assume sharing roles that allow for efficient dissemination of control information, agreeing on a floor holder which is granted mutually exclusive access to a resource. Performance analytic aspects of floor control protocols are also briefly discussed.

Chart Card: feasibility of a tool for improving emergency department care in sickle cell disease.

PubMed

Neumayr, Lynne; Pringle, Steven; Giles, Stephen; Quirolo, Keith C; Paulukonis, Susan; Vichinsky, Elliott P; Treadwell, Marsha J

2010-11-01

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are concerned with emergency department care, including time to treatment and staff attitudes and knowledge. Providers are concerned about rapid access to patient information and SCD treatment protocols. A software application that stores and retrieves encrypted personal medical information on a plastic credit card-sized Chart Card was designed. To determine the applicability and feasibility of the Chart Card on patient satisfaction with emergency department care and provider accessibility to patient information and care protocols. One-half of 44 adults (aged -18 years) and 50 children with SCD were randomized to either the Chart Card or usual care. Patient satisfaction was surveyed pre and post implementation of the Chart Card program, and emergency department staff was surveyed about familiarity with SCD treatment protocols. Patient satisfaction with emergency department care and efficacy in health care increased post Chart Card implementation. Providers valued immediate access to patient information and SCD treatment guidelines. The technology has potential for application in the treatment of other illnesses in other settings.

Medical Negligence Determinations, the "Right to Try," and Expanded Access to Innovative Treatments.

PubMed

Meyerson, Denise

2017-09-01

This article considers the issue of expanded access to innovative treatments in the context of recent legislative initiatives in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United Kingdom, the supporters of legislative change argued that the common law principles governing medical negligence are a barrier to innovation. In an attempt to remove this perceived impediment, two bills proposed that innovating doctors sued for negligence should be able to rely in their defence on the fact that their decision to innovate was "responsible." A decision to innovate would be regarded as responsible if it followed a specified process. Although these changes to the law of medical negligence were not passed, this article argues that the idea of a process-based approach was sound. In the United States, a number of states have passed "Right to Try" laws that permit doctors to prescribe and companies to provide investigational products without the need for FDA approval. These laws do not purport to and nor are they able to alter the obligations of individuals and companies under federal law. They are consequently unlikely to achieve their stated aim of expanding access to investigational products. This article argues that they nevertheless have a cogent rationale in so far as they highlight the need for rights-based reform to federal regulations governing access.

The Ins and Outs of Access Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longworth, David

1999-01-01

Presents basic considerations when school districts plan to acquire an access-control system for their education facilities. Topics cover cards and readers, controllers, software, automation, card technology, expandability, price, specification of needs beyond the canned specifications already supplied, and proper usage training to cardholders.…

Self-adaptive Fault-Tolerance of HLA-Based Simulations in the Grid Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jijie; Chai, Xudong; Zhang, Lin; Li, Bo Hu

The objects of a HLA-based simulation can access model services to update their attributes. However, the grid server may be overloaded and refuse the model service to handle objects accesses. Because these objects have been accessed this model service during last simulation loop and their medium state are stored in this server, this may terminate the simulation. A fault-tolerance mechanism must be introduced into simulations. But the traditional fault-tolerance methods cannot meet the above needs because the transmission latency between a federate and the RTI in grid environment varies from several hundred milliseconds to several seconds. By adding model service URLs to the OMT and expanding the HLA services and model services with some interfaces, this paper proposes a self-adaptive fault-tolerance mechanism of simulations according to the characteristics of federates accessing model services. Benchmark experiments indicate that the expanded HLA/RTI can make simulations self-adaptively run in the grid environment.

An Educators' Guide to Information Access across the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazari, Sunil

1994-01-01

A discussion of tools available for use of the Internet, particularly by college and university educators and students, offers information on use of various services, including electronic mailing list servers, data communications protocols for networking, inter-host connections, file transfer protocol, gopher software, bibliographic searching,…

47 CFR 79.4 - Closed captioning of video programming delivered using Internet protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Closed captioning of video programming... (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING Video Programming Owners, Providers, and Distributors § 79.4 Closed captioning of video programming delivered using Internet protocol. (a...

77 FR 6094 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-07

....-International Atomic Energy Agency Additional Protocol. Under the U.S.-International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA...-related activities to the IAEA and potentially provide access to IAEA inspectors for verification purposes. The U.S.-IAEA Additional Protocol permits the United States unilaterally to declare exclusions from...

Combining novel technologies with improved logistics to reduce hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction.

PubMed

Roy-Chaudhury, P; Lee, T; Duncan, H; El-Khatib, M

2009-01-01

Hemodialysis (HD) vascular access dysfunction is currently a huge clinical problem for which there are no effective therapies. There are, however, a number of promising technologies that are currently at the experimental or clinical trial stage. We believe that the application of these novel technologies in combination with better clinical protocols for vascular access care could significantly reduce the current problems associated with HD vascular access.

Global Access to Library of Congress' Digital Resources: National Digital Library and Internet Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-chih

1996-01-01

Summarizes how the Library of Congress' digital library collections can be accessed globally via the Internet and World Wide Web. Outlines the resources found in each of the various access points: gopher, online catalog, library and legislative Web sites, legal and copyright databases, and FTP (file transfer protocol) sites. (LAM)

106-17 Telemetry Standards Chapter 7 Packet Telemetry Downlink

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-31

Acronyms IP Internet Protocol IPv4 Internet Protocol, Version 4 IPv6 Internet Protocol, Version 6 LLP low-latency PTDP MAC media access control...o 4’b0101: PT Internet Protocol (IP) Packet o 4’b0110: PT Chapter 24 TmNSMessage Packet o 4’b0111 – 4’b1111: Reserved • Fragment (bits 17 – 16...packet is defined as a free -running 12-bit counter. The PT test counter packet shall consist of one 12-bit word and shall be encoded as one 24-bit

Conducting a fully mobile and randomised clinical trial for depression: access, engagement and expense.

PubMed

Anguera, Joaquin A; Jordan, Joshua T; Castaneda, Diego; Gazzaley, Adam; Areán, Patricia A

2016-01-01

Advances in mobile technology have resulted in federal and industry-level initiatives to facilitate large-scale clinical research using smart devices. Although the benefits of technology to expand data collection are obvious, assumptions about the reach of mobile research methods ( access ), participant willingness to engage in mobile research protocols ( engagement ), and the cost of this research ( cost ) remain untested. To assess the feasibility of a fully mobile randomised controlled trial using assessments and treatments delivered entirely through mobile devices to depressed individuals. Using a web-based research portal, adult participants with depression who also owned a smart device were screened, consented and randomised to 1 of 3 mental health apps for treatment. Assessments of self-reported mood and cognitive function were conducted at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Physical and social activity was monitored daily using passively collected phone use data. All treatment and assessment tools were housed on each participant's smart phone or tablet. A cognitive training application, an application based on problem-solving therapy, and a mobile-sensing application promoting daily activities. Access : We screened 2923 people and enrolled 1098 participants in 5 months. The sample characteristics were comparable to the 2013 US census data. Recruitment via Craigslist.org yielded the largest sample. Engagement : Study engagement was high during the first 2 weeks of treatment, falling to 44% adherence by the 4th week. Cost : The total amount spent on for this project, including staff costs and β testing, was $314 264 over 2 years. These findings suggest that mobile randomised control trials can recruit large numbers of participants in a short period of time and with minimal cost, but study engagement remains challenging. NCT00540865.

Implementation of mental health parity: lessons from california.

PubMed

Rosenbach, Margo L; Lake, Timothy K; Williams, Susan R; Buck, Jeffrey A

2009-12-01

This article reports the experiences of health plans, providers, and consumers with California's mental health parity law and discusses implications for implementation of the 2008 federal parity law. This study used a multimodal data collection approach to assess the first five years of California's parity implementation (from 2000 to 2005). Telephone interviews were conducted with 68 state-level stakeholders, and in-person interviews were conducted with 77 community-based stakeholders. Six focus groups included 52 providers, and six included 32 consumers. A semistructured interview protocol was used. Interview notes and transcripts were coded to facilitate analysis. Health plans eliminated differential benefit limits and cost-sharing requirements for certain mental disorders to comply with the law, and they used managed care to control costs. In response to concerns about access to and quality of care, the state expanded oversight of health plans, issuing access-to-care regulations and conducting focused studies. California's parity law applied to a limited list of psychiatric diagnoses. Health plan executives said they spent considerable resources clarifying which diagnoses were covered at parity levels and concluded that the limited diagnosis list was unnecessary with managed care. Providers indicated that the diagnosis list had unintended consequences, including incentives to assign a more severe diagnosis that would be covered at parity levels, rather than a less severe diagnosis that would not be covered at such levels. The lack of consumer knowledge about parity was widely acknowledged, and consumers in the focus groups requested additional information about parity. Experiences in California suggest that implementation of the 2008 federal parity law should include monitoring health plan performance related to access and quality, in addition to monitoring coverage and costs; examining the breadth of diagnoses covered by health plans; and mounting a campaign to educate consumers about their insurance benefits.

Easy Online Access to Helpful Internet Guides.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuss, Joan

1993-01-01

Lists recommended guides to the Internet that are available electronically. Basic commands needed to use anonymous ftp (file transfer protocol) are explained. An annotation and command formats to access, scan, retrieve, and exit each file are included for 11 titles. (EAM)

An extended smart utilization medium access control (ESU-MAC) protocol for ad hoc wireless systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vashishtha, Jyoti; Sinha, Aakash

2006-05-01

The demand for spontaneous setup of a wireless communication system has increased in recent years for areas like battlefield, disaster relief operations etc., where a pre-deployment of network infrastructure is difficult or unavailable. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) is a promising solution, but poses a lot of challenges for all the design layers, specifically medium access control (MAC) layer. Recent existing works have used the concepts of multi-channel and power control in designing MAC layer protocols. SU-MAC developed by the same authors, efficiently uses the 'available' data and control bandwidth to send control information and results in increased throughput via decreasing contention on the control channel. However, SU-MAC protocol was limited for static ad-hoc network and also faced the busy-receiver node problem. We present the Extended SU-MAC (ESU-MAC) protocol which works mobile nodes. Also, we significantly improve the scheme of control information exchange in ESU-MAC to overcome the busy-receiver node problem and thus, further avoid the blockage of control channel for longer periods of time. A power control scheme is used as before to reduce interference and to effectively re-use the available bandwidth. Simulation results show that ESU-MAC protocol is promising for mobile, ad-hoc network in terms of reduced contention at the control channel and improved throughput because of channel re-use. Results show a considerable increase in throughput compared to SU-MAC which could be attributed to increased accessibility of control channel and improved utilization of data channels due to superior control information exchange scheme.

Multiple Access Schemes for Lunar Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deutsch, Leslie; Hamkins, Jon; Stocklin, Frank J.

2010-01-01

Two years ago, the NASA Coding, Modulation, and Link Protocol (CMLP) study was completed. The study, led by the authors of this paper, recommended codes, modulation schemes, and desired attributes of link protocols for all space communication links in NASA's future space architecture. Portions of the NASA CMLP team were reassembled to resolve one open issue: the use of multiple access (MA) communication from the lunar surface. The CMLP-MA team analyzed and simulated two candidate multiple access schemes that were identified in the original CMLP study: Code Division MA (CDMA) and Frequency Division MA (FDMA) based on a bandwidth-efficient Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) with a superimposed Pseudo-Noise (PN) ranging signal (CPM/PN). This paper summarizes the results of the analysis and simulation of the CMLP-MA study and describes the final recommendations.

RosettaScripts: a scripting language interface to the Rosetta macromolecular modeling suite.

PubMed

Fleishman, Sarel J; Leaver-Fay, Andrew; Corn, Jacob E; Strauch, Eva-Maria; Khare, Sagar D; Koga, Nobuyasu; Ashworth, Justin; Murphy, Paul; Richter, Florian; Lemmon, Gordon; Meiler, Jens; Baker, David

2011-01-01

Macromolecular modeling and design are increasingly useful in basic research, biotechnology, and teaching. However, the absence of a user-friendly modeling framework that provides access to a wide range of modeling capabilities is hampering the wider adoption of computational methods by non-experts. RosettaScripts is an XML-like language for specifying modeling tasks in the Rosetta framework. RosettaScripts provides access to protocol-level functionalities, such as rigid-body docking and sequence redesign, and allows fast testing and deployment of complex protocols without need for modifying or recompiling the underlying C++ code. We illustrate these capabilities with RosettaScripts protocols for the stabilization of proteins, the generation of computationally constrained libraries for experimental selection of higher-affinity binding proteins, loop remodeling, small-molecule ligand docking, design of ligand-binding proteins, and specificity redesign in DNA-binding proteins.

Passenger vehicle driver cell phone use : results from the fall 2000 National Occupant Protection Use Survey

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-07-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) expanded its data collection protocols during October and November 2000 to obtain national estimates of driver cell phone use. The results of NOPUS f...

Increasing Need-Based Grant Aid Is the Most Efficient Way To Expand College Access. Illuminations: Highlighting Important Research in Postsecondary Education Access. New Agenda Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumina Foundation for Education, 2004

2004-01-01

This two-page summary offers an overview of a "New Agenda Series" publication relating to need-based grant aid. The federal and state governments share the responsibility for providing access to postsecondary education. They do this through direct appropriations, student financial aid programs and other support for research and educational…

Expanding Access to Secondary Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Key Planning and Finance Issues. Create Pathways to Access. Research Monograph No. 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewin, Keith M.

2007-01-01

This paper makes the case for managed expansion of secondary schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa. The great majority of secondary age African children remain excluded from access to good quality secondary schooling. Increasing numbers are graduating from primary schools where enrolments are rapidly growing as a result of successful Education for All…

Quality of USMC Officers: Buildup Vs. Reduction in Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

the system and difficult to remove. Bacolod (2007), analyzes the decline in teacher quality due to expanded access to professional jobs for women ...the drawdown is to reduce accessions, create stricter retention policies, and entice members to leave the service through voluntary measures. This...approach during the drawdown is to reduce accessions, create stricter retention policies, and entice members to leave the service through voluntary

Integrated AUTODIN System Architecture Report. Part 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-03-01

Link Modes Protocols and end-to- end host protocols Codes ASCII, ITA#2 ASCII, Others (Trans- parent to network) Speeds 45 thru 4800 bps 110 bps thru 56K ...service facilities such as AMPEs, subscriber access lines, modems , multiplexers, concentrators, interface development to include software design and...Protocol) CODES - ASCII and ITA#2 (others transparent) SPEEDS - 45.5bps - 56K bps FORMATS - AUTODIN II Segment Formats, JANAP 128, ACP 126/127, DOI 103

Intrusion Detection for Defense at the MAC and Routing Layers of Wireless Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Space DoS Denial of Service DSR Dynamic Source Routing IDS Intrusion Detection System LAR Location-Aided Routing MAC Media Access Control MACA Multiple...different mobility parameters. 10 They simulate interaction between three MAC protocols ( MACA , 802.11 and CSMA) and three routing protocols (AODV, DSR

The Historian and Electronic Research: File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Michael J.

1993-01-01

Asserts that the Internet will become the academic communication medium for historians in the 1990s. Describes the "file transfer protocol" (FTP) access approach to the Internet and discusses its significant for historical research. Includes instructions for using FTP and a list of history-related FTP sites. (CFR)

Migrating an Online Service to WAP - A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klasen, Lars

2002-01-01

Discusses mobile access via wireless application protocol (WAP) to online services that is offered in Sweden through InfoTorg. Topics include the Swedish online market; filtering HTML data from an Internet/Web server into WML (wireless markup language); mobile phone technology; microbrowsers; WAP protocol; and future possibilities. (LRW)

78 FR 54612 - Closed Captioning of Internet Protocol-Delivered Video Programming: Implementation of the Twenty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-05

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 79 [MB Docket No. 11-154; DA 13-1785] Closed Captioning of Internet Protocol-Delivered Video Programming: Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed...

World Class: The Global Challenge to Canadian Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart-Patterson, David

2002-01-01

Globalization challenges governments to improve the quality of and access to postsecondary education while limiting their ability to raise revenue. By stimulating savings and expanding student loans and scholarships, Canada can improve access to postsecondary education. Educational quality can be improved through more effective assessment and…

Expanding SLA's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avallone, Susan

1987-01-01

Briefly summarizes topics discussed within the theme of global information access at the annual conference of the Special Libraries Association, including information policy in foreign countries, copyright laws, the impact of library automation on access to information, and findings of a task force on the value of the information professional.…

The management of Convulsive Refractory Status Epilepticus in adults in the UK: No consistency in practice and little access to continuous EEG monitoring.

PubMed

Patel, Mitesh; Bagary, Manny; McCorry, Dougall

2015-01-01

Convulsive Status Epilepticus (CSE) is a common neurological emergency with patients presenting with prolonged epileptic activity. Sub-optimal management is coupled with high morbidity and mortality. Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring is considered essential by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the management of Convulsive Refractory Status Epilepticus (CRSE). The aim of this research was to determine current clinical practice in the management of CRSE amongst adults in intensive care units (ICU) in the UK and establish if the use of a standardised protocol requires re-enforcement within trusts. 75 randomly selected UK NHS Trusts were contacted and asked to complete a questionnaire in addition to providing their protocol for CRSE management in ICU. 55 (73%) trusts responded. While 31 (56% of responders) had a protocol available in ICU for early stages of CSE, just 21 (38%) trusts had specific guidelines if CRSE occurred. Only 23 (42%) trusts involved neurologists at any stage of management and just 18 (33%) have access to continuous EEG monitoring. This study identifies significant inconsistency in the management of CSE in ICU's across the UK. A minority of ICU units have a protocol for CRSE or access to continuous EEG monitoring despite it being considered fundamental for management and supported by NICE guidance. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apparatus for detecting alpha radiation in difficult access areas

DOEpatents

Steadman, Peter; MacArthur, Duncan W.

1997-09-02

An electrostatic alpha radiation detector for measuring alpha radiation emitted from inside an enclosure comprising an electrically conductive expandable electrode for insertion into the enclosure. After insertion, the electrically conductive expandable electrode is insulated from the enclosure and defines a decay cavity between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure so that air ions generated in the decay cavity are electrostatically captured by the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure when an electric potential is applied between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. Indicator means are attached to the electrically conductive expandable electrode for indicating an electrical current produced by generation of the air ions generated in the decay cavity by collisions between air molecules and the alpha particles emitted from the enclosure. A voltage source is connected between the indicator means and the electrically conductive enclosure for creating an electric field between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure.

DREAM: Distributed Resources for the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) Advanced Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, D. N.

2015-12-01

The data associated with climate research is often generated, accessed, stored, and analyzed on a mix of unique platforms. The volume, variety, velocity, and veracity of this data creates unique challenges as climate research attempts to move beyond stand-alone platforms to a system that truly integrates dispersed resources. Today, sharing data across multiple facilities is often a challenge due to the large variance in supporting infrastructures. This results in data being accessed and downloaded many times, which requires significant amounts of resources, places a heavy analytic development burden on the end users, and mismanaged resources. Working across U.S. federal agencies, international agencies, and multiple worldwide data centers, and spanning seven international network organizations, the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) has begun to solve this problem. Its architecture employs a system of geographically distributed peer nodes that are independently administered yet united by common federation protocols and application programming interfaces. However, significant challenges remain, including workflow provenance, modular and flexible deployment, scalability of a diverse set of computational resources, and more. Expanding on the existing ESGF, the Distributed Resources for the Earth System Grid Federation Advanced Management (DREAM) will ensure that the access, storage, movement, and analysis of the large quantities of data that are processed and produced by diverse science projects can be dynamically distributed with proper resource management. This system will enable data from an infinite number of diverse sources to be organized and accessed from anywhere on any device (including mobile platforms). The approach offers a powerful roadmap for the creation and integration of a unified knowledge base of an entire ecosystem, including its many geophysical, geographical, social, political, agricultural, energy, transportation, and cyber aspects. The resulting aggregation of data combined with analytics services has the potential to generate an informational universe and knowledge system of unprecedented size and value to the scientific community, downstream applications, decision makers, and the public.

A Universal Good: Expanding Voluntary, Early Learning Opportunities for Illinois' Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Sean

This report was written to stimulate discussion about the potential and need for expanding access to voluntary, high-quality early childhood care and education programs in Illinois. The report compiles 13 short articles pertaining to early learning as follows: (1) "Ready to Succeed: Preparing Children for School, and for Life"; (2)…

Expanded Learning Time and Opportunities: Key Principles, Driving Perspectives, and Major Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blyth, Dale A.; LaCroix-Dalluhn, Laura

2011-01-01

If expanded learning is going to make a real difference, then three key principles must inform how communities overcome challenges and assure equitable access to learning opportunities. Much of today's debate is framed in the language of formal education systems--students, classrooms, schools--even though part of the expansion seeks to engage a…

Protocol for Communication Networking for Formation Flying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jennings, Esther; Okino, Clayton; Gao, Jay; Clare, Loren

2009-01-01

An application-layer protocol and a network architecture have been proposed for data communications among multiple autonomous spacecraft that are required to fly in a precise formation in order to perform scientific observations. The protocol could also be applied to other autonomous vehicles operating in formation, including robotic aircraft, robotic land vehicles, and robotic underwater vehicles. A group of spacecraft or other vehicles to which the protocol applies could be characterized as a precision-formation- flying (PFF) network, and each vehicle could be characterized as a node in the PFF network. In order to support precise formation flying, it would be necessary to establish a corresponding communication network, through which the vehicles could exchange position and orientation data and formation-control commands. The communication network must enable communication during early phases of a mission, when little positional knowledge is available. Particularly during early mission phases, the distances among vehicles may be so large that communication could be achieved only by relaying across multiple links. The large distances and need for omnidirectional coverage would limit communication links to operation at low bandwidth during these mission phases. Once the vehicles were in formation and distances were shorter, the communication network would be required to provide high-bandwidth, low-jitter service to support tight formation-control loops. The proposed protocol and architecture, intended to satisfy the aforementioned and other requirements, are based on a standard layered-reference-model concept. The proposed application protocol would be used in conjunction with conventional network, data-link, and physical-layer protocols. The proposed protocol includes the ubiquitous Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 medium access control (MAC) protocol to be used in the datalink layer. In addition to its widespread and proven use in diverse local-area networks, this protocol offers both (1) a random- access mode needed for the early PFF deployment phase and (2) a time-bounded-services mode needed during PFF-maintenance operations. Switching between these two modes could be controlled by upper-layer entities using standard link-management mechanisms. Because the early deployment phase of a PFF mission can be expected to involve multihop relaying to achieve network connectivity (see figure), the proposed protocol includes the open shortest path first (OSPF) network protocol that is commonly used in the Internet. Each spacecraft in a PFF network would be in one of seven distinct states as the mission evolved from initial deployment, through coarse formation, and into precise formation. Reconfiguration of the formation to perform different scientific observations would also cause state changes among the network nodes. The application protocol provides for recognition and tracking of the seven states for each node and for protocol changes under specified conditions to adapt the network and satisfy communication requirements associated with the current PFF mission phase. Except during early deployment, when peer-to-peer random access discovery methods would be used, the application protocol provides for operation in a centralized manner.

Effect of a feed/fast protocol on pH in the proximal equine stomach.

PubMed

Husted, L; Sanchez, L C; Baptiste, K E; Olsen, S N

2009-09-01

Risk factors for the development of gastric squamous ulcers include various management procedures, such as intermittent feed deprivation that can occur during weight management regimens or stall and dry lot confinement. To investigate the effect of intermittent feed deprivation relative to continuous feed intake on proximal intragastric pH, specifically in the region of the squamous mucosa of the lesser curvature. In 6 horses, pH electrodes were placed just inside of the oesophageal sphincter in the stomach for each of two 72 h protocols (A and B) in a randomised, cross-over design. Protocol A consisted of 12 h fed, 12 h fasted, 24 h fed and 24 h fasted, in sequence. Protocol B consisted of 72 h fed. During the fed periods of each protocol, horses had ad libitum access to coastal Bermuda hay and were fed sweet feed (1 kg, b.i.d.). Horses had ad libitum access to water at all times. Proximal intragastric pH was significantly lower during protocol A, than during protocol B. However, hourly mean pH was significantly different only during the day and evening hours between protocols. During protocol B, mean proximal pH decreased significantly from 03.00 to 09.00 compared to 19.00 to 23.00 h. A moderate positive correlation of hay intake vs. proximal gastric pH could be established. Intermittent feed deprivation decreased proximal gastric pH in horses relative to those horses for which feed was not restricted. However, the effect was only significant when fasting occurred during the day and evening hours, as a nocturnal decrease in pH occurred simultaneously in the fed horses. Episodes of daytime feed deprivation should be avoided if possible, as proximal gastric acid exposure rapidly increases during such events.

Gaining Access to the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notess, Greg R.

1992-01-01

Discusses Internet services and protocols (i.e., electronic mail, file transfer, and remote login) and provides instructions for retrieving guides and directories of the Internet. Services providing access to the Internet are described, including bulletin board systems, regional networks, nationwide connections, and library organizations; and a…

Quantum CSMA/CD Synchronous Communication Protocol with Entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Nanrun; Zeng, Binyang; Gong, Lihua

By utilizing the characteristics of quantum entanglement, a quantum synchronous communication protocol for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) is presented. The proposed protocol divides the link into the busy time and leisure one, where the data frames are sent via classical channels and the distribution of quantum entanglement is supposed to be completed at leisure time and the quantum acknowledge frames are sent via quantum entanglement channels. The time span between two successfully delivered messages can be significantly reduced in this proposed protocol. It is shown that the performance of the CSMA/CD protocol can be improved significantly since the collision can be reduced to a certain extent. The proposed protocol has great significance in quantum communication.

On the Design of a Comprehensive Authorisation Framework for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

Authentication Server AZM Authorisation Manager AZS Authorisation Server BP Business Process BPAA Business Process Authorisation Architecture BPAD Business...Internet Protocol Security JAAS Java Authentication and Authorisation Service MAC Mandatory Access Control RBAC Role Based Access Control RCA Regional...the authentication process, make authorisation decisions using application specific access control functions that results in the practice of

Interdisciplinary Approach to the Development of Accessible Computer-Administered Measurement Instruments.

PubMed

Magasi, Susan; Harniss, Mark; Heinemann, Allen W

2018-01-01

Principles of fairness in testing require that all test takers, including people with disabilities, have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their capacity on the construct being measured. Measurement design features and assessment protocols can pose barriers for people with disabilities. Fairness in testing is a fundamental validity issue at all phases in the design, administration, and interpretation of measurement instruments in clinical practice and research. There is limited guidance for instrument developers on how to develop and evaluate the accessibility and usability of measurement instruments. This article describes a 6-stage iterative process for developing accessible computer-administered measurement instruments grounded in the procedures implemented across several major measurement initiatives. A key component of this process is interdisciplinary teams of accessibility experts, content and measurement experts, information technology experts, and people with disabilities working together to ensure that measurement instruments are accessible and usable by a wide range of users. The development of accessible measurement instruments is not only an ethical requirement, it also ensures better science by minimizing measurement bias, missing data, and attrition due to mismatches between the target population and test administration platform and protocols. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Live Access Server Scientific Product Generation Through Workflow Orchestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hankin, S.; Calahan, J.; Li, J.; Manke, A.; O'Brien, K.; Schweitzer, R.

2006-12-01

The Live Access Server (LAS) is a well-established Web-application for display and analysis of geo-science data sets. The software, which can be downloaded and installed by anyone, gives data providers an easy way to establish services for their on-line data holdings, so their users can make plots; create and download data sub-sets; compare (difference) fields; and perform simple analyses. Now at version 7.0, LAS has been in operation since 1994. The current "Armstrong" release of LAS V7 consists of three components in a tiered architecture: user interface, workflow orchestration and Web Services. The LAS user interface (UI) communicates with the LAS Product Server via an XML protocol embedded in an HTTP "get" URL. Libraries (APIs) have been developed in Java, JavaScript and perl that can readily generate this URL. As a result of this flexibility it is common to find LAS user interfaces of radically different character, tailored to the nature of specific datasets or the mindset of specific users. When a request is received by the LAS Product Server (LPS -- the workflow orchestration component), business logic converts this request into a series of Web Service requests invoked via SOAP. These "back- end" Web services perform data access and generate products (visualizations, data subsets, analyses, etc.). LPS then packages these outputs into final products (typically HTML pages) via Jakarta Velocity templates for delivery to the end user. "Fine grained" data access is performed by back-end services that may utilize JDBC for data base access; the OPeNDAP "DAPPER" protocol; or (in principle) the OGC WFS protocol. Back-end visualization services are commonly legacy science applications wrapped in Java or Python (or perl) classes and deployed as Web Services accessible via SOAP. Ferret is the default visualization application used by LAS, though other applications such as Matlab, CDAT, and GrADS can also be used. Other back-end services may include generation of Google Earth layers using KML; generation of maps via WMS or ArcIMS protocols; and data manipulation with Unix utilities.

Expanding Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Ronald

2007-01-01

There is no question that the United States lags behind most industrialized nations in consumer access to broadband Internet service. For many policy makers and activists, this shortfall marks the latest phase in the struggle to overcome the digital divide. To remedy this lack of broadband affordability and availability, one start-up firm--with…

After Access: Divergent Learning Profiles in Vietnam and India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rolleston, Caine; James, Zoe

2015-01-01

In recent decades, both India and Vietnam have successfully expanded access to schooling to near-universal levels and have shifted their focus to quality-oriented policy reform. Yet, international and national evidence shows strongly contrasting learning profiles for children within the two systems. Simple indicators of numeracy suggest similar…

Russian Higher Education: Who Can Afford It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gounko, Tatiana

2012-01-01

The article explores the issue of access and equity in the Russian higher education system by examining recent government initiatives. While recently introduced measures such as the Unified State Examination and student loan project are designed to aid students and expand participation, they alone cannot ensure equitable access to higher education…

Access & Equity for All Students: LGBT Student Needs. Commission Report 08-22

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Postsecondary Education Commission, 2008

2008-01-01

Access and equity for all students in California colleges and universities have always been high priorities of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The Commission has conducted research, gathered data, and made recommendations to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for all students in the state's postsecondary systems.…

Early Intervention: Expanding Access to Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Kevin, Ed.

2000-01-01

"The ERIC Review" announces research results, publications, and new programs relevant to each issue's theme topic. This issue focuses on early intervention and its role in making higher education accessible to all students, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented or at risk. An introductory section contains one article,…

Access to Experimental Cancer Drugs

Cancer.gov

An experimental drug has been tested in the lab and with animals and approved for testing in people by the FDA, but can’t yet be advertised, sold, or prescribed. Experimental drugs may be available through clinical trials or expanded access programs - learn more about these programs and how to talk to your doctor.

77 FR 76522 - Notice of Quarterly Report (July 1, 2012-September 30, 2012)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-28

.... Stakeholders reached by public outreach efforts. Personnel trained. Rural land service offices installed and...: MCA Benin Total Quarterly Disbursements \\1\\: $81,539 Access to Financial Services $15,495,910 Expand access to $15,495,910 Value of credits Project. financial granted by micro- services. finance...

77 FR 63877 - Notice of Quarterly Report (April 1, 2012-June 30, 2012)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-17

... reached by public outreach efforts. Personnel trained. Rural land service offices installed and... Quarterly Disbursements 1: $142,167 Access to Financial Services $17,688,674 Expand Access to $15,495,910 Value of credits granted Project. Financial Services. by micro-finance institutions (MFIs) (at the...

Service Accessibility for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acevedo-Polakovich, Ignacio David; Bell, Bailey; Gamache, Peter; Christian, Allison S.

2013-01-01

Although Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning (LGBTQ) youth experience alarming rates of behavioral and social problems, service use among these youth is disproportionately low. It is likely that decreased service accessibility plays a causal role in service underutilization among LGBTQ youth. To expand the existing…

Unmarried Parents in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldrick-Rab, Sara; Sorensen, Kia

2010-01-01

Noting that access to higher education has expanded dramatically in the past several decades, Sara Goldrick-Rab and Kia Sorensen focus on how unmarried parents fare once they enter college. Contrary to the expectation that access to college consistently promotes family stability and economic security, the authors argue that deficiencies in current…

Teacher Placement into Immigrant English Learner Classrooms: Limiting Access in Comprehensive High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabach, Dafney Blanca

2015-01-01

This qualitative study examined how secondary teachers were assigned to teach courses intended to expand English learners' (ELs') access to academic subjects. Theoretically, this research extends the "contexts of reception" framework from immigration studies into the educational realm by investigating how teachers--as one important…

Time Patterns in Remote OPAC Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Thomas A.

1993-01-01

Describes a transaction log analysis of the New York Public Library research libraries' OPAC (online public access catalog). Much of the remote searching occurred when the libraries were closed and was more evenly distributed than internal searching, demonstrating that remote searching could expand access and reduce peak system loads. (Contains…

Is the Shine off the A.P. Apple?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurwitz, Nina; Hurwitz, Sol

2003-01-01

Describes challenges facing College Board's efforts to expand Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses to provide equal access to previously underserved low-performing urban and rural school students while maintaining the program's high academic standards. Includes list of strategies school boards can use to achieve greater access to A.P. courses while…

Provisional Admission Practices: Blending Access and Support to Facilitate Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Andrew Howard; Clinedinst, Melissa

2013-01-01

This report examines provisional admission as an initiative that can expand four-year college access and success for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Provisional admission policies and programs enable students to enroll at an institution under specific conditions. Students are often required to meet certain academic…

Verification and Trust: Background Investigations Preceding Faculty Appointment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Academe, 2004

2004-01-01

Many employers in the United States have been initiating or expanding policies requiring background checks of prospective employees. The ability to perform such checks has been abetted by the growth of computerized databases and of commercial enterprises that facilitate access to personal information. Employers now have ready access to public…

Saccadic vector optokinetic perimetry in children with neurodisability or isolated visual pathway lesions: observational cohort study.

PubMed

Tailor, Vijay; Glaze, Selina; Unwin, Hilary; Bowman, Richard; Thompson, Graham; Dahlmann-Noor, Annegret

2016-10-01

Children and adults with neurological impairments are often not able to access conventional perimetry; however, information about the visual field is valuable. A new technology, saccadic vector optokinetic perimetry (SVOP), may have improved accessibility, but its accuracy has not been evaluated. We aimed to explore accessibility, testability and accuracy of SVOP in children with neurodisability or isolated visual pathway deficits. Cohort study; recruitment October 2013-May 2014, at children's eye clinics at a tertiary referral centre and a regional Child Development Centre; full orthoptic assessment, SVOP (central 30° of the visual field) and confrontation visual fields (CVF). Group 1: age 1-16 years, neurodisability (n=16), group 2: age 10-16 years, confirmed or suspected visual field defect (n=21); group 2 also completed Goldmann visual field testing (GVFT). Group 1: testability with a full 40-point test protocol is 12.5%; with reduced test protocols, testability is 100%, but plots may be clinically meaningless. Children (44%) and parents/carers (62.5%) find the test easy. SVOP and CVF agree in 50%. Group 2: testability is 62% for the 40-point protocol, and 90.5% for reduced protocols. Corneal changes in childhood glaucoma interfere with SVOP testing. All children and parents/carers find SVOP easy. Overall agreement with GVFT is 64.7%. While SVOP is highly accessible to children, many cannot complete a full 40-point test. Agreement with current standard tests is moderate to poor. Abnormal saccades cause an apparent non-specific visual field defect. In children with glaucoma or nystagmus SVOP calibration often fails. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

IP access networks with QoS support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sargento, Susana; Valadas, Rui J. M. T.; Goncalves, Jorge; Sousa, Henrique

2001-07-01

The increasing demand of new services and applications is pushing for drastic changes on the design of access networks targeted mainly for residential and SOHO users. Future access networks will provide full service integration (including multimedia), resource sharing at the packet level and QoS support. It is expected that using IP as the base technology, the ideal plug-and-play scenario, where the management actions of the access network operator are kept to a minimum, will be achieved easily. This paper proposes an architecture for access networks based on layer 2 or layer 3 multiplexers that allows a number of simplifications in the network elements and protocols (e.g. in the routing and addressing functions). We discuss two possible steps in the evolution of access networks towards a more efficient support of IP based services. The first one still provides no QoS support and was designed with the goal of reusing as much as possible current technologies; it is based on tunneling to transport PPP sessions. The second one introduces QoS support through the use of emerging technologies and protocols. We illustrate the different phases of a multimedia Internet access session, when using SIP for session initiation, COPS for the management of QoS policies including the AAA functions and RSVP for resource reservation.

Analysis of practical backoff protocols for contention resolution with multiple servers

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

Goldberg, L.A.; MacKenzie, P.D.

Backoff protocols are probably the most widely used protocols for contention resolution in multiple access channels. In this paper, we analyze the stochastic behavior of backoff protocols for contention resolution among a set of clients and servers, each server being a multiple access channel that deals with contention like an Ethernet channel. We use the standard model in which each client generates requests for a given server according to a Bemoulli distribution with a specified mean. The client-server request rate of a system is the maximum over all client-server pairs (i, j) of the sum of all request rates associatedmore » with either client i or server j. Our main result is that any superlinear polynomial backoff protocol is stable for any multiple-server system with a sub-unit client-server request rate. We confirm the practical relevance of our result by demonstrating experimentally that the average waiting time of requests is very small when such a system is run with reasonably few clients and reasonably small request rates such as those that occur in actual ethernets. Our result is the first proof of stability for any backoff protocol for contention resolution with multiple servers. Our result is also the first proof that any weakly acknowledgment based protocol is stable for contention resolution with multiple servers and such high request rates. Two special cases of our result are of interest. Hastad, Leighton and Rogoff have shown that for a single-server system with a sub-unit client-server request rate any modified superlinear polynomial backoff protocol is stable. These modified backoff protocols are similar to standard backoff protocols but require more random bits to implement. The special case of our result in which there is only one server extends the result of Hastad, Leighton and Rogoff to standard (practical) backoff protocols. Finally, our result applies to dynamic routing in optical networks.« less

Ex vivo expanded cord blood cells provide rapid engraftment in fetal sheep but lack long-term engrafting potential.

PubMed

McNiece, Ian K; Almeida-Porada, Graça; Shpall, Elizabeth J; Zanjani, Esmail

2002-06-01

Cord blood (CB) products are becoming routinely used in unrelated allogeneic transplantation for smaller pediatric patients. Because of the low numbers of cells in CB compared to bone marrow or peripheral blood progenitor cells, their use is more limited in larger adults. Therefore, we developed ex vivo expansion conditions for CB and currently are transplanting ex vivo expanded CB products to patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy. As there is concern that ex vivo expansion may exhaust long-term engrafting cells, the current clinical protocols consist of both an expanded fraction and an unexpanded fraction. To determine the effect of expansion culture on long-term engrafting cells, we evaluated the short- and long-term engrafting potential of ex vivo expanded CB using a fetal sheep xenogeneic transplant model. CD 34(+) cells were selected from CB products and cultured in a two-step procedure in the presence of stem cell factor, megakaryocyte growth and differentiation factor, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for 14 days. Starting cells (CD34(+) cells), and cultured cells (day 7 and day 14 cells) were transplanted in 60-day-old fetal sheep and evaluated at various time points post transplant for the presence of human cells. Long-term engrafting cells were assessed by serial passage into secondary and tertiary recipients. Day 14 expanded CB cells provided more rapid engraftment than either the day 7 expanded cells or the day 0 cells; however, this engraftment was transient, and no human cells were detectable at 16 months post transplant in the animals that received the day 14 expanded cells. Day 0 cells had engrafted animals at 2 months post transplant and both the day 0 and day 7 cells persisted to 16 months or longer. In the secondary animals, the day 0 and day 7 cells engrafted equivalently at 3 months post transplant; however, no secondary engraftment resulted from the day 14 cells. The levels of engraftment in secondary animals receiving day 7 cells decreased with time to barely detectable levels at 12 months post transplant. Ex vivo expansion of CB CD34(+) cells under the conditions described results in the generation of increased mature cells and progenitors that are capable of more rapid engraftment in fetal sheep compared to unexpanded CB CD34(+) cells. The expanded cells engrafted primary sheep but lacked secondary and tertiary engrafting potential. These studies demonstrate that although ex vivo expanded cells may be able to provide rapid short-term engraftment, the long-term potential of expanded grafts may be compromised. Therefore, clinical protocols may require transplantation of two fractions of cells, an expanded CB graft to provide rapid short-term engraftment and an unmanipulated fraction of CB graft to provide stem cells for long-term engraftment.

Reducing the distance: equity issues in distance learning in public education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Patricia B.; Storo, Jennifer

1996-12-01

Distance learning and educational equity both began with an emphasis on access, on providing underserved students with an increased access to education. Today definitions of equity have gone beyond simple access to include equal or equivalent treatment and outcomes while definitions of underserved students have expanded to include girls, children of color, children with limited English proficiency and children with disabilities. At the same time the definition of distance learning has expanded to include new technologies, new audiences and new roles. Based on these new definitions and roles, the article raises a number of equity challenges for distance learning educators centering around who is taught, what is taught and how the teaching is done. To answer these challenges, a series of recommendations are suggested that educators can implement to make distance learning a leader in increasing educational equity for all students. The time to act is now.

Supporting Clean Energy Development in Swaziland

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

2016-04-01

Swaziland, a country largely dependent on regional fossil fuel imports to meet power needs, is vulnerable to supply changes and price shocks. To address this challenge, the country's National Energy Policy and Implementation Strategy prioritizes actions to enhance energy independence through scaling up renewable energy and energy efficiency. With approximately 70 percent of the country lacking electricity, Swaziland is also strongly committed to expanding energy access to support key economic and social development goals. Within this context, energy security and energy access are two foundational objectives for clean energy development in Swaziland. The partnership between the Swaziland Energy Regulatory Authoritymore » and the Clean Energy Solutions Center led to concrete outcomes to support clean energy development in Swaziland. Improving renewable energy project licensing processes will enable Swaziland to achieve key national objectives to expand clean energy access and transition to greater energy independence.« less

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2016-01-01

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

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chullen, Cinda; Oliva, Vladenka R.

2016-01-01

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

High-Bandwidth Tactical-Network Data Analysis in a High-Performance-Computing (HPC) Environment: Transport Protocol (Transmission Control Protocol/User Datagram Protocol [TCP/UDP]) Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

the network Mac8 Medium Access Control ( Mac ) (Ethernet) address observed as destination for outgoing packets subsessionid8 Zero-based index of...15. SUBJECT TERMS tactical networks, data reduction, high-performance computing, data analysis, big data 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17...Integer index of row cts_deid Device (instrument) Identifier where observation took place cts_collpt Collection point or logical observation point on

Very High-Speed Report File System

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-15

1.5 and 45 Mb/s and is expected 1 Introduction to reach 150 Mb/s. These new technologies pose some challenges to The Internet Protocol (IP) family (IP... Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has R taken up the issue, but a definitive answer is probably some time away. The basic issues are the choice of AAL...by an IEEE 802. la Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP) However, with a large number of networks all header. The third proposal identifies the protocol

SAMOS - A Decade of High-Quality, Underway Meteorological and Oceanographic Data from Research Vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, S. R.; Rolph, J.; Briggs, K.; Elya, J. L.; Bourassa, M. A.

2016-02-01

The authors will describe the successes and lessons learned from the Shipboard Automated Meteorological and Oceanographic System (SAMOS) initiative. Over the past decade, SAMOS has acquired, quality controlled, and distributed underway surface meteorological and oceanographic observations from nearly 40 oceanographic research vessels. Research vessels provide underway observations at high-temporal frequency (1-minute sampling interval) that include navigational (position, course, heading, and speed), meteorological (air temperature, humidity, wind, surface pressure, radiation, rainfall), and oceanographic (surface sea temperature and salinity) samples. Vessels recruited to the SAMOS initiative collect a high concentration of data within the U.S. continental shelf, around Hawaii and the islands of the tropical Pacific, and frequently operate well outside routine shipping lanes, capturing observations in extreme ocean environments (Southern, Arctic, South Atlantic, and South Pacific oceans) desired by the air-sea exchange, modeling, and satellite remote sensing communities. The presentation will highlight the data stewardship practices of the SAMOS initiative. Activities include routine automated and visual data quality evaluation, feedback to vessel technicians and operators regarding instrumentation errors, best practices for instrument siting and exposure on research vessels, and professional development activities for research vessel technicians. Best practices for data, metadata, and quality evaluation will be presented. We will discuss ongoing efforts to expand data services to enhance interoperability between marine data centers. Data access and archival protocols will also be presented, including how these data may be referenced and accessed via NCEI.

Wireless networks for surveillance, data capture and data management in the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic care and treatment programmes.

PubMed

Abayomi, A; Goodridge, W; Asika, O

2006-12-01

Biomedical and demographic data capture and the subsequent management of such information are critical factors in the implementation of any level of healthcare prevention and treatment program. The developing world is seriously handicapped by lack of infrastructure to acquire such data let alone manipulate the information banks for projections, forecasting and priority project planning. With this in mind we set about to use the recent proliferation of wireless cellular networks and easily accessible Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), to devise a means of collecting such data even from the most remote primary healthcare facility. Our priority is aimed at initially at providing a support technology for the HIV expanded program. This technology can be implemented in the absence of computerization and regular power supply. Utilizing a PDA to capture patient data (demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters), the healthcare giver can use a wireless link between the PDA and a cellular phone to transfer the data to a central medical data base. These can then become permanent and secure data banks for future use by health providers, either at the same location or at other health facility that have authorized access to the data bank. It also affords a platform for integrating reference labs into the network as well as the opportunity to disseminate continuing medical educational material. The network can also be adapted to electronic remote consultations and eventually its data banks can be assimilated into protocols of artificial intelligence and data mining.

Prevention for those who can pay: insurance reimbursement of genetic-based preventive interventions in the liminal state between health and disease

PubMed Central

Prince, Anya E.R.

2015-01-01

Clinical use of genetic testing to predict adult onset conditions allows individuals to minimize or circumvent disease when preventive medical interventions are available. Recent policy recommendations and changes expand patient access to information about asymptomatic genetic conditions and create mechanisms for expanded insurance coverage for genetic tests. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommends that laboratories provide incidental findings of medically actionable genetic variants after whole genome sequencing. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) established mechanisms to mandate coverage for genetic tests, such as BRCA. The ACA and ACMG, however, do not address insurance coverage for preventive interventions. These policies equate access to testing as access to prevention, without exploring the accessibility and affordability of interventions. In reality, insurance coverage for preventive interventions in asymptomatic adults is variable given the US health insurance system's focus on treatment. Health disparities will be exacerbated if only privileged segments of society can access preventive interventions, such as prophylactic surgeries, screenings, or medication. To ensure equitable access to interventions, federal or state legislatures should mandate insurance coverage for both predictive genetic testing and recommended follow-up interventions included in a list established by an expert panel or regulatory body. PMID:26339500

Prevention for those who can pay: insurance reimbursement of genetic-based preventive interventions in the liminal state between health and disease.

PubMed

Prince, Anya E R

2015-07-01

Clinical use of genetic testing to predict adult onset conditions allows individuals to minimize or circumvent disease when preventive medical interventions are available. Recent policy recommendations and changes expand patient access to information about asymptomatic genetic conditions and create mechanisms for expanded insurance coverage for genetic tests. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommends that laboratories provide incidental findings of medically actionable genetic variants after whole genome sequencing. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) established mechanisms to mandate coverage for genetic tests, such as BRCA. The ACA and ACMG, however, do not address insurance coverage for preventive interventions. These policies equate access to testing as access to prevention, without exploring the accessibility and affordability of interventions. In reality, insurance coverage for preventive interventions in asymptomatic adults is variable given the US health insurance system's focus on treatment. Health disparities will be exacerbated if only privileged segments of society can access preventive interventions, such as prophylactic surgeries, screenings, or medication. To ensure equitable access to interventions, federal or state legislatures should mandate insurance coverage for both predictive genetic testing and recommended follow-up interventions included in a list established by an expert panel or regulatory body.

Access to Investigational Drugs: FDA Expanded Access Programs or “Right‐to‐Try” Legislation?

PubMed Central

Berglund, Jelena P.; Weatherwax, Kevin; Gerber, David E.; Adamo, Joan E.

2015-01-01

Abstract Purpose The Food and Drug Administration Expanded Access (EA) program and “Right‐to‐Try” legislation aim to provide seriously ill patients who have no other comparable treatment options to gain access to investigational drugs and biological agents. Physicians and institutions need to understand these programs to respond to questions and requests for access. Methods FDA EA programs and state and federal legislative efforts to provide investigational products to patients by circumventing FDA regulations were summarized and compared. Results The FDA EA program includes Single Patient‐Investigational New Drug (SP‐IND), Emergency SP‐IND, Intermediate Sized Population IND, and Treatment IND. Approval rates for all categories exceed 99%. Approval requires FDA and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and cooperation of the pharmaceutical partner is essential. “Right‐to‐Try” legislation bypasses some of these steps, but provides no regulatory or safety oversight. Conclusion The FDA EA program is a reasonable option for patients for whom all other therapeutic interventions have failed. The SP‐IND not only provides patient access to new drugs, but also maintains a balance between immediacy and necessary patient protection. Rather than circumventing existing FDA regulations through proposed legislation, it seems more judicious to provide the knowledge and means to meet the EA requirements. PMID:25588691

Access to Investigational Drugs: FDA Expanded Access Programs or "Right-to-Try" Legislation?

PubMed

Holbein, M E Blair; Berglund, Jelena P; Weatherwax, Kevin; Gerber, David E; Adamo, Joan E

2015-10-01

The Food and Drug Administration Expanded Access (EA) program and "Right-to-Try" legislation aim to provide seriously ill patients who have no other comparable treatment options to gain access to investigational drugs and biological agents. Physicians and institutions need to understand these programs to respond to questions and requests for access. FDA EA programs and state and federal legislative efforts to provide investigational products to patients by circumventing FDA regulations were summarized and compared. The FDA EA program includes Single Patient-Investigational New Drug (SP-IND), Emergency SP-IND, Intermediate Sized Population IND, and Treatment IND. Approval rates for all categories exceed 99%. Approval requires FDA and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and cooperation of the pharmaceutical partner is essential. "Right-to-Try" legislation bypasses some of these steps, but provides no regulatory or safety oversight. The FDA EA program is a reasonable option for patients for whom all other therapeutic interventions have failed. The SP-IND not only provides patient access to new drugs, but also maintains a balance between immediacy and necessary patient protection. Rather than circumventing existing FDA regulations through proposed legislation, it seems more judicious to provide the knowledge and means to meet the EA requirements. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recommendations for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster: summary report of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine's Task Force for intensive care unit triage during an influenza epidemic or mass disaster.

PubMed

Sprung, Charles L; Zimmerman, Janice L; Christian, Michael D; Joynt, Gavin M; Hick, John L; Taylor, Bruce; Richards, Guy A; Sandrock, Christian; Cohen, Robert; Adini, Bruria

2010-03-01

To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care units and hospital preparedness for an influenza pandemic. Based on a literature review and expert opinion, a Delphi process was used to define the essential topics. Key recommendations include: Hospitals should increase their ICU beds to the maximal extent by expanding ICU capacity and expanding ICUs into other areas. Hospitals should have appropriate beds and monitors for these expansion areas. Establish a management system with control groups at facility, local, regional and/or national levels to exercise authority over resources. Establish a system of communication, coordination and collaboration between the ICU and key interface departments. A plan to access, coordinate and increase labor resources is required with a central inventory of all clinical and non-clinical staff. Delegate duties not within the usual scope of workers' practice. Ensure that adequate essential medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and supplies are available. Protect patients and staff with infection control practices and supporting occupational health policies. Maintain staff confidence with reassurance plans for legal protection and assistance. Have objective, ethical, transparent triage criteria that are applied equitably and publically disclosed. ICU triage of patients should be based on the likelihood for patients to benefit most or a 'first come, first served' basis. Develop protocols for safe performance of high-risk procedures. Train and educate staff. Mortality, although inevitable during a severe influenza outbreak or disaster, can be reduced by adequate preparation.

SynapticDB, effective web-based management and sharing of data from serial section electron microscopy.

PubMed

Shi, Bitao; Bourne, Jennifer; Harris, Kristen M

2011-03-01

Serial section electron microscopy (ssEM) is rapidly expanding as a primary tool to investigate synaptic circuitry and plasticity. The ultrastructural images collected through ssEM are content rich and their comprehensive analysis is beyond the capacity of an individual laboratory. Hence, sharing ultrastructural data is becoming crucial to visualize, analyze, and discover the structural basis of synaptic circuitry and function in the brain. We devised a web-based management system called SynapticDB (http://synapses.clm.utexas.edu/synapticdb/) that catalogues, extracts, analyzes, and shares experimental data from ssEM. The management strategy involves a library with check-in, checkout and experimental tracking mechanisms. We developed a series of spreadsheet templates (MS Excel, Open Office spreadsheet, etc) that guide users in methods of data collection, structural identification, and quantitative analysis through ssEM. SynapticDB provides flexible access to complete templates, or to individual columns with instructional headers that can be selected to create user-defined templates. New templates can also be generated and uploaded. Research progress is tracked via experimental note management and dynamic PDF forms that allow new investigators to follow standard protocols and experienced researchers to expand the range of data collected and shared. The combined use of templates and tracking notes ensures that the supporting experimental information is populated into the database and associated with the appropriate ssEM images and analyses. We anticipate that SynapticDB will serve future meta-analyses towards new discoveries about the composition and circuitry of neurons and glia, and new understanding about structural plasticity during development, behavior, learning, memory, and neuropathology.

Expanding oral care opportunities: direct access care provided by dental hygienists in the United States.

PubMed

Naughton, Doreen K

2014-06-01

Dental hygienists expand access to oral care in the United States. Many Americans have access to oral health care in traditional dental offices however millions of Americans have unmet dental needs. For decades dental hygienists have provided opportunities for un-served and under-served Americans to receive preventive services in a variety of alternate delivery sites, and referral to licensed dentists for dental care needs. Publications, state practice acts, state public health departments, the American Dental Hygienists' Association, and personal interviews of dental hygiene practitioners were accessed for information and statistical data. Dental hygienists in 36 states can legally provide direct access care. Dental hygienists are providing preventive services in a variety of settings to previously un-served and under-served Americans, with referral to dentists for dental needs. Dental hygienists have provided direct access to care in the United States for decades. The exact number of direct access providers in the United States is unknown. Limited research and anecdotal information demonstrate that direct access care has facilitated alternate entry points into the oral health systems for thousands of previously un-served and underserved Americans. Older adults, persons with special needs, children in schools, pregnant women, minority populations, rural populations, and others have benefited from the availability of many services provided by direct access dental hygienists. Legislatures and private groups are becoming increasingly aware of the impact that direct access has made on the delivery of oral health care. Many factors continue to drive the growth of direct access care. Additional research is needed to accumulate qualitative and quantitative outcome data related to direct access care provided by dental hygienists and other mid level providers of oral health services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance Analysis of Modified Accelerative Preallocation MAC Protocol for Passive Star-Coupled WDMA Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Changho; Kim, Kiseon

2006-04-01

For the passive star-coupled wavelength-division multiple-access (WDMA) network, a modified accelerative preallocation WDMA (MAP-WDMA) media access control (MAC) protocol is proposed, which is based on AP-WDMA. To show the advantages of MAP-WDMA as an adequate MAC protocol for the network over AP-WDMA, the channel utilization, the channel-access delay, and the latency of MAP-WDMA are investigated and compared with those of AP-WDMA under various data traffic patterns, including uniform, quasi-uniform type, disconnected type, mesh type, and ring type data traffics, as well as the assumption that a given number of network stations is equal to that of channels, in other words, without channel sharing. As a result, the channel utilization of MAP-WDMA can be competitive with respect to that of AP-WDMA at the expense of insignificantly higher latency. Namely, if the number of network stations is small, MAP-WDMA provides better channel utilization for uniform, quasi-uniform-type, and disconnected-type data traffics at all data traffic loads, as well as for mesh and ring-type data traffics at low data traffic loads. Otherwise, MAP-WDMA only outperforms AP-WDMA for the first three data traffics at higher data traffic loads. In the aspect of channel-access delay, MAP-WDMA gives better performance than AP-WDMA, regardless of data traffic patterns and the number of network stations.

Designing of routing algorithms in autonomous distributed data transmission system for mobile computing devices with ‘WiFi-Direct’ technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, I. A.; Sherstnev, V. S.; Sherstneva, A. I.; Botygin, I. A.

2017-02-01

The results of the research of existent routing protocols in wireless networks and their main features are discussed in the paper. Basing on the protocol data, the routing protocols in wireless networks, including search routing algorithms and phone directory exchange algorithms, are designed with the ‘WiFi-Direct’ technology. Algorithms without IP-protocol were designed, and that enabled one to increase the efficiency of the algorithms while working only with the MAC-addresses of the devices. The developed algorithms are expected to be used in the mobile software engineering with the Android platform taken as base. Easier algorithms and formats of the well-known route protocols, rejection of the IP-protocols enables to use the developed protocols on more primitive mobile devices. Implementation of the protocols to the engineering industry enables to create data transmission networks among working places and mobile robots without any access points.

Cryptanalysis and improvement of an improved two factor authentication protocol for telecare medical information systems.

PubMed

Chaudhry, Shehzad Ashraf; Naqvi, Husnain; Shon, Taeshik; Sher, Muhammad; Farash, Mohammad Sabzinejad

2015-06-01

Telecare medical information systems (TMIS) provides rapid and convenient health care services remotely. Efficient authentication is a prerequisite to guarantee the security and privacy of patients in TMIS. Authentication is used to verify the legality of the patients and TMIS server during remote access. Very recently Islam et al. (J. Med. Syst. 38(10):135, 2014) proposed a two factor authentication protocol for TMIS using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) to improve Xu et al.'s (J. Med. Syst. 38(1):9994, 2014) protocol. They claimed their improved protocol to be efficient and provides all security requirements. However our analysis reveals that Islam et al.'s protocol suffers from user impersonation and server impersonation attacks. Furthermore we proposed an enhanced protocol. The proposed protocol while delivering all the virtues of Islam et al.'s protocol resists all known attacks.

A Study of Shared-Memory Mutual Exclusion Protocols Using CADP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateescu, Radu; Serwe, Wendelin

Mutual exclusion protocols are an essential building block of concurrent systems: indeed, such a protocol is required whenever a shared resource has to be protected against concurrent non-atomic accesses. Hence, many variants of mutual exclusion protocols exist in the shared-memory setting, such as Peterson's or Dekker's well-known protocols. Although the functional correctness of these protocols has been studied extensively, relatively little attention has been paid to their non-functional aspects, such as their performance in the long run. In this paper, we report on experiments with the performance evaluation of mutual exclusion protocols using Interactive Markov Chains. Steady-state analysis provides an additional criterion for comparing protocols, which complements the verification of their functional properties. We also carefully re-examined the functional properties, whose accurate formulation as temporal logic formulas in the action-based setting turns out to be quite involved.

Extremely high data-rate, reliable network systems research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Mukkamala, R.; Murray, Nicholas D.; Overstreet, C. Michael

1990-01-01

Significant progress was made over the year in the four focus areas of this research group: gigabit protocols, extensions of metropolitan protocols, parallel protocols, and distributed simulations. Two activities, a network management tool and the Carrier Sensed Multiple Access Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol, have developed to the point that a patent is being applied for in the next year; a tool set for distributed simulation using the language SIMSCRIPT also has commercial potential and is to be further refined. The year's results for each of these areas are summarized and next year's activities are described.

Automating individualized coaching and authentic role-play practice for brief intervention training.

PubMed

Hayes-Roth, B; Saker, R; Amano, K

2010-01-01

Brief intervention helps to reduce alcohol abuse, but there is a need for accessible, cost-effective training of clinicians. This study evaluated STAR Workshop , a web-based training system that automates efficacious techniques for individualized coaching and authentic role-play practice. We compared STAR Workshop to a web-based, self-guided e-book and a no-treatment control, for training the Engage for Change (E4C) brief intervention protocol. Subjects were medical and nursing students. Brief written skill probes tested subjects' performance of individual protocol steps, in different clinical scenarios, at three test times: pre-training, post-training, and post-delay (two weeks). Subjects also did live phone interviews with a standardized patient, post-delay. STAR subjects performed significantly better than both other groups. They showed significantly greater improvement from pre-training probes to post-training and post-delay probes. They scored significantly higher on post-delay phone interviews. STAR Workshop appears to be an accessible, cost-effective approach for training students to use the E4C protocol for brief intervention in alcohol abuse. It may also be useful for training other clinical interviewing protocols.

A Survey of Authentication Schemes in Telecare Medicine Information Systems.

PubMed

Aslam, Muhammad Umair; Derhab, Abdelouahid; Saleem, Kashif; Abbas, Haider; Orgun, Mehmet; Iqbal, Waseem; Aslam, Baber

2017-01-01

E-Healthcare is an emerging field that provides mobility to its users. The protected health information of the users are stored at a remote server (Telecare Medical Information System) and can be accessed by the users at anytime. Many authentication protocols have been proposed to ensure the secure authenticated access to the Telecare Medical Information System. These protocols are designed to provide certain properties such as: anonymity, untraceability, unlinkability, privacy, confidentiality, availability and integrity. They also aim to build a key exchange mechanism, which provides security against some attacks such as: identity theft, password guessing, denial of service, impersonation and insider attacks. This paper reviews these proposed authentication protocols and discusses their strengths and weaknesses in terms of ensured security and privacy properties, and computation cost. The schemes are divided in three broad categories of one-factor, two-factor and three-factor authentication schemes. Inter-category and intra-category comparison has been performed for these schemes and based on the derived results we propose future directions and recommendations that can be very helpful to the researchers who work on the design and implementation of authentication protocols.

Land-mobile satellite communication system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Tsun-Yee (Inventor); Rafferty, William (Inventor); Dessouky, Khaled I. (Inventor); Wang, Charles C. (Inventor); Cheng, Unjeng (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A satellite communications system includes an orbiting communications satellite for relaying communications to and from a plurality of ground stations, and a network management center for making connections via the satellite between the ground stations in response to connection requests received via the satellite from the ground stations, the network management center being configured to provide both open-end service and closed-end service. The network management center of one embodiment is configured to provides both types of service according to a predefined channel access protocol that enables the ground stations to request the type of service desired. The channel access protocol may be configured to adaptively allocate channels to open-end service and closed-end service according to changes in the traffic pattern and include a free-access tree algorithm that coordinates collision resolution among the ground stations.

Secure Publish-Subscribe Protocols for Heterogeneous Medical Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Picazo-Sanchez, Pablo; Tapiador, Juan E.; Peris-Lopez, Pedro; Suarez-Tangil, Guillermo

2014-01-01

Security and privacy issues in medical wireless body area networks (WBANs) constitute a major unsolved concern because of the challenges posed by the scarcity of resources in WBAN devices and the usability restrictions imposed by the healthcare domain. In this paper, we describe a WBAN architecture based on the well-known publish-subscribe paradigm. We present two protocols for publishing data and sending commands to a sensor that guarantee confidentiality and fine-grained access control. Both protocols are based on a recently proposed ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) scheme that is lightweight enough to be embedded into wearable sensors. We show how sensors can implement lattice-based access control (LBAC) policies using this scheme, which are highly appropriate for the eHealth domain. We report experimental results with a prototype implementation demonstrating the suitability of our proposed solution. PMID:25460814

Increasing access to kidney transplantation for sensitized recipient through three-way kidney paired donation with desensitization: The first Indian report

PubMed Central

Kute, Vivek B; Patel, Himanshu V; Shah, Pankaj R; Modi, Pranjal R; Shah, Veena R; Rizvi, Sayyed J; Pal, Bipin C; Modi, Manisha P; Shah, Priya S; Varyani, Umesh T; Wakhare, Pavan S; Shinde, Saiprasad G; Ghodela, Viajay A; Patel, Minaxi H; Trivedi, Varsha B; Trivedi, Hargovind L

2016-01-01

The combination of kidney paired donation (KPD) with desensitization represents a promising method of increasing the rate of living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) in immunologically challenging patients. Patients who are difficult to match and desensitize due to strong donor specific antibody are may be transplanted by a combination of desensitization and KPD protocol with more immunologically favorable donor. We present our experience of combination of desensitization protocol with three-way KPD which contributed to successful LDKT in highly sensitized end stage renal disease patient. All recipients were discharged with normal and stable allograft function at 24 mo follow up. We believe that this is first report from India where three-way KPD exchange was performed with the combination of KPD and desensitization. The combination of desensitization protocol with KPD improves access and outcomes of LDKT. PMID:27803919

The long underestimated carbonyl function of carbohydrates – an organocatalyzed shot into carbohydrate chemistry.

PubMed

Mahrwald, R

2015-09-21

The aggressive and strong development of organocatalysis provides several protocols for the convenient utilization of the carbonyl function of unprotected carbohydrates in C-C-bond formation processes. These amine-catalyzed mechanisms enable multiple cascade-protocols for the synthesis of a wide range of carbohydrate-derived compound classes. Several, only slightly different protocols, have been developed for the application of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the stereoselective chain-elongation of unprotected carbohydrates and the synthesis of highly functionalized C-glycosides of defined configuration. In addition, C-glycosides can also be accessed by amine-catalyzed reactions with methyl ketones. By a one-pot cascade reaction of isocyanides with unprotected aldoses and amino acids access to defined configured glycopeptide mimetics is achieved. Depending on the reaction conditions different origins to control the installation of configuration during the bond-formation process were observed.

Access Protocol For An Industrial Optical Fibre LAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senior, John M.; Walker, William M.; Ryley, Alan

1987-09-01

A structure for OSI levels 1 and 2 of a local area network suitable for use in a variety of industrial environments is reported. It is intended that the LAN will utilise optical fibre technology at the physical level and a hybrid of dynamically optimisable token passing and CSMA/CD techniques at the data link (IEEE 802 medium access control - logical link control) level. An intelligent token passing algorithm is employed which dynamically allocates tokens according to the known upper limits on the requirements of each device. In addition a system of stochastic tokens is used to increase efficiency when the stochastic traffic is significant. The protocol also allows user-defined priority systems to be employed and is suitable for distributed or centralised implementation. The results of computer simulated performance characteristics for the protocol using a star-ring topology are reported which demonstrate its ability to perform efficiently with the device and traffic loads anticipated within an industrial environment.

Traffic management mechanism for intranets with available-bit-rate access to the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Mahbub; Sirisena, Harsha R.; Atiquzzaman, Mohammed

1997-10-01

The design of a traffic management mechanism for intranets connected to the Internet via an available bit rate access- link is presented. Selection of control parameters for this mechanism for optimum performance is shown through analysis. An estimate for packet loss probability at the access- gateway is derived for random fluctuation of available bit rate of the access-link. Some implementation strategies of this mechanism in the standard intranet protocol stack are also suggested.

Access Control Mechanism for IoT Environments Based on Modelling Communication Procedures as Resources.

PubMed

Cruz-Piris, Luis; Rivera, Diego; Marsa-Maestre, Ivan; de la Hoz, Enrique; Velasco, Juan R

2018-03-20

Internet growth has generated new types of services where the use of sensors and actuators is especially remarkable. These services compose what is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the biggest current challenges is obtaining a safe and easy access control scheme for the data managed in these services. We propose integrating IoT devices in an access control system designed for Web-based services by modelling certain IoT communication elements as resources. This would allow us to obtain a unified access control scheme between heterogeneous devices (IoT devices, Internet-based services, etc.). To achieve this, we have analysed the most relevant communication protocols for these kinds of environments and then we have proposed a methodology which allows the modelling of communication actions as resources. Then, we can protect these resources using access control mechanisms. The validation of our proposal has been carried out by selecting a communication protocol based on message exchange, specifically Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). As an access control scheme, we have selected User-Managed Access (UMA), an existing Open Authorization (OAuth) 2.0 profile originally developed for the protection of Internet services. We have performed tests focused on validating the proposed solution in terms of the correctness of the access control system. Finally, we have evaluated the energy consumption overhead when using our proposal.

Access Control Mechanism for IoT Environments Based on Modelling Communication Procedures as Resources

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Internet growth has generated new types of services where the use of sensors and actuators is especially remarkable. These services compose what is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the biggest current challenges is obtaining a safe and easy access control scheme for the data managed in these services. We propose integrating IoT devices in an access control system designed for Web-based services by modelling certain IoT communication elements as resources. This would allow us to obtain a unified access control scheme between heterogeneous devices (IoT devices, Internet-based services, etc.). To achieve this, we have analysed the most relevant communication protocols for these kinds of environments and then we have proposed a methodology which allows the modelling of communication actions as resources. Then, we can protect these resources using access control mechanisms. The validation of our proposal has been carried out by selecting a communication protocol based on message exchange, specifically Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). As an access control scheme, we have selected User-Managed Access (UMA), an existing Open Authorization (OAuth) 2.0 profile originally developed for the protection of Internet services. We have performed tests focused on validating the proposed solution in terms of the correctness of the access control system. Finally, we have evaluated the energy consumption overhead when using our proposal. PMID:29558406

Theoretically Founded Optimization of Auctioneer's Revenues in Expanding Auctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabin, Jonathan; Shehory, Onn

The expanding auction is a multi-unit auction which provides the auctioneer with control over the outcome of the auction by means of dynamically adding items for sale. Previous research on the expanding auction has provided a numeric method to calculate a strategy that optimizes the auctioneer's revenue. In this paper, we analyze various theoretical properties of the expanding auction, and compare it to VCG, a multi-unit auction protocol known in the art. We examine the effects of errors in the auctioneer's estimation of the buyers' maximal bidding values and prove a theoretical bound on the ratio between the revenue yielded by the Informed Decision Strategy (IDS) and the post-optimal strategy. We also analyze the relationship between the auction step and the optimal revenue and introduce a method of computing this optimizing step. We further compare the revenues yielded by the use of IDS with an expanding auction to those of the VCG mechanism and determine the conditions under which the former outperforms the latter. Our work provides new insight into the properties of the expanding auction. It further provides theoretically founded means for optimizing the revenue of auctioneer.

Pore-expanded SBA-15 sulfonic acid silicas for biodiesel synthesis.

PubMed

Dacquin, J P; Lee, A F; Pirez, C; Wilson, K

2012-01-07

Here we present the first application of pore-expanded SBA-15 in heterogeneous catalysis. Pore expansion over the range 6-14 nm confers a striking activity enhancement towards fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) synthesis from triglycerides (TAG), and free fatty acid (FFA), attributed to improved mass transport and acid site accessibility. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Education for All: An Expanded Vision. World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien, Thailand, March 5-9, 1990). Monograph II. Roundtable Themes II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fordham, Paul

This seven-chapter monograph elaborates on five components of an expanded vision of basic education. It presents material that deals with aspects of these components: universalizing access and promoting equity, focusing on learning, broadening the means and scope of basic education, enhancing the environment for learning, and strengthening…

Expanding Learning in the Workplace: Making More of Individual and Organisational Potential. A NIACE Policy Discussion Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unwin, Lorna; Fuller, Alison

Ways of expanding workplace learning in the United Kingdom by making better use of individual and organizational potential were examined. The analysis focused on the following issues: ways of fostering, improving, and increasing learning in the workplace; ways of enhancing access to and participation in workplace learning; ways of making workplace…

The Pathways to Advancement Project: How States Can Expand Postsecondary Educational Opportunities for Working Adults. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzeo, Christopher; Strawn, Julie; Roberts, Brandon

2009-01-01

The Pathways to Advancement initiative was launched by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) to help governors and their policy advisors examine options and develop strategies for expanding working adults' access to and completion of postsecondary education. In September 2003, the NGA Center issued a request for…

Usability and Instructional Design Heuristics for E-Learning Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeves, Thomas C.; Benson, Lisa; Elliott, Dean; Grant, Michael; Holschuh, Doug; Kim, Beaumie; Kim, Hyeonjin; Lauber, Erick; Loh, Sebastian

Heuristic evaluation is a methodology for investigating the usability of software originally developed by Nielsen (1993, 2000). Nielsen's protocol was modified and refined for evaluating e-learning programs by participants in a doctoral seminar held at the University of Georgia in 2001. The modifications primarily involved expanding Nielsen's…

75 FR 44181 - Mevinphos; Proposed Data Call-in Order for Pesticide Tolerance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-28

... are most often collected in a study called the comparative cholinesterase assay (CCA). Since that time....1520 Processing studies Not Required 24 months (tomatoes) 870.6300 Comparative 6 months 12 months... mevinphos including: 1. A developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) study in rats (with expanded protocol to extend...

Spectrophotometric Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Grapes and Wines.

PubMed

Aleixandre-Tudo, Jose Luis; Buica, Astrid; Nieuwoudt, Helene; Aleixandre, Jose Luis; du Toit, Wessel

2017-05-24

Phenolic compounds are of crucial importance for red wine color and mouthfeel attributes. A large number of enzymatic and chemical reactions involving phenolic compounds take place during winemaking and aging. Despite the large number of published analytical methods for phenolic analyses, the values obtained may vary considerably. In addition, the existing scientific knowledge needs to be updated, but also critically evaluated and simplified for newcomers and wine industry partners. The most used and widely cited spectrophotometric methods for grape and wine phenolic analysis were identified through a bibliometric search using the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) database accessed through the Web of Science (WOS) platform from Thompson Reuters. The selection of spectrophotometry was based on its ease of use as a routine analytical technique. On the basis of the number of citations, as well as the advantages and disadvantages reported, the modified Somers assay appears as a multistep, simple, and robust procedure that provides a good estimation of the state of the anthocyanins equilibria. Precipitation methods for total tannin levels have also been identified as preferred protocols for these types of compounds. Good reported correlations between methods (methylcellulose precipitable vs bovine serum albumin) and between these and perceived red wine astringency, in combination with the adaptation to high-throughput format, make them suitable for routine analysis. The bovine serum albumin tannin assay also allows for the estimation of the anthocyanins content with the measurement of small and large polymeric pigments. Finally, the measurement of wine color using the CIELab space approach is also suggested as the protocol of choice as it provides good insight into the wine's color properties.

Lung Carcinoma Predictive Biomarker Testing by Immunoperoxidase Stains in Cytology and Small Biopsy Specimens: Advantages and Limitations.

PubMed

Zhou, Fang; Moreira, Andre L

2016-12-01

- In the burgeoning era of molecular genomics, immunoperoxidase (IPOX) testing grows increasingly relevant as an efficient and effective molecular screening tool. Patients with lung carcinoma may especially benefit from the use of IPOX because most lung carcinomas are inoperable at diagnosis and only diagnosed by small tissue biopsy or fine-needle sampling. When such small specimens are at times inadequate for molecular testing, positive IPOX results still provide actionable information. - To describe the benefits and pitfalls of IPOX in the detection of biomarkers in lung carcinoma cytology specimens and small biopsies by summarizing the currently available commercial antibodies, preanalytic variables, and analytic considerations. - PubMed. - Commercial antibodies exist for IPOX detection of aberrant protein expression due to EGFR L858R mutation, EGFR E746_A750 deletion, ALK rearrangement, ROS1 rearrangement, and BRAF V600E mutation, as well as PD-L1 expression in tumor cells. Automated IPOX protocols for ALK and PD-L1 detection were recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration as companion diagnostics for targeted therapies, but consistent interpretive criteria remain to be elucidated, and such protocols do not yet exist for other biomarkers. The inclusion of cytology specimens in clinical trials would expand patients' access to testing and treatment, yet there is a scarcity of clinical trial data regarding the application of IPOX to cytology, which can be attributed to trial designers' lack of familiarity with the advantages and limitations of cytology. The content of this review may be used to inform clinical trial design and advance IPOX validation studies.

A performance study of WebDav access to storages within the Belle II collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardi, S.; Russo, G.

2017-10-01

WebDav and HTTP are becoming popular protocols for data access in the High Energy Physics community. The most used Grid and Cloud storage solutions provide such kind of interfaces, in this scenario tuning and performance evaluation became crucial aspects to promote the adoption of these protocols within the Belle II community. In this work, we present the results of a large-scale test activity, made with the goal to evaluate performances and reliability of the WebDav protocol, and study a possible adoption for the user analysis. More specifically, we considered a pilot infrastructure composed by a set of storage elements configured with the WebDav interface, hosted at the Belle II sites. The performance tests include a comparison with xrootd and gridftp. As reference tests we used a set of analysis jobs running under the Belle II software framework, accessing the input data with the ROOT I/O library, in order to simulate as much as possible a realistic user activity. The final analysis shows the possibility to achieve promising performances with WebDav on different storage systems, and gives an interesting feedback, for Belle II community and for other high energy physics experiments.

Providing Internet Access to High-Resolution Lunar Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plesea, Lucian

2008-01-01

The OnMoon server is a computer program that provides Internet access to high-resolution Lunar images, maps, and elevation data, all suitable for use in geographical information system (GIS) software for generating images, maps, and computational models of the Moon. The OnMoon server implements the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) server protocol and supports Moon-specific extensions. Unlike other Internet map servers that provide Lunar data using an Earth coordinate system, the OnMoon server supports encoding of data in Moon-specific coordinate systems. The OnMoon server offers access to most of the available high-resolution Lunar image and elevation data. This server can generate image and map files in the tagged image file format (TIFF) or the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), 8- or 16-bit Portable Network Graphics (PNG), or Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format. Image control is provided by use of the OGC Style Layer Descriptor (SLD) protocol. Full-precision spectral arithmetic processing is also available, by use of a custom SLD extension. This server can dynamically add shaded relief based on the Lunar elevation to any image layer. This server also implements tiled WMS protocol and super-overlay KML for high-performance client application programs.

Mission Operations and Information Management Area Spacecraft Monitoring and Control Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lokerson, Donald C. (Editor)

2005-01-01

Working group goals for this year are: Goal 1. Due to many review comments the green books will be updated and available for re-review by CCSDS. Submission of green books to CCSDS for approval. Goal 2.Initial set of 4 new drafts of the red books as following: SM&C protocol: update with received comments. SM&C common services: update with received comments and expand the service specification. SM&C core services: update with received comments and expand the service the information model. SM&C time services: (target objective): produce initial draft following template of core services.

Expansion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Stirred Suspension Bioreactors.

PubMed

Almutawaa, Walaa; Rohani, Leili; Rancourt, Derrick E

2016-01-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great promise as a cell source for therapeutic applications and regenerative medicine. Traditionally, hiPSCs are expanded in two-dimensional static culture as colonies in the presence or absence of feeder cells. However, this expansion procedure is associated with lack of reproducibility and low cell yields. To fulfill the large cell number demand for clinical use, robust large-scale production of these cells under defined conditions is needed. Herein, we describe a scalable, low-cost protocol for expanding hiPSCs as aggregates in a lab-scale bioreactor.

South Dakota Department of Education Data Access Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Dakota Department of Education, 2015

2015-01-01

The South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) collects education records from local schools and districts in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. This policy document establishes the procedures and protocols for accessing, maintaining, disclosing, and disposing of confidential data records, including data records containing…

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Knowledge and Practices in the Management of Congenital Syphilis by Pediatricians in Public Maternity Hospitals in Brazil.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Raquel Rodrigues; Niquini, Roberta Pereira; Bastos, Francisco Inácio; Domingues, Rosa Maria Soares Madeira

2017-01-01

The study aimed to assess conformity with Brazil's standard protocol for diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the management of congenital syphilis by pediatricians in public maternity hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 with 41 pediatricians working in all the public maternity hospitals in Teresina, the capital of Piauí State, Northeast Brazil, through self-completed questionnaires. The study assessed the conformity of knowledge and practices according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health protocols. The study has made evident low access to training courses (54%) and insufficient knowledge of the case definition of congenital syphilis (42%) and rapid tests for syphilis (39%). Flaws were observed in the diagnostic workup and treatment of newborns. Requesting VDRL (88%) and correct treatment of neurosyphilis (88%) were the practices that showed the highest conformity with standard protocols. Low conformity with protocols leads to missed opportunities for identifying and adequately treating congenital syphilis. Based on the barriers identified in the study, better access to diagnostic and treatment protocols, improved recording on prenatal cards and hospital patient charts, availability of tests and medicines, and educational work with pregnant women should be urgently implemented, aiming to reverse the currently inadequate management of congenital syphilis and to curb its spread.

Performance Analysis of the IEEE 802.11p Multichannel MAC Protocol in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The safety applications require timely and reliable transmissions, while the non-safety applications require efficient and high throughput. In the IEEE 1609.4 protocol, operating interval is divided into alternating Control Channel (CCH) interval and Service Channel (SCH) interval with an identical length. During the CCH interval, nodes transmit safety-related messages and control messages, and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism is employed to allow four Access Categories (ACs) within a station with different priorities according to their criticality for the vehicle’s safety. During the SCH interval, the non-safety massages are transmitted. An analytical model is proposed in this paper to evaluate performance, reliability and efficiency of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The proposed model improves the existing work by taking serval aspects and the character of multichannel switching into design consideration. Extensive performance evaluations based on analysis and simulation help to validate the accuracy of the proposed model and analyze the capabilities and limitations of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols, and enhancement suggestions are given. PMID:29231882

Performance Analysis of the IEEE 802.11p Multichannel MAC Protocol in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Song, Caixia

2017-12-12

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The safety applications require timely and reliable transmissions, while the non-safety applications require efficient and high throughput. In the IEEE 1609.4 protocol, operating interval is divided into alternating Control Channel (CCH) interval and Service Channel (SCH) interval with an identical length. During the CCH interval, nodes transmit safety-related messages and control messages, and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism is employed to allow four Access Categories (ACs) within a station with different priorities according to their criticality for the vehicle's safety. During the SCH interval, the non-safety massages are transmitted. An analytical model is proposed in this paper to evaluate performance, reliability and efficiency of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The proposed model improves the existing work by taking serval aspects and the character of multichannel switching into design consideration. Extensive performance evaluations based on analysis and simulation help to validate the accuracy of the proposed model and analyze the capabilities and limitations of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols, and enhancement suggestions are given.

Equity and Access in Charter Schools: Identifying Issues and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, David T.

2017-01-01

School choice exists in American public schooling, even where official school choice policy is absent. Parents with means can elect to live in neighborhoods zoned for desirable schools, whereas parents without means are locked out of that opportunity. In their ideal, charter schools have the ability to expand access to desirable schools to…

SciLinks

Science.gov Websites

SciLinks Forgot your login? Sign up for FREE access Log In I'm a ... Teacher Student User Name questions and satisfy their curiosity Learn More Sign up for Free Access Sites in the SciLinks program . SciLinks-Targeted, Grade-Specific Web Content for your Books Free web content to extend and expand student

Financial Aid: A Broken Bridge to College Access?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Bridget Terry; Riley, Erin

2007-01-01

In this article, Bridget Terry Long and Erin Riley argue that in recent years, U.S. financial aid policy has shifted its emphasis from expanding college access for low-income students toward defraying the costs for middle- and upper-income families. They explain how loans, merit-based aid, and education tax breaks are increasingly replacing…

Derrida's Right to Philosophy, Then and Now

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willinsky, John

2009-01-01

In this essay, a tribute to Jacques Derrida's educational efforts at expanding access to current work in philosophy, John Willinsky examines his efforts as both a public right and an element of academic freedom that bear on the open access movement today. Willinsky covers Derrida's extension and outreach work with the Groupe de Recherches pour…

Market-Based Higher Education: Does Colorado's Voucher Model Improve Higher Education Access and Efficiency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hillman, Nicholas W.; Tandberg, David A.; Gross, Jacob P. K.

2014-01-01

In 2004, Colorado introduced the nation's first voucher model for financing public higher education. With state appropriations now allocated to students, rather than institutions, state officials expect this model to create cost efficiencies while also expanding college access. Using difference-in-difference regression analysis, we find limited…

The "Magic" of Wireless Access in the Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Janet L.

2006-01-01

It seems that the demand for public access computers grows exponentially every time a library network is expanded, making it impossible to ever have enough computers available for patrons. One solution that many libraries are implementing to ease the demand for public computer use is to offer wireless technology that allows patrons to bring in…

PROPOSED STANDARD TO GREATLY EXPAND PUBLIC ACCESS AND EXPLORATION OF TOXICITY DATA: EVALUATION OF STRUCTURE DATA FILE FORMAT

EPA Science Inventory

PROPOSED ST ANDARD TO GREA TL Y EXP AND PUBLIC ACCESS AND EXPLORATION OF TOXICITY DATA: EVALUATION OF STRUCTURE DATA FILE FORMAT

The ability to assess the potential toxicity of environmental, pharmaceutical, or industrial chemicals based on chemical structure in...

Patterns of Student Enrolment and Attrition in Australian Open Access Online Education: A Preliminary Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenland, Steven J.; Moore, Catherine

2014-01-01

Swinburne University of Technology has experienced tremendous growth in open access online learning and as such is typical of the many Australian institutions that have ventured into online tertiary education. While research in online education continues to expand, comparatively little investigates students' enrolment and attrition. This research…

Helping Farmers Access Farmland: New Jersey's New Land Link Website

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schilling, Brian J.; Marxen, Lucas J.; Everett, Jeffrey C.; Miller, Camille L.; Kimmel, David A.; Cook, Justine C.

2015-01-01

Access to land is a common obstacle for beginning farmers and established farmers seeking to expand their operations. Particularly in urban-influenced areas, leasing farmland is often more financially feasible than fee ownership. Locating available land or the right leasing situation, however, can be difficult. NJ Land Link (http://njlandlink.org)…

Distance Education Technology: Higher Education Barriers during the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owusu-Ansah, Angela; Neill, Patti; Haralson, Michele K.

2011-01-01

In the twenty-first century, despite the expanded opportunities technology affords in student-access to higher education, most institutions of higher education are hesitant to offer technology-based distance education (TBDE). The prohibiting factors include cost, accessibility, faculty concerns, state mandates, academic administrative actions, and…

Card Access Know-How.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

College Planning & Management, 2000

2000-01-01

Provides tips for expanding a school's card access system and making it more productive for all concerned. Tips include the use of electronic locks for better security; the need for state-of-the-art card reader system to save money in the long run; selecting vendors to one that manufactures, installs, and supports the card system; and having…

Expanding Educational Access in Eastern Turkey: A New Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dwyer, John; Aksit, Necmi; Sands, Margaret

2010-01-01

The Eastern Anatolian project extends opportunity and access to quality education. The study examines the selection and learning systems adopted within the framework of gender equity, family background and higher order skills. Performance data on a range of selection measures and the initial programme are analysed. Results show that selection was…

Improving Information Access through Technology: A Plan for Louisiana's Public Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaques, Thomas F.

Strengthening technology in Louisiana's public libraries will support equitable and convenient access to electronic information resources for all citizens at library sites, in homes, and in business. The plan presented in this document is intended to enhance and expand technology in the state's public libraries. After discussion of the crucial…

Intelligent Cooperative MAC Protocol for Balancing Energy Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, S.; Liu, K.; Huang, B.; Liu, F.

To extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks, we proposed an intelligent balanced energy consumption cooperative MAC protocol (IBEC-CMAC) based on the multi-node cooperative transmission model. The protocol has priority to access high-quality channels for reducing energy consumption of each transmission. It can also balance the energy consumption among cooperative nodes by using high residual energy nodes instead of excessively consuming some node's energy. Simulation results show that IBEC-CMAC can obtain longer network lifetime and higher energy utilization than direct transmission.

On Alarm Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cichoń, Jacek; Kapelko, Rafał; Lemiesz, Jakub; Zawada, Marcin

We consider the problem of efficient alarm protocol for ad-hoc radio networks consisting of devices that try to gain access for transmission through a shared radio communication channel. The problem arise in tasks that sensors have to quickly inform the target user about an alert situation such as presence of fire, dangerous radiation, seismic vibrations, and more. In this paper, we present a protocol which uses O(logn) time slots and show that Ω(logn/loglogn) is a lower bound for used time slots.

Device USB interface and software development for electric parameter measuring instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Deshi; Chen, Jian; Wu, Yadong

2003-09-01

Aimed at general devices development, this paper discussed the development of USB interface and software development. With an example, using PDIUSBD12 which support parallel interface, the paper analyzed its technical characteristics. Designed different interface circuit with 80C52 singlechip microcomputer and TMS320C54 series digital signal processor, analyzed the address allocation, register access. According to USB1.1 standard protocol, designed the device software and application layer protocol. The paper designed the data exchange protocol, and carried out system functions.

Pharmacist prescriptive authority for smoking cessation medications in the United States.

PubMed

Adams, Alex J; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek

To characterize the status of state laws regarding the expansion of pharmacists' prescriptive authority for smoking cessation medications and to summarize frequently asked questions and answers that arose during the associated legislative debates. Legislative language was reviewed and summarized for all states with expanded authority, and literature supporting the pharmacist's capacity for an expanded role in smoking cessation is described. The core elements of autonomous tobacco cessation prescribing models for pharmacists vary across states. Of 7 states that currently have fully or partially delineated protocols, 4 states (Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico) include all medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation, and 3 (Arizona, California, Maine) include nicotine replacement therapy products only. The state protocol in Oregon is under development. Most states specify minimum cessation education requirements and define specific elements (e.g., patient screening, cessation intervention components, and documentation requirements) for the autonomous prescribing models. Through expanded authority and national efforts to advance the tobacco cessation knowledge and skills of pharmacy students and licensed pharmacists, the profession's role in tobacco cessation has evolved substantially in recent years. Eight states have created, or are in the process of creating, pathways for autonomous pharmacist prescriptive authority. States aiming to advance tobacco control strategies to help patients quit smoking might consider approaches like those undertaken in 8 states. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethical dilemmas in genetic testing: examples from the Cuban program for predictive diagnosis of hereditary ataxias.

PubMed

Mariño, Tania Cruz; Armiñán, Rubén Reynaldo; Cedeño, Humberto Jorge; Mesa, José Miguel Laffita; Zaldivar, Yanetza González; Rodríguez, Raúl Aguilera; Santos, Miguel Velázquez; Mederos, Luis Enrique Almaguer; Herrera, Milena Paneque; Pérez, Luis Velázquez

2011-06-01

Predictive testing protocols are intended to help patients affected with hereditary conditions understand their condition and make informed reproductive choices. However, predictive protocols may expose clinicians and patients to ethical dilemmas that interfere with genetic counseling and the decision making process. This paper describes ethical dilemmas in a series of five cases involving predictive testing for hereditary ataxias in Cuba. The examples herein present evidence of the deeply controversial situations faced by both individuals at risk and professionals in charge of these predictive studies, suggesting a need for expanded guidelines to address such complexities.

Lessons from Early Medicaid Expansions Under Health Reform: Interviews with Medicaid Officials

PubMed Central

Sommers, Benjamin D; Arntson, Emily; Kenney, Genevieve M; Epstein, Arnold M

2013-01-01

Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically expands Medicaid in 2014 in participating states. Meanwhile, six states have already expanded Medicaid since 2010 to some or all of the low-income adults targeted under health reform. We undertook an in-depth exploration of these six “early-expander” states—California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington—through interviews with high-ranking Medicaid officials. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 high-ranking Medicaid officials in six states and analyzed the interviews using qualitative methods. Interviews explored enrollment outreach, stakeholder involvement, impact on beneficiaries, utilization and costs, implementation challenges, and potential lessons for 2014. Two investigators independently analyzed interview transcripts and iteratively refined the codebook until reaching consensus. Results We identified several themes. First, these expansions built upon pre-existing state-funded insurance programs for the poor. Second, predictions about costs and enrollment were challenging, indicating the uncertainty in projections for 2014. Other themes included greater than anticipated need for behavioral health services in the expansion population, administrative challenges of expansions, and persistent barriers to enrollment and access after expanding eligibility—though officials overall felt the expansions increased access for beneficiaries. Finally, political context—support or opposition from stakeholders and voters—plays a critical role in shaping the success of Medicaid expansions. Conclusions Early Medicaid expansions under the ACA offer important lessons to federal and state policymakers as the 2014 expansions approach. While the context of each state’s expansion is unique, key shared experiences were significant implementation challenges and opportunities for expanding access to needed services. PMID:24834369

A Hybrid Lifetime Extended Directional Approach for WBANs

PubMed Central

Li, Changle; Yuan, Xiaoming; Yang, Li; Song, Yueyang

2015-01-01

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) can provide real-time and reliable health monitoring, attributing to the human-centered and sensor interoperability properties. WBANs have become a key component of the ubiquitous eHealth (electronic health) revolution that prospers on the basis of information and communication technologies. The prime consideration in WBAN is how to maximize the network lifetime with battery-powered sensor nodes in energy constraint. Novel solutions in Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are imperative to satisfy the particular BAN scenario and the need of excellent energy efficiency in healthcare applications. In this paper, we propose a hybrid Lifetime Extended Directional Approach (LEDA) MAC protocol based on IEEE 802.15.6 to reduce energy consumption and prolong network lifetime. The LEDA MAC protocol takes full advantages of directional superiority in energy saving that employs multi-beam directional mode in Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) and single-beam directional mode in Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) for alternative in data reservation and transmission according to the traffic varieties. Moreover, the impacts of some inherent problems of directional antennas such as deafness and hidden terminal problem can be decreased owing to that all nodes generate individual beam according to user priorities designated. Furthermore, LEDA MAC employs a Dynamic Polled Allocation Period (DPAP) for burst data transmissions to increase the network reliability and adaptability. Extensive analysis and simulation results show that the proposed LEDA MAC protocol achieves extended network lifetime with improved performance compared with IEEE 802.15.6. PMID:26556357

Evaluating the Impact of Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists in Oregon: An Outcomes Assessment.

PubMed

Bell, Kathryn P; Coplen, Amy E

2016-06-01

Currently the dental hygiene practice model in Oregon includes the Expanded Practice Dental Hygienist (EPDH), which allows dental hygienists with an Expanded Practice Permit (EPP) to provide care to limited access populations without the supervision of a dentist. The number and types of services provided by EPDH practitioners is thus far undocumented. The purpose of this study is to conduct an outcomes assessment of EPDH practitioners in order to quantify the impact, defined by count of services, on the access to care crisis in Oregon. A 16 question confidential survey was developed and approved by the Pacific University institutional review board. The mail-based survey was sent to 181 EPDHs in Oregon in November 2011 (all EPDHs except pilot testers and one author). A second mailing was sent to non-respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis in SPSS. The response rate was 39% (n=71). Approximately 41% (n=29) of the respondents were currently using their EPP to provide care to limited access patients with an additional 21% (n=15) planning to start their own expanded practice. The majority of practicing EPDHs provide care in residential care facilities (n=21) and in school settings (n=13). Of the current practicing EPP holders, 76% practice ≤10 hours per week, and 66% make <$10,000 per year. Total services reported in an average month from all responding EPDH practitioners were: 254 adult prophylaxes, 1,003 child prophylaxes, 106 adult fluorides, 901 child fluorides and 1,994 fluoride varnishes, among many other preventive procedures. To a limited extent, the amount and type of services provided by EPDHs has now been quantified, and EPDHs are making an impact on the access to care crisis in Oregon. Continued outcomes assessment is needed to further quantify the impact of EPDHs. Copyright © 2016 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Evaluating the impact of expanded practice dental hygienists in Oregon: an outcomes assessment.

PubMed

Bell, Kathryn P; Coplen, Amy E

2015-02-01

Currently the dental hygiene practice model in Oregon includes the Expanded Practice Dental Hygienist (EPDH), which allows dental hygienists with an Expanded Practice Permit (EPP) to provide care to limited access populations without the supervision of a dentist. The number and types of services provided by EPDH practitioners is thus far undocumented. The purpose of this study is to conduct an outcomes assessment of EPDH practitioners in order to quantify the impact, defined by count of services, on the access to care crisis in Oregon. A 16 question confidential survey was developed and approved by the Pacific University institutional review board. The mail-based survey was sent to 181 EPDHs in Oregon in November 2011 (all EPDHs except pilot testers and one author). A second mailing was sent to non-respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis in SPSS. The response rate was 39% (n = 71). Approximately 41% (n = 29) of the respondents were currently using their EPP to provide care to limited access patients with an additional 21% (n = 15) planning to start their own expanded practice. The majority of practicing EPDHs provide care in residential care facilities (n = 21) and in school settings (n=13). Of the current practicing EPP holders, 76% practice ≤ 10 hours per week, and 66% make < $10,000 per year. Total services reported in an average month from all responding EPDH practitioners were: 254 adult prophylaxes, 1,003 child prophylaxes, 106 adult fluorides, 901 child fluorides and 1,994 fluoride varnishes, among many other preventive procedures. To a limited extent, the amount and type of services provided by EPDHs has now been quantified, and EPDHs are making an impact on the access to care crisis in Oregon. Continued outcomes assessment is needed to further quantify the impact of EPDHs. Copyright © 2015 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Clinical-grade generation of peptide-stimulated CMV/EBV-specific T cells from G-CSF mobilized stem cell grafts.

PubMed

Gary, Regina; Aigner, Michael; Moi, Stephanie; Schaffer, Stefanie; Gottmann, Anja; Maas, Stefanie; Zimmermann, Robert; Zingsem, Jürgen; Strobel, Julian; Mackensen, Andreas; Mautner, Josef; Moosmann, Andreas; Gerbitz, Armin

2018-05-09

A major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aSCT) is the reactivation of herpesviruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Both viruses cause significant mortality and compromise quality of life after aSCT. Preventive transfer of virus-specific T cells can suppress reactivation by re-establishing functional antiviral immune responses in immunocompromised hosts. We have developed a good manufacturing practice protocol to generate CMV/EBV-peptide-stimulated T cells from leukapheresis products of G-CSF mobilized and non-mobilized donors. Our procedure selectively expands virus-specific CD8+ und CD4+ T cells over 9 days using a generic pool of 34 CMV and EBV peptides that represent well-defined dominant T-cell epitopes with various HLA restrictions. For HLA class I, this set of peptides covers at least 80% of the European population. CMV/EBV-specific T cells were successfully expanded from leukapheresis material of both G-CSF mobilized and non-mobilized donors. The protocol allows administration shortly after stem cell transplantation (d30+), storage over liquid nitrogen for iterated applications, and protection of the stem cell donor by avoiding a second leukapheresis. Our protocol allows for rapid and cost-efficient production of T cells for early transfusion after aSCT as a preventive approach. It is currently evaluated in a phase I/IIa clinical trial.

Infusion of a non-HLA-matched ex-vivo expanded cord blood progenitor cell product after intensive acute myeloid leukaemia chemotherapy: a phase 1 trial.

PubMed

Delaney, Colleen; Milano, Filippo; Cicconi, Laura; Othus, Megan; Becker, Pamela S; Sandhu, Vicky; Nicoud, Ian; Dahlberg, Ann; Bernstein, Irwin D; Appelbaum, Frederick R; Estey, Elihu H

2016-07-01

The intensive chemotherapy regimens used to treat acute myeloid leukaemia routinely result in serious infections, largely due to prolonged neutropenia. We investigated the use of non-HLA-matched ex-vivo expanded cord blood progenitor cells to accelerate haemopoietic recovery and reduce infections after chemotherapy. We enrolled patients with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia by WHO criteria and aged 18-70 years inclusive at our institution (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) into this phase 1 trial. The primary endpoint of the study was safety of infusion of non-HLA-matched expanded cord blood progenitor cells after administration of clofarabine, cytarabine, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor priming. The protocol is closed to accrual and analysis was performed per protocol. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01031368. Between June 29, 2010, and June 26, 2012, 29 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (19 newly diagnosed, ten relapsed or refractory) were enrolled. The most common adverse events were fever (27 [93%] of 29 patients) and infections (25 [86%] of 29 patients). We observed one case of acute infusional toxicity (attributed to an allergic reaction to dimethyl sulfoxide) in the 29 patients enrolled, who received 42 infusions of expanded progenitor cells. The following additional serious but expected adverse events were observed (each in one patient): grade 4 atrial fibrillation, grade 4 febrile neutropenia, lung infection with grade 4 absolute neutrophil count, colon infection with grade 4 absolute neutrophil count, grade 4 changed mental status, and one death from liver failure. No unexpected toxicity or graft-versus-host disease was observed. There was no evidence of in-vivo persistence of the expanded progenitor cell product in any patient beyond 14 days or induced alloimmunisation. Infusion of the expanded progenitor cell product seemed safe and might provide a promising treatment method for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the US Department of Health and Human Services and Genzyme (Sanofi). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OCP: Opportunistic Carrier Prediction for Wireless Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

Many protocols have been proposed for medium access control in wireless networks. MACA [13], MACAW [3], and FAMA [8] are the earlier proposals for...world performance of carrier sense. In Proceedings of ACM SIGCOMM E-WIND Workshop, 2005. [13] P. Karn. MACA : A new channel access method for packet radio

Cultivating Conditions for Access: A Case for "Case-Making" in Graduate Student Preparation for Interdisciplinary Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannah, Mark A.; Arreguin, Alex

2017-01-01

Gaining access to interdisciplinary research sites poses unique research challenges to technical and professional communication scholars and practitioners. Drawing on applied experiences in externally funded interdisciplinary research projects and scholarship about interdisciplinary research, this article describes a training protocol for…

21 CFR 1311.125 - Requirements for establishing logical access control-Individual practitioner.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... substance prescriptions and who has obtained a two-factor authentication credential as provided in § 1311... his two-factor authentication credential to satisfy the logical access controls. The second individual... authentication factor required by the two-factor authentication protocol is lost, stolen, or compromised. Such...

Remote Patron Validation: Posting a Proxy Server at the Digital Doorway.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Peter

2002-01-01

Discussion of remote access to library services focuses on proxy servers as a method for remote access, based on experiences at Saint Mary's University (Halifax). Topics include Internet protocol user validation; browser-directed proxies; server software proxies; vendor alternatives for validating remote users; and Internet security issues. (LRW)

Techtalk: Telecommunications for Improving Developmental Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caverly, David C.; Broderick, Bill

1993-01-01

Explains how to access the Internet, discussing hardware and software considerations, connectivity, and types of access available to users. Describes the uses of electronic mail; TELNET, a method for remotely logging onto another computer; and anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a method for downloading files from a remote computer. (MAB)

The University of Minnesota's Internet Gopher System: A Tool for Accessing Network-Based Electronic Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, Rich

1993-01-01

Describes the Gopher system developed at the University of Minnesota for accessing information on the Internet. Highlights include the need for navigation tools; Gopher clients; FTP (File Transfer Protocol); campuswide information systems; navigational enhancements; privacy and security issues; electronic publishing; multimedia; and future…

Results of the 2009 ASBVd survey of avocado accessions in the national germplasm collection in Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The presence of Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASBVd) infection among the avocado (Persea americana Mill.) accessions in the National Germplasm Repository at Miami (NGR-Mia) was established in previous studies. An ASBVd specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol was used t...

Factors Affecting the Implementation of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocols for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calderon, Carlos Trevino

2012-01-01

The purpose of this sequential mixed methods case study was to explore the role of a teacher's attitude towards Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocols (SIOP) and how those attitudes affect the program's effectiveness. SIOP is a program designed to mitigate the effects of limited English proficiency and promote equal access to the curriculum…

Protocols for Late Maxillary Protraction in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

PubMed Central

Yen, Stephen L-K

2011-01-01

This paper describes the protocols used at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to protract the maxilla during early adolescence. It is a modification of techniques introduced by Eric Liou with his Alternate Rapid Maxillary Expansion and Constriction (ALT-RAMEC) technique. The main differences between the CHLA protocol and previous maxillary protraction protocols are the age the protraction is attempted, the sutural loosening by alternating weekly expansion with constriction and the use of Class III elastics to support and redirect the protraction by nightly facemask wear. The CHLA protocol entirely depends on patient compliance and must be carefully taught and monitored. In a cooperative patient, the technique can correct a Class III malocclusion that previously would have been treated with LeFort 1 maxillary advancement surgery. Thus, it is not appropriate for patients requiring 2 jaw surgeries to correct mandibular prognathism, occlusal cants or facial asymmetry. The maxillary protraction appears to work by a combination of skeletal advancement, dental compensation and rotation of the occlusal planes. Microscrew/microimplant/temporary anchorage devices have been used with these maxillary protraction protocols to assist in expanding the maxilla, increasing skeletal anchorage during protraction, limiting dental compensations and reducing skeletal relapse. PMID:21765629

Performance Comparison of Wireless Sensor Network Standard Protocols in an Aerospace Environment: ISA100.11a and ZigBee Pro

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagner, Raymond S.; Barton, Richard J.

2011-01-01

Standards-based wireless sensor network (WSN) protocols are promising candidates for spacecraft avionics systems, offering unprecedented instrumentation flexibility and expandability. Ensuring reliable data transport is key, however, when migrating from wired to wireless data gathering systems. In this paper, we conduct a rigorous laboratory analysis of the relative performances of the ZigBee Pro and ISA100.11a protocols in a representative crewed aerospace environment. Since both operate in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency (RF) band shared by systems such as Wi-Fi, they are subject at times to potentially debilitating RF interference. We compare goodput (application-level throughput) achievable by both under varying levels of 802.11g Wi-Fi traffic. We conclude that while the simpler, more inexpensive ZigBee Pro protocol performs well under moderate levels of interference, the more complex and costly ISA100.11a protocol is needed to ensure reliable data delivery under heavier interference. This paper represents the first published, rigorous analysis of WSN protocols in an aerospace environment that we are aware of and the first published head-to-head comparison of ZigBee Pro and ISA100.11a.

Apparatus for detecting alpha radiation in difficult access areas

DOEpatents

Steadman, P.; MacArthur, D.W.

1997-09-02

An electrostatic alpha radiation detector for measuring alpha radiation emitted from inside an enclosure comprising an electrically conductive expandable electrode for insertion into the enclosure is disclosed. After insertion, the electrically conductive expandable electrode is insulated from the enclosure and defines a decay cavity between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure so that air ions generated in the decay cavity are electrostatically captured by the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure when an electric potential is applied between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. Indicator means are attached to the electrically conductive expandable electrode for indicating an electrical current produced by generation of the air ions generated in the decay cavity by collisions between air molecules and the alpha particles emitted from the enclosure. A voltage source is connected between the indicator means and the electrically conductive enclosure for creating an electric field between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. 4 figs.

In-memory interconnect protocol configuration registers

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

Cheng, Kevin Y.; Roberts, David A.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for moving the interconnect protocol configuration registers into the main memory space of a node. The region of memory used for storing the interconnect protocol configuration registers may also be made cacheable to reduce the latency of accesses to the interconnect protocol configuration registers. Interconnect protocol configuration registers which are used during a startup routine may be prefetched into the host's cache to make the startup routine more efficient. The interconnect protocol configuration registers for various interconnect protocols may include one or more of device capability tables, memory-side statistics (e.g., to support two-level memory data mappingmore » decisions), advanced memory and interconnect features such as repair resources and routing tables, prefetching hints, error correcting code (ECC) bits, lists of device capabilities, set and store base address, capability, device ID, status, configuration, capabilities, and other settings.« less

Iceland’s Financial Crisis

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-20

distress. In particular, access to easy credit, a boom in domestic construction that fueled rapid economic growth, and a broad deregulation of...pressure on the value of the krona and worsened the trade deficit. As Iceland deregulated its commercial banks, those banks expanded to the United Kingdom...2007 valued at $9 billion. After Iceland deregulated its commercial banks, the banks expanded their operations abroad by acquiring subsidiaries in

Multidimensional Analysis of Nuclear Detonations

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-17

Features on the nuclear weapons testing films because of the expanding and emissive nature of the nuclear fireball. The use of these techniques to produce...Treaty (New Start Treaty) have reduced the acceptable margins of error. Multidimensional analysis provides the modern approach to nuclear weapon ...scientific community access to the information necessary to expand upon the knowledge of nuclear weapon effects. This data set has the potential to provide

Evaluation Summary of the Expanding Opportunities Interagency Inclusion Initiative: Increasing and Enhancing Access, Participation and Supports for All Children in High Quality Inclusive Programs and Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC), 2011

2011-01-01

This paper describes the impetus for creating the Expanding Opportunities Interagency Inclusion Initiative and achievements to date in identifying and implementing effective and efficient inclusion strategies in the participating states. In March 2004, the Child Care Bureau (CCB) (renamed the Office of Child Care) and the Administration on…

The BACnet Campus Challenge - Part 1

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

Masica, Ken; Tom, Steve

Here, the BACnet protocol was designed to achieve interoperability among building automation vendors and evolve over time to include new functionality as well as support new communication technologies such as the Ethernet and IP protocols as they became prevalent and economical in the market place. For large multi-building, multi-vendor campus environments, standardizing on the BACnet protocol as an implementation strategy can be a key component in meeting the challenge of an interoperable, flexible, and scalable building automation system. The interoperability of BACnet is especially important when large campuses with legacy equipment have DDC upgrades to facilities performed over different timemore » frames and use different contractors that install equipment from different vendors under the guidance of different campus HVAC project managers. In these circumstances, BACnet can serve as a common foundation for interoperability when potential variability exists in approaches to the design-build process by numerous parties over time. Likewise, BACnet support for a range of networking protocols and technologies can be a key strategy for achieving flexible and scalable automation systems as campuses and enterprises expand networking infrastructures using standard interoperable protocols like IP and Ethernet.« less

The BACnet Campus Challenge - Part 1

DOE PAGES

Masica, Ken; Tom, Steve

2015-12-01

Here, the BACnet protocol was designed to achieve interoperability among building automation vendors and evolve over time to include new functionality as well as support new communication technologies such as the Ethernet and IP protocols as they became prevalent and economical in the market place. For large multi-building, multi-vendor campus environments, standardizing on the BACnet protocol as an implementation strategy can be a key component in meeting the challenge of an interoperable, flexible, and scalable building automation system. The interoperability of BACnet is especially important when large campuses with legacy equipment have DDC upgrades to facilities performed over different timemore » frames and use different contractors that install equipment from different vendors under the guidance of different campus HVAC project managers. In these circumstances, BACnet can serve as a common foundation for interoperability when potential variability exists in approaches to the design-build process by numerous parties over time. Likewise, BACnet support for a range of networking protocols and technologies can be a key strategy for achieving flexible and scalable automation systems as campuses and enterprises expand networking infrastructures using standard interoperable protocols like IP and Ethernet.« less

Recent improvements in the NASA technical report server

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maa, Ming-Hokng; Nelson, Michael L.

1995-01-01

The NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), a World Wide Web (WWW) report distribution service, has been modified to allow parallel database queries, significantly decreasing user access time by an average factor of 2.3, access from clients behind firewalls and/or proxies which truncate excessively long Uniform Resource Locators (URL's), access to non-Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) databases, and compatibility with the Z39-50.3 protocol.

Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Expanded Access Study

ClinicalTrials.gov

2018-05-29

Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma; Relapsed/Refractory Primary Mediastinal B Cell Lymphoma; Relapsed/Refractory Transformed Follicular Lymphoma; Relapsed/Refractory High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma

Early Access to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory for Patients Resuscitated From Cardiac Arrest Due to a Shockable Rhythm: The Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium Twin Cities Unified Protocol.

PubMed

Garcia, Santiago; Drexel, Todd; Bekwelem, Wobo; Raveendran, Ganesh; Caldwell, Emily; Hodgson, Lucinda; Wang, Qi; Adabag, Selcuk; Mahoney, Brian; Frascone, Ralph; Helmer, Gregory; Lick, Charles; Conterato, Marc; Baran, Kenneth; Bart, Bradley; Bachour, Fouad; Roh, Steven; Panetta, Carmelo; Stark, Randall; Haugland, Mark; Mooney, Michael; Wesley, Keith; Yannopoulos, Demetris

2016-01-07

In 2013 the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium developed an organized approach for the management of patients resuscitated from shockable rhythms to gain early access to the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) in the metro area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Eleven hospitals with 24/7 percutaneous coronary intervention capabilities agreed to provide early (within 6 hours of arrival at the Emergency Department) access to the CCL with the intention to perform coronary revascularization for outpatients who were successfully resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia arrest. Other inclusion criteria were age >18 and <76 and presumed cardiac etiology. Patients with other rhythms, known do not resuscitate/do not intubate, noncardiac etiology, significant bleeding, and terminal disease were excluded. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurological outcome. Patients (315 out of 331) who were resuscitated from VT/VF and transferred alive to the Emergency Department had complete medical records. Of those, 231 (73.3%) were taken to the CCL per the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium protocol while 84 (26.6%) were not taken to the CCL (protocol deviations). Overall, 197 (63%) patients survived to hospital discharge with good neurological outcome (cerebral performance category of 1 or 2). Of the patients who followed the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium protocol, 121 (52%) underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, and 15 (7%) underwent coronary artery bypass graft. In this group, 151 (65%) survived with good neurological outcome, whereas in the group that did not follow the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium protocol, 46 (55%) survived with good neurological outcome (adjusted odds ratio: 1.99; [1.07-3.72], P=0.03). Early access to the CCL after cardiac arrest due to a shockable rhythm in a selected group of patients is feasible in a large metropolitan area in the United States and is associated with a 65% survival rate to hospital discharge with a good neurological outcome. © 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Multi-Bit Quantum Private Query

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wei-Xu; Liu, Xing-Tong; Wang, Jian; Tang, Chao-Jing

2015-09-01

Most of the existing Quantum Private Queries (QPQ) protocols provide only single-bit queries service, thus have to be repeated several times when more bits are retrieved. Wei et al.'s scheme for block queries requires a high-dimension quantum key distribution system to sustain, which is still restricted in the laboratory. Here, based on Markus Jakobi et al.'s single-bit QPQ protocol, we propose a multi-bit quantum private query protocol, in which the user can get access to several bits within one single query. We also extend the proposed protocol to block queries, using a binary matrix to guard database security. Analysis in this paper shows that our protocol has better communication complexity, implementability and can achieve a considerable level of security.

A hash based mutual RFID tag authentication protocol in telecare medicine information system.

PubMed

Srivastava, Keerti; Awasthi, Amit K; Kaul, Sonam D; Mittal, R C

2015-01-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology which has multidimensional applications to reduce the complexity of today life. Everywhere, like access control, transportation, real-time inventory, asset management and automated payment systems etc., RFID has its enormous use. Recently, this technology is opening its wings in healthcare environments, where potential applications include patient monitoring, object traceability and drug administration systems etc. In this paper, we propose a secure RFID-based protocol for the medical sector. This protocol is based on hash operation with synchronized secret. The protocol is safe against active and passive attacks such as forgery, traceability, replay and de-synchronization attack.

Role of Geography and Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice in Efforts to Expand Primary Care System Capacity: Health Reform and the Primary Care Workforce.

PubMed

Graves, John A; Mishra, Pranita; Dittus, Robert S; Parikh, Ravi; Perloff, Jennifer; Buerhaus, Peter I

2016-01-01

Little is known about the geographic distribution of the overall primary care workforce that includes both physician and nonphysician clinicians--particularly in areas with restrictive nurse practitioner scope-of-practice laws and where there are relatively large numbers of uninsured. We investigated whether geographic accessibility to primary care clinicians (PCCs) differed across urban and rural areas and across states with more or less restrictive scope-of-practice laws. An observational study. 2013 Area Health Resource File (AHRF) and US Census Bureau county travel data. The measures included percentage of the population in low-accessibility, medium-accessibility, and high-accessibility areas; number of geographically accessible primary care physicians (PCMDs), nurse practitioners (PCNPs), and physician assistants (PCPAs) per 100,000 population; and number of uninsured per PCC. We found divergent patterns in the geographic accessibility of PCCs. PCMDs constituted the largest share of the workforce across all settings, but were relatively more concentrated within urban areas. Accessibility to nonphysicians was highest in rural areas: there were more accessible PCNPs per 100,000 population in rural areas of restricted scope-of-practice states (21.4) than in urban areas of full practice states (13.9). Despite having more accessible nonphysician clinicians, rural areas had the largest number of uninsured per PCC in 2012. While less restrictive scope-of-practice states had up to 40% more PCNPs in some areas, we found little evidence of differences in the share of the overall population in low-accessibility areas across scope-of-practice categorizations. Removing restrictive scope-of-practice laws may expand the overall capacity of the primary care workforce, but only modestly in the short run. Additional efforts are needed that recognize the locational tendencies of physicians and nonphysicains.

Insecurity of Wireless Networks

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

Sheldon, Frederick T; Weber, John Mark; Yoo, Seong-Moo

Wireless is a powerful core technology enabling our global digital infrastructure. Wi-Fi networks are susceptible to attacks on Wired Equivalency Privacy, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and WPA2. These attack signatures can be profiled into a system that defends against such attacks on the basis of their inherent characteristics. Wi-Fi is the standard protocol for wireless networks used extensively in US critical infrastructures. Since the Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) security protocol was broken, the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) protocol has been considered the secure alternative compatible with hardware developed for WEP. However, in November 2008, researchers developed an attack on WPA,more » allowing forgery of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets. Subsequent enhancements have enabled ARP poisoning, cryptosystem denial of service, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Open source systems and methods (OSSM) have long been used to secure networks against such attacks. This article reviews OSSMs and the results of experimental attacks on WPA. These experiments re-created current attacks in a laboratory setting, recording both wired and wireless traffic. The article discusses methods of intrusion detection and prevention in the context of cyber physical protection of critical Internet infrastructure. The basis for this research is a specialized (and undoubtedly incomplete) taxonomy of Wi-Fi attacks and their adaptations to existing countermeasures and protocol revisions. Ultimately, this article aims to provide a clearer picture of how and why wireless protection protocols and encryption must achieve a more scientific basis for detecting and preventing such attacks.« less

[Venous access in oncology].

PubMed

Lesimple, T; Béguec, J F; Levêque, J M

1998-10-31

Many treatments administered to cancer patients require venous access either via a peripheral vein or a larger central vein at the risk of local or systemic infection, thrombus formation or venous occlusion and dysfunction. Insertion of a central catheter is an invasive procedure which must be conducted under conditions of rigorous asepsia. Strict rules based on well-defined protocols must be applied throughout its use. Local or systemic infectious complications account for 18 to 25% of all nosocomial infections and are often related to colonisation of the puncture site by a Gram positive germ. In case of infection, ablation of the central catheter is not mandatory for diagnosis or antibiotic treatment. Reported at varying frequencies in the literature from 4 to 42%, thrombus formation is unpredictable and often difficult to diagnose. Anticoagulants or fibrolytic agents are indicated but it may also be necessary to withdraw the catheter. Displacement, rupture, obstruction and extravasation are frequent complications. Back flow must be checked in all venous accesses and free flow carefully verified. The access must remain patent throughout the period of use, guaranteed by a standard heparinization and rinsing protocol. This complications must not mask the important progress achieved with the use of central venous access for specific and symptomatic treatment in cancer patients.

The Potato Cryobank at The International Potato Center (Cip): A Model for Long Term Conservation of Clonal Plant Genetic Resources Collections of the Future.

PubMed

Vollmer, R; Villagaray, R; Egusquiza, V; Espirilla, J; García, M; Torres, A; Rojas, E; Panta, A; Barkley, N A; Ellis, D

Cryobanks are a secure, efficient and low cost method for the long-term conservation of plant genetic resources for theoretically centuries or millennia with minimal maintenance. The present manuscript describes CIP's modified protocol for potato cryopreservation, its large-scale application, and the establishment of quality and operational standards, which included a viability reassessment of material entering the cryobank. In 2013, CIP established stricter quality and operational standards under which 1,028 potato accessions were cryopreserved with an improved PVS2-droplet protocol. In 2014 the viability of 114 accessions cryopreserved in 2013 accessions were reassessed. The average recovery rate (full plant recovery after LN exposure) of 1028 cryopreserved Solanum species ranged from 34 to 59%, and 70% of the processed accessions showed a minimum recovery rate of ≥20% and were considered as successfully cryopreserved. CIP has established a new high quality management system for cryobanking. Periodic viability reassessment, strict and clear recovery criteria and the monitoring of the percent of successful accessions meeting the criteria as well as contamination rates are metrics that need to be considered in cryobanks.

Data Democracy and Decision Making: Enhancing the Use and Value of Geospatial Data and Scientific Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, C. D.

2014-12-01

Data democracy is a concept that has great relevance to the use and value of geospatial data and scientific information. Data democracy describes a world in which data and information are widely and broadly accessible, understandable, and useable. The concept operationalizes the public good nature of scientific information and provides a framework for increasing benefits from its use. Data democracy encompasses efforts to increase accessibility to geospatial data and to expand participation in its collection, analysis, and application. These two pillars are analogous to demand and supply relationships. Improved accessibility, or demand, includes increased knowledge about geospatial data and low barriers to retrieval and use. Expanded participation, or supply, encompasses a broader community involved in developing geospatial data and scientific information. This pillar of data democracy is characterized by methods such as citizen science or crowd sourcing.A framework is developed for advancing the use of data democracy. This includes efforts to assess the societal benefits (economic and social) of scientific information. This knowledge is critical to continued monitoring of the effectiveness of data democracy implementation and of potential impact on the use and value of scientific information. The framework also includes an assessment of opportunities for advancing data democracy both on the supply and demand sides. These opportunities include relatively inexpensive efforts to reduce barriers to use as well as the identification of situations in which participation can be expanded in scientific efforts to enhance the breadth of involvement as well as expanding participation to non-traditional communities. This framework provides an initial perspective on ways to expand the "scientific community" of data users and providers. It also describes a way forward for enhancing the societal benefits from geospatial data and scientific information. As a result, data democracy not only provides benefits to a greater population, it enhances the value of science.

SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 5: Ocean optics protocols for SeaWiFS validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, James L.; Austin, Roswell W.; Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Protocols are presented for measuring optical properties, and other environmental variables, to validate the radiometric performance of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), and to develop and validate bio-optical algorithms for use with SeaWiFS data. The protocols are intended to establish foundations for a measurement strategy to verify the challenging SeaWiFS accuracy goals of 5 percent in water-leaving radiances and 35 percent in chlorophyll alpha concentration. The protocols first specify the variables which must be measured, and briefly review rationale. Subsequent chapters cover detailed protocols for instrument performance specifications, characterizing and calibration instruments, methods of making measurements in the field, and methods of data analysis. These protocols were developed at a workshop sponsored by the SeaWiFS Project Office (SPO) and held at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (9-12 April, 1991). This report is the proceedings of that workshop, as interpreted and expanded by the authors and reviewed by workshop participants and other members of the bio-optical research community. The protocols are a first prescription to approach unprecedented measurement accuracies implied by the SeaWiFS goals, and research and development are needed to improve the state-of-the-art in specific areas. The protocols should be periodically revised to reflect technical advances during the SeaWiFS Project cycle.

Nutrition Program Quality Assurance through a Formalized Process of On-Site Program Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paddock, Joan Doyle; Dollahite, Jamie

2012-01-01

A protocol for a systematic onsite review of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education was developed to support quality programming and ensure compliance with state guidelines and federal regulations. Onsite review of local nutrition program operations is one strategy to meet this…

Widening Equity and Retaining Efficiency: Considerations from the IBSA Southern Coalface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akoojee, Salim; Nkomo, Mokubung

2011-01-01

Access to higher education is a key challenge of the 21st century state. The link between higher education and personal and socio-economic development has intensified the need for ensuring that greater numbers of citizens have expanded access to and have been provided with quality higher education. The article seeks to explore how initiatives for…

Library Media Centers: Accessibility Issues in Rural Missouri

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, John E.; Lynch, Debra M.

2006-01-01

Based on a study by Cox (2004), this article deals with the needs of students with visual, hearing, and orthopedic impairments in terms of full access to school library media centers. Fictitious vignettes of student concerns as well as possible answers and thought-provoking questions expand Cox's rural Missouri-based study to a much wider audience…

78 FR 14326 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB: Community Development Block Grant...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

..., improved energy efficiency, and expanded educational opportunities and access to health care. All CDBG-R... and access to health care. All CDBG-R funds were required to be expended by September 30, 2012. Any... preference to activities that could be started and completed expeditiously. While the CDBG-R expenditure...

Implications of Massive Open Online Courses for Higher Education: Mitigating or Reifying Educational Inequities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Literat, Ioana

2015-01-01

The proliferation of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has stirred a fervent debate about global access to higher education. While some commentators praise MOOCs for expanding educational opportunities in a more open and accessible fashion, others criticize this trend as a threat to current models of higher education and a low-quality substitute…

Your Family and Managed Care: A Guide for Families of Children with Mental, Emotional or Behavioral Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Washington, DC.

Designed for parents of children with mental, emotional, or behavior disorders, this booklet provides information on accessing mental health services through health maintenance organizations. The first part of the guide provides information on how managed care can improve children's access to behavioral health services through expanded service…

Characterization of Sugar Concentration Among Edible Podded Accessions in the USDA Phaseolus vulgaris Germplasm Collection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective is to gain knowledge regarding variation in sugar and flavor content among a sample of dry bean and green pod-type accessions from the USDA Phaseolus Germplasm Core Collection, Pullman, WA. The results could be used to market product quality and offer unique opportunities to expand ma...

Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants & Toddlers at Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvard, Jamie; Schmit, Stephanie

2012-01-01

The federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created in 1994 to address the comprehensive needs of children under age 3 in low-income families and vulnerable low-income pregnant women. In addition to early learning opportunities, EHS's comprehensive early childhood development programs provide children and families with access to a range of…

Expanding Notions of Digital Access: Parents' Negotiation of School-Based Technology Initiatives in New Immigrant Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noguerón-Liu, Silvia

2017-01-01

Initiatives to integrate technology in schools are continuously increasing, with efforts to bridge the "homework gap" and provide technology access in low-income households. However, it is critical to include nondominant parents in technology adoption decisions in order to avoid mirroring past patterns of inequality in home-school…

The Future of Accessibility in International Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alphin, Henry C., Jr., Ed.; Chan, Roy Y., Ed.; Lavine, Jennie, Ed.

2017-01-01

Education is the foundation to almost all successful lives, and it is important that a high level of schooling be available on a global scale. Studying the trends in accessibility in education will allow educators to improve their own teaching techniques, as well as expand their influence to more remote areas in the world. "The Future of…

77 FR 40590 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Institute of Education Sciences; Pell Grant Experiments Study

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-10

...) a treatment group, which will have expanded access to Pell grants; or (2) a control group, which will not have access. Within both experiments, the treatment group will be very similar to the control... employment and earnings outcomes between treatment and control group members can then be attributed to Pell...

A comparison of the additional protocols of the five nuclear weapon states and the ensuing safeguards benefits to international nonproliferation efforts

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

Uribe, Eva C; Sandoval, M Analisa; Sandoval, Marisa N

2009-01-01

With the 6 January 2009 entry into force of the Additional Protocol by the United States of America, all five declared Nuclear Weapon States that are part of the Nonproliferation Treaty have signed, ratified, and put into force the Additional Protocol. This paper makes a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the five Additional Protocols in force by the five Nuclear Weapon States with respect to the benefits to international nonproliferation aims. This paper also documents the added safeguards burden to the five declared Nuclear Weapon States that these Additional Protocols put on the states with respect to accessmore » to their civilian nuclear programs and the hosting of complementary access activities as part of the Additional Protocol.« less

Persistent escalation of alcohol drinking in C57BL/6J mice with intermittent access to 20% ethanol

PubMed Central

Hwa, Lara S.; Chu, Adam; Levinson, Sally A.; Kayyali, Tala M.; DeBold, Joseph F.; Miczek, Klaus A.

2011-01-01

Background Intermittent access to drugs of abuse, as opposed to continuous access, is hypothesized to induce a kindling-type transition from moderate to escalated use, leading to dependence. Intermittent 24-hour cycles of ethanol access and deprivation can generate high levels of voluntary ethanol drinking in rats. Methods The current study uses C57BL/6J mice (B6) in an intermittent access to 20% ethanol protocol to escalate ethanol drinking levels. Adult male and female B6 mice were given intermittent access to 20% ethanol on alternating days of the week with water available ad libitum. Ethanol consumption during the initial 2 hours of access was compared to a short term, limited access “binge” drinking procedure, similar to drinking-in-the-dark (DID). B6 mice were also assessed for ethanol dependence with handling-induced convulsion (HIC), a reliable measure of withdrawal severity. Results After 3 weeks, male mice given intermittent access to ethanol achieved high stable levels of ethanol drinking in excess of 20 g/kg/24h, reaching above 100 mg/dl BEC, and showed a significantly higher ethanol preference than mice given continuous access to ethanol. Also, mice given intermittent access drank about twice as much as DID mice in the initial 2-hour access period. B6 mice that underwent the intermittent access protocol for longer periods of time displayed more severe signs of alcohol withdrawal. Additionally, female B6 mice were given intermittent access to ethanol and drank significantly more than males (ca. 30 g/kg/24h). Discussion The intermittent access method in B6 mice is advantageous because it induces escalated, voluntary, and preferential per os ethanol intake, behavior that may mimic a cardinal feature of human alcohol dependence, though the exact nature and site of ethanol acting in the brain and blood as a result of intermittent access has yet to be determined. PMID:21631540

Accessing Stereochemically Rich Sultams via Microwave-Assisted, Continuous Flow Organic Synthesis (MACOS) Scale-out

PubMed Central

Organ, Michael G.; Hanson, Paul R.; Rolfe, Alan; Samarakoon, Thiwanka B.; Ullah, Farman

2011-01-01

The generation of stereochemically-rich benzothiaoxazepine-1,1′-dioxides for enrichment of high-throughput screening collections is reported. Utilizing a microwave-assisted, continuous flow organic synthesis platform (MACOS), scale-out of core benzothiaoxazepine-1,1′-dioxide scaffolds has been achieved on multi-gram scale using an epoxide opening/SNAr cyclization protocol. Diversification of these sultam scaffolds was attained via a microwave-assisted intermolecular SNAr reaction with a variety of amines. Overall, a facile, 2-step protocol generated a collection of benzothiaoxazepine-1,1′-dioxides possessing stereochemical complexity in rapid fashion, where all 8 stereoisomers were accessed from commercially available starting materials. PMID:22116791

Remote direct memory access over datagrams

DOEpatents

Grant, Ryan Eric; Rashti, Mohammad Javad; Balaji, Pavan; Afsahi, Ahmad

2014-12-02

A communication stack for providing remote direct memory access (RDMA) over a datagram network is disclosed. The communication stack has a user level interface configured to accept datagram related input and communicate with an RDMA enabled network interface card (NIC) via an NIC driver. The communication stack also has an RDMA protocol layer configured to supply one or more data transfer primitives for the datagram related input of the user level. The communication stack further has a direct data placement (DDP) layer configured to transfer the datagram related input from a user storage to a transport layer based on the one or more data transfer primitives by way of a lower layer protocol (LLP) over the datagram network.

IEEE 802.15.4 Frame Aggregation Enhancement to Provide High Performance in Life-Critical Patient Monitoring Systems

PubMed Central

Akbar, Muhammad Sajjad; Yu, Hongnian; Cang, Shuang

2017-01-01

In wireless body area sensor networks (WBASNs), Quality of Service (QoS) provision for patient monitoring systems in terms of time-critical deadlines, high throughput and energy efficiency is a challenging task. The periodic data from these systems generates a large number of small packets in a short time period which needs an efficient channel access mechanism. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard is recommended for low power devices and widely used for many wireless sensor networks applications. It provides a hybrid channel access mechanism at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer which plays a key role in overall successful transmission in WBASNs. There are many WBASN’s MAC protocols that use this hybrid channel access mechanism in variety of sensor applications. However, these protocols are less efficient for patient monitoring systems where life critical data requires limited delay, high throughput and energy efficient communication simultaneously. To address these issues, this paper proposes a frame aggregation scheme by using the aggregated-MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) which works with the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer. To implement the scheme accurately, we develop a traffic patterns analysis mechanism to understand the requirements of the sensor nodes in patient monitoring systems, then model the channel access to find the performance gap on the basis of obtained requirements, finally propose the design based on the needs of patient monitoring systems. The mechanism is initially verified using numerical modelling and then simulation is conducted using NS2.29, Castalia 3.2 and OMNeT++. The proposed scheme provides the optimal performance considering the required QoS. PMID:28134853

IEEE 802.15.4 Frame Aggregation Enhancement to Provide High Performance in Life-Critical Patient Monitoring Systems.

PubMed

Akbar, Muhammad Sajjad; Yu, Hongnian; Cang, Shuang

2017-01-28

In wireless body area sensor networks (WBASNs), Quality of Service (QoS) provision for patient monitoring systems in terms of time-critical deadlines, high throughput and energy efficiency is a challenging task. The periodic data from these systems generates a large number of small packets in a short time period which needs an efficient channel access mechanism. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard is recommended for low power devices and widely used for many wireless sensor networks applications. It provides a hybrid channel access mechanism at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer which plays a key role in overall successful transmission in WBASNs. There are many WBASN's MAC protocols that use this hybrid channel access mechanism in variety of sensor applications. However, these protocols are less efficient for patient monitoring systems where life critical data requires limited delay, high throughput and energy efficient communication simultaneously. To address these issues, this paper proposes a frame aggregation scheme by using the aggregated-MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) which works with the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer. To implement the scheme accurately, we develop a traffic patterns analysis mechanism to understand the requirements of the sensor nodes in patient monitoring systems, then model the channel access to find the performance gap on the basis of obtained requirements, finally propose the design based on the needs of patient monitoring systems. The mechanism is initially verified using numerical modelling and then simulation is conducted using NS2.29, Castalia 3.2 and OMNeT++. The proposed scheme provides the optimal performance considering the required QoS.

A Mobility-Aware QoS Signaling Protocol for Ambient Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Seong-Ho; Lee, Sung-Hyuck; Bang, Jongho

Mobility-aware quality of service (QoS) signaling is crucial to provide seamless multimedia services in the ambient environment where mobile nodes may move frequently between different wireless access networks. The mobility of an IP-based node in ambient networks affects routing paths, and as a result, can have a significant impact on the operation and state management of QoS signaling protocols. In this paper, we first analyze the impact of mobility on QoS signaling protocols and how the protocols operate in mobility scenarios. We then propose an efficient mobility-aware QoS signaling protocol which can operate adaptively in ambient networks. The key features of the protocol include the fast discovery of a crossover node where the old and new paths converge or diverge due to handover and the localized state management for seamless services. Our analytical and simulation/experimental results show that the proposed/implemented protocol works better than existing protocols in the IP-based mobile environment.

Proceedings of the Mobile Satellite System Architectures and Multiple Access Techniques Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dessouky, Khaled

1989-01-01

The Mobile Satellite System Architectures and Multiple Access Techniques Workshop served as a forum for the debate of system and network architecture issues. Particular emphasis was on those issues relating to the choice of multiple access technique(s) for the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS). These proceedings contain articles that expand upon the 12 presentations given in the workshop. Contrasting views on Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based architectures are presented, and system issues relating to signaling, spacecraft design, and network management constraints are addressed. An overview article that summarizes the issues raised in the numerous discussion periods of the workshop is also included.

A report on FY06 IPv6 deployment activities and issues at Sandia National Laboratories.

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

Tolendino, Lawrence F.; Eldridge, John M.; Hu, Tan Chang

2006-06-01

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) has been a mainstay of the both the Internet and corporate networks for delivering network packets to the desired destination. However, rapid proliferation of network appliances, evolution of corporate networks, and the expanding Internet has begun to stress the limitations of the protocol. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the replacement protocol that overcomes the constraints of IPv4. IPv6 deployment in government network backbones has been mandated to occur by 2008. This paper explores the readiness of the Sandia National Laboratories' network backbone to support IPv6, the issues that must be addressed before a deploymentmore » begins, and recommends the next steps to take to comply with government mandates. The paper describes a joint, work effort of the Sandia National Laboratories ASC WAN project team and members of the System Analysis & Trouble Resolution and Network System Design & Implementation Departments.« less

106-17 Telemetry Management Resources Chapter 25

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

aspects of the TmNS system . There are two primary protocols for accessing the management resources: Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and... management resources as well as a basic HTTP clients and servers for a more RESTful approach to system management . Both tools are available from the...Telemetry Standards, RCC Standard 106-17 Chapter 25, July 2017 i CHAPTER 25 Management Resources Acronyms

Universal Network Access System

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-11-01

128 Figure 37 The detail of the SCM TX , (LO; local oscillator, LPF; Low-pass filter, AMP; Amplifier, BPF ...with UNAS, ( BPF : band-pass filter, BM Rx; Burst Mode receiver, AWGR; Arrayed waveguide grating router, FBG; Fiber Bragg Grating, TL; Tunable Laser...protocols. Standard specifications and RFCs will be used as guidelines for implementation. Table 1 UNAS Serial I/O Formats Protocol Implement1

A low power medium access control protocol for wireless medical sensor networks.

PubMed

Lamprinos, I; Prentza, A; Sakka, E; Koutsouris, D

2004-01-01

The concept of a wireless integrated network of sensors, already applied in several sectors of our everyday life, such as security, transportation and environment monitoring, can as well provide an advanced monitor and control resource for healthcare services. By networking medical sensors wirelessly, attaching them in patient's body, we create the appropriate infrastructure for continuous and real-time monitoring of patient without discomforting him. This infrastructure can improve healthcare by providing the means for flexible acquisition of vital signs, while at the same time it provides more convenience to the patient. Given the type of wireless network, traditional medium access control (MAC) protocols cannot take advantage of the application specific requirements and information characteristics occurring in medical sensor networks, such as the demand for low power consumption and the rather limited and asymmetric data traffic. In this paper, we present the architecture of a low power MAC protocol, designated to support wireless networks of medical sensors. This protocol aims to improve energy efficiency by exploiting the inherent application features and requirements. It is oriented towards the avoidance of main energy wastage sources, such as idle listening, collision and power outspending.

Virtual memory support for distributed computing environments using a shared data object model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, F.; Bacon, J.; Mapp, G.

1995-12-01

Conventional storage management systems provide one interface for accessing memory segments and another for accessing secondary storage objects. This hinders application programming and affects overall system performance due to mandatory data copying and user/kernel boundary crossings, which in the microkernel case may involve context switches. Memory-mapping techniques may be used to provide programmers with a unified view of the storage system. This paper extends such techniques to support a shared data object model for distributed computing environments in which good support for coherence and synchronization is essential. The approach is based on a microkernel, typed memory objects, and integrated coherence control. A microkernel architecture is used to support multiple coherence protocols and the addition of new protocols. Memory objects are typed and applications can choose the most suitable protocols for different types of object to avoid protocol mismatch. Low-level coherence control is integrated with high-level concurrency control so that the number of messages required to maintain memory coherence is reduced and system-wide synchronization is realized without severely impacting the system performance. These features together contribute a novel approach to the support for flexible coherence under application control.

Immunogenetic Management Software: a new tool for visualization and analysis of complex immunogenetic datasets

PubMed Central

Johnson, Z. P.; Eady, R. D.; Ahmad, S. F.; Agravat, S.; Morris, T; Else, J; Lank, S. M.; Wiseman, R. W.; O’Connor, D. H.; Penedo, M. C. T.; Larsen, C. P.

2012-01-01

Here we describe the Immunogenetic Management Software (IMS) system, a novel web-based application that permitsmultiplexed analysis of complex immunogenetic traits that are necessary for the accurate planning and execution of experiments involving large animal models, including nonhuman primates. IMS is capable of housing complex pedigree relationships, microsatellite-based MHC typing data, as well as MHC pyrosequencing expression analysis of class I alleles. It includes a novel, automated MHC haplotype naming algorithm and has accomplished an innovative visualization protocol that allows users to view multiple familial and MHC haplotype relationships through a single, interactive graphical interface. Detailed DNA and RNA-based data can also be queried and analyzed in a highly accessible fashion, and flexible search capabilities allow experimental choices to be made based on multiple, individualized and expandable immunogenetic factors. This web application is implemented in Java, MySQL, Tomcat, and Apache, with supported browsers including Internet Explorer and Firefox onWindows and Safari on Mac OS. The software is freely available for distribution to noncommercial users by contacting Leslie. kean@emory.edu. A demonstration site for the software is available at http://typing.emory.edu/typing_demo, user name: imsdemo7@gmail.com and password: imsdemo. PMID:22080300

Raising orphans from a metadata morass: A researcher's guide to re-use of public 'omics data.

PubMed

Bhandary, Priyanka; Seetharam, Arun S; Arendsee, Zebulun W; Hur, Manhoi; Wurtele, Eve Syrkin

2018-02-01

More than 15 petabases of raw RNAseq data is now accessible through public repositories. Acquisition of other 'omics data types is expanding, though most lack a centralized archival repository. Data-reuse provides tremendous opportunity to extract new knowledge from existing experiments, and offers a unique opportunity for robust, multi-'omics analyses by merging metadata (information about experimental design, biological samples, protocols) and data from multiple experiments. We illustrate how predictive research can be accelerated by meta-analysis with a study of orphan (species-specific) genes. Computational predictions are critical to infer orphan function because their coding sequences provide very few clues. The metadata in public databases is often confusing; a test case with Zea mays mRNA seq data reveals a high proportion of missing, misleading or incomplete metadata. This metadata morass significantly diminishes the insight that can be extracted from these data. We provide tips for data submitters and users, including specific recommendations to improve metadata quality by more use of controlled vocabulary and by metadata reviews. Finally, we advocate for a unified, straightforward metadata submission and retrieval system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immunogenetic Management Software: a new tool for visualization and analysis of complex immunogenetic datasets.

PubMed

Johnson, Z P; Eady, R D; Ahmad, S F; Agravat, S; Morris, T; Else, J; Lank, S M; Wiseman, R W; O'Connor, D H; Penedo, M C T; Larsen, C P; Kean, L S

2012-04-01

Here we describe the Immunogenetic Management Software (IMS) system, a novel web-based application that permits multiplexed analysis of complex immunogenetic traits that are necessary for the accurate planning and execution of experiments involving large animal models, including nonhuman primates. IMS is capable of housing complex pedigree relationships, microsatellite-based MHC typing data, as well as MHC pyrosequencing expression analysis of class I alleles. It includes a novel, automated MHC haplotype naming algorithm and has accomplished an innovative visualization protocol that allows users to view multiple familial and MHC haplotype relationships through a single, interactive graphical interface. Detailed DNA and RNA-based data can also be queried and analyzed in a highly accessible fashion, and flexible search capabilities allow experimental choices to be made based on multiple, individualized and expandable immunogenetic factors. This web application is implemented in Java, MySQL, Tomcat, and Apache, with supported browsers including Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows and Safari on Mac OS. The software is freely available for distribution to noncommercial users by contacting Leslie.kean@emory.edu. A demonstration site for the software is available at http://typing.emory.edu/typing_demo , user name: imsdemo7@gmail.com and password: imsdemo.

Biophysical Discovery through the Lens of a Computational Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaro, Rommie

With exascale computing power on the horizon, improvements in the underlying algorithms and available structural experimental data are enabling new paradigms for chemical discovery. My work has provided key insights for the systematic incorporation of structural information resulting from state-of-the-art biophysical simulations into protocols for inhibitor and drug discovery. We have shown that many disease targets have druggable pockets that are otherwise ``hidden'' in high resolution x-ray structures, and that this is a common theme across a wide range of targets in different disease areas. We continue to push the limits of computational biophysical modeling by expanding the time and length scales accessible to molecular simulation. My sights are set on, ultimately, the development of detailed physical models of cells, as the fundamental unit of life, and two recent achievements highlight our efforts in this arena. First is the development of a molecular and Brownian dynamics multi-scale modeling framework, which allows us to investigate drug binding kinetics in addition to thermodynamics. In parallel, we have made significant progress developing new tools to extend molecular structure to cellular environments. Collectively, these achievements are enabling the investigation of the chemical and biophysical nature of cells at unprecedented scales.

Molecular simulations of self-assembling bio-inspired supramolecular systems and their connection to experiments

PubMed Central

Patmanidis, Ilias

2018-01-01

In bionanotechnology, the field of creating functional materials consisting of bio-inspired molecules, the function and shape of a nanostructure only appear through the assembly of many small molecules together. The large number of building blocks required to define a nanostructure combined with the many degrees of freedom in packing small molecules has long precluded molecular simulations, but recent advances in computational hardware as well as software have made classical simulations available to this strongly expanding field. Here, we review the state of the art in simulations of self-assembling bio-inspired supramolecular systems. We will first discuss progress in force fields, simulation protocols and enhanced sampling techniques using recent examples. Secondly, we will focus on efforts to enable the comparison of experimentally accessible observables and computational results. Experimental quantities that can be measured by microscopy, spectroscopy and scattering can be linked to simulation output either directly or indirectly, via quantum mechanical or semi-empirical techniques. Overall, we aim to provide an overview of the various computational approaches to understand not only the molecular architecture of nanostructures, but also the mechanism of their formation. PMID:29688238