Sample records for expensive time consuming

  1. 3-D and quasi-2-D discrete element modeling of grain commingling in a bucket elevator boot system

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Unwanted grain commingling impedes new quality-based grain handling systems and has proven to be an expensive and time consuming issue to study experimentally. Experimentally validated models may reduce the time and expense of studying grain commingling while providing additional insight into detail...

  2. 7 CFR 1230.70 - Expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PORK PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... reasonable reserve that would permit an effective promotion, research, and consumer information program to...

  3. Experimental calibration procedures for rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters

    DOE PAGES

    Hvasta, M. G.; Slighton, N. T.; Kolemen, E.; ...

    2017-07-14

    Rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters are a novel and useful technology with a range of applications in a variety of different industries. However, calibrating these flowmeters can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. In this paper, simple calibration procedures for rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters are presented. These procedures eliminate the need for expensive equipment, numerical modeling, redundant flowmeters, and system down-time. Finally, the calibration processes are explained in a step-by-step manner and compared to experimental results.

  4. Experimental calibration procedures for rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters

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

    Hvasta, M. G.; Slighton, N. T.; Kolemen, E.

    Rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters are a novel and useful technology with a range of applications in a variety of different industries. However, calibrating these flowmeters can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. In this paper, simple calibration procedures for rotating Lorentz-force flowmeters are presented. These procedures eliminate the need for expensive equipment, numerical modeling, redundant flowmeters, and system down-time. Finally, the calibration processes are explained in a step-by-step manner and compared to experimental results.

  5. Getting It Right: An Assessment of Several Methods for Calculating Regional School Costs across New York State.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Widerquist, Karl

    Despite having its most expensive district spend 1.56 times more than its least expensive district, the state of New York has not used a cost index to determine the distribution of aid to school districts, except for Building Aid. The Consumer Price Index (as suggested by the Regents, Governor Pataki, State Comptroller McCall, and the Midstate…

  6. Using qPCR for Water Microbial Risk Assessments

    EPA Science Inventory

    Microbial risk assessment (MRA) has traditionally utilized microbiological data that was obtained by culture-based techniques that are expensive and time consuming. With the advent of PCR methods there is a realistic opportunity to conduct MRA studies economically, in less time,...

  7. 7 CFR 1230.38 - Compensation and reimbursement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order... expenses incurred by them in exercising their powers and duties under this subpart. Such expenses shall be...

  8. Automating Web Collection and Validation of GPS data for Longitudinal Urban Travel Studies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-08-01

    Traditional paper and phone travel surveys are expensive, time consuming, and have problems of missing trips, illogical trip sequences, and : imprecise travel time. GPS-based travel surveys can avoid many of these problems and are becoming increasing...

  9. Sustaining Moore's law with 3D chips

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

    DeBenedictis, Erik P.; Badaroglu, Mustafa; Chen, An

    Here, rather than continue the expensive and time-consuming quest for transistor replacement, the authors argue that 3D chips coupled with new computer architectures can keep Moore's law on its traditional scaling path.

  10. Sustaining Moore's law with 3D chips

    DOE PAGES

    DeBenedictis, Erik P.; Badaroglu, Mustafa; Chen, An; ...

    2017-08-01

    Here, rather than continue the expensive and time-consuming quest for transistor replacement, the authors argue that 3D chips coupled with new computer architectures can keep Moore's law on its traditional scaling path.

  11. Traffic management simulation development.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-01-03

    Microscopic simulation can provide significant support to traffic management center (TMC) operations. However, traffic simulation applications require data that are expensive and time-consuming to collect. Data collected by TMCs can be used as a prim...

  12. ANALYZING WATER QUALITY WITH IMAGES ACQUIRED FROM AIRBORNE SENSORS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Monitoring different parameters of water quality can be a time consuming and expensive activity. However, the use of airborne light-sensitive (optical) instruments may enhance the abilities of resource managers to monitor water quality in rivers in a timely and cost-effective ma...

  13. Expert Systems In Medical Studies - A New Twist

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slagle, James R.; Long, John M.; Wick, Michael R.; Matts, John P.; Leon, Arthur S.

    1986-03-01

    The use of experts to evaluate large amounts of trial data results in increasingly expensive and time consuming research. We are investigating the role expert systems can play in reducing the time and expense of research projects. Current methods in large clinical studies for evaluating data are often crude and superficial. We have developed, for a large clinical trial, an expert system for analysis of treadmill exercise ECG test results. In the cases we are studying, a patient is given a treadmill exercise ECG test once a year for five years. Pairs of these exercise tests are then evaluated by cardiologists to determine the condition of the patient's heart. The results of our system show great promise for the use of expert systems in reducing the time and expense of large clinical trials.

  14. Computing Systems | High-Performance Computing | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    investigate, build, and test models of complex phenomena or entire integrated systems-that cannot be directly observed or manipulated in the lab, or would be too expensive or time consuming. Models and visualizations

  15. 7 CFR 1217.50 - Budget and expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOFTWOOD LUMBER RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer... anticipated expenses and disbursements in administering this part. The budget for research, promotion or...

  16. 7 CFR 1217.50 - Budget and expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOFTWOOD LUMBER RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer... anticipated expenses and disbursements in administering this part. The budget for research, promotion or...

  17. 7 CFR 1217.50 - Budget and expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOFTWOOD LUMBER RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer... anticipated expenses and disbursements in administering this part. The budget for research, promotion or...

  18. Community Meetings for Emergency Research Community Consultation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-01

    authors com- mented they found the entire community consultation process burdensome, time- consuming , and expensive (6). Given the time investment...Holloway KFC : Accidental communities: Race, emergency medicine, and the problem of PolyHeme. Am J Bioeth 2006; 6:7–17 12. Dickert NW, Sugarman J: Community

  19. PRIORITIZATION OF NTP REPRODUCTIVE TOXICANTS FOR FIELD STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Population studies evaluate human reproductive impairment are time consuming,
    expensive, logistically difficult and with limited resources must be prioritized to
    effectivelyprevent the adverse health effects in humans. Interactions among
    health scientists, unions,a...

  20. CRITTERS! A Realistic Simulation for Teaching Evolutionary Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Latham, Luke G., II; Scully, Erik P.

    2008-01-01

    Evolutionary processes can be studied in nature and in the laboratory, but time and financial constraints result in few opportunities for undergraduate and high school students to explore the agents of genetic change in populations. One alternative to time consuming and expensive teaching laboratories is the use of computer simulations. We…

  1. Current applications of GPR in forest research

    Treesearch

    John Butnor; Kurt Johnsen; Lisa Samuelson; Michele Pruyn

    2009-01-01

    Forests, both naturally regenerated stands and plantations are complex, long-lived systems, which can be difficult to assess and monitor over time. This is especially true of belowground biomass and internal features of trees which are inaccessible except by destructive sampling. Traditional methods are expensive, destructive, time-consuming, usually yield a small...

  2. Development of design parameters for virtual cement and concrete testing.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-12-01

    The development, testing, and certification of new concrete mix designs is an expensive and time-consuming aspect : of the concrete industry. A software package, named the Virtual Concrete and Cement Testing Laboratory (VCCTL), : has been developed b...

  3. Corrosion performance tests for reinforcing steel in concrete : test procedures.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-09-01

    The existing test method to assess the corrosion performance of reinforcing steel embedded in concrete, mainly : ASTM G109, is labor intensive, time consuming, slow to provide comparative results, and often expensive. : However, corrosion of reinforc...

  4. Corrosion performance tests for reinforcing steel in concrete : technical report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-10-01

    The existing test method used to assess the corrosion performance of reinforcing steel embedded in : concrete, mainly ASTM G 109, is labor intensive, time consuming, slow to provide comparative results, : and can be expensive. However, with corrosion...

  5. Alternative Approaches for Screening Contaminated Sediments and Soils for PCDD/PCDF

    EPA Science Inventory

    Generating analytical data for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) using the traditional high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis method, EPA Method 1613B, is time-consuming and expensive. Consequently, alternative methods to ...

  6. RAPID ON-SITE METHODS OF CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The analysis of potentially hazardous air, water and soil samples collected and shipped to service laboratories off-site is time consuming and expensive. This Chapter addresses the practical alternative of performing the requisite analytical services on-site. The most significant...

  7. National Center for Transit Research Promotional Materials Clearinghouse. Year IV: Final report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-01-01

    Development of promotional and communications collateral can be an expensive : and time consuming undertaking for public transit systems, especially in today's : environment of down-sizing and tight budgeting. An unfortunate consequence of : such dow...

  8. Ceramic Adhesive for High Temperatures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stevens, Everett G.

    1987-01-01

    Fused-silica/magnesium-phosphate adhesive resists high temperatures and vibrations. New adhesive unaffected by extreme temperatures and vibrations. Assuring direct bonding of gap filters to tile sidewalls, adhesive obviates expensive and time-consuming task of removal, treatment, and replacement of tiles.

  9. Understanding Costs of Care in the Operating Room.

    PubMed

    Childers, Christopher P; Maggard-Gibbons, Melinda

    2018-04-18

    Increasing value requires improving quality or decreasing costs. In surgery, estimates for the cost of 1 minute of operating room (OR) time vary widely. No benchmark exists for the cost of OR time, nor has there been a comprehensive assessment of what contributes to OR cost. To calculate the cost of 1 minute of OR time, assess cost by setting and facility characteristics, and ascertain the proportion of costs that are direct and indirect. This cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis examined annual financial disclosure documents from all comparable short-term general and specialty care hospitals in California from fiscal year (FY) 2005 to FY2014 (N = 3044; FY2014, n = 302). The analysis focused on 2 revenue centers: (1) surgery and recovery and (2) ambulatory surgery. Mean cost of 1 minute of OR time, stratified by setting (inpatient vs ambulatory), teaching status, and hospital ownership. The proportion of cost attributable to indirect and direct expenses was identified; direct expenses were further divided into salary, benefits, supplies, and other direct expenses. In FY2014, a total of 175 of 302 facilities (57.9%) were not for profit, 78 (25.8%) were for profit, and 49 (16.2%) were government owned. Thirty facilities (9.9%) were teaching hospitals. The mean (SD) cost for 1 minute of OR time across California hospitals was $37.45 ($16.04) in the inpatient setting and $36.14 ($19.53) in the ambulatory setting (P = .65). There were no differences in mean expenditures when stratifying by ownership or teaching status except that teaching hospitals had lower mean (SD) expenditures than nonteaching hospitals in the inpatient setting ($29.88 [$9.06] vs $38.29 [$16.43]; P = .006). Direct expenses accounted for 54.6% of total expenses ($20.40 of $37.37) in the inpatient setting and 59.1% of total expenses ($20.90 of $35.39) in the ambulatory setting. Wages and benefits accounted for approximately two-thirds of direct expenses (inpatient, $14.00 of $20.40; ambulatory, $14.35 of $20.90), with nonbillable supplies accounting for less than 10% of total expenses (inpatient, $2.55 of $37.37; ambulatory, $3.33 of $35.39). From FY2005 to FY2014, expenses in the OR have increased faster than the consumer price index and medical consumer price index. Teaching hospitals had slower growth in costs than nonteaching hospitals. Over time, the proportion of expenses dedicated to indirect costs has increased, while the proportion attributable to salary and supplies has decreased. The mean cost of OR time is $36 to $37 per minute, using financial data from California's short-term general and specialty hospitals in FY2014. These statewide data provide a generalizable benchmark for the value of OR time. Furthermore, understanding the composition of costs will allow those interested in value improvement to identify high-yield targets.

  10. Evidence-Centered Design for Simulation-Based Assessment. CRESST Report 800

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mislevy, Robert J.

    2011-01-01

    Simulations provide opportunities for individuals to learn and develop skills for situations that may be expensive, time-consuming, or dangerous. Careful design can support a person's learning by tailoring the features of situations to his or her skill level(s), allowing repeated attempts, and by providing timely feedback. Furthermore, simulations…

  11. An Ontological Informatics Framework for Pharmaceutical Product Development: Milling as a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akkisetty, Venkata Sai Pavan Kumar

    2009-01-01

    Pharmaceutical product development is an expensive, time consuming and information intensive process. Providing the right information at the right time is of great importance in pharmaceutical industry. To achieve this, knowledge management is the approach to deal with the humongous quantity of information. Ontological approach proposed in Venkat…

  12. Estimation of toxicity using the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (TEST)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Tens of thousands of chemicals are currently in commerce, and hundreds more are introduced every year. Since experimental measurements of toxicity are extremely time consuming and expensive, it is imperative that alternative methods to estimate toxicity are developed.

  13. DATA FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING (D4EM)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Data is a basic requirement for most modeling applications. Collecting data is expensive and time consuming. High speed internet connections and growing databases of online environmental data go a long way to overcoming issues of data scarcity. Among the obstacles still remain...

  14. A screening approach using zebrafish for the detection and characterization of developmental neurotoxicity.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Thousands of chemicals have little or no data to support developmental neurotoxicity risk assessments. Current developmental neurotoxicity guideline studies mandating mammalian model systems are expensive and time consuming. Therefore a rapid, cost-effective method to assess de...

  15. Assuring the Safety of Chemicals through Improved Exposure Science

    EPA Science Inventory

    Thousands of chemicals are currently in commercial use and hundreds more are introduced each year. Of these, only a small fraction has been assessed adequately for potential risks. Existing chemical testing and exposure measurement protocols are expensive and time consuming. Fu...

  16. Celiac Disease Testing (for Health Care Professionals)

    MedlinePlus

    ... diet. tTG The tTG-IgA test is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The tTG-IgA test is the preferred ... a more expensive and time-consuming process than ELISA testing. In addition, the EMA test is qualitative, ...

  17. Content Standards: High Stakes Anti-Differentiation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schroeder-Davis, Stephen

    2011-01-01

    Currently, American schooling, driven by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and standardized tests, emphasizes development of intelligence. Because of this, teachers must heavily emphasize acquisition of foundational information (facts) in lectures, assessments, and of course, time-consuming test preparation, at the expense of intellect, that…

  18. School Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Splitt, David A.

    1985-01-01

    To avoid expensive and time-consuming negligence suits, schools everywhere should take thorough precautions against assaults on or near their premises; measures against unauthorized visitors are particulary important. School staff should register and monitor authorized visitors, and strangers in or near the school should be reported immediately.…

  19. Development of a pungency measuring system for red-pepper powder

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Capsaicinoids are the main components that determine the spiciness level of red-pepper powders. Current pungency measurement is mostly dependent on HPLC measurement technique, which is a sample-destructive, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive method. In this research, a nondestructive on-...

  20. Review and evaluation of models that produce trip tables from ground counts : interim report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-01-01

    This research effort was motivated by the desires of planning agencies to seek alternative methods of deriving current or base year Origin-Destination (O-D) trip tables without adopting conventional O-D surveys that are expensive, time consuming and ...

  1. Lessons from 25 years of genetic mapping in onion: where next?

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Genetic maps are useful tools for both basic research and plant improvement. Close association of genetic markers with genes controlling economically important traits allows for indirect selection, avoiding often time-consuming and expensive phenotypic evaluations. As a result, detailed genetic maps...

  2. Diabetes in employer-sponsored health insurance.

    PubMed

    Peele, Pamela B; Lave, Judith R; Songer, Thomas J

    2002-11-01

    To examine medical and mental health care expenditures for large numbers of individuals with diabetes enrolled in employment-sponsored insurance plans. Health insurance billing data for approximately 1.3 million individuals enrolled in health insurance plans sponsored by 862 large self-insured employers nationwide were used to examine employer expenditures and consumer out-of-pocket payments for 20,937 people identified with diabetes. These expenditures were compared with expenditures for individuals with other chronic illnesses. Main outcome measures were covered charges, insurance plan reimbursements, and estimated consumer out-of-pocket payments for both medical and mental health services. A total of 1.7% of enrollees were identified as having diabetes and approximately 11% of those used at least one mental health service during 1996. Health care expenditures were three times higher for those with diabetes compared with all health care consumers in these insurance plans, but when compared with individuals with other chronic illnesses such as heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and asthma, those with diabetes were not more expensive for employers' insurance plans. Diabetes accounts for 6.5% of total health plan expenditures. Diabetes is not more expensive for either consumers or their employer-sponsored insurance plans than other chronic illnesses.

  3. Modeling fuel succession

    Treesearch

    Brett Davis; Jan van Wagtendonk; Jen Beck; Kent van Wagtendonk

    2009-01-01

    Surface fuels data are of critical importance for supporting fire incident management, risk assessment, and fuel management planning, but the development of surface fuels data can be expensive and time consuming. The data development process is extensive, generally beginning with acquisition of remotely sensed spatial data such as aerial photography or satellite...

  4. Bias in modeled bi-directional NH3 fluxes associated with temporal averaging of atmospheric NH3 concentrations

    EPA Science Inventory

    Direct flux measurements of NH3 are expensive, time consuming, and require detailed supporting measurements of soil, vegetation, and atmospheric chemistry for interpretation and model parameterization. It is therefore often necessary to infer fluxes by combining measurements of...

  5. Fluorescence polarization immunoassays for rapid, accurate, and sensitive determination of mycotoxins

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins in foods are commonly based on chromatographic techniques (GC, HPLC or LC-MS). Although these methods permit a sensitive and accurate determination of the analyte, they require skilled personnel and are time-consuming, expensive, and unsuitable ...

  6. A Quantitative Analysis of Virginia Public School Special Education Due Process Cases and Their Resolutions from 2004-2016

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beaudoin-Saunders, Valerie Ann

    2017-01-01

    Special education-related lawsuits are a concern to school systems. They are time-consuming, expensive, and contentious. School and parental relationships become strained when litigation is involved. This study analyzed data from the Virginia Department of Education's due process database over a 12-year period of time to note common disabilities…

  7. Optical design for consumer products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Anurag

    2014-10-01

    Optical engineers often limit their focus on meeting the provided targets on performance and geometry and assume that the specifications are largely non-negotiable. Such approach ignores the value proposition behind the product and the challenges associated with overall product design, manufacturing, business development and legal issues. As a result, the design effort can be expensive, time consuming and can result in product failure. We discuss a product based systems engineering approach that leads to an application specific optical design that is more effective and efficient to implement.

  8. Classroom Creature Culture: Algae to Anoles. Revised Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hampton, Carolyn H.; And Others

    Identifying and providing the most appropriate classroom environment for living organisms can be time consuming, expensive, and sometimes seemingly impossible. This document, a collection of 2-4 page articles from "Sciences and Children," provides useful information on the collecting and culturing of plants and animals. Among the 43 chapters are:…

  9. Markers of murine embryonic and neural stem cells, neurons and astrocytes: reference points for developmental neurotoxicity testing

    EPA Science Inventory

    Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is a significant concern for environmental chemicals, as well as for food and drug constituents. The sensitivity of animal-based DNT models is unclear, and they are expensive and time consuming. Murine embryonic stem cells (mESC) recapitulate sev...

  10. Biomedical Information Extraction: Mining Disease Associated Genes from Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Zhong

    2014-01-01

    Disease associated gene discovery is a critical step to realize the future of personalized medicine. However empirical and clinical validation of disease associated genes are time consuming and expensive. In silico discovery of disease associated genes from literature is therefore becoming the first essential step for biomarker discovery to…

  11. Hydropower Research | Water Power | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    facilities are available to support hydropower technology validation and design optimization. Photo of water optimized prior to expensive and time-consuming open-water validation. Photo of electric power lines at -machinery. Using these methodologies, tools, and direct industry data, they analyze the near- and long-term

  12. Response of three soil water sensors to variable solution electrical conductivity in different soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Commercial dielectric soil water sensors may improve management of irrigated agriculture by providing continuous field soil water information. Use of these sensors is partly limited by sensor sensitivity to variations in soil salinity and texture, which force expensive, time consuming, soil specific...

  13. A Guide to Intellectual Property Protection, Third Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minnesota Small Business Assistance Office, St. Paul.

    Protecting an idea is often a difficult process. Some ideas and inventions cannot be protected, while others are eligible for only narrow or partial immunity from potential competition and imitation. Obtaining even minimal protection can often be expensive, time consuming, and ultimately result in uncertain or even negative benefits to the…

  14. Ask Good Questions by Starting with Key Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keyek-Franssen, Deborah; Briggs, Charlotte

    2008-01-01

    Assessing campus needs for educational technologies and support is no small undertaking, so ensuring that one collects information that truly will help decision making requires careful planning. Data collection can be time-consuming and expensive. A well-organized educational technology needs assessment should add value to campus IT resources, not…

  15. Evaluation of PLS, LS-SVM, and LWR for quantitative spectroscopic analysis of soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soil testing requires the analysis of large numbers of samples in laboratory that are often time consuming and expensive. Mid-infrared spectroscopy (mid-IR) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are fast, non-destructive, and inexpensive analytical methods that have been used for soil analysis, in l...

  16. Using a novel flood prediction model and GIS automation to measure the valley and channel morphology of large river networks

    EPA Science Inventory

    Traditional methods for measuring river valley and channel morphology require intensive ground-based surveys which are often expensive, time consuming, and logistically difficult to implement. The number of surveys required to assess the hydrogeomorphic structure of large river n...

  17. Forget the Glaze

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newberry, Ashley; Sweeney, Debra

    2010-01-01

    Anytime an art teacher mentions clay projects to elementary students, they immediately get excited. The problem is doing a clay project can oftentimes be expensive and time consuming. This article describes an art project that provides an interesting way to apply the concept of crayon resist to ceramics. This project is fun, easy and inexpensive.…

  18. Is Your School Y2K-OK?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bates, Martine G.

    1999-01-01

    The most vulnerable Y2K areas for schools are networked computers, free-standing personal computers, software, and embedded chips in utilities such as telephones and fire alarms. Expensive, time-consuming procedures and software have been developed for testing and bringing most computers into compliance. Districts need a triage prioritization…

  19. Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graham, James F.

    2009-01-01

    Enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation projects are unique to each institution and yet are expensive, time consuming, and result in change across the institution. Five Midwest public and private 4-year higher education institutions were studied to determine the impact of five specific key factors on the overall success of the ERP…

  20. SCALE-UP OF RAPID SMALL-SCALE ADSORPTION TESTS TO FIELD-SCALE ADSORBERS: THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BASIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Design of full-scale adsorption systems typically includes expensive and time-consuming pilot studies to simulate full-scale adsorber performance. Accordingly, the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) was developed and evaluated experimentally. The RSSCT can simulate months of f...

  1. DATA FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING (D4EM): BACKGROUND AND EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS OF DATA AUTOMATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Data is a basic requirement for most modeling applications. Collecting data is expensive and time consuming. High speed internet connections and growing databases of online environmental data go a long way to overcoming issues of data scarcity. Among the obstacles still remaining...

  2. RAPID PCR-BASED MONITORING OF INFECTIOUS ENTEROVIRUSES IN DRINKING WATER. (R824756)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    Currently, the standard method for the detection of enteroviruses and hepatitis A virus in water involves cell culture assay which is expensive and time consuming. Direct RT-PCR offers a rapid and sensitive alternative to virus detection but sensitivity is oft...

  3. Estimation of octanol/water partition coefficient and aqueous solubility of environmental chemicals using molecular fingerprints and machine learning methods

    EPA Science Inventory

    Octanol/water partition coefficient (logP) and aqueous solubility (logS) are two important parameters in pharmacology and toxicology studies, and experimental measurements are usually time-consuming and expensive. In the present research, novel methods are presented for the estim...

  4. 7 CFR 1220.222 - Expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.222 Expenses. (a... the Secretary, authorize a credit to Qualified State Soybean Boards of up to 5 percent of the amount...

  5. 7 CFR 1220.222 - Expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.222 Expenses. (a... the Secretary, authorize a credit to Qualified State Soybean Boards of up to 5 percent of the amount...

  6. CACTI: free, open-source software for the sequential coding of behavioral interactions.

    PubMed

    Glynn, Lisa H; Hallgren, Kevin A; Houck, Jon M; Moyers, Theresa B

    2012-01-01

    The sequential analysis of client and clinician speech in psychotherapy sessions can help to identify and characterize potential mechanisms of treatment and behavior change. Previous studies required coding systems that were time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. Existing software can be expensive and inflexible, and furthermore, no single package allows for pre-parsing, sequential coding, and assignment of global ratings. We developed a free, open-source, and adaptable program to meet these needs: The CASAA Application for Coding Treatment Interactions (CACTI). Without transcripts, CACTI facilitates the real-time sequential coding of behavioral interactions using WAV-format audio files. Most elements of the interface are user-modifiable through a simple XML file, and can be further adapted using Java through the terms of the GNU Public License. Coding with this software yields interrater reliabilities comparable to previous methods, but at greatly reduced time and expense. CACTI is a flexible research tool that can simplify psychotherapy process research, and has the potential to contribute to the improvement of treatment content and delivery.

  7. Detection of adulterants in honey using a portable Raman Spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garcia, Kenneth Leigh

    Food adulteration is a growing problem worldwide. In the United States over half of honey consumed is provided with imported products as total domestic production of honey is unable to meet the demand. As pure, natural honey is a labor intensive, relatively expensive product it is a prime target for adulteration with less expensive sweeteners. Previously published work describes the detection of these adulterants in a strict laboratory environment with time consuming techniques and delicate instrumentation. Experiments confirm that adulterants such as high fructose corn syrup and rice malt syrup can be detected in honey using Raman Spectroscopy and portable equipment. When laser light is applied to the products, the result is a Raman signal of inelastically scattered photons representing the fingerprints of the various molecules. When this signal is detected and stored in a laptop computer it can be analyzed for characteristics peculiar to honey and to the adulterants.

  8. 16 CFR 1018.32 - Compensation and travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Compensation and travel expenses. 1018.32 Section 1018.32 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT Administration of Advisory Committees § 1018.32 Compensation and travel expenses. (a) A single...

  9. Adapting Online Learning Resources for All: Planning for Professionalism in Accessibility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McAndrew, Patrick; Farrow, Robert; Cooper, Martyn

    2012-01-01

    Online resources for education offer opportunities for those with disabilities but also raise challenges on how to best adjust resources to accommodate accessibility. Automated reconfiguration could in principle remove the need for expensive and time-consuming discussions about adaptation. On the other hand, human-based systems provide much needed…

  10. The Effect of Study Group Participation on Student Naval Aviator Persistence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sheppard, Thomas H.

    2010-01-01

    Training naval combat pilots is expensive and time consuming, it follows that attrition from flight training is costly to the government and traumatic for the individual. Flight training is considered high-risk training, and therefore strictly voluntary. Voluntary withdrawal from naval flight training is the largest unexplained reason for Student…

  11. Factors Affecting the Longevity of Special Education Teachers in Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mancini, Rebecca Jane

    2011-01-01

    The challenges of maintaining highly qualified special education teachers are evident in public schools across the nation. Replacing educators who leave the field is a time consuming and expensive endeavor that impacts the achievement and progress of children with disabilities. This study is focused on explaining length of tenure in the profession…

  12. What Facilitates and Impedes Collaborative Work during Higher Education Software Implementation Projects?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cramer, Sharon F.; Tetewsky, Sheldon J.; Marczynski, Kelly S.

    2010-01-01

    Implementations of new or major upgrades of existing student information systems require incorporation of new paradigms and the exchange of familiar routines for new methods. As a result, implementations are almost always time consuming and expensive. Many people in the field of information technology have identified some of the challenges faced…

  13. 76 FR 80338 - Secretarial India Infrastructure Business Development Mission, March 25-30, 2012

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-23

    .../ from consumers on a near real-time basis and improve system reliability Moving to a smart grid to... technologies in India. The real challenge in the power sector in India lies in managing the upgrading of the....export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html for additional information). Expenses for travel...

  14. University ERP Implementation in Germany: Qualitative Exploratory Case Study of Administrative Staff Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thelen, Anja

    2015-01-01

    Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations are expensive, time-consuming, and often do not lead to the expected outcome of integrated IT systems. Many German universities are implementing ERP systems as Campus Management Systems (CMS) and a solution to any problem, need, or requirement the organization has. This exploratory case study…

  15. Application of a rising plate meter to estimate forage yield on dairy farms in Pennsylvania

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Accurately assessing pasture forage yield is necessary for producers who want to budget feed expenses and make informed pasture management decisions. Clipping and weighing forage from a known area is a direct method to measure pasture forage yield, however it is time consuming. The rising plate mete...

  16. Learn Street Skateboarding through 3D Simulations of Angle Rotations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adi, Erwin; Aditya, I Gde Made Krisna; Citrawati, Meriyana

    2010-01-01

    Learning physical activities such as sports and games is expensive and time-consuming. A common advice is "repetition makes perfection," which implies that wrong actions must soon be noticed and avoided. A knowledgeable tutor is often required to provide good feedback for that purpose. However, this facility is available only for those…

  17. Carnivore translocations and conservation: insights from population models and field data for fishers (Martes pennanti)

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey C. Lewis; Roger A. Powell; William J. Zielinski

    2012-01-01

    Translocations are frequently used to restore extirpated carnivore populations. Understanding the factors that influence translocation success is important because carnivore translocations can be time consuming, expensive, and controversial. Using population viability software, we modeled reintroductions of the fisher, a candidate for endangered or threatened status in...

  18. A rapid spectrophotometric method to determine B-carotene content in Cucumis melo germplasm

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The compound B -carotene is the predominant carotenoid in cantaloupe. Because of its antioxidant properties and health benefits, B-carotene content in fruits and vegetables is of interest to the food industry. Current methods to assay B-carotene content in fruit are time consuming, expensive and u...

  19. Simulating the fate of fall- and spring-applied poultry litter nitrogen in corn production

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Monitoring the fate of N derived from manures applied to fertilize crops is difficult, time consuming, and relatively expensive. But computer simulation models can help understand the interactions among various N processes in the soil-plant system and determine the fate of applied N. The RZWQM2 was ...

  20. Nontoxic chemical process for in situ permeability enhancement and accelerated decontamination of fine-grain subsurface sediments

    DOEpatents

    Kansa, E.J.; Wijesinghe, A.M.; Viani, B.E.

    1997-01-14

    The remediation of heterogeneous subsurfaces is extremely time consuming and expensive with current and developing technologies. Although such technologies can adequately remove contaminants in the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, they cannot access the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The slow bleed of contaminants from the fine-grained sediments is the primary reason why subsurface remediation is so time-consuming and expensive. This invention addresses the problem of remediating contaminated fine-grained sediments. It is intended that, in the future, a heterogeneous site be treated by a hybrid process that first remediates the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, to be followed by the process, described in this invention, to treat the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The invention uses cationic flocculants and organic solvents to collapse the swelling negative double layer surrounding water saturated clay particles, causing a flocculated, cracked clay structure. The modification of the clay fabric in fine-grained sediments dramatically increases the hydraulic conductivity of previously very tight clays many orders of magnitude. 8 figs.

  1. Nontoxic chemical process for in situ permeability enhancement and accelerated decontamination of fine-grain subsurface sediments

    DOEpatents

    Kansa, Edward J.; Wijesinghe, Ananda M.; Viani, Brian E.

    1997-01-01

    The remediation of heterogeneous subsurfaces is extremely time consuming and expensive with current and developing technologies. Although such technologies can adequately remove contaminants in the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, they cannot access the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The slow bleed of contaminants from the fine-grained sediments is the primary reason why subsurface remediation is so time-consuming and expensive. This invention addresses the problem of remediating contaminated fine-grained sediments. It is intended that, in the future, a heterogeneous site be treated by a hybrid process that first remediates the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, to be followed by the process, described in this invention, to treat the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The invention uses cationic flocculents and organic solvents to collapse the swelling negative double layer surrounding water saturated clay particles, causing a flocculated, cracked clay structure. The modification of the clay fabric in fine-grained sediments dramatically increases the hydraulic conductivity of previously very tight clays many orders of magnitude.

  2. The success and repeal of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act: a paradoxical lesson for health care reform.

    PubMed

    Aaronson, W E; Zinn, J S; Rosko, M D

    1994-01-01

    Congress intended the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act (MCCA) of 1988 to reduce the risk for illness-related catastrophic financial losses in the elderly. The act was short-lived, facing repeal just one year after passage. Many elderly persons were convinced that the costs of the program outweighed the benefits. However nursing home payment provisions of the MCCA may have affected out-of-pocket expenses paid by the elderly for long-term care more than consumers realized at the time of repeal. A transmittal memorandum, issued by the Health Care Financing Administration independent of Congressional action, enhanced consumers' ability to qualify for Medicare nursing home benefits. We investigated the effects of the Medicare policy change on nursing home payer mix and out-of-pocket expenses in 489 Pennsylvania nursing homes. We found that substantial shifts in payer mix from self-pay to Medicare payment sources occurred, reducing out-of-pocket expenses. Unfortunately the debate over the MCCA's repeal did not include discussion of the improved nursing home benefit structure. These findings, and the fate of the MCCA legislation, reinforce the importance of comprehensive information and clear communication in promoting health care reform.

  3. 47 CFR 36.601 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...-income consumers, schools and libraries, and heath care providers. The expense adjustment calculated... pursuant to § 36.612(a). (c) Until June 30, 2001, the annual amount of the total nationwide expense... calculated pursuant to this subpart F. The annual amount of the total nationwide loop cost expense adjustment...

  4. 7 CFR 1220.230 - Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Promotion, research, consumer information, and...), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.230 Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry...

  5. A Comparative Analysis of the Costs of Administration of an OSCE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cusimano, Michael D.; And Others

    1994-01-01

    A study compared the costs of a six-station structured oral examination and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for a surgery clerkship, assessing both faculty and materials costs. The OSCE was found to be more time consuming and expensive. Cost-cutting measures and guidelines to assist medical schools in selecting test type are…

  6. A Graphical Simulation of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium for Use as an Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment and to Demonstrate the Concept of Mathematical Modeling.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitman, David L.; Terry, Ronald E.

    1985-01-01

    Demonstrating petroleum engineering concepts in undergraduate laboratories often requires expensive and time-consuming experiments. To eliminate these problems, a graphical simulation technique was developed for junior-level laboratories which illustrate vapor-liquid equilibrium and the use of mathematical modeling. A description of this…

  7. Using single strand conformational polymorphisms (SSCP) to identify Phytophthora species in Oregon forests affected by sudden oak death

    Treesearch

    E. Hansen; C. Hesse; P. Reeser; W. Sutton; L. Winton

    2006-01-01

    Phytophthora species are abundant in streams, widespread in soils and occasionally found in diseased plants in the tanoak forests of southwestern Oregon. It is time-consuming and expensive to identify hundreds of isolates to species using morphology or internal transribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. We modified a published Phytophthora...

  8. The use of hoop nets seeded with mature brook trout to capture conspecifics

    Treesearch

    James A. Lamansky; Ernest R. Keeley; Michael K. Young; Kevin A. Meyer

    2009-01-01

    The brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, a native of eastern North America, is considered an invasive species in the western United States because it has been implicated in the decline of many native trout species there. Current methods for controlling brook trout are usually time-consuming and expensive and are sometimes harmful to nontarget species....

  9. Exploring Methods for Developing Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales for Evaluating Structured Interview Performance. Research Report. ETS RR-17-28

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kell, Harrison J.; Martin-Raugh, Michelle P.; Carney, Lauren M.; Inglese, Patricia A.; Chen, Lei; Feng, Gary

    2017-01-01

    Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) are an essential component of structured interviews. Use of BARS to evaluate interviewees' performance is associated with greater predictive validity and reliability and less bias. BARS are time-consuming and expensive to construct, however. This report explores the feasibility of gathering participants'…

  10. Automatic Domain Adaptation of Word Sense Disambiguation Based on Sublanguage Semantic Schemata Applied to Clinical Narrative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Olga

    2012-01-01

    Domain adaptation of natural language processing systems is challenging because it requires human expertise. While manual effort is effective in creating a high quality knowledge base, it is expensive and time consuming. Clinical text adds another layer of complexity to the task due to privacy and confidentiality restrictions that hinder the…

  11. A Comparison of Web-Based Standard Setting and Monitored Standard Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey, Anne L.; Way, Walter D.

    Standard setting, when carefully done, can be an expensive and time-consuming process. The modified Angoff method and the benchmark method, as utilized in this study, employ representative panels of judges to provide recommended passing scores to standard setting decision-makers. It has been considered preferable to have the judges meet in a…

  12. Exploring the Efficacy of Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Basic Behavior Analytic Techniques to Oral Care Providers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graudins, Maija M.; Rehfeldt, Ruth Anne; DeMattei, Ronda; Baker, Jonathan C.; Scaglia, Fiorella

    2012-01-01

    Performing oral care procedures with children with autism who exhibit noncompliance can be challenging for oral care professionals. Previous research has elucidated a number of effective behavior analytic procedures for increasing compliance, but some procedures are likely to be too time consuming and expensive for community-based oral care…

  13. Rapid semi-quantification of zilpaterol from biological matrices using ASAP and DESI-like MS from a commercial heated electrospray ionization probe

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Quantitation of contaminants in food animal products by regulatory officials is mostly conducted using hyphenated mass spectrometry (MS) technologies. While hyphenated MS approaches can be used for multi-residue sample analysis in an effective manner, it is time consuming, expensive, and labor inten...

  14. Identification and validation of a new source of low grain cadmium accumulation in durum wheat

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that has no known biological function and is toxic for many living organisms. The maximum level of Cd concentration allowed in the international market for wheat grain is 0.2 mg kg-1. Because phenotyping for Cd uptake is expensive and time consuming, molecular markers a...

  15. Platform-Independent Authoring and Production of Rapid E-Learning Content

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gutbrod, Martin; Werner, Christian; Fischer, Stefan

    2006-01-01

    One of today's major problems in the field of e-learning is that the creation of high-quality content is still rather time consuming and expensive. In the past, many efforts have been made to produce educational content on the fly, but the results were mainly static blocks of recorded lecture lacking sophisticated navigation facilities. Facing…

  16. Validity of electronic diet recording nutrient estimates compared to dietitian analysis of diet records: A randomized controlled trial

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background: Dietary intake assessment with diet records (DR) is a standard research and practice tool in nutrition. Manual entry and analysis of DR is time-consuming and expensive. New electronic tools for diet entry by clients and research participants may reduce the cost and effort of nutrient int...

  17. A Process for Reviewing and Evaluating Generated Test Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gierl, Mark J.; Lai, Hollis

    2016-01-01

    Testing organization needs large numbers of high-quality items due to the proliferation of alternative test administration methods and modern test designs. But the current demand for items far exceeds the supply. Test items, as they are currently written, evoke a process that is both time-consuming and expensive because each item is written,…

  18. An electric-analog simulation of elliptic partial differential equations using finite element theory

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Franke, O.L.; Pinder, G.F.; Patten, E.P.

    1982-01-01

    Elliptic partial differential equations can be solved using the Galerkin-finite element method to generate the approximating algebraic equations, and an electrical network to solve the resulting matrices. Some element configurations require the use of networks containing negative resistances which, while physically realizable, are more expensive and time-consuming to construct. ?? 1982.

  19. Development of an Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-05-01

    during multiple tests or concurrently applying many identical instrument systems to a single test. These difficult, expensive, and time-consuming...processes would introduce AEDC-TR-86-17 uncertainties due to nonstationary sources and instrument instability associated with multiple firings or... multiple instruments. For even moderate spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, none of the previously mentioned approaches is reasonable. The

  20. CACTI: Free, Open-Source Software for the Sequential Coding of Behavioral Interactions

    PubMed Central

    Glynn, Lisa H.; Hallgren, Kevin A.; Houck, Jon M.; Moyers, Theresa B.

    2012-01-01

    The sequential analysis of client and clinician speech in psychotherapy sessions can help to identify and characterize potential mechanisms of treatment and behavior change. Previous studies required coding systems that were time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. Existing software can be expensive and inflexible, and furthermore, no single package allows for pre-parsing, sequential coding, and assignment of global ratings. We developed a free, open-source, and adaptable program to meet these needs: The CASAA Application for Coding Treatment Interactions (CACTI). Without transcripts, CACTI facilitates the real-time sequential coding of behavioral interactions using WAV-format audio files. Most elements of the interface are user-modifiable through a simple XML file, and can be further adapted using Java through the terms of the GNU Public License. Coding with this software yields interrater reliabilities comparable to previous methods, but at greatly reduced time and expense. CACTI is a flexible research tool that can simplify psychotherapy process research, and has the potential to contribute to the improvement of treatment content and delivery. PMID:22815713

  1. Has it become increasingly expensive to follow a nutritious diet? Insights from a new price index for nutritious diets in Sweden 1980-2012.

    PubMed

    Håkansson, Andreas

    2015-01-01

    Health-related illnesses such as obesity and diabetes continue to increase, particularly in groups of low socioeconomic status. The increasing cost of nutritious food has been suggested as an explanation. To construct a price index describing the cost of a diet adhering to nutritional recommendations for a rational and knowledgeable consumer and, furthermore, to investigate which nutrients have become more expensive to obtain over time. Linear programming and goal programming were used to calculate two optimal and nutritious diets for each year in the interval under different assumptions. The first model describes the rational choice of a cost-minimizing consumer; the second, the choice of a consumer trying to deviate as little as possible from average consumption. Shadow price analysis was used to investigate how nutrients contribute to the diet cost. The cost of a diet adhering to nutritional recommendations has not increased more than general food prices in Sweden between 1980 and 2012. However, following nutrient recommendations increases the diet cost even for a rational consumer, particularly for vitamin D, iron, and selenium. The cost of adhering to the vitamin D recommendation has increased faster than the general food prices. Not adhering to recommendations (especially those for vitamin D) offers an opportunity for consumers to lower the diet cost. However, the cost of nutritious diets has not increased more than the cost of food in general between 1980 and 2012 in Sweden.

  2. The Influence of Color on the Consumer's Experience of Beer.

    PubMed

    Carvalho, Felipe Reinoso; Moors, Pieter; Wagemans, Johan; Spence, Charles

    2017-01-01

    Visual appearance (e.g., color) cues set expectations regarding the likely taste and flavor properties of food and drink. These expectations may, in turn, anchor the subsequent tasting experience. In the present study, we examined the influence of the color of a beer on the consumer's experience. Dark and pale beers were evaluated both before and after tasting. Importantly, these beers were indistinguishable in terms of their taste/flavor when tasted without any visual cues. The results indicate that the differing visual appearance of the beers led to clear differences in expected taste/flavor. However, after tasting, no differences in flavor ratings were observed, indicating that the expectations based on visual cues did not influence the actual tasting experience. The participants also expected the dark beer to be more expensive than the pale one. These outcomes suggest that changes in the visual appearance of a beer lead to significant changes in the way in which consumers expect the beer to taste. At the same time, however, our findings also suggest the need for more evidence to be collected in order to determine the boundary conditions on when such crossmodal expectations may vs. may not affect the tasting experience. Highlights: The expected flavor of a beer is affected by its visual appearance. No differences in flavor ratings were observed on tasting. Consumers expect dark beers to be more expensive than pale/amber beers.

  3. Pre-concentration technique for reduction in "Analytical instrument requirement and analysis"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pal, Sangita; Singha, Mousumi; Meena, Sher Singh

    2018-04-01

    Availability of analytical instruments for a methodical detection of known and unknown effluents imposes a serious hindrance in qualification and quantification. Several analytical instruments such as Elemental analyzer, ICP-MS, ICP-AES, EDXRF, ion chromatography, Electro-analytical instruments which are not only expensive but also time consuming, required maintenance, damaged essential parts replacement which are of serious concern. Move over for field study and instant detection installation of these instruments are not convenient to each and every place. Therefore, technique such as pre-concentration of metal ions especially for lean stream elaborated and justified. Chelation/sequestration is the key of immobilization technique which is simple, user friendly, most effective, least expensive, time efficient; easy to carry (10g - 20g vial) to experimental field/site has been demonstrated.

  4. 7 CFR 1230.57 - Compensation and reimbursement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order... compensation but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred by them in the exercise of their powers...

  5. Choosing iPad Apps with a Purpose: Aligning Skills and Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powell, Selma

    2014-01-01

    With the number of apps available today, browsing the iTunes store can become overwhelming for any teacher. A teacher can quickly try free apps, but to have full access, cost is often involved. Purchasing numerous apps can be expensive and time consuming and, most important, may not produce an outcome of acquiring tools that are well aligned with…

  6. Atmospheric deposition of inorganic nitrogen in Spanish forests of Quercus ilex measured with ion-exchange resins and conventional collectors

    Treesearch

    Héctor García-Gomez; Sheila Izquieta-Rojano; Laura Aguillaume; Ignacio González-Fernández; Fernando Valiño; David Elustondo; Jesús M. Santamaría; Anna Àvila; Mark E. Fenn; Rocío Alonso

    2016-01-01

    Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the main threats for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Measurement techniques like ion-exchange resin collectors (IECs), which are less expensive and time-consuming than conventional methods, are gaining relevance in the study of atmospheric deposition and are recommended to expand monitoring networks. In the present work...

  7. The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): A Good Idea Whose Time Has Come

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longanecker, David; Hill, Marshall A.

    2014-01-01

    In this article the authors argue that states need a new way to oversee the delivery of postsecondary distance education across state borders. They assert that the current process is too spotty to assure consistent consumer protection and too cumbersome and expensive for institutions. Because education is not specified in the US Constitution as a…

  8. Cloud-based computation for accelerating vegetation mapping and change detection at regional to national scales

    Treesearch

    Matthew J. Gregory; Zhiqiang Yang; David M. Bell; Warren B. Cohen; Sean Healey; Janet L. Ohmann; Heather M. Roberts

    2015-01-01

    Mapping vegetation and landscape change at fine spatial scales is needed to inform natural resource and conservation planning, but such maps are expensive and time-consuming to produce. For Landsat-based methodologies, mapping efforts are hampered by the daunting task of manipulating multivariate data for millions to billions of pixels. The advent of cloud-based...

  9. An Automated System for Generating Situation-Specific Decision Support in Clinical Order Entry from Local Empirical Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klann, Jeffrey G.

    2011-01-01

    Clinical Decision Support is one of the only aspects of health information technology that has demonstrated decreased costs and increased quality in healthcare delivery, yet it is extremely expensive and time-consuming to create, maintain, and localize. Consequently, a majority of health care systems do not utilize it, and even when it is…

  10. Low Frequency Vibration approach to asess the Performance of wood structural Systems

    Treesearch

    Xiping Wang; Robert J. Ross; Michael O. Hunt

    2004-01-01

    The primary means of inspecting buildings and other structures is to evaluate each structure member individually. This is a time consuming process that is expensive, particularly if sheathing or other covering materials must be removed to access the structural members. This paper presents an effort to use a low frequency vibration method for assessing the structural...

  11. Towards Wearable Cognitive Assistance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Keywords: mobile computing, cloud...It presents a muli-tiered mobile system architecture that offers tight end-to-end latency bounds on compute-intensive cognitive assistance...to an entire neighborhood or an entire city is extremely expensive and time-consuming. Physical infrastructure in public spaces tends to evolve very

  12. Low frequency vibration approach for assessing performance of wood floor systems

    Treesearch

    Xiping Wang; Robert J. Ross; Michael O. Hunt; John R. Erickson; John W. Forsman

    2005-01-01

    The primary means of inspecting buildings and other structures is to evaluate each structure member individually. This is a time-consuming and expensive process, particularly if sheathing or other covering materials must be removed to access the structural members. The objective of this study was to determine if a low frequency vibration method could be used to...

  13. Student and Teacher Perceptions of the Use of Multimedia Supported Predict-Observe-Explain Tasks To Probe Understanding.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kearney, Matthew; Treagust, David F.; Yeo, Shelley; Zadnik, Marjan G.

    2001-01-01

    Discusses student and teacher perceptions of a new development in the use of the predict-observe-explain (POE) strategy. This development involves the incorporation of POE tasks into a multimedia computer program that uses real-life, digital video clips of difficult, expensive, time consuming, or dangerous scenarios as stimuli for these tasks.…

  14. Thematic and positional accuracy assessment of digital remotely sensed data

    Treesearch

    Russell G. Congalton

    2007-01-01

    Accuracy assessment or validation has become a standard component of any land cover or vegetation map derived from remotely sensed data. Knowing the accuracy of the map is vital to any decisionmaking performed using that map. The process of assessing the map accuracy is time consuming and expensive. It is very important that the procedure be well thought out and...

  15. Developing a Machine-Supported Coding System for Constructed-Response Items in PISA. Research Report. ETS RR-17-47

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yamamoto, Kentaro; He, Qiwei; Shin, Hyo Jeong; von Davier, Mattias

    2017-01-01

    Approximately a third of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) items in the core domains (math, reading, and science) are constructed-response items and require human coding (scoring). This process is time-consuming, expensive, and prone to error as often (a) humans code inconsistently, and (b) coding reliability in…

  16. Fluorometry as a bacterial source tracking tool in coastal watersheds, Trinidad, CA

    Treesearch

    Trever Parker; Andrew Stubblefield

    2012-01-01

    Bacterial counts have long been used as indicators of water pollution that may affect public health. By themselves, bacteria are indicators only and can not be used to identify the source of the pollutant for remediation efforts. Methods of microbial source tracking are generally time consuming, labor intensive and expensive. As an alternative, a fluorometer can be...

  17. 7 CFR 1220.230 - Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... industry information. 1220.230 Section 1220.230 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.230 Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry..., research, consumer information, and industry information activities with respect to soybean and soybean...

  18. 7 CFR 1220.230 - Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... industry information. 1220.230 Section 1220.230 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.230 Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry..., research, consumer information, and industry information activities with respect to soybean and soybean...

  19. 7 CFR 1220.230 - Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... industry information. 1220.230 Section 1220.230 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.230 Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry..., research, consumer information, and industry information activities with respect to soybean and soybean...

  20. 7 CFR 1220.230 - Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... industry information. 1220.230 Section 1220.230 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.230 Promotion, research, consumer information, and industry..., research, consumer information, and industry information activities with respect to soybean and soybean...

  1. Productivity of Veterans Health Administration laboratories: a College of American Pathologists Laboratory Management Index Program (LMIP) study.

    PubMed

    Valenstein, Paul N; Wang, Edward; O'Donohue, Tom

    2003-12-01

    The Veterans Health Administration (VA) operates the largest integrated laboratory network in the United States. To assess whether the unique characteristics of VA laboratories impact efficiency of operations, we compared the productivity of VA and non-VA facilities. Financial and activity data were prospectively collected from 124 VA and 131 non-VA laboratories enrolled in the College of American Pathologists Laboratory Management Index Program (LMIP) during 2002. In addition, secular trends in 5 productivity ratios were calculated for VA and non-VA laboratories enrolled in LMIP from 1997 through 2002. Veterans Health Administration and non-VA facilities did not differ significantly in size. Inpatients accounted for a lower percentage of testing at VA facilities than non-VA facilities (21.7% vs 37.3%; P <.001). Technical staff at the median VA facility were paid more than at non-VA facilities (28.11/h dollars vs 22.60/h dollars, salaries plus benefits; P <.001), VA laboratories employed a smaller percentage of nontechnical staff (30.0% vs 41.9%; P <.001), and workers at VA laboratories worked less time per hour paid (85.5% vs 88.5%; P <.001). However, labor productivity was significantly higher at VA than at non-VA facilities (30 448 test results/total full-time equivalent (FTE)/y vs 19 260 results/total FTE; P <.001), resulting in lower labor expense per on-site test at VA sites than at non-VA sites (1.79 dollars/result vs 2.08 dollars/result; P <.001). Veterans Health Administration laboratories paid less per test for consumables (P =.003), depreciation, and maintenance than their non-VA counterparts (all P <.001), resulting in lower overall cost per on-site test result (2.64 dollars vs 3.40 dollars; P <.001). Cost per referred (sent-out) test did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Analysis of 6-year trends showed significant increases in both VA (P <.001) and non-VA (P =.02) labor productivity (on-site tests/total FTE). Expenses at VA laboratories for labor per test, consumables per test, overall expense per test, and overall laboratory expense per discharge decreased significantly during the 6-year period (P <.001), while in non-VA facilities the corresponding ratios showed no significant change. Overall productivity of VA laboratories is superior to that of non-VA facilities enrolled in LMIP. The principal advantages enjoyed by the VA are higher-than-average labor productivity (tests/FTE) and lower-than-average consumable expenses.

  2. Domestic water conservation practices in Tlemcen City (Algeria)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Habi, Mohammed; Harrouz, Omar

    2015-06-01

    During the last three decades, citizens of an Algerian city are concerned with the problem of drinking water supply. Time discontinuation service became the rule. The central idea of the analysis based on interviews is to assess the role of water in the organization of the relationship between habitat and users. The fundamental question is how users, in particular women, incorporate water in their daily lives due to rationing. Having to deal with the discontinuous and frequent weak water supply, the inhabitants of the city of Tlemcen who are connected to the water supply system, as well as those connected to the water system of all Algerian towns, have developed an internal water storage system to sort out this problem. The imposed rationing has proved to be expensive for consumers. The water shortage pushed the consumers to invest in relatively expensive storage and pumping facilities to satisfy their domestic needs. As the frequency of the water supply is on a two times per week basis, the survey reveals a discrepancy in terms of volumes consumed and stored by each household. The use of water depends on the individual storage facility and the frequency of the supply. The life of the households, particularly that of the housewives, depends on the availability of water and thus on the schedules of the Company of Production of Water "Algerian Des Eaux'' (ADE). This is particularly the case when they are supplied during the night.

  3. Categorization of Survey Text Utilizing Natural Language Processing and Demographic Filtering

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-09-01

    SURVEY TEXT UTILIZING NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND DEMOGRAPHIC FILTERING by Christine M. Cairoli September 2017 Thesis Advisor: Lyn...DATE September 2017 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CATEGORIZATION OF SURVEY TEXT UTILIZING NATURAL...words) Thousands of Navy survey free text comments are overlooked every year because reading and interpreting comments is expensive, time consuming

  4. What if the Library … Engaging Users to Become Partners in Positive Change and Improve Services in an Academic Library

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ippoliti, Cinthya; Nykolaiszyn, Juliana; German, Jackie L.

    2017-01-01

    Participatory and anthropological studies have blended with library customer service design and feedback practices as ways to engage users in deeper and more meaningful conversations about their needs. Formal user studies can be cumbersome, expensive, and time consuming however. Sometimes asking a simple question will work just as effectively in…

  5. Development of a photo guide for fuels in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Georgia and Western South Carolina

    Treesearch

    Sandra Rideout-Hanzak; Lucy Brudnak; Thomas A. Waldrop

    2006-01-01

    Current methods of assessing the characteristics of forest fuels are time-consuming, expensive, and impractical in the mountainous terrain of the southeastern United States. A photo guide to fuels is being developed. It will be a quick, inexpensive, and easy-to-use tool for various management applications in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Fuels data and photos...

  6. Modeling Post-Accident Vehicle Egress

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    interest for military situations may involve rolled-over vehicles for which detailed movement data are not available. In the current design process...test trials. These evaluations are expensive and time-consuming, and are often performed late in the design process when it is too difficult to...alter the design if weaknesses are discovered. Yet, due to the limitations of current software tools, digital human models (DHMs) are not yet widely

  7. Local Histograms for Per-Pixel Classification

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-01

    few axioms for such models are presented. These axioms are shown to be satisfied using the convergence of random wavelet expansions. The authors of...pathologists can accurately and consistently identify and delineate tissues and their pathologies , it is an expensive and time-consuming task, therefore...Automatic Identification and Delineation of Tissues and Pathologies in H&E Stained Images. PhD Thesis. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (September

  8. Consumer-driven health care: answer to global competition or threat to social justice?

    PubMed

    Owen, Carol L

    2009-10-01

    Health planning in the United States is rapidly approaching a fork in the policy road, with one direction leading the nation toward a universal plan with strong government involvement and the other direction strengthening existing market-based reforms and preserving a commercial health insurance industry. "Consumer-driven health care," a slogan that captures a range of market-based approaches to preserving patient choice and increasing cost savings, is most commonly implemented in the form of individual health savings accounts. These accounts are offered to employees as a means of increasing the cost sharing ofpersonal health care expenses. The author provides an overview of health insurance history and discusses some implications of abandoning earlier practices of risk pooling health care expenses across a wider community. Access and affordability issues connected with the adoption of a consumer-driven health care system in the United States are addressed. Parallels are drawn between the expansion of community-based insurance in the United States following World War II and social work's historic commitment to social justice and economic inclusion. Suggestions are made for social workers'involvement in health policy discourse and activism during this critical time ofnational reflection on universal versus market-based reforms for the U.S. health care system.

  9. 7 CFR 1212.52 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS..., PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1212.52 Assessments. (a) The...

  10. 7 CFR 1212.54 - Operating reserve.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING... RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1212.54 Operating...

  11. 7 CFR 1212.51 - Financial statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING... RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1212.51 Financial...

  12. 7 CFR 1209.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and... current of commerce, mushrooms produced in the United States shall, in the manner as prescribed by the...

  13. 7 CFR 1209.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and... current of commerce, mushrooms produced in the United States shall, in the manner as prescribed by the...

  14. 7 CFR 1209.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and... current of commerce, mushrooms produced in the United States shall, in the manner as prescribed by the...

  15. 7 CFR 1209.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and... current of commerce, mushrooms produced in the United States shall, in the manner as prescribed by the...

  16. 7 CFR 1209.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and... current of commerce, mushrooms produced in the United States shall, in the manner as prescribed by the...

  17. Do consumer reports of health plan quality affect health plan selection?

    PubMed Central

    Spranca, M; Kanouse, D E; Elliott, M; Short, P F; Farley, D O; Hays, R D

    2000-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To learn whether consumer reports of health plan quality can affect health plan selection. DATA SOURCES: A sample of 311 privately insured adults from Los Angeles County. STUDY DESIGN: The design was a fractional factorial experiment. Consumers reviewed materials on four hypothetical health plans and selected one. The health plans varied as to cost, coverage, type of plan, ability to keep one's doctor, and quality, as measured by the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS) survey. DATA ANALYSIS: We used multinomial logistic regression to model each consumer's choice among health plans. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the absence of CAHPS information, 86 percent of consumers preferred plans that covered more services, even though they cost more. When CAHPS information was provided, consumers shifted to less expensive plans covering fewer services if CAHPS ratings identified those plans as higher quality (59 percent of consumers preferred plans covering more services). Consumer choices were unaffected when CAHPS ratings identified the more expensive plans covering more services as higher quality (89 percent of consumers preferred plans covering more services). CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes that, under certain realistic conditions, CAHPS ratings could affect consumer selection of health plans and ultimately contain costs. Other studies are needed to learn how to enhance exposure and use of CAHPS information in the real world as well as to identify other conditions in which CAHPS ratings could make a difference. PMID:11130805

  18. Rapid Prototyping and the Human Factors Engineering Process

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-29

    8217 without the effort and cost associated with conventional man -in-the-loop simulation. Advocates suggest that rapid prototyping is compatible with...use should be made of man -in-the loop simulation to supplement those analyses, but that such simulation is expensive and time consuming, precluding...conventional man -in-the- loop simulation. Rapid prototyping involves the construction and use of an executable model of a human-machine interface

  19. Further statistics in dentistry, Part 5: Diagnostic tests for oral conditions.

    PubMed

    Petrie, A; Bulman, J S; Osborn, J F

    2002-12-07

    A diagnostic test is a simple test, sometimes based on a clinical measurement, which is used when the gold-standard test providing a definitive diagnosis of a given condition is too expensive, invasive or time-consuming to perform. The diagnostic test can be used to diagnose a dental condition in an individual patient or as a screening device in a population of apparently healthy individuals.

  20. 7 CFR 1215.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... popcorn annually, based on the previous year, shall be exempted from assessment. (b) Persons that operate...

  1. 7 CFR 1215.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1215.51 Assessments. (a) Any processor marketing popcorn in the United States or for export shall pay...

  2. 7 CFR 1215.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... popcorn annually, based on the previous year, shall be exempted from assessment. (b) Persons that operate...

  3. 7 CFR 1215.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1215.51 Assessments. (a) Any processor marketing popcorn in the United States or for export shall pay...

  4. 7 CFR 1215.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1215.51 Assessments. (a) Any processor marketing popcorn in the United States or for export shall pay...

  5. 7 CFR 1215.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... popcorn annually, based on the previous year, shall be exempted from assessment. (b) Persons that operate...

  6. 7 CFR 1215.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... popcorn annually, based on the previous year, shall be exempted from assessment. (b) Persons that operate...

  7. 7 CFR 1215.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments... popcorn annually, based on the previous year, shall be exempted from assessment. (b) Persons that operate...

  8. 7 CFR 1215.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1215.51 Assessments. (a) Any processor marketing popcorn in the United States or for export shall pay...

  9. 7 CFR 1215.51 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1215.51 Assessments. (a) Any processor marketing popcorn in the United States or for export shall pay...

  10. 7 CFR 1212.53 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING... RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1212.53 Exemption...

  11. 7 CFR 1209.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses... mushrooms annually; and (2) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR...

  12. 7 CFR 1209.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses... mushrooms annually; and (2) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR...

  13. 7 CFR 1209.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses... mushrooms annually; and (2) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR...

  14. 7 CFR 1209.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses... mushrooms annually; and (2) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR...

  15. 7 CFR 1209.52 - Exemption from assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Expenses... mushrooms annually; and (2) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR...

  16. Cost Analysis of 48 Burn Patients in a Mass Casualty Explosion Treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

    PubMed

    Mathews, Alexandra L; Cheng, Ming-Huei; Muller, John-Michael; Lin, Miffy Chia-Yu; Chang, Kate W C; Chung, Kevin C

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about the costs of treating burn patients after a mass casualty event. A devastating Color Dust explosion that injured 499 patients occurred on June 27, 2015 in Taiwan. This study was performed to investigate the economic effects of treating burn patients at a single medical center after an explosion disaster. A detailed retrospective analysis on 48 patient expense records at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital after the Color Dust explosion was performed. Data were collected during the acute treatment period between June 27, 2015 and September 30, 2015. The distribution of cost drivers for the entire patient cohort (n=48), patients with a percent total body surface area burn (%TBSA)≥50 (n=20), and those with %TBSA <50 (n=28) were analyzed. The total cost of 48 burn patients over the acute 3-month time period was $2,440,688, with a mean cost per patient of $50,848 ±36,438. Inpatient ward fees (30%), therapeutic treatment fees (22%), and medication fees (11%) were found to be the three highest cost drivers. The 20 patients with a %TBSA ≥50 consumed $1,559,300 (63.8%) of the total expenses, at an average cost of $77,965±34,226 per patient. The 28 patients with a %TBSA <50 consumed $881,387 (36.1%) of care expenses, at an average cost of $31,478±23,518 per patient. In response to this mass casualty event, inpatient ward fees represented the largest expense. Hospitals can reduce this fee by ensuring wound dressing and skin substitute materials are regionally stocked and accessible. Medication fees may be higher than expected when treating a mass burn cohort. In preparation for a future event, hospitals should anticipate patients with a %TBSA≥50 will contribute the majority of inpatient expenses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Cost Analysis of 48 Burn Patients in a Mass Casualty Explosion Treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

    PubMed Central

    Mathews, Alexandra L.; Cheng, Ming-Huei; Muller, John-Michael; Lin, Miffy Chia-Yu; Chang, Kate W.C.; Chung, Kevin C.

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Little is known about the costs of treating burn patients after a mass casualty event. A devastating Color Dust explosion that injured 499 patients occurred on June 27, 2015 in Taiwan. This study was performed to investigate the economic effects of treating burn patients at a single medical center after an explosion disaster. Methods A detailed retrospective analysis on 48 patient expense records at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital after the Color Dust explosion was performed. Data were collected during the acute treatment period between June 27, 2015 and September 30, 2015. The distribution of cost drivers for the entire patient cohort (n=48), patients with a percent total body surface area burn (%TBSA) ≥ 50 (n=20), and those with %TBSA <50 (n=28) were analyzed. Results The total cost of 48 burn patients over the acute 3-month time period was $2,440,688, with a mean cost per patient of $50,848 ±36,438. Inpatient ward fees (30%), therapeutic treatment fees (22%), and medication fees (11%) were found to be the three highest cost drivers. The 20 patients with a %TBSA ≥50 consumed $1,559,300 (63.8%) of the total expenses, at an average cost of $77,965 ± 34,226 per patient. The 28 patients with a %TBSA <50 consumed $881,387 (36.1%) of care expenses, at an average cost of $31,478 ± 23,518 per patient. Conclusions In response to this mass casualty event, inpatient ward fees represented the largest expense. Hospitals can reduce this fee by ensuring wound dressing and skin substitute materials are regionally stocked and accessible. Medication fees may be higher than expected when treating a mass burn cohort. In preparation for a future event, hospitals should anticipate patients with a %TBSA ≥ 50 will contribute the majority of inpatient expenses. PMID:27553390

  18. Analysis of hospitalization expenditures and influencing factors for inpatients with coronary heart disease in a tier-3 hospital in Xi'an, China: A retrospective study.

    PubMed

    Ding, Jing-Mei; Zhang, Xian-Zhi; Hu, Xue-Jun; Chen, Huo-Liang; Yu, Min

    2017-12-01

    The medical costs for inpatients with coronary heart disease (CHD) have risen to unprecedented levels, putting tremendous financial pressure on their families and the entire society. The objective of this study was to examine the actual direct medical costs of inpatients with CHD and to analyze the influencing factors of those costs, to provide advice on the prevention and control of high medical costs of patients with CHD. A retrospective descriptive analysis of hospitalization expenditures data examined 10,301 inpatients with coronary heart disease of a tier-3 hospital in Xi'an from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. The data included demographic information, the average length of stay, and different types of expenses incurred during the hospitalization period. The difference between different groups was analyzed using a univariate analysis, and the influencing factors of hospitalization expenditures were explored by the multiple linear stepwise regression analysis. The average age of these patients was 60.0 years old, the average length of stay was 4.0 days, and the majority were males (7172, 69.6%). The average hospitalization expenses were $6791.38 (3294.16-9, 732.59), and the top 3 expenses were medical consumables, operation fees, and drugs. The influencing factors of hospitalization expenditures included the length of stay, the number of times of admission, the type of medical insurance schemes, whether have a surgery or not, the gender, the age, and the marriage status. The inpatients with CHD in this tier-3 hospital were mostly over 45 years old. The average medical cost of males was much higher than that of females. Our findings suggest that the solution for tremendous hospitalization expenditures should be that more attention is paid to controlling the high expense of medical consumables and that the traditional method of reducing medical expenses by shortening the length of stay is still important in nowadays. Furthermore, the type of medical insurance schemes has different impacts on medical expenses. Reducing or controlling high hospitalization expenditures is a complicated process that needs multifaceted cooperation. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Using Paraquat to Generate Anion Free Radicals and Hydrogen Peroxide in "In Vitro": Antioxidant Effect of Vitamin E--A Procedure to Teach Theoretical and Experimental Principles of Reactive Oxygen Species Biochemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jimenez-Del-Rio, Marlene; Suarez-Cedeno, Gerson; Velez-Pardo, Carlos

    2010-01-01

    The theoretical basis of reactive oxygen species and their impact on health issues are relatively easy to understand by biomedical students. The detection of reactive oxygen species requires expensive equipment, the procedures are time consuming and costly, and the results are hard to interpret. Moreover, cause-and-effect relationships in the…

  20. Advanced Signal Processing Analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Data for the Discrimination of Obsidian Sources

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-02-09

    different sources [12,13], but the analytical techniques needed for such analysis (XRD, INAA , & ICP-MS) are time consuming and require expensive...partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) that used the SIMPLS solving method [33]. In the experi- ment design, a leave-one-sample-out (LOSO) para...REPORT Advanced signal processing analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data for the discrimination of obsidian sources 14. ABSTRACT 16

  1. Soil pretreatment and fast cell lysis for direct polymerase chain reaction from forest soils for terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of fungal communities

    Treesearch

    Fei Cheng; Lin Hou; Keith Woeste; Zhengchun Shang; Xiaobang Peng; Peng Zhao; Shuoxin Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Humic substances in soil DNA samples can influence the assessment of microbial diversity and community composition. Using multiple steps during or after cell lysis adds expenses, is time-consuming, and causes DNA loss. A pretreatment of soil samples and a single step DNA extraction may improve experimental results. In order to optimize a protocol for obtaining high...

  2. Detection of hidden explosives in different scenarios with the use of nuclear probes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nebbia, G.; Pesente, S.; Lunardon, M.; Moretto, S.; Viesti, G.; Cinausero, M.; Barbui, M.; Fioretto, E.; Filippini, V.; Sudac, D.; Nađ, K.; Blagus, S.; Valković, V.

    2005-04-01

    The detection of landmines by using available technologies is a time consuming, expensive and extremely dangerous job, so that there is a need for a technological breakthrough in this field. Atomic and nuclear physics based sensors might offer new possibilities in de-mining. Technology and methods derived from the studies applied to the detection of landmines can be successfully applied to the screening of cargo in customs inspections.

  3. Voice Biometrics as a Way to Self-service Password Reset

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hohgräfe, Bernd; Jacobi, Sebastian

    Password resets are time consuming. Especially when urgent jobs need to be done, it is cumbersome to inform the user helpdesk, to identify oneself and then to wait for response. It is easy to enter a wrong password multiple times, which leads to the blocking of the application. Voice biometrics is an easy and secure way for individuals to reset their own password. Read more about how you can ease the burden of your user helpdesk and how voice biometric password resets benefit your expense situation without harming your security.

  4. Advanced Booster Liquid Engine Combustion Stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tucker, Kevin; Gentz, Steve; Nettles, Mindy

    2015-01-01

    Combustion instability is a phenomenon in liquid rocket engines caused by complex coupling between the time-varying combustion processes and the fluid dynamics in the combustor. Consequences of the large pressure oscillations associated with combustion instability often cause significant hardware damage and can be catastrophic. The current combustion stability assessment tools are limited by the level of empiricism in many inputs and embedded models. This limited predictive capability creates significant uncertainty in stability assessments. This large uncertainty then increases hardware development costs due to heavy reliance on expensive and time-consuming testing.

  5. Knowledge-driven information mining in remote-sensing image archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Datcu, M.; Seidel, K.; D'Elia, S.; Marchetti, P. G.

    2002-05-01

    Users in all domains require information or information-related services that are focused, concise, reliable, low cost and timely and which are provided in forms and formats compatible with the user's own activities. In the current Earth Observation (EO) scenario, the archiving centres generally only offer data, images and other "low level" products. The user's needs are being only partially satisfied by a number of, usually small, value-adding companies applying time-consuming (mostly manual) and expensive processes relying on the knowledge of experts to extract information from those data or images.

  6. 7 CFR 1212.55 - Prohibition on use of funds.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... behalf of honey or honey products. (4) Any advertising, including promotion, research and information... RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Expenses and Assessments § 1212.55 Prohibition...

  7. History, ethics, advantages and limitations of experimental models for hepatic ablation.

    PubMed

    Ong, Seok Ling; Gravante, Gianpiero; Metcalfe, Matthew S; Dennison, Ashley R

    2013-01-14

    Numerous techniques developed in medicine require careful evaluation to determine their indications, limitations and potential side effects prior to their clinical use. At present this generally involves the use of animal models which is undesirable from an ethical standpoint, requires complex and time-consuming authorization, and is very expensive. This process is exemplified in the development of hepatic ablation techniques, starting experiments on explanted livers and progressing to safety and efficacy studies in living animals prior to clinical studies. The two main approaches used are ex vivo isolated non-perfused liver models and in vivo animal models. Ex vivo non perfused models are less expensive, easier to obtain but not suitable to study the heat sink effect or experiments requiring several hours. In vivo animal models closely resemble clinical subjects but often are expensive and have small sample sizes due to ethical guidelines. Isolated perfused ex vivo liver models have been used to study drug toxicity, liver failure, organ transplantation and hepatic ablation and combine advantages of both previous models.

  8. Brand Name, Store Image, and Country-of-Origin: The Effects on Consumers' Perception of Quality and Price.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Margaret C. A.

    1993-01-01

    A review of literature indicated that, with regard to brand labels, consumers' perception of price, but not of quality, was affected. Consumers expected to pay more for goods bought in a higher status store and rated imported goods as being more expensive than domestically produced goods. Products from developing countries received lower quality…

  9. An efficient hybrid method for stochastic reaction-diffusion biochemical systems with delay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sayyidmousavi, Alireza; Ilie, Silvana

    2017-12-01

    Many chemical reactions, such as gene transcription and translation in living cells, need a certain time to finish once they are initiated. Simulating stochastic models of reaction-diffusion systems with delay can be computationally expensive. In the present paper, a novel hybrid algorithm is proposed to accelerate the stochastic simulation of delayed reaction-diffusion systems. The delayed reactions may be of consuming or non-consuming delay type. The algorithm is designed for moderately stiff systems in which the events can be partitioned into slow and fast subsets according to their propensities. The proposed algorithm is applied to three benchmark problems and the results are compared with those of the delayed Inhomogeneous Stochastic Simulation Algorithm. The numerical results show that the new hybrid algorithm achieves considerable speed-up in the run time and very good accuracy.

  10. 7 CFR 1212.45 - Reimbursement and attendance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... RESEARCH, PROMOTION, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY INFORMATION ORDER Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order Honey Packers and Importers Board § 1212.45... compensation but will be reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses, as approved by the Board, that they incur...

  11. Nanopore Technology: A Simple, Inexpensive, Futuristic Technology for DNA Sequencing.

    PubMed

    Gupta, P D

    2016-10-01

    In health care, importance of DNA sequencing has been fully established. Sanger's Capillary Electrophoresis DNA sequencing methodology is time consuming, cumbersome, hence become more expensive. Lately, because of its versatility DNA sequencing became house hold name, and therefore, there is an urgent need of simple, fast, inexpensive, DNA sequencing technology. In the beginning of this century efforts were made, and Nanopore DNA sequencing technology was developed; still it is infancy, nevertheless, it is the futuristic technology.

  12. Micro-Raman spectroscopy for identification and classification of UTI bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yogesha, M.; Chawla, Kiran; Acharya, Mahendra; Chidangil, Santhosh; Bankapur, Aseefhali

    2017-07-01

    Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the major clinical problems known to mankind, especially among adult women. Conventional methods for identification of UTI causing bacteria are time consuming and expensive. Therefore, a rapid and cost-effective method is desired. In the present study, five bacteria (one Gram-positive and four Gram-negative), most commonly known to cause UTI, have been identified and classified using micro-Raman spectroscopy combined with principal component analysis (PCA).

  13. Intent of Study on the Use of a Dual Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS) in Conjunction with a Tactical Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Navigation and Mapping in Unknown, Non-Global Positioning System (GPS), Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-08-05

    ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) AF Office of Scientific h Researc 875 N. Randolph St. Room 3112 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT...the process is often time-consuming and expensive. As the IMU market is experiencing a migration trend towards Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS

  14. A screening method based on UV-Visible spectroscopy and multivariate analysis to assess addition of filler juices and water to pomegranate juices.

    PubMed

    Boggia, Raffaella; Casolino, Maria Chiara; Hysenaj, Vilma; Oliveri, Paolo; Zunin, Paola

    2013-10-15

    Consumer demand for pomegranate juice has considerably grown, during the last years, for its potential health benefits. Since it is an expensive functional food, cheaper fruit juices addition (i.e., grape and apple juices) or its simple dilution, or polyphenols subtraction are deceptively used. At present, time-consuming analyses are used to control the quality of this product. Furthermore these analyses are expensive and require well-trained analysts. Thus, the purpose of this study was to propose a high-speed and easy-to-use shortcut. Based on UV-VIS spectroscopy and chemometrics, a screening method is proposed to quickly screening some common fillers of pomegranate juice that could decrease the antiradical scavenging capacity of pure products. The analytical method was applied to laboratory prepared juices, to commercial juices and to representative experimental mixtures at different levels of water and filler juices. The outcomes were evaluated by means of multivariate exploratory analysis. The results indicate that the proposed strategy can be a useful screening tool to assess addition of filler juices and water to pomegranate juices. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Trams, trains, planes and automobiles: logistics of conducting a statewide audit of medical records.

    PubMed

    Flood, Margaret; Pollock, Wendy; McDonald, Susan; Davey, Mary-Ann

    2016-10-01

    This paper reports on the logistics of conducting a validation study of a routinely collected dataset against medical records at hospitals to inform planning of similar studies. A stratified random sample of 15 hospitals and two homebirth practitioners was included. Site visits were arranged following consent. In addition to the validation of perinatal data, information was collected regarding logistics. Records at 14 metropolitan and rural hospitals up to 500 km from the research centre, and two homebirth practitioners, were audited. Obtaining consent to participate took between 5 days and 10 months. Auditors visited sites on 101 days, auditing 737 medical record pairs at 16 sites. Median audit time per record was 51.3 minutes; electronic records each took 36 minutes longer than paper. Travel time accounted for nearly one-quarter of audit time. Delays obtaining consents, long travel times and electronic records prolonged audit duration and expense. Employment of experts maximised use of available audit time. Conducting a validation study is a time-consuming and expensive exercise; however, confidence in the accuracy of public health data is vital. Validation studies are unquestionably important. Three alternative strategies have been proposed to make future studies viable. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

  16. Consumer Education Resource Guide, K-12. A Multi-Disciplinary Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calhoun, Calfrey C.; And Others

    The guide suggests methods and resources for planning learning experiences in teaching consumer education to students at the K-12 levels. The major topics and related areas are: (1) financial planning (estimating income, estimating expenses, establishing goals, making decisions, and making the financial plan); (2) buying (importance of planned…

  17. Savvy Consumers through Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahn, Sami

    2005-01-01

    Is Bounty the "quicker picker-upper?" Are expensive shampoos better? Are all antacids the same? The authors' fourth-grade students posed and answered these questions and many more during their recent "Consumer Product Testing" unit in which they designed experiments to assess these products' qualities and learned to question the advertising that…

  18. Hybrid and Disposable Facilities for Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals: Pros and Cons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ravisé, Aline; Cameau, Emmanuelle; de Abreu, Georges; Pralong, Alain

    Modern biotechnology has grown over the last 35 years to a maturing industry producing and delivering high-value biopharmaceuticals that yield important medical and economical benefits. The constantly increasing need for biopharmaceuticals and significant costs related to time-consuming R&D work makes this industry risky and highly competitive. This trend is confirmed by the important number of biopharmaceuticals that are actually under development at all stages by all major pharmaceutical industry companies. A consequence of this evolution is an increasing need for development and manufacturing capacity. The build up of traditional - stainless steel - technology is complicated, time consuming and very expensive. The decision for such a major investment needs to be taken early in the development cycle of a promising drug to cope with future demands for clinical trials and product launch. Possibilities for the reduction of R&D and manufacturing costs are therefore of significant interest in order to be competitive.

  19. Gene trap and gene inversion methods for conditional gene inactivation in the mouse

    PubMed Central

    Xin, Hong-Bo; Deng, Ke-Yu; Shui, Bo; Qu, Shimian; Sun, Qi; Lee, Jane; Greene, Kai Su; Wilson, Jason; Yu, Ying; Feldman, Morris; Kotlikoff, Michael I.

    2005-01-01

    Conditional inactivation of individual genes in mice using site-specific recombinases is an extremely powerful method for determining the complex roles of mammalian genes in developmental and tissue-specific contexts, a major goal of post-genomic research. However, the process of generating mice with recombinase recognition sequences placed at specific locations within a gene, while maintaining a functional allele, is time consuming, expensive and technically challenging. We describe a system that combines gene trap and site-specific DNA inversion to generate mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell clones for the rapid production of conditional knockout mice, and the use of this system in an initial gene trap screen. Gene trapping should allow the selection of thousands of ES cell clones with defined insertions that can be used to generate conditional knockout mice, thereby providing extensive parallelism that eliminates the time-consuming steps of targeting vector construction and homologous recombination for each gene. PMID:15659575

  20. The pivotal role of multimodality reporter sensors in drug discovery: from cell based assays to real time molecular imaging.

    PubMed

    Ray, Pritha

    2011-04-01

    Development and marketing of new drugs require stringent validation that are expensive and time consuming. Non-invasive multimodality molecular imaging using reporter genes holds great potential to expedite these processes at reduced cost. New generations of smarter molecular imaging strategies such as Split reporter, Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, Multimodality fusion reporter technologies will further assist to streamline and shorten the drug discovery and developmental process. This review illustrates the importance and potential of molecular imaging using multimodality reporter genes in drug development at preclinical phases.

  1. Large Scale Reduction of Graphite Oxide Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calle, Carlos; Mackey, Paul; Falker, John; Zeitlin, Nancy

    2015-01-01

    This project seeks to develop an optical method to reduce graphite oxide into graphene efficiently and in larger formats than currently available. Current reduction methods are expensive, time-consuming or restricted to small, limited formats. Graphene has potential uses in ultracapacitors, energy storage, solar cells, flexible and light-weight circuits, touch screens, and chemical sensors. In addition, graphite oxide is a sustainable material that can be produced from any form of carbon, making this method environmentally friendly and adaptable for in-situ reduction.

  2. Trident Biological Surveys: SUBASE Bangor (July 1977 and June 1978) and Indian Island Annex (January, May 1974 and June 1978). Supplement 2.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-12-01

    or critical marine habitats affected by construction activities. Adverse impact has been limited to the biota physically disrupted by the mechanical ...Adverse impact has been limited to the biota physically disrupted by the mechanical process of pier construction. Commercial clam densities, standing crop...such as those at SUBASE Bangor. Samples are often expensive and time consuming to obtain: however, the reliability of one’s results depends heavily upon

  3. ABC estimation of unit costs for emergency department services.

    PubMed

    Holmes, R L; Schroeder, R E

    1996-04-01

    Rapid evolution of the health care industry forces managers to make cost-effective decisions. Typical hospital cost accounting systems do not provide emergency department managers with the information needed, but emergency department settings are so complex and dynamic as to make the more accurate activity-based costing (ABC) system prohibitively expensive. Through judicious use of the available traditional cost accounting information and simple computer spreadsheets. managers may approximate the decision-guiding information that would result from the much more costly and time-consuming implementation of ABC.

  4. New procedure speeds cold start, protects turbine

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

    Mallard, R.E.; Jordan, C.A.

    1995-09-01

    System dispatch from today`s power plants must consider availability of purchase power (buy and sell), fuel prices, and unit availability and efficiency. To gain the best combination of these factors, steam units must be capable of quick removal and return to service. However, unit startups are expensive, time consuming nd operationally demanding. For example, excessive thermal stresses can be catastrophic to a unit. With those factors in mind, Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) developed the ``valve open start`` procedure described here.

  5. Luteal phase deficiency. An underdiagnosed and overtreated reproductive endocrine disorder.

    PubMed

    Soules, M R

    1987-12-01

    Although luteal phase deficiency is rather time consuming, expensive, and sometimes painful to diagnose and treat, this disease entity is associated with a high degree of treatment success. Physicians are encouraged to become more aware of luteal phase deficiency as a potential diagnosis in the infertile woman. If the recommendations are followed in the diagnosis and treatment of luteal phase deficiency, a high degree of success can be achieved in infertile couples who otherwise would be diagnosed as having idiopathic infertility (and be ineffectively treated).

  6. Secondary School Chemistry Teacher's Current Use of Laboratory Activities and the Impact of Expense on Their Laboratory Choices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boesdorfer, Sarah B.; Livermore, Robin A.

    2018-01-01

    In the United States with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)'s emphasis on learning science while doing science, laboratory activities in the secondary school chemistry continues to be an important component of a strong curriculum. Laboratory equipment and consumable materials create a unique expense which chemistry teachers and schools…

  7. 77 FR 42873 - Defining Larger Participants of the Consumer Reporting Market

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-20

    ... reporting is a consumer financial product or service that is of fundamental importance to markets for many... consecutive months beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. A ``tax year'' is an annual accounting period for keeping records and reporting income and expenses. An annual accounting period does not...

  8. Consumer-Directed Supports: Economic, Health, and Social Outcomes for Families

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caldwell, Joe

    2006-01-01

    The impact of a consumer-directed support program on family caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities was explored. Economic, health, and social outcomes were compared between families in the program and families on the waiting list for the program. Caregivers of adults in the program reported fewer out-of-pocket disability expenses,…

  9. Robotic and endoscopic transaxillary thyroidectomies may be cost prohibitive when compared to standard cervical thyroidectomy: a cost analysis.

    PubMed

    Cabot, Jennifer C; Lee, Cho Rok; Brunaud, Laurent; Kleiman, David A; Chung, Woong Youn; Fahey, Thomas J; Zarnegar, Rasa

    2012-12-01

    This study presents a cost analysis of the standard cervical, gasless transaxillary endoscopic, and gasless transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy approaches based on medical costs in the United States. A retrospective review of 140 patients who underwent standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, or transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy at 2 tertiary centers was conducted. The cost model included operating room charges, anesthesia fee, consumables cost, equipment depreciation, and maintenance cost. Sensitivity analyses assessed individual cost variables. The mean operative times for the standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, and transaxillary robotic approaches were 121 ± 18.9, 185 ± 26.0, and 166 ± 29.4 minutes, respectively. The total cost for the standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, and transaxillary robotic approaches were $9,028 ± $891, $12,505 ± $1,222, and $13,670 ± $1,384, respectively. Transaxillary approaches were significantly more expensive than the standard cervical technique (standard cervical/transaxillary endoscopic, P < .0001; standard cervical/transaxillary robotic, P < .0001; and transaxillary endoscopic/transaxillary robotic, P = .001). The transaxillary and standard cervical techniques became equivalent in cost when transaxillary endoscopic operative time decreased to 111 minutes and transaxillary robotic operative time decreased to 68 minutes. Increasing the case load did not resolve the cost difference. Transaxillary endoscopic and transaxillary robotic thyroidectomies are significantly more expensive than the standard cervical approach. Decreasing operative times reduces this cost difference. The greater expense may be prohibitive in countries with a flat reimbursement schedule. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Study Of Physician And Patient Communication Identifies Missed Opportunities To Help Reduce Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Spending

    PubMed Central

    Ubel, Peter A.; Zhang, Cecilia J.; Hesson, Ashley; Davis, J. Kelly; Kirby, Christine; Barnett, Jamison; Hunter, Wynn G.

    2018-01-01

    Some experts contend that requiring patients to pay out of pocket for a portion of their care will bring consumer discipline to health care markets. But are physicians prepared to help patients factor out-of-pocket expenses into medical decisions? In this qualitative study of audiorecorded clinical encounters, we identified physician behaviors that stand in the way of helping patients navigate out-of-pocket spending. Some behaviors reflected a failure to fully engage with patients’ financial concerns, from never acknowledging such concerns to dismissing them too quickly. Other behaviors reflected a failure to resolve uncertainty about out-of-pocket expenses or reliance on temporary solutions without making long-term plans to reduce spending. Many of these failures resulted from systemic barriers to health care spending conversations, such as a lack of price transparency. For consumer health care markets to work as intended, physicians need to be prepared to help patients navigate out-of-pocket expenses when financial concerns arise during clinical encounters. PMID:27044966

  11. Lumbar ultrasound: useful gadget or time-consuming gimmick?

    PubMed

    Gambling, D R

    2011-10-01

    Despite widespread enthusiasm for using lumbar ultrasound in obstetrics, there are some who believe it is expensive and time-consuming, with undetermined risks and uncertain benefits. For decades, anesthesiologists have striven to perfect the identification and cannulation of the epidural space using skills learned during training and early clinical practice. These skills include knowledge of the relevant anatomy and detection of subtle tactile clues that aid successful placement of an epidural catheter. Indeed, obstetric anesthesiologists have managed to do this with great success without using imaging techniques. There is a long learning curve associated with lumbar ultrasound and it is unclear from the literature if the success rates associated with its use are superior to clinical skill alone. Is it only a matter of time before regulators insist that lumbar ultrasound is used before inserting an epidural? Indeed, this has already happened for central vein catheters. The United States spent $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, nearly twice the average of other developed nations. If rapid health cost growth persists, one out of every four dollars in the US national economy will be tied up in the health system by 2025. Do obstetric anesthesiologists want to add to these costs by using unnecessary and expensive equipment? Although many feel that diagnostic ultrasound in obstetrics is safe, some argue that we have yet to perform an appropriate risk analysis for lumbar ultrasound during pregnancy. The issue of ultrasound bio-safety needs to be considered before we all jump on the ultrasound bandwagon. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. The gynecologic oncology fellowship interview process: Challenges and potential areas for improvement.

    PubMed

    Gressel, Gregory M; Van Arsdale, Anne; Dioun, Shayan M; Goldberg, Gary L; Nevadunsky, Nicole S

    2017-05-01

    The application and interview process for gynecologic oncology fellowship is highly competitive, time-consuming and expensive for applicants. We conducted a survey of successfully matched gynecologic oncology fellowship applicants to assess problems associated with the interview process and identify areas for improvement. All Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) list-serve members who have participated in the match program for gynecologic oncology fellowship were asked to complete an online survey regarding the interview process. Linear regression modeling was used to examine association between year of match, number of programs applied to, cost incurred, and overall satisfaction. Two hundred and sixty-nine eligible participants reported applying to a mean of 20 programs [range 1-45] and were offered a mean of 14 interviews [range 1-43]. They spent an average of $6000 [$0-25,000], using personal savings (54%), credit cards (50%), family support (12%) or personal loans (3%). Seventy percent of respondents identified the match as fair, and 93% were satisfied. Interviewees spent a mean of 15 [0-45] days away from work and 37% reported difficulty arranging coverage. Linear regression showed an increase in number of programs applied to and cost per applicant over time ( p  < 0.001) between 1993 and 2016. Applicants who applied to all available programs spent more ( p  < 0.001) than those who applied to programs based on their location or quality. The current fellowship match was identified as fair and satisfying by most respondents despite being time consuming and expensive. Suggested alternative options included clustering interviews geographically or conducting preliminary interviews at the SGO Annual Meeting.

  13. Financial performance among adult day centers: results of a national demonstration program.

    PubMed

    Reifler, B V; Henry, R S; Rushing, J; Yates, M K; Cox, N J; Bradham, D D; McFarlane, M

    1997-02-01

    This paper describes the financial performance (defined as percent of total expenses covered by net operating revenue) of 16 adult day centers participating in a national demonstration program on day services for people with dementia, including examination of possible predictors of financial performance. Participating sites submitted quarterly financial and utilization reports to the National Program Office. Descriptive statistics summarize the factors believed to influence financial performance. Sites averaged meeting 35% of expenses from self-pay and 29% from government (mainly Medicaid) revenue, totaling 64% of all (cash plus in-kind) expenses met by operating revenue. Examination of center characteristics suggests that factors related to meeting consumer needs, such as being open a full day (i.e., 7:30 am to 6:00 pm) rather than shorter hours, and providing transportation, may be related to improved utilization and, thus, improved financial performance. Higher fees were not related to lower enrollment, census, or revenue. Adult day centers are able to achieve financial viability through a combination of operating (i.e., fee-for-service) and non-operating revenue. Operating revenue is enhanced by placing emphasis on consumer responsiveness, such as being open a full day. Because higher fees were not related to lower utilization, centers should set fees to reflect actual costs. The figure of 64% of expenses met by operating revenue is conservative inasmuch as sites included in-kind revenue as expenses in their budgeting calculations, and percent of cash expenses met by operating revenue would be higher (approximately 75% for this group of centers).

  14. 7 CFR 1220.224-1220.227 - [Reserved

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments...

  15. 7 CFR 1220.224-1220.227 - [Reserved

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments...

  16. The Spread of Neoliberalism in US Community Colleges: TQM Accreditation, "Consumers," and Corporate Sponsored Non-Profits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyd, Scott H.

    2011-01-01

    This article examines the extent of neoliberalism's influence within US community colleges during the last decade. It argues that such influence is changing non-profit, publicly funded community colleges into consumer colleges, serving the needs of corporations and "customers" at the expense of civic responsibility. Educating 46% of all…

  17. Exploring the Identity-Theft Prevention Efforts of Consumers in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Jacquelyne L.

    2011-01-01

    Identity theft is quite expensive and devastating for victims; unfortunately, it is also a rapidly growing crime. Much of the prior research on identity theft has focused on legislative efforts that may prevent the crime. However, limited research exists on what consumers perceive as identity prevention and the measures they take to prevent…

  18. Economy with the time delay of information flow—The stock market case

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miśkiewicz, Janusz

    2012-02-01

    Any decision process requires information about the past and present state of the system, but in an economy acquiring data and processing it is an expensive and time-consuming task. Therefore, the state of the system is often measured over some legal interval, analysed after the end of well defined time periods and the results announced much later before any strategic decision is envisaged. The various time delay roles have to be crucially examined. Here, a model of stock market coupled with an economy is investigated to emphasise the role of the time delay span on the information flow. It is shown that the larger the time delay the more important the collective behaviour of agents since one observes time oscillations in the absolute log-return autocorrelations.

  19. Modular Laboratories—Cost-Effective and Sustainable Infrastructure for Resource-Limited Settings

    PubMed Central

    Bridges, Daniel J.; Colborn, James; Chan, Adeline S. T.; Winters, Anna M.; Dengala, Dereje; Fornadel, Christen M.; Kosloff, Barry

    2014-01-01

    High-quality laboratory space to support basic science, clinical research projects, or health services is often severely lacking in the developing world. Moreover, the construction of suitable facilities using traditional methods is time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to implement. Three real world examples showing how shipping containers can be converted into modern laboratories are highlighted. These include use as an insectary, a molecular laboratory, and a BSL-3 containment laboratory. These modular conversions have a number of advantages over brick and mortar construction and provide a cost-effective and timely solution to offer high-quality, user-friendly laboratory space applicable within the developing world. PMID:25223943

  20. A New Apparatus to Evaluate Lubricants for Space Applications: The Spiral Orbit Tribometer (SOT)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William R., Jr.; Pepper, Stephen V.; Jansen, Mark J.; Nguyen, QuynhGiao N.; Kingsbury, Edward P.; Loewenthal, Stuart H.; Predmore, Roamer E.

    2000-01-01

    Lubricants used in space mechanisms must be thoroughly tested prior to their selection for critical applications. Traditionally, two types of tests have been used: accelerated and full-scale. Accelerated tests are rapid, economical, and provide useful information for gross screening of candidate lubricants. Although full-scale tests are more believable, because they mimic actual spacecraft conditions, they are expensive and time consuming. The spiral orbit tribometer compromises between the two extremes. It rapidly determines the rate of tribochemically induced lubricant consumption, which leads to finite test times, under realistic rolling/pivoting conditions that occur in angular contact bearings.

  1. Improving the Aircraft Design Process Using Web-Based Modeling and Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reed, John A.; Follen, Gregory J.; Afjeh, Abdollah A.; Follen, Gregory J. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Designing and developing new aircraft systems is time-consuming and expensive. Computational simulation is a promising means for reducing design cycle times, but requires a flexible software environment capable of integrating advanced multidisciplinary and multifidelity analysis methods, dynamically managing data across heterogeneous computing platforms, and distributing computationally complex tasks. Web-based simulation, with its emphasis on collaborative composition of simulation models, distributed heterogeneous execution, and dynamic multimedia documentation, has the potential to meet these requirements. This paper outlines the current aircraft design process, highlighting its problems and complexities, and presents our vision of an aircraft design process using Web-based modeling and simulation.

  2. Improving the Aircraft Design Process Using Web-based Modeling and Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reed, John A.; Follen, Gregory J.; Afjeh, Abdollah A.

    2003-01-01

    Designing and developing new aircraft systems is time-consuming and expensive. Computational simulation is a promising means for reducing design cycle times, but requires a flexible software environment capable of integrating advanced multidisciplinary and muitifidelity analysis methods, dynamically managing data across heterogeneous computing platforms, and distributing computationally complex tasks. Web-based simulation, with its emphasis on collaborative composition of simulation models, distributed heterogeneous execution, and dynamic multimedia documentation, has the potential to meet these requirements. This paper outlines the current aircraft design process, highlighting its problems and complexities, and presents our vision of an aircraft design process using Web-based modeling and simulation.

  3. Bed Bug Detection: Current Technologies and Future Directions

    PubMed Central

    Vaidyanathan, Rajeev; Feldlaufer, Mark F.

    2013-01-01

    Technologies to detect bed bugs have not kept pace with their global resurgence. Early detection is critical to prevent infestations from spreading. Detection based exclusively on bites is inadequate, because reactions to insect bites are non-specific and often misdiagnosed. Visual inspections are commonly used and depend on identifying live bugs, exuviae, or fecal droplets. Visual inspections are inexpensive, but they are time-consuming and unreliable when only a few bugs are present. Use of a dog to detect bed bugs is gaining in popularity, but it can be expensive, may unintentionally advertise a bed bug problem, and is not foolproof. Passive monitors mimic natural harborages; they are discreet and typically use an adhesive to trap bugs. Active monitors generate carbon dioxide, heat, a pheromone, or a combination to attract bed bugs to a trap. New technologies using DNA analysis, mass spectrometry, and electronic noses are innovative but impractical and expensive for widespread use. PMID:23553226

  4. On the relation between sensory attributes and rheological characterization of cosmetic products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filip, Petr; Moravkova, Tereza

    2017-05-01

    Sensory attributes occupy irreplaceable position in offering the cosmetic and food products in the market. However, their evaluation is expensive and time-consuming. One of the possibilities how to eliminate at least partially these shortcomings is represented by an application of instrumental analysis. The aim of this contribution is to present rheological modelling using four eye creams and twelve body lotions. The parameters of the proposed models are coupled with selected sensory attributes. It enables a priori prediction of these attributes in a relatively cheap and fast way.

  5. Large area sheet task: Advanced Dendritic Web Growth Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Mchugh, J. P.; Hopkins, R. H.; Meier, D.; Schruben, J.

    1981-01-01

    A melt level control system was implemented to provide stepless silicon feed rates from zero to rates exactly matching the silicon consumed during web growth. Bench tests of the unit were successfully completed and the system mounted in a web furnace for operational verification. Tests of long term temperature drift correction techniques were made; web width monitoring seems most appropriate for feedback purposes. A system to program the initiation of the web growth cycle was successfully tested. A low cost temperature controller was tested which functions as well as units four times as expensive.

  6. 45 CFR 148.308 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... supplemental consumer benefits to enrollees or potential enrollees in qualified high risk pools. CMS stands for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Loss means the difference between expenses incurred by a...

  7. 45 CFR 148.308 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... supplemental consumer benefits to enrollees or potential enrollees in qualified high risk pools. CMS stands for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Loss means the difference between expenses incurred by a...

  8. 45 CFR 148.308 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... supplemental consumer benefits to enrollees or potential enrollees in qualified high risk pools. CMS stands for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Loss means the difference between expenses incurred by a...

  9. 45 CFR 148.308 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... supplemental consumer benefits to enrollees or potential enrollees in qualified high risk pools. CMS stands for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Loss means the difference between expenses incurred by a...

  10. 45 CFR 148.308 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... supplemental consumer benefits to enrollees or potential enrollees in qualified high risk pools. CMS stands for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Loss means the difference between expenses incurred by a...

  11. Exploiting Wild Relatives for Genomics-assisted Breeding of Perennial Crops

    PubMed Central

    Migicovsky, Zoë; Myles, Sean

    2017-01-01

    Perennial crops are vital contributors to global food production and nutrition. However, the breeding of new perennial crops is an expensive and time-consuming process due to the large size and lengthy juvenile phase of many species. Genomics provides a valuable tool for improving the efficiency of breeding by allowing progeny possessing a trait of interest to be selected at the seed or seedling stage through marker-assisted selection (MAS). The benefits of MAS to a breeder are greatest when the targeted species takes a long time to reach maturity and is expensive to grow and maintain. Thus, MAS holds particular promise in perennials since they are often costly and time-consuming to grow to maturity and evaluate. Well-characterized germplasm that breeders can tap into for improving perennials is often limited in genetic diversity. Wild relatives are a largely untapped source of desirable traits including disease resistance, fruit quality, and rootstock characteristics. This review focuses on the use of genomics-assisted breeding in perennials, especially as it relates to the introgression of useful traits from wild relatives. The identification of genetic markers predictive of beneficial phenotypes derived from wild relatives is hampered by genomic tools designed for domesticated species that are often ill-suited for use in wild relatives. There is therefore an urgent need for better genomic resources from wild relatives. A further barrier to exploiting wild diversity through genomics is the phenotyping bottleneck: well-powered genetic mapping requires accurate and cost-effective characterization of large collections of diverse wild germplasm. While genomics will always be used in combination with traditional breeding methods, it is a powerful tool for accelerating the speed and reducing the costs of breeding while harvesting the potential of wild relatives for improving perennial crops. PMID:28421095

  12. Exploiting Wild Relatives for Genomics-assisted Breeding of Perennial Crops.

    PubMed

    Migicovsky, Zoë; Myles, Sean

    2017-01-01

    Perennial crops are vital contributors to global food production and nutrition. However, the breeding of new perennial crops is an expensive and time-consuming process due to the large size and lengthy juvenile phase of many species. Genomics provides a valuable tool for improving the efficiency of breeding by allowing progeny possessing a trait of interest to be selected at the seed or seedling stage through marker-assisted selection (MAS). The benefits of MAS to a breeder are greatest when the targeted species takes a long time to reach maturity and is expensive to grow and maintain. Thus, MAS holds particular promise in perennials since they are often costly and time-consuming to grow to maturity and evaluate. Well-characterized germplasm that breeders can tap into for improving perennials is often limited in genetic diversity. Wild relatives are a largely untapped source of desirable traits including disease resistance, fruit quality, and rootstock characteristics. This review focuses on the use of genomics-assisted breeding in perennials, especially as it relates to the introgression of useful traits from wild relatives. The identification of genetic markers predictive of beneficial phenotypes derived from wild relatives is hampered by genomic tools designed for domesticated species that are often ill-suited for use in wild relatives. There is therefore an urgent need for better genomic resources from wild relatives. A further barrier to exploiting wild diversity through genomics is the phenotyping bottleneck: well-powered genetic mapping requires accurate and cost-effective characterization of large collections of diverse wild germplasm. While genomics will always be used in combination with traditional breeding methods, it is a powerful tool for accelerating the speed and reducing the costs of breeding while harvesting the potential of wild relatives for improving perennial crops.

  13. Design considerations for computationally constrained two-way real-time video communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bivolarski, Lazar M.; Saunders, Steven E.; Ralston, John D.

    2009-08-01

    Today's video codecs have evolved primarily to meet the requirements of the motion picture and broadcast industries, where high-complexity studio encoding can be utilized to create highly-compressed master copies that are then broadcast one-way for playback using less-expensive, lower-complexity consumer devices for decoding and playback. Related standards activities have largely ignored the computational complexity and bandwidth constraints of wireless or Internet based real-time video communications using devices such as cell phones or webcams. Telecommunications industry efforts to develop and standardize video codecs for applications such as video telephony and video conferencing have not yielded image size, quality, and frame-rate performance that match today's consumer expectations and market requirements for Internet and mobile video services. This paper reviews the constraints and the corresponding video codec requirements imposed by real-time, 2-way mobile video applications. Several promising elements of a new mobile video codec architecture are identified, and more comprehensive computational complexity metrics and video quality metrics are proposed in order to support the design, testing, and standardization of these new mobile video codecs.

  14. It is time to wash the linen.

    PubMed

    Bajaj, Rajiv

    2007-01-01

    The unethical practice of commissions in private healthcare requires an open debate since it leads to expensive and hazardous healthcare. Doctors are accused of being sales agents and law breakers, private hospitals resemble luxury hotels, the consumer has become fair game whenever he/she has money, and our profession and society are rendered insensitive to human suffering. At the root of this malaise is the unplanned promotion of healthcare as a free market product. This very complex product, which is required in times of stress and vulnerability, has been institutionalized as a business for profiteering in the absence of adequate checks and balances. The product is inherently unsuited for the free market because the consumer cannot be king unless he is empowered to choose wisely. Not enough has been done to address this deficiency. Efforts are required to strengthen non-profit health facilities; to make the consumer wise and minimize her/his exposure to doctored health information. The present unethical practices of our profession are not the fault of doctors or the Medical Council of India, and punitive measures would be inappropriate. We should start with the creation of a government health website which educates the public about modern healthcare, and by regulating advertisement of health products. Since health personnel, officials and news media are directly benefited by the present malpractices, corrective will require consumer participation.

  15. Patterning of Indium Tin Oxide Films

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Immer, Christopher

    2008-01-01

    A relatively rapid, economical process has been devised for patterning a thin film of indium tin oxide (ITO) that has been deposited on a polyester film. ITO is a transparent, electrically conductive substance made from a mixture of indium oxide and tin oxide that is commonly used in touch panels, liquid-crystal and plasma display devices, gas sensors, and solar photovoltaic panels. In a typical application, the ITO film must be patterned to form electrodes, current collectors, and the like. Heretofore it has been common practice to pattern an ITO film by means of either a laser ablation process or a photolithography/etching process. The laser ablation process includes the use of expensive equipment to precisely position and focus a laser. The photolithography/etching process is time-consuming. The present process is a variant of the direct toner process an inexpensive but often highly effective process for patterning conductors for printed circuits. Relative to a conventional photolithography/ etching process, this process is simpler, takes less time, and is less expensive. This process involves equipment that costs less than $500 (at 2005 prices) and enables patterning of an ITO film in a process time of less than about a half hour.

  16. A Fast-Time Simulation Tool for Analysis of Airport Arrival Traffic

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erzberger, Heinz; Meyn, Larry A.; Neuman, Frank

    2004-01-01

    The basic objective of arrival sequencing in air traffic control automation is to match traffic demand and airport capacity while minimizing delays. The performance of an automated arrival scheduling system, such as the Traffic Management Advisor developed by NASA for the FAA, can be studied by a fast-time simulation that does not involve running expensive and time-consuming real-time simulations. The fast-time simulation models runway configurations, the characteristics of arrival traffic, deviations from predicted arrival times, as well as the arrival sequencing and scheduling algorithm. This report reviews the development of the fast-time simulation method used originally by NASA in the design of the sequencing and scheduling algorithm for the Traffic Management Advisor. The utility of this method of simulation is demonstrated by examining the effect on delays of altering arrival schedules at a hub airport.

  17. A feasibility study to determine if there is a market for automatic meter-reading devices

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

    Hilberg, G.R.

    1996-08-01

    For many utilities the cost of manually reading meters is increasing due to personnel expenses and equipment costs. The current system of manual meters provides little ability for the utility to reduce costs. To reduce meter reading costs the utility must automate the manual system and reduce personnel expenses. A water utility in San Diego county was studied to calculate the cost of reading individual water meters. This would allow for the selective replacement of {open_quotes}high-cost{close_quotes} meters to quickly reduce meter-reading costs while limiting the necessary capital investments. As the {open_quotes}high-cost{close_quotes} meters are selectively replaced, a utility with a significantmore » difference in individual meter reading costs could save three to five dollars per meter per year. This study showed that the {open_quotes}high-cost{close_quotes} meters were six times more expensive to read than the average meter. Additionally, AMR systems increase the information available to consumers and to the utility on usage patterns and problems. The challenge was to cost effectively identify the {open_quotes}high-cost{close_quotes} meters. The costs to collect these data were less than $500.« less

  18. Continuous processing and the applications of online tools in pharmaceutical product manufacture: developments and examples.

    PubMed

    Ooi, Shing Ming; Sarkar, Srimanta; van Varenbergh, Griet; Schoeters, Kris; Heng, Paul Wan Sia

    2013-04-01

    Continuous processing and production in pharmaceutical manufacturing has received increased attention in recent years mainly due to the industries' pressing needs for more efficient, cost-effective processes and production, as well as regulatory facilitation. To achieve optimum product quality, the traditional trial-and-error method for the optimization of different process and formulation parameters is expensive and time consuming. Real-time evaluation and the control of product quality using an online process analyzer in continuous processing can provide high-quality production with very high-throughput at low unit cost. This review focuses on continuous processing and the application of different real-time monitoring tools used in the pharmaceutical industry for continuous processing from powder to tablets.

  19. [Advantages and disadvantages of direct-to-consumer genetic tests].

    PubMed

    Christiansen, Camilla Worm; Gerdes, Anne-Marie Axø

    2017-03-13

    Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are sold over the internet to consumers all over the world - including Denmark. No regulation of these tests has been introduced neither in Denmark nor in Europe, even though they have been on the market since 2007. Such tests have several advantages, but indeed also a long list of potential disadvantages, which are most often ignored, and among these is insufficient training of general practitioners in performing the necessary counselling but also the risk of increased expenses to unnecessary follow-up consultations.

  20. [Changes in factors associated with the nutrition transition in Mexico].

    PubMed

    Ortiz-Hernández, Luis; Delgado-Sánchez, Guadalupe; Hernández-Briones, Ana

    2006-01-01

    To describe the demographic and socioeconomic changes, food availability and food expense in Mexico during 1980-2000. From official statistics (Population Census, FAO Food Balance Sheets, Family Income and Expense National Survey and Economic Census) we estimated the evolution of population distribution according to locality size, occupational structure, woman participation in the wage-earning labor force, minimum wage, availability of food establishments and expense in food. The percentage of the population that lives in urban areas has increased, they are employed in the tertiary sector, womens participation in the labor market has increased but real minimum wages have decreased. Vegetables, oleaginous, oils, fish and seafood availability have decreased whereas animal fat, vegetables, fruits, softdrinks, meats and egg availability have increased. The number of inexpensive restaurants (cocinas económicas and fondas) has also increased. Food expenses have decreased while amount of money spent in food consumed away from home has increased. In Mexico, the growth in urban areas and the tertiary job sector shows a parallel growth in the availability of high fat and protein food, a greater diet variety and more opportunities to consume food not prepared in the home. On the other hand, the sale of equipment and places designed for recreational physical activity have increased. By reducing employment in the primary sector it is foreseeable that labor intensive physical activity will become less important overtime.

  1. Modular laboratories--cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure for resource-limited settings.

    PubMed

    Bridges, Daniel J; Colborn, James; Chan, Adeline S T; Winters, Anna M; Dengala, Dereje; Fornadel, Christen M; Kosloff, Barry

    2014-12-01

    High-quality laboratory space to support basic science, clinical research projects, or health services is often severely lacking in the developing world. Moreover, the construction of suitable facilities using traditional methods is time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to implement. Three real world examples showing how shipping containers can be converted into modern laboratories are highlighted. These include use as an insectary, a molecular laboratory, and a BSL-3 containment laboratory. These modular conversions have a number of advantages over brick and mortar construction and provide a cost-effective and timely solution to offer high-quality, user-friendly laboratory space applicable within the developing world. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  2. Performance of optical fibers in space radiation environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alam, M.; Abramczyk, J.; Manyam, U.; Farroni, J.; Guertin, D.

    2017-11-01

    The use of optical fibers in low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites is a source of concern due to the radiation environment in which these satellites operate and the reliability of devices based on these fibers. Although radiation induced damage in optical fibers cannot be avoided, it can certainly be minimized by intelligent engineering. Qualifying fibers for use in space is both time consuming and expensive, and manufacturers of satellites and their payloads have started to ask for radiation performance data from optical fiber vendors. Over time, Nufern has developed fiber designs, compositions and processes to make radiation hard fibers. Radiation performance data of a variety of fibers that find application in space radiation environment are presented.

  3. Heal the damage: prescription drug consumer advertisements and relative choices.

    PubMed

    Gilhooley, Margaret

    2005-01-01

    The process of choosing and prescribing prescription drugs is complex. While the choice about which drug to prescribe is made by the physician, the physician may be influenced by patient demand, which, in turn, may be influenced by consumer advertisements. As a result, consumer advertisements for prescription drugs need to provide information that gives consumers an understanding, not only of drug risks and efficacy but also of the notable limits on benefits claimed. This Article examines the drug-specific focus of consumer advertising for prescription drugs from two perspectives: the need to prevent confusion that could affect medical decisions about alternative treatments and the need to prevent misimpressions about the value of a drug that can create consumer demand on physicians and insurers for more expensive drugs than needed.

  4. The Influence of Color on the Consumer’s Experience of Beer

    PubMed Central

    Carvalho, Felipe Reinoso; Moors, Pieter; Wagemans, Johan; Spence, Charles

    2017-01-01

    Visual appearance (e.g., color) cues set expectations regarding the likely taste and flavor properties of food and drink. These expectations may, in turn, anchor the subsequent tasting experience. In the present study, we examined the influence of the color of a beer on the consumer’s experience. Dark and pale beers were evaluated both before and after tasting. Importantly, these beers were indistinguishable in terms of their taste/flavor when tasted without any visual cues. The results indicate that the differing visual appearance of the beers led to clear differences in expected taste/flavor. However, after tasting, no differences in flavor ratings were observed, indicating that the expectations based on visual cues did not influence the actual tasting experience. The participants also expected the dark beer to be more expensive than the pale one. These outcomes suggest that changes in the visual appearance of a beer lead to significant changes in the way in which consumers expect the beer to taste. At the same time, however, our findings also suggest the need for more evidence to be collected in order to determine the boundary conditions on when such crossmodal expectations may vs. may not affect the tasting experience. Highlights: The expected flavor of a beer is affected by its visual appearance. No differences in flavor ratings were observed on tasting. Consumers expect dark beers to be more expensive than pale/amber beers. PMID:29312065

  5. [Cost analysis for navigation in knee endoprosthetics].

    PubMed

    Cerha, O; Kirschner, S; Günther, K-P; Lützner, J

    2009-12-01

    Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most frequent procedures in orthopaedic surgery. The outcome depends on a range of factors including alignment of the leg and the positioning of the implant in addition to patient-associated factors. Computer-assisted navigation systems can improve the restoration of a neutral leg alignment. This procedure has been established especially in Europe and North America. The additional expenses are not reimbursed in the German DRG system (Diagnosis Related Groups). In the present study a cost analysis of computer-assisted TKA compared to the conventional technique was performed. The acquisition expenses of various navigation systems (5 and 10 year depreciation), annual costs for maintenance and software updates as well as the accompanying costs per operation (consumables, additional operating time) were considered. The additional operating time was determined on the basis of a meta-analysis according to the current literature. Situations with 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 computer-assisted TKAs per year were simulated. The amount of the incremental costs of the computer-assisted TKA depends mainly on the annual volume and the additional operating time. A relevant decrease of the incremental costs was detected between 50 and 100 procedures per year. In a model with 100 computer-assisted TKAs per year an additional operating time of 14 mins and a 10 year depreciation of the investment costs, the incremental expenses amount to 300-395 depending on the navigation system. Computer-assisted TKA is associated with additional costs. From an economical point of view an amount of more than 50 procedures per year appears to be favourable. The cost-effectiveness could be estimated if long-term results will show a reduction of revisions or a better clinical outcome.

  6. Multiplex-Ready Technology for mid-throughput genotyping of molecular markers.

    PubMed

    Bonneau, Julien; Hayden, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Screening molecular markers across large populations in breeding programs is generally time consuming and expensive. The Multiplex-Ready Technology (MRT) (Hayden et al., BMC genomics 9:80, 2008) was created to optimize polymorphism screening and genotyping using standardized PCR reaction conditions. The flexibility of this method maximizes the number of markers (up to 24 markers SSR or SNP, ideally small PCR product <500 bp and highly polymorphic) by using fluorescent dye (VIC, FAM, NED, and PET) and a semiautomated DNA fragment analyzer (ABI3730) capillary electrophoresis for large numbers of DNA samples (96 or 384 samples).

  7. Hydraulic Robotic Surgical Tool Changing Manipulator

    PubMed Central

    Pourghodrat, Abolfazl; Nelson, Carl A.; Oleynikov, Dmitry

    2017-01-01

    Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a surgical technique to perform “scarless” abdominal operations. Robotic technology has been exploited to improve NOTES and circumvent its limitations. Lack of a multitasking platform is a major limitation. Manual tool exchange can be time consuming and may lead to complications such as bleeding. Previous multifunctional manipulator designs use electric motors. These designs are bulky, slow, and expensive. This paper presents design, prototyping, and testing of a hydraulic robotic tool changing manipulator. The manipulator is small, fast, low-cost, and capable of carrying four different types of laparoscopic instruments. PMID:28450979

  8. Novel approach to investigation of semiconductor MOCVD by microreactor technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konakov, S. A.; Krzhizhanovskaya, V. V.

    2017-11-01

    Metal-Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition is a very complex technology that requires further investigation and optimization. We propose to apply microreactors to (1) replace multiple expensive time-consuming macroscale experiments by just one microreactor deposition with many points on one substrate; (2) to derive chemical reaction rates from individual deposition profiles using theoretical analytical solution. In this paper we also present the analytical solution of a simplified equation describing the deposition rate dependency on temperature. It allows to solve an inverse problem and to obtain detailed information about chemical reaction mechanism of MOCVD process.

  9. Influence of the contact roughness upon railway monobloc wheel acoustic behaviour on virtual prototyping approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Todorov, George; Kamberov, Konstantin; Kralov, Ivan; Ignatov, Ignat

    2017-12-01

    In this study the virtual prototyping is used for evaluation the influence of the contact roughness upon the acoustic behaviour evaluation of railway monobloc wheel. The proposed procedure covers requirements of the European Standard EN 13979-1 "Wheels and bogies - Monobloc wheels". The main advantage of the acoustic assessment based on the virtual engineering technics - absence of the expensive and time consuming physical tests, is sown. The real industrial-project example is presented and comparison of the numerical and experimental results is used for acoustic behaviour assessment and approval of railway monobloc wheel design.

  10. Superconducting accelerator cavity with a heat affected zone having a higher RRR

    DOEpatents

    Brawley, John; Phillips, H. Lawrence

    2000-01-01

    An improved method for welding accelerator cavities without the need for time consuming and expensive faying surface treatments comprising electron beam welding such cavities in a vacuum welding chamber within a vacuum envelope and using the following welding parameters: a beam voltage of between about 45 KV and 55 KV; a beam current between about 38 ma and 47 ma; a weld speed of about 15 cm/min; and a sharp focus and a rhombic raster of between about 9 KHz and 10 Khz. A welded cavity made according to the method of the present invention is also described.

  11. [Pesticide determination in water after separation on reverse-phase minicolumns].

    PubMed

    Molto, J C; Font, G; Farre, R; Mañes, J

    1989-01-01

    The lindane, methoxichlor, parathion and methylparathion content of water is measured in a gas-chromatography fitted with a capture electron detector. Prior extraction and concentration are done by using Sep-Pak C18 cartridges with ethyl acetate as eluent, which is offers certain advantages over hexane and methanol. With solutions of 0.5 ppb recovery values of 102.7% (lindane), 85% (methoxychlor), 94.7% (parathion) and 93.1% (methylparathion) are obtained. The method proposed is less time-consuming and less expensive than the usual consisting of extraction with dichloromethane: hexane (15:75 v/V) and concentration in a Kuderna-Danish.

  12. A Modified Protocol for High-Quality RNA Extraction from Oleoresin-Producing Adult Pines.

    PubMed

    de Lima, Júlio César; Füller, Thanise Nogueira; de Costa, Fernanda; Rodrigues-Corrêa, Kelly C S; Fett-Neto, Arthur G

    2016-01-01

    RNA extraction resulting in good yields and quality is a fundamental step for the analyses of transcriptomes through high-throughput sequencing technologies, microarray, and also northern blots, RT-PCR, and RTqPCR. Even though many specific protocols designed for plants with high content of secondary metabolites have been developed, these are often expensive, time consuming, and not suitable for a wide range of tissues. Here we present a modification of the method previously described using the commercially available Concert™ Plant RNA Reagent (Invitrogen) buffer for field-grown adult pine trees with high oleoresin content.

  13. More human, more humane: a new approach for testing airborne pollutants.

    PubMed

    Potera, Carol

    2007-03-01

    People not only inhale airborne contaminants but also absorb them through the skin. Both routes can set off localized toxic reactions or damage internal organs such as the liver, kidney, and brain. Conventional tests of the toxicity of gases and vapors, in which laboratory animals are exposed to lethal or sub-lethal doses of chemicals, have been criticized as expensive, unethical, inhumane, and time-consuming. Now researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, have developed an animal-free alternative that uses human cells to test the effects of exposure to airborne toxicants.

  14. Simulation of TunneLadder traveling-wave tube cold-test characteristics: Implementation of the three-dimensional, electromagnetic circuit analysis code micro-SOS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kory, Carol L.; Wilson, Jeffrey D.

    1993-01-01

    The three-dimensional, electromagnetic circuit analysis code, Micro-SOS, can be used to reduce expensive time-consuming experimental 'cold-testing' of traveling-wave tube (TWT) circuits. The frequency-phase dispersion characteristics and beam interaction impedance of a TunneLadder traveling-wave tube slow-wave structure were simulated using the code. When reasonable dimensional adjustments are made, computer results agree closely with experimental data. Modifications to the circuit geometry that would make the TunneLadder TWT easier to fabricate for higher frequency operation are explored.

  15. Seminar 2.0: Learning With Skype and Video Podcasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wessel, Paul; Anderson, Tiffany; Austin, Regan; Benediktsdottir, Asdis; Chandler, Michael T.; Conley, Michaela M.; Kim, Seung-Sep; Michaud, Robert L.; Rumpf, M. Elise; Sleeper, Jonathan D.; Weiss, Jonathan R.

    2009-04-01

    Graduate seminars typically involve reviewing key papers, ranging from seminal contributions by pioneers to the latest cutting-edge results published in journals such as Nature, Science, and Geophysical Research Letters. Ideally, guest lecturers are invited to add specific expertise and stimulate discussions. However, the increasing costs for travel make this an expensive proposition. Recent improvements in free videoconferencing over the Internet make it possible to invite distant experts to participate in seminars without involving expensive and time-consuming travel. Tools to record video conferences allow anyone to combine narrations with slide presentations and prepare merged video files for distribution over the Internet (i.e., podcasts). This brief report discusses such an experiment in a graduate seminar on advanced plate tectonics in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at University of Hawai`i at Manoa's (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). The podcasts are freely available from iTunes (UHM; SOEST; Public Course Lectures) and from http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pwessel/podcasts.

  16. Automated combinatorial method for fast and robust prediction of lattice thermal conductivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plata, Jose J.; Nath, Pinku; Usanmaz, Demet; Toher, Cormac; Fornari, Marco; Buongiorno Nardelli, Marco; Curtarolo, Stefano

    The lack of computationally inexpensive and accurate ab-initio based methodologies to predict lattice thermal conductivity, κl, without computing the anharmonic force constants or performing time-consuming ab-initio molecular dynamics, is one of the obstacles preventing the accelerated discovery of new high or low thermal conductivity materials. The Slack equation is the best alternative to other more expensive methodologies but is highly dependent on two variables: the acoustic Debye temperature, θa, and the Grüneisen parameter, γ. Furthermore, different definitions can be used for these two quantities depending on the model or approximation. Here, we present a combinatorial approach based on the quasi-harmonic approximation to elucidate which definitions of both variables produce the best predictions of κl. A set of 42 compounds was used to test accuracy and robustness of all possible combinations. This approach is ideal for obtaining more accurate values than fast screening models based on the Debye model, while being significantly less expensive than methodologies that solve the Boltzmann transport equation.

  17. Fibre Optic Sensors for Selected Wastewater Characteristics

    PubMed Central

    Chong, Su Sin; Abdul Aziz, A. R.; Harun, Sulaiman W.

    2013-01-01

    Demand for online and real-time measurements techniques to meet environmental regulation and treatment compliance are increasing. However the conventional techniques, which involve scheduled sampling and chemical analysis can be expensive and time consuming. Therefore cheaper and faster alternatives to monitor wastewater characteristics are required as alternatives to conventional methods. This paper reviews existing conventional techniques and optical and fibre optic sensors to determine selected wastewater characteristics which are colour, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). The review confirms that with appropriate configuration, calibration and fibre features the parameters can be determined with accuracy comparable to conventional method. With more research in this area, the potential for using FOS for online and real-time measurement of more wastewater parameters for various types of industrial effluent are promising. PMID:23881131

  18. Consumer accounts of favourable dietary behaviour change and comparison with official dietary guidelines.

    PubMed

    Ares, Gastón; Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Vidal, Leticia; Machín, Leandro; Moratorio, Ximena; Bandeira, Elisa; Curutchet, María Rosa; Bove, Isabel; Giménez, Ana

    2018-07-01

    The current study aimed to assess Uruguayan consumers' accounts of their own need to change their dietary patterns, their intended changes and the barriers related to doing so, and to compare the intentions and barriers with the recommendations of the national dietary guidelines. An online survey with 2381 Uruguayan employed adults, aged between 18 and 65 years, 65 % females, was conducted. Participants had to answer two open-ended questions related to changes they could make in the foods they eat and/or the way in which they eat to improve the quality of their diet and the reasons why they had not implemented those changes yet. Content analysis using inductive coding by two researchers was used to analyse the responses. Consumers mainly intended to change consumption of types of foods, particularly eating more fruits, vegetables and legumes and consuming less flour, but also intended to alter their eating patterns. Lack of time and the fact that healthy foods are perceived as being more expensive than unhealthy foods were major barriers to behaviour change. Some of the recommendations of the dietary guidelines, particularly those related to enjoying cooking and meals and engaging in it as a social activity, were not represented in consumer accounts. Accompanying policies to the dietary guidelines need to underline the importance of changes in dietary patterns, including greater enjoyment and sharing food preparation and meals in the company with others, address misconceptions about flour, and provide concrete, consumer-derived recommendations on how to enact the guidelines.

  19. 38 CFR 21.5820 - Educational assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... consumable materials used as part of classroom or laboratory instruction. (2) Educational expenses may not... benefits from the educational assistance test program. (Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2143(a)) (b) Amount of... printed volume and on GPO Access. ...

  20. Integrated Data Capturing Requirements for 3d Semantic Modelling of Cultural Heritage: the Inception Protocol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Di Giulio, R.; Maietti, F.; Piaia, E.; Medici, M.; Ferrari, F.; Turillazzi, B.

    2017-02-01

    The generation of high quality 3D models can be still very time-consuming and expensive, and the outcome of digital reconstructions is frequently provided in formats that are not interoperable, and therefore cannot be easily accessed. This challenge is even more crucial for complex architectures and large heritage sites, which involve a large amount of data to be acquired, managed and enriched by metadata. In this framework, the ongoing EU funded project INCEPTION - Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe through 3D semantic modelling proposes a workflow aimed at the achievements of efficient 3D digitization methods, post-processing tools for an enriched semantic modelling, web-based solutions and applications to ensure a wide access to experts and non-experts. In order to face these challenges and to start solving the issue of the large amount of captured data and time-consuming processes in the production of 3D digital models, an Optimized Data Acquisition Protocol (DAP) has been set up. The purpose is to guide the processes of digitization of cultural heritage, respecting needs, requirements and specificities of cultural assets.

  1. Rapid Material Appearance Acquisition Using Consumer Hardware

    PubMed Central

    Filip, Jiří; Vávra, Radomír; Krupička, Mikuláš

    2014-01-01

    A photo-realistic representation of material appearance can be achieved by means of bidirectional texture function (BTF) capturing a material’s appearance for varying illumination, viewing directions, and spatial pixel coordinates. BTF captures many non-local effects in material structure such as inter-reflections, occlusions, shadowing, or scattering. The acquisition of BTF data is usually time and resource-intensive due to the high dimensionality of BTF data. This results in expensive, complex measurement setups and/or excessively long measurement times. We propose an approximate BTF acquisition setup based on a simple, affordable mechanical gantry containing a consumer camera and two LED lights. It captures a very limited subset of material surface images by shooting several video sequences. A psychophysical study comparing captured and reconstructed data with the reference BTFs of seven tested materials revealed that results of our method show a promising visual quality. Speed of the setup has been demonstrated on measurement of human skin and measurement and modeling of a glue dessication time-varying process. As it allows for fast, inexpensive, acquisition of approximate BTFs, this method can be beneficial to visualization applications demanding less accuracy, where BTF utilization has previously been limited. PMID:25340451

  2. Splitting a colon geometry with multiplanar clipping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahn, David K.; Vining, David J.; Ge, Yaorong; Stelts, David R.

    1998-06-01

    Virtual colonoscopy, a recent three-dimensional (3D) visualization technique, has provided radiologists with a unique diagnostic tool. Using this technique, a radiologist can examine the internal morphology of a patient's colon by navigating through a surface-rendered model that is constructed from helical computed tomography image data. Virtual colonoscopy can be used to detect early forms of colon cancer in a way that is less invasive and expensive compared to conventional endoscopy. However, the common approach of 'flying' through the colon lumen to visually search for polyps is tedious and time-consuming, especially when a radiologist loses his or her orientation within the colon. Furthermore, a radiologist's field of view is often limited by the 3D camera position located inside the colon lumen. We have developed a new technique, called multi-planar geometry clipping, that addresses these problems. Our algorithm divides a complex colon anatomy into several smaller segments, and then splits each of these segments in half for display on a static medium. Multi-planar geometry clipping eliminates virtual colonoscopy's dependence upon expensive, real-time graphics workstations by enabling radiologists to globally inspect the entire internal surface of the colon from a single viewpoint.

  3. Highly parallel single-molecule amplification approach based on agarose droplet polymerase chain reaction for efficient and cost-effective aptamer selection.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei Yun; Zhang, Wenhua; Liu, Zhiyuan; Li, Cong; Zhu, Zhi; Yang, Chaoyong James

    2012-01-03

    We have developed a novel method for efficiently screening affinity ligands (aptamers) from a complex single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) library by employing single-molecule emulsion polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the agarose droplet microfluidic technology. In a typical systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) process, the enriched library is sequenced first, and tens to hundreds of aptamer candidates are analyzed via a bioinformatic approach. Possible candidates are then chemically synthesized, and their binding affinities are measured individually. Such a process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, inefficient, and expensive. To address these problems, we have developed a highly efficient single-molecule approach for aptamer screening using our agarose droplet microfluidic technology. Statistically diluted ssDNA of the pre-enriched library evolved through conventional SELEX against cancer biomarker Shp2 protein was encapsulated into individual uniform agarose droplets for droplet PCR to generate clonal agarose beads. The binding capacity of amplified ssDNA from each clonal bead was then screened via high-throughput fluorescence cytometry. DNA clones with high binding capacity and low K(d) were chosen as the aptamer and can be directly used for downstream biomedical applications. We have identified an ssDNA aptamer that selectively recognizes Shp2 with a K(d) of 24.9 nM. Compared to a conventional sequencing-chemical synthesis-screening work flow, our approach avoids large-scale DNA sequencing and expensive, time-consuming DNA synthesis of large populations of DNA candidates. The agarose droplet microfluidic approach is thus highly efficient and cost-effective for molecular evolution approaches and will find wide application in molecular evolution technologies, including mRNA display, phage display, and so on. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  4. Catchment land use predicts benthic vegetation in small estuaries

    PubMed Central

    Warry, Fiona Y.; Reich, Paul; Mac Nally, Ralph; Woodland, Ryan J.

    2018-01-01

    Many estuaries are becoming increasingly eutrophic from human activities within their catchments. Nutrient loads often are used to assess risk of eutrophication to estuaries, but such data are expensive and time consuming to obtain. We compared the percent of fertilized land within a catchment, dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads, catchment to estuary area ratio and flushing time as predictors of the proportion of macroalgae to total vegetation within 14 estuaries in south-eastern Australia. The percent of fertilized land within the catchment was the best predictor of the proportion of macroalgae within the estuaries studied. There was a transition to a dominance of macroalgae once the proportion of fertilized land in the catchment exceeded 24%, highlighting the sensitivity of estuaries to catchment land use. PMID:29473004

  5. Reference Pricing Changes The 'Choice Architecture' Of Health Care For Consumers.

    PubMed

    Robinson, James C; Brown, Timothy T; Whaley, Christopher

    2017-03-01

    Reference pricing in health insurance creates incentives for patients to select for nonemergency services providers that charge relatively low prices and still offer high quality of care. It changes the "choice architecture" by offering standard coverage if the patient chooses cost-effective providers but requires considerable consumer cost sharing if more expensive alternatives are selected. The short-term impact of reference pricing has been to shift patient volumes from hospital-based to freestanding surgical, diagnostic, imaging, and laboratory facilities. This article summarizes reference pricing's impacts to date on patient choice, provider prices, surgical complications, and employer spending and estimates its potential impacts if expanded to more services and a broader population. Reference pricing induces consumers to select lower-price alternatives for all of the forms of care studied, leading to significant reductions in prices paid and spending incurred by insurers and employers. The impact on consumer cost sharing is mixed, with some studies finding higher copayments and some lower. We conclude with a discussion of the incentives created for providers to redesign their clinical processes and for efficient providers to expand into price-sensitive markets. Over time, reference pricing may increase pressures for price competition and lead to further cost-reducing innovations in health care products and processes. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  6. 7 CFR 1219.51 - Contracts and agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Budgets, Expenses, and... information, consumer information, or related research with respect to Hass avocados and for the payment of...

  7. Advertising Guidelines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riso, Ovid

    1977-01-01

    Advertising should be viewed as a sales-building investment and not simply an element of business outlay that actually is a completely controllable expense. Suggestions deal with the sales budget, profiling the store and its customers, advertising media, promotional ideas, and consumer protection. (LBH)

  8. 7 CFR 1218.54 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... producer and consumer information, with respect to fresh and processed blueberries; and (2) The...

  9. 7 CFR 1218.54 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... producer and consumer information, with respect to fresh and processed blueberries; and (2) The...

  10. 7 CFR 1218.54 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... producer and consumer information, with respect to fresh and processed blueberries; and (2) The...

  11. 7 CFR 1218.54 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... producer and consumer information, with respect to fresh and processed blueberries; and (2) The...

  12. 7 CFR 1220.223 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.223 Assessments... section, each first purchaser of soybeans shall collect an assessment from the producer, and each producer...

  13. 7 CFR 1220.223 - Assessments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments § 1220.223 Assessments... section, each first purchaser of soybeans shall collect an assessment from the producer, and each producer...

  14. 7 CFR 1216.52 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PEANUT PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... producer and consumer information, with respect to peanuts; and (2) The establishment and conduct of...

  15. 7 CFR 1219.51 - Contracts and agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Budgets, Expenses, and... information, consumer information, or related research with respect to Hass avocados and for the payment of...

  16. 7 CFR 1219.51 - Contracts and agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Budgets, Expenses, and... information, consumer information, or related research with respect to Hass avocados and for the payment of...

  17. 7 CFR 1219.51 - Contracts and agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Budgets, Expenses, and... information, consumer information, or related research with respect to Hass avocados and for the payment of...

  18. 7 CFR 1219.51 - Contracts and agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Budgets, Expenses, and... information, consumer information, or related research with respect to Hass avocados and for the payment of...

  19. Consumer-directed health care for persons under 65 years of age with private health insurance: United States, 2007.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Robin A; Martinez, Michael E

    2009-03-01

    Data from the National Health Interview Survey. In 2007, 17.3% of persons under 65 years of age with private health insurance were enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP), 4.5% were enrolled in a consumer-directed health plan (CDHP), and 14.8% were in a family with a flexible spending account for medical expenses (FSA); Persons with directly purchased private health insurance were more likely to be enrolled in a high deductible plan than those who obtained their private health insurance through an employer or union; Higher incomes and higher educational attainment were associated with greater uptake and enrollment in HDHPs, CDHPs, and FSAs. National attention to consumer-directed health care has increased following the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173), which established tax-advantaged health savings accounts (1). Consumer-directed health care enables individuals to have more control over when and how they access care, what types of care they use, and how much they spend on health care services. This report includes estimates of three measures of consumer-directed private health care. Estimates for 2007 are provided for enrollment in high deductible health plans (HDHPs), plans with high deductibles coupled with health savings accounts also known as consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), and the percentage of individuals with private coverage whose family has a flexible spending account (FSA) for medical expenses, by selected sociodemographic characteristics. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

  20. Understanding the role and value of marketing communications by a regulated, monopoly firm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guzek, Frederick J.

    2003-10-01

    Expenditures on advertising and other marketing efforts have been found to generate profits for the firm and savings for the consumer in competitive industries. However, prior research has not addressed the use of these practices by price-regulated monopolies such as electric utility companies. Surprisingly, many utilities spend substanstially on advertising and sales despite having a captive customer base. Moreover, a unique feature within electric utilities is that much utility advertising involves demarketing, with a view to lessen strain on the system and to help avoid situations demanding high-cost energy. In this context, I ask the following questions: Is spending on marketing by monopoly firms justified? Does the consumer pay a higher price for electricity because of marketing or do shareholders pay for it? Do such activities provide a net welfare benefit? Finally, do measurable differences in marketing expenditures exist along the continuum from heavily regulated to nearly competitive markets? I analyze data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and from the National Regulatory Research Institute. I find a significant positive relationship between advertising and net income, supporting the notion that advertising expenditures benefit the utility firm. I do not, however, find a significant relationship between marketing effort and consumer price, suggesting that consumers may not be bearing the expense of such practices. I also investigate the manner in which advertising improves net earnings. Speciifically, I find that advertising is negatively related to indirect expenses in this industry. Surprisingly, advertising is also negatively related to electricity consumption. Overall, the results suggest that advertising creates value by reducing indirect expenses without raising prices. These finds thus support the premise of a net welfare gain. Finally, I also find that progress toward deregulation and the level of advertising expenditures are positively related. This suggests that the value of advertising is further recognized as firms gain greater freedom in setting their marketing budgets.

  1. Development of a method to analyze orthopaedic practice expenses.

    PubMed

    Brinker, M R; Pierce, P; Siegel, G

    2000-03-01

    The purpose of the current investigation was to present a standard method by which an orthopaedic practice can analyze its practice expenses. To accomplish this, a five-step process was developed to analyze practice expenses using a modified version of activity-based costing. In this method, general ledger expenses were assigned to 17 activities that encompass all the tasks and processes typically performed in an orthopaedic practice. These 17 activities were identified in a practice expense study conducted for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. To calculate the cost of each activity, financial data were used from a group of 19 orthopaedic surgeons in Houston, Texas. The activities that consumed the largest portion of the employee work force (person hours) were service patients in office (25.0% of all person hours), maintain medical records (13.6% of all person hours), and resolve collection disputes and rebill charges (12.3% of all person hours). The activities that comprised the largest portion of the total expenses were maintain facility (21.4%), service patients in office (16.0%), and sustain business by managing and coordinating practice (13.8%). The five-step process of analyzing practice expenses was relatively easy to perform and it may be used reliably by most orthopaedic practices.

  2. Reducing the cost of headache medication.

    PubMed

    Solomon, Glen D

    2009-06-01

    Although medication costs make up one of the smallest portions of the overall expense of headache care, it is the segment of expense that often impacts the patient most directly. The advent of triptans marked a major advance in migraine therapy, but their high cost has limited their widespread use. Four options can be considered as potential means to reduce the cost of triptans. These include compulsory licensing, exclusive contracting, over-the-counter -availability, and the introduction of generic triptans. Each method impacts the consumer, third-party payer, or pharmaceutical company in a different manner.

  3. Nanotechnology in vascular tissue engineering: from nanoscaffolding towards rapid vessel biofabrication.

    PubMed

    Mironov, Vladimir; Kasyanov, Vladimir; Markwald, Roger R

    2008-06-01

    The existing methods of biofabrication for vascular tissue engineering are still bioreactor-based, extremely expensive, laborious and time consuming and, furthermore, not automated, which would be essential for an economically successful large-scale commercialization. The advances in nanotechnology can bring additional functionality to vascular scaffolds, optimize internal vascular graft surface and even help to direct the differentiation of stem cells into the vascular cell phenotype. The development of rapid nanotechnology-based methods of vascular tissue biofabrication represents one of most important recent technological breakthroughs in vascular tissue engineering because it dramatically accelerates vascular tissue assembly and, importantly, also eliminates the need for a bioreactor-based scaffold cellularization process.

  4. A Study of the Failure of Joints in Composite Material Fuel Cells Due to Hydraulic Ram Loading

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-06-01

    H co PSw Z QW <H W CO 33 PS4 o CO O CM \\ Q> 00 vO m CO CM N ra Figure VI.B.l THICKNESS MODEL 55 it acts upon on the membrane, gives the force to be...ability of the joint to carry the loads created by hydraulic ram loading. It would also make the manufacturing procedure easier, less time consuming , and...70 less expensive. Cutting holes and channels in a composite plate not only alters the behavior and load carrying capa- bility of the plate, but it is

  5. Assessing community interventions to reduce smoking.

    PubMed

    Mackay, J; Davis, R M

    1991-01-01

    Few major, community-based antismoking programs have undergone specific evaluation in developed countries; the number is even lower in developing countries. Yet not all evaluation need be elaborate, expensive, or overly time-consuming. Data on tobacco trade, import and export, taxation, mortality, and morbidity may already exist within government departments and can be used for evaluation. Published information from the tobacco industry may be obtained easily in trade journals and annual reports. Universities and international and overseas national health agencies may offer information, assistance, and expertise. Indirect evaluation of the importance of any particular antismoking intervention can be measured by how strongly the tobacco industry opposes that measure.

  6. Black Box Testing: Experiments with Runway Incursion Advisory Alerting System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mukkamala, Ravi

    2005-01-01

    This report summarizes our research findings on the Black box testing of Runway Incursion Advisory Alerting System (RIAAS) and Runway Safety Monitor (RSM) system. Developing automated testing software for such systems has been a problem because of the extensive information that has to be processed. Customized software solutions have been proposed. However, they are time consuming to develop. Here, we present a less expensive, and a more general test platform that is capable of performing complete black box testing. The technique is based on the classification of the anomalies that arise during Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, we also discuss a generalized testing tool (prototype) that we have developed.

  7. 7 CFR 1220.228 - Qualified State Soybean Boards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Qualified State Soybean Boards. 1220.228 Section 1220... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments...

  8. 7 CFR 1220.228 - Qualified State Soybean Boards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Qualified State Soybean Boards. 1220.228 Section 1220... SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Soybean Promotion and Research Order Expenses and Assessments...

  9. Golden Handcuffs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Costrell, Robert M.; Podgursky, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Teacher pensions consume a substantial portion of school budgets. If relatively generous pensions help attract effective teachers, the expense might be justified. But new evidence suggests that current pension systems, by concentrating benefits on teachers who spend their entire careers in a single state and penalizing mobile teachers, may…

  10. The Effect of Total Cost Information on Consumer Treatment Decisions: An Experimental Survey.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Regina; Allen, Larry A; Scherer, Laura D; Thompson, Jocelyn S; Abdel-Maksoud, Madiha F; McIlvennan, Colleen K; Matlock, Daniel D

    2018-07-01

    Unrestrained use of expensive, high-risk interventions runs counter to the idea of a limited medical commons. To examine the effect of displaying the total first-year cost of implanting a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) on a hypothetical treatment decision and whether this effect differs when choosing for oneself versus for another person. We conducted an online survey in February 2016. The survey described the clinical course of end-stage heart failure and the risks and benefits of an LVAD. Participants were randomized to 1 of 4 scenarios, which varied by patient identity (oneself versus another person) and description of total cost. This study measured acceptance of LVAD implantation. Reasoning and attitudes were secondarily explored. We received 1211 valid responses. The mean age was 38.3 y (±12.8); 53.5% were female and 84.4% were white. Participants were more likely to accept an LVAD when shown the total cost (66.2% v. 58.0%, P = 0.003) or when choosing for another (68.0 % v. 56.4%, P < 0.001). Open-ended responses indicated that acceptors wanted to extend survival while decliners feared poor quality of life with LVAD therapy. Acceptors and decliners agreed that consumers can help lower the cost of health care, but decliners were more likely to consider cost when making health care decisions ( P < 0.001). Limitations include the use of a hypothetical scenario, the use of paid participants, and differences between the respondents and the typical patient facing an LVAD decision. In this sample, being shown the total cost increased the likelihood of accepting an expensive, high-risk treatment. The results question how well consumers understand the relationship between expensive treatments and the commons.

  11. Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators for Detecting Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Pongruengkiat, Weeratouch; Pechprasarn, Suejit

    2017-01-01

    Optical resonators are sensors well known for their high sensitivity and fast response time. These sensors have a wide range of applications, including in the biomedical fields, and cancer detection is one such promising application. Sensor diagnosis currently has many limitations, such as being expensive, highly invasive, and time-consuming. New developments are welcomed to overcome these limitations. Optical resonators have high sensitivity, which enable medical testing to detect disease in the early stage. Herein, we describe the principle of whispering-gallery mode and ring optical resonators. We also add to the knowledge of cancer biomarker diagnosis, where we discuss the application of optical resonators for specific biomarkers. Lastly, we discuss advancements in optical resonators for detecting cancer in terms of their ability to detect small amounts of cancer biomarkers. PMID:28902169

  12. ERP implementation in hospitals: a case study.

    PubMed

    Agarwal, Divya; Garg, Poonam

    2012-01-01

    In a competitive healthcare sector, hospitals have to focus on their processes in order to deliver high-quality care while at the same time reducing costs. Many hospitals have decided to adopt one or another Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to improve their businesses, but implementing an ERP system can be a demanding endeavour. The systems are so difficult to implement that some are successful; many have failed, causing multimillion dollar losses. The challenge of ERP solutions lie in implementation because they are complex, time consuming and expensive too. This paper describes the various process workflows and phases of ERP implementation at Fortis Hospital Cunningham Road, Bangalore, India. This knowledge will provide valuable insights for the researchers and practitioners to understand the different process workflows and to make informed decisions when implementing ERP in any hospital.

  13. Low-cost digital dynamic visualization system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asundi, Anand K.; Sajan, M. R.

    1995-05-01

    High speed photographic systems like the image rotation camera, the Cranz Schardin camera and the drum camera are typically used for recording and visualization of dynamic events in stress analysis, fluid mechanics, etc. All these systems are fairly expensive and generally not simple to use. Furthermore they are all based on photographic film recording systems requiring time consuming and tedious wet processing of the films. Currently digital cameras are replacing to certain extent the conventional cameras for static experiments. Recently, there is lot of interest in developing and modifying CCD architectures and recording arrangements for dynamic scene analysis. Herein we report the use of a CCD camera operating in the Time Delay and Integration (TDI) mode for digitally recording dynamic scenes. Applications in solid as well as fluid impact problems are presented.

  14. A simple method to ensure proper screw position and plate size selection using the Morscher cervical spine locking plate. Technical note.

    PubMed

    Ball, P A; Benzel, E C; Baldwin, N G

    1994-04-01

    The use of bone plate instrumentation with screw fixation has proved to be a useful adjunctive measure in anterior cervical spine fusion surgery. Proper fitting, positioning, and attachment of this instrumentation have been shown to be frequently suboptimal if done without radiographic guidance. The most commonly used method of radiographic assistance for placement of this instrumentation is fluoroscopy. While this gives satisfactory technical results, it is expensive and time-consuming, and exposes the patient and the operating room personnel to ionizing radiation. The authors present a simple technique to ensure screw placement and plate fitting using Kirschner wires and a single lateral radiograph. This technique saves time, reduces exposure to radiation, and has led to satisfactory results in over 20 operative cases.

  15. Online Searching: An Analysis of Marketing Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunn, Ronald G.; Boyle, Harry F.

    1984-01-01

    This essay addresses factors that influence a customer's perception of the value of online information delivery services: evident costs, uncertain return, long-term return, not directly productive, overhead expense, and differential use. Roles assumed in acquiring and using information services (purchasers, searchers, consumers), price, and…

  16. Insights on alterations to the rumen ecosystem by nitrate and nitrocompounds

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Nitrate and certain short chain nitrocompounds are being investigated as dietary supplements to reduce economic and environmental costs associated with ruminal methane emissions. Thermodynamically, nitrate is a preferred electron acceptor in the rumen that consumes electrons at the expense of metha...

  17. Audio podcasts in practical courses in biochemistry - cost-efficient e-learning in a well-proven format from radio broadcasting.

    PubMed

    Münch-Harrach, Dieter; Kothe, Christian; Hampe, Wolfgang

    2013-01-01

    Audio podcasts are an e-learning format that may help to motivate students to deal with the contents of medical education more intensely. We adopted a well-proven format from radio broadcasting, the radio documentary, to direct the listeners' attention to information about practical courses in biochemistry over a period of 20 minutes at most. Information, original sounds, and a specific atmosphere allow listeners to perceive the contents intensely. In order to organise the production of the podcast as cost-efficient and least time-consuming as possible, a student, a teacher, a clinician, and a technical assistant compile the core themes of their respective text blocks in an editorial conference first. After that, the speakers can elaborate on and record their blocks independently. Coordination is widely handled by the student. At two points of time, the podcasts were evaluated by the medical students by means of a questionnaire. With little cost and time expenses, eight podcasts were produced. They have been used by the students extensively and have also been evaluated very positively by non-student listeners. For long-term usage, a regular reference to the podcast offer is required in the courses. Involving students, successful podcasts can be produced to support classroom teaching with little expenses and contribute to the external presentation of the medical faculty.

  18. Audio podcasts in practical courses in biochemistry – cost-efficient e-learning in a well-proven format from radio broadcasting

    PubMed Central

    Münch-Harrach, Dieter; Kothe, Christian; Hampe, Wolfgang

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: Audio podcasts are an e-learning format that may help to motivate students to deal with the contents of medical education more intensely. We adopted a well-proven format from radio broadcasting, the radio documentary, to direct the listeners’ attention to information about practical courses in biochemistry over a period of 20 minutes at most. Information, original sounds, and a specific atmosphere allow listeners to perceive the contents intensely. Method: In order to organise the production of the podcast as cost-efficient and least time-consuming as possible, a student, a teacher, a clinician, and a technical assistant compile the core themes of their respective text blocks in an editorial conference first. After that, the speakers can elaborate on and record their blocks independently. Coordination is widely handled by the student. At two points of time, the podcasts were evaluated by the medical students by means of a questionnaire. Results: With little cost and time expenses, eight podcasts were produced. They have been used by the students extensively and have also been evaluated very positively by non-student listeners. For long-term usage, a regular reference to the podcast offer is required in the courses. Conclusion: Involving students, successful podcasts can be produced to support classroom teaching with little expenses and contribute to the external presentation of the medical faculty. PMID:24282447

  19. Development and validation of a novel hydrolysis probe real-time polymerase chain reaction for agamid adenovirus 1 in the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps).

    PubMed

    Fredholm, Daniel V; Coleman, James K; Childress, April L; Wellehan, James F X

    2015-03-01

    Agamid adenovirus 1 (AgAdv-1) is a significant cause of disease in bearded dragons (Pogona sp.). Clinical manifestations of AgAdv-1 infection are variable and often nonspecific; the manifestations range from lethargy, weight loss, and inappetence, to severe enteritis, hepatitis, and sudden death. Currently, diagnosis of AgAdv-1 infection is achieved through a single published method: standard nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) and sequencing. Standard nPCR with sequencing provides reliable sensitivity, specificity, and validation of PCR products. However, this process is comparatively expensive, laborious, and slow. Probe hybridization, as used in a TaqMan assay, represents the best option for validating PCR products aside from the time-consuming process of sequencing. This study developed a real-time PCR (qPCR) assay using a TaqMan probe-based assay, targeting a highly conserved region of the AgAdv-1 genome. Standard curves were generated, detection results were compared with the gold standard conventional PCR and sequencing assay, and limits of detection were determined. Additionally, the qPCR assay was run on samples known to be positive for AgAdv-1 and samples known to be positive for other adenoviruses. Based on the results of these evaluations, this assay allows for a less expensive, rapid, quantitative detection of AgAdv-1 in bearded dragons. © 2015 The Author(s).

  20. Leveraging Psychological Insights to Encourage the Responsible Use of Consumer Debt.

    PubMed

    Hershfield, Hal E; Sussman, Abigail B; O'Brien, Rourke L; Bryan, Christopher J

    2015-11-01

    U.S. consumers currently hold $880 billion in revolving debt, with a mean household credit card balance of approximately $6,000. Although economic factors play a role in this societal issue, it is clear that psychological forces also affect consumers' decisions to take on and maintain unmanageable debt balances. We examine three psychological barriers to the responsible use of credit and debt. We discuss the tendency for consumers to (a) make erroneous predictions about future spending habits, (b) rely too heavily on values presented on billing statements, and (c) categorize debt and saving into separate mental accounts. To overcome these obstacles, we urge policymakers to implement methods that facilitate better budgeting of future expenses, modify existing credit card statement disclosures, and allow consumers to easily apply government transfers (such as tax credits) to debt repayment. In doing so, we highlight minimal and inexpensive ways to remedy the debt problem. © The Author(s) 2015.

  1. Zebrafish as a systems toxicology model for developmental neurotoxicity testing.

    PubMed

    Nishimura, Yuhei; Murakami, Soichiro; Ashikawa, Yoshifumi; Sasagawa, Shota; Umemoto, Noriko; Shimada, Yasuhito; Tanaka, Toshio

    2015-02-01

    The developing brain is extremely sensitive to many chemicals. Exposure to neurotoxicants during development has been implicated in various neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Although rodents have been widely used for developmental neurotoxicity testing, experiments using large numbers of rodents are time-consuming, expensive, and raise ethical concerns. Using alternative non-mammalian animal models may relieve some of these pressures by allowing testing of large numbers of subjects while reducing expenses and minimizing the use of mammalian subjects. In this review, we discuss some of the advantages of using zebrafish in developmental neurotoxicity testing, focusing on central nervous system development, neurobehavior, toxicokinetics, and toxicodynamics in this species. We also describe some important examples of developmental neurotoxicity testing using zebrafish combined with gene expression profiling, neuroimaging, or neurobehavioral assessment. Zebrafish may be a systems toxicology model that has the potential to reveal the pathways of developmental neurotoxicity and to provide a sound basis for human risk assessments. © 2014 Japanese Teratology Society.

  2. Scrap metals industry perspective on radioactive materials.

    PubMed

    Turner, Ray

    2006-11-01

    With more than 80 reported/confirmed accidental melts worldwide since 1983 and still counting, potential contamination by radioactive materials remains as a major concern among recycled scrap and steel companies. Some of these events were catastrophic and have cost the industry millions of dollars in business and, at the same time, resulted in declining consumer confidence. It is also known that more events with confirmed radioactive contamination have occurred that involve mining of old steel slag and skull dumps. Consequently, the steel industry has since undergone massive changes that incurred unprecedented expenses through the installation of radiation monitoring systems in hopes of preventing another accidental melt. Despite such extraordinary efforts, accidental melts continue to occur and plague the industry. One recent reported/confirmed event occurred in the Republic of China in 2004, causing the usual lengthy shutdown for expensive decontamination efforts before the steel mill could resume operations. With this perspective in mind, the metal industry has a long-standing opposition to the release of radioactive materials of any kind to commerce for fear of contamination and the potential consequences.

  3. End of the chain? Rugosity and fine-scale bathymetry from existing underwater digital imagery using structure-from-motion (SfM) technology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Storlazzi, Curt; Dartnell, Peter; Hatcher, Gerry; Gibbs, Ann E.

    2016-01-01

    The rugosity or complexity of the seafloor has been shown to be an important ecological parameter for fish, algae, and corals. Historically, rugosity has been measured either using simple and subjective manual methods such as ‘chain-and-tape’ or complicated and expensive geophysical methods. Here, we demonstrate the application of structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry to generate high-resolution, three-dimensional bathymetric models of a fringing reef from existing underwater video collected to characterize the seafloor. SfM techniques are capable of achieving spatial resolution that can be orders of magnitude greater than large-scale lidar and sonar mapping of coral reef ecosystems. The resulting data provide finer-scale measurements of bathymetry and rugosity that are more applicable to ecological studies of coral reefs than provided by the more expensive and time-consuming geophysical methods. Utilizing SfM techniques for characterizing the benthic habitat proved to be more effective and quantitatively powerful than conventional methods and thus might portend the end of the ‘chain-and-tape’ method for measuring benthic complexity.

  4. Graphical tactile displays for visually-impaired people.

    PubMed

    Vidal-Verdú, Fernando; Hafez, Moustapha

    2007-03-01

    This paper presents an up-to-date survey of graphical tactile displays. These devices provide information through the sense of touch. At best, they should display both text and graphics (text may be considered a type of graphic). Graphs made with shapeable sheets result in bulky items awkward to store and transport; their production is expensive and time-consuming and they deteriorate quickly. Research is ongoing for a refreshable tactile display that acts as an output device for a computer or other information source and can present the information in text and graphics. The work in this field has branched into diverse areas, from physiological studies to technological aspects and challenges. Moreover, interest in these devices is now being shown by other fields such as virtual reality, minimally invasive surgery and teleoperation. It is attracting more and more people, research and money. Many proposals have been put forward, several of them succeeding in the task of presenting tactile information. However, most are research prototypes and very expensive to produce commercially. Thus the goal of an efficient low-cost tactile display for visually-impaired people has not yet been reached.

  5. Economic aspects of drug substitution

    PubMed Central

    Salehi, Hossein; Schweitzer, Stuart O.

    1985-01-01

    One of the major directions of health policy is the attempt to contain expenditures on pharmaceuticals by encouraging substitution of generic for brand name drug products. Yet, a major marketing survey of prescribing and dispensing patterns in California in 1977 found relatively little drug substitution occurring, and in fact substitution of more expensive products occurred more frequently than did substitution of less expensive products. This article tests alternative models of pharmacy dispensing behavior to better explain substitution patterns and it estimates price functions to measure the extent to which cost savings on generic products are passed on to consumers. PMID:10311162

  6. Pointo - a Low Cost Solution to Point Cloud Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Houshiar, H.; Winkler, S.

    2017-11-01

    With advance in technology access to data especially 3D point cloud data becomes more and more an everyday task. 3D point clouds are usually captured with very expensive tools such as 3D laser scanners or very time consuming methods such as photogrammetry. Most of the available softwares for 3D point cloud processing are designed for experts and specialists in this field and are usually very large software packages containing variety of methods and tools. This results in softwares that are usually very expensive to acquire and also very difficult to use. Difficulty of use is caused by complicated user interfaces that is required to accommodate a large list of features. The aim of these complex softwares is to provide a powerful tool for a specific group of specialist. However they are not necessary required by the majority of the up coming average users of point clouds. In addition to complexity and high costs of these softwares they generally rely on expensive and modern hardware and only compatible with one specific operating system. Many point cloud customers are not point cloud processing experts or willing to spend the high acquisition costs of these expensive softwares and hardwares. In this paper we introduce a solution for low cost point cloud processing. Our approach is designed to accommodate the needs of the average point cloud user. To reduce the cost and complexity of software our approach focuses on one functionality at a time in contrast with most available softwares and tools that aim to solve as many problems as possible at the same time. Our simple and user oriented design improve the user experience and empower us to optimize our methods for creation of an efficient software. In this paper we introduce Pointo family as a series of connected softwares to provide easy to use tools with simple design for different point cloud processing requirements. PointoVIEWER and PointoCAD are introduced as the first components of the Pointo family to provide a fast and efficient visualization with the ability to add annotation and documentation to the point clouds.

  7. A TinyOS-enabled MICA2-based wireless neural interface.

    PubMed

    Farshchi, Shahin; Nuyujukian, Paul H; Pesterev, Aleksey; Mody, Istvan; Judy, Jack W

    2006-07-01

    Existing approaches used to develop compact low-power multichannel wireless neural recording systems range from creating custom-integrated circuits to assembling commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) PC-based components. Custom-integrated-circuit designs yield extremely compact and low-power devices at the expense of high development and upgrade costs and turn-around times, while assembling COTS-PC-technology yields high performance at the expense of large system size and increased power consumption. To achieve a balance between implementing an ultra-compact custom-fabricated neural transceiver and assembling COTS-PC-technology, an overlay of a neural interface upon the TinyOS-based MICA2 platform is described. The system amplifies, digitally encodes, and transmits neural signals real-time at a rate of 9.6 kbps, while consuming less than 66 mW of power. The neural signals are received and forwarded to a client PC over a serial connection. This data rate can be divided for recording on up to 6 channels, with a resolution of 8 bits/sample. This work demonstrates the strengths and limitations of the TinyOS-based sensor technology as a foundation for chronic remote biological monitoring applications and, thus, provides an opportunity to create a system that can leverage from the frequent networking and communications advancements being made by the global TinyOS-development community.

  8. First Generation Least Expensive Approach to Fission (FiGLEAF) Testing Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    VanDyke, Melissa; Houts, Mike; Pedersen, Kevin; Godfroy, Tom; Dickens, Ricky; Poston, David; Reid, Bob; Salvail. Pat; Ring, Peter; Schmidt, George R. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Successful development of space fission systems will require an extensive program of affordable and realistic testing. In addition to tests related to design/development of the fission system, realistic testing of the actual flight unit must also be performed. Testing can be divided into two categories, non-nuclear tests and nuclear tests. Full power nuclear tests of space fission systems are expensive, time consuming, and of limited use, even in the best of programmatic environments. If the system is designed to operate within established radiation damage and fuel burn up limits while simultaneously being designed to allow close simulation of heat from fission using resistance heaters, high confidence in fission system performance and lifetime can be attained through a series of non-nuclear tests. Non-nuclear tests are affordable and timely, and the cause of component and system failures can be quickly and accurately identified. MSFC is leading a Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE) test series whose ultimate goal is the demonstration of a 300 kW flight configuration system using non-nuclear testing. This test series is carried out in collaboration with other NASA centers, other government agencies, industry, and universities. The paper describes the SAFE test series, which includes test article descriptions, test results and conclusions, and future test plans.

  9. The whole is just the sum of its parts: limited polydrug use among the "big three" expensive drugs in the United States.

    PubMed

    Caulkins, Jonathan P; Everingham, Susan; Kilmer, Beau; Midgette, Greg

    2013-06-01

    Data from surveys of arrestees and the household population in the U.S. suggest there is only modest overlap among demand for the big three expensive illegal drugs (cocaine/crack, heroin, and methamphetamine). In particular, the number of chronic users of these substances (defined as consuming on four or more days in the previous month) is only about 10% below a naïve estimate obtained by simply summing the numbers of chronic users for each of the three substances, while ignoring polydrug use entirely. This finding does not gainsay that polydrug use is common or important. One would estimate greater overlap if one adopted a more expansive definition of polydrug use (e.g., has the individual ever used another substance at any time in their life) or a more expansive list of substances (e.g., allowing marijuana or alcohol to count as one of the substances makes polydrug use seem much more common). However, it does suggest that when focusing on the illegal drug markets that generate the most crime, violence, and overdose death in the U.S., one can usefully think of three more or less separate markets populated at any given time by largely distinct populations of drug users.

  10. PLS-LS-SVM based modeling of ATR-IR as a robust method in detection and qualification of alprazolam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parhizkar, Elahehnaz; Ghazali, Mohammad; Ahmadi, Fatemeh; Sakhteman, Amirhossein

    2017-02-01

    According to the United States pharmacopeia (USP), Gold standard technique for Alprazolam determination in dosage forms is HPLC, an expensive and time-consuming method that is not easy to approach. In this study chemometrics assisted ATR-IR was introduced as an alternative method that produce similar results in fewer time and energy consumed manner. Fifty-eight samples containing different concentrations of commercial alprazolam were evaluated by HPLC and ATR-IR method. A preprocessing approach was applied to convert raw data obtained from ATR-IR spectra to normal matrix. Finally, a relationship between alprazolam concentrations achieved by HPLC and ATR-IR data was established using PLS-LS-SVM (partial least squares least squares support vector machines). Consequently, validity of the method was verified to yield a model with low error values (root mean square error of cross validation equal to 0.98). The model was able to predict about 99% of the samples according to R2 of prediction set. Response permutation test was also applied to affirm that the model was not assessed by chance correlations. At conclusion, ATR-IR can be a reliable method in manufacturing process in detection and qualification of alprazolam content.

  11. Trend of telomerase activity change during human iPSC self-renewal and differentiation revealed by a quartz crystal microbalance based assay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Yitian; Zhou, Ping; Xin, Yinqiang; Wang, Jie; Zhu, Zhiqiang; Hu, Ji; Wei, Shicheng; Ma, Hongwei

    2014-11-01

    Telomerase plays an important role in governing the life span of cells for its capacity to extend telomeres. As high activity of telomerase has been found in stem cells and cancer cells specifically, various methods have been developed for the evaluation of telomerase activity. To overcome the time-consuming procedures and complicated manipulations of existing methods, we developed a novel method named Telomeric Repeat Elongation Assay based on Quartz crystal microbalance (TREAQ) to monitor telomerase activity during the self-renewal and differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). TREAQ results indicated hiPSCs possess invariable telomerase activity for 11 passages on Matrigel and a steady decline of telomerase activity when differentiated for different periods, which is confirmed with existing golden standard method. The pluripotency of hiPSCs during differentiation could be estimated through monitoring telomerase activity and compared with the expression levels of markers of pluripotency gene via quantitative real time PCR. Regular assessment for factors associated with pluripotency or stemness was expensive and requires excessive sample consuming, thus TREAQ could be a promising alternative technology for routine monitoring of telomerase activity and estimate the pluripotency of stem cells.

  12. Pharmaceutical promotion, advertising, and consumers.

    PubMed

    Batchlor, Elaine; Laouri, Marianne

    2003-01-01

    Proponents of drug promotion and advertising claim that it is informative and educational; opponents are concerned that the information conveyed encourages inappropriate and unnecessary use. Health Affairs papers by Joel Weissman and colleagues and by Robert Dubois provide some validation for the views of both sides of this debate but do not allow us to draw definitive conclusions about key issues involving inappropriate use of expensive medications and their substitution for cheaper medications that are just as effective. The extent to which consumers have been protected from the rising cost of pharmaceuticals further muddles the picture. However, new insurance benefit designs that threaten to shift more costs to consumers may fuel demand for more comprehensive and balanced information.

  13. Enrichment of Biscuits with Matcha Green Tea Powder: Its Impact on Consumer Acceptability and Acute Metabolic Response

    PubMed Central

    Phongnarisorn, Benjapor; Orfila, Caroline; Holmes, Melvin; Marshall, Lisa J.

    2018-01-01

    Matcha green tea powder (MGTP) is made with finely ground green tea leaves that are rich in phytochemicals, most particularly catechins. Shortbread biscuits were enriched with MGTP and evaluated for consumer acceptability and potential functional health properties. Baking decreased the content of total catechins by 19% compared to dough, although epimerization increased the amount of (+)-gallocatechin gallate at the expense of other catechins such as (−)-epigallocatechin gallate. Consumer acceptability tests using a 9-point hedonic scale showed that consumers preferred enriched biscuits with low content of MGTP (2 g of MGTP 100 g−1 of flour), and an increase of sugar content did not significantly improve the acceptability of MGTP-enriched biscuits. Overall, enrichment of biscuits with MGTP did not significantly affect the postprandial glucose or triglyceride response (area under curve) compared to non-enriched biscuits consumed with water or MGTP drink. Enriching biscuits with Matcha green tea is acceptable to consumers, but may not bring significant postprandial effects. PMID:29389844

  14. Enrichment of Biscuits with Matcha Green Tea Powder: Its Impact on Consumer Acceptability and Acute Metabolic Response.

    PubMed

    Phongnarisorn, Benjapor; Orfila, Caroline; Holmes, Melvin; Marshall, Lisa J

    2018-02-01

    Matcha green tea powder (MGTP) is made with finely ground green tea leaves that are rich in phytochemicals, most particularly catechins. Shortbread biscuits were enriched with MGTP and evaluated for consumer acceptability and potential functional health properties. Baking decreased the content of total catechins by 19% compared to dough, although epimerization increased the amount of (+)-gallocatechin gallate at the expense of other catechins such as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. Consumer acceptability tests using a 9-point hedonic scale showed that consumers preferred enriched biscuits with low content of MGTP (2 g of MGTP 100 g -1 of flour), and an increase of sugar content did not significantly improve the acceptability of MGTP-enriched biscuits. Overall, enrichment of biscuits with MGTP did not significantly affect the postprandial glucose or triglyceride response (area under curve) compared to non-enriched biscuits consumed with water or MGTP drink. Enriching biscuits with Matcha green tea is acceptable to consumers, but may not bring significant postprandial effects.

  15. Advances in spectroscopic methods for quantifying soil carbon

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The gold standard for soil C determination is combustion. However, this method requires expensive consumables, is limited to the determination of the total carbon and in the number of samples which can be processed (~100/d). With increased interest in soil C sequestration, faster methods are needed....

  16. Inexpensive News Sources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briscoe, Ellen D.; Wall, Catherine

    1992-01-01

    Describes consumer or business-oriented online services that provide access to current news information and offers a less expensive alternative to standard online databases. Online clipping services are discussed, their costs are examined, and profiles of five services are compared: CompuServe, CompuServe as a gateway to IQuest, DELPHI, DIALCOM,…

  17. Development of a Rapid Insulin Assay by Homogenous Time-Resolved Fluorescence

    PubMed Central

    Vallaghe, Julie; Gregor, Nathalie; Donthamsetti, Prashant; Harris, Paul E.; Pierre, Nicolas; Freyberg, Robin; Charrier-Savournin, Fabienne; Javitch, Jonathan A.; Freyberg, Zachary

    2016-01-01

    Direct measurement of insulin is critical for basic and clinical studies of insulin secretion. However, current methods are expensive and time-consuming. We developed an insulin assay based on homogenous time-resolved fluorescence that is significantly more rapid and cost-effective than current commonly used approaches. This assay was applied effectively to an insulin secreting cell line, INS-1E cells, as well as pancreatic islets, allowing us to validate the assay by elucidating mechanisms by which dopamine regulates insulin release. We found that dopamine functioned as a significant negative modulator of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Further, we showed that bromocriptine, a known dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist and newly approved drug used for treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, also decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in islets to levels comparable to those caused by dopamine treatment. PMID:26849707

  18. Application of biosensors to detection of epidemic diseases in animals.

    PubMed

    Du, Xin; Zhou, Jun

    2018-06-01

    Epidemic diseases are the leading cause of animal mortality, resulting in significant losses to the agricultural economy. These economic impacts have generated a strong interest in advancing methods for the diagnosis and control of epidemic diseases in animals. Conventional methods are often time-consuming (typically result is available in 2-10 days), expensive, and require both large-scale equipment and experienced personnel. However, the advent of biosensor technology has ushered in a new and promising approach for the diagnosis of animal diseases. With advantages that include simplicity, real -time analysis, high sensitivity, miniaturization, rapid detection time, and low cost, biosensor technologies are under active development for the diagnosis of epidemic diseases in animals. Here, we summarize recent developments in biological sensing technologies used to detect infectious viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases. Additionally, we discuss research challenges and future prospects for this field of study. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. [Myofascial pain syndrome--frequent occurrence and often misdiagnosed].

    PubMed

    Pongratz, D E; Späth, M

    1998-09-30

    Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a very common localized--sometimes also polytopic--painful musculoskeletal condition associated with trigger points, for which, however, diagnostic criteria established in well-designed studies are still lacking. These two facts form the basis for differentiating between MPS and the fibromyalgia syndrome. The difference between trigger points (MPS) and tender points (fibromyalgia) is of central importance--not merely in a linguistic sense. A knowledge of the signs and symptoms typically associated with a trigger point often obviates the need for time-consuming and expensive technical diagnostic measures. The assumption that many cases of unspecific complaints affecting the musculoskeletal system may be ascribed to MPS makes clear the scope for the saving of costs.

  20. Space-filling designs for computer experiments: A review

    DOE PAGES

    Joseph, V. Roshan

    2016-01-29

    Improving the quality of a product/process using a computer simulator is a much less expensive option than the real physical testing. However, simulation using computationally intensive computer models can be time consuming and therefore, directly doing the optimization on the computer simulator can be infeasible. Experimental design and statistical modeling techniques can be used for overcoming this problem. This article reviews experimental designs known as space-filling designs that are suitable for computer simulations. In the review, a special emphasis is given for a recently developed space-filling design called maximum projection design. Furthermore, its advantages are illustrated using a simulation conductedmore » for optimizing a milling process.« less

  1. Space-filling designs for computer experiments: A review

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

    Joseph, V. Roshan

    Improving the quality of a product/process using a computer simulator is a much less expensive option than the real physical testing. However, simulation using computationally intensive computer models can be time consuming and therefore, directly doing the optimization on the computer simulator can be infeasible. Experimental design and statistical modeling techniques can be used for overcoming this problem. This article reviews experimental designs known as space-filling designs that are suitable for computer simulations. In the review, a special emphasis is given for a recently developed space-filling design called maximum projection design. Furthermore, its advantages are illustrated using a simulation conductedmore » for optimizing a milling process.« less

  2. The development of health care data warehouses to support data mining.

    PubMed

    Lyman, Jason A; Scully, Kenneth; Harrison, James H

    2008-03-01

    Clinical data warehouses offer tremendous benefits as a foundation for data mining. By serving as a source for comprehensive clinical and demographic information on large patient populations, they streamline knowledge discovery efforts by providing standard and efficient mechanisms to replace time-consuming and expensive original data collection, organization, and processing. Building effective data warehouses requires knowledge of and attention to key issues in database design, data acquisition and processing, and data access and security. In this article, the authors provide an operational and technical definition of data warehouses, present examples of data mining projects enabled by existing data warehouses, and describe key issues and challenges related to warehouse development and implementation.

  3. Prediction of mutagenic toxicity by combination of Recursive Partitioning and Support Vector Machines.

    PubMed

    Liao, Quan; Yao, Jianhua; Yuan, Shengang

    2007-05-01

    The study of prediction of toxicity is very important and necessary because measurement of toxicity is typically time-consuming and expensive. In this paper, Recursive Partitioning (RP) method was used to select descriptors. RP and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were used to construct structure-toxicity relationship models, RP model and SVM model, respectively. The performances of the two models are different. The prediction accuracies of the RP model are 80.2% for mutagenic compounds in MDL's toxicity database, 83.4% for compounds in CMC and 84.9% for agrochemicals in in-house database respectively. Those of SVM model are 81.4%, 87.0% and 87.3% respectively.

  4. Ferruleless coupled-cavity traveling-wave tube cold-test characteristics simulated with micro-SOS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schroeder, Dana L.; Wilson, Jeffrey D.

    1993-01-01

    The three-dimensional, electromagnetic circuit analysis code, Micro-SOS, can be used to reduce expensive and time consuming experimental 'cold-testing' of traveling-wave tube (TWT) circuits. The frequency-phase dispersion and beam interaction impedance characteristics of a ferruleless coupled-cavity traveling-wave tube slow-wave circuit were simulated using the code. Computer results agree closely with experimental data. Variations in the cavity geometry dimensions of period length and gap-to-period ratio were modeled. These variations can be used in velocity taper designs to reduce the radiofrequency (RF) phase velocity in synchronism with the decelerating electron beam. Such circuit designs can result in enhanced TWT power and efficiency.

  5. WFIRST: Microlensing Analysis Data Challenge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Street, Rachel; WFIRST Microlensing Science Investigation Team

    2018-01-01

    WFIRST will produce thousands of high cadence, high photometric precision lightcurves of microlensing events, from which a wealth of planetary and stellar systems will be discovered. However, the analysis of such lightcurves has historically been very time consuming and expensive in both labor and computing facilities. This poses a potential bottleneck to deriving the full science potential of the WFIRST mission. To address this problem, the WFIRST Microlensing Science Investigation Team designing a series of data challenges to stimulate research to address outstanding problems of microlensing analysis. These range from the classification and modeling of triple lens events to methods to efficiently yet thoroughly search a high-dimensional parameter space for the best fitting models.

  6. Inhalation testing of toiletries in animals.

    PubMed

    Wells, A B

    1979-06-01

    Synopsis The purpose of testing is to establish the safety of ingredients to be handled in the factory and of the products to be used by the consumer. Inhalation tests tend to require much time and are expensive; the number of inhalation tests may be reduced by preliminary measurement of the respirable fraction of an aerosol or powder, by toxicity tests on macrophages in culture, and by instillation of suspensions into the lung via the trachea. Inhalation exposures may be in whole body exposure chambers or the head only may be exposed; the techniques are discussed. The criteria of a satisfactory inhalation test are considered and histological features which should be investigated are reviewed.

  7. Automated inspection of turbine blades: Challenges and opportunities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehta, Manish; Marron, Joseph C.; Sampson, Robert E.; Peace, George M.

    1994-01-01

    Current inspection methods for complex shapes and contours exemplified by aircraft engine turbine blades are expensive, time-consuming and labor intensive. The logistics support of new manufacturing paradigms such as integrated product-process development (IPPD) for current and future engine technology development necessitates high speed, automated inspection of forged and cast jet engine blades, combined with a capability of retaining and retrieving metrology data for process improvements upstream (designer-level) and downstream (end-user facilities) at commercial and military installations. The paper presents the opportunities emerging from a feasibility study conducted using 3-D holographic laser radar in blade inspection. Requisite developments in computing technologies for systems integration of blade inspection in production are also discussed.

  8. Towards an open, collaborative, reusable framework for sharing hands-on bioinformatics training workshops

    PubMed Central

    Revote, Jerico; Suchecki, Radosław; Tyagi, Sonika; Corley, Susan M.; Shang, Catherine A.; McGrath, Annette

    2017-01-01

    Abstract There is a clear demand for hands-on bioinformatics training. The development of bioinformatics workshop content is both time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, enabling trainers to develop bioinformatics workshops in a way that facilitates reuse is becoming increasingly important. The most widespread practice for sharing workshop content is through making PDF, PowerPoint and Word documents available online. While this effort is to be commended, such content is usually not so easy to reuse or repurpose and does not capture all the information required for a third party to rerun a workshop. We present an open, collaborative framework for developing and maintaining, reusable and shareable hands-on training workshop content. PMID:26984618

  9. Assessing therapeutic relevance of biologically interesting, ampholytic substances based on their physicochemical and spectral characteristics with chemometric tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Judycka, U.; Jagiello, K.; Bober, L.; Błażejowski, J.; Puzyn, T.

    2018-06-01

    Chemometric tools were applied to investigate the biological behaviour of ampholytic substances in relation to their physicochemical and spectral properties. Results of the Principal Component Analysis suggest that size of molecules and their electronic and spectral characteristics are the key properties required to predict therapeutic relevance of the compounds examined. These properties were used for developing the structure-activity classification model. The classification model allows assessing the therapeutic behaviour of ampholytic substances on the basis of solely values of descriptors that can be obtained computationally. Thus, the prediction is possible without necessity of carrying out time-consuming and expensive laboratory tests, which is its main advantage.

  10. Artificial intelligence models for predicting iron deficiency anemia and iron serum level based on accessible laboratory data.

    PubMed

    Azarkhish, Iman; Raoufy, Mohammad Reza; Gharibzadeh, Shahriar

    2012-06-01

    Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Measuring serum iron is time consuming, expensive and not available in most hospitals. In this study, based on four accessible laboratory data (MCV, MCH, MCHC, Hb/RBC), we developed an artificial neural network (ANN) and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to diagnose the IDA and to predict serum iron level. Our results represent that the neural network analysis is superior to ANFIS and logistic regression models in diagnosing IDA. Moreover, the results show that the ANN is likely to provide an accurate test for predicting serum iron levels with high accuracy and acceptable precision.

  11. Financial Literacy in Ontario: Neoliberalism, Pierre Bourdieu and the Citizen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arthur, Chris

    2011-01-01

    Utilizing concepts from Pierre Bourdieu I argue that the implementation of financial literacy education in Ontario public schools will, if uncontested, support a neoliberal consumer habitus (subjectivity) at the expense of the critical citizen. This internalization of the neoliberal ethos assists state efforts to shift responsibility for…

  12. The Importance of Marketing Segmentation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Gillian

    2011-01-01

    The rationale behind marketing segmentation is to allow businesses to focus on their consumers' behaviors and purchasing patterns. If done effectively, marketing segmentation allows an organization to achieve its highest return on investment (ROI) in turn for its marketing and sales expenses. If an organization markets its products or services to…

  13. 77 FR 23478 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Reporting and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-19

    ... (catalysts) not equivalent to new original equipment (OE) catalysts would constitute a violation of the Act. However, because replacement OE catalysts are expensive, many consumers had elected to not replace catalysts that malfunctioned subsequent to the expiration of the emissions warranty on their vehicles. The...

  14. Health care encounters in Danish chiropractic practice from a consumer perspectives - a mixed methods investigation.

    PubMed

    Myburgh, Corrie; Boyle, Eleanor; Larsen, Johanne Brinch; Christensen, Henrik Wulff

    2016-01-01

    Perceived value is the key ingredient to carving and maintaining a competitive business niche. The opportunities to interact with consumers to understand and enhance perceived value are termed 'touch points'. Due to the out-of-pocket expense incurred by patients, Danish chiropractors are subject to consumer trends and behaviors. The purpose of this investigation was to explore and describe consumer touch points relevant to perceived value through healthcare journeys in chiropractic practices. We designed a convergent parallel, mixed methods study. Our purposive sampling framework identified 11 chiropractic clinics from which we collected observational field notes, video recordings and face-to-face interviews. Data was collected between April 14(th) and June 26(th) 2014. We described the exteriors and interiors of all participant clinics, interviewed 32 staff members, 12 new patients and 36 follow-up patients and finally video recorded 11 new and 24 follow-up consultations. Categorization and analysis led to the emergence six consumer touch point themes: 'the internet', 'the physical environment', 'practice models', 'administrative staff', 'the consultation sequence and timing' and 'a consultation that adds value'. The Internet functions as a tool when choosing/confirming a clinic as appropriate, developing and initial image and managing appointments. The administrative hub appears integral to the shaping of positive consumer experiences outside of the consultation. Clinic location, practice model and interior design may contribute to context effects and thus may influence value perception during the clinical encounter. The duration of hands-on treatment received from the chiropractor is not an apparent consumer focus point. Rather, through a seven stage clinical procedure patients value consultations with clinicians who demonstrate professional competence by effective communication diagnosis/management and facilitating satisfactory treatment outcomes. At least six consumer touch points add/detract from value-related experiences in chiropractic practices. The duration of hands-on treatment per se does not appear to be a particular focus point. More research is required to explore this issue.

  15. Current progress of immunoinformatics approach harnessed for cellular- and antibody-dependent vaccine design.

    PubMed

    Kazi, Ada; Chuah, Candy; Majeed, Abu Bakar Abdul; Leow, Chiuan Herng; Lim, Boon Huat; Leow, Chiuan Yee

    2018-03-12

    Immunoinformatics plays a pivotal role in vaccine design, immunodiagnostic development, and antibody production. In the past, antibody design and vaccine development depended exclusively on immunological experiments which are relatively expensive and time-consuming. However, recent advances in the field of immunological bioinformatics have provided feasible tools which can be used to lessen the time and cost required for vaccine and antibody development. This approach allows the selection of immunogenic regions from the pathogen genomes. The ideal regions could be developed as potential vaccine candidates to trigger protective immune responses in the hosts. At present, epitope-based vaccines are attractive concepts which have been successfully trailed to develop vaccines which target rapidly mutating pathogens. In this article, we provide an overview of the current progress of immunoinformatics and their applications in the vaccine design, immune system modeling and therapeutics.

  16. ATE accomplishes receiver specification testing with increased speed and throughput

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moser, S. A.

    1982-12-01

    The use of automatic test equipment (ATE) for receiver specifications testing can result in a 90-95% reduction of test time, with a corresponding reduction of labor costs due both to the reduction of personnel numbers and a simplification of tasks that permits less skilled personnel to be employed. These benefits free high-level technicians for more challenging system management assignments. Accuracy and repeatability also improve with the adoption of ATE, since no possibility of human error can be introduced into the readings that are taken by the system. A massive and expensive software design and development effort is identified as the most difficult aspect of ATE implementation, since programming is both time-consuming and labor intensive. An attempt is therefore made by system manufacturers to conduct an integrated development program for both ATE system hardware and software.

  17. Dynamic photoelasticity by TDI imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asundi, Anand K.; Sajan, M. R.

    2001-06-01

    High speed photographic system like the image rotation camera, the Cranz Schardin camera and the drum camera are typically used for the recording and visualization of dynamic events in stress analysis, fluid mechanics, etc. All these systems are fairly expensive and generally not simple to use. Furthermore they are all based on photographic film recording system requiring time consuming and tedious wet processing of the films. Digital cameras are replacing the conventional cameras, to certain extent in static experiments. Recently, there is lots of interest in development and modifying CCD architectures and recording arrangements for dynamic scenes analysis. Herein we report the use of a CCD camera operating in the Time Delay and Integration mode for digitally recording dynamic photoelastic stress patterns. Applications in strobe and streak photoelastic pattern recording and system limitations will be explained in the paper.

  18. Bonded functional esthetic prototype: an alternative pre-treatment mock-up technique and cost-effective medium-term esthetic solution.

    PubMed

    McLaren, Edward A

    2013-09-01

    As the economy has receded in recent years, many patients have been inclined to reject dental treatment beyond what they feel is the minimal amount necessary. Increasingly, there has been reluctance to take on the expense of full-mouth restorations and time-consuming procedures. Consequently, clinicians can benefit from innovative, conservative, interim solutions that enable them to provide segment treatment with long-term stability and esthetics, with lower initial cost. The bonded functional esthetic prototype (BFEP) allows fabrication of up to 14 teeth from composite in 1 hour, providing either a pre-treatment restoration or a long-term provisional solution until further treatment can be completed. As demonstrated herein, the BFEP enables superb function, stability, and esthetics in the interim while dispersing the cost of definitive treatment over time.

  19. Female participation in household decision-making: an analysis of consumer durables' acquisition in Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Mujahid-mukhtar, E; Mukhtar, H

    1991-01-01

    Investigating the nature and degree of female household decision-making in Pakistan, this paper analyzes the influence of women in the purchase consumer durables. The paper also identifies those factors which enable women to play a more active role in the decision-making process. Because women in Pakistan are generally excluded from the public sphere, their level of emancipation is better assessed according to the degree of participation in household decision-making. A good measure of women's power within a household is their influence in the purchase of consumer durables (cars, appliances, etc.), whose expense and life-long nature makes their purchase an important decision. For this study, the authors relied on data from a 1989 nationwide household survey conducted by AERC, which included a information concerning the acquisition of 12 consumer durables as expected. As expected, men make more decisions on the purchase of all consumer goods than women, even for items in which women feel more need than men (e.g. sewing machines, washing machines). The study found that for the needs felt by women for all durable goods, men make 2/3 of all decisions, while women make only 1/3 of decisions. And in cases where the need is felt by men, the men make 93% of the decisions, while women decide only 3 % of the times. The study identified various cultural and economic factors that affect women's decision making power: urban women, women in nuclear families, educated women, and working women generally have more decision making power than rural women, women in extended families, illiterate women, and unemployed women.

  20. Silicon Carbide Temperature Monitor Processing Improvements. Status Report

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

    Unruh, Troy Casey; Daw, Joshua Earl; Ahamad Al Rashdan

    2016-01-29

    Silicon carbide (SiC) temperature monitors are used as temperature sensors in Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) irradiations at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Although thermocouples are typically used to provide real-time temperature indication in instrumented lead tests, other indicators, such as melt wires, are also often included in such tests as an independent technique of detecting peak temperatures incurred during irradiation. In addition, less expensive static capsule tests, which have no leads attached for real-time data transmission, often rely on melt wires as a post-irradiation technique for peak temperature indication. Melt wires are limited in that they can only detect whethermore » a single temperature is or is not exceeded. SiC monitors are advantageous because a single monitor can be used to detect for a range of temperatures that occurred during irradiation. As part of the process initiated to make SiC temperature monitors available at the ATR, post-irradiation evaluations of these monitors have been previously completed at the High Temperature Test Laboratory (HTTL). INL selected the resistance measurement approach for determining irradiation temperature from SiC temperature monitors because it is considered to be the most accurate measurement. The current process involves the repeated annealing of the SiC monitors at incrementally increasing temperature, with resistivity measurements made between annealing steps. The process is time consuming and requires the nearly constant attention of a trained staff member. In addition to the expensive and lengthy post analysis required, the current process adds many potential sources of error in the measurement, as the sensor must be repeatedly moved from furnace to test fixture. This time-consuming post irradiation analysis is a significant portion of the total cost of using these otherwise inexpensive sensors. An additional consideration of this research is that, if the SiC post processing can be automated, it could be performed in an MFC hot cell, further reducing the time and expense of lengthy decontaminations prior to processing. Sections of this report provide a general description of resistivity techniques currently used to infer peak irradiation temperature from silicon carbide temperature monitors along with some representative data, the proposed concepts to improve the process of analyzing irradiated SiC temperature monitors, the completed efforts to prove the proposed concepts, and future activities. The efforts detailed here succeeded in designing and developing a real-time automated SiC resistivity measurement system, and performed two initial test runs. Activities carried out include the assembly and integration of the system hardware; the design and development of a preliminary monitor fixture; the design of a technique to automate the data analysis and processing; the development of the communication, coordination, and user software; and the execution and troubleshooting of test run experiments using the box furnace. Although the automation system performed as required, the designed fixture did not succeed in establishing the needed electrical contacts with the SiC monitor.« less

  1. Containing the Cost of Heart Failure Management: A Focus on Reducing Readmissions.

    PubMed

    Soundarraj, Dwarakraj; Singh, Vini; Satija, Vaibhav; Thakur, Ranjan K

    2017-01-01

    Heart failure (HF) consumes a large proportion of the total national health care budget. Incidence and prevalence of HF are increasing and may give rise to an unsustainable increase in health care spending. Hospitalizations account for the vast majority of HF-related expenses, and 20% to 25% of patients discharged with a diagnosis of HF are readmitted within 60 days. Thus, efforts to reduce HF readmissions are a reasonable target for reducing overall expenses. It is to be seen if targeting readmission rates will lead to significant cost savings, and more importantly, to improved patient outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Sub-metric Resolution FWI of Ultra-High-Frequency Marine Reflection Seismograms. A Remote Sensing Tool for the Characterisation of Shallow Marine Geohazard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Provenzano, G.; Vardy, M. E.; Henstock, T.; Zervos, A.

    2017-12-01

    A quantitative high-resolution physical model of the top 100 meters of the sub-seabed is of key importance for a wide range of shallow geohazard scenarios: identification of potential shallow landsliding, monitoring of gas storage sites, and assessment of offshore structures stability. Cur- rently, engineering-scale sediment characterisation relies heavily on direct sampling of the seabed and in-situ measurements. Such an approach is expensive and time-consuming, as well as liable to alter the sediment properties during the coring process. As opposed to reservoir-scale seismic exploration, ultra-high-frequency (UHF, 0.2-4.0 kHz) multi-channel marine reflection seismic data are most often limited to a to semi-quantitative interpretation of the reflection amplitudes and facies geometries, leaving largely unexploited its intrinsic value as a remote characterisation tool. In this work, we develop a seismic inversion methodology to obtain a robust sub-metric resolution elastic model from limited-offset, limited-bandwidth UHF seismic reflection data, with minimal pre-processing and limited a priori information. The Full Waveform Inversion is implemented as a stochastic optimiser based upon a Genetic Algorithm, modified in order to improve the robustness against inaccurate starting model populations. Multiple independent runs are used to create a robust posterior model distribution and quantify the uncertainties on the solution. The methodology has been applied to complex synthetic examples and to real datasets acquired in areas prone to shallow landsliding. The inverted elastic models show a satisfactory match with the ground-truths and a good sensitivity to relevant variations in the sediment texture and saturation state. We apply the methodology to a range of synthetic consolidating slopes under different loading conditions and sediment properties distributions. Our work demonstrates that the seismic inversion of UHF data has the potential to become an important practical tool for marine ground model building in spatially heterogeneous areas, reducing the reliance on expensive and time-consuming coring campaigns.

  3. Rapid fabrication of microneedles using magnetorheological drawing lithography.

    PubMed

    Chen, Zhipeng; Ren, Lei; Li, Jiyu; Yao, Lebin; Chen, Yan; Liu, Bin; Jiang, Lelun

    2018-01-01

    Microneedles are micron-sized needles that are widely applied in biomedical fields owing to their painless, minimally invasive, and convenient operation. However, most microneedle fabrication approaches are costly, time consuming, involve multiple steps, and require expensive equipment. In this study, we present a novel magnetorheological drawing lithography (MRDL) method to efficiently fabricate microneedle, bio-inspired microneedle, and molding-free microneedle array. With the assistance of an external magnetic field, the 3D structure of a microneedle can be directly drawn from a droplet of curable magnetorheological fluid. The formation process of a microneedle consists of two key stages, elasto-capillary self-thinning and magneto-capillary self-shrinking, which greatly affect the microneedle height and tip radius. Penetration and fracture tests demonstrated that the microneedle had sufficient strength and toughness for skin penetration. Microneedle arrays and a bio-inspired microneedle were also fabricated, which further demonstrated the versatility and flexibility of the MRDL method. Microneedles have been widely applied in biomedical fields owing to their painless, minimally invasive, and convenient operation. However, most microneedle fabrication approaches are costly, time consuming, involve multiple steps, and require expensive equipment. Furthermore, most researchers have focused on the biomedical applications of microneedles but have given little attention to the optimization of the fabrication process. This research presents a novel magnetorheological drawing lithography (MRDL) method to fabricate microneedle, bio-inspired microneedle, and molding-free microneedle array. In this proposed technique, a droplet of curable magnetorheological fluid (CMRF) is drawn directly from almost any substrate to produce a 3D microneedle under an external magnetic field. This method not only inherits the advantages of thermal drawing approach without the need for a mask and light irradiation but also eliminates the requirement for drawing temperature adjustment. The MRDL method is extremely simple and can even produce the complex and multiscale structure of bio-inspired microneedle. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Simultaneous modelling of multi-purpose/multi-stop activity patterns and quantities consumed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, John R.; Smith, Nariida C.; Xu, Blake

    Whereas for commuting travel there is a one-to-one correspondence between commuters and jobs, and for commodity flows a one-to-one correspondence between the size of orders and the shipping cost of the commodities, the situation is much more complex for retail/service travel. A typical shopper may make a single trip or multi-stop tour to buy/consume a quite diverse set of commodities/services at different locations in quite variable quantities. At the same time, the general pattern of the tour is clearly dependent on the activities and goods available at potential stops. These interdependencies have been alluded to in the literature, especially by spatial economists. However, until some preliminary work by the first author, there has been no attempt to formally include these interdependencies in a general model. This paper presents a framework for achieving this goal by developing an evolutionary set of models starting from the simplest forms available. From the above, it is clear that such interdependency models will inevitably have high dimensionality and combinatorial complexity. This rules out a simultaneous treatment of all the events using an individual choice approach. If an individual choice approach is to be applied in a tractable manner, the set of interdependent events needs to be segmented into several subsets, with simultaneity recognised within each subset, but a mere sequential progression occurring between subsets. In this paper, full event interdependencies are retained at the expense of modelling market segments of consumers rather than a sample of representative individuals. We couple the travel and consumption events in the only feasible way, by modelling the tours as discrete entities, in conjunction with the amount of each commodity consumed per stop on each such tour in terms of the continuous quantities of microeconomics. This is performed both under a budget/income constraint from microeconomics and a time budget constraint from time geography. The model considers both physical trips and tele-orders.

  5. Health care expenses in relation to obesity and smoking among U.S. adults by gender, race/ethnicity, and age group: 1998-2011.

    PubMed

    An, R

    2015-01-01

    Obesity and smoking are two leading health risk factors and consume substantial health care resources. This study estimates and tracks annual per-capita health care expenses associated with obesity and smoking among U.S. adults aged 18 years and older from 1998 to 2011. Retrospective data analysis. Individual-level data came from the National Health Interview Survey 1996-2010 waves and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 1998-2011 waves. Annual per-capita health care expenses associated with obesity and smoking were estimated in two-part models, accounting for individual characteristics and sampling design. Obesity and smoking were associated with an increase in annual per-capita total health care expenses (2011 US$) by $1360 (95% confidence interval: $1134-$1587) and $1046 ($846-$1247), out-of-pocket expenses by $143 ($110-$176) and $70 ($37-$104), hospital inpatient expenses by $406 ($283-$529) and $405 ($291-$519), hospital outpatient expenses by $164 ($119-$210) and $95 ($52-$138), office-based medical provider service expenses by $219 ($157-$280) and $117 ($62-$172), emergency room service expenses by $45 ($28-$63) and $57 ($44-$71), and prescription expenses by $439 ($382-$496) and $251 ($199-$302), respectively. From 1998 to 2011, the estimated per-capita expenses associated with obesity and smoking increased by 25% and 30% for total health care, 41% and 48% for office-based medical provider services, 59% and 66% for emergency room services, and 62% and 70% for prescriptions but decreased by 16% and 15% for out-of-pocket health care expenses, 3% and 0.3% for inpatient care, and 6% and 2% for outpatient care, respectively. Health care expenses associated with obesity and smoking were considerably larger among women, Non-Hispanic whites, and older adults compared with their male, racial/ethnic minority, and younger counterparts. Health care costs associated with obesity and smoking are substantial and increased noticeably during 1998-2011. They also vary significantly across gender, race/ethnicity and age. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry applied to virus identification

    PubMed Central

    Calderaro, Adriana; Arcangeletti, Maria-Cristina; Rodighiero, Isabella; Buttrini, Mirko; Gorrini, Chiara; Motta, Federica; Germini, Diego; Medici, Maria-Cristina; Chezzi, Carlo; De Conto, Flora

    2014-01-01

    Virus detection and/or identification traditionally rely on methods based on cell culture, electron microscopy and antigen or nucleic acid detection. These techniques are good, but often expensive and/or time-consuming; furthermore, they not always lead to virus identification at the species and/or type level. In this study, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was tested as an innovative tool to identify human polioviruses and to identify specific viral protein biomarkers in infected cells. The results revealed MALDI-TOF MS to be an effective and inexpensive tool for the identification of the three poliovirus serotypes. The method was firstly applied to Sabin reference strains, and then to isolates from different clinical samples, highlighting its value as a time-saving, sensitive and specific technique when compared to the gold standard neutralization assay and casting new light on its possible application to virus detection and/or identification. PMID:25354905

  7. Can we develop an effective early warning system for volcanic eruptions using `off the shelf' webcams and low-light cameras?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrild, M.; Webley, P. W.; Dehn, J.

    2016-12-01

    An effective early warning system to detect volcanic activity is an invaluable tool, but often very expensive. Detecting and monitoring precursory events, thermal signatures, and ongoing eruptions in near real-time is essential, but conventional methods are often logistically challenging, expensive, and difficult to maintain. Our investigation explores the use of `off the shelf' webcams and low-light cameras, operating in the visible to near-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, to detect and monitor volcanic incandescent activity. Large databases of webcam imagery already exist at institutions around the world, but are often extremely underutilised and we aim to change this. We focus on the early detection of thermal signatures at volcanoes, using automated scripts to analyse individual images for changes in pixel brightness, allowing us to detect relative changes in thermally incandescent activity. Primarily, our work focuses on freely available streams of webcam images from around the world, which we can download and analyse in near real-time. When changes in activity are detected, an alert is sent to the users informing them of the changes in activity and a need for further investigation. Although relatively rudimentary, this technique provides constant monitoring for volcanoes in remote locations and developing nations, where it is not financially viable to deploy expensive equipment. We also purchased several of our own cameras, which were extensively tested in controlled laboratory settings with a black body source to determine their individual spectral response. Our aim is to deploy these cameras at active volcanoes knowing exactly how they will respond to varying levels of incandescence. They are ideal for field deployments as they are cheap (0-1,000), consume little power, are easily replaced, and can provide telemetered near real-time data. Data from Shiveluch volcano, Russia and our spectral response lab experiments are presented here.

  8. Consumer opinions of emergency room medical care.

    PubMed

    McMillan, J R; Younger, M S; DeWine, L C

    1984-12-01

    If hospital management is to adapt successfully to an increasingly competitive environment, and to retain a viable emergency department, it well be necessary to objectively and accurately assess the hospital's image in the community served. Knowledge of the consumers' views is an essential input into the formulation of strategic plans. This article reports on a study in which consumer opinions on 15 dimensions of emergency room health care were obtained from 723 respondents using a mail questionnaire. Findings reveal that consumers view the emergency room as being more expensive than other health care providers. Except for being available or convenient, little or no advantage is perceived for the emergency room over the personal physician. Even though the emergency room has specialized staff and equipment, consumers do not believe patients receive better or faster treatment in an emergency room than would be obtained in a physician's office. Unless changed, these perceptions will diminish the role of the emergency room in the delivery of health care services.

  9. 38 CFR 36.4340 - Underwriting standards, processing procedures, lender responsibility, and lender certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... equity in refinancing loans; (vii) Little or no increase in shelter expense; (viii) Military benefits...; (xii) Tax credits of a continuing nature, such as tax credits for child care; and (xiii) Tax benefits... supplied in the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) published by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor...

  10. 38 CFR 36.4340 - Underwriting standards, processing procedures, lender responsibility, and lender certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... equity in refinancing loans; (vii) Little or no increase in shelter expense; (viii) Military benefits...; (xii) Tax credits of a continuing nature, such as tax credits for child care; and (xiii) Tax benefits... supplied in the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) published by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor...

  11. 38 CFR 36.4340 - Underwriting standards, processing procedures, lender responsibility, and lender certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... equity in refinancing loans; (vii) Little or no increase in shelter expense; (viii) Military benefits...; (xii) Tax credits of a continuing nature, such as tax credits for child care; and (xiii) Tax benefits... supplied in the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) published by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor...

  12. Effect of Cotton Fiber Cohesion on Energy Use and Fiber Quality During Processing: 2nd Year

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Energy is a significant expense for cotton gins, and consumers of cotton goods are increasingly concerned with the sustainability of cotton production. Previous research has demonstrated the effect of fiber-seed attachment force on the energy required to gin cotton, which will affect the ginning rat...

  13. The Rise of the Student as a Consumer of Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shahdad, Moe

    2014-01-01

    Data from the US Department of Education (2012) indicates that college education has become an expensive investment to the extent that an increasing number of students cannot pay for it, as they default on their loans. Student loan default rate have increased from 4.6% in 2005 to 9.1% in 2010.

  14. Which U.S. Households Use Education Loans?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Chungwen; Fisher, Patti J.

    2016-01-01

    This empirical study uses the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to investigate the characteristics of households that hold at least one loan for educational expenses. The benefit of using household-level data is that a single household may have education loans for multiple people in the household, including the household head, spouse/partner,…

  15. Mass spectrometry in grape and wine chemistry. Part II: The consumer protection.

    PubMed

    Flamini, Riccardo; Panighel, Annarita

    2006-01-01

    Controls in food industry are fundamental to protect the consumer health. For products of high quality, warranty of origin and identity is required and analytical control is very important to prevent frauds. In this article, the "state of art" of mass spectrometry in enological chemistry as a consumer safety contribute is reported. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) methods have been developed to determine pesticides, ethyl carbamate, and compounds from the yeast and bacterial metabolism in wine. The presence of pesticides in wine is mainly linked to the use of dicarboxyimide fungicides on vineyard shortly before the harvest to prevent the Botrytis cinerea attack of grape. Pesticide residues are regulated at maximum residue limits in grape of low ppm levels, but significantly lower levels in wine have to be detected, and mass spectrometry offers effective and sensitive methods. Moreover, mass spectrometry represent an advantageous alternative to the radioactive-source-containing electron capture detector commonly used in GC analysis of pesticides. Analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine by LC/MS and multiple mass spectrometry (MS/MS) permits to confirm the toxin presence without the use of expensive immunoaffinity columns, or time and solvent consuming sample derivatization procedures. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) is used to control heavy metals contamination in wine, and to verify the wine origin and authenticity. Isotopic ratio-mass spectrometry (IRMS) is applied to reveal wine watering and sugar additions, and to determine the product origin and traceability.

  16. Reducing the Time and Cost of Testing Engines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Producing a new aircraft engine currently costs approximately $1 billion, with 3 years of development time for a commercial engine and 10 years for a military engine. The high development time and cost make it extremely difficult to transition advanced technologies for cleaner, quieter, and more efficient new engines. To reduce this time and cost, NASA created a vision for the future where designers would use high-fidelity computer simulations early in the design process in order to resolve critical design issues before building the expensive engine hardware. To accomplish this vision, NASA's Glenn Research Center initiated a collaborative effort with the aerospace industry and academia to develop its Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS), an advanced engineering environment for the analysis and design of aerospace propulsion systems and components. Partners estimate that using NPSS has the potential to dramatically reduce the time, effort, and expense necessary to design and test jet engines by generating sophisticated computer simulations of an aerospace object or system. These simulations will permit an engineer to test various design options without having to conduct costly and time-consuming real-life tests. By accelerating and streamlining the engine system design analysis and test phases, NPSS facilitates bringing the final product to market faster. NASA's NPSS Version (V)1.X effort was a task within the Agency s Computational Aerospace Sciences project of the High Performance Computing and Communication program, which had a mission to accelerate the availability of high-performance computing hardware and software to the U.S. aerospace community for its use in design processes. The technology brings value back to NASA by improving methods of analyzing and testing space transportation components.

  17. What determines fresh fish consumption in Croatia?

    PubMed

    Tomić, Marina; Matulić, Daniel; Jelić, Margareta

    2016-11-01

    Although fresh fish is widely available, consumption still remains below the recommended intake levels among the majority of European consumers. The economic crisis affects consumer food behaviour, therefore fresh fish is perceived as healthy but expensive food product. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing fresh fish consumption using an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) as a theoretical framework. The survey was conducted on a heterogeneous sample of 1151 Croatian fresh fish consumers. The study investigated the relationship between attitudes, perceived behavioural control, subjective norm, moral obligation, involvement in health, availability, intention and consumption of fresh fish. Structural Equation Modeling by Partial Least Squares was used to analyse the collected data. The results indicated that attitudes are the strongest positive predictor of the intention to consume fresh fish. Other significant predictors of the intention to consume fresh fish were perceived behavioural control, subjective norm, health involvement and moral obligation. The intention to consume fresh fish showed a strong positive correlation with behaviour. This survey provides valuable information for food marketing professionals and for the food industry in general. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. To Prescribe or Not to Prescribe? Consumer Access to Life-Enhancing Products

    PubMed Central

    Marinova, Detelina; Kozlenkova, Irina V; Cuttler, Leona; Silvers, J B

    2017-01-01

    Abstract With rapid biotechnological advances in specialty drugs and direct-to-consumer advertising, consumers are under tremendous pressure to look, perform, feel, and live better. This is often accomplished through the use of life-enhancing products, sometimes referred to as performance-enhancing products, which can be accessed only through a gatekeeper, such as a physician. Integrating consumer and medical research, this article investigates how physicians make trade-offs between objective medical and nonmedical factors to determine consumers’ access to life-enhancing products by examining US pediatric endocrinologists’ prescription decisions for growth hormone (GH) for healthy but short children. The results of a conjoint study indicate that consumer medical criteria have less impact on a physician’s decision to prescribe GH if the consumer requests a prescription or the physician believes in the intangible product benefits, and more impact when the product is more expensive. A physician’s length of experience increases the impact of consumer medical criteria and decreases the influence of a consumer’s preference for a prescription on the decision to prescribe. Overall, this research shows that not all consumers have equal access to life-enhancing products; their access depends on a complex combination of medical and nonmedical factors related to the consumer, product, and the physician. PMID:29928069

  19. The economic impact of electric saw injuries to the hand.

    PubMed

    Hoxie, Samuel C; Capo, Jason A; Dennison, David G; Shin, Alexander Y

    2009-01-01

    Injuries from electric saws cause considerable hand trauma. This study is designed to provide information detailing the costs of these injuries. The study was performed in a tertiary referral academic medical center. The records of patients injured by electric table saws were reviewed. Information regarding demographics, injury severity, medical expense, and time lost from work was analyzed. The patients were stratified by injury severity for further analysis. The mean wage for the region was used to estimate costs of time away from work. The Consumer Protection Agency's review was used to estimate the nationwide burden of these injuries. The study group included 134 patients. Of these patients, 126 were male and 8 were female. The dominant hand was injured in 20; the nondominant, in 114. The mean age was 47.0 years. The mean time lost from work was 64 days. The mean cost of medical expenses for all patients was $22,086, with $8,668 in lost wages, for a total of $30,754 mean cost per injury. The total economic burden for the injuries in this study is $4,121,097. These injuries represent a spectrum of severity, with minor injuries incurring lower hospital fees and requiring less time off work as compared to more involved injuries. Electric saws cause a wide spectrum of injuries that result in not only tremendous physical and emotional pain but also substantial economic impact as well. Technologies that would prevent such injuries would be a socioeconomic advancement. Federal mandates to implement such technologies should be encouraged.

  20. SILAR deposition of nickel sulfide counter electrode for application in quantum dot sensitized solar cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Navjot; Siwatch, Poonam; Arora, Anmol; Sharma, Jadab; Tripathi, S. K.

    2018-05-01

    Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells are a likely replacement for Silicon-based solar cells. Counter electrodes are a fundamental aspect of QDSSC's performance. NiS being a less expensive material is a decent choice for the purpose. In this paper, we have discussed the synthesis of NiS by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption Reaction. Optical, Crystallographic and Electrical studies have been presented. Electrical studies of the device with NiS counter electrode is compared with characteristics of the device with CNTs as the counter electrode. SILAR method is easy and less time to consume than chemical bath deposition or any other method. Results show the success of NiS synthesized by SILAR method as the counter electrode.

  1. Development of Sensors for Aerospace Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Medelius, Pedro

    2005-01-01

    Advances in technology have led to the availability of smaller and more accurate sensors. Computer power to process large amounts of data is no longer the prevailing issue; thus multiple and redundant sensors can be used to obtain more accurate and comprehensive measurements in a space vehicle. The successful integration and commercialization of micro- and nanotechnology for aerospace applications require that a close and interactive relationship be developed between the technology provider and the end user early in the project. Close coordination between the developers and the end users is critical since qualification for flight is time-consuming and expensive. The successful integration of micro- and nanotechnology into space vehicles requires a coordinated effort throughout the design, development, installation, and integration processes

  2. Aptasensors for quantitative detection of Salmonella Typhimurium.

    PubMed

    Ansari, Najmeh; Yazdian-Robati, Rezvan; Shahdordizadeh, Mahin; Wang, Zhouping; Ghazvini, Kiarash

    2017-09-15

    Salmonella is one of the most frequent causes of food borne infectious disease. Among nearly 2500 documented serotypes are reported, Salmonella Typhimurium is the number one serotype associated with salmonellosis worldwide. Many different methods have been developed for the detection and quantification of S. typhimurium. Most of these assays are usually expensive, time consuming and require difficult sample preparation steps. Therefore, it is necessary to develop rapid, robust, cost-effective and sensitive alternative detection methods. In the last years, aptasensors, used for detection of S. typhimurium in different samples. In this review, recent advances and applications of aptasensors for the detection and quantification of S. typhimurium in details have been summarized. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Evaluation of immunoturbidimetric rheumatoid factor method from Diagam on Abbott c8000 analyzer: comparison with immunonephelemetric method.

    PubMed

    Dupuy, Anne Marie; Hurstel, Rémy; Bargnoux, Anne Sophie; Badiou, Stéphanie; Cristol, Jean Paul

    2014-01-01

    Rheumatoid factor (RF) consists of autoantibodies and because of its heterogeneity its determination is not easy. Currently, nephelometry and Elisa method are considered as reference methods. Due to consolidation, many laboratories have fully automated turbidimetric apparatus, and specific nephelemetric systems are not always available. In addition, nephelemetry is more accurate, but time consuming, expensive, and requires a specific device, resulting in a lower efficiency. Turbidimetry could be an attractive alternative. The turbidimetric RF test from Diagam meets the requirements of accuracy and precision for optimal clinical use, with an acceptable measuring range, and could be an alternative in the determination of RF, without the associated cost of a dedicated instrument, making consolidation and saving blood possible.

  4. Monte Carlo Simulation of Soil Moisture Effects on Anti-Tank Landmines Detection by Neutron Backscattering Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mowlawi, Ali Asghar; Yazdani, Majed

    The detection of landmines using available technologies is a time consuming, expensive, and extremely dangerous job, so that there is a need for technological breakthroughs in this field. One of the safest and most effective technologies to landmine and explosive detection is the neutron backscattering technique. The slowing-down of fast neutrons to the thermal energy is a direct measure of the concentration of hydrogen, one of the main elements present in explosive materials. The elastic scattering of fast neutrons is affected by the strong resonances in the cross-section of the three other elements of explosives: nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon. In this work, Monte Carlo estimations of the soil moisture effects on landmine detection are presented.

  5. A single blue nanorod light emitting diode.

    PubMed

    Hou, Y; Bai, J; Smith, R; Wang, T

    2016-05-20

    We report a light emitting diode (LED) consisting of a single InGaN/GaN nanorod fabricated by a cost-effective top-down approach from a standard LED wafer. The device demonstrates high performance with a reduced quantum confined Stark effect compared with a standard planar counterpart fabricated from the same wafer, confirmed by optical and electrical characterization. Current density as high as 5414 A cm(-2) is achieved without significant damage to the device due to the high internal quantum efficiency. The efficiency droop is mainly ascribed to Auger recombination, which was studied by an ABC model. Our work provides a potential method for fabricating compact light sources for advanced photonic integrated circuits without involving expensive or time-consuming fabrication facilities.

  6. Brine saturation technique for extraction of light filth from rubbed, ground, and whole sage: collaborative study.

    PubMed

    Freeman, C C

    1985-01-01

    A new approach to the isolation of light filth from the 3 commercial forms of sage was studied collaboratively. It incorporates a simple isopropanol defatting, followed by saturation of the product with brine by alternately heating and cooling, and subsequent trapping of filth from tap water with olive oil. This method circumvents the use of hazardous, expensive solvents and more time-consuming pretreatment procedures. Overall recoveries were 92.1% for rodent hair and 78.7% for insect fragments on clean, easy-to-read papers. An additional blending step was necessary to obtain satisfactory recovery of rodent hair fragments from whole sage. The method has been adopted official first action for light filth in rubbed and ground sage only.

  7. Zebrafish models for functional and toxicological screening of nanoscale drug delivery systems: promoting preclinical applications

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Keon Yong; Jang, Gun Hyuk; Byun, Cho Hyun; Jeun, Minhong

    2017-01-01

    Preclinical screening with animal models is an important initial step in clinical translation of new drug delivery systems. However, establishing efficacy, biodistribution, and biotoxicity of complex, multicomponent systems in small animal models can be expensive and time-consuming. Zebrafish models represent an alternative for preclinical studies for nanoscale drug delivery systems. These models allow easy optical imaging, large sample size, and organ-specific studies, and hence an increasing number of preclinical studies are employing zebrafish models. In this review, we introduce various models and discuss recent studies of nanoscale drug delivery systems in zebrafish models. Also in the end, we proposed a guideline for the preclinical trials to accelerate the progress in this field. PMID:28515222

  8. Environment Monitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Viking landers touched down on Mars equipped with a variety of systems to conduct automated research, each carrying a compact but highly sophisticated instrument for analyzing Martian soil and atmosphere. Instrument called a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) had to be small, lightweight, shock resistant, highly automated and extremely sensitive, yet require minimal electrical power. Viking Instruments Corporation commercialized this technology and targeted their primary market as environmental monitoring, especially toxic and hazardous waste site monitoring. Waste sites often contain chemicals in complex mixtures, and the conventional method of site characterization, taking samples on-site and sending them to a laboratory for analysis is time consuming and expensive. Other terrestrial applications are explosive detection in airports, drug detection, industrial air monitoring, medical metabolic monitoring and for military, chemical warfare agents.

  9. Bone biosensors: knowing the present and predicting the future

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khashayar, Patricia; Amoabediny, Ghassem; Larijani, Bagher; Vanfleteren, Jan

    2016-02-01

    Bone is an active organ with the capacity of continuous remodeling throughout adult life. In view of the fact that the current gold standard to assess bone remodeling, bone mineral density, suffers from certain limitations, newer techniques are being developed. Currently enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is commonly used to assess bone turnover markers; the technique, however, is expensive, time consuming and needs trained personnel. Thus, there is a growing demand to fabricate different types of biosensors to provide low cost miniaturized platforms to assess the bone remodeling process more accurately. This review focuses on the latest advancements in the field of bone biosensing technologies. Its results might help provide possible solutions for translation of this technology for point-of-care diagnostic applications.

  10. Phytoforensics—Using trees to find contamination

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Jordan L.

    2017-09-28

    The water we drink, air we breathe, and soil we come into contact with have the potential to adversely affect our health because of contaminants in the environment. Environmental samples can characterize the extent of potential contamination, but traditional methods for collecting water, air, and soil samples below the ground (for example, well drilling or direct-push soil sampling) are expensive and time consuming. Trees are closely connected to the subsurface and sampling tree trunks can indicate subsurface pollutants, a process called phytoforensics. Scientists at the Missouri Water Science Center were among the first to use phytoforensics to screen sites for contamination before using traditional sampling methods, to guide additional sampling, and to show the large cost savings associated with tree sampling compared to traditional methods. 

  11. ‘Old Drugs for New Applications’: Can Orthopedic Research Benefit from This Strategy?

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Xiaohua; Cheng, Wenxiang; Wang, Jiali; Qin, Ling; Lai, Yuxiao; Tang, Jian; Shang, Peng; Ren, Peigen; Zhang, Peng

    2011-01-01

    New drug exploration is difficult in a clinical setting and the development of new drugs may be costly and time consuming. With further research into the pathological mechanisms and etiology of diseases as well as the rapid development of biological techniques, many ‘old drugs’ that have been applied in clinics may have new therapeutic functions which may shed light on clinical management. Based on this, we have investigated the ‘old drugs for new applications’ strategy in pharmacology which may be less expensive and more efficient in the clinical setting. In this paper we have explored and illustrated the potential applications of ‘old drugs’ for the treatment of orthopedic diseases, especially in arthritis and osteoporosis therapy. PMID:22870479

  12. Biologically-Derived Photonic Materials for Thermal Protection Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Sylvia M.; Squire, Thomas H.; Lawson, John W.; Gusman, Michael; Lau, K.-H.; Sanjurjo, Angel

    2014-01-01

    Space vehicles entering a planetary atmosphere at high velocity can be subject to substantial radiative heating from the shock layer in addition to the convective heating caused by the flow of hot gas past the vehicle surface. The radiative component can be very high but of a short duration. Approaches to combat this effect include investigation of various materials to reflect the radiation. Photonic materials can be used to reflect radiation. The wavelengths reflected depend on the length scale of the ordered microstructure. Fabricating photonic structures, such as layers, can be time consuming and expensive. We have used a biologically-derived material as the template for forming a high temperature photonic material that could be incorporated into a heatshield thermal protection material.

  13. Utility of fluorescence microscopy in embryonic/fetal topographical analysis.

    PubMed

    Zucker, R M; Elstein, K H; Shuey, D L; Ebron-McCoy, M; Rogers, J M

    1995-06-01

    For topographical analysis of developing embryos, investigators typically rely on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to provide the surface detail not attainable with light microscopy. SEM is an expensive and time-consuming technique, however, and the preparation procedure may alter morphology and leave the specimen friable. We report that by using a high-resolution compound epifluorescence microscope with inexpensive low-power objectives and the fluorochrome acridine orange, we were able to obtain surface images of fixed or fresh whole rat embryos and fetal palates of considerably greater topographical detail than those obtained using routine light microscopy. Indeed the resulting high-resolution images afford not only superior qualitative documentation of morphological observations, but the capability for detailed morphometry via digitization and computer-assisted image analysis.

  14. Workshop on multifactor aging mechanisms and models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agarwal, V. K.

    1992-10-01

    There have been considerable efforts to understand the aging and failure mechanisms of insulation in electrical systems. However, progress has been slow because of the complex nature of the subject particularly when dealing with multiple stresses e.g. electrical, thermal, mechanical, radiation, humidity and other environmental factors. When an insulating material is exposed to just one stress factor e.g. electric field, one must devise test(s) which are not only economically efficient and practical but which take into account the nature of electric field (ac, dc and pulsed), duration and level or field strength, and field configurations. Any additional stress factor(s) make the matrix of measurements and the understanding of resulting degradation processes more complex, time consuming and expensive.

  15. Zebrafish models for functional and toxicological screening of nanoscale drug delivery systems: promoting preclinical applications.

    PubMed

    Lee, Keon Yong; Jang, Gun Hyuk; Byun, Cho Hyun; Jeun, Minhong; Searson, Peter C; Lee, Kwan Hyi

    2017-06-30

    Preclinical screening with animal models is an important initial step in clinical translation of new drug delivery systems. However, establishing efficacy, biodistribution, and biotoxicity of complex, multicomponent systems in small animal models can be expensive and time-consuming. Zebrafish models represent an alternative for preclinical studies for nanoscale drug delivery systems. These models allow easy optical imaging, large sample size, and organ-specific studies, and hence an increasing number of preclinical studies are employing zebrafish models. In this review, we introduce various models and discuss recent studies of nanoscale drug delivery systems in zebrafish models. Also in the end, we proposed a guideline for the preclinical trials to accelerate the progress in this field. © 2017 The Author(s).

  16. Liquid Photonic Crystals for Mesopore Detection.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Biting; Fu, Qianqian; Chen, Ke; Ge, Jianping

    2018-01-02

    Nitrogen adsorption-desorption for mesopore characterization requires the using of expensive instrumentation, time-consuming processes, and the consumption of liquid nitrogen. Herein, a new method is developed to measure the pore parameters through mixing a mesoporous substance with a supersaturated SiO 2 colloidal solution at different temperatures, and subsequent rapid measurement of reflection changes of the precipitated liquid photonic crystals. The pore volumes and diameters of mesoporous silica were measured according to the positive correlation between unit mass reflection change (Δλ/m) and pore volume (V), and the negative correlation between average absorption temperature (T) and pore diameter (D). This new approach may provide an alternative method for fast, convenient and economical characterization of mesoporous materials. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. TestSTORM: Simulator for optimizing sample labeling and image acquisition in localization based super-resolution microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Sinkó, József; Kákonyi, Róbert; Rees, Eric; Metcalf, Daniel; Knight, Alex E.; Kaminski, Clemens F.; Szabó, Gábor; Erdélyi, Miklós

    2014-01-01

    Localization-based super-resolution microscopy image quality depends on several factors such as dye choice and labeling strategy, microscope quality and user-defined parameters such as frame rate and number as well as the image processing algorithm. Experimental optimization of these parameters can be time-consuming and expensive so we present TestSTORM, a simulator that can be used to optimize these steps. TestSTORM users can select from among four different structures with specific patterns, dye and acquisition parameters. Example results are shown and the results of the vesicle pattern are compared with experimental data. Moreover, image stacks can be generated for further evaluation using localization algorithms, offering a tool for further software developments. PMID:24688813

  18. Template synthesis of test tube nanoparticles using non-destructive replication

    PubMed Central

    Wagner, Jonathan; Yao, Jingyuan; Rodgers, David; Hinds, Bruce

    2013-01-01

    Nano test tubes are a promising delivery vehicle for a range of therapeutics including small molecule drugs and biologics. However, current template synthesis methods of producing nano test tubes are prohibitively expensive and time consuming. Here, non-destructive template replication was used to increase nano test tube yield from porous alumina by more than a hundredfold. We demonstrate how to produce nano test tubes of several sizes and compositions including hybrid tubes with different inner and outer surfaces for targeted surface chemistry. Nano test tubes were readily suspended and stored in aqueous solutions without the need for chemical treatment. These nano test tubes should find application as delivery vehicles for therapeutics, particularly for processive “bionanoreactors” loaded with enzymes. PMID:23376956

  19. Personalized diagnostics and biosensors: a review of the biology and technology needed for personalized medicine.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Minhaz Uddin; Saaem, Ishtiaq; Wu, Pae C; Brown, April S

    2014-06-01

    Exploiting the burgeoning fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics improves understanding of human physiology and, critically, the mutations that signal disease susceptibility. Through these emerging fields, rational design approaches to diagnosis, drug development and ultimately personalized medicine are possible. Personalized medicine and point-of-care testing techniques must fulfill a host of constraints for real-world applicability. Point-of-care devices (POCDs) must ultimately provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests in order to assist health care personnel with disease diagnosis and treatment decisions. Sensor technologies are also expanding beyond the more traditional classes of biomarkers--nucleic acids and proteins--to metabolites and direct detection of pathogens, ultimately increasing the palette of available techniques for the use of personalized medicine. The technologies needed to perform such diagnostics have also been rapidly evolving, with each generation being increasingly sensitive and selective while being more resource conscious. Ultimately, the final hurdle for all such technologies is to be able to drive consumer adoption and achieve a meaningful medical outcome for the patient.

  20. The effect of federal funding on clinical productivity: the price of academics.

    PubMed

    McKenney, Mark M; Livingstone, Alan S; Schulman, Carl

    2011-01-01

    Research is time consuming and expensive. To offset this expense, federal agencies fund the research, but the financial impact of funded research on clinical surgical productivity has not been studied. The objective is to determine departmental impact of federal funding. The relative value units, professional revenue, and funding were evaluated for clinical Faculty in the Surgery Department for fiscal year 2008. Means were compared using t test, and significance was defined as p<0.05. The Department had 61 clinical surgeons. The Department was divided into three groups based on research funding: unfunded, industry funded, and federally funded. Surgeons with both federal funding and other funding were only included in the federally funded group. There were 42 unfunded, 8 industry funded, and 11 federally funded surgeons. The relative value units, professional revenue, and salary with benefits of the three groups were compared. Federal funding is associated with a significant reduction in clinical work and clinical reimbursement. Federally funded research results in a net loss of revenue for the Surgery Department. The net effect is that the Surgery Department sponsors Federal Research and this has not been previously reported in the literature.

  1. Technical Performance and Economic Evaluation of Evaporative and Membrane-Based Concentration for Biomass-Derived Sugars

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

    Sievers, David A.; Stickel, Jonathan J.; Grundl, Nicholas J.

    Several conversion pathways of lignocellulosic biomass to advanced biofuels require or benefit from using concentrated sugar syrups of 600 g/L or greater. And while concentration may seem straightforward, thermal sugar degradation and energy efficiency remain major concerns. This study evaluated the trade-offs in product recovery, energy consumption, and economics between evaporative and membrane-based concentration methods. The degradation kinetics of xylose and glucose were characterized and applied to an evaporator process simulation. Though significant sugar loss was predicted for certain scenarios due to the Maillard reaction, industrially common falling-film plate evaporators offer short residence times (<5 min) and are expected tomore » limit sugar losses. Membrane concentration experiments characterized flux and sugar rejection, but diminished flux occurred at >100 g/L. A second step using evaporation is necessary to achieve target concentrations. Techno-economic process model simulations evaluated the overall economics of concentrating a 35 g/L sugar stream to 600 g/L in a full-scale biorefinery. A two-step approach of preconcentrating using membranes and finishing with an evaporator consumed less energy than evaporation alone but was more expensive because of high capital expenses of the membrane units.« less

  2. The Development of a Novel, Validated, Rapid and Simple Method for the Detection of Sarcocystis fayeri in Horse Meat in the Sanitary Control Setting.

    PubMed

    Furukawa, Masato; Minegishi, Yasutaka; Izumiyama, Shinji; Yagita, Kenji; Mori, Hideto; Uemura, Taku; Etoh, Yoshiki; Maeda, Eriko; Sasaki, Mari; Ichinose, Kazuya; Harada, Seiya; Kamata, Yoichi; Otagiri, Masaki; Sugita-Konishi, Yoshiko; Ohnishi, Takahiro

    2016-01-01

    Sarcocystis fayeri (S. fayeri) is a newly identified causative agent of foodborne disease that is associated with the consumption of raw horse meat. The testing methods prescribed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan are time consuming and require the use of expensive equipment and a high level of technical expertise. Accordingly, these methods are not suitable for use in the routine sanitary control setting to prevent outbreaks of foodborne disease. In order to solve these problems, we have developed a new, rapid and simple testing method using LAMP, which takes only 1 hour to perform and which does not involve the use of any expensive equipment or expert techniques. For the validation of this method, an inter-laboratory study was performed among 5 institutes using 10 samples infected with various concentrations of S. fayeri. The results of the inter-laboratory study demonstrated that our LAMP method could detect S. fayeri at concentrations greater than 10(4) copies/g. Thus, this new method could be useful in screening for S. fayeri as a routine sanitary control procedure.

  3. Technical Performance and Economic Evaluation of Evaporative and Membrane-Based Concentration for Biomass-Derived Sugars

    DOE PAGES

    Sievers, David A.; Stickel, Jonathan J.; Grundl, Nicholas J.; ...

    2017-09-18

    Several conversion pathways of lignocellulosic biomass to advanced biofuels require or benefit from using concentrated sugar syrups of 600 g/L or greater. And while concentration may seem straightforward, thermal sugar degradation and energy efficiency remain major concerns. This study evaluated the trade-offs in product recovery, energy consumption, and economics between evaporative and membrane-based concentration methods. The degradation kinetics of xylose and glucose were characterized and applied to an evaporator process simulation. Though significant sugar loss was predicted for certain scenarios due to the Maillard reaction, industrially common falling-film plate evaporators offer short residence times (<5 min) and are expected tomore » limit sugar losses. Membrane concentration experiments characterized flux and sugar rejection, but diminished flux occurred at >100 g/L. A second step using evaporation is necessary to achieve target concentrations. Techno-economic process model simulations evaluated the overall economics of concentrating a 35 g/L sugar stream to 600 g/L in a full-scale biorefinery. A two-step approach of preconcentrating using membranes and finishing with an evaporator consumed less energy than evaporation alone but was more expensive because of high capital expenses of the membrane units.« less

  4. Quantifying learning in biotracer studies.

    PubMed

    Brown, Christopher J; Brett, Michael T; Adame, Maria Fernanda; Stewart-Koster, Ben; Bunn, Stuart E

    2018-04-12

    Mixing models have become requisite tools for analyzing biotracer data, most commonly stable isotope ratios, to infer dietary contributions of multiple sources to a consumer. However, Bayesian mixing models will always return a result that defaults to their priors if the data poorly resolve the source contributions, and thus, their interpretation requires caution. We describe an application of information theory to quantify how much has been learned about a consumer's diet from new biotracer data. We apply the approach to two example data sets. We find that variation in the isotope ratios of sources limits the precision of estimates for the consumer's diet, even with a large number of consumer samples. Thus, the approach which we describe is a type of power analysis that uses a priori simulations to find an optimal sample size. Biotracer data are fundamentally limited in their ability to discriminate consumer diets. We suggest that other types of data, such as gut content analysis, must be used as prior information in model fitting, to improve model learning about the consumer's diet. Information theory may also be used to identify optimal sampling protocols in situations where sampling of consumers is limited due to expense or ethical concerns.

  5. Hybrid and disposable facilities for manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals: pros and cons.

    PubMed

    Ravisé, Aline; Cameau, Emmanuelle; De Abreu, Georges; Pralong, Alain

    2009-01-01

    Modern biotechnology has grown over the last 35 years to a maturing industry producing and delivering high-value biopharmaceuticals that yield important medical and economical benefits. The constantly increasing need for biopharmaceuticals and significant costs related to time-consuming R&D work makes this industry risky and highly competitive. This trend is confirmed by the important number of biopharmaceuticals that are actually under development at all stages by all major pharmaceutical industry companies. A consequence of this evolution is an increasing need for development and manufacturing capacity. The build up of traditional - stainless steel - technology is complicated, time consuming and very expensive. The decision for such a major investment needs to be taken early in the development cycle of a promising drug to cope with future demands for clinical trials and product launch. Possibilities for the reduction of R&D and manufacturing costs are therefore of significant interest in order to be competitive.In this chapter, four case studies are presented which outline ways to reduce significantly R&D and manufacturing costs by using disposable technology in the frame of a the transfer of an antibody manufacturing process, the preparation of media and buffers in commercial manufacturing and a direct comparison of a traditional and a fully disposable pilot plant.

  6. SMARBot: a modular miniature mobile robot platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Yan; Johnson, Kerry; Simms, Brian; Conforth, Matthew

    2008-04-01

    Miniature robots have many advantages over their larger counterparts, such as low cost, low power, and easy to build a large scale team for complex tasks. Heterogeneous multi miniature robots could provide powerful situation awareness capability due to different locomotion capabilities and sensor information. However, it would be expensive and time consuming to develop specific embedded system for different type of robots. In this paper, we propose a generic modular embedded system architecture called SMARbot (Stevens Modular Autonomous Robot), which consists of a set of hardware and software modules that can be configured to construct various types of robot systems. These modules include a high performance microprocessor, a reconfigurable hardware component, wireless communication, and diverse sensor and actuator interfaces. The design of all the modules in electrical subsystem, the selection criteria for module components, and the real-time operating system are described. Some proofs of concept experimental results are also presented.

  7. Prediction of Enzyme Mutant Activity Using Computational Mutagenesis and Incremental Transduction

    PubMed Central

    Basit, Nada; Wechsler, Harry

    2011-01-01

    Wet laboratory mutagenesis to determine enzyme activity changes is expensive and time consuming. This paper expands on standard one-shot learning by proposing an incremental transductive method (T2bRF) for the prediction of enzyme mutant activity during mutagenesis using Delaunay tessellation and 4-body statistical potentials for representation. Incremental learning is in tune with both eScience and actual experimentation, as it accounts for cumulative annotation effects of enzyme mutant activity over time. The experimental results reported, using cross-validation, show that overall the incremental transductive method proposed, using random forest as base classifier, yields better results compared to one-shot learning methods. T2bRF is shown to yield 90% on T4 and LAC (and 86% on HIV-1). This is significantly better than state-of-the-art competing methods, whose performance yield is at 80% or less using the same datasets. PMID:22007208

  8. Is Advanced Real-Time Energy Metering Sufficient to Persuade People to Save Energy?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ting, L.; Leite, H.; Ponce de Leão, T.

    2012-10-01

    In order to promote a low-carbon economy, EU citizens may soon be able to check their electricity consumption from smart meter. It is hoped that smart meter can, by providing real-time consumption and pricing information to residential users, help reducing demand for electricity. It is argued in this paper that, according the Elaborative Likelihood Model (ELM), these methods are most likely to be effective when consumers perceive the issue of energy conservation relevant to their lives. Nevertheless, some fundamental characteristics of these methods result in limited amount of perceived personal relevance; for instance, energy expenditure expense may be relatively small comparing to other household expenditure like mortgage and consumption information does not enhance interpersonal trust. In this paper, it is suggested that smart meter can apply the "nudge" approaches which respond to ELM as the use of simple rules to make decision, which include the change of feedback delivery and device design.

  9. Food hygiene training in the UK: time for a radical re-think?

    PubMed

    MacAuslan, E

    2001-12-01

    Training food handlers in the hospitality industry has been recommended by various organisations as a means of improving food handling practices and thus the safety of food for consumers. It is nearly 20 years since the first examinations for basic level food hygiene certificates were made available to food handlers in the UK. Since then little has changed in the syllabuses and in the way the questions are worded. However, the range of languages spoken by food handlers working in the UK has increased substantially since more employers are recruiting those who speak English as a second language. Training can be an unwelcome expense for managers where there is a high turnover of employees, especially amongst those for whom English is not a first language. To improve practical implementation of food hygiene theory it is time to develop a radical strategy concerning the way training is targeted and delivered in the UK, and perhaps Europe.

  10. Analysis of Bioactive Amino Acids from Fish Hydrolysates with a New Bioinformatic Intelligent System Approach.

    PubMed

    Elaziz, Mohamed Abd; Hemdan, Ahmed Monem; Hassanien, AboulElla; Oliva, Diego; Xiong, Shengwu

    2017-09-07

    The current economics of the fish protein industry demand rapid, accurate and expressive prediction algorithms at every step of protein production especially with the challenge of global climate change. This help to predict and analyze functional and nutritional quality then consequently control food allergies in hyper allergic patients. As, it is quite expensive and time-consuming to know these concentrations by the lab experimental tests, especially to conduct large-scale projects. Therefore, this paper introduced a new intelligent algorithm using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system based on whale optimization algorithm. This algorithm is used to predict the concentration levels of bioactive amino acids in fish protein hydrolysates at different times during the year. The whale optimization algorithm is used to determine the optimal parameters in adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system. The results of proposed algorithm are compared with others and it is indicated the higher performance of the proposed algorithm.

  11. Detection of Tephra Layers in Antarctic Sediment Cores with Hyperspectral Imaging

    PubMed Central

    Aymerich, Ismael F.; Oliva, Marc; Giralt, Santiago; Martín-Herrero, Julio

    2016-01-01

    Tephrochronology uses recognizable volcanic ash layers (from airborne pyroclastic deposits, or tephras) in geological strata to set unique time references for paleoenvironmental events across wide geographic areas. This involves the detection of tephra layers which sometimes are not evident to the naked eye, including the so-called cryptotephras. Tests that are expensive, time-consuming, and/or destructive are often required. Destructive testing for tephra layers of cores from difficult regions, such as Antarctica, which are useful sources of other kinds of information beyond tephras, is always undesirable. Here we propose hyperspectral imaging of cores, Self-Organizing Map (SOM) clustering of the preprocessed spectral signatures, and spatial analysis of the classified images as a convenient, fast, non-destructive method for tephra detection. We test the method in five sediment cores from three Antarctic lakes, and show its potential for detection of tephras and cryptotephras. PMID:26815202

  12. MEMS- and LC-adaptive optics at the Naval Research Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Restaino, S. R.; Wilcox, C. C.; Martinez, T.; Andrews, J. R.; Santiago, F.; Payne, D. M.

    2012-06-01

    Adaptive Optics (AO) is an ensemble of techniques that aims at the remedial of the deleterious effects that the Earth's turbulent atmosphere induces on both imagery and signal gathering in real time. It has been over four decades since the first AO system was developed and tested. During this time important technological advances have changed profoundly the way that we think and develop AO systems. The use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) devices and Liquid Crystal Devices (LCD) has revolutionized these technologies making possible to go from very expensive, very large and power consuming systems to very compact and inexpensive systems. These changes have rendered AO systems useful and applicable in other fields ranging from medical imaging to industry. In this paper we will review the research efforts at the Naval research Laboratory (NRL) to develop AO systems based on both MEMs and LCD in order to produce more compact and light weight AO systems.

  13. Real-time depth processing for embedded platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahnama, Oscar; Makarov, Aleksej; Torr, Philip

    2017-05-01

    Obtaining depth information of a scene is an important requirement in many computer-vision and robotics applications. For embedded platforms, passive stereo systems have many advantages over their active counterparts (i.e. LiDAR, Infrared). They are power efficient, cheap, robust to lighting conditions and inherently synchronized to the RGB images of the scene. However, stereo depth estimation is a computationally expensive task that operates over large amounts of data. For embedded applications which are often constrained by power consumption, obtaining accurate results in real-time is a challenge. We demonstrate a computationally and memory efficient implementation of a stereo block-matching algorithm in FPGA. The computational core achieves a throughput of 577 fps at standard VGA resolution whilst consuming less than 3 Watts of power. The data is processed using an in-stream approach that minimizes memory-access bottlenecks and best matches the raster scan readout of modern digital image sensors.

  14. Energy conservation in ad hoc multimedia networks using traffic-shaping mechanisms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandra, Surendar

    2003-12-01

    In this work, we explore network traffic shaping mechanisms that deliver packets at pre-determined intervals; allowing the network interface to transition to a lower power consuming sleep state. We focus our efforts on commodity devices, IEEE 802.11b ad hoc mode and popular streaming formats. We argue that factors such as the lack of scheduling clock phase synchronization among the participants and scheduling delays introduced by back ground tasks affect the potential energy savings. Increasing the periodic transmission delays to transmit data infrequently can offset some of these effects at the expense of flooding the wireless channel for longer periods of time; potentially increasing the time to acquire the channel for non-multimedia traffic. Buffering mechanisms built into media browsers can mitigate the effects of these added delays from being mis-interpreted as network congestion. We show that practical implementations of such traffic shaping mechanisms can offer significant energy savings.

  15. About one counterexample of applying method of splitting in modeling of plating processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solovjev, D. S.; Solovjeva, I. A.; Litovka, Yu V.; Korobova, I. L.

    2018-05-01

    The paper presents the main factors that affect the uniformity of the thickness distribution of plating on the surface of the product. The experimental search for the optimal values of these factors is expensive and time-consuming. The problem of adequate simulation of coating processes is very relevant. The finite-difference approximation using seven-point and five-point templates in combination with the splitting method is considered as solution methods for the equations of the model. To study the correctness of the solution of equations of the mathematical model by these methods, the experiments were conducted on plating with a flat anode and cathode, which relative position was not changed in the bath. The studies have shown that the solution using the splitting method was up to 1.5 times faster, but it did not give adequate results due to the geometric features of the task under the given boundary conditions.

  16. Dendrometer bands made easy: using modified cable ties to measure incremental growth of trees

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Anemaet, Evelyn R.; Middleton, Beth A.

    2013-01-01

    Dendrometer bands are a useful way to make sequential repeated measurements of tree growth, but traditional dendrometer bands can be expensive, time consuming, and difficult to construct in the field. An alternative to the traditional method of band construction is to adapt commercially available materials. This paper describes how to construct and install dendrometer bands using smooth-edged, stainless steel, cable tie banding and attachable rollerball heads. As a performance comparison, both traditional and cable tie dendrometer bands were installed on baldcypress trees at the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, by both an experienced and a novice worker. Band installation times were recorded, and growth of the trees as estimated by the two band types was measured after approximately one year, demonstrating equivalence of the two methods. This efficient approach to dendrometer band construction can help advance the knowledge of long-term tree growth in ecological studies.

  17. The Simple Video Coder: A free tool for efficiently coding social video data.

    PubMed

    Barto, Daniel; Bird, Clark W; Hamilton, Derek A; Fink, Brandi C

    2017-08-01

    Videotaping of experimental sessions is a common practice across many disciplines of psychology, ranging from clinical therapy, to developmental science, to animal research. Audio-visual data are a rich source of information that can be easily recorded; however, analysis of the recordings presents a major obstacle to project completion. Coding behavior is time-consuming and often requires ad-hoc training of a student coder. In addition, existing software is either prohibitively expensive or cumbersome, which leaves researchers with inadequate tools to quickly process video data. We offer the Simple Video Coder-free, open-source software for behavior coding that is flexible in accommodating different experimental designs, is intuitive for students to use, and produces outcome measures of event timing, frequency, and duration. Finally, the software also offers extraction tools to splice video into coded segments suitable for training future human coders or for use as input for pattern classification algorithms.

  18. Proceeding On : Parallelisation Of Critical Code Passages In PHOENIX/3D

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arkenberg, Mario; Wichert, Viktoria; Hauschildt, Peter H.

    2016-10-01

    Highly resolved state-of-the-art 3D atmosphere simulations will remain computationally extremely expensive for years to come. In addition to the need for more computing power, rethinking coding practices is necessary. We take a dual approach here, by introducing especially adapted, parallel numerical methods and correspondingly parallelising time critical code passages. In the following, we present our work on PHOENIX/3D.While parallelisation is generally worthwhile, it requires revision of time-consuming subroutines with respect to separability of localised data and variables in order to determine the optimal approach. Of course, the same applies to the code structure. The importance of this ongoing work can be showcased by recently derived benchmark results, which were generated utilis- ing MPI and OpenMP. Furthermore, the need for a careful and thorough choice of an adequate, machine dependent setup is discussed.

  19. Three-dimensional simulation of helix traveling-wave tube cold-test characteristics using MAFIA

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

    Kory, C.L.

    1996-12-31

    A critically important step in the traveling-wave tube (TWT) design process is the cold-testing of the slow-wave circuit for dispersion, beam interaction impedance and RF losses. Experimental cold-tests can be very time-consuming and expensive, thus limiting the freedom to examine numerous variations to the test circuit. This makes the need for computational methods crucial as they can lower cost, reduce tube development time and allow the freedom to introduce novel and improved designs. The cold-test parameters have been calculated for a C-Band Northrop-Grumman helix TWT slow-wave circuit using MAFIA, the three-dimensional electromagnetic finite-integration computer code. Measured and simulated cold-test datamore » for the Northrop-Grumman helix TWT including dispersion, impedance and attenuation will be presented. Close agreement between simulated and measured values of the dispersion, impedance and attenuation has been obtained.« less

  20. A Web Based Puzzle for Energy Sources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Secken, Nilgun

    2006-01-01

    At present many countries in the world consume too much fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas and coal to meet their energy needs. These fossil fuels are not renewable; their sources are limited and reducing gradually. More importantly they have been becoming more expensive day by day and their damage to the environment has been increasing.…

  1. (Almost) Word for Word: As Voice Recognition Programs Improve, Students Reap the Benefits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Mark

    2006-01-01

    Voice recognition software is hardly new--attempts at capturing spoken words and turning them into written text have been available to consumers for about two decades. But what was once an expensive and highly unreliable tool has made great strides in recent years, perhaps most recognized in programs such as Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking…

  2. Pharmaceutical Use among Older Adults: Using Administrative Data to Examine Medication-Related Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metge, Colleen Jane; Grymonpre, Ruby; Yogendran, Marina

    2005-01-01

    Medication use is recognized as the least expensive, most cost-effective health care intervention. In older adults this is especially important, as they are the largest consumer of prescription medications. We describe the use of a linked data set including pharmaceutical, medical, and hospital claims to examine pharmaceutical use in the…

  3. Special Education Finance in California

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Laura; Warren, Paul; Murphy, Patrick; Ugo, Iwunze; Pathak, Aditi

    2016-01-01

    California's system of special education served about 718,000 students in 2014-15, or about 11.5 percent of the K-12 population. It is expensive, consuming some $12 billion in federal, state, and local dollars annually. Special education operates within a legal framework that sets it apart from the rest of the K-12 system. The state's enactment of…

  4. Commercial Plant Production and Consumption Still Follow the Latitudinal Gradient in Species Diversity despite Economic Globalization

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Erik J.; Helmus, Matthew R.; Cavender-Bares, Jeannine; Polasky, Stephen; Lasky, Jesse R.; Zanne, Amy E.; Pearse, William D.; Kraft, Nathan J. B.; Miteva, Daniela A.; Fagan, William F.

    2016-01-01

    Increasing trade between countries and gains in income have given consumers around the world access to a richer and more diverse set of commercial plant products (i.e., foods and fibers produced by farmers). According to the economic theory of comparative advantage, countries open to trade will be able to consume more–in terms of volume and diversity–if they concentrate production on commodities that they can most cost-effectively produce, while importing goods that are expensive to produce, relative to other countries. Here, we perform a global analysis of traded commercial plant products and find little evidence that increasing globalization has incentivized agricultural specialization. Instead, a country’s plant production and consumption patterns are still largely determined by local evolutionary legacies of plant diversification. Because tropical countries harbor a greater diversity of lineages across the tree of life than temperate countries, tropical countries produce and consume a greater diversity of plant products than do temperate countries. In contrast, the richer and more economically advanced temperate countries have the capacity to produce and consume more plant species than the generally poorer tropical countries, yet this collection of plant species is drawn from fewer branches on the tree of life. Why have countries not increasingly specialized in plant production despite the theoretical financial incentive to do so? Potential explanations include the persistence of domestic agricultural subsidies that distort production decisions, cultural preferences for diverse local food production, and that diverse food production protects rural households in developing countries from food price shocks. Less specialized production patterns will make crop systems more resilient to zonal climatic and social perturbations, but this may come at the expense of global crop production efficiency, an important step in making the transition to a hotter and more crowded world. PMID:27706180

  5. Commercial Plant Production and Consumption Still Follow the Latitudinal Gradient in Species Diversity despite Economic Globalization.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Erik J; Helmus, Matthew R; Cavender-Bares, Jeannine; Polasky, Stephen; Lasky, Jesse R; Zanne, Amy E; Pearse, William D; Kraft, Nathan J B; Miteva, Daniela A; Fagan, William F

    2016-01-01

    Increasing trade between countries and gains in income have given consumers around the world access to a richer and more diverse set of commercial plant products (i.e., foods and fibers produced by farmers). According to the economic theory of comparative advantage, countries open to trade will be able to consume more-in terms of volume and diversity-if they concentrate production on commodities that they can most cost-effectively produce, while importing goods that are expensive to produce, relative to other countries. Here, we perform a global analysis of traded commercial plant products and find little evidence that increasing globalization has incentivized agricultural specialization. Instead, a country's plant production and consumption patterns are still largely determined by local evolutionary legacies of plant diversification. Because tropical countries harbor a greater diversity of lineages across the tree of life than temperate countries, tropical countries produce and consume a greater diversity of plant products than do temperate countries. In contrast, the richer and more economically advanced temperate countries have the capacity to produce and consume more plant species than the generally poorer tropical countries, yet this collection of plant species is drawn from fewer branches on the tree of life. Why have countries not increasingly specialized in plant production despite the theoretical financial incentive to do so? Potential explanations include the persistence of domestic agricultural subsidies that distort production decisions, cultural preferences for diverse local food production, and that diverse food production protects rural households in developing countries from food price shocks. Less specialized production patterns will make crop systems more resilient to zonal climatic and social perturbations, but this may come at the expense of global crop production efficiency, an important step in making the transition to a hotter and more crowded world.

  6. Automated Essay Grading using Machine Learning Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramalingam, V. V.; Pandian, A.; Chetry, Prateek; Nigam, Himanshu

    2018-04-01

    Essays are paramount for of assessing the academic excellence along with linking the different ideas with the ability to recall but are notably time consuming when they are assessed manually. Manual grading takes significant amount of evaluator’s time and hence it is an expensive process. Automated grading if proven effective will not only reduce the time for assessment but comparing it with human scores will also make the score realistic. The project aims to develop an automated essay assessment system by use of machine learning techniques by classifying a corpus of textual entities into small number of discrete categories, corresponding to possible grades. Linear regression technique will be utilized for training the model along with making the use of various other classifications and clustering techniques. We intend to train classifiers on the training set, make it go through the downloaded dataset, and then measure performance our dataset by comparing the obtained values with the dataset values. We have implemented our model using java.

  7. Rapid Prototyping Technology for Manufacturing GTE Turbine Blades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balyakin, A. V.; Dobryshkina, E. M.; Vdovin, R. A.; Alekseev, V. P.

    2018-03-01

    The conventional approach to manufacturing turbine blades by investment casting is expensive and time-consuming, as it takes a lot of time to make geometrically precise and complex wax patterns. Turbine blade manufacturing in pilot production can be sped up by accelerating the casting process while keeping the geometric precision of the final product. This paper compares the rapid prototyping method (casting the wax pattern composition into elastic silicone molds) to the conventional technology. Analysis of the size precision of blade casts shows that silicon-mold casting features sufficient geometric precision. Thus, this method for making wax patterns can be a cost-efficient solution for small-batch or pilot production of turbine blades for gas-turbine units (GTU) and gas-turbine engines (GTE). The paper demonstrates how additive technology and thermographic analysis can speed up the cooling of wax patterns in silicone molds. This is possible at an optimal temperature and solidification time, which make the process more cost-efficient while keeping the geometric quality of the final product.

  8. Automatic SMT Inspection With -X-Ray Vision

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuntz, Robert A.; Steinmetz, Peter D.

    1988-02-01

    X-ray is used in many different ways and in a broad variety of applications with today's world. One of the most obvious uses is in the medically related applications. Although less obvious, x-ray is used within industry as well. Inspection of metal castings, pipe-line welds, equipment structures and personal security are just a few. Historically, both medical and industrial x-ray have been dependent on film exposure, development and reading to capture and present the projected image. This process however is labor intensive, time consuming and costly. Correct exposure time and proper view orientation are in question until the film is developed and examined. In many cases, this trial and error causes retakes with the accompanying expense and delays. Recently, due to advances in x-ray tube technology, tubes with microfocus construction have become available. These tubes operate at high enough flux density such that when combined with x-ray to visible light converters, real-time imaging is possible.

  9. Indoor Pedestrian Navigation Using Foot-Mounted IMU and Portable Ultrasound Range Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Girard, Gabriel; Côté, Stéphane; Zlatanova, Sisi; Barette, Yannick; St-Pierre, Johanne; van Oosterom, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Many solutions have been proposed for indoor pedestrian navigation. Some rely on pre-installed sensor networks, which offer good accuracy but are limited to areas that have been prepared for that purpose, thus requiring an expensive and possibly time-consuming process. Such methods are therefore inappropriate for navigation in emergency situations since the power supply may be disturbed. Other types of solutions track the user without requiring a prepared environment. However, they may have low accuracy. Offline tracking has been proposed to increase accuracy, however this prevents users from knowing their position in real time. This paper describes a real time indoor navigation system that does not require prepared building environments and provides tracking accuracy superior to previously described tracking methods. The system uses a combination of four techniques: foot-mounted IMU (Inertial Motion Unit), ultrasonic ranging, particle filtering and model-based navigation. The very purpose of the project is to combine these four well-known techniques in a novel way to provide better indoor tracking results for pedestrians. PMID:22164034

  10. Low cost MATLAB-based pulse oximeter for deployment in research and development applications.

    PubMed

    Shokouhian, M; Morling, R C S; Kale, I

    2013-01-01

    Problems such as motion artifact and effects of ambient lights have forced developers to design different signal processing techniques and algorithms to increase the reliability and accuracy of the conventional pulse oximeter device. To evaluate the robustness of these techniques, they are applied either to recorded data or are implemented on chip to be applied to real-time data. Recorded data is the most common method of evaluating however it is not as reliable as real-time measurements. On the other hand, hardware implementation can be both expensive and time consuming. This paper presents a low cost MATLAB-based pulse oximeter that can be used for rapid evaluation of newly developed signal processing techniques and algorithms. Flexibility to apply different signal processing techniques, providing both processed and unprocessed data along with low implementation cost are the important features of this design which makes it ideal for research and development purposes, as well as commercial, hospital and healthcare application.

  11. The new nordic diet--consumer expenditures and economic incentives estimated from a controlled intervention.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård; Poulsen, Sanne Kellebjerg

    2013-12-02

    Several studies suggest that a healthy diet with high emphasis on nutritious, low-energy components such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood tends to be more costly for consumers. Derived from the ideas from the New Nordic Cuisine--and inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic Diet (NND) has been developed as a palatable, healthy and sustainable diet based on products from the Nordic region. The objective of the study is to investigate economic consequences for the consumers of the NND, compared with an Average Danish Diet (ADD). Combine quantity data from a randomized controlled ad libitum dietary 6 month intervention for central obese adults (18-65 years) and market retail price data of the products consumed in the intervention. Adjust consumed quantities to market price incentives using econometrically estimated price elasticities. Average daily food expenditure of the ADD as represented in the unadjusted intervention (ADD-i) amounted to 36.02 DKK for the participants. The daily food expenditure in the unadjusted New Nordic Diet (NND-i) costs 44.80 DKK per day per head, and is hence about 25% more expensive than the Average Danish Diet (or about 17% when adjusting for energy content of the diet). Adjusting for price incentives in a real market setting, the estimated cost of the Average Danish Diet is reduced by 2.50 DKK (ADD-m), compared to the unadjusted ADD-i diet, whereas the adjusted cost of the New Nordic Diet (NND-m) is reduced by about 3.50 DKK, compared to the unadjusted NND-i. The distribution of food cost is however much more heterogeneous among consumers within the NND than within the ADD. On average, the New Nordic Diet is 24-25 per cent more expensive than an Average Danish Diet at the current market prices in Denmark (and 16-17 per cent, when adjusting for energy content). The relatively large heterogeneity in food costs in the NND suggests that it is possible to compose an NND where the cost exceeds that of ADD by less than the 24-25 per cent.

  12. The new nordic diet – consumer expenditures and economic incentives estimated from a controlled intervention

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Several studies suggest that a healthy diet with high emphasis on nutritious, low-energy components such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood tends to be more costly for consumers. Derived from the ideas from the New Nordic Cuisine – and inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic Diet (NND) has been developed as a palatable, healthy and sustainable diet based on products from the Nordic region. The objective of the study is to investigate economic consequences for the consumers of the NND, compared with an Average Danish Diet (ADD). Methods Combine quantity data from a randomized controlled ad libitum dietary 6 month intervention for central obese adults (18–65 years) and market retail price data of the products consumed in the intervention. Adjust consumed quantities to market price incentives using econometrically estimated price elasticities. Results Average daily food expenditure of the ADD as represented in the unadjusted intervention (ADD-i) amounted to 36.02 DKK for the participants. The daily food expenditure in the unadjusted New Nordic Diet (NND-i) costs 44.80 DKK per day per head, and is hence about 25% more expensive than the Average Danish Diet (or about 17% when adjusting for energy content of the diet). Adjusting for price incentives in a real market setting, the estimated cost of the Average Danish Diet is reduced by 2.50 DKK (ADD-m), compared to the unadjusted ADD-i diet, whereas the adjusted cost of the New Nordic Diet (NND-m) is reduced by about 3.50 DKK, compared to the unadjusted NND-i. The distribution of food cost is however much more heterogeneous among consumers within the NND than within the ADD. Conclusion On average, the New Nordic Diet is 24–25 per cent more expensive than an Average Danish Diet at the current market prices in Denmark (and 16–17 per cent, when adjusting for energy content). The relatively large heterogeneity in food costs in the NND suggests that it is possible to compose an NND where the cost exceeds that of ADD by less than the 24–25 per cent. PMID:24294977

  13. Vitamins for Cardiovascular Diseases: Is the Expense Justified?

    PubMed

    Sultan, Sulaiman; Murarka, Shishir; Jahangir, Ahad; Mookadam, Farouk; Tajik, A Jamil; Jahangir, Arshad

    Despite the knowledge that a well-balanced diet provides most of the nutritional requirements, the use of supplemental vitamins is widespread among adults in the United States. Evidence from large randomized controlled trials over the last 2 decades does not support vitamin supplementation for the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors or clinical outcomes. Many of the vitamins used in common practice likely are safe when consumed in small doses, but long-term consumption of megadoses is not only expensive but has the potential to cause adverse effects. Therefore, a need exists to revisit this issue, reminding the public and healthcare providers about the data supporting the use of vitamins for cardiovascular disease, and the potential for harm and the expense associated with their unnecessary use. In this review, we highlight the scientific evidence from randomized controlled studies regarding the efficacy and safety of vitamin supplementation for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and outcomes. We also draw attention to issues related to widespread and indiscriminate use of vitamin supplements and the need to educate the public to curtail unnecessary consumption and expense by limiting their use based on strong scientific evidence.

  14. Consumer preferences for pig welfare - Can the market accommodate more than one level of welfare pork?

    PubMed

    Denver, Sigrid; Sandøe, Peter; Christensen, Tove

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the market potential of pork labelled to indicate medium and high levels of animal welfare. The paper asks, in particular, whether there is a risk that Danish consumers will abandon high level welfare pork if less expensive products with a medium level of animal welfare became available. The study was based on an online questionnaire with a choice experiment involving 396 Danish respondents. The results indicated that the Danish market could accommodate more than one pork product with a welfare label but the price differential separating medium and high level animal welfare pork will have to be quite narrow. In addition, full willingness-to-pay of consumers who want to buy high level welfare pork cannot be relied upon to incentivise new consumers to buy medium welfare pork. Further, raising brand awareness in the shopping situation and improving consumer's understanding of brand attributes for high level welfare brands were found to be vital. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Committee-Based Active Learning for Surrogate-Assisted Particle Swarm Optimization of Expensive Problems.

    PubMed

    Wang, Handing; Jin, Yaochu; Doherty, John

    2017-09-01

    Function evaluations (FEs) of many real-world optimization problems are time or resource consuming, posing a serious challenge to the application of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to solve these problems. To address this challenge, the research on surrogate-assisted EAs has attracted increasing attention from both academia and industry over the past decades. However, most existing surrogate-assisted EAs (SAEAs) either still require thousands of expensive FEs to obtain acceptable solutions, or are only applied to very low-dimensional problems. In this paper, a novel surrogate-assisted particle swarm optimization (PSO) inspired from committee-based active learning (CAL) is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, a global model management strategy inspired from CAL is developed, which searches for the best and most uncertain solutions according to a surrogate ensemble using a PSO algorithm and evaluates these solutions using the expensive objective function. In addition, a local surrogate model is built around the best solution obtained so far. Then, a PSO algorithm searches on the local surrogate to find its optimum and evaluates it. The evolutionary search using the global model management strategy switches to the local search once no further improvement can be observed, and vice versa. This iterative search process continues until the computational budget is exhausted. Experimental results comparing the proposed algorithm with a few state-of-the-art SAEAs on both benchmark problems up to 30 decision variables as well as an airfoil design problem demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to achieve better or competitive solutions with a limited budget of hundreds of exact FEs.

  16. Rapid microsatellite identification from Illumina paired-end genomic sequencing in two birds and a snake

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Castoe, Todd A.; Poole, Alexander W.; de Koning, A. P. Jason; Jones, Kenneth L.; Tomback, Diana F.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Lance, Stacey L.; Streicher, Jeffrey W.; Smith, Eric N.; Pollock, David D.

    2012-01-01

    Identification of microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), can be a time-consuming and costly investment requiring enrichment, cloning, and sequencing of candidate loci. Recently, however, high throughput sequencing (with or without prior enrichment for specific SSR loci) has been utilized to identify SSR loci. The direct "Seq-to-SSR" approach has an advantage over enrichment-based strategies in that it does not require a priori selection of particular motifs, or prior knowledge of genomic SSR content. It has been more expensive per SSR locus recovered, however, particularly for genomes with few SSR loci, such as bird genomes. The longer but relatively more expensive 454 reads have been preferred over less expensive Illumina reads. Here, we use Illumina paired-end sequence data to identify potentially amplifiable SSR loci (PALs) from a snake (the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus), and directly compare these results to those from 454 data. We also compare the python results to results from Illumina sequencing of two bird genomes (Gunnison Sage-grouse, Centrocercus minimus, and Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana), which have considerably fewer SSRs than the python. We show that direct Illumina Seq-to-SSR can identify and characterize thousands of potentially amplifiable SSR loci for as little as $10 per sample – a fraction of the cost of 454 sequencing. Given that Illumina Seq-to-SSR is effective, inexpensive, and reliable even for species such as birds that have few SSR loci, it seems that there are now few situations for which prior hybridization is justifiable.

  17. Rapid microsatellite identification from illumina paired-end genomic sequencing in two birds and a snake

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Castoe, T.A.; Poole, A.W.; de Koning, A. P. J.; Jones, K.L.; Tomback, D.F.; Oyler-McCance, S.J.; Fike, J.A.; Lance, S.L.; Streicher, J.W.; Smith, E.N.; Pollock, D.D.

    2012-01-01

    Identification of microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), can be a time-consuming and costly investment requiring enrichment, cloning, and sequencing of candidate loci. Recently, however, high throughput sequencing (with or without prior enrichment for specific SSR loci) has been utilized to identify SSR loci. The direct "Seq-to-SSR" approach has an advantage over enrichment-based strategies in that it does not require a priori selection of particular motifs, or prior knowledge of genomic SSR content. It has been more expensive per SSR locus recovered, however, particularly for genomes with few SSR loci, such as bird genomes. The longer but relatively more expensive 454 reads have been preferred over less expensive Illumina reads. Here, we use Illumina paired-end sequence data to identify potentially amplifiable SSR loci (PALs) from a snake (the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus), and directly compare these results to those from 454 data. We also compare the python results to results from Illumina sequencing of two bird genomes (Gunnison Sage-grouse, Centrocercus minimus, and Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana), which have considerably fewer SSRs than the python. We show that direct Illumina Seq-to-SSR can identify and characterize thousands of potentially amplifiable SSR loci for as little as $10 per sample - a fraction of the cost of 454 sequencing. Given that Illumina Seq-to-SSR is effective, inexpensive, and reliable even for species such as birds that have few SSR loci, it seems that there are now few situations for which prior hybridization is justifiable. ?? 2012 Castoe et al.

  18. Rapid microsatellite identification from Illumina paired-end genomic sequencing in two birds and a snake.

    PubMed

    Castoe, Todd A; Poole, Alexander W; de Koning, A P Jason; Jones, Kenneth L; Tomback, Diana F; Oyler-McCance, Sara J; Fike, Jennifer A; Lance, Stacey L; Streicher, Jeffrey W; Smith, Eric N; Pollock, David D

    2012-01-01

    Identification of microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), can be a time-consuming and costly investment requiring enrichment, cloning, and sequencing of candidate loci. Recently, however, high throughput sequencing (with or without prior enrichment for specific SSR loci) has been utilized to identify SSR loci. The direct "Seq-to-SSR" approach has an advantage over enrichment-based strategies in that it does not require a priori selection of particular motifs, or prior knowledge of genomic SSR content. It has been more expensive per SSR locus recovered, however, particularly for genomes with few SSR loci, such as bird genomes. The longer but relatively more expensive 454 reads have been preferred over less expensive Illumina reads. Here, we use Illumina paired-end sequence data to identify potentially amplifiable SSR loci (PALs) from a snake (the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus), and directly compare these results to those from 454 data. We also compare the python results to results from Illumina sequencing of two bird genomes (Gunnison Sage-grouse, Centrocercus minimus, and Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana), which have considerably fewer SSRs than the python. We show that direct Illumina Seq-to-SSR can identify and characterize thousands of potentially amplifiable SSR loci for as little as $10 per sample--a fraction of the cost of 454 sequencing. Given that Illumina Seq-to-SSR is effective, inexpensive, and reliable even for species such as birds that have few SSR loci, it seems that there are now few situations for which prior hybridization is justifiable.

  19. Overcoming bottlenecks of enzymatic biofuel cell cathodes: crude fungal culture supernatant can help to extend lifetime and reduce cost.

    PubMed

    Sané, Sabine; Jolivalt, Claude; Mittler, Gerhard; Nielsen, Peter J; Rubenwolf, Stefanie; Zengerle, Roland; Kerzenmacher, Sven

    2013-07-01

    Enzymatic biofuel cells (BFCs) show great potential for the direct conversion of biochemically stored energy from renewable biomass resources into electricity. However, enzyme purification is time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the long-term use of enzymatic BFCs is hindered by enzyme degradation, which limits their lifetime to only a few weeks. We show, for the first time, that crude culture supernatant from enzyme-secreting microorganisms (Trametes versicolor) can be used without further treatment to supply the enzyme laccase to the cathode of a mediatorless BFC. Polarization curves show that there is no significant difference in the cathode performance when using crude supernatant that contains laccase compared to purified laccase in culture medium or buffer solution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the oxygen reduction activity of this enzymatic cathode can be sustained over a period of at least 120 days by periodic resupply of crude culture supernatant. This is more than five times longer than control cathodes without the resupply of culture supernatant. During the operation period of 120 days, no progressive loss of potential is observed, which suggests that significantly longer lifetimes than shown in this work may be possible. Our results demonstrate the possibility to establish simple, cost efficient, and mediatorless enzymatic BFC cathodes that do not require expensive enzyme purification procedures. Furthermore, they show the feasibility of an enzymatic BFC with an extended lifetime, in which self-replicating microorganisms provide the electrode with catalytically active enzymes in a continuous or periodic manner. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. High speed printing with polygon scan heads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stutz, Glenn

    2016-03-01

    To reduce and in many cases eliminate the costs associated with high volume printing of consumer and industrial products, this paper investigates and validates the use of the new generation of high speed pulse on demand (POD) lasers in concert with high speed (HS) polygon scan heads (PSH). Associated costs include consumables such as printing ink and nozzles, provisioning labor, maintenance and repair expense as well as reduction of printing lines due to high through put. Targets that are applicable and investigated include direct printing on plastics, printing on paper/cardboard as well as printing on labels. Market segments would include consumer products (CPG), medical and pharmaceutical products, universal ID (UID), and industrial products. In regards to the POD lasers employed, the wavelengths include UV(355nm), Green (532nm) and IR (1064nm) operating within the repetition range of 180 to 250 KHz.

  1. Feeling global, acting ethically: global identification and fairtrade consumption.

    PubMed

    Reese, Gerhard; Kohlmann, Fabienne

    2015-01-01

    Global identification has become a popular construct in recent psychological debate as it relates to harmonious intergroup relations and a caring for all humanity. Based on social identity theorizing, the current research tests whether global identification can also predict consumer choices, at the expense of lower personal benefit. Importantly, we assumed that concerns about global injustice represent a crucial component of that relation. We predicted that participants who identified strongly with all humanity would rather choose a Fairtrade product alternative over a conventional one, compared with low identifiers. In addition, we assumed that this effect be mediated by perceived global injustice. Both predictions were confirmed in a consumer choice study (N = 68). Overall, global identification and globally relevant consumer behavior seem meaningfully interconnected, and we discuss these findings with regard to recent theoretical developments in Fairtrade consumption research.

  2. Raising Cash under Duress and the Role of Cash Value Life Insurance: An Educational Example

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, David T.; Chong, James T.; Phillips, G. Michael

    2018-01-01

    Consumers face hard choices when they need cash quickly. Hard choices can lead to emotional or economically unsound decisions. Traditional classroom discussions of raising funds to pay for expenses usually focus on generating income, borrowing, or the sale of real and financial assets, if hardship is discussed at all. However, many families have…

  3. 49 CFR 826.6 - Allowable fees and expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... these rules may exceed $75 indexed as follows: ER14JN94.001 The CPI to be used is the annual average CPI, All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, except where a local, All Item index is available. Where a local index is available, but results in a manifest inequity vis-a-vis the U.S. City Average...

  4. 49 CFR 826.6 - Allowable fees and expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... these rules may exceed $75 indexed as follows: ER14JN94.001 The CPI to be used is the annual average CPI, All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, except where a local, All Item index is available. Where a local index is available, but results in a manifest inequity vis-a-vis the U.S. City Average...

  5. 18 CFR 35.14 - Fuel cost and purchased economic power adjustment clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ...) The fuel clause shall be of the form that provides for periodic adjustments per kWh of sales equal to... and in the current period: Adjustment Factor =Fm/Sm-Fb/Sb Where: F is the expense of fossil and...) shall be the cost of: (i) Fossil and nuclear fuel consumed in the utility's own plants, and the utility...

  6. 18 CFR 35.14 - Fuel cost and purchased economic power adjustment clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) The fuel clause shall be of the form that provides for periodic adjustments per kWh of sales equal to... and in the current period: Adjustment Factor =Fm/Sm-Fb/Sb Where: F is the expense of fossil and...) shall be the cost of: (i) Fossil and nuclear fuel consumed in the utility's own plants, and the utility...

  7. 18 CFR 35.14 - Fuel cost and purchased economic power adjustment clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ...) The fuel clause shall be of the form that provides for periodic adjustments per kWh of sales equal to... and in the current period: Adjustment Factor =Fm/Sm-Fb/Sb Where: F is the expense of fossil and...) shall be the cost of: (i) Fossil and nuclear fuel consumed in the utility's own plants, and the utility...

  8. 18 CFR 35.14 - Fuel cost and purchased economic power adjustment clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ...) The fuel clause shall be of the form that provides for periodic adjustments per kWh of sales equal to... and in the current period: Adjustment Factor =Fm/Sm-Fb/Sb Where: F is the expense of fossil and...) shall be the cost of: (i) Fossil and nuclear fuel consumed in the utility's own plants, and the utility...

  9. 18 CFR 35.14 - Fuel cost and purchased economic power adjustment clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ...) The fuel clause shall be of the form that provides for periodic adjustments per kWh of sales equal to... and in the current period: Adjustment Factor =Fm/Sm-Fb/Sb Where: F is the expense of fossil and...) shall be the cost of: (i) Fossil and nuclear fuel consumed in the utility's own plants, and the utility...

  10. Searching for New Answers: The Application of Task-Technology Fit to E-Textbook Usage

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerhart, Natalie; Peak, Daniel A.; Prybutok, Victor R.

    2015-01-01

    Students have been slow to adopt e-textbooks even though they are often less expensive than traditional textbooks. Prior e-textbook research has focused on adoption behavior, with little research to date on how students perceive e-textbooks fitting their needs. This work builds upon Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and Consumer Acceptance and Use of…

  11. Mechanical properties of small-scale wood laminated composite poles

    Treesearch

    Cheng Piao; Todd F. Shupe; Chung Y. Hse

    2004-01-01

    Power companies in the United States consume millions of solid wood poles every year. These poles are from high-valued trees that are becoming more expensive and less available. wood laminated composite poles (LCP) are a novel alternative to solid wood poles. LCP consists of trapezoid wood strips that are bonded by a synthetic resin. The wood strips can be made from...

  12. An efficient method for native protein purification in the selected range from prostate cancer tissue digests

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

    Ahmad, Rumana; Nicora, Carrie D.; Shukla, Anil K.

    Prostate cancer (CP) cells differ from their normal counterpart in gene expression. Genes encoding secreted or extracellular proteins with increased expression in CP may serve as potential biomarkers. For their detection and quantification, assays based on monoclonal antibodies are best suited for development in a clinical setting. One approach to obtain antibodies is to use recombinant proteins as immunogen. However, the synthesis of recombinant protein for each identified candidate is time-consuming and expensive. It is also not practical to generate high quality antibodies to all identified candidates individually. Furthermore, non-native forms (e.g., recombinant) of proteins may not always lead tomore » useful antibodies. Our approach was to purify a subset of proteins from CP tissue specimens for use as immunogen.« less

  13. Chapter 15: Disease Gene Prioritization

    PubMed Central

    Bromberg, Yana

    2013-01-01

    Disease-causing aberrations in the normal function of a gene define that gene as a disease gene. Proving a causal link between a gene and a disease experimentally is expensive and time-consuming. Comprehensive prioritization of candidate genes prior to experimental testing drastically reduces the associated costs. Computational gene prioritization is based on various pieces of correlative evidence that associate each gene with the given disease and suggest possible causal links. A fair amount of this evidence comes from high-throughput experimentation. Thus, well-developed methods are necessary to reliably deal with the quantity of information at hand. Existing gene prioritization techniques already significantly improve the outcomes of targeted experimental studies. Faster and more reliable techniques that account for novel data types are necessary for the development of new diagnostics, treatments, and cure for many diseases. PMID:23633938

  14. Microfluidics-Based Lab-on-Chip Systems in DNA-Based Biosensing: An Overview

    PubMed Central

    Dutse, Sabo Wada; Yusof, Nor Azah

    2011-01-01

    Microfluidics-based lab-on-chip (LOC) systems are an active research area that is revolutionising high-throughput sequencing for the fast, sensitive and accurate detection of a variety of pathogens. LOCs also serve as portable diagnostic tools. The devices provide optimum control of nanolitre volumes of fluids and integrate various bioassay operations that allow the devices to rapidly sense pathogenic threat agents for environmental monitoring. LOC systems, such as microfluidic biochips, offer advantages compared to conventional identification procedures that are tedious, expensive and time consuming. This paper aims to provide a broad overview of the need for devices that are easy to operate, sensitive, fast, portable and sufficiently reliable to be used as complementary tools for the control of pathogenic agents that damage the environment. PMID:22163925

  15. Diagnostic tool for structural health monitoring: effect of material nonlinearity and vibro-impact process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hiwarkar, V. R.; Babitsky, V. I.; Silberschmidt, V. V.

    2013-07-01

    Numerous techniques are available for monitoring structural health. Most of these techniques are expensive and time-consuming. In this paper, vibration-based techniques are explored together with their use as diagnostic tools for structural health monitoring. Finite-element simulations are used to study the effect of material nonlinearity on dynamics of a cracked bar. Additionally, several experiments are performed to study the effect of vibro-impact behavior of crack on its dynamics. It was observed that a change in the natural frequency of the cracked bar due to crack-tip plasticity and vibro-impact behavior linked to interaction of crack faces, obtained from experiments, led to generation of higher harmonics; this can be used as a diagnostic tool for structural health monitoring.

  16. Old knowledge and new technologies allow rapid development of model organisms

    PubMed Central

    Cook, Charles E.; Chenevert, Janet; Larsson, Tomas A.; Arendt, Detlev; Houliston, Evelyn; Lénárt, Péter

    2016-01-01

    Until recently the set of “model” species used commonly for cell biology was limited to a small number of well-understood organisms, and developing a new model was prohibitively expensive or time-consuming. With the current rapid advances in technology, in particular low-cost high-throughput sequencing, it is now possible to develop molecular resources fairly rapidly. Wider sampling of biological diversity can only accelerate progress in addressing cellular mechanisms and shed light on how they are adapted to varied physiological contexts. Here we illustrate how historical knowledge and new technologies can reveal the potential of nonconventional organisms, and we suggest guidelines for selecting new experimental models. We also present examples of nonstandard marine metazoan model species that have made important contributions to our understanding of biological processes. PMID:26976934

  17. Crashworthiness: Planes, trains, and automobiles

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

    Logan, R.W.; Tokarz, F.J.; Whirley, R.G.

    A powerful DYNA3D computer code simulates the dynamic effects of stress traveling through structures. It is the most advanced modeling tool available to study crashworthiness problems and to analyze impacts. Now used by some 1000 companies, government research laboratories, and universities in the U.S. and abroad, DYNA3D is also a preeminent example of successful technology transfer. The initial interest in such a code was to simulate the structural response of weapons systems. The need was to model not the explosive or nuclear events themselves but rather the impacts of weapons systems with the ground, tracking the stress waves as theymore » move through the object. This type of computer simulation augmented or, in certain cases, reduced the need for expensive and time-consuming crash testing.« less

  18. Fabrication of Composite Combustion Chamber/Nozzle for Fastrac Engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lawerence, T.; Beshears, R.; Burlingame, S.; Peters, W.; Prince, M.; Suits, M.; Tillery, S.; Burns, L.; Kovach, M.; Roberts, K.; hide

    2000-01-01

    The Fastrac Engine developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center for the X-34 vehicle began as a low cost engine development program for a small booster system. One of the key components to reducing the engine cost was the development of an inexpensive combustion chamber/nozzle. Fabrication of a regeneratively cooled thrust chamber and nozzle was considered too expensive and time consuming. In looking for an alternate design concept, the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project provided an extensive background with ablative composite materials in a combustion environment. An integral combustion chamber/nozzle was designed and fabricated with a silica/phenolic ablative liner and a carbon/epoxy structural overwrap. This paper describes the fabrication process and developmental hurdles overcome for the Fastrac engine one-piece composite combustion chamber/nozzle.

  19. Fabrication of Composite Combustion Chamber/Nozzle for Fastrac Engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lawrence, T.; Beshears, R.; Burlingame, S.; Peters, W.; Prince, M.; Suits, M.; Tillery, S.; Burns, L.; Kovach, M.; Roberts, K.

    2001-01-01

    The Fastrac Engine developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center for the X-34 vehicle began as a low cost engine development program for a small booster system. One of the key components to reducing the engine cost was the development of an inexpensive combustion chamber/nozzle. Fabrication of a regeneratively cooled thrust chamber and nozzle was considered too expensive and time consuming. In looking for an alternate design concept, the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project provided an extensive background with ablative composite materials in a combustion environment. An integral combustion chamber/nozzle was designed and fabricated with a silica/phenolic ablative liner and a carbon/epoxy structural overwrap. This paper describes the fabrication process and developmental hurdles overcome for the Fastrac engine one-piece composite combustion chamber/nozzle.

  20. Nondestructive examination of recovery stage during annealing of a cold-rolled low-carbon steel using eddy current testing technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seyfpour, M.; Ghanei, S.; Mazinani, M.; Kashefi, M.; Davis, C.

    2018-04-01

    The recovery process in steel is usually investigated by conventional destructive tests that are expensive, time-consuming and also cumbersome. In this study, an alternative non-destructive test technique (based on eddy current testing) is used to characterise the recovery process during annealing of cold-rolled low-carbon steels. For assessing the reliability of eddy current results corresponding to different levels of recovery, X-ray line broadening analysis is also employed. It is shown that there is a strong relationship between eddy current outputs and the extent to which recovery occurs at different annealing temperatures. Accordingly, the non-destructive eddy current test technique represents the potential to be used as a reliable process for detection of the occurrence of recovery in the steel microstructure.

  1. Repurposing Auranofin, Ebselen, and PX-12 as Antimicrobial Agents Targeting the Thioredoxin System

    PubMed Central

    May, Holly C.; Yu, Jieh-Juen; Guentzel, M. N.; Chambers, James P.; Cap, Andrew P.; Arulanandam, Bernard P.

    2018-01-01

    As microbial resistance to drugs continues to rise at an alarming rate, finding new ways to combat pathogens is an issue of utmost importance. Development of novel and specific antimicrobial drugs is a time-consuming and expensive process. However, the re-purposing of previously tested and/or approved drugs could be a feasible way to circumvent this long and costly process. In this review, we evaluate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tested drugs auranofin, ebselen, and PX-12 as antimicrobial agents targeting the thioredoxin system. These drugs have been shown to act on bacterial, fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens without significant toxicity to the host. We propose that the thioredoxin system could serve as a useful therapeutic target with broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. PMID:29556223

  2. Closing the Gaps in Offshore P&A: Lessons Learned From the North Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torsater, M.

    2017-12-01

    This talk will give an overview of the major challenges related to offshore well plugging and abandonment (P&A) with examples from the North Sea. The talk will outline why today's P&A operations are so time consuming and expensive, and it will point out current technology gaps and issues related to standards and regulations in the North Sea countries. Emerging P&A solutions will be discussed, and results from large ongoing research projects in Norway will be shared. Special emphasis will be given to promising new concepts, such as using creeping shale formations as permanent well barriers, and using thermal methods for removal of tubing and casing. The long-term aspects of well plugging will also be discussed, together with methods available for minimizing leakage risk.

  3. A computer-based training system combining virtual reality and multimedia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stansfield, Sharon A.

    1993-01-01

    Training new users of complex machines is often an expensive and time-consuming process. This is particularly true for special purpose systems, such as those frequently encountered in DOE applications. This paper presents a computer-based training system intended as a partial solution to this problem. The system extends the basic virtual reality (VR) training paradigm by adding a multimedia component which may be accessed during interaction with the virtual environment. The 3D model used to create the virtual reality is also used as the primary navigation tool through the associated multimedia. This method exploits the natural mapping between a virtual world and the real world that it represents to provide a more intuitive way for the student to interact with all forms of information about the system.

  4. Model of Fluidized Bed Containing Reacting Solids and Gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bellan, Josette; Lathouwers, Danny

    2003-01-01

    A mathematical model has been developed for describing the thermofluid dynamics of a dense, chemically reacting mixture of solid particles and gases. As used here, "dense" signifies having a large volume fraction of particles, as for example in a bubbling fluidized bed. The model is intended especially for application to fluidized beds that contain mixtures of carrier gases, biomass undergoing pyrolysis, and sand. So far, the design of fluidized beds and other gas/solid industrial processing equipment has been based on empirical correlations derived from laboratory- and pilot-scale units. The present mathematical model is a product of continuing efforts to develop a computational capability for optimizing the designs of fluidized beds and related equipment on the basis of first principles. Such a capability could eliminate the need for expensive, time-consuming predesign testing.

  5. IEC 61850: Technology Standards and Cyber-Security Threats

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

    Youssef, Tarek A; El Hariri, mohamed; Bugay, Nicole

    Substations constitute a fundamental part in providing reliable electricity to consumers. For a substation to maintain electricity reliability and its own real-time operability, communication between its components is inevitable. Before the emergence of IEC 61850, inter-substation communication was established via expensive copper wires with limited capabilities. IEC 61850 is the standard set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee Number 57 Working Group 10 and IEEE for Ethernet (IEEE 802.3)-based communication in electrical substations. Like many power grid systems standards, IEC 61850 was set without extensive consideration for critical security measures. This paper discusses IEC 61850 technology standards andmore » applications thoroughly and points out major security vulnerabilities it introduces in the context of current cyber-physical smart grid systems.« less

  6. Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2013 Data)

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

    Heeter, J.; Belyeu, K.; Kuskova-Burns, K.

    Voluntary green power markets are those in which consumers and institutions voluntarily purchase renewable energy to match their electricity needs. This report surveys utilities, competitive suppliers, renewable energy certificate (REC) marketers, and, for the first time, the community choice aggregation market. This report finds that the voluntary market totaled 62 million megawatt-hours in 2013. Approximately 5.4 million customers are purchasing green power. This report presents data and analysis on voluntary market sales and customer participation, products and premiums, green pricing marketing, and administrative expenses. The report also details trends in REC tracking systems, REC pricing in voluntary and compliance markets,more » community and crowd-funded solar, and interest in renewable energy by the information and communication technologies sector.« less

  7. Implementation Of Quality Management System For Irradiation Processing Services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lungu, Ion-Bogdan; Manea, Maria-Mihaela

    2015-07-01

    In today's market, due to an increasing competitiveness, quality management has set itself as an indispensable tool and a reference point for every business. It is ultimately focused on customer satisfaction which is a stringent factor for every business. Implementing and maintaining a QMS is a rather difficult, time consuming and expensive process which must be done with respect of many factors. The aim of this paper is to present a case study for implementing QMS ISO 9001 in a gamma irradiation treatment service provider. The research goals are the identification of key benefits, reasons, advantages, disadvantages, drawbacks etc for a successful QMS implementation and use. Finally, the expected results focus on creating a general framework for implementing an efficient QMS plan that can be easily adapted to other kind of services and markets.

  8. Next Generation Sequencing Approach in a Prenatal Case of Cardio-Facio-Cutaneus Syndrome.

    PubMed

    Mucciolo, Mafalda; Dello Russo, Claudio; D'Emidio, Laura; Mesoraca, Alvaro; Giorlandino, Claudio

    2016-06-16

    Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFCS) belongs to a group of developmental disorders due to defects in the Ras/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (RAS/MAPK) signaling pathway named RASophaties. While postnatal presentation of these disorders is well known, the prenatal and neonatal characteristics are less recognized. Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome, and CFCS diagnosis should be considered in pregnancies with a normal karyotype and in the case of ultrasound findings such as increased nuchal translucency, polyhydramnios, macrosomia and cardiac defect. Because all the RASopathies share similar clinical features, their molecular characterization is complex, time consuming and expensive. Here we report a case of CFCS prenatally diagnosed through Next Generation Prenatal Diagnosis (NGPD), a new targeted approach that allows us to concurrently investigate all the genes involved in the RASophaties.

  9. Next Generation Sequencing Approach in a Prenatal Case of Cardio-Facio-Cutaneus Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Mucciolo, Mafalda; Dello Russo, Claudio; D’Emidio, Laura; Mesoraca, Alvaro; Giorlandino, Claudio

    2016-01-01

    Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFCS) belongs to a group of developmental disorders due to defects in the Ras/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (RAS/MAPK) signaling pathway named RASophaties. While postnatal presentation of these disorders is well known, the prenatal and neonatal characteristics are less recognized. Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome, and CFCS diagnosis should be considered in pregnancies with a normal karyotype and in the case of ultrasound findings such as increased nuchal translucency, polyhydramnios, macrosomia and cardiac defect. Because all the RASopathies share similar clinical features, their molecular characterization is complex, time consuming and expensive. Here we report a case of CFCS prenatally diagnosed through Next Generation Prenatal Diagnosis (NGPD), a new targeted approach that allows us to concurrently investigate all the genes involved in the RASophaties. PMID:27322245

  10. Rapid and efficient gene delivery into the adult mouse brain via focal electroporation

    PubMed Central

    Nomura, Tadashi; Nishimura, Yusuke; Gotoh, Hitoshi; Ono, Katsuhiko

    2016-01-01

    In vivo gene delivery is required for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of various biological events. Virus-mediated gene transfer or generation of transgenic animals is widely used; however, these methods are time-consuming and expensive. Here we show an improved electroporation technique for acute gene delivery into the adult mouse brain. Using a syringe-based microelectrode, local DNA injection and the application of electric current can be performed simultaneously; this allows rapid and efficient gene transduction of adult non-neuronal cells. Combining this technique with various expression vectors that carry specific promoters resulted in targeted gene expression in astrocytic cells. Our results constitute a powerful strategy for the genetic manipulation of adult brains in a spatio-temporally controlled manner. PMID:27430903

  11. Redox imbalance stress in diabetes mellitus: Role of the polyol pathway.

    PubMed

    Yan, Liang-Jun

    2018-03-01

    In diabetes mellitus, the polyol pathway is highly active and consumes approximately 30% glucose in the body. This pathway contains 2 reactions catalyzed by aldose reductase (AR) and sorbitol dehydrogenase, respectively. AR reduces glucose to sorbitol at the expense of NADPH, while sorbitol dehydrogenase converts sorbitol to fructose at the expense of NAD + , leading to NADH production. Consumption of NADPH, accumulation of sorbitol, and generation of fructose and NADH have all been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. In this review, the roles of this pathway in NADH/NAD + redox imbalance stress and oxidative stress in diabetes are highlighted. A potential intervention using nicotinamide riboside to restore redox balance as an approach to fighting diabetes is also discussed.

  12. A model for estimating pathogen variability in shellfish and predicting minimum depuration times.

    PubMed

    McMenemy, Paul; Kleczkowski, Adam; Lees, David N; Lowther, James; Taylor, Nick

    2018-01-01

    Norovirus is a major cause of viral gastroenteritis, with shellfish consumption being identified as one potential norovirus entry point into the human population. Minimising shellfish norovirus levels is therefore important for both the consumer's protection and the shellfish industry's reputation. One method used to reduce microbiological risks in shellfish is depuration; however, this process also presents additional costs to industry. Providing a mechanism to estimate norovirus levels during depuration would therefore be useful to stakeholders. This paper presents a mathematical model of the depuration process and its impact on norovirus levels found in shellfish. Two fundamental stages of norovirus depuration are considered: (i) the initial distribution of norovirus loads within a shellfish population and (ii) the way in which the initial norovirus loads evolve during depuration. Realistic assumptions are made about the dynamics of norovirus during depuration, and mathematical descriptions of both stages are derived and combined into a single model. Parameters to describe the depuration effect and norovirus load values are derived from existing norovirus data obtained from U.K. harvest sites. However, obtaining population estimates of norovirus variability is time-consuming and expensive; this model addresses the issue by assuming a 'worst case scenario' for variability of pathogens, which is independent of mean pathogen levels. The model is then used to predict minimum depuration times required to achieve norovirus levels which fall within possible risk management levels, as well as predictions of minimum depuration times for other water-borne pathogens found in shellfish. Times for Escherichia coli predicted by the model all fall within the minimum 42 hours required for class B harvest sites, whereas minimum depuration times for norovirus and FRNA+ bacteriophage are substantially longer. Thus this study provides relevant information and tools to assist norovirus risk managers with future control strategies.

  13. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing: A Comparative Cost Analysis of Whole-Breast Radiotherapy Versus Balloon-Based Brachytherapy in the Management of Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

    PubMed

    Schutzer, Matthew E; Arthur, Douglas W; Anscher, Mitchell S

    2016-05-01

    Value in health care is defined as outcomes achieved per dollar spent, and understanding cost is critical to delivering high-value care. Traditional costing methods reflect charges rather than fundamental costs to provide a service. The more rigorous method of time-driven activity-based costing was used to compare cost between whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT) and accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) using balloon-based brachytherapy. For WBRT (25 fractions with five-fraction boost) and APBI (10 fractions twice daily), process maps were created outlining each activity from consultation to post-treatment follow up. Through staff interviews, time estimates were obtained for each activity. The capacity cost rates (CCR), defined as cost per minute, were calculated for personnel, equipment, and physical space. Total cost was calculated by multiplying the time required of each resource by its CCR. This was then summed and combined with cost of consumable materials. The total cost for WBRT was $5,333 and comprised 56% personnel costs and 44% space/equipment costs. For APBI, the total cost was $6,941 (30% higher than WBRT) and comprised 51% personnel costs, 6% space/equipment costs, and 43% consumable materials costs. The attending physician had the highest CCR of all personnel ($4.28/min), and APBI required 24% more attending time than WBRT. The most expensive activity for APBI was balloon placement and for WBRT was computed tomography simulation. APBI cost more than WBRT when using the dose/fractionation schemes analyzed. Future research should use time-driven activity-based costing to better understand cost with the aim of reducing expenditure and defining bundled payments. Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  14. A Method for the Immortalization of Newborn Mouse Skin Keratinocytes

    PubMed Central

    Hammiller, Brianna O.; El-Abaseri, Taghrid Bahig; Dlugosz, Andrzej A.; Hansen, Laura A.

    2015-01-01

    Isolation and culture of mouse primary epidermal keratinocytes is a common technique that allows for easy genetic and environmental manipulation. However, due to their limited lifespan in culture, experiments utilizing primary keratinocytes require large numbers of animals, and are time consuming and expensive. To avoid these issues, we developed a method for the immortalization of primary mouse epidermal keratinocytes. Upon isolation of newborn epidermal keratinocytes according to established methods, the cells were cultured long-term in keratinocyte growth factor-containing medium. The cells senesced within a few weeks and eventually, small, slowly growing colonies emerged. After they regained confluency, the cells were passaged and slowly refilled the dish. With several rounds of subculture, the cells adapted to culture conditions, were easily subcultured, maintained normal morphology, and were apparently immortal. The immortalized cells retained the ability to differentiate with increased calcium concentrations, and were maintained to high passage numbers while maintaining a relatively stable karyotype. Analysis of multiple immortalized cell lines as well as primary keratinocyte cultures revealed increased numbers of chromosomes, especially in the primary keratinocytes, and chromosomal aberrations in most of the immortalized cultures and in the primary keratinocytes. Orthotopic grafting of immortalized keratinocytes together with fibroblasts onto nude mouse hosts produced skin while v-rasHa infection of the immortalized keratinocytes prior to grafting produced squamous cell carcinoma. In summary, this method of cell line generation allows for decreased use of animals, reduces the expense and time involved in research, and provides a useful model for cutaneous keratinocyte experimentation. PMID:26284198

  15. Base-Calling Algorithm with Vocabulary (BCV) Method for Analyzing Population Sequencing Chromatograms

    PubMed Central

    Fantin, Yuri S.; Neverov, Alexey D.; Favorov, Alexander V.; Alvarez-Figueroa, Maria V.; Braslavskaya, Svetlana I.; Gordukova, Maria A.; Karandashova, Inga V.; Kuleshov, Konstantin V.; Myznikova, Anna I.; Polishchuk, Maya S.; Reshetov, Denis A.; Voiciehovskaya, Yana A.; Mironov, Andrei A.; Chulanov, Vladimir P.

    2013-01-01

    Sanger sequencing is a common method of reading DNA sequences. It is less expensive than high-throughput methods, and it is appropriate for numerous applications including molecular diagnostics. However, sequencing mixtures of similar DNA of pathogens with this method is challenging. This is important because most clinical samples contain such mixtures, rather than pure single strains. The traditional solution is to sequence selected clones of PCR products, a complicated, time-consuming, and expensive procedure. Here, we propose the base-calling with vocabulary (BCV) method that computationally deciphers Sanger chromatograms obtained from mixed DNA samples. The inputs to the BCV algorithm are a chromatogram and a dictionary of sequences that are similar to those we expect to obtain. We apply the base-calling function on a test dataset of chromatograms without ambiguous positions, as well as one with 3–14% sequence degeneracy. Furthermore, we use BCV to assemble a consensus sequence for an HIV genome fragment in a sample containing a mixture of viral DNA variants and to determine the positions of the indels. Finally, we detect drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains carrying frameshift mutations mixed with wild-type bacteria in the pncA gene, and roughly characterize bacterial communities in clinical samples by direct 16S rRNA sequencing. PMID:23382983

  16. Current CFD Practices in Launch Vehicle Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kwak, Dochan; Kiris, Cetin

    2012-01-01

    The quest for sustained space exploration will require the development of advanced launch vehicles, and efficient and reliable operating systems. Development of launch vehicles via test-fail-fix approach is very expensive and time consuming. For decision making, modeling and simulation (M&S) has played increasingly important roles in many aspects of launch vehicle development. It is therefore essential to develop and maintain most advanced M&S capability. More specifically computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been providing critical data for developing launch vehicles complementing expensive testing. During the past three decades CFD capability has increased remarkably along with advances in computer hardware and computing technology. However, most of the fundamental CFD capability in launch vehicle applications is derived from the past advances. Specific gaps in the solution procedures are being filled primarily through "piggy backed" efforts.on various projects while solving today's problems. Therefore, some of the advanced capabilities are not readily available for various new tasks, and mission-support problems are often analyzed using ad hoc approaches. The current report is intended to present our view on state-of-the-art (SOA) in CFD and its shortcomings in support of space transport vehicle development. Best practices in solving current issues will be discussed using examples from ascending launch vehicles. Some of the pacing will be discussed in conjunction with these examples.

  17. Plywood Inlays Thourgh CO2 Laser Cutting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pires, Margarida C.; Araujo, J. L.; Teixeira, M. Ribau; Rodrigues, F. Carvalho

    1989-07-01

    Furniture with inlays is rather expensive. This is so on two accounts: Firstly, furniture with inlays is generally manufactured with solid wood.Secondly,wood carving and figure cutting are both time consuming and they produce a high rate of rejections. To add to it all the cutting and carving of minute figures requires an outstanding craftmanship. In fact the craftman is in most instance the artist and also the manufacturer. While desiring that the high artistic level is maintained in the industry the search for new method to produce inlays for furniture in not son expensive materials and to produce them in a repetitive and flexible way laser cutting of plywood was found to be quite suitable. This paper presents the charts for CO2 laser cutting of both positive and negatives in several types of plywood. The main problem is not so much the cutting of the positive and negatives pieces but to be able to cut the piece in a way that the fitting is done without any problems caused by the ever present charring effect, which takes palce at the edges of the cut pieces. To minimise this aspect positive and negative pieces have to be cut under stringent focusing conditions and with slight different scales. The condittions for our machine are presented.

  18. Cell sheet engineering using the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue as a vascularization strategy.

    PubMed

    Costa, Marina; Cerqueira, Mariana T; Santos, Tírcia C; Sampaio-Marques, Belém; Ludovico, Paula; Marques, Alexandra P; Pirraco, Rogério P; Reis, Rui L

    2017-06-01

    Current vascularization strategies for Tissue Engineering constructs, in particular cell sheet-based, are limited by time-consuming and expensive endothelial cell isolation and/or by the complexity of using extrinsic growth factors. Herein, we propose an alternative strategy using angiogenic cell sheets (CS) obtained from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue that can be incorporated into more complex constructs. Cells from the SVF were cultured in normoxic and hypoxic conditions for up to 8days in the absence of extrinsic growth factors. Immunocytochemistry against CD31 and CD146 revealed spontaneous organization in capillary-like structures, more complex after hypoxic conditioning. Inhibition of HIF-1α pathway hindered capillary-like structure formation in SVF cells cultured in hypoxia, suggesting a role of HIF-1α. Moreover, hypoxic SVF cells showed a trend for increased secretion of angiogenic factors, which was reflected in increased network formation by endothelial cells cultured on matrigel using that conditioned medium. In vivo implantation of SVF CS in a mouse hind limb ischemia model revealed that hypoxia-conditioned CS led to improved restoration of blood flow. Both in vitro and in vivo data suggest that SVF CS can be used as simple and cost-efficient tools to promote functional vascularization of TE constructs. Neovascularization after implantation is a major obstacle for producing clinically viable cell sheet-based tissue engineered constructs. Strategies using endothelial cells and extrinsic angiogenic growth factors are expensive and time consuming and may raise concerns of tumorigenicity. In this manuscript, we describe a simplified approach using angiogenic cell sheets fabricated from the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue. The strong angiogenic behavior of these cell sheets, achieved without the use of external growth factors, was further stimulated by low oxygen culture. When implanted in an in vivo model of hind limb ischemia, the angiogenic cell sheets contributed to blood flux recovery. These cell sheets can therefore be used as a straightforward tool to increase the neovascularization of cell sheet-based thick constructs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Tempest in a teapot: utility advertising

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

    Ciscel, D.H.

    Utility sales programs represent a form of organizational slack. It is an expense that can be traded off in times of administrative stress, providing a satisfactory payment to the consumer while maintaining the integrity of the present institutional arrangement. Because it is a trade-off commodity, regulatory control of utility advertising will remain a ''tempest in a teapot.'' Marketing programs are an integral part of the selling process in the modern corporation, and severe restrictions on advertising must be temporary in nature. Court cases have pointed out that utility companies need to inform the consumer about the use of the productmore » and to promote demand for the product. These actions will be considered legally reasonable no matter what the final disposition of current environmental regulations and energy restrictions. In fact, as acceptable social solutions develop for environmental and energy supply problems, the pressure on utility advertising can be expected to fall proportionately. However, the utility still represents the largest industrial concern in most locales. The utility advertising program makes the company even more visible. When there is public dissatisfaction with the more complex parts of the utility delivery system, the raucous voice of outrage will emerge from this tempestuous teapot.« less

  20. Thermally assisted sensor for conformity assessment of biodiesel production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawano, M. S.; Kamikawachi, R. C.; Fabris, J. L.; Muller, M.

    2015-02-01

    Although biodiesel can be intentionally tampered with, impairing its quality, ineffective production processes may also result in a nonconforming final fuel. For an incomplete transesterification reaction, traces of alcohol (ethanol or methanol) or remaining raw material (vegetable oil or animal fats) may be harmful to consumers, the environment or to engines. Traditional methods for biodiesel assessment are complex, time consuming and expensive, leading to the need for the development of new and more versatile processes for quality control. This work describes a refractometric fibre optic based sensor that is thermally assisted, developed to quantify the remaining methanol or vegetable oil in biodiesel blends. The sensing relies on a long period grating to configure an in-fibre interferometer. A complete analytical routine is demonstrated for the sensor allowing the evaluation of the biodiesel blends without segregation of the components. The results show the sensor can determine the presence of oil or methanol in biodiesel with a concentration ranging from 0% to 10% v/v. The sensor presented a resolution and standard combined uncertainty of 0.013% v/v and 0.62% v/v for biodiesel-oil samples, and 0.007% v/v and 0.22% v/v for biodiesel-methanol samples, respectively.

  1. Variation in foliar respiration and wood CO2 efflux rates among species and canopy layers in a wet tropical forest

    Treesearch

    Shinichi Asao; Ricardo Bedoya-Arrieta; Michael G. Ryan

    2014-01-01

    As tropical forests respond to environmental change, autotrophic respiration may consume a greater proportion of carbon fixed in photosynthesis at the expense of growth, potentially turning the forests into a carbon source. Predicting such a response requires that we measure and place autotrophic respiration in a complete carbon budget, but extrapolating measurements...

  2. 26 CFR 1.274-4 - Disallowance of certain foreign travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... paragraph (d) of this section) constitutes 25 percent or more of the total time on such travel. (c) Travel... percent or more of travel time under paragraph (d) of this section and for purposes of allocating expenses... percent or more of travel time—(1) In general. This section does not apply to any expense of travel...

  3. 26 CFR 1.274-4 - Disallowance of certain foreign travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... paragraph (d) of this section) constitutes 25 percent or more of the total time on such travel. (c) Travel... percent or more of travel time under paragraph (d) of this section and for purposes of allocating expenses... percent or more of travel time—(1) In general. This section does not apply to any expense of travel...

  4. 26 CFR 1.274-4 - Disallowance of certain foreign travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... paragraph (d) of this section) constitutes 25 percent or more of the total time on such travel. (c) Travel... percent or more of travel time under paragraph (d) of this section and for purposes of allocating expenses... percent or more of travel time—(1) In general. This section does not apply to any expense of travel...

  5. 26 CFR 1.274-4 - Disallowance of certain foreign travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... paragraph (d) of this section) constitutes 25 percent or more of the total time on such travel. (c) Travel... percent or more of travel time under paragraph (d) of this section and for purposes of allocating expenses... percent or more of travel time—(1) In general. This section does not apply to any expense of travel...

  6. 26 CFR 1.274-4 - Disallowance of certain foreign travel expenses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... paragraph (d) of this section) constitutes 25 percent or more of the total time on such travel. (c) Travel... percent or more of travel time under paragraph (d) of this section and for purposes of allocating expenses... percent or more of travel time—(1) In general. This section does not apply to any expense of travel...

  7. Rationale and evidence for menu-labeling legislation.

    PubMed

    Roberto, Christina A; Schwartz, Marlene B; Brownell, Kelly D

    2009-12-01

    Menu-labeling legislation is a proposed public health intervention for poor diet and obesity that requires chain restaurants to provide nutrition information on menus and menu boards. The restaurant industry has strongly opposed menu-labeling legislation. Using scientific evidence, this paper counters industry arguments against menu labeling by demonstrating that consumers want chain restaurant nutrition information to be disclosed; the current methods of providing nutrition information are inadequate; the expense of providing nutrition information is minimal; the government has the legal right to mandate disclosure of information; consumers have the right to know nutrition information; a lack of information reduces the efficiency of a market economy; and menu labeling has the potential to make a positive public health impact.

  8. The Impact of Consumer Numeracy on the Purchase of Long-Term Care Insurance.

    PubMed

    McGarry, Brian E; Temkin-Greener, Helena; Chapman, Benjamin P; Grabowski, David C; Li, Yue

    2016-08-01

    To determine the effect of consumers' numeric abilities on the likelihood of owning private long-term care insurance. The 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of Americans age 50 and older, was used (n = 12,796). Multivariate logistic regression was used to isolate the relationship between numeracy and long-term care insurance ownership. Each additional question answered correctly on a numeracy scale was associated with a 13 percent increase in the likelihood of holding LTCI, after controlling for predictors of policy demand, education, and cognitive function. Poor numeracy may create barriers to long-term care insurance purchase. Policy efforts aimed at increasing consumer decision support or restructuring the marketplace for long-term care insurance may be needed to increase older adults' ability to prepare for future long-term care expenses. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  9. Using economic policy to tackle chronic disease: options for the Australian Government.

    PubMed

    Kaplin, Lauren; Thow, Anne Marie

    2013-03-01

    Australia suffers from one of the highest prevalences among developed countries of persons being overweight and obese, these conditions arising from the overconsumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods that are generally less expensive than healthier options. One potential avenue for intervention is to influence the price of foods such that healthier options are less expensive and, therefore, are an easier choice to make. This article considers the potential for fiscal policies that would realign food prices with health incentives. Through a review of consumption taxes, consumer subsidies, trade policies, agricultural support policies, and other incentive programs as possible avenues for intervention, this article asks what the Commonwealth Government has already done to help improve Australian diets, and looks at where further improvements could be made.

  10. Recommendations for patient engagement in guideline development panels: A qualitative focus group study of guideline-naïve patients.

    PubMed

    Armstrong, Melissa J; Mullins, C Daniel; Gronseth, Gary S; Gagliardi, Anna R

    2017-01-01

    Patient and consumer engagement in clinical practice guideline development is internationally advocated, but limited research explores mechanisms for successful engagement. To investigate the perspectives of potential patient/consumer guideline representatives on topics pertaining to engagement including guideline development group composition and barriers to and facilitators of engagement. Participants were guideline-naïve volunteers for programs designed to link community members to academic research with diverse ages, gender, race, and degrees of experience interacting with health care professionals. Three focus groups and one key informant interview were conducted and analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Participants recommended small, diverse guideline development groups engaging multiple patient/consumer stakeholders with no prior relationships with each other or professional panel members. No consensus was achieved on the ideal balance of patient/consumer and professional stakeholders. Pre-meeting reading/training and an identified contact person were described as keys to successful early engagement; skilled facilitators, understandable speech and language, and established mechanisms for soliciting patient opinions were suggested to enhance engagement at meetings. Most suggestions for effective patient/consumer engagement in guidelines require forethought and planning but little additional expense, making these strategies easily accessible to guideline developers desiring to achieve more meaningful patient and consumer engagement.

  11. The language of risk: common understanding or diverse perspectives?

    PubMed

    Clancy, Leonie; Happell, Brenda; Moxham, Lorna

    2014-07-01

    Risk as a concept now takes high priority in contemporary mental health services, with increasing pressure on mental health services to develop risk assessment and management practices. This focus on risk has been criticised for its over-reliance on measurement and management at the expense of therapeutic care and is perpetuated by the language of risk which reinforces power differentials and limits capacity for consumers and carers to influence discussions and debates. Furthermore, to date, most work in this area reflects adult settings with limited consideration of the unique needs of older people and the impact of risk assessment on the care they receive. A qualitative, exploratory approach was undertaken using individual interviews and focus groups to enhance understanding of how risk is conceptualised within an older persons' setting. Managers, clinicians, consumers, and carers from a large metropolitan service participated (n = 57). The language of risk was a major theme emerging from this work. This language, so familiar to providers of services, was not familiar to consumers and carers. A reframing of risk is necessary to reflect consumers' and carers' experiences and understandings. This approach will be essential in promoting consumer and carer participation within recovery-based services, reflecting significant goals of government policy.

  12. Combining users' activity survey and simulators to evaluate human activity recognition systems.

    PubMed

    Azkune, Gorka; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

    2015-04-08

    Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant.

  13. A correlative study on data from pork carcass and processed meat (Bauernspeck) for automatic estimation of chemical parameters by means of near-infrared spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Boschetti, Lucio; Ottavian, Matteo; Facco, Pierantonio; Barolo, Massimiliano; Serva, Lorenzo; Balzan, Stefania; Novelli, Enrico

    2013-11-01

    The use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is proposed in this study for the characterization of the quality parameters of a smoked and dry-cured meat product known as Bauernspeck (originally from Northern Italy), as well as of some technological traits of the pork carcass used for its manufacturing. In particular, NIRS is shown to successfully estimate several key quality parameters (including water activity, moisture, dry matter, ash and protein content), suggesting its suitability for real time application in replacement of expensive and time consuming chemical analysis. Furthermore, a correlative approach based on canonical correlation analysis was used to investigate the spectral regions that are mostly correlated to the characteristics of interest. The identification of these regions, which can be linked to the absorbance of the main functional chemical groups, is intended to provide a better understanding of the chemical structure of the substrate under investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Randomized Approaches for Nearest Neighbor Search in Metric Space When Computing the Pairwise Distance Is Extremely Expensive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Lusheng; Yang, Yong; Lin, Guohui

    Finding the closest object for a query in a database is a classical problem in computer science. For some modern biological applications, computing the similarity between two objects might be very time consuming. For example, it takes a long time to compute the edit distance between two whole chromosomes and the alignment cost of two 3D protein structures. In this paper, we study the nearest neighbor search problem in metric space, where the pair-wise distance between two objects in the database is known and we want to minimize the number of distances computed on-line between the query and objects in the database in order to find the closest object. We have designed two randomized approaches for indexing metric space databases, where objects are purely described by their distances with each other. Analysis and experiments show that our approaches only need to compute O(logn) objects in order to find the closest object, where n is the total number of objects in the database.

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

    Dowell, David

    It is well-known that the electron beam quality required for applications such as FEL’s and ultra-fast electron diffraction can be degraded by the asymmetric fields introduced by the RF couplers of superconducting linacs. This effect is especially troublesome in the injector where the low energy beam from the gun is captured into the first high gradient accelerator section. Unfortunately modifying the established cavity design is expensive and time consuming, especially considering that only one or two sections are needed for an injector. Instead, it is important to analyze the coupler fields to understand their characteristics and help find less costlymore » solutions for their cancellation and mitigation. This paper finds the RF coupler-induced emittance for short bunches is mostly due to the transverse spatial sloping or tilt of the field, rather than the field’s time-dependence. It is shown that the distorting effects of the coupler can be canceled with a static (DC) quadrupole lens rotated about the z-axis.« less

  16. Dendrometer bands made easy: Using modified cable ties to measure incremental growth of trees1

    PubMed Central

    Anemaet, Evelyn R.; Middleton, Beth A.

    2013-01-01

    • Premise of the study: Dendrometer bands are a useful way to make sequential repeated measurements of tree growth, but traditional dendrometer bands can be expensive, time consuming, and difficult to construct in the field. An alternative to the traditional method of band construction is to adapt commercially available materials. This paper describes how to construct and install dendrometer bands using smooth-edged, stainless steel, cable tie banding and attachable rollerball heads. • Methods and Results: As a performance comparison, both traditional and cable tie dendrometer bands were installed on baldcypress trees at the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, by both an experienced and a novice worker. Band installation times were recorded, and growth of the trees as estimated by the two band types was measured after approximately one year, demonstrating equivalence of the two methods. • Conclusions: This efficient approach to dendrometer band construction can help advance the knowledge of long-term tree growth in ecological studies. PMID:25202589

  17. Clay-cement suspensions - rheological and functional properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wojcik, L.; Izak, P.; Mastalska-Poplawska, J.; Gajek, M.

    2017-01-01

    The piping erosion in soil is highly unexpected in civil engineering. Elimination of such damages is difficult, expensive and time-consuming. One of the possibility is the grouting method. This method is still developed into direction of process automation as well as other useful properties of suspensions. Main way of modernization of the grouting method is connected it with rheology of injection and eventuality of fitting them to specific problems conditions. Very popular and useful became binders based on modified clays (clay-cement suspensions). Important principle of efficiency of the grouting method is using of time-dependent pseudothixotropic properties of the clay-cement suspensions. The pseudo-rheounstability aspect of the suspensions properties should be dedicated and fitted to dynamic changes of soil conditions destructions. Whole process of the modification of the suspension rheology is stimulated by the specific agents. This article contains a description of practical aspects of the rheological parameters managing of the clay-cement suspensions, dedicated to the building damages, hydrotechnic constructions etc.

  18. Use of land surface remotely sensed satellite and airborne data for environmental exposure assessment in cancer research

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Maxwell, S.K.; Meliker, J.R.; Goovaerts, P.

    2010-01-01

    In recent years, geographic information systems (GIS) have increasingly been used for reconstructing individual-level exposures to environmental contaminants in epidemiological research. Remotely sensed data can be useful in creating space-time models of environmental measures. The primary advantage of using remotely sensed data is that it allows for study at the local scale (e.g., residential level) without requiring expensive, time-consuming monitoring campaigns. The purpose of our study was to identify how land surface remotely sensed data are currently being used to study the relationship between cancer and environmental contaminants, focusing primarily on agricultural chemical exposure assessment applications. We present the results of a comprehensive literature review of epidemiological research where remotely sensed imagery or land cover maps derived from remotely sensed imagery were applied. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the most commonly used imagery data (aerial photographs and Landsat satellite imagery) and land cover maps.

  19. A solid phase extraction-ion chromatography with conductivity detection procedure for determining cationic surfactants in surface water samples.

    PubMed

    Olkowska, Ewa; Polkowska, Żaneta; Namieśnik, Jacek

    2013-11-15

    A new analytical procedure for the simultaneous determination of individual cationic surfactants (alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chlorides) in surface water samples has been developed. We describe this methodology for the first time: it involves the application of solid phase extraction (SPE-for sample preparation) coupled with ion chromatography-conductivity detection (IC-CD-for the final determination). Mean recoveries of analytes between 79% and 93%, and overall method quantification limits in the range from 0.0018 to 0.038 μg/mL for surface water and CRM samples were achieved. The methodology was applied to the determination of individual alkyl benzyl quaternary ammonium compounds in environmental samples (reservoir water) and enables their presence in such types of waters to be confirmed. In addition, it is a simpler, less time-consuming, labour-intensive, avoiding use of toxic chloroform and significantly less expensive methodology than previously described approaches (liquid-liquid extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. ATTDES: An Expert System for Satellite Attitude Determination and Control. 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackison, Donald L.; Gifford, Kevin

    1996-01-01

    The design, analysis, and flight operations of satellite attitude determintion and attitude control systems require extensive mathematical formulations, optimization studies, and computer simulation. This is best done by an analyst with extensive education and experience. The development of programs such as ATTDES permit the use of advanced techniques by those with less experience. Typical tasks include the mission analysis to select stabilization and damping schemes, attitude determination sensors and algorithms, and control system designs to meet program requirements. ATTDES is a system that includes all of these activities, including high fidelity orbit environment models that can be used for preliminary analysis, parameter selection, stabilization schemes, the development of estimators covariance analyses, and optimization, and can support ongoing orbit activities. The modification of existing simulations to model new configurations for these purposes can be an expensive, time consuming activity that becomes a pacing item in the development and operation of such new systems. The use of an integrated tool such as ATTDES significantly reduces the effort and time required for these tasks.

  1. Prescription Drug Promotion from 2001-2014: Data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

    PubMed Central

    Sullivan, Helen W.; Aikin, Kathryn J.; Chung-Davies, Eunice; Wade, Michael

    2016-01-01

    The volume of prescription drug promotion over time is often measured by assessing changes in ad spending. However, this method obscures the fact that some types of advertising are more expensive than others. Another way to measure the changes in prescription drug promotion over time is to assess the number of promotional pieces submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Form FDA 2253 collects information such as the date submitted and the type of material submitted. We analyzed data from Forms FDA 2253 received from 2001–2014. We examined the frequency of submissions by audience (consumer and healthcare professional) and type of promotional material. There was a noted increase in prescription drug promotion submissions across all media in the early 2000s. Although non-Internet promotion submissions have since plateaued, Internet promotion continued to increase. These results can help public health advocates and regulators focus attention and resources. PMID:27149513

  2. The application of computer-based tools in obtaining the genetic family history.

    PubMed

    Giovanni, Monica A; Murray, Michael F

    2010-07-01

    Family health history is both an adjunct to and a focus of current genetic research, having long been known to be a powerful predictor of individual disease risk. As such, it has been primarily used as a proxy for genetic information. Over the past decade, new roles for family history have emerged, perhaps most importantly as a primary tool for guiding decision-making on the use of expensive genetic testing. The collection of family history information is an important but time-consuming process. Efforts to engage the patient or research subject in preliminary data collection have the potential to improve data accuracy and allow clinicians and researchers more time for analytic tasks. The U.S. Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others have developed tools for electronic family history collection. This unit describes the utility of the Web-based My Family Health Portrait (https://familyhistory.hhs.gov) as the prototype for patient-entered family history.

  3. Cradle-to-cradle stewardship of drugs for minimizing their environmental disposition while promoting human health. II. Drug disposal, waste reduction, and future directions.

    PubMed Central

    Daughton, Christian G

    2003-01-01

    Since the 1980s, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as trace environmental pollutants, originating primarily from consumer use and actions rather than manufacturer effluents, continues to become more firmly established. The growing, worldwide importance of freshwater resources underscores the need for ensuring that any aggregate or cumulative impacts on (or from) water supplies are minimized. Despite a paucity of effects data from long-term, simultaneous exposure at low doses to multiple xenobiotics (particularly non-target-organism exposure to PPCPs), a wide range of proactive actions could be implemented for reducing or minimizing the introduction of PPCPs to the environment. Most of these actions fall under what could be envisioned as a holistic stewardship program--overseen by the health care industry and consumers alike. Significantly, such a stewardship program would benefit not just the environment--additional, collateral benefits could automatically accrue, including the lessening of medication expense for the consumer and improving patient health and consumer safety. In this article (the second of two parts describing the "green pharmacy") I focus on those actions and activities tied more closely to the end user (e.g., the patient) and issues associated with drug disposal/recycling that could prove useful in minimizing the environmental disposition of PPCPs. I also outline some recommendations and suggestions for further research and pose some considerations regarding the future. In this mini-monograph I attempt to capture cohesively for the first time the wide spectrum of actions available for minimizing the release of PPCPs to the environment. A major objective is to generate an active dialog or debate across the many disciplines that must become actively involved to design and implement a successful approach to life-cycle stewardship of PPCPs. PMID:12727607

  4. Technical support document: Energy conservation standards for consumer products: Dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers including: Environmental impacts; regulatory impact analysis

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

    Not Available

    1990-12-01

    The Energy Policy and Conservation Act as amended (P.L. 94-163), establishes energy conservation standards for 12 of the 13 types of consumer products specifically covered by the Act. The legislation requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider new or amended standards for these and other types of products at specified times. This Technical Support Document presents the methodology, data and results from the analysis of the energy and economic impacts of standards on dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers. The economic impact analysis is performed in five major areas: An Engineering Analysis, which establishes technical feasibility and product attributesmore » including costs of design options to improve appliance efficiency. A Consumer Analysis at two levels: national aggregate impacts, and impacts on individuals. The national aggregate impacts include forecasts of appliance sales, efficiencies, energy use, and consumer expenditures. The individual impacts are analyzed by Life-Cycle Cost (LCC), Payback Periods, and Cost of Conserved Energy (CCE), which evaluate the savings in operating expenses relative to increases in purchase price; A Manufacturer Analysis, which provides an estimate of manufacturers' response to the proposed standards. Their response is quantified by changes in several measures of financial performance for a firm. An Industry Impact Analysis shows financial and competitive impacts on the appliance industry. A Utility Analysis that measures the impacts of the altered energy-consumption patterns on electric utilities. A Environmental Effects analysis, which estimates changes in emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides, due to reduced energy consumption in the home and at the power plant. A Regulatory Impact Analysis collects the results of all the analyses into the net benefits and costs from a national perspective. 47 figs., 171 tabs. (JF)« less

  5. Creating demand for prescription drugs: a content analysis of television direct-to-consumer advertising.

    PubMed

    Frosch, Dominick L; Krueger, Patrick M; Hornik, Robert C; Cronholm, Peter F; Barg, Frances K

    2007-01-01

    American television viewers see as many as 16 hours of prescription drug advertisements (ads) each year, yet no research has examined how television ads attempt to influence consumers. This information is important, because ads may not meet their educational potential, possibly prompting consumers to request prescriptions that are clinically inappropriate or more expensive than equally effective alternatives. We coded ads shown during evening news and prime time hours for factual claims they make about the target condition, how they attempt to appeal to consumers, and how they portray the medication and lifestyle behaviors in the lives of ad characters. Most ads (82%) made some factual claims and made rational arguments (86%) for product use, but few described condition causes (26%), risk factors (26%), or prevalence (25%). Emotional appeals were almost universal (95%). No ads mentioned lifestyle change as an alternative to products, though some (19%) portrayed it as an adjunct to medication. Some ads (18%) portrayed lifestyle changes as insufficient for controlling a condition. The ads often framed medication use in terms of losing (58%) and regaining control (85%) over some aspect of life and as engendering social approval (78%). Products were frequently (58%) portrayed as a medical breakthrough. Despite claims that ads serve an educational purpose, they provide limited information about the causes of a disease or who may be at risk; they show characters that have lost control over their social, emotional, or physical lives without the medication; and they minimize the value of health promotion through lifestyle changes. The ads have limited educational value and may oversell the benefits of drugs in ways that might conflict with promoting population health.

  6. Creating Demand for Prescription Drugs: A Content Analysis of Television Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

    PubMed Central

    Frosch, Dominick L.; Krueger, Patrick M.; Hornik, Robert C.; Cronholm, Peter F.; Barg, Frances K.

    2007-01-01

    PURPOSE American television viewers see as many as 16 hours of prescription drug advertisements (ads) each year, yet no research has examined how television ads attempt to influence consumers. This information is important, because ads may not meet their educational potential, possibly prompting consumers to request prescriptions that are clinically inappropriate or more expensive than equally effective alternatives. METHODS We coded ads shown during evening news and prime time hours for factual claims they make about the target condition, how they attempt to appeal to consumers, and how they portray the medication and lifestyle behaviors in the lives of ad characters. RESULTS Most ads (82%) made some factual claims and made rational arguments (86%) for product use, but few described condition causes (26%), risk factors (26%), or prevalence (25%). Emotional appeals were almost universal (95%). No ads mentioned lifestyle change as an alternative to products, though some (19%) portrayed it as an adjunct to medication. Some ads (18%) portrayed lifestyle changes as insufficient for controlling a condition. The ads often framed medication use in terms of losing (58%) and regaining control (85%) over some aspect of life and as engendering social approval (78%). Products were frequently (58%) portrayed as a medical breakthrough. CONCLUSIONS Despite claims that ads serve an educational purpose, they provide limited information about the causes of a disease or who may be at risk; they show characters that have lost control over their social, emotional, or physical lives without the medication; and they minimize the value of health promotion through lifestyle changes. The ads have limited educational value and may oversell the benefits of drugs in ways that might conflict with promoting population health. PMID:17261859

  7. To See or Not to See: Do Front of Pack Nutrition Labels Affect Attention to Overall Nutrition Information?

    PubMed Central

    Bix, Laura; Sundar, Raghav Prashant; Bello, Nora M.; Peltier, Chad; Weatherspoon, Lorraine J.; Becker, Mark W.

    2015-01-01

    Background Front of pack (FOP) nutrition labels are concise labels located on the front of food packages that provide truncated nutrition information. These labels are rapidly gaining prominence worldwide, presumably because they attract attention and their simplified formats enable rapid comparisons of nutritional value. Methods Eye tracking was conducted as US consumers interacted with actual packages with and without FOP labels to (1) assess if the presence of an FOP label increases attention to nutrition information when viewers are not specifically tasked with nutrition-related goals; and (2) study the effect of FOP presence on consumer use of more comprehensive, traditional nutrition information presented in the Nutritional Facts Panel (NFP), a mandatory label for most packaged foods in the US. Results Our results indicate that colored FOP labels enhanced the probability that any nutrition information was attended, and resulted in faster detection and longer viewing of nutrition information. However, for cereal packages, these benefits were at the expense of attention to the more comprehensive NFP. Our results are consistent with a potential short cut effect of FOP labels, such that if an FOP was present, participants spent less time attending the more comprehensive NFP. For crackers, FOP labels increased time spent attending to nutrition information, but we found no evidence that their presence reduced the time spent on the nutrition information in the NFP. Conclusions The finding that FOP labels increased attention to overall nutrition information by people who did not have an explicit nutritional goal suggests that these labels may have an advantage in conveying nutrition information to a wide segment of the population. However, for some food types this benefit may come with a short-cut effect; that is, decreased attention to more comprehensive nutrition information. These results have implications for policy and warrant further research into the mechanisms by which FOP labels impact use of nutrition information by consumers for different foods. PMID:26488611

  8. Tchebichef moment transform on image dithering for mobile applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ernawan, Ferda; Abu, Nur Azman; Rahmalan, Hidayah

    2012-04-01

    Currently, mobile image applications spend a lot of computing process to display images. A true color raw image contains billions of colors and it consumes high computational power in most mobile image applications. At the same time, mobile devices are only expected to be equipped with lower computing process and minimum storage space. Image dithering is a popular technique to reduce the numbers of bit per pixel at the expense of lower quality image displays. This paper proposes a novel approach on image dithering using 2x2 Tchebichef moment transform (TMT). TMT integrates a simple mathematical framework technique using matrices. TMT coefficients consist of real rational numbers. An image dithering based on TMT has the potential to provide better efficiency and simplicity. The preliminary experiment shows a promising result in term of error reconstructions and image visual textures.

  9. Bioengineering of Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells and Lymphoid Organs

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Chao; Sun, Wujin; Ye, Yanqi; Bomba, Hunter N.; Gu, Zhen

    2017-01-01

    The immune system protects the body against a wide range of infectious diseases and cancer by leveraging the efficiency of immune cells and lymphoid organs. Over the past decade, immune cell/organ therapies based on the manipulation, infusion, and implantation of autologous or allogeneic immune cells/organs into patients have been widely tested and have made great progress in clinical applications. Despite these advances, therapy with natural immune cells or lymphoid organs is relatively expensive and time-consuming. Alternatively, biomimetic materials and strategies have been applied to develop artificial immune cells and lymphoid organs, which have attracted considerable attentions. In this review, we survey the latest studies on engineering biomimetic materials for immunotherapy, focusing on the perspectives of bioengineering artificial antigen presenting cells and lymphoid organs. The opportunities and challenges of this field are also discussed. PMID:28912891

  10. Bioengineering of Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells and Lymphoid Organs.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chao; Sun, Wujin; Ye, Yanqi; Bomba, Hunter N; Gu, Zhen

    2017-01-01

    The immune system protects the body against a wide range of infectious diseases and cancer by leveraging the efficiency of immune cells and lymphoid organs. Over the past decade, immune cell/organ therapies based on the manipulation, infusion, and implantation of autologous or allogeneic immune cells/organs into patients have been widely tested and have made great progress in clinical applications. Despite these advances, therapy with natural immune cells or lymphoid organs is relatively expensive and time-consuming. Alternatively, biomimetic materials and strategies have been applied to develop artificial immune cells and lymphoid organs, which have attracted considerable attentions. In this review, we survey the latest studies on engineering biomimetic materials for immunotherapy, focusing on the perspectives of bioengineering artificial antigen presenting cells and lymphoid organs. The opportunities and challenges of this field are also discussed.

  11. Recommendations for pacemaker implantation for the treatment of atrial tachyarrhythmias and resynchronisation therapy for heart failure

    PubMed Central

    van Hemel, N.M.; Dijkman, B.; de Voogt, W.G.; Beukema, W.P.; Bosker, H.A.; de Cock, C.C.; Jordaens, L.J.L.M.; van Gelder, I.C.; van Gelder, L.M.; van Mechelen, R.; Ruiter, J.H.; Sedney, M.I.; Slegers, L.C.

    2004-01-01

    Today, new pacing algorithms and stimulation methods for the prevention and interruption of atrial tachyarrhythmias can be applied on patients who need bradycardia pacing for conventional reasons. In addition, biventricular pacing as additive treatment for patients with severe congestive heart failure due to ventricular systolic dysfunction and prolonged intraventricular conduction has shown to improve symptoms and reduce hospital admissions. These new pacing technologies and the optimising of the pacing programmes are complex, expensive and time-consuming. Based on many clinical studies the indications for these devices are beginning to emerge. To support the cardiologist's decision-making and to prevent waste of effort and resources, the 'ad hoc committee' has provided preliminary recommendations for implantable devices to treat atrial tachyarrhythmias and to extend the treatment of congestive heart failure respectively. PMID:25696255

  12. Amyloid-beta immunotherapy: the hope for Alzheimer disease?

    PubMed

    Barrera-Ocampo, Alvaro; Lopera, Francisco

    2016-12-30

    Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia of adult-onset, characterized by progressive impairment in cognition and memory. There is no cure for the disease and the current treatments are only symptomatic. Drug discovery is an expensive and time-consuming process; in the last decade no new drugs have been found for AD despite the efforts of the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies. The Aβ immunotherapy is one of the most promising approaches to modify the course of AD. This therapeutic strategy uses synthetic peptides or monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to decrease the Aβ load in the brain and slow the progression of the disease. Therefore, this article will discuss the main aspects of AD neuropathogenesis, the classical pharmacologic treatment, as well as the active and passive immunization describing drug prototypes evaluated in different clinical trials.

  13. Predict ephemeral and perennial range quantity and quality during normal grazing season. [Arizona, California, Oregon, and Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bentley, R. G., Jr. (Principal Investigator)

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Collection and update of resource inventory data has historically been a difficult, time consuming task. Accurate resource data is necessary as a basis for wise management decisions made by a resource management agency such as the Bureau of Land Management. Black and white and color infrared composites of ERTS satellite imagery at 1:1,000,000 and enlarged scales can be used as data gathering tools. No investment in expensive sophisticated equipment is necessary. A photointerpreter can map boundaries of soils, plant communities, levels of forage production, areas revegetated by man, and areas burned by wildlife directly from satellite imagery. The ERTS system of producing and distributing imagery must be improved greatly before satellite imagery can be useful to the resource manager.

  14. Biosensors for breast cancer diagnosis: A review of bioreceptors, biotransducers and signal amplification strategies.

    PubMed

    Mittal, Sunil; Kaur, Hardeep; Gautam, Nandini; Mantha, Anil K

    2017-02-15

    Breast cancer is highly prevalent in females and accounts for second highest number of deaths, worldwide. Cumbersome, expensive and time consuming detection techniques presently available for detection of breast cancer potentiates the need for development of novel, specific and ultrasensitive devices. Biosensors are the promising and selective detection devices which hold immense potential as point of care (POC) tools. Present review comprehensively scrutinizes various breast cancer biosensors developed so far and their technical evaluation with respect to efficiency and potency of selected bioreceptors and biotransducers. Use of glycoproteins, DNA biomarkers, micro-RNA, circulatory tumor cells (CTC) and some potential biomarkers are introduced briefly. The review also discusses various strategies used in signal amplification such as nanomaterials, redox mediators, p19 protein, duplex specific nucleases (DSN) and redox cycling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Amyloid-beta immunotherapy: the hope for Alzheimer disease?

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia of adult-onset, characterized by progressive impairment in cognition and memory. There is no cure for the disease and the current treatments are only symptomatic. Drug discovery is an expensive and time-consuming process; in the last decade no new drugs have been found for AD despite the efforts of the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies. The Aβ immunotherapy is one of the most promising approaches to modify the course of AD. This therapeutic strategy uses synthetic peptides or monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to decrease the Aβ load in the brain and slow the progression of the disease. Therefore, this article will discuss the main aspects of AD neuropathogenesis, the classical pharmacologic treatment, as well as the active and passive immunization describing drug prototypes evaluated in different clinical trials. PMID:28293044

  16. Practical considerations in Bayesian fusion of point sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Kevin; Minor, Christian

    2012-06-01

    Sensor data fusion is and has been a topic of considerable research, but rigorous and quantitative understanding of the benefits of fusing specific types of sensor data remains elusive. Often, sensor fusion is performed on an ad hoc basis with the assumption that overall detection capabilities will improve, only to discover later, after expensive and time consuming laboratory and/or field testing that little advantage was gained. The work presented here will discuss these issues with theoretical and practical considerations in the context of fusing chemical sensors with binary outputs. Results are given for the potential performance gains one could expect with such systems, as well as the practical difficulties involved in implementing an optimal Bayesian fusion strategy with realistic scenarios. Finally, a discussion of the biases that inaccurate statistical estimates introduce into the results and their consequences is presented.

  17. Successful applications of computer aided drug discovery: moving drugs from concept to the clinic.

    PubMed

    Talele, Tanaji T; Khedkar, Santosh A; Rigby, Alan C

    2010-01-01

    Drug discovery and development is an interdisciplinary, expensive and time-consuming process. Scientific advancements during the past two decades have changed the way pharmaceutical research generate novel bioactive molecules. Advances in computational techniques and in parallel hardware support have enabled in silico methods, and in particular structure-based drug design method, to speed up new target selection through the identification of hits to the optimization of lead compounds in the drug discovery process. This review is focused on the clinical status of experimental drugs that were discovered and/or optimized using computer-aided drug design. We have provided a historical account detailing the development of 12 small molecules (Captopril, Dorzolamide, Saquinavir, Zanamivir, Oseltamivir, Aliskiren, Boceprevir, Nolatrexed, TMI-005, LY-517717, Rupintrivir and NVP-AUY922) that are in clinical trial or have become approved for therapeutic use.

  18. Simulation of HLNC and NCC measurements

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

    Lu, Ming-Shih; Teichmann, T.; De Ridder, P.

    1994-03-01

    This report discusses an automatic method of simulating the results of High Level Neutron Coincidence Counting (HLNC) and Neutron Collar Coincidence Counting (NCC) measurements to facilitate the safeguards` inspectors understanding and use of these instruments under realistic conditions. This would otherwise be expensive, and time-consuming, except at sites designed to handle radioactive materials, and having the necessary variety of fuel elements and other samples. This simulation must thus include the behavior of the instruments for variably constituted and composed fuel elements (including poison rods and Gd loading), and must display the changes in the count rates as a function ofmore » these characteristics, as well as of various instrumental parameters. Such a simulation is an efficient way of accomplishing the required familiarization and training of the inspectors by providing a realistic reproduction of the results of such measurements.« less

  19. Sandia and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 1974--1999

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

    MORA,CARL J.

    2000-04-11

    Engineers have learned to design and build big projects, which certainly describes the WIPP project, but also includes defense projects, highway networks, space exploration, the Internet, etc., through what has been called a messily complex embracing of contradictions. When something massive and complicated has to be built these days, it leads to a protracted political process in which every special interest makes a stand, lobbyists exert what influence they can, lawmakers bicker, contractors change things, Congress struggles with costs, environmentalists hold things up--and this is good. It may seem amazing that anything gets done, but when it does, everyone hasmore » had their say. It's an intensely democratic, even if expensive and time-consuming, process. The corporate historian of Sandia National Laboratories presents a unique background of the WIPP project and Sandia's part in it.« less

  20. On Machine Capacitance Dimensional and Surface Profile Measurement System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Resnick, Ralph

    1993-01-01

    A program was awarded under the Air Force Machine Tool Sensor Improvements Program Research and Development Announcement to develop and demonstrate the use of a Capacitance Sensor System including Capacitive Non-Contact Analog Probe and a Capacitive Array Dimensional Measurement System to check the dimensions of complex shapes and contours on a machine tool or in an automated inspection cell. The manufacturing of complex shapes and contours and the subsequent verification of those manufactured shapes is fundamental and widespread throughout industry. The critical profile of a gear tooth; the overall shape of a graphite EDM electrode; the contour of a turbine blade in a jet engine; and countless other components in varied applications possess complex shapes that require detailed and complex inspection procedures. Current inspection methods for complex shapes and contours are expensive, time-consuming, and labor intensive.

  1. Window-assisted nanosphere lithography for vacuum micro-nano-electronics

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

    Li, Nannan; Institute of Electronic Engineering, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900; Pang, Shucai

    2015-04-15

    Development of vacuum micro-nano-electronics is quite important for combining the advantages of vacuum tubes and solid-state devices but limited by the prevailing fabricating techniques which are expensive, time consuming and low-throughput. In this work, window-assisted nanosphere lithography (NSL) technique was proposed and enabled the low-cost and high-efficiency fabrication of nanostructures for vacuum micro-nano-electronic devices, thus allowing potential applications in many areas. As a demonstration, we fabricated high-density field emitter arrays which can be used as cold cathodes in vacuum micro-nano-electronic devices by using the window-assisted NSL technique. The details of the fabricating process have been investigated. This work provided amore » new and feasible idea for fabricating nanostructure arrays for vacuum micro-nano-electronic devices, which would spawn the development of vacuum micro-nano-electronics.« less

  2. Microbatteries for Combinatorial Studies of Conventional Lithium-Ion Batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    West, William; Whitacre, Jay; Bugga, Ratnakumar

    2003-01-01

    Integrated arrays of microscopic solid-state batteries have been demonstrated in a continuing effort to develop microscopic sources of power and of voltage reference circuits to be incorporated into low-power integrated circuits. Perhaps even more importantly, arrays of microscopic batteries can be fabricated and tested in combinatorial experiments directed toward optimization and discovery of battery materials. The value of the combinatorial approach to optimization and discovery has been proven in the optoelectronic, pharmaceutical, and bioengineering industries. Depending on the specific application, the combinatorial approach can involve the investigation of hundreds or even thousands of different combinations; hence, it is time-consuming and expensive to attempt to implement the combinatorial approach by building and testing full-size, discrete cells and batteries. The conception of microbattery arrays makes it practical to bring the advantages of the combinatorial approach to the development of batteries.

  3. [Stress and fertility].

    PubMed

    Ősapay, György; Ősapay, Klára

    2015-08-30

    In Western countries, sperm quality and fertility of men significantly worsened. Female infertility does not show a better trend either. Subtle defects in the reproductive functions can not be explained by the current methods, and "unexplained infertility" is becoming a more common diagnosis. Every year 1 million couples seek expensive and time consuming fertility treatment in the world. Deeper understanding of an unhealthy lifestyle and the environmental damages may lead to personalized treatments to increase the chance of conception.The effects of various stressors on the male and female reproductive performance were scientifically substantiated by Selye and coworkers in 1976. Cognitive therapy methods can be applied against emotional stressors, supplementation by antioxidants against reactive oxygen compounds, and administration of vitamins and trace elements, especially when deficiency is found, may help before medical intervention on a rational and economical way in the fight against infertility.

  4. Advances in ingredient and processing systems for meat and meat products.

    PubMed

    Weiss, Jochen; Gibis, Monika; Schuh, Valerie; Salminen, Hanna

    2010-09-01

    Changes in consumer demand of meat products as well as increased global competition are causing an unprecedented spur in processing and ingredient system developments within the meat manufacturing sector. Consumers demand healthier meat products that are low in salt, fat, cholesterol, nitrites and calories in general and contain in addition health-promoting bioactive components such as for example carotenoids, unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and fibers. On the other hand, consumers expect these novel meat products with altered formulations to taste, look and smell the same way as their traditionally formulated and processed counterparts. At the same time, competition is forcing the meat processing industry to use the increasingly expensive raw material "meat" more efficiently and produce products at lower costs. With these changes in mind, this article presents a review of novel ingredient systems and processing approaches that are emerging to create high quality, affordable meat products not only in batch mode but also in large-scale continuous processes. Fat replacers, fat profile modification and cholesterol reduction techniques, new texture modifiers and alternative antioxidant and antimicrobial systems are being discussed. Modern processing equipment to establish continuously operating product manufacturing lines and that allow new meat product structures to be created and novel ingredients to be effectively utilized including vacuum fillers, grinders and fine dispersers, and slicers is reviewed in the context of structure creation in meat products. Finally, trends in future developments of ingredient and processing systems for meat products are highlighted.

  5. Assembling cyavanaprāsh, Ayurveda's best-selling medicine.

    PubMed

    Bode, Maarten

    2015-04-01

    The paper discusses the many forms and representations of cyavanaprāsh, Ayurveda's best-selling medicine, already mentioned in Caraka's Compendium (c. 200 CE). The medicine's compositions, applications, and meanings, change over time and from locality to locality. Cyavanaprāsh is, for example, a patriotic formula, a booster of the immune system, a modern geriatric drug, and one of the elements in canonical Ayurvedic treatments. In the beginning of the 19th century cyavanaprāsh was a patriotic formula for fortifying Indian bodies and the nascent Indian nation. Nowadays the medicine is a Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) and a money maker for Dabur India Ltd., the world largest Ayurvedic manufacturer. Instead of vitalising the nation its consumption now promises to make urban middle class consumers effectively modern. Branding and modern science must make Dabur Chyawanprash attractive in the eyes of these consumers. Ayurveda and cyavanaprāsh are also part of a global counter culture marked by neo-Orientalism and Ayurvedic medicines as facilitators of spirituality. The marketing of cyavanaprāsh by India's largest Ayurvedic manufacturer is used as a case study for discussing the proliferation of Ayurvedic brands and its critics. The imaging of Ayurvedic brands such as Dabur Chyawanprash threatens to obscure the fact that Ayurveda represents a unique way of looking upon health, disease and the human body. The proliferation of brands also makes Ayurvedic medicines more expensive and puts pressure on the natural environment as the main supplier of Ayurvedic ingredients.

  6. 29 CFR 25.7 - Fees; cost; expenses; decisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... limited to per diem, travel expenses and services on a time-worked basis. (e) Upon request, the Secretary... ORDER 10988 § 25.7 Fees; cost; expenses; decisions. (a) Arbitrator's fees, per diem and travel expenses.... Travel and per diem should be paid at the maximum rate payable to Government employees under the...

  7. 29 CFR 25.7 - Fees; cost; expenses; decisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... limited to per diem, travel expenses and services on a time-worked basis. (e) Upon request, the Secretary... ORDER 10988 § 25.7 Fees; cost; expenses; decisions. (a) Arbitrator's fees, per diem and travel expenses.... Travel and per diem should be paid at the maximum rate payable to Government employees under the...

  8. Mental Health Policy in Brazil: federal expenditure evolution between 2001 and 2009.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, Renata Weber; Vieira, Fabíola Sulpino; Delgado, Pedro Gabriel Godinho

    2012-02-01

    To analyze the evolution of estimates of federal spending in Brazil's Mental Health Program since the promulgation of the national mental health law. The total federal outlay of the Mental Health Program and its components of hospital and extra-hospital expenses were estimated based on 21 expenses categories from 2001 to 2009. The expenses amount was updated to values in reais of 2009 by means of the use of the Índice de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo (Broad Consumer Price Index). The per capita/year value of the federal expenditure on mental health was calculated. The outlay on mental health rose 51.3% in the period. The breakdown of the expenditures revealed a significant increase in the extra-hospital value (404.2%) and a decrease in the hospital one (-39.5%). The per capita expenditures had a lower, but still significant, growth (36.2%). The historical series of the disaggregated per capita expenditures showed that in 2006, for the first time, the extra-hospital expenditure was higher than the hospital one. The extra-hospital per capita value increased by 354.0%; the per capita hospital value decreased by 45.5%. There was a significant increase in federal outlay on mental health between 2001 and 2009 and an expressive investment in extra-hospital actions. From 2006 onwards, resources allocation was shifted towards community services. The funding component played a crucial role as the inducer of the change of the mental health care model. The challenge for the coming years is maintaining and increasing the resources for mental health in a context of underfunding of the National Health System.

  9. Use of Mobile Devices and the Internet for Multimedia Informed Consent Delivery and Data Entry in a Pediatric Asthma Trial: Study Design and Rationale

    PubMed Central

    Blake, Kathryn; Holbrook, Janet T.; Antal, Holly; Shade, David; Bunnell, H. Timothy; McCahan, Suzanne M.; Wise, Robert A.; Pennington, Chris; Garfinkel, Paul; Wysocki, Tim

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Phase III / IV clinical trials are expensive and time consuming and often suffer from poor enrollment and retention rates. Pediatric trials are particularly difficult because scheduling around the parent, participant and potentially other sibling schedules can be burdensome. We are evaluating using the internet and mobile devices to conduct the consent process and study visits in a streamlined pediatric asthma trial. Our hypothesis is that these study processes will be noninferior and will be less expensive compared to a traditional pediatric asthma trial. Materials/Methods Parents and participants, aged 12 through 17 years, complete the informed consent process by viewing a multi-media website containing a consent video and study material in the streamlined trial. Participants are provided an iPad with WiFi and EasyOne spirometer for use during FaceTime visits and online twice daily symptom reporting during an 8-week run-in followed by 12-week study period. Outcomes are compared with participants completing a similarly designed traditional trial comparing the same treatments within the same pediatric health-system. After 8 weeks of open-label Advair 250/50 twice daily, participants in both trial types are randomized to Advair 250/50, Flovent 250, or Advair 100/50 given 1 inhalation twice daily. Study staff track time spent to determine study costs. Results Participants have been enrolled in the streamlined and traditional trials and recuitment is ongoing. Conclusions This project will provide important information on both clinical and economic outcomes for a novel method of conducting clinical trials. The results will be broadly applicable to trials of other diseases. PMID:25847579

  10. Use of mobile devices and the internet for multimedia informed consent delivery and data entry in a pediatric asthma trial: Study design and rationale.

    PubMed

    Blake, Kathryn; Holbrook, Janet T; Antal, Holly; Shade, David; Bunnell, H Timothy; McCahan, Suzanne M; Wise, Robert A; Pennington, Chris; Garfinkel, Paul; Wysocki, Tim

    2015-05-01

    Phase III/IV clinical trials are expensive and time consuming and often suffer from poor enrollment and retention rates. Pediatric trials are particularly difficult because scheduling around the parent, participant and potentially other sibling schedules can be burdensome. We are evaluating using the internet and mobile devices to conduct the consent process and study visits in a streamlined pediatric asthma trial. Our hypothesis is that these study processes will be non-inferior and will be less expensive compared to a traditional pediatric asthma trial. Parents and participants, aged 12 through 17 years, complete the informed consent process by viewing a multi-media website containing a consent video and study material in the streamlined trial. Participants are provided an iPad with WiFi and EasyOne spirometer for use during FaceTime visits and online twice daily symptom reporting during an 8-week run-in followed by a 12-week study period. Outcomes are compared with participants completing a similarly designed traditional trial comparing the same treatments within the same pediatric health-system. After 8 weeks of open-label Advair 250/50 twice daily, participants in both trial types are randomized to Advair 250/50, Flovent 250, or Advair 100/50 given 1 inhalation twice daily. Study staff track time spent to determine study costs. Participants have been enrolled in the streamlined and traditional trials and recruitment is ongoing. This project will provide important information on both clinical and economic outcomes for a novel method of conducting clinical trials. The results will be broadly applicable to trials of other diseases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Lunar Daylight Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griffin, Brand Norman

    2010-01-01

    With 1 rover, 2 astronauts and 3 days, the Apollo 17 Mission covered over 30 km, setup 10 scientific experiments and returned 110 kg of samples. This is a lot of science in a short time and the inspiration for a barebones, return-to-the-Moon strategy called Daylight Exploration. The Daylight Exploration approach poses an answer to the question, What could the Apollo crew have done with more time and today s robotics? In contrast to more ambitious and expensive strategies that create outposts then rely on pressurized rovers to drive to the science sites, Daylight Exploration is a low-overhead approach conceived to land near the scientific site, conduct Apollo-like exploration then leave before the sun goes down. A key motivation behind Daylight Exploration is cost reduction, but it does not come at the expense of scientific exploration. As a goal, Daylight Exploration provides access to the top 10 science sites by using the best capabilities of human and robotic exploration. Most science sites are within an equatorial band of 26 degrees latitude and on the Moon, at the equator, the day is 14 Earth days long; even more important, the lunar night is 14 days long. Human missions are constrained to 12 days because the energy storage systems required to operate during the lunar night adds mass, complexity and cost. In addition, short missions are beneficial because they require fewer consumables, do not require an airlock, reduce radiation exposure, minimize the dwell-time for the ascent and orbiting propulsion systems and allow a low-mass, campout accommodations. Key to Daylight Exploration is the use of piloted rovers used as tele-operated science platforms. Rovers are launched before or with the crew, and continue to operate between crew visits analyzing and collecting samples during the lunar daylight

  12. ISPATOM: A Generic Real-Time Data Processing Tool Without Programming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dershowitz, Adam

    2007-01-01

    Information Sharing Protocol Advanced Tool of Math (ISPATOM) is an application program allowing for the streamlined generation of comps, which subscribe to streams of incoming telemetry data, perform any necessary computations on the data, then send the data to other programs for display and/or further processing in NASA mission control centers. Heretofore, the development of comps was difficult, expensive, and time-consuming: Each comp was custom written manually, in a low-level computing language, by a programmer attempting to follow requirements of flight controllers. ISPATOM enables a flight controller who is not a programmer to write a comp by simply typing in one or more equation( s) at a command line or retrieving the equation(s) from a text file. ISPATOM then subscribes to the necessary input data, performs all of necessary computations, and sends out the results. It sends out new results whenever the input data change. The use of equations in ISPATOM is no more difficult than is entering equations in a spreadsheet. The time involved in developing a comp is thus limited to the time taken to decide on the necessary equations. Thus, ISPATOM is a real-time dynamic calculator.

  13. The health fraud battle. Education is the best defense.

    PubMed

    Johnson, G C; Gottesman, R A

    1989-06-01

    Despite the regulatory and educational efforts of the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies and organizations, large numbers of American consumers continue to be fooled by unsubstantiated "miracle cure" claims made by manufacturers of fraudulent medical products. Physicians who are familiar with the language of health fraud advertising and product labels may be able to help patients avoid unnecessary expense, false hope, and physical and emotional harm.

  14. Intercollegiate Athletics. Compensation Varies for Selected Personnel in Athletic Departments. Report to the Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Competitiveness, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Div. of Human Resources.

    This report responds to a congressional request for information on the following selected issues involving intercollegiate athletics: (1) revenue and expenses of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its member schools' athletic departments; (2) a data profile on the gender and race/ethnicity of staff members in five selected…

  15. An Evaluation of the Data from the Teacher Compensation Survey: School Year 2006-07. Research and Development Report. NCES 2010-329

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cornman, Stephen Q.; Johnson, Frank; Zhou, Lei; Honegger, Steven; Noel, Amber M.

    2010-01-01

    Teachers are the largest component of school spending, with more funding being allocated to teacher salaries than to any other education expense (Loeb, Miller, and Strunk 2009). Teacher and staff salaries and benefits consume up to 80 percent of current expenditures (Aud et al. 2010). Yet, there is not a wealth of data on teacher compensation.…

  16. Is there a role for dietetic foods in the management of diabetes and/or obesity?

    PubMed

    Wunschel, I M; Sheikholislam, B M

    1978-01-01

    The cost and nutritional value (calorie, carbohydrate, protein, and fat content) of 108 regular products were compared with 101 dietetic products. The cost of dietetic candies, cookies, fruits, preserves/syrups, and puddings/gelatins was significantly greater (p less than 0.005, p less than 0.005, p less than 0.005, and p less than 0.025, respectively). Dietetic candies and cookies contained more calories than the regular ones. These differences were significant only for candies (p less than 0.005). In contrast, dietetic fruits and preserves/syrups had significantly fewer calories than the regular ones (p less than 0.005 and p less than 0.005 respectively). Dietetic puddings/gelatins were significantly less expensive and contained fewer calories than the regular products (p less than 0.005 and p less than 0.005, respectively). Dietetic ice creams were generally more expensive with varying amounts of carbohydrate content. Most dietetic products contained higher amounts of protein than regular food products. Since the dietetic products constitute only a fraction of total food intake, the differences in their composition have little or no effect on the relationship of nutrients consumed within a 24-hour period. Thus, in most cases the consumer receives little or no nutritional benefit from the higher cost of dietetic products.

  17. Experimental evaluation and thermodynamic system modeling of thermoelectric heat pump clothes dryer

    DOE PAGES

    Patel, Viral K.; Gluesenkamp, Kyle R.; Goodman, Dakota; ...

    2018-02-28

    Electric clothes dryers consume about 6% of US residential electricity consumption. Using a solid-state technology without refrigerant, thermoelectric (TE) heat pump dryers have the potential to be more efficient than units based on electric resistance and less expensive than units based on vapor compression. This study presents a steady state TE dryer model, and validates the model against results from an experimental prototype. The system model is composed of a TE heat pump element model coupled with a psychrometric dryer sub-model. Experimental results had energy factors (EFs) of up to 2.95 kg of dry cloth per kWh (6.51 lb c/kWh),more » with a dry time of 159 min. A faster dry time of 96 min was also achieved at an EF of 2.54 kg c/kWh (5.60 lb c/kWh). The model was able to replicate the experimental results within 5% of EF and 5% of dry time values. Finally, the results are used to identify important parameters that affect dryer performance, such as relative humidity of air leaving the drum.« less

  18. Rapid Identification of Mycobacterial Whole Cells in Solid and Liquid Culture Media by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry ▿

    PubMed Central

    Lotz, Aurélie; Ferroni, Agnès; Beretti, Jean-Luc; Dauphin, Brunhilde; Carbonnelle, Etienne; Guet-Revillet, Hélène; Veziris, Nicolas; Heym, Béate; Jarlier, Vincent; Gaillard, Jean-Louis; Pierre-Audigier, Catherine; Frapy, Eric; Berche, Patrick; Nassif, Xavier; Bille, Emmanuelle

    2010-01-01

    Mycobacterial identification is based on several methods: conventional biochemical tests that require several weeks for accurate identification, and molecular tools that are now routinely used. However, these techniques are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, an alternative method was developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This approach allows a characteristic mass spectral fingerprint to be obtained from whole inactivated mycobacterial cells. We engineered a strategy based on specific profiles in order to identify the most clinically relevant species of mycobacteria. To validate the mycobacterial database, a total of 311 strains belonging to 31 distinct species and 4 species complexes grown in Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) and liquid (mycobacterium growth indicator tube [MGIT]) media were analyzed. No extraction step was required. Correct identifications were obtained for 97% of strains from LJ and 77% from MGIT media. No misidentification was noted. Our results, based on a very simple protocol, suggest that this system may represent a serious alternative for clinical laboratories to identify mycobacterial species. PMID:20943874

  19. Experimental evaluation and thermodynamic system modeling of thermoelectric heat pump clothes dryer

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

    Patel, Viral K.; Gluesenkamp, Kyle R.; Goodman, Dakota

    Electric clothes dryers consume about 6% of US residential electricity consumption. Using a solid-state technology without refrigerant, thermoelectric (TE) heat pump dryers have the potential to be more efficient than units based on electric resistance and less expensive than units based on vapor compression. This study presents a steady state TE dryer model, and validates the model against results from an experimental prototype. The system model is composed of a TE heat pump element model coupled with a psychrometric dryer sub-model. Experimental results had energy factors (EFs) of up to 2.95 kg of dry cloth per kWh (6.51 lb c/kWh),more » with a dry time of 159 min. A faster dry time of 96 min was also achieved at an EF of 2.54 kg c/kWh (5.60 lb c/kWh). The model was able to replicate the experimental results within 5% of EF and 5% of dry time values. Finally, the results are used to identify important parameters that affect dryer performance, such as relative humidity of air leaving the drum.« less

  20. Understanding Urban Demand for Wild Meat in Vietnam: Implications for Conservation Actions.

    PubMed

    Shairp, Rachel; Veríssimo, Diogo; Fraser, Iain; Challender, Daniel; MacMillan, Douglas

    2016-01-01

    Vietnam is a significant consumer of wildlife, particularly wild meat, in urban restaurant settings. To meet this demand, poaching of wildlife is widespread, threatening regional and international biodiversity. Previous interventions to tackle illegal and potentially unsustainable consumption of wild meat in Vietnam have generally focused on limiting supply. While critical, they have been impeded by a lack of resources, the presence of increasingly organised criminal networks and corruption. Attention is, therefore, turning to the consumer, but a paucity of research investigating consumer demand for wild meat will impede the creation of effective consumer-centred interventions. Here we used a mixed-methods research approach comprising a hypothetical choice modelling survey and qualitative interviews to explore the drivers of wild meat consumption and consumer preferences among residents of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Our findings indicate that demand for wild meat is heterogeneous and highly context specific. Wild-sourced, rare, and expensive wild meat-types are eaten by those situated towards the top of the societal hierarchy to convey wealth and status and are commonly consumed in lucrative business contexts. Cheaper, legal and farmed substitutes for wild-sourced meats are also consumed, but typically in more casual consumption or social drinking settings. We explore the implications of our results for current conservation interventions in Vietnam that attempt to tackle illegal and potentially unsustainable trade in and consumption of wild meat and detail how our research informs future consumer-centric conservation actions.

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