A review for identification of initiating events in event tree development process on nuclear power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riyadi, Eko H.

2014-09-01

Initiating event is defined as any event either internal or external to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) that perturbs the steady state operation of the plant, if operating, thereby initiating an abnormal event such as transient or loss of coolant accident (LOCA) within the NPPs. These initiating events trigger sequences of events that challenge plant control and safety systems whose failure could potentially lead to core damage or large early release. Selection for initiating events consists of two steps i.e. first step, definition of possible events, such as by evaluating a comprehensive engineering, and by constructing a top level logic model. Then the second step, grouping of identified initiating event's by the safety function to be performed or combinations of systems responses. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss initiating events identification in event tree development process and to reviews other probabilistic safety assessments (PSA). The identification of initiating events also involves the past operating experience, review of other PSA, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), feedback from system modeling, and master logic diagram (special type of fault tree). By using the method of study for the condition of the traditional US PSA categorization in detail, could be obtained the important initiating events that are categorized into LOCA, transients and external events.

10 CFR 830.204 - Documented safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., and accident conditions, including consideration of natural and man-made external events... radioactive and other hazardous materials, and consideration of the need for analysis of accidents which may... preparedness, fire protection, waste management, and radiation protection; and (6) With respect to a nonreactor...

10 CFR 830.204 - Documented safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., and accident conditions, including consideration of natural and man-made external events... radioactive and other hazardous materials, and consideration of the need for analysis of accidents which may... preparedness, fire protection, waste management, and radiation protection; and (6) With respect to a nonreactor...

10 CFR 830.204 - Documented safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., and accident conditions, including consideration of natural and man-made external events... radioactive and other hazardous materials, and consideration of the need for analysis of accidents which may... preparedness, fire protection, waste management, and radiation protection; and (6) With respect to a nonreactor...

10 CFR 830.204 - Documented safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., and accident conditions, including consideration of natural and man-made external events... radioactive and other hazardous materials, and consideration of the need for analysis of accidents which may... preparedness, fire protection, waste management, and radiation protection; and (6) With respect to a nonreactor...

Relations of parenting and temperament to Chinese children's experience of negative life events, coping efficacy, and externalizing problems.

PubMed

Zhou, Qing; Wang, Yun; Deng, Xianli; Eisenberg, Nancy; Wolchik, Sharlene A; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2008-01-01

The relations of parenting and temperament (effortful control and anger/frustration) to children's externalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 native Chinese children (6-9 years) from Beijing. Children's experience of negative life events and coping efficacy were examined as mediators in the parenting- and temperament-externalizing relations. Parents reported on their own parenting. Parents and teachers rated temperament. Children reported on negative life events and coping efficacy. Parents, teachers, children, or peers rated children's externalizing problems. Authoritative and authoritarian parenting and anger/frustration uniquely predicted externalizing problems. The relation between authoritarian parenting and externalizing was mediated by children's coping efficacy and negative school events. The results suggest there is some cross-cultural universality in the developmental pathways for externalizing problems.

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

Smith, Curtis L.; Prescott, Steven; Coleman, Justin

This report describes the current progress and status related to the Industry Application #2 focusing on External Hazards. For this industry application within the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) R&D Pathway, we will create the Risk-Informed Margin Management (RIMM) approach to represent meaningful (i.e., realistic facility representation) event scenarios and consequences by using an advanced 3D facility representation that will evaluate external hazards such as flooding and earthquakes in order to identify, model and analyze the appropriate physics that needs to be included to determine plant vulnerabilities related to external events; manage the communicationmore » and interactions between different physics modeling and analysis technologies; and develop the computational infrastructure through tools related to plant representation, scenario depiction, and physics prediction. One of the unique aspects of the RISMC approach is how it couples probabilistic approaches (the scenario) with mechanistic phenomena representation (the physics) through simulation. This simulation-based modeling allows decision makers to focus on a variety of safety, performance, or economic metrics. In this report, we describe the evaluation of various physics toolkits related to flooding representation. Ultimately, we will be coupling the flooding representation with other events such as earthquakes in order to provide coupled physics analysis for scenarios where interactions exist.« less

Relations of Parenting and Temperament to Chinese Children’s Experience of Negative Life Events, Coping Efficacy, and Externalizing Problems

PubMed Central

Zhou, Qing; Wang, Yun; Deng, Xianli; Eisenberg, Nancy; Wolchik, Sharlene A.; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2009-01-01

The relations of parenting and temperament (effortful control and anger/frustration) to children’s externalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 native Chinese children (6 – 9 years) from Beijing. Children’s experience of negative life events and coping efficacy were examined as mediators in the parenting and temperament-externalizing relations. Parents reported on their own parenting. Parents and teachers rated temperament. Children reported on negative life events and coping efficacy. Parents, teachers, children, or peers rated children’s externalizing problems. Authoritative and authoritarian parenting and anger/frustration uniquely predicted externalizing problems. The relation between authoritarian parenting and externalizing was mediated by children’s coping efficacy and negative school events. The results suggest there is some cross-cultural universality in the developmental pathways for externalizing problems. PMID:18489409

A review for identification of initiating events in event tree development process on nuclear power plants

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

Riyadi, Eko H., E-mail: e.riyadi@bapeten.go.id

2014-09-30

Initiating event is defined as any event either internal or external to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) that perturbs the steady state operation of the plant, if operating, thereby initiating an abnormal event such as transient or loss of coolant accident (LOCA) within the NPPs. These initiating events trigger sequences of events that challenge plant control and safety systems whose failure could potentially lead to core damage or large early release. Selection for initiating events consists of two steps i.e. first step, definition of possible events, such as by evaluating a comprehensive engineering, and by constructing a top level logicmore » model. Then the second step, grouping of identified initiating event's by the safety function to be performed or combinations of systems responses. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss initiating events identification in event tree development process and to reviews other probabilistic safety assessments (PSA). The identification of initiating events also involves the past operating experience, review of other PSA, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), feedback from system modeling, and master logic diagram (special type of fault tree). By using the method of study for the condition of the traditional US PSA categorization in detail, could be obtained the important initiating events that are categorized into LOCA, transients and external events.« less

10 CFR 72.94 - Design basis external man-induced events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Design basis external man-induced events. 72.94 Section 72... WASTE Siting Evaluation Factors § 72.94 Design basis external man-induced events. (a) The region must be examined for both past and present man-made facilities and activities that might endanger the proposed...

10 CFR 72.94 - Design basis external man-induced events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Design basis external man-induced events. 72.94 Section 72... WASTE Siting Evaluation Factors § 72.94 Design basis external man-induced events. (a) The region must be examined for both past and present man-made facilities and activities that might endanger the proposed...

10 CFR 72.94 - Design basis external man-induced events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Design basis external man-induced events. 72.94 Section 72... WASTE Siting Evaluation Factors § 72.94 Design basis external man-induced events. (a) The region must be examined for both past and present man-made facilities and activities that might endanger the proposed...

10 CFR 72.94 - Design basis external man-induced events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Design basis external man-induced events. 72.94 Section 72... WASTE Siting Evaluation Factors § 72.94 Design basis external man-induced events. (a) The region must be examined for both past and present man-made facilities and activities that might endanger the proposed...

10 CFR 72.92 - Design basis external natural events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Design basis external natural events. 72.92 Section 72.92... Evaluation Factors § 72.92 Design basis external natural events. (a) Natural phenomena that may exist or that... potential effects on the safe operation of the ISFSI or MRS. The important natural phenomena that affect the...

10 CFR 72.92 - Design basis external natural events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Design basis external natural events. 72.92 Section 72.92... Evaluation Factors § 72.92 Design basis external natural events. (a) Natural phenomena that may exist or that... potential effects on the safe operation of the ISFSI or MRS. The important natural phenomena that affect the...

Assessing emergency planning zone for new nuclear power plant considering risk of extreme external events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alzbutas, Robertas

2015-04-01

In general, the Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ) are defined as well as plant site and arrangement structures are designed to minimize the potential for natural and manmade hazards external to the plant from affecting the plant safety related functions, which can affect nearby population and environment. This may include consideration of extreme winds, fires, flooding, aircraft crash, seismic activity, etc. Thus the design basis for plant and site is deeply related to the effects of any postulated external events and the limitation of the plant capability to cope with accidents i.e. perform safety functions. It has been observed that the Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) methodologies to deal with EPZ and extreme external events have not reached the same level of maturity as for severe internal events. The design basis for any plant and site is deeply related to the effects of any postulated external events and the limitation of the plant capability to cope with accidents i.e. perform safety functions. As a prime example of an advanced reactor and new Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with enhanced safety, the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) and Site selection for New NPP in Lithuania had been considered in this work. In the used Safety-by-Design™ approach, the PSA played obviously a key role; therefore a Preliminary IRIS PSA had been developed along with the design. For the design and pre-licensing process of IRIS the external events analysis included both qualitative evaluation and quantitative assessment. As a result of preliminary qualitative analyses, the external events that were chosen for more detailed quantitative scoping evaluation were high winds and tornadoes, aircraft crash, and seismic events. For the site selection in Lithuania a detail site evaluation process was performed and related to the EPZ and risk zoning considerations. In general, applying the quantitative assessment, bounding site characteristics could be used in order to optimize potential redefinition or future restrictions on plant siting and risk zoning. It must be noticed that the use of existing regulations and installations as the basis for this redefinition will not in any way impact the high degree of conservatism inherent in current regulations. Moreover, the remapping process makes this methodology partially independent from the uncertainties still affecting probabilistic techniques. Notwithstanding these considerations, it is still expected that applying this methodology to advanced plant designs with improved safety features will allow significant changes in the emergency planning requirements, and specifically the size of the EPZ. In particular, in the case of IRIS it is expected that taking full credit of the Safety-by-Design™ approach of the IRIS reactor will allow a dramatic changes in the EPZ, while still maintaining a level of protection to the public fully consistent with existing regulations.

Advanced Reactor Passive System Reliability Demonstration Analysis for an External Event

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

Bucknor, Matthew D.; Grabaskas, David; Brunett, Acacia J.

2016-01-01

Many advanced reactor designs rely on passive systems to fulfill safety functions during accident sequences. These systems depend heavily on boundary conditions to induce a motive force, meaning the system can fail to operate as intended due to deviations in boundary conditions, rather than as the result of physical failures. Furthermore, passive systems may operate in intermediate or degraded modes. These factors make passive system operation difficult to characterize within a traditional probabilistic framework that only recognizes discrete operating modes and does not allow for the explicit consideration of time-dependent boundary conditions. Argonne National Laboratory has been examining various methodologiesmore » for assessing passive system reliability within a probabilistic risk assessment for a station blackout event at an advanced small modular reactor. This paper provides an overview of a passive system reliability demonstration analysis for an external event. Centering on an earthquake with the possibility of site flooding, the analysis focuses on the behavior of the passive reactor cavity cooling system following potential physical damage and system flooding. The assessment approach seeks to combine mechanistic and simulation-based methods to leverage the benefits of the simulation-based approach without the need to substantially deviate from conventional probabilistic risk assessment techniques. While this study is presented as only an example analysis, the results appear to demonstrate a high level of reliability for the reactor cavity cooling system (and the reactor system in general) to the postulated transient event.« less

Advanced Reactor Passive System Reliability Demonstration Analysis for an External Event

DOE PAGES

Bucknor, Matthew; Grabaskas, David; Brunett, Acacia J.; ...

2017-01-24

We report that many advanced reactor designs rely on passive systems to fulfill safety functions during accident sequences. These systems depend heavily on boundary conditions to induce a motive force, meaning the system can fail to operate as intended because of deviations in boundary conditions, rather than as the result of physical failures. Furthermore, passive systems may operate in intermediate or degraded modes. These factors make passive system operation difficult to characterize within a traditional probabilistic framework that only recognizes discrete operating modes and does not allow for the explicit consideration of time-dependent boundary conditions. Argonne National Laboratory has beenmore » examining various methodologies for assessing passive system reliability within a probabilistic risk assessment for a station blackout event at an advanced small modular reactor. This paper provides an overview of a passive system reliability demonstration analysis for an external event. Considering an earthquake with the possibility of site flooding, the analysis focuses on the behavior of the passive Reactor Cavity Cooling System following potential physical damage and system flooding. The assessment approach seeks to combine mechanistic and simulation-based methods to leverage the benefits of the simulation-based approach without the need to substantially deviate from conventional probabilistic risk assessment techniques. Lastly, although this study is presented as only an example analysis, the results appear to demonstrate a high level of reliability of the Reactor Cavity Cooling System (and the reactor system in general) for the postulated transient event.« less

77 FR 37879 - Cooperative Patent Classification External User Day

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-25

... Classification External User Day AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice... Classification (CPC) External User Day event at its Alexandria Campus. CPC is a partnership between the USPTO and... classification system that will incorporate the best classification practices of the two Offices. This CPC event...

Decadal-scale rates of reef erosion following El Niño-related mass coral mortality.

PubMed

Roff, George; Zhao, Jian-Xin; Mumby, Peter J

2015-12-01

As the frequency and intensity of coral mortality events increase under climate change, understanding how declines in coral cover may affect the bioerosion of reef frameworks is of increasing importance. Here, we explore decadal-scale rates of bioerosion of the framework building coral Orbicella annularis by grazing parrotfish following the 1997/1998 El Niño-related mass mortality event at Long Cay, Belize. Using high-precision U-Th dating and CT scan analysis, we quantified in situ rates of external bioerosion over a 13-year period (1998-2011). Based upon the error-weighted average U-Th age of dead O. annularis skeletons, we estimate the average external bioerosion between 1998 and 2011 as 0.92 ± 0.55 cm depth. Empirical observations of herbivore foraging, and a nonlinear numerical response of parrotfish to an increase in food availability, were used to create a model of external bioerosion at Long Cay. Model estimates of external bioerosion were in close agreement with U-Th estimates (0.85 ± 0.09 cm). The model was then used to quantify how rates of external bioerosion changed across a gradient of coral mortality (i.e., from few corals experiencing mortality following coral bleaching to complete mortality). Our results indicate that external bioerosion is remarkably robust to declines in coral cover, with no significant relationship predicted between the rate of external bioerosion and the proportion of O. annularis that died in the 1998 bleaching event. The outcome was robust because the reduction in grazing intensity that follows coral mortality was compensated for by a positive numerical response of parrotfish to an increase in food availability. Our model estimates further indicate that for an O. annularis-dominated reef to maintain a positive state of reef accretion, a necessity for sustained ecosystem function, live cover of O. annularis must not drop below a ~5-10% threshold of cover. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Parental Efficacy, Experience of Stressful Life Events, and Child Externalizing Behavior as Predictors of Filipino Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parental Hostility and Aggression

PubMed Central

Garcia, Aileen S.; Alampay, Liane Peña

2013-01-01

This study assessed relations of parental efficacy, experience of stressful life events, and child externalizing behavior to Filipino mothers and fathers’ parental hostility and aggression. Orally-administered surveys were conducted with 117 mothers and 98 fathers for the first year of data collection, and again a year later with 107 mothers and 83 fathers. Path analyses showed that mothers’ report of child externalizing behavior predicted subsequent parental hostility and aggression. For fathers, child externalizing behavior and experience of stressful life events predicted parental hostility and aggression. Additionally, fathers’ parental efficacy was found to moderate the relationship between experience of stressful life events and parental hostility and aggression. Results suggest that child externalizing behavior and experience of stressful life events have direct relations to parental hostility and aggression, while parental efficacy has a moderating effect to it. The differences between the results for fathers and mothers are explained in the context of distinct parenting roles and parenting in the local context. PMID:25284911

Nasal Dilators (Breathe Right Strips and NoZovent) for Snoring and OSA: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Malu, Omojo O.; Kram, Yoseph A.; Song, Sungjin A.; Tolisano, Anthony M.; Kushida, Clete A.

2016-01-01

Objective. To systematically review the international literature for studies evaluating internal (NoZovent) and external (Breathe Right Strips) nasal dilators as treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Study Design. Systematic review with meta-analysis. Methods. Four databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, were searched through September 29, 2016. Results. One-hundred twelve studies were screened, fifty-eight studies were reviewed, and fourteen studies met criteria. In 147 patients, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was reported, and there was an improvement from a mean ± standard deviation (M ± SD) of 28.7 ± 24.0 to 27.4 ± 23.3 events/hr, p value 0.64. There was no significant change in AHI, lowest oxygen saturation, or snoring index in OSA patients when using nasal dilators. However, a subanalysis demonstrated a slight reduction in apnea index (AI) with internal nasal dilators (decrease by 4.87 events/hr) versus minimal change for external nasal dilators (increase by 0.64 events/hr). Conclusion. Although nasal dilators have demonstrated improved nasal breathing, they have not shown improvement in obstructive sleep apnea outcomes, with the exception of mild improvement in apnea index when internal nasal dilators were used. PMID:28070421

Emotional self-control and dysregulation: A dual-process analysis of pathways to externalizing/internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being in younger adolescents.

PubMed

Wills, Thomas A; Simons, Jeffrey S; Sussman, Steve; Knight, Rebecca

2016-06-01

There is little knowledge about how emotional regulation contributes to vulnerability versus resilience to substance use disorder. With younger adolescents, we studied the pathways through which emotion regulation attributes are related to predisposing factors for disorder. A sample of 3561 adolescents (M age 12.5 years) was surveyed. Measures for emotional self-control (regulation of sadness and anger), emotional dysregulation (angerability, affective lability, and rumination about sadness or anger), and behavioral self-control (planfulness and problem solving) were obtained. A structural model was analyzed with regulation attributes related to six intermediate variables that are established risk or protective factors for adolescent substance use (e.g., academic involvement, stressful life events). Criterion variables were externalizing and internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being. Indirect pathways were found from emotional regulation to symptomatology through academic competence, stressful events, and deviance-prone attitudes and cognitions. Direct effects were also found: from emotional dysregulation to externalizing and internalizing symptomatology; emotional self-control to well-being; and behavioral self-control (inverse) to externalizing symptomatology. Emotional self-control and emotional dysregulation had independent effects and different types of pathways. Adolescents scoring high on emotional dysregulation are at risk for substance dependence because of more externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Independently, youth with better behavioral and emotional self-control are at lower risk. This occurs partly through relations of regulation constructs to environmental variables that affect levels of symptomatology (e.g., stressful events, poor academic performance). Effects of emotion regulation were found at an early age, before the typical onset of substance disorder. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Emotional Self-Control and Dysregulation: A Dual-Process Analysis of Pathways to Externalizing/Internalizing Symptomatology and Positive Well-being in Younger Adolescents

PubMed Central

Wills, Thomas A.; Simons, Jeffrey S.; Sussman, Steve; Knight, Rebecca

2016-01-01

Objectives There is little knowledge about how emotional regulation contributes to vulnerability versus resilience to substance use disorder. With younger adolescents, we studied the pathways through which emotion regulation attributes are related to predisposing factors for disorder. Methods A sample of 3,561 adolescents (M age 12.5 years) was surveyed. Measures for emotional self-control (regulation of sadness and anger), emotional dysregulation (angerability, affective lability, and rumination about sadness or anger), and behavioral self-control (planfulness and problem solving) were obtained. A structural model was analyzed with regulation attributes related to six intermediate variables that are established risk or protective factors for adolescent substance use (e.g., academic involvement, stressful life events). Criterion variables were externalizing and internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being. Results Indirect pathways were found from emotional regulation to symptomatology through academic competence, stressful events, and deviance-prone attitudes and cognitions. Direct effects were also found: from emotional dysregulation to externalizing and internalizing symptomatology; emotional self-control to well-being; and behavioral self-control (inverse) to externalizing symptomatology. Emotional self-control and emotional dysregulation had independent effects and different types of pathways. Conclusions Adolescents scoring high on emotional dysregulation are at risk for substance dependence because of more externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Independently, youth with better behavioral and emotional self-control are at lower risk. This occurs partly through relations of regulation constructs to environmental variables that affect levels of symptomatology (e.g., stressful events, poor academic performance). Effects of emotion regulation were found at an early age, before the typical onset of substance disorder. PMID:27306730

Neural correlates of depressive realism – An fMRI study on causal attribution in depression

PubMed Central

Seidel, Eva-Maria; Satterthwaite, Theodore D.; Eickhoff, Simon B.; Schneider, Frank; Gur, Ruben C.; Wolf, Daniel H.; Habel, Ute; Derntl, Birgit

2013-01-01

Background Biased causal attribution is a critical factor in the cognitive model of depression. Whereas depressed patients interpret events negatively, healthy people show a self-serving bias (internal attribution of positive events and external attribution of negative events). Methods Using fMRI, depressed patients (n=15) and healthy controls (n=15) were confronted with positive and negative social events and made causal attributions (internal vs. external). Functional data were analyzed using a mixed effects model. Results Behaviourally, controls showed a self-serving bias, whereas patients demonstrated a balanced attributional pattern. Analysis of functional data revealed a significant group difference in a fronto-temporal network. Higher activation of this network was associated with non self-serving attributions in controls but self-serving attributions in patients. Applying a psycho-physiological interaction analysis, we observed reduced coupling between a dorsomedial PFC seed region and limbic areas during self-serving attributions in patients compared to controls. Limitations Results of the PPI analysis are preliminary given the liberal statistical threshold. Conclusions The association of the behaviourally less frequent attributional pattern with activation in a fronto-temporal network suggests that non self-serving responses may produce a self-related response conflict in controls, while self-serving responses produce this conflict in patients. Moreover, attribution-modulated coupling between the dorsomedial PFC and limbic regions was weaker in patients than controls. This preliminary finding suggests that depression may be associated with disturbances in fronto-limbic coupling during attributional decisions. Our results implicate that treatment of major depression may benefit from approaches that facilitate reinterpretation of emotional events in a more positive, more self-serving way. PMID:22377511

Shaping Social Activity by Incentivizing Users

PubMed Central

Farajtabar, Mehrdad; Du, Nan; Rodriguez, Manuel Gomez; Valera, Isabel; Zha, Hongyuan; Song, Le

2015-01-01

Events in an online social network can be categorized roughly into endogenous events, where users just respond to the actions of their neighbors within the network, or exogenous events, where users take actions due to drives external to the network. How much external drive should be provided to each user, such that the network activity can be steered towards a target state? In this paper, we model social events using multivariate Hawkes processes, which can capture both endogenous and exogenous event intensities, and derive a time dependent linear relation between the intensity of exogenous events and the overall network activity. Exploiting this connection, we develop a convex optimization framework for determining the required level of external drive in order for the network to reach a desired activity level. We experimented with event data gathered from Twitter, and show that our method can steer the activity of the network more accurately than alternatives. PMID:26005312

Space Station as a Long Duration Exposure Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folley, Adrienne; Scheib, Jim

1995-01-01

There is need for a space platform for experiments investigating long duration exposure to space. This platform should be maintainable in the event of a malfunction, and experiments should be easily recoverable for analysis on Earth. The International Space Station provides such a platform. The current Space Station configuration has six external experiment attachment sites, providing utilities and data support distributed along the external truss. There are also other sites that could potentially support long duration exposure experiments. This paper describes the resources provided to payloads at these sites, and cites examples of integration of proposed long duration exposure experiments on these sites. The environments to which external attached payloads will be exposed are summarized.

Time series data analysis using DFA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumoto, A.; Akiyama, T.; Sekino, H.; Sumi, T.

2014-02-01

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) was originally developed for the evaluation of DNA sequence and interval for heart rate variability (HRV), but it is now used to obtain various biological information. In this study we perform DFA on artificially generated data where we already know the relationship between signal and the physical event causing the signal. We generate artificial data using molecular dynamics. The Brownian motion of a polymer under an external force is investigated. In order to generate artificial fluctuation in the physical properties, we introduce obstacle pillars fixed to nanostructures. Using different conditions such as presence or absence of obstacles, external field, and the polymer length, we perform DFA on energies and positions of the polymer.

A Prototype External Event Broker for LSST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elan Alvarez, Gabriella; Stassun, Keivan; Burger, Dan; Siverd, Robert; Cox, Donald

2015-01-01

LSST plans to have an alerts system that will automatically identify various types of "events" appearing in the LSST data stream. These events will include things such as supernovae, moving objects, and many other types, and it is expected that there will be millions of events nightly. It is expected that there may be tens of millions of events each night. To help the LSST community parse and make full advantage of the LSST alerts stream, we are working to design an external "events alert broker" that will generate real-time notification of LSST events to users and/or robotic telescope facilities based on user-specified criteria. For example, users will be able to specify that they wish to be notified immediately via text message of urgent events, such as GRB counterparts, or notified only occasionally in digest form of less time-sensitive events, such as eclipsing binaries. This poster will summarize results from a survey of scientists for the most important features that such an alerts notification service needs to provide, and will present a preliminary design for our external event broker.

EPA SCIENTISTS PARTICIPATE IN THE SRA 2005 ANNUAL MEETING

EPA Science Inventory

Several NCEA Scientists presented at this years Society For Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Meeting (see other sources for the SRA meeting agenda). The meeting was held December 4-7, 2005 in Orlando, Fl. The table below contains the event names (with external links...

Evaluation of external hazards to nuclear power plants in the United States

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

Kimura, C.Y.; Budnitz, R.J.

1987-12-01

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has performed a study of the risk of core damage to nuclear power plants in the United States due to externally initiated events. The broad objective has been to gain an understanding of whether or not each external initiator is among the major potential accident initiators that may pose a threat of severe reactor core damage or of large radioactive release to the environment from the reactor. Four external hazards were investigated in this report. These external hazards are internal fires, high winds/tornadoes, external floods, and transportation accidents. Analysis was based on two figures-of-merit,more » one based on core damage frequency and the other based on the frequency of large radioactive releases. Using these two figures-of-merit as evaluation criteria, it has been feasible to ascertain whether the risk from externally initiated accidents is, or is not, an important contributor to overall risk for the US nuclear power plants studied. This has been accomplished for each initiator separately. 208 refs., 17 figs., 45 tabs.« less

The external leadership of self-managing teams: intervening in the context of novel and disruptive events.

PubMed

Morgeson, Frederick P

2005-05-01

Relatively little empirical research has been conducted on external leaders of self-managing teams. The integration of functional leadership theory with research on team routines suggests that leaders can intervene in teams in several different ways, and the effectiveness of this intervention depends on the nature of the events the team encounters. External team leaders from 3 organizations first described a series of events (N=117), and leaders and team members then completed surveys to quantitatively describe the events. Results indicated that leader preparation and supportive coaching were positively related to team perceptions of leader effectiveness, with preparation becoming more strongly related to effectiveness as event novelty increased. More active leader intervention activities (active coaching and sense making) were negatively related to satisfaction with leadership yet were positively related to effectiveness as events became more disruptive.

AP1000{sup R} design robustness against extreme external events - Seismic, flooding, and aircraft crash

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

Pfister, A.; Goossen, C.; Coogler, K.

2012-07-01

Both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) require existing and new nuclear power plants to conduct plant assessments to demonstrate the unit's ability to withstand external hazards. The events that occurred at the Fukushima-Dai-ichi nuclear power station demonstrated the importance of designing a nuclear power plant with the ability to protect the plant against extreme external hazards. The innovative design of the AP1000{sup R} nuclear power plant provides unparalleled protection against catastrophic external events which can lead to extensive infrastructure damage and place the plant in an extended abnormal situation. The AP1000 plantmore » is an 1100-MWe pressurized water reactor with passive safety features and extensive plant simplifications that enhance construction, operation, maintenance and safety. The plant's compact safety related footprint and protection provided by its robust nuclear island structures prevent significant damage to systems, structures, and components required to safely shutdown the plant and maintain core and spent fuel pool cooling and containment integrity following extreme external events. The AP1000 nuclear power plant has been extensively analyzed and reviewed to demonstrate that it's nuclear island design and plant layout provide protection against both design basis and extreme beyond design basis external hazards such as extreme seismic events, external flooding that exceeds the maximum probable flood limit, and malicious aircraft impact. The AP1000 nuclear power plant uses fail safe passive features to mitigate design basis accidents. The passive safety systems are designed to function without safety-grade support systems (such as AC power, component cooling water, service water, compressed air or HVAC). The plant has been designed to protect systems, structures, and components critical to placing the reactor in a safe shutdown condition within the steel containment vessel which is further surrounded by a substantial 'steel concrete' composite shield building. The containment vessel is not affected by external flooding, and the shield building design provides hazard protection beyond that provided by a comparable reinforced concrete structure. The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the robustness of the AP1000 design against extreme events. The paper will focus on the plants ability to withstand extreme external events such as beyond design basis flooding, seismic events, and malicious aircraft impact. The paper will highlight the robustness of the AP1000 nuclear island design including the protection provided by the unique AP1000 composite shield building. (authors)« less

Experimental Characterization of a Grid-Loss Event on a 2.5-MW Dynamometer Using Advanced Operational Modal Analysis: Preprint

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

Helsen, J.; Weijtjens, W.; Guo, Y.

2015-02-01

This paper experimentally investigates a worst case grid loss event conducted on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC) drivetrain mounted on the 2.5MW NREL dynamic nacelle test-rig. The GRC drivetrain has a directly grid-coupled, fixed speed asynchronous generator. The main goal is the assessment of the dynamic content driving this particular assess the dynamic content of the high-speed stage of the GRC gearbox. In addition to external accelerometers, high frequency sampled measurements of strain gauges were used to assess torque fluctuations and bending moments both at the nacelle main shaft and gearbox high-speed shaft (HSS) throughmore » the entire duration of the event. Modal analysis was conducted using a polyreference Least Squares Complex Frequency-domain (pLSCF) modal identification estimator. The event driving the torsional resonance was identified. Moreover, the pLSCF estimator identified main drivetrain resonances based on a combination of acceleration and strain measurements. Without external action during the grid-loss event, a mode shape characterized by counter phase rotation of the rotor and generator rotor determined by the drivetrain flexibility and rotor inertias was the main driver of the event. This behavior resulted in significant torque oscillations with large amplitude negative torque periods. Based on tooth strain measurements of the HSS pinion, this work showed that at each zero-crossing, the teeth lost contact and came into contact with the backside flank. In addition, dynamic nontorque loads between the gearbox and generator at the HSS played an important role, as indicated by strain gauge-measurements.« less

Externalizing psychopathology and gain-loss feedback in a simulated gambling task: dissociable components of brain response revealed by time-frequency analysis.

PubMed

Bernat, Edward M; Nelson, Lindsay D; Steele, Vaughn R; Gehring, William J; Patrick, Christopher J

2011-05-01

Externalizing is a broad construct that reflects propensity toward a variety of impulse control problems, including antisocial personality disorder and substance use disorders. Two event-related potential responses known to be reduced among individuals high in externalizing proneness are the P300, which reflects postperceptual processing of a stimulus, and the error-related negativity (ERN), which indexes performance monitoring based on endogenous representations. In the current study, the authors used a simulated gambling task to examine the relation between externalizing proneness and the feedback-related negativity (FRN), a brain response that indexes performance monitoring related to exogenous cues, which is thought to be highly related to the ERN. Time-frequency (TF) analysis was used to disentangle the FRN from the accompanying P300 response to feedback cues by parsing the overall feedback-locked potential into distinctive theta (4-7 Hz) and delta (<3 Hz) TF components. Whereas delta-P300 amplitude was reduced among individuals high in externalizing proneness, theta-FRN response was unrelated to externalizing. These findings suggest that in contrast with previously reported deficits in endogenously based performance monitoring (as indexed by the ERN), individuals prone to externalizing problems show intact monitoring of exogenous cues (as indexed by the FRN). The results also contribute to a growing body of evidence indicating that the P300 is attenuated across a broad range of task conditions in high-externalizing individuals.

Effect of regional anesthesia on the success rate of external cephalic version: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Goetzinger, Katherine R; Harper, Lorie M; Tuuli, Methodius G; Macones, George A; Colditz, Graham A

2011-11-01

To estimate whether the use of regional anesthesia is associated with increased success of external cephalic version. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and clinical trial registries. Electronic databases were searched from 1966 through April 2011 for published, randomized controlled trials in the English language comparing regional anesthesia with no regional anesthesia for external cephalic version. The primary outcome was external cephalic version success. Secondary outcomes included cesarean delivery, maternal discomfort, and adverse events. Pooled risk ratios (relative risk) were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran's Q statistic and quantified using the I Z method. Six randomized controlled trials met criteria for study inclusion. Regional anesthesia was associated with a higher external cephalic version success rate compared with intravenous or no analgesia (59.7% compared with 37.6%; pooled relative risk 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-1.93). This significant association persisted when the data were stratified by type of regional anesthesia (spinal compared with epidural). The number needed to treat with regional anesthesia to achieve one additional successful external cephalic version was five. There was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity (P=.32, I Z=14.9%) or publication bias (Harbord test P=.78). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of cesarean delivery comparing regional anesthesia with intravenous or no analgesia (48.4% compared with 59.3%; pooled relative risk 0.80; 95% CI 0.55-1.17). Adverse events were rare and not significantly different between the two groups. Regional anesthesia is associated with a higher success rate of external cephalic version.

The Interactive Effects of Stressful Family Life Events and Cortisol Reactivity on Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors.

PubMed

Steeger, Christine M; Cook, Emily C; Connell, Christian M

2017-04-01

This study investigated the associations between stressful family life events and adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and the interactive effects of family life events and cortisol reactivity on problem behaviors. In a sample of 100 mothers and their adolescents (M age = 15.09; SD age = .98; 68 % girls), adolescent cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a mother-adolescent conflict interaction task designed to elicit a stress response. Mothers reported on measures of family life events and adolescent problem behaviors. Results indicated that a heightened adolescent cortisol response moderated the relations between stressful family life events and both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support context-dependent theoretical models, suggesting that for adolescents with higher cortisol reactivity (compared to those with lower cortisol reactivity), higher levels of stressful family life events were associated with greater problem behaviors, whereas lower levels of stressful family life events were related to fewer problem behaviors.

The Interactive Effects of Stressful Family Life Events and Cortisol Reactivity on Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors

PubMed Central

Steeger, Christine M.; Cook, Emily C.; Connell, Christian M.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the associations between stressful family life events and adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and the interactive effects of family life events and cortisol reactivity on problem behaviors. In a sample of 100 mothers and their adolescents (M age = 15.09; SD age = 0.98; 68% girls), adolescent cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a mother-adolescent conflict interaction task designed to elicit a stress response. Mothers reported on measures of family life events and adolescent problem behaviors. Results indicated that a heightened adolescent cortisol response moderated the relations between stressful family life events and both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support context-dependent theoretical models, suggesting that for adolescents with higher cortisol reactivity (compared to those with lower cortisol reactivity), higher levels of stressful family life events were associated with greater problem behaviors, whereas lower levels of stressful family life events were related to fewer problem behaviors. PMID:26961703

Electronic considerations for externally segmented germanium detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, N. W.; Landis, D. A.; Goulding, F. S.; Pehl, R. H.; Cork, C. P.; Luke, P. N.; Malone, D. F.; Pollard, M. J.

1991-01-01

The dominant background source for germanium gamma ray detector spectrometers used for some astrophysics observations is internal beta decay. Externally segmented germanium gamma ray coaxial detectors can identify beta decay by localizing the event. Energetic gamma rays interact in the germanium detector by multiple Compton interactions while beta decay is a local process. In order to recognize the difference between gamma rays and beta decay events, the external electrode (outside of detector) is electrically partitioned. The instrumentation of these external segments and the consequence with respect to the spectrometer energy signal is examined.

Remembering from any angle: The flexibility of visual perspective during retrieval

PubMed Central

Rice, Heather J.; Rubin, David C.

2010-01-01

When recalling autobiographical memories, individuals often experience visual images associated with the event. These images can be constructed from two different perspectives: first person, in which the event is visualized from the viewpoint experienced at encoding, or third person, in which the event is visualized from an external vantage point. Using a novel technique to measure visual perspective, we examined where the external vantage point is situated in third-person images. Individuals in two studies were asked to recall either 10 or 15 events from their lives and describe the perspectives they experienced. Wide variation in spatial locations was observed within third-person perspectives, with the location of these perspectives depending on the event being recalled. Results suggest remembering from an external viewpoint may be more common than previous studies have demonstrated. PMID:21109466

Watershed erosion estimated from a high-resolution sediment core reveals a non-stationary frequency-magnitude relationship and importance of seasonal climate drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavin, D. G.; Colombaroli, D.; Morey, A. E.

2015-12-01

The inclusion of paleo-flood events greatly affects estimates of peak magnitudes (e.g., Q100) in flood-frequency analysis. Likewise, peak events also are associated with certain synoptic climatic patterns that vary on all time scales. Geologic records preserved in lake sediments have the potential to capture the non-stationarity in frequency-magnitude relationships, but few such records preserve a continuous history of event magnitudes. We present a 10-meter 2000-yr record from Upper Squaw Lake, Oregon, that contains finely laminated silt layers that reflect landscape erosion events from the 40 km2 watershed. CT-scans of the core (<1 mm resolution) and a 14C-dated chronology yielded a pseudo-annual time series of erosion magnitudes. The most recent 80 years of the record correlates strongly with annual peak stream discharge and road construction. We examined the frequency-magnitude relationship for the entire pre-road period and show that the seven largest events fall above a strongly linear relationship, suggesting a distinct process (e.g., severe fires or earthquakes) operating at low-frequency to generate large-magnitude events. Expressing the record as cumulative sediment accumulation anomalies showed the importance of the large events in "returning the system" to the long-term mean rate. Applying frequency-magnitude analysis in a moving window showed that the Q100 and Q10 of watershed erosion varied by 1.7 and 1.0 orders of magnitude, respectively. The variations in watershed erosion are weakly correlated with temperature and precipitation reconstructions at the decadal to centennial scale. This suggests that dynamics both internal (i.e., sediment production) and external (i.e., earthquakes) to the system, as well as more stochastic events (i.e., single severe wildfires) can at least partially over-ride external climate forcing of watershed erosion at decadal to centennial time scales.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire among Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerolimatos, Lindsay A.; Gould, Christine E.; Edelstein, Barry A.

2012-01-01

Among young adults and clinical populations, perceived inability to control internal and external events is associated with anxiety. At present, it is unclear what role perceived anxiety control plays in anxiety among older adults. The Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ) was developed to assess one's perceived ability to cope with anxiety-related…

Alternative mechanisms for regulating racial responses according to internal vs external cues.

PubMed

Amodio, David M; Kubota, Jennifer T; Harmon-Jones, Eddie; Devine, Patricia G

2006-06-01

Personal (internal) and normative (external) impetuses for regulating racially biased behaviour are well-documented, yet the extent to which internally and externally driven regulatory processes arise from the same mechanism is unknown. Whereas the regulation of race bias according to internal cues has been associated with conflict-monitoring processes and activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), we proposed that responses regulated according to external cues to respond without prejudice involves mechanisms of error-perception, a process associated with rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) activity. We recruited low-prejudice participants who reported high or low sensitivity to non-prejudiced norms, and participants completed a stereotype inhibition task in private or public while electroencephalography was recorded. Analysis of event-related potentials revealed that the error-related negativity component, linked to dACC activity, predicted behavioural control of bias across conditions, whereas the error-perception component, linked to rACC activity, predicted control only in public among participants sensitive to external pressures to respond without prejudice.

Synchronization of action potentials during low-magnesium-induced bursting

PubMed Central

Johnson, Sarah E.; Hudson, John L.

2015-01-01

The relationship between mono- and polysynaptic strength and action potential synchronization was explored using a reduced external Mg2+ model. Single and dual whole cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in hippocampal cultures in three concentrations of external Mg2+. In decreased Mg2+ medium, the individual cells transitioned to spontaneous bursting behavior. In lowered Mg2+ media the larger excitatory synaptic events were observed more frequently and fewer transmission failures occurred, suggesting strengthened synaptic transmission. The event synchronization was calculated for the neural action potentials of the cell pairs, and it increased in media where Mg2+ concentration was lowered. Analysis of surrogate data where bursting was present, but no direct or indirect connections existed between the neurons, showed minimal action potential synchronization. This suggests the synchronization of action potentials is a product of the strengthening synaptic connections within neuronal networks. PMID:25609103

Synchronization of action potentials during low-magnesium-induced bursting.

PubMed

Johnson, Sarah E; Hudson, John L; Kapur, Jaideep

2015-04-01

The relationship between mono- and polysynaptic strength and action potential synchronization was explored using a reduced external Mg(2+) model. Single and dual whole cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in hippocampal cultures in three concentrations of external Mg(2+). In decreased Mg(2+) medium, the individual cells transitioned to spontaneous bursting behavior. In lowered Mg(2+) media the larger excitatory synaptic events were observed more frequently and fewer transmission failures occurred, suggesting strengthened synaptic transmission. The event synchronization was calculated for the neural action potentials of the cell pairs, and it increased in media where Mg(2+) concentration was lowered. Analysis of surrogate data where bursting was present, but no direct or indirect connections existed between the neurons, showed minimal action potential synchronization. This suggests the synchronization of action potentials is a product of the strengthening synaptic connections within neuronal networks. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

State responses to biotechnology.

PubMed

Harris, Rebecca C

2015-01-01

This article reviews biotechnology legislation in the 50 states for 11 policy areas spanning 1990-2010, an era of immense growth in biotechnology, genetic knowledge, and significant policy development. Policies regarding health insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, DNA data bank collection, biotech research protection, biotech promotion and support, employment discrimination, genetic counselor licensing, human cloning, and genetic privacy each represent major policy responses arising from biotechnology and coinciding with key areas of state regulation (insurance, criminal justice, economic development, labor law, health and safety, privacy, and property rights). This analysis seeks to answer three questions regarding biotechnology legislation at the state level: who is acting (policy adoption), when is policy adopted (policy timing), and what is policy doing (policy content). Theoretical concerns examine state ideology (conservative or liberal), policy type (economic or moral), and the role of external events (federal law, news events, etc.) on state policy adoption. Findings suggest ideological patterns in adoption, timing, and content of biotech policy. Findings also suggest economic policies tend to be more uniform in content than moral policies, and findings also document a clear link between federal policy development, external events, and state policy response.

Comorbidity in illness-induced posttraumatic stress disorder versus posttraumatic stress disorder due to external events in a nationally representative study.

PubMed

Sommer, Jordana L; Mota, Natalie; Edmondson, Donald; El-Gabalawy, Renée

2018-05-10

The current study compared physical and mental health characteristics and quality of life of illness-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) versus those with PTSD due to external traumatic events in a population-based sample. PTSD was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS-5) using DSM-5 criteria in the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Participants with past-year PTSD (n = 1779) were categorized into two groups: illness-induced (6.5%) and other trauma-induced PTSD (92.9%) based on index trauma. Group differences in physical health, mental health, and quality of life were estimated using multiple logistic and linear regressions with adjustment for demographics and medical morbidity. Compared to PTSD due to external events, illness-induced PTSD had higher rates of life-threatening illness in the past year. Illness-induced PTSD compared to PTSD due to external events was associated with reduced odds of depressive/bipolar disorders and antisocial personality disorder, but increased odds of cannabis use disorder. The groups did not differ on quality of life after accounting for medical morbidity. Illness-induced PTSD is common among American adults and has a similar impact on quality of life as PTSD due to external events, but may have distinct mental health correlates. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of environmental and classroom noise on the academic attainments of primary school children.

PubMed

Shield, Bridget M; Dockrell, Julie E

2008-01-01

While at school children are exposed to various types of noise including external, environmental noise and noise generated within the classroom. Previous research has shown that noise has detrimental effects upon children's performance at school, including reduced memory, motivation, and reading ability. In England and Wales, children's academic performance is assessed using standardized tests of literacy, mathematics, and science. A study has been conducted to examine the impact, if any, of chronic exposure to external and internal noise on the test results of children aged 7 and 11 in London (UK) primary schools. External noise was found to have a significant negative impact upon performance, the effect being greater for the older children. The analysis suggested that children are particularly affected by the noise of individual external events. Test scores were also affected by internal classroom noise, background levels being significantly related to test results. Negative relationships between performance and noise levels were maintained when the data were corrected for socio-economic factors relating to social deprivation, language, and special educational needs. Linear regression analysis has been used to estimate the maximum levels of external and internal noise which allow the schools surveyed to achieve required standards of literacy and numeracy.

External cause-specific summaries of occupational fatal injuries. Part II: an analysis of years of potential life lost.

PubMed

Bailer, A John; Bena, James F; Stayner, Leslie T; Halperin, William E; Park, Robert M

2003-03-01

Fatal injury surveillance data provide an opportunity to assess the impact of occupational injuries and may indicate which industries or occupations are appreciably more hazardous than others, and thus should be given priority in public health intervention. Fatalities from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality surveillance system served as the basis for examining external cause (E-code) specific impact summaries. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) were calculated for fatal injuries in the years 1983-1994. Industries and occupations were compared with respect to frequency of fatal injuries. In addition, injuries in categories of external causes are examined across all industries and occupations. Machinery, electric current, homicide, falls, and transportation-related are the external cause groups highlighted by high frequency/rate of occurrence. Electric current event groups are also characterized by high average YPLL. Poisoning, conflagration, and lightning were also identified in several occupations as having high associated average YPLL. The external-cause-specific analysis of average YPLL identified industries and occupations where, on average, younger workers were dying in fatal injuries. Noteworthy in this assessment were homicides and falls. The YPLL measure coupled with more commonly employed indices (e.g., rates) may provide a fuller description of the impact of occupational fatal injuries.

A simulation model for probabilistic analysis of Space Shuttle abort modes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hage, R. T.

1993-01-01

A simulation model which was developed to provide a probabilistic analysis tool to study the various space transportation system abort mode situations is presented. The simulation model is based on Monte Carlo simulation of an event-tree diagram which accounts for events during the space transportation system's ascent and its abort modes. The simulation model considers just the propulsion elements of the shuttle system (i.e., external tank, main engines, and solid boosters). The model was developed to provide a better understanding of the probability of occurrence and successful completion of abort modes during the vehicle's ascent. The results of the simulation runs discussed are for demonstration purposes only, they are not official NASA probability estimates.

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be... important to safety, (2) protection of electric equipment important to safety against other natural phenomena and external events, and (3) environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety...

Adversary modeling: an analysis of criminal activities analogous to potential threats to nuclear safeguard systems

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

Heineke, J.M.

1978-12-20

This study examines and analyzes several classes of incidents in which decision makers are confronted with adversaries. The classes are analogous to adversaries in a material control system in a nuclear facility. Both internal threats (bank frauds and embezzlements) and external threats (aircraft hijackings and hostage-type terrorist events were analyzed. (DLC)

INDUSTRIAL/MILITARY ACTIVITY-INITIATED ACCIDENT SCREENING ANALYSIS

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

D.A. Kalinich

1999-09-27

Impacts due to nearby installations and operations were determined in the Preliminary MGDS Hazards Analysis (CRWMS M&O 1996) to be potentially applicable to the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. This determination was conservatively based on limited knowledge of the potential activities ongoing on or off the Nevada Test Site (NTS). It is intended that the Industrial/Military Activity-Initiated Accident Screening Analysis provided herein will meet the requirements of the ''Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants'' (NRC 1987) in establishing whether this external event can be screened from further consideration or must be includedmore » as a design basis event (DBE) in the development of accident scenarios for the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). This analysis only considers issues related to preclosure radiological safety. Issues important to waste isolation as related to impact from nearby installations will be covered in the MGR performance assessment.« less

Imagining the Future in Children with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Lah, Suncica; Gott, Chloe; Epps, Adrienne; Parry, Louise

2018-06-12

Imagining future events is thought to rely on recombination and integration of past episodic memory traces into future events. Future and past events contain episodic and nonepisodic details. Children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) were found to have impaired recall of past episodic (but not semantic) event details. Here, we examined whether severe TBI impairs construction of future events. Children with severe TBI (n = 15) and healthy controls (NC; n = 33) 1) completed tests of anterograde (narrative and relational) memory and executive skills, 2) recalled past events and generated future events, and 3) rated events' phenomenological qualities. Events were scored for episodic (internal) and semantic (external) details. The groups did not differ in generating details of future events, although children with TBI recalled significantly fewer past internal (but not external) events' details relative to NCs. Moreover, the number of past internal details relative to future internal details was significantly higher in the NC group, but not in the TBI groups. Significant correlations between past and future were found for 1) internal details in both groups and 2) external details in the NC group. The TBI group rated their events as being less significant than did the NC group. The groups did not differ on ratings of visual intensity and rehearsal. Our study has shown that children who have sustained severe TBI had impoverished recall of past, but not generation of future, events. This unexpected dissociation between past and future event construction requires further research.

A community responds to collective trauma: an ecological analysis of the James Byrd murder in Jasper, Texas.

PubMed

Wicke, Thomas; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2009-12-01

The brutal murder of James Byrd Jr. in June 1998 unleashed a storm of media, interest groups, high profile individuals and criticism on the Southeast Texas community of Jasper. The crime and subsequent response-from within the community as well as across the world-engulfed the entire town in a collective trauma. Using natural disaster literature/theory and employing an ecological approach, Jasper, Texas was investigated via an interrupted time series analysis to identify how the community changed as compared to a control community (Center, Texas) on crime, economic, health, educational, and social capital measures collected at multiple pre- and post-crime time points between 1995 and 2003. Differences-in-differences (DD) analysis revealed significant post-event changes in Jasper, as well as a surprising degree of resilience and lack of negative consequences. Interviews with residents conducted between March 2005 and 2007 identified how the community responded to the crisis and augmented quantitative findings with qualitative, field-informed interpretation. Interviews suggest the intervention of external organizations exacerbated the severity of the events. However, using strengths of specific local social institutions-including faith based, law enforcement, media, business sector and civic government organizations-the community effectively responded to the initial threat and to the potential negative ramifications of external entities.

An update of preliminary perspectives gained from Individual Plant Examination of External Events (IPEEE) submittal reviews

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

Rubin, A.M.; Chen, J.T.; Chokshi, N.

1998-03-01

As a result of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) initiated Individual Plant Examination of External Events (IPEEE) program, virtually every operating commercial nuclear power reactor in the US has performed an assessment of severe accident risk due to external events. To date, the USNRC staff has received 63 IPEEE submittals and will receive an additional 11 by mid 1998. Currently, 49 IPEEE submittals are under various stages ore view. This paper is based on the information available for those 41 plants for which at least preliminary Technical Evaluation Reports have been prepared by the review teams. The goal ofmore » the review is to ascertain whether the licensee`s IPEEE process is capable of identifying external events-induced severe accident vulnerabilities and cost-effective safety improvements to either eliminate or reduce the impact of these vulnerabilities. The review does not, however, attempt to validate or verify the results of the licensee`s IPEEE. The primary objective of this paper is to provide an update on the preliminary perspectives and insights gained from the IPEEE process.« less

External prolonged electrocardiogram monitoring in unexplained syncope and palpitations: results of the SYNARR-Flash study.

PubMed

Locati, E T; Moya, A; Oliveira, M; Tanner, H; Willems, R; Lunati, M; Brignole, M

2016-08-01

SYNARR-Flash study (Monitoring of SYNcopes and/or sustained palpitations of suspected ARRhythmic origin) is an international, multicentre, observational, prospective trial designed to evaluate the role of external 4-week electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring in clinical work-up of unexplained syncope and/or sustained palpitations of suspected arrhythmic origin. Consecutive patients were enrolled within 1 month after unexplained syncope or palpitations (index event) after being discharged from emergency room or hospitalization without a conclusive diagnosis. A 4-week ECG monitoring was obtained by external high-capacity loop recorder (SpiderFlash-T(®), Sorin) storing patient-activated and auto-triggered tracings. Diagnostic monitorings included (i) conclusive events with reoccurrence of syncope or palpitation with concomitant ECG recording (with/without arrhythmias) and (ii) events with asymptomatic predefined significant arrhythmias (sustained supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia, advanced atrio-ventricular block, sinus bradycardia <30 b.p.m., pauses >6 s). SYNARR-Flash study enrolled 395 patients (57.7% females, 56.9 ± 18.7 years, 28.1% with syncope, and 71.9% with palpitations) from 10 European centres. For syncope, the 4-week diagnostic yield was 24.5%, and predictors of diagnostic events were early start of recording (0-15 vs. >15 days after index event) (OR 6.2, 95% CI 1.3-29.6, P = 0.021) and previous history of supraventricular arrhythmias (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.4-9.7, P = 0.018). For palpitations, the 4-week diagnostic yield was 71.6% and predictors of diagnostic events were history of recurrent palpitations (P < 0.001) and early start of recording (P = 0.001). The 4-week external ECG monitoring can be considered as first-line tool in the diagnostic work-up of syncope and palpitation. Early recorder use, history of supraventricular arrhythmia, and frequent previous events increased the likelihood of diagnostic events during the 4-week external ECG monitoring. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

Analysis of inclined showers measured with LOPES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes Collaboration; Saftoiu, A.; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Asch, T.; Auffenberg, J.; Badea, F.; Bähren, L.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Brüggemann, M.; Buchholz, P.; Buitink, S.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Falcke, H.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gemmeke, H.; Ghia, P. L.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Kickelbick, D.; Kolotaev, Y.; Krömer, O.; Kuijpers, J.; Lafebre, S.; Łuczak, P.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Milke, J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Navarra, G.; Nehls, S.; Nigl, A.; Oehlschläger, J.; Over, S.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rautenberg, J.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schröder, F.; Sima, O.; Singh, K.; Stümpert, M.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Walkowiak, W.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.; Zensus, J. A.; LOPES Collaboration

2009-06-01

In the present study, we analyze the radio signal from inclined air showers recorded by LOPES-30 in coincidence with KASCADE-Grande. LOPES-30 consists of 30 East-West oriented digital antennas, which are amplitude calibrated by an external source. Radio emission from air showers is considered a geomagnetic effect. Inclined events provide a larger range of values for geomagnetic angle (angle between shower axis and geomagnetic field direction) than vertical showers and thus more information on the emission processes can be gathered. In order to have the geometry of the air shower we use the reconstruction provided by the KASCADE-Grande particle detectors array. Analyzing events observed by both LOPES and the extended part of the KASCADE array, Grande, gives the possibility to test in particular the capability and efficiency of radio detection of more distant events. The results are compared with a previous analysis of inclined events recorded by the initial 10 antenna set-up, LOPES-10, in coincidence with the Grande array.

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

Sattison, M.B.; Thatcher, T.A.; Knudsen, J.K.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been using full-power. Level 1, limited-scope risk models for the Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) program for over fifteen years. These models have evolved and matured over the years, as have probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and computer technologies. Significant upgrading activities have been undertaken over the past three years, with involvement from the Offices of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD), and Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), and several national laboratories. Part of these activities was an RES-sponsored feasibility study investigating the ability to extend the ASP models to includemore » contributors to core damage from events initiated with the reactor at low power or shutdown (LP/SD), both internal events and external events. This paper presents only the LP/SD internal event modeling efforts.« less

A two-channel action-potential generator for testing neurophysiologic data acquisition/analysis systems.

PubMed

Lisiecki, R S; Voigt, H F

1995-08-01

A 2-channel action-potential generator system was designed for use in testing neurophysiologic data acquisition/analysis systems. The system consists of a personal computer controlling an external hardware unit. This system is capable of generating 2 channels of simulated action potential (AP) waveshapes. The AP waveforms are generated from the linear combination of 2 principal-component template functions. Each channel generates randomly occurring APs with a specified rate ranging from 1 to 200 events per second. The 2 trains may be independent of one another or the second channel may be made to be excited or inhibited by the events from the first channel with user-specified probabilities. A third internal channel may be made to excite or inhibit events in both of the 2 output channels with user-specified rate parameters and probabilities. The system produces voltage waveforms that may be used to test neurophysiologic data acquisition systems for recording from 2 spike trains simultaneously and for testing multispike-train analysis (e.g., cross-correlation) software.

StackSplit - a plugin for multi-event shear wave splitting analyses in SplitLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grund, Michael

2017-04-01

The SplitLab package (Wüstefeld et al., Computers and Geosciences, 2008), written in MATLAB, is a powerful and widely used tool for analysing seismological shear wave splitting of single event measurements. However, in many cases, especially temporary station deployments close to seaside or for recordings affected by strong anthropogenic noise, only multi-event approaches provide stable and reliable splitting results. In order to extend the original SplitLab environment for such analyses, I present the StackSplit plugin that can easily be implemented within the well accepted main program. StackSplit grants easy access to several different analysis approaches within SplitLab, including a new multiple waveform based inversion method as well as the most established standard stacking procedures. The possibility to switch between different analysis approaches at any time allows the user for the most flexible processing of individual multi-event splitting measurements for a single recording station. Besides the provided functions of the plugin, no other external program is needed for the multi-event analyses since StackSplit performs within the available SplitLab structure.

Episodic simulation of future events is impaired in mild Alzheimer's disease

PubMed Central

Addis, Donna Rose; Sacchetti, Daniel C.; Ally, Brandon A.; Budson, Andrew E.; Schacter, Daniel L.

2009-01-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that both remembering the past and simulating the future activate a core neural network including the medial temporal lobes. Regions of this network, in particular the medial temporal lobes, are prime sites for amyloid deposition and are structurally and functionally compromised in Alzheimer's disease (AD). While we know some functions of this core network, specifically episodic autobiographical memory, are impaired in AD, no study has examined whether future episodic simulation is similarly impaired. We tested the ability of sixteen AD patients and sixteen age-matched controls to generate past and future autobiographical events using an adapted version of the Autobiographical Interview. Participants also generated five remote autobiographical memories from across the lifespan. Event transcriptions were segmented into distinct details, classified as either internal (episodic) or external (non-episodic). AD patients exhibited deficits in both remembering past events and simulating future events, generating fewer internal and external episodic details than healthy older controls. The internal and external detail scores were strongly correlated across past and future events, providing further evidence of the close linkages between the mental representations of past and future. PMID:19497331

Critical Trends and Events Affecting the Future of Texas Higher Education. Proceedings of the Texas Association for Institutional Research (TAIR) Preconference Workshop on Environmental Scanning (1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

This proceedings report describes exercises used in a workshop on environmental scanning, designed to assist institutional research officers to develop competency in establishing and maintaining an external analysis capability on their campuses. The workshop offered an opportunity for participants to experience several techniques used in…

[Quality of life of primary care patients in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brasil: associations with stressful life events and mental health].

PubMed

Portugal, Flávia Batista; Campos, Mônica Rodrigues; Gonçalves, Daniel Almeida; Mari, Jair de Jesus; Fortes, Sandra Lúcia Correia Lima

2016-02-01

Quality of life (QoL) is a subjective construct, which can be negatively associated with factors such as mental disorders and stressful life events (SLEs). This article seeks to identify the association between socioeconomic and demographic variables, common mental disorders, symptoms suggestive of depression and anxiety, SLEs with QoL in patients attended in Primary Care (PC). It is a transversal study, conducted with 1,466 patients attended in PC centers in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 2009 and 2010. Bivariate analysis was performed using the T-test and four multiple linear regressions for each QoL domain. The scores for the physical, psychological, social relations and environment domains were, respectively, 64.7; 64.2; 68.5 and 49.1. By means of multivariate analysis, associations of the physical domain were found with health problems and discrimination; of the psychological domain with discrimination; of social relations with financial/structural problems; of external causes and health problems; and of the environment with financial/structural problems, external causes and discrimination. Mental health variables, health problems and financial/structural problems were the factors negatively associated with QoL.

Climate change and safety at work with ionizing radiations.

PubMed

Contessa, Gian Marco; Grandi, Carlo; Scognamiglio, Mario; Genovese, Elisabetta; Sandri, Sandro

2016-01-01

The accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO's) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) has been one of the dominant topic in nuclear safety and it has brought new attention on the matter of accidents in NPPs due to external events related to natural causes. Climate change has risen new risks and the growing probability of extreme external events has increased exposure and vulnerability of workers in the nuclear sector. However extreme natural events are a threat not only to NPPs but to all facilities dealing with radioactive material and in an emergency scenario they can affect the effectiveness and implementation of safety devices and procedures and also prevent communications, causing delays in the readiness of response. It is clear that adaptation strategies are necessary to cope with emerging changes in climate and a new nuclear safety culture is growing, that addresses accidents initiated not only by internal but also by external events.

Estimation of integrated public risks for nonseismic external events affecting the Savannah River Site

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

Durant, W.S.; robinette, R.J.; Kirchner, J.R.

1994-03-01

In essence, this study was envisioned as the ``combination`` of existing accident dose and risk calculations from safety analyses of individual facilities. However, because of the extended time period over which the safety analyses were prepared, calculational assumptions and methodologies differed between the analyses. The scope of this study therefore included the standardization of assumptions and calculations as necessary to insure that the analytical logic was consistent for all the facilities. Each of the nonseismic external events considered in the analyses are addressed in individual sections in this report. In Section 2, extreme straight-line winds are examined. Section 3 addressesmore » tornadoes, and Section 4 addresses other external events [floods, other extreme weather events (lightning, hail, and extremes in temperature or precipitation), vehicle impact, accidents involving adjacent facilities, aircraft impact, and meteorite impact]. Section 5 provides a summary of the general conclusions of the report.« less

Detecting event-related changes in organizational networks using optimized neural network models.

PubMed

Li, Ze; Sun, Duoyong; Zhu, Renqi; Lin, Zihan

2017-01-01

Organizational external behavior changes are caused by the internal structure and interactions. External behaviors are also known as the behavioral events of an organization. Detecting event-related changes in organizational networks could efficiently be used to monitor the dynamics of organizational behaviors. Although many different methods have been used to detect changes in organizational networks, these methods usually ignore the correlation between the internal structure and external events. Event-related change detection considers the correlation and could be used for event recognition based on social network modeling and supervised classification. Detecting event-related changes could be effectively useful in providing early warnings and faster responses to both positive and negative organizational activities. In this study, event-related change in an organizational network was defined, and artificial neural network models were used to quantitatively determine whether and when a change occurred. To achieve a higher accuracy, Back Propagation Neural Networks (BPNNs) were optimized using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). We showed the feasibility of the proposed method by comparing its performance with that of other methods using two cases. The results suggested that the proposed method could identify organizational events based on a correlation between the organizational networks and events. The results also suggested that the proposed method not only has a higher precision but also has a better robustness than the previously used techniques.

Detecting event-related changes in organizational networks using optimized neural network models

PubMed Central

Sun, Duoyong; Zhu, Renqi; Lin, Zihan

2017-01-01

Organizational external behavior changes are caused by the internal structure and interactions. External behaviors are also known as the behavioral events of an organization. Detecting event-related changes in organizational networks could efficiently be used to monitor the dynamics of organizational behaviors. Although many different methods have been used to detect changes in organizational networks, these methods usually ignore the correlation between the internal structure and external events. Event-related change detection considers the correlation and could be used for event recognition based on social network modeling and supervised classification. Detecting event-related changes could be effectively useful in providing early warnings and faster responses to both positive and negative organizational activities. In this study, event-related change in an organizational network was defined, and artificial neural network models were used to quantitatively determine whether and when a change occurred. To achieve a higher accuracy, Back Propagation Neural Networks (BPNNs) were optimized using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). We showed the feasibility of the proposed method by comparing its performance with that of other methods using two cases. The results suggested that the proposed method could identify organizational events based on a correlation between the organizational networks and events. The results also suggested that the proposed method not only has a higher precision but also has a better robustness than the previously used techniques. PMID:29190799

Common Cause Failures and Ultra Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2012-01-01

A common cause failure occurs when several failures have the same origin. Common cause failures are either common event failures, where the cause is a single external event, or common mode failures, where two systems fail in the same way for the same reason. Common mode failures can occur at different times because of a design defect or a repeated external event. Common event failures reduce the reliability of on-line redundant systems but not of systems using off-line spare parts. Common mode failures reduce the dependability of systems using off-line spare parts and on-line redundancy.

10 CFR 72.94 - Design basis external man-induced events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Design basis external man-induced events. 72.94 Section 72.94 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INDEPENDENT STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Siting Evaluation Factors § 72.94 Design basi...

Data analysis of the COMPTEL instrument on the NASA gamma ray observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diehl, R.; Bennett, K.; Collmar, W.; Connors, A.; Denherder, J. W.; Hermsen, W.; Lichti, G. G.; Lockwood, J. A.; Macri, J.; Mcconnell, M.

1992-01-01

The Compton imaging telescope (COMPTEL) on the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) is a wide field of view instrument. The coincidence measurement technique in two scintillation detector layers requires specific analysis methods. Straightforward event projection into the sky is impossible. Therefore, detector events are analyzed in a multi-dimensional dataspace using a gamma ray sky hypothesis convolved with the point spread function of the instrument in this dataspace. Background suppression and analysis techniques have important implications on the gamma ray source results for this background limited telescope. The COMPTEL collaboration applies a software system of analysis utilities, organized around a database management system. The use of this system for the assistance of guest investigators at the various collaboration sites and external sites is foreseen and allows different detail levels of cooperation with the COMPTEL institutes, dependent on the type of data to be studied.

A thermostatted kinetic theory model for event-driven pedestrian dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianca, Carlo; Mogno, Caterina

2018-06-01

This paper is devoted to the modeling of the pedestrian dynamics by means of the thermostatted kinetic theory. Specifically the microscopic interactions among pedestrians and an external force field are modeled for simulating the evacuation of pedestrians from a metro station. The fundamentals of the stochastic game theory and the thermostatted kinetic theory are coupled for the derivation of a specific mathematical model which depicts the time evolution of the distribution of pedestrians at different exits of a metro station. The perturbation theory is employed in order to establish the stability analysis of the nonequilibrium stationary states in the case of a metro station consisting of two exits. A general sensitivity analysis on the initial conditions, the magnitude of the external force field and the number of exits is presented by means of numerical simulations which, in particular, show how the asymptotic distribution and the convergence time are affected by the presence of an external force field. The results show how, in evacuation conditions, the interaction dynamics among pedestrians can be negligible with respect to the external force. The important role of the thermostat term in allowing the reaching of the nonequilibrium stationary state is stressed out. Research perspectives are underlined at the end of paper, in particular for what concerns the derivation of frameworks that take into account the definition of local external actions and the introduction of the space and velocity dynamics.

Random and externally controlled occurrences of Dansgaard-Oeschger events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohmann, Johannes; Ditlevsen, Peter D.

2018-05-01

Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events constitute the most pronounced mode of centennial to millennial climate variability of the last glacial period. Since their discovery, many decades of research have been devoted to understand the origin and nature of these rapid climate shifts. In recent years, a number of studies have appeared that report emergence of DO-type variability in fully coupled general circulation models via different mechanisms. These mechanisms result in the occurrence of DO events at varying degrees of regularity, ranging from periodic to random. When examining the full sequence of DO events as captured in the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) ice core record, one can observe high irregularity in the timing of individual events at any stage within the last glacial period. In addition to the prevailing irregularity, certain properties of the DO event sequence, such as the average event frequency or the relative distribution of cold versus warm periods, appear to be changing throughout the glacial. By using statistical hypothesis tests on simple event models, we investigate whether the observed event sequence may have been generated by stationary random processes or rather was strongly modulated by external factors. We find that the sequence of DO warming events is consistent with a stationary random process, whereas dividing the event sequence into warming and cooling events leads to inconsistency with two independent event processes. As we include external forcing, we find a particularly good fit to the observed DO sequence in a model where the average residence time in warm periods are controlled by global ice volume and cold periods by boreal summer insolation.

Load identification approach based on basis pursuit denoising algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginsberg, D.; Ruby, M.; Fritzen, C. P.

2015-07-01

The information of the external loads is of great interest in many fields of structural analysis, such as structural health monitoring (SHM) systems or assessment of damage after extreme events. However, in most cases it is not possible to measure the external forces directly, so they need to be reconstructed. Load reconstruction refers to the problem of estimating an input to a dynamic system when the system output and the impulse response functions are usually the knowns. Generally, this leads to a so called ill-posed inverse problem, which involves solving an underdetermined linear system of equations. For most practical applications it can be assumed that the applied loads are not arbitrarily distributed in time and space, at least some specific characteristics about the external excitation are known a priori. In this contribution this knowledge was used to develop a more suitable force reconstruction method, which allows identifying the time history and the force location simultaneously by employing significantly fewer sensors compared to other reconstruction approaches. The properties of the external force are used to transform the ill-posed problem into a sparse recovery task. The sparse solution is acquired by solving a minimization problem known as basis pursuit denoising (BPDN). The possibility of reconstructing loads based on noisy structural measurement signals will be demonstrated by considering two frequently occurring loading conditions: harmonic excitation and impact events, separately and combined. First a simulation study of a simple plate structure is carried out and thereafter an experimental investigation of a real beam is performed.

Relations of Parenting and Temperament to Chinese Children's Experience of Negative Life Events, Coping Efficacy, and Externalizing Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Qing; Wang, Yun; Deng, Xianli; Eisenberg, Nancy; Wolchik, Sharlene A.; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2008-01-01

The relations of parenting and temperament (effortful control and anger/frustration) to children's externalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 native Chinese children (6-9 years) from Beijing. Children's experience of negative life events and coping efficacy were examined as mediators in the parenting- and…

Addressing as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) issues: investigation of worker collective external and extremity dose data

DOE PAGES

Cournoyer, Michael Edward; Costigan, Stephen Andrew; Schreiber, Stephen Bruce

2017-03-17

Plutonium emits both neutrons and photons and when it is stored or handled inside a glovebox, both photons and neutrons are significant external radiation hazards. Doses to the extremities are usually dominated by gamma radiation in typical plutonium glovebox operations. Excess external dose can generates stochastic effects consisting of cancer and benign tumors in some organs. Direct doses from radiation sources external to the body are measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) placed on the glovebox worker between the neck and waist. Wrist dosimeters are used to assess externally penetrating radiation including neutrons and provide an estimate of neutron radiation exposuremore » to the extremities. Both TLDs and wrist dosimeters are processed monthly for most glovebox workers. Here, worker collective extremity and external dose data have been analyzed to prevent and mitigate external radiation events through the use of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma business practices (LSS). Employing LSS, statistically significant variations (trends) are identified in worker collective extremity and external dose data. Finally, the research results presented in this paper are pivotal to the ultimate focus of this program, which is to minimize external radiation events.« less

Addressing as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) issues: investigation of worker collective external and extremity dose data

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

Cournoyer, Michael Edward; Costigan, Stephen Andrew; Schreiber, Stephen Bruce

Plutonium emits both neutrons and photons and when it is stored or handled inside a glovebox, both photons and neutrons are significant external radiation hazards. Doses to the extremities are usually dominated by gamma radiation in typical plutonium glovebox operations. Excess external dose can generates stochastic effects consisting of cancer and benign tumors in some organs. Direct doses from radiation sources external to the body are measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) placed on the glovebox worker between the neck and waist. Wrist dosimeters are used to assess externally penetrating radiation including neutrons and provide an estimate of neutron radiation exposuremore » to the extremities. Both TLDs and wrist dosimeters are processed monthly for most glovebox workers. Here, worker collective extremity and external dose data have been analyzed to prevent and mitigate external radiation events through the use of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma business practices (LSS). Employing LSS, statistically significant variations (trends) are identified in worker collective extremity and external dose data. Finally, the research results presented in this paper are pivotal to the ultimate focus of this program, which is to minimize external radiation events.« less

Spike detection, characterization, and discrimination using feature analysis software written in LabVIEW.

PubMed

Stewart, C M; Newlands, S D; Perachio, A A

2004-12-01

Rapid and accurate discrimination of single units from extracellular recordings is a fundamental process for the analysis and interpretation of electrophysiological recordings. We present an algorithm that performs detection, characterization, discrimination, and analysis of action potentials from extracellular recording sessions. The program was entirely written in LabVIEW (National Instruments), and requires no external hardware devices or a priori information about action potential shapes. Waveform events are detected by scanning the digital record for voltages that exceed a user-adjustable trigger. Detected events are characterized to determine nine different time and voltage levels for each event. Various algebraic combinations of these waveform features are used as axis choices for 2-D Cartesian plots of events. The user selects axis choices that generate distinct clusters. Multiple clusters may be defined as action potentials by manually generating boundaries of arbitrary shape. Events defined as action potentials are validated by visual inspection of overlain waveforms. Stimulus-response relationships may be identified by selecting any recorded channel for comparison to continuous and average cycle histograms of binned unit data. The algorithm includes novel aspects of feature analysis and acquisition, including higher acquisition rates for electrophysiological data compared to other channels. The program confirms that electrophysiological data may be discriminated with high-speed and efficiency using algebraic combinations of waveform features derived from high-speed digital records.

Adverse Events Involving Radiation Oncology Medical Devices: Comprehensive Analysis of US Food and Drug Administration Data, 1991 to 2015

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

Connor, Michael J.; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Marshall, Deborah C.

Purpose: Radiation oncology relies on rapidly evolving technology and highly complex processes. The US Food and Drug Administration collects reports of adverse events related to medical devices. We sought to characterize all events involving radiation oncology devices (RODs) from the US Food and Drug Administration's postmarket surveillance Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database, comparing these with non–radiation oncology devices. Methods and Materials: MAUDE data on RODs from 1991 to 2015 were sorted into 4 product categories (external beam, brachytherapy, planning systems, and simulation systems) and 5 device problem categories (software, mechanical, electrical, user error, and dose delivery impact).more » Outcomes included whether the device was evaluated by the manufacturer, adverse event type, remedial action, problem code, device age, and time since 510(k) approval. Descriptive statistics were performed with linear regression of time-series data. Results for RODs were compared with those for other devices by the Pearson χ{sup 2} test for categorical data and 2-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for distributions. Results: There were 4234 ROD and 4,985,698 other device adverse event reports. Adverse event reports increased over time, and events involving RODs peaked in 2011. Most ROD reports involved external beam therapy (50.8%), followed by brachytherapy (24.9%) and treatment planning systems (21.6%). The top problem types were software (30.4%), mechanical (20.9%), and user error (20.4%). RODs differed significantly from other devices in each outcome (P<.001). RODs were more likely to be evaluated by the manufacturer after an event (46.9% vs 33.0%) but less likely to be recalled (10.5% vs 37.9%) (P<.001). Device age and time since 510(k) approval were shorter among RODs (P<.001). Conclusions: Compared with other devices, RODs may experience adverse events sooner after manufacture and market approval. Close postmarket surveillance, improved software design, and manufacturer–user training may help mitigate these events.« less

Analysis of Lower Body Kinematic and Kinetic: Differences Between Age and Handicap in Golfers of Various Ages and Skill Levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smilensky, Alexander

The purpose of this thesis was to provide a preliminary analysis of lower body golf swing biomechanics. Fourteen golfers of various ages and handicaps performed 10 swings off a tee with their driver. This study focused on a number of dependent variables including lead knee joint flexion angles, internal/external rotations, valgus/varus angles, as well as ground reaction forces normalized to body weight (%BW), X-Factor angle and club head velocity. Dependent variables were analyzed at four specifically defined events (start, initiation of downswing, contact and swing termination). Simple linear regressions were performed using age and handicap as independent variables to see if patterns could be determined at any of the events. No significant trends or results were reported within our sample. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was then used to examine the effect of event on specific dependent variables. A number of differences were reported within each of the variables across the four events. This study hoped to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the movement patterns occurring at the lower body with special focus on the lead knee.

Patient safety in external beam radiotherapy, results of the ACCIRAD project: Current status of proactive risk assessment, reactive analysis of events, and reporting and learning systems in Europe.

PubMed

Malicki, Julian; Bly, Ritva; Bulot, Mireille; Godet, Jean-Luc; Jahnen, Andreas; Krengli, Marco; Maingon, Philippe; Prieto Martin, Carlos; Przybylska, Kamila; Skrobała, Agnieszka; Valero, Marc; Jarvinen, Hannu

2017-04-01

To describe the current status of implementation of European directives for risk management in radiotherapy and to assess variability in risk management in the following areas: 1) in-country regulatory framework; 2) proactive risk assessment; (3) reactive analysis of events; and (4) reporting and learning systems. The original data were collected as part of the ACCIRAD project through two online surveys. Risk assessment criteria are closely associated with quality assurance programs. Only 9/32 responding countries (28%) with national regulations reported clear "requirements" for proactive risk assessment and/or reactive risk analysis, with wide variability in assessment methods. Reporting of adverse error events is mandatory in most (70%) but not all surveyed countries. Most European countries have taken steps to implement European directives designed to reduce the probability and magnitude of accidents in radiotherapy. Variability between countries is substantial in terms of legal frameworks, tools used to conduct proactive risk assessment and reactive analysis of events, and in the reporting and learning systems utilized. These findings underscore the need for greater harmonisation in common terminology, classification and reporting practices across Europe to improve patient safety and to enable more reliable inter-country comparisons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive moderators of children's adjustment to stressful divorce events: the role of negative cognitive errors and positive illusions.

PubMed

Mazur, E; Wolchik, S A; Virdin, L; Sandler, I N; West, S G

1999-01-01

This study examined whether children's cognitive appraisal biases moderate the impact of stressful divorce-related events on psychological adjustment in 355 children ages 9 to 12, whose families had experienced divorce within the past 2 years. Multiple regression indicated that endorsement of negative cognitive errors for hypothetical divorce events moderates the relations between stressful divorce events and self- and maternal reports of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but only for older children. Positive illusions buffer the effects of stressful divorce events on child-reported depression and mother-reported externalizing problems. Implications of these results for theories of stress and coping, as well as for interventions for children of divorced families, are discussed.

Design and development of a prototype platform for gait analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diffenbaugh, T. E.; Marti, M. A.; Jagani, J.; Garcia, V.; Iliff, G. J.; Phoenix, A.; Woolard, A. G.; Malladi, V. V. N. S.; Bales, D. B.; Tarazaga, P. A.

2017-04-01

The field of event classification and localization in building environments using accelerometers has grown significantly due to its implications for energy, security, and emergency protocols. Virginia Tech's Goodwin Hall (VT-GH) provides a robust testbed for such work, but a reduced scale testbed could provide significant benefits by allowing algorithm development to occur in a simplified environment. Environments such as VT-GH have high human traffic that contributes external noise disrupting test signals. This paper presents a design solution through the development of an isolated platform for data collection, portable demonstrations, and the development of localization and classification algorithms. The platform's success was quantified by the resulting transmissibility of external excitation sources, demonstrating the capabilities of the platform to isolate external disturbances while preserving gait information. This platform demonstrates the collection of high-quality gait information in otherwise noisy environments for data collection or demonstration purposes.

Apical External Root Resorption and Repair in Orthodontic Tooth Movement: Biological Events.

PubMed

Feller, Liviu; Khammissa, Razia A G; Thomadakis, George; Fourie, Jeanine; Lemmer, Johan

2016-01-01

Some degree of external root resorption is a frequent, unpredictable, and unavoidable consequence of orthodontic tooth movement mediated by odontoclasts/cementoclasts originating from circulating precursor cells in the periodontal ligament. Its pathogenesis involves mechanical forces initiating complex interactions between signalling pathways activated by various biological agents. Resorption of cementum is regulated by mechanisms similar to those controlling osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Following root resorption there is repair by cellular cementum, but factors mediating the transition from resorption to repair are not clear. In this paper we review some of the biological events associated with orthodontically induced external root resorption.

Environmental Scanning and External Tendencies Affecting American Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Bruce A.; Hesse, Martin L.

1990-01-01

The use of environmental scanning to link the external environment to institutional strategic planning is exemplified in Michigan State University's approach. The university's program is described, and in an appended section, 25 external tendencies are presented and related issues, trends, and events outlined. (MSE)

Naver: a PC-cluster-based VR system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, ChangHoon; Ko, HeeDong; Kim, TaiYun

2003-04-01

In this paper, we present a new framework NAVER for virtual reality application. The NAVER is based on a cluster of low-cost personal computers. The goal of NAVER is to provide flexible, extensible, scalable and re-configurable framework for the virtual environments defined as the integration of 3D virtual space and external modules. External modules are various input or output devices and applications on the remote hosts. From the view of system, personal computers are divided into three servers according to its specific functions: Render Server, Device Server and Control Server. While Device Server contains external modules requiring event-based communication for the integration, Control Server contains external modules requiring synchronous communication every frame. And, the Render Server consists of 5 managers: Scenario Manager, Event Manager, Command Manager, Interaction Manager and Sync Manager. These managers support the declaration and operation of virtual environment and the integration with external modules on remote servers.

An experimental investigation of masking in the US FDA adverse event reporting system database.

PubMed

Wang, Hsin-wei; Hochberg, Alan M; Pearson, Ronald K; Hauben, Manfred

2010-12-01

A phenomenon of 'masking' or 'cloaking' in pharmacovigilance data mining has been described, which can potentially cause signals of disproportionate reporting (SDRs) to be missed, particularly in pharmaceutical company databases. Masking has been predicted theoretically, observed anecdotally or studied to a limited extent in both pharmaceutical company and health authority databases, but no previous publication systematically assesses its occurrence in a large health authority database. To explore the nature, extent and possible consequences of masking in the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database by applying various experimental unmasking protocols to a set of drugs and events representing realistic pharmacovigilance analysis conditions. This study employed AERS data from 2001 through 2005. For a set of 63 Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA®) Preferred Terms (PTs), disproportionality analysis was carried out with respect to all drugs included in the AERS database, using a previously described urn-model-based algorithm. We specifically sought masking in which drug removal induced an increase in the statistical representation of a drug-event combination (DEC) that resulted in the emergence of a new SDR. We performed a series of unmasking experiments selecting drugs for removal using rational statistical decision rules based on the requirement of a reporting ratio (RR) >1, top-ranked statistical unexpectedness (SU) and relatedness as reflected in the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical level 4 (ATC4) grouping. In order to assess the possible extent of residual masking we performed two supplemental purely empirical analyses on a limited subset of data. This entailed testing every drug and drug group to determine which was most influential in uncovering masked SDRs. We assessed the strength of external evidence for a causal association for a small number of masked SDRs involving a subset of 29 drugs for which level of evidence adjudication was available from a previous study. The original disproportionality analysis identified 8719 SDRs for the 63 PTs. The SU-based unmasking protocols generated variable numbers of masked SDRs ranging from 38 to 156, representing a 0.43-1.8% increase over the number of baseline SDRs. A significant number of baseline SDRs were also lost in the course of our experiments. The trend in the number of gained SDRs per report removed was inversely related to the number of lost SDRs per protocol. Both the number and nature of the reports removed influenced the number of gained SDRs observed. The purely empirical protocols unmasked up to ten times as many SDRs. None of the masked SDRs had strong external evidence supporting a causal association. Most involved associations for which there was no external supporting evidence or were in the original product label. For two masked SDRs, there was external evidence of a possible causal association. We documented masking in the FDA AERS database. Attempts at unmasking SDRs using practically implementable protocols produced only small changes in the output of SDRs in our analysis. This is undoubtedly related to the large size and diversity of the database, but the complex interdependencies between drugs and events in authentic spontaneous reporting system (SRS) databases, and the impact of measures of statistical variability that are typically used in real-world disproportionality analysis, may be additional factors that constrain the discovery of masked SDRs and which may also operate in pharmaceutical company databases. Empirical determination of the most influential drugs may uncover significantly more SDRs than protocols based on predetermined statistical selection rules but are impractical except possibly for evaluating specific events. Routine global exercises to elicit masking, especially in large health authority databases are not justified based on results available to date. Exercises to elicit unmasking should be driven by prior knowledge or obvious data imbalances.

StackSplit - a plugin for multi-event shear wave splitting analyses in SplitLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grund, Michael

2017-08-01

SplitLab is a powerful and widely used tool for analysing seismological shear wave splitting of single event measurements. However, in many cases, especially temporary station deployments close to the noisy seaside, ocean bottom or for recordings affected by strong anthropogenic noise, only multi-event approaches provide stable and reliable splitting results. In order to extend the original SplitLab environment for such analyses, I present the StackSplit plugin that can easily be implemented within the well accepted main program. StackSplit grants easy access to several different analysis approaches within SplitLab, including a new multiple waveform based inversion method as well as the most established standard stacking procedures. The possibility to switch between different analysis approaches at any time allows the user for the most flexible processing of individual multi-event splitting measurements for a single recording station. Besides the provided functions of the plugin, no other external program is needed for the multi-event analyses since StackSplit performs within the available SplitLab structure which is based on MATLAB. The effectiveness and use of this plugin is demonstrated with data examples of a long running seismological recording station in Finland.

Rare events in networks with internal and external noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindes, J.; Schwartz, I. B.

2017-12-01

We study rare events in networks with both internal and external noise, and develop a general formalism for analyzing rare events that combines pair-quenched techniques and large-deviation theory. The probability distribution, shape, and time scale of rare events are considered in detail for extinction in the Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible model as an illustration. We find that when both types of noise are present, there is a crossover region as the network size is increased, where the probability exponent for large deviations no longer increases linearly with the network size. We demonstrate that the form of the crossover depends on whether the endemic state is localized near the epidemic threshold or not.

OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY WORKING GROUP ON EXTERNAL EVENTS

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

Nakoski, John A.; Smith, Curtis L.; Kim, Min Kyu

The Orgranisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has established a Working Group on External Events (WGEV) that provides a forum for subject matter experts from the nuclear industry and regulators to improve the understanding and treatment of external hazards that would support the continued safety performance of nuclear installations, and improve the effectiveness of regulatory practices, in NEA member countries. This report provides a description of the ongoing work of the WGEV. The work of the WGEV includes the collection of information and conducting a workshop on severe weather and storm surge that brought togethermore » a diverse group of subject matter experts to identify commendable practices related to the treatment of severe weather and storm surge consideration in regulatory and operational decision-making. Other work of the WGEV includes looking at science-based screening of external events that are factored into decisions on the safe operation of nuclear facilities; and identification of commendable practices and knowledge gaps on riverine flooding.« less

Apical External Root Resorption and Repair in Orthodontic Tooth Movement: Biological Events

PubMed Central

Thomadakis, George; Fourie, Jeanine; Lemmer, Johan

2016-01-01

Some degree of external root resorption is a frequent, unpredictable, and unavoidable consequence of orthodontic tooth movement mediated by odontoclasts/cementoclasts originating from circulating precursor cells in the periodontal ligament. Its pathogenesis involves mechanical forces initiating complex interactions between signalling pathways activated by various biological agents. Resorption of cementum is regulated by mechanisms similar to those controlling osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Following root resorption there is repair by cellular cementum, but factors mediating the transition from resorption to repair are not clear. In this paper we review some of the biological events associated with orthodontically induced external root resorption. PMID:27119080

Cortical midline involvement in autobiographical memory

PubMed Central

Summerfield, Jennifer J.; Hassabis, Demis; Maguire, Eleanor A.

2009-01-01

Recollecting autobiographical memories of personal past experiences is an integral part of our everyday lives and relies on a distributed set of brain regions. Their occurrence externally in the real world (‘realness’) and their self-relevance (‘selfness’) are two defining features of these autobiographical events. Distinguishing between personally experienced events and those that happened to other individuals, and between events that really occurred and those that were mere figments of the imagination, is clearly advantageous, yet the respective neural correlates remain unclear. Here we experimentally manipulated and dissociated realness and selfness during fMRI using a novel paradigm where participants recalled self (autobiographical) and non-self (from a movie or television news clips) events that were either real or previously imagined. Distinct sub-regions within dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex, retrosplenial cortex and along the parieto-occipital sulcus preferentially coded for events (real or imagined) involving the self. By contrast, recollection of autobiographical events that really happened in the external world activated different areas within ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. In addition, recall of externally experienced real events (self or non-self) was associated with increased activity in areas of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. Taken together our results permitted a functional deconstruction of anterior (medial prefrontal) and posterior (retrosplenial cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus) cortical midline regions widely associated with autobiographical memory but whose roles have hitherto been poorly understood. PMID:18973817

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

Sole, Claudio V., E-mail: cvsole@uc.cl; School of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid; Service of Radiation Oncology, Instituto de Radiomedicina, Santiago

Purpose: To perform a joint analysis of data from 3 contributing centers within the intraoperative electron-beam radiation therapy (IOERT)-Spanish program, to determine the potential of IOERT as an anticipated boost before external beam radiation therapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of pediatric extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. Methods and Materials: From June 1993 to May 2013, 62 patients (aged <21 years) with a histologic diagnosis of primary extremity soft-tissue sarcoma with absence of distant metastases, undergoing limb-sparing grossly resected surgery, external beam radiation therapy (median dose 40 Gy) and IOERT (median dose 10 Gy) were considered eligible for this analysis. Results: After a median follow-up ofmore » 66 months (range, 4-235 months), 10-year local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival was 85%, 76%, and 81%, respectively. In multivariate analysis after adjustment for other covariates, tumor size >5 cm (P=.04) and R1 margin status (P=.04) remained significantly associated with local relapse. In regard to overall survival only margin status (P=.04) retained association on multivariate analysis. Ten patients (16%) reported severe chronic toxicity events (all grade 3). Conclusions: An anticipated IOERT boost allowed for external beam radiation therapy dose reduction, with high local control and acceptably low toxicity rates. The combined radiosurgical approach needs to be tested in a prospective trial to confirm these results.« less

14 CFR 121.805 - Crewmember training for in-flight medical events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) Instruction, to include performance drills, in the proper use of automated external defibrillators. (ii... include performance drills, in the proper use of an automated external defibrillators and in...

14 CFR 121.805 - Crewmember training for in-flight medical events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Instruction, to include performance drills, in the proper use of automated external defibrillators. (ii... include performance drills, in the proper use of an automated external defibrillators and in...

14 CFR 121.805 - Crewmember training for in-flight medical events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...) Instruction, to include performance drills, in the proper use of automated external defibrillators. (ii... include performance drills, in the proper use of an automated external defibrillators and in...

14 CFR 121.805 - Crewmember training for in-flight medical events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...) Instruction, to include performance drills, in the proper use of automated external defibrillators. (ii... include performance drills, in the proper use of an automated external defibrillators and in...

14 CFR 121.805 - Crewmember training for in-flight medical events.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...) Instruction, to include performance drills, in the proper use of automated external defibrillators. (ii... include performance drills, in the proper use of an automated external defibrillators and in...

Profiles of behavioral problems in children who witness domestic violence.

PubMed

Spilsbury, James C; Kahana, Shoshana; Drotar, Dennis; Creeden, Rosemary; Flannery, Daniel J; Friedman, Steve

2008-01-01

Unlike previous investigations of shelter-based samples, our study examined whether profiles of adjustment problems occurred in a community-program-based sample of 175 school-aged children exposed to domestic violence. Cluster analysis revealed three stable profiles/clusters. The largest cluster (69%) consisted of children below clinical thresholds for any internalizing or externalizing problem. Children in the next largest cluster (18%) were characterized as having externalizing problems with or without internalizing problems. The smallest cluster (13%) consisted of children with internalizing problems only. Comparison across demographic and violence characteristics revealed that the profiles differed by child gender, mother's education, child's lifetime exposure to violence, and aspects of the event precipitating contact with the community program. Clinical and future research implications of study findings are discussed.

Data of ERPs and spectral alpha power when attention is engaged on visual or verbal/auditory imagery

PubMed Central

Villena-González, Mario; López, Vladimir; Rodríguez, Eugenio

2016-01-01

This article provides data from statistical analysis of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and spectral power from 20 participants during three attentional conditions. Specifically, P1, N1 and P300 amplitude of ERP were compared when participant׳s attention was oriented to an external task, to a visual imagery and to an inner speech. The spectral power from alpha band was also compared in these three attentional conditions. These data are related to the research article where sensory processing of external information was compared during these three conditions entitled “Orienting attention to visual or verbal/auditory imagery differentially impairs the processing of visual stimuli” (Villena-Gonzalez et al., 2016) [1]. PMID:27077090

Temporal Taylor's scaling of facial electromyography and electrodermal activity in the course of emotional stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chołoniewski, Jan; Chmiel, Anna; Sienkiewicz, Julian; Hołyst, Janusz A.; Küster, Dennis; Kappas, Arvid

2016-09-01

High frequency psychophysiological data create a challenge for quantitative modeling based on Big Data tools since they reflect the complexity of processes taking place in human body and its responses to external events. Here we present studies of fluctuations in facial electromyography (fEMG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) massive time series and changes of such signals in the course of emotional stimulation. Zygomaticus major (ZYG, "smiling" muscle) activity, corrugator supercilii (COR, "frowning"bmuscle) activity, and phasic skin conductance (PHSC, sweating) levels of 65 participants were recorded during experiments that involved exposure to emotional stimuli (i.e., IAPS images, reading and writing messages on an artificial online discussion board). Temporal Taylor's fluctuations scaling were found when signals for various participants and during various types of emotional events were compared. Values of scaling exponents were close to 1, suggesting an external origin of system dynamics and/or strong interactions between system's basic elements (e.g., muscle fibres). Our statistical analysis shows that the scaling exponents enable identification of high valence and arousal levels in ZYG and COR signals.

Effects of hypnagogic imagery on the event-related potential to external tone stimuli.

PubMed

Michida, Nanae; Hayashi, Mitsuo; Hori, Tadao

2005-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hypnagogic imagery on the information processes of external tone stimuli during the sleep onset period with the use of event-related potentials. Event-related potentials to tone stimuli were compared between conditions with and without the experience of hypnagogic imagery. To control the arousal level when the tone was presented, a certain criterion named the electroencephalogram stage was used. Stimuli were presented at electroencephalogram stage 4, which was characterized by the appearance of a vertex sharp wave. Data were collected in the sleep laboratory at Hiroshima University. Eleven healthy university and graduate school students participated in the study. N/A. Experiments were performed at night. Reaction times to tone stimuli were measured, and only trials with shorter reaction times than 5000 milliseconds were analyzed. Electroencephalograms were recorded from Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz, T5 and T6. There were no differences in reaction times and electroencephalogram spectra between the conditions of with and without hypnagogic imagery. These results indicated that the arousal levels were not different between the 2 conditions. On the other hand, the N550 amplitude of the event-related potentials in the imagery condition was lower than in the no-imagery condition. The decrease in the N550 amplitude in the imagery condition showed that experiences of hypnagogic imagery exert some influence on the information processes of external tone stimuli. It is possible that the processing of hypnagogic imagery interferes with the processing of external stimuli, lowering the sensitivity to external stimuli.

Stimuli, Reinforcers, and Private Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevin, John A.

2008-01-01

Radical behaviorism considers private events to be a part of ongoing observable behavior and to share the properties of public events. Although private events cannot be measured directly, their roles in overt action can be inferred from mathematical models that relate private responses to external stimuli and reinforcers according to the same…

ADVANCED SEISMIC BASE ISOLATION METHODS FOR MODULAR REACTORS

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

E. Blanford; E. Keldrauk; M. Laufer

2010-09-20

Advanced technologies for structural design and construction have the potential for major impact not only on nuclear power plant construction time and cost, but also on the design process and on the safety, security and reliability of next generation of nuclear power plants. In future Generation IV (Gen IV) reactors, structural and seismic design should be much more closely integrated with the design of nuclear and industrial safety systems, physical security systems, and international safeguards systems. Overall reliability will be increased, through the use of replaceable and modular equipment, and through design to facilitate on-line monitoring, in-service inspection, maintenance, replacement,more » and decommissioning. Economics will also receive high design priority, through integrated engineering efforts to optimize building arrangements to minimize building heights and footprints. Finally, the licensing approach will be transformed by becoming increasingly performance based and technology neutral, using best-estimate simulation methods with uncertainty and margin quantification. In this context, two structural engineering technologies, seismic base isolation and modular steel-plate/concrete composite structural walls, are investigated. These technologies have major potential to (1) enable standardized reactor designs to be deployed across a wider range of sites, (2) reduce the impact of uncertainties related to site-specific seismic conditions, and (3) alleviate reactor equipment qualification requirements. For Gen IV reactors the potential for deliberate crashes of large aircraft must also be considered in design. This report concludes that base-isolated structures should be decoupled from the reactor external event exclusion system. As an example, a scoping analysis is performed for a rectangular, decoupled external event shell designed as a grillage. This report also reviews modular construction technology, particularly steel-plate/concrete construction using factory prefabricated structural modules, for application to external event shell and base isolated structures.« less

Mechanism for Surface Warming in the Equatorial Pacific during 1994-95

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rienecker, Michele M.; Borovikov, Anna; Schopf, Paul S.

1999-01-01

Mechanisms controlling the variation in sea surface temperature warm event in the equatorial Pacific were investigated through ocean model simulations. In addition, the mechanisms of the climatological SST cycle were investigated. The dominant mechanisms governing the seasonal cycle of SST vary significantly across the basin. In the western Pacific the annual cycle of SST is primarily in response to external heat flux. In the central basin the magnitude of zonal advection is comparable to that of the external heat flux. In the eastern basin the role of zonal advection is reduced and the vertical mixing is more important. In the easternmost equatorial Pacific the vertical entrainment contribution is as large as that of vertical diffusion. The model estimate of the vertical mixing contribution to the mixed layer heat budget compared well with estimates obtained by analysis of observations using the same diagnostic vertical mixing scheme. During 1994- 1995 the largest positive SST anomaly was observed in the mid-basin and was related to reduced latent heat flux due to weak surface winds. In the western basin the initial warming was related to enhanced external heating and reduced cooling effects of both vertical mixing and horizontal advection associated with weaker than usual wind stress. In the eastern Pacific where winds were not significantly anomalous throughout 1994-1995, only a moderate warm surface anomaly was detected. This is in contrast to strong El Nino events where the SST anomaly is largest in the eastern basin and, as shown by previous studies, the anomaly is due to zonal advection rather than anomalous surface heat flux. The end of the warm event was marked by cooling in July 1995 everywhere across the equatorial Pacific.

Episodic and semantic components of autobiographical memories and imagined future events in post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Brown, Adam D; Addis, Donna Rose; Romano, Tracy A; Marmar, Charles R; Bryant, Richard A; Hirst, William; Schacter, Daniel L

2014-01-01

Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to retrieve autobiographical memories with less episodic specificity, referred to as overgeneralised autobiographical memory. In line with evidence that autobiographical memory overlaps with one's capacity to imagine the future, recent work has also shown that individuals with PTSD also imagine themselves in the future with less episodic specificity. To date most studies quantify episodic specificity by the presence of a distinct event. However, this method does not distinguish between the numbers of internal (episodic) and external (semantic) details, which can provide additional insights into remembering the past and imagining the future. This study employed the Autobiographical Interview (AI) coding scheme to the autobiographical memory and imagined future event narratives generated by combat veterans with and without PTSD. Responses were coded for the number of internal and external details. Compared to combat veterans without PTSD, those with PTSD generated more external than internal details when recalling past or imagining future events, and fewer internal details were associated with greater symptom severity. The potential mechanisms underlying these bidirectional deficits and clinical implications are discussed.

Recent and active tectonics of the external zone of the Northern Apennines (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boccaletti, Mario; Corti, Giacomo; Martelli, Luca

2011-08-01

We present a comprehensive study of the recent and active tectonics of the external part of the Northern Apennines (Italy) by using morphotectonic, geological-structural, and stratigraphic analysis, compared with the current seismicity of the region. This analysis suggests that the external part of the Northern Apennines is characterised by presence of three major systems of Quaternary compressive structures corresponding to (1) the Apenninic watershed, (2) the Apennines-Po Plain margin (pede-Apenninic thrust front), and (3) the Emilia, Ferrara, and Adriatic Fold systems buried below the Po Plain. Geological data and interpreted seismic sections indicate a roughly N-S Quaternary deformation direction, with rates <2.5 mm/year. The shortening decreased since the Pliocene, when our data indicate compression in a NNW-SSE direction and rates up to 7 mm/year. The trend and kinematics of the structures affecting the Apennines-Po Plain margin and the Po Plain subsoil fit well the pattern of the current seismicity of the area, as well as recent GPS and geodetic levelling data, pointing to a current activity of these thrust systems controlled by an overall compressive stress field. Close to the Apenninic watershed, earthquake focal mechanisms indicate that shallow extension is associated to deep compression. The extensional events may be related to a secondary extensional stress field developing on the hangingwall of the thrust system affecting the Apenninic watershed; alternatively, this thrust system may have been recently deactivated and overprinted by active normal faulting. Deeper compressive events are related to the activity of both a major basement thrust that connects at surface with the pede-Apenninic thrust front and a major Moho structure.

It Depends on When You Ask: Motives for Using Marijuana Assessed Before versus After a Marijuana Use Event

PubMed Central

Shrier, Lydia A.; Scherer, Emily Blood

2014-01-01

Marijuana use motives are typically evaluated retrospectively using measures that summarize or generalize across episodes of use, which may compromise validity. Using Ecological Momentary Assessment data, we examined the main reason for a specific marijuana use event measured both prospectively and retrospectively. We then determined reason types, event characteristics, and user characteristics that predicted change in reason. Thirty-six medical outpatients age 15 to 24 years who used marijuana two times a week or more used a handheld computer to select their main reason for use from the five categories of the Marijuana Motives Measure (Simons, Correia, & Carey, 1998) just before and after each time they used marijuana over two weeks (n = 263 events with before/after reason). Reasons were examined individually and according to dimensions identified in motivational models of substance use (positive/negative, internal/external). Reason assessed before use changed to a different reason after use for 20% of events: 10% of events for pleasure; 21%, to cope; 35%, to be more social; 55%, to expand my mind; and 100%, to conform. In the multivariable model, external and expansion reasons each predicted change in reason for use (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Youth were also more likely to change their reason if older (p = 0.04), if male (p = 0.02), and with weekend use (p = 0.002). Retrospective assessments of event-specific motives for marijuana use may be unreliable and therefore invalid for a substantial minority of events, particularly if use is for external or expansion reasons. PMID:25123342

Minority stress and physical health among sexual minority individuals

PubMed Central

Lehavot, Keren; Meyer, Ilan H.

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of minority stress on the physical health of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs). Participants (N = 396) completed baseline and one year follow-up interviews. Exposure to stress and health outcomes were assessed with two methods: a subjective self-appraisal method and a method whereby two independent judges externally rated event narratives using standardized criteria. The odds of experiencing a physical health problem at follow-up were significantly higher among LGBs who experienced an externally rated prejudice event during the follow-up period compared to those who did not. This association persisted after adjusting for experiences of general stressful life events that were not related to prejudice. Self-appraised minority stress exposures were not associated with poorer physical health at 1-year follow-up. Prejudice-related stressful life events have a unique deleterious impact on health that persists above and beyond the effect of stressful life events unrelated to prejudice. PMID:23864353

Business continuity in blood services: two case studies from events with potentially catastrophic effect on the national provision of blood components.

PubMed

Morgan, S J; Rackham, R A; Penny, S; Lawson, J R; Walsh, R J; Ismay, S L

2015-02-01

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) are national blood establishments providing blood components to England and North Wales, and Australia, respectively. In 2012, both services experienced potentially catastrophic challenges to key assets. NHSBT suffered a flood that closed the largest blood-manufacturing centre in Europe, whilst ARCBS experienced the failure of a data centre network switch that rendered the national blood management system inaccessible for 42 h. This paper describes both crisis events, including the immediate actions, recovery procedures and lessons learned. Both incidents triggered emergency response plans. These included hospital reprovisioning and recovery from the incident. Once normal services had been restored, both events were subjected to root cause analysis (RCA) and production of 'lessons learned' reports. In both scenarios, the key enablers of rapid recovery were established emergency plans, clear leadership and the support of a flexible workforce. Product issues to hospitals were unaffected, and there were no abnormal trends in hospital complaints. RCA identified the importance of risk mitigations that require co-operation with external organizations. Reviews of both events identified opportunities to enhance business resilience through prior identification of external risks and improvements to contingency plans, for example by implementing mass messaging to staff and other stakeholders. Blood establishment emergency plans tend to focus on responding to mass casualty events. However, consolidation of manufacturing to fewer sites combined with a reliance on national IT systems increases the impact of loss of function. Blood services should develop business continuity plans which include prevention of such losses, and the maintenance of services and disaster recovery. © 2014 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

A review of emergency medical services events in US national parks from 2007 to 2011.

PubMed

Declerck, Matthieu P; Atterton, Laurie M; Seibert, Thomas; Cushing, Tracy A

2013-09-01

Outdoor recreation is growing in the United States, with more than 279 million annual visitors to areas controlled by the National Park Service (NPS). Emergency medical needs in these parks are overseen by the National Park's rangers within the NPS Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. This study examines medical and traumatic emergencies throughout the NPS over a 5-year period to better understand the types of events and fatalities rangers encounter, both regionally and on a national scale. This is a retrospective review of the annual EMS reports published by the 7 NPS regions from 2007 to 2011. The following were compared and examined at a regional and national level: medical versus traumatic versus first aid events, cardiac events and outcomes, use of automated external defibrillators, and medical versus traumatic fatalities. The national incidence of EMS events was 45.9 events per 1 million visitors. Medical, traumatic, and first aid events composed 29%, 28%, and 43% of reports, respectively. Of medical episodes, 1.8% were cardiac arrests, of which 64.2% received automated external defibrillator treatment; 29.1% of cardiac arrests survived to hospital discharge. Of fatalities, 61.4% were traumatic in nature and the remaining 38.5% were nontraumatic (medical). Regional differences were found for all variables. On a national level, the NPS experiences an equal number of medical and traumatic EMS events. This differs from past observed trends that reported a higher incidence of traumatic events than medical events in wilderness settings. Cardiac events and automated external defibrillator usage are relatively infrequent. Traumatic fatalities are more common than medical fatalities in the NPS. Regional variations in events likely reflect differences in terrain, common activities, proximity to urban areas, and access to definitive care between regions. These data can assist the NPS in targeting the regions with the greatest number of incidents and fatalities for prevention, ranger training, and visitor education. Copyright © 2013 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Disruption Links Apoptotic and Agonist-Initiated Phosphatidylserine Externalization in Platelets.

PubMed

Choo, Hyo-Jung; Kholmukhamedov, Andaleb; Zhou, ChengZing; Jobe, Shawn

2017-08-01

Phosphatidylserine exposure mediates platelet procoagulant function and regulates platelet life span. Apoptotic, necrotic, and integrin-mediated mechanisms have been implicated as intracellular determinants of platelet phosphatidylserine exposure. Here, we investigate (1) the role of mitochondrial events in platelet phosphatidylserine exposure initiated by these distinct stimuli and (2) the cellular interactions of the procoagulant platelet in vitro and in vivo. Key mitochondrial events were examined, including cytochrome c release and inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) disruption. In both ABT-737 (apoptotic) and agonist (necrotic)-treated platelets, phosphatidylserine externalization was temporally correlated with IMM disruption. Agonist stimulation resulted in rapid cyclophilin D-dependent IMM disruption that coincided with phosphatidylserine exposure. ABT-737 treatment caused rapid cytochrome c release, eventually followed by caspase-dependent IMM disruption that again closely coincided with phosphatidylserine exposure. A nonmitochondrial and integrin-mediated mechanism has been implicated in the formation of a novel phosphatidylserine-externalizing platelet subpopulation. Using image cytometry, this subpopulation is demonstrated to be the result of the interaction of an aggregatory platelet and a procoagulant platelet rather than indicative of a novel intracellular mechanism regulating platelet phosphatidylserine externalization. Using electron microscopy, similar interactions between aggregatory and procoagulant platelets are demonstrated in vitro and in vivo within a mesenteric vein hemostatic thrombus. Platelet phosphatidylserine externalization is closely associated with the mitochondrial event of IMM disruption identifying a common pathway in phosphatidylserine-externalizing platelets. The limited interaction of procoagulant platelets and integrin-active aggregatory platelets identifies a potential mechanism for procoagulant platelet retention within the hemostatic thrombus. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Final Independent External Peer Review Report, Cache la Poudre at Greeley, Colorado General Investigation Feasibility Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-06

Adaptive Management Plan NED national economic development NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NER National Ecosystem Restoration NFIP... management and flow maintenance (e.g., flood water height, channel and culvert sizing) are based on high water events (i.e., FEMA base flood – 1% or 100...Minimum 15 years of experience in economics X Minimum 15 years of experience in flood risk management analysis and benefits calculations X Direct

Multi-model attribution of upper-ocean temperature changes using an isothermal approach.

PubMed

Weller, Evan; Min, Seung-Ki; Palmer, Matthew D; Lee, Donghyun; Yim, Bo Young; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2016-06-01

Both air-sea heat exchanges and changes in ocean advection have contributed to observed upper-ocean warming most evident in the late-twentieth century. However, it is predominantly via changes in air-sea heat fluxes that human-induced climate forcings, such as increasing greenhouse gases, and other natural factors such as volcanic aerosols, have influenced global ocean heat content. The present study builds on previous work using two different indicators of upper-ocean temperature changes for the detection of both anthropogenic and natural external climate forcings. Using simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we compare mean temperatures above a fixed isotherm with the more widely adopted approach of using a fixed depth. We present the first multi-model ensemble detection and attribution analysis using the fixed isotherm approach to robustly detect both anthropogenic and natural external influences on upper-ocean temperatures. Although contributions from multidecadal natural variability cannot be fully removed, both the large multi-model ensemble size and properties of the isotherm analysis reduce internal variability of the ocean, resulting in better observation-model comparison of temperature changes since the 1950s. We further show that the high temporal resolution afforded by the isotherm analysis is required to detect natural external influences such as volcanic cooling events in the upper-ocean because the radiative effect of volcanic forcings is short-lived.

Multi-model attribution of upper-ocean temperature changes using an isothermal approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, Evan; Min, Seung-Ki; Palmer, Matthew D.; Lee, Donghyun; Yim, Bo Young; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2016-06-01

Both air-sea heat exchanges and changes in ocean advection have contributed to observed upper-ocean warming most evident in the late-twentieth century. However, it is predominantly via changes in air-sea heat fluxes that human-induced climate forcings, such as increasing greenhouse gases, and other natural factors such as volcanic aerosols, have influenced global ocean heat content. The present study builds on previous work using two different indicators of upper-ocean temperature changes for the detection of both anthropogenic and natural external climate forcings. Using simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we compare mean temperatures above a fixed isotherm with the more widely adopted approach of using a fixed depth. We present the first multi-model ensemble detection and attribution analysis using the fixed isotherm approach to robustly detect both anthropogenic and natural external influences on upper-ocean temperatures. Although contributions from multidecadal natural variability cannot be fully removed, both the large multi-model ensemble size and properties of the isotherm analysis reduce internal variability of the ocean, resulting in better observation-model comparison of temperature changes since the 1950s. We further show that the high temporal resolution afforded by the isotherm analysis is required to detect natural external influences such as volcanic cooling events in the upper-ocean because the radiative effect of volcanic forcings is short-lived.

Reliability analysis of the F-8 digital fly-by-wire system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brock, L. D.; Goodman, H. A.

1981-01-01

The F-8 Digital Fly-by-Wire (DFBW) flight test program intended to provide the technology for advanced control systems, giving aircraft enhanced performance and operational capability is addressed. A detailed analysis of the experimental system was performed to estimated the probabilities of two significant safety critical events: (1) loss of primary flight control function, causing reversion to the analog bypass system; and (2) loss of the aircraft due to failure of the electronic flight control system. The analysis covers appraisal of risks due to random equipment failure, generic faults in design of the system or its software, and induced failure due to external events. A unique diagrammatic technique was developed which details the combinatorial reliability equations for the entire system, promotes understanding of system failure characteristics, and identifies the most likely failure modes. The technique provides a systematic method of applying basic probability equations and is augmented by a computer program written in a modular fashion that duplicates the structure of these equations.

Analysis of mechanical system of extreme rainfall events using backward tracking on information from the atmosphere circulation pattern for the 2000-2015 precipitation record in South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, B. J.; Kwon, H. H.

2016-12-01

A natural disaster for flood and drought have occurred in different parts of the world, and the disasters caused by significant extreme hydrological event in past years. Several studies examining stochastic analysis based nonstationary analysis reported for forecasting and outlook for extreme hydrological events, but there is the procedure to select predictor variables. In this study, we analyzed mechanical system of extreme rainfall events using backward tracking to determine the predictors of nonstationary considering the atmosphere circulation pattern. First, observed rainfall data of KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) and ECMWF ERA-Interm data were constructed during the 2000-2015 period. Then, the 7day backward tracking were performed to establish the path of air mass using the LAGRANTO Tool considering the observed rainfall stations located in S. Korea as a starting point, The tracking information for rainfall event were clustered and then, we extracts the main influence factor based on the categorized tracking path considering to information of rainfall magnitude (e.g,, mega-sized, medium-sized). Finally, the nonstationary predictors are determined through a combination of factors affecting the nonstationary rainfall simulation techniques. The predictors based on a mechanical structure is expected to be able to respond to external factors such as climate change. In addition, this method can be used to determine the prediction factor in different geographical areas by different position.

Domino effect in chemical accidents: main features and accident sequences.

PubMed

Darbra, R M; Palacios, Adriana; Casal, Joaquim

2010-11-15

The main features of domino accidents in process/storage plants and in the transportation of hazardous materials were studied through an analysis of 225 accidents involving this effect. Data on these accidents, which occurred after 1961, were taken from several sources. Aspects analyzed included the accident scenario, the type of accident, the materials involved, the causes and consequences and the most common accident sequences. The analysis showed that the most frequent causes are external events (31%) and mechanical failure (29%). Storage areas (35%) and process plants (28%) are by far the most common settings for domino accidents. Eighty-nine per cent of the accidents involved flammable materials, the most frequent of which was LPG. The domino effect sequences were analyzed using relative probability event trees. The most frequent sequences were explosion→fire (27.6%), fire→explosion (27.5%) and fire→fire (17.8%). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short Personality and Life Event scale for detection of suicide attempters.

PubMed

Artieda-Urrutia, Paula; Delgado-Gómez, David; Ruiz-Hernández, Diego; García-Vega, Juan Manuel; Berenguer, Nuria; Oquendo, Maria A; Blasco-Fontecilla, Hilario

2015-01-01

To develop a brief and reliable psychometric scale to identify individuals at risk for suicidal behaviour. Case-control study. 182 individuals (61 suicide attempters, 57 psychiatric controls, and 64 psychiatrically healthy controls) aged 18 or older, admitted to the Emergency Department at Puerta de Hierro University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. All participants completed a form including their socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and the Personality and Life Events scale (27 items). To assess Axis I diagnoses, all psychiatric patients (including suicide attempters) were administered the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Descriptive statistics were computed for the socio-demographic factors. Additionally, χ(2) independence tests were applied to evaluate differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables, and the Personality and Life Events scale between groups. A stepwise linear regression with backward variable selection was conducted to build the Short Personality Life Event (S-PLE) scale. In order to evaluate the accuracy, a ROC analysis was conducted. The internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α, and the external reliability was evaluated using a test-retest procedure. The S-PLE scale, composed of just 6 items, showed good performance in discriminating between medical controls, psychiatric controls and suicide attempters in an independent sample. For instance, the S-PLE scale discriminated between past suicide and past non-suicide attempters with sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 75%. The area under the ROC curve was 88%. A factor analysis extracted only one factor, revealing a single dimension of the S-PLE scale. Furthermore, the S-PLE scale provides values of internal and external reliability between poor (test-retest: 0.55) and acceptable (Cronbach's α: 0.65) ranges. Administration time is about one minute. The S-PLE scale is a useful and accurate instrument for estimating the risk of suicidal behaviour in settings where the time is scarce. Copyright © 2015 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Infant pathways to externalizing behavior: evidence of Genotype x Environment interaction.

PubMed

Leve, Leslie D; Kerr, David C R; Shaw, Daniel; Ge, Xiaojia; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Scaramella, Laura V; Reid, John B; Conger, Rand; Reiss, David

2010-01-01

To further the understanding of the effects of early experiences, 9-month-old infants were observed during a frustration task. The analytical sample was composed of 348 linked triads of participants (adoptive parents, adopted child, and birth parent[s]) from a prospective adoption study. It was hypothesized that genetic risk for externalizing problems and affect dysregulation in the adoptive parents would independently and interactively predict a known precursor to externalizing problems: heightened infant attention to frustrating events. Results supported the moderation hypotheses involving adoptive mother affect dysregulation: Infants at genetic risk showed heightened attention to frustrating events only when the adoptive mother had higher levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. The Genotype x Environment interaction pattern held when substance use during pregnancy was considered.

Cognitive Moderators of Children's Adjustment to Stressful Divorce Events: The Role of Negative Cognitive Errors and Positive Illusions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazur, Elizabeth; Wolchik, Sharlene A.; Virdin, Lynn; Sandler, Irwin N.; West, Stephen G.

1999-01-01

Examined whether children's cognitive biases moderated impact of stressful divorce-related events on adjustment in 9- to 12-year olds. Found that endorsing negative cognitive errors for hypothetical divorce events moderated relations between stressful divorce events and self- and maternal-reports of internalizing and externalizing symptoms for…

A reduced-form intensity-based model under fuzzy environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liang; Zhuang, Yaming

2015-05-01

The external shocks and internal contagion are the important sources of default events. However, the external shocks and internal contagion effect on the company is not observed, we cannot get the accurate size of the shocks. The information of investors relative to the default process exhibits a certain fuzziness. Therefore, using randomness and fuzziness to study such problems as derivative pricing or default probability has practical needs. But the idea of fuzzifying credit risk models is little exploited, especially in a reduced-form model. This paper proposes a new default intensity model with fuzziness and presents a fuzzy default probability and default loss rate, and puts them into default debt and credit derivative pricing. Finally, the simulation analysis verifies the rationality of the model. Using fuzzy numbers and random analysis one can consider more uncertain sources in the default process of default and investors' subjective judgment on the financial markets in a variety of fuzzy reliability so as to broaden the scope of possible credit spreads.

Gender comparisons of medical students' psychosocial profiles.

PubMed

Hojat, M; Glaser, K; Xu, G; Veloski, J J; Christian, E B

1999-05-01

This study was designed to compare male and female medical students on selected personality attributes that could influence their academic attainment and personal success. Participants were 1157 medical students (743 men, 414 women) who completed a set of psychosocial questionnaires measuring intensity and chronicity of loneliness, general anxiety, test anxiety, neuroticism, depression, extraversion, self-esteem, locus of control, perceptions of parents, general health and appraisals of stressful life events. Data were analysed by employing multivariate and univariate analysis of variance and chi-square analysis. Jefferson Medical College. Medical students. Men scored significantly higher on the intensity of loneliness, and women scored higher on general anxiety, test anxiety and neuroticism scales, but the magnitudes of the effect size estimates were not large. No significant gender difference was observed on measures of chronicity of loneliness, depression, extraversion, self-esteem, external locus of control, perception of general health and perceptions of the mother and the father. Women who experienced stressful life events, such as death in the family or personal illness, appraised these events more negatively than did their male counterparts. Implications of the findings for medical education and practice are discussed.

From cognition to the system: developing a multilevel taxonomy of patient safety in general practice.

PubMed

Kostopoulou, O

The paper describes the process of developing a taxonomy of patient safety in general practice. The methodologies employed included fieldwork, task analysis and confidential reporting of patient-safety events in five West Midlands practices. Reported events were traced back to their root causes and contributing factors. The resulting taxonomy is based on a theoretical model of human cognition, includes multiple levels of classification to reflect the chain of causation and considers affective and physiological influences on performance. Events are classified at three levels. At level one, the information-processing model of cognition is used to classify errors. At level two, immediate causes are identified, internal and external to the individual. At level three, more remote causal factors are classified as either 'work organization' or 'technical' with subcategories. The properties of the taxonomy (validity, reliability, comprehensiveness) as well as its usability and acceptability remain to be tested with potential users.

Evaluation of single- and dual-porosity models for reproducing the release of external and internal tracers from heterogeneous waste-rock piles.

PubMed

Blackmore, S; Pedretti, D; Mayer, K U; Smith, L; Beckie, R D

2018-05-30

Accurate predictions of solute release from waste-rock piles (WRPs) are paramount for decision making in mining-related environmental processes. Tracers provide information that can be used to estimate effective transport parameters and understand mechanisms controlling the hydraulic and geochemical behavior of WRPs. It is shown that internal tracers (i.e. initially present) together with external (i.e. applied) tracers provide complementary and quantitative information to identify transport mechanisms. The analysis focuses on two experimental WRPs, Piles 4 and Pile 5 at the Antamina Mine site (Peru), where both an internal chloride tracer and externally applied bromide tracer were monitored in discharge over three years. The results suggest that external tracers provide insight into transport associated with relatively fast flow regions that are activated during higher-rate recharge events. In contrast, internal tracers provide insight into mechanisms controlling solutes release from lower-permeability zones within the piles. Rate-limited diffusive processes, which can be mimicked by nonlocal mass-transfer models, affect both internal and external tracers. The sensitivity of the mass-transfer parameters to heterogeneity is higher for external tracers than for internal tracers, as indicated by the different mean residence times characterizing the flow paths associated with each tracer. The joint use of internal and external tracers provides a more comprehensive understanding of the transport mechanisms in WRPs. In particular, the tracer tests support the notion that a multi-porosity conceptualization of WRPs is more adequate for capturing key mechanisms than a dual-porosity conceptualization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of AH-1Z Helicopter Pilots and Qualifications: The Impact of Fleet Squadron Training Progression Timelines

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

remaining 3000- series time block. Although there are fewer flight hours when compared to AHC, the coordination with external agencies may increase the...training duration to complete FAC(A). Additionally, pilots may conduct 4000 to 6000 series events concurrently, thus expanding the training time . 4...A)I training. Because FAC(A)I is included in the 5000- series training block, the time period cannot be finitely determined. 8. FL and AMC are the

Verbalization and imagery in the process of formation of operator labor skills

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mistyuk, V. V.

1975-01-01

Sensorimotor control tests show that mastering operational skills occurs under conditions that stimulate the operator to independent active analysis and summarization of current information with the goal of clarifying the signs and the integral images that are a model of the situation. Goal directed determination of such an image requires inner and external speech, activates and improves the thinking of the operator, accelerates the training process, increases its effectiveness, and enables the formation of strategies in anticipating the course of events.

Neurophysiological mechanisms of emotion regulation for subtypes of externalizing children.

PubMed

Stieben, Jim; Lewis, Marc D; Granic, Isabela; Zelazo, Philip David; Segalowitz, Sidney; Pepler, Debra

2007-01-01

Children referred for externalizing behavior problems may not represent a homogeneous population. Our objective was to assess neural mechanisms of emotion regulation that might distinguish subtypes of externalizing children from each other and from their normal age mates. Children with pure externalizing (EXT) problems were compared with children comorbid for externalizing and internalizing (MIXED) problems and with age-matched controls. Only boys were included in the analysis because so few girls were referred for treatment. We used a go/no-go task with a negative emotion induction, and we examined dense-array EEG data together with behavioral measures of performance. We investigated two event-related potential (ERP) components tapping inhibitory control or self-monitoring - the inhibitory N2 and error-related negativity (ERN) - and we constructed source models estimating their cortical generators. The MIXED children's N2s increased in response to the emotion induction, resulting in greater amplitudes than EXT children in the following trial block. ERN amplitudes were greatest for control children and smallest for EXT children with MIXED children in between, but only prior to the emotion induction. These results were paralleled by behavioral differences in response time and performance monitoring. ERP activity was localized to cortical sources suggestive of the dorsal anterior cingulate for control children, posterior cingulate areas for the EXT children, and both posterior cingulate and ventral cingulate/prefrontal regions for the MIXED children. These findings highlight different mechanisms of self-regulation underlying externalizing subtypes and point toward distinct developmental pathways and treatment strategies.

Traumatic Life Events and Psychopathology in a High Risk, Ethnically Diverse Sample of Young Children: A Person-Centered Approach.

PubMed

Hagan, Melissa J; Sulik, Michael J; Lieberman, Alicia F

2016-07-01

Studies of the association between traumatic experiences and psychopathology in early childhood have primarily focused on specific types of events (e.g., sexual abuse) or aggregated different types of events without differentiating among them. We extend this body of work by investigating patterns of traumatic event exposure in a high-risk, ethnically diverse sample of children ages 3-6 (N = 211; 51 % female) and relating these different patterns to parents' reports of child externalizing, internalizing, and post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Using latent class analysis, which divides a heterogeneous population into homogenous subpopulations, we identified three patterns of traumatic events based on parents' responses to an interview-based assessment of trauma exposure in young children: (1) severe exposure, characterized by a combination of family violence and victimization; (2) witnessing family violence without victimization; and (3) moderate exposure, characterized by an absence of family violence but a moderate probability of other events. The severe exposure class exhibited elevated internalizing and post-traumatic stress symptoms relative to the witness to violence and moderate exposure classes, controlling for average number of traumatic events. Results highlight the need for differentiation between profiles of traumatic life event exposure and the potential for person-centered methods to complement the cumulative risk perspective.

The blogosphere as an excitable social medium: Richter’s and Omori’s Law in media coverage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimek, Peter; Bayer, Werner; Thurner, Stefan

2011-10-01

We study the dynamics of public media attention by monitoring the content of online blogs. Social and media events can be traced by the propagation of word frequencies of related keywords. Media events are classified as exogenous-where blogging activity is triggered by an external news item-or endogenous where word frequencies build up within a blogging community without external influences. We show that word occurrences exhibit statistical similarities to earthquakes. Moreover the size distribution of events scales with a similar exponent as found in the Gutenberg-Richter law. The dynamics of media events before and after the main event can be satisfactorily modeled as a type of process which has been used to understand fore-and aftershock rate distributions in earthquakes-the Omori law. We present empirical evidence that for media events of endogenous origin the overall public reception of the event is correlated with the behavior of word frequencies at the beginning of the event, and is to a certain degree predictable. These results imply that the process of opinion formation in a human society might be related to effects known from excitable media.

DARHT Multi-intelligence Seismic and Acoustic Data Analysis

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

Stevens, Garrison Nicole; Van Buren, Kendra Lu; Hemez, Francois M.

The purpose of this report is to document the analysis of seismic and acoustic data collected at the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory for robust, multi-intelligence decision making. The data utilized herein is obtained from two tri-axial seismic sensors and three acoustic sensors, resulting in a total of nine data channels. The goal of this analysis is to develop a generalized, automated framework to determine internal operations at DARHT using informative features extracted from measurements collected external of the facility. Our framework involves four components: (1) feature extraction, (2) data fusion, (3) classification, andmore » finally (4) robustness analysis. Two approaches are taken for extracting features from the data. The first of these, generic feature extraction, involves extraction of statistical features from the nine data channels. The second approach, event detection, identifies specific events relevant to traffic entering and leaving the facility as well as explosive activities at DARHT and nearby explosive testing sites. Event detection is completed using a two stage method, first utilizing signatures in the frequency domain to identify outliers and second extracting short duration events of interest among these outliers by evaluating residuals of an autoregressive exogenous time series model. Features extracted from each data set are then fused to perform analysis with a multi-intelligence paradigm, where information from multiple data sets are combined to generate more information than available through analysis of each independently. The fused feature set is used to train a statistical classifier and predict the state of operations to inform a decision maker. We demonstrate this classification using both generic statistical features and event detection and provide a comparison of the two methods. Finally, the concept of decision robustness is presented through a preliminary analysis where uncertainty is added to the system through noise in the measurements.« less

Sequential protein unfolding through a carbon nanotube pore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Zhonghe; Zhang, Shuang; Weber, Jeffrey K.; Luan, Binquan; Zhou, Ruhong; Li, Jingyuan

2016-06-01

An assortment of biological processes, like protein degradation and the transport of proteins across membranes, depend on protein unfolding events mediated by nanopore interfaces. In this work, we exploit fully atomistic simulations of an artificial, CNT-based nanopore to investigate the nature of ubiquitin unfolding. With one end of the protein subjected to an external force, we observe non-canonical unfolding behaviour as ubiquitin is pulled through the pore opening. Secondary structural elements are sequentially detached from the protein and threaded into the nanotube, interestingly, the remaining part maintains native-like characteristics. The constraints of the nanopore interface thus facilitate the formation of stable ``unfoldon'' motifs above the nanotube aperture that can exist in the absence of specific native contacts with the other secondary structure. Destruction of these unfoldons gives rise to distinct force peaks in our simulations, providing us with a sensitive probe for studying the kinetics of serial unfolding events. Our detailed analysis of nanopore-mediated protein unfolding events not only provides insight into how related processes might proceed in the cell, but also serves to deepen our understanding of structural arrangements which form the basis for protein conformational stability.An assortment of biological processes, like protein degradation and the transport of proteins across membranes, depend on protein unfolding events mediated by nanopore interfaces. In this work, we exploit fully atomistic simulations of an artificial, CNT-based nanopore to investigate the nature of ubiquitin unfolding. With one end of the protein subjected to an external force, we observe non-canonical unfolding behaviour as ubiquitin is pulled through the pore opening. Secondary structural elements are sequentially detached from the protein and threaded into the nanotube, interestingly, the remaining part maintains native-like characteristics. The constraints of the nanopore interface thus facilitate the formation of stable ``unfoldon'' motifs above the nanotube aperture that can exist in the absence of specific native contacts with the other secondary structure. Destruction of these unfoldons gives rise to distinct force peaks in our simulations, providing us with a sensitive probe for studying the kinetics of serial unfolding events. Our detailed analysis of nanopore-mediated protein unfolding events not only provides insight into how related processes might proceed in the cell, but also serves to deepen our understanding of structural arrangements which form the basis for protein conformational stability. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00410e

Hypothesis for cognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation: Externally- and internally-directed cognition.

PubMed

Greenwood, Pamela M; Blumberg, Eric J; Scheldrup, Melissa R

2018-03-01

A comprehensive explanation is lacking for the broad array of cognitive effects modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We advanced the testable hypothesis that tDCS to the default mode network (DMN) increases processing of goals and stored information at the expense of external events. We further hypothesized that tDCS to the dorsal attention network (DAN) increases processing of external events at the expense of goals and stored information. A literature search (PsychINFO) identified 42 empirical studies and 3 meta-analyses examining effects of prefrontal and/or parietal tDCS on tasks that selectively required external and/or internal processing. Most, though not all, of the studies that met our search criteria supported our hypothesis. Three meta-analyses supported our hypothesis. The hypothesis we advanced provides a framework for the design and interpretation of results in light of the role of large-scale intrinsic networks that govern attention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Je Maintiendrai: The Royal Netherlands Army Within the Alliance

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

not only by virtue of its 5 successes during the revolution but by its involvement in several external conflicts. The Treaty of Westphalia, besides...both an internal as well as external threat. No small task, given that the combined length of coastlines in the territory exceeded the circumference...principal external threats to the Netherlands in the event of heightened East-West tensions: foreign military intimidation leading to international

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

Bayesian network prior: network analysis of biological data using external knowledge

PubMed Central

Isci, Senol; Dogan, Haluk; Ozturk, Cengizhan; Otu, Hasan H.

2014-01-01

Motivation: Reverse engineering GI networks from experimental data is a challenging task due to the complex nature of the networks and the noise inherent in the data. One way to overcome these hurdles would be incorporating the vast amounts of external biological knowledge when building interaction networks. We propose a framework where GI networks are learned from experimental data using Bayesian networks (BNs) and the incorporation of external knowledge is also done via a BN that we call Bayesian Network Prior (BNP). BNP depicts the relation between various evidence types that contribute to the event ‘gene interaction’ and is used to calculate the probability of a candidate graph (G) in the structure learning process. Results: Our simulation results on synthetic, simulated and real biological data show that the proposed approach can identify the underlying interaction network with high accuracy even when the prior information is distorted and outperforms existing methods. Availability: Accompanying BNP software package is freely available for academic use at http://bioe.bilgi.edu.tr/BNP. Contact: hasan.otu@bilgi.edu.tr Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:24215027

Inside-out: comparing internally generated and externally generated basic emotions.

PubMed

Salas, Christian E; Radovic, Darinka; Turnbull, Oliver H

2012-06-01

A considerable number of mood induction (MI) procedures have been developed to elicit emotion in normal and clinical populations. Although external procedures (e.g., film clips, pictures) are widely used, a number of experiments elicit emotion by using self-generated procedures (e.g., recalling an emotional personal episode). However, no study has directly compared the effectiveness of two types of internal versus external MI across multiple discrete emotions. In the present experiment, 40 undergraduate students watched film clips (external procedure) and recalled personal events (internal procedure) inducing 4 basic emotions (fear, anger, joy, sadness) and later completed a self-report questionnaire. Remarkably, both internal and external procedures elicited target emotions selectively, compared with nontarget emotions. When contrasting the intensity of target emotions, both techniques showed no significant differences, with the exception of Joy, which was more intensely elicited by the internal procedure. Importantly, when considering the overall level of intensity, it was always greater in the internal procedure, for each stimulus. A more detailed investigation of the data suggest that recalling personal events (a type of internal procedure) generates more negative and mixed blends of emotions, which might account for the overall higher intensity of the internal mood induction.

Correlation of thermocouple data with voiding function after prostate cryoablation.

PubMed

Levy, David A

2010-02-01

To identify possible correlations of thermocouple recorded data with altered postoperative voiding function after prostate cryosurgery. A retrospective analysis of the records of 58 patients treated with prostate cryoablation from October 2005 through April 2009 was conducted. Multivariate analysis of patient age, presenting prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score, clinical T stage, prostate volume, maximum low temperature thermocouple recordings, history of radiation and or hormonal therapy, were studied as possible correlative factors for altered postoperative voiding function. Of 58 patients, 22 (37.9%) manifested postcryoablation urgency and frequency (n = 13) requiring medical therapy or retention (n = 9). On multivariate analysis, age (P = .037) and an external sphincter temperature < or = 23 degrees C (P = .012) were associated with voiding frequency, urgency, or retention (odds ratio = 6.26, 95% CI: 1.62-24.16), whereas anterior rectal wall temperature (Denon) was weakly associated (P = .079). Thermocouple data provide an objective means of assessing cryosurgical outcomes. This is the first report of a correlation of such data to post-treatment voiding function. A total of 37.9% of patients experienced urgency and/or frequency or urinary retention after cryoablation of the prostate for localized disease. Older age and external sphincter temperature < or = 23 degrees C were statistically significant predictors of these events. The data suggest that limiting the degree of freezing at the external sphincter may decrease procedure related morbidity. Further study is warranted to better delineate temperature-related data on treatment outcomes. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seismic risk management solution for nuclear power plants

DOE PAGES

Coleman, Justin; Sabharwall, Piyush

2014-12-01

Nuclear power plants should safely operate during normal operations and maintain core-cooling capabilities during off-normal events, including external hazards (such as flooding and earthquakes). Management of external hazards to expectable levels of risk is critical to maintaining nuclear facility and nuclear power plant safety. Seismic risk is determined by convolving the seismic hazard with seismic fragilities (capacity of systems, structures, and components). Seismic isolation (SI) is one protective measure showing promise to minimize seismic risk. Current SI designs (used in commercial industry) reduce horizontal earthquake loads and protect critical infrastructure from the potentially destructive effects of large earthquakes. The benefitmore » of SI application in the nuclear industry is being recognized and SI systems have been proposed in American Society of Civil Engineer Standard 4, ASCE-4, to be released in the winter of 2014, for light water reactors facilities using commercially available technology. The intent of ASCE-4 is to provide criteria for seismic analysis of safety related nuclear structures such that the responses to design basis seismic events, computed in accordance with this standard, will have a small likelihood of being exceeded. The U.S. nuclear industry has not implemented SI to date; a seismic isolation gap analysis meeting was convened on August 19, 2014, to determine progress on implementing SI in the U.S. nuclear industry. The meeting focused on the systems and components that could benefit from SI. As a result, this article highlights the gaps identified at this meeting.« less

High Fidelity Measurement of Free Space Solar Particle Event and Galactic Cosmic Ray Environments at Intermediate Energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitgab, M.

2018-02-01

A charged particle measurement experiment mounted externally to the Deep Space Gateway is proposed, contributing to improving astronaut radiation exposure management during Solar Particle Events and Extra Vehicular Activities.

Conversion of neurons and glia to external-cell fates in the external sensory organs of Drosophila hamlet mutants by a cousin-cousin cell-type respecification.

PubMed

Moore, Adrian W; Roegiers, Fabrice; Jan, Lily Y; Jan, Yuh-Nung

2004-03-15

The Drosophila external sensory organ forms in a lineage elaborating from a single precursor cell via a stereotypical series of asymmetric divisions. HAMLET transcription factor expression demarcates the lineage branch that generates two internal cell types, the external sensory neuron and thecogen. In HAMLET mutant organs, these internal cells are converted to external cells via an unprecedented cousin-cousin cell-fate respecification event. Conversely, ectopic HAMLET expression in the external cell branch leads to internal cell production. The fate-determining signals NOTCH and PAX2 act at multiple stages of lineage elaboration and HAMLET acts to modulate their activity in a branch-specific manner.

Retrospective dose assessment for the population living in areas of local fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site Part I: External exposure.

PubMed

Gordeev, Konstantin; Shinkarev, Sergey; Ilyin, Leonid; Bouville, André; Hoshi, Masaharu; Luckyanov, Nickolas; Simon, Steven L

2006-02-01

A short analysis of all 111 atmospheric events conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) in 1949-1962 with regard to significant off-site exposure (more than 5 mSv of the effective dose during the first year after the explosion) has been made. The analytical method used to assess external exposure to the residents living in settlements near the STS is described. This method makes use of the archival data on the radiological conditions, including the measurements of exposure rate. Special attention was given to the residents of Dolon and Kanonerka villages exposed mainly as a result of the first test, detonated on August 29, 1949. For the residents of those settlements born in 1935, the dose estimates calculated according to the analytical method, are compared to those derived from the thermoluminescence measurements in bricks and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements in teeth. The methods described in this paper were used for external dose assessment for the cohort members at an initial stage of an ongoing epidemiological study conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Recently revised methods and estimates of external exposure for that cohort are given in another paper (Simon et al.) in this conference.

Analysis of model development strategies: predicting ventral hernia recurrence.

PubMed

Holihan, Julie L; Li, Linda T; Askenasy, Erik P; Greenberg, Jacob A; Keith, Jerrod N; Martindale, Robert G; Roth, J Scott; Liang, Mike K

2016-11-01

There have been many attempts to identify variables associated with ventral hernia recurrence; however, it is unclear which statistical modeling approach results in models with greatest internal and external validity. We aim to assess the predictive accuracy of models developed using five common variable selection strategies to determine variables associated with hernia recurrence. Two multicenter ventral hernia databases were used. Database 1 was randomly split into "development" and "internal validation" cohorts. Database 2 was designated "external validation". The dependent variable for model development was hernia recurrence. Five variable selection strategies were used: (1) "clinical"-variables considered clinically relevant, (2) "selective stepwise"-all variables with a P value <0.20 were assessed in a step-backward model, (3) "liberal stepwise"-all variables were included and step-backward regression was performed, (4) "restrictive internal resampling," and (5) "liberal internal resampling." Variables were included with P < 0.05 for the Restrictive model and P < 0.10 for the Liberal model. A time-to-event analysis using Cox regression was performed using these strategies. The predictive accuracy of the developed models was tested on the internal and external validation cohorts using Harrell's C-statistic where C > 0.70 was considered "reasonable". The recurrence rate was 32.9% (n = 173/526; median/range follow-up, 20/1-58 mo) for the development cohort, 36.0% (n = 95/264, median/range follow-up 20/1-61 mo) for the internal validation cohort, and 12.7% (n = 155/1224, median/range follow-up 9/1-50 mo) for the external validation cohort. Internal validation demonstrated reasonable predictive accuracy (C-statistics = 0.772, 0.760, 0.767, 0.757, 0.763), while on external validation, predictive accuracy dipped precipitously (C-statistic = 0.561, 0.557, 0.562, 0.553, 0.560). Predictive accuracy was equally adequate on internal validation among models; however, on external validation, all five models failed to demonstrate utility. Future studies should report multiple variable selection techniques and demonstrate predictive accuracy on external data sets for model validation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What do external consultants from private and not-for-profit companies offer healthcare commissioners? A qualitative study of knowledge exchange

PubMed Central

Wye, Lesley; Brangan, Emer; Cameron, Ailsa; Gabbay, John; Klein, Jonathan H; Anthwal, Rachel; Pope, Catherine

2015-01-01

Objectives The use of external consultants from private and not-for-profit providers in the National Health Service (NHS) is intended to improve the quality of commissioning. The aim of this study was to learn about the support offered to healthcare commissioners, how external consultants and their clients work together and the perceived impact on the quality of commissioning. Setting NHS commissioning organisations and private and not-for-profit providers. Design Mixed methods case study of eight cases. Data collection 92 interviews with external consultants (n=36), their clients (n=47) and others (n=9). Observation of 25 training events and meetings. Documentation, for example, meeting minutes and reports. Analysis Constant comparison. Data were coded, summarised and analysed by the research team with a coding framework to facilitate cross-case comparison. Results In the four contracts presented here, external providers offered technical solutions (eg, software tools), outsourcing and expertise including project management, data interpretation and brokering relationships with experts. In assessing perceived impact on quality of commissioning, two contracts had limited value, one had short-term benefits and one provided short and longer term benefits. Contracts with commissioners actively learning, embedding and applying new skills were more valued. Other elements of success were: (1) addressing clearly agreed problems of relevance to managerial and operational staff (2) solutions co-produced at all organisational levels (3) external consultants working directly with clients to interpret data outputs to inform locally contextualised commissioning strategies. Without explicit knowledge exchange strategies, outsourcing commissioning to external providers resulted in the NHS clients becoming dependent. Conclusions NHS commissioning will be disadvantaged if commissioners both fail to learn in the short term from the knowledge of external providers and in the longer term lose local skills. Knowledge exchange mechanisms are a vital component of commissioning and should be embedded in external provider contracts. PMID:25716174

Analysis of flash flood parameters and human impacts in the US from 2006 to 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špitalar, Maruša; Gourley, Jonathan J.; Lutoff, Celine; Kirstetter, Pierre-Emmanuel; Brilly, Mitja; Carr, Nicholas

2014-11-01

Several different factors external to the natural hazard of flash flooding can contribute to the type and magnitude of their resulting damages. Human exposure, vulnerability, fatality and injury rates can be minimized by identifying and then mitigating the causative factors for human impacts. A database of flash flooding was used for statistical analysis of human impacts across the U.S. 21,549 flash flood events were analyzed during a 6-year period from October 2006 to 2012. Based on the information available in the database, physical parameters were introduced and then correlated to the reported human impacts. Probability density functions of the frequency of flash flood events and the PDF of occurrences weighted by the number of injuries and fatalities were used to describe the influence of each parameter. The factors that emerged as the most influential on human impacts are short flood durations, small catchment sizes in rural areas, vehicles, and nocturnal events with low visibility. Analyzing and correlating a diverse range of parameters to human impacts give us important insights into what contributes to fatalities and injuries and further raises questions on how to manage them.

World-Wide Outreach through International Observe the Moon Night

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, S.; Jones, A. P.; Bleacher, L.; Shaner, A. J.; Day, B. H.; Wenger, M.; Joseph, E.; Canipe, M.

2016-12-01

International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual worldwide public event that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon and its connection to NASA planetary science and exploration. Everyone on Earth is invited to join the celebration by hosting or attending an InOMN event - and uniting on one day each year to look at and learn about the Moon together. Events are hosted by a variety of institutions including astronomy clubs, observatories, schools, and universities, museums, planetaria, schools, universities, observatories, parks, private businesses and private homes. Events hosts are supported with event flyers, information sheets, Moon maps for observing, activities to use during events, presentations, certificates of participation, and evaluation materials to be used by hosts. 2016 is the seventh year of worldwide participation in InOMN which will be held on October 8th. In the last six years, over 3,000 events were registered worldwide from almost 100 different countries and almost all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States. Evaluation of InOMN is conducted by an external evaluation group and includes analysis of event registrations, facilitator surveys, and visitor surveys. Evaluation results demonstrate that InOMN events are successful in raising visitors' awareness of lunar science and exploration, providing audiences with information about lunar science and exploration, and inspiring visitors to want to learn more about the Moon. Additionally, preliminary analysis of social media has shown that there is a virtual network of individuals connecting about InOMN. A large fraction of events have been held by institutions for more than one year showing sustained interest in participation. During this presentation, we will present data for all seven years of InOMN including lessons learned through supporting and evaluating a worldwide event. InOMN is sponsored by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), and the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Learn more at http://observethemoonnight.org/.

Interactive effects of early and recent exposure to stressful contexts on cortisol reactivity in middle childhood.

PubMed

Jaffee, Sara R; McFarquhar, Tara; Stevens, Suzanne; Ouellet-Morin, Isabelle; Melhuish, Edward; Belsky, Jay

2015-02-01

Given mixed findings as to whether stressful experiences and relationships are associated with increases or decreases in children's cortisol reactivity, we tested whether a child's developmental history of risk exposure explained variation in cortisol reactivity to an experimentally induced task. We also tested whether the relationship between cortisol reactivity and children's internalizing and externalizing problems varied as a function of their developmental history of stressful experiences and relationships. Participants included 400 children (M = 9.99 years, SD = 0.74 years) from the Children's Experiences and Development Study. Early risk exposure was measured by children's experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting at 3 years. Recent risk exposure was measured by children's exposure to traumatic events in the past year. Children's cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a social provocation task and parents and teachers described children's internalizing and externalizing problems. The effect of recent exposure to traumatic events was partially dependent upon a child's early experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting: the more traumatic events children had recently experienced, the greater their cortisol reactivity if they had experienced lower (but not higher) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting at age 3. The lowest levels of cortisol reactivity were observed among children who had experienced the most traumatic events in the past year and higher (vs. lower) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting in early childhood. Among youth who experienced harsh, nonresponsive parent-child relationships in early childhood and later traumatic events, lower levels of cortisol reactivity were associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to psychological stressors and the relationship between HPA axis reactivity and children's internalizing and externalizing problems vary as a function of a child's developmental history of exposure to stressful relationships and experiences. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Simulating Heinrich events in a coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice sheet model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikolajewicz, Uwe; Ziemen, Florian

2016-04-01

Heinrich events are among the most prominent events of long-term climate variability recorded in proxies across the northern hemisphere. They are the archetype of ice sheet - climate interactions on millennial time scales. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms that cause Heinrich events are still under discussion, and their climatic consequences are far from being fully understood. We contribute to answering the open questions by studying Heinrich events in a coupled ice sheet model (ISM) atmosphere-ocean-vegetation general circulation model (AOVGCM) framework, where this variability occurs as part of the model generated internal variability without the need to prescribe external perturbations, as was the standard approach in almost all model studies so far. The setup consists of a northern hemisphere setup of the modified Parallel Ice Sheet Model (mPISM) coupled to the global coarse resolution AOVGCM ECHAM5/MPIOM/LPJ. The simulations used for this analysis were an ensemble covering substantial parts of the late Glacial forced with transient insolation and prescribed atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The modeled Heinrich events show a marked influence of the ice discharge on the Atlantic circulation and heat transport, but none of the Heinrich events during the Glacial did show a complete collapse of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. The simulated main consequences of the Heinrich events are a freshening and cooling over the North Atlantic and a drying over northern Europe.

Study of an External Neutron Source for an Accelerator-Driven System using the PHITS Code

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

Sugawara, Takanori; Iwasaki, Tomohiko; Chiba, Takashi

A code system for the Accelerator Driven System (ADS) has been under development for analyzing dynamic behaviors of a subcritical core coupled with an accelerator. This code system named DSE (Dynamics calculation code system for a Subcritical system with an External neutron source) consists of an accelerator part and a reactor part. The accelerator part employs a database, which is calculated by using PHITS, for investigating the effect related to the accelerator such as the changes of beam energy, beam diameter, void generation, and target level. This analysis method using the database may introduce some errors into dynamics calculations sincemore » the neutron source data derived from the database has some errors in fitting or interpolating procedures. In this study, the effects of various events are investigated to confirm that the method based on the database is appropriate.« less

Early life trauma exposure and stress sensitivity in young children.

PubMed

Grasso, Damion J; Ford, Julian D; Briggs-Gowan, Margaret J

2013-01-01

The current study replicates and extends work with adults that highlights the relationship between trauma exposure and distress in response to subsequent, nontraumatic life stressors. The sample included 213 2-4-year-old children in which 64.3% had a history of potential trauma exposure. Children were categorized into 4 groups based on trauma history and current life stress. In a multivariate analysis of variance, trauma-exposed children with current life stressors had elevated internalizing and externalizing problems compared with trauma-exposed children without current stress and nontrauma-exposed children with and without current stressors. The trauma-exposed groups with or without current stressors did not differ on posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Accounting for number of traumatic events did not change these results. These findings suggest that early life trauma exposure may sensitize young children and place them at risk for internalizing or externalizing problems when exposed to subsequent, nontraumatic life stressors.

Phase II Trial of Combined High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiotherapy for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: Preliminary Results of RTOG 0321

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

Hsu, I-Chow, E-mail: ihsu@radonc.ucsf.ed; Bae, Kyounghwa; Shinohara, Katsuto

2010-11-01

Purpose: To estimate the rate of late Grade 3 or greater genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) after treatment with external beam radiotherapy and prostate high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Each participating institution submitted computed tomography-based HDR brachytherapy dosimetry data electronically for credentialing and for each study patient. Patients with locally confined Stage T1c-T3b prostate cancer were eligible for the present study. All patients were treated with 45 Gy in 25 fractions using external beam radiotherapy and one HDR implant delivering 19 Gy in two fractions. All AEs were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria formore » Adverse Events, version 3.0. Late GU/GI AEs were defined as those occurring >9 months from the start of the protocol treatment, in patients with {>=}18 months of potential follow-up. Results: A total of 129 patients from 14 institutions were enrolled in the present study. Of the 129 patients, 125 were eligible, and AE data were available for 112 patients at analysis. The pretreatment characteristics of the patients were as follows: Stage T1c-T2c, 91%; Stage T3a-T3b, 9%; prostate-specific antigen level {<=}10 ng/mL, 70%; prostate-specific antigen level >10 but {<=}20 ng/mL, 30%; and Gleason score 2-6, 10%; Gleason score 7, 72%; and Gleason score 8-10, 18%. At a median follow-up of 29.6 months, three acute and four late Grade 3 GU/GI AEs were reported. The estimated rate of late Grade 3-5 GU and GI AEs at 18 months was 2.56%. Conclusion: This is the first prospective, multi-institutional trial of computed tomography-based HDR brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy. The technique and doses used in the present study resulted in acceptable levels of AEs.« less

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

Noel, Camille E.; Gutti, VeeraRajesh; Bosch, Walter

Purpose: To quantify the potential impact of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise–Radiation Oncology Quality Assurance with Plan Veto (QAPV) on patient safety of external beam radiation therapy (RT) operations. Methods and Materials: An institutional database of events (errors and near-misses) was used to evaluate the ability of QAPV to prevent clinically observed events. We analyzed reported events that were related to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine RT plan parameter inconsistencies between the intended treatment (on the treatment planning system) and the delivered treatment (on the treatment machine). Critical Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine RT plan parameters were identified.more » Each event was scored for importance using the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis methodology. Potential error occurrence (frequency) was derived according to the collected event data, along with the potential event severity, and the probability of detection with and without the theoretical implementation of the QAPV plan comparison check. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) with and without QAPV were compared to quantify the potential benefit of clinical implementation of QAPV. Results: The implementation of QAPV could reduce the RPN values for 15 of 22 (71%) of evaluated parameters, with an overall average reduction in RPN of 68 (range, 0-216). For the 6 high-risk parameters (>200), the average reduction in RPN value was 163 (range, 108-216). The RPN value reduction for the intermediate-risk (200 > RPN > 100) parameters was (0-140). With QAPV, the largest RPN value for “Beam Meterset” was reduced from 324 to 108. The maximum reduction in RPN value was for Beam Meterset (216, 66.7%), whereas the maximum percentage reduction was for Cumulative Meterset Weight (80, 88.9%). Conclusion: This analysis quantifies the value of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise–Radiation Oncology QAPV implementation in clinical workflow. We demonstrate that although QAPV does not provide a comprehensive solution for error prevention in RT, it can have a significant impact on a subset of the most severe clinically observed events.« less

Operationalizing Proneness to Externalizing Psychopathology as a Multivariate Psychophysiological Phenotype

PubMed Central

Nelson, Lindsay D.; Patrick, Christopher J.; Bernat, Edward M.

2010-01-01

The externalizing dimension is viewed as a broad dispositional factor underlying risk for numerous disinhibitory disorders. Prior work has documented deficits in event-related brain potential (ERP) responses in individuals prone to externalizing problems. Here, we constructed a direct physiological index of externalizing vulnerability from three ERP indicators and evaluated its validity in relation to criterion measures in two distinct domains: psychometric and physiological. The index was derived from three ERP measures that covaried in their relations with externalizing proneness the error-related negativity and two variants of the P3. Scores on this ERP composite predicted psychometric criterion variables and accounted for externalizing-related variance in P3 response from a separate task. These findings illustrate how a diagnostic construct can be operationalized as a composite (multivariate) psychophysiological variable (phenotype). PMID:20573054

Analysis of Spattering Activity at Halema'uma'u in 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mintz, Bianca G.

The classical explosive basaltic eruption spectrum is traditionally defined by the following end member eruption styles: Hawaiian and Strombolian. The field use of high-speed cameras has enabled volcanologists to make improved quantifications and more accurate descriptions of these classical eruptions styles and to quantify previously undecipherable activity (including activity on the basaltic eruption spectrum between the two defined end members). Explosive activity in 2015 at the free surface of the Halema'uma'u lava lake at Kilauea exhibited features of both sustained (Hawaiian) fountaining and transient (Strombolian) explosivity. Most of this activity is internally triggered by the internal rise of decoupled gas bubbles from below the lake's surface, but external triggering via rock falls, was also observed. Here I identify three styles of bubble bursting and spattering eruptive activity (isolated events, clusters of events, and prolonged episodes) at the lava lake, and distinguished them based on their temporal and spatial distributions. Isolated events are discrete single bubble bursts that persist for a few tenths of seconds to seconds and are separated by repose periods of similar or longer time scales. Cluster of events are closely spaced, repeated events grouped around a narrow point source, which persist for seconds to minutes. Prolonged episodes are groupings of numerous events closely linked in space and time that persist for tens of minutes to hours. Analysis of individual events from high-speed camera images indicates that they are made up of up to three phases: the bubble ascent phase, the bursting and pyroclast ejection phase, and the drain back (and rebound) phase. Based on the numerical parameters established in this study, the 2015 activity was relatively weak (i.e., of low intensity) but still falls in a region between those of continuous Hawaiian fountains and impulsive, short-lived Strombolian explosions, in terms of duration.

10 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... which incompatible activities would be restricted following permanent closure. Design bases means that... natural events to be used for deriving design bases that will be based on consideration of historical data... involved; and (2) Estimates of severe external man-induced events, to be used for deriving design bases...

10 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... which incompatible activities would be restricted following permanent closure. Design bases means that... natural events to be used for deriving design bases that will be based on consideration of historical data... involved; and (2) Estimates of severe external man-induced events, to be used for deriving design bases...

Pupillometric evidence for the decoupling of attention from perceptual input during offline thought.

PubMed

Smallwood, Jonathan; Brown, Kevin S; Tipper, Christine; Giesbrecht, Barry; Franklin, Michael S; Mrazek, Michael D; Carlson, Jean M; Schooler, Jonathan W

2011-03-25

Accumulating evidence suggests that the brain can efficiently process both external and internal information. The processing of internal information is a distinct "offline" cognitive mode that requires not only spontaneously generated mental activity; it has also been hypothesized to require a decoupling of attention from perception in order to separate competing streams of internal and external information. This process of decoupling is potentially adaptive because it could prevent unimportant external events from disrupting an internal train of thought. Here, we use measurements of pupil diameter (PD) to provide concrete evidence for the role of decoupling during spontaneous cognitive activity. First, during periods conducive to offline thought but not during periods of task focus, PD exhibited spontaneous activity decoupled from task events. Second, periods requiring external task focus were characterized by large task evoked changes in PD; in contrast, encoding failures were preceded by episodes of high spontaneous baseline PD activity. Finally, high spontaneous PD activity also occurred prior to only the slowest 20% of correct responses, suggesting high baseline PD indexes a distinct mode of cognitive functioning. Together, these data are consistent with the decoupling hypothesis, which suggests that the capacity for spontaneous cognitive activity depends upon minimizing disruptions from the external world.

The success of primary chemotherapy for group D heritable retinoblastoma.

PubMed

Cohen, V M L; Kingston, J; Hungerford, J L

2009-07-01

To report the ocular survival and event-free survival following primary multiagent chemotherapy for group D, heritable bilateral retinoblastoma (RB). The RB database was used to identify children with heritable, bilateral RB treated with primary chemotherapy (six cycles of vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin). Only Group D eyes with more than 12 months' follow-up were analysed. The timing, number and type of salvage treatments were recorded. Kaplan-Meier estimates for the ocular survival and event-free survival (percentage of eyes that avoided external beam radiotherapy and/or enucleation) were performed as a function of time. Of 18 group D eyes, two (11%) were treated successfully with chemotherapy alone, nine (50%) underwent successful salvage treatment, and seven (39%) were enucleated. The median time from completing chemotherapy to enucleation was 9 months (range 4 to 25 months). Ocular survival was 67% at 2 years. External beam radiotherapy proved successful salvage treatment in five of nine eyes, so the event-free survival was 34% at 2 years. Multiagent chemotherapy alone is rarely sufficient for the preservation of group D eyes. External beam radiotherapy and plaque radiotherapy remain important salvage treatments for advanced, heritable retinoblastoma.

Urinary symptoms following external beam radiotherapy of the prostate: Dose-symptom correlates with multiple-event and event-count models.

PubMed

Yahya, Noorazrul; Ebert, Martin A; Bulsara, Max; House, Michael J; Kennedy, Angel; Joseph, David J; Denham, James W

2015-11-01

This study aimed to compare urinary dose-symptom correlates after external beam radiotherapy of the prostate using commonly utilised peak-symptom models to multiple-event and event-count models which account for repeated events. Urinary symptoms (dysuria, haematuria, incontinence and frequency) from 754 participants from TROG 03.04-RADAR trial were analysed. Relative (R1-R75 Gy) and absolute (A60-A75Gy) bladder dose-surface area receiving more than a threshold dose and equivalent uniform dose using exponent a (range: a ∈[1 … 100]) were derived. The dose-symptom correlates were analysed using; peak-symptom (logistic), multiple-event (generalised estimating equation) and event-count (negative binomial regression) models. Stronger dose-symptom correlates were found for incontinence and frequency using multiple-event and/or event-count models. For dysuria and haematuria, similar or better relationships were found using peak-symptom models. Dysuria, haematuria and high grade (⩾ 2) incontinence were associated to high dose (R61-R71 Gy). Frequency and low grade (⩾ 1) incontinence were associated to low and intermediate dose-surface parameters (R13-R41Gy). Frequency showed a parallel behaviour (a=1) while dysuria, haematuria and incontinence showed a more serial behaviour (a=4 to a ⩾ 100). Relative dose-surface showed stronger dose-symptom associations. For certain endpoints, the multiple-event and event-count models provide stronger correlates over peak-symptom models. Accounting for multiple events may be advantageous for a more complete understanding of urinary dose-symptom relationships. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficacy and Safety Extrapolation Analyses for Atomoxetine in Young Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Upadhyaya, Himanshu; Kratochvil, Christopher; Ghuman, Jaswinder; Camporeale, Angelo; Lipsius, Sarah; D'Souza, Deborah; Tanaka, Yoko

2015-12-01

This extrapolation analysis qualitatively compared the efficacy and safety profile of atomoxetine from Lilly clinical trial data in 6-7-year-old patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with that of published literature in 4-5-year-old patients with ADHD (two open-label [4-5-year-old patients] and one placebo-controlled study [5-year-old patients]). The main efficacy analyses included placebo-controlled Lilly data and the placebo-controlled external study (5-year-old patients) data. The primary efficacy variables used in these studies were the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Parent Version, Investigator Administered (ADHD-RS-IV-Parent:Inv) total score, or the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP-IV) scale score. Safety analyses included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and vital signs. Descriptive statistics (means, percentages) are presented. Acute atomoxetine treatment improved core ADHD symptoms in both 6-7-year-old patients (n=565) and 5-year-old patients (n=37) (treatment effect: -10.16 and -7.42). In an analysis of placebo-controlled groups, the mean duration of exposure to atomoxetine was ∼ 7 weeks for 6-7-year-old patients and 9 weeks for 5-year-old patients. Decreased appetite was the most common TEAE in atomoxetine-treated patients. The TEAEs observed at a higher rate in 5-year-old versus 6-7-year-old patients were irritability (36.8% vs. 3.6%) and other mood-related events (6.9% each vs. <3.0%). Blood pressure and pulse increased in both 4-5-year-old patients and 6-7-year-old patients, whereas a weight increase was seen only in the 6-7-year-old patients. Although limited by the small sample size of the external studies, these analyses suggest that in 5-year-old patients with ADHD, atomoxetine may improve ADHD symptoms, but possibly to a lesser extent than in older children, with some adverse events occurring at a higher rate in 5-year-old patients.

Sensitivity analysis of some critical factors affecting simulated intrusion volumes during a low pressure transient event in a full-scale water distribution system.

PubMed

Ebacher, G; Besner, M C; Clément, B; Prévost, M

2012-09-01

Intrusion events caused by transient low pressures may result in the contamination of a water distribution system (DS). This work aims at estimating the range of potential intrusion volumes that could result from a real downsurge event caused by a momentary pump shutdown. A model calibrated with transient low pressure recordings was used to simulate total intrusion volumes through leakage orifices and submerged air vacuum valves (AVVs). Four critical factors influencing intrusion volumes were varied: the external head of (untreated) water on leakage orifices, the external head of (untreated) water on submerged air vacuum valves, the leakage rate, and the diameter of AVVs' outlet orifice (represented by a multiplicative factor). Leakage orifices' head and AVVs' orifice head levels were assessed through fieldwork. Two sets of runs were generated as part of two statistically designed experiments. A first set of 81 runs was based on a complete factorial design in which each factor was varied over 3 levels. A second set of 40 runs was based on a latin hypercube design, better suited for experimental runs on a computer model. The simulations were conducted using commercially available transient analysis software. Responses, measured by total intrusion volumes, ranged from 10 to 366 L. A second degree polynomial was used to analyze the total intrusion volumes. Sensitivity analyses of both designs revealed that the relationship between the total intrusion volume and the four contributing factors is not monotonic, with the AVVs' orifice head being the most influential factor. When intrusion through both pathways occurs concurrently, interactions between the intrusion flows through leakage orifices and submerged AVVs influence intrusion volumes. When only intrusion through leakage orifices is considered, the total intrusion volume is more largely influenced by the leakage rate than by the leakage orifices' head. The latter mainly impacts the extent of the area affected by intrusion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

External validation of a published nomogram for prediction of brain metastasis in patients with extra-cerebral metastatic breast cancer and risk regression analysis.

PubMed

Genre, Ludivine; Roché, Henri; Varela, Léonel; Kanoun, Dorra; Ouali, Monia; Filleron, Thomas; Dalenc, Florence

2017-02-01

Survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) suffering from brain metastasis (BM) is limited and this event is usually fatal. In 2010, the Graesslin's nomogram was published in order to predict subsequent BM in patients with breast cancer (BC) with extra-cerebral metastatic disease. This model aims to select a patient population at high risk for BM and thus will facilitate the design of prevention strategies and/or the impact of early treatment of BM in prospective clinical studies. Nomogram external validation was retrospectively applied to patients with BC and later BM between January 2005 and December 2012, treated in our institution. Moreover, risk factors of BM appearance were studied by Fine and Gray's competing risk analysis. Among 492 patients with MBC, 116 developed subsequent BM. Seventy of them were included for the nomogram validation. The discrimination is good (area under curve = 0.695 [95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.77]). Risk factors of BM appearance are: human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression/amplification, triple-negative BC and number of extra-cerebral metastatic sites (>1). With a competing risk model, we highlight the nomogram interest for HER2+ tumour subgroup exclusively. Graesslin's nomogram external validation demonstrates exportability and reproducibility. Importantly, the competing risk model analysis provides additional information for the design of prospective trials concerning the early diagnosis of BM and/or preventive treatment on high risk patients with extra-cerebral metastatic BC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 69135 - Petitions for Modification of Application of Existing Mandatory Safety Standards

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-18

..., because there is a chance that the water can become polluted from some external event such as a fire or...) The nature of any emergency itself could cause an external water supply to be polluted, choked, or... Affected: 30 CFR 75.1101-1(b) (Deluge-type water spray systems). Modification Request: The petitioner...

Critical Technology Events in the Development of the Abrams Tank: Project Hindsight Revisited

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

recognizes the problems posed by an external APU and while awaiting an under - armor APU has added batteries to the M1A2 SEP to run the vehicle’s electronics...as the externally mounted Far Infrared Thermal Indicator and the first under - armor thermal viewer device (named the Far Infrared Periscope), were

New Tools for Hybrid Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-02

stability of a class of discrete event systems ", IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control , vol. 39, no. 2... stability , input/output stability , external stability and incremental input/output stability , as they apply to deterministic finite state machine systems ... class of systems , incremental 1/0 stability and external stability are equivalent notions, stronger than the notion of I/O stability . 15. SUBJECT

Affective modulation of external misattribution bias in source monitoring in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Costafreda, S G; Brébion, G; Allen, P; McGuire, P K; Fu, C H Y

2008-06-01

Schizophrenic patients tend to attribute internal events to external agents, a bias that may be linked to positive symptoms. We investigated the effect of emotional valence on the cognitive bias. Male schizophrenic subjects (n=30) and an experimenter alternatively produced neutral and negative words. The subject then decided whether he or the experimenter had generated the item. External misattributions were more common than self-misattributions, and the bias was greater for patients with active hallucinations and delusions relative to patients in remission. Actively psychotic patients but not patients in remission were more likely to generate external misattributions with negative relative to neutral words. Affective modulation of the externalizing cognitive bias in source monitoring is evident in patients with hallucinations and delusions.

The contribution of threat probability estimates to reexperiencing symptoms: a prospective analog study.

PubMed

Regambal, Marci J; Alden, Lynn E

2012-09-01

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are hypothesized to have a "sense of current threat." Perceived threat from the environment (i.e., external threat), can lead to overestimating the probability of the traumatic event reoccurring (Ehlers & Clark, 2000). However, it is unclear if external threat judgments are a pre-existing vulnerability for PTSD or a consequence of trauma exposure. We used trauma analog methodology to prospectively measure probability estimates of a traumatic event, and investigate how these estimates were related to cognitive processes implicated in PTSD development. 151 participants estimated the probability of being in car-accident related situations, watched a movie of a car accident victim, and then completed a measure of data-driven processing during the movie. One week later, participants re-estimated the probabilities, and completed measures of reexperiencing symptoms and symptom appraisals/reactions. Path analysis revealed that higher pre-existing probability estimates predicted greater data-driven processing which was associated with negative appraisals and responses to intrusions. Furthermore, lower pre-existing probability estimates and negative responses to intrusions were both associated with a greater change in probability estimates. Reexperiencing symptoms were predicted by negative responses to intrusions and, to a lesser degree, by greater changes in probability estimates. The undergraduate student sample may not be representative of the general public. The reexperiencing symptoms are less severe than what would be found in a trauma sample. Threat estimates present both a vulnerability and a consequence of exposure to a distressing event. Furthermore, changes in these estimates are associated with cognitive processes implicated in PTSD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Bucknor, Matthew; Grabaskas, David; Brunett, Acacia J.

We report that many advanced reactor designs rely on passive systems to fulfill safety functions during accident sequences. These systems depend heavily on boundary conditions to induce a motive force, meaning the system can fail to operate as intended because of deviations in boundary conditions, rather than as the result of physical failures. Furthermore, passive systems may operate in intermediate or degraded modes. These factors make passive system operation difficult to characterize within a traditional probabilistic framework that only recognizes discrete operating modes and does not allow for the explicit consideration of time-dependent boundary conditions. Argonne National Laboratory has beenmore » examining various methodologies for assessing passive system reliability within a probabilistic risk assessment for a station blackout event at an advanced small modular reactor. This paper provides an overview of a passive system reliability demonstration analysis for an external event. Considering an earthquake with the possibility of site flooding, the analysis focuses on the behavior of the passive Reactor Cavity Cooling System following potential physical damage and system flooding. The assessment approach seeks to combine mechanistic and simulation-based methods to leverage the benefits of the simulation-based approach without the need to substantially deviate from conventional probabilistic risk assessment techniques. Lastly, although this study is presented as only an example analysis, the results appear to demonstrate a high level of reliability of the Reactor Cavity Cooling System (and the reactor system in general) for the postulated transient event.« less

A data skimming service for locally resident analysis data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranshaw, J.; Gardner, R. W.; Gieraltowski, J.; Malon, D.; Mambelli, M.; May, E.

2008-07-01

A Data Skimming Service (DSS) is a site-level service for rapid event filtering and selection from locally resident datasets based on metadata queries to associated 'tag' databases. In US ATLAS, we expect most if not all of the AOD-based datasets to be replicated to each of the five Tier 2 regional facilities in the US Tier 1 'cloud' coordinated by Brookhaven National Laboratory. Entire datasets will consist of on the order of several terabytes of data, and providing easy, quick access to skimmed subsets of these data will be vital to physics working groups. Typically, physicists will be interested in portions of the complete datasets, selected according to event-level attributes (number of jets, missing Et, etc) and content (specific analysis objects for subsequent processing). In this paper we describe methods used to classify data (metadata tag generation) and to store these results in a local database. Next we discuss a general framework which includes methods for accessing this information, defining skims, specifying event output content, accessing locally available storage through a variety of interfaces (SRM, dCache/dccp, gridftp), accessing remote storage elements as specified, and user job submission tools through local or grid schedulers. The advantages of the DSS are the ability to quickly 'browse' datasets and design skims, for example, pre-adjusting cuts to get to a desired skim level with minimal use of compute resources, and to encode these analysis operations in a database for re-analysis and archival purposes. Additionally the framework has provisions to operate autonomously in the event that external, central resources are not available, and to provide, as a reduced package, a minimal skimming service tailored to the needs of small Tier 3 centres or individual users.

Impact of early institutionalization on attention mechanisms underlying the inhibition of a planned action.

PubMed

Lamm, Connie; Troller-Renfree, Sonya; Zeanah, Charles H; Nelson, Charles A; Fox, Nathan A

2018-06-14

Institutional rearing is associated with deficits in executive functions, such as inhibitory control, and may contribute to later externalizing behavior problems. In the current study, we explored the impact of institutional rearing on attention in the context of inhibiting a planned action. As part of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), children were randomized to either remain in the institutions in which they lived (Care as Usual Group) or be placed into foster family homes (Foster Care Group). We also recruited age and gender matched never-institutionalized (NIG) children from the Bucharest community. We examined differences in behavioral and Event Related Potentials (ERPs) during a go-no-go task when children were 12 years old. Results revealed that the ever-institutionalized group (CAUG and FCG combined) showed slower reaction times, worse performance accuracy, larger P2 activation, and smaller (less negative) N2 activation than the NIG group. Results of a moderation analysis revealed that children who spent more time in institutions and had small N2s showed more externalizing symptoms. These results have implications for the design of treatment approaches for previously institutionalized children with externalizing behavior problems. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Engineering challenges of BioNEMS: the integration of microfluidics, micro- and nanodevices, models and external control for systems biology.

PubMed

Wikswo, J P; Prokop, A; Baudenbacher, F; Cliffel, D; Csukas, B; Velkovsky, M

2006-08-01

Systems biology, i.e. quantitative, postgenomic, postproteomic, dynamic, multiscale physiology, addresses in an integrative, quantitative manner the shockwave of genetic and proteomic information using computer models that may eventually have 10(6) dynamic variables with non-linear interactions. Historically, single biological measurements are made over minutes, suggesting the challenge of specifying 10(6) model parameters. Except for fluorescence and micro-electrode recordings, most cellular measurements have inadequate bandwidth to discern the time course of critical intracellular biochemical events. Micro-array expression profiles of thousands of genes cannot determine quantitative dynamic cellular signalling and metabolic variables. Major gaps must be bridged between the computational vision and experimental reality. The analysis of cellular signalling dynamics and control requires, first, micro- and nano-instruments that measure simultaneously multiple extracellular and intracellular variables with sufficient bandwidth; secondly, the ability to open existing internal control and signalling loops; thirdly, external BioMEMS micro-actuators that provide high bandwidth feedback and externally addressable intracellular nano-actuators; and, fourthly, real-time, closed-loop, single-cell control algorithms. The unravelling of the nested and coupled nature of cellular control loops requires simultaneous recording of multiple single-cell signatures. Externally controlled nano-actuators, needed to effect changes in the biochemical, mechanical and electrical environment both outside and inside the cell, will provide a major impetus for nanoscience.

Acoustic Emission Sensing for Maritime Diesel Engine Performance and Health

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-01

diesel internal combustion engine operating condition and health. A commercial-off- the-shelf AE monitoring system and a purpose-built data acquisition...subjected to external events such as a combustion event, fluid flow or the opening and closing of valves. This document reports on the monitoring and...conjunction with injection- combustion processes and valve events. AE from misfire as the result of a fuel injector malfunction was readily detectable

How events determine spreading patterns: information transmission via internal and external influences on social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chuang; Zhan, Xiu-Xiu; Zhang, Zi-Ke; Sun, Gui-Quan; Hui, Pak Ming

2015-11-01

Recently, information transmission models motivated by the classical epidemic propagation, have been applied to a wide-range of social systems, generally assume that information mainly transmits among individuals via peer-to-peer interactions on social networks. In this paper, we consider one more approach for users to get information: the out-of-social-network influence. Empirical analyzes of eight typical events’ diffusion on a very large micro-blogging system, Sina Weibo, show that the external influence has significant impact on information spreading along with social activities. In addition, we propose a theoretical model to interpret the spreading process via both internal and external channels, considering three essential properties: (i) memory effect; (ii) role of spreaders; and (iii) non-redundancy of contacts. Experimental and mathematical results indicate that the information indeed spreads much quicker and broader with mutual effects of the internal and external influences. More importantly, the present model reveals that the event characteristic would highly determine the essential spreading patterns once the network structure is established. The results may shed some light on the in-depth understanding of the underlying dynamics of information transmission on real social networks.

[Accidents by external causes in adolescents: care in sentinel urgency and emergency services in the Brazilian State Capitals--2009].

PubMed

Malta, Deborah Carvalho; Mascarenhas, Márcio Dênis Medeiros; Bernal, Regina Tomie Ivata; Andrade, Silvania Suely Caribé de Araújo; das Neves, Alice Cristina Medeiros; de Melo, Elza Machado; da Silva Junior, Jarbas Barbosa

2012-09-01

Adolescents are seeking new references and experiences, which may involve attitudes of risk and exposure to accidents and violence from external causes. These events constitute a serious Public Health problem. The scope of this study was to analyze the occurrence of accidents by external causes in adolescents from 10 to 19 years of age attended at sentinel urgency and emergency services in Brazil. Data from the 2009 Surveillance System for Violence and Accidents (VIVA 2009) was analyzed in 74 emergency units in 23 state capitals and the Federal District. The findings revealed that 6,434 adolescents (89.8%) were victims of accidents and 730 (10.2 %) were victims of violence. The main causes of the accidents were falls and traffic accidents, and assaults were predominant in violence. For both accidents and violence, non-white male adolescents were predominant and the events occurred most frequently on the public highways. A marked increase was detected, with hospitalization of victims of violence between 15 and 19 years of age. Understanding the epidemiological reality of external causes among adolescents represents an important tool for health prevention and promotion policies and the culture of peace seeking to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Clinical endpoint adjudication in a contemporary all-comers coronary stent investigation: methodology and external validation.

PubMed

Vranckx, Pascal; McFadden, Eugene; Cutlip, Donald E; Mehran, Roxana; Swart, Michael; Kint, P P; Zijlstra, Felix; Silber, Sigmund; Windecker, Stephan; Serruys, Patrick W C J

2013-01-01

Globalisation in coronary stent research calls for harmonization of clinical endpoint definitions and event adjudication. Little has been published about the various processes used for event adjudication or their impact on outcome reporting. We performed a validation of the clinical event committee (CEC) adjudication process on 100 suspected events in the RESOLUTE All-comers trial (Resolute-AC). Two experienced Clinical Research Organisations (CRO) that had already extensive internal validation processes in place, participated in the study. After initial adjudication by the primary-CEC, events were cross-adjudicated by an external-CEC using the same definitions. Major discrepancies affecting the primary end point of target-lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or clinically-indicated target-lesion revascularization (CI-TLR), were analysed by an independent oversight committee who provided recommendations for harmonization. Discordant adjudications were reconsidered by the primary CEC. Subsequently, the RAC database was interrogated for cases that based on these recommendations merited re-adjudication and these cases were also re-adjudicated by the primary CEC. Final discrepancies in adjudication of individual components of TLF occurred in 7 out of 100 events in 5 patients. Discrepancies for the (hierarchical) primary endpoint occurred in 5 events (2 cardiac deaths and 3 TV-MI). After application of harmonization recommendations to the overall RAC population (n=2292), the primary CEC adjudicated 3 additional clinical-TLRs and considered 1 TV-MI as no event. A harmonization process provided a high level of concordance for event adjudication and improved accuracy for final event reporting. These findings suggest it is feasible to pool clinical event outcome data across clinical trials even when different CECs are responsible for event adjudication. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of event related potentials with and without hypnagogic imagery.

PubMed

Michida, N; Hayashi, M; Hori, T

1998-04-01

It is hypothesized that when hypnagogic imagery occurs, an appropriate attention may allocate to the imagery, resulting in the allocation of attention to the external tone stimuli being diminished. N3 amplitude of event related potentials (ERP) obtained a significant difference between the conditions with and without imagery. Arousal level of behavior and electroencephalography were not different between the conditions, therefore it is interpreted that the decrease of the N3 amplitude during imagining reflects the diminution of the allocation of attention to the external tone stimuli. Another late component of ERP, P3, did not make clear peaks in this study despite a large time constant (tau=3.2 s) used for EEG records.

French national survey of inpatient adverse events prospectively assessed with ward staff.

PubMed

Michel, Philippe; Quenon, Jean Luc; Djihoud, Ahmed; Tricaud-Vialle, Sophie; de Sarasqueta, Anne Marie

2007-10-01

To estimate the incidence of adverse events in medical and surgical activity in public and private hospitals, and to assess the clinical situation of patients and the active errors. Prospective assessment of adverse events by external senior nursing and doctor investigators with ward staff. Random three-stage stratified cluster sampling of stays or fractions of stay in a 7-day observation period for each ward. 8754 patients observed in 292 wards in 71 hospitals, over 35,234 hospitalisation days. Number of adverse events in relation to number of days of hospitalisation. The incidence density of adverse events was 6.6 per 1000 days of hospitalisation (95% CI 5.7 to 7.5), of which 35% were preventable. Invasive procedures were the source of half the adverse events, of which 20% were preventable. Adverse events related to the psychological sphere and pain were mostly considered as preventable. Ward staff found it difficult to assess the role of care management in the occurrence of adverse events: 41% of adverse events were expected because of the disease itself, and could have occurred in the absence of the related medical management. At the national level in France, every year 120,000-190,000 adverse events during hospitalisation can be considered as preventable. Areas such as perioperative period and geriatric units should receive closer attention. As adverse events occurred more commonly in vulnerable patients, who are not specifically targeted by clinical guidance, practising evidence-based medicine is not likely to prevent all cases. Therefore clinical risk management should prioritize empowerment of local staff, provision of favourable conditions within the organisation, and staff training based on simple tools appropriate for ward-level identification and analysis of adverse events.

Personality and trajectories of posttraumatic psychopathology: A latent change modelling approach.

PubMed

Fletcher, Susan; O'Donnell, Meaghan; Forbes, David

2016-08-01

Survivors of traumatic events may develop a range of psychopathology, across the internalizing and externalizing dimensions of disorder and associated personality traits. However, research into personality-based internalizing and externalizing trauma responses has been limited to cross-sectional investigations of PTSD comorbidity. Personality typologies may present an opportunity to identify and selectively intervene with survivors at risk of posttraumatic disorder. Therefore this study examined whether personality prospectively influences the trajectory of disorder in a broader trauma-exposed sample. During hospitalization for a physical injury, 323 Australian adults completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-Brief Form and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, with the latter readministered 3 and 12 months later. Latent profile analysis conducted on baseline personality scores identified subgroups of participants, while latent change modelling examined differences in disorder trajectories. Three classes (internalizing, externalizing, and normal personality) were identified. The internalizing class showed a high risk of developing all disorders. Unexpectedly, however, the normal personality class was not always at lowest risk of disorder. Rather, the externalizing class, while more likely than the normal personality class to develop substance use disorders, were less likely to develop PTSD and depression. Results suggest that personality is an important mechanism in influencing the development and form of psychopathology after trauma, with internalizing and externalizing subtypes identifiable in the early aftermath of injury. These findings suggest that early intervention using a personality-based transdiagnostic approach may be an effective method of predicting and ultimately preventing much of the burden of posttraumatic disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-conscious affects: their adaptive Functions and relationship to depressive mood.

PubMed

Uji, Masayo; Kitamura, Toshinori; Nagata, Toshiaki

2011-01-01

This study used a structural equation model to examine the influence of resilience on the four self-conscious affects (guilt-proneness, shame-proneness, externalization, and detachment) assessed in the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) and their impact on depressive mood. Our subject population consisted of 447 Japanese university students. The first analysis explored which TOSCA-3 affects help an individual adapt to stressful situations. The concept of "resilience" was used as an indicator to evaluate the adaptive functions. We based this on the assumption that an individual with higher resilience is able to use more adaptive affects. In the second analysis, taking the above relationship between resilience and the self-conscious affects into consideration, we examined how those variables as well as a negative life event are related to depressive mood. To assess the resilience level and depressive mood, we adopted the Resilience Scale (RS) and Self-rating Depressive Scale (SDS), respectively. The first analysis showed that the more resilient an individual was, the more prone they were to "detachment" and the less "shame" they experienced. The level of resilience did not have a significant effect on "guilt" or "externalization." In the second analysis we found that "resilience" had a direct inverse effect on depressive mood that was also mediated by "shame" and "detachment." We discuss how the particular self-conscious affects comprising each adaptive function are related to depressive mood.

Evaluation of seals and lubricants used on the Long Duration Exposure Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dursch, H. W.; Keough, B. K.; Pippin, H. G.

1994-01-01

This report described results from testing and analysis of seals and lubricants subsequent to the 69-month low-earth-orbit (LEO) exposure on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Results show that if the materials were shielded from exposure to LDEF's external environment, the 69-month exposure to LEO resulted in minimal changes to material properties. However, if the materials were exposed to LDEF's exterior environments (atomic oxygen, solar radiation, meteoroids, and/or space debris), a variety of events occurred, ranging from no material change, to changes in properties, to significant erosion of the material.

Ergonomics perspective for identifying and reducing internal operative flow disruption for laparoscopic urological surgery.

PubMed

Al-Hakim, Latif; Xiao, Jiaquan; Sengupta, Shomik

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to examine operative flow disruption that occurs inside the surgical field, (internal operative flow disruption (OFD)), during urological laparoscopies, and to relate those events to external ergonomics environment in terms of monitor location, level of instruments' handles, and location of surgical team members. According to the our best knowledge, this is the first study of its kind. A combination of real and video-aided observational study was conducted in the operating rooms at hospitals in Australia and China. Brain storming sessions were first conducted to identify the main internal OFD events, and the observable reasons, potential external, and latent ergonomic factors were listed. A prospective observational study was then conducted. The observer's records and the related video records of internal surgical fields were analysed. Procedures were categorised into groups based on similarity in ergonomics environment. The mapping process revealed 39 types of internal OFD events resulted from six reasons. A total of 24 procedures were selected and arranged into two groups, each with twelve procedures. Group A was carried out under satisfactory ergonomics environment, while Group B was conducted under unsatisfactory ergonomics environment. A total of 1178 OFD events were detected delaying the total observed operative times (2966 min) by 220 min (7.43%). Average OFD/h in group A was less than 15, while in group B about 29 OFD/h. There are two main latent ergonomics factors affecting the surgeon's performance; non-physiological posture and long-period static posture. The delays and number of internal OFD were nearly doubled where procedures were conducted under unsatisfactory external ergonomics environment. Some events such as stopping operation and irrelevant conversations during long procedures may have a positive influence on the surgeon's performance.

The relative importance of real-time in-cab and external feedback in managing fatigue in real-world commercial transport operations.

PubMed

Fitzharris, Michael; Liu, Sara; Stephens, Amanda N; Lenné, Michael G

2017-05-29

Real-time driver monitoring systems represent a solution to address key behavioral risks as they occur, particularly distraction and fatigue. The efficacy of these systems in real-world settings is largely unknown. This article has three objectives: (1) to document the incidence and duration of fatigue in real-world commercial truck-driving operations, (2) to determine the reduction, if any, in the incidence of fatigue episodes associated with providing feedback, and (3) to tease apart the relative contribution of in-cab warnings from 24/7 monitoring and feedback to employers. Data collected from a commercially available in-vehicle camera-based driver monitoring system installed in a commercial truck fleet operating in Australia were analyzed. The real-time driver monitoring system makes continuous assessments of driver drowsiness based on eyelid position and other factors. Data were collected in a baseline period where no feedback was provided to drivers. Real-time feedback to drivers then occurred via in-cab auditory and haptic warnings, which were further enhanced by direct feedback by company management when fatigue events were detected by external 24/7 monitors. Fatigue incidence rates and their timing of occurrence across the three time periods were compared. Relative to no feedback being provided to drivers when fatigue events were detected, in-cab warnings resulted in a 66% reduction in fatigue events, with a 95% reduction achieved by the real-time provision of direct feedback in addition to in-cab warnings (p < 0.01). With feedback, fatigue events were shorter in duration a d occurred later in the trip, and fewer drivers had more than one verified fatigue event per trip. That the provision of feedback to the company on driver fatigue events in real time provides greater benefit than feedback to the driver alone has implications for companies seeking to mitigate risks associated with fatigue. Having fewer fatigue events is likely a reflection of the device itself and the accompanying safety culture of the company in terms of how the information is used. Data were analysed on a per-truck trip basis, and the findings are indicative of fatigue events in a large-scale commercial transport fleet. Future research ought to account for individual driver performance, which was not possible with the available data in this retrospective analysis. Evidence that real-time driver monitoring feedback is effective in reducing fatigue events is invaluable in the development of fleet safety policies, and of future national policy and vehicle safety regulations. Implications for automotive driver monitoring are discussed.

Orders on file but no labs drawn: investigation of machine and human errors caused by an interface idiosyncrasy.

PubMed

Schreiber, Richard; Sittig, Dean F; Ash, Joan; Wright, Adam

2017-09-01

In this report, we describe 2 instances in which expert use of an electronic health record (EHR) system interfaced to an external clinical laboratory information system led to unintended consequences wherein 2 patients failed to have laboratory tests drawn in a timely manner. In both events, user actions combined with the lack of an acknowledgment message describing the order cancellation from the external clinical system were the root causes. In 1 case, rapid, near-simultaneous order entry was the culprit; in the second, astute order management by a clinician, unaware of the lack of proper 2-way interface messaging from the external clinical system, led to the confusion. Although testing had shown that the laboratory system would cancel duplicate laboratory orders, it was thought that duplicate alerting in the new order entry system would prevent such events. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhancing photoluminescence yields in lead halide perovskites by photon recycling and light out-coupling

PubMed Central

Richter, Johannes M.; Abdi-Jalebi, Mojtaba; Sadhanala, Aditya; Tabachnyk, Maxim; Rivett, Jasmine P.H.; Pazos-Outón, Luis M.; Gödel, Karl C.; Price, Michael; Deschler, Felix; Friend, Richard H.

2016-01-01

In lead halide perovskite solar cells, there is at least one recycling event of electron–hole pair to photon to electron–hole pair at open circuit under solar illumination. This can lead to a significant reduction in the external photoluminescence yield from the internal yield. Here we show that, for an internal yield of 70%, we measure external yields as low as 15% in planar films, where light out-coupling is inefficient, but observe values as high as 57% in films on textured substrates that enhance out-coupling. We analyse in detail how externally measured rate constants and photoluminescence efficiencies relate to internal recombination processes under photon recycling. For this, we study the photo-excited carrier dynamics and use a rate equation to relate radiative and non-radiative recombination events to measured photoluminescence efficiencies. We conclude that the use of textured active layers has the ability to improve power conversion efficiencies for both LEDs and solar cells. PMID:28008917

Enhancing photoluminescence yields in lead halide perovskites by photon recycling and light out-coupling.

PubMed

Richter, Johannes M; Abdi-Jalebi, Mojtaba; Sadhanala, Aditya; Tabachnyk, Maxim; Rivett, Jasmine P H; Pazos-Outón, Luis M; Gödel, Karl C; Price, Michael; Deschler, Felix; Friend, Richard H

2016-12-23

In lead halide perovskite solar cells, there is at least one recycling event of electron-hole pair to photon to electron-hole pair at open circuit under solar illumination. This can lead to a significant reduction in the external photoluminescence yield from the internal yield. Here we show that, for an internal yield of 70%, we measure external yields as low as 15% in planar films, where light out-coupling is inefficient, but observe values as high as 57% in films on textured substrates that enhance out-coupling. We analyse in detail how externally measured rate constants and photoluminescence efficiencies relate to internal recombination processes under photon recycling. For this, we study the photo-excited carrier dynamics and use a rate equation to relate radiative and non-radiative recombination events to measured photoluminescence efficiencies. We conclude that the use of textured active layers has the ability to improve power conversion efficiencies for both LEDs and solar cells.

"Family Stories" and Their Implications for Preschoolers' Memories of Personal Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkina, Marina; Bauer, Patricia J.

2012-01-01

Most adults experience childhood amnesia: They have very few memories of events prior to 3 to 4 years of age. Nevertheless, some early memories are retained. Multiple factors likely are responsible for the survival of early childhood memories, including external representations such as videos, photographs, and conversations about past experiences,…

Assessing the public health risk of microbial intrusion events in distribution systems: conceptual model, available data, and challenges.

PubMed

Besner, Marie-Claude; Prévost, Michèle; Regli, Stig

2011-01-01

Low and negative pressure events in drinking water distribution systems have the potential to result in intrusion of pathogenic microorganisms if an external source of contamination is present (e.g., nearby leaking sewer main) and there is a pathway for contaminant entry (e.g., leaks in drinking water main). While the public health risk associated with such events is not well understood, quantitative microbial risk assessment can be used to estimate such risk. A conceptual model is provided and the state of knowledge, current assumptions, and challenges associated with the conceptual model parameters are presented. This review provides a characterization of the causes, magnitudes, durations and frequencies of low/negative pressure events; pathways for pathogen entry; pathogen occurrence in external sources of contamination; volumes of water that may enter through the different pathways; fate and transport of pathogens from the pathways of entry to customer taps; pathogen exposure to populations consuming the drinking water; and risk associated with pathogen exposure. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cammp Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evertt, Shonn F.; Collins, Michael; Hahn, William

2008-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Configuration Analysis Modeling and Mass Properties (CAMMP) Team is presenting a demo of certain CAMMP capabilities at a Booz Allen Hamilton conference in San Antonio. The team will be showing pictures of low fidelity, simplified ISS models, but no dimensions or technical data. The presentation will include a brief description of the contract and task, description and picture of the Topology, description of Generic Ground Rules and Constraints (GGR&C), description of Stage Analysis with constraints applied, and wrap up with description of other tasks such as Special Studies, Cable Routing, etc. The models include conceptual Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Lander images and animations created for promotional purposes, which are based entirely on public domain conceptual images from public NASA web sites and publicly available magazine articles and are not based on any actual designs, measurements, or 3D models. Conceptual Mars rover and lander are completely conceptual and are not based on any NASA designs or data. The demonstration includes High Fidelity Computer Aided Design (CAD) models of ISS provided by the ISS 3D CAD Team which will be used in a visual display to demonstrate the capabilities of the Teamcenter Visualization software. The demonstration will include 3D views of the CAD models including random measurements that will be taken to demonstrate the measurement tool. A 3D PDF file will be demonstrated of the Blue Book fidelity assembly complete model with no vehicles attached. The 3D zoom and rotation will be displayed as well as random measurements from the measurement tool. The External Configuration Analysis and Tracking Tool (ExCATT) Microsoft Access Database will be demonstrated to show its capabilities to organize and track hardware on ISS. The data included will be part numbers, serial numbers, historical, current, and future locations, of external hardware components on station. It includes dates of all external ISS events and flights and the associated hardware changes for each event. The hardware location information does not always reveal the exact location of the hardware, only the general location. In some cases the location is a module or carrier, in other cases it is a WIF socket, handrail, or attach point. Only small portions of the data will be displayed for demonstration purposes.

Internal and external spatial attention examined with lateralized EEG power spectra.

PubMed

Van der Lubbe, Rob H J; Bundt, Carsten; Abrahamse, Elger L

2014-10-02

Several authors argued that retrieval of an item from visual short term memory (internal spatial attention) and focusing attention on an externally presented item (external spatial attention) are similar. Part of the neuroimaging support for this view may be due to the employed experimental procedures. Furthermore, as internal spatial attention may have a more induced than evoked nature some effects may not have been visible in event related analyses of the electroencephalogram (EEG), which limits the possibility to demonstrate differences. In the current study, a colored frame cued which stimulus, one out of four presented in separate quadrants, required a response, which depended on the form of the cued stimulus (circle or square). Importantly, the frame occurred either before (precue), simultaneously with (simultaneous cue), or after the stimuli (postcue). The precue and simultaneous cue condition both concern external attention, while the postcue condition implies the involvement of internal spatial attention. Event-related lateralizations (ERLs), reflecting evoked effects, and lateralized power spectra (LPS), reflecting both evoked and induced effects, were determined. ERLs revealed a posterior contralateral negativity (PCN) only in the precue condition. LPS analyses on the raw EEG showed early increased contralateral theta power at posterior sites and later increased ipsilateral alpha power at occipito-temporal sites in all cue conditions. Responses were faster when the internally or externally attended location corresponded with the required response side than when not. These findings provide further support for the view that internal and external spatial attention share their underlying mechanism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Comprehensive Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment: Multiple Sources and Short-Term Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anita, G.; Selva, J.; Laura, S.

2011-12-01

We develop a comprehensive and total probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment (TotPTHA), in which many different possible source types concur to the definition of the total tsunami hazard at given target sites. In a multi-hazard and multi-risk perspective, such an innovative approach allows, in principle, to consider all possible tsunamigenic sources, from seismic events, to slides, asteroids, volcanic eruptions, etc. In this respect, we also formally introduce and discuss the treatment of interaction/cascade effects in the TotPTHA analysis. We demonstrate how external triggering events may induce significant temporary variations in the tsunami hazard. Because of this, such effects should always be considered, at least in short-term applications, to obtain unbiased analyses. Finally, we prove the feasibility of the TotPTHA and of the treatment of interaction/cascade effects by applying this methodology to an ideal region with realistic characteristics (Neverland).

Chemical supply chain modeling for analysis of homeland security events

DOE PAGES

Ehlen, Mark A.; Sun, Amy C.; Pepple, Mark A.; ...

2013-09-06

The potential impacts of man-made and natural disasters on chemical plants, complexes, and supply chains are of great importance to homeland security. To be able to estimate these impacts, we developed an agent-based chemical supply chain model that includes: chemical plants with enterprise operations such as purchasing, production scheduling, and inventories; merchant chemical markets, and multi-modal chemical shipments. Large-scale simulations of chemical-plant activities and supply chain interactions, running on desktop computers, are used to estimate the scope and duration of disruptive-event impacts, and overall system resilience, based on the extent to which individual chemical plants can adjust their internal operationsmore » (e.g., production mixes and levels) versus their external interactions (market sales and purchases, and transportation routes and modes). As a result, to illustrate how the model estimates the impacts of a hurricane disruption, a simple example model centered on 1,4-butanediol is presented.« less

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

Lakshminarayan, Raghuram; Scott, Paul M.; Robinson, Graham J.

Carotid stump syndrome is one of the recognised causes of recurrent ipsilateral cerebrovascular events after occlusion of the internal carotid artery. It is believed that microemboli arising from the stump of the occluded internal carotid artery or the ipsilateral external carotid artery can pass into the middle cerebral artery circulation as a result of patent external carotid-internal carotid anastomotic channels. Different pathophysiologic causes of this syndrome and endovascular options for treatment are discussed.

Cognitive complexity of the medical record is a risk factor for major adverse events.

PubMed

Roberson, David; Connell, Michael; Dillis, Shay; Gauvreau, Kimberlee; Gore, Rebecca; Heagerty, Elaina; Jenkins, Kathy; Ma, Lin; Maurer, Amy; Stephenson, Jessica; Schwartz, Margot

2014-01-01

Patients in tertiary care hospitals are more complex than in the past, but the implications of this are poorly understood as "patient complexity" has been difficult to quantify. We developed a tool, the Complexity Ruler, to quantify the amount of data (as bits) in the patient’s medical record. We designated the amount of data in the medical record as the cognitive complexity of the medical record (CCMR). We hypothesized that CCMR is a useful surrogate for true patient complexity and that higher CCMR correlates with risk of major adverse events. The Complexity Ruler was validated by comparing the measured CCMR with physician rankings of patient complexity on specific inpatient services. It was tested in a case-control model of all patients with major adverse events at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from 2005 to 2006. The main outcome measure was an externally reported major adverse event. We measured CCMR for 24 hours before the event, and we estimated lifetime CCMR. Above empirically derived cutoffs, 24-hour and lifetime CCMR were risk factors for major adverse events (odds ratios, 5.3 and 6.5, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, CCMR alone was essentially as predictive of risk as a model that started with 30-plus clinical factors. CCMR correlates with physician assessment of complexity and risk of adverse events. We hypothesize that increased CCMR increases the risk of physician cognitive overload. An automated version of the Complexity Ruler could allow identification of at-risk patients in real time.

The Adjustment Disorder--New Module 20 as a Screening Instrument: Cluster Analysis and Cut-off Values.

PubMed

Lorenz, L; Bachem, R C; Maercker, A

2016-10-01

Adjustment disorder (AjD) is a transient mental health condition emerging after stressful life events. Its diagnostic criteria have recently been under revision which led to the development of the Adjustment Disorder--New Module 20 (ADNM-20) as a self-report assessment. To identify a threshold value for people at high risk for AjD. As part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating a self-help manual for burglary victims, the baseline data of all participants (n=80) were analyzed. Besides the ADNM-20, participants answered self-report questionnaires regarding the external variables post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology, depression, anxiety, and stress levels. We used cluster analysis and ROC analysis to identify the most appropriate cut-off value. The cluster analysis identified three different subgroups. They differed in their level of AjD symptomatology from low to high symptom severity. The same pattern of impairment was found for the external variables. The ROC analysis testing the ADNM-20 sum scoreagainst the theory-based diagnostic algorithm, revealed an optimal cut-off score at 47.5 to distinguish between people at high risk for AjD and people at low risk. The ADNM-20 distinguishes between people with low, moderate, and high symptomatology. The recommendation for a cut-off score at 47.5 facilitates the use of the ADNM-20 in research and practice.

Analysis of Patient Narratives in Disease Blogs on the Internet: An Exploratory Study of Social Pharmacovigilance.

PubMed

Matsuda, Shinichi; Aoki, Kotonari; Tomizawa, Shiho; Sone, Masayoshi; Tanaka, Riwa; Kuriki, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Yoichiro

2017-02-24

Although several reports have suggested that patient-generated data from Internet sources could be used to improve drug safety and pharmacovigilance, few studies have identified such data sources in Japan. We introduce a unique Japanese data source: tōbyōki, which translates literally as "an account of a struggle with disease." The objective of this study was to evaluate the basic characteristics of the TOBYO database, a collection of tōbyōki blogs on the Internet, and discuss potential applications for pharmacovigilance. We analyzed the overall gender and age distribution of the patient-generated TOBYO database and compared this with other external databases generated by health care professionals. For detailed analysis, we prepared separate datasets for blogs written by patients with depression and blogs written by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), because these conditions were expected to entail subjective patient symptoms such as discomfort, insomnia, and pain. Frequently appearing medical terms were counted, and their variations were compared with those in an external adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting database. Frequently appearing words regarding patients with depression and patients with RA were visualized using word clouds and word cooccurrence networks. As of June 4, 2016, the TOBYO database comprised 54,010 blogs representing 1405 disorders. Overall, more entries were written by female bloggers (68.8%) than by male bloggers (30.8%). The most frequently observed disorders were breast cancer (4983 blogs), depression (3556), infertility (2430), RA (1118), and panic disorder (1090). Comparison of medical terms observed in tōbyōki blogs with those in an external ADR reporting database showed that subjective and symptomatic events and general terms tended to be frequently observed in tōbyōki blogs (eg, anxiety, headache, and pain), whereas events using more technical medical terms (eg, syndrome and abnormal laboratory test result) tended to be observed frequently in the ADR database. We also confirmed the feasibility of using visualization techniques to obtain insights from unstructured text-based tōbyōki blog data. Word clouds described the characteristics of each disorder, such as "sleeping" and "anxiety" in depression and "pain" and "painful" in RA. Pharmacovigilance should maintain a strong focus on patients' actual experiences, concerns, and outcomes, and this approach can be expected to uncover hidden adverse event signals earlier and to help us understand adverse events in a patient-centered way. Patient-generated tōbyōki blogs in the TOBYO database showed unique characteristics that were different from the data in existing sources generated by health care professionals. Analysis of tōbyōki blogs would add value to the assessment of disorders with a high prevalence in women, psychiatric disorders in which subjective symptoms have important clinical meaning, refractory disorders, and other chronic disorders. ©Shinichi Matsuda, Kotonari Aoki, Shiho Tomizawa, Masayoshi Sone, Riwa Tanaka, Hiroshi Kuriki, Yoichiro Takahashi. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 24.02.2017.

Fatalism or Destiny? A Qualitative Study and Interpretative Framework on Dominican Women’s Breast Cancer Beliefs

PubMed Central

Flórez, Karen R.; Aguirre, Alejandra N.; Viladrich, Anahí; Céspedes, Amarilis; De La Cruz, Ana Alicia

2008-01-01

Background A growing literature on Latino’s beliefs about cancer focuses on the concept of fatalismo (fatalism), despite numerous conceptual ambiguities concerning its meaning, definition, and measurement. This study explored Latina women’s views on breast cancer and screening within a cultural framework of destino (“destiny”), or the notion that both personal agency and external forces can influence health and life events Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 Latinas from the Dominican Republic aged 40 or over. Results Respondents reported complex notions of health locus of control that encompassed both internal (e.g., individual action) and external (e.g., the will of God) forces shaping breast cancer prevention efforts. Furthermore, women actively participated in screening because they believed that cancer could become a death sentence if diagnosed late or left untreated. Discussion In contrast to simplistic notions of “fatalism”, our analysis suggests complex strategies and beliefs regarding breast cancer and cancer screening that speak of resiliency rather than hopelessness. PMID:18253833

Risk of Fatal Cerebrovascular Accidents after External Beam Radiation Therapy for Early Stage Glottic Larynx Cancer

PubMed Central

Swisher-McClure, Samuel; Mitra, Nandita; Lin, Alexander; Ahn, Peter; Wan, Fei; O’Malley, Bert; Weinstein, Gregory S.; Bekelman, Justin E.

2013-01-01

Background This study compared the risk of fatal cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) in patients with early stage glottic larynx cancer receiving surgery or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Methods and Materials Using a competing risks survival analysis, we compared the risk of death due to CVA among patients with early stage glottic larynx cancer receiving surgery or EBRT in the SEER database. Results The cumulative incidence of fatal CVA at 15 years was higher in patients receiving EBRT (2.8 %; 95% CI 2.3%–3.4%) compared to surgery (1.5 %; 95% CI 0.8 %–2.3%, p= 0.024). In multivariable competing risks regression models, EBRT remained associated with an increased risk of fatal CVA compared to surgery (adjusted HR 1.75; 95% CI 1.04–2.96, p= 0.037). Conclusion Treatment of early stage glottic larynx cancer with EBRT was associated with a small increase in the risk of late fatal CVA events relative to surgery. PMID:23595858

Markov state modeling of sliding friction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellegrini, F.; Landes, François P.; Laio, A.; Prestipino, S.; Tosatti, E.

2016-11-01

Markov state modeling (MSM) has recently emerged as one of the key techniques for the discovery of collective variables and the analysis of rare events in molecular simulations. In particular in biochemistry this approach is successfully exploited to find the metastable states of complex systems and their evolution in thermal equilibrium, including rare events, such as a protein undergoing folding. The physics of sliding friction and its atomistic simulations under external forces constitute a nonequilibrium field where relevant variables are in principle unknown and where a proper theory describing violent and rare events such as stick slip is still lacking. Here we show that MSM can be extended to the study of nonequilibrium phenomena and in particular friction. The approach is benchmarked on the Frenkel-Kontorova model, used here as a test system whose properties are well established. We demonstrate that the method allows the least prejudiced identification of a minimal basis of natural microscopic variables necessary for the description of the forced dynamics of sliding, through their probabilistic evolution. The steps necessary for the application to realistic frictional systems are highlighted.

Vegetation optical depth measured by microwave radiometry as an indicator of tree mortality risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K.; Anderegg, W.; Sala, A.; Martínez-Vilalta, J.; Konings, A. G.

2017-12-01

Increased drought-related tree mortality has been observed across several regions in recent years. Vast spatial extent and high temporal variability makes field monitoring of tree mortality cumbersome and expensive. With global coverage and high temporal revisit, satellite remote sensing offers an unprecedented tool to monitor terrestrial ecosystems and identify areas at risk of large drought-driven tree mortality events. To date, studies that use remote sensing data to monitor tree mortality have focused on external climatic thresholds such as temperature and evapotranspiration. However, this approach fails to consider internal water stress in vegetation - which can vary across trees even for similar climatic conditions due to differences in hydraulic behavior, soil type, etc - and may therefore be a poor basis for measuring mortality events. There is a consensus that xylem hydraulic failure often precedes drought-induced mortality, suggesting depleted canopy water content shortly before onset of mortality. Observations of vegetation optical depth (VOD) derived from passive microwave are proportional to canopy water content. In this study, we propose to use variations in VOD as an indicator of potential tree mortality. Since VOD accounts for intrinsic water stress undergone by vegetation, it is expected to be more accurate than external climatic stress indicators. Analysis of tree mortality events in California, USA observed by airborne detection shows a consistent relationship between mortality and the proposed VOD metric. Although this approach is limited by the kilometer-scale resolution of passive microwave radiometry, our results nevertheless demonstrate that microwave-derived estimates of vegetation water content can be used to study drought-driven tree mortality, and may be a valuable tool for mortality predictions if they can be combined with higher-resolution variables.

From the Skin to the Brain: Pathophysiology of Colonization and Infection of External Ventricular Drain, a Prospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Mounier, Roman; Lobo, David; Cook, Fabrice; Martin, Mathieu; Attias, Arie; Aït-Mamar, Bouziane; Gabriel, Inanna; Bekaert, Olivier; Bardon, Jean; Nebbad, Biba; Plaud, Benoît; Dhonneur, Gilles

2015-01-01

Ventriculostomy-related infection (VRI) is a serious complication of external ventricular drain (EVD) but its natural history is poorly studied. We prospectively tracked the bacteria pathways from skin towards ventricles to identify the infectious process resulting in ventriculostomy-related colonization (VRC), and VRI. We systematically sampled cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on a daily basis and collected swabs from both the skin and stopcock every 3.0 days for microbiological analysis including in 101 neurosurgical patient. Risk factors for positive event defined as either VRC or VRI were recorded and related to our microbiological findings. A total of 1261 CSF samples, 473 skin swabs, and 450 stopcock swabs were collected. Skin site was more frequently colonized than stopcock (70 (60%) vs 34 (29%), p = 0.023), and earlier (14 ±1.4 vs 24 ±1.5 days, p<0.0001). Sixty-one (52%) and 32 (27%) skin and stopcock sites were colonized with commensal bacteria, 1 (1%) and 1 (1%) with pathogens, 8 (7%) and 1 (1%) with combined pathogens and commensal bacteria, respectively. Sixteen positive events were diagnosed; a cutaneous origin was identified in 69% of cases. The presence of a pathogen at skin site (6/16 vs 4/85, OR: 11.8, [2.5-56.8], p = 0.002) and CSF leakage (7/16 vs 6/85, OR 10 [2.4-41.2], p = 0.001)) were the two independent significant risk factors statistically linked to positive events occurrence. Our results suggest that VRC and VRI mainly results from an extra-luminal progression of pathogens initially colonizing the skin site where CSF leaks.

From the Skin to the Brain: Pathophysiology of Colonization and Infection of External Ventricular Drain, a Prospective Observational Study

PubMed Central

Cook, Fabrice; Martin, Mathieu; Attias, Arie; Aït-Mamar, Bouziane; Gabriel, Inanna; Bekaert, Olivier; Bardon, Jean; Nebbad, Biba; Plaud, Benoît; Dhonneur, Gilles

2015-01-01

Ventriculostomy-related infection (VRI) is a serious complication of external ventricular drain (EVD) but its natural history is poorly studied. We prospectively tracked the bacteria pathways from skin towards ventricles to identify the infectious process resulting in ventriculostomy-related colonization (VRC), and VRI. We systematically sampled cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on a daily basis and collected swabs from both the skin and stopcock every 3.0 days for microbiological analysis including in 101 neurosurgical patient. Risk factors for positive event defined as either VRC or VRI were recorded and related to our microbiological findings. A total of 1261 CSF samples, 473 skin swabs, and 450 stopcock swabs were collected. Skin site was more frequently colonized than stopcock (70 (60%) vs 34 (29%), p = 0.023), and earlier (14 ±1.4 vs 24 ±1.5 days, p<0.0001). Sixty-one (52%) and 32 (27%) skin and stopcock sites were colonized with commensal bacteria, 1 (1%) and 1 (1%) with pathogens, 8 (7%) and 1 (1%) with combined pathogens and commensal bacteria, respectively. Sixteen positive events were diagnosed; a cutaneous origin was identified in 69% of cases. The presence of a pathogen at skin site (6/16 vs 4/85, OR: 11.8, [2.5–56.8], p = 0.002) and CSF leakage (7/16 vs 6/85, OR 10 [2.4–41.2], p = 0.001)) were the two independent significant risk factors statistically linked to positive events occurrence. Our results suggest that VRC and VRI mainly results from an extra-luminal progression of pathogens initially colonizing the skin site where CSF leaks. PMID:26555597

Interplay of autophagy, receptor tyrosine kinase signalling and endocytic trafficking

PubMed Central

Fraser, Jane; Cabodevilla, Ainara G.; Simpson, Joanne; Gammoh, Noor

2017-01-01

Vesicular trafficking events play key roles in the compartmentalization and proper sorting of cellular components. These events have crucial roles in sensing external signals, regulating protein activities and stimulating cell growth or death decisions. Although mutations in vesicle trafficking players are not direct drivers of cellular transformation, their activities are important in facilitating oncogenic pathways. One such pathway is the sensing of external stimuli and signalling through receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). The regulation of RTK activity by the endocytic pathway has been extensively studied. Compelling recent studies have begun to highlight the association between autophagy and RTK signalling. The influence of this interplay on cellular status and its relevance in disease settings will be discussed here. PMID:29233871

Quality Assurance with Plan Veto: reincarnation of a record and verify system and its potential value.

PubMed

Noel, Camille E; Gutti, Veerarajesh; Bosch, Walter; Mutic, Sasa; Ford, Eric; Terezakis, Stephanie; Santanam, Lakshmi

2014-04-01

To quantify the potential impact of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise-Radiation Oncology Quality Assurance with Plan Veto (QAPV) on patient safety of external beam radiation therapy (RT) operations. An institutional database of events (errors and near-misses) was used to evaluate the ability of QAPV to prevent clinically observed events. We analyzed reported events that were related to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine RT plan parameter inconsistencies between the intended treatment (on the treatment planning system) and the delivered treatment (on the treatment machine). Critical Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine RT plan parameters were identified. Each event was scored for importance using the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis methodology. Potential error occurrence (frequency) was derived according to the collected event data, along with the potential event severity, and the probability of detection with and without the theoretical implementation of the QAPV plan comparison check. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) with and without QAPV were compared to quantify the potential benefit of clinical implementation of QAPV. The implementation of QAPV could reduce the RPN values for 15 of 22 (71%) of evaluated parameters, with an overall average reduction in RPN of 68 (range, 0-216). For the 6 high-risk parameters (>200), the average reduction in RPN value was 163 (range, 108-216). The RPN value reduction for the intermediate-risk (200 > RPN > 100) parameters was (0-140). With QAPV, the largest RPN value for "Beam Meterset" was reduced from 324 to 108. The maximum reduction in RPN value was for Beam Meterset (216, 66.7%), whereas the maximum percentage reduction was for Cumulative Meterset Weight (80, 88.9%). This analysis quantifies the value of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise-Radiation Oncology QAPV implementation in clinical workflow. We demonstrate that although QAPV does not provide a comprehensive solution for error prevention in RT, it can have a significant impact on a subset of the most severe clinically observed events. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increased risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia and in fibromyalgia patients with concomitant comorbidities: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Lan, Chen-Chia; Tseng, Chun-Hung; Chen, Jiunn-Horng; Lan, Joung-Liang; Wang, Yu-Chiao; Tsay, Gregory J; Hsu, Chung-Yi

2016-11-01

An increased risk of suicide ideation and death has been reported in patients with fibromyalgia. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia and in fibromyalgia patients with comorbidities. We used the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database, a subset of the national insurance claim dataset, which enrolled 1 million Taiwanese people from 2000 to 2005, to identify 95,150 patients with incident fibromyalgia (ICD-9-CM 729.0-729.1) and 190,299 reference subjects matched by sex, age, and index date of diagnosis, with a mean of 8.46 ± 2.37 years of follow-up until 2011. The risk of a suicide event (ICD-9-CM, External-Cause Codes 950-959) was analyzed with a Cox proportional hazards model. Stratification analysis was performed by separating fibromyalgia patients and reference subjects with respect to each comorbidity to determine the risk of suicide in fibromyalgia patients with or without comorbidity relative to subjects who had neither fibromyalgia nor comorbidity. In this Taiwanese dataset, there were 347 suicide events in patients with fibromyalgia (4.16 per 10 person-years) and 424 in matched reference subjects (2.63 per 10 person-years) with a significant crude hazard ratio (HR) of 1.58 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-1.83) and an adjusted HR of 1.38 (95% CI 1.17-1.71) for fibromyalgia patients relative to the matched reference subjects. According to the 2 × 2 stratification analysis, we found that fibromyalgia patients without comorbidity had an independent but mild risk of a suicide event with adjusted HRs ranging from 1.33 to 1.69 relative to subjects with neither fibromyalgia nor comorbidity. Meanwhile, fibromyalgia patients with comorbidity led to a markedly enhanced risk of a suicide event relative to the matched reference subjects, with adjusted HRs ranging from 1.51 to 8.23. Our analysis confirmed a mild-to-moderate risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia. Attention should be paid to the prevention of suicide in fibromyalgia patients with concomitant comorbidities.

Increased risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia and in fibromyalgia patients with concomitant comorbidities

PubMed Central

Lan, Chen-Chia; Tseng, Chun-Hung; Chen, Jiunn-Horng; Lan, Joung-Liang; Wang, Yu-Chiao; Tsay, Gregory J.; Hsu, Chung-Yi

2016-01-01

Abstract An increased risk of suicide ideation and death has been reported in patients with fibromyalgia. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia and in fibromyalgia patients with comorbidities. We used the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database, a subset of the national insurance claim dataset, which enrolled 1 million Taiwanese people from 2000 to 2005, to identify 95,150 patients with incident fibromyalgia (ICD-9-CM 729.0–729.1) and 190,299 reference subjects matched by sex, age, and index date of diagnosis, with a mean of 8.46 ± 2.37 years of follow-up until 2011. The risk of a suicide event (ICD-9-CM, External-Cause Codes 950–959) was analyzed with a Cox proportional hazards model. Stratification analysis was performed by separating fibromyalgia patients and reference subjects with respect to each comorbidity to determine the risk of suicide in fibromyalgia patients with or without comorbidity relative to subjects who had neither fibromyalgia nor comorbidity. In this Taiwanese dataset, there were 347 suicide events in patients with fibromyalgia (4.16 per 104 person-years) and 424 in matched reference subjects (2.63 per 104 person-years) with a significant crude hazard ratio (HR) of 1.58 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38–1.83) and an adjusted HR of 1.38 (95% CI 1.17–1.71) for fibromyalgia patients relative to the matched reference subjects. According to the 2 × 2 stratification analysis, we found that fibromyalgia patients without comorbidity had an independent but mild risk of a suicide event with adjusted HRs ranging from 1.33 to 1.69 relative to subjects with neither fibromyalgia nor comorbidity. Meanwhile, fibromyalgia patients with comorbidity led to a markedly enhanced risk of a suicide event relative to the matched reference subjects, with adjusted HRs ranging from 1.51 to 8.23. Our analysis confirmed a mild-to-moderate risk of a suicide event in patients with primary fibromyalgia. Attention should be paid to the prevention of suicide in fibromyalgia patients with concomitant comorbidities. PMID:27858855

Application of Knowledge Discovery in Databases Methodologies for Predictive Models for Pregnancy Adverse Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taft, Laritza M.

2010-01-01

In its report "To Err is Human", The Institute of Medicine recommended the implementation of internal and external voluntary and mandatory automatic reporting systems to increase detection of adverse events. Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) allows the detection of patterns and trends that would be hidden or less detectable if analyzed by…

Critical Events Affecting the Future of Community Colleges. Proceedings of the AACC Presidents Academy Summer Experience (Breckenridge, Colorado, July 9-13, 1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

The objective of the American Association of Community College's President's Academy Summer Experience was to help participants develop competency in analyzing external factors through an environmental scanning workshop. The workshop focused on identifying and selecting the most significant events facing participants' colleges, identifying…

Complex epithelial remodeling underlie the fusion event in early fetal development of the human penile urethra.

PubMed

Shen, Joel; Overland, Maya; Sinclair, Adriane; Cao, Mei; Yue, Xuan; Cunha, Gerald; Baskin, Laurence

We recently described a two-step process of urethral plate canalization and urethral fold fusion to form the human penile urethra. Canalization ("opening zipper") opens the solid urethral plate into a groove, and fusion ("closing zipper") closes the urethral groove to form the penile urethra. We hypothesize that failure of canalization and/or fusion during human urethral formation can lead to hypospadias. Herein, we use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and analysis of transverse serial sections to better characterize development of the human fetal penile urethra as contrasted to the development of the human fetal clitoris. Eighteen 7-13 week human fetal external genitalia specimens were analyzed by SEM, and fifteen additional human fetal specimens were sectioned for histologic analysis. SEM images demonstrate canalization of the urethral/vestibular plate in the developing male and female external genitalia, respectively, followed by proximal to distal fusion of the urethral folds in males only. The fusion process during penile development occurs sequentially in multiple layers and through the interlacing of epidermal "cords". Complex epithelial organization is also noted at the site of active canalization. The demarcation between the epidermis of the shaft and the glans becomes distinct during development, and the epithelial tag at the distal tip of the penile and clitoral glans regresses as development progresses. In summary, SEM analysis of human fetal specimens supports the two-zipper hypothesis of formation of the penile urethra. The opening zipper progresses from proximal to distal along the shaft of the penis and clitoris into the glans in identical fashion in both sexes. The closing zipper mechanism is active only in males and is not a single process but rather a series of layered fusion events, uniquely different from the simple fusion of two epithelial surfaces as occurs in formation of the palate and neural tube. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multifractal evaluation of simulated precipitation intensities from the COSMO NWP model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfensberger, Daniel; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel; Berne, Alexis

2017-12-01

The framework of universal multifractals (UM) characterizes the spatio-temporal variability in geophysical data over a wide range of scales with only a limited number of scale-invariant parameters. This work aims to clarify the link between multifractals (MFs) and more conventional weather descriptors and to show how they can be used to perform a multi-scale evaluation of model data. The first part of this work focuses on a MF analysis of the climatology of precipitation intensities simulated by the COSMO numerical weather prediction model. Analysis of the spatial structure of the MF parameters, and their correlations with external meteorological and topographical descriptors, reveals that simulated precipitation tends to be smoother at higher altitudes, and that the mean intermittency is mostly influenced by the latitude. A hierarchical clustering was performed on the external descriptors, yielding three different clusters, which correspond roughly to Alpine/continental, Mediterranean and temperate regions. Distributions of MF parameters within these three clusters are shown to be statistically significantly different, indicating that the MF signature of rain is indeed geographically dependent. The second part of this work is event-based and focuses on the smaller scales. The MF parameters of precipitation intensities at the ground are compared with those obtained from the Swiss radar composite during three events corresponding to typical synoptic conditions over Switzerland. The results of this analysis show that the COSMO simulations exhibit spatial scaling breaks that are not present in the radar data, indicating that the model is not able to simulate the observed variability at all scales. A comparison of the operational one-moment microphysical parameterization scheme of COSMO with a more advanced two-moment scheme reveals that, while no scheme systematically outperforms the other, the two-moment scheme tends to produce larger extreme values and more discontinuous precipitation fields, which agree better with the radar composite.

To what extent can global warming events influence scaling properties of climatic fluctuations in glacial periods?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alberti, Tommaso; Lepreti, Fabio; Vecchio, Antonio; Carbone, Vincenzo

2017-04-01

The Earth's climate is an extremely unstable complex system consisting of nonlinear and still rather unknown interactions among atmosphere, land surface, ice and oceans. The system is mainly driven by solar irradiance, even if internal components as volcanic eruptions and human activities affect the atmospheric composition thus acting as a driver for climate changes. Since the extreme climate variability is the result of a set of phenomena operating from daily to multi-millennial timescales, with different correlation times, a study of the scaling properties of the system can evidence non-trivial persistent structures, internal or external physical processes. Recently, the scaling properties of the paleoclimate changes have been analyzed by distinguish between interglacial and glacial climates [Shao and Ditlevsen, 2016]. The results show that the last glacial record (20-120 kyr BP) presents some elements of multifractality, while the last interglacial period (0-10 kyr BP), say the Holocene period, seems to be characterized by a mono-fractal structure. This is associated to the absence of Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events in the interglacial climate that could be the cause for the absence of multifractality. This hypothesis is supported by the analysis of the period between 18 and 27 kyr BP, i.e. during the Last Glacial Period, in which a single DO event have been registred. Through the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) we were able to detect a timescale separation within the Last Glacial Period (20-120 kyr BP) in two main components: a high-frequency component, related to the occurrence of DO events, and a low-frequency one, associated to the cooling/warming phase switch [Alberti et al., 2014]. Here, we investigate the scaling properties of the climate fluctuations within the Last Glacial Period, where abrupt climate changes, characterized by fast increase of temperature usually called Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events, have been particularly pronounced. By using the MultiFractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA), we show that a multifractal structure exists for both high- and low-frequency fluctuations in Northern and Southern hemispheres, with different scaling exponents, thus indicating a long-range persistence of the climatic variability within the whole Last Glacial Period. Our results evidence that both DO events and cooling/warming cycles must be considered as processes of the internal component of the Earth's climate, rather than processes related to external forcings. This study should be helpful for investigation of the internal origin of climate changes. References Shao, Z.G. and Ditlevsen, P.D., Nature Commun., 7, 10951, (2016). Alberti, T., Lepreti, F., Vecchio, A., Bevacqua, E., Capparelli, V. and Carbone, V., Clim. Past, 10, 1751 (2014).

Discriminating External and Internal Causes for Heading Changes in Freely Flying Drosophila

PubMed Central

Sayaman, Rosalyn W.; Murray, Richard M.; Dickinson, Michael H.

2013-01-01

As animals move through the world in search of resources, they change course in reaction to both external sensory cues and internally-generated programs. Elucidating the functional logic of complex search algorithms is challenging because the observable actions of the animal cannot be unambiguously assigned to externally- or internally-triggered events. We present a technique that addresses this challenge by assessing quantitatively the contribution of external stimuli and internal processes. We apply this technique to the analysis of rapid turns (“saccades”) of freely flying Drosophila melanogaster. We show that a single scalar feature computed from the visual stimulus experienced by the animal is sufficient to explain a majority (93%) of the turning decisions. We automatically estimate this scalar value from the observable trajectory, without any assumption regarding the sensory processing. A posteriori, we show that the estimated feature field is consistent with previous results measured in other experimental conditions. The remaining turning decisions, not explained by this feature of the visual input, may be attributed to a combination of deterministic processes based on unobservable internal states and purely stochastic behavior. We cannot distinguish these contributions using external observations alone, but we are able to provide a quantitative bound of their relative importance with respect to stimulus-triggered decisions. Our results suggest that comparatively few saccades in free-flying conditions are a result of an intrinsic spontaneous process, contrary to previous suggestions. We discuss how this technique could be generalized for use in other systems and employed as a tool for classifying effects into sensory, decision, and motor categories when used to analyze data from genetic behavioral screens. PMID:23468601

Deaths from external causes in Cuiabá, 0 a 24 years: Profile of victims and families according to intentionality.

PubMed

Martins, Christine Baccarat de Godoy; Jorge, Maria Helena Prado de Mello

2013-06-01

In view of the importance of knowing the circumstances associated with external causes (accidents and violence), this study analyzes the profile of the victims and their families as to the intentionality of the event (intentional or accidental). Cross-sectional study, which population comprise children, adolescents, and young people (age 0 to 24) who lived in Cuiabá, MT, and died from external causes in 2009. The data, processed by the Epi-Info software, were taken from the Declarations of Death and interviews with the families of the victims. The nonparametric chi-square test showed statistically significant differences between accidental and intentional deaths by sex and the type of accident or violence, the occurrence of the previous event external cause, parental education, family type, income, responsible for supporting the house, mother's age and caregiver. Among the victims, male participation (88.7 %) stands out compared to female (11.3 %). 50.0% of the deaths of females were accidental and 50.0% intentional; 68.2% of the deaths of males were intentional, 29.1% accidental and 2.7% from undetermined intent. Among the intentional deaths, 72.5% of the victims had already suffered violence. As the degree of instruction of the parents increases, intentional deaths decrease. The proportion of reconstituted/fragmented families is higher for fatal accidents. Intentional causes increase as family income decreases and the age of the parents increases. The agglomeration of people in the homes is higher for intentional deaths. Analizing the profiles of families and victims as to the intentionality of the event allows directing local prevention and control policies.

Neural Reactivity to Emotional Stimuli Prospectively Predicts the Impact of a Natural Disaster on Psychiatric Symptoms in Children.

PubMed

Kujawa, Autumn; Hajcak, Greg; Danzig, Allison P; Black, Sarah R; Bromet, Evelyn J; Carlson, Gabrielle A; Kotov, Roman; Klein, Daniel N

2016-09-01

Natural disasters expose entire communities to stress and trauma, leading to increased risk for psychiatric symptoms. Yet, the majority of exposed individuals are resilient, highlighting the importance of identifying underlying factors that contribute to outcomes. The current study was part of a larger prospective study of children in Long Island, New York (n = 260). At age 9, children viewed unpleasant and pleasant images while the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential component that reflects sustained attention toward salient information, was measured. Following the event-related potential assessment, Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in United States history, hit the region. Eight weeks after the hurricane, mothers reported on exposure to hurricane-related stress and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Symptoms were reassessed 8 months after the hurricane. The LPP predicted both internalizing and externalizing symptoms after accounting for prehurricane symptomatology and interacted with stress to predict externalizing symptoms. Among children exposed to higher levels of hurricane-related stress, enhanced neural reactivity to unpleasant images predicted greater externalizing symptoms 8 weeks after the disaster, while greater neural reactivity to pleasant images predicted lower externalizing symptoms. Moreover, interactions between the LPP and stress continued to predict externalizing symptoms 8 months after the hurricane. Results indicate that heightened neural reactivity and attention toward unpleasant information, as measured by the LPP, predispose children to psychiatric symptoms when exposed to higher levels of stress related to natural disasters, while greater reactivity to and processing of pleasant information may be a protective factor. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Approach for Engagement Analysis Under Multitasking Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Guangfan; Leddo, John; Xu, Roger; Richey, Carl; Schnell, Tom; McKenzie, Frederick; Li, Jiang

2011-01-01

An overload condition can lead to high stress for an operator and further cause substantial drops in performance. On the other extreme, in automated systems, an operator may become underloaded; in which case, it is difficult for the operator to maintain sustained attention. When an unexpected event occurs, either internal or external to the automated system, a disengaged operation may neglect, misunderstand, or respond slowly/inappropriately to the situation. In this paper, we discuss a systematic approach monitor for extremes of cognitive workload and engagement in multitasking environments. Inferences of cognitive workload ar engagement are based on subjective evaluations, objective performance measures, physiological signals, and task analysis results. The systematic approach developed In this paper aggregates these types of information collected under the multitasking environment and can provide a real-time assessment or engagement.

Problems in female development. Comments on the analysis of an early latency-age girl.

PubMed

Frenkel, R S

1993-01-01

A 6 1/2-year-old girl's clinical material relevant to the emergence of clitoral and vaginal masturbation and masturbation fantasies during analytic sessions is presented. The intense genital excitation, which she called "jeebies," often overwhelmed her ego functioning. She assumed the jeebies and the fantasies that precipitated and accompanied them would cause bad things to happen to her. External events and the nature of her object relations reinforced and confirmed her belief that being only female was unacceptable. Her penis envy, a wish to be a boy-girl, had multiple determinants. A detailed description of her evaluation and subsequent treatment reveals how her unconscious conflicts were resolved in analysis through the evolution and resolution of her transference neurosis, validating the psychoanalytic approach.

Single-Event Upsets Caused by High-Energy Protons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, W. E.; Nichols, D. K.; Smith, L. S.; Soli, G. A.

1986-01-01

Heavy secondary ions do not significantly alter device responses. Conclusion that external reaction products cause no significant alteration of single-event-upset response based on comparison of data obtained from both lidded and unlidded devices and for proton beams impinging at angles ranging from 0 degrees to 180 degrees with respect to chip face. Study also found single-event-upset cross section increases only modestly as proton energy increased to 590 MeV, characteristic of maximum energies expected in belts of trapped protons surrounding Earth and Jupiter.

FDA adverse Event Problem Codes: standardizing the classification of device and patient problems associated with medical device use.

PubMed

Reed, Terrie L; Kaufman-Rivi, Diana

2010-01-01

The broad array of medical devices and the potential for device failures, malfunctions, and other adverse events associated with each device creates a challenge for public health device surveillance programs. Coding reported events by type of device problem provides one method for identifying a potential signal of a larger device issue. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) Event Problem Codes that are used to report adverse events previously lacked a structured set of controls for code development and maintenance. Over time this led to inconsistent, ambiguous, and duplicative concepts being added to the code set on an ad-hoc basis. Recognizing the limitation of its coding system the FDA set out to update the system to improve its usefulness within FDA and as a basis of a global standard to identify important patient and device outcomes throughout the medical community. In 2004, FDA and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) whereby NCI agreed to provide terminology development and maintenance services to all FDA Centers. Under this MOU, CDRH's Office of Surveillance and Biometrics (OSB) convened a cross-Center workgroup and collaborated with staff at NCI Enterprise Vocabulary Service (EVS) to streamline the Patient and Device Problem Codes and integrate them into the NCI Thesaurus and Meta-Thesaurus. This initiative included many enhancements to the Event Problem Codes aimed at improving code selection as well as improving adverse event report analysis. LIMITATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff resources, database concerns, and limited collaboration with external groups in the initial phases of the project are discussed. Adverse events associated with medical device use can be better understood when they are reported using a consistent and well-defined code set. This FDA initiative was an attempt to improve the structure and add control mechanisms to an existing code set, improve analysis tools that will better identify device safety trends, and improve the ability to prevent or mitigate effects of adverse events associated with medical device use.

Dynamic Analytics-Driven Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Exploitation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-15

integration with big data technologies such as Hadoop , nor does it natively support exporting of events to external relational databases. OSSIM supports...power of big data analytics to determine correlations and temporal causality among vulnerabilities and cyber events. The vulnerability dependencies...via the SCAPE (formerly known as LLCySA [6]). This is illustrated as a big data cyber analytic system architecture in

Analysis of the adverse events reported to the office of the clinical director at a dental school in Bogotá, Colombia.

PubMed

Huertas, María F; Gonzalez, Juliana; Camacho, Sandra; Sarralde, Ana L; Rodríguez, Adriana

2017-04-01

Dentistry is interested in identifying and controlling adverse events, understood as involuntary injuries to the patient during dental care. The aim of this study was to analyze the adverse events reported to the Office of the Clinical Director at the School of Dentistry at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) during 2011-2012. It was an observational, descriptive study that evaluated 227 dental clinical records of patients who filed a complaint with the Office of the Clinical Director. Of these, 43 were adverse events and were used as the basis for this study. Of the 16,060 patients who received care during 2011 - 2012, 0.26% (43) filed a complaint involving an adverse event, of which 97.7 % were considered preventable. Most of these (76.18%, n= 32) occurred during clinical management of treatments in different specialties, 9.5% (4) were the result of deficient external dental laboratory quality, and 14.32% (6) were due to failure in document management, soft tissue injury, misdiagnosis and swallowing foreign objects. Of the patients involved, 65.2% (28) received care from postgraduate students, with the highest number of cases in the Oral Rehabilitation speciality. The occurrence of adverse events during dental care, indicates the need for information about their origin in order to establish protection barriers and prevent their incidence, particularly in the educational area under the student dental clinic service model. Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Odontológica.

The use of external event monitoring (web-loop) in the elucidation of symptoms associated with arrhythmias in a general population

PubMed Central

Epifanio, Hindalis Ballesteros; Katz, Marcelo; Borges, Melania Aparecida; Corrêa, Alessandra da Graça; Cintra, Fátima Dumas; Grinberg, Rodrigo Leandro; Ludovice, Ana Cristina Pinotti Pedro; Valdigem, Bruno Pereira; da Silva, Nilton José Carneiro; Fenelon, Guilherme

2014-01-01

Objective To correlate arrhythmic symptoms with the presence of significant arrhythmias through the external event monitoring (web-loop). Methods Between January and December 2011, the web-loop was connected to 112 patients (46% of them were women, mean age 52±21 years old). Specific arrhythmic symptoms were defined as palpitations, pre-syncope and syncope observed during the monitoring. Supraventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter or fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, pauses greater than 2 seconds or advanced atrioventricular block were classified as significant arrhythmia. The association between symptoms and significant arrhythmias were analyzed. Results The web-loop recorded arrhythmic symptoms in 74 (66%) patients. Of these, in only 14 (19%) patients the association between symptoms and significant cardiac arrhythmia was detected. Moreover, significant arrhythmia was found in 11 (9.8%) asymptomatic patients. There was no association between presence of major symptoms and significant cardiac arrhythmia (OR=0.57, CI95%: 0.21-1.57; p=0.23). Conclusion We found no association between major symptoms and significant cardiac arrhythmia in patients submitted to event recorder monitoring. Event loop recorder was useful to elucidate cases of palpitations and syncope in symptomatic patients. PMID:25295448

The impact of constant light on the estrous cycle of the rat.

PubMed

Campbell, C S; Schwartz, N B

1980-04-01

The initial effects of constant bright light on the events of the rat estrous cycle were monitored in order to examine the interdependence of the hormonal and behavioral rhythms which comprise the cycle. Females exposed to constant bright light for only one cycle either failed to ovulate or showed a delay in the hormonal and behavioral events of the cycle as well as in ovulation. Females exposed to constant light for two cycles 1) failed to ovulate, 2) showed an advancement, or 3) showed a delay in the hormonal events of the estrous cycle and ovulation. Vaginal cytology and the onset of locomotor activity did not maintain their normal temporal relationships with the other events of the estrous cycle in constant light. In spite of the absence of an external timing signal, the majority of hormonal rhythms maintained their normal phase relationships and showed little sign of internal desynchrony. Ovaries in many animals showed high rates of follicular atresia early in the cycle, suggesting that the effects of bright constant light are far more complex than can be attributed to a simple absence of an external timing signal.

On-Board Event-Based State Estimation for Trajectory Approaching and Tracking of a Vehicle

PubMed Central

Martínez-Rey, Miguel; Espinosa, Felipe; Gardel, Alfredo; Santos, Carlos

2015-01-01

For the problem of pose estimation of an autonomous vehicle using networked external sensors, the processing capacity and battery consumption of these sensors, as well as the communication channel load should be optimized. Here, we report an event-based state estimator (EBSE) consisting of an unscented Kalman filter that uses a triggering mechanism based on the estimation error covariance matrix to request measurements from the external sensors. This EBSE generates the events of the estimator module on-board the vehicle and, thus, allows the sensors to remain in stand-by mode until an event is generated. The proposed algorithm requests a measurement every time the estimation distance root mean squared error (DRMS) value, obtained from the estimator's covariance matrix, exceeds a threshold value. This triggering threshold can be adapted to the vehicle's working conditions rendering the estimator even more efficient. An example of the use of the proposed EBSE is given, where the autonomous vehicle must approach and follow a reference trajectory. By making the threshold a function of the distance to the reference location, the estimator can halve the use of the sensors with a negligible deterioration in the performance of the approaching maneuver. PMID:26102489

Speeds of light in Stueckelberg-Horwitz-Piron electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, Martin

2017-05-01

Stueckelberg-Horwitz-Piron (SHP) electrodynamics formalizes the distinction between coordinate time (measured by laboratory clocks) and chronology (temporal ordering) by defining 4D spacetime events x μ as functions of an external evolution parameter τ. As τ grows monotonically, the spacetime evolution of classical events x μ (τ) trace out particle worldlines dynamically and induce the five U(1) gauge potentials through which events interact. In analogy with the constant c that associates a unit of length x 0 with intervals of time t in standard relativity, we introduce a constant c 5 associated with the external time τ. Whereas the nonrelativistic limit of special relativity can be found by taking c → ∞, we show that 5D SHP goes over to an equilibrium state of Maxwell theory in the limit c 5 → 0. Thus, the dimensionless ratio c 5/c parameterizes the deviation of SHP from standard electrodynamics, in particular the coupling of events. Put another way, Maxwell theory can be understood as currents and fields relaxing to an equilibrium independent of chronological time as c 5 τ slows to zero. We find that taking 0 < c 5/c < 1 enables the resolution of several longstanding difficulties in SHP theory.

Insights into the Molecular Events That Regulate Heat-Induced Chilling Tolerance in Citrus Fruits.

PubMed

Lafuente, María T; Establés-Ortíz, Beatriz; González-Candelas, Luis

2017-01-01

Low non-freezing temperature may cause chilling injury (CI), which is responsible for external quality deterioration in many chilling-sensitive horticultural crops. Exposure of chilling-sensitive citrus cultivars to non-lethal high-temperature conditioning may increase their chilling tolerance. Very little information is available about the molecular events involved in such tolerance. In this work, the molecular events associated with the low temperature tolerance induced by heating Fortune mandarin, which is very sensitive to chilling, for 3 days at 37°C prior to cold storage is presented. A transcriptomic analysis reveals that heat-conditioning has an important impact favoring the repression of genes in cold-stored fruit, and that long-term heat-induced chilling tolerance is an active process that requires activation of transcription factors involved in transcription initiation and of the WRKY family. The analysis also shows that chilling favors degradation processes, which affect lipids and proteins, and that the protective effect of the heat-conditioning treatment is more likely to be related to the repression of the genes involved in lipid degradation than to the modification of fatty acids unsaturation, which affects membrane permeability. Another major factor associated with the beneficial effect of the heat treatment on reducing CI is the regulation of stress-related proteins. Many of the genes that encoded such proteins are involved in secondary metabolism and in oxidative stress-related processes.

Children Affected by War and Armed Conflict: Parental Protective Factors and Resistance to Mental Health Symptoms

PubMed Central

Slone, Michelle; Shoshani, Anat

2017-01-01

This study examined the role of parenting styles and parental warmth in moderating relations between exposure to political life events and mental health symptoms among 277 Israeli adolescents aged 12–14 and their parents, who had been exposed to protracted periods of war, missile bombardments, and terrorism. Adolescents completed the Political Life Events (PLE) scale, Brief Symptom Inventory and questionnaires regarding parenting style and parental warmth. The primary caregiver completed the Child Behavior Checklist for assessment of the child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results confirmed that severity of PLE exposure was positively correlated with psychological distress and with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Maternal authoritativeness and warmth functioned as protective factors and had moderating effects on the relation between PLE exposure and mental health symptoms. In contrast, maternal authoritarianism exacerbated the relation between PLE exposure and children’s externalizing symptoms. Fathers’ parenting style and warmth had no significant relationship with children’s mental health outcomes. These findings have important clinical and practical implications for parental guidance and support during periods of war and armed conflict. PMID:28878705

For God (or) country: the hydraulic relation between government instability and belief in religious sources of control.

PubMed

Kay, Aaron C; Shepherd, Steven; Blatz, Craig W; Chua, Sook Ning; Galinsky, Adam D

2010-11-01

It has been recently proposed that people can flexibly rely on sources of control that are both internal and external to the self to satisfy the need to believe that their world is under control (i.e., that events do not unfold randomly or haphazardly). Consistent with this, past research demonstrates that, when personal control is threatened, people defend external systems of control, such as God and government. This theoretical perspective also suggests that belief in God and support for governmental systems, although seemingly disparate, will exhibit a hydraulic relationship with one another. Using both experimental and longitudinal designs in Eastern and Western cultures, the authors demonstrate that experimental manipulations or naturally occurring events (e.g., electoral instability) that lower faith in one of these external systems (e.g., the government) lead to subsequent increases in faith in the other (e.g., God). In addition, mediation and moderation analyses suggest that specific concerns with order and structure underlie these hydraulic effects. Implications for the psychological, sociocultural, and sociopolitical underpinnings of religious faith, as well as system justification theory, are discussed.

The impact of negative affect on reality discrimination.

PubMed

Smailes, David; Meins, Elizabeth; Fernyhough, Charles

2014-09-01

People who experience auditory hallucinations tend to show weak reality discrimination skills, so that they misattribute internal, self-generated events to an external, non-self source. We examined whether inducing negative affect in healthy young adults would increase their tendency to make external misattributions on a reality discrimination task. Participants (N = 54) received one of three mood inductions (one positive, two negative) and then performed an auditory signal detection task to assess reality discrimination. Participants who received either of the two negative inductions made more false alarms, but not more hits, than participants who received the neutral induction, indicating that negative affect makes participants more likely to misattribute internal, self-generated events to an external, non-self source. These findings are drawn from an analogue sample, and research that examines whether negative affect also impairs reality discrimination in patients who experience auditory hallucinations is required. These findings show that negative affect disrupts reality discrimination and suggest one way in which negative affect may lead to hallucinatory experiences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children Affected by War and Armed Conflict: Parental Protective Factors and Resistance to Mental Health Symptoms.

PubMed

Slone, Michelle; Shoshani, Anat

2017-01-01

This study examined the role of parenting styles and parental warmth in moderating relations between exposure to political life events and mental health symptoms among 277 Israeli adolescents aged 12-14 and their parents, who had been exposed to protracted periods of war, missile bombardments, and terrorism. Adolescents completed the Political Life Events (PLE) scale, Brief Symptom Inventory and questionnaires regarding parenting style and parental warmth. The primary caregiver completed the Child Behavior Checklist for assessment of the child's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results confirmed that severity of PLE exposure was positively correlated with psychological distress and with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Maternal authoritativeness and warmth functioned as protective factors and had moderating effects on the relation between PLE exposure and mental health symptoms. In contrast, maternal authoritarianism exacerbated the relation between PLE exposure and children's externalizing symptoms. Fathers' parenting style and warmth had no significant relationship with children's mental health outcomes. These findings have important clinical and practical implications for parental guidance and support during periods of war and armed conflict.

Efficacy and Safety Extrapolation Analyses for Atomoxetine in Young Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Kratochvil, Christopher; Ghuman, Jaswinder; Camporeale, Angelo; Lipsius, Sarah; D'Souza, Deborah; Tanaka, Yoko

2015-01-01

Abstract Objectives: This extrapolation analysis qualitatively compared the efficacy and safety profile of atomoxetine from Lilly clinical trial data in 6–7-year-old patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with that of published literature in 4–5-year-old patients with ADHD (two open-label [4–5-year-old patients] and one placebo-controlled study [5-year-old patients]). Methods: The main efficacy analyses included placebo-controlled Lilly data and the placebo-controlled external study (5-year-old patients) data. The primary efficacy variables used in these studies were the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Parent Version, Investigator Administered (ADHD-RS-IV-Parent:Inv) total score, or the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP-IV) scale score. Safety analyses included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and vital signs. Descriptive statistics (means, percentages) are presented. Results: Acute atomoxetine treatment improved core ADHD symptoms in both 6–7-year-old patients (n=565) and 5-year-old patients (n=37) (treatment effect: −10.16 and −7.42). In an analysis of placebo-controlled groups, the mean duration of exposure to atomoxetine was ∼7 weeks for 6–7-year-old patients and 9 weeks for 5-year-old patients. Decreased appetite was the most common TEAE in atomoxetine-treated patients. The TEAEs observed at a higher rate in 5-year-old versus 6–7-year-old patients were irritability (36.8% vs. 3.6%) and other mood-related events (6.9% each vs. <3.0%). Blood pressure and pulse increased in both 4–5-year-old patients and 6–7-year-old patients, whereas a weight increase was seen only in the 6–7-year-old patients. Conclusions: Although limited by the small sample size of the external studies, these analyses suggest that in 5-year-old patients with ADHD, atomoxetine may improve ADHD symptoms, but possibly to a lesser extent than in older children, with some adverse events occurring at a higher rate in 5-year-old patients. PMID:25265343

Coastal upwelling and downwelling forcing of circulation in a semi-enclosed bay: Ria de Vigo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, E. D.; Largier, J. L.; Torres, R.; Sheridan, M.; Trasviña, A.; Souza, A.; Pazos, Y.; Valle-Levinson, A.

2015-05-01

Semi-enclosed bays in upwelling regions are exposed to forcing related to winds, currents and buoyancy over the shelf. The influence of this external forcing is moderated by factors such as connectivity to the open ocean, shelter by surrounding topography, dimensions of the bay, and freshwater outflows. Such bays, preferred locations for ports, mariculture, marine industry, recreational activities and coastal settlement, present a range of characteristics, understanding of which is necessary to their rational management. Observations in such a semi-enclosed bay, the Ria de Vigo in Spain, are used to characterize the influence of upwelling and downwelling pulses on its circulation. In this location, near the northern limit of the Iberian upwelling system, upwelling events dominate during a short summer season and downwelling events the rest of the year. The ria response to the external forcing is central to nutrient supply and resultant plankton productivity that supports its high level of cultured mussel production. Intensive field studies in September 2006 and June 2007 captured a downwelling event and an upwelling event, respectively. Data from eight current profiler moorings and boat-based MiniBat/ADCP surveys provided an unprecedented quasi-synoptic view of the distribution of water masses and circulation patterns in any ria. In the outer ria, circulation was dominated by the introduction of wind-driven alongshore flow from the external continental shelf through the ria entrances and its interaction with the topography. In the middle ria, circulation was primarily related to the upwelling/downwelling cycle, with a cool, salty and dense lower layer penetrating to the inner ria during upwelling over the shelf. A warmer, lower salinity and less dense surface layer of coastal waters flowed inward during downwelling. Without external forcing, the inner ria responded primarily to tides and buoyancy changes related to land runoff. Under both upwelling and downwelling conditions, the flushing of the ria involved shelf responses to wind pulses. Their persistence for a few days was sufficient to allow waters from the continental shelf to penetrate the innermost ria. Longer term observations supported by numerical modeling are required to confirm the generality of such flushing events in the ria and determine their typical frequency, while comparative studies should explore how these scenarios fit into the range of conditions experienced in other semi-enclosed bays.

Pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories: the role of catastrophic events.

PubMed

Richardson, Lindsey; Small, Will; Kerr, Thomas

2016-01-01

People affected by substance use disorders often experience sub-optimal employment outcomes. The role of drug use in processes that produce and entrench labour market precarity among people who inject drugs (PWID) have not, however, been fully described. We recruited 22 PWID from ongoing prospective cohort studies in Vancouver, Canada, with whom we conducted semi-structured retrospective interviews and then employed a thematic analysis that drew on concepts from life course theory to explore the mechanisms and pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories. The participants' narratives identified processes corresponding to causation, whereby suboptimal employment outcomes led to harmful drug use; direct selection, where impairment, health complications or drug-seeking activities selected individuals out of employment; and indirect selection, where external factors, such as catastrophic events, marked the initiation or intensification of substance use concurrent with sudden changes in capacities for employment. Catastrophic events linking negative transitions in both drug use and labour market trajectories were of primary importance, demarcating critical initiation and transitional events in individual risk trajectories. These results challenge conventional assumptions about the primacy of drug use in determining employment outcomes among PWID and suggest the importance of multidimensional support to mitigate the initiation, accumulation and entrenchment of labour market and drug-related disadvantage. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories: the role of catastrophic events

PubMed Central

Richardson, Lindsey; Small, Will; Kerr, Thomas

2015-01-01

People affected by substance use disorders often experience sub-optimal employment outcomes. The role of drug use in processes that produce and entrench labour market precarity among people who inject drugs (PWID) have not, however, been fully described. We recruited 22 PWID from ongoing prospective cohort studies in Vancouver, Canada and conducted semi-structured retrospective interviews and employed a thematic analysis that draws on concepts from life course theory to explore mechanisms and pathways linking drug use and labour market trajectories. Narratives identified processes corresponding to: causation, whereby suboptimal employment outcomes led to harmful drug use; direct selection, where impairment, health complications or drug seeking activities selected individuals out of employment; and indirect selection, where external factors, such as catastrophic events, marked the initiation or intensification of substance use concurrent with sudden changes in capacities for employment. Catastrophic events linking negative transitions in both drug use and labour market trajectories were of primary importance, demarcating critical initiation and transitional events in individual risk trajectories. These results challenge conventional assumptions about the primacy of drug use in determining employment outcomes among PWID, and suggest the importance of multi-dimensional supports to mitigate the initiation, accumulation and entrenchment of labour market and drug-related disadvantage. PMID:26358407

Extreme Storm Surges in the North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goennert, G.; Buß, Th.; Mueller, O.; Thumm, S.

2009-04-01

Extreme Storm Surges in the North Sea Gabriele Gönnert, Olaf Müller, Thomas Buß and Sigrid Thumm Climate Change will cause a rise of the sea level and probably more frequent and more violent storm surges. This has serious consequences for the safety of people as well as for their values and assets behind the dikes. It is therefore inevitable to first assess how sea level rise and an extreme storm surge event designes. In a second step it is possible to determine the risk for specific locations and develop strategies. The Project XtremRisk - Extreme Storm Surges at the North Sea Coast and in Estuaries. Risk calculation and risk strategies, funded by the German Federal Government will help answering these questions. The „Source-Pathway-Receptor" Concept will be used as a basis for risk analysis and development of new strategies. The Project offers methods to assess the development of extreme events under the conditions of today. Under conditions reflecting the climate change it will be tried to design an extreme event. For these three main points will be considered: a) Analysis and calculation of each factor, which produce a storm surge and its maximum level occurring in the last 100 years. These are: - maximum surge level: surge (due to the wind), - influence of the tide and the interaction between surge and tide, - influence of external surges , b) The hydrodynamics of a storm surge cause nonlinear effects in the interaction of the named factors. These factors and effects will both be taken into account to calculate the magnitude of the extreme storm surge. This step is very complex and need additional examination by numerical models. c) Analysis of the different scenarios to mean sea level rise and to the increase of wind speed due to the climate change. The presentation will introduce methods and show first results of the analysis of extreme events and the mean sea level rise.

Step-wise potential development across the lipid bilayer under external electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majhi, Amit Kumar

2018-04-01

Pore formation across the bilayers under external electric field is an important phenomenon, which has numerous applications in biology and bio-engineering fields. However, it is not a ubiquitous event under all field applications. To initiate a pore in the bilayer a particular threshold electric field is required. The electric field alters the intrinsic potential distribution across the bilayer as we as it enhances total potential drop across the bilayer, which causes the pore formation. The intrinsic potential profile has a maximum peak value, which is 0.8 V and it gets enhanced under application of external field, 0.43 V/nm. The peak value becomes 1.4 V when a pore appears in the bilayer and it continues to evolve as along as the external electric field remains switched on.

Efficacy and toxicity of external-beam radiation therapy for localised prostate cancer: a network meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Zhu, Z; Zhang, J; Liu, Y; Chen, M; Guo, P; Li, K

2014-01-01

Background: Many radiation regimens for treating prostate cancer have been used over the years, but which regimen is optimal for localised or locally advanced prostate cancer lacks consensus. We performed a network meta-analysis to identify the optimal radiation regimen. Methods: We systematically reviewed data from 27 randomised controlled trials and could group seven radiation regimens as follows: low- and high-dose radiation therapy (LDRT and HDRT), LDRT+ short- or long-term androgen deprivation therapy (LDRT+SADT and LDRT+LADT), HDRT+SADT, hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT), and HFRT+SADT. The main outcomes were overall mortality (OM), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure, cancer-specific mortality, and adverse events. Results: For the network meta-analysis of 27 trials, LDRT+LADT and LDRT+SADT were associated with decreased risk of OM as compared with LDRT alone as was LDRT+LADT compared with HDRT. Apart from HFRT, all other treatments were associated with decreased risk of PSA failure as compared with LDRT. HFRT+SADT was associated with decreased risk of cancer-specific mortality as compared with HFRT, LDRT+SADT, HDRT, and LDRT. Conclusions: HFRT+SADT therapy might be the most efficacious treatment but with worst toxicity for localised or locally advanced prostate cancer, and HDRT showed excellent efficacy but more adverse events. PMID:24736585

Patient Safety in Complementary Medicine through the Application of Clinical Risk Management in the Public Health System

PubMed Central

Rossi, Elio G.; Picchi, Marco; Baccetti, Sonia; Monechi, Maria Valeria; Vuono, Catia; Sabatini, Federica; Traversi, Antonella; Di Stefano, Mariella; Firenzuoli, Fabio; Albolino, Sara; Tartaglia, Riccardo

2017-01-01

Aim: To develop a systematic approach to detect and prevent clinical risks in complementary medicine (CM) and increase patient safety through the analysis of activities in homeopathy and acupuncture centres in the Tuscan region using a significant event audit (SEA) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). Methods: SEA is the selected tool for studying adverse events (AE) and detecting the best solutions to prevent future incidents in our Regional Healthcare Service (RHS). This requires the active participation of all the actors and external experts to validate the analysis. FMEA is a proactive risk assessment tool involving the selection of the clinical process, the input of a multidisciplinary group of experts, description of the process, identification of the failure modes (FMs) for each step, estimates of the frequency, severity, and detectability of FMs, calculation of the risk priority number (RPN), and prioritized improvement actions to prevent FMs. Results: In homeopathy, the greatest risk depends on the decision to switch from allopathic to homeopathic therapy. In acupuncture, major problems can arise, mainly from delayed treatment and from the modalities of needle insertion. Conclusions: The combination of SEA and FMEA can reveal potential risks for patients and suggest actions for safer and more reliable services in CM. PMID:29258191

Patient Safety in Complementary Medicine through the Application of Clinical Risk Management in the Public Health System.

PubMed

Rossi, Elio G; Bellandi, Tommaso; Picchi, Marco; Baccetti, Sonia; Monechi, Maria Valeria; Vuono, Catia; Sabatini, Federica; Traversi, Antonella; Di Stefano, Mariella; Firenzuoli, Fabio; Albolino, Sara; Tartaglia, Riccardo

2017-12-16

Aim: To develop a systematic approach to detect and prevent clinical risks in complementary medicine (CM) and increase patient safety through the analysis of activities in homeopathy and acupuncture centres in the Tuscan region using a significant event audit (SEA) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). Methods: SEA is the selected tool for studying adverse events (AE) and detecting the best solutions to prevent future incidents in our Regional Healthcare Service (RHS). This requires the active participation of all the actors and external experts to validate the analysis. FMEA is a proactive risk assessment tool involving the selection of the clinical process, the input of a multidisciplinary group of experts, description of the process, identification of the failure modes (FMs) for each step, estimates of the frequency, severity, and detectability of FMs, calculation of the risk priority number (RPN), and prioritized improvement actions to prevent FMs. Results: In homeopathy, the greatest risk depends on the decision to switch from allopathic to homeopathic therapy. In acupuncture, major problems can arise, mainly from delayed treatment and from the modalities of needle insertion. Conclusions: The combination of SEA and FMEA can reveal potential risks for patients and suggest actions for safer and more reliable services in CM.

Cognitive Complexity of the Medical Record Is a Risk Factor for Major Adverse Events

PubMed Central

Roberson, David; Connell, Michael; Dillis, Shay; Gauvreau, Kimberlee; Gore, Rebecca; Heagerty, Elaina; Jenkins, Kathy; Ma, Lin; Maurer, Amy; Stephenson, Jessica; Schwartz, Margot

2014-01-01

Context: Patients in tertiary care hospitals are more complex than in the past, but the implications of this are poorly understood because “patient complexity” has been difficult to quantify. Objective: We developed a tool, the Complexity Ruler, to quantify the amount of data (as bits) in the patient’s medical record. We designated the amount of data in the medical record as the cognitive complexity of the medical record (CCMR). We hypothesized that CCMR is a useful surrogate for true patient complexity and that higher CCMR correlates with risk of major adverse events. Design: The Complexity Ruler was validated by comparing the measured CCMR with physician rankings of patient complexity on specific inpatient services. It was tested in a case-control model of all patients with major adverse events at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from 2005 to 2006. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measure was an externally reported major adverse event. We measured CCMR for 24 hours before the event, and we estimated lifetime CCMR. Results: Above empirically derived cutoffs, 24-hour and lifetime CCMR were risk factors for major adverse events (odds ratios, 5.3 and 6.5, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, CCMR alone was essentially as predictive of risk as a model that started with 30-plus clinical factors. Conclusions: CCMR correlates with physician assessment of complexity and risk of adverse events. We hypothesize that increased CCMR increases the risk of physician cognitive overload. An automated version of the Complexity Ruler could allow identification of at-risk patients in real time. PMID:24626065

Triangulating case-finding tools for patient safety surveillance: a cross-sectional case study of puncture/laceration.

PubMed

Taylor, Jennifer A; Gerwin, Daniel; Morlock, Laura; Miller, Marlene R

2011-12-01

To evaluate the need for triangulating case-finding tools in patient safety surveillance. This study applied four case-finding tools to error-associated patient safety events to identify and characterise the spectrum of events captured by these tools, using puncture or laceration as an example for in-depth analysis. Retrospective hospital discharge data were collected for calendar year 2005 (n=48,418) from a large, urban medical centre in the USA. The study design was cross-sectional and used data linkage to identify the cases captured by each of four case-finding tools. Three case-finding tools (International Classification of Diseases external (E) and nature (N) of injury codes, Patient Safety Indicators (PSI)) were applied to the administrative discharge data to identify potential patient safety events. The fourth tool was Patient Safety Net, a web-based voluntary patient safety event reporting system. The degree of mutual exclusion among detection methods was substantial. For example, when linking puncture or laceration on unique identifiers, out of 447 potential events, 118 were identical between PSI and E-codes, 152 were identical between N-codes and E-codes and 188 were identical between PSI and N-codes. Only 100 events that were identified by PSI, E-codes and N-codes were identical. Triangulation of multiple tools through data linkage captures potential patient safety events most comprehensively. Existing detection tools target patient safety domains differently, and consequently capture different occurrences, necessitating the integration of data from a combination of tools to fully estimate the total burden.

Newcomer immigrant adolescents: A mixed-methods examination of family stressors and school outcomes.

PubMed

Patel, Sita G; Clarke, Annette V; Eltareb, Fazia; Macciomei, Erynn E; Wickham, Robert E

2016-06-01

Family stressors predict negative psychological outcomes for immigrant adolescents, yet little is known about how such stressors interact to predict school outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the interactive role of family stressors on school outcomes for newcomer adolescent immigrants. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, we used quantitative methods to explore interactions between family separation, acculturative family conflict, and family life events to predict 2 school outcomes, academic achievement (via grade point average [GPA]), and externalizing problems (student- and teacher-reported). The sample included 189 newcomer immigrant public high school students from 34 countries of origin. Quantitative measures included the Multicultural Events Scale for Adolescents, Family Conflicts Scale, and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). Qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured interview. Quantitative results found that more family life events were associated with lower GPA, but this association was weaker for participants who had been separated from their parents. More family conflict was associated with more externalizing symptoms (both youth- and teacher-reported). However, the association between family conflict and teacher-reported externalizing symptoms was found only among participants reporting a greater than average number of life events. Qualitative results show that separation from extended family networks was among the most stressful of experiences, and demonstrate the highly complex nature of each family stressor domain. At a time when immigration is rapidly changing our school system, a better understanding of early risk factors for new immigrants can help teachers, administrators, and mental health practitioners to identify students with greatest need to foster behavioral, academic, and emotional well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The experience and impact of traumatic perinatal event experiences in midwives: A qualitative investigation.

PubMed

Sheen, Kayleigh; Spiby, Helen; Slade, Pauline

2016-01-01

Through their work midwives may experience distressing events that fulfil criteria for trauma. However, there is a paucity of research examining the impact of these events, or what is perceived to be helpful/unhelpful by midwives afterwards. To investigate midwives' experiences of traumatic perinatal events and to provide insights into experiences and responses reported by midwives with and without subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of midwives following participation in a previous postal survey. 35 midwives who had all experienced a traumatic perinatal event defined using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (version IV) Criterion A for posttraumatic stress disorder were interviewed. Two groups of midwives with high or low distress (as reported during the postal survey) were purposefully recruited. High distress was defined as the presence of clinical levels of PTSD symptomatology and high perceived impairment in terms of impacts on daily life. Low distress was defined as any symptoms of PTSD present were below clinical threshold and low perceived life impairment. Interviews were analysed using template analysis, an iterative process of organising and coding qualitative data chosen for this study for its flexibility. An initial template of four a priori codes was used to structure the analysis: event characteristics, perceived responses and impacts, supportive and helpful strategies and reflection of change over time codes were amended, integrated and collapsed as appropriate through the process of analysis. A final template of themes from each group is presented together with differences outlined where applicable. Event characteristics were similar between groups, and involved severe, unexpected episodes contributing to feeling 'out of a comfort zone.' Emotional upset, self-blame and feelings of vulnerability to investigative procedures were reported. High distress midwives were more likely to report being personally upset by events and to perceive all aspects of personal and professional lives to be affected. Both groups valued talking about the event with peers, but perceived support from senior colleagues and supervisors to be either absent or inappropriate following their experience; however, those with high distress were more likely to endorse this view and report a perceived need to seek external input. Findings indicate a need to consider effective ways of promoting and facilitating access to support, at both a personal and organisational level, for midwives following the experience of a traumatic perinatal event. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in the appraisal of traumatic events and psychopathology.

PubMed

Kucharska, Justyna

2017-09-01

The current study is an investigation of the relationship between the appraisal of traumatic events and mental disorder symptoms: internalizing symptoms and externalizing/substance-abuse symptoms. Cumulative trauma over the lifetime was taken into account. Also, specific effects related to traumatic events of various types (i.e., betrayal trauma, accident involving a family member, physical violence, and natural disaster) were assessed. Participants, 190 young men and 277 young women, were asked to evaluate the strength with which the traumatic event impacted their lives. It was hypothesized that the relationship between traumatic experiences and mental disorder symptoms would be stronger in women than in men, and also that cognitive appraisal, in interaction with gender, would be related to the severity of the symptoms. Women showed higher levels of internalizing symptoms, but lower levels of externalizing/substance-abuse symptoms than men. Still, the correlation between cumulative trauma and both types of symptoms was stronger in women. For all types of trauma, women reported a stronger negative appraisal of the event than men. Interaction of sex and cognitive appraisal was demonstrated to be related to the severity of internalizing disorders. In the present study, women, as compared with men, evaluated traumatic events more negatively (for all types of trauma) and the relationship between trauma and mental disorder symptoms was also stronger in women. These results show the importance of the appraisal of trauma in the development of psychiatric symptoms in women and men following trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Environmental constraints shaping constituent order in emerging communication systems: Structural iconicity, interactive alignment and conventionalization.

PubMed

Christensen, Peer; Fusaroli, Riccardo; Tylén, Kristian

2016-01-01

Where does linguistic structure come from? Recent gesture elicitation studies have indicated that constituent order (corresponding to for instance subject-verb-object, or SVO in English) may be heavily influenced by human cognitive biases constraining gesture production and transmission. Here we explore the alternative hypothesis that syntactic patterns are motivated by multiple environmental and social-interactional constraints that are external to the cognitive domain. In three experiments, we systematically investigate different motivations for structure in the gestural communication of simple transitive events. The first experiment indicates that, if participants communicate about different types of events, manipulation events (e.g. someone throwing a cake) and construction events (e.g. someone baking a cake), they spontaneously and systematically produce different constituent orders, SOV and SVO respectively, thus following the principle of structural iconicity. The second experiment shows that participants' choice of constituent order is also reliably influenced by social-interactional forces of interactive alignment, that is, the tendency to re-use an interlocutor's previous choice of constituent order, thus potentially overriding affordances for iconicity. Lastly, the third experiment finds that the relative frequency distribution of referent event types motivates the stabilization and conventionalization of a single constituent order for the communication of different types of events. Together, our results demonstrate that constituent order in emerging gestural communication systems is shaped and stabilized in response to multiple external environmental and social factors: structural iconicity, interactive alignment and distributional frequency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Complex Pattern Formation from Current-Driven Dynamics of Single-Layer Epitaxial Islands on Crystalline Conducting Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ashish; Dasgupta, Dwaipayan; Maroudas, Dimitrios

We report a systematic study of complex pattern formation resulting from the driven dynamics of single-layer homoepitaxial islands on face-centered cubic (FCC) crystalline conducting substrate surfaces under the action of an externally applied electric field. The analysis is based on an experimentally validated nonlinear model of mass transport via island edge atomic diffusion, which also accounts for edge diffusional anisotropy. We analyze the morphological stability and simulate the field-driven evolution of rounded islands for an electric field oriented along the fast diffusion direction. For larger than critical island sizes on {110} and {100} FCC substrates, we show that multiple necking instabilities generate complex island patterns, including void-containing islands, mediated by sequences of breakup and coalescence events and distributed symmetrically with respect to the electric field direction. We analyze the dependence of the formed patterns on the original island size and on the duration of application of the external field. Starting from a single large rounded island, we characterize the evolution of the number of daughter islands and their average size and uniformity. The analysis reveals that the pattern formation kinetics follows a universal scaling relation. Division of Materials Sciences & Engineering, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy (Award No.: DE-FG02-07ER46407).

A comparison of cost effectiveness using data from randomized trials or actual clinical practice: selective cox-2 inhibitors as an example.

PubMed

van Staa, Tjeerd-Pieter; Leufkens, Hubert G; Zhang, Bill; Smeeth, Liam

2009-12-01

Data on absolute risks of outcomes and patterns of drug use in cost-effectiveness analyses are often based on randomised clinical trials (RCTs). The objective of this study was to evaluate the external validity of published cost-effectiveness studies by comparing the data used in these studies (typically based on RCTs) to observational data from actual clinical practice. Selective Cox-2 inhibitors (coxibs) were used as an example. The UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD) was used to estimate the exposure characteristics and individual probabilities of upper gastrointestinal (GI) events during current exposure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or coxibs. A basic cost-effectiveness model was developed evaluating two alternative strategies: prescription of a conventional NSAID or coxib. Outcomes included upper GI events as recorded in GPRD and hospitalisation for upper GI events recorded in the national registry of hospitalisations (Hospital Episode Statistics) linked to GPRD. Prescription costs were based on the prescribed number of tables as recorded in GPRD and the 2006 cost data from the British National Formulary. The study population included over 1 million patients prescribed conventional NSAIDs or coxibs. Only a minority of patients used the drugs long-term and daily (34.5% of conventional NSAIDs and 44.2% of coxibs), whereas coxib RCTs required daily use for at least 6-9 months. The mean cost of preventing one upper GI event as recorded in GPRD was US$104k (ranging from US$64k with long-term daily use to US$182k with intermittent use) and US$298k for hospitalizations. The mean costs (for GPRD events) over calendar time were US$58k during 1990-1993 and US$174k during 2002-2005. Using RCT data rather than GPRD data for event probabilities, the mean cost was US$16k with the VIGOR RCT and US$20k with the CLASS RCT. The published cost-effectiveness analyses of coxibs lacked external validity, did not represent patients in actual clinical practice, and should not have been used to inform prescribing policies. External validity should be an explicit requirement for cost-effectiveness analyses.

Hazards and hazard combinations relevant for the safety of nuclear power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decker, Kurt; Brinkman, Hans; Raimond, Emmanuel

2017-04-01

The potential of the contemporaneous impact of different, yet causally related, hazardous events and event cascades on nuclear power plants is a major contributor to the overall risk of nuclear installations. In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, which was caused by a combination of severe ground shaking by an earthquake, an earthquake-triggered tsunami and the disruption of the plants from the electrical grid by a seismically induced landslide, hazard combinations and hazard cascades moved into the focus of nuclear safety research. We therefore developed an exhaustive list of external hazards and hazard combinations which pose potential threats to nuclear installations in the framework of the European project ASAMPSAE (Advanced Safety Assessment: Extended PSA). The project gathers 31 partners from Europe, North Amerika and Japan. The list comprises of exhaustive lists of natural hazards, external man-made hazards, and a cross-correlation matrix of these hazards. The hazard list is regarded comprehensive by including all types of hazards that were previously cited in documents by IAEA, the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), and others. 73 natural hazards and 24 man-made external hazards are included. Natural hazards are grouped into seismotectonic hazards, flooding and hydrological hazards, extreme values of meteorological phenomena, rare meteorological phenomena, biological hazards / infestation, geological hazards, and forest fire / wild fire. The list of external man-made hazards includes industry accidents, military accidents, transportation accidents, pipeline accidents and other man-made external events. The large number of different hazards results in the extremely large number of 5.151 theoretically possible hazard combinations (not considering hazard cascades). In principle all of these combinations are possible to occur by random coincidence except for 82 hazard combinations that - depending on the time scale - are mutually exclusive (e.g., extremely high air temperature and surface ice). Our dataset further provides information on hazard combinations which are more likely to occur than just by random coincidence. 577 correlations between individual hazards are identified by expert opinion and shown in a cross-correlation chart. Combinations discriminate between: (1) causally connected hazards (cause-effect relation) where one hazard (e.g., costal erosion) may be caused by another hazard (e.g., storm surge); or where one hazard (e.g., high wind) is a prerequisite for a correlated hazard (e.g., storm surge). The identified causal links are not commutative. (2) Associated hazards ("contemporary" events) which are probable to occur at the same time due to a common root cause (e.g., a cold front of a meteorological low pressure area which leads to a drop of air pressure, high wind, thunderstorm, lightning, heavy rain and hail). The root cause may not necessarily be regarded as a hazard by itself. The hazard list and the hazard correlation chart may serve as a starting point for the hazard analysis process for nuclear installations in Level 1 PSA as outlined by IAEA (2010), the definition of design basis for nuclear reactors, and the assessment of design extension conditions as required by WENRA-RHWG (2014). It may further be helpful for the identification of hazard combinations and hazard cascades which threaten other critical infrastructure. References: Decker, K. & Brinkman, H., 2017. List of external hazards to be considered in extended PSA. Report No. ASAMPSA_E/WP21/D21.2/2017-41 - IRSN/ PSN-RES/SAG/2017-00011 IAEA, 2010. Development and Application of Level 1 Probabilistic Safety Assessment for Nuclear Power Plants. Safety Guide No. SSG-3, Vienna. http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/ WENRA-RHWG, 2014. WENRA Safety Reference Levels for Existing Reactors. Update in Relation to Lessons Learned from TEPCO Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident. http://www.wenra.org/publications/

[Study on the correlation among adolescents' family function, negative life events stress amount and suicide ideation].

PubMed

Zhang, Dongdong; Chen, Ling; Yin, Dan; Miao, Jinping; Sun, Yehuan

2014-07-01

To explore the correlation between suicide ideation and family function & negative life events, as well as other influential factors in adolescents, thus present a theoretical base for clinicians and school staff to develop intervention for those problems. By adopting current situation random sampling method, Self-Rating Idea of Suicide Scale, Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List and Family APGAR Index were used to assess adolescents at random in a hygiene vocational school in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province and a collage in Wuhu City, Anhui Province. 3700 questionnaires were granted, 3675 questionnaires were collected, among which 3620 were valid. Chi-square test, t-test, and univariate logistic regression were employed in univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression was used in multivariate analysis. The detection rate of suicide ideation is 7.0%, and the top five suicide ideation characteristics were: poor academic performance (33.6%), serious family functional impairment (25.8%), lower-middle academic performance (11.7%), bad economic conditions (10.8%) and study in Grade Three (9.9%). Multiple logistic regression showed that the following three high-level stress amount in negative life events are most crucial for suicide ideation. They are "relationships" (OR = 1.135, 95% CI 1.071 - 1. 202), "academic pressure" (OR = 1.169, 95% CI 1.101 - 1.241), and "external events" (OR = 1.278, 95% CI 1.187 - 1.376). What' s more, the stress of attending higher grades (OR = 1.980, 95% CI 1.302 - 3.008), poor academic performance (OR = 7.206, 95% CI 1.745 - 9.789), moderate family functional impairment (OR = 2.562, 95% CI 1.527 - 2.892) and its serious level (OR = 8.287, 95% CI 3.154 - 6.917) are also influential factors for suicide ideation. Severe family functional impairment and high-level stress amount of negative life events produced the main factors of suicide ideation. Therefore, necessary and sufficient support should be given to adolescents by families and schools.

The Use of LS-DYNA in the Columbia Accident Investigation and Return to Flight Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabrys, Jonathan; Schatz, Josh; Carney, Kelly; Melis, Matthew; Fasanella, Edwin L.; Lyle, Karen H.

2004-01-01

During the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003, foam originating from the external tank impacted the shuttle's left wing 81 seconds after lift-off. Then on February 1st, Space Shuttle Columbia broke-up during re-entry. In the weeks that followed, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board had formed various teams to investigate every aspect of the tragedy. One of these teams was the Impact Analysis Team, which was asked to investigate the foam impact on the wing leading edge. This paper will describe the approach and methodology used by the team to support the accident investigation, and more specifically the use of LS-DYNA for analyzing the foam impact event. Due to the success of the analytical predictions, the impact analysis team has also been asked to support Return to Flight activities. These activities will analyze a far broader range of impact events, but not with just foam and not only on the wing leading edge. The debris list has expanded and so have the possible impact locations. This paper will discuss the Return to Flight activities and the use of LS-DYNA to support them.

The Patient Burden of Bladder Outlet Obstruction after Prostate Cancer Treatment.

PubMed

Liberman, Daniel; Jarosek, Stephanie; Virnig, Beth A; Chu, Haitao; Elliott, Sean P

2016-05-01

Bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy imposes a significant burden on health and quality of life in men. Our objective was to describe the burden of bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy by detailing the type of procedures performed and how often those procedures were repeated in men with recurrent bladder outlet obstruction. Using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare linked data from 1992 to 2007 with followup through 2009 we identified 12,676 men who underwent at least 1 bladder outlet obstruction procedure after prostate cancer therapy, including external beam radiotherapy in 3,994, brachytherapy in 1,485, brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy in 1,847, radical prostatectomy in 4,736, radical prostatectomy plus external beam radiotherapy in 369 and cryotherapy in 245. Histogram, incidence rates and Cox proportional hazards models with repeat events analysis were done to describe the burden of repeat bladder outlet obstruction treatments stratified by prostate cancer therapy type. We describe the type of bladder outlet obstruction surgery grouped by level of invasiveness. At a median followup of 8.8 years 44.6% of men underwent 2 or more bladder outlet obstruction procedures. Compared to men who underwent radical prostatectomy those treated with brachytherapy and brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy were at increased adjusted risk for repeat bladder outlet obstruction treatment (HR 1.2 and 1.32, respectively, each p <0.05). After stricture incision the men treated with radical prostatectomy or radical prostatectomy plus external beam radiotherapy were most likely to undergo dilation at a rate of 34.7% to 35.0%. Stricture resection/ablation was more common after brachytherapy, external beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy at a rate of 28.9% to 41.2%. Almost half of the men with bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy undergo more than 1 procedure. Furthermore men with bladder outlet obstruction after radiotherapy undergo more invasive endoscopic therapies and are at higher risk for multiple treatments than men with bladder outlet obstruction after radical prostatectomy. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Inequalities and Gender Differences in the Experience of Alcohol-Related Problems

PubMed Central

Grittner, Ulrike; Kuntsche, Sandra; Graham, Kathryn; Bloomfield, Kim

2012-01-01

Aims: To examine the influence of country-level characteristics and individual socio-economic status (SES) on individual alcohol-related consequences. Methods: Data from 42,655 men and women collected by cross-sectional surveys in 25 countries of the Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study study were used. The individual SES was measured by the highest attained educational level. Alcohol-related consequences were defined as the self-report of at least one internal or one external consequence in the last year. The relationship between individuals’ education and alcohol-related consequences was examined by meta-analysis. In a second step, the individual level data and country data were combined in multilevel models. As country-level indicators, we used the purchasing power parity of the gross national income (GNI), the Gini coefficient and the Gender Gap Index. Results: Lower educated men and women were more likely to report consequences than higher educated men and women even after controlling for drinking patterns. For men, this relation was significant for both internal and external problems. For women, it was only significant for external problems. The GNI was significantly associated with reporting external consequences for men such that in lower income countries men were more likely to report social problems. Conclusion: The fact that problems accrue more quickly for lower educated persons even if they drink in the same manner can be linked to the social or environmental dimension surrounding problems. That is, those of fewer resources are less protected from the experience of a problem or the impact of a stressful life event. PMID:22542707

Social inequalities and gender differences in the experience of alcohol-related problems.

PubMed

Grittner, Ulrike; Kuntsche, Sandra; Graham, Kathryn; Bloomfield, Kim

2012-01-01

To examine the influence of country-level characteristics and individual socio-economic status (SES) on individual alcohol-related consequences. Data from 42,655 men and women collected by cross-sectional surveys in 25 countries of the Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study study were used. The individual SES was measured by the highest attained educational level. Alcohol-related consequences were defined as the self-report of at least one internal or one external consequence in the last year. The relationship between individuals' education and alcohol-related consequences was examined by meta-analysis. In a second step, the individual level data and country data were combined in multilevel models. As country-level indicators, we used the purchasing power parity of the gross national income (GNI), the Gini coefficient and the Gender Gap Index. Lower educated men and women were more likely to report consequences than higher educated men and women even after controlling for drinking patterns. For men, this relation was significant for both internal and external problems. For women, it was only significant for external problems. The GNI was significantly associated with reporting external consequences for men such that in lower income countries men were more likely to report social problems. The fact that problems accrue more quickly for lower educated persons even if they drink in the same manner can be linked to the social or environmental dimension surrounding problems. That is, those of fewer resources are less protected from the experience of a problem or the impact of a stressful life event.

Multidecadal oscillations in past Baltic Sea hypoxia: the role of sedimentary iron-phosphorus feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jilbert, Tom; Gustafsson, Bo G.; Veldhuijzen, Simon; Reed, Daniel C.; van Helmond, Niels A. G. M.; Slomp, Caroline P.

2017-04-01

The Baltic Sea currently experiences widespread deep-water hypoxia, a consequence of both anthropogenic nutrient loading and the natural susceptibility of its stratified water column to oxygen depletion. Sediment core records show that hypoxia was also prevalent in the Baltic during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). Sedimentary iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) dynamics are known to play a key role in determining the intensity of Baltic Sea hypoxia through time. Rapid intensification of hypoxia at the onset of past centennial-scale hypoxic events during the HTM and MCA has been explained by release of P from sedimentary Fe oxides, leading to enhanced primary productivity and deep water oxygen consumption (Jilbert and Slomp, 2013). Similarly, rapid relief from hypoxia at the termination of these events reflects efficient trapping of P by Fe oxides as oxic conditions expand. Here we show that within past hypoxic events in the Baltic Sea, hypoxia intensity also varied continuously on multidecadal timescales. We observe persistent oscillations in new high-resolution records of sediment redox proxies derived from Laser Ablation (LA) ICP-MS analysis. In-phase multidecadal oscillations in molybdenum/aluminium (Mo/Al), bromine/phosphorus (Br/P) and Fe/Al indicate coupling between redox conditions, the flux of carbon to the seafloor, and mobilization of Fe in shelf areas, respectively. Using a simple box model, we show that instabilities in the response of sedimentary P release to changing oxygen concentrations and carbon flux were the likely cause of the observed oscillations. When prescribing a non-linear relationship between P release, oxygen concentration and carbon flux, and forcing the model with external P loadings typical of the HTM and MCA, the simulated time-series of deep-water oxygen show pronounced oscillations similar to those observed in the sediment records. However, when external P loads typical of the modern anthropogenic interval are used in the simulations, these instabilities are overcome and deep water conditions remain permanently hypoxic. The results suggest that complete recovery from hypoxia in the modern Baltic Sea will require a substantial further decline in external nutrient loading. Reference: Jilbert, T. and Slomp, C.P., Rapid high-amplitude variability in Baltic Sea hypoxia during the Holocene. Geology 41 (11), 1183-1186, 2013.

Synchronous parallel system for emulation and discrete event simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinman, Jeffrey S. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A synchronous parallel system for emulation and discrete event simulation having parallel nodes responds to received messages at each node by generating event objects having individual time stamps, stores only the changes to state variables of the simulation object attributable to the event object, and produces corresponding messages. The system refrains from transmitting the messages and changing the state variables while it determines whether the changes are superseded, and then stores the unchanged state variables in the event object for later restoral to the simulation object if called for. This determination preferably includes sensing the time stamp of each new event object and determining which new event object has the earliest time stamp as the local event horizon, determining the earliest local event horizon of the nodes as the global event horizon, and ignoring the events whose time stamps are less than the global event horizon. Host processing between the system and external terminals enables such a terminal to query, monitor, command or participate with a simulation object during the simulation process.

Synchronous Parallel System for Emulation and Discrete Event Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinman, Jeffrey S. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A synchronous parallel system for emulation and discrete event simulation having parallel nodes responds to received messages at each node by generating event objects having individual time stamps, stores only the changes to the state variables of the simulation object attributable to the event object and produces corresponding messages. The system refrains from transmitting the messages and changing the state variables while it determines whether the changes are superseded, and then stores the unchanged state variables in the event object for later restoral to the simulation object if called for. This determination preferably includes sensing the time stamp of each new event object and determining which new event object has the earliest time stamp as the local event horizon, determining the earliest local event horizon of the nodes as the global event horizon, and ignoring events whose time stamps are less than the global event horizon. Host processing between the system and external terminals enables such a terminal to query, monitor, command or participate with a simulation object during the simulation process.

Refining the region of branchio-oto-renal syndrome and defining the flanking markers on chromosome 8q by genetic mapping.

PubMed Central

Kumar, S.; Kimberling, W. J.; Connolly, C. J.; Tinley, S.; Marres, H. A.; Cremers, C. W.

1994-01-01

Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR) is an autosomal dominant disorder associated with external-, middle-, and inner-ear malformations, branchial cleft sinuses, cervical fistulas, mixed hearing loss, and renal anomalies. The gene for BOR was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 8q. Several polymorphic dinucleotide repeat markers were investigated for linkage in two large BOR families, and the region of localization was refined. Two-point linkage analysis yielded the maximum lod scores of 7.44 at theta = .03 and 6.71 at theta = .04, with markers D8S279 and D8S260, respectively. A multipoint analysis was carried out to position the BOR gene with a defined region using markers D8S165, D8S285, PENK, D8S166, D8S260, D8S279, D8S164, D8S286, D8S84, D8S275, D8S167, D8S273, and D8S271. Haplotype analysis of recombination events at these polymorphic loci was also performed in multigeneration BOR kindreds. The linkage analysis and analysis of recombination events identified markers that clearly flank the BOR locus. The order was determined to be D8S260-BOR-D8S279 at odds > 10(3):1 over the other possible orders. This flanking markers provide a resource for high-resolution mapping toward cloning and characterizing the BOR gene. PMID:7977379

Ohio hospital PR pros collaborate on crisis communications plan.

PubMed

Rees, Tom

2002-01-01

Two member hospitals of the Akron Regional Hospital Association (ARHA), Ohio, experienced crisis situations which severely strained their public relations resources. These events were the genesis for the development of a comprehensive plan for sharing public relations resources among 11 member hospitals. The plan details procedures for sharing help in the event of a crisis or specific hospital media event. It identifies three potential situations in which it can be implemented: internal disaster, external disaster, or a specific incident unique to one of the hospitals. No occasion has yet arisen to implement the plan.

Morphology of drying blood pools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laan, Nick; Smith, Fiona; Nicloux, Celine; Brutin, David; D-Blood project Collaboration

2016-11-01

Often blood pools are found on crime scenes providing information concerning the events and sequence of events that took place on the scene. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the drying dynamics of blood pools. This study focuses on the drying process of blood pools to determine what relevant information can be obtained for the forensic application. We recorded the drying process of blood pools with a camera and measured the weight. We found that the drying process can be separated into five different: coagulation, gelation, rim desiccation, centre desiccation, and final desiccation. Moreover, we found that the weight of the blood pool diminishes similarly and in a reproducible way for blood pools created in various conditions. In addition, we verify that the size of the blood pools is directly related to its volume and the wettability of the surface. Our study clearly shows that blood pools dry in a reproducible fashion. This preliminary work highlights the difficult task that represents blood pool analysis in forensic investigations, and how internal and external parameters influence its dynamics. We conclude that understanding the drying process dynamics would be advancement in timeline reconstitution of events. ANR funded project: D-Blood Project.

Comparison of spatial interpolation of rainfall with emphasis on extreme events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, Kanwal; Duan, Zheng; Disse, Markus

2017-04-01

The sparse network of rain-gauges has always motivated the scientists to find more robust ways to include the spatial variability of precipitation. Turning Bands Simulation, External Drift Kriging, Copula and Random Mixing are amongst one of them. Remote sensing Technologies i.e., radar and satellite estimations are widely known to provide a spatial profile of the precipitation, however during extreme events the accuracy of the resulted areal precipitation is still under discussion. The aim is to compare the areal hourly precipitation results of a flood event from RADOLAN (Radar online adjustment) with the gridded rainfall obtained via Turning Bands Simulation (TBM) and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method. The comparison is mainly focused on performing the uncertainty analysis of the areal precipitation through the said simulation and remote sensing technique for the Upper Main Catchment. The comparison of the results obtained from TBM, IDW and RADOLAN show considerably similar results near the rain gauge stations, but the degree of ambiguity elevates with the increasing distance from the gauge stations. Future research will be carried out to compare the forecasted gridded precipitation simulations with the real-time rainfall forecast system (RADVOR) to make the flood evacuation process more robust and efficient.

Segmented Ge detector rejection of internal beta activity produced by neutron irradiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnell, L. S.; Callas, J. L.; Mahoney, W. A.; Pehl, R. H.; Landis, D. A.

1991-01-01

Future Ge spectrometers flown in space to observe cosmic gamma-ray sources will incorporate segmented detectors to reduce the background from radioactivity produced by energetic particle reactions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of a segmented Ge detector in rejecting background events due to the beta decay of internal radioactivity, a laboratory experiment has been carried out in which radioactivity was produced in the detector by neutron irradiation. A Cf-252 source of neutrons was used to produce, by neutron capture on Ge-74 (36.5 percent of natural Ge) in the detector itself, Ge-75 (t sub 1/2 = 82.78 min), which decays by beta emission with a maximum electron kinetic energy of 1188 keV. By requiring that an ionizing event deposit energy in two or more of the five segments of the detector, each about 1-cm thick, the beta particles, which have a range of about 1-mm, are rejected, while most external gamma rays incident on the detector are counted. Analysis of this experiment indicates that over 85 percent of the beta events from the decay of Ge-75 are rejected, which is in good agreement with Monte Carlo calculations.

Use of automated external defibrillators in US federal buildings: implementation of the Federal Occupational Health public access defibrillation program.

PubMed

Kilaru, Austin S; Leffer, Marc; Perkner, John; Sawyer, Kate Flanigan; Jolley, Chandra E; Nadkarni, Lindsay D; Shofer, Frances S; Merchant, Raina M

2014-01-01

Federal Occupational Health (FOH) administers a nationwide public access defibrillation program in US federal buildings. We describe the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in federal buildings and evaluate survival after cardiac arrest. Using the FOH database, we examined reported events in which an AED was brought to a medical emergency in federal buildings over a 14-year period, from 1999 to 2012. There were 132 events involving an AED, 96 (73%) of which were due to cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology. Of 54 people who were witnessed to experience a cardiac arrest and presented with ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, 21 (39%) survived to hospital discharge. Public access defibrillation, along with protocols to install, maintain, and deploy AEDs and train first responders, benefits survival after cardiac arrest in the workplace.

Use of Automated External Defibrillators in US Federal Buildings

PubMed Central

Kilaru, Austin S.; Leffer, Marc; Perkner, John; Sawyer, Kate Flanigan; Jolley, Chandra E.; Nadkarni, Lindsay D.; Shofer, Frances S.; Merchant, Raina M.

2014-01-01

Objective Federal Occupational Health (FOH) administers a nationwide public access defibrillation program in US federal buildings. We describe the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in federal buildings and evaluate survival after cardiac arrest. Methods Using the FOH database, we examined reported events in which an AED was brought to a medical emergency in federal buildings over a 14-year period, from 1999 to 2012. Results There were 132 events involving an AED, 96 (73%) of which were due to cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology. Of 54 people who were witnessed to experience a cardiac arrest and presented with ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, 21 (39%) survived to hospital discharge. Conclusions Public access defibrillation, along with protocols to install, maintain, and deploy AEDs and train first responders, benefits survival after cardiac arrest in the workplace. PMID:24351893

X-Ray Fluorescence to Estimate the Maximum Temperature Reached at Soil Surface during Experimental Slash-and-Burn Fires.

PubMed

Melquiades, Fábio L; Thomaz, Edivaldo L

2016-05-01

An important aspect for the evaluation of fire effects in slash-and-burn agricultural system, as well as in wildfire, is the soil burn severity. The objective of this study is to estimate the maximum temperature reached in real soil burn events using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) as an analytical tool, combined with partial least square (PLS) regression. Muffle-heated soil samples were used for PLS regression model calibration and two real slash-and-burn soils were tested as external samples in the model. It was possible to associate EDXRF spectra alterations to the maximum temperature reached in the heat affected soils with about 17% relative standard deviation. The results are promising since the analysis is fast, nondestructive, and conducted after the burn event, although local calibration for each type of burned soil is necessary. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

A developmental analysis of elementary school-aged children's concepts of pride and embarrassment.

PubMed

Seidner, L B; Stipek, D J; Feshbach, N D

1988-04-01

Developmental changes in conditions engendering pride and embarrassment were explored. Subjects included 41 adults and 189 5-, 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old children from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Subjects were asked to report events that had made them feel proud, embarrassed, happy, and sad. Content analyses of responses concerning pride and embarrassment indicated that references to noncontingent, uncontrollable events decreased with age, but most 5-year-olds understood that feelings of pride and, to a lesser extent, embarrassment result primarily from outcomes controlled by and contingent on one's own behavior or characteristics. Responses of children in all 4 age groups and adults suggest that an audience is important for both pride and embarrassment, but particularly for embarrassment. An audience and external reinforcement were more important in children's than in adults' reports of pride. Developmental change was found in the standards used to evaluate emotional experiences; references to social comparison increased with age and references to mastery decreased.

Associations among everyday stress, critical life events, and sexual problems.

PubMed

Bodenmann, Guy; Ledermann, Thomas; Blattner, Denise; Galluzzo, Claudia

2006-07-01

This study addresses the question of how stress is linked to sexual problems among women and men in close relationships. Psychological symptoms, relationship quality, internal daily stress (i.e., originating within the couple such as conflicts, worry for the partner), external daily stress (i.e., stress arising outside the couple such as job stress, stressful relatives, and so forth), and critical life events were examined with regard to their association with different sexual problems. The results support the hypotheses that (1) there is an incremental effect of stress on sexual problems after controlling for psychological symptoms and relationship quality, and that (2) it is primarily internal daily stress and in some cases critical life events rather than external daily stress that are related to sexual problems, particularly hypoactive sexual desire in women and men, sexual aversion in women, vaginismus in women, and premature ejaculation in men. Our findings indicate that the treatment of these sexual problems should address relationship issues and include a focus on helping individuals improve their stress management skills within their couple relationship.

Internalizing and externalizing psychopathology as predictors of cannabis use disorder onset during adolescence and early adulthood.

PubMed

Farmer, Richard F; Seeley, John R; Kosty, Derek B; Gau, Jeff M; Duncan, Susan C; Lynskey, Michael T; Lewinsohn, Peter M

2015-09-01

Risk-related liabilities associated with the development of cannabis use disorders (CUDs) during adolescence and early adulthood are thought to be established well before the emergence of the index episode. In this study, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology from earlier developmental periods were evaluated as risk factors for CUDs during adolescence and early adulthood. Participants (N = 816) completed 4 diagnostic assessments between the ages 16 and 30, during which current and past CUDs were assessed as well as a full range of psychiatric disorders associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology domains. In unadjusted and adjusted time-to-event analyses, externalizing but not internalizing psychopathology from proximal developmental periods predicted subsequent CUD onset. A large proportion of adolescent and early adult cases, however, did not manifest any externalizing or internalizing psychopathology during developmental periods before CUD onset. Findings are consistent with the emerging view that externalizing disorders from proximal developmental periods are robust risk factors for CUDs. Although the identification of externalizing liabilities may aid in the identification of individuals at risk for embarking on developmental pathways that culminate in CUDs, such liabilities are an incomplete indication of overall risk. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk of fatal cerebrovascular accidents after external beam radiation therapy for early-stage glottic laryngeal cancer.

PubMed

Swisher-McClure, Samuel; Mitra, Nandita; Lin, Alexander; Ahn, Peter; Wan, Fei; O'Malley, Bert; Weinstein, Gregory S; Bekelman, Justin E

2014-05-01

This study compared the risk of fatal cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) in patients with early-stage glottic laryngeal cancer receiving surgery or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Using a competing risks survival analysis, we compared the risk of death because of CVA among patients with early-stage glottic laryngeal cancer receiving surgery or EBRT in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The cumulative incidence of fatal CVA at 15 years was higher in patients receiving EBRT (2.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3% to 3.4%) compared to surgery (1.5%; 95% CI, 0.8% to 2.3%; p = .024). In multivariable competing risks regression models, EBRT remained associated with an increased risk of fatal CVA compared to surgery (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.75; 95% CI, 1.04-2.96; p = .037). Treatment for early-stage glottic laryngeal cancer with EBRT was associated with a small increase in the risk of late fatal CVA events relative to surgery. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determining magnetospheric ULF wave activity from external drivers using the most influential solar wind parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentley, S.; Watt, C.; Owens, M. J.

2017-12-01

Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the magnetosphere are involved in the energisation and transport of radiation belt particles and are predominantly driven by the external solar wind. By systematically examining the instantaneous relative contribution of non-derived solar wind parameters and accounting for their interdependencies using fifteen years of ground-based measurements (CANOPUS) at a single frequency and magnetic latitude, we conclude that the dominant causal parameters for ground-based ULF wave power are solar wind speed v, interplanetary magnetic field component Bz and summed power in number density perturbations δNp. We suggest that these correspond to driving by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, flux transfer events and direct perturbations from solar wind structures sweeping past. We will also extend our analysis to a stochastic wave model at multiple magnetic latitudes that will be used in future to predict background ULF wave power across the radiation belts in different magnetic local time sectors, and to examine the relative contribution of the parameters v, Bz and var(Np) in these sectors.

A theoretical analysis of the electromagnetic environment of the AS330 super Puma helicopter external and internal coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flourens, F.; Morel, T.; Gauthier, D.; Serafin, D.

1991-01-01

Numerical techniques such as Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) computer programs, which were first developed to analyze the external electromagnetic environment of an aircraft during a wave illumination, a lightning event, or any kind of current injection, are now very powerful investigative tools. The program called GORFF-VE, was extended to compute the inner electromagnetic fields that are generated by the penetration of the outer fields through large apertures made in the all metallic body. Then, the internal fields can drive the electrical response of a cable network. The coupling between the inside and the outside of the helicopter is implemented using Huygen's principle. Moreover, the spectacular increase of computer resources, as calculations speed and memory capacity, allows the modellization structures as complex as these of helicopters with accuracy. This numerical model was exploited, first, to analyze the electromagnetic environment of an in-flight helicopter for several injection configurations, and second, to design a coaxial return path to simulate the lightning aircraft interaction with a strong current injection. The E field and current mappings are the result of these calculations.

Google Calendar Enhances Prospective Memory in Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Report.

PubMed

El Haj, Mohamad; Gallouj, Karim; Antoine, Pascal

2017-01-01

We investigated whether an external memory aid (i.e., Google Calendar) would alleviate prospective memory compromise in a patient with mild Alzheimer's disease. The patient was asked in the baseline phase to perform three prospective targeted events (e.g., attending her weekly bridge game at the community club) and three prospective control events (e.g., buying her weekly magazine). The same six prospective events were assessed in the intervention phase but the targeted-events were cued by Google Calendar while the control-events were not. Results showed less omission of the targeted events in the training phase than in the baseline phase, suggesting a positive effect of Google Calendar. This case report offers a unique view into how smartphone calendars may alleviate prospective memory compromise in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

External hyphal production of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in pasture and tallgrass prairie communities.

PubMed

Miller, R M; Jastrow, J D; Reinhardt, D R

1995-07-01

External hyphae of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi were quantified over a growing season in a reconstructed tallgrass prairie and an ungrazed cool-season pasture. In both sites, hyphal lengths increased throughout the growing season. Peak external hyphal lengths were 111 m cm -3 of soil in the prairie and 81 m cm -3 of soil in the pasture. These hyphal lengths calculate to external hyphal dry weights of 457 μg cm -3 and 339 μg cm -3 of soil for prairie and pasture communities, respectively. The relationships among external hyphal length, root characteristics, soil P and soil moisture were also determined. Measures of gross root morphology [e.g., specific root length (SRL) and root mass] have a strong association with external hyphal length. Over the course of the study, both grassland communities experienced a major drought event in late spring. During this period a reduction in SRL occurred in both the pasture and prairie without a measured reduction in external hyphal length. Recovery for both the pasture and prairie occurred not by increasing SRL, but rather by increasing external hyphal length. This study suggests that growth is coordinated between VAM hyphae and root morphology, which in turn, are constrained by plant community composition and soil nutrient and moisture conditions.

Personality Traits and Combat Exposure as Predictors of Psychopathology Over Time

PubMed Central

Koffel, Erin; Kramer, Mark D.; Arbisi, Paul A.; Erbes, Christopher R.; Kaler, Matthew; Polusny, Melissa A.

2016-01-01

Background Research suggests that personality traits have both direct and indirect effects on the development of psychological symptoms, with indirect effects mediated by stressful or traumatic events. This study models the direct influence of personality traits on residualized changes in internalizing and externalizing symptoms following a stressful and potentially traumatic deployment, as well as the indirect influence of personality on symptom levels mediated by combat exposure. Method We utilized structural equation modeling with a longitudinal prospective study of 522 US National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq. Analyses were based on self-report measures of personality, combat exposure, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results Both pre-deployment Disconstraint and externalizing symptoms predicted combat exposure, which in turn predicted internalizing and externalizing symptoms. There was a significant indirect effect for pre-deployment externalizing symptoms on post-deployment externalizing via combat exposure (p < .01). Negative Emotionality and pre-deployment internalizing symptoms directly predicted post-deployment internalizing symptoms, but both were unrelated to combat exposure. No direct effects of personality on residualized changes in externalizing symptoms were found. Conclusions Baseline symptom dimensions had significant direct and indirect effects on post-deployment symptoms. Controlling for both pre-exposure personality and symptoms, combat experiences remained positively related to both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Implications for diagnostic classification are discussed. PMID:26347314

Detections of Planets in Binaries Through the Channel of Chang–Refsdal Gravitational Lensing Events

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

Han, Cheongho; Shin, In-Gu; Jung, Youn Kil

Chang–Refsdal (C–R) lensing, which refers to the gravitational lensing of a point mass perturbed by a constant external shear, provides a good approximation in describing lensing behaviors of either a very wide or a very close binary lens. C–R lensing events, which are identified by short-term anomalies near the peak of high-magnification lensing light curves, are routinely detected from lensing surveys, but not much attention is paid to them. In this paper, we point out that C–R lensing events provide an important channel to detect planets in binaries, both in close and wide binary systems. Detecting planets through the C–Rmore » lensing event channel is possible because the planet-induced perturbation occurs in the same region of the C–R lensing-induced anomaly and thus the existence of the planet can be identified by the additional deviation in the central perturbation. By presenting the analysis of the actually observed C–R lensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1319, we demonstrate that dense and high-precision coverage of a C–R lensing-induced perturbation can provide a strong constraint on the existence of a planet in a wide range of planet parameters. The sample of an increased number of microlensing planets in binary systems will provide important observational constraints in giving shape to the details of planet formation, which have been restricted to the case of single stars to date.« less

Vulnerability of countries to food-production crises propagating in the virtual water trade network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamea, S.; Laio, F.; Ridolfi, L.

2015-12-01

In recent years, the international trade of food and agricultural commodities has undergone a marked increase of exchanged volumes and an expansion of the trade network. This globalization of trade has both positive and negative effects, but the interconnectedness and external dependency of countries generate complex dynamics which are often difficult to understand and model. In this study we consider the volume of water used for the production of agricultural commodities, virtually exchanged among countries through commodity trade, i.e. the virtual water trade. Then, we set up a parsimonious mechanistic model describing the propagation, into the global trade network, of food-production crises generated locally by a social, economic or environmental event (such as war, economic crisis, drought, pest). The model, accounting for the network structure and the virtual water balance of all countries, bases on rules derived from observed virtual water flows and on data-based and statistically verified assumption. It is also tested on real case studies that prove its capability to capture the main features of crises propagation. The model is then employed as the basis for the development of an index of country vulnerability, measuring the exposure of countries to crises propagating in the virtual water trade network. Results of the analysis are discussed within the context of socio-economic and environmental conditions of countries, showing that not only water-scarce, but also wealthy and globalized countries, are among the most vulnerable to external crises. The temporal analysis for the period 1986-2011 reveals that the global average vulnerability has strongly increased over time, confirming the increased exposure of countries to external crises which may occur in the virtual water trade network.

A Novel Method for Quick Assessment of Internal And External Radiation Exposure in the Aftermath of a Large Radiological Incident.

PubMed

Korir, Geoffrey; Karam, P Andrew

2018-06-11

In the event of a significant radiological release in a major urban area where a large number of people reside, it is inevitable that radiological screening and dose assessment must be conducted. Lives may be saved if an emergency response plan and radiological screening method are established for use in such cases. Thousands to tens of thousands of people might present themselves with some levels of external contamination and/or the potential for internal contamination. Each of these individuals will require varying degrees of radiological screening, and those with a high likelihood of internal and/or external contamination will require radiological assessment to determine the need for medical attention and decontamination. This sort of radiological assessment typically requires skilled health physicists, but there are insufficient numbers of health physicists in any city to perform this function for large populations, especially since many (e.g., those at medical facilities) are likely to be engaged at their designated institutions. The aim of this paper is therefore to develop and describe the technical basis for a novel, scoring-based methodology that can be used by non-health physicists for performing radiological assessment during such radiological events.

Analysis of External Treatment Methods and Technical Characteristics of External Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rui; Miao, Mingsan; Bai, Ming

2018-01-01

Chinese medicine external therapy is a treatment method of Chinese medicine with Chinese characteristics. The effect of traditional Chinese medicine external treatment, convenient operation, external treatment and technology has great prospects for development. The traditional Chinese medicine external treatment method and technical characteristics were analyzed.

Proximate cues for a short-distance migratory species: An application of survival analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meunier, J.; Song, R.; Lutz, R.S.; Andersen, D.E.; Doherty, K.E.; Bruggink, J.G.; Oppelt, E.

2008-01-01

Investigation of bird migration has often highlighted the importance of external factors in determining timing of migration However, little distinction has been made between short- and long-distance migrants and between local and flight birds (passage migrants) in describing migration chronology. In addition, measures of food abundance as a proximate factor influencing timing of migration are lacking in studies of migration chronology. To address the relationship between environmental variables and timing of migration we quantified the relative importance of proximate external factors on migration chronology of local American woodcock (Scolopax minor), a short distance migrant, using event-time analysis methods (survival analysis). We captured 1,094 woodcock local to our study sites in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin (USA) during autumn 2002-2004 and documented 786 departure dates for these birds. Photoperiod appeared to provide an initial proximate cue for timing of departure. Moon phase was important in modifying timing of departure, which may serve as a navigational aid in piloting and possibly orientation. Local synoptic weather variables also contributed to timing of departure by changing the rate of departure from our study sites. We found no evidence that food availability influenced timing of woodcock departure. Our results suggest that woodcock use a conservative photoperiod-controlled strategy with proximate modifiers for timing of migration rather than relying on abundance of their primary food, earthworms. Managing harvest pressure on local birds by adjusting season lengths may be an effective management tool with consistent migration patterns from year to year based on photoperiod.

The analysis of the transient pressure response of the shuttle EPS-ECS cryogenic tanks with external pressurization systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, J. E.; Patterson, H. W.

1973-01-01

An analysis of transient pressures in externally pressurized cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen tanks was conducted and the effects of design variables on pressure response determined. The analysis was conducted with a computer program which solves the compressible viscous flow equations in two-dimensional regions representing the tank and external loop. The external loop volume, thermal mass, and heat leak were the dominant design variables affecting the system pressure response. No significant temperature stratification occurred in the fluid contained in the tank.

A non extensive statistical physics analysis of the Hellenic subduction zone seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallianatos, F.; Papadakis, G.; Michas, G.; Sammonds, P.

2012-04-01

The Hellenic subduction zone is the most seismically active region in Europe [Becker & Meier, 2010]. The spatial and temporal distribution of seismicity as well as the analysis of the magnitude distribution of earthquakes concerning the Hellenic subduction zone, has been studied using the concept of Non-Extensive Statistical Physics (NESP) [Tsallis, 1988 ; Tsallis, 2009]. Non-Extensive Statistical Physics, which is a generalization of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical physics, seems a suitable framework for studying complex systems (Vallianatos, 2011). Using this concept, Abe & Suzuki (2003;2005) investigated the spatial and temporal properties of the seismicity in California and Japan and recently Darooneh & Dadashinia (2008) in Iran. Furthermore, Telesca (2011) calculated the thermodynamic parameter q of the magnitude distribution of earthquakes of the southern California earthquake catalogue. Using the external seismic zones of 36 seismic sources of shallow earthquakes in the Aegean and the surrounding area [Papazachos, 1990], we formed a dataset concerning the seismicity of shallow earthquakes (focal depth ≤ 60km) of the subduction zone, which is based on the instrumental data of the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens (http://www.gein.noa.gr/, period 1990-2011). The catalogue consists of 12800 seismic events which correspond to 15 polygons of the aforementioned external seismic zones. These polygons define the subduction zone, as they are associated with the compressional stress field which characterizes a subducting regime. For each event, moment magnitude was calculated from ML according to the suggestions of Papazachos et al. (1997). The cumulative distribution functions of the inter-event times and the inter-event distances as well as the magnitude distribution for each seismic zone have been estimated, presenting a variation in the q-triplet along the Hellenic subduction zone. The models used, fit rather well to the observed distributions, implying the complexity of the spatiotemporal properties of seismicity and the usefulness of NESP in investigating such phenomena, exhibiting scale-free nature and long range memory effects. Acknowledgments. This work was supported in part by the THALES Program of the Ministry of Education of Greece and the European Union in the framework of the project entitled "Integrated understanding of Seismicity, using innovative Methodologies of Fracture mechanics along with Earthquake and non extensive statistical physics - Application to the geodynamic system of the Hellenic Arc. SEISMO FEAR HELLARC". GM and GP wish to acknowledge the partial support of the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (ΙΚΥ).

A global analysis of the 1991 geomagnetic jerk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Michelis, Paola; Cafarella, Lili; Meloni, Antonio

2000-12-01

A recent examination of the geomagnetic annual mean values for the European magnetic observatories has shown the existence of a sudden change in the secular acceleration in about 1991 (Cafarella & Meloni 1995; Macmillan 1996). Using first differences of the Y (east geomagnetic field component) mean values from 74 observatories, the worldwide character of the 1991 impulse has been determined (De Michelis et al. 1998). Using data from 109 observatories widely distributed all over the world, the structure of the secular variation for the X (north) and Z (vertical) magnetic field intensities around 1990 was investigated, and evidence of this most recent jerk was found. External effects were removed from the annual mean data by comparing the long-term variations of the geomagnetic field components at individual observatories with the long-term variations of two geomagnetic indices, aa and Dst, and of a solar index, the Wolf number R. A careful analysis has been carried out on the amplitude of the external disturbance, on its dependence on latitude, and on the weights of the geomagnetic indices in the evaluation of the resulting external field. The secular variation has been evaluated from the corrected annual means. Around 1990, the secular variation can be fitted at many observatories by two straight lines with a sudden and marked change in slope. In this manner the jerk occurrence time and the intensity of the step in the second time derivative (ΔX'', ΔY'' and ΔZ'') were computed. Maps of ΔX'', ΔY'' and ΔZ'' provide information on the worldwide intensity distribution of the examined event. Maps of the jerk occurrence-time distributions are also given. The mean jerk occurrence time is 1990.1+/-0.6. Finally, a spherical harmonic analysis was used to complete the quantitative description of this phenomenon in order to study the trend of the energy density spectrum as a function of the harmonic degree n.

Discrete event simulation model for external yard choice of import container terminal in a port buffer area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusgiyarto, Ferry; Sjafruddin, Ade; Frazila, Russ Bona; Suprayogi

2017-06-01

Increasing container traffic and land acquisition problem for terminal expansion leads to usage of external yard in a port buffer area. This condition influenced the terminal performance because a road which connects the terminal and the external yard was also used by non-container traffic. Location choice problem considered to solve this condition, but the previous research has not taken account a stochastic condition of container arrival rate and service time yet. Bi-level programming framework was used to find optimum location configuration. In the lower-level, there was a problem to construct the equation, which correlated the terminal operation and the road due to different time cycle equilibrium. Container moves from the quay to a terminal gate in a daily unit of time, meanwhile, it moves from the terminal gate to the external yard through the road in a minute unit of time. If the equation formulated in hourly unit equilibrium, it cannot catch up the container movement characteristics in the terminal. Meanwhile, if the equation formulated in daily unit equilibrium, it cannot catch up the road traffic movement characteristics in the road. This problem can be addressed using simulation model. Discrete Event Simulation Model was used to simulate import container flow processes in the container terminal and external yard. Optimum location configuration in the upper-level was the combinatorial problem, which was solved by Full Enumeration approach. The objective function of the external yard location model was to minimize user transport cost (or time) and to maximize operator benefit. Numerical experiment was run for the scenario assumption of two container handling ways, three external yards, and thirty-day simulation periods. Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) container characteristics data was referred for the simulation. Based on five runs which were 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 repetitions, operation one of three available external yards (external yard - 3) was the optimum result. Apparently, the model confirmed the hypothesis that there was an optimum configuration of the external yard. Nevertheless, the model needs detail elaboration related to the objective function and the optimization constraint. It requires detail validation, in term of service time value, distribution pattern, and arrival rate in each unit server modeled in the next step of the research. The model gave unique and relatively consistent value of each run. It was indicated that the method has a chance to solve the research problem.

Who left the defibrillator on?

PubMed

Gosbee, John

2004-05-01

Two related scenarios involving defibrillator devices reveal how inadvertent hazardous design can go unnoticed until engineers or patient safety personnel use human factors engineering (HFE) analysis. The first adverse event, in which the device was inadvertently turned off while being used to externally pace the patient's heart, resulted in an increased length of stay. The second scenario describes a similar close call and the useless acts of sanctioning the nurse and firing the engineer technician. Feedback to the end user about a device's status is an important design issue. It does not take much expertise to detect when there are problems with "dialogue" from the device to the person (that is, feedback). Many HFE issues have been cited in emergency care areas, and many medical devices--not just defibrillators--do not have readable and understandable feedback to the end user or the kind of automation that would make the wrong action harder to accomplish. All the interactions of multifunction devices with end users in a hectic, noisy, and dynamic environment need to be usability tested and validated. Nurses and engineering personnel can be trained to more easily see HFE design issues--and not dismiss them as individual failings or "someone else's job." Medical device companies are starting to follow the guidelines and regulations that should help prevent adverse events. The defibrillator's design problems had successfully masqueraded as "expected" glitches with hospital electrical utilities, personnel shortcomings, and personality problems. Adverse events related to seemingly simple devices can be prevented with HFE analysis.

External Dependencies-Driven Architecture Discovery and Analysis of Implemented Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganesan, Dharmalingam; Lindvall, Mikael; Ron, Monica

2014-01-01

A method for architecture discovery and analysis of implemented systems (AIS) is disclosed. The premise of the method is that architecture decisions are inspired and influenced by the external entities that the software system makes use of. Examples of such external entities are COTS components, frameworks, and ultimately even the programming language itself and its libraries. Traces of these architecture decisions can thus be found in the implemented software and is manifested in the way software systems use such external entities. While this fact is often ignored in contemporary reverse engineering methods, the AIS method actively leverages and makes use of the dependencies to external entities as a starting point for the architecture discovery. The AIS method is demonstrated using the NASA's Space Network Access System (SNAS). The results show that, with abundant evidence, the method offers reusable and repeatable guidelines for discovering the architecture and locating potential risks (e.g. low testability, decreased performance) that are hidden deep in the implementation. The analysis is conducted by using external dependencies to identify, classify and review a minimal set of key source code files. Given the benefits of analyzing external dependencies as a way to discover architectures, it is argued that external dependencies deserve to be treated as first-class citizens during reverse engineering. The current structure of a knowledge base of external entities and analysis questions with strategies for getting answers is also discussed.

Grouping and Segregation of Sensory Events by Actions in Temporal Audio-Visual Recalibration.

PubMed

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2016-01-01

Perception in multi-sensory environments involves both grouping and segregation of events across sensory modalities. Temporal coincidence between events is considered a strong cue to resolve multisensory perception. However, differences in physical transmission and neural processing times amongst modalities complicate this picture. This is illustrated by cross-modal recalibration, whereby adaptation to audio-visual asynchrony produces shifts in perceived simultaneity. Here, we examined whether voluntary actions might serve as a temporal anchor to cross-modal recalibration in time. Participants were tested on an audio-visual simultaneity judgment task after an adaptation phase where they had to synchronize voluntary actions with audio-visual pairs presented at a fixed asynchrony (vision leading or vision lagging). Our analysis focused on the magnitude of cross-modal recalibration to the adapted audio-visual asynchrony as a function of the nature of the actions during adaptation, putatively fostering cross-modal grouping or, segregation. We found larger temporal adjustments when actions promoted grouping than segregation of sensory events. However, a control experiment suggested that additional factors, such as attention to planning/execution of actions, could have an impact on recalibration effects. Contrary to the view that cross-modal temporal organization is mainly driven by external factors related to the stimulus or environment, our findings add supporting evidence for the idea that perceptual adjustments strongly depend on the observer's inner states induced by motor and cognitive demands.

Grouping and Segregation of Sensory Events by Actions in Temporal Audio-Visual Recalibration

PubMed Central

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2017-01-01

Perception in multi-sensory environments involves both grouping and segregation of events across sensory modalities. Temporal coincidence between events is considered a strong cue to resolve multisensory perception. However, differences in physical transmission and neural processing times amongst modalities complicate this picture. This is illustrated by cross-modal recalibration, whereby adaptation to audio-visual asynchrony produces shifts in perceived simultaneity. Here, we examined whether voluntary actions might serve as a temporal anchor to cross-modal recalibration in time. Participants were tested on an audio-visual simultaneity judgment task after an adaptation phase where they had to synchronize voluntary actions with audio-visual pairs presented at a fixed asynchrony (vision leading or vision lagging). Our analysis focused on the magnitude of cross-modal recalibration to the adapted audio-visual asynchrony as a function of the nature of the actions during adaptation, putatively fostering cross-modal grouping or, segregation. We found larger temporal adjustments when actions promoted grouping than segregation of sensory events. However, a control experiment suggested that additional factors, such as attention to planning/execution of actions, could have an impact on recalibration effects. Contrary to the view that cross-modal temporal organization is mainly driven by external factors related to the stimulus or environment, our findings add supporting evidence for the idea that perceptual adjustments strongly depend on the observer's inner states induced by motor and cognitive demands. PMID:28154529

Risk-informed regulation and safety management of nuclear power plants--on the prevention of severe accidents.

PubMed

Himanen, Risto; Julin, Ari; Jänkälä, Kalle; Holmberg, Jan-Erik; Virolainen, Reino

2012-11-01

There are four operating nuclear power plant (NPP) units in Finland. The Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) power company has two 840 MWe BWR units supplied by Asea-Atom at the Olkiluoto site. The Fortum corporation (formerly IVO) has two 500 MWe VVER 440/213 units at the Loviisa site. In addition, a 1600 MWe European Pressurized Water Reactor supplied by AREVA NP (formerly the Framatome ANP--Siemens AG Consortium) is under construction at the Olkiluoto site. Recently, the Finnish Parliament ratified the government Decision in Principle that the utilities' applications to build two new NPP units are in line with the total good of the society. The Finnish utilities, Fenno power company, and TVO company are in progress of qualifying the type of the new nuclear builds. In Finland, risk-informed applications are formally integrated in the regulatory process of NPPs that are already in the early design phase and these are to run through the construction and operation phases all through the entire plant service time. A plant-specific full-scope probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is required for each NPP. PRAs shall cover internal events, area events (fires, floods), and external events such as harsh weather conditions and seismic events in all operating modes. Special attention is devoted to the use of various risk-informed PRA applications in the licensing of Olkiluoto 3 NPP. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

Effect of External Electric Field on Substrate Transport of a Secondary Active Transporter.

PubMed

Zhang, Ji-Long; Zheng, Qing-Chuan; Yu, Li-Ying; Li, Zheng-Qiang; Zhang, Hong-Xing

2016-08-22

Substrate transport across a membrane accomplished by a secondary active transporter (SAT) is essential to the normal physiological function of living cells. In the present research, a series of all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations under different electric field (EF) strengths was performed to investigate the effect of an external EF on the substrate transport of an SAT. The results show that EF both affects the interaction between substrate and related protein's residues by changing their conformations and tunes the timeline of the transport event, which collectively reduces the height of energy barrier for substrate transport and results in the appearance of two intermediate conformations under the existence of an external EF. Our work spotlights the crucial influence of external EFs on the substrate transport of SATs and could provide a more penetrating understanding of the substrate transport mechanism of SATs.

Event-by-Event Continuous Respiratory Motion Correction for Dynamic PET Imaging.

PubMed

Yu, Yunhan; Chan, Chung; Ma, Tianyu; Liu, Yaqiang; Gallezot, Jean-Dominique; Naganawa, Mika; Kelada, Olivia J; Germino, Mary; Sinusas, Albert J; Carson, Richard E; Liu, Chi

2016-07-01

Existing respiratory motion-correction methods are applied only to static PET imaging. We have previously developed an event-by-event respiratory motion-correction method with correlations between internal organ motion and external respiratory signals (INTEX). This method is uniquely appropriate for dynamic imaging because it corrects motion for each time point. In this study, we applied INTEX to human dynamic PET studies with various tracers and investigated the impact on kinetic parameter estimation. The use of 3 tracers-a myocardial perfusion tracer, (82)Rb (n = 7); a pancreatic β-cell tracer, (18)F-FP(+)DTBZ (n = 4); and a tumor hypoxia tracer, (18)F-fluoromisonidazole ((18)F-FMISO) (n = 1)-was investigated in a study of 12 human subjects. Both rest and stress studies were performed for (82)Rb. The Anzai belt system was used to record respiratory motion. Three-dimensional internal organ motion in high temporal resolution was calculated by INTEX to guide event-by-event respiratory motion correction of target organs in each dynamic frame. Time-activity curves of regions of interest drawn based on end-expiration PET images were obtained. For (82)Rb studies, K1 was obtained with a 1-tissue model using a left-ventricle input function. Rest-stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were determined. For (18)F-FP(+)DTBZ studies, the total volume of distribution was estimated with arterial input functions using the multilinear analysis 1 method. For the (18)F-FMISO study, the net uptake rate Ki was obtained with a 2-tissue irreversible model using a left-ventricle input function. All parameters were compared with the values derived without motion correction. With INTEX, K1 and MBF increased by 10% ± 12% and 15% ± 19%, respectively, for (82)Rb stress studies. CFR increased by 19% ± 21%. For studies with motion amplitudes greater than 8 mm (n = 3), K1, MBF, and CFR increased by 20% ± 12%, 30% ± 20%, and 34% ± 23%, respectively. For (82)Rb rest studies, INTEX had minimal effect on parameter estimation. The total volume of distribution of (18)F-FP(+)DTBZ and Ki of (18)F-FMISO increased by 17% ± 6% and 20%, respectively. Respiratory motion can have a substantial impact on dynamic PET in the thorax and abdomen. The INTEX method using continuous external motion data substantially changed parameters in kinetic modeling. More accurate estimation is expected with INTEX. © 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Analytic concepts for assessing risk as applied to human space flight

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

Garrick, B J

Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) principles provide an effective framework for quantifying individual elements of risk, including the risk to astronauts and spacecraft of the radiation environment of space flight. The concept of QRA is based on a structured set of scenarios that could lead to different damage states initiated by either hardware failure, human error, or external events. In the context of a spacecraft risk assessment, radiation may be considered as an external event and analyzed in the same basic way as any other contributor to risk. It is possible to turn up the microscope on any particular contributor tomore » risk and ask more detailed questions than might be necessary to simply assess safety. The methods of QRA allow for as much fine structure in the analysis as is desired. For the purpose of developing a basis for comprehensive risk management and considering the tendency to {open_quotes}fear anything nuclear,{close_quotes} radiation risk is a prime candidate for examination beyond that necessary to answer the basic question of risk. Thus, rather than considering only the customary damage states of fatalities or loss of a spacecraft, it is suggested that the full range of damage be analyzed to quantify radiation risk. Radiation dose levels in the form of a risk curve accomplish such a result. If the risk curve is the complementary cumulative distribution function, then it answers the extended question of what is the likelihood of receiving a specific dose of radiation or greater. Such results can be converted to specific health effects as desired. Knowing the full range of the radiation risk of a space mission and the contributors to that risk provides the information necessary to take risk management actions [operational, design, scheduling of missions around solar particle events (SPE), etc.] that clearly control radiation exposure.« less

Adaptation of G-TAG Software for Validating Touch-and-Go Comet Surface Sampling Design Methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandic, Milan; Acikmese, Behcet; Blackmore, Lars

2011-01-01

The G-TAG software tool was developed under the R&TD on Integrated Autonomous Guidance, Navigation, and Control for Comet Sample Return, and represents a novel, multi-body dynamics simulation software tool for studying TAG sampling. The G-TAG multi-body simulation tool provides a simulation environment in which a Touch-and-Go (TAG) sampling event can be extensively tested. TAG sampling requires the spacecraft to descend to the surface, contact the surface with a sampling collection device, and then to ascend to a safe altitude. The TAG event lasts only a few seconds but is mission-critical with potentially high risk. Consequently, there is a need for the TAG event to be well characterized and studied by simulation and analysis in order for the proposal teams to converge on a reliable spacecraft design. This adaptation of the G-TAG tool was developed to support the Comet Odyssey proposal effort, and is specifically focused to address comet sample return missions. In this application, the spacecraft descends to and samples from the surface of a comet. Performance of the spacecraft during TAG is assessed based on survivability and sample collection performance. For the adaptation of the G-TAG simulation tool to comet scenarios, models are developed that accurately describe the properties of the spacecraft, approach trajectories, and descent velocities, as well as the models of the external forces and torques acting on the spacecraft. The adapted models of the spacecraft, descent profiles, and external sampling forces/torques were more sophisticated and customized for comets than those available in the basic G-TAG simulation tool. Scenarios implemented include the study of variations in requirements, spacecraft design (size, locations, etc. of the spacecraft components), and the environment (surface properties, slope, disturbances, etc.). The simulations, along with their visual representations using G-View, contributed to the Comet Odyssey New Frontiers proposal effort by indicating problems and/or benefits of different approaches and designs.

Use of internal scintillator radioactivity to calibrate DOI function of a PET detector with a dual-ended-scintillator readout

PubMed Central

Bircher, Chad; Shao, Yiping

2012-01-01

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) detectors that use a dual-ended-scintillator readout to measure depth-of-interaction (DOI) must have an accurate DOI function to provide the relationship between DOI and signal ratios to be used for detector calibration and recalibration. In a previous study, the authors used a novel and simple method to accurately and quickly measure DOI function by irradiating the detector with an external uniform flood source; however, as a practical concern, implementing external uniform flood sources in an assembled PET system is technically challenging and expensive. In the current study, therefore, the authors investigated whether the same method could be used to acquire DOI function from scintillator-generated (i.e., internal) radiation. The authors also developed a method for calibrating the energy scale necessary to select the events within the desired energy window. Methods: The authors measured the DOI function of a PET detector with lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) scintillators. Radiation events originating from the scintillators’ internal Lu-176 beta decay were used to measure DOI functions which were then compared with those measured from both an external uniform flood source and an electronically collimated external point source. The authors conducted these studies with several scintillators of differing geometries (1.5 × 1.5 and 2.0 × 2.0 mm2 cross-section area and 20, 30, and 40 mm length) and various surface finishes (mirror-finishing, saw-cut rough, and other finishes in between), and in a prototype array. Results: All measured results using internal and external radiation sources showed excellent agreement in DOI function measurement. The mean difference among DOI values for all scintillators measured from internal and external radiation sources was less than 1.0 mm for different scintillator geometries and various surface finishes. Conclusions: The internal radioactivity of LYSO scintillators can be used to accurately measure DOI function in PET detectors, regardless of scintillator geometry or surface finish. Because an external radiation source is not needed, this method of DOI function measurement can be practically applied to individual PET detectors as well as assembled systems. PMID:22320787

Use of internal scintillator radioactivity to calibrate DOI function of a PET detector with a dual-ended-scintillator readout.

PubMed

Bircher, Chad; Shao, Yiping

2012-02-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) detectors that use a dual-ended-scintillator readout to measure depth-of-interaction (DOI) must have an accurate DOI function to provide the relationship between DOI and signal ratios to be used for detector calibration and recalibration. In a previous study, the authors used a novel and simple method to accurately and quickly measure DOI function by irradiating the detector with an external uniform flood source; however, as a practical concern, implementing external uniform flood sources in an assembled PET system is technically challenging and expensive. In the current study, therefore, the authors investigated whether the same method could be used to acquire DOI function from scintillator-generated (i.e., internal) radiation. The authors also developed a method for calibrating the energy scale necessary to select the events within the desired energy window. The authors measured the DOI function of a PET detector with lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) scintillators. Radiation events originating from the scintillators' internal Lu-176 beta decay were used to measure DOI functions which were then compared with those measured from both an external uniform flood source and an electronically collimated external point source. The authors conducted these studies with several scintillators of differing geometries (1.5 × 1.5 and 2.0 × 2.0 mm(2) cross-section area and 20, 30, and 40 mm length) and various surface finishes (mirror-finishing, saw-cut rough, and other finishes in between), and in a prototype array. All measured results using internal and external radiation sources showed excellent agreement in DOI function measurement. The mean difference among DOI values for all scintillators measured from internal and external radiation sources was less than 1.0 mm for different scintillator geometries and various surface finishes. The internal radioactivity of LYSO scintillators can be used to accurately measure DOI function in PET detectors, regardless of scintillator geometry or surface finish. Because an external radiation source is not needed, this method of DOI function measurement can be practically applied to individual PET detectors as well as assembled systems.

Use of internal scintillator radioactivity to calibrate DOI function of a PET detector with a dual-ended-scintillator readout

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

Bircher, Chad; Shao Yiping

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) detectors that use a dual-ended-scintillator readout to measure depth-of-interaction (DOI) must have an accurate DOI function to provide the relationship between DOI and signal ratios to be used for detector calibration and recalibration. In a previous study, the authors used a novel and simple method to accurately and quickly measure DOI function by irradiating the detector with an external uniform flood source; however, as a practical concern, implementing external uniform flood sources in an assembled PET system is technically challenging and expensive. In the current study, therefore, the authors investigated whether the same method couldmore » be used to acquire DOI function from scintillator-generated (i.e., internal) radiation. The authors also developed a method for calibrating the energy scale necessary to select the events within the desired energy window. Methods: The authors measured the DOI function of a PET detector with lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) scintillators. Radiation events originating from the scintillators' internal Lu-176 beta decay were used to measure DOI functions which were then compared with those measured from both an external uniform flood source and an electronically collimated external point source. The authors conducted these studies with several scintillators of differing geometries (1.5 x 1.5 and 2.0 x 2.0 mm{sup 2} cross-section area and 20, 30, and 40 mm length) and various surface finishes (mirror-finishing, saw-cut rough, and other finishes in between), and in a prototype array. Results: All measured results using internal and external radiation sources showed excellent agreement in DOI function measurement. The mean difference among DOI values for all scintillators measured from internal and external radiation sources was less than 1.0 mm for different scintillator geometries and various surface finishes. Conclusions: The internal radioactivity of LYSO scintillators can be used to accurately measure DOI function in PET detectors, regardless of scintillator geometry or surface finish. Because an external radiation source is not needed, this method of DOI function measurement can be practically applied to individual PET detectors as well as assembled systems.« less

Ionization imaging—A new method to search for 0- ν ββ decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinowski, W.; Goldschmidt, A.; Nygren, D.; Bernstein, A.; Heffner, M.; Millaud, J.

2007-10-01

We present a new method to search for 0- ν ββ decay in 136Xe, the Ionization Imaging Chamber. This concept is based on 3-D track reconstruction by detection of ionization, without avalanche gain, in a novel time projection chamber (TPC) geometry. The rejection efficiency of external charged particle backgrounds is optimized by the realization of a maximal, fully active, closed, and ex post facto variable fiducial surface. Event localization within the fiducial volume and detailed event reconstruction mitigate external neutral particle backgrounds; larger detectors offer higher rejection efficiencies. Energy resolution at the Q-value of 2.5 MeV is expected to be better than 1% FWHM, reducing the potential impact of allowed 2- ν ββ decays. Scaling from ˜25 kg prototype to 1000+ kg target mass is graceful. A new possible methodology for the identification of the daughter barium nucleus is also described.

Elastic-Plastic Nonlinear Response of a Space Shuttle External Tank Stringer. Part 2; Thermal and Mechanical Loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Warren, Jerry E.; Elliott, Kenny B.; Song, Kyongchan; Raju, Ivatury S.

2012-01-01

Elastic-plastic, large-deflection nonlinear thermo-mechanical stress analyses are performed for the Space Shuttle external tank s intertank stringers. Detailed threedimensional finite element models are developed and used to investigate the stringer s elastic-plastic response for different thermal and mechanical loading events from assembly through flight. Assembly strains caused by initial installation on an intertank panel are accounted for in the analyses. Thermal loading due to tanking was determined to be the bounding loading event. The cryogenic shrinkage caused by tanking resulted in a rotation of the intertank chord flange towards the center of the intertank, which in turn loaded the intertank stringer feet. The analyses suggest that the strain levels near the first three fasteners remain sufficiently high that a failure may occur. The analyses also confirmed that the installation of radius blocks on the stringer feet ends results in an increase in the stringer capability.

Nuclear Test Depth Determination with Synthetic Modelling: Global Analysis from PNEs to DPRK-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozhkov, Mikhail; Stachnik, Joshua; Baker, Ben; Epiphansky, Alexey; Bobrov, Dmitry

2016-04-01

Seismic event depth determination is critical for the event screening process at the International Data Center, CTBTO. A thorough determination of the event depth can be conducted mostly through additional special analysis because the IDC's Event Definition Criteria is based, in particular, on depth estimation uncertainties. This causes a large number of events in the Reviewed Event Bulletin to have depth constrained to the surface making the depth screening criterion not applicable. Further it may result in a heavier workload to manually distinguish between subsurface and deeper crustal events. Since the shape of the first few seconds of signal of very shallow events is very sensitive to the depth phases, cross correlation between observed and theoretic seismograms can provide a basis for the event depth estimation, and so an expansion to the screening process. We applied this approach mostly to events at teleseismic and partially regional distances. The approach was found efficient for the seismic event screening process, with certain caveats related mostly to poorly defined source and receiver crustal models which can shift the depth estimate. An adjustable teleseismic attenuation model (t*) for synthetics was used since this characteristic is not known for most of the rays we studied. We studied a wide set of historical records of nuclear explosions, including so called Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNE) with presumably known depths, and recent DPRK nuclear tests. The teleseismic synthetic approach is based on the stationary phase approximation with hudson96 program, and the regional modelling was done with the generalized ray technique by Vlastislav Cerveny modified to account for the complex source topography. The software prototype is designed to be used for the Expert Technical Analysis at the IDC. With this, the design effectively reuses the NDC-in-a-Box code and can be comfortably utilized by the NDC users. The package uses Geotool as a front-end for data retrieval and pre-processing. After the event database is compiled, the control is passed to the driver software, running the external processing and plotting toolboxes, which controls the final stage and produces the final result. The modules are mostly Python coded, C-coded (Raysynth3D complex topography regional synthetics) and FORTRAN coded synthetics from the CPS330 software package by Robert Herrmann of Saint Louis University. The extension of this single station depth determination method is under development and uses joint information from all stations participating in processing. It is based on simultaneous depth and moment tensor determination for both short and long period seismic phases. A novel approach recently developed for microseismic event location utilizing only phase waveform information was migrated to a global scale. It should provide faster computation as it does not require intensive synthetic modelling, and might benefit processing noisy signals. A consistent depth estimate for all recent nuclear tests was produced for the vast number of IMS stations (primary and auxiliary) used in processing.

Effects of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes.

PubMed

Ryan, Ann Marie; West, Bradley J; Carr, Jennifer Z

2003-08-01

Much has been stated in the popular press about the effects of the events of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes about work. This study examined a large sample (N = 70,671) of employees of a multinational manufacturer whose annual employee survey data collection was interrupted by the events. After demonstrating measurement equivalence across time and countries, changes in attitudes pre- and post-9/11 were examined. Only negligible differences were found in Job Satisfaction, Supervisor Evaluation, Stress, and Organizational Commitment to Diversity for U.S. employees or for employees worldwide. Demographic differences in response to events were not found. Implications for understanding effects of stressful external events on employee perceptions of work are discussed.

Bulk and surface event identification in p-type germanium detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L. T.; Li, H. B.; Wong, H. T.; Agartioglu, M.; Chen, J. H.; Jia, L. P.; Jiang, H.; Li, J.; Lin, F. K.; Lin, S. T.; Liu, S. K.; Ma, J. L.; Sevda, B.; Sharma, V.; Singh, L.; Singh, M. K.; Singh, M. K.; Soma, A. K.; Sonay, A.; Yang, S. W.; Wang, L.; Wang, Q.; Yue, Q.; Zhao, W.

2018-04-01

The p-type point-contact germanium detectors have been adopted for light dark matter WIMP searches and the studies of low energy neutrino physics. These detectors exhibit anomalous behavior to events located at the surface layer. The previous spectral shape method to identify these surface events from the bulk signals relies on spectral shape assumptions and the use of external calibration sources. We report an improved method in separating them by taking the ratios among different categories of in situ event samples as calibration sources. Data from CDEX-1 and TEXONO experiments are re-examined using the ratio method. Results are shown to be consistent with the spectral shape method.

Inverse probability of treatment-weighted competing risks analysis: an application on long-term risk of urinary adverse events after prostate cancer treatments.

PubMed

Bolch, Charlotte A; Chu, Haitao; Jarosek, Stephanie; Cole, Stephen R; Elliott, Sean; Virnig, Beth

2017-07-10

To illustrate the 10-year risks of urinary adverse events (UAEs) among men diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with different types of therapy, accounting for the competing risk of death. Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy among adult males in the United States. Few studies have reported the long-term post-treatment risk of UAEs and those that have, have not appropriately accounted for competing deaths. This paper conducts an inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighted competing risks analysis to estimate the effects of different prostate cancer treatments on the risk of UAE, using a matched-cohort of prostate cancer/non-cancer control patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database. Study dataset included men age 66 years or older that are 83% white and had a median follow-up time of 4.14 years. Patients that underwent combination radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy experienced the highest risk of UAE (IPT-weighted competing risks: HR 3.65 with 95% CI (3.28, 4.07); 10-yr. cumulative incidence = 36.5%). Findings suggest that IPT-weighted competing risks analysis provides an accurate estimator of the cumulative incidence of UAE taking into account the competing deaths as well as measured confounding bias.

Somatic mutation frequencies in the stamen hairs of Tradescantia grown in soil samples from the Bikini Island.

PubMed

Ichikawa, S; Ishii, C

1991-02-01

Somatic pink mutation frequencies in the stamen hairs of Tradescantia BNL 02 clone grown for 76 days in two soil samples taken from the Bikini Island (where a hydrogen bomb explosion test had been conducted in 1954) were investigated. A significantly high mutation frequency (2.58 +/- 0.17 pink mutant events per 10(3) hairs or 1.34 +/- 0.09 pink mutant events per 10(4) hair-cell divisions) was observed for the plant grown in one of the two Bikini soil samples, as compared to the control plants (1.70 +/- 0.14 or 0.88 +/- 0.07, respectively) grown in the field soil of Saitama University. The soil sample which caused the significant increase in mutation frequency contained 6,880 +/- 330 mBq/g 137Cs, 62.5 +/- 4.4 mBq/g 60Co, and some other nuclides; a 150 microR/hr exposure rate being measured on the surface of the soil sample. The effective cumulative external exposures measured for the inflorescences of the plant grown in this soil sample averaged at most 60.8 mR, being too small to explain the significant elevation in mutation frequency observed. On the other hand, internal exposure due to uptake of radioactive nuclides was estimated to be 125 mrad (1.25 mGy) as an accumulated effective dose, mainly based on a gamma-spectrometrical analysis. However, it seemed highly likely that this value of internal exposure was a considerable underestimate, and the internal exposure was considered to be more significant than the external exposure.

Simultaneous Classification and Multidimensional Scaling with External Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiers, Henk A. L.; Vicari, Donatella; Vichi, Maurizio

2005-01-01

For the exploratory analysis of a matrix of proximities or (dis)similarities between objects, one often uses cluster analysis (CA) or multidimensional scaling (MDS). Solutions resulting from such analyses are sometimes interpreted using external information on the objects. Usually the procedures of CA, MDS and using external information are…

SNiPlay: a web-based tool for detection, management and analysis of SNPs. Application to grapevine diversity projects.

PubMed

Dereeper, Alexis; Nicolas, Stéphane; Le Cunff, Loïc; Bacilieri, Roberto; Doligez, Agnès; Peros, Jean-Pierre; Ruiz, Manuel; This, Patrice

2011-05-05

High-throughput re-sequencing, new genotyping technologies and the availability of reference genomes allow the extensive characterization of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletion events (indels) in many plant species. The rapidly increasing amount of re-sequencing and genotyping data generated by large-scale genetic diversity projects requires the development of integrated bioinformatics tools able to efficiently manage, analyze, and combine these genetic data with genome structure and external data. In this context, we developed SNiPlay, a flexible, user-friendly and integrative web-based tool dedicated to polymorphism discovery and analysis. It integrates:1) a pipeline, freely accessible through the internet, combining existing softwares with new tools to detect SNPs and to compute different types of statistical indices and graphical layouts for SNP data. From standard sequence alignments, genotyping data or Sanger sequencing traces given as input, SNiPlay detects SNPs and indels events and outputs submission files for the design of Illumina's SNP chips. Subsequently, it sends sequences and genotyping data into a series of modules in charge of various processes: physical mapping to a reference genome, annotation (genomic position, intron/exon location, synonymous/non-synonymous substitutions), SNP frequency determination in user-defined groups, haplotype reconstruction and network, linkage disequilibrium evaluation, and diversity analysis (Pi, Watterson's Theta, Tajima's D).Furthermore, the pipeline allows the use of external data (such as phenotype, geographic origin, taxa, stratification) to define groups and compare statistical indices.2) a database storing polymorphisms, genotyping data and grapevine sequences released by public and private projects. It allows the user to retrieve SNPs using various filters (such as genomic position, missing data, polymorphism type, allele frequency), to compare SNP patterns between populations, and to export genotyping data or sequences in various formats. Our experiments on grapevine genetic projects showed that SNiPlay allows geneticists to rapidly obtain advanced results in several key research areas of plant genetic diversity. Both the management and treatment of large amounts of SNP data are rendered considerably easier for end-users through automation and integration. Current developments are taking into account new advances in high-throughput technologies.SNiPlay is available at: http://sniplay.cirad.fr/.

Integration of Aquifer Storage Transfer and Recovery and HACCP for Ensuring Drinking Water Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. I.; Ji, H. W.

2015-12-01

The integration of ASTR (Aquifer Storage Transfer and Recovery) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is being attempted to ensure drinking water quality in a delta area. ASTR is a water supply system in which surface water is injected into a well for storage and recovered from a different well. During the process natural water treatment is achieved in the aquifer. ASTR has advantages over surface reservoirs in that the water is protected from external contaminants and free from water loss by evaporation. HACCP, originated from the food industry, can efficiently manage hazards and reduce risks when it is introduced to the drinking water production. The study area is the located in the Nakdong River Delta, South Korea. Water quality of this region has been deteriorated due to the increased pollution loads from the upstream cities and industrial complexes. ASTR equipped with HACCP system is suggested as a means to heighten the public trust in drinking water. After the drinking water supply system using ASTR was decomposed into ten processes, principles of HACCP were applied. Hazardous event analysis was conducted for 114 hazardous events and nine major hazardous events were identified based on the likelihood and the severity assessment. Potential risk of chemical hazards, as a function of amounts, travel distance and toxicity, was evaluated and the result shows the relative threat a city poses to the drinking water supply facility. Next, critical control points were determined using decision tree analysis. Critical limits, maximum and/or minimum values to which biological, chemical or physical parameters must be controlled, were established. Other procedures such as monitoring, corrective actions and will be presented.

Thermal-hydraulic simulation of natural convection decay heat removal in the High Flux Isotope Reactor using RELAP5 and TEMPEST: Part 1, Models and simulation results

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

Morris, D.G.; Wendel, M.W.; Chen, N.C.J.

A study was conducted to examine decay heat removal requirements in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) following shutdown from 85 MW. The objective of the study was to determine when forced flow through the core could be terminated without causing the fuel to melt. This question is particularly relevant when a station blackout caused by an external event is considered. Analysis of natural circulation in the core, vessel upper plenum, and reactor pool indicates that 12 h of forced flow will permit a safe shutdown with some margin. However, uncertainties in the analysis preclude conclusive proof that 12 hmore » is sufficient. As a result of the study, two seismically qualified diesel generators were installed in HFIR. 9 refs., 4 figs.« less

Overview of the Aerothermodynamics Analysis Conducted in Support of the STS-107 Accident Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Charles H.

2004-01-01

A graphic presentation of the aerothermodynamics analysis conducted in support of the STS-107 accident investigation. Investigation efforts were conducted as part of an integrated AATS team (Aero, Aerothermal, Thermal, Stress) directed by OVEWG. Graphics presented are: STS-107 Entry trajectory and timeline (1st off-nominal event to Post-LOS); Indications from OI telemetry data; Aero/aerothermo/thermal analysis process; Selected STS-107 side fuselage/OMS pod off-nominal temperatures; Leading edge structural subsystem; Relevant forensics evidence; External aerothermal environments; STS-107 Pre-entry EOM3 heating profile; Surface heating and temperatures; Orbiter wing leading edge damage survey; Internal aerothermal environments; Orbiter wing CAD model; Aerodynamic flight reconstruction; Chronology of aerodynamic/aerothermoydynamic contributions; Acreage TPS tile damage; Larger OML perturbations; Missing RCC panel(s); Localized damage to RCC panel/missing T-seal; RCC breach with flow ingestion; and Aero-aerothermal closure. NAIT served as the interface between the CAIB and NASA investigation teams; and CAIB requests for study were addressed.

Testing relativistic electron acceleration mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Janet Carol

2002-09-01

This dissertation tests models of relativistic electron acceleration in the earth's outer radiation belt. The models fall into two categories: external and internal. External acceleration models transport and accelerate electrons from a source region in the outer magnetosphere to the inner magnetosphere. Internal acceleration models accelerate a population of electrons already present in the inner magnetosphere. In this dissertation, we test one specific external acceleration mechanism, perform a general test that differentiates between internal and external acceleration models, and test one promising internal acceleration model. We test the models using Polar-HIST data that we transform into electron phase space density (PSD) as a function of adiabatic invariants. We test the ultra low frequency (ULF) wave enhanced radial diffusion external acceleration mechanism by looking for a causal relationship between increased wave power and increased electron PSD at three L* values. One event with increased wave power at two L* values and no subsequent PSD increase does not support the model suggesting that ULF wave power alone is not sufficient to cause an electron response. Excessive loss of electrons and the duration of wave power do not explain the lack of a PSD enhancement at low L*. We differentiate between internal and external acceleration mechanisms by examining the radial profile of electron PSD. We observe PSD profiles that depend on local time. Nightside profiles are highly dependent on the magnetic field model used to calculate PSD as a function of adiabatic invariants and are not reliable. Dayside PSD profiles are more robust and consistent with internal acceleration of electrons. We test one internal acceleration model, the whistler/electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave model, by comparing observed pitch angle distributions to those predicted by the model using a superposed epoch analysis. The observations show pitch angle distributions corresponding to electrons with energy >=4.0 MeV becoming more peaked at 90° during the storm recovery phase. The observation is consistent with but does not confirm the model. Our tests indicate that relativistic electrons are accelerated by an internal source acceleration mechanism but we do not identify a unique mechanism.

Fast-track extreme event attribution: How fast can we disentangle thermodynamic (forced) and dynamic (internal) contributions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haustein, Karsten; Otto, Friederike; Uhe, Peter; Allen, Myles; Cullen, Heidi

2016-04-01

Within the last decade, extreme weather event attribution has emerged as a new field of science and garnered increasing attention from the wider scientific community and the public. Numerous methods have been put forward to determine the contribution of anthropogenic climate change to individual extreme weather events. So far nearly all such analyses were done months after an event has happened. First, we present our newly established method which can assess the fraction of attributable risk (FAR) of a severe weather event due to an external driver in real-time. The method builds on a large ensemble of atmosphere-only GCM/RCM simulations forced by seasonal forecast sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Taking the UK 2013/14 winter floods as an example, we demonstrate that the change in risk for heavy rainfall during the England floods due to anthropogenic climate change is of similar magnitude using either observed or seasonal forecast SSTs. While FAR is assumed to be independent from event-specific dynamic contributions due to anomalous circulation patterns as a first approximation, the risk of an event to occur under current conditions is clearly a function of the state of the atmosphere. The shorter the event, the more it is a result of chaotic internal weather variability. Hence we are interested to (1) attribute the event to thermodynamic and dynamic causes and to (2) establish a sensible time-scale for which we can make a useful and potentially robust attribution statement with regard to event-specific dynamics. Having tested the dynamic response of our model to SST conditions in January 2014, we find that observed SSTs are required to establish a discernible link between anomalous ocean temperatures and the atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic in general and the UK in particular. However, for extreme events occurring under strongly anomalous SST patterns, associated with known low-frequency climate modes such as El Nino or La Nina, forecast SSTs can provide sufficient guidance to determine the dynamic contribution to the event on the basis of monthly mean values. No such link can be made (North Atlantic/Western Europe region) for shorter time-scales, unless the observed state of the circulation is taken as reference for the model analysis (e.g. Christidis et al. 2014). We present results from our most recent attribution analysis for the December 2015 UK floods (Storm Desmond and Eva), during which we find a robust teleconnection link between Pacific SSTs and North Atlantic Jetstream anomalies. This is true for both experiments, with forecast and observed SSTs. We propose a fast and simple analysis method based on the comparison of current climatological circulation patterns with actual and natural conditions. Alternative methods are discussed and analysed regarding their potential for fast-track attribution of the role of dynamics. Also, we briefly revisit the issue of internal vs forced dynamic contributions.

Leading multiple teams: average and relative external leadership influences on team empowerment and effectiveness.

PubMed

Luciano, Margaret M; Mathieu, John E; Ruddy, Thomas M

2014-03-01

External leaders continue to be an important source of influence even when teams are empowered, but it is not always clear how they do so. Extending research on structurally empowered teams, we recognize that teams' external leaders are often responsible for multiple teams. We adopt a multilevel approach to model external leader influences at both the team level and the external leader level of analysis. In doing so, we distinguish the influence of general external leader behaviors (i.e., average external leadership) from those that are directed differently toward the teams that they lead (i.e., relative external leadership). Analysis of data collected from 451 individuals, in 101 teams, reporting to 25 external leaders, revealed that both relative and average external leadership related positively to team empowerment. In turn, team empowerment related positively to team performance and member job satisfaction. However, while the indirect effects were all positive, we found that relative external leadership was not directly related to team performance, and average external leadership evidenced a significant negative direct influence. Additionally, relative external leadership exhibited a significant direct positive influence on member job satisfaction as anticipated, whereas average external leadership did not. These findings attest to the value in distinguishing external leaders' behaviors that are exhibited consistently versus differentially across empowered teams. Implications and future directions for the study and management of external leaders overseeing multiple teams are discussed.

Whistleblowing and organizational ethics.

PubMed

Ray, Susan L

2006-07-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss an external whistleblowing event that occurred after all internal whistleblowing through the hierarchy of the organization had failed. It is argued that an organization that does not support those that whistle blow because of violation of professional standards is indicative of a failure of organizational ethics. Several ways to build an ethics infrastructure that could reduce the need to resort to external whistleblowing are discussed. A relational ethics approach is presented as a way to eliminate the negative consequences of whistleblowing by fostering an interdependent moral community to address ethical concerns.

Childhood adversity and midlife suicidal ideation.

PubMed

Stansfeld, S A; Clark, C; Smuk, M; Power, C; Davidson, T; Rodgers, B

2017-01-01

Childhood adversity predicts adolescent suicidal ideation but there are few studies examining whether the risk of childhood adversity extends to suicidal ideation in midlife. We hypothesized that childhood adversity predicts midlife suicidal ideation and this is partially mediated by adolescent internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders and adult exposure to life events and interpersonal difficulties. At 45 years, 9377 women and men from the UK 1958 British Birth Cohort Study participated in a clinical survey. Childhood adversity was prospectively assessed at the ages of 7, 11 and 16 years. Suicidal ideation at midlife was assessed by the depressive ideas subscale of the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Internalizing and externalizing disorders were measured by the Rutter scales at 16 years. Life events, periods of unemployment, partnership separations and alcohol dependence were measured through adulthood. Illness in the household, paternal absence, institutional care, parental divorce and retrospective reports of parental physical and sexual abuse predicted suicidal ideation at 45 years. Three or more childhood adversities were associated with suicidal ideation at 45 years [odds ratio (OR) 4.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.67-6.94]. Psychological distress at 16 years partially mediated the associations of physical abuse (OR 3.41, 95% CI 2.29-5.75), sexual abuse (OR 4.99, 95% CI 2.90-11.16) with suicidal ideation. Adult life events partially mediated the association of parental divorce (OR 6.34, 95% CI -7.16 to 36.75) and physical (OR 9.59, 95% CI 4.97-27.88) and sexual abuse (OR 6.59, 95% CI 2.40-38.36) with suicidal ideation at 45 years. Adversity in childhood predicts suicidal ideation in midlife, partially mediated by adolescent internalizing and externalizing disorders, adult life events and interpersonal difficulties. Understanding the pathways from adversity to suicidal ideation can inform suicide prevention and the targeting of preventive interventions.

Possible associated signal with GW150914 in the LIGO data

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

Liu, Hao; Jackson, Andrew D., E-mail: liuhao@nbi.dk, E-mail: jackson@nbi.ku.dk

2016-10-01

We present a simple method for the identification of weak signals associated with gravitational wave events. Its application reveals a signal with the same time lag as the GW150914 event in the released LIGO strain data with a significance of approximately 3.2σ. This signal starts about 10 minutes before GW150914 and lasts for about 45 minutes. Subsequent tests suggest that this signal is likely to be due to external sources.

Event visualisation in ALICE - current status and strategy for Run 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedziela, Jeremi; von Haller, Barthélémy

2017-10-01

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is one of the four big experiments running at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which focuses on the study of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) being produced in heavy-ion collisions. The ALICE Event Visualisation Environment (AliEve) is a tool providing an interactive 3D model of the detector’s geometry and a graphical representation of the data. Together with the online reconstruction module, it provides important quality monitoring of the recorded data. As a consequence it has been used in the ALICE Run Control Centre during all stages of Run 2. Static screenshots from the online visualisation are published on the public website - ALICE LIVE. Dedicated converters have been developed to provide geometry and data for external projects. An example of such project is the Total Event Display (TEV) - a visualisation tool recently developed by the CERN Media Lab based on the Unity game engine. It can be easily deployed on any platform, including web and mobile platforms. Another external project is More Than ALICE - an augmented reality application for visitors, overlaying detector descriptions and event visualisations on the camera’s picture. For the future Run 3 both AliEve and TEV will be adapted to fit the ALICE O2 project. Several changes are required due to the new data formats, especially so-called Compressed Time Frames.

EoC Study Update to Examine the Cost, Schedule and Technical Changes to NASA Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bitten, Bob; Emmons, Debra; Shinn, Stephen; Scolese, Chris

2018-01-01

The original National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Explanation of Change (EoC) study was conducted in 2010 to understand the underlying causes of cost and schedule growth. The first study consisted of 25 missions launched from 2000 to 2010 and looked at the events that led to growth. These events were categorized into different bins that were rolled up to quantify whether the growth was due to internal planning, or internal execution, or from external forces and found that the growth was evenly distributed among those three categories. The result of the study presented nine considerations focused at reducing growth due to project external events and internal planning events. Although no one 'magic bullet' consideration was discovered in the previous work, the nine considerations taken as a whole were postulated to help reduce cost and schedule change in future NASA missions. A recent update was conducted that included investigating 8 missions developed since the previous study to determine if the results were different. Cost, schedule, and mass increases were analyzed from the start of Phase B through Preliminary Design Review and Critical Design Review to Launch. As shown in this paper, the results are better with overall cost and schedule growth being reduced. The paper will show a comparison of the previous results to the updated results to show specific reductions and provide an explanation of which recommendations were followed.

Traffic-based feedback on the web.

PubMed

Aizen, Jonathan; Huttenlocher, Daniel; Kleinberg, Jon; Novak, Antal

2004-04-06

Usage data at a high-traffic web site can expose information about external events and surges in popularity that may not be accessible solely from analyses of content and link structure. We consider sites that are organized around a set of items available for purchase or download, consider, for example, an e-commerce site or collection of online research papers, and we study a simple indicator of collective user interest in an item, the batting average, defined as the fraction of visits to an item's description that result in an acquisition of that item. We develop a stochastic model for identifying points in time at which an item's batting average experiences significant change. In experiments with usage data from the Internet Archive, we find that such changes often occur in an abrupt, discrete fashion, and that these changes can be closely aligned with events such as the highlighting of an item on the site or the appearance of a link from an active external referrer. In this way, analyzing the dynamics of item popularity at an active web site can help characterize the impact of a range of events taking place both on and off the site.

Traffic-based feedback on the web

PubMed Central

Aizen, Jonathan; Huttenlocher, Daniel; Kleinberg, Jon; Novak, Antal

2004-01-01

Usage data at a high-traffic web site can expose information about external events and surges in popularity that may not be accessible solely from analyses of content and link structure. We consider sites that are organized around a set of items available for purchase or download, consider, for example, an e-commerce site or collection of online research papers, and we study a simple indicator of collective user interest in an item, the batting average, defined as the fraction of visits to an item's description that result in an acquisition of that item. We develop a stochastic model for identifying points in time at which an item's batting average experiences significant change. In experiments with usage data from the Internet Archive, we find that such changes often occur in an abrupt, discrete fashion, and that these changes can be closely aligned with events such as the highlighting of an item on the site or the appearance of a link from an active external referrer. In this way, analyzing the dynamics of item popularity at an active web site can help characterize the impact of a range of events taking place both on and off the site. PMID:14709676

When the firm prevents the crash: Avoiding market collapse with partial control.

PubMed

Levi, Asaf; Sabuco, Juan; A F Sanjuán, Miguel

2017-01-01

Market collapse is one of the most dramatic events in economics. Such a catastrophic event can emerge from the nonlinear interactions between the economic agents at the micro level of the economy. Transient chaos might be a good description of how a collapsing market behaves. In this work, we apply a new control method, the partial control method, with the goal of avoiding this disastrous event. Contrary to common control methods that try to influence the system from the outside, here the market is controlled from the bottom up by one of the most basic components of the market-the firm. This is the first time that the partial control method is applied on a strictly economical system in which we also introduce external disturbances. We show how the firm is capable of controlling the system avoiding the collapse by only adjusting the selling price of the product or the quantity of production in accordance to the market circumstances. Additionally, we demonstrate how a firm with a large market share is capable of influencing the demand achieving price stability across the retail and wholesale markets. Furthermore, we prove that the control applied in both cases is much smaller than the external disturbances.

The 9.2 ka event in Asian summer monsoon area: the strongest millennial scale collapse of the monsoon during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenchao; Yan, Hong; Dodson, John; Cheng, Peng; Liu, Chengcheng; Li, Jianyong; Lu, Fengyan; Zhou, Weijian; An, Zhisheng

2018-04-01

Numerous Holocene paleo-proxy records exhibit a series of centennial-millennial scale rapid climatic events. Unlike the widely acknowledged 8.2 ka climate anomaly, the likelihood of a significant climate excursion at around 9.2 cal ka BP, which has been notably recognized in some studies, remains to be fully clarified in terms of its magnitude and intensity, as well as its characteristics and spatial distributions in a range of paleoclimatic records. In this study, a peat sediment profile from the Dajiuhu Basin in central China was collected with several geochemical proxies and a pollen analysis carried out to help improve understanding of the climate changes around 9.2 cal ka BP. The results show that the peat development was interrupted abruptly at around 9.2 cal ka BP, when the chemical weathering strength decreased and the tree-pollen declined. This suggests that a strong drier regional climatic event occurred at around 9.2 cal ka BP in central China, which was, in turn, probably connected to the rapid 9.2 ka climate event co-developing worldwide. In addition, based on the synthesis of our peat records and the other Holocene hydrological records from Asian summer monsoon (ASM) region, we further found that the 9.2 ka event probably constituted the strongest abrupt collapse of the Asian monsoon system during the full Holocene interval. The correlations between ASM and the atmospheric 14C production rate, the North Atlantic drift ice records and Greenland temperature indicated that the weakened ASM event at around 9.2 cal ka BP could be interpreted by the co-influence of external and internal factors, related to the changes of the solar activity and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

In-air RBS measurements at the LAMFI external beam setup

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

Silva, T. F.; Added, N.; Moro, M. V.

2014-11-11

This work describes new developments in the external beam setup of the Laboratory of Material Analysis with Ion Beams of the University of São Paulo (LAMFI-USP). This setup was designed to be a versatile analytical station to analyze a broad range of samples. In recent developments, we seek the external beam Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) analysis to complement the Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) measurements. This work presents the initial results of the external beam RBS analysis as well as recent developments to improve the energy resolution RBS measurements, in particular tests to seek for sources of resolution degradation. Thesemore » aspects are discussed and preliminary results of in-air RBS analysis of some test samples are presented.« less

Data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction using TOF PET list-mode centroid of distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Silin; Jin, Xiao; Chan, Chung; Jian, Yiqiang; Mulnix, Tim; Liu, Chi; E Carson, Richard

2017-06-01

Data-driven respiratory gating techniques were developed to correct for respiratory motion in PET studies, without the help of external motion tracking systems. Due to the greatly increased image noise in gated reconstructions, it is desirable to develop a data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction method. In this study, using the Centroid-of-distribution (COD) algorithm, we established a data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction technique using TOF PET list-mode data, and investigated its performance by comparing with an external system-based correction method. Ten human scans with the pancreatic β-cell tracer 18F-FP-(+)-DTBZ were employed. Data-driven respiratory motions in superior-inferior (SI) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions were first determined by computing the centroid of all radioactive events during each short time frame with further processing. The Anzai belt system was employed to record respiratory motion in all studies. COD traces in both SI and AP directions were first compared with Anzai traces by computing the Pearson correlation coefficients. Then, respiratory gated reconstructions based on either COD or Anzai traces were performed to evaluate their relative performance in capturing respiratory motion. Finally, based on correlations of displacements of organ locations in all directions and COD information, continuous 3D internal organ motion in SI and AP directions was calculated based on COD traces to guide event-by-event respiratory motion correction in the MOLAR reconstruction framework. Continuous respiratory correction results based on COD were compared with that based on Anzai, and without motion correction. Data-driven COD traces showed a good correlation with Anzai in both SI and AP directions for the majority of studies, with correlation coefficients ranging from 63% to 89%. Based on the determined respiratory displacements of pancreas between end-expiration and end-inspiration from gated reconstructions, there was no significant difference between COD-based and Anzai-based methods. Finally, data-driven COD-based event-by-event respiratory motion correction yielded comparable results to that based on Anzai respiratory traces, in terms of contrast recovery and reduced motion-induced blur. Data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction using COD showed significant image quality improvement compared with reconstructions with no motion correction, and gave comparable results to the Anzai-based method.

Data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction using TOF PET list-mode centroid of distribution.

PubMed

Ren, Silin; Jin, Xiao; Chan, Chung; Jian, Yiqiang; Mulnix, Tim; Liu, Chi; Carson, Richard E

2017-06-21

Data-driven respiratory gating techniques were developed to correct for respiratory motion in PET studies, without the help of external motion tracking systems. Due to the greatly increased image noise in gated reconstructions, it is desirable to develop a data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction method. In this study, using the Centroid-of-distribution (COD) algorithm, we established a data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction technique using TOF PET list-mode data, and investigated its performance by comparing with an external system-based correction method. Ten human scans with the pancreatic β-cell tracer 18 F-FP-(+)-DTBZ were employed. Data-driven respiratory motions in superior-inferior (SI) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions were first determined by computing the centroid of all radioactive events during each short time frame with further processing. The Anzai belt system was employed to record respiratory motion in all studies. COD traces in both SI and AP directions were first compared with Anzai traces by computing the Pearson correlation coefficients. Then, respiratory gated reconstructions based on either COD or Anzai traces were performed to evaluate their relative performance in capturing respiratory motion. Finally, based on correlations of displacements of organ locations in all directions and COD information, continuous 3D internal organ motion in SI and AP directions was calculated based on COD traces to guide event-by-event respiratory motion correction in the MOLAR reconstruction framework. Continuous respiratory correction results based on COD were compared with that based on Anzai, and without motion correction. Data-driven COD traces showed a good correlation with Anzai in both SI and AP directions for the majority of studies, with correlation coefficients ranging from 63% to 89%. Based on the determined respiratory displacements of pancreas between end-expiration and end-inspiration from gated reconstructions, there was no significant difference between COD-based and Anzai-based methods. Finally, data-driven COD-based event-by-event respiratory motion correction yielded comparable results to that based on Anzai respiratory traces, in terms of contrast recovery and reduced motion-induced blur. Data-driven event-by-event respiratory motion correction using COD showed significant image quality improvement compared with reconstructions with no motion correction, and gave comparable results to the Anzai-based method.

Space Shuttle Program Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) Success Legacy - Major Accomplishments and Lessons Learned Detail Historical Timeline Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, James K.

2010-01-01

This presentation focuses on the Space Shuttle Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) and the people who developed and maintained this system. One theme is to provide quantitative data on software quality and reliability over a 30 year period. Consistent data relates to code break discrepancies. Requirements were supplied from external sources. Requirement inspections and measurements not implemented until later, beginning in 1985. Second theme is to focus on the people and organization of PASS. Many individuals have supported the PASS project over the entire period while transitioning from company to company and contract to contract. Major events and transitions have impacted morale (both positively and negatively) across the life of the project.

A Simple Tiltmeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dix, M. G.; Harrison, D. R.; Edwards, T. M.

1982-01-01

Bubble vial with external aluminum-foil electrodes is sensing element for simple indicating tiltmeter. To measure bubble displacement, bridge circuit detects difference in capacitance between two sensing electrodes and reference electrode. Tiltmeter was developed for experiment on forecasting seismic events by changes in Earth's magnetic field.

Regulating External Threats in the Cigarette Industry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunbar, Roger L.; Wasilewski, Nikolai

1985-01-01

Research was conducted to evaluate how organizationsl systems that are publicly accused of wrongdoing attempt to justify themselves. The pattern of events surrounding smoking and health was examined over a 30-year period. Includes four figures, two tables, and references. (MD)

Let's Face(book) It: Analyzing Interactions in Social Network Groups for Chemistry Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rap, Shelley; Blonder, Ron

2016-02-01

We examined how social network (SN) groups contribute to the learning of chemistry. The main goal was to determine whether chemistry learning could occur in the group discourse. The emphasis was on groups of students in the 11th and 12th grades who learn chemistry in preparation for their final external examination. A total of 1118 discourse events were tallied in the different groups. We analyzed the different events that were found in chemistry learning Facebook groups (CLFGs). The analysis revealed that seven types of interactions were observed in the CLFGs: The most common interaction (47 %) dealt with organizing learning (e.g., announcements regarding homework, the location of the next class); learning interactions were observed in 22 % of the posts, and links to learning materials and social interactions constituted about 20 % each. The learning events that were ascertained underwent a deeper examination and three different types of chemistry learning interactions were identified. This examination was based on the theoretical framework of the commognitive approach to learning (Sfard in Thinking as communicating. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008), which will be explained. The identified learning interactions that were observed in the Facebook groups illustrate the potential of SNs to serve as an additional tool for teachers to advance their students' learning of chemistry.

Prospective study evaluating the use of nasal glucagon for the treatment of moderate to severe hypoglycaemia in adults with type 1 diabetes in a real‐world setting

PubMed Central

Seaquist, Elizabeth R.; Dulude, Hélène; Rabasa‐Lhoret, Remi; Tsoukas, George M.; Conway, James R.; Weisnagel, Stanley J.; Gerety, Gregg; Woo, Vincent C.; Zhang, Shuyu; Carballo, Dolorès; Pradhan, Sheetal; Piché, Claude A.; Guzman, Cristina B.

2018-01-01

In the present multicentre, open‐label, prospective, phase III study, we evaluated the real‐world effectiveness and ease of use of nasal glucagon (NG) in the treatment of moderate/severe hypoglycaemic events (HEs) in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Patients and caregivers were taught how to use NG (3 mg) to treat moderate/severe HEs, record the time taken to awaken or return to normal status, and measure blood glucose (BG) levels over time. Questionnaires were used to collect information about adverse events and ease of use of NG. In the efficacy analysis population, 69 patients experienced 157 HEs. In 95.7% patients, HEs resolved within 30 minutes of NG administration. In all the 12 severe HEs, patients awakened or returned to normal status within 15 minutes of NG administration without additional external medical help. Most caregivers reported that NG was easy to use. Most adverse events were local and of low to moderate severity. In this study, a single, 3‐mg dose of NG demonstrated real‐life effectiveness in treating moderate and severe HEs in adults with T1D. NG was well tolerated and easy to use. PMID:29504662

Analysis of the geophysical data using a posteriori algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voskoboynikova, Gyulnara; Khairetdinov, Marat

2016-04-01

The problems of monitoring, prediction and prevention of extraordinary natural and technogenic events are priority of modern problems. These events include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, the lunar-solar tides, landslides, falling celestial bodies, explosions utilized stockpiles of ammunition, numerous quarry explosion in open coal mines, provoking technogenic earthquakes. Monitoring is based on a number of successive stages, which include remote registration of the events responses, measurement of the main parameters as arrival times of seismic waves or the original waveforms. At the final stage the inverse problems associated with determining the geographic location and time of the registration event are solving. Therefore, improving the accuracy of the parameters estimation of the original records in the high noise is an important problem. As is known, the main measurement errors arise due to the influence of external noise, the difference between the real and model structures of the medium, imprecision of the time definition in the events epicenter, the instrumental errors. Therefore, posteriori algorithms more accurate in comparison with known algorithms are proposed and investigated. They are based on a combination of discrete optimization method and fractal approach for joint detection and estimation of the arrival times in the quasi-periodic waveforms sequence in problems of geophysical monitoring with improved accuracy. Existing today, alternative approaches to solving these problems does not provide the given accuracy. The proposed algorithms are considered for the tasks of vibration sounding of the Earth in times of lunar and solar tides, and for the problem of monitoring of the borehole seismic source location in trade drilling.

Real time chemical exposure and risk monitor

DOEpatents

Thrall, Karla D.; Kenny, Donald V.; Endres, George W. R.; Sisk, Daniel R.

1997-01-01

The apparatus of the present invention is a combination of a breath interface and an external exposure dosimeter interface to a chemical analysis device, all controlled by an electronic processor for quantitatively analyzing chemical analysis data from both the breath interface and the external exposure dosimeter for determining internal tissue dose. The method of the present invention is a combination of steps of measuring an external dose, measuring breath content, then analyzing the external dose and breath content and determining internal tissue dose.

Real time chemical exposure and risk monitor

DOEpatents

Thrall, K.D.; Kenny, D.V.; Endres, G.W.R.; Sisk, D.R.

1997-07-08

The apparatus of the present invention is a combination of a breath interface and an external exposure dosimeter interface to a chemical analysis device, all controlled by an electronic processor for quantitatively analyzing chemical analysis data from both the breath interface and the external exposure dosimeter for determining internal tissue dose. The method of the present invention is a combination of steps of measuring an external dose, measuring breath content, then analyzing the external dose and breath content and determining internal tissue dose. 7 figs.

Executive Functions in Preschool Children with Externalizing Behavior Problems: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoemaker, Kim; Mulder, Hanna; Dekovic, Maja; Matthys, Walter

2013-01-01

Deficits in executive functions (EF) have been found in school-age children and adolescents with externalizing behavior disorders. Present meta-analysis was carried out to determine whether these EF impairments can also be found in preschool children with externalizing behavior problems. Twenty-two studies were included with a total of 4021…

Distinction between Externally vs. Internally Guided Decision-Making: Operational Differences, Meta-Analytical Comparisons and Their Theoretical Implications

PubMed Central

Nakao, Takashi; Ohira, Hideki; Northoff, Georg

2012-01-01

Most experimental studies of decision-making have specifically examined situations in which a single less-predictable correct answer exists (externally guided decision-making under uncertainty). Along with such externally guided decision-making, there are instances of decision-making in which no correct answer based on external circumstances is available for the subject (internally guided decision-making). Such decisions are usually made in the context of moral decision-making as well as in preference judgment, where the answer depends on the subject’s own, i.e., internal, preferences rather than on external, i.e., circumstantial, criteria. The neuronal and psychological mechanisms that allow guidance of decisions based on more internally oriented criteria in the absence of external ones remain unclear. This study was undertaken to compare decision-making of these two kinds empirically and theoretically. First, we reviewed studies of decision-making to clarify experimental–operational differences between externally guided and internally guided decision-making. Second, using multi-level kernel density analysis, a whole-brain-based quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies was performed. Our meta-analysis revealed that the neural network used predominantly for internally guided decision-making differs from that for externally guided decision-making under uncertainty. This result suggests that studying only externally guided decision-making under uncertainty is insufficient to account for decision-making processes in the brain. Finally, based on the review and results of the meta-analysis, we discuss the differences and relations between decision-making of these two types in terms of their operational, neuronal, and theoretical characteristics. PMID:22403525

Low-frequency climate anomalies, changes in synoptic scale circulation patterns and statistics of extreme events over south-east Poland during the Last Millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slawinska, J. M.; Bartoszek, K.; Gabriel, C. J.

2016-12-01

Long-term predictions of changes in extreme event frequency are of utmost importance due to their high societal and economic impact. Yet, current projections are of limited skills as they rely on satellite records that are relatively short compared to the timescale of interest, and also due to the presence of a significant anthropogenic trend superimposed onto other low-frequency variabilities. Novel simulations of past climates provide unique opportunity to separate external perturbations from internal climate anomalies and to attribute the latter to systematic changes in different types of synoptic scale circulation and distributions of high-frequency events. Here we study such changes by employing the Last Millennium Ensemble of climate simulations carried out with the Community Earth System Model (CESM) at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research, focusing in particular on decadal changes in frequency of extreme precipitation events over south-east Poland. We analyze low-frequency modulations of dominant patterns of synoptic scale circulations over Europe and their dependence on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, along with their coupling with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Moreover, we examine whether some decades of persistently anomalous statistics of extreme events can be attributed to externally forced (e.g., via volcanic eruptions) perturbations of the North Atlantic climate. In the end, we discuss the possible linkages and physical mechanisms connecting volcanic eruptions, low-frequency variabilities of North Atlantic climate and changes in statistics of high impact weather, and compare briefly our results with some historical and paleontological records.

The effectiveness of external sensory cues in improving functional performance in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

PubMed

Cassimatis, Constantine; Liu, Karen P Y; Fahey, Paul; Bissett, Michelle

2016-09-01

A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effect external sensory cued therapy on activities of daily living (ADL) performance that include walking and daily tasks such as dressing for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). A detailed computer-aided search of the literature was applied to MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE and PubMed. Studies investigating the effects of external sensory cued therapy on ADL performance for individuals with PD in all stages of disease progression were collected. Relevant articles were critically reviewed and study results were synthesized by two independent researchers. A data-analysis method was used to extract data from selected articles. A meta-analysis was carried out for all randomized-controlled trials. Six studies with 243 individuals with PD were included in this review. All six studies yielded positive findings in favour of external sensory cues. The meta-analysis showed that external sensory cued therapy improved statistically after treatment (P=0.011) and at follow-up (P<0.001) for ADL performance. The results of this review provided evidence of an improvement in ADL performance in general in individuals with PD. It is recommended that clinicians incorporate external sensory into a training programme focused on improving daily task performance.

External inverse-Compton emission from jetted tidal disruption events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wenbin; Kumar, Pawan

2016-05-01

The recent discoveries of Sw J1644+57 and Sw J2058+05 show that tidal disruption events (TDEs) can launch relativistic jets. Super-Eddington accretion produces a strong radiation field of order Eddington luminosity. In a jetted TDE, electrons in the jet will inverse-Compton scatter the photons from the accretion disc and wind (external radiation field). Motivated by observations of thermal optical-UV spectra in Sw J2058+05 and several other TDEs, we assume the spectrum of the external radiation field intercepted by the relativistic jet to be blackbody. Hot electrons in the jet scatter this thermal radiation and produce luminosities 1045-1048 erg s- 1 in the X/γ-ray band. This model of thermal plus inverse-Compton radiation is applied to Sw J2058+05. First, we show that the blackbody component in the optical-UV spectrum most likely has its origin in the super-Eddington wind from the disc. Then, using the observed blackbody component as the external radiation field, we show that the X-ray luminosity and spectrum are consistent with the inverse-Compton emission, under the following conditions: (1) the jet Lorentz factor is Γ ≃ 5-10; (2) electrons in the jet have a power-law distribution dN_e/dγ _e ∝ γ _e^{-p} with γmin ˜ 1 and p = 2.4; (3) the wind is mildly relativistic (Lorentz factor ≳ 1.5) and has isotropic-equivalent mass-loss rate ˜ 5 M⊙ yr- 1. We describe the implications for jet composition and the radius where jet energy is converted to radiation.

42 CFR 438.320 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE External Quality Review § 438.320 Definitions. As used in this subpart— EQR stands for external quality review. EQRO stands for external quality review organization. External quality review means the analysis and evaluation by an EQRO, of aggregated information on quality...

42 CFR 438.320 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE External Quality Review § 438.320 Definitions. As used in this subpart— EQR stands for external quality review. EQRO stands for external quality review organization. External quality review means the analysis and evaluation by an EQRO, of aggregated information on quality...

42 CFR 438.320 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE External Quality Review § 438.320 Definitions. As used in this subpart— EQR stands for external quality review. EQRO stands for external quality review organization. External quality review means the analysis and evaluation by an EQRO, of aggregated information on quality...

42 CFR 438.320 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE External Quality Review § 438.320 Definitions. As used in this subpart— EQR stands for external quality review. EQRO stands for external quality review organization. External quality review means the analysis and evaluation by an EQRO, of aggregated information on quality...

Consensus document regarding cardiovascular safety at sports arenas: position stand from the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), section of Sports Cardiology.

PubMed

Borjesson, Mats; Serratosa, Luis; Carre, Francois; Corrado, Domenico; Drezner, Jonathan; Dugmore, Dorian L; Heidbuchel, Hein H; Mellwig, Klaus-Peter; Panhuyzen-Goedkoop, Nicole M; Papadakis, Michael; Rasmusen, Hanne; Sharma, Sanjay; Solberg, Erik E; van Buuren, Frank; Pelliccia, Antonio

2011-09-01

Mass gathering events in sports arenas create challenges regarding the cardiovascular safety of both athletes and spectators. A comprehensive medical action plan, to ensure properly applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and wide availability and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), is essential to improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest at sporting events. This paper outlines minimum standards for cardiovascular care to assist in the planning of mass gathering sports events across Europe with the intention of local adaptation at individual sports arenas, to ensure the full implementation of the chain of survival.

The natural oscillation of two types of ENSO events based on analyses of CMIP5 model control runs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Kang; Su, Jingzhi; Zhu, Congwen

2014-07-01

The eastern- and central-Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation (EP- and CP-ENSO) have been found to be dominant in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and are characterized by interannual and decadal oscillation, respectively. In the present study, we defined the EP- and CP-ENSO modes by singular value decomposition (SVD) between SST and sea level pressure (SLP) anomalous fields. We evaluated the natural features of these two types of ENSO modes as simulated by the pre-industrial control runs of 20 models involved in phase five of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). The results suggested that all the models show good skill in simulating the SST and SLP anomaly dipolar structures for the EP-ENSO mode, but only 12 exhibit good performance in simulating the tripolar CP-ENSO modes. Wavelet analysis suggested that the ensemble principal components in these 12 models exhibit an interannual and multi-decadal oscillation related to the EP- and CP-ENSO, respectively. Since there are no changes in external forcing in the pre-industrial control runs, such a result implies that the decadal oscillation of CP-ENSO is possibly a result of natural climate variability rather than external forcing.

[Minimal provider volume in total knee replacement : an analysis of the external quality assurance program of North Rhine-Westphalia (QS-NRW)].

PubMed

Kostuj, T; Schulze-Raestrup, U; Noack, M; Buckup, K; Smektala, R

2011-05-01

A minimal provider volume for total knee replacement (TKR) was introduced in 2006. Does this lead to an improvenment in quality or not? The records of treatment in the compulsory external quality assurance program of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia (QS-NRW) were evaluated. A total of 125,324 comparable records from the QS-NRW program were available to determine the appearance of general and surgical complications. In a logistical regression model the risk factors age, gender, ASA classification, comorbidity and duration were taken into account. A significant reduction could only be shown for pneumonia, thrombotic events and lung embolisms as well as vascular injury. In 2006 and 2007 malpositioning of implants was significantly higher and from 2005 to 2008 the number of fractures rose compared to 2004. Deep infections and reoperations did not change significantly during the whole study period. This evaluation could not show an improvement in quality due to the minimal provider volume. Thus the minimal provider volume should not be taken into account as a main criterion to improve quality. Further outcome studies and creating an arthroplasty register in Germany are more useful.

Perceptions of control in adults with epilepsy.

PubMed

Gehlert, S

1994-01-01

That psychosocial problems are extant in epilepsy is evidenced by a suicide rate among epileptic persons five times that of the general population and an unemployment rate estimated to be more than twice that of the population as a whole. External perceptions of control secondary to repeated episodes of seizure activity that generalize to the social sphere have been implicated as causes of these problems. The hypothesis that individuals who continue to have seizures become more and more external in perceptions of control was tested by a survey mailed to a sample of individuals with epilepsy in a metropolitan area of the Midwest. Dependent variables were, scores on instruments measuring locus of control and attributional style. The independent variable was a measure of seizure control based on present age, age at onset, and length of time since last seizure. Gender, socioeconomic status, and certain parenting characteristics were included as control variables, as they are also known to affect perceptions of control. Analysis by multiple regression techniques supported the study's hypothesis when perceptions of control was conceptualized as learned helplessness for bad, but not for good, events. The hypothesis was not confirmed when perceptions of control was conceptualized as either general or health locus of control.

Effects of external electrical and magnetic fields on pacemakers and defibrillators: from engineering principles to clinical practice.

PubMed

Beinart, Roy; Nazarian, Saman

2013-12-24

The overall risk of clinically significant adverse events related to EMI in recipients of CIEDs is very low. Therefore, no special precautions are needed when household appliances are used. Environmental and industrial sources of EMI are relatively safe when the exposure time is limited and distance from the CIEDs is maximized. The risk of EMI-induced events is highest within the hospital environment. Physician awareness of the possible interactions and methods to minimize them is warranted.

Targeting errors in the ICU: use of a national database.

PubMed

Kleinpell, Ruth; Thompson, David; Kelso, Lynn; Pronovost, Peter J

2006-12-01

The authors believe that as we move from viewing adverse event reporting system as punitive, and as the safety culture improves, reporting will likely increase. Voluntary incident reporting systems can be used to improve patient safety in the ICU by identifying broken or inadequate systems that lead to adverse events [26]. Voluntary external reporting systems such as the ICUSRS can be used to target errors and produce evidence-based best practice measures to improve patient safety in the ICU.

Attributional Style and the Freshman Writer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Douglas K.; Mercier, Judith D.

Martin Seligman's psychology research on depression, published in 7 books and hundreds of articles, shows a correlation between attributional style and depression. "Explanatory style" is another term nearly synonymous with attributional style, a habitual way to explain, positively or negatively, external events. A "learned"…

Predictive Validity of ICD-11 PTSD as Measured by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised: A 15-Year Prospective Study of Political Prisoners.

PubMed

Hyland, Philip; Brewin, Chris R; Maercker, Andreas

2017-04-01

The 11 th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11; World Health Organization, 2017) proposes a model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that includes 6 symptoms. This study assessed the ability of a classification-independent measure of posttraumatic stress symptoms, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1996), to capture the ICD-11 model of PTSD. The current study also provided the first assessment of the predictive validity of ICD-11 PTSD. Former East German political prisoners were assessed in 1994 (N = 144) and in 2008-2009 (N = 88) on numerous psychological variables using self-report measures. Of the participants, 48.2% and 36.8% met probable diagnosis for ICD-11 PTSD at the first and second assessments, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the 3-factor ICD-11 model of PTSD, as represented by items selected from the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that, controlling for sex, the symptom clusters of ICD-11 PTSD (reexperiencing, avoidance, and sense of threat) significantly contributed to the explanation of depression (R 2 = .17), quality of life (R 2 = .21), internalized anger (R 2 = .10), externalized anger (R 2 = .12), hatred of perpetrators (R 2 = .15), dysfunctional disclosure (R 2 = .27), and social acknowledgment as a victim (R 2 = .12) across the 15-year study period. Current findings add support for the factorial and predictive validity of ICD-11 PTSD within a unique cohort of political prisoners. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Simulation Experiment and Acoustic Emission Study on Coal and Gas Outburst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hui; Feng, Zengchao; Zhao, Dong; Duan, Dong

2017-08-01

A coal and gas outburst is an extreme hazard in underground mining. The present paper conducts a laboratory simulation of a coal and gas outburst combined with acoustic emission analysis. The experiment uses a three-dimensional stress loading system and a PCI-2 acoustic emission monitoring system. Furthermore, the development of a coal and gas outburst is numerically studied. The results demonstrate that the deformation and failure of a coal sample containing methane under three-dimensional stress involves four stages: initial compression, elastic deformation, plastic deformation and failure. The development of internal microscale fractures within a coal sample containing methane is reflected by the distribution of acoustic emission events. We observed that the deformation and failure zone for a coal sample under three-dimensional stress has an ellipsoid shape. Primary acoustic emission events are generated at the weak structural surface that compresses with ease due to the external ellipsoid-shaped stress. The number of events gradually increases until an outburst occurs. A mathematical model of the internal gas pressure and bulk stress is established through an analysis of the internal gas pressure and bulk stress of a coal sample, and it is useful for reproducing experimental results. The occurrence of a coal and gas outburst depends not only on the in situ stress, gas pressure and physical and mechanical characteristics of the coal mass but also on the free weak surface of the outburst outlet of the coal mass. It is more difficult for an outburst to occur from a stronger free surface.

An experimental study of non-destructive testing on glass fibre reinforced polymer composites after high velocity impact event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, N.; Sultan, M. T. H.; Cardona, F.

2016-10-01

A non-destructive testing method on Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) after high velocity impact event using single stage gas gun (SSGG) is presented. Specimens of C- type and E-type fibreglass reinforcement, which were fabricated with 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm thicknesses and size 100 mm x 100 mm, were subjected to a high velocity impact with three types of bullets: conical, hemispherical and blunt at various gas gun pressure levels from 6 bar to 60 bar. Visual observation techniques using a lab microscope were used to determine the infringed damage by looking at the crack zone. Dye penetrants were used to inspect the area of damage, and to evaluate internal and external damages on the specimens after impact. The results from visual analysis of the impacted test laminates were discussed and presented. It was found that the impact damage started with induced delamination, fibre cracking and then failure, simultaneously with matrix cracking and breakage, and finally followed by the fibres pulled out. C-type experienced more damaged areas compared to E-type of GFRP.

Changing choices: disabled and chronically ill people's experiences of reconsidering choices.

PubMed

Baxter, Kate

2013-06-01

To increase understanding of disabled and chronically ill people's experiences of revisiting choices by considering events that prompted people to reconsider choices; what factors motivated them to act upon these events and what factors affected their experiences of revisiting choices. A sub-sample of 20 disabled and chronically ill people who took part in a qualitative, longitudinal study exploring choice-making in the context of changing circumstances. Each person was interviewed three times. Analysis focussed on choices that people had been prompted to revisit. Most choices were about health or social care and were revisited within a year due to: changes in health or social circumstances; poorer than expected outcomes; and external interventions. People were motivated to make changes by a desire to maintain independence and control, but perceived short-term costs of decision-making could act as a deterrent. Experiences of revisiting choices were affected by help from other people and emotional strength. Making and revisiting choices is complex; people need support to engage with the continual cycle of choice-making. People who instigate revisions of their own accord may be particularly vulnerable to lack of support.

DAPNe with micro-capillary separatory chemistry-coupled to MALDI-MS for the analysis of polar and non-polar lipid metabolism in one cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Jason S.; Aguilar, Roberto; Petros, Robby A.; Verbeck, Guido F.

2017-05-01

The cellular metabolome is considered to be a representation of cellular phenotype and cellular response to changes to internal or external events. Methods to expand the coverage of the expansive physiochemical properties that makeup the metabolome currently utilize multi-step extractions and chromatographic separations prior to chemical detection, leading to lengthy analysis times. In this study, a single-step procedure for the extraction and separation of a sample using a micro-capillary as a separatory funnel to achieve analyte partitioning within an organic/aqueous immiscible solvent system is described. The separated analytes are then spotted for MALDI-MS imaging and distribution ratios are calculated. Initially, the method is applied to standard mixtures for proof of partitioning. The extraction of an individual cell is non-reproducible; therefore, a broad chemical analysis of metabolites is necessary and will be illustrated with the one-cell analysis of a single Snu-5 gastric cancer cell taken from a cellular suspension. The method presented here shows a broad partitioning dynamic range as a single-step method for lipid analysis demonstrating a decrease in ion suppression often present in MALDI analysis of lipids.

Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis.

PubMed

Pinquart, Martin

2017-05-01

The present meta-analysis integrates research from 1,435 studies on associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing symptoms in children and adolescents. Parental warmth, behavioral control, autonomy granting, and an authoritative parenting style showed very small to small negative concurrent and longitudinal associations with externalizing problems. In contrast, harsh control, psychological control, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting were associated with higher levels of externalizing problems. The strongest associations were observed for harsh control and psychological control. Parental warmth, behavioral control, harsh control, psychological control, autonomy granting, authoritative, and permissive parenting predicted change in externalizing problems over time, with associations of externalizing problems with warmth, behavioral control, harsh control, psychological control, and authoritative parenting being bidirectional. Moderating effects of sampling, child's age, form of externalizing problems, rater of parenting and externalizing problems, quality of measures, and publication status were identified. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Relative contributions of external forcing factors to circulation and hydrographic properties in a micro-tidal bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Seokjin; Kasai, Akihide

2017-11-01

The dominant external forcing factors influencing estuarine circulation differ among coastal environments. A three-dimensional regional circulation model was developed to estimate external influence indices and relative contributions of external forcing factors such as external oceanic forcing, surface heat flux, wind stress, and river discharge to circulation and hydrographic properties in Tango Bay, Japan. Model results show that in Tango Bay, where the Tsushima Warm Current passes offshore of the bay, under conditions of strong seasonal winds and river discharge, the water temperature and salinity are strongly influenced by surface heat flux and river discharge in the surface layer, respectively, while in the middle and bottom layers both are mainly controlled by open boundary conditions. The estuarine circulation is comparably influenced by all external forcing factors, the strong current, surface heat flux, wind stress, and river discharge. However, the influence degree of each forcing factor varies with temporal variations in external forcing factors as: the influence of open boundary conditions is higher in spring and early summer when the stronger current passes offshore of the bay, that of surface heat flux reflects the absolute value of surface heat flux, that of wind stress is higher in late fall and winter due to strong seasonal winds, and that of river discharge is higher in early spring due to snow-melting and summer and early fall due to flood events.

Nifedipine as a uterine relaxant for external cephalic version: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Kok, Marjolein; Bais, Joke M; van Lith, Jan M; Papatsonis, Dimitri M; Kleiverda, Gunilla; Hanny, Dahrs; Doornbos, Johannes P; Mol, Ben W; van der Post, Joris A

2008-08-01

To estimate the effectiveness of nifedipine as a uterine relaxant during external cephalic version to correct breech presentation. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, women with a singleton fetus in breech presentation and a gestational age of 36 weeks or more were eligible for enrollment. Participating women received two doses of either nifedipine 10 mg or placebo, 30 and 15 minutes before the external cephalic version attempt. The primary outcome was a cephalic-presenting fetus immediately after the procedure. Secondary outcome measures were cephalic presentation at delivery, mode of delivery, and adverse events. A sample size of 292 was calculated to provide 80% power to detect a 17% improvement of the external cephalic version success rate, assuming a placebo group rate of 40% and alpha of .05. Outcome data for 310 of 320 randomly assigned participants revealed no significant difference in external cephalic version success rates between treatment (42%) and control group (37%) (relative risk 1.1, 95%; 95% confidence interval 0.85-1.5). The cesarean delivery rate was 51% in the treatment group and 46% in the control group (relative risk 1.1, 95% confidence interval 0.88-1.4). Nifedipine did not significantly improve the success of external cephalic version. Future use of nifedipine to improve the outcome of external cephalic version should be limited to large clinical trials.

Remote Imaging of Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Entry Heating Risk Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuster, David M.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Schwartz, Richard J.

2016-01-01

A Measure of Performance (MOP) identified with an Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Multi- Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Program Flight Test Objective (FTO) (OFT1.091) specified an observation during reentry though external ground-based or airborne assets with thermal detection capabilities. The objective of this FTO was to be met with onboard Developmental Flight Instrumentation (DFI), but the MOP for external observation was intended to provide complementary quantitative data and serve as a risk reduction in the event of anomalous DFI behavior (or failure). Mr. Gavin Mendeck, the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Phase Engineer for the MPCV Program (Vehicle Integration Office/Systems & Mission Integration) requested a risk-reduction assessment from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to determine whether quantitative imagery could be obtained from remote aerial assets to support the external observation MOP. If so, then a viable path forward was to be determined, risks identified, and an observation pursued. If not, then the MOP for external observation was to be eliminated.

Trajectories of Internalizing, Externalizing, and Grades for Children Who Have and Have Not Experienced Their Parents' Divorce or Separation

PubMed Central

Lansford, Jennifer E.; Malone, Patrick S.; Castellino, Domini R.; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Pettit, Gregory S.; Bates, John E.

2009-01-01

This study examined whether the occurrence and timing of parental separation or divorce was related to trajectories of academic grades and mother- and teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing problems. The authors used hierarchical linear models to estimate trajectories for children who did and did not experience their parents' divorce or separation in kindergarten through 10th grade (N = 194). A novel approach to analyzing the timing of divorce/separation was adopted, and trajectories were estimated from 1 year prior to the divorce/separation to 3 years after the event. Results suggest that early parental divorce/separation is more negatively related to trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems than is later divorce/separation, whereas later divorce/separation is more negatively related to grades. One implication of these findings is that children may benefit most from interventions focused on preventing internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas adolescents may benefit most from interventions focused on promoting academic achievement. PMID:16756405

Trajectories of internalizing, externalizing, and grades for children who have and have not experienced their parents' divorce or separation.

PubMed

Lansford, Jennifer E; Malone, Patrick S; Castellino, Domini R; Dodge, Kenneth A; Pettit, Gregory S; Bates, John E

2006-06-01

This study examined whether the occurrence and timing of parental separation or divorce was related to trajectories of academic grades and mother- and teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing problems. The authors used hierarchical linear models to estimate trajectories for children who did and did not experience their parents' divorce or separation in kindergarten through 10th grade (N = 194). A novel approach to analyzing the timing of divorce/separation was adopted, and trajectories were estimated from 1 year prior to the divorce/separation to 3 years after the event. Results suggest that early parental divorce/separation is more negatively related to trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems than is later divorce/separation, whereas later divorce/separation is more negatively related to grades. One implication of these findings is that children may benefit most from interventions focused on preventing internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas adolescents may benefit most from interventions focused on promoting academic achievement. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Improved background rejection in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments using a magnetic field in a high pressure xenon TPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renner, J.; Cervera, A.; Hernando, J. A.; Imzaylov, A.; Monrabal, F.; Muñoz, J.; Nygren, D.; Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.

2015-12-01

We demonstrate that the application of an external magnetic field could lead to an improved background rejection in neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay experiments using a high-pressure xenon (HPXe) TPC. HPXe chambers are capable of imaging electron tracks, a feature that enhances the separation between signal events (the two electrons emitted in the 0νββ decay of 136Xe) and background events, arising chiefly from single electrons of kinetic energy compatible with the end-point of the 0νββ decay (0Qββ). Applying an external magnetic field of sufficiently high intensity (in the range of 0.5-1 Tesla for operating pressures in the range of 5-15 atmospheres) causes the electrons to produce helical tracks. Assuming the tracks can be properly reconstructed, the sign of the curvature can be determined at several points along these tracks, and such information can be used to separate signal (0νββ) events containing two electrons producing a track with two different directions of curvature from background (single-electron) events producing a track that should spiral in a single direction. Due to electron multiple scattering, this strategy is not perfectly efficient on an event-by-event basis, but a statistical estimator can be constructed which can be used to reject background events by one order of magnitude at a moderate cost (about 30%) in signal efficiency. Combining this estimator with the excellent energy resolution and topological signature identification characteristic of the HPXe TPC, it is possible to reach a background rate of less than one count per ton-year of exposure. Such a low background rate is an essential feature of the next generation of 0νββ experiments, aiming to fully explore the inverse hierarchy of neutrino masses.

External validation of the TIMI risk score for secondary cardiovascular events among patients with recent myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Williams, Brent A; Chagin, Kevin M; Bash, Lori D; Boden, William E; Duval, Sue; Fowkes, F Gerry R; Mahaffey, Kenneth W; Patel, Mehul D; D'Agostino, Ralph B; Peterson, Eric D; Kattan, Michael W; Bhatt, Deepak L; Bonaca, Marc P

2018-05-01

Risk stratification of patients with recent myocardial infarction (MI) for subsequent cardiovascular (CV) events helps identify patients most likely to benefit from secondary prevention therapies. This study externally validated a new risk score (TRS2˚P) for secondary events derived from the TRA2°P-TIMI 50 trial among post-MI patients from two large health care systems. This retrospective cohort study included 9618 patients treated for acute MI at either the Cleveland Clinic (CC) or Geisinger Health System (GHS) between 2008 and 2013. Patients with a clinic visit within 2-52 weeks of MI were included and followed for CV death, repeat MI, and ischemic stroke through electronic medical records (EMR). The TRS2˚P is based on nine factors determined through EMR documentation. Discrimination and calibration of the TRS2˚P were quantified in both patient populations. MI patients at CC and GHS were older, had more comorbidities, received fewer medications, and had higher 3-year event rates compared to subjects in the TRA2°P trial: 31% (CC), 33% (GHS), and 10% (TRA2°P-TIMI 50). The proposed risk score had similar discrimination across the three cohorts with c-statistics of 0.66 (CC), 0.66 (GHS), and 0.67 (TRA2°P-TIMI 50). A strong graded relationship between the risk score and event rates was observed in all cohorts, though 3-year event rates were consistently higher within TRS2°P strata in the CC and GHS cohorts relative to TRA2˚P-TIMI 50. The TRS2˚P demonstrated consistent risk discrimination across trial and non-trial patients with recent MI, but event rates were consistently higher in the non-trial cohorts. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Virtual stress testing of fracture stability in soldiers with severely comminuted tibial fractures.

PubMed

Petfield, Joseph L; Hayeck, Garry T; Kopperdahl, David L; Nesti, Leon J; Keaveny, Tony M; Hsu, Joseph R

2017-04-01

Virtual stress testing (VST) provides a non-invasive estimate of the strength of a healing bone through a biomechanical analysis of a patient's computed tomography (CT) scan. We asked whether VST could improve management of patients who had a tibia fracture treated with external fixation. In a retrospective case-control study of 65 soldier-patients who had tibia fractures treated with an external fixator, we performed VST utilizing CT scans acquired prior to fixator removal. The strength of the healing bone and the amount of tissue damage after application of an overload were computed for various virtual loading cases. Logistic regression identified computed outcomes with the strongest association to clinical events related to nonunion within 2 months after fixator removal. Clinical events (n = 9) were associated with a low tibial strength for compression loading (p < 0.05, AUC = 0.74) or a low proportion of failed cortical bone tissue for torsional loading (p < 0.005, AUC = 0.84). Using post-hoc thresholds of a compressive strength of four times body-weight and a proportional of failed cortical bone tissue of 5%, the test identified all nine patients who failed clinically (100% sensitivity; 40.9% positive predictive value) and over three fourths of those (43 of 56) who progressed to successful healing (76.8% specificity; 100% negative predictive value). In this study, VST identified all patients who progressed to full, uneventful union after fixator removal; thus, we conclude that this new test has the potential to provide a quantitative, objective means of identifying tibia-fracture patients who can safely resume weight bearing. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:805-811, 2017. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bleeding and infection with external ventricular drainage: a systematic review in comparison with adjudicated adverse events in the ongoing Clot Lysis Evaluating Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage Phase III (CLEAR-III IHV) trial.

PubMed

Dey, Mahua; Stadnik, Agnieszka; Riad, Fady; Zhang, Lingjiao; McBee, Nichol; Kase, Carlos; Carhuapoma, J Ricardo; Ram, Malathi; Lane, Karen; Ostapkovich, Noeleen; Aldrich, Francois; Aldrich, Charlene; Jallo, Jack; Butcher, Ken; Snider, Ryan; Hanley, Daniel; Ziai, Wendy; Awad, Issam A

2015-03-01

Retrospective series report varied rates of bleeding and infection with external ventricular drainage (EVD). There have been no prospective studies of these risks with systematic surveillance, threshold definitions, or independent adjudication. To analyze the rate of complications in the ongoing Clot Lysis: Evaluating Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage Phase III (CLEAR III) trial, providing a comparison with a systematic review of complications of EVD in the literature. Patients were prospectively enrolled in the CLEAR III trial after placement of an EVD for obstructive intraventricular hemorrhage and randomized to receive recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator or placebo. We counted any detected new hemorrhage (catheter tract hemorrhage or any other distant hemorrhage) on computed tomography scan within 30 days from the randomization. Meta-analysis of published series of EVD placement was compiled with STATA software. Growing or unstable hemorrhage was reported as a cause of exclusion from the trial in 74 of 5707 cases (1.3%) screened for CLEAR III. The first 250 patients enrolled have completed adjudication of adverse events. Forty-two subjects (16.8%) experienced ≥1 new bleeds or expansions, and 6 of 250 subjects (2.4%) suffered symptomatic hemorrhages. Eleven cases (4.4%) had culture-proven bacterial meningitis or ventriculitis. Risks of bleeding and infection in the ongoing CLEAR III trial are comparable to those previously reported in EVD case series. In the present study, rates of new bleeds and bacterial meningitis/ventriculitis are very low despite multiple daily injections, blood in the ventricles, the use of thrombolysis in half the cases, and generalization to >60 trial sites.

Geostatistical interpolation of hourly precipitation from rain gauges and radar for a large-scale extreme rainfall event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberlandt, Uwe

2007-01-01

SummaryThe methods kriging with external drift (KED) and indicator kriging with external drift (IKED) are used for the spatial interpolation of hourly rainfall from rain gauges using additional information from radar, daily precipitation of a denser network, and elevation. The techniques are illustrated using data from the storm period of the 10th to the 13th of August 2002 that led to the extreme flood event in the Elbe river basin in Germany. Cross-validation is applied to compare the interpolation performance of the KED and IKED methods using different additional information with the univariate reference methods nearest neighbour (NN) or Thiessen polygons, inverse square distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK) and ordinary indicator kriging (IK). Special attention is given to the analysis of the impact of the semivariogram estimation on the interpolation performance. Hourly and average semivariograms are inferred from daily, hourly and radar data considering either isotropic or anisotropic behaviour using automatic and manual fitting procedures. The multivariate methods KED and IKED clearly outperform the univariate ones with the most important additional information being radar, followed by precipitation from the daily network and elevation, which plays only a secondary role here. The best performance is achieved when all additional information are used simultaneously with KED. The indicator-based kriging methods provide, in some cases, smaller root mean square errors than the methods, which use the original data, but at the expense of a significant loss of variance. The impact of the semivariogram on interpolation performance is not very high. The best results are obtained using an automatic fitting procedure with isotropic variograms either from hourly or radar data.

Two-Year Colleges Move Toward Global Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Raymond E.

1977-01-01

Describes events and factors contributing to a global orientation for community colleges, including external and internal forces, the role of university professors, agencies and professional organizations, foreign students, and the influence of staff and student travel. Possibilities and requirements of continued global development are discussed.…

Colby Alcohol Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seitzinger, Janice

Due to a variety of internal and external events the Student Affairs Committee of Colby College (Maine) studied alcohol use on campus and recommended solutions in two major areas, educational and social. Five educational strategies were recommended: (1) development of clear policies regarding alcohol and other drugs; (2) enforcement of…

Neural responses to feedback information produced by self-generated or other-generated decision-making and their impairment in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Toyomaki, Atsuhito; Hashimoto, Naoki; Kako, Yuki; Murohashi, Harumitsu; Kusumi, Ichiro

2017-01-01

Several studies of self-monitoring dysfunction in schizophrenia have focused on the sense of agency to motor action using behavioral and psychophysiological techniques. So far, no study has ever tried to investigate whether the sense of agency or causal attribution for external events produced by self-generated decision-making is abnormal in schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate neural responses to feedback information produced by self-generated or other-generated decision-making in a multiplayer gambling task using even-related potentials and electroencephalogram synchronization. We found that the late positive component and theta/alpha synchronization were increased in response to feedback information in the self-decision condition in normal controls, but that these responses were significantly decreased in patients with schizophrenia. These neural activities thus reflect the self-reference effect that affects the cognitive appraisal of external events following decision-making and their impairment in schizophrenia.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission Observations and Non-Force Free Modeling of a Flux Transfer Event Immersed in a Super-Alfvenic Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrugia, C. J.; Lavraud, B.; Torbert, R. B.; Argall, M.; Kacem, I.; Yu, W.; Alm, L.; Burch, J.; Russell, C. T.; Shuster, J.;

Shear localization in three-dimensional amorphous solids.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Ratul; Gendelman, Oleg; Mishra, Pankaj; Procaccia, Itamar; Shor, Carmel A B Z

2013-09-01

In this paper we extend the recent theory of shear localization in two-dimensional (2D) amorphous solids to three dimensions. In two dimensions the fundamental instability of shear localization is related to the appearance of a line of displacement quadrupoles that makes an angle of 45^{∘} with the principal stress axis. In three dimensions the fundamental plastic instability is also explained by the formation of a lattice of anisotropic elastic inclusions. In the case of pure external shear stress, we demonstrate that this is a 2D triangular lattice of similar elementary events. It is shown that this lattice is arranged on a plane that, similarly to the 2D case, makes an angle of 45^{∘} with the principal stress axis. This solution is energetically favorable only if the external strain exceeds a yield-strain value that is determined by the strain parameters of the elementary events and the Poisson ratio. The predictions of the theory are compared to numerical simulations and very good agreement is observed.

Species-specific control of external superoxide levels by the coral holobiont during a natural bleaching event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, Julia M.; Hansel, Colleen M.; Apprill, Amy; Brighi, Caterina; Zhang, Tong; Weber, Laura; McNally, Sean; Xun, Liping

2016-12-01

The reactive oxygen species superoxide (O2.-) is both beneficial and detrimental to life. Within corals, superoxide may contribute to pathogen resistance but also bleaching, the loss of essential algal symbionts. Yet, the role of superoxide in coral health and physiology is not completely understood owing to a lack of direct in situ observations. By conducting field measurements of superoxide produced by corals during a bleaching event, we show substantial species-specific variation in external superoxide levels, which reflect the balance of production and degradation processes. Extracellular superoxide concentrations are independent of light, algal symbiont abundance and bleaching status, but depend on coral species and bacterial community composition. Furthermore, coral-derived superoxide concentrations ranged from levels below bulk seawater up to ~120 nM, some of the highest superoxide concentrations observed in marine systems. Overall, these results unveil the ability of corals and/or their microbiomes to regulate superoxide in their immediate surroundings, which suggests species-specific roles of superoxide in coral health and physiology.

Bottom-up perspectives of extreme event and climate change threats to water quality: Drinking water utilities in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekstrom, J.; Klasic, M.; Fencl, A.; Lubell, M.; Bedsworth, L. W.; Baker, E.

2016-12-01

Extreme events impact water quality, which pose serious challenges for drinking water systems. Such extreme events, including wildfire, storm surge, and other weather-related extremes, are projected to increase under a changing climate. It remains unclear what climate change information can support water managers in preparing for more extreme events. Exploring this topic requires understanding the larger question: What is the role of scientific information in adapting to climate change? We present two parts of a three-year study geared to understand whether, where, why and in what way climate information (or the lack of) is used or needed to support long term water quality planning for extreme events. In 2015 we surveyed California drinking water utilities and found a wide range of extreme event/water quality issues, perspectives on the severity of climate change threats, drought impacts and trusted information sources relating to water quality concerns. Approximately 70% of 259 respondents had recently experienced extreme weather-related events that worsen or trigger water quality. Survey results informed development of a case study analysis to gain a more in-depth understanding of what type of - or when - extreme events information could support climate adaptation. Projections of extreme events are often not in a form that is useable for water quality planning. Relative to supply-related projections, water quality has received much less scientific attention, leaving it an assumed scientific information gap and need for management. The question remains whether filling this gap would help adaptation, whom it would help, and in what way. Based on interviews with water systems in Summer 2016, our case study analyses reinforce that extreme events threaten water quality in many ways; largely as secondary impacts of climate change. Secondary impacts involve disinfection byproducts, increasing salinity in the Delta, and the use of lower quality sources. The most common barriers impeding effective adaptation were not related to information. Instead, respondents frequently expressed the obstacles of external institutions not coordinating with their needs. This demonstrates why climate adaptation must simultaneously occur at multiple levels of governance in order for water systems to successfully advance.

Infrasound and seismic analysis of the SpaceX Falcon9 explosion sequence of 1-September-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, G.; McNutt, S. R.; Brown, R. G.; Braunmiller, J.; Mehta, C.

2017-12-01

During a static launch test on 1-Sep-2016 at Kennedy Space Center, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded causing loss of the rocket and the payload, and extensively damaging the launch complex. The sequence was captured by a 3-element infrasound array and a broadband 3-component seismometer at the Astronaut Beach House, just 0.87 miles (1.4 km) from the launch pad. Manual picking identified 153 impulsive airwave signals over a 26-minute interval and these were compared to video recordings of the sequence. The explosion onset consisted of a moderate signal on both seismic and infrasound (52 Pa) instruments. This corresponds to the rupture of the second-stage fuel tank. We found no signals before this, so we do not believe that there was an external cause. The primary fuel tank ruptured 4 seconds later and was the strongest event by far, producing an infrasound signal that exceeded 1400 Pa ( 2000 Pa in reduced pressure). The seismic signal consists mainly of air-coupled Rayleigh waves with frequencies of 5-23 Hz. The infrasound events occurred in four clusters. The first cluster included the onset and main events and 46 smaller events. This was followed by several minutes without infrasound signals during which a 3.5 minute continuous seismic vibration occurred. Cluster 2 consisted of 4 events ranging from 117-256 Pa. Cluster 3 comprised 96 events of 7-78 Pa. Cluster 4 consisted of 5 events with overpressures of 23-63 Pa. Gaps of several minutes without infrasound and seismic signals occurred between clusters 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. In terms of energy, the main event dominated; in terms of numbers, cluster 3 had the most infrasound events. The seismic and infrasound data are complementary to video recordings of the explosion, and provide additional characterization that may be useful to interpret the sequence of events. Because of the proximity of our array to this rocket explosion, our dataset may be unique.

Magnetic field reconnection. [energy conversion in space plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonnerup, U. O.

1979-01-01

A reasonably detailed description is obtained of the current status of our understanding of magnetic field reconnection. The picture that emerges is of a process, simple in concept but extremely complicated and multifaceted in detail. Nonlinear MHD processes in the external flow region, governed by distant boundary conditions, are coupled to nonlinear microscopic plasma processes in the diffusion region, in a manner not clearly understood. It appears that reconnection may operate in entirely different ways for different plasma parameters and different external boundary conditions. Steady reconnection may be allowed in some cases, forbidden in others, with intermediate situations involving impulsive or pulsative events.

External tank processing from barge to pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, J. E.

1985-01-01

Delivery and launch readiness events for the External Tanks (ET) are discussed. The ET is off-loaded at the KSC Barge Turning Basin and towed to the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB), High Bay Transfer Aisle. It is erected vertically and placed in the ET Checkout Area of High Bay 2 or 4 for standalone checkout. At the completion of checkout the ET is transferred to storage or to the Integration Area of High Bay 1 or 3 for SRB and Orbiter Mate. A Systems Integration Test performed with the Orbiter and Solid Rocket Booster is described. Final checkout activities are also described.

KSC-05PD-1575

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. The gate is open to Launch Pad 39B where Space Shuttle Discovery remains on the pad after scrub of Return to Flight mission STS-114. The July 13 mission was scrubbed when a low-level fuel cut-off sensor for the liquid hydrogen tank inside the External Tank failed a routine prelaunch check during the countdown July 13, causing mission managers to scrub Discovery's first launch attempt. The sensor protects the Shuttle's main engines by triggering their shutdown in the event fuel runs unexpectedly low. The sensor is one of four inside the liquid hydrogen section of the External Tank (ET).

Two Distinct Families of Protein Kinases Are Required for Plant Growth under High External Mg2+ Concentrations in Arabidopsis1

PubMed Central

Mogami, Junro; Fujita, Yasunari; Yoshida, Takuya; Tsukiori, Yoshifumi; Nakagami, Hirofumi; Nomura, Yuko; Fujiwara, Toru; Nishida, Sho; Yanagisawa, Shuichi; Ishida, Tetsuya; Takahashi, Fuminori; Morimoto, Kyoko; Kidokoro, Satoshi; Mizoi, Junya; Shinozaki, Kazuo

2015-01-01

Protein phosphorylation events play key roles in maintaining cellular ion homeostasis in higher plants, and the regulatory roles of these events in Na+ and K+ transport have been studied extensively. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing Mg2+ transport and homeostasis in higher plants remain poorly understood, despite the vital roles of Mg2+ in cellular function. A member of subclass III sucrose nonfermenting-1-related protein kinase2 (SnRK2), SRK2D/SnRK2.2, functions as a key positive regulator of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated signaling in response to water deficit stresses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we used immunoprecipitation coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses to identify Calcineurin B-like-interacting protein kinase26 (CIPK26) as a novel protein that physically interacts with SRK2D. In addition to CIPK26, three additional CIPKs (CIPK3, CIPK9, and CIPK23) can physically interact with SRK2D in planta. The srk2d/e/i triple mutant lacking all three members of subclass III SnRK2 and the cipk26/3/9/23 quadruple mutant lacking CIPK26, CIPK3, CIPK9, and CIPK23 showed reduced shoot growth under high external Mg2+ concentrations. Similarly, several ABA biosynthesis-deficient mutants, including aba2-1, were susceptible to high external Mg2+ concentrations. Taken together, our findings provided genetic evidence that SRK2D/E/I and CIPK26/3/9/23 are required for plant growth under high external Mg2+ concentrations in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, we showed that ABA, a key molecule in water deficit stress signaling, also serves as a signaling molecule in plant growth under high external Mg2+ concentrations. These results suggested that SRK2D/E/I- and CIPK26/3/9/23-mediated phosphorylation signaling pathways maintain cellular Mg2+ homeostasis. PMID:25614064

Suicide and external mortality pattern in a cohort of migrants from the former Soviet Union to Germany.

PubMed

Deckert, Andreas; Winkler, Volker; Meisinger, Christa; Heier, Margit; Becher, Heiko

2015-04-01

Mental health consequences of migration are manifold. Where some migrants experience migration as liberation from life threatening conditions, others suffer from hostility and social descent in the target country. This study investigates deaths due to external causes, suicides, and events of undetermined intent in German repatriates from the Former Soviet Union. The relation between age at migration and suicide mortality is also explored. A cohort of German repatriates who migrated between 1990 and 1999 was followed-up until 2010. Each individual accumulated time at risk, expressed in person years (PY). Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated, supplemented by subgroup analyses for age and calendar year strata, and immigration period. Multivariate Poisson models were used to investigate the influence of age, sex, calendar year, number of moves, and final move distance. A total of 6378 German repatriates (3031 men, 3347 women) accumulated 92,149 PY. Median age at immigration was 30 years in women and 27 years in men. Women's all-cause mortality was significantly lower (SMR = 0.85 [0.75; 0.97]). Men more often died from external causes (SMR = 1.58 [1.09; 2.23]), intentional self-harm (SMR = 1.68 [0.90; 2.88]), and events of undetermined intent such as poisoning by drugs (SMR = 8.07 [4.02; 14.44]). External cause mortality was significantly increased after 1995 (SMR = 1.87). In particular, men who migrated when they were 11-20 years old were at strongly increased risk of committing suicide (SMR = 3.84) or dying due to events of undetermined intent (SMR = 14.75). The most endangered subgroup is men who migrated at teenage age. Protective factors such as strong family bounds formerly present in the FSU failed in Germany, the higher population density caused intense friction. The changes in the families' ethnical composition from mostly ethnic German members in the early 90s' towards predominantly Russian members around the turn of the millennium complicated integration. Setting-oriented prevention measures should consider the families' migration history, their link to culture and religion, and the different concepts of mental health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conception of a method for the creation of volcanic risk index maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bion, P.; Van Wyk de Vries, B.; Valentine, G.

2012-04-01

Risk index maps are a variant of risk maps, having the advantage of containing unique kinds of information - levels of risk spatially represented - and can therefore be a more effective communication tool than traditional risk maps. Nevertheless, despite their apparent simplicity, their achievement is the result of a complex risk analysis, requiring the consideration of multidisciplinary indicators, expressing different parameters of the physical and human dimensions of the environment and their interactions. The risk index is obtained in three main stages: the definition of hazard and vulnerability indicators, the transformation of the indicators into subindices through mathematical processes (formulation, standardization, weighting), and the combination of the subindices into a final index. As of now, only few attempts of risk quantification have been done, related to landslide, flood or seismic hazards, and those linked to volcanic hazards are very incomplete because of the specificities and complexities of these kinds of events and their effects. Volcanic hazards have the particularity of being of different types, moreover all events can combine together or be combined with other external events (e.g. meteorological), and they can reach and therefore affect extensive areas by different phenomena. The methodology developed here assesses risk levels in regions potentially impacted by volcanic hazards. It incorporates volcanic hazard specificities and nuances of "vulnerability" by integrating the diversity of the environmental components. It analyses the natural and human strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which are located within the areas potentially "at risk". Consequently, it considers negative but also positive indicators (respectively aggravating and improving the potential consequences), which can be internal but also external to the volcanic hazards. The approach also considers a temporal variability of the events and their direct or indirect associated effects. The developed approach tends to be especially aimed at urban planners, who would possess a new fundamental tool for organizing the territories located "nearby" volcanoes, in which population density is continually increasing. The volcanic risk index maps would give indications on the areas with the highest risk level, and the urban planners would also be able to determine the elements causing such level. This would lead them to the possibility of proposing recommendations and adequate measures to participate to the reduction of vulnerability, in particular in limiting the exposure and the impacts associated with the volcanic hazards, which would consequently reduce the volcanic risks.

Agency alters perceptual decisions about action-outcomes.

PubMed

Desantis, Andrea; Waszak, Florian; Gorea, Andrei

2016-10-01

Humans experience themselves as agents, capable of controlling their actions and the outcomes they generate (i.e., the sense of agency). Inferences of agency are not infallible. Research shows that we often attribute outcomes to our agency even though they are caused by another agent. Moreover, agents report the sensory events they generate to be less intense compared to the events that are generated externally. These effects have been assessed using highly suprathreshold stimuli and subjective measurements. Consequently, it remains unclear whether experiencing oneself as an agent lead to a decision criterion change and/or a sensitivity change. Here, we investigate this issue. Participants were told that their key presses generated an upward dot motion but that on 30 % of the trials the computer would take over and display a downward motion. The upward/downward dot motion was presented at participant's discrimination threshold. Participants were asked to indicate whether they (upward motion) or the computer (downward motion) generated the motion. This group of participants was compared with a 'no-agency' group who performed the same task except that subjects did not execute any actions to generate the dot motion. We observed that the agency group reported seeing more frequently the motion they expected to generate (i.e., upward motion) than the no-agency group. This suggests that agency distorts our experience of (allegedly) caused events by altering perceptual decision processes, so that, in ambiguous contexts, externally generated events are experienced as the outcomes of one's actions.

A robust null hypothesis for the potential causes of megadrought in western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ault, T.; St George, S.; Smerdon, J. E.; Coats, S.; Mankin, J. S.; Cruz, C. C.; Cook, B.; Stevenson, S.

2017-12-01

The western United States was affected by several megadroughts during the last 1200 years, most prominently during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA: 800 to 1300 CE). A null hypothesis is developed to test the possibility that, given a sufficiently long period of time, these events are inevitable and occur purely as a consequence of internal climate variability. The null distribution of this hypothesis is populated by a linear inverse model (LIM) constructed from global sea-surface temperature anomalies and self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index data for North America. Despite being trained only on seasonal data from the late 20th century, the LIM produces megadroughts that are comparable in their duration, spatial scale, and magnitude as the most severe events of the last 12 centuries. The null hypothesis therefore cannot be rejected with much confidence when considering these features of megadrought, meaning that similar events are possible today, even without any changes to boundary conditions. In contrast, the observed clustering of megadroughts in the MCA, as well as the change in mean hydroclimate between the MCA and the 1500-2000 period, are more likely to have been caused by either external forcing or by internal climate variability not well sampled during the latter half of the Twentieth Century. Finally, the results demonstrate the LIM is a viable tool for determining whether paleoclimate reconstructions events should be ascribed to external forcings, "out of sample" climate mechanisms, or if they are consistent with the variability observed during the recent period.

Extension Procedures for Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagy, Gabriel; Brunner, Martin; Lüdtke, Oliver; Greiff, Samuel

2017-01-01

We present factor extension procedures for confirmatory factor analysis that provide estimates of the relations of common and unique factors with external variables that do not undergo factor analysis. We present identification strategies that build upon restrictions of the pattern of correlations between unique factors and external variables. The…

Data Prediction for Public Events in Professional Domains Based on Improved RNN- LSTM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Bonan; Fan, Chunxiao; Wu, Yuexin; Sun, Juanjuan

2018-02-01

The traditional data services of prediction for emergency or non-periodic events usually cannot generate satisfying result or fulfill the correct prediction purpose. However, these events are influenced by external causes, which mean certain a priori information of these events generally can be collected through the Internet. This paper studied the above problems and proposed an improved model—LSTM (Long Short-term Memory) dynamic prediction and a priori information sequence generation model by combining RNN-LSTM and public events a priori information. In prediction tasks, the model is qualified for determining trends, and its accuracy also is validated. This model generates a better performance and prediction results than the previous one. Using a priori information can increase the accuracy of prediction; LSTM can better adapt to the changes of time sequence; LSTM can be widely applied to the same type of prediction tasks, and other prediction tasks related to time sequence.

Life events, locus of control, and behavioral problems among Chinese adolescents.

PubMed

Liu, X; Kurita, H; Uchiyama, M; Okawa, M; Liu, L; Ma, D

2000-12-01

This study examined associations of life events and locus of control with behavioral problems among 1,365 Chinese adolescents by using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC), and the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children. Results indicated that the overall prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems was 10.7% (95% CI = 9.9-11.5%). Logistic-regression analyses showed that a total of 13 negative life events mainly coming from academic domain and interpersonal relationships, high life-stress score, and high external locus score significantly increased the risk for behavioral problems. Life stress and locus of control significantly interacted with behavioral problems. These findings support the linkage between stressful life events and psychopathology in a general population of adolescents from mainland China, and demonstrate the stress-moderating effects of locus of control on psychopathology as well.

A study of occurrence rates of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) to aircraft with a focus on HIRF (external) High Intensity Radiated Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shooman, Martin L.

1994-01-01

This report presents the methodology and results of a subjective study done by Polytechnic University to investigate Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) events on aircraft. The results cover various types of EMI from on-board aircraft systems, passenger carry-on devices, and externally generated disturbances. The focus of the study, however, was on externally generated EMI, termed High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF), from radars, radio and television transmitters, and other man-made emitters of electromagnetic energy. The study methodology used an anonymous questionnaire distributed to experts to gather the data. This method is known as the Delphi or Consensus Estimation technique. The questionnaire was sent to an expert population of 230 and there were 57 respondents. Details of the questionnaire, a few anecdotes, and the statistical results of the study are presented.

SESAME: a software tool for the numerical dosimetric reconstruction of radiological accidents involving external sources and its application to the accident in Chile in December 2005.

PubMed

Huet, C; Lemosquet, A; Clairand, I; Rioual, J B; Franck, D; de Carlan, L; Aubineau-Lanièce, I; Bottollier-Depois, J F

2009-01-01

Estimating the dose distribution in a victim's body is a relevant indicator in assessing biological damage from exposure in the event of a radiological accident caused by an external source. This dose distribution can be assessed by physical dosimetric reconstruction methods. Physical dosimetric reconstruction can be achieved using experimental or numerical techniques. This article presents the laboratory-developed SESAME--Simulation of External Source Accident with MEdical images--tool specific to dosimetric reconstruction of radiological accidents through numerical simulations which combine voxel geometry and the radiation-material interaction MCNP(X) Monte Carlo computer code. The experimental validation of the tool using a photon field and its application to a radiological accident in Chile in December 2005 are also described.

Attributing anthropogenic impact on regional heat wave events using CAM5 model large ensemble simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, S. H.; Chen, C. T.

2017-12-01

Extreme heat waves have serious impacts on society. It was argued that the anthropogenic forcing might substantially increase the risk of extreme heat wave events (e.g. over western Europe in 2003 and over Russia in 2010). However, the regional dependence of such anthropogenic impact and the sensitivity of the attributed risk to the definition of heat wave still require further studies. In our research framework, the change in the frequency and severity of a heat wave event under current conditions is calculated and compared with the probability and magnitude of the event if the effects of particular external forcing, such as due to human influence, had been absent. In our research, we use the CAM5 large ensemble simulation from the CLIVAR C20C+ Detection and Attribution project (http://portal.nersc.gov/c20c/main.html, Folland et al. 2014) to detect the heat wave events occurred in both historical all forcing run and natural forcing only run. The heat wave events are identified by partial duration series method (Huth et al., 2000). We test the sensitivity of heat wave thresholds from daily maximum temperature (Tmax) in warm season (from May to September) between 1959 and 2013. We consider the anthropogenic effect on the later period (2000-2013) when the warming due to human impact is more evident. Using Taiwan and surrounding area as our preliminary research target, We found the anthropogenic effect will increase the heat wave day per year from 30 days to 75 days and make the mean starting(ending) day for heat waves events about 15-30 days earlier(later). Using the Fraction of Attribution Risk analysis to estimate the risk of frequency of heat wave day, our results show the anthropogenic forcing very likely increase the heat wave days over Taiwan by more than 50%. Further regional differences and sensitivity of the attributed risk to the definition of heat wave will be compared and discussed.

Extrapolating Survival from Randomized Trials Using External Data: A Review of Methods

PubMed Central

Jackson, Christopher; Stevens, John; Ren, Shijie; Latimer, Nick; Bojke, Laura; Manca, Andrea; Sharples, Linda

2016-01-01

This article describes methods used to estimate parameters governing long-term survival, or times to other events, for health economic models. Specifically, the focus is on methods that combine shorter-term individual-level survival data from randomized trials with longer-term external data, thus using the longer-term data to aid extrapolation of the short-term data. This requires assumptions about how trends in survival for each treatment arm will continue after the follow-up period of the trial. Furthermore, using external data requires assumptions about how survival differs between the populations represented by the trial and external data. Study reports from a national health technology assessment program in the United Kingdom were searched, and the findings were combined with “pearl-growing” searches of the academic literature. We categorized the methods that have been used according to the assumptions they made about how the hazards of death vary between the external and internal data and through time, and we discuss the appropriateness of the assumptions in different circumstances. Modeling choices, parameter estimation, and characterization of uncertainty are discussed, and some suggestions for future research priorities in this area are given. PMID:27005519

Influence of Internal and External Noise on Spontaneous Visuomotor Synchronization.

PubMed

Varlet, Manuel; Schmidt, R C; Richardson, Michael J

2016-01-01

Historically, movement noise or variability is considered to be an undesirable property of biological motor systems. In particular, noise is typically assumed to degrade the emergence and stability of rhythmic motor synchronization. Recently, however, it has been suggested that small levels of noise might actually improve the functioning of motor systems and facilitate their adaptation to environmental events. Here, the authors investigated whether noise can facilitate spontaneous rhythmic visuomotor synchronization. They examined the influence of internal noise in the rhythmic limb movements of participants and external noise in the movement of an oscillating visual stimulus on the occurrence of spontaneous synchronization. By indexing the natural frequency variability of participants and manipulating the frequency variability of the visual stimulus, the authors demonstrated that both internal and external noise degrade synchronization when the participants' and stimulus movement frequencies are similar, but can actually facilitate synchronization when the frequencies are different. Furthermore, the two kinds of noise interact with each other. Internal noise facilitates synchronization only when external noise is minimal and vice versa. Too much internal and external noise together degrades synchronization. These findings open new perspectives for better understanding the role of noise in human rhythmic coordination.

Nonlinear External Kink Computing with NIMROD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunkers, K. J.; Sovinec, C. R.

2016-10-01

Vertical displacement events (VDEs) during disruptions often include non-axisymmetric activity, including external kink modes, which are driven unstable as contact with the wall eats into the q-profile. The NIMROD code is being applied to study external-kink-unstable tokamak profiles in toroidal and cylindrical geometries. Simulations with external kinks show the plasma swallowing a vacuum bubble, similar to. NIMROD reproduces external kinks in both geometries, using an outer vacuum region (modeled as a plasma with a large resistivity), but as the boundary between the vacuum and plasma regions becomes more 3D, the resistivity becomes a 3D function, and it becomes more difficult for algebraic solves to converge. To help allow non-axisymmetric, nonlinear VDE calculations to proceed without restrictively small time-steps, several computational algorithms have been tested. Flexible GMRES, using a Fourier and real space representation for the toroidal angle has shown improvements. Off-diagonal preconditioning and a multigrid approach were tested and showed little improvement. A least squares finite element method (LSQFEM) has also helped improve the algebraic solve. This effort is supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, Award Numbers DE-FG02-06ER54850 and DE-FC02-08ER54975.

International Space Station External Contamination Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikatarian, Ron; Soares, Carlos

2000-01-01

PResentation slides examine external contamination requirements; International Space Station (ISS) external contamination sources; ISS external contamination sensitive surfaces; external contamination control; external contamination control for pre-launch verification; flight experiments and observations; the Space Shuttle Orbiter waste water dump, materials outgassing, active vacuum vents; example of molecular column density profile, modeling and analysis tools; sources of outgassing induced contamination analyzed to date, quiescent sources, observations on optical degradation due to induced external contamination in LEO; examples of typical contaminant and depth profiles; and status of the ISS system, material outgassing, thruster plumes, and optical degradation.

Life-saving automated external defibrillation in a teenager: a case report

PubMed Central

Rey, Corsino; Rodríguez-Nuñez, Antonio; Medina, Alberto; Mayordomo, Juan

2007-01-01

Background Adolescent sudden death during sport participation is commonly due to cardiac causes. Survival is more likely when an automated external defibrillator (AED) is used soon after collapse. Case presentation We describe a case of sudden death in a 14 year old boy with two remarkable points, successful resuscitation at school using an AED and diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately started by a witness and 5 minutes after the event the child was placed on an AED monitor that determined he was in a non shockable rhythm, therefore CPR was continued. Two minutes later, the AED monitor detected a shockable rhythm and recommended a shock, which was then administered. One minute after the shock, a palpable pulse was detected and the child began to breathe by himself. Four days after cardiac arrest, the boy was conversing and self-caring. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of ARVC. Conclusion Ventricular fibrillation secondary to ARVC may be a devastating event and places young patients and athletes at high risk of sudden death. Immediate CPR and AED have been demonstrated to be lifesaving in such events. Therefore, we suggest that schools should have teachers skilled in CPR and accessible AEDs. PMID:17767706

The occurrence of external causes in childhood in emergency care: epidemiological aspects, Brazil, 2014.

PubMed

Malta, Deborah Carvalho; Mascarenhas, Márcio Dênis Medeiros; Silva, Marta Maria Alves da; Carvalho, Mércia Gomes Oliveira de; Barufaldi, Laura Augusta; Avanci, Jovina Quintes; Bernal, Regina Tomie Ivata

2016-12-01

To describe emergency care for external causes in childhood, age group 0-9 years, in Brazilian capitals, collected from the Violence and Accident Surveillance System (VIVA) Survey in 2014. To review data from the VIVA survey conducted in public emergency services in 24 Brazilian capitals. Variables analyzed were gender, age group (0-1 years, 2-5 years and 6-9 years), race/skin color, type of events and injuries, aggressors and other. Eight thousand five hundred eighty-eight children received care, of which 8,164 (95%) were victims of accidents and 424 (5%) of violence. Boys suffered more accidents, most events occurred at home (65%) and discharge was the most frequent outcome. Falls were the most frequent accidents, followed by other accidents, road injury and burns. Neglect prevailed among the types of violence, followed by physical violence. The perpetrator was a child's relative in 72% of the cases, and women were the most frequent aggressors for children under 1 year, and men for children aged 6 to 9 years. Childhood accidents occurred mainly at home, and falls were the most frequent events. Family members and acquaintances perpetrated violence against children. Data point to the implementation of public prevention and child protection policies.

When the firm prevents the crash: Avoiding market collapse with partial control

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Market collapse is one of the most dramatic events in economics. Such a catastrophic event can emerge from the nonlinear interactions between the economic agents at the micro level of the economy. Transient chaos might be a good description of how a collapsing market behaves. In this work, we apply a new control method, the partial control method, with the goal of avoiding this disastrous event. Contrary to common control methods that try to influence the system from the outside, here the market is controlled from the bottom up by one of the most basic components of the market—the firm. This is the first time that the partial control method is applied on a strictly economical system in which we also introduce external disturbances. We show how the firm is capable of controlling the system avoiding the collapse by only adjusting the selling price of the product or the quantity of production in accordance to the market circumstances. Additionally, we demonstrate how a firm with a large market share is capable of influencing the demand achieving price stability across the retail and wholesale markets. Furthermore, we prove that the control applied in both cases is much smaller than the external disturbances. PMID:28832608

How Not to Succeed in the Professions Without Really Trying of The Seven Stages of Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feshbach, Norma D.

1973-01-01

The point of view of this paper is that discriminatory practices and, indeed, other environmental or external events, do not completely account for the discrepancy between the professional success achieved by men and that achieved by women. (Author)

Effects of Rehearsal on Perceived and Imagined Autobiographical Memories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suengas, Aurora G.; Johnson, Marcia K.

It has been shown that internally generated (thought or imagination) and externally generated (events, things, or people encountered in the past) autobiographical memories differ in characteristic ways. To examine the consequences of rehearsal on simulated perceived and imagined autobiographical memories, 36 undergraduate students participated in…

African American Male Leaders in Counseling: Interviews with Five AMCD Past Presidents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Megan L.; Roysircar, Gargi

2010-01-01

Interviews with 5 African American male past presidents of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development provided insights into minority leadership. Among observed themes, a communal worldview permeated actions, historical events affected development, personal traits and external resources promoted resilience, and skin color…

Neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version: Cost analysis.

PubMed

Yamasato, Kelly; Kaneshiro, Bliss; Salcedo, Jennifer

2015-07-01

Neuraxial blockade (epidural or spinal anesthesia/analgesia) with external cephalic version increases the external cephalic version success rate. Hospitals and insurers may affect access to neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version, but the costs to these institutions remain largely unstudied. The objective of this study was to perform a cost analysis of neuraxial blockade use during external cephalic version from hospital and insurance payer perspectives. Secondarily, we estimated the effect of neuraxial blockade on cesarean delivery rates. A decision-analysis model was developed using costs and probabilities occurring prenatally through the delivery hospital admission. Model inputs were derived from the literature, national databases, and local supply costs. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to assess model robustness. Neuraxial blockade was cost saving to both hospitals ($30 per delivery) and insurers ($539 per delivery) using baseline estimates. From both perspectives, however, the model was sensitive to multiple variables. Monte Carlo simulation indicated neuraxial blockade to be more costly in approximately 50% of scenarios. The model demonstrated that routine use of neuraxial blockade during external cephalic version, compared to no neuraxial blockade, prevented 17 cesarean deliveries for every 100 external cephalic versions attempted. Neuraxial blockade is associated with minimal hospital and insurer cost changes in the setting of external cephalic version, while reducing the cesarean delivery rate. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version: Cost analysis

PubMed Central

Yamasato, Kelly; Kaneshiro, Bliss; Salcedo, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Aim Neuraxial blockade (epidural or spinal anesthesia/analgesia) with external cephalic version increases the external cephalic version success rate. Hospitals and insurers may affect access to neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version, but the costs to these institutions remain largely unstudied. The objective of this study was to perform a cost analysis of neuraxial blockade use during external cephalic version from hospital and insurance payer perspectives. Secondarily, we estimated the effect of neuraxial blockade on cesarean delivery rates. Methods A decision–analysis model was developed using costs and probabilities occurring prenatally through the delivery hospital admission. Model inputs were derived from the literature, national databases, and local supply costs. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to assess model robustness. Results Neuraxial blockade was cost saving to both hospitals ($30 per delivery) and insurers ($539 per delivery) using baseline estimates. From both perspectives, however, the model was sensitive to multiple variables. Monte Carlo simulation indicated neuraxial blockade to be more costly in approximately 50% of scenarios. The model demonstrated that routine use of neuraxial blockade during external cephalic version, compared to no neuraxial blockade, prevented 17 cesarean deliveries for every 100 external cephalic versions attempted. Conclusions Neuraxial blockade is associated with minimal hospital and insurer cost changes in the setting of external cephalic version, while reducing the cesarean delivery rate. PMID:25771920

Distributed Cognition on the road: Using EAST to explore future road transportation systems.

PubMed

Banks, Victoria A; Stanton, Neville A; Burnett, Gary; Hermawati, Setia

2018-04-01

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) are set to revolutionise the way in which we use our transportation system. However, we do not fully understand how the integration of wireless and autonomous technology into the road transportation network affects overall network dynamism. This paper uses the theoretical principles underlying Distributed Cognition to explore the dependencies and interdependencies that exist between system agents located within the road environment, traffic management centres and other external agencies in both non-connected and connected transportation systems. This represents a significant step forward in modelling complex sociotechnical systems as it shows that the principles underlying Distributed Cognition can be applied to macro-level systems using the visual representations afforded by the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety and Efficacy of Thoracic External Beam Radiotherapy After Airway Stenting in Malignant Airway Obstruction

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

Rochet, Nathalie, E-mail: nrochet@partners.org; Hauswald, Henrik; Schmaus, Martina

Purpose: We retrospectively evaluated the outcome and toxicity of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) after airway stents were placed in patients treated for malignant airway obstruction. Methods and Materials: Between 2004 and 2009, we performed airway stenting followed by EBRT in 43 patients for symptomatic primary lung cancer (n = 31) or other thoracic malignancies (n = 12). The median time interval between stent placement and first irradiation was 14 days. A median total dose of 50 Gy was delivered. Sixty-seven percent of the patients had reduced performance status (Karnofsky performance score, {<=}70). Results: EBRT had to be stopped prematurely inmore » 16 patients (37%), at a median total dose of 17 Gy, for various reasons. In this group of patients, the survival was poor, with a median overall survival (OS) of only 21 days. Twenty-seven patients (63%) completed radiotherapy as planned, with a median OS of 8.4 months. Fourteen of 43 patients (33%) developed at least one Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event of grade 3 to 5. The most common event was a malignant restenosis of the stent leading to asphyxia (n = 7), followed by fistula formation (n = 4), necrosis (n = 3), mediastinitis with abscess (n = 1), secondary nonmalignant airway stenosis (n = 1), and hemoptysis (n = 1). With the exception of one event, all events were associated with a local progression of the tumor. Conclusions: Although the long-term prognosis for patients with malignant airway obstruction is poor, airway stenting combined with EBRT offers a possible therapeutic option, achieving fast relief of acute respiratory distress with an associated antitumor effect, resulting in a potential survival benefit. However, due to local advanced tumor growth, increased rates of adverse events are to be expected, necessitating careful monitoring.« less

Acute cardiac events and deployment of emergency medical teams and automated external defibrillators in large football stadiums in the Netherlands.

PubMed

van de Sandt, Femke; Umans, Victor

2009-10-01

The incidence of acute cardiac events - including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - may be increased in visitors of large sports stadiums when compared with the general population. This study sought to investigate the incidence of acute cardiac events inside large Dutch football stadiums, as well as the emergency response systems deployed in these stadiums and the success rate for in-stadium resuscitation. Retrospective cohort study using a questionnaire sent to the 20 Dutch stadiums that hosted professional matches during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 football seasons. Stadium capacity ranged from 3600 to 51 600 spectators. Nearly 13 million spectators attended 686 'Eredivisie' (Honorary Division) and European football matches. All stadiums distribute multiple emergency medical teams among the spectators. Eighty-five percent of the stadiums have an ambulance standby during matches, 95% of the stadiums were equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) during the study period. On an average, one AED was available for every 7576 spectators (range 1800-29 600). Ninety-three cardiac events were reported (7.3 per 1 million spectators). An AED was used 22 times (1.7 per 1 million spectators). Resuscitation was successful in 18 cases (82%, 95% confidence interval: 61-93). The incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest inside large football stadiums in the Netherlands, albeit increased when compared with the general population, is low. The success rate for in-stadium resuscitation by medical teams equipped with AEDs is high. Dutch stadiums appear vigilant in regard to acute cardiac events. This report highlights the importance of adequate emergency medical response systems (including AEDs) in large sports venues.

The mediational role of parenting on the longitudinal relation between child personality and externalizing behavior.

PubMed

Prinzie, Peter; van der Sluis, Cathy M; de Haan, Amaranta D; Deković, Maja

2010-08-01

Building on prior cross-sectional work, this longitudinal study evaluated the proposition that maternal and paternal overreactive and authoritative parenting mediates the effect of child personality characteristics on externalizing behavior. Data from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality, and Problem Behavior were used in a moderated mediation analysis (N=434). Teachers rated children's Big Five characteristics, fathers and mothers rated their parenting, and 3 years later, children rated their externalizing behavior. Mediational analysis revealed both direct and indirect effects. Higher levels of Extraversion and lower levels of Benevolence were related directly to higher levels of child externalizing behavior. Higher levels of paternal authoritative parenting and lower levels of maternal overreactivity were related to lower scores on externalizing behavior. In addition, the relation between Benevolence, Emotional Stability, and externalizing behavior was partially mediated by parental overreactivity. Conscientiousness had an indirect effect on externalizing behavior through paternal authoritative parenting. Relations were not moderated by child gender. This study is of theoretical interest because the results demonstrate that parenting is a mediating mechanism that accounts for associations between personality and externalizing behavior.

Performance of Oil Infrastructure during Hurricane Harvey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernier, C.; Kameshwar, S.; Padgett, J.

2017-12-01

Three major refining centers - Corpus Christi, Houston, and Beaumont/Port Arthur - were affected during Hurricane Harvey. Damage to oil infrastructure, especially aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), caused the release of more than a million gallons of hazardous chemicals in the environment. The objective of this presentation is to identify and gain a better understanding of the different damage mechanisms that occurred during Harvey in order to avoid similar failures during future hurricane events. First, a qualitative description of the damage suffered by ASTs during Hurricane Harvey is presented. Analysis of aerial imagery and incident reports indicate that almost all spills were caused by rainfall and the associated flooding. The largest spill was caused by two large ASTs that floated due to flooding in the Houston Ship Channel releasing 500,000 gallons of gasoline. The vulnerability of ASTs subjected to flooding was already well known and documented from previous storm events. In addition to flooding, Harvey also exposed the vulnerability of ASTs with external floating roof to extreme rainfall; more than 15 floating roofs sank or tilted due to rain water accumulation on them, releasing pollutants in the atmosphere. Secondly, recent fragility models developed by the authors are presented which allow structural vulnerability assessment of floating roofs during rainfall events and ASTs during flood events. The fragility models are then coupled with Harvey rainfall and flood empirical data to identify the conditions (i.e.: internal liquid height or density, drainage system design and efficiency, etc.) that could have led to the observed failures during Hurricane Harvey. Finally, the conditions causing tank failures are studied to propose mitigation measures to prevent future AST failures during severe storm, flood, or rainfall events.

Cardiac events in football and strategies for first-responder treatment on the field.

PubMed

Schmied, Christian; Drezner, Jonathan; Kramer, Efraim; Dvorak, Jiri

2013-12-01

The incidence and outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and global strategies for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in football are not known. The aim of this study was to estimate the occurrence of cardiac events in football and to investigate the preventive measures taken among the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) member associations internationally. A questionnaire was sent to the member associations of FIFA. The first section addressed the previous events of SCA, SCD or unexplained sports-related sudden death within the last 10 years. Further questions focused on football player medical screening strategies and SCA resuscitation response protocols on the field. 126 of 170 questionnaires were returned (response rate 74.1%), and 103 questionnaires (60.6%) were completed sufficiently to include in further analysis. Overall, 107 cases of SCA/SCD and 5 unexplained football-associated sudden deaths were reported. These events occurred in 52 of 103 responding associations (50.5%). 23 of 112 (20.5%) footballers survived. 12 of 22 (54.5%) players treated with an available automated external defibrillators (AED) on the pitch survived. A national registry to monitor cardiac events was established in only 18.4% of the associations. Most associations (85.4%) provide regular cardiac screening for their national teams while 75% screen teams of the national leagues. An AED is available at all official matches in 68% of associations. National registries to accurately measure SCA/SCD in football are rare and greatly needed. Deficiencies in emergency preparations, undersupply of AEDs on the field during matches, and variability in resuscitation response protocols and training of team-staff members should be addressed to effectively prevent SCD in football.

The Persistence of Experience: Prior Attentional and Emotional State Affects Network Functioning in a Target Detection Task.

PubMed

Stern, Emily R; Muratore, Alexandra F; Taylor, Stephan F; Abelson, James L; Hof, Patrick R; Goodman, Wayne K

2015-09-01

Efficient, adaptive behavior relies on the ability to flexibly move between internally focused (IF) and externally focused (EF) attentional states. Despite evidence that IF cognitive processes such as event imagination comprise a significant amount of awake cognition, the consequences of internal absorption on the subsequent recruitment of brain networks during EF tasks are unknown. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study employed a novel attentional state switching task. Subjects imagined positive and negative events (IF task) or performed a working memory task (EF task) before switching to a target detection (TD) task also requiring attention to external information, allowing for the investigation of neural functioning during external attention based on prior attentional state. There was a robust increase of activity in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions during TD when subjects were previously performing the EF compared with IF task, an effect that was most pronounced following negative IF. Additionally, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was less negatively coupled with ventromedial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices during TD following IF compared with EF. These findings reveal the striking consequences for brain activity following immersion in an IF attentional state, which have strong implications for psychiatric disorders characterized by excessive internal focus. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Expanding Stress Generation Theory: Test of a Transdiagnostic Model

PubMed Central

Conway, Christopher C.; Hammen, Constance; Brennan, Patricia A.

2016-01-01

Originally formulated to understand the recurrence of depressive disorders, the stress generation hypothesis has recently been applied in research on anxiety and externalizing disorders. Results from these investigations, in combination with findings of extensive comorbidity between depression and other mental disorders, suggest the need for an expansion of stress generation models to include the stress generating effects of transdiagnostic pathology as well as those of specific syndromes. Employing latent variable modeling techniques to parse the general and specific elements of commonly co-occurring Axis I syndromes, the current study examined the associations of transdiagnostic internalizing and externalizing dimensions with stressful life events over time. Analyses revealed that, after adjusting for the covariation between the dimensions, internalizing was a significant predictor of interpersonal dependent stress, whereas externalizing was a significant predictor of noninterpersonal dependent stress. Neither latent dimension was associated with the occurrence of independent, or fateful, stressful life events. At the syndrome level, once variance due to the internalizing factor was partialled out, unipolar depression contributed incrementally to the generation of interpersonal dependent stress. In contrast, the presence of panic disorder produced a “stress inhibition” effect, predicting reduced exposure to interpersonal dependent stress. Additionally, dysthymia was associated with an excess of noninterpersonal dependent stress. The latent variable modeling framework used here is discussed in terms of its potential as an integrative model for stress generation research. PMID:22428789

Managing facility risk: external threats and health care organizations.

PubMed

Reid, Daniel J; Reid, William H

2014-01-01

Clinicians and clinical administrators should have a basic understanding of physical and financial risk to mental health facilities related to external physical threat, including actions usually viewed as "terrorism" and much more common sources of violence. This article refers to threats from mentally ill persons and those acting out of bizarre or misguided "revenge," extortionists and other outright criminals, and perpetrators usually identified as domestic or international terrorists. The principles apply both to relatively small and contained acts (such as a patient or ex-patient attacking a staff member) and to much larger events (such as bombings and armed attack), and are relevant to facilities both within and outside the U.S. Patient care and accessibility to mental health services rest not only on clinical skills, but also on a place to practice them and an organized system supported by staff, physical facilities, and funding. Clinicians who have some familiarity with the non-clinical requirements for care are in a position to support non-clinical staff in preventing care from being interrupted by external threats or events such as terrorist activity, and/or to serve at the interface of facility operations and direct clinical care. Readers should note that this article is an introduction to the topic and cannot address all local, state and national standards for hospital safety, or insurance providers' individual facility requirements. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact Testing on Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Flat Panels With BX-265 and PDL-1034 External Tank Foam for the Space Shuttle Return to Flight Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melis, Matthew E.; Revilock, Duane M.; Pereira, Michael J.; Lyle, Karen H.

2009-01-01

Following the tragedy of the Orbiter Columbia (STS-107) on February 1, 2003, a major effort commenced to develop a better understanding of debris impacts and their effect on the space shuttle subsystems. An initiative to develop and validate physics-based computer models to predict damage from such impacts was a fundamental component of this effort. To develop the models it was necessary to physically characterize reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) along with ice and foam debris materials, which could shed on ascent and impact the orbiter RCC leading edges. The validated models enabled the launch system community to use the impact analysis software LS-DYNA (Livermore Software Technology Corp.) to predict damage by potential and actual impact events on the orbiter leading edge and nose cap thermal protection systems. Validation of the material models was done through a three-level approach: Level 1-fundamental tests to obtain independent static and dynamic constitutive model properties of materials of interest, Level 2-subcomponent impact tests to provide highly controlled impact test data for the correlation and validation of the models, and Level 3-full-scale orbiter leading-edge impact tests to establish the final level of confidence for the analysis methodology. This report discusses the Level 2 test program conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Ballistic Impact Laboratory with external tank foam impact tests on flat RCC panels, and presents the data observed. The Level 2 testing consisted of 54 impact tests in the NASA GRC Ballistic Impact Laboratory on 6- by 6-in. and 6- by 12-in. flat plates of RCC and evaluated two types of debris projectiles: BX-265 and PDL-1034 external tank foam. These impact tests helped determine the level of damage generated in the RCC flat plates by each projectile and validated the use of the foam and RCC models for use in LS-DYNA.

System robustness analysis for drought risk management in South Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eilander, D.; Bouwer, L.; Barnes, J.; Mens, M.; Obeysekera, J.

2015-12-01

Drought is a frequently returning natural hazard in Florida, with at least one severe drought to be expected every decade. These droughts have had many impacts such as loss of agricultural products, inadequate public water supply and salt water intrusion into freshwater aquifers. Furthermore, climate change projections for South Florida suggest that dry spells are likely to be more frequent and prolonged, with negative impacts on water supply management for all users. In this study a System Robustness Analysis was conducted in order to analyse the effectiveness of strategies to limit the socio-economic impact of droughts under climate change. System Robustness Analysis (SRA) aims to support decision making by quantifying how well a system, with and without additional measures, can remain functioning under a range of external disturbances. Two system characteristics add up to system robustness: Resistance is the ability to withstand disturbances without responding (zero impact), and resilience is the ability to recover from the response to a disturbance. SRA can help to provide insight into the sensitivity of a system to changing magnitudes of extreme weather events. A regional-scale hydrologic and water management model is used to simulate the effect of changing precipitation and evaporation forcing on agricultural and urban water supply and demand in South Florida. The complex water management operational rules including water use restrictions are simulated in the model. Based on model runs with a various climate scenarios, drought events with a wide range of severity are identified and for each event the socio-economic impacts are determined. Here, a drought is defined as a reduced streamflow in the upstream Kissimmee basin, which contributes most to Lake Okeechobee, the major surface water storage in the system. The drought severity is characterized by the maximum drought deficit volume. Drought impacts are analyzed for several users in Miami Dade County. From the relation between drought severity and drought impact the resistance and resilience of the system for hydrological droughts are found. This relation is investigated for an array of adaptation measures and strategies in order to find strategies that will effectively increase the system's ability to deal with future drought events.

Internal versus external features in triggering the brain waveforms for conjunction and feature faces in recognition.

PubMed

Nie, Aiqing; Jiang, Jingguo; Fu, Qiao

2014-08-20

Previous research has found that conjunction faces (whose internal features, e.g. eyes, nose, and mouth, and external features, e.g. hairstyle and ears, are from separate studied faces) and feature faces (partial features of these are studied) can produce higher false alarms than both old and new faces (i.e. those that are exactly the same as the studied faces and those that have not been previously presented) in recognition. The event-related potentials (ERPs) that relate to conjunction and feature faces at recognition, however, have not been described as yet; in addition, the contributions of different facial features toward ERPs have not been differentiated. To address these issues, the present study compared the ERPs elicited by old faces, conjunction faces (the internal and the external features were from two studied faces), old internal feature faces (whose internal features were studied), and old external feature faces (whose external features were studied) with those of new faces separately. The results showed that old faces not only elicited an early familiarity-related FN400, but a more anterior distributed late old/new effect that reflected recollection. Conjunction faces evoked similar late brain waveforms as old internal feature faces, but not to old external feature faces. These results suggest that, at recognition, old faces hold higher familiarity than compound faces in the profiles of ERPs and internal facial features are more crucial than external ones in triggering the brain waveforms that are characterized as reflecting the result of familiarity.

Amplifying Electrochemical Indicators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fan, Wenhong; Li, Jun; Han, Jie

2004-01-01

Dendrimeric reporter compounds have been invented for use in sensing and amplifying electrochemical signals from molecular recognition events that involve many chemical and biological entities. These reporter compounds can be formulated to target specific molecules or molecular recognition events. They can also be formulated to be, variously, hydrophilic or amphiphilic so that they are suitable for use at interfaces between (1) aqueous solutions and (2) electrodes connected to external signal-processing electronic circuits. The invention of these reporter compounds is expected to enable the development of highly miniaturized, low-power-consumption, relatively inexpensive, mass-producible sensor units for diverse applications.

Event-triggered attitude control of spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baolin; Shen, Qiang; Cao, Xibin

2018-02-01

The problem of spacecraft attitude stabilization control system with limited communication and external disturbances is investigated based on an event-triggered control scheme. In the proposed scheme, information of attitude and control torque only need to be transmitted at some discrete triggered times when a defined measurement error exceeds a state-dependent threshold. The proposed control scheme not only guarantees that spacecraft attitude control errors converge toward a small invariant set containing the origin, but also ensures that there is no accumulation of triggering instants. The performance of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated through numerical simulation.

[Implementation of "never events" checklists in a radiotherapy information system].

PubMed

Brusadin, G; Bour, M S; Deutsch, E; Kouchit, N; Corbin, S; Lefkopoulos, D

2017-10-01

In order to reduce the incidence of major accidents during external radiotherapy treatment, "never events" checklists have been incorporated into the "record and verify" system. This article details this process. Prospects for improvement are also proposed, including a peer-to-peer audit on the use of checklists and the availability of the radiotherapy information system manufacturer to collaborate in this process to secure the patients' journey. Copyright © 2017 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

A new data format for the commissioning phase of the ATLAS detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köneke, Karsten; ATLAS Collaboration

2010-04-01

In the commissioning phase of the ATLAS experiment, low-level Event Summary Data (ESD) are analyzed to evaluate the performance of the individual subdetectors, the performance of the reconstruction and particle identification algorithms, and to obtain calibration coefficients. In the grid model of distributed analysis, these data must be transferred to Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites before they can be analyzed. However, the large size of ESD (approxeq1 MByte/event) constrains the amount of data that can be distributed on the grid and is available on disks. In order to overcome this constraint and make the data fully available, new data sets — collectively known as Derived Physics Data (DPD) — have been designed. Each DPD set contains a subset of the ESD data, tailored to specific needs of the subdetector and object reconstruction and identification performance groups. Filtering algorithms perform a selection based on physics contents and trigger response, further reducing the data volume. Thanks to these techniques, the total volume of DPD to be distributed on the grid amounts to 20% of the initial ESD data. An evolution of the tools developed in this context serves to produce another set of DPDs that are specifically tailored for physics analysis. All selection criteria and other relevant information is stored inside these DPDs as meta-data and a connection to external databases is also established.

A Global Analysis of Light and Charge Yields in Liquid Xenon

DOE PAGES

Lenardo, Brian; Kazkaz, Kareem; Manalaysay, Aaron; ...

2015-11-04

Here, we present an updated model of light and charge yields from nuclear recoils in liquid xenon with a simultaneously constrained parameter set. A global analysis is performed using measurements of electron and photon yields compiled from all available historical data, as well as measurements of the ratio of the two. These data sweep over energies from keV and external applied electric fields from V/cm. The model is constrained by constructing global cost functions and using a simulated annealing algorithm and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach to optimize and find confidence intervals on all free parameters in the model.more » This analysis contrasts with previous work in that we do not unnecessarily exclude datasets nor impose artificially conservative assumptions, do not use spline functions, and reduce the number of parameters used in NEST v 0.98. Here, we report our results and the calculated best-fit charge and light yields. These quantities are crucial to understanding the response of liquid xenon detectors in the energy regime important for rare event searches such as the direct detection of dark matter particles.« less

A Rational Approach to Rational Suicide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richman, Joseph

1992-01-01

Describes suicide as reaction to internal and external sources of stress and the impact of life events. Notes that, in the elderly, these situations are prevalent in many who are not suicidal. Contends that much more is written about rational suicide than its alternative (rational nonsuicide). Reviews reasons for this and suggests rational…

Embodied Perspective Taking in Learning about Complex Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soylu, Firat; Holbert, Nathan; Brady, Corey; Wilensky, Uri

2017-01-01

In this paper we present a learning design approach that leverages perspective-taking to help students learn about complex systems. We define perspective-taking as projecting one's identity onto external entities (both animate and inanimate) in an effort to predict and anticipate events based on ecological cues, to automatically sense the…

7 CFR 1290.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... means an event or condition that is external to the project and that is of direct importance to the... § 1290.2 Definitions. (a) AMS means the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. (b) Application means application for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. (c) “Enhancing the...

7 CFR 1290.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... means an event or condition that is external to the project and that is of direct importance to the... § 1290.2 Definitions. (a) AMS means the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. (b) Application means application for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. (c) “Enhancing the...

7 CFR 1290.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... means an event or condition that is external to the project and that is of direct importance to the... § 1290.2 Definitions. (a) AMS means the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. (b) Application means application for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. (c) “Enhancing the...

7 CFR 1290.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... means an event or condition that is external to the project and that is of direct importance to the... § 1290.2 Definitions. (a) AMS means the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. (b) Application means application for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. (c) “Enhancing the...

Effects of Experimenter Surveillance on Reactive Self-Monitoring.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belfiore, Phillip J.; And Others

1989-01-01

Worker reactivity patterns were examined in a study of two women with mild and moderate mental retardation who self-monitored their work productivity with and without external surveillance. Findings suggest that surveillance is a setting event that may be important in achieving and maintaining self-management program benefits. (MSE)

Forecasting Mental Health Care Cost for OIF and OEF Veterans

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

event. Diminished responsiveness to the external world, referred to as “ psychic numbing” or “emotional anesthesia”, usually begins soon after the...member with one child develops PTSD to the degree of being unemployed , then that individual could receive compensation payments from the VA of over

Measuring Time on the PET and Other Microcomputers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tesler, Larry

1978-01-01

The operation of the microcomputer requires one or more clocks or timers to measure intervals of different magnitudes. Methods are discussed for measuring time intervals on PET in hours, minutes, seconds, microseconds, miscellaneous units, and timing events on external devices. Directions are added for BASIC program applications of timing…

Ambient temperature response establishes ELF3 as a required component of the Arabidopsis core circadian clock

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Circadian clocks synchronize internal processes with environmental cycles to ensure optimal timing of biological events on daily and seasonal timescales. External light and temperature cues set the core molecular oscillator to local conditions. In Arabidopsis, EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) is thought to ...

High Schools Help Conquer Cardiac Arrest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyle, James

1998-01-01

A class of devices known as automated external defibrillators (AEDs) enable nonmedical professionals to respond to cardiac emergencies. The Jackson County School District, West Virginia, is the first in the country to have AEDs at high school sporting events. AEDs are proven to be safe, accurate, and easy to use. (MLF)

Analysing the Effects of Climate, Land Use, and Management Changes in a Chesapeake Bay Watershed [ Slide

EPA Science Inventory

EPA presented this subject matter at an external meeting and following management review and approval have released parts of the presentation for the public access. For more information about this event/presentation please email or phone the Technical Information Staff listed und...

Environmental Scanning in Educational Planning: Establishing a Strategic Trend Information System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

The systematic evaluation of the macroenvironment is sometimes referred to as a strategic trend information system. Strategic trend intelligence systems are highly developed, systematic intelligence programs that focus on trends and events in the external environment and provide institutions with knowledge to reduce areas of uncertainty and with…

12 CFR 7.4008 - Lending.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... passage of time or a specified event external to the loan; (5) Escrow accounts, impound accounts, and... the decision of the Supreme Court in Barnett Bank of Marion County, N.A. v. Nelson, Florida Insurance... to collect debts; (5) Acquisition and transfer of property; (6) Taxation; (7) Zoning; and (8) Any...

12 CFR 7.4008 - Lending.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... passage of time or a specified event external to the loan; (5) Escrow accounts, impound accounts, and... the decision of the Supreme Court in Barnett Bank of Marion County, N.A. v. Nelson, Florida Insurance... to collect debts; (5) Acquisition and transfer of property; (6) Taxation; (7) Zoning; and (8) Any...

12 CFR 7.4008 - Lending.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... passage of time or a specified event external to the loan; (5) Escrow accounts, impound accounts, and... the decision of the Supreme Court in Barnett Bank of Marion County, N.A. v. Nelson, Florida Insurance... to collect debts; (5) Acquisition and transfer of property; (6) Taxation; (7) Zoning; and (8) Any...

10 CFR 50.73 - Licensee event report system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... plant being in an unanalyzed condition that significantly degraded plant safety. (iii) Any natural phenomenon or other external condition that posed an actual threat to the safety of the nuclear power plant... shared dependency among trains or channels that is a natural or expected consequence of the approved...

Accuracy of a prey-specific DNA assay and a generic prey-immunomarking assay for detecting predation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

1. Predator gut examinations are useful for detecting arthropod predation events. Here, the accuracy and reproducibility of two different types of gut assays are tested on various predator species that consumed an immature lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), that was externally labelled with ra...

Correlation between pore fluid pressures and DInSAR post-seismic deformation of the May 20, 2012 Emilia-Romagna (Italy) earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moro, M.; Stramondo, S.; Albano, M.; Barba, S.; Solaro, G.; Saroli, M.; Bignami, C.

2015-12-01

The present work focuses on the detection and analysis of the postseismic surface deformations following the two earthquakes that hit the Emilia Romagna region (Italy) on May 20 and 29, 2012. The 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence struck the central sector of the Ferrara arc, which represents the external fold-and-thrust system of the Northern Apennines thrust belt buried below the Po plain. The May 20 event occurred on the Ferrara basal thrust at depth, at about 6-7 km, while, during the May 29 event, the rupture jumped on an inner splay of the Ferrara system. The analysis of the postseismic displacements was carried out thanks to a dataset of SAR COSMO­ SkyMed images covering a time span of about one year (May 20, 2012 - May 11, 2013) after the May 20 event. The DInSAR results revealed the presence of two deformation patches: the first one is located in the area that experienced the coseismic uplift. Here the postseismic displacements point out a further ground uplift occurring along the first three months after the 20 May event. The second deformation patch is located in the villages of San Carlo and Mirabello, where ground subsidence lasting about four months was detected. We hypothesized that both the observed phenomena are related to the pore pressure perturbation caused by the coseismic deformation. In particular, the ground uplift is due to the deep crustal deformations caused by the pore fluid diffusion at depth to re-establish the initial hydrostatic stresses. Instead, the ground subsidence is related to the compaction of the shallow sandy layers caused by the liquefaction phenomena, which widely affected the San Carlo and Mirabello area. Preliminary numerical analyses performed with the Finite Element Method and empirical relations confirmed our hypothesis.

Prediction of First Cardiovascular Disease Event in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: The Steno Type 1 Risk Engine.

PubMed

Vistisen, Dorte; Andersen, Gregers Stig; Hansen, Christian Stevns; Hulman, Adam; Henriksen, Jan Erik; Bech-Nielsen, Henning; Jørgensen, Marit Eika

2016-03-15

Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), but they are currently undertreated. There are no risk scores used on a regular basis in clinical practice for assessing the risk of CVD in type 1 diabetes mellitus. From 4306 clinically diagnosed adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, we developed a prediction model for estimating the risk of first fatal or nonfatal CVD event (ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease). Detailed clinical data including lifestyle factors were linked to event data from validated national registers. The risk prediction model was developed by using a 2-stage approach. First, a nonparametric, data-driven approach was used to identify potentially informative risk factors and interactions (random forest and survival tree analysis). Second, based on results from the first step, Poisson regression analysis was used to derive the final model. The final CVD prediction model was externally validated in a different population of 2119 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. During a median follow-up of 6.8 years (interquartile range, 2.9-10.9) a total of 793 (18.4%) patients developed CVD. The final prediction model included age, sex, diabetes duration, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, albuminuria, glomerular filtration rate, smoking, and exercise. Discrimination was excellent for a 5-year CVD event with a C-statistic of 0.826 (95% confidence interval, 0.807-0.845) in the derivation data and a C-statistic of 0.803 (95% confidence interval, 0.767-0.839) in the validation data. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration (P>0.05) in both cohorts. This high-performing CVD risk model allows for the implementation of decision rules in a clinical setting. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Predictors of successful outcomes after external cephalic version in singleton term breech pregnancies: a nine-year historical cohort study.

PubMed

Cho, L Y; Lau, W L; Lo, T K; Tang, Helen H T; Leung, W C

2012-02-01

To study the success rate, predictors for success, and pregnancy outcomes after external cephalic version. Historical cohort study. Regional hospital, Hong Kong. All women who had singleton term breech pregnancies at term and opted for external cephalic version during 2001 and 2009. Their demographic data, clinical and ultrasound findings, procedure details, complications, and delivery outcomes were analysed. Predictive factors for successful external cephalic version. A total of 209 external cephalic versions were performed during the 9-year period. The success rate was 63% (75% for multiparous and 53% for nulliparous women). There was no significant complication. On univariate analysis, predictors of successful external cephalic version were: multiparity, unengaged presenting part, higher amniotic fluid index (≥ 10 cm), thin abdominal wall, low uterine tone, and easily palpable fetal head (subjective assessment by practitioners before external cephalic version). On multivariate analysis, only multiparity, non-engagement of the fetal buttock and thin maternal abdomen were associated with successful external cephalic version. In all, 69% of those who had successful external cephalic version succeeded in the first roll (P<0.001), and 82% of the women with successful external cephalic versions had vaginal deliveries (93% in multiparous and 69% in nulliparous women). Uptake rate of external cephalic version was studied in the latter part of the study period (2006-2009). Whilst 735 women were eligible for external cephalic version, 131 women chose to have the procedure resulting in an uptake rate of 18%. External cephalic version was effective in reducing breech presentations at term and corresponding caesarean section rates, but the uptake rate was low. Further work should address the barriers to the low acceptance of external cephalic version. The results of this study could encourage women to opt for external cephalic version.

Microbial fuel cells for inexpensive continuous in-situ monitoring of groundwater quality.

PubMed

Velasquez-Orta, S B; Werner, D; Varia, J C; Mgana, S

2017-06-15

Online monitoring of groundwater quality in shallow wells to detect faecal or organic pollution could dramatically improve understanding of health risks in unplanned peri-urban settlements. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are devices able to generate electricity from the organic matter content in faecal pollution making them suitable as biosensors. In this work, we evaluate the suitability of four microbial fuel cell systems placed in different regions of a groundwater well for the low-cost monitoring of a faecal pollution event. Concepts created include the use of a sediment/bulk liquid MFC (SED/BL), a sediment/sediment MFC (SED/SED), a bulk liquid/air MFC (BL/Air), and a bulk liquid/bulk liquid MFC (BL/BL). MFC electrodes assembly aimed to use inexpensive, durable, materials, which would produce a signal after a contamination event without external energy or chemical inputs. All MFC configurations were responsive to a contamination event, however SED/SED and BL/Air MFC concepts failed to deliver a reproducible output within the tested period of time. BL/BL MFC and SED/BL MFCs presented an increase in the average current after contamination from -0.75 ± 0.35 μA to -0.66 ± 0.41 μA, and 0.07 ± 0.2 mA to 0.11 ± 0.03 mA, respectively. Currents produced by the SED/BL MFC (SMFC) were considerably higher than for the BL/BL MFCs, making them more responsive, readable and graphically visible. A factorial design of experiments (DOE) was applied to evaluate which environmental and design factors had the greatest effect on current response in a contamination event. Within the ranges of variables tested, salinity, temperature and external resistance, only temperature presented a statistically significant effect (p = 0.045). This showed that the biosensor response would be sensitive to fluctuations in temperature but not to changes in salinity, or external resistances produced from placing electrodes at different distances within a groundwater well. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Simulation of Greenhouse Climate Monitoring and Control with Wireless Sensor Network and Event-Based Control

PubMed Central

Pawlowski, Andrzej; Guzman, Jose Luis; Rodríguez, Francisco; Berenguel, Manuel; Sánchez, José; Dormido, Sebastián

2009-01-01

Monitoring and control of the greenhouse environment play a decisive role in greenhouse production processes. Assurance of optimal climate conditions has a direct influence on crop growth performance, but it usually increases the required equipment cost. Traditionally, greenhouse installations have required a great effort to connect and distribute all the sensors and data acquisition systems. These installations need many data and power wires to be distributed along the greenhouses, making the system complex and expensive. For this reason, and others such as unavailability of distributed actuators, only individual sensors are usually located in a fixed point that is selected as representative of the overall greenhouse dynamics. On the other hand, the actuation system in greenhouses is usually composed by mechanical devices controlled by relays, being desirable to reduce the number of commutations of the control signals from security and economical point of views. Therefore, and in order to face these drawbacks, this paper describes how the greenhouse climate control can be represented as an event-based system in combination with wireless sensor networks, where low-frequency dynamics variables have to be controlled and control actions are mainly calculated against events produced by external disturbances. The proposed control system allows saving costs related with wear minimization and prolonging the actuator life, but keeping promising performance results. Analysis and conclusions are given by means of simulation results. PMID:22389597

Prospective study evaluating the use of nasal glucagon for the treatment of moderate to severe hypoglycaemia in adults with type 1 diabetes in a real-world setting.

PubMed

Seaquist, Elizabeth R; Dulude, Hélène; Zhang, Xiaotian M; Rabasa-Lhoret, Remi; Tsoukas, George M; Conway, James R; Weisnagel, Stanley J; Gerety, Gregg; Woo, Vincent C; Zhang, Shuyu; Carballo, Dolorès; Pradhan, Sheetal; Piché, Claude A; Guzman, Cristina B

2018-05-01

In the present multicentre, open-label, prospective, phase III study, we evaluated the real-world effectiveness and ease of use of nasal glucagon (NG) in the treatment of moderate/severe hypoglycaemic events (HEs) in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Patients and caregivers were taught how to use NG (3 mg) to treat moderate/severe HEs, record the time taken to awaken or return to normal status, and measure blood glucose (BG) levels over time. Questionnaires were used to collect information about adverse events and ease of use of NG. In the efficacy analysis population, 69 patients experienced 157 HEs. In 95.7% patients, HEs resolved within 30 minutes of NG administration. In all the 12 severe HEs, patients awakened or returned to normal status within 15 minutes of NG administration without additional external medical help. Most caregivers reported that NG was easy to use. Most adverse events were local and of low to moderate severity. In this study, a single, 3-mg dose of NG demonstrated real-life effectiveness in treating moderate and severe HEs in adults with T1D. NG was well tolerated and easy to use. © 2018 The Authors. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Simulation of greenhouse climate monitoring and control with wireless sensor network and event-based control.

PubMed

Pawlowski, Andrzej; Guzman, Jose Luis; Rodríguez, Francisco; Berenguel, Manuel; Sánchez, José; Dormido, Sebastián

2009-01-01

Monitoring and control of the greenhouse environment play a decisive role in greenhouse production processes. Assurance of optimal climate conditions has a direct influence on crop growth performance, but it usually increases the required equipment cost. Traditionally, greenhouse installations have required a great effort to connect and distribute all the sensors and data acquisition systems. These installations need many data and power wires to be distributed along the greenhouses, making the system complex and expensive. For this reason, and others such as unavailability of distributed actuators, only individual sensors are usually located in a fixed point that is selected as representative of the overall greenhouse dynamics. On the other hand, the actuation system in greenhouses is usually composed by mechanical devices controlled by relays, being desirable to reduce the number of commutations of the control signals from security and economical point of views. Therefore, and in order to face these drawbacks, this paper describes how the greenhouse climate control can be represented as an event-based system in combination with wireless sensor networks, where low-frequency dynamics variables have to be controlled and control actions are mainly calculated against events produced by external disturbances. The proposed control system allows saving costs related with wear minimization and prolonging the actuator life, but keeping promising performance results. Analysis and conclusions are given by means of simulation results.

MADANALYSIS 5, a user-friendly framework for collider phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, Eric; Fuks, Benjamin; Serret, Guillaume

2013-01-01

We present MADANALYSIS 5, a new framework for phenomenological investigations at particle colliders. Based on a C++ kernel, this program allows us to efficiently perform, in a straightforward and user-friendly fashion, sophisticated physics analyses of event files such as those generated by a large class of Monte Carlo event generators. MADANALYSIS 5 comes with two modes of running. The first one, easier to handle, uses the strengths of a powerful PYTHON interface in order to implement physics analyses by means of a set of intuitive commands. The second one requires one to implement the analyses in the C++ programming language, directly within the core of the analysis framework. This opens unlimited possibilities concerning the level of complexity which can be reached, being only limited by the programming skills and the originality of the user. Program summaryProgram title: MadAnalysis 5 Catalogue identifier: AENO_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AENO_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this program is granted under the terms of the GNU General Public License. No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 31087 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 399105 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: PYTHON, C++. Computer: All platforms on which Python version 2.7, Root version 5.27 and the g++ compiler are available. Compatibility with newer versions of these programs is also ensured. However, the Python version must be below version 3.0. Operating system: Unix, Linux and Mac OS operating systems on which the above-mentioned versions of Python and Root, as well as g++, are available. Classification: 11.1. External routines: ROOT (http://root.cern.ch/drupal/) Nature of problem: Implementing sophisticated phenomenological analyses in high-energy physics through a flexible, efficient and straightforward fashion, starting from event files such as those produced by Monte Carlo event generators. The event files can have been matched or not to parton-showering and can have been processed or not by a (fast) simulation of a detector. According to the sophistication level of the event files (parton-level, hadron-level, reconstructed-level), one must note that several input formats are possible. Solution method: We implement an interface allowing the production of predefined as well as user-defined histograms for a large class of kinematical distributions after applying a set of event selection cuts specified by the user. This therefore allows us to devise robust and novel search strategies for collider experiments, such as those currently running at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, in a very efficient way. Restrictions: Unsupported event file format. Unusual features: The code is fully based on object representations for events, particles, reconstructed objects and cuts, which facilitates the implementation of an analysis. Running time: It depends on the purposes of the user and on the number of events to process. It varies from a few seconds to the order of the minute for several millions of events.

Assessment of aircraft crash frequency for the Hanford site 200 Area tank farms

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

OBERG, B.D.

2003-03-22

Two factors, the near-airport crash frequency and the non-airport crash frequency, enter into the estimate of the annual aircraft crash frequency at a facility. The near-airport activities, Le., takeoffs and landings from any of the airports in a 23-statute-mile (smi) (20-nautical-mile, [nmi]) radius of the facilities, do not significantly contribute to the annual aircraft crash frequency for the 200 Area tank farms. However, using the methods of DOE-STD-3014-96, the total frequency of an aircraft crash for the 200 Area tank farms, all from non-airport operations, is calculated to be 7.10E-6/yr. Thus, DOE-STD-3014-96 requires a consequence analysis for aircraft crash. Thismore » total frequency consists of contributions from general aviation, helicopter activities, commercial air carriers and air taxis, and from large and small military aircraft. The major contribution to this total is from general aviation with a frequency of 6.77E-6/yr. All other types of aircraft have less than 1E-6/yr crash frequencies. The two individual aboveground facilities were in the realm of 1E-7/yr crash frequencies: 204-AR Waste Unloading Facility at 1.56E-7, and 242-T Evaporator at 8.62E-8. DOE-STD-3009-94, ''Preparation Guide for U.S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses'', states that external events, such as aircraft crashes, are referred to as design basis accidents (DBA) and analyzed as such: ''if frequency of occurrence is estimated to exceed 10{sup -6}/yr conservatively calculated'' DOE-STD-3014-96 considers its method for estimating aircraft crash frequency as being conservative. Therefore, DOE-STD-3009-94 requires DBA analysis of an aircraft crash into the 200 Area tank farms. DOE-STD-3009-94 also states that beyond-DBAs are not evaluated for external events. Thus, it requires only a DBA analysis of the effects of an aircraft crash into the 200 Area tank farms. There are two attributes of an aircraft crash into a Hanford waste storage tank, which produce radiological and toxicological effects: the physical-crash, tank-dome-collapse activity, and the ensuing fire from the broken-up fuel.« less

[Ten years of early defibrillation: "Bochum against sudden cardiac death". Acceptance and critical analysis of using automated external defibrillators].

PubMed

Hanefeld, C; Kloppe, C; Breger, W; Kloppe, A; Mügge, A; Wiemer, M

2015-04-01

There is a comprehensive early defibrillation program in Bochum (Germany); since 2003 a total of 175 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed in urban areas by the city of Bochum and private companies. These were preferably installed in places with high foot traffic, e.g., public buildings, companies, and event/shopping centers. Approximately 15,000 laypeople who work in the vicinity of the AED locations were trained in the use of defibrillators and in basic resuscitation. In addition, rescue workers on fire trucks and medically trained personnel in physicians' medical practices were equipped as "first responders" with AEDs. After an initiation phase, all available information after each AED use since August 2004 has been collected by the project coordinator. During the period of data collection (August 2004 to August 2013), an AED was used in a total of 17 patients who had suffered sudden cardiac death (SCD) under the project in Bochum. Eleven patients had primary ventricular fibrillation (VF). Six of these survived without neurological deficit. In another 6 patients, a nondefibrillatable rhythm disorder was diagnosed. The AEDs are reliable and showed impeccable rhythm analysis before the instructions to provide any necessary shock. Compared to the number of existing units and an estimated number of 37-100 SCD/100,000, the use of the AEDs only 17 times appears relatively small. To improve the effectiveness of the AED program in Bochum, an analysis of the emergency service responses, which were necessary because of sudden circulatory collapse, is currently being performed. This will allow areas with an increased incidence of SCD to be identified and a plan for the strategic placement of AED and emergency services can be made.

Progression of external and internal carotid artery stenosis is associated with a higher risk of ischemic neurologic events in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

PubMed

Masoomi, Reza; Shah, Zubair; Dawn, Buddhadeb; Vamanan, Karthik; Nanjundappa, Aravinda; Gupta, Kamal

2017-10-01

A small percentage of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) who are on optimal medical management do go on to develop ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks (IS/TIA). Several diagnostic tools have been studied to identify those patients who are at increased risk. However, most of these diagnostic tools are not available for routine clinical use or are resource intensive. We performed a retrospective study to assess the incremental value of external carotid artery stenosis progression (ECASP) along with internal carotid artery stenosis progression (ICASP) in predicting risk of ipsilateral IS/TIA in a cohort of patients with ACAS. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with ACAS who had at least two serial duplex ultrasounds (DUS) at our center. A total of 356 patients (712 carotid arteries) were included in the study (mean age 74.7±9 years, 49.2% male) with a mean follow-up of 60.7±32.7 months. In univariate analysis, concurrent progression of ICA and ECA stenosis on the same side arteries was associated with a very significant increased risk of ipsilateral IS/TIA (14.7% vs 4.6%, p<0.001). Also, multivariable regression analysis showed that concurrent ECA/ICA progression was an independent predictor of IS/TIA (OR=3.6, 95% CI 1.64-7.8; p=0.001). ECASP along with ICASP is significantly associated with increased risk of ipsilateral IS/TIA and provides incremental risk stratification over that provided by ICASP alone. The ECA is routinely evaluated in clinical practice, and it could serve as an additional marker for identifying higher risk patients with ACAS.

Optimizing a Drone Network to Deliver Automated External Defibrillators.

PubMed

Boutilier, Justin J; Brooks, Steven C; Janmohamed, Alyf; Byers, Adam; Buick, Jason E; Zhan, Cathy; Schoellig, Angela P; Cheskes, Sheldon; Morrison, Laurie J; Chan, Timothy C Y

2017-06-20

Public access defibrillation programs can improve survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are rarely available for bystander use at the scene. Drones are an emerging technology that can deliver an AED to the scene of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for bystander use. We hypothesize that a drone network designed with the aid of a mathematical model combining both optimization and queuing can reduce the time to AED arrival. We applied our model to 53 702 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occurred in the 8 regions of the Toronto Regional RescuNET between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2014. Our primary analysis quantified the drone network size required to deliver an AED 1, 2, or 3 minutes faster than historical median 911 response times for each region independently. A secondary analysis quantified the reduction in drone resources required if RescuNET was treated as a large coordinated region. The region-specific analysis determined that 81 bases and 100 drones would be required to deliver an AED ahead of median 911 response times by 3 minutes. In the most urban region, the 90th percentile of the AED arrival time was reduced by 6 minutes and 43 seconds relative to historical 911 response times in the region. In the most rural region, the 90th percentile was reduced by 10 minutes and 34 seconds. A single coordinated drone network across all regions required 39.5% fewer bases and 30.0% fewer drones to achieve similar AED delivery times. An optimized drone network designed with the aid of a novel mathematical model can substantially reduce the AED delivery time to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest event. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Accident or homicide--virtual crime scene reconstruction using 3D methods.

PubMed

Buck, Ursula; Naether, Silvio; Räss, Beat; Jackowski, Christian; Thali, Michael J

2013-02-10

The analysis and reconstruction of forensically relevant events, such as traffic accidents, criminal assaults and homicides are based on external and internal morphological findings of the injured or deceased person. For this approach high-tech methods are gaining increasing importance in forensic investigations. The non-contact optical 3D digitising system GOM ATOS is applied as a suitable tool for whole body surface and wound documentation and analysis in order to identify injury-causing instruments and to reconstruct the course of event. In addition to the surface documentation, cross-sectional imaging methods deliver medical internal findings of the body. These 3D data are fused into a whole body model of the deceased. Additional to the findings of the bodies, the injury inflicting instruments and incident scene is documented in 3D. The 3D data of the incident scene, generated by 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry, is also included into the reconstruction. Two cases illustrate the methods. In the fist case a man was shot in his bedroom and the main question was, if the offender shot the man intentionally or accidentally, as he declared. In the second case a woman was hit by a car, driving backwards into a garage. It was unclear if the driver drove backwards once or twice, which would indicate that he willingly injured and killed the woman. With this work, we demonstrate how 3D documentation, data merging and animation enable to answer reconstructive questions regarding the dynamic development of patterned injuries, and how this leads to a real data based reconstruction of the course of event. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of the ExPRESS instrument for primary health care providers' evaluation of external supervision.

PubMed

Schriver, Michael; Cubaka, Vincent Kalumire; Vedsted, Peter; Besigye, Innocent; Kallestrup, Per

2018-01-01

External supervision of primary health care facilities to monitor and improve services is common in low-income countries. Currently there are no tools to measure the quality of support in external supervision in these countries. To develop a provider-reported instrument to assess the support delivered through external supervision in Rwanda and other countries. "External supervision: Provider Evaluation of Supervisor Support" (ExPRESS) was developed in 18 steps, primarily in Rwanda. Content validity was optimised using systematic search for related instruments, interviews, translations, and relevance assessments by international supervision experts as well as local experts in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Construct validity and reliability were examined in two separate field tests, the first using exploratory factor analysis and a test-retest design, the second for confirmatory factor analysis. We included 16 items in section A ('The most recent experience with an external supervisor'), and 13 items in section B ('The overall experience with external supervisors'). Item-content validity index was acceptable. In field test I, test-retest had acceptable kappa values and exploratory factor analysis suggested relevant factors in sections A and B used for model hypotheses. In field test II, models were tested by confirmatory factor analysis fitting a 4-factor model for section A, and a 3-factor model for section B. ExPRESS is a promising tool for evaluation of the quality of support of primary health care providers in external supervision of primary health care facilities in resource-constrained settings. ExPRESS may be used as specific feedback to external supervisors to help identify and address gaps in the supervision they provide. Further studies should determine optimal interpretation of scores and the number of respondents needed per supervisor to obtain precise results, as well as test the functionality of section B.

The NetLogger Toolkit V2.0

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

Gunter, Dan; Lee, Jason; Stoufer, Martin

2003-03-28

The NetLogger Toolkit is designed to monitor, under actual operating conditions, the behavior of all the elements of the application-to-application communication path in order to determine exactly where time is spent within a complex system Using NetLogger, distnbuted application components are modified to produce timestamped logs of "interesting" events at all the critical points of the distributed system Events from each component are correlated, which allov^ one to characterize the performance of all aspects of the system and network in detail. The NetLogger Toolkit itself consists of four components an API and library of functions to simplify the generation ofmore » application-level event logs, a set of tools for collecting and sorting log files, an event archive system, and a tool for visualization and analysis of the log files In order to instrument an application to produce event logs, the application developer inserts calls to the NetLogger API at all the critical points in the code, then links the application with the NetLogger library All the tools in the NetLogger Toolkit share a common log format, and assume the existence of accurate and synchronized system clocks NetLogger messages can be logged using an easy-to-read text based format based on the lETF-proposed ULM format, or a binary format that can still be used through the same API but that is several times faster and smaller, with performance comparable or better than binary message formats such as MPI, XDR, SDDF-Binary, and PBIO. The NetLogger binary format is both highly efficient and self-describing, thus optimized for the dynamic message construction and parsing of application instrumentation. NetLogger includes an "activation" API that allows NetLogger logging to be turned on, off, or modified by changing an external file This IS useful for activating logging in daemons/services (e g GndFTP server). The NetLogger reliability API provides the ability to specify backup logging locations and penodically try to reconnect broken TCP pipe. A typical use for this is to store data on local disk while net is down. An event archiver can log one or more incoming NetLogger streams to a local disk file (netlogd) or to a mySQL database (netarchd). We have found exploratory, visual analysis of the log event data to be the most useful means of determining the causes of performance anomalies The NetLogger Visualization tool, niv, has been developed to provide a flexible and interactive graphical representation of system-level and application-level events.« less

Optical Rogue Waves in Vortex Turbulence.

PubMed

Gibson, Christopher J; Yao, Alison M; Oppo, Gian-Luca

2016-01-29

We present a spatiotemporal mechanism for producing 2D optical rogue waves in the presence of a turbulent state with creation, interaction, and annihilation of optical vortices. Spatially periodic structures with bound phase lose stability to phase unbound turbulent states in complex Ginzburg-Landau and Swift-Hohenberg models with external driving. When the pumping is high and the external driving is low, synchronized oscillations are unstable and lead to spatiotemporal vortex-mediated turbulence with high excursions in amplitude. Nonlinear amplification leads to rogue waves close to turbulent optical vortices, where the amplitude tends to zero, and to probability density functions (PDFs) with long tails typical of extreme optical events.

A T0/Trigger detector for the External Target Experiment at CSR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, D.; Shao, M.; Sun, Y.; Li, C.; Chen, H.; Tang, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Zhou, J.; Zeng, H.; Zhao, X.; You, W.; Song, G.; Deng, P.; Lu, J.; Zhao, L.

2017-06-01

A new T0/Trigger detector based on multi-gap resistive plate chamber (MRPC) technology has been constructed and tested for the external target experiment (ETE) at HIRFL-CSR. It measures the multiplicity and timing information of particles produced in heavy-ion collisions at the target region, providing necessary event collision time (T0) and collision centrality with high precision. Monte-Carlo simulation shows a time resolution of several tens of picosecond can be achieved at central collisions. The experimental tests have been performed for this prototype detector at the CSR-ETE. The preliminary results are shown to demonstrate the performance of the T0/Trigger detector.

Bilateral External Iliac Artery Dissection in a Middle-Aged Male Athlete

PubMed Central

Yamanaka, Yasushi; Yoshida, Tetsuya; Nagaoka, Eiki

2017-01-01

We present the case of a bilateral external iliac artery (EIA) dissection in a 44-year-old male athlete. The patient was referred to our department for right lower abdominal pain without claudication during single squatting. His athletic history included participation in approximately five athletic events per year. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral EIA dissection and right renal infarction. Following medical treatment for his hypertension and considering his medical history, a bilateral EIA replacement with 8-mm Dacron straight grafts was performed on the 24th day after hospital admission. Postoperative contrast-enhanced CT revealed good bilateral graft patency and perfusion following surgery. PMID:29515713

Bilateral External Iliac Artery Dissection in a Middle-Aged Male Athlete.

PubMed

Yamanaka, Yasushi; Yoshida, Tetsuya; Nagaoka, Eiki

2017-12-25

We present the case of a bilateral external iliac artery (EIA) dissection in a 44-year-old male athlete. The patient was referred to our department for right lower abdominal pain without claudication during single squatting. His athletic history included participation in approximately five athletic events per year. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral EIA dissection and right renal infarction. Following medical treatment for his hypertension and considering his medical history, a bilateral EIA replacement with 8-mm Dacron straight grafts was performed on the 24th day after hospital admission. Postoperative contrast-enhanced CT revealed good bilateral graft patency and perfusion following surgery.

Impact of positive and negative lesion site remodeling on clinical outcomes: insights from PROSPECT.

PubMed

Inaba, Shinji; Mintz, Gary S; Farhat, Naim Z; Fajadet, Jean; Dudek, Dariusz; Marzocchi, Antonio; Templin, Barry; Weisz, Giora; Xu, Ke; de Bruyne, Bernard; Serruys, Patrick W; Stone, Gregg W; Maehara, Akiko

2014-01-01

This study investigated coronary artery remodeling patterns associated with clinical outcomes. In the prospective, multicenter PROSPECT (Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree: An Imaging Study in Patients With Unstable Atherosclerotic Lesions) study, reported predictors of nonculprit lesion (NCL) major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) minimal lumen area (MLA) ≤4 mm(2), a plaque burden ≥70%, and a IVUS-virtual histology (VH) thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA), but not lesion site remodeling. Overall, 697 consecutive patients with an acute coronary syndrome were enrolled and underwent 3-vessel gray-scale and IVUS-VH; 3,223 NCLs were identified by IVUS. The remodeling index (RI) was calculated as the external elastic membrane area at the MLA site divided by the average of the proximal and distal reference external elastic membrane areas. First, one third of the patients were randomly selected to determine RI cutoffs related to NCL MACE (development cohort). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that there were 2 separate cut points that predicted NCL MACE: RI = 0.8789 and RI = 1.0046 (area under the curve = 0.663). These cut points were used to define negative remodeling as an RI <0.88, intermediate remodeling as an RI of 0.88 to 1.00, and positive remodeling as an RI >1.00. Second, we used the remaining two-thirds of patients to validate these cut points with respect to lesion morphology and clinical outcomes (validation cohort). Kaplan-Meier curve analysis in the validation cohort showed that NCL MACE occurred more frequent (and equally) in negative and positive remodeling lesions compared with intermediate remodeling lesions. In this cohort, negative remodeling lesions had the smallest MLA, positive remodeling lesions had the largest plaque burden, and VH TCFA, especially VH TCFA with multiple necrotic cores, was most common in negatively remodeling lesions. The present study showed the novel concept that positive and negative lesion site remodeling was associated with unanticipated NCL MACE in the PROSPECT study. ( An Imaging Study in Patients With Unstable Atherosclerotic Lesions [PROSPECT]; NCT00180466). Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequency of forensic toxicological analysis in external cause deaths among nursing home residents: an analysis of trends.

PubMed

Aitken, Georgia; Murphy, Briony; Pilgrim, Jennifer; Bugeja, Lyndal; Ranson, David; Ibrahim, Joseph Elias

2017-03-01

There is a paucity of research examining the utility of forensic toxicology in the investigation of premature external cause deaths of residents in nursing homes. The aim of this study is to describe the frequency and characteristics of toxicological analysis conducted in external cause (injury-related) deaths amongst nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia. This study was a retrospective cohort study examining external cause deaths among nursing home residents during the period July 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012 in Victoria, Australia, using the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). The variables examined comprised: sex, age group, year-of-death, cause and manner of death. One-third of deaths among nursing home residents in Victoria resulted from external causes (n = 1296, 33.3%) of which just over one-quarter (361, 27.9%) underwent toxicological analysis as part of the medical death investigation. The use of toxicological analysis varied by cause of death with a relatively low proportion conducted in deaths from unintentional falls (n = 286, 24.9%) and choking (n = 36, 40.4%). The use of toxicological analysis decreased as the decedents age increased. Forensic toxicology has the potential to contribute to improving our understanding of premature deaths in nursing home residents however it remains under used and is possibly undervalued.

Probabilistic Approaches for Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment of Structures and Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwag, Shinyoung

Performance assessment of structures, systems, and components for multi-hazard scenarios has received significant attention in recent years. However, the concept of multi-hazard analysis is quite broad in nature and the focus of existing literature varies across a wide range of problems. In some cases, such studies focus on hazards that either occur simultaneously or are closely correlated with each other. For example, seismically induced flooding or seismically induced fires. In other cases, multi-hazard studies relate to hazards that are not dependent or correlated but have strong likelihood of occurrence at different times during the lifetime of a structure. The current approaches for risk assessment need enhancement to account for multi-hazard risks. It must be able to account for uncertainty propagation in a systems-level analysis, consider correlation among events or failure modes, and allow integration of newly available information from continually evolving simulation models, experimental observations, and field measurements. This dissertation presents a detailed study that proposes enhancements by incorporating Bayesian networks and Bayesian updating within a performance-based probabilistic framework. The performance-based framework allows propagation of risk as well as uncertainties in the risk estimates within a systems analysis. Unlike conventional risk assessment techniques such as a fault-tree analysis, a Bayesian network can account for statistical dependencies and correlations among events/hazards. The proposed approach is extended to develop a risk-informed framework for quantitative validation and verification of high fidelity system-level simulation tools. Validation of such simulations can be quite formidable within the context of a multi-hazard risk assessment in nuclear power plants. The efficiency of this approach lies in identification of critical events, components, and systems that contribute to the overall risk. Validation of any event or component on the critical path is relatively more important in a risk-informed environment. Significance of multi-hazard risk is also illustrated for uncorrelated hazards of earthquakes and high winds which may result in competing design objectives. It is also illustrated that the number of computationally intensive nonlinear simulations needed in performance-based risk assessment for external hazards can be significantly reduced by using the power of Bayesian updating in conjunction with the concept of equivalent limit-state.

The Role of Sleep in the Relationship Between Victimization and Externalizing Problems in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Kliewer, Wendy; Lepore, Stephen J.

2018-01-01

Victimization is linked to externalizing outcomes in adolescents and recent theorizing suggests that sleep plays a role in this relationship; however, there is little evidence examining sleep as a mediator. This study examines associations between victimization experiences and changes in aggression, delinquency, and drug use. Data were obtained from three waves of a school-based study with middle-school youth (n = 785; 55 % female; 20 % African American; M = 12.32, SD = .51 years at T1), and path analyses were used to test the key hypotheses. Analyses controlling for major life events, demographic factors, and school site revealed that victimization indirectly affected delinquency and drug use, but not aggression, through its relationship with sleep problems. Further, the effects of sleep problems on drug use were specific to females. These data suggest that intervening to address sleep problems resulting from victimization may serve to reduce some forms of externalizing behavior. PMID:27216201

Discrete wavelet-aided delineation of PCG signal events via analysis of an area curve length-based decision statistic.

PubMed

Homaeinezhad, M R; Atyabi, S A; Daneshvar, E; Ghaffari, A; Tahmasebi, M

2010-12-01

The aim of this study is to describe a robust unified framework for segmentation of the phonocardiogram (PCG) signal sounds based on the false-alarm probability (FAP) bounded segmentation of a properly calculated detection measure. To this end, first the original PCG signal is appropriately pre-processed and then, a fixed sample size sliding window is moved on the pre-processed signal. In each slid, the area under the excerpted segment is multiplied by its curve-length to generate the Area Curve Length (ACL) metric to be used as the segmentation decision statistic (DS). Afterwards, histogram parameters of the nonlinearly enhanced DS metric are used for regulation of the α-level Neyman-Pearson classifier for FAP-bounded delineation of the PCG events. The proposed method was applied to all 85 records of Nursing Student Heart Sounds database (NSHSDB) including stenosis, insufficiency, regurgitation, gallop, septal defect, split sound, rumble, murmur, clicks, friction rub and snap disorders with different sampling frequencies. Also, the method was applied to the records obtained from an electronic stethoscope board designed for fulfillment of this study in the presence of high-level power-line noise and external disturbing sounds and as the results, no false positive (FP) or false negative (FN) errors were detected. High noise robustness, acceptable detection-segmentation accuracy of PCG events in various cardiac system conditions, and having no parameters dependency to the acquisition sampling frequency can be mentioned as the principal virtues and abilities of the proposed ACL-based PCG events detection-segmentation algorithm.

Contribution of insurance data to cost assessment of coastal flood damage to residential buildings: insights gained from Johanna (2008) and Xynthia (2010) storm events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

André, C.; Monfort, D.; Bouzit, M.; Vinchon, C.

2013-08-01

There are a number of methodological issues involved in assessing damage caused by natural hazards. The first is the lack of data, due to the rarity of events and the widely different circumstances in which they occur. Thus, historical data, albeit scarce, should not be neglected when seeking to build ex-ante risk management models. This article analyses the input of insurance data for two recent severe coastal storm events, to examine what causal relationships may exist between hazard characteristics and the level of damage incurred by residential buildings. To do so, data was collected at two levels: from lists of about 4000 damage records, 358 loss adjustment reports were consulted, constituting a detailed damage database. The results show that for flooded residential buildings, over 75% of reconstruction costs are associated with interior elements, with damage to structural components remaining very localised and negligible. Further analysis revealed a high scatter between costs and water depth, suggesting that uncertainty remains high in drawing up damage functions with insurance data alone. Due to the paper format of the loss adjustment reports, and the lack of harmonisation between their contents, the collection stage called for a considerable amount of work. For future events, establishing a standardised process for archiving damage information could significantly contribute to the production of such empirical damage functions. Nevertheless, complementary sources of data on hazards and asset vulnerability parameters will definitely still be necessary for damage modelling; multivariate approaches, crossing insurance data with external material, should also be investigated more deeply.

Contribution of insurance data to cost assessment of coastal flood damage to residential buildings: insights gained from Johanna (2008) and Xynthia (2010) storm events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

André, C.; Monfort, D.; Bouzit, M.; Vinchon, C.

2013-03-01

There are a number of methodological issues involved in assessing damage caused by natural hazards. The first is the lack of data, due to the rarity of events and the widely different circumstances in which they occur. Thus, historical data, albeit scarce, should not be neglected when seeking to build ex-ante risk management models. This article analyses the input of insurance data for two recent severe coastal storm events, to examine what causal relationships may exist between hazard characteristics and the level of damage incurred by residential buildings. To do so, data was collected at two levels: from lists of about 4000 damage records, 358 loss adjustment reports were consulted, constituting a detailed damage database. The results show that for flooded residential buildings, over 75% of reconstruction costs are associated with interior elements, damage to structural components remaining very localised and negligible. Further analysis revealed a high scatter between costs and water depth, suggesting that uncertainty remains high in drawing up damage functions with insurance data alone. Due to the paper format of the loss adjustment reports and the lack of harmonisation between their contents, the collection stage called for a considerable amount of work. For future events, establishing a standardised process for archiving damage information could significantly contribute to the production of such empirical damage functions. Nevertheless, complementary sources of data on hazards and asset vulnerability parameters, will definitely still be necessary for damage modelling and multivariate approaches, crossing insurance data with external material, should also be deeper investigated.

Evaluating the implementation of a national disclosure policy for large-scale adverse events in an integrated health care system: identification of gaps and successes.

PubMed

Maguire, Elizabeth M; Bokhour, Barbara G; Wagner, Todd H; Asch, Steven M; Gifford, Allen L; Gallagher, Thomas H; Durfee, Janet M; Martinello, Richard A; Elwy, A Rani

2016-11-11

Many healthcare organizations have developed disclosure policies for large-scale adverse events, including the Veterans Health Administration (VA). This study evaluated VA's national large-scale disclosure policy and identifies gaps and successes in its implementation. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with leaders, hospital employees, and patients at nine sites to elicit their perceptions of recent large-scale adverse events notifications and the national disclosure policy. Data were coded using the constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). We conducted 97 interviews. Insights included how to handle the communication of large-scale disclosures through multiple levels of a large healthcare organization and manage ongoing communications about the event with employees. Of the 5 CFIR constructs and 26 sub-constructs assessed, seven were prominent in interviews. Leaders and employees specifically mentioned key problem areas involving 1) networks and communications during disclosure, 2) organizational culture, 3) engagement of external change agents during disclosure, and 4) a need for reflecting on and evaluating the policy implementation and disclosure itself. Patients shared 5) preferences for personal outreach by phone in place of the current use of certified letters. All interviewees discussed 6) issues with execution and 7) costs of the disclosure. CFIR analysis reveals key problem areas that need to be addresses during disclosure, including: timely communication patterns throughout the organization, establishing a supportive culture prior to implementation, using patient-approved, effective communications strategies during disclosures; providing follow-up support for employees and patients, and sharing lessons learned.

14 CFR 27.865 - External loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS... must be shown by analysis, test, or both, that the rotorcraft external load attaching means for rotorcraft-load combinations to be used for nonhuman external cargo applications can withstand a limit static...

14 CFR 27.865 - External loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS... must be shown by analysis, test, or both, that the rotorcraft external load attaching means for rotorcraft-load combinations to be used for nonhuman external cargo applications can withstand a limit static...

14 CFR 27.865 - External loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS... must be shown by analysis, test, or both, that the rotorcraft external load attaching means for rotorcraft-load combinations to be used for nonhuman external cargo applications can withstand a limit static...

14 CFR 27.865 - External loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS... must be shown by analysis, test, or both, that the rotorcraft external load attaching means for rotorcraft-load combinations to be used for nonhuman external cargo applications can withstand a limit static...

14 CFR 27.865 - External loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS... must be shown by analysis, test, or both, that the rotorcraft external load attaching means for rotorcraft-load combinations to be used for nonhuman external cargo applications can withstand a limit static...

Roles of children and their parents in the reduction of radiation risk after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

PubMed

Fujimura, Maya Sophia; Komasa, Yukako; Kimura, Shinzo; Shibanuma, Akira; Kitamura, Akiko; Jimba, Masamine

2017-01-01

On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced its largest recorded earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0. The resulting tsunami caused massive damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactors, and the surrounding environment was contaminated with radioactive materials. During this period, some residents were exposed to high levels of radiation (up to 5 millisieverts [mSv]), but since then, many residents have been exposed to low levels of radiation (<1 mSv). This study was conducted to assess the effects of lifestyle and attitude factors on external radiation exposure among Fukushima residents. This community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Nihonmatsu City of the Fukushima Prefecture from May to July 2014. The population survey targeted 6,884 children between the ages of 0-15 years, and a personal radiation badge and questionnaire were administered to each of the residences. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the impact of lifestyle and attitude factors on external radiation dose. The study participants (population size [n] = 4,571) had an additional mean radiation dose of 0.65 mSv/year, which is small as compared to the mean radiation dose 6 months after the disaster (1.5 mSv/year), in 2012 (1.5 mSv/year), and in 2013 (1.0 mSv/year). External radiation doses statistically varied by socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. Participants living in wooden residences (p-value<0.001) and within 100 meters of a forest (p = 0.001) had higher radiation exposure. Conversely, participants with a cautious attitude towards radiation had lower radiation exposure (beta [b] = -0.124, p = 0.003). Having a cautious attitude towards radiation and being aware of exposure risks proved to be significant in the reduction of external radiation dose. Therefore, in the event of future radiation disasters, attitudes towards and awareness of radiation should be considered in the reduction of exposure risk and implementation of radiation protection.

Development and Assessment of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Surgical Secondary Events Grading System

PubMed Central

Strong, Vivian E.; Selby, Luke V.; Sovel, Mindy; Disa, Joseph J.; Hoskins, William; DeMatteo, Ronald; Scardino, Peter; Jaques, David P.

2015-01-01

Background Studying surgical secondary events is an evolving effort with no current established system for database design, standard reporting, or definitions. Using the Clavien-Dindo classification as a guide, in 2001 we developed a Surgical Secondary Events database based on grade of event and required intervention to begin prospectively recording and analyzing all surgical secondary events (SSE). Study Design Events are prospectively entered into the database by attending surgeons, house staff, and research staff. In 2008 we performed a blinded external audit of 1,498 operations that were randomly selected to examine the quality and reliability of the data. Results 1,498 of 4,284 operations during the 3rd quarter of 2008 were audited. 79% (N=1,180) of the operations did not have a secondary event while 21% (N=318) of operations had an identified event. 91% (1,365) of operations were correctly entered into the SSE database. 97% (129/133) of missed secondary events were Grades I and II. Three Grade III (2%) and one Grade IV (1%) secondary event were missed. There were no missed Grade 5 secondary events. Conclusion Grade III – IV events are more accurately collected than Grade I – II events. Robust and accurate secondary events data can be collected by clinicians and research staff and these data can safely be used for quality improvement projects and research. PMID:25319579

Development and assessment of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Surgical Secondary Events grading system.

PubMed

Strong, Vivian E; Selby, Luke V; Sovel, Mindy; Disa, Joseph J; Hoskins, William; Dematteo, Ronald; Scardino, Peter; Jaques, David P

2015-04-01

Studying surgical secondary events is an evolving effort with no current established system for database design, standard reporting, or definitions. Using the Clavien-Dindo classification as a guide, in 2001 we developed a Surgical Secondary Events database based on grade of event and required intervention to begin prospectively recording and analyzing all surgical secondary events (SSE). Events are prospectively entered into the database by attending surgeons, house staff, and research staff. In 2008 we performed a blinded external audit of 1,498 operations that were randomly selected to examine the quality and reliability of the data. Of 4,284 operations, 1,498 were audited during the third quarter of 2008. Of these operations, 79 % (N = 1,180) did not have a secondary event while 21 % (N = 318) had an identified event; 91 % of operations (1,365) were correctly entered into the SSE database. Also 97 % (129 of 133) of missed secondary events were grades I and II. There were 3 grade III (2 %) and 1 grade IV (1 %) secondary event that were missed. There were no missed grade 5 secondary events. Grade III-IV events are more accurately collected than grade I-II events. Robust and accurate secondary events data can be collected by clinicians and research staff, and these data can safely be used for quality improvement projects and research.

Using Groundwater physiochemical properties for assessing potential earthquake precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inbar, Nimrod; Reuveni, Yuval; Anker, Yaakov; Guttman, Joseph

2017-04-01

Worldwide studies reports pre-seismic, co-seismic and post-seismic reaction of groundwater to earthquakes. The unique hydrological and geological situation in Israel resulted in relatively deep water wells which are located close to seismically active tectonic plate boundary. Moreover, the Israeli experience show that anomalies may occurs 60-90 minutes prior to the seismic event (Guttman et al., 2005; Anker et al., 2016). Here, we try to assess the possible connection between changes in physiochemical parameters of groundwater and earthquakes along the Dead Sea Transform (DST) region. A designated network of monitoring stations was installed in MEKOROT abandoned deep water wells, continuously measuring water table, conductivity and temperature at a sampling rate of 1 minute. Preliminary analysis compares changes in the measured parameters with rain events, tidal effects and earthquake occurrences of all measured magnitudes (>2.5Md) at monitoring area surroundings. The acquired data set over one year recorded simultaneous abrupt changes in several wells which seems disconnected from standard hydrological occurrences such as precipitation, abstraction or tidal effects. At this stage, our research aims to determine and rationalize a baseline for "normal response" of the measured parameters to external occurrences while isolating those cases in which "deviations" from that base line is recorded. We apply several analysis techniques both in time and frequency domain with the measured signal as well as statistical analysis of several measured earthquake parameters, which indicate potential correlations between earthquakes occurrences and the measured signal. We show that at least in one seismic event (5.1 Md) a potential precursor may have been recorded. Reference: Anker, Y., N. Inbar, A. Y. Dror, Y. Reuveni, J. Guttman, A. Flexer, (2016). Groundwater response to ground movements, as a tool for earthquakes monitoring and a possible precursor. 8th International Conference on Urban Planning and Transportation. Guttman, J., Flexer, A. & Yellin-Dror, A. (2005). Water level changes in wells - a predictor for earthquakes? IAHS Publ. Vol. 303, pp. 1-5.

VAiRoma: A Visual Analytics System for Making Sense of Places, Times, and Events in Roman History.

PubMed

Cho, Isaac; Dou, Wewnen; Wang, Derek Xiaoyu; Sauda, Eric; Ribarsky, William

2016-01-01

Learning and gaining knowledge of Roman history is an area of interest for students and citizens at large. This is an example of a subject with great sweep (with many interrelated sub-topics over, in this case, a 3,000 year history) that is hard to grasp by any individual and, in its full detail, is not available as a coherent story. In this paper, we propose a visual analytics approach to construct a data driven view of Roman history based on a large collection of Wikipedia articles. Extracting and enabling the discovery of useful knowledge on events, places, times, and their connections from large amounts of textual data has always been a challenging task. To this aim, we introduce VAiRoma, a visual analytics system that couples state-of-the-art text analysis methods with an intuitive visual interface to help users make sense of events, places, times, and more importantly, the relationships between them. VAiRoma goes beyond textual content exploration, as it permits users to compare, make connections, and externalize the findings all within the visual interface. As a result, VAiRoma allows users to learn and create new knowledge regarding Roman history in an informed way. We evaluated VAiRoma with 16 participants through a user study, with the task being to learn about roman piazzas through finding relevant articles and new relationships. Our study results showed that the VAiRoma system enables the participants to find more relevant articles and connections compared to Web searches and literature search conducted in a roman library. Subjective feedback on VAiRoma was also very positive. In addition, we ran two case studies that demonstrate how VAiRoma can be used for deeper analysis, permitting the rapid discovery and analysis of a small number of key documents even when the original collection contains hundreds of thousands of documents.

How different are the results acquired from mathematical and subjective methods in dendrogeomorphology? Insights from landslide movements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šilhán, Karel

2016-01-01

Knowledge of past landslide activity is crucial for understanding landslide behaviour and for modelling potential future landslide occurrence. Dendrogeomorphic approaches represent the most precise methods of landslide dating (where trees annually create tree-rings in the timescale of up to several hundred years). Despite the advantages of these methods, many open questions remain. One of the less researched uncertainties, and the focus of this study, is the impact of two common methods of geomorphic signal extraction on the spatial and temporal results of landslide reconstruction. In total, 93 Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees were sampled at one landslide location dominated by block-type movements in the forefield of the Orlické hory Mts., Bohemian Massif. Landslide signals were examined by the classical subjective method based on reaction (compression) wood analysis and by a numerical method based on eccentric growth analysis. The chronology of landslide movements obtained by the mathematical method resulted in twice the number of events detected compared to the subjective method. This finding indicates that eccentric growth is a more accurate indicator for landslide movements than the classical analysis of reaction wood. The reconstructed spatial activity of landslide movements shows a similar distribution of recurrence intervals (Ri) for both methods. The differences (maximally 30% of the total Ri ranges) in results obtained by both methods may be caused by differences in the ability of trees to react to tilting of their stems by a specific growth response (reaction wood formation or eccentric growth). Finally, the ability of trees to record tilting events (by both growth responses) in their tree-ring series was analysed for different decades of tree life. The highest sensitivity to external tilting events occurred at tree ages from 70 to 80 years for reaction wood formation and from 80 to 90 years for eccentric growth response. This means that the ability of P. abies to record geomorphic signals varies with not only eccentric growth responses but also with age.

LCG MCDB—a knowledgebase of Monte-Carlo simulated events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belov, S.; Dudko, L.; Galkin, E.; Gusev, A.; Pokorski, W.; Sherstnev, A.

2008-02-01

In this paper we report on LCG Monte-Carlo Data Base (MCDB) and software which has been developed to operate MCDB. The main purpose of the LCG MCDB project is to provide a storage and documentation system for sophisticated event samples simulated for the LHC Collaborations by experts. In many cases, the modern Monte-Carlo simulation of physical processes requires expert knowledge in Monte-Carlo generators or significant amount of CPU time to produce the events. MCDB is a knowledgebase mainly dedicated to accumulate simulated events of this type. The main motivation behind LCG MCDB is to make the sophisticated MC event samples available for various physical groups. All the data from MCDB is accessible in several convenient ways. LCG MCDB is being developed within the CERN LCG Application Area Simulation project. Program summaryProgram title: LCG Monte-Carlo Data Base Catalogue identifier: ADZX_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADZX_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public Licence No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 30 129 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 216 943 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Perl Computer: CPU: Intel Pentium 4, RAM: 1 Gb, HDD: 100 Gb Operating system: Scientific Linux CERN 3/4 RAM: 1 073 741 824 bytes (1 Gb) Classification: 9 External routines:perl >= 5.8.5; Perl modules DBD-mysql >= 2.9004, File::Basename, GD::SecurityImage, GD::SecurityImage::AC, Linux::Statistics, XML::LibXML > 1.6, XML::SAX, XML::NamespaceSupport; Apache HTTP Server >= 2.0.59; mod auth external >= 2.2.9; edg-utils-system RPM package; gd >= 2.0.28; rpm package CASTOR-client >= 2.1.2-4; arc-server (optional) Nature of problem: Often, different groups of experimentalists prepare similar samples of particle collision events or turn to the same group of authors of Monte-Carlo (MC) generators to prepare the events. For example, the same MC samples of Standard Model (SM) processes can be employed for the investigations either in the SM analyses (as a signal) or in searches for new phenomena in Beyond Standard Model analyses (as a background). If the samples are made available publicly and equipped with corresponding and comprehensive documentation, it can speed up cross checks of the samples themselves and physical models applied. Some event samples require a lot of computing resources for preparation. So, a central storage of the samples prevents possible waste of researcher time and computing resources, which can be used to prepare the same events many times. Solution method: Creation of a special knowledgebase (MCDB) designed to keep event samples for the LHC experimental and phenomenological community. The knowledgebase is realized as a separate web-server ( http://mcdb.cern.ch). All event samples are kept on types at CERN. Documentation describing the events is the main contents of MCDB. Users can browse the knowledgebase, read and comment articles (documentation), and download event samples. Authors can upload new event samples, create new articles, and edit own articles. Restrictions: The software is adopted to solve the problems, described in the article and there are no any additional restrictions. Unusual features: The software provides a framework to store and document large files with flexible authentication and authorization system. Different external storages with large capacity can be used to keep the files. The WEB Content Management System provides all of the necessary interfaces for the authors of the files, end-users and administrators. Running time: Real time operations. References: [1] The main LCG MCDB server, http://mcdb.cern.ch/. [2] P. Bartalini, L. Dudko, A. Kryukov, I.V. Selyuzhenkov, A. Sherstnev, A. Vologdin, LCG Monte-Carlo data base, hep-ph/0404241. [3] J.P. Baud, B. Couturier, C. Curran, J.D. Durand, E. Knezo, S. Occhetti, O. Barring, CASTOR: status and evolution, cs.oh/0305047.

Methods to control for unmeasured confounding in pharmacoepidemiology: an overview.

PubMed

Uddin, Md Jamal; Groenwold, Rolf H H; Ali, Mohammed Sanni; de Boer, Anthonius; Roes, Kit C B; Chowdhury, Muhammad A B; Klungel, Olaf H

2016-06-01

Background Unmeasured confounding is one of the principal problems in pharmacoepidemiologic studies. Several methods have been proposed to detect or control for unmeasured confounding either at the study design phase or the data analysis phase. Aim of the Review To provide an overview of commonly used methods to detect or control for unmeasured confounding and to provide recommendations for proper application in pharmacoepidemiology. Methods/Results Methods to control for unmeasured confounding in the design phase of a study are case only designs (e.g., case-crossover, case-time control, self-controlled case series) and the prior event rate ratio adjustment method. Methods that can be applied in the data analysis phase include, negative control method, perturbation variable method, instrumental variable methods, sensitivity analysis, and ecological analysis. A separate group of methods are those in which additional information on confounders is collected from a substudy. The latter group includes external adjustment, propensity score calibration, two-stage sampling, and multiple imputation. Conclusion As the performance and application of the methods to handle unmeasured confounding may differ across studies and across databases, we stress the importance of using both statistical evidence and substantial clinical knowledge for interpretation of the study results.

Predicting System Accidents with Model Analysis During Hybrid Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Fleming, Land D.; Throop, David R.

2002-01-01

Standard discrete event simulation is commonly used to identify system bottlenecks and starving and blocking conditions in resources and services. The CONFIG hybrid discrete/continuous simulation tool can simulate such conditions in combination with inputs external to the simulation. This provides a means for evaluating the vulnerability to system accidents of a system's design, operating procedures, and control software. System accidents are brought about by complex unexpected interactions among multiple system failures , faulty or misleading sensor data, and inappropriate responses of human operators or software. The flows of resource and product materials play a central role in the hazardous situations that may arise in fluid transport and processing systems. We describe the capabilities of CONFIG for simulation-time linear circuit analysis of fluid flows in the context of model-based hazard analysis. We focus on how CONFIG simulates the static stresses in systems of flow. Unlike other flow-related properties, static stresses (or static potentials) cannot be represented by a set of state equations. The distribution of static stresses is dependent on the specific history of operations performed on a system. We discuss the use of this type of information in hazard analysis of system designs.

A multispacecraft event study of Pc5 ultralow-frequency waves in the magnetosphere and their external drivers

DOE PAGES

Wang, Chih-Ping; Thorne, Richard; Liu, Terry Z.; ...

2017-05-09

We investigate a quiet time event of magnetospheric Pc5 ultralow-frequency (ULF) waves and their likely external drivers using multiple spacecraft observations. Enhancements of electric and magnetic field perturbations in two narrow frequency bands, 1.5–2 mHz and 3.5–4 mHz, were observed over a large radial distance range from r ~ 5 to 11 RE. During the first half of this event, perturbations were mainly observed in the transverse components and only in the 3.5–4 mHz band. In comparison, enhancements were stronger during the second half in both transverse and compressional components and in both frequency bands. No indication of field linemore » resonances was found for these magnetic field perturbations. Perturbations in these two bands were also observed in the magnetosheath, but not in the solar wind dynamic pressure perturbations. For the first interval, good correlations between the flow perturbations in the magnetosphere and magnetosheath and an indirect signature for Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) vortices suggest K-H surface waves as the driver. For the second interval, good correlations are found between the magnetosheath dynamic pressure perturbations, magnetopause deformation, and magnetospheric waves, all in good correspondence to interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) discontinuities. The characteristics of these perturbations can be explained by being driven by foreshock perturbations resulting from these IMF discontinuities. This event shows that even during quiet periods, K-H-unstable magnetopause and ion foreshock perturbations can combine to create a highly dynamic magnetospheric ULF wave environment« less

A multispacecraft event study of Pc5 ultralow-frequency waves in the magnetosphere and their external drivers

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

Wang, Chih-Ping; Thorne, Richard; Liu, Terry Z.

We investigate a quiet time event of magnetospheric Pc5 ultralow-frequency (ULF) waves and their likely external drivers using multiple spacecraft observations. Enhancements of electric and magnetic field perturbations in two narrow frequency bands, 1.5–2 mHz and 3.5–4 mHz, were observed over a large radial distance range from r ~ 5 to 11 RE. During the first half of this event, perturbations were mainly observed in the transverse components and only in the 3.5–4 mHz band. In comparison, enhancements were stronger during the second half in both transverse and compressional components and in both frequency bands. No indication of field linemore » resonances was found for these magnetic field perturbations. Perturbations in these two bands were also observed in the magnetosheath, but not in the solar wind dynamic pressure perturbations. For the first interval, good correlations between the flow perturbations in the magnetosphere and magnetosheath and an indirect signature for Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) vortices suggest K-H surface waves as the driver. For the second interval, good correlations are found between the magnetosheath dynamic pressure perturbations, magnetopause deformation, and magnetospheric waves, all in good correspondence to interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) discontinuities. The characteristics of these perturbations can be explained by being driven by foreshock perturbations resulting from these IMF discontinuities. This event shows that even during quiet periods, K-H-unstable magnetopause and ion foreshock perturbations can combine to create a highly dynamic magnetospheric ULF wave environment« less

Selective, age-related autobiographical memory deficits in children with severe traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Lah, Suncica; Gott, Chloe; Parry, Louise; Black, Carly; Epps, Adrienne; Gascoigne, Michael

2017-12-18

Autobiographical memory (AM) is a complex function that involves re-experiencing of past personal events (episodic memory) scaffolded by personal facts (semantic memory). While AM is supported by a brain network and cognitive skills that are vulnerable to disruption by child traumatic brain injury (TBI), AM has not been examined in this patient population. Cross-sectional study. Participants included children with severe closed TBI (n = 14) and healthy control (NC) children (n = 20) of comparable age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Participants completed (1) the Child Autobiographical Interview (Willoughby et al., , Front. Psychol., 3, 53), which required recall of autobiographical events and distinguished episodic (internal) from non-episodic (external) details, and self-rating of event phenomenological qualities, and (2) a battery of neuropsychological tests. Children with TBI recalled significantly fewer internal details relative to NCs, but the between-group difference was eliminated when specific probes were provided. The groups did not differ in either recall of external details or in ratings of events' phenomenological qualities. The gap between the groups in recall of internal details increased with age, as the greater number of internal details was associated with older age in the NC group, but not in the TBI group. Poorer verbal memory and lower IQ were related to recall of fewer internal details in the TBI group. This study unveils, to our knowledge for the first time, that severe child TBI is associated with a selective deficit in autobiographical memory that involves episodic, but spares semantic details, and identifies the risk factors for this impairment. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

The Therapeutic Efficacy of Domestic Violence Victim Interventions.

PubMed

Hackett, Shannon; McWhirter, Paula T; Lesher, Susan

2016-04-01

A meta-analysis on domestic violence interventions was conducted to determine overall effectiveness of mental health programs involving women and children in joint treatment. These interventions were further analyzed to determine whether outcomes are differentially affected based on the outcome measure employed. To date, no meta-analyses have been published on domestic violence victim intervention efficacy. The 17 investigations that met study criteria yielded findings indicating that domestic violence interventions have a large effect size (d = .812), which decreases to a medium effect size when compared to control groups (d = .518). Effect sizes were assessed to determine whether treatment differed according to the focus of the outcome measure employed: (a) external stress (behavioral problems, aggression, or alcohol use); (b) psychological adjustment (depression, anxiety, or happiness); (c) self-concept (self-esteem, perceived competence, or internal locus of control); (d) social adjustment (popularity, loneliness, or cooperativeness); (e) family relations (mother-child relations, affection, or quality of interaction); and (f) maltreatment events (reoccurrence of violence, return to partner). Results reveal that domestic violence interventions across all outcome categories yield effects in the medium to large range for both internalized and externalized symptomatology. Implications for greater awareness and support for domestic violence treatment and programming are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Novel Admixture-Based Pharmacogenetic Approach to Refine Warfarin Dosing in Caribbean Hispanics.

PubMed

Duconge, Jorge; Ramos, Alga S; Claudio-Campos, Karla; Rivera-Miranda, Giselle; Bermúdez-Bosch, Luis; Renta, Jessicca Y; Cadilla, Carmen L; Cruz, Iadelisse; Feliu, Juan F; Vergara, Cunegundo; Ruaño, Gualberto

2016-01-01

This study is aimed at developing a novel admixture-adjusted pharmacogenomic approach to individually refine warfarin dosing in Caribbean Hispanic patients. A multiple linear regression analysis of effective warfarin doses versus relevant genotypes, admixture, clinical and demographic factors was performed in 255 patients and further validated externally in another cohort of 55 individuals. The admixture-adjusted, genotype-guided warfarin dosing refinement algorithm developed in Caribbean Hispanics showed better predictability (R2 = 0.70, MAE = 0.72mg/day) than a clinical algorithm that excluded genotypes and admixture (R2 = 0.60, MAE = 0.99mg/day), and outperformed two prior pharmacogenetic algorithms in predicting effective dose in this population. For patients at the highest risk of adverse events, 45.5% of the dose predictions using the developed pharmacogenetic model resulted in ideal dose as compared with only 29% when using the clinical non-genetic algorithm (p<0.001). The admixture-driven pharmacogenetic algorithm predicted 58% of warfarin dose variance when externally validated in 55 individuals from an independent validation cohort (MAE = 0.89 mg/day, 24% mean bias). Results supported our rationale to incorporate individual's genotypes and unique admixture metrics into pharmacogenetic refinement models in order to increase predictability when expanding them to admixed populations like Caribbean Hispanics. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01318057.

Inhibition of single Shaker K channels by kappa-conotoxin-PVIIA.

PubMed Central

Naranjo, David

2002-01-01

kappa-Conotoxin-PVIIA (kappa-PVIIA) is a 27-residue basic (+4) peptide from the venom of the predator snail Conus purpurascens. A single kappa-PVIIA molecule interrupts ion conduction by binding to the external mouth of Shaker K channels. The blockade of Shaker by kappa-PVIIA was studied at the single channel level in membrane patches from Xenopus oocytes. The amplitudes of blocked and closed events were undistinguishable, suggesting that the toxin interrupts ion conduction completely. Between -20 and 40 mV kappa-PVIIA increased the latency to the first opening by one order of magnitude in a concentration-independent fashion. Because kappa-PVIIA has higher affinity for the closed channels at high enough concentration to block >90% of the resting channels, the dissociation rate could be estimated from the analysis of the first latency. At 0 mV, the dissociation rate was 20 s(-1) and had an effective valence of 0.64. The apparent closing rate increased linearly with [kappa-PVIIA] indicating an association rate of 56 microM(-1) s(-1). The toxin did not modify the fraction of null traces. This result suggests that the structural rearrangements in the external mouth contributing to the slow inactivation preserve the main geometrical features of the toxin-receptor interaction. PMID:12023223

Sex Differences in the Contribution of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Trauma to Children's Psychopathology.

PubMed

Gray, Sarah A O; Theall, Katherine; Lipschutz, Rebecca; Drury, Stacy

2017-03-01

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic activity, has been shown to moderate the relation between adversity and child behavioral outcomes; however, this work has been conducted in primarily Caucasian samples and limited in focus to family-level adversity. The current analysis extends the previous literature to examine the co-contribution of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), baseline RSA, and RSA withdrawal to internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of primarily African American youth ( n = 92) recruited using neighborhood mapping techniques from communities high in epidemiological indicators of adversity. Exposure to PTEs was associated with lower baseline RSA. Complex interactions were observed between sex of the child, baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal, and PTE exposure predicting to internalizing behaviors. Among girls with high (4+) levels of PTEs, high baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal predicted higher internalizing; for RSA withdrawal only, the inverse was observed for girls with low PTE exposure, for whom high RSA withdrawal predicted lower internalizing. No associations were observed from RSA to externalizing, or among boys to internalizing. Findings are consistent with distinct patterns among primarily African American samples and suggest the need for sex-specific conceptualizations of the link between environmental adversity, physiological reactivity, and internalizing behaviors.

Sex Differences in the Contribution of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Trauma to Children’s Psychopathology

PubMed Central

Gray, Sarah A. O.; Theall, Katherine; Lipschutz, Rebecca; Drury, Stacy

2016-01-01

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic activity, has been shown to moderate the relation between adversity and child behavioral outcomes; however, this work has been conducted in primarily Caucasian samples and limited in focus to family-level adversity. The current analysis extends the previous literature to examine the co-contribution of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), baseline RSA, and RSA withdrawal to internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of primarily African American youth (n = 92) recruited using neighborhood mapping techniques from communities high in epidemiological indicators of adversity. Exposure to PTEs was associated with lower baseline RSA. Complex interactions were observed between sex of the child, baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal, and PTE exposure predicting to internalizing behaviors. Among girls with high (4+) levels of PTEs, high baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal predicted higher internalizing; for RSA withdrawal only, the inverse was observed for girls with low PTE exposure, for whom high RSA withdrawal predicted lower internalizing. No associations were observed from RSA to externalizing, or among boys to internalizing. Findings are consistent with distinct patterns among primarily African American samples and suggest the need for sex-specific conceptualizations of the link between environmental adversity, physiological reactivity, and internalizing behaviors. PMID:28479668

Estimating the human influence on Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehner, M. F.; Patricola, C. M.; Risser, M. D.

2017-12-01

Attribution of the human-induced climate change influence on the physical characteristics of individual extreme weather events has become an advanced science over the past decade. However, it is only recently that such quantification of anthropogenic influences on event magnitudes and probability of occurrence could be applied to very extreme storms such as hurricanes. We present results from two different classes of attribution studies for the impactful Atlantic hurricanes of 2017. The first is an analysis of the record rainfall amounts during Hurricane Harvey in the Houston, Texas area. We analyzed observed precipitation from the Global Historical Climatology Network with a covariate-based extreme value statistical analysis, accounting for both the external influence of global warming and the internal influence of ENSO. We found that human-induced climate change likely increased Hurricane Harvey's total rainfall by at least 19%, and likely increased the chances of the observed rainfall by a factor of at least 3.5. This suggests that changes exceeded Clausius-Clapeyron scaling, motivating attribution studies using dynamical climate models. The second analysis consists of two sets of hindcast simulations of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria using the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) at 4.5 km resolution. The first uses realistic boundary and initial conditions and present-day greenhouse gas forcings while the second uses perturbed conditions and pre-industrial greenhouse has forcings to simulate counterfactual storms without anthropogenic influences. These simulations quantify the fraction of Harvey's precipitation attributable to human activities and test the super Clausius-Clapeyron scaling suggested by the observational analysis. We will further quantify the human influence on intensity for Harvey, Irma, and Maria.