Prevention of medication errors: detection and audit.

PubMed

Montesi, Germana; Lechi, Alessandro

2009-06-01

1. Medication errors have important implications for patient safety, and their identification is a main target in improving clinical practice errors, in order to prevent adverse events. 2. Error detection is the first crucial step. Approaches to this are likely to be different in research and routine care, and the most suitable must be chosen according to the setting. 3. The major methods for detecting medication errors and associated adverse drug-related events are chart review, computerized monitoring, administrative databases, and claims data, using direct observation, incident reporting, and patient monitoring. All of these methods have both advantages and limitations. 4. Reporting discloses medication errors, can trigger warnings, and encourages the diffusion of a culture of safe practice. Combining and comparing data from various and encourages the diffusion of a culture of safe practice sources increases the reliability of the system. 5. Error prevention can be planned by means of retroactive and proactive tools, such as audit and Failure Mode, Effect, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Audit is also an educational activity, which promotes high-quality care; it should be carried out regularly. In an audit cycle we can compare what is actually done against reference standards and put in place corrective actions to improve the performances of individuals and systems. 6. Patient safety must be the first aim in every setting, in order to build safer systems, learning from errors and reducing the human and fiscal costs.

Computerized Orders with Standardized Concentrations Decrease Dispensing Errors of Continuous Infusion Medications for Pediatrics

PubMed Central

Sowan, Azizeh K.; Vaidya, Vinay U.; Soeken, Karen L.; Hilmas, Elora

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES The use of continuous infusion medications with individualized concentrations may increase the risk for errors in pediatric patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) for continuous infusions with standardized concentrations on frequency of pharmacy processing errors. In addition, time to process handwritten versus computerized infusion orders was evaluated and user satisfaction with CPOE as compared to handwritten orders was measured. METHODS Using a crossover design, 10 pharmacists in the pediatric satellite within a university teaching hospital were given test scenarios of handwritten and CPOE order sheets and asked to process infusion orders using the pharmacy system in order to generate infusion labels. Participants were given three groups of orders: five correct handwritten orders, four handwritten orders written with deliberate errors, and five correct CPOE orders. Label errors were analyzed and time to complete the task was recorded. RESULTS Using CPOE orders, participants required less processing time per infusion order (2 min, 5 sec ± 58 sec) compared with time per infusion order in the first handwritten order sheet group (3 min, 7 sec ± 1 min, 20 sec) and the second handwritten order sheet group (3 min, 26 sec ± 1 min, 8 sec), (p<0.01). CPOE eliminated all error types except wrong concentration. With CPOE, 4% of infusions processed contained errors, compared with 26% of the first group of handwritten orders and 45% of the second group of handwritten orders (p<0.03). Pharmacists were more satisfied with CPOE orders when compared with the handwritten method (p=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS CPOE orders saved pharmacists' time and greatly improved the safety of processing continuous infusions, although not all errors were eliminated. pharmacists were overwhelmingly satisfied with the CPOE orders PMID:22477811

Influence of conservative corrections on parameter estimation for extreme-mass-ratio inspirals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, E. A.; Gair, Jonathan R.

2009-04-01

We present an improved numerical kludge waveform model for circular, equatorial extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs). The model is based on true Kerr geodesics, augmented by radiative self-force corrections derived from perturbative calculations, and in this paper for the first time we include conservative self-force corrections that we derive by comparison to post-Newtonian results. We present results of a Monte Carlo simulation of parameter estimation errors computed using the Fisher matrix and also assess the theoretical errors that would arise from omitting the conservative correction terms we include here. We present results for three different types of system, namely, the inspirals of black holes, neutron stars, or white dwarfs into a supermassive black hole (SMBH). The analysis shows that for a typical source (a 10M⊙ compact object captured by a 106M⊙ SMBH at a signal to noise ratio of 30) we expect to determine the two masses to within a fractional error of ˜10-4, measure the spin parameter q to ˜10-4.5, and determine the location of the source on the sky and the spin orientation to within 10-3 steradians. We show that, for this kludge model, omitting the conservative corrections leads to a small error over much of the parameter space, i.e., the ratio R of the theoretical model error to the Fisher matrix error is R<1 for all ten parameters in the model. For the few systems with larger errors typically R<3 and hence the conservative corrections can be marginally ignored. In addition, we use our model and first-order self-force results for Schwarzschild black holes to estimate the error that arises from omitting the second-order radiative piece of the self-force. This indicates that it may not be necessary to go beyond first order to recover accurate parameter estimates.

LANDSAT-4/5 image data quality analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malaret, E.; Bartolucci, L. A.; Lozano, D. F.; Anuta, P. E.; Mcgillem, C. D.

1984-01-01

A LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) quality evaluation study was conducted to identify geometric and radiometric sensor errors in the post-launch environment. The study began with the launch of LANDSAT-4. Several error conditions were found, including band-to-band misregistration and detector-to detector radiometric calibration errors. Similar analysis was made for the LANDSAT-5 Thematic Mapper and compared with results for LANDSAT-4. Remaining band-to-band misregistration was found to be within tolerances and detector-to-detector calibration errors were not severe. More coherent noise signals were observed in TM-5 than in TM-4, although the amplitude was generally less. The scan direction differences observed in TM-4 were still evident in TM-5. The largest effect was in Band 4 where nearly a one digital count difference was observed. Resolution estimation was carried out using roads in TM-5 for the primary focal plane bands rather than field edges as in TM-4. Estimates using roads gave better resolution. Thermal IR band calibration studies were conducted and new nonlinear calibration procedures were defined for TM-5. The overall conclusion is that there are no first order errors in TM-5 and any remaining problems are second or third order.

Kinetic modelling for zinc (II) ions biosorption onto Luffa cylindrica

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

Oboh, I., E-mail: innocentoboh@uniuyo.edu.ng; Aluyor, E.; Audu, T.

The biosorption of Zinc (II) ions onto a biomaterial - Luffa cylindrica has been studied. This biomaterial was characterized by elemental analysis, surface area, pore size distribution, scanning electron microscopy, and the biomaterial before and after sorption, was characterized by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectrometer. The kinetic nonlinear models fitted were Pseudo-first order, Pseudo-second order and Intra-particle diffusion. A comparison of non-linear regression method in selecting the kinetic model was made. Four error functions, namely coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}), hybrid fractional error function (HYBRID), average relative error (ARE), and sum of the errors squared (ERRSQ), were used tomore » predict the parameters of the kinetic models. The strength of this study is that a biomaterial with wide distribution particularly in the tropical world and which occurs as waste material could be put into effective utilization as a biosorbent to address a crucial environmental problem.« less

Kinetic modelling for zinc (II) ions biosorption onto Luffa cylindrica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oboh, I.; Aluyor, E.; Audu, T.

2015-03-01

The biosorption of Zinc (II) ions onto a biomaterial - Luffa cylindrica has been studied. This biomaterial was characterized by elemental analysis, surface area, pore size distribution, scanning electron microscopy, and the biomaterial before and after sorption, was characterized by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectrometer. The kinetic nonlinear models fitted were Pseudo-first order, Pseudo-second order and Intra-particle diffusion. A comparison of non-linear regression method in selecting the kinetic model was made. Four error functions, namely coefficient of determination (R2), hybrid fractional error function (HYBRID), average relative error (ARE), and sum of the errors squared (ERRSQ), were used to predict the parameters of the kinetic models. The strength of this study is that a biomaterial with wide distribution particularly in the tropical world and which occurs as waste material could be put into effective utilization as a biosorbent to address a crucial environmental problem.

Sensitivity analysis of non-cohesive sediment transport formulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, Lígia; Fortunato, André B.; Freire, Paula

2006-10-01

Sand transport models are often based on semi-empirical equilibrium transport formulae that relate sediment fluxes to physical properties such as velocity, depth and characteristic sediment grain sizes. In engineering applications, errors in these physical properties affect the accuracy of the sediment fluxes. The present analysis quantifies error propagation from the input physical properties to the sediment fluxes, determines which ones control the final errors, and provides insight into the relative strengths, weaknesses and limitations of four total load formulae (Ackers and White, Engelund and Hansen, van Rijn, and Karim and Kennedy) and one bed load formulation (van Rijn). The various sources of uncertainty are first investigated individually, in order to pinpoint the key physical properties that control the errors. Since the strong non-linearity of most sand transport formulae precludes analytical approaches, a Monte Carlo method is validated and used in the analysis. Results show that the accuracy in total sediment transport evaluations is mainly determined by errors in the current velocity and in the sediment median grain size. For the bed load transport using the van Rijn formula, errors in the current velocity alone control the final accuracy. In a final set of tests, all physical properties are allowed to vary simultaneously in order to analyze the combined effect of errors. The combined effect of errors in all the physical properties is then compared to an estimate of the errors due to the intrinsic limitations of the formulae. Results show that errors in the physical properties can be dominant for typical uncertainties associated with these properties, particularly for small depths. A comparison between the various formulae reveals that the van Rijn formula is more sensitive to basic physical properties. Hence, it should only be used when physical properties are known with precision.

The Effect of Response Time on Conjoint Analysis Estimates of Rainforest Protection Values

Treesearch

Thomas Holmes; Keith Alger; Christian Zinkhan; D. Evan Mercer

1998-01-01

This paper reports the first estimutes of willingness to pay (WTP) for rain forest protection in the threatened Atlantic Coastal Forest ecosystem in northeastern Brazil. Conjoint analysis data were collected from Brazilian tourists for recreational bundles with complex prices. An ordered probit model with time-varying parameters and heteroskedastic errors was...

Image defects from surface and alignment errors in grazing incidence telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.

1989-01-01

The rigid body motions and low frequency surface errors of grazing incidence Wolter telescopes are studied. The analysis is based on surface error descriptors proposed by Paul Glenn. In his analysis, the alignment and surface errors are expressed in terms of Legendre-Fourier polynomials. Individual terms in the expression correspond to rigid body motions (decenter and tilt) and low spatial frequency surface errors of mirrors. With the help of the Legendre-Fourier polynomials and the geometry of grazing incidence telescopes, exact and approximated first order equations are derived in this paper for the components of the ray intercepts at the image plane. These equations are then used to calculate the sensitivities of Wolter type I and II telescopes for the rigid body motions and surface deformations. The rms spot diameters calculated from this theory and OSAC ray tracing code agree very well. This theory also provides a tool to predict how rigid body motions and surface errors of the mirrors compensate each other.

Single-Event Upset Characterization of Common First- and Second-Order All-Digital Phase-Locked Loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y. P.; Massengill, L. W.; Kauppila, J. S.; Bhuva, B. L.; Holman, W. T.; Loveless, T. D.

2017-08-01

The single-event upset (SEU) vulnerability of common first- and second-order all-digital-phase-locked loops (ADPLLs) is investigated through field-programmable gate array-based fault injection experiments. SEUs in the highest order pole of the loop filter and fraction-based phase detectors (PDs) may result in the worst case error response, i.e., limit cycle errors, often requiring system restart. SEUs in integer-based linear PDs may result in loss-of-lock errors, while SEUs in bang-bang PDs only result in temporary-frequency errors. ADPLLs with the same frequency tuning range but fewer bits in the control word exhibit better overall SEU performance.

Robust Mean and Covariance Structure Analysis through Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Ke-Hai; Bentler, Peter M.

2000-01-01

Adapts robust schemes to mean and covariance structures, providing an iteratively reweighted least squares approach to robust structural equation modeling. Each case is weighted according to its distance, based on first and second order moments. Test statistics and standard error estimators are given. (SLD)

Highly improved staggered quarks on the lattice with applications to charm physics

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

Follana, E.; Davies, C.; Wong, K.

2007-03-01

We use perturbative Symanzik improvement to create a new staggered-quark action (HISQ) that has greatly reduced one-loop taste-exchange errors, no tree-level order a{sup 2} errors, and no tree-level order (am){sup 4} errors to leading order in the quark's velocity v/c. We demonstrate with simulations that the resulting action has taste-exchange interactions that are 3-4 times smaller than the widely used ASQTAD action. We show how to bound errors due to taste exchange by comparing ASQTAD and HISQ simulations, and demonstrate with simulations that such errors are likely no more than 1% when HISQ is used for light quarks at latticemore » spacings of 1/10 fm or less. The suppression of (am){sup 4} errors also makes HISQ the most accurate discretization currently available for simulating c quarks. We demonstrate this in a new analysis of the {psi}-{eta}{sub c} mass splitting using the HISQ action on lattices where am{sub c}=0.43 and 0.66, with full-QCD gluon configurations (from MILC). We obtain a result of 111(5) MeV which compares well with the experiment. We discuss applications of this formalism to D physics and present our first high-precision results for D{sub s} mesons.« less

Comprehensive analysis of a medication dosing error related to CPOE.

PubMed

Horsky, Jan; Kuperman, Gilad J; Patel, Vimla L

2005-01-01

This case study of a serious medication error demonstrates the necessity of a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of failures in interaction between humans and information systems. The authors used a novel approach to analyze a dosing error related to computer-based ordering of potassium chloride (KCl). The method included a chronological reconstruction of events and their interdependencies from provider order entry usage logs, semistructured interviews with involved clinicians, and interface usability inspection of the ordering system. Information collected from all sources was compared and evaluated to understand how the error evolved and propagated through the system. In this case, the error was the product of faults in interaction among human and system agents that methods limited in scope to their distinct analytical domains would not identify. The authors characterized errors in several converging aspects of the drug ordering process: confusing on-screen laboratory results review, system usability difficulties, user training problems, and suboptimal clinical system safeguards that all contributed to a serious dosing error. The results of the authors' analysis were used to formulate specific recommendations for interface layout and functionality modifications, suggest new user alerts, propose changes to user training, and address error-prone steps of the KCl ordering process to reduce the risk of future medication dosing errors.

Computer programming: quality and safety for neonatal parenteral nutrition orders.

PubMed

Huston, Robert K; Markell, Andrea M; McCulley, Elizabeth A; Marcus, Matthew J; Cohen, Howard S

2013-08-01

Computerized software programs reduce errors and increase consistency when ordering parenteral nutrition (PN). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of our computerized neonatal PN calculator ordering program in reducing errors and optimizing nutrient intake. This was a retrospective study of infants requiring PN during the first 2-3 weeks of life. Caloric, protein, calcium, and phosphorus intakes; days above and below amino acid (AA) goals; and PN ordering errors were recorded. Infants were divided into 3 groups by birth weight for analysis: ≤1000 g, 1001-1500 g, and >1500 g. Intakes and outcomes of infants before (2007) vs after (2009) implementation of the calculator for each group were compared. There were no differences in caloric, protein, or phosphorus intakes in 2007 vs 2009 in any group. Mean protein intakes were 97%-99% of goal for ≤1000-g and 1001- to 1500-g infants in 2009 vs 87% of goal for each group in 2007. In 2007, 7.6 per 100 orders were above and 11.5 per 100 were below recommended AA intakes. Calcium intakes were higher in 2009 vs 2007 in ≤1000-g (46.6 ± 6.1 vs 39.5 ± 8.0 mg/kg/d, P < .001) and >1500-g infants (50.6 ± 7.4 vs 39.9 ± 8.3 mg/kg/d, P < .001). Ordering errors were reduced from 4.6 per 100 in 2007 to 0.1 per 100 in 2009. Our study reaffirms that computerized ordering systems can increase the quality and safety of neonatal PN orders. Calcium and AA intakes were optimized and ordering errors were minimized using the computer-based ordering program.

Optimal least-squares finite element method for elliptic problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jiang, Bo-Nan; Povinelli, Louis A.

1991-01-01

An optimal least squares finite element method is proposed for two dimensional and three dimensional elliptic problems and its advantages are discussed over the mixed Galerkin method and the usual least squares finite element method. In the usual least squares finite element method, the second order equation (-Delta x (Delta u) + u = f) is recast as a first order system (-Delta x p + u = f, Delta u - p = 0). The error analysis and numerical experiment show that, in this usual least squares finite element method, the rate of convergence for flux p is one order lower than optimal. In order to get an optimal least squares method, the irrotationality Delta x p = 0 should be included in the first order system.

First-order error budgeting for LUVOIR mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lightsey, Paul A.; Knight, J. Scott; Feinberg, Lee D.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Shaklan, Stuart B.

2017-09-01

Future large astronomical telescopes in space will have architectures that will have complex and demanding requirements to meet the science goals. The Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) mission concept being assessed by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center is expected to be 9 to 15 meters in diameter, have a segmented primary mirror and be diffraction limited at a wavelength of 500 nanometers. The optical stability is expected to be in the picometer range for minutes to hours. Architecture studies to support the NASA Science and Technology Definition teams (STDTs) are underway to evaluate systems performance improvements to meet the science goals. To help define the technology needs and assess performance, a first order error budget has been developed. Like the JWST error budget, the error budget includes the active, adaptive and passive elements in spatial and temporal domains. JWST performance is scaled using first order approximations where appropriate and includes technical advances in telescope control.

Dynamic analysis of spiral bevel and hypoid gears with high-order transmission errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J. J.; Shi, Z. H.; Zhang, H.; Li, T. X.; Nie, S. W.; Wei, B. Y.

2018-03-01

A new gear surface modification methodology based on curvature synthesis is proposed in this study to improve the transmission performance. The generated high-order transmission error (TE) for spiral bevel and hypoid gears is proved to reduce the vibration of geared-rotor system. The method is comprised of the following steps: Firstly, the fully conjugate gear surfaces with pinion flank modified according to the predesigned relative transmission movement are established based on curvature correction. Secondly, a 14-DOF geared-rotor system model considering backlash nonlinearity is used to evaluate the effect of different orders of TE on the dynamic performance a hypoid gear transmission system. For case study, numerical simulation is performed to illustrate the dynamic response of hypoid gear pair with parabolic, fourth-order and sixth-order transmission error derived. The results show that the parabolic TE curve has higher peak to peak amplitude compared to the other two types of TE. Thus, the excited dynamic response also shows larger amplitude at response peaks. Dynamic responses excited by fourth and sixth order TE also demonstrate distinct response components due to their different TE period which is expected to generate different sound quality or other acoustic characteristics.

A practical method of estimating standard error of age in the fission track dating method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, N.M.; McGee, V.E.; Naeser, C.W.

1979-01-01

A first-order approximation formula for the propagation of error in the fission track age equation is given by PA = C[P2s+P2i+P2??-2rPsPi] 1 2, where PA, Ps, Pi and P?? are the percentage error of age, of spontaneous track density, of induced track density, and of neutron dose, respectively, and C is a constant. The correlation, r, between spontaneous are induced track densities is a crucial element in the error analysis, acting generally to improve the standard error of age. In addition, the correlation parameter r is instrumental is specifying the level of neutron dose, a controlled variable, which will minimize the standard error of age. The results from the approximation equation agree closely with the results from an independent statistical model for the propagation of errors in the fission-track dating method. ?? 1979.

Gravity field error analysis: Applications of GPS receivers and gradiometers on low orbiting platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrama, E.

1990-01-01

The concept of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver as a tracking facility and a gradiometer as a separate instrument on a low orbiting platform offers a unique tool to map the Earth's gravitational field with unprecedented accuracies. The former technique allows determination of the spacecraft's ephemeris at any epoch to within 3 to 10 cm, the latter permits the measurement of the tensor of second order derivatives of the gravity field to within 0.01 to 0.0001 Eotvos units depending on the type of gradiometer. First, a variety of error sources in gradiometry where emphasis is placed on the rotational problem pursuing as well a static as a dynamic approach is described. Next, an analytical technique is described and applied for an error analysis of gravity field parameters from gradiometer and GPS observation types. Results are discussed for various configurations proposed on Topex/Poseidon, Gravity Probe-B, and Aristoteles, indicating that GPS only solutions may be computed up to degree and order 35, 55, and 85 respectively, whereas a combined GPS/gradiometer experiment on Aristoteles may result in an acceptable solution up to degree and order 240.

Confidence Intervals for Error Rates Observed in Coded Communications Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamkins, J.

2015-05-01

We present methods to compute confidence intervals for the codeword error rate (CWER) and bit error rate (BER) of a coded communications link. We review several methods to compute exact and approximate confidence intervals for the CWER, and specifically consider the situation in which the true CWER is so low that only a handful, if any, codeword errors are able to be simulated. In doing so, we answer the question of how long an error-free simulation must be run in order to certify that a given CWER requirement is met with a given level of confidence, and discuss the bias introduced by aborting a simulation after observing the first codeword error. Next, we turn to the lesser studied problem of determining confidence intervals for the BER of coded systems. Since bit errors in systems that use coding or higher-order modulation do not occur independently, blind application of a method that assumes independence leads to inappropriately narrow confidence intervals. We present a new method to compute the confidence interval properly, using the first and second sample moments of the number of bit errors per codeword. This is the first method we know of to compute a confidence interval for the BER of a coded or higher-order modulation system.

Higher-order ionospheric error at Arecibo, Millstone, and Jicamarca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matteo, N. A.; Morton, Y. T.

2010-12-01

The ionosphere is a dominant source of Global Positioning System receiver range measurement error. Although dual-frequency receivers can eliminate the first-order ionospheric error, most second- and third-order errors remain in the range measurements. Higher-order ionospheric error is a function of both electron density distribution and the magnetic field vector along the GPS signal propagation path. This paper expands previous efforts by combining incoherent scatter radar (ISR) electron density measurements, the International Reference Ionosphere model, exponential decay extensions of electron densities, the International Geomagnetic Reference Field, and total electron content maps to compute higher-order error at ISRs in Arecibo, Puerto Rico; Jicamarca, Peru; and Millstone Hill, Massachusetts. Diurnal patterns, dependency on signal direction, seasonal variation, and geomagnetic activity dependency are analyzed. Higher-order error is largest at Arecibo with code phase maxima circa 7 cm for low-elevation southern signals. The maximum variation of the error over all angles of arrival is circa 8 cm.

A second-order 3D electromagnetics algorithm for curved interfaces between anisotropic dielectrics on a Yee mesh

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

Bauer, Carl A., E-mail: bauerca@colorado.ed; Werner, Gregory R.; Cary, John R.

A new frequency-domain electromagnetics algorithm is developed for simulating curved interfaces between anisotropic dielectrics embedded in a Yee mesh with second-order error in resonant frequencies. The algorithm is systematically derived using the finite integration formulation of Maxwell's equations on the Yee mesh. Second-order convergence of the error in resonant frequencies is achieved by guaranteeing first-order error on dielectric boundaries and second-order error in bulk (possibly anisotropic) regions. Convergence studies, conducted for an analytically solvable problem and for a photonic crystal of ellipsoids with anisotropic dielectric constant, both show second-order convergence of frequency error; the convergence is sufficiently smooth that Richardsonmore » extrapolation yields roughly third-order convergence. The convergence of electric fields near the dielectric interface for the analytic problem is also presented.« less

Error Modeling of Multi-baseline Optical Truss. Part II; Application to SIM Metrology Truss Field Dependent Error

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Liwei Dennis; Milman, Mark; Korechoff, Robert

2004-01-01

The current design of the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) employs a 19 laser-metrology-beam system (also called L19 external metrology truss) to monitor changes of distances between the fiducials of the flight system's multiple baselines. The function of the external metrology truss is to aid in the determination of the time-variations of the interferometer baseline. The largest contributor to truss error occurs in SIM wide-angle observations when the articulation of the siderostat mirrors (in order to gather starlight from different sky coordinates) brings to light systematic errors due to offsets at levels of instrument components (which include comer cube retro-reflectors, etc.). This error is labeled external metrology wide-angle field-dependent error. Physics-based model of field-dependent error at single metrology gauge level is developed and linearly propagated to errors in interferometer delay. In this manner delay error sensitivity to various error parameters or their combination can be studied using eigenvalue/eigenvector analysis. Also validation of physics-based field-dependent model on SIM testbed lends support to the present approach. As a first example, dihedral error model is developed for the comer cubes (CC) attached to the siderostat mirrors. Then the delay errors due to this effect can be characterized using the eigenvectors of composite CC dihedral error. The essence of the linear error model is contained in an error-mapping matrix. A corresponding Zernike component matrix approach is developed in parallel, first for convenience of describing the RMS of errors across the field-of-regard (FOR), and second for convenience of combining with additional models. Average and worst case residual errors are computed when various orders of field-dependent terms are removed from the delay error. Results of the residual errors are important in arriving at external metrology system component requirements. Double CCs with ideally co-incident vertices reside with the siderostat. The non-common vertex error (NCVE) is treated as a second example. Finally combination of models, and various other errors are discussed.

Constrained reduced-order models based on proper orthogonal decomposition

DOE PAGES

Reddy, Sohail R.; Freno, Brian Andrew; Cizmas, Paul G. A.; ...

2017-04-09

A novel approach is presented to constrain reduced-order models (ROM) based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions were applied to the traditional reduced-order model to constrain the solution to user-defined bounds. The constrained reduced-order model (C-ROM) was applied and validated against the analytical solution to the first-order wave equation. C-ROM was also applied to the analysis of fluidized beds. Lastly, it was shown that the ROM and C-ROM produced accurate results and that C-ROM was less sensitive to error propagation through time than the ROM.

Prospective risk analysis prior to retrospective incident reporting and analysis as a means to enhance incident reporting behaviour: a quasi-experimental field study.

PubMed

Kessels-Habraken, Marieke; De Jonge, Jan; Van der Schaaf, Tjerk; Rutte, Christel

2010-05-01

Hospitals can apply prospective and retrospective methods to reduce the large number of medical errors. Retrospective methods are used to identify errors after they occur and to facilitate learning. Prospective methods aim to determine, assess and minimise risks before incidents happen. This paper questions whether the order of implementation of those two methods influences the resultant impact on incident reporting behaviour. From November 2007 until June 2008, twelve wards of two Dutch general hospitals participated in a quasi-experimental reversed-treatment non-equivalent control group design. The six units of Hospital 1 first conducted a prospective analysis, after which a sophisticated incident reporting and analysis system was implemented. On the six units of Hospital 2 the two methods were implemented in reverse order. Data from the incident reporting and analysis system and from a questionnaire were used to assess between-hospital differences regarding the number of reported incidents, the spectrum of reported incident types, and the profession of reporters. The results show that carrying out a prospective analysis first can improve incident reporting behaviour in terms of a wider spectrum of reported incident types and a larger proportion of incidents reported by doctors. However, the proposed order does not necessarily yield a larger number of reported incidents. This study fills an important gap in safety management research regarding the order of the implementation of prospective and retrospective methods, and contributes to literature on incident reporting. This research also builds on the network theory of social contagion. The results might indicate that health care employees can disseminate their risk perceptions through communication with their direct colleagues. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On Accuracy of Adaptive Grid Methods for Captured Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamaleev, Nail K.; Carpenter, Mark H.

2002-01-01

The accuracy of two grid adaptation strategies, grid redistribution and local grid refinement, is examined by solving the 2-D Euler equations for the supersonic steady flow around a cylinder. Second- and fourth-order linear finite difference shock-capturing schemes, based on the Lax-Friedrichs flux splitting, are used to discretize the governing equations. The grid refinement study shows that for the second-order scheme, neither grid adaptation strategy improves the numerical solution accuracy compared to that calculated on a uniform grid with the same number of grid points. For the fourth-order scheme, the dominant first-order error component is reduced by the grid adaptation, while the design-order error component drastically increases because of the grid nonuniformity. As a result, both grid adaptation techniques improve the numerical solution accuracy only on the coarsest mesh or on very fine grids that are seldom found in practical applications because of the computational cost involved. Similar error behavior has been obtained for the pressure integral across the shock. A simple analysis shows that both grid adaptation strategies are not without penalties in the numerical solution accuracy. Based on these results, a new grid adaptation criterion for captured shocks is proposed.

De-biasing the dynamic mode decomposition for applied Koopman spectral analysis of noisy datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemati, Maziar S.; Rowley, Clarence W.; Deem, Eric A.; Cattafesta, Louis N.

2017-08-01

The dynamic mode decomposition (DMD)—a popular method for performing data-driven Koopman spectral analysis—has gained increased popularity for extracting dynamically meaningful spatiotemporal descriptions of fluid flows from snapshot measurements. Often times, DMD descriptions can be used for predictive purposes as well, which enables informed decision-making based on DMD model forecasts. Despite its widespread use and utility, DMD can fail to yield accurate dynamical descriptions when the measured snapshot data are imprecise due to, e.g., sensor noise. Here, we express DMD as a two-stage algorithm in order to isolate a source of systematic error. We show that DMD's first stage, a subspace projection step, systematically introduces bias errors by processing snapshots asymmetrically. To remove this systematic error, we propose utilizing an augmented snapshot matrix in a subspace projection step, as in problems of total least-squares, in order to account for the error present in all snapshots. The resulting unbiased and noise-aware total DMD (TDMD) formulation reduces to standard DMD in the absence of snapshot errors, while the two-stage perspective generalizes the de-biasing framework to other related methods as well. TDMD's performance is demonstrated in numerical and experimental fluids examples. In particular, in the analysis of time-resolved particle image velocimetry data for a separated flow, TDMD outperforms standard DMD by providing dynamical interpretations that are consistent with alternative analysis techniques. Further, TDMD extracts modes that reveal detailed spatial structures missed by standard DMD.

Observer-based output consensus of a class of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with unmatched disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiancheng; Zhu, Fanglai

2018-03-01

In this paper, the output consensus of a class of linear heterogeneous multi-agent systems with unmatched disturbances is considered. Firstly, based on the relative output information among neighboring agents, we propose an asymptotic sliding-mode based consensus control scheme, under which, the output consensus error can converge to zero by removing the disturbances from output channels. Secondly, in order to reach the consensus goal, we design a novel high-order unknown input observer for each agent. It can estimate not only each agent's states and disturbances, but also the disturbances' high-order derivatives, which are required in the control scheme aforementioned above. The observer-based consensus control laws and the convergence analysis of the consensus error dynamics are given. Finally, a simulation example is provided to verify the validity of our methods.

Convergence behavior of the random phase approximation renormalized correlation energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, Jefferson E.; Sensenig, Jonathon; Ruzsinszky, Adrienn

2017-05-01

Based on the random phase approximation (RPA), RPA renormalization [J. E. Bates and F. Furche, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 171103 (2013), 10.1063/1.4827254] is a robust many-body perturbation theory that works for molecules and materials because it does not diverge as the Kohn-Sham gap approaches zero. Additionally, RPA renormalization enables the simultaneous calculation of RPA and beyond-RPA correlation energies since the total correlation energy is the sum of a series of independent contributions. The first-order approximation (RPAr1) yields the dominant beyond-RPA contribution to the correlation energy for a given exchange-correlation kernel, but systematically underestimates the total beyond-RPA correction. For both the homogeneous electron gas model and real systems, we demonstrate numerically that RPA renormalization beyond first order converges monotonically to the infinite-order beyond-RPA correlation energy for several model exchange-correlation kernels and that the rate of convergence is principally determined by the choice of the kernel and spin polarization of the ground state. The monotonic convergence is rationalized from an analysis of the RPA renormalized correlation energy corrections, assuming the exchange-correlation kernel and response functions satisfy some reasonable conditions. For spin-unpolarized atoms, molecules, and bulk solids, we find that RPA renormalization is typically converged to 1 meV error or less by fourth order regardless of the band gap or dimensionality. Most spin-polarized systems converge at a slightly slower rate, with errors on the order of 10 meV at fourth order and typically requiring up to sixth order to reach 1 meV error or less. Slowest to converge, however, open-shell atoms present the most challenging case and require many higher orders to converge.

Medical error and systems of signaling: conceptual and linguistic definition.

PubMed

Smorti, Andrea; Cappelli, Francesco; Zarantonello, Roberta; Tani, Franca; Gensini, Gian Franco

2014-09-01

In recent years the issue of patient safety has been the subject of detailed investigations, particularly as a result of the increasing attention from the patients and the public on the problem of medical error. The purpose of this work is firstly to define the classification of medical errors, which are distinguished between two perspectives: those that are personal, and those that are caused by the system. Furthermore we will briefly review some of the main methods used by healthcare organizations to identify and analyze errors. During this discussion it has been determined that, in order to constitute a practical, coordinated and shared action to counteract the error, it is necessary to promote an analysis that considers all elements (human, technological and organizational) that contribute to the occurrence of a critical event. Therefore, it is essential to create a culture of constructive confrontation that encourages an open and non-punitive debate about the causes that led to error. In conclusion we have thus underlined that in health it is essential to affirm a system discussion that considers the error as a learning source, and as a result of the interaction between the individual and the organization. In this way, one should encourage a non-guilt bearing discussion on evident errors and on those which are not immediately identifiable, in order to create the conditions that recognize and corrects the error even before it produces negative consequences.

Notes on Accuracy of Finite-Volume Discretization Schemes on Irregular Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

2011-01-01

Truncation-error analysis is a reliable tool in predicting convergence rates of discretization errors on regular smooth grids. However, it is often misleading in application to finite-volume discretization schemes on irregular (e.g., unstructured) grids. Convergence of truncation errors severely degrades on general irregular grids; a design-order convergence can be achieved only on grids with a certain degree of geometric regularity. Such degradation of truncation-error convergence does not necessarily imply a lower-order convergence of discretization errors. In these notes, irregular-grid computations demonstrate that the design-order discretization-error convergence can be achieved even when truncation errors exhibit a lower-order convergence or, in some cases, do not converge at all.

Analysis and design of a second-order digital phase-locked loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blasche, P. R.

1979-01-01

A specific second-order digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) was modeled as a first-order Markov chain with alternatives. From the matrix of transition probabilities of the Markov chain, the steady-state phase error of the DPLL was determined. In a similar manner the loop's response was calculated for a fading input. Additionally, a hardware DPLL was constructed and tested to provide a comparison to the results obtained from the Markov chain model. In all cases tested, good agreement was found between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data.

Identifying Human Factors Issues in Aircraft Maintenance Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veinott, Elizabeth S.; Kanki, Barbara G.; Shafto, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Maintenance operations incidents submitted to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) between 1986-1992 were systematically analyzed in order to identify issues relevant to human factors and crew coordination. This exploratory analysis involved 95 ASRS reports which represented a wide range of maintenance incidents. The reports were coded and analyzed according to the type of error (e.g, wrong part, procedural error, non-procedural error), contributing factors (e.g., individual, within-team, cross-team, procedure, tools), result of the error (e.g., aircraft damage or not) as well as the operational impact (e.g., aircraft flown to destination, air return, delay at gate). The main findings indicate that procedural errors were most common (48.4%) and that individual and team actions contributed to the errors in more than 50% of the cases. As for operational results, most errors were either corrected after landing at the destination (51.6%) or required the flight crew to stop enroute (29.5%). Interactions among these variables are also discussed. This analysis is a first step toward developing a taxonomy of crew coordination problems in maintenance. By understanding what variables are important and how they are interrelated, we may develop intervention strategies that are better tailored to the human factor issues involved.

The grasping side of post-error slowing.

PubMed

Ceccarini, Francesco; Castiello, Umberto

2018-06-07

A common finding across many speeded reaction time (RT) tasks is that people tend to respond more slowly after making an error. This phenomenon, known as post-error slowing (PES), has been traditionally hypothesized to reflect a strategic increase in response caution, aimed at preventing the occurrence of new errors. However, this interpretation of PES has been challenged on multiple fronts. Firstly, recent investigations have suggested that errors may produce a decrement in performance accuracy and that PES might occur because error processing has a detrimental effect on subsequent information processing. Secondly, previous research has been criticized because of the limited ecological validity of speeded RT tasks. In the present study, we investigated error-reactivity in the context of goal-directed actions, in order to examine the extent to which PES effects impact on realistic and complex movements. Specifically, we investigated the effect of errors on the reach to grasp movement (Experiment 1). In addition to RTs, we performed a kinematical analysis in order to explore the underlying reorganization of the movements after an error. The results of the present study showed that error reactivity strategically influences the grasping component of the action, whereas the reaching component appears to be impermeable to PES. The resistance of the reaching component to PES was confirmed in a second 'only reaching' experiment (Experiment 2). These finding supports the hypothesis that error reactivity is a flexible process whose effects on behavior also depend on the motor components involved in the action. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Error modeling for differential GPS. M.S. Thesis - MIT, 12 May 1995

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blerman, Gregory S.

1995-01-01

Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) positioning is used to accurately locate a GPS receiver based upon the well-known position of a reference site. In utilizing this technique, several error sources contribute to position inaccuracy. This thesis investigates the error in DGPS operation and attempts to develop a statistical model for the behavior of this error. The model for DGPS error is developed using GPS data collected by Draper Laboratory. The Marquardt method for nonlinear curve-fitting is used to find the parameters of a first order Markov process that models the average errors from the collected data. The results show that a first order Markov process can be used to model the DGPS error as a function of baseline distance and time delay. The model's time correlation constant is 3847.1 seconds (1.07 hours) for the mean square error. The distance correlation constant is 122.8 kilometers. The total process variance for the DGPS model is 3.73 sq meters.

A Stable Clock Error Model Using Coupled First and Second Order Gauss-Markov Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Russell; Lee, Taesul

2008-01-01

Long data outages may occur in applications of global navigation satellite system technology to orbit determination for missions that spend significant fractions of their orbits above the navigation satellite constellation(s). Current clock error models based on the random walk idealization may not be suitable in these circumstances, since the covariance of the clock errors may become large enough to overflow flight computer arithmetic. A model that is stable, but which approximates the existing models over short time horizons is desirable. A coupled first- and second-order Gauss-Markov process is such a model.

A Quantum Field Approach for Advancing Optical Coherence Tomography Part I: First Order Correlations, Single Photon Interference, and Quantum Noise.

PubMed

Brezinski, M E

2018-01-01

Optical coherence tomography has become an important imaging technology in cardiology and ophthalmology, with other applications under investigations. Major advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are likely to occur through a quantum field approach to the technology. In this paper, which is the first part in a series on the topic, the quantum basis of OCT first order correlations is expressed in terms of full field quantization. Specifically first order correlations are treated as the linear sum of single photon interferences along indistinguishable paths. Photons and the electromagnetic (EM) field are described in terms of quantum harmonic oscillators. While the author feels the study of quantum second order correlations will lead to greater paradigm shifts in the field, addressed in part II, advances from the study of quantum first order correlations are given. In particular, ranging errors are discussed (with remedies) from vacuum fluctuations through the detector port, photon counting errors, and position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, the principles of quantum field theory and first order correlations are needed for studying second order correlations in part II.

The Combined Effects of Measurement Error and Omitting Confounders in the Single-Mediator Model

PubMed Central

Fritz, Matthew S.; Kenny, David A.; MacKinnon, David P.

2016-01-01

Mediation analysis requires a number of strong assumptions be met in order to make valid causal inferences. Failing to account for violations of these assumptions, such as not modeling measurement error or omitting a common cause of the effects in the model, can bias the parameter estimates of the mediated effect. When the independent variable is perfectly reliable, for example when participants are randomly assigned to levels of treatment, measurement error in the mediator tends to underestimate the mediated effect, while the omission of a confounding variable of the mediator to outcome relation tends to overestimate the mediated effect. Violations of these two assumptions often co-occur, however, in which case the mediated effect could be overestimated, underestimated, or even, in very rare circumstances, unbiased. In order to explore the combined effect of measurement error and omitted confounders in the same model, the impact of each violation on the single-mediator model is first examined individually. Then the combined effect of having measurement error and omitted confounders in the same model is discussed. Throughout, an empirical example is provided to illustrate the effect of violating these assumptions on the mediated effect. PMID:27739903

On the Error State Selection for Stationary SINS Alignment and Calibration Kalman Filters—Part II: Observability/Estimability Analysis

PubMed Central

Silva, Felipe O.; Hemerly, Elder M.; Leite Filho, Waldemar C.

2017-01-01

This paper presents the second part of a study aiming at the error state selection in Kalman filters applied to the stationary self-alignment and calibration (SSAC) problem of strapdown inertial navigation systems (SINS). The observability properties of the system are systematically investigated, and the number of unobservable modes is established. Through the analytical manipulation of the full SINS error model, the unobservable modes of the system are determined, and the SSAC error states (except the velocity errors) are proven to be individually unobservable. The estimability of the system is determined through the examination of the major diagonal terms of the covariance matrix and their eigenvalues/eigenvectors. Filter order reduction based on observability analysis is shown to be inadequate, and several misconceptions regarding SSAC observability and estimability deficiencies are removed. As the main contributions of this paper, we demonstrate that, except for the position errors, all error states can be minimally estimated in the SSAC problem and, hence, should not be removed from the filter. Corroborating the conclusions of the first part of this study, a 12-state Kalman filter is found to be the optimal error state selection for SSAC purposes. Results from simulated and experimental tests support the outlined conclusions. PMID:28241494

Errors from approximation of ODE systems with reduced order models

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

Vassilevska, Tanya

2016-12-30

This is a code to calculate the error from approximation of systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) Reduced Order Models (ROM) methods and to compare and analyze the errors for two POD ROM variants. The first variant is the standard POD ROM, the second variant is a modification of the method using the values of the time derivatives (a.k.a. time-derivative snapshots). The code compares the errors from the two variants under different conditions.

Effect of train carbody's parameters on vertical bending stiffness performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Guangwu; Wang, Changke; Xiang, Futeng; Xiao, Shoune

2016-10-01

Finite element analysis(FEA) and modal test are main methods to give the first-order vertical bending vibration frequency of train carbody at present, but they are inefficiency and waste plenty of time. Based on Timoshenko beam theory, the bending deformation, moment of inertia and shear deformation are considered. Carbody is divided into some parts with the same length, and it's stiffness is calculated with series principle, it's cross section area, moment of inertia and shear shape coefficient is equivalent by segment length, and the fimal corrected first-order vertical bending vibration frequency analytical formula is deduced. There are 6 simple carbodies and 1 real carbody as examples to test the formula, all analysis frequencies are very close to their FEA frequencies, and especially for the real carbody, the error between analysis and experiment frequency is 0.75%. Based on the analytic formula, sensitivity analysis of the real carbody's design parameters is done, and some main parameters are found. The series principle of carbody stiffness is introduced into Timoshenko beam theory to deduce a formula, which can estimate the first-order vertical bending vibration frequency of carbody quickly without traditional FEA method and provide a reference to design engineers.

Tolerance analysis of optical telescopes using coherent addition of wavefront errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davenport, J. W.

1982-01-01

A near diffraction-limited telescope requires that tolerance analysis be done on the basis of system wavefront error. One method of analyzing the wavefront error is to represent the wavefront error function in terms of its Zernike polynomial expansion. A Ramsey-Korsch ray trace package, a computer program that simulates the tracing of rays through an optical telescope system, was expanded to include the Zernike polynomial expansion up through the fifth-order spherical term. An option to determine a 3 dimensional plot of the wavefront error function was also included in the Ramsey-Korsch package. Several assimulation runs were analyzed to determine the particular set of coefficients in the Zernike expansion that are effected by various errors such as tilt, decenter and despace. A 3 dimensional plot of each error up through the fifth-order spherical term was also included in the study. Tolerance analysis data are presented.

Dispensing error rate after implementation of an automated pharmacy carousel system.

PubMed

Oswald, Scott; Caldwell, Richard

2007-07-01

A study was conducted to determine filling and dispensing error rates before and after the implementation of an automated pharmacy carousel system (APCS). The study was conducted in a 613-bed acute and tertiary care university hospital. Before the implementation of the APCS, filling and dispensing rates were recorded during October through November 2004 and January 2005. Postimplementation data were collected during May through June 2006. Errors were recorded in three areas of pharmacy operations: first-dose or missing medication fill, automated dispensing cabinet fill, and interdepartmental request fill. A filling error was defined as an error caught by a pharmacist during the verification step. A dispensing error was defined as an error caught by a pharmacist observer after verification by the pharmacist. Before implementation of the APCS, 422 first-dose or missing medication orders were observed between October 2004 and January 2005. Independent data collected in December 2005, approximately six weeks after the introduction of the APCS, found that filling and error rates had increased. The filling rate for automated dispensing cabinets was associated with the largest decrease in errors. Filling and dispensing error rates had decreased by December 2005. In terms of interdepartmental request fill, no dispensing errors were noted in 123 clinic orders dispensed before the implementation of the APCS. One dispensing error out of 85 clinic orders was identified after implementation of the APCS. The implementation of an APCS at a university hospital decreased medication filling errors related to automated cabinets only and did not affect other filling and dispensing errors.

Identification of natural frequencies and modal damping ratios of aerospace structures from response data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalopoulos, C. D.

1976-01-01

An analysis of one and multidegree of freedom systems with classical damping is presented. Definition and minimization of error functions for each system are discussed. Systems with classical and nonclassical normal modes are studied, and results for first order perturbation are given. An alternative method of matching power spectral densities is provided, and numerical results are reviewed.

Neural network-based model reference adaptive control system.

PubMed

Patino, H D; Liu, D

2000-01-01

In this paper, an approach to model reference adaptive control based on neural networks is proposed and analyzed for a class of first-order continuous-time nonlinear dynamical systems. The controller structure can employ either a radial basis function network or a feedforward neural network to compensate adaptively the nonlinearities in the plant. A stable controller-parameter adjustment mechanism, which is determined using the Lyapunov theory, is constructed using a sigma-modification-type updating law. The evaluation of control error in terms of the neural network learning error is performed. That is, the control error converges asymptotically to a neighborhood of zero, whose size is evaluated and depends on the approximation error of the neural network. In the design and analysis of neural network-based control systems, it is important to take into account the neural network learning error and its influence on the control error of the plant. Simulation results showing the feasibility and performance of the proposed approach are given.

Asynchronous error-correcting secure communication scheme based on fractional-order shifting chaotic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Luo

2015-11-01

In this paper, a novel digital secure communication scheme is firstly proposed. Different from the usual secure communication schemes based on chaotic synchronization, the proposed scheme employs asynchronous communication which avoids the weakness of synchronous systems and is susceptible to environmental interference. Moreover, as to the transmission errors and data loss in the process of communication, the proposed scheme has the ability to be error-checking and error-correcting in real time. In order to guarantee security, the fractional-order complex chaotic system with the shifting of order is utilized to modulate the transmitted signal, which has high nonlinearity and complexity in both frequency and time domains. The corresponding numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the scheme.

Geomagnetic model investigations for 1980 - 1989: A model for strategic defense initiative particle beam experiments and a study in the effects of data types and observatory bias solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Langel, Robert A.; Sabaka, T. J.; Baldwin, R. T.

1991-01-01

Two suites of geomagnetic field models were generated at the request of Los Alamos National Lab. concerning Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) research. The first is a progression of five models incorporating MAGSAT data and data from a sequence of batches as a priori information. The batch sequence is: post 1979.5 observatory data, post 1980 land survey and selected aeromagnetic and marine survey data, a special White Sands (NM) area survey by Project Magnet with some additional post 1980 marine survey data, and finally DE-2 satellite data. These models are of 13th deg and order in their main field terms, and deg and order 10 in their first derivative temporal terms. The second suite consists of four models based solely upon post 1983.5 observatory and survey data. They are of deg and order 10 in main field and 8 in a first deg Taylor series. A comprehensive error analysis was applied to both series, which accounted for error sources such as the truncated core and crustal fields, and the neglected Sq and low deg crustal fields. Comparison of the power spectrum of the MGST (10/81) model with those of this series show good agreement.

Thermal error analysis and compensation for digital image/volume correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Bing

2018-02-01

Digital image/volume correlation (DIC/DVC) rely on the digital images acquired by digital cameras and x-ray CT scanners to extract the motion and deformation of test samples. Regrettably, these imaging devices are unstable optical systems, whose imaging geometry may undergo unavoidable slight and continual changes due to self-heating effect or ambient temperature variations. Changes in imaging geometry lead to both shift and expansion in the recorded 2D or 3D images, and finally manifest as systematic displacement and strain errors in DIC/DVC measurements. Since measurement accuracy is always the most important requirement in various experimental mechanics applications, these thermal-induced errors (referred to as thermal errors) should be given serious consideration in order to achieve high accuracy, reproducible DIC/DVC measurements. In this work, theoretical analyses are first given to understand the origin of thermal errors. Then real experiments are conducted to quantify thermal errors. Three solutions are suggested to mitigate or correct thermal errors. Among these solutions, a reference sample compensation approach is highly recommended because of its easy implementation, high accuracy and in-situ error correction capability. Most of the work has appeared in our previously published papers, thus its originality is not claimed. Instead, this paper aims to give a comprehensive overview and more insights of our work on thermal error analysis and compensation for DIC/DVC measurements.

Uncertainty Analysis and Order-by-Order Optimization of Chiral Nuclear Interactions

DOE PAGES

Carlsson, Boris; Forssen, Christian; Fahlin Strömberg, D.; ...

2016-02-24

Chiral effective field theory ( ΧEFT) provides a systematic approach to describe low-energy nuclear forces. Moreover, EFT is able to provide well-founded estimates of statistical and systematic uncertainties | although this unique advantage has not yet been fully exploited. We ll this gap by performing an optimization and statistical analysis of all the low-energy constants (LECs) up to next-to-next-to-leading order. Our optimization protocol corresponds to a simultaneous t to scattering and bound-state observables in the pion-nucleon, nucleon-nucleon, and few-nucleon sectors, thereby utilizing the full model capabilities of EFT. Finally, we study the effect on other observables by demonstrating forward-error-propagation methodsmore » that can easily be adopted by future works. We employ mathematical optimization and implement automatic differentiation to attain e cient and machine-precise first- and second-order derivatives of the objective function with respect to the LECs. This is also vital for the regression analysis. We use power-counting arguments to estimate the systematic uncertainty that is inherent to EFT and we construct chiral interactions at different orders with quantified uncertainties. Statistical error propagation is compared with Monte Carlo sampling showing that statistical errors are in general small compared to systematic ones. In conclusion, we find that a simultaneous t to different sets of data is critical to (i) identify the optimal set of LECs, (ii) capture all relevant correlations, (iii) reduce the statistical uncertainty, and (iv) attain order-by-order convergence in EFT. Furthermore, certain systematic uncertainties in the few-nucleon sector are shown to get substantially magnified in the many-body sector; in particlar when varying the cutoff in the chiral potentials. The methodology and results presented in this Paper open a new frontier for uncertainty quantification in ab initio nuclear theory.« less

Accuracy analysis and design of A3 parallel spindle head

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yanbing; Zhang, Biao; Sun, Yupeng; Zhang, Yuan

2016-03-01

As functional components of machine tools, parallel mechanisms are widely used in high efficiency machining of aviation components, and accuracy is one of the critical technical indexes. Lots of researchers have focused on the accuracy problem of parallel mechanisms, but in terms of controlling the errors and improving the accuracy in the stage of design and manufacturing, further efforts are required. Aiming at the accuracy design of a 3-DOF parallel spindle head(A3 head), its error model, sensitivity analysis and tolerance allocation are investigated. Based on the inverse kinematic analysis, the error model of A3 head is established by using the first-order perturbation theory and vector chain method. According to the mapping property of motion and constraint Jacobian matrix, the compensatable and uncompensatable error sources which affect the accuracy in the end-effector are separated. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is performed on the uncompensatable error sources. The sensitivity probabilistic model is established and the global sensitivity index is proposed to analyze the influence of the uncompensatable error sources on the accuracy in the end-effector of the mechanism. The results show that orientation error sources have bigger effect on the accuracy in the end-effector. Based upon the sensitivity analysis results, the tolerance design is converted into the issue of nonlinearly constrained optimization with the manufacturing cost minimum being the optimization objective. By utilizing the genetic algorithm, the allocation of the tolerances on each component is finally determined. According to the tolerance allocation results, the tolerance ranges of ten kinds of geometric error sources are obtained. These research achievements can provide fundamental guidelines for component manufacturing and assembly of this kind of parallel mechanisms.

Addressing global uncertainty and sensitivity in first-principles based microkinetic models by an adaptive sparse grid approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Döpking, Sandra; Plaisance, Craig P.; Strobusch, Daniel; Reuter, Karsten; Scheurer, Christoph; Matera, Sebastian

2018-01-01

In the last decade, first-principles-based microkinetic modeling has been developed into an important tool for a mechanistic understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. A commonly known, but hitherto barely analyzed issue in this kind of modeling is the presence of sizable errors from the use of approximate Density Functional Theory (DFT). We here address the propagation of these errors to the catalytic turnover frequency (TOF) by global sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Both analyses require the numerical quadrature of high-dimensional integrals. To achieve this efficiently, we utilize and extend an adaptive sparse grid approach and exploit the confinement of the strongly non-linear behavior of the TOF to local regions of the parameter space. We demonstrate the methodology on a model of the oxygen evolution reaction at the Co3O4 (110)-A surface, using a maximum entropy error model that imposes nothing but reasonable bounds on the errors. For this setting, the DFT errors lead to an absolute uncertainty of several orders of magnitude in the TOF. We nevertheless find that it is still possible to draw conclusions from such uncertain models about the atomistic aspects controlling the reactivity. A comparison with derivative-based local sensitivity analysis instead reveals that this more established approach provides incomplete information. Since the adaptive sparse grids allow for the evaluation of the integrals with only a modest number of function evaluations, this approach opens the way for a global sensitivity analysis of more complex models, for instance, models based on kinetic Monte Carlo simulations.

A Quantum Field Approach for Advancing Optical Coherence Tomography Part I: First Order Correlations, Single Photon Interference, and Quantum Noise

PubMed Central

Brezinski, ME

2018-01-01

Optical coherence tomography has become an important imaging technology in cardiology and ophthalmology, with other applications under investigations. Major advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are likely to occur through a quantum field approach to the technology. In this paper, which is the first part in a series on the topic, the quantum basis of OCT first order correlations is expressed in terms of full field quantization. Specifically first order correlations are treated as the linear sum of single photon interferences along indistinguishable paths. Photons and the electromagnetic (EM) field are described in terms of quantum harmonic oscillators. While the author feels the study of quantum second order correlations will lead to greater paradigm shifts in the field, addressed in part II, advances from the study of quantum first order correlations are given. In particular, ranging errors are discussed (with remedies) from vacuum fluctuations through the detector port, photon counting errors, and position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, the principles of quantum field theory and first order correlations are needed for studying second order correlations in part II. PMID:29863177

Integrating aerodynamics and structures in the minimum weight design of a supersonic transport wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barthelemy, Jean-Francois M.; Wrenn, Gregory A.; Dovi, Augustine R.; Coen, Peter G.; Hall, Laura E.

1992-01-01

An approach is presented for determining the minimum weight design of aircraft wing models which takes into consideration aerodynamics-structure coupling when calculating both zeroth order information needed for analysis and first order information needed for optimization. When performing sensitivity analysis, coupling is accounted for by using a generalized sensitivity formulation. The results presented show that the aeroelastic effects are calculated properly and noticeably reduce constraint approximation errors. However, for the particular example selected, the error introduced by ignoring aeroelastic effects are not sufficient to significantly affect the convergence of the optimization process. Trade studies are reported that consider different structural materials, internal spar layouts, and panel buckling lengths. For the formulation, model and materials used in this study, an advanced aluminum material produced the lightest design while satisfying the problem constraints. Also, shorter panel buckling lengths resulted in lower weights by permitting smaller panel thicknesses and generally, by unloading the wing skins and loading the spar caps. Finally, straight spars required slightly lower wing weights than angled spars.

Dimensional synthesis of a 3-DOF parallel manipulator with full circle rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yanbing; Wu, Nan; Zhong, Xueyong; Zhang, Biao

2015-07-01

Parallel robots are widely used in the academic and industrial fields. In spite of the numerous achievements in the design and dimensional synthesis of the low-mobility parallel robots, few research efforts are directed towards the asymmetric 3-DOF parallel robots whose end-effector can realize 2 translational and 1 rotational(2T1R) motion. In order to develop a manipulator with the capability of full circle rotation to enlarge the workspace, a new 2T1R parallel mechanism is proposed. The modeling approach and kinematic analysis of this proposed mechanism are investigated. Using the method of vector analysis, the inverse kinematic equations are established. This is followed by a vigorous proof that this mechanism attains an annular workspace through its circular rotation and 2 dimensional translations. Taking the first order perturbation of the kinematic equations, the error Jacobian matrix which represents the mapping relationship between the error sources of geometric parameters and the end-effector position errors is derived. With consideration of the constraint conditions of pressure angles and feasible workspace, the dimensional synthesis is conducted with a goal to minimize the global comprehensive performance index. The dimension parameters making the mechanism to have optimal error mapping and kinematic performance are obtained through the optimization algorithm. All these research achievements lay the foundation for the prototype building of such kind of parallel robots.

Numerical analysis of electrically tunable aspherical optofluidic lenses.

PubMed

In this work, we use the numerical simulation platform Zemax to investigate the optical properties of electrically tunable aspherical liquid lenses, as we recently reported in an experimental study [ K. Mishra C. Murade B. Carreel I. Roghair J. M. Oh G. Manukyan D. van den Ende F. Mugele , "Optofluidic lens with tunable focal length and asphericity," Sci. Rep.4, 6378 (2014)]. Based on the measured lens profiles in the presence of an inhomogeneous electric field and the geometry of the optical device, we calculate the optical aberrations, focusing in particular on the Z11 Zernike coefficient of spherical aberration obtained at zero defocus (Z4). Focal length and spherical aberrations are calculated for a wide range of control parameters (fluid pressure and electric field), parallel with the experimental results. Similarly, the modulation transfer function (MTF), image spot diagrams, Strehl's ratio, and peak-to-valley (P-V) and root mean square (RMS) wavefront errors are calculated to quantify the performance of our aspherical liquid lenses. We demonstrate that the device concept allows compensation for a wide range of spherical aberrations encountered in optical systems.; Mishra, Kartikeya; Mugele, Frieder

2016-06-27

In this work, we use the numerical simulation platform Zemax to investigate the optical properties of electrically tunable aspherical liquid lenses, as we recently reported in an experimental study [ K. Mishra C. Murade B. Carreel I. Roghair J. M. Oh G. Manukyan D. van den Ende F. Mugele , "Optofluidic lens with tunable focal length and asphericity," Sci. Rep.4, 6378 (2014)]. Based on the measured lens profiles in the presence of an inhomogeneous electric field and the geometry of the optical device, we calculate the optical aberrations, focusing in particular on the Z11 Zernike coefficient of spherical aberration obtained at zero defocus (Z4). Focal length and spherical aberrations are calculated for a wide range of control parameters (fluid pressure and electric field), parallel with the experimental results. Similarly, the modulation transfer function (MTF), image spot diagrams, Strehl's ratio, and peak-to-valley (P-V) and root mean square (RMS) wavefront errors are calculated to quantify the performance of our aspherical liquid lenses. We demonstrate that the device concept allows compensation for a wide range of spherical aberrations encountered in optical systems.

A simple finite element method for linear hyperbolic problems

DOE PAGES

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

2017-09-14

Here, we introduce a simple finite element method for solving first order hyperbolic equations with easy implementation and analysis. Our new method, with a symmetric, positive definite system, is designed to use discontinuous approximations on finite element partitions consisting of arbitrary shape of polygons/polyhedra. Error estimate is established. Extensive numerical examples are tested that demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the method.

A simple finite element method for linear hyperbolic problems

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

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

Here, we introduce a simple finite element method for solving first order hyperbolic equations with easy implementation and analysis. Our new method, with a symmetric, positive definite system, is designed to use discontinuous approximations on finite element partitions consisting of arbitrary shape of polygons/polyhedra. Error estimate is established. Extensive numerical examples are tested that demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the method.

Neural network uncertainty assessment using Bayesian statistics: a remote sensing application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aires, F.; Prigent, C.; Rossow, W. B.

2004-01-01

Neural network (NN) techniques have proved successful for many regression problems, in particular for remote sensing; however, uncertainty estimates are rarely provided. In this article, a Bayesian technique to evaluate uncertainties of the NN parameters (i.e., synaptic weights) is first presented. In contrast to more traditional approaches based on point estimation of the NN weights, we assess uncertainties on such estimates to monitor the robustness of the NN model. These theoretical developments are illustrated by applying them to the problem of retrieving surface skin temperature, microwave surface emissivities, and integrated water vapor content from a combined analysis of satellite microwave and infrared observations over land. The weight uncertainty estimates are then used to compute analytically the uncertainties in the network outputs (i.e., error bars and correlation structure of these errors). Such quantities are very important for evaluating any application of an NN model. The uncertainties on the NN Jacobians are then considered in the third part of this article. Used for regression fitting, NN models can be used effectively to represent highly nonlinear, multivariate functions. In this situation, most emphasis is put on estimating the output errors, but almost no attention has been given to errors associated with the internal structure of the regression model. The complex structure of dependency inside the NN is the essence of the model, and assessing its quality, coherency, and physical character makes all the difference between a blackbox model with small output errors and a reliable, robust, and physically coherent model. Such dependency structures are described to the first order by the NN Jacobians: they indicate the sensitivity of one output with respect to the inputs of the model for given input data. We use a Monte Carlo integration procedure to estimate the robustness of the NN Jacobians. A regularization strategy based on principal component analysis is proposed to suppress the multicollinearities in order to make these Jacobians robust and physically meaningful.

Galilean-invariant preconditioned central-moment lattice Boltzmann method without cubic velocity errors for efficient steady flow simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajabdollahi, Farzaneh; Premnath, Kannan N.

2018-05-01

Lattice Boltzmann (LB) models used for the computation of fluid flows represented by the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations on standard lattices can lead to non-Galilean-invariant (GI) viscous stress involving cubic velocity errors. This arises from the dependence of their third-order diagonal moments on the first-order moments for standard lattices, and strategies have recently been introduced to restore Galilean invariance without such errors using a modified collision operator involving corrections to either the relaxation times or the moment equilibria. Convergence acceleration in the simulation of steady flows can be achieved by solving the preconditioned NS equations, which contain a preconditioning parameter that can be used to tune the effective sound speed, and thereby alleviating the numerical stiffness. In the present paper, we present a GI formulation of the preconditioned cascaded central-moment LB method used to solve the preconditioned NS equations, which is free of cubic velocity errors on a standard lattice, for steady flows. A Chapman-Enskog analysis reveals the structure of the spurious non-GI defect terms and it is demonstrated that the anisotropy of the resulting viscous stress is dependent on the preconditioning parameter, in addition to the fluid velocity. It is shown that partial correction to eliminate the cubic velocity defects is achieved by scaling the cubic velocity terms in the off-diagonal third-order moment equilibria with the square of the preconditioning parameter. Furthermore, we develop additional corrections based on the extended moment equilibria involving gradient terms with coefficients dependent locally on the fluid velocity and the preconditioning parameter. Such parameter dependent corrections eliminate the remaining truncation errors arising from the degeneracy of the diagonal third-order moments and fully restore Galilean invariance without cubic defects for the preconditioned LB scheme on a standard lattice. Several conclusions are drawn from the analysis of the structure of the non-GI errors and the associated corrections, with particular emphasis on their dependence on the preconditioning parameter. The GI preconditioned central-moment LB method is validated for a number of complex flow benchmark problems and its effectiveness to achieve convergence acceleration and improvement in accuracy is demonstrated.

Analysis of real-time numerical integration methods applied to dynamic clamp experiments.

PubMed

Butera, Robert J; McCarthy, Maeve L

2004-12-01

Real-time systems are frequently used as an experimental tool, whereby simulated models interact in real time with neurophysiological experiments. The most demanding of these techniques is known as the dynamic clamp, where simulated ion channel conductances are artificially injected into a neuron via intracellular electrodes for measurement and stimulation. Methodologies for implementing the numerical integration of the gating variables in real time typically employ first-order numerical methods, either Euler or exponential Euler (EE). EE is often used for rapidly integrating ion channel gating variables. We find via simulation studies that for small time steps, both methods are comparable, but at larger time steps, EE performs worse than Euler. We derive error bounds for both methods, and find that the error can be characterized in terms of two ratios: time step over time constant, and voltage measurement error over the slope factor of the steady-state activation curve of the voltage-dependent gating variable. These ratios reliably bound the simulation error and yield results consistent with the simulation analysis. Our bounds quantitatively illustrate how measurement error restricts the accuracy that can be obtained by using smaller step sizes. Finally, we demonstrate that Euler can be computed with identical computational efficiency as EE.

Hartman Testing of X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Timo T.; Biskasch, Michael; Zhang, William W.

2013-01-01

Hartmann testing of x-ray telescopes is a simple test method to retrieve and analyze alignment errors and low-order circumferential errors of x-ray telescopes and their components. A narrow slit is scanned along the circumference of the telescope in front of the mirror and the centroids of the images are calculated. From the centroid data, alignment errors, radius variation errors, and cone-angle variation errors can be calculated. Mean cone angle, mean radial height (average radius), and the focal length of the telescope can also be estimated if the centroid data is measured at multiple focal plane locations. In this paper we present the basic equations that are used in the analysis process. These equations can be applied to full circumference or segmented x-ray telescopes. We use the Optical Surface Analysis Code (OSAC) to model a segmented x-ray telescope and show that the derived equations and accompanying analysis retrieves the alignment errors and low order circumferential errors accurately.

Interactive 3-D registration of ultrasound and magnetic resonance images based on a magnetic position sensor.

PubMed

Pagoulatos, N; Edwards, W S; Haynor, D R; Kim, Y

1999-12-01

The use of stereotactic systems has been one of the main approaches for image-based guidance of the surgical tool within the brain. The main limitation of stereotactic systems is that they are based on preoperative images that might become outdated and invalid during the course of surgery. Ultrasound (US) is considered the most practical and cost-effective intraoperative imaging modality, but US images inherently have a low signal-to-noise ratio. Integrating intraoperative US with stereotactic systems has recently been attempted. In this paper, we present a new system for interactively registering two-dimensional US and three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) images. This registration is based on tracking the US probe with a dc magnetic position sensor. We have performed an extensive analysis of the errors of our system by using a custom-built phantom. The registration error between the MR and the position sensor space was found to have a mean value of 1.78 mm and a standard deviation of 0.18 mm. The registration error between US and MR space was dependent on the distance of the target point from the US probe face. For a 3.5-MHz phased one-dimensional array transducer and a depth of 6 cm, the mean value of the registration error was 2.00 mm and the standard deviation was 0.75 mm. The registered MR images were reconstructed using either zeroth-order or first-order interpolation. The ease of use and the interactive nature of our system (approximately 6.5 frames/s for 344 x 310 images and first-order interpolation on a Pentium II 450 MHz) demonstrates its potential to be used in the operating room.

Evaluation Of Statistical Models For Forecast Errors From The HBV-Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engeland, K.; Kolberg, S.; Renard, B.; Stensland, I.

2009-04-01

Three statistical models for the forecast errors for inflow to the Langvatn reservoir in Northern Norway have been constructed and tested according to how well the distribution and median values of the forecasts errors fit to the observations. For the first model observed and forecasted inflows were transformed by the Box-Cox transformation before a first order autoregressive model was constructed for the forecast errors. The parameters were conditioned on climatic conditions. In the second model the Normal Quantile Transformation (NQT) was applied on observed and forecasted inflows before a similar first order autoregressive model was constructed for the forecast errors. For the last model positive and negative errors were modeled separately. The errors were first NQT-transformed before a model where the mean values were conditioned on climate, forecasted inflow and yesterday's error. To test the three models we applied three criterions: We wanted a) the median values to be close to the observed values; b) the forecast intervals to be narrow; c) the distribution to be correct. The results showed that it is difficult to obtain a correct model for the forecast errors, and that the main challenge is to account for the auto-correlation in the errors. Model 1 and 2 gave similar results, and the main drawback is that the distributions are not correct. The 95% forecast intervals were well identified, but smaller forecast intervals were over-estimated, and larger intervals were under-estimated. Model 3 gave a distribution that fits better, but the median values do not fit well since the auto-correlation is not properly accounted for. If the 95% forecast interval is of interest, Model 2 is recommended. If the whole distribution is of interest, Model 3 is recommended.

The synchronisation of fractional-order hyperchaos compound system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noghredani, Naeimadeen; Riahi, Aminreza; Pariz, Naser; Karimpour, Ali

2018-02-01

This paper presents a new compound synchronisation scheme among four hyperchaotic memristor system with incommensurate fractional-order derivatives. First a new controller was designed based on adaptive technique to minimise the errors and guarantee compound synchronisation of four fractional-order memristor chaotic systems. According to the suitability of compound synchronisation as a reliable solution for secure communication, we then examined the application of the proposed adaptive compound synchronisation scheme in the presence of noise for secure communication. In addition, the unpredictability and complexity of the drive systems enhance the security of secure communication. The corresponding theoretical analysis and results of simulation validated the effectiveness of the proposed synchronisation scheme using MATLAB.

Impact of Stewardship Interventions on Antiretroviral Medication Errors in an Urban Medical Center: A 3-Year, Multiphase Study.

PubMed

Zucker, Jason; Mittal, Jaimie; Jen, Shin-Pung; Cheng, Lucy; Cennimo, David

2016-03-01

There is a high prevalence of HIV infection in Newark, New Jersey, with University Hospital admitting approximately 600 HIV-infected patients per year. Medication errors involving antiretroviral therapy (ART) could significantly affect treatment outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various stewardship interventions in reducing the prevalence of prescribing errors involving ART. This was a retrospective review of all inpatients receiving ART for HIV treatment during three distinct 6-month intervals over a 3-year period. During the first year, the baseline prevalence of medication errors was determined. During the second year, physician and pharmacist education was provided, and a computerized order entry system with drug information resources and prescribing recommendations was implemented. Prospective audit of ART orders with feedback was conducted in the third year. Analyses and comparisons were made across the three phases of this study. Of the 334 patients with HIV admitted in the first year, 45% had at least one antiretroviral medication error and 38% had uncorrected errors at the time of discharge. After education and computerized order entry, significant reductions in medication error rates were observed compared to baseline rates; 36% of 315 admissions had at least one error and 31% had uncorrected errors at discharge. While the prevalence of antiretroviral errors in year 3 was similar to that of year 2 (37% of 276 admissions), there was a significant decrease in the prevalence of uncorrected errors at discharge (12%) with the use of prospective review and intervention. Interventions, such as education and guideline development, can aid in reducing ART medication errors, but a committed stewardship program is necessary to elicit the greatest impact. © 2016 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Solving Upwind-Biased Discretizations: Defect-Correction Iterations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

1999-01-01

This paper considers defect-correction solvers for a second order upwind-biased discretization of the 2D convection equation. The following important features are reported: (1) The asymptotic convergence rate is about 0.5 per defect-correction iteration. (2) If the operators involved in defect-correction iterations have different approximation order, then the initial convergence rates may be very slow. The number of iterations required to get into the asymptotic convergence regime might grow on fine grids as a negative power of h. In the case of a second order target operator and a first order driver operator, this number of iterations is roughly proportional to h-1/3. (3) If both the operators have the second approximation order, the defect-correction solver demonstrates the asymptotic convergence rate after three iterations at most. The same three iterations are required to converge algebraic error below the truncation error level. A novel comprehensive half-space Fourier mode analysis (which, by the way, can take into account the influence of discretized outflow boundary conditions as well) for the defect-correction method is developed. This analysis explains many phenomena observed in solving non-elliptic equations and provides a close prediction of the actual solution behavior. It predicts the convergence rate for each iteration and the asymptotic convergence rate. As a result of this analysis, a new very efficient adaptive multigrid algorithm solving the discrete problem to within a given accuracy is proposed. Numerical simulations confirm the accuracy of the analysis and the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The results of the numerical tests are reported.

Residual Distribution Schemes for Conservation Laws Via Adaptive Quadrature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Timothy; Abgrall, Remi; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This paper considers a family of nonconservative numerical discretizations for conservation laws which retains the correct weak solution behavior in the limit of mesh refinement whenever sufficient order numerical quadrature is used. Our analysis of 2-D discretizations in nonconservative form follows the 1-D analysis of Hou and Le Floch. For a specific family of nonconservative discretizations, it is shown under mild assumptions that the error arising from non-conservation is strictly smaller than the discretization error in the scheme. In the limit of mesh refinement under the same assumptions, solutions are shown to satisfy an entropy inequality. Using results from this analysis, a variant of the "N" (Narrow) residual distribution scheme of van der Weide and Deconinck is developed for first-order systems of conservation laws. The modified form of the N-scheme supplants the usual exact single-state mean-value linearization of flux divergence, typically used for the Euler equations of gasdynamics, by an equivalent integral form on simplex interiors. This integral form is then numerically approximated using an adaptive quadrature procedure. This renders the scheme nonconservative in the sense described earlier so that correct weak solutions are still obtained in the limit of mesh refinement. Consequently, we then show that the modified form of the N-scheme can be easily applied to general (non-simplicial) element shapes and general systems of first-order conservation laws equipped with an entropy inequality where exact mean-value linearization of the flux divergence is not readily obtained, e.g. magnetohydrodynamics, the Euler equations with certain forms of chemistry, etc. Numerical examples of subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows containing discontinuities together with multi-level mesh refinement are provided to verify the analysis.

Statistical model to perform error analysis of curve fits of wind tunnel test data using the techniques of analysis of variance and regression analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alston, D. W.

1981-01-01

The considered research had the objective to design a statistical model that could perform an error analysis of curve fits of wind tunnel test data using analysis of variance and regression analysis techniques. Four related subproblems were defined, and by solving each of these a solution to the general research problem was obtained. The capabilities of the evolved true statistical model are considered. The least squares fit is used to determine the nature of the force, moment, and pressure data. The order of the curve fit is increased in order to delete the quadratic effect in the residuals. The analysis of variance is used to determine the magnitude and effect of the error factor associated with the experimental data.

Reduction in chemotherapy order errors with computerised physician order entry and clinical decision support systems.

PubMed

Aziz, Muhammad Tahir; Ur-Rehman, Tofeeq; Qureshi, Sadia; Bukhari, Nadeem Irfan

Medication errors in chemotherapy are frequent and lead to patient morbidity and mortality, as well as increased rates of re-admission and length of stay, and considerable extra costs. Objective: This study investigated the proposition that computerised chemotherapy ordering reduces the incidence and severity of chemotherapy protocol errors. A computerised physician order entry of chemotherapy order (C-CO) with clinical decision support system was developed in-house, including standardised chemotherapy protocol definitions, automation of pharmacy distribution, clinical checks, labeling and invoicing. A prospective study was then conducted in a C-CO versus paper based chemotherapy order (P-CO) in a 30-bed chemotherapy bay of a tertiary hospital. Both C-CO and P-CO orders, including pharmacoeconomic analysis and the severity of medication errors, were checked and validated by a clinical pharmacist. A group analysis and field trial were also conducted to assess clarity, feasibility and decision making. The C-CO was very usable in terms of its clarity and feasibility. The incidence of medication errors was significantly lower in the C-CO compared with the P-CO (10/3765 [0.26%] versus 134/5514 [2.4%]). There was also a reduction in dispensing time of chemotherapy protocols in the C-CO. The chemotherapy computerisation with clinical decision support system resulted in a significant decrease in the occurrence and severity of medication errors, improvements in chemotherapy dispensing and administration times, and reduction of chemotherapy cost.

Heavy Metal Adsorption onto Kappaphycus sp. from Aqueous Solutions: The Use of Error Functions for Validation of Isotherm and Kinetics Models

PubMed Central

Rahman, Md. Sayedur; Sathasivam, Kathiresan V.

2015-01-01

Biosorption process is a promising technology for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastes and effluents using low-cost and effective biosorbents. In the present study, adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+ onto dried biomass of red seaweed Kappaphycus sp. was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature. The experimental data were evaluated by four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich) and four kinetic models (pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion models). The adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic in nature. Functional groups in the biomass involved in metal adsorption process were revealed as carboxylic and sulfonic acids and sulfonate by Fourier transform infrared analysis. A total of nine error functions were applied to validate the models. We strongly suggest the analysis of error functions for validating adsorption isotherm and kinetic models using linear methods. The present work shows that the red seaweed Kappaphycus sp. can be used as a potentially low-cost biosorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. Further study is warranted to evaluate its feasibility for the removal of heavy metals from the real environment. PMID:26295032

Heavy Metal Adsorption onto Kappaphycus sp. from Aqueous Solutions: The Use of Error Functions for Validation of Isotherm and Kinetics Models.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Sayedur; Sathasivam, Kathiresan V

2015-01-01

Biosorption process is a promising technology for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastes and effluents using low-cost and effective biosorbents. In the present study, adsorption of Pb(2+), Cu(2+), Fe(2+), and Zn(2+) onto dried biomass of red seaweed Kappaphycus sp. was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature. The experimental data were evaluated by four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich) and four kinetic models (pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion models). The adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic in nature. Functional groups in the biomass involved in metal adsorption process were revealed as carboxylic and sulfonic acids and sulfonate by Fourier transform infrared analysis. A total of nine error functions were applied to validate the models. We strongly suggest the analysis of error functions for validating adsorption isotherm and kinetic models using linear methods. The present work shows that the red seaweed Kappaphycus sp. can be used as a potentially low-cost biosorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. Further study is warranted to evaluate its feasibility for the removal of heavy metals from the real environment.

Computerized N-acetylcysteine physician order entry by template protocol for acetaminophen toxicity.

PubMed

Thompson, Trevonne M; Lu, Jenny J; Blackwood, Louisa; Leikin, Jerrold B

2011-01-01

Some medication dosing protocols are logistically complex for traditional physician ordering. The use of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) with templates, or order sets, may be useful to reduce medication administration errors. This study evaluated the rate of medication administration errors using CPOE order sets for N-acetylcysteine (NAC) use in treating acetaminophen poisoning. An 18-month retrospective review of computerized inpatient pharmacy records for NAC use was performed. All patients who received NAC for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning were included. Each record was analyzed to determine the form of NAC given and whether an administration error occurred. In the 82 cases of acetaminophen poisoning in which NAC was given, no medication administration errors were identified. Oral NAC was given in 31 (38%) cases; intravenous NAC was given in 51 (62%) cases. In this retrospective analysis of N-acetylcysteine administration using computerized physician order entry and order sets, no medication administration errors occurred. CPOE is an effective tool in safely executing complicated protocols in an inpatient setting.

MUSIC: MUlti-Scale Initial Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Oliver; Abel, Tom

2013-11-01

MUSIC generates multi-scale initial conditions with multiple levels of refinements for cosmological ‘zoom-in’ simulations. The code uses an adaptive convolution of Gaussian white noise with a real-space transfer function kernel together with an adaptive multi-grid Poisson solver to generate displacements and velocities following first- (1LPT) or second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT). MUSIC achieves rms relative errors of the order of 10-4 for displacements and velocities in the refinement region and thus improves in terms of errors by about two orders of magnitude over previous approaches. In addition, errors are localized at coarse-fine boundaries and do not suffer from Fourier space-induced interference ringing.

Optimal analytic method for the nonlinear Hasegawa-Mima equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baxter, Mathew; Van Gorder, Robert A.; Vajravelu, Kuppalapalle

2014-05-01

The Hasegawa-Mima equation is a nonlinear partial differential equation that describes the electric potential due to a drift wave in a plasma. In the present paper, we apply the method of homotopy analysis to a slightly more general Hasegawa-Mima equation, which accounts for hyper-viscous damping or viscous dissipation. First, we outline the method for the general initial/boundary value problem over a compact rectangular spatial domain. We use a two-stage method, where both the convergence control parameter and the auxiliary linear operator are optimally selected to minimize the residual error due to the approximation. To do the latter, we consider a family of operators parameterized by a constant which gives the decay rate of the solutions. After outlining the general method, we consider a number of concrete examples in order to demonstrate the utility of this approach. The results enable us to study properties of the initial/boundary value problem for the generalized Hasegawa-Mima equation. In several cases considered, we are able to obtain solutions with extremely small residual errors after relatively few iterations are computed (residual errors on the order of 10-15 are found in multiple cases after only three iterations). The results demonstrate that selecting a parameterized auxiliary linear operator can be extremely useful for minimizing residual errors when used concurrently with the optimal homotopy analysis method, suggesting that this approach can prove useful for a number of nonlinear partial differential equations arising in physics and nonlinear mechanics.

Wavefront error budget development for the Thirty Meter Telescope laser guide star adaptive optics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilles, Luc; Wang, Lianqi; Ellerbroek, Brent

2008-07-01

This paper describes the modeling effort undertaken to derive the wavefront error (WFE) budget for the Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS), which is the facility, laser guide star (LGS), dual-conjugate adaptive optics (AO) system for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The budget describes the expected performance of NFIRAOS at zenith, and has been decomposed into (i) first-order turbulence compensation terms (120 nm on-axis), (ii) opto-mechanical implementation errors (84 nm), (iii) AO component errors and higher-order effects (74 nm) and (iv) tip/tilt (TT) wavefront errors at 50% sky coverage at the galactic pole (61 nm) with natural guide star (NGS) tip/tilt/focus/astigmatism (TTFA) sensing in J band. A contingency of about 66 nm now exists to meet the observatory requirement document (ORD) total on-axis wavefront error of 187 nm, mainly on account of reduced TT errors due to updated windshake modeling and a low read-noise NGS wavefront sensor (WFS) detector. A detailed breakdown of each of these top-level terms is presented, together with a discussion on its evaluation using a mix of high-order zonal and low-order modal Monte Carlo simulations.

On-board adaptive model for state of charge estimation of lithium-ion batteries based on Kalman filter with proportional integral-based error adjustment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jingwen; Dong, Guangzhong; Chen, Zonghai

2017-10-01

With the rapid development of battery-powered electric vehicles, the lithium-ion battery plays a critical role in the reliability of vehicle system. In order to provide timely management and protection for battery systems, it is necessary to develop a reliable battery model and accurate battery parameters estimation to describe battery dynamic behaviors. Therefore, this paper focuses on an on-board adaptive model for state-of-charge (SOC) estimation of lithium-ion batteries. Firstly, a first-order equivalent circuit battery model is employed to describe battery dynamic characteristics. Then, the recursive least square algorithm and the off-line identification method are used to provide good initial values of model parameters to ensure filter stability and reduce the convergence time. Thirdly, an extended-Kalman-filter (EKF) is applied to on-line estimate battery SOC and model parameters. Considering that the EKF is essentially a first-order Taylor approximation of battery model, which contains inevitable model errors, thus, a proportional integral-based error adjustment technique is employed to improve the performance of EKF method and correct model parameters. Finally, the experimental results on lithium-ion batteries indicate that the proposed EKF with proportional integral-based error adjustment method can provide robust and accurate battery model and on-line parameter estimation.

Investigation of Primary Mirror Segment's Residual Errors for the Thirty Meter Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seo, Byoung-Joon; Nissly, Carl; Angeli, George; MacMynowski, Doug; Sigrist, Norbert; Troy, Mitchell; Williams, Eric

2009-01-01

The primary mirror segment aberrations after shape corrections with warping harness have been identified as the single largest error term in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) image quality error budget. In order to better understand the likely errors and how they will impact the telescope performance we have performed detailed simulations. We first generated unwarped primary mirror segment surface shapes that met TMT specifications. Then we used the predicted warping harness influence functions and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor model to determine estimates for the 492 corrected segment surfaces that make up the TMT primary mirror. Surface and control parameters, as well as the number of subapertures were varied to explore the parameter space. The corrected segment shapes were then passed to an optical TMT model built using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed Modeling and Analysis for Controlled Optical Systems (MACOS) ray-trace simulator. The generated exit pupil wavefront error maps provided RMS wavefront error and image-plane characteristics like the Normalized Point Source Sensitivity (PSSN). The results have been used to optimize the segment shape correction and wavefront sensor designs as well as provide input to the TMT systems engineering error budgets.

Efficient calculation of higher-order optical waveguide dispersion.

PubMed

Mores, J A; Malheiros-Silveira, G N; Fragnito, H L; Hernández-Figueroa, H E

2010-09-13

An efficient numerical strategy to compute the higher-order dispersion parameters of optical waveguides is presented. For the first time to our knowledge, a systematic study of the errors involved in the higher-order dispersions' numerical calculation process is made, showing that the present strategy can accurately model those parameters. Such strategy combines a full-vectorial finite element modal solver and a proper finite difference differentiation algorithm. Its performance has been carefully assessed through the analysis of several key geometries. In addition, the optimization of those higher-order dispersion parameters can also be carried out by coupling to the present scheme a genetic algorithm, as shown here through the design of a photonic crystal fiber suitable for parametric amplification applications.

Hybrid Transverse Polar Navigation for High-Precision and Long-Term INSs

PubMed Central

Wu, Qiuping; Zhang, Rong; Hu, Peida; Li, Haixia

2018-01-01

Transverse navigation has been proposed to help inertial navigation systems (INSs) fill the gap of polar navigation ability. However, as the transverse system does not have the ability of navigate globally, a complicated switch between the transverse and the traditional algorithms is necessary when the system moves across the polar circles. To maintain the inner continuity and consistency of the core algorithm, a hybrid transverse polar navigation is proposed in this research based on a combination of Earth-fixed-frame mechanization and transverse-frame outputs. Furthermore, a thorough analysis of kinematic error characteristics, proper damping technology and corresponding long-term contributions of main error sources is conducted for the high-precision INSs. According to the analytical expressions of the long-term navigation errors in polar areas, the 24-h period symmetrical oscillation with a slowly divergent amplitude dominates the transverse horizontal position errors, and the first-order drift dominates the transverse azimuth error, which results from the g0 gyro drift coefficients that occur in corresponding directions. Simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical analysis and the deduced analytical expressions. The results show that the proposed hybrid transverse navigation can ensure the same accuracy and oscillation characteristics in polar areas as the traditional algorithm in low and mid latitude regions. PMID:29757242

Hybrid Transverse Polar Navigation for High-Precision and Long-Term INSs.

PubMed

Wu, Ruonan; Wu, Qiuping; Han, Fengtian; Zhang, Rong; Hu, Peida; Li, Haixia

2018-05-12

Transverse navigation has been proposed to help inertial navigation systems (INSs) fill the gap of polar navigation ability. However, as the transverse system does not have the ability of navigate globally, a complicated switch between the transverse and the traditional algorithms is necessary when the system moves across the polar circles. To maintain the inner continuity and consistency of the core algorithm, a hybrid transverse polar navigation is proposed in this research based on a combination of Earth-fixed-frame mechanization and transverse-frame outputs. Furthermore, a thorough analysis of kinematic error characteristics, proper damping technology and corresponding long-term contributions of main error sources is conducted for the high-precision INSs. According to the analytical expressions of the long-term navigation errors in polar areas, the 24-h period symmetrical oscillation with a slowly divergent amplitude dominates the transverse horizontal position errors, and the first-order drift dominates the transverse azimuth error, which results from the gyro drift coefficients that occur in corresponding directions. Simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical analysis and the deduced analytical expressions. The results show that the proposed hybrid transverse navigation can ensure the same accuracy and oscillation characteristics in polar areas as the traditional algorithm in low and mid latitude regions.

A Parallel Decoding Algorithm for Short Polar Codes Based on Error Checking and Correcting

PubMed Central

Pan, Xiaofei; Pan, Kegang; Ye, Zhan; Gong, Chao

2014-01-01

We propose a parallel decoding algorithm based on error checking and correcting to improve the performance of the short polar codes. In order to enhance the error-correcting capacity of the decoding algorithm, we first derive the error-checking equations generated on the basis of the frozen nodes, and then we introduce the method to check the errors in the input nodes of the decoder by the solutions of these equations. In order to further correct those checked errors, we adopt the method of modifying the probability messages of the error nodes with constant values according to the maximization principle. Due to the existence of multiple solutions of the error-checking equations, we formulate a CRC-aided optimization problem of finding the optimal solution with three different target functions, so as to improve the accuracy of error checking. Besides, in order to increase the throughput of decoding, we use a parallel method based on the decoding tree to calculate probability messages of all the nodes in the decoder. Numerical results show that the proposed decoding algorithm achieves better performance than that of some existing decoding algorithms with the same code length. PMID:25540813

Bayesian dynamic modeling of time series of dengue disease case counts.

PubMed

Martínez-Bello, Daniel Adyro; López-Quílez, Antonio; Torres-Prieto, Alexander

2017-07-01

The aim of this study is to model the association between weekly time series of dengue case counts and meteorological variables, in a high-incidence city of Colombia, applying Bayesian hierarchical dynamic generalized linear models over the period January 2008 to August 2015. Additionally, we evaluate the model's short-term performance for predicting dengue cases. The methodology shows dynamic Poisson log link models including constant or time-varying coefficients for the meteorological variables. Calendar effects were modeled using constant or first- or second-order random walk time-varying coefficients. The meteorological variables were modeled using constant coefficients and first-order random walk time-varying coefficients. We applied Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations for parameter estimation, and deviance information criterion statistic (DIC) for model selection. We assessed the short-term predictive performance of the selected final model, at several time points within the study period using the mean absolute percentage error. The results showed the best model including first-order random walk time-varying coefficients for calendar trend and first-order random walk time-varying coefficients for the meteorological variables. Besides the computational challenges, interpreting the results implies a complete analysis of the time series of dengue with respect to the parameter estimates of the meteorological effects. We found small values of the mean absolute percentage errors at one or two weeks out-of-sample predictions for most prediction points, associated with low volatility periods in the dengue counts. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the dynamic Poisson models for studying the association between time series of dengue disease and meteorological variables. The key conclusion of the study is that dynamic Poisson models account for the dynamic nature of the variables involved in the modeling of time series of dengue disease, producing useful models for decision-making in public health.

A continuous optimization approach for inferring parameters in mathematical models of regulatory networks.

PubMed

Deng, Zhimin; Tian, Tianhai

2014-07-29

The advances of systems biology have raised a large number of sophisticated mathematical models for describing the dynamic property of complex biological systems. One of the major steps in developing mathematical models is to estimate unknown parameters of the model based on experimentally measured quantities. However, experimental conditions limit the amount of data that is available for mathematical modelling. The number of unknown parameters in mathematical models may be larger than the number of observation data. The imbalance between the number of experimental data and number of unknown parameters makes reverse-engineering problems particularly challenging. To address the issue of inadequate experimental data, we propose a continuous optimization approach for making reliable inference of model parameters. This approach first uses a spline interpolation to generate continuous functions of system dynamics as well as the first and second order derivatives of continuous functions. The expanded dataset is the basis to infer unknown model parameters using various continuous optimization criteria, including the error of simulation only, error of both simulation and the first derivative, or error of simulation as well as the first and second derivatives. We use three case studies to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed new approach. Compared with the corresponding discrete criteria using experimental data at the measurement time points only, numerical results of the ERK kinase activation module show that the continuous absolute-error criteria using both function and high order derivatives generate estimates with better accuracy. This result is also supported by the second and third case studies for the G1/S transition network and the MAP kinase pathway, respectively. This suggests that the continuous absolute-error criteria lead to more accurate estimates than the corresponding discrete criteria. We also study the robustness property of these three models to examine the reliability of estimates. Simulation results show that the models with estimated parameters using continuous fitness functions have better robustness properties than those using the corresponding discrete fitness functions. The inference studies and robustness analysis suggest that the proposed continuous optimization criteria are effective and robust for estimating unknown parameters in mathematical models.

A Comparison of Two Balance Calibration Model Building Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeLoach, Richard; Ulbrich, Norbert

2007-01-01

Simulated strain-gage balance calibration data is used to compare the accuracy of two balance calibration model building methods for different noise environments and calibration experiment designs. The first building method obtains a math model for the analysis of balance calibration data after applying a candidate math model search algorithm to the calibration data set. The second building method uses stepwise regression analysis in order to construct a model for the analysis. Four balance calibration data sets were simulated in order to compare the accuracy of the two math model building methods. The simulated data sets were prepared using the traditional One Factor At a Time (OFAT) technique and the Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE) approach. Random and systematic errors were introduced in the simulated calibration data sets in order to study their influence on the math model building methods. Residuals of the fitted calibration responses and other statistical metrics were compared in order to evaluate the calibration models developed with different combinations of noise environment, experiment design, and model building method. Overall, predicted math models and residuals of both math model building methods show very good agreement. Significant differences in model quality were attributable to noise environment, experiment design, and their interaction. Generally, the addition of systematic error significantly degraded the quality of calibration models developed from OFAT data by either method, but MDOE experiment designs were more robust with respect to the introduction of a systematic component of the unexplained variance.

Uniformly high-order accurate non-oscillatory schemes, 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harten, A.; Osher, S.

1985-01-01

The construction and the analysis of nonoscillatory shock capturing methods for the approximation of hyperbolic conservation laws was begun. These schemes share many desirable properties with total variation diminishing schemes (TVD), but TVD schemes have at most first order accuracy, in the sense of truncation error, at extreme of the solution. A uniformly second order approximation was constucted, which is nonoscillatory in the sense that the number of extrema of the discrete solution is not increasing in time. This is achieved via a nonoscillatory piecewise linear reconstruction of the solution from its cell averages, time evolution through an approximate solution of the resulting initial value problem, and averaging of this approximate solution over each cell.

First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe(WMAP) Observations: Data Processing Methods and Systematic Errors Limits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinshaw, G.; Barnes, C.; Bennett, C. L.; Greason, M. R.; Halpern, M.; Hill, R. S.; Jarosik, N.; Kogut, A.; Limon, M.; Meyer, S. S.

2003-01-01

We describe the calibration and data processing methods used to generate full-sky maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from the first year of Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) observations. Detailed limits on residual systematic errors are assigned based largely on analyses of the flight data supplemented, where necessary, with results from ground tests. The data are calibrated in flight using the dipole modulation of the CMB due to the observatory's motion around the Sun. This constitutes a full-beam calibration source. An iterative algorithm simultaneously fits the time-ordered data to obtain calibration parameters and pixelized sky map temperatures. The noise properties are determined by analyzing the time-ordered data with this sky signal estimate subtracted. Based on this, we apply a pre-whitening filter to the time-ordered data to remove a low level of l/f noise. We infer and correct for a small (approx. 1 %) transmission imbalance between the two sky inputs to each differential radiometer, and we subtract a small sidelobe correction from the 23 GHz (K band) map prior to further analysis. No other systematic error corrections are applied to the data. Calibration and baseline artifacts, including the response to environmental perturbations, are negligible. Systematic uncertainties are comparable to statistical uncertainties in the characterization of the beam response. Both are accounted for in the covariance matrix of the window function and are propagated to uncertainties in the final power spectrum. We characterize the combined upper limits to residual systematic uncertainties through the pixel covariance matrix.

Sensitivity of STIS First-OrderMedium Resolution Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proffitt, Charles R.

2006-07-01

The sensitivities for STIS first-order medium resolution modes were redetermined usingon-orbit observations of the standard DA white dwarfs G 191-B2B, GD 71, and GD 153.We review the procedures and assumptions used to derive the adopted throughputs, and discuss the remaining errors and uncertainties.

Analysis and optimization of cyclic methods in orbit computation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, S.

1973-01-01

The mathematical analysis and computation of the K=3, order 4; K=4, order 6; and K=5, order 7 cyclic methods and the K=5, order 6 Cowell method and some results of optimizing the 3 backpoint cyclic multistep methods for solving ordinary differential equations are presented. Cyclic methods have the advantage over traditional methods of having higher order for a given number of backpoints while at the same time having more free parameters. After considering several error sources the primary source for the cyclic methods has been isolated. The free parameters for three backpoint methods were used to minimize the effects of some of these error sources. They now yield more accuracy with the same computing time as Cowell's method on selected problems. This work is being extended to the five backpoint methods. The analysis and optimization are more difficult here since the matrices are larger and the dimension of the optimizing space is larger. Indications are that the primary error source can be reduced. This will still leave several parameters free to minimize other sources.

A Six Sigma Trial For Reduction of Error Rates in Pathology Laboratory.

PubMed

Tosuner, Zeynep; Gücin, Zühal; Kiran, Tuğçe; Büyükpinarbaşili, Nur; Turna, Seval; Taşkiran, Olcay; Arici, Dilek Sema

2016-01-01

A major target of quality assurance is the minimization of error rates in order to enhance patient safety. Six Sigma is a method targeting zero error (3.4 errors per million events) used in industry. The five main principles of Six Sigma are defining, measuring, analysis, improvement and control. Using this methodology, the causes of errors can be examined and process improvement strategies can be identified. The aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of Six Sigma methodology in error reduction in our pathology laboratory. The errors encountered between April 2014 and April 2015 were recorded by the pathology personnel. Error follow-up forms were examined by the quality control supervisor, administrative supervisor and the head of the department. Using Six Sigma methodology, the rate of errors was measured monthly and the distribution of errors at the preanalytic, analytic and postanalytical phases was analysed. Improvement strategies were reclaimed in the monthly intradepartmental meetings and the control of the units with high error rates was provided. Fifty-six (52.4%) of 107 recorded errors in total were at the pre-analytic phase. Forty-five errors (42%) were recorded as analytical and 6 errors (5.6%) as post-analytical. Two of the 45 errors were major irrevocable errors. The error rate was 6.8 per million in the first half of the year and 1.3 per million in the second half, decreasing by 79.77%. The Six Sigma trial in our pathology laboratory provided the reduction of the error rates mainly in the pre-analytic and analytic phases.

Four-dimensional data coupled to alternating weighted residue constraint quadrilinear decomposition model applied to environmental analysis: Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tingting; Zhang, Ling; Wang, Shutao; Cui, Yaoyao; Wang, Yutian; Liu, Lingfei; Yang, Zhe

2018-03-01

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was carried out by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy combining with Alternating Weighted Residue Constraint Quadrilinear Decomposition (AWRCQLD). The experimental subjects were acenaphthene (ANA) and naphthalene (NAP). Firstly, in order to solve the redundant information of the three-dimensional fluorescence spectral data, the wavelet transform was used to compress data in preprocessing. Then, the four-dimensional data was constructed by using the excitation-emission fluorescence spectra of different concentration PAHs. The sample data was obtained from three solvents that are methanol, ethanol and Ultra-pure water. The four-dimensional spectral data was analyzed by AWRCQLD, then the recovery rate of PAHs was obtained from the three solvents and compared respectively. On one hand, the results showed that PAHs can be measured more accurately by the high-order data, and the recovery rate was higher. On the other hand, the results presented that AWRCQLD can better reflect the superiority of four-dimensional algorithm than the second-order calibration and other third-order calibration algorithms. The recovery rate of ANA was 96.5% 103.3% and the root mean square error of prediction was 0.04 μgL- 1. The recovery rate of NAP was 96.7% 115.7% and the root mean square error of prediction was 0.06 μgL- 1.

Practical considerations for a second-order directional hearing aid microphone system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Stephen C.

2003-04-01

First-order directional microphone systems for hearing aids have been available for several years. Such a system uses two microphones and has a theoretical maximum free-field directivity index (DI) of 6.0 dB. A second-order microphone system using three microphones could provide a theoretical increase in free-field DI to 9.5 dB. These theoretical maximum DI values assume that the microphones have exactly matched sensitivities at all frequencies of interest. In practice, the individual microphones in the hearing aid always have slightly different sensitivities. For the small microphone separation necessary to fit in a hearing aid, these sensitivity matching errors degrade the directivity from the theoretical values, especially at low frequencies. This paper shows that, for first-order systems the directivity degradation due to sensitivity errors is relatively small. However, for second-order systems with practical microphone sensitivity matching specifications, the directivity degradation below 1 kHz is not tolerable. A hybrid order directive system is proposed that uses first-order processing at low frequencies and second-order directive processing at higher frequencies. This hybrid system is suggested as an alternative that could provide improved directivity index in the frequency regions that are important to speech intelligibility.

Analysis of Different Hyperspectral Variables for Diagnosing Leaf Nitrogen Accumulation in Wheat.

PubMed

Tan, Changwei; Du, Ying; Zhou, Jian; Wang, Dunliang; Luo, Ming; Zhang, Yongjian; Guo, Wenshan

2018-01-01

Hyperspectral remote sensing is a rapid non-destructive method for diagnosing nitrogen status in wheat crops. In this study, a quantitative correlation was associated with following parameters: leaf nitrogen accumulation (LNA), raw hyperspectral reflectance, first-order differential hyperspectra, and hyperspectral characteristics of wheat. In this study, integrated linear regression of LNA was obtained with raw hyperspectral reflectance (measurement wavelength = 790.4 nm). Furthermore, an exponential regression of LNA was obtained with first-order differential hyperspectra (measurement wavelength = 831.7 nm). Coefficients ( R 2 ) were 0.813 and 0.847; root mean squared errors (RMSE) were 2.02 g·m -2 and 1.72 g·m -2 ; and relative errors (RE) were 25.97% and 20.85%, respectively. Both the techniques were considered as optimal in the diagnoses of wheat LNA. Nevertheless, the better one was the new normalized variable (SD r - SD b )/(SD r + SD b ) , which was based on vegetation indices of R 2 = 0.935, RMSE = 0.98, and RE = 11.25%. In addition, (SD r - SD b )/(SD r + SD b ) was reliable in the application of a different cultivar or even wheat grown elsewhere. This indicated a superior fit and better performance for (SD r - SD b )/(SD r + SD b ) . For diagnosing LNA in wheat, the newly normalized variable (SD r - SD b )/(SD r + SD b ) was more effective than the previously reported data of raw hyperspectral reflectance, first-order differential hyperspectra, and red-edge parameters.

A first look at measurement error on FIA plots using blind plots in the Pacific Northwest

Treesearch

Susanna Melson; David Azuma; Jeremy S. Fried

2002-01-01

Measurement error in the Forest Inventory and Analysis work of the Pacific Northwest Station was estimated with a recently implemented blind plot measurement protocol. A small subset of plots was revisited by a crew having limited knowledge of the first crew's measurements. This preliminary analysis of the first 18 months' blind plot data indicates that...

An optimization-based framework for anisotropic simplex mesh adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Masayuki; Darmofal, David L.

2012-09-01

We present a general framework for anisotropic h-adaptation of simplex meshes. Given a discretization and any element-wise, localizable error estimate, our adaptive method iterates toward a mesh that minimizes error for a given degrees of freedom. Utilizing mesh-metric duality, we consider a continuous optimization problem of the Riemannian metric tensor field that provides an anisotropic description of element sizes. First, our method performs a series of local solves to survey the behavior of the local error function. This information is then synthesized using an affine-invariant tensor manipulation framework to reconstruct an approximate gradient of the error function with respect to the metric tensor field. Finally, we perform gradient descent in the metric space to drive the mesh toward optimality. The method is first demonstrated to produce optimal anisotropic meshes minimizing the L2 projection error for a pair of canonical problems containing a singularity and a singular perturbation. The effectiveness of the framework is then demonstrated in the context of output-based adaptation for the advection-diffusion equation using a high-order discontinuous Galerkin discretization and the dual-weighted residual (DWR) error estimate. The method presented provides a unified framework for optimizing both the element size and anisotropy distribution using an a posteriori error estimate and enables efficient adaptation of anisotropic simplex meshes for high-order discretizations.

Assessing First- and Second-Order Equity for the Common-Item Nonequivalent Groups Design Using Multidimensional IRT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Benjamin James

2011-01-01

The equity properties can be used to assess the quality of an equating. The degree to which expected scores conditional on ability are similar between test forms is referred to as first-order equity. Second-order equity is the degree to which conditional standard errors of measurement are similar between test forms after equating. The purpose of…

Analyses of global sea surface temperature 1856-1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, Alexey; Cane, Mark A.; Kushnir, Yochanan; Clement, Amy C.; Blumenthal, M. Benno; Rajagopalan, Balaji

1998-08-01

Global analyses of monthly sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from 1856 to 1991 are produced using three statistically based methods: optimal smoothing (OS), the Kaiman filter (KF) and optimal interpolation (OI). Each of these is accompanied by estimates of the error covariance of the analyzed fields. The spatial covariance function these methods require is estimated from the available data; the timemarching model is a first-order autoregressive model again estimated from data. The data input for the analyses are monthly anomalies from the United Kingdom Meteorological Office historical sea surface temperature data set (MOHSST5) [Parker et al., 1994] of the Global Ocean Surface Temperature Atlas (GOSTA) [Bottomley et al., 1990]. These analyses are compared with each other, with GOSTA, and with an analysis generated by projection (P) onto a set of empirical orthogonal functions (as in Smith et al. [1996]). In theory, the quality of the analyses should rank in the order OS, KF, OI, P, and GOSTA. It is found that the first four give comparable results in the data-rich periods (1951-1991), but at times when data is sparse the first three differ significantly from P and GOSTA. At these times the latter two often have extreme and fluctuating values, prima facie evidence of error. The statistical schemes are also verified against data not used in any of the analyses (proxy records derived from corals and air temperature records from coastal and island stations). We also present evidence that the analysis error estimates are indeed indicative of the quality of the products. At most times the OS and KF products are close to the OI product, but at times of especially poor coverage their use of information from other times is advantageous. The methods appear to reconstruct the major features of the global SST field from very sparse data. Comparison with other indications of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle show that the analyses provide usable information on interannual variability as far back as the 1860s.

GRAVSAT/GEOPAUSE covariance analysis including geopotential aliasing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, D. W.

1975-01-01

A conventional covariance analysis for the GRAVSAT/GEOPAUSE mission is described in which the uncertainties of approximately 200 parameters, including the geopotential coefficients to degree and order 12, are estimated over three different tracking intervals. The estimated orbital uncertainties for both GRAVSAT and GEOPAUSE reach levels more accurate than presently available. The adjusted measurement bias errors approach the mission goal. Survey errors in the low centimeter range are achieved after ten days of tracking. The ability of the mission to obtain accuracies of geopotential terms to (12, 12) one to two orders of magnitude superior to present accuracy levels is clearly shown. A unique feature of this report is that the aliasing structure of this (12, 12) field is examined. It is shown that uncertainties for unadjusted terms to (12, 12) still exert a degrading effect upon the adjusted error of an arbitrarily selected term of lower degree and order. Finally, the distribution of the aliasing from the unestimated uncertainty of a particular high degree and order geopotential term upon the errors of all remaining adjusted terms is listed in detail.

Prepopulated radiology report templates: a prospective analysis of error rate and turnaround time.

PubMed

Hawkins, C M; Hall, S; Hardin, J; Salisbury, S; Towbin, A J

2012-08-01

Current speech recognition software allows exam-specific standard reports to be prepopulated into the dictation field based on the radiology information system procedure code. While it is thought that prepopulating reports can decrease the time required to dictate a study and the overall number of errors in the final report, this hypothesis has not been studied in a clinical setting. A prospective study was performed. During the first week, radiologists dictated all studies using prepopulated standard reports. During the second week, all studies were dictated after prepopulated reports had been disabled. Final radiology reports were evaluated for 11 different types of errors. Each error within a report was classified individually. The median time required to dictate an exam was compared between the 2 weeks. There were 12,387 reports dictated during the study, of which, 1,173 randomly distributed reports were analyzed for errors. There was no difference in the number of errors per report between the 2 weeks; however, radiologists overwhelmingly preferred using a standard report both weeks. Grammatical errors were by far the most common error type, followed by missense errors and errors of omission. There was no significant difference in the median dictation time when comparing studies performed each week. The use of prepopulated reports does not alone affect the error rate or dictation time of radiology reports. While it is a useful feature for radiologists, it must be coupled with other strategies in order to decrease errors.

A Posteriori Error Estimation for Discontinuous Galerkin Approximations of Hyperbolic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, Mats G.; Barth, Timothy J.

1999-01-01

This article considers a posteriori error estimation of specified functionals for first-order systems of conservation laws discretized using the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method. Using duality techniques, we derive exact error representation formulas for both linear and nonlinear functionals given an associated bilinear or nonlinear variational form. Weighted residual approximations of the exact error representation formula are then proposed and numerically evaluated for Ringleb flow, an exact solution of the 2-D Euler equations.

Glucose Prediction Algorithms from Continuous Monitoring Data: Assessment of Accuracy via Continuous Glucose Error-Grid Analysis.

PubMed

Zanderigo, Francesca; Sparacino, Giovanni; Kovatchev, Boris; Cobelli, Claudio

2007-09-01

The aim of this article was to use continuous glucose error-grid analysis (CG-EGA) to assess the accuracy of two time-series modeling methodologies recently developed to predict glucose levels ahead of time using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data. We considered subcutaneous time series of glucose concentration monitored every 3 minutes for 48 hours by the minimally invasive CGM sensor Glucoday® (Menarini Diagnostics, Florence, Italy) in 28 type 1 diabetic volunteers. Two prediction algorithms, based on first-order polynomial and autoregressive (AR) models, respectively, were considered with prediction horizons of 30 and 45 minutes and forgetting factors (ff) of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8. CG-EGA was used on the predicted profiles to assess their point and dynamic accuracies using original CGM profiles as reference. Continuous glucose error-grid analysis showed that the accuracy of both prediction algorithms is overall very good and that their performance is similar from a clinical point of view. However, the AR model seems preferable for hypoglycemia prevention. CG-EGA also suggests that, irrespective of the time-series model, the use of ff = 0.8 yields the highest accurate readings in all glucose ranges. For the first time, CG-EGA is proposed as a tool to assess clinically relevant performance of a prediction method separately at hypoglycemia, euglycemia, and hyperglycemia. In particular, we have shown that CG-EGA can be helpful in comparing different prediction algorithms, as well as in optimizing their parameters.

An Analysis of Spanish and German Learners' Errors. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoCoco, Veronica Gonzalez-Mena

This study analyzes Spanish and German errors committed by adult native speakers of English enrolled in elementary and intermediate levels. Four written samples were collected for each target language, over a period of five months. Errors were categorized according to their possible source. Types of errors were ordered according to their…

Using virtual reality to assess theory of mind subprocesses and error types in early and chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Canty, Allana L; Neumann, David L; Shum, David H K

2017-12-01

Individuals with schizophrenia often demonstrate theory of mind (ToM) impairment relative to healthy adults. However, the exact nature of this impairment (first- vs. second-order ToM and cognitive vs. affective ToM) and the extent to which ToM abilities deteriorate with illness chronicity is unclear. Furthermore, little is known about the relationships between clinical symptoms and ToM error types (overmentalising, reduced mentalising and no ToM) in early and chronic schizophrenia. This study examined the nature and types of ToM impairment in individuals with early ( n  = 26) and chronic schizophrenia ( n  = 32) using a novel virtual reality task. Clinical participants and demographically-matched controls were administered the Virtual Assessment of Mentalising Ability, which provides indices of first- and second-order cognitive and affective ToM, and quantifies three different types of mentalising errors (viz., overmentalising, reduced mentalising, and no ToM). Individuals with early schizophrenia performed significantly poorer than healthy controls on first-order affective and second-order cognitive and affective ToM, but significantly higher than individuals with chronic schizophrenia on all ToM subscales. Whereas a lack of mental state concept was associated with negative symptoms, overmentalising was associated with positive symptoms. These findings suggest that ToM abilities selectively deteriorate with illness chronicity and error types are related to these individuals' presenting symptomology. An implication of the findings is that social-cognitive interventions for schizophrenia need to consider the nature, time course and symptomatology of the presenting patient.

Frequency and types of the medication errors in an academic emergency department in Iran: The emergent need for clinical pharmacy services in emergency departments.

PubMed

Zeraatchi, Alireza; Talebian, Mohammad-Taghi; Nejati, Amir; Dashti-Khavidaki, Simin

2013-07-01

Emergency departments (EDs) are characterized by simultaneous care of multiple patients with various medical conditions. Due to a large number of patients with complex diseases, speed and complexity of medication use, working in under-staffing and crowded environment, medication errors are commonly perpetrated by emergency care providers. This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of medication errors among patients attending to an ED in a teaching hospital in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 500 patients attending to ED were randomly assessed for incidence and types of medication errors. Some factors related to medication errors such as working shift, weekdays and schedule of the educational program of trainee were also evaluated. Nearly, 22% of patients experienced at least one medication error. The rate of medication errors were 0.41 errors per patient and 0.16 errors per ordered medication. The frequency of medication errors was higher in men, middle age patients, first weekdays, night-time work schedules and the first semester of educational year of new junior emergency medicine residents. More than 60% of errors were prescription errors by physicians and the remaining were transcription or administration errors by nurses. More than 35% of the prescribing errors happened during the selection of drug dose and frequency. The most common medication errors by nurses during the administration were omission error (16.2%) followed by unauthorized drug (6.4%). Most of the medication errors happened for anticoagulants and thrombolytics (41.2%) followed by antimicrobial agents (37.7%) and insulin (7.4%). In this study, at least one-fifth of the patients attending to ED experienced medication errors resulting from multiple factors. More common prescription errors happened during ordering drug dose and frequency. More common administration errors included dug omission or unauthorized drug.

Identification method of laser gyro error model under changing physical field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qingqing; Niu, Zhenzhong

2018-04-01

In this paper, the influence mechanism of temperature, temperature changing rate and temperature gradient on the inertial devices is studied. The two-order model of zero bias and the three-order model of the calibration factor of lster gyro under temperature variation are deduced. The calibration scheme of temperature error is designed, and the experiment is carried out. Two methods of stepwise regression analysis and BP neural network are used to identify the parameters of the temperature error model, and the effectiveness of the two methods is proved by the temperature error compensation.

Error Pattern Analysis Applied to Technical Writing: An Editor's Guide for Writers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monagle, E. Brette

The use of error pattern analysis can reduce the time and money spent on editing and correcting manuscripts. What is required is noting, classifying, and keeping a frequency count of errors. First an editor should take a typical page of writing and circle each error. After the editor has done a sufficiently large number of pages to identify an…

Application of manual control theory to the study of biological stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Replogle, C. R.; Holden, F. M.; Iay, C. N.

1972-01-01

A study was run using both a stable, third-order task and an adaptive first-order unstable task singly and in combination to test the effects of 2 min hypoxia (22000 ft) on human operator. The results indicate that the RMS error in the stable task does not change as a function of hypoxic stress whereas the error in an unstable task changes significantly. Models involving human operator parameter changes and noise injection are discussed.

Runway safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-12

Information provided through analysis of runway incursions is useful in many ways. Analysis of the errors made by pilots, controllers, and vehicle drivers is the first step toward developing error mitigation strategies. Furthermore, successful design...

Second-order shaped pulsed for solid-state quantum computation

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

Sengupta, Pinaki

2008-01-01

We present the construction and detailed analysis of highly optimized self-refocusing pulse shapes for several rotation angles. We characterize the constructed pulses by the coefficients appearing in the Magnus expansion up to second order. This allows a semianalytical analysis of the performance of the constructed shapes in sequences and composite pulses by computing the corresponding leading-order error operators. Higher orders can be analyzed with the numerical technique suggested by us previously. We illustrate the technique by analyzing several composite pulses designed to protect against pulse amplitude errors, and on decoupling sequences for potentially long chains of qubits with on-site andmore » nearest-neighbor couplings.« less

Serial position effects in semantic memory: reconstructing the order of verses of hymns.

PubMed

Maylor, Elizabeth A

2002-12-01

Serial position effects (primacy and recency) have been consistently demonstrated in both short- and long-term episodic memory tasks. The search for corresponding effects in semantic memory tasks (e.g., reconstructing the order of U.S. presidents) has been confounded by factors such as differential exposure to stimuli. In the present study, the stimuli were six-verse hymns that would have been sung from the first to the last verse by churchgoers on numerous occasions. Participants were presented with the verses of each hymn in random order and were required to reconstruct the correct order. Primacy and recency effects were significantly more evident for churchgoers than for nonchurchgoers. Moreover, error gradients were steeper than chance for churchgoers but not for nonchurchgoers; in other words, churchgoers' errors were more likely to be close to the correct position than further away. These findings provide the first unequivocal demonstration of serial position effects in semantic memory.

The successively temporal error concealment algorithm using error-adaptive block matching principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yu-Hsuan; Wu, Tsai-Hsing; Chen, Chao-Chyun

2014-09-01

Generally, the temporal error concealment (TEC) adopts the blocks around the corrupted block (CB) as the search pattern to find the best-match block in previous frame. Once the CB is recovered, it is referred to as the recovered block (RB). Although RB can be the search pattern to find the best-match block of another CB, RB is not the same as its original block (OB). The error between the RB and its OB limits the performance of TEC. The successively temporal error concealment (STEC) algorithm is proposed to alleviate this error. The STEC procedure consists of tier-1 and tier-2. The tier-1 divides a corrupted macroblock into four corrupted 8 × 8 blocks and generates a recovering order for them. The corrupted 8 × 8 block with the first place of recovering order is recovered in tier-1, and remaining 8 × 8 CBs are recovered in tier-2 along the recovering order. In tier-2, the error-adaptive block matching principle (EA-BMP) is proposed for the RB as the search pattern to recover remaining corrupted 8 × 8 blocks. The proposed STEC outperforms sophisticated TEC algorithms on average PSNR by 0.3 dB on the packet error rate of 20% at least.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Human Failure Event Decomposition and Task Analysis

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

Ronald Laurids Boring, PhD

2014-09-01

In the probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) used in the nuclear industry, human failure events (HFEs) are determined as a subset of hardware failures, namely those hardware failures that could be triggered or exacerbated by human action or inaction. This approach is top-down, starting with hardware faults and deducing human contributions to those faults. Elsewhere, more traditionally human factors driven approaches would tend to look at opportunities for human errors first in a task analysis and then identify which of those errors is risk significant. The intersection of top-down and bottom-up approaches to defining HFEs has not been carefully studied. Ideally,more » both approaches should arrive at the same set of HFEs. This question remains central as human reliability analysis (HRA) methods are generalized to new domains like oil and gas. The HFEs used in nuclear PSAs tend to be top-down—defined as a subset of the PSA—whereas the HFEs used in petroleum quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) are more likely to be bottom-up—derived from a task analysis conducted by human factors experts. The marriage of these approaches is necessary in order to ensure that HRA methods developed for top-down HFEs are also sufficient for bottom-up applications. In this paper, I first review top-down and bottom-up approaches for defining HFEs and then present a seven-step guideline to ensure a task analysis completed as part of human error identification decomposes to a level suitable for use as HFEs. This guideline illustrates an effective way to bridge the bottom-up approach with top-down requirements.« less

Evaluation of statistical models for forecast errors from the HBV model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engeland, Kolbjørn; Renard, Benjamin; Steinsland, Ingelin; Kolberg, Sjur

2010-04-01

SummaryThree statistical models for the forecast errors for inflow into the Langvatn reservoir in Northern Norway have been constructed and tested according to the agreement between (i) the forecast distribution and the observations and (ii) median values of the forecast distribution and the observations. For the first model observed and forecasted inflows were transformed by the Box-Cox transformation before a first order auto-regressive model was constructed for the forecast errors. The parameters were conditioned on weather classes. In the second model the Normal Quantile Transformation (NQT) was applied on observed and forecasted inflows before a similar first order auto-regressive model was constructed for the forecast errors. For the third model positive and negative errors were modeled separately. The errors were first NQT-transformed before conditioning the mean error values on climate, forecasted inflow and yesterday's error. To test the three models we applied three criterions: we wanted (a) the forecast distribution to be reliable; (b) the forecast intervals to be narrow; (c) the median values of the forecast distribution to be close to the observed values. Models 1 and 2 gave almost identical results. The median values improved the forecast with Nash-Sutcliffe R eff increasing from 0.77 for the original forecast to 0.87 for the corrected forecasts. Models 1 and 2 over-estimated the forecast intervals but gave the narrowest intervals. Their main drawback was that the distributions are less reliable than Model 3. For Model 3 the median values did not fit well since the auto-correlation was not accounted for. Since Model 3 did not benefit from the potential variance reduction that lies in bias estimation and removal it gave on average wider forecasts intervals than the two other models. At the same time Model 3 on average slightly under-estimated the forecast intervals, probably explained by the use of average measures to evaluate the fit.

Fourth-order convergence of a compact scheme for the one-dimensional biharmonic equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fishelov, D.; Ben-Artzi, M.; Croisille, J.-P.

2012-09-01

The convergence of a fourth-order compact scheme to the one-dimensional biharmonic problem is established in the case of general Dirichlet boundary conditions. The compact scheme invokes value of the unknown function as well as Pade approximations of its first-order derivative. Using the Pade approximation allows us to approximate the first-order derivative within fourth-order accuracy. However, although the truncation error of the discrete biharmonic scheme is of fourth-order at interior point, the truncation error drops to first-order at near-boundary points. Nonetheless, we prove that the scheme retains its fourth-order (optimal) accuracy. This is done by a careful inspection of the matrix elements of the discrete biharmonic operator. A number of numerical examples corroborate this effect. We also present a study of the eigenvalue problem uxxxx = νu. We compute and display the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions related to the continuous and the discrete problems. By the positivity of the eigenvalues, one can deduce the stability of of the related time-dependent problem ut = -uxxxx. In addition, we study the eigenvalue problem uxxxx = νuxx. This is related to the stability of the linear time-dependent equation uxxt = νuxxxx. Its continuous and discrete eigenvalues and eigenfunction (or eigenvectors) are computed and displayed graphically.

Comparing Zeeman qubits to hyperfine qubits in the context of the surface code: +174Yb and +171Yb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Natalie C.; Brown, Kenneth R.

2018-05-01

Many systems used for quantum computing possess additional states beyond those defining the qubit. Leakage out of the qubit subspace must be considered when designing quantum error correction codes. Here we consider trapped ion qubits manipulated by Raman transitions. Zeeman qubits do not suffer from leakage errors but are sensitive to magnetic fields to first order. Hyperfine qubits can be encoded in clock states that are insensitive to magnetic fields to first order, but spontaneous scattering during the Raman transition can lead to leakage. Here we compare a Zeeman qubit (+174Yb) to a hyperfine qubit (+171Yb) in the context of the surface code. We find that the number of physical qubits required to reach a specific logical qubit error can be reduced by using +174Yb if the magnetic field can be stabilized with fluctuations smaller than 10 μ G .

The impact of computerized physician order entry on prescription orders: A quasi-experimental study in Iran

PubMed Central

Khammarnia, Mohammad; Sharifian, Roxana; Zand, Farid; Barati, Omid; Keshtkaran, Ali; Sabetian, Golnar; Shahrokh, , Nasim; Setoodezadeh, Fatemeh

2017-01-01

Background: One way to reduce medical errors associated with physician orders is computerized physician order entry (CPOE) software. This study was conducted to compare prescription orders between 2 groups before and after CPOE implementation in a hospital. Methods: We conducted a before-after prospective study in 2 intensive care unit (ICU) wards (as intervention and control wards) in the largest tertiary public hospital in South of Iran during 2014 and 2016. All prescription orders were validated by a clinical pharmacist and an ICU physician. The rates of ordering the errors in medical orders were compared before (manual ordering) and after implementation of the CPOE. A standard checklist was used for data collection. For the data analysis, SPSS Version 21, descriptive statistics, and analytical tests such as McNemar, chi-square, and logistic regression were used. Results: The CPOE significantly decreased 2 types of errors, illegible orders and lack of writing the drug form, in the intervention ward compared to the control ward (p< 0.05); however, the 2 errors increased due to the defect in the CPOE (p< 0.001). The use of CPOE decreased the prescription errors from 19% to 3% (p= 0.001), However, no differences were observed in the control ward (p<0.05). In addition, more errors occurred in the morning shift (p< 0.001). Conclusion: In general, the use of CPOE significantly reduced the prescription errors. Nonetheless, more caution should be exercised in the use of this system, and its deficiencies should be resolved. Furthermore, it is recommended that CPOE be used to improve the quality of delivered services in hospitals. PMID:29445698

The impact of computerized physician order entry on prescription orders: A quasi-experimental study in Iran.

PubMed

Khammarnia, Mohammad; Sharifian, Roxana; Zand, Farid; Barati, Omid; Keshtkaran, Ali; Sabetian, Golnar; Shahrokh, Nasim; Setoodezadeh, Fatemeh

2017-01-01

Background: One way to reduce medical errors associated with physician orders is computerized physician order entry (CPOE) software. This study was conducted to compare prescription orders between 2 groups before and after CPOE implementation in a hospital. Methods: We conducted a before-after prospective study in 2 intensive care unit (ICU) wards (as intervention and control wards) in the largest tertiary public hospital in South of Iran during 2014 and 2016. All prescription orders were validated by a clinical pharmacist and an ICU physician. The rates of ordering the errors in medical orders were compared before (manual ordering) and after implementation of the CPOE. A standard checklist was used for data collection. For the data analysis, SPSS Version 21, descriptive statistics, and analytical tests such as McNemar, chi-square, and logistic regression were used. Results: The CPOE significantly decreased 2 types of errors, illegible orders and lack of writing the drug form, in the intervention ward compared to the control ward (p< 0.05); however, the 2 errors increased due to the defect in the CPOE (p< 0.001). The use of CPOE decreased the prescription errors from 19% to 3% (p= 0.001), However, no differences were observed in the control ward (p<0.05). In addition, more errors occurred in the morning shift (p< 0.001). Conclusion: In general, the use of CPOE significantly reduced the prescription errors. Nonetheless, more caution should be exercised in the use of this system, and its deficiencies should be resolved. Furthermore, it is recommended that CPOE be used to improve the quality of delivered services in hospitals.

The application of sensitivity analysis to models of large scale physiological systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, J. I.

1974-01-01

A survey of the literature of sensitivity analysis as it applies to biological systems is reported as well as a brief development of sensitivity theory. A simple population model and a more complex thermoregulatory model illustrate the investigatory techniques and interpretation of parameter sensitivity analysis. The role of sensitivity analysis in validating and verifying models, and in identifying relative parameter influence in estimating errors in model behavior due to uncertainty in input data is presented. This analysis is valuable to the simulationist and the experimentalist in allocating resources for data collection. A method for reducing highly complex, nonlinear models to simple linear algebraic models that could be useful for making rapid, first order calculations of system behavior is presented.

Regression Analysis of Top of Descent Location for Idle-thrust Descents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stell, Laurel; Bronsvoort, Jesper; McDonald, Greg

2013-01-01

In this paper, multiple regression analysis is used to model the top of descent (TOD) location of user-preferred descent trajectories computed by the flight management system (FMS) on over 1000 commercial flights into Melbourne, Australia. The independent variables cruise altitude, final altitude, cruise Mach, descent speed, wind, and engine type were also recorded or computed post-operations. Both first-order and second-order models are considered, where cross-validation, hypothesis testing, and additional analysis are used to compare models. This identifies the models that should give the smallest errors if used to predict TOD location for new data in the future. A model that is linear in TOD altitude, final altitude, descent speed, and wind gives an estimated standard deviation of 3.9 nmi for TOD location given the trajec- tory parameters, which means about 80% of predictions would have error less than 5 nmi in absolute value. This accuracy is better than demonstrated by other ground automation predictions using kinetic models. Furthermore, this approach would enable online learning of the model. Additional data or further knowl- edge of algorithms is necessary to conclude definitively that no second-order terms are appropriate. Possible applications of the linear model are described, including enabling arriving aircraft to fly optimized descents computed by the FMS even in congested airspace. In particular, a model for TOD location that is linear in the independent variables would enable decision support tool human-machine interfaces for which a kinetic approach would be computationally too slow.

Geosat crossover analysis in the tropical Pacific. Part 1: Constrained sinusoidal crossover adjustment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, Chang-Kou

1988-01-01

A new method (constrained sinusoidal crossover adjustment) for removing the orbit error in satellite altimetry is tested (using crossovers accumulated in the first 91 days of the Geosat non-repeat era in the tropical Pacific) and found to have excellent qualities. Two features distinguish the new method from the conventional bias-and-tilt crossover adjustment. First, a sine wave (with wavelength equaling the circumference of the Earth) is used to represent the orbit error for each satellite revolution, instead of the bias-and-tilt (and curvature, if necessary) approach for each segment of the satellite ground track. Secondly, the indeterminacy of the adjustment process is removed by a simple constraint minimizing the amplitudes of the sine waves, rather than by fixing selected tracks. Overall the new method is more accurate, more efficient, and much less cumbersome than the old. The idea of restricting the crossover adjustment to crossovers between tracks that are less than certain days apart in order to preserve the large-scale long-term oceanic variability is also tested with inconclusive results because the orbit error was unusually nonstationary in the initial 91 days of the GEOSAT mission.

Running Records and First Grade English Learners: An Analysis of Language Related Errors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briceño, Allison; Klein, Adria F.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if first-grade English Learners made patterns of language related errors when reading, and if so, to identify those patterns and how teachers coded language related errors when analyzing English Learners' running records. Using research from the fields of both literacy and Second Language Acquisition, we…

Partial pressure analysis in space testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilford, Charles R.

1994-01-01

For vacuum-system or test-article analysis it is often desirable to know the species and partial pressures of the vacuum gases. Residual gas or Partial Pressure Analyzers (PPA's) are commonly used for this purpose. These are mass spectrometer-type instruments, most commonly employing quadrupole filters. These instruments can be extremely useful, but they should be used with caution. Depending on the instrument design, calibration procedures, and conditions of use, measurements made with these instruments can be accurate to within a few percent, or in error by two or more orders of magnitude. Significant sources of error can include relative gas sensitivities that differ from handbook values by an order of magnitude, changes in sensitivity with pressure by as much as two orders of magnitude, changes in sensitivity with time after exposure to chemically active gases, and the dependence of the sensitivity for one gas on the pressures of other gases. However, for most instruments, these errors can be greatly reduced with proper operating procedures and conditions of use. In this paper, data are presented illustrating performance characteristics for different instruments and gases, operating parameters are recommended to minimize some errors, and calibrations procedures are described that can detect and/or correct other errors.

Four-dimensional data coupled to alternating weighted residue constraint quadrilinear decomposition model applied to environmental analysis: Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Liu, Tingting; Zhang, Ling; Wang, Shutao; Cui, Yaoyao; Wang, Yutian; Liu, Lingfei; Yang, Zhe

2018-03-15

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was carried out by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy combining with Alternating Weighted Residue Constraint Quadrilinear Decomposition (AWRCQLD). The experimental subjects were acenaphthene (ANA) and naphthalene (NAP). Firstly, in order to solve the redundant information of the three-dimensional fluorescence spectral data, the wavelet transform was used to compress data in preprocessing. Then, the four-dimensional data was constructed by using the excitation-emission fluorescence spectra of different concentration PAHs. The sample data was obtained from three solvents that are methanol, ethanol and Ultra-pure water. The four-dimensional spectral data was analyzed by AWRCQLD, then the recovery rate of PAHs was obtained from the three solvents and compared respectively. On one hand, the results showed that PAHs can be measured more accurately by the high-order data, and the recovery rate was higher. On the other hand, the results presented that AWRCQLD can better reflect the superiority of four-dimensional algorithm than the second-order calibration and other third-order calibration algorithms. The recovery rate of ANA was 96.5%~103.3% and the root mean square error of prediction was 0.04μgL -1 . The recovery rate of NAP was 96.7%~115.7% and the root mean square error of prediction was 0.06μgL -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A priori error estimates for an hp-version of the discontinuous Galerkin method for hyperbolic conservation laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bey, Kim S.; Oden, J. Tinsley

1993-01-01

A priori error estimates are derived for hp-versions of the finite element method for discontinuous Galerkin approximations of a model class of linear, scalar, first-order hyperbolic conservation laws. These estimates are derived in a mesh dependent norm in which the coefficients depend upon both the local mesh size h(sub K) and a number p(sub k) which can be identified with the spectral order of the local approximations over each element.

Reducing Wrong Patient Selection Errors: Exploring the Design Space of User Interface Techniques

PubMed Central

Sopan, Awalin; Plaisant, Catherine; Powsner, Seth; Shneiderman, Ben

2014-01-01

Wrong patient selection errors are a major issue for patient safety; from ordering medication to performing surgery, the stakes are high. Widespread adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems makes patient selection using a computer screen a frequent task for clinicians. Careful design of the user interface can help mitigate the problem by helping providers recall their patients’ identities, accurately select their names, and spot errors before orders are submitted. We propose a catalog of twenty seven distinct user interface techniques, organized according to a task analysis. An associated video demonstrates eighteen of those techniques. EHR designers who consider a wider range of human-computer interaction techniques could reduce selection errors, but verification of efficacy is still needed. PMID:25954415

Reducing wrong patient selection errors: exploring the design space of user interface techniques.

PubMed

Sopan, Awalin; Plaisant, Catherine; Powsner, Seth; Shneiderman, Ben

2014-01-01

Wrong patient selection errors are a major issue for patient safety; from ordering medication to performing surgery, the stakes are high. Widespread adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems makes patient selection using a computer screen a frequent task for clinicians. Careful design of the user interface can help mitigate the problem by helping providers recall their patients' identities, accurately select their names, and spot errors before orders are submitted. We propose a catalog of twenty seven distinct user interface techniques, organized according to a task analysis. An associated video demonstrates eighteen of those techniques. EHR designers who consider a wider range of human-computer interaction techniques could reduce selection errors, but verification of efficacy is still needed.

Duffing's Equation and Nonlinear Resonance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fay, Temple H.

2003-01-01

The phenomenon of nonlinear resonance (sometimes called the "jump phenomenon") is examined and second-order van der Pol plane analysis is employed to indicate that this phenomenon is not a feature of the equation, but rather the result of accumulated round-off error, truncation error and algorithm error that distorts the true bounded solution onto…

Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Tiffaney Miller

2017-01-01

Research results have shown that more than half of aviation, aerospace and aeronautics mishaps incidents are attributed to human error. As a part of Safety within space exploration ground processing operations, the identification and/or classification of underlying contributors and causes of human error must be identified, in order to manage human error. This research provides a framework and methodology using the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), as an analysis tool to identify contributing factors, their impact on human error events, and predict the Human Error probabilities (HEPs) of future occurrences. This research methodology was applied (retrospectively) to six (6) NASA ground processing operations scenarios and thirty (30) years of Launch Vehicle related mishap data. This modifiable framework can be used and followed by other space and similar complex operations.

Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Tiffaney Miller

2017-01-01

Research results have shown that more than half of aviation, aerospace and aeronautics mishaps/incidents are attributed to human error. As a part of Safety within space exploration ground processing operations, the identification and/or classification of underlying contributors and causes of human error must be identified, in order to manage human error. This research provides a framework and methodology using the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), as an analysis tool to identify contributing factors, their impact on human error events, and predict the Human Error probabilities (HEPs) of future occurrences. This research methodology was applied (retrospectively) to six (6) NASA ground processing operations scenarios and thirty (30) years of Launch Vehicle related mishap data. This modifiable framework can be used and followed by other space and similar complex operations.

Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Tiffaney Miller

2017-01-01

Research results have shown that more than half of aviation, aerospace and aeronautics mishaps incidents are attributed to human error. As a part of Quality within space exploration ground processing operations, the identification and or classification of underlying contributors and causes of human error must be identified, in order to manage human error.This presentation will provide a framework and methodology using the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) and Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), as an analysis tool to identify contributing factors, their impact on human error events, and predict the Human Error probabilities (HEPs) of future occurrences. This research methodology was applied (retrospectively) to six (6) NASA ground processing operations scenarios and thirty (30) years of Launch Vehicle related mishap data. This modifiable framework can be used and followed by other space and similar complex operations.

Use of a systematic risk analysis method (FMECA) to improve quality in a clinical laboratory procedure.

PubMed

Serafini, A; Troiano, G; Franceschini, E; Calzoni, P; Nante, N; Scapellato, C

2016-01-01

Risk management is a set of actions to recognize or identify risks, errors and their consequences and to take the steps to counter it. The aim of our study was to apply FMECA (Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis) to the Activated Protein C resistance (APCR) test in order to detect and avoid mistakes in this process. We created a team and the process was divided in phases and sub phases. For each phase we calculated the probability of occurrence (O) of an error, the detectability score (D) and the severity (S). The product of these three indexes yields the RPN (Risk Priority Number). Phases with a higher RPN need corrective actions with a higher priority. The calculation of RPN showed that more than 20 activities have a score higher than 150 and need important preventive actions; 8 have a score between 100 and 150. Only 23 actions obtained an acceptable score lower than 100. This was one of the first experience of application of FMECA analysis to a laboratory process, and the first one which applies this technique to the identification of the factor V Leiden, and our results confirm that FMECA could be a simple, powerful and useful tool in risk management and helps to identify quickly the criticality in a laboratory process.

A statistical methodology for estimating transport parameters: Theory and applications to one-dimensional advectivec-dispersive systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, Brian J.; Gorelick, Steven M.

1986-01-01

A simulation nonlinear multiple-regression methodology for estimating parameters that characterize the transport of contaminants is developed and demonstrated. Finite difference contaminant transport simulation is combined with a nonlinear weighted least squares multiple-regression procedure. The technique provides optimal parameter estimates and gives statistics for assessing the reliability of these estimates under certain general assumptions about the distributions of the random measurement errors. Monte Carlo analysis is used to estimate parameter reliability for a hypothetical homogeneous soil column for which concentration data contain large random measurement errors. The value of data collected spatially versus data collected temporally was investigated for estimation of velocity, dispersion coefficient, effective porosity, first-order decay rate, and zero-order production. The use of spatial data gave estimates that were 2–3 times more reliable than estimates based on temporal data for all parameters except velocity. Comparison of estimated linear and nonlinear confidence intervals based upon Monte Carlo analysis showed that the linear approximation is poor for dispersion coefficient and zero-order production coefficient when data are collected over time. In addition, examples demonstrate transport parameter estimation for two real one-dimensional systems. First, the longitudinal dispersivity and effective porosity of an unsaturated soil are estimated using laboratory column data. We compare the reliability of estimates based upon data from individual laboratory experiments versus estimates based upon pooled data from several experiments. Second, the simulation nonlinear regression procedure is extended to include an additional governing equation that describes delayed storage during contaminant transport. The model is applied to analyze the trends, variability, and interrelationship of parameters in a mourtain stream in northern California.

Correction of Measured Taxicab Exhaust Emission Data Based on Cmem Modle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Q.; Jia, T.

2017-09-01

Carbon dioxide emissions from urban road traffic mainly come from automobile exhaust. However, the carbon dioxide emissions obtained by the instruments are unreliable due to time delay error. In order to improve the reliability of data, we propose a method to correct the measured vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions from instrument based on the CMEM model. Firstly, the synthetic time series of carbon dioxide emissions are simulated by CMEM model and GPS velocity data. Then, taking the simulation data as the control group, the time delay error of the measured carbon dioxide emissions can be estimated by the asynchronous correlation analysis, and the outliers can be automatically identified and corrected using the principle of DTW algorithm. Taking the taxi trajectory data of Wuhan as an example, the results show that (1) the correlation coefficient between the measured data and the control group data can be improved from 0.52 to 0.59 by mitigating the systematic time delay error. Furthermore, by adjusting the outliers which account for 4.73 % of the total data, the correlation coefficient can raise to 0.63, which suggests strong correlation. The construction of low carbon traffic has become the focus of the local government. In order to respond to the slogan of energy saving and emission reduction, the distribution of carbon emissions from motor vehicle exhaust emission was studied. So our corrected data can be used to make further air quality analysis.

An Astronomical Test of CCD Photometric Precision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, David; Dunham, Edward; Borucki, William; Jenkins, Jon; DeVingenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

This article considers a posteriori error estimation of specified functionals for first-order systems of conservation laws discretized using the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method. Using duality techniques. we derive exact error representation formulas for both linear and nonlinear functionals given an associated bilinear or nonlinear variational form. Weighted residual approximations of the exact error representation formula are then proposed and numerically evaluated for Ringleb flow, an exact solution of the 2-D Euler equations.

A New First Break Picking for Three-Component VSP Data Using Gesture Sensor and Polarization Analysis

PubMed Central

Li, Huailiang; Tuo, Xianguo; Shen, Tong; Wang, Ruili; Courtois, Jérémie; Yan, Minhao

2017-01-01

A new first break picking for three-component (3C) vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data is proposed to improve the estimation accuracy of first arrivals, which adopts gesture detection calibration and polarization analysis based on the eigenvalue of the covariance matrix. This study aims at addressing the problem that calibration is required for VSP data using the azimuth and dip angle of geophones, due to the direction of geophones being random when applied in a borehole, which will further lead to the first break picking possibly being unreliable. Initially, a gesture-measuring module is integrated in the seismometer to rapidly obtain high-precision gesture data (including azimuth and dip angle information). Using re-rotating and re-projecting using earlier gesture data, the seismic dataset of each component will be calibrated to the direction that is consistent with the vibrator shot orientation. It will promote the reliability of the original data when making each component waveform calibrated to the same virtual reference component, and the corresponding first break will also be properly adjusted. After achieving 3C data calibration, an automatic first break picking algorithm based on the autoregressive-Akaike information criterion (AR-AIC) is adopted to evaluate the first break. Furthermore, in order to enhance the accuracy of the first break picking, the polarization attributes of 3C VSP recordings is applied to constrain the scanning segment of AR-AIC picker, which uses the maximum eigenvalue calculation of the covariance matrix. The contrast results between pre-calibration and post-calibration using field data show that it can further improve the quality of the 3C VSP waveform, which is favorable to subsequent picking. Compared to the obtained short-term average to long-term average (STA/LTA) and the AR-AIC algorithm, the proposed method, combined with polarization analysis, can significantly reduce the picking error. Applications of actual field experiments have also confirmed that the proposed method may be more suitable for the first break picking of 3C VSP. Test using synthesized 3C seismic data with low SNR indicates that the first break is picked with an error between 0.75 ms and 1.5 ms. Accordingly, the proposed method can reduce the picking error for 3C VSP data. PMID:28925981

Calibrating First-Order Strong Lensing Mass Estimates in Clusters of Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Brendan; Remolian, Juan; Sharon, Keren; Li, Nan; SPT Clusters Cooperation

2018-01-01

We investigate methods to reduce the statistical and systematic errors inherent to using the Einstein Radius as a first-order mass estimate in strong lensing galaxy clusters. By finding an empirical universal calibration function, we aim to enable a first-order mass estimate of large cluster data sets in a fraction of the time and effort of full-scale strong lensing mass modeling. We use 74 simulated cluster data from the Argonne National Laboratory in a lens redshift slice of [0.159, 0.667] with various source redshifts in the range of [1.23, 2.69]. From the simulated density maps, we calculate the exact mass enclosed within the Einstein Radius. We find that the mass inferred from the Einstein Radius alone produces an error width of ~39% with respect to the true mass. We explore an array of polynomial and exponential correction functions with dependence on cluster redshift and projected radii of the lensed images, aiming to reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainty. We find that the error on the the mass inferred from the Einstein Radius can be reduced significantly by using a universal correction function. Our study has implications for current and future large galaxy cluster surveys aiming to measure cluster mass, and the mass-concentration relation.

Numerical solution of the unsteady Navier-Stokes equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osher, Stanley J.; Engquist, Bjoern

1985-01-01

The construction and the analysis of nonoscillatory shock capturing methods for the approximation of hyperbolic conservation laws are discussed. These schemes share many desirable properties with total variation diminishing schemes, but TVD schemes have at most first-order accuracy, in the sense of truncation error, at extrema of the solution. In this paper a uniformly second-order approximation is constructed, which is nonoscillatory in the sense that the number of extrema of the discrete solution is not increasing in time. This is achieved via a nonoscillatory piecewise linear reconstruction of the solution from its cell averages, time evolution through an approximate solution of the resulting initial value problem, and averaging of this approximate solution over each cell.

Bayesian dynamic modeling of time series of dengue disease case counts

PubMed Central

López-Quílez, Antonio; Torres-Prieto, Alexander

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to model the association between weekly time series of dengue case counts and meteorological variables, in a high-incidence city of Colombia, applying Bayesian hierarchical dynamic generalized linear models over the period January 2008 to August 2015. Additionally, we evaluate the model’s short-term performance for predicting dengue cases. The methodology shows dynamic Poisson log link models including constant or time-varying coefficients for the meteorological variables. Calendar effects were modeled using constant or first- or second-order random walk time-varying coefficients. The meteorological variables were modeled using constant coefficients and first-order random walk time-varying coefficients. We applied Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations for parameter estimation, and deviance information criterion statistic (DIC) for model selection. We assessed the short-term predictive performance of the selected final model, at several time points within the study period using the mean absolute percentage error. The results showed the best model including first-order random walk time-varying coefficients for calendar trend and first-order random walk time-varying coefficients for the meteorological variables. Besides the computational challenges, interpreting the results implies a complete analysis of the time series of dengue with respect to the parameter estimates of the meteorological effects. We found small values of the mean absolute percentage errors at one or two weeks out-of-sample predictions for most prediction points, associated with low volatility periods in the dengue counts. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the dynamic Poisson models for studying the association between time series of dengue disease and meteorological variables. The key conclusion of the study is that dynamic Poisson models account for the dynamic nature of the variables involved in the modeling of time series of dengue disease, producing useful models for decision-making in public health. PMID:28671941

Error Free Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

A mathematical theory for development of "higher order" software to catch computer mistakes resulted from a Johnson Space Center contract for Apollo spacecraft navigation. Two women who were involved in the project formed Higher Order Software, Inc. to develop and market the system of error analysis and correction. They designed software which is logically error-free, which, in one instance, was found to increase productivity by 600%. USE.IT defines its objectives using AXES -- a user can write in English and the system converts to computer languages. It is employed by several large corporations.

Observability of satellite launcher navigation with INS, GPS, attitude sensors and reference trajectory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaudoin, Yanick; Desbiens, André; Gagnon, Eric; Landry, René

2018-01-01

The navigation system of a satellite launcher is of paramount importance. In order to correct the trajectory of the launcher, the position, velocity and attitude must be known with the best possible precision. In this paper, the observability of four navigation solutions is investigated. The first one is the INS/GPS couple. Then, attitude reference sensors, such as magnetometers, are added to the INS/GPS solution. The authors have already demonstrated that the reference trajectory could be used to improve the navigation performance. This approach is added to the two previously mentioned navigation systems. For each navigation solution, the observability is analyzed with different sensor error models. First, sensor biases are neglected. Then, sensor biases are modelled as random walks and as first order Markov processes. The observability is tested with the rank and condition number of the observability matrix, the time evolution of the covariance matrix and sensitivity to measurement outlier tests. The covariance matrix is exploited to evaluate the correlation between states in order to detect structural unobservability problems. Finally, when an unobservable subspace is detected, the result is verified with theoretical analysis of the navigation equations. The results show that evaluating only the observability of a model does not guarantee the ability of the aiding sensors to correct the INS estimates within the mission time. The analysis of the covariance matrix time evolution could be a powerful tool to detect this situation, however in some cases, the problem is only revealed with a sensitivity to measurement outlier test. None of the tested solutions provide GPS position bias observability. For the considered mission, the modelling of the sensor biases as random walks or Markov processes gives equivalent results. Relying on the reference trajectory can improve the precision of the roll estimates. But, in the context of a satellite launcher, the roll estimation error and gyroscope bias are only observable if attitude reference sensors are present.

Parameter estimation for terrain modeling from gradient data. [navigation system for Martian rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dangelo, K. R.

1974-01-01

A method is developed for modeling terrain surfaces for use on an unmanned Martian roving vehicle. The modeling procedure employs a two-step process which uses gradient as well as height data in order to improve the accuracy of the model's gradient. Least square approximation is used in order to stochastically determine the parameters which describe the modeled surface. A complete error analysis of the modeling procedure is included which determines the effect of instrumental measurement errors on the model's accuracy. Computer simulation is used as a means of testing the entire modeling process which includes the acquisition of data points, the two-step modeling process and the error analysis. Finally, to illustrate the procedure, a numerical example is included.

Pointing control for LDR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yam, Y.; Briggs, C.

1988-01-01

One important aspect of the LDR control problem is the possible excitations of structural modes due to random disturbances, mirror chopping, and slewing maneuvers. An analysis was performed to yield a first order estimate of the effects of such dynamic excitations. The analysis involved a study of slewing jitters, chopping jitters, disturbance responses, and pointing errors, making use of a simplified planar LDR model which describes the LDR dynamics on a plane perpendicular to the primary reflector. Briefly, the results indicate that the command slewing profile plays an important role in minimizing the resultant jitter, even to a level acceptable without any control action. An optimal profile should therefore be studied.

Decrease in medical command errors with use of a "standing orders" protocol system.

PubMed

Holliman, C J; Wuerz, R C; Meador, S A

1994-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the physician medical command error rates and paramedic error rates after implementation of a "standing orders" protocol system for medical command. These patient-care error rates were compared with the previously reported rates for a "required call-in" medical command system (Ann Emerg Med 1992; 21(4):347-350). A secondary aim of the study was to determine if the on-scene time interval was increased by the standing orders system. Prospectively conducted audit of prehospital advanced life support (ALS) trip sheets was made at an urban ALS paramedic service with on-line physician medical command from three local hospitals. All ALS run sheets from the start time of the standing orders system (April 1, 1991) for a 1-year period ending on March 30, 1992 were reviewed as part of an ongoing quality assurance program. Cases were identified as nonjustifiably deviating from regional emergency medical services (EMS) protocols as judged by agreement of three physician reviewers (the same methodology as a previously reported command error study in the same ALS system). Medical command and paramedic errors were identified from the prehospital ALS run sheets and categorized. Two thousand one ALS runs were reviewed; 24 physician errors (1.2% of the 1,928 "command" runs) and eight paramedic errors (0.4% of runs) were identified. The physician error rate was decreased from the 2.6% rate in the previous study (P < .0001 by chi 2 analysis). The on-scene time interval did not increase with the "standing orders" system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Skylab water balance error analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, J. I.

1977-01-01

Estimates of the precision of the net water balance were obtained for the entire Skylab preflight and inflight phases as well as for the first two weeks of flight. Quantitative estimates of both total sampling errors and instrumentation errors were obtained. It was shown that measurement error is minimal in comparison to biological variability and little can be gained from improvement in analytical accuracy. In addition, a propagation of error analysis demonstrated that total water balance error could be accounted for almost entirely by the errors associated with body mass changes. Errors due to interaction between terms in the water balance equation (covariances) represented less than 10% of the total error. Overall, the analysis provides evidence that daily measurements of body water changes obtained from the indirect balance technique are reasonable, precise, and relaible. The method is not biased toward net retention or loss.

Evaluation of monthly rainfall estimates derived from the special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) over the tropical Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Wesley; Avery, Susan K.

1995-01-01

Estimates of monthly rainfall have been computed over the tropical Pacific using passive microwave satellite observations from the special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) for the period from July 1987 through December 1990. These monthly estimates are calibrated using data from a network of Pacific atoll rain gauges in order to account for systematic biases and are then compared with several visible and infrared satellite-based rainfall estimation techniques for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the microwave-based estimates. Although several key differences among the various techniques are observed, the general features of the monthly rainfall time series agree very well. Finally, the significant error sources contributing to uncertainties in the monthly estimates are examined and an estimate of the total error is produced. The sampling error characteristics are investigated using data from two SSM/I sensors and a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the diurnal cycle of rainfall over the oceans and its contribution to sampling errors in the monthly SSM/I estimates is made using geosynchronous satellite data. Based on the analysis of the sampling and other error sources the total error was estimated to be of the order of 30 to 50% of the monthly rainfall for estimates averaged over 2.5 deg x 2.5 deg latitude/longitude boxes, with a contribution due to diurnal variability of the order of 10%.

Uncertainty Analysis of Seebeck Coefficient and Electrical Resistivity Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackey, Jon; Sehirlioglu, Alp; Dynys, Fred

2014-01-01

In order to provide a complete description of a materials thermoelectric power factor, in addition to the measured nominal value, an uncertainty interval is required. The uncertainty may contain sources of measurement error including systematic bias error and precision error of a statistical nature. The work focuses specifically on the popular ZEM-3 (Ulvac Technologies) measurement system, but the methods apply to any measurement system. The analysis accounts for sources of systematic error including sample preparation tolerance, measurement probe placement, thermocouple cold-finger effect, and measurement parameters; in addition to including uncertainty of a statistical nature. Complete uncertainty analysis of a measurement system allows for more reliable comparison of measurement data between laboratories.

High-quality two-nucleon potentials up to fifth order of the chiral expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Entem, D. R.; Machleidt, R.; Nosyk, Y.

2017-08-01

We present NN potentials through five orders of chiral effective field theory ranging from leading order (LO) to next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N4LO ). The construction may be perceived as consistent in the sense that the same power counting scheme as well as the same cutoff procedures are applied in all orders. Moreover, the long-range parts of these potentials are fixed by the very accurate π N low-energy constants (LECs) as determined in the Roy-Steiner equations analysis by Hoferichter, Ruiz de Elvira, and coworkers. In fact, the uncertainties of these LECs are so small that a variation within the errors leads to effects that are essentially negligible, reducing the error budget of predictions considerably. The NN potentials are fit to the world NN data below the pion-production threshold of the year 2016. The potential of the highest order (N4LO ) reproduces the world NN data with the outstanding χ2/datum of 1.15, which is the highest precision ever accomplished for any chiral NN potential to date. The NN potentials presented may serve as a solid basis for systematic ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and reactions that allow for a comprehensive error analysis. In particular, the consistent order by order development of the potentials will make possible a reliable determination of the truncation error at each order. Our family of potentials is nonlocal and, generally, of soft character. This feature is reflected in the fact that the predictions for the triton binding energy (from two-body forces only) converges to about 8.1 MeV at the highest orders. This leaves room for three-nucleon-force contributions of moderate size.

Consistent, high-quality two-nucleon potentials up to fifth order of the chiral expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machleidt, R.

2018-02-01

We present N N potentials through five orders of chiral effective field theory ranging from leading order (LO) to next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N4LO). The construction may be perceived as consistent in the sense that the same power counting scheme as well as the same cutoff procedures are applied in all orders. Moreover, the long-range parts of these potentials are fixed by the very accurate πN low-energy constants (LECs) as determined in the Roy-Steiner equations analysis by Hoferichter, Ruiz de Elvira and coworkers. In fact, the uncertainties of these LECs are so small that a variation within the errors leads to effects that are essentially negligible, reducing the error budget of predictions considerably. The N N potentials are fit to the world N N data below pion-production threshold of the year of 2016. The potential of the highest order (N4LO) reproduces the world N N data with the outstanding χ 2/datum of 1.15, which is the highest precision ever accomplished for any chiral N N potential to date. The N N potentials presented may serve as a solid basis for systematic ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and reactions that allow for a comprehensive error analysis. In particular, the consistent order by order development of the potentials will make possible a reliable determination of the truncation error at each order. Our family of potentials is non-local and, generally, of soft character. This feature is reflected in the fact that the predictions for the triton binding energy (from two-body forces only) converges to about 8.1 MeV at the highest orders. This leaves room for three-nucleon-force contributions of moderate size.

Grab a coffee: your aerial images are already analyzed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garetto, Anthony; Rademacher, Thomas; Schulz, Kristian

2015-07-01

For over 2 decades the AIMTM platform has been utilized in mask shops as the standard for actinic review of photomask sites in order to perform defect disposition and repair review. Throughout this time the measurement throughput of the systems has been improved in order to keep pace with the requirements demanded by a manufacturing environment, however the analysis of the sites captured has seen little improvement and remained a manual process. This manual analysis of aerial images is time consuming, subject to error and unreliability and contributes to holding up turn-around time (TAT) and slowing process flow in a manufacturing environment. AutoAnalysis, the first application available for the FAVOR® platform, offers a solution to these problems by providing fully automated data transfer and analysis of AIMTM aerial images. The data is automatically output in a customizable format that can be tailored to your internal needs and the requests of your customers. Savings in terms of operator time arise from the automated analysis which no longer needs to be performed. Reliability is improved as human error is eliminated making sure the most defective region is always and consistently captured. Finally the TAT is shortened and process flow for the back end of the line improved as the analysis is fast and runs in parallel to the measurements. In this paper the concept and approach of AutoAnalysis will be presented as well as an update to the status of the project. A look at the benefits arising from the automation and the customizable approach of the solution will be shown.

Quick-low-density parity check and dynamic threshold voltage optimization in 1X nm triple-level cell NAND flash memory with comprehensive analysis of endurance, retention-time, and temperature variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, Masafumi; Tokutomi, Tsukasa; Hachiya, Shogo; Kobayashi, Atsuro; Tanakamaru, Shuhei; Ning, Sheyang; Ogura Iwasaki, Tomoko; Takeuchi, Ken

2016-08-01

NAND flash memory’s reliability degrades with increasing endurance, retention-time and/or temperature. After a comprehensive evaluation of 1X nm triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash, two highly reliable techniques are proposed. The first proposal, quick low-density parity check (Quick-LDPC), requires only one cell read in order to accurately estimate a bit-error rate (BER) that includes the effects of temperature, write and erase (W/E) cycles and retention-time. As a result, 83% read latency reduction is achieved compared to conventional AEP-LDPC. Also, W/E cycling is extended by 100% compared with conventional Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) error-correcting code (ECC). The second proposal, dynamic threshold voltage optimization (DVO) has two parts, adaptive V Ref shift (AVS) and V TH space control (VSC). AVS reduces read error and latency by adaptively optimizing the reference voltage (V Ref) based on temperature, W/E cycles and retention-time. AVS stores the optimal V Ref’s in a table in order to enable one cell read. VSC further improves AVS by optimizing the voltage margins between V TH states. DVO reduces BER by 80%.

The p-version of the finite element method in incremental elasto-plastic analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzer, Stefan M.; Yosibash, Zohar

1993-01-01

Whereas the higher-order versions of the finite elements method (the p- and hp-version) are fairly well established as highly efficient methods for monitoring and controlling the discretization error in linear problems, little has been done to exploit their benefits in elasto-plastic structural analysis. Aspects of incremental elasto-plastic finite element analysis which are particularly amenable to improvements by the p-version is discussed. These theoretical considerations are supported by several numerical experiments. First, an example for which an analytical solution is available is studied. It is demonstrated that the p-version performs very well even in cycles of elasto-plastic loading and unloading, not only as compared to the traditional h-version but also in respect to the exact solution. Finally, an example of considerable practical importance - the analysis of a cold-worked lug - is presented which demonstrates how the modeling tools offered by higher-order finite element techniques can contribute to an improved approximation of practical problems.

Design of minimum multiplier fractional order differentiator based on lattice wave digital filter.

PubMed

Barsainya, Richa; Rawat, Tarun Kumar; Kumar, Manjeet

2017-01-01

In this paper, a novel design of fractional order differentiator (FOD) based on lattice wave digital filter (LWDF) is proposed which requires minimum number of multiplier for its structural realization. Firstly, the FOD design problem is formulated as an optimization problem using the transfer function of lattice wave digital filter. Then, three optimization algorithms, namely, genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) are applied to determine the optimal LWDF coefficients. The realization of FOD using LWD structure increases the design accuracy, as only N number of coefficients are to be optimized for Nth order FOD. Finally, two design examples of 3rd and 5th order lattice wave digital fractional order differentiator (LWDFOD) are demonstrated to justify the design accuracy. The performance analysis of the proposed design is carried out based on magnitude response, absolute magnitude error (dB), root mean square (RMS) magnitude error, arithmetic complexity, convergence profile and computation time. Simulation results are attained to show the comparison of the proposed LWDFOD with the published works and it is observed that an improvement of 29% is obtained in the proposed design. The proposed LWDFOD approximates the ideal FOD and surpasses the existing ones reasonably well in mid and high frequency range, thereby making the proposed LWDFOD a promising technique for the design of digital FODs. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of medication safety systems in critical access hospitals: Combined analysis of two studies.

PubMed

Cochran, Gary L; Barrett, Ryan S; Horn, Susan D

2016-08-01

The role of pharmacist transcription, onsite pharmacist dispensing, use of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), nurse-nurse double checks, or barcode-assisted medication administration (BCMA) in reducing medication error rates in critical access hospitals (CAHs) was evaluated. Investigators used the practice-based evidence methodology to identify predictors of medication errors in 12 Nebraska CAHs. Detailed information about each medication administered was recorded through direct observation. Errors were identified by comparing the observed medication administered with the physician's order. Chi-square analysis and Fisher's exact test were used to measure differences between groups of medication-dispensing procedures. Nurses observed 6497 medications being administered to 1374 patients. The overall error rate was 1.2%. The transcription error rates for orders transcribed by an onsite pharmacist were slightly lower than for orders transcribed by a telepharmacy service (0.10% and 0.33%, respectively). Fewer dispensing errors occurred when medications were dispensed by an onsite pharmacist versus any other method of medication acquisition (0.10% versus 0.44%, p = 0.0085). The rates of dispensing errors for medications that were retrieved from a single-cell ADC (0.19%), a multicell ADC (0.45%), or a drug closet or general supply (0.77%) did not differ significantly. BCMA was associated with a higher proportion of dispensing and administration errors intercepted before reaching the patient (66.7%) compared with either manual double checks (10%) or no BCMA or double check (30.4%) of the medication before administration (p = 0.0167). Onsite pharmacist dispensing and BCMA were associated with fewer medication errors and are important components of a medication safety strategy in CAHs. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bit-error rate for free-space adaptive optics laser communications.

PubMed

Tyson, Robert K

2002-04-01

An analysis of adaptive optics compensation for atmospheric-turbulence-induced scintillation is presented with the figure of merit being the laser communications bit-error rate. The formulation covers weak, moderate, and strong turbulence; on-off keying; and amplitude-shift keying, over horizontal propagation paths or on a ground-to-space uplink or downlink. The theory shows that under some circumstances the bit-error rate can be improved by a few orders of magnitude with the addition of adaptive optics to compensate for the scintillation. Low-order compensation (less than 40 Zernike modes) appears to be feasible as well as beneficial for reducing the bit-error rate and increasing the throughput of the communication link.

Error analysis of finite element method for Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations

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

Sun, Yuzhou; Sun, Pengtao; Zheng, Bin

A priori error estimates of finite element method for time-dependent Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations are studied in this work. We obtain the optimal error estimates in L∞(H1) and L2(H1) norms, and suboptimal error estimates in L∞(L2) norm, with linear element, and optimal error estimates in L∞(L2) norm with quadratic or higher-order element, for both semi- and fully discrete finite element approximations. Numerical experiments are also given to validate the theoretical results.

Performance improvement of a binary quantized all-digital phase-locked loop with a new aided-acquisition technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandoz, J.-P.; Steenaart, W.

1984-12-01

The nonuniform sampling digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) with sequential loop filter, in which the correction sizes are controlled by the accumulated differences of two additional phase comparators, is graphically analyzed. In the absence of noise and frequency drift, the analysis gives some physical insight into the acquisition and tracking behavior. Taking noise into account, a mathematical model is derived and a random walk technique is applied to evaluate the rms phase error and the mean acquisition time. Experimental results confirm the appropriate simplifying hypotheses used in the numerical analysis. Two related performance measures defined in terms of the rms phase error and the acquisition time for a given SNR are used. These measures provide a common basis for comparing different digital loops and, to a limited extent, also with a first-order linear loop. Finally, the behavior of a modified DPLL under frequency deviation in the presence of Gaussian noise is tested experimentally and by computer simulation.

[EMD Time-Frequency Analysis of Raman Spectrum and NIR].

PubMed

Zhao, Xiao-yu; Fang, Yi-ming; Tan, Feng; Tong, Liang; Zhai, Zhe

2016-02-01

This paper analyzes the Raman spectrum and Near Infrared Spectrum (NIR) with time-frequency method. The empirical mode decomposition spectrum becomes intrinsic mode functions, which the proportion calculation reveals the Raman spectral energy is uniform distributed in each component, while the NIR's low order intrinsic mode functions only undertakes fewer primary spectroscopic effective information. Both the real spectrum and numerical experiments show that the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) regard Raman spectrum as the amplitude-modulated signal, which possessed with high frequency adsorption property; and EMD regards NIR as the frequency-modulated signal, which could be preferably realized high frequency narrow-band demodulation during first-order intrinsic mode functions. The first-order intrinsic mode functions Hilbert transform reveals that during the period of empirical mode decomposes Raman spectrum, modal aliasing happened. Through further analysis of corn leaf's NIR in time-frequency domain, after EMD, the first and second orders components of low energy are cut off, and reconstruct spectral signal by using the remaining intrinsic mode functions, the root-mean-square error is 1.001 1, and the correlation coefficient is 0.981 3, both of these two indexes indicated higher accuracy in re-construction; the decomposition trend term indicates the absorbency is ascending along with the decreasing to wave length in the near-infrared light wave band; and the Hilbert transform of characteristic modal component displays, 657 cm⁻¹ is the specific frequency by the corn leaf stress spectrum, which could be regarded as characteristic frequency for identification.

A Control Model: Interpretation of Fitts' Law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connelly, E. M.

1984-01-01

The analytical results for several models are given: a first order model where it is assumed that the hand velocity can be directly controlled, and a second order model where it is assumed that the hand acceleration can be directly controlled. Two different types of control-laws are investigated. One is linear function of the hand error and error rate; the other is the time-optimal control law. Results show that the first and second order models with the linear control-law produce a movement time (MT) function with the exact form of the Fitts' Law. The control-law interpretation implies that the effect of target width on MT must be a result of the vertical motion which elevates the hand from the starting point and drops it on the target at the target edge. The time optimal control law did not produce a movement-time formula simular to Fitt's Law.

Error Covariance Penalized Regression: A novel multivariate model combining penalized regression with multivariate error structure.

PubMed

Allegrini, Franco; Braga, Jez W B; Moreira, Alessandro C O; Olivieri, Alejandro C

2018-06-29

A new multivariate regression model, named Error Covariance Penalized Regression (ECPR) is presented. Following a penalized regression strategy, the proposed model incorporates information about the measurement error structure of the system, using the error covariance matrix (ECM) as a penalization term. Results are reported from both simulations and experimental data based on replicate mid and near infrared (MIR and NIR) spectral measurements. The results for ECPR are better under non-iid conditions when compared with traditional first-order multivariate methods such as ridge regression (RR), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least-squares regression (PLS). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical Analysis of an H 1-Galerkin Mixed Finite Element Method for Time Fractional Telegraph Equation

PubMed Central

Wang, Jinfeng; Zhao, Meng; Zhang, Min; Liu, Yang; Li, Hong

2014-01-01

We discuss and analyze an H 1-Galerkin mixed finite element (H 1-GMFE) method to look for the numerical solution of time fractional telegraph equation. We introduce an auxiliary variable to reduce the original equation into lower-order coupled equations and then formulate an H 1-GMFE scheme with two important variables. We discretize the Caputo time fractional derivatives using the finite difference methods and approximate the spatial direction by applying the H 1-GMFE method. Based on the discussion on the theoretical error analysis in L 2-norm for the scalar unknown and its gradient in one dimensional case, we obtain the optimal order of convergence in space-time direction. Further, we also derive the optimal error results for the scalar unknown in H 1-norm. Moreover, we derive and analyze the stability of H 1-GMFE scheme and give the results of a priori error estimates in two- or three-dimensional cases. In order to verify our theoretical analysis, we give some results of numerical calculation by using the Matlab procedure. PMID:25184148

Increasing operating room efficiency through electronic medical record analysis.

PubMed

Attaallah, A F; Elzamzamy, O M; Phelps, A L; Ranganthan, P; Vallejo, M C

2016-05-01

We used electronic medical record (EMR) analysis to determine errors in operating room (OR) time utilisation. Over a two year period EMR data of 44,503 surgical procedures was analysed for OR duration, on-time, first case, and add-on time performance, within 19 surgical specialties. Maximal OR time utilisation at our institution could have saved over 302,620 min or 5,044 hours of OR efficiency over a two year period. Most specialties (78.95%) had inaccurately scheduled procedure times and therefore used the OR more than their scheduled allotment time. Significant differences occurred between the mean scheduled surgical durations (101.38 ± 87.11 min) and actual durations (108.18 ± 102.27 min; P < 0.001). Significant differences also occurred between the mean scheduled add-on durations (111.4 ± 75.5 min) and the actual add-on scheduled durations (118.6 ± 90.1 minutes; P < 0.001). EMR quality improvement analysis can be used to determine scheduling error and bias, in order to improve efficiency and increase OR time utilisation.

Local indicators of geocoding accuracy (LIGA): theory and application

PubMed Central

Jacquez, Geoffrey M; Rommel, Robert

2009-01-01

Background Although sources of positional error in geographic locations (e.g. geocoding error) used for describing and modeling spatial patterns are widely acknowledged, research on how such error impacts the statistical results has been limited. In this paper we explore techniques for quantifying the perturbability of spatial weights to different specifications of positional error. Results We find that a family of curves describes the relationship between perturbability and positional error, and use these curves to evaluate sensitivity of alternative spatial weight specifications to positional error both globally (when all locations are considered simultaneously) and locally (to identify those locations that would benefit most from increased geocoding accuracy). We evaluate the approach in simulation studies, and demonstrate it using a case-control study of bladder cancer in south-eastern Michigan. Conclusion Three results are significant. First, the shape of the probability distributions of positional error (e.g. circular, elliptical, cross) has little impact on the perturbability of spatial weights, which instead depends on the mean positional error. Second, our methodology allows researchers to evaluate the sensitivity of spatial statistics to positional accuracy for specific geographies. This has substantial practical implications since it makes possible routine sensitivity analysis of spatial statistics to positional error arising in geocoded street addresses, global positioning systems, LIDAR and other geographic data. Third, those locations with high perturbability (most sensitive to positional error) and high leverage (that contribute the most to the spatial weight being considered) will benefit the most from increased positional accuracy. These are rapidly identified using a new visualization tool we call the LIGA scatterplot. Herein lies a paradox for spatial analysis: For a given level of positional error increasing sample density to more accurately follow the underlying population distribution increases perturbability and introduces error into the spatial weights matrix. In some studies positional error may not impact the statistical results, and in others it might invalidate the results. We therefore must understand the relationships between positional accuracy and the perturbability of the spatial weights in order to have confidence in a study's results. PMID:19863795

Bayesian assessment of overtriage and undertriage at a level I trauma centre.

PubMed

DiDomenico, Paul B; Pietzsch, Jan B; Paté-Cornell, M Elisabeth

2008-07-13

We analysed the trauma triage system at a specific level I trauma centre to assess rates of over- and undertriage and to support recommendations for system improvements. The triage process is designed to estimate the severity of patient injury and allocate resources accordingly, with potential errors of overestimation (overtriage) consuming excess resources and underestimation (undertriage) potentially leading to medical errors.We first modelled the overall trauma system using risk analysis methods to understand interdependencies among the actions of the participants. We interviewed six experienced trauma surgeons to obtain their expert opinion of the over- and undertriage rates occurring in the trauma centre. We then assessed actual over- and undertriage rates in a random sample of 86 trauma cases collected over a six-week period at the same centre. We employed Bayesian analysis to quantitatively combine the data with the prior probabilities derived from expert opinion in order to obtain posterior distributions. The results were estimates of overtriage and undertriage in 16.1 and 4.9% of patients, respectively. This Bayesian approach, which provides a quantitative assessment of the error rates using both case data and expert opinion, provides a rational means of obtaining a best estimate of the system's performance. The overall approach that we describe in this paper can be employed more widely to analyse complex health care delivery systems, with the objective of reduced errors, patient risk and excess costs.

Latent human error analysis and efficient improvement strategies by fuzzy TOPSIS in aviation maintenance tasks.

PubMed

Chiu, Ming-Chuan; Hsieh, Min-Chih

2016-05-01

The purposes of this study were to develop a latent human error analysis process, to explore the factors of latent human error in aviation maintenance tasks, and to provide an efficient improvement strategy for addressing those errors. First, we used HFACS and RCA to define the error factors related to aviation maintenance tasks. Fuzzy TOPSIS with four criteria was applied to evaluate the error factors. Results show that 1) adverse physiological states, 2) physical/mental limitations, and 3) coordination, communication, and planning are the factors related to airline maintenance tasks that could be addressed easily and efficiently. This research establishes a new analytic process for investigating latent human error and provides a strategy for analyzing human error using fuzzy TOPSIS. Our analysis process complements shortages in existing methodologies by incorporating improvement efficiency, and it enhances the depth and broadness of human error analysis methodology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Spectral iterative method and convergence analysis for solving nonlinear fractional differential equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yarmohammadi, M.; Javadi, S.; Babolian, E.

2018-04-01

In this study a new spectral iterative method (SIM) based on fractional interpolation is presented for solving nonlinear fractional differential equations (FDEs) involving Caputo derivative. This method is equipped with a pre-algorithm to find the singularity index of solution of the problem. This pre-algorithm gives us a real parameter as the index of the fractional interpolation basis, for which the SIM achieves the highest order of convergence. In comparison with some recent results about the error estimates for fractional approximations, a more accurate convergence rate has been attained. We have also proposed the order of convergence for fractional interpolation error under the L2-norm. Finally, general error analysis of SIM has been considered. The numerical results clearly demonstrate the capability of the proposed method.

Soft error evaluation and vulnerability analysis in Xilinx Zynq-7010 system-on chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xuecheng; He, Chaohui; Liu, Shuhuan; Zhang, Yao; Li, Yonghong; Xiong, Ceng; Tan, Pengkang

2016-09-01

Radiation-induced soft errors are an increasingly important threat to the reliability of modern electronic systems. In order to evaluate system-on chip's reliability and soft error, the fault tree analysis method was used in this work. The system fault tree was constructed based on Xilinx Zynq-7010 All Programmable SoC. Moreover, the soft error rates of different components in Zynq-7010 SoC were tested by americium-241 alpha radiation source. Furthermore, some parameters that used to evaluate the system's reliability and safety were calculated using Isograph Reliability Workbench 11.0, such as failure rate, unavailability and mean time to failure (MTTF). According to fault tree analysis for system-on chip, the critical blocks and system reliability were evaluated through the qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Error Monitoring and Feedback Processing in Second Language Learning.

PubMed

Bultena, Sybrine; Danielmeier, Claudia; Bekkering, Harold; Lemhöfer, Kristin

2017-01-01

Humans monitor their behavior to optimize performance, which presumably relies on stable representations of correct responses. During second language (L2) learning, however, stable representations have yet to be formed while knowledge of the first language (L1) can interfere with learning, which in some cases results in persistent errors. In order to examine how correct L2 representations are stabilized, this study examined performance monitoring in the learning process of second language learners for a feature that conflicts with their first language. Using EEG, we investigated if L2 learners in a feedback-guided word gender assignment task showed signs of error detection in the form of an error-related negativity (ERN) before and after receiving feedback, and how feedback is processed. The results indicated that initially, response-locked negativities for correct (CRN) and incorrect (ERN) responses were of similar size, showing a lack of internal error detection when L2 representations are unstable. As behavioral performance improved following feedback, the ERN became larger than the CRN, pointing to the first signs of successful error detection. Additionally, we observed a second negativity following the ERN/CRN components, the amplitude of which followed a similar pattern as the previous negativities. Feedback-locked data indicated robust FRN and P300 effects in response to negative feedback across different rounds, demonstrating that feedback remained important in order to update memory representations during learning. We thus show that initially, L2 representations may often not be stable enough to warrant successful error monitoring, but can be stabilized through repeated feedback, which means that the brain is able to overcome L1 interference, and can learn to detect errors internally after a short training session. The results contribute a different perspective to the discussion on changes in ERN and FRN components in relation to learning, by extending the investigation of these effects to the language learning domain. Furthermore, these findings provide a further characterization of the online learning process of L2 learners.

Recursive least-squares learning algorithms for neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Paul S.; Hwang, Jenq N.

1990-11-01

This paper presents the development of a pair of recursive least squares (ItLS) algorithms for online training of multilayer perceptrons which are a class of feedforward artificial neural networks. These algorithms incorporate second order information about the training error surface in order to achieve faster learning rates than are possible using first order gradient descent algorithms such as the generalized delta rule. A least squares formulation is derived from a linearization of the training error function. Individual training pattern errors are linearized about the network parameters that were in effect when the pattern was presented. This permits the recursive solution of the least squares approximation either via conventional RLS recursions or by recursive QR decomposition-based techniques. The computational complexity of the update is 0(N2) where N is the number of network parameters. This is due to the estimation of the N x N inverse Hessian matrix. Less computationally intensive approximations of the ilLS algorithms can be easily derived by using only block diagonal elements of this matrix thereby partitioning the learning into independent sets. A simulation example is presented in which a neural network is trained to approximate a two dimensional Gaussian bump. In this example RLS training required an order of magnitude fewer iterations on average (527) than did training with the generalized delta rule (6 1 BACKGROUND Artificial neural networks (ANNs) offer an interesting and potentially useful paradigm for signal processing and pattern recognition. The majority of ANN applications employ the feed-forward multilayer perceptron (MLP) network architecture in which network parameters are " trained" by a supervised learning algorithm employing the generalized delta rule (GDIt) [1 2]. The GDR algorithm approximates a fixed step steepest descent algorithm using derivatives computed by error backpropagatiori. The GDII algorithm is sometimes referred to as the backpropagation algorithm. However in this paper we will use the term backpropagation to refer only to the process of computing error derivatives. While multilayer perceptrons provide a very powerful nonlinear modeling capability GDR training can be very slow and inefficient. In linear adaptive filtering the analog of the GDR algorithm is the leastmean- squares (LMS) algorithm. Steepest descent-based algorithms such as GDR or LMS are first order because they use only first derivative or gradient information about the training error to be minimized. To speed up the training process second order algorithms may be employed that take advantage of second derivative or Hessian matrix information. Second order information can be incorporated into MLP training in different ways. In many applications especially in the area of pattern recognition the training set is finite. In these cases block learning can be applied using standard nonlinear optimization techniques [3 4 5].

Validation of YCAR algorithm over East Asia TCCON sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, W.; Kim, J.; Jung, Y.; Lee, H.; Goo, T. Y.; Cho, C. H.; Lee, S.

2016-12-01

In order to reduce the retrieval error of TANSO-FTS column averaged CO2 concentration (XCO2) induced by aerosol, we develop the Yonsei university CArbon Retrieval (YCAR) algorithm using aerosol information from TANSO-Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI), providing simultaneous aerosol optical depth properties for the same geometry and optical path along with the FTS. Also we validate the retrieved results using ground-based TCCON measurement. Particularly this study first utilized the measurements at Anmyeondo, the only TCCON site located in South Korea, which can improve the quality of validation in East Asia. After the post screening process, YCAR algorithms have higher data availability by 33 - 85 % than other operational algorithms (NIES, ACOS, UoL). Although the YCAR algorithm has higher data availability, regression analysis with TCCON measurements are better or similar to other algorithms; Regression line of YCAR algorithm is close to linear identity function with RMSE of 2.05, bias of - 0.86 ppm. According to error analysis, retrieval error of YCAR algorithm is 1.394 - 1.478 ppm at East Asia. In addition, spatio-temporal sampling error of 0.324 - 0.358 ppm for each single sounding retrieval is also analyzed with Carbon Tracker - Asia data. These results of error analysis reveal the reliability and accuracy of latest version of our YCAR algorithm. Both XCO2 values retrieved using YCAR algorithm on TANSO-FTS and TCCON measurements show the consistent increasing trend about 2.3 - 2.6 ppm per year. Comparing to the increasing rate of global background CO2 amount measured in Mauna Loa, Hawaii (2 ppm per year), the increasing trend in East Asia shows about 30% higher trend due to the rapid increase of CO2 emission from the source region.

Linear and non-linear regression analysis for the sorption kinetics of methylene blue onto activated carbon.

PubMed

Kumar, K Vasanth

2006-10-11

Batch kinetic experiments were carried out for the sorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon. The experimental kinetics were fitted to the pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetics by linear and a non-linear method. The five different types of Ho pseudo second-order expression have been discussed. A comparison of linear least-squares method and a trial and error non-linear method of estimating the pseudo second-order rate kinetic parameters were examined. The sorption process was found to follow a both pseudo first-order kinetic and pseudo second-order kinetic model. Present investigation showed that it is inappropriate to use a type 1 and type pseudo second-order expressions as proposed by Ho and Blanachard et al. respectively for predicting the kinetic rate constants and the initial sorption rate for the studied system. Three correct possible alternate linear expressions (type 2 to type 4) to better predict the initial sorption rate and kinetic rate constants for the studied system (methylene blue/activated carbon) was proposed. Linear method was found to check only the hypothesis instead of verifying the kinetic model. Non-linear regression method was found to be the more appropriate method to determine the rate kinetic parameters.

Error modeling for surrogates of dynamical systems using machine learning: Machine-learning-based error model for surrogates of dynamical systems

DOE PAGES

Trehan, Sumeet; Carlberg, Kevin T.; Durlofsky, Louis J.

2017-07-14

A machine learning–based framework for modeling the error introduced by surrogate models of parameterized dynamical systems is proposed. The framework entails the use of high-dimensional regression techniques (eg, random forests, and LASSO) to map a large set of inexpensively computed “error indicators” (ie, features) produced by the surrogate model at a given time instance to a prediction of the surrogate-model error in a quantity of interest (QoI). This eliminates the need for the user to hand-select a small number of informative features. The methodology requires a training set of parameter instances at which the time-dependent surrogate-model error is computed bymore » simulating both the high-fidelity and surrogate models. Using these training data, the method first determines regression-model locality (via classification or clustering) and subsequently constructs a “local” regression model to predict the time-instantaneous error within each identified region of feature space. We consider 2 uses for the resulting error model: (1) as a correction to the surrogate-model QoI prediction at each time instance and (2) as a way to statistically model arbitrary functions of the time-dependent surrogate-model error (eg, time-integrated errors). We then apply the proposed framework to model errors in reduced-order models of nonlinear oil-water subsurface flow simulations, with time-varying well-control (bottom-hole pressure) parameters. The reduced-order models used in this work entail application of trajectory piecewise linearization in conjunction with proper orthogonal decomposition. Moreover, when the first use of the method is considered, numerical experiments demonstrate consistent improvement in accuracy in the time-instantaneous QoI prediction relative to the original surrogate model, across a large number of test cases. When the second use is considered, results show that the proposed method provides accurate statistical predictions of the time- and well-averaged errors.« less

Error modeling for surrogates of dynamical systems using machine learning: Machine-learning-based error model for surrogates of dynamical systems

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

Trehan, Sumeet; Carlberg, Kevin T.; Durlofsky, Louis J.

A machine learning–based framework for modeling the error introduced by surrogate models of parameterized dynamical systems is proposed. The framework entails the use of high-dimensional regression techniques (eg, random forests, and LASSO) to map a large set of inexpensively computed “error indicators” (ie, features) produced by the surrogate model at a given time instance to a prediction of the surrogate-model error in a quantity of interest (QoI). This eliminates the need for the user to hand-select a small number of informative features. The methodology requires a training set of parameter instances at which the time-dependent surrogate-model error is computed bymore » simulating both the high-fidelity and surrogate models. Using these training data, the method first determines regression-model locality (via classification or clustering) and subsequently constructs a “local” regression model to predict the time-instantaneous error within each identified region of feature space. We consider 2 uses for the resulting error model: (1) as a correction to the surrogate-model QoI prediction at each time instance and (2) as a way to statistically model arbitrary functions of the time-dependent surrogate-model error (eg, time-integrated errors). We then apply the proposed framework to model errors in reduced-order models of nonlinear oil-water subsurface flow simulations, with time-varying well-control (bottom-hole pressure) parameters. The reduced-order models used in this work entail application of trajectory piecewise linearization in conjunction with proper orthogonal decomposition. Moreover, when the first use of the method is considered, numerical experiments demonstrate consistent improvement in accuracy in the time-instantaneous QoI prediction relative to the original surrogate model, across a large number of test cases. When the second use is considered, results show that the proposed method provides accurate statistical predictions of the time- and well-averaged errors.« less

Charge renormalization at the large-D limit for N-electron atoms and weakly bound systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kais, S.; Bleil, R.

1995-05-01

We develop a systematic way to determine an effective nuclear charge ZRD such that the Hartree-Fock results will be significantly closer to the exact energies by utilizing the analytically known large-D limit energies. This method yields an expansion for the effective nuclear charge in powers of (1/D), which we have evaluated to the first order. This first order approximation to the desired effective nuclear charge has been applied to two-electron atoms with Z=2-20, and weakly bound systems such as H-. The errors for the two-electron atoms when compared with exact results were reduced from ˜0.2% for Z=2 to ˜0.002% for large Z. Although usual Hartree-Fock calculations for H- show this to be unstable, our results reduce the percent error of the Hartree-Fock energy from 7.6% to 1.86% and predicts the anion to be stable. For N-electron atoms (N=3-18, Z=3-28), using only the zeroth order approximation for the effective charge significantly reduces the error of Hartree-Fock calculations and recovers more than 80% of the correlation energy.

A Simple Exact Error Rate Analysis for DS-CDMA with Arbitrary Pulse Shape in Flat Nakagami Fading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Mohammad Azizur; Sasaki, Shigenobu; Kikuchi, Hisakazu; Harada, Hiroshi; Kato, Shuzo

A simple exact error rate analysis is presented for random binary direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) considering a general pulse shape and flat Nakagami fading channel. First of all, a simple model is developed for the multiple access interference (MAI). Based on this, a simple exact expression of the characteristic function (CF) of MAI is developed in a straight forward manner. Finally, an exact expression of error rate is obtained following the CF method of error rate analysis. The exact error rate so obtained can be much easily evaluated as compared to the only reliable approximate error rate expression currently available, which is based on the Improved Gaussian Approximation (IGA).

Adaptive neural output-feedback control for nonstrict-feedback time-delay fractional-order systems with output constraints and actuator nonlinearities.

PubMed

Zouari, Farouk; Ibeas, Asier; Boulkroune, Abdesselem; Cao, Jinde; Mehdi Arefi, Mohammad

2018-06-01

This study addresses the issue of the adaptive output tracking control for a category of uncertain nonstrict-feedback delayed incommensurate fractional-order systems in the presence of nonaffine structures, unmeasured pseudo-states, unknown control directions, unknown actuator nonlinearities and output constraints. Firstly, the mean value theorem and the Gaussian error function are introduced to eliminate the difficulties that arise from the nonaffine structures and the unknown actuator nonlinearities, respectively. Secondly, the immeasurable tracking error variables are suitably estimated by constructing a fractional-order linear observer. Thirdly, the neural network, the Razumikhin Lemma, the variable separation approach, and the smooth Nussbaum-type function are used to deal with the uncertain nonlinear dynamics, the unknown time-varying delays, the nonstrict feedback and the unknown control directions, respectively. Fourthly, asymmetric barrier Lyapunov functions are employed to overcome the violation of the output constraints and to tune online the parameters of the adaptive neural controller. Through rigorous analysis, it is proved that the boundedness of all variables in the closed-loop system and the semi global asymptotic tracking are ensured without transgression of the constraints. The principal contributions of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) based on Caputo's definitions and new lemmas, methods concerning the controllability, observability and stability analysis of integer-order systems are extended to fractional-order ones, (2) the output tracking objective for a relatively large class of uncertain systems is achieved with a simple controller and less tuning parameters. Finally, computer-simulation studies from the robotic field are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Errare machinale est: the use of error-related potentials in brain-machine interfaces

PubMed Central

Chavarriaga, Ricardo; Sobolewski, Aleksander; Millán, José del R.

2014-01-01

The ability to recognize errors is crucial for efficient behavior. Numerous studies have identified electrophysiological correlates of error recognition in the human brain (error-related potentials, ErrPs). Consequently, it has been proposed to use these signals to improve human-computer interaction (HCI) or brain-machine interfacing (BMI). Here, we present a review of over a decade of developments toward this goal. This body of work provides consistent evidence that ErrPs can be successfully detected on a single-trial basis, and that they can be effectively used in both HCI and BMI applications. We first describe the ErrP phenomenon and follow up with an analysis of different strategies to increase the robustness of a system by incorporating single-trial ErrP recognition, either by correcting the machine's actions or by providing means for its error-based adaptation. These approaches can be applied both when the user employs traditional HCI input devices or in combination with another BMI channel. Finally, we discuss the current challenges that have to be overcome in order to fully integrate ErrPs into practical applications. This includes, in particular, the characterization of such signals during real(istic) applications, as well as the possibility of extracting richer information from them, going beyond the time-locked decoding that dominates current approaches. PMID:25100937

Stress Recovery and Error Estimation for 3-D Shell Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riggs, H. R.

2000-01-01

The C1-continuous stress fields obtained from finite element analyses are in general lower- order accurate than are the corresponding displacement fields. Much effort has focussed on increasing their accuracy and/or their continuity, both for improved stress prediction and especially error estimation. A previous project developed a penalized, discrete least squares variational procedure that increases the accuracy and continuity of the stress field. The variational problem is solved by a post-processing, 'finite-element-type' analysis to recover a smooth, more accurate, C1-continuous stress field given the 'raw' finite element stresses. This analysis has been named the SEA/PDLS. The recovered stress field can be used in a posteriori error estimators, such as the Zienkiewicz-Zhu error estimator or equilibrium error estimators. The procedure was well-developed for the two-dimensional (plane) case involving low-order finite elements. It has been demonstrated that, if optimal finite element stresses are used for the post-processing, the recovered stress field is globally superconvergent. Extension of this work to three dimensional solids is straightforward. Attachment: Stress recovery and error estimation for shell structure (abstract only). A 4-node, shear-deformable flat shell element developed via explicit Kirchhoff constraints (abstract only). A novel four-node quadrilateral smoothing element for stress enhancement and error estimation (abstract only).

A Reduced-Order Model For Zero-Mass Synthetic Jet Actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamaleev, Nail K.; Carpenter, Mark H.; Vatsa, Veer S.

2007-01-01

Accurate details of the general performance of fluid actuators is desirable over a range of flow conditions, within some predetermined error tolerance. Designers typically model actuators with different levels of fidelity depending on the acceptable level of error in each circumstance. Crude properties of the actuator (e.g., peak mass rate and frequency) may be sufficient for some designs, while detailed information is needed for other applications (e.g., multiple actuator interactions). This work attempts to address two primary objectives. The first objective is to develop a systematic methodology for approximating realistic 3-D fluid actuators, using quasi-1-D reduced-order models. Near full fidelity can be achieved with this approach at a fraction of the cost of full simulation and only a modest increase in cost relative to most actuator models used today. The second objective, which is a direct consequence of the first, is to determine the approximate magnitude of errors committed by actuator model approximations of various fidelities. This objective attempts to identify which model (ranging from simple orifice exit boundary conditions to full numerical simulations of the actuator) is appropriate for a given error tolerance.

Fully Convolutional Networks for Ground Classification from LIDAR Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizaldy, A.; Persello, C.; Gevaert, C. M.; Oude Elberink, S. J.

2018-05-01

Deep Learning has been massively used for image classification in recent years. The use of deep learning for ground classification from LIDAR point clouds has also been recently studied. However, point clouds need to be converted into an image in order to use Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). In state-of-the-art techniques, this conversion is slow because each point is converted into a separate image. This approach leads to highly redundant computation during conversion and classification. The goal of this study is to design a more efficient data conversion and ground classification. This goal is achieved by first converting the whole point cloud into a single image. The classification is then performed by a Fully Convolutional Network (FCN), a modified version of CNN designed for pixel-wise image classification. The proposed method is significantly faster than state-of-the-art techniques. On the ISPRS Filter Test dataset, it is 78 times faster for conversion and 16 times faster for classification. Our experimental analysis on the same dataset shows that the proposed method results in 5.22 % of total error, 4.10 % of type I error, and 15.07 % of type II error. Compared to the previous CNN-based technique and LAStools software, the proposed method reduces the total error and type I error (while type II error is slightly higher). The method was also tested on a very high point density LIDAR point clouds resulting in 4.02 % of total error, 2.15 % of type I error and 6.14 % of type II error.

An automatic step adjustment method for average power analysis technique used in fiber amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xue-Ming

2006-04-01

An automatic step adjustment (ASA) method for average power analysis (APA) technique used in fiber amplifiers is proposed in this paper for the first time. In comparison with the traditional APA technique, the proposed method has suggested two unique merits such as a higher order accuracy and an ASA mechanism, so that it can significantly shorten the computing time and improve the solution accuracy. A test example demonstrates that, by comparing to the APA technique, the proposed method increases the computing speed by more than a hundredfold under the same errors. By computing the model equations of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, the numerical results show that our method can improve the solution accuracy by over two orders of magnitude at the same amplifying section number. The proposed method has the capacity to rapidly and effectively compute the model equations of fiber Raman amplifiers and semiconductor lasers.

True covariance simulation of the EUVE update filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Itzhack, Itzhack Y.; Harman, R. R.

1989-01-01

A covariance analysis of the performance and sensitivity of the attitude determination Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) used by the On Board Computer (OBC) of the Extreme Ultra Violet Explorer (EUVE) spacecraft is presented. The linearized dynamics and measurement equations of the error states are derived which constitute the truth model describing the real behavior of the systems involved. The design model used by the OBC EKF is then obtained by reducing the order of the truth model. The covariance matrix of the EKF which uses the reduced order model is not the correct covariance of the EKF estimation error. A true covariance analysis has to be carried out in order to evaluate the correct accuracy of the OBC generated estimates. The results of such analysis are presented which indicate both the performance and the sensitivity of the OBC EKF.

Limited-memory adaptive snapshot selection for proper orthogonal decomposition

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

Oxberry, Geoffrey M.; Kostova-Vassilevska, Tanya; Arrighi, Bill

2015-04-02

Reduced order models are useful for accelerating simulations in many-query contexts, such as optimization, uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis. However, offline training of reduced order models can have prohibitively expensive memory and floating-point operation costs in high-performance computing applications, where memory per core is limited. To overcome this limitation for proper orthogonal decomposition, we propose a novel adaptive selection method for snapshots in time that limits offline training costs by selecting snapshots according an error control mechanism similar to that found in adaptive time-stepping ordinary differential equation solvers. The error estimator used in this work is related to theory boundingmore » the approximation error in time of proper orthogonal decomposition-based reduced order models, and memory usage is minimized by computing the singular value decomposition using a single-pass incremental algorithm. Results for a viscous Burgers’ test problem demonstrate convergence in the limit as the algorithm error tolerances go to zero; in this limit, the full order model is recovered to within discretization error. The resulting method can be used on supercomputers to generate proper orthogonal decomposition-based reduced order models, or as a subroutine within hyperreduction algorithms that require taking snapshots in time, or within greedy algorithms for sampling parameter space.« less

Task Decomposition in Human Reliability Analysis

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

Boring, Ronald Laurids; Joe, Jeffrey Clark

2014-06-01

In the probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) used in the nuclear industry, human failure events (HFEs) are determined as a subset of hardware failures, namely those hardware failures that could be triggered by human action or inaction. This approach is top-down, starting with hardware faults and deducing human contributions to those faults. Elsewhere, more traditionally human factors driven approaches would tend to look at opportunities for human errors first in a task analysis and then identify which of those errors is risk significant. The intersection of top-down and bottom-up approaches to defining HFEs has not been carefully studied. Ideally, both approachesmore » should arrive at the same set of HFEs. This question remains central as human reliability analysis (HRA) methods are generalized to new domains like oil and gas. The HFEs used in nuclear PSAs tend to be top-down— defined as a subset of the PSA—whereas the HFEs used in petroleum quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) are more likely to be bottom-up—derived from a task analysis conducted by human factors experts. The marriage of these approaches is necessary in order to ensure that HRA methods developed for top-down HFEs are also sufficient for bottom-up applications.« less

An inverse problem strategy based on forward model evaluations: Gradient-based optimization without adjoint solves

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

Aguilo Valentin, Miguel Alejandro

2016-07-01

This study presents a new nonlinear programming formulation for the solution of inverse problems. First, a general inverse problem formulation based on the compliance error functional is presented. The proposed error functional enables the computation of the Lagrange multipliers, and thus the first order derivative information, at the expense of just one model evaluation. Therefore, the calculation of the Lagrange multipliers does not require the solution of the computationally intensive adjoint problem. This leads to significant speedups for large-scale, gradient-based inverse problems.

Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) schemes of uniform accuracy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartwich, PETER-M.; Hsu, Chung-Hao; Liu, C. H.

1988-01-01

Explicit second-order accurate finite-difference schemes for the approximation of hyperbolic conservation laws are presented. These schemes are nonlinear even for the constant coefficient case. They are based on first-order upwind schemes. Their accuracy is enhanced by locally replacing the first-order one-sided differences with either second-order one-sided differences or central differences or a blend thereof. The appropriate local difference stencils are selected such that they give TVD schemes of uniform second-order accuracy in the scalar, or linear systems, case. Like conventional TVD schemes, the new schemes avoid a Gibbs phenomenon at discontinuities of the solution, but they do not switch back to first-order accuracy, in the sense of truncation error, at extrema of the solution. The performance of the new schemes is demonstrated in several numerical tests.

Design and scheduling for periodic concurrent error detection and recovery in processor arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yi-Min; Chung, Pi-Yu; Fuchs, W. Kent

1992-01-01

Periodic application of time-redundant error checking provides the trade-off between error detection latency and performance degradation. The goal is to achieve high error coverage while satisfying performance requirements. We derive the optimal scheduling of checking patterns in order to uniformly distribute the available checking capability and maximize the error coverage. Synchronous buffering designs using data forwarding and dynamic reconfiguration are described. Efficient single-cycle diagnosis is implemented by error pattern analysis and direct-mapped recovery cache. A rollback recovery scheme using start-up control for local recovery is also presented.

Symbolic Analysis of Concurrent Programs with Polymorphism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rungta, Neha Shyam

2010-01-01

The current trend of multi-core and multi-processor computing is causing a paradigm shift from inherently sequential to highly concurrent and parallel applications. Certain thread interleavings, data input values, or combinations of both often cause errors in the system. Systematic verification techniques such as explicit state model checking and symbolic execution are extensively used to detect errors in such systems [7, 9]. Explicit state model checking enumerates possible thread schedules and input data values of a program in order to check for errors [3, 9]. To partially mitigate the state space explosion from data input values, symbolic execution techniques substitute data input values with symbolic values [5, 7, 6]. Explicit state model checking and symbolic execution techniques used in conjunction with exhaustive search techniques such as depth-first search are unable to detect errors in medium to large-sized concurrent programs because the number of behaviors caused by data and thread non-determinism is extremely large. We present an overview of abstraction-guided symbolic execution for concurrent programs that detects errors manifested by a combination of thread schedules and data values [8]. The technique generates a set of key program locations relevant in testing the reachability of the target locations. The symbolic execution is then guided along these locations in an attempt to generate a feasible execution path to the error state. This allows the execution to focus in parts of the behavior space more likely to contain an error.

Predictions of biochar production and torrefaction performance from sugarcane bagasse using interpolation and regression analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Hsin; Hsu, Hung-Jen; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Budzianowski, Wojciech M; Ong, Hwai Chyuan

2017-12-01

This study focuses on the biochar formation and torrefaction performance of sugarcane bagasse, and they are predicted using the bilinear interpolation (BLI), inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation, and regression analysis. It is found that the biomass torrefied at 275°C for 60min or at 300°C for 30min or longer is appropriate to produce biochar as alternative fuel to coal with low carbon footprint, but the energy yield from the torrefaction at 300°C is too low. From the biochar yield, enhancement factor of HHV, and energy yield, the results suggest that the three methods are all feasible for predicting the performance, especially for the enhancement factor. The power parameter of unity in the IDW method provides the best predictions and the error is below 5%. The second order in regression analysis gives a more reasonable approach than the first order, and is recommended for the predictions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A function space approach to smoothing with applications to model error estimation for flexible spacecraft control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, G.

1981-01-01

A function space approach to smoothing is used to obtain a set of model error estimates inherent in a reduced-order model. By establishing knowledge of inevitable deficiencies in the truncated model, the error estimates provide a foundation for updating the model and thereby improving system performance. The function space smoothing solution leads to a specification of a method for computation of the model error estimates and development of model error analysis techniques for comparison between actual and estimated errors. The paper summarizes the model error estimation approach as well as an application arising in the area of modeling for spacecraft attitude control.

Rapid production of optimal-quality reduced-resolution representations of very large databases

DOEpatents

Sigeti, David E.; Duchaineau, Mark; Miller, Mark C.; Wolinsky, Murray; Aldrich, Charles; Mineev-Weinstein, Mark B.

2001-01-01

View space representation data is produced in real time from a world space database representing terrain features. The world space database is first preprocessed. A database is formed having one element for each spatial region corresponding to a finest selected level of detail. A multiresolution database is then formed by merging elements and a strict error metric is computed for each element at each level of detail that is independent of parameters defining the view space. The multiresolution database and associated strict error metrics are then processed in real time for real time frame representations. View parameters for a view volume comprising a view location and field of view are selected. The error metric with the view parameters is converted to a view-dependent error metric. Elements with the coarsest resolution are chosen for an initial representation. Data set first elements from the initial representation data set are selected that are at least partially within the view volume. The first elements are placed in a split queue ordered by the value of the view-dependent error metric. If the number of first elements in the queue meets or exceeds a predetermined number of elements or whether the largest error metric is less than or equal to a selected upper error metric bound, the element at the head of the queue is force split and the resulting elements are inserted into the queue. Force splitting is continued until the determination is positive to form a first multiresolution set of elements. The first multiresolution set of elements is then outputted as reduced resolution view space data representing the terrain features.

A laboratory verification sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, Arthur H.

1988-01-01

The use of a variant of the Hartmann test is described to sense the coalignment of the 36 primary mirror segments of the Keck 10-meter Telescope. The Shack-Hartmann alignment camera is a surface-tilt-error-sensing device, operable with high sensitivity over a wide range of tilt errors. An interferometer, on the other hand, is a surface-height-error-sensing device. In general, if the surface height error exceeds a few wavelengths of the incident illumination, an interferogram is difficult to interpret and loses utility. The Shack-Hartmann aligment camera is, therefore, likely to be attractive as a development tool for segmented mirror telescopes, particularly at early stages of development in which the surface quality of developmental segments may be too poor to justify interferometric testing. The constraints are examined which would define the first-order properties of a Shack-Hartmann alignment camera and the precision and range of measurement one could expect to achieve with it are investigated. Fundamental constraints do arise, however, from consideration of geometrical imaging, diffraction, and the density of sampling of images at the detector array. Geometrical imagining determines the linear size of the image, and depends on the primary mirror diameter and the f-number of a lenslet. Diffraction is another constraint; it depends on the lenslet aperture. Finally, the sampling density at the detector array is important since the number of pixels in the image determines how accurately the centroid of the image can be measured. When these factors are considered under realistic assumptions it is apparent that the first order design of a Shack-Hartmann alignment camera is completely determined by the first-order constraints considered, and that in the case of a 20-meter telescope with seeing-limited imaging, such a camera, used with a suitable detector array, will achieve useful precision.

Weighing Rocky Exoplanets with Improved Radial Velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuesong Wang, Sharon; Wright, Jason; California Planet Survey Consortium

2016-01-01

The synergy between Kepler and the ground-based radial velocity (RV) surveys have made numerous discoveries of small and rocky exoplanets, opening the age of Earth analogs. However, most (29/33) of the RV-detected exoplanets that are smaller than 3 Earth radii do not have their masses constrained to better than 20% - limited by the current RV precision (1-2 m/s). Our work improves the RV precision of the Keck telescope, which is responsible for most of the mass measurements for small Kepler exoplanets. We have discovered and verified, for the first time, two of the dominant terms in Keck's RV systematic error budget: modeling errors (mostly in deconvolution) and telluric contamination. These two terms contribute 1 m/s and 0.6 m/s, respectively, to the RV error budget (RMS in quadrature), and they create spurious signals at periods of one sidereal year and its harmonics with amplitudes of 0.2-1 m/s. Left untreated, these errors can mimic the signals of Earth-like or Super-Earth planets in the Habitable Zone. Removing these errors will bring better precision to ten-year worth of Keck data and better constraints on the masses and compositions of small Kepler planets. As more precise RV instruments coming online, we need advanced data analysis tools to overcome issues like these in order to detect the Earth twin (RV amplitude 8 cm/s). We are developing a new, open-source RV data analysis tool in Python, which uses Bayesian MCMC and Gaussian processes, to fully exploit the hardware improvements brought by new instruments like MINERVA and NASA's WIYN/EPDS.

Pedagogical Materials 1. The Yugoslav Serbo-Croatian-English Contrastive Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filipovic, Rudolf, Ed.

The first volume in this series on Serbo-Croatian-English contrastive analysis contains six articles. They are: "Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis in Pedagogical Materials," by Rudolf Filipovic; "Errors in the Morphology and Syntax of the Parts of Speech in the English of Learners from the Serbo-Croatian-Speaking Area," by Vera Andrassy;…

Comment on “Two statistics for evaluating parameter identifiability and error reduction” by John Doherty and Randall J. Hunt

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, Mary C.

2010-01-01

Doherty and Hunt (2009) present important ideas for first-order-second moment sensitivity analysis, but five issues are discussed in this comment. First, considering the composite-scaled sensitivity (CSS) jointly with parameter correlation coefficients (PCC) in a CSS/PCC analysis addresses the difficulties with CSS mentioned in the introduction. Second, their new parameter identifiability statistic actually is likely to do a poor job of parameter identifiability in common situations. The statistic instead performs the very useful role of showing how model parameters are included in the estimated singular value decomposition (SVD) parameters. Its close relation to CSS is shown. Third, the idea from p. 125 that a suitable truncation point for SVD parameters can be identified using the prediction variance is challenged using results from Moore and Doherty (2005). Fourth, the relative error reduction statistic of Doherty and Hunt is shown to belong to an emerging set of statistics here named perturbed calculated variance statistics. Finally, the perturbed calculated variance statistics OPR and PPR mentioned on p. 121 are shown to explicitly include the parameter null-space component of uncertainty. Indeed, OPR and PPR results that account for null-space uncertainty have appeared in the literature since 2000.

A simple finite-difference scheme for handling topography with the first-order wave equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulder, W. A.; Huiskes, M. J.

2017-07-01

One approach to incorporate topography in seismic finite-difference codes is a local modification of the difference operators near the free surface. An earlier paper described an approach for modelling irregular boundaries in a constant-density acoustic finite-difference code, based on the second-order formulation of the wave equation that only involves the pressure. Here, a similar method is considered for the first-order formulation in terms of pressure and particle velocity, using a staggered finite-difference discretization both in space and in time. In one space dimension, the boundary conditions consist in imposing antisymmetry for the pressure and symmetry for particle velocity components. For the pressure, this means that the solution values as well as all even derivatives up to a certain order are zero on the boundary. For the particle velocity, all odd derivatives are zero. In 2D, the 1-D assumption is used along each coordinate direction, with antisymmetry for the pressure along the coordinate and symmetry for the particle velocity component parallel to that coordinate direction. Since the symmetry or antisymmetry should hold along the direction normal to the boundary rather than along the coordinate directions, this generates an additional numerical error on top of the time stepping errors and the errors due to the interior spatial discretization. Numerical experiments in 2D and 3D nevertheless produce acceptable results.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Relaxation Property and Stability Analysis of the Quasispecies Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xiao-Li; Li, Yu-Xiao; Gu, Jian-Zhong; Zhuo, Yi-Zhong

2009-10-01

The relaxation property of both Eigen model and Crow-Kimura model with a single peak fitness landscape is studied from phase transition point of view. We first analyze the eigenvalue spectra of the replication mutation matrices. For sufficiently long sequences, the almost crossing point between the largest and second-largest eigenvalues locates the error threshold at which critical slowing down behavior appears. We calculate the critical exponent in the limit of infinite sequence lengths and compare it with the result from numerical curve fittings at sufficiently long sequences. We find that for both models the relaxation time diverges with exponent 1 at the error (mutation) threshold point. Results obtained from both methods agree quite well. From the unlimited correlation length feature, the first order phase transition is further confirmed. Finally with linear stability theory, we show that the two model systems are stable for all ranges of mutation rate. The Eigen model is asymptotically stable in terms of mutant classes, and the Crow-Kimura model is completely stable.

Stochastic Models of Human Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elshamy, Maged; Elliott, Dawn M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Humans play an important role in the overall reliability of engineering systems. More often accidents and systems failure are traced to human errors. Therefore, in order to have meaningful system risk analysis, the reliability of the human element must be taken into consideration. Describing the human error process by mathematical models is a key to analyzing contributing factors. Therefore, the objective of this research effort is to establish stochastic models substantiated by sound theoretic foundation to address the occurrence of human errors in the processing of the space shuttle.

Statistical learning from nonrecurrent experience with discrete input variables and recursive-error-minimization equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Jeffrey R.; Simon, Wayne E.

1990-08-01

Neural networks are trained using Recursive Error Minimization (REM) equations to perform statistical classification. Using REM equations with continuous input variables reduces the required number of training experiences by factors of one to two orders of magnitude over standard back propagation. Replacing the continuous input variables with discrete binary representations reduces the number of connections by a factor proportional to the number of variables reducing the required number of experiences by another order of magnitude. Undesirable effects of using recurrent experience to train neural networks for statistical classification problems are demonstrated and nonrecurrent experience used to avoid these undesirable effects. 1. THE 1-41 PROBLEM The statistical classification problem which we address is is that of assigning points in ddimensional space to one of two classes. The first class has a covariance matrix of I (the identity matrix) the covariance matrix of the second class is 41. For this reason the problem is known as the 1-41 problem. Both classes have equal probability of occurrence and samples from both classes may appear anywhere throughout the ddimensional space. Most samples near the origin of the coordinate system will be from the first class while most samples away from the origin will be from the second class. Since the two classes completely overlap it is impossible to have a classifier with zero error. The minimum possible error is known as the Bayes error and

Sensitivity and specificity of dosing alerts for dosing errors among hospitalized pediatric patients

PubMed Central

Stultz, Jeremy S; Porter, Kyle; Nahata, Milap C

2014-01-01

Objectives To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a dosing alert system for dosing errors and to compare the sensitivity of a proprietary system with and without institutional customization at a pediatric hospital. Methods A retrospective analysis of medication orders, orders causing dosing alerts, reported adverse drug events, and dosing errors during July, 2011 was conducted. Dosing errors with and without alerts were identified and the sensitivity of the system with and without customization was compared. Results There were 47 181 inpatient pediatric orders during the studied period; 257 dosing errors were identified (0.54%). The sensitivity of the system for identifying dosing errors was 54.1% (95% CI 47.8% to 60.3%) if customization had not occurred and increased to 60.3% (CI 54.0% to 66.3%) with customization (p=0.02). The sensitivity of the system for underdoses was 49.6% without customization and 60.3% with customization (p=0.01). Specificity of the customized system for dosing errors was 96.2% (CI 96.0% to 96.3%) with a positive predictive value of 8.0% (CI 6.8% to 9.3). All dosing errors had an alert over-ridden by the prescriber and 40.6% of dosing errors with alerts were administered to the patient. The lack of indication-specific dose ranges was the most common reason why an alert did not occur for a dosing error. Discussion Advances in dosing alert systems should aim to improve the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the system for dosing errors. Conclusions The dosing alert system had a low sensitivity and positive predictive value for dosing errors, but might have prevented dosing errors from reaching patients. Customization increased the sensitivity of the system for dosing errors. PMID:24496386

Compensation for first-order polarization-mode dispersion by using a novel tunable compensator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Feng; Ning, Tigang; Pei, Shanshan; Xing, Yujun; Jian, Shuisheng

2005-01-01

Polarization-related impairments have become a critical issue for high-data-rate optical systems, particularly when considering polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). Consequently, compensation of PMD, especially for the first-order PMD is necessary to maintain adequate performance in long-haul systems at a high bit rate of 10 Gb/s or beyond. In this paper, we successfully demonstrated automatic and tunable compensation for first-order polarization-mode dispersion. Furthermore, we reported the statistical assessment of this tunable compensator at 10 Gbit/s. Experimental results, including bit error rate measurements, are successfully compared with theory, therefore demonstrating the compensator efficiency at 10 Gbit/s. The first-order PMD was max 274 ps before PMD compensation, and it was lower than 7ps after PMD compensation.

Analysis and design of algorithm-based fault-tolerant systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nair, V. S. Sukumaran

1990-01-01

An important consideration in the design of high performance multiprocessor systems is to ensure the correctness of the results computed in the presence of transient and intermittent failures. Concurrent error detection and correction have been applied to such systems in order to achieve reliability. Algorithm Based Fault Tolerance (ABFT) was suggested as a cost-effective concurrent error detection scheme. The research was motivated by the complexity involved in the analysis and design of ABFT systems. To that end, a matrix-based model was developed and, based on that, algorithms for both the design and analysis of ABFT systems are formulated. These algorithms are less complex than the existing ones. In order to reduce the complexity further, a hierarchical approach is developed for the analysis of large systems.

Accuracy improvement of the H-drive air-levitating wafer inspection stage based on error analysis and compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fan; Liu, Pinkuan

2018-04-01

In order to improve the inspection precision of the H-drive air-bearing stage for wafer inspection, in this paper the geometric error of the stage is analyzed and compensated. The relationship between the positioning errors and error sources are initially modeled, and seven error components are identified that are closely related to the inspection accuracy. The most effective factor that affects the geometric error is identified by error sensitivity analysis. Then, the Spearman rank correlation method is applied to find the correlation between different error components, aiming at guiding the accuracy design and error compensation of the stage. Finally, different compensation methods, including the three-error curve interpolation method, the polynomial interpolation method, the Chebyshev polynomial interpolation method, and the B-spline interpolation method, are employed within the full range of the stage, and their results are compared. Simulation and experiment show that the B-spline interpolation method based on the error model has better compensation results. In addition, the research result is valuable for promoting wafer inspection accuracy and will greatly benefit the semiconductor industry.

Calculating Interaction Energies Using First Principle Theories: Consideration of Basis Set Superposition Error and Fragment Relaxation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, J. Philip; Sorensen, Jennifer B.; Kirschner, Karl N.

2007-01-01

The analysis explains the basis set superposition error (BSSE) and fragment relaxation involved in calculating the interaction energies using various first principle theories. Interacting the correlated fragment and increasing the size of the basis set can help in decreasing the BSSE to a great extent.

A Conjoint Analysis Framework for Evaluating User Preferences in Machine Translation

PubMed Central

Kirchhoff, Katrin; Capurro, Daniel; Turner, Anne M.

2013-01-01

Despite much research on machine translation (MT) evaluation, there is surprisingly little work that directly measures users’ intuitive or emotional preferences regarding different types of MT errors. However, the elicitation and modeling of user preferences is an important prerequisite for research on user adaptation and customization of MT engines. In this paper we explore the use of conjoint analysis as a formal quantitative framework to assess users’ relative preferences for different types of translation errors. We apply our approach to the analysis of MT output from translating public health documents from English into Spanish. Our results indicate that word order errors are clearly the most dispreferred error type, followed by word sense, morphological, and function word errors. The conjoint analysis-based model is able to predict user preferences more accurately than a baseline model that chooses the translation with the fewest errors overall. Additionally we analyze the effect of using a crowd-sourced respondent population versus a sample of domain experts and observe that main preference effects are remarkably stable across the two samples. PMID:24683295

Error begat error: design error analysis and prevention in social infrastructure projects.

PubMed

Love, Peter E D; Lopez, Robert; Edwards, David J; Goh, Yang M

2012-09-01

Design errors contribute significantly to cost and schedule growth in social infrastructure projects and to engineering failures, which can result in accidents and loss of life. Despite considerable research that has addressed their error causation in construction projects they still remain prevalent. This paper identifies the underlying conditions that contribute to design errors in social infrastructure projects (e.g. hospitals, education, law and order type buildings). A systemic model of error causation is propagated and subsequently used to develop a learning framework for design error prevention. The research suggests that a multitude of strategies should be adopted in congruence to prevent design errors from occurring and so ensure that safety and project performance are ameliorated. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An investigation of error characteristics and coding performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ebel, William J.; Ingels, Frank M.

1993-01-01

The first year's effort on NASA Grant NAG5-2006 was an investigation to characterize typical errors resulting from the EOS dorn link. The analysis methods developed for this effort were used on test data from a March 1992 White Sands Terminal Test. The effectiveness of a concatenated coding scheme of a Reed Solomon outer code and a convolutional inner code versus a Reed Solomon only code scheme has been investigated as well as the effectiveness of a Periodic Convolutional Interleaver in dispersing errors of certain types. The work effort consisted of development of software that allows simulation studies with the appropriate coding schemes plus either simulated data with errors or actual data with errors. The software program is entitled Communication Link Error Analysis (CLEAN) and models downlink errors, forward error correcting schemes, and interleavers.

Modified multiple time scale method for solving strongly nonlinear damped forced vibration systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razzak, M. A.; Alam, M. Z.; Sharif, M. N.

2018-03-01

In this paper, modified multiple time scale (MTS) method is employed to solve strongly nonlinear forced vibration systems. The first-order approximation is only considered in order to avoid complexicity. The formulations and the determination of the solution procedure are very easy and straightforward. The classical multiple time scale (MS) and multiple scales Lindstedt-Poincare method (MSLP) do not give desire result for the strongly damped forced vibration systems with strong damping effects. The main aim of this paper is to remove these limitations. Two examples are considered to illustrate the effectiveness and convenience of the present procedure. The approximate external frequencies and the corresponding approximate solutions are determined by the present method. The results give good coincidence with corresponding numerical solution (considered to be exact) and also provide better result than other existing results. For weak nonlinearities with weak damping effect, the absolute relative error measures (first-order approximate external frequency) in this paper is only 0.07% when amplitude A = 1.5 , while the relative error gives MSLP method is surprisingly 28.81%. Furthermore, for strong nonlinearities with strong damping effect, the absolute relative error found in this article is only 0.02%, whereas the relative error obtained by MSLP method is 24.18%. Therefore, the present method is not only valid for weakly nonlinear damped forced systems, but also gives better result for strongly nonlinear systems with both small and strong damping effect.

Toward Ada Verification: A Collection of Relevant Topics

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

presumably it is this- if there are no default values, a programming error which results in failure to initialize a variable is more likely to advertise ... disavantages tu using AVID. First, TDL is a more complicated interface than first-order logic (as used in the CSG). Second, AVID is unsupported and

The design and analysis of single flank transmission error testor for loaded gears

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houser, D. R.; Bassett, D. E.

1985-01-01

Due to geometrical imperfections in gears and finite tooth stiffnesses, the motion transmitted from an input gear shaft to an output gear shaft will not have conjugate action. In order to strengthen the understanding of transmission error and to verify mathematical models of gear transmission error, a test stand that will measure the transmission error of a gear pair at operating loads, but at reduced speeds would be desirable. This document describes the design and development of a loaded transmission error tester. For a gear box with a gear ratio of one, few tooth meshing combinations will occur during a single test. In order to observe the effects of different tooth mesh combinations and to increase the ability to load test gear pairs with higher gear ratios, the system was designed around a gear box with a gear ratio of two.

Improved Calibration through SMAP RFI Change Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piepmeier, Jeffrey; De Amici, Giovanni; Mohammed, Priscilla; Peng, Jinzheng

2017-01-01

Anthropogenic Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI) drove both the SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) microwave radiometer hardware and Level 1 science algorithm designs to use new technology and techniques for the first time on a spaceflight project. Care was taken to provide special features allowing the detection and removal of harmful interference in order to meet the error budget. Nonetheless, the project accepted a risk that RFI and its mitigation would exceed the 1.3-K error budget. Thus, RFI will likely remain a challenge afterwards due to its changing and uncertain nature. To address the challenge, we seek to answer the following questions: How does RFI evolve over the SMAP lifetime? What calibration error does the changing RFI environment cause? Can time series information be exploited to reduce these errors and improve calibration for all science products reliant upon SMAP radiometer data? In this talk, we address the first question.

Evaluation of Mars Entry Reconstructured Trajectories Based on Hypothetical 'Quick-Look' Entry Navigation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pastor, P. Rick; Bishop, Robert H.; Striepe, Scott A.

2000-01-01

A first order simulation analysis of the navigation accuracy expected from various Navigation Quick-Look data sets is performed. Here quick-look navigation data are observations obtained by hypothetical telemetried data transmitted on the fly during a Mars probe's atmospheric entry. In this simulation study, navigation data consists of 3-axis accelerometer sensor and attitude information data. Three entry vehicle guidance types are studied: I. a Maneuvering entry vehicle (as with Mars 01 guidance where angle of attack and bank angle are controlled); II. Zero angle-of-attack controlled entry vehicle (as with Mars 98); and III. Ballistic, or spin stabilized entry vehicle (as with Mars Pathfinder);. For each type, sensitivity to progressively under sampled navigation data and inclusion of sensor errors are characterized. Attempts to mitigate the reconstructed trajectory errors, including smoothing, interpolation and changing integrator characteristics are also studied.

Command generator tracker based direct model reference adaptive tracking guidance for Mars atmospheric entry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuang; Peng, Yuming

2012-01-01

In order to accurately deliver an entry vehicle through the Martian atmosphere to the prescribed parachute deployment point, active Mars entry guidance is essential. This paper addresses the issue of Mars atmospheric entry guidance using the command generator tracker (CGT) based direct model reference adaptive control to reduce the adverse effect of the bounded uncertainties on atmospheric density and aerodynamic coefficients. Firstly, the nominal drag acceleration profile meeting a variety of constraints is planned off-line in the longitudinal plane as the reference model to track. Then, the CGT based direct model reference adaptive controller and the feed-forward compensator are designed to robustly track the aforementioned reference drag acceleration profile and to effectively reduce the downrange error. Afterwards, the heading alignment logic is adopted in the lateral plane to reduce the crossrange error. Finally, the validity of the guidance algorithm proposed in this paper is confirmed by Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

On The Calculation Of Derivatives From Digital Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pettett, Christopher G.; Budney, David R.

1982-02-01

Biomechanics analysis frequently requires cinematographic studies as a first step toward understanding the essential mechanics of a sport or exercise. In order to understand the exertion by the athlete, cinematography is used to establish the kinematics from which the energy exchanges can be considered and the equilibrium equations can be studied. Errors in the raw digital information necessitate smoothing of the data before derivatives can be obtained. Researchers employ a variety of curve-smoothing techniques including filtering and polynomial spline methods. It is essential that the researcher understands the accuracy which can be expected in velocities and accelerations obtained from smoothed digital information. This paper considers particular types of data inherent in athletic motion and the expected accuracy of calculated velocities and accelerations using typical error distributions in the raw digital information. Included in this paper are high acceleration, impact and smooth motion types of data.

Asynchronous discrete event schemes for PDEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, D.; Geiger, S.; Lord, G. J.

2017-08-01

A new class of asynchronous discrete-event simulation schemes for advection-diffusion-reaction equations is introduced, based on the principle of allowing quanta of mass to pass through faces of a (regular, structured) Cartesian finite volume grid. The timescales of these events are linked to the flux on the face. The resulting schemes are self-adaptive, and local in both time and space. Experiments are performed on realistic physical systems related to porous media flow applications, including a large 3D advection diffusion equation and advection diffusion reaction systems. The results are compared to highly accurate reference solutions where the temporal evolution is computed with exponential integrator schemes using the same finite volume discretisation. This allows a reliable estimation of the solution error. Our results indicate a first order convergence of the error as a control parameter is decreased, and we outline a framework for analysis.

Comparison of Node-Centered and Cell-Centered Unstructured Finite-Volume Discretizations: Inviscid Fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

2010-01-01

Cell-centered and node-centered approaches have been compared for unstructured finite-volume discretization of inviscid fluxes. The grids range from regular grids to irregular grids, including mixed-element grids and grids with random perturbations of nodes. Accuracy, complexity, and convergence rates of defect-correction iterations are studied for eight nominally second-order accurate schemes: two node-centered schemes with weighted and unweighted least-squares (LSQ) methods for gradient reconstruction and six cell-centered schemes two node-averaging with and without clipping and four schemes that employ different stencils for LSQ gradient reconstruction. The cell-centered nearest-neighbor (CC-NN) scheme has the lowest complexity; a version of the scheme that involves smart augmentation of the LSQ stencil (CC-SA) has only marginal complexity increase. All other schemes have larger complexity; complexity of node-centered (NC) schemes are somewhat lower than complexity of cell-centered node-averaging (CC-NA) and full-augmentation (CC-FA) schemes. On highly anisotropic grids typical of those encountered in grid adaptation, discretization errors of five of the six cell-centered schemes converge with second order on all tested grids; the CC-NA scheme with clipping degrades solution accuracy to first order. The NC schemes converge with second order on regular and/or triangular grids and with first order on perturbed quadrilaterals and mixed-element grids. All schemes may produce large relative errors in gradient reconstruction on grids with perturbed nodes. Defect-correction iterations for schemes employing weighted least-square gradient reconstruction diverge on perturbed stretched grids. Overall, the CC-NN and CC-SA schemes offer the best options of the lowest complexity and secondorder discretization errors. On anisotropic grids over a curved body typical of turbulent flow simulations, the discretization errors converge with second order and are small for the CC-NN, CC-SA, and CC-FA schemes on all grids and for NC schemes on triangular grids; the discretization errors of the CC-NA scheme without clipping do not converge on irregular grids. Accurate gradient reconstruction can be achieved by introducing a local approximate mapping; without approximate mapping, only the NC scheme with weighted LSQ method provides accurate gradients. Defect correction iterations for the CC-NA scheme without clipping diverge; for the NC scheme with weighted LSQ method, the iterations either diverge or converge very slowly. The best option in curved geometries is the CC-SA scheme that offers low complexity, second-order discretization errors, and fast convergence.

Radar and Lidar Radar DEM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liskovich, Diana; Simard, Marc

2011-01-01

Using radar and lidar data, the aim is to improve 3D rendering of terrain, including digital elevation models (DEM) and estimates of vegetation height and biomass in a variety of forest types and terrains. The 3D mapping of vegetation structure and the analysis are useful to determine the role of forest in climate change (carbon cycle), in providing habitat and as a provider of socio-economic services. This in turn will lead to potential for development of more effective land-use management. The first part of the project was to characterize the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM error with respect to ICESat/GLAS point estimates of elevation. We investigated potential trends with latitude, canopy height, signal to noise ratio (SNR), number of LiDAR waveform peaks, and maximum peak width. Scatter plots were produced for each variable and were fitted with 1st and 2nd degree polynomials. Higher order trends were visually inspected through filtering with a mean and median filter. We also assessed trends in the DEM error variance. Finally, a map showing how DEM error was geographically distributed globally was created.

Accuracy of References in Five Entomology Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kristof, Cynthia

ln this paper, the bibliographical references in five core entomology journals are examined for citation accuracy in order to determine if the error rates are similar. Every reference printed in each journal's first issue of 1992 was examined, and these were compared to the original (cited) publications, if possible, in order to determine the…

Using Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in hospitalised patients.

PubMed

Vélez-Díaz-Pallarés, Manuel; Delgado-Silveira, Eva; Carretero-Accame, María Emilia; Bermejo-Vicedo, Teresa

2013-01-01

To identify actions to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing, and to evaluate the impact of their implementation. A Health Care Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) was supported by a before-and-after medication error study to measure the actual impact on error rate after the implementation of corrective actions in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in wards equipped with computerised physician order entry (CPOE) and unit-dose distribution system (788 beds out of 1080) in a Spanish university hospital. The error study was carried out by two observers who reviewed medication orders on a daily basis to register prescription errors by physicians and validation errors by pharmacists. Drugs dispensed in the unit-dose trolleys were reviewed for dispensing errors. Error rates were expressed as the number of errors for each process divided by the total opportunities for error in that process times 100. A reduction in prescription errors was achieved by providing training for prescribers on CPOE, updating prescription procedures, improving clinical decision support and automating the software connection to the hospital census (relative risk reduction (RRR), 22.0%; 95% CI 12.1% to 31.8%). Validation errors were reduced after optimising time spent in educating pharmacy residents on patient safety, developing standardised validation procedures and improving aspects of the software's database (RRR, 19.4%; 95% CI 2.3% to 36.5%). Two actions reduced dispensing errors: reorganising the process of filling trolleys and drawing up a protocol for drug pharmacy checking before delivery (RRR, 38.5%; 95% CI 14.1% to 62.9%). HFMEA facilitated the identification of actions aimed at reducing medication errors in a healthcare setting, as the implementation of several of these led to a reduction in errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing.

Development of an FAA-EUROCONTROL technique for the analysis of human error in ATM : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-07-01

Human error has been identified as a dominant risk factor in safety-oriented industries such as air traffic control (ATC). However, little is known about the factors leading to human errors in current air traffic management (ATM) systems. The first s...

Effects of upstream-biased third-order space correction terms on multidimensional Crowley advection schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlesinger, R. E.

1985-01-01

The impact of upstream-biased corrections for third-order spatial truncation error on the stability and phase error of the two-dimensional Crowley combined advective scheme with the cross-space term included is analyzed, putting primary emphasis on phase error reduction. The various versions of the Crowley scheme are formally defined, and their stability and phase error characteristics are intercompared using a linear Fourier component analysis patterned after Fromm (1968, 1969). The performances of the schemes under prototype simulation conditions are tested using time-dependent numerical experiments which advect an initially cone-shaped passive scalar distribution in each of three steady nondivergent flows. One such flow is solid rotation, while the other two are diagonal uniform flow and a strongly deformational vortex.

Medication errors in residential aged care facilities: a distributed cognition analysis of the information exchange process.

PubMed

Tariq, Amina; Georgiou, Andrew; Westbrook, Johanna

2013-05-01

Medication safety is a pressing concern for residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Retrospective studies in RACF settings identify inadequate communication between RACFs, doctors, hospitals and community pharmacies as the major cause of medication errors. Existing literature offers limited insight about the gaps in the existing information exchange process that may lead to medication errors. The aim of this research was to explicate the cognitive distribution that underlies RACF medication ordering and delivery to identify gaps in medication-related information exchange which lead to medication errors in RACFs. The study was undertaken in three RACFs in Sydney, Australia. Data were generated through ethnographic field work over a period of five months (May-September 2011). Triangulated analysis of data primarily focused on examining the transformation and exchange of information between different media across the process. The findings of this study highlight the extensive scope and intense nature of information exchange in RACF medication ordering and delivery. Rather than attributing error to individual care providers, the explication of distributed cognition processes enabled the identification of gaps in three information exchange dimensions which potentially contribute to the occurrence of medication errors namely: (1) design of medication charts which complicates order processing and record keeping (2) lack of coordination mechanisms between participants which results in misalignment of local practices (3) reliance on restricted communication bandwidth channels mainly telephone and fax which complicates the information processing requirements. The study demonstrates how the identification of these gaps enhances understanding of medication errors in RACFs. Application of the theoretical lens of distributed cognition can assist in enhancing our understanding of medication errors in RACFs through identification of gaps in information exchange. Understanding the dynamics of the cognitive process can inform the design of interventions to manage errors and improve residents' safety. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medication errors in chemotherapy preparation and administration: a survey conducted among oncology nurses in Turkey.

PubMed

Ulas, Arife; Silay, Kamile; Akinci, Sema; Dede, Didem Sener; Akinci, Muhammed Bulent; Sendur, Mehmet Ali Nahit; Cubukcu, Erdem; Coskun, Hasan Senol; Degirmenci, Mustafa; Utkan, Gungor; Ozdemir, Nuriye; Isikdogan, Abdurrahman; Buyukcelik, Abdullah; Inanc, Mevlude; Bilici, Ahmet; Odabasi, Hatice; Cihan, Sener; Avci, Nilufer; Yalcin, Bulent

2015-01-01

Medication errors in oncology may cause severe clinical problems due to low therapeutic indices and high toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. We aimed to investigate unintentional medication errors and underlying factors during chemotherapy preparation and administration based on a systematic survey conducted to reflect oncology nurses experience. This study was conducted in 18 adult chemotherapy units with volunteer participation of 206 nurses. A survey developed by primary investigators and medication errors (MAEs) defined preventable errors during prescription of medication, ordering, preparation or administration. The survey consisted of 4 parts: demographic features of nurses; workload of chemotherapy units; errors and their estimated monthly number during chemotherapy preparation and administration; and evaluation of the possible factors responsible from ME. The survey was conducted by face to face interview and data analyses were performed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for a comparative analysis of categorical data. Some 83.4% of the 210 nurses reported one or more than one error during chemotherapy preparation and administration. Prescribing or ordering wrong doses by physicians (65.7%) and noncompliance with administration sequences during chemotherapy administration (50.5%) were the most common errors. The most common estimated average monthly error was not following the administration sequence of the chemotherapeutic agents (4.1 times/month, range 1-20). The most important underlying reasons for medication errors were heavy workload (49.7%) and insufficient number of staff (36.5%). Our findings suggest that the probability of medication error is very high during chemotherapy preparation and administration, the most common involving prescribing and ordering errors. Further studies must address the strategies to minimize medication error in chemotherapy receiving patients, determine sufficient protective measures and establishing multistep control mechanisms.

Detecting Signatures of GRACE Sensor Errors in Range-Rate Residuals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, S.; Flury, J.

2016-12-01

In order to reach the accuracy of the GRACE baseline, predicted earlier from the design simulations, efforts are ongoing since a decade. GRACE error budget is highly dominated by noise from sensors, dealiasing models and modeling errors. GRACE range-rate residuals contain these errors. Thus, their analysis provides an insight to understand the individual contribution to the error budget. Hence, we analyze the range-rate residuals with focus on contribution of sensor errors due to mis-pointing and bad ranging performance in GRACE solutions. For the analysis of pointing errors, we consider two different reprocessed attitude datasets with differences in pointing performance. Then range-rate residuals are computed from these two datasetsrespectively and analysed. We further compare the system noise of four K-and Ka- band frequencies of the two spacecrafts, with range-rate residuals. Strong signatures of mis-pointing errors can be seen in the range-rate residuals. Also, correlation between range frequency noise and range-rate residuals are seen.

First order error corrections in common introductory physics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckey, Jacob; Baker, Andrew; Aravind, Vasudeva; Clarion Team

As a part of introductory physics courses, students perform different standard lab experiments. Almost all of these experiments are prone to errors owing to factors like friction, misalignment of equipment, air drag, etc. Usually these types of errors are ignored by students and not much thought is paid to the source of these errors. However, paying attention to these factors that give rise to errors help students make better physics models and understand physical phenomena behind experiments in more detail. In this work, we explore common causes of errors in introductory physics experiment and suggest changes that will mitigate the errors, or suggest models that take the sources of these errors into consideration. This work helps students build better and refined physical models and understand physics concepts in greater detail. We thank Clarion University undergraduate student grant for financial support involving this project.

Global Warming Estimation from MSU: Correction for Drift and Calibration Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prabhakara, C.; Iacovazzi, R., Jr.; Yoo, J.-M.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) radiometer observations in Ch 2 (53.74 GHz), made in the nadir direction from sequential, sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting NOAA morning satellites (NOAA 6, 10 and 12 that have about 7am/7pm orbital geometry) and afternoon satellites (NOAA 7, 9, 11 and 14 that have about 2am/2pm orbital geometry) are analyzed in this study to derive global temperature trend from 1980 to 1998. In order to remove the discontinuities between the data of the successive satellites and to get a continuous time series, first we have used shortest possible time record of each satellite. In this way we get a preliminary estimate of the global temperature trend of 0.21 K/decade. However, this estimate is affected by systematic time-dependent errors. One such error is the instrument calibration error. This error can be inferred whenever there are overlapping measurements made by two satellites over an extended period of time. From the available successive satellite data we have taken the longest possible time record of each satellite to form the time series during the period 1980 to 1998 to this error. We find we can decrease the global temperature trend by about 0.07 K/decade. In addition there are systematic time dependent errors present in the data that are introduced by the drift in the satellite orbital geometry arises from the diurnal cycle in temperature which is the drift related change in the calibration of the MSU. In order to analyze the nature of these drift related errors the multi-satellite Ch 2 data set is partitioned into am and pm subsets to create two independent time series. The error can be assessed in the am and pm data of Ch 2 on land and can be eliminated. Observations made in the MSU Ch 1 (50.3 GHz) support this approach. The error is obvious only in the difference between the pm and am observations of Ch 2 over the ocean. We have followed two different paths to assess the impact of the errors on the global temperature trend. In one path the entire error is placed in the am data while in the other it is placed in the pm data. Global temperature trend is increased or decreased by about 0.03 K/decade depending upon this placement. Taking into account all random errors and systematic errors our analysis of MSU observations leads us to conclude that a conservative estimate of the global warming is 0. 11 (+-) 0.04 K/decade during 1980 to 1998.

Pharmacists' interventions in prescribing errors at hospital discharge: an observational study in the context of an electronic prescribing system in a UK teaching hospital.

PubMed

Abdel-Qader, Derar H; Harper, Lindsay; Cantrill, Judith A; Tully, Mary P

2010-11-01

Pharmacists have an essential role in improving drug usage and preventing prescribing errors (PEs). PEs at the interface of care are common, sometimes leading to adverse drug events (ADEs). This was the first study to investigate, using a computerized search method, the number, types, severity, pharmacists' impact on PEs and predictors of PEs in the context of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) at hospital discharge. This was a retrospective, observational, 4-week study, carried out in 2008 in the Medical and Elderly Care wards of a 904-bed teaching hospital in the northwest of England, operating an e-prescribing system at discharge. Details were obtained, using a systematic computerized search of the system, of medication orders either entered by doctors and discontinued by pharmacists or entered by pharmacists. Meetings were conducted within 5 days of data extraction with pharmacists doing their routine clinical work, who categorized the occurrence, type and severity of their interventions using a scale. An independent senior pharmacist retrospectively rated the severity and potential impact, and subjectively judged, based on experience, whether any error was a computer-related error (CRE). Discrepancies were resolved by multidisciplinary discussion. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for descriptive data analysis. For the PE predictors, a multivariate logistic regression was performed using STATA 7. Nine predictors were selected a priori from available prescribers', patients' and drug data. There were 7920 medication orders entered for 1038 patients (doctors entered 7712 orders; pharmacists entered 208 omitted orders). There were 675 (8.5% of 7920) interventions by pharmacists; 11 were not associated with PEs. Incidences of erroneous orders and patients with error were 8.0% (95% CI 7.4, 8.5 [n = 630/7920]) and 20.4% (95% CI 18.1, 22.9 [n = 212/1038]), respectively. The PE incidence was 8.4% (95% CI 7.8, 9.0 [n = 664/7920]). The top three medications associated with PEs were paracetamol (acetaminophen; 30 [4.8%]), salbutamol (albuterol; 28 [4.4%]) and omeprazole (25 [4.0%]). Pharmacists intercepted 524 (83.2%) erroneous orders without referring to doctors, and 70% of erroneous orders within 24 hours. Omission (31.0%), drug selection (29.4%) and dosage regimen (18.1%) error types accounted for >75% of PEs. There were 18 (2.9%) serious, 481 (76.3%) significant and 131 (20.8%) minor erroneous orders. Most erroneous orders (469 [74.4%]) were rated as of significant severity and significant impact of pharmacists on PEs. CREs (n = 279) accounted for 44.3% of erroneous orders. There was a significant difference in severity between CREs and non-CREs (χ2 = 38.88; df = 4; p < 0.001), with CREs being less severe than non-CREs. Drugs with multiple oral formulations (odds ratio [OR] 2.1; 95% CI 1.25, 3.37; p = 0.004) and prescribing by junior doctors (OR 2.54; 95% CI 1.08, 5.99; p = 0.03) were significant predictors of PEs. PEs commonly occur at hospital discharge, even with the use of an e-prescribing system. User and computer factors both appeared to contribute to the high error rate. The e-prescribing system facilitated the systematic extraction of data to investigate PEs in hospital practice. Pharmacists play an important role in rapidly documenting and preventing PEs before they reach and possibly harm patients. Pharmacists should understand CREs, so they complement, rather than duplicate, the e-prescribing system's strengths.

Hadronic Contribution to Muon g-2 with Systematic Error Correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. H.; Worstell, W. A.

1996-05-01

We have performed a new evaluation of the hadronic contribution to a_μ=(g-2)/2 of the muon with explicit correlations of systematic errors among the experimental data on σ( e^+e^- → hadrons ). Our result for the lowest order hadronic vacuum polarization contribution is a_μ^hvp = 701.7(7.6)(13.4) × 10-10 where the total systematic error contributions from below and above √s = 1.4 GeV are (12.5) × 10-10 and (4.8) × 10-10 respectively. Therefore new measurements on σ( e^+e^- → hadrons ) below 1.4 GeV in Novosibirsk, Russia can significantly reduce the total error on a_μ^hvp. This contrasts with a previous evaluation which indicated that the dominant error is due to the energy region above 1.4 GeV. The latter analysis correlated systematic errors at each energy point separately but not across energy ranges as we have done. Combination with higher order hadronic contributions is required for a new measurement of a_μ at Brookhaven National Laboratory to be sensitive to electroweak and possibly supergravity and muon substructure effects. Our analysis may also be applied to calculations of hadronic contributions to the running of α(s) at √s= M_Z, the hyperfine structure of muonium, and the running of sin^2 θW in Møller scattering. The analysis of the new Novosibirsk data will also be given.

Traveling wave solutions to a reaction-diffusion equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Zhaosheng; Zheng, Shenzhou; Gao, David Y.

2009-07-01

In this paper, we restrict our attention to traveling wave solutions of a reaction-diffusion equation. Firstly we apply the Divisor Theorem for two variables in the complex domain, which is based on the ring theory of commutative algebra, to find a quasi-polynomial first integral of an explicit form to an equivalent autonomous system. Then through this first integral, we reduce the reaction-diffusion equation to a first-order integrable ordinary differential equation, and a class of traveling wave solutions is obtained accordingly. Comparisons with the existing results in the literature are also provided, which indicates that some analytical results in the literature contain errors. We clarify the errors and instead give a refined result in a simple and straightforward manner.

Evaluation of the kinetic oxidation of aqueous volatile organic compounds by permanganate.

PubMed

Mahmoodlu, Mojtaba G; Hassanizadeh, S Majid; Hartog, Niels

2014-07-01

The use of permanganate solutions for in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is a well-established groundwater remediation technology, particularly for targeting chlorinated ethenes. The kinetics of oxidation reactions is an important ISCO remediation design aspect that affects the efficiency and oxidant persistence. The overall rate of the ISCO reaction between oxidant and contaminant is typically described using a second-order kinetic model while the second-order rate constant is determined experimentally by means of a pseudo first order approach. However, earlier studies of chlorinated hydrocarbons have yielded a wide range of values for the second-order rate constants. Also, there is limited insight in the kinetics of permanganate reactions with fuel-derived groundwater contaminants such as toluene and ethanol. In this study, batch experiments were carried out to investigate and compare the oxidation kinetics of aqueous trichloroethylene (TCE), ethanol, and toluene in an aqueous potassium permanganate solution. The overall second-order rate constants were determined directly by fitting a second-order model to the data, instead of typically using the pseudo-first-order approach. The second-order reaction rate constants (M(-1) s(-1)) for TCE, toluene, and ethanol were 8.0×10(-1), 2.5×10(-4), and 6.5×10(-4), respectively. Results showed that the inappropriate use of the pseudo-first-order approach in several previous studies produced biased estimates of the second-order rate constants. In our study, this error was expressed as a function of the extent (P/N) in which the reactant concentrations deviated from the stoichiometric ratio of each oxidation reaction. The error associated with the inappropriate use of the pseudo-first-order approach is negatively correlated with the P/N ratio and reached up to 25% of the estimated second-order rate constant in some previous studies of TCE oxidation. Based on our results, a similar relation is valid for the other volatile organic compounds studied. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Breaking Computational Barriers: Real-time Analysis and Optimization with Large-scale Nonlinear Models via Model Reduction

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

Carlberg, Kevin Thomas; Drohmann, Martin; Tuminaro, Raymond S.

2014-10-01

Model reduction for dynamical systems is a promising approach for reducing the computational cost of large-scale physics-based simulations to enable high-fidelity models to be used in many- query (e.g., Bayesian inference) and near-real-time (e.g., fast-turnaround simulation) contexts. While model reduction works well for specialized problems such as linear time-invariant systems, it is much more difficult to obtain accurate, stable, and efficient reduced-order models (ROMs) for systems with general nonlinearities. This report describes several advances that enable nonlinear reduced-order models (ROMs) to be deployed in a variety of time-critical settings. First, we present an error bound for the Gauss-Newton with Approximatedmore » Tensors (GNAT) nonlinear model reduction technique. This bound allows the state-space error for the GNAT method to be quantified when applied with the backward Euler time-integration scheme. Second, we present a methodology for preserving classical Lagrangian structure in nonlinear model reduction. This technique guarantees that important properties--such as energy conservation and symplectic time-evolution maps--are preserved when performing model reduction for models described by a Lagrangian formalism (e.g., molecular dynamics, structural dynamics). Third, we present a novel technique for decreasing the temporal complexity --defined as the number of Newton-like iterations performed over the course of the simulation--by exploiting time-domain data. Fourth, we describe a novel method for refining projection-based reduced-order models a posteriori using a goal-oriented framework similar to mesh-adaptive h -refinement in finite elements. The technique allows the ROM to generate arbitrarily accurate solutions, thereby providing the ROM with a 'failsafe' mechanism in the event of insufficient training data. Finally, we present the reduced-order model error surrogate (ROMES) method for statistically quantifying reduced- order-model errors. This enables ROMs to be rigorously incorporated in uncertainty-quantification settings, as the error model can be treated as a source of epistemic uncertainty. This work was completed as part of a Truman Fellowship appointment. We note that much additional work was performed as part of the Fellowship. One salient project is the development of the Trilinos-based model-reduction software module Razor , which is currently bundled with the Albany PDE code and currently allows nonlinear reduced-order models to be constructed for any application supported in Albany. Other important projects include the following: 1. ROMES-equipped ROMs for Bayesian inference: K. Carlberg, M. Drohmann, F. Lu (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), M. Morzfeld (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). 2. ROM-enabled Krylov-subspace recycling: K. Carlberg, V. Forstall (University of Maryland), P. Tsuji, R. Tuminaro. 3. A pseudo balanced POD method using only dual snapshots: K. Carlberg, M. Sarovar. 4. An analysis of discrete v. continuous optimality in nonlinear model reduction: K. Carlberg, M. Barone, H. Antil (George Mason University). Journal articles for these projects are in progress at the time of this writing.« less

Error analysis of finite difference schemes applied to hyperbolic initial boundary value problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skollermo, G.

1979-01-01

Finite difference methods for the numerical solution of mixed initial boundary value problems for hyperbolic equations are studied. The reported investigation has the objective to develop a technique for the total error analysis of a finite difference scheme, taking into account initial approximations, boundary conditions, and interior approximation. Attention is given to the Cauchy problem and the initial approximation, the homogeneous problem in an infinite strip with inhomogeneous boundary data, the reflection of errors in the boundaries, and two different boundary approximations for the leapfrog scheme with a fourth order accurate difference operator in space.

The effectiveness of computerized order entry at reducing preventable adverse drug events and medication errors in hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act subsidizes implementation by hospitals of electronic health records with computerized provider order entry (CPOE), which may reduce patient injuries caused by medication errors (preventable adverse drug events, pADEs). Effects on pADEs have not been rigorously quantified, and effects on medication errors have been variable. The objectives of this analysis were to assess the effectiveness of CPOE at reducing pADEs in hospital-related settings, and examine reasons for heterogeneous effects on medication errors. Methods Articles were identified using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Econlit, web-based databases, and bibliographies of previous systematic reviews (September 2013). Eligible studies compared CPOE with paper-order entry in acute care hospitals, and examined diverse pADEs or medication errors. Studies on children or with limited event-detection methods were excluded. Two investigators extracted data on events and factors potentially associated with effectiveness. We used random effects models to pool data. Results Sixteen studies addressing medication errors met pooling criteria; six also addressed pADEs. Thirteen studies used pre-post designs. Compared with paper-order entry, CPOE was associated with half as many pADEs (pooled risk ratio (RR) = 0.47, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.71) and medication errors (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.60). Regarding reasons for heterogeneous effects on medication errors, five intervention factors and two contextual factors were sufficiently reported to support subgroup analyses or meta-regression. Differences between commercial versus homegrown systems, presence and sophistication of clinical decision support, hospital-wide versus limited implementation, and US versus non-US studies were not significant, nor was timing of publication. Higher baseline rates of medication errors predicted greater reductions (P < 0.001). Other context and implementation variables were seldom reported. Conclusions In hospital-related settings, implementing CPOE is associated with a greater than 50% decline in pADEs, although the studies used weak designs. Decreases in medication errors are similar and robust to variations in important aspects of intervention design and context. This suggests that CPOE implementation, as subsidized under the HITECH Act, may benefit public health. More detailed reporting of the context and process of implementation could shed light on factors associated with greater effectiveness. PMID:24894078

Bayesian operational modal analysis of Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brownjohn, James Mark William; Au, Siu-Kui; Zhu, Yichen; Sun, Zhen; Li, Binbin; Bassitt, James; Hudson, Emma; Sun, Hongbin

2018-09-01

Vibration testing of long span bridges is becoming a commissioning requirement, yet such exercises represent the extreme of experimental capability, with challenges for instrumentation (due to frequency range, resolution and km-order separation of sensor) and system identification (because of the extreme low frequencies). The challenge with instrumentation for modal analysis is managing synchronous data acquisition from sensors distributed widely apart inside and outside the structure. The ideal solution is precisely synchronised autonomous recorders that do not need cables, GPS or wireless communication. The challenge with system identification is to maximise the reliability of modal parameters through experimental design and subsequently to identify the parameters in terms of mean values and standard errors. The challenge is particularly severe for modes with low frequency and damping typical of long span bridges. One solution is to apply 'third generation' operational modal analysis procedures using Bayesian approaches in both the planning and analysis stages. The paper presents an exercise on the Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge, a suspension bridge with a 1385 m main span. The exercise comprised planning of a test campaign to optimise the reliability of operational modal analysis, the deployment of a set of independent data acquisition units synchronised using precision oven controlled crystal oscillators and the subsequent identification of a set of modal parameters in terms of mean and variance errors. Although the bridge has had structural health monitoring technology installed since it was completed, this was the first full modal survey, aimed at identifying important features of the modal behaviour rather than providing fine resolution of mode shapes through the whole structure. Therefore, measurements were made in only the (south) tower, while torsional behaviour was identified by a single measurement using a pair of recorders across the carriageway. The modal survey revealed a first lateral symmetric mode with natural frequency 0.0536 Hz with standard error ±3.6% and damping ratio 4.4% with standard error ±88%. First vertical mode is antisymmetric with frequency 0.11 Hz ± 1.2% and damping ratio 4.9% ± 41%. A significant and novel element of the exercise was planning of the measurement setups and their necessary duration linked to prior estimation of the precision of the frequency and damping estimates. The second novelty is the use of the multi-sensor precision synchronised acquisition without external time reference on a structure of this scale. The challenges of ambient vibration testing and modal identification in a complex environment are addressed leveraging on advances in practical implementation and scientific understanding of the problem.

Modeling error distributions of growth curve models through Bayesian methods.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiyong

2016-06-01

Growth curve models are widely used in social and behavioral sciences. However, typical growth curve models often assume that the errors are normally distributed although non-normal data may be even more common than normal data. In order to avoid possible statistical inference problems in blindly assuming normality, a general Bayesian framework is proposed to flexibly model normal and non-normal data through the explicit specification of the error distributions. A simulation study shows when the distribution of the error is correctly specified, one can avoid the loss in the efficiency of standard error estimates. A real example on the analysis of mathematical ability growth data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 is used to show the application of the proposed methods. Instructions and code on how to conduct growth curve analysis with both normal and non-normal error distributions using the the MCMC procedure of SAS are provided.

Inflated responsibility in obsessive compulsive disorder: validation of an operational definition.

PubMed

Rhéaume, J; Ladouceur, R; Freeston, M H; Letarte, H

1995-02-01

An excessive sense of responsibility has been identified in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) where patients evaluate their thoughts in terms of the harm they could cause to themselves or others. In a new definition, responsibility was defined as the belief that one possesses pivotal power to provoke or prevent subjective crucial negative outcomes. In order to empirically test the validity of this definition, two studies used a semi-idiographic design to evaluate responsibility across ambiguous situations related to major OCD themes like contamination, verification, somatic concerns, loss of control, making errors, sexuality and magical thinking. In the first study, 397 volunteer adults participated in the experiment. For each situation, subjects briefly described a possible negative outcome and then rated this outcome on four dimensions: (1) probability; (2) severity; (3) influence; and (4) pivotal influence, using a 9-point Likert scale. Finally Ss rated perceived responsibility and personal relevance. Highly relevant situations were retained for the final analysis. Regression analysis suggested that influence and pivotal influence were better predictors of responsibility ratings than probability and severity. The second study examined the effect of the order of the questions on the responsibility ratings. A first group of Ss (n = 85) answered the Responsibility Questionnaire (RQ) in the original order, while a second group (n = 53) rated responsibility before the other ratings. Regression analysis showed that although proportion of variance explained diminished when the order was reversed, pivotal influence was still the best predictor of responsibility. Results are discussed in terms of current models of OCD and implications for future research and cognitive treatment are identified.

Error analysis and correction of discrete solutions from finite element codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thurston, G. A.; Stein, P. A.; Knight, N. F., Jr.; Reissner, J. E.

1984-01-01

Many structures are an assembly of individual shell components. Therefore, results for stresses and deflections from finite element solutions for each shell component should agree with the equations of shell theory. This paper examines the problem of applying shell theory to the error analysis and the correction of finite element results. The general approach to error analysis and correction is discussed first. Relaxation methods are suggested as one approach to correcting finite element results for all or parts of shell structures. Next, the problem of error analysis of plate structures is examined in more detail. The method of successive approximations is adapted to take discrete finite element solutions and to generate continuous approximate solutions for postbuckled plates. Preliminary numerical results are included.

Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Laboratory testing is roughly divided into three phases: a pre-analytical phase, an analytical phase and a post-analytical phase. Most analytical errors have been attributed to the analytical phase. However, recent studies have shown that up to 70% of analytical errors reflect the pre-analytical phase. The pre-analytical phase comprises all processes from the time a laboratory request is made by a physician until the specimen is analyzed at the lab. Generally, the pre-analytical phase includes patient preparation, specimen transportation, specimen collection and storage. In the present study, we report the first comprehensive assessment of the frequency and types of pre-analytical errors at the Sulaimani diagnostic labs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Materials and Methods Over 2 months, 5500 venous blood samples were observed in 10 public diagnostic labs of Sulaimani City. The percentages of rejected samples and types of sample inappropriateness were evaluated. The percentage of each of the following pre-analytical errors were recorded: delay in sample transportation, clotted samples, expired reagents, hemolyzed samples, samples not on ice, incorrect sample identification, insufficient sample, tube broken in centrifuge, request procedure errors, sample mix-ups, communication conflicts, misinterpreted orders, lipemic samples, contaminated samples and missed physician’s request orders. The difference between the relative frequencies of errors observed in the hospitals considered was tested using a proportional Z test. In particular, the survey aimed to discover whether analytical errors were recorded and examine the types of platforms used in the selected diagnostic labs. Results The analysis showed a high prevalence of improper sample handling during the pre-analytical phase. In appropriate samples, the percentage error was as high as 39%. The major reasons for rejection were hemolyzed samples (9%), incorrect sample identification (8%) and clotted samples (6%). Most quality control schemes at Sulaimani hospitals focus only on the analytical phase, and none of the pre-analytical errors were recorded. Interestingly, none of the labs were internationally accredited; therefore, corrective actions are needed at these hospitals to ensure better health outcomes. Internal and External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) for the pre-analytical phase at Sulaimani clinical laboratories should be implemented at public hospitals. Furthermore, lab personnel, particularly phlebotomists, need continuous training on the importance of sample quality to obtain accurate test results. PMID:28107395

Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan.

PubMed

Najat, Dereen

2017-01-01

Laboratory testing is roughly divided into three phases: a pre-analytical phase, an analytical phase and a post-analytical phase. Most analytical errors have been attributed to the analytical phase. However, recent studies have shown that up to 70% of analytical errors reflect the pre-analytical phase. The pre-analytical phase comprises all processes from the time a laboratory request is made by a physician until the specimen is analyzed at the lab. Generally, the pre-analytical phase includes patient preparation, specimen transportation, specimen collection and storage. In the present study, we report the first comprehensive assessment of the frequency and types of pre-analytical errors at the Sulaimani diagnostic labs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Over 2 months, 5500 venous blood samples were observed in 10 public diagnostic labs of Sulaimani City. The percentages of rejected samples and types of sample inappropriateness were evaluated. The percentage of each of the following pre-analytical errors were recorded: delay in sample transportation, clotted samples, expired reagents, hemolyzed samples, samples not on ice, incorrect sample identification, insufficient sample, tube broken in centrifuge, request procedure errors, sample mix-ups, communication conflicts, misinterpreted orders, lipemic samples, contaminated samples and missed physician's request orders. The difference between the relative frequencies of errors observed in the hospitals considered was tested using a proportional Z test. In particular, the survey aimed to discover whether analytical errors were recorded and examine the types of platforms used in the selected diagnostic labs. The analysis showed a high prevalence of improper sample handling during the pre-analytical phase. In appropriate samples, the percentage error was as high as 39%. The major reasons for rejection were hemolyzed samples (9%), incorrect sample identification (8%) and clotted samples (6%). Most quality control schemes at Sulaimani hospitals focus only on the analytical phase, and none of the pre-analytical errors were recorded. Interestingly, none of the labs were internationally accredited; therefore, corrective actions are needed at these hospitals to ensure better health outcomes. Internal and External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) for the pre-analytical phase at Sulaimani clinical laboratories should be implemented at public hospitals. Furthermore, lab personnel, particularly phlebotomists, need continuous training on the importance of sample quality to obtain accurate test results.

Error Patterns in Young German Children's "Wh"-Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmerse, Daniel; Lieven, Elena; Tomasello, Michael

2013-01-01

In this article we report two studies: a detailed longitudinal analysis of errors in "wh"-questions from six German-learning children (age 2 ; 0-3 ; 0) and an analysis of the prosodic characteristics of "wh"-questions in German child-directed speech. The results of the first study demonstrate that German-learning children…

Test functions for three-dimensional control-volume mixed finite-element methods on irregular grids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naff, R.L.; Russell, T.F.; Wilson, J.D.; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,

2000-01-01

Numerical methods based on unstructured grids, with irregular cells, usually require discrete shape functions to approximate the distribution of quantities across cells. For control-volume mixed finite-element methods, vector shape functions are used to approximate the distribution of velocities across cells and vector test functions are used to minimize the error associated with the numerical approximation scheme. For a logically cubic mesh, the lowest-order shape functions are chosen in a natural way to conserve intercell fluxes that vary linearly in logical space. Vector test functions, while somewhat restricted by the mapping into the logical reference cube, admit a wider class of possibilities. Ideally, an error minimization procedure to select the test function from an acceptable class of candidates would be the best procedure. Lacking such a procedure, we first investigate the effect of possible test functions on the pressure distribution over the control volume; specifically, we look for test functions that allow for the elimination of intermediate pressures on cell faces. From these results, we select three forms for the test function for use in a control-volume mixed method code and subject them to an error analysis for different forms of grid irregularity; errors are reported in terms of the discrete L2 norm of the velocity error. Of these three forms, one appears to produce optimal results for most forms of grid irregularity.

Rain radar measurement error estimation using data assimilation in an advection-based nowcasting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merker, Claire; Ament, Felix; Clemens, Marco

2017-04-01

The quantification of measurement uncertainty for rain radar data remains challenging. Radar reflectivity measurements are affected, amongst other things, by calibration errors, noise, blocking and clutter, and attenuation. Their combined impact on measurement accuracy is difficult to quantify due to incomplete process understanding and complex interdependencies. An improved quality assessment of rain radar measurements is of interest for applications both in meteorology and hydrology, for example for precipitation ensemble generation, rainfall runoff simulations, or in data assimilation for numerical weather prediction. Especially a detailed description of the spatial and temporal structure of errors is beneficial in order to make best use of the areal precipitation information provided by radars. Radar precipitation ensembles are one promising approach to represent spatially variable radar measurement errors. We present a method combining ensemble radar precipitation nowcasting with data assimilation to estimate radar measurement uncertainty at each pixel. This combination of ensemble forecast and observation yields a consistent spatial and temporal evolution of the radar error field. We use an advection-based nowcasting method to generate an ensemble reflectivity forecast from initial data of a rain radar network. Subsequently, reflectivity data from single radars is assimilated into the forecast using the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter. The spread of the resulting analysis ensemble provides a flow-dependent, spatially and temporally correlated reflectivity error estimate at each pixel. We will present first case studies that illustrate the method using data from a high-resolution X-band radar network.

Mixed finite-difference scheme for analysis of simply supported thick plates.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, A. K.

1973-01-01

A mixed finite-difference scheme is presented for the stress and free vibration analysis of simply supported nonhomogeneous and layered orthotropic thick plates. The analytical formulation is based on the linear, three-dimensional theory of orthotropic elasticity and a Fourier approach is used to reduce the governing equations to six first-order ordinary differential equations in the thickness coordinate. The governing equations possess a symmetric coefficient matrix and are free of derivatives of the elastic characteristics of the plate. In the finite difference discretization two interlacing grids are used for the different fundamental unknowns in such a way as to reduce both the local discretization error and the bandwidth of the resulting finite-difference field equations. Numerical studies are presented for the effects of reducing the interior and boundary discretization errors and of mesh refinement on the accuracy and convergence of solutions. It is shown that the proposed scheme, in addition to a number of other advantages, leads to highly accurate results, even when a small number of finite difference intervals is used.

Investigation on coupling error characteristics in angular rate matching based ship deformation measurement approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shuai; Wu, Wei; Wang, Xingshu; Xu, Zhiguang

2018-01-01

The coupling error in the measurement of ship hull deformation can significantly influence the attitude accuracy of the shipborne weapons and equipments. It is therefore important to study the characteristics of the coupling error. In this paper, an comprehensive investigation on the coupling error is reported, which has a potential of deducting the coupling error in the future. Firstly, the causes and characteristics of the coupling error are analyzed theoretically based on the basic theory of measuring ship deformation. Then, simulations are conducted for verifying the correctness of the theoretical analysis. Simulation results show that the cross-correlation between dynamic flexure and ship angular motion leads to the coupling error in measuring ship deformation, and coupling error increases with the correlation value between them. All the simulation results coincide with the theoretical analysis.

NASA: Model development for human factors interfacing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, L. L.

1984-01-01

The results of an intensive literature review in the general topics of human error analysis, stress and job performance, and accident and safety analysis revealed no usable techniques or approaches for analyzing human error in ground or space operations tasks. A task review model is described and proposed to be developed in order to reduce the degree of labor intensiveness in ground and space operations tasks. An extensive number of annotated references are provided.

Cohesive Errors in Writing among ESL Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwan, Lisa S. L.; Yunus, Melor Md

2014-01-01

Writing is a complex skill and one of the most difficult to master. A teacher's weak writing skills may negatively influence their students. Therefore, reinforcing teacher education by first determining pre-service teachers' writing weaknesses is imperative. This mixed-methods error analysis study aims to examine the cohesive errors in the writing…

Hospital-based transfusion error tracking from 2005 to 2010: identifying the key errors threatening patient transfusion safety.

PubMed

Maskens, Carolyn; Downie, Helen; Wendt, Alison; Lima, Ana; Merkley, Lisa; Lin, Yulia; Callum, Jeannie

2014-01-01

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of transfusion errors occurring at a large teaching hospital and aims to determine key errors that are threatening transfusion safety, despite implementation of safety measures. Errors were prospectively identified from 2005 to 2010. Error data were coded on a secure online database called the Transfusion Error Surveillance System. Errors were defined as any deviation from established standard operating procedures. Errors were identified by clinical and laboratory staff. Denominator data for volume of activity were used to calculate rates. A total of 15,134 errors were reported with a median number of 215 errors per month (range, 85-334). Overall, 9083 (60%) errors occurred on the transfusion service and 6051 (40%) on the clinical services. In total, 23 errors resulted in patient harm: 21 of these errors occurred on the clinical services and two in the transfusion service. Of the 23 harm events, 21 involved inappropriate use of blood. Errors with no harm were 657 times more common than events that caused harm. The most common high-severity clinical errors were sample labeling (37.5%) and inappropriate ordering of blood (28.8%). The most common high-severity error in the transfusion service was sample accepted despite not meeting acceptance criteria (18.3%). The cost of product and component loss due to errors was $593,337. Errors occurred at every point in the transfusion process, with the greatest potential risk of patient harm resulting from inappropriate ordering of blood products and errors in sample labeling. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks (CME).

Additive Runge-Kutta Schemes for Convection-Diffusion-Reaction Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Christopher A.; Carpenter, Mark H.

2001-01-01

Additive Runge-Kutta (ARK) methods are investigated for application to the spatially discretized one-dimensional convection-diffusion-reaction (CDR) equations. First, accuracy, stability, conservation, and dense output are considered for the general case when N different Runge-Kutta methods are grouped into a single composite method. Then, implicit-explicit, N = 2, additive Runge-Kutta ARK2 methods from third- to fifth-order are presented that allow for integration of stiff terms by an L-stable, stiffly-accurate explicit, singly diagonally implicit Runge-Kutta (ESDIRK) method while the nonstiff terms are integrated with a traditional explicit Runge-Kutta method (ERK). Coupling error terms are of equal order to those of the elemental methods. Derived ARK2 methods have vanishing stability functions for very large values of the stiff scaled eigenvalue, z(exp [I]) goes to infinity, and retain high stability efficiency in the absence of stiffness, z(exp [I]) goes to zero. Extrapolation-type stage-value predictors are provided based on dense-output formulae. Optimized methods minimize both leading order ARK2 error terms and Butcher coefficient magnitudes as well as maximize conservation properties. Numerical tests of the new schemes on a CDR problem show negligible stiffness leakage and near classical order convergence rates. However, tests on three simple singular-perturbation problems reveal generally predictable order reduction. Error control is best managed with a PID-controller. While results for the fifth-order method are disappointing, both the new third- and fourth-order methods are at least as efficient as existing ARK2 methods while offering error control and stage-value predictors.

Linguistic and Literacy Predictors of Early Spelling in First and Second Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keilty, Megan; Harrison, Gina L.

2015-01-01

Error analyses using a multidimensional measure were conducted on the misspellings of Kindergarten children speaking English as a first (EL1) and English as a second language (ESL) in order to detect any differences in early spelling ability between language groups. Oral vocabulary, syntactic knowledge, phonological processing, letter/word…

RNAV (GPS) total system error models for use in wake encounter risk analysis of candidate CSPR pairs for inclusion in FAA Order 7110.308

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide recommended Total System Error (TSE) models for : aircraft using RNAV (GPS) guidance when analyzing the wake encounter risk of proposed simultaneous : dependent (paired) approaches, with 1.5 Nautical...

The Role of Model and Initial Condition Error in Numerical Weather Forecasting Investigated with an Observing System Simulation Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prive, Nikki C.; Errico, Ronald M.

2013-01-01

A series of experiments that explore the roles of model and initial condition error in numerical weather prediction are performed using an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (NASA/GMAO). The use of an OSSE allows the analysis and forecast errors to be explicitly calculated, and different hypothetical observing networks can be tested with ease. In these experiments, both a full global OSSE framework and an 'identical twin' OSSE setup are utilized to compare the behavior of the data assimilation system and evolution of forecast skill with and without model error. The initial condition error is manipulated by varying the distribution and quality of the observing network and the magnitude of observation errors. The results show that model error has a strong impact on both the quality of the analysis field and the evolution of forecast skill, including both systematic and unsystematic model error components. With a realistic observing network, the analysis state retains a significant quantity of error due to systematic model error. If errors of the analysis state are minimized, model error acts to rapidly degrade forecast skill during the first 24-48 hours of forward integration. In the presence of model error, the impact of observation errors on forecast skill is small, but in the absence of model error, observation errors cause a substantial degradation of the skill of medium range forecasts.

Extending High-Order Flux Operators on Spherical Icosahedral Grids and Their Applications in the Framework of a Shallow Water Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yi

2018-01-01

This study extends a set of unstructured third/fourth-order flux operators on spherical icosahedral grids from two perspectives. First, the fifth-order and sixth-order flux operators of this kind are further extended, and the nominally second-order to sixth-order operators are then compared based on the solid body rotation and deformational flow tests. Results show that increasing the nominal order generally leads to smaller absolute errors. Overall, the standard fifth-order scheme generates the smallest errors in limited and unlimited tests, although it does not enhance the convergence rate. Even-order operators show higher limiter sensitivity than the odd-order operators. Second, a triangular version of these high-order operators is repurposed for transporting the potential vorticity in a space-time-split shallow water framework. Results show that a class of nominally third-order upwind-biased operators generates better results than second-order and fourth-order counterparts. The increase of the potential enstrophy over time is suppressed owing to the damping effect. The grid-scale noise in the vorticity is largely alleviated, and the total energy remains conserved. Moreover, models using high-order operators show smaller numerical errors in the vorticity field because of a more accurate representation of the nonlinear Coriolis term. This improvement is especially evident in the Rossby-Haurwitz wave test, in which the fluid is highly rotating. Overall, high-order flux operators with higher damping coefficients, which essentially behave like the Anticipated Potential Vorticity Method, present better results.

General relaxation schemes in multigrid algorithms for higher order singularity methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oskam, B.; Fray, J. M. J.

1981-01-01

Relaxation schemes based on approximate and incomplete factorization technique (AF) are described. The AF schemes allow construction of a fast multigrid method for solving integral equations of the second and first kind. The smoothing factors for integral equations of the first kind, and comparison with similar results from the second kind of equations are a novel item. Application of the MD algorithm shows convergence to the level of truncation error of a second order accurate panel method.

Building a kinetic Monte Carlo model with a chosen accuracy.

PubMed

Bhute, Vijesh J; Chatterjee, Abhijit

2013-06-28

The kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method is a popular modeling approach for reaching large materials length and time scales. The KMC dynamics is erroneous when atomic processes that are relevant to the dynamics are missing from the KMC model. Recently, we had developed for the first time an error measure for KMC in Bhute and Chatterjee [J. Chem. Phys. 138, 084103 (2013)]. The error measure, which is given in terms of the probability that a missing process will be selected in the correct dynamics, requires estimation of the missing rate. In this work, we present an improved procedure for estimating the missing rate. The estimate found using the new procedure is within an order of magnitude of the correct missing rate, unlike our previous approach where the estimate was larger by orders of magnitude. This enables one to find the error in the KMC model more accurately. In addition, we find the time for which the KMC model can be used before a maximum error in the dynamics has been reached.

Advantages of Data Fusion: First Multivariate Curve Resolution Analysis of Fused Liquid Chromatographic Second-Order Data with Dual Diode Array-Fluorescent Detection.

PubMed

Pellegrino Vidal, Rocío B; Ibañez, Gabriela A; Escandar, Graciela M

2017-03-07

For the first time, liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD) and liquid-chromatography fluorescence detection (LC-FLD) second-order data, collected in a single chromatographic run, were fused and chemometrically processed for the quantitation of coeluting analytes. Two different experimental mixtures composed of fluorescent and nonfluorescent endocrine disruptors were analyzed. Adequate pretreatment of the matrices before their fusion was crucial to attain reliable results. Multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) was applied to LC-DAD, LC-FLD, and fused LC-DAD-FLD data. Although different degrees of improvement are observed when comparing the fused matrix results in relation to those obtained using a single detector, clear benefits of data fusion are demonstrated through: (1) the obtained limits of detection in the ranges 2.1-24 ng mL -1 and 0.9-6.3 ng mL -1 for the two evaluated systems and (2) the low relative prediction errors, below 7% in all cases, indicating good recoveries and precision. The feasibility of fusing data and its advantages in the analysis of real samples was successfully assessed through the study of spiked tap, underground, and river water samples.

Spindle Thermal Error Optimization Modeling of a Five-axis Machine Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qianjian; Fan, Shuo; Xu, Rufeng; Cheng, Xiang; Zhao, Guoyong; Yang, Jianguo

2017-05-01

Aiming at the problem of low machining accuracy and uncontrollable thermal errors of NC machine tools, spindle thermal error measurement, modeling and compensation of a two turntable five-axis machine tool are researched. Measurement experiment of heat sources and thermal errors are carried out, and GRA(grey relational analysis) method is introduced into the selection of temperature variables used for thermal error modeling. In order to analyze the influence of different heat sources on spindle thermal errors, an ANN (artificial neural network) model is presented, and ABC(artificial bee colony) algorithm is introduced to train the link weights of ANN, a new ABC-NN(Artificial bee colony-based neural network) modeling method is proposed and used in the prediction of spindle thermal errors. In order to test the prediction performance of ABC-NN model, an experiment system is developed, the prediction results of LSR (least squares regression), ANN and ABC-NN are compared with the measurement results of spindle thermal errors. Experiment results show that the prediction accuracy of ABC-NN model is higher than LSR and ANN, and the residual error is smaller than 3 μm, the new modeling method is feasible. The proposed research provides instruction to compensate thermal errors and improve machining accuracy of NC machine tools.

Axioms of adaptivity

PubMed Central

Carstensen, C.; Feischl, M.; Page, M.; Praetorius, D.

2014-01-01

This paper aims first at a simultaneous axiomatic presentation of the proof of optimal convergence rates for adaptive finite element methods and second at some refinements of particular questions like the avoidance of (discrete) lower bounds, inexact solvers, inhomogeneous boundary data, or the use of equivalent error estimators. Solely four axioms guarantee the optimality in terms of the error estimators. Compared to the state of the art in the temporary literature, the improvements of this article can be summarized as follows: First, a general framework is presented which covers the existing literature on optimality of adaptive schemes. The abstract analysis covers linear as well as nonlinear problems and is independent of the underlying finite element or boundary element method. Second, efficiency of the error estimator is neither needed to prove convergence nor quasi-optimal convergence behavior of the error estimator. In this paper, efficiency exclusively characterizes the approximation classes involved in terms of the best-approximation error and data resolution and so the upper bound on the optimal marking parameters does not depend on the efficiency constant. Third, some general quasi-Galerkin orthogonality is not only sufficient, but also necessary for the R-linear convergence of the error estimator, which is a fundamental ingredient in the current quasi-optimality analysis due to Stevenson 2007. Finally, the general analysis allows for equivalent error estimators and inexact solvers as well as different non-homogeneous and mixed boundary conditions. PMID:25983390

Robustness of reduced-order multivariable state-space self-tuning controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, Zhuzhi; Chen, Zengqiang

1994-01-01

In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis of the robustness of a reduced-order pole-assignment state-space self-tuning controller for a multivariable adaptive control system whose order of the real process is higher than that of the model used in the controller design. The result of stability analysis shows that, under a specific bounded modelling error, the adaptively controlled closed-loop real system via the reduced-order state-space self-tuner is BIBO stable in the presence of unmodelled dynamics.

Semilocal momentum-space regularized chiral two-nucleon potentials up to fifth order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinert, P.; Krebs, H.; Epelbaum, E.

2018-05-01

We introduce new semilocal two-nucleon potentials up to fifth order in the chiral expansion. We employ a simple regularization approach for the pion exchange contributions which i) maintains the long-range part of the interaction, ii) is implemented in momentum space and iii) can be straightforwardly applied to regularize many-body forces and current operators. We discuss in detail the two-nucleon contact interactions at fourth order and demonstrate that three terms out of fifteen used in previous calculations can be eliminated via suitably chosen unitary transformations. The removal of the redundant contact terms results in a drastic simplification of the fits to scattering data and leads to interactions which are much softer ( i.e., more perturbative) than our recent semilocal coordinate-space regularized potentials. Using the pion-nucleon low-energy constants from matching pion-nucleon Roy-Steiner equations to chiral perturbation theory, we perform a comprehensive analysis of nucleon-nucleon scattering and the deuteron properties up to fifth chiral order and study the impact of the leading F-wave two-nucleon contact interactions which appear at sixth order. The resulting chiral potentials at fifth order lead to an outstanding description of the proton-proton and neutron-proton scattering data from the self-consistent Granada-2013 database below the pion production threshold, which is significantly better than for any other chiral potential. For the first time, the chiral potentials match in precision and even outperform the available high-precision phenomenological potentials, while the number of adjustable parameters is, at the same time, reduced by about ˜ 40%. Last but not least, we perform a detailed error analysis and, in particular, quantify for the first time the statistical uncertainties of the fourth- and the considered sixth-order contact interactions.

Optimizing symmetry-based recoupling sequences in solid-state NMR by pulse-transient compensation and asynchronous implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellwagner, Johannes; Sharma, Kshama; Tan, Kong Ooi; Wittmann, Johannes J.; Meier, Beat H.; Madhu, P. K.; Ernst, Matthias

2017-06-01

Pulse imperfections like pulse transients and radio-frequency field maladjustment or inhomogeneity are the main sources of performance degradation and limited reproducibility in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. We quantitatively analyze the influence of such imperfections on the performance of symmetry-based pulse sequences and describe how they can be compensated. Based on a triple-mode Floquet analysis, we develop a theoretical description of symmetry-based dipolar recoupling sequences, in particular, R2 6411, calculating first- and second-order effective Hamiltonians using real pulse shapes. We discuss the various origins of effective fields, namely, pulse transients, deviation from the ideal flip angle, and fictitious fields, and develop strategies to counteract them for the restoration of full transfer efficiency. We compare experimental applications of transient-compensated pulses and an asynchronous implementation of the sequence to a supercycle, SR26, which is known to be efficient in compensating higher-order error terms. We are able to show the superiority of R26 compared to the supercycle, SR26, given the ability to reduce experimental error on the pulse sequence by pulse-transient compensation and a complete theoretical understanding of the sequence.

High-accurate optical vector analysis based on optical single-sideband modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Min; Pan, Shilong

2016-11-01

Most of the efforts devoted to the area of optical communications were on the improvement of the optical spectral efficiency. Varies innovative optical devices are thus developed to finely manipulate the optical spectrum. Knowing the spectral responses of these devices, including the magnitude, phase and polarization responses, is of great importance for their fabrication and application. To achieve high-resolution characterization, optical vector analyzers (OVAs) based on optical single-sideband (OSSB) modulation have been proposed and developed. Benefiting from the mature and highresolution microwave technologies, the OSSB-based OVA can potentially achieve a resolution of sub-Hz. However, the accuracy is restricted by the measurement errors induced by the unwanted first-order sideband and the high-order sidebands in the OSSB signal, since electrical-to-optical conversion and optical-to-electrical conversion are essentially required to achieve high-resolution frequency sweeping and extract the magnitude and phase information in the electrical domain. Recently, great efforts have been devoted to improve the accuracy of the OSSB-based OVA. In this paper, the influence of the unwanted-sideband induced measurement errors and techniques for implementing high-accurate OSSB-based OVAs are discussed.

The Use of Categorized Time-Trend Reporting of Radiation Oncology Incidents: A Proactive Analytical Approach to Improving Quality and Safety Over Time

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

Arnold, Anthony, E-mail: anthony.arnold@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.a; Delaney, Geoff P.; Cassapi, Lynette

Purpose: Radiotherapy is a common treatment for cancer patients. Although incidence of error is low, errors can be severe or affect significant numbers of patients. In addition, errors will often not manifest until long periods after treatment. This study describes the development of an incident reporting tool that allows categorical analysis and time trend reporting, covering first 3 years of use. Methods and Materials: A radiotherapy-specific incident analysis system was established. Staff members were encouraged to report actual errors and near-miss events detected at prescription, simulation, planning, or treatment phases of radiotherapy delivery. Trend reporting was reviewed monthly. Results: Reportsmore » were analyzed for the first 3 years of operation (May 2004-2007). A total of 688 reports was received during the study period. The actual error rate was 0.2% per treatment episode. During the study period, the actual error rates reduced significantly from 1% per year to 0.3% per year (p < 0.001), as did the total event report rates (p < 0.0001). There were 3.5 times as many near misses reported compared with actual errors. Conclusions: This system has allowed real-time analysis of events within a radiation oncology department to a reduced error rate through focus on learning and prevention from the near-miss reports. Plans are underway to develop this reporting tool for Australia and New Zealand.« less

Improving Localization Accuracy: Successive Measurements Error Modeling

PubMed Central

Abu Ali, Najah; Abu-Elkheir, Mervat

2015-01-01

Vehicle self-localization is an essential requirement for many of the safety applications envisioned for vehicular networks. The mathematical models used in current vehicular localization schemes focus on modeling the localization error itself, and overlook the potential correlation between successive localization measurement errors. In this paper, we first investigate the existence of correlation between successive positioning measurements, and then incorporate this correlation into the modeling positioning error. We use the Yule Walker equations to determine the degree of correlation between a vehicle’s future position and its past positions, and then propose a p-order Gauss–Markov model to predict the future position of a vehicle from its past p positions. We investigate the existence of correlation for two datasets representing the mobility traces of two vehicles over a period of time. We prove the existence of correlation between successive measurements in the two datasets, and show that the time correlation between measurements can have a value up to four minutes. Through simulations, we validate the robustness of our model and show that it is possible to use the first-order Gauss–Markov model, which has the least complexity, and still maintain an accurate estimation of a vehicle’s future location over time using only its current position. Our model can assist in providing better modeling of positioning errors and can be used as a prediction tool to improve the performance of classical localization algorithms such as the Kalman filter. PMID:26140345

Gravity field recovery in the framework of a Geodesy and Time Reference in Space (GETRIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauk, Markus; Schlicht, Anja; Pail, Roland; Murböck, Michael

2017-04-01

The study ;Geodesy and Time Reference in Space; (GETRIS), funded by European Space Agency (ESA), evaluates the potential and opportunities coming along with a global space-borne infrastructure for data transfer, clock synchronization and ranging. Gravity field recovery could be one of the first beneficiary applications of such an infrastructure. This paper analyzes and evaluates the two-way high-low satellite-to-satellite-tracking as a novel method and as a long-term perspective for the determination of the Earth's gravitational field, using it as a synergy of one-way high-low combined with low-low satellite-to-satellite-tracking, in order to generate adequate de-aliasing products. First planned as a constellation of geostationary satellites, it turned out, that an integration of European Union Global Navigation Satellite System (Galileo) satellites (equipped with inter-Galileo links) into a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) constellation would extend the capability of such a mission constellation remarkably. We report about simulations of different Galileo and Low Earth Orbiter (LEO) satellite constellations, computed using time variable geophysical background models, to determine temporal changes in the Earth's gravitational field. Our work aims at an error analysis of this new satellite/instrument scenario by investigating the impact of different error sources. Compared to a low-low satellite-to-satellite-tracking mission, results show reduced temporal aliasing errors due to a more isotropic error behavior caused by an improved observation geometry, predominantly in near-radial direction within the inter-satellite-links, as well as the potential of an improved gravity recovery with higher spatial and temporal resolution. The major error contributors of temporal gravity retrieval are aliasing errors due to undersampling of high frequency signals (mainly atmosphere, ocean and ocean tides). In this context, we investigate adequate methods to reduce these errors. We vary the number of Galileo and LEO satellites and show reduced errors in the temporal gravity field solutions for this enhanced inter-satellite-links. Based on the GETRIS infrastructure, the multiplicity of satellites enables co-estimating short-period long-wavelength gravity field signals, indicating it as powerful method for non-tidal aliasing reduction.

Reduction in chemotherapy order errors with computerized physician order entry.

PubMed

Meisenberg, Barry R; Wright, Robert R; Brady-Copertino, Catherine J

2014-01-01

To measure the number and type of errors associated with chemotherapy order composition associated with three sequential methods of ordering: handwritten orders, preprinted orders, and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) embedded in the electronic health record. From 2008 to 2012, a sample of completed chemotherapy orders were reviewed by a pharmacist for the number and type of errors as part of routine performance improvement monitoring. Error frequencies for each of the three distinct methods of composing chemotherapy orders were compared using statistical methods. The rate of problematic order sets-those requiring significant rework for clarification-was reduced from 30.6% with handwritten orders to 12.6% with preprinted orders (preprinted v handwritten, P < .001) to 2.2% with CPOE (preprinted v CPOE, P < .001). The incidence of errors capable of causing harm was reduced from 4.2% with handwritten orders to 1.5% with preprinted orders (preprinted v handwritten, P < .001) to 0.1% with CPOE (CPOE v preprinted, P < .001). The number of problem- and error-containing chemotherapy orders was reduced sequentially by preprinted order sets and then by CPOE. CPOE is associated with low error rates, but it did not eliminate all errors, and the technology can introduce novel types of errors not seen with traditional handwritten or preprinted orders. Vigilance even with CPOE is still required to avoid patient harm.

Certified dual-corrected radiation patterns of phased antenna arrays by offline–online order reduction of finite-element models

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

Sommer, A., E-mail: a.sommer@lte.uni-saarland.de; Farle, O., E-mail: o.farle@lte.uni-saarland.de; Dyczij-Edlinger, R., E-mail: edlinger@lte.uni-saarland.de

2015-10-15

This paper presents a fast numerical method for computing certified far-field patterns of phased antenna arrays over broad frequency bands as well as wide ranges of steering and look angles. The proposed scheme combines finite-element analysis, dual-corrected model-order reduction, and empirical interpolation. To assure the reliability of the results, improved a posteriori error bounds for the radiated power and directive gain are derived. Both the reduced-order model and the error-bounds algorithm feature offline–online decomposition. A real-world example is provided to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the suggested approach.

How do Community Pharmacies Recover from E-prescription Errors?

PubMed Central

Odukoya, Olufunmilola K.; Stone, Jamie A.; Chui, Michelle A.

2014-01-01

Background The use of e-prescribing is increasing annually, with over 788 million e-prescriptions received in US pharmacies in 2012. Approximately 9% of e-prescriptions have medication errors. Objective To describe the process used by community pharmacy staff to detect, explain, and correct e-prescription errors. Methods The error recovery conceptual framework was employed for data collection and analysis. 13 pharmacists and 14 technicians from five community pharmacies in Wisconsin participated in the study. A combination of data collection methods were utilized, including direct observations, interviews, and focus groups. The transcription and content analysis of recordings were guided by the three-step error recovery model. Results Most of the e-prescription errors were detected during the entering of information into the pharmacy system. These errors were detected by both pharmacists and technicians using a variety of strategies which included: (1) performing double checks of e-prescription information; (2) printing the e-prescription to paper and confirming the information on the computer screen with information from the paper printout; and (3) using colored pens to highlight important information. Strategies used for explaining errors included: (1) careful review of patient’ medication history; (2) pharmacist consultation with patients; (3) consultation with another pharmacy team member; and (4) use of online resources. In order to correct e-prescription errors, participants made educated guesses of the prescriber’s intent or contacted the prescriber via telephone or fax. When e-prescription errors were encountered in the community pharmacies, the primary goal of participants was to get the order right for patients by verifying the prescriber’s intent. Conclusion Pharmacists and technicians play an important role in preventing e-prescription errors through the detection of errors and the verification of prescribers’ intent. Future studies are needed to examine factors that facilitate or hinder recovery from e-prescription errors. PMID:24373898

Top-down and bottom-up definitions of human failure events in human reliability analysis

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

Boring, Ronald Laurids

2014-10-01

In the probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) used in the nuclear industry, human failure events (HFEs) are determined as a subset of hardware failures, namely those hardware failures that could be triggered by human action or inaction. This approach is top-down, starting with hardware faults and deducing human contributions to those faults. Elsewhere, more traditionally human factors driven approaches would tend to look at opportunities for human errors first in a task analysis and then identify which of those errors is risk significant. The intersection of top-down and bottom-up approaches to defining HFEs has not been carefully studied. Ideally, both approachesmore » should arrive at the same set of HFEs. This question is crucial, however, as human reliability analysis (HRA) methods are generalized to new domains like oil and gas. The HFEs used in nuclear PRAs tend to be top-down—defined as a subset of the PRA—whereas the HFEs used in petroleum quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) often tend to be bottom-up—derived from a task analysis conducted by human factors experts. The marriage of these approaches is necessary in order to ensure that HRA methods developed for top-down HFEs are also sufficient for bottom-up applications.« less

Predicting the thermal/structural performance of the atmospheric trace molecules spectroscopy /ATMOS/ Fourier transform spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. M.

1980-01-01

ATMOS is a Fourier transform spectrometer to measure atmospheric trace molecules over a spectral range of 2-16 microns. Assessment of the system performance of ATMOS includes evaluations of optical system errors induced by thermal and structural effects. In order to assess the optical system errors induced from thermal and structural effects, error budgets are assembled during system engineering tasks and line of sight and wavefront deformations predictions (using operational thermal and vibration environments and computer models) are subsequently compared to the error budgets. This paper discusses the thermal/structural error budgets, modelling and analysis methods used to predict thermal/structural induced errors and the comparisons that show that predictions are within the error budgets.

Accurate Realization of GPS Vertical Global Reference Frame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elosegui, Pedro

2004-01-01

The few millimeter per year level accuracy of radial global velocity estimates with the Global Positioning System (GPS) is at least an order of magnitude poorer than the accuracy of horizontal global motions. An improvement in the accuracy of radial global velocities would have a very positive impact on a number of geophysical studies of current general interest such as global sea-level and climate change, coastal hazards, glacial isostatic adjustment, atmospheric and oceanic loading, glaciology and ice mass variability, tectonic deformation and volcanic inflation, and geoid variability. The goal of this project is to improve our current understanding of GPS error sources associated with estimates of radial velocities at global scales. GPS error sources relevant to this project can be classified in two broad categories: (1) those related to the analysis of the GPS phase observable, and (2) those related to the combination of the positions and velocities of a set of globally distributed stations as determined from the analysis of GPS data important aspect in the first category include the effect on vertical rate estimates due to standard analysis choices, such as orbit modeling, network geometry, ambiguity resolution, as well as errors in models (or simply the lack of models) for clocks, multipath, phase-center variations, atmosphere, and solid-Earth tides. The second category includes the possible methods of combining and defining terrestrial reference flames for determining vertical velocities in a global scale. The latter has been the subject of our research activities during this reporting period.

Digital Mirror Device Application in Reduction of Wave-front Phase Errors

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yaping; Liu, Yan; Wang, Shuxue

2009-01-01

In order to correct the image distortion created by the mixing/shear layer, creative and effectual correction methods are necessary. First, a method combining adaptive optics (AO) correction with a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) is presented. Second, performance of an AO system using the Phase Diverse Speckle (PDS) principle is characterized in detail. Through combining the DMD method with PDS, a significant reduction in wavefront phase error is achieved in simulations and experiments. This kind of complex correction principle can be used to recovery the degraded images caused by unforeseen error sources. PMID:22574016

Errata: Response Analysis and Error Diagnosis Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Robert S.

This guide to ERRATA, a set of HyperCard-based tools for response analysis and error diagnosis in language testing, is intended as a user manual and general reference and designed to be used with the software (not included here). It has three parts. The first is a brief survey of computational techniques available for dealing with student test…

Analysis of the impact of error detection on computer performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, K. C.; Lee, Y. H.

1983-01-01

Conventionally, reliability analyses either assume that a fault/error is detected immediately following its occurrence, or neglect damages caused by latent errors. Though unrealistic, this assumption was imposed in order to avoid the difficulty of determining the respective probabilities that a fault induces an error and the error is then detected in a random amount of time after its occurrence. As a remedy for this problem a model is proposed to analyze the impact of error detection on computer performance under moderate assumptions. Error latency, the time interval between occurrence and the moment of detection, is used to measure the effectiveness of a detection mechanism. This model is used to: (1) predict the probability of producing an unreliable result, and (2) estimate the loss of computation due to fault and/or error.

Computer Series, 17: Bits and Pieces, 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, John W., Ed.

1981-01-01

Contains short descriptions of computer programs or hardware that simulate laboratory instruments or results of kinetics experiments, including ones that include experiment error, numerical simulation, first-order kinetic mechanisms, a game for decisionmaking, and simulated mass spectrophotometers. (CS)

A framework for analyzing the cognitive complexity of computer-assisted clinical ordering.

PubMed

Horsky, Jan; Kaufman, David R; Oppenheim, Michael I; Patel, Vimla L

2003-01-01

Computer-assisted provider order entry is a technology that is designed to expedite medical ordering and to reduce the frequency of preventable errors. This paper presents a multifaceted cognitive methodology for the characterization of cognitive demands of a medical information system. Our investigation was informed by the distributed resources (DR) model, a novel approach designed to describe the dimensions of user interfaces that introduce unnecessary cognitive complexity. This method evaluates the relative distribution of external (system) and internal (user) representations embodied in system interaction. We conducted an expert walkthrough evaluation of a commercial order entry system, followed by a simulated clinical ordering task performed by seven clinicians. The DR model was employed to explain variation in user performance and to characterize the relationship of resource distribution and ordering errors. The analysis revealed that the configuration of resources in this ordering application placed unnecessarily heavy cognitive demands on the user, especially on those who lacked a robust conceptual model of the system. The resources model also provided some insight into clinicians' interactive strategies and patterns of associated errors. Implications for user training and interface design based on the principles of human-computer interaction in the medical domain are discussed.

Methods for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

DOEpatents

Chan, George C. Y. [Bloomington, IN; Hieftje, Gary M [Bloomington, IN

2010-08-03

A method for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). ICP-AES analysis is performed across a plurality of selected locations in the plasma on an unknown sample, collecting the light intensity at one or more selected wavelengths of one or more sought-for analytes, creating a first dataset. The first dataset is then calibrated with a calibration dataset creating a calibrated first dataset curve. If the calibrated first dataset curve has a variability along the location within the plasma for a selected wavelength, errors are present. Plasma-related errors are then corrected by diluting the unknown sample and performing the same ICP-AES analysis on the diluted unknown sample creating a calibrated second dataset curve (accounting for the dilution) for the one or more sought-for analytes. The cross-over point of the calibrated dataset curves yields the corrected value (free from plasma related errors) for each sought-for analyte.

First Order Reliability Application and Verification Methods for Semistatic Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verderaime, Vincent

1994-01-01

Escalating risks of aerostructures stimulated by increasing size, complexity, and cost should no longer be ignored by conventional deterministic safety design methods. The deterministic pass-fail concept is incompatible with probability and risk assessments, its stress audits are shown to be arbitrary and incomplete, and it compromises high strength materials performance. A reliability method is proposed which combines first order reliability principles with deterministic design variables and conventional test technique to surmount current deterministic stress design and audit deficiencies. Accumulative and propagation design uncertainty errors are defined and appropriately implemented into the classical safety index expression. The application is reduced to solving for a factor that satisfies the specified reliability and compensates for uncertainty errors, and then using this factor as, and instead of, the conventional safety factor in stress analyses. The resulting method is consistent with current analytical skills and verification practices, the culture of most designers, and with the pace of semistatic structural designs.

Syntactical and Punctuation Errors: An Analysis of Technical Writing of University Students Science College, Taif University, KSA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alamin, Abdulamir; Ahmed, Sawsan

2012-01-01

Analyzing errors committed by second language learners during their first year of study at the University of Taif, can offer insights and knowledge of the learners' difficulties in acquiring technical English communication. With reference to the errors analyzed, the researcher found that the learners' failure to understand basic English grammar…

Propeller thrust analysis using Prandtl's lifting line theory, a comparison between the experimental thrust and the thrust predicted by Prandtl's lifting line theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesler, Steven R.

The lifting line theory was first developed by Prandtl and was used primarily on analysis of airplane wings. Though the theory is about one hundred years old, it is still used in the initial calculations to find the lift of a wing. The question that guided this thesis was, "How close does Prandtl's lifting line theory predict the thrust of a propeller?" In order to answer this question, an experiment was designed that measured the thrust of a propeller for different speeds. The measured thrust was compared to what the theory predicted. In order to do this experiment and analysis, a propeller needed to be used. A walnut wood ultralight propeller was chosen that had a 1.30 meter (51 inches) length from tip to tip. In this thesis, Prandtl's lifting line theory was modified to account for the different incoming velocity depending on the radial position of the airfoil. A modified equation was used to reflect these differences. A working code was developed based on this modified equation. A testing rig was built that allowed the propeller to be rotated at high speeds while measuring the thrust. During testing, the rotational speed of the propeller ranged from 13-43 rotations per second. The thrust from the propeller was measured at different speeds and ranged from 16-33 Newton's. The test data were then compared to the theoretical results obtained from the lifting line code. A plot in Chapter 5 (the results section) shows the theoretical vs. actual thrust for different rotational speeds. The theory over predicted the actual thrust of the propeller. Depending on the rotational speed, the error was: at low speeds 36%, at low to moderate speeds 84%, and at high speeds the error increased to 195%. Different reasons for these errors are discussed.

The formulation and estimation of a spatial skew-normal generalized ordered-response model.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

This paper proposes a new spatial generalized ordered response model with skew-normal kernel error terms and an : associated estimation method. It contributes to the spatial analysis field by allowing a flexible and parametric skew-normal : distribut...

Projection-Based Reduced Order Modeling for Spacecraft Thermal Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Qian, Jing; Wang, Yi; Song, Hongjun; Pant, Kapil; Peabody, Hume; Ku, Jentung; Butler, Charles D.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a mathematically rigorous, subspace projection-based reduced order modeling (ROM) methodology and an integrated framework to automatically generate reduced order models for spacecraft thermal analysis. Two key steps in the reduced order modeling procedure are described: (1) the acquisition of a full-scale spacecraft model in the ordinary differential equation (ODE) and differential algebraic equation (DAE) form to resolve its dynamic thermal behavior; and (2) the ROM to markedly reduce the dimension of the full-scale model. Specifically, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) in conjunction with discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM) and trajectory piece-wise linear (TPWL) methods are developed to address the strong nonlinear thermal effects due to coupled conductive and radiative heat transfer in the spacecraft environment. Case studies using NASA-relevant satellite models are undertaken to verify the capability and to assess the computational performance of the ROM technique in terms of speed-up and error relative to the full-scale model. ROM exhibits excellent agreement in spatiotemporal thermal profiles (<0.5% relative error in pertinent time scales) along with salient computational acceleration (up to two orders of magnitude speed-up) over the full-scale analysis. These findings establish the feasibility of ROM to perform rational and computationally affordable thermal analysis, develop reliable thermal control strategies for spacecraft, and greatly reduce the development cycle times and costs.

Defining near misses: towards a sharpened definition based on empirical data about error handling processes.

PubMed

Kessels-Habraken, Marieke; Van der Schaaf, Tjerk; De Jonge, Jan; Rutte, Christel

2010-05-01

Medical errors in health care still occur frequently. Unfortunately, errors cannot be completely prevented and 100% safety can never be achieved. Therefore, in addition to error reduction strategies, health care organisations could also implement strategies that promote timely error detection and correction. Reporting and analysis of so-called near misses - usually defined as incidents without adverse consequences for patients - are necessary to gather information about successful error recovery mechanisms. This study establishes the need for a clearer and more consistent definition of near misses to enable large-scale reporting and analysis in order to obtain such information. Qualitative incident reports and interviews were collected on four units of two Dutch general hospitals. Analysis of the 143 accompanying error handling processes demonstrated that different incident types each provide unique information about error handling. Specifically, error handling processes underlying incidents that did not reach the patient differed significantly from those of incidents that reached the patient, irrespective of harm, because of successful countermeasures that had been taken after error detection. We put forward two possible definitions of near misses and argue that, from a practical point of view, the optimal definition may be contingent on organisational context. Both proposed definitions could yield large-scale reporting of near misses. Subsequent analysis could enable health care organisations to improve the safety and quality of care proactively by (1) eliminating failure factors before real accidents occur, (2) enhancing their ability to intercept errors in time, and (3) improving their safety culture. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a fault tolerant system for an integrated avionics sensor configuration with TSRV flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caglayan, A. K.; Godiwala, P. M.

1985-01-01

The performance analysis results of a fault inferring nonlinear detection system (FINDS) using sensor flight data for the NASA ATOPS B-737 aircraft in a Microwave Landing System (MLS) environment is presented. First, a statistical analysis of the flight recorded sensor data was made in order to determine the characteristics of sensor inaccuracies. Next, modifications were made to the detection and decision functions in the FINDS algorithm in order to improve false alarm and failure detection performance under real modelling errors present in the flight data. Finally, the failure detection and false alarm performance of the FINDS algorithm were analyzed by injecting bias failures into fourteen sensor outputs over six repetitive runs of the five minute flight data. In general, the detection speed, failure level estimation, and false alarm performance showed a marked improvement over the previously reported simulation runs. In agreement with earlier results, detection speed was faster for filter measurement sensors soon as MLS than for filter input sensors such as flight control accelerometers.

cyclostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy and organic matter accumulation mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cong, F.; Li, J.

2016-12-01

The first member of Maokou Formation of Sichuan basin is composed of well preserved carbonate ramp couplets of limestone and marlstone/shale. It acts as one of the potential shale gas source rock, and is suitable for time-series analysis. We conducted time-series analysis to identify high-frequency sequences, reconstruct high-resolution sedimentation rate, estimate detailed primary productivity for the first time in the study intervals and discuss organic matter accumulation mechanism of source rock under sequence stratigraphic framework.Using the theory of cyclostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy, the high-frequency sequences of one outcrop profile and one drilling well are identified. Two third-order sequences and eight fourth-order sequences are distinguished on outcrop profile based on the cycle stacking patterns. For drilling well, sequence boundary and four system tracts is distinguished by "integrated prediction error filter analysis" (INPEFA) of Gamma-ray logging data, and eight fourth-order sequences is identified by 405ka long eccentricity curve in depth domain which is quantified and filtered by integrated analysis of MTM spectral analysis, evolutive harmonic analysis (EHA), evolutive average spectral misfit (eASM) and band-pass filtering. It suggests that high-frequency sequences correlate well with Milankovitch orbital signals recorded in sediments, and it is applicable to use cyclostratigraphy theory in dividing high-frequency(4-6 orders) sequence stratigraphy.High-resolution sedimentation rate is reconstructed through the study interval by tracking the highly statistically significant short eccentricity component (123ka) revealed by EHA. Based on sedimentation rate, measured TOC and density data, the burial flux, delivery flux and primary productivity of organic carbon was estimated. By integrating redox proxies, we can discuss the controls on organic matter accumulation by primary production and preservation under the high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework. Results show that high average organic carbon contents in the study interval are mainly attributed to high primary production. The results also show a good correlation between high organic carbon accumulation and intervals of transgression.

Sampling strategies based on singular vectors for assimilated models in ocean forecasting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattorini, Maria; Brandini, Carlo; Ortolani, Alberto

2016-04-01

Meteorological and oceanographic models do need observations, not only as a ground truth element to verify the quality of the models, but also to keep model forecast error acceptable: through data assimilation techniques which merge measured and modelled data, natural divergence of numerical solutions from reality can be reduced / controlled and a more reliable solution - called analysis - is computed. Although this concept is valid in general, its application, especially in oceanography, raises many problems due to three main reasons: the difficulties that have ocean models in reaching an acceptable state of equilibrium, the high measurements cost and the difficulties in realizing them. The performances of the data assimilation procedures depend on the particular observation networks in use, well beyond the background quality and the used assimilation method. In this study we will present some results concerning the great impact of the dataset configuration, in particular measurements position, on the evaluation of the overall forecasting reliability of an ocean model. The aim consists in identifying operational criteria to support the design of marine observation networks at regional scale. In order to identify the observation network able to minimize the forecast error, a methodology based on Singular Vectors Decomposition of the tangent linear model is proposed. Such a method can give strong indications on the local error dynamics. In addition, for the purpose of avoiding redundancy of information contained in the data, a minimal distance among data positions has been chosen on the base of a spatial correlation analysis of the hydrodynamic fields under investigation. This methodology has been applied for the choice of data positions starting from simplified models, like an ideal double-gyre model and a quasi-geostrophic one. Model configurations and data assimilation are based on available ROMS routines, where a variational assimilation algorithm (4D-var) is included as part of the code These first applications have provided encouraging results in terms of increased predictability time and reduced forecast error, also improving the quality of the analysis used to recover the real circulation patterns from a first guess quite far from the real state.

Ideas for a pattern-oriented approach towards a VERA analysis ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorgas, T.; Dorninger, M.

2010-09-01

Ideas for a pattern-oriented approach towards a VERA analysis ensemble For many applications in meteorology and especially for verification purposes it is important to have some information about the uncertainties of observation and analysis data. A high quality of these "reference data" is an absolute necessity as the uncertainties are reflected in verification measures. The VERA (Vienna Enhanced Resolution Analysis) scheme includes a sophisticated quality control tool which accounts for the correction of observational data and provides an estimation of the observation uncertainty. It is crucial for meteorologically and physically reliable analysis fields. VERA is based on a variational principle and does not need any first guess fields. It is therefore NWP model independent and can also be used as an unbiased reference for real time model verification. For downscaling purposes VERA uses an a priori knowledge on small-scale physical processes over complex terrain, the so called "fingerprint technique", which transfers information from rich to data sparse regions. The enhanced Joint D-PHASE and COPS data set forms the data base for the analysis ensemble study. For the WWRP projects D-PHASE and COPS a joint activity has been started to collect GTS and non-GTS data from the national and regional meteorological services in Central Europe for 2007. Data from more than 11.000 stations are available for high resolution analyses. The usage of random numbers as perturbations for ensemble experiments is a common approach in meteorology. In most implementations, like for NWP-model ensemble systems, the focus lies on error growth and propagation on the spatial and temporal scale. When defining errors in analysis fields we have to consider the fact that analyses are not time dependent and that no perturbation method aimed at temporal evolution is possible. Further, the method applied should respect two major sources of analysis errors: Observation errors AND analysis or interpolation errors. With the concept of an analysis ensemble we hope to get a more detailed sight on both sources of analysis errors. For the computation of the VERA ensemble members a sample of Gaussian random perturbations is produced for each station and parameter. The deviation of perturbations is based on the correction proposals by the VERA QC scheme to provide some "natural" limits for the ensemble. In order to put more emphasis on the weather situation we aim to integrate the main synoptic field structures as weighting factors for the perturbations. Two widely approved approaches are used for the definition of these main field structures: The Principal Component Analysis and a 2D-Discrete Wavelet Transform. The results of tests concerning the implementation of this pattern-supported analysis ensemble system and a comparison of the different approaches are given in the presentation.

Improving Patient Safety With Error Identification in Chemotherapy Orders by Verification Nurses.

PubMed

Baldwin, Abigail; Rodriguez, Elizabeth S

2016-02-01

The prevalence of medication errors associated with chemotherapy administration is not precisely known. Little evidence exists concerning the extent or nature of errors; however, some evidence demonstrates that errors are related to prescribing. This article demonstrates how the review of chemotherapy orders by a designated nurse known as a verification nurse (VN) at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center helps to identify prescribing errors that may prevent chemotherapy administration mistakes and improve patient safety in outpatient infusion units. This article will describe the role of the VN and details of the verification process. To identify benefits of the VN role, a retrospective review and analysis of chemotherapy near-miss events from 2009-2014 was performed. A total of 4,282 events related to chemotherapy were entered into the Reporting to Improve Safety and Quality system. A majority of the events were categorized as near-miss events, or those that, because of chance, did not result in patient injury, and were identified at the point of prescribing.

An arbitrary-order staggered time integrator for the linear acoustic wave equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jaejoon; Park, Hyunseo; Park, Yoonseo; Shin, Changsoo

2018-02-01

We suggest a staggered time integrator whose order of accuracy can arbitrarily be extended to solve the linear acoustic wave equation. A strategy to select the appropriate order of accuracy is also proposed based on the error analysis that quantitatively predicts the truncation error of the numerical solution. This strategy not only reduces the computational cost several times, but also allows us to flexibly set the modelling parameters such as the time step length, grid interval and P-wave speed. It is demonstrated that the proposed method can almost eliminate temporal dispersive errors during long term simulations regardless of the heterogeneity of the media and time step lengths. The method can also be successfully applied to the source problem with an absorbing boundary condition, which is frequently encountered in the practical usage for the imaging algorithms or the inverse problems.

Angular rate optimal design for the rotary strapdown inertial navigation system.

PubMed

Yu, Fei; Sun, Qian

2014-04-22

Due to the characteristics of high precision for a long duration, the rotary strapdown inertial navigation system (RSINS) has been widely used in submarines and surface ships. Nowadays, the core technology, the rotating scheme, has been studied by numerous researchers. It is well known that as one of the key technologies, the rotating angular rate seriously influences the effectiveness of the error modulating. In order to design the optimal rotating angular rate of the RSINS, the relationship between the rotating angular rate and the velocity error of the RSINS was analyzed in detail based on the Laplace transform and the inverse Laplace transform in this paper. The analysis results showed that the velocity error of the RSINS depends on not only the sensor error, but also the rotating angular rate. In order to minimize the velocity error, the rotating angular rate of the RSINS should match the sensor error. One optimal design method for the rotating rate of the RSINS was also proposed in this paper. Simulation and experimental results verified the validity and superiority of this optimal design method for the rotating rate of the RSINS.

The incidence and severity of errors in pharmacist-written discharge medication orders.

PubMed

Onatade, Raliat; Sawieres, Sara; Veck, Alexandra; Smith, Lindsay; Gore, Shivani; Al-Azeib, Sumiah

2017-08-01

Background Errors in discharge prescriptions are problematic. When hospital pharmacists write discharge prescriptions improvements are seen in the quality and efficiency of discharge. There is limited information on the incidence of errors in pharmacists' medication orders. Objective To investigate the extent and clinical significance of errors in pharmacist-written discharge medication orders. Setting 1000-bed teaching hospital in London, UK. Method Pharmacists in this London hospital routinely write discharge medication orders as part of the clinical pharmacy service. Convenient days, based on researcher availability, between October 2013 and January 2014 were selected. Pre-registration pharmacists reviewed all discharge medication orders written by pharmacists on these days and identified discrepancies between the medication history, inpatient chart, patient records and discharge summary. A senior clinical pharmacist confirmed the presence of an error. Each error was assigned a potential clinical significance rating (based on the NCCMERP scale) by a physician and an independent senior clinical pharmacist, working separately. Main outcome measure Incidence of errors in pharmacist-written discharge medication orders. Results 509 prescriptions, written by 51 pharmacists, containing 4258 discharge medication orders were assessed (8.4 orders per prescription). Ten prescriptions (2%), contained a total of ten erroneous orders (order error rate-0.2%). The pharmacist considered that one error had the potential to cause temporary harm (0.02% of all orders). The physician did not rate any of the errors with the potential to cause harm. Conclusion The incidence of errors in pharmacists' discharge medication orders was low. The quality, safety and policy implications of pharmacists routinely writing discharge medication orders should be further explored.

Daily water and sediment discharges from selected rivers of the eastern United States; a time-series modeling approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fitzgerald, Michael G.; Karlinger, Michael R.

1983-01-01

Time-series models were constructed for analysis of daily runoff and sediment discharge data from selected rivers of the Eastern United States. Logarithmic transformation and first-order differencing of the data sets were necessary to produce second-order, stationary time series and remove seasonal trends. Cyclic models accounted for less than 42 percent of the variance in the water series and 31 percent in the sediment series. Analysis of the apparent oscillations of given frequencies occurring in the data indicates that frequently occurring storms can account for as much as 50 percent of the variation in sediment discharge. Components of the frequency analysis indicate that a linear representation is reasonable for the water-sediment system. Models that incorporate lagged water discharge as input prove superior to univariate techniques in modeling and prediction of sediment discharges. The random component of the models includes errors in measurement and model hypothesis and indicates no serial correlation. An index of sediment production within or between drain-gage basins can be calculated from model parameters.

Utilization of advanced calibration techniques in stochastic rock fall analysis of quarry slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preh, Alexander; Ahmadabadi, Morteza; Kolenprat, Bernd

2016-04-01

In order to study rock fall dynamics, a research project was conducted by the Vienna University of Technology and the Austrian Central Labour Inspectorate (Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection). A part of this project included 277 full-scale drop tests at three different quarries in Austria and recording key parameters of the rock fall trajectories. The tests involved a total of 277 boulders ranging from 0.18 to 1.8 m in diameter and from 0.009 to 8.1 Mg in mass. The geology of these sites included strong rock belonging to igneous, metamorphic and volcanic types. In this paper the results of the tests are used for calibration and validation a new stochastic computer model. It is demonstrated that the error of the model (i.e. the difference between observed and simulated results) has a lognormal distribution. Selecting two parameters, advanced calibration techniques including Markov Chain Monte Carlo Technique, Maximum Likelihood and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are utilized to minimize the error. Validation of the model based on the cross validation technique reveals that in general, reasonable stochastic approximations of the rock fall trajectories are obtained in all dimensions, including runout, bounce heights and velocities. The approximations are compared to the measured data in terms of median, 95% and maximum values. The results of the comparisons indicate that approximate first-order predictions, using a single set of input parameters, are possible and can be used to aid practical hazard and risk assessment.

Filtering Airborne LIDAR Data by AN Improved Morphological Method Based on Multi-Gradient Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.

2013-05-01

The technology of airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) is capable of acquiring dense and accurate 3D geospatial data. Although many related efforts have been made by a lot of researchers in the last few years, LIDAR data filtering is still a challenging task, especially for area with high relief or hybrid geographic features. In order to address the bare-ground extraction from LIDAR point clouds of complex landscapes, a novel morphological filtering algorithm is proposed based on multi-gradient analysis in terms of the characteristic of LIDAR data distribution in this paper. Firstly, point clouds are organized by an index mesh. Then, the multigradient of each point is calculated using the morphological method. And, objects are removed gradually by choosing some points to carry on an improved opening operation constrained by multi-gradient iteratively. 15 sample data provided by ISPRS Working Group III/3 are employed to test the filtering algorithm proposed. These sample data include those environments that may lead to filtering difficulty. Experimental results show that filtering algorithm proposed by this paper is of high adaptability to various scenes including urban and rural areas. Omission error, commission error and total error can be simultaneously controlled in a relatively small interval. This algorithm can efficiently remove object points while preserves ground points to a great degree.

Real-time precise orbit determination of LEO satellites using a single-frequency GPS receiver: Preliminary results of Chinese SJ-9A satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiucong; Han, Chao; Chen, Pei

2017-10-01

Spaceborne Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers are widely used for orbit determination of low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites. With the improvement of measurement accuracy, single-frequency receivers are recently considered for low-cost small satellite missions. In this paper, a Schmidt-Kalman filter which processes single-frequency GPS measurements and broadcast ephemerides is proposed for real-time precise orbit determination of LEO satellites. The C/A code and L1 phase are linearly combined to eliminate the first-order ionospheric effects. Systematic errors due to ionospheric delay residual, group delay variation, phase center variation, and broadcast ephemeris errors, are lumped together into a noise term, which is modeled as a first-order Gauss-Markov process. In order to reduce computational complexity, the colored noise is considered rather than estimated in the orbit determination process. This ensures that the covariance matrix accurately represents the distribution of estimation errors without increasing the dimension of the state vector. The orbit determination algorithm is tested with actual flight data from the single-frequency GPS receiver onboard China's small satellite Shi Jian-9A (SJ-9A). Preliminary results using a 7-h data arc on October 25, 2012 show that the Schmidt-Kalman filter performs better than the standard Kalman filter in terms of accuracy.

Birth/death process model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solloway, C. B.; Wakeland, W.

1976-01-01

First-order Markov model developed on digital computer for population with specific characteristics. System is user interactive, self-documenting, and does not require user to have complete understanding of underlying model details. Contains thorough error-checking algorithms on input and default capabilities.

A New Design of the Test Rig to Measure the Transmission Error of Automobile Gearbox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Yixuan; Zhou, Xiaoqin; He, Xiuzhi; Liu, Zufei; Liu, Qiang

2017-12-01

Noise and vibration affect the performance of automobile gearbox. And transmission error has been regarded as an important excitation source in gear system. Most of current research is focused on the measurement and analysis of single gear drive, and few investigations on the transmission error measurement in complete gearbox were conducted. In order to measure transmission error in a complete automobile gearbox, a kind of electrically closed test rig is developed. Based on the principle of modular design, the test rig can be used to test different types of gearbox by adding necessary modules. The test rig for front engine, rear-wheel-drive gearbox is constructed. And static and modal analysis methods are taken to verify the performance of a key component.

Using EHR Data to Detect Prescribing Errors in Rapidly Discontinued Medication Orders.

PubMed

Burlison, Jonathan D; McDaniel, Robert B; Baker, Donald K; Hasan, Murad; Robertson, Jennifer J; Howard, Scott C; Hoffman, James M

2018-01-01

Previous research developed a new method for locating prescribing errors in rapidly discontinued electronic medication orders. Although effective, the prospective design of that research hinders its feasibility for regular use. Our objectives were to assess a method to retrospectively detect prescribing errors, to characterize the identified errors, and to identify potential improvement opportunities. Electronically submitted medication orders from 28 randomly selected days that were discontinued within 120 minutes of submission were reviewed and categorized as most likely errors, nonerrors, or not enough information to determine status. Identified errors were evaluated by amount of time elapsed from original submission to discontinuation, error type, staff position, and potential clinical significance. Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare rates of errors across prescriber types. In all, 147 errors were identified in 305 medication orders. The method was most effective for orders that were discontinued within 90 minutes. Duplicate orders were most common; physicians in training had the highest error rate ( p  < 0.001), and 24 errors were potentially clinically significant. None of the errors were voluntarily reported. It is possible to identify prescribing errors in rapidly discontinued medication orders by using retrospective methods that do not require interrupting prescribers to discuss order details. Future research could validate our methods in different clinical settings. Regular use of this measure could help determine the causes of prescribing errors, track performance, and identify and evaluate interventions to improve prescribing systems and processes. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

Further reply to remarks of R Cross on ‘A comparative study of two types of ball-on-ball collision’

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Colin

2018-03-01

In this letter, I show how a perceived approximation error in my first letter, White (2017 Phys. Ed. 53 016502) concerning my explanation of the dynamic motion of two interacting Newtons Cradle balls, proves to me insignificant. Although these second and third order errors described are shown to be minimal, they do raise the opportunity to discuss the precise and more intricate ball interactions in finer detail.

LOOP- SIMULATION OF THE AUTOMATIC FREQUENCY CONTROL SUBSYSTEM OF A DIFFERENTIAL MINIMUM SHIFT KEYING RECEIVER

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davarian, F.

1994-01-01

The LOOP computer program was written to simulate the Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) subsystem of a Differential Minimum Shift Keying (DMSK) receiver with a bit rate of 2400 baud. The AFC simulated by LOOP is a first order loop configuration with a first order R-C filter. NASA has been investigating the concept of mobile communications based on low-cost, low-power terminals linked via geostationary satellites. Studies have indicated that low bit rate transmission is suitable for this application, particularly from the frequency and power conservation point of view. A bit rate of 2400 BPS is attractive due to its applicability to the linear predictive coding of speech. Input to LOOP includes the following: 1) the initial frequency error; 2) the double-sided loop noise bandwidth; 3) the filter time constants; 4) the amount of intersymbol interference; and 5) the bit energy to noise spectral density. LOOP output includes: 1) the bit number and the frequency error of that bit; 2) the computed mean of the frequency error; and 3) the standard deviation of the frequency error. LOOP is written in MS SuperSoft FORTRAN 77 for interactive execution and has been implemented on an IBM PC operating under PC DOS with a memory requirement of approximately 40K of 8 bit bytes. This program was developed in 1986.

First-Order System Least-Squares for Second-Order Elliptic Problems with Discontinuous Coefficients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manteuffel, Thomas A.; McCormick, Stephen F.; Starke, Gerhard

1996-01-01

The first-order system least-squares methodology represents an alternative to standard mixed finite element methods. Among its advantages is the fact that the finite element spaces approximating the pressure and flux variables are not restricted by the inf-sup condition and that the least-squares functional itself serves as an appropriate error measure. This paper studies the first-order system least-squares approach for scalar second-order elliptic boundary value problems with discontinuous coefficients. Ellipticity of an appropriately scaled least-squares bilinear form of the size of the jumps in the coefficients leading to adequate finite element approximation results. The occurrence of singularities at interface corners and cross-points is discussed. and a weighted least-squares functional is introduced to handle such cases. Numerical experiments are presented for two test problems to illustrate the performance of this approach.

An Application of Linear Covariance Analysis to the Design of Responsive Near-Rendezvous Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

accurately before making large ma- neuvers. A fifth type of error is maneuver knowledge error (MKER). This error accounts for how well a spacecraft is able...utilized due in a large part to the cost of designing and launching spacecraft , in a market where currently there are not many options for launching...is then ordered to fire its thrusters to increase its orbital altitude to 800 km. Before the maneuver the spacecraft is moving with some velocity, V

Global Warming Estimation from MSU: Correction for Drift and Calibration Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prabhakara, C.; Iacovazzi, R., Jr.; Yoo, J.-M.

2000-01-01

Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) radiometer observations in Ch 2 (53.74 GHz), made in the nadir direction from sequential, sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting NOAA morning satellites (NOAA 6, 10 and 12 that have approximately 7am/7pm orbital geometry) and. afternoon satellites (NOAA 7, 9, 11 and 14 that have approximately 2am/2pm orbital geometry) are analyzed in this study to derive global temperature trend from 1980 to 1998. In order to remove the discontinuities between the data of the successive satellites and to get a continuous time series, first we have used shortest possible time record of each satellite. In this way we get a preliminary estimate of the global temperature trend of 0.21 K/decade. However, this estimate is affected by systematic time-dependent errors. One such error is the instrument calibration error eo. This error can be inferred whenever there are overlapping measurements made by two satellites over an extended period of time. From the available successive satellite data we have taken the longest possible time record of each satellite to form the time series during the period 1980 to 1998 to this error eo. We find eo can decrease the global temperature trend by approximately 0.07 K/decade. In addition there are systematic time dependent errors ed and ec present in the data that are introduced by the drift in the satellite orbital geometry. ed arises from the diurnal cycle in temperature and ec is the drift related change in the calibration of the MSU. In order to analyze the nature of these drift related errors the multi-satellite Ch 2 data set is partitioned into am and pm subsets to create two independent time series. The error ed can be assessed in the am and pm data of Ch 2 on land and can be eliminated. Observation made in the MSU Ch 1 (50.3 GHz) support this approach. The error ec is obvious only in the difference between the pm and am observations of Ch 2 over the ocean. We have followed two different paths to assess the impact of the error ec on the global temperature trend. In one path the entire error ec is placed in the am data while in the other it is placed in the pm data. Global temperature trend is increased or decreased by approximately 0.03 K/decade depending upon this placement. Taking into account all random errors and systematic errors our analysis of MSU observations leads us to conclude that a conservative estimate of the global warming is 0. 11 (+/-) 0.04 K/decade during 1980 to 1998.

Time-order errors and standard-position effects in duration discrimination: An experimental study and an analysis by the sensation-weighting model.

PubMed

Hellström, Åke; Rammsayer, Thomas H

2015-10-01

Studies have shown that the discriminability of successive time intervals depends on the presentation order of the standard (St) and the comparison (Co) stimuli. Also, this order affects the point of subjective equality. The first effect is here called the standard-position effect (SPE); the latter is known as the time-order error. In the present study, we investigated how these two effects vary across interval types and standard durations, using Hellström's sensation-weighting model to describe the results and relate them to stimulus comparison mechanisms. In Experiment 1, four modes of interval presentation were used, factorially combining interval type (filled, empty) and sensory modality (auditory, visual). For each mode, two presentation orders (St-Co, Co-St) and two standard durations (100 ms, 1,000 ms) were used; half of the participants received correctness feedback, and half of them did not. The interstimulus interval was 900 ms. The SPEs were negative (i.e., a smaller difference limen for St-Co than for Co-St), except for the filled-auditory and empty-visual 100-ms standards, for which a positive effect was obtained. In Experiment 2, duration discrimination was investigated for filled auditory intervals with four standards between 100 and 1,000 ms, an interstimulus interval of 900 ms, and no feedback. Standard duration interacted with presentation order, here yielding SPEs that were negative for standards of 100 and 1,000 ms, but positive for 215 and 464 ms. Our findings indicate that the SPE can be positive as well as negative, depending on the interval type and standard duration, reflecting the relative weighting of the stimulus information, as is described by the sensation-weighting model.

[From the concept of guilt to the value-free notification of errors in medicine. Risks, errors and patient safety].

PubMed

Haller, U; Welti, S; Haenggi, D; Fink, D

2005-06-01

The number of liability cases but also the size of individual claims due to alleged treatment errors are increasing steadily. Spectacular sentences, especially in the USA, encourage this trend. Wherever human beings work, errors happen. The health care system is particularly susceptible and shows a high potential for errors. Therefore risk management has to be given top priority in hospitals. Preparing the introduction of critical incident reporting (CIR) as the means to notify errors is time-consuming and calls for a change in attitude because in many places the necessary base of trust has to be created first. CIR is not made to find the guilty and punish them but to uncover the origins of errors in order to eliminate them. The Department of Anesthesiology of the University Hospital of Basel has developed an electronic error notification system, which, in collaboration with the Swiss Medical Association, allows each specialist society to participate electronically in a CIR system (CIRS) in order to create the largest database possible and thereby to allow statements concerning the extent and type of error sources in medicine. After a pilot project in 2000-2004, the Swiss Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics is now progressively introducing the 'CIRS Medical' of the Swiss Medical Association. In our country, such programs are vulnerable to judicial intervention due to the lack of explicit legal guarantees of protection. High-quality data registration and skillful counseling are all the more important. Hospital directors and managers are called upon to examine those incidents which are based on errors inherent in the system.

Absolute color scale for improved diagnostics with wavefront error mapping.

PubMed

Smolek, Michael K; Klyce, Stephen D

2007-11-01

Wavefront data are expressed in micrometers and referenced to the pupil plane, but current methods to map wavefront error lack standardization. Many use normalized or floating scales that may confuse the user by generating ambiguous, noisy, or varying information. An absolute scale that combines consistent clinical information with statistical relevance is needed for wavefront error mapping. The color contours should correspond better to current corneal topography standards to improve clinical interpretation. Retrospective analysis of wavefront error data. Historic ophthalmic medical records. Topographic modeling system topographical examinations of 120 corneas across 12 categories were used. Corneal wavefront error data in micrometers from each topography map were extracted at 8 Zernike polynomial orders and for 3 pupil diameters expressed in millimeters (3, 5, and 7 mm). Both total aberrations (orders 2 through 8) and higher-order aberrations (orders 3 through 8) were expressed in the form of frequency histograms to determine the working range of the scale across all categories. The standard deviation of the mean error of normal corneas determined the map contour resolution. Map colors were based on corneal topography color standards and on the ability to distinguish adjacent color contours through contrast. Higher-order and total wavefront error contour maps for different corneal conditions. An absolute color scale was produced that encompassed a range of +/-6.5 microm and a contour interval of 0.5 microm. All aberrations in the categorical database were plotted with no loss of clinical information necessary for classification. In the few instances where mapped information was beyond the range of the scale, the type and severity of aberration remained legible. When wavefront data are expressed in micrometers, this absolute scale facilitates the determination of the severity of aberrations present compared with a floating scale, particularly for distinguishing normal from abnormal levels of wavefront error. The new color palette makes it easier to identify disorders. The corneal mapping method can be extended to mapping whole eye wavefront errors. When refraction data are expressed in diopters, the previously published corneal topography scale is suggested.

Robustness of linkage strategy that leads to large-scale cooperation.

PubMed

Inaba, Misato; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Ohtsuki, Hisashi

2016-11-21

One of the most well-known models to characterize cooperation among unrelated individuals is Social dilemma (SD). However there is no consensus about how to solve the SD by itself. Since SDs are often embedded in other social interactions, including indirect reciprocity games (IR), human can coordinate their behaviors across multiple games. Such coordination is called 'linkage'. Recently linkage has been considered as a promising solution to resolve SDs, since excluding SD defectors (i.e. those who defected in SD) from indirectly reciprocal relationships functions as a costless sanction. A previous study performed mathematical modeling and revealed that a linkage strategy, which cooperates in SD and engages in the Standing strategy in IR based on the recipients' behaviors in both SD and IR, was an ESS against a non-linkage strategy which defects in SD and engages in the Standing strategy in IR based on recipients' behaviors only in IR (Panchanathan and Boyd, 2004). In order to investigate the robustness of the linkage strategy, we devised a non-linkage strategy, which cooperates in SD but does not link two games. First, we conducted a mathematical analysis and demonstrated that the linkage strategy was not an ESS against cooperating non-linkage strategy. Second, we conducted a series of agent-based computer simulations to examine how the strategies perform in situations in which various types of errors can occur. Our results showed that the linkage strategy was an ESS only when there are implementation errors in SD. However, the equilibrium of the linkage strategy was unstable when there are perception errors. Since we know that humans are not free from perception errors in their social life, future studies will need to show how perception errors can be overcome in order to provide support for the conclusion that linkage is a plausible solution to SDs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential benefit of electronic pharmacy claims data to prevent medication history errors and resultant inpatient order errors

PubMed Central

Palmer, Katherine A; Shane, Rita; Wu, Cindy N; Bell, Douglas S; Diaz, Frank; Cook-Wiens, Galen; Jackevicius, Cynthia A

2016-01-01

Objective We sought to assess the potential of a widely available source of electronic medication data to prevent medication history errors and resultant inpatient order errors. Methods We used admission medication history (AMH) data from a recent clinical trial that identified 1017 AMH errors and 419 resultant inpatient order errors among 194 hospital admissions of predominantly older adult patients on complex medication regimens. Among the subset of patients for whom we could access current Surescripts electronic pharmacy claims data (SEPCD), two pharmacists independently assessed error severity and our main outcome, which was whether SEPCD (1) was unrelated to the medication error; (2) probably would not have prevented the error; (3) might have prevented the error; or (4) probably would have prevented the error. Results Seventy patients had both AMH errors and current, accessible SEPCD. SEPCD probably would have prevented 110 (35%) of 315 AMH errors and 46 (31%) of 147 resultant inpatient order errors. When we excluded the least severe medication errors, SEPCD probably would have prevented 99 (47%) of 209 AMH errors and 37 (61%) of 61 resultant inpatient order errors. SEPCD probably would have prevented at least one AMH error in 42 (60%) of 70 patients. Conclusion When current SEPCD was available for older adult patients on complex medication regimens, it had substantial potential to prevent AMH errors and resultant inpatient order errors, with greater potential to prevent more severe errors. Further study is needed to measure the benefit of SEPCD in actual use at hospital admission. PMID:26911817

Error analysis for reducing noisy wide-gap concentric cylinder rheometric data for nonlinear fluids - Theory and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borgia, Andrea; Spera, Frank J.

1990-01-01

This work discusses the propagation of errors for the recovery of the shear rate from wide-gap concentric cylinder viscometric measurements of non-Newtonian fluids. A least-square regression of stress on angular velocity data to a system of arbitrary functions is used to propagate the errors for the series solution to the viscometric flow developed by Krieger and Elrod (1953) and Pawlowski (1953) ('power-law' approximation) and for the first term of the series developed by Krieger (1968). A numerical experiment shows that, for measurements affected by significant errors, the first term of the Krieger-Elrod-Pawlowski series ('infinite radius' approximation) and the power-law approximation may recover the shear rate with equal accuracy as the full Krieger-Elrod-Pawlowski solution. An experiment on a clay slurry indicates that the clay has a larger yield stress at rest than during shearing, and that, for the range of shear rates investigated, a four-parameter constitutive equation approximates reasonably well its rheology. The error analysis presented is useful for studying the rheology of fluids such as particle suspensions, slurries, foams, and magma.

A fast multigrid-based electromagnetic eigensolver for curved metal boundaries on the Yee mesh

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

Bauer, Carl A., E-mail: carl.bauer@colorado.edu; Werner, Gregory R.; Cary, John R.

For embedded boundary electromagnetics using the Dey–Mittra (Dey and Mittra, 1997) [1] algorithm, a special grad–div matrix constructed in this work allows use of multigrid methods for efficient inversion of Maxwell’s curl–curl matrix. Efficient curl–curl inversions are demonstrated within a shift-and-invert Krylov-subspace eigensolver (open-sourced at ([ofortt]https://github.com/bauerca/maxwell[cfortt])) on the spherical cavity and the 9-cell TESLA superconducting accelerator cavity. The accuracy of the Dey–Mittra algorithm is also examined: frequencies converge with second-order error, and surface fields are found to converge with nearly second-order error. In agreement with previous work (Nieter et al., 2009) [2], neglecting some boundary-cut cell faces (as is requiredmore » in the time domain for numerical stability) reduces frequency convergence to first-order and surface-field convergence to zeroth-order (i.e. surface fields do not converge). Additionally and importantly, neglecting faces can reduce accuracy by an order of magnitude at low resolutions.« less

Pointing error analysis of Risley-prism-based beam steering system.

PubMed

Zhou, Yuan; Lu, Yafei; Hei, Mo; Liu, Guangcan; Fan, Dapeng

2014-09-01

Based on the vector form Snell's law, ray tracing is performed to quantify the pointing errors of Risley-prism-based beam steering systems, induced by component errors, prism orientation errors, and assembly errors. Case examples are given to elucidate the pointing error distributions in the field of regard and evaluate the allowances of the error sources for a given pointing accuracy. It is found that the assembly errors of the second prism will result in more remarkable pointing errors in contrast with the first one. The pointing errors induced by prism tilt depend on the tilt direction. The allowances of bearing tilt and prism tilt are almost identical if the same pointing accuracy is planned. All conclusions can provide a theoretical foundation for practical works.

Calculating pKa values for substituted phenols and hydration energies for other compounds with the first-order Fuzzy-Border continuum solvation model

PubMed Central

Sharma, Ity; Kaminski, George A.

2012-01-01

We have computed pKa values for eleven substituted phenol compounds using the continuum Fuzzy-Border (FB) solvation model. Hydration energies for 40 other compounds, including alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, ketones, amines, alcohols, ethers, aromatics, amides, heterocycles, thiols, sulfides and acids have been calculated. The overall average unsigned error in the calculated acidity constant values was equal to 0.41 pH units and the average error in the solvation energies was 0.076 kcal/mol. We have also reproduced pKa values of propanoic and butanoic acids within ca. 0.1 pH units from the experimental values by fitting the solvation parameters for carboxylate ion carbon and oxygen atoms. The FB model combines two distinguishing features. First, it limits the amount of noise which is common in numerical treatment of continuum solvation models by using fixed-position grid points. Second, it employs either second- or first-order approximation for the solvent polarization, depending on a particular implementation. These approximations are similar to those used for solute and explicit solvent fast polarization treatment which we developed previously. This article describes results of employing the first-order technique. This approximation places the presented methodology between the Generalized Born and Poisson-Boltzmann continuum solvation models with respect to their accuracy of reproducing the many-body effects in modeling a continuum solvent. PMID:22815192

Reliability of Memories Protected by Multibit Error Correction Codes Against MBUs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ming, Zhu; Yi, Xiao Li; Chang, Liu; Wei, Zhang Jian

2011-02-01

As technology scales, more and more memory cells can be placed in a die. Therefore, the probability that a single event induces multiple bit upsets (MBUs) in adjacent memory cells gets greater. Generally, multibit error correction codes (MECCs) are effective approaches to mitigate MBUs in memories. In order to evaluate the robustness of protected memories, reliability models have been widely studied nowadays. Instead of irradiation experiments, the models can be used to quickly evaluate the reliability of memories in the early design. To build an accurate model, some situations should be considered. Firstly, when MBUs are presented in memories, the errors induced by several events may overlap each other, which is more frequent than single event upset (SEU) case. Furthermore, radiation experiments show that the probability of MBUs strongly depends on angles of the radiation event. However, reliability models which consider the overlap of multiple bit errors and angles of radiation event have not been proposed in the present literature. In this paper, a more accurate model of memories with MECCs is presented. Both the overlap of multiple bit errors and angles of event are considered in the model, which produces a more precise analysis in the calculation of mean time to failure (MTTF) for memory systems under MBUs. In addition, memories with scrubbing and nonscrubbing are analyzed in the proposed model. Finally, we evaluate the reliability of memories under MBUs in Matlab. The simulation results verify the validity of the proposed model.

Extending high-order flux operators on spherical icosahedral grids and their application in a Shallow Water Model for transporting the Potential Vorticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.

2017-12-01

The unstructured formulation of the third/fourth-order flux operators used by the Advanced Research WRF is extended twofold on spherical icosahedral grids. First, the fifth- and sixth-order flux operators of WRF are further extended, and the nominally second- to sixth-order operators are then compared based on the solid body rotation and deformational flow tests. Results show that increasing the nominal order generally leads to smaller absolute errors. Overall, the fifth-order scheme generates the smallest errors in limited and unlimited tests, although it does not enhance the convergence rate. The fifth-order scheme also exhibits smaller sensitivity to the damping coefficient than the third-order scheme. Overall, the even-order schemes have higher limiter sensitivity than the odd-order schemes. Second, a triangular version of these high-order operators is repurposed for transporting the potential vorticity in a space-time-split shallow water framework. Results show that a class of nominally third-order upwind-biased operators generates better results than second- and fourth-order counterparts. The increase of the potential enstrophy over time is suppressed owing to the damping effect. The grid-scale noise in the vorticity is largely alleviated, and the total energy remains conserved. Moreover, models using high-order operators show smaller numerical errors in the vorticity field because of a more accurate representation of the nonlinear Coriolis term. This improvement is especially evident in the Rossby-Haurwitz wave test, in which the fluid is highly rotating. Overall, flux operators with higher damping coefficients, which essentially behaves like the Anticipated Potential Vorticity Method, present optimal results.

Sensitivity of feedforward neural networks to weight errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, Maryhelen; Widrow, Bernard; Winter, Rodney

1990-01-01

An analysis is made of the sensitivity of feedforward layered networks of Adaline elements (threshold logic units) to weight errors. An approximation is derived which expresses the probability of error for an output neuron of a large network (a network with many neurons per layer) as a function of the percentage change in the weights. As would be expected, the probability of error increases with the number of layers in the network and with the percentage change in the weights. The probability of error is essentially independent of the number of weights per neuron and of the number of neurons per layer, as long as these numbers are large (on the order of 100 or more).

Analysis of operator splitting errors for near-limit flame simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhen; Zhou, Hua; Li, Shan; Ren, Zhuyin; Lu, Tianfeng; Law, Chung K.

2017-04-01

High-fidelity simulations of ignition, extinction and oscillatory combustion processes are of practical interest in a broad range of combustion applications. Splitting schemes, widely employed in reactive flow simulations, could fail for stiff reaction-diffusion systems exhibiting near-limit flame phenomena. The present work first employs a model perfectly stirred reactor (PSR) problem with an Arrhenius reaction term and a linear mixing term to study the effects of splitting errors on the near-limit combustion phenomena. Analysis shows that the errors induced by decoupling of the fractional steps may result in unphysical extinction or ignition. The analysis is then extended to the prediction of ignition, extinction and oscillatory combustion in unsteady PSRs of various fuel/air mixtures with a 9-species detailed mechanism for hydrogen oxidation and an 88-species skeletal mechanism for n-heptane oxidation, together with a Jacobian-based analysis for the time scales. The tested schemes include the Strang splitting, the balanced splitting, and a newly developed semi-implicit midpoint method. Results show that the semi-implicit midpoint method can accurately reproduce the dynamics of the near-limit flame phenomena and it is second-order accurate over a wide range of time step size. For the extinction and ignition processes, both the balanced splitting and midpoint method can yield accurate predictions, whereas the Strang splitting can lead to significant shifts on the ignition/extinction processes or even unphysical results. With an enriched H radical source in the inflow stream, a delay of the ignition process and the deviation on the equilibrium temperature are observed for the Strang splitting. On the contrary, the midpoint method that solves reaction and diffusion together matches the fully implicit accurate solution. The balanced splitting predicts the temperature rise correctly but with an over-predicted peak. For the sustainable and decaying oscillatory combustion from cool flames, both the Strang splitting and the midpoint method can successfully capture the dynamic behavior, whereas the balanced splitting scheme results in significant errors.

Analysis of operator splitting errors for near-limit flame simulations

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

Lu, Zhen; Zhou, Hua; Li, Shan

High-fidelity simulations of ignition, extinction and oscillatory combustion processes are of practical interest in a broad range of combustion applications. Splitting schemes, widely employed in reactive flow simulations, could fail for stiff reaction–diffusion systems exhibiting near-limit flame phenomena. The present work first employs a model perfectly stirred reactor (PSR) problem with an Arrhenius reaction term and a linear mixing term to study the effects of splitting errors on the near-limit combustion phenomena. Analysis shows that the errors induced by decoupling of the fractional steps may result in unphysical extinction or ignition. The analysis is then extended to the prediction ofmore » ignition, extinction and oscillatory combustion in unsteady PSRs of various fuel/air mixtures with a 9-species detailed mechanism for hydrogen oxidation and an 88-species skeletal mechanism for n-heptane oxidation, together with a Jacobian-based analysis for the time scales. The tested schemes include the Strang splitting, the balanced splitting, and a newly developed semi-implicit midpoint method. Results show that the semi-implicit midpoint method can accurately reproduce the dynamics of the near-limit flame phenomena and it is second-order accurate over a wide range of time step size. For the extinction and ignition processes, both the balanced splitting and midpoint method can yield accurate predictions, whereas the Strang splitting can lead to significant shifts on the ignition/extinction processes or even unphysical results. With an enriched H radical source in the inflow stream, a delay of the ignition process and the deviation on the equilibrium temperature are observed for the Strang splitting. On the contrary, the midpoint method that solves reaction and diffusion together matches the fully implicit accurate solution. The balanced splitting predicts the temperature rise correctly but with an over-predicted peak. For the sustainable and decaying oscillatory combustion from cool flames, both the Strang splitting and the midpoint method can successfully capture the dynamic behavior, whereas the balanced splitting scheme results in significant errors.« less

Texture analysis with statistical methods for wheat ear extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhouche, M.; Cointault, F.; Gouton, P.

2007-01-01

In agronomic domain, the simplification of crop counting, necessary for yield prediction and agronomic studies, is an important project for technical institutes such as Arvalis. Although the main objective of our global project is to conceive a mobile robot for natural image acquisition directly in a field, Arvalis has proposed us first to detect by image processing the number of wheat ears in images before to count them, which will allow to obtain the first component of the yield. In this paper we compare different texture image segmentation techniques based on feature extraction by first and higher order statistical methods which have been applied on our images. The extracted features are used for unsupervised pixel classification to obtain the different classes in the image. So, the K-means algorithm is implemented before the choice of a threshold to highlight the ears. Three methods have been tested in this feasibility study with very average error of 6%. Although the evaluation of the quality of the detection is visually done, automatic evaluation algorithms are currently implementing. Moreover, other statistical methods of higher order will be implemented in the future jointly with methods based on spatio-frequential transforms and specific filtering.

Prediction of transmission distortion for wireless video communication: analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Zhifeng; Wu, Dapeng

2012-03-01

Transmitting video over wireless is a challenging problem since video may be seriously distorted due to packet errors caused by wireless channels. The capability of predicting transmission distortion (i.e., video distortion caused by packet errors) can assist in designing video encoding and transmission schemes that achieve maximum video quality or minimum end-to-end video distortion. This paper is aimed at deriving formulas for predicting transmission distortion. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we identify the governing law that describes how the transmission distortion process evolves over time and analytically derive the transmission distortion formula as a closed-form function of video frame statistics, channel error statistics, and system parameters. Second, we identify, for the first time, two important properties of transmission distortion. The first property is that the clipping noise, which is produced by nonlinear clipping, causes decay of propagated error. The second property is that the correlation between motion-vector concealment error and propagated error is negative and has dominant impact on transmission distortion, compared with other correlations. Due to these two properties and elegant error/distortion decomposition, our formula provides not only more accurate prediction but also lower complexity than the existing methods.

A modified Holly-Preissmann scheme for simulating sharp concentration fronts in streams with steep velocity gradients using RIV1Q

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhao-wei; Zhu, De-jun; Chen, Yong-can; Wang, Zhi-gang

2014-12-01

RIV1Q is the stand-alone water quality program of CE-QUAL-RIV1, a hydraulic and water quality model developed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station. It utilizes an operator-splitting algorithm and the advection term in governing equation is treated using the explicit two-point, fourth-order accurate, Holly-Preissmann scheme, in order to preserve numerical accuracy for advection of sharp gradients in concentration. In the scheme, the spatial derivative of the transport equation, where the derivative of velocity is included, is introduced to update the first derivative of dependent variable. In the stream with larger cross-sectional variation, steep velocity gradient can be easily found and should be estimated correctly. In the original version of RIV1Q, however, the derivative of velocity is approximated by a finite difference which is first-order accurate. Its leading truncation error leads to the numerical error of concentration which is related with the velocity and concentration gradients and increases with the decreasing Courant number. The simulation may also be unstable when a sharp velocity drop occurs. In the present paper, the derivative of velocity is estimated with a modified second-order accurate scheme and the corresponding numerical error of concentration decreases. Additionally, the stability of the simulation is improved. The modified scheme is verified with a hypothetical channel case and the results demonstrate that satisfactory accuracy and stability can be achieved even when the Courant number is very low. Finally, the applicability of the modified scheme is discussed.

Medication errors as malpractice-a qualitative content analysis of 585 medication errors by nurses in Sweden.

PubMed

Björkstén, Karin Sparring; Bergqvist, Monica; Andersén-Karlsson, Eva; Benson, Lina; Ulfvarson, Johanna

2016-08-24

Many studies address the prevalence of medication errors but few address medication errors serious enough to be regarded as malpractice. Other studies have analyzed the individual and system contributory factor leading to a medication error. Nurses have a key role in medication administration, and there are contradictory reports on the nurses' work experience in relation to the risk and type for medication errors. All medication errors where a nurse was held responsible for malpractice (n = 585) during 11 years in Sweden were included. A qualitative content analysis and classification according to the type and the individual and system contributory factors was made. In order to test for possible differences between nurses' work experience and associations within and between the errors and contributory factors, Fisher's exact test was used, and Cohen's kappa (k) was performed to estimate the magnitude and direction of the associations. There were a total of 613 medication errors in the 585 cases, the most common being "Wrong dose" (41 %), "Wrong patient" (13 %) and "Omission of drug" (12 %). In 95 % of the cases, an average of 1.4 individual contributory factors was found; the most common being "Negligence, forgetfulness or lack of attentiveness" (68 %), "Proper protocol not followed" (25 %), "Lack of knowledge" (13 %) and "Practice beyond scope" (12 %). In 78 % of the cases, an average of 1.7 system contributory factors was found; the most common being "Role overload" (36 %), "Unclear communication or orders" (30 %) and "Lack of adequate access to guidelines or unclear organisational routines" (30 %). The errors "Wrong patient due to mix-up of patients" and "Wrong route" and the contributory factors "Lack of knowledge" and "Negligence, forgetfulness or lack of attentiveness" were more common in less experienced nurses. The experienced nurses were more prone to "Practice beyond scope of practice" and to make errors in spite of "Lack of adequate access to guidelines or unclear organisational routines". Medication errors regarded as malpractice in Sweden were of the same character as medication errors worldwide. A complex interplay between individual and system factors often contributed to the errors.

Heterogenic Solid Biofuel Sampling Methodology and Uncertainty Associated with Prompt Analysis

PubMed Central

Pazó, Jose A.; Granada, Enrique; Saavedra, Ángeles; Patiño, David; Collazo, Joaquín

2010-01-01

Accurate determination of the properties of biomass is of particular interest in studies on biomass combustion or cofiring. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for prompt analysis of heterogeneous solid fuels with an acceptable degree of accuracy. Special care must be taken with the sampling procedure to achieve an acceptable degree of error and low statistical uncertainty. A sampling and error determination methodology for prompt analysis is presented and validated. Two approaches for the propagation of errors are also given and some comparisons are made in order to determine which may be better in this context. Results show in general low, acceptable levels of uncertainty, demonstrating that the samples obtained in the process are representative of the overall fuel composition. PMID:20559506

Image processing and analysis using neural networks for optometry area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Netto, Antonio V.; Ferreira de Oliveira, Maria C.

2002-11-01

In this work we describe the framework of a functional system for processing and analyzing images of the human eye acquired by the Hartmann-Shack technique (HS), in order to extract information to formulate a diagnosis of eye refractive errors (astigmatism, hypermetropia and myopia). The analysis is to be carried out using an Artificial Intelligence system based on Neural Nets, Fuzzy Logic and Classifier Combination. The major goal is to establish the basis of a new technology to effectively measure ocular refractive errors that is based on methods alternative those adopted in current patented systems. Moreover, analysis of images acquired with the Hartmann-Shack technique may enable the extraction of additional information on the health of an eye under exam from the same image used to detect refraction errors.

Effects of Parameter Uncertainty on Long-Term Simulations of Lake Alkalinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sijin; Georgakakos, Konstantine P.; Schnoor, Jerald L.

1990-03-01

A first-order second-moment uncertainty analysis has been applied to two lakes in the Adirondack Park, New York, to assess the long-term response of lakes to acid deposition. Uncertainty due to parameter error and initial condition error was considered. Because the enhanced trickle-down (ETD) model is calibrated with only 3 years of field data and is used to simulate a 50-year period, the uncertainty in the lake alkalinity prediction is relatively large. When a best estimate of parameter uncertainty is used, the annual average alkalinity is predicted to be -11 ±28 μeq/L for Lake Woods and 142 ± 139 μeq/L for Lake Panther after 50 years. Hydrologic parameters and chemical weathering rate constants contributed most to the uncertainty of the simulations. Results indicate that the uncertainty in long-range predictions of lake alkalinity increased significantly over a 5- to 10-year period and then reached a steady state.

Kalman-Filter-Based Orientation Determination Using Inertial/Magnetic Sensors: Observability Analysis and Performance Evaluation

PubMed Central

Sabatini, Angelo Maria

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a quaternion-based Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for estimating the three-dimensional orientation of a rigid body. The EKF exploits the measurements from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that is integrated with a tri-axial magnetic sensor. Magnetic disturbances and gyro bias errors are modeled and compensated by including them in the filter state vector. We employ the observability rank criterion based on Lie derivatives to verify the conditions under which the nonlinear system that describes the process of motion tracking by the IMU is observable, namely it may provide sufficient information for performing the estimation task with bounded estimation errors. The observability conditions are that the magnetic field, perturbed by first-order Gauss-Markov magnetic variations, and the gravity vector are not collinear and that the IMU is subject to some angular motions. Computer simulations and experimental testing are presented to evaluate the algorithm performance, including when the observability conditions are critical. PMID:22163689

Security issues of Internet-based biometric authentication systems: risks of Man-in-the-Middle and BioPhishing on the example of BioWebAuth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeitz, Christian; Scheidat, Tobias; Dittmann, Jana; Vielhauer, Claus; González Agulla, Elisardo; Otero Muras, Enrique; García Mateo, Carmen; Alba Castro, José L.

2008-02-01

Beside the optimization of biometric error rates the overall security system performance in respect to intentional security attacks plays an important role for biometric enabled authentication schemes. As traditionally most user authentication schemes are knowledge and/or possession based, firstly in this paper we present a methodology for a security analysis of Internet-based biometric authentication systems by enhancing known methodologies such as the CERT attack-taxonomy with a more detailed view on the OSI-Model. Secondly as proof of concept, the guidelines extracted from this methodology are strictly applied to an open source Internet-based biometric authentication system (BioWebAuth). As case studies, two exemplary attacks, based on the found security leaks, are investigated and the attack performance is presented to show that during the biometric authentication schemes beside biometric error performance tuning also security issues need to be addressed. Finally, some design recommendations are given in order to ensure a minimum security level.

Knowing what to expect, forecasting monthly emergency department visits: A time-series analysis.

PubMed

Bergs, Jochen; Heerinckx, Philipe; Verelst, Sandra

2014-04-01

To evaluate an automatic forecasting algorithm in order to predict the number of monthly emergency department (ED) visits one year ahead. We collected retrospective data of the number of monthly visiting patients for a 6-year period (2005-2011) from 4 Belgian Hospitals. We used an automated exponential smoothing approach to predict monthly visits during the year 2011 based on the first 5 years of the dataset. Several in- and post-sample forecasting accuracy measures were calculated. The automatic forecasting algorithm was able to predict monthly visits with a mean absolute percentage error ranging from 2.64% to 4.8%, indicating an accurate prediction. The mean absolute scaled error ranged from 0.53 to 0.68 indicating that, on average, the forecast was better compared with in-sample one-step forecast from the naïve method. The applied automated exponential smoothing approach provided useful predictions of the number of monthly visits a year in advance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flash spectroscopy of purple membrane.

PubMed Central

Xie, A H; Nagle, J F; Lozier, R H

1987-01-01

Flash spectroscopy data were obtained for purple membrane fragments at pH 5, 7, and 9 for seven temperatures from 5 degrees to 35 degrees C, at the magic angle for actinic versus measuring beam polarizations, at fifteen wavelengths from 380 to 700 nm, and for about five decades of time from 1 microsecond to completion of the photocycle. Signal-to-noise ratios are as high as 500. Systematic errors involving beam geometries, light scattering, absorption flattening, photoselection, temperature fluctuations, partial dark adaptation of the sample, unwanted actinic effects, and cooperativity were eliminated, compensated for, or are shown to be irrelevant for the conclusions. Using nonlinear least squares techniques, all data at one temperature and one pH were fitted to sums of exponential decays, which is the form required if the system obeys conventional first-order kinetics. The rate constants obtained have well behaved Arrhenius plots. Analysis of the residual errors of the fitting shows that seven exponentials are required to fit the data to the accuracy of the noise level. PMID:3580488

Flash spectroscopy of purple membrane.

PubMed

Xie, A H; Nagle, J F; Lozier, R H

1987-04-01

Flash spectroscopy data were obtained for purple membrane fragments at pH 5, 7, and 9 for seven temperatures from 5 degrees to 35 degrees C, at the magic angle for actinic versus measuring beam polarizations, at fifteen wavelengths from 380 to 700 nm, and for about five decades of time from 1 microsecond to completion of the photocycle. Signal-to-noise ratios are as high as 500. Systematic errors involving beam geometries, light scattering, absorption flattening, photoselection, temperature fluctuations, partial dark adaptation of the sample, unwanted actinic effects, and cooperativity were eliminated, compensated for, or are shown to be irrelevant for the conclusions. Using nonlinear least squares techniques, all data at one temperature and one pH were fitted to sums of exponential decays, which is the form required if the system obeys conventional first-order kinetics. The rate constants obtained have well behaved Arrhenius plots. Analysis of the residual errors of the fitting shows that seven exponentials are required to fit the data to the accuracy of the noise level.

Artificial neural network implementation of a near-ideal error prediction controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcvey, Eugene S.; Taylor, Lynore Denise

1992-01-01

A theory has been developed at the University of Virginia which explains the effects of including an ideal predictor in the forward loop of a linear error-sampled system. It has been shown that the presence of this ideal predictor tends to stabilize the class of systems considered. A prediction controller is merely a system which anticipates a signal or part of a signal before it actually occurs. It is understood that an exact prediction controller is physically unrealizable. However, in systems where the input tends to be repetitive or limited, (i.e., not random) near ideal prediction is possible. In order for the controller to act as a stability compensator, the predictor must be designed in a way that allows it to learn the expected error response of the system. In this way, an unstable system will become stable by including the predicted error in the system transfer function. Previous and current prediction controller include pattern recognition developments and fast-time simulation which are applicable to the analysis of linear sampled data type systems. The use of pattern recognition techniques, along with a template matching scheme, has been proposed as one realizable type of near-ideal prediction. Since many, if not most, systems are repeatedly subjected to similar inputs, it was proposed that an adaptive mechanism be used to 'learn' the correct predicted error response. Once the system has learned the response of all the expected inputs, it is necessary only to recognize the type of input with a template matching mechanism and then to use the correct predicted error to drive the system. Suggested here is an alternate approach to the realization of a near-ideal error prediction controller, one designed using Neural Networks. Neural Networks are good at recognizing patterns such as system responses, and the back-propagation architecture makes use of a template matching scheme. In using this type of error prediction, it is assumed that the system error responses be known for a particular input and modeled plant. These responses are used in the error prediction controller. An analysis was done on the general dynamic behavior that results from including a digital error predictor in a control loop and these were compared to those including the near-ideal Neural Network error predictor. This analysis was done for a second and third order system.

[Memorization of Sequences of Movements of the Right and the Left Hand by Right- and Left-Handers].

PubMed

Bobrova, E V; Bogacheva, I N; Lyakhovetskii, V A; Fabinskaja, A A; Fomina, E V

2015-01-01

We analyzed the errors of right- and left-handers when performing memorized sequences by the left or the right hand during the task which activates positional coding: after 6-10 times the order of movements changed (the positions remained the same during all task). The task was first performed by one ("initial") hand, and then by another one ("continuing"); there were 2 groups of right-handers and 2 groups of left-handers. It was found that the pattern of errors during the task performance by the initial hand is similar in right- and left-handers both for the dominant and non-dominant hand. The information about the previous positions after changing the order of elements is used in the sequences for subdominant hands and not used in the sequences for dominant ones. After changing the hand, right- and left-handers show different patterns of errors ("non-symmetrical"). Thus, the errors of right- and left-handers are "symmetrical" at the early stages of task performance, while the transfer of this motor skill in right-and left-handers occurs in different ways.

Prediction of Soil pH Hyperspectral Spectrum in Guanzhong Area of Shaanxi Province Based on PLS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jinbao; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Huanyuan; Cheng, Jie; Tong, Wei; Wei, Jing

2017-12-01

The soil pH of Fufeng County, Yangling County and Wugong County in Shaanxi Province was studied. The spectral reflectance was measured by ASD Field Spec HR portable terrain spectrum, and its spectral characteristics were analyzed. The first deviation of the original spectral reflectance of the soil, the second deviation, the logarithm of the reciprocal logarithm, the first order differential of the reciprocal logarithm and the second order differential of the reciprocal logarithm were used to establish the soil pH Spectral prediction model. The results showed that the correlation between the reflectance spectra after SNV pre-treatment and the soil pH was significantly improved. The optimal prediction model of soil pH established by partial least squares method was a prediction model based on the first order differential of the reciprocal logarithm of spectral reflectance. The principal component factor was 10, the decision coefficient Rc2 = 0.9959, the model root means square error RMSEC = 0.0076, the correction deviation SEC = 0.0077; the verification decision coefficient Rv2 = 0.9893, the predicted root mean square error RMSEP = 0.0157, The deviation of SEP = 0.0160, the model was stable, the fitting ability and the prediction ability were high, and the soil pH can be measured quickly.

Development of an errorable car-following driver model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, H.-H.; Peng, H.

2010-06-01

An errorable car-following driver model is presented in this paper. An errorable driver model is one that emulates human driver's functions and can generate both nominal (error-free), as well as devious (with error) behaviours. This model was developed for evaluation and design of active safety systems. The car-following data used for developing and validating the model were obtained from a large-scale naturalistic driving database. The stochastic car-following behaviour was first analysed and modelled as a random process. Three error-inducing behaviours were then introduced. First, human perceptual limitation was studied and implemented. Distraction due to non-driving tasks was then identified based on the statistical analysis of the driving data. Finally, time delay of human drivers was estimated through a recursive least-square identification process. By including these three error-inducing behaviours, rear-end collisions with the lead vehicle could occur. The simulated crash rate was found to be similar but somewhat higher than that reported in traffic statistics.

Application of FUN3D and CFL3D to the Third Workshop on CFD Uncertainty Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rumsey, C. L.; Thomas, J. L.

2008-01-01

Two Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computer codes - one unstructured and one structured - are applied to two workshop cases (for the 3rd Workshop on CFD Uncertainty Analysis, held at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon, in October 2008) for the purpose of uncertainty analysis. The Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is employed. The first case uses the method of manufactured solution and is intended as a verification case. In other words, the CFD solution is expected to approach the exact solution as the grid is refined. The second case is a validation case (comparison against experiment), for which modeling errors inherent in the turbulence model and errors/uncertainty in the experiment may prevent close agreement. The results from the two computer codes are also compared. This exercise verifies that the codes are consistent both with the exact manufactured solution and with each other. In terms of order property, both codes behave as expected for the manufactured solution. For the backward facing step, CFD uncertainty on the finest grid is computed and is generally very low for both codes (whose results are nearly identical). Agreement with experiment is good at some locations for particular variables, but there are also many areas where the CFD and experimental uncertainties do not overlap.

Data collection strategies for time-resolved X-ray free-electron laser diffraction, and 2-color methods

PubMed Central

Li, Chufeng; Schmidt, Kevin; Spence, John C.

2015-01-01

We compare three schemes for time-resolved X-ray diffraction from protein nanocrystals using an X-ray free-electron laser. We find expressions for the errors in structure factor measurement using the Monte Carlo pump-probe method of data analysis with a liquid jet, the fixed sample pump-probe (goniometer) method (both diffract-and-destroy, and below the safe damage dose), and a proposed two-color method. Here, an optical pump pulse arrives between X-ray pulses of slightly different energies which hit the same nanocrystal, using a weak first X-ray pulse which does not damage the sample. (Radiation damage is outrun in the other cases.) This two-color method, in which separated Bragg spots are impressed on the same detector readout, eliminates stochastic fluctuations in crystal size, shape, and orientation and is found to require two orders of magnitude fewer diffraction patterns than the currently used Monte Carlo liquid jet method, for 1% accuracy. Expressions are given for errors in structure factor measurement for the four approaches, and detailed simulations provided for cathepsin B and IC3 crystals. While the error is independent of the number of shots for the dose-limited goniometer method, it falls off inversely as the square root of the number of shots for the two-color and Monte Carlo methods, with a much smaller pre-factor for the two-color mode, when the first shot is below the damage threshold. PMID:26798813

A discontinuous Poisson-Boltzmann equation with interfacial jump: homogenisation and residual error estimate.

PubMed

Fellner, Klemens; Kovtunenko, Victor A

2016-01-01

A nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation with inhomogeneous Robin type boundary conditions at the interface between two materials is investigated. The model describes the electrostatic potential generated by a vector of ion concentrations in a periodic multiphase medium with dilute solid particles. The key issue stems from interfacial jumps, which necessitate discontinuous solutions to the problem. Based on variational techniques, we derive the homogenisation of the discontinuous problem and establish a rigorous residual error estimate up to the first-order correction.

Finite element methods for the biomechanics of soft hydrated tissues: nonlinear analysis and adaptive control of meshes.

PubMed

Spilker, R L; de Almeida, E S; Donzelli, P S

1992-01-01

This chapter addresses computationally demanding numerical formulations in the biomechanics of soft tissues. The theory of mixtures can be used to represent soft hydrated tissues in the human musculoskeletal system as a two-phase continuum consisting of an incompressible solid phase (collagen and proteoglycan) and an incompressible fluid phase (interstitial water). We first consider the finite deformation of soft hydrated tissues in which the solid phase is represented as hyperelastic. A finite element formulation of the governing nonlinear biphasic equations is presented based on a mixed-penalty approach and derived using the weighted residual method. Fluid and solid phase deformation, velocity, and pressure are interpolated within each element, and the pressure variables within each element are eliminated at the element level. A system of nonlinear, first-order differential equations in the fluid and solid phase deformation and velocity is obtained. In order to solve these equations, the contributions of the hyperelastic solid phase are incrementally linearized, a finite difference rule is introduced for temporal discretization, and an iterative scheme is adopted to achieve equilibrium at the end of each time increment. We demonstrate the accuracy and adequacy of the procedure using a six-node, isoparametric axisymmetric element, and we present an example problem for which independent numerical solution is available. Next, we present an automated, adaptive environment for the simulation of soft tissue continua in which the finite element analysis is coupled with automatic mesh generation, error indicators, and projection methods. Mesh generation and updating, including both refinement and coarsening, for the two-dimensional examples examined in this study are performed using the finite quadtree approach. The adaptive analysis is based on an error indicator which is the L2 norm of the difference between the finite element solution and a projected finite element solution. Total stress, calculated as the sum of the solid and fluid phase stresses, is used in the error indicator. To allow the finite difference algorithm to proceed in time using an updated mesh, solution values must be transferred to the new nodal locations. This rezoning is accomplished using a projected field for the primary variables. The accuracy and effectiveness of this adaptive finite element analysis is demonstrated using a linear, two-dimensional, axisymmetric problem corresponding to the indentation of a thin sheet of soft tissue. The method is shown to effectively capture the steep gradients and to produce solutions in good agreement with independent, converged, numerical solutions.

Trauma Quality Improvement: Reducing Triage Errors by Automating the Level Assignment Process.

PubMed

Stonko, David P; O Neill, Dillon C; Dennis, Bradley M; Smith, Melissa; Gray, Jeffrey; Guillamondegui, Oscar D

2018-04-12

Trauma patients are triaged by the severity of their injury or need for intervention while en route to the trauma center according to trauma activation protocols that are institution specific. Significant research has been aimed at improving these protocols in order to optimize patient outcomes while striving for efficiency in care. However, it is known that patients are often undertriaged or overtriaged because protocol adherence remains imperfect. The goal of this quality improvement (QI) project was to improve this adherence, and thereby reduce the triage error. It was conducted as part of the formal undergraduate medical education curriculum at this institution. A QI team was assembled and baseline data were collected, then 2 Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were implemented sequentially. During the first cycle, a novel web tool was developed and implemented in order to automate the level assignment process (it takes EMS-provided data and automatically determines the level); the tool was based on the existing trauma activation protocol. The second PDSA cycle focused on improving triage accuracy in isolated, less than 10% total body surface area burns, which we identified to be a point of common error. Traumas were reviewed and tabulated at the end of each PDSA cycle, and triage accuracy was followed with a run chart. This study was performed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Medical School, which has a large level 1 trauma center covering over 75,000 square miles, and which sees urban, suburban, and rural trauma. The baseline assessment period and each PDSA cycle lasted 2 weeks. During this time, all activated, adult, direct traumas were reviewed. There were 180 patients during the baseline period, 189 after the first test of change, and 150 after the second test of change. All were included in analysis. Of 180 patients, 30 were inappropriately triaged during baseline analysis (3 undertriaged and 27 overtriaged) versus 16 of 189 (3 undertriaged and 13 overtriaged) following implementation of the web tool (p = 0.017 for combined errors). Overtriage dropped further from baseline to 10/150 after the second test of change (p = 0.005). The total number of triaged patients dropped from 92.3/week to 75.5/week after the second test of change. There was no statistically significant change in the undertriage rate. The combination of web tool implementation and protocol refinement decreased the combined triage error rate by over 50% (from 16.7%-7.9%). We developed and tested a web tool that improved triage accuracy, and provided a sustainable method to enact future quality improvement. This web tool and QI framework would be easily expandable to other hospitals. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Calibration Method to Eliminate Zeroth Order Effect in Lateral Shearing Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Chao; Xiang, Yang; Qi, Keqi; Chen, Dawei

2018-04-01

In this paper, a calibration method is proposed which eliminates the zeroth order effect in lateral shearing interferometry. An analytical expression of the calibration error function is deduced, and the relationship between the phase-restoration error and calibration error is established. The analytical results show that the phase-restoration error introduced by the calibration error is proportional to the phase shifting error and zeroth order effect. The calibration method is verified using simulations and experiments. The simulation results show that the phase-restoration error is approximately proportional to the phase shift error and zeroth order effect, when the phase shifting error is less than 2° and the zeroth order effect is less than 0.2. The experimental result shows that compared with the conventional method with 9-frame interferograms, the calibration method with 5-frame interferograms achieves nearly the same restoration accuracy.

Analysis and Calibration of Sources of Electronic Error in PSD Sensor Response.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Navarro, David; Lázaro-Galilea, José Luis; Bravo-Muñoz, Ignacio; Gardel-Vicente, Alfredo; Tsirigotis, Georgios

2016-04-29

In order to obtain very precise measurements of the position of agents located at a considerable distance using a sensor system based on position sensitive detectors (PSD), it is necessary to analyze and mitigate the factors that generate substantial errors in the system's response. These sources of error can be divided into electronic and geometric factors. The former stem from the nature and construction of the PSD as well as the performance, tolerances and electronic response of the system, while the latter are related to the sensor's optical system. Here, we focus solely on the electrical effects, since the study, analysis and correction of these are a prerequisite for subsequently addressing geometric errors. A simple calibration method is proposed, which considers PSD response, component tolerances, temperature variations, signal frequency used, signal to noise ratio (SNR), suboptimal operational amplifier parameters, and analog to digital converter (ADC) quantitation SNRQ, etc. Following an analysis of these effects and calibration of the sensor, it was possible to correct the errors, thus rendering the effects negligible, as reported in the results section.

Analysis and Calibration of Sources of Electronic Error in PSD Sensor Response

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Navarro, David; Lázaro-Galilea, José Luis; Bravo-Muñoz, Ignacio; Gardel-Vicente, Alfredo; Tsirigotis, Georgios

2016-01-01

In order to obtain very precise measurements of the position of agents located at a considerable distance using a sensor system based on position sensitive detectors (PSD), it is necessary to analyze and mitigate the factors that generate substantial errors in the system’s response. These sources of error can be divided into electronic and geometric factors. The former stem from the nature and construction of the PSD as well as the performance, tolerances and electronic response of the system, while the latter are related to the sensor’s optical system. Here, we focus solely on the electrical effects, since the study, analysis and correction of these are a prerequisite for subsequently addressing geometric errors. A simple calibration method is proposed, which considers PSD response, component tolerances, temperature variations, signal frequency used, signal to noise ratio (SNR), suboptimal operational amplifier parameters, and analog to digital converter (ADC) quantitation SNRQ, etc. Following an analysis of these effects and calibration of the sensor, it was possible to correct the errors, thus rendering the effects negligible, as reported in the results section. PMID:27136562

Computerized pharmaceutical intervention to reduce reconciliation errors at hospital discharge in Spain: an interrupted time-series study.

PubMed

García-Molina Sáez, C; Urbieta Sanz, E; Madrigal de Torres, M; Vicente Vera, T; Pérez Cárceles, M D

2016-04-01

It is well known that medication reconciliation at discharge is a key strategy to ensure proper drug prescription and the effectiveness and safety of any treatment. Different types of interventions to reduce reconciliation errors at discharge have been tested, many of which are based on the use of electronic tools as they are useful to optimize the medication reconciliation process. However, not all countries are progressing at the same speed in this task and not all tools are equally effective. So it is important to collate updated country-specific data in order to identify possible strategies for improvement in each particular region. Our aim therefore was to analyse the effectiveness of a computerized pharmaceutical intervention to reduce reconciliation errors at discharge in Spain. A quasi-experimental interrupted time-series study was carried out in the cardio-pneumology unit of a general hospital from February to April 2013. The study consisted of three phases: pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention, each involving 23 days of observations. At the intervention period, a pharmacist was included in the medical team and entered the patient's pre-admission medication in a computerized tool integrated into the electronic clinical history of the patient. The effectiveness was evaluated by the differences between the mean percentages of reconciliation errors in each period using a Mann-Whitney U test accompanied by Bonferroni correction, eliminating autocorrelation of the data by first using an ARIMA analysis. In addition, the types of error identified and their potential seriousness were analysed. A total of 321 patients (119, 105 and 97 in each phase, respectively) were included in the study. For the 3966 medicaments recorded, 1087 reconciliation errors were identified in 77·9% of the patients. The mean percentage of reconciliation errors per patient in the first period of the study was 42·18%, falling to 19·82% during the intervention period (P = 0·000). When the intervention was withdrawn, the mean percentage of reconciliation errors increased again to 27·72% (P = 0·008). The difference between the percentages of pre- and post-intervention periods was statistically significant (P = 0·000). Most reconciliation errors were due to omission (46·7%) or incomplete prescription (43·8%), and 35·3% of which could have caused harm to the patient. A computerized pharmaceutical intervention is shown to reduce reconciliation errors in the context of a high incidence of such errors. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diffraction analysis of sidelobe characteristics of optical elements with ripple error

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lei; Luo, Yupeng; Bai, Jian; Zhou, Xiangdong; Du, Juan; Liu, Qun; Luo, Yujie

2018-03-01

The ripple errors of the lens lead to optical damage in high energy laser system. The analysis of sidelobe on the focal plane, caused by ripple error, provides a reference to evaluate the error and the imaging quality. In this paper, we analyze the diffraction characteristics of sidelobe of optical elements with ripple errors. First, we analyze the characteristics of ripple error and build relationship between ripple error and sidelobe. The sidelobe results from the diffraction of ripple errors. The ripple error tends to be periodic due to fabrication method on the optical surface. The simulated experiments are carried out based on angular spectrum method by characterizing ripple error as rotationally symmetric periodic structures. The influence of two major parameter of ripple including spatial frequency and peak-to-valley value to sidelobe is discussed. The results indicate that spatial frequency and peak-to-valley value both impact sidelobe at the image plane. The peak-tovalley value is the major factor to affect the energy proportion of the sidelobe. The spatial frequency is the major factor to affect the distribution of the sidelobe at the image plane.

Prediction of final error level in learning and repetitive control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levoci, Peter A.

Repetitive control (RC) is a field that creates controllers to eliminate the effects of periodic disturbances on a feedback control system. The methods have applications in spacecraft problems, to isolate fine pointing equipment from periodic vibration disturbances such as slight imbalances in momentum wheels or cryogenic pumps. A closely related field of control design is iterative learning control (ILC) which aims to eliminate tracking error in a task that repeats, each time starting from the same initial condition. Experiments done on a robot at NASA Langley Research Center showed that the final error levels produced by different candidate repetitive and learning controllers can be very different, even when each controller is analytically proven to converge to zero error in the deterministic case. Real world plant and measurement noise and quantization noise (from analog to digital and digital to analog converters) in these control methods are acted on as if they were error sources that will repeat and should be cancelled, which implies that the algorithms amplify such errors. Methods are developed that predict the final error levels of general first order ILC, of higher order ILC including current cycle learning, and of general RC, in the presence of noise, using frequency response methods. The method involves much less computation than the corresponding time domain approach that involves large matrices. The time domain approach was previously developed for ILC and handles a certain class of ILC methods. Here methods are created to include zero-phase filtering that is very important in creating practical designs. Also, time domain methods are developed for higher order ILC and for repetitive control. Since RC and ILC must be implemented digitally, all of these methods predict final error levels at the sample times. It is shown here that RC can easily converge to small error levels between sample times, but that ILC in most applications will have large and diverging intersample error if in fact zero error is reached at the sample times. This is independent of the ILC law used, and is purely a property of the physical system. Methods are developed to address this issue.

A quantitative comparison of numerical methods for the compressible Euler equations: fifth-order WENO and piecewise-linear Godunov

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenough, J. A.; Rider, W. J.

2004-05-01

A numerical study is undertaken comparing a fifth-order version of the weighted essentially non-oscillatory numerical (WENO5) method to a modern piecewise-linear, second-order, version of Godunov's (PLMDE) method for the compressible Euler equations. A series of one-dimensional test problems are examined beginning with classical linear problems and ending with complex shock interactions. The problems considered are: (1) linear advection of a Gaussian pulse in density, (2) Sod's shock tube problem, (3) the "peak" shock tube problem, (4) a version of the Shu and Osher shock entropy wave interaction and (5) the Woodward and Colella interacting shock wave problem. For each problem and method, run times, density error norms and convergence rates are reported for each method as produced from a common code test-bed. The linear problem exhibits the advertised convergence rate for both methods as well as the expected large disparity in overall error levels; WENO5 has the smaller errors and an enormous advantage in overall efficiency (in accuracy per unit CPU time). For the nonlinear problems with discontinuities, however, we generally see both first-order self-convergence of error as compared to an exact solution, or when an analytic solution is not available, a converged solution generated on an extremely fine grid. The overall comparison of error levels shows some variation from problem to problem. For Sod's shock tube, PLMDE has nearly half the error, while on the peak problem the errors are nearly the same. For the interacting blast wave problem the two methods again produce a similar level of error with a slight edge for the PLMDE. On the other hand, for the Shu-Osher problem, the errors are similar on the coarser grids, but favors WENO by a factor of nearly 1.5 on the finer grids used. In all cases holding mesh resolution constant though, PLMDE is less costly in terms of CPU time by approximately a factor of 6. If the CPU cost is taken as fixed, that is run times are equal for both numerical methods, then PLMDE uniformly produces lower errors than WENO for the fixed computation cost on the test problems considered here.

An engineer's view on genetic information and biological evolution.

PubMed

Battail, Gérard

2004-01-01

We develop ideas on genome replication introduced in Battail [Europhys. Lett. 40 (1997) 343]. Starting with the hypothesis that the genome replication process uses error-correcting means, and the auxiliary one that nested codes are used to this end, we first review the concepts of redundancy and error-correcting codes. Then we show that these hypotheses imply that: distinct species exist with a hierarchical taxonomy, there is a trend of evolution towards complexity, and evolution proceeds by discrete jumps. At least the first two features above may be considered as biological facts so, in the absence of direct evidence, they provide an indirect proof in favour of the hypothesized error-correction system. The very high redundancy of genomes makes it possible. In order to explain how it is implemented, we suggest that soft codes and replication decoding, to be briefly described, are plausible candidates. Experimentally proven properties of long-range correlation of the DNA message substantiate this claim.

Design of an optimal preview controller for linear discrete-time descriptor systems with state delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Mengjuan; Liao, Fucheng

2015-04-01

In this paper, the linear discrete-time descriptor system with state delay is studied, and a design method for an optimal preview controller is proposed. First, by using the discrete lifting technique, the original system is transformed into a general descriptor system without state delay in form. Then, taking advantage of the first-order forward difference operator, we construct a descriptor augmented error system, including the state vectors of the lifted system, error vectors, and desired target signals. Rigorous mathematical proofs are given for the regularity, stabilisability, causal controllability, and causal observability of the descriptor augmented error system. Based on these, the optimal preview controller with preview feedforward compensation for the original system is obtained by using the standard optimal regulator theory of the descriptor system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by numerical simulation.

Error analysis and algorithm implementation for an improved optical-electric tracking device based on MEMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hong; Wu, Qian-zhong

2013-09-01

In order to improve the precision of optical-electric tracking device, proposing a kind of improved optical-electric tracking device based on MEMS, in allusion to the tracking error of gyroscope senor and the random drift, According to the principles of time series analysis of random sequence, establish AR model of gyro random error based on Kalman filter algorithm, then the output signals of gyro are multiple filtered with Kalman filter. And use ARM as micro controller servo motor is controlled by fuzzy PID full closed loop control algorithm, and add advanced correction and feed-forward links to improve response lag of angle input, Free-forward can make output perfectly follow input. The function of lead compensation link is to shorten the response of input signals, so as to reduce errors. Use the wireless video monitor module and remote monitoring software (Visual Basic 6.0) to monitor servo motor state in real time, the video monitor module gathers video signals, and the wireless video module will sent these signals to upper computer, so that show the motor running state in the window of Visual Basic 6.0. At the same time, take a detailed analysis to the main error source. Through the quantitative analysis of the errors from bandwidth and gyro sensor, it makes the proportion of each error in the whole error more intuitive, consequently, decrease the error of the system. Through the simulation and experiment results shows the system has good following characteristic, and it is very valuable for engineering application.

Efficient and accurate time-stepping schemes for integrate-and-fire neuronal networks.

PubMed

Shelley, M J; Tao, L

2001-01-01

To avoid the numerical errors associated with resetting the potential following a spike in simulations of integrate-and-fire neuronal networks, Hansel et al. and Shelley independently developed a modified time-stepping method. Their particular scheme consists of second-order Runge-Kutta time-stepping, a linear interpolant to find spike times, and a recalibration of postspike potential using the spike times. Here we show analytically that such a scheme is second order, discuss the conditions under which efficient, higher-order algorithms can be constructed to treat resets, and develop a modified fourth-order scheme. To support our analysis, we simulate a system of integrate-and-fire conductance-based point neurons with all-to-all coupling. For six-digit accuracy, our modified Runge-Kutta fourth-order scheme needs a time-step of Delta(t) = 0.5 x 10(-3) seconds, whereas to achieve comparable accuracy using a recalibrated second-order or a first-order algorithm requires time-steps of 10(-5) seconds or 10(-9) seconds, respectively. Furthermore, since the cortico-cortical conductances in standard integrate-and-fire neuronal networks do not depend on the value of the membrane potential, we can attain fourth-order accuracy with computational costs normally associated with second-order schemes.

Uncertainty Quantification of Water Quality in Tamsui River in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, D.; Tsai, C.

2017-12-01

In Taiwan, modeling of non-point source pollution is unavoidably associated with uncertainty. The main purpose of this research is to better understand water contamination in the metropolitan Taipei area, and also to provide a new analysis method for government or companies to establish related control and design measures. In this research, three methods are utilized to carry out the uncertainty analysis step by step with Mike 21, which is widely used for hydro-dynamics and water quality modeling, and the study area is focused on Tamsui river watershed. First, a sensitivity analysis is conducted which can be used to rank the order of influential parameters and variables such as Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate, Ammonia and Phosphorous. Then we use the First-order error method (FOEA) to determine the number of parameters that could significantly affect the variability of simulation results. Finally, a state-of-the-art method for uncertainty analysis called the Perturbance moment method (PMM) is applied in this research, which is more efficient than the Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS). For MCS, the calculations may become cumbersome when involving multiple uncertain parameters and variables. For PMM, three representative points are used for each random variable, and the statistical moments (e.g., mean value, standard deviation) for the output can be presented by the representative points and perturbance moments based on the parallel axis theorem. With the assumption of the independent parameters and variables, calculation time is significantly reduced for PMM as opposed to MCS for a comparable modeling accuracy.

MPDATA: Third-order accuracy for variable flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waruszewski, Maciej; Kühnlein, Christian; Pawlowska, Hanna; Smolarkiewicz, Piotr K.

2018-04-01

This paper extends the multidimensional positive definite advection transport algorithm (MPDATA) to third-order accuracy for temporally and spatially varying flows. This is accomplished by identifying the leading truncation error of the standard second-order MPDATA, performing the Cauchy-Kowalevski procedure to express it in a spatial form and compensating its discrete representation-much in the same way as the standard MPDATA corrects the first-order accurate upwind scheme. The procedure of deriving the spatial form of the truncation error was automated using a computer algebra system. This enables various options in MPDATA to be included straightforwardly in the third-order scheme, thereby minimising the implementation effort in existing code bases. Following the spirit of MPDATA, the error is compensated using the upwind scheme resulting in a sign-preserving algorithm, and the entire scheme can be formulated using only two upwind passes. Established MPDATA enhancements, such as formulation in generalised curvilinear coordinates, the nonoscillatory option or the infinite-gauge variant, carry over to the fully third-order accurate scheme. A manufactured 3D analytic solution is used to verify the theoretical development and its numerical implementation, whereas global tracer-transport benchmarks demonstrate benefits for chemistry-transport models fundamental to air quality monitoring, forecasting and control. A series of explicitly-inviscid implicit large-eddy simulations of a convective boundary layer and explicitly-viscid simulations of a double shear layer illustrate advantages of the fully third-order-accurate MPDATA for fluid dynamics applications.

Conventional Energy and Macronutrient Variables Distort the Accuracy of Children’s Dietary Reports: Illustrative Data from a Validation Study of Effect of Order Prompts

PubMed Central

Baxter, Suzanne Domel; Smith, Albert F.; Hardin, James W.; Nichols, Michele D.

2008-01-01

Objective Validation-study data are used to illustrate that conventional energy and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fat) variables, which disregard accuracy of reported items and amounts, misrepresent reporting accuracy. Reporting-error-sensitive variables are proposed which classify reported items as matches or intrusions, and reported amounts as corresponding or overreported. Methods 58 girls and 63 boys were each observed eating school meals on 2 days separated by ≥4 weeks, and interviewed the morning after each observation day. One interview per child had forward-order (morning-to-evening) prompts; one had reverse-order prompts. Original food-item-level analyses found a sex-x-order prompt interaction for omission rates. Current analyses compared reference (observed) and reported information transformed to energy and macronutrients. Results Using conventional variables, reported amounts were less than reference amounts (ps<0.001; paired t-tests); report rates were higher for the first than second interview for energy, protein, and carbohydrate (ps≤0.049; mixed models). Using reporting-error-sensitive variables, correspondence rates were higher for girls with forward- but boys with reverse-order prompts (ps≤0.041; mixed models); inflation ratios were lower with reverse- than forward-order prompts for energy, carbohydrate, and fat (ps≤0.045; mixed models). Conclusions Conventional variables overestimated reporting accuracy and masked order prompt and sex effects. Reporting-error-sensitive variables are recommended when assessing accuracy for energy and macronutrients in validation studies. PMID:16959308

Human Error Analysis in a Permit to Work System: A Case Study in a Chemical Plant

PubMed Central

Jahangiri, Mehdi; Hoboubi, Naser; Rostamabadi, Akbar; Keshavarzi, Sareh; Hosseini, Ali Akbar

2015-01-01

Background A permit to work (PTW) is a formal written system to control certain types of work which are identified as potentially hazardous. However, human error in PTW processes can lead to an accident. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted to estimate the probability of human errors in PTW processes in a chemical plant in Iran. In the first stage, through interviewing the personnel and studying the procedure in the plant, the PTW process was analyzed using the hierarchical task analysis technique. In doing so, PTW was considered as a goal and detailed tasks to achieve the goal were analyzed. In the next step, the standardized plant analysis risk-human (SPAR-H) reliability analysis method was applied for estimation of human error probability. Results The mean probability of human error in the PTW system was estimated to be 0.11. The highest probability of human error in the PTW process was related to flammable gas testing (50.7%). Conclusion The SPAR-H method applied in this study could analyze and quantify the potential human errors and extract the required measures for reducing the error probabilities in PTW system. Some suggestions to reduce the likelihood of errors, especially in the field of modifying the performance shaping factors and dependencies among tasks are provided. PMID:27014485

General model for the pointing error analysis of Risley-prism system based on ray direction deviation in light refraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hao; Yuan, Yan; Su, Lijuan; Huang, Fengzhen; Bai, Qing

2016-09-01

The Risley-prism-based light beam steering apparatus delivers superior pointing accuracy and it is used in imaging LIDAR and imaging microscopes. A general model for pointing error analysis of the Risley prisms is proposed in this paper, based on ray direction deviation in light refraction. This model captures incident beam deviation, assembly deflections, and prism rotational error. We derive the transmission matrixes of the model firstly. Then, the independent and cumulative effects of different errors are analyzed through this model. Accuracy study of the model shows that the prediction deviation of pointing error for different error is less than 4.1×10-5° when the error amplitude is 0.1°. Detailed analyses of errors indicate that different error sources affect the pointing accuracy to varying degree, and the major error source is the incident beam deviation. The prism tilting has a relative big effect on the pointing accuracy when prism tilts in the principal section. The cumulative effect analyses of multiple errors represent that the pointing error can be reduced by tuning the bearing tilting in the same direction. The cumulative effect of rotational error is relative big when the difference of these two prism rotational angles equals 0 or π, while it is relative small when the difference equals π/2. The novelty of these results suggests that our analysis can help to uncover the error distribution and aid in measurement calibration of Risley-prism systems.

Integrated Modeling Activities for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Structural-Thermal-Optical Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, John D.; Parrish, Keith; Howard, Joseph M.; Mosier, Gary E.; McGinnis, Mark; Bluth, Marcel; Kim, Kevin; Ha, Hong Q.

2004-01-01

This is a continuation of a series of papers on modeling activities for JWST. The structural-thermal- optical, often referred to as "STOP", analysis process is used to predict the effect of thermal distortion on optical performance. The benchmark STOP analysis for JWST assesses the effect of an observatory slew on wavefront error. The paper begins an overview of multi-disciplinary engineering analysis, or integrated modeling, which is a critical element of the JWST mission. The STOP analysis process is then described. This process consists of the following steps: thermal analysis, structural analysis, and optical analysis. Temperatures predicted using geometric and thermal math models are mapped to the structural finite element model in order to predict thermally-induced deformations. Motions and deformations at optical surfaces are input to optical models and optical performance is predicted using either an optical ray trace or WFE estimation techniques based on prior ray traces or first order optics. Following the discussion of the analysis process, results based on models representing the design at the time of the System Requirements Review. In addition to baseline performance predictions, sensitivity studies are performed to assess modeling uncertainties. Of particular interest is the sensitivity of optical performance to uncertainties in temperature predictions and variations in metal properties. The paper concludes with a discussion of modeling uncertainty as it pertains to STOP analysis.

Analysis of uncertainties and convergence of the statistical quantities in turbulent wall-bounded flows by means of a physically based criterion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrade, João Rodrigo; Martins, Ramon Silva; Thompson, Roney Leon; Mompean, Gilmar; da Silveira Neto, Aristeu

2018-04-01

The present paper provides an analysis of the statistical uncertainties associated with direct numerical simulation (DNS) results and experimental data for turbulent channel and pipe flows, showing a new physically based quantification of these errors, to improve the determination of the statistical deviations between DNSs and experiments. The analysis is carried out using a recently proposed criterion by Thompson et al. ["A methodology to evaluate statistical errors in DNS data of plane channel flows," Comput. Fluids 130, 1-7 (2016)] for fully turbulent plane channel flows, where the mean velocity error is estimated by considering the Reynolds stress tensor, and using the balance of the mean force equation. It also presents how the residual error evolves in time for a DNS of a plane channel flow, and the influence of the Reynolds number on its convergence rate. The root mean square of the residual error is shown in order to capture a single quantitative value of the error associated with the dimensionless averaging time. The evolution in time of the error norm is compared with the final error provided by DNS data of similar Reynolds numbers available in the literature. A direct consequence of this approach is that it was possible to compare different numerical results and experimental data, providing an improved understanding of the convergence of the statistical quantities in turbulent wall-bounded flows.

Phase error statistics of a phase-locked loop synchronized direct detection optical PPM communication system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Natarajan, Suresh; Gardner, C. S.

1987-01-01

Receiver timing synchronization of an optical Pulse-Position Modulation (PPM) communication system can be achieved using a phased-locked loop (PLL), provided the photodetector output is suitably processed. The magnitude of the PLL phase error is a good indicator of the timing error at the receiver decoder. The statistics of the phase error are investigated while varying several key system parameters such as PPM order, signal and background strengths, and PPL bandwidth. A practical optical communication system utilizing a laser diode transmitter and an avalanche photodiode in the receiver is described, and the sampled phase error data are presented. A linear regression analysis is applied to the data to obtain estimates of the relational constants involving the phase error variance and incident signal power.

Online machining error estimation method of numerical control gear grinding machine tool based on data analysis of internal sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Fei; Zhang, Chi; Yang, Guilin; Chen, Chinyin

2016-12-01

This paper presents an online estimation method of cutting error by analyzing of internal sensor readings. The internal sensors of numerical control (NC) machine tool are selected to avoid installation problem. The estimation mathematic model of cutting error was proposed to compute the relative position of cutting point and tool center point (TCP) from internal sensor readings based on cutting theory of gear. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model, it was simulated and experimented in gear generating grinding process. The cutting error of gear was estimated and the factors which induce cutting error were analyzed. The simulation and experiments verify that the proposed approach is an efficient way to estimate the cutting error of work-piece during machining process.

Experimental validation of convection-diffusion discretisation scheme employed for computational modelling of biological mass transport

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The finite volume solver Fluent (Lebanon, NH, USA) is a computational fluid dynamics software employed to analyse biological mass-transport in the vasculature. A principal consideration for computational modelling of blood-side mass-transport is convection-diffusion discretisation scheme selection. Due to numerous discretisation schemes available when developing a mass-transport numerical model, the results obtained should either be validated against benchmark theoretical solutions or experimentally obtained results. Methods An idealised aneurysm model was selected for the experimental and computational mass-transport analysis of species concentration due to its well-defined recirculation region within the aneurysmal sac, allowing species concentration to vary slowly with time. The experimental results were obtained from fluid samples extracted from a glass aneurysm model, using the direct spectrophometric concentration measurement technique. The computational analysis was conducted using the four convection-diffusion discretisation schemes available to the Fluent user, including the First-Order Upwind, the Power Law, the Second-Order Upwind and the Quadratic Upstream Interpolation for Convective Kinetics (QUICK) schemes. The fluid has a diffusivity of 3.125 × 10-10 m2/s in water, resulting in a Peclet number of 2,560,000, indicating strongly convection-dominated flow. Results The discretisation scheme applied to the solution of the convection-diffusion equation, for blood-side mass-transport within the vasculature, has a significant influence on the resultant species concentration field. The First-Order Upwind and the Power Law schemes produce similar results. The Second-Order Upwind and QUICK schemes also correlate well but differ considerably from the concentration contour plots of the First-Order Upwind and Power Law schemes. The computational results were then compared to the experimental findings. An average error of 140% and 116% was demonstrated between the experimental results and those obtained from the First-Order Upwind and Power Law schemes, respectively. However, both the Second-Order upwind and QUICK schemes accurately predict species concentration under high Peclet number, convection-dominated flow conditions. Conclusion Convection-diffusion discretisation scheme selection has a strong influence on resultant species concentration fields, as determined by CFD. Furthermore, either the Second-Order or QUICK discretisation schemes should be implemented when numerically modelling convection-dominated mass-transport conditions. Finally, care should be taken not to utilize computationally inexpensive discretisation schemes at the cost of accuracy in resultant species concentration. PMID:20642816

First measurements of error fields on W7-X using flux surface mapping

DOE PAGES

Lazerson, Samuel A.; Otte, Matthias; Bozhenkov, Sergey; ...

2016-08-03

Error fields have been detected and quantified using the flux surface mapping diagnostic system on Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X). A low-field 'more » $${\\rlap{-}\\ \\iota} =1/2$$ ' magnetic configuration ($${\\rlap{-}\\ \\iota} =\\iota /2\\pi $$ ), sensitive to error fields, was developed in order to detect their presence using the flux surface mapping diagnostic. In this configuration, a vacuum flux surface with rotational transform of n/m = 1/2 is created at the mid-radius of the vacuum flux surfaces. If no error fields are present a vanishingly small n/m = 5/10 island chain should be present. Modeling indicates that if an n = 1 perturbing field is applied by the trim coils, a large n/m = 1/2 island chain will be opened. This island chain is used to create a perturbation large enough to be imaged by the diagnostic. Phase and amplitude scans of the applied field allow the measurement of a small $$\\sim 0.04$$ m intrinsic island chain with a $${{130}^{\\circ}}$$ phase relative to the first module of the W7-X experiment. Lastly, these error fields are determined to be small and easily correctable by the trim coil system.« less

Angular Rate Optimal Design for the Rotary Strapdown Inertial Navigation System

PubMed Central

Yu, Fei; Sun, Qian

2014-01-01

Due to the characteristics of high precision for a long duration, the rotary strapdown inertial navigation system (RSINS) has been widely used in submarines and surface ships. Nowadays, the core technology, the rotating scheme, has been studied by numerous researchers. It is well known that as one of the key technologies, the rotating angular rate seriously influences the effectiveness of the error modulating. In order to design the optimal rotating angular rate of the RSINS, the relationship between the rotating angular rate and the velocity error of the RSINS was analyzed in detail based on the Laplace transform and the inverse Laplace transform in this paper. The analysis results showed that the velocity error of the RSINS depends on not only the sensor error, but also the rotating angular rate. In order to minimize the velocity error, the rotating angular rate of the RSINS should match the sensor error. One optimal design method for the rotating rate of the RSINS was also proposed in this paper. Simulation and experimental results verified the validity and superiority of this optimal design method for the rotating rate of the RSINS. PMID:24759115

Ice Cores Dating With a New Inverse Method Taking Account of the Flow Modeling Errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemieux-Dudon, B.; Parrenin, F.; Blayo, E.

2007-12-01

Deep ice cores extracted from Antarctica or Greenland recorded a wide range of past climatic events. In order to contribute to the Quaternary climate system understanding, the calculation of an accurate depth-age relationship is a crucial point. Up to now ice chronologies for deep ice cores estimated with inverse approaches are based on quite simplified ice-flow models that fail to reproduce flow irregularities and consequently to respect all available set of age markers. We describe in this paper, a new inverse method that takes into account the model uncertainty in order to circumvent the restrictions linked to the use of simplified flow models. This method uses first guesses on two flow physical entities, the ice thinning function and the accumulation rate and then identifies correction functions on both flow entities. We highlight two major benefits brought by this new method: first of all the ability to respect large set of observations and as a consequence, the feasibility to estimate a synchronized common ice chronology for several cores at the same time. This inverse approach relies on a bayesian framework. To respect the positive constraint on the searched correction functions, we assume lognormal probability distribution on one hand for the background errors, but also for one particular set of the observation errors. We test this new inversion method on three cores simultaneously (the two EPICA cores : DC and DML and the Vostok core) and we assimilate more than 150 observations (e.g.: age markers, stratigraphic links,...). We analyze the sensitivity of the solution with respect to the background information, especially the prior error covariance matrix. The confidence intervals based on the posterior covariance matrix calculation, are estimated on the correction functions and for the first time on the overall output chronologies.

Reliable and efficient a posteriori error estimation for adaptive IGA boundary element methods for weakly-singular integral equations

PubMed Central

Feischl, Michael; Gantner, Gregor; Praetorius, Dirk

2015-01-01

We consider the Galerkin boundary element method (BEM) for weakly-singular integral equations of the first-kind in 2D. We analyze some residual-type a posteriori error estimator which provides a lower as well as an upper bound for the unknown Galerkin BEM error. The required assumptions are weak and allow for piecewise smooth parametrizations of the boundary, local mesh-refinement, and related standard piecewise polynomials as well as NURBS. In particular, our analysis gives a first contribution to adaptive BEM in the frame of isogeometric analysis (IGABEM), for which we formulate an adaptive algorithm which steers the local mesh-refinement and the multiplicity of the knots. Numerical experiments underline the theoretical findings and show that the proposed adaptive strategy leads to optimal convergence. PMID:26085698

Effects of vibration on inertial wind-tunnel model attitude measurement devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Clarence P., Jr.; Buehrle, Ralph D.; Balakrishna, S.; Kilgore, W. Allen

1994-01-01

Results of an experimental study of a wind tunnel model inertial angle-of-attack sensor response to a simulated dynamic environment are presented. The inertial device cannot distinguish between the gravity vector and the centrifugal accelerations associated with wind tunnel model vibration, this situation results in a model attitude measurement bias error. Significant bias error in model attitude measurement was found for the model system tested. The model attitude bias error was found to be vibration mode and amplitude dependent. A first order correction model was developed and used for estimating attitude measurement bias error due to dynamic motion. A method for correcting the output of the model attitude inertial sensor in the presence of model dynamics during on-line wind tunnel operation is proposed.

Airborne electromagnetic data levelling using principal component analysis based on flight line difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qiong; Peng, Cong; Lu, Yiming; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Kaiguang

2018-04-01

A novel technique is developed to level airborne geophysical data using principal component analysis based on flight line difference. In the paper, flight line difference is introduced to enhance the features of levelling error for airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data and improve the correlation between pseudo tie lines. Thus we conduct levelling to the flight line difference data instead of to the original AEM data directly. Pseudo tie lines are selected distributively cross profile direction, avoiding the anomalous regions. Since the levelling errors of selective pseudo tie lines show high correlations, principal component analysis is applied to extract the local levelling errors by low-order principal components reconstruction. Furthermore, we can obtain the levelling errors of original AEM data through inverse difference after spatial interpolation. This levelling method does not need to fly tie lines and design the levelling fitting function. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by the levelling results of survey data, comparing with the results from tie-line levelling and flight-line correlation levelling.

Orbital Injection of the SEDSAT Satellite: Tethered Systems Dynamics and Flight Data Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lorenzini, Enrico C.; Gullahorn, Gordon E.; Cosmo, Mario L.; Ruiz, Manuel; Pelaez, Jesus

1996-01-01

This report deals with the following topics which are all related to the orbital injection of the SEDSAT satellite: Dynamics and Stability of Tether Oscillations after the First Cut. The dynamics of the tether after the first cut (i.e., without the Shuttle attached to it) is investigated. The tether oscillations with the free end are analyzed in order to assess the stability of the rectilinear configuration in between the two tether cuts; analysis of Unstable Modes. The unstable modes that appear for high libration angles are further investigated in order to determine their occurrences and the possible transition from bound librations to rotations; Orbital Release Strategies for SEDSAT. A parametric analysis of the orbital decay rate of the SEDSAT satellite after the two tether cuts has been carried out as a function of the following free parameters: libration amplitude at the end of deployment, deviation angle from LV at the first cut, and orbital anomaly at the second cut. The values of these parameters that provide a minimum orbital decay rate of the satellite (after the two cuts) have been computed; and Dynamics and Control of SEDSAT. The deployment control law has been modified to cope with the new ejection velocity of the satellite from the Shuttle cargo bay. New reference profiles have been derived as well as new control parameters. Timing errors at the satellite release as a function of the variations of the initial conditions and the tension model parameters have been estimated for the modified control law.

The Ohio State 1991 geopotential and sea surface topography harmonic coefficient models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, Richard H.; Wang, Yan Ming; Pavlis, Nikolaos K.

1991-01-01

The computation is described of a geopotential model to deg 360, a sea surface topography model to deg 10/15, and adjusted Geosat orbits for the first year of the exact repeat mission (ERM). This study started from the GEM-T2 potential coefficient model and it's error covariance matrix and Geosat orbits (for 22 ERMs) computed by Haines et al. using the GEM-T2 model. The first step followed the general procedures which use a radial orbit error theory originally developed by English. The Geosat data was processed to find corrections to the a priori geopotential model, corrections to a radial orbit error model for 76 Geosat arcs, and coefficients of a harmonic representation of the sea surface topography. The second stage of the analysis took place by doing a combination of the GEM-T2 coefficients with 30 deg gravity data derived from surface gravity data and anomalies obtained from altimeter data. The analysis has shown how a high degree spherical harmonic model can be determined combining the best aspects of two different analysis techniques. The error analysis was described that has led to the accuracy estimates for all the coefficients to deg 360. Significant work is needed to improve the modeling effort.

Analysis of the load selection on the error of source characteristics identification for an engine exhaust system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Sifa; Liu, Haitao; Dan, Jiabi; Lian, Xiaomin

2015-05-01

Linear time-invariant assumption for the determination of acoustic source characteristics, the source strength and the source impedance in the frequency domain has been proved reasonable in the design of an exhaust system. Different methods have been proposed to its identification and the multi-load method is widely used for its convenience by varying the load number and impedance. Theoretical error analysis has rarely been referred to and previous results have shown an overdetermined set of open pipes can reduce the identification error. This paper contributes a theoretical error analysis for the load selection. The relationships between the error in the identification of source characteristics and the load selection were analysed. A general linear time-invariant model was built based on the four-load method. To analyse the error of the source impedance, an error estimation function was proposed. The dispersion of the source pressure was obtained by an inverse calculation as an indicator to detect the accuracy of the results. It was found that for a certain load length, the load resistance at the frequency points of one-quarter wavelength of odd multiples results in peaks and in the maximum error for source impedance identification. Therefore, the load impedance of frequency range within the one-quarter wavelength of odd multiples should not be used for source impedance identification. If the selected loads have more similar resistance values (i.e., the same order of magnitude), the identification error of the source impedance could be effectively reduced.

iGen: An automated generator of simplified models with provable error bounds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, D.; Dobbie, S.

2009-04-01

Climate models employ various simplifying assumptions and parameterisations in order to increase execution speed. However, in order to draw conclusions about the Earths climate from the results of a climate simulation it is necessary to have information about the error that these assumptions and parameterisations introduce. A novel computer program, called iGen, is being developed which automatically generates fast, simplified models by analysing the source code of a slower, high resolution model. The resulting simplified models have provable bounds on error compared to the high resolution model and execute at speeds that are typically orders of magnitude faster. iGen's input is a definition of the prognostic variables of the simplified model, a set of bounds on acceptable error and the source code of a model that captures the behaviour of interest. In the case of an atmospheric model, for example, this would be a global cloud resolving model with very high resolution. Although such a model would execute far too slowly to be used directly in a climate model, iGen never executes it. Instead, it converts the code of the resolving model into a mathematical expression which is then symbolically manipulated and approximated to form a simplified expression. This expression is then converted back into a computer program and output as a simplified model. iGen also derives and reports formal bounds on the error of the simplified model compared to the resolving model. These error bounds are always maintained below the user-specified acceptable error. Results will be presented illustrating the success of iGen's analysis of a number of example models. These extremely encouraging results have lead on to work which is currently underway to analyse a cloud resolving model and so produce an efficient parameterisation of moist convection with formally bounded error.

An error analysis perspective for patient alignment systems.

PubMed

Figl, Michael; Kaar, Marcus; Hoffman, Rainer; Kratochwil, Alfred; Hummel, Johann

2013-09-01

This paper analyses the effects of error sources which can be found in patient alignment systems. As an example, an ultrasound (US) repositioning system and its transformation chain are assessed. The findings of this concept can also be applied to any navigation system. In a first step, all error sources were identified and where applicable, corresponding target registration errors were computed. By applying error propagation calculations on these commonly used registration/calibration and tracking errors, we were able to analyse the components of the overall error. Furthermore, we defined a special situation where the whole registration chain reduces to the error caused by the tracking system. Additionally, we used a phantom to evaluate the errors arising from the image-to-image registration procedure, depending on the image metric used. We have also discussed how this analysis can be applied to other positioning systems such as Cone Beam CT-based systems or Brainlab's ExacTrac. The estimates found by our error propagation analysis are in good agreement with the numbers found in the phantom study but significantly smaller than results from patient evaluations. We probably underestimated human influences such as the US scan head positioning by the operator and tissue deformation. Rotational errors of the tracking system can multiply these errors, depending on the relative position of tracker and probe. We were able to analyse the components of the overall error of a typical patient positioning system. We consider this to be a contribution to the optimization of the positioning accuracy for computer guidance systems.

Lock-in amplifier error prediction and correction in frequency sweep measurements.

PubMed

Sonnaillon, Maximiliano Osvaldo; Bonetto, Fabian Jose

2007-01-01

This article proposes an analytical algorithm for predicting errors in lock-in amplifiers (LIAs) working with time-varying reference frequency. Furthermore, a simple method for correcting such errors is presented. The reference frequency can be swept in order to measure the frequency response of a system within a given spectrum. The continuous variation of the reference frequency produces a measurement error that depends on three factors: the sweep speed, the LIA low-pass filters, and the frequency response of the measured system. The proposed error prediction algorithm is based on the final value theorem of the Laplace transform. The correction method uses a double-sweep measurement. A mathematical analysis is presented and validated with computational simulations and experimental measurements.

a Discussion about Effective Ways of Basic Resident Register on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oku, Naoya; Nonaka, Yasuaki; Ito, Yutaka

2016-06-01

In Japan, each municipality keeps a database of every resident's name, address, gender and date of birth called the Basic Resident Register. If the address information in the register is converted into coordinates by geocoding, it can be plotted as point data on a map. This would enable prompt evacuation from disaster, analysis of distribution of residents, integrating statistics and so on. Further, it can be used for not only analysis of the current situation but also future planning. However, the geographic information system (GIS) incorporating the Basic Resident Register is not widely used in Japan because of the following problems: - Geocoding In order to plot address point data, it is necessary to match the Basic Resident Register and the address dictionary by using the address as a key. The information in the Basic Resident Register does not always match the actual addresses. As the register is based on applications made by residents, the information is prone to errors, such as incorrect Kanji characters. - Security policy on personal information In the register, the address of a resident is linked with his/her name and date of birth. If the information in the Basic Resident Register were to be leaked, it could be used for malicious purposes. This paper proposes solutions to the above problems. The suitable solutions for the problems depend on the purpose of use, thus it is important that the purpose should be defined and a suitable way of the application for each purpose should be chosen. In this paper, we mainly focus on the specific purpose of use: to analyse the distribution of the residents. We provide two solutions to improve the matching rate in geocoding. First, regarding errors in Kanji characters, a correction list of possible errors should be compiled in advance. Second, some sort of analyses such as distribution of residents may not require exactly correct position for the address point. Therefore we set the matching level in order: prefecture, city, town, city-block, house-code, house, and decided to accept up to city-block level for the matching. Moreover, in terms of security policy on personal information, some part of information may not be needed for the distribution analysis. For example, the personal information like resident's name should be excluded from the attribute of address point in order to secure the safety operation of the system.

First-order reliability application and verification methods for semistatic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verderaime, V.

1994-11-01

Escalating risks of aerostructures stimulated by increasing size, complexity, and cost should no longer be ignored in conventional deterministic safety design methods. The deterministic pass-fail concept is incompatible with probability and risk assessments; stress audits are shown to be arbitrary and incomplete, and the concept compromises the performance of high-strength materials. A reliability method is proposed that combines first-order reliability principles with deterministic design variables and conventional test techniques to surmount current deterministic stress design and audit deficiencies. Accumulative and propagation design uncertainty errors are defined and appropriately implemented into the classical safety-index expression. The application is reduced to solving for a design factor that satisfies the specified reliability and compensates for uncertainty errors, and then using this design factor as, and instead of, the conventional safety factor in stress analyses. The resulting method is consistent with current analytical skills and verification practices, the culture of most designers, and the development of semistatic structural designs.

Kinematic Analysis of Speech Sound Sequencing Errors Induced by Delayed Auditory Feedback.

PubMed

Cler, Gabriel J; Lee, Jackson C; Mittelman, Talia; Stepp, Cara E; Bohland, Jason W

2017-06-22

Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) causes speakers to become disfluent and make phonological errors. Methods for assessing the kinematics of speech errors are lacking, with most DAF studies relying on auditory perceptual analyses, which may be problematic, as errors judged to be categorical may actually represent blends of sounds or articulatory errors. Eight typical speakers produced nonsense syllable sequences under normal and DAF (200 ms). Lip and tongue kinematics were captured with electromagnetic articulography. Time-locked acoustic recordings were transcribed, and the kinematics of utterances with and without perceived errors were analyzed with existing and novel quantitative methods. New multivariate measures showed that for 5 participants, kinematic variability for productions perceived to be error free was significantly increased under delay; these results were validated by using the spatiotemporal index measure. Analysis of error trials revealed both typical productions of a nontarget syllable and productions with articulatory kinematics that incorporated aspects of both the target and the perceived utterance. This study is among the first to characterize articulatory changes under DAF and provides evidence for different classes of speech errors, which may not be perceptually salient. New methods were developed that may aid visualization and analysis of large kinematic data sets. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5103067.

Kinematic Analysis of Speech Sound Sequencing Errors Induced by Delayed Auditory Feedback

PubMed Central

Lee, Jackson C.; Mittelman, Talia; Stepp, Cara E.; Bohland, Jason W.

2017-01-01

Purpose Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) causes speakers to become disfluent and make phonological errors. Methods for assessing the kinematics of speech errors are lacking, with most DAF studies relying on auditory perceptual analyses, which may be problematic, as errors judged to be categorical may actually represent blends of sounds or articulatory errors. Method Eight typical speakers produced nonsense syllable sequences under normal and DAF (200 ms). Lip and tongue kinematics were captured with electromagnetic articulography. Time-locked acoustic recordings were transcribed, and the kinematics of utterances with and without perceived errors were analyzed with existing and novel quantitative methods. Results New multivariate measures showed that for 5 participants, kinematic variability for productions perceived to be error free was significantly increased under delay; these results were validated by using the spatiotemporal index measure. Analysis of error trials revealed both typical productions of a nontarget syllable and productions with articulatory kinematics that incorporated aspects of both the target and the perceived utterance. Conclusions This study is among the first to characterize articulatory changes under DAF and provides evidence for different classes of speech errors, which may not be perceptually salient. New methods were developed that may aid visualization and analysis of large kinematic data sets. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5103067 PMID:28655038

An accurate nonlinear stochastic model for MEMS-based inertial sensor error with wavelet networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Diasty, Mohammed; El-Rabbany, Ahmed; Pagiatakis, Spiros

2007-12-01

The integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) with Inertial Navigation System (INS) has been widely used in many applications for positioning and orientation purposes. Traditionally, random walk (RW), Gauss-Markov (GM), and autoregressive (AR) processes have been used to develop the stochastic model in classical Kalman filters. The main disadvantage of classical Kalman filter is the potentially unstable linearization of the nonlinear dynamic system. Consequently, a nonlinear stochastic model is not optimal in derivative-based filters due to the expected linearization error. With a derivativeless-based filter such as the unscented Kalman filter or the divided difference filter, the filtering process of a complicated highly nonlinear dynamic system is possible without linearization error. This paper develops a novel nonlinear stochastic model for inertial sensor error using a wavelet network (WN). A wavelet network is a highly nonlinear model, which has recently been introduced as a powerful tool for modelling and prediction. Static and kinematic data sets are collected using a MEMS-based IMU (DQI-100) to develop the stochastic model in the static mode and then implement it in the kinematic mode. The derivativeless-based filtering method using GM, AR, and the proposed WN-based processes are used to validate the new model. It is shown that the first-order WN-based nonlinear stochastic model gives superior positioning results to the first-order GM and AR models with an overall improvement of 30% when 30 and 60 seconds GPS outages are introduced.

A new assessment method of pHEMT models by comparing relative errors of drain current and its derivatives up to the third order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobeš, Josef; Grábner, Martin; Puričer, Pavel; Vejražka, František; Míchal, Jan; Popp, Jakub

2017-05-01

Nowadays, there exist relatively precise pHEMT models available for computer-aided design, and they are frequently compared to each other. However, such comparisons are mostly based on absolute errors of drain-current equations and their derivatives. In the paper, a novel method is suggested based on relative root-mean-square errors of both drain current and its derivatives up to the third order. Moreover, the relative errors are subsequently relativized to the best model in each category to further clarify obtained accuracies of both drain current and its derivatives. Furthermore, one our older and two newly suggested models are also included in comparison with the traditionally precise Ahmed, TOM-2 and Materka ones. The assessment is performed using measured characteristics of a pHEMT operating up to 110 GHz. Finally, a usability of the proposed models including the higher-order derivatives is illustrated using s-parameters analysis and measurement at more operating points as well as computation and measurement of IP3 points of a low-noise amplifier of a multi-constellation satellite navigation receiver with ATF-54143 pHEMT.

Attitudes of Mashhad Public Hospital's Nurses and Midwives toward the Causes and Rates of Medical Errors Reporting.

PubMed

Mobarakabadi, Sedigheh Sedigh; Ebrahimipour, Hosein; Najar, Ali Vafaie; Janghorban, Roksana; Azarkish, Fatemeh

2017-03-01

Patient's safety is one of the main objective in healthcare services; however medical errors are a prevalent potential occurrence for the patients in treatment systems. Medical errors lead to an increase in mortality rate of the patients and challenges such as prolonging of the inpatient period in the hospitals and increased cost. Controlling the medical errors is very important, because these errors besides being costly, threaten the patient's safety. To evaluate the attitudes of nurses and midwives toward the causes and rates of medical errors reporting. It was a cross-sectional observational study. The study population was 140 midwives and nurses employed in Mashhad Public Hospitals. The data collection was done through Goldstone 2001 revised questionnaire. SPSS 11.5 software was used for data analysis. To analyze data, descriptive and inferential analytic statistics were used. Standard deviation and relative frequency distribution, descriptive statistics were used for calculation of the mean and the results were adjusted as tables and charts. Chi-square test was used for the inferential analysis of the data. Most of midwives and nurses (39.4%) were in age range of 25 to 34 years and the lowest percentage (2.2%) were in age range of 55-59 years. The highest average of medical errors was related to employees with three-four years of work experience, while the lowest average was related to those with one-two years of work experience. The highest average of medical errors was during the evening shift, while the lowest were during the night shift. Three main causes of medical errors were considered: illegibile physician prescription orders, similarity of names in different drugs and nurse fatigueness. The most important causes for medical errors from the viewpoints of nurses and midwives are illegible physician's order, drug name similarity with other drugs, nurse's fatigueness and damaged label or packaging of the drug, respectively. Head nurse feedback, peer feedback, fear of punishment or job loss were considered as reasons for under reporting of medical errors. This research demonstrates the need for greater attention to be paid to the causes of medical errors.

Data Assimilation in the Presence of Forecast Bias: The GEOS Moisture Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dee, Dick P.; Todling, Ricardo

1999-01-01

We describe the application of the unbiased sequential analysis algorithm developed by Dee and da Silva (1998) to the GEOS DAS moisture analysis. The algorithm estimates the persistent component of model error using rawinsonde observations and adjusts the first-guess moisture field accordingly. Results of two seasonal data assimilation cycles show that moisture analysis bias is almost completely eliminated in all observed regions. The improved analyses cause a sizable reduction in the 6h-forecast bias and a marginal improvement in the error standard deviations.

Controller and pilot error in airport operations : a review of previous research and analysis of safety data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine controller and pilot errors in airport operations to identify potential tower remedies. The : first part of the report contains a review of the literature of studies conducted of tower operationsand of efforts...

[Process management in the hospital pharmacy for the improvement of the patient safety].

PubMed

Govindarajan, R; Perelló-Juncá, A; Parès-Marimòn, R M; Serrais-Benavente, J; Ferrandez-Martí, D; Sala-Robinat, R; Camacho-Calvente, A; Campabanal-Prats, C; Solà-Anderiu, I; Sanchez-Caparrós, S; Gonzalez-Estrada, J; Martinez-Olalla, P; Colomer-Palomo, J; Perez-Mañosas, R; Rodríguez-Gallego, D

2013-01-01

To define a process management model for a hospital pharmacy in order to measure, analyse and make continuous improvements in patient safety and healthcare quality. In order to implement process management, Igualada Hospital was divided into different processes, one of which was the Hospital Pharmacy. A multidisciplinary management team was given responsibility for each process. For each sub-process one person was identified to be responsible, and a working group was formed under his/her leadership. With the help of each working group, a risk analysis using failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) was performed, and the corresponding improvement actions were implemented. Sub-process indicators were also identified, and different process management mechanisms were introduced. The first risk analysis with FMEA produced more than thirty preventive actions to improve patient safety. Later, the weekly analysis of errors, as well as the monthly analysis of key process indicators, permitted us to monitor process results and, as each sub-process manager participated in these meetings, also to assume accountability and responsibility, thus consolidating the culture of excellence. The introduction of different process management mechanisms, with the participation of people responsible for each sub-process, introduces a participative management tool for the continuous improvement of patient safety and healthcare quality. Copyright © 2012 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Error Analysis for RADAR Neighbor Matching Localization in Linear Logarithmic Strength Varying Wi-Fi Environment

PubMed Central

Tian, Zengshan; Xu, Kunjie; Yu, Xiang

2014-01-01

This paper studies the statistical errors for the fingerprint-based RADAR neighbor matching localization with the linearly calibrated reference points (RPs) in logarithmic received signal strength (RSS) varying Wi-Fi environment. To the best of our knowledge, little comprehensive analysis work has appeared on the error performance of neighbor matching localization with respect to the deployment of RPs. However, in order to achieve the efficient and reliable location-based services (LBSs) as well as the ubiquitous context-awareness in Wi-Fi environment, much attention has to be paid to the highly accurate and cost-efficient localization systems. To this end, the statistical errors by the widely used neighbor matching localization are significantly discussed in this paper to examine the inherent mathematical relations between the localization errors and the locations of RPs by using a basic linear logarithmic strength varying model. Furthermore, based on the mathematical demonstrations and some testing results, the closed-form solutions to the statistical errors by RADAR neighbor matching localization can be an effective tool to explore alternative deployment of fingerprint-based neighbor matching localization systems in the future. PMID:24683349

Error analysis for RADAR neighbor matching localization in linear logarithmic strength varying Wi-Fi environment.

PubMed

Zhou, Mu; Tian, Zengshan; Xu, Kunjie; Yu, Xiang; Wu, Haibo

2014-01-01

This paper studies the statistical errors for the fingerprint-based RADAR neighbor matching localization with the linearly calibrated reference points (RPs) in logarithmic received signal strength (RSS) varying Wi-Fi environment. To the best of our knowledge, little comprehensive analysis work has appeared on the error performance of neighbor matching localization with respect to the deployment of RPs. However, in order to achieve the efficient and reliable location-based services (LBSs) as well as the ubiquitous context-awareness in Wi-Fi environment, much attention has to be paid to the highly accurate and cost-efficient localization systems. To this end, the statistical errors by the widely used neighbor matching localization are significantly discussed in this paper to examine the inherent mathematical relations between the localization errors and the locations of RPs by using a basic linear logarithmic strength varying model. Furthermore, based on the mathematical demonstrations and some testing results, the closed-form solutions to the statistical errors by RADAR neighbor matching localization can be an effective tool to explore alternative deployment of fingerprint-based neighbor matching localization systems in the future.

Pretest uncertainty analysis for chemical rocket engine tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidian, Kenneth J.

1987-01-01

A parametric pretest uncertainty analysis has been performed for a chemical rocket engine test at a unique 1000:1 area ratio altitude test facility. Results from the parametric study provide the error limits required in order to maintain a maximum uncertainty of 1 percent on specific impulse. Equations used in the uncertainty analysis are presented.

A comparison of volume clamp method-based continuous noninvasive cardiac output (CNCO) measurement versus intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients.

PubMed

Wagner, Julia Y; Körner, Annmarie; Schulte-Uentrop, Leonie; Kubik, Mathias; Reichenspurner, Hermann; Kluge, Stefan; Reuter, Daniel A; Saugel, Bernd

2018-04-01

The CNAP technology (CNSystems Medizintechnik AG, Graz, Austria) allows continuous noninvasive arterial pressure waveform recording based on the volume clamp method and estimation of cardiac output (CO) by pulse contour analysis. We compared CNAP-derived CO measurements (CNCO) with intermittent invasive CO measurements (pulmonary artery catheter; PAC-CO) in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients. In 51 intensive care unit patients after cardiothoracic surgery, we measured PAC-CO (criterion standard) and CNCO at three different time points. We conducted two separate comparative analyses: (1) CNCO auto-calibrated to biometric patient data (CNCO bio ) versus PAC-CO and (2) CNCO calibrated to the first simultaneously measured PAC-CO value (CNCO cal ) versus PAC-CO. The agreement between the two methods was statistically assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and the percentage error. In a subgroup of patients, a passive leg raising maneuver was performed for clinical indications and we present the changes in PAC-CO and CNCO in four-quadrant plots (exclusion zone 0.5 L/min) in order to evaluate the trending ability of CNCO. The mean difference between CNCO bio and PAC-CO was +0.5 L/min (standard deviation ± 1.3 L/min; 95% limits of agreement -1.9 to +3.0 L/min). The percentage error was 49%. The concordance rate was 100%. For CNCOcal, the mean difference was -0.3 L/min (±0.5 L/min; -1.2 to +0.7 L/min) with a percentage error of 19%. In this clinical study in cardiothoracic surgery patients, CNCO cal showed good agreement when compared with PAC-CO. For CNCO bio , we observed a higher percentage error and good trending ability (concordance rate 100%).

Analyzing a stochastic time series obeying a second-order differential equation.

PubMed

Lehle, B; Peinke, J

2015-06-01

The stochastic properties of a Langevin-type Markov process can be extracted from a given time series by a Markov analysis. Also processes that obey a stochastically forced second-order differential equation can be analyzed this way by employing a particular embedding approach: To obtain a Markovian process in 2N dimensions from a non-Markovian signal in N dimensions, the system is described in a phase space that is extended by the temporal derivative of the signal. For a discrete time series, however, this derivative can only be calculated by a differencing scheme, which introduces an error. If the effects of this error are not accounted for, this leads to systematic errors in the estimation of the drift and diffusion functions of the process. In this paper we will analyze these errors and we will propose an approach that correctly accounts for them. This approach allows an accurate parameter estimation and, additionally, is able to cope with weak measurement noise, which may be superimposed to a given time series.

Determination of suitable drying curve model for bread moisture loss during baking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soleimani Pour-Damanab, A. R.; Jafary, A.; Rafiee, S.

2013-03-01

This study presents mathematical modelling of bread moisture loss or drying during baking in a conventional bread baking process. In order to estimate and select the appropriate moisture loss curve equation, 11 different models, semi-theoretical and empirical, were applied to the experimental data and compared according to their correlation coefficients, chi-squared test and root mean square error which were predicted by nonlinear regression analysis. Consequently, of all the drying models, a Page model was selected as the best one, according to the correlation coefficients, chi-squared test, and root mean square error values and its simplicity. Mean absolute estimation error of the proposed model by linear regression analysis for natural and forced convection modes was 2.43, 4.74%, respectively.

Effects of intracerebroventricular administration of beta-amyloid on the dynamics of learning in purebred and mongrel rats.

PubMed

Stepanov, I I; Kuznetsova, N N; Klement'ev, B I; Sapronov, N S

2007-07-01

The effects of intracerebroventricular administration of the beta-amyloid peptide fragment Abeta(25-35) on the dynamics of the acquisition of a conditioned reflex in a Y maze were studied in Wistar and mongrel rats. The dynamics of decreases in the number of errors were assessed using an exponential mathematical model describing the transfer function of a first-order system in response to stepped inputs using non-linear regression analysis. This mathematical model provided a good approximation to the learning dynamics in inbred and mongrel mice. In Wistar rats, beta-amyloid impaired learning, with reduced memory between the first and second training sessions, but without complete blockade of learning. As a result, learning dynamics were no longer approximated by the mathematical model. At the same time, comparison of the number of errors in each training sessions between the control group of Wistar rats and the group given beta-amyloid showed no significant differences (Student's t test). This result demonstrates the advantage of regression analysis based on a mathematical model over the traditionally used statistical methods. In mongrel rats, the effect of beta-amyloid was limited to an a slowing of the process of learning as compared with control mongrel rats, with retention of the approximation by the mathematical model. It is suggested that mongrel animals have some kind of innate, genetically determined protective mechanism against the harmful effects of beta-amyloid.

First-Order System Least-Squares for the Navier-Stokes Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bochev, P.; Cai, Z.; Manteuffel, T. A.; McCormick, S. F.

1996-01-01

This paper develops a least-squares approach to the solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in primitive variables. As with our earlier work on Stokes equations, we recast the Navier-Stokes equations as a first-order system by introducing a velocity flux variable and associated curl and trace equations. We show that the resulting system is well-posed, and that an associated least-squares principle yields optimal discretization error estimates in the H(sup 1) norm in each variable (including the velocity flux) and optimal multigrid convergence estimates for the resulting algebraic system.

Standardising analysis of carbon monoxide rebreathing for application in anti-doping.

PubMed

Alexander, Anthony C; Garvican, Laura A; Burge, Caroline M; Clark, Sally A; Plowman, James S; Gore, Christopher J

2011-03-01

Determination of total haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) via carbon monoxide (CO) depends critically on repeatable measurement of percent carboxyhaemoglobin (%HbCO) in blood with a hemoximeter. The main aim of this study was to determine, for an OSM3 hemoximeter, the number of replicate measures as well as the theoretical change in percent carboxyhaemoglobin required to yield a random error of analysis (Analyser Error) of ≤1%. Before and after inhalation of CO, nine participants provided a total of 576 blood samples that were each analysed five times for percent carboxyhaemoglobin on one of three OSM3 hemoximeters; with approximately one-third of blood samples analysed on each OSM3. The Analyser Error was calculated for the first two (duplicate), first three (triplicate) and first four (quadruplicate) measures on each OSM3, as well as for all five measures (quintuplicates). Two methods of CO-rebreathing, a 2-min and 10-min procedure, were evaluated for Analyser Error. For duplicate analyses of blood, the Analyser Error for the 2-min method was 3.7, 4.0 and 5.0% for the three OSM3s when the percent carboxyhaemoglobin increased by two above resting values. With quintuplicate analyses of blood, the corresponding errors reduced to .8, .9 and 1.0% for the 2-min method when the percent carboxyhaemoglobin increased by 5.5 above resting values. In summary, to minimise the Analyser Error to ∼≤1% on an OSM3 hemoximeter, researchers should make ≥5 replicates of percent carboxyhaemoglobin and the volume of CO administered should be sufficient increase percent carboxyhaemoglobin by ≥5.5 above baseline levels. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison between different error modeling of MEMS applied to GPS/INS integrated systems.

PubMed

Quinchia, Alex G; Falco, Gianluca; Falletti, Emanuela; Dovis, Fabio; Ferrer, Carles

2013-07-24

Advances in the development of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have made possible the fabrication of cheap and small dimension accelerometers and gyroscopes, which are being used in many applications where the global positioning system (GPS) and the inertial navigation system (INS) integration is carried out, i.e., identifying track defects, terrestrial and pedestrian navigation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), stabilization of many platforms, etc. Although these MEMS sensors are low-cost, they present different errors, which degrade the accuracy of the navigation systems in a short period of time. Therefore, a suitable modeling of these errors is necessary in order to minimize them and, consequently, improve the system performance. In this work, the most used techniques currently to analyze the stochastic errors that affect these sensors are shown and compared: we examine in detail the autocorrelation, the Allan variance (AV) and the power spectral density (PSD) techniques. Subsequently, an analysis and modeling of the inertial sensors, which combines autoregressive (AR) filters and wavelet de-noising, is also achieved. Since a low-cost INS (MEMS grade) presents error sources with short-term (high-frequency) and long-term (low-frequency) components, we introduce a method that compensates for these error terms by doing a complete analysis of Allan variance, wavelet de-nosing and the selection of the level of decomposition for a suitable combination between these techniques. Eventually, in order to assess the stochastic models obtained with these techniques, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) of a loosely-coupled GPS/INS integration strategy is augmented with different states. Results show a comparison between the proposed method and the traditional sensor error models under GPS signal blockages using real data collected in urban roadways.

A Comparison between Different Error Modeling of MEMS Applied to GPS/INS Integrated Systems

PubMed Central

Quinchia, Alex G.; Falco, Gianluca; Falletti, Emanuela; Dovis, Fabio; Ferrer, Carles

2013-01-01

Advances in the development of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have made possible the fabrication of cheap and small dimension accelerometers and gyroscopes, which are being used in many applications where the global positioning system (GPS) and the inertial navigation system (INS) integration is carried out, i.e., identifying track defects, terrestrial and pedestrian navigation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), stabilization of many platforms, etc. Although these MEMS sensors are low-cost, they present different errors, which degrade the accuracy of the navigation systems in a short period of time. Therefore, a suitable modeling of these errors is necessary in order to minimize them and, consequently, improve the system performance. In this work, the most used techniques currently to analyze the stochastic errors that affect these sensors are shown and compared: we examine in detail the autocorrelation, the Allan variance (AV) and the power spectral density (PSD) techniques. Subsequently, an analysis and modeling of the inertial sensors, which combines autoregressive (AR) filters and wavelet de-noising, is also achieved. Since a low-cost INS (MEMS grade) presents error sources with short-term (high-frequency) and long-term (low-frequency) components, we introduce a method that compensates for these error terms by doing a complete analysis of Allan variance, wavelet de-nosing and the selection of the level of decomposition for a suitable combination between these techniques. Eventually, in order to assess the stochastic models obtained with these techniques, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) of a loosely-coupled GPS/INS integration strategy is augmented with different states. Results show a comparison between the proposed method and the traditional sensor error models under GPS signal blockages using real data collected in urban roadways. PMID:23887084

Reliable Channel-Adapted Error Correction: Bacon-Shor Code Recovery from Amplitude Damping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piedrafita, Álvaro; Renes, Joseph M.

2017-12-01

We construct two simple error correction schemes adapted to amplitude damping noise for Bacon-Shor codes and investigate their prospects for fault-tolerant implementation. Both consist solely of Clifford gates and require far fewer qubits, relative to the standard method, to achieve exact correction to a desired order in the damping rate. The first, employing one-bit teleportation and single-qubit measurements, needs only one-fourth as many physical qubits, while the second, using just stabilizer measurements and Pauli corrections, needs only half. The improvements stem from the fact that damping events need only be detected, not corrected, and that effective phase errors arising due to undamped qubits occur at a lower rate than damping errors. For error correction that is itself subject to damping noise, we show that existing fault-tolerance methods can be employed for the latter scheme, while the former can be made to avoid potential catastrophic errors and can easily cope with damping faults in ancilla qubits.

Measuring the relationship between interruptions, multitasking and prescribing errors in an emergency department: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Raban, Magdalena Z; Walter, Scott R; Douglas, Heather E; Strumpman, Dana; Mackenzie, John; Westbrook, Johanna I

2015-01-01

Introduction Interruptions and multitasking are frequent in clinical settings, and have been shown in the cognitive psychology literature to affect performance, increasing the risk of error. However, comparatively less is known about their impact on errors in clinical work. This study will assess the relationship between prescribing errors, interruptions and multitasking in an emergency department (ED) using direct observations and chart review. Methods and analysis The study will be conducted in an ED of a 440-bed teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Doctors will be shadowed at proximity by observers for 2 h time intervals while they are working on day shift (between 0800 and 1800). Time stamped data on tasks, interruptions and multitasking will be recorded on a handheld computer using the validated Work Observation Method by Activity Timing (WOMBAT) tool. The prompts leading to interruptions and multitasking will also be recorded. When doctors prescribe medication, type of chart and chart sections written on, along with the patient's medical record number (MRN) will be recorded. A clinical pharmacist will access patient records and assess the medication orders for prescribing errors. The prescribing error rate will be calculated per prescribing task and is defined as the number of errors divided by the number of medication orders written during the prescribing task. The association between prescribing error rates, and rates of prompts, interruptions and multitasking will be assessed using statistical modelling. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been obtained from the hospital research ethics committee. Eligible doctors will be provided with written information sheets and written consent will be obtained if they agree to participate. Doctor details and MRNs will be kept separate from the data on prescribing errors, and will not appear in the final data set for analysis. Study results will be disseminated in publications and feedback to the ED. PMID:26463224

Deriving sulfamethoxazole dissipation endpoints in pasture soils using first order and biphasic kinetic models.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Prakash; Sarmah, Ajit K; Rohan, Maheswaran

2014-08-01

Single first-order (SFO) kinetic model is often used to derive the dissipation endpoints of an organic chemical in soil. This model is used due to its simplicity and requirement by regulatory agencies. However, using the SFO model for all types of decay pattern could lead to under- or overestimation of dissipation endpoints when the deviation from first-order is significant. In this study the performance of three biphasic kinetic models - bi-exponential decay (BEXP), first-order double exponential decay (FODED), and first-order two-compartment (FOTC) models was evaluated using dissipation datasets of sulfamethoxazole (SMO) antibiotic in three different soils under varying concentration, depth, temperature, and sterile conditions. Corresponding 50% (DT50) and 90% (DT90) dissipation times for the antibiotics were numerically obtained and compared against those obtained using the SFO model. The fit of each model to the measured values was evaluated based on an array of statistical measures such as coefficient of determination (R(2)adj), root mean square error (RMSE), chi-square (χ(2)) test at 1% significance, Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) and % model error. Box-whisker residual plots were also used to compare the performance of each model to the measured datasets. The antibiotic dissipation was successfully predicted by all four models. However, the nonlinear biphasic models improved the goodness-of-fit parameters for all datasets. Deviations from datasets were also often less evident with the biphasic models. The fits of FOTC and FODED models for SMO dissipation datasets were identical in most cases, and were found to be superior to the BEXP model. Among the biphasic models, the FOTC model was found to be the most suitable for obtaining the endpoints and could provide a mechanistic explanation for SMO dissipation in the soils. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Covariance Analysis Tool (G-CAT) for Computing Ascent, Descent, and Landing Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boussalis, Dhemetrios; Bayard, David S.

2013-01-01

G-CAT is a covariance analysis tool that enables fast and accurate computation of error ellipses for descent, landing, ascent, and rendezvous scenarios, and quantifies knowledge error contributions needed for error budgeting purposes. Because GCAT supports hardware/system trade studies in spacecraft and mission design, it is useful in both early and late mission/ proposal phases where Monte Carlo simulation capability is not mature, Monte Carlo simulation takes too long to run, and/or there is a need to perform multiple parametric system design trades that would require an unwieldy number of Monte Carlo runs. G-CAT is formulated as a variable-order square-root linearized Kalman filter (LKF), typically using over 120 filter states. An important property of G-CAT is that it is based on a 6-DOF (degrees of freedom) formulation that completely captures the combined effects of both attitude and translation errors on the propagated trajectories. This ensures its accuracy for guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) analysis. G-CAT provides the desired fast turnaround analysis needed for error budgeting in support of mission concept formulations, design trade studies, and proposal development efforts. The main usefulness of a covariance analysis tool such as G-CAT is its ability to calculate the performance envelope directly from a single run. This is in sharp contrast to running thousands of simulations to obtain similar information using Monte Carlo methods. It does this by propagating the "statistics" of the overall design, rather than simulating individual trajectories. G-CAT supports applications to lunar, planetary, and small body missions. It characterizes onboard knowledge propagation errors associated with inertial measurement unit (IMU) errors (gyro and accelerometer), gravity errors/dispersions (spherical harmonics, masscons), and radar errors (multiple altimeter beams, multiple Doppler velocimeter beams). G-CAT is a standalone MATLAB- based tool intended to run on any engineer's desktop computer.

Error estimation for CFD aeroheating prediction under rarefied flow condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yazhong; Gao, Zhenxun; Jiang, Chongwen; Lee, Chunhian

2014-12-01

Both direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods have become widely used for aerodynamic prediction when reentry vehicles experience different flow regimes during flight. The implementation of slip boundary conditions in the traditional CFD method under Navier-Stokes-Fourier (NSF) framework can extend the validity of this approach further into transitional regime, with the benefit that much less computational cost is demanded compared to DSMC simulation. Correspondingly, an increasing error arises in aeroheating calculation as the flow becomes more rarefied. To estimate the relative error of heat flux when applying this method for a rarefied flow in transitional regime, theoretical derivation is conducted and a dimensionless parameter ɛ is proposed by approximately analyzing the ratio of the second order term to first order term in the heat flux expression in Burnett equation. DSMC simulation for hypersonic flow over a cylinder in transitional regime is performed to test the performance of parameter ɛ, compared with two other parameters, Knρ and MaṡKnρ.

Program Instrumentation and Trace Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Havelund, Klaus; Goldberg, Allen; Filman, Robert; Rosu, Grigore; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Several attempts have been made recently to apply techniques such as model checking and theorem proving to the analysis of programs. This shall be seen as a current trend to analyze real software systems instead of just their designs. This includes our own effort to develop a model checker for Java, the Java PathFinder 1, one of the very first of its kind in 1998. However, model checking cannot handle very large programs without some kind of abstraction of the program. This paper describes a complementary scalable technique to handle such large programs. Our interest is turned on the observation part of the equation: How much information can be extracted about a program from observing a single execution trace? It is our intention to develop a technology that can be applied automatically and to large full-size applications, with minimal modification to the code. We present a tool, Java PathExplorer (JPaX), for exploring execution traces of Java programs. The tool prioritizes scalability for completeness, and is directed towards detecting errors in programs, not to prove correctness. One core element in JPaX is an instrumentation package that allows to instrument Java byte code files to log various events when executed. The instrumentation is driven by a user provided script that specifies what information to log. Examples of instructions that such a script can contain are: 'report name and arguments of all called methods defined in class C, together with a timestamp'; 'report all updates to all variables'; and 'report all acquisitions and releases of locks'. In more complex instructions one can specify that certain expressions should be evaluated and even that certain code should be executed under various conditions. The instrumentation package can hence be seen as implementing Aspect Oriented Programming for Java in the sense that one can add functionality to a Java program without explicitly changing the code of the original program, but one rather writes an aspect and compiles it into the original program using the instrumentation. Another core element of JPaX is an observation package that supports the analysis of the generated event stream. Two kinds of analysis are currently supported. In temporal analysis the execution trace is evaluated against formulae written in temporal logic. We have implemented a temporal logic evaluator on finite traces using the Maude rewriting system from SRI International, USA. Temporal logic is defined in Maude by giving its syntax as a signature and its semantics as rewrite equations. The resulting semantics is extremely efficient and can handle event streams of hundreds of millions events in few minutes. Furthermore, the implementation is very succinct. The second form of even stream analysis supported is error pattern analysis where an execution trace is analyzed using various error detection algorithms that can identify error-prone programming practices that may potentially lead to errors in some different executions. Two such algorithms focusing on concurrency errors have been implemented in JPaX, one for deadlocks and the other for data races. It is important to note, that a deadlock or data race potential does not need to occur in order for its potential to be detected with these algorithms. This is what makes them very scalable in practice. The data race algorithm implemented is the Eraser algorithm from Compaq, however adopted to Java. The tool is currently being applied to a code base for controlling a spacecraft by the developers of that software in order to evaluate its applicability.

Jason-2 systematic error analysis in the GPS derived orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melachroinos, S.; Lemoine, F. G.; Zelensky, N. P.; Rowlands, D. D.; Luthcke, S. B.; Chinn, D. S.

2011-12-01

Several results related to global or regional sea level changes still too often rely on the assumption that orbit errors coming from station coordinates adoption can be neglected in the total error budget (Ceri et al. 2010). In particular Instantaneous crust-fixed coordinates are obtained by adding to the linear ITRF model the geophysical high-frequency variations. In principle, geocenter motion should also be included in this computation, in order to reference these coordinates to the center of mass of the whole Earth. This correction is currently not applied when computing GDR orbits. Cerri et al. (2010) performed an analysis of systematic errors common to all coordinates along the North/South direction, as this type of bias, also known as Z-shift, has a clear impact on MSL estimates due to the unequal distribution of continental surface in the northern and southern hemispheres. The goal of this paper is to specifically study the main source of errors which comes from the current imprecision in the Z-axis realization of the frame. We focus here on the time variability of this Z-shift, which we can decompose in a drift and a periodic component due to the presumably omitted geocenter motion. A series of Jason-2 GPS-only orbits have been computed at NASA GSFC, using both IGS05 and IGS08. These orbits have been shown to agree radially at less than 1 cm RMS vs our SLR/DORIS std0905 and std1007 reduced-dynamic orbits and in comparison with orbits produced by other analysis centers (Melachroinos et al. 2011). Our GPS-only JASON-2 orbit accuracy is assessed using a number of tests including analysis of independent SLR and altimeter crossover residuals, orbit overlap differences, and direct comparison to orbits generated at GSFC using SLR and DORIS tracking, and to orbits generated externally at other centers. Tests based on SLR-crossover residuals provide the best performance indicator for independent validation of the NASA/GSFC GPS-only reduced dynamic orbits. Reduced dynamic versus dynamic orbit differences are used to characterize the remaining force model error and TRF instability. At first, we quantify the effect of a North/South displacement of the tracking reference points for each of the three techniques. We then compare these results to the study of Morel and Willis (2005) and Ceri et al. (2010). We extend the analysis to the most recent Jason-2 cycles. We evaluate the GPS vs SLR & DORIS orbits produced using the GEODYN.

Assessment of numerical techniques for unsteady flow calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsieh, Kwang-Chung

1989-01-01

The characteristics of unsteady flow motions have long been a serious concern in the study of various fluid dynamic and combustion problems. With the advancement of computer resources, numerical approaches to these problems appear to be feasible. The objective of this paper is to assess the accuracy of several numerical schemes for unsteady flow calculations. In the present study, Fourier error analysis is performed for various numerical schemes based on a two-dimensional wave equation. Four methods sieved from the error analysis are then adopted for further assessment. Model problems include unsteady quasi-one-dimensional inviscid flows, two-dimensional wave propagations, and unsteady two-dimensional inviscid flows. According to the comparison between numerical and exact solutions, although second-order upwind scheme captures the unsteady flow and wave motions quite well, it is relatively more dissipative than sixth-order central difference scheme. Among various numerical approaches tested in this paper, the best performed one is Runge-Kutta method for time integration and six-order central difference for spatial discretization.

A validation procedure for a LADAR system radiometric simulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leishman, Brad; Budge, Scott; Pack, Robert

2007-04-01

The USU LadarSIM software package is a ladar system engineering tool that has recently been enhanced to include the modeling of the radiometry of Ladar beam footprints. This paper will discuss our validation of the radiometric model and present a practical approach to future validation work. In order to validate complicated and interrelated factors affecting radiometry, a systematic approach had to be developed. Data for known parameters were first gathered then unknown parameters of the system were determined from simulation test scenarios. This was done in a way to isolate as many unknown variables as possible, then build on the previously obtained results. First, the appropriate voltage threshold levels of the discrimination electronics were set by analyzing the number of false alarms seen in actual data sets. With this threshold set, the system noise was then adjusted to achieve the appropriate number of dropouts. Once a suitable noise level was found, the range errors of the simulated and actual data sets were compared and studied. Predicted errors in range measurements were analyzed using two methods: first by examining the range error of a surface with known reflectivity and second by examining the range errors for specific detectors with known responsivities. This provided insight into the discrimination method and receiver electronics used in the actual system.

A comparative analysis of errors in long-term econometric forecasts

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

Tepel, R.

1986-04-01

The growing body of literature that documents forecast accuracy falls generally into two parts. The first is prescriptive and is carried out by modelers who use simulation analysis as a tool for model improvement. These studies are ex post, that is, they make use of known values for exogenous variables and generate an error measure wholly attributable to the model. The second type of analysis is descriptive and seeks to measure errors, identify patterns among errors and variables and compare forecasts from different sources. Most descriptive studies use an ex ante approach, that is, they evaluate model outputs based onmore » estimated (or forecasted) exogenous variables. In this case, it is the forecasting process, rather than the model, that is under scrutiny. This paper uses an ex ante approach to measure errors in forecast series prepared by Data Resources Incorporated (DRI), Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates (Wharton), and Chase Econometrics (Chase) and to determine if systematic patterns of errors can be discerned between services, types of variables (by degree of aggregation), length of forecast and time at which the forecast is made. Errors are measured as the percent difference between actual and forecasted values for the historical period of 1971 to 1983.« less

Error analysis of mechanical system and wavelength calibration of monochromator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fudong; Chen, Chen; Liu, Jie; Wang, Zhihong

2018-02-01

This study focuses on improving the accuracy of a grating monochromator on the basis of the grating diffraction equation in combination with an analysis of the mechanical transmission relationship between the grating, the sine bar, and the screw of the scanning mechanism. First, the relationship between the mechanical error in the monochromator with the sine drive and the wavelength error is analyzed. Second, a mathematical model of the wavelength error and mechanical error is developed, and an accurate wavelength calibration method based on the sine bar's length adjustment and error compensation is proposed. Based on the mathematical model and calibration method, experiments using a standard light source with known spectral lines and a pre-adjusted sine bar length are conducted. The model parameter equations are solved, and subsequent parameter optimization simulations are performed to determine the optimal length ratio. Lastly, the length of the sine bar is adjusted. The experimental results indicate that the wavelength accuracy is ±0.3 nm, which is better than the original accuracy of ±2.6 nm. The results confirm the validity of the error analysis of the mechanical system of the monochromator as well as the validity of the calibration method.

Outpatient CPOE orders discontinued due to 'erroneous entry': prospective survey of prescribers' explanations for errors.

PubMed

Hickman, Thu-Trang T; Quist, Arbor Jessica Lauren; Salazar, Alejandra; Amato, Mary G; Wright, Adam; Volk, Lynn A; Bates, David W; Schiff, Gordon

2018-04-01

Computerised prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems users often discontinue medications because the initial order was erroneous. To elucidate error types by querying prescribers about their reasons for discontinuing outpatient medication orders that they had self-identified as erroneous. During a nearly 3 year retrospective data collection period, we identified 57 972 drugs discontinued with the reason 'Error (erroneous entry)." Because chart reviews revealed limited information about these errors, we prospectively studied consecutive, discontinued erroneous orders by querying prescribers in near-real-time to learn more about the erroneous orders. From January 2014 to April 2014, we prospectively emailed prescribers about outpatient drug orders that they had discontinued due to erroneous initial order entry. Of 2 50 806 medication orders in these 4 months, 1133 (0.45%) of these were discontinued due to error. From these 1133, we emailed 542 unique prescribers to ask about their reason(s) for discontinuing these mediation orders in error. We received 312 responses (58% response rate). We categorised these responses using a previously published taxonomy. The top reasons for these discontinued erroneous orders included: medication ordered for wrong patient (27.8%, n=60); wrong drug ordered (18.5%, n=40); and duplicate order placed (14.4%, n=31). Other common discontinued erroneous orders related to drug dosage and formulation (eg, extended release versus not). Oxycodone (3%) was the most frequent drug discontinued error. Drugs are not infrequently discontinued 'in error.' Wrong patient and wrong drug errors constitute the leading types of erroneous prescriptions recognised and discontinued by prescribers. Data regarding erroneous medication entries represent an important source of intelligence about how CPOE systems are functioning and malfunctioning, providing important insights regarding areas for designing CPOE more safely in the future. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Data entry errors and design for model-based tight glycemic control in critical care.

PubMed

Ward, Logan; Steel, James; Le Compte, Aaron; Evans, Alicia; Tan, Chia-Siong; Penning, Sophie; Shaw, Geoffrey M; Desaive, Thomas; Chase, J Geoffrey

2012-01-01

Tight glycemic control (TGC) has shown benefits but has been difficult to achieve consistently. Model-based methods and computerized protocols offer the opportunity to improve TGC quality but require human data entry, particularly of blood glucose (BG) values, which can be significantly prone to error. This study presents the design and optimization of data entry methods to minimize error for a computerized and model-based TGC method prior to pilot clinical trials. To minimize data entry error, two tests were carried out to optimize a method with errors less than the 5%-plus reported in other studies. Four initial methods were tested on 40 subjects in random order, and the best two were tested more rigorously on 34 subjects. The tests measured entry speed and accuracy. Errors were reported as corrected and uncorrected errors, with the sum comprising a total error rate. The first set of tests used randomly selected values, while the second set used the same values for all subjects to allow comparisons across users and direct assessment of the magnitude of errors. These research tests were approved by the University of Canterbury Ethics Committee. The final data entry method tested reduced errors to less than 1-2%, a 60-80% reduction from reported values. The magnitude of errors was clinically significant and was typically by 10.0 mmol/liter or an order of magnitude but only for extreme values of BG < 2.0 mmol/liter or BG > 15.0-20.0 mmol/liter, both of which could be easily corrected with automated checking of extreme values for safety. The data entry method selected significantly reduced data entry errors in the limited design tests presented, and is in use on a clinical pilot TGC study. The overall approach and testing methods are easily performed and generalizable to other applications and protocols. © 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.

Analysis of MMU FDIR expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landauer, Christopher

1990-01-01

This paper describes the analysis of a rulebase for fault diagnosis, isolation, and recovery for NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU is used by a human astronaut to move around a spacecraft in space. In order to provide maneuverability, there are several thrusters oriented in various directions, and hand-controlled devices for useful groups of them. The rulebase describes some error detection procedures, and corrective actions that can be applied in a few cases. The approach taken in this paper is to treat rulebases as symbolic objects and compute correctness and 'reasonableness' criteria that use the statistical distribution of various syntactic structures within the rulebase. The criteria should identify awkward situations, and otherwise signal anomalies that may be errors. The rulebase analysis agorithms are derived from mathematical and computational criteria that implement certain principles developed for rulebase evaluation. The principles are Consistency, Completeness, Irredundancy, Connectivity, and finally, Distribution. Several errors were detected in the delivered rulebase. Some of these errors were easily fixed. Some errors could not be fixed with the available information. A geometric model of the thruster arrangement is needed to show how to correct certain other distribution nomalies that are in fact errors. The investigations reported here were partially supported by The Aerospace Corporation's Sponsored Research Program.

Higher order reconstruction for MRI in the presence of spatiotemporal field perturbations.

PubMed

Wilm, Bertram J; Barmet, Christoph; Pavan, Matteo; Pruessmann, Klaas P

2011-06-01

Despite continuous hardware advances, MRI is frequently subject to field perturbations that are of higher than first order in space and thus violate the traditional k-space picture of spatial encoding. Sources of higher order perturbations include eddy currents, concomitant fields, thermal drifts, and imperfections of higher order shim systems. In conventional MRI with Fourier reconstruction, they give rise to geometric distortions, blurring, artifacts, and error in quantitative data. This work describes an alternative approach in which the entire field evolution, including higher order effects, is accounted for by viewing image reconstruction as a generic inverse problem. The relevant field evolutions are measured with a third-order NMR field camera. Algebraic reconstruction is then formulated such as to jointly minimize artifacts and noise in the resulting image. It is solved by an iterative conjugate-gradient algorithm that uses explicit matrix-vector multiplication to accommodate arbitrary net encoding. The feasibility and benefits of this approach are demonstrated by examples of diffusion imaging. In a phantom study, it is shown that higher order reconstruction largely overcomes variable image distortions that diffusion gradients induce in EPI data. In vivo experiments then demonstrate that the resulting geometric consistency permits straightforward tensor analysis without coregistration. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Human Factors Process Task Analysis Liquid Oxygen Pump Acceptance Test Procedure for the Advanced Technology Development Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diorio, Kimberly A.

2002-01-01

A process task analysis effort was undertaken by Dynacs Inc. commencing in June 2002 under contract from NASA YA-D6. Funding was provided through NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC), Code M/HQ, and Industrial Engineering and Safety (IES). The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Engineering Development Contract (EDC) Task Order was 5SMA768. The scope of the effort was to conduct a Human Factors Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HF PFMEA) of a hazardous activity and provide recommendations to eliminate or reduce the effects of errors caused by human factors. The Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Pump Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) was selected for this analysis. The HF PFMEA table (see appendix A) provides an analysis of six major categories evaluated for this study. These categories include Personnel Certification, Test Procedure Format, Test Procedure Safety Controls, Test Article Data, Instrumentation, and Voice Communication. For each specific requirement listed in appendix A, the following topics were addressed: Requirement, Potential Human Error, Performance-Shaping Factors, Potential Effects of the Error, Barriers and Controls, Risk Priority Numbers, and Recommended Actions. This report summarizes findings and gives recommendations as determined by the data contained in appendix A. It also includes a discussion of technology barriers and challenges to performing task analyses, as well as lessons learned. The HF PFMEA table in appendix A recommends the use of accepted and required safety criteria in order to reduce the risk of human error. The items with the highest risk priority numbers should receive the greatest amount of consideration. Implementation of the recommendations will result in a safer operation for all personnel.

[Effect of development and aging on the modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in normal subjects].

PubMed

Kado, Yoko; Sanada, Satoshi; Yanagihara, Masafumi; Ogino, Tatsuya; Abiru, Kiyoko; Nakano, Kousuke

2004-11-01

The Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) is applied to various types of neurological disorders. Since WCST requires the examinee's sustained efforts, it is not readily applicable to children with developmental disorders. In order to overcome this weakness, Keio version WCST (KWCST) was developed by reducing the number of cards from 128 to 48 and presenting them in two steps separated by a short pause. During which a brief instruction was given. This study was performed to clarify the changes with age in indices of KWCST and to obtain the normative value. Three hundred thirty five normal subjects, ranging from 5 to 82 years of age were examined. A simple regression analysis showed a significant age-related changes. Subjects between the middle thirties and the middle forties showed the best score in such indices as the categories achieved, perseverative errors of Nelson, difficulties of maintaining set, numbers of response cards until the first category achieved, and total errors. Most of the scores were improved in the second step across the all age groups, which might have resulted from learning during the first step and the instruction provided before the second step. KWCST can be performed briefly, and is suitable for cases with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and pervasive developmental disorder.

Nonlinear observation of internal states of fuel cell cathode utilizing a high-order sliding-mode algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Liangfei; Hu, Junming; Cheng, Siliang; Fang, Chuan; Li, Jianqiu; Ouyang, Minggao; Lehnert, Werner

2017-07-01

A scheme for designing a second-order sliding-mode (SOSM) observer that estimates critical internal states on the cathode side of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system is presented. A nonlinear, isothermal dynamic model for the cathode side and a membrane electrolyte assembly are first described. A nonlinear observer topology based on an SOSM algorithm is then introduced, and equations for the SOSM observer deduced. Online calculation of the inverse matrix produces numerical errors, so a modified matrix is introduced to eliminate the negative effects of these on the observer. The simulation results indicate that the SOSM observer performs well for the gas partial pressures and air stoichiometry. The estimation results follow the simulated values in the model with relative errors within ± 2% at stable status. Large errors occur during the fast dynamic processes (<1 s). Moreover, the nonlinear observer shows good robustness against variations in the initial values of the internal states, but less robustness against variations in system parameters. The partial pressures are more sensitive than the air stoichiometry to system parameters. Finally, the order of effects of parameter uncertainties on the estimation results is outlined and analyzed.

Errors in retarding potential analyzers caused by nonuniformity of the grid-plane potential.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, W. B.; Frame, D. R.; Midgley, J. E.

1972-01-01

One aspect of the degradation in performance of retarding potential analyzers caused by potential depressions in the retarding grid is quantitatively estimated from laboratory measurements and theoretical calculations. A simple expression is obtained that permits the use of laboratory measurements of grid properties to make first-order corrections to flight data. Systematic positive errors in ion temperature of approximately 16% for the Ogo 4 instrument and 3% for the Ogo 6 instrument are deduced. The effects of the transverse electric fields arising from the grid potential depressions are not treated.

The Interplanetary Network Supplement to the Fermi GBM Catalog - An AO-2 and AO-3 Guest Investigator Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurley, K.; Briggs, M.; Connaughton, V.; Meegan, C.; von Kienlin, A.; Rau, A.; Zhang, X.; Golenetskii, S.; Aptekar, R.; Mazets, E.;

The Thirty Gigahertz Instrument Receiver for the QUIJOTE Experiment: Preliminary Polarization Measurements and Systematic-Error Analysis.

PubMed

Casas, Francisco J; Ortiz, David; Villa, Enrique; Cano, Juan L; Cagigas, Jaime; Pérez, Ana R; Aja, Beatriz; Terán, J Vicente; de la Fuente, Luisa; Artal, Eduardo; Hoyland, Roger; Génova-Santos, Ricardo

2015-08-05

This paper presents preliminary polarization measurements and systematic-error characterization of the Thirty Gigahertz Instrument receiver developed for the QUIJOTE experiment. The instrument has been designed to measure the polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background radiation from the sky, obtaining the Q, U, and I Stokes parameters of the incoming signal simultaneously. Two kinds of linearly polarized input signals have been used as excitations in the polarimeter measurement tests in the laboratory; these show consistent results in terms of the Stokes parameters obtained. A measurement-based systematic-error characterization technique has been used in order to determine the possible sources of instrumental errors and to assist in the polarimeter calibration process.

Sample presentation, sources of error and future perspectives on the application of vibrational spectroscopy in the wine industry.

PubMed

Cozzolino, Daniel

2015-03-30

Vibrational spectroscopy encompasses a number of techniques and methods including ultra-violet, visible, Fourier transform infrared or mid infrared, near infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The use and application of spectroscopy generates spectra containing hundreds of variables (absorbances at each wavenumbers or wavelengths), resulting in the production of large data sets representing the chemical and biochemical wine fingerprint. Multivariate data analysis techniques are then required to handle the large amount of data generated in order to interpret the spectra in a meaningful way in order to develop a specific application. This paper focuses on the developments of sample presentation and main sources of error when vibrational spectroscopy methods are applied in wine analysis. Recent and novel applications will be discussed as examples of these developments. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

The design and analysis of single flank transmission error tester for loaded gears

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bassett, Duane E.; Houser, Donald R.

1987-01-01

To strengthen the understanding of gear transmission error and to verify mathematical models which predict them, a test stand that will measure the transmission error of gear pairs under design loads has been investigated. While most transmission error testers have been used to test gear pairs under unloaded conditions, the goal of this report was to design and perform dynamic analysis of a unique tester with the capability of measuring the transmission error of gears under load. This test stand will have the capability to continuously load a gear pair at torques up to 16,000 in-lb at shaft speeds from 0 to 5 rpm. Error measurement will be accomplished with high resolution optical encoders and the accompanying signal processing unit from an existing unloaded transmission error tester. Input power to the test gear box will be supplied by a dc torque motor while the load will be applied with a similar torque motor. A dual input, dual output control system will regulate the speed and torque of the system. This control system's accuracy and dynamic response were analyzed and it was determined that proportional plus derivative speed control is needed in order to provide the precisely constant torque necessary for error-free measurement.

Prevention of prescription errors by computerized, on-line, individual patient related surveillance of drug order entry.

PubMed

Oliven, A; Zalman, D; Shilankov, Y; Yeshurun, D; Odeh, M

2002-01-01

Computerized prescription of drugs is expected to reduce the number of many preventable drug ordering errors. In the present study we evaluated the usefullness of a computerized drug order entry (CDOE) system in reducing prescription errors. A department of internal medicine using a comprehensive CDOE, which included also patient-related drug-laboratory, drug-disease and drug-allergy on-line surveillance was compared to a similar department in which drug orders were handwritten. CDOE reduced prescription errors to 25-35%. The causes of errors remained similar, and most errors, on both departments, were associated with abnormal renal function and electrolyte balance. Residual errors remaining on the CDOE-using department were due to handwriting on the typed order, failure to feed patients' diseases, and system failures. The use of CDOE was associated with a significant reduction in mean hospital stay and in the number of changes performed in the prescription. The findings of this study both quantity the impact of comprehensive CDOE on prescription errors and delineate the causes for remaining errors.

{lambda} elements for singular problems in CFD: Viscoelastic fluids

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

Wong, K.K.; Surana, K.S.

1996-10-01

This paper presents two dimensional {lambda} element formulation for viscoelastic fluid flow containing point singularities in the flow field. The flow of viscoelastic fluid even without singularities are a difficult class of problems for increasing Deborah number or Weissenburg number due to increased dominance of convective terms and thus increased hyperbolicity. In the present work the equations of fluid motion and the constitutive laws are recast in the form of a first order system of coupled equations with the use of auxiliary variables. The velocity, pressure and stresses are interpolated using equal order C{sup 0} {lambda} element approximations. The Leastmore » Squares Finite Element Method (LSFEM) is used to construct the integral form (error functional I) corresponding to these equations. The error functional is constructed by taking the integrated sum of the squares of the errors or residuals (over the whole discretization) resulting when the element approximation is substituted into these equations. The conditions resulting from the minimization of the error functional are satisfied by using Newton`s method with line search. LSFEM has much superior performance when dealing with non-linear and convection dominated problems.« less

Linguistic Error Analysis on Students' Thesis Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pescante-Malimas, Mary Ann; Samson, Sonrisa C.

2017-01-01

This study identified and analyzed the common linguistic errors encountered by Linguistics, Literature, and Advertising Arts majors in their Thesis Proposal classes in the First Semester 2016-2017. The data were the drafts of the thesis proposals of the students from the three different programs. A total of 32 manuscripts were analyzed which was…

Anatomic, clinical, and neuropsychological correlates of spelling errors in primary progressive aphasia.

PubMed

Shim, Hyungsub; Hurley, Robert S; Rogalski, Emily; Mesulam, M-Marsel

2012-07-01

This study evaluates spelling errors in the three subtypes of primary progressive aphasia (PPA): agrammatic (PPA-G), logopenic (PPA-L), and semantic (PPA-S). Forty-one PPA patients and 36 age-matched healthy controls were administered a test of spelling. The total number of errors and types of errors in spelling to dictation of regular words, exception words and nonwords, were recorded. Error types were classified based on phonetic plausibility. In the first analysis, scores were evaluated by clinical diagnosis. Errors in spelling exception words and phonetically plausible errors were seen in PPA-S. Conversely, PPA-G was associated with errors in nonword spelling and phonetically implausible errors. In the next analysis, spelling scores were correlated to other neuropsychological language test scores. Significant correlations were found between exception word spelling and measures of naming and single word comprehension. Nonword spelling correlated with tests of grammar and repetition. Global language measures did not correlate significantly with spelling scores, however. Cortical thickness analysis based on MRI showed that atrophy in several language regions of interest were correlated with spelling errors. Atrophy in the left supramarginal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars orbitalis correlated with errors in nonword spelling, while thinning in the left temporal pole and fusiform gyrus correlated with errors in exception word spelling. Additionally, phonetically implausible errors in regular word spelling correlated with thinning in the left IFG pars triangularis and pars opercularis. Together, these findings suggest two independent systems for spelling to dictation, one phonetic (phoneme to grapheme conversion), and one lexical (whole word retrieval). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Verification of ARMA identification for modelling temporal correlation of GPS observations using the toolbox ARMASA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xiaoguang; Mayer, Michael; Heck, Bernhard

2010-05-01

One essential deficiency of the stochastic model used in many GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) software products consists in neglecting temporal correlation of GNSS observations. Analysing appropriately detrended time series of observation residuals resulting from GPS (Global Positioning System) data processing, the temporal correlation behaviour of GPS observations can be sufficiently described by means of so-called autoregressive moving average (ARMA) processes. Using the toolbox ARMASA which is available free of charge in MATLAB® Central (open exchange platform for the MATLAB® and SIMULINK® user community), a well-fitting time series model can be identified automatically in three steps. Firstly, AR, MA, and ARMA models are computed up to some user-specified maximum order. Subsequently, for each model type, the best-fitting model is selected using the combined (for AR processes) resp. generalised (for MA and ARMA processes) information criterion. The final model identification among the best-fitting AR, MA, and ARMA models is performed based on the minimum prediction error characterising the discrepancies between the given data and the fitted model. The ARMA coefficients are computed using Burg's maximum entropy algorithm (for AR processes), Durbin's first (for MA processes) and second (for ARMA processes) methods, respectively. This paper verifies the performance of the automated ARMA identification using the toolbox ARMASA. For this purpose, a representative data base is generated by means of ARMA simulation with respect to sample size, correlation level, and model complexity. The model error defined as a transform of the prediction error is used as measure for the deviation between the true and the estimated model. The results of the study show that the recognition rates of underlying true processes increase with increasing sample sizes and decrease with rising model complexity. Considering large sample sizes, the true underlying processes can be correctly recognised for nearly 80% of the analysed data sets. Additionally, the model errors of first-order AR resp. MA processes converge clearly more rapidly to the corresponding asymptotical values than those of high-order ARMA processes.

Novel parametric reduced order model for aeroengine blade dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jie; Allegri, Giuliano; Scarpa, Fabrizio; Rajasekaran, Ramesh; Patsias, Sophoclis

2015-10-01

The work introduces a novel reduced order model (ROM) technique to describe the dynamic behavior of turbofan aeroengine blades. We introduce an equivalent 3D frame model to describe the coupled flexural/torsional mode shapes, with their relevant natural frequencies and associated modal masses. The frame configurations are identified through a structural identification approach based on a simulated annealing algorithm with stochastic tunneling. The cost functions are constituted by linear combinations of relative errors associated to the resonance frequencies, the individual modal assurance criteria (MAC), and on either overall static or modal masses. When static masses are considered the optimized 3D frame can represent the blade dynamic behavior with an 8% error on the MAC, a 1% error on the associated modal frequencies and a 1% error on the overall static mass. When using modal masses in the cost function the performance of the ROM is similar, but the overall error increases to 7%. The approach proposed in this paper is considerably more accurate than state-of-the-art blade ROMs based on traditional Timoshenko beams, and provides excellent accuracy at reduced computational time when compared against high fidelity FE models. A sensitivity analysis shows that the proposed model can adequately predict the global trends of the variations of the natural frequencies when lumped masses are used for mistuning analysis. The proposed ROM also follows extremely closely the sensitivity of the high fidelity finite element models when the material parameters are used in the sensitivity.

Phase modulation for reduced vibration sensitivity in laser-cooled clocks in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klipstein, W.; Dick, G.; Jefferts, S.; Walls, F.

2001-01-01

The standard interrogation technique in atomic beam clocks is square-wave frequency modulation (SWFM), which suffers a first order sensitivity to vibrations as changes in the transit time of the atoms translates to perceived frequency errors. Square-wave phase modulation (SWPM) interrogation eliminates sensitivity to this noise.

Ozone measurement systems improvements studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R. W.; Guard, K.; Holland, A. C.; Spurling, J. F.

1974-01-01

Results are summarized of an initial study of techniques for measuring atmospheric ozone, carried out as the first phase of a program to improve ozone measurement techniques. The study concentrated on two measurement systems, the electro chemical cell (ECC) ozonesonde and the Dobson ozone spectrophotometer, and consisted of two tasks. The first task consisted of error modeling and system error analysis of the two measurement systems. Under the second task a Monte-Carlo model of the Dobson ozone measurement technique was developed and programmed for computer operation.

Comparison of fMRI analysis methods for heterogeneous BOLD responses in block design studies

PubMed Central

Bernal-Casas, David; Fang, Zhongnan; Lee, Jin Hyung

2017-01-01

A large number of fMRI studies have shown that the temporal dynamics of evoked BOLD responses can be highly heterogeneous. Failing to model heterogeneous responses in statistical analysis can lead to significant errors in signal detection and characterization and alter the neurobiological interpretation. However, to date it is not clear that, out of a large number of options, which methods are robust against variability in the temporal dynamics of BOLD responses in block-design studies. Here, we used rodent optogenetic fMRI data with heterogeneous BOLD responses and simulations guided by experimental data as a means to investigate different analysis methods’ performance against heterogeneous BOLD responses. Evaluations are carried out within the general linear model (GLM) framework and consist of standard basis sets as well as independent component analysis (ICA). Analyses show that, in the presence of heterogeneous BOLD responses, conventionally used GLM with a canonical basis set leads to considerable errors in the detection and characterization of BOLD responses. Our results suggest that the 3rd and 4th order gamma basis sets, the 7th to 9th order finite impulse response (FIR) basis sets, the 5th to 9th order B-spline basis sets, and the 2nd to 5th order Fourier basis sets are optimal for good balance between detection and characterization, while the 1st order Fourier basis set (coherence analysis) used in our earlier studies show good detection capability. ICA has mostly good detection and characterization capabilities, but detects a large volume of spurious activation with the control fMRI data. PMID:27993672

Blending Velocities In Task Space In Computing Robot Motions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volpe, Richard A.

1995-01-01

Blending of linear and angular velocities between sequential specified points in task space constitutes theoretical basis of improved method of computing trajectories followed by robotic manipulators. In method, generalized velocity-vector-blending technique provides relatively simple, common conceptual framework for blending linear, angular, and other parametric velocities. Velocity vectors originate from straight-line segments connecting specified task-space points, called "via frames" and represent specified robot poses. Linear-velocity-blending functions chosen from among first-order, third-order-polynomial, and cycloidal options. Angular velocities blended by use of first-order approximation of previous orientation-matrix-blending formulation. Angular-velocity approximation yields small residual error, quantified and corrected. Method offers both relative simplicity and speed needed for generation of robot-manipulator trajectories in real time.

Cost-effectiveness of an electronic medication ordering system (CPOE/CDSS) in hospitalized patients.

PubMed

Vermeulen, K M; van Doormaal, J E; Zaal, R J; Mol, P G M; Lenderink, A W; Haaijer-Ruskamp, F M; Kosterink, J G W; van den Bemt, P M L A

2014-08-01

Prescribing medication is an important aspect of almost all in-hospital treatment regimes. Besides their obviously beneficial effects, medicines can also cause adverse drug events (ADE), which increase morbidity, mortality and health care costs. Partially, these ADEs arise from medication errors, e.g. at the prescribing stage. ADEs caused by medication errors are preventable ADEs. Until now, medication ordering was primarily a paper-based process and consequently, it was error prone. Computerized Physician Order Entry, combined with basic Clinical Decision Support System (CPOE/CDSS) is considered to enhance patient safety. Limited information is available on the balance between the health gains and the costs that need to be invested in order to achieve these positive effects. Aim of this study was to study the balance between the effects and costs of CPOE/CDSS compared to the traditional paper-based medication ordering. The economic evaluation was performed alongside a clinical study (interrupted time series design) on the effectiveness of CPOE/CDSS, including a cost minimization and a cost-effectiveness analysis. Data collection took place between 2005 and 2008. Analyses were performed from a hospital perspective. The study was performed in a general teaching hospital and a University Medical Centre on general internal medicine, gastroenterology and geriatric wards. Computerized Physician Order Entry, combined with basic Clinical Decision Support System (CPOE/CDSS) was compared to a traditional paper based system. All costs of both medication ordering systems are based on resources used and time invested. Prices were expressed in Euros (price level 2009). Effectiveness outcomes were medication errors and preventable adverse drug events. During the paper-based prescribing period 592 patients were included, and during the CPOE/CDSS period 603. Total costs of the paper-based system and CPOE/CDSS amounted to €12.37 and €14.91 per patient/day respectively. The Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) for medication errors was 3.54 and for preventable adverse drug events 322.70, indicating the extra amount (€) that has to be invested in order to prevent one medication error or one pADE. CPOE with basic CDSS contributes to a decreased risk of preventable harm. Overall, the extra costs of CPOE/CDSS needed to prevent one ME or one pADE seem to be acceptable. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of errors in quantitative determination of asbestos in rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baietto, Oliviero; Marini, Paola; Vitaliti, Martina

2016-04-01

The quantitative determination of the content of asbestos in rock matrices is a complex operation which is susceptible to important errors. The principal methodologies for the analysis are Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Phase Contrast Optical Microscopy (PCOM). Despite the PCOM resolution is inferior to that of SEM, PCOM analysis has several advantages, including more representativity of the analyzed sample, more effective recognition of chrysotile and a lower cost. The DIATI LAA internal methodology for the analysis in PCOM is based on a mild grinding of a rock sample, its subdivision in 5-6 grain size classes smaller than 2 mm and a subsequent microscopic analysis of a portion of each class. The PCOM is based on the optical properties of asbestos and of the liquids with note refractive index in which the particles in analysis are immersed. The error evaluation in the analysis of rock samples, contrary to the analysis of airborne filters, cannot be based on a statistical distribution. In fact for airborne filters a binomial distribution (Poisson), which theoretically defines the variation in the count of fibers resulting from the observation of analysis fields, chosen randomly on the filter, can be applied. The analysis in rock matrices instead cannot lean on any statistical distribution because the most important object of the analysis is the size of the of asbestiform fibers and bundles of fibers observed and the resulting relationship between the weights of the fibrous component compared to the one granular. The error evaluation generally provided by public and private institutions varies between 50 and 150 percent, but there are not, however, specific studies that discuss the origin of the error or that link it to the asbestos content. Our work aims to provide a reliable estimation of the error in relation to the applied methodologies and to the total content of asbestos, especially for the values close to the legal limits. The error assessments must be made through the repetition of the same analysis on the same sample to try to estimate the error on the representativeness of the sample and the error related to the sensitivity of the operator, in order to provide a sufficiently reliable uncertainty of the method. We used about 30 natural rock samples with different asbestos content, performing 3 analysis on each sample to obtain a trend sufficiently representative of the percentage. Furthermore we made on one chosen sample 10 repetition of the analysis to try to define more specifically the error of the methodology.

Medication prescribing errors in the medical intensive care unit of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Sada, Oumer; Melkie, Addisu; Shibeshi, Workineh

2015-09-16

Medication errors (MEs) are important problems in all hospitalized populations, especially in intensive care unit (ICU). Little is known about the prevalence of medication prescribing errors in the ICU of hospitals in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess medication prescribing errors in the ICU of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital using retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patient cards and medication charts. About 220 patient charts were reviewed with a total of 1311 patient-days, and 882 prescription episodes. 359 MEs were detected; with prevalence of 40 per 100 orders. Common prescribing errors were omission errors 154 (42.89%), 101 (28.13%) wrong combination, 48 (13.37%) wrong abbreviation, 30 (8.36%) wrong dose, wrong frequency 18 (5.01%) and wrong indications 8 (2.23%). The present study shows that medication errors are common in medical ICU of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. These results suggest future targets of prevention strategies to reduce the rate of medication error.

Propagation of uncertainty by Monte Carlo simulations in case of basic geodetic computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyszkowska, Patrycja

2017-12-01

The determination of the accuracy of functions of measured or adjusted values may be a problem in geodetic computations. The general law of covariance propagation or in case of the uncorrelated observations the propagation of variance (or the Gaussian formula) are commonly used for that purpose. That approach is theoretically justified for the linear functions. In case of the non-linear functions, the first-order Taylor series expansion is usually used but that solution is affected by the expansion error. The aim of the study is to determine the applicability of the general variance propagation law in case of the non-linear functions used in basic geodetic computations. The paper presents errors which are a result of negligence of the higher-order expressions and it determines the range of such simplification. The basis of that analysis is the comparison of the results obtained by the law of propagation of variance and the probabilistic approach, namely Monte Carlo simulations. Both methods are used to determine the accuracy of the following geodetic computations: the Cartesian coordinates of unknown point in the three-point resection problem, azimuths and distances of the Cartesian coordinates, height differences in the trigonometric and the geometric levelling. These simulations and the analysis of the results confirm the possibility of applying the general law of variance propagation in basic geodetic computations even if the functions are non-linear. The only condition is the accuracy of observations, which cannot be too low. Generally, this is not a problem with using present geodetic instruments.

Archie's law - a reappraisal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glover, Paul W. J.

2016-07-01

When scientists apply Archie's first law they often include an extra parameter a, which was introduced about 10 years after the equation's first publication by Winsauer et al. (1952), and which is sometimes called the "tortuosity" or "lithology" parameter. This parameter is not, however, theoretically justified. Paradoxically, the Winsauer et al. (1952) form of Archie's law often performs better than the original, more theoretically correct version. The difference in the cementation exponent calculated from these two forms of Archie's law is important, and can lead to a misestimation of reserves by at least 20 % for typical reservoir parameter values. We have examined the apparent paradox, and conclude that while the theoretical form of the law is correct, the data that we have been analysing with Archie's law have been in error. There are at least three types of systematic error that are present in most measurements: (i) a porosity error, (ii) a pore fluid salinity error, and (iii) a temperature error. Each of these systematic errors is sufficient to ensure that a non-unity value of the parameter a is required in order to fit the electrical data well. Fortunately, the inclusion of this parameter in the fit has compensated for the presence of the systematic errors in the electrical and porosity data, leading to a value of cementation exponent that is correct. The exceptions are those cementation exponents that have been calculated for individual core plugs. We make a number of recommendations for reducing the systematic errors that contribute to the problem and suggest that the value of the parameter a may now be used as an indication of data quality.

Analysis and discussion on the experimental data of electrolyte analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, XinYu; Jiang, JunJie; Liu, MengJun; Li, Weiwei

2018-06-01

In the subsequent verification of electrolyte analyzer, we found that the instrument can achieve good repeatability and stability in repeated measurements with a short period of time, in line with the requirements of verification regulation of linear error and cross contamination rate, but the phenomenon of large indication error is very common, the measurement results of different manufacturers have great difference, in order to find and solve this problem, help enterprises to improve quality of product, to obtain accurate and reliable measurement data, we conducted the experimental evaluation of electrolyte analyzer, and the data were analyzed by statistical analysis.

Sensitivity of Forecast Skill to Different Objective Analysis Schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, W. E.

1979-01-01

Numerical weather forecasts are characterized by rapidly declining skill in the first 48 to 72 h. Recent estimates of the sources of forecast error indicate that the inaccurate specification of the initial conditions contributes substantially to this error. The sensitivity of the forecast skill to the initial conditions is examined by comparing a set of real-data experiments whose initial data were obtained with two different analysis schemes. Results are presented to emphasize the importance of the objective analysis techniques used in the assimilation of observational data.

[Patient safety culture based on a non-punitive response to error and freedom of expression of healthcare professionals].

PubMed

Mahjoub, Mohamed; Bouafia, Nabiha; Cheikh, Asma Ben; Ezzi, Olfa; Njah, Mansour

2016-11-25

This study provided an overview of healthcare professionals’ perception of patient safety based on analysis of the concept of freedom of expression and non-punitive response in order to identify and correct errors in our health system. This concept is a cornerstone of the patient safety culture among healthcare professionals and plays a central role in the quality improvement strategy..

Generalized Fourier analyses of the advection-diffusion equation - Part I: one-dimensional domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christon, Mark A.; Martinez, Mario J.; Voth, Thomas E.

2004-07-01

This paper presents a detailed multi-methods comparison of the spatial errors associated with finite difference, finite element and finite volume semi-discretizations of the scalar advection-diffusion equation. The errors are reported in terms of non-dimensional phase and group speed, discrete diffusivity, artificial diffusivity, and grid-induced anisotropy. It is demonstrated that Fourier analysis provides an automatic process for separating the discrete advective operator into its symmetric and skew-symmetric components and characterizing the spectral behaviour of each operator. For each of the numerical methods considered, asymptotic truncation error and resolution estimates are presented for the limiting cases of pure advection and pure diffusion. It is demonstrated that streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin and its control-volume finite element analogue, the streamline upwind control-volume method, produce both an artificial diffusivity and a concomitant phase speed adjustment in addition to the usual semi-discrete artifacts observed in the phase speed, group speed and diffusivity. The Galerkin finite element method and its streamline upwind derivatives are shown to exhibit super-convergent behaviour in terms of phase and group speed when a consistent mass matrix is used in the formulation. In contrast, the CVFEM method and its streamline upwind derivatives yield strictly second-order behaviour. In Part II of this paper, we consider two-dimensional semi-discretizations of the advection-diffusion equation and also assess the affects of grid-induced anisotropy observed in the non-dimensional phase speed, and the discrete and artificial diffusivities. Although this work can only be considered a first step in a comprehensive multi-methods analysis and comparison, it serves to identify some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of multiple numerical methods in a common analysis framework. Published in 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sources of error in the retracted scientific literature.

PubMed

Casadevall, Arturo; Steen, R Grant; Fang, Ferric C

2014-09-01

Retraction of flawed articles is an important mechanism for correction of the scientific literature. We recently reported that the majority of retractions are associated with scientific misconduct. In the current study, we focused on the subset of retractions for which no misconduct was identified, in order to identify the major causes of error. Analysis of the retraction notices for 423 articles indexed in PubMed revealed that the most common causes of error-related retraction are laboratory errors, analytical errors, and irreproducible results. The most common laboratory errors are contamination and problems relating to molecular biology procedures (e.g., sequencing, cloning). Retractions due to contamination were more common in the past, whereas analytical errors are now increasing in frequency. A number of publications that have not been retracted despite being shown to contain significant errors suggest that barriers to retraction may impede correction of the literature. In particular, few cases of retraction due to cell line contamination were found despite recognition that this problem has affected numerous publications. An understanding of the errors leading to retraction can guide practices to improve laboratory research and the integrity of the scientific literature. Perhaps most important, our analysis has identified major problems in the mechanisms used to rectify the scientific literature and suggests a need for action by the scientific community to adopt protocols that ensure the integrity of the publication process. © FASEB.

Wavefront Sensing Analysis of Grazing Incidence Optical Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohrbach, Scott; Saha, Timo

2012-01-01

Wavefront sensing is a process by which optical system errors are deduced from the aberrations in the image of an ideal source. The method has been used successfully in near-normal incidence, but not for grazing incidence systems. This innovation highlights the ability to examine out-of-focus images from grazing incidence telescopes (typically operating in the x-ray wavelengths, but integrated using optical wavelengths) and determine the lower-order deformations. This is important because as a metrology tool, this method would allow the integration of high angular resolution optics without the use of normal incidence interferometry, which requires direct access to the front surface of each mirror. Measuring the surface figure of mirror segments in a highly nested x-ray telescope mirror assembly is difficult due to the tight packing of elements and blockage of all but the innermost elements to normal incidence light. While this can be done on an individual basis in a metrology mount, once the element is installed and permanently bonded into the assembly, it is impossible to verify the figure of each element and ensure that the necessary imaging quality will be maintained. By examining on-axis images of an ideal point source, one can gauge the low-order figure errors of individual elements, even when integrated into an assembly. This technique is known as wavefront sensing (WFS). By shining collimated light down the optical axis of the telescope and looking at out-of-focus images, the blur due to low-order figure errors of individual elements can be seen, and the figure error necessary to produce that blur can be calculated. The method avoids the problem of requiring normal incidence access to the surface of each mirror segment. Mirror figure errors span a wide range of spatial frequencies, from the lowest-order bending to the highest order micro-roughness. While all of these can be measured in normal incidence, only the lowest-order contributors can be determined through this WFS technique.

MISSE 2 PEACE Polymers Experiment Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Error Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCarthy, Catherine E.; Banks, Bruce A.; deGroh, Kim, K.

2010-01-01

Atomic oxygen erosion of polymers in low Earth orbit (LEO) poses a serious threat to spacecraft performance and durability. To address this, 40 different polymer samples and a sample of pyrolytic graphite, collectively called the PEACE (Polymer Erosion and Contamination Experiment) Polymers, were exposed to the LEO space environment on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 4 years as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 1 & 2 (MISSE 1 & 2). The purpose of the PEACE Polymers experiment was to obtain accurate mass loss measurements in space to combine with ground measurements in order to accurately calculate the atomic oxygen erosion yields of a wide variety of polymeric materials exposed to the LEO space environment for a long period of time. Error calculations were performed in order to determine the accuracy of the mass measurements and therefore of the erosion yield values. The standard deviation, or error, of each factor was incorporated into the fractional uncertainty of the erosion yield for each of three different situations, depending on the post-flight weighing procedure. The resulting error calculations showed the erosion yield values to be very accurate, with an average error of 3.30 percent.

[Establishment of model of traditional Chinese medicine injections post-marketing safety monitoring].

PubMed

Guo, Xin-E; Zhao, Yu-Bin; Xie, Yan-Ming; Zhao, Li-Cai; Li, Yan-Feng; Hao, Zhe

2013-09-01

To establish a nurse based post-marketing safety surveillance model for traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMIs). A TCMIs safety monitoring team and a research hospital team engaged in the research, monitoring processes, and quality control processes were established, in order to achieve comprehensive, timely, accurate and real-time access to research data, to eliminate errors in data collection. A triage system involving a study nurse, as the first point of contact, clinicians and clinical pharmacists was set up in a TCM hospital. Following the specified workflow involving labeling of TCM injections and using improved monitoring forms it was found that there were no missing reports at the ratio of error was zero. A research nurse as the first and main point of contact in post-marketing safety monitoring of TCM as part of a triage model, ensures that research data collected has the characteristics of authenticity, accuracy, timeliness, integrity, and eliminate errors during the process of data collection. Hospital based monitoring is a robust and operable process.

Measurement-based reliability/performability models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsueh, Mei-Chen

1987-01-01

Measurement-based models based on real error-data collected on a multiprocessor system are described. Model development from the raw error-data to the estimation of cumulative reward is also described. A workload/reliability model is developed based on low-level error and resource usage data collected on an IBM 3081 system during its normal operation in order to evaluate the resource usage/error/recovery process in a large mainframe system. Thus, both normal and erroneous behavior of the system are modeled. The results provide an understanding of the different types of errors and recovery processes. The measured data show that the holding times in key operational and error states are not simple exponentials and that a semi-Markov process is necessary to model the system behavior. A sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the significance of using a semi-Markov process, as opposed to a Markov process, to model the measured system.

A critical analysis of some popular methods for the discretisation of the gradient operator in finite volume methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syrakos, Alexandros; Varchanis, Stylianos; Dimakopoulos, Yannis; Goulas, Apostolos; Tsamopoulos, John

2017-12-01

Finite volume methods (FVMs) constitute a popular class of methods for the numerical simulation of fluid flows. Among the various components of these methods, the discretisation of the gradient operator has received less attention despite its fundamental importance with regards to the accuracy of the FVM. The most popular gradient schemes are the divergence theorem (DT) (or Green-Gauss) scheme and the least-squares (LS) scheme. Both are widely believed to be second-order accurate, but the present study shows that in fact the common variant of the DT gradient is second-order accurate only on structured meshes whereas it is zeroth-order accurate on general unstructured meshes, and the LS gradient is second-order and first-order accurate, respectively. This is explained through a theoretical analysis and is confirmed by numerical tests. The schemes are then used within a FVM to solve a simple diffusion equation on unstructured grids generated by several methods; the results reveal that the zeroth-order accuracy of the DT gradient is inherited by the FVM as a whole, and the discretisation error does not decrease with grid refinement. On the other hand, use of the LS gradient leads to second-order accurate results, as does the use of alternative, consistent, DT gradient schemes, including a new iterative scheme that makes the common DT gradient consistent at almost no extra cost. The numerical tests are performed using both an in-house code and the popular public domain partial differential equation solver OpenFOAM.

Evaluation of Hand Written and Computerized Out-Patient Prescriptions in Urban Part of Central Gujarat

PubMed Central

Buch, Jatin; Kothari, Nitin; Shah, Nishal

2016-01-01

Introduction Prescription order is an important therapeutic transaction between physician and patient. A good quality prescription is an extremely important factor for minimizing errors in dispensing medication and it should be adherent to guidelines for prescription writing for benefit of the patient. Aim To evaluate frequency and type of prescription errors in outpatient prescriptions and find whether prescription writing abides with WHO standards of prescription writing. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Anand city. Allopathic private practitioners practising at Anand city of different specialities were included in study. Collection of prescriptions was started a month after the consent to minimize bias in prescription writing. The prescriptions were collected from local pharmacy stores of Anand city over a period of six months. Prescriptions were analysed for errors in standard information, according to WHO guide to good prescribing. Statistical Analysis Descriptive analysis was performed to estimate frequency of errors, data were expressed as numbers and percentage. Results Total 749 (549 handwritten and 200 computerised) prescriptions were collected. Abundant omission errors were identified in handwritten prescriptions e.g., OPD number was mentioned in 6.19%, patient’s age was mentioned in 25.50%, gender in 17.30%, address in 9.29% and weight of patient mentioned in 11.29%, while in drug items only 2.97% drugs were prescribed by generic name. Route and Dosage form was mentioned in 77.35%-78.15%, dose mentioned in 47.25%, unit in 13.91%, regimens were mentioned in 72.93% while signa (direction for drug use) in 62.35%. Total 4384 errors out of 549 handwritten prescriptions and 501 errors out of 200 computerized prescriptions were found in clinicians and patient details. While in drug item details, total number of errors identified were 5015 and 621 in handwritten and computerized prescriptions respectively. Conclusion As compared to handwritten prescriptions, computerized prescriptions appeared to be associated with relatively lower rates of error. Since out-patient prescription errors are abundant and often occur in handwritten prescriptions, prescribers need to adapt themselves to computerized prescription order entry in their daily practice. PMID:27504305

A First Look at the Navigation Design and Analysis for the Orion Exploration Mission 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

D'Souza, Chris D.; Zenetti, Renato

2017-01-01

This paper will detail the navigation and dispersion design and analysis of the first Orion crewed mission. The optical navigation measurement model will be described. The vehicle noise includes the residual acceleration from attitude deadbanding, attitude maneuvers, CO2 venting, wastewater venting, ammonia sublimator venting and solar radiation pressure. The maneuver execution errors account for the contribution of accelerometer scale-factor on the accuracy of the maneuver execution. Linear covariance techniques are used to obtain the navigation errors and the trajectory dispersions as well as the DV performance. Particular attention will be paid to the accuracy of the delivery at Earth Entry Interface and at the Lunar Flyby.

[From aviation to surgery: the challenge of safety].

PubMed

Suva, D; Haller, G; Lübbeke-Wolff, A; Macheret, F; Kindler, V; Hoffmeyer, P

2011-03-23

Medical errors result in 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year in the United States of America. Within the surgical specialties, half of these errors occur in the operating room. The origin of these errors is multifactorial, and is generally associated with problems in communication and teamwork. In order to improve safety in the operating room, many hospitals now propose to the medical staff "crew resource management" (CRM) training programs inspired by the aviation industry. This approach favors a better utilization of surgical checklists, improves efficiency during chirurgical interventions, and reduces patient mortality. In October 2009 we introduced a CRM course within the department of surgery at the Geneva University Hospitals. We are presenting this program as well as the first results following its application.

An analytic technique for statistically modeling random atomic clock errors in estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fell, P. J.

1981-01-01

Minimum variance estimation requires that the statistics of random observation errors be modeled properly. If measurements are derived through the use of atomic frequency standards, then one source of error affecting the observable is random fluctuation in frequency. This is the case, for example, with range and integrated Doppler measurements from satellites of the Global Positioning and baseline determination for geodynamic applications. An analytic method is presented which approximates the statistics of this random process. The procedure starts with a model of the Allan variance for a particular oscillator and develops the statistics of range and integrated Doppler measurements. A series of five first order Markov processes is used to approximate the power spectral density obtained from the Allan variance.

Analysis of Online Composite Mirror Descent Algorithm.

PubMed

Lei, Yunwen; Zhou, Ding-Xuan

2017-03-01

We study the convergence of the online composite mirror descent algorithm, which involves a mirror map to reflect the geometry of the data and a convex objective function consisting of a loss and a regularizer possibly inducing sparsity. Our error analysis provides convergence rates in terms of properties of the strongly convex differentiable mirror map and the objective function. For a class of objective functions with Hölder continuous gradients, the convergence rates of the excess (regularized) risk under polynomially decaying step sizes have the order [Formula: see text] after [Formula: see text] iterates. Our results improve the existing error analysis for the online composite mirror descent algorithm by avoiding averaging and removing boundedness assumptions, and they sharpen the existing convergence rates of the last iterate for online gradient descent without any boundedness assumptions. Our methodology mainly depends on a novel error decomposition in terms of an excess Bregman distance, refined analysis of self-bounding properties of the objective function, and the resulting one-step progress bounds.

Technology-related medication errors in a tertiary hospital: a 5-year analysis of reported medication incidents.

PubMed

Samaranayake, N R; Cheung, S T D; Chui, W C M; Cheung, B M Y

2012-12-01

Healthcare technology is meant to reduce medication errors. The objective of this study was to assess unintended errors related to technologies in the medication use process. Medication incidents reported from 2006 to 2010 in a main tertiary care hospital were analysed by a pharmacist and technology-related errors were identified. Technology-related errors were further classified as socio-technical errors and device errors. This analysis was conducted using data from medication incident reports which may represent only a small proportion of medication errors that actually takes place in a hospital. Hence, interpretation of results must be tentative. 1538 medication incidents were reported. 17.1% of all incidents were technology-related, of which only 1.9% were device errors, whereas most were socio-technical errors (98.1%). Of these, 61.2% were linked to computerised prescription order entry, 23.2% to bar-coded patient identification labels, 7.2% to infusion pumps, 6.8% to computer-aided dispensing label generation and 1.5% to other technologies. The immediate causes for technology-related errors included, poor interface between user and computer (68.1%), improper procedures or rule violations (22.1%), poor interface between user and infusion pump (4.9%), technical defects (1.9%) and others (3.0%). In 11.4% of the technology-related incidents, the error was detected after the drug had been administered. A considerable proportion of all incidents were technology-related. Most errors were due to socio-technical issues. Unintended and unanticipated errors may happen when using technologies. Therefore, when using technologies, system improvement, awareness, training and monitoring are needed to minimise medication errors. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Response Errors Explain the Failure of Independent-Channels Models of Perception of Temporal Order

PubMed Central

García-Pérez, Miguel A.; Alcalá-Quintana, Rocío

2012-01-01

Independent-channels models of perception of temporal order (also referred to as threshold models or perceptual latency models) have been ruled out because two formal properties of these models (monotonicity and parallelism) are not borne out by data from ternary tasks in which observers must judge whether stimulus A was presented before, after, or simultaneously with stimulus B. These models generally assume that observed responses are authentic indicators of unobservable judgments, but blinks, lapses of attention, or errors in pressing the response keys (maybe, but not only, motivated by time pressure when reaction times are being recorded) may make observers misreport their judgments or simply guess a response. We present an extension of independent-channels models that considers response errors and we show that the model produces psychometric functions that do not satisfy monotonicity and parallelism. The model is illustrated by fitting it to data from a published study in which the ternary task was used. The fitted functions describe very accurately the absence of monotonicity and parallelism shown by the data. These characteristics of empirical data are thus consistent with independent-channels models when response errors are taken into consideration. The implications of these results for the analysis and interpretation of temporal order judgment data are discussed. PMID:22493586

High-Order Non-Reflecting Boundary Conditions for the Linearized Euler Equations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

rotational effect. Now this rotational effect can be simplified. The atmosphere is thin compared to the radius of the Earth . Furthermore, atmospheric flows...error norm of the discrete solution. Blayo and Debreu [13] considered a characteristic variable ap- proach to NRBCs in first-order systems for ocean and...Third Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1995. [77] Jensen, T., “Open Boundary Conditions in Stratified Ocean Models,” Journal of Marine Systems

Gauging the Effects of Self-efficacy, Social Support, and Coping Style on Self-management Behaviors in Chinese Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Geng, Zhaohui; Ogbolu, Yolanda; Wang, Jichuan; Hinds, Pamela S; Qian, Huijuan; Yuan, Changrong

2018-02-14

Better self-management control in cancer survivors would benefit their functional status, quality of life, and health service utilization. Factors such as self-efficacy, social support, and coping style are important predictors of self-management behaviors of cancer survivors; however, the impact of these factors on self-management behaviors has not yet been empirically tested in Chinese cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to examine how self-efficacy, social support, and coping style affect specific self-management behaviors. A secondary data analysis was completed from a cross-sectional study. A total of 764 cancer survivors were recruited in the study. Validated instruments were used to assess patients' self-efficacy, social support, and coping style. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesis. The SEM model fits the data very well, with root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) of 0.034; close-fit test cannot reject the hypothesis of root mean square error of approximation of 0.05 or less, comparative fit index of 0.91, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.90, and weighted root mean square residual of 0.82. For the measurement models in the SEM, all items loaded highly on their underlying first-order factors, and the first-order factors loaded highly on their underlying second-order factors (self-efficacy and social support, respectively). The model demonstrated that self-efficacy and social support directly and indirectly, via coping style, affect 3 self-management behaviors (ie, communication, exercise, and information seeking). Our results provide evidence that self-efficacy and social support impose significant direct effects, as well as indirect effects via copying style, on the self-management of cancer survivors. Our findings may help nurses to further improve their care of cancer survivors in terms of their self-management behaviors, specifically communication, exercise, and information seeking.

Performance Analysis of Blind Subspace-Based Signature Estimation Algorithms for DS-CDMA Systems with Unknown Correlated Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarifi, Keyvan; Gershman, Alex B.

2006-12-01

We analyze the performance of two popular blind subspace-based signature waveform estimation techniques proposed by Wang and Poor and Buzzi and Poor for direct-sequence code division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) systems with unknown correlated noise. Using the first-order perturbation theory, analytical expressions for the mean-square error (MSE) of these algorithms are derived. We also obtain simple high SNR approximations of the MSE expressions which explicitly clarify how the performance of these techniques depends on the environmental parameters and how it is related to that of the conventional techniques that are based on the standard white noise assumption. Numerical examples further verify the consistency of the obtained analytical results with simulation results.

Profiles of second- to third-order moments of turbulent temperature fluctuations in the convective boundary layer: first measurements with Rotational Raman Lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behrendt, A.; Wulfmeyer, V.; Hammann, E.; Muppa, S. K.; Pal, S.

2014-11-01

The rotational Raman lidar of the University of Hohenheim (UHOH) measures atmospheric temperature profiles during daytime with high resolution (10 s, 109 m). The data contain low noise errors even in daytime due to the use of strong UV laser light (355 nm, 10 W, 50 Hz) and a very efficient interference-filter-based polychromator. In this paper, we present the first profiling of the second- to forth-order moments of turbulent temperature fluctuations as well as of skewness and kurtosis in the convective boundary layer (CBL) including the interfacial layer (IL). The results demonstrate that the UHOH RRL resolves the vertical structure of these moments. The data set which is used for this case study was collected in western Germany (50°53'50.56'' N, 6°27'50.39'' E, 110 m a.s.l.) within one hour around local noon on 24 April 2013 during the Intensive Observations Period (IOP) 6 of the HD(CP)2 Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE), which is embedded in the German project HD(CP)2 (High-Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction). First, we investigated profiles of the noise variance and compared it with estimates of the statistical temperature measurement uncertainty Δ T based on Poisson statistics. The agreement confirms that photon count numbers obtained from extrapolated analog signal intensities provide a lower estimate of the statistical errors. The total statistical uncertainty of a 20 min temperature measurement is lower than 0.1 K up to 1050 m a.g.l. at noontime; even for single 10 s temperature profiles, it is smaller than 1 K up to 1000 m a.g.l.. Then we confirmed by autocovariance and spectral analyses of the atmospheric temperature fluctuations that a temporal resolution of 10 s was sufficient to resolve the turbulence down to the inertial subrange. This is also indicated by the profile of the integral scale of the temperature fluctuations, which was in the range of 40 to 120 s in the CBL. Analyzing then profiles of the second-, third-, and forth-order moments, we found the largest values of all moments in the IL around the mean top of the CBL which was located at 1230 m a.g.l. The maximum of the variance profile in the IL was 0.40 K2 with 0.06 and 0.08 K2 for the sampling error and noise error, respectively. The third-order moment was not significantly different from zero inside the CBL but showed a negative peak in the IL with a minimum of -0.72 K3 and values of 0.06 and 0.14 K3 for the sampling and noise errors, respectively. The forth-order moment and kurtosis values throughout the CBL were quasi-normal.

Suppression of vapor cell temperature error for spin-exchange-relaxation-free magnetometer

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

Lu, Jixi, E-mail: lujixi@buaa.edu.cn; Qian, Zheng; Fang, Jiancheng

2015-08-15

This paper presents a method to reduce the vapor cell temperature error of the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer. The fluctuation of cell temperature can induce variations of the optical rotation angle, resulting in a scale factor error of the SERF magnetometer. In order to suppress this error, we employ the variation of the probe beam absorption to offset the variation of the optical rotation angle. The theoretical discussion of our method indicates that the scale factor error introduced by the fluctuation of the cell temperature could be suppressed by setting the optical depth close to one. In our experiment, we adjustmore » the probe frequency to obtain various optical depths and then measure the variation of scale factor with respect to the corresponding cell temperature changes. Our experimental results show a good agreement with our theoretical analysis. Under our experimental condition, the error has been reduced significantly compared with those when the probe wavelength is adjusted to maximize the probe signal. The cost of this method is the reduction of the scale factor of the magnetometer. However, according to our analysis, it only has minor effect on the sensitivity under proper operating parameters.« less

Finite-SNR analysis for partial relaying cooperation with channel coding and opportunistic relay selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Thang X.; Duhamel, Pierre; Chatzinotas, Symeon; Ottersten, Bjorn

2017-12-01

This work studies the performance of a cooperative network which consists of two channel-coded sources, multiple relays, and one destination. To achieve high spectral efficiency, we assume that a single time slot is dedicated to relaying. Conventional network-coded-based cooperation (NCC) selects the best relay which uses network coding to serve the two sources simultaneously. The bit error rate (BER) performance of NCC with channel coding, however, is still unknown. In this paper, we firstly study the BER of NCC via a closed-form expression and analytically show that NCC only achieves diversity of order two regardless of the number of available relays and the channel code. Secondly, we propose a novel partial relaying-based cooperation (PARC) scheme to improve the system diversity in the finite signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. In particular, closed-form expressions for the system BER and diversity order of PARC are derived as a function of the operating SNR value and the minimum distance of the channel code. We analytically show that the proposed PARC achieves full (instantaneous) diversity order in the finite SNR regime, given that an appropriate channel code is used. Finally, numerical results verify our analysis and demonstrate a large SNR gain of PARC over NCC in the SNR region of interest.

Full Field and Anomaly Initialisation using a low order climate model: a comparison, and proposals for advanced formulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Robin; Carrassi, Alberto; Guemas, Virginie; Doblas-Reyes, Francisco; Volpi, Danila

2014-05-01

Full Field (FFI) and Anomaly Initialisation (AI) are two schemes used to initialise seasonal-to-decadal (s2d) prediction. FFI initialises the model on the best estimate of the actual climate state and minimises the initial error. However, due to inevitable model deficiencies, the trajectories drift away from the observations towards the model's own attractor, inducing a bias in the forecast. AI has been devised to tackle the impact of drift through the addition of this bias onto the observations, in the hope of gaining an initial state closer to the model attractor. Its goal is to forecast climate anomalies. The large variety of experimental setups, global coupled models, and observational networks adopted world-wide have led to varying results with regards to the relative performance of AI and FFI. Our research is firstly motivated in a comparison of these two initialisation approaches under varying circumstances of observational errors, observational distributions, and model errors. We also propose and compare two advanced schemes for s2d prediction. Least Square Initialisation (LSI) intends to propagate observational information of partially initialized systems to the whole model domain, based on standard practices in data assimilation and using the covariance of the model anomalies. Exploring the Parameters Uncertainty (EPU) is an online drift correction technique applied during the forecast run after initialisation. It is designed to estimate, and subtract, the bias in the forecast related to parametric error. Experiments are carried out using an idealized coupled dynamics in order to facilitate better control and robust statistical inference. Results show that an improvement of FFI will necessitate refinements in the observations, whereas improvements in AI are subject to model advances. A successful approximation of the model attractor using AI is guaranteed only when the differences between model and nature probability distribution functions (PDFs) are limited to the first order. Significant higher order differences can lead to an initial conditions distribution for AI that is less representative of the model PDF and lead to a degradation of the initalisation skill. Finally, both ad- vanced schemes lead to significantly improved skill scores, encouraging their implementation for models of higher complexity.

Fringe order correction for the absolute phase recovered by two selected spatial frequency fringe projections in fringe projection profilometry.

PubMed

Ding, Yi; Peng, Kai; Yu, Miao; Lu, Lei; Zhao, Kun

2017-08-01

The performance of the two selected spatial frequency phase unwrapping methods is limited by a phase error bound beyond which errors will occur in the fringe order leading to a significant error in the recovered absolute phase map. In this paper, we propose a method to detect and correct the wrong fringe orders. Two constraints are introduced during the fringe order determination of two selected spatial frequency phase unwrapping methods. A strategy to detect and correct the wrong fringe orders is also described. Compared with the existing methods, we do not need to estimate the threshold associated with absolute phase values to determine the fringe order error, thus making it more reliable and avoiding the procedure of search in detecting and correcting successive fringe order errors. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by the experimental results.

FOG Random Drift Signal Denoising Based on the Improved AR Model and Modified Sage-Husa Adaptive Kalman Filter.

PubMed

Sun, Jin; Xu, Xiaosu; Liu, Yiting; Zhang, Tao; Li, Yao

2016-07-12

In order to reduce the influence of fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) random drift error on inertial navigation systems, an improved auto regressive (AR) model is put forward in this paper. First, based on real-time observations at each restart of the gyroscope, the model of FOG random drift can be established online. In the improved AR model, the FOG measured signal is employed instead of the zero mean signals. Then, the modified Sage-Husa adaptive Kalman filter (SHAKF) is introduced, which can directly carry out real-time filtering on the FOG signals. Finally, static and dynamic experiments are done to verify the effectiveness. The filtering results are analyzed with Allan variance. The analysis results show that the improved AR model has high fitting accuracy and strong adaptability, and the minimum fitting accuracy of single noise is 93.2%. Based on the improved AR(3) model, the denoising method of SHAKF is more effective than traditional methods, and its effect is better than 30%. The random drift error of FOG is reduced effectively, and the precision of the FOG is improved.

Statistical analysis of modeling error in structural dynamic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasselman, T. K.; Chrostowski, J. D.

1990-01-01

The paper presents a generic statistical model of the (total) modeling error for conventional space structures in their launch configuration. Modeling error is defined as the difference between analytical prediction and experimental measurement. It is represented by the differences between predicted and measured real eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Comparisons are made between pre-test and post-test models. Total modeling error is then subdivided into measurement error, experimental error and 'pure' modeling error, and comparisons made between measurement error and total modeling error. The generic statistical model presented in this paper is based on the first four global (primary structure) modes of four different structures belonging to the generic category of Conventional Space Structures (specifically excluding large truss-type space structures). As such, it may be used to evaluate the uncertainty of predicted mode shapes and frequencies, sinusoidal response, or the transient response of other structures belonging to the same generic category.

Rate, causes and reporting of medication errors in Jordan: nurses' perspectives.

PubMed

Mrayyan, Majd T; Shishani, Kawkab; Al-Faouri, Ibrahim

2007-09-01

The aim of the study was to describe Jordanian nurses' perceptions about various issues related to medication errors. This is the first nursing study about medication errors in Jordan. This was a descriptive study. A convenient sample of 799 nurses from 24 hospitals was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Over the course of their nursing career, the average number of recalled committed medication errors per nurse was 2.2. Using incident reports, the rate of medication errors reported to nurse managers was 42.1%. Medication errors occurred mainly when medication labels/packaging were of poor quality or damaged. Nurses failed to report medication errors because they were afraid that they might be subjected to disciplinary actions or even lose their jobs. In the stepwise regression model, gender was the only predictor of medication errors in Jordan. Strategies to reduce or eliminate medication errors are required.

Effects of skilled nursing facility structure and process factors on medication errors during nursing home admission.

PubMed

Lane, Sandi J; Troyer, Jennifer L; Dienemann, Jacqueline A; Laditka, Sarah B; Blanchette, Christopher M

2014-01-01

Older adults are at greatest risk of medication errors during the transition period of the first 7 days after admission and readmission to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). The aim of this study was to evaluate structure- and process-related factors that contribute to medication errors and harm during transition periods at a SNF. Data for medication errors and potential medication errors during the 7-day transition period for residents entering North Carolina SNFs were from the Medication Error Quality Initiative-Individual Error database from October 2006 to September 2007. The impact of SNF structure and process measures on the number of reported medication errors and harm from errors were examined using bivariate and multivariate model methods. A total of 138 SNFs reported 581 transition period medication errors; 73 (12.6%) caused harm. Chain affiliation was associated with a reduction in the volume of errors during the transition period. One third of all reported transition errors occurred during the medication administration phase of the medication use process, where dose omissions were the most common type of error; however, dose omissions caused harm less often than wrong-dose errors did. Prescribing errors were much less common than administration errors but were much more likely to cause harm. Both structure and process measures of quality were related to the volume of medication errors.However, process quality measures may play a more important role in predicting harm from errors during the transition of a resident into an SNF. Medication errors during transition could be reduced by improving both prescribing processes and transcription and documentation of orders.

SIVA/DIVA- INITIAL VALUE ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION SOLUTION VIA A VARIABLE ORDER ADAMS METHOD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krogh, F. T.

1994-01-01

The SIVA/DIVA package is a collection of subroutines for the solution of ordinary differential equations. There are versions for single precision and double precision arithmetic. These solutions are applicable to stiff or nonstiff differential equations of first or second order. SIVA/DIVA requires fewer evaluations of derivatives than other variable order Adams predictor-corrector methods. There is an option for the direct integration of second order equations which can make integration of trajectory problems significantly more efficient. Other capabilities of SIVA/DIVA include: monitoring a user supplied function which can be separate from the derivative; dynamically controlling the step size; displaying or not displaying output at initial, final, and step size change points; saving the estimated local error; and reverse communication where subroutines return to the user for output or computation of derivatives instead of automatically performing calculations. The user must supply SIVA/DIVA with: 1) the number of equations; 2) initial values for the dependent and independent variables, integration stepsize, error tolerance, etc.; and 3) the driver program and operational parameters necessary for subroutine execution. SIVA/DIVA contains an extensive diagnostic message library should errors occur during execution. SIVA/DIVA is written in FORTRAN 77 for batch execution and is machine independent. It has a central memory requirement of approximately 120K of 8 bit bytes. This program was developed in 1983 and last updated in 1987.

Comparison of volatility function technique for risk-neutral densities estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahaludin, Hafizah; Abdullah, Mimi Hafizah

2017-08-01

Volatility function technique by using interpolation approach plays an important role in extracting the risk-neutral density (RND) of options. The aim of this study is to compare the performances of two interpolation approaches namely smoothing spline and fourth order polynomial in extracting the RND. The implied volatility of options with respect to strike prices/delta are interpolated to obtain a well behaved density. The statistical analysis and forecast accuracy are tested using moments of distribution. The difference between the first moment of distribution and the price of underlying asset at maturity is used as an input to analyze forecast accuracy. RNDs are extracted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index options with a one month constant maturity for the period from January 2011 until December 2015. The empirical results suggest that the estimation of RND using a fourth order polynomial is more appropriate to be used compared to a smoothing spline in which the fourth order polynomial gives the lowest mean square error (MSE). The results can be used to help market participants capture market expectations of the future developments of the underlying asset.

Modeling an alkaline electrolysis cell through reduced-order and loss-estimate approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milewski, Jaroslaw; Guandalini, Giulio; Campanari, Stefano

2014-12-01

The paper presents two approaches to the mathematical modeling of an Alkaline Electrolyzer Cell. The presented models were compared and validated against available experimental results taken from a laboratory test and against literature data. The first modeling approach is based on the analysis of estimated losses due to the different phenomena occurring inside the electrolytic cell, and requires careful calibration of several specific parameters (e.g. those related to the electrochemical behavior of the electrodes) some of which could be hard to define. An alternative approach is based on a reduced-order equivalent circuit, resulting in only two fitting parameters (electrodes specific resistance and parasitic losses) and calculation of the internal electric resistance of the electrolyte. Both models yield satisfactory results with an average error limited below 3% vs. the considered experimental data and show the capability to describe with sufficient accuracy the different operating conditions of the electrolyzer; the reduced-order model could be preferred thanks to its simplicity for implementation within plant simulation tools dealing with complex systems, such as electrolyzers coupled with storage facilities and intermittent renewable energy sources.

Optimal preview control for a linear continuous-time stochastic control system in finite-time horizon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jiang; Liao, Fucheng; Tomizuka, Masayoshi

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the design of the optimal preview controller for a linear continuous-time stochastic control system in finite-time horizon, using the method of augmented error system. First, an assistant system is introduced for state shifting. Then, in order to overcome the difficulty of the state equation of the stochastic control system being unable to be differentiated because of Brownian motion, the integrator is introduced. Thus, the augmented error system which contains the integrator vector, control input, reference signal, error vector and state of the system is reconstructed. This leads to the tracking problem of the optimal preview control of the linear stochastic control system being transformed into the optimal output tracking problem of the augmented error system. With the method of dynamic programming in the theory of stochastic control, the optimal controller with previewable signals of the augmented error system being equal to the controller of the original system is obtained. Finally, numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the controller.

Stochastic stability of sigma-point Unscented Predictive Filter.

PubMed

Cao, Lu; Tang, Yu; Chen, Xiaoqian; Zhao, Yong

2015-07-01

In this paper, the Unscented Predictive Filter (UPF) is derived based on unscented transformation for nonlinear estimation, which breaks the confine of conventional sigma-point filters by employing Kalman filter as subject investigated merely. In order to facilitate the new method, the algorithm flow of UPF is given firstly. Then, the theoretical analyses demonstrate that the estimate accuracy of the model error and system for the UPF is higher than that of the conventional PF. Moreover, the authors analyze the stochastic boundedness and the error behavior of Unscented Predictive Filter (UPF) for general nonlinear systems in a stochastic framework. In particular, the theoretical results present that the estimation error remains bounded and the covariance keeps stable if the system׳s initial estimation error, disturbing noise terms as well as the model error are small enough, which is the core part of the UPF theory. All of the results have been demonstrated by numerical simulations for a nonlinear example system. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of memory errors in quantum repeaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, L.; Kraus, B.; Briegel, H.-J.; Dür, W.

2007-03-01

We investigate the influence of memory errors in the quantum repeater scheme for long-range quantum communication. We show that the communication distance is limited in standard operation mode due to memory errors resulting from unavoidable waiting times for classical signals. We show how to overcome these limitations by (i) improving local memory and (ii) introducing two operational modes of the quantum repeater. In both operational modes, the repeater is run blindly, i.e., without waiting for classical signals to arrive. In the first scheme, entanglement purification protocols based on one-way classical communication are used allowing to communicate over arbitrary distances. However, the error thresholds for noise in local control operations are very stringent. The second scheme makes use of entanglement purification protocols with two-way classical communication and inherits the favorable error thresholds of the repeater run in standard mode. One can increase the possible communication distance by an order of magnitude with reasonable overhead in physical resources. We outline the architecture of a quantum repeater that can possibly ensure intercontinental quantum communication.

[Confirmatory factor analysis of the short French version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D10) in adolescents].

PubMed

Cartierre, N; Coulon, N; Demerval, R

2011-09-01

Screening depressivity among adolescents is a key public health priority. In order to measure the severity of depressive symptomatology, a four-dimensional 20 items scale called "Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale" (CES-D) was developed. A shorter 10-item version was developed and validated (Andresen et al.). For this brief version, several authors supported a two-factor structure - Negative and Positive affect - but the relationship between the two reversed-worded items of the Positive affect factor could be better accounted for by correlated errors. The aim of this study is triple: firstly to test a French version of the CES-D10 among adolescents; secondly to test the relevance of a one-dimensional structure by considering error correlation for Positive affect items; finally to examine the extent to which this structural model is invariant across gender. The sample was composed of 269 French middle school adolescents (139 girls and 130 boys, mean age: 13.8, SD=0.65). Confirmatory Factorial Analyses (CFA) using the LISREL 8.52 were conducted in order to assess the adjustment to the data of three factor models: a one-factor model, a two-factor model (Positive and Negative affect) and a one-factor model with specification of correlated errors between the two reverse-worded items. Then, multigroup analysis was conducted to test the scale invariance for girls and boys. Internal consistency of the CES-D10 was satisfying for the adolescent sample (α=0.75). The best fitting model is the one-factor model with correlated errors between the two items of the previous Positive affect factor (χ(2)/dl=2.50; GFI=0.939; CFI=0.894; RMSEA=0.076). This model presented a better statistical fit to the data than the one-factor model without error correlation: χ(2)(diff) (1)=22.14, p<0.001. Then, the one-factor model with correlated errors was analyzed across separate samples of girls and boys. The model explains the data somewhat better for boys than for girls. The model's overall χ(2)(68) without equality constraints from the multigroup analysis was 107.98. The χ(2)(89) statistic for the model with equality-constrained factor loadings was 121.31. The change in the overall Chi(2) is not statistically significant. This result implies that the model is, therefore, invariant across gender. The mean scores were higher for girls than boys: 9.69 versus 7.19; t(267)=4.13, p<0.001. To conclude, and waiting for further research using the French version of the CES-D10 for adolescents, it appears that this short scale is generally acceptable and can be a useful tool for both research and practice. The scale invariance across gender has been demonstrated but the invariance across age must be tested too. Copyright © 2011 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the procedure for separating barley from other spring small grains. [North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Magness, E. R. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The success of the Transition Year procedure to separate and label barley and the other small grains was assessed. It was decided that developers of the procedure would carry out the exercise in order to prevent compounding procedural problems with implementation problems. The evaluation proceeded by labeling the sping small grains first. The accuracy of this labeling was, on the average, somewhat better than that in the Transition Year operations. Other departures from the original procedure included a regionalization of the labeling process, the use of trend analysis, and the removal of time constraints from the actual processing. Segment selection, ground truth derivation, and data available for each segment in the analysis are discussed. Labeling accuracy is examined for North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana as well as for the entire four-state area. Errors are characterized.

Fast Formal Analysis of Requirements via "Topoi Diagrams"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menzies, Tim; Powell, John; Houle, Michael E.; Kelly, John C. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Early testing of requirements can decrease the cost of removing errors in software projects. However, unless done carefully, that testing process can significantly add to the cost of requirements analysis. We show here that requirements expressed as topoi diagrams can be built and tested cheaply using our SP2 algorithm, the formal temporal properties of a large class of topoi can be proven very quickly, in time nearly linear in the number of nodes and edges in the diagram. There are two limitations to our approach. Firstly, topoi diagrams cannot express certain complex concepts such as iteration and sub-routine calls. Hence, our approach is more useful for requirements engineering than for traditional model checking domains. Secondly, out approach is better for exploring the temporal occurrence of properties than the temporal ordering of properties. Within these restrictions, we can express a useful range of concepts currently seen in requirements engineering, and a wide range of interesting temporal properties.

Synchronisation, electronic circuit implementation, and fractional-order analysis of 5D ordinary differential equations with hidden hyperchaotic attractors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Zhouchao; Rajagopal, Karthikeyan; Zhang, Wei; Kingni, Sifeu Takougang; Akgül, Akif

2018-04-01

Hidden hyperchaotic attractors can be generated with three positive Lyapunov exponents in the proposed 5D hyperchaotic Burke-Shaw system with only one stable equilibrium. To the best of our knowledge, this feature has rarely been previously reported in any other higher-dimensional systems. Unidirectional linear error feedback coupling scheme is used to achieve hyperchaos synchronisation, which will be estimated by using two indicators: the normalised average root-mean squared synchronisation error and the maximum cross-correlation coefficient. The 5D hyperchaotic system has been simulated using a specially designed electronic circuit and viewed on an oscilloscope, thereby confirming the results of the numerical integration. In addition, fractional-order hidden hyperchaotic system will be considered from the following three aspects: stability, bifurcation analysis and FPGA implementation. Such implementations in real time represent hidden hyperchaotic attractors with important consequences for engineering applications.

The Thirty Gigahertz Instrument Receiver for the QUIJOTE Experiment: Preliminary Polarization Measurements and Systematic-Error Analysis

PubMed Central

Casas, Francisco J.; Ortiz, David; Villa, Enrique; Cano, Juan L.; Cagigas, Jaime; Pérez, Ana R.; Aja, Beatriz; Terán, J. Vicente; de la Fuente, Luisa; Artal, Eduardo; Hoyland, Roger; Génova-Santos, Ricardo

2015-01-01

This paper presents preliminary polarization measurements and systematic-error characterization of the Thirty Gigahertz Instrument receiver developed for the QUIJOTE experiment. The instrument has been designed to measure the polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background radiation from the sky, obtaining the Q, U, and I Stokes parameters of the incoming signal simultaneously. Two kinds of linearly polarized input signals have been used as excitations in the polarimeter measurement tests in the laboratory; these show consistent results in terms of the Stokes parameters obtained. A measurement-based systematic-error characterization technique has been used in order to determine the possible sources of instrumental errors and to assist in the polarimeter calibration process. PMID:26251906

Reliable and Efficient Parallel Processing Algorithms and Architectures for Modern Signal Processing. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Kuojuey Ray

1990-01-01

Least-squares (LS) estimations and spectral decomposition algorithms constitute the heart of modern signal processing and communication problems. Implementations of recursive LS and spectral decomposition algorithms onto parallel processing architectures such as systolic arrays with efficient fault-tolerant schemes are the major concerns of this dissertation. There are four major results in this dissertation. First, we propose the systolic block Householder transformation with application to the recursive least-squares minimization. It is successfully implemented on a systolic array with a two-level pipelined implementation at the vector level as well as at the word level. Second, a real-time algorithm-based concurrent error detection scheme based on the residual method is proposed for the QRD RLS systolic array. The fault diagnosis, order degraded reconfiguration, and performance analysis are also considered. Third, the dynamic range, stability, error detection capability under finite-precision implementation, order degraded performance, and residual estimation under faulty situations for the QRD RLS systolic array are studied in details. Finally, we propose the use of multi-phase systolic algorithms for spectral decomposition based on the QR algorithm. Two systolic architectures, one based on triangular array and another based on rectangular array, are presented for the multiphase operations with fault-tolerant considerations. Eigenvectors and singular vectors can be easily obtained by using the multi-pase operations. Performance issues are also considered.

Analysis of error type and frequency in apraxia of speech among Portuguese speakers.

PubMed

Cera, Maysa Luchesi; Minett, Thaís Soares Cianciarullo; Ortiz, Karin Zazo

2010-01-01

Most studies characterizing errors in the speech of patients with apraxia involve English language. To analyze the types and frequency of errors produced by patients with apraxia of speech whose mother tongue was Brazilian Portuguese. 20 adults with apraxia of speech caused by stroke were assessed. The types of error committed by patients were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, and frequencies compared. We observed the presence of substitution, omission, trial-and-error, repetition, self-correction, anticipation, addition, reiteration and metathesis, in descending order of frequency, respectively. Omission type errors were one of the most commonly occurring whereas addition errors were infrequent. These findings differed to those reported in English speaking patients, probably owing to differences in the methodologies used for classifying error types; the inclusion of speakers with apraxia secondary to aphasia; and the difference in the structure of Portuguese language to English in terms of syllable onset complexity and effect on motor control. The frequency of omission and addition errors observed differed to the frequency reported for speakers of English.

[The endpoint detection of cough signal in continuous speech].

PubMed

Yang, Guoqing; Mo, Hongqiang; Li, Wen; Lian, Lianfang; Zheng, Zeguang

2010-06-01

The endpoint detection of cough signal in continuous speech has been researched in order to improve the efficiency and veracity of manual recognition or computer-based automatic recognition. First, using the short time zero crossing ratio(ZCR) for identifying the suspicious coughs and getting the threshold of short time energy based on acoustic characteristics of cough. Then, the short time energy is combined with short time ZCR in order to implement the endpoint detection of cough in continuous speech. To evaluate the effect of the method, first, the virtual number of coughs in each recording was identified by two experienced doctors using the graphical user interface (GUI). Second, the recordings were analyzed by automatic endpoint detection program under Matlab7.0. Finally, the comparison between these two results showed: The error rate of undetected cough is 2.18%, and 98.13% of noise, silence and speech were removed. The way of setting short time energy threshold is robust. The endpoint detection program can remove most speech and noise, thus maintaining a lower rate of error.

Bravyi-Kitaev Superfast simulation of electronic structure on a quantum computer.

PubMed

Setia, Kanav; Whitfield, James D

2018-04-28

Present quantum computers often work with distinguishable qubits as their computational units. In order to simulate indistinguishable fermionic particles, it is first required to map the fermionic state to the state of the qubits. The Bravyi-Kitaev Superfast (BKSF) algorithm can be used to accomplish this mapping. The BKSF mapping has connections to quantum error correction and opens the door to new ways of understanding fermionic simulation in a topological context. Here, we present the first detailed exposition of the BKSF algorithm for molecular simulation. We provide the BKSF transformed qubit operators and report on our implementation of the BKSF fermion-to-qubits transform in OpenFermion. In this initial study of a hydrogen molecule we have compared BKSF, Jordan-Wigner, and Bravyi-Kitaev transforms under the Trotter approximation. The gate count to implement BKSF is lower than Jordan-Wigner but higher than Bravyi-Kitaev. We considered different orderings of the exponentiated terms and found lower Trotter errors than the previously reported for Jordan-Wigner and Bravyi-Kitaev algorithms. These results open the door to the further study of the BKSF algorithm for quantum simulation.

Downwelling Far-Infrared Emission Spectra Measured By First at Cerro Toco, Chile and Table Mountain, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mast, J. C.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Cageao, R.; Kratz, D. P.; Johnson, D. G.; Mlawer, E. J.; Turner, D. D.

2014-12-01

The Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) instrument is a Fourier transform spectrometer developed to measure the important far-infrared spectrum between 100 and 650 cm-1. Presented here are measurements made by FIRST during two successful deployments in a ground-based configuration to measure downwelling longwave radiation at Earth's surface. The initial deployment was to Cerro Toco, Chile, where FIRST operated from August to October, 2009 as part of the Radiative Heating in Underexplored Bands Campaign (RHUBC-II) campaign. After recalibration, FIRST was deployed to the Table Mountain Facility from September through October, 2012. Spectra observed at each location are substantially different, due in large part to the order of magnitude difference in integrated precipitable water vapor (0.3 cm at Table Mountain, 0.03 cm at Cerro Toco). Dry days for both campaigns are chosen for analysis - 09/24/2009 and 10/19/2012. Also available during both deployments are coincident radiosonde temperature and water vapor vertical profiles which are used as inputs a line-by-line radiative transfer program. Comparisons between measured and modeled spectra are presented over the 200 to 800 cm-1 range. An extensive error analysis of both the measured and modeled spectra is presented. In general, the differences between the measured and modeled spectra are within their combined uncertainties.

Effect of gyro verticality error on lateral autoland tracking performance for an inertially smoothed control law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thibodeaux, J. J.

1977-01-01

The results of a simulation study performed to determine the effects of gyro verticality error on lateral autoland tracking and landing performance are presented. A first order vertical gyro error model was used to generate the measurement of the roll attitude feedback signal normally supplied by an inertial navigation system. The lateral autoland law used was an inertially smoothed control design. The effect of initial angular gyro tilt errors (2 deg, 3 deg, 4 deg, and 5 deg), introduced prior to localizer capture, were investigated by use of a small perturbation aircraft simulation. These errors represent the deviations which could occur in the conventional attitude sensor as a result of the maneuver-induced spin-axis misalinement and drift. Results showed that for a 1.05 deg per minute erection rate and a 5 deg initial tilt error, ON COURSE autoland control logic was not satisfied. Failure to attain the ON COURSE mode precluded high control loop gains and localizer beam path integration and resulted in unacceptable beam standoff at touchdown.

Error characterization and quantum control benchmarking in liquid state NMR using quantum information processing techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laforest, Martin

Quantum information processing has been the subject of countless discoveries since the early 1990's. It is believed to be the way of the future for computation: using quantum systems permits one to perform computation exponentially faster than on a regular classical computer. Unfortunately, quantum systems that not isolated do not behave well. They tend to lose their quantum nature due to the presence of the environment. If key information is known about the noise present in the system, methods such as quantum error correction have been developed in order to reduce the errors introduced by the environment during a given quantum computation. In order to harness the quantum world and implement the theoretical ideas of quantum information processing and quantum error correction, it is imperative to understand and quantify the noise present in the quantum processor and benchmark the quality of the control over the qubits. Usual techniques to estimate the noise or the control are based on quantum process tomography (QPT), which, unfortunately, demands an exponential amount of resources. This thesis presents work towards the characterization of noisy processes in an efficient manner. The protocols are developed from a purely abstract setting with no system-dependent variables. To circumvent the exponential nature of quantum process tomography, three different efficient protocols are proposed and experimentally verified. The first protocol uses the idea of quantum error correction to extract relevant parameters about a given noise model, namely the correlation between the dephasing of two qubits. Following that is a protocol using randomization and symmetrization to extract the probability that a given number of qubits are simultaneously corrupted in a quantum memory, regardless of the specifics of the error and which qubits are affected. Finally, a last protocol, still using randomization ideas, is developed to estimate the average fidelity per computational gates for single and multi qubit systems. Even though liquid state NMR is argued to be unsuitable for scalable quantum information processing, it remains the best test-bed system to experimentally implement, verify and develop protocols aimed at increasing the control over general quantum information processors. For this reason, all the protocols described in this thesis have been implemented in liquid state NMR, which then led to further development of control and analysis techniques.

Application of computer vision to automatic prescription verification in pharmaceutical mail order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alouani, Ali T.

2005-05-01

In large volume pharmaceutical mail order, before shipping out prescriptions, licensed pharmacists ensure that the drug in the bottle matches the information provided in the patient prescription. Typically, the pharmacist has about 2 sec to complete the prescription verification process of one prescription. Performing about 1800 prescription verification per hour is tedious and can generate human errors as a result of visual and brain fatigue. Available automatic drug verification systems are limited to a single pill at a time. This is not suitable for large volume pharmaceutical mail order, where a prescription can have as many as 60 pills and where thousands of prescriptions are filled every day. In an attempt to reduce human fatigue, cost, and limit human error, the automatic prescription verification system (APVS) was invented to meet the need of large scale pharmaceutical mail order. This paper deals with the design and implementation of the first prototype online automatic prescription verification machine to perform the same task currently done by a pharmacist. The emphasis here is on the visual aspects of the machine. The system has been successfully tested on 43,000 prescriptions.

Data driven CAN node reliability assessment for manufacturing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Leiming; Yuan, Yong; Lei, Yong

2017-01-01

The reliability of the Controller Area Network(CAN) is critical to the performance and safety of the system. However, direct bus-off time assessment tools are lacking in practice due to inaccessibility of the node information and the complexity of the node interactions upon errors. In order to measure the mean time to bus-off(MTTB) of all the nodes, a novel data driven node bus-off time assessment method for CAN network is proposed by directly using network error information. First, the corresponding network error event sequence for each node is constructed using multiple-layer network error information. Then, the generalized zero inflated Poisson process(GZIP) model is established for each node based on the error event sequence. Finally, the stochastic model is constructed to predict the MTTB of the node. The accelerated case studies with different error injection rates are conducted on a laboratory network to demonstrate the proposed method, where the network errors are generated by a computer controlled error injection system. Experiment results show that the MTTB of nodes predicted by the proposed method agree well with observations in the case studies. The proposed data driven node time to bus-off assessment method for CAN networks can successfully predict the MTTB of nodes by directly using network error event data.

Piecewise compensation for the nonlinear error of fiber-optic gyroscope scale factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yonggang; Wu, Xunfeng; Yuan, Shun; Wu, Lei

2013-08-01

Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) scale factor nonlinear error will result in errors in Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS). In order to reduce nonlinear error of FOG scale factor in SINS, a compensation method is proposed in this paper based on curve piecewise fitting of FOG output. Firstly, reasons which can result in FOG scale factor error are introduced and the definition of nonlinear degree is provided. Then we introduce the method to divide the output range of FOG into several small pieces, and curve fitting is performed in each output range of FOG to obtain scale factor parameter. Different scale factor parameters of FOG are used in different pieces to improve FOG output precision. These parameters are identified by using three-axis turntable, and nonlinear error of FOG scale factor can be reduced. Finally, three-axis swing experiment of SINS verifies that the proposed method can reduce attitude output errors of SINS by compensating the nonlinear error of FOG scale factor and improve the precision of navigation. The results of experiments also demonstrate that the compensation scheme is easy to implement. It can effectively compensate the nonlinear error of FOG scale factor with slightly increased computation complexity. This method can be used in inertial technology based on FOG to improve precision.

Hybrid Reduced Order Modeling Algorithms for Reactor Physics Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bang, Youngsuk

Reduced order modeling (ROM) has been recognized as an indispensable approach when the engineering analysis requires many executions of high fidelity simulation codes. Examples of such engineering analyses in nuclear reactor core calculations, representing the focus of this dissertation, include the functionalization of the homogenized few-group cross-sections in terms of the various core conditions, e.g. burn-up, fuel enrichment, temperature, etc. This is done via assembly calculations which are executed many times to generate the required functionalization for use in the downstream core calculations. Other examples are sensitivity analysis used to determine important core attribute variations due to input parameter variations, and uncertainty quantification employed to estimate core attribute uncertainties originating from input parameter uncertainties. ROM constructs a surrogate model with quantifiable accuracy which can replace the original code for subsequent engineering analysis calculations. This is achieved by reducing the effective dimensionality of the input parameter, the state variable, or the output response spaces, by projection onto the so-called active subspaces. Confining the variations to the active subspace allows one to construct an ROM model of reduced complexity which can be solved more efficiently. This dissertation introduces a new algorithm to render reduction with the reduction errors bounded based on a user-defined error tolerance which represents the main challenge of existing ROM techniques. Bounding the error is the key to ensuring that the constructed ROM models are robust for all possible applications. Providing such error bounds represents one of the algorithmic contributions of this dissertation to the ROM state-of-the-art. Recognizing that ROM techniques have been developed to render reduction at different levels, e.g. the input parameter space, the state space, and the response space, this dissertation offers a set of novel hybrid ROM algorithms which can be readily integrated into existing methods and offer higher computational efficiency and defendable accuracy of the reduced models. For example, the snapshots ROM algorithm is hybridized with the range finding algorithm to render reduction in the state space, e.g. the flux in reactor calculations. In another implementation, the perturbation theory used to calculate first order derivatives of responses with respect to parameters is hybridized with a forward sensitivity analysis approach to render reduction in the parameter space. Reduction at the state and parameter spaces can be combined to render further reduction at the interface between different physics codes in a multi-physics model with the accuracy quantified in a similar manner to the single physics case. Although the proposed algorithms are generic in nature, we focus here on radiation transport models used in support of the design and analysis of nuclear reactor cores. In particular, we focus on replacing the traditional assembly calculations by ROM models to facilitate the generation of homogenized cross-sections for downstream core calculations. The implication is that assembly calculations could be done instantaneously therefore precluding the need for the expensive evaluation of the few-group cross-sections for all possible core conditions. Given the generic natures of the algorithms, we make an effort to introduce the material in a general form to allow non-nuclear engineers to benefit from this work.

Estimate of higher order ionospheric errors in GNSS positioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoque, M. Mainul; Jakowski, N.

2008-10-01

Precise navigation and positioning using GPS/GLONASS/Galileo require the ionospheric propagation errors to be accurately determined and corrected for. Current dual-frequency method of ionospheric correction ignores higher order ionospheric errors such as the second and third order ionospheric terms in the refractive index formula and errors due to bending of the signal. The total electron content (TEC) is assumed to be same at two GPS frequencies. All these assumptions lead to erroneous estimations and corrections of the ionospheric errors. In this paper a rigorous treatment of these problems is presented. Different approximation formulas have been proposed to correct errors due to excess path length in addition to the free space path length, TEC difference at two GNSS frequencies, and third-order ionospheric term. The GPS dual-frequency residual range errors can be corrected within millimeter level accuracy using the proposed correction formulas.

The Gnomon Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krisciunas, Kevin

2007-12-01

A gnomon, or vertical pointed stick, can be used to determine the north-south direction at a site, as well as one's latitude. If one has accurate time and knows one's time zone, it is also possible to determine one's longitude. From observations on the first day of winter and the first day of summer one can determine the obliquity of the ecliptic. Since we can obtain accurate geographical coordinates from Google Earth or a GPS device, analysis of set of shadow length measurements can be used by students to learn about astronomical coordinate systems, time systems, systematic errors, and random errors. Systematic latitude errors of student datasets are typically 30 nautical miles (0.5 degree) or more, but with care one can achieve systematic and random errors less than 8 nautical miles. One of the advantages of this experiment is that it can be carried out during the day. Also, it is possible to determine if a student has made up his data.