46 CFR 310.3 - Schools and courses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... beyond the control of the School. During a period a school is implementing an approved plan, Cadets may...) months of the total time must be aboard a Training Ship in cruise status. A maximum of two (2) months of...) months of the specified cruise time. For the cadets at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, six (6) months...

46 CFR 310.3 - Schools and courses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... beyond the control of the School. During a period a school is implementing an approved plan, Cadets may...) months of the total time must be aboard a Training Ship in cruise status. A maximum of two (2) months of...) months of the specified cruise time. For the cadets at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, six (6) months...

Total aflatoxins in complementary foods produced at community levels using locally available ingredients in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Ayelign, Abebe; Woldegiorgis, Ashagrie Zewdu; Adish, Abdulaziz; De Saeger, Sarah

2018-06-01

This study was conducted to determine the occurrence and levels of total aflatoxins in complementary foods (CFs) and their ingredients. A total of 126 samples collected from 20 Districts from Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, and Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regions were analysed for levels of total aflatoxins using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Aflatoxins were detected in 62 out of 66 pre-milling samples with mean range of 0.3-9.9 µg/kg. Aflatoxins were also detected in 19 out of 20 post-production CFs and in all of the one-month stored CFs at households and grain banks, with a mean range of 0.5-8.0, 3.6-11.3, and 0.2-12.4 µg/kg, respectively. Overall, 3 out of 126 samples exceeded the maximum limit (10 µg/kg). Although most aflatoxin levels were below the maximum limit and thus considered to be safe for consumption, more effort should be implemented to reduce contamination, as these CFs are intended for consumption by young children.

The Effect of Reducing Maximum Shift Lengths to 16 Hours on Internal Medicine Interns’ Educational Opportunities

PubMed Central

Theobald, Cecelia N.; Stover, Daniel G.; Choma, Neesha N.; Hathaway, Jacob; Green, Jennifer K.; Peterson, Neeraja B.; Sponsler, Kelly C.; Vasilevskis, Eduard E.; Kripalani, Sunil; Sergent, John; Brown, Nancy J.; Denny, Joshua C.

2013-01-01

Purpose To evaluate educational experiences of internal medicine interns before and after maximum shift lengths were decreased from 30 hours to 16 hours. Method The authors compared educational experiences of internal medicine interns at Vanderbilt University Medical Center before (2010, 47 interns) and after (2011, 50 interns) duty hour restrictions were implemented in July 2011. The authors compared number of inpatient encounters, breadth of concepts in notes, exposure to five common presenting problems, procedural experience, and attendance at teaching conferences. Results Following the duty hour restrictions, interns cared for more unique patients (mean 118 versus 140 patients per intern, P = .005) and wrote more history and physicals (mean 73 versus 88, P = .005). Documentation included more total concepts after the 16-hour maximum shift implementation, with a 14% increase for history and physicals (338 versus 387, P < .001) and a 10% increase for progress notes (316 versus 349, P < .001). There was no difference in the median number of selected procedures performed (6 versus 6, P = .94). Attendance was higher at the weekly chief resident conference (60% versus 68% of expected attendees, P < .001) but unchanged at morning report conferences (79% versus 78%, P = .49). Conclusions Intern clinical exposure did not decrease after implementation of the 16-hour shift length restriction. In fact, interns saw more patients, produced more detailed notes, and attended more conferences following duty hour restrictions. PMID:23425987

Cost analysis of the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system for malaria elimination in Solomon Islands.

PubMed

Marston, Luke; Kelly, Gerard C; Hale, Erick; Clements, Archie C A; Hodge, Andrew; Jimenez-Soto, Eliana

2014-08-18

The goal of malaria elimination faces numerous challenges. New tools are required to support the scale up of interventions and improve national malaria programme capacity to conduct detailed surveillance. This study investigates the cost factors influencing the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for malaria elimination in the two elimination provinces of Isabel and Temotu, Solomon Islands. Financial and economic costs to develop and implement a SDSS were estimated using the Solomon Islands programme's financial records. Using an ingredients approach, verified by stakeholders and operational reports, total costs for each province were quantified. A budget impact sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of variations in standard budgetary components on the costs and to identify potential cost savings. A total investment of US$ 96,046 (2012 constant dollars) was required to develop and implement the SDSS in two provinces (Temotu Province US$ 49,806 and Isabel Province US$ 46,240). The single largest expense category was for computerized equipment totalling approximately US$ 30,085. Geographical reconnaissance was the most expensive phase of development and implementation, accounting for approximately 62% of total costs. Sensitivity analysis identified different cost factors between the provinces. Reduced equipment costs would deliver a budget saving of approximately 10% in Isabel Province. Combined travel costs represented the greatest influence on the total budget in the more remote Temotu Province. This study provides the first cost analysis of an operational surveillance tool used specifically for malaria elimination in the South-West Pacific. It is demonstrated that the costs of such a decision support system are driven by specialized equipment and travel expenses. Such factors should be closely scrutinized in future programme budgets to ensure maximum efficiencies are gained and available resources are allocated effectively.

Management of unregulated agricultural nonpoint sources through water quality trading market.

PubMed

Mahjoobi, Emad; Sarang, Amin; Ardestani, Mojtaba

2016-11-01

Water quality trading (WQT) could be an innovative policy to incentivize farmers to implement best management practices (BMPs) for their activities. This study focused on assessment of involving unregulated agricultural nonpoint sources (NPS) into the WQT market in Gharesoo watershed in the west of Iran. It also proposes a methodology to determine location-based trading ratios as well as environmental penalty cost to achieve a more well-designed market structure. Trading activities in different scenarios were described by trading volume (TV), participation rate (PR), total exchanged value (TEV), and other market parameters in order to achieve a better comparison of market performance. Results showed that, by applying NPS to the Gharesoo watershed, total phosphorous (TP) trading market could increase TV, PR, and TEV up to 11, 1.7 and 7.5 times, respectively, depending on which level of BMPs are implemented by them. Additionally, it could save 29% of the total cost of implementing a TP total maximum daily load in this watershed compared to the 'command and control' approach. Furthermore, the agricultural sector could profit by $5.49 million (or $75/ha) by choosing solutions such as terrace systems and filter strips to register into the market. This profit can be allocated to the development of new agricultural technologies.

Microbiological performance of dairy processing plants is influenced by scale of production and the implemented food safety management system: a case study.

PubMed

Opiyo, Beatrice Atieno; Wangoh, John; Njage, Patrick Murigu Kamau

2013-06-01

The effects of existing food safety management systems and size of the production facility on microbiological quality in the dairy industry in Kenya were studied. A microbial assessment scheme was used to evaluate 14 dairies in Nairobi and its environs, and their performance was compared based on their size and on whether they were implementing hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000 recommendations. Environmental samples from critical sampling locations, i.e., workers' hands and food contact surfaces, and from end products were analyzed for microbial quality, including hygiene indicators and pathogens. Microbial safety level profiles (MSLPs) were constructed from the microbiological data to obtain an overview of contamination. The maximum MSLP score for environmental samples was 18 (six microbiological parameters, each with a maximum MSLP score of 3) and that for end products was 15 (five microbiological parameters). Three dairies (two large scale and one medium scale; 21% of total) achieved the maximum MSLP scores of 18 for environmental samples and 15 for the end product. Escherichia coli was detected on food contact surfaces in three dairies, all of which were small scale dairies, and the microorganism was also present in end product samples from two of these dairies, an indication of cross-contamination. Microbial quality was poorest in small scale dairies. Most operations in these dairies were manual, with minimal system documentation. Noncompliance with hygienic practices such as hand washing and cleaning and disinfection procedures, which is common in small dairies, directly affects the microbial quality of the end products. Dairies implementing HACCP systems or ISO 22000 recommendations achieved maximum MSLP scores and hence produced safer products.

24 CFR 884.105 - Maximum total ACC commitment and project account (private-owner/PHA projects).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Maximum total ACC commitment and..., Scope and Basic Policies § 884.105 Maximum total ACC commitment and project account (private-owner/PHA projects). (a) Maximum total ACC commitment. The maximum total annual contribution that may be contracted...

24 CFR 884.105 - Maximum total ACC commitment and project account (private-owner/PHA projects).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Maximum total ACC commitment and..., Scope and Basic Policies § 884.105 Maximum total ACC commitment and project account (private-owner/PHA projects). (a) Maximum total ACC commitment. The maximum total annual contribution that may be contracted...

20 CFR 226.52 - Total annuity subject to maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Total annuity subject to maximum. 226.52... COMPUTING EMPLOYEE, SPOUSE, AND DIVORCED SPOUSE ANNUITIES Railroad Retirement Family Maximum § 226.52 Total annuity subject to maximum. The total annuity amount which is compared to the maximum monthly amount to...

[Implementation of a regional system for the emergency care of acute ischemic stroke: Initial results].

PubMed

Soares-Oliveira, Miguel; Araújo, Fernando

2014-06-01

Implementing integrated systems for emergency care of patients with acute ischemic stroke helps reduce morbidity and mortality. We describe the process of organizing and implementing a regional system to cover around 3.7 million people and its main initial results. We performed a descriptive analysis of the implementation process and a retrospective analysis of the following parameters: number of patients prenotified by the pre-hospital system; number of times thrombolysis was performed; door-to-needle time; and functional assessment three months after stroke. The implementation process started in November 2005 and ended in December 2009, and included 11 health centers. There were 3574 prenotifications from the prehospital system. Thrombolysis was performed in 1142 patients. The percentage of patients receiving thrombolysis rose during the study period, with a maximum of 16%. Median door-to-needle time was 62 min in 2009. Functional recovery three months after stroke was total or near total in 50% of patients. The regional system implemented for emergency care of patients with acute ischemic stroke has led to health gains, with progressive improvements in patients' access to thrombolysis, and to greater equity in the health care system, thus helping to reduce mortality from cerebrovascular disease in Portugal. Our results, which are comparable with those of international studies, support the strategy adopted for implementation of this system. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Summary statistics and graphical comparisons of historical hydrologic and water-quality data, Seco Creek Watershed, South-Central Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, David W.; Slattery, Richard N.; Gilhousen, Jon R.

1998-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey collected hydrologic (rainfall, streamflow, and reservoir content) and water-quality data in the Seco Creek watershed, south-central Texas. Most of the data from 15 sites were collected as part of a study in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to evaluate the effects of agricultural best-management practices on surface- and ground-water quantity and quality in the 255-square-mile watershed. Nearly 400 best-management practices at 58 sites were implemented by landowners in the watershed during March 1990-September 1995. Most of the data are from the early 1990s, the period during and after implementation of best-management practices. Data from five sites include water quality and are summarized in tables and graphics in the text; and data from all 15 sites are summarized on a diskette. Maximum annual rainfall among the sites for which data are presented in the text (excluding one site) for the during-and-after-implementation period (March 1990-September 1995) was 53.27 inches in water year 1992. Maximum annual total streamflow among the sites for the period was 63,400 acre-feet, also in water year 1992. At the one site with water-quality data (under base-flow conditions) for both the before-implementation period and the during-and-after implementation period of best-management practices, percentiles (5, 25, 50, 75, 95) for specific conductance, nitrate concentration, and fecal coliform density were less for the during-and-after-implementation period than for the before-implementation period.

Can consistent benchmarking within a standardized pain management concept decrease postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty? A prospective cohort study including 367 patients

PubMed Central

Benditz, Achim; Greimel, Felix; Auer, Patrick; Zeman, Florian; Göttermann, Antje; Grifka, Joachim; Meissner, Winfried; von Kunow, Frederik

2016-01-01

Background The number of total hip replacement surgeries has steadily increased over recent years. Reduction in postoperative pain increases patient satisfaction and enables better mobilization. Thus, pain management needs to be continuously improved. Problems are often caused not only by medical issues but also by organization and hospital structure. The present study shows how the quality of pain management can be increased by implementing a standardized pain concept and simple, consistent, benchmarking. Methods All patients included in the study had undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA). Outcome parameters were analyzed 24 hours after surgery by means of the questionnaires from the German-wide project “Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Management” (QUIPS). A pain nurse interviewed patients and continuously assessed outcome quality parameters. A multidisciplinary team of anesthetists, orthopedic surgeons, and nurses implemented a regular procedure of data analysis and internal benchmarking. The health care team was informed of any results, and suggested improvements. Every staff member involved in pain management participated in educational lessons, and a special pain nurse was trained in each ward. Results From 2014 to 2015, 367 patients were included. The mean maximal pain score 24 hours after surgery was 4.0 (±3.0) on an 11-point numeric rating scale, and patient satisfaction was 9.0 (±1.2). Over time, the maximum pain score decreased (mean 3.0, ±2.0), whereas patient satisfaction significantly increased (mean 9.8, ±0.4; p<0.05). Among 49 anonymized hospitals, our clinic stayed on first rank in terms of lowest maximum pain and patient satisfaction over the period. Conclusion Results were already acceptable at the beginning of benchmarking a standardized pain management concept. But regular benchmarking, implementation of feedback mechanisms, and staff education made the pain management concept even more successful. Multidisciplinary teamwork and flexibility in adapting processes seem to be highly important for successful pain management. PMID:28031727

Can consistent benchmarking within a standardized pain management concept decrease postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty? A prospective cohort study including 367 patients.

PubMed

Benditz, Achim; Greimel, Felix; Auer, Patrick; Zeman, Florian; Göttermann, Antje; Grifka, Joachim; Meissner, Winfried; von Kunow, Frederik

2016-01-01

The number of total hip replacement surgeries has steadily increased over recent years. Reduction in postoperative pain increases patient satisfaction and enables better mobilization. Thus, pain management needs to be continuously improved. Problems are often caused not only by medical issues but also by organization and hospital structure. The present study shows how the quality of pain management can be increased by implementing a standardized pain concept and simple, consistent, benchmarking. All patients included in the study had undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA). Outcome parameters were analyzed 24 hours after surgery by means of the questionnaires from the German-wide project "Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Management" (QUIPS). A pain nurse interviewed patients and continuously assessed outcome quality parameters. A multidisciplinary team of anesthetists, orthopedic surgeons, and nurses implemented a regular procedure of data analysis and internal benchmarking. The health care team was informed of any results, and suggested improvements. Every staff member involved in pain management participated in educational lessons, and a special pain nurse was trained in each ward. From 2014 to 2015, 367 patients were included. The mean maximal pain score 24 hours after surgery was 4.0 (±3.0) on an 11-point numeric rating scale, and patient satisfaction was 9.0 (±1.2). Over time, the maximum pain score decreased (mean 3.0, ±2.0), whereas patient satisfaction significantly increased (mean 9.8, ±0.4; p <0.05). Among 49 anonymized hospitals, our clinic stayed on first rank in terms of lowest maximum pain and patient satisfaction over the period. Results were already acceptable at the beginning of benchmarking a standardized pain management concept. But regular benchmarking, implementation of feedback mechanisms, and staff education made the pain management concept even more successful. Multidisciplinary teamwork and flexibility in adapting processes seem to be highly important for successful pain management.

High Efficiency, Low EMI and Positioning Tolerant Wireless Charging of EVs

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

Chabaan, Rakan

The objective of this project is to develop, implement, and demonstrate a wireless power transfer (WPT) system that is capable of the following metrics: Total system efficiencies of more than 85 percent with minimum 20 cm coil-to-coil gap; System output power at least 6.6 kW; but design system up to 19.2 kW for future higher power study; Maximum lateral positioning tolerance achievable while meeting regulatory emission guidelines.

A Fine-Grained Pipelined Implementation for Large-Scale Matrix Inversion on FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jie; Dou, Yong; Zhao, Jianxun; Xia, Fei; Lei, Yuanwu; Tang, Yuxing

Large-scale matrix inversion play an important role in many applications. However to the best of our knowledge, there is no FPGA-based implementation. In this paper, we explore the possibility of accelerating large-scale matrix inversion on FPGA. To exploit the computational potential of FPGA, we introduce a fine-grained parallel algorithm for matrix inversion. A scalable linear array processing elements (PEs), which is the core component of the FPGA accelerator, is proposed to implement this algorithm. A total of 12 PEs can be integrated into an Altera StratixII EP2S130F1020C5 FPGA on our self-designed board. Experimental results show that a factor of 2.6 speedup and the maximum power-performance of 41 can be achieved compare to Pentium Dual CPU with double SSE threads.

MPOWER, needs and challenges: trends in the implementation of the WHO FCTC in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

PubMed

Heydari, Gholamreza; Zaatari, Ghazi; Al-Lawati, Jawad A; El-Awa, Fatimah; Fouad, Heba

2018-04-05

WHO MPOWER aims to help countries prioritize tobacco control measures in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This paper assessed the progress and challenges in implementing the 6 priority policies of MPOWER in countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region since 2011. A checklist was developed and scores assigned based on the MPOWER indicators (maximum score 37). MPOWER data for the Region in the 2015 and 2017 tobacco control reports were extracted and scored. Data from similar analyses for 2011 and 2013 were also included. Countries were ranked by scores for each indicator for 2015 and 2017 and for overall scores for 2011 to 2017. The Islamic Republic of Iran, Egypt and Pakistan had the highest scores in 2015 (33, 29 and 27 respectively) and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Yemen had the highest scores in 2017 (34, 31 and 27 respectively). The indicators with the highest and lowest combined score for all countries were for advertising bans and compliance with smoke-free policies: 67 and 18 respectively in 2015, and 73 and 15 respectively in 2017. Most countries (15/22) had higher total scores in 2017 than 2015: Afghanistan, Bahrain and Syrian Arab Republic had the greatest increases. The total score for the Region increased from 416 out of a maximum score of 814 in 2011 to 471 in 2017. Although notable achievements have been made in the Region, many challenges to policy implementation remain and require urgent action by governments of the countries of the Region. Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2018. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).

Experimental validation of improved 3D SBP positioning algorithm in PET applications using UW Phase II Board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorge, L. S.; Bonifacio, D. A. B.; DeWitt, Don; Miyaoka, R. S.

2016-12-01

Continuous scintillator-based detectors have been considered as a competitive and cheaper approach than highly pixelated discrete crystal positron emission tomography (PET) detectors, despite the need for algorithms to estimate 3D gamma interaction position. In this work, we report on the implementation of a positioning algorithm to estimate the 3D interaction position in a continuous crystal PET detector using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The evaluated method is the Statistics-Based Processing (SBP) technique that requires light response function and event position characterization. An algorithm has been implemented using the Verilog language and evaluated using a data acquisition board that contains an Altera Stratix III FPGA. The 3D SBP algorithm was previously successfully implemented on a Stratix II FPGA using simulated data and a different module design. In this work, improvements were made to the FPGA coding of the 3D positioning algorithm, reducing the total memory usage to around 34%. Further the algorithm was evaluated using experimental data from a continuous miniature crystal element (cMiCE) detector module. Using our new implementation, average FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) for the whole block is 1.71±0.01 mm, 1.70±0.01 mm and 1.632±0.005 mm for x, y and z directions, respectively. Using a pipelined architecture, the FPGA is able to process 245,000 events per second for interactions inside of the central area of the detector that represents 64% of the total block area. The weighted average of the event rate by regional area (corner, border and central regions) is about 198,000 events per second. This event rate is greater than the maximum expected coincidence rate for any given detector module in future PET systems using the cMiCE detector design.

Use Dose Bricks Concept to Implement Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treatment Planning

PubMed Central

Wu, Jia-Ming; Yu, Tsan-Jung; Yeh, Shyh-An; Chao, Pei-Ju; Huang, Chih-Jou

2014-01-01

Purpose. A “dose bricks” concept has been used to implement nasopharyngeal carcinoma treatment plan; this method specializes particularly in the case with bell shape nasopharyngeal carcinoma case. Materials and Methods. Five noncoplanar fields were used to accomplish the dose bricks technique treatment plan. These five fields include (a) right superior anterior oblique (RSAO), (b) left superior anterior oblique (LSAO), (c) right anterior oblique (RAO), (d) left anterior oblique (LAO), and (e) superior inferior vertex (SIV). Nondivergence collimator central axis planes were used to create different abutting field edge while normal organs were blocked by multileaf collimators in this technique. Results. The resulting 92% isodose curves encompassed the CTV, while maximum dose was about 115%. Approximately 50% volume of parotid glands obtained 10–15% of total dose and 50% volume of brain obtained less than 20% of total dose. Spinal cord receives only 5% from the scatter dose. Conclusions. Compared with IMRT, the expenditure of planning time and costing, “dose bricks” may after all be accepted as an optional implementation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma conformal treatment plan; furthermore, this method also fits the need of other nonhead and neck lesions if organ sparing and noncoplanar technique can be executed. PMID:24967395

SMART-1: key technologies and autonomy implementations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfving, A.; Stagnaro, L.; Winton, A.

2003-01-01

SMART-1 is the first of the Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology of the ESA Horizons 2000 Science Plan. The main mission objective of SMART-1 is to demonstrate innovative and key technologies for scientific deep-space missions. One of the key technologies is the solar electric propulsion used as primary propulsion. The electric propulsion will be using 1400 W to transfer the 350 kg spacecraft from an Ariane 5 standard GTO to an elliptic Moon polar orbit, 10000×300 km. The total mission time is 24 months including a maximum of 18 months transfer time. The spacecraft development entered the detailed design and implementation phase in October 1999, under the responsibility of the Swedish Space Cooperation as prime contractor, and the flight acceptance is targeted for the 3rd quarter of 2002. The committed total life cost budget is 84 million Euro. Apart from the in-orbit demonstration of electric propulsion as primary propulsion, SMART-1 is implementing many other enabling technologies for deep-space missions such as deep-space transponder with communication in X-band for uplink and in X- and Ka-band for downlink, highly integrated and radiation tolerant microprocessors, FPGAs and memories, high on-board autonomy driven by ground communication only once per 4 days, maximum available power to electric propulsion by centralised and software-controlled power management, minimum propellant consumption through innovative angular momentum management. In addition, the spacecraft avionics design is tailored to the low-cost philosophy by enabling flexible integration of commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment. The scientific instruments, five in total, support characterisation of the electric propulsion thrust environment during the long transfer phase and detailed imaging and spectroscopy of the lunar surface in visible, infrared and X-ray during the Moon orbiting phase. Several of the instruments implement new enabling technologies, e.g. swept charge devices for the X-ray spectrometer and quarts gratings for the near-infrared reflectance spectrometer. The paper summarises the baseline mission design, the projected scientific and technology output, and describe the spacecraft bus design. The main part of the paper highlights and elaborate on a number of spacecraft bus technologies; the on-board autonomy, the avionics design, and the X/Ka-band transponder.

Evaluating rain gardens as a method to reduce the impact of sewer overflows in sources of drinking water.

PubMed

Autixier, Laurène; Mailhot, Alain; Bolduc, Samuel; Madoux-Humery, Anne-Sophie; Galarneau, Martine; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah

2014-11-15

The implications of climate change and changing precipitation patterns need to be investigated to evaluate mitigation measures for source water protection. Potential solutions need first to be evaluated under present climate conditions to determine their utility as climate change adaptation strategies. An urban drainage network receiving both stormwater and wastewater was studied to evaluate potential solutions to reduce the impact of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in a drinking water source. A detailed hydraulic model was applied to the drainage basin to model the implementation of best management practices at a drainage basin scale. The model was calibrated and validated with field data of CSO flows for seven events from a survey conducted in 2009 and 2010. Rain gardens were evaluated for their reduction of volumes of water entering the drainage network and of CSOs. Scenarios with different levels of implementation were considered and evaluated. Of the total impervious area within the basin directly connected to the sewer system, a maximum of 21% could be alternately directed towards rain gardens. The runoff reductions for the entire catchment ranged from 12.7% to 19.4% depending on the event considered. The maximum discharged volume reduction ranged from 13% to 62% and the maximum peak flow rate reduction ranged from 7% to 56%. Of concern is that in-sewer sediment resuspension is an important process to consider with regard to the efficacy of best management practices aimed at reducing extreme loads and concentrations. Rain gardens were less effective for large events, which are of greater importance for drinking water sources. These practices could increase peak instantaneous loads as a result of greater in-sewer resuspension during large events. Multiple interventions would be required to achieve the objectives of reducing the number, total volumes and peak contaminant loads of overflows upstream of drinking water intakes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microbiological Quality of Panicum maximum Grass Silage with Addition of Lactobacillus sp. as Starter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumarsih, S.; Sulistiyanto, B.; Utama, C. S.

2018-02-01

The aim of the research was to evaluate microbiological quality of Panicum maximum grass silage with addition Lactobacillus sp as starter. The completely randomized design was been used on this research with 4 treaments and 3 replications. The treatments were P0 ( Panicum maximum grass silage without addition Lactobacillus sp ), P1 ( Panicum maximum grass silage with 2% addition Lactobacillus sp), P2 (Panicum maximum grass silage with 4% addition Lactobacillus sp) and P3 (Panicum maximum grass silage with 6% addition Lactobacillus sp).The parameters were microbial populations of Panicum maximum grass silage (total lactic acid bacteria, total bacteria, total fungi, and Coliform bacteria. The data obtained were analyzed variance (ANOVA) and further tests performed Duncan’s Multiple Areas. The population of lactic acid bacteria was higher (P<0.05) and the total bacteria, fungi and Coliform were lower (P<0.05) with addition Lactobacillus sp. Microbiological quality of Panicum maximum grass silage with addition Lactobacillus sp was better than no addition Lactobacillus sp.

Radiological protection for pregnant women at a large academic medical Cancer Center.

PubMed

Chu, Bae; Miodownik, Daniel; Williamson, Matthew J; Gao, Yiming; St Germain, Jean; Dauer, Lawrence T

2017-11-01

Most radiation protection programs, regulations and guidance apply specific restrictions to the occupational exposure of pregnant workers. The aim of this study was to compile data from the declared pregnant woman (DPW) radiation protection program over more than 5years at a large, high-volume, comprehensive oncology academic/medical institution and to evaluate for effectiveness against existing regulations and guidance. A retrospective review was performed of the data collected as part of the DPW radiation protection program from January 2010 through May 2016, including the number of declared pregnancies, worker category, personal and fetal dosimetry monitoring measurements, workplace modifications, as well as the monthly and total recorded badge results during the entire pregnancy. 245 pregnancies were declared. The mean monthly fetal radiation dosimetry result was 0.009mSv with a median of 0.005mSv and a maximum of 0.39mSv. The mean total dose over the entire pregnancy was estimated to be 0.08mSv with a median of 0.05mSv and a maximum of 0.89mSv. Only 8 (3.2%) of the 245 declared pregnancies required that workplace modifications be implemented for the worker. The implementation of a declared pregnancy and fetal assessment program, careful planning, an understanding of the risks, and minimization of radiation dose by employing appropriate radiation safety measures as needed, can allow medical staff to perform procedures and normal activities without incurring significant risks to the conceptus, or significant interruptions of job activities for most medical workers. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Maximum speed limits. Volume 3, A programmed implementation manual for setting a speed limit based on the 85th percentile

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1970-10-01

This report contains the implementation manual developed as a part of the project "Maximum Speed Limits." The manual consists of a programed educational unit and a field workguide concerning the setting of speed limits based on the 85th percentile sp...

7 CFR 51.1178 - Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... Sinensis (l) Osbeck) § 51.1178 Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids. For determining the grade of juice, the maximum permissible anhydrous citric acid content in...

7 CFR 51.1178 - Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... Sinensis (l) Osbeck) § 51.1178 Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids. For determining the grade of juice, the maximum permissible anhydrous citric acid content in...

Los Angeles Area Permit Holder Estimated Trash Load Reduction

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Los Angeles River has been designated as an impaired waterbody due to the large volume of trash it receives from the watershed. To address this problem a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), which establishes baseline trash loads to the river from the watershed, has been incorporated into the area stormwater permit. The permit requires each permittee to implement trash reduction measures for discharges through the storm drain system with an emphasis on the installation of full capture devices. The stormwater permit incorporates progressive reductions in trash discharges to the Los Angeles River, reaching a zero level in 2016.

Integrated autopilot/autothrottle for the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft: Design and verification by nonlinear simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruce, Kevin R.

1989-01-01

An integrated autopilot/autothrottle was designed for flight test on the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft. The system was designed using a total energy concept and is attended to achieve the following: (1) fuel efficiency by minimizing throttle activity; (2) low development and implementation costs by designing the control modes around a fixed inner loop design; and (3) maximum safety by preventing stall and engine overboost. The control law was designed initially using linear analysis; the system was developed using nonlinear simulations. All primary design requirements were satisfied.

Optimal control of population and coherence in three-level Λ systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Praveen; Malinovskaya, Svetlana A.; Malinovsky, Vladimir S.

2011-08-01

Optimal control theory (OCT) implementations for an efficient population transfer and creation of maximum coherence in a three-level system are considered. We demonstrate that the half-stimulated Raman adiabatic passage scheme for creation of the maximum Raman coherence is the optimal solution according to the OCT. We also present a comparative study of several implementations of OCT applied to the complete population transfer and creation of the maximum coherence. Performance of the conjugate gradient method, the Zhu-Rabitz method and the Krotov method has been analysed.

Can There Ever Be Enough to Impact Water Quality? Evaluating BMPs in Elliot Ditch, Indiana Using the LTHIA-LID Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, M. S.; Hoover, F. A.; Bowling, L. C.

2017-12-01

Elliot Ditch is an urban/urbanizing watershed located in the city of Lafayette, IN, USA. The city continues to struggle with stormwater management and combined sewer overflow (CSO) events. Several best-management practices (BMP) such as rain gardens, green roofs, and bioswales have been implemented in the watershed, but the level of adoption needed to achieve meaningful impact is currently unknown. This study's goal is to determine what level of BMP coverage is needed to impact water quality, whether meaningful impact is determined by achieving water quality targets or statistical significance. A power analysis was performed using water quality data for total suspended solids (TSS), E.coli, total phosphorus (TP) and nitrate (NO3-N) from Elliot Ditch from 2011 to 2015. The minimum detectable difference (MDD) was calculated as the percent reduction in load needed to detect a significant change in the watershed. The water quality targets were proposed by stakeholders as part of a watershed management planning process. The water quality targets and the MDD percentages were then compared to simulated load reductions due to BMP implementation using the Long-term Hydrologic Impact Assessment-Low Impact Development (LTHIA-LID) model. Seven baseline model scenarios were simulated by implementing the maximum number of each of six types of BMPs (rain barrels, permeable patios, green roofs, grassed swale/bioswales, bioretention/rain gardens, and porous pavement), as well as all the practices combined in the watershed. These provide the baseline for targeted implementation scenarios designed to determine if statistically and physically meaningful load reductions can be achieved through BMP implementation alone.

Implementation of fuzzy-sliding mode based control of a grid connected photovoltaic system.

PubMed

Menadi, Abdelkrim; Abdeddaim, Sabrina; Ghamri, Ahmed; Betka, Achour

2015-09-01

The present work describes an optimal operation of a small scale photovoltaic system connected to a micro-grid, based on both sliding mode and fuzzy logic control. Real time implementation is done through a dSPACE 1104 single board, controlling a boost chopper on the PV array side and a voltage source inverter (VSI) on the grid side. The sliding mode controller tracks permanently the maximum power of the PV array regardless of atmospheric condition variations, while The fuzzy logic controller (FLC) regulates the DC-link voltage, and ensures via current control of the VSI a quasi-total transit of the extracted PV power to the grid under a unity power factor operation. Simulation results, carried out via Matlab-Simulink package were approved through experiment, showing the effectiveness of the proposed control techniques. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Evaluation of a parallel implementation of the learning portion of the backward error propagation neural network: experiments in artifact identification.

PubMed Central

Sittig, D. F.; Orr, J. A.

1991-01-01

Various methods have been proposed in an attempt to solve problems in artifact and/or alarm identification including expert systems, statistical signal processing techniques, and artificial neural networks (ANN). ANNs consist of a large number of simple processing units connected by weighted links. To develop truly robust ANNs, investigators are required to train their networks on huge training data sets, requiring enormous computing power. We implemented a parallel version of the backward error propagation neural network training algorithm in the widely portable parallel programming language C-Linda. A maximum speedup of 4.06 was obtained with six processors. This speedup represents a reduction in total run-time from approximately 6.4 hours to 1.5 hours. We conclude that use of the master-worker model of parallel computation is an excellent method for obtaining speedups in the backward error propagation neural network training algorithm. PMID:1807607

Maximum work extraction and implementation costs for nonequilibrium Maxwell's demons.

PubMed

Sandberg, Henrik; Delvenne, Jean-Charles; Newton, Nigel J; Mitter, Sanjoy K

2014-10-01

We determine the maximum amount of work extractable in finite time by a demon performing continuous measurements on a quadratic Hamiltonian system subjected to thermal fluctuations, in terms of the information extracted from the system. The maximum work demon is found to apply a high-gain continuous feedback involving a Kalman-Bucy estimate of the system state and operates in nonequilibrium. A simple and concrete electrical implementation of the feedback protocol is proposed, which allows for analytic expressions of the flows of energy, entropy, and information inside the demon. This let us show that any implementation of the demon must necessarily include an external power source, which we prove both from classical thermodynamics arguments and from a version of Landauer's memory erasure argument extended to nonequilibrium linear systems.

Active Flexion in Weight Bearing Better Correlates with Functional Outcomes of Total Knee Arthroplasty than Passive Flexion.

PubMed

Song, Young Dong; Jain, Nimash; Kang, Yeon Gwi; Kim, Tae Yune; Kim, Tae Kyun

2016-06-01

Correlations between maximum flexion and functional outcomes in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients are reportedly weak. We investigated whether there are differences between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing and other types of maximum flexion and whether the type of maximum flexion correlates with functional outcomes. A total of 210 patients (359 knees) underwent preoperative evaluation and postoperative follow-up evaluations (6, 12, and 24 months) for the assessment of clinical outcomes including maximum knee flexion. Maximum flexion was measured under five conditions: passive nonweight bearing, passive weight bearing, active nonweight bearing, and active weight bearing with or without arm support. Data were analyzed for relationships between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing by Pearson correlation analyses, and a variance comparison between measurement techniques via paired t test. We observed substantial differences between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing and the other four maximum flexion types. At all time points, passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing correlated poorly with active maximum flexion in weight bearing with or without arm support. Active maximum flexion in weight bearing better correlated with functional outcomes than the other maximum flexion types. Our study suggests active maximum flexion in weight bearing should be reported together with passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing in research on the knee motion arc after TKA.

Active Flexion in Weight Bearing Better Correlates with Functional Outcomes of Total Knee Arthroplasty than Passive Flexion

PubMed Central

Song, Young Dong; Jain, Nimash; Kang, Yeon Gwi; Kim, Tae Yune

2016-01-01

Purpose Correlations between maximum flexion and functional outcomes in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients are reportedly weak. We investigated whether there are differences between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing and other types of maximum flexion and whether the type of maximum flexion correlates with functional outcomes. Materials and Methods A total of 210 patients (359 knees) underwent preoperative evaluation and postoperative follow-up evaluations (6, 12, and 24 months) for the assessment of clinical outcomes including maximum knee flexion. Maximum flexion was measured under five conditions: passive nonweight bearing, passive weight bearing, active nonweight bearing, and active weight bearing with or without arm support. Data were analyzed for relationships between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing by Pearson correlation analyses, and a variance comparison between measurement techniques via paired t test. Results We observed substantial differences between passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing and the other four maximum flexion types. At all time points, passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing correlated poorly with active maximum flexion in weight bearing with or without arm support. Active maximum flexion in weight bearing better correlated with functional outcomes than the other maximum flexion types. Conclusions Our study suggests active maximum flexion in weight bearing should be reported together with passive maximum flexion in nonweight bearing in research on the knee motion arc after TKA. PMID:27274468

Organotins in fish muscle and liver from the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea: Is the total ban successful?

PubMed

Filipkowska, Anna; Złoch, Ilona; Wawrzyniak-Wydrowska, Brygida; Kowalewska, Grażyna

2016-10-15

Muscle and liver tissues of nine fish species were analyzed to assess butyltin and phenyltin contamination. The samples were collected from three basins located in the Southern Baltic Sea coastal zone that each represent different potential for organotin pollution. Maximum total concentrations of butyltin compounds (BTs) in the fish muscles and livers were 715 and 1132ng Sn g(-1) d.w., respectively, whereas triphenyltin (TPhT) was not detected. In the muscle samples, the predominant compound in the sum of butyltins was tributyltin (TBT), while in the liver samples, tributyltin degradation products were found in the majority. The results demonstrate that 6-7years after the implementation of the total ban on harmful organotin use in antifouling paints, butyltins remain present in fishes from the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea. According to the HELCOM recommendation, eight samples exceeded the good environmental status boundary for tributyltin in seafood. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A distributed-memory approximation algorithm for maximum weight perfect bipartite matching

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

Azad, Ariful; Buluc, Aydin; Li, Xiaoye S.

We design and implement an efficient parallel approximation algorithm for the problem of maximum weight perfect matching in bipartite graphs, i.e. the problem of finding a set of non-adjacent edges that covers all vertices and has maximum weight. This problem differs from the maximum weight matching problem, for which scalable approximation algorithms are known. It is primarily motivated by finding good pivots in scalable sparse direct solvers before factorization where sequential implementations of maximum weight perfect matching algorithms, such as those available in MC64, are widely used due to the lack of scalable alternatives. To overcome this limitation, we proposemore » a fully parallel distributed memory algorithm that first generates a perfect matching and then searches for weightaugmenting cycles of length four in parallel and iteratively augments the matching with a vertex disjoint set of such cycles. For most practical problems the weights of the perfect matchings generated by our algorithm are very close to the optimum. An efficient implementation of the algorithm scales up to 256 nodes (17,408 cores) on a Cray XC40 supercomputer and can solve instances that are too large to be handled by a single node using the sequential algorithm.« less

The use of copulas to practical estimation of multivariate stochastic differential equation mixed effects models

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

Rupšys, P.

A system of stochastic differential equations (SDE) with mixed-effects parameters and multivariate normal copula density function were used to develop tree height model for Scots pine trees in Lithuania. A two-step maximum likelihood parameter estimation method is used and computational guidelines are given. After fitting the conditional probability density functions to outside bark diameter at breast height, and total tree height, a bivariate normal copula distribution model was constructed. Predictions from the mixed-effects parameters SDE tree height model calculated during this research were compared to the regression tree height equations. The results are implemented in the symbolic computational language MAPLE.

Increasing shot and data collection rates of the Shock/Shear experiment at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Doss, F. W.; Flippo, K. A.; Capelli, D.; ...

2016-05-26

Updates to the Los Alamos laser-driven high-energy-density Shock/Shear mixing- layer experiment are reported, which have collectively increased the platform's shot and data acquisition rates. Also, the strategies employed have included a move from two-strip to four-strip imagers (allowing four times to be recorded per shot instead of two), the implementation of physics-informed rules of engagements allowing for the maximum flexibility in a shot's total energy and symmetry performance, and by splitting the laser's main drive pulse from a monolithic single pulse equal to all beams into a triply-segmented pulse which minimizes optics damage.

Increasing shot and data collection rates of the Shock/Shear experiment at the National Ignition Facility

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

Doss, F. W.; Flippo, K. A.; Capelli, D.

Updates to the Los Alamos laser-driven high-energy-density Shock/Shear mixing- layer experiment are reported, which have collectively increased the platform's shot and data acquisition rates. Also, the strategies employed have included a move from two-strip to four-strip imagers (allowing four times to be recorded per shot instead of two), the implementation of physics-informed rules of engagements allowing for the maximum flexibility in a shot's total energy and symmetry performance, and by splitting the laser's main drive pulse from a monolithic single pulse equal to all beams into a triply-segmented pulse which minimizes optics damage.

Maximum likelihood bolometric tomography for the determination of the uncertainties in the radiation emission on JET TOKAMAK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craciunescu, Teddy; Peluso, Emmanuele; Murari, Andrea; Gelfusa, Michela; JET Contributors

2018-05-01

The total emission of radiation is a crucial quantity to calculate the power balances and to understand the physics of any Tokamak. Bolometric systems are the main tool to measure this important physical quantity through quite sophisticated tomographic inversion methods. On the Joint European Torus, the coverage of the bolometric diagnostic, due to the availability of basically only two projection angles, is quite limited, rendering the inversion a very ill-posed mathematical problem. A new approach, based on the maximum likelihood, has therefore been developed and implemented to alleviate one of the major weaknesses of traditional tomographic techniques: the difficulty to determine routinely the confidence intervals in the results. The method has been validated by numerical simulations with phantoms to assess the quality of the results and to optimise the configuration of the parameters for the main types of emissivity encountered experimentally. The typical levels of statistical errors, which may significantly influence the quality of the reconstructions, have been identified. The systematic tests with phantoms indicate that the errors in the reconstructions are quite limited and their effect on the total radiated power remains well below 10%. A comparison with other approaches to the inversion and to the regularization has also been performed.

A Low Power Linear Phase Programmable Long Delay Circuit.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Villegas, Esther; Logesparan, Lojini; Casson, Alexander J

2014-06-01

A novel linear phase programmable delay is being proposed and implemented in a 0.35 μm CMOS process. The delay line consists of N cascaded cells, each of which delays the input signal by Td/N, where Td is the total line delay. The delay generated by each cell is programmable by changing a clock frequency and is also fully independent of the frequency of the input signal. The total delay hence depends only on the chosen clock frequency and the total number of cascaded cells. The minimum clock frequency is limited by the maximum time a voltage signal can effectively be held by an individual cell. The maximum number of cascaded cells will be limited by the effects of accumulated offset due to transistor mismatch, which eventually will affect the operating mode of the individual transistors in a cell. This latter limitation has however been dealt with in the topology by having an offset compensation mechanism that makes possible having a large number of cascaded cells and hence a long resulting delay. The delay line has been designed for scalp-based neural activity analysis that is predominantly in the sub-100 Hz frequency range. For these signals, the delay generated by a 31-cell cascade has been demonstrated to be programmable from 30 ms to 3 s. Measurement results demonstrate a 31 stage, 50 Hz bandwidth, 0.3 s delay that operates from a 1.1 V supply with power consumption of 270 nW.

7 CFR 51.1178 - Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... Common Sweet Oranges (citrus Sinensis (l) Osbeck) § 51.1178 Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... following Table II together with the minimum ratio of total soluble solids to anhydrous citric acid: Table...

7 CFR 51.1178 - Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for corresponding total soluble solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... Common Sweet Oranges (citrus Sinensis (l) Osbeck) § 51.1178 Maximum anhydrous citric acid permissible for... following Table II together with the minimum ratio of total soluble solids to anhydrous citric acid: Table...

Evaluation of pliers' grip spans in the maximum gripping task and sub-maximum cutting task.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Min; Kong, Yong-Ku

2016-12-01

A total of 25 males participated to investigate the effects of the grip spans of pliers on the total grip force, individual finger forces and muscle activities in the maximum gripping task and wire-cutting tasks. In the maximum gripping task, results showed that the 50-mm grip span had significantly higher total grip strength than the other grip spans. In the cutting task, the 50-mm grip span also showed significantly higher grip strength than the 65-mm and 80-mm grip spans, whereas the muscle activities showed a higher value at 80-mm grip span. The ratios of cutting force to maximum grip strength were also investigated. Ratios of 30.3%, 31.3% and 41.3% were obtained by grip spans of 50-mm, 65-mm, and 80-mm, respectively. Thus, the 50-mm grip span for pliers might be recommended to provide maximum exertion in gripping tasks, as well as lower maximum-cutting force ratios in the cutting tasks.

The National Shipbuilding Research Program. Shipyard MACT Implementation Plan and Compliance Tools

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-06-01

display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE JUN 1996 2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The National...ACHIEVABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY SECTION TWO: MODEL SHIPYARD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN SECTION THREE: THINNING RATION CALCULATION SHEETS FOR OPTIONS 2 & 3 AND...INTERPRETATION OF THE SHIPYARD MAXIMUM ACHIEVABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY EPA’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology Rule for Shipyards: A Plain English

Using Clinically Accessible Tools to Measure Sound Levels and Sleep Disruption in the ICU: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

PubMed

Litton, Edward; Elliott, Rosalind; Thompson, Kelly; Watts, Nicola; Seppelt, Ian; Webb, Steven A R

2017-06-01

To use clinically accessible tools to determine unit-level and individual patient factors associated with sound levels and sleep disruption in a range of representative ICUs. A cross-sectional, observational study. Australian and New Zealand ICUs. All patients 16 years or over occupying an ICU bed on one of two Point Prevalence study days in 2015. Ambient sound was measured for 1 minute using an application downloaded to a personal mobile device. Bedside nurses also recorded the total time and number of awakening for each patient overnight. The study included 539 participants with sound level recorded using an application downloaded to a personal mobile device from 39 ICUs. Maximum and mean sound levels were 78 dB (SD, 9) and 62 dB (SD, 8), respectively. Maximum sound levels were higher in ICUs with a sleep policy or protocol compared with those without maximum sound levels 81 dB (95% CI, 79-83) versus 77 dB (95% CI, 77-78), mean difference 4 dB (95% CI, 0-2), p < 0.001. There was no significant difference in sound levels regardless of single room occupancy, mechanical ventilation status, or illness severity. Clinical nursing staff in all 39 ICUs were able to record sleep assessment in 15-minute intervals. The median time awake and number of prolonged disruptions were 3 hours (interquartile range, 1-4) and three (interquartile range, 2-5), respectively. Across a large number of ICUs, patients were exposed to high sound levels and substantial sleep disruption irrespective of factors including previous implementation of a sleep policy. Sound and sleep measurement using simple and accessible tools can facilitate future studies and could feasibly be implemented into clinical practice.

An implementation of the maximum-caliber principle by replica-averaged time-resolved restrained simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capelli, Riccardo; Tiana, Guido; Camilloni, Carlo

2018-05-01

Inferential methods can be used to integrate experimental informations and molecular simulations. The maximum entropy principle provides a framework for using equilibrium experimental data, and it has been shown that replica-averaged simulations, restrained using a static potential, are a practical and powerful implementation of such a principle. Here we show that replica-averaged simulations restrained using a time-dependent potential are equivalent to the principle of maximum caliber, the dynamic version of the principle of maximum entropy, and thus may allow us to integrate time-resolved data in molecular dynamics simulations. We provide an analytical proof of the equivalence as well as a computational validation making use of simple models and synthetic data. Some limitations and possible solutions are also discussed.

An implementation of the maximum-caliber principle by replica-averaged time-resolved restrained simulations.

PubMed

Capelli, Riccardo; Tiana, Guido; Camilloni, Carlo

2018-05-14

Inferential methods can be used to integrate experimental informations and molecular simulations. The maximum entropy principle provides a framework for using equilibrium experimental data, and it has been shown that replica-averaged simulations, restrained using a static potential, are a practical and powerful implementation of such a principle. Here we show that replica-averaged simulations restrained using a time-dependent potential are equivalent to the principle of maximum caliber, the dynamic version of the principle of maximum entropy, and thus may allow us to integrate time-resolved data in molecular dynamics simulations. We provide an analytical proof of the equivalence as well as a computational validation making use of simple models and synthetic data. Some limitations and possible solutions are also discussed.

42 CFR 57.307 - Maximum amount of nursing student loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Maximum amount of nursing student loans. 57.307... Nursing Student Loans § 57.307 Maximum amount of nursing student loans. The total of the nursing student... longer than the 9-month academic year may be proportionately increased. The total of all nursing student...

42 CFR 57.307 - Maximum amount of nursing student loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Maximum amount of nursing student loans. 57.307... Nursing Student Loans § 57.307 Maximum amount of nursing student loans. The total of the nursing student... longer than the 9-month academic year may be proportionately increased. The total of all nursing student...

42 CFR 57.307 - Maximum amount of nursing student loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Maximum amount of nursing student loans. 57.307... Nursing Student Loans § 57.307 Maximum amount of nursing student loans. The total of the nursing student... longer than the 9-month academic year may be proportionately increased. The total of all nursing student...

42 CFR 57.307 - Maximum amount of nursing student loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Maximum amount of nursing student loans. 57.307... Nursing Student Loans § 57.307 Maximum amount of nursing student loans. The total of the nursing student... longer than the 9-month academic year may be proportionately increased. The total of all nursing student...

42 CFR 57.307 - Maximum amount of nursing student loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Maximum amount of nursing student loans. 57.307... Nursing Student Loans § 57.307 Maximum amount of nursing student loans. The total of the nursing student... longer than the 9-month academic year may be proportionately increased. The total of all nursing student...

Training and the European Working Time Directive: a 7 year review of paediatric anaesthetic trainee caseload data.

PubMed

Fernandez, E; Williams, D G

2009-10-01

The implementation of the European Working Time Directive (WTD) has reduced the hours worked by trainees in the UK to a maximum of 56 h per week. With a further and final reduction to 48 h per week scheduled for August 2009, there is concern amongst doctors about the impact on training and on patient care. Paediatric anaesthesia is one of the specialist areas of anaesthesia for which the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) recommends a minimum caseload during the period of advanced training. We conducted a retrospective analysis of theatre logbook data from 62 Specialist Registrars (SpRs) who had completed a 12 month period of advanced training in paediatric anaesthesia in our institution between 2000 and 2007. After the implementation of the WTD 56 h week in 2004, the mean total number of cases performed by SpRs per year decreased from 441 to 336, a 24% reduction. We found a statistically significant reduction across all age groups with the largest reduction in the under 1 month of age group. The post-WTD group did not meet the RCoA recommended total minimum caseload or the minimum number of cases of <1 yr of age. Since the implementation of the WTD, there has been a significant reduction in the number of cases performed by SpRs in paediatric anaesthesia and they are no longer achieving the RCoA recommended minimum numbers for advanced training.

Maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of block codes using the A* algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ekroot, L.; Dolinar, S.

1994-01-01

The A* algorithm finds the path in a finite depth binary tree that optimizes a function. Here, it is applied to maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of block codes where the function optimized over the codewords is the likelihood function of the received sequence given each codeword. The algorithm considers codewords one bit at a time, making use of the most reliable received symbols first and pursuing only the partially expanded codewords that might be maximally likely. A version of the A* algorithm for maximum-likelihood decoding of block codes has been implemented for block codes up to 64 bits in length. The efficiency of this algorithm makes simulations of codes up to length 64 feasible. This article details the implementation currently in use, compares the decoding complexity with that of exhaustive search and Viterbi decoding algorithms, and presents performance curves obtained with this implementation of the A* algorithm for several codes.

Implementation of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Solar Charge Controller using Arduino

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelilah, B.; Mouna, A.; KouiderM’Sirdi, N.; El Hossain, A.

2018-05-01

the platform Arduino with a number of sensors standard can be used as components of an electronic system for acquiring measures and controls. This paper presents the design of a low-cost and effective solar charge controller. This system includes several elements such as the solar panel converter DC/DC, battery, circuit MPPT using Microcontroller, sensors, and the MPPT algorithm. The MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) algorithm has been implemented using an Arduino Nano with the preferred program. The voltage and current of the Panel are taken where the program implemented will work and using this algorithm that MPP will be reached. This paper provides details on the solar charge control device at the maximum power point. The results include the change of the duty cycle with the change in load and thus mean the variation of the buck converter output voltage and current controlled by the MPPT algorithm.

Hardware Implementation of Maximum Power Point Tracking for Thermoelectric Generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maganga, Othman; Phillip, Navneesh; Burnham, Keith J.; Montecucco, Andrea; Siviter, Jonathan; Knox, Andrew; Simpson, Kevin

2014-06-01

This work describes the practical implementation of two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms, namely those of perturb and observe, and extremum seeking control. The proprietary dSPACE system is used to perform hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation whereby the two control algorithms are implemented using the MATLAB/Simulink (Mathworks, Natick, MA) software environment in order to control a synchronous buck-boost converter connected to two commercial thermoelectric modules. The process of performing HIL simulation using dSPACE is discussed, and a comparison between experimental and simulated results is highlighted. The experimental results demonstrate the validity of the two MPPT algorithms, and in conclusion the benefits and limitations of real-time implementation of MPPT controllers using dSPACE are discussed.

40 CFR 130.7 - Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations. 130.7 Section 130.7 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.7 Total...

40 CFR 130.7 - Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations. 130.7 Section 130.7 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.7 Total...

Transition to a Source with Modified Physical Parameters by Energy Supply or Using an External Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucherov, A. N.

2017-11-01

A study has been made of the possibility for the physical parameters of a source/sink, i.e., for the enthalpy, temperature, total pressure, maximum velocity, and minimum dimension, at a constant radial Mach number to be changed by energy or force action on the gas in a bounded zone. It has been shown that the parameters can be controlled at a subsonic, supersonic, and transonic (sonic in the limit) radial Mach number. In the updated source/sink, all versions of a vortex-source combination can be implemented: into a vacuum, out of a vacuum, into a submerged space, and out of a submerged space, partially or fully.

Parametric Mass Modeling for Mars Entry, Descent and Landing System Analysis Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Samareh, Jamshid A.; Komar, D. R.

2011-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the parametric mass models used for the Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems Analysis study conducted by NASA in FY2009-2010. The study examined eight unique exploration class architectures that included elements such as a rigid mid-L/D aeroshell, a lifting hypersonic inflatable decelerator, a drag supersonic inflatable decelerator, a lifting supersonic inflatable decelerator implemented with a skirt, and subsonic/supersonic retro-propulsion. Parametric models used in this study relate the component mass to vehicle dimensions and mission key environmental parameters such as maximum deceleration and total heat load. The use of a parametric mass model allows the simultaneous optimization of trajectory and mass sizing parameters.

Is self-sufficiency financially viable and ethically justifiable?--a commercial viewpoint.

PubMed

Christie, R B

1994-12-01

Manufacturers of blood products have to maintain the highest possible standards for plasma screening and good manufacturing practices to ensure maximum purity and viral safety. The private sector companies have much experience in implementing and complying with national and international regulations. These requirements involve considerable cost in the areas of (1) plasma collection facilities, (2) research and clinical research, (3) manufacture, and (4) quality control. Total self-sufficiency would mean the loss of many existing resources. An alternative would be a collaboration between the public and private sectors to meet the needs of all patients who require plasma derived products. The current definition of self-sufficiency suggests that it is not financially viable.

A Comparative Study of Cycle Variability of Laser Plug Ignition vs Classical Spark Plug Ignition in Combustion Engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Done, Bogdan

2017-10-01

Over the past 30 years numerous studies and laboratory experiments have researched the use of laser energy to ignite gas and fuel-air mixtures. The actual implementation of this laser application has still to be fully achieved in a commercial automotive application. Laser Plug Ignition as a replacement for Spark Plug Ignition in the internal combustion engines of automotive vehicles, offers several potential benefits such as extending lean burn capability, reducing the cyclic variability between combustion cycles and decreasing the total amount of ignition costs, and implicitly weight and energy requirements. The paper presents preliminary results of cycle variability study carried on a SI Engine equipped with laser Plug Ignition system. Versus classic ignition system, the use of the laser Plug Ignition system assures the reduction of the combustion process variability, reflected in the lower values of the coefficient of variability evaluated for indicated mean effective pressure, maximum pressure, maximum pressure angle and maximum pressure rise rate. The laser plug ignition system was mounted on an experimental spark ignition engine and tested at the regime of 90% load and 2800 rev/min, at dosage of λ=1.1. Compared to conventional spark plug, laser ignition assures the efficiency at lean dosage.

Patient Awareness and Expectations of Pharmacist Services During Hospital Stay.

PubMed

King, Philip K; Martin, Steven J; Betka, Eric M

2017-10-01

There are insufficient data in the United States regarding patient awareness and expectations of hospital pharmacist availability and services. The objective of this research is to assess patient awareness and expectations of hospital pharmacist services and to determine whether a marketing campaign for pharmacist services increases patient awareness and expectations. Eligible inpatients were surveyed before and after implementation of a hospital-wide pharmacist services marketing campaign (12 items; Likert scale of 1 [strongly disagree] to 4 [strongly agree]; maximum total score of 48) regarding awareness of pharmacist services. The primary outcome was the change in median total survey scores from baseline. Other outcomes included the frequency of patient requests for pharmacists. Similar numbers of patients completed the survey before and after the campaign (intervention, n = 140, vs control, n = 147). Awareness of pharmacist availability and services was increased (41 [interquartile ranges, IQRs: 36-46] vs 37 [IQR 31-43]; P < .001). Patients were 7 times more likely to request a pharmacist following the marketing campaign implementation. Awareness among inpatients of pharmacist services is low. Marketing pharmacist availability and services to patients in the hospital improves awareness and expectations for pharmacist-provided care and increases the frequency of patient-initiated interaction between pharmacists and patients. This could improve patient outcomes as pharmacists become more integrally involved in direct patient care.

Optimizing an estuarine water quality monitoring program through an entropy-based hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alameddine, Ibrahim; Karmakar, Subhankar; Qian, Song S.; Paerl, Hans W.; Reckhow, Kenneth H.

2013-10-01

The total maximum daily load program aims to monitor more than 40,000 standard violations in around 20,000 impaired water bodies across the United States. Given resource limitations, future monitoring efforts have to be hedged against the uncertainties in the monitored system, while taking into account existing knowledge. In that respect, we have developed a hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian model that can be used to optimize an existing monitoring network by retaining stations that provide the maximum amount of information, while identifying locations that would benefit from the addition of new stations. The model assumes the water quality parameters are adequately described by a joint matrix normal distribution. The adopted approach allows for a reduction in redundancies, while emphasizing information richness rather than data richness. The developed approach incorporates the concept of entropy to account for the associated uncertainties. Three different entropy-based criteria are adopted: total system entropy, chlorophyll-a standard violation entropy, and dissolved oxygen standard violation entropy. A multiple attribute decision making framework is adopted to integrate the competing design criteria and to generate a single optimal design. The approach is implemented on the water quality monitoring system of the Neuse River Estuary in North Carolina, USA. The model results indicate that the high priority monitoring areas identified by the total system entropy and the dissolved oxygen violation entropy criteria are largely coincident. The monitoring design based on the chlorophyll-a standard violation entropy proved to be less informative, given the low probabilities of violating the water quality standard in the estuary.

Maximum dose rate is a determinant of hypothyroidism after 131I therapy of Graves' disease but the total thyroid absorbed dose is not.

PubMed

Krohn, Thomas; Hänscheid, Heribert; Müller, Berthold; Behrendt, Florian F; Heinzel, Alexander; Mottaghy, Felix M; Verburg, Frederik A

2014-11-01

The determinants of successful (131)I therapy of Graves' disease (GD) are unclear. To relate dosimetry parameters to outcome of therapy to identify significant determinants eu- and/or hypothyroidism after (131)I therapy in patients with GD. A retrospective study in which 206 Patients with GD treated in University Hospital between November 1999 and January 2011. All received (131)I therapy aiming at a total absorbed dose to the thyroid of 250 Gy based on pre-therapeutic dosimetry. Post-therapy dosimetric thyroid measurements were performed twice daily until discharge. From these measurements, thyroid (131)I half-life, the total thyroid absorbed dose, and the maximum dose rate after (131)I administration were calculated. In all, 48.5% of patients were hypothyroid and 28.6% of patients were euthyroid after (131)I therapy. In univariate analysis, nonhyperthyroid and hyperthyroid patients only differed by sex. A lower thyroid mass, a higher activity per gram thyroid tissue, a shorter effective thyroidal (131)I half-life, and a higher maximum dose rate, but not the total thyroid absorbed dose, were significantly associated with hypothyroidism. In multivariate analysis, the maximum dose rate remained the only significant determinant of hypothyroidism (P < .001). Maximum dose rates of 2.2 Gy/h and higher were associated with a 100% hypothyroidism rate. Not the total thyroid absorbed dose, but the maximum dose rate is a determinant of successfully achieving hypothyroidism in Graves' disease. Dosimetric concepts aiming at a specific total thyroid absorbed dose will therefore require reconsideration if our data are confirmed prospectively.

77 FR 18809 - Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Proposed Withdrawal of Nine Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... withdrawal of nine final Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Chloride, Sulfate, and Total Dissolved Solids... 08040202-006 Bayou de L'Outre.... Chloride, Sulfate, TDS. 08040202-007 Bayou de L'Outre.... Chloride, Sulfate, TDS. 08040202-008 Bayou de L'Outre.... Chloride, Sulfate, TDS. The 2008 Arkansas Clean Water Act...

The recursive maximum likelihood proportion estimator: User's guide and test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanrooy, D. L.

1976-01-01

Implementation of the recursive maximum likelihood proportion estimator is described. A user's guide to programs as they currently exist on the IBM 360/67 at LARS, Purdue is included, and test results on LANDSAT data are described. On Hill County data, the algorithm yields results comparable to the standard maximum likelihood proportion estimator.

Marginal Maximum A Posteriori Item Parameter Estimation for the Generalized Graded Unfolding Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, James S.; Thompson, Vanessa M.

2011-01-01

A marginal maximum a posteriori (MMAP) procedure was implemented to estimate item parameters in the generalized graded unfolding model (GGUM). Estimates from the MMAP method were compared with those derived from marginal maximum likelihood (MML) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedures in a recovery simulation that varied sample size,…

Linking trading ratio with TMDL (total maximum daily load) allocation matrix and uncertainty analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, H X

2008-01-01

An innovative approach for total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocation and implementation is the watershed-based pollutant trading. Given the inherent scientific uncertainty for the tradeoffs between point and nonpoint sources, setting of trading ratios can be a contentious issue and was already listed as an obstacle by several pollutant trading programs. One of the fundamental reasons that a trading ratio is often set higher (e.g. greater than 2) is to allow for uncertainty in the level of control needed to attain water quality standards, and to provide a buffer in case traded reductions are less effective than expected. However, most of the available studies did not provide an approach to explicitly address the determination of trading ratio. Uncertainty analysis has rarely been linked to determination of trading ratio.This paper presents a practical methodology in estimating "equivalent trading ratio (ETR)" and links uncertainty analysis with trading ratio determination from TMDL allocation process. Determination of ETR can provide a preliminary evaluation of "tradeoffs" between various combination of point and nonpoint source control strategies on ambient water quality improvement. A greater portion of NPS load reduction in overall TMDL load reduction generally correlates with greater uncertainty and thus requires greater trading ratio. The rigorous quantification of trading ratio will enhance the scientific basis and thus public perception for more informed decision in overall watershed-based pollutant trading program. (c) IWA Publishing 2008.

24 CFR 941.306 - Maximum project cost.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Maximum project cost. 941.306... DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT Application and Proposal § 941.306 Maximum project cost. (a) Calculation of maximum project cost. The maximum project cost represents the total amount of public housing...

24 CFR 941.306 - Maximum project cost.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Maximum project cost. 941.306... DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT Application and Proposal § 941.306 Maximum project cost. (a) Calculation of maximum project cost. The maximum project cost represents the total amount of public housing...

Spatiotemporal classification of environmental monitoring data in the Yeongsan River basin, Korea, using self-organizing maps.

PubMed

Jin, Y-H; Kawamura, A; Park, S-C; Nakagawa, N; Amaguchi, H; Olsson, J

2011-10-01

Environmental monitoring data for planning, implementing and evaluating the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) management system have been measured at about 8-day intervals in a number of rivers in Korea since 2004. In the present study, water quality parameters such as Suspended Solids (SS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Nitrogen (TN), and Total Phosphorus (TP) and the corresponding runoff were collected from six stations in the Yeongsan River basin for six years and transformed into monthly mean values. With the primary objective to understand spatiotemporal characteristics of the data, a methodologically systematic application of a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) was made. The SOM application classified the environmental monitoring data into nine clusters showing exclusively distinguishable patterns. Data frequency at each station on a monthly basis identified the spatiotemporal distribution for the first time in the study area. Consequently, the SOM application provided useful information that the sub-basin containing a metropolitan city is associated with deteriorating water quality and should be monitored and managed carefully during spring and summer for water quality improvement in the river basin.

Modeling the value for money of changing clinical practice change: a stochastic application in diabetes care.

PubMed

Hoomans, Ties; Abrams, Keith R; Ament, Andre J H A; Evers, Silvia M A A; Severens, Johan L

2009-10-01

Decision making about resource allocation for guideline implementation to change clinical practice is inevitably undertaken in a context of uncertainty surrounding the cost-effectiveness of both clinical guidelines and implementation strategies. Adopting a total net benefit approach, a model was recently developed to overcome problems with the use of combined ratio statistics when analyzing decision uncertainty. To demonstrate the stochastic application of the model for informing decision making about the adoption of an audit and feedback strategy for implementing a guideline recommending intensive blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes in primary care in the Netherlands. An integrated Bayesian approach to decision modeling and evidence synthesis is adopted, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation in WinBUGs. Data on model parameters is gathered from various sources, with effectiveness of implementation being estimated using pooled, random-effects meta-analysis. Decision uncertainty is illustrated using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves and frontier. Decisions about whether to adopt intensified glycemic control and whether to adopt audit and feedback alter for the maximum values that decision makers are willing to pay for health gain. Through simultaneously incorporating uncertain economic evidence on both guidance and implementation strategy, the cost-effectiveness acceptability curves and cost-effectiveness acceptability frontier show an increase in decision uncertainty concerning guideline implementation. The stochastic application in diabetes care demonstrates that the model provides a simple and useful tool for quantifying and exploring the (combined) uncertainty associated with decision making about adopting guidelines and implementation strategies and, therefore, for informing decisions about efficient resource allocation to change clinical practice.

[Biomechanical analysis on healing process of sagittal fracture of the mandibular condyle after rigid fixation].

PubMed

Jing, Jie; Qu, Ai-li; Ding, Xiao-mei; Hei, Yu-na

2015-04-01

To analyze the biomechanical healing process on rigid fixation of sagittal fracture of the mandibular condyle (SFMC), and to provide guidelines for surgical treatment. Three-dimensional finite element model (3D-FEAM) of mandible and condyle was established. The right condyle was simulated as SFMC with 0.1 mm space across the condyle length ways. The 3D-FEAM of rigid fixation was established. The biomechanical factors such as stress distribution of condylar surface, displacement around fracture, stress on the plate and stress shielding were calculated during 0, 4, 8 and 12-week after rigid fixation. The maximum equivalent stress of normal condyle was located at the area of middle 1/3 of condylar neck. The maximum equivalent stress at 0-week after fixation was 23 times than that on normal condyle. They were located at the condylar stump and the plate near inferior punctual areas of fracture line. There were little stress on the other areas. The maximum equivalent stress at 4, 8 and 12-week was approximately 6 times than that on normal condyle. They were located at the areas same as the area at 0-week. There were little stress on the other areas at the condyle. The maximum total displacement and maximum total corner were increased 0.57-0.75 mm and 0.01-0.09° respectively during healing process. The maximum equivalent stress at 0-week on the condylar trump was 5-6 times compared with that at 4, 8, and 12-week. The maximum equivalent stress, maximum total displacement and maximum total corner on the fractured fragment were not changed significantly during healing process. The maximum equivalent stress at 0-week on the plate was 7-9 times compared with that at 4, 8, 12-week. The stress of the condyle and stress shielding of the plate may be the reasons of absorbing and rebuilding on the condyle in healing process of SFMC. The biomechanical parameters increase obviously at 4-week after fixation. Elastic intermaxillary traction is necessary to decrease total displacement and total corner of the condyle, and liquid diet is necessary to decrease equivalent stress within 4 weeks. Rehabilitation training should be used to recover TMJ functions after 4 weeks because the condyle and mandible have the ability to carry out normal functions.

Recruitment Strategies of Methamphetamine-Using Men Who Have Sex with Men into an Online Survey

PubMed Central

Wilkerson, J. Michael; Shenk, Jared E.; Grey, Jeremy A.; Simon Rosser, B. R.; Noor, Syed W.

2014-01-01

Recruiting hidden populations into online research remains challenging. In this manuscript, we report lessons learned from our efforts to recruit methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Between July and October 2012, we implemented a four-phase recruitment strategy to enroll a total of 343 methamphetamine-using MSM into an online survey about recent substance use, sexual behavior, and various psychosocial measures. The four phases were implemented sequentially. During phase one, we placed advertisements on mobile applications, and during phase two, we placed advertisements on traditional websites formatted for browsers. During phase three, we used e-mail to initiate snowball recruitment, and during phase four, we used social media for snowball recruitment. Advertisements on mobile devices and websites formatted for browsers proved to be expensive options and resulted in few eligible participants. Our attempts to initiate a snowball through e-mail also proved unsuccessful. The majority (n=320) of observations in our final dataset came from our use of social media. However, participant fraud was a concern, requiring us to implement a strong participant verification protocol. For maximum recruitment and cost-effectiveness, researchers should use social media for recruitment provided they employ strong participant verification protocols. PMID:25642143

Recruitment Strategies of Methamphetamine-Using Men Who Have Sex with Men into an Online Survey.

PubMed

Wilkerson, J Michael; Shenk, Jared E; Grey, Jeremy A; Simon Rosser, B R; Noor, Syed W

Recruiting hidden populations into online research remains challenging. In this manuscript, we report lessons learned from our efforts to recruit methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Between July and October 2012, we implemented a four-phase recruitment strategy to enroll a total of 343 methamphetamine-using MSM into an online survey about recent substance use, sexual behavior, and various psychosocial measures. The four phases were implemented sequentially. During phase one, we placed advertisements on mobile applications, and during phase two, we placed advertisements on traditional websites formatted for browsers. During phase three, we used e-mail to initiate snowball recruitment, and during phase four, we used social media for snowball recruitment. Advertisements on mobile devices and websites formatted for browsers proved to be expensive options and resulted in few eligible participants. Our attempts to initiate a snowball through e-mail also proved unsuccessful. The majority (n=320) of observations in our final dataset came from our use of social media. However, participant fraud was a concern, requiring us to implement a strong participant verification protocol. For maximum recruitment and cost-effectiveness, researchers should use social media for recruitment provided they employ strong participant verification protocols.

40 CFR 1065.710 - Gasoline.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...: Initial boiling point °C 24-35 2 24-36 10% point °C 49-57 37-48 ASTM D86-07a. 50% point °C 93-110 82-101... m3/m3 Maximum, 0.10 Maximum, 0.175 ASTM D1319-03. Aromatics Maximum, 0.35 Maximum, 0.304 Saturates.../liter Maximum, 0.0013 Maximum, 0.005 ASTM D3231-07. Total sulfur mg/kg Maximum, 80 Maximum, 80 ASTM...

A modified ATI technique for nowcasting convective rain volumes over areas. [area-time integrals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Makarau, Amos; Johnson, L. Ronald; Doneaud, Andre A.

1988-01-01

This paper explores the applicability of the area-time-integral (ATI) technique for the estimation of the growth portion only of a convective storm (while the rain volume is computed using the entire life history of the event) and for nowcasting the total rain volume of a convective system at the stage of its maximum development. For these purposes, the ATIs were computed from the digital radar data (for 1981-1982) from the North Dakota Cloud Modification Project, using the maximum echo area (ATIA) no less than 25 dBz, the maximum reflectivity, and the maximum echo height as the end of the growth portion of the convective event. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that correlations between total rain volume or the maximum rain volume versus ATIA were the strongest. The uncertainties obtained were comparable to the uncertainties which typically occur in rain volume estimates obtained from radar data employing Z-R conversion followed by space and time integration. This demonstrates that the total rain volume of a storm can be nowcasted at its maximum stage of development.

Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral trauma treatment for incarcerated women with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders.

PubMed

Wolff, Nancy; Frueh, B Christopher; Shi, Jing; Schumann, Brooke E

2012-10-01

An open trial design was used to examine the implementation and effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention (Seeking Safety) for comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) for incarcerated women with Axis I mental disorders who self-referred for specialty trauma treatment. The study sample was female inmates aged 18 and old who were primarily minority, had experienced childhood-based trauma, committed violent crimes, had a serious mental illness, and resided in maximum, medium, and minimum compounds of a women's prison. A total of 74 women completed the group intervention, with the average attending 23 of the 28 sessions (82%). Implementation feasibility was demonstrated by the ability to recruit, screen, assign, and retain participation. Effectiveness was supported by changes pre-post intervention on the PTSD Checklist (ES=0.56) and Global Severity Index (ES=0.47). Of the 19 completers with PCL scores of 50 or higher pre-intervention, 16 (84%) had scores below 50, the "cut score" consistent with or supportive of a PTSD diagnosis. Three-quarters or more of participants reported that Seeking Safety was helpful in each of the following areas: overall, for traumatic stress symptoms, for substance use, to focus on safety, and to learn safe coping skills. Future directions include the need for larger scale randomized controlled trials in medium or maximum security prisons and fidelity evaluations of non-research dissemination efforts. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Analysis of ionospheric irregularities during total solar eclipse 2016 based on GNSS observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husin, A.; Jiyo; Anggarani, S.; Ekawati, S.; Dear, V.

2016-11-01

A total solar eclipse occurred over Indonesia in the morning hours on 9 March 2016. Ionisations in the ionosphere which is associated with the solar radiation during the total eclipse provided a good opportunity to study the ionospheric irregularities. Using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data taken from dual-frequency receivers in Manado, we investigated and analysed the total electron content (TEC) perturbations with a time resolution of 60 s to reveal ionospheric irregularities during total eclipse. Result showed that TEC conditions based on IPP were decreased during solar eclipse on March 9, comparing with the neighbour day. The maximum percentage deviation (DTEC) from the average value during eclipse period, 00:00 - 02:40 UT reach -41.5%. The duration of maximum decrement in TEC occurs were around 2-30 minutes after the maximum obscuration.

5 CFR 576.102 - Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment implementation plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... implementation plans. 576.102 Section 576.102 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL... level and any other factors, such as skills, knowledge, or retirement eligibility (as discussed in implementing guidance); (3) The time period during which incentives may be paid; (4) The number and maximum...

Identification and Prioritization of Management Practices to Reduce Methylmercury Exports from Wetlands and Irrigated Agricultural Lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCord, Stephen A.; Heim, Wesley A.

2015-03-01

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's (Delta) beneficial uses for humans and wildlife are impaired by elevated methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish. MeHg is a neurotoxin that bioaccumulates in aquatic food webs. The total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plan aimed at reducing MeHg in Delta fish obligates dischargers to conduct MeHg control studies. Over 150 stakeholders collaborated to identify 24 management practices (MPs) addressing MeHg nonpoint sources (NPS) in three categories: biogeochemistry (6), hydrology (14), and soil/vegetation (4). Land uses were divided into six categories: permanently and seasonally flooded wetlands, flooded and irrigated agricultural lands, floodplains, and brackish-fresh tidal marshes. Stakeholders scored MPs based on seven criteria: scientific certainty, costs, MeHg reduction potential, spatial applicability, technical capacity to implement, negative impacts to beneficial uses, and conflicting requirements. Semi-quantitative scoring for MPs applicable to each land use (totaling >400 individual scores) led to consensus-based prioritization. This process relied on practical experience from diverse and accomplished NPS stakeholders and synthesis of 17 previous studies. Results provide a comprehensive, stakeholder-driven prioritization of MPs for wetland and irrigated agricultural land managers. Final prioritization highlights the most promising MPs for practical application and control study, and a secondary set of MPs warranting further evaluation. MPs that address hydrology and soil/vegetation were prioritized because experiences were positive and implementation appeared more feasible. MeHg control studies will need to address the TMDL conundrum that MPs effective at reducing MeHg exports could both exacerbate MeHg exposure and contend with other management objectives on site.

Establishing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Wasteload Allocations (WLAs) for Storm Water Sources and NPDES Permit Requirements Based on Those WLAs

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The memoranda clarify existing EPA regulatory requirements for, and provide guidance on, establishing wasteload allocations (WLAs) for storm water discharges in total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) approved or established by EPA.

SELECTION OF CANDIDATE EUTROPHICATION MODELS FOR TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS ANALYSES

EPA Science Inventory

A tiered approach was developed to evaluate candidate eutrophication models to select a common suite of models that could be used for Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) analyses in estuaries, rivers, and lakes/reservoirs. Consideration for linkage to watershed models and ecologica...

Association of Reference Pricing for Diagnostic Laboratory Testing With Changes in Patient Choices, Prices, and Total Spending for Diagnostic Tests.

PubMed

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

2016-09-01

Prices for laboratory and other clinical services vary widely. Employers and insurers increasingly are adopting "reference pricing" policies to create incentives for patients to select lower-priced facilities. To measure the association between implementation of reference pricing and patient choice of laboratory, test prices, patient out-of-pocket spending, and insurer spending. We conducted an observational study of changes in laboratory pricing and selection by employees of a large national grocery firm (n = 30 415) before and after the firm implemented a reference pricing policy for laboratory services and compared the findings with changes over the same period for policy holders of a large national insurer that did not implement reference pricing (n = 181 831). The grocery firm established a maximum payment limit at the 60th percentile of the distribution of prices for each laboratory test in each region. Employees were provided with data on prices at all laboratories through a mobile digital platform. Patients selecting a laboratory that charged more than the payment limit were required to pay the full difference themselves. A total of 2.13 million claims were analyzed for 285 types of in vitro diagnostic tests between 2010 and 2013. Patient choice of laboratory, price paid per test, patient out-of-pocket costs, and employer spending. Compared with trends in prices paid by insurance policy holders not subject to reference pricing, and after adjusting for characteristics of tests and patients, implementation of reference pricing was associated with a 31.9% reduction (95% CI, 20.6%-41.6%) in average price paid per test by the third year of the program. In these 3 years, total spending on laboratory tests declined by $2.57 million (95% CI, $1.59-$3.35 million). Out-of-pocket costs by patients declined by $1.05 million (95% CI, $0.73-$1.37 million). Spending by the employer declined by $1.70 million (95% CI, $0.92-$2.48 million). When combined with access to price information, reference pricing was associated with patient choice of lower-cost laboratories and reductions in prices and payments by both employer and employees.

Exploiting Non-sequence Data in Dynamic Model Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

For our experiments here and in Section 3.5, we implement the proposed algorithms in MATLAB and use the maximum directed spanning tree solver...embarrassingly parallelizable, whereas PM’s maximum directed spanning tree procedure is harder to parallelize. In this experiment, our MATLAB ...some estimation problems, this approach is able to give unique and consistent estimates while the maximum- likelihood method gets entangled in

Novel switching method for single-phase NPC three-level inverter with neutral-point voltage control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, June-Seok; Lee, Seung-Joo; Lee, Kyo-Beum

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a novel switching method with the neutral-point voltage control in a single-phase neutral-point-clamped three-level inverter (SP-NPCI) used in photovoltaic systems. A proposed novel switching method for the SP-NPCI improves the efficiency. The main concept is to fix the switching state of one leg. As a result, the switching loss decreases and the total efficiency is improved. In addition, it enables the maximum power-point-tracking operation to be performed by applying the proposed neutral-point voltage control algorithm. This control is implemented by modifying the reference signal. Simulation and experimental results provide verification of the performance of a novel switching method with the neutral-point voltage control.

A reliable, fast and low cost maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic applications

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

Enrique, J.M.; Andujar, J.M.; Bohorquez, M.A.

This work presents a new maximum power point tracker system for photovoltaic applications. The developed system is an analog version of the ''P and O-oriented'' algorithm. It maintains its main advantages: simplicity, reliability and easy practical implementation, and avoids its main disadvantages: inaccurateness and relatively slow response. Additionally, the developed system can be implemented in a practical way at a low cost, which means an added value. The system also shows an excellent behavior for very fast variables in incident radiation levels. (author)

Anaerobic biodegradability and treatment of grey water in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor.

PubMed

Elmitwalli, Tarek A; Otterpohl, Ralf

2007-03-01

Feasibility of grey water treatment in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor operated at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 16, 10 and 6h and controlled temperature of 30 degrees C was investigated. Moreover, the maximum anaerobic biodegradability without inoculum addition and maximum removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions in grey water were determined in batch experiments. High values of maximum anaerobic biodegradability (76%) and maximum COD removal in the UASB reactor (84%) were achieved. The results showed that the colloidal COD had the highest maximum anaerobic biodegradability (86%) and the suspended and dissolved COD had similar maximum anaerobic biodegradability of 70%. Furthermore, the results of the UASB reactor demonstrated that a total COD removal of 52-64% was obtained at HRT between 6 and 16 h. The UASB reactor removed 22-30% and 15-21% of total nitrogen and total phosphorous in the grey water, respectively, mainly due to the removal of particulate nutrients. The characteristics of the sludge in the UASB reactor confirmed that the reactor had a stable performance. The minimum sludge residence time and the maximum specific methanogenic activity of the sludge ranged between 27 and 93 days and 0.18 and 0.28 kg COD/(kg VS d).

Electric propulsion options for 10 kW class earth space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, M. J.; Curran, Francis M.

1989-01-01

Five and 10 kW ion and arcjet propulsion system options for a near-term space demonstration experiment have been evaluated. Analyses were conducted to determine first-order propulsion system performance and system component mass estimates. Overall mission performance of the electric propulsion systems was quantified in terms of the maximum thrusting time, total impulse, and velocity increment capability available when integrated onto a generic spacecraft under fixed mission model assumptions. Maximum available thrusting times for the ion-propelled spacecraft options, launched on a DELTA II 6920 vehicle, range from approximately 8,600 hours for a 4-engine 10 kW system to more than 29,600 hours for a single-engine 5 kW system. Maximum total impulse values and maximum delta-v's range from 1.2x10(7) to 2.1x10(7) N-s, and 3550 to 6200 m/s, respectively. Maximum available thrusting times for the arcjet propelled spacecraft launched on the DELTA II 6920 vehicle range from approximately 528 hours for the 6-engine 10 kW hydrazine system to 2328 hours for the single-engine 5 kW system. Maximum total impulse values and maximum delta-v's range from 2.2x10(6) to 3.6x10(6) N-s, and approximately 662 to 1072 m/s, respectively.

Influence of bronchial diameter change on the airflow dynamics based on a pressure-controlled ventilation system.

PubMed

Ren, Shuai; Cai, Maolin; Shi, Yan; Xu, Weiqing; Zhang, Xiaohua Douglas

2018-03-01

Bronchial diameter is a key parameter that affects the respiratory treatment of mechanically ventilated patients. In this paper, to reveal the influence of bronchial diameter on the airflow dynamics of pressure-controlled mechanically ventilated patients, a new respiratory system model is presented that combines multigeneration airways with lungs. Furthermore, experiments and simulation studies to verify the model are performed. Finally, through the simulation study, it can be determined that in airway generations 2 to 7, when the diameter is reduced to half of the original value, the maximum air pressure (maximum air pressure in lungs) decreases by nearly 16%, the maximum flow decreases by nearly 30%, and the total airway pressure loss (sum of each generation pressure drop) is more than 5 times the original value. Moreover, in airway generations 8 to 16, with increasing diameter, the maximum air pressure, maximum flow, and total airway pressure loss remain almost constant. When the diameter is reduced to half of the original value, the maximum air pressure decreases by 3%, the maximum flow decreases by nearly 5%, and the total airway pressure loss increases by 200%. The study creates a foundation for improvement in respiratory disease diagnosis and treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

DPLL implementation in carrier acquisition and tracking for burst DS-CDMA receivers.

PubMed

Guan, Yun-feng; Zhang, Zhao-yang; Lai, Li-feng

2003-01-01

This paper presents the architectures, algorithms, and implementation considerations of the digital phase locked loop (DPLL) used for burst-mode packet DS-CDMA receivers. As we know, carrier offset is a rather challenging problem in CDMA system. According to different applications, different DPLL forms should be adopted to correct different maximum carrier offset in CDMA systems. One classical DPLL and two novel DPLL forms are discussed in the paper. The acquisition range of carrier offset can be widened by using the two novel DPLL forms without any performance degradation such as longer acquisition time or larger variance of the phase error. The maximum acquisition range is 1/(4T), where T is the symbol period. The design can be implemented by FPGA directly.

24 CFR 882.403 - ACC, housing assistance payments contract, and lease.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false ACC, housing assistance payments... Procedures for Moderate Rehabilitation-Basic Policies § 882.403 ACC, housing assistance payments contract, and lease. (a) Maximum Total ACC Commitments. The maximum total annual contribution that may be...

Accelerated echo planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging in prostate cancer: a pilot validation of non-linear reconstruction using total variation and maximum entropy.

PubMed

Nagarajan, Rajakumar; Iqbal, Zohaib; Burns, Brian; Wilson, Neil E; Sarma, Manoj K; Margolis, Daniel A; Reiter, Robert E; Raman, Steven S; Thomas, M Albert

2015-11-01

The overlap of metabolites is a major limitation in one-dimensional (1D) spectral-based single-voxel MRS and multivoxel-based MRSI. By combining echo planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) with a two-dimensional (2D) J-resolved spectroscopic (JPRESS) sequence, 2D spectra can be recorded in multiple locations in a single slice of prostate using four-dimensional (4D) echo planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging (EP-JRESI). The goal of the present work was to validate two different non-linear reconstruction methods independently using compressed sensing-based 4D EP-JRESI in prostate cancer (PCa): maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and total variation (TV). Twenty-two patients with PCa with a mean age of 63.8 years (range, 46-79 years) were investigated in this study. A 4D non-uniformly undersampled (NUS) EP-JRESI sequence was implemented on a Siemens 3-T MRI scanner. The NUS data were reconstructed using two non-linear reconstruction methods, namely MaxEnt and TV. Using both TV and MaxEnt reconstruction methods, the following observations were made in cancerous compared with non-cancerous locations: (i) higher mean (choline + creatine)/citrate metabolite ratios; (ii) increased levels of (choline + creatine)/spermine and (choline + creatine)/myo-inositol; and (iii) decreased levels of (choline + creatine)/(glutamine + glutamate). We have shown that it is possible to accelerate the 4D EP-JRESI sequence by four times and that the data can be reliably reconstructed using the TV and MaxEnt methods. The total acquisition duration was less than 13 min and we were able to detect and quantify several metabolites. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Research on characteristics of symmetric optothermal microactuators.

PubMed

Wang, Y D; You, Q Y; Chen, J J; Zhang, H J

2018-04-01

This paper proposes and studies symmetric optothermal microactuators (OTMAs) which are directly controlled by a laser beam. Based on the principle of thermal flux, a theoretical model is established to describe the laser-induced temperature rises and optothermal expansions of the OTMAs' expansion arms. Temperature rise distributions of the arms with lengths of 590, 990, and 2260 μm are simulated separately, which reveals that, under 2 mW laser irradiation, the maximum temperature rises are invariably less than 75.9°C. Simulations are also made to consider optothermal expansions of the arms caused by laser irradiation, which turns out that expansion increases considerably when the arm's length increases from 250 to 1000 μm, while insignificantly between 1250 and 2500 μm. Under a laser beam of 2 mW power, experiments on three microfabricated OTMAs have been further conducted, which demonstrate that the OTMAs are capable of generating maximum deflections of 7.3, 11.3, and 13.6 μm, and that the growth of deflection is comparatively obvious in the case when the total length changes from 750 to 1200 μm, while insignificant for the range between 1200 and 2380 μm. With regard to simulations and experiments, it has been proved that the OTMAs are capable of implementing direct laser-controlled microactuation in which only about 2 mW laser power is demanded. Moreover, it has been proved that twofold total length or arm length does not correspondingly result in doubling the deflection, nor the expansion. Therefore, total length/expansion arm's length around or less than 1200/1000 μm is more appropriate for obtaining satisfactory characteristics of OTMAs, which may be potentially applied in MEMS/MOEMS and micro-/nano-technology.

31 CFR 29.342 - Computed annuity exceeds the statutory maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) In cases in which the total computed annuity exceeds the statutory maximum: (1) Federal Benefit... sufficient service as of June 30, 1997, to reach the statutory maximum benefit, but has sufficient service at...

To study the effect of orbital sling on post operative vision in cases of maxillary carcinoma undergoing total maxillectomy.

PubMed

Shukla, Anirudh; Dudeja, Vivek

2014-06-01

To study effect of orbital sling on post operative vision in cases of maxillary carcinoma undergoing total maxillectomy. All patients with the principal procedure of "total maxillectomy" for histopathologically proven cases of carcinoma maxilla in department of otorhinolaryngology and head-neck surgery, N.S.C.B. medical college, Jabalapur, Madhya Pradesh, India from July 2011 to October 2013 were included. Out of the 20 patients irrespective of whether orbital sling was created or not, maximum number of patients 8 (40 %) showed a 3 step improvement, and maximum improvement seen was up to five steps. Out of the 14 patients in which orbital sling was created maximum number of patients 7 (50 %) showed a 3 step improvement, and maximum improvement seen was up to five steps. Out of the 6 patients in whom orbital sling was not created maximum number of patients 3 (50 %) showed a 2 step improvement, and maximum improvement seen was up to three steps. Infraorbital repair with the help of sling results in better improvement of vision as compared to those in whom sling was not or could not be made with no significant difference on eye movements.

Regulatory responses to over-the-counter codeine analgesic misuse in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Tobin, Claire L; Dobbin, Malcolm; McAvoy, Brian

2013-10-01

Analysis of the policy response by Australia's National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) and comparison with recommendations by expert advisory committees in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Analysis of public policy documents of relevant regulatory authorities was conducted. Data were extracted regarding changes to over-the-counter (OTC) codeine analgesic scheduling, indications, maximum unit dose, maximum daily dose, maximum pack size, warning labels, consumer medicine information and advertising. Where available, public submissions and other issues considered by the committees and rationale for their recommendations were recorded and thematically analysed. Expert advisory committees in Australia, NZ and the UK defined the policy problem of OTC codeine misuse and harm as small relative to total use and responded by restricting availability. Pharmacist supervision was required at the point-of-sale and pack sizes were reduced to short-term use. Comparison with recommendations by expert advisory committees in NZ and the UK suggests the NDPSC's actions in response to OTC codeine misuse were appropriate given the available evidence of misuse and harm, but highlights opportunities to utilise additional regulatory levers. Framing policy problems as matters of public health in the context of limited evidence may support decision makers to implement cautionary incremental policy change. © 2013 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2013 Public Health Association of Australia.

40 CFR 142.61 - Variances from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... level for fluoride. 142.61 Section 142.61 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION... from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride. (a) The Administrator, pursuant to section 1415(a)(1...

40 CFR 142.61 - Variances from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... level for fluoride. 142.61 Section 142.61 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION... from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride. (a) The Administrator, pursuant to section 1415(a)(1...

40 CFR 142.61 - Variances from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... level for fluoride. 142.61 Section 142.61 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION... from the maximum contaminant level for fluoride. (a) The Administrator, pursuant to section 1415(a)(1...

Pathogen reduction co-benefits of nutrient best management practices

PubMed Central

Wainger, Lisa A.; Barber, Mary C.

2016-01-01

Background Many of the practices currently underway to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads entering the Chesapeake Bay have also been observed to support reduction of disease-causing pathogen loadings. We quantify how implementation of these practices, proposed to meet the nutrient and sediment caps prescribed by the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), could reduce pathogen loadings and provide public health co-benefits within the Chesapeake Bay system. Methods We used published data on the pathogen reduction potential of management practices and baseline fecal coliform loadings estimated as part of prior modeling to estimate the reduction in pathogen loadings to the mainstem Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay attributable to practices implemented as part of the TMDL. We then compare the estimates with the baseline loadings of fecal coliform loadings to estimate the total pathogen reduction potential of the TMDL. Results We estimate that the TMDL practices have the potential to decrease disease-causing pathogen loads from all point and non-point sources to the mainstem Potomac River and the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed by 19% and 27%, respectively. These numbers are likely to be underestimates due to data limitations that forced us to omit some practices from analysis. Discussion Based on known impairments and disease incidence rates, we conclude that efforts to reduce nutrients may create substantial health co-benefits by improving the safety of water-contact recreation and seafood consumption. PMID:27904807

Pathogen reduction co-benefits of nutrient best management practices.

PubMed

Richkus, Jennifer; Wainger, Lisa A; Barber, Mary C

2016-01-01

Many of the practices currently underway to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads entering the Chesapeake Bay have also been observed to support reduction of disease-causing pathogen loadings. We quantify how implementation of these practices, proposed to meet the nutrient and sediment caps prescribed by the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), could reduce pathogen loadings and provide public health co-benefits within the Chesapeake Bay system. We used published data on the pathogen reduction potential of management practices and baseline fecal coliform loadings estimated as part of prior modeling to estimate the reduction in pathogen loadings to the mainstem Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay attributable to practices implemented as part of the TMDL. We then compare the estimates with the baseline loadings of fecal coliform loadings to estimate the total pathogen reduction potential of the TMDL. We estimate that the TMDL practices have the potential to decrease disease-causing pathogen loads from all point and non-point sources to the mainstem Potomac River and the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed by 19% and 27%, respectively. These numbers are likely to be underestimates due to data limitations that forced us to omit some practices from analysis. Based on known impairments and disease incidence rates, we conclude that efforts to reduce nutrients may create substantial health co-benefits by improving the safety of water-contact recreation and seafood consumption.

First assembly times and equilibration in stochastic coagulation-fragmentation

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

D’Orsogna, Maria R.; Department of Mathematics, CSUN, Los Angeles, California 91330-8313; Lei, Qi

2015-07-07

We develop a fully stochastic theory for coagulation and fragmentation (CF) in a finite system with a maximum cluster size constraint. The process is modeled using a high-dimensional master equation for the probabilities of cluster configurations. For certain realizations of total mass and maximum cluster sizes, we find exact analytical results for the expected equilibrium cluster distributions. If coagulation is fast relative to fragmentation and if the total system mass is indivisible by the mass of the largest allowed cluster, we find a mean cluster-size distribution that is strikingly broader than that predicted by the corresponding mass-action equations. Combinations ofmore » total mass and maximum cluster size under which equilibration is accelerated, eluding late-stage coarsening, are also delineated. Finally, we compute the mean time it takes particles to first assemble into a maximum-sized cluster. Through careful state-space enumeration, the scaling of mean assembly times is derived for all combinations of total mass and maximum cluster size. We find that CF accelerates assembly relative to monomer kinetic only in special cases. All of our results hold in the infinite system limit and can be only derived from a high-dimensional discrete stochastic model, highlighting how classical mass-action models of self-assembly can fail.« less

Neural Modeling of Fuzzy Controllers for Maximum Power Point Tracking in Photovoltaic Energy Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Guede, Jose Manuel; Ramos-Hernanz, Josean; Altın, Necmi; Ozdemir, Saban; Kurt, Erol; Azkune, Gorka

2018-06-01

One field in which electronic materials have an important role is energy generation, especially within the scope of photovoltaic energy. This paper deals with one of the most relevant enabling technologies within that scope, i.e, the algorithms for maximum power point tracking implemented in the direct current to direct current converters and its modeling through artificial neural networks (ANNs). More specifically, as a proof of concept, we have addressed the problem of modeling a fuzzy logic controller that has shown its performance in previous works, and more specifically the dimensionless duty cycle signal that controls a quadratic boost converter. We achieved a very accurate model since the obtained medium squared error is 3.47 × 10-6, the maximum error is 16.32 × 10-3 and the regression coefficient R is 0.99992, all for the test dataset. This neural implementation has obvious advantages such as a higher fault tolerance and a simpler implementation, dispensing with all the complex elements needed to run a fuzzy controller (fuzzifier, defuzzifier, inference engine and knowledge base) because, ultimately, ANNs are sums and products.

Inverter Load Rejection Over-Voltage Testing: SolarCity CRADA Task 1a Final Report

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

Nelson, A.; Hoke, A.; Chakraborty, S.

Various interconnection challenges exist when connecting distributed PV into the electrical distribution grid in terms of safety, reliability, and stability of electric power systems. One of the urgent areas for additional research - as identified by inverter manufacturers, installers, and utilities - is the potential for transient over-voltage from PV inverters. In one stage of a cooperative tests were repeated a total of seven times. The maximum over-voltage measured in any test did not exceed 200% of nominal, and typical over-voltage levels were significantly lower. The total voltage duration and the maximum continuous time above each threshold are presented here,more » as well as the time to disconnect for each test. Finally, we present a brief investigation into the effect of DC input voltage as well as a series of no-load tests. This report describes testing conducted at NREL to determine the duration and magnitude of transient over-voltages created by several commercial PV inverters during load-rejection conditions. For this work, a test plan that is currently under development by the Forum on Inverter Grid Integration Issues (FIGII) has been implemented in a custom test setup at NREL. Through a cooperative research and development agreement, NREL is working with SolarCity to address two specific types of transient overvoltage: load rejection overvoltage (LRO) and ground fault overvoltage (GFO). Additional partners in this effort include the Hawaiian Electric Companies, Northern Plains Power Technologies, and the Electric Power Research Institute.« less

Concentrations of organic contaminants detected during managed flow conditions, San Joaquin River and Old River, California, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orlando, James L.; Kuivila, Kathryn

2005-01-01

Concentrations of organic contaminants were determined in water samples collected at six surface-water sites located along the San Joaquin and Old Rivers during April through June 2001. Water samples were collected, coincident with salmon smolt caging studies conducted by researchers from the Bodega Marine Laboratory at the University of California at Davis to characterize exposure of the salmon smolt to organic contaminants. Sampling occurred prior to, during, and following the implementation of managed streamflow conditions on the San Joaquin and Old Rivers as part of the Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan. Thirteen pesticides were detected in water samples collected during this study, and at least five pesticides were detected in each sample. The total number of pesticide detections varied little between river systems and between sites, but the maximum concentrations of most pesticides occurred in San Joaquin River samples. The total number of pesticides detected varied little over the three time periods. However, during the period of managed streamflow, the fewest number of pesticides were detected at their absolute maximum concentration. Nine wastewater compounds were detected during this study. Suspended-sediment concentrations were similar for the San Joaquin and Old Rivers except during the period of managed streamflow conditions, when suspended-sediment concentration was higher at sites on the San Joaquin River than at sites on the Old River. Values for water parameters (pH, specific conductance, and hardness) were lowest during the period of managed flows.

WAVDRAG- ZERO-LIFT WAVE DRAG OF COMPLEX AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craidon, C. B.

1994-01-01

WAVDRAG calculates the supersonic zero-lift wave drag of complex aircraft configurations. The numerical model of an aircraft is used throughout the design process from concept to manufacturing. WAVDRAG incorporates extended geometric input capabilities to permit use of a more accurate mathematical model. With WAVDRAG, the engineer can define aircraft components as fusiform or nonfusiform in terms of non-intersecting contours in any direction or more traditional parallel contours. In addition, laterally asymmetric configurations can be simulated. The calculations in WAVDRAG are based on Whitcomb's area-rule computation of equivalent-bodies, with modifications for supersonic speed. Instead of using a single equivalent-body, WAVDRAG calculates a series of equivalent-bodies, one for each roll angle. The total aircraft configuration wave drag is the integrated average of the equivalent-body wave drags through the full roll range of 360 degrees. WAVDRAG currently accepts up to 30 user-defined components containing a maximum of 50 contours as geometric input. Each contour contains a maximum of 50 points. The Mach number, angle-of-attack, and coordinates of angle-of-attack rotation are also input. The program warns of any fusiform-body line segments having a slope larger than the Mach angle. WAVDRAG calculates total drag and the wave-drag coefficient of the specified aircraft configuration. WAVDRAG is written in FORTRAN 77 for batch execution and has been implemented on a CDC CYBER 170 series computer with a central memory requirement of approximately 63K (octal) of 60 bit words. This program was developed in 1983.

Continuous anaerobic digestion of food waste and design of digester with lipid removal.

PubMed

Li, Dong; Sun, Yongming; Guo, Yanfeng; Yuan, Zhenhong; Wang, Yao; Zhen, Feng

2013-01-01

Separation of municipal solid waste has been implemented in many cities in China. As a major component of municipal solid waste, food waste can be treated by anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy production. To provide reference data for disposing of food waste through engineering applications, continuous AD was carried out under various organic loading rates (OLRs) at 27 +/- 2 degrees C in the laboratory. The anaerobic reactor was stable with pH 7.0-7.1, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations of 206-746 mg/L, and NH4+ -N concentrations of 525-1293 mg/L when the OLR was 1.118-5.588 kg volatile solids (VS)/m(3) x d. The maximum volumetric biogas production rate was 4.41 L/L x d when the OLR was increased to 5.588 kg VS/m(3) x d with a hydraulic retention time of 30 d. When the OLR was increased to 6.706 and 8.382 kg VS/m(3) x d, biogas production was seriously inhibited by VFAs, with maximum total VFA and propionate concentrations of 8738 mg/L and 2864 mg/L, respectively. Due to the incomplete degradation of lipids, the specific methane production rate of 353-488 L/kg VS accounted for 55.2-76.3% of the theoretical methane potential calculated based on the component composition. A retrofitted anaerobic digester with lipid removal was designed to improve the efficiency.

Performance of compost filtration practice for green infrastructure stormwater applications.

PubMed

Faucette, Britt; Cardoso, Fatima; Mulbry, Walter; Millner, Pat

2013-09-01

Urban storm water runoff poses a substantial threat of pollution to receiving surface waters. Green infrastructure, low impact development, green building ordinances, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) storm water permit compliance, and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation strategies have become national priorities; however, designers need more sustainable, low-cost solutions to meet these goals and guidelines. The objective of this study was to determine the multiple-event removal efficiency and capacity of compost filter socks (FS) and filter socks with natural sorbents (NS) to remove soluble phosphorus, ammonium-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, E. coli, Enterococcus, and oil from urban storm water runoff. Treatments were exposed to simulated storm water pollutant concentrations consistent with urban runoff originating from impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and roadways. Treatments were exposed to a maximum of 25 runoff events, or when removal efficiencies were < or = 25%, whichever occurred first. Experiments were conducted in triplicate. The filter socks with natural sorbents removed significantly greater soluble phosphorus than the filter socks alone, removing a total of 237 mg/linear m over eight runoff events, or an average of 34%. The filter socks with natural sorbents removed 54% of ammonium-nitrogen over 25 runoff events, or 533 mg/linear m, and only 11% of nitrate-nitrogen, or 228 mg/linear m. The filter socks and filter socks with natural sorbents both removed 99% of oil over 25 runoff events, or a total load of 38,486 mg/linear m. Over 25 runoff events the filter socks with natural sorbents removed E. coli and Enteroccocus at 85% and 65%, or a total load of 3.14 CFUs x 10(8)/ linear m and 1.5 CFUs x 10(9)/linear m, respectively; both were significantly greater than treatment by filter socks alone. Based on these experiments, this technique can be used to reduce soluble pollutants from storm water over multiple runoff events.

Influence of vegetation and gravel mesh on the tertiary treatment of wastewater from a cosmetics industry.

PubMed

Vlyssides, Apostolos G; Mai, Sofia T H; Barampouti, Elli Maria P; Loukakis, Haralampos N

2009-07-01

To estimate the influence of gravel mesh (fine and coarse) and vegetation (Phragmites and Arundo) on the efficiency of a reed bed, a pilot plant was included after the wastewater treatment plant of a cosmetic industry treatment system according to a 22 factorial experimental design. The maximum biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorous (TP) reduction was observed in the reactor, where Phragmites and fine gravel were used. In the reactor with Phragmites and coarse gravel, the maximum total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total suspended solids (TSS) reduction was observed. The maximum total solids reduction was measured in the reed bed, which was filled with Arundo and coarse gravel. Conclusively, the treatment of a cosmetic industry's wastewater by reed beds as a tertiary treatment method is quite effective.

40 CFR 93.113 - Criteria and procedures: Timely implementation of TCMs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... funding source(s) needed to fully implement each TCM indicates that TCMs which are eligible for funding... implementation plan which are eligible for funding under title 23 U.S.C. or the Federal Transit Laws, consistent... approvals or funding for TCMs are giving maximum priority to approval or funding of TCMs over other projects...

Total Quality Management (TQM). Implementers Workshop

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-15

SHEE’T :s t’ii ,rrl DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE May 15, 1990 Lfl CN I TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) Implementers Workshop © Copyright 1990 Booz.Allen...must be continually performed in order to achieve successful TQM implementation. 1-5 = TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Implementers Workshop Course Content...information, please refer to the student manual, Total Quality Management (TOM) Awareness Seminar, that was provided for the Awareness Course. You may

Effects of fasting on maximum thermogenesis in temperature-acclimated rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L. C. H.

1981-09-01

To further investigate the limiting effect of substrates on maximum thermogenesis in acute cold exposure, the present study examined the prevalence of this effect at different thermogenic capabilities consequent to cold- or warm-acclimation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=11) were acclimated to 6, 16 and 26‡C, in succession, their thermogenic capabilities after each acclimation temperature were measured under helium-oxygen (21% oxygen, balance helium) at -10‡C after overnight fasting or feeding. Regardless of feeding conditions, both maximum and total heat production were significantly greater in 6>16>26‡C-acclimated conditions. In the fed state, the total heat production was significantly greater than that in the fasted state at all acclimating temperatures but the maximum thermogenesis was significant greater only in the 6 and 16‡C-acclimated states. The results indicate that the limiting effect of substrates on maximum and total thermogenesis is independent of the magnitude of thermogenic capability, suggesting a substrate-dependent component in restricting the effective expression of existing aerobic metabolic capability even under severe stress.

Electric Propulsion Options for 10 kW Class Earth-Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, M. J.; Curran, Francis M.

1989-01-01

Five and 10 kW ion and arcjet propulsion system options for a near-term space demonstration experiment were evaluated. Analyses were conducted to determine first-order propulsion system performance and system component mass estimates. Overall mission performance of the electric propulsion systems was quantified in terms of the maximum thrusting time, total impulse, and velocity increment capability available when integrated onto a generic spacecraft under fixed mission model assumptions. Maximum available thrusting times for the ion-propelled spacecraft options, launched on a DELTA 2 6920 vehicle, range from approximately 8,600 hours for a 4-engine 10 kW system to more than 29,600 hours for a single-engine 5 kW system. Maximum total impulse values and maximum delta-v's range from 1.2x10 (exp 7) to 2.1x10 (exp 7) N-s, and 3550 to 6200 m/s, respectively. Maximum available thrusting times for the arcjet propelled spacecraft launched on the DELTA 2 6920 vehicle range from approximately 528 hours for the 6-engine 10 kW hydrazine system to 2328 hours for the single-engine 5 kW system. Maximum total impulse values and maximum delta-v's range from 2.2x10 (exp 6) to 3.6x10 (exp 6) N-s, and approximately 662 to 1072 m/s, respectively.

19 CFR 212.07 - Rulemaking on maximum rates for attorney fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rulemaking on maximum rates for attorney fees. 212.07 Section 212.07 Customs Duties UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS OF UNFAIR PRACTICES IN IMPORT TRADE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT General Provisions...

An EM Algorithm for Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Process Factor Analysis Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Taehun

2010-01-01

In this dissertation, an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm is developed and implemented to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters and the associated standard error estimates characterizing temporal flows for the latent variable time series following stationary vector ARMA processes, as well as the parameters defining the…

Reconfigurable Resonant Regulating Rectifier With Primary Equalization for Extended Coupling- and Loading-Range in Bio-Implant Wireless Power Transfer.

PubMed

Li, Xing; Meng, Xiaodong; Tsui, Chi-Ying; Ki, Wing-Hung

2015-12-01

Wireless power transfer using reconfigurable resonant regulating (R(3)) rectification suffers from limited range in accommodating varying coupling and loading conditions. A primary-assisted regulation principle is proposed to mitigate these limitations, of which the amplitude of the rectifier input voltage on the secondary side is regulated by accordingly adjusting the voltage amplitude Veq on the primary side. A novel current-sensing method and calibration scheme track Veq on the primary side. A ramp generator simultaneously provides three clock signals for different modules. Both the primary equalizer and the R(3) rectifier are implemented as custom integrated circuits fabricated in a 0.35 μm CMOS process, with the global control implemented in FPGA. Measurements show that with the primary equalizer, the workable coupling and loading ranges are extended by 250% at 120 mW load and 300% at 1.2 cm coil distance compared to the same system without the primary equalizer. A maximum rectifier efficiency of 92.5% and a total system efficiency of 62.4% are demonstrated.

A GPU Simulation Tool for Training and Optimisation in 2D Digital X-Ray Imaging.

PubMed

Gallio, Elena; Rampado, Osvaldo; Gianaria, Elena; Bianchi, Silvio Diego; Ropolo, Roberto

2015-01-01

Conventional radiology is performed by means of digital detectors, with various types of technology and different performance in terms of efficiency and image quality. Following the arrival of a new digital detector in a radiology department, all the staff involved should adapt the procedure parameters to the properties of the detector, in order to achieve an optimal result in terms of correct diagnostic information and minimum radiation risks for the patient. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a software capable of simulating a digital X-ray imaging system, using graphics processing unit computing. All radiological image components were implemented in this application: an X-ray tube with primary beam, a virtual patient, noise, scatter radiation, a grid and a digital detector. Three different digital detectors (two digital radiography and a computed radiography systems) were implemented. In order to validate the software, we carried out a quantitative comparison of geometrical and anthropomorphic phantom simulated images with those acquired. In terms of average pixel values, the maximum differences were below 15%, while the noise values were in agreement with a maximum difference of 20%. The relative trends of contrast to noise ratio versus beam energy and intensity were well simulated. Total calculation times were below 3 seconds for clinical images with pixel size of actual dimensions less than 0.2 mm. The application proved to be efficient and realistic. Short calculation times and the accuracy of the results obtained make this software a useful tool for training operators and dose optimisation studies.

Comparative dosimetry study of three UK centres implementing total skin electron treatment through external audit.

PubMed

Misson-Yates, S; Gonzalez, R; McGovern, M; Greener, A

2015-05-01

This article describes the external audit measurements conducted in two UK centres implementing total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) and the results obtained. Measurements of output, energy, beam flatness and symmetry at a standard distance (95 or 100 cm SSD) were performed using a parallel plate chamber in solid water. Similarly, output and energy measurements were also performed at the treatment plane for single and dual fields. Clinical simulations were carried out using thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) and Gafchromic® film (International Specialty Products, Wayne, NJ) on an anthropomorphic phantom. Extended distance measurements confirmed that local values for the beam dosimetry at Centres A and B were within 2% for outputs and 1-mm agreement of the expected depth at which the dose is 50% of the maximum for the depth-dose curve in water (R50,D) value. Clinical simulation using TLDs) showed an agreement of -1.6% and -6.7% compared with the expected mean trunk dose for each centre, respectively, and a variation within 10% (±1 standard deviation) across the trunk. The film results confirmed that the delivery of the treatment technique at each audited centre complies with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer recommendations. This audit methodology has proven to be a successful way to confirm the agreement of dosimetric parameters for TSEBT treatments at both audited centres and could serve as the basis for an audit template to be used by other audit groups. TSEBT audits are not established in the UK owing to a limited number of centres carrying out the treatment technique. This article describes the audits performed at two UK centres prior to their clinical implementation.

Comparative dosimetry study of three UK centres implementing total skin electron treatment through external audit

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, R; McGovern, M; Greener, A

2015-01-01

Objective: This article describes the external audit measurements conducted in two UK centres implementing total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) and the results obtained. Methods: Measurements of output, energy, beam flatness and symmetry at a standard distance (95 or 100 cm SSD) were performed using a parallel plate chamber in solid water. Similarly, output and energy measurements were also performed at the treatment plane for single and dual fields. Clinical simulations were carried out using thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) and Gafchromic® film (International Specialty Products, Wayne, NJ) on an anthropomorphic phantom. Results: Extended distance measurements confirmed that local values for the beam dosimetry at Centres A and B were within 2% for outputs and 1-mm agreement of the expected depth at which the dose is 50% of the maximum for the depth–dose curve in water (R50,D) value. Clinical simulation using TLDs) showed an agreement of −1.6% and −6.7% compared with the expected mean trunk dose for each centre, respectively, and a variation within 10% (±1 standard deviation) across the trunk. The film results confirmed that the delivery of the treatment technique at each audited centre complies with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer recommendations. Conclusion: This audit methodology has proven to be a successful way to confirm the agreement of dosimetric parameters for TSEBT treatments at both audited centres and could serve as the basis for an audit template to be used by other audit groups. Advances in knowledge: TSEBT audits are not established in the UK owing to a limited number of centres carrying out the treatment technique. This article describes the audits performed at two UK centres prior to their clinical implementation. PMID:25761213

Optimal implementation of best management practices to improve agricultural hydrology and water quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Engel, B.; Collingsworth, P.; Pijanowski, B. C.

2017-12-01

Nutrient loading from the Maumee River watershed is a significant reason for the harmful algal blooms (HABs) problem in Lake Erie. Strategies to reduce nutrient loading from agricultural areas in the Maumee River watershed need to be explored. Best management practices (BMPs) are popular approaches for improving hydrology and water quality. Various scenarios of BMP implementation were simulated in the AXL watershed (an agricultural watershed in Maumee River watershed) using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and a new BMP cost tool to explore the cost-effectiveness of the practices. BMPs of interest included vegetative filter strips, grassed waterways, blind inlets, grade stabilization structures, wetlands, no-till, nutrient management, residue management, and cover crops. The following environmental concerns were considered: streamflow, Total Phosphorous (TP), Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus (DRP), Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), and Nitrate+Nitrite (NOx). To obtain maximum hydrological and water quality benefits with minimum cost, an optimization tool was developed to optimally select and place BMPs by connecting SWAT, the BMP cost tool, and optimization algorithms. The optimization tool was then applied in AXL watershed to explore optimization focusing on critical areas (top 25% of areas with highest runoff volume/pollutant loads per area) vs. all areas of the watershed, optimization using weather data for spring (March to July, due to the goal of reducing spring phosphorus in watershed management plan) vs. full year, and optimization results of implementing BMPs to achieve the watershed management plan goal (reducing 2008 TP levels by 40%). The optimization tool and BMP optimization results can be used by watershed groups and communities to solve hydrology and water quality problems.

Impact of different supply air and recirculating air filtration systems on stable climate, animal health, and performance of fattening pigs in a commercial pig farm

PubMed Central

Wenke, Cindy; Pospiech, Janina; Reutter, Tobias; Altmann, Bettina; Truyen, Uwe

2018-01-01

Biosecurity is defined as the implementation of measures that reduce the risk of disease agents being introduced and/or spread. For pig production, several of these measures are routinely implemented (e.g. cleaning, disinfection, segregation). However, air as a potential vector of pathogens has long been disregarded. Filters for incoming and recirculating air were installed into an already existing ventilation plant at a fattening piggery (3,840 pigs at maximum) in Saxony, Germany. Over a period of three consecutive fattening periods, we evaluated various parameters including air quality indices, environmental and operating parameters, and pig performance. Animal data regarding respiratory diseases, presence of antibodies against influenza A viruses, PRRSV, and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and lung health score at slaughter were recorded, additionally. There were no significant differences (p = 0.824) in total bacterial counts between barns with and without air filtration. Recirculating air filtration resulted in the lowest total dust concentration (0.12 mg/m3) and lung health was best in animals from the barn equipped with recirculating air filtration modules. However, there was no difference in animal performance. Antibodies against all above mentioned pathogens were detected but mostly animals were already antibody-positive at re-stocking. We demonstrated that supply air filtration as well as recirculating air filtration technique can easily be implemented in an already existing ventilation system and that recirculating air filtration resulted in enhanced lung health compared to supply air-filtered and non-filtered barns. A more prominent effect might have been obtained in a breeding facility because of the longer life span of sows and a higher biosecurity level with air filtration as an add-on measure. PMID:29558482

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ffff of... - Emission Limits for Storage Tanks

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... applies to your storage tanks: For each . . . For which . . . Then you must . . . 1. Group 1 storage tank a. The maximum true vapor pressure of total HAP at the storage temperature is ≥76.6 kilopascals i... maximum true vapor pressure of total HAP at the storage temperature is <76.6 kilopascals i. Comply with...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ffff of... - Emission Limits for Storage Tanks

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... applies to your storage tanks: For each . . . For which . . . Then you must . . . 1. Group 1 storage tank a. The maximum true vapor pressure of total HAP at the storage temperature is ≥76.6 kilopascals i... maximum true vapor pressure of total HAP at the storage temperature is <76.6 kilopascals i. Comply with...

75 FR 43160 - Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Final Agency Action on One Arkansas Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-23

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9179-3 ] Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Final Agency Action on One Arkansas Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the final agency action on one TMDL established by...

The bioeconomic impact of different management regulations on the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bunnell, David B.; Lipton, Douglas W.; Miller, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

The harvest of blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in Chesapeake Bay declined 46% between 1993 and 2001 and remained low through 2008. Because the total market value of this fishery has declined by an average of US $ 3.3 million per year since 1993, the commercial fishery has been challenged to maintain profitability. We developed a bioeconomic simulation model of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery to aid managers in determining which regulations will maximize revenues while ensuring a sustainable harvest. We compared 15 different management scenarios, including those implemented by Maryland and Virginia between 2007 and 2009, that sought to reduce female crab harvest and nine others that used seasonal closures, different size regulations, or the elimination of fishing for specific market categories. Six scenarios produced the highest revenues: the 2008 and 2009 Maryland regulations, spring and fall closures for female blue crabs, and 152- and 165-mm maximum size limits for females. Our most important finding was that for each state the 2008 and 2009 scenarios that implemented early closures of the female crab fishery produced higher revenues than the 2007 scenario, in which no early female closures were implemented. We conclude that the use of maximum size limits for female crabs would not be feasible despite their potentially high revenue, given the likelihood that the soft-shell and peeler fisheries cannot be expanded beyond their current capacity and the potentially high mortality rate for culled individuals that are the incorrect size. Our model results support the current use of seasonal closures for females, which permit relatively high exploitation of males and soft-shell and peeler blue crabs (which have high prices) while keeping the female crab harvest sustainable. Further, our bioeconomic model allows for the inclusion of an economic viewpoint along with biological data when target reference points are set by managers.

Database System Design and Implementation for Marine Air-Traffic-Controller Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. DATABASE SYSTEM DESIGN AND...thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE DATABASE SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR MARINE AIR-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLER TRAINING 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S...12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) This project focused on the design , development, and implementation of a centralized

Lessons Learned from the Development and Implementation of a Knowledge Management Program for the Naval Sea Systems Command

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) This study applied knowledge management (KM) theories and principles to develop and implement a KM program for the... principles to develop and implement a KM program for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) that strengthens the workforce’s understanding of the...23 C. EXECUTION AND SUSTAINMENT .............................................. 24 1. Marketing

A verified design of a fault-tolerant clock synchronization circuit: Preliminary investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miner, Paul S.

1992-01-01

Schneider demonstrates that many fault tolerant clock synchronization algorithms can be represented as refinements of a single proven correct paradigm. Shankar provides mechanical proof that Schneider's schema achieves Byzantine fault tolerant clock synchronization provided that 11 constraints are satisfied. Some of the constraints are assumptions about physical properties of the system and cannot be established formally. Proofs are given that the fault tolerant midpoint convergence function satisfies three of the constraints. A hardware design is presented, implementing the fault tolerant midpoint function, which is shown to satisfy the remaining constraints. The synchronization circuit will recover completely from transient faults provided the maximum fault assumption is not violated. The initialization protocol for the circuit also provides a recovery mechanism from total system failure caused by correlated transient faults.

A Study of the Ethernet Troughput Performance of the Embedded System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Zhi-Yu; Zhao, Zhao-Wang

2007-09-01

An ethernet acceleration solution developed for the NIOS II Embedded System in astronomical applications - Mason Express is introduced in this paper. By manually constructing the proper network protocol headers and directly driving the hardware, Mason Express goes around the performance bottleneck of the Light Weighted IP stack (LWIP), and achieves up to 90Mb/s unidirectional data troughput rate from the embedded system board to the data collecting computer. With the LWIP stack, the maximum data rate is about 10.57Mb/s. Mason Express is a total software solution and no hardware changes required, neither does it affect the uCOS II operating system nor the LWIP stack, and can be implemented with or without any embedded operating system. It maximally protects the intelligence investment of the users.

Nutrient mitigation in a temporary river basin.

PubMed

Tzoraki, Ourania; Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P; Cooper, David; Kassotaki, Elissavet

2014-04-01

We estimate the nutrient budget in a temporary Mediterranean river basin. We use field monitoring and modelling tools to estimate nutrient sources and transfer in both high and low flow conditions. Inverse modelling by the help of PHREEQC model validated the hypothesis of a losing stream during the dry period. Soil and Water Assessment Tool model captured the water quality of the basin. The 'total daily maximum load' approach is used to estimate the nutrient flux status by flow class, indicating that almost 60% of the river network fails to meet nitrogen criteria and 50% phosphate criteria. We recommend that existing well-documented remediation measures such as reforestation of the riparian area or composting of food process biosolids should be implemented to achieve load reduction in close conjunction with social needs.

Defense Depot Mechanicsburg Total Quality Management Implementation Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

B T I TLEE 5 . FUNDING NUMBERS Defense Depot Mechanicsburg Total Quality Management Implementation Plan 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME...Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) L296- 102 Acces.ion For NYI J ... I:: ted DEFENSE DEPOT MECHANICSBURG PENNSYLVANIAL--I By_ TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT K_~ t buty-n...IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Avmail-t!Ilty Codes IvLl c 2Dd/or JUN 3 0 1989 iDizt Special PURPOSE The purpose of this Total Quality Management Implementation

Maximum entropy method applied to deblurring images on a MasPar MP-1 computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonavito, N. L.; Dorband, John; Busse, Tim

1991-01-01

A statistical inference method based on the principle of maximum entropy is developed for the purpose of enhancing and restoring satellite images. The proposed maximum entropy image restoration method is shown to overcome the difficulties associated with image restoration and provide the smoothest and most appropriate solution consistent with the measured data. An implementation of the method on the MP-1 computer is described, and results of tests on simulated data are presented.

[Left ventricular volume determination by first-pass radionuclide angiocardiography using a semi-geometric count-based method].

PubMed

Kinoshita, S; Suzuki, T; Yamashita, S; Muramatsu, T; Ide, M; Dohi, Y; Nishimura, K; Miyamae, T; Yamamoto, I

1992-01-01

A new radionuclide technique for the calculation of left ventricular (LV) volume by the first-pass (FP) method was developed and examined. Using a semi-geometric count-based method, the LV volume can be measured by the following equation: CV = CM/(L/d). V = (CT/CV) x d3 = (CT/CM) x L x d2. (V = LV volume, CV = voxel count, CM = the maximum LV count, CT = the total LV count, L = LV depth where the maximum count was obtained, and d = pixel size.) This theorem was applied to FP LV images obtained in the 30-degree right anterior oblique position. Frame-mode acquisition was performed and the LV end-diastolic maximum count and total count were obtained. The maximum LV depth was obtained as the maximum width of the LV on the FP end-diastolic image, using the assumption that the LV cross-section is circular. These values were substituted in the above equation and the LV end-diastolic volume (FP-EDV) was calculated. A routine equilibrium (EQ) study was done, and the end-diastolic maximum count and total count were obtained. The LV maximum depth was measured on the FP end-diastolic frame, as the maximum length of the LV image. Using these values, the EQ-EDV was calculated and the FP-EDV was compared to the EQ-EDV. The correlation coefficient for these two values was r = 0.96 (n = 23, p less than 0.001), and the standard error of the estimated volume was 10 ml.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Real-Time Noise Reduction for Mossbauer Spectroscopy through Online Implementation of a Modified Kalman Filter

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

Abrecht, David G.; Schwantes, Jon M.; Kukkadapu, Ravi K.

2015-02-01

Spectrum-processing software that incorporates a gaussian smoothing kernel within the statistics of first-order Kalman filtration has been developed to provide cross-channel spectral noise reduction for increased real-time signal-to-noise ratios for Mossbauer spectroscopy. The filter was optimized for the breadth of the gaussian using the Mossbauer spectrum of natural iron foil, and comparisons between the peak broadening, signal-to-noise ratios, and shifts in the calculated hyperfine parameters are presented. The results of optimization give a maximum improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of 51.1% over the unfiltered spectrum at a gaussian breadth of 27 channels, or 2.5% of the total spectrum width. Themore » full-width half-maximum of the spectrum peaks showed an increase of 19.6% at this optimum point, indicating a relatively weak increase in the peak broadening relative to the signal enhancement, leading to an overall increase in the observable signal. Calculations of the hyperfine parameters showed no statistically significant deviations were introduced from the application of the filter, confirming the utility of this filter for spectroscopy applications.« less

77 FR 60089 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Delaware, New Jersey, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-02

... quarter substitution test. ``Collocated'' indicates that the collocated data was substituted for missing... 24-hour standard design value is greater than the level of the standard. EPA addresses missing data... substituted for the missing data. In the maximum quarter test, maximum recorded values are substituted for the...

High-Dimensional Exploratory Item Factor Analysis by a Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro Algorithm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cai, Li

2010-01-01

A Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro (MH-RM) algorithm for high-dimensional maximum marginal likelihood exploratory item factor analysis is proposed. The sequence of estimates from the MH-RM algorithm converges with probability one to the maximum likelihood solution. Details on the computer implementation of this algorithm are provided. The…

MXLKID: a maximum likelihood parameter identifier. [In LRLTRAN for CDC 7600

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

Gavel, D.T.

MXLKID (MaXimum LiKelihood IDentifier) is a computer program designed to identify unknown parameters in a nonlinear dynamic system. Using noisy measurement data from the system, the maximum likelihood identifier computes a likelihood function (LF). Identification of system parameters is accomplished by maximizing the LF with respect to the parameters. The main body of this report briefly summarizes the maximum likelihood technique and gives instructions and examples for running the MXLKID program. MXLKID is implemented LRLTRAN on the CDC7600 computer at LLNL. A detailed mathematical description of the algorithm is given in the appendices. 24 figures, 6 tables.

75 FR 78985 - County of DuPage; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-17

... (upper reservoir) having a total storage capacity of 8,145 acre- feet at a normal maximum operating... reservoir) 250 feet below the bottom of the upper reservoir having a total/usable storage capacity of 7,465 acre-feet at normal maximum operation elevation of 210 feet msl; (5) a powerhouse with approximate...

A Procedure for Setting Environmentally Safe Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Selenium

Treesearch

A. Dennis Lemly

2002-01-01

This article presents a seven-step procedure for developing environmentally safe total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for selenium. The need for this information stems from recent actions taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that may require TMDLs for selenium and other contaminants that are impairing water bodies. However, there is no technical...

Design and implementation of the NPOI database and website

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, K.; Jorgensen, A. M.; Landavazo, M.; Sun, B.; Hutter, D. J.; Armstrong, J. T.; Mozurkewich, David; Elias, N.; van Belle, G. T.; Schmitt, H. R.; Baines, E. K.

2014-07-01

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) has been recording astronomical observations for nearly two decades, at this point with hundreds of thousands of individual observations recorded to date for a total data volume of many terabytes. To make maximum use of the NPOI data it is necessary to organize them in an easily searchable manner and be able to extract essential diagnostic information from the data to allow users to quickly gauge data quality and suitability for a specific science investigation. This sets the motivation for creating a comprehensive database of observation metadata as well as, at least, reduced data products. The NPOI database is implemented in MySQL using standard database tools and interfaces. The use of standard database tools allows us to focus on top-level database and interface implementation and take advantage of standard features such as backup, remote access, mirroring, and complex queries which would otherwise be time-consuming to implement. A website was created in order to give scientists a user friendly interface for searching the database. It allows the user to select various metadata to search for and also allows them to decide how and what results are displayed. This streamlines the searches, making it easier and quicker for scientists to find the information they are looking for. The website has multiple browser and device support. In this paper we present the design of the NPOI database and website, and give examples of its use.

Water quality improvement policies: lessons learned from the implementation of Proposition O in Los Angeles, California.

PubMed

Park, Mi-Hyun; Stenstrom, Michael; Pincetl, Stephanie

2009-03-01

This article evaluates the implementation of Proposition O, a stormwater cleanup measure, in Los Angeles, California. The measure was intended to create new funding to help the city comply with the Total Maximum Daily Load requirements under the federal Clean Water Act. Funding water quality objectives through a bond measure was necessary because the city had insufficient revenues to deploy new projects in its budget. The bond initiative required a supermajority vote (two-thirds of the voters), hence the public had to be convinced that such funding both was necessary and would be effective. The bond act language included project solicitation from the public, as well as multiple benefit objectives. Accordingly, nonprofit organizations mobilized to present projects that included creating new parks, using schoolyards for flood control and groundwater recharge, and replacing parking lots with permeable surfaces, among others. Yet few, if any, of these projects were retained for funding, as the city itself also had a list of priorities and higher technical expertise in justifying them as delivering water quality improvements. Our case study of the implementation of Proposition O points to the potentially different priorities for the renovation of urban infrastructure that are held by nonprofit organizations and city agencies and the importance of structuring public processes clearly so that there are no misimpressions about funding and implementation responsibilities that can lead to disillusionment with government, especially under conditions of fiscal constraints.

Water Quality Improvement Policies: Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Proposition O in Los Angeles, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Mi-Hyun; Stenstrom, Michael; Pincetl, Stephanie

2009-03-01

This article evaluates the implementation of Proposition O, a stormwater cleanup measure, in Los Angeles, California. The measure was intended to create new funding to help the city comply with the Total Maximum Daily Load requirements under the federal Clean Water Act. Funding water quality objectives through a bond measure was necessary because the city had insufficient revenues to deploy new projects in its budget. The bond initiative required a supermajority vote (two-thirds of the voters), hence the public had to be convinced that such funding both was necessary and would be effective. The bond act language included project solicitation from the public, as well as multiple benefit objectives. Accordingly, nonprofit organizations mobilized to present projects that included creating new parks, using schoolyards for flood control and groundwater recharge, and replacing parking lots with permeable surfaces, among others. Yet few, if any, of these projects were retained for funding, as the city itself also had a list of priorities and higher technical expertise in justifying them as delivering water quality improvements. Our case study of the implementation of Proposition O points to the potentially different priorities for the renovation of urban infrastructure that are held by nonprofit organizations and city agencies and the importance of structuring public processes clearly so that there are no misimpressions about funding and implementation responsibilities that can lead to disillusionment with government, especially under conditions of fiscal constraints.

Output of skeletal muscle contractions. a study of isokinetic plantar flexion in athletes.

PubMed

Fugl-Meyer, A R; Mild, K H; Hörnsten, J

1982-06-01

Maximum torques, total work and mean power of isokinetic plantar flexions were measured with simultaneous registrations. The integrated electromyograms (iEMG) were obtained by surface electrodes from all three heads of the m. triceps surae. The method applied offers possibilities for adequate description of dynamic muscular work which in the case of plantar flexion in trained man declines as a negative exponential function of angular motion velocity. The decline is parallel to that of maximum torques. The summed triceps surae iEMG was inversely proportional to the velocity and direct proportional to time suggesting that structural rather than neural factors determine the relationships between velocity of angular motion and maximum torque/total work of single Mmaneuvers. Moreover, the fact that maximum mean power as well as maximum electrical efficiency were reached at the functional velocity of toe-off during gait suggests an influence of pragmatic demands on plantar flexion mechanical output.

Operation regimes of a dielectric laser accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-04-01

We investigate three operation regimes in dielectric laser driven accelerators: maximum efficiency, maximum charge, and maximum loaded gradient. We demonstrate, using a self-consistent approach, that loaded gradients of the order of 1 to 6 [GV/m], efficiencies of 20% to 80%, and electrons flux of 1014 [el/s] are feasible, without significant concerns regarding damage threshold fluence. The latter imposes that the total charge per squared wavelength is constant (a total of 106 per μm2). We conceive this configuration as a zero-order design that should be considered for the road map of future accelerators.

Nonuniform Moving Boundary Method for Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Intrathecal Cerebrospinal Flow Distribution in a Cynomolgus Monkey.

PubMed

Khani, Mohammadreza; Xing, Tao; Gibbs, Christina; Oshinski, John N; Stewart, Gregory R; Zeller, Jillynne R; Martin, Bryn A

2017-08-01

A detailed quantification and understanding of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics may improve detection and treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases and help optimize CSF system-based delivery of CNS therapeutics. This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that utilizes a nonuniform moving boundary approach to accurately reproduce the nonuniform distribution of CSF flow along the spinal subarachnoid space (SAS) of a single cynomolgus monkey. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol was developed and applied to quantify subject-specific CSF space geometry and flow and define the CFD domain and boundary conditions. An algorithm was implemented to reproduce the axial distribution of unsteady CSF flow by nonuniform deformation of the dura surface. Results showed that maximum difference between the MRI measurements and CFD simulation of CSF flow rates was <3.6%. CSF flow along the entire spine was laminar with a peak Reynolds number of ∼150 and average Womersley number of ∼5.4. Maximum CSF flow rate was present at the C4-C5 vertebral level. Deformation of the dura ranged up to a maximum of 134 μm. Geometric analysis indicated that total spinal CSF space volume was ∼8.7 ml. Average hydraulic diameter, wetted perimeter, and SAS area were 2.9 mm, 37.3 mm and 27.24 mm2, respectively. CSF pulse wave velocity (PWV) along the spine was quantified to be 1.2 m/s.

A two-dimensional biased coin design for dual-agent dose-finding trials.

PubMed

Sun, Zhichao; Braun, Thomas M

2015-12-01

Given the limited efficacy observed with single agents, there is growing interest in Phase I clinical trial designs that allow for identification of the maximum tolerated combination of two agents. Existing parametric designs may suffer from over- or under-parameterization. Thus, we have designed a nonparametric approach that can be easily understood and implemented for combination trials. We propose a two-stage adaptive biased coin design that extends existing methods for single-agent trials to dual-agent dose-finding trials. The basic idea of our design is to divide the entire trial into two stages and apply the biased coin design, with modification, in each stage. We compare the operating characteristics of our design to four competing parametric approaches via simulation in several numerical examples. Under all simulation scenarios we have examined, our method performs well in terms of identification of the maximum tolerated combination and allocation of patients relative to the performance of its competitors. In our design, stopping rule criteria and the distribution of the total sample size among the two stages are context-dependent, and both need careful consideration before adopting our design in practice. Efficacy is not a part of the dose-assignment algorithm, nor used to define the maximum tolerated combination. Our design inherits the favorable statistical properties of the biased coin design, is competitive with existing designs, and promotes patient safety by limiting patient exposure to toxic combinations whenever possible. © The Author(s) 2015.

Optimization of extraction parameters of pentacyclic triterpenoids from Swertia chirata stem using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Pandey, Devendra Kumar; Kaur, Prabhjot

2018-03-01

In the present investigation, pentacyclic triterpenoids were extracted from different parts of Swertia chirata by solid-liquid reflux extraction methods. The total pentacyclic triterpenoids (UA, OA, and BA) in extracted samples were determined by HPTLC method. Preliminary studies showed that stem part contains the maximum pentacyclic triterpenoid and was chosen for further studies. Response surface methodology (RSM) has been employed successfully by solid-liquid reflux extraction methods for the optimization of different extraction variables viz., temperature ( X 1 35-70 °C), extraction time ( X 2 30-60 min), solvent composition ( X 3 20-80%), solvent-to-solid ratio ( X 4 30-60 mlg -1 ), and particle size ( X 5 3-6 mm) on maximum recovery of triterpenoid from stem parts of Swertia chirata . A Plackett-Burman design has been used initially to screen out the three extraction factors viz., particle size, temperature, and solvent composition on yield of triterpenoid. Moreover, central composite design (CCD) was implemented to optimize the significant extraction parameters for maximum triterpenoid yield. Three extraction parameters viz., mean particle size (3 mm), temperature (65 °C), and methanol-ethyl acetate solvent composition (45%) can be considered as significant for the better yield of triterpenoid A second-order polynomial model satisfactorily fitted the experimental data with the R 2 values of 0.98 for the triterpenoid yield ( p  < 0.001), implying good agreement between the experimental triterpenoid yield (3.71%) to the predicted value (3.79%).

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ooo of... - Operating Parameter Levels

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... temperature Maximum temperature Carbon absorber Total regeneration steam or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or pressure; and maximum...

31 CFR 29.342 - Computed annuity exceeds the statutory maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Computed annuity exceeds the... of the Amount of Federal Benefit Payments § 29.342 Computed annuity exceeds the statutory maximum. (a) In cases in which the total computed annuity exceeds the statutory maximum: (1) Federal Benefit...

38 CFR 59.40 - Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans by State.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maximum number of nursing... ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.40 Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans... increase the total number of state home nursing home and domiciliary beds in that state beyond the maximum...

38 CFR 59.40 - Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans by State.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Maximum number of nursing... ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.40 Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans... increase the total number of state home nursing home and domiciliary beds in that state beyond the maximum...

38 CFR 59.40 - Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans by State.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Maximum number of nursing... ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.40 Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans... increase the total number of state home nursing home and domiciliary beds in that state beyond the maximum...

38 CFR 59.40 - Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans by State.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Maximum number of nursing... ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.40 Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans... increase the total number of state home nursing home and domiciliary beds in that state beyond the maximum...

38 CFR 59.40 - Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans by State.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Maximum number of nursing... ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.40 Maximum number of nursing home care and domiciliary care beds for veterans... increase the total number of state home nursing home and domiciliary beds in that state beyond the maximum...

Adaptive-weighted Total Variation Minimization for Sparse Data toward Low-dose X-ray Computed Tomography Image Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Liu, Yan; Ma, Jianhua; Fan, Yi; Liang, Zhengrong

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that by minimizing the total variation (TV) of the to-be-estimated image with some data and other constraints, a piecewise-smooth X-ray computed tomography (CT) can be reconstructed from sparse-view projection data without introducing noticeable artifacts. However, due to the piecewise constant assumption for the image, a conventional TV minimization algorithm often suffers from over-smoothness on the edges of the resulting image. To mitigate this drawback, we present an adaptive-weighted TV (AwTV) minimization algorithm in this paper. The presented AwTV model is derived by considering the anisotropic edge property among neighboring image voxels, where the associated weights are expressed as an exponential function and can be adaptively adjusted by the local image-intensity gradient for the purpose of preserving the edge details. Inspired by the previously-reported TV-POCS (projection onto convex sets) implementation, a similar AwTV-POCS implementation was developed to minimize the AwTV subject to data and other constraints for the purpose of sparse-view low-dose CT image reconstruction. To evaluate the presented AwTV-POCS algorithm, both qualitative and quantitative studies were performed by computer simulations and phantom experiments. The results show that the presented AwTV-POCS algorithm can yield images with several noticeable gains, in terms of noise-resolution tradeoff plots and full width at half maximum values, as compared to the corresponding conventional TV-POCS algorithm. PMID:23154621

Adaptive-weighted total variation minimization for sparse data toward low-dose x-ray computed tomography image reconstruction.

PubMed

Liu, Yan; Ma, Jianhua; Fan, Yi; Liang, Zhengrong

2012-12-07

Previous studies have shown that by minimizing the total variation (TV) of the to-be-estimated image with some data and other constraints, piecewise-smooth x-ray computed tomography (CT) can be reconstructed from sparse-view projection data without introducing notable artifacts. However, due to the piecewise constant assumption for the image, a conventional TV minimization algorithm often suffers from over-smoothness on the edges of the resulting image. To mitigate this drawback, we present an adaptive-weighted TV (AwTV) minimization algorithm in this paper. The presented AwTV model is derived by considering the anisotropic edge property among neighboring image voxels, where the associated weights are expressed as an exponential function and can be adaptively adjusted by the local image-intensity gradient for the purpose of preserving the edge details. Inspired by the previously reported TV-POCS (projection onto convex sets) implementation, a similar AwTV-POCS implementation was developed to minimize the AwTV subject to data and other constraints for the purpose of sparse-view low-dose CT image reconstruction. To evaluate the presented AwTV-POCS algorithm, both qualitative and quantitative studies were performed by computer simulations and phantom experiments. The results show that the presented AwTV-POCS algorithm can yield images with several notable gains, in terms of noise-resolution tradeoff plots and full-width at half-maximum values, as compared to the corresponding conventional TV-POCS algorithm.

A technique for pediatric total skin electron irradiation.

PubMed

Bao, Qinan; Hrycushko, Brian A; Dugas, Joseph P; Hager, Frederick H; Solberg, Timothy D

2012-03-20

Total skin electron irradiation (TSEI) is a special radiotherapy technique which has generally been used for treating adult patients with mycosis fungoides. Recently, two infants presented with leukemia cutis isolated to the skin requiring TSEI. This work discusses the commissioning and quality assurance (QA) methods for implementing a modified Stanford technique using a rotating harness system to position sedated pediatric patients treated with electrons to the total skin. Commissioning of pediatric TSEI consisted of absolute calibration, measurement of dosimetric parameters, and subsequent verification in a pediatric patient sized cylindrical phantom using radiographic film and optically stimulated luminance (OSL) dosimeters. The depth of dose penetration under TSEI treatment condition was evaluated using radiographic film sandwiched in the phantom and demonstrated a 2 cm penetration depth with the maximum dose located at the phantom surface. Dosimetry measurements on the cylindrical phantom and in-vivo measurements from the patients suggested that, the factor relating the skin and calibration point doses (i.e., the B-factor) was larger for the pediatric TSEI treatments as compared to adult TSEI treatments. Custom made equipment, including a rotating plate and harness, was fabricated and added to a standard total body irradiation stand and tested to facilitate patient setup under sedated condition. A pediatric TSEI QA program, consisting of daily output, energy, flatness, and symmetry measurements as well as in-vivo dosimetry verification for the first cycle was developed. With a long interval between pediatric TSEI cases, absolute dosimetry was also repeated as part of the QA program. In-vivo dosimetry for the first two infants showed that a dose of ± 10% of the prescription dose can be achieved over the entire patient body. Though pediatric leukemia cutis and the subsequent need for TSEI are rare, the ability to commission the technique on a modified TBI stand is appealing for clinical implementation and has been successfully used for the treatment of two pediatric patients at our institution.

A technique for pediatric total skin electron irradiation

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Total skin electron irradiation (TSEI) is a special radiotherapy technique which has generally been used for treating adult patients with mycosis fungoides. Recently, two infants presented with leukemia cutis isolated to the skin requiring TSEI. This work discusses the commissioning and quality assurance (QA) methods for implementing a modified Stanford technique using a rotating harness system to position sedated pediatric patients treated with electrons to the total skin. Methods and Results Commissioning of pediatric TSEI consisted of absolute calibration, measurement of dosimetric parameters, and subsequent verification in a pediatric patient sized cylindrical phantom using radiographic film and optically stimulated luminance (OSL) dosimeters. The depth of dose penetration under TSEI treatment condition was evaluated using radiographic film sandwiched in the phantom and demonstrated a 2 cm penetration depth with the maximum dose located at the phantom surface. Dosimetry measurements on the cylindrical phantom and in-vivo measurements from the patients suggested that, the factor relating the skin and calibration point doses (i.e., the B-factor) was larger for the pediatric TSEI treatments as compared to adult TSEI treatments. Custom made equipment, including a rotating plate and harness, was fabricated and added to a standard total body irradiation stand and tested to facilitate patient setup under sedated condition. A pediatric TSEI QA program, consisting of daily output, energy, flatness, and symmetry measurements as well as in-vivo dosimetry verification for the first cycle was developed. With a long interval between pediatric TSEI cases, absolute dosimetry was also repeated as part of the QA program. In-vivo dosimetry for the first two infants showed that a dose of ± 10% of the prescription dose can be achieved over the entire patient body. Conclusion Though pediatric leukemia cutis and the subsequent need for TSEI are rare, the ability to commission the technique on a modified TBI stand is appealing for clinical implementation and has been successfully used for the treatment of two pediatric patients at our institution. PMID:22433063

40 CFR 421.306 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.346 0.140 Lead 0.262 0.122... Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.385 0... for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 handled Chromium...

40 CFR 421.306 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.346 0.140 Lead 0.262 0.122... Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.385 0... for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 handled Chromium...

40 CFR 421.306 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.346 0.140 Lead 0.262 0.122... Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 produced Chromium (total) 0.385 0... for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of TiCl4 handled Chromium...

On a clean power generation system with the co-gasification of biomass and coal in a quadruple fluidized bed gasifier.

PubMed

Yan, Linbo; He, Boshu

2017-07-01

A clean power generation system was built based on the steam co-gasification of biomass and coal in a quadruple fluidized bed gasifier. The chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling technology was used to supply oxygen for the calciner. The solid oxide fuel cell and the steam turbine were combined to generate power. The calcium looping and mineral carbonation were used for CO 2 capture and sequestration. The aim of this work was to study the characteristics of this system. The effects of key operation parameters on the system total energy efficiency (ŋ ten ), total exergy efficiency (ŋ tex ) and carbon sequestration rate (R cs ) were detected. The energy and exergy balance calculations were implemented and the corresponding Sankey and Grassmann diagrams were drawn. It was found that the maximum energy and exergy losses occurred in the steam turbine. The system ŋ ten and ŋ tex could be ∼50% and ∼47%, and R cs could be over unit. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of diffusion on total biomass in heterogeneous continuous and discrete-patch systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeAngelis, Donald L.; Ming Ni, Wei; Zhang, Bo

2016-01-01

Theoretical models of populations on a system of two connected patches previously have shown that when the two patches differ in maximum growth rate and carrying capacity, and in the limit of high diffusion, conditions exist for which the total population size at equilibrium exceeds that of the ideal free distribution, which predicts that the total population would equal the total carrying capacity of the two patches. However, this result has only been shown for the Pearl-Verhulst growth function on two patches and for a single-parameter growth function in continuous space. Here, we provide a general criterion for total population size to exceed total carrying capacity for three commonly used population growth rates for both heterogeneous continuous and multi-patch heterogeneous landscapes with high population diffusion. We show that a sufficient condition for this situation is that there is a convex positive relationship between the maximum growth rate and the parameter that, by itself or together with the maximum growth rate, determines the carrying capacity, as both vary across a spatial region. This relationship occurs in some biological populations, though not in others, so the result has ecological implications.

Maximum speed limits. Volume 4, An implementation method for setting a speed limit based on the 85th percentile speed

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1970-10-01

This volume contains an explanation of a method for setting a speed limit which was developed as a part of the project conducted by the Institute for Research in Public Safety under Contract No. FH-11-7275, "A Study for the Selection of Maximum Speed...

Multimodal impairment-based physical therapy for the treatment of patients with post-concussion syndrome: A retrospective analysis on safety and feasibility.

PubMed

Grabowski, Patrick; Wilson, John; Walker, Alyssa; Enz, Dan; Wang, Sijian

2017-01-01

Demonstrate implementation, safety and feasibility of multimodal, impairment-based physical therapy (PT) combining vestibular/oculomotor and cervical rehabilitation with sub-symptom threshold exercise for the treatment of patients with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). University hospital outpatient sports medicine facility. Twenty-five patients (12-20 years old) meeting World Health Organization criteria for PCS following sport-related concussion referred for supervised PT consisting of sub-symptom cardiovascular exercise, vestibular/oculomotor and cervical spine rehabilitation. Retrospective cohort. Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) total score, maximum symptom-free heart rate (SFHR) during graded exercise testing (GXT), GXT duration, balance error scoring system (BESS) score, and number of adverse events. Patients demonstrated a statistically significant decreasing trend (p < 0.01) for total PCSS scores (pre-PT M = 18.2 (SD = 14.2), post-PT M = 9.1 (SD = 10.8), n = 25). Maximum SFHR achieved on GXT increased 23% (p < 0.01, n = 14), and BESS errors decreased 52% (p < 0.01, n = 13). Two patients reported mild symptom exacerbation with aerobic exercise at home, attenuated by adjustment of the home exercise program. Multimodal, impairment-based PT is safe and associated with diminishing PCS symptoms. This establishes feasibility for future clinical trials to determine viable treatment approaches to reduce symptoms and improve function while avoiding negative repercussions of physical inactivity and premature return to full activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of Hardware-Assisted Virtual Machine Based Rootkits

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

certain aspects of TPM implementation just to name a few. HyperWall is an architecture proposed by Szefer and Lee to protect guest VMs from...DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) The use of virtual machine (VM) technology has expanded rapidly since AMD and Intel implemented ...Intel VT-x implementations of Blue Pill to identify commonalities in the respective versions’ attack methodologies from both a functional and technical

Opportunity costs of implementing forest plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Bruce; Keller, Mary Anne; Schlosberg, Andrew J.; Vlahovich, James E.

1989-01-01

Intellectual concern with the National Forest Management Act of 1976 has followed a course emphasizing the planning aspects of the legislation associated with the development of forest plans. Once approved, however, forest plans must be implemented. Due to the complex nature of the ecological systems of interest, and the multiple and often conflicting desires of user clientele groups, the feasibility and costs of implementing forest plans require immediate investigation. For one timber sale on the Coconino National Forest in Arizona, forest plan constraints were applied and resulting resource outputs predicted using the terrestrial ecosystem analysis and modeling system (TEAMS), a computer-based decision support system developed at the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, With forest plan constraints for wildlife habitat, visual diversity, riparian area protection, and soil and slope harvesting restrictions, the maximum timber harvest obtainable was reduced 58% from the maximum obtainable without plan constraints.

Design implementation in model-reference adaptive systems. [application and implementation on space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boland, J. S., III

1973-01-01

The derivation of an approximate error characteristic equation describing the transient system error response is given, along with a procedure for selecting adaptive gain parameters so as to relate to the transient error response. A detailed example of the application and implementation of these methods for a space shuttle type vehicle is included. An extension of the characteristic equation technique is used to provide an estimate of the magnitude of the maximum system error and an estimate of the time of occurrence of this maximum after a plant parameter disturbance. Techniques for relaxing certain stability requirements and the conditions under which this can be done and still guarantee asymptotic stability of the system error are discussed. Such conditions are possible because the Lyapunov methods used in the stability derivation allow for overconstraining a problem in the process of insuring stability.

Factors Influencing Progressive Failure Analysis Predictions for Laminated Composite Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.

2008-01-01

Progressive failure material modeling methods used for structural analysis including failure initiation and material degradation are presented. Different failure initiation criteria and material degradation models are described that define progressive failure formulations. These progressive failure formulations are implemented in a user-defined material model for use with a nonlinear finite element analysis tool. The failure initiation criteria include the maximum stress criteria, maximum strain criteria, the Tsai-Wu failure polynomial, and the Hashin criteria. The material degradation model is based on the ply-discounting approach where the local material constitutive coefficients are degraded. Applications and extensions of the progressive failure analysis material model address two-dimensional plate and shell finite elements and three-dimensional solid finite elements. Implementation details are described in the present paper. Parametric studies for laminated composite structures are discussed to illustrate the features of the progressive failure modeling methods that have been implemented and to demonstrate their influence on progressive failure analysis predictions.

Handling Big Data in Medical Imaging: Iterative Reconstruction with Large-Scale Automated Parallel Computation

PubMed Central

Lee, Jae H.; Yao, Yushu; Shrestha, Uttam; Gullberg, Grant T.; Seo, Youngho

2014-01-01

The primary goal of this project is to implement the iterative statistical image reconstruction algorithm, in this case maximum likelihood expectation maximum (MLEM) used for dynamic cardiac single photon emission computed tomography, on Spark/GraphX. This involves porting the algorithm to run on large-scale parallel computing systems. Spark is an easy-to- program software platform that can handle large amounts of data in parallel. GraphX is a graph analytic system running on top of Spark to handle graph and sparse linear algebra operations in parallel. The main advantage of implementing MLEM algorithm in Spark/GraphX is that it allows users to parallelize such computation without any expertise in parallel computing or prior knowledge in computer science. In this paper we demonstrate a successful implementation of MLEM in Spark/GraphX and present the performance gains with the goal to eventually make it useable in clinical setting. PMID:27081299

Handling Big Data in Medical Imaging: Iterative Reconstruction with Large-Scale Automated Parallel Computation.

PubMed

Lee, Jae H; Yao, Yushu; Shrestha, Uttam; Gullberg, Grant T; Seo, Youngho

2014-11-01

The primary goal of this project is to implement the iterative statistical image reconstruction algorithm, in this case maximum likelihood expectation maximum (MLEM) used for dynamic cardiac single photon emission computed tomography, on Spark/GraphX. This involves porting the algorithm to run on large-scale parallel computing systems. Spark is an easy-to- program software platform that can handle large amounts of data in parallel. GraphX is a graph analytic system running on top of Spark to handle graph and sparse linear algebra operations in parallel. The main advantage of implementing MLEM algorithm in Spark/GraphX is that it allows users to parallelize such computation without any expertise in parallel computing or prior knowledge in computer science. In this paper we demonstrate a successful implementation of MLEM in Spark/GraphX and present the performance gains with the goal to eventually make it useable in clinical setting.

A Realization of Theoretical Maximum Performance in IPSec on Gigabit Ethernet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onuki, Atsushi; Takeuchi, Kiyofumi; Inada, Toru; Tokiniwa, Yasuhisa; Ushirozawa, Shinobu

This paper describes “IPSec(IP Security) VPN system" and how it attains a theoretical maximum performance on Gigabit Ethernet. The Conventional System is implemented by software. However, the system has several bottlenecks which must be overcome to realize a theoretical maximum performance on Gigabit Ethernet. Thus, we newly propose IPSec VPN System with the FPGA(Field Programmable Gate Array) based hardware architecture, which transmits a packet by the pipe-lined flow processing and has 6 parallel structure of encryption and authentication engines. We show that our system attains the theoretical maximum performance in the short packet which is difficult to realize until now.

Total Lightning Characteristics with Respect to Radar-Derived Mesocyclone Strength

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stough, Sarah M.; Carey, Lawrence D.; Schultz, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Recent work investigating the microphysical and kinematic relationship between a storm's updraft, its total lightning production, and manifestations of severe weather has resulted in development of tools for improved nowcasting of storm intensity. The total lightning jump algorithm, which identifies rapid increases in total lightning flash rate that often precede severe events, has shown particular potential to benefit warning operations. Maximizing this capability of total lightning and its operational implementation via the lightning jump may best be done through its fusion with radar and radar-derived intensity metrics. Identification of a mesocyclone, or quasi-steady rotating updraft, in Doppler velocity is the predominant radar-inferred early indicator of severe potential in a convective storm. Fused lightning-radar tools that capitalize on the most robust intensity indicators would allow enhanced situational awareness for increased warning confidence. A foundational step toward such tools comes from a better understanding of the updraft-centric relationship between intensification of total lightning production and mesocyclone development and strength. The work presented here utilizes a sample of supercell case studies representing a spectrum of severity. These storms are analyzed with respect to total lightning flash rate and the lightning jump alongside mesocyclone strength derived objectively from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm (MDA) and maximum azimuthal shear through a layer. Early results indicate that temporal similarities exist in the trends between total lightning flash rate and low- to mid-level rotation in supercells. Other characteristics such as polarimetric signatures of rotation, flash size, and cloud-to-ground flash ratio are explored for added insight into the significance of these trends with respect to the updraft and related processes of severe weather production.

Leadership: The Key to Successful Implementation of Total Quality Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-01

the implementation of the initiative called Total Quality Management as the philosophy and guiding principles to improve organizational efficiency...where and how to start. This paper presents the critical elements, their interrelationships, and how they can be used to achieve the cultural change necessary for successful implementation of Total Quality Management .

Classification of the Regional Ionospheric Disturbance Based on Machine Learning Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzi, Merve Begum; Arikan, Orhan; Karatay, Secil; Arikan, Feza; Gulyaeva, Tamara

2016-08-01

In this study, Total Electron Content (TEC) estimated from GPS receivers is used to model the regional and local variability that differs from global activity along with solar and geomagnetic indices. For the automated classification of regional disturbances, a classification technique based on a robust machine learning technique that have found wide spread use, Support Vector Machine (SVM) is proposed. Performance of developed classification technique is demonstrated for midlatitude ionosphere over Anatolia using TEC estimates generated from GPS data provided by Turkish National Permanent GPS Network (TNPGN-Active) for solar maximum year of 2011. As a result of implementing developed classification technique to Global Ionospheric Map (GIM) TEC data, which is provided by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), it is shown that SVM can be a suitable learning method to detect anomalies in TEC variations.

Diel variations of the bathymetric distribution of zooplankton groups and biomass in Cap-Ferret Canyon, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maycas, Encarna Ribera; Bourdillon, André; Macquart-Moulin, Claude; Passelaigue, Françoise; Patriti, Gilbert

1999-10-01

The bathymetric distribution, abundance and diel vertical migrations (DVM) of zooplankton were investigated along the axis of the Cap-Ferret Canyon (Bay of Biscay, French Atlantic coast) by a consecutive series of synchronous net hauls that sampled the whole water column (0-2000 m in depth) during a diel cycle. The distribution of appendicularians (maximum 189 individuals m -3), cladocerans (maximum 287 individuals m -3), copepods (copepods<4 mm, maximum 773 individuals m -3, copepods>4 mm, maximum 13 individuals m -3), ostracods (maximum 8 individuals m -3), siphonophores (maximum >2 individuals m -3) and peracarids (maximum >600 individuals 1000 m -3) were analysed and represented by isoline diagrams. The biomass of total zooplankton (maximum 18419 μg C m -3, 3780 μg N m -3) and large copepods (>4 mm maximum 2256 μg C m -3, 425 μg N m -3) also were determined. Vertical migration was absent or affected only the epipelagic zone for appendicularians, cladocerans, small copepods and siphonophores. Average amplitude of vertical migration was about 400-500 m for ostracods, some hyperiids and mysids, and large copepods, which were often present in the epipelagic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic zones. Large copepods can constitute more than 80% of the biomass corresponding to total zooplankton. They may play an important role in the active vertical transfer of carbon and nitrogen.

The 128-channel fully differential digital integrated neural recording and stimulation interface.

PubMed

Shahrokhi, Farzaneh; Abdelhalim, Karim; Serletis, Demitre; Carlen, Peter L; Genov, Roman

2010-06-01

We present a fully differential 128-channel integrated neural interface. It consists of an array of 8 X 16 low-power low-noise signal-recording and generation circuits for electrical neural activity monitoring and stimulation, respectively. The recording channel has two stages of signal amplification and conditioning with and a fully differential 8-b column-parallel successive approximation (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The total measured power consumption of each recording channel, including the SAR ADC, is 15.5 ¿W. The measured input-referred noise is 6.08 ¿ Vrms over a 5-kHz bandwidth, resulting in a noise efficiency factor of 5.6. The stimulation channel performs monophasic or biphasic voltage-mode stimulation, with a maximum stimulation current of 5 mA and a quiescent power dissipation of 51.5 ¿W. The design is implemented in 0.35-¿m complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology with the channel pitch of 200 ¿m for a total die size of 3.4 mm × 2.5 mm and a total power consumption of 9.33 mW. The neural interface was validated in in vitro recording of a low-Mg(2+)/high-K(+) epileptic seizure model in an intact hippocampus of a mouse.

A framework for the case-specific assessment of Green Infrastructure in mitigating urban flood hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, Jochen E.; Burns, Matthew J.; Fletcher, Tim D.; Sanders, Brett F.

2017-10-01

This research outlines a framework for the case-specific assessment of Green Infrastructure (GI) performance in mitigating flood hazard in small urban catchments. The urban hydrologic modeling tool (MUSIC) is coupled with a fine resolution 2D hydrodynamic model (BreZo) to test to what extent retrofitting an urban watershed with GI, rainwater tanks and infiltration trenches in particular, can propagate flood management benefits downstream and support intuitive flood hazard maps useful for communicating and planning with communities. The hydrologic and hydraulic models are calibrated based on current catchment conditions, then modified to represent alternative GI scenarios including a complete lack of GI versus a full implementation of GI. Flow in the hydrologic/hydraulic models is forced using a range of synthetic rainfall events with annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) between 1-63% and durations from 10 min to 24 h. Flood hazard benefits mapped by the framework include maximum flood depths and extents, flow intensity (m2/s), flood duration, and critical storm duration leading to maximum flood conditions. Application of the system to the Little Stringybark Creek (LSC) catchment shows that across the range of AEPs tested and for storm durations equal or less than 3 h, presently implemented GI reduces downstream flooded area on average by 29%, while a full implementation of GI would reduce downstream flooded area on average by 91%. A full implementation of GI could also lower maximum flow intensities by 83% on average, reducing the drowning hazard posed by urban streams and improving the potential for access by emergency responders. For storm durations longer than 3 h, a full implementation of GI lacks the capacity to retain the resulting rainfall depths and only reduces flooded area by 8% and flow intensity by 5.5%.

DSN telemetry system performance with convolutionally coded data using operational maximum-likelihood convolutional decoders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benjauthrit, B.; Mulhall, B.; Madsen, B. D.; Alberda, M. E.

1976-01-01

The DSN telemetry system performance with convolutionally coded data using the operational maximum-likelihood convolutional decoder (MCD) being implemented in the Network is described. Data rates from 80 bps to 115.2 kbps and both S- and X-band receivers are reported. The results of both one- and two-way radio losses are included.

76 FR 79579 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-22

... posting of the availability of the submittal on EPA's Adequacy Web site (at http://www.epa.gov/otaq... average annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour average ozone concentration), if it had a 1-hour design... ozone standard is attained when the three-year average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour...

Design and Implementation of High Performance Content-Addressable Memories.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

content addressability and two basic implementations of content addressing. The need and application of hardware CAM is presented to motivate the " topic...3r Pass 4th Ps4 Pass Figure 2.15 Maximum SearchUsing All-Parallel CAM - left-most position (the most significant bit) and the other IF bits are zeros

Implementation of Custom Colors in the DECwindows Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

Implementation of Custom Colors in the DECwindlows Environment Program Element No 0604262 Project No 64214 6. Author(s). Task No Stephanie A. Myrick, Maura C...13. Abstract (Maximum 200 words), This paper describes the implementation of user-defined, or custom , colors in the DECwindows environmeot Custom ...colors can be used to augment the standard color set that is associated with the hardware colormap. The custom color set that is included in this paper

Thermal modelling and optimisation of total useful energy rate of Joule-Brayton reheat cogeneration cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, M.; Chandra, H.; Kumar, Anil

2016-02-01

A thermal modelling for the performance evaluation of gas turbine cogeneration system with reheat is presented in this paper. The Joule-Brayton cogeneration reheat cycle is based on the total useful energy rate (TUER) has been optimised and the efficiency at the maximum TUER is determined. The variation of maximum dimensionless TUER and efficiency at maximum TUER with respect to cycle temperature ratio have also been analysed. From the results, it has been found that the dimensionless maximum TUER and the corresponding thermal efficiency decrease with the increase in power to heat ratio. The result also shows that the inclusion of reheat significantly improves the overall performance of the cycle. From the thermodynamic performance point of view, this methodology may be quite useful in the selection and comparison of combined energy production systems.

Evaluating the effect of a proposed logistics fee cap on pharmaceuticals in South Africa--a pre and post analysis.

PubMed

Bangalee, Varsha; Suleman, Fatima

2015-11-26

South Africa has proposed the implementation of a maximum logistics fee paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers to wholesalers and distributors. However very little knowledge exists of the effects, unintended or otherwise, of the implementation of these proposed regulations, which are required to guide further policy development and implementation. The objectives of this study was to therefore evaluate the effects of the proposed logistics fee cap on different pharmaceuticals and different dosage forms, as well as to observe the logistics fee contribution to the Single Exit Price. Private sector medicine prices were sourced from the South African Medicine Price Registry as at 20 December 2013. For each medicine the maximum logistics fee was calculated based on the 2012 proposed government guidelines. The logistics fee as a percentage of the final Single Exit Price was calculated, as part of the analysis of results. Out of the 47 medicines in the overall sample from the current study, only 16 medicines showed a decrease in the Single Exit Price with the application of the maximum logistics fee cap. This study reveals the need for greater transparency of the mark ups along the distribution chain as well as further research with regards to the costing of logistics fees of similar pharmaceuticals.

Issues regarding the usage of MPPT techniques in micro grid systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szeidert, I.; Filip, I.; Dragan, F.; Gal, A.

2018-01-01

The main objective of the control strategies applied at hybrid micro grid systems (wind/hydro/solar), that function based on maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques is to improve the conversion system’s efficiency and to preserve the quality of the generated electrical energy (voltage and power factor). One of the main goals of maximum power point tracking strategy is to achieve the harvesting of the maximal possible energy within a certain time period. In order to implement the control strategies for micro grid, there are typically required specific transducers (sensor for wind speed, optical rotational transducers, etc.). In the technical literature, several variants of the MPPT techniques are presented and particularized at some applications (wind energy conversion systems, solar systems, hydro plants, micro grid hybrid systems). The maximum power point tracking implementations are mainly based on two-level architecture. The lower level controls the main variable and the superior level represents the MPPT control structure. The paper presents micro grid structures developed at Politehnica University Timisoara (PUT) within the frame of a research grant. The paper is focused on the application of MPPT strategies on hybrid micro grid systems. There are presented several structures and control strategies and are highlighted their advantages and disadvantages, together with practical implementation guidelines.

Spot-Scanning Proton Arc (SPArc) Therapy: The First Robust and Delivery-Efficient Spot-Scanning Proton Arc Therapy

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

Ding, Xuanfeng, E-mail: Xuanfeng.ding@beaumont.org; Li, Xiaoqiang; Zhang, J. Michele

Purpose: To present a novel robust and delivery-efficient spot-scanning proton arc (SPArc) therapy technique. Methods and Materials: A SPArc optimization algorithm was developed that integrates control point resampling, energy layer redistribution, energy layer filtration, and energy layer resampling. The feasibility of such a technique was evaluated using sample patients: 1 patient with locally advanced head and neck oropharyngeal cancer with bilateral lymph node coverage, and 1 with a nonmobile lung cancer. Plan quality, robustness, and total estimated delivery time were compared with the robust optimized multifield step-and-shoot arc plan without SPArc optimization (Arc{sub multi-field}) and the standard robust optimized intensity modulatedmore » proton therapy (IMPT) plan. Dose-volume histograms of target and organs at risk were analyzed, taking into account the setup and range uncertainties. Total delivery time was calculated on the basis of a 360° gantry room with 1 revolutions per minute gantry rotation speed, 2-millisecond spot switching time, 1-nA beam current, 0.01 minimum spot monitor unit, and energy layer switching time of 0.5 to 4 seconds. Results: The SPArc plan showed potential dosimetric advantages for both clinical sample cases. Compared with IMPT, SPArc delivered 8% and 14% less integral dose for oropharyngeal and lung cancer cases, respectively. Furthermore, evaluating the lung cancer plan compared with IMPT, it was evident that the maximum skin dose, the mean lung dose, and the maximum dose to ribs were reduced by 60%, 15%, and 35%, respectively, whereas the conformity index was improved from 7.6 (IMPT) to 4.0 (SPArc). The total treatment delivery time for lung and oropharyngeal cancer patients was reduced by 55% to 60% and 56% to 67%, respectively, when compared with Arc{sub multi-field} plans. Conclusion: The SPArc plan is the first robust and delivery-efficient proton spot-scanning arc therapy technique, which could potentially be implemented into routine clinical practice.« less

Watershed monitoring and modelling and USA regulatory compliance.

PubMed

Turner, B G; Boner, M C

2004-01-01

The aim of the Columbus program was to implement a comprehensive watershed monitoring-network including water chemistry, aquatic biology and alternative sensors to establish water environment health and methods for determining future restoration progress and early warning for protection of drinking water supplies. The program was implemented to comply with USA regulatory requirements including Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) rules under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The USEPA Office of Research and Development and the Water Environment Research Foundation provided quality assurance oversight. The results obtained demonstrated that significant wet weather data is necessary to establish relationships between land use, water chemistry, aquatic biology and sensor data. These measurements and relationships formed the basis for calibrating the US EPA BASINS Model, prioritizing watershed health and determination of compliance with water quality standards. Conclusions specify priorities of cost-effective drainage system controls that attenuate stormwater flows and capture flushed pollutants. A network of permanent long-term real-time monitoring using combination of continuous sensor measurements, water column sampling and aquatic biology surveys and a regional organization is prescribed to protect drinking water supplies and measure progress towards water quality targets.

Theory and implementation of a very high throughput true random number generator in field programmable gate array

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

Wang, Yonggang, E-mail: wangyg@ustc.edu.cn; Hui, Cong; Liu, Chong

The contribution of this paper is proposing a new entropy extraction mechanism based on sampling phase jitter in ring oscillators to make a high throughput true random number generator in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) practical. Starting from experimental observation and analysis of the entropy source in FPGA, a multi-phase sampling method is exploited to harvest the clock jitter with a maximum entropy and fast sampling speed. This parametrized design is implemented in a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, where the carry chains in the FPGA are explored to realize the precise phase shifting. The generator circuit is simple and resource-saving,more » so that multiple generation channels can run in parallel to scale the output throughput for specific applications. The prototype integrates 64 circuit units in the FPGA to provide a total output throughput of 7.68 Gbps, which meets the requirement of current high-speed quantum key distribution systems. The randomness evaluation, as well as its robustness to ambient temperature, confirms that the new method in a purely digital fashion can provide high-speed high-quality random bit sequences for a variety of embedded applications.« less

Theory and implementation of a very high throughput true random number generator in field programmable gate array.

PubMed

Wang, Yonggang; Hui, Cong; Liu, Chong; Xu, Chao

2016-04-01

The contribution of this paper is proposing a new entropy extraction mechanism based on sampling phase jitter in ring oscillators to make a high throughput true random number generator in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) practical. Starting from experimental observation and analysis of the entropy source in FPGA, a multi-phase sampling method is exploited to harvest the clock jitter with a maximum entropy and fast sampling speed. This parametrized design is implemented in a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, where the carry chains in the FPGA are explored to realize the precise phase shifting. The generator circuit is simple and resource-saving, so that multiple generation channels can run in parallel to scale the output throughput for specific applications. The prototype integrates 64 circuit units in the FPGA to provide a total output throughput of 7.68 Gbps, which meets the requirement of current high-speed quantum key distribution systems. The randomness evaluation, as well as its robustness to ambient temperature, confirms that the new method in a purely digital fashion can provide high-speed high-quality random bit sequences for a variety of embedded applications.

Total Quality Management Office for Contracting Integrity Implementation Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

REPORT______ANDDATESCOVERED 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE S. FUNDING NUMBERS Total Quality Management Office for Contracting Integrity Implementatiun Plan 6. AUTHOR(S) 7...01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) P’,croed 1:, ANSI Std 3J9-16 29d. 102 4 TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR CONTRACTING INTEGRITY...IMPLEMENTATION PLAN According to the Total Quality Management (TQM) Master Plan, each PSE head, supported by Working Groups, will implement the HQ DLA Master

Total Quality Management Implementation Plan Defense Depot Memphis

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

W.ungilon. 0 t :0.O. )RT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED I July 1989 _ 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Total Quality Management Implementation...improvement goals, implementation strategy and milestones. 6’ SEP 291989 /; ELECTE i= E 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES TQM (Total Quality Management ), Depot...changing work environment where change is the norm. We are talking about changes in attitudes and habits. Total Quality Management is not a panacea

DRMS (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service) Total Quality Management (TQM) Implementation Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

FUNDING NUMBERS DRMS Total Quality Management (TQM) Implementation Plan 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING...OF PAGES TOM (Total Quality Management ), Continuous Process Improvement. ’f’ - Management 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY...7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Pr"cried by ANi SWt 139-i 296-101 DRMS TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN PURPOSE The

40 CFR 421.266 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Subcategory Pollutant or pollutant property Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of... day Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of precious metals, in the granulated raw material... average mg/troy ounce of gold produced by cyanide stripping Copper 4.736 2.257 Cyanide (total) 0.740 0.296...

20 CFR 229.48 - Family maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... maximum. The spouse's and child(ren)'s share of the Overall Minimum PIA are reduced if the total benefits... adjustment is before adjustment for age or other benefits. The spouse and child(ren)'s benefits are computed...

20 CFR 229.48 - Family maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... maximum. The spouse's and child(ren)'s share of the Overall Minimum PIA are reduced if the total benefits... adjustment is before adjustment for age or other benefits. The spouse and child(ren)'s benefits are computed...

20 CFR 229.48 - Family maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... maximum. The spouse's and child(ren)'s share of the Overall Minimum PIA are reduced if the total benefits... adjustment is before adjustment for age or other benefits. The spouse and child(ren)'s benefits are computed...

Investigation of a high speed data handling system for use with multispectral aircraft scanners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, W. L.; Meredith, B. D.

1978-01-01

A buffer memory data handling technique for use with multispectral aircraft scanners is presented which allows digital data generated at high data rates to be recorded on magnetic tape. A digital memory is used to temporarily store the data for subsequent recording at slower rates during the passive time of the scan line, thereby increasing the maximum data rate recording capability over real-time recording. Three possible implementations are described and the maximum data rate capability is defined in terms of the speed capability of the key hardware components. The maximum data rates can be used to define the maximum ground resolution achievable by a multispectral aircraft scanner using conventional data handling techniques.

Use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for evaluating outcome among obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Jain, Shruti; Guleria, Kiran; Suneja, Amita; Vaid, Neelam B; Ahuja, Sharmila

2016-03-01

To evaluate the prognostic value of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score among obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). A prospective study was conducted among 90 consecutive obstetric patients who were admitted to the ICU of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India, between October 6, 2010, and December 25, 2011. Maximum SOFA score was calculated for each of the six organ systems. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine critical cutoff values for total, maximum total, and mean total SOFA scores at various time points. Total SOFA score at admission displayed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.949, a cutoff value of at least 8.5, sensitivity of 86.7%, and specificity of 90.0%. Maximum total SOFA score had an AUC of 0.980, a cutoff value of at least 10.0, sensitivity of 96.7%, and specificity of 90.0%. Mean total SOFA score had an AUC of 0.997, a cutoff value of at least 9.0, sensitivity of 96.7%, and specificity of 96.7%. In terms of discriminatory power for predicting mortality among obstetric patients admitted to the ICU, total SOFA score at admission was the most relevant, simple, and accurate measure. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Where Do We Draw the Line? Assigning Cases to Subsamples for MAMBAC, MAXCOV, and MAXEIG Taxometric Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Glenn D.; Ruscio, John

2010-01-01

There are several important decisions that must be made when implementing taxometric procedures such as mean above minus below a cut (MAMBAC), maximum covariance (MAXCOV), and maximum eigenvalue (MAXEIG). A Monte Carlo study was performed with 10,000 (5,000 categorical, 5,000 dimensional) samples to examine 5 ways to locate the first and last…

Effects of work zone configurations and traffic density on performance variables and subjective workload.

PubMed

Shakouri, Mahmoud; Ikuma, Laura H; Aghazadeh, Fereydoun; Punniaraj, Karthy; Ishak, Sherif

2014-10-01

This paper investigates the effect of changing work zone configurations and traffic density on performance variables and subjective workload. Data regarding travel time, average speed, maximum percent braking force and location of lane changes were collected by using a full size driving simulator. The NASA-TLX was used to measure self-reported workload ratings during the driving task. Conventional lane merge (CLM) and joint lane merge (JLM) were modeled in a driving simulator, and thirty participants (seven female and 23 male), navigated through the two configurations with two levels of traffic density. The mean maximum braking forces was 34% lower in the JLM configuration, and drivers going through the JLM configuration remained in the closed lane longer. However, no significant differences in speed were found between the two merge configurations. The analysis of self-reported workload ratings show that participants reported 15.3% lower total workload when driving through the JLM. In conclusion, the implemented changes in the JLM make it a more favorable merge configuration in both high and low traffic densities in terms of optimizing traffic flow by increasing the time and distance cars use both lanes, and in terms of improving safety due to lower braking forces and lower reported workload. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can we settle with single-band radiometric temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatment of chestwall recurrence of breast cancer using a dual-mode transceiving applicator?

PubMed

Jacobsen, Svein; Stauffer, Paul R

2007-02-21

The total thermal dose that can be delivered during hyperthermia treatments is frequently limited by temperature heterogeneities in the heated tissue volume. Reliable temperature information on the heated area is thus vital for the optimization of clinical dosimetry. Microwave radiometry has been proposed as an accurate, quick and painless temperature sensing technique for biological tissue. Advantages include the ability to sense volume-averaged temperatures from subsurface tissue non-invasively, rather than with a limited set of point measurements typical of implanted temperature probes. We present a procedure to estimate the maximum tissue temperature from a single radiometric brightness temperature which is based on a numerical simulation of 3D tissue temperature distributions induced by microwave heating at 915 MHz. The temperature retrieval scheme is evaluated against errors arising from unknown variations in thermal, electromagnetic and design model parameters. Whereas realistic deviations from base values of dielectric and thermal parameters have only marginal impact on performance, pronounced deviations in estimated maximum tissue temperature are observed for unanticipated variations of the temperature or thickness of the bolus compartment. The need to pay particular attention to these latter applicator construction parameters in future clinical implementation of the thermometric method is emphasized.

Can we settle with single-band radiometric temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatment of chestwall recurrence of breast cancer using a dual-mode transceiving applicator?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, Svein; Stauffer, Paul R.

2007-02-01

The total thermal dose that can be delivered during hyperthermia treatments is frequently limited by temperature heterogeneities in the heated tissue volume. Reliable temperature information on the heated area is thus vital for the optimization of clinical dosimetry. Microwave radiometry has been proposed as an accurate, quick and painless temperature sensing technique for biological tissue. Advantages include the ability to sense volume-averaged temperatures from subsurface tissue non-invasively, rather than with a limited set of point measurements typical of implanted temperature probes. We present a procedure to estimate the maximum tissue temperature from a single radiometric brightness temperature which is based on a numerical simulation of 3D tissue temperature distributions induced by microwave heating at 915 MHz. The temperature retrieval scheme is evaluated against errors arising from unknown variations in thermal, electromagnetic and design model parameters. Whereas realistic deviations from base values of dielectric and thermal parameters have only marginal impact on performance, pronounced deviations in estimated maximum tissue temperature are observed for unanticipated variations of the temperature or thickness of the bolus compartment. The need to pay particular attention to these latter applicator construction parameters in future clinical implementation of the thermometric method is emphasized.

Implementation of GAMMON - An efficient load balancing strategy for a local computer system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumgartner, Katherine M.; Kling, Ralph M.; Wah, Benjamin W.

1989-01-01

GAMMON (Global Allocation from Maximum to Minimum in cONstant time), an efficient load-balancing algorithm, is described. GAMMON uses the available broadcast capability of multiaccess networks to implement an efficient search technique for finding hosts with maximal and minimal loads. The search technique has an average overhead which is independent of the number of participating stations. The transition from the theoretical concept to a practical, reliable, and efficient implementation is described.

Factors affecting strategic plan implementation using interpretive structural modeling (ISM).

PubMed

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Teymourzadeh, Ehsan; Tajik, Hamidreza; Ravangard, Ramin; Raadabadi, Mehdi; Hosseini, Seyed Mojtaba

2018-06-11

Purpose Strategic planning is the best tool for managers seeking an informed presence and participation in the market without surrendering to changes. Strategic planning enables managers to achieve their organizational goals and objectives. Hospital goals, such as improving service quality and increasing patient satisfaction cannot be achieved if agreed strategies are not implemented. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting strategic plan implementation in one teaching hospital using interpretive structural modeling (ISM). Design/methodology/approach The authors used a descriptive study involving experts and senior managers; 16 were selected as the study sample using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed and prepared based on previous studies. Data were analyzed using ISM. Findings Five main factors affected strategic plan implementation. Although all five variables and factors are top level, "senior manager awareness and participation in the strategic planning process" and "creating and maintaining team participation in the strategic planning process" had maximum drive power. "Organizational structure effects on the strategic planning process" and "Organizational culture effects on the strategic planning process" had maximum dependence power. Practical implications Identifying factors affecting strategic plan implementation is a basis for healthcare quality improvement by analyzing the relationship among factors and overcoming the barriers. Originality/value The authors used ISM to analyze the relationship between factors affecting strategic plan implementation.

Real-time implementation of optimized maximum noise fraction transform for feature extraction of hyperspectral images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuanfeng; Gao, Lianru; Zhang, Bing; Zhao, Haina; Li, Jun

2014-01-01

We present a parallel implementation of the optimized maximum noise fraction (G-OMNF) transform algorithm for feature extraction of hyperspectral images on commodity graphics processing units (GPUs). The proposed approach explored the algorithm data-level concurrency and optimized the computing flow. We first defined a three-dimensional grid, in which each thread calculates a sub-block data to easily facilitate the spatial and spectral neighborhood data searches in noise estimation, which is one of the most important steps involved in OMNF. Then, we optimized the processing flow and computed the noise covariance matrix before computing the image covariance matrix to reduce the original hyperspectral image data transmission. These optimization strategies can greatly improve the computing efficiency and can be applied to other feature extraction algorithms. The proposed parallel feature extraction algorithm was implemented on an Nvidia Tesla GPU using the compute unified device architecture and basic linear algebra subroutines library. Through the experiments on several real hyperspectral images, our GPU parallel implementation provides a significant speedup of the algorithm compared with the CPU implementation, especially for highly data parallelizable and arithmetically intensive algorithm parts, such as noise estimation. In order to further evaluate the effectiveness of G-OMNF, we used two different applications: spectral unmixing and classification for evaluation. Considering the sensor scanning rate and the data acquisition time, the proposed parallel implementation met the on-board real-time feature extraction.

Effect of daily environmental temperature on farrowing rate and total born in dam line sows.

PubMed

Bloemhof, S; Mathur, P K; Knol, E F; van der Waaij, E H

2013-06-01

Heat stress is known to adversely affect reproductive performance of sows. However, it is important to know on which days or periods during the reproduction cycle heat stress has the greatest effects for designing appropriate genetic or management strategies. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify days and periods that have greatest effects on farrowing rate and total born of sows using 5 different measures of heat stress. The data consisted of 22,750 records on 5024 Dutch Yorkshire dam line sows from 16 farms in Spain and Portugal. Heat stress on a given day was measured in terms of maximum temperature, diurnal temperature range and heat load. The heat load was estimated using 3 definitions considering different upper critical temperatures. Identification of days during the reproduction cycle that had maximum effect was based on the Pearson correlation between the heat stress variable and the reproduction trait, estimated for each day during the reproduction cycle. Polynomial functions were fitted to describe the trends of these correlations and the days with greatest negative correlation were considered as days with maximum effect. Correlations were greatest for maximum temperature, followed by those for heat load and diurnal temperature range. Correlations for both farrowing rate and total born were stronger in gilts than in sows. This implies that heat stress has a stronger effect on reproductive performance of gilts than of sows. Heat stress during the third week (21 to 14 d) before first insemination had largest effect on farrowing rate. Heat stress during the period between 7 d before successful insemination until 12 d after that had largest effect on total born. Correlations between temperatures on consecutive days during these periods were extremely high ( > 0.9). Therefore, for farrowing rate the maximum temperature on 21 d before first insemination and for total born the maximum temperature at day of successful insemination can be used as predictive measures of heat stress in commercial sow farms. Additionally, differences between daughter groups of sires were identified in response to high temperatures. This might indicate possibilities for genetic selection on heat tolerance.

Phase 2 design study of the electronic assembly for the HRUV spectrometer/polarimeter intended for the solar maximum mission. Implementation phase program plan, revision A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The primary function of the implementation phase is to convert the ERA design of the design study phase into deliverable flight hardware. The development aspects of the experiment logic unit, the dual power converter, the junction box and the cables are considered.

Implementing Total Quality Management in a University Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coate, L. Edwin

1991-01-01

Oregon State University implemented Total Quality Management in nine phases: exploration; establishing a pilot study team; defining customer needs; adopting the breakthrough planning process; performing breakthrough planning in divisions; forming daily management teams; initiating cross-functional pilot projects; implementing cross-functional…

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and anthocyanins from grape (Vitis vinifera) seeds.

PubMed

Ghafoor, Kashif; Choi, Yong Hee; Jeon, Ju Yeong; Jo, In Hee

2009-06-10

Important functional components from Campbell Early grape seed were extracted by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technology. The experiments were carried out according to a five level, three variable central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The best possible combinations of ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, and extraction time with the application of ultrasound were obtained for the maximum extraction of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activities, and anthocyanins from grape seed by using response surface methodology (RSM). Process variables had significant effect on the extraction of functional components with extraction time being highly significant for the extraction of phenolics and antioxidants. The optimal conditions obtained by RSM for UAE from grape seed include 53.15% ethanol, 56.03 degrees C temperature, and 29.03 min time for the maximum total phenolic compounds (5.44 mg GAE/100 mL); 53.06% ethanol, 60.65 degrees C temperature, and 30.58 min time for the maximum antioxidant activity (12.31 mg/mL); and 52.35% ethanol, 55.13 degrees C temperature, and 29.49 min time for the maximum total anthocyanins (2.28 mg/mL). Under the above-mentioned conditions, the experimental total phenolics were 5.41 mg GAE/100 mL, antioxidant activity was 12.28 mg/mL, and total anthocyanins were 2.29 mg/mL of the grape seed extract, which is well matched with the predicted values.

Effects of agricultural best-management practices on the Brush Run Creek headwaters, Adams County, Pennsylvania, prior to and during nutrient management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langland, M.J.; Fishel, D.K.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, investigated the effects of agricultural best-management practices on surface-water quality as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program. This report characterizes a 0.63-square- mile agricultural watershed underlain by shale, mudstone, and red arkosic sandstone in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin. The water quality of the Brush Run Creek site was studied from October 1985 through September 1991, prior to and during the implementation of nutrient management designed to reduce sediment and nutrient discharges into Conewago Creek, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. The original study area was 0.38 square mile and included an area immediately upstream from a manure lagoon. The study area was increased to 0.63 square mile in the fall of 1987 after an extensive tile-drain network was discovered upstream and downstream from the established streamflow gage, and the farm owner made plans to spray irrigate manure to the downstream fields. Land use for about 64 percent of the 0.63 square mile watershed is cropland, 14 percent is pasture, 7 percent is forest, and the remaining 15 percent is yards, buildings, water, or gardens. About 73 percent of the cropland was used to produce corn during the study. The average annual animal population consisted of 57,000 chickens, 1,530 hogs, and 15 sheep during the study. About 59,340 pounds of nitrogen and 13,710 pounds of phosphorus were applied as manure and commercial fertilizer to fields within the subbasin during the 3-year period prior to implementation of nutrient management. During nutrient management, about 14 percent less nitrogen and 57 percent less phosphorus were applied as commercial and manure fertilizer. Precipitation totaled 209 inches, or 13 percent less than the long-term normal, during the 6-year study. Concentrations of total ammonia in precipitation were as high as 2.7 mg/L (milligrams per liter); in dry deposition the concentrations were as high as 5.4 mg/L, probably because of the ammonia that had volatilized from the manure-storage lagoon. Nitrate nitrogen in the upper 4 feet of the soil ranged from 17 to 452 pounds per acre and soluble phosphorus content ranged from 0.29 to 65 pounds per acre. The maximum concentration of total nitrogen was 2,400 mg/L on September 10, 1986, in discharge from the tile drain near the streamflow gage. Median concentrations of total nitrogen and dissolved nitrite plus nitrate in base flow at the water-quality gage were 14 mg/L and 4.4 mg/L, respectively; prior to nutrient management and during nutrient management, median concentrations were 14 mg/L and 6.2 mg/L, respectively. Significant reductions in total phosphorus and suspended-sediment concentrations occurred at the water-quality gage. The maximum concentrations of total phosphorus (160 mg/L) and suspended sediment (3,530 mg/L) were measured at a tile line above the water-quality gage. Concentrations of total nitrogen, dissolved ammonia, and total phosphorus in base flow increased during dry periods when discharges from the tile drain were not diluted. During nutrient management, only base-flow loads of suspended sediment increased. Total streamflow was about 121.8 inches. About 81 percent was storm runoff. Loads of total nitrogen, total phosphorus in stormflow, and suspended sediment increased 14, 44, and 41 percent during nutrient management, respectively. A load of about 787,780 pounds of sediment, 22,418 pounds of nitrogen, and 5,479 pounds of phosphorus was measured during 214 sampled stormflow days that represented 84 percent of the stormflow. About 812,924 pounds of sediment, 38,421 pounds of nitrogen, and 6,377 pounds of phosphorus were discharged during the 6-year study.

40 CFR 421.262 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... pollutant property Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of precious metals... day Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of precious metal in the granulated raw material Copper... monthly average mg/troy ounce of gold produced by cyanide stripping Copper 7.030 3.700 Cyanide (total) 1...

Modal shifts in short-haul passenger travel and the consequent energy impacts. [Intercity travel under 500 miles

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

Not Available

1980-03-01

A study was performed to evaluate the impacts of strategies to effect modal shifts in short-haul passenger travel (defined herein as intercity travel under 500 miles) from energy-intensive modes to those modes that are less energy-intensive. A series of individual strategies, ranging from incentives to the less energy-intensive modes (bus, rail) to penalties to the more energy-intensive modes (auto, air) was examined to determine energy saved and policy implications relative to strategy implementation. The most effective of the individual strategies were then combined in all permutations, and the analysis was repeated. As part of the analytical process, effects of factorsmore » other than energy (user cost and time, emissions, government subsidy, and travel fatailities) were examined in a benefit/cost analysis. Finally, energy savings, benefit/cost impacts, implementation considerations, and policy implications were evaluated to arrive at conclusions as to the effectiveness of the more-influential strategies and to the overall effectiveness of induced modal shifts. The principal conclusion of the study is that the maximum 1980 energy saving that might be realized by modal shifts, discounting the concurrent effects of demand suppression and improvement of mode efficiency, is approximately 83 x 10/sup 12/ Btu (46,500 bbl gasoline per day), 3.8% of the total projected 1980 energy consumption in the short-haul transportation sector and 0.23% of the total US petroleum use. It was also concluded that strategies to achieve these small savings by modal shifts would result in significant economic, social, and business disruptions.« less

Effect of risk-based payment model on caries inequalities in preschool children assessed by geo-mapping.

PubMed

Holmén, Anders; Strömberg, Ulf; Håkansson, Gunnel; Twetman, Svante

2018-01-05

To describe, with aid of geo-mapping, the effects of a risk-based capitation model linked to caries-preventive guidelines on the polarization of caries in preschool children living in the Halland region of Sweden. The new capitation model was implemented in 2013 in which more money was allocated to Public Dental Clinics surrounded by administrative parishes inhabited by children with increased caries risk, while a reduced capitation was allocated to those clinics with a low burden of high risk children. Regional geo-maps of caries risk based on caries prevalence, level of education and the families purchasing power were produced for 3-6-year-old children in 2010 (n = 10,583) and 2016 (n = 7574). Newly migrated children to the region (n = 344 in 2010 and n = 522 in 2016) were analyzed separately. A regional caries polarization index was calculated as the ratio between the maximum and minimum estimates of caries frequency on parish-level, based on a Bayesian hierarchical mapping model. Overall, the total caries prevalence (dmfs > 0) remained unchanged from 2010 (10.6%) to 2016 (10.5%). However, the polarization index decreased from 7.0 in 2010 to 5.6 in 2016. Newly arrived children born outside Sweden had around four times higher caries prevalence than their Swedish-born peers. A risk-based capitation model could reduce the socio-economic inequalities in dental caries among preschool children living in Sweden. Although updated evidence-based caries-preventive guidelines were released, the total prevalence of caries on dentin surface level was unaffected 4 years after the implementation.

Eco-efficiency evaluation of a smart window prototype.

PubMed

Syrrakou, E; Papaefthimiou, S; Yianoulis, P

2006-04-15

An eco-efficiency analysis was conducted using indicators suitably defined to evaluate the performance of an electrochromic window acting as an energy saving component in buildings. Combining the indicators for various parameters (control scenario, expected lifetime, climatic type, purchase cost) significant conclusions are drawn for the development and the potential applications of the device compared to other commercial fenestration products. The reduction of the purchase cost (to 200 euros/m2) and the increase of the lifetime (above 15 years) are the two main targets for achieving both cost and environmental efficiency. An electrochromic device, implemented in cooling dominated areas and operated with an optimum control strategy for the maximum expected lifetime (25 years), can reduce the building energy requirements by 52%. Furthermore, the total energy savings provided will be 33 times more than the energy required for its production while the emission of 615 kg CO2 equivalent per electrochromic glazing unit can be avoided.

Agent based model of effects of task allocation strategies in flat organizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobkowicz, Pawel

2016-09-01

A common practice in many organizations is to pile the work on the best performers. It is easy to implement by the management and, despite the apparent injustice, appears to be working in many situations. In our work we present a simple agent based model, constructed to simulate this practice and to analyze conditions under which the overall efficiency of the organization (for example measured by the backlog of unresolved issues) breaks down, due to the cumulative effect of the individual overloads. The model confirms that the strategy mentioned above is, indeed, rational: it leads to better global results than an alternative one, using equal workload distribution among all workers. The presented analyses focus on the behavior of the organizations close to the limit of the maximum total throughput and provide results for the growth of the unprocessed backlog in several situations, as well as suggestions related to avoiding such buildup.

Potential-Scour Assessments at 130 Bridges in Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fischer, Edward E.

1996-01-01

A total of 130 highway bridges in Iowa were assessed for potential scour using a potential-scour index developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for a bridge-scour study in western Tennessee. Greater values of the index, which is composed of 11 components, suggest a greater likelihood of scour-related problems occurring at a bridge. For the Iowa assessments, the minimum value was 3, the median value was 11.5, and the maximum value was 24.5. None of the 130 bridges required immediate attention with regard to installing scour countermeasures. Based on the results of the assessments, it was concluded that assessing potential scour only once at a site would be of limited benefit in the Iowa Department of Transportation's bridge inspection program. Additional information would help determine whether repeated potential-scour assessments would enhance more timely and cost-effective implementation of scourcountermeasures.

Maximum-Likelihood Estimation With a Contracting-Grid Search Algorithm

PubMed Central

Hesterman, Jacob Y.; Caucci, Luca; Kupinski, Matthew A.; Barrett, Harrison H.; Furenlid, Lars R.

2010-01-01

A fast search algorithm capable of operating in multi-dimensional spaces is introduced. As a sample application, we demonstrate its utility in the 2D and 3D maximum-likelihood position-estimation problem that arises in the processing of PMT signals to derive interaction locations in compact gamma cameras. We demonstrate that the algorithm can be parallelized in pipelines, and thereby efficiently implemented in specialized hardware, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). A 2D implementation of the algorithm is achieved in Cell/BE processors, resulting in processing speeds above one million events per second, which is a 20× increase in speed over a conventional desktop machine. Graphics processing units (GPUs) are used for a 3D application of the algorithm, resulting in processing speeds of nearly 250,000 events per second which is a 250× increase in speed over a conventional desktop machine. These implementations indicate the viability of the algorithm for use in real-time imaging applications. PMID:20824155

User-Defined Material Model for Progressive Failure Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F. Jr.; Reeder, James R. (Technical Monitor)

2006-01-01

An overview of different types of composite material system architectures and a brief review of progressive failure material modeling methods used for structural analysis including failure initiation and material degradation are presented. Different failure initiation criteria and material degradation models are described that define progressive failure formulations. These progressive failure formulations are implemented in a user-defined material model (or UMAT) for use with the ABAQUS/Standard1 nonlinear finite element analysis tool. The failure initiation criteria include the maximum stress criteria, maximum strain criteria, the Tsai-Wu failure polynomial, and the Hashin criteria. The material degradation model is based on the ply-discounting approach where the local material constitutive coefficients are degraded. Applications and extensions of the progressive failure analysis material model address two-dimensional plate and shell finite elements and three-dimensional solid finite elements. Implementation details and use of the UMAT subroutine are described in the present paper. Parametric studies for composite structures are discussed to illustrate the features of the progressive failure modeling methods that have been implemented.

Classifications for Cesarean Section: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Torloni, Maria Regina; Betran, Ana Pilar; Souza, Joao Paulo; Widmer, Mariana; Allen, Tomas; Gulmezoglu, Metin; Merialdi, Mario

2011-01-01

Background Rising cesarean section (CS) rates are a major public health concern and cause worldwide debates. To propose and implement effective measures to reduce or increase CS rates where necessary requires an appropriate classification. Despite several existing CS classifications, there has not yet been a systematic review of these. This study aimed to 1) identify the main CS classifications used worldwide, 2) analyze advantages and deficiencies of each system. Methods and Findings Three electronic databases were searched for classifications published 1968–2008. Two reviewers independently assessed classifications using a form created based on items rated as important by international experts. Seven domains (ease, clarity, mutually exclusive categories, totally inclusive classification, prospective identification of categories, reproducibility, implementability) were assessed and graded. Classifications were tested in 12 hypothetical clinical case-scenarios. From a total of 2948 citations, 60 were selected for full-text evaluation and 27 classifications identified. Indications classifications present important limitations and their overall score ranged from 2–9 (maximum grade = 14). Degree of urgency classifications also had several drawbacks (overall scores 6–9). Woman-based classifications performed best (scores 5–14). Other types of classifications require data not routinely collected and may not be relevant in all settings (scores 3–8). Conclusions This review and critical appraisal of CS classifications is a methodologically sound contribution to establish the basis for the appropriate monitoring and rational use of CS. Results suggest that women-based classifications in general, and Robson's classification, in particular, would be in the best position to fulfill current international and local needs and that efforts to develop an internationally applicable CS classification would be most appropriately placed in building upon this classification. The use of a single CS classification will facilitate auditing, analyzing and comparing CS rates across different settings and help to create and implement effective strategies specifically targeted to optimize CS rates where necessary. PMID:21283801

Surgical Safety Checklist compliance: a job done poorly!

PubMed

Sparks, Eric A; Wehbe-Janek, Hania; Johnson, Rebecca L; Smythe, W Roy; Papaconstantinou, Harry T

2013-11-01

The Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been introduced as an effective tool for reducing perioperative mortality and complications. Although reported completion rates are high, objective compliance is not well defined. The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to determine SSC compliance as measured by accuracy and completion, and factors that can affect compliance. In September 2010, our institution implemented an adaptation of the World Health Organization's SSC in an effort to improve patient safety and outcomes. A tool was developed for objective evaluation of overall compliance (maximum score 40) that was an aggregate score of completion and accuracy (20 each). Random samples of SSCs were analyzed at specific, predefined, time points throughout the first year after implementation. Procedure start time, operative time, and case complexity were assessed to determine association with compliance. A total of 671 SSCs were analyzed. The participation rate improved from 33% (95 of 285) at week 1 to 94% (249 of 265) at 1 year (p < 0.0001, chi-square test). Mean overall compliance score was 27.7 (± 5.4 SD) of 40 possible points (69.3% ± 13.5% of total possible score; n = 671) and did not change over time. Although completion scores were high (16.9 ± 2.7 out of 20 [84.5% ± 13.6%]), accuracy was poor (10.8 ± 3.4 out of 20 [54.1% ± 16.9%]). Overall compliance score was significantly associated with case start-time (p < 0.05), and operative time and case complexity showed no association. Our data indicate that although implementation of an SSC results in a high level of overall participation and completion, accuracy remained poor. Identification of barriers to effective use is needed, as improper checklist use can adversely affect patient safety. Copyright © 2013 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maximum-likelihood block detection of noncoherent continuous phase modulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Marvin K.; Divsalar, Dariush

1993-01-01

This paper examines maximum-likelihood block detection of uncoded full response CPM over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Both the maximum-likelihood metrics and the bit error probability performances of the associated detection algorithms are considered. The special and popular case of minimum-shift-keying (MSK) corresponding to h = 0.5 and constant amplitude frequency pulse is treated separately. The many new receiver structures that result from this investigation can be compared to the traditional ones that have been used in the past both from the standpoint of simplicity of implementation and optimality of performance.

Design of simplified maximum-likelihood receivers for multiuser CPM systems.

PubMed

Bing, Li; Bai, Baoming

2014-01-01

A class of simplified maximum-likelihood receivers designed for continuous phase modulation based multiuser systems is proposed. The presented receiver is built upon a front end employing mismatched filters and a maximum-likelihood detector defined in a low-dimensional signal space. The performance of the proposed receivers is analyzed and compared to some existing receivers. Some schemes are designed to implement the proposed receivers and to reveal the roles of different system parameters. Analysis and numerical results show that the proposed receivers can approach the optimum multiuser receivers with significantly (even exponentially in some cases) reduced complexity and marginal performance degradation.

A Study on the Potential Cost Savings Associated with Implementing Airline Pilot Training Curricula into the Future P-8 MMA Fleet Replacement Squadron

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

winglets : 35.81m Length: 38.56m Height: 12.83m Fuselage length: 38.02m Tailplane: 14.35m Maximum taxi weight: 83,778kg Maximum fuel...visual and aerodynamic handling deficiencies (by today’s standards) and are only capable of partially qualifying a VP-30 Cat I or Cat III pilot in

Fayette County Better Buildings Initiative

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

Capella, Arthur

The Fayette County Better Buildings Initiative represented a comprehensive and collaborative approach to promoting and implementing energy efficiency improvements. The initiative was designed to focus on implementing energy efficiency improvements in residential units, while simultaneously supporting general marketing of the benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures. The ultimate goal of Fayette County’s Better Buildings Initiative was to implement a total of 1,067 residential energy efficiency retrofits with a minimum 15% estimated energy efficiency savings per unit. Program partners included: United States Department of Energy, Allegheny Power, and Private Industry Council of Westmoreland-Fayette, Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, and various local partners.more » The program was open to any Fayette County residents who own their home and meet the prequalifying conditions. The level of assistance offered depended upon household income and commitment to undergo a BPI – Certified Audit and implement energy efficiency measures, which aimed to result in at least a 15% reduction in energy usage. The initiative was designed to focus on implementing energy efficiency improvements in residential units, while simultaneously supporting general marketing of the benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures. Additionally, the program had components that involved recruitment and training for employment of persons in the energy sector (green jobs), as well as marketing and implementation of a commercial or community facilities component. The residential component of Fayette County’s Better Buildings Initiative involved a comprehensive approach, providing assistance to low- moderate- and market-rate homeowners. The initiative will also coordinate activities with local utility providers to further incentivize energy efficiency improvements among qualifying homeowners. The commercial component of Fayette County’s Better Building Initiative involved grants and loans to assist up to $15,000 projects per commercial structure with a mixture of a grant and financing at 0% for up to three – (3) years. The maximum award can be a $5,000 grant and a $10,000 loan. For projects less than $15,000, the award will have a ratio of 1/3 grant and 2/3 loan.« less

Clean Water Act Approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Documents

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Information from Approved and Established TMDL Documents as well as TMDLs that have been Withdrawn. This includes the pollutants identified in the TMDL Document, the 303(d) Listed Water(s) that the TMDL Document addresses and the associated Cause(s) of Impairment. The National Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Tracking System (NTTS) contains information on waters that are Not Supporting their designated uses. These waters are listed by the state as impaired under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act.

Theoretical and experimental researches on the operating costs of a wastewater treatment plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaitescu, M.; Panaitescu, F.-V.; Anton, I.-A.

2015-11-01

Purpose of the work: The total cost of a sewage plants is often determined by the present value method. All of the annual operating costs for each process are converted to the value of today's correspondence and added to the costs of investment for each process, which leads to getting the current net value. The operating costs of the sewage plants are subdivided, in general, in the premises of the investment and operating costs. The latter can be stable (normal operation and maintenance, the establishment of power) or variables (chemical and power sludge treatment and disposal, of effluent charges). For the purpose of evaluating the preliminary costs so that an installation can choose between different alternatives in an incipient phase of a project, can be used cost functions. In this paper will be calculated the operational cost to make several scenarios in order to optimize its. Total operational cost (fixed and variable) is dependent global parameters of wastewater treatment plant. Research and methodology: The wastewater treatment plant costs are subdivided in investment and operating costs. We can use different cost functions to estimate fixed and variable operating costs. In this study we have used the statistical formulas for cost functions. The method which was applied to study the impact of the influent characteristics on the costs is economic analysis. Optimization of plant design consist in firstly, to assess the ability of the smallest design to treat the maximum loading rates to a given effluent quality and, secondly, to compare the cost of the two alternatives for average and maximum loading rates. Results: In this paper we obtained the statistical values for the investment cost functions, operational fixed costs and operational variable costs for wastewater treatment plant and its graphical representations. All costs were compared to the net values. Finally we observe that it is more economical to build a larger plant, especially if maximum loading rates are reached. The actual target of operational management is to directly implement the presented cost functions in a software tool, in which the design of a plant and the simulation of its behaviour are evaluated simultaneously.

Maximum power point tracking algorithm based on sliding mode and fuzzy logic for photovoltaic sources under variable environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atik, L.; Petit, P.; Sawicki, J. P.; Ternifi, Z. T.; Bachir, G.; Della, M.; Aillerie, M.

2017-02-01

Solar panels have a nonlinear voltage-current characteristic, with a distinct maximum power point (MPP), which depends on the environmental factors, such as temperature and irradiation. In order to continuously harvest maximum power from the solar panels, they have to operate at their MPP despite the inevitable changes in the environment. Various methods for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) were developed and finally implemented in solar power electronic controllers to increase the efficiency in the electricity production originate from renewables. In this paper we compare using Matlab tools Simulink, two different MPP tracking methods, which are, fuzzy logic control (FL) and sliding mode control (SMC), considering their efficiency in solar energy production.

Convex Accelerated Maximum Entropy Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Worley, Bradley

2016-01-01

Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) spectral reconstruction methods provide a powerful framework for spectral estimation of nonuniformly sampled datasets. Many methods exist within this framework, usually defined based on the magnitude of a Lagrange multiplier in the MaxEnt objective function. An algorithm is presented here that utilizes accelerated first-order convex optimization techniques to rapidly and reliably reconstruct nonuniformly sampled NMR datasets using the principle of maximum entropy. This algorithm – called CAMERA for Convex Accelerated Maximum Entropy Reconstruction Algorithm – is a new approach to spectral reconstruction that exhibits fast, tunable convergence in both constant-aim and constant-lambda modes. A high-performance, open source NMR data processing tool is described that implements CAMERA, and brief comparisons to existing reconstruction methods are made on several example spectra. PMID:26894476

Defense reactions of bean genotypes to bacterial pathogens in controlled conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uysal, B.; Bastas, K. K.

2018-03-01

This study was focused on the role of antioxidant enzymes and total protein in imparting resistance against common bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) and halo blight caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola (Psp) in bean. Activities of Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), Catalase (CAT) and total protein were studied in resistant and susceptible bean genotypes. Five-day-old seedlings were inoculated with a bacterial suspension (108 CFU ml-1) and harvested at different time intervals (0, 12, 24 and 36 up to 72 h) under controlled growing conditions and assayed for antioxidant enzymes and total protein. Temporal increase of CAT, APX enzymes activities showed maximum activity at 12 h after both pathogens inoculation (hpi) in resistant cultivar, whereas in susceptible it increased at 72 h after both pathogens inoculation for CAT and 12, 24 h for APX enzymes. Maximum total protein activities were observed at 12 h and 24 h respectively after Xap, Psp inoculation (hpi) in resistant and maximum activities were observed at 24 h and 72 h respectively after Xap, Psp inoculation (hpi) in susceptible. Increase of antioxidant enzyme and total protein activities might be an important component in the defense strategy of resistance and susceptible bean genotypes against the bacterial infection. These findings suggest that disease protection is proportional to the amount of enhanced CAT, APX enzyme and total protein activity.

77 FR 15094 - Sawatt Hydroelectric, LLC; Notice of Application for Amendment of Exemption and Soliciting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... maximum hydraulic capacity of 331 cubic feet per second (cfs), to two generating units with a total installed capacity of 321 kW and a maximum hydraulic capacity of 333 cfs. The two units are: One existing unit rated at 225 kW with a maximum hydraulic capacity of 233 cfs and one proposed unit to be installed...

The Implementation of CRM at FISC Norfolk Detachment Philadelphia

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-06-01

Customer Relationship Management system. [28] If FISC decides to implement a CRM system, the decision will impact the duties of the...distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Customer Relations Management ( CRM ) can be defined in many ways. In...Norfolk Philadelphia Mission Statement. 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 91 14. SUBJECT TERMS Customer Relations Management System, CRM ,

Total Quality Management Implementation Plan: Defense Depot, Ogden

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

NUMBERS Total Quality Management Implementation Plan Defense Depot Ogden 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING...PAGES TQM (Total Quality Management ), Continuous Process Improvement, Depot Operations, Process Action Teams 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY...034 A Message From The Commander On Total Quality Management i fully support the DLA aoproacii to Total Quality Management . As stated by General

Spline-based high-accuracy piecewise-polynomial phase-to-sinusoid amplitude converters.

PubMed

Petrinović, Davor; Brezović, Marko

2011-04-01

We propose a method for direct digital frequency synthesis (DDS) using a cubic spline piecewise-polynomial model for a phase-to-sinusoid amplitude converter (PSAC). This method offers maximum smoothness of the output signal. Closed-form expressions for the cubic polynomial coefficients are derived in the spectral domain and the performance analysis of the model is given in the time and frequency domains. We derive the closed-form performance bounds of such DDS using conventional metrics: rms and maximum absolute errors (MAE) and maximum spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) measured in the discrete time domain. The main advantages of the proposed PSAC are its simplicity, analytical tractability, and inherent numerical stability for high table resolutions. Detailed guidelines for a fixed-point implementation are given, based on the algebraic analysis of all quantization effects. The results are verified on 81 PSAC configurations with the output resolutions from 5 to 41 bits by using a bit-exact simulation. The VHDL implementation of a high-accuracy DDS based on the proposed PSAC with 28-bit input phase word and 32-bit output value achieves SFDR of its digital output signal between 180 and 207 dB, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 192 dB. Its implementation requires only one 18 kB block RAM and three 18-bit embedded multipliers in a typical field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device. © 2011 IEEE

Grainex Mar-M 247 Turbine Disk Life Study for NASA's High Temperature High Speed Turbine Seal Test Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delgado, Irebert R.

2015-01-01

An experimental and analytical fatigue life study was performed on the Grainex Mar-M 247 disk used in NASA s Turbine Seal Test Facility. To preclude fatigue cracks from growing to critical size in the NASA disk bolt holes due to cyclic loading at severe test conditions, a retirement-for-cause methodology was adopted to detect and monitor cracks within the bolt holes using eddy-current inspection. For the NASA disk material that was tested, the fatigue strain-life to crack initiation at a total strain of 0.5 percent, a minimum to maximum strain ratio of 0, and a bolt hole temperature of 649 C was calculated to be 665 cycles using -99.95 percent prediction intervals. The fatigue crack propagation life was calculated to be 367 cycles after implementing a safety factor of 2 on life. Thus, the NASA disk bolt hole total life or retirement life was determined to be 1032 cycles at a crack depth of 0.501 mm. An initial NASA disk bolt hole inspection at 665 cycles is suggested with 50 cycle inspection intervals thereafter to monitor fatigue crack growth.

Mercury concentrations and loads in a large river system tributary to San Francisco Bay, California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

David, N.; McKee, L.J.; Black, F.J.; Flegal, A.R.; Conaway, C.H.; Schoellhamer, D.H.; Ganju, N.K.

2009-01-01

In order to estimate total mercury (HgT) loads entering San Francisco Bay, USA, via the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system, unfiltered water samples were collected between January 2002 and January 2006 during high flow events and analyzed for HgT. Unfiltered HgT concentrations ranged from 3.2 to 75 ng/L and showed a strong correlation (r2 = 0.8, p < 0.001, n = 78) to suspended sediment concentrations (SSC). During infrequent large floods, HgT concentrations relative to SSC were approximately twice as high as observed during smaller floods. This difference indicates the transport of more Hg-contaminated particles during high discharge events. Daily HgT loads in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River at Mallard Island ranged from below the limit of detection to 35 kg. Annual HgT loads varied from 61 ?? 22 kg (n = 5) in water year (WY) 2002 to 470 ?? 170 kg (n = 25) in WY 2006. The data collected will assist in understanding the long-term recovery of San Francisco Bay from Hg contamination and in implementing the Hg total maximum daily load, the long-term cleanup plan for Hg in the Bay. ?? 2009 SETAC.

Nutrient input from the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District sewage-treatment plant to the Loxahatchee River Estuary, southeastern Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sonntag, W.H.; McPherson, B.F.

1984-01-01

Two test discharges of treated-sewage effluent were made to the Loxahatchee River in February and September 1981 from the ENCON sewage-treatment plant to document nutrient loading and downstream transport of the effluent to the estuary under maximum daily discharge allowable by law (4 million gallons per day). Concentrations of total nitrogen in the effluent exceeded background concentrations by as much as 7 times during the February test, while concentrations of total phosphorus exceeded background concentrations by as much as 112 times during the September test. The effluent was transported downstream to the estuary in less than 24 hours. Discharge of treated sewage effluent to the river-estuary system in the 1981 water year accounted for less than 0.5 percent of the total nitrogen and 8 percent of the total phosphorus discharged from the major tributaries to the estuary. If maximum discharges of effluent (4 million gallons per day) were sustained throughout the year, annual nitrogen loading from the effluent would account for 5 to 18 percent of the total nitrogen input by the major tributaries to the estuary. With maximum discharges of effluent, annual phosphorus loading would exceed the amount of phosphorus input by the major tributaries to the estuary by 54 to 167 percent. (USGS)

Professional efficiencies for diagnostic imaging services rendered by different physicians: analysis of recent medicare multiple procedure payment reduction policy.

PubMed

Duszak, Richard; Silva, Ezequiel; Kim, Angela J; Barr, Robert M; Donovan, William D; Kassing, Pamela; McGinty, Geraldine; Allen, Bibb

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to quantify potential physician work efficiencies and appropriate multiple procedure payment reductions for different same-session diagnostic imaging studies interpreted by different physicians in the same group practice. Medicare Resource-Based Relative Value Scale data were analyzed to determine the relative contributions of various preservice, intraservice, and postservice physician diagnostic imaging work activities. An expert panel quantified potential duplications in professional work activities when separate examinations were performed during the same session by different physicians within the same group practice. Maximum potential work duplications for various imaging modalities were calculated and compared with those used as the basis of CMS payment policy. No potential intraservice work duplication was identified when different examination interpretations were rendered by different physicians in the same group practice. When multiple interpretations within the same modality were rendered by different physicians, maximum potential duplicated preservice and postservice activities ranged from 5% (radiography, fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine) to 13.6% (CT). Maximum mean potential duplicated work relative value units ranged from 0.0049 (radiography and fluoroscopy) to 0.0413 (CT). This equates to overall potential total work reductions ranging from 1.39% (nuclear medicine) to 2.73% (CT). Across all modalities, this corresponds to maximum Medicare professional component physician fee reductions of 1.23 ± 0.38% (range, 0.95%-1.87%) for services within the same modality, much less than an order of magnitude smaller than those implemented by CMS. For services from different modalities, potential duplications were too small to quantify. Although potential efficiencies exist in physician preservice and postservice work when same-session, same-modality imaging services are rendered by different physicians in the same group practice, these are relatively minuscule and have been grossly overestimated by current CMS payment policy. Greater transparency and methodologic rigor in government payment policy development are warranted. Copyright © 2013 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Dependent individuals classification based on the 1999 Disabilities, Impairments and Health Status Survey].

PubMed

Albarrán Lozano, Irene; Alonso González, Pablo

2006-01-01

In order to move to a system in which formal medical-social care is a priority, in which the institutions play a greater role, it is advisable to analyze the different actual situations of those individuals who are dependent. The objective of this study consists of classifying the dependent Spanish population into different groups, each of their own distinguishing characteristics. The data from the Disabilities, Deficiencies and Health Status Survey (Spanish National Institute of Statistics, 1999) related to the non-institionalized population over 6 years of age. Groups are configured using multivariate analysis techniques in terms of the age, sex, daily living activity-related disabilities, the severity thereof and the number of hours of care per week. Nine statistically heterogeneous profiles were obtained. In the first three, with 341,262 individuals (24.5% of the total dependent population), the individuals in question were under 60 years of age. With the exception of one group, females were predominant (61% males), falling within the 13-36 age range. In the group least affected by lack of self-sufficiency (136,240 individuals), solely 26% of those comprising this group had problems getting around (maximum degree of severity in 7%), regarding care, 25% (maximum degree of severity in 10%) and only 32% need more than 15 hours of care per week. Most thereof (74%) are females within the 82-90 age range. The dependent Spanish population is revealed to be in different situations related to different categories in terms of age, sex, number and severity of the daily living activities affected. The different assessments of the severity related to said categories, employing both the Spanish National Institute of Statistics maximum severity criterion as well as another alternative criterion which implements the degree of severity of all of the daily living activities, not only the maximum, confirm the nine groups found to be different from one another.

Trellises and Trellis-Based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes. Part 3; A Recursive Maximum Likelihood Decoding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shu; Fossorier, Marc

1998-01-01

The Viterbi algorithm is indeed a very simple and efficient method of implementing the maximum likelihood decoding. However, if we take advantage of the structural properties in a trellis section, other efficient trellis-based decoding algorithms can be devised. Recently, an efficient trellis-based recursive maximum likelihood decoding (RMLD) algorithm for linear block codes has been proposed. This algorithm is more efficient than the conventional Viterbi algorithm in both computation and hardware requirements. Most importantly, the implementation of this algorithm does not require the construction of the entire code trellis, only some special one-section trellises of relatively small state and branch complexities are needed for constructing path (or branch) metric tables recursively. At the end, there is only one table which contains only the most likely code-word and its metric for a given received sequence r = (r(sub 1), r(sub 2),...,r(sub n)). This algorithm basically uses the divide and conquer strategy. Furthermore, it allows parallel/pipeline processing of received sequences to speed up decoding.

Microwatt power consumption maximum power point tracking circuit using an analogue differentiator for piezoelectric energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chew, Z. J.; Zhu, M.

2015-12-01

A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) scheme by tracking the open-circuit voltage from a piezoelectric energy harvester using a differentiator is presented in this paper. The MPPT controller is implemented by using a low-power analogue differentiator and comparators without the need of a sensing circuitry and a power hungry controller. This proposed MPPT circuit is used to control a buck converter which serves as a power management module in conjunction with a full-wave bridge diode rectifier. Performance of this MPPT control scheme is verified by using the prototyped circuit to track the maximum power point of a macro-fiber composite (MFC) as the piezoelectric energy harvester. The MFC was bonded on a composite material and the whole specimen was subjected to various strain levels at frequency from 10 to 100 Hz. Experimental results showed that the implemented full analogue MPPT controller has a tracking efficiency between 81% and 98.66% independent of the load, and consumes an average power of 3.187 μW at 3 V during operation.

Efficient heuristics for maximum common substructure search.

PubMed

Englert, Péter; Kovács, Péter

2015-05-26

Maximum common substructure search is a computationally hard optimization problem with diverse applications in the field of cheminformatics, including similarity search, lead optimization, molecule alignment, and clustering. Most of these applications have strict constraints on running time, so heuristic methods are often preferred. However, the development of an algorithm that is both fast enough and accurate enough for most practical purposes is still a challenge. Moreover, in some applications, the quality of a common substructure depends not only on its size but also on various topological features of the one-to-one atom correspondence it defines. Two state-of-the-art heuristic algorithms for finding maximum common substructures have been implemented at ChemAxon Ltd., and effective heuristics have been developed to improve both their efficiency and the relevance of the atom mappings they provide. The implementations have been thoroughly evaluated and compared with existing solutions (KCOMBU and Indigo). The heuristics have been found to greatly improve the performance and applicability of the algorithms. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the applied methods and present the experimental results.

Main Sources and Doses of Space Radiation during Mars Missions and Total Radiation Risk for Cosmonauts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitrikas, Victor; Aleksandr, Shafirkin; Shurshakov, Vyacheslav

This work contains calculation data of generalized doses and dose equivalents in critical organs and tissues of cosmonauts produces by galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar cosmic rays (SCR) and the Earth’s radiation belts (ERB) that will impact crewmembers during a flight to Mars, while staying in the landing module and on the Martian surface, and during the return to Earth. Also calculated total radiation risk values during whole life of cosmonauts after the flight are presented. Radiation risk (RR) calculations are performed on the basis of a radiobiological model of radiation damage to living organisms, while taking into account reparation processes acting during continuous long-term exposure at various dose rates and under acute recurrent radiation impact. The calculations of RR are performed for crewmembers of various ages implementing a flight to Mars over 2 - 3 years in maximum and minimum of the solar cycle. The total carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic RR and possible life-span shortening are estimated on the basis of a model of the radiation death probability for mammals. This model takes into account the decrease in compensatory reserve of an organism as well as the increase in mortality rate and descent of the subsequent lifetime of the cosmonaut. The analyzed dose distributions in the shielding and body areas are applied to making model calculations of tissue equivalent spherical and anthropomorphic phantoms.

Comparison study on flexible pavement design using FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and LCN (Load Classification Number) code in Ahmad Yani international airport’s runway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoso, S. E.; Sulistiono, D.; Mawardi, A. F.

2017-11-01

FAA code for airport design has been broadly used by Indonesian Ministry of Aviation since decades ago. However, there is not much comprehensive study about its relevance and efficiency towards current situation in Indonesia. Therefore, a further comparison study on flexible pavement design for airport runway using comparable method has become essential. The main focus of this study is to compare which method between FAA and LCN that offer the most efficient and effective way in runway pavement planning. The comparative methods in this study mainly use the variety of variable approach. FAA code for instance, will use the approach on the aircraft’s maximum take-off weight and annual departure. Whilst LCN code use the variable of equivalent single wheel load and tire pressure. Based on the variables mentioned above, a further classification and rated method will be used to determine which code is best implemented. According to the analysis, it is clear that FAA method is the most effective way to plan runway design in Indonesia with consecutively total pavement thickness of 127cm and LCN method total pavement thickness of 70cm. Although, FAA total pavement is thicker that LCN its relevance towards sustainable and pristine condition in the future has become an essential aspect to consider in design and planning.

Measures of health, fitness, and functional movement among firefighter recruits.

PubMed

Cornell, David J; Gnacinski, Stacy L; Zamzow, Aaron; Mims, Jason; Ebersole, Kyle T

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between various health and fitness measures and Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) scores among 78 firefighter recruits. Relationships between FMS™ scores and age, body mass index (BMI), sit and reach (S&R) distance, estimated maximal aerobic capacity (V˙ O2max ), estimated one-repetition maximum squat (1RM-Squat max ), and plank endurance (%Plank max ) were examined. Total FMS™ scores were significantly correlated with BMI (r = -0.231, p = 0.042), estimated 1RM-Squat max (r = 0.302, p = 0.007), and %Plank max (r = 0.320, p = 0.004). Multiple regression analyses indicated that this combination of predictors significantly predicted (F(3, 74) = 5.043, p = 0.003) Total FMS™ score outcomes and accounted for 17% of the total variance (R 2  = 0.170). In addition, logistic regression analyses indicated that estimated 1RM-Squat max also significantly predicted (χ 2  = 6.662, df = 1, p = 0.010) FMS™ group membership (≤14 or ≥15). These results suggest that the health and fitness measures of obesity (BMI), bilateral lower extremity strength (estimated 1RM-Squat max ), and core muscular endurance (%Plank max ) are significantly associated with functional movement patterns among firefighter recruits. Consequently, injury prevention programs implemented among firefighter recruits should target these aspects of health and fitness.

Extremes in Otolaryngology Resident Surgical Case Numbers: An Update.

PubMed

Baugh, Tiffany P; Franzese, Christine B

2017-06-01

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of minimum case numbers on otolaryngology resident case log data and understand differences in minimum, mean, and maximum among certain procedures as a follow-up to a prior study. Study Design Cross-sectional survey using a national database. Setting Academic otolaryngology residency programs. Subjects and Methods Review of otolaryngology resident national data reports from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident case log system performed from 2004 to 2015. Minimum, mean, standard deviation, and maximum values for total number of supervisor and resident surgeon cases and for specific surgical procedures were compared. Results The mean total number of resident surgeon cases for residents graduating from 2011 to 2015 ranged from 1833.3 ± 484 in 2011 to 2072.3 ± 548 in 2014. The minimum total number of cases ranged from 826 in 2014 to 1004 in 2015. The maximum total number of cases increased from 3545 in 2011 to 4580 in 2015. Multiple key indicator procedures had less than the required minimum reported in 2015. Conclusion Despite the ACGME instituting required minimum numbers for key indicator procedures, residents have graduated without meeting these minimums. Furthermore, there continues to be large variations in the minimum, mean, and maximum numbers for many procedures. Variation among resident case numbers is likely multifactorial. Ensuring proper instruction on coding and case role as well as emphasizing frequent logging by residents will ensure programs have the most accurate data to evaluate their case volume.

Simulating ozone dry deposition at a boreal forest with a multi-layer canopy deposition model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Putian; Ganzeveld, Laurens; Rannik, Üllar; Zhou, Luxi; Gierens, Rosa; Taipale, Ditte; Mammarella, Ivan; Boy, Michael

2017-01-01

A multi-layer ozone (O3) dry deposition model has been implemented into SOSAA (a model to Simulate the concentrations of Organic vapours, Sulphuric Acid and Aerosols) to improve the representation of O3 concentration and flux within and above the forest canopy in the planetary boundary layer. We aim to predict the O3 uptake by a boreal forest canopy under varying environmental conditions and analyse the influence of different factors on total O3 uptake by the canopy as well as the vertical distribution of deposition sinks inside the canopy. The newly implemented dry deposition model was validated by an extensive comparison of simulated and observed O3 turbulent fluxes and concentration profiles within and above the boreal forest canopy at SMEAR II (Station to Measure Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations II) in Hyytiälä, Finland, in August 2010. In this model, the fraction of wet surface on vegetation leaves was parametrised according to the ambient relative humidity (RH). Model results showed that when RH was larger than 70 % the O3 uptake onto wet skin contributed ˜ 51 % to the total deposition during nighttime and ˜ 19 % during daytime. The overall contribution of soil uptake was estimated about 36 %. The contribution of sub-canopy deposition below 4.2 m was modelled to be ˜ 38 % of the total O3 deposition during daytime, which was similar to the contribution reported in previous studies. The chemical contribution to O3 removal was evaluated directly in the model simulations. According to the simulated averaged diurnal cycle the net chemical production of O3 compensated up to ˜ 4 % of dry deposition loss from about 06:00 to 15:00 LT. During nighttime, the net chemical loss of O3 further enhanced removal by dry deposition by a maximum ˜ 9 %. Thus the results indicated an overall relatively small contribution of airborne chemical processes to O3 removal at this site.

Extreme daily precipitation: the case of Serbia in 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tošić, Ivana; Unkašević, Miroslava; Putniković, Suzana

2017-05-01

The extreme daily precipitation in Serbia was examined at 16 stations during the period 1961-2014. Two synoptic situations in May and September of 2014 were analysed, when extreme precipitation was recorded in western and eastern Serbia, respectively. The synoptic situation from 14 to 16 May 2014 remained nearly stationary over the western and central Serbia for the entire period. On 15 May 2014, the daily rainfall broke previous historical records in Belgrade (109.8 mm), Valjevo (108.2 mm) and Loznica (110 mm). Precipitation exceeded 200 mm in 72 h, producing the most catastrophic floods in the recent history of Serbia. In Negotin (eastern Serbia), daily precipitation of 161.3 mm was registered on 16 September 2014, which was the maximum value recorded during the period 1961-2014. The daily maximum in 2014 was registered at 6 out of 16 stations. The total annual precipitation for 2014 was the highest for the period 1961-2014 at almost all stations in Serbia. A non-significant positive trend was found for all precipitation indices: annual daily maximum precipitation, the total precipitation in consecutive 3 and 5 days, the total annual precipitation, and number of days with at least 10 and 20 mm of precipitation. The generalised extreme value distribution was fitted to the annual daily maximum precipitation. The estimated 100-year return levels were 123.4 and 147.4 mm for the annual daily maximum precipitation in Belgrade and Negotin, respectively.

Post optimization paradigm in maximum 3-satisfiability logic programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansor, Mohd. Asyraf; Sathasivam, Saratha; Kasihmuddin, Mohd Shareduwan Mohd

2017-08-01

Maximum 3-Satisfiability (MAX-3SAT) is a counterpart of the Boolean satisfiability problem that can be treated as a constraint optimization problem. It deals with a conundrum of searching the maximum number of satisfied clauses in a particular 3-SAT formula. This paper presents the implementation of enhanced Hopfield network in hastening the Maximum 3-Satisfiability (MAX-3SAT) logic programming. Four post optimization techniques are investigated, including the Elliot symmetric activation function, Gaussian activation function, Wavelet activation function and Hyperbolic tangent activation function. The performances of these post optimization techniques in accelerating MAX-3SAT logic programming will be discussed in terms of the ratio of maximum satisfied clauses, Hamming distance and the computation time. Dev-C++ was used as the platform for training, testing and validating our proposed techniques. The results depict the Hyperbolic tangent activation function and Elliot symmetric activation function can be used in doing MAX-3SAT logic programming.

40 CFR 35.705 - Maximum federal share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Environmental Program Grants for Tribes Indoor Radon Grants (section 306... up to 75 percent of the approved costs for the development and implementation of radon program...

Algorithms for optimized maximum entropy and diagnostic tools for analytic continuation.

PubMed

Bergeron, Dominic; Tremblay, A-M S

2016-08-01

Analytic continuation of numerical data obtained in imaginary time or frequency has become an essential part of many branches of quantum computational physics. It is, however, an ill-conditioned procedure and thus a hard numerical problem. The maximum-entropy approach, based on Bayesian inference, is the most widely used method to tackle that problem. Although the approach is well established and among the most reliable and efficient ones, useful developments of the method and of its implementation are still possible. In addition, while a few free software implementations are available, a well-documented, optimized, general purpose, and user-friendly software dedicated to that specific task is still lacking. Here we analyze all aspects of the implementation that are critical for accuracy and speed and present a highly optimized approach to maximum entropy. Original algorithmic and conceptual contributions include (1) numerical approximations that yield a computational complexity that is almost independent of temperature and spectrum shape (including sharp Drude peaks in broad background, for example) while ensuring quantitative accuracy of the result whenever precision of the data is sufficient, (2) a robust method of choosing the entropy weight α that follows from a simple consistency condition of the approach and the observation that information- and noise-fitting regimes can be identified clearly from the behavior of χ^{2} with respect to α, and (3) several diagnostics to assess the reliability of the result. Benchmarks with test spectral functions of different complexity and an example with an actual physical simulation are presented. Our implementation, which covers most typical cases for fermions, bosons, and response functions, is available as an open source, user-friendly software.

Algorithms for optimized maximum entropy and diagnostic tools for analytic continuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, Dominic; Tremblay, A.-M. S.

2016-08-01

Analytic continuation of numerical data obtained in imaginary time or frequency has become an essential part of many branches of quantum computational physics. It is, however, an ill-conditioned procedure and thus a hard numerical problem. The maximum-entropy approach, based on Bayesian inference, is the most widely used method to tackle that problem. Although the approach is well established and among the most reliable and efficient ones, useful developments of the method and of its implementation are still possible. In addition, while a few free software implementations are available, a well-documented, optimized, general purpose, and user-friendly software dedicated to that specific task is still lacking. Here we analyze all aspects of the implementation that are critical for accuracy and speed and present a highly optimized approach to maximum entropy. Original algorithmic and conceptual contributions include (1) numerical approximations that yield a computational complexity that is almost independent of temperature and spectrum shape (including sharp Drude peaks in broad background, for example) while ensuring quantitative accuracy of the result whenever precision of the data is sufficient, (2) a robust method of choosing the entropy weight α that follows from a simple consistency condition of the approach and the observation that information- and noise-fitting regimes can be identified clearly from the behavior of χ2 with respect to α , and (3) several diagnostics to assess the reliability of the result. Benchmarks with test spectral functions of different complexity and an example with an actual physical simulation are presented. Our implementation, which covers most typical cases for fermions, bosons, and response functions, is available as an open source, user-friendly software.

Computing the Distribution of Pareto Sums Using Laplace Transformation and Stehfest Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, C. K.; Bourne, S. J.

2017-05-01

In statistical seismology, the properties of distributions of total seismic moment are important for constraining seismological models, such as the strain partitioning model (Bourne et al. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 119(12): 8991-9015, 2014). This work was motivated by the need to develop appropriate seismological models for the Groningen gas field in the northeastern Netherlands, in order to address the issue of production-induced seismicity. The total seismic moment is the sum of the moments of individual seismic events, which in common with many other natural processes, are governed by Pareto or "power law" distributions. The maximum possible moment for an induced seismic event can be constrained by geomechanical considerations, but rather poorly, and for Groningen it cannot be reliably inferred from the frequency distribution of moment magnitude pertaining to the catalogue of observed events. In such cases it is usual to work with the simplest form of the Pareto distribution without an upper bound, and we follow the same approach here. In the case of seismicity, the exponent β appearing in the power-law relation is small enough for the variance of the unbounded Pareto distribution to be infinite, which renders standard statistical methods concerning sums of statistical variables, based on the central limit theorem, inapplicable. Determinations of the properties of sums of moderate to large numbers of Pareto-distributed variables with infinite variance have traditionally been addressed using intensive Monte Carlo simulations. This paper presents a novel method for accurate determination of the properties of such sums that is accurate, fast and easily implemented, and is applicable to Pareto-distributed variables for which the power-law exponent β lies within the interval [0, 1]. It is based on shifting the original variables so that a non-zero density is obtained exclusively for non-negative values of the parameter and is identically zero elsewhere, a property that is shared by the sum of an arbitrary number of such variables. The technique involves applying the Laplace transform to the normalized sum (which is simply the product of the Laplace transforms of the densities of the individual variables, with a suitable scaling of the Laplace variable), and then inverting it numerically using the Gaver-Stehfest algorithm. After validating the method using a number of test cases, it was applied to address the distribution of total seismic moment, and the quantiles computed for various numbers of seismic events were compared with those obtained in the literature using Monte Carlo simulation. Excellent agreement was obtained. As an application, the method was applied to the evolution of total seismic moment released by tremors due to gas production in the Groningen gas field in the northeastern Netherlands. The speed, accuracy and ease of implementation of the method allows the development of accurate correlations for constraining statistical seismological models using, for example, the maximum-likelihood method. It should also be of value in other natural processes governed by Pareto distributions with exponent less than unity.

40 CFR 418.12 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride 75 25 TSS 150 50 The total suspended solid limitation set...) Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus...

40 CFR 418.12 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride 75 25 TSS 150 50 The total suspended solid limitation set...) Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus...

A Score to Identify Patients with Brain Metastases from Colorectal Cancer Who May Benefit from Whole-brain Radiotherapy in Addition to Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Rades, Dirk; Dziggel, Liesa; Blanck, Oliver; Gebauer, Niklas; Bartscht, Tobias; Schild, Steven E

2018-05-01

To design a tool to predict the probability of new cerebral lesions after stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy for patients with 1-3 brain metastases from colorectal cancer. In 21 patients, nine factors were evaluated for freedom from new brain metastases, namely age, gender, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), tumor type, number, maximum total diameter of all lesions and sites of cerebral lesions, extra-cranial metastases, and time from cancer diagnosis to irradiation. Freedom from new lesions was positively associated with KPS of 90-100 (p=0.013); maximum total diameter ≤15 mm showed a trend for positive association (p=0.09). Points were assigned as: KPS 70-80=1 point, KPS 90-100=2 points, maximum diameter ≤15 mm=2 points and maximum diameter >15 mm=1 point. Six-month rates of freedom from new lesions were 29%, 45% and 100% for those with total scores of 2, 3 and 4 points, respectively, with corresponding 12-month rates of 0%, 45% and 100% (p=0.027). This study identified three risk groups regarding new brain metastases after stereotactic irradiation. Patients with 2 points could benefit from additional whole-brain radiotherapy. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

EPA Office of Water (OW): Impaired Waters with TMDLs NHDPlus Indexed Dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Tracking System contains information on waters that are Not Supporting their designated uses. These waters are listed by the state as impaired under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. The status of TMDLs are also tracked. TMDLs are pollution control measures that reduce the discharge of pollutants into impaired waters. A TMDL or Total Maximum Daily Load is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant's sources. What is a total maximum daily load (TMDL)? Water quality standards are set by States, Territories, and Tribes. They identify the uses for each waterbody, for example, drinking water supply, contact recreation (swimming), and aquatic life support (fishing), and the scientific criteria to support that use. A TMDL is the sum of the allowable loads of a single pollutant from all contributing point and nonpoint sources. The calculation must include a margin of safety to ensure that the waterbody can be used for the purposes the state has designated. The calculation must also account for seasonal variation in water quality. The Clean Water Act, section 303, establishes the water quality standards and TMDL programs.

A low-power, high-throughput maximum-likelihood convolutional decoder chip for NASA's 30/20 GHz program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccallister, R. D.; Crawford, J. J.

1981-01-01

It is pointed out that the NASA 30/20 GHz program will place in geosynchronous orbit a technically advanced communication satellite which can process time-division multiple access (TDMA) information bursts with a data throughput in excess of 4 GBPS. To guarantee acceptable data quality during periods of signal attenuation it will be necessary to provide a significant forward error correction (FEC) capability. Convolutional decoding (utilizing the maximum-likelihood techniques) was identified as the most attractive FEC strategy. Design trade-offs regarding a maximum-likelihood convolutional decoder (MCD) in a single-chip CMOS implementation are discussed.

Compliance with the CURB-65 score and the consequences of non-implementation.

PubMed

Guo, Q; Li, H-Y; Zhou, Y-P; Li, M; Chen, X-K; Liu, H; Peng, H-L; Yu, H-Q; Chen, X; Liu, N; Liang, L-H; Zhao, Q-Z; Jiang, M

2011-12-01

The CURB-65 (confusion, urea >7 mmol/l, respiratory rate ≥ 30 breaths/min, low blood pressure and age ≥ 65 years) score is a simple, well-validated tool for the assessment of severity in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). It is unknown whether it is used routinely in China. To determine the frequency of use of the CURB-65 score in routine hospital practice and the consequences of non-implementation. A retrospective analysis of medical records from 1230 in-patients with CAP in a Chinese medical college-affiliated hospital. No CAP patient underwent the CURB-65 test at admission. Based on the British Thoracic Society guidelines, the 716 (58.2%) in-patients with a CURB65 score of 0 and the 402 (32.7%) in-patients with CURB-65 score of 1 should have received ambulatory treatment, whereas the 14 (1.2%) patients with CURB65 scores of ≥ 3 should have been admitted to the critical care unit. The maximum excess total annual costs for managing CAP patients with CURB-65 scores of 0 and 1 were estimated at respectively US$94 383.12 and US$66 313.92 in the hospital. The CURB-65 scoring tool in patients with CAP was not applied in routine hospital practice, resulting in inappropriate hospitalisation and excess costs.

A Planar Microfluidic Mixer Based on Logarithmic Spirals

PubMed Central

Scherr, Thomas; Quitadamo, Christian; Tesvich, Preston; Park, Daniel Sang-Won; Tiersch, Terrence; Hayes, Daniel; Choi, Jin-Woo; Nandakumar, Krishnaswamy

2013-01-01

A passive, planar micromixer design based on logarithmic spirals is presented. The device was fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane soft photolithography techniques, and mixing performance was characterized via numerical simulation and fluorescent microscopy. Mixing efficiency initially declined as Reynolds number increased, and this trend continued until a Reynolds number of 15 where a minimum was reached at 53%. Mixing efficiency then began to increase reaching a maximum mixing efficiency of 86% at Re = 67. Three-dimensional simulations of fluid mixing in this design were compared to other planar geometries such as the Archimedes spiral and Meandering-S mixers. The implementation of logarithmic curvature offers several unique advantages that enhance mixing, namely a variable cross-sectional area and a logarithmically varying radius of curvature that creates 3-D Dean vortices. These flow phenomena were observed in simulations with multilayered fluid folding and validated with confocal microscopy. This design provides improved mixing performance over a broader range of Reynolds numbers than other reported planar mixers, all while avoiding external force fields, more complicated fabrication processes, and the introduction of flow obstructions or cavities that may unintentionally affect sensitive or particulate-containing samples. Due to the planar design requiring only single-step lithographic features, this compact geometry could be easily implemented into existing micro-total analysis systems requiring effective rapid mixing. PMID:23956497

A planar microfluidic mixer based on logarithmic spirals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherr, Thomas; Quitadamo, Christian; Tesvich, Preston; Sang-Won Park, Daniel; Tiersch, Terrence; Hayes, Daniel; Choi, Jin-Woo; Nandakumar, Krishnaswamy; Monroe, W. Todd

2012-05-01

A passive, planar micromixer design based on logarithmic spirals is presented. The device was fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane soft photolithography techniques, and mixing performance was characterized via numerical simulation and fluorescent microscopy. Mixing efficiency initially declined as the Reynolds number increased, and this trend continued until a Reynolds number of 15 where a minimum was reached at 53%. Mixing efficiency then began to increase reaching a maximum mixing efficiency of 86% at Re = 67. Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of fluid mixing in this design were compared to other planar geometries such as the Archimedes spiral and Meandering-S mixers. The implementation of logarithmic curvature offers several unique advantages that enhance mixing, namely a variable cross-sectional area and a logarithmically varying radius of curvature that creates 3D Dean vortices. These flow phenomena were observed in simulations with multilayered fluid folding and validated with confocal microscopy. This design provides improved mixing performance over a broader range of Reynolds numbers than other reported planar mixers, all while avoiding external force fields, more complicated fabrication processes and the introduction of flow obstructions or cavities that may unintentionally affect sensitive or particulate-containing samples. Due to the planar design requiring only single-step lithographic features, this compact geometry could be easily implemented into existing micro-total analysis systems requiring effective rapid mixing.

Time-optimum packet scheduling for many-to-one routing in wireless sensor networks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Song, W.-Z.; Yuan, F.; LaHuser, R.

2007-01-01

This paper studies the WSN application scenario with periodical traffic from all sensors to a sink. We present a time-optimum and energy-efficient packet scheduling algorithm and its distributed implementation. We first give a general many-to-one packet scheduling algorithm for wireless networks, and then prove that it is time-optimum and costs max(2N(u1) - 1, N(u 0) -1) time slots, assuming each node reports one unit of data in each round. Here N(u0) is the total number of sensors, while N(u 1) denotes the number of sensors in a sink's largest branch subtree. With a few adjustments, we then show that our algorithm also achieves time-optimum scheduling in heterogeneous scenarios, where each sensor reports a heterogeneous amount of data in each round. Then we give a distributed implementation to let each node calculate its duty-cycle locally and maximize efficiency globally. In this packet scheduling algorithm, each node goes to sleep whenever it is not transceiving, so that the energy waste of idle listening is also eliminated. Finally, simulations are conducted to evaluate network performance using the Qualnet simulator. Among other contributions, our study also identifies the maximum reporting frequency that a deployed sensor network can handle. ??2006 IEEE.

Time-optimum packet scheduling for many-to-one routing in wireless sensor networks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Song, W.-Z.; Yuan, F.; LaHusen, R.; Shirazi, B.

2007-01-01

This paper studies the wireless sensor networks (WSN) application scenario with periodical traffic from all sensors to a sink. We present a time-optimum and energy-efficient packet scheduling algorithm and its distributed implementation. We first give a general many-to-one packet scheduling algorithm for wireless networks, and then prove that it is time-optimum and costs [image omitted], N(u0)-1) time slots, assuming each node reports one unit of data in each round. Here [image omitted] is the total number of sensors, while [image omitted] denotes the number of sensors in a sink's largest branch subtree. With a few adjustments, we then show that our algorithm also achieves time-optimum scheduling in heterogeneous scenarios, where each sensor reports a heterogeneous amount of data in each round. Then we give a distributed implementation to let each node calculate its duty-cycle locally and maximize efficiency globally. In this packet-scheduling algorithm, each node goes to sleep whenever it is not transceiving, so that the energy waste of idle listening is also mitigated. Finally, simulations are conducted to evaluate network performance using the Qualnet simulator. Among other contributions, our study also identifies the maximum reporting frequency that a deployed sensor network can handle.

Guidelines for Implementing Advanced Distribution Management Systems-Requirements for DMS Integration with DERMS and Microgrids

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

Wang, Jianhui; Chen, Chen; Lu, Xiaonan

2015-08-01

This guideline focuses on the integration of DMS with DERMS and microgrids connected to the distribution grid by defining generic and fundamental design and implementation principles and strategies. It starts by addressing the current status, objectives, and core functionalities of each system, and then discusses the new challenges and the common principles of DMS design and implementation for integration with DERMS and microgrids to realize enhanced grid operation reliability and quality power delivery to consumers while also achieving the maximum energy economics from the DER and microgrid connections.

Design and Implementation of the PALM-3000 Real-Time Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truong, Tuan N.; Bouchez, Antonin H.; Burruss, Rick S.; Dekany, Richard G.; Guiwits, Stephen R.; Roberts, Jennifer E.; Shelton, Jean C.; Troy, Mitchell

2012-01-01

This paper reflects, from a computational perspective, on the experience gathered in designing and implementing realtime control of the PALM-3000 adaptive optics system currently in operation at the Palomar Observatory. We review the algorithms that serve as functional requirements driving the architecture developed, and describe key design issues and solutions that contributed to the system's low compute-latency. Additionally, we describe an implementation of dense matrix-vector-multiplication for wavefront reconstruction that exceeds 95% of the maximum sustained achievable bandwidth on NVIDIA Geforce 8800GTX GPU.

Cluster headache - clinical pattern and a new severity scale in a Swedish cohort.

PubMed

Steinberg, Anna; Fourier, Carmen; Ran, Caroline; Waldenlind, Elisabet; Sjöstrand, Christina; Belin, Andrea Carmine

2018-06-01

Background The aim of this study was to investigate clinical features of a cluster headache cohort in Sweden and to construct and test a new scale for grading severity. Methods Subjects were identified by screening medical records for the ICD 10 code G44.0, that is, cluster headache. Five hundred participating research subjects filled in a questionnaire including personal, demographic and medical aspects. We constructed a novel scale for grading cluster headache in this cohort: The Cluster Headache Severity Scale, which included number of attacks per day, attack and period duration. The lowest total score was three and the highest 12, and we used the Cluster Headache Severity Scale to grade subjects suffering from cluster headache. We further implemented the scale by defining a cluster headache maximum severity subgroup with a high Cluster Headache Severity Scale score ≥ 9. Results A majority (66.7%) of the patients reported that attacks appear at certain time intervals. In addition, cluster headache patients who were current tobacco users or had a history of tobacco consumption had a later age of disease onset (31.7 years) compared to non-tobacco users (28.5 years). The Cluster Headache Severity Scale score was higher in the patient group reporting sporadic or no alcohol intake than in the groups reporting an alcohol consumption of three to four standard units per week or more. Maximum severity cluster headache patients were characterised by higher age at disease onset, greater use of prophylactic medication, reduced hours of sleep, and lower alcohol consumption compared to the non-cluster headache maximum severity group. Conclusion There was a wide variation of severity grade among cluster headache patients, with a very marked impact on daily living for the most profoundly affected.

Ku to V-band 4-bit MEMS phase shifter bank using high isolation SP4T switches and DMTL structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Sukomal; Koul, Shiban K.; Poddar, Ajay K.; Rohde, Ulrich L.

2017-10-01

This work presents a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based on a wide-band 4-bit phase shifter using two back-to-back single-pole-four-throw (SP4T) switches and four different distributed MEMS transmission line (DMTL) structures that are implemented on 635 µm alumina substrate using surface micromachining process. An SP4T switch is designed with a series-shunt configuration and it demonstrates an average return loss of  >17 dB, an insertion loss of  <1.97 dB and maximum isolation of  >28 dB up to 60 GHz. A maximum area of the SP4T switch is ~0.76 mm2. Single-pole-single-throw and SP4T switches are capable of handling 1 W of radio frequency (RF) power up to  >100 million cycles at 25° C; they can even sustained up to  >70 million cycles with 1 W at 85 °C. The proposed wide-band phase shifter works at 17 GHz (Ku-band), 25 GHz (K-band), 35 GHz (Ka-band) and 60 GHz (V-band) frequencies. Finally,a 4-bit phase shifter demonstrates an average insertion loss of  <6 dB, return loss of  >10 dB and maximum phase error of ~3.8° at 60 GHz frequency over 500 MHz bandwidth. Total area of the fabricated device is ~11 mm2. In addition, the proposed device works well up to  >107 cycles with 1 W of RF power. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the best reported wide-band MEMS 4-bit phase shifter in the literature that works with a constant resolution.

Optimum data analysis procedures for Titan 4 and Space Shuttle payload acoustic measurements during lift-off

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piersol, Allan G.

1991-01-01

Analytical expressions have been derived to describe the mean square error in the estimation of the maximum rms value computed from a step-wise (or running) time average of a nonstationary random signal. These analytical expressions have been applied to the problem of selecting the optimum averaging times that will minimize the total mean square errors in estimates of the maximum sound pressure levels measured inside the Titan IV payload fairing (PLF) and the Space Shuttle payload bay (PLB) during lift-off. Based on evaluations of typical Titan IV and Space Shuttle launch data, it has been determined that the optimum averaging times for computing the maximum levels are (1) T (sub o) = 1.14 sec for the maximum overall level, and T(sub oi) = 4.88 f (sub i) (exp -0.2) sec for the maximum 1/3 octave band levels inside the Titan IV PLF, and (2) T (sub o) = 1.65 sec for the maximum overall level, and T (sub oi) = 7.10 f (sub i) (exp -0.2) sec for the maximum 1/3 octave band levels inside the Space Shuttle PLB, where f (sub i) is the 1/3 octave band center frequency. However, the results for both vehicles indicate that the total rms error in the maximum level estimates will be within 25 percent the minimum error for all averaging times within plus or minus 50 percent of the optimum averaging time, so a precise selection of the exact optimum averaging time is not critical. Based on these results, linear averaging times (T) are recommended for computing the maximum sound pressure level during lift-off.

40 CFR 142.63 - Variances and exemptions from the maximum contaminant level for total coliforms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) EPA has stayed the effective date of this section relating to the total coliform MCL of § 141.63(a) of this chapter for systems that demonstrate to the State that the violation of the total coliform MCL is...

Blood biochemistry and immune response in Aseel chicken under free range, semi-intensive, and confinement rearing systems.

PubMed

Rehman, M S; Mahmud, A; Mehmood, S; Pasha, T N; Hussain, J; Khan, M T

2017-01-01

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of 3 different rearing systems [free range ( FR: ), semi-intensive ( SI: ), and confinement ( CF: )] on blood biochemical profile and immune response in 4 varieties of Aseel chicken [Lakha ( LK: ), Mushki ( MS: ), Peshawari ( PW: ) and Sindhi ( SN: )] for 10 wk duration (7 to 16 wk). At the age of 6 wk, in total, 180 cockerels were assigned to 12 treatment groups, 3 (rearing system) × 4 (Aseel chicken variety) factorial arrangement in 7 randomized complete blocks, replicated 3 times with 5 birds in each replicate (45 birds of each variety; 60 birds in each rearing system; 36 total replicates). Blood samples were collected through brachial vein at the end of wk 16. After laboratory analysis, the recorded data for blood biochemical profile and immune response were analyzed by using 2-way ANOVA under factorial arrangement. The results showed higher (P < 0.05) plasma glucose and total protein in birds under CF. Titer against Newcastle disease virus ( NDV: ) and infectious bronchitis virus ( IBV: ) was found to be greater (P < 0.05) in SI and FR, respectively. Peshawari birds indicated higher (P < 0.05) concentration of glucose, total protein, albumin, uric acid, creatinine, and titers to NDV and IBV. Birds of LK and SN varieties also indicated maximum antibody titer against NDV and IBV, respectively. Cholesterol level was found to be greater (P < 0.05) in birds of LK and SN. Interaction of SN with FR revealed maximum (P < 0.05) cholesterol whereas interaction of PW with SI indicated maximum antibody titer against NDV. The results highlight that CF rearing system expediently affects glucose and total protein levels in birds; SI and FR confer maximum antibody titers to NDV and IBV. Birds of PW variety indicated higher glucose, total protein, albumin, uric acid, and creatinine, the lowest cholesterol under FR and the enhanced antibody titer against NDV and IBV. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Sucrose-enhanced biosynthesis of medicinally important antioxidant secondary metabolites in cell suspension cultures of Artemisia absinthium L.

PubMed

Ali, Mohammad; Abbasi, Bilal Haider; Ahmad, Nisar; Ali, Syed Shujait; Ali, Shahid; Ali, Gul Shad

2016-12-01

Natural products are gaining tremendous importance in pharmaceutical industry and attention has been focused on the applications of in vitro technologies to enhance yield and productivity of such products. In this study, we investigated the accumulation of biomass and antioxidant secondary metabolites in response to different carbohydrate sources (sucrose, maltose, fructose and glucose) and sucrose concentrations (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 %). Moreover, the effects of 3 % repeated sucrose feeding (day-12, -18 and -24) were also investigated. The results showed the superiority of disaccharides over monosaccharides for maximum biomass and secondary metabolites accumulation. Comparable profiles for maximum biomass were observed in response to sucrose and maltose and initial sucrose concentrations of 3 and 5 %. Maximum total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were displayed by cultures treated with sucrose and maltose; however, initial sucrose concentrations of 5 and 7 % were optimum for both classes of metabolites, respectively. Following 3 % extra sucrose feeding, cultures fed on day-24 (late-log phase) showed higher biomass, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents as compared to control cultures. Highest antioxidant activity was exhibited by maltose-treated cultures. Moreover, sucrose-treated cultures displayed positive correlation of antioxidant activity with total phenolics and total flavonoids production. This work describes the stimulatory role of disaccharides and sucrose feeding strategy for higher accumulation of phenolics and flavonoids, which could be potentially scaled up to bioreactor level for the bulk production of these metabolites in suspension cultures of A. absinthium.

40 CFR 421.324 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium... Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or pollutant property Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of uranium processed in the refinery Chromium (total) 27.14 11.00...

40 CFR 421.324 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium... Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or pollutant property Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of uranium processed in the refinery Chromium (total) 27.14 11.00...

40 CFR 421.324 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium... Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or pollutant property Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/kg (pounds per million pounds) of uranium processed in the refinery Chromium (total) 27.14 11.00...

Beyond maximum entropy: Fractal pixon-based image reconstruction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puetter, R. C.; Pina, R. K.

1994-01-01

We have developed a new Bayesian image reconstruction method that has been shown to be superior to the best implementations of other methods, including Goodness-of-Fit (e.g. Least-Squares and Lucy-Richardson) and Maximum Entropy (ME). Our new method is based on the concept of the pixon, the fundamental, indivisible unit of picture information. Use of the pixon concept provides an improved image model, resulting in an image prior which is superior to that of standard ME.

Optimal startup control of a jacketed tubular reactor.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, D. R.; Fan, L. T.; Hwang, C. L.

1971-01-01

The optimal startup policy of a jacketed tubular reactor, in which a first-order, reversible, exothermic reaction takes place, is presented. A distributed maximum principle is presented for determining weak necessary conditions for optimality of a diffusional distributed parameter system. A numerical technique is developed for practical implementation of the distributed maximum principle. This involves the sequential solution of the state and adjoint equations, in conjunction with a functional gradient technique for iteratively improving the control function.

Solar array maximum power tracking with closed-loop control of a 30-centimeter ion thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gruber, R. P.

1977-01-01

A new solar array/ion thruster system control concept has been developed and demonstrated. An ion thruster beam load is used to automatically and continuously operate an unregulated solar array at its maximum power point independent of variations in solar array voltage and current. Preliminary tests were run which verified that this method of control can be implemented with a few, physically small, signal level components dissipating less than two watts.

Experimental optimal maximum-confidence discrimination and optimal unambiguous discrimination of two mixed single-photon states

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

Steudle, Gesine A.; Knauer, Sebastian; Herzog, Ulrike

2011-05-15

We present an experimental implementation of optimum measurements for quantum state discrimination. Optimum maximum-confidence discrimination and optimum unambiguous discrimination of two mixed single-photon polarization states were performed. For the latter the states of rank 2 in a four-dimensional Hilbert space are prepared using both path and polarization encoding. Linear optics and single photons from a true single-photon source based on a semiconductor quantum dot are utilized.

Implementation of Preoperative Screening Criteria Lowers Infection and Complication Rates Following Elective Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty in a Veteran Population.

PubMed

Nussenbaum, Fernando D; Rodriguez-Quintana, David; Fish, Sara M; Green, David M; Cahill, Catherine W

2018-01-01

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are common procedures with a risk of complications. Attempting to minimize complications, our institution implemented preoperative screening criteria for patients undergoing elective total joint replacement. Our study aimed to determine if screening criteria lowered total complications and/or surgical site infections (SSI). Two groups of consecutive patients undergoing TKA and THA at a single Veterans Affairs facility were evaluated prior to and after implementation of screening criteria, 520 and 475 respectively. Screening criteria included hemoglobin A1c ≤7, hemoglobin ≥11, body mass index ≤35, and albumin ≥3.5. Groups were analyzed for demographics, preoperative comorbidities, and postoperative complications. Rates of total complications and SSI were compared. Average follow-up was at least 2 years with minimum of 1 year. Demographics and comorbidities outside the screening criteria were similar. Total complication rate was reduced from 35.4% to 14.8% (P < .01) after implementation of screening criteria. For TKA, total complications were reduced from 33.1% to 15.0% (P < .01) and for THA they were reduced from 42.4% to 14.2% (P < .01). SSI rates for combined TKA and THA were reduced from 4.4% to 1.3% (P < .01). For knees, SSI was reduced from 4.6% to 1.3% (P = .01) and was statistically significant. For THA, SSI decreased from 3.8% to 1.2% (P < .05). Our institution saw a statistically significant decrease in both SSI and total complications following implementation of preoperative screening criteria for elective TKA and THA. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Revised Total Coliform Webinar for Primacy Agencies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This webinar was created to assist Primacy Agencies in the implementation of the Revised Total Coliform Rule. It provides an overview of the requirements in the rule and implementation guidance for Primacy Agencies.

Design and optimization of a modal- independent linear ultrasonic motor.

PubMed

Zhou, Shengli; Yao, Zhiyuan

2014-03-01

To simplify the design of the linear ultrasonic motor (LUSM) and improve its output performance, a method of modal decoupling for LUSMs is proposed in this paper. The specific embodiment of this method is decoupling of the traditional LUSM stator's complex vibration into two simple vibrations, with each vibration implemented by one vibrator. Because the two vibrators are designed independently, their frequencies can be tuned independently and frequency consistency is easy to achieve. Thus, the method can simplify the design of the LUSM. Based on this method, a prototype modal- independent LUSM is designed and fabricated. The motor reaches its maximum thrust force of 47 N, maximum unloaded speed of 0.43 m/s, and maximum power of 7.85 W at applied voltage of 200 Vpp. The motor's structure is then optimized by controlling the difference between the two vibrators' resonance frequencies to reach larger output speed, thrust, and power. The optimized results show that when the frequency difference is 73 Hz, the output force, speed, and power reach their maximum values. At the input voltage of 200 Vpp, the motor reaches its maximum thrust force of 64.2 N, maximum unloaded speed of 0.76 m/s, maximum power of 17.4 W, maximum thrust-weight ratio of 23.7, and maximum efficiency of 39.6%.

Navigation-based femorotibial rotation pattern correlated with flexion angle after total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Ishida, Kazunari; Shibanuma, Nao; Matsumoto, Tomoyuki; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Takayama, Koji; Matsuzaki, Tokio; Tei, Katsumasa; Kuroda, Ryosuke; Kurosaka, Masahiro

2016-01-01

To investigate whether intraoperative kinematics obtained by navigation systems can be divided into several kinematic patterns and to assess the correlation between the intraoperative kinematics with maximum flexion angles before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Fifty-four posterior-stabilised (PS) TKA implanted using an image-free navigation system were evaluated. At registration and after implantation, tibial internal rotation angles at maximum extension, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, and maximum flexion were collected. The rotational patterns were divided into four groups and were examined the correlation with maximum flexion before and after operation. Tibial internal rotation from 90° of flexion to maximum flexion at registration was correlated with maximum flexion angles pre- and postoperatively. The four groups showed statistically different kinematic patterns. The group with tibial external rotation up to 90° of flexion, following tibial internal rotation at registration, achieved better flexion angles, compared to those of another groups (126.7° ± 12.0°, p < 0.05). The group with tibial external rotation showed the worst flexion angles (80.0° ± 40.4°, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the group with limited extension showed worse flexion angles (111.6° ± 8.9°, p < 0.05). Navigation-based kinematic patterns found at registration predict postoperative maximum flexion angle in PS TKA. Navigation-based kinematics can be useful information during TKA surgery. Diagnostic studies, development of diagnostic criteria in a consecutive series of patients and a universally applied "gold" standard, Level II.

Spectral bandwidth-efficient four-wave mixing minimization scheme for C-band dense wavelength division multiplexed system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Gurpreet; Singh, Maninder Lal

2017-07-01

A hybrid suboptimum channel separation (S-CS) scheme is presented. The distinct feature of the scheme is that it selectively minimizes the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect on the worst-affected channels and enhances the performance and spectral bandwidth efficiency in a controlled way. The scheme is helpful in the precise adjustment of tradeoff between immunity from FWM and spectral bandwidth requirement. The simulative comparison of the S-CS with optimum unequal channel separation (OUCS) and equal channel separation (ECS) schemes is performed to show its effectiveness. A dense wavelength division multiplexed system having a total capacity of 1.64 Tb/s in C band is implemented using the presented scheme. A maximum of 82 channels spaced at minimum CS of 50 GHz operating at a data rate of 20 Gb/s for each of the channels is realized using a S-CS (n=12) hybrid scheme. The simulations are performed in the presence of all the linear and nonlinear impairments and noises. A maximum of 480- and 300-km distances using SSMF and ITUT.G655 fibers, respectively, is realized using dispersion-compensating fibers for 82 channels. The ECS and hybrid OUCS can be realized to cover the same distances but with 73 and 79 channels, respectively, due to the realization problem and bandwidth inefficiency.

LANDMARK-BASED SPEECH RECOGNITION: REPORT OF THE 2004 JOHNS HOPKINS SUMMER WORKSHOP.

PubMed

Hasegawa-Johnson, Mark; Baker, James; Borys, Sarah; Chen, Ken; Coogan, Emily; Greenberg, Steven; Juneja, Amit; Kirchhoff, Katrin; Livescu, Karen; Mohan, Srividya; Muller, Jennifer; Sonmez, Kemal; Wang, Tianyu

2005-01-01

Three research prototype speech recognition systems are described, all of which use recently developed methods from artificial intelligence (specifically support vector machines, dynamic Bayesian networks, and maximum entropy classification) in order to implement, in the form of an automatic speech recognizer, current theories of human speech perception and phonology (specifically landmark-based speech perception, nonlinear phonology, and articulatory phonology). All three systems begin with a high-dimensional multiframe acoustic-to-distinctive feature transformation, implemented using support vector machines trained to detect and classify acoustic phonetic landmarks. Distinctive feature probabilities estimated by the support vector machines are then integrated using one of three pronunciation models: a dynamic programming algorithm that assumes canonical pronunciation of each word, a dynamic Bayesian network implementation of articulatory phonology, or a discriminative pronunciation model trained using the methods of maximum entropy classification. Log probability scores computed by these models are then combined, using log-linear combination, with other word scores available in the lattice output of a first-pass recognizer, and the resulting combination score is used to compute a second-pass speech recognition output.

Achieving low effluent NO3-N and TN concentrations in low influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) ratio without using external carbon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Jiashun; Oleyiblo, Oloche James; Xue, Zhaoxia; Otache, Y. Martins; Feng, Qian

2015-07-01

Two mathematical models were used to optimize the performance of a full-scale biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated treatment plant, a plug-flow bioreactors operated in a 3-stage phoredox process configuration, anaerobic anoxic oxic (A2/O). The ASM2d implemented on the platform of WEST2011 software and the BioWin activated sludge/anaerobic digestion (AS/AD) models were used in this study with the aim of consistently achieving the designed effluent criteria at a low operational cost. Four ASM2d parameters (the reduction factor for denitrification , the maximum growth rate of heterotrophs (µH), the rate constant for stored polyphosphates in PAOs ( q pp), and the hydrolysis rate constant ( k h)) were adjusted. Whereas three BioWin parameters (aerobic decay rate ( b H), heterotrophic dissolved oxygen (DO) half saturation ( K OA), and Y P/acetic) were adjusted. Calibration of the two models was successful; both models have average relative deviations (ARD) less than 10% for all the output variables. Low effluent concentrations of nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were achieved in a full-scale BNR treatment plant having low influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) ratio (COD/TKN). The effluent total nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen concentrations were improved by 50% and energy consumption was reduced by approximately 25%, which was accomplished by converting the two-pass aerobic compartment of the plug-flow bioreactor to anoxic reactors and being operated in an alternating mode. Findings in this work are helpful in improving the operation of wastewater treatment plant while eliminating the cost of external carbon source and reducing energy consumption.

Experimental and numerical study on frost heave of saturated rock under uniform freezing conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Zhitao; Xia, Caichu; Li, Qiang

2018-04-01

A series of freezing experiments are conducted on saturated sandstone and mortar specimens to investigate the frost heave of saturated rock under uniform freezing conditions. The experimental results show that the frost heave of saturated rock is isotropic under uniform freezing conditions. During the freezing process, three stages are observed in the curves of variation of total frost heaving strain versus time: the thermal contraction stage, the frost heaving stage and the steady stage. Moreover, the amount of final stable frost heave first increases and then decreases with decrease in freezing temperature, and the maximum final stable frost heave occurs at different freezing temperature in saturated sandstone and mortar. Furthermore, a coupled thermal-mechanical (TM) model of frost heave of saturated rock is proposed in which a constraint coefficient \\zeta is used to consider the susceptibility of the internal rock grain structure to the expansion of pore ice. Then, numerical simulations are implemented with COMSOL to solve the governing equations of the TM model. Comparisons of the numerical results with the experimental results are performed to demonstrate the reliability of the model. The influences of elastic modulus and porosity on frost heave are also investigated, and the results show that the total frost heaving strain decreases non-linearly with increasing elastic modulus, and the decrease is significant when the elastic modulus is less than 3000 MPa, or approximately five times the elastic modulus of ice. In addition, the total frost heaving strain increases linearly with increasing porosity. Finally, an empirical equation between total frost heaving strain and freezing temperature is proposed and the equation well describes the variation of total frost heaving strain with freezing temperature.

Total Quality Management: Analysis, Evaluation and Implementation Within ACRV Project Teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raiman, Laura B.

1991-01-01

Total quality management (TQM) is a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents of everyone in an organization to continually improve quality and productivity, using teams and an assortment of statistical and measurement tools. The Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) Project Office was identified as an excellent project in which to demonstrate the applications and benefits of TQM processes. As the ACRV Program moves through its various stages of development, it is vital that effectiveness and efficiency be maintained in order to provide the Space Station Freedom (SSF) crew an affordable, on-time assured return to Earth. A critical factor for the success of the ACRV is attaining the maximum benefit from the resources applied to the program. Through a series of four tutorials on various quality improvement techniques, and numerous one-on-one sessions during the SSF's 10-week term in the project office, results were obtained which are aiding the ACRV Office in implementing a disciplined, ongoing process for generating fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide the organization. Significant advances were made in improving the processes for two particular groups - the correspondence distribution team and the WATER Test team. Numerous people from across JSC were a part of the various team activities including engineering, man systems, and safety. The work also included significant interaction with the support contractor to the ACRV Project. The results of the improvement activities can be used as models for other organizations desiring to operate under a system of continuous improvement. In particular, they have advanced the ACRV Project Teams further down the path of continuous improvement, in support of a working philosophy of TQM.

Point source pollution and variability of nitrate concentrations in water from shallow aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemčić-Jurec, Jasna; Jazbec, Anamarija

2017-06-01

Agriculture is one of the several major sources of nitrate pollution, and therefore the EU Nitrate Directive, designed to decrease pollution, has been implemented. Point sources like septic systems and broken sewage systems also contribute to water pollution. Pollution of groundwater by nitrate from 19 shallow wells was studied in a typical agricultural region, middle Podravina, in northwest Croatia. The concentration of nitrate ranged from <0.1 to 367 mg/l in water from wells, and 29.8 % of 253 total samples were above maximum acceptable value of 50 mg/l (MAV). Among regions R1-R6, there was no statistically significant difference in nitrate concentrations ( F = 1.98; p = 0.15) during the years 2002-2007. Average concentrations of nitrate in all 19 wells for all the analyzed years were between recommended limit value of 25 mg/l (RLV) and MAV except in 2002 (concentration was under RLV). The results of the repeated measures ANOVA showed statistically significant differences between the wells at the point source distance (proximity) of <10 m, compared to the wells at the point source distance of >20 m ( F = 10.6; p < 0.001). Average annual concentrations of nitrate during the years studied are not statistically different, but interaction between proximity and years is statistically significant ( F = 2.07; p = 0.04). Results of k-means clustering confirmed division into four clusters according to the pollution. Principal component analysis showed that there is only one significant factor, proximity, which explains 91.6 % of the total variability of nitrate. Differences in water quality were found as a result of different environmental factors. These results will contribute to the implementation of the Nitrate Directive in Croatia and the EU.

Evaluation of the ultrasound effect on treated municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Vázquez-López, Monserrat; Amabilis-Sosa, Leonel Ernesto; Moeller-Chávez, Gabriela Eleonora; Roé-Sosa, Adriana; Neumann, Patricio; Vidal, Gladys

2018-06-18

In this research, ultrasound (US; 26 kHz) application was evaluated as tertiary treatment of treated municipal wastewater coming from conventional activated sludge (AS) and constructed wetland (CW) systems. The degree of disinfection was evaluated through the total (TC) and faecal (FC) coliforms and by somatic coliphages (SCs) determinations. The experiments were carried out without temperature control at times of 200, 400 and 600 s and with temperature control (298.1 K) at 600, 1200 and 1800 s. Changes in the concentrations of C, N and P were also studied. The results shown that treatment without temperature control allowed 100% inactivation for TC, FC and SC at 600 s, while maximum with temperature was achieved at 1800 s. Temperature was an important factor influencing pathogens inactivation. In both cases, microorganism concentrations complied with different international guidelines for the reuse of treated wastewater. At 1800 s sonication concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total phosphorus were reduced 39.5, 39.4, 50.0 and 37.3% TN in the AS-treated water and 24.0, 49.8, 20.2 and 7.7% in the CW-treated water, respectively. In both cases, the formation of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] radicals is most likely related to the observed pollutants removal. While energy consumption of ultrasound was higher than other advanced treatments such as electrocoagulation, its implementation allows the simultaneous removal of pathogens and organic pollutants without the generation of toxic by-products. In conclusion, ultrasound can be implemented as tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater for the removal of biological and organic pollution, according to reuse guidelines in terms of pathogens presence.

Long-term follow-up of trauma patients before and after implementation of a physician-staffed helicopter: A prospective observational study.

PubMed

Funder, Kamilia S; Rasmussen, Lars S; Lohse, Nicolai; Siersma, Volkert; Hesselfeldt, Rasmus; Steinmetz, Jacob

2016-01-01

The first Danish Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) was introduced May 1st 2010. The implementation was associated with lower 30-day mortality in severely injured patients. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of HEMS on labour market affiliation and mortality of trauma patients. Prospective, observational study with a maximum follow-up time of 4.5 years. Trauma patients from a 5-month period prior to the implementation of HEMS (pre-HEMS) were compared with patients from the first 12 months after implementation (post-HEMS). All analyses were adjusted for sex, age and Injury Severity Score. Of the total 1994 patients, 1790 were eligible for mortality analyses and 1172 (n=297 pre-HEMS and n=875 post-HEMS) for labour market analyses. Incidence rates of involuntary early retirement or death were 2.40 per 100 person-years pre-HEMS and 2.00 post-HEMS; corresponding to a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-1.17; p=0.18). The HR of involuntary early retirement was 0.79 (95% CI 0.44-1.43; p=0.43). The prevalence of reduced work ability after three years were 21.4% vs. 17.7%, odds ratio (OR)=0.78 (CI 0.53-1.14; p=0.20). The proportions of patients on social transfer payments at least half the time during the three-year period were 30.5% vs. 23.4%, OR=0.68 (CI 0.49-0.96; p=0.03). HR for mortality was 0.92 (CI 0.62-1.35; p=0.66). The implementation of HEMS was associated with a significant reduction in time on social transfer payments. No significant differences were found in involuntary early retirement rate, long-term mortality, or work ability. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Implementation fidelity of a self-management course for epilepsy: method and assessment.

PubMed

Wojewodka, G; Hurley, S; Taylor, S J C; Noble, A J; Ridsdale, L; Goldstein, L H

2017-07-11

Complex interventions such as self-management courses are difficult to evaluate due to the many interacting components. The way complex interventions are delivered can influence the effect they have for patients, and can impact the interpretation of outcomes of clinical trials. Implementation fidelity evaluates whether complex interventions are delivered according to protocol. Such assessments have been used for one-to-one psychological interventions; however, the science is still developing for group interventions. We developed and tested an instrument to measure implementation fidelity of a two-day self-management course for people with epilepsy, SMILE(UK). Using audio recordings, we looked at adherence and competence of course facilitators. Adherence was assessed by checklists. Competence was measured by scoring group interaction, an overall impression score and facilitator "didacticism". To measure "didacticism", we developed a novel way to calculate facilitator speech using computer software. Using this new instrument, implementation fidelity of SMILE(UK) was assessed on three modules of the course, for 28% of all courses delivered. Using the instrument for adherence, scores from two independent raters showed substantial agreement with weighted Kappa of 0.67 and high percent agreement of 81.2%. For didacticism, the results from both raters were highly correlated with an intraclass coefficient of 0.97 (p < 0.0001). We found that the courses were delivered with a good level of adherence (> 50% of scored items received the maximum of 2 points) and high competence. Groups were interactive (mean score: 1.9-2.0 out of 2) and the overall impression was on average assessed as "good". Didacticism varied from 42% to 93% of total module time and was not associated with the other competence scores. The instrument devised to measure implementation fidelity was reproducible and easy to use. The courses for the SMILE(UK) study were delivered with a good level of adherence to protocol while not compromising facilitator competence. ISRCTN57937389 .

Hardware accelerator of convolution with exponential function for image processing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchenko, Ivan; Bucha, Victor

2015-12-01

In this paper we describe a Hardware Accelerator (HWA) for fast recursive approximation of separable convolution with exponential function. This filter can be used in many Image Processing (IP) applications, e.g. depth-dependent image blur, image enhancement and disparity estimation. We have adopted this filter RTL implementation to provide maximum throughput in constrains of required memory bandwidth and hardware resources to provide a power-efficient VLSI implementation.

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ooo of... - Operating Parameter Levels

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... specific gravity Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature Carbon absorber Total regeneration steam or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ooo of... - Operating Parameter Levels

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... specific gravity Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature Carbon absorber Total regeneration steam or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ooo of... - Operating Parameter Levels

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... specific gravity Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature Carbon absorber Total regeneration steam or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum...

21 CFR 331.11 - Listing of specific active ingredients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... contributing at least 25 percent of the total acid neutralizing capacity; maximum daily dosage limit is 8 grams...., 8 grams calcium carbonate). (e) Citrate-containing active ingredients: Citrate ion, as citric acid or salt; maximum daily dosage limit 8 grams. (f) Glycine (aminoacetic acid). (g) Magnesium-containing...

46 CFR 148.220 - Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. 148.220 Section... § 148.220 Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. (a) This section applies to the stowage and... nitrate and containing a maximum of 0.4 percent total added combustible material or containing a maximum...

46 CFR 148.220 - Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. 148.220 Section... § 148.220 Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. (a) This section applies to the stowage and... nitrate and containing a maximum of 0.4 percent total added combustible material or containing a maximum...

46 CFR 148.220 - Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. 148.220 Section... § 148.220 Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. (a) This section applies to the stowage and... nitrate and containing a maximum of 0.4 percent total added combustible material or containing a maximum...

46 CFR 148.220 - Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. 148.220 Section... § 148.220 Ammonium nitrate-phosphate fertilizers. (a) This section applies to the stowage and... nitrate and containing a maximum of 0.4 percent total added combustible material or containing a maximum...

DLA-X Total Quality Management (TQM) Implementation Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

PAGES TOM (Total Quality Management ), Continuous Process Improvement.( .) 4L-- Administration 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY...NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Pr.-cr,bed by ANSI Std ,,fl.f 296-102 DLA-X TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN o...application of proven Total Quality Management techniques. Quality Policy: Responsibility for quality is delegated to every employee ;11 DLA-X. Every

Implementation of Total Asset Management at the University of Tasmania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Matt

2002-01-01

Describes the implementation of total asset management (TAM) at the University of Tasmania to better link physical resources management with the university's strategic planning. Discusses TAM's principles, objectives, and future direction. (EV)

Maximum Movement Workloads and High-Intensity Workload Demands by Position in NCAA Division I Collegiate Football.

PubMed

Sanders, Gabriel J; Roll, Brad; Peacock, Corey A; Kollock, Roger O

2018-05-02

Sanders, GJ, Roll, B, Peacock, CA, and Kollock, RO. Maximum movement workloads and high-intensity workload demands by position in NCAA division I collegiate football. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The purpose of the study was to quantify the average and maximum (i.e., peak) movement workloads, and the percent of those workloads performed at high intensity by NCAA division I football athletes during competitive games. Using global positioning system devices (Catapult Sports), low, moderate, and high and total multidirectional movement workloads were quantified by each position. Strategically achieving maximal workloads may improve both conditioning and rehabilitation protocols for athletes as they prepare for competition or return to play after an injury. A total of 40 football athletes were included in the analysis. For the data to be included, athletes were required to participate in ≥75% of the offensive or defensive snaps for any given game. There was a total of 286 data downloads from 13 different games for 8 different football positions. Data were calculated and compared by offensive and defensive position to establish the mean, SD, and maximum workloads during competitive games. The percent high-intensity workload profile was established to assess the total number and percent of high-intensity movement workloads by position. The profile was calculated by dividing a position's maximal high-intensity movement workload by the total (e.g., sum of maximal low, moderate, and high-intensity movements) movement workload. One-way analysis of variances revealed that there was a main effect of football position for total movement workloads and the percent of workloads performed at high intensities (p ≤ 0.025 for all). Maximal high-intensity workloads were 1.6-4.3 times greater than average high-intensity workloads, and the percent of total workloads performed at high intensities varied greatly by position. Strategically training for and using maximal movement workloads can help ensure that athletes are achieving workloads that are similar to the greatest demands of a competitive game.

Methods for utilizing maximum power from a solar array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decker, D. K.

1972-01-01

A preliminary study of maximum power utilization methods was performed for an outer planet spacecraft using an ion thruster propulsion system and a solar array as the primary energy source. The problems which arise from operating the array at or near the maximum power point of its 1-V characteristic are discussed. Two closed loop system configurations which use extremum regulators to track the array's maximum power point are presented. Three open loop systems are presented that either: (1) measure the maximum power of each array section and compute the total array power, (2) utilize a reference array to predict the characteristics of the solar array, or (3) utilize impedance measurements to predict the maximum power utilization. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed and recommendations for further development are made.

Feasibility analysis of wastewater and solid waste systems for application in Indonesia.

PubMed

Kerstens, S M; Leusbrock, I; Zeeman, G

2015-10-15

Indonesia is one of many developing countries with a backlog in achieving targets for the implementation of wastewater and solid waste collection, treatment and recovery systems. Therefore a technical and financial feasibility analysis of these systems was performed using Indonesia as an example. COD, BOD, nitrogen, phosphorus and pathogen removal efficiencies, energy requirements, sludge production, land use and resource recovery potential (phosphorus, energy, duckweed, compost, water) for on-site, community based and off-site wastewater systems were determined. Solid waste systems (conventional, centralized and decentralized resource recovery) were analyzed according to land requirement, compost and energy production and recovery of plastic and paper. In the financial analysis, investments, operational costs & benefits and Total Lifecycle Costs (TLC) of all investigated options were compared. Technical performance and TLC were used to guide system selection for implementation in different residential settings. An analysis was undertaken to determine the effect of price variations of recoverable resources and land prices on TLC. A 10-fold increase in land prices for land intensive wastewater systems resulted in a 5 times higher TLC, whereas a 4-fold increase in the recovered resource selling price resulted in maximum 1.3 times higher TLC. For solid waste, these impacts were reversed - land price and resource selling price variations resulted in a maximum difference in TLC of 1.8 and 4 respectively. Technical and financial performance analysis can support decision makers in system selection and anticipate the impact of price variations on long-term operation. The technical analysis was based on published results of international research and the approach can be applied for other tropical, developing countries. All costs were converted to per capita unit costs and can be updated to assess other countries' estimated costs and benefits. Consequently, the approach can be used to guide wastewater and solid waste system planning in developing countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Levels of total mercury in predatory fish sold in Canada in 2005.

PubMed

Dabeka, R W; McKenzie, A D; Forsyth, D S

2011-06-01

Total mercury was analysed in 188 samples of predatory fish purchased at the retail level in Canada in 2005. The average concentrations (ng g(-1), range) were: sea bass 329 (38-1367), red snapper 148 (36-431), orange roughy 543 (279-974), fresh water trout 55 (20-430), grouper 360 (8-1060), black cod 284 (71-651), Arctic char 37 (28-54), king fish 440 (42-923), tilefish 601 (79-1164) and marlin 854 (125-2346). The Canadian standard for maximum total mercury allowed in the edible portions of fish sold at the retail level is 1000 ng g(-1) for shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, escolar and both fresh and frozen tuna. The standard is 500 ng g(-1) for all other types of fish. In this study, despite the small number of samples of each species, the 1000 ng g(-1) maximum was exceeded in five samples of marlin (28%). The 500 ng g(-1) maximum was exceeded by six samples of sea bass (20%), four of tilefish (50%), five of grouper (24%), six of king fish (40%) and one of black cod (13%).

Influence of light-curing sources on polymerization reaction kinetics of a restorative system.

PubMed

D'Alpino, Paulo H P; Svizero, Nádia R; Pereira, José C; Rueggeberg, Frederick A; Carvalho, Ricardo M; Pashley, David H

2007-02-01

To determine the effect of using a variety of commercial light-curing units on polymerization of a dentin-bonding agent (Adper Single Bond) and of a resin composite (Filtek Z250). Infrared (IR) spectra were obtained kinetically at one scan/second at 2 cm(-1) resolution for a period of 5 minutes and were analyzed for: maximum conversion rate (%/s), time into exposure when maximum rate occurred (seconds), conversion at maximum rate (%), and total conversion (%) at 300 seconds by comparison of aliphatic-to-aromatic absorption IR peak ratios, before and after polymerization. Light units used were: QTH 540 mW/cm2 (XL3000); LED 750 mW/cm2 (Elipar FreeLight 2); PAC 2,130 mW/cm2 (ARC II). Exposure followed manufacturers' recommendations: dentin bonding agent for 10 seconds, RC for 20 seconds (QTH), and 10 seconds (LED and PAC). Polymerization kinetics was evaluated at the bottom surface (2.5 mm thick) for the resin composite and as a thin film for the dentin bonding agent on the diamond surface of an attenuated total reflectance accessory in the IR spectrometer. Values (n = 5) were compared using ANOVA and Tukey's pairwise post-hoc test: pre-set alpha 0.05. PAC produced the highest total conversion and conversion rate for the resin composite (P < 0.05). Total conversion was lower for dentin bonding adhesive using PAC than with LED or QTH (P < 0.05). LED provided the highest proportion of conversion at the maximum rate with respect to conversion at 300 seconds for both materials. QTH demonstrated the lowest maximum rate value that occurred at a longer time into exposure (P < 0.05). Polymerization kinetic parameters varied greatly between the restorative materials as well as among light-curing unit types when compared to values observed when using a QTH light as control.

40 CFR 423.15 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... exceed (mg/l) TSS 100.0 30.0 Oil and grease 20.0 15.0 Copper, total 1.0 1.0 Iron, total 1.0 1.0 (e... pollutants from fly ash transport water. (h)(1) For any plant with a total rated electric generating capacity... or pollutant property NSPS effluent limitations Maximum concentration (mg/l) Total residual chlorine...

Extent of Implementing the Total Quality Management Principles by Academic Departments Heads at Najran University from Faculty Members' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Din, Hesham Moustafa Kamal; Abouzid, Mohamed Mahmoud

2016-01-01

This study aimed to identify the implementing degree of Total Quality Management (TQM) principals by Academic Departmental Heads (ADH) at the Najran University from faculty members' perspectives. It also aimed to determine significant differences between the average estimate of sample section of faculty members about the implementing degree of TQM…

Socio-Environmental Health Analysis in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

PubMed

Norman, Laura M; Caldeira, Felipe; Callegary, James; Gray, Floyd; O' Rourke, Mary Kay; Meranza, Veronica; Van Rijn, Saskia

2012-06-01

In Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, some neighborhoods, or colonias, have intermittent delivery of water through pipes from the city of Nogales's municipal water-delivery system while other areas lack piped water and rely on water delivered by truck or pipas. This research examined how lifestyles, water quality, and potential disease response, such as diarrhea, differs seasonally from a colonia with access to piped water as opposed to one using alternative water-delivery systems. Water samples were collected from taps or spigots at homes in two Nogales colonias. One colonia reflected high socio-environmental conditions where residents are supplied with municipal piped water (Colonia Lomas de Fatima); the second colonia reflected low socio-environmental conditions, lacking access to piped water and served by pipas (Colonia Luis Donaldo Colosio). A survey was developed and implemented to characterize perceptions of water quality, health impacts, and quality of life. Water samples were analyzed for microbial and inorganic water-quality parameters known to impact human health including, Escherichia coli (E. coli), total coliform bacteria, arsenic, and lead. A total of 21 households agreed to participate in the study (14 in Colosio and 7 in Fatima). In both colonias metal concentrations from water samples were all well below the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA's) maximum contaminant levels. E. coli concentrations exceeded the US EPA's drinking-water standard in Colosio but not Fatima. Total coliform bacteria were present in over 50 % of households in both colonias. Microbial contamination was significantly higher in the summer than in the winter in both colonias. Resulting analysis suggests that residents in colonias without piped water are at a greater risk of gastrointestinal illness from consumption of compromised drinking water. Our survey corroborated reports of gastrointestinal illness in the summer months but not in the winter. Chloride was found to be significantly greater in Colosio (median 29.2 mg/L) although still below the US EPA's maximum contaminant levels of 250 mg/L. Ongoing binational collaboration can promote mechanisms to improve water quality in cities located in the US-Mexico border.

Socio-environmental health analysis in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Norman, Laura M.; Caldeira, Felipe; Callegary, James; Gray, Floyd; O’ Rourke, Mary Kay; Meranza, Veronica; Van Rijn, Saskia

2012-01-01

In Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, some neighborhoods, or colonias, have intermittent delivery of water through pipes from the city of Nogales’s municipal water-delivery system while other areas lack piped water and rely on water delivered by truck or pipas. This research examined how lifestyles, water quality, and potential disease response, such as diarrhea, differs seasonally from a colonia with access to piped water as opposed to one using alternative water-delivery systems. Water samples were collected from taps or spigots at homes in two Nogales colonias. One colonia reflected high socio-environmental conditions where residents are supplied with municipal piped water (Colonia Lomas de Fatima); the second colonia reflected low socio-environmental conditions, lacking access to piped water and served by pipas (Colonia Luis Donaldo Colosio). A survey was developed and implemented to characterize perceptions of water quality, health impacts, and quality of life. Water samples were analyzed for microbial and inorganic water-quality parameters known to impact human health including, Escherichia coli (E. coli), total coliform bacteria, arsenic, and lead. A total of 21 households agreed to participate in the study (14 in Colosio and 7 in Fatima). In both colonias metal concentrations from water samples were all well below the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA’s) maximum contaminant levels. E. coli concentrations exceeded the US EPA’s drinking-water standard in Colosio but not Fatima. Total coliform bacteria were present in over 50 % of households in both colonias. Microbial contamination was significantly higher in the summer than in the winter in both colonias. Resulting analysis suggests that residents in colonias without piped water are at a greater risk of gastrointestinal illness from consumption of compromised drinking water. Our survey corroborated reports of gastrointestinal illness in the summer months but not in the winter. Chloride was found to be significantly greater in Colosio (median 29.2 mg/L) although still below the US EPA’s maximum contaminant levels of 250 mg/L. Ongoing binational collaboration can promote mechanisms to improve water quality in cities located in the US–Mexico border.

Mars 2001 Lander Mission: Measurement Synergy through Coordinated Operations Planning and Implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvidson, R.; Bell, J. F., III; Kaplan, D.; Marshall, J.; Mishkin, A.; Saunders, S.; Smith, P.; Squyres, S.

1999-03-01

The Science Operations Working Group, Mars 2001 Mission, has developed coordinated plans for scientific observations that treat the instruments as an integrated payload. This approach ensures maximum return of scientific information.

40 CFR 141.63 - Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for microbiological contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... repeat sample or E. coli-positive repeat sample, or any total coliform-positive repeat sample following a fecal coliform-positive or E. coli-positive routine sample constitutes a violation of the MCL for total...

40 CFR 141.63 - Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for microbiological contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... repeat sample or E. coli-positive repeat sample, or any total coliform-positive repeat sample following a fecal coliform-positive or E. coli-positive routine sample constitutes a violation of the MCL for total...

Total Quality Management Implementation Plan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

Quality Management Implementation Plan 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Defense General...E 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES TOM (Total Quality Management ), Continuous Process Improvement,_________ Depot Operations, Supply Support 16

SCI Identification (SCIDNT) program user's guide. [maximum likelihood method for linear rotorcraft models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The computer program Linear SCIDNT which evaluates rotorcraft stability and control coefficients from flight or wind tunnel test data is described. It implements the maximum likelihood method to maximize the likelihood function of the parameters based on measured input/output time histories. Linear SCIDNT may be applied to systems modeled by linear constant-coefficient differential equations. This restriction in scope allows the application of several analytical results which simplify the computation and improve its efficiency over the general nonlinear case.

The Maximum Cross-Correlation approach to detecting translational motions from sequential remote-sensing images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, J.; Lythe, M. B.

1996-06-01

This paper presents the principle of the Maximum Cross-Correlation (MCC) approach in detecting translational motions within dynamic fields from time-sequential remotely sensed images. A C program implementing the approach is presented and illustrated in a flowchart. The program is tested with a pair of sea-surface temperature images derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) images near East Cape, New Zealand. Results show that the mean currents in the region have been detected satisfactorily with the approach.

An Employee Total Health Management–Based Survey of Iowa Employers

PubMed Central

Merchant, James A.; Lind, David P.; Kelly, Kevin M.; Hall, Jennifer L.

2015-01-01

Objective To implement an Employee Total Health Management (ETHM) model-based questionnaire and provide estimates of model program elements among a statewide sample of Iowa employers. Methods Survey a stratified random sample of Iowa employers, characterize and estimate employer participation in ETHM program elements Results Iowa employers are implementing under 30% of all 12 components of ETHM, with the exception of occupational safety and health (46.6%) and worker compensation insurance coverage (89.2%), but intend modest expansion of all components in the coming year. Conclusions The Employee Total Health Management questionnaire-based survey provides estimates of progress Iowa employers are making toward implementing components of total worker health programs. PMID:24284757

Total Quality Management Implementation Plan for Military Personnel Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

2050.. )ATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES CO VERED 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5,rrmir18 . FUNDING NUMBERS Total Quality Management Implementation Plan for...SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES TQM (Total Quality Management ), Military Personnel Management, Continuous Process Improvement 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY...UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-16 296-102 TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT I

Design and Implementation of an Intrinsically Safe Liquid-Level Sensor Using Coaxial Cable

PubMed Central

Jin, Baoquan; Liu, Xin; Bai, Qing; Wang, Dong; Wang, Yu

2015-01-01

Real-time detection of liquid level in complex environments has always been a knotty issue. In this paper, an intrinsically safe liquid-level sensor system for flammable and explosive environments is designed and implemented. The poly vinyl chloride (PVC) coaxial cable is chosen as the sensing element and the measuring mechanism is analyzed. Then, the capacitance-to-voltage conversion circuit is designed and the expected output signal is achieved by adopting parameter optimization. Furthermore, the experimental platform of the liquid-level sensor system is constructed, which involves the entire process of measuring, converting, filtering, processing, visualizing and communicating. Additionally, the system is designed with characteristics of intrinsic safety by limiting the energy of the circuit to avoid or restrain the thermal effects and sparks. Finally, the approach of the piecewise linearization is adopted in order to improve the measuring accuracy by matching the appropriate calibration points. The test results demonstrate that over the measurement range of 1.0 m, the maximum nonlinearity error is 0.8% full-scale span (FSS), the maximum repeatability error is 0.5% FSS, and the maximum hysteresis error is reduced from 0.7% FSS to 0.5% FSS by applying software compensation algorithms. PMID:26029949

Design and implementation of an intrinsically safe liquid-level sensor using coaxial cable.

PubMed

Jin, Baoquan; Liu, Xin; Bai, Qing; Wang, Dong; Wang, Yu

2015-05-28

Real-time detection of liquid level in complex environments has always been a knotty issue. In this paper, an intrinsically safe liquid-level sensor system for flammable and explosive environments is designed and implemented. The poly vinyl chloride (PVC) coaxial cable is chosen as the sensing element and the measuring mechanism is analyzed. Then, the capacitance-to-voltage conversion circuit is designed and the expected output signal is achieved by adopting parameter optimization. Furthermore, the experimental platform of the liquid-level sensor system is constructed, which involves the entire process of measuring, converting, filtering, processing, visualizing and communicating. Additionally, the system is designed with characteristics of intrinsic safety by limiting the energy of the circuit to avoid or restrain the thermal effects and sparks. Finally, the approach of the piecewise linearization is adopted in order to improve the measuring accuracy by matching the appropriate calibration points. The test results demonstrate that over the measurement range of 1.0 m, the maximum nonlinearity error is 0.8% full-scale span (FSS), the maximum repeatability error is 0.5% FSS, and the maximum hysteresis error is reduced from 0.7% FSS to 0.5% FSS by applying software compensation algorithms.

Integrated topology for an aircraft electric power distribution system using MATLAB and ILP optimization technique and its implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhikar, Pratik Ravindra

The most important and crucial design feature while designing an Aircraft Electric Power Distribution System (EPDS) is reliability. In EPDS, the distribution of power is from top level generators to bottom level loads through various sensors, actuators and rectifiers with the help of AC & DC buses and control switches. As the demands of the consumer is never ending and the safety is utmost important, there is an increase in loads and as a result increase in power management. Therefore, the design of an EPDS should be optimized to have maximum efficiency. This thesis discusses an integrated tool that is based on a Need Based Design method and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) to achieve the optimum design of an EPDS to provide maximum reliability in terms of continuous connectivity, power management and minimum cost. If an EPDS is formulated as an optimization problem then it can be solved with the help of connectivity, cost and power constraints by using a linear solver to get the desired output of maximum reliability at minimum cost. Furthermore, the thesis also discusses the viability and implementation of the resulted topology on typical large aircraft specifications.

An implementation of particle swarm optimization to evaluate optimal under-voltage load shedding in competitive electricity markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini-Bioki, M. M.; Rashidinejad, M.; Abdollahi, A.

2013-11-01

Load shedding is a crucial issue in power systems especially under restructured electricity environment. Market-driven load shedding in reregulated power systems associated with security as well as reliability is investigated in this paper. A technoeconomic multi-objective function is introduced to reveal an optimal load shedding scheme considering maximum social welfare. The proposed optimization problem includes maximum GENCOs and loads' profits as well as maximum loadability limit under normal and contingency conditions. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) as a heuristic optimization technique, is utilized to find an optimal load shedding scheme. In a market-driven structure, generators offer their bidding blocks while the dispatchable loads will bid their price-responsive demands. An independent system operator (ISO) derives a market clearing price (MCP) while rescheduling the amount of generating power in both pre-contingency and post-contingency conditions. The proposed methodology is developed on a 3-bus system and then is applied to a modified IEEE 30-bus test system. The obtained results show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in implementing the optimal load shedding satisfying social welfare by maintaining voltage stability margin (VSM) through technoeconomic analyses.

Bayesian logistic regression approaches to predict incorrect DRG assignment.

PubMed

Suleiman, Mani; Demirhan, Haydar; Boyd, Leanne; Girosi, Federico; Aksakalli, Vural

2018-05-07

Episodes of care involving similar diagnoses and treatments and requiring similar levels of resource utilisation are grouped to the same Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG). In jurisdictions which implement DRG based payment systems, DRGs are a major determinant of funding for inpatient care. Hence, service providers often dedicate auditing staff to the task of checking that episodes have been coded to the correct DRG. The use of statistical models to estimate an episode's probability of DRG error can significantly improve the efficiency of clinical coding audits. This study implements Bayesian logistic regression models with weakly informative prior distributions to estimate the likelihood that episodes require a DRG revision, comparing these models with each other and to classical maximum likelihood estimates. All Bayesian approaches had more stable model parameters than maximum likelihood. The best performing Bayesian model improved overall classification per- formance by 6% compared to maximum likelihood, with a 34% gain compared to random classification, respectively. We found that the original DRG, coder and the day of coding all have a significant effect on the likelihood of DRG error. Use of Bayesian approaches has improved model parameter stability and classification accuracy. This method has already lead to improved audit efficiency in an operational capacity.

Reproductive biology of cuckoo ray Leucoraja naevus.

PubMed

Maia, C; Erzini, K; Serra-Pereira, B; Figueiredo, I

2012-09-01

The present study is the first to provide data on the reproductive biology of cuckoo ray Leucoraja naevus in Portuguese continental waters. No difference in size at maturity was detected between sexes, which was estimated as 56 cm total length. Spawning occurs all year round, but maximum activity was during winter months. Maximum fecundity is c. 63 eggs female(-1) year(-1). Encapsulated eggs are released in batches, nine in total with a mean number of seven extruded eggs in each batch. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Effects of body position on exercise capacity and pulmonary vascular pressure-flow relationships.

PubMed

Forton, Kevin; Motoji, Yoshiki; Deboeck, Gael; Faoro, Vitalie; Naeije, Robert

2016-11-01

There has been revival of interest in exercise testing of the pulmonary circulation for the diagnosis of pulmonary vascular disease, but there still is uncertainty about body position and the most relevant measurements. Doppler echocardiography pulmonary hemodynamic measurements were performed at progressively increased workloads in 26 healthy adult volunteers in supine, semirecumbent, and upright positions that were randomly assigned at 24-h intervals. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was estimated from the maximum tricuspid regurgitation jet velocity. Cardiac output was calculated from the left ventricular outflow velocity-time integral. Pulmonary vascular distensibility α-index, the percent change of vessel diameter per millimeter mercury of mPAP, was calculated from multipoint mPAP-cardiac output plots. Body position did not affect maximum oxygen uptake (Vo 2max ), maximum respiratory exchange ratio, ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide, or slope of mPAP-cardiac output relationships, which was on average of 1.5 ± 0.4 mmHg·l -1 ·min -1 Maximum mPAP, cardiac output, and total pulmonary vascular resistance were, respectively, 34 ± 4 mmHg, 18 ± 3 l/min, and 1.9 ± 0.3 Wood units. However, the semirecumbent position was associated with a 10% decrease in maximum workload. Furthermore, cardiac output-workload or cardiac output-Vo 2 relationships were nonlinear and variable. These results suggest that body position does not affect maximum exercise testing of the pulmonary circulation when results are expressed as mPAP-cardiac output or maximum total pulmonary vascular resistance. Maximum workload is decreased in semirecumbent compared with upright exercise. Workload or Vo 2 cannot reliably be used as surrogates for cardiac output. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Towards further understanding on the antioxidative activities of Prunus persica fruit: A comparative study with four different fractions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhingra, Naveen; Sharma, Rajesh; Kar, Anand

2014-11-01

In the present study we have evaluated the antioxidant activities of different fractions (hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions) of Prunus persica fruit. For extraction simple warring blender method was employed and total phenolic and flavonoid contents were correlated with different antioxidant activities (total antioxidant, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), H2O2 scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, iron chelating and their reducing power properties). Different in vitro antioxidant studies showed that ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions had the maximum activities that were well correlated with total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Maximum yield (25.14 ± 2.2%) was obtained in its aqueous fraction. Both ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions showed significant inhibitory effects on different antioxidant activities. A significantly high correlation coefficient existed between total antioxidant activities and with total phenolic as well as total flavonoid contents. It appears that ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of P. persica may serve as new potential sources of natural antioxidants and could be of therapeutic use in treating several diseases.

Amelioration and degradation of pressmud and bagasse wastes using vermitechnology.

PubMed

Bhat, Sartaj Ahmad; Singh, Jaswinder; Vig, Adarsh Pal

2017-11-01

This study evaluated the amelioration of pressmud (PM) and bagasse (BG) wastes by the vermiremediation process. The wastes were spiked with cattle dung (CD) in different concentrations to find out the best proportion supporting maximum earthworm growth and nutrients availability. The highest growth rate was observed in PMBG 50 (282.2mg/d/worm) feed mixture. Response surface design of earthworm growth parameters enumerated best concentration of wastes in CD with maximum value of 21.81% for earthworm number, 30.86% for earthworm weight, 27.09% for cocoons, 29.71% for hatchlings and 34.0% for hatchlings weight. Vermicomposting enhanced nutrient parameters like pH (6-8%), total kjeldahl nitrogen (19-48%), total phosphorus (9-67%), total calcium (13-111%), while decrease in total organic carbon (14-32%), electrical conductivity (21-30%), C:N ratio (36-51%), total potassium (9-19%) and total sodium (3-21%). Heavy metals in the final products were found to be under safe limits. SEM micrographs were more fragmented which indicated maturity and stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Power Aware Signal Processing Environment (PASPE) for PAC/C

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-02-01

vs. FFT Size For our implementation , the Annapolis FFT core was radix-256, and therefore the smallest PN code length that could be processed was the...PN-64. A C- code version of correlate was compared to the FPGA 61 implementation . The results in Figure 68 show that for a PN-1024, the...12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum

An implementation plan for priorities in solar-system space physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krimigis, Stamatios M.; Athay, R. Grant; Baker, Daniel; Fisk, Lennard A.; Fredricks, Robert W.; Harvey, John W.; Jokipii, Jack R.; Kivelson, Margaret; Mendillo, Michael; Nagy, Andrew F.

1985-01-01

The scientific objectives and implementation plans and priorities of the Space Science Board in areas of solar physics, heliospheric physics, magnetospheric physics, upper atmosphere physics, solar-terrestrial coupling, and comparative planetary studies are discussed and recommended programs are summarized. Accomplishments of Skylab, Solar Maximum Mission, Nimbus-7, and 11 other programs are highlighted. Detailed mission plans in areas of solar and heliospheric physics, plasma physics, and upper atmospheric physics are also described.

40 CFR 141.51 - Maximum contaminant level goals for inorganic contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Maximum Contaminant Level...: Contaminant MCLG (mg/l) Antimony 0.006 Arsenic zero 1 Asbestos 7 Million fibers/liter (longer than 10 µm... Lead zero Mercury 0.002 Nitrate 10 (as Nitrogen). Nitrite 1 (as Nitrogen). Total Nitrate+Nitrite 10 (as...

40 CFR 141.51 - Maximum contaminant level goals for inorganic contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Maximum Contaminant Level...: Contaminant MCLG (mg/l) Antimony 0.006 Arsenic zero 1 Asbestos 7 Million fibers/liter (longer than 10 µm... Lead zero Mercury 0.002 Nitrate 10 (as Nitrogen). Nitrite 1 (as Nitrogen). Total Nitrate+Nitrite 10 (as...

40 CFR 141.51 - Maximum contaminant level goals for inorganic contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Maximum Contaminant Level...: Contaminant MCLG (mg/l) Antimony 0.006 Arsenic zero 1 Asbestos 7 Million fibers/liter (longer than 10 µm... Lead zero Mercury 0.002 Nitrate 10 (as Nitrogen). Nitrite 1 (as Nitrogen). Total Nitrate+Nitrite 10 (as...

24 CFR 883.604 - Maximum annual commitment and project account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... annual commitment. The maximum annual contribution that may be contracted for in the ACC is the total of... annual commitment exceeds the amount actually paid out under the ACC each year. Payments will be made... specifically approved by the Secretary. (2) Whenever a HUD-approved estimate of required payments under the ACC...

24 CFR 883.604 - Maximum annual commitment and project account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... annual commitment. The maximum annual contribution that may be contracted for in the ACC is the total of... annual commitment exceeds the amount actually paid out under the ACC each year. Payments will be made... specifically approved by the Secretary. (2) Whenever a HUD-approved estimate of required payments under the ACC...

Implied Maximum Dose Analysis of Standard Values of 25 Pesticides Based on Major Human Exposure Pathways

PubMed Central

Li, Zijian; Jennings, Aaron A.

2017-01-01

Worldwide jurisdictions are making efforts to regulate pesticide standard values in residential soil, drinking water, air, and agricultural commodity to lower the risk of pesticide impacts on human health. Because human may exposure to pesticides from many ways, such as ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact, it is important to examine pesticide standards by considering all major exposure pathways. Analysis of implied maximum dose limits for commonly historical and current used pesticides was adopted in this study to examine whether worldwide pesticide standard values are enough to prevent human health impact or not. Studies show that only U.S. has regulated pesticides standard in the air. Only 4% of the total number of implied maximum dose limits is based on three major exposures. For Chlorpyrifos, at least 77.5% of the total implied maximum dose limits are above the acceptable daily intake. It also shows that most jurisdictions haven't provided pesticide standards in all major exposures yet, and some of the standards are not good enough to protect human health. PMID:29546224

Analysis of dispatching rules in a stochastic dynamic job shop manufacturing system with sequence-dependent setup times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Pankaj; Jain, Ajai

2014-12-01

Stochastic dynamic job shop scheduling problem with consideration of sequence-dependent setup times are among the most difficult classes of scheduling problems. This paper assesses the performance of nine dispatching rules in such shop from makespan, mean flow time, maximum flow time, mean tardiness, maximum tardiness, number of tardy jobs, total setups and mean setup time performance measures viewpoint. A discrete event simulation model of a stochastic dynamic job shop manufacturing system is developed for investigation purpose. Nine dispatching rules identified from literature are incorporated in the simulation model. The simulation experiments are conducted under due date tightness factor of 3, shop utilization percentage of 90% and setup times less than processing times. Results indicate that shortest setup time (SIMSET) rule provides the best performance for mean flow time and number of tardy jobs measures. The job with similar setup and modified earliest due date (JMEDD) rule provides the best performance for makespan, maximum flow time, mean tardiness, maximum tardiness, total setups and mean setup time measures.

Advances in clinical pharmacy education in Germany: a quasi-experimental single-blinded study to evaluate a patient-centred clinical pharmacy course in psychiatry.

PubMed

Dircks, Monika; Mayr, Andreas; Freidank, Annette; Kornhuber, Johannes; Dörje, Frank; Friedland, Kristina

2017-12-12

The pharmacy profession has shifted towards patient-centred care. To meet the new challenges it is necessary to provide students with clinical competencies. A quasi-experimental single-blinded teaching and learning study was carried out using a parallel-group design to evaluate systematically the benefits of clinical teaching in pharmacy education in Germany. A clinical pharmacy course on a psychiatric ward was developed and implemented for small student groups. The learning aims included: the improvement of patient and interdisciplinary communication skills and the identification and management of pharmaceutical care issues. The control group participated only in the preparation lecture, while the intervention group took part in the complete course. The effects were assessed by an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and a student satisfaction survey. The intervention group achieved significantly better overall results on the OSCE assessment (46.20 ± 10.01 vs. 26.58 ± 12.91 of a maximum of 90 points; p < 0.0001).The practical tasks had the greatest effect, as reflected in the outcomes of tasks 1-5 (34.94 ± 9.60 vs. 18.63 ± 10.24 of a maximum of 60 points; p < 0.0001). Students' performance on the theoretical tasks (tasks 6-10) was improved but unsatisfying in both groups considering the maximum score (11.50 ± 4.75 vs. 7.50 ± 4.00 of a maximum of 30 points; p < 0.0001). Of the students, 93% rated the course as practice-orientated, and 90% felt better prepared for patient contact. Many students suggested a permanent implementation and an extension of the course. The results suggest that the developed ward-based course provided learning benefits for clinical skills. Students' perception of the course was positive. Implementation into the regular clinical pharmacy curriculum is therefore advisable.

77 FR 19944 - Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-03

... will constrain catch to the recreational sub-ACL; and reduce overfishing occurring on GOM cod in...). This interim rule implements a total GOM cod total annual catch limit (ACL) of 6,700 mt and divides... implementing interim measures: Setting a total GOM cod ACL in a 6,700 to 7,500 mt range; Modifying the...

A systems approach to purchasing and implementing new technology.

PubMed

Kinney, Kristin

2007-01-01

There are many risks associated with purchasing and implementing new technology. The challenge is to reduce these risks to gain maximum benefit from the new technology purchased. In the high-cost world of healthcare, there is little room for wasting time and money related to technology implementation. If the workflow of the current system is not adequately understood before purchasing and implementing a new technology, that technology may mask underlying problems and/or create new ones. The purpose of this article is to present a framework for analyzing the current process or system, identifying the strengths and the areas in need of improvement. A thorough understanding of the problems with the current system and the barriers to change is necessary to ensure the selection of the "right" technology and promote its implementation.

77 FR 56591 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Missouri; Maximum Allowable Emission...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-13

... Fuel Burning Equipment Used for Indirect Heating AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION...) Emissions from Fuel Burning Equipment Used for Indirect Heating. The new rule consolidates four pre-existing...

Micromechanics-Based Progressive Failure Analysis of Composite Laminates Using Different Constituent Failure Theories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moncada, Albert M.; Chattopadhyay, Aditi; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

2008-01-01

Predicting failure in a composite can be done with ply level mechanisms and/or micro level mechanisms. This paper uses the Generalized Method of Cells and High-Fidelity Generalized Method of Cells micromechanics theories, coupled with classical lamination theory, as implemented within NASA's Micromechanics Analysis Code with Generalized Method of Cells. The code is able to implement different failure theories on the level of both the fiber and the matrix constituents within a laminate. A comparison is made among maximum stress, maximum strain, Tsai-Hill, and Tsai-Wu failure theories. To verify the failure theories the Worldwide Failure Exercise (WWFE) experiments have been used. The WWFE is a comprehensive study that covers a wide range of polymer matrix composite laminates. The numerical results indicate good correlation with the experimental results for most of the composite layups, but also point to the need for more accurate resin damage progression models.

Tracker implementation for the orbiter Ku-band communications antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudnicki, J. F.; Lindsey, J. F.

1976-01-01

Possible implementations and recommendations for the Space Shuttle Ku-Band integrated communications/radar antenna tracking system were evaluated. Communication aspects involving the Tracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)/Orbiter Ku-Band link are emphasized. Detailed analysis of antenna sizes, gains and signal-to-noise ratios shows the desirability of using maximum size 36-inch diameter dish and a triple channel monopulse. The use of the original baselined 20 inch dish is found to result in excessive acquisition time since the despread signal would be used in the tracking loop. An evaluation of scan procedures which includes vehicle dynamics, designation error, time for acquisition and probability of acquisition shows that the conical scan is preferred since the time for lock-on for relatively slow look angle rates will be significantly shorter than the raster scan. Significant improvement in spherical coverage may be obtained by reorienting the antenna gimbal to obtain maximum blockage overlap.

Accuracy and Numerical Stabilty Analysis of Lattice Boltzmann Method with Multiple Relaxation Time for Incompressible Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradipto; Purqon, Acep

2017-07-01

Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is the novel method for simulating fluid dynamics. Nowadays, the application of LBM ranges from the incompressible flow, flow in the porous medium, until microflows. The common collision model of LBM is the BGK with a constant single relaxation time τ. However, BGK suffers from numerical instabilities. These instabilities could be eliminated by implementing LBM with multiple relaxation time. Both of those scheme have implemented for incompressible 2 dimensions lid-driven cavity. The stability analysis has done by finding the maximum Reynolds number and velocity for converged simulations. The accuracy analysis is done by comparing the velocity profile with the benchmark results from Ghia, et al and calculating the net velocity flux. The tests concluded that LBM with MRT are more stable than BGK, and have a similar accuracy. The maximum Reynolds number that converges for BGK is 3200 and 7500 for MRT respectively.

Piezoelectric actuator design for MR elastography: implementation and vibration issues.

PubMed

Tse, Zion Tsz Ho; Chan, Yum Ji; Janssen, Henning; Hamed, Abbi; Young, Ian; Lamperth, Michael

2011-09-01

MR elastography (MRE) is an emerging technique for tumor diagnosis. MRE actuation devices require precise mechanical design and radiofrequency engineering to achieve the required mechanical vibration performance and MR compatibility. A method of designing a general-purpose, compact and inexpensive MRE actuator is presented. It comprises piezoelectric bimorphs arranged in a resonant structure designed to operate at its resonant frequency for maximum vibration amplitude. An analytical model was established to understand the device vibration characteristics. The model-predicted performance was validated in experiments, showing its accuracy in predicting the actuator resonant frequency with an error < 4%. The device MRI compatibility was shown to cause minimal interference to a 1.5 tesla MRI scanner, with maximum signal-to-noise ratio reduction of 7.8% and generated artefact of 7.9 mm in MR images. A piezoelectric MRE actuator is proposed, and its implementation, vibration issues and future work are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Numerical Experimentation with Maximum Likelihood Identification in Static Distributed Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheid, R. E., Jr.; Rodriguez, G.

1985-01-01

Many important issues in the control of large space structures are intimately related to the fundamental problem of parameter identification. One might also ask how well this identification process can be carried out in the presence of noisy data since no sensor system is perfect. With these considerations in mind the algorithms herein are designed to treat both the case of uncertainties in the modeling and uncertainties in the data. The analytical aspects of maximum likelihood identification are considered in some detail in another paper. The questions relevant to the implementation of these schemes are dealt with, particularly as they apply to models of large space structures. The emphasis is on the influence of the infinite dimensional character of the problem on finite dimensional implementations of the algorithms. Those areas of current and future analysis are highlighted which indicate the interplay between error analysis and possible truncations of the state and parameter spaces.

Maximum Power Game as a Physical and Social Extension of Classical Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Pilwon

2017-03-01

We consider an electric circuit in which the players participate as resistors and adjust their resistance in pursuit of individual maximum power. The maximum power game(MPG) becomes very complicated in a circuit which is indecomposable into serial/parallel components, yielding a nontrivial power distribution at equilibrium. Depending on the circuit topology, MPG covers a wide range of phenomena: from a social dilemma in which the whole group loses to a well-coordinated situation in which the individual pursuit of power promotes the collective outcomes. We also investigate a situation where each player in the circuit has an intrinsic heat waste. Interestingly, it is this individual inefficiency which can keep them from the collective failure in power generation. When coping with an efficient opponent with small intrinsic resistance, a rather inefficient player gets more power than efficient one. A circuit with multiple voltage inputs forms the network-based maximum power game. One of our major interests is to figure out, in what kind of the networks the pursuit for private power leads to greater total power. It turns out that the circuits with the scale-free structure is one of the good candidates which generates as much power as close to the possible maximum total.

Seasonal cycle and secular trend of the total and tropospheric column abundance of ethane above the Jungfraujoch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehhalt, D. H.; Schmidt, U.; Zander, R.; Demoulin, P.; Rinsland, C. P.

1991-01-01

The secular trend and the seasonal cycle of the total and the tropospheric column abundances of C2H6 over the Jungfraujoch Station (Switzerland) were deduced from infrared solar spectra recorded in 1951 and from 1984 to 1988. Results show a definite seasonal variation in the total vertical column abundance of C2H6, with a maximum of (1.43 + or - 0.03) x 10 to the 16th molecules/sq cm during March and April and a minimum in the fall; the ratio between the maximum and the minimum column abundances was found to be 1.62 + or - 0.11. The secular trend in the tropospheric burden above the Jungfraujoch was found to be (0.85 + or - 0.3) percent/yr.

Total Quality Management Implementation Plan: DLA-N

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

e Wastimto , n. Othe 20 Seato3 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE S. FUNDING NUMBERS DLA-N Total Quality Management 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S...PAGES TQM (Total Quality Management ), Continuous Process Improvement.(; , Defense National Stockpile 16. PRICE CODEI17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18...IUNCLASSIFIED UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) pr"!Cbed ty ANSI Std Z39’B6 296-102 DLA - N TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN I

Novel crystal timing calibration method based on total variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xingjian; Isobe, Takashi; Watanabe, Mitsuo; Liu, Huafeng

2016-11-01

A novel crystal timing calibration method based on total variation (TV), abbreviated as ‘TV merge’, has been developed for a high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) system. The proposed method was developed for a system with a large number of crystals, it can provide timing calibration at the crystal level. In the proposed method, the timing calibration process was formulated as a linear problem. To robustly optimize the timing resolution, a TV constraint was added to the linear equation. Moreover, to solve the computer memory problem associated with the calculation of the timing calibration factors for systems with a large number of crystals, the merge component was used for obtaining the crystal level timing calibration values. Compared with other conventional methods, the data measured from a standard cylindrical phantom filled with a radioisotope solution was sufficient for performing a high-precision crystal-level timing calibration. In this paper, both simulation and experimental studies were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the TV merge method. We compare the timing resolutions of a 22Na point source, which was located in the field of view (FOV) of the brain PET system, with various calibration techniques. After implementing the TV merge method, the timing resolution improved from 3.34 ns at full width at half maximum (FWHM) to 2.31 ns FWHM.

Input design for identification of aircraft stability and control derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, N. K.; Hall, W. E., Jr.

1975-01-01

An approach for designing inputs to identify stability and control derivatives from flight test data is presented. This approach is based on finding inputs which provide the maximum possible accuracy of derivative estimates. Two techniques of input specification are implemented for this objective - a time domain technique and a frequency domain technique. The time domain technique gives the control input time history and can be used for any allowable duration of test maneuver, including those where data lengths can only be of short duration. The frequency domain technique specifies the input frequency spectrum, and is best applied for tests where extended data lengths, much longer than the time constants of the modes of interest, are possible. These technqiues are used to design inputs to identify parameters in longitudinal and lateral linear models of conventional aircraft. The constraints of aircraft response limits, such as on structural loads, are realized indirectly through a total energy constraint on the input. Tests with simulated data and theoretical predictions show that the new approaches give input signals which can provide more accurate parameter estimates than can conventional inputs of the same total energy. Results obtained indicate that the approach has been brought to the point where it should be used on flight tests for further evaluation.

Digital tomosynthesis (DTS) with a Circular X-ray tube: Its image reconstruction based on total-variation minimization and the image characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Y. O.; Hong, D. K.; Cho, H. S.; Je, U. K.; Oh, J. E.; Lee, M. S.; Kim, H. J.; Lee, S. H.; Jang, W. S.; Cho, H. M.; Choi, S. I.; Koo, Y. S.

2013-09-01

In this paper, we introduce an effective imaging system for digital tomosynthesis (DTS) with a circular X-ray tube, the so-called circular-DTS (CDTS) system, and its image reconstruction algorithm based on the total-variation (TV) minimization method for low-dose, high-accuracy X-ray imaging. Here, the X-ray tube is equipped with a series of cathodes distributed around a rotating anode, and the detector remains stationary throughout the image acquisition. We considered a TV-based reconstruction algorithm that exploited the sparsity of the image with substantially high image accuracy. We implemented the algorithm for the CDTS geometry and successfully reconstructed images of high accuracy. The image characteristics were investigated quantitatively by using some figures of merit, including the universal-quality index (UQI) and the depth resolution. For selected tomographic angles of 20, 40, and 60°, the corresponding UQI values in the tomographic view were estimated to be about 0.94, 0.97, and 0.98, and the depth resolutions were about 4.6, 3.1, and 1.2 voxels in full width at half maximum (FWHM), respectively. We expect the proposed method to be applicable to developing a next-generation dental or breast X-ray imaging system.

Unravelling the limits to tree height: a major role for water and nutrient trade-offs.

PubMed

Cramer, Michael D

2012-05-01

Competition for light has driven forest trees to grow exceedingly tall, but the lack of a single universal limit to tree height indicates multiple interacting environmental limitations. Because soil nutrient availability is determined by both nutrient concentrations and soil water, water and nutrient availabilities may interact in determining realised nutrient availability and consequently tree height. In SW Australia, which is characterised by nutrient impoverished soils that support some of the world's tallest forests, total [P] and water availability were independently correlated with tree height (r = 0.42 and 0.39, respectively). However, interactions between water availability and each of total [P], pH and [Mg] contributed to a multiple linear regression model of tree height (r = 0.72). A boosted regression tree model showed that maximum tree height was correlated with water availability (24%), followed by soil properties including total P (11%), Mg (10%) and total N (9%), amongst others, and that there was an interaction between water availability and total [P] in determining maximum tree height. These interactions indicated a trade-off between water and P availability in determining maximum tree height in SW Australia. This is enabled by a species assemblage capable of growing tall and surviving (some) disturbances. The mechanism for this trade-off is suggested to be through water enabling mass-flow and diffusive mobility of P, particularly of relatively mobile organic P, although water interactions with microbial activity could also play a role.

Analysis of Different Fragmentation Strategies on a Variety of Large Peptides: Implementation of a Low Level of Theory in Fragment-Based Methods Can Be a Crucial Factor.

PubMed

Saha, Arjun; Raghavachari, Krishnan

2015-05-12

We have investigated the performance of two classes of fragmentation methods developed in our group (Molecules-in-Molecules (MIM) and Many-Overlapping-Body (MOB) expansion), to reproduce the unfragmented MP2 energies on a test set composed of 10 small to large biomolecules. They have also been assessed to recover the relative energies of different motifs of the acetyl(ala)18NH2 system. Performance of different bond-cutting environments and the use of Hartree-Fock and different density functionals (as a low level of theory) in conjunction with the fragmentation strategies have been analyzed. Our investigation shows that while a low level of theory (for recovering long-range interactions) may not be necessary for small peptides, it provides a very effective strategy to accurately reproduce the total and relative energies of larger peptides such as the different motifs of the acetyl(ala)18NH2 system. Employing M06-2X as the low level of theory, the calculated mean total energy deviation (maximum deviation) in the total MP2 energies for the 10 molecules in the test set at MIM(d=3.5Å), MIM(η=9), and MOB(d=5Å) are 1.16 (2.31), 0.72 (1.87), and 0.43 (2.02) kcal/mol, respectively. The excellent performance suggests that such fragment-based methods should be of general use for the computation of accurate energies of large biomolecular systems.

Theoretical analysis of phase locking in an array of globally coupled lasers

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

Vysotskii, D V; Elkin, N N; Napartovich, A P

2013-09-30

A model of an array of globally coupled fibre lasers, with the same fraction of the total output beam power injected into each laser, is considered. Phase self-locking of the laser array makes it possible to increase the brightness of the total output beam without any devices for controlling the phases of output beams, which significantly complicate the laser system. The spread of the laser optical lengths is several hundreds of wavelengths (or even more); within the theory of hollow cavities, this spread should lead to a fast decrease in the total power with an increase in the number ofmore » lasers. The presence of the active medium may reduce this drop to a great extent due to the self-tuning of the laser array radiation wavelength to a value providing a maximum gain for the array lasing mode. The optical length of each element is assumed to be random. The increase in the phase-locking efficiency due to the gain saturation is explained based on the probabilistic approach. An iterative procedure is developed to find the array output power in the presence of steady-state phase locking. Calculations for different values of small-signal gain and the output-power fraction spent on global coupling are performed. It is shown that, when this fraction amounts to ∼20 % – 30 %, phase locking of up to 20 fibre lasers can be implemented with an efficiency as high as 70 %. (control of laser radiation parameters)« less

In-hospital rehabilitation after multiple joint procedures of the lower extremities in haemophilia patients: clinical guidelines for physical therapists.

PubMed

De Kleijn, P; Fischer, K; Vogely, H Ch; Hendriks, C; Lindeman, E

2011-11-01

This project aimed to develop guidelines for use during in-hospital rehabilitation after combinations of multiple joint procedures (MJP) of the lower extremities in persons with haemophilia (PWH). MJP are defined as surgical procedures on the ankles, knees and hips, performed in any combination, staged, or during a single session. MJP that we studied included total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty and ankle arthrodesis. Literature on rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated promising functional results, fewer hospitalization days and days lost from work. However, the complication rate is higher and rehabilitation needs optimal conditions. Since 1995, at the Van Creveldkliniek, 54 PWH have undergone MJP. During the rehabilitation in our hospital performed by experienced physical therapists, regular guidelines seemed useless. Guidelines will guarantee an optimal physical recovery and maximum benefit from this enormous investment. This will lead to an optimal functional capability and optimal quality of life for this elderly group of PWH. There are no existing guidelines for MJP, in haemophilia, revealed through a review of the literature. Therefore, a working group was formed to develop and implement such guidelines and the procedure is explained. The total group of PWH who underwent MJP is described, subdivided into combinations of joints. For these subgroups, the number of days in hospital, complications and profile at discharge, as well as a guideline on the clinical rehabilitation, are given. It contains a general part and a part for each specific subgroup. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Time course of epiphyseal growth plate fusion in rat tibiae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, E. A.; Ritman, E. L.; Turner, R. T.

2003-01-01

Although the rat is the most common animal model used in studying osteoporosis, it is often used inappropriately. Osteoporosis is a disease that most commonly occurs in humans long after growth plate fusion with the associated cessation of longitudinal bone growth, but there has been a question as to when or to what extent the rat growth plate fuses. To investigate this question, we used microcomputed X-ray tomography, at voxel resolutions ranging from (5.7 micro m)(3) to (11 micro m)(3), to image the proximal epiphyseal growth plates of both male (n = 19) and female (n = 15) rat tibiae, ranging in age from 2 to 25 months. The three-dimensional images were used to evaluate fusion of the epiphyseal growth plate by quantitating the amount of cancellous bone that has bridged across the growth plate. The results suggest that the time course of fusion of the epiphyseal growth plate follows a sigmoidal pattern, with 10% of the maximum number of bridges having formed by 3.9 months in the male tibiae and 5.8 months in the female tibiae, 50% of the maximum number of bridges having formed by 5.6 months in the male tibiae and 5.9 months in the female tibiae, and 90% of the total maximum of bridges have formed by 7.4 months for the males and 6.5 months for the females. The total volume of bridges per tibia at the age at which the maximum number of bridges per tibia has first formed is 0.99 mm(3)/tibia for the males and 0.40 mm(3)/tibia for the females. After the maximum number of bridges (-290 for females, -360 for males) have formed the total volume of bridges per tibia continues to increase for an additional 7.0 months in the males and 17.0 months for the females until they reach maximum values (-1.5 mm(3)/tibia for the males and -2.2 mm(3)/tibia for the females).

Comparing Neuromorphic Solutions in Action: Implementing a Bio-Inspired Solution to a Benchmark Classification Task on Three Parallel-Computing Platforms

PubMed Central

Diamond, Alan; Nowotny, Thomas; Schmuker, Michael

2016-01-01

Neuromorphic computing employs models of neuronal circuits to solve computing problems. Neuromorphic hardware systems are now becoming more widely available and “neuromorphic algorithms” are being developed. As they are maturing toward deployment in general research environments, it becomes important to assess and compare them in the context of the applications they are meant to solve. This should encompass not just task performance, but also ease of implementation, speed of processing, scalability, and power efficiency. Here, we report our practical experience of implementing a bio-inspired, spiking network for multivariate classification on three different platforms: the hybrid digital/analog Spikey system, the digital spike-based SpiNNaker system, and GeNN, a meta-compiler for parallel GPU hardware. We assess performance using a standard hand-written digit classification task. We found that whilst a different implementation approach was required for each platform, classification performances remained in line. This suggests that all three implementations were able to exercise the model's ability to solve the task rather than exposing inherent platform limits, although differences emerged when capacity was approached. With respect to execution speed and power consumption, we found that for each platform a large fraction of the computing time was spent outside of the neuromorphic device, on the host machine. Time was spent in a range of combinations of preparing the model, encoding suitable input spiking data, shifting data, and decoding spike-encoded results. This is also where a large proportion of the total power was consumed, most markedly for the SpiNNaker and Spikey systems. We conclude that the simulation efficiency advantage of the assessed specialized hardware systems is easily lost in excessive host-device communication, or non-neuronal parts of the computation. These results emphasize the need to optimize the host-device communication architecture for scalability, maximum throughput, and minimum latency. Moreover, our results indicate that special attention should be paid to minimize host-device communication when designing and implementing networks for efficient neuromorphic computing. PMID:26778950

Electricity generation from food wastes and microbial community structure in microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Jia, Jianna; Tang, Yu; Liu, Bingfeng; Wu, Di; Ren, Nanqi; Xing, Defeng

2013-09-01

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) was studied as an alternate and a novel way to dispose food wastes (FWs) in a waste-to-energy form. Different organic loading rate obviously affected the performance of MFCs fed with FWs. The maximum power density of ~18 W/m(3) (~556 mW/m(2)) was obtained at COD of 3200±400 mg/L and the maximum coulombic efficiency (CE) was ~27.0% at COD of 4900±350 mg/L. The maximum removals of COD, total carbohydrate (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) were ~86.4%, ~95.9% and ~16.1%, respectively. Microbial community analysis using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene demonstrated the combination of the dominant genera of the exoelectrogenic Geobacter and fermentative Bacteroides effectively drove highly efficient and reliable MFC systems with functions of organic matters degradation and electricity generation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel wireless power and data transmission AC to DC converter for an implantable device.

PubMed

Liu, Jhao-Yan; Tang, Kea-Tiong

2013-01-01

This article presents a novel AC to DC converter implemented by standard CMOS technology, applied for wireless power transmission. This circuit combines the functions of the rectifier and DC to DC converter, rather than using the rectifier to convert AC to DC and then supplying the required voltage with regulator as in the transitional method. This modification can reduce the power consumption and the area of the circuit. This circuit also transfers the loading condition back to the external circuit by the load shift keying(LSK), determining if the input power is not enough or excessive, which increases the efficiency of the total system. The AC to DC converter is fabricated with the TSMC 90nm CMOS process. The circuit area is 0.071mm(2). The circuit can produce a 1V DC voltage with maximum output current of 10mA from an AC input ranging from 1.5V to 2V, at 1MHz to 10MHz.

Weight optimization of large span steel truss structures with genetic algorithm

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

Mojolic, Cristian; Hulea, Radu; Pârv, Bianca Roxana

2015-03-10

The paper presents the weight optimization process of the main steel truss that supports the Slatina Sport Hall roof. The structure was loaded with self-weight, dead loads, live loads, snow, wind and temperature, grouped in eleven load cases. The optimization of the structure was made using genetic algorithms implemented in a Matlab code. A total number of four different cases were taken into consideration when trying to determine the lowest weight of the structure, depending on the types of connections with the concrete structure ( types of supports, bearing modes), and the possibility of the lower truss chord nodes tomore » change their vertical position. A number of restrictions for tension, maximum displacement and buckling were enforced on the elements, and the cross sections are chosen by the program from a user data base. The results in each of the four cases were analyzed in terms of weight, element tension, element section and displacement. The paper presents the optimization process and the conclusions drawn.« less

A case study of analyzing 11th graders’ problem solving ability on heat and temperature topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulianawati, D.; Muslim; Hasanah, L.; Samsudin, A.

2018-05-01

Problem solving ability must be owned by students after the process of physics learning so that the concept of physics becomes meaningful. Consequently, the research aims to describe their problem solving ability. Metacognition is contributed to physics learning to the success of students in solving problems. This research has already been implemented to 37 science students (30 women and 7 men) of eleventh grade from one of the secondary schools in Bandung. The research methods utilized the single case study with embedded research design. The instrument is Heat and Temperature Problem Solving Ability Test (HT-PSAT) which consists of twelve questions from three context problems. The result shows that the average value of the test is 8.27 out of the maximum total value of 36. In conclusion, eleventh graders’ problem-solving ability is still under expected. The implication of the findings is able to create learning situations which are probably developing students to embrace better problem solving ability.

Estimating population diversity with CatchAll

PubMed Central

Bunge, John; Woodard, Linda; Böhning, Dankmar; Foster, James A.; Connolly, Sean; Allen, Heather K.

2012-01-01

Motivation: The massive data produced by next-generation sequencing require advanced statistical tools. We address estimating the total diversity or species richness in a population. To date, only relatively simple methods have been implemented in available software. There is a need for software employing modern, computationally intensive statistical analyses including error, goodness-of-fit and robustness assessments. Results: We present CatchAll, a fast, easy-to-use, platform-independent program that computes maximum likelihood estimates for finite-mixture models, weighted linear regression-based analyses and coverage-based non-parametric methods, along with outlier diagnostics. Given sample ‘frequency count’ data, CatchAll computes 12 different diversity estimates and applies a model-selection algorithm. CatchAll also derives discounted diversity estimates to adjust for possibly uncertain low-frequency counts. It is accompanied by an Excel-based graphics program. Availability: Free executable downloads for Linux, Windows and Mac OS, with manual and source code, at www.northeastern.edu/catchall. Contact: jab18@cornell.edu PMID:22333246

Geological and geomorphological controls on groundwater occurrence in a hard rock region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajaveni, S. P.; Brindha, K.; Elango, L.

2017-06-01

Remote sensing and GIS tools have broadly helped hydrogeologists to delineate the groundwater prospective zones for watershed development and management. The origin, movement and existence of groundwater depends on several factors such as slope, drainage density, land use, geology, lineament density and geomorphology. Based on these, the mapping and identification of groundwater potential zones were carried out in a part of Nalgonda district, Telangana, India. The regions were categorised as high, moderate and low groundwater potential, and they were validated with the groundwater levels and yield of wells located in the corresponding zones. Extensive possibility for watershed development is possible in 41 % of the total 724 km2 and 46 % of the area offers moderate options. Any groundwater management project implemented in these favourable areas will bring maximum benefit. Similar studies should be considered necessary before designing a water resource development activity as it will reduce the cost on detailed field visits which are time-consuming.

Multi-dimensional high order essentially non-oscillatory finite difference methods in generalized coordinates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shu, Chi-Wang

1992-01-01

The nonlinear stability of compact schemes for shock calculations is investigated. In recent years compact schemes were used in various numerical simulations including direct numerical simulation of turbulence. However to apply them to problems containing shocks, one has to resolve the problem of spurious numerical oscillation and nonlinear instability. A framework to apply nonlinear limiting to a local mean is introduced. The resulting scheme can be proven total variation (1D) or maximum norm (multi D) stable and produces nice numerical results in the test cases. The result is summarized in the preprint entitled 'Nonlinearly Stable Compact Schemes for Shock Calculations', which was submitted to SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis. Research was continued on issues related to two and three dimensional essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) schemes. The main research topics include: parallel implementation of ENO schemes on Connection Machines; boundary conditions; shock interaction with hydrogen bubbles, a preparation for the full combustion simulation; and direct numerical simulation of compressible sheared turbulence.

Is the Prosthetic Homologue Necessary for Embodiment?

PubMed Central

Dornfeld, Chelsea; Swanston, Michelle; Cassella, Joseph; Beasley, Casey; Green, Jacob; Moshayev, Yonatan; Wininger, Michael

2016-01-01

Embodiment is the process by which patients with limb loss come to accept their peripheral device as a natural extension of self. However, there is little guidance as to how exacting the prosthesis must be in order for embodiment to take place: is it necessary for the prosthetic hand to look just like the absent hand? Here, we describe a protocol for testing whether an individual would select a hand that looks like their own from among a selection of five hands, and whether the hand selection (regardless of homology) is consistent across multiple exposures to the same (but reordered) set of candidate hands. Pilot results using healthy volunteers reveals that hand selection is only modestly consistent, and that selection of the prosthetic homologue is atypical (61 of 192 total exposures). Our protocol can be executed in minutes, and makes use of readily available equipment and softwares. We present both a face-to-face and a virtual protocol, for maximum flexibility of implementation. PMID:28066228

A recoil-proton spectrometer based on a p-i-n diode implementing pulse-shape discrimination.

PubMed

Agosteo, S; D'Angelo, G; Fazzi, A; Foglio Para, A; Pola, A; Ventura, L; Zotto, P

2004-01-01

A recoil-proton spectrometer was created by coupling a p-i-n diode with a polyethylene converter. The maximum detectable energy, imposed by the thickness of the totally depleted layer, is approximately 6 MeV. The minimum detectable energy is limited by the contribution of secondary electrons generated by photons in the detector assembly. This limit is approximately 1.5 MeV at full-depletion voltage and was decreased using pulse-shape discrimination. The diode was set up in the 'reverse-injection' configuration (i.e. with the N+ layer adjacent to the converter). This configuration provides longer collection times for the electron-hole pairs generated by the recoil-protons. The pulse-shape discrimination was based on the zero-crossing time of bipolar signals from a (CR)2-(RC)2 filter. The detector was characterised using monoenergetic neutrons generated in the Van De Graaff CN accelerator at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The energy limit for discrimination proved to be approximately 900 keV.

Indoor Air Quality of Residential Building Before and After Renovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánka, Imrich; Földváry, Veronika

2017-06-01

This study investigates the impact of energy renovation on the indoor air quality of an apartment building during the heating season. The study was performed in one residential building before and after its renovation. An evaluation of the indoor air quality was performed using objective measurements and a subjective survey. The concentration of CO2 was measured in the bedrooms, and a sampling of the total volatile compounds (TVOC) was performed in the living rooms of the selected apartments. Higher concentrations of CO2 and TVOC were observed in the residential building after its renovation. The concentrations of CO2, and TVOC in some of the cases exceeded the recommended maximum limits, especially after implementing energy-saving measures on the building. The average air exchange rate was visibly higher before the renovation of the building. The current study indicates that large-scale renovations may reduce the quality of an indoor environment in many apartments, especially in the winter season.

Evaluation of modeled bacteria loads along an impaired stream reach receiving discharge from a municipal separate storm sewer system in Independence, Mo.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flickinger, Allison; Christensen, Eric D.

2017-01-01

The Little Blue River in Jackson County, Missouri, was listed as impaired in 2012 due to Escherichia coli (E. coli) from urban runoff and storm sewers. A study was initiated to characterize E. coli concentrations and loads to aid in the development of a total maximum daily load implementation plan. Longitudinal sampling along the stream revealed spatial and temporal variability in E. coli loads. Regression models were developed to better represent E. coli variability in the impaired reach using continuous hydrologic and water-quality parameters as predictive parameters. Daily loads calculated from main-stem samples were significantly higher downstream compared to upstream even though there was no significant difference between the upstream and downstream measured concentrations and no significant conclusions could be drawn from model-estimated loads due to model-associated uncertainty. Increasing sample frequency could decrease the bias and increase the accuracy of the modeled results.

Power efficient, clock gated multiplexer based full adder cell using 28 nm technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Ashutosh; Murgai, Shruti; Gulati, Anmol; Kumar, Pradeep

2016-03-01

Clock gating is a leading technique used for power saving. Full adders is one of the basic circuit that can be found in maximum VLSI circuits. In this paper clock gated multiplexer based full adder cell is implemented on 28 nm technology. We have designed a full adder cell using a multiplexer with a gated clock without degrading its performance of the cell. We have negative latch circuit for generating gated clock. This gated clock is used to control the multiplexer based full adder cell. The circuit has been synthesized on kintex FPGA through Xilinx ISE Design Suite 14.7 using 28 nm technology in Verilog HDL. The circuit has been simulated on Modelsim 10.3c. The design is verified using System Verilog on QuestaSim in UVM environment. The total power of the circuit has been reduced by 7.41% without degrading the performance of original circuit. The power has been calculated using XPower Analyzer tool of XILINX ISE DESIGN SUITE 14.3.

Differential distribution of amino acids in plants.

PubMed

Kumar, Vinod; Sharma, Anket; Kaur, Ravdeep; Thukral, Ashwani Kumar; Bhardwaj, Renu; Ahmad, Parvaiz

2017-05-01

Plants are a rich source of amino acids and their individual abundance in plants is of great significance especially in terms of food. Therefore, it is of utmost necessity to create a database of the relative amino acid contents in plants as reported in literature. Since in most of the cases complete analysis of profiles of amino acids in plants was not reported, the units used and the methods applied and the plant parts used were different, amino acid contents were converted into relative units with respect to lysine for statistical analysis. The most abundant amino acids in plants are glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Pearson's correlation analysis among different amino acids showed that there were no negative correlations between the amino acids. Cluster analysis (CA) applied to relative amino acid contents of different families. Alismataceae, Cyperaceae, Capparaceae and Cactaceae families had close proximity with each other on the basis of their relative amino acid contents. First three components of principal component analysis (PCA) explained 79.5% of the total variance. Factor analysis (FA) explained four main underlying factors for amino acid analysis. Factor-1 accounted for 29.4% of the total variance and had maximum loadings on glycine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and valine. Factor-2 explained 25.8% of the total variance and had maximum loadings on alanine, aspartic acid, serine and tyrosine. 14.2% of the total variance was explained by factor-3 and had maximum loadings on arginine and histidine. Factor-4 accounted 8.3% of the total variance and had maximum loading on the proline amino acid. The relative content of different amino acids presented in this paper is alanine (1.4), arginine (1.8), asparagine (0.7), aspartic acid (2.4), cysteine (0.5), glutamic acid (2.8), glutamine (0.6), glycine (1.0), histidine (0.5), isoleucine (0.9), leucine (1.7), lysine (1.0), methionine (0.4), phenylalanine (0.9), proline (1.1), serine (1.0), threonine (1.0), tryptophan (0.3), tyrosine (0.7) and valine (1.2).

Report: Nationwide Identification of Hardrock Mining Sites

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #2004-P-00005, March 31, 2004. We identified 156 hardrock mining sites nationwide that have the potential to cost between $7 billion and $24 billion total to clean up (at a maximum total cost to EPA of approximately $15 billion).

Panel Discussions on Total Solar Irradiance Variations and the Maunder Minimum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pap, J. M.; White, O. R.

1993-01-01

For more than a decade, total solar irradiance has been monitored from several satellites, namely and Nimbus-7, Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), the NASA ERBS, NOAA9 and NOAA10,EURECA, and the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (SARS).

78 FR 11652 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Evaluation of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-19

... responses per Total annual Average burden Total hours respondents respondent responses per response Pretest... and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information. ERG will conduct a pretest of... complete the pretest, for a total of a maximum of 7.5 hours. We estimate that up to 135 [[Page 11654...

Maximum magnitude earthquakes induced by fluid injection

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGarr, Arthur F.

2014-01-01

Analysis of numerous case histories of earthquake sequences induced by fluid injection at depth reveals that the maximum magnitude appears to be limited according to the total volume of fluid injected. Similarly, the maximum seismic moment seems to have an upper bound proportional to the total volume of injected fluid. Activities involving fluid injection include (1) hydraulic fracturing of shale formations or coal seams to extract gas and oil, (2) disposal of wastewater from these gas and oil activities by injection into deep aquifers, and (3) the development of enhanced geothermal systems by injecting water into hot, low-permeability rock. Of these three operations, wastewater disposal is observed to be associated with the largest earthquakes, with maximum magnitudes sometimes exceeding 5. To estimate the maximum earthquake that could be induced by a given fluid injection project, the rock mass is assumed to be fully saturated, brittle, to respond to injection with a sequence of earthquakes localized to the region weakened by the pore pressure increase of the injection operation and to have a Gutenberg-Richter magnitude distribution with a b value of 1. If these assumptions correctly describe the circumstances of the largest earthquake, then the maximum seismic moment is limited to the volume of injected liquid times the modulus of rigidity. Observations from the available case histories of earthquakes induced by fluid injection are consistent with this bound on seismic moment. In view of the uncertainties in this analysis, however, this should not be regarded as an absolute physical limit.

Coherent photonic beamformer for a Ka-band phased array antenna receiver implemented in silicon photonic integrated circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, V. C.; Peczek, A.; Drummond, M. V.; Nogueira, R. N.; Winzer, G.; Petousi, D.; Zimmermann, L.

2017-09-01

The generation of satellite communications with flexible and efficient transmission of radio signals requires a large number of low interfering beams and a maximum exploitation of the available frequency spectrum.

78 FR 4134 - Availability of the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact and Final Programmatic Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-18

... restructuring. This range of potential installation reduction and growth (ranging from maximum losses of 8,000... with implementation of the two Action alternatives include impacts to air quality; airspace; cultural...

48 CFR 39.103 - Modular contracting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY General 39.103 Modular contracting. (a) This section implements Section 5202, Incremental Acquisition of Information Technology, of the Clinger-Cohen... technology. Consistent with the agency's information technology architecture, agencies should, to the maximum...

Designing-and Redesigning-Information Services for Maximum Impact.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Rebecca; Dysart, Jane

2002-01-01

Discusses innovative information services, including new services and the redesign of existing services. Describes the development process, including assessing the market and developing a marketing plan; and explains the implementation process, including monitoring client satisfaction and quality control. (LRW)

Comparison of the MPP with other supercomputers for LANDSAT data processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ozga, Martin

1987-01-01

The massively parallel processor is compared to the CRAY X-MP and the CYBER-205 for LANDSAT data processing. The maximum likelihood classification algorithm is the basis for comparison since this algorithm is simple to implement and vectorizes very well. The algorithm was implemented on all three machines and tested by classifying the same full scene of LANDSAT multispectral scan data. Timings are compared as well as features of the machines and available software.

78 FR 20109 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-03

...Meeting (i.e., webinar) training session conducted by CDC staff. We estimate the burden of this training to be a maximum of 2 hours. Respondents will only have to take this training one time. Assuming a maximum number of outbreaks of 1,400, the estimated burden for this training is 2,800 hours. The total...

Colic Caused by Panicum maximum Toxicosis in Equidae in Northern Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the Amazon region of northern Brazil, Panicum maximum cultivars Mombaça, Tanzânia, and Massai cause severe colic and death in horses and mules. The disease occurs in the rainy season, when sprouting pastures are grazed by equidae. In the 8 separate disease outbreaks studied, a total of 52 out of ...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart U of... - Operating Parameters for Which Monitoring Levels Are Required To Be Established for Continuous...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration steam flow or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart Ppp of... - Process Vents From Continuous Unit Operations-Monitoring, Recordkeeping, and Reporting Requirements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... absorbent is used. Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration stream mass or volumetric flow during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum mass or volumetric flow; and...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart U of... - Operating Parameters for Which Monitoring Levels Are Required To Be Established for Continuous...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration steam flow or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart Ppp of... - Process Vents From Continuous Unit Operations-Monitoring, Recordkeeping, and Reporting Requirements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... absorbent is used. Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration stream mass or volumetric flow during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum mass or volumetric flow; and...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart Ppp of... - Process Vents From Continuous Unit Operations-Monitoring, Recordkeeping, and Reporting Requirements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... absorbent is used. Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration stream mass or volumetric flow during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum mass or volumetric flow; and...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart U of... - Operating Parameters for Which Monitoring Levels Are Required To Be Established for Continuous...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration steam flow or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart U of... - Operating Parameters for Which Monitoring Levels Are Required To Be Established for Continuous...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration steam flow or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or...

40 CFR Table 7 to Subpart U of... - Operating Parameters for Which Monitoring Levels Are Required To Be Established for Continuous...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Condenser Exit temperature Maximum temperature. Carbon adsorber Total regeneration steam flow or nitrogen flow, or pressure (gauge or absolute) a during carbon bed regeneration cycle; and temperature of the carbon bed after regeneration (and within 15 minutes of completing any cooling cycle(s)) Maximum flow or...

24 CFR 880.503 - Maximum annual commitment and project account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... may be contracted for in the ACC is the total of the contract rents and utility allowances for all... commitment exceeds the amount actually paid out under the Contract or ACC each year. Payments will be made... the Contract or ACC for a fiscal year exceeds the maximum annual commitment and would cause the amount...

24 CFR 880.503 - Maximum annual commitment and project account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... may be contracted for in the ACC is the total of the contract rents and utility allowances for all... commitment exceeds the amount actually paid out under the Contract or ACC each year. Payments will be made... the Contract or ACC for a fiscal year exceeds the maximum annual commitment and would cause the amount...

20 CFR 229.48 - Family maximum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... total wages (see 20 CFR 404.203(m)) for the second year before the individual dies or becomes eligible... employee's first month of entitlement to the DIB O/M is July 1980 or later, the family maximum is 85... $804.90. Under the O/M guarantee, the employee would receive $750 since it is higher than his annuity...

40 CFR 464.43 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS METAL MOLDING AND CASTING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Zinc Casting... copper, lead, zinc, and total phenols. For non-continuous dischargers, annual average mass limitations....0187 Lead (T) 0.0237 0.0116 Zinc (T) 0.0339 0.0129 Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average...

40 CFR 464.43 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS METAL MOLDING AND CASTING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Zinc Casting... copper, lead, zinc, and total phenols. For non-continuous dischargers, annual average mass limitations....0187 Lead (T) 0.0237 0.0116 Zinc (T) 0.0339 0.0129 Maximum for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average...

77 FR 4014 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Physical Oceanographic Studies in the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-26

... chambers for a total discharge volume of 210 in\\3\\) with a 1,200 m long hydrophone streamer. GI guns will... require the Navy to use species-specific mean maximum densities, rather than the mean average densities... use mean maximum densities, rather than mean average densities. Marine mammal population density...

A surface fuel classification for estimating fire effects

Treesearch

Duncan C. Lutes; Robert E. Keane; John F. Caratti

2009-01-01

We present a classification of duff, litter, fine woody debris, and logs that can be used to stratify a project area into sites with fuel loading that yield significantly different emissions and maximum soil surface temperature. Total particulate matter smaller than 2.5?m in diameter and maximum soil surface temperature were simulated using the First...

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data from C-aquifer monitoring program, northeastern Arizona, 2005-11

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Christopher R.; Macy, Jamie P.

2012-01-01

Water-chemistry data for selected wells and baseflow investigations sites are presented. No well samples analyzed exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level standards for drinking water, but several samples exceeded Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level standards for chloride, fluoride, sulfate, iron, and total dissolved solids.

23 CFR 658.17 - Weight.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... maximum gross vehicle weight shall be 80,000 pounds except where lower gross vehicle weight is dictated by... of axles, or a vehicle is 20,000 pounds. (d) The maximum gross weight on tandem axles is 34,000... first and last axle is 36 feet or more. In no case shall the total gross weight of a vehicle exceed 80...

40 CFR 432.115 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Coliform ( 2 ) ( 3 ) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or CFU per 100 mL at... Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147 103 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or...

40 CFR 432.115 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Coliform ( 2 ) ( 3 ) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or CFU per 100 mL at... Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147 103 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or...

AEROSOL NUCLEATION AND GROWTH DURING LAMINAR TUBE FLOW: MAXIMUM SATURATIONS AND NUCLEATION RATES. (R827354C008)

EPA Science Inventory

An approximate method of estimating the maximum saturation, the nucleation rate, and the total number nucleated per second during the laminar flow of a hot vapour–gas mixture along a tube with cold walls is described. The basis of the approach is that the temperature an...

Efficient algorithms and implementations of entropy-based moment closures for rarefied gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaerer, Roman Pascal; Bansal, Pratyuksh; Torrilhon, Manuel

2017-07-01

We present efficient algorithms and implementations of the 35-moment system equipped with the maximum-entropy closure in the context of rarefied gases. While closures based on the principle of entropy maximization have been shown to yield very promising results for moderately rarefied gas flows, the computational cost of these closures is in general much higher than for closure theories with explicit closed-form expressions of the closing fluxes, such as Grad's classical closure. Following a similar approach as Garrett et al. (2015) [13], we investigate efficient implementations of the computationally expensive numerical quadrature method used for the moment evaluations of the maximum-entropy distribution by exploiting its inherent fine-grained parallelism with the parallelism offered by multi-core processors and graphics cards. We show that using a single graphics card as an accelerator allows speed-ups of two orders of magnitude when compared to a serial CPU implementation. To accelerate the time-to-solution for steady-state problems, we propose a new semi-implicit time discretization scheme. The resulting nonlinear system of equations is solved with a Newton type method in the Lagrange multipliers of the dual optimization problem in order to reduce the computational cost. Additionally, fully explicit time-stepping schemes of first and second order accuracy are presented. We investigate the accuracy and efficiency of the numerical schemes for several numerical test cases, including a steady-state shock-structure problem.

Attitude determination and calibration using a recursive maximum likelihood-based adaptive Kalman filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, D. A.; Fermelia, A.; Lee, G. K. F.

1990-01-01

An adaptive Kalman filter design that utilizes recursive maximum likelihood parameter identification is discussed. At the center of this design is the Kalman filter itself, which has the responsibility for attitude determination. At the same time, the identification algorithm is continually identifying the system parameters. The approach is applicable to nonlinear, as well as linear systems. This adaptive Kalman filter design has much potential for real time implementation, especially considering the fast clock speeds, cache memory and internal RAM available today. The recursive maximum likelihood algorithm is discussed in detail, with special attention directed towards its unique matrix formulation. The procedure for using the algorithm is described along with comments on how this algorithm interacts with the Kalman filter.

Maximum Likelihood Compton Polarimetry with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, A. W.; Boggs, S. E.; Chiu, C. L.; Kierans, C. A.; Sleator, C.; Tomsick, J. A.; Zoglauer, A. C.; Chang, H.-K.; Tseng, C.-H.; Yang, C.-Y.; Jean, P.; von Ballmoos, P.; Lin, C.-H.; Amman, M.

2017-10-01

Astrophysical polarization measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are becoming more feasible as detectors with high position and energy resolution are deployed. Previous work has shown that the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) of an ideal Compton polarimeter can be improved by ˜21% when an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM) is used instead of the standard approach of fitting a sinusoid to a histogram of azimuthal scattering angles. Here we outline a procedure for implementing this maximum likelihood approach for real, nonideal polarimeters. As an example, we use the recent observation of GRB 160530A with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager. We find that the MDP for this observation is reduced by 20% when the MLM is used instead of the standard method.

INDDGO: Integrated Network Decomposition & Dynamic programming for Graph Optimization

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

Groer, Christopher S; Sullivan, Blair D; Weerapurage, Dinesh P

2012-10-01

It is well-known that dynamic programming algorithms can utilize tree decompositions to provide a way to solve some \\emph{NP}-hard problems on graphs where the complexity is polynomial in the number of nodes and edges in the graph, but exponential in the width of the underlying tree decomposition. However, there has been relatively little computational work done to determine the practical utility of such dynamic programming algorithms. We have developed software to construct tree decompositions using various heuristics and have created a fast, memory-efficient dynamic programming implementation for solving maximum weighted independent set. We describe our software and the algorithms wemore » have implemented, focusing on memory saving techniques for the dynamic programming. We compare the running time and memory usage of our implementation with other techniques for solving maximum weighted independent set, including a commercial integer programming solver and a semi-definite programming solver. Our results indicate that it is possible to solve some instances where the underlying decomposition has width much larger than suggested by the literature. For certain types of problems, our dynamic programming code runs several times faster than these other methods.« less

An implemented method of asymmetric transmission for arbitrary polarization base in multi-layered chiral meta-surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhong-yin; Zou, Huan-ling; Xu, Kai-Kai; Tang, Jing-yao

2018-03-01

Asymmetric transmission of linearly or circularly polarized waves is a well-established property not only for three-layered chiral structures but for multi-layered ones. Here we show a method which can simultaneously implement asymmetric transmission for arbitrary base vector polarized wave in multi-layered chiral meta-surface. We systematically study the implemented method based on a multi-layered chiral structure consisting of a y-shape, a half gammadion and an S-shape in the terahertz gap. A numerical simulation was carried out, followed by an explanation of the asymmetric transmission mechanism in these structures proposed in this work. The simulated results indicate that the multi-layered chiral structure can realize a maximum asymmetric transmission of 0.89 and 0.28 for circularly and linearly polarized waves, respectively, which exhibit magnitude improvement over previous chiral metamaterials. Specifically, the maximum asymmetric transmitted coefficient of the multi-layered chiral structure is insensitivity to the incident angles from 0° to 45° for circularly polarized components. Additionally, we also study the influence of structural parameters on the asymmetric transmission effect for both linearly and circularly polarized waves in detail.

Effect of a health system's medical error disclosure program on gastroenterology-related claims rates and costs.

PubMed

Adams, Megan A; Elmunzer, B Joseph; Scheiman, James M

2014-04-01

In 2001, the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) implemented a novel medical error disclosure program. This study analyzes the effect of this program on gastroenterology (GI)-related claims and costs. This was a review of claims in the UMHS Risk Management Database (1990-2010), naming a gastroenterologist. Claims were classified according to pre-determined categories. Claims data, including incident date, date of resolution, and total liability dollars, were reviewed. Mean total liability incurred per claim in the pre- and post-implementation eras was compared. Patient encounter data from the Division of Gastroenterology was also reviewed in order to benchmark claims data with changes in clinical volume. There were 238,911 GI encounters in the pre-implementation era and 411,944 in the post-implementation era. A total of 66 encounters resulted in claims: 38 in the pre-implementation era and 28 in the post-implementation era. Of the total number of claims, 15.2% alleged delay in diagnosis/misdiagnosis, 42.4% related to a procedure, and 42.4% involved improper management, treatment, or monitoring. The reduction in the proportion of encounters resulting in claims was statistically significant (P=0.001), as was the reduction in time to claim resolution (1,000 vs. 460 days) (P<0.0001). There was also a reduction in the mean total liability per claim ($167,309 pre vs. $81,107 post, 95% confidence interval: 33682.5-300936.2 pre vs. 1687.8-160526.7 post). Implementation of a novel medical error disclosure program, promoting transparency and quality improvement, not only decreased the number of GI-related claims per patient encounter, but also dramatically shortened the time to claim resolution.

A Climatology of Midlatitude Continental Clouds from the ARM SGP Central Facility. Part II; Cloud Fraction and Radiative Forcing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike; Minnis, Patrick

2006-01-01

Data collected at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) central facility are analyzed for determining the variability of cloud fraction and radiative forcing at several temporal scales between January 1997 and December 2002. Cloud fractions are estimated for total cloud cover and for single-layer low (0-3 km), middle (3-6 km), and high clouds (greater than 6 km) using ARM SGP ground-based paired lidar-radar measurements. Shortwave (SW), longwave (LW), and net cloud radiative forcings (CRF) are derived from up- and down-looking standard precision spectral pyranometers and precision infrared radiometer measurements. The annual averages of total, and single-layer, nonoverlapped low, middle and high cloud fractions are 0.49, 0.11, 0.03, and 0.17, respectively. Total and low cloud amounts were greatest from December through March and least during July and August. The monthly variation of high cloud amount is relatively small with a broad maximum from May to August. During winter, total cloud cover varies diurnally with a small amplitude, mid-morning maximum and early evening minimum, and during summer it changes by more than 0.14 over the daily cycle with a pronounced early evening minimum. The diurnal variations of mean single-layer cloud cover change with season and cloud height. Annual averages of all-sky, total, and single-layer high, middle, and low LW CRFs are 21.4, 40.2, 16.7, 27.2, and 55.0 Wm(sup -2), respectively; and their SW CRFs are -41.5, -77.2, -37.0, -47.0, and -90.5 Wm(sup -2). Their net CRFs range from -20 to -37 Wm(sup -2). For all-sky, total, and low clouds, the maximum negative net CRFs of -40.1, -70, and -69.5 Wm(sup -2), occur during April; while the respective minimum values of -3.9, -5.7, and -4.6 Wm(sup -2), are found during December. July is the month having maximum negative net CRF of -46.2 Wm(sup -2) for middle clouds, and May has the maximum value of -45.9 Wm(sup -2) for high clouds. An uncertainty analysis demonstrates that the calculated CRFs are not significantly affected by the difference between clear-sky and cloudy conditions. A more comprehensive cloud fraction study from both surface and satellite observations will follow.

Chemometric Analysis of Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry Data using Fast Retention Time Alignment via a Total Ion Current Shift Function

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

Nadeau, Jeremy S.; Wright, Bob W.; Synovec, Robert E.

2010-04-15

A critical comparison of methods for correcting severely retention time shifted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) data is presented. The method reported herein is an adaptation to the Piecewise Alignment Algorithm to quickly align severely shifted one-dimensional (1D) total ion current (TIC) data, then applying these shifts to broadly align all mass channels throughout the separation, referred to as a TIC shift function (SF). The maximum shift varied from (-) 5 s in the beginning of the chromatographic separation to (+) 20 s toward the end of the separation, equivalent to a maximum shift of over 5 peak widths. Implementing themore » TIC shift function (TIC SF) prior to Fisher Ratio (F-Ratio) feature selection and then principal component analysis (PCA) was found to be a viable approach to classify complex chromatograms, that in this study were obtained from GC-MS separations of three gasoline samples serving as complex test mixtures, referred to as types C, M and S. The reported alignment algorithm via the TIC SF approach corrects for large dynamic shifting in the data as well as subtle peak-to-peak shifts. The benefits of the overall TIC SF alignment and feature selection approach were quantified using the degree-of-class separation (DCS) metric of the PCA scores plots using the type C and M samples, since they were the most similar, and thus the most challenging samples to properly classify. The DCS values showed an increase from an initial value of essentially zero for the unaligned GC-TIC data to a value of 7.9 following alignment; however, the DCS was unchanged by feature selection using F-Ratios for the GC-TIC data. The full mass spectral data provided an increase to a final DCS of 13.7 after alignment and two-dimensional (2D) F-Ratio feature selection.« less

Summary of Optical-Backscatter and Suspended-Sediment Data, Tomales Bay Watershed, California, Water Years 2004, 2005, and 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtis, Jennifer A.

2007-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Point Reyes National Seashore, is studying suspended-sediment transport dynamics in the two primary tributaries to Tomales Bay, Lagunitas Creek and Walker Creek. Suspended-sediment samples and continuous optical backscatter (turbidity) data were collected at three locations during water years 2004?06 (October 1, 2003?September 30, 2006): at two sites in the Lagunitas Creek watershed and at one site in the Walker Creek watershed. Sediment samples were analyzed for suspended-sediment concentration, grain size, and turbidity. Data were used to estimate mean daily and annual seasonal suspended-sediment discharge, which were published in U.S. Geological Survey Annual Water-Data Reports. Data were utilized further in this report to develop field-based optical-backscatter calibration equations, which then were used to derive a continuous time series (15-minute interval) of suspended-sediment concentrations. Sensor fouling and aggradation of the channel bed occurred periodically throughout the project period, resulting in data loss. Although periods of data loss occurred, collection of optical sensor data improved our understanding of suspended-sediment dynamics in the Lagunitas Creek and Walker Creek watersheds by providing continuous time-series storm event data that were analyzed to determine durations of elevated sediment concentrations (periods of time when suspended-sediment concentration was greater than 100 mg/L). Data derived from this project contributed baseline suspended-sediment transport information that will be used to develop and implement sediment total maximum daily loads for Tomales Bay and its tributary watersheds, and provides supporting information for additional total maximum daily loads (pathogens, nutrients, and mercury) and restoration efforts for four federally listed aquatic species that are affected directly by sediment loading in the Tomales Bay watershed. In addition, this project provided an opportunity to evaluate the suitability of using optical data as a surrogate for more traditional labor-intensive methods of measuring suspended-sediment transport in steep coastal watersheds.

Value of FDG-PET/CT Volumetry After Chemoradiotherapy in Rectal Cancer.

PubMed

Okuno, Takayuki; Kawai, Kazushige; Koyama, Keitaro; Takahashi, Miwako; Ishihara, Soichiro; Momose, Toshimitsu; Morikawa, Teppei; Fukayama, Masashi; Watanabe, Toshiaki

2018-03-01

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by an optimal surgery is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. FDG-PET/CT is commonly used as the modality for assessing the effect of chemoradiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether PET/CT-based volumetry could contribute to the prediction of pathological complete response or prognosis after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. This was a retrospective cohort study. This study was conducted at a single research center. Ninety-one consecutive patients with locally advanced rectal cancer were enrolled between January 2005 and December 2015. Patients underwent PET/CT before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Maximum standardized uptake value and total lesion glycolysis on PET/CT before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were calculated using isocontour methods. Correlations between these variables and clinicopathological factors and prognosis were assessed. PET/CT-associated variables before chemoradiotherapy were not correlated with either clinicopathological factors or prognosis. Maximum standardized uptake value was associated with pathological complete response, but total lesion glycolysis was not. Maximum standardized uptake value correlated with ypT, whereas total lesion glycolysis correlated with both ypT and ypN. High total lesion glycolysis was associated with a considerably poorer prognosis; the 5-year recurrence rate was 65% and the 5-year mortality rate 42%, whereas in lesions with low total lesion glycolysis, these were 6% and 2%. On multivariate analysis, high total lesion glycolysis was an independent risk factor for recurrence (HR = 4.718; p = 0.04). The gain in fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake may differ between scanners, thus the general applicability of this threshold should be validated. In patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, high total lesion glycolysis after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is strongly associated with a worse prognosis. Total lesion glycolysis after chemoradiotherapy may be a promising preoperative predictor of recurrence and death. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A464.

Measurement-noise maximum as a signature of a phase transition.

PubMed

Chen, Zhi; Yu, Clare C

2007-02-02

We propose that a maximum in measurement noise can be used as a signature of a phase transition. As an example, we study the energy and magnetization noise spectra associated with first- and second-order phase transitions by using Monte Carlo simulations of the Ising model and 5-state Potts model in two dimensions. For a finite size system, the total noise power and the low frequency white noise S(f0 and the total noise power vanishes. f(-1)(knee) is approximately the equilibration time.

Monitoring to assess progress toward meeting the Assabet River, Massachusetts, phosphorus total maximum daily load - Aquatic macrophyte biomass and sediment-phosphorus flux

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Marc J.; Qian, Yu; Yong Q., Tian

2011-01-01

In 2004, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Total Phosphorus in the Assabet River, Massachusetts, was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The goal of the TMDL was to decrease the concentrations of the nutrient phosphorus to mitigate some of the instream ecological effects of eutrophication on the river; these effects were, for the most part, direct consequences of the excessive growth of aquatic macrophytes. The primary instrument effecting lower concentrations of phosphorus was to be strict control of phosphorus releases from four major wastewatertreatment plants in Westborough, Marlborough, Hudson, and Maynard, Massachusetts. The improvements to be achieved from implementing this control were lower concentrations of total and dissolved phosphorus in the river, a 50-percent reduction in aquatic-plant biomass, a 30-percent reduction in episodes of dissolved oxygen supersaturation, no low-flow dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 5.0 milligrams per liter, and a 90-percent reduction in sediment releases of phosphorus to the overlying water. In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, initiated studies to evaluate conditions in the Assabet River prior to the upgrading of wastewater-treatment plants to remove more phosphorus from their effluents. The studies, completed in 2008, implemented a visual monitoring plan to evaluate the extent and biomass of the floating macrophyte Lemna minor (commonly known as lesser duckweed) in five impoundments and evaluated the potential for phosphorus flux from sediments in impounded and free-flowing reaches of the river. Hydrologically, the two study years 2007 and 2008 were quite different. In 2007, summer streamflows, although low, were higher than average, and in 2008, the flows were generally higher than in 2007. Visually, the effects of these streamflow differences on the distribution of Lemna were obvious. In 2007, large amounts of floating macrophytes accumulated behind bridge constrictions and dams; in 2008, high flows during the early part of the growing season carried floating macrophytes past bridges and over dams, minimizing accumulations. Samples of Lemna were collected and weighed to provide an estimate of Lemna biomass based on areal coverage during the summer growing seasons at eight sites in the five impoundments. Average estimated biomass during 2007 was approximately twice the 2008 biomass in each of the areas monitored. In 2007, in situ hyperspectral and high-resolution, multispectral data from the IKONOS satellite were obtained to evaluate the feasibility of using remote sensing to monitor the extent of aquatic plant growth in Assabet River impoundments. Three vegetation indices based on light reflectance were used to develop metrics with which the hyperspectral and satellite data were compared. The results of the comparisons confirmed that the high-resolution satellite imagery could differentiate among the common aquatic-plant associations found in the impoundments. The use of satellite imagery could counterbalance emphasis on the subjective judgment of a human observer, and airborne hyperspectral data can provide higher resolution imagery than multispectral satellite data. In 2007 and 2008, the potential for sediment flux of phosphorus was examined in free-flowing reaches of the river and in the two largest impoundments-Hudson and Ben Smith. These studies were undertaken to determine in situ flux rates prior to the implementation of the Assabet River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus and to compare these rates with those used in the development and evaluation of the TMDL. Water samples collected from a chamber placed on the river bottom were analyzed for total phosphorus and orthophosphorus. Ambient dissolved oxygen concentrations and seasonal temperature differences appeared to affect the rates of sequestration and sediment release of phosphorus. When dissolved oxygen concentrations remained relatively high in the chambers and when the temperature was relatively low, the tendency was for phosphorus concentrations to decrease in the chambers, indicating sediment sequestration of phosphorus; when dissolved oxygen concentrations dropped to near zero and temperatures were warmest, phosphorus concentrations increased in the chambers, indicating phosphorus flux from the sediment. The rates of release and sequestration in the in situ studies were generally comparable with the rates determined in laboratory studies of Assabet River sediment cores for State and Federal agencies. Sediment-core and chamber studies produced substantial sediment fluxes to the water column only under extremely low-DO or anaerobic conditions rarely found in the Assabet River impoundments; thus, sediment is not likely to be a major phosphorus source, especially when compared to the wastewater effluent, which sustains higher ambient concentrations. The regulatory agencies now (2011) have substantial laboratory and field data with which to determine the required 90-percent reduction in phosphorus flux after the completion of upgrades to the wastewater-treatment plants that discharge to the Assabet River.

Assessing Foods Offered in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Using Healthy Eating Index-2010

PubMed Central

Shanks, Carmen Byker; Smith, Teresa; Ahmed, Selena; Hunts, Holly

2017-01-01

Objective To assess the nutritional quality of food packages offered in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) program using Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010). Design Data were collected from the list of the food products provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Handbook 501 for FDPIR. Nutritional quality was measured through a cross-sectional analysis of five randomly selected food packages offered through FDPIR. HEI-2010 component and total scores were calculated for each food package. Analysis of variance and t-tests assessed significant differences between food packages and HEI-2010 maximum scores, respectively. Setting This study took place in the United States. Subjects Study units included food products offered through FDPIR. Results The mean total HEI-2010 score for the combined FDPIR food packages was significantly lower than the total HEI-2010 maximum score of 100 (66.38, SD=11.60; p<0.01). Mean scores for total fruit (3.52, SD=0.73; p<0.05), total vegetables (2.58, SD=0.15; p<0.001), greens and beans (0.92, SD=1.00; p<0.001), dairy (5.12, SD=0.63; p<0.001), total protein foods (4.14, SD=0.56; p<0.05), and refined grains (3.04, SD=2.90; p<0.001) were all significantly lower than the maximum values. Conclusions The FDPIR food package HEI-2010 score was notably higher than other federal food assistance and nutrition programs. Study findings highlight opportunities for the FDPIR to modify its offerings to best support lifestyles towards prevention of diet-related chronic disease. PMID:26298513

The impact of domestic rainwater harvesting systems in storm water runoff mitigation at the urban block scale.

PubMed

Palla, A; Gnecco, I; La Barbera, P

2017-04-15

In the framework of storm water management, Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH) systems are recently recognized as source control solutions according to LID principles. In order to assess the impact of these systems in storm water runoff control, a simple methodological approach is proposed. The hydrologic-hydraulic modelling is undertaken using EPA SWMM; the DRWH is implemented in the model by using a storage unit linked to the building water supply system and to the drainage network. The proposed methodology has been implemented for a residential urban block located in Genoa (Italy). Continuous simulations are performed by using the high-resolution rainfall data series for the ''do nothing'' and DRWH scenarios. The latter includes the installation of a DRWH system for each building of the urban block. Referring to the test site, the peak and volume reduction rate evaluated for the 2125 rainfall events are respectively equal to 33 and 26 percent, on average (with maximum values of 65 percent for peak and 51 percent for volume). In general, the adopted methodology indicates that the hydrologic performance of the storm water drainage network equipped with DRWH systems is noticeable even for the design storm event (T = 10 years) and the rainfall depth seems to affect the hydrologic performance at least when the total depth exceeds 20 mm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An improved real time superresolution FPGA system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshmi Narasimha, Pramod; Mudigoudar, Basavaraj; Yue, Zhanfeng; Topiwala, Pankaj

2009-05-01

In numerous computer vision applications, enhancing the quality and resolution of captured video can be critical. Acquired video is often grainy and low quality due to motion, transmission bottlenecks, etc. Postprocessing can enhance it. Superresolution greatly decreases camera jitter to deliver a smooth, stabilized, high quality video. In this paper, we extend previous work on a real-time superresolution application implemented in ASIC/FPGA hardware. A gradient based technique is used to register the frames at the sub-pixel level. Once we get the high resolution grid, we use an improved regularization technique in which the image is iteratively modified by applying back-projection to get a sharp and undistorted image. The algorithm was first tested in software and migrated to hardware, to achieve 320x240 -> 1280x960, about 30 fps, a stunning superresolution by 16X in total pixels. Various input parameters, such as size of input image, enlarging factor and the number of nearest neighbors, can be tuned conveniently by the user. We use a maximum word size of 32 bits to implement the algorithm in Matlab Simulink as well as in FPGA hardware, which gives us a fine balance between the number of bits and performance. The proposed system is robust and highly efficient. We have shown the performance improvement of the hardware superresolution over the software version (C code).

Vaccination and treatment as control interventions in an infectious disease model with their cost optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anuj; Srivastava, Prashant K.

2017-03-01

In this work, an optimal control problem with vaccination and treatment as control policies is proposed and analysed for an SVIR model. We choose vaccination and treatment as control policies because both these interventions have their own practical advantage and ease in implementation. Also, they are widely applied to control or curtail a disease. The corresponding total cost incurred is considered as weighted combination of costs because of opportunity loss due to infected individuals and costs incurred in providing vaccination and treatment. The existence of optimal control paths for the problem is established and guaranteed. Further, these optimal paths are obtained analytically using Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. We analyse our results numerically to compare three important strategies of proposed controls, viz.: vaccination only; with both treatment and vaccination; and treatment only. We note that first strategy (vaccination only) is less effective as well as expensive. Though, for a highly effective vaccine, vaccination alone may also work well in comparison with treatment only strategy. Among all the strategies, we observe that implementation of both treatment and vaccination is most effective and less expensive. Moreover, in this case the infective population is found to be relatively very low. Thus, we conclude that the comprehensive effect of vaccination and treatment not only minimizes cost burden due to opportunity loss and applied control policies but also keeps a tab on infective population.

Real-Time Imaging System for the OpenPET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tashima, Hideaki; Yoshida, Eiji; Kinouchi, Shoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Inadama, Naoko; Murayama, Hideo; Suga, Mikio; Haneishi, Hideaki; Yamaya, Taiga

2012-02-01

The OpenPET and its real-time imaging capability have great potential for real-time tumor tracking in medical procedures such as biopsy and radiation therapy. For the real-time imaging system, we intend to use the one-pass list-mode dynamic row-action maximum likelihood algorithm (DRAMA) and implement it using general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) techniques. However, it is difficult to make consistent reconstructions in real-time because the amount of list-mode data acquired in PET scans may be large depending on the level of radioactivity, and the reconstruction speed depends on the amount of the list-mode data. In this study, we developed a system to control the data used in the reconstruction step while retaining quantitative performance. In the proposed system, the data transfer control system limits the event counts to be used in the reconstruction step according to the reconstruction speed, and the reconstructed images are properly intensified by using the ratio of the used counts to the total counts. We implemented the system on a small OpenPET prototype system and evaluated the performance in terms of the real-time tracking ability by displaying reconstructed images in which the intensity was compensated. The intensity of the displayed images correlated properly with the original count rate and a frame rate of 2 frames per second was achieved with average delay time of 2.1 s.

A multichannel integrated circuit for electrical recording of neural activity, with independent channel programmability.

PubMed

Mora Lopez, Carolina; Prodanov, Dimiter; Braeken, Dries; Gligorijevic, Ivan; Eberle, Wolfgang; Bartic, Carmen; Puers, Robert; Gielen, Georges

2012-04-01

Since a few decades, micro-fabricated neural probes are being used, together with microelectronic interfaces, to get more insight in the activity of neuronal networks. The need for higher temporal and spatial recording resolutions imposes new challenges on the design of integrated neural interfaces with respect to power consumption, data handling and versatility. In this paper, we present an integrated acquisition system for in vitro and in vivo recording of neural activity. The ASIC consists of 16 low-noise, fully-differential input channels with independent programmability of its amplification (from 100 to 6000 V/V) and filtering (1-6000 Hz range) capabilities. Each channel is AC-coupled and implements a fourth-order band-pass filter in order to steeply attenuate out-of-band noise and DC input offsets. The system achieves an input-referred noise density of 37 nV/√Hz, a NEF of 5.1, a CMRR > 60 dB, a THD < 1% and a sampling rate of 30 kS/s per channel, while consuming a maximum of 70 μA per channel from a single 3.3 V. The ASIC was implemented in a 0.35 μm CMOS technology and has a total area of 5.6 × 4.5 mm². The recording system was successfully validated in in vitro and in vivo experiments, achieving simultaneous multichannel recordings of cell activity with satisfactory signal-to-noise ratios.

Management system to a photovoltaic panel based on the measurement of short-circuit currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dordescu, M.

2016-12-01

This article is devoted to fundamental issues arising from operation in terms of increased energy efficiency for photovoltaic panel (PV). By measuring the current from functioning cage determine the current value prescribed amount corresponding to maximum power point results obtained by requiring proof of pregnancy with this method are the maximum energy possible, thus justifying the usefulness of this process very simple and inexpensive to implement in practice. The proposed adjustment method is much simpler and more economical than conventional methods that rely on measuring power cut.

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the psychometric function using the updated maximum-likelihood adaptive procedure.

PubMed

Shen, Yi; Dai, Wei; Richards, Virginia M

2015-03-01

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the threshold, slope, and lapse rate of the psychometric function is described. The toolbox enables the efficient implementation of the updated maximum-likelihood (UML) procedure. The toolbox uses an object-oriented architecture for organizing the experimental variables and computational algorithms, which provides experimenters with flexibility in experimental design and data management. Descriptions of the UML procedure and the UML Toolbox are provided, followed by toolbox use examples. Finally, guidelines and recommendations of parameter configurations are given.

Approximated maximum likelihood estimation in multifractal random walks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Løvsletten, O.; Rypdal, M.

2012-04-01

We present an approximated maximum likelihood method for the multifractal random walk processes of [E. Bacry , Phys. Rev. EPLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.64.026103 64, 026103 (2001)]. The likelihood is computed using a Laplace approximation and a truncation in the dependency structure for the latent volatility. The procedure is implemented as a package in the r computer language. Its performance is tested on synthetic data and compared to an inference approach based on the generalized method of moments. The method is applied to estimate parameters for various financial stock indices.

Coronal and chromospheric physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jefferies, J. T.; Landman, D. A.; Orrall, F. Q.

1983-01-01

Achievements and completed results are discussed for investigations covering solar activity during the solar maximum mission and the solar maximum year; other studies of solar activity and variability; infrared and submillimeter photometry; solar-related atomic physics; coronal and transition region studies; prominence research; chromospheric research in quiet and active regions; solar dynamics; eclipse studies; and polarimetry and magnetic field measurements. Contributions were also made in defining the photometric filterograph instrument for the solar optical telescope, designing the combined filter spectrograph, and in expressing the scientific aims and implementation of the solar corona diagnostic mission.

An employee total health management-based survey of Iowa employers.

PubMed

Merchant, James A; Lind, David P; Kelly, Kevin M; Hall, Jennifer L

2013-12-01

To implement an Employee Total Health Management (ETHM) model-based questionnaire and provide estimates of model program elements among a statewide sample of Iowa employers. Survey a stratified random sample of Iowa employers, and characterize and estimate employer participation in ETHM program elements. Iowa employers are implementing less than 30% of all 12 components of ETHM, with the exception of occupational safety and health (46.6%) and workers' compensation insurance coverage (89.2%), but intend modest expansion of all components in the coming year. The ETHM questionnaire-based survey provides estimates of progress Iowa employers are making toward implementing components of Total Worker Health programs.

Total Mercury, Methylmercury, Inorganic Arsenic and Other Elements in Meat from Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the North East Atlantic Ocean.

PubMed

Maage, Amund; Nilsen, Bente M; Julshamn, Kaare; Frøyland, Livar; Valdersnes, Stig

2017-08-01

Meat samples of 84 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) mainly from the Barents Sea, collected between 1 May and 16 August 2011, were analyzed for total mercury, methylmercury, cadmium, lead, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic and selenium. The average total mercury concentration found was 0.15 ± 0.09 mg/kg, with a range from 0.05 to 0.49 mg/kg. The molar ratio of selenium to mercury varied between 1.0 and 10.3. Cadmium content ranged from 0.002 to 0.036 mg/kg, while the content of lead in whale meat ranged from <0.01 to 0.09 mg/kg. None of the whale samples exceeded established EU maximum levels for metals in fish muscle, but 4.8% and 6.8% of the samples exceeded Japanese maximum levels for total mercury and methylmercury, respectively, in whale meat. There was only minor variations in element concentrations between whales from different geographical areas, and cadmium was the only element were the concentration increased with increasing length.

[Estimation of nonpoint source pollutant loads and optimization of the best management practices (BMPs) in the Zhangweinan River basin].

PubMed

Xu, Hua-Shan; Xu, Zong-Xue; Liu, Pin

2013-03-01

One of the key techniques in establishing and implementing TMDL (total maximum daily load) is to utilize hydrological model to quantify non-point source pollutant loads, establish BMPs scenarios, reduce non-point source pollutant loads. Non-point source pollutant loads under different years (wet, normal and dry year) were estimated by using SWAT model in the Zhangweinan River basin, spatial distribution characteristics of non-point source pollutant loads were analyzed on the basis of the simulation result. During wet years, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) accounted for 0.07% and 27.24% of the total non-point source pollutant loads, respectively. Spatially, agricultural and residential land with steep slope are the regions that contribute more non-point source pollutant loads in the basin. Compared to non-point source pollutant loads with those during the baseline period, 47 BMPs scenarios were set to simulate the reduction efficiency of different BMPs scenarios for 5 kinds of pollutants (organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus and mineral phosphorus) in 8 prior controlled subbasins. Constructing vegetation type ditch was optimized as the best measure to reduce TN and TP by comparing cost-effective relationship among different BMPs scenarios, and the costs of unit pollutant reduction are 16.11-151.28 yuan x kg(-1) for TN, and 100-862.77 yuan x kg(-1) for TP, which is the most cost-effective measure among the 47 BMPs scenarios. The results could provide a scientific basis and technical support for environmental protection and sustainable utilization of water resources in the Zhangweinan River basin.

Economic burden of Clostridium difficile in five hospitals of the Florence health care system in Italy.

PubMed

Poli, Anna; Di Matteo, Sergio; Bruno, Giacomo M; Fornai, Enrica; Valentino, Maria Chiara; Colombo, Giorgio L

2015-01-01

Despite the awareness about the increasing rates of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and the economic burden arising from its management (prolonged hospitalization, laboratory tests, visits, surgical treatment, environmental sanitation), few studies are available in Italy on the economic costs directly attributable to the CDI. The Florence health care system has designed a study with the aim of describing the costs attributable to the CDI and defines the incremental economic burden associated with the management of this complication. We conducted a retrospective study in five hospitals of the Florence health care system. The enrolled population included all patients who were hospitalized during the year 2013 with a diagnosis of CDI. Of the 187 total cases reported in 2013, 69 patients were enrolled, for whom the main cause of hospitalization was directly attributable to CDI. We enrolled 69 patients (19 males and 50 females), with a mean age of 82.16 years (minimum 46 to maximum 98). The total number of hospitalization days observed was 886 (12.8 per patient on average). The data from this study show that the mean total incremental cost for a patient with CDI was €3,270.52 per year. The hospital stay length is the most significant cost parameter, having the largest influence on the overall costs, with an impact of 87% on the total cost. The results confirm the costs for the management of CDI in five hospitals of the Florence health care system are in line with data from the international literature. The economic impact of CDI is most evident in the extension of the duration of hospitalization and emergency recurrences requiring new therapeutic options with the need to develop and implement new diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms in clinical practice.

Economic burden of Clostridium difficile in five hospitals of the Florence health care system in Italy

PubMed Central

Poli, Anna; Di Matteo, Sergio; Bruno, Giacomo M; Fornai, Enrica; Valentino, Maria Chiara; Colombo, Giorgio L

2015-01-01

Introduction Despite the awareness about the increasing rates of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and the economic burden arising from its management (prolonged hospitalization, laboratory tests, visits, surgical treatment, environmental sanitation), few studies are available in Italy on the economic costs directly attributable to the CDI. The Florence health care system has designed a study with the aim of describing the costs attributable to the CDI and defines the incremental economic burden associated with the management of this complication. Methods We conducted a retrospective study in five hospitals of the Florence health care system. The enrolled population included all patients who were hospitalized during the year 2013 with a diagnosis of CDI. Of the 187 total cases reported in 2013, 69 patients were enrolled, for whom the main cause of hospitalization was directly attributable to CDI. Results We enrolled 69 patients (19 males and 50 females), with a mean age of 82.16 years (minimum 46 to maximum 98). The total number of hospitalization days observed was 886 (12.8 per patient on average). The data from this study show that the mean total incremental cost for a patient with CDI was €3,270.52 per year. The hospital stay length is the most significant cost parameter, having the largest influence on the overall costs, with an impact of 87% on the total cost. The results confirm the costs for the management of CDI in five hospitals of the Florence health care system are in line with data from the international literature. Conclusion The economic impact of CDI is most evident in the extension of the duration of hospitalization and emergency recurrences requiring new therapeutic options with the need to develop and implement new diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms in clinical practice. PMID:26604846

The total satellite population of the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, Oliver; Cautun, Marius; Jenkins, Adrian; Frenk, Carlos S.; Helly, John C.

2018-05-01

The total number and luminosity function of the population of dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way (MW) provide important constraints on the nature of the dark matter and on the astrophysics of galaxy formation at low masses. However, only a partial census of this population exists because of the flux limits and restricted sky coverage of existing Galactic surveys. We combine the sample of satellites recently discovered by the Dark Energy Survey (DES) survey with the satellites found in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9 (together these surveys cover nearly half the sky) to estimate the total luminosity function of satellites down to MV = 0. We apply a new Bayesian inference method in which we assume that the radial distribution of satellites independently of absolute magnitude follows that of subhaloes selected according to their peak maximum circular velocity. We find that there should be at least 124^{+40}_{-27}(68% CL, statistical error) satellites brighter than MV = 0 within 300kpc of the Sun. As a result of our use of new data and better simulations, and a more robust statistical method, we infer a much smaller population of satellites than reported in previous studies using earlier SDSS data only; we also address an underestimation of the uncertainties in earlier work by accounting for stochastic effects. We find that the inferred number of faint satellites depends only weakly on the assumed mass of the MW halo and we provide scaling relations to extend our results to different assumed halo masses and outer radii. We predict that half of our estimated total satellite population of the MW should be detected by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). The code implementing our estimation method is available online.†

Estimation of time-variable fast flow path chemical concentrations for application in tracer-based hydrograph separation analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kronholm, Scott C.; Capel, Paul D.

2016-01-01

Mixing models are a commonly used method for hydrograph separation, but can be hindered by the subjective choice of the end-member tracer concentrations. This work tests a new variant of mixing model that uses high-frequency measures of two tracers and streamflow to separate total streamflow into water from slowflow and fastflow sources. The ratio between the concentrations of the two tracers is used to create a time-variable estimate of the concentration of each tracer in the fastflow end-member. Multiple synthetic data sets, and data from two hydrologically diverse streams, are used to test the performance and limitations of the new model (two-tracer ratio-based mixing model: TRaMM). When applied to the synthetic streams under many different scenarios, the TRaMM produces results that were reasonable approximations of the actual values of fastflow discharge (±0.1% of maximum fastflow) and fastflow tracer concentrations (±9.5% and ±16% of maximum fastflow nitrate concentration and specific conductance, respectively). With real stream data, the TRaMM produces high-frequency estimates of slowflow and fastflow discharge that align with expectations for each stream based on their respective hydrologic settings. The use of two tracers with the TRaMM provides an innovative and objective approach for estimating high-frequency fastflow concentrations and contributions of fastflow water to the stream. This provides useful information for tracking chemical movement to streams and allows for better selection and implementation of water quality management strategies.

Cost-effectiveness of preventing dental caries and full mouth dental reconstructions among Alaska Native children in the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta region of Alaska

PubMed Central

Atkins, Charisma Y.; Thomas, Timothy K.; Lenaker, Dane; Day, Gretchen M.; Hennessy, Thomas W.; Meltzer, Martin I.

2016-01-01

Objective We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of five specific dental interventions to help guide resource allocation. Methods We developed a spreadsheet-based tool, from the healthcare payer perspective, to evaluate the cost effectiveness of specific dental interventions that are currently used among Alaska Native children (6-60 months). Interventions included: water fluoridation, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste, and conducting initial dental exams on children <18 months of age. We calculated the cost-effectiveness ratio of implementing the proposed interventions to reduce the number of carious teeth and full mouth dental reconstructions (FMDRs) over 10 years. Results A total of 322 children received caries treatments completed by a dental provider in the dental chair, while 161 children received FMDRs completed by a dental surgeon in an operating room. The average cost of treating dental caries in the dental chair was $1,467 (~258,000 per year); while the cost of treating FMDRs was $9,349 (~1.5 million per year). All interventions were shown to prevent caries and FMDRs; however tooth brushing prevented the greatest number of caries at minimum and maximum effectiveness with 1,433 and 1,910, respectively. Tooth brushing also prevented the greatest number of FMDRs (159 and 211) at minimum and maximum effectiveness. Conclusions All of the dental interventions evaluated were shown to produce cost savings. However, the level of that cost saving is dependent on the intervention chosen. PMID:26990678

High performance sodium-ion hybrid capacitor based on Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, Binson; Shaijumon, M. M.

2017-06-01

Hybrid Na-ion capacitors bridge the performance gap between Na-ion batteries and supercapacitors and offer excellent energy and power characteristics. However, designing efficient anode and cathode materials with improved kinetics and long cycle life is essential for practical implementation of this technology. Herein, layered sodium titanium oxide hydroxide, Na2Ti2O4(OH)2, synthesized through hydrothermal technique, is studied as efficient anode material for hybrid Na-ion capacitor. Half-cell electrochemical studies vs. Na/Na+ showed excellent performance for Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 electrode, with ∼57.2% of the total capacity (323.3 C g-1 at 1.0 mV s-1) dominated by capacitive behavior and the remaining due to Na-intercalation. The obtained values are in good agreement with Trasatti plots indicating the potential of this material as efficient anode for hybrid Na-ion capacitor. Further, a full cell Na-ion capacitor is fabricated with Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 as anode and chemically activated Rice Husk Derived Porous Carbon (RHDPC-KOH) as cathode by using organic electrolyte. The hybrid device, operated at a maximum cell voltage of 4 V, exhibits stable electrochemical performance with a maximum energy density of ∼65 Wh kg-1 (at 500 W kg-1, 0.20 A g-1) and with more than ∼ 93% capacitive retention after 3000 cycles.

Automotive Stirling Engine Development Program Mod I Stirling engine development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simetkosky, M. A.

1983-01-01

The development of the Mod I 4-cylinder automotive Stirling engine is discussed and illustrated with drawings, block diagrams, photographs, and graphs and tables of preliminary test data. The engine and its drive, cold-engine, hot-engine, external-heat, air/fuel, power-control, electronic-control, and auxiliary systems are characterized. Performance results from a total of 1900 h of tests on 4 prototype engines include average maximum efficiency (at 2000 rpm) 34.5 percent and maximum output power 54.4 kW. The modifications introduced in an upgraded version of the Mod I are explained; this engine has maximum efficiency 40.4 percent and maximum power output 69.2 kW.

Leaching behavior of total organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from banana peel.

PubMed

Jiang, Ruixue; Sun, Shujuan; Xu, Yan; Qiu, Xiudong; Yang, Jili; Li, Xiaochen

2015-01-01

The leaching behavior of organic carbon and nutrient compounds from banana peel (BP) was investigated in batch assays with respect to particle size, contact time, pH value, and temperature. The granularity, contact time, pH, and temperature caused no significant effects on the leaching of total phosphorus (TP) from the BP. The maximum leached total nitrogen (TN) content was found at pH 5.0 and 90 minutes, while no significant effects were caused by the granularity and temperature. The maximum leached total organic carbon (TOC) content was found by using a powder of 40 mesh, 150 minutes and at pH 6.0, while the temperature had no effect on the TOC leaching. The proportions of the TN, TP, and TOC contents leached from the dried BP ranged from 33.6% to 40.9%, 60.4% to 72.7%, and 8.2% to 9.9%, respectively, indicating that BP could be a potential pollution source for surface and ground water if discharged as domestic waste or reutilized without pretreatment.

Use of body plethysmography to measure effect of bimaxillary orthognathic surgery on airway resistance and lung volumes.

PubMed

Rezaeetalab, Fariba; Kazemian, Mozhgan; Vaezi, Touraj; Shaban, Barratollah

2015-12-01

Bimaxillary orthognathic surgery can cause changes to respiration and the airways. We used body plethysmography to evaluate its effect on airway resistance and lung volumes in 20 patients with class III malocclusions (8 men and 12 women, aged 17 - 32 years). Lung volumes (forced vital capacity; forced inspiratory volume/one second; forced expiratory volume/one second: forced vital capacity; peak expiratory flow; maximum expiratory flow 25-75; maximum inspiratory flow; total lung capacity; residual volume; residual volume:total lung capacity), and airway resistance were evaluated one week before, and six months after, operation. Bimaxillary operations to correct class III malocclusions significantly increased airway resistance, residual volume, total lung capacity, and residual volume:total lung capacity. Other variables also changed after operation but not significantly so. Orthognathic operations should be done with caution in patients who have pre-existing respiratory diseases. Copyright © 2015 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experiment on a three-beam adaptive array for EHF frequency-hopped signals using a fast algorithm, phase-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, J. L.; Kremer, P.; Amin, N.; Fung, J.

1989-05-01

The Department of National Defence (Canada) has been conducting studies into multi-beam adaptive arrays for extremely high frequency (EHF) frequency hopped signals. A three-beam 43 GHz adaptive antenna and a beam control processor is under development. An interactive software package for the operation of the array, capable of applying different control algorithms is being written. A maximum signal to jammer plus noise ratio (SJNR) was found to provide superior performance in preventing degradation of user signals in the presence of nearby jammers. A new fast algorithm using a modified conjugate gradient approach was found to be a very efficient way to implement anti-jamming arrays based on maximum SJNR criterion. The present study was intended to refine and simplify this algorithm and to implement the algorithm on an experimental array for real-time evaluation of anti-jamming performance. A three-beam adaptive array was used. A simulation package was used in the evaluation of multi-beam systems using more than three beams and different user-jammer scenarios. An attempt to further reduce the computation burden through continued analysis of maximum SJNR met with limited success. A method to acquire and track an incoming laser beam is proposed.

Experiment on a three-beam adaptive array for EHF frequency-hopped signals using a fast algorithm, phase E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, J. L.; Kremer, P.; Fung, J.

1990-05-01

The Department of National Defence (Canada) has been conducting studies into multi-beam adaptive arrays for extremely high frequency (EHF) frequency hopped signals. A three-beam 43 GHz adaptive antenna and a beam control processor is under development. An interactive software package for the operation of the array, capable of applying different control algorithms is being written. A maximum signal to jammer plus noise ratio (SJNR) has been found to provide superior performance in preventing degradation of user signals in the presence of nearby jammers. A new fast algorithm using a modified conjugate gradient approach has been found to be a very efficient way to implement anti-jamming arrays based on maximum SJNR criterion. The present study was intended to refine and simplify this algorithm and to implement the algorithm on an experimental array for real-time evaluation of anti-jamming performance. A three-beam adaptive array was used. A simulation package was used in the evaluation of multi-beam systems using more than three beams and different user-jammer scenarios. An attempt to further reduce the computation burden through further analysis of maximum SJNR met with limited success. The investigation of a new angle detector for spatial tracking in heterodyne laser space communications was completed.

Forecasting models for sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) pollen count showing an alternate dispersal rhythm.

PubMed

Ito, Yukiko; Hattori, Reiko; Mase, Hiroki; Watanabe, Masako; Shiotani, Itaru

2008-12-01

Pollen information is indispensable for allergic individuals and clinicians. This study aimed to develop forecasting models for the total annual count of airborne pollen grains based on data monitored over the last 20 years at the Mie Chuo Medical Center, Tsu, Mie, Japan. Airborne pollen grains were collected using a Durham sampler. Total annual pollen count and pollen count from October to December (OD pollen count) of the previous year were transformed to logarithms. Regression analysis of the total pollen count was performed using variables such as the OD pollen count and the maximum temperature for mid-July of the previous year. Time series analysis revealed an alternate rhythm of the series of total pollen count. The alternate rhythm consisted of a cyclic alternation of an "on" year (high pollen count) and an "off" year (low pollen count). This rhythm was used as a dummy variable in regression equations. Of the three models involving the OD pollen count, a multiple regression equation that included the alternate rhythm variable and the interaction of this rhythm with OD pollen count showed a high coefficient of determination (0.844). Of the three models involving the maximum temperature for mid-July, those including the alternate rhythm variable and the interaction of this rhythm with maximum temperature had the highest coefficient of determination (0.925). An alternate pollen dispersal rhythm represented by a dummy variable in the multiple regression analysis plays a key role in improving forecasting models for the total annual sugi pollen count.

Biogeographical drivers of ragweed pollen concentrations in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matyasovszky, István; Makra, László; Tusnády, Gábor; Csépe, Zoltán; Nyúl, László G.; Chapman, Daniel S.; Sümeghy, Zoltán; Szűcs, Gábor; Páldy, Anna; Magyar, Donát; Mányoki, Gergely; Erostyák, János; Bodnár, Károly; Bergmann, Karl-Christian; Deák, Áron József; Thibaudon, Michel; Albertini, Roberto; Bonini, Maira; Šikoparija, Branko; Radišić, Predrag; Gehrig, Regula; Rybníček, Ondřej; Severova, Elena; Rodinkova, Victoria; Prikhodko, Alexander; Maleeva, Anna; Stjepanović, Barbara; Ianovici, Nicoleta; Berger, Uwe; Seliger, Andreja Kofol; Weryszko-Chmielewska, Elżbieta; Šaulienė, Ingrida; Shalaboda, Valentina; Yankova, Raina; Peternel, Renata; Ščevková, Jana; Bullock, James M.

2017-06-01

The drivers of spatial variation in ragweed pollen concentrations, contributing to severe allergic rhinitis and asthma, are poorly quantified. We analysed the spatiotemporal variability in 16-year (1995-2010) annual total (66 stations) and annual total (2010) (162 stations) ragweed pollen counts and 8 independent variables (start, end and duration of the ragweed pollen season, maximum daily and calendar day of the maximum daily ragweed pollen counts, last frost day in spring, first frost day in fall and duration of the frost-free period) for Europe (16 years, 1995-2010) as a function of geographical coordinates. Then annual total pollen counts, annual daily peak pollen counts and date of this peak were regressed against frost-related variables, daily mean temperatures and daily precipitation amounts. To achieve this, we assembled the largest ragweed pollen data set to date for Europe. The dependence of the annual total ragweed pollen counts and the eight independent variables against geographical coordinates clearly distinguishes the three highly infected areas: the Pannonian Plain, Western Lombardy and the Rhône-Alpes region. All the eight variables are sensitive to longitude through its temperature dependence. They are also sensitive to altitude, due to the progressively colder climate with increasing altitude. Both annual total pollen counts and the maximum daily pollen counts depend on the start and the duration of the ragweed pollen season. However, no significant changes were detected in either the eight independent variables as a function of increasing latitude. This is probably due to a mixed climate induced by strong geomorphological inhomogeneities in Europe.

Real waiting times for surgery. Proposal for an improved system for their management.

PubMed

Abásolo, Ignacio; Barber, Patricia; González López-Valcárcel, Beatriz; Jiménez, Octavio

2014-01-01

In Spain, official information on waiting times for surgery is based on the interval between the indication for surgery and its performance. We aimed to estimate total waiting times for surgical procedures, including outpatient visits and diagnostic tests prior to surgery. In addition, we propose an alternative system to manage total waiting times that reduces variability and maximum waiting times without increasing the use of health care resources. This system is illustrated by three surgical procedures: cholecystectomy, carpal tunnel release and inguinal/femoral hernia repair. Using data from two Autonomous Communities, we adjusted, through simulation, a theoretical distribution of the total waiting time assuming independence of the waiting times of each stage of the clinical procedure. We show an alternative system in which the waiting time for the second consultation is established according to the time previously waited for the first consultation. Average total waiting times for cholecystectomy, carpal tunnel release and inguinal/femoral hernia repair were 331, 355 and 137 days, respectively (official data are 83, 68 and 73 days, respectively). Using different negative correlations between waiting times for subsequent consultations would reduce maximum waiting times by between 2% and 15% and substantially reduce heterogeneity among patients, without generating higher resource use. Total waiting times are between two and five times higher than those officially published. The relationship between the waiting times at each stage of the medical procedure may be used to decrease variability and maximum waiting times. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Streamflow and Erosion Response to Prolonged Intense Rainfall of November 1-2, 2000, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fontaine, Richard A.; Hill, Barry R.

2002-01-01

A combination of several meteorologic and topographic factors produced extreme rainfall over the eastern part of the island of Hawaii on November 1-2, 2000. Storm rainfall was concentrated in two distinct areas, the Waiakea and Kapapala areas, where maximum rainfall totals of 32.47 and 38.97 inches were recorded. Resultant flooding caused damages in excess of 70 million dollars, among the highest totals associated with flooding in the State's history. Storm rainfall had recurrence intervals that ranged from 10 years or less for maximum 1-hour totals to 100 years or more for maximum 24-hour totals As part of this study, peak flow and/or erosion data were collected at 41 sites. Analyses of these data indicated that peak discharges of record occurred at 6 of 12 sites where historic data were available. Peak flows with estimated recurrence intervals from 50 to over 100 years were recorded at 4 of 11 sites. Peak flows were poorly correlated with total storm rainfall. Critical rainfall durations associated with peak flows ranged from 1 to 12 hours and were about 3 hours at most sites. Rainfall-runoff computations and field observations indicated that infiltration-excess overland flow alone was not sufficient to have caused the observed flood peaks and therefore saturation-excess overland flow and subsurface flow probably contributed to peak flows at most sites Most hillslope erosion associated with the storm took place along or near the Kaoiki Pali in the Kapapala area. Hillslope erosion was predominately caused by overland flow.

Review of technical justification of assumptions and methods used by the Environmental Protection Agency for estimating risks avoided by implementing MCLs for radionuclides

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

Morris, S.C.; Rowe, M.D.; Holtzman, S.

1992-11-01

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations for allowable levels of radioactive material in drinking water (40 CFR Part 141, 56 FR 33050, July 18, 1991). This review examined the assumptions and methods used by EPA in calculating risks that would be avoided by implementing the proposed Maximum Contaminant Levels for uranium, radium, and radon. Proposed limits on gross alpha and beta-gamma emitters were not included in this review.

Efficient option valuation of single and double barrier options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabaivanov, Stanimir; Milev, Mariyan; Koleva-Petkova, Dessislava; Vladev, Veselin

2017-12-01

In this paper we present an implementation of pricing algorithm for single and double barrier options using Mellin transformation with Maximum Entropy Inversion and its suitability for real-world applications. A detailed analysis of the applied algorithm is accompanied by implementation in C++ that is then compared to existing solutions in terms of efficiency and computational power. We then compare the applied method with existing closed-form solutions and well known methods of pricing barrier options that are based on finite differences.

pytc: Open-Source Python Software for Global Analyses of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry Data.

PubMed

Duvvuri, Hiranmayi; Wheeler, Lucas C; Harms, Michael J

2018-05-08

Here we describe pytc, an open-source Python package for global fits of thermodynamic models to multiple isothermal titration calorimetry experiments. Key features include simplicity, the ability to implement new thermodynamic models, a robust maximum likelihood fitter, a fast Bayesian Markov-Chain Monte Carlo sampler, rigorous implementation, extensive documentation, and full cross-platform compatibility. pytc fitting can be done using an application program interface or via a graphical user interface. It is available for download at https://github.com/harmslab/pytc .

40 CFR 421.263 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... for any 1 day Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of precious metals, including silver.../troy ounce of precious metals in the granulated raw material Copper 0.819 0.390 Cyanide (total) 0.128 0... Maximum for monthly average mg/troy ounce of gold produced by cyanide stripping Copper 4.736 2.257 Cyanide...

Cost and production analysis of the Bitterroot Miniyarder on an Appalachian hardwood site

Treesearch

John E. Baumgras; Penn A. Peters; Penn A. Peters

1985-01-01

An 18-horsepower skyline yarder was studied on a steep slope clearcut, yarding small hardwood trees uphill for fuelwood. Yarding cycle characteristics sampled include: total cycle time including delays, 5.20 minutes; yarding distance, 208 feet (350 feet maximum); turn volume, 11.6 cubic feet (24 cubic feet maximum); pieces per turn, 2.3. Cost analysis shows yarding...

13 CFR 107.1160 - Maximum amount of Leverage for a Section 301(d) Licensee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Leverage, you must maintain Venture Capital Financings (at cost) that equal at least 30 percent of your... maintain at least the same dollar amount of Venture Capital Financings (at cost). (e) Definition of “Total... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Maximum amount of Leverage for a...

High methane natural gas/air explosion characteristics in confined vessel.

PubMed

Tang, Chenglong; Zhang, Shuang; Si, Zhanbo; Huang, Zuohua; Zhang, Kongming; Jin, Zebing

2014-08-15

The explosion characteristics of high methane fraction natural gas were investigated in a constant volume combustion vessel at different initial conditions. Results show that with the increase of initial pressure, the peak explosion pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise increase due to a higher amount (mass) of flammable mixture, which delivers an increased amount of heat. The increased total flame duration and flame development time result as a consequence of the higher amount of flammable mixture. With the increase of the initial temperature, the peak explosion pressures decrease, but the pressure increase during combustion is accelerated, which indicates a faster flame speed and heat release rate. The maximum value of the explosion pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise, the minimum total combustion duration and the minimum flame development time is observed when the equivalence ratio of the mixture is 1.1. Additionally, for higher methane fraction natural gas, the explosion pressure and the maximum rate of pressure rise are slightly decreased, while the combustion duration is postponed. The combustion phasing is empirically correlated with the experimental parameters with good fitting performance. Furthermore, the addition of dilute gas significantly reduces the explosion pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise and postpones the flame development and this flame retarding effect of carbon dioxide is stronger than that of nitrogen. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Effect analysis on the two total load control methods for poisonous heavy metals].

PubMed

Fu, Guo-Wei

2012-12-01

Firstly it should be made clear that implementation of source total load control for the first type of pollutants is necessary for environmental pollution control legislation and economic structure regulation. This kind of surveillance method has been more practical to be implemented since the Manual of the Industry Discharge Coefficient of First National Pollution Sources Investigation was published. The source total load control and water environment total load control are independent of each other and none of them is redundant, on the other side they can be complementary to each other. In the present, some local planning managers are blurring and confusing the contents and styles of the two surveillance methods. They just use the water total load control to manage all the pollutants, and source total load control is discarded, which results in the loss of control for the first type of pollutants especially for the drinking water source surveillance. There is a big difference between the water quality standards and the water environmental background concentration values for the first type of pollutants in the Environmental quality standard for surface water (GB 3838-88), which means that there are problems such as "relaxing the pollutant discharge permit" and "risk induced by valence state change". Taking an enterprise with 10t electrolytic lead production capacity as an example, there is a big difference between the allowable lead discharged loads by the two total load surveillance methods. In summary, it will bring a lot of harmful effects if the water total load control is implemented for the two types of pollutants, so the source total load control and water environmental total load control should be implemented strictly at the same time.

Strategies for Implementation: The El Camino College Total Quality Management Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schauerman, Sam; Peachy, Burt

1994-01-01

Traces the development of the principles and practices of Total Quality Management (TQM) at El Camino College, in California. Discusses institutional resistance to change and the need for careful implementation analysis and constituent group involvement. Includes a nine-item bibliography of theoretical and descriptive works. (MAB)

Result Summary for the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site Performance Assessment Model Version 4.110

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

NSTec Environmental Management

2011-07-20

Results for Version 4.110 of the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) performance assessment (PA) model are summarized. Version 4.110 includes the fiscal year (FY) 2010 inventory estimate, including a future inventory estimate. Version 4.110 was implemented in GoldSim 10.11(SP4). The following changes have been implemented since the last baseline model, Version 4.105: (1) Updated the inventory and disposal unit configurations with data through the end of FY 2010. (1) Implemented Federal Guidance Report 13 Supplemental CD dose conversion factors (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999). Version 4.110 PA results comply with air pathway and all-pathways annual total effective dosemore » (TED) performance objectives (Tables 2 and 3, Figures 1 and 2). Air pathways results decrease moderately for all scenarios. The time of the maximum for the air pathway open rangeland scenario shifts from 1,000 to 100 years (y). All-pathways annual TED increases for all scenarios except the resident scenario. The maximum member of public all-pathways dose occurs at 1,000 y for the resident farmer scenario. The resident farmer dose was predominantly due to technetium-99 (Tc-99) (82 percent) and lead-210 (Pb-210) (13 percent). Pb-210 present at 1,000 y is produced predominantly by radioactive decay of uranium-234 (U-234) present at the time of disposal. All results for the postdrilling and intruder-agriculture scenarios comply with the performance objectives (Tables 4 and 5, Figures 3 and 4). The postdrilling intruder results are similar to Version 4.105 results. The intruder-agriculture results are similar to Version 4.105, except for the Pit 6 Radium Disposal Unit (RaDU). The intruder-agriculture result for the Shallow Land Burial (SLB) disposal units is a significant fraction of the performance objective and exceeds the performance objective at the 95th percentile. The intruder-agriculture dose is due predominantly to Tc-99 (75 percent) and U-238 (9.5 percent). The acute intruder scenario results comply with all performance objectives (Tables 6 and 7, Figures 5 and 6). The acute construction result for the SLB disposal units decreases significantly with this version. The maximum acute intruder dose occurs at 1,000 y for the SLB disposal units under the acute construction scenario. The acute intruder dose is caused by multiple radionuclides including U-238 (31 percent), Th-229 (28 percent), plutonium-239 (8.6 percent), U-233 (7.8 percent), and U-234 (6.7 percent). All results for radon-222 (Rn-222) flux density comply with the performance objective (Table 8, Figure 7). The mean Pit 13 RaDU flux density is close to the 0.74 Bq m{sup -2} s{sup -1} limit.« less

48 CFR 39.103 - Modular contracting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... increments to take advantage of any evolution in technology or needs that occur during implementation and use... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY General 39.103 Modular contracting. (a) This... technology. Consistent with the agency's information technology architecture, agencies should, to the maximum...

40 CFR 422.43 - Effluent limitations and guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride (as F) 75 25 (d... Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus...

40 CFR 422.43 - Effluent limitations and guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride (as F) 75 25 (d... Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus...

Contributions of Tropical Cyclones to the North Atlantic Climatological Rainfall as Observed from Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodgers, Edward B.; Adler, Robert F.; Pierce, Harold F.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The tropical cyclone rainfall climatology study that was performed for the North Pacific was extended to the North Atlantic. Similar to the North Pacific tropical cyclone study, mean monthly rainfall within 444 km of the center of the North Atlantic tropical cyclones (i.e., that reached storm stage and greater) was estimated from passive microwave satellite observations during, an eleven year period. These satellite-observed rainfall estimates were used to assess the impact of tropical cyclone rainfall in altering the geographical, seasonal, and inter-annual distribution of the North Atlantic total rainfall during, June-November when tropical cyclones were most abundant. The main results from this study indicate: 1) that tropical cyclones contribute, respectively, 4%, 3%, and 4% to the western, eastern, and entire North Atlantic; 2) similar to that observed in the North Pacific, the maximum in North Atlantic tropical cyclone rainfall is approximately 5 - 10 deg poleward (depending on longitude) of the maximum non-tropical cyclone rainfall; 3) tropical cyclones contribute regionally a maximum of 30% of the total rainfall 'northeast of Puerto Rico, within a region near 15 deg N 55 deg W, and off the west coast of Africa; 4) there is no lag between the months with maximum tropical cyclone rainfall and non-tropical cyclone rainfall in the western North Atlantic, while in the eastern North Atlantic, maximum tropical cyclone rainfall precedes maximum non-tropical cyclone rainfall; 5) like the North Pacific, North Atlantic tropical cyclones Of hurricane intensity generate the greatest amount of rainfall in the higher latitudes; and 6) warm ENSO events inhibit tropical cyclone rainfall.

Task Performance with List-Mode Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caucci, Luca

This dissertation investigates the application of list-mode data to detection, estimation, and image reconstruction problems, with an emphasis on emission tomography in medical imaging. We begin by introducing a theoretical framework for list-mode data and we use it to define two observers that operate on list-mode data. These observers are applied to the problem of detecting a signal (known in shape and location) buried in a random lumpy background. We then consider maximum-likelihood methods for the estimation of numerical parameters from list-mode data, and we characterize the performance of these estimators via the so-called Fisher information matrix. Reconstruction from PET list-mode data is then considered. In a process we called "double maximum-likelihood" reconstruction, we consider a simple PET imaging system and we use maximum-likelihood methods to first estimate a parameter vector for each pair of gamma-ray photons that is detected by the hardware. The collection of these parameter vectors forms a list, which is then fed to another maximum-likelihood algorithm for volumetric reconstruction over a grid of voxels. Efficient parallel implementation of the algorithms discussed above is then presented. In this work, we take advantage of two low-cost, mass-produced computing platforms that have recently appeared on the market, and we provide some details on implementing our algorithms on these devices. We conclude this dissertation work by elaborating on a possible application of list-mode data to X-ray digital mammography. We argue that today's CMOS detectors and computing platforms have become fast enough to make X-ray digital mammography list-mode data acquisition and processing feasible.

Robust Decision Making to Support Water Quality Climate Adaptation: a Case Study in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischbach, J. R.; Lempert, R. J.; Molina-Perez, E.

2017-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), together with state and local partners, develops watershed implementation plans designed to meet water quality standards. Climate uncertainty, along with uncertainty about future land use changes or the performance of water quality best management practices (BMPs), may make it difficult for these implementation plans to meet water quality goals. In this effort, we explored how decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) methods such as Robust Decision Making (RDM) could help USEPA and its partners develop implementation plans that are more robust to future uncertainty. The study focuses on one part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Patuxent River, which is 2,479 sq km in area, highly urbanized, and has a rapidly growing population. We simulated the contribution of stormwater contaminants from the Patuxent to the overall Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay under multiple scenarios reflecting climate and other uncertainties. Contaminants considered included nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads. The assessment included a large set of scenario simulations using the USEPA Chesapeake Bay Program's Phase V watershed model. Uncertainties represented in the analysis included 18 downscaled climate projections (based on 6 general circulation models and 3 emissions pathways), 12 land use scenarios with different population projections and development patterns, and alternative assumptions about BMP performance standards and efficiencies associated with different suites of stormwater BMPs. Finally, we developed cost estimates for each of the performance standards and compared cost to TMDL performance as a key tradeoff for future water quality management decisions. In this talk, we describe how this research can help inform climate-related decision support at USEPA's Chesapeake Bay Program, and more generally how RDM and other DMDU methods can support improved water quality management under climate uncertainty.

Implementing the undergraduate mini-CEX: a tailored approach at Southampton University.

PubMed

Hill, Faith; Kendall, Kathleen; Galbraith, Kevin; Crossley, Jim

2009-04-01

The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is widely used in the UK to assess clinical competence, but there is little evidence regarding its implementation in the undergraduate setting. This study aimed to estimate the validity and reliability of the undergraduate mini-CEX and discuss the challenges involved in its implementation. A total of 3499 mini-CEX forms were completed. Validity was assessed by estimating associations between mini-CEX score and a number of external variables, examining the internal structure of the instrument, checking competency domain response rates and profiles against expectations, and by qualitative evaluation of stakeholder interviews. Reliability was evaluated by overall reliability coefficient (R), estimation of the standard error of measurement (SEM), and from stakeholders' perceptions. Variance component analysis examined the contribution of relevant factors to students' scores. Validity was threatened by various confounding variables, including: examiner status; case complexity; attachment specialty; patient gender, and case focus. Factor analysis suggested that competency domains reflect a single latent variable. Maximum reliability can be achieved by aggregating scores over 15 encounters (R = 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] +/- 0.28 based on a 6-point assessment scale). Examiner stringency contributed 29% of score variation and student attachment aptitude 13%. Stakeholder interviews revealed staff development needs but the majority perceived the mini-CEX as more reliable and valid than the previous long case. The mini-CEX has good overall utility for assessing aspects of the clinical encounter in an undergraduate setting. Strengths include fidelity, wide sampling, perceived validity, and formative observation and feedback. Reliability is limited by variable examiner stringency, and validity by confounding variables, but these should be viewed within the context of overall assessment strategies.

Maximum Likelihood Compton Polarimetry with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager

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

Lowell, A. W.; Boggs, S. E; Chiu, C. L.

2017-10-20

Astrophysical polarization measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are becoming more feasible as detectors with high position and energy resolution are deployed. Previous work has shown that the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) of an ideal Compton polarimeter can be improved by ∼21% when an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM) is used instead of the standard approach of fitting a sinusoid to a histogram of azimuthal scattering angles. Here we outline a procedure for implementing this maximum likelihood approach for real, nonideal polarimeters. As an example, we use the recent observation of GRB 160530A with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager. Wemore » find that the MDP for this observation is reduced by 20% when the MLM is used instead of the standard method.« less

Air quality impacts of distributed energy resources implemented in the northeastern United States.

PubMed

Carreras-Sospedra, Marc; Dabdub, Donald; Brouwer, Jacob; Knipping, Eladio; Kumar, Naresh; Darrow, Ken; Hampson, Anne; Hedman, Bruce

2008-07-01

Emissions from the potential installation of distributed energy resources (DER) in the place of current utility-scale power generators have been introduced into an emissions inventory of the northeastern United States. A methodology for predicting future market penetration of DER that considers economics and emission factors was used to estimate the most likely implementation of DER. The methodology results in spatially and temporally resolved emission profiles of criteria pollutants that are subsequently introduced into a detailed atmospheric chemistry and transport model of the region. The DER technology determined by the methodology includes 62% reciprocating engines, 34% gas turbines, and 4% fuel cells and other emerging technologies. The introduction of DER leads to retirement of 2625 MW of existing power plants for which emissions are removed from the inventory. The air quality model predicts maximum differences in air pollutant concentrations that are located downwind from the central power plants that were removed from the domain. Maximum decreases in hourly peak ozone concentrations due to DER use are 10 ppb and are located over the state of New Jersey. Maximum decreases in 24-hr average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations reach 3 microg/m3 and are located off the coast of New Jersey and New York. The main contribution to decreased PM2.5 is the reduction of sulfate levels due to significant reductions in direct emissions of sulfur oxides (SO(x)) from the DER compared with the central power plants removed. The scenario presented here represents an accelerated DER penetration case with aggressive emission reductions due to removal of highly emitting power plants. Such scenario provides an upper bound for air quality benefits of DER implementation scenarios.

Escherichia coli Concentrations in the Mill Creek Watershed, Cleveland, Ohio, 2001-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brady, Amie M.G.

2007-01-01

Mill Creek in Cleveland, Ohio, receives discharges from combined-sewer overflows (CSOs) and other sanitary-sewage inputs. These discharges affect the water quality of the creek and that of its receiving stream, the Cuyahoga River. In an effort to mitigate this problem, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District implemented a project to eliminate or control (by reducing the number of overflows) all of the CSOs in the Mill Creek watershed. This study focused on monitoring the microbiological water quality of the creek before and during sewage-collection system modifications. Routine samples were collected semimonthly from August 2001 through September 2004 at a site near a U.S. Geological Survey stream gage near the mouth of Mill Creek. In addition, event samples were collected September 19 and 22, 2003, when rainfall accumulations were 0.5 inches (in.) or greater. Concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were determined and instantaneous discharges were calculated. Streamflow and water-quality characteristics were measured at the time of sampling, and precipitation data measured at a nearby precipitation gage were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Concentrations of E. coli were greater than Ohio's single-sample maximum for primary-contact recreation (298 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters (CFU/100 mL)) in 84 percent of the routine samples collected. In all but one routine sample E. coli concentrations in samples collected when instantaneous streamflows were greater than 20 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) were greater than Ohio's single-sample maximum. When precipitation occurred in the 24-hour period before routine sample collection, concentrations were greater than the maximum in 89 percent of the samples as compared to 73 percent when rainfall was absent during the 24 hours prior to routine sample collection. Before modifications to the sewage-collection system in the watershed began, E. coli concentrations in Mill Creek ranged from 220 to 29,000 CFU/100 mL. After major modifications, E. coli concentrations ranged from 110 to 80,000 CFU/100 mL. The percentage of sample E. coli concentrations in the former group greater than Ohio's single-sample maximum was 88 percent, whereas 85 percent of sample concentrations was greater than the maximum after major modifications occurred. Instantaneous discharges of E. coli were calculated for each of the modification periods. No statistically significant difference was observed between the median instantaneous discharges of E. coli for the premodification and minor-modification periods (5.1 ? 106 and 3.6 ? 106 CFU per second, respectively). During rainfall events in September 2003, samples were collected every 15 to 30 minutes. E. coli concentrations in all of these samples (n = 34) were greater than Ohio's single-sample maximum for primary-contact recreation. On September 19, total accumulated rainfall was 1.7 in., and streamflow reached a peak of 1,040 ft3/s. Sample collection started after 0.8 in. of precipitation had fallen and continued throughout the remainder of the storm. For these samples, E. coli concentrations ranged from 32,000 to 140,000 CFU/100 mL. On September 22, total accumulated rainfall was 0.5 in., and streamflow reached a peak of 497 ft3/s. Sample collection began before the start of the rain and continued throughout the storm. E. coli concentrations ranged from 450 to 260,000 CFU/100 mL.

33 CFR 385.13 - Projects implemented under additional program authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Implementation Report is prepared and approved in accordance with § 385.26; and (3) Not exceed a total cost of... RESTORATION PLAN CERP Implementation Processes § 385.13 Projects implemented under additional program authority. (a) To expedite implementation of the Plan, the Corps of Engineers and non-Federal sponsors may...

The maximum percentage of fly ash to replace part of original Portland cement (OPC) in producing high strength concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallisa, Harun; Turuallo, Gidion

2017-11-01

This research investigates the maximum percent of fly ash to replace part of Orginal Portland Cement (OPC) in producing high strength concrete. Many researchers have found that the incorporation of industrial by-products such as fly ash as in producing concrete can improve properties in both fresh and hardened state of concrete. The water-binder ratio was used 0.30. The used sand was medium sand with the maximum size of coarse aggregate was 20 mm. The cement was Type I, which was Bosowa Cement produced by PT Bosowa. The percentages of fly ash to the total of a binder, which were used in this research, were 0, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%; while the super platicizer used was typed Naptha 511P. The results showed that the replacement cement up to 25 % of the total weight of binder resulted compressive strength higher than the minimum strength at one day of high-strength concrete.

Levels of total mercury in marine organisms from Adriatic Sea, Italy.

PubMed

Perugini, Monia; Visciano, Pierina; Manera, Maurizio; Zaccaroni, Annalisa; Olivieri, Vincenzo; Amorena, Michele

2009-08-01

The presence of total mercury in fish, crustacean and cephalopod from Adriatic Sea, was investigated. The highest concentrations were observed in decreasing order in: Norway lobster (0.97 +/- 0.24 mg/kg; mean +/- SE), European hake (0.59 +/- 0.14 mg/kg), red mullet (0.48 +/- 0.09 mg/kg), blue whiting (0.38 +/- 0.09 mg/kg), Atlantic mackerel (0.36 +/- 0.08 mg/kg) and European flying squid (0.25 +/- 0.03 mg/kg). A significant difference (p < 0.01) was found between the levels of total mercury in Norway lobster and those detected in all other species. The 25% of all samples exceeded the maximum limit fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. The results show that fish and fishery products can exceed the maximum levels and stress the need of more information for consumers in particular for people that eat large amount of fish.

Estimation of the Total Atmospheric Water Vapor Content and Land Surface Temperature Based on AATSR Thermal Data

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tangtang; Wen, Jun; van der Velde, Rogier; Meng, Xianhong; Li, Zhenchao; Liu, Yuanyong; Liu, Rong

2008-01-01

The total atmospheric water vapor content (TAWV) and land surface temperature (LST) play important roles in meteorology, hydrology, ecology and some other disciplines. In this paper, the ENVISAT/AATSR (The Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer) thermal data are used to estimate the TAWV and LST over the Loess Plateau in China by using a practical split window algorithm. The distribution of the TAWV is accord with that of the MODIS TAWV products, which indicates that the estimation of the total atmospheric water vapor content is reliable. Validations of the LST by comparing with the ground measurements indicate that the maximum absolute derivation, the maximum relative error and the average relative error is 4.0K, 11.8% and 5.0% respectively, which shows that the retrievals are believable; this algorithm can provide a new way to estimate the LST from AATSR data. PMID:27879795

Effect of Vacuum Frying on Changes in Quality Attributes of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Bulb Slices.

PubMed

Maity, Tanushree; Bawa, A S; Raju, P S

2014-01-01

The effect of frying temperatures and durations on the quality of vacuum fried jackfruit (JF) chips was evaluated. Moisture content and breaking force of JF chips decreased with increase in frying temperature and time during vacuum frying whereas the oil content increased. The frying time for JF chips was found to be 30, 25, and 20 minutes at 80, 90, and 100°C, respectively. JF chips fried at higher temperature resulted in maximum shrinkage (48%). The lightness in terms of hunter L (*) value decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during frying. Sensory evaluation showed maximum acceptability for JF chips fried at 90°C for 25 min. Frying under vacuum at lower temperatures was found to retain bioactive compounds such as total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total carotenoids in JF chips. Almost 90% of carotenoids were lost from the samples after 30 min of frying at 100°C.

Total Quality Management Practices and Their Effects on Organizational Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Richard Yu-Yuan; Lien, Bella Ya-Hui

2004-01-01

This paper reports a study designed to examine the key concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation and their effects on organizational performance. Process Alignment and People Involvement are two key concepts for successful implementation of TQM. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how these two constructs affect organizational…

Implementing Total Quality Management in Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Navaratnam, K. K.; Mountney, Peter

In an internationally competitive training environment, implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in vocational education can provide a comparative advantage in preparing the type of work force required for micro and macro economic reforms. The concept of TQM can be used as a management tool to improve the standards of vocational training.…

Introducing the Human Side of Total Quality Management into Educational Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thor, Linda M.

1994-01-01

Drawing from the experiences of Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) in implementing Total Quality Management, discusses common barriers to change (e.g., time, aversion to change, and pitfalls of change); leadership failure as a cause of failure in TQM implementation; and the importance of constancy of purpose, employee empowerment, and…

40 CFR 418.13 - Effluent limitations and guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attained by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus... exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride 75 25 [39 FR 12836, Apr. 8, 1974, as amended at 41 FR...

40 CFR 418.13 - Effluent limitations and guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attained by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Total phosphorus... exceed— Total phosphorus (as P) 105 35 Fluoride 75 25 [39 FR 12836, Apr. 8, 1974, as amended at 41 FR...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ggg of... - Monitoring Requirements for Control Devices a

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (regenerative) Stream flow monitoring device, and 1. Total regeneration stream mass or volumetric flow during carbon bed regeneration cycle(s) 1. For each regeneration cycle, record the total regeneration stream... regeneration 2. For each regeneration cycle, record the maximum carbon bed-temperature. 3. Temperature of...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Ggg of... - Monitoring Requirements for Control Devices a

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (regenerative) Stream flow monitoring device, and 1. Total regeneration stream mass or volumetric flow during carbon bed regeneration cycle(s) 1. For each regeneration cycle, record the total regeneration stream... regeneration 2. For each regeneration cycle, record the maximum carbon bed-temperature. 3. Temperature of...

7 CFR 3550.63 - Maximum loan amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... self-help housing will be calculated by adding the total of the market value of the lot (including... amount. Total secured indebtedness must not exceed the area loan limit or market value limitations... appraisal, tax monitoring fee, and the charge to establish an escrow account for taxes and insurance will...

7 CFR 3550.63 - Maximum loan amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... self-help housing will be calculated by adding the total of the market value of the lot (including... amount. Total secured indebtedness must not exceed the area loan limit or market value limitations... appraisal, tax monitoring fee, and the charge to establish an escrow account for taxes and insurance will...

7 CFR 3550.63 - Maximum loan amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... self-help housing will be calculated by adding the total of the market value of the lot (including... amount. Total secured indebtedness must not exceed the area loan limit or market value limitations... appraisal, tax monitoring fee, and the charge to establish an escrow account for taxes and insurance will...