Structural Health Management for Future Aerospace Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prosser, W. H.; Allison, S. G.; Woodard, S. E.; Wincheski, R. A.; Cooper, E. G.; Price, D. C.; Hedley, M.; Prokopenko, M.; Scott, D. A.; Tessler, A.

2004-01-01

Structural Health Management (SHM) will be of critical importance to provide the safety, reliability and affordability necessary for the future long duration space missions described in America's Vision for Space Exploration. Long duration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond cannot be accomplished with the current paradigm of periodic, ground based structural integrity inspections. As evidenced by the Columbia tragedy, this approach is also inadequate for the current Shuttle fleet, thus leading to its initial implementation of on-board SHM sensing for impact detection as part of the return to flight effort. However, future space systems, to include both vehicles as well as structures such as habitation modules, will require an integrated array of onboard in-situ sensing systems. In addition, advanced data systems architectures will be necessary to communicate, store and process massive amounts of SHM data from large numbers of diverse sensors. Further, improved structural analysis and design algorithms will be necessary to incorporate SHM sensing into the design and construction of aerospace structures, as well as to fully utilize these sensing systems to provide both diagnosis and prognosis of structural integrity. Ultimately, structural integrity information will feed into an Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) system that will provide real-time knowledge of structural, propulsion, thermal protection and other critical systems for optimal vehicle management and mission control. This paper will provide an overview of NASA research and development in the area of SHM as well as to highlight areas of technology improvement necessary to meet these future mission requirements.

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.

1988-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses the formulation and solution of structural mechanics problems and the development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance, durability, and life of engine structures. It is structured to supplement, complement, and, whenever possible, replace costly experimental efforts. Specific objectives are to investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocessing for reformulating and solving structural mechanics and formulating and solving multidisciplinary mechanics and to develop integrated structural system computational simulators for predicting structural performance, evaluating newly developed methods, and identifying and prioritizing improved or missing methods.

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.

1989-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses the formulation and solution of structural mechanics problems and the development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance, durability, and life of engine structures. It is structured to supplement, complement, and, whenever possible, replace costly experimental efforts. Specific objectives are to investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocessing for reformulating and solving structural mechanics and formulating and solving multidisciplinary mechanics and to develop integrated structural system computational simulators for predicting structural performance, evaluating newly developed methods, and identifying and prioritizing improved or missing methods.

The prospect of modern thermomechanics in structural integrity calculations of large-scale pressure vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fekete, Tamás

2018-05-01

Structural integrity calculations play a crucial role in designing large-scale pressure vessels. Used in the electric power generation industry, these kinds of vessels undergo extensive safety analyses and certification procedures before deemed feasible for future long-term operation. The calculations are nowadays directed and supported by international standards and guides based on state-of-the-art results of applied research and technical development. However, their ability to predict a vessel's behavior under accidental circumstances after long-term operation is largely limited by the strong dependence of the analysis methodology on empirical models that are correlated to the behavior of structural materials and their changes during material aging. Recently a new scientific engineering paradigm, structural integrity has been developing that is essentially a synergistic collaboration between a number of scientific and engineering disciplines, modeling, experiments and numerics. Although the application of the structural integrity paradigm highly contributed to improving the accuracy of safety evaluations of large-scale pressure vessels, the predictive power of the analysis methodology has not yet improved significantly. This is due to the fact that already existing structural integrity calculation methodologies are based on the widespread and commonly accepted 'traditional' engineering thermal stress approach, which is essentially based on the weakly coupled model of thermomechanics and fracture mechanics. Recently, a research has been initiated in MTA EK with the aim to review and evaluate current methodologies and models applied in structural integrity calculations, including their scope of validity. The research intends to come to a better understanding of the physical problems that are inherently present in the pool of structural integrity problems of reactor pressure vessels, and to ultimately find a theoretical framework that could serve as a well-grounded theoretical foundation for a new modeling framework of structural integrity. This paper presents the first findings of the research project.

Nanocomposites in Multifuntional Structures for Spacecraft Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcos, J.; Mendizabal, M.; Elizetxea, C.; Florez, S.; Atxaga, G.; Del Olmo, E.

2012-07-01

The integration of functionalities as electrical, thermal, power or radiation shielding inside carrier electronic boxes, solar panels or platform structures allows reducing weight, volume, and harness for spacecraft. The multifunctional structures represent an advanced design approach for space components and subsystems. The development of such multifunctional structures aims the re-engineering traditional metallic structures by composites in space, which request to provide specific solutions for thermal conductivity, EMI-EMC, radiation shielding and integration. The use of nanomaterials as CNF and nano-adds to reinforce composite structures allows obtaining local solutions for improving electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and radiation shielding. The paper summarises the results obtained in of three investigations conducted by Tecnalia based on carbon nanofillers for improving electro-thermal characteristics of spacecraft platform, electronic substrates and electronics boxes respectively.

Test Structures For Bumpy Integrated Circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, Martin G.; Sayah, Hoshyar R.

1989-01-01

Cross-bridge resistors added to comb and serpentine patterns. Improved combination of test structures built into integrated circuit used to evaluate design rules, fabrication processes, and quality of interconnections. Consist of meshing serpentines and combs, and cross bridge. Structures used to make electrical measurements revealing defects in design or fabrication. Combination of test structures includes three comb arrays, two serpentine arrays, and cross bridge. Made of aluminum or polycrystalline silicon, depending on material in integrated-circuit layers evaluated. Aluminum combs and serpentine arrays deposited over steps made by polycrystalline silicon and diffusion layers, while polycrystalline silicon versions of these structures used to cross over steps made by thick oxide layer.

Massive integration of diverse protein quality assessment methods to improve template based modeling in CASP11

PubMed Central

Cao, Renzhi; Bhattacharya, Debswapna; Adhikari, Badri; Li, Jilong; Cheng, Jianlin

2015-01-01

Model evaluation and selection is an important step and a big challenge in template-based protein structure prediction. Individual model quality assessment methods designed for recognizing some specific properties of protein structures often fail to consistently select good models from a model pool because of their limitations. Therefore, combining multiple complimentary quality assessment methods is useful for improving model ranking and consequently tertiary structure prediction. Here, we report the performance and analysis of our human tertiary structure predictor (MULTICOM) based on the massive integration of 14 diverse complementary quality assessment methods that was successfully benchmarked in the 11th Critical Assessment of Techniques of Protein Structure prediction (CASP11). The predictions of MULTICOM for 39 template-based domains were rigorously assessed by six scoring metrics covering global topology of Cα trace, local all-atom fitness, side chain quality, and physical reasonableness of the model. The results show that the massive integration of complementary, diverse single-model and multi-model quality assessment methods can effectively leverage the strength of single-model methods in distinguishing quality variation among similar good models and the advantage of multi-model quality assessment methods of identifying reasonable average-quality models. The overall excellent performance of the MULTICOM predictor demonstrates that integrating a large number of model quality assessment methods in conjunction with model clustering is a useful approach to improve the accuracy, diversity, and consequently robustness of template-based protein structure prediction. PMID:26369671

A strategic approach to quality improvement and patient safety education and resident integration in a general surgery residency.

PubMed

O'Heron, Colette T; Jarman, Benjamin T

2014-01-01

To outline a structured approach for general surgery resident integration into institutional quality improvement and patient safety education and development. A strategic plan to address Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Clinical Learning Environment Review assessments for resident integration into Quality Improvement and Patient Safety initiatives is described. Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation is an independent academic medical center graduating three categorical residents per year within an integrated multi-specialty health system serving 19 counties over 3 states. The quality improvement and patient safety education program includes a formal lecture series, online didactic sessions, mandatory quality improvement or patient safety projects, institutional committee membership, an opportunity to serve as a designated American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project and Quality in Training representative, mandatory morbidity and mortality conference attendance and clinical electives in rural surgery and international settings. Structured education regarding and participation in quality improvement and patient safety programs are able to be accomplished during general surgery residency. The long-term outcomes and benefits of these strategies are unknown at this time and will be difficult to measure with objective data. © 2013 Published by Association of Program Directors in Surgery on behalf of Association of Program Directors in Surgery.

IMPROVING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY MONITORING CAPABILITY FOR WATER MAINS: COLLABORATION EFFORTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

The structural integrity of the approximately 1,000,000 miles of U.S. water mains is important to both immediate and long-term drinking water quality and availability. As pipes wear out, leaks and main breaks increase, as well as the associated occurrences of water loss and low-...

Structured approaches to large-scale systems: Variational integrators for interconnected Lagrange-Dirac systems and structured model reduction on Lie groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parks, Helen Frances

This dissertation presents two projects related to the structured integration of large-scale mechanical systems. Structured integration uses the considerable differential geometric structure inherent in mechanical motion to inform the design of numerical integration schemes. This process improves the qualitative properties of simulations and becomes especially valuable as a measure of accuracy over long time simulations in which traditional Gronwall accuracy estimates lose their meaning. Often, structured integration schemes replicate continuous symmetries and their associated conservation laws at the discrete level. Such is the case for variational integrators, which discretely replicate the process of deriving equations of motion from variational principles. This results in the conservation of momenta associated to symmetries in the discrete system and conservation of a symplectic form when applicable. In the case of Lagrange-Dirac systems, variational integrators preserve a discrete analogue of the Dirac structure preserved in the continuous flow. In the first project of this thesis, we extend Dirac variational integrators to accommodate interconnected systems. We hope this work will find use in the fields of control, where a controlled system can be thought of as a "plant" system joined to its controller, and in the approach of very large systems, where modular modeling may prove easier than monolithically modeling the entire system. The second project of the thesis considers a different approach to large systems. Given a detailed model of the full system, can we reduce it to a more computationally efficient model without losing essential geometric structures in the system? Asked without the reference to structure, this is the essential question of the field of model reduction. The answer there has been a resounding yes, with Principal Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) with snapshots rising as one of the most successful methods. Our project builds on previous work to extend POD to structured settings. In particular, we consider systems evolving on Lie groups and make use of canonical coordinates in the reduction process. We see considerable improvement in the accuracy of the reduced model over the usual structure-agnostic POD approach.

Structure Learning in Bayesian Sensorimotor Integration

PubMed Central

Genewein, Tim; Hez, Eduard; Razzaghpanah, Zeynab; Braun, Daniel A.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown that sensorimotor processing can often be described by Bayesian learning, in particular the integration of prior and feedback information depending on its degree of reliability. Here we test the hypothesis that the integration process itself can be tuned to the statistical structure of the environment. We exposed human participants to a reaching task in a three-dimensional virtual reality environment where we could displace the visual feedback of their hand position in a two dimensional plane. When introducing statistical structure between the two dimensions of the displacement, we found that over the course of several days participants adapted their feedback integration process in order to exploit this structure for performance improvement. In control experiments we found that this adaptation process critically depended on performance feedback and could not be induced by verbal instructions. Our results suggest that structural learning is an important meta-learning component of Bayesian sensorimotor integration. PMID:26305797

Multilayered photonic integration on SOI platform using waveguide-based bridge structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumder, Saikat; Chakraborty, Rajib

2018-06-01

A waveguide based structure on silicon on insulator platform is proposed for vertical integration in photonic integrated circuits. The structure consists of two multimode interference couplers connected by a single mode (SM) section which can act as a bridge over any other underlying device. Two more SM sections acts as input and output of the first and second multimode couplers respectively. Potential application of this structure is in multilayered photonic links. It is shown that the efficiency of the structure can be improved by making some design modifications. The entire simulation is done using effective-index based matrix method. The feature size chosen are comparable to waveguides fabricated previously so as to fabricate the proposed structure easily.

Massive integration of diverse protein quality assessment methods to improve template based modeling in CASP11.

PubMed

Cao, Renzhi; Bhattacharya, Debswapna; Adhikari, Badri; Li, Jilong; Cheng, Jianlin

2016-09-01

Model evaluation and selection is an important step and a big challenge in template-based protein structure prediction. Individual model quality assessment methods designed for recognizing some specific properties of protein structures often fail to consistently select good models from a model pool because of their limitations. Therefore, combining multiple complimentary quality assessment methods is useful for improving model ranking and consequently tertiary structure prediction. Here, we report the performance and analysis of our human tertiary structure predictor (MULTICOM) based on the massive integration of 14 diverse complementary quality assessment methods that was successfully benchmarked in the 11th Critical Assessment of Techniques of Protein Structure prediction (CASP11). The predictions of MULTICOM for 39 template-based domains were rigorously assessed by six scoring metrics covering global topology of Cα trace, local all-atom fitness, side chain quality, and physical reasonableness of the model. The results show that the massive integration of complementary, diverse single-model and multi-model quality assessment methods can effectively leverage the strength of single-model methods in distinguishing quality variation among similar good models and the advantage of multi-model quality assessment methods of identifying reasonable average-quality models. The overall excellent performance of the MULTICOM predictor demonstrates that integrating a large number of model quality assessment methods in conjunction with model clustering is a useful approach to improve the accuracy, diversity, and consequently robustness of template-based protein structure prediction. Proteins 2016; 84(Suppl 1):247-259. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Medical Group Structural Integration May Not Ensure That Care Is Integrated, From The Patient's Perspective.

PubMed

Kerrissey, Michaela J; Clark, Jonathan R; Friedberg, Mark W; Jiang, Wei; Fryer, Ashley K; Frean, Molly; Shortell, Stephen M; Ramsay, Patricia P; Casalino, Lawrence P; Singer, Sara J

2017-05-01

Structural integration is increasing among medical groups, but whether these changes yield care that is more integrated remains unclear. We explored the relationships between structural integration characteristics of 144 medical groups and perceptions of integrated care among their patients. Patients' perceptions were measured by a validated national survey of 3,067 Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions across six domains that reflect knowledge and support of, and communication with, the patient. Medical groups' structural characteristics were taken from the National Study of Physician Organizations and included practice size, specialty mix, technological capabilities, and care management processes. Patients' survey responses were most favorable for the domain of test result communication and least favorable for the domain of provider support for medication and home health management. Medical groups' characteristics were not consistently associated with patients' perceptions of integrated care. However, compared to patients of primary care groups, patients of multispecialty groups had strong favorable perceptions of medical group staff knowledge of patients' medical histories. Opportunities exist to improve patient care, but structural integration of medical groups might not be sufficient for delivering care that patients perceive as integrated. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Bragg reflector based gate stack architecture for process integration of excimer laser annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortunato, G.; Mariucci, L.; Cuscunà, M.; Privitera, V.; La Magna, A.; Spinella, C.; Magrı, A.; Camalleri, M.; Salinas, D.; Simon, F.; Svensson, B.; Monakhov, E.

2006-12-01

An advanced gate stack structure, which incorporates a Bragg reflector, has been developed for the integration of excimer laser annealing into the power metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor fabrication process. This advanced gate structure effectively protects the gate stack from melting, thus solving the problem related to protrusion formation. By using this gate stack configuration, power MOS transistors were fabricated with improved electrical characteristics. The Bragg reflector based gate stack architecture can be applied to other device structures, such as scaled MOS transistors, thus extending the possibilities of process integration of excimer laser annealing.

Integration of multi-objective structural optimization into cementless hip prosthesis design: Improved Austin-Moore model.

PubMed

Kharmanda, G

2016-11-01

A new strategy of multi-objective structural optimization is integrated into Austin-Moore prosthesis in order to improve its performance. The new resulting model is so-called Improved Austin-Moore. The topology optimization is considered as a conceptual design stage to sketch several kinds of hollow stems according to the daily loading cases. The shape optimization presents the detailed design stage considering several objectives. Here, A new multiplicative formulation is proposed as a performance scale in order to define the best compromise between several requirements. Numerical applications on 2D and 3D problems are carried out to show the advantages of the proposed model.

Framework Design of Unified Cross-Authentication Based on the Fourth Platform Integrated Payment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, Xu; Yujin, He

The essay advances a unified authentication based on the fourth integrated payment platform. The research aims at improving the compatibility of the authentication in electronic business and providing a reference for the establishment of credit system by seeking a way to carry out a standard unified authentication on a integrated payment platform. The essay introduces the concept of the forth integrated payment platform and finally put forward the whole structure and different components. The main issue of the essay is about the design of the credit system of the fourth integrated payment platform and the PKI/CA structure design.

Factors Influencing the Selection of the Systems Integration Organizational Model Type for Planning and Implementing Government High-Technology Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Leann; Utley, Dawn

2006-01-01

While there has been extensive research in defining project organizational structures for traditional projects, little research exists to support high technology government project s organizational structure definition. High-Technology Government projects differ from traditional projects in that they are non-profit, span across Government-Industry organizations, typically require significant integration effort, and are strongly susceptible to a volatile external environment. Systems Integration implementation has been identified as a major contributor to both project success and failure. The literature research bridges program management organizational planning, systems integration, organizational theory, and independent project reports, in order to assess Systems Integration (SI) organizational structure selection for improving the high-technology government project s probability of success. This paper will describe the methodology used to 1) Identify and assess SI organizational structures and their success rate, and 2) Identify key factors to be used in the selection of these SI organizational structures during the acquisition strategy process.

A small sample test of the factor structure of postural movement and bilateral motor integration using structural equation modeling.

PubMed

Lin, Chin-Kai; Wu, Huey-Min; Lin, Chung-Hui; Wu, Yuh-Yih; Wu, Pei-Fang; Kuo, Bor-Chen; Yeung, Kwok-Tak

2012-10-01

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the validity of postural movement and bilateral motor integration in terms of sensory integration theory. Participants in this study were 61 Chinese children ages 48 to 70 months. Structural equation modeling was applied to assess the relation between measures tapping postural movement and bilateral motor integration: for postural movement, the measures involve the Monkey Task, Side-Sit Co-contraction, Prone on Elbows, Wheelbarrow Walk, Airplane, and Scooter Board Co-contraction from the DeGangi-Berk Test of Sensory Integration, and Standing Balance with Eyes Closed/Opened in Southern California Sensory Integration Tests. For bilateral motor integration, the measures chosen were the Rolling Pin Activity, Jump and Turn, Diadokokinesis, Drumming, and Upper Extremity Control from the DeGangi-Berk Test of Sensory Integration, and Cross the Midline in Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (SCSIT). Postural movement was highly correlated with the bilateral motor integration. The factor structure fit the theoretical conceptualization, classifying postural movement and bilateral motor integration together in the same category. Therapists could combine two separate objectives (postural movement and bilateral motor integration) of intervention in an activity to improve the adaptive skills based on the vestibular-proprioceptive integration.

Integrated control/structure optimization by multilevel decomposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeiler, Thomas A.; Gilbert, Michael G.

1990-01-01

A method for integrated control/structure optimization by multilevel decomposition is presented. It is shown that several previously reported methods were actually partial decompositions wherein only the control was decomposed into a subsystem design. One of these partially decomposed problems was selected as a benchmark example for comparison. The system is fully decomposed into structural and control subsystem designs and an improved design is produced. Theory, implementation, and results for the method are presented and compared with the benchmark example.

MULTISCALE TENSOR ANISOTROPIC FILTERING OF FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY FOR DENOISING MICROVASCULATURE.

PubMed

Prasath, V B S; Pelapur, R; Glinskii, O V; Glinsky, V V; Huxley, V H; Palaniappan, K

2015-04-01

Fluorescence microscopy images are contaminated by noise and improving image quality without blurring vascular structures by filtering is an important step in automatic image analysis. The application of interest here is to automatically extract the structural components of the microvascular system with accuracy from images acquired by fluorescence microscopy. A robust denoising process is necessary in order to extract accurate vascular morphology information. For this purpose, we propose a multiscale tensor with anisotropic diffusion model which progressively and adaptively updates the amount of smoothing while preserving vessel boundaries accurately. Based on a coherency enhancing flow with planar confidence measure and fused 3D structure information, our method integrates multiple scales for microvasculature preservation and noise removal membrane structures. Experimental results on simulated synthetic images and epifluorescence images show the advantage of our improvement over other related diffusion filters. We further show that the proposed multiscale integration approach improves denoising accuracy of different tensor diffusion methods to obtain better microvasculature segmentation.

Materials, Structures and Manufacturing: An Integrated Approach to Develop Expandable Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belvin, W. Keith; Zander, Martin E.; Sleight, Daid W.; Connell, John; Holloway, Nancy; Palmieri, Frank

2012-01-01

Membrane dominated space structures are lightweight and package efficiently for launch; however, they must be expanded (deployed) in-orbit to achieve the desired geometry. These expandable structural systems include solar sails, solar power arrays, antennas, and numerous other large aperture devices that are used to collect, reflect and/or transmit electromagnetic radiation. In this work, an integrated approach to development of thin-film damage tolerant membranes is explored using advanced manufacturing. Bio-inspired hierarchical structures were printed on films using additive manufacturing to achieve improved tear resistance and to facilitate membrane deployment. High precision, robust expandable structures can be realized using materials that are both space durable and processable using additive manufacturing. Test results show this initial work produced higher tear resistance than neat film of equivalent mass. Future research and development opportunities for expandable structural systems designed using an integrated approach to structural design, manufacturing, and materials selection are discussed.

Application of numerical methods to heat transfer and thermal stress analysis of aerospace vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieting, A. R.

1979-01-01

The paper describes a thermal-structural design analysis study of a fuel-injection strut for a hydrogen-cooled scramjet engine for a supersonic transport, utilizing finite-element methodology. Applications of finite-element and finite-difference codes to the thermal-structural design-analysis of space transports and structures are discussed. The interaction between the thermal and structural analyses has led to development of finite-element thermal methodology to improve the integration between these two disciplines. The integrated thermal-structural analysis capability developed within the framework of a computer code is outlined.

Instruction in information structuring improves Bayesian judgment in intelligence analysts.

PubMed

Mandel, David R

2015-01-01

An experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of brief instruction in information structuring (i.e., representing and integrating information) for improving the coherence of probability judgments and binary choices among intelligence analysts. Forty-three analysts were presented with comparable sets of Bayesian judgment problems before and immediately after instruction. After instruction, analysts' probability judgments were more coherent (i.e., more additive and compliant with Bayes theorem). Instruction also improved the coherence of binary choices regarding category membership: after instruction, subjects were more likely to invariably choose the category to which they assigned the higher probability of a target's membership. The research provides a rare example of evidence-based validation of effectiveness in instruction to improve the statistical assessment skills of intelligence analysts. Such instruction could also be used to improve the assessment quality of other types of experts who are required to integrate statistical information or make probabilistic assessments.

Integrated control/structure optimization by multilevel decomposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeiler, Thomas A.; Gilbert, Michael G.

1990-01-01

A method for integrated control/structure optimization by multilevel decomposition is presented. It is shown that several previously reported methods were actually partial decompositions wherein only the control was decomposed into a subsystem design. One of these partially decomposed problems was selected as a benchmark example for comparison. The present paper fully decomposes the system into structural and control subsystem designs and produces an improved design. Theory, implementation, and results for the method are presented and compared with the benchmark example.

Formation of integrated structural units using the systematic and integrated method when implementing high-rise construction projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramov, Ivan

2018-03-01

Development of design documentation for a future construction project gives rise to a number of issues with the main one being selection of manpower for structural units of the project's overall implementation system. Well planned and competently staffed integrated structural construction units will help achieve a high level of reliability and labor productivity and avoid negative (extraordinary) situations during the construction period eventually ensuring improved project performance. Research priorities include the development of theoretical recommendations for enhancing reliability of a structural unit staffed as an integrated construction crew. The author focuses on identification of destabilizing factors affecting formation of an integrated construction crew; assessment of these destabilizing factors; based on the developed mathematical model, highlighting the impact of these factors on the integration criterion with subsequent identification of an efficiency and reliability criterion for the structural unit in general. The purpose of this article is to develop theoretical recommendations and scientific and methodological provisions of an organizational and technological nature in order to identify a reliability criterion for a structural unit based on manpower integration and productivity criteria. With this purpose in mind, complex scientific tasks have been defined requiring special research, development of corresponding provisions and recommendations based on the system analysis findings presented herein.

Aeroelastic modeling for the FIT (Functional Integration Technology) team F/A-18 simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeiler, Thomas A.; Wieseman, Carol D.

1989-01-01

As part of Langley Research Center's commitment to developing multidisciplinary integration methods to improve aerospace systems, the Functional Integration Technology (FIT) team was established to perform dynamics integration research using an existing aircraft configuration, the F/A-18. An essential part of this effort has been the development of a comprehensive simulation modeling capability that includes structural, control, and propulsion dynamics as well as steady and unsteady aerodynamics. The structural and unsteady aerodynamics contributions come from an aeroelastic mode. Some details of the aeroelastic modeling done for the Functional Integration Technology (FIT) team research are presented. Particular attention is given to work done in the area of correction factors to unsteady aerodynamics data.

Simplified nonplanar wafer bonding for heterogeneous device integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geske, Jon; Bowers, John E.; Riley, Anton

2004-07-01

We demonstrate a simplified nonplanar wafer bonding technique for heterogeneous device integration. The improved technique can be used to laterally integrate dissimilar semiconductor device structures on a lattice-mismatched substrate. Using the technique, two different InP-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser active regions have been integrated onto GaAs without compromising the quality of the photoluminescence. Experimental and numerical simulation results are presented.

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.

1989-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses: (1) fundamental aspects for formulating and solving structural mechanics problems, and (2) development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance/durability/life of engine structures. It is structured to mainly supplement, complement, and whenever possible replace, costly experimental efforts which are unavoidable during engineering research and development programs. Specific objectives include: investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocesses for: reformulating/solving structural mechanics and formulating/solving multidisciplinary mechanics and develop integrated structural system computational simulators for: predicting structural performances, evaluating newly developed methods, and for identifying and prioritizing improved/missing methods needed. Herein the CSM program is summarized with emphasis on the Engine Structures Computational Simulator (ESCS). Typical results obtained using ESCS are described to illustrate its versatility.

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Contexts: Perceptions and Practice

PubMed Central

Rivera, Claudia

2014-01-01

This paper analyses the perceptions of disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners concerning the on-going integration of climate change adaptation (CCA) into their practices in urban contexts in Nicaragua. Understanding their perceptions is important as this will provide information on how this integration can be improved. Exploring the perceptions of practitioners in Nicaragua is important as the country has a long history of disasters, and practitioners have been developing the current DRR planning framework for more than a decade. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews designed to collect information about practitioners’ understanding of: (a) CCA, (b) the current level of integration of CCA into DRR and urban planning, (c) the opportunities and constraints of this integration, and (d) the potential to adapt cities to climate change. The results revealed that practitioners’ perception is that the integration of CCA into their practice is at an early stage, and that they need to improve their understanding of CCA in terms of a development issue. Three main constraints on improved integration were identified: (a) a recognized lack of understanding of CCA, (b) insufficient guidance on how to integrate it, and (c) the limited opportunities to integrate it into urban planning due to a lack of instruments and capacity in this field. Three opportunities were also identified: (a) practitioners’ awareness of the need to integrate CCA into their practices, (b) the robust structure of the DRR planning framework in the country, which provides a suitable channel for facilitating integration, and (c) the fact that CCA is receiving more attention and financial and technical support from the international community. PMID:24475365

The RCSB protein data bank: integrative view of protein, gene and 3D structural information

PubMed Central

Rose, Peter W.; Prlić, Andreas; Altunkaya, Ali; Bi, Chunxiao; Bradley, Anthony R.; Christie, Cole H.; Costanzo, Luigi Di; Duarte, Jose M.; Dutta, Shuchismita; Feng, Zukang; Green, Rachel Kramer; Goodsell, David S.; Hudson, Brian; Kalro, Tara; Lowe, Robert; Peisach, Ezra; Randle, Christopher; Rose, Alexander S.; Shao, Chenghua; Tao, Yi-Ping; Valasatava, Yana; Voigt, Maria; Westbrook, John D.; Woo, Jesse; Yang, Huangwang; Young, Jasmine Y.; Zardecki, Christine; Berman, Helen M.; Burley, Stephen K.

2017-01-01

The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB, http://rcsb.org), the US data center for the global PDB archive, makes PDB data freely available to all users, from structural biologists to computational biologists and beyond. New tools and resources have been added to the RCSB PDB web portal in support of a ‘Structural View of Biology.’ Recent developments have improved the User experience, including the high-speed NGL Viewer that provides 3D molecular visualization in any web browser, improved support for data file download and enhanced organization of website pages for query, reporting and individual structure exploration. Structure validation information is now visible for all archival entries. PDB data have been integrated with external biological resources, including chromosomal position within the human genome; protein modifications; and metabolic pathways. PDB-101 educational materials have been reorganized into a searchable website and expanded to include new features such as the Geis Digital Archive. PMID:27794042

Proceedings of the USAF Structural Integrity Program Conference Held in San Antonio, Texas on November 30-December 2, 1993

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-08-01

721 An Improved G-Tracking Method for Large Transport Aircraft ............................ 741 iv Naval aircraft Approach and...E. B. de la Motte Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Stockholm, Sweden Capt F. A. Opaiski WL/FIBEC 090040930 An Aircraft Structural Integrity...M. Poole Canadian Transportation Safety Board 1400-1430 The Challenges Associated with the Operation of Loads Monitoring Equipment for Efficient

Work Integration of People with Disabilities in the Regular Labour Market: What Can We Do to Improve These Processes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vila, Montserrat; Pallisera, Maria; Fullana, Judit

2007-01-01

Background: It is important to ensure that regular processes of labour market integration are available for all citizens. Method: Thematic content analysis techniques, using semi-structured group interviews, were used to identify the principal elements contributing to the processes of integrating people with disabilities into the regular labour…

Using kaizen to improve employee well-being: Results from two organizational intervention studies.

PubMed

von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Nielsen, Karina M; Stenfors-Hayes, Terese; Hasson, Henna

2017-08-01

Participatory intervention approaches that are embedded in existing organizational structures may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational interventions, but concrete tools are lacking. In the present article, we use a realist evaluation approach to explore the role of kaizen, a lean tool for participatory continuous improvement, in improving employee well-being in two cluster-randomized, controlled participatory intervention studies. Case 1 is from the Danish Postal Service, where kaizen boards were used to implement action plans. The results of multi-group structural equation modeling showed that kaizen served as a mechanism that increased the level of awareness of and capacity to manage psychosocial issues, which, in turn, predicted increased job satisfaction and mental health. Case 2 is from a regional hospital in Sweden that integrated occupational health processes with a pre-existing kaizen system. Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed that, in the intervention group, kaizen work predicted better integration of organizational and employee objectives after 12 months, which, in turn, predicted increased job satisfaction and decreased discomfort at 24 months. The findings suggest that participatory and structured problem-solving approaches that are familiar and visual to employees can facilitate organizational interventions.

Using kaizen to improve employee well-being: Results from two organizational intervention studies

PubMed Central

von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Nielsen, Karina M; Stenfors-Hayes, Terese; Hasson, Henna

2016-01-01

Participatory intervention approaches that are embedded in existing organizational structures may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational interventions, but concrete tools are lacking. In the present article, we use a realist evaluation approach to explore the role of kaizen, a lean tool for participatory continuous improvement, in improving employee well-being in two cluster-randomized, controlled participatory intervention studies. Case 1 is from the Danish Postal Service, where kaizen boards were used to implement action plans. The results of multi-group structural equation modeling showed that kaizen served as a mechanism that increased the level of awareness of and capacity to manage psychosocial issues, which, in turn, predicted increased job satisfaction and mental health. Case 2 is from a regional hospital in Sweden that integrated occupational health processes with a pre-existing kaizen system. Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed that, in the intervention group, kaizen work predicted better integration of organizational and employee objectives after 12 months, which, in turn, predicted increased job satisfaction and decreased discomfort at 24 months. The findings suggest that participatory and structured problem-solving approaches that are familiar and visual to employees can facilitate organizational interventions. PMID:28736455

Integrated optics to improve resolution on multiple configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hua; Ding, Quanxin; Guo, Chunjie; Zhou, Liwei

2015-04-01

Inspired to in order to reveal the structure to improve imaging resolution, further technical requirement is proposed in some areas of the function and influence on the development of multiple configuration. To breakthrough diffraction limit, smart structures are recommended as the most efficient and economical method, while by used to improve the system performance, especially on signal to noise ratio and resolution. Integrated optics were considered in the selection, with which typical multiple configuration, by use the method of simulation experiment. Methodology can change traditional design concept and to develop the application space. Our calculations using multiple matrix transfer method, also the correlative algorithm and full calculations, show the expected beam shaping through system and, in particular, the experimental results will support our argument, which will be reported in the presentation.

The role of organizational structure in readiness for change: A conceptual integration.

PubMed

Benzer, Justin K; Charns, Martin P; Hamdan, Sami; Afable, Melissa

2017-02-01

The purpose of this review is to extend extant conceptualizations of readiness for change as an individual-level phenomenon. This review-of-reviews focuses on existing conceptual frameworks from the dissemination, implementation, quality improvement, and organizational transformation literatures in order to integrate theoretical rationales for how organization structure, a key dimension of the organizational context, may impact readiness for change. We propose that the organization structure dimensions of differentiation and integration impact readiness for change at the individual level of analysis by influencing four key concepts of relevance, legitimacy, perceived need for change, and resource allocation. We identify future research directions that focus on these four key concepts.

Integration of a UV curable polymer lens and MUMPs structures on a SOI optical bench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Jerwei; Hsiao, Sheng-Yi; Lai, Chun-Feng; Fang, Weileun

2007-08-01

This work presents the design concept of integrating a polymer lens, poly-Si MUMPs and single-crystal-silicon HARM structures on a SOI wafer to form a silicon optical bench. This approach enables the monolithic integration of various optical components on the wafer so as to improve the design flexibility of the silicon optical bench. Fabrication processes, including surface and bulk micromachining on the SOI wafer, have been established to realize bi-convex spherical polymer lenses with in-plane as well as out-of-plane optical axes. In addition, a micro device consisting of an in-plane polymer lens, a thick fiber holder and a mechanical shutter driven by an electrothermal actuator is also demonstrated using the present approach. In summary, this study significantly improves the design flexibility as well as the functions of SiOBs.

Optimal integral force feedback for active vibration control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teo, Yik R.; Fleming, Andrew J.

2015-11-01

This paper proposes an improvement to Integral Force Feedback (IFF), which is a popular method for active vibration control of structures and mechanical systems. Benefits of IFF include robustness, guaranteed stability and simplicity. However, the maximum damping performance is dependent on the stiffness of the system; hence, some systems cannot be adequately controlled. In this paper, an improvement to the classical force feedback control scheme is proposed. The improved method achieves arbitrary damping for any mechanical system by introducing a feed-through term. The proposed improvement is experimentally demonstrated by actively damping an objective lens assembly for a high-speed confocal microscope.

Improved breakdown characteristics of monolithically integrated III-nitride HEMT-LED devices using carbon doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Liu, Zhaojun; Huang, Tongde; Ma, Jun; May Lau, Kei

2015-03-01

We report selective growth of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) for monolithic integration of III-nitride HEMT and LED devices (HEMT-LED). To improve the breakdown characteristics of the integrated HEMT-LED devices, carbon doping was introduced in the HEMT buffer by controlling the growth pressure and V/III ratio. The breakdown voltage of the fabricated HEMTs grown on LEDs was enhanced, without degradation of the HEMT DC performance. The improved breakdown characteristics can be attributed to better isolation of the HEMT from the underlying conductive p-GaN layer of the LED structure.

Data integration of structured and unstructured sources for assigning clinical codes to patient stays

PubMed Central

Luyckx, Kim; Luyten, Léon; Daelemans, Walter; Van den Bulcke, Tim

2016-01-01

Objective Enormous amounts of healthcare data are becoming increasingly accessible through the large-scale adoption of electronic health records. In this work, structured and unstructured (textual) data are combined to assign clinical diagnostic and procedural codes (specifically ICD-9-CM) to patient stays. We investigate whether integrating these heterogeneous data types improves prediction strength compared to using the data types in isolation. Methods Two separate data integration approaches were evaluated. Early data integration combines features of several sources within a single model, and late data integration learns a separate model per data source and combines these predictions with a meta-learner. This is evaluated on data sources and clinical codes from a broad set of medical specialties. Results When compared with the best individual prediction source, late data integration leads to improvements in predictive power (eg, overall F-measure increased from 30.6% to 38.3% for International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnostic codes), while early data integration is less consistent. The predictive strength strongly differs between medical specialties, both for ICD-9-CM diagnostic and procedural codes. Discussion Structured data provides complementary information to unstructured data (and vice versa) for predicting ICD-9-CM codes. This can be captured most effectively by the proposed late data integration approach. Conclusions We demonstrated that models using multiple electronic health record data sources systematically outperform models using data sources in isolation in the task of predicting ICD-9-CM codes over a broad range of medical specialties. PMID:26316458

Weaving public health education into the fabric of a family medicine residency.

PubMed

Potts, Stacy E; Deligiannidis, Konstantinos E; Cashman, Suzanne B; Caggiano, Marie E; Carter, Lisa H; Haley, Heather-Lyn; Ferguson, Warren J

2011-10-01

Policymakers and accrediting bodies have recognized the importance of integrating public health, population health, and prevention into graduate medical education programs. The high prevalence of chronic illness, coupled with the impact of behavioral and societal determinants of health, necessitate an urgent call for family medicine residencies to prepare future leaders to meet these challenges. The University of Massachusetts Worcester Family Medicine Residency recently developed an integrated curriculum that strives to develop a culture of incorporating fundamental public health principles into everyday practice. This public health curriculum was designed to integrate new topics within the current residency structure through longitudinal and concentrated experiences. This strategy has substantially improved public health and prevention education without substantial impact on the already strained residency curricular structure. This paper describes the integration of public health and prevention education into a family medicine residency to help residents acquire the fundamental skills necessary to improve a population's health. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Large integrated absorption enhancement in plasmonic solar cells by combining metallic gratings and antireflection coatings.

PubMed

Munday, Jeremy N; Atwater, Harry A

2011-06-08

We describe an ultrathin solar cell architecture that combines the benefits of both plasmonic photovoltaics and traditional antireflection coatings. Spatially resolved electron generation rates are used to determine the total integrated current improvement under AM1.5G solar illumination, which can reach a factor of 1.8. The frequency-dependent absorption is found to strongly correlate with the occupation of optical modes within the structure, and the improved absorption is mainly attributed to improved coupling to guided modes rather than localized resonant modes.

Teaming up to crack innovation and enterprise integration.

PubMed

Cash, James I; Earl, Michael J; Morison, Robert

2008-11-01

In the continuing quest for business growth, many CEOs are turning to their CIOs and IT organizations because technology is essential to two compelling sources of growth: innovation and integration. Innovation, of course, is doing new things that customers ultimately appreciate and value--not only developing new generations of products, services, channels, and customer experience but also conceiving new business processes and models. Integration is making the multiple units, functions, and sites of large organizations work together to increase capacity, improve performance, lower cost structure, and discover opportunities for improvement that don't appear until you look across functions.

Correlation of ground tests and analyses of a dynamically scaled Space Station model configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Javeed, Mehzad; Edighoffer, Harold H.; Mcgowan, Paul E.

1993-01-01

Verification of analytical models through correlation with ground test results of a complex space truss structure is demonstrated. A multi-component, dynamically scaled space station model configuration is the focus structure for this work. Previously established test/analysis correlation procedures are used to develop improved component analytical models. Integrated system analytical models, consisting of updated component analytical models, are compared with modal test results to establish the accuracy of system-level dynamic predictions. Design sensitivity model updating methods are shown to be effective for providing improved component analytical models. Also, the effects of component model accuracy and interface modeling fidelity on the accuracy of integrated model predictions is examined.

Development of Lightweight CubeSat with Multi-Functional Structural Battery Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karkkainen, Ryan L.; Hunter, Roger C.; Baker, Christopher

2017-01-01

This collaborative multi-disciplinary effort aims to develop a lightweight, 1-unit (1U) CubeSat (10x10x10 cm) which utilizes improved and fully integrated structural battery materials for mission life extension, larger payload capability, and significantly reduced mass.The electrolytic carbon fiber material serves the multifunctional capacitive energy system as both a lightweight, load bearing structure and an electrochemical battery system. This implementation will improve traditional multifunctional energy storage concepts with a highly effective energy storage capability.

An improved output feedback control of flexible large space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Y. H.; Lin, J. G.

1980-01-01

A special output feedback control design technique for flexible large space structures is proposed. It is shown that the technique will increase both the damping and frequency of selected modes for more effective control. It is also able to effect integrated control of elastic and rigid-body modes and, in particular, closed-loop system stability and robustness to modal truncation and parameter variation. The technique is seen as marking an improvement over previous work concerning large space structures output feedback control.

Sound Transmission Loss Through a Corrugated-Core Sandwich Panel with Integrated Acoustic Resonators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiller, Noah H.; Allen, Albert R.; Zalewski, Bart F; Beck, Benjamin S.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study is to better understand the effect of structurally integrated resonators on the transmission loss of a sandwich panel. The sandwich panel has facesheets over a corrugated core, which creates long aligned chambers that run parallel to the facesheets. When ports are introduced through the facesheet, the long chambers within the core can be used as low-frequency acoustic resonators. By integrating the resonators within the structure they contribute to the static load bearing capability of the panel while also attenuating noise. An analytical model of a panel with embedded resonators is derived and compared with numerical simulations. Predictions show that acoustic resonators can significantly improve the transmission loss of the sandwich panel around the natural frequency of the resonators. In one configuration with 0.813 m long internal chambers, the diffuse field transmission loss is improved by more than 22 dB around 104 Hz. The benefit is achieved with no added mass or volume relative to the baseline structure. The embedded resonators are effective because they radiate sound out-of-phase with the structure. This results in destructive interference, which leads to less transmitted sound power.

An expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization for aerospace structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The results of a research study on the development of an expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization is presented. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was developed first in conjunction with a rule-based system. This ORL/AI shell was then used to develop expert systems to provide assistance with a variety of structural analysis and design optimization tasks, in conjunction with procedural modules for finite element structural analysis and design optimization. The main goal of the research study was to provide expertise, judgment, and reasoning capabilities in the aerospace structural design process. This will allow engineers performing structural analysis and design, even without extensive experience in the field, to develop error-free, efficient and reliable structural designs very rapidly and cost-effectively. This would not only improve the productivity of design engineers and analysts, but also significantly reduce time to completion of structural design. An extensive literature survey in the field of structural analysis, design optimization, artificial intelligence, and database management systems and their application to the structural design process was first performed. A feasibility study was then performed, and the architecture and the conceptual design for the integrated 'intelligent' structural analysis and design optimization software was then developed. An Object Representation Language (ORL), in conjunction with a rule-based system, was then developed using C++. Such an approach would improve the expressiveness for knowledge representation (especially for structural analysis and design applications), provide ability to build very large and practical expert systems, and provide an efficient way for storing knowledge. Functional specifications for the expert systems were then developed. The ORL/AI shell was then used to develop a variety of modules of expert systems for a variety of modeling, finite element analysis, and design optimization tasks in the integrated aerospace structural design process. These expert systems were developed to work in conjunction with procedural finite element structural analysis and design optimization modules (developed in-house at SAT, Inc.). The complete software, AutoDesign, so developed, can be used for integrated 'intelligent' structural analysis and design optimization. The software was beta-tested at a variety of companies, used by a range of engineers with different levels of background and expertise. Based on the feedback obtained by such users, conclusions were developed and are provided.

An expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization for aerospace structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1992-04-01

The results of a research study on the development of an expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization is presented. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was developed first in conjunction with a rule-based system. This ORL/AI shell was then used to develop expert systems to provide assistance with a variety of structural analysis and design optimization tasks, in conjunction with procedural modules for finite element structural analysis and design optimization. The main goal of the research study was to provide expertise, judgment, and reasoning capabilities in the aerospace structural design process. This will allow engineers performing structural analysis and design, even without extensive experience in the field, to develop error-free, efficient and reliable structural designs very rapidly and cost-effectively. This would not only improve the productivity of design engineers and analysts, but also significantly reduce time to completion of structural design. An extensive literature survey in the field of structural analysis, design optimization, artificial intelligence, and database management systems and their application to the structural design process was first performed. A feasibility study was then performed, and the architecture and the conceptual design for the integrated 'intelligent' structural analysis and design optimization software was then developed. An Object Representation Language (ORL), in conjunction with a rule-based system, was then developed using C++. Such an approach would improve the expressiveness for knowledge representation (especially for structural analysis and design applications), provide ability to build very large and practical expert systems, and provide an efficient way for storing knowledge. Functional specifications for the expert systems were then developed. The ORL/AI shell was then used to develop a variety of modules of expert systems for a variety of modeling, finite element analysis, and design optimization tasks in the integrated aerospace structural design process. These expert systems were developed to work in conjunction with procedural finite element structural analysis and design optimization modules (developed in-house at SAT, Inc.). The complete software, AutoDesign, so developed, can be used for integrated 'intelligent' structural analysis and design optimization. The software was beta-tested at a variety of companies, used by a range of engineers with different levels of background and expertise. Based on the feedback obtained by such users, conclusions were developed and are provided.

Elastic transducers incorporating finite-length optical paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Kara J.; Washabaugh, Peter D.

1995-08-01

Frequently, when designing a structure to incorporate integrated sensors, one sacrifices the stiffness of the system to improve sensitivity. However, the use of interferometric displacement sensors that tessellate throughout the volume of a structure has the potential to allow the precision and range of the component measurement to scale with the geometry of the device rather than the maximum strain in the structure. The design of stiff structures that measure all six resultant-load components is described. In addition, an advanced torsion sensor and a linear acceleration transducer are also discussed. Finally, invariant paths are presented that allow the in situ integrity of a structural volume to be monitored with a single pair of displacement sensors.

A way to improve dose rate laser simulation adequacy

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

Skorobogatov, P.K.; Nikiforov, A.Y.; Demidov, A.A.

1998-12-01

A method for improving laser simulation of dose rate radiation in silicon IC`s (Integrated Circuit) is analyzed based on the application of noncoherent laser radiation. Experimental validation was performed using test structures with up to 90% surface metallization coverage.

Compressive failure modes and parameter optimization of the trabecular structure of biomimetic fully integrated honeycomb plates.

PubMed

Chen, Jinxiang; Tuo, Wanyong; Zhang, Xiaoming; He, Chenglin; Xie, Juan; Liu, Chang

2016-12-01

To develop lightweight biomimetic composite structures, the compressive failure and mechanical properties of fully integrated honeycomb plates were investigated experimentally and through the finite element method. The results indicated that: fracturing of the fully integrated honeycomb plates primarily occurred in the core layer, including the sealing edge structure. The morphological failures can be classified into two types, namely dislocations and compactions, and were caused primarily by the stress concentrations at the interfaces between the core layer and the upper and lower laminations and secondarily by the disordered short-fiber distribution in the material; although the fully integrated honeycomb plates manufactured in this experiment were imperfect, their mass-specific compressive strength was superior to that of similar biomimetic samples. Therefore, the proposed bio-inspired structure possesses good overall mechanical properties, and a range of parameters, such as the diameter of the transition arc, was defined for enhancing the design of fully integrated honeycomb plates and improving their compressive mechanical properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organization of functional interaction of corporate information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safronov, V. V.; Barabanov, V. F.; Podvalniy, S. L.; Nuzhnyy, A. M.

2018-03-01

In this article the methods of specialized software systems integration are analyzed and the concept of seamless integration of production decisions is offered. In view of this concept developed structural and functional schemes of the specialized software are shown. The proposed schemes and models are improved for a machine-building enterprise.

Building Enterprise Transition Plans Through the Development of Collapsing Design Structure Matrices

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-17

processes from the earliest input to the final output to evaluate where change is needed to reduce costs, reduce waste, and improve the flow of information...from) integrating a large complex enterprise? • How should firms/enterprises evaluate systems prior to integration? What are some valid taxonomies

The SUSTAIN Project: A European Study on Improving Integrated Care for Older People Living at Home

PubMed Central

Stoop, Annerieke; Billings, Jenny; Leichsenring, Kai; Ruppe, Georg; Tram, Nhu; Barbaglia, María Gabriela; Ambugo, Eliva A.; Zonneveld, Nick; Paat-Ahi, Gerli; Hoffmann, Henrik; Khan, Usman; Stein, Viktoria; Wistow, Gerald; Lette, Manon; Jansen, Aaltje P.D.; Nijpels, Giel; Baan, Caroline A.

2018-01-01

Introduction: Integrated care programmes are increasingly being put in place to provide care to older people who live at home. Knowledge of how to further develop integrated care and how to transfer successful initiatives to other contexts is still limited. Therefore, a cross-European research project, called Sustainable Tailored Integrated Care for Older People in Europe (SUSTAIN), has been initiated with a twofold objective: 1. to collaborate with local stakeholders to support and monitor improvements to established integrated care initiatives for older people with multiple health and social care needs. Improvements focus on person-centredness, prevention orientation, safety and efficiency; 2. to make these improvements applicable and adaptable to other health and social care systems, and regions in Europe. This paper presents the overall structure and approach of the SUSTAIN project. Methods: SUSTAIN uses a multiple embedded case study design. In three phases, SUSTAIN partners: (i) conduct interviews and workshops with stakeholders from fourteen established integrated care initiatives to understand where they would prefer improvements to existing ways of working; (ii) collaborate with local stakeholders to support the design and implementation of improvement plans, evaluate implementation progress and outcomes per initiative, and carry out overarching analyses to compare the different initiatives, and; (iii) translate knowledge and experience to an online roadmap. Discussion: SUSTAIN aims to generate evidence on how to improve integrated care, and apply and transfer the knowledge gained to other health and social care systems, and regions. Lessons learned will be brought together in practical tools to inform and support policy-makers and decision-makers, as well as other stakeholders involved in integrated care, to manage and improve care for older people living at home. PMID:29632456

General aviation structures directly responsible for trauma in crash decelerations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-01-01

An analytical study of general aviation accident injuries is presented. Needs for improvement of both the crash design of the interior of the cockpit and the structural integrity of the cockpit itself are clearly illustrated. Crash safety design in l...

E-MSD: an integrated data resource for bioinformatics.

PubMed

Velankar, S; McNeil, P; Mittard-Runte, V; Suarez, A; Barrell, D; Apweiler, R; Henrick, K

2005-01-01

The Macromolecular Structure Database (MSD) group (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/msd/) continues to enhance the quality and consistency of macromolecular structure data in the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and to work towards the integration of various bioinformatics data resources. One of the major obstacles to the improved integration of structural databases such as MSD and sequence databases like UniProt is the absence of up to date and well-maintained mapping between corresponding entries. We have worked closely with the UniProt group at the EBI to clean up the taxonomy and sequence cross-reference information in the MSD and UniProt databases. This information is vital for the reliable integration of the sequence family databases such as Pfam and Interpro with the structure-oriented databases of SCOP and CATH. This information has been made available to the eFamily group (http://www.efamily.org.uk/) and now forms the basis of the regular interchange of information between the member databases (MSD, UniProt, Pfam, Interpro, SCOP and CATH). This exchange of annotation information has enriched the structural information in the MSD database with annotation from wider sequence-oriented resources. This work was carried out under the 'Structure Integration with Function, Taxonomy and Sequences (SIFTS)' initiative (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/msd-srv/docs/sifts) in the MSD group.

RECURSIVE PROTEIN MODELING: A DIVIDE AND CONQUER STRATEGY FOR PROTEIN STRUCTURE PREDICTION AND ITS CASE STUDY IN CASP9

PubMed Central

CHENG, JIANLIN; EICKHOLT, JESSE; WANG, ZHENG; DENG, XIN

2013-01-01

After decades of research, protein structure prediction remains a very challenging problem. In order to address the different levels of complexity of structural modeling, two types of modeling techniques — template-based modeling and template-free modeling — have been developed. Template-based modeling can often generate a moderate- to high-resolution model when a similar, homologous template structure is found for a query protein but fails if no template or only incorrect templates are found. Template-free modeling, such as fragment-based assembly, may generate models of moderate resolution for small proteins of low topological complexity. Seldom have the two techniques been integrated together to improve protein modeling. Here we develop a recursive protein modeling approach to selectively and collaboratively apply template-based and template-free modeling methods to model template-covered (i.e. certain) and template-free (i.e. uncertain) regions of a protein. A preliminary implementation of the approach was tested on a number of hard modeling cases during the 9th Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP9) and successfully improved the quality of modeling in most of these cases. Recursive modeling can signicantly reduce the complexity of protein structure modeling and integrate template-based and template-free modeling to improve the quality and efficiency of protein structure prediction. PMID:22809379

General practice integration in Australia. Primary health services provider and consumer perceptions of barriers and solutions.

PubMed

Appleby, N J; Dunt, D; Southern, D M; Young, D

1999-08-01

To identify practical examples of barriers and possible solutions to improve general practice integration with other health service providers. Twelve focus groups, including one conducted by teleconference, were held across Australia with GPs and non GP primary health service providers between May and September, 1996. Focus groups were embedded within concept mapping sessions, which were used to conceptually explore the meaning of integration in general practice. Data coding, organising and analysis were based on the techniques documented by Huberman and Miles. Barriers to integration were perceived to be principally due to the role and territory disputes between the different levels of government and their services, the manner in which the GP's role is currently defined, and the system of GP remuneration. Suggestions on ways to improve integration involved two types of strategies. The first involves initiatives implemented 'top down' through major government reform to service structures, including the expansion of the role of divisions of general practice, and structural changes to the GP remuneration systems. The second type of strategy suggested involves initiatives implemented from the 'bottom up' involving services such as hospitals (e.g. additional GP liaison positions) and the use of information technology to link services and share appropriate patient data. The findings support the need for further research and evaluation of initiatives aimed at achieving general practice integration at a systems level. There is little evidence to suggest which types of initiatives improve integration. However, general practice has been placed in the centre of the health care debate and is likely to remain central to the success of such initiatives. Clarification of the future role and authority of general practice will therefore be required if such integrative strategies are to be successful at a wider health system level.

Integrated optomechanical analysis and testing software development at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoeckel, Gerhard P.; Doyle, Keith B.

2013-09-01

Advanced analytical software capabilities are being developed to advance the design of prototypical hardware in the Engineering Division at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The current effort is focused on the integration of analysis tools tailored to the work flow, organizational structure, and current technology demands. These tools are being designed to provide superior insight into the interdisciplinary behavior of optical systems and enable rapid assessment and execution of design trades to optimize the design of optomechanical systems. The custom software architecture is designed to exploit and enhance the functionality of existing industry standard commercial software, provide a framework for centralizing internally developed tools, and deliver greater efficiency, productivity, and accuracy through standardization, automation, and integration. Specific efforts have included the development of a feature-rich software package for Structural-Thermal-Optical Performance (STOP) modeling, advanced Line Of Sight (LOS) jitter simulations, and improved integration of dynamic testing and structural modeling.

A job analysis of community health workers in the context of integrated nutrition and early child development.

PubMed

Phuka, John; Maleta, Kenneth; Thomas, Mavuto; Gladstone, Melisa

2014-01-01

Stunting and poor child development are major public health concerns in Malawi. Integrated nutrition and early child development (ECD) interventions have shown potential to reduce stunting, but it is not known how these integrated approaches can be implemented in Malawi. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the current jobs status of community health workers and their potential to implement integrated approaches. This was accomplished by a desk review of nutrition and ECD policy documents, as well as interviews with key informants, community health workers, and community members. We found that Malawi has comprehensive policies and well-outlined coordination structures for nutrition and ECD that advocate for integrated approaches. Strong multidisciplinary interaction exists at central levels but not at the community level. Integration of community health workers from different sectors is limited by workload, logistics, and a lack of synchronized work schedules. Favorable, sound policies and well-outlined coordination structures alone are not enough for the establishment of integrated nutrition and ECD activities. Balanced bureaucratic structures, improved task allocation, and synchronization of work schedules across all relevant sectors are needed for integrated intervention in Malawi. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Data-directed RNA secondary structure prediction using probabilistic modeling

PubMed Central

Deng, Fei; Ledda, Mirko; Vaziri, Sana; Aviran, Sharon

2016-01-01

Structure dictates the function of many RNAs, but secondary RNA structure analysis is either labor intensive and costly or relies on computational predictions that are often inaccurate. These limitations are alleviated by integration of structure probing data into prediction algorithms. However, existing algorithms are optimized for a specific type of probing data. Recently, new chemistries combined with advances in sequencing have facilitated structure probing at unprecedented scale and sensitivity. These novel technologies and anticipated wealth of data highlight a need for algorithms that readily accommodate more complex and diverse input sources. We implemented and investigated a recently outlined probabilistic framework for RNA secondary structure prediction and extended it to accommodate further refinement of structural information. This framework utilizes direct likelihood-based calculations of pseudo-energy terms per considered structural context and can readily accommodate diverse data types and complex data dependencies. We use real data in conjunction with simulations to evaluate performances of several implementations and to show that proper integration of structural contexts can lead to improvements. Our tests also reveal discrepancies between real data and simulations, which we show can be alleviated by refined modeling. We then propose statistical preprocessing approaches to standardize data interpretation and integration into such a generic framework. We further systematically quantify the information content of data subsets, demonstrating that high reactivities are major drivers of SHAPE-directed predictions and that better understanding of less informative reactivities is key to further improvements. Finally, we provide evidence for the adaptive capability of our framework using mock probe simulations. PMID:27251549

Improvement of density models of geological structures by fusion of gravity data and cosmic muon radiographies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourde, K.; Gibert, D.; Marteau, J.

2015-04-01

This paper examines how the resolution of small-scale geological density models is improved through the fusion of information provided by gravity measurements and density muon radiographies. Muon radiography aims at determining the density of geological bodies by measuring their screening effect on the natural flux of cosmic muons. Muon radiography essentially works like medical X-ray scan and integrates density information along elongated narrow conical volumes. Gravity measurements are linked to density by a 3-D integration encompassing the whole studied domain. We establish the mathematical expressions of these integration formulas - called acquisition kernels - and derive the resolving kernels that are spatial filters relating the true unknown density structure to the density distribution actually recovered from the available data. The resolving kernels approach allows to quantitatively describe the improvement of the resolution of the density models achieved by merging gravity data and muon radiographies. The method developed in this paper may be used to optimally design the geometry of the field measurements to perform in order to obtain a given spatial resolution pattern of the density model to construct. The resolving kernels derived in the joined muon/gravimetry case indicate that gravity data are almost useless to constrain the density structure in regions sampled by more than two muon tomography acquisitions. Interestingly the resolution in deeper regions not sampled by muon tomography is significantly improved by joining the two techniques. The method is illustrated with examples for La Soufrière of Guadeloupe volcano.

Kinetic stability and membrane structure of liposomes during in vitro infant intestinal digestion: Effect of cholesterol and lactoferrin.

PubMed

Liu, Weilin; Wei, Fuqiang; Ye, Aiqian; Tian, Mengmeng; Han, Jianzhong

2017-09-01

The effects of cholesterol and lactoferrin on the kinetic stability and membrane structural integrity of negatively charged liposomes under in vitro infant intestinal digestion conditions were elucidated using dynamic light scattering, pH-stat titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrene steady state fluorescence probes. The liposomes had a smaller particle diameter, a wider size distribution, and a greater negative charge after digestion. The incorporation of cholesterol into the phospholipid bilayers resulted in a more ordered conformation in the aliphatic tail region and reduced micropolarity, indicating that cholesterol can improve the structural stability of liposomal membranes against intestinal environmental stress. Lactoferrin coverage facilitated the release of free fatty acids and increased the microfluidity of the bilayers, reducing the structural integrity of the liposomes. This study provides useful information on the design of liposomes and other microcapsules with improved and controlled release properties during digestion for particular groups of people. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in integrated multidisciplinary optimization of rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adelman, Howard M.; Walsh, Joanne L.; Pritchard, Jocelyn I.

1992-01-01

A joint activity involving NASA and Army researchers at NASA LaRC to develop optimization procedures to improve the rotor blade design process by integrating appropriate disciplines and accounting for all of the important interactions among the disciplines is described. The disciplines involved include rotor aerodynamics, rotor dynamics, rotor structures, airframe dynamics, and acoustics. The work is focused on combining these five key disciplines in an optimization procedure capable of designing a rotor system to satisfy multidisciplinary design requirements. Fundamental to the plan is a three-phased approach. In phase 1, the disciplines of blade dynamics, blade aerodynamics, and blade structure are closely coupled while acoustics and airframe dynamics are decoupled and are accounted for as effective constraints on the design for the first three disciplines. In phase 2, acoustics is integrated with the first three disciplines. Finally, in phase 3, airframe dynamics is integrated with the other four disciplines. Representative results from work performed to date are described. These include optimal placement of tuning masses for reduction of blade vibratory shear forces, integrated aerodynamic/dynamic optimization, and integrated aerodynamic/dynamic/structural optimization. Examples of validating procedures are described.

Multi-Channel Capacitive Sensor Arrays

PubMed Central

Wang, Bingnan; Long, Jiang; Teo, Koon Hoo

2016-01-01

In this paper, multi-channel capacitive sensor arrays based on microstrip band-stop filters are studied. The sensor arrays can be used to detect the proximity of objects at different positions and directions. Each capacitive sensing structure in the array is connected to an inductive element to form resonance at different frequencies. The resonances are designed to be isolated in the frequency spectrum, such that the change in one channel does not affect resonances at other channels. The inductive element associated with each capacitive sensor can be surface-mounted inductors, integrated microstrip inductors or metamaterial-inspired structures. We show that by using metamaterial split-ring structures coupled to a microstrip line, the quality factor of each resonance can be greatly improved compared to conventional surface-mounted or microstrip meander inductors. With such a microstrip-coupled split-ring design, more sensing elements can be integrated in the same frequency spectrum, and the sensitivity can be greatly improved. PMID:26821023

Low voltage 30-cm ion thruster development. [including performance and structural integrity (vibration) tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, H. J.

1974-01-01

The basic goal was to advance the development status of the 30-cm electron bombardment ion thruster from a laboratory model to a flight-type engineering model (EM) thruster. This advancement included the more conventional aspects of mechanical design and testing for launch loads, weight reduction, fabrication process development, reliability and quality assurance, and interface definition, as well as a relatively significant improvement in thruster total efficiency. The achievement of this goal was demonstrated by the successful completion of a series of performance and structural integrity (vibration) tests. In the course of the program, essentially every part and feature of the original 30-cm Thruster was critically evaluated. These evaluations, led to new or improved designs for the ion optical system, discharge chamber, cathode isolator vaporizer assembly, main isolator vaporizer assembly, neutralizer assembly, packaging for thermal control, electrical terminations and structure.

Organizing integrated care in a university hospital: application of a conceptual framework.

PubMed

Axelsson, Runo; Axelsson, Susanna Bihari; Gustafsson, Jeppe; Seemann, Janne

2014-04-01

As a result of New Public Management, a number of industrial models of quality management have been implemented in health care, mainly in hospitals. At the same time, the concept of integrated care has been developed within other parts of the health sector. The aim of the article is to discuss the relevance of integrated care for hospitals. The discussion is based on application of a conceptual framework outlining a number of organizational models of integrated care. These models are illustrated in a case study of a Danish university hospital implementing a new organization for improving the patient flows of the hospital. The study of the reorganization is based mainly on qualitative data from individual and focus group interviews. The new organization of the university hospital can be regarded as a matrix structure combining a vertical integration of clinical departments with a horizontal integration of patient flows. This structure has elements of both interprofessional and interorganizational integration. A strong focus on teamwork, meetings and information exchange is combined with elements of case management and co-location. It seems that integrated care can be a relevant concept for a hospital. Although the organizational models may challenge established professional boundaries and financial control systems, this concept can be a more promising way to improve the quality of care than the industrial models that have been imported into health care. This application of the concept may also contribute to widen the field of integrated care.

Factors affecting the integration of immigrant nurses into the nursing workforce: A double hermeneutic study.

PubMed

Xiao, Lily Dongxia; Willis, Eileen; Jeffers, Lesley

2014-04-01

Variations in nursing practice and communication difficulties pose a challenge for the successful integration into the workforce of immigrant nurses. Evidence for this is found in cultural clashes, interpersonal conflicts, communication problems, prejudiced attitudes and discrimination towards immigrant nurses. While the evidence shows that integrating immigrant nurses into the nursing workforce is shaped by factors that are socially constructed, studies that examine social structures affecting workforce integration are sparse. The aim of this study was to examine interplaying relationships between social structures and nurses' actions that either enabled or inhibited workforce integration in hospital settings. Giddens' Structuration Theory with double hermeneutic methodology was used to interpret 24 immigrant and 20 senior nurses' perceptions of factors affecting workforce integration. Four themes were identified from the data. These were: (1) employer-sponsored visa as a constraint on adaptation, (2) two-way learning and adaptation in multicultural teams, (3) unacknowledged experiences and expertise as barriers to integration, and (4) unquestioned sub-group norms as barriers for group cohesion. The themes presented a critical perspective that unsuitable social structures (policies and resources) constrained nurses' performance in workforce integration in the context of nurse immigration. The direction of structural changes needed to improve workforce integration is illustrated throughout the discussions of policies and resources required for workforce integration at national and organisational levels, conditions for positive group interactions and group cohesion in organisations. Our study reveals inadequate rules and resources used to recruit, classify and utilise immigrant nurses at national and healthcare organisational levels can become structural constraints on their adaptation to professional nursing practice and integration into the workforce in a host country. Learning from each other in multicultural teams and positive intergroup interaction in promoting intercultural understanding are enablers contributing to immigrant nurses' adaptation and workforce integration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing and benchmarking the MULTICOM protein structure prediction system

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Predicting protein structure from sequence is one of the most significant and challenging problems in bioinformatics. Numerous bioinformatics techniques and tools have been developed to tackle almost every aspect of protein structure prediction ranging from structural feature prediction, template identification and query-template alignment to structure sampling, model quality assessment, and model refinement. How to synergistically select, integrate and improve the strengths of the complementary techniques at each prediction stage and build a high-performance system is becoming a critical issue for constructing a successful, competitive protein structure predictor. Results Over the past several years, we have constructed a standalone protein structure prediction system MULTICOM that combines multiple sources of information and complementary methods at all five stages of the protein structure prediction process including template identification, template combination, model generation, model assessment, and model refinement. The system was blindly tested during the ninth Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP9) in 2010 and yielded very good performance. In addition to studying the overall performance on the CASP9 benchmark, we thoroughly investigated the performance and contributions of each component at each stage of prediction. Conclusions Our comprehensive and comparative study not only provides useful and practical insights about how to select, improve, and integrate complementary methods to build a cutting-edge protein structure prediction system but also identifies a few new sources of information that may help improve the design of a protein structure prediction system. Several components used in the MULTICOM system are available at: http://sysbio.rnet.missouri.edu/multicom_toolbox/. PMID:23442819

Computer-Based Learning: Graphical Integration of Whole and Sectional Neuroanatomy Improves Long-Term Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naaz, Farah; Chariker, Julia H.; Pani, John R.

2014-01-01

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that instruction with graphically integrated representations of whole and sectional neuroanatomy is especially effective for learning to recognize neural structures in sectional imagery (such as magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). Neuroanatomy was taught to two groups of participants using computer…

Fast large-scale clustering of protein structures using Gauss integrals.

PubMed

Harder, Tim; Borg, Mikael; Boomsma, Wouter; Røgen, Peter; Hamelryck, Thomas

2012-02-15

Clustering protein structures is an important task in structural bioinformatics. De novo structure prediction, for example, often involves a clustering step for finding the best prediction. Other applications include assigning proteins to fold families and analyzing molecular dynamics trajectories. We present Pleiades, a novel approach to clustering protein structures with a rigorous mathematical underpinning. The method approximates clustering based on the root mean square deviation by first mapping structures to Gauss integral vectors--which were introduced by Røgen and co-workers--and subsequently performing K-means clustering. Compared to current methods, Pleiades dramatically improves on the time needed to perform clustering, and can cluster a significantly larger number of structures, while providing state-of-the-art results. The number of low energy structures generated in a typical folding study, which is in the order of 50,000 structures, can be clustered within seconds to minutes.

[Barriers and facilitators to health care coordination in two integrated health care organizations in Catalonia (Spain)].

PubMed

Vargas Lorenzo, Ingrid; Vázquez Navarrete, M Luisa

2007-01-01

To analyze 2 integrated delivery systems (IDS) in Catalonia and identify areas for future development to improve their effectiveness. An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study was carried out based on case studies by means of document analysis and semi-structured individual interviews. A criterion sample of cases and, for each case, of documents and informants was selected. Study cases consisted of the Consorci Sanitari del Maresme (CSdM) and the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa/Fundació Hospital Sant Llàtzer (FHSLL). A total of 127 documents were analyzed and 29 informants were interviewed: IDS managers (n = 10), technical staff (n = 5), operational unit managers (n = 5) and health professionals (n = 9). Content analysis was conducted, with mixed generation of categories and segmentation by cases and subjects. CSdM and CSdT/FHSLL are health care organizations with backward vertical integration, total services production, and real (CSdM) and virtual (CSdT/FHSLL) ownership. Funds are allocated by care level. The governing body is centralized in CSdM and decentralized in CSdT/FHSLL. In both organizations, the global objectives are oriented toward improving coordination and efficiency but are not in line with those of the operational units. Both organizations present a functional structure with integration of support functions and utilize mechanisms for collaboration between care levels based on work processes standardization. Both IDS present facilitators and barriers to health care coordination. To improve coordination, changes in external elements (payment mechanism) and in internal elements (governing body role, organizational structure and coordination mechanisms) are required.

From childhood adversity to problem behaviors: Role of psychological and structural social integration.

PubMed

Chao, Lo-Hsin; Tsai, Meng-Che; Liang, Ya-Lun; Strong, Carol; Lin, Chung-Ying

2018-01-01

Childhood adversity (CA) is associated with problem behaviors in adolescence, but the mediators, that is, those factors that help build resilience and prevent some children who experience CA from engaging in problem behaviors, await more exploration, including social integration. The aim of this study was to identify the association between CA and adolescent problem behaviors, and to further examine the mediating role of social integration distinctly as psychological and structural integration. Data used were from the Taiwan Education Panel Survey, a core panel of 4,261 students (age 13) surveyed in 2001 and followed for three more waves until age 18. For psychological integration, an average score was calculated to represent adolescents' feelings about their school. Structural integration was constructed using several items about adolescents' school and extracurricular activities. We used structural equation modeling with the diagonally weighted least squares method to examine the effect of CA on the primary outcome: adolescent problem behaviors via social integration. The hypothesized structural equation model specifying the path from CA to adolescent problem behavior had good fit. Respondents with one CA were indirectly linked to problem behaviors via psychological but not structural integration (e.g. the level of participation in school and non-school activities). On mediation analysis, psychological integration significantly mediated the paths from one CA to all six problem behaviors (all P < 0.05). The presence of only one CA was indirectly associated with problem behavior via psychological integration; two or more CA were not associated with significant paths to problem behaviors. The contribution of social integration is crucial to an adolescent's development from CA to problem behaviors. To form supportive social relationships to achieve better health, we suggest that those adolescents who have been exposed to CA should be helped to join more teams and take part in more activities, thereby increasing their opportunities for social interaction, and improving their communication skills. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

Investigation on micromachining technologies for the realization of LTCC devices and systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, T.; Zeilmann, C.; Bittner, A.; Schmid, U.

2011-06-01

Low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) has established as a widespread platform for advanced functional ceramic devices in different applications, such as in the space and aviation sector, for micro machined sensors as well as in micro fluidics. This is due to high reliability, excellent physical properties, especially in the high frequency range, and the possibility to integrate passive components in the monolithic LTCC body, offering the potential for a high degree of miniaturisation. However, for further improvement of this technology and for an ongoing increase of the integration level, the realization of miniaturized structures is of utmost importance. Therefore, novel techniques for micro-machining are required providing channel structures and cavities inside the glass-ceramic body, enabling for further application scenarios. Those techniques are punching, laser cutting and embossing. One of the most limitations of LTCC is the poor thermal conductivity. Hence, the possibility to integrate channels enables innovative active cooling approaches using fluidic media for heat critical devices. Doing so, a by far better cooling effect can be achieved than by passive devices as heat spreaders or heat sinks. Furthermore, the realization of mechanic devices as integrated pressure sensors for operation under harsh environmental conditions can be realized by integrating the membrane directly into the ceramic body. Finally, for high power devices substantial improvement can be provided by filling those channel structures with electrical conductive material, so that the resistivity can be decreased drastically without affecting the topography of the ceramics.

Structural reliability calculation method based on the dual neural network and direct integration method.

PubMed

Li, Haibin; He, Yun; Nie, Xiaobo

2018-01-01

Structural reliability analysis under uncertainty is paid wide attention by engineers and scholars due to reflecting the structural characteristics and the bearing actual situation. The direct integration method, started from the definition of reliability theory, is easy to be understood, but there are still mathematics difficulties in the calculation of multiple integrals. Therefore, a dual neural network method is proposed for calculating multiple integrals in this paper. Dual neural network consists of two neural networks. The neural network A is used to learn the integrand function, and the neural network B is used to simulate the original function. According to the derivative relationships between the network output and the network input, the neural network B is derived from the neural network A. On this basis, the performance function of normalization is employed in the proposed method to overcome the difficulty of multiple integrations and to improve the accuracy for reliability calculations. The comparisons between the proposed method and Monte Carlo simulation method, Hasofer-Lind method, the mean value first-order second moment method have demonstrated that the proposed method is an efficient and accurate reliability method for structural reliability problems.

Integral Ring Carbon-Carbon Piston

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Northam, G. Burton (Inventor)

1999-01-01

An improved structure for a reciprocating internal combustion engine or compressor piston fabricate from carbon-carbon composite materials is disclosed. An integral ring carbon-carbon composite piston, disclosed herein, reduces the need for piston rings and for small clearances by providing a small flexible, integral component around the piston that allows for variation in clearance due to manufacturing tolerances, distortion due to pressure and thermal loads, and variations in thermal expansion differences between the piston and cylinder liner.

Design and fabrication of conductive polyaniline transducers via computer controlled direct ink writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holness, F. Benjamin; Price, Aaron D.

2017-04-01

The intractable nature of the conjugated polymer (CP) polyaniline (PANI) has largely limited PANI-based transducers to monolithic geometries derived from thin-film deposition techniques. To address this limitation, we have previously reported additive manufacturing processes for the direct ink writing of three-dimensional electroactive PANI structures. This technology incorporates a modified delta robot having an integrated polymer paste extrusion system in conjunction with a counter-ion induced thermal doping process to achieve these 3D structures. In this study, we employ an improved embodiment of this methodology for the fabrication of functional PANI devices with increasingly complex geometries and enhanced electroactive functionality. Advances in manufacturing capabilities achieved through the integration of a precision pneumatic fluid dispenser and redesigned high-pressure end-effector enable extrusion of viscous polymer formulations, improving the realizable resolutions of features and deposition layers. The integration of a multi-material dual-extrusion end-effector has further aided the fabrication of these devices, enabling the concurrent assembly of passive and active structures, which reduces the limitations on device geometry. Subsequent characterization of these devices elucidates the relationships between polymer formulation, process parameters, and device design such that electromechanical properties can be tuned according to application requirements. This methodology ultimately leads to the improved manufacturing of electroactive polymer-enabled devices with high-resolution 3D features and enhanced electroactive performance.

Independent Gene Discovery and Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palsule, Vrushalee; Coric, Dijana; Delancy, Russell; Dunham, Heather; Melancon, Caleb; Thompson, Dennis; Toms, Jamie; White, Ashley; Shultz, Jeffry

2010-01-01

A clear understanding of basic gene structure is critical when teaching molecular genetics, the central dogma and the biological sciences. We sought to create a gene-based teaching project to improve students' understanding of gene structure and to integrate this into a research project that can be implemented by instructors at the secondary level…

E-MSD: an integrated data resource for bioinformatics

PubMed Central

Velankar, S.; McNeil, P.; Mittard-Runte, V.; Suarez, A.; Barrell, D.; Apweiler, R.; Henrick, K.

2005-01-01

The Macromolecular Structure Database (MSD) group (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/msd/) continues to enhance the quality and consistency of macromolecular structure data in the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and to work towards the integration of various bioinformatics data resources. One of the major obstacles to the improved integration of structural databases such as MSD and sequence databases like UniProt is the absence of up to date and well-maintained mapping between corresponding entries. We have worked closely with the UniProt group at the EBI to clean up the taxonomy and sequence cross-reference information in the MSD and UniProt databases. This information is vital for the reliable integration of the sequence family databases such as Pfam and Interpro with the structure-oriented databases of SCOP and CATH. This information has been made available to the eFamily group (http://www.efamily.org.uk/) and now forms the basis of the regular interchange of information between the member databases (MSD, UniProt, Pfam, Interpro, SCOP and CATH). This exchange of annotation information has enriched the structural information in the MSD database with annotation from wider sequence-oriented resources. This work was carried out under the ‘Structure Integration with Function, Taxonomy and Sequences (SIFTS)’ initiative (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/msd-srv/docs/sifts) in the MSD group. PMID:15608192

Resin selection criteria for tough composite structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.; Smith, G. T.

1983-01-01

Resin selection criteria are derived using a structured methodology consisting of an upward integrated mechanistic theory and its inverse (top-down structured theory). These criteria are expressed in a "criteria selection space" which are used to identify resin bulk properties for improved composite "toughness". The resin selection criteria correlate with a variety of experimental data including laminate strength, elevated temperature effects and impact resistance.

Incorporation of Privileged Structures into Bevirimat Can Improve Activity against Wild-Type and Bevirimat-Resistant HIV-1.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Gu, Qiong; Morris-Natschke, Susan L; Chen, Chin-Ho; Lee, Kuo-Hsiung

2016-10-13

Two "privileged fragments", caffeic acid and piperazine, were integrated into bevirimat producing new derivatives with improved activity against HIV-1/NL4-3 and NL4-3/V370A carrying the most prevalent bevirimat-resistant polymorphism. The activity of one of these, 18c, was increased by 3-fold against NL4-3 and 51-fold against NL4-3/V370A. Moreover, 18c is a maturation inhibitor with improved metabolic stability. Our study suggested that integration of privileged motifs into promising natural product skeletons is an effective strategy for discovering potent derivatives.

Light emitting fabric technologies for photodynamic therapy.

PubMed

Mordon, Serge; Cochrane, Cédric; Tylcz, Jean Baptiste; Betrouni, Nacim; Mortier, Laurent; Koncar, Vladan

2015-03-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered to be a promising method for treating various types of cancer. A homogeneous and reproducible illumination during clinical PDT plays a determinant role in preventing under- or over-treatment. The development of flexible light sources would considerably improve the homogeneity of light delivery. The integration of optical fiber into flexible structures could offer an interesting alternative. This paper aims to describe different methods proposed to develop Side Emitting Optical Fibers (SEOF), and how these SEOF can be integrated in a flexible structure to improve light illumination of the skin during PDT. Four main techniques can be described: (i) light blanket integrating side-glowing optical fibers, (ii) light emitting panel composed of SEOF obtained by micro-perforations of the cladding, (iii) embroidery-based light emitting fabric, and (iv) woven-based light emitting fabric. Woven-based light emitting fabrics give the best performances: higher fluence rate, best homogeneity of light delivery, good flexibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal Network for Patients with Severe Mental Illness: A Social Network Analysis.

PubMed

Lorant, Vincent; Nazroo, James; Nicaise, Pablo

2017-11-01

It is still unclear what the optimal structure of mental health care networks should be. We examine whether certain types of network structure have been associated with improved continuity of care and greater social integration. A social network survey was carried out, covering 954 patients across 19 mental health networks in Belgium in 2014. We found continuity of care to be associated with large, centralized, and homophilous networks, whereas social integration was associated with smaller, centralized, and heterophilous networks. Two important goals of mental health service provision, continuity of care and social integration, are associated with different types of network. Further research is needed to ascertain the direction of this association.

Integration of magnetic bearings in the design of advanced gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storace, Albert F.; Sood, Devendra K.; Lyons, James P.; Preston, Mark A.

1994-01-01

Active magnetic bearings provide revolutionary advantages for gas turbine engine rotor support. These advantages include tremendously improved vibration and stability characteristics, reduced power loss, improved reliability, fault-tolerance, and greatly extended bearing service life. The marriage of these advantages with innovative structural network design and advanced materials utilization will permit major increases in thrust to weight performance and structural efficiency for future gas turbine engines. However, obtaining the maximum payoff requires two key ingredients. The first key ingredient is the use of modern magnetic bearing technologies such as innovative digital control techniques, high-density power electronics, high-density magnetic actuators, fault-tolerant system architecture, and electronic (sensorless) position estimation. This paper describes these technologies. The second key ingredient is to go beyond the simple replacement of rolling element bearings with magnetic bearings by incorporating magnetic bearings as an integral part of the overall engine design. This is analogous to the proper approach to designing with composites, whereby the designer tailors the geometry and load carrying function of the structural system or component for the composite instead of simply substituting composites in a design originally intended for metal material. This paper describes methodologies for the design integration of magnetic bearings in gas turbine engines.

Shells, orbit bifurcations, and symmetry restorations in Fermi systems

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

Magner, A. G., E-mail: magner@kinr.kiev.ua; Koliesnik, M. V.; Arita, K.

The periodic-orbit theory based on the improved stationary-phase method within the phase-space path integral approach is presented for the semiclassical description of the nuclear shell structure, concerning themain topics of the fruitful activity ofV.G. Soloviev. We apply this theory to study bifurcations and symmetry breaking phenomena in a radial power-law potential which is close to the realistic Woods–Saxon one up to about the Fermi energy. Using the realistic parametrization of nuclear shapes we explain the origin of the double-humped fission barrier and the asymmetry in the fission isomer shapes by the bifurcations of periodic orbits. The semiclassical origin of themore » oblate–prolate shape asymmetry and tetrahedral shapes is also suggested within the improved periodic-orbit approach. The enhancement of shell structures at some surface diffuseness and deformation parameters of such shapes are explained by existence of the simple local bifurcations and new non-local bridge-orbit bifurcations in integrable and partially integrable Fermi-systems. We obtained good agreement between the semiclassical and quantum shell-structure components of the level density and energy for several surface diffuseness and deformation parameters of the potentials, including their symmetry breaking and bifurcation values.« less

Improvement of electroluminescence performance by integration of ZnO nanowires and single-crystalline films on ZnO/GaN heterojunction

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

Shi, Zhifeng; Zhang, Yuantao, E-mail: zhangyt@jlu.edu.cn; Cui, Xijun

2014-03-31

Heterojunction light-emitting diodes based on n-ZnO nanowires/ZnO single-crystalline films/p-GaN structure have been demonstrated for an improved electroluminescence performance. A highly efficient ultraviolet emission was observed under forward bias. Compared with conventional n-ZnO/p-GaN structure, high internal quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency were simultaneously considered in the proposed diode. In addition, the diode can work continuously for ∼10 h with only a slight degradation in harsh environments, indicating its good reliability and application prospect in the future. This route opens possibilities for the development of advanced nanoscale devices in which the advantages of ZnO single-crystalline films and nanostructures can be integrated together.

Bridging the integration gap between imaging and information systems: a uniform data concept for content-based image retrieval in computer-aided diagnosis.

PubMed

Welter, Petra; Riesmeier, Jörg; Fischer, Benedikt; Grouls, Christoph; Kuhl, Christiane; Deserno, Thomas M

2011-01-01

It is widely accepted that content-based image retrieval (CBIR) can be extremely useful for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). However, CBIR has not been established in clinical practice yet. As a widely unattended gap of integration, a unified data concept for CBIR-based CAD results and reporting is lacking. Picture archiving and communication systems and the workflow of radiologists must be considered for successful data integration to be achieved. We suggest that CBIR systems applied to CAD should integrate their results in a picture archiving and communication systems environment such as Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) structured reporting documents. A sample DICOM structured reporting template adaptable to CBIR and an appropriate integration scheme is presented. The proposed CBIR data concept may foster the promulgation of CBIR systems in clinical environments and, thereby, improve the diagnostic process.

Bridging the integration gap between imaging and information systems: a uniform data concept for content-based image retrieval in computer-aided diagnosis

PubMed Central

Riesmeier, Jörg; Fischer, Benedikt; Grouls, Christoph; Kuhl, Christiane; Deserno (né Lehmann), Thomas M

2011-01-01

It is widely accepted that content-based image retrieval (CBIR) can be extremely useful for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). However, CBIR has not been established in clinical practice yet. As a widely unattended gap of integration, a unified data concept for CBIR-based CAD results and reporting is lacking. Picture archiving and communication systems and the workflow of radiologists must be considered for successful data integration to be achieved. We suggest that CBIR systems applied to CAD should integrate their results in a picture archiving and communication systems environment such as Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) structured reporting documents. A sample DICOM structured reporting template adaptable to CBIR and an appropriate integration scheme is presented. The proposed CBIR data concept may foster the promulgation of CBIR systems in clinical environments and, thereby, improve the diagnostic process. PMID:21672913

Organizing integrated care in a university hospital: application of a conceptual framework

PubMed Central

Axelsson, Runo; Axelsson, Susanna Bihari; Gustafsson, Jeppe; Seemann, Janne

2014-01-01

Background and aim As a result of New Public Management, a number of industrial models of quality management have been implemented in health care, mainly in hospitals. At the same time, the concept of integrated care has been developed within other parts of the health sector. The aim of the article is to discuss the relevance of integrated care for hospitals. Theory and methods The discussion is based on application of a conceptual framework outlining a number of organizational models of integrated care. These models are illustrated in a case study of a Danish university hospital implementing a new organization for improving the patient flows of the hospital. The study of the reorganization is based mainly on qualitative data from individual and focus group interviews. Results The new organization of the university hospital can be regarded as a matrix structure combining a vertical integration of clinical departments with a horizontal integration of patient flows. This structure has elements of both interprofessional and interorganizational integration. A strong focus on teamwork, meetings and information exchange is combined with elements of case management and co-location. Conclusions It seems that integrated care can be a relevant concept for a hospital. Although the organizational models may challenge established professional boundaries and financial control systems, this concept can be a more promising way to improve the quality of care than the industrial models that have been imported into health care. This application of the concept may also contribute to widen the field of integrated care. PMID:24966806

Improvement of density models of geological structures by fusion of gravity data and cosmic muon radiographies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourde, K.; Gibert, D.; Marteau, J.

2015-08-01

This paper examines how the resolution of small-scale geological density models is improved through the fusion of information provided by gravity measurements and density muon radiographies. Muon radiography aims at determining the density of geological bodies by measuring their screening effect on the natural flux of cosmic muons. Muon radiography essentially works like a medical X-ray scan and integrates density information along elongated narrow conical volumes. Gravity measurements are linked to density by a 3-D integration encompassing the whole studied domain. We establish the mathematical expressions of these integration formulas - called acquisition kernels - and derive the resolving kernels that are spatial filters relating the true unknown density structure to the density distribution actually recovered from the available data. The resolving kernel approach allows one to quantitatively describe the improvement of the resolution of the density models achieved by merging gravity data and muon radiographies. The method developed in this paper may be used to optimally design the geometry of the field measurements to be performed in order to obtain a given spatial resolution pattern of the density model to be constructed. The resolving kernels derived in the joined muon-gravimetry case indicate that gravity data are almost useless for constraining the density structure in regions sampled by more than two muon tomography acquisitions. Interestingly, the resolution in deeper regions not sampled by muon tomography is significantly improved by joining the two techniques. The method is illustrated with examples for the La Soufrière volcano of Guadeloupe.

Recent advances in multidisciplinary optimization of rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adelman, Howard M.; Walsh, Joanne L.; Pritchard, Jocelyn I.

1992-01-01

A joint activity involving NASA and Army researchers at NASA LaRC to develop optimization procedures to improve the rotor blade design process by integrating appropriate disciplines and accounting for all of the important interactions among the disciplines is described. The disciplines involved include rotor aerodynamics, rotor dynamics, rotor structures, airframe dynamics, and acoustics. The work is focused on combining these five key disciplines in an optimization procedure capable of designing a rotor system to satisfy multidisciplinary design requirements. Fundamental to the plan is a three-phased approach. In phase 1, the disciplines of blade dynamics, blade aerodynamics, and blade structure are closely coupled while acoustics and airframe dynamics are decoupled and are accounted for as effective constraints on the design for the first three disciplines. In phase 2, acoustics is integrated with the first three disciplines. Finally, in phase 3, airframe dynamics is integrated with the other four disciplines. Representative results from work performed to date are described. These include optimal placement of tuning masses for reduction of blade vibratory shear forces, integrated aerodynamic/dynamic optimization, and integrated aerodynamic/dynamic/structural optimization. Examples of validating procedures are described.

Three-Dimensional Hetero-Integration of Faceted GaN on Si Pillars for Efficient Light Energy Conversion Devices.

PubMed

Kim, Dong Rip; Lee, Chi Hwan; Cho, In Sun; Jang, Hanmin; Jeon, Min Soo; Zheng, Xiaolin

2017-07-25

An important pathway for cost-effective light energy conversion devices, such as solar cells and light emitting diodes, is to integrate III-V (e.g., GaN) materials on Si substrates. Such integration first necessitates growth of high crystalline III-V materials on Si, which has been the focus of many studies. However, the integration also requires that the final III-V/Si structure has a high light energy conversion efficiency. To accomplish these twin goals, we use single-crystalline microsized Si pillars as a seed layer to first grow faceted Si structures, which are then used for the heteroepitaxial growth of faceted GaN films. These faceted GaN films on Si have high crystallinity, and their threading dislocation density is similar to that of GaN grown on sapphire. In addition, the final faceted GaN/Si structure has great light absorption and extraction characteristics, leading to improved performance for GaN-on-Si light energy conversion devices.

A road map for integrating eco-evolutionary processes into biodiversity models.

PubMed

Thuiller, Wilfried; Münkemüller, Tamara; Lavergne, Sébastien; Mouillot, David; Mouquet, Nicolas; Schiffers, Katja; Gravel, Dominique

2013-05-01

The demand for projections of the future distribution of biodiversity has triggered an upsurge in modelling at the crossroads between ecology and evolution. Despite the enthusiasm around these so-called biodiversity models, most approaches are still criticised for not integrating key processes known to shape species ranges and community structure. Developing an integrative modelling framework for biodiversity distribution promises to improve the reliability of predictions and to give a better understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics of species and communities under changing environments. In this article, we briefly review some eco-evolutionary processes and interplays among them, which are essential to provide reliable projections of species distributions and community structure. We identify gaps in theory, quantitative knowledge and data availability hampering the development of an integrated modelling framework. We argue that model development relying on a strong theoretical foundation is essential to inspire new models, manage complexity and maintain tractability. We support our argument with an example of a novel integrated model for species distribution modelling, derived from metapopulation theory, which accounts for abiotic constraints, dispersal, biotic interactions and evolution under changing environmental conditions. We hope such a perspective will motivate exciting and novel research, and challenge others to improve on our proposed approach. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Improved measurement performance of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt nanometer comparator by integration of a new Zerodur sample carriage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flügge, Jens; Köning, Rainer; Schötka, Eugen; Weichert, Christoph; Köchert, Paul; Bosse, Harald; Kunzmann, Horst

2014-12-01

The paper describes recent improvements of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt's (PTB) reference measuring instrument for length graduations, the so-called nanometer comparator, intended to achieve a measurement uncertainty in the domain of 1 nm for a length up to 300 mm. The improvements are based on the design and realization of a new sample carriage, integrated into the existing structure and the optimization of coupling this new device to the vacuum interferometer, by which the length measuring range of approximately 540 mm with sub-nm resolution is given. First, measuring results of the enhanced nanometer comparator are presented and discussed, which show the improvements of the measuring capabilities and verify the step toward the sub-nm accuracy level.

Performance improvements of a highly integrated digital electronic control system for an F-15 airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putnam, T. W.; Burcham, F. W., Jr.; Andries, M. G.; Kelly, J. B.

1985-01-01

The NASA highly integrated digital electronic control (HIDEC) program is structured to conduct flight research into the benefits of integrating an aircraft flight control system with the engine control system. A brief description of the HIDEC system installed on an F-15 aircraft is provided. The adaptive engine control system (ADECS) mode is described in detail, together with simulation results and analyses that show the significant excess thrust improvements achievable with the ADECS mode. It was found that this increased thrust capability is accompanied by reduced fan stall margin and can be realized during flight conditions where engine face distortion is low. The results of analyses and simulations also show that engine thrust response is improved and that fuel consumption can be reduced. Although the performance benefits that accrue because of airframe and engine control integration are being demonstrated on an F-15 aircraft, the principles are applicable to advanced aircraft such as the advanced tactical fighter and advanced tactical aircraft.

Developing a framework for gathering and using service user experiences to improve integrated health and social care: the SUFFICE framework.

PubMed

Ward, Vicky; Pinkney, Lisa; Fry, Gary

2016-09-08

More people than ever receive care and support from health and social care services. Initiatives to integrate the work of health and social care staff have increased rapidly across the UK but relatively little has been done to chart and improve their impact on service users. Our aim was to develop a framework for gathering and using service user feedback to improve integrated health and social care in one locality in the North of England. We used published literature and interviews with health and social care managers to determine the expected service user experiences of local community-based integrated teams and the ways in which team members were expected to work together. We used the results to devise qualitative data collection and analysis tools for gathering and analyzing service user feedback. We used developmental evaluation and service improvement methodologies to devise a procedure for developing service improvement plans. We identified six expected service user experiences of integrated care and 15 activities that health and social care teams were expected to undertake. We used these to develop logic models and tools for collecting and analysing service user experiences. These include a narrative interview schedule, a plan for analyzing data, and a method for synthesizing the results into a composite 'story'. We devised a structured service improvement procedure which involves teams of health and social care staff listening to a composite service user story, identifying how their actions as a team may have contributed to the story and developing a service improvement plan. This framework aims to put service user experiences at the heart of efforts to improve integration. It has been developed in collaboration with National Health Service (NHS) and Social Care managers. We expect it to be useful for evaluating and improving integrated care initiatives elsewhere.

Strategies for Improving the Performance of Sensors Based on Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaohan; Mao, Shun; Chen, Junhong; Huang, Jia

2018-04-01

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have been extensively studied as sensing channel materials in field-effect transistors due to their unique charge transport properties. Stimulation caused by its environmental conditions can readily change the charge-carrier density and mobility of OSCs. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) can act as both signal transducers and signal amplifiers, which greatly simplifies the device structure. Over the past decades, various sensors based on OFETs have been developed, including physical sensors, chemical sensors, biosensors, and integrated sensor arrays with advanced functionalities. However, the performance of OFET-based sensors still needs to be improved to meet the requirements from various practical applications, such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, and rapid response speed. Tailoring molecular structures and micro/nanofilm structures of OSCs is a vital strategy for achieving better sensing performance. Modification of the dielectric layer and the semiconductor/dielectric interface is another approach for improving the sensor performance. Moreover, advanced sensory functionalities have been achieved by developing integrated device arrays. Here, a brief review of strategies used for improving the performance of OFET sensors is presented, which is expected to inspire and provide guidance for the design of future OFET sensors for various specific and practical applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improved accuracy for finite element structural analysis via an integrated force method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patnaik, S. N.; Hopkins, D. A.; Aiello, R. A.; Berke, L.

1992-01-01

A comparative study was carried out to determine the accuracy of finite element analyses based on the stiffness method, a mixed method, and the new integrated force and dual integrated force methods. The numerical results were obtained with the following software: MSC/NASTRAN and ASKA for the stiffness method; an MHOST implementation method for the mixed method; and GIFT for the integrated force methods. The results indicate that on an overall basis, the stiffness and mixed methods present some limitations. The stiffness method generally requires a large number of elements in the model to achieve acceptable accuracy. The MHOST method tends to achieve a higher degree of accuracy for course models than does the stiffness method implemented by MSC/NASTRAN and ASKA. The two integrated force methods, which bestow simultaneous emphasis on stress equilibrium and strain compatibility, yield accurate solutions with fewer elements in a model. The full potential of these new integrated force methods remains largely unexploited, and they hold the promise of spawning new finite element structural analysis tools.

Orbiter lessons learned: A guide to future vehicle development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, Harry Stan

1993-01-01

Topics addressed are: (1) wind persistence loads methodology; (2) emphasize supportability in design of reusable vehicles; (3) design for robustness; (4) improved aerodynamic environment prediction methods for complex vehicles; (5) automated integration of aerothermal, manufacturing, and structures analysis; (6) continued electronic documentation of structural design and analysis; and (7) landing gear rollout load simulations.

Clear Expectations, Communication, and Flexibility: Unlocking the Potential of an Education Department through a Nontraditional Staffing Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flax, Corinne; Holko, Kathleen; Stricker, Laura

2017-01-01

After an outside evaluator identified key areas of improvement, the Education Department at the Bruce Museum refocused staff responsibilities in order to meet audience needs. To utilize staff effectively, the department underwent a radical restructuring, transitioning from a traditional vertical structure to a horizontal, integrated management…

An integrated decision model for the application of airborne sensors for improved response to accidental and terrorist chemical vapor releases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapitan, Loginn

This research created a new model which provides an integrated approach to planning the effective selection and employment of airborne sensor systems in response to accidental or intentional chemical vapor releases. The approach taken was to use systems engineering and decision analysis methods to construct a model architecture which produced a modular structure for integrating both new and existing components into a logical procedure to assess the application of airborne sensor systems to address chemical vapor hazards. The resulting integrated process model includes an internal aggregation model which allowed differentiation among alternative airborne sensor systems. Both models were developed and validated by experts and demonstrated using appropriate hazardous chemical release scenarios. The resultant prototype integrated process model or system fills a current gap in capability allowing improved planning, training and exercise for HAZMAT teams and first responders when considering the selection and employment of airborne sensor systems. Through the research process, insights into the current response structure and how current airborne capability may be most effectively used were generated. Furthermore, the resultant prototype system is tailorable for local, state, and federal application, and can potentially be modified to help evaluate investments in new airborne sensor technology and systems. Better planning, training and preparedness exercising holds the prospect for the effective application of airborne assets for improved response to large scale chemical release incidents. Improved response will result in fewer casualties and lives lost, reduced economic impact, and increased protection of critical infrastructure when faced with accidental and intentional terrorist release of hazardous industrial chemicals. With the prospect of more airborne sensor systems becoming available, this prototype system integrates existing and new tools into an effective process for the selection and employment of airborne sensors to better plan, train and exercise ahead of potential chemical release events.

Creating a Campus Culture of Integrity: Comparing the Perspectives of Full- and Part-Time Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudd, Suzanne S.; Apgar, Caroline; Bronson, Eric Franklyn; Lee, Renee Gravois

2009-01-01

Part-time faculty play an important role in creating a culture of integrity on campus, yet they face a number of structural constraints. This paper seeks to improve our understanding of the potentially unique experiences of part-time faculty with academic misconduct and suggests ways to more effectively involve them in campus-wide academic…

Improving TV Program Comprehensibility: Developmental Effects of Visual and Verbal Production Features.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, Sandra L.; And Others

Preplays (critical material presented before a televised program) were inserted before three sections of a televised story to determine if they would improve children's attention and comprehension by providing overall plot structure for selecting and integrating important story events. The preplays varied on two orthogonal dimensions: presence or…

Performance Evaluation of Engineered Structured Sorbents for Atmosphere Revitalization Systems On Board Crewed Space Vehicles and Habitats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, David F.; Perry, Jay L.; Knox, James C.; Junaedi, Christian; Roychoudhury, Subir

2011-01-01

Engineered structured (ES) sorbents are being developed to meet the technical challenges of future crewed space exploration missions. ES sorbents offer the inherent performance and safety attributes of zeolite and other physical adsorbents but with greater structural integrity and process control to improve durability and efficiency over packed beds. ES sorbent techniques that are explored include thermally linked and pressure-swing adsorption beds for water-save dehumidification and sorbent-coated metal meshes for residual drying, trace contaminant control, and carbon dioxide control. Results from sub-scale performance evaluations of a thermally linked pressure-swing adsorbent bed and an integrated sub-scale ES sorbent system are discussed.

Cyclohexane Rings Reduce Membrane Permeability to Small Ions in Archaea-Inspired Tetraether Lipids.

PubMed

Koyanagi, Takaoki; Leriche, Geoffray; Onofrei, David; Holland, Gregory P; Mayer, Michael; Yang, Jerry

2016-01-26

Extremophile archaeal organisms overcome problems of membrane permeability by producing lipids with structural elements that putatively improve membrane integrity compared to lipids from other life forms. Herein, we describe a series of lipids that mimic some key structural features of archaeal lipids, such as: 1) single tethering of lipid tails to create fully transmembrane tetraether lipids and 2) the incorporation of small rings into these tethered segments. We found that membranes formed from pure tetraether lipids leaked small ions at a rate that was about two orders of magnitude slower than common bilayer-forming lipids. Incorporation of cyclopentane rings into the tetraether lipids did not affect membrane leakage, whereas a cyclohexane ring reduced leakage by an additional 40 %. These results show that mimicking certain structural features of natural archaeal lipids results in improved membrane integrity, which may help overcome limitations of many current lipid-based technologies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrated enterprise management: a look at the functions, the enterprise, and the environment--can you see the difference?

PubMed

Lehmann, D M

1998-05-01

The performance of an organization is paced by its use of resources, including its ability to acquire, access, and use knowledge. A high-performance organization, more than likely, has structured its resources around process linkages and is characterized by a horizontal organization chart, teams and teamwork, empowerment, and operational excellence. Organizational researchers hypothesize that performance improves with fuzzy internal boundaries, cross-functional participation, and goals anchored in the interests of customers and other external stakeholders. This article looks at the competitive need for more integration of resources and greater sharing of knowledge, the integrated nature of work within emerging types of organizations, how expanded views can improve the marketplace centering of processes and individuals, and how combining a model of integration and individual work challenges thinking and actions in the new environment.

Integrating content and structure aspects of the self: traits, values, and self-improvement.

PubMed

Roccas, Sonia; Sagiv, Lilach; Oppenheim, Shani; Elster, Andrey; Gal, Avigail

2014-04-01

Research on the structure of the self has mostly developed separately from research on its content. Taking an integrative approach, we studied two structural aspects of the self associated with self-improvement--self-discrepancies and perceived mutability--by focusing on two content areas, traits and values. In Studies 1A-C, 337 students (61% female) reported self-discrepancies in values and traits, with the finding that self-discrepancies in values are smaller than in traits. In Study 2 (80 students, 41% female), we experimentally induced either high or low mutability and measured perceived mutability of traits and values. We found that values are perceived as less mutable than traits. In Study 3, 99 high school students (60% female) reported their values, traits, and the extent to which they wish to change them. We found that values predict the wish to change traits, whereas traits do not predict the wish to change values. In Study 4, 172 students (47.7% female) were assigned to one of four experimental conditions in which they received feedback denoting either uniqueness or similarity to others, on either their values or their traits. The results indicated that feedback that one's values (but not traits) are unique affected self-esteem. Integrating between theories of content and structure of the self can contribute to the development of both. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

3D printed hierarchical honeycombs with shape integrity under large compressive deformations

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yanyu; Li, Tiantian; Jia, Zian; ...

2017-10-12

Here, we describe the in-plane compressive performance of a new type of hierarchical cellular structure created by replacing cell walls in regular honeycombs with triangular lattice configurations. The fabrication of this relatively complex material architecture with size features spanning from micrometer to centimeter is facilitated by the availability of commercial 3D printers. We apply to these hierarchical honeycombs a thermal treatment that facilitates the shape preservation and structural integrity of the structures under large compressive loading. The proposed hierarchical honeycombs exhibit a progressive failure mode, along with improved stiffness and energy absorption under uniaxial compression. High energy dissipation and shapemore » integrity at large imposed strains (up to 60%) have also been observed in these hierarchical honeycombs under cyclic loading. Experimental and numerical studies suggest that these anomalous mechanical behaviors are attributed to the introduction of a structural hierarchy, intrinsically controlled by the cell wall slenderness of the triangular lattice and by the shape memory effect induced by the thermal and mechanical compressive treatment.« less

3D printed hierarchical honeycombs with shape integrity under large compressive deformations

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

Chen, Yanyu; Li, Tiantian; Jia, Zian

Here, we describe the in-plane compressive performance of a new type of hierarchical cellular structure created by replacing cell walls in regular honeycombs with triangular lattice configurations. The fabrication of this relatively complex material architecture with size features spanning from micrometer to centimeter is facilitated by the availability of commercial 3D printers. We apply to these hierarchical honeycombs a thermal treatment that facilitates the shape preservation and structural integrity of the structures under large compressive loading. The proposed hierarchical honeycombs exhibit a progressive failure mode, along with improved stiffness and energy absorption under uniaxial compression. High energy dissipation and shapemore » integrity at large imposed strains (up to 60%) have also been observed in these hierarchical honeycombs under cyclic loading. Experimental and numerical studies suggest that these anomalous mechanical behaviors are attributed to the introduction of a structural hierarchy, intrinsically controlled by the cell wall slenderness of the triangular lattice and by the shape memory effect induced by the thermal and mechanical compressive treatment.« less

Integrated Structural Biology for α-Helical Membrane Protein Structure Determination.

PubMed

Xia, Yan; Fischer, Axel W; Teixeira, Pedro; Weiner, Brian; Meiler, Jens

2018-04-03

While great progress has been made, only 10% of the nearly 1,000 integral, α-helical, multi-span membrane protein families are represented by at least one experimentally determined structure in the PDB. Previously, we developed the algorithm BCL::MP-Fold, which samples the large conformational space of membrane proteins de novo by assembling predicted secondary structure elements guided by knowledge-based potentials. Here, we present a case study of rhodopsin fold determination by integrating sparse and/or low-resolution restraints from multiple experimental techniques including electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Simultaneous incorporation of orthogonal experimental restraints not only significantly improved the sampling accuracy but also allowed identification of the correct fold, which is demonstrated by a protein size-normalized transmembrane root-mean-square deviation as low as 1.2 Å. The protocol developed in this case study can be used for the determination of unknown membrane protein folds when limited experimental restraints are available. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Airframe integration trade studies for a reusable launch vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorsey, John T.; Wu, Chauncey; Rivers, Kevin; Martin, Carl; Smith, Russell

1999-01-01

Future launch vehicles must be lightweight, fully reusable and easily maintained if low-cost access to space is to be achieved. The goal of achieving an economically viable Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) is not easily achieved and success will depend to a large extent on having an integrated and optimized total system. A series of trade studies were performed to meet three objectives. First, to provide structural weights and parametric weight equations as inputs to configuration-level trade studies. Second, to identify, assess and quantify major weight drivers for the RLV airframe. Third, using information on major weight drivers, and considering the RLV as an integrated thermal structure (composed of thrust structures, tanks, thermal protection system, insulation and control surfaces), identify and assess new and innovative approaches or concepts that have the potential for either reducing airframe weight, improving operability, and/or reducing cost.

Enhanced neural stem cell functions in conductive annealed carbon nanofibrous scaffolds with electrical stimulation.

PubMed

Zhu, Wei; Ye, Tao; Lee, Se-Jun; Cui, Haitao; Miao, Shida; Zhou, Xuan; Shuai, Danmeng; Zhang, Lijie Grace

2017-05-25

Carbon-based nanomaterials have shown great promise in regenerative medicine because of their unique electrical, mechanical, and biological properties; however, it is still difficult to engineer 2D pure carbon nanomaterials into a 3D scaffold while maintaining its structural integrity. In the present study, we developed novel carbon nanofibrous scaffolds by annealing electrospun mats at elevated temperature. The resultant scaffold showed a cohesive structure and excellent mechanical flexibility. The graphitic structure generated by annealing renders superior electrical conductivity to the carbon nanofibrous scaffold. By integrating the conductive scaffold with biphasic electrical stimulation, neural stem cell proliferation was promoted associating with upregulated neuronal gene expression level and increased microtubule-associated protein 2 immunofluorescence, demonstrating an improved neuronal differentiation and maturation. The findings suggest that the integration of the conducting carbon nanofibrous scaffold and electrical stimulation may pave a new avenue for neural tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Airframe Integration Trade Studies for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorsey, John T.; Wu, Chauncey; Rivers, Kevin; Martin, Carl; Smith, Russell

1999-01-01

Future launch vehicles must be lightweight, fully reusable and easily maintained if low-cost access to space is to be achieved. The goal of achieving an economically viable Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) is not easily achieved and success will depend to a large extent on having an integrated and optimized total system. A series of trade studies were performed to meet three objectives. First, to provide structural weights and parametric weight equations as inputs to configuration-level trade studies. Second, to identify, assess and quantify major weight drivers for the RLV airframe. Third, using information on major weight drivers, and considering the RLV as an integrated thermal structure (composed of thrust structures, tanks, thermal protection system, insulation and control surfaces), identify and assess new and innovative approaches or concepts that have the potential for either reducing airframe weight, improving operability, and/or reducing cost.

Integrated Modeling of Optical Systems (IMOS): An Assessment and Future Directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Gregory; Broduer, Steve (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Integrated Modeling of Optical Systems (IMOS) is a finite element-based code combining structural, thermal, and optical ray-tracing capabilities in a single environment for analysis of space-based optical systems. We'll present some recent examples of IMOS usage and discuss future development directions. Due to increasing model sizes and a greater emphasis on multidisciplinary analysis and design, much of the anticipated future work will be in the areas of improved architecture, numerics, and overall performance and analysis integration.

Model for integrated management of quality, labor risks prevention, environment and ethical aspects, applied to R&D&I and production processes in an organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, M. R.; Torres, F.; Yoldi, V.; Arcega, F.; Plaza, I.

2012-04-01

It is proposed an integrated management model for an organization. This model is based on the continuous improvement Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and it intends to integrate the environmental, risk prevention and ethical aspects as well as research, development and innovation projects management in the general quality management structure proposed by ISO 9001:2008. It aims to fulfill the standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OSHAS 18001, SGE 21 y 166002.

Some trends in aircraft design: Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, G. W.

1975-01-01

Trends and programs currently underway on the national scene to improve the structural interface in the aircraft design process are discussed. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shares a partnership with the educational and industrial community in the development of the tools, the criteria, and the data base essential to produce high-performance and cost-effective vehicles. Several thrusts to build the technology in materials, structural concepts, analytical programs, and integrated design procedures essential for performing the trade-offs required to fashion competitive vehicles are presented. The application of advanced fibrous composites, improved methods for structural analysis, and continued attention to important peripheral problems of aeroelastic and thermal stability are among the topics considered.

Integrated Modeling Activities for the James Webb Space Telescope: Optical Jitter Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyde, T. Tupper; Ha, Kong Q.; Johnston, John D.; Howard, Joseph M.; Mosier, Gary E.

2004-01-01

This is a continuation of a series of papers on the integrated modeling activities for the James Webb Space Telescope(JWST). Starting with the linear optical model discussed in part one, and using the optical sensitivities developed in part two, we now assess the optical image motion and wavefront errors from the structural dynamics. This is often referred to as "jitter: analysis. The optical model is combined with the structural model and the control models to create a linear structural/optical/control model. The largest jitter is due to spacecraft reaction wheel assembly disturbances which are harmonic in nature and will excite spacecraft and telescope structural. The structural/optic response causes image quality degradation due to image motion (centroid error) as well as dynamic wavefront error. Jitter analysis results are used to predict imaging performance, improve the structural design, and evaluate the operational impact of the disturbance sources.

Sensing and Virtual Worlds - A Survey of Research Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Dana

2012-01-01

Virtual Worlds (VWs) have been used effectively in live and constructive military training. An area that remains fertile ground for exploration and a new vision involves integrating various traditional and now non-traditional sensors into virtual worlds. In this paper, we will assert that the benefits of this integration are several. First, we maintain that virtual worlds offer improved sensor deployment planning through improved visualization and stimulation of the model, using geo-specific terrain and structure. Secondly, we assert that VWs enhance the mission rehearsal process, and that using a mix of live avatars, non-player characters, and live sensor feeds (e.g. real time meteorology) can help visualization of the area of operations. Finally, tactical operations are improved via better collaboration and integration of real world sensing capabilities, and in most situations, 30 VWs improve the state of the art over current "dots on a map" 20 geospatial visualization. However, several capability gaps preclude a fuller realization of this vision. In this paper, we identify many of these gaps and suggest research directions

Fostering development of nursing practices to support integrated care when implementing integrated care pathways: what levers to use?

PubMed

Longpré, Caroline; Dubois, Carl-Ardy

2017-11-29

Care integration has been the focus of recent health system reforms. Given their functions at all levels of the care continuum, nurses have a substantial and primordial role to play in such integration processes. The aim of this study was to identify levers and strategies that organizations can use to support the development of a nursing practice aligned with the requirements of care integration in a health and social services centre (HSSC) in Quebec. The research design was a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study based on a single case study with nested levels of analysis. The case was a public, multi-disciplinary HSSC in a semi-urban region of Quebec. Semi-structured interviews with 37 persons (nurses, professionals, managers, administrators) allowed for data saturation and ensured theoretical representation by covering four care pathways constituting different care integration contexts. Analysis involved four steps: preparing a predetermined list of codes based on the reference framework developed by Minkman (2011); coding transcript content; developing general and summary matrices to group observations for each care pathway; and creating a general model showing the overall results for the four pathways. The organization's capacity for response with regard to developing an integrated system of services resulted in two types of complementary interventions. The first involved investing in key resources and renewing organizational structures; the second involved deploying a series of organizational and clinical-administrative processes. In resource terms, integration efforts resulted in setting up new strategic services, re-arranging physical infrastructures, and deploying new technological resources. Organizational and clinical-administrative processes to promote integration involved renewing governance, improving the flow of care pathways, fostering continuous quality improvement, developing new roles, promoting clinician collaboration, and strengthening care providers' capacities. However, progress in these areas was offset by persistent constraints. The results highlight key levers organizations can use to foster the implementation and institutionalization of integrative nursing practices. They show that progress in this area requires a combination of strategies using multiple complementary levers. They also suggest that such progress calls for rethinking not only the deployment of certain organizational resources and structures, but also a series of organizational and clinical processes.

Advances in Hot-Structure Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, H. Kevin; Glass, David E.

2006-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has actively participated in the development of hot structures technology for application to hypersonic flight systems. Hot structures have been developed for vehicles including the X-43A, X-37, and the Space Shuttle. These trans-atmospheric and atmospheric entry flight systems that incorporate hot-structures technology are lighter weight and require less maintenance than those that incorporate parasitic, thermal-protection materials that attach to warm or cool substructure. The development of hot structures requires a thorough understanding of material performance in an extreme environment, boundary conditions and load interactions, structural joint performance, and thermal and mechanical performance of integrated structural systems that operate at temperatures ranging from 1500 C to 3000 C, depending on the application. This paper will present recent advances in the development of hot structures, including development of environmentally durable, high temperature leading edges and control surfaces, integrated thermal protection systems, and repair technologies. The X-43A Mach-10 vehicle utilized carbon/carbon (C/C) leading edges on the nose, horizontal control surface, and vertical tail. The nose and vertical and horizontal tail leading edges were fabricated out of a 3:1 biased, high thermal conductivity C/C. The leading edges were coated with a three-layer coating comprised of a SiC conversion of the C/C, followed by a CVD layer of SiC, followed by a thin CVD layer of HfC. Work has also been performed on the development of an integrated structure and was focused on both hot and warm (insulated) structures and integrated fuselage/tank/TPS systems. The objective was to develop integrated multifunctional airframe structures that eliminate fragile external thermal-protection systems and incorporate the insulating function within the structure. The approach taken to achieve this goal was to develop candidate hypersonic airframe concepts, including structural arrangement, load paths, thermal-structural wall design, thermal accommodation features, and integration of major components, optimize thermalstructural configurations, and validate concepts through a building block test program and generate data to improve and validate analytical and design tools.

An improved integrally formed radio frequency quadrupole

DOEpatents

Abbott, S.R.

1987-10-05

An improved radio frequency quadrupole is provided having an elongate housing with an elongate central axis and top, bottom and two side walls symmetrically disposed about the axis, and vanes formed integrally with the walls, the vanes each having a cross-section at right angles to the central axis which tapers inwardly toward the axis to form electrode tips spaced from each other by predetermined distances. Each of the four walls, and the vanes integral therewith, is a separate structural element having a central lengthwise plane passing through the tip of the vane, the walls having flat mounting surfaces at right angles to and parallel to the control plane, respectively, which are butted together to position the walls and vane tips relative to each other. 4 figs.

Improving communication among nurses and patients.

PubMed

Unluturk, Mehmet S; Ozcanhan, Mehmet H; Dalkilic, Gokhan

2015-07-01

Patients use nurse call systems to signal nurses for medical help. Traditional push button-flashing lamp call systems are not integrated with other hospital automation systems. Therefore, nurse response time becomes a matter of personal discretion. The improvement obtained by integrating a pager system into the nurse call systems does not increase care efficiency, because unnecessary visits are still not eliminated. To obtain an immediate response and a purposeful visit by a nurse; regardless of the location of nurse in hospital, traditional systems have to be improved by intelligent telephone system integration. The results of the developed Nurse Call System Software (NCSS), the Wireless Phone System Software (WPSS), the Location System Software (LSS) and the communication protocol are provided, together with detailed XML message structures. The benefits of the proposed system are also discussed and the direction of future work is presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New properties of a fiber optic sensor in application of a composite fence for critical infrastructure protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zyczkowski, M.; Szustakowski, M.; Markowski, P.

2015-09-01

This paper presents a new solution of using the composite fence with a novel fiber optic modalmetric sensor integrated within its structure. The modalmetric sensor is based on changes in a transverse modal field which is generated at the output of a multimode fiber. By a spatial limitation of the transverse modal field observation to its fragment thereof, changes' transformation in the modal distribution into changes of the output signal amplitude is made. Due to a constant analysis of the structure output signal, detection of an external disorder is possible. Integration of optical fibers with the fence structure allows for an accurate reproduction of the fence movement onto the optical fiber by significantly improving sensitivity of the modalmetric fiber sensor structure.

Multidisciplinary Modeling Software for Analysis, Design, and Optimization of HRRLS Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spradley, Lawrence W.; Lohner, Rainald; Hunt, James L.

2011-01-01

The concept for Highly Reliable Reusable Launch Systems (HRRLS) under the NASA Hypersonics project is a two-stage-to-orbit, horizontal-take-off / horizontal-landing, (HTHL) architecture with an air-breathing first stage. The first stage vehicle is a slender body with an air-breathing propulsion system that is highly integrated with the airframe. The light weight slender body will deflect significantly during flight. This global deflection affects the flow over the vehicle and into the engine and thus the loads and moments on the vehicle. High-fidelity multi-disciplinary analyses that accounts for these fluid-structures-thermal interactions are required to accurately predict the vehicle loads and resultant response. These predictions of vehicle response to multi physics loads, calculated with fluid-structural-thermal interaction, are required in order to optimize the vehicle design over its full operating range. This contract with ResearchSouth addresses one of the primary objectives of the Vehicle Technology Integration (VTI) discipline: the development of high-fidelity multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization methods and tools for HRRLS vehicles. The primary goal of this effort is the development of an integrated software system that can be used for full-vehicle optimization. This goal was accomplished by: 1) integrating the master code, FEMAP, into the multidiscipline software network to direct the coupling to assure accurate fluid-structure-thermal interaction solutions; 2) loosely-coupling the Euler flow solver FEFLO to the available and proven aeroelasticity and large deformation (FEAP) code; 3) providing a coupled Euler-boundary layer capability for rapid viscous flow simulation; 4) developing and implementing improved Euler/RANS algorithms into the FEFLO CFD code to provide accurate shock capturing, skin friction, and heat-transfer predictions for HRRLS vehicles in hypersonic flow, 5) performing a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computation on an HRRLS configuration; 6) integrating the RANS solver with the FEAP code for coupled fluid-structure-thermal capability; and 7) integrating the existing NASA SRGULL propulsion flow path prediction software with the FEFLO software for quasi-3D propulsion flow path predictions, 8) improving and integrating into the network, an existing adjoint-based design optimization code.

Matrix Methods for Solving Hartree-Fock Equations in Atomic Structure Calculations and Line Broadening

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

Gomez, Thomas; Nagayama, Taisuke; Fontes, Chris

Atomic structure of N-electron atoms is often determined by solving the Hartree-Fock equations, which are a set of integro-differential equations. The integral part of the Hartree-Fock equations treats electron exchange, but the Hartree-Fock equations are not often treated as an integro-differential equation. The exchange term is often approximated as an inhomogeneous or an effective potential so that the Hartree-Fock equations become a set of ordinary differential equations (which can be solved using the usual shooting methods). Because the Hartree-Fock equations are an iterative-refinement method, the inhomogeneous term relies on the previous guess of the wavefunction. In addition, there are numericalmore » complications associated with solving inhomogeneous differential equations. This work uses matrix methods to solve the Hartree-Fock equations as an integro-differential equation. It is well known that a derivative operator can be expressed as a matrix made of finite-difference coefficients; energy eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be obtained by using linear-algebra packages. The integral (exchange) part of the Hartree-Fock equation can be approximated as a sum and written as a matrix. The Hartree-Fock equations can be solved as a matrix that is the sum of the differential and integral matrices. We compare calculations using this method against experiment and standard atomic structure calculations. This matrix method can also be used to solve for free-electron wavefunctions, thus improving how the atoms and free electrons interact. Here, this technique is important for spectral line broadening in two ways: it improves the atomic structure calculations, and it improves the motion of the plasma electrons that collide with the atom.« less

Matrix Methods for Solving Hartree-Fock Equations in Atomic Structure Calculations and Line Broadening

DOE PAGES

Gomez, Thomas; Nagayama, Taisuke; Fontes, Chris; ...

2018-04-23

Atomic structure of N-electron atoms is often determined by solving the Hartree-Fock equations, which are a set of integro-differential equations. The integral part of the Hartree-Fock equations treats electron exchange, but the Hartree-Fock equations are not often treated as an integro-differential equation. The exchange term is often approximated as an inhomogeneous or an effective potential so that the Hartree-Fock equations become a set of ordinary differential equations (which can be solved using the usual shooting methods). Because the Hartree-Fock equations are an iterative-refinement method, the inhomogeneous term relies on the previous guess of the wavefunction. In addition, there are numericalmore » complications associated with solving inhomogeneous differential equations. This work uses matrix methods to solve the Hartree-Fock equations as an integro-differential equation. It is well known that a derivative operator can be expressed as a matrix made of finite-difference coefficients; energy eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be obtained by using linear-algebra packages. The integral (exchange) part of the Hartree-Fock equation can be approximated as a sum and written as a matrix. The Hartree-Fock equations can be solved as a matrix that is the sum of the differential and integral matrices. We compare calculations using this method against experiment and standard atomic structure calculations. This matrix method can also be used to solve for free-electron wavefunctions, thus improving how the atoms and free electrons interact. Here, this technique is important for spectral line broadening in two ways: it improves the atomic structure calculations, and it improves the motion of the plasma electrons that collide with the atom.« less

Ecological connectivity networks in rapidly expanding cities.

PubMed

Nor, Amal Najihah M; Corstanje, Ron; Harris, Jim A; Grafius, Darren R; Siriwardena, Gavin M

2017-06-01

Urban expansion increases fragmentation of the landscape. In effect, fragmentation decreases connectivity, causes green space loss and impacts upon the ecology and function of green space. Restoration of the functionality of green space often requires restoring the ecological connectivity of this green space within the city matrix. However, identifying ecological corridors that integrate different structural and functional connectivity of green space remains vague. Assessing connectivity for developing an ecological network by using efficient models is essential to improve these networks under rapid urban expansion. This paper presents a novel methodological approach to assess and model connectivity for the Eurasian tree sparrow ( Passer montanus ) and Yellow-vented bulbul ( Pycnonotus goiavier ) in three cities (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia and Metro Manila, Philippines). The approach identifies potential priority corridors for ecological connectivity networks. The study combined circuit models, connectivity analysis and least-cost models to identify potential corridors by integrating structure and function of green space patches to provide reliable ecological connectivity network models in the cities. Relevant parameters such as landscape resistance and green space structure (vegetation density, patch size and patch distance) were derived from an expert and literature-based approach based on the preference of bird behaviour. The integrated models allowed the assessment of connectivity for both species using different measures of green space structure revealing the potential corridors and least-cost pathways for both bird species at the patch sites. The implementation of improvements to the identified corridors could increase the connectivity of green space. This study provides examples of how combining models can contribute to the improvement of ecological networks in rapidly expanding cities and demonstrates the usefulness of such models for biodiversity conservation and urban planning.

High Performance Thermoelectric Cryocoolers Based on II-VI Low Dimensional Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-26

around 210-250K and where the requirement of noise reduction and improving the signal resolution is crucial, such as in case of infrared detectors ...Development of TEC Integrated HOT MWIR detector for Tactical applications .................... 12 SECTION III – DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS...Integrated Dewar- Detector Cooler Assembly (IDDCA). The IDDCA will incorporate the prototype TEC into a typical Long Range thermal Imager dewar package

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 04: role of silviculture in fuel treatments

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

The principal goals of fuel treatments are to reduce fireline intensities, reduce the potential for crown fires, improve opportunities for successful fire suppression, and improve forest resilience to forest fires. This fact sheet discusses thinning, and surface fuel treatments, as well as challenges associated with those treatments.

PLANiTS : structuring and supporting the intelligent transportation systems planning process

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

PLANiTS (Planning and Analysis Integration for Intelligent Transportation Systems) is a process-based computer system that supports a series of mutually interdependent steps progressing toward developing and programming transportation improvement pro...

Collaborative Genomics Study Advances Precision Oncology

Cancer.gov

A collaborative study conducted by two Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG) initiatives highlights the importance of integrating structural and functional genomics programs to improve cancer therapies, and more specifically, contribute to precision oncology treatments for children.

On the Improvement of Convergence Performance for Integrated Design of Wind Turbine Blade Using a Vector Dominating Multi-objective Evolution Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Wang, T. G.; Wu, J. H.; Cheng, G. P.

2016-09-01

A novel multi-objective optimization algorithm incorporating evolution strategies and vector mechanisms, referred as VD-MOEA, is proposed and applied in aerodynamic- structural integrated design of wind turbine blade. In the algorithm, a set of uniformly distributed vectors is constructed to guide population in moving forward to the Pareto front rapidly and maintain population diversity with high efficiency. For example, two- and three- objective designs of 1.5MW wind turbine blade are subsequently carried out for the optimization objectives of maximum annual energy production, minimum blade mass, and minimum extreme root thrust. The results show that the Pareto optimal solutions can be obtained in one single simulation run and uniformly distributed in the objective space, maximally maintaining the population diversity. In comparison to conventional evolution algorithms, VD-MOEA displays dramatic improvement of algorithm performance in both convergence and diversity preservation for handling complex problems of multi-variables, multi-objectives and multi-constraints. This provides a reliable high-performance optimization approach for the aerodynamic-structural integrated design of wind turbine blade.

Integrative Approaches for Predicting in vivo Effects of Chemicals from their Structural Descriptors and the Results of Short-term Biological Assays

PubMed Central

Low, Yen S.; Sedykh, Alexander; Rusyn, Ivan; Tropsha, Alexander

2017-01-01

Cheminformatics approaches such as Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling have been used traditionally for predicting chemical toxicity. In recent years, high throughput biological assays have been increasingly employed to elucidate mechanisms of chemical toxicity and predict toxic effects of chemicals in vivo. The data generated in such assays can be considered as biological descriptors of chemicals that can be combined with molecular descriptors and employed in QSAR modeling to improve the accuracy of toxicity prediction. In this review, we discuss several approaches for integrating chemical and biological data for predicting biological effects of chemicals in vivo and compare their performance across several data sets. We conclude that while no method consistently shows superior performance, the integrative approaches rank consistently among the best yet offer enriched interpretation of models over those built with either chemical or biological data alone. We discuss the outlook for such interdisciplinary methods and offer recommendations to further improve the accuracy and interpretability of computational models that predict chemical toxicity. PMID:24805064

OVERVIEW OF HANFORD SINGLE SHELL TANK (SST) STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY - 12123

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

RAST RS; RINKER MW; WASHENFELDER DJ

2012-01-25

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks (SSTs) integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration. Seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for the Hanfordmore » Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The structural integrity of the tanks is a key element in completing the cleanup mission at the Hanford Site. There are eight primary recommendations related to the structural integrity of Hanford SSTs. Six recommendations are being implemented through current and planned activities. The structural integrity of the Hanford SSTs is being evaluated through analysis, monitoring, inspection, materials testing, and construction document review. Structural evaluation in the form of analysis is performed using modern finite element models generated in ANSYS{reg_sign} The analyses consider in-situ, thermal, operating loads and natural phenomena such as earthquakes. Structural analysis of 108 of 149 Hanford SSTs has concluded that the tanks are structurally sound and meet current industry standards. Analyses of the remaining Hanford SSTs are scheduled for FY2013. Hanford SSTs are monitored through a dome deflection program. The program looks for deflections of the tank dome greater than 1/4 inch. No such deflections have been recorded. The tanks are also subjected to visual inspection. Digital cameras record the interior surface of the concrete tank domes, looking for cracks and other surface conditions that may indicate signs of structural distress. The condition of the concrete and rebar of the Hanford SSTs is currently being tested and planned for additional activities in the near future. Concrete and rebar removed from the dome of a 65-year-old tank is being tested for mechanics properties and condition. Results indicated stronger than designed concrete with additional Petrographic examination and rebar testing ongoing. Material properties determined from previous efforts combined with current testing and construction document review will help to generate a database that will provide continuing indication of Hanford SST structural integrity.« less

Overview of Hanford Single Shell Tank (SST) Structural Integrity

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

Rast, Richard S.; Washenfelder, Dennis J.; Johnson, Jeremy M.

2013-11-14

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks (SSTs) integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project (SSTIP) in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration, Seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for themore » Hanford Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The structural integrity of the tanks is a key element in completing the cleanup mission at the Hanford Site. There are eight primary recommendations related to the structural integrity of Hanford Single-Shell Tanks. Six recommendations are being implemented through current and planned activities. The structural integrity of the Hanford is being evaluated through analysis, monitoring, inspection, materials testing, and construction document review. Structural evaluation in the form of analysis is performed using modern finite element models generated in ANSYS. The analyses consider in-situ, thermal, operating loads and natural phenomena such as earthquakes. Structural analysis of 108 of 149 Hanford Single-Shell Tanks has concluded that the tanks are structurally sound and meet current industry standards. Analysis of the remaining Hanford Single-Shell Tanks is scheduled for FY2014. Hanford Single-Shell Tanks are monitored through a dome deflection program. The program looks for deflections of the tank dome greater than 1/4 inch. No such deflections have been recorded. The tanks are also subjected to visual inspection. Digital cameras record the interior surface of the concrete tanks, looking for cracks and other surface conditions that may indicate signs of structural distress. The condition of the concrete and rebar of the Hanford Single-Shell Tanks is currently being tested and planned for additional activities in the near future. Concrete and rebar removed from the dome of a 65 year old tank was tested for mechanics properties and condition. Results indicated stronger than designed concrete with additional Petrographic examination and rebar completed. Material properties determined from previous efforts combined with current testing and construction document review will help to generate a database that will provide indication of Hanford Single-Shell Tank structural integrity.« less

Design and fabrication of MEMS devices using the integration of MUMPs, trench-refilled molding, DRIE and bulk silicon etching processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Mingching; Fang, Weileun

2005-03-01

This work integrates multi-depth DRIE etching, trench-refilled molding, two poly-Si layers MUMPs and bulk releasing to improve the variety and performance of MEMS devices. In summary, the present fabrication process, named MOSBE II, has three merits. First, this process can monolithically fabricate and integrate poly-Si thin-film structures with different thicknesses and stiffnesses, such as the flexible spring and the stiff mirror plate. Second, multi-depth structures, such as vertical comb electrodes, are available from the DRIE processes. Third, a cavity under the micromachined device is provided by the bulk silicon etching process, so that a large out-of-plane motion is allowed. In application, an optical scanner driven by the self-aligned vertical comb actuator was demonstrated. The poly-Si micromachined components fabricated by MOSBE II can further integrate with the MUMPs devices to establish a more powerful MOEMS platform.

Integrated material state awareness system with self-learning symbiotic diagnostic algorithms and models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Sourav; Liu, Lie; Liu, S. T.; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo; Beard, Shawn

2011-04-01

Materials State Awareness (MSA) goes beyond traditional NDE and SHM in its challenge to characterize the current state of material damage before the onset of macro-damage such as cracks. A highly reliable, minimally invasive system for MSA of Aerospace Structures, Naval structures as well as next generation space systems is critically needed. Development of such a system will require a reliable SHM system that can detect the onset of damage well before the flaw grows to a critical size. Therefore, it is important to develop an integrated SHM system that not only detects macroscale damages in the structures but also provides an early indication of flaw precursors and microdamages. The early warning for flaw precursors and their evolution provided by an SHM system can then be used to define remedial strategies before the structural damage leads to failure, and significantly improve the safety and reliability of the structures. Thus, in this article a preliminary concept of developing the Hybrid Distributed Sensor Network Integrated with Self-learning Symbiotic Diagnostic Algorithms and Models to accurately and reliably detect the precursors to damages that occur to the structure are discussed. Experiments conducted in a laboratory environment shows potential of the proposed technique.

Performance improvements of binary diffractive structures via optimization of the photolithography and dry etch processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welch, Kevin; Leonard, Jerry; Jones, Richard D.

2010-08-01

Increasingly stringent requirements on the performance of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) used in wafer scanner illumination systems are driving continuous improvements in their associated manufacturing processes. Specifically, these processes are designed to improve the output pattern uniformity of off-axis illumination systems to minimize degradation in the ultimate imaging performance of a lithographic tool. In this paper, we discuss performance improvements in both photolithographic patterning and RIE etching of fused silica diffractive optical structures. In summary, optimized photolithographic processes were developed to increase critical dimension uniformity and featuresize linearity across the substrate. The photoresist film thickness was also optimized for integration with an improved etch process. This etch process was itself optimized for pattern transfer fidelity, sidewall profile (wall angle, trench bottom flatness), and across-wafer etch depth uniformity. Improvements observed with these processes on idealized test structures (for ease of analysis) led to their implementation in product flows, with comparable increases in performance and yield on customer designs.

Integration and Beyond

PubMed Central

Stead, William W.; Miller, Randolph A.; Musen, Mark A.; Hersh, William R.

2000-01-01

The vision of integrating information—from a variety of sources, into the way people work, to improve decisions and process—is one of the cornerstones of biomedical informatics. Thoughts on how this vision might be realized have evolved as improvements in information and communication technologies, together with discoveries in biomedical informatics, and have changed the art of the possible. This review identified three distinct generations of “integration” projects. First-generation projects create a database and use it for multiple purposes. Second-generation projects integrate by bringing information from various sources together through enterprise information architecture. Third-generation projects inter-relate disparate but accessible information sources to provide the appearance of integration. The review suggests that the ideas developed in the earlier generations have not been supplanted by ideas from subsequent generations. Instead, the ideas represent a continuum of progress along the three dimensions of workflow, structure, and extraction. PMID:10730596

Process Improvement Through Tool Integration in Aero-Mechanical Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Briggs, Clark

2010-01-01

Emerging capabilities in commercial design tools promise to significantly improve the multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary design and analysis coverage for aerospace mechanical engineers. This paper explores the analysis process for two example problems of a wing and flap mechanical drive system and an aircraft landing gear door panel. The examples begin with the design solid models and include various analysis disciplines such as structural stress and aerodynamic loads. Analytical methods include CFD, multi-body dynamics with flexible bodies and structural analysis. Elements of analysis data management, data visualization and collaboration are also included.

Structured vs. Unstructured: Factors Affecting Adverse Drug Reaction Documentation in an EMR Repository

PubMed Central

Skentzos, Stephen; Shubina, Maria; Plutzky, Jorge; Turchin, Alexander

2011-01-01

Adverse reactions to medications to which the patient was known to be intolerant are common. Electronic decision support can prevent them but only if history of adverse reactions to medications is recorded in structured format. We have conducted a retrospective study of 31,531 patients with adverse reactions to statins documented in the notes, as identified with natural language processing. The software identified statin adverse reactions with sensitivity of 86.5% and precision of 91.9%. Only 9020 of these patients had an adverse reaction to a statin recorded in structured format. In multivariable analysis the strongest predictor of structured documentation was utilization of EMR functionality that integrated the medication list with the structured medication adverse reaction repository (odds ratio 48.6, p < 0.0001). Integration of information flow between EMR modules can help improve documentation and potentially prevent adverse drug events. PMID:22195188

What happens to quality in integrated homecare? A 15-year follow-up study

PubMed Central

Paljärvi, Soili; Rissanen, Sari; Sinkkonen, Sirkka; Paljärvi, Leo

2011-01-01

Objectives To explore the impact of structural integration on homecare quality. Methods A case study in an organisation comprising a before–after comparison with baseline and four follow-up measurements during 1994–2009, using interviews with clients (n=66–84) and postal inquiries to relatives (n=73–78) and staff (n=68–136). Results Despite the organisational reform involving extensive mergers of health and social care organisations and cuts in staff and service provision, homecare quality remained at almost the same level throughout the 15-year follow-up. According to the clients, it even slightly improved in some homecare areas. Conclusions The results show that despite the structural integration and cuts in staff and service provision, the quality of homecare remained at a good level. Assuming that the potential confounders did have inhibiting effects, the results suggest that structural integration had a positive impact on homecare quality. To obtain firmer evidence to support this tentative conclusion, further research with a randomised comparison design is needed. PMID:21949487

Improved Displacement Transfer Functions for Structure Deformed Shape Predictions Using Discretely Distributed Surface Strains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Fleischer, Van Tran

2012-01-01

In the formulations of earlier Displacement Transfer Functions for structure shape predictions, the surface strain distributions, along a strain-sensing line, were represented with piecewise linear functions. To improve the shape-prediction accuracies, Improved Displacement Transfer Functions were formulated using piecewise nonlinear strain representations. Through discretization of an embedded beam (depth-wise cross section of a structure along a strain-sensing line) into multiple small domains, piecewise nonlinear functions were used to describe the surface strain distributions along the discretized embedded beam. Such piecewise approach enabled the piecewise integrations of the embedded beam curvature equations to yield slope and deflection equations in recursive forms. The resulting Improved Displacement Transfer Functions, written in summation forms, were expressed in terms of beam geometrical parameters and surface strains along the strain-sensing line. By feeding the surface strains into the Improved Displacement Transfer Functions, structural deflections could be calculated at multiple points for mapping out the overall structural deformed shapes for visual display. The shape-prediction accuracies of the Improved Displacement Transfer Functions were then examined in view of finite-element-calculated deflections using different tapered cantilever tubular beams. It was found that by using the piecewise nonlinear strain representations, the shape-prediction accuracies could be greatly improved, especially for highly-tapered cantilever tubular beams.

Applications of the BIOPHYS Algorithm for Physically-Based Retrieval of Biophysical, Structural and Forest Disturbance Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peddle, Derek R.; Huemmrich, K. Fred; Hall, Forrest G.; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Soenen, Scott A.; Jackson, Chris D.

2011-01-01

Canopy reflectance model inversion using look-up table approaches provides powerful and flexible options for deriving improved forest biophysical structural information (BSI) compared with traditional statistical empirical methods. The BIOPHYS algorithm is an improved, physically-based inversion approach for deriving BSI for independent use and validation and for monitoring, inventory and quantifying forest disturbance as well as input to ecosystem, climate and carbon models. Based on the multiple-forward mode (MFM) inversion approach, BIOPHYS results were summarized from different studies (Minnesota/NASA COVER; Virginia/LEDAPS; Saskatchewan/BOREAS), sensors (airborne MMR; Landsat; MODIS) and models (GeoSail; GOMS). Applications output included forest density, height, crown dimension, branch and green leaf area, canopy cover, disturbance estimates based on multi-temporal chronosequences, and structural change following recovery from forest fires over the last century. Good correspondences with validation field data were obtained. Integrated analyses of multiple solar and view angle imagery further improved retrievals compared with single pass data. Quantifying ecosystem dynamics such as the area and percent of forest disturbance, early regrowth and succession provide essential inputs to process-driven models of carbon flux. BIOPHYS is well suited for large-area, multi-temporal applications involving multiple image sets and mosaics for assessing vegetation disturbance and quantifying biophysical structural dynamics and change. It is also suitable for integration with forest inventory, monitoring, updating, and other programs.

Text Mining Improves Prediction of Protein Functional Sites

PubMed Central

Cohn, Judith D.; Ravikumar, Komandur E.

2012-01-01

We present an approach that integrates protein structure analysis and text mining for protein functional site prediction, called LEAP-FS (Literature Enhanced Automated Prediction of Functional Sites). The structure analysis was carried out using Dynamics Perturbation Analysis (DPA), which predicts functional sites at control points where interactions greatly perturb protein vibrations. The text mining extracts mentions of residues in the literature, and predicts that residues mentioned are functionally important. We assessed the significance of each of these methods by analyzing their performance in finding known functional sites (specifically, small-molecule binding sites and catalytic sites) in about 100,000 publicly available protein structures. The DPA predictions recapitulated many of the functional site annotations and preferentially recovered binding sites annotated as biologically relevant vs. those annotated as potentially spurious. The text-based predictions were also substantially supported by the functional site annotations: compared to other residues, residues mentioned in text were roughly six times more likely to be found in a functional site. The overlap of predictions with annotations improved when the text-based and structure-based methods agreed. Our analysis also yielded new high-quality predictions of many functional site residues that were not catalogued in the curated data sources we inspected. We conclude that both DPA and text mining independently provide valuable high-throughput protein functional site predictions, and that integrating the two methods using LEAP-FS further improves the quality of these predictions. PMID:22393388

Improved tank car safety research

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-09-11

Three recent accidents involving the release of hazardous : material have focused attention on the structural integrity of : railroad tank cars: (1) Minot, ND, on January 18, 2002; (2) : Macdona, TX, on June 28, 2004; and (3) Graniteville, SC, on : J...

Sustainable landscaping practices for enhancing vegetation establishment : research summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-02-01

This research supports the integration of new practices and procedures to improve soil : structure that will help turf, meadow, forest and landscape plantings to thrive. It sought : to (1) demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative soil decompaction...

Aeroelastic modeling of rotor blades with spanwise variable elastic axis offset: Classic issues revisited and new formulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bielawa, Richard L.

1988-01-01

In response to a systematic methodology assessment program directed to the aeroelastic stability of hingeless helicopter rotor blades, improved basic aeroelastic reformulations and new formulations relating to structural sweep were achieved. Correlational results are presented showing the substantially improved performance of the G400 aeroelastic analysis incorporating these new formulations. The formulations pertain partly to sundry solutions to classic problem areas, relating to dynamic inflow with vortex-ring state operation and basic blade kinematics, but mostly to improved physical modeling of elastic axis offset (structural sweep) in the presence of nonlinear structural twist. Specific issues addressed are an alternate modeling of the delta EI torsional excitation due to compound bending using a force integration approach, and the detailed kinematic representation of an elastically deflected point mass of a beam with both structural sweep and nonlinear twist.

Advanced Structural Optimization Under Consideration of Cost Tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zell, D.; Link, T.; Bickelmaier, S.; Albinger, J.; Weikert, S.; Cremaschi, F.; Wiegand, A.

2014-06-01

In order to improve the design process of launcher configurations in the early development phase, the software Multidisciplinary Optimization (MDO) was developed. The tool combines different efficient software tools such as Optimal Design Investigations (ODIN) for structural optimizations, Aerospace Trajectory Optimization Software (ASTOS) for trajectory and vehicle design optimization for a defined payload and mission.The present paper focuses to the integration and validation of ODIN. ODIN enables the user to optimize typical axis-symmetric structures by means of sizing the stiffening designs concerning strength and stability while minimizing the structural mass. In addition a fully automatic finite element model (FEM) generator module creates ready-to-run FEM models of a complete stage or launcher assembly.Cost tracking respectively future improvements concerning cost optimization are indicated.

[Digital signal processing of a novel neuron discharge model stimulation strategy for cochlear implants].

PubMed

Yang, Yiwei; Xu, Yuejin; Miu, Jichang; Zhou, Linghong; Xiao, Zhongju

2012-10-01

To apply the classic leakage integrate-and-fire models, based on the mechanism of the generation of physiological auditory stimulation, in the information processing coding of cochlear implants to improve the auditory result. The results of algorithm simulation in digital signal processor (DSP) were imported into Matlab for a comparative analysis. Compared with CIS coding, the algorithm of membrane potential integrate-and-fire (MPIF) allowed more natural pulse discharge in a pseudo-random manner to better fit the physiological structures. The MPIF algorithm can effectively solve the problem of the dynamic structure of the delivered auditory information sequence issued in the auditory center and allowed integration of the stimulating pulses and time coding to ensure the coherence and relevance of the stimulating pulse time.

Scalable principles of community-based high-value care for seriously ill individuals: Diamonds in the rough.

PubMed

Parikh, Ravi B; Bowman, Brynn; Dahlin, Constance; Twohig, Jeanne S; Meier, Diane E

2017-03-01

Early, integrated palliative care has been shown to improve quality of life and reduce utilization in both inpatient and outpatient settings. As health systems shift to risk-based payment structures, palliative care will play an increasing role in improving value of care outside of the hospital. Based on successful models of community-based palliative care, we identify six principles - interdisciplinary team-based care; 24/7 access and responsiveness; concurrent palliative care with disease-directed treatment; targeting services to high-risk patients; integrated medical and social supports; and caregiver support - that are widely implemented because of their impact on improving value for seriously ill individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementation of Integrated Service Networks under the Quebec Mental Health Reform: Facilitators and Barriers associated with Different Territorial Profiles.

PubMed

Fleury, Marie-Josée; Grenier, Guy; Vallée, Catherine; Aubé, Denise; Farand, Lambert

2017-03-10

This study evaluates implementation of the Quebec Mental Health Reform (2005-2015), which promoted the development of integrated service networks, in 11 local service networks organized into four territorial groups according to socio-demographic characteristics and mental health services offered. Data were collected from documents concerning networks; structured questionnaires completed by 90 managers and by 16 respondent-psychiatrists; and semi-structured interviews with 102 network stakeholders. Factors associated with implementation and integration were organized according to: 1) reform characteristics; 2) implementation context; 3) organizational characteristics; and 4) integration strategies. While local networks were in a process of development and expansion, none were fully integrated at the time of the study. Facilitators and barriers to implementation and integration were primarily associated with organizational characteristics. Integration was best achieved in larger networks including a general hospital with a psychiatric department, followed by networks with a psychiatric hospital. Formalized integration strategies such as service agreements, liaison officers, and joint training reduced some barriers to implementation in networks experiencing less favourable conditions. Strategies for the implementation of healthcare reform and integrated service networks should include sustained support and training in best-practices, adequate performance indicators and resources, formalized integration strategies to improve network coordination and suitable initiatives to promote staff retention.

Improvement in American Board of Surgery in-training examination performance with a multidisciplinary surgeon-directed integrated learning platform.

PubMed

Dua, Anahita; Sudan, Ranjan; Desai, Sapan S

2014-01-01

The American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) is a predictor of resident performance on the general surgery-qualifying examination and plays a role in obtaining competitive fellowships. A learning management system (LMS) permits the delivery of a structured curriculum that appeals to the modern resident owing to the ease of accessibility and all-in-one organization. This study hypothesizes that trainees using a structured surgeon-directed LMS will achieve improved ABSITE scores compared with those using an unstructured approach to the examination. A multidisciplinary print and digital review course with practice questions, review textbooks, weekly reading assignments, and slide and audio reviews integrated within an online LMS was made available to postgraduate year (PGY)-3 and PGY-4 residents in 2008 and 2009. Surveys were emailed requesting ABSITE scores to compare outcomes in those trainees that used the course with those who used an unstructured approach. Statistical analysis was conducted via descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square with p < 0.05 deemed statistically significant. Surveys were mailed to 508 trainees. There was an 80% (408) response rate. Residents who used structured approaches in both the years achieved the highest scores, followed by those who adopted a structured approach in PGY-4. The residents using an unstructured approach in both the years showed no significant improvement. Residents who used a structured LMS performed significantly better than their counterparts who used an unstructured approach. A properly constructed online education curriculum has the potential to improve ABSITE scores. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved accuracy for finite element structural analysis via a new integrated force method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patnaik, Surya N.; Hopkins, Dale A.; Aiello, Robert A.; Berke, Laszlo

1992-01-01

A comparative study was carried out to determine the accuracy of finite element analyses based on the stiffness method, a mixed method, and the new integrated force and dual integrated force methods. The numerical results were obtained with the following software: MSC/NASTRAN and ASKA for the stiffness method; an MHOST implementation method for the mixed method; and GIFT for the integrated force methods. The results indicate that on an overall basis, the stiffness and mixed methods present some limitations. The stiffness method generally requires a large number of elements in the model to achieve acceptable accuracy. The MHOST method tends to achieve a higher degree of accuracy for course models than does the stiffness method implemented by MSC/NASTRAN and ASKA. The two integrated force methods, which bestow simultaneous emphasis on stress equilibrium and strain compatibility, yield accurate solutions with fewer elements in a model. The full potential of these new integrated force methods remains largely unexploited, and they hold the promise of spawning new finite element structural analysis tools.

Refining and validating a conceptual model of Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery.

PubMed

Bender, Miriam; Williams, Marjory; Su, Wei; Hites, Lisle

2017-02-01

To empirically validate a conceptual model of Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery. There is limited evidence of frontline care delivery models that consistently achieve quality patient outcomes. Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery is a promising nursing model with a growing record of success. However, theoretical clarity is necessary to generate causal evidence of effectiveness. Sequential mixed methods. A preliminary Clinical Nurse Leader practice model was refined and survey items developed to correspond with model domains, using focus groups and a Delphi process with a multi-professional expert panel. The survey was administered in 2015 to clinicians and administrators involved in Clinical Nurse Leader initiatives. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to validate the measurement and model structure. Final sample n = 518. The model incorporates 13 components organized into five conceptual domains: 'Readiness for Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery'; 'Structuring Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery'; 'Clinical Nurse Leader Practice: Continuous Clinical Leadership'; 'Outcomes of Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery'; and 'Value'. Sample data had good fit with specified model and two-level measurement structure. All hypothesized pathways were significant, with strong coefficients suggesting good fit between theorized and observed path relationships. The validated model articulates an explanatory pathway of Clinical Nurse Leader integrated care delivery, including Clinical Nurse Leader practices that result in improved care dynamics and patient outcomes. The validated model provides a basis for testing in practice to generate evidence that can be deployed across the healthcare spectrum. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A novel integrated framework and improved methodology of computer-aided drug design.

PubMed

Chen, Calvin Yu-Chian

2013-01-01

Computer-aided drug design (CADD) is a critical initiating step of drug development, but a single model capable of covering all designing aspects remains to be elucidated. Hence, we developed a drug design modeling framework that integrates multiple approaches, including machine learning based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, 3D-QSAR, Bayesian network, pharmacophore modeling, and structure-based docking algorithm. Restrictions for each model were defined for improved individual and overall accuracy. An integration method was applied to join the results from each model to minimize bias and errors. In addition, the integrated model adopts both static and dynamic analysis to validate the intermolecular stabilities of the receptor-ligand conformation. The proposed protocol was applied to identifying HER2 inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an example for validating our new protocol. Eight potent leads were identified from six TCM sources. A joint validation system comprised of comparative molecular field analysis, comparative molecular similarity indices analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation further characterized the candidates into three potential binding conformations and validated the binding stability of each protein-ligand complex. The ligand pathway was also performed to predict the ligand "in" and "exit" from the binding site. In summary, we propose a novel systematic CADD methodology for the identification, analysis, and characterization of drug-like candidates.

Improving medical student performance in smoking health promotion: effect of a vertically integrated curriculum.

PubMed

Sawyer, S M; Cooke, R; Conn, J; Marks, M K; Roseby, R; Cerritelli, B

2006-08-01

The majority of medical schools have curricula that address the health effects of smoking. However, there are many gaps in smoking education, especially in relationship to vertical integration. The authors aimed to determine whether medical students would better address adolescent smoking within a vertically integrated curriculum in comparison with the previous traditional curriculum. They studied two groups of fifth-year students; one group received a specific smoking intervention. Each group consisted of the entire cohort of students within the Child and Adolescent Health rotation of a newly designed medical curriculum. Two groups of students from the previous traditional undergraduate curriculum were available for direct comparison, one of which had received the same teaching on adolescent smoking. An objective structured clinical examination station was used to measure adolescent smoking enquiry. Intervention students in the new curriculum were more likely to enquire about smoking in the objective structured clinical examination than students who did not receive the intervention (p < 0.005). New curriculum students performed better than students from the previous curriculum, whether or not they had received the smoking intervention (p < 0.001). This study suggests that integrated undergraduate teaching can improve student clinical behaviours with regard to opportunistic smoking enquiry in adolescents.

Improvements in mode-based waveform modeling and application to Eurasian velocity structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panning, M. P.; Marone, F.; Kim, A.; Capdeville, Y.; Cupillard, P.; Gung, Y.; Romanowicz, B.

2006-12-01

We introduce several recent improvements to mode-based 3D and asymptotic waveform modeling and examine how to integrate them with numerical approaches for an improved model of upper-mantle structure under eastern Eurasia. The first step in our approach is to create a large-scale starting model including shear anisotropy using Nonlinear Asymptotic Coupling Theory (NACT; Li and Romanowicz, 1995), which models the 2D sensitivity of the waveform to the great-circle path between source and receiver. We have recently improved this approach by implementing new crustal corrections which include a non-linear correction for the difference between the average structure of several large regions from the global model with further linear corrections to account for the local structure along the path between source and receiver (Marone and Romanowicz, 2006; Panning and Romanowicz, 2006). This model is further refined using a 3D implementation of Born scattering (Capdeville, 2005). We have made several recent improvements to this method, in particular introducing the ability to represent perturbations to discontinuities. While the approach treats all sensitivity as linear perturbations to the waveform, we have also experimented with a non-linear modification analogous to that used in the development of NACT. This allows us to treat large accumulated phase delays determined from a path-average approximation non-linearly, while still using the full 3D sensitivity of the Born approximation. Further refinement of shallow regions of the model is obtained using broadband forward finite-difference waveform modeling. We are also integrating a regional Spectral Element Method code into our tomographic modeling, allowing us to move beyond many assumptions inherent in the analytic mode-based approaches, while still taking advantage of their computational efficiency. Illustrations of the effects of these increasingly sophisticated steps will be presented.

Integration of GaN/AlN all-optical switch with SiN/AlN waveguide utilizing spot-size conversion.

PubMed

Iizuka, Norio; Yoshida, Haruhiko; Managaki, Nobuto; Shimizu, Toshimasa; Hassanet, Sodabanlu; Cumtornkittikul, Chiyasit; Sugiyama, Masakazu; Nakano, Yoshiaki

2009-12-07

Spot-size converters for an all-optical switch utilizing the intersubband transition in GaN/AlN multiple quantum wells are studied with the purpose of reducing operation power by improving the coupling efficiency between the input fiber and the switch. With a stair-like spot-size converter, the absorption saturation of 5 dB is achieved with a pulse energy of 25 pJ. The switch is integrated with a SiN/AlN waveguide and spot-size converters, and the structure provides the possibility of an integration of the switch with other functional devices. To further improve the coupling loss between the waveguide and the switch, triangular-shaped converters are investigated, demonstrating losses as low as 2 dB/facet.

Integrated monitoring of wind plant systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whelan, Matthew J.; Janoyan, Kerop D.; Qiu, Tong

2008-03-01

Wind power is a renewable source of energy that is quickly gaining acceptance by many. Advanced sensor technologies have currently focused solely on improving wind turbine rotor aerodynamics and increasing of the efficiency of the blade design and concentration. Alternatively, potential improvements in wind plant efficiency may be realized through reduction of reactionary losses of kinetic energy to the structural and substructural systems supporting the turbine mechanics. Investigation of the complete dynamic structural response of the wind plant is proposed using a large-scale, high-rate wireless sensor network. The wireless network enables sensors to be placed across the sizable structure, including the rotating blades, without consideration of cabling issues and the economic burden associated with large spools of measurement cables. A large array of multi-axis accelerometers is utilized to evaluate the modal properties of the system as well as individual members and would enable long-term structural condition monitoring of the wind turbine as well. Additionally, environmental parameters, including wind speed, temperature, and humidity, are wirelessly collected for correlation. Such a wireless system could be integrated with electrical monitoring sensors and actuators and incorporated into a remote multi-turbine centralized plant monitoring and control system.

Altered contralateral sensorimotor system organization after experimental hemispherectomy: a structural and functional connectivity study.

PubMed

Otte, Willem M; van der Marel, Kajo; van Meer, Maurits P A; van Rijen, Peter C; Gosselaar, Peter H; Braun, Kees P J; Dijkhuizen, Rick M

2015-08-01

Hemispherectomy is often followed by remarkable recovery of cognitive and motor functions. This reflects plastic capacities of the remaining hemisphere, involving large-scale structural and functional adaptations. Better understanding of these adaptations may (1) provide new insights in the neuronal configuration and rewiring that underlies sensorimotor outcome restoration, and (2) guide development of rehabilitation strategies to enhance recovery after hemispheric lesioning. We assessed brain structure and function in a hemispherectomy model. With MRI we mapped changes in white matter structural integrity and gray matter functional connectivity in eight hemispherectomized rats, compared with 12 controls. Behavioral testing involved sensorimotor performance scoring. Diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were acquired 7 and 49 days post surgery. Hemispherectomy caused significant sensorimotor deficits that largely recovered within 2 weeks. During the recovery period, fractional anisotropy was maintained and white matter volume and axial diffusivity increased in the contralateral cerebral peduncle, suggestive of preserved or improved white matter integrity despite overall reduced white matter volume. This was accompanied by functional adaptations in the contralateral sensorimotor network. The observed white matter modifications and reorganization of functional network regions may provide handles for rehabilitation strategies improving functional recovery following large lesions.

Integrating structure-from-motion photogrammetry with geospatial software as a novel technique for quantifying 3D ecological characteristics of coral reefs

PubMed Central

Delparte, D; Gates, RD; Takabayashi, M

2015-01-01

The structural complexity of coral reefs plays a major role in the biodiversity, productivity, and overall functionality of reef ecosystems. Conventional metrics with 2-dimensional properties are inadequate for characterization of reef structural complexity. A 3-dimensional (3D) approach can better quantify topography, rugosity and other structural characteristics that play an important role in the ecology of coral reef communities. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) is an emerging low-cost photogrammetric method for high-resolution 3D topographic reconstruction. This study utilized SfM 3D reconstruction software tools to create textured mesh models of a reef at French Frigate Shoals, an atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The reconstructed orthophoto and digital elevation model were then integrated with geospatial software in order to quantify metrics pertaining to 3D complexity. The resulting data provided high-resolution physical properties of coral colonies that were then combined with live cover to accurately characterize the reef as a living structure. The 3D reconstruction of reef structure and complexity can be integrated with other physiological and ecological parameters in future research to develop reliable ecosystem models and improve capacity to monitor changes in the health and function of coral reef ecosystems. PMID:26207190

Bridge Structure Deformation Prediction Based on GNSS Data Using Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH Model

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoqing; Wang, Yu

2018-01-01

Bridges are an essential part of the ground transportation system. Health monitoring is fundamentally important for the safety and service life of bridges. A large amount of structural information is obtained from various sensors using sensing technology, and the data processing has become a challenging issue. To improve the prediction accuracy of bridge structure deformation based on data mining and to accurately evaluate the time-varying characteristics of bridge structure performance evolution, this paper proposes a new method for bridge structure deformation prediction, which integrates the Kalman filter, autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA), and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH). Firstly, the raw deformation data is directly pre-processed using the Kalman filter to reduce the noise. After that, the linear recursive ARIMA model is established to analyze and predict the structure deformation. Finally, the nonlinear recursive GARCH model is introduced to further improve the accuracy of the prediction. Simulation results based on measured sensor data from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) deformation monitoring system demonstrated that: (1) the Kalman filter is capable of denoising the bridge deformation monitoring data; (2) the prediction accuracy of the proposed Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH model is satisfactory, where the mean absolute error increases only from 3.402 mm to 5.847 mm with the increment of the prediction step; and (3) in comparision to the Kalman-ARIMA model, the Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH model results in superior prediction accuracy as it includes partial nonlinear characteristics (heteroscedasticity); the mean absolute error of five-step prediction using the proposed model is improved by 10.12%. This paper provides a new way for structural behavior prediction based on data processing, which can lay a foundation for the early warning of bridge health monitoring system based on sensor data using sensing technology. PMID:29351254

Bridge Structure Deformation Prediction Based on GNSS Data Using Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH Model.

PubMed

Xin, Jingzhou; Zhou, Jianting; Yang, Simon X; Li, Xiaoqing; Wang, Yu

2018-01-19

Bridges are an essential part of the ground transportation system. Health monitoring is fundamentally important for the safety and service life of bridges. A large amount of structural information is obtained from various sensors using sensing technology, and the data processing has become a challenging issue. To improve the prediction accuracy of bridge structure deformation based on data mining and to accurately evaluate the time-varying characteristics of bridge structure performance evolution, this paper proposes a new method for bridge structure deformation prediction, which integrates the Kalman filter, autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA), and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH). Firstly, the raw deformation data is directly pre-processed using the Kalman filter to reduce the noise. After that, the linear recursive ARIMA model is established to analyze and predict the structure deformation. Finally, the nonlinear recursive GARCH model is introduced to further improve the accuracy of the prediction. Simulation results based on measured sensor data from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) deformation monitoring system demonstrated that: (1) the Kalman filter is capable of denoising the bridge deformation monitoring data; (2) the prediction accuracy of the proposed Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH model is satisfactory, where the mean absolute error increases only from 3.402 mm to 5.847 mm with the increment of the prediction step; and (3) in comparision to the Kalman-ARIMA model, the Kalman-ARIMA-GARCH model results in superior prediction accuracy as it includes partial nonlinear characteristics (heteroscedasticity); the mean absolute error of five-step prediction using the proposed model is improved by 10.12%. This paper provides a new way for structural behavior prediction based on data processing, which can lay a foundation for the early warning of bridge health monitoring system based on sensor data using sensing technology.

The Influences of LuxX in "Escherichia Coli" Biofilm Formation and Improving Teacher Quality through the Bio-Bus Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Chandan Morris

2012-01-01

The objectives of this work are: (1) to agarose-stabilize fragile biofilms for quantitative structure analysis; (2) to understand the influences of LuxS on biofilm formation; (3) to improve teacher quality by preparing Georgia's middle school science teachers to integrate inquiry-based, hands-on research modules in the classroom. Quantitative…

Understanding the effect of an in situ generated and integrated spinel phase on a layered Li-rich cathode material using a non-stoichiometric strategy.

PubMed

Zhang, Jicheng; Gao, Rui; Sun, Limei; Li, Zhengyao; Zhang, Heng; Hu, Zhongbo; Liu, Xiangfeng

2016-09-14

Recently, spinel-layered integrated Li-rich cathode materials have attracted great interest due to the large enhancement of their electrochemical performances. However, the modification mechanism and the effect of the integrated spinel phase on Li-rich layered cathode materials are still not very clear. Herein, we have successfully synthesized the spinel-layered integrated Li-rich cathode material using a facile non-stoichiometric strategy (NS-LNCMO). The rate capability (84 mA h g -1 vs. 28 mA h g -1 , 10 C), cycling stability (92.4% vs. 80.5%, 0.2 C), low temperature electrochemical capability (96.5 mA h g -1 vs. 59 mA h g -1 , -20 °C), initial coulomb efficiency (92% vs. 79%) and voltage fading (2.77 V vs. 3.02 V, 200 cycles@1 C) of spinel-layered integrated Li-rich cathode materials have been significantly improved compared with a pure Li-rich phase cathode. Some new insights into the effect of the integrated spinel phase on a layered Li-rich cathode have been proposed through a comparison of the structure evolution of the integrated and Li-rich only materials before and after cycling. The Li-ion diffusion coefficient of NS-LNCMO has been enlarged by about 3 times and almost does not change even after 100 cycles indicating an enhanced structure stability. The integration of the spinel phase not only enhances the structure stability of the layered Li-rich phase during charging-discharging but also expands the interslab spacing of the Li-ion diffusion layer, and elongates TM-O covalent bond lengths, which lowers the activation barrier of Li + -transportation, and alleviates the structure strain during the cycling procedure.

Advanced Near Net Shape Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John

2015-01-01

The objective of the Advanced Near Net Shape Technology (ANNST) project is to radically improve near net shape manufacturing methods from the current Technology/ Manufacturing Readiness Levels (TRL/MRL 3-4) to the point where they are viable candidates (TRL/ MRL-6) for shortening the time and cost for insertion of new aluminum alloys and revolutionary manufacturing methods into the development/improvement of space structures. Conventional cyrotank manufacturing processes require fabrication of multiple pieces welded together to form a complete tank. A variety of near net shape manufacturing processes has demonstrated excellent potential for enabling single-piece construction of components such as domes, barrels, and ring frames. Utilization of such processes can dramatically reduce the extent of welding and joining needed to construct cryogenic tanks and other aerospace structures. The specific focus of this project is to successfully mature the integrally stiffened cylinder (ISC) process in which a single-piece cylinder with integral stiffeners is formed in one spin/flow forming process. Structural launch vehicle components, like cryogenic fuel tanks (e.g., space shuttle external tank), are currently fabricated via multipiece assembly of parts produced through subtractive manufacturing techniques. Stiffened structural panels are heavily machined from thick plate, which results in excessive scrap rates. Multipiece construction requires welds to assemble the structure, which increases the risk for defects and catastrophic failures.

High performance transcription factor-DNA docking with GPU computing

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Protein-DNA docking is a very challenging problem in structural bioinformatics and has important implications in a number of applications, such as structure-based prediction of transcription factor binding sites and rational drug design. Protein-DNA docking is very computational demanding due to the high cost of energy calculation and the statistical nature of conformational sampling algorithms. More importantly, experiments show that the docking quality depends on the coverage of the conformational sampling space. It is therefore desirable to accelerate the computation of the docking algorithm, not only to reduce computing time, but also to improve docking quality. Methods In an attempt to accelerate the sampling process and to improve the docking performance, we developed a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based protein-DNA docking algorithm. The algorithm employs a potential-based energy function to describe the binding affinity of a protein-DNA pair, and integrates Monte-Carlo simulation and a simulated annealing method to search through the conformational space. Algorithmic techniques were developed to improve the computation efficiency and scalability on GPU-based high performance computing systems. Results The effectiveness of our approach is tested on a non-redundant set of 75 TF-DNA complexes and a newly developed TF-DNA docking benchmark. We demonstrated that the GPU-based docking algorithm can significantly accelerate the simulation process and thereby improving the chance of finding near-native TF-DNA complex structures. This study also suggests that further improvement in protein-DNA docking research would require efforts from two integral aspects: improvement in computation efficiency and energy function design. Conclusions We present a high performance computing approach for improving the prediction accuracy of protein-DNA docking. The GPU-based docking algorithm accelerates the search of the conformational space and thus increases the chance of finding more near-native structures. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ad hoc effort of applying GPU or GPU clusters to the protein-DNA docking problem. PMID:22759575

Chronic Care Management evolves towards Integrated Care in Counties Manukau, New Zealand.

PubMed

Rea, Harry; Kenealy, Tim; Wellingham, John; Moffitt, Allan; Sinclair, Gary; McAuley, Sue; Goodman, Meg; Arcus, Kim

2007-04-13

Despite anecdotes of many chronic care management and integrated care projects around New Zealand, there is no formal process to collect and share relevant learning within (but especially between) District Health Boards (DHBs). We wish to share our experiences and hope to stimulate a productive exchange of ongoing learning. We define chronic care management and integrated care, then summarise current theory and evidence. We describe national policy development (relevant to integrated care, since 2000) including the New Zealand Health Strategy, the NZ Primary Care Strategy, the development of Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), capitation payments, Care Plus, and Services to Improve Access funding. We then describe chronic care management in Counties Manukau, which evolved both prior to and during the international refinement of theory and evidence and the national policy development and implementation. We reflect on local progress to date and opportunities for (and barriers to) future improvements, aided by comparative reflections on the United Kingdom (UK). Our most important messages are addressed as follows: To policymakers and funders--a fragile culture change towards teamwork in the health system is taking place in New Zealand; this change needs to be specifically and actively supported. To PHOs--general practices need help to align their internal (within-practice) financial signals with the new world of capitation and integrated care. To primary and secondary care doctors, nurses, and other carers - systematic chronic care management and integrated care can improve patient quality of life; and if healthcare structures and systems are properly managed to support integration, then healthcare provider professional and personal satisfaction will improve.

Reducing Vehicle Weight and Improving U.S. Energy Efficiency Using Integrated Computational Materials Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joost, William J.

2012-09-01

Transportation accounts for approximately 28% of U.S. energy consumption with the majority of transportation energy derived from petroleum sources. Many technologies such as vehicle electrification, advanced combustion, and advanced fuels can reduce transportation energy consumption by improving the efficiency of cars and trucks. Lightweight materials are another important technology that can improve passenger vehicle fuel efficiency by 6-8% for each 10% reduction in weight while also making electric and alternative vehicles more competitive. Despite the opportunities for improved efficiency, widespread deployment of lightweight materials for automotive structures is hampered by technology gaps most often associated with performance, manufacturability, and cost. In this report, the impact of reduced vehicle weight on energy efficiency is discussed with a particular emphasis on quantitative relationships determined by several researchers. The most promising lightweight materials systems are described along with a brief review of the most significant technical barriers to their implementation. For each material system, the development of accurate material models is critical to support simulation-intensive processing and structural design for vehicles; improved models also contribute to an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach for addressing technical barriers and accelerating deployment. The value of computational techniques is described by considering recent ICME and computational materials science success stories with an emphasis on applying problem-specific methods.

High-Performance One-Body Core/Shell Nanowire Supercapacitor Enabled by Conformal Growth of Capacitive 2D WS2 Layers.

PubMed

Choudhary, Nitin; Li, Chao; Chung, Hee-Suk; Moore, Julian; Thomas, Jayan; Jung, Yeonwoong

2016-12-27

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as promising capacitive materials for supercapacitor devices owing to their intrinsically layered structure and large surface areas. Hierarchically integrating 2D TMDs with other functional nanomaterials has recently been pursued to improve electrochemical performances; however, it often suffers from limited cyclic stabilities and capacitance losses due to the poor structural integrity at the interfaces of randomly assembled materials. Here, we report high-performance core/shell nanowire supercapacitors based on an array of one-dimensional (1D) nanowires seamlessly integrated with conformal 2D TMD layers. The 1D and 2D supercapacitor components possess "one-body" geometry with atomically sharp and structurally robust core/shell interfaces, as they were spontaneously converted from identical metal current collectors via sequential oxidation/sulfurization. These hybrid supercapacitors outperform previously developed any stand-alone 2D TMD-based supercapacitors; particularly, exhibiting an exceptional charge-discharge retention over 30,000 cycles owing to their structural robustness, suggesting great potential for unconventional energy storage technologies.

Simultaneous optimization of biomolecular energy function on features from small molecules and macromolecules

PubMed Central

Park, Hahnbeom; Bradley, Philip; Greisen, Per; Liu, Yuan; Mulligan, Vikram Khipple; Kim, David E.; Baker, David; DiMaio, Frank

2017-01-01

Most biomolecular modeling energy functions for structure prediction, sequence design, and molecular docking, have been parameterized using existing macromolecular structural data; this contrasts molecular mechanics force fields which are largely optimized using small-molecule data. In this study, we describe an integrated method that enables optimization of a biomolecular modeling energy function simultaneously against small-molecule thermodynamic data and high-resolution macromolecular structural data. We use this approach to develop a next-generation Rosetta energy function that utilizes a new anisotropic implicit solvation model, and an improved electrostatics and Lennard-Jones model, illustrating how energy functions can be considerably improved in their ability to describe large-scale energy landscapes by incorporating both small-molecule and macromolecule data. The energy function improves performance in a wide range of protein structure prediction challenges, including monomeric structure prediction, protein-protein and protein-ligand docking, protein sequence design, and prediction of the free energy changes by mutation, while reasonably recapitulating small-molecule thermodynamic properties. PMID:27766851

Does service integration improve technical quality of care in low-resource settings? An evaluation of a model integrating HIV care into family planning services in Kenya

PubMed Central

Mutemwa, Richard; Mayhew, Susannah H; Warren, Charlotte E; Abuya, Timothy; Ndwiga, Charity; Kivunaga, Jackline

2017-01-01

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate association between HIV and family planning integration and technical quality of care. The study focused on technical quality of client–provider consultation sessions. The cross-sectional study observed 366 client–provider consultation sessions and interviewed 37 health care providers in 12 public health facilities in Kenya. Multilevel random intercept and linear regression models were fitted to the matched data to investigate relationships between service integration and technical quality of care as well as associations between facility-level structural and provider factors and technical quality of care. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test for hidden bias. After adjusting for facility-level structural factors, HIV/family planning integration was found to have significant positive effect on technical quality of the consultation session, with average treatment effect 0.44 (95% CI: 0.63–0.82). Three of the 12 structural factors were significantly positively associated with technical quality of consultation session including: availability of family planning commodities (9.64; 95% CI: 5.07–14.21), adequate infrastructure (5.29; 95% CI: 2.89–7.69) and reagents (1.48; 95% CI: 1.02–1.93). Three of the nine provider factors were significantly positively associated with technical quality of consultation session: appropriate provider clinical knowledge (3.14; 95% CI: 1.92–4.36), job satisfaction (2.02; 95% CI: 1.21–2.83) and supervision (1.01; 95% CI: 0.35–1.68), while workload (−0.88; 95% CI: −1.75 to − 0.01) was negatively associated. Technical quality of the client–provider consultation session was also determined by duration of the consultation and type of clinic visit and appeared to depend on whether the clinic visit occurred early or later in the week. Integration of HIV care into family planning services can improve the technical quality of client–provider consultation sessions as measured by both health facility structural and provider factors. PMID:29194543

Does service integration improve technical quality of care in low-resource settings? An evaluation of a model integrating HIV care into family planning services in Kenya.

PubMed

Mutemwa, Richard; Mayhew, Susannah H; Warren, Charlotte E; Abuya, Timothy; Ndwiga, Charity; Kivunaga, Jackline

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to investigate association between HIV and family planning integration and technical quality of care. The study focused on technical quality of client-provider consultation sessions. The cross-sectional study observed 366 client-provider consultation sessions and interviewed 37 health care providers in 12 public health facilities in Kenya. Multilevel random intercept and linear regression models were fitted to the matched data to investigate relationships between service integration and technical quality of care as well as associations between facility-level structural and provider factors and technical quality of care. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test for hidden bias. After adjusting for facility-level structural factors, HIV/family planning integration was found to have significant positive effect on technical quality of the consultation session, with average treatment effect 0.44 (95% CI: 0.63-0.82). Three of the 12 structural factors were significantly positively associated with technical quality of consultation session including: availability of family planning commodities (9.64; 95% CI: 5.07-14.21), adequate infrastructure (5.29; 95% CI: 2.89-7.69) and reagents (1.48; 95% CI: 1.02-1.93). Three of the nine provider factors were significantly positively associated with technical quality of consultation session: appropriate provider clinical knowledge (3.14; 95% CI: 1.92-4.36), job satisfaction (2.02; 95% CI: 1.21-2.83) and supervision (1.01; 95% CI: 0.35-1.68), while workload (-0.88; 95% CI: -1.75 to - 0.01) was negatively associated. Technical quality of the client-provider consultation session was also determined by duration of the consultation and type of clinic visit and appeared to depend on whether the clinic visit occurred early or later in the week. Integration of HIV care into family planning services can improve the technical quality of client-provider consultation sessions as measured by both health facility structural and provider factors. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Costs of Physician-Hospital Integration

PubMed Central

Cho, Na-Eun

2015-01-01

Abstract Given that the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is expected to generate forces toward physician-hospital integration, this study examined an understudied, albeit important, area of costs incurred in physician-hospital integration. Such costs were analyzed through 24 semi-structured interviews with physicians and hospital administrators in a multiple-case, inductive study. Two extreme types of physician-hospital arrangements were examined: an employed model (ie, integrated salary model, a group of physicians integrated by a hospital system) and a private practice (ie, a physician or group of physicians who are independent of economic or policy control). Interviews noted that integration leads to 3 evident costs, namely, monitoring, coordination, and cooperation costs. Improving our understanding of the kinds of costs that are incurred after physician-hospital integration will help hospitals and physicians to avoid common failures after integration. PMID:26496300

Fast automatic segmentation of anatomical structures in x-ray computed tomography images to improve fluorescence molecular tomography reconstruction.

PubMed

Freyer, Marcus; Ale, Angelique; Schulz, Ralf B; Zientkowska, Marta; Ntziachristos, Vasilis; Englmeier, Karl-Hans

2010-01-01

The recent development of hybrid imaging scanners that integrate fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) and x-ray computed tomography (XCT) allows the utilization of x-ray information as image priors for improving optical tomography reconstruction. To fully capitalize on this capacity, we consider a framework for the automatic and fast detection of different anatomic structures in murine XCT images. To accurately differentiate between different structures such as bone, lung, and heart, a combination of image processing steps including thresholding, seed growing, and signal detection are found to offer optimal segmentation performance. The algorithm and its utilization in an inverse FMT scheme that uses priors is demonstrated on mouse images.

A review of multifunctional structure technology for aerospace applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sairajan, K. K.; Aglietti, G. S.; Mani, K. M.

2016-03-01

The emerging field of multifunctional structure (MFS) technologies enables the design of systems with reduced mass and volume, thereby improving their overall efficiency. It requires developments in different engineering disciplines and their integration into a single system without degrading their individual performances. MFS is particularly suitable for aerospace applications where mass and volume are critical to the cost of the mission. This article reviews the current state of the art of multifunctional structure technologies relevant to aerospace applications.

Probabilistic sizing of laminates with uncertainties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, A. R.; Liaw, D. G.; Chamis, C. C.

1993-01-01

A reliability based design methodology for laminate sizing and configuration for a special case of composite structures is described. The methodology combines probabilistic composite mechanics with probabilistic structural analysis. The uncertainties of constituent materials (fiber and matrix) to predict macroscopic behavior are simulated using probabilistic theory. Uncertainties in the degradation of composite material properties are included in this design methodology. A multi-factor interaction equation is used to evaluate load and environment dependent degradation of the composite material properties at the micromechanics level. The methodology is integrated into a computer code IPACS (Integrated Probabilistic Assessment of Composite Structures). Versatility of this design approach is demonstrated by performing a multi-level probabilistic analysis to size the laminates for design structural reliability of random type structures. The results show that laminate configurations can be selected to improve the structural reliability from three failures in 1000, to no failures in one million. Results also show that the laminates with the highest reliability are the least sensitive to the loading conditions.

Integrated Structural Analysis and Test Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Daniel

2005-01-01

An integrated structural-analysis and structure-testing computer program is being developed in order to: Automate repetitive processes in testing and analysis; Accelerate pre-test analysis; Accelerate reporting of tests; Facilitate planning of tests; Improve execution of tests; Create a vibration, acoustics, and shock test database; and Integrate analysis and test data. The software package includes modules pertaining to sinusoidal and random vibration, shock and time replication, acoustics, base-driven modal survey, and mass properties and static/dynamic balance. The program is commanded by use of ActiveX controls. There is minimal need to generate command lines. Analysis or test files are selected by opening a Windows Explorer display. After selecting the desired input file, the program goes to a so-called analysis data process or test data process, depending on the type of input data. The status of the process is given by a Windows status bar, and when processing is complete, the data are reported in graphical, tubular, and matrix form.

An integrated health and social care organisation in Sweden: creation and structure of a unique local public health and social care system.

PubMed

Øvretveit, John; Hansson, Johan; Brommels, Mats

2010-10-01

Research and citizens have noted failures in coordinating health and social services and professionals, and the need to address this issue to realize benefits from increasing specialisation. Different methods have been proposed and one has been structural integration of separate services within one organisation. This paper reports an empirical longitudinal study of the development of an integrated health and social care organisation in Sweden combining service provision, purchasing and political governance for a defined population. The study found a combination of influences contributed to the development of this new organisation. The initial structural macro-integration facilitated, but did not of itself result in better clinical care coordination. Other actions were needed to modify the specialised systems and cultures which the organisation inherited. The study design was not able to establish with any degree of certainty whether better patient and cost outcomes resulted, but it did find structural and process changes which make improved outcomes likely. The study concludes that coordinated actions at different levels and of different types were needed to achieve care coordination for patients and that a phased approach was necessary where management capacity and outside expertise are limited. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of actuation behavior of active fiber composites in helicopter rotor blade application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Seung Hoon; Kim, Ji Yeon; Shin, Sang Joon; Kim, Seung Jo

2004-07-01

Smart structures incorporating active materials have been designed and analyzed to improve aerospace vehicle performance and its vibration/noise characteristics. Helicopter integral blade actuation is one example of those efforts using embedded anisotropic piezoelectric actuators. To design and analyze such integrally-actuated blades, beam approach based on homogenization methodology has been traditionally used. Using this approach, the global behavior of the structures is predicted in an averaged sense. However, this approach has intrinsic limitations in describing the local behaviors in the level of the constituents. For example, the failure analysis of the individual active fibers requires the knowledge of the local behaviors. Microscopic approach for the analysis of integrally-actuated structures is established in this paper. Piezoelectric fibers and matrices are modeled individually and finite element method using three-dimensional solid elements is adopted. Due to huge size of the resulting finite element meshes, high performance computing technology is required in its solution process. The present methodology is quoted as Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of the smart structure. As an initial validation effort, present analytical results are correlated with the experiments from a small-scaled integrally-actuated blade, Active Twist Rotor (ATR). Through DNS, local stress distribution around the interface of fiber and matrix can be analyzed.

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

Pfiffner, Susan M.

Our current research represents a joint effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Florida State University (FSU), and the University of Tennessee. ORNL will serve as the lead institution with Dr. A.V. Palumbo responsible for project coordination, integration, and deliverables. This project was initiated in November, 2004, in the Integrative Studies Element of the NABIR program. The overall goal of our project is to provide an improved understanding of the relationships between microbial community structure, geochemistry, and metal reduction rates.

Process Integrated Mechanism for Human-Computer Collaboration and Coordination

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-12

system we implemented the TAFLib library that provides the communication with TAF . The data received from the TAF server is collected in a data structure...send new commands and flight plans for the UAVs to the TAF server. Test scenarios Several scenarios have been implemented to test and prove our...areas. Shooting Enemies The basic scenario proved the successful integration of PIM and the TAF simulation environment. Subsequently we improved the CP

Development and fabrication of an autoclave molded PES/Quartz sandwich radome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, Leonard E.; Levin, Stephen D.

1993-04-01

A cohesively bonded, thermoplastic composite sandwich radome for a leading edge supersonic aircraft has been built using autoclave processing with PES/Quartz prepreg and a PES coated honeycomb core. Processes were developed for solvent removal, thermoplastic laminate consolidation, surface etching to improve adhesion, honeycomb coating and forming, and ultrasound testing of bond integrity. Environmental testing was also conducted to verify the structural integrity of the radome for its intended application.

[Regional geriatric care concept in the District of Lippe : Structural effects and network formation in the case management-based model project].

PubMed

Şahin, Charlotte; Iseringhausen, Olaf; Hower, Kira; Liebe, Constanze; Rethmeier-Hanke, Anja; Wedmann, Bernd

2018-04-01

Regional planning of healthcare requires special consideration for the complex needs of elderly, multimorbid people living in a domestic environment. In the District of Lippe, a hospital (Klinikum Lippe) and network of ambulatory care physicians (Ärztenetz Lippe) developed and tested a geriatric care network based on case management for geriatric patients living in a domestic environment. The establishment of the geriatric care network (e.g. promoting networking acceptance and implementation) was formatively evaluated, e. g. with qualitative methods. Data were acquired by guideline-based interviews with experts and analyzed by qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. Structural effects included forming a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary network for a functioning care network and a geriatric care pathway. The practical work of case managers (CM) is essential for communication with patients, family members and care providers as well as integrating providers into the network. A critical factor was working together with general practitioners and the close cooperation with the hospital's department of geriatric. The quality of care is improved because of exchange of information between sectors and continuity in the course of care. In the District of Lippe the quality of care was improved and structures of care were integrated by the network according to the needs of the target group. The integrative perspective was achieved in particular by the geriatric care pathway and integration of providers into the communication and care process; however, the scope of this care model could not be extended into routine care due to the rigid and subdivided health care system.

Enhancement of photovoltaic cell performance using periodic triangular gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordatchev, Evgueni; Tauhiduzzaman, Mohammed; Dey, Rajat

2014-01-01

The solar energy industry strives to produce more efficient and yet cost effective solar panels each consisting of an array of photovoltaic (PV) cells. The goal of this study was to enhance the performance of PV cells through increasing the cells' optical efficiency defined as a percentage of surface incident light that reaches the PV material. This was achieved through the reduction of waveguide decoupling loss and Fresnel reflection losses by integrating specific nonimaging micro-optical structures on the top surface of existing PV cells. Due to this integration, optical efficiency and performance were increased through the enhancement of light trapping, light guiding, and in-coupling functionalities. Periodic triangular gratings (PTGs) were designed, nonsequentially modeled, optimized, and fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane as proposed micro-optical structures. Then the performance of PV cells with and without integrated PTGs was evaluated and compared. Initial optical simulation results show that an original PV cell (without PTG) exhibits an average optical efficiency of 32.7% over a range of incident light angles between 15 and 90 deg. Integration of the PTG allows the capture of incoming sunlight by total internal reflection (TIR), whence it is reflected back onto the PV cell for multiple consecutive chances for absorption and PV conversion. Geometry of the PTG was optimized with respect to an angle of light incidence of {15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90} deg. Optical efficiency of the geometrically optimized PTGs was then analyzed under the same set of incident light angles and a maximum optical efficiency of 54.1% was observed for a PV cell with integrated PTG optimized at 90 deg. This is a 53.3% relative improvement in optical performance when compared to an original PV cell. Functional PTG prototypes were then fabricated with optical surface quality (below 10 nm Ra) and integrated with PV cells demonstrating an increase in maximum power by 1.08 mW/cm (7.6% improvement in PV performance) and in short circuit current by 2.39 mA/cm (6.4% improvement).

Integration of bridge damage detection concepts and components, volume I : strain-based damage detection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

In this work, a previously-developed structural health monitoring (SHM) system was advanced toward a ready-for-implementation system. Improvements were made with respect to automated data reduction/analysis, data acquisition hardware, sensor types, a...

Integration of bridge damage detection concepts and components, volume III : wireless bridge monitoring hardware.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

In this work, a previously developed structural health monitoring (SHM) system was advanced toward a ready-for-implementation : system. Improvements were made with respect to automated data reduction/analysis, data acquisition hardware, sensor types,...

Integration of bridge damage detection concepts and components, volume II : acceleration-based damage detection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

In this work, a previously developed structural health monitoring (SHM) system was advanced toward a ready-for-implementation system. Improvements were made with respect to automated data reduction/analysis, data acquisition hardware, sensor types, a...

Safe, High-Performance, Sustainable Precast School Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finsen, Peter I.

2011-01-01

School design utilizing integrated architectural and structural precast and prestressed concrete components has gained greater acceptance recently for numerous reasons, including increasingly sophisticated owners and improved learning environments based on material benefits such as: sustainability, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, storm…

Turning up the heat on aircraft structures. [design and analysis for high-temperature conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobyns, Alan; Saff, Charles; Johns, Robert

1992-01-01

An overview is presented of the current effort in design and development of aircraft structures to achieve the lowest cost for best performance. Enhancements in this area are focused on integrated design, improved design analysis tools, low-cost fabrication techniques, and more sophisticated test methods. 3D CAD/CAM data are becoming the method through which design, manufacturing, and engineering communicate.

Structural Analysis and Design Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Collier Research and Development Corporation received a one-of-a-kind computer code for designing exotic hypersonic aircraft called ST-SIZE in the first ever Langley Research Center software copyright license agreement. Collier transformed the NASA computer code into a commercial software package called HyperSizer, which integrates with other Finite Element Modeling and Finite Analysis private-sector structural analysis program. ST-SIZE was chiefly conceived as a means to improve and speed the structural design of a future aerospace plane for Langley Hypersonic Vehicles Office. Including the NASA computer code into HyperSizer has enabled the company to also apply the software to applications other than aerospace, including improved design and construction for offices, marine structures, cargo containers, commercial and military aircraft, rail cars, and a host of everyday consumer products.

Validated Feasibility Study of Integrally Stiffened Metallic Fuselage Panels for Reducing Manufacturing Costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pettit, R. G.; Wang, J. J.; Toh, C.

2000-01-01

The continual need to reduce airframe cost and the emergence of high speed machining and other manufacturing technologies has brought about a renewed interest in large-scale integral structures for aircraft applications. Applications have been inhibited, however, because of the need to demonstrate damage tolerance, and by cost and manufacturing risks associated with the size and complexity of the parts. The Integral Airframe Structures (IAS) Program identified a feasible integrally stiffened fuselage concept and evaluated performance and manufacturing cost compared to conventional designs. An integral skin/stiffener concept was produced both by plate hog-out and near-net extrusion. Alloys evaluated included 7050-T7451 plate, 7050-T74511 extrusion, 6013-T6511 extrusion, and 7475-T7351 plate. Mechanical properties, structural details, and joint performance were evaluated as well as repair, static compression, and two-bay crack residual strength panels. Crack turning behavior was characterized through panel tests and improved methods for predicting crack turning were developed. Manufacturing cost was evaluated using COSTRAN. A hybrid design, made from high-speed machined extruded frames that are mechanically fastened to high-speed machined plate skin/stringer panels, was identified as the most cost-effective manufacturing solution. Recurring labor and material costs of the hybrid design are up to 61 percent less than the current technology baseline.

Mold with improved core for metal casting operation

DOEpatents

Gritzner, Verne B.; Hackett, Donald W.

1977-01-01

The present invention is directed to a mold containing an improved core for use in casting hollow, metallic articles. The core is formed of, or covered with, a layer of cellular material which possesses sufficient strength to maintain its structural integrity during casting, but will crush to alleviate the internal stresses that build up if the normal contraction during solidification and cooling is restricted.

From decentralization to commonization of HIV healthcare resources: keys to reduction in health disparity and equitable distribution of health services in Nigeria.

PubMed

Oleribe, Obinna Ositadimma; Oladipo, Olabisi Abiodun; Ezieme, Iheaka Paul; Crossey, Mary Margaret Elizabeth; Taylor-Robinson, Simon David

2016-01-01

Access to quality care is essential for improved health outcomes. Decentralization improves access to healthcare services at lower levels of care, but it does not dismantle structural, funding and programming restrictions to access, resulting in inequity and inequality in population health. Unlike decentralization, Commonization Model of care reduces health inequalities and inequity, dismantles structural, funding and other program related obstacles to population health. Excellence and Friends Management Care Center (EFMC) using Commonization Model (CM), fully integrated HIV services into core health services in 121 supported facilities. This initiative improved access to care, treatment, support services, reduced stigmatization/discrimination, and improved uptake of HTC. We call on governments to adequately finance CM for health systems restructuring towards better health outcomes.

A literature review on integrated perinatal care

PubMed Central

Rodríguez, Charo; des Rivières-Pigeon, Catherine

2007-01-01

Context The perinatal period is one during which health care services are in high demand. Like other health care sub-sectors, perinatal health care delivery has undergone significant changes in recent years, such as the integrative wave that has swept through the health care industry since the early 1990s. Purpose The present study aims at reviewing scholarly work on integrated perinatal care to provide support for policy decision-making. Results Researchers interested in integrated perinatal care have, by assessing the effectiveness of individual clinical practices and intervention programs, mainly addressed issues of continuity of care and clinical and professional integration. Conclusions Improvements in perinatal health care delivery appear related not to structurally integrated health care delivery systems, but to organizing modalities that aim to support woman-centred care and cooperative clinical practice. PMID:17786177

Progress of the Enhanced Hanford Single Shell Tank (SST) Integrity Project

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

Venetz, Theodore J.; Washenfelder, Dennis J.; Boomer, Kayle D.

2015-01-07

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks (SSTs) integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project (SSTIP) in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration. In late 2010, seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Changemore » Package for the Hanford Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement.« less

Study and Analyses on the Structural Performance of a Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karkehabadi, R.; Rhew, R. D.; Hope, D. J.

2004-01-01

Strain-gauge balances for use in wind tunnels have been designed at Langley Research Center (LaRC) since its inception. Currently Langley has more than 300 balances available for its researchers. A force balance is inherently a critically stressed component due to the requirements of measurement sensitivity. The strain-gauge balances have been used in Langley s wind tunnels for a wide variety of aerodynamic tests, and the designs encompass a large array of sizes, loads, and environmental effects. There are six degrees of freedom that a balance has to measure. The balance s task to measure these six degrees of freedom has introduced challenging work in transducer development technology areas. As the emphasis increases on improving aerodynamic performance of all types of aircraft and spacecraft, the demand for improved balances is at the forefront. Force balance stress analysis and acceptance criteria are under review due to LaRC wind tunnel operational safety requirements. This paper presents some of the analyses and research done at LaRC that influence structural integrity of the balances. The analyses are helpful in understanding the overall behavior of existing balances and can be used in the design of new balances to enhance performance. Initially, a maximum load combination was used for a linear structural analysis. When nonlinear effects were encountered, the analysis was extended to include nonlinearities using MSC.Nastran . Because most of the balances are designed using Pro/Mechanica , it is desirable and efficient to use Pro/Mechanica for stress analysis. However, Pro/Mechanica is limited to linear analysis. Both Pro/Mechanica and MSC.Nastran are used for analyses in the present work. The structural integrity of balances and the possibility of modifying existing balances to enhance structural integrity are investigated.

Community health center integration: experience in the State of Ohio.

PubMed

McAlearney, John S; McAlearney, Ann Scheck

2006-02-01

In the face of severe financial challenges and demands to improve quality and service to patients, many community health centers (CHCs) have aligned or integrated with other CHCs, physician groups, or hospitals. Yet the nature of and rationale for these organizational decisions are not well understood. Our research applied an organizational theoretical framework to test whether strategic adaptation theory or institutional theory best describes the integration activity of CHCs in Ohio. We collected primary data from case studies of seven CHCs selected for geographic representation and studied December 2000-January 2001. Semi-structured interviews and a case study database supported our chain of evidence. We found that CHC integration activity was substantial (five of seven CHCs integrated) and extremely varied. Consistent with strategic adaptation theory, we determined that CHC integration actions were predominantly center-specific, rational responses to environmental challenges and were initiated to improve operations or financial performance. Rarely did CHCs initiate major organizational change merely to mimic other CHC actions, as might have been expected of highly institutionalized organizations. Understanding the basis for CHCs' strategic decisions while monitoring financial health will remain critical as lawmakers and administrators work to develop policies that both maintain progress made and improve primary care access for the poor, the uninsured, and those with special health care needs served by these important safety net providers.

Opinions of maternity care professionals and other stakeholders about integration of maternity care: a qualitative study in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Perdok, Hilde; Jans, Suze; Verhoeven, Corine; Henneman, Lidewij; Wiegers, Therese; Mol, Ben Willem; Schellevis, François; de Jonge, Ank

2016-07-26

This study aims to give insight into the opinions of maternity care professionals and other stakeholders on the integration of midwife-led care and obstetrician-led care and on the facilitating and inhibiting factors for integrating maternity care. Qualitative study using interviews and focus groups from November 2012 to February 2013 in the Netherlands. Seventeen purposively selected stakeholder representatives participated in individual semi-structured interviews and 21 in focus groups. One face-to-face focus group included a combined group of midwives, obstetricians and a paediatrician involved in maternity care. Two online focus groups included a group of primary care midwives and a group of clinical midwives respectively. Thematic analysis was performed using Atlas.ti. Two researchers independently coded the interview and focus group transcripts by means of a mind map and themes and relations between them were described. Three main themes were identified with regard to integrating maternity care: client-centred care, continuity of care and task shifting between professionals. Opinions differed regarding the optimal maternity care organisation model. Participants considered the current payment structure an inhibiting factor, whereas a new modified payment structure based on the actual amount of work performed was seen as a facilitating factor. Both midwives and obstetricians indicated that they were afraid to loose autonomy. An integrated maternity care system may improve client-centred care, provide continuity of care for women during labour and birth and include a shift of responsibilities between health care providers. However, differences of opinion among professionals and other stakeholders with regard to the optimal maternity care organisation model may complicate the implementation of integrated care. Important factors for a successful implementation of integrated maternity care are an appropriate payment structure and maintenance of the autonomy of professionals.

Behavioural health consultants in integrated primary care teams: a model for future care.

PubMed

Dale, Hannah; Lee, Alyssa

2016-07-29

Significant challenges exist within primary care services in the United Kingdom (UK). These include meeting current demand, financial pressures, an aging population and an increase in multi-morbidity. Psychological services also struggle to meet waiting time targets and to ensure increased access to psychological therapies. Innovative ways of delivering effective primary care and psychological services are needed to improve health outcomes. In this article we argue that integrated care models that incorporate behavioural health care are part of the solution, which has seldom been argued in relation to UK primary care. Integrated care involves structural and systemic changes to the delivery of services, including the co-location of multi-disciplinary primary care teams. Evidence from models of integrated primary care in the United States of America (USA) and other higher-income countries suggest that embedding continuity of care and collaborative practice within integrated care teams can be effective in improving health outcomes. The Behavioural Health Consultant (BHC) role is integral to this, working psychologically to support the team to improve collaborative working, and supporting patients to make changes to improve their health across management of long-term conditions, prevention and mental wellbeing. Patients' needs for higher-intensity interventions to enable changes in behaviour and self-management are, therefore, more fully met within primary care. The role also increases accessibility of psychological services, delivers earlier interventions and reduces stigma, since psychological staff are seen as part of the core primary care service. Although the UK has trialled a range of approaches to integrated care, these fall short of the highest level of integration. A single short pilot of integrated care in the UK showed positive results. Larger pilots with robust evaluation, as well as research trials are required. There are clearly challenges in adopting such an approach, especially for staff who must adapt to working more collaboratively with each other and patients. Strong leadership is needed to assist in this, particularly to support organisations to adopt the shift in values and attitudes towards collaborative working. Integrated primary care services that embed behavioural health as part of a multi-disciplinary team may be part of the solution to significant modern day health challenges. However, developing this model is unlikely to be straight-forward given current primary care structures and ways of working. The discussion, developed in this article, adds to our understanding of what the BHC role might consist off and how integrated care may be supported by such behavioural health expertise. Further work is needed to develop this model in the UK, and to evaluate its impact on health outcomes and health care utilisation, and test robustly through research trials.

Bioinformatics data distribution and integration via Web Services and XML.

PubMed

Li, Xiao; Zhang, Yizheng

2003-11-01

It is widely recognized that exchange, distribution, and integration of biological data are the keys to improve bioinformatics and genome biology in post-genomic era. However, the problem of exchanging and integrating biology data is not solved satisfactorily. The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is rapidly spreading as an emerging standard for structuring documents to exchange and integrate data on the World Wide Web (WWW). Web service is the next generation of WWW and is founded upon the open standards of W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). This paper presents XML and Web Services technologies and their use for an appropriate solution to the problem of bioinformatics data exchange and integration.

Cyclic voltammetry study of PEO processing of porous Ti and resulting coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shbeh, Mohammed; Yerokhin, Aleksey; Goodall, Russell

2018-05-01

Ti is one of the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications. However, there are two issues associated with the use of it, namely its bio-inertness and high elastic modulus compared to the elastic modulus of the natural bone. Both of these hurdles could potentially be overcome by introducing a number of pores in the structure of the Ti implant to match the properties of the bone as well as improve the mechanical integration between the bone and implant, and subsequently coating it with a biologically active ceramic coating to promote chemical integration. Hence, in this study we investigated the usage of cyclic voltammetry in PEO treatment of porous Ti parts with different amount of porosity produced by both Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) and MIM in combination with a space holder. It was found that porous samples with higher porosity and open pores develop much thicker surface layers that penetrate through the inner structure of the samples forming a network of surface and subsurface coatings. The results are of potential benefit in producing surface engineered porous samples for biomedical applications which do not only address the stress shielding problem, but also improve the chemical integration.

Improvement of infrared single-photon detectors absorptance by integrated plasmonic structures

PubMed Central

Csete, Mária; Sipos, Áron; Szalai, Anikó; Najafi, Faraz; Szabó, Gábor; Berggren, Karl K.

2013-01-01

Plasmonic structures open novel avenues in photodetector development. Optimized illumination configurations are reported to improve p-polarized light absorptance in superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) comprising short- and long-periodic niobium-nitride (NbN) stripe-patterns. In OC-SNSPDs consisting of ~quarter-wavelength dielectric layer closed by a gold reflector the highest absorptance is attainable at perpendicular incidence onto NbN patterns in P-orientation due to E-field concentration at the bottom of nano-cavities. In NCAI-SNSPDs integrated with nano-cavity-arrays consisting of vertical and horizontal gold segments off-axis illumination in S-orientation results in polar-angle-independent perfect absorptance via collective resonances in short-periodic design, while in long-periodic NCAI-SNSPDs grating-coupled surface waves promote EM-field transportation to the NbN stripes and result in local absorptance maxima. In NCDAI-SNSPDs integrated with nano-cavity-deflector-array consisting of longer vertical gold segments large absorptance maxima appear in 3p-periodic designs due to E-field enhancement via grating-coupled surface waves synchronized with the NbN stripes in S-orientation, which enable to compensate fill-factor-related retrogression. PMID:23934331

Evolution of physician-hospital alignment models: a case study of comanagement.

PubMed

Sowers, Kevin W; Newman, Paul R; Langdon, Jeffrey C

2013-06-01

Recently, quality, financial, and regulatory demands have driven physicians to seek alignment opportunities with hospitals. The motivation for alignment on the part of physicians and hospitals is now accelerating because the new paradigm under healthcare reform requires an increased focus on improving quality, cost, and efficiency. We (1) identify the key drivers for physician-hospital alignment models; (2) summarize comanagement as a physician-hospital alignment model; and (3) explore a detailed case study of comanagement as an option to better align physicians with hospital goals on quality, safety, and outcomes. A Medline abstract review was performed that identified 45 references that discuss options for physician-hospital alignment. None of the articles identified provide a detailed example of successful alignment structures. A detailed case study of a successful comanagement alignment program is reviewed. The key drivers for alignment are inpatient growth rates, declining reimbursements, and the opportunity to improve quality, decrease costs, and increase efficiency. Two general strategies of alignment involve noneconomic and/or economic integration. In our example, comanagement with economic integration was chosen as the preferred structure for physician-hospital alignment. The choice of structure will vary depending on the existing relationships and governance of the hospital and the physicians in the targeted area of focus. The measure of success in building physician-hospital alignment is measured in improvements in care for the patient, reduced cost of care delivery, and improved relations between physicians and hospital leadership.

Electromagnetic pulsed thermography for natural cracks inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yunlai; Tian, Gui Yun; Wang, Ping; Wang, Haitao; Gao, Bin; Woo, Wai Lok; Li, Kongjing

2017-02-01

Emerging integrated sensing and monitoring of material degradation and cracks are increasingly required for characterizing the structural integrity and safety of infrastructure. However, most conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods are based on single modality sensing which is not adequate to evaluate structural integrity and natural cracks. This paper proposed electromagnetic pulsed thermography for fast and comprehensive defect characterization. It hybrids multiple physical phenomena i.e. magnetic flux leakage, induced eddy current and induction heating linking to physics as well as signal processing algorithms to provide abundant information of material properties and defects. New features are proposed using 1st derivation that reflects multiphysics spatial and temporal behaviors to enhance the detection of cracks with different orientations. Promising results that robust to lift-off changes and invariant features for artificial and natural cracks detection have been demonstrated that the proposed method significantly improves defect detectability. It opens up multiphysics sensing and integrated NDE with potential impact for natural understanding and better quantitative evaluation of natural cracks including stress corrosion crack (SCC) and rolling contact fatigue (RCF).

The enigma of the dorsolateral pons as a migraine generator

PubMed Central

Borsook, D; Burstein, R

2013-01-01

In this editorial, we integrate improved understanding of functional and structural brain stem anatomy with lessons learned from other disciplines on brainstem function to provide an alternative interpretation to the data used to support the brainstem migraine generator theory. PMID:22798640

Enhanced degradation of phenolic compounds in coal gasification wastewater by a novel integration of micro-electrolysis with biological reactor (MEBR) under the micro-oxygen condition.

PubMed

Ma, Weiwei; Han, Yuxing; Xu, Chunyan; Han, Hongjun; Ma, Wencheng; Zhu, Hao; Li, Kun; Wang, Dexin

2018-03-01

The aim of this work was to study an integration of micro-electrolysis with biological reactor (MEBR) for strengthening removal of phenolic compounds in coal gasification wastewater (CGW). The results indicated MEBR achieved high efficiencies in removal of COD and phenolic compounds as well as improvement of biodegradability of CGW under the micro-oxygen condition. The integrated MEBR process was more favorable to improvement of the structural stability of activated sludge and biodiversity of specific functional microbial communities. Especially, Shewanella and Pseudomonas were enriched to accelerate the extracellular electron transfer, finally facilitating the degradation of phenolic compounds. Moreover, MEBR process effectively relieved passivation of Fe-C filler surface and prolonged lifespan of Fe-C filler. Accordingly, the synergetic effect between iron-carbon micro-electrolysis (ICME) and biological action played a significant role in performance of the integrated process. Therefore, the integrated MEBR was a promising practical process for enhancing CGW treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel Use of Ultrasound to Teach Reproductive System Physical Examination Skills and Pelvic Anatomy.

PubMed

Parikh, Tejal; Czuzak, Maria; Bui, Naomi; Wildner, Corinna; Koch, Bryna; Leko, Elizabeth; Rappaport, William; Adhikari, Srikar; Gordon, Paul; Gura, Mike; Ellis, Susan

2018-03-01

To determine whether integration of ultrasound (US) into a reproductive system examination clinical skills lab can increase confidence in palpating key reproductive structures during testicular and bimanual pelvic examinations, reduce anxiety about conducting testicular and bimanual pelvic examinations, and improve performance on multiple-choice questions based on structure identification using US images. Second-year medical students enrolled in the Life Cycle preclinical course participated in this cross-sectional study. A single learning activity was developed to pair the teaching of the reproductive system physical examination with the use of US in the clinical skills lab. The evaluation of the teaching session consisted of a pre-post analysis of student self-reported knowledge, confidence, and anxiety. The response rate for the pre survey was 82% (n = 96), and the rate for the post survey was 79% (n = 93). Students' confidence in their ability to identify reproductive system structures on US images increased from pre to post survey. Their confidence in their ability to palpate the epididymis, uterus, and ovary during a physical examination improved, and their anxiety about conducting testicular and bimanual pelvic examinations decreased. Student satisfaction with the session was high. Students' performance on multiple-choice questions based on structure identification using US images was at 96% or higher. Our study findings support the integration of US into a reproductive system examination clinical skills lab. Medical students acquire competency and confidence in reproductive system physical examination skills with US integration. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Service system integration, access to services, and housing outcomes in a program for homeless persons with severe mental illness.

PubMed

Rosenheck, R; Morrissey, J; Lam, J; Calloway, M; Johnsen, M; Goldman, H; Randolph, F; Blasinsky, M; Fontana, A; Calsyn, R; Teague, G

1998-11-01

This study evaluated the hypothesis that greater integration and coordination between agencies within service systems is associated with greater accessibility of services and improved client housing outcomes. As part of the Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports program, data were obtained on baseline client characteristics, service use, and 3-month and 12-month outcomes from 1832 clients seen at 18 sites during the first year of program operation. Data on interorganizational relationships were obtained from structured interviews with key informants from relevant organizations in each community (n = 32-82 at each site). Complete follow-up data were obtained from 1340 clients (73%). After control for baseline characteristics, service system integration was associated with superior housing outcomes at 12 months, and this relationship was mediated through greater access to housing agencies. Service system integration is related to improved access to housing services and better housing outcomes among homeless people with mental illness.

Integrating Chemistry: Crossing the Millennium Divide.

PubMed

Housecroft, Catherine E

2018-02-01

A personal account of the development of two University level chemistry books is presented. The account focuses on ways to integrate the traditional branches of chemistry into a textbook that captures the imagination of students and relates chemical principles and fundamental topics to environmental, medicinal, biological and industrial applications. The ways in which teaching methods have changed over two decades and how web-based resources can be used to improve the communication of chemical (in particular structural) concepts are highlighted.

Air Traffic Management: Civil/Military Systems and Technologies.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

consi-~derably Anthropo- Fig. 8 Increas of System Capcity versus Usable Gain in Traffic Flow Controllable ul R 5. The Future of ATC If we think of...years from 2,000 on we must think of an integrated system, integrating * the ATC-system of the Structure X (Fig. 7) * the aircraft, by improving flight...both civil and military traffic with a range of potential link applications and other information that could be helpful in their future thinking . No

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

Kostka, Joel E.

Summary of Results to Date: Our current research represents a joint effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Florida State University (FSU), and the University of Tennessee. ORNL will serve as the lead institution with Dr. A.V. Palumbo responsible for project coordination, integration, and deliverables. This project was initiated in November, 2004, in the Integrative Studies Element of the NABIR program. The overall goal of our project is to provide an improved understanding of the relationships between microbial community structure, geochemistry, and metal reduction rates.

Evolving a model for integrated treatment in a residential setting for people with psychiatric and substance use disorders.

PubMed

Mayes, John; Handley, Samantha

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the implementation of a residential, integrated treatment program serving dually diagnosed people with histories of homelessness. Attention is focused on the program structure and how the program developed over time. Program modifications tended to relax program rules and embrace a motivational, stage-wise model using harm-reduction principles. Despite initial skepticism regarding these modifications, outcomes such as program retention, abstinence from substances, employment, and hospitalization improved.

[Integral health provision by two Catalonian health providing entities (Spain)].

PubMed

Henao-Martínez, Diana; Vázquez-Navarrete, María L; Vargas-Lorenzo, Ingrid; Coderch-Lassaletta, Jordi; Llopart-López, Josep R

2008-01-01

Health policies aimed at promoting collaboration amongst providers have led to different initiatives, amongst them integrated healthcare delivery systems (IDS); these have been analysed mainly in the USA but hardly so in Colombia or Spain . This article thus analyses the experience of two IDS in Catalonia for identifying elements for improvement. This was a case-study carried out via individual semi-structured interviews and analysing documents. Two IDS were selected; a sample of documents and reports providing information on analysis variables were selected for each case. Content was analysed via mixed categories and segmentation by cases and topics. Both IDS are health-care providing organisations presenting backward vertical integration, having total internal service production and virtual integration of ownership. BSA is funded by providing services whilst SSIBE relies on shareholding via capitation pilot test. Both have closely coordinated multiple managing bodies and have defined overall strategies orientated towards coordination and efficiency; they differ regarding implementation time. BSA has a divisional structure and SSIBE a functional one, organised by transversal areas. Clinical coordination is based on standardising processes and abilities, having few mechanisms for mutual adaptation and disparity in the number of instruments implemented. Both organisations presented enabling and hindering factors for clinical coordination which would need changes in internal and external components in order to improve overall efficiency and health care continuity.

Transcranial infrared laser stimulation improves rule-based, but not information-integration, category learning in humans.

PubMed

Blanco, Nathaniel J; Saucedo, Celeste L; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2017-03-01

This is the first randomized, controlled study comparing the cognitive effects of transcranial laser stimulation on category learning tasks. Transcranial infrared laser stimulation is a new non-invasive form of brain stimulation that shows promise for wide-ranging experimental and neuropsychological applications. It involves using infrared laser to enhance cerebral oxygenation and energy metabolism through upregulation of the respiratory enzyme cytochrome oxidase, the primary infrared photon acceptor in cells. Previous research found that transcranial infrared laser stimulation aimed at the prefrontal cortex can improve sustained attention, short-term memory, and executive function. In this study, we directly investigated the influence of transcranial infrared laser stimulation on two neurobiologically dissociable systems of category learning: a prefrontal cortex mediated reflective system that learns categories using explicit rules, and a striatally mediated reflexive learning system that forms gradual stimulus-response associations. Participants (n=118) received either active infrared laser to the lateral prefrontal cortex or sham (placebo) stimulation, and then learned one of two category structures-a rule-based structure optimally learned by the reflective system, or an information-integration structure optimally learned by the reflexive system. We found that prefrontal rule-based learning was substantially improved following transcranial infrared laser stimulation as compared to placebo (treatment X block interaction: F(1, 298)=5.117, p=0.024), while information-integration learning did not show significant group differences (treatment X block interaction: F(1, 288)=1.633, p=0.202). These results highlight the exciting potential of transcranial infrared laser stimulation for cognitive enhancement and provide insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of category learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Remote sensing and eLearning 2.0 for school education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, Kerstin; Goetzke, Roland; Hodam, Henryk

2010-10-01

The "Remote Sensing in Schools" project aims at improving the integration of "Satellite remote sensing" into school teaching. Therefore, it is the project's overall objective to teach students in primary and secondary schools the basics and fields of application of remote sensing. Existing results show that many teachers are interested in remote sensing and at same time motivated to integrate it into their teaching. Despite the good intention, in the end, the implementation often fails due to the complexity and poor set-up of the information provided. Therefore, a comprehensive and well-structured learning platform on the topic of remote sensing is developed. The platform shall allow a structured introduction to the topic.

Primary care and communication in shared cancer care: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Sada, Yvonne; Street, Richard L.; Singh, Hardeep; Shada, Rachel; Naik, Aanand D.

2013-01-01

Objective To explore perceptions of primary care physicians’ (PCPs) and oncologists’ roles, responsibilities, and patterns of communication related to shared cancer care in three integrated health systems that used electronic health records (EHRs). Study design Qualitative study. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten early stage colorectal cancer patients and fourteen oncologists and PCPs. Sample sizes were determined by thematic saturation. Dominant themes and codes were identified and subsequently applied to all transcripts. Results Physicians reported that EHRs improved communication within integrated systems, but communication with physicians outside their system was still difficult. PCPs expressed uncertainty about their role during cancer care, even though medical oncologists emphasized the importance of co-morbidity control during cancer treatment. Both patients and physicians described additional roles for PCPs, including psychological distress support and behavior modification. Conclusions Integrated systems that use EHRs likely facilitate shared cancer care through improved PCP-oncologist communication. However, strategies to facilitate a more active role for PCPs in managing co-morbidities, psychological distress and behavior modification, as well as to overcome communication challenges between physicians not practicing within the same integrated system, are still needed to improve shared cancer care. PMID:21615196

Enhancement of structural stiffness in MEMS structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilias, Samir; Picard, Francis; Topart, Patrice; Larouche, Carl; Jerominek, Hubert

2006-01-01

Many optical applications require smooth micromirror reflective surfaces with large radius of curvature. Usually when using surface micromachining technology and as a result of residual stress and stress gradient in thin films, the control of residual curvature is a difficult task. In this work, two engineering approaches were developed to enhance structural stiffness of micromirrors. 1) By integrating stiffening structures and thermal annealing. The stiffening structures consist of U-shaped profiles integrated with the mirror (dimension 200×300 μm2). 2) By combining selective electroplating and flip-chip based technologies. Nickel was used as electroplated material with optimal stress values around +/-10 MPa for layer thicknesses of about 10 μm. With the former approach, typical curvature radii of about 1.5 cm and 0.6 cm along mirror width and length were obtained, respectively. With the latter approach, an important improvement in the micromirror planarity and flatness was achieved with curvature radius up to 23 cm and roughness lower than 5 nm rms for typical 1000×1000 μm2 micromirrors.

Integration of Porogen-Based Low-k Films: Influence of Capping Layer Thickness and Long Thermal Anneals on Low-k Damage and Reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Roest, David; Vereecke, Bart; Huffman, Craig; Heylen, Nancy; Croes, Kristof; Arai, Hirofumi; Takamure, Noboru; Beynet, Julien; Sprey, Hessel; Matsushita, Kiyohiro; Kobayashi, Nobuyoshi; Verdonck, Patrick; Demuynck, Steven; Beyer, Gerald; Tokei, Zsolt; Struyf, Herbert

2010-05-01

This paper discusses integration aspects of a porous low-k film (k ˜2.45) cured with a broadband UV lamp. Different process splits are discussed which could contribute to avoid integration induced damage and improve reliability. The main factor contributing to a successful integration is the presence of a thick (protecting) cap layer partially remaining after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), which leads to yielding structures with a keff of ˜2.6, a breakdown voltage of ˜6.9 MV/cm and time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) lifetimes in the excess of 100 years. Long thermal anneals restore the k-value but degrade lifetime.

[Indicators of communication and degree of professional integration in healthcare].

PubMed

Mola, Ernesto; Maggio, Anna; Vantaggiato, Lucia

2009-01-01

According to the chronic care model, improving the management of chronic illness requires efficient communication between health care professionals and the creation of a web of integrated healthcare The aim of this study was to identify an efficient methodology for evaluating the degree of professional integration through indicators related to communication between healthcare professionals. The following types of indicators were identified:-structure indicators to evaluate the presence of prerequisites necessary for implementing the procedures -functional indicators to quantitatively evaluate the use of communications instruments-performance indicators Defining specific indicators may be an appropriate methodology for evaluating the degree of integration and communication between health professionals, available for a bargaining system of incentives.

Ultra-wideband WDM VCSEL arrays by lateral heterogeneous integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geske, Jon

Advancements in heterogeneous integration are a driving factor in the development of evermore sophisticated and functional electronic and photonic devices. Such advancements will merge the optical and electronic capabilities of different material systems onto a common integrated device platform. This thesis presents a new lateral heterogeneous integration technology called nonplanar wafer bonding. The technique is capable of integrating multiple dissimilar semiconductor device structures on the surface of a substrate in a single wafer bond step, leaving different integrated device structures adjacent to each other on the wafer surface. Material characterization and numerical simulations confirm that the material quality is not compromised during the process. Nonplanar wafer bonding is used to fabricate ultra-wideband wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays. The optically-pumped VCSEL arrays span 140 nm from 1470 to 1610 nm, a record wavelength span for devices operating in this wavelength range. The array uses eight wavelength channels to span the 140 nm with all channels separated by precisely 20 nm. All channels in the array operate single mode to at least 65°C with output power uniformity of +/- 1 dB. The ultra-wideband WDM VCSEL arrays are a significant first step toward the development of a single-chip source for optical networks based on coarse WDM (CWDM), a low-cost alternative to traditional dense WDM. The CWDM VCSEL arrays make use of fully-oxidized distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) to provide the wideband reflectivity required for optical feedback and lasing across 140 rim. In addition, a novel optically-pumped active region design is presented. It is demonstrated, with an analytical model and experimental results, that the new active-region design significantly improves the carrier uniformity in the quantum wells and results in a 50% lasing threshold reduction and a 20°C improvement in the peak operating temperature of the devices. This thesis investigates the integration and fabrication technologies required to fabricate ultra-wideband WDM VCSEL arrays. The complete device design and fabrication process is presented along with actual device results from completed CWDM VCSEL arrays. Future recommendations for improvements are presented, along with a roadmap toward a final electrically-pumped single-chip source for CWDM applications.

Method and apparatus for forming ceramic oxide superconductors with ordered structure

DOEpatents

Nellis, W.J.; Maple, M.B.

1987-12-23

Disclosed are products and processes for making improved magnetic and superconducting articles from anisotropic starting materials by initially reducing the starting materials into a powdered form composed of particles of uniform directional crystal structures, forming a directionally uniform aggregate of particles by exposing the aggregate to a magnetic field of desired magnitude and direction, and then compacting the aggregate into an integral solid body. 2 Figs.

Improved toughness of silicon carbide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palm, J. A.

1976-01-01

Impact energy absorbing layers (EALs) comprised of partially densified silicon carbide were formed in situ on fully sinterable silicon carbide substrates. After final sintering, duplex silicon carbide structures resulted which were comprised of a fully sintered, high density silicon carbide substrate or core, overlayed with an EAL of partially sintered silicon carbide integrally bonded to its core member. Thermal cycling tests proved such structures to be moderately resistant to oxidation and highly resistant to thermal shock stresses. The strength of the developed structures in some cases exceeded but essentially it remained the same as the fully sintered silicon carbide without the EAL. Ballistic impact tests indicated that substantial improvements in the toughness of sintered silicon carbide were achieved by the use of the partially densified silicon carbide EALs.

Changes in structural integrity are correlated with motor and functional recovery after post-stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Fan, Yang-teng; Lin, Keh-chung; Liu, Ho-ling; Chen, Yao-liang; Wu, Ching-yi

2015-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies indicate the structural integrity of the ipsilesional corticospinal tract (CST) and the transcallosal motor tract, which are closely linked to stroke recovery. However, the individual contribution of these 2 fibers on different levels of outcomes remains unclear. Here, we used DTI tractography to investigate whether structural changes of the ipsilesional CST and the transcallosal motor tracts associate with motor and functional recovery after stroke rehabilitation. Ten participants with post-acute stroke underwent the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and DTI before and after bilateral robotic training. All participants had marked improvements in motor performance, functional use of the affected arm, and independence in daily activities. Increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the ipsilesional CST and the transcallosal motor tracts was noted from pre-treatment to the end of treatment. Participants with higher pre-to-post differences in FA values of the transcallosal motor tracts had greater gains in the WMFT and the FIM scores. A greater improvement on the FMA was coupled with increased FA changes along the ipsilesional CST. These findings suggest 2 different structural indicators for post-stroke recovery separately at the impairment-based and function-based levels.

Introducing double polar heads to highly fluorescent Thiazoles: Influence on supramolecular structures and photonic properties.

PubMed

Kaufmann, M; Hupfer, M L; Sachse, T; Herrmann-Westendorf, F; Weiß, D; Dietzek, B; Beckert, R; Presselt, M

2018-04-30

Supramolecular structures determine properties of optoelectronically active materials and can be tailored via the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. Interactions between dyes can cause high crystallinities of Langmuir monolayers, thus rendering retaining their integrity during the LB-deposition challenging. However, increasing degrees of freedom exclusively at the polar anchoring moieties of dyes might improve processability without perturbing the dye's optoelectronic properties nor the function-determining crystallinity of the layer. (Amphiphilic) thiazole dyes without, with a mono-polar, and with a double-polar anchor were synthesized, whereas the two constituting polar moieties of the latter derivate are separated by a flexible alkyl chain. The supramolecular structures and crystallinities of Langmuir and LB monolayers were characterized by means of LB isotherms, atomic force microscopy and polarization-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. As compared to the mono-polar reference the introduction of a flexible double-polar head did not deteriorate UV-vis absorption, emission or electrochemical properties of the thiazole but significantly extended the range of constant compressibility modulus, thus indicating improved processability of the Langmuir monolayers. Indeed, AFM studies revealed that the integrity of the monolayers could be retained during LB-deposition. Additionally, also the underlying supramolecular structure of the chromophore moieties is largely identical to those obtained from the mono-polar reference thiazoles. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

[Effects of agricultural practices on community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural ecosystem: a review].

PubMed

Sheng, Ping-Ping; Li, Min; Liu, Run-Jin

2011-06-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are rich in diversity in agricultural ecosystem, playing a vital role based on their unique community structure. Host plants and environmental factors have important effects on AM fungal community structure, so do the agricultural practices which deserve to pay attention to. This paper summarized the research advances in the effects of agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilization, crop rotation, intercropping, tillage, and pesticide application on AM fungal community structure, analyzed the related possible mechanisms, discussed the possible ways in improving AM fungal community structure in agricultural ecosystem, and put forward a set of countermeasures, i.e., improving fertilization system and related integrated techniques, increasing plant diversity in agricultural ecosystem, and inoculating AM fungi, to enhance the AM fungal diversity in agricultural ecosystem. The existing problems in current agricultural practices and further research directions were also proposed.

Improved finite-element methods for rotorcraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinnant, Howard E.

1991-01-01

An overview of the research directed at improving finite-element methods for rotorcraft airframes is presented. The development of a modification to the finite element method which eliminates interelement discontinuities is covered. The following subject areas are discussed: geometric entities, interelement continuity, dependent rotational degrees of freedom, and adaptive numerical integration. This new methodology is being implemented as an anisotropic, curvilinear, p-version, beam, shell, and brick finite element program.

Fabrication of biomimetic resorption lacunae-like structure on titanium surface and its osteoblast responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Fangjun; Guo, Weihua; Wu, Hao; Wang, Yueting; He, Gang; Xie, Li; Tian, Weidong

2018-04-01

Biomimetic specific surface structure could improve biological behaviors of specific cells and eventual tissue integration. Featuring titanium surface with structures resembling bone resorption lacunae (RL) can be a promising approach to improve the osteoblast responses and osseointegration of implants. As a most common used dental implant surface, sandblasting and acid etching (SLA) surface has micro-sized structures with dimensions similar to RL, but great differences exist when it comes to shape and contour. In this work, by anodizing titanium substrate in a novel HCOONa/CH3COONa electrolyte, RL-like crater structures were fabricated with highly similar size, shape and contour. Compared with SLA, it was much more similar to RL structure in shape and contour. Furthermore, through subsequent alkali-heat treatment, nano-sized structures that overlaid the whole surface were obtained, which further mimic undercuts features inside the RL. The as-prepared surface was consisted of crystalline titania and exhibited super-hydrophilicity with good stability. In vitro evaluation results showed that the surface could significantly improve adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of MG63 cells in comparison with SLA. This new method may be a promising candidate for biomimetic modification of titanium implant to promote osseointegration.

Data Architecture in an Open Systems Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernbom, Gerald; Cromwell, Dennis

1993-01-01

The conceptual basis for structured data architecture, and its integration with open systems technology at Indiana University, are described. Key strategic goals guiding these efforts are discussed: commitment to improved data access; migration to relational database technology, and deployment of a high-speed, multiprotocol network; and…

Structural integrity and containment aspects of small gas turbine engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S. S.; Gomuc, R.

1994-03-01

Structural integrity of rotating components in gas turbine engines is very crucial since their failure implies high impact energy, which, if uncontained, could mean damage to aircraft structures, controls, and so forth, and, in the worst scenario, even loss of lives. This final consequence has led to very stringent airworthiness regulations for engine/aircraft certifications. This paper discusses the historical statistics of noncontainment events in turbofans, turboprops, and turboshafts and shows how the damage severity varies between different applications and how changes to regulations are continuing in order to improve the reliability of aircraft/rotorcraft. The paper also presents design challenges resulting from the analysis complexity of containment/noncontainment event and the way Pratt & Whitney Canada design/analysis/test system caters to all the requirements. The weight and cost impact of possible changes to current regulations are also presented.

Differential impact of relevant and irrelevant dimension primes on rule-based and information-integration category learning.

PubMed

Grimm, Lisa R; Maddox, W Todd

2013-11-01

Research has identified multiple category-learning systems with each being "tuned" for learning categories with different task demands and each governed by different neurobiological systems. Rule-based (RB) classification involves testing verbalizable rules for category membership while information-integration (II) classification requires the implicit learning of stimulus-response mappings. In the first study to directly test rule priming with RB and II category learning, we investigated the influence of the availability of information presented at the beginning of the task. Participants viewed lines that varied in length, orientation, and position on the screen, and were primed to focus on stimulus dimensions that were relevant or irrelevant to the correct classification rule. In Experiment 1, we used an RB category structure, and in Experiment 2, we used an II category structure. Accuracy and model-based analyses suggested that a focus on relevant dimensions improves RB task performance later in learning while a focus on an irrelevant dimension improves II task performance early in learning. © 2013.

Wind turbine power tracking using an improved multimodel quadratic approach.

PubMed

Khezami, Nadhira; Benhadj Braiek, Naceur; Guillaud, Xavier

2010-07-01

In this paper, an improved multimodel optimal quadratic control structure for variable speed, pitch regulated wind turbines (operating at high wind speeds) is proposed in order to integrate high levels of wind power to actively provide a primary reserve for frequency control. On the basis of the nonlinear model of the studied plant, and taking into account the wind speed fluctuations, and the electrical power variation, a multimodel linear description is derived for the wind turbine, and is used for the synthesis of an optimal control law involving a state feedback, an integral action and an output reference model. This new control structure allows a rapid transition of the wind turbine generated power between different desired set values. This electrical power tracking is ensured with a high-performance behavior for all other state variables: turbine and generator rotational speeds and mechanical shaft torque; and smooth and adequate evolution of the control variables. 2010 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the implementation of marine monitoring in the northeast Atlantic.

PubMed

Turrell, W R

2018-03-01

Marine monitoring in the northeast Atlantic is delivered within identifiable monitoring themes, established through time and defined by the geographical area and policy drivers they serve, the sampling methodologies they use, their assessment methodologies, their funding and governance structures and the people or organisations involved in their implementation. Within a monitoring theme, essential components for effective monitoring are governance, strategy and work plan, sampling protocols, quality assurance, and data and assessment structures. This simple framework is used to analyse two monitoring theme case studies; national ecosystem health monitoring, and regional fish stock monitoring. Such essential component analyses, within marine monitoring themes, can help improve monitoring implementation by identifying gaps and overlaps. Once monitoring themes are recognised, explicitly defined and streamlined, travel towards integrated monitoring may be made easier as the current lack of clarity in thematic marine monitoring implementation is one barrier to integration at both national and regional scales. Copyright © 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Can we still stop the migration of physicians from Austria? : An evaluation of clinical internships by students of the Medical University of Vienna.

PubMed

Seitz, Tamara; Turk, Bela R; Löffler-Stastka, Henriette

2017-01-01

The increasing emigration of graduates of the Medical University of Vienna presents a serious problem. This study examined students' evaluation of clinical rotations, their self-rated performance, and where they felt the most deficits exist. Medical students answered an online questionnaire surveying the following aspects: an evaluation of their internship; supervision; integration in the team and improvement of field-specific knowledge; the qualities of taking a patient's medical history by empathy; patient-centeredness; structure; target orientation; and the ability to integrate field-specific knowledge into anamnesis. The data collected indicate that rotations in Austria, especially in Vienna, were evaluated significantly worse than those abroad. Particularly the lack of supervision and integration in the team were criticized. These data stress a dire need for the reform of curricular structures during clinical rotation in the latter years of medical education.

Photonic integrated circuits based on sampled-grating distributed-Bragg-reflector lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Jonathon S.; Skogen, Erik J.; Masanovic, Milan L.; Raring, James; Sysak, Matt N.; Johansson, Leif; DenBaars, Steven P.; Coldren, Larry A.

2003-07-01

The Sampled-Grating Distributed-Bragg-Reflector laser(SGDBR) provides wide tunability (>40nm), and high output power (>10mW). Driven by the demand for network reconfigurability and ease of implementation, the SGDBR has moved from the research lab to be commercially viable in the marketplace. The SGDBR is most often implemented using an offset-quantum well epitaxial structure in which the quantum wells are etched off in the passive sections. Alternatively, quantum well intermixing has been used recently to achieve the same goal - resulting in improved optical gain and the potential for multiple bandgaps along the device structure. These epitaxial "platforms" provide the basis for more exotic opto-electronic device functionality exhibiting low chirp for digital applications and enhanced linearity for analog applications. This talk will cover state-of-the-art opto-electronic devices based on the SGDBR platform including: integrated Mach-Zehnder modulators, and integrated electro-absorption modulators.

Integrating reproductive health: myth and ideology.

PubMed Central

Lush, L.; Cleland, J.; Walt, G.; Mayhew, S.

1999-01-01

Since 1994, integrating human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted disease (HIV/STD) services with primary health care, as part of reproductive health, has been advocated to address two major public health problems: to control the spread of HIV; and to improve women's reproductive health. However, integration is unlikely to succeed because primary health care and the political context within which this approach is taking place are unsuited to the task. In this paper, a historical comparison is made between the health systems of Ghana, Kenya and Zambia and that of South Africa, to examine progress on integration of HIV/STD services since 1994. Our findings indicate that primary health care in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia has been used mainly by women and children and that integration has meant adding new activities to these services. For the vertical programmes which support these services, integration implies enhanced collaboration rather than merged responsibility. This compromise between comprehensive rhetoric and selective reality has resulted in little change to existing structures and processes; problems with integration have been exacerbated by the activities of external donors. By comparison, in South Africa integration has been achieved through political commitment to primary health care rather than expanding vertical programmes (top-down management systems). The rhetoric of integration has been widely used in reproductive health despite lack of evidence for its feasibility, as a result of the convergence of four agendas: improving family planning quality; the need to improve women's health; the rapid spread of HIV; and conceptual shifts in primary health care. International reproductive health actors, however, have taken little account of political, financial and managerial constraints to implementation in low-income countries. PMID:10534902

Prefrontal gray matter volume recovery in treatment-seeking cocaine-addicted individuals: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Parvaz, Muhammad A; Moeller, Scott J; d'Oleire Uquillas, Federico; Pflumm, Amanda; Maloney, Tom; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z

2017-09-01

Deficits in prefrontal cortical (PFC) function have been consistently reported in individuals with cocaine use disorders (iCUD), and have separately been shown to improve with longer-term abstinence. However, it is less clear whether the PFC structural integrity possibly underlying these deficits is also modulated by sustained reduction in drug use in iCUD. Here, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired, and performance on a neuropsychological test battery was assessed, in 19 initially abstinent treatment-seeking iCUD, first at baseline and then after six months of significantly reduced or no drug use (follow-up). A comparison cohort of 12 healthy controls was also scanned twice with a similar inter-scan interval. The iCUD showed increased gray matter volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus and bilaterally in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex at follow-up compared to baseline; healthy controls, as expected, showed no changes over this same time period. The iCUD also showed improved decision making and cognitive flexibility, with the latter correlated significantly with the gray matter volume increases in the inferior frontal gyrus. Given its association with improved cognitive function, the longitudinal recovery in cortical gray matter volume, particularly in regions where structure and function are adversely affected by chronic drug use, reflects a quantifiable positive impact of significantly reduced drug use on cortical structural integrity. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Free vibration analysis of elastic structures submerged in an infinite or semi-infinite fluid domain by means of a coupled FE-BE solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Chang-Jun; Bi, Chuan-Xing; Zhang, Chuanzeng; Gao, Hai-Feng; Chen, Hai-Bo

2018-04-01

The vibration behavior of thin elastic structures can be noticeably influenced by the surrounding water, which represents a kind of heavy fluid. Since the feedback of the acoustic pressure onto the structure cannot be neglected in this case, a strong coupled scheme between the structural and fluid domains is usually required. In this work, a coupled finite element and boundary element (FE-BE) solver is developed for the free vibration analysis of structures submerged in an infinite fluid domain or a semi-infinite fluid domain with a free water surface. The structure is modeled by the finite element method (FEM). The compressibility of the fluid is taken into account, and hence the Helmholtz equation serves as the governing equation of the fluid domain. The boundary element method (BEM) is employed to model the fluid domain, and a boundary integral formulation with a half-space fundamental solution is used to satisfy the Dirichlet boundary condition on the free water surface exactly. The resulting nonlinear eigenvalue problem (NEVP) is converted into a small linear one by using a contour integral method. Adequate modifications are suggested to improve the efficiency of the contour integral method and avoid missing the eigenfrequencies of interest. The Burton-Miller method is used to filter out the fictitious eigenfrequencies of the boundary integral formulations. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the developed eigensolver, and also show that the fluid-loading effect strongly depends on both the water depth and the mode shapes.

[Standard of integration management at company level and its auditing].

PubMed

Flach, T; Hetzel, C; Mozdzanowski, M; Schian, H-M

2006-10-01

Responsibility at company level for the employment of workers with health-related problems or disabilities has increased, inter alia because of integration management at company level according to section 84 (2) of the German Social Code Book IX. Although several recommendations exist, no standard is available for auditing and certification. Such a standard could be a basis for granting premiums according to section 84 (3) of Book IX of the German Social Code. AUDIT AND CERTIFICATION: One product of the international "disability management" movement is the "Consensus Based Disability Management Audit" (CBDMA). The Audit is a systematic and independent measurement of the effectiveness of integration management at company level. CBDMA goals are to give evidence of the quality of the integration management implemented, to identify opportunities for improvement and recommend appropriate corrective and preventive action. In May 2006, the integration management of Ford-Werke GmbH Germany with about 23 900 employees was audited and certified as the first company in Europe. STANDARD OF INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT AT COMPANY LEVEL: In dialogue with corporate practitioners, the international standard of CBDMA has been adapted, completed and verified concerning its practicability. Process orientation is the key approach, and the structure is similar to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000. Its structure is as follows: (1) management-labour responsibility (goals and objectives, program planning, management-labour review), (2) management of resources (disability manager and DM team, employees' participation, cooperation with external partners, infrastructure), (3) communication (internal and external public relations), (4) case management (identifying cases, contact, situation analysis, planning actions, implementing actions and monitoring, process and outcome evaluation), (5) analysis and improvement (analysis and program evaluation), (6) documentation (manual, records).

Integrated CoPtP Permanent Magnets for MEMS Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallick, Dhiman; Roy, Saibal

2016-10-01

This work reports the development of integrated Co rich CoPtP hard magnetic material for MEMS applications such as Electromagnetic Vibration Energy Harvesting. We report a new method of electrodeposition compared to the conventional DC plating, involving a combination of forward and reverse pulses for optimized deposition of Co rich CoPtP hard magnetic material. This results in significant improvements in the microstructure of the developed films as the pulse reverse plated films are smooth, stress free and uniform. Such improvements in the structural properties are reflected in the hard magnetic properties of the material as well. The intrinsic coercivities of the pulse reverse deposited film are more than 6 times higher for both in-plane and out-of-plane measurement directions and the squareness of the hysteresis loops also improve due to the similar reasons.

3D modeling of a dolerite intrusion from the photogrammetric and geophysical data integration.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, João; Machadinho, Ana; Figueiredo, Fernando; Mira, Maria

2015-04-01

The aims of this study is create a methodology based on the integration of data obtained from various available technologies, which allow a credible and complete evaluation of rock masses. In this particular case of a dolerite intrusion, which deployed an exploration of aggregates and belongs to the Jobasaltos - Extracção e Britagem. S.A.. Dolerite intrusion is situated in the volcanic complex of Serra de Todo-o-Mundo, Casais Gaiola, intruded in Jurassic sandstones. The integration of the surface and subsurface mapping, obtained by technology UAVs (Drone) and geophysical surveys (Electromagnetic Method - TEM 48 FAST), allows the construction of 2D and 3D models of the study local. The combination of the 3D point clouds produced from two distinct processes, modeling of photogrammetric and geophysical data, will be the basis for the construction of a single model of set. The rock masses in an integral perspective being visible their development above the surface and subsurface. The presentation of 2D and 3D models will give a perspective of structures, fracturation, lithology and their spatial correlations contributing to a better local knowledge, as well as its potential for the intended purpose. From these local models it will be possible to characterize and quantify the geological structures. These models will have its importance as a tool to assist in the analysis and drafting of regional models. The qualitative improvement in geological/structural modeling, seeks to reduce the value of characterization/cost ratio, in phase of prospecting, improving the investment/benefit ratio. This methodology helps to assess more accurately the economic viability of the projects.

Integrated Health Care Barcelona Esquerra (Ais-Be): A Global View of Organisational Development, Re-Engineering of Processes and Improvement of the Information Systems. The Role of the Tertiary University Hospital in the Transformation

PubMed Central

Escarrabill, Joan; Gómez, Mónica; Ruiz, Rafael; Enfedaque, Belén; Altimiras, Xavier

2016-01-01

The Integrated Health Area “Barcelona Esquerra” (Área Integral de Salud de Barcelona Esquerra – AIS-BE), which covers a population of 524,000 residents in Barcelona city, is running a project to improve healthcare quality and efficiency based on co-ordination between the different suppliers in its area through the participation of their professionals. Endowed with an Organisational Model that seeks decision-taking that starts out from clinical knowledge and from Information Systems tools that facilitate this co-ordination (an interoperability platform and a website) it presents important results in its structured programmes that have been implemented such as the Reorganisation of Emergency Care, Screening for Colorectal Cancer, the Onset of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Teledermatology and the Development of Cross-sectional Healthcare Policies for Care in Chronicity. PMID:27616964

Integrated Health Care Barcelona Esquerra (Ais-Be): A Global View of Organisational Development, Re-Engineering of Processes and Improvement of the Information Systems. The Role of the Tertiary University Hospital in the Transformation.

PubMed

Font, David; Escarrabill, Joan; Gómez, Mónica; Ruiz, Rafael; Enfedaque, Belén; Altimiras, Xavier

2016-05-23

The Integrated Health Area "Barcelona Esquerra" (Área Integral de Salud de Barcelona Esquerra - AIS-BE), which covers a population of 524,000 residents in Barcelona city, is running a project to improve healthcare quality and efficiency based on co-ordination between the different suppliers in its area through the participation of their professionals. Endowed with an Organisational Model that seeks decision-taking that starts out from clinical knowledge and from Information Systems tools that facilitate this co-ordination (an interoperability platform and a website) it presents important results in its structured programmes that have been implemented such as the Reorganisation of Emergency Care, Screening for Colorectal Cancer, the Onset of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Teledermatology and the Development of Cross-sectional Healthcare Policies for Care in Chronicity.

Barriers and facilitators to integrating care: experiences from the English Integrated Care Pilots

PubMed Central

Ling, Tom; Brereton, Laura; Conklin, Annalijn; Newbould, Jennifer; Roland, Martin

2012-01-01

Background: In 2008, the English Department of Health appointed 16 ‘Integrated Care Pilots’ which used a range of approaches to provide better integrated care. We report qualitative analyses from a three-year multi-method evaluation to identify barriers and facilitators to successful integration of care. Theory and methods: Data were analysed from transcripts of 213 in-depth staff interviews, and from semi-structured questionnaires (the ‘Living Document’) completed by staff in pilot sites at six points over a two-year period. Emerging findings were therefore built from ‘bottom up’ and grounded in the data. However, we were then interested in how these findings compared and contrasted with more generic analyses. Therefore after our analyses were complete we then systematically compared and contrasted the findings with the analysis of barriers and facilitators to quality improvement identified in a systematic review by Kaplan et al. (2010) and the analysis of more micro-level shapers of behaviour found in Normalisation Process Theory (May et al. 2007). Neither of these approaches claims to be full blown theories but both claim to provide mid-range theoretical arguments which may be used to structure existing data and which can be undercut or reinforced by new data. Results and discussion: Many barriers and facilitators to integrating care are those of any large-scale organisational change. These include issues relating to leadership, organisational culture, information technology, physician involvement, and availability of resources. However, activities which appear particularly important for delivering integrated care include personal relationships between leaders in different organisations, the scale of planned activities, governance and finance arrangements, support for staff in new roles, and organisational and staff stability. We illustrate our analyses with a ‘routemap’ which identifies questions that providers may wish to consider when planning interventions to improve the integration of care. PMID:23593044

Isolation of aramid nanofibers for high strength multiscale fiber reinforced composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jiajun; Patterson, Brendan A.; Malakooti, Mohammad H.; Sodano, Henry A.

2018-03-01

Aramid fibers are famous for their high specific strength and energy absorption properties and have been intensively used for soft body armor and ballistic protection. However, the use of aramid fiber reinforced composites is barely observed in structural applications. Aramid fibers have smooth and inert surfaces that are unable to form robust adhesion to polymeric matrices due to their high crystallinity. Here, a novel method to effectively integrate aramid fibers into composites is developed through utilization of aramid nanofibers. Aramid nanofibers are prepared from macroscale aramid fibers (such as Kevlar®) and isolated through a simple and scalable dissolution method. Prepared aramid nanofibers are dispersible in many polymers due to their improved surface reactivity, meanwhile preserve the conjugated structure and likely the strength of their macroscale counterparts. Simultaneously improved elastic modulus, strength and fracture toughness are observed in aramid nanofiber reinforced epoxy nanocomposites. When integrated in continuous fiber reinforced composites, aramid nanofibers can also enhance interfacial properties by forming hydrogen bonds and π-π coordination to bridge matrix and macroscale fibers. Such multiscale reinforcement by aramid nanofibers and continuous fibers results in strong polymeric composites with robust mechanical properties that are necessary and long desired for structural applications.

Healthy hair: what is it?

PubMed

Sinclair, Rodney D

2007-12-01

Shiny hair with a smooth texture and clean-cut ends or tapered tips is generally perceived to be healthy. Hair texture and shine relate to hair surface properties, whereas the integrity of hair ends relates to the hair cortex. Hair can be straight, wavy or curly, blonde, black, brown, red, gray white, and its natural variations are important to our identity. Manipulation of the normal structure of the hair shaft is epidemic and dictated by culture, fashion, and above all, celebrity. Although cosmetic procedures are intrinsically safe, there is potential for damage to the hair. Loss of lustre, frizz, split ends, and other hair problems are particularly prevalent among people who repeatedly alter the natural style of their hair or among people with hair that is intrinsically weak. This may be due to individual or racial variation or less commonly an inherited structural abnormality in hair fiber formation. Hair health is also affected by common afflictions of the scalp as well as age-related phenomena such as graying and androgenetic alopecia. Hair products that improve the structural integrity of hair fibers and increase tensile strength are available, as are products that increase hair volume, reduce frizz, improve hair manageability, and stimulate new hair growth.

Effects of integrated watershed management on livestock water productivity in water scarce areas in Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Descheemaeker, Katrien; Mapedza, Everisto; Amede, Tilahun; Ayalneh, Wagnew

In the water scarce Lenche Dima watershed in the northern Ethiopian highlands community based integrated watershed management was implemented to fight land degradation, raise agricultural productivity and improve farmers’ livelihoods. The effects of two interventions, namely exclosures and water harvesting structures, were assessed based on data from farmers’ interviews, measurements of feed biomass production, and estimates of energy production and requirements. Water used for livestock feed production was obtained through simple soil water balance modelling. By protecting 40% of the rangelands, the water productivity of the feed increased by about 20%. This indicated that exclosure establishment could lead to similar improvements in livestock water productivity (LWP, defined as the ratio of livestock benefits over the water used in producing these). Water harvesting structures ensured year-round water availability in the homestead, which resulted in less energy used for walking to drinking points. A considerable amount of energy was thus saved, which could be used for livestock production and improved animal health without additional water use. Besides restoring regulating and supporting ecosystem services, both interventions led to a more efficient use of the scarce water resources for biomass and livestock production.

Strategies to integrate patient and family education into patient care redesign.

PubMed

Yingling, L; Trocino, L

1997-05-01

This article discusses five strategies to effectively integrate patient and family education into patient care redesign. The strategies include building the plan, building a shared mission and vision, building involvement, building collaboration through initiatives, and building accountability. Each strategy or "building block" is vital to the resulting structure of patient and family education. Effective results of the strategies are discussed as milestones. The process must be ongoing to ensure continuous improvement in quality patient care outcomes, consumer satisfaction and cost-effectiveness.

Strengthening the management of ESA - the Inter-Directorate Reform of Corporate and Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feustel-Büechl, Jörg; Arend, Harald; Derio, Eric; Infante, Giovanni; Kreiner, Gerhard; Phaler, Jesse; Tabbert, Michael

2007-02-01

ESA has undertaken the Inter-Directorate Reform of Corporate and Risk Management to strengthen the Agency's internal operations. The reform was completed at the end of 2006, encompassing five dedicated projects on Risk Management, Agency-Wide Controlling System, Project Plan and Integrated Project Review, General Budget Structure and Charging Policy, and Corporate Information Systems. It has contributed to improved management of the Agency's internal operations by engaging all internal stakeholders in a common objective, introducing improvements to planning and management methods, elaborating consolidated information structures and tools, contributing to enhanced transparency and accountability, and by providing qualified new policies, processes and tools.

ProbFold: a probabilistic method for integration of probing data in RNA secondary structure prediction.

PubMed

Sahoo, Sudhakar; Świtnicki, Michał P; Pedersen, Jakob Skou

2016-09-01

Recently, new RNA secondary structure probing techniques have been developed, including Next Generation Sequencing based methods capable of probing transcriptome-wide. These techniques hold great promise for improving structure prediction accuracy. However, each new data type comes with its own signal properties and biases, which may even be experiment specific. There is therefore a growing need for RNA structure prediction methods that can be automatically trained on new data types and readily extended to integrate and fully exploit multiple types of data. Here, we develop and explore a modular probabilistic approach for integrating probing data in RNA structure prediction. It can be automatically trained given a set of known structures with probing data. The approach is demonstrated on SHAPE datasets, where we evaluate and selectively model specific correlations. The approach often makes superior use of the probing data signal compared to other methods. We illustrate the use of ProbFold on multiple data types using both simulations and a small set of structures with both SHAPE, DMS and CMCT data. Technically, the approach combines stochastic context-free grammars (SCFGs) with probabilistic graphical models. This approach allows rapid adaptation and integration of new probing data types. ProbFold is implemented in C ++. Models are specified using simple textual formats. Data reformatting is done using separate C ++ programs. Source code, statically compiled binaries for x86 Linux machines, C ++ programs, example datasets and a tutorial is available from http://moma.ki.au.dk/prj/probfold/ : jakob.skou@clin.au.dk Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Compatibility Conditions of Structural Mechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patnaik, Surya N.; Coroneos, Rula M.; Hopkins, Dale A.

1999-01-01

The theory of elasticity has camouflaged a deficiency in the compatibility formulation since 1860. In structures the ad hoc compatibility conditions through virtual "cuts" and closing "gaps" are not parallel to the strain formulation in elasticity. This deficiency in the compatibility conditions has prevented the development of a direct stress determination method in structures and in elasticity. We have addressed this deficiency and attempted to unify the theory of compatibility. This work has led to the development of the integrated force method for structures and the completed Beltrami-Michell formulation for elasticity. The improved accuracy observed in the solution of numerical examples by the integrated force method can be attributed to the compliance of the compatibility conditions. Using the compatibility conditions allows mapping of variables and facile movement among different structural analysis formulations. This paper reviews and illustrates the requirement of compatibility in structures and in elasticity. It also describes the generation of the conditions and quantifies the benefits of their use. The traditional analysis methods and available solutions (which have been obtained bypassing the missed conditions) should be verified for compliance of the compatibility conditions.

In situ monitoring of the integrity of bonded repair patches on aircraft and civil infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Amrita; Roach, Dennis; Beard, Shawn; Qing, Xinlin; Hannum, Robert

2006-03-01

Monitoring the continued health of aircraft subsystems and identifying problems before they affect airworthiness has been a long-term goal of the aviation industry. Because in-service conditions and failure modes experienced by structures are generally complex and unknown, conservative calendar-based or usage-based scheduled maintenance practices are overly time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive. Metal structures such as helicopters and other transportation systems are likely to develop fatigue cracks under cyclic loads and corrosive service environments. Early detection of cracks is a key element to prevent catastrophic failure and prolong structural life. Furthermore, as structures age, maintenance service frequency and costs increase while performance and availability decrease. Current non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques that can potentially be used for this purpose typically involve complex, time-intensive procedures, which are labor-intensive and expensive. Most techniques require access to the damaged area on at least one side, and sometimes on both sides. This can be very difficult for monitoring of certain inaccessible regions. In those cases, inspection may require removal of access panels or even structural disassembly. Once access has been obtained, automated inspection techniques likely will not be practical due to the bulk of the required equipment. Results obtained from these techniques may also be sensitive to the sweep speed, tool orientation, and downward pressure. This can be especially problematic for hand-held inspection tools where none of these parameters is mechanically controlled. As a result, data can vary drastically from one inspection to the next, from one technician to the next, and even from one sweep to the next. Structural health monitoring (SHM) offers the promise of a paradigm shift from schedule-driven maintenance to condition-based maintenance (CBM) of assets. Sensors embedded permanently in aircraft safety critical structures that can monitor damage can provide for improved reliability and streamlining of aircraft maintenance. Early detection of damage such as fatigue crack initiation can improve personnel safety and prolong service life. This paper presents the testing of an acousto-ultrasonic piezoelectric sensor based structural health monitoring system for real-time monitoring of fatigue cracks and disbonds in bonded repairs. The system utilizes a network of distributed miniature piezoelectric sensors/actuators embedded on a thin dielectric carrier film, to query, monitor and evaluate the condition of a structure. The sensor layers are extremely flexible and can be integrated with any type of metal or composite structure. Diagnostic signals obtained from a structure during structural monitoring are processed by a portable diagnostic unit. With appropriate diagnostic software, the signals can be analyzed to ascertain the integrity of the structure being monitored. Details on the system, its integration and examples of detection of fatigue crack and disbond growth and quantification for bonded repairs will be presented here.

Aerospace safety advisory panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Data acquired on the actual flight experience with the various subsystems are assessed. These subsystems include: flight control and performance, structural integrity, orbiter landing gear, lithium batteries, EVA and prebreathing, and main engines. Improvements for routine operations are recommended. Policy issues for operations and flight safety for aircraft operations are discussed.

NASA Subsonic Rotary Wing Project - Structures and Materials Discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halbig, Michael C.; Johnson, Susan M.

2008-01-01

The Structures & Materials Discipline within the NASA Subsonic Rotary Wing Project is focused on developing rotorcraft technologies. The technologies being developed are within the task areas of: 5.1.1 Life Prediction Methods for Engine Structures & Components 5.1.2 Erosion Resistant Coatings for Improved Turbine Blade Life 5.2.1 Crashworthiness 5.2.2 Methods for Prediction of Fatigue Damage & Self Healing 5.3.1 Propulsion High Temperature Materials 5.3.2 Lightweight Structures and Noise Integration The presentation will discuss rotorcraft specific technical challenges and needs as well as details of the work being conducted in the six task areas.

Halbach array-based design and simulation of disc coreless permanen-magnet integrated starter generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y. B.; Yang, Z. X.; Chen, W.; He, Q. Y.

2017-11-01

The functional performance, such as magnetic flux leakage, power density and efficiency, is related to the structural characteristics and design technique for the disc permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs). Halbach array theory-based magnetic circuit structure is developed, and Maxwell3D simulation analysis approach of PMSG is proposed in this paper for integrated starter generator (ISG). The magnetization direction of adjacent permanent magnet is organized in difference of 45 degrees for focusing air gap side, and improving the performance of the generator. The magnetic field distribution and functional performance in load and/or unload conditions are simulated by Maxwell3D module. The proposed approach is verified by simulation analysis, the air gap flux density is 0.66T, and the phase voltage curve has the characteristics of a preferable sinusoidal wave and the voltage amplitude 335V can meet the design requirements while the disc coreless PMSG is operating at rated speed. And the developed magnetic circuit structure can be used for engineering design of the disc coreless PMSG to the integrated starter generator.

A fundamental study of drag and an assessment of conventional drag-due-to-lift reduction devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yates, J. E.; Donald, C. D.

1986-09-01

The integral conservation laws of fluid mechanics are used to assess the drag efficiency of lifting wings, both CTOL and various out-of-plane configurations. The drag-due-to-lift is separated into two major components: (1) the induced drag-due-to-lift that depends on aspect ratio but is relatively independent of Reynolds number; (2) the form drag-due-to-lift that is independent of aspect ratio but dependent on the details of the wing section design, planform and Reynolds number. For each lifting configuration there is an optimal load distribution that yields the minimum value of drag-due-to-lift. For well designed high aspect ratio CTOL wings the two drag components are independent. With modern design technology CTOL wings can be (and usually are) designed with a drag-due-to-lift efficiency close to unity. Wing tip-devices (winglets, feathers, sails, etc.) can improve drag-due-to-lift efficiency by 10 to 15% if they are designed as an integral part of the wing. As add-on devices they can be detrimental. It is estimated that 25% improvements of wing drag-due-to-lift efficiency can be obtained with joined tip configurations and vertically separated lifting elements without considering additional benefits that might be realized by improved structural efficiency. It is strongly recommended that an integrated aerodynamic/structural approach be taken in the design of (or research on) future out-of-plane configurations.

A fundamental study of drag and an assessment of conventional drag-due-to-lift reduction devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yates, J. E.; Donald, C. D.

1986-01-01

The integral conservation laws of fluid mechanics are used to assess the drag efficiency of lifting wings, both CTOL and various out-of-plane configurations. The drag-due-to-lift is separated into two major components: (1) the induced drag-due-to-lift that depends on aspect ratio but is relatively independent of Reynolds number; (2) the form drag-due-to-lift that is independent of aspect ratio but dependent on the details of the wing section design, planform and Reynolds number. For each lifting configuration there is an optimal load distribution that yields the minimum value of drag-due-to-lift. For well designed high aspect ratio CTOL wings the two drag components are independent. With modern design technology CTOL wings can be (and usually are) designed with a drag-due-to-lift efficiency close to unity. Wing tip-devices (winglets, feathers, sails, etc.) can improve drag-due-to-lift efficiency by 10 to 15% if they are designed as an integral part of the wing. As add-on devices they can be detrimental. It is estimated that 25% improvements of wing drag-due-to-lift efficiency can be obtained with joined tip configurations and vertically separated lifting elements without considering additional benefits that might be realized by improved structural efficiency. It is strongly recommended that an integrated aerodynamic/structural approach be taken in the design of (or research on) future out-of-plane configurations.

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

Singh, Surendra; Jauriqui, Leanne; Sloan, Trista

We have used Process Compensated Resonant Testing (PCRT) for studying structural integrity and functional performance of ceramic balls used in various auxiliary power units (APUs), propulsion engines, and defense and space missiles. The results show that PCRT is successful in sorting acceptable parts from parts with defects such as micro-structural changes, C-cracks, and scuffs. However, PCRT suffers from limitations, generally not determining the type, size or location of the anomaly. The pursuit of improvements to PCRT is an on-going process.

Donabedian's structure-process-outcome quality of care model: Validation in an integrated trauma system.

PubMed

Moore, Lynne; Lavoie, André; Bourgeois, Gilles; Lapointe, Jean

2015-06-01

According to Donabedian's health care quality model, improvements in the structure of care should lead to improvements in clinical processes that should in turn improve patient outcome. This model has been widely adopted by the trauma community but has not yet been validated in a trauma system. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an integrated trauma system in terms of structure, process, and outcome and evaluate the correlation between quality domains. Quality of care was evaluated for patients treated in a Canadian provincial trauma system (2005-2010; 57 centers, n = 63,971) using quality indicators (QIs) developed and validated previously. Structural performance was measured by transposing on-site accreditation visit reports onto an evaluation grid according to American College of Surgeons criteria. The composite process QI was calculated as the average sum of proportions of conformity to 15 process QIs derived from literature review and expert opinion. Outcome performance was measured using risk-adjusted rates of mortality, complications, and readmission as well as hospital length of stay (LOS). Correlation was assessed with Pearson's correlation coefficients. Statistically significant correlations were observed between structure and process QIs (r = 0.33), and process and outcome QIs (r = -0.33 for readmission, r = -0.27 for LOS). Significant positive correlations were also observed between outcome QIs (r = 0.37 for mortality-readmission; r = 0.39 for mortality-LOS and readmission-LOS; r = 0.45 for mortality-complications; r = 0.34 for readmission-complications; 0.63 for complications-LOS). Significant correlations between quality domains observed in this study suggest that Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model is a valid model for evaluating trauma care. Trauma centers that perform well in terms of structure also tend to perform well in terms of clinical processes, which in turn has a favorable influence on patient outcomes. Prognostic study, level III.

SPAR improved structural-fluid dynamic analysis capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearson, M. L.

1985-01-01

The results of a study whose objective was to improve the operation of the SPAR computer code by improving efficiency, user features, and documentation is presented. Additional capability was added to the SPAR arithmetic utility system, including trigonometric functions, numerical integration, interpolation, and matrix combinations. Improvements were made in the EIG processor. A processor was created to compute and store principal stresses in table-format data sets. An additional capability was developed and incorporated into the plot processor which permits plotting directly from table-format data sets. Documentation of all these features is provided in the form of updates to the SPAR users manual.

How to practice person-centred care: A conceptual framework.

PubMed

Santana, Maria J; Manalili, Kimberly; Jolley, Rachel J; Zelinsky, Sandra; Quan, Hude; Lu, Mingshan

2018-04-01

Globally, health-care systems and organizations are looking to improve health system performance through the implementation of a person-centred care (PCC) model. While numerous conceptual frameworks for PCC exist, a gap remains in practical guidance on PCC implementation. Based on a narrative review of the PCC literature, a generic conceptual framework was developed in collaboration with a patient partner, which synthesizes evidence, recommendations and best practice from existing frameworks and implementation case studies. The Donabedian model for health-care improvement was used to classify PCC domains into the categories of "Structure," "Process" and "Outcome" for health-care quality improvement. The framework emphasizes the structural domain, which relates to the health-care system or context in which care is delivered, providing the foundation for PCC, and influencing the processes and outcomes of care. Structural domains identified include: the creation of a PCC culture across the continuum of care; co-designing educational programs, as well as health promotion and prevention programs with patients; providing a supportive and accommodating environment; and developing and integrating structures to support health information technology and to measure and monitor PCC performance. Process domains describe the importance of cultivating communication and respectful and compassionate care; engaging patients in managing their care; and integration of care. Outcome domains identified include: access to care and Patient-Reported Outcomes. This conceptual framework provides a step-wise roadmap to guide health-care systems and organizations in the provision PCC across various health-care sectors. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PRSEUS Structural Concept Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velicki, Alex; Jegley, Dawn

2014-01-01

A lighter, more robust airframe is one of the key technological advancements necessary for the successful launch of any large next-generation transport aircraft. Such a premise dictates that considerable improvements beyond current state-of-the-art aluminum structures is needed, and that improvements of this magnitude will require an extensive use of composite materials that are not only lightweight, but also economical to produce. To address this challenge, researchers at NASA and The Boeing Company are developing a novel structural concept called the Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) under the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project. It is an integrally stiffened panel concept that is stitched together and designed to maintain residual load-carrying capabilities under a variety of damage scenarios. In addition to improved structural performance, an important facet of this unique arrangement of stitched carbon fibers is its innovative manufacturing method that has the potential to lower fabrication costs by eliminating fasteners and autoclave cures. The rationale and development status for this new approach forms the basis of the work described in this paper. The test specimens described herein were fabricated, or are currently being fabricated, by The Boeing Company, while the structural analyses and testing tasks are being performed by NASA and Boeing personnel.

Distributed collaborative probabilistic design of multi-failure structure with fluid-structure interaction using fuzzy neural network of regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Lu-Kai; Wen, Jie; Fei, Cheng-Wei; Bai, Guang-Chen

2018-05-01

To improve the computing efficiency and precision of probabilistic design for multi-failure structure, a distributed collaborative probabilistic design method-based fuzzy neural network of regression (FR) (called as DCFRM) is proposed with the integration of distributed collaborative response surface method and fuzzy neural network regression model. The mathematical model of DCFRM is established and the probabilistic design idea with DCFRM is introduced. The probabilistic analysis of turbine blisk involving multi-failure modes (deformation failure, stress failure and strain failure) was investigated by considering fluid-structure interaction with the proposed method. The distribution characteristics, reliability degree, and sensitivity degree of each failure mode and overall failure mode on turbine blisk are obtained, which provides a useful reference for improving the performance and reliability of aeroengine. Through the comparison of methods shows that the DCFRM reshapes the probability of probabilistic analysis for multi-failure structure and improves the computing efficiency while keeping acceptable computational precision. Moreover, the proposed method offers a useful insight for reliability-based design optimization of multi-failure structure and thereby also enriches the theory and method of mechanical reliability design.

'Act on oncology' as a new comprehensive approach to assess prostate cancer centres--method description and results of a pilot study.

PubMed

Voigt, Wieland; Hoellthaler, Josef; Magnani, Tiziana; Corrao, Vito; Valdagni, Riccardo

2014-01-01

Multidisciplinary care of prostate cancer is increasingly offered in specialised cancer centres. It requires the optimisation of medical and operational processes and the integration of the different medical and non-medical stakeholders. To develop a standardised operational process assessment tool basing on the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) able to implement multidisciplinary care and improve process quality and efficiency. Information for model development was derived from medical experts, clinical guidelines, best practice elements of renowned cancer centres, and scientific literature. Data were organised in a hierarchically structured model, consisting of 5 categories, 30 key process areas, 172 requirements, and more than 1500 criteria. Compliance with requirements was assessed through structured on-site surveys covering all relevant clinical and management processes. Comparison with best practice standards allowed to recommend improvements. 'Act On Oncology'(AoO) was applied in a pilot study on a prostate cancer unit in Europe. Several best practice elements such as multidisciplinary clinics or advanced organisational measures for patient scheduling were observed. Substantial opportunities were found in other areas such as centre management and infrastructure. As first improvements the evaluated centre administration described and formalised the organisation of the prostate cancer unit with defined personnel assignments and clinical activities and a formal agreement is being worked on to have structured access to First-Aid Posts. In the pilot study, the AoO approach was feasible to identify opportunities for process improvements. Measures were derived that might increase the operational process quality and efficiency.

Polyploidy and the relationship between leaf structure and function: implications for correlated evolution of anatomy, morphology, and physiology in Brassica.

PubMed

Baker, Robert L; Yarkhunova, Yulia; Vidal, Katherine; Ewers, Brent E; Weinig, Cynthia

2017-01-05

Polyploidy is well studied from a genetic and genomic perspective, but the morphological, anatomical, and physiological consequences of polyploidy remain relatively uncharacterized. Whether these potential changes bear on functional integration or are idiosyncratic remains an open question. Repeated allotetraploid events and multiple genomic combinations as well as overlapping targets of artificial selection make the Brassica triangle an excellent system for exploring variation in the connection between plant structure (anatomy and morphology) and function (physiology). We examine phenotypic integration among structural aspects of leaves including external morphology and internal anatomy with leaf-level physiology among several species of Brassica. We compare diploid and allotetraploid species to ascertain patterns of phenotypic correlations among structural and functional traits and test the hypothesis that allotetraploidy results in trait disintegration allowing for transgressive phenotypes and additional evolutionary and crop improvement potential. Among six Brassica species, we found significant effects of species and ploidy level for morphological, anatomical and physiological traits. We identified three suites of intercorrelated traits in both diploid parents and allotetraploids: Morphological traits (such as leaf area and perimeter) anatomic traits (including ab- and ad- axial epidermis) and aspects of physiology. In general, there were more correlations between structural and functional traits for allotetraploid hybrids than diploid parents. Parents and hybrids did not have any significant structure-function correlations in common. Of particular note, there were no significant correlations between morphological structure and physiological function in the diploid parents. Increased phenotypic integration in the allotetraploid hybrids may be due, in part, to increased trait ranges or simply different structure-function relationships. Genomic and chromosomal instability in early generation allotetraploids may allow Brassica species to explore new trait space and potentially reach higher adaptive peaks than their progenitor species could, despite temporary fitness costs associated with unstable genomes. The trait correlations that disappear after hybridization as well as the novel trait correlations observed in allotetraploid hybrids may represent relatively evolutionarily labile associations and therefore could be ideal targets for artificial selection and crop improvement.

Elastomeric binders for electrodes. [in secondary lithium cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, S. P. S.; Shen, D. H.; Somoano, R. B.

1983-01-01

The poor mechanical integrity of the cathode represents an important problem which affects the performance of ambient temperature secondary lithium cells. Repeated charge of a TiS2 cathode may give rise to stresses which disturb the electrode structure and can contribute to capacity loss. An investigation indicates that the use of an inelastic binder material, such as Teflon, aggravates the problem, and can lead to electrode disruption and poor TiS2 particle-particle contact. The feasibility of a use of elastomers as TiS2 binder materials has, therefore, been explored. It was found that elastomeric binders provide an effective approach for simplifying rechargeable cathode fabrication. A pronounced improvement in the mechanical integrity of the cathode structure contributes to a prolonged cycle life.

Cybermaterials: materials by design and accelerated insertion of materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Wei; Olson, Gregory B.

2016-02-01

Cybermaterials innovation entails an integration of Materials by Design and accelerated insertion of materials (AIM), which transfers studio ideation into industrial manufacturing. By assembling a hierarchical architecture of integrated computational materials design (ICMD) based on materials genomic fundamental databases, the ICMD mechanistic design models accelerate innovation. We here review progress in the development of linkage models of the process-structure-property-performance paradigm, as well as related design accelerating tools. Extending the materials development capability based on phase-level structural control requires more fundamental investment at the level of the Materials Genome, with focus on improving applicable parametric design models and constructing high-quality databases. Future opportunities in materials genomic research serving both Materials by Design and AIM are addressed.

A Composite Model for Employees' Performance Appraisal and Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manoharan, T. R.; Muralidharan, C.; Deshmukh, S. G.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an innovative method of performance appraisal that will be useful for designing a structured training programme. Design/methodology/approach: Employees' performance appraisals are conducted using new approaches, namely data envelopment analysis and an integrated fuzzy model. Interpretive structural…

The Integration of Nanoscale Techniques for an Improved Battery Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-08

anodized aluminum oxide ( AAO ) membranes that were 13...nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide ( AAO ) substrate [13]. During sputtering, thickened columnar growths form around the pores of the substrate...investigates an interpenetrating network structure where ―tubes‖ of polymer electrolyte are placed in the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide ( AAO

Improving Translational Accuracy between Dash-Wedge Diagrams and Newman Projections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchison, John M.

2017-01-01

The use of structural representations to convey spatial and chemical information is an integral part of organic chemistry. As a result, students must acquire skills to interpret and translate between the various diagrammatic forms. This article summarizes the skills sets, problem-solving strategies, and identified student difficulties in…

Problem Orientation in Physical Geography Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Church, Michael

1988-01-01

States that the introduction of real, quantitative problems in classroom and field teaching improves scientific rigor and leads more directly to applied studies. Examines the use of problems in an introductory hydrology course, presenting teaching objectives and the full course structure to illustrate their integration with other teaching modes.…

Holistic Quality: Managing, Restructuring, and Empowering Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Jerry J.

Because the quality management (QM) movement can be very important in school improvement efforts, it is essential to determine how QM can fit with relatively new restructuring ideas and whether this approach is consistent with existing school structures and processes. This book presents an integrated approach to holistic quality management that…

Using Writing Tasks to Elicit Adolescents' Historical Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monte-Sano, Chauncey; De La Paz, Susan

2012-01-01

One path to improving adolescents' literacy skills is to integrate reading and writing into the content areas in which such work occurs. Although argumentative writing has been found to help students understand historical content and transform information, scholars do not know the influence of specific task structures on students' writing or…

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES REGARDING IMPROVEMENT OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY MONITORING FOR DRINKING WATER MAINS

EPA Science Inventory

The United States’ water and wastewater infrastructure is large (i.e., 16,000 publicly owned treatment works, 59,000 community water supplies, 600,000 miles of sewer, 1,000,000 miles of drinking water distribution piping), complex and expensive. The reliable and efficient functio...

A Structured Process Description of a Pragmatic Implementation Project: Improving Integrated Care for Older Persons in Residential Care Homes

PubMed Central

Poot, Antonius J.; de Waard, Claudia S.; Wind, Annet W.; Caljouw, Monique A. A.; Gussekloo, Jacobijn

2017-01-01

Evaluation of the implementation of integrated care can differ from trial-based research due to complexity. Therefore, we examined whether a theory-based method for process description of implementation can contribute to improvement of evidence-based care. MOVIT, a Dutch project aimed at implementing integrated care for older vulnerable persons in residential care homes, was used as a case study. The project activities were defined according to implementation taxonomy and mapped in a matrix of theoretical levels and domains. Project activities mainly targeted professionals (both individual and group). A few activities targeted the organizational level, whereas none targeted the policy level, or the patient, or the “social, political, and legal” domains. However, the resulting changes in care delivery arrangement had consequences for professionals, patients, organizations, and the social, political, and legal domains. A structured process description of a pragmatic implementation project can help assess the fidelity and quality of the implementation, and identify relevant contextual factors for immediate adaptation and future research. The description showed that, in the MOVIT project, there was a discrepancy between the levels and domains targeted by the implementation activities and those influenced by the resulting changes in delivery arrangement. This could have influenced, in particular, the adoption and sustainability of the project. PMID:29161944

A Structured Process Description of a Pragmatic Implementation Project: Improving Integrated Care for Older Persons in Residential Care Homes.

PubMed

Poot, Antonius J; de Waard, Claudia S; Wind, Annet W; Caljouw, Monique A A; Gussekloo, Jacobijn

2017-01-01

Evaluation of the implementation of integrated care can differ from trial-based research due to complexity. Therefore, we examined whether a theory-based method for process description of implementation can contribute to improvement of evidence-based care. MOVIT, a Dutch project aimed at implementing integrated care for older vulnerable persons in residential care homes, was used as a case study. The project activities were defined according to implementation taxonomy and mapped in a matrix of theoretical levels and domains. Project activities mainly targeted professionals (both individual and group). A few activities targeted the organizational level, whereas none targeted the policy level, or the patient, or the "social, political, and legal" domains. However, the resulting changes in care delivery arrangement had consequences for professionals, patients, organizations, and the social, political, and legal domains. A structured process description of a pragmatic implementation project can help assess the fidelity and quality of the implementation, and identify relevant contextual factors for immediate adaptation and future research. The description showed that, in the MOVIT project, there was a discrepancy between the levels and domains targeted by the implementation activities and those influenced by the resulting changes in delivery arrangement. This could have influenced, in particular, the adoption and sustainability of the project.

Systems study for an Integrated Digital-Electric Aircraft (IDEA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tagge, G. E.; Irish, L. A.; Bailey, A. R.

1985-01-01

The results of the Integrated Digital/Electric Aircraft (IDEA) Study are presented. Airplanes with advanced systems were, defined and evaluated, as a means of identifying potential high payoff research tasks. A baseline airplane was defined for comparison, typical of a 1990's airplane with advanced active controls, propulsion, aerodynamics, and structures technology. Trade studies led to definition of an IDEA airplane, with extensive digital systems and electric secondary power distribution. This airplane showed an improvement of 3% in fuel use and 1.8% in DOC relative to the baseline configuration. An alternate configuration, an advanced technology turboprop, was also evaluated, with greater improvement supported by digital electric systems. Recommended research programs were defined for high risk, high payoff areas appropriate for implementation under NASA leadership.

Integrated cockpit design for the Army helicopter improvement program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drennen, T.; Bowen, B.

1984-01-01

The main Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP) mission is to navigate precisely, locate targets accurately, communicate their position to other battlefield elements, and to designate them for laser guided weapons. The onboard navigation and mast-mounted sight (MMS) avionics enable accurate tracking of current aircraft position and subsequent target location. The AHIP crewstation development was based on extensive mission/task analysis, function allocation, total system design, and test and verification. The avionics requirements to meet the mission was limited by the existing aircraft structural and performance characteristics and resultant space, weight, and power restrictions. These limitations and night operations requirement led to the use of night vision goggles. The combination of these requirements and limitations dictated an integrated control/display approach using multifunction displays and controls.

Microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography: A new surgical tool in vitreoretinal surgery.

PubMed

Jayadev, Chaitra; Dabir, Supriya; Vinekar, Anand; Shah, Urmil; Vaid, Tania; Yadav, Naresh Kumar

2015-05-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has revolutionized imaging of ocular structures and various disease conditions. Though it has been used in the clinic for some decades, the OCT has only recently found its way into the operating theater. Early attempts at intraoperative OCT, hand-held and microscope mounted, have already improved our understanding of the surgical pathology and the role it might play in surgical decision-making. The microscope-integrated OCT now allows seamless, high-resolution, real-time imaging of surgical maneuvers from the incision to wound closure. Visualization of instruments and intraoperative tissue manipulation are possible with this in vivo modality and, therefore, help improve the outcome of surgery. In this article, we describe the advantages it offers during various vitreoretinal procedures.

Functional liposomes and supported lipid bilayers: towards the complexity of biological archetypes.

PubMed

Berti, Debora; Caminati, Gabriella; Baglioni, Piero

2011-05-21

This perspective paper provides some illustrative examples on the interplay between information gathered on planar supported lipid bilayers (SLB) and unilamellar lipid vesicles (ULV) to get an integrated description of phenomena occurring at the nanoscale that involve locally bilayered structures. Similarities and differences are underlined and critically compared in terms of biomimetic fidelity and instrumental accessibility to structural and dynamical parameters, focusing on some recent reports that either explicitly address this comparison or introducing some studies that separately investigate the same process in SLB and lipid vesicles. Despite the structural similarity on the nanoscale, the different topology implies radically different characterization techniques that have evolved in sectorial and separated approaches. The quest for increasing levels of compositional complexity for bilayered systems should not result in a loss of structural and dynamical control: this is the central challenge of future research in this area, where the integrated approach highlighted in this contribution would enable improved levels of understanding. © The Owner Societies 2011

Integrated chemical and multi-scale structural analyses for the processes of acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover.

PubMed

Chen, Longjian; Li, Junbao; Lu, Minsheng; Guo, Xiaomiao; Zhang, Haiyan; Han, Lujia

2016-05-05

Corn stover was pretreated with acid under moderate conditions (1.5%, w/w, 121°C, 60min), and kinetic enzymolysis experiments were performed on the pretreated substrate using a mixture of Celluclast 1.5L (20FPU/g dry substrate) and Novozyme 188 (40CBU/g dry substrate). Integrated chemical and multi-scale structural methods were then used to characterize both processes. Chemical analysis showed that acid pretreatment removed considerable hemicellulose (from 19.7% in native substrate to 9.28% in acid-pretreated substrate) and achieved a reasonably high conversion efficiency (58.63% of glucose yield) in the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Multi-scale structural analysis indicated that acid pretreatment caused structural changes via cleaving acetyl linkages, solubilizing hemicellulose, relocating cell wall surfaces and enlarging substrate porosity (pore volume increased from 0.0067cm(3)/g in native substrate to 0.019cm(3)/g in acid-pretreated substrate), thereby improving the polysaccharide digestibility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Silica Nanowires: Growth, Integration, and Sensing Applications

PubMed Central

Kaushik, Ajeet; Kumar, Rajesh; Huey, Eric; Bhansali, Shekhar; Nair, Narayana; Nanir, Madhavan

2014-01-01

This review (with 129 refs.) gives an overview on how the integration of silica nanowires (NWs) into micro-scale devices has resulted, in recent years, in simple yet robust nano-instrumentation with improved performance in targeted application areas such as sensing. This has been achieved by the use of appropriate techniques such as di-electrophoresis and direct vapor-liquid-growth phenomena, to restrict the growth of NWs to site-specific locations. This also has eliminated the need for post-growth processing and enables nanostructures to be placed on pre-patterned substrates. Various kinds of NWs have been investigated to determine how their physical and chemical properties can be tuned for integration into sensing structures. NWs integrated onto interdigitated micro-electrodes have been applied to the determination of gases and biomarkers. The technique of directly growing NWs eliminates the need for their physical transfer and thus preserves their structure and performance, and further reduces the costs of fabrication. The biocompatibility of NWs also has been studied with respect to possible biological applications. This review addresses the challenges in growth and integration of NWs to understand related mechanism on biological contact or gas exposure and sensing performance for personalized health and environmental monitoring. PMID:25382871

Population health management in integrated physical and mental health care.

PubMed

Sieck, Cynthia J; Wickizer, Thomas; Geist, Laurel

2014-01-01

Individuals suffering from serious mental illness (SMI) face many challenges of navigating a complex and often fragmented health care system and may die significantly earlier from co-morbid physical health conditions. Integrating mental and physical health care for individuals with SMI is an emerging trend addressing the often-neglected physical health care needs of this population to better coordinate care and improve health outcomes. Population Health Management (PHM) provides a useful friamework for designing integrated care programs for individuals with SMI. This paper examines the structure and evolution of the integrated care program in Missouri in the context of PHM, highlighting particular elements of PHM that facilitate and support development of an integrated mental and physical health care program. As health care reform provides external motivation to provide integrated care, this study can be useful as other states attempt to address this important issue.

IIIV/Si Nanoscale Lasers and Their Integration with Silicon Photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondarenko, Olesya

The rapidly evolving global information infrastructure requires ever faster data transfer within computer networks and stations. Integrated chip scale photonics can pave the way to accelerated signal manipulation and boost bandwidth capacity of optical interconnects in a compact and ergonomic arrangement. A key building block for integrated photonic circuits is an on-chip laser. In this dissertation we explore ways to reduce the physical footprint of semiconductor lasers and make them suitable for high density integration on silicon, a standard material platform for today's integrated circuits. We demonstrated the first room temperature metalo-dielectric nanolaser, sub-wavelength in all three dimensions. Next, we demonstrated a nanolaser on silicon, showing the feasibility of its integration with this platform. We also designed and realized an ultracompact feedback laser with edge-emitting structure, amenable for in-plane coupling with a standard silicon waveguide. Finally, we discuss the challenges and propose solutions for improvement of the device performance and practicality.

Localized synthesis, assembly and integration of silicon nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Englander, Ongi

Localized synthesis, assembly and integration of one-dimensional silicon nanowires with MEMS structures is demonstrated and characterized in terms of local synthesis processes, electric-field assisted self-assembly, and a proof-of-concept nanoelectromechanical system (HEMS) demonstration. Emphasis is placed on the ease of integration, process control strategies, characterization techniques and the pursuit of integrated devices. A top-down followed by a bottom-up integration approach is utilized. Simple MEMS heater structures are utilized as the microscale platforms for the localized, bottom-up synthesis of one-dimensional nanostructures. Localized heating confines the high temperature region permitting only localized nanostructure synthesis and allowing the surroundings to remain at room temperature thus enabling CMOS compatible post-processing. The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process in the presence of a catalytic nanoparticle, a vapor phase reactant, and a specific temperature environment is successfully employed locally. Experimentally, a 5nm thick gold-palladium layer is used as the catalyst while silane is the vapor phase reactant. The current-voltage behavior of the MEMS structures can be correlated to the approximate temperature range required for the VLS reaction to take place. Silicon nanowires averaging 45nm in diameter and up to 29mum in length synthesized at growth rates of up to 1.5mum/min result. By placing two MEMS structures in close proximity, 4--10mum apart, localized silicon nanowire growth can be used to link together MEMS structures to yield a two-terminal, self-assembled micro-to-nano system. Here, one MEMS structure is designated as the hot growth structure while a nearby structure is designated as the cold secondary structure, whose role is to provide a natural stopping point for the VLS reaction. The application of a localized electric-field, 5 to 13V/mum in strength, during the synthesis process, has been shown to improve nanowire organization, alignment, and assembly. The integrated nanoelectrormechanical system was found to be mechanically resilient as it proved to successfully withstand a wide variety of post-processing steps, including manipulations and examinations under scanning and transmission electron microscopes and aqueous processing, although a super critical drying step is necessary to preserve the integrated system during the drying process. Electrical characterization of the system proved challenging due to low carrier concentration and possible transport issues at the nano-micro interface. Nonetheless, in a proof-of-concept demonstration, the system was functionalized and tested for a hydrogen sensing application.

Proteopedia: Exciting Advances in the 3D Encyclopedia of Biomolecular Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prilusky, Jaime; Hodis, Eran; Sussman, Joel L.

Proteopedia is a collaborative, 3D web-encyclopedia of protein, nucleic acid and other structures. Proteopedia ( http://www.proteopedia.org ) presents 3D biomolecule structures in a broadly accessible manner to a diverse scientific audience through easy-to-use molecular visualization tools integrated into a wiki environment that anyone with a user account can edit. We describe recent advances in the web resource in the areas of content and software. In terms of content, we describe a large growth in user-added content as well as improvements in automatically-generated content for all PDB entry pages in the resource. In terms of software, we describe new features ranging from the capability to create pages hidden from public view to the capability to export pages for offline viewing. New software features also include an improved file-handling system and availability of biological assemblies of protein structures alongside their asymmetric units.

Overcoming the Roadblocks to Cardiac Cell Therapy Using Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Yanamandala, Mounica; Zhu, Wuqiang; Garry, Daniel J; Kamp, Timothy J; Hare, Joshua M; Jun, Ho-Wook; Yoon, Young-Sup; Bursac, Nenad; Prabhu, Sumanth D; Dorn, Gerald W; Bolli, Roberto; Kitsis, Richard N; Zhang, Jianyi

2017-08-08

Transplantations of various stem cells or their progeny have repeatedly improved cardiac performance in animal models of myocardial injury; however, the benefits observed in clinical trials have been generally less consistent. Some of the recognized challenges are poor engraftment of implanted cells and, in the case of human cardiomyocytes, functional immaturity and lack of electrical integration, leading to limited contribution to the heart's contractile activity and increased arrhythmogenic risks. Advances in tissue and genetic engineering techniques are expected to improve the survival and integration of transplanted cells, and to support structural, functional, and bioenergetic recovery of the recipient hearts. Specifically, application of a prefabricated cardiac tissue patch to prevent dilation and to improve pumping efficiency of the infarcted heart offers a promising strategy for making stem cell therapy a clinical reality. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Process improvement program evolves into compliance program at an integrated delivery system.

PubMed

Tyk, R C; Hylton, P G

1998-09-01

An integrated delivery system discovered questionable practices when it undertook a process-improvement initiative for its revenue-to-cash cycle. These discoveries served as a wake-up call to the organization that it needed to develop a comprehensive corporate compliance program. The organization engaged legal counsel to help it establish such a program. A corporate compliance officer was hired, and a compliance committee was set up. They worked with counsel to develop the structure and substance of the program and establish a corporate code of conduct that became a part of the organization's policies and procedures. Teams were formed in various areas of the organization to review compliance-related activities and suggest improvements. Clinical and nonclinical staff attended mandatory educational sessions about the program. By approaching compliance systematically, the organization has put itself in an excellent position to avoid fraudulent and abusive activities- and the government scrutiny they invite.

Method and system for improved resolution of a compensated calorimeter detector

DOEpatents

Dawson, John W.

1991-01-01

An improved method and system for a depleted uranium calorimeter detector used in high energy physics experiments. In a depleted uranium calorimeter detector, the energy of a particle entering the calorimeter detector is determined and the output response of the calorimeter detector is compensated so that the ratio of the integrated response of the calorimeter detector from a lepton to the integrated response of the calorimeter detector from a hadron of the same energy as the lepton is approximately equal to 1. In the present invention, the energy of a particle entering the calorimeter detector is determined as a function of time and the hadron content of the response of the calorimeter detector is inferred based upon the time structure of the energy pulse measured by the calorimeter detector. The energy measurement can be corrected based on the inference of the hadron content whereby the resolution of the calorimeter can be improved.

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

Brown, D. A.; Chadwick, M. B.; Capote, R.

We describe the new ENDF/B-VIII.0 evaluated nuclear reaction data library. ENDF/B-VIII.0 fully incorporates the new IAEA standards, includes improved thermal neutron scattering data and uses new evaluated data from the CIELO project for neutron reactions on 1H, 16O, 56Fe, 235U, 238U and 239Pu described in companion papers in the present issue of Nuclear Data Sheets. The evaluations benefit from recent experimental data obtained in the U.S. and Europe, and improvements in theory and simulation. Notable advances include updated evaluated data for light nuclei, structural materials, actinides, fission energy release, prompt fission neutron and γ-ray spectra, thermal neutron scattering data, andmore » charged-particle reactions. Integral validation testing is shown for a wide range of criticality, reaction rate, and neutron transmission benchmarks. In general, integral validation performance of the library is improved relative to the previous ENDF/B-VII.1 library.« less

Autonomous Preference-Aware Information Services Integration for High Response in Integrated Faded Information Field Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaodong; Mori, Kinji

The market and users' requirements have been rapidly changing and diversified. Under these heterogeneous and dynamic situations, not only the system structure itself, but also the accessible information services would be changed constantly. To cope with the continuously changing conditions of service provision and utilization, Faded Information Field (FIF) has been proposed, which is a agent-based distributed information service system architecture. In the case of a mono-service request, the system is designed to improve users' access time and preserve load balancing through the information structure. However, with interdependent requests of multi-service increasing, adaptability and timeliness have to be assured by the system. In this paper, the relationship that exists among the correlated services and the users' preferences for separate and integrated services is clarified. Based on these factors, the autonomous preference-aware information services integration technology to provide one-stop service for users multi-service requests is proposed. As compared to the conventional system, we show that proposed technology is able to reduce the total access time.

Electromagnetic pulsed thermography for natural cracks inspection

PubMed Central

Gao, Yunlai; Tian, Gui Yun; Wang, Ping; Wang, Haitao; Gao, Bin; Woo, Wai Lok; Li, Kongjing

2017-01-01

Emerging integrated sensing and monitoring of material degradation and cracks are increasingly required for characterizing the structural integrity and safety of infrastructure. However, most conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods are based on single modality sensing which is not adequate to evaluate structural integrity and natural cracks. This paper proposed electromagnetic pulsed thermography for fast and comprehensive defect characterization. It hybrids multiple physical phenomena i.e. magnetic flux leakage, induced eddy current and induction heating linking to physics as well as signal processing algorithms to provide abundant information of material properties and defects. New features are proposed using 1st derivation that reflects multiphysics spatial and temporal behaviors to enhance the detection of cracks with different orientations. Promising results that robust to lift-off changes and invariant features for artificial and natural cracks detection have been demonstrated that the proposed method significantly improves defect detectability. It opens up multiphysics sensing and integrated NDE with potential impact for natural understanding and better quantitative evaluation of natural cracks including stress corrosion crack (SCC) and rolling contact fatigue (RCF). PMID:28169361

Using morphological awareness instruction to improve written language skills.

PubMed

Apel, Kenn; Werfel, Krystal

2014-10-01

Written English is a morphophonemic language. Researchers have documented that a conscious awareness of the morphological structure of English morphology is predictive of students' written language skills and that morphological awareness instruction leads to improvements in morphological awareness and in other written language skills. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide specific information to clinical scientists and other educators for integrating morphological awareness instruction into their written language instruction. The authors first define morphological awareness and provide an overview of the research on the effects of morphological awareness intervention on improving morphological awareness and written language skills. Measures used to assess morphological awareness ability are then discussed, followed by suggestions for how clinical scientists and other educators can provide morphological awareness instruction to improve the written language skills of the students they serve. By integrating morphological awareness instruction into the services they provide, clinical scientists and other educators will be providing their students with a strong tool to aid written language skills.

The use of "vertical integration groups" to help define and update course/clerkship content.

PubMed

Nierenberg, D W

1998-10-01

Faculty at many medical schools are working hard to improve the quality of their curricula. While the world "curriculum" means different things to different people, curricular change often includes improving the structure of the teaching/learning environment (e.g., seminars or problem-based learning groups vs lectures), the content of courses and clerkships (the core set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that should be learned), and the manner in which student learning of knowledge and skills is evaluated (the sense that evaluation can help "drive" the curriculum). The author describes how "vertical integration groups" have been used over four years at Dartmouth Medical School to improve and modernize the content of courses and clerkships. In this approach, students and faculty work together to address and improve content areas that normally are not associated with traditional, discipline-centered courses or clerkships. The author discusses the advantages of this approach, the challenges encountered during implementation, and examples of how the approach has been put into action.

An overview of wireless structural health monitoring for civil structures.

PubMed

Lynch, Jerome Peter

2007-02-15

Wireless monitoring has emerged in recent years as a promising technology that could greatly impact the field of structural monitoring and infrastructure asset management. This paper is a summary of research efforts that have resulted in the design of numerous wireless sensing unit prototypes explicitly intended for implementation in civil structures. Wireless sensing units integrate wireless communications and mobile computing with sensors to deliver a relatively inexpensive sensor platform. A key design feature of wireless sensing units is the collocation of computational power and sensors; the tight integration of computing with a wireless sensing unit provides sensors with the opportunity to self-interrogate measurement data. In particular, there is strong interest in using wireless sensing units to build structural health monitoring systems that interrogate structural data for signs of damage. After the hardware and the software designs of wireless sensing units are completed, the Alamosa Canyon Bridge in New Mexico is utilized to validate their accuracy and reliability. To improve the ability of low-cost wireless sensing units to detect the onset of structural damage, the wireless sensing unit paradigm is extended to include the capability to command actuators and active sensors.

[Factors of successful integrated care settings for total knee and hip arthroplasty: findings of a qualitative process analysis].

PubMed

Bartel, S; Bethge, M; Streibelt, M; Thren, K; Lassahn, C

2010-06-01

In Germany, introduction of the law on Integrated Health Care (IC) (section sign 140a-d SGB V) opened up the possibility of cross-sectoral health care settings and new forms of remuneration, and improved the conditions for a closer cooperation between health care providers. However, cross-institutional and interdisciplinary work contexts demand new organizational structures in order to assure the coordination of different competences, resources and interests. This study aims at identifying factors of successful integrated care settings for total hip and knee arthroplasty. Using the example of an integrated care setting between an orthopaedic hospital and a rehabilitation clinic it will be examined which factors lead to successful implementation of the services and measures designed. A qualitative research design was developed comprising different methods of data assessment (participant observation, guided expert interviews, document analyses) enabling a comprehensive exploration. Overall, data were derived from six consultations with patients, two integrated care information sessions and various documents (17 patient files, information material, patient lists, etc.). First of all, the different phases of development and implementation of integrated care settings were described. In this context, clearly defined aims, structures and appropriate measures seem to be crucial for an ideal long-term cooperation. Furthermore, the staff perspective on the effects of the IC programme on their daily routines proved an essential basis for process reconstruction. The staff members pointed out four main aspects regarding IC settings, i. e., improved image, increased knowledge, intensity of relationship, and less and more work effort. Against this background, factors of successful IC settings could be generated such as the need for central coordination, a regular staff information systems as well as accompanying process monitoring. Several key factors of successful integrated care settings in arthroplasty could be generated which provide important clues for shaping future interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation settings in health care services in general. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York.

Impact of flight systems integration on future aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hood, R. V.; Dollyhigh, S. M.; Newsom, J. R.

1984-01-01

Integrations trends in aircraft are discussed with an eye to manifestations in future aircraft designs through interdisciplinary technology integration. Current practices use software changes or small hardware fixes to solve problems late in the design process, e.g., low static stability to upgrade fuel efficiency. A total energy control system has been devised to integrate autopilot and autothrottle functions, thereby eliminating hardware, reducing the software, pilot workload, and cost, and improving flight efficiency and performance. Integrated active controls offer reduced weight and larger payloads for transport aircraft. The introduction of vectored thrust may eliminate horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and location of the thrust at the vehicle center of gravity can provide vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. It is suggested that further efforts will open a new discipline, aeroservoelasticity, and tests will become multidisciplinary, involving controls, aerodynamics, propulsion and structures.

Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Care on Service Utilization in Serious Mental Illness.

PubMed

Waters, Heidi C; Furukawa, Michael F; Jorissen, Shari L

2018-06-14

Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 5% of the United States population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and use of high-cost healthcare services including hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Integrating behavioral and physical healthcare may improve care for consumers with SMI, but prior research findings have been mixed. This quantitative retrospective cohort study assessed whether there was a predictive relationship between integrated healthcare clinic enrollment and inpatient and emergency department utilization for consumers with SMI when controlling for demographic characteristics and disease severity. While findings indicated no statistically significant impact of integrated care clinic enrollment on utilization, the sample had lower levels of utilization than would have been expected. Since policy and payment structures continue to support integrated care models, further research on different programs are encouraged, as each setting and practice pattern is unique.

Force Management Methods Task II. Volume III. Attack/Fighter/Trainer Aircraft Evaluation of Potential Improved Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-01

structural manager. The designation "ASIMISH is used in the subsequent discussions to avoid the impression that a new organization must be created to...mission changes on the structural integrity of the airframe. New maintenance action schedules are created to conform with the operational realities of... created to further divide this information. In fact, the ASIP maintenance action parameters and data for the A-7D ( and other airplanes) is being

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instruments Module (ISIM) Electronics Compartment (IEC) Conformal Shields Composite Bond Structure Qualification Test Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yew, Calinda; Stephens, Matt

2015-01-01

The JWST IEC conformal shields are mounted onto a composite frame structure that must undergo qualification testing to satisfy mission assurance requirements. The composite frame segments are bonded together at the joints using epoxy, EA 9394. The development of a test method to verify the integrity of the bonded structure at its operating environment introduces challenges in terms of requirements definition and the attainment of success criteria. Even though protoflight thermal requirements were not achieved, the first attempt in exposing the structure to cryogenic operating conditions in a thermal vacuum environment resulted in approximately 1 bonded joints failure during mechanical pull tests performed at 1.25 times the flight loads. Failure analysis concluded that the failure mode was due to adhesive cracks that formed and propagated along stress concentrated fillets as a result of poor bond squeeze-out control during fabrication. Bond repairs were made and the structures successfully re-tested with an improved LN2 immersion test method to achieve protoflight thermal requirements.

Ways to improve your correlation functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, A. J. S.

1993-01-01

This paper describes a number of ways to improve on the standard method for measuring the two-point correlation function of large scale structure in the Universe. Issues addressed are: (1) the problem of the mean density, and how to solve it; (2) how to estimate the uncertainty in a measured correlation function; (3) minimum variance pair weighting; (4) unbiased estimation of the selection function when magnitudes are discrete; and (5) analytic computation of angular integrals in background pair counts.

Improved Photon-Emission-Microscope System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vu, Duc

2006-01-01

An improved photon-emission-microscope (PEM) instrumentation system has been developed for use in diagnosing failure conditions in semiconductor devices, including complex integrated circuits. This system is designed primarily to image areas that emit photons, at wavelengths from 400 to 1,100 nm, associated with device failures caused by leakage of electric current through SiO2 and other dielectric materials used in multilayer semiconductor structures. In addition, the system is sensitive enough to image areas that emit photons during normal operation.

Novel and Improved Nanomaterials, Chemistries and Apparatus for Nanobiotechnology: the NACBO project.

PubMed

Bruce, Ian James

2011-02-01

This article outlines the nature and activities of the recently completed EU Framework Programme 6 Integrated Project, Novel and Improved Nanomaterials, Chemistries and Apparatus for Nanobiotechnology (NACBO). This project was designed to yield new nanomaterials, surface activation and synthetic nucleic acid chemistries, procedures and hardware for applications in forensics and diagnostics. It provides details on the project's structure and partnership along with its principal objectives and successes in terms of publications and commercial exploitation.

Optical design considerations for high-concentration photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garboushian, Vahan; Gordon, Robert

2006-08-01

Over the past 15 years, major advances in Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) have been achieved. Ultra-efficient Si solar cells have produced commercial concentration systems which are being fielded today and are competitively priced. Advanced research has primarily focused on significantly more efficient multi-junction solar cells for tomorrow's systems. This effort has produced sophisticated solar cells that significantly improve power production. Additional performance and cost improvements, especially in the optical system area and system integration, must be made before CPV can realize its ultimate commercial potential. Structural integrity and reliability are vital for commercial success. As incremental technical improvements are made in solar cell technologies, evaluation and 'fine-tuning' of optical systems properly matched to the solar cell are becoming increasingly necessary. As we move forward, it is increasingly important to optimize all of the interrelated elements of a CPV system for high performance without sacrificing the marketable cost and structural requirements of the system. Areas such as wavelength absorption of refractive optics need to be carefully matched to the solar cell technology employed. Reflective optics require advanced engineering models to insure uniform flux distribution without excessive losses. In Situ measurement of the 'fine-grain' improvements are difficult as multiple variables such as solar insolation, temperature, wind, altitude, etc. infringe on analytical data. This paper discusses design considerations based on 10 years of field trials of high concentration systems and their relevance for tomorrow's advanced CPV systems.

Evaluation of the integrated clinic model for HIV/AIDS services in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 2013-2014.

PubMed

Hung, V; Nguyen, S T; Tieu, V T T; Nguyen, T T T; Duong, T H; Lyss, S; Oeltmann, J E

2016-12-21

Setting: Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Viet Nam. Objective: To evaluate a new integrated service model for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) care. Design: In HCMC, co-located services, including voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT), HIV treatment at out-patient clinics (OPC), and methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) for persons who inject drugs, have operated under different administrative structures. In the context of decreasing international financial support, integration of these services into one administrative structure with reduced staff occurred in seven districts in HCMC between October 2013 and June 2014. We used a pre-post study design to compare service-related outcomes from routinely collected data at health facilities 6 months before and 6 months after integration. Results: The proportion of HIV-infected persons linked from VCT to OPCs was unchanged or increased following integration. A higher percentage of patients eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) were started on ART. The proportion of ART patients lost to follow-up remained unchanged. The proportions of MMT patients who tested positive for heroin or other substances decreased or were unchanged. Conclusions: VCT, OPC and MMT service delivery quality remained the same or improved during the 6 months following the integration. Expansion of the integrated model should be considered for HIV-related services.

RExPrimer: an integrated primer designing tool increases PCR effectiveness by avoiding 3' SNP-in-primer and mis-priming from structural variation

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is very useful in many areas of molecular biology research. It is commonly observed that PCR success is critically dependent on design of an effective primer pair. Current tools for primer design do not adequately address the problem of PCR failure due to mis-priming on target-related sequences and structural variations in the genome. Methods We have developed an integrated graphical web-based application for primer design, called RExPrimer, which was written in Python language. The software uses Primer3 as the primer designing core algorithm. Locally stored sequence information and genomic variant information were hosted on MySQLv5.0 and were incorporated into RExPrimer. Results RExPrimer provides many functionalities for improved PCR primer design. Several databases, namely annotated human SNP databases, insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms database, pseudogene database, and structural genomic variation databases were integrated into RExPrimer, enabling an effective without-leaving-the-website validation of the resulting primers. By incorporating these databases, the primers reported by RExPrimer avoid mis-priming to related sequences (e.g. pseudogene, segmental duplication) as well as possible PCR failure because of structural polymorphisms (SNP, indel, and copy number variation (CNV)). To prevent mismatching caused by unexpected SNPs in the designed primers, in particular the 3' end (SNP-in-Primer), several SNP databases covering the broad range of population-specific SNP information are utilized to report SNPs present in the primer sequences. Population-specific SNP information also helps customize primer design for a specific population. Furthermore, RExPrimer offers a graphical user-friendly interface through the use of scalable vector graphic image that intuitively presents resulting primers along with the corresponding gene structure. In this study, we demonstrated the program effectiveness in successfully generating primers for strong homologous sequences. Conclusion The improvements for primer design incorporated into RExPrimer were demonstrated to be effective in designing primers for challenging PCR experiments. Integration of SNP and structural variation databases allows for robust primer design for a variety of PCR applications, irrespective of the sequence complexity in the region of interest. This software is freely available at http://www4a.biotec.or.th/rexprimer. PMID:19958502

Organizing the pantry: cache management improves quality of overwinter food stores in a montane mammal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jakopak, Rhiannon P.; Hall, L. Embere; Chalfoun, Anna D.

2017-01-01

Many mammals create food stores to enhance overwinter survival in seasonal environments. Strategic arrangement of food within caches may facilitate the physical integrity of the cache or improve access to high-quality food to ensure that cached resources meet future nutritional demands. We used the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a food-caching lagomorph, to evaluate variation in haypile (cache) structure (i.e., horizontal layering by plant functional group) in Wyoming, United States. Fifty-five percent of 62 haypiles contained at least 2 discrete layers of vegetation. Adults and juveniles layered haypiles in similar proportions. The probability of layering increased with haypile volume, but not haypile number per individual or nearby forage diversity. Vegetation cached in layered haypiles was also higher in nitrogen compared to vegetation in unlayered piles. We found that American pikas frequently structured their food caches, structured caches were larger, and the cached vegetation in structured piles was of higher nutritional quality. Improving access to stable, high-quality vegetation in haypiles, a critical overwinter food resource, may allow individuals to better persist amidst harsh conditions.

Clinical exome sequencing reports: current informatics practice and future opportunities.

PubMed

Swaminathan, Rajeswari; Huang, Yungui; Astbury, Caroline; Fitzgerald-Butt, Sara; Miller, Katherine; Cole, Justin; Bartlett, Christopher; Lin, Simon

2017-11-01

The increased adoption of clinical whole exome sequencing (WES) has improved the diagnostic yield for patients with complex genetic conditions. However, the informatics practice for handling information contained in whole exome reports is still in its infancy, as evidenced by the lack of a common vocabulary within clinical sequencing reports generated across genetic laboratories. Genetic testing results are mostly transmitted using portable document format, which can make secondary analysis and data extraction challenging. This paper reviews a sample of clinical exome reports generated by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified genetic testing laboratories at tertiary-care facilities to assess and identify common data elements. Like structured radiology reports, which enable faster information retrieval and reuse, structuring genetic information within clinical WES reports would help facilitate integration of genetic information into electronic health records and enable retrospective research on the clinical utility of WES. We identify elements listed as mandatory according to practice guidelines but are currently missing from some of the clinical reports, which might help to organize the data when stored within structured databases. We also highlight elements, such as patient consent, that, although they do not appear within any of the current reports, may help in interpreting some of the information within the reports. Integrating genetic and clinical information would assist the adoption of personalized medicine for improved patient care and outcomes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nanotechnology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biaggi-Labiosa, Azlin

2016-01-01

Present an overview of the Nanotechnology Project at NASA's Game Changing Technology Industry Day. Mature and demonstrate flight readiness of CNT reinforced composites for future NASA mission applications?Sounding rocket test in a multiexperiment payload?Integrate into cold gas thruster system as propellant storage?The technology would provide the means for reduced COPV mass and improved damage tolerance and flight qualify CNT reinforced composites. PROBLEM/NEED BEING ADDRESSED:?Reduce weight and enhance the performance and damage tolerance of aerospace structuresGAME-CHANGING SOLUTION:?Improve mechanical properties of CNTs to eventually replace CFRP –lighter and stronger?First flight-testing of a CNT reinforced composite structural component as part of an operational flight systemUNIQUENESS:?CNT manufacturing methods developed?Flight qualify CNT reinforced composites

A unified monolithic approach for multi-fluid flows and fluid-structure interaction using the Particle Finite Element Method with fixed mesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, P.; Idelsohn, S. R.; Oñate, E.

2015-06-01

This paper describes a strategy to solve multi-fluid and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems using Lagrangian particles combined with a fixed finite element (FE) mesh. Our approach is an extension of the fluid-only PFEM-2 (Idelsohn et al., Eng Comput 30(2):2-2, 2013; Idelsohn et al., J Numer Methods Fluids, 2014) which uses explicit integration over the streamlines to improve accuracy. As a result, the convective term does not appear in the set of equations solved on the fixed mesh. Enrichments in the pressure field are used to improve the description of the interface between phases.

Fiber optics in composite materials: materials with nerves of glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Measures, Raymond M.

1990-08-01

A Fiber Optic BasedSmart Structure wiipossess a structurally integrated optical microsensor system for determining its state. This built-in sensor system should, in real-time, be able to: evaluate the strain or deformation of a structure, monitor if its vibrating or subject to excessive loads, check its temperature and warn of the appearance of any hot spots. In addition a Smart Structure should maintain a vigilant survelliance over its structural integrity. The successful development of Smart StructureTechnolgy could lead to: aircraft that are safer, lighter, more efficient, easier to maintain and to service; pipelines, pressure vessels and storage tanks that constantly monitor their structuralintegrity and immediately issue an alert ifany problem is detected; space platforms that check forpressure leaks, unwanted vibration, excess thermal buildup, and deviation from some preassigned shape.This technology is particularly appropriate for composite materials where internal damage generated by: impacts, manufacturing flaws, excessive loading or fatigue could be detected and assessed. In service monitoring of structural loads, especially in regions like wing roots of aircraft, could be ofconsiderable benefit in helping to avoid structural overdesign and reduce weight. Structurally imbedded optical fibers sensors might also serve to monitor the cure state of composite thermosets during their fabrication and thereby contribute to improved quality control of these products.

An improved method to detect correct protein folds using partial clustering.

PubMed

Zhou, Jianjun; Wishart, David S

2013-01-16

Structure-based clustering is commonly used to identify correct protein folds among candidate folds (also called decoys) generated by protein structure prediction programs. However, traditional clustering methods exhibit a poor runtime performance on large decoy sets. We hypothesized that a more efficient "partial" clustering approach in combination with an improved scoring scheme could significantly improve both the speed and performance of existing candidate selection methods. We propose a new scheme that performs rapid but incomplete clustering on protein decoys. Our method detects structurally similar decoys (measured using either C(α) RMSD or GDT-TS score) and extracts representatives from them without assigning every decoy to a cluster. We integrated our new clustering strategy with several different scoring functions to assess both the performance and speed in identifying correct or near-correct folds. Experimental results on 35 Rosetta decoy sets and 40 I-TASSER decoy sets show that our method can improve the correct fold detection rate as assessed by two different quality criteria. This improvement is significantly better than two recently published clustering methods, Durandal and Calibur-lite. Speed and efficiency testing shows that our method can handle much larger decoy sets and is up to 22 times faster than Durandal and Calibur-lite. The new method, named HS-Forest, avoids the computationally expensive task of clustering every decoy, yet still allows superior correct-fold selection. Its improved speed, efficiency and decoy-selection performance should enable structure prediction researchers to work with larger decoy sets and significantly improve their ab initio structure prediction performance.

An improved method to detect correct protein folds using partial clustering

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Structure-based clustering is commonly used to identify correct protein folds among candidate folds (also called decoys) generated by protein structure prediction programs. However, traditional clustering methods exhibit a poor runtime performance on large decoy sets. We hypothesized that a more efficient “partial“ clustering approach in combination with an improved scoring scheme could significantly improve both the speed and performance of existing candidate selection methods. Results We propose a new scheme that performs rapid but incomplete clustering on protein decoys. Our method detects structurally similar decoys (measured using either Cα RMSD or GDT-TS score) and extracts representatives from them without assigning every decoy to a cluster. We integrated our new clustering strategy with several different scoring functions to assess both the performance and speed in identifying correct or near-correct folds. Experimental results on 35 Rosetta decoy sets and 40 I-TASSER decoy sets show that our method can improve the correct fold detection rate as assessed by two different quality criteria. This improvement is significantly better than two recently published clustering methods, Durandal and Calibur-lite. Speed and efficiency testing shows that our method can handle much larger decoy sets and is up to 22 times faster than Durandal and Calibur-lite. Conclusions The new method, named HS-Forest, avoids the computationally expensive task of clustering every decoy, yet still allows superior correct-fold selection. Its improved speed, efficiency and decoy-selection performance should enable structure prediction researchers to work with larger decoy sets and significantly improve their ab initio structure prediction performance. PMID:23323835

Improving information retrieval with multiple health terminologies in a quality-controlled gateway.

PubMed

Soualmia, Lina F; Sakji, Saoussen; Letord, Catherine; Rollin, Laetitia; Massari, Philippe; Darmoni, Stéfan J

2013-01-01

The Catalog and Index of French-language Health Internet resources (CISMeF) is a quality-controlled health gateway, primarily for Web resources in French (n=89,751). Recently, we achieved a major improvement in the structure of the catalogue by setting-up multiple terminologies, based on twelve health terminologies available in French, to overcome the potential weakness of the MeSH thesaurus, which is the main and pivotal terminology we use for indexing and retrieval since 1995. The main aim of this study was to estimate the added-value of exploiting several terminologies and their semantic relationships to improve Web resource indexing and retrieval in CISMeF, in order to provide additional health resources which meet the users' expectations. Twelve terminologies were integrated into the CISMeF information system to set up multiple-terminologies indexing and retrieval. The same sets of thirty queries were run: (i) by exploiting the hierarchical structure of the MeSH, and (ii) by exploiting the additional twelve terminologies and their semantic links. The two search modes were evaluated and compared. The overall coverage of the multiple-terminologies search mode was improved by comparison to the coverage of using the MeSH (16,283 vs. 14,159) (+15%). These additional findings were estimated at 56.6% relevant results, 24.7% intermediate results and 18.7% irrelevant. The multiple-terminologies approach improved information retrieval. These results suggest that integrating additional health terminologies was able to improve recall. Since performing the study, 21 other terminologies have been added which should enable us to make broader studies in multiple-terminologies information retrieval.

Probabilistic structural analysis methods for improving Space Shuttle engine reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyce, L.

1989-01-01

Probabilistic structural analysis methods are particularly useful in the design and analysis of critical structural components and systems that operate in very severe and uncertain environments. These methods have recently found application in space propulsion systems to improve the structural reliability of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) components. A computer program, NESSUS, based on a deterministic finite-element program and a method of probabilistic analysis (fast probability integration) provides probabilistic structural analysis for selected SSME components. While computationally efficient, it considers both correlated and nonnormal random variables as well as an implicit functional relationship between independent and dependent variables. The program is used to determine the response of a nickel-based superalloy SSME turbopump blade. Results include blade tip displacement statistics due to the variability in blade thickness, modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio or density. Modulus of elasticity significantly contributed to blade tip variability while Poisson's ratio did not. Thus, a rational method for choosing parameters to be modeled as random is provided.

Joint Optics Structures Experiment (JOSE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Founds, David

1987-01-01

The objectives of the JOSE program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate active vibration suppression techniques for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). DEW system performance is highly influenced by the line-of-sight (LOS) stability and in some cases by the wave front quality. The missions envisioned for DEW systems by the Strategic Defense Initiative require LOS stability and wave front quality to be significantly improved over any current demonstrated capability. The Active Control of Space Structures (ACOSS) program led to the development of a number of promising structural control techniques. DEW structures are vastly more complex than any structures controlled to date. They will be subject to disturbances with significantly higher magnitudes and wider bandwidths, while holding higher tolerances on allowable motions and deformations. Meeting the performance requirements of the JOSE program requires upgrading the ACOSS techniques to meet new more stringent requirements, the development of requisite sensors and acturators, improved control processors, highly accurate system identification methods, and the integration of hardware and methodologies into a successful demonstration.

Mapping population-based structural connectomes.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhengwu; Descoteaux, Maxime; Zhang, Jingwen; Girard, Gabriel; Chamberland, Maxime; Dunson, David; Srivastava, Anuj; Zhu, Hongtu

2018-05-15

Advances in understanding the structural connectomes of human brain require improved approaches for the construction, comparison and integration of high-dimensional whole-brain tractography data from a large number of individuals. This article develops a population-based structural connectome (PSC) mapping framework to address these challenges. PSC simultaneously characterizes a large number of white matter bundles within and across different subjects by registering different subjects' brains based on coarse cortical parcellations, compressing the bundles of each connection, and extracting novel connection weights. A robust tractography algorithm and streamline post-processing techniques, including dilation of gray matter regions, streamline cutting, and outlier streamline removal are applied to improve the robustness of the extracted structural connectomes. The developed PSC framework can be used to reproducibly extract binary networks, weighted networks and streamline-based brain connectomes. We apply the PSC to Human Connectome Project data to illustrate its application in characterizing normal variations and heritability of structural connectomes in healthy subjects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Data integration for inference about spatial processes: A model-based approach to test and account for data inconsistency

PubMed Central

Pedrini, Paolo; Bragalanti, Natalia; Groff, Claudio

2017-01-01

Recently-developed methods that integrate multiple data sources arising from the same ecological processes have typically utilized structured data from well-defined sampling protocols (e.g., capture-recapture and telemetry). Despite this new methodological focus, the value of opportunistic data for improving inference about spatial ecological processes is unclear and, perhaps more importantly, no procedures are available to formally test whether parameter estimates are consistent across data sources and whether they are suitable for integration. Using data collected on the reintroduced brown bear population in the Italian Alps, a population of conservation importance, we combined data from three sources: traditional spatial capture-recapture data, telemetry data, and opportunistic data. We developed a fully integrated spatial capture-recapture (SCR) model that included a model-based test for data consistency to first compare model estimates using different combinations of data, and then, by acknowledging data-type differences, evaluate parameter consistency. We demonstrate that opportunistic data lend itself naturally to integration within the SCR framework and highlight the value of opportunistic data for improving inference about space use and population size. This is particularly relevant in studies of rare or elusive species, where the number of spatial encounters is usually small and where additional observations are of high value. In addition, our results highlight the importance of testing and accounting for inconsistencies in spatial information from structured and unstructured data so as to avoid the risk of spurious or averaged estimates of space use and consequently, of population size. Our work supports the use of a single modeling framework to combine spatially-referenced data while also accounting for parameter consistency. PMID:28973034

Competence-Based Approach in Value Chain Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo, Rodrigo Cambiaghi; D'Amours, Sophie; Rönnqvist, Mikael

There is a gap between competence theory and value chain processes frameworks. While individually considered as core elements in contemporary management thinking, the integration of the two concepts is still lacking. We claim that this integration would allow for the development of more robust business models by structuring value chain activities around aspects such as capabilities and skills, as well as individual and organizational knowledge. In this context, the objective of this article is to reduce this gap and consequently open a field for further improvements of value chain processes frameworks.

Integrated thin film cadmium sulfide solar cell module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mickelsen, R. A.; Abbott, D. D.

1971-01-01

The design, development, fabrication and tests of flexible integrated thin-film cadmium sulfide solar cells and modules are discussed. The development of low cost and high production rate methods for interconnecting cells into large solar arrays is described. Chromium thin films were applied extensively in the deposited cell structures as a means to: (1) achieve high adherence between the cadmium sulfide films and the vacuum-metallized copper substrates, (2) obtain an ohmic contact to the cadmium sulfide films, and (3) improve the adherence of gold films as grids or contact areas.

Vertical waveguides integrated with silicon photodetectors: Towards high efficiency and low cross-talk image sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tut, Turgut; Dan, Yaping; Duane, Peter; Yu, Young; Wober, Munib; Crozier, Kenneth B.

2012-01-01

We describe the experimental realization of vertical silicon nitride waveguides integrated with silicon photodetectors. The waveguides are embedded in a silicon dioxide layer. Scanning photocurrent microscopy is performed on a device containing a waveguide, and on a device containing the silicon dioxide layer, but without the waveguide. The results confirm the waveguide's ability to guide light onto the photodetector with high efficiency. We anticipate that the use of these structures in image sensors, with one waveguide per pixel, would greatly improve efficiency and significantly reduce inter-pixel crosstalk.

A CMOS microdisplay with integrated controller utilizing improved silicon hot carrier luminescent light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venter, Petrus J.; Alberts, Antonie C.; du Plessis, Monuko; Joubert, Trudi-Heleen; Goosen, Marius E.; Janse van Rensburg, Christo; Rademeyer, Pieter; Fauré, Nicolaas M.

2013-03-01

Microdisplay technology, the miniaturization and integration of small displays for various applications, is predominantly based on OLED and LCoS technologies. Silicon light emission from hot carrier electroluminescence has been shown to emit light visibly perceptible without the aid of any additional intensification, although the electrical to optical conversion efficiency is not as high as the technologies mentioned above. For some applications, this drawback may be traded off against the major cost advantage and superior integration opportunities offered by CMOS microdisplays using integrated silicon light sources. This work introduces an improved version of our previously published microdisplay by making use of new efficiency enhanced CMOS light emitting structures and an increased display resolution. Silicon hot carrier luminescence is often created when reverse biased pn-junctions enter the breakdown regime where impact ionization results in carrier transport across the junction. Avalanche breakdown is typically unwanted in modern CMOS processes. Design rules and process design are generally tailored to prevent breakdown, while the voltages associated with breakdown are too high to directly interact with the rest of the CMOS standard library. This work shows that it is possible to lower the operating voltage of CMOS light sources without compromising the optical output power. This results in more efficient light sources with improved interaction with other standard library components. This work proves that it is possible to create a reasonably high resolution microdisplay while integrating the active matrix controller and drivers on the same integrated circuit die without additional modifications, in a standard CMOS process.

Integrating automated structured analysis and design with Ada programming support environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, Alan; Simmons, Andy

1986-01-01

Ada Programming Support Environments (APSE) include many powerful tools that address the implementation of Ada code. These tools do not address the entire software development process. Structured analysis is a methodology that addresses the creation of complete and accurate system specifications. Structured design takes a specification and derives a plan to decompose the system subcomponents, and provides heuristics to optimize the software design to minimize errors and maintenance. It can also produce the creation of useable modules. Studies have shown that most software errors result from poor system specifications, and that these errors also become more expensive to fix as the development process continues. Structured analysis and design help to uncover error in the early stages of development. The APSE tools help to insure that the code produced is correct, and aid in finding obscure coding errors. However, they do not have the capability to detect errors in specifications or to detect poor designs. An automated system for structured analysis and design TEAMWORK, which can be integrated with an APSE to support software systems development from specification through implementation is described. These tools completement each other to help developers improve quality and productivity, as well as to reduce development and maintenance costs. Complete system documentation and reusable code also resultss from the use of these tools. Integrating an APSE with automated tools for structured analysis and design provide capabilities and advantages beyond those realized with any of these systems used by themselves.

Knowledge sharing and organizational learning in the context of hospital infection prevention.

PubMed

Rangachari, Pavani

2010-01-01

Recently, hospitals that have been successful in preventing infections have labeled their improvement approaches as either the Toyota Production System (TPS) approach or the Positive Deviance (PD) approach. PD has been distinguished from TPS as being a bottom-up approach to improvement, as against top-down. Facilities that have employed both approaches have suggested that PD may be more effective than TPS for infection prevention. This article integrates organizational learning, institutional, and knowledge network theories to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the structure and evolution of effective knowledge-sharing networks in health care organizations, that is, networks most conducive to learning and improvement. Contrary to arguments put forth by hospital success stories, the framework suggests that networks rich in brokerage and hierarchy (ie, top-down, "TPS-like" structures) may be more effective for learning and improvement in health care organizations, compared with a networks rich in density (ie, bottom-up, "PD-like" structures). The theoretical framework and ensuing analysis help identify several gaps in the literature related to organization learning and improvement in the infection prevention context. This, in turn, helps put forth recommendations for health management research and practice.

Integrating Outer Space Design into Design Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilsing, Markus; Akpinar-Wilsing, Nil

2004-01-01

The imagination of human beings and the exploration of novel ideas have always contributed to developments in science. These developments lead us to re-examine the existing structures in our environment and society so that they can be further improved. The review of literature regarding science fiction and its place in education also highlights…

Development of a smart timber bridge girder with fiber optic sensors

Treesearch

James Wacker; Ursula Deza; Brent M. Phares; Terry J. Wipf

2010-01-01

Past timber bridge evaluation and maintenance efforts in the USA have principally focused on the internal integrity of timber components using various non-destructive evaluation tools to supplement visual inspection data. This project is part of a comprehensive effort to develop smart structure concepts for improving the long-term performance, maintenance, and...

Light weight polymer matrix composite material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowles, Kenneth J. (Inventor); Lowell, Carl E. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A graphite fiber reinforced polymer matrix is layed up, cured, and thermally aged at about 750.degree. F. in the presence of an inert gas. The heat treatment improves the structural integrity and alters the electrical conductivity of the materials. In the preferred embodiment PMR-15 polyimides and Celion-6000 graphite fibers are used.

The integral indicator of socio-economic assessment in regard to resource-oriented territories development in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuvashova, M. N.; Avramchikova, N. T.; Zelenkov, P. V.; Petrosyan, M. O.

2016-04-01

Economic peculiarity of Russian resource-oriented territories are based on a focal type of industrial complex, differentiation of economies within a principle of mining and processing of natural resources. To improve the economic condition and integrate into the world innovative process is essential to solve the problem of eliminating the prevalence of resourse focus in the industrial economic structure that could ensure the overcoming of the existing spa- cial dissociation and market mechanisms development in innovative promotion. The monitoring system, involving the integral indicator of socioeconomic and territorial potential assessment, has suggested by the authors. The integral indicator could guarantee the objective evaluation of economic condition within a territory that is vital for the governmental authorities to design strategies providing the economic development of administrative territories.

Research on the Integration of Bionic Geometry Modeling and Simulation of Robot Foot Based on Characteristic Curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, G.; Zhu, H.; Xu, J.; Gao, K.; Zhu, D.

2017-09-01

The bionic research of shape is an important aspect of the research on bionic robot, and its implementation cannot be separated from the shape modeling and numerical simulation of the bionic object, which is tedious and time-consuming. In order to improve the efficiency of shape bionic design, the feet of animals living in soft soil and swamp environment are taken as bionic objects, and characteristic skeleton curve, section curve, joint rotation variable, position and other parameters are used to describe the shape and position information of bionic object’s sole, toes and flipper. The geometry modeling of the bionic object is established by using the parameterization of characteristic curves and variables. Based on this, the integration framework of parametric modeling and finite element modeling, dynamic analysis and post-processing of sinking process in soil is proposed in this paper. The examples of bionic ostrich foot and bionic duck foot are also given. The parametric modeling and integration technique can achieve rapid improved design based on bionic object, and it can also greatly improve the efficiency and quality of robot foot bionic design, and has important practical significance to improve the level of bionic design of robot foot’s shape and structure.

Recent Progress on Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerators for SelfPowered Electronics.

PubMed

Hinchet, Ronan; Seung, Wanchul; Kim, Sang-Woo

2015-07-20

Recently, smart systems have met with large success. At the origin of the internet of things, they are a key driving force for the development of wireless, sustainable, and independent autonomous smart systems. In this context, autonomy is critical, and despite all the progress that has been made in low-power electronics and batteries, energy harvesters are becoming increasingly important. Thus, harvesting mechanical energy is essential, as it is widespread and abundant in our daily life environment. Among harvesters, flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) exhibit good performance, and they are easy to integrate, which makes them perfect candidates for many applications and, therefore, crucial to develop. In this review paper, we first introduce the fundamentals of TENGs, including their four basic operation modes. Then, we discuss the different improvement parameters. We review some progress made in terms of performance and integration that have been possible through the understanding of each operation mode and the development of innovative structures. Finally, we present the latest trends, structures, and materials in view of future improvements and applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning.

PubMed

Samanez-Larkin, Gregory R; Levens, Sara M; Perry, Lee M; Dougherty, Robert F; Knutson, Brian

2012-04-11

Frontostriatal circuits have been implicated in reward learning, and emerging findings suggest that frontal white matter structural integrity and probabilistic reward learning are reduced in older age. This cross-sectional study examined whether age differences in frontostriatal white matter integrity could account for age differences in reward learning in a community life span sample of human adults. By combining diffusion tensor imaging with a probabilistic reward learning task, we found that older age was associated with decreased reward learning and decreased white matter integrity in specific pathways running from the thalamus to the medial prefrontal cortex and from the medial prefrontal cortex to the ventral striatum. Further, white matter integrity in these thalamocorticostriatal paths could statistically account for age differences in learning. These findings suggest that the integrity of frontostriatal white matter pathways critically supports reward learning. The findings also raise the possibility that interventions that bolster frontostriatal integrity might improve reward learning and decision making.

Current capabilities for simulating the extreme distortion of thin structures subjected to severe impacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Key, Samuel W.

1993-01-01

The explicit transient dynamics technology in use today for simulating the impact and subsequent transient dynamic response of a structure has its origins in the 'hydrocodes' dating back to the late 1940's. The growth in capability in explicit transient dynamics technology parallels the growth in speed and size of digital computers. Computer software for simulating the explicit transient dynamic response of a structure is characterized by algorithms that use a large number of small steps. In explicit transient dynamics software there is a significant emphasis on speed and simplicity. The finite element technology used to generate the spatial discretization of a structure is based on a compromise between completeness of the representation for the physical processes modelled and speed in execution. That is, since it is expected in every calculation that the deformation will be finite and the material will be strained beyond the elastic range, the geometry and the associated gradient operators must be reconstructed, as well as complex stress-strain models evaluated at every time step. As a result, finite elements derived for explicit transient dynamics software use the simplest and barest constructions possible for computational efficiency while retaining an essential representation of the physical behavior. The best example of this technology is the four-node bending quadrilateral derived by Belytschko, Lin and Tsay. Today, the speed, memory capacity and availability of computer hardware allows a number of the previously used algorithms to be 'improved.' That is, it is possible with today's computing hardware to modify many of the standard algorithms to improve their representation of the physical process at the expense of added complexity and computational effort. The purpose is to review a number of these algorithms and identify the improvements possible. In many instances, both the older, faster version of the algorithm and the improved and somewhat slower version of the algorithm are found implemented together in software. Specifically, the following seven algorithmic items are examined: the invariant time derivatives of stress used in material models expressed in rate form; incremental objectivity and strain used in the numerical integration of the material models; the use of one-point element integration versus mean quadrature; shell elements used to represent the behavior of thin structural components; beam elements based on stress-resultant plasticity versus cross-section integration; the fidelity of elastic-plastic material models in their representation of ductile metals; and the use of Courant subcycling to reduce computational effort.

Patient, Primary Care Provider, and Specialist Perspectives on Specialty Care Coordination in an Integrated Health Care System.

PubMed

Vimalananda, Varsha G; Dvorin, Kelly; Fincke, B Graeme; Tardiff, Nicole; Bokhour, Barbara G

Successful coordination of specialty care requires understanding the perspectives of patients, primary care providers, and specialists-that is, the specialty care "triad." This study used qualitative methods to compare these perspectives in an integrated health care system, using diabetes specialty care as an exemplar. Primary care providers and endocrinologists relied on interclinician relationships to coordinate care. Clinicians rarely included patients or other staff in their conceptualization of specialty care coordination. Patients often assumed responsibility for specialty care coordination but struggled to succeed. We identified several opportunities to improve coordination across the triad. In an integrated medical system, the shared organizational structure can facilitate these efforts.

Developing Tomorrow's Integrated Community Health Systems: A Leadership Challenge for Public Health and Primary Care

PubMed Central

Welton, William E.; Kantner, Theodore A.; Katz, Sheila Moriber

1997-01-01

As the nation's health system moves away from earlier models to one grounded in population health and market-based systems of care, new challenges arise for public health professionals, primary care practitioners, health plan and institutional managers, and community leaders. Among the challenges are the need to develop creative concepts of organization and accountability and to assure that dynamic, system-oriented structures support the new kind of leadership that is required. Developing tomorrow's integrated community health systems will challenge the leadership skills and integrative abilities of public health professionals, primary care practitioners, and managers. These leaders and their new organizations must, in turn, assume increased accountability for improving community health. PMID:9184684

An integrated multi-source energy harvester based on vibration and magnetic field energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zhengwen; Qiu, Jing; Wang, Xian; Gao, Yuan; Liu, Xin; Chang, Qijie; Long, Yibing; He, Xingduo

2018-05-01

In this paper, an integrated multi-source energy harvester (IMSEH) employing a special shaped cantilever beam and a piezoelectric transducer to convert vibration and magnetic field energy into electrical energy is presented. The electric output performance of the proposed IMSEH has been investigated. Compared to a traditional multi-source energy harvester (MSEH) or single source energy harvester (SSEH), the proposed IMSEH can simultaneously harvest vibration and magnetic field energy with an integrated structure and the electric output is greatly improved. When other conditions keep identical, the IMSEH can obtain high voltage of 12.8V. Remarkably, the proposed IMSEHs have great potential for its application in wireless sensor network.

Enhanced canopy fuel mapping by integrating lidar data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, Birgit E.; Nelson, Kurtis J.

2016-10-03

BackgroundThe Wildfire Sciences Team at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center produces vegetation type, vegetation structure, and fuel products for the United States, primarily through the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) program. LANDFIRE products are used across disciplines for a variety of applications. The LANDFIRE data retain their currency and relevancy through periodic updating or remapping. These updating and remapping efforts provide opportunities to improve the LANDFIRE product suite by incorporating data from other sources. Light detection and ranging (lidar) is uniquely suitable for gathering information on vegetation structure and spatial arrangement because it can collect data in three dimensions. The Wildfire Sciences Team has several completed and ongoing studies focused on integrating lidar into vegetation and fuels mapping.

Integration of Text- and Data-Mining Technologies for Use in Banking Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslankowski, Jacek

Unstructured data, most of it in the form of text files, typically accounts for 85% of an organization's knowledge stores, but it's not always easy to find, access, analyze or use (Robb 2004). That is why it is important to use solutions based on text and data mining. This solution is known as duo mining. This leads to improve management based on knowledge owned in organization. The results are interesting. Data mining provides to lead with structuralized data, usually powered from data warehouses. Text mining, sometimes called web mining, looks for patterns in unstructured data — memos, document and www. Integrating text-based information with structured data enriches predictive modeling capabilities and provides new stores of insightful and valuable information for driving business and research initiatives forward.

Computer-Based Learning: Graphical Integration of Whole and Sectional Neuroanatomy Improves Long-Term Retention

PubMed Central

Naaz, Farah; Chariker, Julia H.; Pani, John R.

2013-01-01

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that instruction with graphically integrated representations of whole and sectional neuroanatomy is especially effective for learning to recognize neural structures in sectional imagery (such as MRI images). Neuroanatomy was taught to two groups of participants using computer graphical models of the human brain. Both groups learned whole anatomy first with a three-dimensional model of the brain. One group then learned sectional anatomy using two-dimensional sectional representations, with the expectation that there would be transfer of learning from whole to sectional anatomy. The second group learned sectional anatomy by moving a virtual cutting plane through the three-dimensional model. In tests of long-term retention of sectional neuroanatomy, the group with graphically integrated representation recognized more neural structures that were known to be challenging to learn. This study demonstrates the use of graphical representation to facilitate a more elaborated (deeper) understanding of complex spatial relations. PMID:24563579

Bayesian Knowledge Fusion in Prognostics and Health Management—A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabiei, Masoud; Modarres, Mohammad; Mohammad-Djafari, Ali

2011-03-01

In the past few years, a research effort has been in progress at University of Maryland to develop a Bayesian framework based on Physics of Failure (PoF) for risk assessment and fleet management of aging airframes. Despite significant achievements in modelling of crack growth behavior using fracture mechanics, it is still of great interest to find practical techniques for monitoring the crack growth instances using nondestructive inspection and to integrate such inspection results with the fracture mechanics models to improve the predictions. The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop an integrated probabilistic framework for utilizing all of the available information to come up with enhanced (less uncertain) predictions for structural health of the aircraft in future missions. Such information includes material level fatigue models and test data, health monitoring measurements and inspection field data. In this paper, a case study of using Bayesian fusion technique for integrating information from multiple sources in a structural health management problem is presented.

Polymer based resonant waveguide grating photonic filter with on-chip thermal tuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhuri, Ritesh Ray; Enemuo, Amarachukwu N.; Song, Youngsik; Seo, Sang-Woo

2018-07-01

In this paper, we present the development of a multilayer polymer resonant waveguide grating (RWG)-based optical filter with an integrated microheater for on-chip thermal spectral tuning. RWG optical filter is fabricated using polymer-based materials. Therefore, its integration can be applied to different material platforms. Typical RWG structure is sensitive to back optical reflection from the structures below. To reduce the effect of back reflection from the metal heater and improve the quality of the integrated RWG filter output, an intermediate absorption layer was implemented utilizing an epoxy based carbon coating. This approach effectively suppresses the background noise in the RWG characteristics. The central wavelength of the reported filter was designed around 1550 nm. Experimentally, wavelength tuning of 21.96 nm was achieved for operating temperature range of 81 °C with approximately 150mW power consumption. Based on the layer-by-layer fabrication approach, the presented thermally tunable RWG filter on a chip has potential for use in low cost hybrid communication systems and spectral sensing applications.

Performance enhancement of uncooled infrared focal plane array by integrating metamaterial absorber

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

Ma, Wei; Wen, Yongzheng; Yu, Xiaomei, E-mail: yuxm@pku.edu.cn

2015-03-16

This letter presents an infrared (IR) focal plane array (FPA) with metamaterial absorber (MMA) integrated to enhance its performance. A glass substrate, on which arrays of bimaterial cantilevers are fabricated as the thermal-sensitive pixels by a polyimide surface sacrificial process, is employed to allow the optical readout from the back side of the substrate. Whereas the IR wave radiates onto the FPA from the front side, which consequently avoids the energy loss caused by the silicon substrate compared with the previous works. This structure also facilitates the integration of MMA by introducing a layer of periodic square resonators atop themore » SiN{sub x} structural layer to form a metal/dielectric/metal stack with the gold mirror functioning as the ground plane. A comparative experiment was carried out on the FPAs that use MMA and ordinary SiN{sub x} as the absorbers, respectively. The performance improvement was verified by the evaluation of the absorbers as well as the imaging results of both FPAs.« less

Plasmonic Structure Integrated Single-Photon Detector Configurations to Improve Absorptance and Polarization Contrast

PubMed Central

Csete, Mária; Szekeres, Gábor; Szenes, András; Szalai, Anikó; Szabó, Gábor

2015-01-01

Configurations capable of maximizing both the absorption component of system detection efficiency and the achievable polarization contrast were determined for 1550 nm polarized light illumination of different plasmonic structure integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) consisting of p = 264 nm and P = 792 nm periodic niobium nitride (NbN) patterns on silica substrate. Global effective NbN absorptance maxima appear in case of p/s-polarized light illumination in S/P-orientation (γ = 90°/0° azimuthal angle) and the highest polarization contrast is attained in S-orientation of all devices. Common nanophotonical origin of absorptance enhancement is collective resonance on nanocavity gratings with different profiles, which is promoted by coupling between localized modes in quarter-wavelength metal-insulator-metal nanocavities and laterally synchronized Brewster-Zenneck-type surface waves in integrated SNSPDs possessing a three-quarter-wavelength-scaled periodicity. The spectral sensitivity and dispersion characteristics reveal that device design specific optimal configurations exist. PMID:25654724

Professionals’ views on interprofessional stroke team functioning

PubMed Central

Cramm, Jane M; Nieboer, Anna P

2011-01-01

Introduction The quality of integrated stroke care depends on smooth team functioning but professionals may not always work well together. Professionals’ perspectives on the factors that influence stroke team functioning remain largely unexamined. Understanding their experiences is critical to indentifying measures to improve team functioning. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that contributed to the success of interprofessional stroke teams as perceived by team members. Methods We distributed questionnaires to professionals within 34 integrated stroke care teams at various health care facilities in 9 Dutch regions. 558 respondents (response rate: 39%) completed the questionnaire. To account for the hierarchical structure of the study design we fitted a hierarchical random-effects model. The hierarchical structure comprised 558 stroke team members (level 1) nested in 34 teams (level 2). Results Analyses showed that personal development, social well-being, interprofessional education, communication, and role understanding significantly contributed to stroke team functioning. Team-level constructs affecting interprofessional stroke team functioning were communication and role understanding. No significant relationships were found with individual-level personal autonomy and team-level cohesion. Discussion and conclusion Our findings suggest that interventions to improve team members’ social well-being, communication, and role understanding will improve teams’ performance. To further advance interprofessional team functioning, healthcare organizations should pay attention to developing professionals’ interpersonal skills and interprofessional education. PMID:23390409

Tweaking Dendrimers and Dendritic Nanoparticles for Controlled Nano-bio Interactions: Potential Nanocarriers for Improved Cancer Targeting

PubMed Central

Bugno, Jason; Hsu, Hao-Jui; Hong, Seungpyo

2016-01-01

Nanoparticles have shown great promise in the treatment of cancer, with a demonstrated potential in targeted drug delivery. Among a myriad of nanocarriers that have been recently developed, dendrimers have attracted a great deal of scientific interests due to their unique chemical and structural properties that allow for precise engineering of their characteristics. Despite this, the clinical translation of dendrimers has been hindered due to their drawbacks, such as scale-up issues, rapid systemic elimination, inefficient tumor accumulation, and limited drug loading. In order to overcome these limitations, a series of reengineered dendrimers have been recently introduced using various approaches, including: i) modifications of structure and surfaces; ii) integration with linear polymers; and iii) hybridization with other types of nanocarriers. Chemical modifications and surface engineering have tailored dendrimers to improve their pharmacokinetics and tissue permeation. Copolymerization of dendritic polymers with linear polymers has resulted in various amphiphilic copolymers with self-assembly capabilities and improved drug loading efficiencies. Hybridization with other nanocarriers integrates advantageous characteristics of both systems, which includes prolonged plasma circulation times and enhanced tumor targeting. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the newly emerging drug delivery systems that involve reengineering of dendrimers in an effort to precisely control their nano-bio interactions, mitigating their inherent weaknesses. PMID:26453160

Bridging the Gap: A Framework and Strategies for Integrating the Quality and Safety Mission of Teaching Hospitals and Graduate Medical Education.

PubMed

Tess, Anjala; Vidyarthi, Arpana; Yang, Julius; Myers, Jennifer S

2015-09-01

Integrating the quality and safety mission of teaching hospitals and graduate medical education (GME) is a necessary step to provide the next generation of physicians with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to participate in health system improvement. Although many teaching hospital and health system leaders have made substantial efforts to improve the quality of patient care, few have fully included residents and fellows, who deliver a large portion of that care, in their efforts. Despite expectations related to the engagement of these trainees in health care quality improvement and patient safety outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the Clinical Learning Environment Review program, a structure for approaching this integration has not been described.In this article, the authors present a framework that they hope will assist teaching hospitals in integrating residents and fellows into their quality and safety efforts and in fostering a positive clinical learning environment for education and patient care. The authors define the six essential elements of this framework-organizational culture, teaching hospital-GME alignment, infrastructure, curricular resources, faculty development, and interprofessional collaboration. They then describe the organizational characteristics required for each element and offer concrete strategies to achieve integration. This framework is meant to be a starting point for the development of robust national models of infrastructure, alignment, and collaboration between GME and health care quality and safety leaders at teaching hospitals.

Impact of Materials Defects on Engine Structures Integrity (L’Impact des Defauts des Materiaux sur l’Integrite des Structures des Moteurs)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

years have been a continuous inspiration to me. AGARD-R-769, NATO-AGARD, 1988. I thank them for allowing me to assist them in their learning endeavors...ceramics. These ceramic filters have been very effective in improving VIM ingot quality in r.cnt years. Eddy Current Might be applicable to deep ...appropriately defined material behavior. In general. all these sample can become prohibitively large. elements: fractography of failed test pieces

‘Act on Oncology’ as a New Comprehensive Approach to Assess Prostate Cancer Centres – Method Description and Results of a Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Voigt, Wieland; Hoellthaler, Josef; Magnani, Tiziana; Corrao, Vito; Valdagni, Riccardo

2014-01-01

Background Multidisciplinary care of prostate cancer is increasingly offered in specialised cancer centres. It requires the optimisation of medical and operational processes and the integration of the different medical and non-medical stakeholders. Objective To develop a standardised operational process assessment tool basing on the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) able to implement multidisciplinary care and improve process quality and efficiency. Design, Setting, and Participants Information for model development was derived from medical experts, clinical guidelines, best practice elements of renowned cancer centres, and scientific literature. Data were organised in a hierarchically structured model, consisting of 5 categories, 30 key process areas, 172 requirements, and more than 1500 criteria. Compliance with requirements was assessed through structured on-site surveys covering all relevant clinical and management processes. Comparison with best practice standards allowed to recommend improvements. ‘Act On Oncology’(AoO) was applied in a pilot study on a prostate cancer unit in Europe. Results and Limitations Several best practice elements such as multidisciplinary clinics or advanced organisational measures for patient scheduling were observed. Substantial opportunities were found in other areas such as centre management and infrastructure. As first improvements the evaluated centre administration described and formalised the organisation of the prostate cancer unit with defined personnel assignments and clinical activities and a formal agreement is being worked on to have structured access to First-Aid Posts. Conclusions In the pilot study, the AoO approach was feasible to identify opportunities for process improvements. Measures were derived that might increase the operational process quality and efficiency. PMID:25192213

Fabrication and Characteristics of Al/PTFE Multilayers and Application in Micro-initiator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuxin; Jiang, Hongchuan; Zhao, Xiaohui; Zhang, Wanli; Li, Yanrong

2017-12-01

In this paper, a micro-initiator was designed and fabricated by integrating Al/PTFE multilayers with a Cu film bridge. The regularity layer structure and interface composition of Al/PTFE multilayers was analysed by transmission electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The heat release reaction in Al/PTFE multilayers can be triggered with reaction temperature of 430 °C, and the overall heat of reaction is 3192 J/g. Al/PTFE multilayers with bilayer thickness of 200 nm was alternately deposited on a Cu film bridge to improve the electric explosion performances. Compared to Cu film bridge, the Al/PTFE/Cu integrated film bridge exhibits improved performances with longer explosion duration time, more violent explosion phenomenon and larger quantities of ejected product particles.

Evicase: an evidence-based case structuring approach for personalized healthcare.

PubMed

Carmeli, Boaz; Casali, Paolo; Goldbraich, Anna; Goldsteen, Abigail; Kent, Carmel; Licitra, Lisa; Locatelli, Paolo; Restifo, Nicola; Rinott, Ruty; Sini, Elena; Torresani, Michele; Waks, Zeev

2012-01-01

The personalized medicine era stresses a growing need to combine evidence-based medicine with case based reasoning in order to improve the care process. To address this need we suggest a framework to generate multi-tiered statistical structures we call Evicases. Evicase integrates established medical evidence together with patient cases from the bedside. It then uses machine learning algorithms to produce statistical results and aggregators, weighted predictions, and appropriate recommendations. Designed as a stand-alone structure, Evicase can be used for a range of decision support applications including guideline adherence monitoring and personalized prognostic predictions.

Toward smart aerospace structures: design of a piezoelectric sensor and its analog interface for flaw detection.

PubMed

Boukabache, Hamza; Escriba, Christophe; Fourniols, Jean-Yves

2014-10-31

Structural health monitoring using noninvasive methods is one of the major challenges that aerospace manufacturers face in this decade. Our work in this field focuses on the development and the system integration of millimetric piezoelectric sensors/ actuators to generate and measure specific guided waves. The aim of the application is to detect mechanical flaws on complex composite and alloy structures to quantify efficiently the global structures' reliability. The study begins by a physical and analytical analysis of a piezoelectric patch. To preserve the structure's integrity, the transducers are directly pasted onto the surface which leads to a critical issue concerning the interfacing layer. In order to improve the reliability and mitigate the influence of the interfacing layer, the global equations of piezoelectricity are coupled with a load transfer model. Thus we can determine precisely the shear strain developed on the surface of the structure. To exploit the generated signal, a high precision analog charge amplifier coupled to a double T notch filter were designed and scaled. Finally, a novel joined time-frequency analysis based on a wavelet decomposition algorithm is used to extract relevant structures signatures. Finally, this paper provides examples of application on aircraft structure specimens and the feasibility of the system is thus demonstrated.

Toward Smart Aerospace Structures: Design of a Piezoelectric Sensor and Its Analog Interface for Flaw Detection

PubMed Central

Boukabache, Hamza; Escriba, Christophe; Fourniols, Jean-Yves

2014-01-01

Structural health monitoring using noninvasive methods is one of the major challenges that aerospace manufacturers face in this decade. Our work in this field focuses on the development and the system integration of millimetric piezoelectric sensors/ actuators to generate and measure specific guided waves. The aim of the application is to detect mechanical flaws on complex composite and alloy structures to quantify efficiently the global structures' reliability. The study begins by a physical and analytical analysis of a piezoelectric patch. To preserve the structure's integrity, the transducers are directly pasted onto the surface which leads to a critical issue concerning the interfacing layer. In order to improve the reliability and mitigate the influence of the interfacing layer, the global equations of piezoelectricity are coupled with a load transfer model. Thus we can determine precisely the shear strain developed on the surface of the structure. To exploit the generated signal, a high precision analog charge amplifier coupled to a double T notch filter were designed and scaled. Finally, a novel joined time-frequency analysis based on a wavelet decomposition algorithm is used to extract relevant structures signatures. Finally, this paper provides examples of application on aircraft structure specimens and the feasibility of the system is thus demonstrated. PMID:25365457

Orientation-dependent integral equation theory for a two-dimensional model of water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbič, T.; Vlachy, V.; Kalyuzhnyi, Yu. V.; Dill, K. A.

2003-03-01

We develop an integral equation theory that applies to strongly associating orientation-dependent liquids, such as water. In an earlier treatment, we developed a Wertheim integral equation theory (IET) that we tested against NPT Monte Carlo simulations of the two-dimensional Mercedes Benz model of water. The main approximation in the earlier calculation was an orientational averaging in the multidensity Ornstein-Zernike equation. Here we improve the theory by explicit introduction of an orientation dependence in the IET, based upon expanding the two-particle angular correlation function in orthogonal basis functions. We find that the new orientation-dependent IET (ODIET) yields a considerable improvement of the predicted structure of water, when compared to the Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, ODIET predicts more long-range order than the original IET, with hexagonal symmetry, as expected for the hydrogen bonded ice in this model. The new theoretical approximation still errs in some subtle properties; for example, it does not predict liquid water's density maximum with temperature or the negative thermal expansion coefficient.

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The objective of the Energy Efficient Engine Component Development and Integration program is to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate the technology for achieving lower installed fuel consumption and lower operating costs in future commercial turbofan engines. Minimum goals have been set for a 12 percent reduction in thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC), 5 percent reduction in direct operating cost (DOC), and 50 percent reduction in performance degradation for the Energy Efficient Engine (flight propulsion system) relative to the JT9D-7A reference engine. The Energy Efficienct Engine features a twin spool, direct drive, mixed flow exhaust configuration, utilizing an integrated engine nacelle structure. A short, stiff, high rotor and a single stage high pressure turbine are among the major enhancements in providing for both performance retention and major reductions in maintenance and direct operating costs. Improved clearance control in the high pressure compressor and turbines, and advanced single crystal materials in turbine blades and vanes are among the major features providing performance improvement. Highlights of work accomplished and programs modifications and deletions are presented.

Social organization of self-management support of persons with diabetes: a health systems comparison.

PubMed

Schiøtz, Michaela; Frølich, Anne; Krasnik, Allan; Taylor, Warren; Hsu, John

2012-09-01

Identify important organizational elements for providing self-management support (SMS). Semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted in two healthcare systems. Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the Danish Health Care System. 36 managers and healthcare professionals in the two healthcare systems. Elements important to providing self-management support to persons with diabetes. Healthcare professionals' provision of SMS was influenced by healthcare system organization and their perceptions of SMS, the capability and responsibility of healthcare systems, and their roles in the healthcare organization. Enabling factors for providing SMS included: strong leadership; aligned incentives; use of an integrated health information technology (HIT) system; multidisciplinary healthcare provider teams; ongoing training for healthcare professionals; outreach; and quality goals. Barriers to providing SMS included lack of collaboration between providers and skeptical attitudes towards prevention and outreach. Implementation of SMS can be improved by an understanding of the elements that enhance its provision: (1) initiatives seeking to improve collaboration and integration between providers; (2) implementation of an integrated HIT system; and (3) ongoing training of healthcare professionals.

Making quality improvement programs more effective.

PubMed

Shaw-Taylor, Yoku

2014-01-01

In the past 25 years, and as recent as 2011, all external evaluations of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program have found its impact to be small or difficult to discern. The QIO program costs about $200 million on average to administer each year to improve quality of healthcare for people of 65 years or older. The program was created to address questionable quality of care. QIOs review how care is provided based on performance measures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. In 2012, the author supported the production of quarterly reports and reviewed internal monitoring and evaluation protocols of the program. The task also required reviewing all previous program evaluations. The task involved many conversations about the complexities of the program, why impact is difficult to discern and possible ways for eventual improvement. Process flow charts were created to simulate the data life cycle and discrete event models were created based on the sequence of data collection and reporting to identify gaps in data flow. The internal evaluation uncovered data gaps within the program. The need for a system of specification rules for data conceptualization, collection, distribution, discovery, analysis and repurposing is clear. There were data inconsistencies and difficulty of integrating data from one instance of measurement to the next. The lack of good and reliable data makes it difficult to discern true impact. The prescription is for a formal data policy or data governance structure to integrate and document all aspects of the data life cycle. The specification rules for governance are exemplified by the Data Documentation Initiative and the requirements published by the Data Governance Institute. The elements are all in place for a solid foundation of the data governance structure. These recommendations will increase the value of program data. The model specifies which agency units must be included in the governance authority and the data team. The model prescribes in detail a data governance model to address gaps in the life cycle. These prescriptive measures will allow the program to integrate all of its data. Without this formal data governance structure, the QIO program will be undetermined by the persistent lack of good data for monitoring and evaluation.

Introduction of a quality improvement program in a children's hospital in Tehran: design, implementation, evaluation and lessons learned.

PubMed

Mohammadi, S Mehrdad; Mohammadi, S Farzad; Hedges, Jerris R; Zohrabi, Morteza; Ameli, Omid

2007-08-01

Reports addressing continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods in developing countries are scant and there are questions about the applicability of quality improvement methods in such settings. The structure and output of a formal quality improvement program implemented in a teaching hospital affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences is presented. OBJECTIVE METHOD: During a nine-month period, a multi-stage quality improvement program was implemented. It comprised: (i) training workshops; (ii) a steering committee; (iii) weekly consultation and facilitation of improvement projects; and (iv) a day-long demonstration and recognition meeting. Four cycles of workshops were held in which 132 employees were trained in the basics of CQI. Thirty improvement projects were initiated. Twenty-five of the projects were completed. In an evaluation survey more than 70% of respondents assessed a 'positive impact' on organizational culture, work efficiency and quality of services. More than 90% believed that the changes were sustained, and more than 60% reported that they have implemented additional improvement projects. Our quality improvement package supported rapid implementation of multiple projects. The underlying 'change structure' comprised the improvement teams, top management and the university's quality improvement office; it integrated project management, support and facilitation functions by the respective participant. Organization-wide change was more limited than anticipated. To institutionalize the program and ensure sustainability, a local structure for change should be organized, management coaching should be sustained, local facilitators should be developed, incentives should be established and physician involvement should be emphasized.

Perceptions of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine among conventional healthcare practitioners in Accra, Ghana: Implications for integrative healthcare.

PubMed

Kretchy, Irene A; Okere, Harry A; Osafo, Joseph; Afrane, Barima; Sarkodie, Joseph; Debrah, Philip

2016-09-01

Integrative medicine refers to ongoing efforts to combine the best of conventional and evidence-based complementary therapies. While this effort for collaboration is increasing, traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TM-CAM) remains poorly integrated into the current healthcare system of Ghana. At present, it is not clear if practitioners of mainstream medicine favor integrative medicine. The present study, therefore, sought to explore the perceptions of conventional healthcare professionals on integrative medicine. A qualitative design composed of semi-structured interviews was conducted with 23 conventional healthcare professionals comprising pharmacists, physicians, nurses and dieticians from two quasi-government hospitals in Accra, Ghana. Participants' knowledge of TM-CAM was low, and although they perceived alternative medicine as important to current conventional healthcare in Ghana, they expressed anxieties about the potential negative effects of the use of TM-CAM. This paradox was found to account for the low levels of use among these professionals, as well as the low level of recommendation to their patients. The practitioners surveyed recommended that alternative medicine could be integrated into mainstream allopathic healthcare in Ghana through improving knowledge, training as well as addressing concerns of safety and efficacy. These findings are discussed under the themes: the knowledge gap, the paradox of TM-CAM, experience of use and prescription, and guided integration. We did not observe any differences in views among the participants. The conventional healthcare professionals were ready to accept the idea of integrative medicine based on knowledge of widespread use and the potential role of TM-CAM products and practices in improving healthcare delivery in the country. However, to achieve an institutional integration, practitioners' understanding of TM-CAM must be improved, with specific attention to issues of safety, regulation and evidence-based practice of TM-CAM products and services in Ghana.

Improved hydrological-model design by integrating nutrient and water flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arheimer, B.; Lindstrom, G.

2013-12-01

The potential of integrating hydrologic and nutrient concentration data to better understand patterns of catchment response and to better design hydrological modeling was explored using a national multi-basin model system for Sweden, called ';S-HYPE'. The model system covers more than 450 000 km2 and produce daily values of nutrient concentration and water discharge in 37 000 catchments from 1961 and onwards. It is based on the processed-based and semi-distributed HYdrological Predictions for the Environment (HYPE) code. The model is used operationally for assessments of water status or climate change impacts and for forecasts by the national warning service of floods, droughts and fire. The first model was launched in 2008, but S-HYPE is continuously improved and released in new versions every second year. Observations are available in 400 sites for daily water discharge and some 900 sites for monthly grab samples of nutrient concentrations. The latest version (2012) has an average NSE for water discharge of 0.7 and an average relative error of 5%, including both regulated and unregulated rivers with catchments from ten to several thousands of km2 and various landuse. The daily relative errors of nutrient concentrations are on average 20% for total Nitrogen and 35% for total Phosphorus. This presentation will give practical examples of how the nutrient data has been used to trace errors or inadequate parameter values in the hydrological model. Since 2008 several parts of the model structure has been reconsidered both in the source code, parameter values and input data of catchment characteristics. In this process water quality has been guiding much of the overall model design of catchment hydrological functions and routing along the river network. The model structure has thus been developed iteratively when evaluating results and checking time-series. Examples of water quality driven improvements will be given for estimation of vertical flow paths, such as separation of the hydrograph in surface flow, snow melt and baseflow, as well as horizontal flow paths in the landscape, such as mixing from various land use, impact from lakes and river channel volume. Overall, the S-HYPE model performance of water discharge increased from NSE 0.55 to 0.69 as an average for 400 gauges between the version 2010 and 2012. Most of this improvement, however, can be referred to improved regulations routines, rating curves for major lakes and parameters correcting ET and precipitation. Nevertheless, integrated water and nutrient modeling put constraints on the hydrological parameter values, which reduce equifinality for the hydrological part without reducing the model performance. The examples illustrates that the credibility of the hydrological model structure is thus improved by integrating water and nutrient flow. This lead to improved understanding of flow paths and water-nutrient process interactions in Sweden, which in turn will be very useful in further model analysis on impact of climate change or measures to reduce nutrient load from rivers to the Baltic Sea.

Fast integral methods for integrated optical systems simulations: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleemann, Bernd H.

2015-09-01

Boundary integral equation methods (BIM) or simply integral methods (IM) in the context of optical design and simulation are rigorous electromagnetic methods solving Helmholtz or Maxwell equations on the boundary (surface or interface of the structures between two materials) for scattering or/and diffraction purposes. This work is mainly restricted to integral methods for diffracting structures such as gratings, kinoforms, diffractive optical elements (DOEs), micro Fresnel lenses, computer generated holograms (CGHs), holographic or digital phase holograms, periodic lithographic structures, and the like. In most cases all of the mentioned structures have dimensions of thousands of wavelengths in diameter. Therefore, the basic methods necessary for the numerical treatment are locally applied electromagnetic grating diffraction algorithms. Interestingly, integral methods belong to the first electromagnetic methods investigated for grating diffraction. The development started in the mid 1960ies for gratings with infinite conductivity and it was mainly due to the good convergence of the integral methods especially for TM polarization. The first integral equation methods (IEM) for finite conductivity were the methods by D. Maystre at Fresnel Institute in Marseille: in 1972/74 for dielectric, and metallic gratings, and later for multiprofile, and other types of gratings and for photonic crystals. Other methods such as differential and modal methods suffered from unstable behaviour and slow convergence compared to BIMs for metallic gratings in TM polarization from the beginning to the mid 1990ies. The first BIM for gratings using a parametrization of the profile was developed at Karl-Weierstrass Institute in Berlin under a contract with Carl Zeiss Jena works in 1984-1986 by A. Pomp, J. Creutziger, and the author. Due to the parametrization, this method was able to deal with any kind of surface grating from the beginning: whether profiles with edges, overhanging non-functional profiles, very deep ones, very large ones compared to wavelength, or simple smooth profiles. This integral method with either trigonometric or spline collocation, iterative solver with O(N2) complexity, named IESMP, was significantly improved by an efficient mesh refinement, matrix preconditioning, Ewald summation method, and an exponentially convergent quadrature in 2006 by G. Schmidt and A. Rathsfeld from Weierstrass-Institute (WIAS) Berlin. The so-called modified integral method (MIM) is a modification of the IEM of D. Maystre and has been introduced by L. Goray in 1995. It has been improved for weak convergence problems in 2001 and it was the only commercial available integral method for a long time, known as PCGRATE. All referenced integral methods so far are for in-plane diffraction only, no conical diffraction was possible. The first integral method for gratings in conical mounting was developed and proven under very weak conditions by G. Schmidt (WIAS) in 2010. It works for separated interfaces and for inclusions as well as for interpenetrating interfaces and for a large number of thin and thick layers in the same stable way. This very fast method has then been implemented for parallel processing under Unix and Windows operating systems. This work gives an overview over the most important BIMs for grating diffraction. It starts by presenting the historical evolution of the methods, highlights their advantages and differences, and gives insight into new approaches and their achievements. It addresses future open challenges at the end.

Structural Probability Concepts Adapted to Electrical Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinberg, Eric P.; Chamis, Christos C.

1994-01-01

Through the use of equivalent variable analogies, the authors demonstrate how an electrical subsystem can be modeled by an equivalent structural subsystem. This allows the electrical subsystem to be probabilistically analyzed by using available structural reliability computer codes such as NESSUS. With the ability to analyze the electrical subsystem probabilistically, we can evaluate the reliability of systems that include both structural and electrical subsystems. Common examples of such systems are a structural subsystem integrated with a health-monitoring subsystem, and smart structures. Since these systems have electrical subsystems that directly affect the operation of the overall system, probabilistically analyzing them could lead to improved reliability and reduced costs. The direct effect of the electrical subsystem on the structural subsystem is of secondary order and is not considered in the scope of this work.

Design of a New Integrated Structure of the Active Suspension System and Emergency Lane Change Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jing-bo; Liu, Hai-mei; Zhang, Lan-chun; Bei, Shao-yi

2017-09-01

An integrated structure of the active suspension system was proposed in order to solve the problem of the individual control of the height of the body or the adjustable damping of the active suspension system of the electric vehicle, which improve the vibration reduction performance of the vehicle. The air bag was used to replace the traditional spiral spring, and the traditional shock absorber was replaced by the damping adjustable shock absorber, and the control module received the body acceleration sensor and the horizontal height sensor signal. The system controlled adjustable damping coefficient of shock absorber through the height of the car body the output of the air pump relay and the height control valve and the output of the electromagnetic valve of the adjustable damping shock absorber, and the emergency lane change test was carried out under different modes of speed of 60km/h. The experimental results indicated that the damping value was greater, average roll angle, yaw angle and average vehicle lateral acceleration were small when vehicle body was in the state of emergency lane change, which verified the feasibility of the integrated control strategy and structure design of the active suspension system. The research has important theoretical research value and engineering application prospect for designing and controlling strategy of vehicle chassis integrated control system.

Shallow subsurface structure of the Wasatch fault, Provo segment, Utah, from integrated compressional and shear-wave seismic reflection profiles with implications for fault structure and development

USGS Publications Warehouse

McBride, J.H.; Stephenson, W.J.; Williams, R.A.; Odum, J.K.; Worley, D.M.; South, J.V.; Brinkerhoff, A.R.; Keach, R.W.; Okojie-Ayoro, A. O.

2010-01-01

Integrated vibroseis compressional and experimental hammer-source, shear-wave, seismic reflection profiles across the Provo segment of the Wasatch fault zone in Utah reveal near-surface and shallow bedrock structures caused by geologically recent deformation. Combining information from the seismic surveys, geologic mapping, terrain analysis, and previous seismic first-arrival modeling provides a well-constrained cross section of the upper ~500 m of the subsurface. Faults are mapped from the surface, through shallow, poorly consolidated deltaic sediments, and cutting through a rigid bedrock surface. The new seismic data are used to test hypotheses on changing fault orientation with depth, the number of subsidiary faults within the fault zone and the width of the fault zone, and the utility of integrating separate elastic methods to provide information on a complex structural zone. Although previous surface mapping has indicated only a few faults, the seismic section shows a wider and more complex deformation zone with both synthetic and antithetic normal faults. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of a combined shallow and deeper penetrating geophysical survey, integrated with detailed geologic mapping to constrain subsurface fault structure. Due to the complexity of the fault zone, accurate seismic velocity information is essential and was obtained from a first-break tomography model. The new constraints on fault geometry can be used to refine estimates of vertical versus lateral tectonic movements and to improve seismic hazard assessment along the Wasatch fault through an urban area. We suggest that earthquake-hazard assessments made without seismic reflection imaging may be biased by the previous mapping of too few faults. ?? 2010 Geological Society of America.

Fatigue of Ti6Al4V Structural Health Monitoring Systems Produced by Selective Laser Melting.

PubMed

Strantza, Maria; Vafadari, Reza; de Baere, Dieter; Vrancken, Bey; van Paepegem, Wim; Vandendael, Isabelle; Terryn, Herman; Guillaume, Patrick; van Hemelrijck, Danny

2016-02-11

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process which is used for producing metallic components. Currently, the integrity of components produced by SLM is in need of improvement due to residual stresses and unknown fracture behavior. Titanium alloys produced by AM are capable candidates for applications in aerospace and industrial fields due to their fracture resistance, fatigue behavior and corrosion resistance. On the other hand, structural health monitoring (SHM) system technologies are promising and requested from the industry. SHM systems can monitor the integrity of a structure and during the last decades the research has primarily been influenced by bionic engineering. In that aspect a new philosophy for SHM has been developed: the so-called effective structural health monitoring (eSHM) system. The current system uses the design freedom provided by AM. The working principle of the system is based on crack detection by means of a network of capillaries that are integrated in a structure. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the functionality of Ti6Al4V produced by the SLM process in the novel SHM system and to confirm that the eSHM system can successfully detect cracks in SLM components. In this study four-point bending fatigue tests on Ti6Al4V SLM specimens with an integrated SHM system were conducted. Fractographic analysis was performed after the final failure, while finite element simulations were used in order to determine the stress distribution in the capillary region and on the component. It was proven that the SHM system does not influence the crack initiation behavior during fatigue. The results highlight the effectiveness of the eSHM on SLM components, which can potentially be used by industrial and aerospace applications.

Improved Fabrication of Ceramic Matrix Composite/Foam Core Integrated Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurwitz, Frances I.

2009-01-01

The use of hybridized carbon/silicon carbide (C/SiC) fabric to reinforce ceramic matrix composite face sheets and the integration of such face sheets with a foam core creates a sandwich structure capable of withstanding high-heatflux environments (150 W/cm2) in which the core provides a temperature drop of 1,000 C between the surface and the back face without cracking or delamination of the structure. The composite face sheet exhibits a bilinear response, which results from the SiC matrix not being cracked on fabrication. In addition, the structure exhibits damage tolerance under impact with projectiles, showing no penetration to the back face sheet. These attributes make the composite ideal for leading edge structures and control surfaces in aerospace vehicles, as well as for acreage thermal protection systems and in high-temperature, lightweight stiffened structures. By tailoring the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a carbon fiber containing ceramic matrix composite (CMC) face sheet to match that of a ceramic foam core, the face sheet and the core can be integrally fabricated without any delamination. Carbon and SiC are woven together in the reinforcing fabric. Integral densification of the CMC and the foam core is accomplished with chemical vapor deposition, eliminating the need for bond-line adhesive. This means there is no need to separately fabricate the core and the face sheet, or to bond the two elements together, risking edge delamination during use. Fibers of two or more types are woven together on a loom. The carbon and ceramic fibers are pulled into the same pick location during the weaving process. Tow spacing may be varied to accommodate the increased volume of the combined fiber tows while maintaining a target fiber volume fraction in the composite. Foam pore size, strut thickness, and ratio of face sheet to core thickness can be used to tailor thermal and mechanical properties. The anticipated CTE for the hybridized composite is managed by the choice of constituents, varying fiber tow sizes and constituent part ratios. This structural concept provides high strength and stiffness at low density 1.06 g/cm3 in panels tested. Varieties of face sheet constructions are possible, including variations in fiber type and weave geometry. The integrated structures possible with this composite could eliminate the need for non-load-bearing thermal protection systems on top of a structural component. The back sheet can readily be integrated to substructures through the incorporation of ribs. This would eliminate weight and cost for aerospace missions.

[Policies and mental health action plans in OECD: lessons for Quebec?].

PubMed

Thiebaut, Georges-Charles; Farand, Lambert; Fleury, Marie-Josée

2014-01-01

The objectives of this research are: 1) to provide a conceptual framework for analyzing mental health policies; 2) to compare mental health policies across a sample of OECD jurisdictions; 3) to describe configurations of mental health policies; 4) to identify practical implications for the Province of Quebec. This research is a comparative synthetic study of mental health policies. The web sites of the Ministries of health of the thirty-four OECD countries and ten Canadian Provinces were searched for mental health policies proposed within the last fifteen years. Twenty one such policies (with an English or French version) were retrieved, covering thirteen OECD countries, six Canadian Provinces and the WHO. Content analysis was performed based on the categories (differentiation, integration, governance) and sub-categories of the aforementioned conceptual framework. Eight policies that together cover the variations encountered between all policies were used to identify typical configurations. A conceptual framework derived from Parsons' Theory of Social Action posits that social action systems must exhibit a level of internal differentiation that corresponds to the heterogeneity of their external environment and also a level of integration that allows them to remain coherent despite the complexity of their environment. Governance mechanisms help them maintain an equilibrium between differentiation and integration.In terms of differentiation, mental health policies exhibit much variation between the needs and the groups that are prioritized (age, gender, ethnicity, culture, etc.), the types of interventions that are proposed (promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, etc.), the systemic levels at which interventions take place (society, government as a whole, health care system, organizations, programs, individuals), and the level of specification and scientific basis of proposed interventions. In terms of integration, policies promote various mechanisms belonging to four general categories of increasing effectiveness from hierarchical separation of mandates, to exchange of information, to collaborative planning, and to complete structural integration and co-localisation of certain components (ex. dependence and mental health services). In terms of governance, policies present program theories of varying explicitness and scientific bases, and with different emphases on structures, processes or outcomes. Management models also vary in terms of precision, accountability, financing mechanisms, information systems, and the importance of clinical governance and quality improvement.Five configurations of mental health policies are identified (the public health, the professional, the structural technocratic, the functional technocratic, and the political), each comprising typical combinations of the preceding ingredients. The current Quebec mental health policy belongs to the structural technocratic configuration. It specifies fragmented mental health structures with mild integration mechanisms. In the future, it should consider improving its public health aspects (inter-sector work on the determinants of mental health), professional aspects (emphasis on scientific evidence, clinical governance and quality), and functional aspects (integrated specialized community mental health and addiction services). But political factors may prevent it from doing so.

Advances in OLED-based oxygen sensors with structurally integrated OLED, sensor film, and thin-film Si photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Debju; Shinar, Ruth; Cai, Yuankun; Zhou, Zhaoqun; Dalal, Vikram L.; Shinar, Joseph

2007-09-01

Steps towards the improvement of a compact photoluminescence (PL)-based sensor array that is fully structurally integrated are described. The approach is demonstrated for oxygen sensing, which can be monitored via its effect on the PL intensity I or decay time τ of oxygen-sensitive dyes such as Pt octaethylporphryn (PtOEP) and its Pd analog (PdOEP). The integrated components include (1) an organic light emitting device (OLED) excitation source, which is an array of coumarin-doped tris(quinolinolate) Al (Alq 3) pixels, (2) the sensor film, i.e., PdOEP embedded in polystyrene, and (3) the photodetector (PD), which is a plasma-enhanced CVD-grown p-i-n or n-i-p structure, based on amorphous or nanocrystalline (Si,Ge):H. These components are fabricated on common or separate substrates that are attached back-to-back, resulting in sensors with a thickness largely determined by that of the substrates. The fully integrated oxygen sensor is demonstrated first by fabricating each of the three components on a separate substrate. The PD was placed in front of a flow cell containing the sensor film, while the OLED array was "behind" the sensor film. This design showed the expected trend in monitoring different concentration of O II via their effect on I, with improved detection sensitivity achieved by shielding the electromagnetic noise synchronous with the pulsed OLED. The detection sensitivity using the I monitoring mode is expected to further increase by reducing the OLED tail emission. The issue of the OLED background can be eliminated by monitoring the oxygen concentration via its effect on τ, where the OLED is pulsed and τ is measured while the OLED is off. Steps therefore focused also on shortening the response time of the PDs, and understanding the factors affecting their speed. Development of a sensor array, where the PD pixels are fabricated between the OLED pixels on the same side of a common substrate, is also discussed.

Improvements of the Profil Cultural Method for a better Low-tech Field Assessment of Soil Structure under no-till

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roger-Estrade, Jean; Boizard, Hubert; Peigné, Josephine; Sasal, Maria Carolina; Guimaraes, Rachel; Piron, Denis; Tomis, Vincent; Vian, Jean-François; Cadoux, Stephane; Ralisch, Ricardo; Filho, Tavares; Heddadj, Djilali; de Battista, Juan; Duparque, Annie

2016-04-01

In France, agronomists have studied the effects of cropping systems on soil structure, using a field method based on a visual description of soil structure. The "profil cultural" method (Manichon and Gautronneau, 1987) has been designed to perform a field diagnostic of the effects of tillage and compaction on soil structure dynamics. This method is of great use to agronomists improving crop management for a better preservation of soil structure. However, this method was developed and mainly used in conventional tillage systems, with ploughing. As several forms of reduced, minimum and no tillage systems are expanding in many parts of the world, it is necessary to re-evaluate the ability of this method to describe and interpret soil macrostructure in unploughed situations. In unploughed fields, soil structure dynamics of untilled layers is mainly driven by compaction and regeneration by natural agents (climatic conditions, root growth and macrofauna) and it is of major importance to evaluate the importance of these natural processes on soil structure regeneration. These concerns have led us to adapt the standard method and to propose amendments based on a series of field observations and experimental work in different situations of cropping systems, soil types and climatic conditions. We improved the description of crack type and we introduced an index of biological activity, based on the visual examination of clods. To test the improved method, a comparison with the reference method was carried out and the ability of the "profil cultural" method to make a diagnosis was tested on five experiments in France, Brazil and Argentina. Using the improved method, the impact of cropping systems on soil functioning was better assessed when natural processes were integrated into the description.

Utilizing Gravity Methods for Regional Studies in Basin Delineation: Case Study at Jornada del Muerto basin, New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villalobos, J. I.

2005-12-01

The modeling of basin structures is an important step in the development of plans and policies for ground water management. To facilitate in the analysis of large scale regional structures, gravity data is implemented to examine the overall structural trend of the region. The gravitational attraction of structures in the upper mantle and crust provide vital information about the possible structure and composition of a region. Improved availability of gravity data via internet has promoted extensive construction and interpretation of gravity maps in the analysis of sub-surface structural anomalies. The utilization of gravity data appears to be particularly worthwhile because it is a non-invasive and inexpensive means of addressing the subsurface tectonic framework of large scale regions. In this paper, the author intends to illustrate 1) acquisition of gravity data and its processing; 2) interpretation of gravity data; and 3) sources of uncertainty and errors by using a case study of the Jornada del Muerto basin in South-Central New Mexico where integrated gravity data inferred several faults, sub-basins and thickness variations within the basins structure. The author also explores the integration of gravity method with other geophysical methods to further refine the delineation of basins.

Catalysis of GTP Hydrolysis by Small GTPases at Atomic Detail by Integration of X-ray Crystallography, Experimental, and Theoretical IR Spectroscopy*

PubMed Central

Rudack, Till; Jenrich, Sarah; Brucker, Sven; Vetter, Ingrid R.; Gerwert, Klaus; Kötting, Carsten

2015-01-01

Small GTPases regulate key processes in cells. Malfunction of their GTPase reaction by mutations is involved in severe diseases. Here, we compare the GTPase reaction of the slower hydrolyzing GTPase Ran with Ras. By combination of time-resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy and QM/MM simulations we elucidate that the Mg2+ coordination by the phosphate groups, which varies largely among the x-ray structures, is the same for Ran and Ras. A new x-ray structure of a Ran·RanBD1 complex with improved resolution confirmed this finding and revealed a general problem with the refinement of Mg2+ in GTPases. The Mg2+ coordination is not responsible for the much slower GTPase reaction of Ran. Instead, the location of the Tyr-39 side chain of Ran between the γ-phosphate and Gln-69 prevents the optimal positioning of the attacking water molecule by the Gln-69 relative to the γ-phosphate. This is confirmed in the RanY39A·RanBD1 crystal structure. The QM/MM simulations provide IR spectra of the catalytic center, which agree very nicely with the experimental ones. The combination of both methods can correlate spectra with structure at atomic detail. For example the FTIR difference spectra of RasA18T and RanT25A mutants show that spectral differences are mainly due to the hydrogen bond of Thr-25 to the α-phosphate in Ran. By integration of x-ray structure analysis, experimental, and theoretical IR spectroscopy the catalytic center of the x-ray structural models are further refined to sub-Å resolution, allowing an improved understanding of catalysis. PMID:26272610

Catalysis of GTP hydrolysis by small GTPases at atomic detail by integration of X-ray crystallography, experimental, and theoretical IR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Rudack, Till; Jenrich, Sarah; Brucker, Sven; Vetter, Ingrid R; Gerwert, Klaus; Kötting, Carsten

2015-10-02

Small GTPases regulate key processes in cells. Malfunction of their GTPase reaction by mutations is involved in severe diseases. Here, we compare the GTPase reaction of the slower hydrolyzing GTPase Ran with Ras. By combination of time-resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy and QM/MM simulations we elucidate that the Mg(2+) coordination by the phosphate groups, which varies largely among the x-ray structures, is the same for Ran and Ras. A new x-ray structure of a Ran·RanBD1 complex with improved resolution confirmed this finding and revealed a general problem with the refinement of Mg(2+) in GTPases. The Mg(2+) coordination is not responsible for the much slower GTPase reaction of Ran. Instead, the location of the Tyr-39 side chain of Ran between the γ-phosphate and Gln-69 prevents the optimal positioning of the attacking water molecule by the Gln-69 relative to the γ-phosphate. This is confirmed in the RanY39A·RanBD1 crystal structure. The QM/MM simulations provide IR spectra of the catalytic center, which agree very nicely with the experimental ones. The combination of both methods can correlate spectra with structure at atomic detail. For example the FTIR difference spectra of RasA18T and RanT25A mutants show that spectral differences are mainly due to the hydrogen bond of Thr-25 to the α-phosphate in Ran. By integration of x-ray structure analysis, experimental, and theoretical IR spectroscopy the catalytic center of the x-ray structural models are further refined to sub-Å resolution, allowing an improved understanding of catalysis. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

The Basic Science Curriculum in the 21st Century: What Needs to Be Changed?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garant, Philias R.

1986-01-01

The basic science curriculum in dental education could be improved by adopting a curriculum containing only two integrated required science courses about (1) the structure and function of the human body and (2) disease and reaction to disease in the human body. Elective graduate-level predoctoral courses would allow specialization. (MSE)

Student Service and SEM: Training as the Tool to Sharpen Your Competitive Edge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leigh, Susan

2014-01-01

The Challenge: After years of investments on structures and systems that improve and integrate student transactional experiences, we discover that we have neglected to train our staff in customer service competencies that match student expectations. The Answer: Invest in your student service staff to ensure they possess the professional skills to…

A Part, Not Apart: A Systematic Approach to Integrated Recreation and Leisure for Developmentally Disabled Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congdon, David M.; And Others

This program manual was developed by the Grant-Blackford Development Center in order to help other professionals and organizations working with developmentally disabled persons to improve their recreation and leisure programs. The manual's philosophy is to structure recreation programs for fun, not just for skill teaching: stressing abilities, not…

How Colleges Use Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS) to Transform Student Support. CCRC Working Paper No. 89

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karp, Melinda Mechur; Kalamkarian, Hoori Santikian; Klempin, Serena; Fletcher, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

This paper examines technology-mediated advising reform in order to contribute to the understanding of how colleges engage in transformative change to improve student outcomes. Conceptualizing such change as occurring along three interrelated dimensions of organizational functioning (structural, process, and attitudinal), we seek to understand the…

Improved Representation of the Self-Perception Profile for Children through Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arens, A. Katrin; Morin, Alexandre J. S.

2017-01-01

This study illustrates an integrative psychometric framework to investigate two sources of construct-relevant multidimensionality in answers to the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC). Using a sample of 2,353 German students attending Grades 3 to 6, we contrasted: (a) first-order versus hierarchical and bifactor models to investigate…

Development of next-generation mapping populations: Multi-parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) and Marker-Assisted Recurrent Selection (MARS) populations in peanut

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) and Marker-Assisted Recurrent Selection (MARS) have been proposed and used in many crops to dissect complex traits or QTL. MAGIC allows for dissecting genomic structure, and for improving breeding populations by integrating multiple alleles from different parents. MAR...

Advances in structural monitoring with Global Positioning System technology: 1997-2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogaja, Clement; Li, Xiaojing; Rizos, Chris

2007-11-01

Over the last decade, users of the Global Positioning System (GPS) have developed the technology capable of meeting stringent requirements to study the dynamics of tall buildings, towers, and bridges during earthquakes, wind-induced deformation and traffic loading. Dynamic measurements of relative displacements of structures is currently possible using real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning techniques, now advanced to record typically at 10-20 Hz (or higher - e.g., 100 Hz) with an accuracy of ±1 cm horizontally and ±2 cm vertically. With further advances in the technology and improvements in sampling capability, it is possible to meet the needs of real-time displacement information for the structural engineering community. After a decade of great strides in proving the feasibility of the technology, focus is moving to sensor integration and operational systems. Several investigators are now routinely researching the integration of GPS with other sensors (accelerometers, fibre optics, pseudolites, etc.) to utilise the complementary benefits and overcome limitations of the individual systems. Examples of real-time operational systems exist to demonstrate the significance of GPS technology in measuring the dynamic behaviour of large engineering structures.

Novel bio-inspired smart control for hazard mitigation of civil structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yeesock; Kim, Changwon; Langari, Reza

2010-11-01

In this paper, a new bio-inspired controller is proposed for vibration mitigation of smart structures subjected to ground disturbances (i.e. earthquakes). The control system is developed through the integration of a brain emotional learning (BEL) algorithm with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and a semiactive inversion (Inv) algorithm. The BEL algorithm is based on the neurologically inspired computational model of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid BEL-PID-Inv control algorithm, a seismically excited building structure equipped with a magnetorheological (MR) damper is investigated. The performance of the proposed hybrid BEL-PID-Inv control algorithm is compared with that of passive, PID, linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG), and BEL control systems. In the simulation, the robustness of the hybrid BEL-PID-Inv control algorithm in the presence of modeling uncertainties as well as external disturbances is investigated. It is shown that the proposed hybrid BEL-PID-Inv control algorithm is effective in improving the dynamic responses of seismically excited building structure-MR damper systems.

A new diagnostic method of bolt loosening detection for thermal protection systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Weihua; Meng, Songhe; Han, Jiecai; Du, Shanyi; Zhang, Boming; Yu, Dong

2009-07-01

Research and development efforts are underway to provide structural health monitoring systems to ensure the integrity of thermal protection system (TPS). An improved analytical method was proposed to assess the fastener integrity of a bolted structure in this paper. A new unsymmetrical washer was designed and fabricated, taking full advantage of piezoelectric ceramics (PZT) to play both roles as actuators and sensors, and using energy as the only extracted feature to identify abnormality. This diagnostic method is not restricted by the materials of the bracket, panel and base structure of the TPS whose condition is under inspection. A series of experiments on a metallic honeycomb sandwich panel were completed to demonstrate the capability of detecting bolt loosening on the TPS structure. Studies showed that this method can be used not only to identify the location of loosened bolts rapidly, but also to estimate the torque level of loosening bolts. Since that energy is the only extracted feature used to detect bolt loosening in this method, the diagnostic process become very simple and swift without sacrificing the accuracy of the results.

NURBS-Based Geometry for Integrated Structural Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, James H.

1997-01-01

This grant was initiated in April 1993 and completed in September 1996. The primary goal of the project was to exploit the emerging defacto CAD standard of Non- Uniform Rational B-spline (NURBS) based curve and surface geometry to integrate and streamline the process of turbomachinery structural analysis. We focused our efforts on critical geometric modeling challenges typically posed by the requirements of structural analysts. We developed a suite of software tools that facilitate pre- and post-processing of NURBS-based turbomachinery blade models for finite element structural analyses. We also developed tools to facilitate the modeling of blades in their manufactured (or cold) state based on nominal operating shape and conditions. All of the software developed in the course of this research is written in the C++ language using the Iris Inventor 3D graphical interface tool-kit from Silicon Graphics. In addition to enhanced modularity, improved maintainability, and efficient prototype development, this design facilitates the re-use of code developed for other NASA projects and provides a uniform and professional 'look and feel' for all applications developed by the Iowa State Team.

Structural optimization of the Halbach array PM rim thrust motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Haichuan; Chen, Weihu

2018-05-01

The Rim-driven Thruster (RDT) integrates the thrust motor and the propeller, which can effectively reduce the space occupied by the propulsion system, improve the propulsion efficiency, and thus has important research value and broad market prospects. The Halbach Permanent Magnet Rim Thrust Motor (HPMRTM) can improve the torque density of the propulsion motor by utilizing the unilateral magnetic field of the Halbach array. In this paper, the numerical method is used to study the electromagnetic performance of the motor under different Halbach array parameters. The relationship between motor parameters such as air-gap flux density, electromagnetic torque and Halbach array parameters is obtained, and then the motor structure is optimized. By comparing with Common Permanent Magnet RTM, the advantages of HPMRTM are verified.

Aeroservoelasticity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noll, Thomas E.

1990-01-01

The paper describes recent accomplishments and current research projects along four main thrusts in aeroservoelasticity at NASA Langley. One activity focuses on enhancing the modeling and analysis procedures to accurately predict aeroservoelastic interactions. Improvements to the minimum-state method of approximating unsteady aerodynamics are shown to provide precise low-order models for design and simulation tasks. Recent extensions in aerodynamic correction-factor methodology are also described. With respect to analysis procedures, the paper reviews novel enhancements to matched filter theory and random process theory for predicting the critical gust profile and the associated time-correlated gust loads for structural design considerations. Two research projects leading towards improved design capability are also summarized: (1) an integrated structure/control design capability and (2) procedures for obtaining low-order robust digital control laws for aeroelastic applications.

Research enrichment: evaluation of structured research in the curriculum for dental medicine students as part of the vertical and horizontal integration of biomedical training and discovery

PubMed Central

Kingsley, Karl; O'Malley, Susan; Stewart, Tanis; Howard, Katherine M

2008-01-01

Background Research programs within medical and dental schools are important vehicles for biomedical and clinical discovery, serving as effective teaching and learning tools by providing situations in which predoctoral students develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Although research programs at many medical and dental schools are well-established, they may not be well integrated into the predoctoral curriculum to effectively support the learning objectives for their students. Methods A series of structured seminars, incorporating faculty research, was designed for first-year dental students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine to reinforce and support the concepts and skills taught in concurrent courses. A structured research enrichment period was also created to facilitate student engagement in active research using faculty and student curricular release time. Course evaluations and surveys were administered to gauge student perceptions of the curricular integration of research, the impact of these seminars on recruitment to the research program, and overall levels of student satisfaction with research enrichment. Results The analysis of course surveys revealed that students perceived the research-containing seminars effectively illustrated concepts, were logically sequenced, and were well-integrated into their curriculum. In addition, analysis of surveys revealed that the Integration Seminar courses motivated students to engage in research enrichment. Finally, this analysis provided evidence that students were very satisfied with their overall learning experience during research enrichment. Conclusion Curricular integration is one method of improving the teaching and learning of complicated and inter-related concepts, providing an opportunity to incorporate research training and objectives into traditionally separate didactic courses. Despite the benefits of curricular integration, finding the most appropriate points of integration, obtaining release time for curricular development and for research engagement, and funding predoctoral student research remain issues to be addressed in ways that reflect the character of the faculty and the goals of each institution. PMID:18284692

Research enrichment: evaluation of structured research in the curriculum for dental medicine students as part of the vertical and horizontal integration of biomedical training and discovery.

PubMed

Kingsley, Karl; O'Malley, Susan; Stewart, Tanis; Howard, Katherine M

2008-02-19

Research programs within medical and dental schools are important vehicles for biomedical and clinical discovery, serving as effective teaching and learning tools by providing situations in which predoctoral students develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Although research programs at many medical and dental schools are well-established, they may not be well integrated into the predoctoral curriculum to effectively support the learning objectives for their students. A series of structured seminars, incorporating faculty research, was designed for first-year dental students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine to reinforce and support the concepts and skills taught in concurrent courses. A structured research enrichment period was also created to facilitate student engagement in active research using faculty and student curricular release time. Course evaluations and surveys were administered to gauge student perceptions of the curricular integration of research, the impact of these seminars on recruitment to the research program, and overall levels of student satisfaction with research enrichment. The analysis of course surveys revealed that students perceived the research-containing seminars effectively illustrated concepts, were logically sequenced, and were well-integrated into their curriculum. In addition, analysis of surveys revealed that the Integration Seminar courses motivated students to engage in research enrichment. Finally, this analysis provided evidence that students were very satisfied with their overall learning experience during research enrichment. Curricular integration is one method of improving the teaching and learning of complicated and inter-related concepts, providing an opportunity to incorporate research training and objectives into traditionally separate didactic courses. Despite the benefits of curricular integration, finding the most appropriate points of integration, obtaining release time for curricular development and for research engagement, and funding predoctoral student research remain issues to be addressed in ways that reflect the character of the faculty and the goals of each institution.

In-space fabrication of thin-film structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lippman, M. E.

1972-01-01

A conceptual study of physical vapor-deposition processes for in-space fabrication of thin-film structures is presented. Potential advantages of in-space fabrication are improved structural integrity and surface reflectivity of free-standing ultra-thin films and coatings. Free-standing thin-film structures can find use as photon propulsion devices (solar sails). Other applications of the concept involve free-standing shadow shields, or thermal control coatings of spacecraft surfaces. Use of expendables (such as booster and interstage structures) as source material for the physical vapor deposition process is considered. The practicability of producing thin, textured, aluminum films by physical vapor deposition and subsequent separation from a revolving substrate is demonstrated by laboratory experiments. Heating power requirement for the evaporation process is estimated for a specific mission.

Microfabricated structures with electrical isolation and interconnections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, William A. (Inventor); Juneau, Thor N. (Inventor); Roessig, Allen W. (Inventor); Lemkin, Mark A. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

The invention is directed to a microfabricated device. The device includes a substrate that is etched to define mechanical structures at least some of which are anchored laterally to the remainder of the substrate. Electrical isolation at points where mechanical structures are attached to the substrate is provided by filled isolation trenches. Filled trenches may also be used to electrically isolate structure elements from each other at points where mechanical attachment of structure elements is desired. The performance of microelectromechanical devices is improved by 1) having a high-aspect-ratio between vertical and lateral dimensions of the mechanical elements, 2) integrating electronics on the same substrate as the mechanical elements, 3) good electrical isolation among mechanical elements and circuits except where electrical interconnection is desired.

Adaptive vibration control of structures under earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lew, Jiann-Shiun; Juang, Jer-Nan; Loh, Chin-Hsiung

2017-04-01

techniques, for structural vibration suppression under earthquakes. Various control strategies have been developed to protect structures from natural hazards and improve the comfort of occupants in buildings. However, there has been little development of adaptive building control with the integration of real-time system identification and control design. Generalized predictive control, which combines the process of real-time system identification and the process of predictive control design, has received widespread acceptance and has been successfully applied to various test-beds. This paper presents a formulation of the predictive control scheme for adaptive vibration control of structures under earthquakes. Comprehensive simulations are performed to demonstrate and validate the proposed adaptive control technique for earthquake-induced vibration of a building.

Embedded electronics for intelligent structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warkentin, David J.; Crawley, Edward F.

The signal, power, and communications provisions for the distributed control processing, sensing, and actuation of an intelligent structure could benefit from a method of physically embedding some electronic components. The preliminary feasibility of embedding electronic components in load-bearing intelligent composite structures is addressed. A technique for embedding integrated circuits on silicon chips within graphite/epoxy composite structures is presented which addresses the problems of electrical, mechanical, and chemical isolation. The mechanical and chemical isolation of test articles manufactured by this technique are tested by subjecting them to static and cyclic mechanical loads and a temperature/humidity/bias environment. The likely failure modes under these conditions are identified, and suggestions for further improvements in the technique are discussed.

Mechanical attachments for flexible blanket TPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newquist, Charles W.; Anderson, David M.; Shorey, Mark W.; Preedy, Kristina S.

1998-01-01

The operability of a flexible blanket thermal protection system for a reusable launch vehicle can be improved by using mechanical attachments instead of adhesive bonding to fasten the thermal protection system to the vehicle structure. Mechanical attachments offer specific benefits by (1) permitting the use of composite or metal structures at or near their maximum temperatures (above the adhesive temperature limit) thereby reducing the required TPS thickness and weight, (2) significantly reducing both the frequency and time for TPS replacement, (3) providing easy access to hatches and the underlying structure, and (4) allowing the attachment of flexible TPS to integral cryotanks, where the TPS/structure interface temperature may fall below the lower temperature of the silicone adhesives.

Application of geologic-mathematical 3D modeling for complex structure deposits by the example of Lower- Cretaceous period depositions in Western Ust - Balykh oil field (Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perevertailo, T.; Nedolivko, N.; Prisyazhnyuk, O.; Dolgaya, T.

2015-11-01

The complex structure of the Lower-Cretaceous formation by the example of the reservoir BC101 in Western Ust - Balykh Oil Field (Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District) has been studied. Reservoir range relationships have been identified. 3D geologic- mathematical modeling technique considering the heterogeneity and variability of a natural reservoir structure has been suggested. To improve the deposit geological structure integrity methods of mathematical statistics were applied, which, in its turn, made it possible to obtain equal probability models with similar input data and to consider the formation conditions of reservoir rocks and cap rocks.

P2 porous titanium implants improve tendon healing in an acute rat supraspinatus repair model.

PubMed

Tucker, Jennica J; Gordon, Joshua A; Zanes, Robert C; Zuskov, Andrey; Vinciguerra, John D; Bloebaum, Roy D; Soslowsky, Louis J

2017-03-01

Current techniques in rotator cuff repair often lack structural integrity. P 2 porous titanium-coated constructs (DJO Surgical, Austin, TX, USA) promote osseointegration and soft tissue ingrowth. This study examined the ability of this material to improve the structural integrity of supraspinatus tendon repair in a rat model. We hypothesized that P 2 implants placed at the tendon-to-bone interface would improve mechanical and histologic measures of supraspinatus healing. Forty rats underwent supraspinatus repairs with P 2 implants in 1 shoulder and standard repair in the other. Rats were humanely killed at time 0 (n = 3), 2 weeks (n = 8), 4 weeks (n = 15), and 12 weeks (n = 14). Tendon-to-bone composite specimens were harvested and evaluated mechanically and histologically. Tendon cross-sectional area was decreased in the P 2 implant group at 4 weeks, percentage of relaxation was increased at 2 weeks, elastic modulus was increased at 4 weeks, and maximum load and maximum stress were both increased at 2 and 4 weeks. Histologic analysis revealed no foreign body reactions within or around the P 2 implant, and healthy viable bone was visible within the P 2 implant. The results support our hypothesis, specifically in early healing, in this randomized controlled animal study. These data support the use of P 2 porous titanium implants to improve tendon-to-bone healing. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integral finite element analysis of turntable bearing with flexible rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Biao; Liu, Yunfei; Guo, Yuan; Tang, Shengjin; Su, Wenbin; Lei, Zhufeng; Wang, Pengcheng

2018-03-01

This paper suggests a method to calculate the internal load distribution and contact stress of the thrust angular contact ball turntable bearing by FEA. The influence of the stiffness of the bearing structure and the plastic deformation of contact area on the internal load distribution and contact stress of the bearing is considered. In this method, the load-deformation relationship of the rolling elements is determined by the finite element contact analysis of a single rolling element and the raceway. Based on this, the nonlinear contact between the rolling elements and the inner and outer ring raceways is same as a nonlinear compression spring and bearing integral finite element analysis model including support structure was established. The effects of structural deformation and plastic deformation on the built-in stress distribution of slewing bearing are investigated on basis of comparing the consequences of load distribution, inner and outer ring stress, contact stress and other finite element analysis results with the traditional bearing theory, which has guiding function for improving the design of slewing bearing.

Structural violence: a barrier to achieving the millennium development goals for women.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Joia S; Barry, Donna J; Satti, Hind; Raymonville, Maxi; Marsh, Sarah; Smith-Fawzi, Mary Kay

2011-04-01

In 2000, all 191 United Nations member states agreed to work toward the achievement of a set of health and development goals by 2015. The achievement of these eight goals, the Millennium Development goals (MDGs) is highly dependent on improving the status of women, who play a key role in health and education in families and communities around the world. Yet structural violence, defined as the systematic exclusion of a group from the resources needed to develop their full human potential, remains a significant barrier against women's development and threatens the achievement of the MDGs. Although sound evidence has long existed for improving women's survival, the will to address women's health concretely and holistically is only recently gaining the advocacy needed to change policy. Concrete examples of the integration of approaches to mitigate structural violence within the delivery of health services do exist and should be incorporated into global advocacy for women's health.

A novel multi-level IC-compatible surface microfabrication technology for MEMS with independently controlled lateral and vertical submicron transduction gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicek, Paul-Vahe; Elsayed, Mohannad; Nabki, Frederic; El-Gamal, Mourad

2017-11-01

An above-IC compatible multi-level MEMS surface microfabrication technology based on a silicon carbide structural layer is presented. The fabrication process flow provides optimal electrostatic transduction by allowing the creation of independently controlled submicron vertical and lateral gaps without the need for high resolution lithography. Adopting silicon carbide as the structural material, the technology ensures material, chemical and thermal compatibility with modern semiconductor nodes, reporting the lowest peak processing temperature (i.e. 200 °C) of all comparable works. This makes this process ideally suited for integrating capacitive-based MEMS directly above standard CMOS substrates. Process flow design and optimization are presented in the context of bulk-mode disk resonators, devices that are shown to exhibit improved performance with respect to previous generation flexural beam resonators, and that represent relatively complex MEMS structures. The impact of impending improvements to the fabrication technology is discussed.

Smart Sensors: Why and when the origin was and why and where the future will be

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corsi, C.

2013-12-01

Smart Sensors is a technique developed in the 70's when the processing capabilities, based on readout integrated with signal processing, was still far from the complexity needed in advanced IR surveillance and warning systems, because of the enormous amount of noise/unwanted signals emitted by operating scenario especially in military applications. The Smart Sensors technology was kept restricted within a close military environment exploding in applications and performances in the 90's years thanks to the impressive improvements in the integrated signal read-out and processing achieved by CCD-CMOS technologies in FPA. In fact the rapid advances of "very large scale integration" (VLSI) processor technology and mosaic EO detector array technology allowed to develop new generations of Smart Sensors with much improved signal processing by integrating microcomputers and other VLSI signal processors. inside the sensor structure achieving some basic functions of living eyes (dynamic stare, non-uniformity compensation, spatial and temporal filtering). New and future technologies (Nanotechnology, Bio-Organic Electronics, Bio-Computing) are lightning a new generation of Smart Sensors extending the Smartness from the Space-Time Domain to Spectroscopic Functional Multi-Domain Signal Processing. History and future forecasting of Smart Sensors will be reported.

Intelligent and integrated techniques for coalbed methane (CBM) recovery and reduction of greenhouse gas emission.

PubMed

Qianting, Hu; Yunpei, Liang; Han, Wang; Quanle, Zou; Haitao, Sun

2017-07-01

Coalbed methane (CBM) recovery is a crucial approach to realize the exploitation of a clean energy and the reduction of the greenhouse gas emission. In the past 10 years, remarkable achievements on CBM recovery have been obtained in China. However, some key difficulties still exist such as long borehole drilling in complicated geological condition, and poor gas drainage effect due to low permeability. In this study, intelligent and integrated techniques for CBM recovery are introduced. These integrated techniques mainly include underground CBM recovery techniques and ground well CBM recovery techniques. The underground CBM recovery techniques consist of the borehole formation technique, gas concentration improvement technique, and permeability enhancement technique. According to the division of mining-induced disturbance area, the ground well arrangement area and well structure type in mining-induced disturbance developing area and mining-induced disturbance stable area are optimized to significantly improve the ground well CBM recovery. Besides, automatic devices such as drilling pipe installation device are also developed to achieve remote control of data recording, which makes the integrated techniques intelligent. These techniques can provide key solutions to some long-term difficulties in CBM recovery.

High performance EUV multilayer structures insensitive to capping layer optical parameters.

PubMed

Pelizzo, Maria Guglielmina; Suman, Michele; Monaco, Gianni; Nicolosi, Piergiorgio; Windt, David L

2008-09-15

We have designed and tested a-periodic multilayer structures containing protective capping layers in order to obtain improved stability with respect to any possible changes of the capping layer optical properties (due to oxidation and contamination, for example)-while simultaneously maximizing the EUV reflection efficiency for specific applications, and in particular for EUV lithography. Such coatings may be particularly useful in EUV lithographic apparatus, because they provide both high integrated photon flux and higher stability to the harsh operating environment, which can affect seriously the performance of the multilayer-coated projector system optics. In this work, an evolutive algorithm has been developed in order to design these a-periodic structures, which have been proven to have also the property of stable performance with respect to random layer thickness errors that might occur during coating deposition. Prototypes have been fabricated, and tested with EUV and X-ray reflectometry, and secondary electron spectroscopy. The experimental results clearly show improved performance of our new a-periodic coatings design compared with standard periodic multilayer structures.

Investigation of microcantilever array with ordered nanoporous coatings for selective chemical detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.-H.; Houk, R. T. J.; Robinson, A.; Greathouse, J. A.; Thornberg, S. M.; Allendorf, M. D.; Hesketh, P. J.

2010-04-01

In this paper we demonstrate the potential for novel nanoporous framework materials (NFM) such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to provide selectivity and sensitivity to a broad range of analytes including explosives, nerve agents, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). NFM are highly ordered, crystalline materials with considerable synthetic flexibility resulting from the presence of both organic and inorganic components within their structure. Detection of chemical weapons of mass destruction (CWMD), explosives, toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) devices, such as microcantilevers and surface acoustic wave sensors, requires the use of recognition layers to impart selectivity. Traditional organic polymers are dense, impeding analyte uptake and slowing sensor response. The nanoporosity and ultrahigh surface areas of NFM enhance transport into and out of the NFM layer, improving response times, and their ordered structure enables structural tuning to impart selectivity. Here we describe experiments and modeling aimed at creating NFM layers tailored to the detection of water vapor, explosives, CWMD, and VOCs, and their integration with the surfaces of MEMS devices. Force field models show that a high degree of chemical selectivity is feasible. For example, using a suite of MOFs it should be possible to select for explosives vs. CWMD, VM vs. GA (nerve agents), and anthracene vs. naphthalene (VOCs). We will also demonstrate the integration of various NFM with the surfaces of MEMS devices and describe new synthetic methods developed to improve the quality of VFM coatings. Finally, MOF-coated MEMS devices show how temperature changes can be tuned to improve response times, selectivity, and sensitivity.

Developing standards for an integrated approach to workplace facilitation for interprofessional teams in health and social care contexts: a Delphi study.

PubMed

Martin, Anne; Manley, Kim

2018-01-01

Integration of health and social care forms part of health and social care policy in many countries worldwide in response to changing health and social care needs. The World Health Organization's appeal for systems to manage the global epidemiologic transition advocates for provision of care that crosses boundaries between primary, community, hospital, and social care. However, the focus on structural and process changes has not yielded the full benefit of expected advances in care delivery. Facilitating practice in the workplace is a widely recognised cornerstone for developments in the delivery of health and social care as collaborative and inclusive relationships enable frontline staff to develop effective workplace cultures that influence whether transformational change is achieved and maintained. Workplace facilitation embraces a number of different purposes which may not independently lead to better quality of care or improved patient outcomes. Holistic workplace facilitation of learning, development, and improvement supports the integration remit across health and social care systems and avoids duplication of effort and waste of valuable resources. To date, no standards to guide the quality and effectiveness of integrated facilitation have been published. This study aimed to identify key elements constitute standards for an integrated approach to facilitating work-based learning, development, improvement, inquiry, knowledge translation, and innovation in health and social care contexts using a three rounds Delphi survey of facilitation experts from 10 countries. Consensus about priority elements was determined in the final round, following an iteration process that involved modifications to validate content. The findings helped to identify key qualities and skills facilitators need to support interprofessional teams to flourish and optimise performance. Further research could evaluate the impact of skilled integrated facilitation on health and social care outcomes and the well-being of frontline interprofessional teams.

Integrated magnetic tweezers and single-molecule FRET for investigating the mechanical properties of nucleic acid.

PubMed

Long, Xi; Parks, Joseph W; Stone, Michael D

2016-08-01

Many enzymes promote structural changes in their nucleic acid substrates via application of piconewton forces over nanometer length scales. Magnetic tweezers (MT) is a single molecule force spectroscopy method widely used for studying the energetics of such mechanical processes. MT permits stable application of a wide range of forces and torques over long time scales with nanometer spatial resolution. However, in any force spectroscopy experiment, the ability to monitor structural changes in nucleic acids with nanometer sensitivity requires the system of interest to be held under high degrees of tension to improve signal to noise. This limitation prohibits measurement of structural changes within nucleic acids under physiologically relevant conditions of low stretching forces. To overcome this challenge, researchers have integrated a spatially sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy method, single molecule-FRET, with MT to allow simultaneous observation and manipulation of nanoscale structural transitions over a wide range of forces. Here, we describe a method for using this hybrid instrument to analyze the mechanical properties of nucleic acids. We expect that this method for analysis of nucleic acid structure will be easily adapted for experiments aiming to interrogate the mechanical responses of other biological macromolecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated magnetic tweezers and single-molecule FRET for investigating the mechanical properties of nucleic acid

PubMed Central

Long, Xi; Parks, Joseph W.; Stone, Michael D.

2017-01-01

Many enzymes promote structural changes in their nucleic acid substrates via application of piconewton forces over nanometer length scales. Magnetic tweezers (MT) is a single molecule force spectroscopy method widely used for studying the energetics of such mechanical processes. MT permits stable application of a wide range of forces and torques over long time scales with nanometer spatial resolution. However, in any force spectroscopy experiment, the ability to monitor structural changes in nucleic acids with nanometer sensitivity requires the system of interest to be held under high degrees of tension to improve signal to noise. This limitation prohibits measurement of structural changes within nucleic acids under physiologically relevant conditions of low stretching forces. To overcome this challenge, researchers have integrated a spatially sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy method, single molecule-FRET, with MT to allow simultaneous observation and manipulation of nanoscale structural transitions over a wide range of forces. Here, we describe a method for using this hybrid instrument to analyze the mechanical properties of nucleic acids. We expect that this method for analysis of nucleic acid structure will be easily adapted for experiments aiming to interrogate the mechanical responses of other biological macromolecules. PMID:27320203

Building a computer-aided design capability using a standard time share operating system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sobieszczanski, J.

1975-01-01

The paper describes how an integrated system of engineering computer programs can be built using a standard commercially available operating system. The discussion opens with an outline of the auxiliary functions that an operating system can perform for a team of engineers involved in a large and complex task. An example of a specific integrated system is provided to explain how the standard operating system features can be used to organize the programs into a simple and inexpensive but effective system. Applications to an aircraft structural design study are discussed to illustrate the use of an integrated system as a flexible and efficient engineering tool. The discussion concludes with an engineer's assessment of an operating system's capabilities and desirable improvements.

Development of a preprototype thermoelectric integrated membrane evaporation subsystem for water recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, H. E.; Roebelen, G. J., Jr.

1980-01-01

A three-man urine water recovery preprototype subsystem using a new concept to provide efficient potable water recovery from waste fluids on extended duration space flights has been designed, fabricated, and tested. Low power, compactness, and gravity insensitive operation are featured in this vacuum distillation subsystem that combines a hollow fiber polysulfone membrane evaporator with a thermoelectric heat pump. Application and integration of these key elements have solved problems inherent in previous reclamation subsystem designs. The hollow fiber elements provide positive liquid/gas phase control with no moving parts other than a waste liquid recirculation pump and a product water withdrawal pump. Tubular membranes provide structural integrity, improving on previous flat sheet membrane designs. A thermoelectric heat pump provides latent energy recovery.

Thermal Management Optimization of a Thermoelectric-Integrated Methanol Evaporator Using a Compact CFD Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xin; Chen, Min; Snyder, G. Jeffrey; Andreasen, Søren Juhl; Kær, Søren Knudsen

2013-07-01

To better manage the magnitude and direction of the heat flux in an exchanger-based methanol evaporator of a fuel cell system, thermoelectric (TE) modules can be deployed as TE heat flux regulators (TERs). The performance of the TE-integrated evaporator is strongly influenced by its heat exchange structure. The structure transfers the fuel cell exhaust heat to the evaporation chamber to evaporate the methanol, where TE modules are installed in between to facilitate the heat regulation. In this work, firstly, a numerical study is conducted to determine the working currents and working modes of the TERs under the system working condition fluctuations and during the system cold start. A three-dimensional evaporator model is generated in ANSYS FLUENT® by combining a compact TE model with various heat exchange structure geometries. The compact TE model can dramatically improve the computational efficiency, and uses a different material property acquisition method based on module manufacturers' datasheets. Secondly, a simulation study is carried out on the novel evaporator to minimize its thermal resistance and to assess the evaporator pressure drop. The factors studied include the type of fins in the heat exchange structure, the thickness of the fins, the axial conduction penalty, etc. Results show that the TE-integrated evaporator can work more efficiently and smoothly during both load fluctuations and system cold start, offering superior performance.

Toxicity of algicidal extracts from Mangrovimonas yunxiaonensis strain LY01 on a HAB causing Alexandrium tamarense.

PubMed

Li, Yi; Zhu, Hong; Zhang, Huajun; Chen, Zhangran; Tian, Yun; Xu, Hong; Zheng, Tianling; Zheng, Wei

2014-08-15

Toxicity of algicidal extracts from Mangrovimonas yunxiaonensis strain LY01 on Alexandrium tamarense were measured through studying the algicidal procedure, nuclear damage and transcription of related genes. Medium components were optimized to improve algicidal activity, and characteristics of algicidal extracts were determined. Transmission electron microscope analysis revealed that the cell structure was broken. Cell membrane integrity destruction and nuclear structure degradation were monitored using confocal laser scanning microscope, and the rbcS, hsp and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene expressions were studied. Results showed that 1.0% tryptone, 0.4% glucose and 0.8% MgCl2 were the optimal nutrient sources. The algicidal extracts were heat and pH stable, non-protein and less than 1kD. Cell membrane and nuclear structure integrity were lost, and the transcription of the rbcS and PCNA genes were significantly inhibited and there was up-regulation of hsp gene expression during the exposure procedure. The algicidal extracts destroyed the cell membrane and nuclear structure integrity, inhibited related gene expression and, eventually, lead to the inhibition of algal growth. All the results may elaborate firstly the cell death process and nuclear damage in A. tamarense which was induced by algicidal extracts, and the algicidal extracts could be potentially used as bacterial control of HABs in future. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CMOS compatible IR sensors by cytochrome c protein

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Chien-Jen; Su, Guo-Dung

2013-09-01

In recent years, due to the progression of the semiconductor industrial, the uncooled Infrared sensor - microbolometer has opened the opportunity for achieving low cost infrared imaging systems for both military and commercial applications. Therefore, various fabrication processes and different materials based microbolometer have been developed sequentially. The cytochrome c (protein) thin film has be reported high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), which is related to the performance of microbolometer directly. Hence the superior TCR value will increase the performance of microbolometer. In this paper, we introduced a novel fabrication process using aluminum which is compatible with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacture Company (TSMC) D35 2P4M process as the main structure material, which benefits the device to integrate with readout integrated circuit (ROIC).The aluminum split structure is suspended by sacrificial layer utilizing the standard photolithography technology and chemical etching. The height and thickness of the structure are already considered. Besides, cytochrome c solutions were ink-jetted onto the aluminum structure by using the inkjet printer, applying precise control of the Infrared absorbing layer. In measurement, incident Infrared radiation can be detected and later the heat can be transmitted to adjacent pads to readout the signal. This approach applies an inexpensive and simple fabrication process and makes the device suitable for integration. In addition, the performance can be further improved with low noise readout circuits.

Biochemical, histological and behavioural aspects of visual function during early development of rainbow trout

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carvalho, Paulo S. M.; Noltie, Douglas B.; Tillitt, D.E.

2004-01-01

Retinal structure and concentration of retinoids involved in phototransduction changed during early development of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, correlating with improvements in visual function. A test chamber was used to evaluate the presence of optokinetic or optomotor responses and to assess the functionality of the integrated cellular, physiological and biochemical components of the visual system. The results indicated that in rainbow trout optomotor responses start at 10 days post-hatch, and demonstrated for the first time that increases in acuity, sensitivity to low light as well as in motion detection abilities occur from this stage until exogenous feeding starts. The structure of retinal cells such as cone ellipsoids increased in length as photopic visual acuity improved, and rod densities increased concurrently with improvements in scotopic thresholds (2.2 log10 units). An increase in the concentrations of the chromophore all-trans-retinal correlated with improvements of all behavioural measures of visual function during the same developmental phase. ?? 2004 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Nano-array integrated monolithic devices: toward rational materials design and multi-functional performance by scalable nanostructures assembly

DOE PAGES

Wang, Sibo; Ren, Zheng; Guo, Yanbing; ...

2016-03-21

We report the scalable three-dimensional (3-D) integration of functional nanostructures into applicable platforms represents a promising technology to meet the ever-increasing demands of fabricating high performance devices featuring cost-effectiveness, structural sophistication and multi-functional enabling. Such an integration process generally involves a diverse array of nanostructural entities (nano-entities) consisting of dissimilar nanoscale building blocks such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanofilms made of metals, ceramics, or polymers. Various synthetic strategies and integration methods have enabled the successful assembly of both structurally and functionally tailored nano-arrays into a unique class of monolithic devices. The performance of nano-array based monolithic devices is dictated bymore » a few important factors such as materials substrate selection, nanostructure composition and nano-architecture geometry. Therefore, the rational material selection and nano-entity manipulation during the nano-array integration process, aiming to exploit the advantageous characteristics of nanostructures and their ensembles, are critical steps towards bridging the design of nanostructure integrated monolithic devices with various practical applications. In this article, we highlight the latest research progress of the two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D metal and metal oxide based nanostructural integrations into prototype devices applicable with ultrahigh efficiency, good robustness and improved functionality. Lastly, selective examples of nano-array integration, scalable nanomanufacturing and representative monolithic devices such as catalytic converters, sensors and batteries will be utilized as the connecting dots to display a roadmap from hierarchical nanostructural assembly to practical nanotechnology implications ranging from energy, environmental, to chemical and biotechnology areas.« less

Nano-array integrated monolithic devices: toward rational materials design and multi-functional performance by scalable nanostructures assembly

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

Wang, Sibo; Ren, Zheng; Guo, Yanbing

We report the scalable three-dimensional (3-D) integration of functional nanostructures into applicable platforms represents a promising technology to meet the ever-increasing demands of fabricating high performance devices featuring cost-effectiveness, structural sophistication and multi-functional enabling. Such an integration process generally involves a diverse array of nanostructural entities (nano-entities) consisting of dissimilar nanoscale building blocks such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanofilms made of metals, ceramics, or polymers. Various synthetic strategies and integration methods have enabled the successful assembly of both structurally and functionally tailored nano-arrays into a unique class of monolithic devices. The performance of nano-array based monolithic devices is dictated bymore » a few important factors such as materials substrate selection, nanostructure composition and nano-architecture geometry. Therefore, the rational material selection and nano-entity manipulation during the nano-array integration process, aiming to exploit the advantageous characteristics of nanostructures and their ensembles, are critical steps towards bridging the design of nanostructure integrated monolithic devices with various practical applications. In this article, we highlight the latest research progress of the two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D metal and metal oxide based nanostructural integrations into prototype devices applicable with ultrahigh efficiency, good robustness and improved functionality. Lastly, selective examples of nano-array integration, scalable nanomanufacturing and representative monolithic devices such as catalytic converters, sensors and batteries will be utilized as the connecting dots to display a roadmap from hierarchical nanostructural assembly to practical nanotechnology implications ranging from energy, environmental, to chemical and biotechnology areas.« less

ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. A.; Chadwick, M. B.; Capote, R.; Kahler, A. C.; Trkov, A.; Herman, M. W.; Sonzogni, A. A.; Danon, Y.; Carlson, A. D.; Dunn, M.; Smith, D. L.; Hale, G. M.; Arbanas, G.; Arcilla, R.; Bates, C. R.; Beck, B.; Becker, B.; Brown, F.; Casperson, R. J.; Conlin, J.; Cullen, D. E.; Descalle, M.-A.; Firestone, R.; Gaines, T.; Guber, K. H.; Hawari, A. I.; Holmes, J.; Johnson, T. D.; Kawano, T.; Kiedrowski, B. C.; Koning, A. J.; Kopecky, S.; Leal, L.; Lestone, J. P.; Lubitz, C.; Márquez Damián, J. I.; Mattoon, C. M.; McCutchan, E. A.; Mughabghab, S.; Navratil, P.; Neudecker, D.; Nobre, G. P. A.; Noguere, G.; Paris, M.; Pigni, M. T.; Plompen, A. J.; Pritychenko, B.; Pronyaev, V. G.; Roubtsov, D.; Rochman, D.; Romano, P.; Schillebeeckx, P.; Simakov, S.; Sin, M.; Sirakov, I.; Sleaford, B.; Sobes, V.; Soukhovitskii, E. S.; Stetcu, I.; Talou, P.; Thompson, I.; van der Marck, S.; Welser-Sherrill, L.; Wiarda, D.; White, M.; Wormald, J. L.; Wright, R. Q.; Zerkle, M.; Žerovnik, G.; Zhu, Y.

2018-02-01

We describe the new ENDF/B-VIII.0 evaluated nuclear reaction data library. ENDF/B-VIII.0 fully incorporates the new IAEA standards, includes improved thermal neutron scattering data and uses new evaluated data from the CIELO project for neutron reactions on 1H, 16O, 56Fe, 235U, 238U and 239Pu described in companion papers in the present issue of Nuclear Data Sheets. The evaluations benefit from recent experimental data obtained in the U.S. and Europe, and improvements in theory and simulation. Notable advances include updated evaluated data for light nuclei, structural materials, actinides, fission energy release, prompt fission neutron and γ-ray spectra, thermal neutron scattering data, and charged-particle reactions. Integral validation testing is shown for a wide range of criticality, reaction rate, and neutron transmission benchmarks. In general, integral validation performance of the library is improved relative to the previous ENDF/B-VII.1 library.

An integrated uncertainty analysis and data assimilation approach for improved streamflow predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogue, T. S.; He, M.; Franz, K. J.; Margulis, S. A.; Vrugt, J. A.

2010-12-01

The current study presents an integrated uncertainty analysis and data assimilation approach to improve streamflow predictions while simultaneously providing meaningful estimates of the associated uncertainty. Study models include the National Weather Service (NWS) operational snow model (SNOW17) and rainfall-runoff model (SAC-SMA). The proposed approach uses the recently developed DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) to simultaneously estimate uncertainties in model parameters, forcing, and observations. An ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is configured with the DREAM-identified uncertainty structure and applied to assimilating snow water equivalent data into the SNOW17 model for improved snowmelt simulations. Snowmelt estimates then serves as an input to the SAC-SMA model to provide streamflow predictions at the basin outlet. The robustness and usefulness of the approach is evaluated for a snow-dominated watershed in the northern Sierra Mountains. This presentation describes the implementation of DREAM and EnKF into the coupled SNOW17 and SAC-SMA models and summarizes study results and findings.

Development of a preprototype times wastewater recovery subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roebelen, G. J., Jr.; Dehner, G. F.

1982-01-01

A three-man wastewater recovery preprototype subsystem using a hollow fiber membrane evaporator with a thermoelectric heat pump to provide efficient potable water recovery from wastewater on extended duration space flights was designed, fabricated, and tested at one-gravity. Low power, compactness and gravity insensitive operation are featured in this vacuum distillation subsystem. The tubular hollow fiber elements provide positive liquid/gas phase control with no moving parts, and provide structural integrity, improving on previous flat sheet membrane designs. A thermoelectric heat pump provides latent energy recovery. Application and integration of these key elements solved problems inherent in all previous reclamation subsystem designs.

Integration of a terahertz quantum cascade laser with a hollow waveguide

DOEpatents

Wanke, Michael C [Albuquerque, NM; Nordquist, Christopher D [Albuquerque, NM

2012-07-03

The present invention is directed to the integration of a quantum cascade laser with a hollow waveguide on a chip to improve both the beam pattern and manufacturability. By coupling the QCL output into a single-mode rectangular waveguide the radiation mode structure can be known and the propagation, manipulation, and broadcast of the QCL radiation can then be entirely controlled by well-established rectangular waveguide techniques. By controlling the impedance of the interface, enhanced functions, such as creating amplifiers, efficient coupling to external cavities, and increasing power output from metal-metal THz QCLs, are also enabled.

Integration of Weather Data into Airspace and Traffic Operations Simulation (ATOS) for Trajectory- Based Operations Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Mark; Boisvert, Ben; Escala, Diego

2009-01-01

Explicit integration of aviation weather forecasts with the National Airspace System (NAS) structure is needed to improve the development and execution of operationally effective weather impact mitigation plans and has become increasingly important due to NAS congestion and associated increases in delay. This article considers several contemporary weather-air traffic management (ATM) integration applications: the use of probabilistic forecasts of visibility at San Francisco, the Route Availability Planning Tool to facilitate departures from the New York airports during thunderstorms, the estimation of en route capacity in convective weather, and the application of mixed-integer optimization techniques to air traffic management when the en route and terminal capacities are varying with time because of convective weather impacts. Our operational experience at San Francisco and New York coupled with very promising initial results of traffic flow optimizations suggests that weather-ATM integrated systems warrant significant research and development investment. However, they will need to be refined through rapid prototyping at facilities with supportive operational users We have discussed key elements of an emerging aviation weather research area: the explicit integration of aviation weather forecasts with NAS structure to improve the effectiveness and timeliness of weather impact mitigation plans. Our insights are based on operational experiences with Lincoln Laboratory-developed integrated weather sensing and processing systems, and derivative early prototypes of explicit ATM decision support tools such as the RAPT in New York City. The technical components of this effort involve improving meteorological forecast skill, tailoring the forecast outputs to the problem of estimating airspace impacts, developing models to quantify airspace impacts, and prototyping automated tools that assist in the development of objective broad-area ATM strategies, given probabilistic weather forecasts. Lincoln Laboratory studies and prototype demonstrations in this area are helping to define the weather-assimilated decision-making system that is envisioned as a key capability for the multi-agency Next Generation Air Transportation System [1]. The Laboratory's work in this area has involved continuing, operations-based evolution of both weather forecasts and models for weather impacts on the NAS. Our experience has been that the development of usable ATM technologies that address weather impacts must proceed via rapid prototyping at facilities whose users are highly motivated to participate in system evolution.

Integrated reservoir characterization for unconventional reservoirs using seismic, microseismic and well log data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maity, Debotyam

This study is aimed at an improved understanding of unconventional reservoirs which include tight reservoirs (such as shale oil and gas plays), geothermal developments, etc. We provide a framework for improved fracture zone identification and mapping of the subsurface for a geothermal system by integrating data from different sources. The proposed ideas and methods were tested primarily on data obtained from North Brawley geothermal field and the Geysers geothermal field apart from synthetic datasets which were used to test new algorithms before actual application on the real datasets. The study has resulted in novel or improved algorithms for use at specific stages of data acquisition and analysis including improved phase detection technique for passive seismic (and teleseismic) data as well as optimization of passive seismic surveys for best possible processing results. The proposed workflow makes use of novel integration methods as a means of making best use of the available geophysical data for fracture characterization. The methodology incorporates soft computing tools such as hybrid neural networks (neuro-evolutionary algorithms) as well as geostatistical simulation techniques to improve the property estimates as well as overall characterization efficacy. The basic elements of the proposed characterization workflow involves using seismic and microseismic data to characterize structural and geomechanical features within the subsurface. We use passive seismic data to model geomechanical properties which are combined with other properties evaluated from seismic and well logs to derive both qualitative and quantitative fracture zone identifiers. The study has resulted in a broad framework highlighting a new technique for utilizing geophysical data (seismic and microseismic) for unconventional reservoir characterization. It provides an opportunity to optimally develop the resources in question by incorporating data from different sources and using their temporal and spatial variability as a means to better understand the reservoir behavior. As part of this study, we have developed the following elements which are discussed in the subsequent chapters: 1. An integrated characterization framework for unconventional settings with adaptable workflows for all stages of data processing, interpretation and analysis. 2. A novel autopicking workflow for noisy passive seismic data used for improved accuracy in event picking as well as for improved velocity model building. 3. Improved passive seismic survey design optimization framework for better data collection and improved property estimation. 4. Extensive post-stack seismic attribute studies incorporating robust schemes applicable in complex reservoir settings. 5. Uncertainty quantification and analysis to better quantify property estimates over and above the qualitative interpretations made and to validate observations independently with quantified uncertainties to prevent erroneous interpretations. 6. Property mapping from microseismic data including stress and anisotropic weakness estimates for integrated reservoir characterization and analysis. 7. Integration of results (seismic, microseismic and well logs) from analysis of individual data sets for integrated interpretation using predefined integration framework and soft computing tools.

Dividing the common pond: regionalizing EU ocean governance.

PubMed

Maier, Nina; Markus, Till

2013-02-15

EU ocean policies increasingly incorporate regional measures. Under the long standing Common Fisheries Policy, such measures aim at improving and reforming existing policy, either by taking into account region specific social or ecologic requirements or by establishing procedures and institutions to achieve a regional fit. By contrast, the EU's emerging integrated Marine Environmental Policy was designed to draw heavily on regional procedural and institutional mechanisms from the outset. The developing regional measures raise the question whether they contribute to improving institutional structures governing the use and conservation of EU waters. This article analyzes the existing and future regional measures of the two policies and their varying purposes and scopes. It develops a typology for categorizing the regional aspects and examines the effects of regional measures on EU institutions and the theoretical EU integration debate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of zinc diffusion on extinction ratio of MQW electroabsorption modulator integrated with DFB laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Daibing; Zhang, Ruikang; Wang, Huitao; Wang, Baojun; Bian, Jing; An, Xin; Zhao, Lingjuan; Zhu, Hongliang; Ji, Chen; Wang, Wei

2014-11-01

Monolithically integrated electroabsorption modulated lasers (EML) are widely being used in the optical fiber communication systems, due to their low chip, compact size and good compatible with the current communication systems. In this paper, we investigated the effect of Zinc diffusion on extinction ratio of electroabsorption modulator (EAM) integrated with distributed feedback laser (DFB). EML was fabricated by selective area growth (SAG) technology. The MQW structure of different quantum energy levels was grown on n-type InP buffer layer with 150nm thick SiO2 parallel stripes mask by selective area metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). A 35nm photoluminescence wavelength variation was observed between the laser area (λPL=1535nm) and modulator area (λPL=1500nm) by adjusting the dimension of parallel stripes. The grating (λ=1550nm) was fabricated in the selective area. The device was mesa ridge structure, which was constituted of the DFB laser, isolation gap and modulator. The length of every part is 300μm, 50μm, and 150μm respectively. Two samples were fabricated with the same structure and different p-type Zn-doped concentration, the extinction ratio of heavy Zn-doped device is 12.5dB at -6V. In contrast, the extinction ratio of light Zn-doped device is 20dB at -6V, that was improved for approximate 60%. The different Zn diffusion depth into the MQW absorption layer was observed by Secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS). The heavy Zn-doped device diffused into absorption layer deeper than the light Zn-doped device, which caused the large non-uniformity of the electric field in the MQW layer. So the extinction ratio characteristics can be improved by optimizing the Zn-doped concentration of p-type layer.

Chemical modification of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera R64 α-amylase to improve its stability against thermal, chelator, and proteolytic inactivation.

PubMed

Ismaya, Wangsa Tirta; Hasan, Khomaini; Kardi, Idar; Zainuri, Amalia; Rahmawaty, Rinrin Irma; Permanahadi, Satyawisnu; El Viera, Baiq Vera; Harinanto, Gunawan; Gaffar, Shabarni; Natalia, Dessy; Subroto, Toto; Soemitro, Soetijoso

2013-05-01

α-Amylase catalyzes hydrolysis of starch to oligosaccharides, which are further degraded to simple sugars. The enzyme has been widely used in food and textile industries and recently, in generation of renewable energy. An α-amylase from yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera R64 (Sfamy) is active at 50 °C and capable of degrading raw starch, making it attractive for the aforementioned applications. To improve its characteristics as well as to provide information for structural study ab initio, the enzyme was chemically modified by acid anhydrides (nonpolar groups), glyoxylic acid (GA) (polar group), dimethyl adipimidate (DMA) (cross-linking), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) (hydrophilization). Introduction of nonpolar groups increased enzyme stability up to 18 times, while modification by a cross-linking agent resulted in protection of the calcium ion, which is essential for enzyme activity and integrity. The hydrophilization with PEG resulted in protection against tryptic digestion. The chemical modification of Sfamy by various modifiers has thereby resulted in improvement of its characteristics and provided systematic information beneficial for structural study of the enzyme. An in silico structural study of the enzyme improved the interpretation of the results.

Critical Care Delivery: The Importance of Process of Care and ICU Structure to Improved Outcomes: An Update From the American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force on Models of Critical Care.

PubMed

Weled, Barry J; Adzhigirey, Lana A; Hodgman, Tudy M; Brilli, Richard J; Spevetz, Antoinette; Kline, Andrea M; Montgomery, Vicki L; Puri, Nitin; Tisherman, Samuel A; Vespa, Paul M; Pronovost, Peter J; Rainey, Thomas G; Patterson, Andrew J; Wheeler, Derek S

2015-07-01

In 2001, the Society of Critical Care Medicine published practice model guidelines that focused on the delivery of critical care and the roles of different ICU team members. An exhaustive review of the additional literature published since the last guideline has demonstrated that both the structure and process of care in the ICU are important for achieving optimal patient outcomes. Since the publication of the original guideline, several authorities have recognized that improvements in the processes of care, ICU structure, and the use of quality improvement science methodologies can beneficially impact patient outcomes and reduce costs. Herein, we summarize findings of the American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force on Models of Critical Care: 1) An intensivist-led, high-performing, multidisciplinary team dedicated to the ICU is an integral part of effective care delivery; 2) Process improvement is the backbone of achieving high-quality ICU outcomes; 3) Standardized protocols including care bundles and order sets to facilitate measurable processes and outcomes should be used and further developed in the ICU setting; and 4) Institutional support for comprehensive quality improvement programs as well as tele-ICU programs should be provided.

Review Article: Structural flood-protection measures referring to several European case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryžanowski, A.; Brilly, M.; Rusjan, S.; Schnabl, S.

2014-01-01

The paper presents a review of structural measures that were taken to cope with floods in some cities along the Danube River, such as Vienna, Bratislava, and Belgrade. These cities were also considered as case studies within the KULTURisk project. The structural measures are reviewed and compared to each other according to the type, duration of application, the return period of the design flood event, how the project measures are integrated into spatial planning and the problems that occur in the flood defences today. Based on this review, some suggestions are given on how to improve the flood risk management in flood-prone areas.

Composite structural materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansell, G. S.; Loewy, R. G.; Wiberley, S. E.

1984-01-01

Progress is reported in studies of constituent materials composite materials, generic structural elements, processing science technology, and maintaining long-term structural integrity. Topics discussed include: mechanical properties of high performance carbon fibers; fatigue in composite materials; experimental and theoretical studies of moisture and temperature effects on the mechanical properties of graphite-epoxy laminates and neat resins; numerical investigations of the micromechanics of composite fracture; delamination failures of composite laminates; effect of notch size on composite laminates; improved beam theory for anisotropic materials; variation of resin properties through the thickness of cured samples; numerical analysis composite processing; heat treatment of metal matrix composites, and the RP-1 and RP2 gliders of the sailplane project.

Biofunctionalization of a titanium surface with a nano-sawtooth structure regulates the behavior of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wenjie; Li, Zihui; Liu, Yan; Ye, Dongxia; Li, Jinhua; Xu, Lianyi; Wei, Bin; Zhang, Xiuli; Liu, Xuanyong; Jiang, Xinquan

2012-01-01

Background: The topography of an implant surface can serve as a powerful signaling cue for attached cells and can enhance the quality of osseointegration. A series of improved implant surfaces functionalized with nanoscale structures have been fabricated using various methods. Methods: In this study, using an H2O2 process, we fabricated two size-controllable sawtooth-like nanostructures with different dimensions on a titanium surface. The effects of the two nano-sawtooth structures on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) were evaluated without the addition of osteoinductive chemical factors. Results: These new surface modifications did not adversely affect cell viability, and rat BMMSCs demonstrated a greater increase in proliferation ability on the surfaces of the nano-sawtooth structures than on a control plate. Furthermore, upregulated expression of osteogenic-related genes and proteins indicated that the nano-sawtooth structures promote osteoblastic differentiation of rat BMMSCs. Importantly, the large nano-sawtooth structure resulted in the greatest cell responses, including increased adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Conclusion: The enhanced adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation abilities of rat BMMSCs on the nano-sawtooth structures suggest the potential to induce improvements in bone-titanium integration in vivo. Our study reveals the key role played by the nano-sawtooth structures on a titanium surface for the fate of rat BMMSCs and provides insights into the study of stem cell-nanostructure relationships and the related design of improved biomedical implant surfaces. PMID:22927760

Analysis and improvement of the cavity structure of steam receiver of 1MWe solar tower power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Qiang; Wang, Zhifeng; Zhu, Lingzhi

2017-06-01

The central receiver, which plays a dominant role in the radiation-heat conversion, is one of the most important components in the solar tower power plants. Its performance can directly affect the efficiency of the entire solar power generation system. In general, the performance of the central receiver is mainly determined by two aspects: the first is the receiver structure and arrangement of heating pipes, the other is the integral control and operation strategy. The former is the internal essence of the receiver and the latter is extrinsic. In this paper, the latter is temporarily not in the scope of the discussion. According to the previous cavity structure and arrangement of the heating pipes, it is found that there are varying degrees of deformation to the heating pipes, especially for the superheated pipes. In order to make some improvement for the cavity receiver, firstly, the most likely causes were analyzed according to the previous structure. Secondly, a possible cavity structure was proposed according to the calculation results. The results show that the performance of the receiver is better than the previous one.

YAdumper: extracting and translating large information volumes from relational databases to structured flat files.

PubMed

Fernández, José M; Valencia, Alfonso

2004-10-12

Downloading the information stored in relational databases into XML and other flat formats is a common task in bioinformatics. This periodical dumping of information requires considerable CPU time, disk and memory resources. YAdumper has been developed as a purpose-specific tool to deal with the integral structured information download of relational databases. YAdumper is a Java application that organizes database extraction following an XML template based on an external Document Type Declaration. Compared with other non-native alternatives, YAdumper substantially reduces memory requirements and considerably improves writing performance.

Correcting pervasive errors in RNA crystallography through enumerative structure prediction.

PubMed

Chou, Fang-Chieh; Sripakdeevong, Parin; Dibrov, Sergey M; Hermann, Thomas; Das, Rhiju

2013-01-01

Three-dimensional RNA models fitted into crystallographic density maps exhibit pervasive conformational ambiguities, geometric errors and steric clashes. To address these problems, we present enumerative real-space refinement assisted by electron density under Rosetta (ERRASER), coupled to Python-based hierarchical environment for integrated 'xtallography' (PHENIX) diffraction-based refinement. On 24 data sets, ERRASER automatically corrects the majority of MolProbity-assessed errors, improves the average R(free) factor, resolves functionally important discrepancies in noncanonical structure and refines low-resolution models to better match higher-resolution models.

Revisiting the TALE repeat.

PubMed

Deng, Dong; Yan, Chuangye; Wu, Jianping; Pan, Xiaojing; Yan, Nieng

2014-04-01

Transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors specifically bind to double stranded (ds) DNA through a central domain of tandem repeats. Each TAL effector (TALE) repeat comprises 33-35 amino acids and recognizes one specific DNA base through a highly variable residue at a fixed position in the repeat. Structural studies have revealed the molecular basis of DNA recognition by TALE repeats. Examination of the overall structure reveals that the basic building block of TALE protein, namely a helical hairpin, is one-helix shifted from the previously defined TALE motif. Here we wish to suggest a structure-based re-demarcation of the TALE repeat which starts with the residues that bind to the DNA backbone phosphate and concludes with the base-recognition hyper-variable residue. This new numbering system is consistent with the α-solenoid superfamily to which TALE belongs, and reflects the structural integrity of TAL effectors. In addition, it confers integral number of TALE repeats that matches the number of bound DNA bases. We then present fifteen crystal structures of engineered dHax3 variants in complex with target DNA molecules, which elucidate the structural basis for the recognition of bases adenine (A) and guanine (G) by reported or uncharacterized TALE codes. Finally, we analyzed the sequence-structure correlation of the amino acid residues within a TALE repeat. The structural analyses reported here may advance the mechanistic understanding of TALE proteins and facilitate the design of TALEN with improved affinity and specificity.

Industrial approach to piezoelectric damping of large fighter aircraft components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, John; Schweiger, Johannes

1998-06-01

Different concepts to damp structural vibrations of the vertical tail of fighter aircraft are reported. The various requirements for a vertical tail bias an integrated approach for the design. Several active vibrations suppression concepts had been investigated during the preparatory phase of a research program shared by Daimler-Benz Aerospace Military Aircraft (Dasa), Daimler-Benz Forschung (DBF) and Deutsche Forschungsandstalt fuer Luftund Raumfahrt (DLR). Now in the main phase of the programme, four concepts were finally chosen: two concepts with aerodynamic control surfaces and two concepts with piezoelectric components. One piezo concept approach will be described rigorously, the other concepts are briefly addressed. In the Dasa concept, thin surface piezo actuators are set out carefully to flatten the dynamic portion of the combined static and dynamic maximum bending moment loading case directly in the shell structure. The second piezo concept by DLR involves pre-loaded lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-block actuators at host structure fixtures. To this end a research apparatus was designed and built as a full scale simplified fin box with carbon fiber reinformed plastic skins and an aluminium stringer-rib substructure restrained by relevant aircraft fixtures. It constitutes a benchmark 3D-structural impedance. The engineering design incorporates 7kg of PZT surface actuators. The structural system then should be excited to more than 15mm tip displacement amplitude. This prepares the final step to total A/C integration. Typical analysis methods using cyclic thermal analogies adapted to induced load levels are compared. Commercial approaches leading onto basic state space model interpretation wrt. actuator sizing and positioning, structural integrity constraints, FE-validation and testing are described. Both piezoelectric strategies are aimed at straight open-loop performance related to concept weight penalty and input electric power. The required actuators, power and integration are then enhanced to specification standards. An adapted qualification program plan is used to improve analytical read across, specifications, manufacturing decisions, handling requirements. The next research goals are outlined.

Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Probing Intracortical Circuits and Improving Cognition in the Aging Brain

PubMed Central

Gomes-Osman, Joyce; Indahlastari, Aprinda; Fried, Peter J.; Cabral, Danylo L. F.; Rice, Jordyn; Nissim, Nicole R.; Aksu, Serkan; McLaren, Molly E.; Woods, Adam J.

2018-01-01

The impact of cognitive aging on brain function and structure is complex, and the relationship between aging-related structural changes and cognitive function are not fully understood. Physiological and pathological changes to the aging brain are highly variable, making it difficult to estimate a cognitive trajectory with which to monitor the conversion to cognitive decline. Beyond the information on the structural and functional consequences of cognitive aging gained from brain imaging and neuropsychological studies, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enable stimulation of the human brain in vivo, offering useful insights into the functional integrity of intracortical circuits using electrophysiology and neuromodulation. TMS measurements can be used to identify and monitor changes in cortical reactivity, the integrity of inhibitory and excitatory intracortical circuits, the mechanisms of long-term potentiation (LTP)/depression-like plasticity and central cholinergic function. Repetitive TMS and tDCS can be used to modulate neuronal excitability and enhance cortical function, and thus offer a potential means to slow or reverse cognitive decline. This review will summarize and critically appraise relevant literature regarding the use of TMS and tDCS to probe cortical areas affected by the aging brain, and as potential therapeutic tools to improve cognitive function in the aging population. Challenges arising from intra-individual differences, limited reproducibility, and methodological differences will be discussed.

Optimal structural design of the midship of a VLCC based on the strategy integrating SVM and GA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li; Wang, Deyu

2012-03-01

In this paper a hybrid process of modeling and optimization, which integrates a support vector machine (SVM) and genetic algorithm (GA), was introduced to reduce the high time cost in structural optimization of ships. SVM, which is rooted in statistical learning theory and an approximate implementation of the method of structural risk minimization, can provide a good generalization performance in metamodeling the input-output relationship of real problems and consequently cuts down on high time cost in the analysis of real problems, such as FEM analysis. The GA, as a powerful optimization technique, possesses remarkable advantages for the problems that can hardly be optimized with common gradient-based optimization methods, which makes it suitable for optimizing models built by SVM. Based on the SVM-GA strategy, optimization of structural scantlings in the midship of a very large crude carrier (VLCC) ship was carried out according to the direct strength assessment method in common structural rules (CSR), which eventually demonstrates the high efficiency of SVM-GA in optimizing the ship structural scantlings under heavy computational complexity. The time cost of this optimization with SVM-GA has been sharply reduced, many more loops have been processed within a small amount of time and the design has been improved remarkably.

Performance improvement CME for quality: challenges inherent to the process.

PubMed

Vakani, Farhan Saeed; O'Beirne, Ronan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the perspective debates upon the real-time challenges for a three-staged Performance Improvement Continuing Medical Education (PI-CME) model, an innovative and potential approach for future CME, to inform providers to think, prepare and to act proactively. In this discussion, the challenges associated for adopting the American Medical Association's three-staged PI-CME model are reported. Not many institutions in USA are using a three-staged performance improvement model and then customizing it to their own healthcare context for the specific targeted audience. They integrate traditional CME methods with performance and quality initiatives, and linking with CME credits. Overall the US health system is interested in a structured PI-CME model with the potential to improve physicians practicing behaviors. Knowing the dearth of evidence for applying this structured performance improvement methodology into the design of CME activities, and the lack of clarity on challenges inherent to the process that learners and providers encounter. This paper establishes all-important first step to render the set of challenges for a three-staged PI-CME model.

Multidisciplinary design optimization using multiobjective formulation techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chattopadhyay, Aditi; Pagaldipti, Narayanan S.

1995-01-01

This report addresses the development of a multidisciplinary optimization procedure using an efficient semi-analytical sensitivity analysis technique and multilevel decomposition for the design of aerospace vehicles. A semi-analytical sensitivity analysis procedure is developed for calculating computational grid sensitivities and aerodynamic design sensitivities. Accuracy and efficiency of the sensitivity analysis procedure is established through comparison of the results with those obtained using a finite difference technique. The developed sensitivity analysis technique are then used within a multidisciplinary optimization procedure for designing aerospace vehicles. The optimization problem, with the integration of aerodynamics and structures, is decomposed into two levels. Optimization is performed for improved aerodynamic performance at the first level and improved structural performance at the second level. Aerodynamic analysis is performed by solving the three-dimensional parabolized Navier Stokes equations. A nonlinear programming technique and an approximate analysis procedure are used for optimization. The proceduredeveloped is applied to design the wing of a high speed aircraft. Results obtained show significant improvements in the aircraft aerodynamic and structural performance when compared to a reference or baseline configuration. The use of the semi-analytical sensitivity technique provides significant computational savings.

Interventional programmes to improve cognition during healthy and pathological ageing: Cortical modulations and evidence for brain plasticity.

PubMed

Cespón, Jesús; Miniussi, Carlo; Pellicciari, Maria Concetta

2018-05-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that healthy elderly individuals and patients with Alzheimer's disease retain an important potential for neuroplasticity. This review summarizes studies investigating the modulation of neural activity and structural brain integrity in response to interventions involving cognitive training, physical exercise and non-invasive brain stimulation in healthy elderly and cognitively impaired subjects (including patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease). Moreover, given the clinical relevance of neuroplasticity, we discuss how evidence for neuroplasticity can be inferred from the functional and structural brain changes observed after implementing these interventions. We emphasize that multimodal programmes, which combine several types of interventions, improve cognitive function to a greater extent than programmes that use a single interventional approach. We suggest specific methods for weighting the relative importance of cognitive training, physical exercise and non-invasive brain stimulation according to the functional and structural state of the brain of the targeted subject to maximize the cognitive improvements induced by multimodal programmes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OVERVIEW OF ENHANCED HANFORD SINGLE-SHELL TANK (SST) INTEGRITY PROJECT - 12128

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

VENETZ TJ; BOOMER KD; WASHENFELDER DJ

2012-01-25

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank (SST) Integrity Project in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration, Seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for the Hanford Federalmore » Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The change package identified two phases of work for SST integrity. The initial phase has been focused on efforts to envelope the integrity of the tanks. The initial phase was divided into two primary areas of investigation: structural integrity and leak integrity. If necessary based on the outcome from the initial work, a second phase would be focused on further definition of the integrity of the concrete and liners. Combined these two phases are designed to support the formal integrity assessment of the Hanford SSTs in 2018 by Independent Qualified Registered Engineer. The work to further define the DOE's understanding of the structural integrity SSTs involves preparing a modern Analysis of Record using a finite element analysis program. Structural analyses of the SSTs have been conducted since 1957, but these analyses used analog calculation, less rigorous models, or focused on individual structures. As such, an integrated understanding of all of the SSTs has not been developed to modern expectations. In support of this effort, other milestones will address the visual inspection of the tank concrete and the collection of concrete core samples from the tanks for analysis of current mechanics properties. The work on the liner leak integrity has examined the leaks from 23 tanks with liner failures. Individual leak assessments are being developed for each tank to identify the leak cause and location. Also a common cause study is being performed to take the data from individual tanks to look for trends in the failure. Supporting this work is an assessment of the leak rate from tanks at both Hanford and the Savannah River Site and a new method to locate leak sites in tank liner using ionic conductivity. A separate activity is being conducted to examine the propensity for corrosion in select single shell tanks with aggressive waste layers. The work for these two main efforts will provide the basis for the phase two planning. If the margins identified aren't sufficient to ensure the integrity through the life of the mission, phase two would focus on activities to further enhance the understanding of tank integrity. Also coincident with any phase-two work would be the integrity analysis for the tanks, which would be complete in 2018. With delays in the completion of waste treatment facilities at Hanford, greater reliance on safe, continued storage of waste in the single shell tanks is increased in importance. The goal of integrity assessment would provide basis to continue SST activities till the end of the treatment mission.« less

The veterinary food hygienist in the food industry: contextual analysis and perspectives.

PubMed

Brindani, F; Paris, A; Giusti, L

2008-09-01

After an introduction concerning the structure of Italian and European Veterinary Offices, the authors outline the features of food production in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, particularly concerning the role of veterinary hygienists and of the other professionals operating along the food chain. The authors underline that veterinarians should improve their managerial skills, together with the technical and legal competences acquired during the bachelor course, (eventually integrated by stages in food factories) and undertake continuous post-university improvement, enabling them to face the competition presented by new professionals.

Robust, Rework-able Thermal Electronic Packaging: Applications in High Power TR Modules for Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, James Patrick; Del Castillo, Linda; Hunter, Don; Miller, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The higher output power densities required of modern radar architectures, such as the proposed DESDynI [Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice] SAR [Synthetic Aperture Radar] Instrument (or DSI) require increasingly dense high power electronics. To enable these higher power densities, while maintaining or even improving hardware reliability, requires improvements in integrating advanced thermal packaging technologies into radar transmit/receive (TR) modules. New materials and techniques have been studied and are now being implemented side-by-side with more standard technology typically used in flight hardware.

Engine dynamic analysis with general nonlinear finite element codes. Part 2: Bearing element implementation overall numerical characteristics and benchmaking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padovan, J.; Adams, M.; Fertis, J.; Zeid, I.; Lam, P.

1982-01-01

Finite element codes are used in modelling rotor-bearing-stator structure common to the turbine industry. Engine dynamic simulation is used by developing strategies which enable the use of available finite element codes. benchmarking the elements developed are benchmarked by incorporation into a general purpose code (ADINA); the numerical characteristics of finite element type rotor-bearing-stator simulations are evaluated through the use of various types of explicit/implicit numerical integration operators. Improving the overall numerical efficiency of the procedure is improved.

Practice-based learning and improvement: a curriculum in continuous quality improvement for surgery residents.

PubMed

Canal, David F; Torbeck, Laura; Djuricich, Alexander M

2007-05-01

Surgery residents can learn continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles within a structured curriculum and propose quality improvement projects. Curriculum within a surgical residency program. A university surgical residency program with multiple hospital training sites. Fifteen surgical residents during the dedicated research year. A curriculum in CQI that focuses on devising a quality improvement project. Resident self-reported attitudes about quality improvement and implementation of resident-initiated quality improvement projects. Resident survey data demonstrated an improvement in knowledge, self-efficacy, and experiences within CQI. Fifteen individual residents, within smaller teams, created 4 quality improvement projects worthy of implementation. A structured CQI curriculum can be successfully integrated into a general surgery residency program. Residents can learn the skill of constructing CQI project ideas within the framework of the plan-do-study-act cycle. Residents are eager to make improvements in their local system of residency. By giving them the tools to critically investigate systems improvement and a much needed ear to hear their concerns and suggestions for improvement, we found ways to potentially enhance patient care and developed ideas to improve the education of future surgeons. In doing so, we provided the residents with "buy-in" into their residency program, while addressing the competency of practice-based learning and improvement required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for resident education.

Prescribed fire applications in Forest and Woodlands: Integration of models and field studies to guide fire use

Treesearch

Kevin C. Ryan; Eric Rigolot; Francisco C. Rego; Herminio Botelho; Jose A. Vega; Paulo M. Fernandes; Tatiana M. Sofronova

2010-01-01

Globally prescribed burning is widely used for agro-forestry, restoration, and conservation to modify species composition and stand structure. Commonly stated goals of prescribed burns include to reduce hazardous fuels, improve species’ habitat, reduce the potential for severe fires in the wildland urban interface or protect municipal watersheds. Treatments may focus...

Integrating Epistemological Perspectives on Chemistry in Chemical Education: The Cases of Concept Duality, Chemical Language, and Structural Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaya, Ebru; Erduran, Sibel

2013-01-01

In this paper, we trace the work of some philosophers of chemistry to draw some implications for the improvement of chemical education. We examine some key features of chemical knowledge, and how these features are relevant for school chemistry teaching and learning. In particular, we examine Laszlo's ("Foundations of Chemistry"…

Assessing the Effectiveness of Structured Social Planning for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Context of a Multiple-Baseline across Participants Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashbaugh, Kristen Elizabeth

2017-01-01

An increasing number of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are transitioning into adulthood and entering postsecondary education. For both typical individuals and individuals with ASD, a college education and experience is linked to improved outcomes in employment, personal skill building, integration into a meaningful community, and…

28 CFR Appendix E to Part 61 - United States Marshals Service Procedures Relating to the Implementation of the National...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... minimizing the use of natural resources, and by improving planning and decision-making processes to avoid...) Integrating the NEPA process in the early stages of planning to ensure that decisions reflect environmental... site. The exclusion applies only if: (i) The structure and proposed use comply with local planning and...

28 CFR Appendix E to Part 61 - United States Marshals Service Procedures Relating to the Implementation of the National...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... minimizing the use of natural resources, and by improving planning and decision-making processes to avoid...) Integrating the NEPA process in the early stages of planning to ensure that decisions reflect environmental... site. The exclusion applies only if: (i) The structure and proposed use comply with local planning and...

28 CFR Appendix E to Part 61 - United States Marshals Service Procedures Relating to the Implementation of the National...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... minimizing the use of natural resources, and by improving planning and decision-making processes to avoid...) Integrating the NEPA process in the early stages of planning to ensure that decisions reflect environmental... site. The exclusion applies only if: (i) The structure and proposed use comply with local planning and...

28 CFR Appendix E to Part 61 - United States Marshals Service Procedures Relating to the Implementation of the National...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... minimizing the use of natural resources, and by improving planning and decision-making processes to avoid...) Integrating the NEPA process in the early stages of planning to ensure that decisions reflect environmental... site. The exclusion applies only if: (i) The structure and proposed use comply with local planning and...

Design and Integration for High Performance Robotic Systems Based on Decomposition and Hybridization Approaches

PubMed Central

Zhang, Dan; Wei, Bin

2017-01-01

Currently, the uses of robotics are limited with respect to performance capabilities. Improving the performance of robotic mechanisms is and still will be the main research topic in the next decade. In this paper, design and integration for improving performance of robotic systems are achieved through three different approaches, i.e., structure synthesis design approach, dynamic balancing approach, and adaptive control approach. The purpose of robotic mechanism structure synthesis design is to propose certain mechanism that has better kinematic and dynamic performance as compared to the old ones. For the dynamic balancing design approach, it is normally accomplished based on employing counterweights or counter-rotations. The potential issue is that more weight and inertia will be included in the system. Here, reactionless based on the reconfiguration concept is put forward, which can address the mentioned problem. With the mechanism reconfiguration, the control system needs to be adapted thereafter. One way to address control system adaptation is by applying the “divide and conquer” methodology. It entails modularizing the functionalities: breaking up the control functions into small functional modules, and from those modules assembling the control system according to the changing needs of the mechanism. PMID:28075360

Tailoring the structure of aligned carbon nanotube bundle by reactive polymer for strengthening its surface interaction with thermosets and the excellent properties of the hybrid thermosets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Qingbao; Yuan, Li; Zhang, Yi; Gu, Aijuan; Liang, Guozheng

2018-05-01

Aligned carbon nanotube bundles (ACNTB) with multi-level hierarchical structures were tailored by reactive polymer vinyl-terminated polyphenylene ether (PPE) for the excellent integrated property of bismaleimide-triazine (BT) resin. The PPE-tailored ACNTB (ACNTB@PPE) has increased strength for the penetration of PPE into porous ACNTB strengthening the interaction between each CNT. The strong interaction at the interface of ACNTB@PPE and BT matrix can be created owing to the reaction of the vinyl group in PPE on the surface of ACNTB and maleimide group in BT. BT with 2% ACNTB@PPE composite shows the optimal flexural strength, fracture toughness and tensile strength, which are 88%, 115% and 77% higher than those of BT, respectively. The introduction of ACNTB@PPE slightly enhances the thermal property of BT. ACNTB@PPE can significantly improve the flame retardancy of BT composites. As compared to individual ACNTB, ACNTB@PPE effectively improves the integrated property of BT composites mainly due to the chemical interaction at the interface of ACNTB@PPE and BT matrix and the increased interaction between each CNT.

Barriers and strategies for improving communication between inpatient and outpatient mental health clinicians.

PubMed

Stockdale, Susan E; Sherin, Jonathan E; Chan, Jeffrey A; Hermann, Richard C

2011-11-01

To explore hospital leaders' perceptions of organisational factors as barriers and/or facilitators in improving inpatient-outpatient (IP-OP) communication. Semistructured in-person interviews. Constant comparative method of qualitative data. Inpatient psychiatry units in 33 general medical/surgical and specialty psychiatric hospitals in California and Massachusetts (USA). Psychiatry chair/chief, service director or medical director. Importance to leadership, resources, organisational structure and culture. A majority of hospital leaders rated the IP-OP communication objective as highly or moderately important. Hospitals with good IP-OP communication had structures in place to support communication or had changed/implemented new procedures to enhance communication, and anticipated clinicians would 'buy in' to the goal of improved communication. Hospitals reporting no improvement efforts were less likely to have structures supporting IP-OP communication, anticipated resistance among clinicians and reported a need for technological resources such as electronic health records, integrated IT and secure online communication. Most leaders reported a need for additional staff time and information, knowledge or data. For many hospitals, successfully improving communication will require overcoming organisational barriers such as cultures not conducive to change and lack of resources and infrastructure. Creating a culture that values communication at discharge may help improve outcomes following hospitalisation, but changes in healthcare delivery in the past few decades may necessitate new strategies or changes at the systems level to address barriers to effective communication.

Integrated Controls-Structures Design Methodology: Redesign of an Evolutionary Test Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, Peiman G.; Gupta, Sandeep; Elliot, Kenny B.; Joshi, Suresh M.

1997-01-01

An optimization-based integrated controls-structures design methodology for a class of flexible space structures is described, and the phase-0 Controls-Structures-Integration evolutionary model, a laboratory testbed at NASA Langley, is redesigned using this integrated design methodology. The integrated controls-structures design is posed as a nonlinear programming problem to minimize the control effort required to maintain a specified line-of-sight pointing performance, under persistent white noise disturbance. Static and dynamic dissipative control strategies are employed for feedback control, and parameters of these controllers are considered as the control design variables. Sizes of strut elements in various sections of the CEM are used as the structural design variables. Design guides for the struts are developed and employed in the integrated design process, to ensure that the redesigned structure can be effectively fabricated. The superiority of the integrated design methodology over the conventional design approach is demonstrated analytically by observing a significant reduction in the average control power needed to maintain specified pointing performance with the integrated design approach.

Training verb argument structure production in agrammatic aphasia: Behavioral and neural recovery patterns

PubMed Central

Thompson, Cynthia K.; Riley, Ellyn A.; den Ouden, Dirk-Bart; Meltzer-Asscher, Aya; Lukic, Sladjana

2013-01-01

Introduction Neuroimaging and lesion studies indicate a left hemisphere network for verb and verb argument structure processing, involving both frontal and temporoparietal brain regions. Although their verb comprehension is generally unimpaired, it is well known that individuals with agrammatic aphasia often present with verb production deficits, characterized by an argument structure complexity hierarchy, indicating faulty access to argument structure representations for production and integration into syntactic contexts. Recovery of verb processing in agrammatism, however, has received little attention and no studies have examined the neural mechanisms associated with improved verb and argument structure processing. In the present study we trained agrammatic individuals on verbs with complex argument structure in sentence contexts and examined generalization to verbs with less complex argument structure. The neural substrates of improved verb production were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods Eight individuals with chronic agrammatic aphasia participated in the study (four experimental and four control participants). Production of three-argument verbs in active sentences was trained using a sentence generation task emphasizing the verb’s argument structure and the thematic roles of sentential noun phrases. Before and after training, production of trained and untrained verbs was tested in naming and sentence production and fMRI scans were obtained, using an action naming task. Results Significant pre- to post-training improvement in trained and untrained (one- and two-argument) verbs was found for treated, but not control, participants, with between-group differences found for verb naming, production of verbs in sentences, and production of argument structure. fMRI activation derived from post-treatment compared to pre-treatment scans revealed upregulation in cortical regions implicated for verb and argument structure processing in healthy controls. Conclusions Training verb deficits emphasizing argument structure and thematic role mapping is effective for improving verb and sentence production and results in recruitment of neural networks engaged for verb and argument structure processing in healthy individuals. PMID:23514929

Magnesium Front End Research and Development: A Canada-China-USA Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Alan A.; Nyberg, Eric A.; Sadayappan, Kumar; Shi, Wenfang

The Magnesium Front End Research & Development (MFERD) project is an effort jointly sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, the United States Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP), the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of a magnesium-intensive automotive front end body structure which offers improved fuel economy and performance benefits in a multi-material automotive structure. The project examines novel magnesium automotive body applications and processes, beyond conventional die castings, including wrought components (sheet or extrusions) and high-integrity body castings. This paper outlines the scope of work and organization for the collaborative (tri-country) task teams. The project has the goals of developing key enabling technologies and knowledge base for increased magnesium automotive body applications. The MFERD project began in early 2007 by initiating R&D in the following areas: crashworthiness, NVH, fatigue and durability, corrosion and surface finishing, extrusion and forming, sheet and forming, high-integrity body casting, as well as joining and assembly. Additionally, the MFERD project is also linked to the Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) project that will investigate the processing/structure/properties relations for various magnesium alloys and manufacturing processes utilizing advanced computer-aided engineering and modeling tools.

Socially cooperative choices: An approach to achieving resource sustainability in the coastal zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crance, Colin; Draper, Dianne

1996-03-01

Achieving resource sustainability, particularly in the coastal zone, is complicated by a variety of interdependencies and trade-offs between economic, social, and ecological variables. Although trade-offs between each of these variables are important, this paper emphasizes the social components of resource management. In this regard a distinction is made between individual and cooperative choices. Individual choices frequently are made from a shortterm, self-interested perspective, whereas cooperative choices are made from a long-term, community and resource-sustainability perspective. Typically, when presented with a spectrum of resource management decisions, individuals have a tendency to act in a self-interested manner. Thus, cooperative benefits, such as reduced conflict and improved resource certainty, are not realized. An overview of selected aspects of social dilemma theory suggests that socially cooperative choice outcomes are attainable in coastal zone management by integrating structural and behavioral solutions in resource use decision making. Three barriers to successful integration of structural and behavioral solutions are identified as self-interest, mistrust, and variable perceptions of resource amenities. Examples from coastal zone management indicate that these barriers may be overcome using approaches such as scopereduction, co-management, community education, and local participation. The paper also provides comment on the potential benefits of integrating structural and behavioral solutions in international coastal zone management efforts.

An integrative dimensional classification of personality disorder.

PubMed

Widiger, Thomas A; Livesley, W John; Clark, Lee Anna

2009-09-01

Psychological assessment research concerns how to describe psychological dysfunction in ways that are both valid and useful. Recent advances in assessment research hold the promise of facilitating significant improvements in description and diagnosis. One such contribution is in the classification of personality disorder symptomatology. The American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual considers personality disorders to be categorically distinct entities. However, research assessing personality disorders has consistently supported a dimensional perspective. Recognition of the many limitations of categorical models of personality disorder classification has led to the development of a variety of alternative proposals, which further research has indicated can be integrated within a common hierarchical structure. This article offers an alternative integrated dimensional model of normal and abnormal personality structure, and it illustrates how such a model could be used clinically to describe patients' normal adaptive personality traits as well as their maladaptive personality traits that could provide the basis for future assessments of personality disorder. The empirical support, feasibility, and clinical utility of the proposal are discussed. Points of ambiguity and dispute are highlighted, and suggestions for future research are provided. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Chassis integrated control for active suspension, active front steering and direct yaw moment systems using hierarchical strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jing; Wong, Pak Kin; Ma, Xinbo; Xie, Zhengchao

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a novel integrated controller with three-layer hierarchical structure to coordinate the interactions among active suspension system (ASS), active front steering (AFS) and direct yaw moment control (DYC). First of all, a 14-degree-of-freedom nonlinear vehicle dynamic model is constructed. Then, an upper layer is designed to calculate the total corrected moment for ASS and intermediate layer based on linear moment distribution. By considering the working regions of the AFS and DYC, the intermediate layer is functionalised to determine the trigger signal for the lower layer with corresponding weights. The lower layer is utilised to separately trace the desired value of each local controller and achieve the local control objectives of each subsystem. Simulation results show that the proposed three-layer hierarchical structure is effective in handling the working region of the AFS and DYC, while the quasi-experimental result shows that the proposed integrated controller is able to improve the lateral and vertical dynamics of the vehicle effectively as compared with a conventional electronic stability controller.

Integration of QSAR and in vitro toxicology.

PubMed Central

Barratt, M D

1998-01-01

The principles of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) are based on the premise that the properties of a chemical are implicit in its molecular structure. Therefore, if a mechanistic hypothesis can be proposed linking a group of related chemicals with a particular toxic end point, the hypothesis can be used to define relevant parameters to establish a QSAR. Ways in which QSAR and in vitro toxicology can complement each other in development of alternatives to live animal experiments are described and illustrated by examples from acute toxicological end points. Integration of QSAR and in vitro methods is examined in the context of assessing mechanistic competence and improving the design of in vitro assays and the development of prediction models. The nature of biological variability is explored together with its implications for the selection of sets of chemicals for test development, optimization, and validation. Methods are described to support the use of data from in vivo tests that do not meet today's stringent requirements of acceptability. Integration of QSAR and in vitro methods into strategic approaches for the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals is described with examples. PMID:9599692

Smart wing wind tunnel model design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Christopher A.; Jasmin, Larry; Flanagan, John S.; Appa, Kari; Kudva, Jayanth N.

1997-05-01

To verify the predicted benefits of the smart wing concept, two 16% scale wind tunnel models, one conventional and the other incorporating smart wing design features, were designed, fabricated and tested. Meticulous design of the two models was essential to: (1) ensure the required factor of safety of four for operation in the NASA Langley TDT wind tunnel, (2) efficiently integrate the smart actuation systems, (3) quantify the performance improvements, and (4) facilitate eventual scale-up to operational aircraft. Significant challenges were encountered in designing the attachment of the shape memory alloy control surfaces to the wing box, integration of the SMA torque tube in the wing structure, and development of control mechanisms to protect the model and the tunnel in the event of failure of the smart systems. In this paper, detailed design of the two models are presented. First, dynamic scaling of the models based on the geometry and structural details of the full- scale aircraft is presented. Next, results of the stress, divergence and flutter analyses are summarized. Finally some of the challenges of integrating the smart actuators with the model are highlighted.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of A Highly Flexible Aeroservoelastic Wing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghighat, Sohrab

A multidisciplinary design optimization framework is developed that integrates control system design with aerostructural design for a highly-deformable wing. The objective of this framework is to surpass the existing aircraft endurance limits through the use of an active load alleviation system designed concurrently with the rest of the aircraft. The novelty of this work is two fold. First, a unified dynamics framework is developed to represent the full six-degree-of-freedom rigid-body along with the structural dynamics. It allows for an integrated control design to account for both manoeuvrability (flying quality) and aeroelasticity criteria simultaneously. Secondly, by synthesizing the aircraft control system along with the structural sizing and aerodynamic shape design, the final design has the potential to exploit synergies among the three disciplines and yield higher performing aircraft. A co-rotational structural framework featuring Euler--Bernoulli beam elements is developed to capture the wing's nonlinear deformations under the effect of aerodynamic and inertial loadings. In this work, a three-dimensional aerodynamic panel code, capable of calculating both steady and unsteady loadings is used. Two different control methods, a model predictive controller (MPC) and a 2-DOF mixed-norm robust controller, are considered in this work to control a highly flexible aircraft. Both control techniques offer unique advantages that make them promising for controlling a highly flexible aircraft. The control system works towards executing time-dependent manoeuvres along with performing gust/manoeuvre load alleviation. The developed framework is investigated for demonstration in two design cases: one in which the control system simply worked towards achieving or maintaining a target altitude, and another where the control system is also performing load alleviation. The use of the active load alleviation system results in a significant improvement in the aircraft performance relative to the optimum result without load alleviation. The results show that the inclusion of control system discipline along with other disciplines at early stages of aircraft design improves aircraft performance. It is also shown that structural stresses due to gust excitations can be better controlled by the use of active structural control systems which can improve the fatigue life of the structure.

Realization of MEMS-IC Vertical Integration Utilizing Smart Bumpless Bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiozaki, Masayoshi; Moriguchi, Makoto; Sasaki, Sho; Oba, Masatoshi

This paper reports fundamental technologies, properties, and new experimental results of SBB (Smart Bumpless Bonding) to realize MEMS-IC vertical integration. Although conventional bonding technologies have had difficulties integrating MEMS and its processing circuit because of their rough bonding surfaces, fragile structures, and thermal restriction, SBB technology realized the vertical integration without thermal treatment, any adhesive materials including bumps, and chemical mechanical polishing. The SBB technology bonds sealing parts for vacuum sealing and electrodes for electrical connection simultaneously as published in previous experimental study. The plasma CVD SiO2 is utilized to realize vacuum sealing as sealing material. And Au projection studs are formed on each electrode and connected electrically between two wafers by compressive plastic deformation and surface activation. In this paper, new experimental results including vacuum sealing properties, electrical improvement, IC bonding results on the described fundamental concept and properties are reported.

Making meaningful improvements to direct care worker training through informed policy: Understanding how care setting structure and culture matter.

PubMed

Kemeny, M Elizabeth; Mabry, J Beth

2017-01-01

Well-intentioned policy governing the training of direct care workers (DCWs) who serve older persons, in practice, may become merely a compliance issue for organizations rather than a meaningful way to improve quality of care. This study investigates the relationships between best practices in DCW training and the structure and culture of long term support service (LTSS) organizations. Using a mixed-methods approach to analyzing data from 328 licensed LTSS organizations in Pennsylvania, the findings suggest that public policy should address methods of training, not just content, and consider organizational variations in size, training evaluation practices, DCW integration, and DCW input into care planning. Effective training also incorporates support for organizations and supervisors as key aspects of DCWs' learning and working environment.

Effects of Laser Re-melting on the Corrosion Properties of HVOF Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yilbas, B. S.; Toor, I. H.; Patel, F.; Baig, M. A.

2013-05-01

HVOF coating of Inconel 625 powder on carbon steel is carried out. Laser melting of the resulting coating is realized to improve coating structural integrity. Morphological and microstructural changes are examined in the coating prior and after laser treatment process using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The residual stress developed is measured on the surface vicinity of the laser-treated coating using the XRD technique. The corrosion resistance of the laser-treated and untreated coating surfaces is measured, incorporating the potentiodynamic tests in 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution. It is found that laser treatment reduces the pores and produces cellular structures with different sizes and orientations in the coating. Laser-controlled melting improves the corrosion resistance of the coating surface.

What is the effect of fasting on the lifespan of neurons?

PubMed

Kalsi, Dilraj S

2015-11-01

Medical advancements have increased life expectancy but have consequently increased the incidence of age-related disease. Fasting or dietary restriction (DR) can help prevent these via anti-ageing effects; however, these effects in neurons are less well characterized. Here, a series of animal and human studies of the effects of DR on the structural and functional integrity of neurons and the underlying mechanisms are analyzed. DR improves the integrity of animal neurons via a wide range of possible mechanisms including changes in metabolism, oxidative damage, stress responses, growth factors, and gene expression. These mechanisms are extensively interlinked and point to an optimum range of calorie intake, above calorie deprivation and below burdensome calorie excess. Human studies also suggest that DR improves neuron integrity; however, due to ethical and methodological limitations, the most conclusive data on DR hinge upon on-going life-long monkey experiments. Rather than developing pharmacological mimetics of DR, our focus should be on educating the public about DR in order to minimize age-related disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Integrated Flood Analysis System for Improving Flood Mitigation Capabilities in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Young-Il; Kim, Jong-suk

2016-04-01

Recently, the needs of people are growing for a more safety life and secure homeland from unexpected natural disasters. Flood damages have been recorded every year and those damages are greater than the annual average of 2 trillion won since 2000 in Korea. It has been increased in casualties and property damages due to flooding caused by hydrometeorlogical extremes according to climate change. Although the importance of flooding situation is emerging rapidly, studies related to development of integrated management system for reducing floods are insufficient in Korea. In addition, it is difficult to effectively reduce floods without developing integrated operation system taking into account of sewage pipe network configuration with the river level. Since the floods result in increasing damages to infrastructure, as well as life and property, structural and non-structural measures should be urgently established in order to effectively reduce the flood. Therefore, in this study, we developed an integrated flood analysis system that systematized technology to quantify flood risk and flood forecasting for supporting synthetic decision-making through real-time monitoring and prediction on flash rain or short-term rainfall by using radar and satellite information in Korea. Keywords: Flooding, Integrated flood analysis system, Rainfall forecasting, Korea Acknowledgments This work was carried out with the support of "Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science & Technology Development (Project No. PJ011686022015)" Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea

Relations between mental health team characteristics and work role performance.

PubMed

Fleury, Marie-Josée; Grenier, Guy; Bamvita, Jean-Marie; Farand, Lambert

2017-01-01

Effective mental health care requires a high performing, interprofessional team. Among 79 mental health teams in Quebec (Canada), this exploratory study aims to 1) determine the association between work role performance and a wide range of variables related to team effectiveness according to the literature, and to 2) using structural equation modelling, assess the covariance between each of these variables as well as the correlation with other exogenous variables. Work role performance was measured with an adapted version of a work role questionnaire. Various independent variables including team manager characteristics, user characteristics, team profiles, clinical activities, organizational culture, network integration strategies and frequency/satisfaction of interactions with other teams or services were analyzed under the structural equation model. The later provided a good fit with the data. Frequent use of standardized procedures and evaluation tools (e.g. screening and assessment tools for mental health disorders) and team manager seniority exerted the most direct effect on work role performance. While network integration strategies had little effect on work role performance, there was a high covariance between this variable and those directly affecting work role performance among mental health teams. The results suggest that the mental healthcare system should apply standardized procedures and evaluation tools and, to a lesser extent, clinical approaches to improve work role performance in mental health teams. Overall, a more systematic implementation of network integration strategies may contribute to improved work role performance in mental health care.

Relations between mental health team characteristics and work role performance

PubMed Central

Grenier, Guy; Bamvita, Jean-Marie; Farand, Lambert

2017-01-01

Effective mental health care requires a high performing, interprofessional team. Among 79 mental health teams in Quebec (Canada), this exploratory study aims to 1) determine the association between work role performance and a wide range of variables related to team effectiveness according to the literature, and to 2) using structural equation modelling, assess the covariance between each of these variables as well as the correlation with other exogenous variables. Work role performance was measured with an adapted version of a work role questionnaire. Various independent variables including team manager characteristics, user characteristics, team profiles, clinical activities, organizational culture, network integration strategies and frequency/satisfaction of interactions with other teams or services were analyzed under the structural equation model. The later provided a good fit with the data. Frequent use of standardized procedures and evaluation tools (e.g. screening and assessment tools for mental health disorders) and team manager seniority exerted the most direct effect on work role performance. While network integration strategies had little effect on work role performance, there was a high covariance between this variable and those directly affecting work role performance among mental health teams. The results suggest that the mental healthcare system should apply standardized procedures and evaluation tools and, to a lesser extent, clinical approaches to improve work role performance in mental health teams. Overall, a more systematic implementation of network integration strategies may contribute to improved work role performance in mental health care. PMID:28991923

Structural evaluation of a DTHR bundle divertor particle collector

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

Prevenslik, T.V.

1980-09-01

The purpose of this report is to present a structural evaluation of the current bundle divertor particle collector BDPC design under a peak heat flux in relation to criteria that protect against coolant leakage into the plasma over replacement schedules planned during DTHR operation. In addition, an assessment of the BDPC structural integrity at higher heat fluxes is presented. Further, recommendations for modifications in the current BDPC design that would improve design reliability to be considered in future design studies are described. Finally, experimental test programs directed to establishing materials data necessary in providing greater confidence in subsequent structural evaluationsmore » of BDPC designs in relation to coolant leakage over planned replacement schedules are identified.« less

Revised and improved value of the QED tenth-order electron anomalous magnetic moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoyama, Tatsumi; Kinoshita, Toichiro; Nio, Makiko

2018-02-01

In order to improve the theoretical prediction of the electron anomalous magnetic moment ae we have carried out a new numerical evaluation of the 389 integrals of Set V, which represent 6,354 Feynman vertex diagrams without lepton loops. During this work, we found that one of the integrals, called X 024 , was given a wrong value in the previous calculation due to an incorrect assignment of integration variables. The correction of this error causes a shift of -1.26 to the Set V contribution, and hence to the tenth-order universal (i.e., mass-independent) term A1(10 ). The previous evaluation of all other 388 integrals is free from errors and consistent with the new evaluation. Combining the new and the old (excluding X 024 ) calculations statistically, we obtain 7.606 (192 )(α /π )5 as the best estimate of the Set V contribution. Including the contribution of the diagrams with fermion loops, the improved tenth-order universal term becomes A1(10 )=6.675 (192 ) . Adding hadronic and electroweak contributions leads to the theoretical prediction ae(theory)=1 159 652 182.032 (720 )×10-12 . From this and the best measurement of ae, we obtain the inverse fine-structure constant α-1(ae)=137.035 999 1491 (331 ) . The theoretical prediction of the muon anomalous magnetic moment is also affected by the update of QED contribution and the new value of α , but the shift is much smaller than the theoretical uncertainty.

Residual Strength Characterization of Unitized Structures Fabricated Using Different Manufacturing Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seshadri, B. R.; Smith, S. W.; Johnston, W. M.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes residual strength analysis of integral structures fabricated using different manufacturing procedures. The topics include: 1) Built-up and Integral Structures; 2) Development of Prediction Methodology for Integral Structures Fabricated using different Manufacturing Procedures; 3) Testing Facility; 4) Fracture Parameters Definition; 5) Crack Branching in Integral Structures; 6) Results and Discussion; and 7) Concluding Remarks.

State feedback integral control for a rotary direct drive servo valve using a Lyapunov function approach.

PubMed

Yu, Jue; Zhuang, Jian; Yu, Dehong

2015-01-01

This paper concerns a state feedback integral control using a Lyapunov function approach for a rotary direct drive servo valve (RDDV) while considering parameter uncertainties. Modeling of this RDDV servovalve reveals that its mechanical performance is deeply influenced by friction torques and flow torques; however, these torques are uncertain and mutable due to the nature of fluid flow. To eliminate load resistance and to achieve satisfactory position responses, this paper develops a state feedback control that integrates an integral action and a Lyapunov function. The integral action is introduced to address the nonzero steady-state error; in particular, the Lyapunov function is employed to improve control robustness by adjusting the varying parameters within their value ranges. This new controller also has the advantages of simple structure and ease of implementation. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed controller can achieve higher control accuracy and stronger robustness. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MANTECH project book

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The effective integration of processes, systems, and procedures used in the production of aerospace systems using computer technology is managed by the Integration Technology Division (MTI). Under its auspices are the Information Management Branch, which is actively involved with information management, information sciences and integration, and the Implementation Branch, whose technology areas include computer integrated manufacturing, engineering design, operations research, and material handling and assembly. The Integration Technology Division combines design, manufacturing, and supportability functions within the same organization. The Processing and Fabrication Division manages programs to improve structural and nonstructural materials processing and fabrication. Within this division, the Metals Branch directs the manufacturing methods program for metals and metal matrix composites processing and fabrication. The Nonmetals Branch directs the manufacturing methods programs, which include all manufacturing processes for producing and utilizing propellants, plastics, resins, fibers, composites, fluid elastomers, ceramics, glasses, and coatings. The objective of the Industrial Base Analysis Division is to act as focal point for the USAF industrial base program for productivity, responsiveness, and preparedness planning.

Novel cost controlled materials and processing for primary structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dastin, S. J.

1993-01-01

Textile laminates, developed a number of years ago, have recently been shown to be applicable to primary aircraft structures for both small and large components. Such structures have the potential to reduce acquisition costs but require advanced automated processing to keep costs controlled while verifying product reliability and assuring structural integrity, durability and affordable life-cycle costs. Recently, resin systems and graphite-reinforced woven shapes have been developed that have the potential for improved RTM processes for aircraft structures. Ciba-Geigy, Brochier Division has registered an RTM prepreg reinforcement called 'Injectex' that has shown effectivity for aircraft components. Other novel approaches discussed are thermotropic resins producing components by injection molding and ceramic polymers for long-duration hot structures. The potential of such materials and processing will be reviewed along with initial information/data available to date.

Impedance-based structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitchford, Corey; Grisso, Benjamin L.; Inman, Daniel J.

2007-04-01

Wind power is a fast-growing source of non-polluting, renewable energy with vast potential. However, current wind turbine technology must be improved before the potential of wind power can be fully realized. Wind turbine blades are one of the key components in improving this technology. Blade failure is very costly because it can damage other blades, the wind turbine itself, and possibly other wind turbines. A successful damage detection system incorporated into wind turbines could extend blade life and allow for less conservative designs. A damage detection method which has shown promise on a wide variety of structures is impedance-based structural health monitoring. The technique utilizes small piezoceramic (PZT) patches attached to a structure as self-sensing actuators to both excite the structure with high-frequency excitations, and monitor any changes in structural mechanical impedance. By monitoring the electrical impedance of the PZT, assessments can be made about the integrity of the mechanical structure. Recently, advances in hardware systems with onboard computing, including actuation and sensing, computational algorithms, and wireless telemetry, have improved the accessibility of the impedance method for in-field measurements. This paper investigates the feasibility of implementing such an onboard system inside of turbine blades as an in-field method of damage detection. Viability of onboard detection is accomplished by running a series of tests to verify the capability of the method on an actual wind turbine blade section from an experimental carbon/glass/balsa composite blade developed at Sandia National Laboratories.

Intentional research design in implementation science: implications for the use of nomothetic and idiographic assessment.

PubMed

Lyon, Aaron R; Connors, Elizabeth; Jensen-Doss, Amanda; Landes, Sara J; Lewis, Cara C; McLeod, Bryce D; Rutt, Christopher; Stanick, Cameo; Weiner, Bryan J

2017-09-01

The advancement of implementation science is dependent on identifying assessment strategies that can address implementation and clinical outcome variables in ways that are valid, relevant to stakeholders, and scalable. This paper presents a measurement agenda for implementation science that integrates the previously disparate assessment traditions of idiographic and nomothetic approaches. Although idiographic and nomothetic approaches are both used in implementation science, a review of the literature on this topic suggests that their selection can be indiscriminate, driven by convenience, and not explicitly tied to research study design. As a result, they are not typically combined deliberately or effectively. Thoughtful integration may simultaneously enhance both the rigor and relevance of assessments across multiple levels within health service systems. Background on nomothetic and idiographic assessment is provided as well as their potential to support research in implementation science. Drawing from an existing framework, seven structures (of various sequencing and weighting options) and five functions (Convergence, Complementarity, Expansion, Development, Sampling) for integrating conceptually distinct research methods are articulated as they apply to the deliberate, design-driven integration of nomothetic and idiographic assessment approaches. Specific examples and practical guidance are provided to inform research consistent with this framework. Selection and integration of idiographic and nomothetic assessments for implementation science research designs can be improved. The current paper argues for the deliberate application of a clear framework to improve the rigor and relevance of contemporary assessment strategies.

Efficiency in the United States electric industry: Transaction costs, deregulation, and governance structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Carl

Transaction costs economics (TCE) posits that firms have an incentive to bypass the market mechanisms in situations where the cost of using the market is prohibitive. Vertical integration, among other governance mechanisms, can be used to minimize the transactions costs associated with the market mechanism. The study analyses different governance mechanisms, which range from complete vertical integration to the use of market mechanisms, for firms in the US electric sector. This sector has undergone tremendous change in the past decade including the introduction of retail competition in some jurisdictions. As a result of the push toward deregulation of the industry, vertically integration, while still significant in the sector, has steadily been replaced by alternative governance structures. Using a sample of 136 investor-owned electric utilities that reported data the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission between 1996 and 2002, this study estimates firm level efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and relates these estimates to governance structure and public policies. The analysis finds that vertical integration is positively related to firm efficiency, although in a non-linear fashion suggesting that hybrid governance structures tend to be associated with lower efficiency scores. In addition, while some evidence is found for negative short-term effects on firm efficiency from the choice to deregulate, this result is sensitive to DEA model choice. Further, competition in retail markets is found to be positively related to firm level efficiency, but the retreat from deregulation, which occurred after 2000, is negatively associated with firm-level efficiency. These results are important in the ongoing academic and public policy debates concerning deregulation of the electric section and indicate that vertical economies remain in the industry, but that competition has provided incentives for improving firm level efficiency.

The artist's advantage: Better integration of object information across eye movements

PubMed Central

Perdreau, Florian; Cavanagh, Patrick

2013-01-01

Over their careers, figurative artists spend thousands of hours analyzing objects and scene layout. We examined what impact this extensive training has on the ability to encode complex scenes, comparing participants with a wide range of training and drawing skills on a possible versus impossible objects task. We used a gaze-contingent display to control the amount of information the participants could sample on each fixation either from central or peripheral visual field. Test objects were displayed and participants reported, as quickly as possible, whether the object was structurally possible or not. Our results show that when viewing the image through a small central window, performance improved with the years of training, and to a lesser extent with the level of skill. This suggests that the extensive training itself confers an advantage for integrating object structure into more robust object descriptions. PMID:24349697

Formation of Micro- and Nanostructures on the Nanotitanium Surface by Chemical Etching and Deposition of Titania Films by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)

PubMed Central

Nazarov, Denis V.; Zemtsova, Elena G.; Valiev, Ruslan Z.; Smirnov, Vladimir M.

2015-01-01

In this study, an integrated approach was used for the preparation of a nanotitanium-based bioactive material. The integrated approach included three methods: severe plastic deformation (SPD), chemical etching and atomic layer deposition (ALD). For the first time, it was experimentally shown that the nature of the etching medium (acidic or basic Piranha solutions) and the etching time have a significant qualitative impact on the nanotitanium surface structure both at the nano- and microscale. The etched samples were coated with crystalline biocompatible TiO2 films with a thickness of 20 nm by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Comparative study of the adhesive and spreading properties of human osteoblasts MG-63 has demonstrated that presence of nano- and microscale structures and crystalline titanium oxide on the surface of nanotitanium improve bioactive properties of the material. PMID:28793716

Field ionization characteristics of an ion source array for neutron generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bargsten Johnson, B.; Schwoebel, P. R.; Resnick, P. J.; Holland, C. E.; Hertz, K. L.; Chichester, D. L.

2013-11-01

A new deuterium ion source is being developed to improve the performance of existing compact neutron generators. The ion source is a microfabricated array of metal tips with an integrated gate (i.e., grid) and produces deuterium ions by field ionizing (or field desorbing) a supply of deuterium gas. Deuterium field ion currents from arrays at source temperatures of 77 K and 293 K are studied. Ion currents from single etched-wire tips operating under the same conditions are used to help understand array results. I-F characteristics of the arrays were found to follow trends similar to those of the better understood single etched-wire tip results; however, the fields achieved by the arrays are limited by electrical breakdown of the structure. Neutron production by field ionization at 293 K was demonstrated for the first time from microfabricated array structures with integrated gates.

PDBe: improved accessibility of macromolecular structure data from PDB and EMDB

PubMed Central

Velankar, Sameer; van Ginkel, Glen; Alhroub, Younes; Battle, Gary M.; Berrisford, John M.; Conroy, Matthew J.; Dana, Jose M.; Gore, Swanand P.; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Haslam, Pauline; Hendrickx, Pieter M. S.; Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Mir, Saqib; Fernandez Montecelo, Manuel A.; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Oldfield, Thomas J.; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Sen, Sanchayita; Slowley, Robert A.; Wainwright, Michael E.; Deshpande, Mandar S.; Iudin, Andrii; Sahni, Gaurav; Salavert Torres, Jose; Hirshberg, Miriam; Mak, Lora; Nadzirin, Nurul; Armstrong, David R.; Clark, Alice R.; Smart, Oliver S.; Korir, Paul K.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.

2016-01-01

The Protein Data Bank in Europe (http://pdbe.org) accepts and annotates depositions of macromolecular structure data in the PDB and EMDB archives and enriches, integrates and disseminates structural information in a variety of ways. The PDBe website has been redesigned based on an analysis of user requirements, and now offers intuitive access to improved and value-added macromolecular structure information. Unique value-added information includes lists of reviews and research articles that cite or mention PDB entries as well as access to figures and legends from full-text open-access publications that describe PDB entries. A powerful new query system not only shows all the PDB entries that match a given query, but also shows the ‘best structures’ for a given macromolecule, ligand complex or sequence family using data-quality information from the wwPDB validation reports. A PDBe RESTful API has been developed to provide unified access to macromolecular structure data available in the PDB and EMDB archives as well as value-added annotations, e.g. regarding structure quality and up-to-date cross-reference information from the SIFTS resource. Taken together, these new developments facilitate unified access to macromolecular structure data in an intuitive way for non-expert users and support expert users in analysing macromolecular structure data. PMID:26476444

Integrated health systems.

PubMed

Shortell, Stephen M; McCurdy, Rodney K

2010-01-01

Before meaningful gains in improving the value of health care in the US can be achieved, the fragmented nature in which health care is financed and delivered must be addressed. One type of healthcare organization, the Integrated Delivery System (IDS), is poised to play a pivotal role in reform efforts. What are these systems? What is the current evidence regarding their performance? What are the current barriers to their establishment and how can these barriers be removed? This chapter addresses these important questions. Although there are many types of IDS' in the US healthcare landscape, the chapter begins by identifying the necessary healthcare components that encompass an IDS and discusses the levels of integration that are important to improving health care quality and value. Next, it explores the recent evidence regarding IDS performance which, while generally positive, is less than what it could be if there were greater focus on clinical integration. To highlight, the chapter discusses the efficacy of system engineering initiatives in two examples of large, fully integrated systems: Kaiser-Permanente and the Veterans Health Administration. The evidence here is strong that the impact of system engineering methods is enhanced through the integration of processes, goals and outcomes. Reforms necessary to encourage the development of IDS' include: 1) the development of payment mechanisms designed to increase greater inter-dependency of hospitals and physicians; 2) the modification or removal of several regulatory barriers to greater clinical integration; and 3) the establishment of a more robust data collection and reporting system to increase transparency and accountability. The chapter concludes with a framework for considering these reforms across strategic, structural, cultural, and technical dimensions.